Yeah, I'm gonna add in a couple more flashbacks to add depth to the story and numbers to the word count ;)
The radio squeaked, making him jump. He was already anxious, always anxious on nights like this. When he carried a special child in the back of his van.
"Hold on." Jay said, leaning over and tweaking the radio a little. "There, that should do it." But no sound came out.
"Strange." He said. "I would assume someone was trying to contact us."
"Patchy signal." Jay replied. "Come on, we've gotta get the girl back to safety."
He tightened his fingers on the wheel, steering through the trees. He just wanted to get out of here, back to her, where it was all safe again. Suddenly, the van rocked.
"What was that?" Jay gasped. "A big bird?"
"That hypothesis would be incorrect Jay." He informed his comrade. "It is too late at night. All the birds are roosting."
"Whatever, put the pedal to the metal, tin can." He tried, but the van came to a dead halt.
"I'll go investigate." Jay said, opening the door.
"Jay, no wait."
"What?"
"I have a bad feeling about this predicament."
"What could happen? I'll be fine."
...
His hands sweated as he held the gun. It was just the two of them out here tonight. He could shoot Felix and make a getaway. Theoretically.
"I shot the tyre!" Felix exclaimed. He gave a dry nod.
"Good work." He lied through gritted teeth. No one knew they were out here, they had planned to return heroes, the elemental master in their grasp. Felix had never been smart, he was young and blindly following promises of great power. It was all he could do not to enlighten the man's perspective. He knew he couldn't let this mission go to plan, but had no idea how he would stop it.
"Get closer." He whispered dryly. "I'll stay back and shoot them." The van door opened and a man stepped out, in his early thirties. He was average height and skinny. Even though he wore a beanie hat and it was dark, he knew what colour the man's hair was. Bright auburn. His hands began to shake. This was the closest he had ever come to deserting, coming back to them. But he had to stay, didn't he? To protect Gideon? Or was it only for himself? Was he really a traitor?
...
He sat in the van, Jay stepping outside, turning his head side to side, listening. He reached into the glove compartment and grabbed a pistol. It wasn't like they made these trips unarmed.
"Is there anything unusual?" He asked.
"No, I don't think, hold on." He ducked to his knees to examine the van. The radio suddenly squawked into life.
"Guys, GO, get out, it's a TRAP!" He jumped. That voice.
"Lloyd?" He gasped, dumbfounded. Jay reappeared, looking most anxious.
"Zane we gotta go, the tyre's been shot, it's a-" But he didn't finish that sentence, because he stumbled back, a small spray of blood flying from his shoulder.
"Jay!" He gasped, and leapt out of the van, gun in hand.
"I'm armed!" He shouted. "Jay, get in the van, get her out of here!"
"But what about-"
"I'm a nindroid, Jay, I KNOW WHAT TO DO!"
...
Felix shot Jay through the left shoulder, though he was obviously aiming for the heart. Then his head turned to him, wondering about the lack of backup shots. But he couldn't do it. He would have rather shot himself.
"Monty?" Felix called. Jay was back in the van now, and, feeling sick, he knew what he had to do. He dropped his gun and ran out.
The nindroid saw him, saw that he was unarmed. He raised his gun and fired. A sudden pain burned as a bullet hit his body, the exact same place as Jay's. For a moment, he was completely shocked that one of his best friends had just shot him. Then he remembered. Ex-friend. He neared Zane and dragged the robot, out of Jay's line of sight, the latter trying desperately to start the van. Then, feeling sick with guilt, flipped the robot's head forwards and wrenched out a few wires and computer chips. The nindroid went limp at once. He dropped him to the ground, hands shaking. These chips contained vital programming, if lost, Zane could never be rebuilt.
"Yeah, nice one!" Felix called, he could see the other agent approaching. He had had enough. He turned to the van and pulled on the handle on the outside, activating the flight mode. The van shot into the air, Jay giving a short scream of surprise. From this angle, he would be able to see everything. Lloyd didn't look up. He couldn't let the other man see his face. After what seemed a lifetime, the van disappeared.
"What did you do that for?" Felix cried, looking furious. He didn't reply, simply knelt over Zane, placing the computer chips onto the ninja's chest. Even though he knew the chances of the robot's survival were slim.
"You traitor!" Felix suddenly gasped, and he swept his sunglasses away from his face in a gesture of anger. His eyes were vivid with hurt, fear and confusion. "I thought we were friends, Monty? I thought we were going to be HEROES!" His hands shook on the gun, he knew he was on the verge of shooting or running. He feared both. Fast as the van he had just propelled into the air, he grabbed Zane's fallen gun and pulled the trigger.
Felix stumbled, a shot going through his stomach. He gasped in pain and fear.
He shot again.
And again.
Until Felix was filled with bullets and unmoving. Only then did he cast the weapon into the undergrowth and let the tears fall.
...
Cecilia gasped in fear as the furious man's finger curled around the trigger. "You don't want to do this!" She begged. "Just... imagine how mad you're boss will be!"
"Do you honestly think I CARE?!" The man demanded. "David was everything, and now everything is NOTHING!"
And he pulled the trigger.
To Cole, running out of the trees in panic, after hearing the sound of the explosion, it looked like disaster. Then he gasped as he saw something else:
The man with the gun was thrown back and the bullet bounced off Cecilia's forehead in a sudden black burst. It then flew towards the agent and buried itself in the man's forehead. He jerked, then went limp.
Cecilia stumbled backwards, panting in disbelief. Cole ran forwards.
"What the hell was that?" She gasped.
"Oh, I think I know." Cole said, unsmiling. "You took Emma's necklace, didn't you." Cecilia felt a rush of guilt, and touched the golden piece of jewellery which she had hidden under her collar.
"I'm really sorry, I just-"
"That's fine." Cole gave a brief smile. "After Emma... left, I thought it would never be worn again. So I put it away with the rest of her clothes. But that necklace," He touched it briefly. "I got it enchanted with a special charm, protecting the one I loved most. But to make it personal, I had to tie that protection to my element." He grinned. "Before Roy was born."
Cecilia was still confused, but they had to end the conversation, as screams and roars erupted from behind the smouldering cabin.
I gather now that the flashback scene is way longer than the present day scene, but I felt I owed it to you guys to know where Zane is.