1Jackson

Jackson sat tapping his fingers on the kitchen table across from Selena. She was pretty. Not like Lisa, but in a tomboyish, fighter-girl sort of way. He knew she took no shit, and none of that manipulation stuff.

"So," he leaned back in his chair. He'd already told her his purpose for being in London. After all, with the whole of England fucked up over this infection shit, who would waste their time investigating an assassination plot? "We have a lot in common."

"Like?" she rolled her eyes and he chuckled.

"We both kill."

Selena stood up and clicked her tongue. "No, I kill to survive. You kill for money," she argued.

"Touche," Jackson chuckled again. "So. I need to leave. Thanks for the little chat. I'm leaving, Lisa is coming with me."

"You'll die," a voice said from the doorway. It was that girl, Hannah. Jackson hated children.

"What did you say?" he asked her. Selena looked at her. Hannah's thin frame leaned against the doorway.

"You'll die if you go out by yourselves," she told them. "You don't know London, and you don't know anything about how to survive. You'll die. They all do."

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Listen, little girl, I am a lot bigger than you. I can survive. I have guns. Do you know what guns are?" He spoke to her as if she were a child and he could see he was making her angry.

"No, do you know what a brain is?" she shot back. "I think they forgot to give you one."

Selena attempted to hold back a laugh and snorted.

Jackson angrily kicked the table and moved to push past Hannah.

Selena cut him off. "She's right. It's too dangerous. You need people to go with you. And you cannot by any circumstances travel at night."

Jackson sighed. Maybe she had a point. "We go tomorrow then." He rolled his eyes and slumped back down at the table. "You, me, and Lisa."

"And Jim and Hannah," Selena added. "We don't split up."

Jim. The name annoyed Jackson. He had noticed the shocking similarities in their features, but he also had realized that Jim was a weakling. A do-gooder. He could see it in his face. Life was all sunshine and roses for him. Jackson wasn't worried about him corrupting his plans, however. He could easily take him down, same with the Hannah brat. The only problem was that the only person he actually needed other than Lisa was strangely attached to them.

Hannah

She wanted to scream, wanted to smash this man over the head with a chair and kill his cocky smile forever. He knew nothing of what hell was, of what it was like living day to day in constant fear. Yet he thought he knew everything. Hannah angrily marched upstairs to her room.

Lisa and Jim were still seated on the windowsill talking. She burst through the door and when she saw Lisa's tearstained face she shrank back.

"Sorry," she muttered, turning to leave. Jim stopped her.

"Wait, Hannah," he gestured her over. "Come here. Lisa has something to tell you."

Lisa told Hannah everything about Jackson, all of what he had done to her. Hannah sighed when she was finished.

"And I thought my life sucked because I was almost raped," she shook her head. Lisa jerked around to look at her.

"What did you say?"

Hannah looked into Lisa's eyes. They held fear and remorse, two feelings Hannah herself knew well. Hannah told Lisa her story. Watching her father die, being tricked by the soldiers.

"You're one of the lucky ones, you know," Lisa whispered. Jim and Hannah looked at her. "I was raped two years ago."

"I...I'm sorry," Hannah felt like such a child. She was so selfish. Compared to what Lisa had been through, her own life was like a paradise.

"It's okay," Lisa smiled weakly at her. "I kind of...kind of needed to get it out. It makes me feel better."

Hannah suddenly remembered what she'd heard downstairs. "Ms Reisert, there is kind of a problem. Jackson said he was still going to kill Mr. Keefe or your sister, and he is leaving for London tomorrow. With you, and all of us. Selena agreed."

"Selena agreed?" Jim stood up and angrily paced the floor. "Why the fuck are we letting him do this?"

Hannah shrugged. "He's going to go whether we go with him or not," she pointed out. "And he is taking Ms Reisert with him either way. I actually think it's better that we don't let him take her alone."

Lisa nodded gratefully at Hannah. "Call me Lisa, please."

Hannah nodded at her. She liked Lisa. She seemed to be a nice person, and they had quite a bit in common. Lisa would probably get along well with Selena, though Selena would probably think Lisa to be weak.

"Well, I guess," Jim reluctantly agreed. "If he lays a hand on anyone, you, Lisa, or Selena, I will knock his brains out from here to kingdom come."

Hannah nodded fearfully. Jim was so protective sometimes.

Lisa

Lisa looked at Jim. He seemed to be a sweet guy, so different from Jackson despite their physical similarities. Selena and Hannah also seemed like nice people, though Selena was a bit rough around the edges. Lisa finally asked the question that was prodding at her brain. She knew it was a rude one, but she couldn't contain it in her throat.

"Are you and Selena, um..." she couldn't find the right words, but Jim seemed to know what she was talking about. He shook his head, rubbing his head.

"No," he told her. "We were, but..we broke up. It's no big deal, we're...just too different. She's a great friend, though."

Lisa nodded, and felt the slow blush creeping up her cheeks. She was so stupid.

"So...you and Jackson aren't either..." he affirmed. She looked at him.

"That jackass? God no," she laughed. Hannah looked at her.

"Good, good," Jim chuckled. Lisa looked at him. She saw something like relief in his eyes.

"I still...have no idea how I'm going to get out of this situation," Lisa groaned, suddenly remembering her problem. She had no time to be engulfing herself in girly fantasies while her sister sat hostage god knows where in London.

"Well, first of all, Hannah should probably help us," Jim began. Hannah smiled. "Selena would be a fucking load of help, but I have a feeling she won't care. Jackson is probably more a worry to her than letting some politician die. She'll just try to talk us out of it."

Lisa nodded.

"I really don't see all that we can do other than play it by ear," Jim shrugged. "Catch him off guard, or something, until you tell him Mr. Keefe's room number, and then we can.. I don't know. Do something to save him and your sister."

Lisa nodded again, this time a little more defeated.

"Right now, though, Lisa," Jim looked at her. "Don't worry about Keefe. I can see you caring about your sister, but..." he looked at the floor. "You need to worry more about the infected than you do Rippner."