WARNING: more suggestive comments, emotional abuse, and a naughty word. All you eleven and twelve year olds who lied about your age to get on this site, don't repeat these words.

I slipped in and out of consciousness for the next little while; I couldn't tell exactly how long it had been. It felt simultaneously like days and less than an hour.

I'd never known sepsis was so horrible. The pain was all-consuming, starting in my arm and tracing lines of fire through my veins, stretching to every part of me. I couldn't wiggle my toes without something hurting. Sleep was a respite from the pain, but it was also a chance to escape from the fear. No matter how addled my mind was, or how off I felt, I remembered Hollis' threat, and I was well and truly terrified.

The problem was I'd never been this incapacitated. I'd been drugged past the point of mobility several times, sure, but drugs eventually wore off, and I'd found a means of escape. Despite the unique terror of every situation, there was always a way for me to get myself out, eventually.

Sepsis didn't fade. It got worse, and made me feel more horrible and so much closer to death with every second that ticked by. I had enough strength left to open my eyes and barely shift my body, and that was it. Anything else required energy I didn't have and caused crippling pain I couldn't handle at the moment.

I was completely dependent on Bear and the others, and that was terrifying to me after relying on no one but myself for so long.

Despite Bear's promise, the way he'd worked so quickly, tearing up his hands and fingers to get out so he could bring them back, a traitorous voice in my mind whispered that he wasn't coming back. Or, perhaps that they would let me die and play the long game with Hollis and the others, trapping them inside until they surrendered. Or they'd just burn the whole damn place to the ground and leave me to burn with them.

I closed my eyes, wheezing shakily. They wouldn't. They wouldn't leave me here. The SAS was different from MI6—that was why I'd trusted them at all in the first place. The SAS valued their teammates.

My men come first, not the mission, Jaguar. Lion's words rang in my ears. I don't know how it was where you came from, but that's how it is in the SAS.

They'd come back for me. I just had to hold onto that. They were coming back.

Unfortunately, I'd probably be dead long before they got here. Hollis didn't seem too keen on giving me the five-star treatment, and the sepsis didn't seem to be going away any time soon.

I wouldn't say I was at peace with dying, because I wasn't. I definitely didn't want to die at the hands of a monster like him, or at the mercy of this infection invading every part of me. I didn't want to die alone, or afraid, in this dark, cold basement with nothing but a jacket and an impossible promise for comfort.

But I knew, just like I'd told Bear, that I'd been living on borrowed time ever since I stepped off the sidewalk.

No, maybe that wasn't right. Maybe since Nadia Vole died in my place when the Portuguese Man O'War landed on top of her.

I took a shaky breath, trying to stifle a cough. My lungs were barely inflating anymore. I wondered how much damage was being done to me on the inside. Even if I survived, would I even be able to continue in the SAS? If they tried to discharge me, how would I keep it a secret that I had nowhere to go, and no one to care for me if God forbid I was paralyzed, or had to have something amputated, or worse?

I tried to push the thoughts from my mind—worrying about what would happen if I survived wouldn't help me actually survive.

The rustle of the rug and the clang of the trapdoor sent me spiraling into awareness and seized me with terror. What would he do to me?

I didn't look at Hollis as he descended the ladder, landing with a small grunt. Instead, I kept my eyes closed, trying to ignore him. To ignore the situation. To mentally distance myself, to convince myself that this was a nightmare, and I was safe at home with Jack and Ian, however impossible.

"Did I catch you taking a nap?" Hollis asked, his tone thin and flat.

I didn't respond, turning my head towards him slightly. If he was going to torment me, I was at least going to look him in the eye while he did it. I would have preferred to stand, but that wasn't an option at the moment. I couldn't respond, either. I would have preferred to make a witty comeback.

"Awake, then," he conceded, approaching me. "You know, soldier boy, you've caused me a shit ton of trouble."

I blinked heavily, wondering how he'd kill me, when he did. Would he beat me to death? Would he poison me, or just shoot me? Or would he leave me here for the infection or the elements to kill me?

What would he do before that?

With a noise of discomfort, he crouched beside me, grabbing my jaw and turning my face towards him. I flinched away from him, but even that sent waves of pain through me. Blinking heavily, his face swam in and out of focus. Clumsily, I reached up with my right hand to tug at his wrist in a frail effort of resistance, but he just grabbed my wrist and held it in the air, smirking. "You couldn't kill a fly right now."

"Maybe…n-not me, but…" I took a steadying breath, looking him in the eye with as much strength as I could. "They…will."

He laughed, shoving me away. I grunted in pain, but I refused to look away from him. If this was all I could do, I was going to damn well do it.

"I didn't take you for the loyal type," he admitted, sitting down beside my head, leaning over me. "You seem like more of a lone wolf. Aside from your heroic display in the truck, of course." He shifted, propping a hand on his chin. "Let's recap. You've been without food and water for almost a day. From what your friend said, sepsis is going to kill you soon—within a day, I'd bet. Your friend ran off three hours ago. If he's traveling as fast as I think he is, he's already alerted your friends.

"Unfortunately for you," he amended, looking back towards the open trap door, "I doubt they'll be here for…I dunno, let's say four or five hours. Putting together a rescue mission takes some time, and they'll have to come on foot—the trees are too thick for vehicles to get out here. And my exfil is scheduled to be here in…oh, an hour and a half, or so. So that leaves the question…what to do with you."

He smiled, one of his cold, cruel smiles, and I fought the urge to look away. Before I could think of a witty response, he continued, "I was going to interrogate you, and kill you. But after calming down some…it would just be a waste. You don't look like you could say two words to save your life."

"Yeah?" I breathed. "Screw…you." Three words. I'd always been an overachiever.

In a fluid motion, he uncrossed his legs and his boot hit my face, sending my head snapping to the side. I coughed weakly, blood trailing from my nose and into my mouth. I didn't even have the energy to spit it out.

"You're not easily broken. I can see that. Which is why…I found something interesting, and I think it'll do that trick."

He grabbed my chin and turned my head back to face him, my face throbbing at the motion, but I held myself at a wince. I wouldn't let him see any more signs of pain from me.

Adjusting himself, he leaned back on his hands, crossing his feet in front of him. "I'll be the first to admit I'm an…egocentric man. How can I not be? I like to have my way. And when I set my sights on someone…I like to feel powerful by making people like you feel like nothing." He shrugged, smirking. "What can I say? Every man has his preferences. I like to feel powerful, and to break strong young men like you who act like they can take on the world.

"Unfortunately, you've been giving me some trouble, and I don't like to leave endeavors unfinished. I don't have much time left with you. Normally I would employ…other methods, some a bit more physical." He winked at me, and though I hated myself with every fiber of my being, I looked down, feeling panic race through me. "But I have a feeling that wouldn't work on you, especially this late in the game. No, I think…I think this'll take away whatever hope you have left."

He shifted, and I tensed in apprehension, my breathing shallow as I watched him warily. He took out a square piece of paper from his pocket, turning it over in his fingers before unfolding it, and I realized it was a picture.

My breath caught.

"Who's this gorgeous young woman?" He asked, dangling the picture in front of me. The picture of Sabina that I always kept in my pocket. Always. No matter where I went or what I was doing.

He glossy dark hair was windswept, going every which way as her face was alight in laughter, her bright blue eyes dancing in mirth as she gazed at the camera. I'd taken the picture. We'd been at the beach—she'd been excited to show me the California beaches, no matter how crowded they were. A sunhat was perched precariously on her head, the brim blowing back with her hair and she held it secure with one hand. Her sundress was a dark green, her bare shoulders sun-kissed and smooth. She was beautiful, and alive.

"Give it…back," I muttered, having half a mind to reach for it, but I knew he'd just use my weakness to taunt me.

"Not until you tell me who she is," he countered, folding the picture back up and slipping it into his pocket, patting it. "You've got nothing to lose. I just want to know who she is to you."

I couldn't answer, because honest to God, I didn't even know. Once upon a time, she was a friend. An amazing friend. And then she was someone I had to keep safe, despite everything against us. And then…then she was more. She was…could've been a girlfriend. I'd loved her. I'd loved her so much. And then, she was a sister…but above all, she'd been there. A constant support even after I'd had to let go of Tom. A rock standing through all the shit I suffered through, her bright smile there to drag me out of whatever hell I was in.

And then, with a single bullet, that rock had been swept away like nothing.

I closed my eyes, unable to look at his smug face. I didn't know why he was so insistent on knowing, but…it wasn't like he could hurt her. He couldn't use her against me, or threaten her. She was already dead. Already dead because of me.

"Sister," I breathed, settling for the safer option. It wasn't like the information would help him, so I didn't see a reason to worsen myself by agitating him.

"Your sister," he repeated, looking intently at my face, thinking. "You don't look much alike. You're not lying to me, are you?"

"Adopted," I managed, tearing my eyes away from his face to gaze at the dirt wall, at what used to be the hole Bear had dug so quickly. I'd heard them fill it from the outside somewhere on the edge of consciousness, but I couldn't crawl out of it if I'd tried. I didn't have the strength to breathe.

"Adopted sister," he amended, nodding, looking at the wall. He smiled, shaking his head. "She's beautiful. I would have loved to have some time with her. Unfortunately, though, that's not possible anymore, is it?"

I looked at him quickly, then, surprised. How did he know?

He smirked at the surprise on my face, heaving an exaggerated sigh. "You think a man like me gets caught, kiddo? I'm far too good for that. I was given the oddest job, you know. The last one I did before jailtime. There was a contract out on this subject, but the circumstances were odd. Usually, when I take a contract, it's out of revenge, or a political move, or a terrorist organization power play. But this wasn't. They simply said the subject had to die because they couldn't get to the person they really wanted. And there was the oddest condition…I'd have to turn myself in once I was done, so I could deliver a message."

I wondered, through his monologue, why he was telling me this. Why he thought this could possibly break me, telling me of one kill of what was surely dozens for him. And then he said that, and…and it clicked. In one horrible, shattering second.

My eyes widened, and I opened my mouth to speak, but there were no words. There was nothing I could say.

"So I went to sunny California," he continued, his voice dropping to a whisper, his smile cold and his eyes narrowed, "and I shot your sister between the eyes."

Even as he confirmed it, I couldn't…I couldn't process it. With my mind as addled and dizzied as it was, I couldn't accept the fact that…that I was staring at Sabina's assassin.

Her murderer.

"Of course, they promised to get me out as soon as the opportunity presented itself using third-party contractors, but the pay was very nice to accommodate for all my lost time. And hey, they made good on their word—sent some friends of mine to spring me. But it was a doozy. Extradition's a bitch, too, and I ended up all the way back here…and somehow, I found my way to you. Fate's a nasty bitch, isn't she?"

I couldn't…I couldn't understand. I didn't understand. How could I…how was I looking at…at the man who killed her? At the man who, with just a twitch of one finger, ripped her away from me for the rest of my life? Took away her bright, radiant smile, her limitless future, in just a second?

"Why…" I managed, my voice breaking pathetically as I felt my throat bob. I felt the hatred pouring into my eyes, my good fist clenching in fury, adrenaline replacing the pain in my body. "Why…"

He blinked, smirking. "Because they paid me. You know, I remember, she was alone when I shot her. On her way to meet someone. Do you want to know what happened?"

Turning my head away from him, I blinked rapidly, trying very hard not to let this monster see me cry for her. He chuckled, edging closer to me, and in one swift movement, his hand was around my throat, his mouth beside my ear. I wheezed, wriggling to dislodge him, but he wasn't budging. He wasn't cutting off my airway, or even holding me in place, so much—it was a simple show of power. Dominance.

"She looked good that day," he said quietly, and I stared unwaveringly at the ceiling, blinking. Breathing. Trying not to hear. "Dressed up, some makeup on. Her hair was pretty, too. She was walking, smiling. She was excited. She stopped at the crosswalk…they'd been very specific, too, shoot her at a crosswalk while she waited. She took out her phone and looked down, started typing…and I was watching her through my scope the whole time."

I blinked, taking a shuddering breath, trying to turn away from him, but there was nowhere to go. There was nowhere to run.

"I took aim," he said, slowly, deliberately, each word carefully selected to inflict pain, "and I made sure I had her dead center in my scope. No room for failure. I waited until she looked up. The sun was in her eyes…she was shading them with her hand, looking around. She turned back to the crosswalk, holding the strap of her bag. I waited…just another second…and then…"

The words were on my lips. The words to beg him to stop, to plead for him to quit talking. To ask him to kill me or hurt me…anything but this. Anything but this.

But I knew Sabina wouldn't want me to give in, so with a shuddering heart, I listened.

"…then I pulled the trigger, and watched through my scope as the bullet hit her. Right between the eyes. It snapped her head backwards immediately. Blood went everywhere…the suit behind her was pretty put out, I'd imagine. I can't imagine the dry-cleaning bill." I heard him smirk beside me, releasing my throat and patting my chest as I looked away, my chest heaving as I tried to silence the agony in my heart. "Her body folded to the ground, and everyone started screaming, and panicking…but she didn't move. And that was all it took to break you, I'd imagine."

The quiet words were spoken slowly. I understood all of them. I closed my eyes as unimaginable pain wracked me, and it had nothing to do with the sepsis. Slowly, he let me go, and I turned away, quiet agony overtaking my mind.

"I told you," he confirmed, watching me fall apart in front of him, even as I tried desperately not to. "I always get my way."

After a moment more, watching me valiantly hold the tears at bay though I wanted nothing more than to scream in anguish at the gaping hole inside of me, where Sabina's love and support had been unequivocally ripped from me, Hollis stood. He brushed off his orange pants, looking down on me. Keeping his eyes on mine, I stared at him with all the hatred I could muster, even as he fished the picture out of his pocket.

He smirked, tore it in half, and tossed the pieces beside me.

"Think about that until I kill you, which will be in the next hour or so," he assured, making his way to the ladder. "Our exfil is coming soon. Do what you need to do, pray, yell, cry…but just remember you're going to die just like she did. Alone."

And then he was gone, the thunderous boom of the trap door just as horrible as always.

I stared at the ceiling, my chest hitching in an effort to keep my composure. In a monumental effort, I reached over with my good hand, shakily grabbing the torn picture and putting it back in my pocket. I kept with me everywhere I went, and death wouldn't be an exception.

I shivered, but I couldn't tell if it was from the cold, or shock. Distantly, I realized I probably needed to warm up some…but I also had a fever, so that would just work against me. I grabbed clumsily at Bear's jacket, tugging it out from under my head and panting in exertion as I tried to spread it over my torso in some effort for comfort.

It was warm. It helped a bit.

Despite being on the brink of death, having absolutely no energy left in my body, the adrenaline needed an outlet. I settled for letting the jacket's zipper rest in my good hand, fiddling with it absently as I thought, using the pain to sharpen my mind.

I was broken. I was devastated. I was hopeless.

But Hollis had underestimated me. Because above all that, above the exhaustion and pain and agony and heartache…

…I was furious. I was enraged. I was vengeful.

I had an hour to think. To plan. I knew, that no matter what I did, I couldn't save myself.

But if I was going to die, I was going to drag Hollis with me. No matter what it took.

…

He came for me an hour later.

He swung himself down, and Irishman 1 crouched at the opening of the hatch, smirking down at me. "Time ta die, lad. Hope you've made yer peace."

Hollis, without even waiting for a preamble, hefted me over his shoulder to ascend the ladder. Being so close to him, being against him, was perhaps one of the worst moments of my captivity—and bloody hell, of course he made a comment about it—but it didn't last long.

I couldn't keep my eyes open very long upside down, my head spinning as each step sent a wave of pain through me. My limbs hung limp, but I registered the change in sound as we exited the cabin. Hollis walked a few paces, leaves and dried twigs crunching under his feet, before he shoved me off his shoulder to fall.

I landed on my side, a cry of pain torn from my lips, and coughed weakly, blinking. Hollis shoved a boot at my side, my body rolling onto my back. I blinked hazily at the sky.

Hollis came to stand over me, one foot on each side of my prone body, and leaned down. "My exfil is almost here, soldier boy. Your friends aren't coming for you." He said something to one of the Irishmen, and the one from the storefront who'd posed as the store clerk took his automatic weapon, giving him a handgun, instead. Out of the corners of my eye, I saw the Irishmen shout that they were going to secure the perimeter before exfil arrived, as a precaution.

"You've been fun," he said with a smirk. "But time's up. I'm going to leave your body right out here in the open, so when your rescue party arrives, it's going to be the first thing they see. You'll forever be a sign of failure stained in their memory."

He checked the clip, all of his movements in full view as I could only stare up at him, my breath coming in shallow gasps. My body was utterly fatigued. I was dehydrated, and hungry, and cold, and hot, and in agony. And angry.

"Do you have any last words?" He asked, pressing the cold metal of the handgun against my forehead. I stared up at him, opening my mouth to speak. I thought quickly…his face was about a foot away from mine; he was bending low over me, making this personal.

I smiled, a laugh bubbling in my fatigued chest. Hollis' smirk faded, and his eyes narrowed. "What the hell's so funny?" As he spoke, the gun wavered as he raised his arms, preparing to rise.

But before he could even finish the statement or rise out of range, in a final act of fury, in a desperate attempt to get a small sliver of justice for Sabina while I still had the ability, I acted. I used the little strength I had left, relying heavily on adrenaline and the range in my blood, and I shoved the zipper I'd pried from Bear's jacket into Hollis' left eye.

The sound was gruesome enough, a deep squelch that would stick with me and haunt my dreams for years, but the sight of it was indelibly burned in my memory. I shoved hard, knowing that if this was the only revenge I got, it had to count, and the zipper was buried all the way into his pupil, the white of his eye red from gushing blood and burst blood vessels.

As soon as it even touched his eye, he screamed bloody murder, jerking back instinctively, but not before I buried the thing all the way. His fist clipped my already-sore face, dazing me, but I'd done what I could. He dropped the gun, grabbing at his eye with both hands as his back arched, stumbling off of me and to the side. He fell beside me, a couple feet away, roaring in pain.

I didn't think it would kill him. Probably not. But an eye for an eye was as much as I could do, and by God, I'd done it.

"Extradition's a bitch…and fate's…a bitch…" I breathed, looking up at him with murder in my eyes as he cupped his bleeding eye, his other eye wide in pain and anger, "but…so is karma, motherfucker."

Even as he was bleeding from his punctured eye, he seethed. His body was hunched over in agony, and he was having trouble, but I couldn't take advantage of the distraction. I'd spent my energy on that one last burst of adrenaline, and I was…done. I was done. There was nothing more I could do.

I closed my eyes, fully expecting to be shot as he reached for the gun, teeth grit in pain and rage.

So naturally, when I heard the gunshot, my body convulsed, every muscle tightening in anticipation and panic, sending waves of pain roaring over me. After a few seconds, though, a few breaths, through the ringing of panic in my ears, I heard shouts. More spurts of gunfire.

Hesitantly opening my eyes to the pale dawn, I flicked my gaze around, trying to figure out what was going on. Rolling my head slightly to the side, I saw…Hollis, on the ground, bleeding from his shoulder as well as his eye, now. He was cursing in earnest, scrambling for his gun and shouting for his friends, but the shouts of Irish curses didn't sound promising.

The next instant, I heard a brief pause in the gunfire, a final spurt or two, and then running footsteps.

The next moment, I saw two blurred forms throw themselves on Hollis, turning him over and cuffing his hands behind his back as he spat curses and insults. Another blurred form threw themselves to their knees beside me, his voice lost through the thick cotton that surrounded my head. Everything was…fuzzy, and unclear, and difficult to understand.

"—ease, come on, please look at me," a frantic voice said, even as they inserted a needle into my elbow. "Where the bloody hell is that Med-Evac?" They shouted, their voice raw from the volume. "Jaguar, you bastard, I did not run two hours with a bullet wound to get back to you only to have you die, so you're going to bloody well look at me!"

"Jaguar," another voice, familiar like the first, said, their face hovering next to the first one, eyebrows pinched in concern. I knew them. I…

"…Bear," I managed, the word falling from my lips in a shallow exhalation. "Lion, Tiger…"

Bear's head dropped in momentary relief, and Lion broke into a relieved grin. Behind him, Tiger, who still sat on Hollis, looked over with a sigh of relief, as well. "Scared the bloody shit out of us," Tiger said quietly, pressing his thumb into Hollis' shoulder wound when he continued to scream insults.

"Listen, the helicopter's going to be here any minute now," Bear said quickly, handing Lion a roll of bandages with a quiet instruction. "They're going to airlift you to a nearby hospital, and we're going to get this under control. You did great, mate, you held out until we could get to you, but you just need to fight a little more."

I blinked, staring at him as his eyes darted in every direction, checking the fluid bag in his hand as it dripped into my veins, taking my blood pressure with a quiet curse, and feeling my pulse with dirty, bloodied fingers. Absently, I noticed a bandage wrapped tight around his shoulder, a couple specks of blood at the very top of his collarbone.

"…you came…back," I managed, utterly relieved at the knowledge without knowing why. Absently, I felt Lion gently cutting the tattered remains of Bear's shirt from my wound, looking on in worry.

"Of course I did, you twit," he said with a grin, looking more like his old self. "I promised I would. We don't leave anyone behind."

Taking a moment to let the words sink in, I swallowed, my throat sand dry. I gave a quiet, short laugh, letting my eyes slipped closed. Maybe the SAS…wasn't so bad after all.

"No sleeping," Tiger barked, catching my eyes drifting shut. Lethargically, I blinked them back open. In my periphery, I caught familiar forms—the Frenchmen, it seemed—hauling Hollis' friends through the trees to waiting transport vehicles…I wondered how they'd gotten them all the way out here.

I watched as Hollis was yanked up none-too-gently by Tiger, his eye still bleeding where the zipper was embedded, blood soaking into his orange pants and white shirt as blood dripped from his gunshot wound. He was led away, spitting curses at me and at the others and at everyone he could.

Distantly, I heard a helicopter come through, but the sound didn't fade. In fact, it got louder and the wind picked up significantly, my hair blowing into my eyes as it descended to hover above us, a spotlight helping Bear and the others work. I heard new voices, saw running figures carrying something between them.

"—lift you onto the stretcher," someone said, gently shaking my shoulder. I hissed in pain, wheezing another shallow breath, and looked at Lion, whose hand was steady on my chest. "We're going to follow you to the hospital in one of the cars. You're going to be alright. Just hang on."

I blinked even as his form disappeared, replaced by unfamiliar faces shouting Slavic-sounding commands, fixing an oxygen mask over my face and taking the fluids bag from Bear's hands, pushing him firmly aside. The blurring blades of the helicopter against the purpling sky, the white noise of chaos in the background, and the distant knowledge that I was somewhat safe, at least for now, worked in tandem to pull me forcefully towards sleep, despite the repeated commands to stay awake.

Slowly, as pain consumed me as they lifted me onto the stretcher and secured me there, rushing me below the helicopter so they could raise me via pulley, I watched the sun rise over the treetops, the barest hint of red muddying the purple horizon.

As they began to raise me slowly, the cords helping the stretcher ascend to the sky, I got a glimpse of the sun rising over the forest. It was magnificent, the sky painted in golden shades of red and blue. I would have loved to share it with Sabina. And Jack, and Ian. In another life, my Mum, and Dad.

Watching the sun, the air quiet save the helicopter for the first time in what seemed like months, I let myself sleep.

A/N: No, guys, I didn't kill him, stop freaking out.

Anyways! He's safe! And, in typical AR fashion, despite the overwhelming odds stacked against him, he lasted until his unit could save him and got some revenge for Sabina. Speaking of which, how'd you like that twist?

For those of you inevitably complaining that it was an unrealistic twist (and I know you're out there because I would be among you)…hold onto that ;)

Anyways, thank you all so much for everyone continuing to stick with this story! I liked writing this chapter for some reason. I hope you liked L-Unit to the rescue :) To everyone following and favoriting, I am ETERNALLY grateful. Also THANK YOU for over 200 follows! Ahhh that means so much!

And of course, thanks so much to ALL of my amazing reviewers: Aurelia Cotta, LoveRider, Em0Wolf, OwlQueen08, Guest, Riderkitty, onedemoniclily, seth8627, Guest, Sueberry, Guest, Asilrettor, Guest, and rolltide7!

LoveRider: You're absolutely right! We shall see….;)

Em0Wolf: Aw thanks so much, I'm so happy you're happy! I appreciate that so much!

Guest (THANK YOU): YOU'RE WELCOME!

Guest (I love this so much): Thank you so much!

Guest (the suspense is killing me!): Thanks!

Stay tuned for more!