There were boots pounding along in the dust under the searing midday sun. It was the type of heat that could be heard in the air, like the world was sizzling under the deadly touch of the sun. She had her eyes trained forward, sweat beading along her hairline and dripping down her forehead, and her hair, still long, was pulled back into a slick, tight bun that rested beneath her cap. Her arms were up by her ribs, bouncing with every miserable step, and she was thinking about winter and the cold and all the things that seemed so much better than the blistering heat. Things like Christmas- Lee Christmas, specifically, and how he hadn't said goodbye when she left but all of his friends had. No, not friends- family. Brothers. The keepers of who he was and his entire life. Of course they had been there to say goodbye to Sammy, because that was the role they had in Lee's life. To do right by him even when he couldn't.

She reached the end of the final mile and jogged off the speed she'd gathered. Once she finally slowed to a stop, she dropped her hands to her knees and forced in a few burning breaths of the impossibly hot air. There were others around her, most equally as exhausted or worse, all drenched in sweat with cheeks burnt and arms tan. Sammy dragged the back of her hand along her forehead and wiped it on her t-shirt. They were breaking for lunch, so she didn't care much for staying put together anymore. It had been a quietly grueling first few days, and her thoughts had mostly been back in New Orleans with the Expendables and whatever they might have been doing. Were they even there? Or were they a world away on some mission? Was Lee sitting on his porch, watching her unoccupied house and wondering about her just like she was wondering about him? Or did she not even cross his mind?

"On your left!"

Sammy jumped and turned, catching the tiny legs of one of the other cadets fumbling to an awkward stop in the dry dirt. The laces of her boots were a bit too long and were knotted three times but they still slapped against her ankles. In fact, everything she was wearing was a bit oversized. Sammy dropped her hands to her hips and squinted.

"Hard time slowing down?" Sammy asked, walking the few steps that had gathered between them. She figured the kid was some kind of sad physics problem: not enough mass to act against all her inertia or whatever. She finally fumbled to a halt and flung herself around, one hand pressed over her chest as she caught her breath.

"Slowing down?" She asked, a smile growing on her cheeks despite the pained twist on her eyes, "nah, more like a hard time stopping. I think I got another mile in me."

Sammy rolled her eyes and smiled. "Careful what you wish for. They might hear you and make us all do it."

The girl chuckled and extended her hand. "I'm Olivia," she said. "Well, Taylor. Olivia Taylor."

Sammy took her hand and smiled. "Sammy Williams. You're the one that got stung by the Bee, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," she said, waving her off. "Want some company for lunch?" Olivia asked.

"Why not?"

"You finished that run pretty fast," Olivia said as they started to walk.

"Eh, long legs," Sammy said with a shrug.

"Is that a short joke?"

Sammy glanced sidelong at her and smiled. They both laughed, and the sound cut through the tension of the last couple of days easily. She suddenly felt a lot more at home with someone beside her.

Somewhere in the distance there were gunshots going off every few seconds. It wasn't unusual, and Sammy was surprised at how quickly she had gotten used to it. At how quickly life had changed.

—-

She knocked three times on the beaten up apartment door and then tucked her hands into her pocket. She could hear shuffling inside, and a few muffled voices, and she bit back a smile as the relief welled in her chest. She was finally starting her mission. She was finally with her team.

They still needed a name, didn't they?

The door was pulled open and Sammy saw Cap standing there with her hair in a loose, frizzy bun on the side of her head. She was wearing a white tank top and some black joggers, showing off her muscled arms and shoulders. She broke into a smile and pulled Sammy into a tight hug, her face buried against her neck. Sammy hesitated for a second, suddenly uncertain of herself and where she was, but she could faintly remember the last time she saw Cap- the last solid memory being way back in the jungle, before the river. She hugged her back and held her tight, a heavy weight falling from her chest and to the pit of her stomach. Maybe that was how the Expendables felt when they were near each other; safe, comforted, certain. She hadn't realized how much she missed it.

"Wow, maybe you should get a room," Bones said, a dry smile cracking across her face.

Sammy pulled back and Cap turned around to find Bones standing there studying Sammy. She looked sad, the corners of her eyes drooping down, her skin a little bit tighter than Sammy recalled. She also looked grateful in a strange, out-of-body sort of way.

"Bones," Sammy said, hurrying through the door. She pulled Bones into a hug and sighed. Bones grunted when Sammy made contact with her shoulder but played it off by wrapping her arms around Sammy's waist and giving her a quick lift off the ground.

"Sammy," she said, placing her down and looking her over. "How's my favorite baby mercenary?"

Sammy rolled her eyes and was about to speak when she caught sight of Angel at the other side of the room, balancing with one hand ghosting along the wall. They didn't say anything. Sammy looked her up and down, taking in the prosthetic and her slightly altered physique- she was less sleek muscle than Sammy remembered, but she was still skinny and strong.

"I like the haircut," Angel said, forcing a smile. "Where'd you get it done?"

Sammy opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out. She didn't know what to say. If Angel hadn't saved her that day in the jungle, she'd be long gone bye now. But if Sammy hadn't saved Angel, none of them would be there at all.

"She's pretty great," Sammy said, clearing the hesitation from her throat. "But it was a bit choppy at first. Had to get it fixed up." She shook out the short strands and ran her fingers over the undercut that camouflaged her scar.

Angel let out a laugh and wrapped her arms around herself. Bones looked over at her, a smile flickering over her face and lighting up her taut, strangled expression. Cap closed the door and smiled.

"So, Gogh," Cap said, clapping her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Let's catch up and compare notes."

"Right," Sammy said, swallowing over a lump in her throat as she thought about Bee.

"Oh, yeah," Bones said, smirking and shaking her head at Sammy. "You really ran away from those Expendables again, didn't you?"

"Ran away is a strong phrase," Sammy shrugged. "But yeah. When you need to do something right… you gotta do it yourself. With the right people."

"Amen," Angel said, making her way cautiously over. "Don't mind me. Still getting used to the new addition."

Cap guided Sammy towards the kitchen and she was grateful. She couldn't help the slap of grief that would wash over her every time she looked at Angel. Maybe if she had just been better at her job none of that would've happened. Maybe if she had fought just a little bit harder, Angel wouldn't have needed to be put back together.

"Tell me about Bee," Cap said, glancing back at Sammy as she pulled open the rickety fridge and grabbed two bottles of water. She tossed one Sammy's way and opened the other, taking a long sip while she waited. Sammy caught the bottle and drew in a breath.

"She's young," Sammy said.

"Like you?" Cap asked, the faintest hint of a laugh in her voice.

"No, no," Sammy said, sitting at the cheap kitchen table and studying her plastic bottle. "Younger. She shouldn't be mixed up in this at all. She was just… She was just a friend. Wrong place, wrong time."

Cap nodded, sinking into her own chair in front of her laptop. The life of a mercenary did tend to snap at the people around them. That's why it was always best to keep everyone at arms length, and if that wasn't possible, then it was important that they were very- very- good at the job.

"So bring me back. Do you have the note?"

Sammy nodded and reached into her bag. She paused when she found the folded photograph of Riley. Maybe the two of them would've been friends. Riley was much younger than the both of them, but she would've fit right in with Bee and her usual crowd.

"Here," she said, fishing out the letter and sliding it across the table. "Nothing about it sits right with me. It feels like a calling card."

Cap glanced between Sammy and the letter for a moment while she thought. She chewed on the tip of her thumb and sighed.

"The guys… They figured that, if she's actually still alive, then it's the Major playing some kind of game."

Cap dropped the letter and met Sammy's eyes, her brows heavy and furrowed.

"He doesn't play games like this," Cap said, her voice stiff. "Trust me on that. He fucked up with us. He wouldn't want to be found, especially not like this. I know."

Sammy watched her carefully. Her face was set and certain. There was no room for doubt.

"So then what is it?" Sammy asked. "Because she isn't dead. She- she can't be dead."

Cap blinked a few times and nodded. It would be easier just to believe the kid was gone, but if she got a letter out of the blue that Angel or Bones was dead… She'd be destroying the world in an instant to get to the truth for herself.

"There's nothing in the letter that seems familiar to you? Something subtle?" Cap asked, sliding the note back across the table.

"I've read it so many times. I haven't thought of anything."

"Let's do some digging then," Cap said, prying open her laptop and typing in a few things as it started to boot up. "Let's start with full names."

"Olivia Taylor," Sammy said, her mouth going dry. "She's got a lot of brothers. From Georgia."

Cap typed a few more things and chewed on her lower lip. "The Major could be the connection," she said as she worked. "He met her?"

"He definitely knew about her. He knew everything I did at basic, down to the second," Sammy said.

"Sounds about right," Cap grumbled, shaking her hair loose from her face with a sigh. "Is there anybody other than him that might be after you? Or the Expendables?"

"Me? Nobody I can think of," Sammy said. "Them? Probably."

Cap rolled her eyes and kept typing things into her computer.

Sammy took the letter and looked down at it. She had it memorized. We regret to inform you…

She flashed back to the phone call she'd gotten from her mother when Riley was at deaths door. She closed her eyes and focused on drawing in a steady breath.

"I've got some contacts," Cap said. "If the Major was looking at recruiting fresh blood into this game, then I'm sure there were others, too. I know a guy that knows a lot of guys. If anybody had their sights set on Bee, he'd be the one to know. He deals in naming names."

Sammy hummed and continued reading through the letter. She was racking her brain to try and remember something- anything- that would give them a hint as to who had sent it.

"Alright, there was an obit written up for a Ms. Olivia Taylor not long ago. Small Georgia paper that still gets used as wee-wee pads, by the looks of it," Cap said, turning the computer so that they could both look at the screen.

Sammy felt her heart lurch as an old photo of Bee came into view on the screen. She was smiling and wearing her uniform, and it looked like the photo had been cropped because she had arms wrapped around her that didn't connect to anybody visible.

"Olivia Taylor is survived by her mother, her father, and her brothers-"

"Her brothers," Sammy said, looking from the picture to Cap suddenly.

"What about them?" Cap asked.

Sammy looked back down at the letter.

…on the day of May 7.

"May 7. The letter says she died on May 7," Sammy said.

Cap scrolled through the obituary and read under her breath. "It doesn't say a day. It just goes on and lists her family, her hobbies, other stuff like that."

"What are her brothers names?"

Cap scrolled back to the top of the article and skimmed it.

"Um, Owen- Mathew-"

"That one," Sammy said, pointing down at the date. "She had a brother she was really close with. And the date- the date is important. May seventh. Five-seven."

Cap blinked and shrugged. "Alright. And?"

"Mathew 5:7 is a bible verse," Sammy said. "It's a calling card. It has to be a calling card."

Cap typed as fast as she could and studied the results.

"Its the sermon on the mount," she said, scrolling through the results. "Uh- Blessed are the merciful,for they will be shown mercy. She was religious?"

"Her family," Sammy said, scanning the screen and flicking her eyes back down to the letter. "She had mentioned it to me before, too."

"So who else would know this?" Cap asked.

Sammy frowned and thought hard. The memory was fuzzy, but she knew they had been sitting alone at lunch when Bee opened up about her upbringing in a small Georgia town, the buckle on the Bible Belt.

"Sammy," Cap said, holding her eyes suddenly. "Is there anyway the Major knew about that?"

Sammy felt her mouth go dry. She shook her head.

"Then, if this is the calling card you say it is, I think we got our answer," Cap said. Sammy swallowed and looked back at the screen where the sermon on the mount was displayed beside a bunch of ads.

"The Major didn't send this letter," Sammy said, her eyes locking on the verse where it was displayed on Cap's screen. The reflection of the blue light danced in her eyes. "Bee did."

—-

Lee looked down at his phone and frowned. A million thoughts were racing through his mind at once, but he was trying not to panic. It didn't help that he had just learned all about Barney's long lost love. He pressed his hand to the top of his head and let out a loud sigh.

"Something wrong, Christmas?" Tool asked.

"Have you heard from Sammy?"

"Not since she took some time off this morning," Tool said. "Why?"

Lee pressed his lips together and thought back to that morning. He had been distracted with he fact that Gunner was snoring on the couch, but he had also been worried to leave her alone. His chest was suddenly cold and tight and he glanced at Tool as he hurried by him and towards his coat, which was folded over the chair next to Barney. He grabbed it and pulled out his keys.

"What's the rush?" Barney asked, clearing his throat.

"I just need to check on Sammy," he said.

Barney sighed and glanced around at the rest of the guys. They'd all seen how Lee acted when he thought he might lose her- Barney had felt that type of pain firsthand- and it was written all over Lee's body that he was suddenly very afraid.

"I'll drive," Barney said, pulling himself to his feet. "Maybe we can stop for lunch while we're at it."

Lee huffed and held the door open with the toe of his boot as he shouldered on his jacket. He just needed to make sure she was okay. He just wanted to hear her voice. Then he could tell her that they were gonna help her with Bee- they were gonna find the Major and make him pay for the mess he had made. They'd find out the truth.

"Just hurry, would you?" Lee grumbled.

"She's fine, Lee," Barney said, grabbing the door from Lee with a sigh.

"She isn't answering," Lee said.

"She's good," Barney said. "She's not Lucie."

Lee hesitated and studied Barney's face for a long second. The humid Louisiana air was pressurized between them, condensing onto their skin already.

"But she's Sammy," Lee said. He turned and headed for Barney's truck.

"Yeah, she is Sammy, that's for damn sure," Barney said. He shrugged and followed after Lee. His mind was still half on his story, though. Or really, Lucie's story. It was all about her after all. He was just the one that survived to tell it.

He shut the drivers side door with a slam and turned the keys in the ignition. Lee was bouncing his knee impatiently on the passenger side.

"You're gonna shake us off the road," Barney grunted as he pulled away.

Lee tossed him a sidelong scowl and turned his attention back to the road in front of him. He had held Sammy once like Barney had held Lucie. She came back to life, though. Lucie didn't. He looked back over at his friend and sighed.

"I'm sorry about all that, brother," he said, his voice low even though it was just the two of them.

"Why? You weren't there. Hell, you were just a kid then."

Lee shook his head. "That's not the point, Barns. The point is… I'm sorry."

Barney swallowed and hung his elbow out the window while his other hand hung over steering wheel.

"So am I," Barney said.

Lee nodded and leaned back against the old leather seat. Maybe Gunner was right. Maybe he should've been pushing Barney harder about the mission for Bee. If it had been anybody else, he knew that he would've done just that- the problem was, though, that it wasn't anybody else. It was Sammy. And Lee wanted nothing more in the world than for Sammy to just be alive. He could settle for that. She didn't have to be safe all the time, she didn't have to be perfect- he just wanted her to be alive. Heart beating, lungs filling, blood flowing in her veins. Bare minimum. He was too distracted by his need to keep her whole that he let Barney wallow. He let him make the wrong choice because it was the comfortable one for both of them.

"So do you think the kid's alive?" Barney asked as they rounded a wide turn. Lee sunk against the door and raised a brow as he thought it over.

"I can't say for sure. But knowing is better than wondering forever, right?"

Barney nodded silently to himself. At least with Lucie he had some type of closure. Something solid to separate the before and after.

They sat in silence for the rest of the drive. Lee focused on the road beside the passenger door flying by underneath him. He watched it through the window. He kept reminding himself that Lucie and Sammy were different. Maybe they had similarities, but so did Lee and Barney. Hell, so did everyone. Even him and Gunner. It was really easy to see life as black and white, but really it was all just messy, muddy shades of grey.

He kept checking his phone to see if Sammy had responded. She hadn't.