Chapter Twenty-Four: Goodbye, Jericho!

Although time was of the essence, both Hank and Connor realized it was best if they found a place to rest. So, they went back to Hank's room and made sure to block the door with a chair after locking it just in case. Connor took Hank's gun away and put it on the table before lying down. Hank sat on the edge of the bed and stared off at nothing.

It was almost 8:30PM. Much later than Hank realized. He didn't even pay attention to the time after leaving the room. After getting exhausted and going to rest is when it hit him. He wasn't sure if it mattered but it made him feel more tired among everything else.

He looked to Connor. The boy's eyes were closed and his breathing was even and calm. This was good for him but they couldn't rest for long. Who knows when exactly Jerry's murder happened. The blood still seemed pretty fresh when they found him, so the killer was probably still up on deck.

He was also worried that Connor would dream about killing Daniel and when he woke up, he realized that it wasn't a dream. He really did kill him. Hank was still not looking forward to trying to explain to Connor why he did that. He probably understood the anger side of things but not why he went as far as he did.

He gently ran his fingers through Connor's short hair. His head was still warm but was slowly settling down. He looked out at the window. It was getting darker and darker and Hank could make out clouds floating by. He hoped that when he called for back-up, the chopters wouldn't be slowed down by the weather.

Connor hummed quietly and moved into Hank's touch. It was good that the boy was starting to realize that Hank wasn't furious with him and that he didn't blame him. It warmed Hank's heart, knowing he managed to get the kid to realize he wasn't angry and that Connor still trusted him. Hank seemed to be the only important person that mattered in his life. Or that could be Hank's ego talking, wanting someone to make him feel important.

Maybe they both needed each other much more than they thought. They did promise to get out of this ship alive together. Hank felt grateful to Connor. He gave him a reason to live. He already made the choice to pay him back by taking the kid home with him. He was going to keep that a secret from him for now.

Hank yawned and rubbed his eyes with his free hand, his other still stroking the top of Connor's head. Shit. He couldn't sleep now. If he fell asleep now he would probably end up sleeping for too long. He was supposed to stay awake and be Connor's alarm clock. He wasn't supposed to sleep.

"Fuck…"

He groaned and lied down on his side. Only one hour. No, not an hour. Thirty minutes at most. Then the two of them would get going and call for back-up. Hank already knew where his phone was likely to be at, so it wouldn't take long after they got back up. Then after calling back-up, they'd just have to stall and make sure no more murders happened.

Connor shifted and moved closer to Hank. Hank wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close.

"Wake me up in thirty minutes," Hank mumbled.

"Mm…"

He hoped that was Connor's way of saying he would.

XXX

"...ank."

Hank grumbled and turned over on his back. His eyelids were so heavy. He didn't want to open them. Hands shook him and he swatted them away. He heard what sounded like an annoyed sigh. The nerve of that person.

"Hank!"

Connor.

"It's really late, Hank! Midnight!"

Hank's eyes snapped open. "Midnight?!"

Connor stepped back as Hank propped himself up with his elbows. He looked Connor over. He still seemed pretty pale and still a bit tired as well with minor bags under his eyes. Probably because he still hadn't eaten or had any medicine. Hank felt a little better after his sleep, though.

"I know you said to wake you up in thirty minutes but…" Connor rubbed his hands together. "I was a bit too tired to wake up for a bit."

Hank rubbed his eyes and then waved a hand. "It's fine. I understand," he said. "I shouldn't have fallen asleep in the first place."

"Do you think we can still get in the evidence room and get your phone?"

"I don't see why not," Hank said. He stood. "If we have to break in, we have to break in."

Connor nodded.

Hank held out his hand and wiggled his fingers. "Gimme my gun," he said. "I'm calm enough now. I won't go on a killing spree."

Not that he was going to last time. It was just Zlatko. Connor did as he was told and handed him the gun with no hesitation, much to Hank's surprise. He was sure he would be a little reluctant or give him a look. He didn't. Either way, Hank pocketed the gun safely.

"I think it's better if you have it anyway," Connor said. He looked to the side. "If I end up losing control...Again…"

Hank's eyes widened. "You…"

"Yeah, I remember now," Connor said. He sighed deeply. "I...I killed Daniel before we left that room. I don't know what happened…"

"I do," Hank said. Connor looked up at him. "You went insane after seeing him trying to kill me. Not only that but seeing him do that, you were probably reminded of all the damage he did to you. You've had so much pent up anger towards him. You just...reacted."

Hank hoped that made sense. He didn't know how else to explain it. It was the simplest way he knew how. Connor continued to stare at Hank, letting his words sink in. Then he looked down. Hank understood it would be confusing for a while. He was just a kid after all. Not to mention this kid had been through a lot recently.

"I won't do it again," Connor finally said, sounding determined. "I won't kill again."

Hank smiled. He reached over and ruffled his hair. "Good."

"Now, let's go get your phone and get back-up. I want off this ship."

"That makes two of us."

XXX

Because it was midnight, there weren't many people out and about. There were some night owls but not enough to be worried about. Hank did his best to keep out of security guards' sights, even if the guards weren't the ones who bothered him the past couple days. He wasn't all too sure what he would do if he ran into them. They would probably try to bring him into questioning and try harassing him. They would probably also try and do something to Connor but that was a joke. Hank refused to let that happen.

When they were done getting his phone he wanted to check in with Lucy and see if Zlatko was still tied up. Hank made sure to secure him as tight as possible but there was a chance he could've gotten out of it. If that was the case, he hoped he didn't hurt Lucy. That being said…

"Does it feel like we're moving slower or is it just me?" Hank asked, furrowing his brows.

Connor looked up at him. "Now that you mention it, it does seem like we're moving slower…"

Hank hummed. He wondered what that meant. It could've been a black mail thing or Lucy's own choice. Why she would purposefully go slower is beyond him.

"I hope it has something to do with Lucy and not the ship," Connor said. He thumbed his coin. "Who knows if Zlatko found a way to damage it…" he said, thoughtfully.

Hank scoffed. "I doubt it, unless he had a bomb." He narrowed his eyes. "Does he?"

Connor shook his head. "No. He wasn't that stupid and I don't think he could've built one on here."

"Good."

It didn't take them long to get to the security room. Hank pressed his ear against the door and listened as best he could. It didn't sound like there was anyone inside. There was a strange static noise. As long as the guards weren't in, that's all Hank cared about. Either way, he kept Connor behind him and carefully pushed the door open.

The room was indeed empty. On the shelf on the back wall there was a radio. Hank went over and quickly shut it off, annoyed with the noise. Connor looked around the room and headed to the laptop. Hank left him to it and went to where the evidence box was.

"Let's see…" He put the box on the table and opened the lid. He rummaged around, saw two needles, papers, his bullet, and… "Ah, there we go."

"Oh, they still haven't figured out the library camera is on a loop," Connor said.

"You unlocked the computer?" Hank asked, incredulously.

"Mhmm, it wasn't so hard."

Hank snorted. "Tech savvy kid."

Connor smirked.

Hank left the room with Connor following him, not bothering to close the computer. Hank dialed up Jeffrey and put his phone to his ear. Connor looked around the hallway while Hank waited for Jeffrey to answer. It may have been midnight but Hank trusted Jeffrey to answer.

"C'mon…" he grumbled after a few rings.

Connor tossed his coin between his hands and glanced at Hank. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin'," Hank said, dismissively, waving a hand.

Connor huffed. He put his coin away and started to walk down the hallway. He checked around the corners.

"Don't go too far," Hank called after him.

After two more rings, there was an answer. "Hank-"

"Jeffrey, we need back-up, now," Hank said, a bit too quickly. "There's been another murder and the Sterns are on the ship. I had...an interesting encounter, to say the least."

"What happened?" Jeffrey asked. Hank could hear him stand and move somewhere.

"Just the usual. You know, getting ambushed and beat and getting trapped in a room with a kid who was forced to help them," Hank replied, sarcastically.

"What kid?"

"Can we talk about that later?" Hank said. He looked up and noticed Connor was gone. Fuck. "I gotta go, just send the back-up!"

"I'm getting my men ready now," Jeffrey replied, sounding impatient and almost offended. "Wish you would've called me sooner."

"Aw, were you worried?"

"Fuck you," Jeffrey snapped. "How many chopters?"

"Send at least two but get a third ready in case something happens," Hank said. "And I'll let you know right away if something does. How long until you reach us?"

Jeffrey didn't answer. Hank groaned. He started to walk to wherever Connor went off to but the kid wasn't anywhere. He heard background noise on the other side of his phone. It sounded like a lot of yelling, some phones sounded like they were going off, there were a lot of footsteps.

"Connor, where'd you go?" Hank called, while waiting for Jeffrey to inform him. "Connor!"

"We're thinking two hours," Jeffrey finally said. "Weather might make it difficult but it doesn't seem Jericho is too far off. If we're lucky, the chopters will get there sooner."

"Two hours…" Hank remembered Connor saying it was midnight. "Try for sooner."

"We're going to do what we can," Jeffrey replied. "Just try and stall and prevent more murders." Jeffrey hung up.

Hank put his phone in his pocket and looked around. He ran a hand down his face. "Connor, I'm too tired for this bullshit. Where are you?"

Connor moved from around the corner. He rubbed his forehead. "Sorry, Hank. I thought I saw Zlatko. I wanted to be able to warn you."

"And you thought it would be a good idea to go after him?" Hank scoffed. "Don't leave my side."

Connor nodded. "I'm sorry. What did your captain say?"

"The back-up should be here in two hours," Hank said. "Hopefully sooner."

"Okay...What happens until then?"

"I try to stop any more murders," Hank sighed. "It would be nice to know who all the Sterns are, unless it was just the small group we already know."

"I think there's a chance more guards might be involved," Connor suggested.

Hank nodded. There was a good chance of that. He wasn't only reminded of Harold but the other guards he knew. They were so determined to not stop the cruise and go home. They may have tried to act innocent but they did a poor job. Though, it really could've just been Harold. It was frustrating, not knowing.

If he was being honest, he really didn't know where to start. Now that back-up was finally called, he almost wanted to rest again. He knew Connor definitely did. The kid seemed to have a difficult time standing straight up. Hank doubted, somewhat doubted anyway, that the Sterns would all be awake right now considering how late it was. Yet, they had acted out late before. Fuck.

"I...I really don't want to go down there, though. Down in that room where Daniel is…"

Hank looked down at him. Connor was staring at the floor. "You don't have to."

"I'm sorry. I know there's a chance that Shaolin is still down there or if Zlatko did escape, he might be down there."

"It's okay, Connor. You don't have to go down there."

Hank sighed. "Let's just patrol the ship first, look out for any suspicious people."

XXX

They found themselves heading to the bow after thoroughly going through the ship. Only one hour went by and there was no news about the chopters. They didn't come across any suspicious people either. Almost no one was outside their rooms. It made Hank uneasy. He was expecting someone to come out at any moment. The fact that no one had yet made him feel like something was wrong.

He had checked in with Lucy first and saw that Zlatko was still tied up. He had woken up but Lucy held her ground and managed to knock him out again. When Hank first heard that, he laughed. Connor also laughed, despite all his efforts to hold it back. It was good to know that whoever Connor saw in the hallway earlier really wasn't Zlatko.

After Lucy, they checked everywhere else but found nothing out of place. Connor commented on that a couple times, saying that it wasn't that strange. Killing in the middle of the night might not work, especially if they wanted to frame Hank for the murders. Hank couldn't be sure of that, so he only shrugged when Connor made those comments.

And now, they headed outside. It was mostly for Connor's sake, Hank told himself. It would also be nice to see the chopters coming.

"When we get off this ship, maybe you can teach me how to be a normal kid," Connor said, elbowing Hank playfully.

Hank scoffed. "Yeah, I'll do my best. After all, I'm taking you home with me."

Connor paused. His eyes widened. "Wh...R-really?"

"Obviously," Hank said. "What else would I do? Send you to the Stern Institute again? Send you off to the Kamskis?"

"Well, no but...I didn't think you'd actually take me home with you," Connor said, his voice quiet. "I…"

Hank smiled. "You'll be safe with me. I promise. My dog ain't the best guard dog but-"

"Oh, you have a dog?" Connor interrupted. He perked up. "I like dogs! What's your dog's name?"

Hank snorted. "Sumo. He's a Saint Bernard."

"Sumo," Connor repeated. "I look forward to meeting him. I haven't seen a dog in so long."

"You haven't experienced normal things in a long time," Hank said. "But I'm going to change that."

Connor's smile was soft and his eyes were full of hope. This time around, Hank was not going to break his hope. He wasn't going to yell at him and throw him away. It might take some getting used to, having another person in his house with him again. But this was Connor. It wouldn't take long.

"Thank you, Hank."

A comfortable warmth spread through Hank as he watched the kid. He wanted to do all he could for him. He wanted him to smile often.

Hank was so lost in thought that he didn't register the sound of two gunshots.

Author's Note: Monday is the finale. ETU started on a Monday and it ends on a Monday. How perfect is that?

Also, because it's the finale I got to finally break the 2,000 word challenge and got to go all in. Felt good to not have to restrict myself. xD

That's all for now. I'll see ya'll in the final chapter.

Thanks for reading!

~Kurosaki