AN: God I'm so sorry! To be perfectly honest, I just didn't have the heart to write this chapter and had no idea what I was going to do with it. I'm so sorry and hope this chapter makes up for the terribly long wait.

Warnings for very Graphic Violence in this chapter.

After two months passed, Brock could honestly say he felt whole again, emotionally and physically. The progression of his and Jack's relationship had started off extremely slow but eventually it became as natural as breathing. Sometimes they'd go out to eat or just snack in the hotel. Other times they went for a jog outside, occasionally stopping by any shop that looked interesting enough.

Jack also forced Brock into the pop culture from the seventies all the way up to present day. They watched movies, read books, and now, with absolute certainty, Brock could recite all the significant, and some insignificant, characters in the Star Wars universe.

Also, once he'd built up the nerve, the sex was utterly amazing. It had been awkward and strange at first, but once Brock became use to how Jack moved and reacted, it became easier.

Now they were in fact jogging and Brock was ahead of Jack for the first time in weeks. The feeling was amazing and he pushed himself just a little harder, causing Jack to pick up his pace so he didn't lose him.

He couldn't keep it up for long though, and eventually he slowed down until he was back to a walk.

"God, I feel fucking terrific."

Brock could see Jack smiling from beside him, clearly pleased that Brock was happy. Stretching, Brock mentioned, "We're supposed to be going on a mission fairly soon."

"Really? I haven't heard anything about it."

"Well, it was only in passing and wasn't that important. It was more of an offer that would allow them to assess our abilities and also please me at the same time."

"Former Hydra agent?" questioned Jack.

"Yeah, Agent Sitwell actually. It would be just a quick hit and run. No questions asked. They also have a mission after that for us to capture a Hydra scientist."

"When will we begin?"

Brock shrugged. "Two weeks? Sooner if something comes up but I'd say not long from now."

"Are you sure you're ready?"

"Of course I'm fucking ready!"

Jack sighed, putting his hands up in surrender. Brock of course still had his temper tantrums but they were far fewer than before. And no matter how much he may want to undermine something stupid Brock said or throw in a sarcastic retort, he knew from experience that he'd calm down a lot quicker if he didn't say anything.

Just like clockwork, the anger left Brock's face and he let out his own sigh. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine. I just don't want you to tire yourself. You've already improved drastically in the past month."

Brock nodded as his eyes suddenly perked up. "Oh yeah, I have a checkup today."

"Should we go back—"

"No, you keep running. Find me another good book or something. I'll meet you back at the hotel."

Jack thought about following him but instead just waited until Brock was out of sight and then continued on the usual route. Running pass other early risers, fellow runners, tourists, and inhabitants, Jack made it back to the hotel in about an hour, the city finally in full swing as he walked into the hotel and headed to their room.

Once there, he saw that Brock had clearly been there, probably cleaned up and then headed over to AIM's base. With some free time on his hands, Jack cleaned up and then fell on the bed, picking up a random book. It was in French and though he could pick up a word here and there thanks to his new home, he still had no idea what he was reading. While he flipped back and forth through the pages, he wondered how Brock was doing and if AIM honestly thought he was ready or were just in a hurry to put him into the field.

Stretching, he suddenly froze and then slowly lowered his arms back to his sides. Someone was outside the building. He'd just seen a flick of a shadow but whoever it was probably still was there. He grabbed a knife (one of the many weapons Brock and him had collected over the past few weeks for protection and training). He slowly moved to the door that opened up on the balcony. Edging to the side, he tried to catch a glimpse of the person but no one was there. He quickly moved to the opposite side but there was no one. Finally, he opened up the door and stepped onto the balcony, looking to his right and left.

He felt the air move.

Ducking and spinning around, Brock brought the knife in an upward arc, slashing at the person's middle. The attacker was farther away than he thought though, causing him to stumble just the slightest bit forward. The attacker threw out a punch and instead of getting hit in the face, Jack dropped to the ground, knocking the woman off her feet. Spinning around, he saw another figure, this one a man, climb over the balcony.

Both wore masks and completely black clothing with no recognizable symbols anywhere. He turned, punched the girl in the face, spun back, and just barely blocking a kick from his next attacker. As he blocked and punched, kicked and tried to get his knife to sink into something, Jack was eerily familiar with the man's attacks. In the back of his mind, he noticed how the man seemed to know his own attacks as well.

Then something hit him in the back of the head causing him to fall forward. It wasn't hard enough to knock him out but his eyes swam and his vision went in and out. Jack thought, I knocked her clean out. How the hell is she up?

Another strike came and Jack was down.

Brock had cleaned up and now he was back at AIM, lying flat on his back, and getting the metallic harness that allowed him to move inspected. The scientists double checked that nothing was damaged, everything worked, and looked over scans of white blood cells in the bloodstream and other levels to make sure an infection hadn't occurred.

Taking out part of the contraption from around his ankle, they studied the scar tissue and how Brock's body was healing around the wound. Putting it back in (which didn't hurt now), they moved on to the more physical part. Checking heart rates and breathing, seeing how many pushups he could do, and how far he could run. They even checked sight and hearing though Brock didn't know what that had to do with his lower half.

Finally putting his cloths back on, he just then pulling on his shirt when the head guy rushed in. Confused, Brock's worry quickly spiked.

"What—"

"There's been a complication at your hotel. Rollins is gone," he said quickly.

Those were the only words Brock needed as he ran out of the facility, practically jumping up and down as he went up the elevator, and then ran all the way to the hotel, ignoring how his breathing became shallower and his legs burned.

When he got to the room, there was another AIM agent there. "One came in through the window, the other through the lobby." As Brock rapidly took in the room, the agent quickly pulled something up on the screen. "We weren't able to get any recognition with the attacker from the outside though we presume it was a he. The one that came in through the lobby changed in the elevator however and we have a match for her."

Brock finally turned around, grabbing the screen from the startled man. He didn't need any software to know who it was. Quickly handing it back, he asked, "Any other leads?"

"Only that they left out the window, and got into a black van. The video cameras around this area were manipulated so we lost sight of—"

"That's fine. I know where they're going."

The agent frowned. "Will you need anything? Technology? Backup?"

Brock inspected his array of knives and guns. Finally he looked up. "Do you have a thin wire?"

Jack spit out a mouthful of blood. He looked back up at the man and woman, their masks now off. He didn't need any symbols to know who they were affiliated with. He'd been awoken with a fist to his face, his teeth tearing at the inside of his cheek.

He looked like he was in a basement but whether it was a house of some other type of building he didn't know. It seemed familiar but he was more concentrated on what was occurring in front of him.

"So, you're here to finish us off," Jack mumbled.

The former STRIKE team members nodded. "I can't believe you left," said the man. "And for a cripple no less."

So they didn't know Brock was mobile now. How long had they been tracking their movements? Or had they simply found Jack that morning and decided to take him then and there? Jack tested his bonds. They were sadly just as tight as he would have expected.

"He was our leader. Our friend," replied Jack. "Besides, why didn't you get out Lilly? You spoke of wanting a normal life often enough."

"Everyone is gunning for Hydra agents and Shield agents. There is no normal life. We have to stick together. Besides you should be thankful. If we hadn't gotten to you, Shield probably would have," the woman responded.

Jack snorted. "Thankful. That's funny."

In response, the man punched him in the chest. The hit felt like an iron fist and he could feel it break his sternum. "What the hell Alex!" coughed out Jack, blood splattering in front of him. "How the fuck did you do that?"

"Another reason you should have stayed with Hydra," the man said. "It's a force field, about an inch above every part of our bodies. Not only does it protect us from most attacks but it also can reinforce our own attacks. Pretty nifty."

This time Jack was kicked in the stomach, the feeling just as painful.

"Now that was just the brute force," Lilly said, taking a step in front of Alex. She took out a switchblade and moved it across Jack's line of sight. "Now tell us where Brock Rumlow is."

Brock remembered the safe house. They had used it once during a mission years ago, just outside the main movement of the city. It was a nice house but the area it was in wasn't to great and most people didn't look twice, more focused on the people around them than the scenery.

There wasn't a vehicle in front of the house but it was probably inside (being much larger than it looked). Getting out of the car, weapons covered his entire body. Besides the assortment of knives and two pistols, on his wrist was a black band with a small nob that when pulled revealed a razor thin wire that would slice through skin like butter. He wasn't sure if he was going to need to use it yet or not (it's purpose not normally for hand-to-hand combat). He'd have to assess the situation first. Almost an hour had passed since Jack disappeared.

A lot could happen in an hour.

Brock tested the code on the door. It was the same one as last time. Sloppy. He walked in and closed the door. The entire inside of the house looked normal enough but behind most panels was Hydra and Shield equipment with a wide range of weapons. He waited about five seconds and then the security measurements jumped out. Different types of guns and lasers revealed themselves. If he'd taken a step forward, he would have been chopped into bits.

Staying completely still, five minutes later the security disappeared back into the walls and Brock moved forward freely. He listened for anything but nothing could be heard. The only area sound proofed was the basement. He moved through the house and went through the basement door, the noise of breaking bones and pained groaning filling his ears.

At least Brock now knew he was alive.

He moved down the stairs slowly, making sure to be as quite as possible. The room opened up below him and he could see Jack on the ground. His chest was littered with deep cuts and his breathing was erratic. Above him was Lilly and Alex. Brock recognized them immediately.

He didn't wait another second as he took a gun from his holster and fired at both. The impact caused both to get knocked to the ground but there was a significant lack of blood scattering the back walls.

As the Hydra agents tried to get up, Brock jumped over the railing and knocked Alex back down who was the closest. He brought out one of the larger blades on his person and sliced at Lilly. Though Brock knew he should have cut her open, something was keeping him from doing so. As moved out of the way of Alex's next attack, he tried to pinpoint any odd looking technology. If what was keeping them safe had been ingrained into their physical body then Brock was screwed but it—

There it was.

I small device connected to the back of each of their necks. Hopefully there was a weak spot above that area and he'd be able to break it.

Both Alex and Lilly seemed to notice his sudden change in attacks as they suddenly tried to keep their backs away from Brock. Nevertheless, Brock got Lilly on the ground and began smashing at the area. Though he didn't actually make contact with the device, he could feel it give only to have Alex through him off.

As Brock tried to get the upper hand again, he noticed he no longer heard Jack's ragged breathing. He wondered if he had passed out. He wondered if he'd stopped breathing. All Brock wanted to do was go and check on him but he couldn't.

Finally, he got Lilly down again but this time he went for Alex, hoping that Lilly would stay down longer. The force he put behind each strike was harder than the one before and he finally succeeded in driving the blunt edge of his knife into the back of his neck.

As Alex screamed out, Brock went to work on Lilly, holding her down as he smashed at the device. When he was finally done, he made sure that both people were knocked out before contacting AIM.

"I need a doctor at my location now. No need for backup. Just get a doctor," Brock said. Surprisingly, he wasn't shouting but that was probably because his mind was more focused on Jack.

"Jack," he whispered softly, touching the man's face. He quickly checked to make sure he was still breathing and if he could feel his pulse. The breathing was shallow and uneven but now that he was out, his pulse seemed to be going at a fairly regular pace.

The wounds were extensive and looking at Jack like this twisted his heart up inside.

Letting in the two AIM agents and once Brock was sure that they could take care of Jack, he moved back to Alex and Lilly. Making bonds for their feet and then attaching their heads to some of the pipes, Brock was contemplating waiting for them to wake up or to wake them up himself when one of the AIM agents came over.

"It will take some time before he'll be completely healed but we can take him to the base now and patch him up."

"Do it," said Brock, giving one longing glance to Jack before turning back to Alex and Lilly.

"Um, Dr. Dubois wanted me to give this to you as well sir," the AIM agent quickly added, handing over two small darts and a physical folder. "He said you might appreciate it."

Before Brock could ask any more questions, The AIM agent was quickly leaving with the other and Jack, both careful as to not damage the man any further. When they were gone, Brock read through the folder, the contents of it making his mouth twist into something that couldn't possibly be a smile, but could only be classified as such.

Placing the two darts on a side table, Brock pocketed all his other weapons and then went upstairs to get a bucket of water. Once back down stairs, Alex and Lilly were close enough that one bucket did and both woke shuddering and gasping.

Jack knelt down so that he was eye level with both. "Lilly," he said. "Alex. How great to see you again."

"Brock, we were just given orders. We—aah! Aaah!" Alex's attempts at conversing were cut short as Brock suddenly took out a knife and began to hack at one of his feet. He went at it like a hatchet, causing the most pain he could with every hit.

"You were part of my team." Brock said with a huff, still working at the foot. He voice never rose though. He seemed calm during the whole process. "I trusted you with my life. And now you go and stab me in the back."

"It's not like that Brock. Honest!" Lilly shouted out.

Stopping midway through the bone, Brock dropped the knife and turned to Lilly. "I wish that was true Lilly." He pulled out the wire, holding it in an even line in front of Lilly's throat. He could see her body relax, her eyes beginning to close.

"You honestly think I'm going to kill you?" Brock asked. "If you had simply assassinated Jack like I'm sure you were ordered to do, then I would have done the same. No pain whatsoever. But this was for amusement. For, what I'm presuming, was information that look could have gotten yourself and with less difficultly. You tortured a former team member out either rage or anger so I will simply reflect those same emotions."

Then, instead of slicing through her neck with wire like he could have done, Brock dug it just barely under the skin and then began to drag it up her throat and under her chin. When she started to cry out, Brock shook his head. "Now you wouldn't want to do that. It'll only hurt worse."

He finished slicing off the layers of skin and threw it to the side. "Now, does Hydra know where we are?"

"No!" Alex all about shouted. "We weren't going to report in until we were done. They don't have anything on you! It was all us! We found you. Come on, we're pals Brock!"

"No we were. Past tense. It means we're not pals anymore. Not for the rest of your life. Not that it's going to be a very long life."

"I told you everything! I—"

"And now I have an even better reason to kill you. You're a weak fuck that should never have made it onto my Strike team." Brock then picked up the dropped knife and started hacking at the other leg. This one he got all the way through.

He went like this between the two of them, pulling and pick bits and pieces off of them here and there. Brook took Lilly's ear and after some trouble, was able to work off Alex's nose. He used the wire a lot as well, skinning off different areas, slicing the fingers apart.

The adrenaline he had with him had been brought along just for this too. He had to jumpstart Lilly's heart once, give Alex a smaller dose to keep him awake. When it looked like they were almost gone, only then did Brock go over and pick up the two darts.

It was easy getting the first one into Lilly's mouth now that part of her jaw was gone. He dug it into the back of her throat and pressed a small button on the end. He did the same to Alex though it was a bit tougher as he kept trying to bite Brock's hand.

Taking several steps back, Brock watched as they gagged at the pieces in their mouths, trying to get them out. Strangled cries then begin to emerge as their eyes bulged and blood began to run out their ears. Then their heads exploded almost like a balloon popping. The gore went everywhere, Brock having to wipe some from his eyes.

Covered in blood and in front of two headless corpses, Brock began to laugh, a low, satisfied laugh. It bubbled out of his mouth and he eventually had to double over and grab his sides as it got louder.

It was only then that the events that had passed actually hit him.

The laugh caught in his throat and instead of holding his sides he began holding his knees. Sobs escaped his throat and his hands began to shake. This had never happened before. He had tortured, maimed, killed plenty of times for Hydra but this was the first time he'd done it for himself. He hadn't even been thinking about it. Just the fact that Jack could die because of him was enough to push him over the edge.

Looking at the corpses, he couldn't think of any other time that a sight had been a more gruesome one. Falling to the floor, it took what felt like hours to finally calm his breathing. When he did, he set the facility to self-destruct and then called AIM so that they could clean up the after effect.

He walked away with flames reaching out behind him like a man running from ghosts.