NOVA
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02/05/2003
Alto, New Mexico
Silverwing Base
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It's been two days since Leo and I drove up to Santa Fe.

That's two days of preparations, and we're two days closer to carrying it out.

Everybody has been informed of his location and status. Everybody is on board for the operation. Nicholas is definitely going to have his strength in numbers, so we need to ensure we have the same; if not more.

I've thought about exactly how I'm going to kill him for the last two days.

Do I let him suffer? Do I just slit his throat?

As long as I am the one to see the life drain out of his eyes, I don't care. I've never been more fucking determined in my life.

It's raging through me, I'm fuelled by the boiling pits of hell. Fuelled by the place I hope I'll exile him to.

Everyone has been shown the video. Some have even remarked that I look 'so much' like him. They don't realise the weight of what they're saying. I can't blame them, since most of them don't know he's my brother.

I'm not particularly bothered about them knowing. Although, a part of me is worried that if they do know, they'll start to think that maybe I'm just like him; maybe I've got a sinister side.

I've been taking my stress out on targets all morning. It's not often I get the chance to just sit and practice my own skills.

"You still haven't told me about what happened with yours and Leo's little 'talk'," Tara grins, loading up her rifle.

She's one of the few people who I'm actually enjoying the company of at the minute. To be honest, I think I could be on death's door and still enjoy Tara's company.

"About five minutes of talking, then we fucked," I deadpan, snickering as I catch Tara's reaction. She nearly drops her rifle, having to steady it at the last second.

"Damn, so it went successfully I presume?" She laughs, I hum. Her eye leans back towards the scope before she whips around to face me again.

"Shit. You already know what I'm going to ask, you're on some sort of birth control aren't you?" Her expression twists into seriousness.

"Yeah, of course. I was on it for my period anyway, guess it came in pretty damn useful," I chuckle.

"I saw it coming. I read the letter, you know? You should've seen him when he realised you'd already left that day," she shakes her head, "he was stressed out of his mind,"

"Well, he should've listened to me the twenty-thousand times I told him to adjust his watch," I smirk, firing a few shots.

They all pierce right into Nicholas.

The gun drops from my hand as I stagger backwards, clenching a defensive hand over my chest.

He's here.

He's right in front of me.

Tara narrows her eyes and quickly speeds over, "Nova, what's going on?"

I point towards him, where he's now walking towards me with three bullets punctured in his face, spewing the thick crimson down his neck and chest.

"He's there, Tara! He's right fucking there! Shoot him!" I screech with insanity, edging backwards and batting my arms.

Tara whips her head in his direction and back towards me, "Nova? Nova nobody's there. It's just the target."

"Nicholas! Can't you fucking see him?!" I hiss, flushing my back against the wall as he strides over in our direction.

"The hell's going on?" Leo asks as he jogs into the training hall, most likely after hearing the commotion as he swiftly moves over to us.

"She's saying Nicholas is there," Tara whispers.

"He is fucking there! He's right in fucking front of us!" I launch my finger in his direction. There's a bullet sunken deep into his temple, one under his eye and another piercing his throat.

The blood is oozing out of all of them. How the fuck is he still walking?

"Somebody finish him off! Please, just fucking kill him!" I manically plead, desperately looking between Tara and Leo.

"She's hyperventilating, I think she's hallucinating," Tara speaks quietly to him.

Leo carefully stands in front of me, blocking my sight of the devil.

"Nova, listen. There's nobody there, alright? You're okay," he speaks calmly, taking my flailing arms and running his hands up and down them.

I urgently glance over Leo's shoulder, watching Nicholas feel under his sleeve before pulling out the familiar blade. It's still dripping with my blood, and the scar on my chest suddenly feels like it's aching.

"He is there, he's behind you. He's going to fucking kill you if you don't move, Leo!" I screech, trying to yank him out of the way.

"Nova, Nova! I need you to listen to me. It's a hallucination, he's not here. It's all in your head, you're safe. I promise you,"

My heart is pounding, black speckling the edges of my vision. I feel so fucking dizzy. My hands are completely numb, feet tingling as my chest rises and falls rapidly.

Why the fuck can't they see him?

Am I really going insane?

"Nova!"

—

I groan as I roll over in bed, noticing Leo perched on the edge with a concerned expression etched across his face. I have no idea why I'm here in the first place.

"Hey, Nov. How are you feeling?" He runs a gentle hand across my arm.

"The fuck happened?" I rub my eyes.

"Do you remember anything? From when you were in the training hall?" He asks quietly, scooting slightly closer.

Nicholas.

"Nicholas was in there," I whisper. He shakes his head.

"No, Nova. He wasn't. You were hyperventilating and then you blacked out, Dr Greene said she thinks it was a hallucination," he sighs.

A hallucination?

"So he really wasn't there?" I ask with uncertainty.

"No, he wasn't,"

I scrape my hands down my face. He wasn't there, yet he's everywhere. It was so real. He's consuming my mind. He's driving me to goddamn psychosis.

I can't live in peace until he's deep in hell.

"I'm sorry," I murmur.

"For what?" He tilts his head.

"For causing a scene,"

"Nov, don't say that. It was only me and Tara with you, anyway. I brought you back to the cabin and Tara went to get Dr Greene, since we realised that we both knew about your meetings with her," he reassures, pulling me by my shoulders and into his chest.

"I honestly think I'm going insane, Leo,"

He doesn't say anything. What the fuck can he even possibly say? I know better than anyone what's going on in my head.

He knows it's not his place to tell me wether I am or not.

"We're just going to take things one day at a time, alright?" He says after a few moments, smoothing his hands up and down my arms.

"I just need to kill him," I grumble.

"Nov, I know we've had this conversation. Although, after witnessing what you just went through in there, do you really think it's wise if you come?"

He says it so quietly, treading on the eggshells of my possible reaction.

I'm not angry at him for saying it this time. I'm not angry because I know he's right. It's a valid reason for me to not come.

"I think part of the reason I had that whole thing was because I know for a fact he's still alive. I think it'll help if I physically see him dead," I whisper.

He takes a sharp breath in, biting his tongue before nodding.

"Alright. If that's what you think is best for you, I won't try to stop you," he places a gentle kiss on the back of my head.

"Although, you're staying with me the entire time, alright?" He warns.

I hum. If it'll make him feel more relaxed about the whole situation, then I'll do it. He heaves out a relieved sigh, wrapping his arms around my waist and burying his face into my neck.

"I won't let anything happen to you," he murmurs against my skin.

"It's mutual," I force a chuckle.

It's true. I'd take bullets upon bullets for him. If God forbid anything ever happened to him, I have no idea what I'd do. How I'd cope.

I don't think I could cope.

"You know I'm a big tough guy, no need to protect me," he snickers, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

"Yet you loved me being on top of you a few nights ago? I think a little part of you enjoys being submissive," I grin.

He laughs, tightening his grip around me.

"Only for you,"

—

My own personal training session didn't last long, partially because I fucking decided to hyperventilate and collapse.

Doesn't stop the rest of my tasks though.

"I told you, you aren't in the right position Ave!" Noah snaps, trying to adjust her stance.

"Do you want your hands or your head intact? Because it's going to be neither if you don't let go," Avery hisses, biting back a grin.

"She actually is in the right position, Noah. Good job Avery," I snicker.

Noah scowls at her; she pouts her lip and taps her heart sarcastically as he walks to pick another gun.

"He's such an ass," she laughs, turning to face me. "Do you think we will be allowed on the operation to go after Nicholas?"

Deep breaths.

"No, not this one. Don't get me wrong Avery, you're already insanely skilled. Although, with this operation, it's going to be too intense for your first," I explain.

She simply nods, "yeah, that's completely understandable. I hope I'll be like you in a few years."

No, you absolutely don't. 

"You just need a few years of experience and then you'll be ace," I smile, gesturing for her to continue shooting at the targets.

"How old were you when you started?" She asks, firing a few rounds.

"About a similar age to you, although I'd been handling guns for a few years before,"

"I guess I've been around guns since I was a kid, I grew up with four brothers who had fun shooting bottles from logs," she snickers.

"Explains the good aim," I grin.

"How about you? Did you just learn from your family too?" She glances over at me.

"Yeah, something like that," I shrug.

Avery's mouth opens to say something else until Yamato paces into the training area.

"Shields, Vincent wants us," he briefly announces, disappearing back outside.

Here we go.

"Just practice with the aim until four, then you're free to do what you please," I speak to all three of the rookies, who nod immediately.

I can already hear Avery and Noah starting to bicker the damn second my back has turned.

With a sharp breath, I follow out in Yamato's tracks.

—

"I've come up with the plan, I just need all of your opinions," Vincent speaks to the room of me, Leo, Yamato, Tara, Dylan and Martin.

This isn't everybody, I guess we're just the people who's opinion he currently values the most at Silverwing.

God knows why Dylan is here.

I've perched myself right next to Leo. Luckily, it doesn't look suspicious since we're all wedged like goddamn sardines in this office.

Vincent turns to the board behind him, beginning to write something down as we all wait in anticipation.

'173 Avenida Lane, Grande Heights - Hotel Isabel'

"This is where we're flying into. There's a desert like terrain around the back, somewhere for-" he says.

"-Ain't that just 'gonna give us away immediately? It's a darn desert. All they need t'do is take a peek 'outta the window and see a goddamn chopper," Dylan interrupts, shaking his head.

"Shut the fuck up and let him finish," I hiss. Vincent is smart with years of experience, he's not that much of a dumb motherfucker to not have thought this through.

"Wooh, easy darlin'. I'm just sayin' to the old man-"

Leo shoots up from his seat, "-get out of this room," he warns.

"And since when did I take my orders from 'yaself, Hendrix?" Dylan seethes, attempting to stand up against him. His attempts are pretty damn futile against the size of Leo.

"Get the fuck out, Holmes," he repeats himself. His tone is cold, icy.

Dylan glances to Vincent for some help, but he simply ushers him away with his hand and sides with Leo.

Dylan groans under his breath, trudging towards the door and disappearing. Leo sits down next to me.

"I had an idea he'd pull some bloody shit like that, just wanted to test it out," Vincent shakes his head.

"All he'll do is interrupt until you can't get a damn word in," I snicker.

"Anyway, as I was saying. Yes, the chopper will land in the desert terrain around the back, but nobody will be on board apart from Marcus. It's a diversion. He's going to ground us first, we will be landing on the Westland, over here-"

He splays out a satellite view of the area, pointing out and circling a separate desert area right across the other side of the neighbourhood. 

"I thought Marcus didn't come with us from the Hawks?" Tara asks, glancing around.

"He's on his way now with the chopper, so is Yazmina from the Eagles. Of course we already have Terrance here. Transportation will be crucial in this operation. Plan is, Marcus will fly you all in to the Westland. Once you're off, Yazmina and Terrance will collect the SUV's the Crows have arranged, ready to transport you all."

He takes a sharp breath before continuing.

"In the meantime, Marcus will hover until given the landing signal from one of the drivers; issued when you are all nearing the location. This will hopefully create a diversion, everybody on watch will have their attention on the chopper. Hopefully there's not many people anyway, but it's not uncommon for criminals to link up with each other. Also considering Nicholas' status, I doubt it's been hard for him to find a connection."

Whilst Vincent takes a well earned break from talking, I close my eyes to take all of the information so far on board.

I feel Leo's arm discreetly snake around my back, giving my waist a gentle squeeze of reassurance.

"So-"

Vincent starts again, causing my eyes to snap open.

"Mulvey, you aren't getting out with everyone else. You're getting out first, over here-"

He points on the satellite image to what seems like a water tank.

"-you're going to position your rifle. On the off chance that Nicholas comes outside unnoticed, take the shot. He's our only target, we have no links to the others. Only neutralise them if absolutely necessary, killing is the final resort. We don't want a bloodbath,"

We all hum in response, Tara leans forward to analyse her position; measuring with her eyes how accurate her shot will be.

"Unless he retreats through the opposite side of the hotel, I should have a clean shot," she nods affirmatively.

"Good, good. On the east side of the hotel, there's a perron. Six officers are going to go up the perron. The hotel is six stories high, three will get in through the third story; the others on the sixth. The rest will enter from the ground and push up. I've made an order of who I want to go where."

He glances at a small piece of paper before drawing a rough sketch of the hotel onto the board behind him. His pen divides it off into three sections; top, middle and bottom.

"Pushing in through the lower floor is Banksy, Wexler and myself," he writes the names next to the section, we all spring forward in our seats.

"Yourself? Are you coming?" I knit my eyebrows together.

He takes a deep breath, "North went to the Altashih base with you all in the Philippines. It's only fair if I have a mission this year," he grins.

I'm surprised. I didn't see Vincent actually coming along. There's definitely no harm in having a Commander on board, but in my head he'd already retired from field work.

"The next section, the third floor; Holmes, Rogan and Shelley. And finally, the sixth floor; Hendrix, Shields and Yamato."

I breathe a sigh of relief I didn't know I was holding, knowing Leo and I will be together for this.

"Rosa and Elijah are coming along with Marcus. They're two of the best trained medics, able to act whilst on the move. Hopefully it's not something we require," Vincent glances down with a sorrowful expression.

I notice the change in Tara's facial expression as soon as she hears that Rosa's coming.

"So, when is all this to be carried out?" Leo leans forward.

Vincent glances at the date before diverting his gaze towards the ceiling. I can see the clockwork ticking behind his uncovered eye as he finally pulls his glare back towards us.

"The fourth, two days from now. We will depart early morning, around seven o'clock,"

Two days.

Two days, and then this will all be over.

"I really hope we're bringing enough numbers," I murmur.

"They may have good numbers, but we have better tactical skills. Remember that," he scans the room.

"You're all free to do whatever you want. Prepare in the best way you can, whatever will help. Everyone is dismissed, apart from Shields," his eye lands on me.

The rest of the group stand, Tara laying a hand on my shoulder before she disappears out of the room after them. Leo is the only one who hasn't budged.

"I'll stay if that's alright, Sir," he grumbles.

Vincent looks to me for the answer, I nod.

"He can stay, I don't mind,"

"All it was to say is, I just wanted to double check you're still on board for this," he offers me a sympathetic expression.

"Definitely."

His eyebrows raise at my certainty as he pouts his bottom lip in thought.

"Alright, that was quick. Well in that case, you're also free to go," he chuckles, waving his hands at us.

We push up to our feet, saying a brief thank you before also vanishing from his office.

—

"Are you nervous?" Tara asks as I rake my fingers through Leo's hair. We've all decided to bring our dinner from the hall into my cabin, save us from any conversations we don't want to have.

"Only about making sure Nicholas is definitely dead. Not about the rest of it, how about you?"

"Just the regular nerves. I'm always quite distant from the main action, though. The Philippines was one of the only times recently where I haven't been perched at a hide site,"

"If Holmes fucks anything up, I'm going to kill him," Leo groans abruptly from against my stomach.

"I think you'd just kill him for talking, honestly," I snicker.

"I'm surprised you already haven't," Tara shrugs.

It's nice that we can just act normal in front of Tara, not have to worry about keeping whatever it is we've got going on a secret.

"So Tarantino, did anything happen with Rosa when we got back?" I glance over at her with a grin, taking a bite from a sandwich.

"She hasn't told you yet? I had to listen to it every goddamn day," Leo sighs dramatically.

"Not every day. I guess some things happened, we've slept together a few times. Probably similar to you two," she smirks as Leo raises his head.

"You told Tara?" He glares at me.

"She read the goddamn letter, you idiot. That was more interesting than finding out we fucked," I muffle through the remains of my sandwich, Tara erupts into laughter.

"Novie has a point. I thought you'd already fucked in the Philippines, to be brutally honest,"

Leo can't even bite down his chuckle as he presses his head back into my stomach. Tara finishes her food and pushes up to her feet.

"Well, I'll be off to listen to Banksy snore for approximately nine hours. Have a good night!" She chimes with a wink, skipping out of my cabin and clicking the door shut.

"I'm glad she'll be out of harms way, being on the water tower and all," I sigh, Leo hums in response as he sits up.

"I'll be right by your side the whole time," he whispers, gazing at and brushing some hair from my face.

"And I'll be right by yours," I smile as he leans in, gently pressing his lips against mine. I return the kiss, smoothing my hands across the side of his bristly jawline to pull him closer.

He coils his hand around my back, laying me flat on the bed and pressing his form against mine. I entwine my legs around his, linking them together.

His hands reach for the hem my pyjama vest. I raise my arms to let it slip over my head. He leans his head down, and I know exactly where he's going.

I think it's about time I repaid the favour.

My hands find his chest and I roll him off of me, his eyes widen in concern as his back hits the comforter, "Nov? Is everything alright?"

I grin as I climb over top of him, pulling his shirt over his head before kissing my way down his steel chest.

I take my time, just the way he always does with me. I pepper my lips across every scar, every line in his abs, all the way until I'm at the waistband of his pyjamas.

I gaze up at him, a smile in my eyes as his hand finds my hair. I notice his chest beginning to rise and fall significantly faster than usual.

I grip the waistband of his pyjamas with my teeth, slowly dragging them down. I can't help but chuckle at his groan of frustration, now he knows how I feel when he decides to take his precious damn time.

I briefly sit up onto his thighs.

"Look at me," I whisper, tying up my hair before leaning back down with my eyes trained on his. 

"You're a little fucking cock tease, Nova." He husks, and a smirk spreads across my lips.

"Yeah. I'm your little fucking cock tease." I wrap a hand around his length, leaning forward and pressing my tongue against his tip, swirling it around.

He lets out another groan and it's single-handedly the best sound I've heard in my whole life. I feel his hand sink into my hair, fingers curling around my ponytail.

I take a breath, before beginning to take his cock into my mouth. His chest rises and falls rapidly, and I feel him at the back of my throat before I begin to bob my head.

"Atta girl," he rasps, his grip in my hair tightening, my heart fluttering at the praise. "You can take it."

I hum around his girth, blinking back the tears springing in my eyes. It's both a blessing and a curse to not have a great gag reflex. Meant I couldn't throw up the drugs Jed Nolan laced my water with, but also means I can suck Leo's cock without many intervals.

Bittersweet.

I keep my gaze trained on him, and he does exactly the same. "Those fucking eyes," he whispers. "So fucking gorgeous."

I grasp my nails into his thighs, trailing them up over his solid abs whilst picking up my speed. His head tips back for a moment before he lifts it up.

"You're gonna make me come, Nov. You're so fucking good." He heaves out, and I add my hand just to help him get there.

And it works, because a deep grumble escapes his mouth, and a satisfying warmth fills my own. I continue for a few seconds before pulling away, and keep my gaze trained on him as I swallow.

I crawl up his body, admiring the sweat on his chest before I position my face in front of his. He reaches up, ghosting a hand across my cheek.

"My beautiful girl," he grins, and so do I. Because how can I not?

"Your girl," I repeat, leaning down to press a kiss on his cheek, his stubble grazing my jaw. He sits up, large hands circling my waist before he slams his lips into mine.

"You know when I said we mightn't both fit in my shower?" I whisper into his mouth. He hums in response. "I actually think we might."

He pulls back slightly, before sliding his hands under my thighs and standing us off of the bed. Carrying me right to the washroom.

He sets me down briefly, cranking on the water and spinning the dial to a higher heat. It's only a small room, and the steam fogs it up pretty quickly.

Then he's on his knees, pulling down my pants and underwear. Now he's back up, unhooking my bra before sliding open the shower door.

I smirk at him before stepping inside, instant satisfaction running through me as the hot water hits my skin. He follows, closing the door and trapping us in this small space.

"I'll wash your hair," he says, pulling the hair tie so the strands come loose across my shoulders, and I blink. Not what I was expecting. I was expecting him to spin me around, bend me against the wall and fuck me mercilessly.

But having my hair washed is nice, too.

I nod, passing him the shampoo from my small corner shelf. I hear the bottle squelch as he pours some out, lathering it in his hands and standing behind me.

One of his hands snakes around to my chin, lifting it up so that my head brushes his chest. Then his fingers move to my scalp, and he slowly behinds to massage the shampoo into my hair.

I literally fucking moan. I've always had a thing for people playing with my hair, and, well, having Leo playing with my hair is something else entirely.

He takes his time, until I can smell the strong citrus. He unhooks the shower head, moving it close to my scalp to rinse out the excess lather.

Then he flicks the setting. The gentle rain of water turning to a stronger, thinner jet.

His free hand slides around my body, holding my back tight against his chest, rolling one of my pebbled nipples between his fingers.

"You know," he whispers into my ear. "Showers can be used for more than just a wash."

"Oh yeah?" A smile creeps across my lips, and if I wasn't already excessively hot, I am now.

"Yeah," he says, before quickly moving the stream of water down so it briefly skims my clit. I let out a soft cry, my legs almost buckling at the sudden contact.

Then he moves it back, methodically directing it up and down between my legs. "I can use it to get my girl ready," his grip on me tightens, and my breath quickens. "Ready for when I pin her up against the shower wall, and eat her pretty fucking cunt until she's dripping all over my face."

"Leo," I choke out his name, squirming as he supports my weight whilst edging the absolute fuck out of me. With a goddamn shower.

"Hm?" He raises the stream of water, holding it directly over my clit, and if he wasn't supporting me, I think I might've just collapsed.

"God," I moan, gripping his wrist to hold his hand in place. "I already think I'm close."

And now he pulls his hand away, steps around me, and hooks the shower back onto its holder to my complete disappointment.

He slowly turns to face me, his hair appearing black from the water, strands hanging low over his tanned forehead and framing his honeyed eyes. Jesus, he's so fucking beautiful.

He grins, places a calloused hand on my throat, squeezes it and shoves me backwards until my spine hits the tiles.

He drops to a knee, hands sinking into my ass and angling my hips forward. Leans his mouth towards me, and darts his tongue out to run the flat of it across my slit.

A cracked moan breaks out of my lips as he feasts on me like I'm his last damn meal. Lazily rolling the whole of his tongue over my clit, before taking it between his lips and pulsing.

"Leo. Leo. Leo." I chant his name like some sort of fucking ritual. His stubble scratches my inner thighs, only adding to the overwhelming sensations. I grasp my hands through his hair, my thighs burning as I barely hold myself up.

He takes one long lick before getting to his feet, towers over me in the way he always does, and grips my chin.

"Open." He demands, the rough pad of his thumb sweeping over my lower lip before tugging it. My jaw drops ajar as he leans over me, and spits right into my mouth. "Swallow. Do you know how fucking good you taste, Nova?"

I hold his gaze and do exactly as he says, my cheeks burning as he drops back to his knees and continues to devour me.

He parts my folds, skimming his tongue across my clit. And it's fucking mind shattering. "Oh fuck. Fuck. Fuck." I grind my hips forward, tugging his hair and letting my head fall back against the tiles.

His tongue spears into me, curling inside of my core. My legs almost give way, and had it not been for years of training and endless squats, I'd be flat out on the floor.

"You gonna come for me, love?" He pulls his head back momentarily, eyes boring into mine before he sucks on my clit.

"Yesss." My words come out as a hiss, my thumbs pressing against his temples as my other fingers rake across the sides of his hair.

"Atta girl," he grumbles against my core, and the vibration of his voice is enough to send me reeling over the edge.

"Leo, fuck!" I can't contain it, and I literally scream his name as an orgasm rips through me, my legs giving way entirely. It's like he knew, because he raises up and holds my waist before I collapse into a damn heap.

His tongue darts out to lick his lower lip, and his mouth curves up, the water of the shower glistening over his body and giving him the appearance of a damn Greek God.

"Fucking beautiful." He says, before turning off the shower.

—

He's been asleep for the past hour.

I trace my thumb across his sharp cheekbone, dipping in the ridges of one of his scars. There's so much comfort in hearing his breath.

One of his arms is still wrapped around me, keeping me close to him. I may not be able to sleep, but it's much nicer to look at Leo rather than counting the beams of my ceiling for hours on end.

I lean forward slightly, giving him a small kiss on his head.

I hated him. I hated him so fucking much.

Now, I'm absolutely lovesick. I'd do anything for him. I've never felt anything like this before.

I'm so fucking in love with him.

He is the only person I want to be with.

"I love you," I whisper, barely even loud enough for it to escape my lips.

Somehow, he hears. His deep, cinnamon eyes blink open for a second and meet my own.

"I love you too, Nova," he grumbles, pulling me closer into his chest as he tips back into slumber.

I'd do anything to just lay here with him forever, like this. I've never had a safe space. I've never had somewhere I could truly escape the harsh horrors of my reality.

But with Leo?

He is my safe space.

And I will make sure that I keep him safe. My head raises slightly, glancing at the time from over the side of his chest.

00:02

It's now the third. This time tomorrow, I'll be sleeping in preparation to kill my brother.

Whatever happens, there's not a chance in hell he's getting out of there alive.

Not a damn chance.