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Stepping up to a wrought-iron fence, I stared through the spaces between the metal links at an abandoned warehouse sitting behind it. I had been investigating for the last week, grilling former Elites and looking for a paper trail. All my findings tied together here. This was it. This was where they had Alex.

Tensing as a hand gripped my shoulder, I smiled & said, "You made it. I was starting to wonder if you were going to come." "I was seriously thinking about whether I should or not", Brandon said as he crouched beside me, "I've got a million better things to do than die with you on a suicide mission to get your girl back." "I don't care what you think", I growled, "Nothing short of an army will stop me from getting back Alex." "For the record, whoever's pulling the strings evidently has that." Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I said, "Look, are you with me or not?" Sighing, he whipped a pistol out of his jacket & cocked it. Grinning, I pulled a small blowtorch out of my bag, turning the nozzle as a bright blue flame shot out of the end.

Dragging the flame across the metal fence, I pulled a section out & crawled through, the edges dripping molten iron. As Brandon crawled through, I shoved the fence back into place, the cooling metal fusing together once again. Ducking behind a wooden crate, I capped a silencer onto my pistol as he made a run for an adjoining alleyway. "3...2...1..." I counted softly before popping out & pulling the trigger, the bullet slamming into the back of a guard's head. Catching the man's body as he fell backwards, I dragged him behind the box & quickly changed into his uniform. Stepping out of the alley, I walked over to where Brandon stood waiting, dressed in a similar outfit. "Let's go." I said, pushing open the warehouse's door & stepping inside. Walking through surprisingly well-maintained hallways, I nodded at passing guards as they strode by, completely oblivious.

"That worked better than I thought." Brandon whispered as we stepped into an isolated hallway with a large door at the end, a single guard posted out front. "I told you it would", I said, "Unfortunately, this is where the hard part begins." Walking up to the guard, I said, "Our location's been compromised. We're moving the prisoner to a new location. Open the door." "I hadn't heard anything." the man said suspiciously. "The orders just came from upstairs", I lied quickly, "Now, I say again-Open the door." As he stepped to do this, the man stopped & said, "What's the authorization code?" "Oh, um..." I stuttered.

Faster than the guard could react, my pistol was out of its holster & in my hand. As I squeezed the trigger, the man fell, an expanding ring of red in his chest. Dropping to my knees & rummaging through his pockets, I pulled out an ID card & held it in front of the door sensor. It clicked a few times, then swung open-Revealing the barrel of a massive shotgun! "GUN!!!" I yelled, dropping to the ground. Attempting to do the same, Brandon screamed as the gun went off, the blast tearing through his shoulder. Pushing myself to my feet, I squinted as bright white floodlights turned on, searing my retinas. Lifting my hand to shield my eyes, I squinted as a male figure dragging a female silhouette appeared through the blinding light. Though his face was completely black from contrast to the bright white, I immediately knew who he was. The only person who could've wanted revenge on me this badly.

"Hello, M-18." John Duke said as his facial features appeared. "This isn't possible...I shot you...I KILLED you..." I shouted. "Oh, that", he said calmly, "Ah, I lost quite a body double that day. Did quite an excellent job, didn't he? I didn't anticipate you killing him, however. Such a shame..." Grinning evilly, Duke cocked his pistol & pressed it to Alex's temple. "I've spent the last month destroying everything you hold dear", he growled, "I can sure as hell do it one last time. Now drop your gun & kick it over here!" Grinding my teeth, I allowed the pistol to slip from my fingers as I kicked it across the concrete, sliding it across the cold, hard ground. "What do you want from me? You've taken my life away from me year by year. Why?" "To exact my revenge." Duke snapped, lifting his pistol from Alex's head & aiming for my chest. As he pulled the trigger, Alex swung her fist & connected it with Duke's head, breaking free of his grip & jumping in front of me. "Alex! NO!!!" I shouted, catching her as she slumped to the ground. "Sam...I don't...Regret what I did", she gasped weakly, "You would've...Done the same. You've...Saved my life...A dozen times over. It was...The least I could do..."

As her eyes rolled back in her head, I whipped towards Duke, pure anger & rage burning in my eyes. "There it is...There's the raw fury I know", he said, "Not to worry...You'll join her in a few seconds." Grabbing my pistol off the ground & levelling it at my chest, Duke laughed & said, "Any last words?" Keeping my eyes trained on him, I pulled a detonator out of my pocket & flipped it open as his eyes flitted with horror to the chunk of C4 stuck to the side of the gun. "Muerto, bastardo." I muttered. A blinding flash & a deafening bang signified the end of John Duke as the explosion painted the walls bright red.

Rushing over to Alex, I pulled her body tightly to my own, eyes stinging as tears rolled down my cheeks. "I'm so sorry...I said I'd protect you, no matter what..." I sputtered. Wiping my eyes, I gently wiped a small trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth, brushing my lips softly against hers. Getting to my feet, I walked over to where Brandon lay, groaning. Taking one last look back at her, I said, "I wish we had more time." Helping him to his feet, I heard coughing behind me & whipped my head around to find Alex hacking, clutching the wound in her stomach. "Sam...?" she said slowly. "Alex! Oh, thank God!" I cried, whipping out my cell phone & dialing 911. "Hello?" I said. "I need an ambulance and a SWAT team at the old warehouse on the corner of Main & Corinth."

Epilogue:

Rubbing my eyes from exhaustion, I sat back in my chair as the news blared. On screen, a reporter stood in front of the warehouse I had evacuated Alex & Brandon from just an hour or two earlier. "Bill, I'm standing at an abandoned warehouse where it is believed that Alex Chen was held in captivity for over a week. Details of moles inside local police departments have been released from earlier interviewed suspects. The police deny these claims, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The hero of the rescue, Samuel Allen, was rushed to the hospital as well as one Brandon Smith, who we believe accompanied Allen on the attack. Blood belonging to the thought-dead John Duke was found all over the crime scene, leading law enforcement to believe that he was killed in this altercation. We'll have more on this story as it develops." Chuckling quietly to myself, I leaned forward, looking to the hospital bed where Alex lay, an IV bag attached to her arm. Slowly, her eyes blinked open and I jumped up, rushing over to her side.

"You killed him, didn't you?" she asked. "Yes, and if I hadn't, we'd both be dead right now", I said softly, "The question is, Alex, did you really want him to live." "Hell no", she replied, "After what that bastard did to me, you could've taken your sweet time with him." "What matters is that it's finally over", I said, "These people will never bother us again. We can finally leave the past behind us...Meaning we can look to the future." Kneeling, I pulled a small box out of my pocket, containing a diamond ring that reflected Alex's shining eyes on every one of its faces. "Alex Chen...Will you marry me?" I asked. "Yes", she said, smiling, "Yes I will." Smiling the most sincere of all my smiles for the past two years, I said, "We'll always be together, Alex. I'll never stop looking out for you."