Push my fingers into my eyes...
It's the only thing that slowly stops the ache...
But it's made of all the things I have to take...
Jesus, it never ends, it works its way inside...
If the pain goes on...
Aaaaaaaah!

I have screamed until my veins collapsed
I've waited last, my time's elapsed
Now, All I do is live with so much fate
I've wished for this, I've bitched at that
I've left behind this little fact:
You cannot kill what you did not create
I've gotta say what I've gotta say
And then I swear I'll go away
But I can't promise you'll enjoy the noise
I guess I'll save the best for last
My future seems like one big past
You'll live with me 'cause you left me no choice

I push my fingers into my eyes
It's the only thing that slowly stops the ache
If the pain goes on,
I'm not gonna make it!

Pull me back together
Or separate the skin from the bone
Leave me all the Pieces, and then you can leave me
alone
Tell me the reality is better than dream
But I found out the hard way,
Nothing is what it seems!

I push my fingers into my eyes
It's the only thing that slowly stops the ache
But it's made of all the thing I have to take
Jesus, it never ends, it works its way inside
If the pain goes on,
I'm not gonna make it!

Slipknot –"Duality"

Cammy watched her hand sink into the comforting feel of Nikita's soft, gray fur. The cat laid in her lap, purring softly, a welcome consolation after dealing with Cranky early in the evening. Sleep had proven to be impossible and so Cammy had spent the night relaxing and preparing mentally for tomorrow, or rather, today. She had called Guile and Wagner, something she had made a habit to do before missions. Apparently Colonel Wolfman had contacted every group from the American military to Interpol and told him of the information Juli had provided. Most every group planned an assault for today. They were going to strike all at once in hopes that Bison will turn up at one of the locations. Shadowlaw could be forever in the past tense by this evening if things went right. Cammy was praying for them to.

The sun hadn't begun to rise when Cammy left her apartment and made her way to MI-6 headquarters. She was in the calm that came over her before missions; the silence that said she was calculating everything in her mind carefully. She walked slowly, having more than enough time make it. As she reached the gates Cammy felt a hand gently touch her shoulder. She turned to find cranky behind her, a soft, lazy smile on his face. His eyes were bloodshot and had dark bags under them. He obviously hadn't slept either. He spoke.

"Hey."

"What are you doing here, Cranky?"

"What the hell does it look like? I'm seeing you off to war."

Now that he spoke more than one word Cammy could hear the difference in his voice. He was drunk.

"You're smashed."

"On the finest Irish whiskey."

"Why are you doing this?"

"You know, this is the most fucked up role reversal ever. I'm a man….a man! And here I am like a fucking chick waving a hanky at you, hoping for your safe return. Isn't this what you wanted?"

"You know it isn't. It's not the time for drunken confessions."

"I care about you damn it; me being toasted doesn't change that."

"You're drinking away your worries."

"I remember not too long ago, you did the same thing."

"And look where it got me."

Cranky looked at her closely for a moment, taking in her obvious insult, before he took a shaky step forward as he spoke with a little more control.

"I can see you're still mad. But I can't leave it like this. You've done something to me."

"We can't do this right here right now. I have to leave."

"Later then?"

Cammy nodded.

"Yeah, later. You'll be here."

"I'll knit you a sweater while you're gone."

Cammy laughed and before she knew it Cranky had grabbed her face and kissed her softly on the mouth. He spoke before he walked away.

"For luck."

Cammy concentrated on her breathing as she and her comrades busted through the front door of the suspected compound like they were an army of 1000 rather than on of 5. Today, Cammy was ready for anything. Both of the Brownings were out and ready, the clips having been triple checked. This was really it, and offensive on Shadowlaw. It was really happening. It could all be over forever. Wolfman's voice echoed through her head, seeming far away though he was right next to her.

"Split up team…you know what to do."

Cammy dashed forward, heading towards the center of the building. So far it was totally empty. That meant whoever was here was hiding. Juli was right, they were weak. Cammy reached her destination and kicked open the screen to a large air vent. She had to get to the basement. In the movies the vents like these were always huge, big enough that a person could easily turn around. In reality, this vent, though larger than normal due to the building being built for commercial use, was tiny. Cammy was the only one on the team that could even dream of ever fitting and it was going to be a tight squeeze. She tucked on of the Brownings into the holster under her arm and took a deep breath before she entered the vent. With her foot she repositioned the screen behind her the best that she could. She wouldn't want anyone walking by to shoot in after her.

Cammy's shoulders and hips were pressed tightly against the walls of the small space, but she was able to move pretty quickly using the strength of her legs to push herself forward. The constriction forced Cammy's breathing shallow and she began to sweat. It proved a godsend as, thanks to the sweat, she was able to move quicker through the tight space. After nearly ten minutes of crawling through pitch dark, trying to remember blind directions, Cammy felt the ridges of a screen under her hands. It took four tries to force the screen open due to the small space, but after it fell she was able to slide from the vent and into the fresher air of the basement. She instinctively drew her second Browning, scanning the room.

While the area she could see was totally empty of enemies, it was just as suspected. The large area under the commercial building had been converted into offices and holding cells. The design of this particular part of the building was all too familiar to Cammy. Shadowlaw was using a commercial front to hide major bases of operations. Or at least that was the plan since the building did not look complete. This was going to change a lot about the profiles of terrorists groups. But for now, she had to find whoever was hiding here.

Cammy moved slowly and quietly, though the noise from the vent's screen falling must have been loud enough to alert anyone, it was better to be safe than sorry. She scanned each room and cell, the doors to them already open or nonexistent. Only one door was closed at the end of a small hall. She made her way towards it carefully. She didn't want to holster one of her weapons so in a rush of energy, Cammy kicked the door open and burst into the room. Instantly she saw the form of a body to her right. She aimed her guns and yelled.

"Freeze!"

Cammy nearly dropped the Brownings as a small sound of surprise escaped her throat. Beyond the barrels of her Brownings stood a very dead Julian, cerulean blue eyes blazing, with his own gun pointed back at her.