Going home, minus one

Derek and Jay both follow Phinox's lead, slipping out of their ropes, and heading out of the room. Their escape is short-lived, however, when the shot rings out.

Spinning around, Derek is stunned, then yanked to the side where Jay has already found cover. More shots.

As Phinox lands behind the boxes with them, Derek's eyes widen at the blood. Phinox had been shot, and it wasn't good. He reaches for him, but already, he's being given the order to leave.

"But... we can't..."

Jay takes his arm. "We can and we will." It tore at his heart to leave Phinox here, but he knew that the brave man was giving them the only chance they had left to get out of here. He would see his daughter, and Derek needed to escape as well. "Do as he says."

As the war starts up again, Derek is hesitant, catching Phinox's eye. His gaze relayed that he was confused, sorry, but eternally grateful. No words could possibly be enough. Turning, he and Jay make a run for it, neither looking back.

Both men make it outdoors, just to find the back of the building clear. They can hear the gunfire out front, and their hearts pound. Neither dawdle. They take off at a sprint around the building, skidding to a stop just before they could be spotted.


Hal's knuckles grow white as he listens to the chaotic sounds through the mics. His attention is diverted to the other screen. "Derek and Jay on the move.... they're free!"


Reese is relieved to hear that, and knows that they will have to get everyone out all at once. He glances back to his passenger, his strange feeling remaining. But he stays on the outskirts, sliding the van to a halt at a safe distance to wait. "Van is ready and waiting. Repeat, van is ready and waiting."


His words are halfway lost in the battle, though the team knows he is there, and knows they have to get to him in order to survive. Jason pulls Katie as close to him as possible, ducking his head in an attempt to shield her. But there was no where to go.

Ryder sees Nate picking off a couple of the enemies, and follows suit, bringing one of his own down. "Jason, three o'clock! Clear shot, run, now!"

Jason sees the opening that Nate and Ryder had made, and he doesn't hesitate. His feet are moving again. His heel slams into a pothole and his knee screams out in pain but he ignores it. A bullet whizzes by his head. Suddenly, he's behind the cars, safe for the moment and able to breathe.

"Dang it, Scott!"

Jason hears Carson's shout, and turns to see that he had not been followed. It was hard to tell if Scott had been hit, or had panicked, but he was on the ground, curled up against the gunfire around him. "Scott, get up!"

"Get out of there!"

"To your right, to your right, come on!"

"Scott, are you hit? Are you hit?"

"Get up!"

The words reverberate in Scott's head as the battle continues. The sounds muddle together and horrific images flash through his mind. He couldn't move. Covering his head in fear, he pulls himself in tighter.

Carson growls and holsters his gun. "Somebody, anybody, cover me!"

Eyes shoot in his direction, guns trying to pick off anybody who might try to take him out. He moves from his hiding place, keeping low as he dashes into the middle of the parking lot. Sliding down to one knee, he grips Scott's arms, yanking them out straight so he could see his face. Reaching down with a rough hand, Carson forces Scott to look up at him. The panic was evident in Scott's eyes, but Carson was not going to take the time to be gentle. "Get up, or I'll take you out myself."

Scott quakes with fear, but Carson's words weren't what evoked the emotions. He was not fearful of Carson, but of his surroundings... of the battle. But staring up at his teammate, he sees through the roughness that Carson was trying to get him to safety, and something inside of him screamed to get up and go.

Carson's actions were enough to snap Scott out of his panic attack, and he pulls himself up to his feet.

"Atta boy, come on." Carson keeps one hand on him, pushing his head down as they run.


Ryder tries to think fast enough to do his job, and is just ready to go after Scott himself, when he sees Carson go instead. And for a moment... he's taken by surprise. Whether he wanted to acknowledge it or not, Carson was risking his life to save a partner... someone like that would not kill without a reason. Brian's face flashes in Ryder's mind. Hanging onto his hate was wrong... he'd been wrong about Carson. Drawing his gun, he fires, before an angry thug can pull his own trigger as he aimed at Carson's head. One down... too many more to go.


Getting behind the cars, Scott trips, bringing both himself and Carson down in a heap. Ryder's eyes widen. "Scott, you okay?"

Scott bites his lip, his eyes watering. Something hurt. He wasn't sure what it was though. He nods. He thought he was okay.

Only then does Carson notice the blood pouring out of Scott's arm from more than one gunshot wound. Shedding his vest, he tears a sleeve off his shirt, wrapping it quickly around Scott's arm. Looking at Scott's face, he wondered if the younger man was in a state of shock. He didn't seem to even feel any of this. "Scott... stay with us, pal... you hear me?"

Scott nods numbly. He looks to Jason and Katie. "Is she okay?"

Jason nods. They had avoided bullets. "But we have to get her out of here."

Con's voice crackles through the mics. "Derek and Jay are coming your way, guys. Head for the van, head for the van!" Already, he was moving towards the edge of the roof, ready to slide down the ladder and make a run for the road.


Derek and Jay halt at the corner, taking in the scene. Jason takes Katie and runs. Scott goes down. Carson gets him out. They had to get out of there too, but their only chance was to barrel through and hope they made it to the other side alive.

Two men in front of them had their backs turned. Derek and Jay exchange glances and nod. They knew what they had to do. Taking to a run once again, they come out of hiding, tackling both men from behind, at the same time, taking the rifles. Another shot fires and a thug goes down, having just been ready to fire on Derek. He looks up to the roof where Laura was standing, but doesn't have time for a wave of thanks. He and Jay run towards the junked cars, depending on the others to help them make it.

Laura takes out an enemy and is ready to fire on another when she feels a sickening blow to her side. Her arms had been raised, and she'd been hit below the vest. Gasping for breath, she goes down to her knees, but on her way, she fires, taking out the one who had shot her. Putting a hand to her side, she scurries across the roof to the ladder to make her way down. She winced against the pain as she ran around the far side of the building where there was no one. The team was safe - she could leave her post. It only takes her seconds to come up behind the others, huddled behind the cars. "Is this it?" she wheezes.

Ryder's eyebrows shoot up. "You're hit."

She grimaces, still gasping for breath. "I'm fine. Is this it?" she repeats. "Where's Phinox?"

Derek and Jay both remain solemn. "He got us out," Derek responds grimly.

The silence that followed was one that everyone hated, but no one needed to confirm. They knew. And hearts sink.

A bullet bounces off one of the cars, bringing their attention back. Carson shouts into his mic. "Get the vans here on the double. We're ready and waiting, so don't drag your feet!"


Reese pushes the gas petal to the floor, squealing the tires as he takes off for the one corner of the lot. "Wyatt, where's the other van? Where are you and Misty?"


Across the grassy lot, Wyatt looks behind his shoulder in time to see Misty preparing without a gun. "What are you..." Too late. She already had the door open. "Misty, don't you dare!" Again, too late, and there was nothing he could do but keep his hands on the wheel. "You crazy!!"

He glances in the mirror, catching Misty's jump, and her attack on the two men. "Watch it! Get him... Look out! Take him out! Don't... Yes!" Jumping in his seat without being able to release his adrenaline, he hits a huge bump, sending the van flying, and his eyes back to where he was going. Only then does he let his excitement be replaced by fearful exasperation. "Misty, don't you ever pull a stunt like that again, do you hear me?! Are you crazy?!"


"Whoa whoa whoa." Carson puts a hand to his headset. "What's going on over there. Misty, you okay or what?"

"She's fine," Wyatt mutters. "No thanks to her brain, miss James Bond here."

Carson can't help a little grin. "Way to go, Sassy, show 'em who's boss."

"Don't encourage her!"

"Get down here!" Reese barks to his son. "Misty! Follow him in and get over here for Katie."

Another round of chaos ensues. With the group together, it's hard for any of the Agency men to break through. With the vans pulling up and people going to their posts, victory was in the air. People move. More gunfire is heard. The Elite moves as one team, hardly needing to say any words. And in a cloud of dust, the building is being left behind...

Jason kneels in the back of the van, cradling Katie's head in his lap. He looks at Misty, his eyes pleading with her to help. "She won't wake up... I've tried everything."

Wyatt hits a bump in the road but doesn't wait to apologize. He was on the way to the hospital, and in a hurry. He had too many people hurt to worry about taking it easy.

Scott leans against the inside of the van, just now the pain starting to set in. His face was pale and he doesn't say much, still in shock from the whole experience.

Laura sits with her hand pressed to her side, her eyes watering with the pain. Her other hand puts Nate's fingers in a vice grip as she fights. She looks out the window as the scenery flies by. the other van would pick up her brother.


Carson jumps into the passenger seat beside Reese, while Ryder wastes no time in diving in through the side door behind Derek and Jay. "Go go go!" Slamming the door shut, he crawls several feet in, flopping down on the floor.

Reese looks around as he drives. "Phinox... where's Phinox?"

Carson looks at him, then gives a little shake of his head.

"Dang it." Reese's words are whispered, but his grip on the steering wheel proves how upset he is. It wasn't supposed to happen this way.

Ryder takes off his vest and wipes the sweat from his brow. Only as they slow to pick up Con, does he realize he's sitting next to the young woman who had been traded off to them. "'ello, 'ello... we got a new sheilla on our hands, ay?" He searches her face for a moment, his gaze finding something he hadn't expected. She wasn't rough... she wasn't mean... she wasn't typical Agency. "Welcome to the Elite."


Kyle stirs and finally opens his eyes. A gentle breeze combs his hair, and the sound of water lapping against the shore catches the attention of his ears. Sitting up, he gazes down the long beach. The sand is pure and soft, almost white. Craning his neck, he looks behind him at the lush green foliage. The palm trees wave in the wind and cast cool shadows on the ground.

Getting to his feet, Kyle lets the sand play between his bare toes as he walks to the edge of the water. It's cool and refreshing, so clear that one could see the bottom where brilliant fish swim. Walking along the edge, he leaves his footprints in the wet sand, basking in the warm sun. There is a freedom here. It is such an overwhelming feeling of excitement and energy, yet it is held back by the most incredible peace.

Kyle looks ahead and sees the shoreline that curves around the bay. There's something more around the bend. Something that piques the curiosity enough that one would begin to imagine the splendor that might await. There is a presence here... a presence that envelopes the senses and bathes the soul in refreshing life.

He walks towards the bend, entranced by this beautiful place.

"You know must go back, my child."

Kyle stops. "But why? I like it here."

"I know. And I can't wait for you to come and stay. But for now, you must go back."

"But..." Kyle looks with longing to that which he couldn't see. "My dad..."

"He will still be here when you return."

"Will I ever return?"

"Yes. But not today."

Kyle can feel the disappointment welling up inside of him. "But why?"

"Because you have yet to walk the path I have laid out for you."

"But it's hard."

"I know. But I am with you. Never let go of my hand."

Kyle slowly turns around to stare in the other direction. His disappointment was being confronted with his sense of duty. "I don't know where to go."

"Just follow me, child. I will lead you."

"But-"

"Shhh. I love you, Kyle. I will see you again soon."

It seems a great effort just to open his eyes, but Kyle manages to pry them open. He felt as though he'd been run over by a freight train. His mouth and throat were dry and scratchy, and his head was all fuzzy. Not a whole lot made sense... nor did his surroundings.

Without turning his head, he eyes the room. It was light and airy... the flower pattern at the top of the wall was pretty... the window was nice and big... the floor was tiled... there were machines. He blinks. He was in a hospital bed. But... why?

Finally turning his head, he sees Alice. He furrows his brow, confused at the worry he saw. His automatic response is to try and get her to smile. "I have no idea why you have such a sour look on your face." He mumbles groggily, his words almost slurred. "But if you don't smile, I'll call a nurse to take you out so I don't have to get depressed just looking at you."

He tries to open his eyes a little wider in an attempt to get his bearings. A foggy memory invades his mind. "Where did the beach go?"