Author's Note: Well, I dabble in this character's history occasionally, but this is for his potential future in a game I play, even though it won't unfold this way. I was bored on holiday, and in need of some angst. This is set in the Underworld universe, but does not actually contain any of the characters beyond a mention, and is set three years before the movie. The character this is based around is a lycan fighter in the pack.

LAST STAND

Rolling his head back with a groaned sigh, Jay Starks felt some of the tension in his neck give and crack. Wincing very slightly, he hooked his thumbs in the corners of his jeans' pockets, slouching against the wall behind him a little more. Beyond restless now, the boredom was getting to him. His 'suspension' was still in play, so he wasn't permitted to leave the lair… or had it finished now? He couldn't remember; he'd been 'grounded' and out of action for so long now, it was affecting him. He – now that he thought about it – suspected it was his – almost completely healed – injuries that had ruled him out of being picked for leaving the lair, if nothing else. The others had been gone almost an hour now, and the lair had fallen into an odd stillness.

Shifting his weight experimentally on his legs, Jay felt the very slight stiffness in the limbs from his being wounded. The injuries had all closed over now, thankfully, but he bore the physical evidence of his ordeal; the torture at the hands of Jonathan. Slight but visible scarring around his left shoulder and both thighs showed where the silver had stabbed and burned him… but it was something he would have to live with, he knew. And he would.

Beside him, Richie, one of the younger fighters, sighed also, louder and with a less-than-subtle hint of impatience. The fighters left behind were guarding the lair, mostly in such a large group to pass the time and for some company, to combat the boredom. Jay glanced to the younger lycan, offering a wan smile. It was returned, though somewhat miserably. Nate, Elena, Aaron and the others – Pierce, Taylor, Raze, Trix, Mingan, Adrian, Eric and everyone else capable – had left with Lucian… the details of the excursion had been hazy at best. The wait was almost painful for those left behind.

Alex was in her room; Jay hadn't seen her in a while… but at least she didn't seem to be avoiding him anymore. He hadn't been able to stand that awkwardness.

Looking up at the sound of a shoe scuffing slightly on hard stone, he furrowed his brow.

"Katalin, what're you doing here?" he asked her as she emerged from the shadowed tunnel, even as she shrugged.

"Boredom loves company?" she ventured somewhat meekly, drawing a soft smile and laugh from him before, as one, every single fighter in the entrance tensed. Silence fell deafeningly, and they all became still.

"What is it?" Katalin asked almost nervously, eyes scanning the surrounding area.

Jay's own eyes flashed amber and then darkened, even as his hands moved slowly from his pockets. "Katalin?" His hands rose for his belt even as he growled lightly, joined by the others; a light cacophony of predatory warning. "Get down, now!"

In one fluidic motion, he tore twin Desert Eagles from their holsters, turning with his fellow guards, only having time to fire off a few rounds before bullets tore towards them furiously. Richie was peppered with shots and thrown down before Jay could grab him, and he growled. Even as he was turning for cover, a bullet slammed his side, driving a yell out of him. Ignoring the pain, he turned and bolted for one of the wide pillars, grabbing the ducked form of Katalin by the collar as he passed. Practically dragging her, he more or less fell around the corner of the makeshift shelter, hearing Katalin's frightened panting.

"You've been shot!"

"Y'know, I kinda noticed," he quipped darkly, his eyes showing he meant no offence, even as he pushed his finger and thumb into the wound, letting the pain out in a dangerous, rumbling growl, before tearing the bullet out, panting lightly. Unable to hold the bullet in his hand without being burned, he cursed quietly. They'd come prepared, hence Richie's brisk death after being hit… silver bullets.

More fighters from the guarding parts had sought cover behind the pillars, either reloading or biding their time.

When a break in the gunfire came, Jay twisted out from behind the pillar to return a few shots, snarling when they were stopped by hardy, solid vests.

"The bastards are protected," he snapped as he ducked back behind the cover.

"What are they?" Katalin asked over the noise, huddled closer to him for protection.

"No idea." Jay hadn't really been able to smell them properly – nor had he had much time before they'd opened fire – and now that blood was thick in the air, it was even harder. "But you need to run and warn the others." Another fighter had fallen, eyes staring vacantly upward in death. Even with anger and grief coursing through him, he couldn't help but wonder who the raiders were, and what they wanted… were they vampires? Or were they dealing with more rogues?

"I don't want to leave." She shook her head almost stubbornly… either that, or she was frightened beyond reason.

Looking her square in the face, he said fiercely, "And you shouldn't stay."

Even as she opened her mouth, a glove hand hauled her from behind the pillar by her hair forcefully. Snarling, Jay barrelled to his feet, and put one of the guns to the chest of the attacker, pulling the trigger, before jumping up with a snap kick, slamming them back. Their helmet stayed on, but the bullet had visibly impacted in the vest. Before the mystery raider could finish lifting his own gun, Jay spun with a vicious roundhouse, slamming the steel toe-capped boot into the side of the visored helmet. The force successfully rid him of the protection, and without hesitation, he lifted a pistol and shot a bullet right through the skull. They rocked for a moment, and then dropped backwards heavily.

Taking his eyes off the – apparently dead – raider, he saw another aiming for Katalin, as startled by it all as she was, like a deer caught in the headlights of a speeding car.

Biting off a curse, he bolted over and skidded in front of her, hearing the shot and feeling the bullet slam into his abdomen. Giving a sharp cry, he almost dropped a gun, instead lifting it to fire a shot through the bastard's kneecap, throwing him to the floor, if only temporarily.

"Jay!"

"Go warn the others," Jay growled, already digging the bullet out. Hissing as it burned his fingertips, he dropped it to the floor, hearing it roll away. Katalin came up beside him.

"But–"

Turning, he was forced to shove her physically towards the tunnels, almost unbalancing her. "Go!"

"Jay…"

"Katalin, please… go."

Reluctantly, she nodded, turning, even as another shot dug into his left arm, jarring him enough so that the dropped one of his two guns.

Grimacing, he lifted the right gun, aiming for the approaching raider. Letting off shots in rapid succession, he gave a yell of frustration as they landed harmlessly against the armoured vest. Snarling with an amber glare, he lowered his aim between the legs… and fired.

The attacker screamed behind their visor, falling to the ground, and stalking over, Jay planted a boot on the helmet, pinning them down. It took all the concentration he could muster not to notice the lycan bodies around him. There were a few more still fighting furiously for their lives and to protect the lair, but there were noticeably less of them now.

Positioning the barrel of his pistol, he lined up a shot… just before something slammed the back out of his left knee. Falling harshly, he gasped at the landing and how it sent a shock like lightning up his leg. Turning to fight back, the butt of a large firearm slammed the side of his head, throwing him roughly to the ground, where he quickly rolled. Despite the pain, he flipped back up to his feet. Blood trickled freely down the side of his face from a gash buried under his hair somewhere, but he ignored it; it would only distract him otherwise. He lifted the barrel again, even as another lycan fell to the ground nearby, killed. Giving a heavy, angry and pained growl, Jay made to pull the trigger, cursing when the chamber clicked on empty.

"Shit."

Looking around, he nervously realised he was the last lycan fighter standing. Saddened inside, he only allowed himself to be furious on the surface. And looking to his left as a few raiders surrounded him, he saw they were about to enter the lair fully.

"No!" Jay foolishly dove to stop them any way he could, grabbed tightly by a helmeted fighter who gripped the lycan's right wrist in such a way that, when he twisted it, he felt a crack. The pain was only intensified when the attacker used his own arm wrapped around Jay's from in front to yank downward with a tight, vice-like grip; the snap was loud enough to accompany Jay's cry of pain as he felt his arm break sharply in the forearm. His second gun clattered to the ground, even as an elbow slammed back into his gut, doubling him over, the air torn right out of him.

"Go ahead," came a gruff voice from behind the black visor. "I'll deal with this one." There was a certain amusement in the tone.

Jay's growl was quiet but solid nonetheless, even as a fist pounded down between his shoulder blades, driving him to the ground with a near-yelp.

As he panted, cradling his arm, he heard the ring of unsheathed metal, and, opening his eyes… he saw the eerie shadow of blades like claws on the dirty, uneven ground. Eyes widened, he suppressed a curse and awkwardly rolled himself away, moments before the sharp points dug down where he had been laying.

Looking to his opponent, he saw the weapon in all its wicked glory; braced over and around the hand and fingers like knuckle dusters, with blades protruding in intervals like the claws of a giant, vicious cat. They gleamed in the light, reflecting it in shards around the entrance, and Jay was fixated for a moment, even as the wearer advanced. The blades rang like they were singing as they scraped together lightly, and Jay was forced to scramble backwards on his feet and left arm. The bullet had passed straight through his arm thankfully, and so the pain had lessened enough for him to do so. Running out of room when he backed into a pillar, Jay rocked upward at the waist, sending his legs and boots into the attacker's abdomen and groin, shoving him back and away forcefully.

Using the opportunity, Jay pulled himself to his feet, swaying for a moment with a wince.

His opponent recovered quickly, growling behind the visor before lunging forward, stabbing outward towards Jay. Forced to duck, he roughly punched the other combatant hard in the side, before dodging away quickly. Still cradling his arm as much as possible, he watched the raider turn, anger in his very posture.

Mostly to infuriate… Jay grinned.

Garnering the reaction he had expected, he watched the raider lunge forward, aiming a gauntleted strike for Jay's stomach. Spinning to the side, Jay sent a boot into the raider's chest… only to have the blades bite into the flesh below and to the side of his knee. Cursing his cockiness, he limped back, never taking his eyes off the raider. It was getting dangerous… unarmed, he could only last so long.

He watched the raider circle, like a vulture, flexing the gauntlet. At least he knew the blades weren't silver; they had only cut his leg; not burned. It was better than nothing… but they still hurt like hell all the same.

When the raider lunged forward, Jay almost fell backwards in surprise, a little light-headed from the previous hits. He dodged the slash to his chest, but the wicked arc continued downwards, and cut into his thigh, nearly unbalancing him, even as he punched the raider just about in the throat; his options – after all – were limited. A savage backhand was his reward, and then he felt the sharp blades dig at his face before he could recuperate. Crying out, and throwing himself away, he managed to save his eye; he'd known lycans to be blinded, and didn't fancy experiencing it first-hand.

Feeling the oozing warmth down his face from the gashes, he lost his focus for a moment… only to cry out loudly as the blades slashed agonisingly down the length of his back. Dropping to one knee from the fierce onslaught, he panted as if just rising from being submerged underwater, the stinging shooting up and down his back.

A hand twined at the side of his neck in his clothing, gripping tightly, even as Jay closed his eyes; he was waiting grimly for the blades to bury in his back and pierce his heart. He'd gone out fighting, at least…

When a reinforced blow slammed into his right shoulder from behind, he gave a strangled but agonised yell, feeling the force and the dislocation. He just about collapsed forward onto his front for the pain. If it weren't for the grip that shifted to tangle in his hair, he knew he probably would have.

Gasping weakly when the attacker came before him from behind, their fingers still twisted in his hair harshly, he heard a throaty chuckle, though there was something like disgust in the sound.

Through the pain, he thought he heard the words, "You're lucky we need one alive…"

Hearing footsteps, Jay felt the attacker turn his head with a jerk. What he saw almost spurred him to keep fighting, but the blood loss had added up, leading to an unwilling lethargy.

"Alex…"

She was draped limply over the shoulder of one of the emerging raiders from within the lair, apparently unconscious; completely unaware.

Releasing Jay's hair, the raider stared down at him through the visor for a moment, before landing a punch that successfully robbed the lycan of his consciousness.

Falling roughly onto his side, he remembered nothing more…