Chapter 21

Pain is in your mind little Hawk. Most of it is. It is merely our body's and mind's response to whatever is hurting us…

Sequoia wished she could speak to her father one last time. She wanted to tell him that she wished she hadn't been born or some illogical thing. Of course she knew that he wouldn't respond to it. The man was always too calm even with the most emotional of things. She hated it growing up because at times she wondered if he truly was proud of her or even loved her.

Your father is right about pain. It is in your mind. What he didn't tell you was that the pain in your heart… that is… different…

The gun was pressed against Elias' head. The trigger was pulled and the bang… There was blood everywhere and all there was… Elias was lying there in a pool of blood… his blood….

Sequoia took a breath and kept her head down as she sat where they had put her. She had witnessed the death of another person she loved. It made her angry… she felt this rage that was combination of all the pain she had taken over the years. The snide comments, the rejections, being told that she didn't deserve to be there… it was all of it and she just… snapped.

She had managed to escape the room that she had been held in but not through the front door. She suspected that Rorke had baited her with a means of getting free. She was going to take it but not what he left for her. She ended up crawling through the vents. It was risky since she had no idea of the structure so she was going to wing it.

She crawled through, pausing every now and then to listen. She stopped when she heard Rorke's voice. She paused to listen for the direction but it was hard to hear. Still she managed to figure out where to go and made her way there. It was then she heard a shot and Hesh shouting along with Elias. She kept going driven by the surge of urgency that overcame her. She had to find the right way.

She heard screams of pain and more shots and more screams. The screams were from Hesh. She heard him curse and scream in pain. Then… that bastard Rorke was laughing. She kept going and finally managed to find the place. She lifted the tile and the voices were clear and she poked her head down to check and then drop to the ground. She had hoped to get close enough to at least free Hesh and then get an advantage. She was stopped when she heard the shot and saw Elias dead.

She had reacted and gave the war cry she had learned but hadn't used in years. She charged and tackled the bastard. Looking at it now she could see that it was a foolish gesture on her part but she had nothing but eyes on Rorke. Now she was tied up and they were going to die. Rorke was a Ghost hunter and he pretty much caught them. But there was still that part of her that refused to go out without a fight. She had to have a little faith.

She was sitting between Logan and Merrick and it gave her a good view of Hesh. Logan she knew was shot and while it wasn't fatal, it was serious. Hesh though… His shirt was slashed and she could make out streaks of red. His face didn't look good either with the nasty welt near his jaw. She focused more on the slashes to Hesh's chest. They weren't exactly fatal but could be if they weren't treated; maybe a few stitches were needed. She wasn't a doctor but she could see that both Logan and Hesh needed medical attention.

Your father is right about pain. It is in your mind. What he didn't tell you was that the pain in your heart… that is… different…

Sequoia blinked as she heard her mother's voice in her mind as the memory came forth. She remembered that day because it was the day her father lost a friend of his. He had shown his calm exterior and it had her wondering if he was sad at all. She had been too young to understand and during their training exercise had questioned too hard and ended up getting scolded harshly. She ended up getting a deep cut on her hand.

She was crying as she tried to wash out the cut when her mother found her. She thought it was her father and tried wiping the tears away but ended up spreading the blood on her cheeks. She started to panic especially when the doorknob started turning and tried to hide.

It turned out to be her mother. Sequoia was scared and pressed against the wall even though her mother did as a mother did and started cleansing the wound on her hand. It wasn't until the bleeding was stopped that Sequoia stopped her tears and her mother said, "Tears are not forbidden, Daughter."

Sequoia sniffed a bit as her mother tied the bandage on her hand and said, "Father doesn't like me."

"He loves you Daughter."

"No, he doesn't," Sequoia replied, "All he cares about is training. He doesn't love me."

Her mother followed her out of the bathroom and outside to where Sequoia liked to play by herself in her free time. She sat by her daughter and straightened her hair. She wiped the tears that were now mere trickles. She repeated, "Tears are not forbidden, Sequoia. They are as natural as breathing and they can be loud but also sometimes they must be silent."

Sequoia looked at her mother. Her tears were subsiding but she didn't feel better. "Cold like Father? He doesn't show pain."

Her mother looked at her and said, "Your father is right about pain. It is in your mind. What he didn't tell you was that the pain in your heart… that is… different…"

"What is the difference? He doesn't smile. He has never smiled when I have shown him I can do what he shows me."

"He loves you," her mother insisted. "He knows better than anyone the pain of the heart. That it has the power to turn you into something against who you are or to strengthen it into something that can be formidable."

Sequoia thought about it until her mother left her. She stayed there until nightfall and her father came for her. She felt scared because he was stern. She hadn't come back to training and he was now forced to find her. She straightened up and waited for him to speak of her punishment.

It never came. Instead he sat across her and looked at her and for the first time in a long time, he smiled and reached out to stroke her hair and caress her head. He then said, "I love you little Hawk. And I am very proud of you." He paused a moment as he traced the dried tear tracks with his thumb. He then continued, "I just wish you to be strong my dearest daughter. There are things in this world that can damage what is in the heart."

"The pain of the heart?"

"Yes. It can happen with the most terrible thing. For me it would be to lose you, my little treasure. If such a thing happens to any warrior…"

"It can make someone be that they are not," Sequoia finished, recognizing her cue.

"True but dear daughter should it ever happen to you… Do not let your anger take over. Find the source of what you will fight for and let it be your strength." He paused a moment and then beckoned her over to indicate she was to crawl into his lap. When she was settled, he held her close and whispered, "The greatest strength is what I have for you and your mother… Love little Hawk. In the end, even when all looks like the end, love will be your power."

Sequoia looked down at her hands. She saw the piece of glass that she had picked up and held in her hands. She had managed to hide it in her palms and now… She glanced at the Feds as they finished stuffing gauze into Logan's wounds. That would hold but he needed medical attention. They all did. She looked at Hesh who was bent over and could see pain etched on his face. Silently she started manipulating the glass to cut her bindings.

"The boss wants the youngest and the girl to be taken alive. The girl is not to be harmed."

Sequoia blinked as she glanced at the Feds. Her fingers moved the glass and she was almost free. She had to time it so that she made her move at the right moment. She felt the glass cut her fingers and blood start to flow. Well that was going to spoil Rorke's plans of being unharmed. That could play into her plans. She was almost free.

It took a lot to not react when one of the Feds headed straight for Hesh and point his pistol at his head. Instead she goaded her wounds to bleed and added a couple of extra slashes. It was painful but worth it since it caught the attention of one of the Feds and they started asking who hurt her and where was all the blood coming from in Spanish. They were confused.

Sequoia saw Hesh lift his head slightly and she gave a slight shake of her head. It had been subtle so as not to attract attention. There was blood all over her hands and the Feds were shouting about getting medical attention. The one holding the pistol on Hesh told them to get the first aid kit and turned his attention to Hesh and readied to pull the trigger. It was then that it happened.

Sequoia had been trained to see the subtleties of things and how to read the reaction of things upon things. It was extreme Newtonian principles in action. She knew that a sniper round had hit the one poised to kill Hesh. She was the first to react and leapt from her seat with the piece of glass in her hands. She jabbed it in the eye of the nearest Fed and grabbed and turned him to use him like a shield until the others sprang free. She then broke his neck and moved onto the next one by knocking the barrel of the rifle aside and gripped the Fed's pistol while it was still holstered and fired.

It hit the foot and the Fed went down. The momentum pulled the pistol free and Sequoia raised it and fired at the Fed coming in the same time Logan fired. He had managed to get free with help from Merrick and had picked up the pistol Hesh had kicked his way when he caught his second wind and strangled the Fed on the ground. She then turned back to the injured Fed she shot and fired a round into his head. She then said, "No one is getting anyone today," while she took deep breaths like she was coming up for air.

The room was cleared and it looked like everyone was in one piece… more or less. Sequoia found a knife and cut the bindings on Hesh's wrists as he asked, "You okay Merrick?"

"Ribs broken, but I can move," Merrick replied wincing slightly. He looked at Sequoia as she reached down and picked up a rifle and took a few mags of ammo. He saw the blood on her hands. "How about you Hawk?"

Sequoia looked at her hands. "Small price to pay but worth it," she said as she wriggled them. She indicated at the Fed with the glass shard in his eye, "He can't say anything about it." She glanced at Hesh and Logan knowing full well they weren't going to say how bad they were feeling.

Little Hawk… don't let your anger rule…

Sequoia took a deep breath as she shook the excess blood off. "We need to move, now." She glanced at Hesh as he pulled a rifle off the ground to use. Logan did the same but it was Hesh that caught her eye. She saw that he wanted to stop and look at her hands. They were covered with blood and they looked worse than what they really were compared to his injuries which could be worse and what they looked like and a gunshot was a gunshot.

Merrick nodded and readied the rifle he had grabbed, "Let's move." There were questions to be answered but they could be answered later when they were out of there. He asked, "Hawk… eyes and ears?"

"Roger that," Sequoia replied. She looked at Logan and motioned that he was to stay by her. She nodded at Hesh that it would be okay.

They set out as Hesh relayed to Keegan that they were on the move and that he should get there as soon as he could. Sequoia kept an eye out checking every corner as they passed while Keegan said that he would meet them in the kitchen. It was an urge to want to just throw down her weapon, walk away and cry but they were not out of danger yet. This was like any other battle, like the trenches; she had to help get them out.

"We need to make it to the west side of the building. It's our best chance of getting out of here," Merrick said as they followed him down towards the rendezvous.

"Noise behind the door," Hesh said as he paused to listen. He looked at his brother and Sequoia who were taking position.

Sequoia moved forward to listen and held up her hand. Her eyes were narrowed as she listened and signaled numbers with her fingers. She looked back and nodded as she murmured, "Let's make this quick."

Letting her acquired rifle hang, she pulled the knife out and opened the door and rushed forward and slit the first Fed's throat. There was a certain amount of intimacy when it came to close quarters combat. It was like they said about murders that were stabbings; they were personal and in this case it was personal.

Usually it was a bad idea to let something get personal especially in war. Elias had warned them of that when they first encountered Rorke. His time would come but not at the expense of the mission of the time. This time though she could afford to make it personal and she would do it the only way she knew how. It was reckless and foolish but in her mind the Feds were with Rorke and every bastard that was killed by her hand was like a blow to the man.

Do not make it personal, Daughter. There will be people who you once called friend who will be the enemy…

She brushed the saying aside as she moved onward to distract another Fed and allow for a clean shot from Merrick and Logan. Hesh wasn't too far behind and they cleared the room. She looked at the bodies and around, "Clear."

Merrick gave her a nod as they locked gazes. They pressed onward until he noticed the radio the Fed had and gestured towards Hesh, "Grab that radio. We can put some distance between us and them."

Logan watched as Hesh grabbed the radio and his lip twitched from the sudden movement. He looked down where he was shot and sighed. It was laced with pain and he hoped that Sequoia wouldn't say anything. He didn't want to be babied though that was the last thing that she would ever do with him.

He wasn't to get his wish when she drew alongside him as Hesh was getting the radio and ask, "You okay?" It was low but it also held the note that she didn't want Logan to be tough and say he was fine when he clearly wasn't.

Logan looked at her and saw the expression. He replied equally low, "Not really. I don't think they even got it out."

"They didn't," she said. When Logan looked at her she added, "I watched." It sounded strange the way she said it but she wasn't in the mood for trying to find better words. Silently she walked over to a downed Fed and felt in his vest. She opened pockets until she found what she was looking for and turned Logan so his back was to the others while she kept an eye out.

She had found some combat gauze and applied it by sticking her hands under Logan's shirt. Under other circumstances he would have teased her about making Hesh jealous. He didn't though since he wasn't in the mood but rather hurt and… He had shot his dad and had watched while Rorke blew his head off in front of him and he did nothing to stop it. He just watched while she applied the gauze to staunch the bleeding that had started again with a dulled expression but he was alert to his surroundings. He didn't even know how she was feeling and what she would feel when he told her what his dad told him to tell her.

"That'll hold for now. Come on," Sequoia said in a low and gentle tone. Her expression was stern for battle but her eyes conveyed to Logan that it was okay and she had his back.

Logan nodded and turned to do his job. He turned just as Hesh said, "Sounds like they heard us. They're sending more of them our way."

"They are," Sequoia said since she was listening to the same transmission. She policed around for more mags to distribute and tossed them to the others. She pulled a vest off and stuffed them and put it on. She wrinkled her nose at the stench of a dead man.

Hesh, what's your location?

"Moving to the kitchen. Why?" Hesh frowned as he opened the door.

I'm almost there. You better find a place to hide. Lots of guys headed right to you.

"How many?"

Too many.

That had the group sprinting. Both Logan and Hesh were moving but they were scrunched trying to not hiss in pain. Merrick had a harder time since he slipped and fell against the carts. The noise was sure to bring the Feds in. He was on the ground and struggling to get up. Sequoia took action and waved them in while she grabbed Merrick by his forearm and half dragged and half carried him into the room to hide.

"Down! Get down!" Keegan motioned wildly as he backed in.

Sequoia and Merrick ended up falling against a wall and he was leaning more on her. She motioned for him to stop moving and enforced it by keeping a tight grip on the man. It was probably ironic since they had more of an antagonistic relationship but now wasn't a time to be picky. She whispered, "Hold still old man."

Hesh looked up from the position on the ground he had taken. His chest was hurting like a bitch and the cuts had opened up again and were bleeding. His shirt had gotten stuck on the wound and when it pulled… It was the least of his worries now as he looked while Sequoia was holding Merrick against her and whispering for him to be quiet. He locked eyes with her and she nodded at him in reassurance and he did the same for her.

They waited while the Feds marched past. Keegan was ready when one decided to check the room that they were hiding in and took him out. It was a minor relief that the group didn't notice and head back. They would have been in trouble then. When they were clear, Sequoia released Merrick and helped him on his feet and handed him his rifle. He nodded and said, "Keep low. There's gonna be more of them."

Hesh sidled up to Sequoia and gave a gentle bump with his elbow. It was a silent query and she said in a low tone, "I'm okay." She reinforced it with a gentle pat to his arm.

It was enough for now since they couldn't afford to stop. They followed Keegan as he took point. It was too soon when they came across another group of Feds coming near and they got low and quiet.

Attention everyone. Some friends of mine have gone missing. Return them to me dead or alive and you will have done your country a great service.

Sequoia got low like she was hiding in the tall grasses of the plains and inched her way forward to get a better look. It would probably look strange to her companions but she knew what she was doing. She looked as she inched her way forward. When she was satisfied she signaled, "Okay, they're gone."

Merrick, Hesh, Logan. If you're listening… good luck.

"Thanks for the shout out, asshole," Merrick muttered.

Little Charlie… consider this your true test. I look forward to seeing you win. I'm sure you'll make Charlie proud.

"Don't listen to him, Hawk."

Sequoia glanced to see Hesh looking at her. She blinked at that and what she saw in Hesh's eyes. She couldn't find any words to say. She nodded and managed to get out, "I know." It was all she could say.

The way how Rorke sounded, like he was looking forward to a good peep show or something… she knew that this wasn't over between him and her. Even though she refused to join him right then and there… She sensed that he would be back. She wasn't going to worry about it now since the ultimate task ahead of them was to survive.

They made their way through the rows of what once were expensive boutiques and the like. She wondered what they were like back before all this. She hadn't really traveled much off the reservation except when her father took her on hunting and training in the forests and once took her to California. He took her to the redwood forests. So for the most part this was her first trip to Vegas and she really didn't like it overmuch. She mentioned it as such as Hesh passed her on the way out, "I would really like to get out of this shit hole."

Hesh glanced at her. He didn't blame her for not liking it here at least in terms of the experience. Hell at this moment he didn't like it here either and that was because of what was going on and what he thought happened. He just wanted to get out and get that sonofabitch Rorke for everything he did and implied he did.

He wasn't the first to notice that Sequoia hadn't been dragged in with the rest of them. His dad noticed and he could tell by the look on his face. Logan was out of it even though he was somewhat awake. They were just sitting and tied up while Merrick was taking a beating and cursing at the Feds. One of them started telling them to behave after they started struggling to get free otherwise there would be consequences.

It had been hard not to demand where Sequoia was by name. Ever since that first time when Rorke called her little Charlie, it seemed that everyone was under the impression not to give the man more. His dad, Merrick and Keegan seemed to know more of the why than he and Logan but they had their own reasons. Yet the Feds knew who they were looking for and one of them dared to suggest that Rorke was doing more than having a conversation with her.

He screamed when he heard the first shot and he thought he heard someone else shouting as well. Either way he thought she was gone after the second shot and it just served to piss him off that he wanted to tear Rorke to pieces. He felt that he had failed her. Then everything that led to dad dying and him and Logan getting hurt… It seemed to fuel a rage inside until she showed up and tackled Rorke. It relieved that anger but even still he couldn't really speak to her unless he had to but he did make a mental promise to talk to her when they were out of here. He just hoped that she would understand.

A/N: The great escape is planned and they are on the move. This and more on There Are No Coincidences...