"Marcus Fenix."

Aaron Griffin stated the sergeant's name flatly, as if the two words left a terrible taste in his mouth.

"What the hell do you want?" Marcus' voice was low and steady as usual, but something in his tone was different. It wasn't him just trying to stay calm; he was growling, and Anya found herself swallowing hard as he bared his teeth while he spoke into the radio.

"I said I'd get even with you, bitch."

"I said what the hell do you want?" Marcus' tone was the same as before, but the way his icy blue eyes fixed hard on the distance was a clear indication that his patience was wearing thin, fast.

"You know what I want Fenix."

There was muffled movement and scrambled voices coming over the radio, then Delta could make out a woman's voice; her words were stifled. Marcus' jaw set tight when he realized Sam was gagged.

"Your bitch could use some manners. But she isn't your bitch, is she,"

"She didn't do anything to you." The dark haired sergeant's already hushed growl dropped even lower, cutting Griffin's sentence short.

"Real shame too, I was lookin' forward to seeing Anya again." The group could envision the nasty smirk spreading across Griffin's lips as he spoke. Marcus' expression slackened ever so slightly at the mention of the blonde's name, obviously on edge as he wondered how Griffin had figured it out. "But this one will do just fine…," he added before Sam's muffled voice filled the small room again.

Cole placed a hand on Baird's shoulder; not a comforting touch, but more of a restraining grip as he noticed the mechanic's cheeks flush with anger. Baird's nostrils flared as he exhaled deeply, clearly fighting back the urge to scream.

"She was following orders." Marcus stated, ignoring the man's previous comment. "This is between you and me." He paused before snarling "let her go."

"You don't seem to understand," Griffin carried on after Sam's voice was drowned out by the scuffle of boots. "I lost people I cared about, my family because of the COG; because of people like her. You've all got blood on your hands. You're all fascist, heartless pieces of shit who don't give a fuck about whose lives you ruin as long as you're following orders."

His voice lost its know-it-all confidence for a moment as he continued. "You took everything from me. I've got some scores to settle."

Anya kept very still with the rest of her squad as Marcus stood, unblinking. The female gear half expected him to jump through the radio and strangle Sam's captors right there. His gravelly voice shook her from her thoughts.

"I know it's not her you want, or Lieutenant Stroud," Marcus said coolly. "It's me. And I'll be happy to oblige."

"You got one day, motherfucker. Hand yourself over, and you can have her ass," Griffin spat, ignoring the formalities and Marcus' uncharacteristically cocky tone. "But don't waste too much time."

Baird's stomach somersaulted as Sam's muffled protests reached his ears again.

"I know I won't," he added smugly.

The group heard a crack, like bone on bone which made their entire bodies go numb. Anya cringed and turned away, shielding herself from the invisible scene. Sam whimpered through the gag, and Griffin chuckled softly.

"I'm gonna have some fun with this bitch."

That was all it took.

Baird got loose from Cole's hold in a less than a second, and grabbed the radio from Marcus without hesitation. The action even seemed to take the sergeant off-guard, as he let his now empty palm stay extended before lowering his arm slowly. It wasn't like Baird to cross the line like that, not with him.

"Listen, asshole!" There was what could only be described as pure, unbridled rage blazing in the blonde's eyes. "You lay another finger on her; I swear you'll be begging for a bullet to the head by the time I'm done with you! You hear me? You leave her the fuck alone!"

There was a pause which seemed to last for hours, interrupted only by Baird's ragged breathing. When Griffin's voice finally came over the radio again, his tone was different, if only for a second. Baird had clearly struck a nerve with the man. It could have been labeled as fear, genuine fear if he'd not been able to mask his words so well.

"You got one day, bitch."

White static came through the device's small speakers now, and Cole watched with pity as his friend's shoulders slumped. Baird let the little radio hit the desk and then shoved past Marcus, who was facing the floor; eyes shut, his expression blank.

The blonde gear breathed heavily, leaning to rest both hands on a table opposite his friends. His breathing grew more rapid, as if he were on the verge of hyperventilating before he kicked a file cabinet, denting the weak metal.

"They're hurting her," Baird breathed, almost too low to hear. His face was unsettlingly pale, a stark contrast to the tips of his ears, which were an unhealthy shade of red.

"Those fucking animals!" he shouted, clenching his teeth towards the end of his sentence. Baird pushed a stack of papers off the table before turning on his heal to leave, slamming the door behind him. Anya motioned to go after him, but Marcus caught her by the arm. She jumped, startled by his sudden movement. He hadn't even budged as Baird lost his temper.

"Leave him alone," Marcus's voice sounded hurt as he released her. "Just…give him a minute."

They'd all had a feeling that Baird and Sam had grown close, but the mechanic's strong reaction to the present situation was verification, and they knew he wouldn't be able to handle the worst. Damon Baird had spent his entire life avoiding close relationships so as to shield himself from the pains of loss. It was just as well that the first person he'd truly grown to love would be taken from him. And like this too…Those bastards…

Marcus met Anya's eyes, then Cole's. The ex-thrashball star had been standing quietly, arms folded, staring at the floor. He couldn't bear to see his best friend be put through such agony. And poor Sam…they were—

He couldn't even think about it.

Marcus did a slow blink, searching their faces before speaking, his voice all business.

"Delta, let's move."