A/N: I know that I've taken a while to actually continue this story; I've somehow ended up with two different ways on how this story should go. Certain parts of both sounded good to me, so I kind of combined them and added a bit more during editing. This is probably the longest chapter I've ever done. I know some parts do not quite fit with what I wrote in earlier chapters, but I hope to fix that.

italics are thoughts
#italics# is a flashback
~word~ is signing

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.

Chapter 8

Sometimes Christian would let her hang form these shackles for hours; bleeding from various wounds. His whip was barbed with metal and tore at her skin with every lash. She had become very familiar with its bite over the past few days, and even more over the past few hours. It was not the worst of treatment she had ever experienced, but no one else needed to know that.

He had left her alone so she could consider her options; which she had been doing for longer than he knew. She had been making plans and deciding how to go about with them. She had planned to be caught trying to escape this time and to be in this position again. It didn't matter how she felt about this situation; someone would die if she did nothing, and in all likelihood it would be a death she would rather prevent. Mobius was right; if she wanted to stop Christian it would have to be from the inside, and that meant having to get close to him. Even if she found the task distasteful, it would not be the first time she felt that way. The fact that no Black Dragon had killed another Black Dragon. That meant nothing at all to her; because if that was what it took to protect them, then so be it.

The door behind her clicked open; she heard the rattling of several keys, and the lock turning again. Like the pain of the lashing whip or his threats, she refused to react to his entry.

"Are you ready to continue, Phoenix, or do you require more time?" Christian asked as he walked around her.

"Why do you continue to ask for something you know I will not give you, Christian? You know, I'll never give it to you." Scarlett answered calmly.

"It isn't as if I'm asking for much, pretty bird. You can end your pain if you just give me a little information." He said with a sigh. As though it pained him to be doing this, she was not fooled.

"I suppose you are right, Christian. It really is not a lot to ask; however, it really is not mine to say, and for that reason I will not tell you anything. Besides, you really don't have any interest in the answers, do you? This whole conversation has no relevance at all, not to you at least."

"True enough, pretty bird, I don't need to know anything about the people I kill." he said, using the nickname she hated. Christian was looking for a reaction that was easy enough to see, a single careless action could ruin everything. She had survived this long by knowing how to keep secrets from people; even the ones most knowledgable about her, she could hide her feelings from Christian easily.

"If you could kill them; then you would have done it already. What you really want to know is how far am I willing to go to keep you from doing that.'' she responded.

"Are you implying that I cannot kill them?" he asked, his tone shifting to threatening.

"I didn't think you were an idiot, but yes. That is exactly what I'm saying." she answered nonchalantly.

The sound of metal striking the concrete floor as he unwound the whip was audible after her statement. For the first time since he had entered; she met his dark almost jet black eyes. She found his eyes somewhat disturbing; they were hard glassy black, almost like a shark's.

"It was not my intention to offend you Christian. Only that it seems foolish to attempt to blackmail someone; then do away with your only leverage, and especially before the job is done. You know me Christian. I'm actually no one's friend, I choose my alliances very carefully, and I tend to keep those alliances. My actions are unpredictable in these cases at best; that's why you wanted leverage before you approached me, and that is also the reason that HE cannot control me. If you truly wish to know the limits to which I'll go; you simply need to ask."

He watched her very closely as she spoke; waiting for some signal of deception in her almost glittering blue green eyes, but all he saw there was disdain. He already knew that she despised him; it had been that way since the beginning, and he felt much the same. He eyes were possibly the only way to know her feelings; they seemed to shift color with her emotions, mostly varying shades of blue and green. He hated her eyes and the way she looked at his, as through she could see into the very depths of his soul.

"Very well, Phoenix, how far are you willing to go in order to keep them unharmed?" he asked.

"In order for you to leave them be? What you want is Kenneth Irons dead, correct?" she questioned,calmly and softly.

"Of course, that is our main objective." Christian replied.

"The who better to accomplish that goal than the assassin he himself engineered? He put an awful lot of time and money into making me the perfect assassin; so it would be a nice bit of irony, wouldn't you think? To have the killer he created kill him." Scarlett remarked, coldly. With her icy tone, her eyes seemed to turn a pale icy blue that nearly glowed. That particular color was well known among the Black Dragons; it usually meant someone's impending or recent demise, and was frequently seen after she was sent out alone. Very few of them would approach her without caution when they saw that color.

"You are willing to kill Kenneth Irons for me as long as I leave your current allies out of this affair. Very well, Phoenix. As long as they stay out of my way, I will not do anything to harm them. I understand how important it is for you to keep your current alliance, although I must express my curiosity as to why this sudden change of heart. I had heard you are something of an outsider."

"There are few places we as Black Dragons can go and not be outsiders, Firebird. As to my decision the reasons are my own; they include but are not limited to the simple fact that I owe a life debt, and you know I take my debts very seriously." she finished.

"Your debts are important to you, I can understand that. I wouldn't ask you to go against it, because it's who you are. I do, however ask you to afford me the same respect in the things I feel I must do." He said. The keys jingled as he reached up to undo the shackles. He then turned and left the room, leaving the door open behind him.

Scarlett rubbed at her wrists where the shackles had cut in to her skin, as she watched his exit. She wondered what to do now; as long as they stayed away from this, it would be okay. Through, she somehow had a feeling that was not in the cards, especially if Ian had anything to do with it. Either way it was a bad deal; she had promised Christian the death of Kenneth Irons, and that would bring her in to direct conflict with Ian. She would rather stay as far away as she could get from Irons and not fight against Ian.

Knowing Ian, he's already guessed at her real intentions for accompanying Christian and the others. He's already looking for some form of assistance; the problem with that was there were very few people that could come close to fighting on the same level as a a Black Dragon. The problem was she did know of at least two who were very close from what she's seen; she had no doubt that Ian knew that now as well, Christian would keep his word as long as they stayed away. Christian's part of the deal would end the second they set foot on these grounds; he couldn't ask her to act against them because of the debt she owed, but that did not mean that he could not act.

That meant that if Ian choose to take advantage of the information and the resources he had at his disposal; she would have to renegotiate with Christian, if he managed to catch them and assuming they did come here. Christian did not adhere to the principles of the life debt; nor did he remotely care who did, but there was a good reason why she chose to mention it to him at that moment.

According to the precepts governing the Black Dragons; if a Dragon owes their life to someone and that person is killed by accident or design, it is within rights for that Dragon to hunt and kill the one responsible. That was the case with Danny; while she would have submitted to Sara and Jake's authority, she still would have killed Dante eventually. It was also the reason she hadn't specified to who the debt was owed; none among the Black Dragons are willing to risk becoming her target.

"So you've done it?" Hector asked quietly, from where he was now standing in the doorway.

"If I hadn't done it, I'd still be hanging from the damn ceiling. In fact, it's probably not a moment too soon. If I know the way Ian works, and I know my own allies well enough, most likely they're already on their way here. Which also means the deal has already gone sour." she answered, equally as soft.

"How bad?" Hector asked.

"Christian will not harm them unless they interfere with his plans."

"I see. If they do come here..." he paused.

"It will be seen as an interference. If I hadn't taken the deal they would be fair game; even though I've agreed to his terms, they're still fair game. It's not as though it's a surprise; Christian enjoys other people's pain, I know he's enjoying the position I've been put in." she remarked calmly, turning to pick a blade from the table nearby.

"He's a real bastard." Hector commented as he saw the tattered bloody remains of the back of her shirt. immediately he slipped off his jacket and offered it to her, continuing;

"Filthy, fucking bastard. How dare he do this to you, you are our sister."

"It's of little consequence, Hector. Thanks though, for both the jacket and the outrage." she commented with a small smile for him. Then she continues;

"Actually I think I've interfered with Christian's little threat. Please inform the others that I owe my allies my life; it is the truth." she said, as she turned the knife in her hands.

"You're going to invoke a life debt, so it's that serious then?" he asked, just a hint of displeasure in his voice.

"It is. Everyone know what that entails, so there should be no mistakes. Also, please tell Alex that I will be needing his assistance." she said, wincing a little as she pulled the jacket on. Hector glanced at her after hearing her quiet hiss of pain.

"The others will not stand for this disregard of respect; they will want to act, and I'm not sure if I will be able to stop them." Hector stated, softly.

"Tell them that I said not to do anything, if you must tell them anything. After all I've done in order to achieve the results we need, I will allow nothing to ruin this chance. I will do what must be done, and nothing will stand in my way." Phoenix answered, taking the dagger and throwing it at the wall. The blade embedded itself into the concrete from the force of her throw; Hector stared at it for a moment as she left the room, and then he followed after her.

Alex stared silently at the long, bleeding red marks across her back left by Christian's whip; and he sighed. Christian was brutal with her once again, I can understand why Hector did not want me to say where I was going, and why I should not say anything that I see.

"Sorry to call you about this again, Alexei." she said, catching both the sigh and the pained look he gave her.

"It's not a problem, it is my job after all." he answered; only she called him by that name, because only she was allowed to use it. He had done this every time before; usually he was informed by Hector, and it was not lost on Alex that she had called on him this time. Considering that she was one of the more difficult patients in his experiences, the fact that she had asked for him said a great deal about the past few hours. It's hard to believe that one of us would be capable of doing this to another, considering all we've been through, and what we share.

"It's not of any consequence, Alexei. I've already told Hector not to let anyone act on this." she said, as if she was responding to his thoughts. She did that occasionally; seeming to respond to an unasked question or thought from one of the other Black Dragons, and it was nothing to any of them. It was a fact that they could all sense or feel something of the others on some level; it was strangely unsettling at first, but they had gotten used to it. That sense of each other had even saved their lives a few times.

"How many?" Alex asked quietly as he traced the lines gently with the alcohol soaked cloth. If it hurt, she did not react to the pain, but then pain was relative and an advantage. In her own words, pain let you know that your still alive.

"Two hundred and thirty seven; I counted them all, and that was the longest set." she replied, numbly.

"Thanks to our enhanced healing; since they are all superficial flesh wounds, these will all be sealed and gone in a matter of days. Hector said that you invoked the life debt, in order to keep your allies from harm, and that should force even Christian to hesitate." he commented.

"You don't find it odd for me to do so; especially since I know what happens to people who get close to me, and so does everyone else." she stated. She was distant now, her tone cold and mechanical. It was something he had seen before, something that all the Black Dragons feared, and it was very deadly.

Ian had discovered it first; he had described it correctly when he said that it was like she disappeared, and it felt so much colder in he presence. She locked away a part of herself; perhaps it was her heart or maybe her soul, but she did it in order to complete her missions. She slipped into the assassin persona far too easily in the last two days; they all knew she was preparing herself. This was the killer Irons had created, but could not control.

"Phoenix? Phoenix." he spoke, urgently; as the only one present he needed to keep her present in herself, and not let her fall any further into that state. Call her back; it hasn't been long, I should be able to reach her still. If I cannot reach her, I'll have to go get Hector; because Ian is not here. It's too dangerous to let her stay like this; she's deadly enough without it.

Alex's unease grew when she did not respond; she stayed silent and did not even acknowledge his presence. This was where things usually got dangerous; the part of her that is the assassin did not like distractions of any kind, and did not tolerate any interference with the mission. He walked around her until he was directly in her line of sight; noting that her eyes were that dangerously pale blue, and this time he reached out for her shoulder knowing that physical contact could provoke a reaction from her. It worked either way though; she could either return to herself or beat him to a pulp. The assassin did not seem to recognize friend or foe, only her target.

"Shana." Alex said; his hand fell heavily on her shoulder, and he braced himself for an attack that thankfully did not come. She blinked and it was over. The ice blue of her eyes and the chill in the room that he sensed gave way to the more usual blue green and more temperate conditions in the room.

''I was gone again, wasn't I?" she asked softly, after she read the fear in his eyes.

"Yes, are you okay now?" he asked, finishing his careful work.

"I'm fine now, thank you, Alexei." Her tone was even; she appeared to be calm and reassuring, but he had noticed it. When Phoenix concentrated she could hide her emotions; even from her eyes but not at this time. The shifting color of her eyes is the deepest darkest blue.

"I didn't mean just your injuries." He said, softly and carefully.

"I know what you meant, but I don't have an answer to your actual question," she remarked, pensively.

Is it worth it?" he asked suddenly, startling her.

"I believe it is, Alexei. I've learned a lot away from the rest of you; I have something to fight for, and I've changed myself because of that. I made this bargain with Christian because I only wanted to do what I could; it's not the best choice, and it may even be the worst. Even if it is I just want everyone to live."

"Does that include you?" he asked quietly, already suspecting the answer. She meet his eyes for a moment; the darkest blue of the ocean's depths enough to drown anyone, but she said nothing and looked away.

He left soon after that probably to tell Moby of her state. She knew very well why Alexei had been afraid; it was far too easy for her to lose herself in that state, even if she hadn't truly done so in years. At first it had been uncontrollable when it happened but she had learned how to, and it even became helpful for a time. That had changed though; but in this current situation it was tempting to use it.

There are no doubts or fears in that state of mind; only the mission, and nothing else mattered because nothing else existed. Everything made perfect sense and fit in to place. It made things so much easier for her but there are reasons that it so troubled the other Black Dragons. When she let go of her sense of self and became immersed in the darkness where the assassin is the only one who exists; no one and nothing else mattered but the task at hand. There are no friends or foes in that state only her objective.

Danny had suggested that she locked away some part of herself when she was in that state, and that was where the the danger of it existed. She is levels beyond the other Dragons in that state; both as a combatant and a strategist. Anyone nearby becomes an obstacle to the completion of her mission and are treated as such. Both Moby and Ian had been viciously beaten trying to stop her; being the way that they are they never even attempted to fight back, and had suffered many broken bones for their troubles.

As tempting as the clarity that state of mind offered her; she had learned to fear it after that time, and she did not want o learn what it meant. The person she had been before; back when she had known who she was, would have never attacked either of them. It scared her to know what could happen if she let go. Ian had said that she was physically present but something vital inside was not; it was only luck that they could reach her, and call that part of her back into herself. It was too dangerous to lose herself now; she did not want to know exactly what she was capable of like that, and especially not with the things currently at risk.

Her hand touched the gold pendent that hung off the thin gold chain around her neck.

It was starting to get late in the day; it would be dark very soon and the night would hide the three of them well. Dragon's knowledge of Christian Blair had brought them here; where everything had been exactly as Ian had said it would be. It made Snake Eyes wonder how Ian was getting this information in such detail; either he has been given the information somehow or he was involved even deeper that he had claimed.

They had decided to move in after dark. Stormshadow was watching the dilapidated looking building for movement now; Jinx had reported seeing a few people outside of it but no sign of Scarlett. This thing with the Black Dragons was yet another mystery that had appeared since the White Bulls in New York. It seemed there were a lot of secrets surrounding her, connected to her; and it gave Snake Eyes a lot to think about. Danny Woo had been her connection to the White Bulls; his murder had been the reason she refused to walk away from that. She had disappeared again the night the trial had ended; he had noticed but he didn't say anything about it. There are apparently a lot of things she wouldn't speak of to anyone, except Ian. That brought to mind his private conversation with Ian that day.

#Ian's private study was austere; to the point that it could have been an unused room. The walls were made of mahogany and the single desk was made of ebony; there was a small bookshelf stocked mostly poetry and classical works, and a black leather arm chair on one corner. The only item in the room that seemed to be personal was the light brown leather bound sketchbook on the desk. The cover was worn from use and there were several pencils on the desk around it.

Ian brushed his hand over it; almost caressing it before he opened it and started flipping the pages. He had yet to say anything.

"This is my most valuable possession; it was a gift from my sister before I had to let her go, and it's important to me because of that. It's also important because it contains my memories of her. Mr. Irons doesn't like personal attachments, he calls any personal items 'useless clutter' but I will not give this up." he said, turning the pages with care.

"I asked you in here because I felt you might be able to understand what I say. And because there are things you should know. I will tell you as much as I can. The first time I meet Shana I was struck by how beautiful she is, how open and friendly she was. I have spent my life with nothing and then suddenly I had friends, I had family. I'm very close to my sister and I enjoy that very much, but HE found out about her. And she paid a price for letting me in; there's a darkness inside of her, and it's going to consume her. I've watched her bare it with a smile, and all the while I could only watch knowing I was unable to help her. I watched that burden become heavier and heavier; until it nearly crushed her, and I knew I had to find a way to save her." Ian glanced up away from the sketchbook, his hazel eyes meeting and measuring the man in front of him.

"Between Daniel and myself, we were able to remove her from HIS attention. Even though I hated letting her go; I knew she was safer somewhere else, and I could have that little peace of mind. I didn't see her again until the White Bulls incident; I knew who you were the moment I laid eyes on you, and I found myself both envious and hateful of you. You were free to keep her; you were the one she turned to, and at the end she would leave with 's why I challenged you in the hospital; I wanted to fight you, and beat you so I could take her back. I never had siblings; so I wonder if this is how brothers feel when they discover they're no longer the only ones in their sister's lives. And then HE make me realize that I could not protect her from HIM, not the way that you probably can. For as much as I love my sister; I know I can't keep her safe by having her with me." he said, sighing.

~Is it Blair you are talking about? She seemed scared of him.~

"She fears Blair because he's a sadist who delights in the pain of others and he has an odd fascination with her pain. I would make things easier if it was Blair that I spoke of, but it's not. She fears Blair; she doesn't need protection from him, and when the time comes that he's pushed things too far he will be the one in need of protection. No, the one I speak of is much worse; I know from experience. I've done things from here that help keep her safe; it's all that I can do, and it keeps my sister safe from HIM which is all I want. I know that she must feel the same way about you and those two out there. And it must go both ways because you're standing here." Ian said,watching the man before him.

"What do you think she would do if Blair was to threaten the lives of those two outside? Or more likely your life? What would she do? What would you do if it was reversed?" Ian asked.

~Find a way to stop him. Kill him first if it came down to it.~

"I'm certain that's precisely what she intends to do. She went with Blair because it was the only thing she could do; in order to keep you safe, and it became a risk she is willing to take only for you. Now realizing that, will you jeopardize it by rushing forward to help? " Ian asked, depending on the answer he would know much about this man.

~I have to go there; because it's what I can do. Even if it makes her angry, or puts me in danger; I have to do it. Even if she doesn't need me there.~

"No, she needs you much more that you know; perhaps even more that she realizes herself. You can help her when I cannot, protect her where I cannot, and you can save her from what no one else can. For that alone I willingly entrust her to you." Ian said, his hands closed tightly on the cover of the book.

~You keep that book with you to remind yourself why you do the things you must do.~

"Yes. That painting out there is the only one I've allowed to be displayed; I see it every time I come in this house and every time I leave. I use it to remind myself of why I am here." he replied as he set the sketchbook down on the table with reverence.#

Ian's words gave him a lot to think about. Scarlett, Ian Nottingham, Christian Blair, and the Black Dragons. And someone Ian would not name. It was a puzzle, and not only were the pieces not fitting together; some were missing altogether. A mystery that was wrapped in a riddle and cloaked in a conundrum. He fingered the small golden bird pendent; he had noticed the way Ian had stared at it, and had the feeling that he should not have it out in the open. Ian had recognized it that was certain; he had been surprised to see it, but did not seem alarmed by it.

That had been a relief because that person Dan had seemed like a nice guy. He thought maybe he was the one Ian was talking about; the nameless enemy that Ian was keeping away.

Night had fallen; it was time.

End note: Chapter 9 needs a little more work before it's posted. It should by finished in a couple of weeks. Maybe less; it depends on when I feel satisfied with it.

Thanks for reading; please leave a review, and let me know what you think of it. Maybe it will help me post faster.