Kit sat beside his mother, father and sister, holding them tightly as he cried. He had been through so much over the last three months, none of it good, but at least he and his family was safe.

Buffy sat opposite to them, his wife sleeping with her head resting on his shoulder. It was a rare sight to see them this way, but some times you just need a little love. And despite all the trouble they kept getting into, they still loved each other.

Ace stood resting up against a large crate with grim frown on his face. He wanted to be the hero, but it was Matthew who was the hero. People would look up to him now and Ace didn't like that, but he felt it was time retire and start a new life.

Matthew checked on all the now freed prisoners and did a head count. The number of people he had on board was two hundred and sixteen. Ratchet and Hal made sure the food was passed around, so that everyone would get their fair share of it.

When everyone had their fill, Matthew saw that Jenna was very tired. "Come on, Jenna," he picked her up in his arms and carried her to his cabin. "I think you need some sleep."

With a smile on her face, Matthew covered her with the covers and tucked her in. As he turned to leave, she took hold of his hand. The weasel looked at the child and smiled.

"Matthew," she yawned, "will you sing to me?"

"Yes." He nodded.

Gibber, Stephen and Charles listened to the song from the other side of the door, all three didn't know how well Matthew could sing. He sang with his whole heart and Jenna fell asleep, smiling.

In another part of the Thunder Hawk was Jay, he sat sadly against the wall of his room. Being still blind, the ex-captain wept, but when he heard his door open, the crying stopped.

"Matthew is that you?" he asked, but his question was answered when a strong hand grabbed him and slammed him down on the floor. Then his attacker picked him up. Jay kicked and swung his fists, hoping to protect himself, but it didn't help him.

The attacker then threw him out into the hall. "Who are you?" he coughed, spitting blood from his mouth.

"The one looking to settle a debt with Matthew Dogsdon." was all the attacker said.

Jay gasped. He knew that voice. "Shere Khan!" A kind of fatalistic paralysis gripped him. He knew. He just knew, somehow-it was too late. He could scream for help-he stood up and opened his mouth-but even as he did, he knew.

And that's when Shere Khan grabbed him.

"Aw shit..." Jay muttered. His last coherent words in his life.

Just down the hall was Lotta who had heard the noise and decided to investigate.

Matthew was also walking down the same hallway to check on Jay and that's when he heard a shout. Someone farther down the hallway, calling his name.

"Matthew!"

It was Lotta's voice.

"Matthew..."

There it was again. He drew his pistol and aimed into the shadows of Jay's room-and spotted her slumped against the wall.

"Lotta!"

He ran to her, jumping over the bed as if it was a rock on a path. He reached her side, hunkered down, taking her hands in his-making her wince. She was hurt. A stab wound to her lower back caught Matthew's eye and she looked up at him weakly, trembling, relief, even happiness in her eyes-but also warning.

"You need to stop him..." she whispered.

"Don't talk, please..."

Shere Khan's voice came from behind. "Last man standing, Matthew..."

Matthew stood, turned to peer into the shadows. Khan stepped forward and turned on a lamp. He had used Lotta as bait.

Shere Khan chuckled, as he said, "I think she needs some of Switchblade's medical attention..." As if there was something funny in the remark.

"Where is Jay?" Matthew asked.

"I killed him." Khan smiled faintly. "Just taking care of a lose end." He glanced over at Lotta. "She's very lovely. A very good choice for a wife, but to bad she's a vixen."

Matthew felt Mad Dog coming back. "You killed Will and Jay..."

"We're all killers here on this earth, Matthew. That's what sin does for us."

Lotta was now shivering as if she was cold, but that was from the shock and blood loss. Matthew quickly took notice of her condition, but never took his eyes off of Khan as he leaned down to help her.

"Lotta, can you crawl out of here and get to the elevator that leads to the hanger?"

"I'm not sure..."

"Try." he pleaded.

Lotta forced her hands to pull herself out of the room as Matthew stood back up. The weasel saw something in the eyes of Shere Khan.

Something inside him, Matthew thought, is coming out to fight Mad Dog. That's what it's all about... The interior demon finally coming out.

Shere Khan smiled. Ducked his head like a bull, looking at Matthew with those ice cold soulless eyes. "You going to shoot me, Mad Dog?" he asked as if unconcerned. Almost amused.

"Yeah, I was thinking about it," Mad Dog admitted.

Shere Khan looked at the pistol in Mad Dog's hand. "Semper fi, Mad Dog."

Matthew took one step back-just one, so he could plant himself for the fight.

"You and me, Mad Dog," Shere Khan said. "Old school."

Making himself clear, Khan threw away the knife he stabbed Lotta with. He looked at Mad Dog with a angry glare.

Mad Dog sighed inwardly. He didn't have time for this. Lotta needed his help, but here was Khan-standing before him, wanting nothing more then to kill him. So he wasn't going to throw away the chance to fight him hand to hand.

So Mad Dog ejected his clip and fired his last round into the ceiling, then threw his weapon aside, removed his vest Lotta gave him, tossed his cloth headgear and flight goggles...

And he stared toward Shere Khan, who was now shirtless. They circled each other slowly, then began moving faster, growing ever so closer until...

"Die!" Shere Khan growled. He rushed Mad Dog and caught him with a hard, pile-driver right, sending him sprawling. Mad Dog kept rolling, turned it into a movement that carried him onto his feet, spun a kick as Shere Khan came, catching him square in the chest and sending him flying into the wall. The wall gave way behind Shere Khan and he crashed to the floor-but the tiger immediately back at Mad Dog...

And the two warriors began hammering on each other toe-to-toe, with more bludgeoning than artifice.

Shere Khan got up again, this time wiping blood trickling from the side of his mouth. "You will learn one thing from this fight, Mad Dog," he growled, a dark look on his face.

"Oh, and what's that?" Mad Dog asked, but as he swung another punch, Shere Khan grabbed Mad Dog's arm and flung him backwards onto the ground.

"That you are just as mortal as all the people I've been killing over the past twenty years."

The Tiger then grabbed Mad Dog by the leg and brought his foot down, breaking his left leg. The weasel screamed in agony, but Shere Khan was far from done. With both hands, Shere Khan lifted Mad Dog off floor and held him above his head.

"Ask yourself this: What will break first? Your body or your spirit?" Shere Khan then preformed a back breaking knee blow to Mad Dog.

All Mad Dog could feel was his spine snapping. His eyes were filled with tears as he looked up at Shere Khan, who was smiling. A smile so cold that only the prince of darkness could do. But, even if his back was broken, Mad Dog would not give up. No! He would never give up.

With great speed, Mad Dog threw his arms up and grabbed Shere Khan by throat. He was going to kill him even if he had to choke him, but...

The tiger punched Mad Dog in the face and broke his grip. "I think it is time to end this," he said.

Stunned, Mad Dog looked up to see Khan ripping off a part of metal railing. He started bending the long chunk of metal around his hand and his lower right arm, making a gauntlet with ragged metal.

Mad Dog couldn't help but smile-he was still in great pain from his back being broken. Shere Khan was on him in a matter of seconds, slamming into him with the improvised gauntlet, pummeling Mad Dog, throwing him against the wall, hitting him and throwing him once more, so that Mad Dog felt like he was inside a death trap.

Shere Khan then kicked him in the ribs, breaking a few, then threw across the hall. Mad Dog still wanted to fight because something inside him kept him going. Images of Lotta's beauty flashed before his eyes. Yes, that is why I won't give up. Mad Dog thought, as he pulled himself to his feet, forgetting that his back was still broken.

He turned to see Shere Khan twisting a piece of metal on his gauntlet into a spike, and he lunged at Mad Dog. He threw a hand out to block it and Khan plunged the raw blade into Mad Dog's right hand-and through it. Mad Dog reeled with pain, as Shere Khan pressed the blade, and Mad Dog's hand, back toward his face...

Mad Dog tried to put all his strength into his left hand, but it was like he was trying to stop an entire football team.

Mad Dog had one last chance to defeat his foe. He shifted to his left foot, pivoted, ignoring the pain, and body-kicked Shere Khan hard with every ounce of strength left-so hard that Shere Khan was propelled backward, the spike and Khan both flew backwards back into Jay's room.

"Like you said, Khan...We're all killers here on this earth." He smiled thinly, then reached over into a box of explosives that laid next to him, pulled out a grenade, pulled the pin-and tossed it into the room after Shere Khan. "Now go to hell!" he said.

As Khan got back to his feet, he saw the grenade. He opened his mouth to curse, but the curse was already spoken and the grenade exploded, consuming Shere Khan and the room in a ball of flame.

Matthew had won the fight, but he was in bad shape. First his eye sight began to become blurry. He felt it hard to breathe, he was starting to feel cold, he was starting to lose control on his body.

He started to hear his own heartbeat beginning to slow down.

Thump...Thump...Thump...

Then the last thing he saw were his friends coming down the hallway, running up to him with Switchblade following close behind them. That's when Matthew looked up and saw a white light comic closer to him.

You have come to take me home, Matthew thought, then closed his eyes.

Thump...Flat line. . . . .

One week later...

"...Police officials and Cape Suzette Military have confirmed that billionaire, Shere Khan, CEO of Khan Industries was indeed using slave labor as a method of obtaining treasure buried on the island of Death. It has now been confirmed that Matthew Dogsdon, who is in critical condition, was in charge of the rescue of the prisoners, no details on the rumors that Don Karnage has gone missing."

Two weeks later...

"...The body of Shere Khan has been released to Daryl Macintosh-who has stated that the body be buried at sea."

Three weeks later...

"...This just in-ex-Starrywood starlet, Kitten Kaboodle, has just inherited all of the late Mr. Khan's businesses. This was confirmed when a copy of the Khan's family will was released to the now pregnant Kitten Kaboodle."

One month later...

"..In a related story, the Bruinwald family have received a donation of two million in gold from a unknown caller. Still no word on Matthew Dodsdon's condition."

Three months later...

"...Crew Members of the Iron Vulture have been granted bail and their criminal records have been erased."

You think Matthew pulled through? Who gave the Bruinwalds the money? All will be revealed in the last three chapters.

Please review.