Rick didn't give Abernathy a minute to regain composure. Instead he picked Claw up so that the man was just barely standing up. "I want you to pay for what you did to my family." The detective growled. Abernathy looked at Rick almost trembling as he put one cybernetic hand on Rick's. "Just what did I do?" Abernathy asked. "I thought you said your wife survived." Rick's eyes darkened considerably. He held back the urge to shake the other man. His effort though showed in how tightly he gripped his enemy's clothes. The terrorist was regaining his strength slowly. Rick wasn't going to let that happen. "You took my family away from me." Rick growled. "You kidnapped my daughter, forced my wife into hiding." He started to lose his voice as he prepared for what he had to say next. Claw looked at him waiting. There was a curiosity in the man's cold eyes that drove Rick's anger to pick up the slack. "And you succeeded in killing my unborn child." Abernathy looked surprised. He hadn't known about this. Where was his assassin and this part of the story? Something didn't feel right. He wondered if the girl had managed to tamper with his communications again. Most likely. Penny gasped in shock as tears began to well in her eyes. She had been so excited to be a big sister. Claw laughed. He chuckled in his delusional way. Rick glared at the man. "What?" he asked. Abernathy looked straight at Rick. "Did you really think you could have a happy life?" The words stung on Rick's ears. Yes, he had indeed. "You're a true fool." The terrorist chuckled more. "Thinking that you, a fusion of flesh and metal, would ever be a normal American man with a family and a house and a job was your first mistake. You aren't normal therefore you will forever live an abnormal life. I guess you just had to learn that one the hard way." Rick punched Abernathy. There was a sickening snap as the terrorist's nose shattered. Blood ran out of his nostrils down to his lips. Rick kept from punching a second time but his hand remained clenched tightly. "You're still trying to prove me wrong." Claw said in a suddenly congested voice. Rick nodded. "You are wrong. And until you get that I will continue to prove it." Rick threw the terrorist across the room in disgust. "You're the one who doesn't get it. It is my job to fight scum like you. And let me tell you that you started this fight." Rick stomped over to where the other man had landed. He leaned down so that he was inches from his adversary. "You won't like how I end it." Rick whispered so that only Abernathy could hear. A single flash of fear passed through the injured man's eyes as he tried to stand up. Penny watched in horror. What was her father doing? He'd never taken a fight to such a level, but then there was something in the man she called daddy that she had never seen before. A hatred so pure and strong that his virtues could not keep it contained. He was losing it. Abernathy had finally gotten to him. Destroyed his self-control. That's what Abernathy had wanted, to take everything away and then destroy the man. But Rick's wife was still alive. There was still hope. Penny didn't know how, but she had to stop her father from doing the only thing he wanted to do right now. And she had to do it fast because this was a pretty one-sided battle now. Rick was waiting for Abernathy to rise. The man opened his mechanical hand and the long sharp claws shot away from the fingers like harpoons. With metal wires attached to retrieve them. They burrowed into Rick's chest with a suddenness that surprised the detective. Rick stumbled back but remained upright and started yanking the claws out of his bleeding chest. Red blood and darker oil stained his shirt as he gripped the first one and yanked it out. His fingers released it instantly grabbing the next one. He winced as he tore the sharp metal out of his skin. "Stall tactics?" Rick asked throwing it at Abernathy. He worked on the third one without moving his eyes from his enemy. Abernathy snarled. "You think you've won?" He growled. He was standing up now. Rick finished pulling the little harpoons out of his body and waited. "This isn't over. It will never be over until one of us is dead." Claw said in a quiet menacing tone. "I know." Rick replied evenly, as if he had already accepted such terms. The two stared each other down. They had forgotten about Penny who wore her father's coat and was trying to keep an eye on the battle. She was worried about her father. Rick took a step forward and Abernathy reacted by striking out at his enemy. Rick dodged the metal fist and grabbed it with his own hand. He yanked Abernathy forward spinning him into his readied knee. Winded, Abernathy fell backwards against a wall. Penny gasped. Rick wasn't holding back and it was showing. Abernathy was bleeding, bruised, and unsteady on his feet. Rick's attacks were fast and powerful with absolutely no warning. Abernathy coughed and blood came from his split lips. His face had turned bluish black around his mangled nose. He looked like he'd been mugged by a whole band of thugs. Not like he was duking it out with a single adversary. Rick approached Abernathy who sidled away. He kept against the wall not trusting his legs to carry him. He was well and truly frightened now. Rick grinned at Abernathy for the first time. And it was a grin that made his daughter shiver. She knew what Rick was going to do now. Penny was afraid that she wouldn't be able to stop him, but she had to try her hardest. Rick chuckled. "Now who's weak?" Rick asked. He was finally winning. "Do we need to continue this or are you willin' to accept defeat?" He asked. Abernathy glared unconvincingly. "That's fine. Optimism is a great motivator." Rick said leaning in close. "But remember that if you think for one second I will go easy on you, you are sorely mistaken." Claw made a face, "Then get it over with." That's all the invitation Rick needed. He lashed out with a fist hitting Abernathy in the face a second time. He punched again and again alternating his left and right arms. Abernathy began to laugh. He laughed in the hysterical manner expected of him. Rick paused a moment to slap him. "Shut up!" "Then kill me!" Abernathy challenged. "With pleasure!" Rick snarled back. He activated the shotgun once more. "I'll end this here and now." "Shall I send you a postcard from Hell? Give you a warning of what is to come." Abernathy asked almost conversationally. He was having trouble breathing and it showed in his uneven erratic breaths. Rick glared at him. For a moment he seemed to consider what his adversary had just said, but he knew that no amount of threats or any torture to come after death was going to scare him away from protecting his family. This was how it had to end. The targeting array in his vision locked onto Claw's chest. He heard the chamber load and the gun cocked. It waited for his next thought. Just as he began to think about the shotgun firing a voice reached his ears. "Daddy no!" Penny cried. Rick didn't look back at her because he knew she would shatter his resolve. "Look away Penny." He said in a heavy tone. She didn't need to see what was about to happen next. "No." She snapped adamantly. Abernathy choked on a laugh. "Don't tell me you're going to try and save me after I held you captive all these months." "Daddy put the gun away." The girl pleaded. Her eyes were full of tears and her voice cracked. "I know he hurt Jess, and he killed the baby, but what is he doing to you right now?" Rick fought the urge to look at her. He wanted to turn away from Claw and tell her everything was going to be alright. He wished he could do it, but if he let Abernathy remain alive how long would it take before he was out and destroying their lives again? He'd already damaged Rick's family beyond imagination. Jess had been stripped of her ability to have more children, and the surviving child wouldn't even develop inside of her mother. Penny had been held captive subjected to God knew what tortures. Rick had been alone forced to help this villain make himself stronger and more powerful. He was scum. No he was lower than scum and should be dead. Charles Abernathy didn't deserve to spend another second alive. "You aren't going to listen to your own daughter?" Abernathy asked feeling bolder. Rick punched him with his right hand. The other man just laughed as his head recoiled from the hit. "It's not worth it." Penny continued. "Yes he's evil and probably shouldn't be alive, but you can't kill him. Even if it was in self-defense. You're going for revenge now Daddy." She was walking towards them still cloaked in her father's trench coat. Rick gritted his teeth. She was right. "But how will I know you'll all be safe?" Rick asked without looking at her. He could hear her footsteps approaching. He pressed the barrel of the shotgun against Abernathy's gut. "Because we'll always have you to protect us." Penny replied. "What if I'm not there? What if he kills me first?" Rick asked. He couldn't bear the thought of everyone he knew being left to fend for themselves. Not against this monster who could destroy them all without even batting an eye. How could he live with himself if he allowed that danger to exist? To keep putting the people he cared about in danger was just as unthinkable as revenge. But something had to change here. Someone had to put an end to this and it might as well be him. Penny was silent for a moment. She continued forward now only a few feet from him. "I can end all of this right now!" Rick shouted. Penny paused her approach at this. He knew she could hear but he wanted the whole world to hear. There were tears in his own eyes. He was waging a mental and emotional battle with himself. "It just takes one more shot and he'll never threaten us again." Rick whispered. "Yes do it." Abernathy agreed. "Put me to rest and go live your life without fear of me ever doing you any harm. But never ever forget what you've done here." He smiled. Rick ground the muzzle into Claw's gut making him gasp and wheeze. It only took one thought to put this all to an end.