CHAPTER FIFTY ONE
Marlena ducked as the rampaging fire elemental tried first to burn her, then to absorb her energy and with it, everything that made her who and what she was.
She backed away, rage burning in her eyes. She could understand one of her kind blindly lashing out against all humans based on their experiences with a few of their kind, but this... this was... unthinkable. It was... cannibalism.
'This is madness,' she hissed at the rampaging Elemental. 'This is not our way... we can help you, let you return to our realms.'
She gave Binky a resigned look as the elemental took another swipe at her.
'I believe his answer is 'no,' " she sighed.
'Looks like,' Binky answered. 'Boss... If you have any ideas, now would be a good time.'
#
Whisper tried to straighten out his focus but it was hard.
'I'd suggest...' he groaned into the astral. 'You don't yell. Hold him off. Keep him in place long enough for me to co-ordinate a banishment. '
He chuckled to himself when Binky replied, 'just make sure the right elemental is banished...'
As he reached out mentally, he realized just how badly things had gone.
#
The ferociousness and brutality of Cougar's attack pushed Martinez back several paces before he caught the change and reacted to the adept's new tactics.
He realized that Alvarez was desperate, and that desperation was driving him to take risks. He needed to finish the fight quickly, something Martinez was not willing to do. He'd worked hard for this moment and it was meant to be savored.
As he danced away from Cougar the physical adept again changed his tactics moving from frantic yet powerful movements to something decisive and direct. He had been trained to combat almost any fighting style but he had never had to deal with a physical adept fighting using Krav Maga.
The two styles simply did not lend themselves to the other, and yet, somehow, Alvarez made it work.
It was as if he'd left any restraint behind, focusing on one thing and one thing only: killing his opponent.
Martinez backed up a few paces and smiled. He'd defeated the physical adept by forcing him to retreat from his true nature and into one of madness. He had beaten Alvarez by separating the physical adept from the very thing that made his physical abilities work: the harmony of body, mind and spirit. He had taken that harmony and broken it.
He smiled, and was about to say something when Cougar's fighting style changed again. The brutal power gave way to graceful motions that blended together into powerful strikes that seemed to wash over him one moment then pummel him a moment later. As the attacks hit several nerve clusters, Martinez was driven to the ground.
Each time he sensed Alvarez's attack the timing or the style or both would change leaving his reaction time useless.
With a snarl he drew his gun. There was more than one way to skin a cat.
#
Pooch watched as Casey began giving him hand signals, directing him as Teagues tried to get a better angle, but there was only so much they could do. There was no way he could raise or lower the craft other than riding the swells and hoping for the best.
The need to do something forced him to press on, trying to accommodate the sniper so he could hopefully do more than simply witness Cougar's demise.
#
Roque drew his blade across his wrist and let the blood well up into his hand. He turned towards Clay, his expression grim. The last thing he wanted to do was dehumanize his friend and commander: to turn him into nothing more than an energy source.
When their eyes met, Roque smiled. Instead of resignation, or fear in his commander's eyes, he saw that impish twinkle that always seemed to accompany one of his more involved schemes.
This was one more battle, one more attack, nothing else. This was not the end.
Roque nodded. It was good enough for him.
#
Teagues could sense the situation changing on deck. It was as if the balance of power had shifted. He could almost feel the tension nearing its release and he knew if he didn't do something soon it was going to be too late.
He tried to work the solution, but there was only so much he could do from where the patrol boat sat in relation to the medical carrier.
"What do you need?" Casey asked him.
"I need a firing solution is what I need," he snapped, then explained softly, "there's no way I'm going to get the angle from here."
There was a moment of silence as Casey studied the ship and their surroundings before nodding towards the ship itself. "What about the bulkhead?"
Teagues frowned for a moment. Hitting the bulkhead would achieve nothing, worse the bullet would ricochet off the bulkhead. He smiled, realizing what she was thinking. "Trick shot... might work."
He began scanning the bulkheads, analyzing their curves and location, each one getting him closer towards his goal. He was so engrossed in his search he didn't notice Casey's blush when he muttered, "If you weren't spoken for I think I'd marry ya on the spot..."
#
'How bad is it?' Whisper asked as he tried to push himself up, only to find Jensen resting a hand on his shoulder, trying to keep him down and not draw attention to themselves.
'They're busy watching Cougs: it's bad, but as long as they're focused on him, we're good. Do what you can from there. He's counting on us to make the most of it.'
'Copy...'
'Just... make it worthwhile willya?'
Whisper could tell from Jensen's voice that Cougar's situations was worse than 'bad', and that was all he needed to know. He'd had enough of all these games and they were about to learn just how unsubtle he could be.
#
Jensen could feel the tension in Whisper's shoulders relax only to be replaced by a stranger, deeper tension. He swallowed hard, hoping it would be enough, but he also knew a mage could only do so much without movement- it was as integral to magic as it was to battle being waged before them.
As he'd spoken, his eyes remained focused on the tableau before him.
He tried to keep his emotions under control but he knew that Cougar could read his expression, just as he could sense every injury and pain written across the physical adept's movements.
When Cougar met his gaze, Jensen didn't see regret or resignation. Instead he saw determination and satisfaction. If Cougar was going to die, it would be on his terms and he would take Martinez with him.
Jake nodded and mouthed 'send him to hell.'
The smile on Cougars face would have sent a cold shock through anyone who'd seen it, anyone that is but Jake. As it was, Jensen saw Martinez's death in that smile, and hope for the others.
'Come on guys,' he called out over the radio. 'It's now or never.'
#
Pooch could feel his heart catch at the tone in Jensen's voice. Never had he heard such resign and despair from the decker. Jensen was the one who always found the bright side, who believed in the nature of others and knew his team would be there.
He knew they had to do something- it couldn't end this way. If they failed... if they didn't do something, if they lost Cougar, they'd be losing Jensen as well, and there was no way he was breaking in another decker let alone a new sniper.
"Teagues, take the shot," he called out, but his voice broke in the middle.
Jolene shot him a compassionate look before relaying the message. She understood what this was doing to him, to all of them.
#
Teagues let his breath out slowly, an annoyed retort dying on his lips. He'd been trying to take the shot but the boat and the very water around him was defying him. This was one shot that couldn't afford to go wide, not when he was counting on a ricochet to make it stick.
The last thing he needed was...
The thought died away as he focused on his target and the shot. He could feel his own pulse as he let his breath out and began squeezing the trigger. He almost...
A swell took him off target, leaving him sputtering and cursing.
"Keep this thing steady will you!?"
#
Pooch cursed as he fought the controls.
"I'm trying," he yelled back, as if it were Teague's fault for taking so long to make the shot.
"Easy," he heard Jolene urge. "Easy."
She understood the tension and what was at stake. She also understood that the last thing they needed was to be at each other's throats, but they were the only targets available.
She caught Casey's attention and nodded towards Teagues, asking her to focus on the man, and keep him calm. Telling her to help him take the shot while she worked on keeping Pooch focused.
#
Casey did her best to feel the swells beneath her feet, to anticipate the waves and watch them as they came in.
As she caught the feeling she began counting it off. "Rising in three...secondary wave... Up... Up... down... Up... Down."
#
Teagues let himself enter an almost hypnotic state, letting Casey's voice guide him through the swells. He prayed it was enough.
As he got the feel for the changes, Casey's calls allowed him to focus on the shot and when to take it.
A sudden movement on deck caught his eye and he realized it was now or never. "Pray to the Deity of your choice..." he muttered to himself. "Cause you're about to meet them... or be... forever... de-nied."
#
'It's now or never.'
He knew the message was for the others, a plea from Jensen that someone do something, but there was nothing they could do. Roque and Clay were facing off against the elemental and the others were on the water in a small craft that stood no chance against the medical ship. The numbers just weren't in it.
It was 'now or never,' but if he played it right it was now for Martinez and there would be plenty of other times for the rest of his team. Something in Martinez' expression had told him what he needed to know.
The MA was a sadistic bastard, and was enjoying himself, but while he was enjoying the fight, the show was intended to break Jensen's spirit. Something Cougar knew he could never let happen, just as he knew Martinez could never best him.
His attack started with the faintest of smiles as he focused all his control, his entire spirit, on the attack. He was no longer trying to control his own bleeding, to heal the injuries he had suffered. He was completely focused on taking out Martinez.
There was no need to think of anything else.
His mind made up, his power focused, Cougar launched himself at the MA. His attack was straight and true, he had surrendered his own life, placed his faith in God and moved with all the grace and power left within him.
#
Jensen, felt his heart stop as he recognized Cougar's posture. He could almost feel the energy that held held Cougar together through the fight drain away, flowing away from his injuries and into the attack at hand.
Cougar knew what he was doing, he knew this would be the end, but it would be an end of his choosing, of his making- not Martinez's. Never Martinez.
In that moment he saw his friend for everything he was, his brother, his best friend... he was dying but he refused to let it be for nothing. He had never felt such pride or love for another person in his life... in a totally hetero kind of way of course.
He almost laughed, knowing how Cougar would react to that thought if he ever made it aloud.
Laughter and tears merged in his heart as Cougar unleashed his full wrath on Martinez.
It was something beautiful and terrible to behold.
Then he heard it.
He heard it on the radio from Pooch: 'steady.'
He heard it from Whisper. 'Steady...'
He felt it in Cougar's stance: steady.
Below he heard a woman's voice. 'Up... up... steady...'
He took a breath and heard a shot in the distance, and the ping of metal being hit. He saw Martinez tense a surprised look on his face, and watched as Cougar struck, straight like an arrow, a low punch, a kick to the inner thigh... his hand on Martinez's gun for a moment before taking it from him and turning it on the wielder.
... and firing.
He never thought he'd heard a better sound than that, until he felt the power welling up from beneath his hand: Whisper.
Everything seemed to stop as blood blossomed from Martinez's head and neck and as the men around them fell to Whipser's spell.
He pushed himself up as everything started moving again, catching Cougar as he fell.
"Carlos!"
He saw the slight twitch in Cougar's gaze, the hint of a bemused smile before pain and exhaustion claimed him and consciousness faded.
He felt completely lost as the world was swallowed by a soundless roar.
#
Satisifcation... pain...regret... sorrow... peace: he felt them all but he understood none of them. He felt warmth and as he hit the ground. He'd expected something hard and cold, something that would drain the last of his life away and he'd been prepared to accept that but instead felt warmth... warmth and a heartbeat instead of cold steel.
Then he felt someone ripping at his shirt, something cold and tingling placed on his chest... Fire burned through him, warming him like a shot of Patron.
The thought made him smile. 'Patron...boss... patron... backer... backup... ' his thoughts drifted as the words flowed.
He was not alone. He would never be alone, and he realized that was a good thing.
