Summary: There is no possible way that Geoff, Kerry, Ryan, and Ray survived Michael's plan, right? RIGHT?

Chapter 15

Gavin escorted a very drunk Michael and Lindsay home, completely floored by what had gone down. Could Geoff and the others really be dead? Had Michael really betrayed them all? Gavin appreciated the fact that he had his life, but unlike just about everyone else in the Fake AH Crew, he was a team player. He valued his gang mates. How could he value Michael now?

Michael was laughing at something Lindsay said as they stumbled out of the elevator towards their front door. His laugh sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Gavin fumbled with the keys, dropping them once as Michael knocked into him. He shoved his supposed friend off of him and unlocked the door.

It was rather lucky he had never taken his bulletproof vest off as four slugs caught him immediately in the chest. Gavin looked down at his vest for a split second before his brain registered the pain of impact. Once it did, he fell over backward in the doorway with a high pitched wail.

Silence fell for one tense moment before chaos erupted.

Michael and Lindsay leaped into the room in a sudden surge of sobriety and dove behind the couch as chunks of upholstery went flying into the air from the bullets that were raining down on them. Gavin lay twitching on the floor as Michael screamed at Lindsay to shoot back and Lindsay screamed at Geoff, telling him to fuck off while Ryan and Ray switched between war cries and telling Michael to go to hell and Kerry howled in some kind of pain/laughter hybrid while firing rapidly at the couch.

There was a series of clicks as all six guns came up empty and then a lot of swearing as the gang all scrambled for ammo. Gavin raised his head blearily just in time to see Michael and Lindsay jump to their feet and aim at the others. In true Fake AH Crew style, they had all reloaded at the same time. Now Michael and Lindsay stood facing a livid Geoff, Ryan, Ray, and Kerry.

"Should I mention now that Geoff was in on your set up?" Michael said through gritted teeth to Ray and Ryan. "That planted car had an ignition bomb."

"You son of a bitch!" Geoff yelled, cocking the hammer back. "I didn't actually plant the stupid bomb."

That surprised Michael. "You fucking traitor!" Michael shouted at Geoff.

"He's the traitor?" Ryan yelled. "You set up every one of us to die, you fuck!"

"Oh you mean like you do every job?" Michael retorted.

"Oh fuck you Michael," Ray spat at him. "I didn't even fucking do anything and you back stabbed me."

"Yeah that's the problem, you don't EVER do anything!" Michael shouted. "Like the last fucking job!"

"You blew up the fucking chopper," Geoff pointed out, ignoring the fact that it was actually the armored trucks weight that blew it up. "The plan was shit but you failed too, Michael!"

That set Ryan off and he turned to aim at Geoff. "The plan was not shit! The team was shit! Ray did nothing, Gavin can't shoot, and Jack fucking crashed the helicopter."

Ray turned on Ryan. "You almost killed Geoff!" he roared. "You tried to kill me! Don't start pointing fingers, you dick!"

Everyone stood glaring and aiming at each other, not sure who to shoot first.

Gavin struggled to his feet and took advantage of the confusion. Without thought for his safety, he hobbled into the circle of guns.

"Ok," he said wearily. "Out of everyone here, I am the only one allowed to be utterly pissed that I just got shot in the chest four times. Start there."

That set everyone off yet again.

"You double-crossed me!" Geoff shouted at Michael.

"You left us for dead!" Ray and Ryan both yelled to Geoff.

"Oh fuck you, you did the same last heist!" Geoff snapped back. "And I was gonna go back after I took care of Michael."

"Fuck you, Geoff," Michael shouted. "This is what I'm talking about! It was time to trim the fat before I got killed from everyone else's stupidity."

"Y'all never bring me in, fuck you!" Lindsay announced to the room in general.

"You made me an accomplice to a fucked up plan!" Gavin said, rounding on her and Michael.

"All of our plans are fucked up!" Geoff replied.

"Again I say, mine would have worked!" Ryan yelled at the same time Michael yelled "Mine worked!'

Michael narrowed his eyes at Ryan. "Yours was one of the worst of them! We all nearly died!"

"Oh you mean like me and Gavin in Gavin's heist?" Ray said glaring between Michael and Gavin. "You know, the time you all left me and Gavin to rot in the sewer!"

"Why do I always get left behind?!" Gavin wailed.

"Yeah," Michael said, jumping on to Gavin's words. "Like last time: all of you bailed on the chopper team when we went down, fuck you all!"

"You and Gavin got away, what are you bitching about?" Kerry pointed out, trying to inject some sanity into the mess, solely so he wouldn't get shot.

"BUT JACK GOT LEFT BEHIND!"

The last was shouted by everyone in the Crew except Lindsay and Kerry.

"Well I am touched you all care so much."

Everyone shifted focus—and aim—to the doorway were a severely battered and bruised Jack stood looking quite incensed at the scene before him.

"Does somebody want to tell me what the hell is going on?" he demanded with a scowl. "I saw your god damn 'fireworks' on the news earlier. What the hell were you thinking?" He stomped into the room shoving his way into the middle and pushing Gavin out of the way. "Now I come up here and instead of celebrating what appears to be the first successful job we've done, you are all at each other's throats? WHAT HAPPENED?"

Geoff sighed heavily. "It's a long story."

Jack stalked past the group who was still looking at him in surprise, forgetting to be angry for a moment thanks to his surprise reappearance. Jack yanked a chair from the kitchen and plunked it down by the telescope in front of the big picture window. He flopped down heavily, glaring at the room at large.

"I've got time."

Jack heard the tale out, first told by Geoff, then by the rest of the gang. Michael and Lindsay remained silent, both a bit nervous and for good reason. Jack was not Geoff. Geoff was a hothead but he could get people to do things easily enough. He had an oddly charming and likable personality that people gravitated towards and he used humor and gruffness to get his way. It wasn't great but it worked. Jack was more methodical and more about everyday minutia and efficiency. Geoff was undoubtedly the leader, but Jack was second in command for a reason. In a lot of ways he bridged the Crew together. He was the muscle to Geoff's brains, though he was plenty brainy himself.

He was also a lot scarier than Geoff when he wanted to be. Like now for example.

Jack eventually looked at Michael and Lindsay. "So you staged a coup for power within a heist?"

"It wasn't a coup exactly," Michael replied honestly. "It was about survival. This gang is dead in the water. I thought if I could downsize us, get rid of the two psychos and get someone less hasty behind things, we might have a shot at survival."

"You thought that you, Gavin, Lindsay, and I would be the best team to escape the Syndicate's revenge?" Jack asked incredulously. He paused for a minute then laughed. "Oh wait. I was meant to go down too. Kerry having to be brought in was a hiccup. Cute."

"You weren't part of the plan," Michael said after a moment, hoping maybe the lie would save him. That hadn't been true. Michael had his plan down before he knew Kerry would be stepping in. Jack was supposed to go down solely because he would never let Michael get away with his plan.

"I wouldn't recommend lying right now," Jack said. "You attempted to take us all out but Gavin to make what you thought was a strong but small enough force to escape the Syndicate. You were going to fight your way out with just Lindsay and Gavin." Jack shook his head. "I guess you forgot that Ryan is absolutely lethal with superior weapons and fighting skills and that Ray is the best shot we have? Yeah good luck escaping without them. Oh and you also seemed to forget that there would be no way in hell you'd ever pull this shit over on me."

Michael squirmed again.

"You also clearly didn't consider that Geoff is one of the founding members of the Syndicate and that Matt and Burnie would be exceptionally displeased at his demise. Not to mention the fact that Gus would come out of 'retirement' from the criminal half of Rooster Teeth since Geoff is one of his best friends." Everyone squirmed at that. In terms of crazy and murderous, Gus Sorola made Ryan look like the damn Easter Bunny.

Michael shifted uncomfortably. "No. I, uh…I guess I didn't think of that. I didn't really think of any of that."

Jack's eyes flashed at that and he shot out of his chair, sending it flying backward. Before Michael could move, Jack grabbed him by his shirtfront and ripped him from his chair, swinging him around and slamming him so hard into the wall behind him that Michael literally saw stars as his vision went dark. Jack went for the gun he had retrieved from his car before finding the rest of the Crew and pressed it to Michael's forehead. He cocked the hammer back and waited.

No one behind him moved, not even Lindsay, who looked so pale that Geoff was sure was about to pass out. Her gun dangled uselessly from her hand as she was too frightened to draw it, scared she would set Jack off, or that he would accidentally squeeze the trigger if she shot him. Michael groaned and met Jack's very angry eyes.

"You betrayed the crew, tried to kill your leader, painted the world's biggest target on our backs, and nearly destroyed everything we have been working toward," Jack growled. "So don't you tell me that you didn't fucking think. You better have thought. You better have thought a great deal and right now you better think of a reason why we shouldn't kill you and Lindsay."

Michael's eyes widened. "No. Not Lindsay. Please Jack. She only did what she did because of me. Do whatever the hell you like to me but just...don't hurt her."

"Not a good reason," Jack replied.

Michael swallowed and thought frantically but he was drawing blanks. He couldn't think of a reason. He couldn't come up with a thought. He was going to die after all, but of his own stupidity, not anyone else's.

"Jack, let him go," Geoff said finally.

Jack looked back at Geoff confused. Geoff's face was calm and his tone casual, but firm. "Look, we all did a lot of stuff this heist out of anger. I was mad that Ray and Ryan left me behind last job, among other things, and I was mad that you were locked up because Gavin and Michael were focused on saving their own necks. If I'm honest I am also mad that you got locked up because of both me and Ryan's lack of forethought."

Jack said nothing, he still looked ready for murder.

"Michael is sick of giving his all in every job only to have them all fail," Geoff continued. "And he is sick of me not being the best leader. I'm sure Ray is sick of getting the crap jobs and Ryan has said more than once that it bothers him how little we trust him." Geoff sighed. "Gavin was just along for the ride and Kerry had no clue about any of it. Lindsay just went with her husband, you can't fault her for that."

"He turned on us," Jack said after a moment. "What's to stop him from doing it again?"

"Jack's got a point," Ryan adds. "I know y'all think I am a traitor, but I mostly just goof around or take opportunities as they come at me. This was calculated. He moved against all of us, Geoff. You included."

Geoff met Ryan's gaze. "Yeah and I let him. I knew about the plan, Ryan. I even had my suspicions about his plan for me. Yeah I backed out of my part in it, but I didn't stop it. That's on me." Geoff looked around at his Crew. "I'm your leader. I should have stopped things a long time ago, I should have worked out our issues years ago, not waited until we were so deep in our own bull shit that I don't know if we'll ever get out." He rubbed his mustache, frowning as he thought things through. "We're on our last legs and the pressure is getting to all of us. Matt and Burnie aren't any more agreeable than they were a few months ago and I don't know that we will ever make things right." Geoff looked back at Jack. "We made this mess, Jack. I made this mess. I want to fucking murder Michael for doing what he did, but I don't know that we didn't create this situation, this monster of a mess. But I do know that to get out of it we need all of us, even Michael. We need everybody or we are dead in the water."

Ray shifted uncomfortably as Geoff finished his surprisingly insightful speech. "You're not wrong," he said. "I always get stuck on the roof with a sniper rifle or posted on lookout while everyone else does the heavy lifting. You always say I'm the best shot but I never get to prove it. It ticks me off that people like Gavin get to be front and center while my ass is doing nothing. That's not what I signed up for."

"I came on board to do what I do best: steal, destroy, and cause mayhem," Ryan added bitterly. "But all the jobs end with me getting shit for what y'all hired me to do in the first place. It's a load of crap. Why does Gavin get special treatment when he is a damn idiot but I get called crazy and pushed around?"

Geoff met Ray and Ray's eyes. "Because Gavin is the only one of us who cares about the team. We've all been selfish. He hasn't been."

Everyone looked at Gavin who stared back at them confused. "What are you on about?"

"He's my best friend," Michael added, looking annoyed with himself at that admission and scared as if Jack might blow him away for speaking. When he wasn't shot dead he continued. "That's the only reason he wasn't planned to die. And if it helps…I didn't want to do this. I thought I had no choice. Geoff has a lot of it right."

"Look I fucked things up ok?" Geoff replied as Gavin, Lindsay, Michael, and Kerry all started to make their opinions known. "We all fucked up. We have to fix it, guys. I said it before that first job and I'll say it again: Six brains have to better than one or two right?" Geoff turned back to Jack. "I'm not saying let this go, but don't kill him, Jack. We need him and you know it."

Jack growled and dropped Michael. Geoff brushed past his second and held out a hand to Michael, disgust on his face. Michael took what was offered and was unsurprised when Geoff yanked him to his feet and pulled him in close, his eyes livid and his voice deadly.

"You get one chance," Geoff said quietly. "You pull another stunt, you look at anyone wrong, you and Lindsay are dead. Maybe Gavin too, depending on how stupid he is that day. Do you got me?"
Michael swallowed hard and nodded furiously, as did Lindsay.

"Why does everyone think I'm a bloody idiot?" Gavin asked finally, unable to take the offense anymore.

"Because you are," replied the Crew.

Geoff let go of Michael and rubbed his forehead wearily. "So Jack...was your time in lock-up useful?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "I had plenty of time to think," he said bitterly. "And I think I have a plan that will satisfy everyone."

Geoff grinned at him. "Knew I could count on you buddy." He looked at the rest of the Crew. "Let's rest up. We'll rendezvous in the heist room in a week. Kerry and Lindsay, you're back on desk duty. Keep your ears to the ground, we made lots of noise this time. Good?"

Everyone nodded.

"All right," Geoff said. "Jack, welcome back. Let's do this."

"Wait a sec," Michael said as everyone moved to disperse. "I just wanna know one thing," he said looking around at Ray, Ryan, Geoff, and Kerry. "How the fuck did you all survive? I mean the cops gunned you down!" he said to Ryan and Ray. "And Lindsay fucking SNIPED you two," he added to Kerry and Geoff.

"No I didn't."

Everyone turned to look at Lindsay who looked confused. "I thought you shot them," she said to Michael. "That was supposed to be your job, remember?"

Geoff, Ray, Ryan and Kerry all looked at each other as Michael turned slowly back to them.

"It's another long story," Geoff said finally, flopping down on the couch.

The long story…

"RYAN NOOOOOOOOO!"

Ray felt something in him break, like a dam that had held all of his anger at this heist and this life. It didn't matter that Ryan had tried to protect him for whatever reason and it didn't matter that he knew his next move was stupid. Ray got to his feet, grabbed his grenade launcher, and threw himself back into the fight.

"YOU BASTARDS!" he screamed, launching grenade after grenade into the street, not aiming, not holding back, just turning the entire scene into a pit of fire and murder. "YOU BASTARDS!"

"Ray, get down!" Geoff yelled desperately as Kerry flew them over Ray. "Get down, we're getting you out! Ray—!"

"YOU BAST—AUGH!"

Ray's screams cut off abruptly as he was yanked off of his feet. He could feel himself being dragged across the parking lot, vehicles and cops blowing up and shouting behind him. He looked up, aiming his grenade launcher at his assailant, ready to go out in a literal blaze of glory, when he saw who was dragging him.

"Any time you wanna get on your feet and run that would be great!" Ryan shouted over the din. His head set was gone, the side of his head, his shoulder, and his legs were bleeding quite significantly and he was half running, half limping to the fence at the end of the parking lot.

Ray opened his mouth to speak, but Ryan shook his head and shook Ray too. "No time. Shoot this fence for me and run!"

Ray finally got with the program and did as he was bid. They ducked as bits of chain-link went flying, cutting both of them up even more, but they dragged themselves through the ragged remains of the fence and into the alley.

"Run ahead," Ryan instructed Ray. "Steal a car and keep completely silent, whatever you do."

Ray again did as he was bid, asking himself a thousand questions internally. How was Ryan alive? Why wasn't he, Ray, allowed to speak, why were the cops suddenly chasing distant explos—?

Oh right, tanks. Guess the cops now have bigger fish to fry.

At the end of the tank alley, there was a pick-up truck parked half way on the sidewalk. It looked like it had been smashed into from the side by something large and tank-like. Still, the keys were in the ignition and I started after a few tries. Ray hurriedly reversed the truck down the alley, narrowly avoiding running Ryan over.

"Watch it!" Ryan snapped, hauling himself into the open passenger door. "Damn, I didn't survive getting shot all those times only to get run the fuck over by you!" Ryan slammed the door closed and Ray took off, dodging crashed cars and very annoyed policemen. The tanks had cut a huge swath of damage through Los Santos and Ray decided to follow it.

"Ok," Ryan said, grabbing Ray's duffle, which Ray had thankfully left strapped to his chest until he had gotten in the truck. "Turn your headset off a minute, but not for long."

Ray hit the switch on the side and immediately ripped into Ryan. "WHAT THE FUCK RYAN?" he roared. "I thought you were dead! How are you NOT dead? What was that self-sacrificing bull shit?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"Well, I figured you had more shit to live for than me," Ryan said, pulling his shirt up and prying four of the six bullets that had hit him out of his vest. The other had exited through the meat of his shoulder, causing a deep wound but missing the bone. The muscle wasn't working entirely correctly but at least it wasn't his dominant hand.

"You have a wife and two fucking kids!" Ray shouted.

"Yeah well," Ryan, said, grabbing a roll of bandage Ray had in his bag and starting to wrap his shoulder. "You're just a kid yourself really. It felt like the right thing to do. Sue me. Also I am not dead because cops can't shoot for shit."

"You can bleed to death," Ray grumbled, turning sharply and swerving to avoid some bits of helicopter."

"Hence bandages," Ryan said grimly, turning to his leg after finishing his shoulder. "Now here is the plan—"

"Take you to a hospital!"

Ryan rolled his eye. "Don't be an idiot. We have to get the others back for what they did."

Ray opened his mouth to argue, but his own small wounds and the version of hell he had just gone through stopped him. "Go on."

Ryan straightened, wincing at the tug in his shoulder. It would be painful, and yes he probably should go to a hospital, but he'd be damned if he was going to let those bastards get away. "So they are headed to the beach, right?" Ryan said. "And they think we're dead. Here's what we do: we head for the beach too. Wait for Geoff and Kerry to meet up with Michael and Gavin and we snipe the whole Crew from the shore."

"Even Gavin?" Ray asked doubtfully.

"If we don't, the Syndicate will," Ryan said.

"Yeah just like they will murder the shit out of us when Geoff winds up dead," Ray pointed out. "And that's not counting what Jack will probably do when he gets out."

"Yeah but this time we go out with revenge well in hand," Ryan replied, grinning evilly. "What do you say? One more Blaze of Glory?"

Ray thought about Michael's plan, how it was designed from the get go to kill him and Ryan. He also thought about that burner vehicle Geoff had planted so conspicuously. Ryan insisted it was wired to explode and given the fact the Michael had called Geoff back after the initial planning stage, it seemed likely. Had Geoff really betrayed them too?

And if all of that was true and if Ryan and Ray had truly believed it, then why hadn't they run? What gut instinct held them back.

Ray sighed heavily. "Yeah. One last blaze."

"Just blaze!" Ryan said mockingly with a grin.

"Fuck you!" Ray snapped.

"Turn your headset on, but angle the mic up and away from your mouth," Ryan instructed. We need to hear how far into the plan they are. Speak quietly too."

Ray flipped his mic back on and cranked the volume so Ryan could hear very faint snatches of conversation.

"Kerry," they heard Geoff say over whoops and yells from Michael and Gavin. "It looks like we're smoking a bit."

"Uh you know," Kerry replied nervously "It's like…419 up in here."

Ray burst out laughing with Geoff. Ryan punched him in the shoulder, trying to quiet him.

"I think I just heard Ray from the grave," Michael muttered sadly.

Ray looked guiltily over at Ryan who slapped him in the back of the head.

Ray and Ryan headed directly for the beach when they heard Michael and Gavin enter the tunnel in their tanks. There was a tense moment when they were zooming down the highway and saw Geoff and Kerry bouncing down the mountain in the Bifta, but Ray put on a huge burst of speed and blew past them just before they tumbled into the road. They arrived with five minutes to spare before Geoff and Kerry came running in and Ryan and Ray concealed themselves in some nearby rocks.

(Later they would lament not choosing the rocks where Lindsay was hiding)

Ray was on his belly, the rough rocks of the cove sticking into his sore and battered body. Ryan was starting to bleed through his bandages in places and Ray knew they had to hurry before Ryan bled to death. He wasn't going to let Ryan die a second time, fuck you very much.

"You got 'em in your sights?" Ryan asked, his vice ragged from how much pain he was in. Ray nodded, grateful for the night vision scope he had as darkness was quickly falling. "Ok. Wait til the others come in and then pick them off. Can you do it?"

Ray nodded again, listening to Geoff as he told Kerry to swim out to the boat in the waves. Ray kept his scope on him, wondering what made Geoff take the one farther out. Curious, he looked over at the boat Kerry had originally pointed at.

It looked perfectly normal. It was a few seconds before Ray saw a pulsing red glow coming from under the boat.

"Shit!" he muttered quietly. "Ryan! There are sticky bombs on that boat!"

Ryan squinted into the distance like he would be able to see it from here. "So?"

"So that's the boat Michael mentioned in planning," Ray said quickly. "The one Geoff and Kerry were supposed to take. It was rigged to blow, just like the car. Michael was going to kill Geoff and Kerry too!"

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Again…so?"

"So Geoff probably wasn't in on it!" Ray said with a scowl. "We don't have to kill him."

"You are forgetting the obviously rigged car." Ryan said dryly.

"We don't know that for sure," Ray mumbled mutinously.

Ryan gave him an odd look, part sympathy, part questioning. "If you can't take the shot—."

"I can take the shot," Ray said, jerking his sniper rifle away as Ryan reached for it. I just don't know if I should…

"Ray," Ryan said gently, almost pityingly. "I know they were supposed to be our Crew, our friends even, but they—."

"Shhhh!" Ray said suddenly, holding up a hand and cutting Ryan off. Geoff was talking to Kerry suddenly and he sounded serious.

"Kerry, listen," Geoff said, talking quickly and quietly so Ray had to really strain to hear him. "Don't respond, just listen—I have a feeling Michael is going to double cross us. He planned Ray and Ryan's death from the get go and he'll probably try to murder us when he gets here since I knew about it. If that happens, you need to get in the water and try to get away before he actually kills you. If he shoots you and does not hit, act like he did. Crumple like you're dead, try to fall in the water, but if you can't, play dead no matter what they do to you. If you get in the water, swim as far and as fast as you can. You got me? No don't speak, just nod. Jesus Christ!" There was a pause. "Good. It's worked for everyone else the last few jobs, maybe we can try our own vanishing act."

Geoff's voice resumed normal volume. "I see you guys on the horizon."

"Here they come," Ryan muttered as another speed boat came zooming into view. It came in close to Geoff and Kerry's boat before speeding off and pulling back around. This was it, the moment Ryan was looking for. But he hadn't heard Geoff. Geoff knew about Michael's plan for Ryan and Ray, but it didn't sound like he hadn't necessarily gone along with it. Between that and the sticky bombs and the fact the Geoff had his gun close by, Ray had a feeling that Geoff wasn't as guilty as Ryan thought and was bent on some Michael murdering himself.

Was Ray really going to shoot them?

"What are you waiting for?" Ryan snapped in his ear as Geoff and Kerry moved into Michael and Gavin's boat. "Dude, they are all there. Take the shot, Ray!"

Ray wiped his sweaty hands on his shirt, gazing back through the scope. He saw Geoff's grim face, Kerry's nervous fidgeting, Gavin's clueless Grin and Michael's haggard face.

"Ray!"

Ray still hesitated as the boat started to move. Ryan jumped to take the gun but before he could, a huge explosion went off to their left as the bombed boat blew itself out of the water. Bits of burning hot metal flew in the air and rained down on Ryan and Ray as the rest of the Fake AH Crew yelped and yelled questions. Ray scrambled for the scope just as Michael stopped the boat.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Michael shouted.

"What the fuck are you waiting for?!" Ryan growled at Ray.

"You're the one who's gonna beach it Michael!" Gavin yelped as the boat move perilously close to shore.

"Ray!"

Ray saw Michael jump up and leap into the water, just as Geoff made to shoot him. Gavin, likely panicking, followed Michael into the waves and swam away from the boat.

Geoff tried to shoot Michael, but he likely couldn't see him in the dark. Ray could see Michael either which meant he was probably hidden by the boat.

"As expected, Ryan and Ray died horribly," Michael's voice said in his ear, which pissed Ray off. "But yeah, you guys were supposed to die too on that boat and somebody fucked it up."

"What are you waiting for?" Ryan shouted, reaching for the gun, but Ray jerked away again. What was he waiting for?

"I'm confused as to whether or not I should be alive or not," Gavin's voice said nervously. Poor innocent Gavin.

Ray swore internally as Michael suddenly came into view, hauling himself up in the boat right behind Geoff, who could not see him. Ray put his finger on the trigger as Ryan half growled and half shouted in his ear for him to shoot.

"Sorry Geoff," Michael said calmly. "But it's time for a change of pace."

"SHOOT!" Ryan half whispered, half shouted, fresh blood from his head wound running down his face.

Suddenly a flashlight clicked on in Geoff's hand and he spun around illuminating Michael's face to both Geoff himself and Ray. Michael was grinning evilly.

And Ray knew why he was hesitating. He knew what he had to do.

Ray's shot caught Geoff in the chest. Geoff jerked as Ray fired two more, deliberately aiming at places Ray knew were covered by armor. One went a bit wide and hit Geoff in the hip and Ray prayed it wasn't too damaging. Geoff tumbled back into the water and Ray quickly shot Kerry three times. He watched as Kerry tried a weird sort of falling dive for the water and missed, cracking his skull against the side. Michael kicked Kerry a few times before shoving him out of the boat.

Ray pulled the scope away from his eye, grinning. He started packing up his bag.

"What the fuck happened?" Ryan asked as Michael and Gavin argued in Ray's ear.

"We have to get to the beach as soon as Michael and Gavin—." Ray broke off listening to the chatter and scowled as a surprise guest popped up. "—and Lindsay, apparently, get clear. We have to get Kerry and Geoff out of the water!"

What the fuck?" Ryan yelled. "They're all still alive? Why didn't you shoot them?!"

Ray slung his bag on his back. "I'll explain later—."

Ryan's punch caught Ray on the side of the head and made him see stars. He stumbled backward and fell onto the rocks as Ryan towered over him, clearly intent on beating the shit out of Ray. "Fuck you!" he snarled. "I didn't almost get killed for you to pussy out on me!"

Ray held up his hands as Ryan went to kick him. "Ryan, just wait!" he yelled. "Come on dude, I kamikazed for you. LISTEN!"

Ryan paused looking down at the younger man who he had actually tried to save for whatever stupid weak moment of conscience he had had earlier. Ray had double crossed him before…but maybe not without reason. Ryan could feel his crazed rage building but he should at least listen to what Ray had to say for himself before Ryan murdered him and stole his weapons.

"Geoff didn't plant the bomb," Ray said quickly. He wasn't entirely sure, but his gut told him he was right. "He didn't blow us up. Michael had planned everyone's death from the beginning. He conspired with Lindsay and Gavin knew nothing. Geoff told Kerry to play dead if Michael attacked so I shot them to fool Michael. Now they are out there, possibly injured and maybe drowning and we have to get to them!"

Ryan didn't look convinced.

"Don't they deserve revenge too?" Ray asked. "Look just...trust me ok? Let's just get the truth and then we can kill them if we need to, but let's get them first ok?"

Ryan studied him for a moment. Did he trust Ray? Maybe. It was worth a shot. Besides he could wait until they were all suitably distracted and steal Ray's gun before blowing them all away.

Acceptable.

"You better be right," Ryan grumbled.

Geoff's hip was a solid ache as he sank beneath the waves, but he didn't have time to think about it. The screaming pain had to wait. He kicked off against the ocean floor and shot through the water, swimming as fast and as far from the boat as he could. He had to get far enough away where Michael wouldn't see him. He swam until his leg was on fire and his lungs were bursting and then surfaced, a good twenty yards from the boat. His headset was still working and he surfaced just in time to hear Michael convince Gavin to get in the boat with him and…Lindsay?

The fuck? Well that figures, Michael would need someone to pick them off from afar. He wouldn't want his traitorous hands to get too dirty.

Anyway, Michael, Gavin and Lindsay took off in the boat. Geoff waited until the noise of the motor faded before he yelled out Kerry's name.

There was no answer.

"Shit!" Geoff said. Had his failure to act gotten Kerry killed? He saw Kerry get shot. Had he made it or was this their third casualty?

Geoff swam for shore frantically, squinting around in the dark for some sign of Kerry. He was panicking now. He had let Ryan and Ray die, he couldn't fail Kerry too. "Kerry! KERRY!"

Geoff swam into something solid. He felt around and felt clothes, hair, and a significant lack of movement. Kerry!

"Kerry, are you ok?"

No answer.

"FUCK!" Geoff grabbed Kerry by the limp arm floating in the water and made sure he was floating face up. He didn't appear to be breathing. Geoff swore again and swam for shore, towing Kerry with him. "Shit, you better not be dead, Kerry! You better not!"

Geoff stumbled as his feet finally met sand again and he stumbled up onto the shore, dragging Kerry's surprisingly heavy body through the sand. He could see him now in the light from several campfires of nearby beachgoers. No one noticed them. Geoff dropped Kerry and checked for breathing and heartbeat. His heartbeat was faint but there but he was not breathing at all.

"Oh God damn it, breath you fucking moron!" Geoff started pumping on Kerry's chest, performing CPR. Kerry needed to breathe. He just needed to breathe. It made him squirm, but Geoff started mouth to mouth on the boy, willing air into his lungs. "Breathe, God damn you!"

He was so caught up in saving Kerry that he never saw Ryan coming until he was spear-tackled by the Mad King and thrown into the shallows.

"NO!" someone yelled. "Ryan stop!"

Geoff coughed and squinted up through darkness and crashing water at Ryan's livid, blood streaked face. "Ry—?" he started to say in relief.

Ryan punched him in the nose. Then he punched him in the jaw. Then the eye, then in a few more places until Geoff was unable to see properly and possibly drowning a bit in the waves.

"Ryan back off!" Ray ran into Geoff's line of view—RAY!—and pulled Ryan back. "You'll kill him!"

"Like he was gonna do to us!" Ryan yelled as Ray pulled him back. "You fucking bastard. You god damn cocksucker!" He strained to get at Geoff but either he was weak from the few wounds Geoff could make out on him or Ray was having a surprising moment of strength. Probably the latter.

Geoff groaned and hauled himself up onto all fours, spitting blood out of his mouth and ignoring the pain from his hip and…entire face. "Kerry…drowning…" Geoff gasped at Ray.

Suddenly he registered the sound of coughing and vomiting.

"Yeah he's fine," Ray said, still grappling with Ryan. "He started coughing up the shit in his lungs as soon as Ryan tackled you."

Geoff sagged in relief for a moment before crawling up to the sand and rolling tiredly onto his back.

"Are you gonna chill the fuck out and ask him now?" Ray demanded, most likely speaking to Ryan. "Or am I going to dunk you underwater?"

Ryan stopped struggling and after a moment he stepped back into Geoff's line of sight. "The car bomb?" he asked shrewdly.

"Threw it into the water off the PCH," Geoff replied tiredly.

"You let us go into a trap," Ryan said. It was not a question.

"I was angry about Jack and…everything," Geoff said. He was so tired. He didn't care about anything more than laying here and never moving again. "I woke up from my anger haze when it came time to plant the bomb. Kerry and I tried to go back for you guys in the chopper but…"

"Too many cops," Kerry said so hoarsely that his voice was barely recognizable. "Didn't make it in time."

Ryan grunted in acknowledgement of their words. "And did Kerry or Gavin know? And did you know about Lindsay?"

"I didn't know," Kerry said.

"No he didn't," Geoff agreed. "Neither did Gavin. I had no clue about Lindsay." Geoff looked directly at Ryan. "I'm sorry, Ryan. You too Ray. I am god damn sorry."

Ryan looked down at him for a moment, looking like he still wanted to murder the fuck out of Geoff. After a moment he sighed heavily and winced as he rubbed his wounded head.

"Don't be fucking sorry," Ryan said finally. Get the fuck up and help us."

Geoff looked at Ryan questioningly.

"Well first we are gonna get some more first aid," Ryan said, swaying slightly, looking pained. "Then we are going to go fuck Michael's shit up. You in?"

Sorry Geoff. It's time for a change.

"I'm so in," Geoff replied.

...the end of the long story.

Jack, Michael, Lindsay, and Gavin were all staring at them in shock as they finished their tale.

"You're fucking me!" Jack finally exclaimed. "That's how you survived! That's impossible!"

"It does seem unlikely," Michael added while Lindsay nodded.

"Completely mental," Gavin agreed.

Geoff exchanged looks with Ryan, Ray, and Kerry before shrugging at the others. "Well, that's how it happened."

"No one is going to believe that!" Jack said. "It's physically impossible. I can point out like twenty things that are wrong with that explanation!"

"It's what happened," Kerry said, also shrugging. "Believability doesn't matter."

Ryan grinned tiredly. "And you'd be surprised at what people believe."

"Yeah," Ray said. "Especially if it makes a good story!"