Sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger there, but as promised, here is the next part.

I would like to dedicate this chapter to phnxgrl for being the first to review to the last chapter.

Enjoy ...

Chapter 11

"ALAN!"

Scott didn't take time to think, he just vaulted out the window after his brother, the other three close behind him. The foliage was as thick as he remembered, though back then he rarely ventured so far from the base. This area was dangerous at the best of times, but right now all he could think was that it could claim the life of his youngest brother.

It didn't take long to catch up to Edward. He was standing at the edge of a drop off, his arm locked around Alan's neck. Scott stopped several feet away, not wanting to risk getting too close. The look in his former-friend's eyes was wild, almost maniacal, and it wouldn't take much to – literally – send him over the edge.

"Let him go, East," Scott ordered, willing his vouce to stay steady. "He has nothing to do with this, just let him go."

"Your fight, his fight, remember?" Edward sneered.

"More casualties of war?" James said coolly, his gun pointed at the pair on the ridge. "I'd let him go before you join that list."

"You send me to Hell, Joker, and I'm taking the kid with me. Drop your gun."

Scott fought to keep the fear he was feeling from showing. Edward had already killed six people, that they knew of, and he would have no problem killing Alan too. He looked to Joker, silently begging his best friend not to risk it. They had to stop Edward, but nothing was worth the cost of his brother's life.

"Okay," James agreed, casually. "I'll let go of the gun, when you let go of the boy."

"I let go of the boy, he's gonna have a long way to fall. But if you want …"

"No!" Scott cried, as Edward shifted closer to the edge.

He felt Virgil and Gordon move closer, but held out his arms to keep them back. He could risk them any more than he could stomach the thought of losing Alan. Edward was insane, he knew that, and there was no telling what he would do. However, there was still one question that Scott never had an answer to.

"Why, East? Why do all this?"

"Take your brother or are you talking about before?" Edward questioned, shifting again. "I should have known you would never figure it out. How could you; you're a saint."

"That's just a nickname," Scott argued.

"Is it?" the traitor laughed. "So, you would have accepted that a man could sell out his country to pay his debts? You would understand how a guy could sell his big brother to save his own skin with the loan sharks? You wouldn't blink at killing that man set to destroy you."

"I can understand that last one," James cut in, taking a small step forward, "but I'm not selfish enough to target only the ones coming after me."

"One more step and you'll see this kid fly without a Thunderbird," Edward warned. "That's another thing, Saint. Only someone like you could spend all your time doing nothing but helping people."

Scott said nothing, eyes shifting between the crazed gleam in the traitor's eye and the pebbles slowly falling away under his feet. It wouldn't take much for the man to fall, and if he didn't there wasn't much stopping him from taking Alan down with him. If only they could get him to loosen his grip, even a little. He had to do something before his brother was added to the list of Edward's victims.

"Funny where we all ended up," James commented. "Radio is a technician, Justice is a laywer, Railroad is a construction worker, Doc is park ranger, Saint is a superhero, and you're a killer."

While Joker always had been reckless, Scott wished he would reign it in, just this once. However, there was a time that he trusted the man with his life. While it was hard, he would have to trust him with the lives of his brothers.

"I'm a killer?" Edward spat, tightening his grip on Alan's neck. "And what would you do with that gun if the little terror wasn't here?"

"Nothing," James said lightly, tossing the gun into the brush. "I don't need a gun for this. After all, it's just like the old days, right?"

As confused as Scott was about hi friend's tactics, he was relieved to see that he wasn't the only one thrown off by his actions. Edward's arm dropped slightly, though both he and Alan were still too close to the edge for comfort. On top of that, the ground beneath them was continuing to shift. If James was planning something, it was going to have to happen soon.

"What are you talking about, Joker?" Edward demanded.

"Same as always," he answered with a grin. "Viv la resistance!"

A moment later something shot from his hand, hitting Edward in the middle of his forehead. Stunned, the man stumbled backwards, taking Alan with him. Scott leapt forward, grabbing for his brother and he watched a traitor go down for the second time.

/'/'/'/'/'10 YEARS AGO'\'\'\'\'\

Scott sored through the air, scanning the night for the enemy plane. He could see James off his right wing as the two slipped into a familiar pattern. Only this time, it wasn't a training exercise.

"Charlie Two, I got eyes on the target," James' voice came through his radio. "Switch to our frequency, over."

"Copy that, Charlie Four," Scott replied. "Switching now, over."

He changed his radio to the date James conceived the resistance. It had long been a sort of secret code among the members, often used for personal communications or as a password. For the first time, Scott was grateful that he had been part of it and not Edward. If they wanted a chance of taking him down, it would work a lot better if he couldn't hear every word they were saying.

"You ready for this, Saint?"

Scott chose to ignore his lack of protocol and thought about what they were about to do. Edward had been a friend for a long time, but that did not mean they could let him get away with murder. This could only end one of two ways, and neither choice was ideal.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," he replied seriously.

"Good, because we got bogies coming in."

From that point on, Scott had to put his own thoughts and feelings aside, relying on his training to get through. Edward must have called for backup, because about six small craft had descended on them like flies. However, quantity does not mean the same as quality, and the light craft had nothing on the fighters he and James were in. Scott took out two with ease, but then came under fire from Edward himself.

"He's on my tail, Joker!"

"I got him, Saint!"

James swung around behind them, firing on the man they once called friend. Scott couldn't make out all of what was happening, but the fiery streak that hit the trees was unmistakable. With the loss of their leader, and heavily outgunned, the lighter crafted broke off and headed for the hills. The fight was over, but the hardest part was only beginning.

One chapter to go.

Let me know what you think and let me know how soon to post again: 12, 20, 24, or 40 hours.