A/N: Phew! Glad I got this one out so quickly. You can probably guess what I spent my easter weekend doing...
I hope you enjoy, and uh, I swear I'll try and get the next chapter up just as fast ;)
Week 48
Day 1
Boston had way too many warehouses, at least as far as Jane was concerned. Heavy crates were piled high on wooden pallets as she and Frost invaded yet another murky storage facility in search of a lead on Maura's current whereabouts.
Frost surged forward, barrelling into two men shifting a crate, as Jane pulled her weapon, firing a warning shot just past the ear of a third man reaching for his own weapon.
"WHERE-"
Day 2
Music pulsed loudly, and lights flickered in time to the beat as Jane crashed down behind a fallen table. Wood splintered as a bullet tore through her cover, and Jane rolled aiming her gun in the direction the shots had come from.
The gun wielding thug crashed to the ground with a yell, blood spurting from a hole in his shoulder where Jane's shot had landed.
Spinning, Jane saw Frost land a kick to the midsection of a man attempting to sneak up on him. Rushing forward, she pulled him up. Shouting over the noise in the seedy club, Jane made sure she was heard as she shook the mobster.
"-IS-"
Day 3
Early morning light filtered through the large windows of the sprawling property, and sounds of panic and fighting could be heard coming from inside.
Jane's fist connected with the mobster's jaw, and she watched as one of his teeth flew across the room. Frost stood behind her, weapon raised, trained on a handful of men and women trying to think of a way to get out of their current situation unharmed.
Giving a sharp kick in the ribs to the man at her feet, Jane spun to face the cowering crowd. Fury flashing across her face as she spat the question she'd yet to get an answer to.
"-SONTY?!"
"Where is Sonty?" She demanded. "Where?"
There were few people in the warehouse, but no one chose to speak up, and Jane failed to see the man sneaking out of the shadows to her right. She reeled backwards with the force of the blow she received, but managed to keep a hold of her weapon. Going with the momentum, Jane spun on her heel and delivered a roundhouse kick to her attacker, knocking him out cold. Smirking, she sent up a silent thank you to Henry for his combat training.
Focusing back on her surroundings, Jane could see Frost struggling with a guy twice his size. Carefully taking aim, she squeezed the trigger, and smiled in satisfaction as the bullet tore a hole through the big guys hat, sending it sailing to the ground. As the man froze in fear, Frost quickly managed to gain the upper hand. Engaging the safety, she tossed him her gun. Frost had lost his not long after the fight broke out.
Noticing a gun at her feet, Jane saw that it matched the ordnance that the men had been in the process of unloading. Checking to see if it was loaded, she couldn't help but remember her first battle with an Intergang thug, in a shadowy warehouse much like this one. Then she'd fought beside James instead of Barry Frost, but that wasn't all that had changed in the last ten months or so. Now James was dead, and Maura might be too.
Jane wore James' hat and trench coat in memory of her friend. She desperately hoped he would remain the only loved one she had to mourn.
Maura Isles stumbled as Nikolas landed a heavy blow to the back of her head. After nearly a week in captivity, her clothes were torn and filthy. Heavy iron shackles weighed down her chaffed wrists and ankles, and she struggled to keep her footing as she was forced to follow Scarlet blindfolded.
A split lip testified to her rough treatment at the hands of her captors. Scabs and bruises, many of them from her capture at the safe house, formed a black and blue mosaic over her battered flesh. Her long honey-blonde hair was matted and badly in need of wash, and a few streaks of congealed blood could be seen in it.
Stumbling into her latest cell, the rough concrete floor felt cold and unyielding beneath her. Her stomach growled piteously, having only been given water for days now. Disorientated, Maura couldn't recall how many days had passed since her capture. Locked away from the sun, starved and beaten, it was hard to keep track of the time. She wasn't even sure why she was still alive. Her thoughts strayed to Jane. Wondering if she'd ever see her again. Wanting to know if she was even alive.
Forced to lay flat on her stomach, the cold ground leeched any remaining warmth from her body. She shivered uncontrollably. The cold shiver turned to one of revulsion as she felt Scarlet press up against her and run her hands up her back. Jane...
Scarlet peeled back Maura's blindfold revealing more signs of abuse. Two swollen black eyes stood out prominently in her now sunken features.
Maura breathed a sigh of relief at at least being able to see her surroundings, then panicked as she felt a needle jabbed into her neck. A narcotic numbness quickly spread through her veins. She struggled against the drugs effects, but within moments she couldn't even remember why she was fighting back. Her eyes rolled back, until only the whites were visible. It felt as if her limbs were melting into the ground, limp and boneless. The last thing she was aware of before succumbing completely to the drugs effects, were Scarlet's cool fingers stroking her cheek.
Day 4
Intergang. A vile, corrupt group of individuals. City after city around the world had succumbed to their power plays. They'd started off small, and with each new conquest, their sights grew bigger. Boston was their largest and most complex target yet, by far. In the eyes of those running Intergang, the world was or should be a place without virtue. It's a world of murder, rape, abuse and extortion. Every possible crime is venerated and praised. It's a group that celebrates the worst of humanity.
Blood dripped from Michael Sonty's hands. He wiped them off on a towel, then angrily threw it to the floor. "This wasn't supposed to happen!" An angry vein pulsed against his temple as he looked to those around him. "We've been shifting that bitch from place to place while we wait on idiots that couldn't even take power from Doyle's men."
He ripped his tailored suit jacket from his stocky frame, rage seeming to seep from his every pore. The body of a dead man lay at his feet, his skull pounded beyond recognition by the mob boss' bare hands, just because he had been the unfortunate barer of bad news.
Nikolas looked on in disdain, frowning at the lack of control the man showed. His barely concealed contempt was getting much more difficult to hide. He'd had enough of the lunatics tantrums.
"Calm, Michael. The time is upon us now. They have all arrived, and are now waiting on us." Scarlet soothed.
Nikolas waited by the office door, which was guarded by two foul smelling men. Crinkling his nose in disgust, he kept his distance from Sonty, but he watched as Scarlet rushed to mollify their leader. A flash of jealousy rushed through him, which only added to his sour mood. He was wishing he and Scarlet (along with his now dead brother) had never gotten involved with Intergang and their insane leader.
"I should've carved her heart out the minute she was in our possession!" Sonty roared.
"It would have set us back a great deal more if we hadn't struck this bargain. They see her die at our hand, then they scuttle back to whatever hole they came from. Doyle's loyal remaining few will surely abandon whatever idiot ties they have to one another once their precious figurehead dies."
Slinking up behind Sonty, Scarlet wrapped her arms around his thick neck, a serene smile lazily appearing on her face. "Tonight this will all end. Do not worry about this minor setback. I'll send Nikolas to the warehouse to stop Rizzoli getting the word out about our little morning surprise."
Nikolas' lip curled up into a sneer. He'd had enough of playing clean up for Sonty.
The mob boss looked to Nikolas. The hate between the two was palpable. "I do not want that incompetent fool anywhere near anything important tonight."
Scarlet reached out her hand. Trying to calm to the rapidly raging man. "Michael-"
"NO! Send others! Your dog's time is done here, Scarlet."
Sonty gave a nod to the two men guarding the door. They reached for Nikolas, as more approached him from behind. Sonty stepped forward ramming a powerful fist into Nikolas' gut.
Barry Frost fought to get free, but his arms were held behind his back while another guy laid into him, He tried to absorb the blow as much as he could, but he was quickly reaching his limit. The constant fights this past week and really worn him down.
Suddenly released, he was thrown into the side of a large steel cargo container. Jane winced in sympathy as she raced towards him, watching as one of the thugs straddled her former partner and began trying to gouge his eyes out. Jumping into a nearby forklift truck, she sped towards a stack of crates behind the two men beating on the downed man. Jumping clear at the last moment, she watched as she rolled to a stop, the truck crashing into the side of the crates. The top crate toppled down spilling its contents. Piles of heavy timber crashed into the two men. Frost managed to avoid most of the impact as the man straddling him took any blows that would have landed on him.
Jane moved quickly to Frost, pulling him out from under the timber and the man now almost fully covering him.
"Thanks for the save." Frost breathed out weakly.
"Anytime."
The two former partners shared a look. They hadn't stopped to catch up since looking for Maura. They'd barely had a chance to say hello or a moment to eat or sleep, let alone talk about… everything. Frost nodded at Jane, and she gave him a small, quick smile.
She glanced around the warehouse, the fight apparently over for now. The few men that had been conscious had clearly decided to make a run for it rather than stick around for another beating or interrogation. She hoped the two men buried under the heavy timber weren't too badly injured to answer any questions. She was growing frustrated. What was the point of trashing this place if it doesn't get us any closer to Maura?
Blinking lights caught her attention, and she looked up at the damaged stack of crates she had rammed. Jane's heart leapt into her throat. She was suddenly very glad the forklift had only glanced off the side of the bottom crate, tearing out a chunk of the wood and leaving a sizable hole in its place. Inside was what looked like a very large bomb.
You left me with so many questions, James.
Frost was crouched down low, looking intently at the device they'd uncovered in the shipping container. There was no mistaking the worried cast of his mouth and jaw. They matched Jane's perfectly.
Just the way you would have wanted it, I know.
Jane, leaning back against a nearby crate looked worried, but there was also a calmness about her that unnerved Frost a little. She cut an impressive figure in her trench coat and hat, all shadows and sharp angles. Maura had told him countless times since their reunion, that Jane wasn't the same woman that he once knew. He was beginning to realise now just how true that was. For the last several days they'd been combing the city for Maura, hitting everything from swanky mob controlled nightclubs to skeezy strip joints in the worst parts of town, they'd chased clue after clue, and Jane had been like a machine, showing an impressive array of skills. Physically, she'd never been better, and the way she handled the men they encountered was downright terrifying at times. She'd always been able to handle a weapon, but now her body was one too. The moves he'd seen her pull off were amazing. If this were the good old days he'd be calling her Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee right now.
He'd also caught glimpses of the scars littering her body. "She didn't tell me anything…"
If he'd been looking at her, he'd have noticed Jane raise an eyebrow in his direction.
"You know, about where you've been and stuff. She just told me that you've been through a lot. Seen a lot.
To be honest a part of me didn't believe her. I can see now that I was wrong."
Jane remained quiet. What was there to say to that.
"She's really fought for you lately…"
Jane nodded. "That sounds like her." She wondered if Frost knew about the shift in their relationship… Not that it really mattered. She gestured at the ominous looking device. "So what do you think?"
But that big one, it still eludes me.
Accepting the change of topic, Frost shared his thoughts. "I think it's safe to say it's a bomb of some sort, and I think I should stop messing with it. Better left for the experts. I'm going to call it in."
"I'd rather not be here for that, if you don't mind."
Who am I?
Frost fixed her with a pointed look. "You know, there's some folks that'd be pretty psyched to see you. Catch up with the former detective with the highest clearance rate in BPD history."
Who am I going to be?
"I'm still a detective." She said forcefully.
Turning away from Frost and the device, she squatted down in front of one of the pinned men. Pulling him up by the lapels of his jacket, she got right up in his face as she gave the bloodied man her most intimidating interrogation stare. More than willing to play bad cop, she shifted her weight to lean on the timber pinning the mans legs. A moan of agony escaped before he whimpered and bit down on his tongue to silence himself. "Where's Sonty? Where's the woman he kidnapped?"
The man looked genuinely terrified of the woman leaning over him, but he spat out his next words with a surprising amount of confidence. "It's too late! You will burn, all of Boston will burn!"
"He's right…" A new menacing voice shouted.
What was it that drove you, James? Was it simply the need to ask questions? Was it the satisfaction in finding the answers? Or was it something else entirely?
"And it'll start with you!"
"Rizzoli!"
Heeding the warning in Frost's voice, Jane instinctively dove to her left. It wasn't a moment too soon as a molotov cocktail exploded right where she had been moments before. Flames quickly licked at the pile of timber, and soon after the agonising screams of the two pinned men echoed around the warehouse.
Doing her best to ignore the smell of burning flesh, Jane did a quick scan of the room. There were four men that she could see, and glancing up, she noticed one standing atop a stack of crates, another flaming cocktail launching from his hands.
The blast barely missed Jane again, and she looked hurriedly around for cover. Making a run for it, she heard Frost calling out to her.
"The device! Don't let them-" His warning was cut off as he dodged an incoming blow. "-activate the device!"
Looking around, Jane could see the men converging on the bomb. Considering how close they had allowed the flames get to it, they clearly weren't concerned about getting it out of the warehouse undetonated. One of the men charged at her, and bringing her gun up, she smacked him across the face with it before charging on. She could hear her soles pounding across the concrete as she raced past the smouldering remains of the two pinned men. The nauseating smell slowed her momentarily as she fought her gag reflex.
Frost had managed to sneak up on the man throwing the flaming cocktails, and landed a right hook. Unfortunately as the mobster fell he managed to sweep his feet out from under him. Landing with a thud, and gasping for breath, Frost looked up in horror as the fire happy guy snatched a lit bottle and backed up a little. Realising he had no time, Frost rolled, but let out a yell of pain as flames licked briefly at one of his legs. He came to a stop at the man's feet.
"Activate the device," the man yelled, before landing a solid kick to Frost's ribs.
Jane was gaining on the man closest to the device, but came to a sudden halt as she was charged from the side. Grunting as she hit the ground, she looked up to see someone had reached the open container. Kicking at the man on her back, she pulled her gun in front of her as she took aim. Pulling the trigger, she saw the bullet rip through the mans shoulder.
Struggling for breath after her fall, Jane yelped as she was pulled up from the ground. Thick meaty hands restrained her.
"Shoot her!"
One of the men raced over and pulled the gun from her hand. He leered at her as he stepped back.
A means to fight your own demons?
Hands around his throat, Frost gasped for air as he brought his knee to his attackers groin.
"You can't win." The man hissed out.
Still sucking in air, an unfamiliar voice caused Frost to look up.
"I wouldn't be so sure." A huge hulk of a man reached forward and snapped his attacker's neck with his bare hands. He then raised his hand, took aim, and shot the man holding Jane's gun.
Not that I'd know anything about that.
Instantly recognising Nikolas, Jane was thrown. Why was he suddenly saving their hides?
The remaining men seemed stunned. Unsure how to react to Scarlet's bodyguard showing up and killing their own.
Jane used the momentary confusion to her advantage, and flipped the guy holding her over her back to the hard ground at her feet.
Not that I've spent far too much time spoiling for a fight…
Jane brought her foot down on the guys stomach, then kicked him in the head. Watching him pass out cold.
…Looking for a way to pour my rage out upon the world before it could eat me alive.
Walking to the man with a hole in his head, she took her gun from his lifeless hand. Looking over at her allies, she could see the two men breathing heavily. Unsure what to make of Nikolas' arrival and apparent turn, she eyed the man suspiciously. He'd clearly been through a hell of a lot. A massive brawl from the looks of things. One of his eyes was swollen shut, a piece of one of his ears was missing, and he was covered in all manor of cuts, scrapes and bruises that he hadn't attained just now.
He stood at the feet of the man's neck he had just broken, and Jane's memory flashed to the Congo where all those men had been brutally slaughtered by him. She trusted the man before her about as much as she'd trust Charles Hoyt if he were still alive. "The save buys you an explanation, but not a whole lot more, Nikolas."
"You want a bloody explanation? I'm sick of-" He stopped talking as his good eye widened in recognition. "What happened to the forth man?"
"Shit!" Jane spun round, he eyes darting to the bomb.
That's why you chose me, isn't it? Because in me, you saw the reflection of yourself.
In all the excitement, they'd all lost track of how many men they'd taken out. All three widened their eyes as they saw the man pushing buttons on the device.
"NO!" Jane and Frost screamed simultaneously, running to take down the man.
"We have to stop him," Jane shouted.
Reaching for the two of them, Nikolas pulled them back and started dragging them towards the exit. "It's too late!" Looking back he watched as he saw the man finish pressing buttons. "Get down! Get-"
They cleared the entrance and hit the ground only a second before the bomb detonated. A sudden burst of heat flared against Jane's face as the device ignited. A ball of liquid flame shot through the warehouse consuming everything in its path.
As debris flies in all directions, glass, wood, metal and concrete bite into the skin of the three people huddled on the floor just outside of what remains of the warehouse structure.
A red hot glow baths the three, and Jane can hear nothing but a high pitched ringing in her ears. Laying there, unable to move, she thinks of Maura. Beautiful, kind, loving Maura. Despite the heat, the thought of what Michael might be doing to her turns Jane's blood to ice.
Groaning, she shifts, but realises that Nikolas is on top of her. She wriggles and moans as the larger man rolls off of her. Blinking a number of times, her eyes adjust to the inferno before her. She can feel Frost starting to move, and as the ringing in her ears starts to lessen, she looks to Nikolas for answers.
He nods behind them, indicating they should move back from the unbearable heat. Dragging herself to her feet, Jane watches as Nikolas does the same, then they help Frost to his. Together they walk a good fifty metres before dropping exhausted to the ground.
Sirens can be heard faintly in the distance.
Who am I, James?
"So?" That one word sums up all of Jane's questions, and Nikolas seems to understand.
"Boston burns tonight. A series of bombs have been placed, or are in the process of being planted in key locations around the city. BPD, Mass Gen, City Hall… You get the idea."
"That doesn't make sense," She objected. "If Intergang wants Boston, why turn it into a flaming mess?"
"Because Sonty wants the city on its knees. The emergency services and media will be so preoccupied with the rescue opporations that they won't notice Intergang sweeping in. The police will be spread so thin, they'll hardly be able to lift a finger against Sonty and his men for a good long while."
Who am I going to be?
"What about Maura Isles?" Jane asked. Trying to keep the nervous shake from her voice. "Is she still alive?"
Nikolas nodded, and Jane almost passed out with relief.
"But not for much longer. She's due to be executed anytime now."
"Over my dead body." Jane growled.
Nikolas was unimpressed with her bravado. "Easy enough for him to do, girl! Bloody hell, even if you can save her, it won't be enough."
"Then stop wasting time," Frost demanded. "And tell us what will be."
"Each device had to be shut down. They're rigged on a timer-"
Jane stepped away, putting some distance between herself and the men. She could feel her future taking shape.
"We'll split up," Frost spoke up. "You and Rizzoli go after the bombs, I'll-"
"No," Jane said firmly. "It's got to be you two that go after the devices."
Who am I? Who am I going to be?
"Nikolas knows the locations and how to shut them down, and Frost, you're the only one with a badge that can get you clearance into these places.
"I'll take care of Sonty."
Frost looked at her questioningly. "You'll be going into the hornets nest alone. Would you die for this? For her? Because you might."
Jane showed nothing but strength and determination as she looked her former partner in the eye. "Wouldn't you?"
The answers start coming fast, courtesy of Nikolas. Where the bombs are. Where they plan on killing Maura. And he's written Jane off by the time they leave her. He doesn't bother saying anything. Not even a goodbye. Frost though, even though he's grinding his teeth at the thought of leaving Jane to rescue Dr. Isles on her own, he shakes her hand and pulls her in for a hug, then wishes her luck. It's the best goodbye they have time for.
Then the men are gone, and Jane's heading for the docks. Doyle's former territory. She imagines they're all trying to make a statement by killing Doyle's flesh and blood here. The thought only fuels Jane's anger. Her resolve.
A full moon shines down reflecting off the water, and Jane sprints as stealthily as she can, as she approaches an entrance to a square of warehouses. Looking at her watch, she has thirty minutes left before Nikolas' two hour deadline passes. I'm coming, Maura.
The padlock securing the gate was easy enough to pick, and silently she slips through the chain link fence, scaffolding and tarps that are everywhere. In a shadowy corner she peers out and spots a man standing guard outside the entrance to the warehouse Maura should be inside.
He had his back to her right now, and spotting a weighty looking metal bar on the ground, Jane scoops it up moving towards the man. He doesn't see her coming, and only feels her presence at his back just as she's swinging the bar down. He sinks to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Hooking her arms under the unconscious man, she drags him back around the corner, making sure he's secured and well hidden behind one of the tarps.
Checking her weapon one last time, Jane looked around the open area. It was quiet, not much security, but when you were arranging a meeting of a lot of crime families and gangs, she supposed they all looked out for themselves, not wanting to put their lives in un-trusted hands.
The large warehouse had several entrances, and looking through the one window she could see, there didn't appear to be anyone inside. She might have panicked had that guard not been standing outside.
Using her lock picking skills once more, Jane slid the door open a tiny amount before slipping inside, pulling the door closed behind her. She could barely see, but it didn't appear to matter. The place was deathly quiet. Walking through the empty space, Jane tried not to think about how little time she had left. Precious minutes passed, and she was about to start stressing when a faint sound caught her attention. Following her ear, she wound up at the top of a stairwell leading down.
Always a freakin' basement. Treading carefully, the metal rebar in hand, Jane carefully negotiated the twisting staircase. There's light peaking out through a doorway, and the noise she heard earlier makes itself known as a voice. One that's very familiar. The sly, cold tones of Scarlet drift out through the door. "…Bound and gagged, hostage and victim, prisoner…"
The voice still makes her skin crawl, and as she furtively peeks her head round the door her heart almost stops, as she shudders in outrage and revulsion.
On the far side of the room, the gathered witnesses all stand huddled together around another staircase leading up, their eyes are fixed on the centre of the room. Jane barely registers their presence. Instead her eyes are drawn to the terrifying sight of Maura, lying chained and gagged, atop a large stone slab. The black eyes and swollen lip make Jane's heart clench, and it takes all her willpower not to rush in immediately as she watches the woman she loves squirm and tug at her bonds.
Michael Sonty and Scarlet stood next to the bound woman, and Scarlet continued to taunt her as she circled around her soon to be victim. Sonty leaned over and leered at the beautiful doctor. Maura, using what little leeway she had, pushed her head forwards, driving it into the gang leaders face. His nose instantly gushed with blood and in a fury he struck Maura hard on the check. Reaching up, he swiped at the blood streaming from his nose, then ran his bloodied hand across Maura's face. As she tried to pull away the Irish gathering laughed. Plucking a handkerchief from his pocket, Sonty cleaned himself up as best he could.
You remember the Congo, James? The girl I killed, the gang member? …What goes around comes around.
Pulling his knife from a sheath, Michael Sonty looms over Maura. He looks to the gathered men, nodding briefly at them. The time had come.
Quickly, Jane pulls her weapon, her sights fixed between Sonty's eyes. She wants the bastard dead. As he rears back with the knife, Jane squeezes the trigger. The shot goes wild, hitting one of the gathered men, as Jane is tackled from behind.
Shouts of outrage echo around the room as the men start running up the other staircase. A few random shots are fired, but before long only Jane, Maura, Scarlet, Sonty and the guard that snuck up on Jane remain in the room.
As Jane hit's the ground, she silently sends up a thank you that she still has her gun. She could hear Sonty shouting furiously in background, but it was Scarlet's firm command of "Kill her! Kill her!" that really got her moving.
She grappled with the guy on top of her, pistol whipping the infuriating man. She didn't have time for this. As he slumped into her arms, she pushed him off to the side and jumped to her feet. She couldn't see Michael Sonty, but ducked out of the way as Scarlet charged at her.
"Foolish girl. We will kill her."
Jane said nothing, choosing instead to focus on taking down her target. Throwing her left fist, she watched it connect solidly, Scarlet reeling backwards. Taking advantage, she swiftly followed it up with a kick then a knee to the stomach. The woman dropped to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, Jane turned to Maura. She was about to move towards her when Scarlet grabbed her ankle, twisted it, and tugged her to the ground. With a startled yelp, Jane crashed to the floor along side Scarlet. As she's righting herself she catches a glimpse of Michael Sonty approaching Maura. Scarlet shoves her back down, and she bucks wildly as the redhead moves to straddle her. She feels cold hands slips around her throat and squeeze. Choking, Jane tries desperately to free herself, using her hands to try and pry the fingers from her throat. Her vision starts to grow fuzzy, and a darkness is creeping in around the edges. Knowing she has little time, she cast her hands around, wildly groping at the floor, hoping she'll find something useful. Just as she's growing too tired to move, her fingers brush against cool hard metal. Closing her hand around the weapon, she uses what little strength she has remaining to lift the gun and pull the trigger.
She barely registers the blood and gore that splash across her face, or the dead weight that drops across her. All she can think about is sucking in precious lungfuls of air. Taking ragged breaths, Jane's focus suddenly snaps back. MAURA!
Hurling the lifeless body from her with more strength than she should have at this point, she struggles to her feet. Spinning round to the centre of the room, her eyes fall on the Intergang leader with his dagger raised.
"NO! NO DON'T!"
She could only watch as Michael Sonty plunged the dagger into Maura's chest.
Her mouth was still gagged, so her cries were muffled, but her body arched up in agony. The man's eyes blazed with satisfaction.
Not again. "NO! No no no no." Jane screamed. The sound was almost inhuman, and she emptied her gun in rage. The bang bang bang of the gun doing little to mask her cries. The first bullet grazed his skull as another slammed into his shoulder. His body flew backwards away from the dagger embedded in Maura's chest.
Racing death, Jane rushed forward. "No, Maura hold on, no…"
Not again. Not this time.
Reaching Maura, Jane scooped a gun up from the floor, and carefully shot at her restraints freeing her. Tossing the gun aside, Jane leaned over Maura, unsure what to do. How to save her. Tears started to streak down her blood stained face, as she pressed her hands over the wound as best she could. "You're not doing this." She insisted, carefully tugging the gag away from Maura's mouth. "You're not dying…"
The grisly sight before her seemed to mock her pleas. The dagger was buried deeply in Maura's chest. There wasn't a lot of blood visible yet, but Jane knew a mortal wound when she saw one. Jane's memory flashed to James dying in her arms amidst a plain of blood stained snow.
This time it's different.
"Maura… I-I don't know what to do." The heartbreaking plea was little more than a sob. "Should I take the knife out?" Her shaking hand closed around the hilt, but she paused as Maura stirred. Her voice a faint whisper. "No…"
Jane leant in closer, wanting to make sure she caught every word. "No, that'll make it w-worse…" Maura weakly lifted her hand, fingers grazing lightly across Jane's tear stained cheeks. "You came back."
"Not for long!" Sonty growled as he ripped Jane from Maura's side. Blood dripped from his wounded skull and shoulder. She croaked loudly, as his powerful hands squeezed her larynx. Throwing her back into the rear wall, he screamed at her as she crashed to the floor, her heading audibly thunking on the ground. "I'm gonna rip your head off!"
"Jane!" Maura gasped, too weak to intervene.
Staggering to her knee's, Jane fought to keep her wits about her. Chances were she already had a concussion. She blinked dazedly as Sonty stalked up to her. He reached down and twisted her arm up. The one with the gun.
Oh, this is bad in so very many ways.
"By the way, I'll take that gun, now, if you don't mind."
As the weapon was ripped painfully from her fingers, Jane shakily spoke up. "Hey, all you had to do was ask."
"Funny," Unamused by her flippant response, he pitched her headfirst back into the wall. Falling into a heap, she managed to roll onto her back. Her breaths were coming in gasps, and her head felt like it was going to crack open any moment now and explode. It was taking everything she had not to vomit down herself as she pulled her body up the wall slightly, propping herself against it. If she was going to die, she wanted the last thing she saw to be Maura. Unfortunately his massive frame blocked her view.
"Let's see if you make a funny pile of rotting bones." Sonty snarked.
Jane shifted to peer around him. Ignoring the man as he raised his gun. "I wouldn't do that." She whispered hoarsely.
"You wouldn't?" Sonty sneered down at the woman at his feet. "And why not?"
He stiffened abruptly. Eyes growing wide, the congealed blood on his face shifting as he opened his mouth wide in surprise.
"She wasn't talking to you, Michael." Maura explained, kneeling on the stone slab. Her hands let go of the daggers hilt. "She was talking to me."
Sonty toppled forward, landing facedown on the floor. The hilt jutting from his back, blood spreading rapidly.
This time it's different…
"Think maybe… I shouldna done… that." Maura slurred out. The last of her strength evaporating, she collapsed and fell from the stone table. Jane stumbled forward, catching her before she hit the ground. With the blade no longer sealing the wound, blood was pouring freely from the hole in her chest. Jane pulled Maura into her arms, her hands pressing over the wound. "Stay with me, Maura… " The desperation was clear as she gently rocked the woman in her arms. "We're not done yet. Stay with me…" One hand remained on top of the wound, as a blood slick hand fumbled in her pocket. "…This time it's different…"
This time it's different.
This time it's different.
This time it's different.
