Final Confrontation

by Jcarlton

Stories that start before the first MK movie and then pick up after it ended. The world holds surprises for the kombatants once they return from Shang Tsung's island, and some adversaries refuse to stay dead. Note that MK Annihilation never happened.

4. Final Confrontation 4

The conversation was quiet friendly. Sonya was seated around a circle wooden table in the kitchen along with her father, Johnny and Liu as they discussed just about everything that came to their mind. It was one of the first relaxed atmospheres that the kombatants could remember ever since they had come face to face with Goro. The more time passed, the more useless the topic of conversation became, which was fine with all concerned.

"One thing I could never understand, Johnny", Sonya pointed out as she swallowed a large strawberry, "When you were fighting against those four guys near the end of Dragon Fist 2, why in the world were you all dressed up in three piece suits?".

"Well, it made things more interesting, didn't it?", Johnny explained as if she should have already known the answer, "The audience is used to watching guys fight in loose streetclothes. This was different. It was designed to get your attention, which it did".

"I just never get over that 'let's dance' statement!", Liu blurted out almost hysterically, which was a new sight.

"Yeah, it must be one of those classic movie lines that people will always remember over time", Sonya's father added in a calmer voice.

Their engaging conversation was suddenly interrupted by a fifth person who reached the table from the living room. The outside interference was not a surprise for any of them as they looked over to one side to see Scott approaching the table as he supported his body with a pair of crutches.

"Hey!", Sonya smiled at him, "It's about time you woke up!".

She noticed for the first time that Scott was dressed in the same clothes that he had on when he flew from Hong Kong. The fact that he didn't respond with her enthusiasm did not worry Sonya much because she knew her former Special Forces partner was busy trying to get back on his feet. The U.S. Army pressuring him to resign only increased the amount of stress the young soldier was under.

"Actually, I've been awake for the last several hours", Scott somberly answered as he slowly covered the few feet of distance that was between him and them, "I've just been thinking really hard".

"Don't strain yourself, kiddo", Johnny commented in a whimsical fashion, "It aien't worth it".

"Real funny", Scott replied with the dreary expression still on his face, "The tournament must've made you guys crave the comedy spotlight".

"Come on, Scott. You know I'm joking", Johnny defended himself, somehow surprised at his conduct.

"Well, what I was thinking about was how I'm gonna tell you guys", Scott went on.

"Tell us what, partner?", Sonya finally realized she had to brace herself for bad news.

"This has been on my mind for a while now. I got a chance to try to recover my old strength as well as my old position", Scott announced, "Sergeant Spayne contacted me a while back and told me he could have me sent back to the base in Hong Kong so I could train with Major Briggs. If I do good, my old position is mine again".

"You're leaving?!", Sonya's facial expression quickly became grim.

"I think it's time", Scott calmly said, "I can't stay here forever".

"You didn't tell us anything about this!", she wasn't going to accept his decision just yet as she kept looking up at him.

"What would you have done? You would've insisted I should stay? I can't live off you forever, lieutenant", Scott reasoned, "As much as I appreciate everything you've done".

"When is this for, son?", Herman Blade broke the conversation between Scott and his daughter.

"Just a few minutes actually, sir", Scott answered him with the same respect he had always shown, "Sergeant Spayne is coming over to pick me up any time now".

"Just like that?!?!", Sonya felt and looked shocked, "How can you do that???".

"I thought I'd be easier like this", was his only defense as Johnny and Liu still stayed quiet, "It's been great, it really has".

Scott extended his right hand to Johnny first. The actor gripped it with his own right hand while so surprised to be saying farewell this suddenly that he forgot to stand up.

"It was great knowing you, kiddo. I'll miss you", Johnny blurted out without knowing what else to say as Liu stood up because he knew he was next.

"Your courage was admirable", the White Lotus monk told Scott as they shook hands, "I realize I've only known you for a short time, but I'm sure the warrior spirit rages inside you".

"Thanks, I think", Scott smiled nervously before turning to Herman Blade.

"It's been a pleasure to have you here, son", Sonya's father told him as he stood up also, "If you ever feel like coming back, the door's always open".

"Thank you, sir", Scott still responded as if he was addressing an official military superior.

The former Special Forces commando next turned to Sonya, who was still seated, not wanting to be as formal as the others.

"Lieutenant?", Scott formally extended his right hand down towards her as if they only knew each other professionally.

"See you around, sidekick", Sonya politely answered, looking disappointed as she gently held his hand without gripping it.

Afterwards, Scott smiled one more time and turned around to head out of the living room in order to wait for Sergeant Spayne's arrival as Liu and Sonya's father sat back down. They only stared at the former commando from behind as that one took his gym bag with his right hand and carefully proceeded towards the door.

Scott was gone within a minute and left everyone else feeling speechless for a while as he closed the door behind him. Sonya was staring at her two fellow kombatants as well as her father as she wondered what was going through their mind. She realized she could not know for sure without asking them, but for herself alone, she hated the way her sidekick just decided to walk out of her life. After pondering about it for several more seconds, she angrily sighed out loud and quickly stood up to go after her former partner, leaving the three men behind.

After hastily making her way past the front door, she closed it behind her. She had np problem spotting him standing several feet away watching the street as Sergeant Spayne was parking a humvee. The sunny and fair weather for that day was perfect for her usual attire, mainly a pair of shorts and a T-shirt with simple sneakers, although she wasn't thinking about it currently. Spayne got out of the driver's side door and proceeded towards the gym bag that was on the ground before he saw Sonya at the same time as Scott did.

"What? That's it?", she held her arms palm-up by her sides, "You're leaving me just like that?".

Spayne decided it was only appropriate to greet her before they left.

"Hi, miss Blade. Remember me?", he asked in as friendly a voice as he could afford.

"Hi", she responded without much enthusiasm.

Seeing her lukewarm reaction, Spayne quietly grabbed Scott's gym bag and walked back towards the humvee without interrupting them any further.

"You know I can't stay here, lieutenant", Scott calmly told her.

"Stop calling me 'lieutenant', goddamnit!", she snapped, "The system you're trying to get back to kicked me out with a dishonorable discharge!".

"You'll always be lieutenant Blade to me", he gave the hint of a smile, "The same one who told her boss to screw himself as she went after Kano".

"You weren't calling me 'lieutenant' when I was carrying you on my shoulders", Sonya shot back in a weary voice.

"What's your point?", Scott's facial expression was still peaceful.

"I don't know!!", she had to admit, "I'm just trying to make you talk to keep you here longer".

"I really hope you're not mad", he locked his relaxed eyes with her sad ones.

"No", she bluntly told him, "Everything's OK".

She stepped forward and tightly locked her arms around his back, embracing him as she lowered her head to rest it on his shoulder.

"For a while, it was almost like having my brother back", she told him in a voice that was a bit louder than a whisper, "He was a lot like you".

She pulled away from him before he had a chance to answer.

"I'll miss you too", he smiled after several seconds of silence, "Besides, after seeing Goro, there isn't much in life to be afraid of. But there are some things I can't do here. Major Briggs will bring me back in ways that can't be done here. He's a good guy, the major".

"I know he is", she said as they both realized it was time for him to leave, "But I was supposed to keep you here until you were back to beating up three guys, remember? I just don't know what I'm supposed to do here without you".

"Sit back. Relax", Scott advised, "Try to enjoy life... I realize that's usually an oxymoron, but do your best".

"Stay in touch, sidekick", she addressed him as he turned around and made his way towards the humvee.

Within two minutes, the humvee was out of sight. Since she was then staring down an empty street, Sonya turned around and headed back home.

"Son of a bitch!!!", she angrily punched the nearest wall with a right fist, lightly bruising her knuckles.

She didn't know whether she was angry at Scott for leaving or at herself for not being able to stop him, all she knew was that she was.

Just as she was about to open the door to step back inside her home, she heard another car first approaching and then parking behind her. Although not wanting to know who it was, she instinctively turned her head to see. Her long experience both before, during and after the tournament had left her suspicious of everybody and everything, so she simply had to make sure the driver was not an enemy.

She instantly realized that it wasn't because the only occupant of the car was detective Olsen and he hastily emerged and headed towards her. She turned around completely and crossed her arms in front of her chest, waiting for him to reach her.

"Where's Scott?", were the first words out of the detective's mouth.

"He's gone", Sonya almost coldly answered him.

She had no reason to consciously resent the relatively young detective, but she had almost regarded him as an intruder in her home when Goro's specter had returned. Although she clearly knew her limited dislike for him was unfair, since he was only trying to solve the homicides, it did not make her feelings towards him any friendlier.

"You're kidding!", Olsen responded, surprised, "I don't understand why that kid wouldn't want to say 'good-bye' in person... After all he did for me!".

"That's Scott for you", she told him, still in the same tone.

"I'm still wondering how I'm gonna put all this info about the two murders in my report. I'm supposed to say the case is solved after finding two charred bodies in an abandoned factory. Pretty strange, even for here".

"How did you know he was leaving, if you don't mind me asking?", her tone eased just a bit.

"He left me a message on my e-mail saying he was going back to his base and it was good to see me again. Good kid, definitely. But I could've seen him off in person, it was the least I could've done".

"I'm sorry", she told him, meaning her words, "I would've stalled him if I had known you were coming".

"You didn't know. It's fine", Olsen went on, "I just think I'm gonna....".

He was interrupted by a call from the radio in his car.

"Come in, please, detective", the operator on the other side requested.

"Excuse me", Olsen turned around and then reached for the radio through the open driver's side window, "Olsen here".

"We have a report of a shooting, detective", the operator told him, "It's on the 3400 block of Wilburn. Ambulance is on the way. I figured you're the closest, so you'd wanna go".

"Thanks", Olsen put his radio back in the vehicle.

"Gotta go!", he announced to Sonya with the most cheerful face he could muster after hearing that shots were fired.

"3400 Wilburn is close to here, no?", Sonya approached him in a composed manner as she lowered her arms by her sides.

"Yeah, it is.. The fun just never ends on my job".

"Do you need a back-up?", Sonya surprised herself more than him by asking.

"I appreciate the offer, miss, but I'm afraid it's against regulations", Olsen smiled as he opened the driver's side door without getting inside.

"Well, have it your way", she shrugged, "But which one would you rather have? Going somewhere alone or having someone from the Army Special Forces watching your back?".

Olsen stood next to the open driver's side doorway for several seconds while considering the benefits and consequences of his options.

"Get in. The passenger's side door is open", he finally said before he positioned himself behind the wheel.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

3400 Wilburn was only a few short minutes drive away. Being the first on the scene, Olsen and Sonya caught sight of two teenagers as soon as they exited the car. Both individuals involved in the shooting were approximately fifteen years old. One was unconsciously lying partly on the sidewalk on his back with a gory circular hole in his chest. Sonya's first move was to check his pulse while detective Olsen had his service Smith & Wesson aimed at the second teenager as he cautiously approached him. The second one was in tears and seated several yards away from the wounded youngster with a shiny revolver resting on the ground at his feet.

"Don't move, son", Olsen advised the second teenager as he slowly reached him and picked up the revolver with his left thumb and index fingers.

"He's dead!", the teen mumbled through his sobs.

A quick glance at Sonya from Olsen confirmed the fact that the first teen had no pulse.

"What happened here?", Olsen asked after he put his own weapon back in its holster and placed the polished revolver in a clear plastic evidence bag.

"I just wanted to take his baseball cap", the second teen's voice shook as he bent over, feeling scared, "I wanted to scare him, that's all. I didn't even know the gun was loaded! I thought it was empty! It just went off! Goddamnit, he's in my English class, the gun went off!".

"Jesus Christ!!", Olsen sighed, momentarily staring at the sky and thinking to himself that such scenes happened one too many times.

"Where did you get the gun?", Olsen questioned as he rested the evidence bag on the ground.

"Huh?", the teenager answered without looking up, feeling confused.

"Where did you get the piece, kid?", Sonya repeated the question with more aggression in her voice.

"It was from a guy", the juvenile answered still without looking up, "About... Four blocks away... In the park".

The detective and Sonya concurrently heard several more sirens approaching. From the sounds, it seemed like at least one of the sirens belonged to an ambulance, not that it would have done any good. Knowing that other officers were coming to offer him assistance, Olsen grabbed the second teen by the upper arm and helped him stand up.

"You listen to me, son", the detective warned him as he withdrew a pair of handcuffs, "I'm taking you in. Now, when you're in the station, we'll get several more cops and probably an assistant district attorney to talk to you. When you're talking, you keep the details about wanting the cap to yourself, you hear me?".

It sounded somewhat strange to Sonya that the detective addressed the teenager as 'son' even though he could not have been older than thirty years old himself. But that wasn't on Olsen's mind; he was wondering more about whether or not the suspect was listening to him.

"Are you paying attention to what I'm saying??", Olsen demanded as the sirens sounded closer every second, "During questioning, tell them you were just showing a gun you got to your classmate and it accidentally went off. Do you hear me?".

The teen bowed his head once in acknowledgment as the detective slowly placed his arms behind him. Other police cars and an ambulance arrived at the scene as Olsen handcuffed the suspect's wrists together while reading him the Miranda warning.

"Don't bother, guys", Olsen addressed the paramedics who hurriedly emerged from the ambulance, "The victim's gone".

He then led the lamenting teenage suspect into the backseat of a patrol car after a uniformed officer held the door open for him.

"Remember what I said", Olsen then told him after the suspect was seated and before he closed the door.

"Take him back to the station, boss", the detective next told the uniform officer as that one slipped into the driver's seat.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Several police officers remained at the scene after the suspect was driven to the station. Sonya stayed there for several hours while Olsen was going over details. He handed the evidence bag with the revolver in it over and watched the victim being taken into the ambulance in a body bag. She patiently waited until his business was done and he was free to talk to her, though only for a short time.

"What was that all about?", she asked him when he walked over to her to catch his breath.

"What?", he answered her question with a question of his own.

"The advice you gave to the suspect", she clarified it.

"Please, miss", Olsen went on as if she shouldn't have to ask, "If the DA finds out that that kid wanted the other kid's cap, they'd probably charge him with felony murder. There haven't been enough arrests for violent crimes this month for the politicians to be happy, so this kid will get eaten alive because of it".

"You sure are looking out for him".

"Well, it's either that or he stays in prison until he's 99", the detective explained, "I'm gonna be at the station in a few minutes to question him, which is good. I just don't think he needs the whole system full of politicians on his head right now. Besides, I think he's gonna have nightmares every time he even looks at a water gun from now on. So, I start on it- as soon as I give you a ride home. I gotta do that before I get to tell the other kid's parents that their son isn't coming home any more".

"Great", she unenthusiastically responded as she followed him to his car.

They were driving back towards her home in less than a minute.

"And how 'bout the moron who sold him the piece?", Sonya asked him while staring straight ahead through the windshield.

"What about him?", Olsen replied.

"Well, if you can't do anything official about it, maybe this situation demands an unofficial action", the former lieutenant responded, remembering her days in the military.

"What do you have in mind?", he didn't like what she was thinking of.

"Well, let's say I feel like going to him alone. Let's say I was out for a stroll and I accidentally run into him".

"No, miss. Don't do that", the detective's voice walked on a line between being polite and stern, "There are hundreds of people like him in this city. We'll take care of him after the questioning. Promise me you'll leave him alone, it's better to play it safe".

"OK", was her only answer as they reached her home after the sun had already set.

Sonya swiftly got out of the car as soon as it neared the sidewalk and bid Olsen farewell after closing the door behind her. Just as she walked back inside her home, she saw her father and Liu in the living room. Her father was on his feet, as if he'd been pacing while the White Lotus monk was seated on a couch, with his legs crossed off the floor and looking more relaxed.

"Where were you?", her father asked as soon as she stepped through the door, "You didn't tell me you were going to Hong Kong with the Scott kid".

"I wasn't", Sonya defended her actions, although understanding that she should have let him know her whereabouts, "Detective Olsen came by after Scott left. I went on an errand with him".

"I wish you'd let me know about these things!", Herman Blade exclaimed more out of fatigue than anger as he held his hands palm-up in front of his shoulders.

"Sorry. A kid got killed", she told him in order to get his mind off the subject.

"Yeah, well. I'm sorry about that. Just let me know", her father exhaled before heading into the kitchen.

"Where's Johnny?", she asked Liu since she couldn't see the actor anywhere.

"He left about forty minutes ago", Liu let her know, "He had to shoot some scenes for a motion picture".

"Oh. I'm sorry I missed him", Sonya responded before she stretched her arms above her head, "God! I'm beat. I wanna turn in".

She casually proceeded towards her bedroom as Liu simply stayed seated on the couch, staring straight ahead.

"Are you gonna be allright there?", she looked over her shoulder as she neared the door of her room.

"Yes, you go on to sleep. I'll be fine", he answered, still looking straight ahead.

"Hey, you'll probably still be there when I wake up tomorrow", she gave a small laugh as the distance between them increased.

"Sweet dreams", Liu called after her as she stepped through the doorway.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, Sonya was awake by 7:00 AM and dressed in blue jeans and a blouse. She walked out of the bedroom with a huge craving for food because she had skipped dinner the night before. While making her way to the kitchen, she glanced into the living room and spotted Liu sitting cross-legged on the same couch he was on the previous night. He hadn't taken his sight off the particular spot on the wall he was staring at when she had gone to her room. Clearly surprised and with her mouth slightly open, Sonya slowly approached him because she did not want to interrupt his concentration.

"Good morning", Liu smiled and turned his head to look at her from several feet away.

"When I said you'd probably still be on the couch, I was kidding", she told him.

"I like to ponder about life", he informed her.

"Ahah", she smiled, not being able to believe what she saw, "Well, do you want some breakfast?".

"Sure. Thank you".

As she was heading back to the kitchen, someone from outside inserted a key in the lock to the main door and tried to open it. She turned around and stared at the door as whoever the person was, he/she unsuccessfully struggled with the lock for several seconds.

"Daddy?", Sonya called out to make sure that it wasn't her father on the other side of the door.

"Yeah?", her father answered from his own bedroom.

"If it's not him, then who the hell is that?", she asked both Liu and herself as she approached the door, getting ready to open it, "No one else has the key".

As she got to within five feet of the door, it was harshly pushed open from outside. Sonya's tension eased when she found herself staring at Johnny, wearing his sunglasses as always and carrying a newspaper in his free hand. Liu was glad to see his fellow kombatant too, although the only feelings in him were those of curiosity, there was no tension from the start.

"How did you get the key to here?", Sonya instantly demanded.

"Your father gave it to me", the star explained, justifying his actions.

"When?", was her next question.

"Uh... When I asked him for it?".

"Funny. You should tell me about these things".

"I'll keep it in mind for next time", Johnny reassured.

"So what brings you by this early?", she inquired, "Want something to eat?".

"This aien't a social call, Sonya", he told her as he took his sunglasses off, "Did you see this?".

He held up the newspaper in front of her face so she could read the article. It took Sonya a few seconds to skim over the headline which was about a prison escape.

"Somebody busted out?", she asked him.

"Not just anybody, Sonya. It's someone you put there", the actor's face looked grim, "It was Blud".

"Who's Blud?", Liu asked as her eyes widened.

"Some idiot we ran into during the attack on the House of Representatives", Johnny explained in her place, "He got life".

"How the hell could they let him go?!", Sonya raised her voice a fraction of a degree.

"Nobody let him", Johnny explained, "He blew a hole through the walls and walked out. When a guard in a tower shot at him, he blew up the tower and the guard with it".

"What???", she exclaimed, "Say that again".

"You heard me right the first time. He some got a rocket launcher past the guards. I wanted to tell you myself".

"Is he what you would consider to be a threat?", Liu uncrossed his legs for the first time since last night and planted his feet on the floor.

"Definitely", Sonya coldly answered, "I know prisons are like everything else, they're not perfect. But how could anyone get a rocket launcher in there without it being detected?".

"I wish I could tell you", Johnny responded.

Just then, the phone rang. Sonya stared at it for three rings, feeling extremely tense about whoever was calling. As she saw Liu reaching for the receiver, she motioned him to stay away from it with her arm. She then swiftly walked up towards him and picked it up herself.

"Yeah?", her voice was stern.

"Hey, bitch, you remember me?", it was Blud's voice on the other end, "I'm out, in case you don't know".

"It's him!", she told them both as she covered the lower part of the phone.

"I got a surprise for you", Blud whispered in a menacing fashion.

"Wadda you want, you asshole?", she furiously answered after uncovering the mouth piece.

"Why don't you come to the corner of Vissey and Adams?", Blud dared, unsuccessfully trying to intimidate her, "There's a payphone there. I'll call you there in exactly fifteen minutes. I want you there, not any cops. If I see cops, I'll pull all the stops... Although, you can bring your boyfriend if you like".

Sonya assumed the boyfriend reference was for Scott, who obviously couldn't come along.

"And if I don't feel like showing up?", she was almost sure it was a trap.

"Then you'll have ten deaths on your conscience, bitch. I won't tell you anything more now", Blud hung up.

"We have somewhere to go!", she almost snapped at Johnny and Liu as she put the phone down herself, "We have to be at Vissey and Adams in fifteen minutes. I think he's got hostages".

"Let's go!", Johnny instantly responded as Liu got up while she grabbed the keys to the only car available.

Before heading out the door, Sonya ran to her bedroom and promptly pulled the ever-ready Glock out from under her pillow.

"I GOT THE CAR KEYS, DADDY", she yelled out as they rushed out the door, not wanting her father to know their destination.

She found herself thinking in her mind that Johnny had been too anxious to agree to come along, almost as if he had something to gain from the experience. But as she quickly slipped into the driver's seat, she chided herself for the thoughts she was having. After all Johnny and Liu had done for her, even her suspicious nature should've known better than to suspect them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They reached the corner of Vissey and Adams in just under eleven minutes since she was sure she exceeded the legal speed limit. Sonya got out of the car, holding the 9mm semiautomatic behind her with her right hand, and headed for the payphone. Johnny and Liu followed closely because she had neglected to tell them she was expecting a phone call. The second she reached the phone, it rang, indicating that they were being watched. Johnny and Liu realized it and began to visually comb the surrounding area as she picked it up with her left hand.

"Yeah?".

"I'm impressed, bitch", Blud went on, "You're fast. Now, drop the gun".

"Yeah, right!", she sounded defiant.

"That's the only way you can save any of the ten people I've got", Blud calmly responded.

"That, of course, is assuming that you have anyone at all as a hostage and this isn't just a game to take a shot at us", Sonya deduced.

"Ooooh! She can think too!", Blud sounded unimpressed, "Listen, if I wanted you to die, I could've already done it from here. You and your two new boyfriends, although I don't see your old one anywhere".

She was sure he was watching them, although they couldn't see him, which meant he could've also fired at them if he chose. But he didn't fire because he wanted to play around first. A mistake he might not live long enough to regret, she reasoned.

"Fine", she held out her right arm and released her grip on the handle of the pistol.

"Good", the joy could be heard in Blud's voice, "Now, about a hundred yards away, there's an abandoned house. The number to it is 1296. It's easy to recognize because all the other houses are in good shape but this one's been condemned. That's where I am. Come on in, make yourselves at home".

He chuckled before he hung up and Sonya heard the dial tone. She then signaled her two fellow kombatants to follow, which they did, still keeping both eyes open to watch each other's back.

"He's in there", she whispered as they neared the house numbered 1296, "Now, this is almost surely a trap, so watch out".

As they were about ten yards away from the main door, they found their first surprise. A young lady about Sonya's age, dressed in jungle camouflage and carrying a Mac-10, showed herself at the doorway.

"Come on in", she announced as if they were on a social visit, "He's in here, waiting for you".

They followed her inside the messy dwelling and to come face-to-face with Blud, wearing a long-sleeved jacket and sitting on the floor amid the dirt and debris. Behind him were a television monitor and a few other electric gadgets.

"Welcome!", the steroids-addicted militant declared with a fake smile as he stood up while the young lady walked over and stood by his side, her weapon aimed at them.

"I wish I could say it was a joy to see your ugly face again", Sonya spoke first.

"The same here", Blud answered, wondering if she read the article about him in the newspaper, "Is there anything on your mind you'd like to get over now?".

"Yeah", she took advantage of his offer, "How did you get the rocket launcher snuck into the prison?".

"Simple. It wasn't snuck into the prison, it was built in the prison", Blud pulled the jacket sleeve off his left arm, or what the kombatants thought was his left arm.

Instead of a forearm, a hand and fingers, he had a metallic three-inch thick muzzle attached to his left upper arm via his elbow.

"You'd be surprised how smart some of those lifers are. The surgery hurt like hell, but it was more than worth it", he went on, "They even helped me build the rocket for this sucker. It's a page right out of the comics books. The ultimate weapon, one that you can never lose".

"I'm glad education in prison is still available", Sonya told him.

"Where are the hostages you were talking about?", Johnny spoke next.

"Watch the TV. Turn it on, Clarian", Blud pointed towards the screen as the young lady bent down momentarily to do as told.

In black and white, the kombatants saw ten people locked up in a room without any windows and with only one locked door as soon as Clarian stood back up.

"See, almost everyone thought Techno was the only person we had who could play with gadgets and bombs. He wasn't. Although, I admit, Techno was one of a kind, I'm proud to say I was almost as good... Now, those guys are in the house that's one block away. The house numbered 1196", Blud proudly announced, "I gathered them from here and there, you know. And the house itself is rigged with almost sixty pounds of explosives. The object of the game is to reach that house and diffuse the bombs in ten minutes or less, or else, everything goes -kaboom-".

"Jesus, I think he's serious", Johnny said out loud what Sonya and Liu were thinking in one form or another.

"Well, you better go then, heroes", Blud told them, grinning.

As all three were rushing back out to reach the house with the hostages in it, if not to diffuse the bomb then at least to try to get them out, Blud called them one more time.

"I think you've been reading too many comic books, guys!", Blud raised his voice, freezing all three kombatants in their tracks as they turned around from in front of the door and stared at him from twenty feet away, "You know what I'm talking about. Like where the villain has people at his mercy and can decimate them right away before the heroes arrive. But, being the stupid villain that he is, he puts the bomb on a timer that is just long enough for the main hero to reach it and defuse it with just one nervous second left before detonation. The main hero, I'm assuming in this case, would be you, Blade... But, even though you may be a typical comic book hero, I am not a typical comic book villain, in other words, stupid".

With those words, and before any of the three could react, Blud picked up one of the gadgets from the floor behind him and pushed a button on it. The television screen that was showing the hostages went blank and the loud noise of an explosion sounded from a short distance away, shaking the walls and everyone in them.

"That was payback for you losers thwarting me before", Blud erased the grin from his face.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!", Sonya barked, taking two quick steps towards him before he motioned for Clarian, who was still next to him.

"Put'em to sleep, baby", Blud ordered.

Sonya witnessed the next scene as if in slow motion. She, Johnny and Liu were several steps from Clarian when the lady militant aimed the Mac-10 directly at her head.

While staring down the barrel of the weapon, Sonya heard Liu as he screamed and executed a flying kick from behind her. Liu flew ahead with all the strength and speed his legs could summon as he held his right leg perfectly ahead of the rest of his body. The bottom of his right foot hit Clarian's Mac-10 without harming her and the weapon flew out of her hand as it fired several rounds in every direction. Several of the bullets impacted into the ceiling over Sonya's and Johnny's head and worsened the already damaged stone. Large chunks of stone rained down on them both as some pieces hit Johnny on the head and shoulders, knocking him down.

As the actor was on his hands and knees, trying to recover from the blow, Liu took on an oversized opponent by attacking Blud while Sonya charged towards Clarian. The first hit she delivered against the lady militant was a kick to the stomach, which sent that one staggering several steps back. Catching her breath, Clarian charged back against her. Sonya took a large and quick step to her left as the militant reached her. Since Clarian was running too fast, she could not stop once she reached the spot where Sonya used to be. While she was still dashing forward, unable to stop, Sonya twisted to her right and delivered a massive kick to the back of her head. Since Clarian was bolting forward at the time, the impact of Sonya's ankle into the back of her head was more incapacitating than it would ordinarily have been. It was enough to make her see stars, knock her down harder than usual on her stomach and convince her not to try to get back up.

Liu, in the meantime, saw Blud's right fist coming straight for his face. He grabbed his opponent's wrist with his left hand and sent his own right wrist into Blud's rib cage, breaking at least one rib. As his adversary cried out in pain, Liu sent his right leg perfectly ahead of his body so the bottom of his right foot uppercut Blud's chin and snapped his head back. Screaming out again, Blud managed to stagger back without losing his balance since the advantage of size was his, although Liu was sure he would be vanquished soon. Wanting to reach his goal, the While Lotus monk swiftly took two steps towards Blud and then jumped up. While in mid-air, Liu leveled both his bent legs in front of his waistline and then straightened them out with almost lightning speed. The bottom of both his feet slammed into Blud's torso in the area between the chest and the stomach. The militant fell on his back with a shriek at the same time as Liu did, although Liu was a bit faster in jumping back up to his feet. Not wanting to be defeated by someone smaller again, Blud desperately pulled himself back up to his feet, giving Liu what he believed was a perfect opportunity to deliver a decisive blow. Unfortunately, the White Lotus member did not get another chance to strike because he saw Blud instinctively aiming his left arm at him. Liu bolted forward and grabbed the artificial arm before it could be fired. The struggle between the two combatants pushed the arm/rocket launcher up as it aimed towards the ceiling. Then, without Liu knowing how, Blud's arm coughed and a forty millimeter rocket shot out of it and blew into the ceiling, tearing it apart.

Dust and rocks showered over all five individuals as they all coughed and tried to protect themselves from acquiring any more injuries. A large hole opened up in the ceiling and, by the time Sonya, Liu and Johnny gained their senses, they realized Blud was nowhere to be found. He had escaped while he had the chance and had left Clarian behind. That one, on her part, did not wish to abandon the battle so easily, despite the fact that she was outnumbered three to one. She hastily tried to crawl to the area where her Mac-10 rested on the floor. Just as she was about to reach it, Liu grabbed her by the back of her collar and, despite her resistance, pulled her up to her feet. She turned around and tried to struggle against someone who was clearly superior to her, although she would never admit it. She unsuccessfully attempted to punch or knee him several times before Liu twisted her around and firmly wrapped his right arm around her chest and upper arms at once. Although he had only used one of his arms, Clarian felt like she was being held by an unbreakable chain.

"Control yourself!", Liu ordered in a stern voice.

He then surveyed the damage done by Blud's rocket.

"Are you two unharmed?", he asked next of his two fellow kombatants.

"Where did he go?", Johnny pondered out loud about Blud, "Where is he?".

His response told Liu he was allright and Sonya seemed to be fine also as she stared down on the dusty floor at Clarian's Mac-10 as that one was still being held in Liu's grip. After inspecting the weapon for a few seconds without touching it, the lady kombatant kicked it as far as she could in the household. She then grabbed Clarian's front collar with her right hand as she locked eyes with Blud's accomplice.

"Let her go, Liu", she asked him, so he complied.

"Johnny? Liu?", she then addressed them both in a voice that was too calm after what she had been through as her eyes were still on the militant, "Would you excuse us for a few minutes?".

Both guys thought about it and decided they trusted her enough, so they agreed. On their way out, they pointed to the door to indicate that they would be right outside if she needed assistance, which she understood and confirmed. As soon as Johnny closed the door behind him and Liu, Sonya pulled Clarian closer to her, eyes again locked.

"I asked them to leave because I think they'll have a problem with what I'm about to do", Sonya sounded menacing, "I could see it in the way Liu treated you, despite everything you tried... Now, I'm gonna make this nice and simple. You tell me what I wanna know, you don't get hurt. You don't tell me, you do".

Clarian did not answer, only stared into the former lieutenant's eyes, wishing she had her Mac-10 back.

"Where's Blud? Where's he going?", Sonya pressed.

Clarian still did not answer. Realizing she needed some convincing, Sonya released the grip on her collar a split second before she twisted to her right and kicked the militant behind the right knee. Clarian gasped as her legs were pulled out from under her and she was knocked down on her back. Not wanting to give her a chance to recover, Sonya gripped the front of her collar and smoothly pulled her up to her knees. As Clarian snapped her teeth because of the yank, Sonya uppercut her under the chin and sent her falling back down on the dusty floor, again on her back and in a lot more pain.

"TALK!!", Clarian's interrogator ordered.

Still not hearing a response, Sonya filled the void the silence created in the room.

"You helped him kill all those people and he just left you behind!", she was almost screaming, "He didn't stay to try to take you with him!".

Reasoning with the militant didn't seem to have any effect. Sonya gripped her front collar again with her left hand and dragged her back up, this time on her feet and all the way to her full height. She then angrily stared at the militant from just a few inches away.

"See, sweetheart, you're at least an accessory to murder", the kombatant went on, feeling every word, "Or murders should I say. That means if the DA's pissed off, you'll get life. Of course, you don't have to worry about prison because I'm gonna beat you to death right here if you don't spill it".

Still hearing nothing from her, Sonya turned her right hand into a fist and punched her in the jaw with all the force her arm allowed. Clarian's head snapped to the right as she lost her balance and felt numbness in her face. She would have fallen back on the ground, but Sonya had a strong grip on her front collar which forced her to keep standing.

"You can't do this!", the militant complained, dizzy and in pain.

"I aien't a cop! And you don't have any rights!", Sonya shot back, "Wadda you gonna do? Sue me? Well, dead people can't sue! And I doubt you've got any relatives who'll obsessively pursue the matter!".

Her last statement was followed with a second hard punch with her right hand into Clarian's stomach.

"Please!!", the militant pleaded as she unsuccessfully tried to bend over, coughing.

"Is that what those people said when your boyfriend blew them up?!", Sonya was not in the mood for mercy, "Or maybe the guard who was in that tower?".

The ex-Special Forces member next pulled the militant back up to her full height again and sent forth another solid punch to the jaw. Clarian's whole body snapped back as she tasted blood and felt a pair of loose teeth in her mouth, but like before, Sonya would not release her grip to let her fall down.

"Allright, allright!", Clarian shakily whispered because she suspected she could not take another hit, "He's going to the airport. He said... He said he was gonna get his revenge on you and after you were dead, there was a flight out of here... Flight... Flight 1066... He had tickets for the both of us".

While still forcing her to stay at her full height, Sonya pulled her right arm back in a manner than hinted she was ready to strike again. It convinced Clarian because the militant pulled her head back as far as possible and tried to hold her hands in front of her.

"You're not lying to me now, are you?", Sonya demanded.

"No, I swear! That's the truth!".

"I'll call the police as soon as I get out of here", Sonya let her know as she lowered her threatening right arm, although she still held on to her collar, "You gotta watch out what kind of boyfriends you keep, sweetheart. Boyfriends who hit you are no good".

With that, Sonya released her left grip on Clarian's collar a split second before she sent a powerful uppercut with her right fist. The only reaction Clarian could afford in the small amount of time allowed was that she widened her eyes as she saw the fist coming towards her. This hit snapped the militant's head back and she fell down unconscious on her back. Seeing it, Sonya stepped over her and headed outside to where Johnny and Liu were waiting.

"I know where he is", she told them as sirens were nearing the house that had exploded a block away, "Let's get to the car".

All three ran back to the car that was waiting in front of the payphone. After stopping for a split second to pick up her weapon, Sonya slipped into the driver's seat.

"Seatbelts on, guys", she warned them, knowing she would speed towards the airport...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They reached the airport in several minutes less than they should have. Sonya abruptly stopped the car in an illegal space by pressing hard on the brake, her advice for the seatbelts saving all three occupants from cuts and bruises. She then opened the driver's side door after leaving her Glock on the seat and quickly closed it before rushing toward the terminal where she instinctively believed, and hoped, flight 1066 was.

Her intuition for terminal B proved correct since she forced her way past people with Johnny and Liu following closely because they didn't know where they were headed. Sonya stopped in front of an airline employee who was standing behind a counter to ask.

"Did flight 1066 leave yet?", her voice sounded more like an command rather than a question because she still recalled her days in the military.

"You just missed it, ma'am", the lady behind the counter responded with as pleasant a voice as possible, "It went airborne just two minutes ago".

"SHIT!!!", Sonya angrily struck the counter with her right open palm.

"You wouldn't happen to be miss Blade, would you?", the employee asked, ignoring her two companions and wondering whether she should call for security.

"Yeah, that's me", she answered, surprised at the mention of her name.

"The gentleman who came in last left you this note", the clerk laughed nervously, "He said you might come by".

With that, the employee handed her a folded note. Sonya bluntly grabbed it and stood aside to let the people behind her reach the counter. At any other time, she would have thanked the clerk, but she was thinking of Blud too much as she unfolded the paper and stood next to Johnny and Liu.

"See you in Beirut", Sonya read the note loud enough to be heard by the three of them in the noisy airport.

"What is he, like, playing with us?", Johnny asked, confused.

"Yeah", she calmly answered, looking up at him, "He thought he'd kill us back there, come here and then leave. But something went wrong, so now he's daring us to follow him, to finish the game".

"Why Beirut?", Liu asked next, feeling as confused as the rest of them.

"Simple", Johnny understood, "It's the only place in this whole world where American agents won't follow. The arm of the law might be long, but even it's afraid to go there".

"Excuse me, ma'am?", Sonya forced her way past the man who was standing at the counter and talking to the employee, "Where does flight 1066 go? Where's it headed?".

"Jerusalem, Israel", the clerk gave another nervous smile.

"Thank you. I'm sorry", Sonya apologized to the man as she withdrew from the counter.

"He's trying to confuse us!", Liu exclaimed.

"No, I don't think so", Sonya gave an educated guess, "In order for him to go to Beirut and survive, he's gonna need weapons first, weapons that he doesn't have now. I think he plans to go to Israel, stock up on his arsenal and then go to Beirut. He won't stay in Jerusalem long because that country is somewhat friendly with us and could try to grab him at our request, though... So, to find him, I have to hurry".

The drive back home was a long one. Although the three kombatants did not speak much, Sonya was trying to figure out in her mind the words she was going to have to use when telling her father of her plans.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back home, she had asked both guys if they would mind leaving her alone with her father. Johnny, knowing she needed her privacy and being the gracious gentleman that he is, took Liu for a tour of his expensive hotel room without telling her his thoughts on the matter. The phone in her living room rang while Sonya and her father were in the middle of discussing, or arguing about, the idea. Sonya picked it up since she was closer to it.

"Yeah?", she frankly asked.

"Miss Blade?", the person on the other end greeted.

"That's me".

"I'm Paul Woodman. You came for an interview at the supermarket where I manage last week?", one of the potential employers that she had been looking for went on, "We're ready to give you the position. You'll be making two dollars above minimum wage to start. Can you come in on Monday?".

"Shit! I don't believe this", she rubbed her forehead with her free hand, her response not being the kind that Woodman had predicted.

"You said you were interested in the job, miss Blade", he said, trying to make sense of her reaction.

"I know, I know", Sonya felt sorry she had to reply in such a way, "I do want it. But I can't come in, Mr. Woodman... Something came up, and, uh... It's an emergency. I aien't gonna be around for a while".

"Oh, I'm sorry", the manager answered.

"Me too. I appreciate you calling, though", Sonya laughed slightly, "I don't suppose the job will still be around in a couple of weeks?".

"I don't know about that, miss Blade. I could see what I could do, but I just don't think so".

"Yeah, I figured. Thanks anyway".

"Good luck, whatever you're doing", the manager told her.

"Thank you", she hung up, hating the fact that she had to turn him down.

"Was that a job offer?", her father demanded.

"Yeah, the first one", she said.

"You don't know what that place is like", Herman Blade went on, "You're not prepared for it. And you're turning down a job because of it?".

"Blud killed those people because of me!", she countered, "If I let him get away with this, it's gonna annoy me. And if it annoys me, then I'm gonna be a pain in your neck from now until the day one of us dies!".

"So you're going to Beirut to appease your conscience?!".

"Hopefully, it will just be Israel", Sonya was genuinely trying to calm his fears, "If things go right, I could be back in a few days".

"If things go right?!", her father repeated her words, "Things never go right down there! You don't know what you're getting into!".

"Look, daddy. I want your consent on this", she calmly answered, "But if you refuse, then I'm going without it".

"What is it about you kids that you can never back away from a fight? You sound just like your brother the day before he died! Why can't you walk away sometimes?... That Scott kid came here with a hole in his stomach and he was lucky to be alive and he still wants to go back!".

Sonya didn't answer this time, mainly because she couldn't.

"I'm assuming those guys are coming with you?", her father asked, referring to Johnny and Liu.

"Ooh, no!", Sonya spoke up, "This fight is mine. I'm already responsible for what happened to Scott. I aien't doing the same to them".

"You're being ridiculous", her father crossed his arms, "I can't let you go, it's for your own good".

"Get off it, daddy!", she angrily snapped back, "I'm twenty-six years old!"

"Then why do you still call me 'daddy'?".

The question sounded more insulting than her father intended it to be.

"Oh, that's how you wanna play this!", she replied.

"No, it's not. But what would you do if your only child wanted to go to the center of a warzone just to appease her conscience?".

Sonya had to admit to herself that she would react in the exact same way her father was.

"Are you gonna stop me?", she challenged instead.

"I can't. You're twenty-six, remember?".

"Good. Because, on top of the Glock, I need a couple of things before I go... Mainly a uniform and an AK-47. I figured you could get them for me".

"Sweetheart", her father chuckled, "I may not be able to stop you, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna help you do this".

Just then, Johnny used his key to open the door and let himself and Liu into the living room.

"Was that time enough?", the actor asked, his sunglasses on.

"What's going on?", Sonya curiously asked in her own turn, surprised to see them.

"I just booked us three seat to Jerusalem", Johnny proudly declared, "Flight takes off tomorrow at six AM sharp".

"You did what?", she demanded.

"Yeah. I already called and canceled all my filming", the actor grinned, "So make sure you get plenty of sleep tonight".

"You two aren't coming with me!", she seemed to be ordering them, again.

"Excuse me, Sonya", Johnny sounded defiant for the first time ever because of her tone of voice, "But if I remember right, you're no longer in the military. So where does it say you can order us around? Even if you were still in the Special Forces, we're not".

"What the hell's with you guys?", she confronted, "You always have to play hero?".

"Actually, Sonya, I think it's a good idea", Liu calmly told her, "We should look out for each other. I'm sure your father would agree".

"Hey, I'm just the wage earner around here", Herman Blade put his hands up, "Don't get me involved".

"You're not changing our mind, Sonya", Johnny stated, "No matter how much you try".

"I gotta get some air", Sonya's father told anyone who was interested before he walked out of his own home.

She knew she was in for a long night.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Sonya was awake around 4:10 AM since the tension in her mind kept her from enjoying a much needed rest period before leaving for a completely different part of the world. She had spent the previous night gathering any clothing she thought she might want to wear before spending the entire night tossing and turning in bed. She knew her father had not changed his mind and neither had she, which is why she was having such a hard time. Venturing off into the Middle East was difficult enough, but not having her father's blessing made things infinitely worse.

She didn't even know if she would be able to speak to him again before she and her two fellow kombatants left. She also didn't understand Johnny's and Liu's insistence on accompanying her, despite the fact that she was the sole one who had any military training. Slowly rising out of her bed, she opened her eyes and noticed an unexpected sight.

On a nearby chair lay a commando outfit. She recognized it because it was wrapped in a clear plastic cover, just like the one she had received from Major Briggs the day she went after Kano. On top of the neatly-wrapped ensemble rested a loaded AK-47 with half a dozen extra clips taking space near the feet of the chair. Pleasantly surprised, Sonya almost jumped out of bed and decided to try the outfit on before exiting the bedroom and seeing anyone...

It fit her perfectly. The only thing missing was the black cap she knew usually accompanied the outfit. She realized that she missed wearing the commando uniform, although she had never given it much thought when she was in the service. A more disciplined sense of professionalism had always overcome her when she was dressed in such a way, feeling the tight getup from her neck down to her feet. Following what had almost been a tradition when she had the black outfit on, she used a knot to tie her blonde hair at the back of her head so it wouldn't get into her eyes by accident. Grabbing the AK-47 as well as the Glock from under her pillow, she walked out. The first, and only, person she saw was her father, who was understandably awake also.

"Thanks, daddy", she smiled at him.

She dropped both weapons on the floor and rushed over to hug him.

"I still don't like this whole idea", her father whispered after they separated, "You just promise to be careful out there".

"Definitely", she assured him, still smiling.

"Just make sure you come back to me", he kissed her on the forehead.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Johnny and Liu showed themselves at exactly 5:15 in the morning. They had both packed several days of clothes in a gym bag which they carried, making sure their gear was not too heavy.

"Now, the only thing left to do is to find a way to bring those pieces with us", Sonya told them, referring to her Glock and the AK-47, "The best option is to...".

"Let me take care of that", Johnny cut her off in midsentence.

"What?", she asked, curious and baffled.

"Let me have the pistol and the machine gun", the actor explained, "I'll take care of it".

"How?", she couldn't stop asking.

"Just trust me, OK?", Johnny took both weapons as well as the clips for the AK-47 and his own gym bag and proceeded into the kitchen, "Don't follow me now, you hear?".

Sonya, her father and Liu were completely surprised by what they had seen, so much that they did not go after him. Johnny emerged from the kitchen after less than five minutes holding only his gymbag.

"Where are the pieces?", Sonya was the first to bring up the question that was on all their mind.

"In the bag", Johnny proudly announced.

"You can't take'em past the metal detectors in the airport", Sonya thought he already knew, "We've got to...".

"Will you trust me on this?", Johnny demanded in the way an adult might talk to a small child, "This is something that Scott showed me when he arrived here".

"And what was that?".

"If I told you, it wouldn't be special, now would it?".

"Fine", Sonya gave up, more confused than ever, although she trusted the three men in that living room with anything, "But if you get busted in the airport, I don't know you".

"Thanks for your loyalty", Johnny scorned, grinning, "At least Liu will stick by me".

"You assume too much, partner", Liu spoke up, smiling back.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After a few more minutes, a perplexed Sonya and Liu as well as a confident Johnny left the residence to drive to the airport with Sonya's father. He was there in order to drive the car back once they had boarded the plane. Following an unusually calm ride in the car, all three said good-bye to Herman Blade and proceeded towards the waiting plane.

Although both Sonya and Liu expected the metal detector to sound an alarm as soon as Johnny stepped through it, it did not. They both stared at him, feeling more bewildered than ever as he calmly kept on walking, although with a wide grin on his face, as if nothing had happened....

The flight to Jerusalem was long and uneventful. All three discussed subjects that were totally irrelevant to the reason they were going there. They almost looked like they were on vacation, except for the pitch-black outfit Sonya was wearing...

Once on the ground, it took them about two hours to find a four-door car to rent as well as what would be considered the Israeli equivalent to a motel room. It was a nice place to stay at for a few days. Every room had a small balcony that overlooked the mild city. They paid for everything with American cash, which people were glad to accept....

"So what happens now?", Johnny asked once they had settled down in the motel room.

"Before I tell you that, you have to tell us what you did with the pieces", Sonya replied.

"Relax, sweetheart, they're here", the actor announced as he opened his gym bag and emptied the contents on the only bed available.

Among the pieces of clothing were the Glock, the AK-47 and its six extra clips.

"How??", Sonya simply had to know.

"Maybe I'll tell you", Johnny knew he was toying with her, "Someday... What happens now?".

"OK", Sonya dropped the subject, for now, "Blud is here to pack heat. If we let him get them and go to Beirut, he'll disappear. We'll never be able to find him then".

"So we have to intercept him here", Johnny reasoned, "How?".

"He wants guns. Major ones, not just toys. Or else he could've gotten that anywhere", Sonya kept on explaining, "We turn up the heat here, demand to speak to the biggest gun dealer around. We find him, we might find Blud. This is where the cash comes in handy".

"For once, I am glad you chose show business", Liu addressed Johnny.

"Right. And there's no better time than the present to start", Sonya smiled at them both.

It was a smile that indirectly told them she was glad they were with her. She next checked to make sure the Glock was still loaded and placed it inside her outfit before walking out of the room.

"By the way", Johnny spoke up as all three went towards the motel manager, "Who gets the bed? There's only one".

"Well, I do, of course", Sonya told him, expecting a humorous scenario, "I'm the lady".

"Since when?", the actor challenged.

"Ooooh, a comedian now", she repeated Scott's words to her when they were in the mall.

"Come on, just because you're the different sex", Johnny went on.

"Well, look. What was that you told me when we were on Shang Tsung's island", she answered, "You said 'it's a guy thing'. Well, won't this 'guy thing' allow me to have the bed while you sleep on the floor? The floor's not that dirty".

"She's got a point, partner", Liu addressed Johnny.

"That means you'll be sleeping on the floor too!", the actor shot back.

"What??", the White Lotus monk acted shocked as they were nearing the motel manager.

"Hey, you", Sonya's expression turned to serious as she pretended to order the manager to listen, which proved to be uncomfortably easy.

"Yes?", the manager asked nervously in an accent, knowing they only spoke English.

"We wanna know where to find some heat", Sonya went on, placing a hundred dollar bill in the man's pocket and widening his eyes as he saw the denomination on the bill, "You know what I mean, right?".

The manager pretended not to as he shook his head.

"The lady means guns, genius", Johnny spoke up, "Good ones. There's plenty more of that money if you get us in touch with the best dealer in this goddamn place. Got it?... Pay him again, just so he won't get a memory lapse after we leave".

Sonya put a secondhundred dollar bill in the man's pocket with an air of superiority.

"We'll be back in six hours", Johnny went on, "You just make sure you have something for us, OK?".

With those words, all three kombatants walked away from the manager looking a pompous as they could. Their arrogant attitude faded as soon as they walked out of the motel to get some air and find something to do for the next six hours. They didn't have much time to relax, though.

Without any warning, they heard automatic gunfire from about thirty feet away. Johnny and Liu hurriedly ducked for cover in a panic as Sonya instinctively withdrew her pistol. She twisted around towards the source of the gunfire and aimed the weapon at the person who was holding an AK-47.

It took her an instant to realize that the person, who was a middle-aged man, was not aiming at them. He wasn't aiming at anyone. He was just standing outside his small shop and firing an AK-47 into the air to see if it was functional. Seeing that it was, the man went back into his shop without even noticing her, although many others quickly became aware of her behavior.

"He was testfiring it", she whispered to herself as Johnny and Liu stood back up, "He was testing his piece".

"You OK, Sonya?", Johnny asked after he was on his feet, "Put it down".

"Yeah, sure", she slowly lowered her arm, "Daddy was right. This is a different place. Maybe I should call him and tell him he was right".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After some time, and in a different area of the globe, Scott had a short time off at the base in Hong Kong. He decided to spend it by calling his former boss to see how things were going in her life. Instead of Sonya, the only person he got on the other end of the phone was her father. The conversation quickly became interesting.

"She's where?", were the first words out of Scott's mouth when Sonya's father told him about her whereabouts.

"She's in Israel now", Herman Blade went on, "She thinks Blud is going to Beirut and wants to stop him".

"Well, where in Israel?", Scott asked.

Sonya's father told him the name of the motel she and her two comrades were staying at.

"I can't believe that. It sure isn't what I expected to hear when I dialed this number, that's for sure", Scott told both himself and her father.

"Listen, son, can I ask you something personal?", Herman Blade decided to bring a subject up that had been in his mind.

"Sure".

"Just be honest with me. Do you hold my daughter responsible for what happened to you when you came here?".

"What?? No!!", Scott was shocked, "Where the hell did you get an idea like that?".

"From her, actually".

"That's crazy! She didn't force me to go against those militants! What the hell have you been doing to her? Are you brainwashing her or something?".

"It's not me, son!", Herman Blade found himself on the defensive all of a sudden, "But I think she still blames herself for your injuries as well as the eleven people that lunatic had murdered ever since his jail break".

"Oh, well, that sure sounds like her", Scott became calmer, "Look, I'll make sure to talk to her about it. When that is, I really can't tell you".

"Me neither".

Major Briggs walked into the barracks as Scott ended the conversation with Sonya's father and hung up the phone.

"That was Sonya's father", Scott told him.

"Oh yeah?", Jax seemed pleased to hear her name, "How's the lieutenant doing?".

"Major, she's going to Beirut... She's in Israel now".

"Where?", the major was surprised.

"You heard me. I mean, Beirut?! Don't they stone women just for looking at guys funny over there?".

"I hope not. I'd hate to be the guy who's told to take out Lieutenant Blade", Jax responded.

Major Briggs stopped for a few seconds.

"What?", Scott wondered.

"You know", Jax told him, "I do have my two-week vacation that I haven't taken so far. And, since you're my responsibility, if I took off, chances are, so would you".

Scott didn't immediately understand what he was talking about.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once they were back in the motel later on that evening, the manager signaled that he'd like to talk to the three American visitors. As soon as he had their attention, he began to whisper, desperately trying to make sure he wasn't being overheard.

"A man will meet you here tomorrow at ten in morning", he explained, "He only takes American dollars and is best around".

"You're sure he's the best", Sonya pressed.

"Yes, yes!", the manager exclaimed, feeling more nervous.

"OK, you did good", Johnny reassured, his arrogant pretense back on his face.

"Yeah", Sonya agreed, sending a sense of relief through the manager as she calmly placed yet another twenty dollar bill in his pocket before all three left...

"So what happens now?", Liu wanted to know as many details as possible.

"Simple", Sonya did not know much more than him, "We meet this guy and drill him until he tells us where Blud is".

"That is", Johnny corrected, "Assuming he even associates with our comic book reject".

"He does", Sonya sounded more confident than him, "You heard the manager. He's the best around".

"Fine", the actor conceded, "But we better make sure to get some rest if we're gonna go hunting with a jackhammer tomorrow".

"I couldn't agree more", Sonya told him as she removed the sweatshirt that was part of the commando outfit.

She lightly tossed the sweatshirt on the bed before withdrawing the Glock and placing it under the pillow.

"If you guys want some company while sleeping, the AK is available", she humorously told them.

"That's not such a bad idea, considering where we are", Johnny answered, taking her advice seriously.

"Look, guys", Sonya said as she removed her boots because her conscience bothered her, "The bed is big enough. If you guys have a problem sleeping on the floor, you could both take the bed. Or we could even get other rooms, we have the money".

"Nah! I always move too much in my sleep anyway", the actor replied, trying to ease her guilt, "I'll be fine on the floor. And as for another room, noooo thanks. This place is dangerous enough when I'm with you two".

"Same here", Liu told her.

After both guys had settled a pillow and any available covers on the floor, Sonya crashed on the only available bed wearing the commando pants and tank top.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She woke up the next morning at sunrise. After her eyes were wide open, she quickly noticed that Liu was not in the spot where he had slept. Mildly worried, although she knew she shouldn't be, she quietly got out of bed. She saw Johnny still sleeping soundly with his left hand gently resting on the muzzle of her AK-47 even though he had never fired the weapon before.

While on her feet barefoot and scanning the entire room, she caught sight of Liu sitting in the balcony with his back to the room. As she was about to walk up to him in order to ask him if something was on his mind, the corner of her eye saw Johnny standing up. He wasn't asleep after all.

"I wouldn't disturb him", the actor whispered some advise to her, "He's been like that for over thirty minutes now. After everything he's seen, only God knows what he's thinking about right now".

"He's meditating?", Sonya whispered back.

"I think so".

"Well, then. We better not disturb him", she quietly agreed...

Liu was his usual self within two hours. All three grabbed a quick bite to eat after changing the previous day's clothes and making sure they had plenty of cash for the gun dealer they were supposed to meet.

At ten AM sharp, their affiliate showed himself. He was a young man, at most as old as Johnny, and he recognized his possible business partners because he was told to look out for two men and a blonde. It was an easy task because he couldn't remember the last time he saw a blonde in blue jeans in his country.

"And what can I do for you?", the young man asked, sitting down at their table.

"We're looking for major firepower", Sonya bluntly stated, "Can you get it?".

"I think so", the man answered, "The question is, do you have the means to pay for it".

"Yes", Johnny clearly pronounced a single word.

"Not to pry or anything", Sonya went on, "But we'd like to know. How do we know these weapons we're getting are the best? Where do you get them from?".

"And I'm supposed to just tell you people?", the young man replied.

"Hey!", Liu spoke up, "We're just looking out for the quality of our merchandise! If you have a problem with that, then maybe you should get up and leave now!".

"Allright!", the gun dealer held his hands up, "I'll tell you. They belong to the Mossad. Or at least they did before I left it".

"OK, that's better", Liu seemed satisfied.

"I'll ask again, do you have the means to afford it?".

"How much would it mount up to?", Johnny asked.

"Twenty thousand. American", the former Mossad agent stated.

"Twenty grand?", Johnny repeated with an air of disbelief, "Do you know I could get a perfect AK-47 for about fifty bucks here?".

"I see you've been shopping around. That's fine", the gun dealer defended his price, "But what you'll be getting here is far more deadly, and reliable, than those... Toys!".

"Like what?", Johnny seemed genuinely concerned, so Sonya and Liu just let him do the rest of the talking.

"I can get you M-60 machine guns", the young man proudly told them, "Armor piercing rockets, grenade launchers, as well as our specialty... Guns that are just as fast as your AK-47's but with one major difference. The bullets go through the so-called 'bulletproof vest' like regular bullets go through paper".

All three kombatants stayed silent for a few seconds.

"I got the money", Johnny broke the uneasy silence, "Where do we get the merchandise?".

"This afternoon. At five. Outside this building", the gun dealer told them, "You bring the money, I bring your merchandise, and we all live to enjoy ourselves".

Without another word, the former Mossad agent briskly stood up and left the table...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Several hours had passed. Almost one hour before the scheduled rendezvous, Sonya was driving the rented car back to the motel with Liu in the front passenger seat and Johnny in the backseat. Her Glock was safely tucked near her hip as the AK-47 rested next to her lap. They had been out making the best of their situation by actually trying to relax. As they neared the motel, Sonya noticed the scarce number of people who were around, in contrast with the previous day when the area was crowded. Approaching the motel, she next noticed a line of about a dozen men who were standing on its rooftop.

"What is this? The welcoming committee?", she asked out loud, even though her two passengers did not seem to realize the scene on the roof.

Johnny and Liu were too busy scanning the area around the motel to become aware of what she saw. They still hadn't understood anything when Sonya saw the dozen men on the roof taking cover behind rock boulders and then each aiming an AK-47 towards their car.

"Get out of the car!!!", Sonya snapped, slamming on the brakes and gripping her AK-47.

"What?", Johnny still hadn't seen the danger, although Liu just had.

"THEY'RE GONNA KILL US!!!", she screamed, "GET OUTTA THE CAR!!!".

Her yelling warned the actor not to doubt her judgment. All three kombatants opened their own door and bailed out of the vehicle a split second before fierce gunfire ate its way into it. Pieces of glass blew out of the car and its tires exploded amid the earsplitting noise. The two seconds that it took the gunmen to concentrate their fire on the fleeing targets instead of the car was enough for Johnny and Liu to duck for cover behind a fish stand.

As Sonya bolted towards a parked car, carrying her AK-47 in her left hand, she quickly realized that one of the gunmen on the roof had gotten careless. While all his comrades had only their head and arms in view during the ambush, this one was standing tall and his entire body was visible from the waist up.

With bullets punching into the ground beside her, Sonya gave a huge leap towards the back of the parked vehicle from eight feet away. While still in the air, reaching relative safety, she gracefully raised her left arm in front of her face and aimed for the neglectful gunman. A hard pull of her left index finger sent at least one round which exploded into the reckless gunman's chest. Sonya didn't see or hear him scream and fall on his back because she landed on the asphalt behind the parked vehicle as her target was hit.

She didn't even know for sure if her bullet had struck flesh because she was pinned behind the rear of the car. She desperately pressed her right cheek against the metal, hoping none of the rounds fired would hit her or her two comrades. The hoping only lasted a split second, though, because she then scanned the area, looking for a place they could run to. The first possible area she spotted was an alley about thirty feet behind Johnny and Liu and about fifty feet behind her.

Sonya was still trying to find a plan to get all three of them out alive when the corner of her eye caught a movement from her comrades' hideout. She partly turned to see Liu picking up a rock which was about the size of a baseball. She didn't have long to wonder about what he planned to do with it because the White Lotus monk angrily hurled it towards the rooftop about fifty feet away. As the rock was in mid-flight, she tried to understand his actions. The gunmen were all behind boulders, with only their head and arms visible. Thus, it was just about impossible to hit them, or so she thought.

The next scene she witnessed was that the rock reached the rooftop and hit one of the careful gunmen in the forehead. That one was knocked out, dropped his weapon and fell on his back without a sound.

"Johnny! Liu! Rush for the alleyway!", Sonya yelled to her partners, "I'll cover you guys, just make sure you run fast!".

"What about you?", Johnny yelled back.

"Don't worry about me, goddamnit!!", her ordering tone of voice took over again.

"Toss me your semiautomatic!", Johnny was not about to accept her self-sacrifice as rounds inched closer to all three of them, "I'll cover you when we reach the alley!".

The argument seemed to make sense, so she withdrew her Glock and tossed it as precisely as she could towards them. Several rounds came close to taking flesh off her forearm and hand as she threw the pistol. As it landed just one foot away from the destroyed fish stand, Johnny had to take the same chances by sticking his arm out to grip it and pull it towards him.

As soon as Sonya saw him holding her firearm, she dared to make her head, shoulders and arms visible. The gunmen on the rooftop couldn't take advantage of the situation because they found themselves being forced to be on the defensive.

"EAT LEAD, TOUGH GUY!!!!", she screamed as she pulled on the trigger of her AK-47 with a passion.

All the gunmen quickly hid behind their respective boulders as the edge of the rooftop was torn apart from her gunfire. She made sure to wave the weapon in a 45 degree angle to cover everyone as Johnny and Liu bolted towards the alley.

Her AK-47 was empty within seconds, and she had not thought to bring along any of the extra clips for it. But a few seconds was all Johnny and Liu needed to reach safety. While standing behind the edge of the alley, the actor aimed her semiautomatic in order to return the favor. For a single moment, the gunmen believed they were safe because Sonya had stopped firing. Thus, they ventured their face as well as their weapon from behind the boulders. They quickly realized they had made a mistake because they found themselves being on the receiving end of gunfire again.

"SONYA, COME ON!!", Johnny yelled as he directed his fire towards them as well as could be expected from someone who never had to rely on firearms before.

Sonya dropped the AK-47 and dashed towards the alleyway faster than she thought was possible as her comrade kept firing. She was a few feet from the alley's entrance when Johnny fired the last of the twenty rounds. But by the time any of the gunmen realized they could venture from behind their cover, she had already reached her friends, who were just thankful she was alive.

"Let's get outta here, huh?", Sonya laughed slightly as Johnny handed her the empty Glock.

As she tucked the empty pistol away, they hurriedly turned around to follow the alleyway and quickly found out they were still in danger. The alley led to a dead end about fifty feet away. There was absolutely nowhere to run as the kombatants heard the gunmen screaming while they were trying to catch up to them. Scared and expecting to die together, the three kombatants made their way deeper into the alleyway, looking back towards the entrance and expecting the gunmen to show.

"Any ideas, guys?", Sonya nervously asked.

"Nothing", Johnny responded.

Liu said nothing as they spotted ten armed men reach the entrance and aim their weapons at the three of them. Although it should've been their execution right there, Liu found one last way he could hurt those gunmen.

"What??", he dared them, hoping they would understand English, "Even though you have us outnumbered, you're still too afraid to challenge us in a fair fight? Your spine is so weak that you have to hide behind those weapons??".

Instead of firing as expected, the leader of the gunmen lowered his AK-47 towards the ground and slowly took several steps towards them. Obviously, he did not like being called a chicken. He then turned partly to face his men and angrily said something in Arabic, which none of the kombatants understood right away. After a few seconds, though, they came to realize that he ordered them to attack because all ten gunmen lowered their weapons and charged towards them. They were willing to test their might in hand-to-hand combat, so all three comrades quickly positioned themselves in their own fighting stance.

As one gunman charged towards Sonya, holding his AK-47 over his head like a baseball bat, she twisted to her left. When he was close enough, she brought her right leg up and her right ankle crashed into his head, breaking his jaw and sending him staggering to his right. Before she could react, though, a second gunman swung his AK-47. The weapon struck her in the forehead and opened a deep cut that was about four inches long. She fell to the ground and tried to regain her concentration as she was on her hands and knees. The same gunman kicked her in the head, his steel-toed boot impacting under her chin and snapping her upper body backwards and up. Thus, she crashed into the ground again, this time on her back. Before her assailant got another chance to strike, Sonya turned to her right side, rested her hands palm-down on the ground, concentrated her weight on them and legsweeped him. The back of her ankle smoothly made contact with the gunman's boot and made him lose his balance. While that one painfully fell on his side, a third gunman kicked her in the lower back with his steel-toed boots because she was still on the ground on her right side. Sonya's head instinctively snapped back and she shrieked as pain overtook her entire body.

Johnny, in the meanwhile, greeted the first gunman who reached him differently. The actor twisted to his right and simply kicked that one in the knee as he closed in, breaking it as easily as a toothpick. The gunman screamed, dropped his weapon and staggered away in moans. The second gunman, seeing his comrade yield the fight, decided he had a better chance. He was wrong because Johnny met him with an solid uppercut under his chin and made him see stars.

Liu saw two gunmen running towards him at the same time. The first attacker briskly closed in from his right while the second closed in from his left. Confident he could execute the complicated move he was considering, Liu jumped up as high as possible when both gunmen were a handful of feet away. While in midair, he performed an almost full leg split and sent his right foot into the chest of the right gunman and his left foot into the chest of the left gunman. Both assailants instantly dropped to the ground unconscious. As soon as he came back down to a standing position, the monk was hit in the upper back with what he presumed was an AK-47. It was an extremely aching blow, one that would've brought anyone else down. But his years of discipline and training helped Liu stay defiantly on his feet. He turned around and locked eyes with his antagonist, who was shocked to see him still awake, not to mention vertical. Liu curled the fingers of both his hands inward while keeping his hands perfectly straight. Before his opponent could gather his thoughts and try to strike again, Liu pounded him with both hands on either side of the area between the stomach and the chest. The gunman fell down defeated so fast that his legs shot up into the air as he crashed back-first on the ground.

Just then, Liu's heard Sonya yelling out in pain. He turned to see her on the ground with a gunman standing over her. The White Lotus kombatant had seen enough fistfights in his life to recognize the scene. Anger flowed through him at the thought of the assailant kicking lieutenant Blade while she was down on the ground.

"NNNIIIIGGGGHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!", Liu yelled out, looking to reach Sonya's attacker in order to inflict the worst possible punishment on him.

Before he reached that one, another gunman showed himself from Liu's left side. It was a bad time to try to harm him because Liu did not feel like holding back any more. Using only his left hand, he swiftly grabbed his opponent by the collar. He then lifted his left curled arm over his head and tossed his antagonist with no difficulty at all. That one flew in a fifteen foot high perfect semicircle before landing on his head. Liu did not know or care whether he was just unconscious or worse, but the gunman did not move afterwards. Before turning his attention to anyone else, another gunman crashed yet another AK-47 into the back of the monk's head. This time, the shock proved to be too great and Liu found himself on the ground.

While that took place, two gunmen lifted Sonya back up to her feet by restraining her from behind, each gunman having one of her arms. The cut from her forehead was bleeding down her face as she struggled and saw a third gunman approaching. She could see from his face that he was planning to user her body as a human punching bag.

"Grrrrrrr!!", she growled as she used the restraining gunmen as leverage.

She lifted her curled right leg in front of her body and kicked the approaching gunman in the stomach. That one bent over, pressing his forearms over his stomach, and gasped for breath. Almost instantly, another gunman showed up to take his place. He brushed his gasping comrade aside to have fun at the American's expense. That was about as far as he got because the next thing he saw was Johnny running straight for him. The actor tackled him and slammed his back against one of the walls of the alley, knocking the wind out of him. As Johnny's newest victim sank towards the ground, dazed, the actor predicted that another assailant would be sneaking up from behind him. Acting on his instincts alone, he twisted around and swung his right arm for whomever might've behind him. The knuckles of his right fist found a gunman's jaw and felt several teeth loosening as his potential attacker twisted around and staggered away in shock. As he did that, Johnny felt a sharp pain between his shoulder blades. His eyesight became somewhat dimmer and he lost his balance.

The gunman who had originally approached Sonya and received a kick to the stomach recovered from his pain and rushed towards her. He risked more harm to himself by nearing her, but he wanted to make her pay. He grabbed her ankles and lifted her legs up as she kept on growling and struggling like a fish out of water. Before any one of them could act, she loosened her right foot from the gunman's grip and pulled it back, leaving only her left ankle in his hands. As that one tried to get his hold on her right foot back, she kicked him in the stomach again. He bent over and gasped for air for the second time, releasing her lower body and letting her feet touch the ground again.

One of the gunmen who was holding her decided to let her go and left her within the grip of his comrade. Facing Sonya, he then punched her in the stomach in her own turn, forcing her to cough and try to bend over, even though his partner would not allow it. Her remaining restrainer made sure she could not give a serious fight, and Liu and Johnny were still hurt. The free gunman picked an AK-47 off the ground and, with his back turned to the alleyway's entrance, pressed the muzzle of the weapon against her forehead. Sonya knew all three of them had put up a good fight. She closed her eyes, expecting the sudden flash of gunfire.

She heard three quick shots. But instead of feeling pain or seeing black as expected, she opened her eyes to see her potential executioner stagger backwards as he dropped his weapon. The gunman spat out blood as he slowly bent over and then fell lifelessly on the ground, never to move again. Surprised, the next scene Sonya saw was a jeep racing towards them from the alleyway entrance. The driver of the jeep concentrated on controlling the wheel. He didn't need to fire since the sole passenger was standing next to him and using the windshield for support while he held two pistols at arm's length in front of his face.

The jeep accelerated towards them as the surprised gunmen who were still capable picked up any firearms they could find. The gunman whose knee was broken by Johnny's kick limped towards an AK-47 that he spotted several feet away. His actions doomed him because the jeep swerved in his direction with a vengeance. The vehicle crashed into the gunman's body and sent it flying into its windshield. He cracked the windshield with his back and ultimately brought the jeep to an uneasy stop as the passenger was forced back into his seat. The dead gunman slipped off the hood of the jeep as all three kombatants saw who the driver was, although Sonya was the only one who recognized him.

"GET IN!!!", major Jackson Briggs screamed at them as his passenger stood back up.

Scott concentrated the majority of his weight on the damaged windshield as he aimed two Glocks at any remaining gunmen who might still be a threat. Johnny was the first one to jump into the backseat, followed closely by Liu and then by Sonya. Neither kombatant minded being cramped in such a way as the jeep quickly reversed.

"GO GO GO!!!", Scott encouraged as he observed a handful of gunmen retrieving their weapons.

The gunmen stood their ground and opened fire towards the retreating vehicle. In the three seconds that Jax needed to drive out of the alleyway, some of the AK-47 rounds punched into the windshield, coming dangerously close to both driver and passenger. Scott already had both pistols held out in front of his face and he gave a yell as he squeezed both triggers as many times as he could, although he knew he hadn't hit anyone. Sonya did her best to use herself as a shield to cover both Liu and Johnny as dozens of rounds were exchanged. Even though she knew only luck could keep all five occupants of the vehicle safe, she tried her best until the jeep finally darted out of the alleyway.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In a series of rooms Jax had obtained, the kombatants was seated, wondering about their situation.

"How in the world did you guys find us?", Sonya asked as she addressed both her former superior and her former sidekick, "I do owe you guys. We all do. We were dead if you hadn't come. But how did you know we were even here?".

"I called your place to see how things were", Scott explained, "Your father told me about your... adventure. He also told me which motel you were staying at. We were just on our way there to see if we could help out when we heard all the gunfire".

"It was easy finding you, lieutenant", Jax went on, "All we had to do was go towards the direction that everyone else was running away from".

"But I thought you went back to Hong Kong to finish your physical therapy all the way, Scott", Sonya pointed out as she gently touched a tissue soaked in alcohol on her head wound.

"I did. But I was the major's responsibility", Scott explained as Jax checked Johnny's shoulders to make sure there was no serious injury, "So, if he took a vacation, then so would I".

"What?", Sonya asked.

"This is Jax's vacation time", Scott clarified as the major then went on to check on Liu.

"You seem to be OK", Jax talked to Johnny as he approached the White Lotus monk.

"I do not need help", Liu bluntly held his right hand up to stop him.

"You might have a concussion", Jax tried to reason, "It'd be better if I check".

"I'm fine!", Liu insisted, stepping away, "I would know if something was seriously wrong".

"Take his word for it, major", Sonya turned to Jax.

"Fine", Jax gave up, "But I'll tell you this. I never thought I'd come here for my two weeks, that's for sure".

"We did good", Scott told him.

"Yeah", Jax agreed as he looked at Sonya, "But any chance of forgetting about this guy and going back to our respectable homes, lieutenant?".

"You guys don't have to stay!", she countered.

"You can say that after everything that's happened?", Jax demanded, "I see you haven't changed much since you met Kano, and that may be good most of the time. But we just kept you from being turned into mince meat out there. Don't you realize this place is too much for even you?".

"Look", she stood up, "If you guys wanna go, go. I can't until Blud is dead".

"But you can't do anything else, lieutenant!", Jax protested, knowing he could no longer order her, "How do you plan to find this guy now?".

"Blud doesn't like the fact that we got away", she reasoned, "I think he'll come to us!".

"That's crazy", Jax told everyone, "He's free! He isn't about to risk it all just because you happened to beat him up once".

"I never said Blud was sane", Sonya countered in a weary voice before she turned away and walked towards one of the other rooms to be alone with her thoughts.

"How are you guys feeling?", Jax addressed both Johnny and Liu as she left.

"Just great", Johnny responded, still trying to adjust to the pain from his shoulders.

Scott wouldn't allow Sonya to be alone because he followed her a few seconds after she was in an adjacent room. He walked in using a cane and closed the door behind him.

"What?", Sonya couldn't understand the somewhat angry look on his face.

"What the hell are you doing here?", Scott answered her question with a question of his own.

"What's that supposed to mean?", she realized the cycle was no good, so she stopped it, "Blud can't be allowed to live!".

"And who made you this planet's guardian? You have to realize your limits sooner or later... You don't just drop everything and follow some nut halfway around the world, man!".

"This is new", Sonya told him, "I didn't expect this from you".

"What's getting yourself killed gonna do??", Scott pressed on, "Blud wants to live here! Now, hopefully, he'll get himself killed sometime, but you can't be responsible for every nutcase slash asshole out there!".

Sonya's attention saw a different aspect of the conversation as soon as Scott used the word 'responsibility' in his statement.

"Oh, when you said you talked to daddy, you didn't really say how much", she used an accusing tone.

"He's worried about you!", Scott shot back, "You feel responsible for what happened to me. You feel responsible for what happened to the guard in the prison, for those ten people that asshole blew up! But I got news for you, boss. Blud is responsible for killing those eleven people and I'm responsible for what happened to me. Not you!".

"I'll keep that in mind", she replied in a calmer tone.

"You need to act better than this. I don't mean that as an insult, you know that. But just because you're living alone doesn't mean you don't affect anyone else".

"Hey! It wasn't my choice to live alone! You left me!!", the amount of anger in her voice surprised even her as she first pointed her index finger at him and then pressed it against her chest.

"I'm sorry!!", Scott barked back.

He calmed down within seconds before he spoke again.

"I'm sorry", he gently repeated, "Maybe I shouldn't have. But going into this...".

"I'm not blaming you for what you did", Sonya lightly interrupted, "You have to make your own decisions... But I just can't rest while Blud is still breathing. Maybe that's wrong, but that's the truth right now. There's no point in denying the truth".

"No, there isn't", he agreed.

"Look, we came here for a reason", she sighed, "The only question is, do we go back home or do we stay and do something good. As long as we're already here...".

She didn't finish her statement because she knew Scott would understand. She patted him on the right upper arm and walked back out of the room, towards the others. He followed as he knew she might need his help with major Briggs...

"Listen, guys", Sonya announced to Jax, Johnny and Liu, "I'm sorry you found yourselves here in one way or another because of me. Maybe I was too impulsive in rushing here and looking for Blud".

"Forget about it", Johnny replied, still massaging his left shoulder, "I needed this excitement to sharpen me up anyway".

"I agree", Liu went on, "We're responsible for our own actions. I learned at least that from my encounter with Rayden. You merely suggested a path that we could follow. We decided to follow it on our own".

"What can I say?", she was pleased as she stared at Jax, anxiously waiting for his opinion, "You guys always had a way of knowing what to say".

"Don't look at me", Jax felt her eyes, "I'm just on vacation".

"Now, our choices are pretty clear", Sonya answered, smiling, "Either we go back home, or we go after Blud. I need some suggestions".

No one spoke for a few seconds before Johnny broke the silence.

"It's a shame this guy survived when we countered his attack on the House of Representatives", the actor said, "Let's finish him off for good now".

"You read my mind", Scott supported him.

"Same here", Liu followed, "I would like to see how long he could last in a fair fight".

"So wadda you got in mind, lieutenant?", Jax questioned.

"First, I'm no longer a lieutenant", Sonya replied, feeling flattered and trying not to show it, "Second, if we go back to the shootout sight, we might still be able to find some of those gunmen left behind. That attack on us was not at random, it was planned. And it was planned because that Mossad gun dealer knew Blud and told him about us. We pressure one of those gunmen and we find the gun dealer. We find him, we find Blud".

"Sounds good to me", Johnny announced, "Besides, I need to go back to find the owner of the car we rented and the car that you hid behind. I figure if I pay'em about three times what their car is worth, that should make'em happy".

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"PLEEEAAASE!! NOOOOO!!", the gunman yelled out.

Jax stood at his full height on the roof of the motel, holding his right arm straight away at the shoulders and looking almost casual. The gunman feared for his life because the major was holding him upside down over the side of the roof by using only his right hand to grip the steel-toed boot.

"This is the one thing I don't get", Jax went on as if he was talking to a friend while the other four stood several feet away, "You stayed behind when you saw the five of us coming back into the alley while your pals took off running or limping or crawling. But not you. You stayed behind long enough to be tackled by the lieutenant. Why is that?".

"Maybe he wanted to prove his worth", Scott slightly laughed as he stared at the both of them.

"This is the way I see it", Jax continued, "Either you're extremely brave or extremely stupid. Which one is it?".

"AAAAGGGHH!!!", was the gunman's only answer.

"We can't heeeeaaaar yooouuu!", Scott teased, enjoying himself too much.

"Maybe he had some brain damage when Sonya landed on top of him and slammed him into the ground", Johnny commented, "That tackle did seem to hurt, you know".

"Start talking, you loser!", Jax commanded, getting annoyed at the gunman's lack of cooperation.

"I will not sell out my brothers!", the gunman barked back with a heavy accent, trying to sound brave, "Drop me if you wish, but you will get nothing from me!"

Jax considered his options for a few seconds. Instead of responding verbally, he quickly shook his right arm for several inches and then pulled the gunman back up.

"AAAHH!", the gunman exclaimed again.

"I'm getting tired of this! Start talking!", Jax ordered again.

"NO! I will not!", the gunman challenged, "I am not afraid to die!".

Jax carefully chose the words for his response.

"Fine", he seemed to calmly concede defeat as he pulled his right arm back towards him, thus bringing the gunman just inches over the concrete rooftop.

Major Briggs released his captive and that one dropped on his head. The gunman moaned as he stayed on his back and held the top of his head. He wondered what the Americans were up to as he saw Jax walking away from him towards the others.

"What are you doing?", the gunman asked, feeling suspicious, "Why did you spare my life?".

"Oh, I didn't", Jax partly turned his head as he was getting further away, "I can't kill you myself, so I'm gonna give you over to the lieutenant".

At the mention of the word 'lieutenant', the gunman's eyes bulged wide open with fear and he tried to crawl as far away as possible.

"No!! You can't do this!!", he cried out as Jax kept walking away, "PLEASE! BY ALLAH, HAVE SOME PITY!! NOO! BY ALLAH, NO!!".

The fear and panic in him only worsened as he saw Sonya approaching him and sadistically licking her lips while she cracked her knuckles.

"Meet us back when you're done with him, OK Sonya?", Johnny told her as all four guys pretended to walk away.

"NOO!! You can't leave me with the she-devil!", the gunman called out to them while he was still on the ground, "PLEASE!!".

"Try to keep an arm or a leg intact this time so in case his family wants to bury what's left of him, boss", Scott advised Sonya as they kept walking away.

"I'll try, but I ain't promising anything", she replied as she coldly smiled down at the terrified gunman, "There's this new experiment I'm just dying to carry out".

Her potential victim held his arms out in front of his head and closed his eyes as he turned his face as far away from her as possible.

"Please, American!", he called at them again, "I'll tell you what you want to know! I'll tell you where dealer is! Call her back!".

Satisfied, Jax stopped along with the others and looked at his wristwatch and then at the gunman.

"You have five seconds to start talking", he warned.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The information gathered from the gunman was more than anyone could have hoped for. He had familiarized the kombatants about the exact whereabouts of the former Mossad agent, as well as telling them specifically how to reach that one's desert hideout. The man had just finished talking eagerly as he stayed seated on the ground while his interrogators kept on their feet, forming a tight circle around him. All the men had their arms crossed at one time or another, but the one interrogator that the gunman continued to stare at with fear in his eyes was the female one. Fortunately for him, the female with the yellow hair had not tried to attack him at all.

"Anything else?", Jax spoke first after the gunman had ceased talking.

"Nah, I think we got everything we want", Sonya replied to him, ignoring the gunman whose stare never left her.

"Great to hear", Johnny added, putting his sunglasses on, "Let's be useful and let's all get lost then. This place gives me the creeps".

"What do you plan to do with me?", the gunman abruptly spoke again, nervously awaiting his fate.

"See, it's simple", Sonya told him with a bored look on her face, "Whichever direction we go, you go the opposite. And we never see you again".

The man returned her stare without answering.

"Got it?", she continued as she pressed her right index finger into her forehead.

The gunman quickly nodded his head that he understood and then started to get back up on his feet. As he did, his interrogators dispersed from the circle and began walking away. Before anyone at the scene was able to travel more than a few steps, though, everyone's ears caught the sharp sounds of machinegun fire. The kombatants' instincts sprung into action as they ducked for cover while bullets punched into the ground around their feet and passed through the air merely inches away from their body. Seeing the source of the new gunfire, the man who was being interrogated only moments earlier sighed in relief and bolted towards its source.

It took Jax and Sonya only an instant before they had taken cover behind a nearly-destroyed wall and both had a 9mm handgun gripped with both hands. Risking a peek over the side of the decrepit wall, both soldiers caught the sight of dozens of additional gunmen who resembled the same individuals who had ambushed them earlier. The lone gunman who was being grilled earlier had almost reached the reinforcement of several approaching cars which were loaded with soldiers who were armed with AK-47's. Upon approaching the juggernaut of vehicles, the gunman then stopped running and turned around as the cars sped past him as if he was not even seen. He stood his ground, cheering and encouraging the reinforcement gunmen to annihilate his former tormentors.

"Open up and say 'ah'", Sonya commented as she levelled the 9mm weapon in front of her face and opened fire.

Rounds from the handgun burst through the tires of the first advancing vehicle, bringing it to a sudden halt. Before she was able to concentrate her fire on the passengers who exited the car, though, Sonya heard Jax yelling out a warning.

"Lieutenant! Behind us!", the major screamed.

She turned around just in time to see over a dozen additional gunmen rushing towards her and Jax on foot from just a few feet away. Instead of trying to open fire, the adversaries had held on to the muzzle of their AK-47's. The gunmen's reluctance to fire came perhaps because they did not like the idea of losing a streetfight against the foreigners earlier and wanted to prove to themselves that they could win a fistfight. No matter the reason, both kombatants found themselves in a hopeless situation. Before either one could open fire with the 9mm semiautomatics, they were engaged in a physical confrontation. Sonya delivered a sharp front kick with her left leg into the stomach of the first man who reached her, only to feel an even sharper blow into the back of her head which soon after knocked her unconscious. Jax, on the other hand, found the first two individuals who had reached him at the same time. Grabbing both men by the outside of their neck, he swiftly swung his hands towards each other, causing the first two gunmen to slam into the other one's head. As those two individuals went down, Jax was jumped by five more gunmen who eagerly replaced the first two and the only sensation he felt was the brutal succession of punches, kicks and the swings of the machine guns on his head...

The first thing Sonya saw when she wearily opened her eyes was Jax's face as the blue sky silhouetted his head. She was lying on her back on the ground as he was knelt next to her in an effort to wake her up. Finally awake, he realized she was not in any worse condition than everyone else. Both kombatants' bodies seemed to scream in agony as they struggled to their feet, visually combing the area around them. The first sight she saw was Liu, looking as beaten as she felt, as he helped Scott stand up. She was glad both men were not killed, so she found herself smiling despite the huge amount of blood that everyone in the scene was covered with. It took her a moment to realize that someone was missing. Twisting her head around frantically, Sonya finally realized that Johnny was nowhere to be found.

"Hey", she managed to whisper as she couldn't spot the actor anywhere.

Only his sunglasses could be seen resting on the ground a few steps away from the four of them.

"He's not here", Jax informed her, noticing her search for the missing kombatant.

"Then where?", she raised her voice, sounding as panicked as she felt.

She could not understand why Blud's gunmen would grab the actor. If there was anyone Blud would want kidnapped, it should've been her.

"One of those assholes said you'd now know where he is if you wanna come get him", Scott said out loud as Liu held him up to keep him from falling back down, "That was right before I tasted the end of his rifle".

The former footsoldier only stared down towards the ground as he saw the drops of blood which fell within several inches around his feet. There were several cuts all over his body, and more blood emanated from his mouth as he coughed.

"I understand", Liu spoke up angrily for the first time while still holding Scott up but addressing Sonya, "Whoever arranged this did so because he wants you to come to him, to finish the fight. You had told me you fought him twice previously, where you each won one time. Blud wants to engage you in single combat for the third time to break the tie".

"Great, some game", she coughed.

"Two out of three wins", Jax finished.

"Well, that prick had told us where the gun dealer and Blud are!", Scott became infuriated, "Let's go break'em!".

"Come on, soldier, you can't even stand up by yourself", Jax commented, "Sit this one out".

"What?!", Scott protested, "That's the stupidest...".

"That's an order", Jax interrupted.

Blud could not believe the disgraceful sight he was witnessing in the warehouse after his first planned assault on his enemy. A few of the gunmen had reached the young gun dealer he was talking to and complained that they had failed at their assignment but had then returned to the scene with help to carry out the second orders. As proof of their success, they held the famous American actor who had foiled his plans before as his hands and feet were tied up with rope.

"Can't these yahoos carry out a simple mission?", Blud snapped at the former Mossad agent, "You said you'd take care of it! If I knew they were such a bunch of morons, I would've gone there by myself!".

"Well, if you think you are so tough, why don't you go for it after I get paid?", the dealer countered, "I'm sure your new merchandise will help you no matter who you go up against".

"I will!", Blud assured, "It just goes to show you. If you want a job done right, you gotta do it yourself. And I wanted everyone with her to be brought to me, not just one of her friends!".

"Well, as soon as she wakes her, she will come looking for this man", the gun dealer pointed at Johnny, "But that should not be for quiet some time. No one can recover from the kinds of blows that my men had inflicted on her. She will need several days to recover her strength, so we can relax until then".

"It has been nice doing business with you", the dealer went on, "If there's ever anything else you need, say... Ammunition for your arm, you are always welcome to drop by here again".

"I doubt I will", was Blud's answer as he anxiously waited for a truck full of his weapons to show up.

The warehouse they were in was just one of several buildings in the desert. Although most were filled with supplies, the people around were all presently concentrated in this particular structure.

"You never know", the young dealer responded with utmost confidence.

As he finished making his statement, they both saw the truck approach them from the warehouse entrance. They neared it as the driver stopped as soon as it was inside the warehouse and walked out of it, holding the keys in order to hand them to Blud.

Blud was about twenty feet from his precious cargo when he heard a guard yelling in Arabic from outside. The militant next saw the gun dealer and the others in the warehouse trying to reach for any weapons they were carrying or found near them.

"What?", he demanded, "What's wrong?".

The next thing he heard was gunshots from outside as the guard stopped yelling. A few seconds later, Jax showed himself at the entrance just behind the truck as he carried an AK-47. Though covered in his own blood and wearing torn clothing, he smoothly fired twice and blew up both of the truck's rear tires.

"Who the fu...?", Blud asked as the gun dealer screamed, tried to duck for cover and withdrew a Mac-10 with major Briggs on his mind.

"Don't!", Jax warned him.

His advice fell on deaf ears because the dealer next leveled his weapon towards the Special Forces major. Jax was the faster of the two because he carefully pulled the trigger three more times and the dealer instantly dropped with a shriek. Blud had the bold idea of firing his forearm/rocket launcher towards the intruder, escaping and then returning for his precious weapons. All he had to do was make sure to not hit the truck as he fired. As he aimed his forearm at the intruder though, Sonya's wounded character appeared next to Jax as she held her Glock at arm's length in front of her face.

"Freeze, tough guy!!", she warned him only once with the muzzle of the semiautomatic aimed directly at his forehead.

Seeing their previous doom again, most of the remaining gunmen in the storage building decided not to fight back. They simply dropped their weapons and ran for the rear exit. Two gunmen had remained behind to help the deceased gun dealer. As they both leveled their AK-47s, Liu appeared without any warning from the entrance and executed a perfect flying kick towards the gunman closer to him. The bottom of his foot impacted into his target's chest and sent a massive flow of energy through him, knocking him to the ground before he could even aim his weapon. The man's body shook involuntarily as he spat out blood and desperately tried to regain his breath, even though he already knew he had several broken bones in his torso.

"Drop dead", Johnny commented as he saw Liu's opponent defeated while he was still lying on the ground, unable to do much more than crawl.

Sonya aimed carefully and fired a single round into the right shoulder of the second gunman. That one screamed, dropped his weapon and fell on his back as he held his shoulder with his left hand. Throughout the whole incident, Blud was the only person who wasn't involved in battle. He stood his ground as he made sure not to touch any of the weapons that tempted him to pick one up. He knew he would be safe that way and Sonya knew it also, so he disappointed her greatly.

"Put your hands up, tough guy!", she ordered as she approached him with the semiautomatic still in front of her face, just looking for a reason to blow him away.

Blud complied, wearing an icy smile on his face.

"Sorry", he whispered when she was close to enough to him, as if he could read her mind.

"Well, maybe I'll just blow you away just for the hell of it", Sonya snapped back as she stared up into the eyes of the six and a half foot tall, muscular militant.

"No, lieutenant", Jax countered as he kept watch over the two downed gunmen, "We have an extradition treaty with Israel. This prick's going back alive".

"That's almost a shame, really", Blud told her, still smiling, "I was hoping you and I could go for it, one on one... Of course, if you want, all you have to do is visit me in prison and I'm sure we can still arrange it".

"We could do it right here, tough guy", she bluntly told him as she lowered the Glock.

"No! Sonya, no!", Jax spoke up.

"Mind your own business, major!", Sonya looked to her right towards Jax, "This is my...".

Although the mistake of letting down her guard in front of Blud only took about a second, Blud was able to take advantage of it. As she realized she had been careless and was about to turn her attention back to the militant, Blud rushed forward. He wrapped his right arm around her shoulders, picking her up several inches off the floor as he did. He then pressed the rocket launcher that was in place of his left forearm above her left ear.

"Drop the gun, blondie!", he ordered from behind.

Sonya released the handle of the Glock, letting it fall on the ground and denouncing herself for being so reckless. Jax instantly aimed his AK-47 at them, although he knew that not even his aim was so good that he could risk firing. Liu saw the danger and concentrated on inching closer from Blud's right.

"Stay back, whoever the hell you two are!", Blud warned, "Or she's not gonna have a head left. I don't care what you do with those losers, but I'm getting outta here".

With Sonya's hands hanging on to his massive right forearm, he walked out of the main exit backwards. He would have preferred to toss her in his truck before driving off, but Jax had made that option impossible by shooting at its tires.

"And don't try to follow!", he kept on warning as he exited the entrance, "If I see any of you following, she's dead!".

He dragged her several yards away from the entrance and into the sunny, warm air.

"Now listen here, blondie", Blud whispered into her ear as he was still moving backwards, "I'm gonna drop you and then take off. I guess I should blow your pretty little head off right now, but it's more fun when your victims put up a fight. If you want, you can run back to the warehouse and get help. But I doubt you'll do that".

He stopped as he roughly set her feet back on the ground.

"No", he continued whispering, "You want this last showdown as much as me. If you go back there, I might escape and you'll never be able to live with it. So, for both our sakes, I do hope you'll follow".

He loosened his right arm from around her shoulders. Before she could react, he struck her with a massive fist in the back of her head, knocking her down on her hands and knees. As she was staring down at the ground, trying to recover from the blow, he kicked her in the stomach and sent her horizontally about two feet into the air and away from him. Sonya was spun around and landed on the ground on her back as she felt the merciless heat from the sand.

"That was for my truck, you bitch!", Blud claimed before he turned around and ran as fast as he could towards one of the other buildings.

While grudgingly standing up, and trying to ignore her aching stomach, Sonya lost sight of him as he ran past some cars and disappeared behind a hangar. She began to run after him, first slowly because her head pounded. She soon picked up speed, though, and reached the edge of the hangar. Since her adrenaline level was high, she failed to see an obvious trap that could be set.

As she passed the side of the hangar and reached the rear wall, planning to go beyond it and hopefully see her enemy, Blud held out his left arm since his back was flattened against the outside rear wall. Sonya couldn't stop fast enough and quickly ran into the rocket launcher the militant had as his forearm. After her face impacted with the hard metal on his arm, her head initially snapped backwards and pounded even more. She fell down on her back as her legs were tossed upwards into the air and Blud showed himself by taking a step out from behind the rear wall. Grinning, he just stood there as he waited for her to get back up. Squinting her eyes and feeling annoyed at her lack of attention, Sonya forced herself back on her feet.

"This is why I always wear pants", she reminded herself as she took one step towards him.

Before he could react, Sonya uppercut him with her right fist and sent him staggering several steps behind. Wanting to keep on punishing him, she then walked up to reach him. Blud smoothly swung and landed a perfect punch into her stomach, making the pain from his previous kick hurt more.

"OOOGGHHHOOOO!!", she bent over with both eyes wide open and her right forearm pressing into her abdomen.

"For what it's worth, blondie, you were almost a half decent opponent", Blud proudly grinned as he saw her stagger several steps backwards.

Unknown to him, Sonya wasn't stepping back because of the pain. She was doing so because she wanted enough space between the two of them to execute a flying kick. Before Blud's own eyes, she slowly stood up straight, her eyes bearing a cold stare that was fueled by anger and ignoring all the pain her body was afflicted with lately. She then changed her figure into that of a fighting stance, although the only factor that seized Blud with fear was the look in her eyes.

Without having time to react, he heard "WIYAA" as he saw her flying straight for him with her right leg shooting out of her body. The bottom of her shoe slammed into his chest and sent his enormous weight sailing through the air before he landed on his back about ten feet away. Surprised, he felt the burning sand affecting the back of his legs and his torso for a split second before he pulled himself back up to his feet. The next sight his eyes caught was Sonya rushing towards him. Feeling somewhat desperate, he tried to aim his left arm at her. Before he could level it, she executed a roundhouse kick and sent the back of her ankle colliding perfectly into his teeth.

Screaming more out of shock than of pain, Blud found himself falling partly on his right side before he tasted the hot sand because he ended up face-down on the ground. Using the sand as encouragement to stand, he quickly pulled himself back up, thinking of another hit to carry out. Before he could even try to strike though, Sonya landed a punch with her right fist into his stomach. As he began to bend over in pain, she landed a second punch with her left fist into the right side of his stomach, sending him crashing into the wall of the hangar.

Hurt, dazed and bleeding from his mouth, Blud pushed himself away from the hangar wall and turned around without thinking. Sonya's next maneuver was to evenly flip upside down on her hands as she placed both her ankles on each side of the militant's chest. She knew Blud weighed far more than the average man, but she believed she could perform her signature move on him and thus permanently take him out of the fight. She proved herself right because Blud screamed as he found himself being hurled in a smooth semicircle before he landed on his back. Sonya came back on her feet and turned around, still in her fighting stance and anxious to see if her victim still had any energy to continue.

Blud disappointed her because he was still able to stand up, although only shakily and with a great deal of difficulty. He was too worn out to put up any kind of resistance, but he just had to show her that she hadn't beaten him.

"Die already!", she snapped at him as if it was his duty to stay down.

Desperately wanting to finish him, Sonya leapt both vertically and towards him as he simply stood his ground, unable to get out of the way. In mid-air, she positioned the right side of her body ahead of the left and lifted her right arm as she curled it, as if flexing to show off her biceps. Her right elbow crashed into Blud's forehead as she came back down in front of him. The militant's head snapped back and he quietly fell on his back without any resistance as fresh blood gushed out of his nose and mouth, staining her face and neck.

Standing on her feet, she gripped his collar and harshly pulled him up to his knees as she stared down at him. Her eyes seemed to be on fire as she locked them with his almost unconscious ones.

"Go ahead", Blud whispered, "Finish what you started".

"I will!", she angrily snapped back, "I'm gonna do to you exactly what you tried to do to me, you son of a bitch!!".

"Didn't you hear?", he mildly laughed, "If you kill me, then you're just as bad as I am".

"Please!", she countered, "I crossed that line a long time ago. It's way too late for that!".

She clearly remembered his actions against her during the raid on the House of Representatives. She was pondering about the most appropriate way to eliminate him for good when she heard a noise from behind her. Thinking it was Liu or Jax, she turned around ready to tell him/them that she would not let Blud go back to the United States alive. Instead of any of her fellow kombatants, she caught sight of a gunman who was wearing six sticks of dynamite and proceeding towards her from twenty feet away.

"AMERICAN!", the gunman blurted out with an accent, "YOU DIE TODAY! YOU DIE!".

Sonya only had a second to react as her eyes widened when she saw the gunman pressing a button to detonate the explosives. She pulled Blud up to his feet, spun around him and positioned herself behind the militant's back as the gunman exploded and pieces of flesh and bones shot out in each direction. The force from the explosion pushed her down on her back under Blud. She quickly pushed the militant off her and saw that, along with burned flesh, he had numerous pieces of glass in his chest and head. The suicidal gunman had done her a favor.

"Sonyaaa!", she heard coming from behind the burned vehicles.

She couldn't recognize the voice at first, but a few seconds later, Liu appeared as he made his way past the cars and the gunman's torn body towards her.

"Are you all right?", Liu asked, somewhat shaken at the sight of the gunman's remains.

"Yeah", she sighed, still seated on the ground next to Blud's corpse, "And everybody else?".

"The same. Major Briggs left to help Johnny. I thought it better to follow you two. They will be glad to see you still on your feet. We should go back to them and then report back to Scott as well".

"I couldn't agree more", she stayed seated and extended her right arm towards him as he reached her.

"Help me up", she requested as she smiled.

Liu gripped her hand with his and gently pulled her up to her feet as she coughed becuase of all the dust that surrounded them. It took them less than a minute to reach the warehouse where Jax had already freed Johnny and they were both keeping watch over the two gunmen who were apprehended alive. Jax was busy applying pressure to the shoulder of the one gunman whom she had shot moments earlier.

"Guys", she announced in a tired voice to greet everyone.

"Man!", Johnny smiled as he rubbed his wrists while he was standing, "Sure am glad to be untied. I can't tell you how much those ropes hurt my sensitive skin. Really, what's that gonna do to my image?".

"Wimp", Scott smirked.

"Thanks", the actor sarcastically answered as he turned to look at the two prisoners, "So what happens to them?"

"That's up to the major", Sonya gave a slight smile, "After all, he's in charge of around here. I just wanna go home and get a job".