A/N: Yeah, sorry guys. This should have been out yesterday, but life bit me again. Bad news is You Came Back is almost done, which sucks.

xXx

Flinging the door open, Hex was on the move at once. The rogue agent caught up with several of her men making their way to the roof, not minding the curt nods of acknowledgement they gave her. This was perhaps the most important operation of their careers, passing on the usual gestures of respect wasn't something to get worked up over. They had their hands full, and in a minute's time she did too.

Of the boy, she pushed him out of her mind. After leaving him strapped to the chair, she locked the door on the off chance he escaped from the bindings. As far as she was concerned, it was enough. Hex thought it was a bit of a shame; she really wanted to see what it would take to break the teen, but business came before pleasure. For now, phase two was in full effect

"You guys ready for this?" Hex asked wryly, grunting when she picked up the heavy mortar.

Hefting the large Javelin missile system, Hanover grinned. "You know it boss" he answered enthusiastically, even as he struggled with the weapon.

Her eyes caught Beast picking up the accompanying large box of HE shells, eyeing the strained yet silent girl for a moment. She didn't think for a second there was nothing else to Black Rock Beast, that she was Ram's equivalent to a wet works operator for times she couldn't safely perform her missions. The operation to acquire the boy proved her worth, but that didn't mean Hex was going to let the supposedly cloned warrior hear all of her dirty secrets.

Connely got the door for them, holding it open for the small procession to head up the fortunately short flight of stairs towards the roof. Once they were through he darted over to set up the bipod for her, before rushing back for more supplies. Bobby and Steve were present already, passing on transporting the munitions in favor of setting up the next stage of the plan.

The CIA operative picked the abandoned office building as their base of operations for three reasons: the first being the demolition slated for the next couple weeks, making the cleanup to hide their activities as easy as wiring in explosives. Two, given the relatively run down section of Tokyo they set up in, the risk of police finding them was much reduced. With the amount of ordinance she brought along (plus their escape chopper), she didn't need any more attention than was absolutely needed.

Hex surveyed the roof quickly, briefly noting the overcast sky was starting to clear up. Grunting indifferently, she briefly glanced over the wide yet mostly empty broadway leading to the building, a rare combination of size and sparseness that was so rare in Tokyo. To her eyes, it was a near perfect killing ground. For a reason three of her choice, she could do far worse.

Bobby and Steve were still setting up their gear, preparing the weapons for the next act. Steve in particular was grinning broadly as he worked on his baby, giving it an unhealthy amount of attention as he had for an hour now.

"Sup boss?" the former asked genially as he finished putting the scope on his bipod mounted M107, with no sign of his earlier frown.

Hex took a breath first. The veteran groaned as she lowered to a squat, setting the twenty kilogram M224 onto the freshly shoveled roof as carefully as she could. The weapon was sturdy, but given its importance to the plan she didn't want it damaged. Once she was free of the weight Hex glanced towards Hanover, who nodded to her. She returned the gesture and stood up, moving away to leave him free to boot up the finicky yet highly useful weapon.

"Bobby, Steve, status?" she questioned, aware of Beast plopping the case of shells beside Hanover. The case rattled ominously while the girl left to retrieve more ammunition.

"Good here. Always hated these damn things, but I'm glad to have it this time" Bobby told her, checking over the large sniper rifle. Hex paid a lot to slip it and several other weapons out of the storage depots at Yokohama, but it was well worth the cost for this operation.

"Good, let me know when you're ready. Steve?" Hex turned to question, letting her eyes roam over the absolutely enormous weapon the former Ranger brought.

"You have no idea how happy I am boss" he said giddily, screwing the barrel in place. As she expected, the man was grinning. Just thinking about how much the compensation sized anti-material rifle cost made her groan; the fact he bought the gun and it's pricy ammo out of his own pocket was one of the only reasons she allowed him to use it.

"I can see your hardon from here. You ready yet?" Hex snapped, glancing over the short row of bullets he had lined up next to the gun. The 14.5mm by 114mm anti-armor shells out of a surplus KPV were even larger than the .50 BMG rounds she had never liked, powerful enough to turn a man into an assorted pile of body parts.

"Almost, the Denel NTW here is a fine baby, needs more love than the bog standard fifties. Goes double with the fourteen five rounds I got, these bad motherfuckers will put an elephant down with one-"

"Fap to your gun later Steve, ETA?" Hex interrupted, checking her watch.

He huffed, annoyed at her for not sharing his enthusiasm. "Five minutes. I'm telling ya, this'll do the trick on its own."

"Well see" Hex turned away, mind churning to check for anything she may have missed. She might have considered the sight of the growing pile of weapons to be overkill in any other situation, but right now she could only wonder if it would be enough.

When the door burst open once again Hex snapped her head around, her palm already reaching for her sidearm before she checked herself. The first through was Beast carrying another box of ammo, but behind he was Connely, a tablet in hand as he looked worried. "Boss, good news and bad news."

"Lay it on me" she ordered, striding up to meet him.

"White Rock Shooter has been spotted, the metro cops lost two SAT teams trying to take her down. Based on the chatter, they're trying to evac everyone they can out of her way." he told her, grimacing while she flashed a dangerous smile.

"The bad?"

Connely coughed first. "The Japs are moving faster than we planned, a hell of a lot faster. Forward elements of the 1st Airborne Brigade are on the airfields, they'll have boots on the ground in thirty minutes. The whole block will be locked down in a hour, and they got at least three F-15 squadrons scrambling as we speak."

In a second's time Hex's expression mirrored his. "Damn, that's gonna cut an hour from our window at the least" she muttered ruefully.

"It gets worse" Connely grimaced when she gave him a harsh look. "The PM called the Okinawa garrison too, they're sending over every available combat unit they got. We're gonna have at least a battalion's worth of Marines here in under an hour, air elements are already on the way. White must really have 'em spooked."

Hex rubbed her chin, processing the information available to her. "At this rate, we'll either have to be out of here in forty five minutes or hunker down and wait. I don't think my credentials will get us out of here in one piece." she groaned, setting the problem aside. "What's Tango Prime's status?"

"Coming right at us like a cruise missile" The way Connely swallowed a lump did not go unnoticed.

The woman huffed, frowning in distaste. "Knew it, score one for paranoia."

xXx

Insane Black Rock Shooter slammed into the hood of the car, crumpling the thin metal under her armored boot. The punishment to the vehicle, and the related terror of the driver, lasted only a moment, as she immediately leaped away. Again and again she stomped on, slammed into, or simply weaved around the innumerable cars in her path, slowing her mad dash towards her target.

She snarled in anger at the endless obstacles, but she didn't stop to strike. If she attacked, then more armed humans would come. They would fall before her, but if they brought their greater weapons to bear, then it would be over. Right now, Insane Black Rock Shooter didn't need the fire from the sky which nearly finished her off before. All she needed was Jonah.

Darting in front of a squealing bus, she ran as fast as she could under the conditions. Around a moving truck, through a parting crowd of screaming humans, bounding over a screeching car, all in pursuit of her goal. She cared not for the attention she was receiving, unconcerned with the panic she was spreading. Jonah was her goal, and nothing was going to stop her.

After darting through a crowded intersection, the number of people tapered off. As Insane Black Rock Shooter rushed over the paved streets, she began to pick up speed. Flashing sirens, screams, noises and lights innumerable flew by in a blur. With her legs pumping and her chest heaving, the corrupted girl was finally reaching the limit of what she was truly capable of. For the first time in her existence, there was nothing holding her back.

Turning a corner was harder than she expected it to be, and she was forced to veer widely to avoid hitting something. Her foot brushed a street sign, off balancing her mid run. Only by throwing her chained weapons to the side did she avoid tripping; the potential damage meant little to her, but crashing would cost her time. Right now, a delay wasn't an option.

Back on track, Insane Black Rock Shooter rushed down a long open street. The fact it was oddly abandoned meant nothing to her, all she saw was an unremarkable office building at the end of an intersection. She knew Jonah was in there; she didn't understand how she knew, all that mattered was she did. It never crossed her mind the open street was a preplanned kill zone.

On the rooftop, the ex-Marine behind the scope cursed. "Target sighed!"

The five on the roof went to work; Hex dove to the ground to quickly get her M107 sighted in, as Bobby tracked the girl with his own rifle at the ready. By the mortar Black Rock Beast crouched down soundlessly, her blank gaze observing the humans around her. Hanover had just finished setting up the Javelin; upon hearing the words he'd been waiting for, he rushed to get the first missile primed. Of Steve, he alone ignored the proceedings to put the finishing touches on his precious rifle.

As Hex nestled the rifle's stock to her shoulder, she tapped the radio setup on her ear. "Tango Primes been sighted, you guys better be ready."

"Ready on this end" went the staticky reply. Clicking the radio off, Hex quickly yanked a set of earmuffs on. She glanced to Bobby, who met her gaze. She nodded to him, and he nodded back. Lastly, she raised a hand to hold up a single finger. The others had set up the distractions, but it would be Hanover who triggered them.

Insane Black Rock Shooter's single minded dash was interrupted by a deafening boom from a building. She had yet to build up to her full speed, but she was still going too fast to properly react. It took a heroic effort for her to slow down, kicking the ground hard enough to crack the pavement as she frantically skidded. Before she could properly face the new threat, another explosion boomed from the opposite direction.

This one she was ready for, her entire body swaying as she stomped to a halt. The cannon and the M60 leapt into her hands, both weapons jerking towards the dissipating cloud of debris. A second ticked by, confusion filtering into her mind. But just as she started to lower the weapons, yet another boom came from behind her. Whirling around, she fired off a volley from both weapons. The purple tinted bolts tore through the air, hitting nothing but concrete. What little sanity left in the girl's mind warned her something was wrong.

For a split second Insane Black Rock Shooter registered a distant yet familiar boom, right before what felt like a truck slammed into her head. She pitched backwards, all three chains temporarily going limp. The corrupted girl didn't realize she had left the ground until she slammed into the cold pavement, a peculiar throb coming from her head.

Letting out a quiet groan, she laid on the street for a moment. She tried thinking, wondering just what it was which hit her so hard. When she pushed herself to her hands and knees, the memory clicked: the .50 cal the SEALs used. Outside of the explosives, it was the one weapon those men used which succeeded in hurting her.

She had just gotten back on her feet when a second bullet struck home, this one hitting her shin. The limb crumpled under the blow, jerking her back to the ground. Seconds later a third shot hit her shoulder, flinging her away. Grimacing as she brought herself up, she leveled her burning gaze upon the building she was after. She knew the shots were coming from up there.

On top of the roof, Bobby backed his head away from the scope, blinking. "Holy fuck, bitch just took three shots and looks pissed as all hell" he exclaimed, ears ringing in spite of his muffs. His shoulder ached horribly too, feeling like he was kicked by a horse.

"No shit" Hanover said darkly, quickly getting the mortar ready. He left the Javelin aside for a minute; it wasn't the right time yet. Instead he turned to the expressionless girl on the other side of the weapon. "Alright, when I tell you, drop one of the shells in there just like I showed you. Once its in, cover your ears. You got me?"

Beast nodded, her clawed hands picking up an HE shell. Hanover turned to Hex, waiting for the sign. It came in the form of a raised fist, with her thumb extended skyward. Making one last targeting adjustment, he swiped a hand to Beast and clamped his muffs over his ears. The Witch did exactly what he told her to do, moving with methodical precision as she dropped the shell down the tube.

When Hanover fired, the resulting blast buffeted the pair, deafening with as close as they were. But it was nothing compared to the pain Insane Black Rock Shooter went through; she jerked her head up the moment she was back on her feet, hearing a strange whistle growing louder. Without knowing precisely why, she knew the noise meant danger. She ran, crossing a dozen meters in an instant. Even a grazing hit from a .50 wasn't enough to stop her from moving, but she didn't get far enough away in time.

The blast wave from the 60mm shell whipped her chains and hair forward, the small explosive landing only a few meters from her back. Insane Black Rock Shooter felt the strange sensation of being wholly picked up, her eyes widening as she started to tumble. Fortunately her boots only left the ground for a moment, never straying more than a dozen centimeters from the pavement. Landing was a harder affair than she expected, but not as rough as she feared. Stumbling frantically, she nearly let her face impact the asphalt. Only by planting the sword in the ground did she avoid falling, the chain connecting her snapping taunt.

A wish for a reprieve went unanswered when another boom slammed into her chest, knocking her back. Another followed, jerking her leg out from other her. The third was enough to whirl the girl to the side, woozy from the powerful blows which kept striking her. When she heard the telltale whistle of a second incoming shell however, she yanked the sword out and darted forward, kicking her legs as fast as she could.

This blast washed over her, briefly deadening her hearing. But other than a stumble, Insane Black Rock Shooter felt no other after effects. And this time, she was ready.

Yanking the enormous cannon around, she planted the weapon in front of her and gripped hard. The weapon jerked from the following impact, but she held firm. Three more shots in rapid succession chased the bullet, each one ricocheting off the ad hoc shield. The blows kept forcing the weapon back, making her push ahead with a grimace.

A brief pause came over the area, but Insane Black Rock Shooter didn't remove her barrier. Instead she began to walk, keeping the flat edge of the cannon facing the building. Emboldened by the lack of a response, she picked up speed. Her mouth began to work on its own, something resembling joy in her mind at long last. Almost intelligibly, she mumbled, "Jonah."

Hex pushed up to her knees, scowling. A glance showed Beast and Hanover prepping another shell, while Bobby was reloading his M107 with a grimace. When her furious gaze fell on Steve, the man initially didn't notice. It took her throwing a spent shell at his head to get him to take notice, briefly wincing while he rubbed the impact spot. Since her ears were ringing and her arm was sore, Hex didn't bother speaking. Instead she pointed at his NTW, then jabbed her hand at the target.

The former ranger ah'd and flashed a thumbs up, earning a nod from the scowling woman. With that done, Steve hunched over his thirty kilogram weapon once again, adding the final touch: inserting one of the 14.5mm rounds into the chamber and racking the bolt. He lined his body up with the weapon, grinning as he looked down the scope. He would have preferred to fire off a couple rounds first to make sure his NTW was good for accuracy's sake, but his boss was angry enough as is.

Staring at the advancing slab of metal, Steve aligned the crosshairs on the center, where he guessed her torso was. Exhaling slowly, the man curled his finger around the trigger. At less than 400 meters away, his target's distance was less than a sixth of the weapon's effective range. He had sighted the weapon to his own specifications, so there was no reason for him to miss.

A twitch of his finger, and the NTW-20 fired. The recoil buffers did their job properly, turning a bone shattering kickback into a hefty punch into Steve's shoulder. Blasting out of the barrel, the report of the massive rifle was deafening even past the muffs. Flying out at several times the speed of sound, the tungsten cored 14.5mm bullet crossed the distance between the roof and Insane Black Rock Shooter in a fraction of a second. She couldn't avoid the shot, even if she knew what it could do. Nothing could spare her from its terrible wrath.

In a shower of splintered metal Insane Black Rock Shooter's cannon was cracked in half, the forward half falling to the ground. She watched, numbly tracking the shattered cannon as it plummeted. Her tight grip slipped away, the sole thing preventing the remaining half from whipping around from the sudden lack of weight. The shear wasn't clean at all, the new end of the cannon looking as if it were chewed on.

Without meaning to, the defensive stance she kept was abandoned. Her legs were wobbly. Breathing was difficult. The remaining weapons sunk to the ground, clattering noisily.

Insane Black Rock Shooter couldn't stop her legs from giving out, her body collapsing. She slumped, her hands hitting the ground at the same time as her knees, the girl staring blankly at the pavement the whole time. She couldn't understand why her strength seemed to leave her, why she simply couldn't get enough air in her lungs. Coming out as heaves, her chest shuddered in unfamiliar pain.

Drops of black liquid landed underneath her body, an uneven patter on the frozen pavement. Insane Black Rock Shooter blinked at the thick stuff, briefly wondering where it was coming from. She lifted her arm from the ground, the limb shaking uncontrollably. Nevertheless she slowly moved the hand over, until it touched the side of her torso. A strange warmth coated her palm, spreading until it dribbled through her fingers. When she drew the limb into her field of view, she saw what it was.

The black ichor coated her gloved palm, covering parts of her fingers with the thick stuff. With a start, Insane Black Rock Shooter realized what it was. It took a monumental effort to turn her head down, for she felt weak now. When she saw the shallow flesh wound on her side, her eyes widened as a gasp escaped her.

At the same time, three of the shooters lifted their heads from their respective scopes, each dropping a jaw in astonishment. Bobby eloquently voiced their emotions with a drawn out, "I'll be damned, it worked."

"You fucking kidding me?" Hanover muttered, scrambling towards Hex. The woman was too surprised to stop him from stop him, letting the former SEAL get a long look down the scope. What he saw caused him to gasp. "Ho-lee-shit."

Steve peeked up, a wry grin crossing his features as he slipped his muffs off. "Welp, guess who was right. If she kept still for a sec, I could take her head off" he claimed, needing a moment to rub his aching shoulder.

"Finish it, kill the bitch" Hanover commanded, a bloodthirsty grin on his face as he stood back up. Hex sat up, staring downrange at the girl.

"Well, that was nice. But we need her alive" she said simply, earning a glower from the African American. "Take another shot Steve, make sure its non lethal."

"Arm sound good?" he asked, inserting another bullet and racking the bolt.

Insane Black Rock Shooter gasped while she rose, pain lancing out from the wound on her side. The injury was already healing, but the severity was an order of magnitude greater than anything she had known before. She didn't let it stop her. Jonah was close, she only needed to go a little farther.

"Perfect. All that matters is she's still breathing" Hex told him, ignoring Hanover's mumblings.

Glancing at her shattered cannon, the girl snorted. She pulled the slowly regenerating weapon away, focusing her attention towards the building. Her primary weapon was neutralized, but she had other options.

"Got a preference?"

"Surprise me."

Slithering into her grip, the M60's chain curled around her left arm. Her footing seemed unstable, but she knew it was just her nerves acting up. The flash of pain went ignored, as she tightly held the machine gun in her metal grip. Her heaving chest was tightening, a growl working its way through her throat.

"Roger that" Steve answered, hunching over his weapon once more. Hanover's grumbling curses were extinguished when he slipped the ear protection on.

Insane Black Rock Shooter's breathing was picking up, her shuddering breath leaving as throaty growls. Each time she exhaled the sound was louder, until she was almost yelling. With a sudden intake of breath she stomped forward, a shout leaving her lips. Her roar was long and loud, echoing over the area in a bloodcurdling scream. Behind the scope, the human answered her challenge.

Boom.

Mid scream she stopped. Ever so slightly she turned her head, her wide eyes tracking her arm. Insane Black Rock Shooter was entranced; she watched the robotic limb lazily descend on its own, as if in slow motion. The M60's weight dragged the arm down, no longer hindered by the chain. Some blood flew from the end, a pattern of black ichor in the air. It was mesmerizing for the second it lasted.

Crack went the machine gun, followed by another clatter. The weapon, and the arm holding it in an unbreakable grip, hit the ground once, then twice. Then it was still.

Insane Black Rock Shooter's head turned a few more degrees, her breathing picking up into a frantic grasp. Her left arm, from the halfway point of her bicep downwards, was gone. The jagged stump leaked blood like a sieve, pattering on the ground like rain. Her right hand was trembling uncontrollably while she reached to what remained, ragged gasps leaving her throat. Meanwhile the ichor on the street was beginning to freeze, the heat vanishing in a wisp of steam.

She could do nothing. Couldn't move, couldn't fight, couldn't run. Insane Black Rock Shooter, for the first time in her life, felt utterly helpless. She failed to react when another powerful bullet slammed into her chest, blasting her off her feet. Like her severed arm she hit the ground, and was still.

Above her the overcast sky was beginning to clear, powerful rays of sunshine breaching through every opening of the clouds. Patterns formed from the clouds, things she could have recognized if she were pure. Insane Black Rock Shooter stared at the clouds, her splayed body completely limp on the frozen pavement.

The girl was cold. Up until now, the omnipresent chill in the air was kept at bay. So long as she moved and fought, she felt the caress of the cold but was free of its grip. Now, nothing halted the cold as it claimed her. Seeping through her fingers, into her skin, on her bleeding stump of an arm. All the warmth she felt came from thin lines crawling over her temples, the tears freezing before they touched the ground.

Save him.

Her breathing was starting to slow, her frantic intakes of breath dimming. Inside, her body was starting to shut down.

You have to save him.

"...ah...ah..." the words tried to leave her lips, but she couldn't speak them. Animalistic noises were all she made, sounds of near pathetic despair.

Save Jonah.

"Ah...I...I..." her throat hurt. Her arm hurt. Everything hurt. But the pain was starting to fade.

You can save him.

"...ha...h...haa...how..." her eyes were hurting. Her lids were feeling heavy.

Please.

"...sa...sa..." she was tired. So tired. Cold, exhausted, and numb. It seemed so easy to just... let go. Like drowning herself in the madness, she wanted to detach herself from everything. Leave her broken body behind and let the darkness claim her. No more pain, no more heartbreak, nothing else, now and forevermore. All she had to do was go to sleep, and forget the cold. Forget her desires. Forget it all. Rock closed her eyes, feeling the cold everywhere.

Warm.

Creaking her eyes open, Insane Black Rock Shooter felt the sudden warmth. It rested in her remaining hand, a nub of heat in her freezing body. Blearily she wondered if it was just her imagination, since no one was coming to save her. She had tried to be the savior for once, and she had failed. Fresh tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but the warmth gently encompassed her hand, almost like someone was holding it.

For a delirious second she thought it was Jonah holding her, but surely that couldn't be right. She left to save him, how could he be here?

Please, let me help you.

Until now Insane Black Rock Shooter heeded the pleading voice, but made no attempt to find out what it was. She decided it was just her madness speaking, echoing what she desired. But this was different. It was impossible to tell for sure, but the voice was different from hers, different from Jonah's. Who was it?

Please.

Sucking in a breath took a herculean effort, the simple action draining what remained of her street. She did it so she could tip her head forward, a few degrees of movement which qualified as a nod.

The warmth seemed to guide her, dragging the corrupted girl along. She wasn't taken away from the frozen street, but the pain seemed to fall away. The binding metal, the madness, all of it was left behind. Now curious, she wondered what the warmth wanted.

A blink; she now beheld a strange sight. A sphere of fire, rippling and roiling to unknowable patterns, was in front of her. Though she knew not what it was, she could tell something was wrong with it. The flames were muted, when they should have been blazing with life. Instead of an illustrious azure, the sphere was a sickly purple. As she watched, the fire was diminishing. It was going out, forever.

The warmth left her hand to briefly orbit the fiery sphere, revealing itself as an energetic spark. When it brushed against the surface, the girl felt a flash of joy. For a second she was happy, as she had never been before.

Save Jonah, the spark told her. Somehow, she knew what she had to do.

Peering into the flickering sphere, she saw something. Inside the neurotic flames, she saw a core of brilliant white light. The light was locked deep inside, buried underneath endless layers of rippling flame. In a flash, she knew what it was. The core was power far beyond her abilities, enough strength to make miracles happen. She should have been wary of such power, knowing that such a thing never came without a price. The girl grinned wryly.

What did she have left to lose?

Black Rock Shooter plunged her hand into the burning sphere, reaching for the shining core. With no more hesitation she wrapped her hand around the blinding light, taking it within her.

xXx

A/N: Trivia: twelve .50 cal BMG (12.7mm x 99mm to use its actual size) bullets, two 14.5mm x 114mm bullets, two 60mm high explosive mortar shells, and one very furious IBRS were used in the making of this chapter.