"You got some nerve, girl. Some fucking nerve!" Griffin's fist came in contact with Sam's jaw again as he ended his sentence, and this time, the brunette failed to control herself. She felt the air leave her lungs with that blow; the sheer force causing her to cry out in pain. She felt dizzy, and for a moment, saw black spots in her vision. The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth as her lip split open. It took a moment for Sam's eyes to take in the sight of the light haired man restraining his superior.

"Sir, listen. She's had enough." His large frame exceeded Griffin's; simply stepping in front of him was enough to shield the woman from his rage.

"Maddox, get the fuck out of here," Griffin spat. He attempted to shove the larger man away, but didn't get far. Sam shook her aching head weakly, still groggy as her vision slowly cleared.

She was able to catch a fuzzy glimpse of the light haired man's—Maddox's—unwavering gaze.

"Use your head. We need her." His tone was strong, extremely convincing, and it didn't take long for Griffin to reluctantly step back.

"If you want to get to Fenix," he pointed to the woman, gagged and tied to a chair. "That's your ticket."

"Oh, I'll get that motherfucker," Griffin's eyes blazed at the very mention of the dark haired sergeant; the one who took everything from him.

"But I'm gonna take care of this one first." He motioned to attack Sam again, but Maddox wasn't going to be crossed.

"You stubborn son of a bitch," the older man gripped Griffin's shirt with one hand, holding him in place. His tone was low growl. "You kill her, we have nothing."

After holding the man's gaze for just a moment longer, Maddox released his superior with a look of disgust. Griffin's shocked expression was quickly replaced with that of indignation, and he brushed at his chest, smoothing his clothing.

"Those are my men out there." Maddox's light green eyes were unwavering. "My men. Don't you forget that. We had an agreement, goddamnit!"

"I don't know who the fuck you think you're talking to, but no one tells me what to do in my city," Griffin retorted, seemingly unmoved by the older man's words. "You're fucking right we had a deal, and you're going to keep your end of it."

"I intend to." Darkness took hold of Maddox's features for a moment as he responded.

"Fenix—the COG—they deserve to be punished for their crimes." He turned back to Sam, who was weakly fidgeting in her seat.

"So I won't stand by and watch you throw away our last resort. Your idea of 'revenge' is getting us nowhere. Fenix will come for her, maybe others as well. Then you can make him pay." Maddox paused, exhaling softly before continuing.

"Two of my men are missing because you wanted the woman first," He added, gritting his teeth.

"Two of your guys are missing because they fucked up."

"You gave us nothing to work with! You yourself had only seen her once!" The older man balled his fist, fighting back his anger. "You keep her alive, or we walk. You're choice."

Griffin's eyes seemed to pierce through Maddox's before he shrugged his shoulders with a careless air. "You want her, fine. Keep the bitch. But you listen, and you listen good."

Griffin gripped his pistol, and slowly brought it to Maddox's temple. The man eyed the weapon, but his expression remained strong. He made eye contact with his boss as he spoke.

"I'm giving the fucking orders around here. Not you. If you think you're gonna pull any of that lone ranger shit out there," Griffin pressed the barrel of the gun harder against the man's skull and cocked it, letting the sharp click of metal echo through the room. "I'll blow your fucking brains out. Got it?"

"Yes sir," Maddox responded steadily, his distain for Aaron Griffin palpable as he uttered those two little words.

"Good. Now get that bitch out of here."

Griffin replaced his sidearm, turning on his heal to take a seat at his desk, where he began switching through channels on a small radio. Maddox stood for a moment longer, and then began untying Sam from her chair. She flinched as his fingers brushed her legs, but didn't have the strength to do much else. She'd caught bits and pieces of the two men's heated conversation, but right now, her brain couldn't make sense of any of it. The brunette turned her head to look around, but that little bit of movement made her want to gag. Her eyelids fluttered before the whole world went black.

"I want to thank you for what you did before."

Sam awoke to the sound of a man's voice, but not the one she wanted to hear. It was deep, fierce, slightly accented. Maddox.

Her throbbing head worked to piece everything together. She blinked several times, but couldn't see anything but darkness. It took a moment in her disoriented state to realize she was blindfolded, and Sam wondered how long she'd been unconscious.

"Those men you killed, my men; I didn't like them." Sam smacked her lips, immediately tasting blood, and discovered she wasn't gagged.

"Well, that makes two of us," Sam responded bitterly, voice hoarse with thirst.

"Who the fuck are you anyway?" She asked, attempting to sound stronger than she felt. Her entire face hurt like hell.

"None of your concern," Maddox dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. "All that matters is that you stay very, very still, and do exactly what we tell you. Can you do that?" Sam resented his condescending tone, and bared her teeth as she spoke.

"Oh yeah? And what do you want? I hope it's not what the others wanted, because that won't end so nicely for you either." Despite her weakened appearance, Sam's tone was still venomous. Maddox's expression contorted with disgust, though the brunette couldn't see.

"They were animals. I want nothing of the sort," he stated, resentment flickering in his eyes. Maddox was an asshole; they all were, but it occurred to Sam that perhaps he didn't like the idea of his comrades abusing a woman, soldier or not.

"Fenix on the other hand…" His voice trailed off as his thoughts wandered. "Well, we don't see eye to eye. And because you and your COG have succeeded in destroying close to everything on Sera, we have decided to call Azura home. Fascists such as yourselves have lived in luxury long enough." He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. The color drained from Sam's face as she finally understood.

They mean to kill us. All of us, starting with Marcus… She realized that Griffin had meant what he said about getting even with him a few months ago. He'd wanted to kill Anya first so as to make him suffer before doing him in as well. And then—

They're going to invade Azura.

Sam had grown sick of being blindfolded; she took advantage of her ability to speak immediately.

"You ungrateful bastards! We saved your lives!" The brunette gear couldn't control her anger as she thought of the countless friends she'd lost during the war. Their blood had been spilt in order to save these scumbags. The very idea caused her bruised cheeks to flush.

How many of them are there? I have to get out of here. I have to warn them.

Sam's mind was racing; one part of her was arguing with Maddox, but the other was reeling at the thought of how truly helpless she—everyone was. The remainder of the COG army had reinforced Azura as best as they could, but resources were limited. And she'd witnessed firsthand what Griffin—along with Maddox and his men—was capable of.

"From a problem you created," Maddox responded flatly, his tone even.

"Is that what you think?" Sam's tone mirrored disbelief; Maddox's response pushing everything on her mind aside.

"You really believe we wanted so many people to die? Don't you think if we could have ended the war sooner, we would have? Its people like you who did nothing as my mates fought and died!" Sam's blood boiled as she recalled the hardships she'd endured during her lifetime. "We've all suffered, everyone has!"

Maddox scoffed. "Don't be so noble. Nothing will ever undo the damage you've done." His voice dropped lower as he continued.

"You think you know suffering? I watched as gears dragged my Elise away to a breeding farm. My little girl; taken from me to be raped for 'the good of the species.'" Sam's body went cold for a moment as he leaned close to her face. Maddox must have noticed her slackened expression.

"Oh yes, I've had my share of suffering. We—all my people have." The man's voice was a snarl now.

"You and your Coalition can burn in hell."

Maddox exhaled through his nose before turning away. The room was silent for a minute before Sam heard the man step closer, and her body tensed up immediately. She hated how vulnerable she felt, especially without her armor. Sam glanced blindly at the tear in her tank top, aching to cover the exposed flesh at her ribs. Her feet absentmindedly pushed against the floor, trying and failing to create some distance between herself and her captor.

"Relax," he said, his voice calm again. "We're letting you live, for now." He hadn't put his hands on her, but Sam didn't believe Maddox for a minute.

"Fenix is the one we want, and you're going to bring him to us, just as the blonde would have."

"Oh, really?" Sam's words dripped with sarcasm. "Well, I'm sorry you think that way, because I'll do nothing of the sort," she answered, purposefully imitating his words as she finished her sentence. Maddox had complete control of the situation, and he knew it, which enraged the south-islander to no end.

"But you already have," Maddox stated simply. At that moment, Sam's ears caught the sound of a radio crackling, and Griffin's voice soon afterward, before rough cloth covered her mouth once more.

Two updates in one day? :D I'm sorry for keeping you guys waiting for so long. I'm going to be better with updates (I'll try to be at least.) Thank you for all the reviews and support so far, it's really appreciated :)