Saw 2 begins...

Shout out to One-Step-From-Hell and her smilies!

Enjoy!

Chapter 17

Adam's apartment was the absolute epitome of the 'shit hole' he had described it as. It consisted of a tiny kitchen that also had a table and chairs for a dining room. A living room with a dark wallpaper and two bedrooms. Adam's actual bedroom was a single bed with clothes tossed all over the room so it looked as if a bomb had hit it with a chest of drawers there were band posters and pictures, probably taken by Adam himself on the walls and his alarm clock was ringing loudly. Adjacent to his equally dingy bathroom was the other bedroom Adam had converted into his dark room. This was the room Ivy had been most interested in when she visited briefly before but hadn't dared to touch anything in Adam's private sanctuary. It was so entirely Adam that picturing him on her what now seemed plush creamy sofas was an unusual picture.

Adam himself was currently standing rooted to the spot and Ivy had to come back to pull him through the doorway. He seemed haunted with his eyes fixated on one point. "Adam what's wrong?" She asked gently taking his hand but he wouldn't budge. "Adam?"

"I don't know about this Ivy. Something feels really off." Adam whispered. He looked possessed and his breathing was beginning to come in more rapid breaths. Ivy ran her hands up his arm to console him.

"Adam it's okay. It's just your apartment." This time he let her lead him into the living room where she flipped the switch on his light. There was a foul, stale smell in the air that made Ivy want to plug her nose. The light didn't switch on.

"Fuckers have shut me off;" Adam hissed, he was referring to the electric company, "and what the fuck?" Adam stared at the blank space that should have been opposite his beaten up sofa. The cheap television set that should have been was missing, wrenched from it's sockets.

"Someone must have jivied the door open, it wasn't locked when we opened it was it?" Ivy asked sadly wondering how much it had cost the starving photographer. "Come on we need to speak to the landlord."

"No wait." Adam whispered and Ivy looked up at him. He pointed towards his kitchen with a shaking finger and his fast breaths were back as they approached.

"Hang on." Ivy said digging in the handbag she had took with her till she retrieved an object from her purse and switched it on. The light from the torch illuminated the fridge with magnets and the oven before flashing onto something that made Ivy drop the torch as her heart jumped into her mouth. Adam too had jumped on seeing it and the two were plunged into darkness.

"Oh my god..." Adam began taking in far more air than he needed to. In the darkness Ivy grabbed onto Adam holding him to her as his body began to shake again as another panic attack crashed over him. She could feel his heart beat accelerating as she held him in her arms.

"Adam calm down you need to calm down. Remember you need to breathe." Ivy said as something wet began to trickle into her hair as she pressed Adam as close as his body could possibly get to her. "ADAM!"

"Closet!" Adam cried through the attack as he staggered out of her arms till he smacked against the wall and slid down it with a nasty crack. Ivy's hands scattered along the floor as she tried in vain to find the torch on the floor. Kneeling on the floor Ivy's hand found the torch, her own fear being spiked by Adam's continued attacks which could escalate into a heart attack if she couldn't calm him soon. The light still wouldn't come on and chucking it to one side Ivy tore back to Adam and heaved him off the floor.

"Adam we need to go. You need to calm down."

"CLOSET!" He screamed in pure terror as Ivy hauled him back down his hallway and out of the open door into the welcoming light. Ivy enveloped Adam in her arms one hand cradling the back of his head like one would with an infant as she whispered words of comfort in his ears. She gently rocked form side to side as his shoulders shook uncontrollably and the hot tears fell down his cheeks staining them in fearful memories. It seemed like hours before Adam finally calmed down as loud thumping made it's way up the stairs.

"What the hell is going on?" Snapped a large, balding man whom reminded Ivy of Humpty Dumpty as he stood there eying Adam and Ivy with bulging eyes. He smelled of chip grease and his eyes roved over every inch of Ivy's body.

Ivy detached herself from Adam who had gone ramrod straight in embarrassment. "Detective Ivy Reeves, I'm afraid I'm going to have to call in this apartment as a crime scene." Ivy reported formally flashing the man her newly issued badge.

The landlord hardly cared, his gaze was still down Ivy's top. Adam coughed loudly and the man's glanced at Adam. "Your back." He said bluntly.

"Yeah I'm back and that's my girlfriend." Adam said drawing a protective arm round Ivy. Ivy stared up at Adam in complete shock that single word echoing in her head. She had wanted this but had never expected Adam to just come out and say it; unless it was a front for his perverted landlord.

"My mistake. You owe me a month's rent kid." The landlord sneered, "I want it in a week and if it's not there I'm booting you out."

"There will be a police investigation for who knows how many weeks considering this was a kidnapping." Ivy interjected.

"Then he's out!" Sneered the landlord. "Fucking waste of space, all the complaints I've had with breaking and entering, police, parties and overdue rent. Had enough you can pack now." He snapped turning on his heel and wobbling at the transference of weight as he humped back down the steps.

Ivy looked at Adam who was staring after the man. "Don't worry we'll put you up somewhere."

"Yeah thanks." Adam smiled before taking her hand again and leading her down the flights of stairs.

"I could never walk these everyday." Ivy said stepping down the final flight.

"Too many donuts at work." He joked.

"Your one to talk." Ivy pushed as she got her phone out once again, only this time it rang in her hand. "Your family not rung you yet?"

"No, not yet." Adam looked away running a hand through his hair. "Hey thank you back there, for helping me." Adam said taking her in his arms and holding her close once again, Ivy's cheeks blushed at the intimacy as she went answered, an arm still round Adam.

"Detective Ivy Reeves, Homicide."

"It's Allison."

"Hey Allison, listen I'm at Adam's apartment and that freaky Jigsaw puppet is still here? I thought you searched his apartment and would have got rid of it?"

"What you mean there's another one?" Allison's voice came through on the line. "You mean you've found another one there?"

"Yes." Ivy turned to look at Adam in fear. He caught her panicked look again and his face soon reflected hers when he lent towards the phone to listen in.

"But listen we need you to come to the station asap. Eric has a lead that we've got to act on, at the last trap with Jigsaw's warning to look closer, well the name Wilson Steel was on the mask trap. We've got a warrant on the building and we need you to come with."

"Allison I..." Ivy began not wanting to be pulled away from Adam after his episode.

"Ivy there isn't really a choice, we don't know what we're gonna find and your the only one. This is what your meant to do for the FBI."

"Okay okay Allison I'll come." Ivy assented reassuring the manic Detective before rolling her eyes at Adam, he looked deflated as she hung up.

"Work?"

Ivy didn't answer straight away but walked straight back up the slights of stairs and back into Adam's apartment with goosebumps tingling her flesh. She stormed with false confidence up to the puppet her Uncle had newly left for them and peered closely at it. There was a photo attached to the puppet which Ivy snatched and then walked right back out of the apartment into the light. She stopped once more by the darkroom which was glowing red with the specialistic lighting and she cracked the door open to peer inside. It was base, like the rest of the apartment but Ivy saw a picture of Lawrence on his phone hanging up ready for use. She teared it down and tossed it in the bin before exiting the apartment, there would be no memories of the bathroom in that building anymore.

"Ivy what?" Adam asked. He had remained outside not wanting to risk anything else as Ivy stared at the picture in her hands. "Ivy." He tried again and she looked up, "Was that work?"

"Yeah it sounds really big, Allison seemed very worried. It might be a huge break through." She couldn't help but feel apologetic as she stuck her arm out to hail the nearest cab. "Go back to mine for now, I don't know how long I'll be." She said sadly as Adam took her hand.

"Was that puppet a warning?" Adam asked slowly. There was a slight tremor in his tone that made Ivy tear her eyes away from the photo she had been staring at.

"I don't know. I think it was, but not for us." She said mulling it through. "But for something that's to come." She was troubled for the rest of the cab ride, a headache forming under her hand as she lent against the window. It was becoming stressful already. She jumped a little when she felt tickles running over her left arm but looking down it was only Adam running his fingers over her skin, causing more delightful goosebumps.

"Don't worry you'll be fine. It's your job and your brilliant at it. Although it takes you away from me." He said with a wink. The cab stopped outside and he looked right and then left before climbing out. Ivy frowned at the odd behaviour when he lent back in the window that Ivy had rolled down.

"Would you let me take some shots of you when your home? Your by far the most model-esque looking person I know and I'll need a selection to send to that Waters woman."

Ivy blushed at his compliment never figuring herself to be all that pretty, granted she'd looked in the mirror and nodded in approval whenever she was going on a date or to meet up after work but not being more pretty than Allison or any other woman she knew. Her forehead was way too high for one thing.

"Will you be alright? You know my Aunt's and Lawrence's numbers are on the kitchen fridge if anything does wrong." She said with a smile avoiding Adam's question and he tactfully didn't press for an answer knowing she probably would anyway.

"I'll be fine." He said with a smile, "Look after yourself." He said before tapping the taxi as it pulled away, "I want my girlfriend back in one piece!" He shouted with a wink and Ivy turned to watch him out of the window. What is he playing at? She wondered, was there any possibility Adam was being serious or was it a jab at the news report from earlier? I'm not posing in my underwear for him if that's what he's thinking of.

So Ivy found herself being trundled along in a SWAT van dressed in full uniform, hair scraped back off her face with two pistols holsters round her waist. She was accompanied by Allison, Matthews himself and Daniel who being the SWAT Commander was leading the operation for the SWAT team. There were photos of the building and circles round the doors in red marker pen that Ivy was examining as well as a large map of the area.

"Alright fellas listen up." Called Daniel and they all assembled near him. "These are the best entry points. They're the ones with direct street frontage, people access and good cover. Now remember we're doing this in broad daylight, we don't wanna scare any civilians. Now I've been there before, I know the location. We just bust in there and scare the shit out of anyone inside ok?" He briefed and Ivy frowned at the violent approach he was willing to take. She thought Allison may object as she had been named the 'Jigsaw Expert' but no such appeal came.

"Hang on, this isn't a case for violence and all guns blazing." Ivy said trying to catch their attentions. "Jigsaw isn't like that. He'll have a plan, he always does. Everything he does is pre-thought out beforehand." She said remembering what Lawrence had said in the bathroom.

"And while Detective Reeves starts the Jigsaw fan club lets go over the plan." Matthews snapped making some of the SWAT guys snicker behind her back.

"Your the one he's after." Ivy said keeping calm yet making sure everyone was listening to her. She withdrew the photo she had discovered earlier and held it out for all to see. Everyone was silenced as they stared at the picture of Eric Matthews yelling at a young boy, gesticulating wildly. Matthews snatched the photo from her and Allison's eyes were as wide as saucers. "You'd better learn how to play quickly." Ivy warned turning back to the map with satisfaction gleaming in her eyes.

"Where the fuck did you get this?" He hissed coming over to snarl in her ear.

"It doesn't matter where, just what it means." Ivy retorted mysteriously and Eric slammed his fist against the van's wall. Allison was watching Ivy with a guarded look.

"What?" Ivy asked wondering what on earth was going through her mind.

"You just reminded me of him a bit then." She said refusing to look at her friend and Ivy blinked before going back to the maps and checking her guns.

"We go in in teams of three." Daniel said his eyes still straying over to Ivy who was calm as can be for what they were about to do. "I'll go in with team Alpha." He said. "Ivy where do you want yourself, Kerry and Mat..."

"Zeta." She answered immediately knowing that out of all the teams going out they needed to be last. Daniel smirked before walking over to the equipment they kept round and handing her a body protector to put on over the top of her badge. She took it silently accepting his offer of teamwork and slung it on as he went over to Matthews whom he was apparently close to.

"Just like the good old days huh?" He asked with a smile, and Matthews nodded. Ivy didn't like how the two seemed to have a taste for violence if they couldn't get easy answers. Mark had told her this was often the way forwards but since new laws were introduced and Detectives could be held accountable for all their actions they'd had to change their tune.

"Thought your case line was big enough as it is." Allison attempted smugly, though as Ivy watched her with her ex-partner she was reminded of the conversation she overheard. She also knew her friend was secretly thrilled to have him back in action again.

"Just coming along for the ride." Matthews said and Ivy glared at his civility towards the others. What makes me so different then?

They arrived sirens blazing announcing their arrival and the SWAT members stormed out first. Ivy was filled with trepidation and excitement at figuratively storming the building. Allison was issuing orders with the team, Rigg handed Ivy a walkie talkie.

"Cause you know what it looks like in there." He said with a smile before taking up his place again. In what felt like no time the first teams had entered and she was with Allison and Matthews waiting to go in last. There was nothing but footsteps on the talkie.

"What do you see?" She asked into the talkie, Allison looked at her surprised to find her communicating with the team.

"There's electric like fencing boxing in the stairs. There's a door we're dealing with now." Was her response. She glanced at Kerry.

"You shouldn't need to force it open or it's the wrong way to go." Ivy warned thinking about how often keys were needed to progress in the other cases. "Hello? Come in?" The talkie was dead until an eerie mocking, high pitched laugh came from the talkie in Ivy's hand. She nearly dropped it in surprise as the three Detectives all recognised the laugh. Then there was confusion and screams of pain and agony as Daniel's voice came over the talkie. "Officer down! Officer down! The place is wired" He cried loudly and Ivy looked to Kerry in fear.

"I told you to not go through there!" She cried in irritation shouting into the talkie. "He will have insurance traps so to speak. Like the frigging shotguns in the hall that got Sing!"

Allison stared at her friend and how she was handling the situation with such precise instruction. However Ivy's words fell on deaf ears as the noise of what sounded like frying came through as she remembered the same noise she had been responsible for in the bathroom. Then there were even more screams of agony much more gut wrenching than the last.

"There's electricity in there." She said numbly as the memory of Adam shaking and Lawrence foaming at the mouth spiked her mind.

"GET IN HERE NOW! GET IN HERE!" Cried Rigg's voice over the talkie and Kerry motioned for them to all move. They already had their guns drawn and Ivy followed suit. "Talk to me guys." Rigg said completely on his own now as Ivy, Allison and Matthews followed the remaining SWAT guys up a set of stairs painted in red paint that made Ivy pause thinking of the messages occasionally written in red paint. We're in the right place she thought before panic gripped her and she stopped in her tracks. Allison ran into her.

"What the fuck?" She asked angrily dragging Ivy along despite her resistance.

"He's here, we're in the right place. It's his lair or something." Ivy cried getting hysterical. "I don't want to be caught up in another game."

"You won't be remember? You need to be professional here, you've gotta be strong." Allison advised her as they entered the same room as the crying SWAT team. Ivy was the only one who noticed the cameras in every corner. Seeing the bloody outcome with the three SWAT members lying on the floor, two unconscious and one still screaming was chilling, she stared at Daniel bravely making his way up the trapped staircase with the others following behind.

"CLEAR."

No it's not, it's just begun.

The next thing Ivy heard was Daniel's voice again the loudest it had ever been. "FREEZE. DON'T MOVE!" He cried and the Detectives all picked up their pace, their eyes searching for any detail they may have missed. Entering the room above Ivy stopped once again as a workshop greeted her. A workshop of horrors. Twisted metal, machines, devices, traps, instruments, drawings, designs, pictures, details, police files, police documents, confidential police photos, jagged glass, skulls, dummies, polystyrene and tempered steel was everywhere. On the shelves and tabletop, on the floor and the walls. "LET ME SEE YOU HANDS. I'M NOT GONNA ASK AGAIN, PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM." Rigg rattled off as Ivy approached the figure every single gun was trained on. The sights at the end bathing the figure in their glow. "DOWN ON YOUR KNEES." Allison was staring round looking as if she was in some sort of weird haven. The Jigsaw workshop, the jackpot so to speak. Enough evidence to convict. It looked as if her Uncle really had been caught by surprise. That was until she heard his voice.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Came her Uncle voice from under a similar cloak to what she had witnessed Amanda drug Michael Tapp in, just without the distorted pig mask. It had a red interior hood and John was hooked up to an IV with bottles of capsules and medicine all round the walls. As Ivy came to stand by Daniel with her gun much lower than the other John looked up at her into her eyes. He smiled warmly and spread an arm out as if to greet her.

"Hello Ivy, or should I say Detective Reeves, congratulations by the way." He said calmly.

"Hello John." Ivy replied not sure what to think. She felt deceived as if she was a pawn in a delicate game of chess where her Uncle was the master player.

Daniel stared at her, "You know this sickko?" He asked in surprise trying to maintain control.

Her eyes never left John's as he nodded as if to tell her it was alright for her to admit, "He's my Uncle." She answered finally and it felt good. Everyone looked at her once again as Allison came to stand by her. "I had no idea it was him though. I never actually saw Jigsaw while I escaped." She said and Allison nodded, familiar with her story.

"Get him in restraints now." Daniel ordered and was instantly obeyed. John let them handcuff him his eyes were still on Ivy anyway, making her feel vulnerable and her thumb strayed to where she knew her phone was, in her trouser pocket. "You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one one will be given to you by the state and the city."

"He's clean." Reported a SWAT member as Matthews came arrogantly strolling through to lean on the other side of the desk John was seated at.

"Hey...this close enough?" He asked with a sadistic smirk and Ivy wouldn't have been surprised if he would have dared to wink at the Jigsaw Killer. Matthews obviously thought he was immensely clever to twist John's words. He backed off satisfied in the knowledge that he would be the one to close the Jigsaw case once and for all. Ivy sighed putting her gun away back in it's holster and Allison gave her a frown. If the murders ended this way she couldn't deny it was a very favourable outcome. No else got hurt, John got what he must have been expecting and she and Adam were both safe as the order was given to move her Uncle. Till he spoke once more.

"Actually I will need to remain here while you deal with your problem Detective Matthews."

Ivy's blood ran cold. Her eyes widened as her Uncle's gaze finally moved to the Detective in question and Ivy knew this was the climax of why they were really here. The calm tone, the same one that came through on all the TVs and tape recorders they had so far recovered held the same thing, despite the distorted voice.

"What problem?" Asked Matthews turning round once again in genuine confusion.

"The problem in that room." John said gesturing with his head to the room directly behind where they were all standing. John's look was challenging and frightening all at the same time. The deadliest are always the quietest ones.

"You keep him secure." Rigg told his team as Allison, Matthews and himself all moved towards the room. Ivy didn't want to know what was in the room. She knew it was something horrifically bad for all of them. The feeling of dread that was running through her arteries was telling her, as were the hairs on the back of her neck and the goosebumps from earlier.

"What are you doing?" She asked sadly watching as he clasped a plastic cup of water in his hands and slowly drunk from it.

"I believe we both know what is going on here." John answered in that ever so mysterious tone and she sighed.

"It's a game isn't it?" She asked and her Uncle nodded with a smile.

"With many more players than three." He said and the chills ran down to Ivy's still fragile ankle which gave a twinge at the presence of it's original captor making her change her weight. "How's you ankle?" He asked in concern and Ivy's eyes flicked from her ankle back to her own.

"I'll live with it." She replied curtly, a slight scowl betraying her features. Her Uncle laughed at her choice of words.

"Very good; very good." He smiled good-naturedly. The surrounding officers and SWAT members were clearly at a loss at the peculiar relationship between Uncle and Niece, Captor and Captive. She jumped as the lights turned on behind her and a whirring sound began, she wondered if there was another victim in there and her thoughts jumped to Adam.

"Look John the news story I..." She began but John simply held up his hand causing her to become instantly mute.

"Ivy!" Cried Allison straight away and Ivy glanced behind her readying her gun once again turning to the SWAT team who nodded before heading towards them.

"You won't need that." John called and strangely following his advice she pocketed her gun again.

"What is it?" She asked as she entered a room designed in a similar way to the same way to that electric staircase earlier. The three were crowded around a series of monitors and TVs all playing the same footage.

"Can you tell us?" Allison asked staring horrified at the monitors. On the screens were a series of people, some conscious and some not. The conscious ones were searching the room for any secret exits they could find. The room looked vaguely similar to her as she peered at the screen.

"That's my son." Matthews told her pointing to the young teenager who was hiding in a corner rocking back and forth. His voice had cracked in horror as his straightened up. "He's got my son." Matthews proceeded to storm back towards John who was now taking oxygen from his mask. "What the fuck is that?" He shouted at the Jigsaw Killer advancing towards him looking so threatening Rigg held him back. "What the fuck it that?" He repeated.

"It's your son Daniel you remember him don't you?" John told him in that same deadly casual tone, however he was certainly implying something.

"I know who he is you piece of shit, what the fuck is he doing on that monitor?" Snapped Matthews.

"Well I haven't look at the monitors in some time so it would be hard for me to say, but um I would imagine he's cowering in a corner with a look on his face..."

Matthews went to punch Jigsaw and most likely would have if Rigg had not still been holding him back. "You mother fucker!" Ivy winced at the Detective's harsh words before disappearing back to the monitors with Allison. The teenager who was Matthew's son was only young, about sixteen or fifteen, Ivy wondered what on earth he could have done to end up in one of these terrible games.

"Ivy isn't that Amanda Young?" Allison asked pointing to a woman who had just awoken and was screaming silently at the top of her voice. No sound came through on the monitors. Ivy peered closer and her heart stopped. It was Amanda. Ivy began to panic.

"No." She whispered. He knew. John knew what they had done and this was Amanda's punishment for rigging Adam's game, for making it inescapable. And then for releasing him and defying his words and his rules. She had to step out of the room again as the room began to spin in circles, was she going to be tested again? She lent against one of the rusty walls closing her eyes as John's voice carried over to her again.

"Where is he? That's a problem your gonna have to solve before it's too late." He said with that smirk still present on his wizened features. Matthews was getting more and more worked up and Ivy stared at her Uncle as she made her presence silently known again. "He had about...two hours before the gas creeping into his nervous system begins to break down his body tissue and he begins to bleed from every orifice he has." John chuckled nastily as every eye in the room stared at his in a state of suspended disbelief and terror. "Oh yes there will be blood." Ivy breathed in deeply running a hand through her hair. She felt like John had hit a new low by brining innocents into his games, but she had a bravado, a belief so to speak that Eric Matthew's son would not be intentionally harmed. He wouldn't hurt children would me? Then words John had spoken previously ran through her frenzied head, or Allison and Diana will die Dr Gordon. Yes he would. For if Allison and Diana had not indeed saved themselves they would have been killed by Zepp Hindle.

Matthews had stopped all efforts to hurt John and was looking at him in bleak distress. His lower lip trembled as he asked once again. "Just tell me where he is." As Ivy looked at his quivering body; her first glimpse of the vulnerable human underneath this hardened exterior began to show as people's true colours seemed to when faced with life and death. She knew Eric Matthews lived for his son despite their arguments and negative words, there couldn't be a greater motivation for him to pass his test. Bigger motivation than Ivy herself had ever had.

"He's in a safe place." Was Eric's reply and Eric turned away knowing he wasn't going to get anything out of the infamous man. Ivy frowned at her Uncle's choice of words, safe place, he wasn't safe if he was in that room. He wasn't safe if he had to face his own test and he certainty wouldn't be safe if his father failed.

She glanced at the clock, cleverly positioned as her own had been so they could see it at all times. "It's half seven now. We've got till half nine then." Ivy declared trying to fit the puzzle together which had been laid out in front of her. Maybe there are clues by the TV's in the other room. She understood there would be no tape recorder or TV if the man in question was in front of them so she addressed her Uncle once more. "What are the rules?" She asked eying him beadily. Eric didn't stay he walked away back to the footage of his son, or to consult Allison whom he thought was far more adept at handling the situation than a blood relative of the man now responsible for his missing son.

John coughed and placed the oxygen mask back over his mouth as he thought. Daniel was still beside her with his team, the guns never wavering from his frail form. "Your rules are going to be fairly different from Detective Matthews." He said finally peering at his niece before him.

Ivy didn't blink, she just stared ahead at her Uncle with a tired expression. "What do you mean John?" She asked wanting nothing more than to leave the room. "What do you want to accomplish through this?" She asked changing tack as she gestured at the elaborate room they were all standing in. "Why not another normal room with just you and Eric?"

"Because you and everyone else play a very important role in ensuring the survival of the people in that room Ivy. Because I want you to play a game of your own." He told her leaning forwards and Ivy's froze staring at her Uncle as his choice of words drenched her in a fresh sweat.

"NO!" She screamed backing away from her Uncle in pure fright. There were footsteps behind her as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Ivy are you hurt?" Allison asked holding her friend still when Ivy backed into her as tears poured down her cheeks.

"I don't want to play again. I won once." She whispered over and over shaking her head and pleading with her Uncle with all her might. "I couldn't leave him." She whispered so inaudibly she didn't think anyone could hear, Allison hadn't but John seemed to register her words. Her mind was unravelling into the repressed memories of white, gleaming tiles and blood, Lawrence and then Adam's screams filling her ears till she couldn't hear like thick blood infecting her senses. John watched her calmly allowing her breakdown to subside before carrying on. He chuckled slightly before stretching out a hand towards her. She didn't dare to take it. Two games would be played here tonight.

"Don't worry this won't be anything like your first test." He assured her with those penetrating eyes.

"I passed...I did what I was supposed to do last time." She whispered before glancing at Allison. She hated how guarded every word she spoke had to be. She wanted to be able to apologise for Adam and for Amanda without them being there but knew there was no possibility of Rigg or any of them leaving her alone. "Amanda doesn't deserve this."

"Amanda is playing for an entirely different reason and a entirely different game to you." John interrupted her ramblings quickly irritation flashing for mentioning his apprentice. "Remember where you are and who you are with." He snapped quickly and Ivy's tears stopped flowing. "However Amanda, Daniel Matthews and the other test subjects on those monitors fates are linked with how you attempt to play." He said relaxing back in his chair.

The voice he adopted was extremely familiar to her tape back in the bathroom as John began to lay out the rules for her second test.

"You have proven you value both your own life and the lives of others around you by saving Adam, who I will tell you now plays no part in this game at all. He has been pardoned...so to speak. Instead I wish to give you the same pardon. Through your silence." John paused dramatically noting how Ivy's shoulders relaxed at the mention of Adam safety. She saw his reaction and tried to still her body but to no avail, John smiled warmly at her. "I give you my solemn oath that Adam is currently in your apartment again." He said thinking she needed further confirmation and Ivy nodded, she felt stronger knowing Adam was not involved. She struggled to imagine why he wouldn't be involved now her head could think clearly, but she listened to her Uncle with as much attention as she could possibly muster. Allison was gazing at the relations and her grip on Ivy had lessened, she was spellbound at seeing a game play out right before her eyes.

"By being a survivor you will have noticed and learned how I operate. This is now your main job for the FBI, however despite your contempt for Eric Matthews you will still try to help him. This is a commendable part of your disposition and one of your greatest weaknesses. I tell you not to help Detective Matthews; for this is his game ultimately and not yours." Ivy blinked at John's words wondering how she could and could not be playing one of John's sadistic tests at the same time. She glanced round her eyes falling on the safe in the corner of the room and then back at John who smiled widely at where he eyes had gone. "Will you do this for me? Will you allow Detective Matthews to play his own game without your interference. You can end his right now but that is not important, what is important is the reward. And this reward if life saving and will ultimately be given to the survivors on those monitors who manage to survive their own games. If you allow your righteousness to get in the way, if you let this budding ideology take root in your mind then you may be responsible for the death of all in these people. People in this room will try and persuade you to listen to these instincts but I implore you to ignore them. Stay strong, use the strength you have shown Adam. Live or die, their fates are yours." He finished living up to his name as the Jigsaw Killer content not to speak for a while. Ivy now knew why he had waited for Eric to leave the room. Allison was staring at John too as Ivy frowned.

"So this is a sub-game to Eric Matthew's game?" She said slowly trying to understand where she slotted into this complicated plot.

John laughed. "I suppose that is a good way to think of it."

"I've read thrillers with less twists than these games." She muttered bitterly knowing the headache she had got earlier in the taxi was about to supersize itself.

John smirked at her. "As long as your wit is all you use, there is no danger here." He told her gently.

Allison pulled on Ivy's sleeve and motioned for them to step away from Jigsaw, seeing her worried expression Ivy consented. "I don't think I am in any danger either way I play this." She said with wonder when they were near the electric staircase they had traversed earlier.

"No I don't think you are. But Eric, his son and the other people on those screens are, and you play a big part in their lives now." Allison said firmly. Ivy frowned. John had caught her once again. She hated how her decision would make such an impact on so many people. If I tell Eric whatever these things are I'm meant to be noticing. If I do my job and solve his game, help him or tell him anything then it sounds like the people on those screens might die even after they survive. Or that could be a bluff? Or if I keep quiet I can't help Eric or his son, but I can save the others and pass my test. It was strenuous just to think about.

John Kramer everyone lets give him and his twisty little brain a round of applause!

Adam for a few chapter though so I gave you major feels! HE SAID IT HE SAID THE GF WORD! :D 3 even I was happy.

Read and review people! Let's get Ivy through this! xoxo