"What do you mean she went after him?" Roger's only physical response was a subtle click in his cheek as his eyes trained steadily on the road. Sitting strongly behind the wheel of his Jaguar, he looked like a man of power, a man in control of all that went on around him. The bloody scene of dead NPA agents hadn't tainted his air, nor did the frightened teenagers that had loaded into his car. He was poised as always, even though he felt a glimmer of fear rush through him at the thought of Anna tackling this on her own.

Jessi was sitting in the passenger seat, trying to hide the pain he felt from his opening wood. He was sweating, his hands shaking but his mouth moved rapid and sure, doling out all the reasons why he thought Roger should whip the car around right this instant and go after Anna. Dan and Mina sat in the back seat, Mina wedged in the middle. They interjected at some points, compounding Jessi's arguments with statements of their own. The only one not speaking was the blond girl directly behind his seat.

She was new to him. Her hair was a tangled mess, glowing brightly with each pass of a city light. She was staring out the window, blue eyes lost, not speaking a single word. Around her shoulders, Roger's jacket was draped to cover the dance wear she donned. She had murmured a soft thank you to him but after that, she didn't say anything else.

Roger glanced at her once more. She stayed in the same position, never moving to join the conversation, not even shifting her eyes. "She told me to take you guys to safety," Roger said, looking away from Angela.

"I know what she said," Jessi sighed. "But I can't rest easily knowing she might not even come back."

"So what? You want to go there and confirm the ending with your own two eyes?"

"We want to help!" said Dan.

"What help would you three be?"

"She gave us guns," Mina spoke up.

"Yeah, for protection. Have you even shot a gun before? Did you shoot one today?" Silence greeted his words. Roger nodded in confirmation. "Annabelle is trained to do things like this. She doesn't need to worry about you guys while she's taking out the bad guy. Just sit tight and let her do her work."

Out of the corner of his eye, Roger saw Jessi rear up, ready to start arguing again. He prepared himself for it, but what he heard next wasn't Jessi's voice. It was a pretty voice, soft yet commanding. His eyes flew to the rear view mirror to see that it was the blond girl, Angela, who had spoken. "What was that?"

"How do we know we can trust you?" Although her voice was barely over a whisper, her eyes bore hard into him. "You work for the NPA, don't you?"

Roger felt his lip quirk upwards. "I'm Anna's friend."

"So? That doesn't mean you'll go against your own organization for her." Roger smiled even more when her eyes narrowed at the back of his chair. "Are you in love with her or something?"

He choked a surprised laugh. "If I was, does it mean I can betray my organization then?"

"I would think so, considering that's exactly what Anna is doing for Jessi right now."

"You make a good point."

"You still haven't answered my question. How do we know we can trust you?"

This girl is interesting. "You want to know why you can trust me? Let me tell you something. Listen up, babe, because I don't normally reveal so much about myself to strangers. Takes away the mystery, you know?"

"Just get on with it," Angela said with a roll of her eyes.

Nonetheless, Roger smiled. "Right. You see, I didn't only join the NPA because it was something I was good at and because the money as good. Don't get me wrong, I love the money. Got me this awesome Jaguar. But, that doesn't mean I'm going to do anything they tell me if I know it's wrong."

Reclining further, Roger placed a finger on his chin. "I guess I could understand what the chief was thinking. He wanted what was best for America, to make us dominant and indestructible but he thought the only way to do that was to create more people like Anna."

"You know what Anna is?" Mina leaned forward to ask.

"Not until recently. The chief loves Anna. Likes to boast about her any time he got to any willing ear. He let it slip once that he couldn't wait to create more like her. He had played it off at the time but it got me suspicious. So, I did my research. I found Jessi's father's lawyer, got him to talk which only heightened my suspicions. Wasn't confirmed until Anna called me to the cabin."

"So you know she was genetically rewired to be like that," Jessi concluded.

"I don't know the details. But it doesn't sound good."

"They kidnapped her," he said. "Took her from her family, erased her memory and subjected her to torturous hypnotism to turn her like that."

"Which further proves my point that the NPA is wrong in this instant. I don't blindly follow leaders."

"You expect us to just believe that?"

Roger couldn't help smiling again as his eyes lifted to meet Angela's in the mirror. "What else can I do to get you to trust me, babe?"

"Take us back to Anna."

"Look, babe –"

"I heard what you said. But until I'm one hundred percent sure she actually told you that, and you're actually on our side and this is not another kidnapping, I won't believe a word of it. Take us back to Anna right now or I'm getting out the car."

Roger's voice was laced with amusement as he spoke. "You'd jump out the car? We're going at one hundred miles an hour, babe."

"It wouldn't be the first time I've tried." Her eyes glared at him, hand reaching for the handle. "Want to bet on it?"

Roger watched closely as her fingers closed over the door handle. He scoffed a laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. "I can't believe this," he muttered. But there was a small smile on his face as he whipped the car back around.

**

Anna's face was stoic under the shining light that ran over it as she ran yet another red light. Jessi's Corvette swerved smoothly out of the way of any collision, pushing out such a speed she was a zooming blur wrecking havoc on the streets. She didn't care how much chaos she was causing. Jessi and the others were in the back of her mind, and she had ample space to focus entirely on Thomas . Somewhere inside her she felt rage. She was sure that, if given the chance, it would have blossomed until it consumed her senses. But at this moment, it was just a small spot of heat. She didn't pay it any mind. She left her mind open, her emotions wiped away. She was, once again, a blank slate, which was the best state of mind for a mission. Worry, anger, happiness. Those couldn't get in the way of things and she didn't let it. Fear for her life didn't even come into play either. She just kept going, kept driving on full speed, not bothering to stop and think she could die like this before she ever got to HQ.

At long last, she arrived. The car skidded to a halt right before the building, and Anna stepped out to the smell of burning rubber. She closed the door shut behind her, and stared up at the roof. No sound of choppers. She had time.

She was sure Thomas was already waiting on the roof. Fixing her stare on the doors of the building, Anna began to make her way for it. The clip of her heels was drowned out by the noise of the city, but all of a sudden, it was all she could hear as soon as she stepped through the entrance. The woman behind the desk acknowledged her for the first time ever. Her eyes widened but Anna didn't spare her a glance.

The woman ran out from behind her desk. Anna grabbed the punch aiming for her and whirled behind her, clipping her instantly in the back of her neck with her elbow. The woman fell dead to the ground but Anna never broke stride. She took the elevator to the top of the building.

Thomas didn't have the items. She reveled in thought of it. He didn't have it. He was running away without it. But he would be back and Anna couldn't afford that. She hated loose ends, preferred to have them tied and shipped away as quickly as she could. If Thomas left right now, he would make sure to come back bigger and better for what he wanted. Jessi and the others would always be in danger.

The ding of the elevator indicated more than just her arrival. It indicated the end of it all.

As soon as Anna stepped out, the wind hit her full force. Her ponytail whipped to the side vigorously, each step she took surefooted.

Thomas looked wilder than ever, tapping his foot impatiently, staring out into the sky. He didn't notice her approach.

"Thomas."

At his name, he whirled. Eyes wide, he took her in. "Annabelle!"

"How are you, Thomas?"

"Annabelle, why are you here?"

She smiled without amusement. "You mean you don't know?" Slowly, she reached for her gun. She fondled it, not bothering to attach a silencer. She wanted to scare him and she succeeded.

Thomas swallowed, building up his courage. "Annabelle, are you really going to do this? Because I kidnapped your target's best friend?"

Without a care in the world, Anna reached the gun up and pointed it at him. "He's my boyfriend, Thomas, and that's just one of your many infractions. You kidnapped Angela, you tried to kill me. Oh, and let's not mention the cherry on top. The fact that you used me as your killer robot."

"Annabelle, let me explain."

"You didn't even bother to give me a last name. It was just Annabelle. Tell me, Thomas, what did you plan to do with the items Jessi got from his will?"

"Nothing!" He shook his head, his hair flying up everywhere, eyes wide and terrified. "I wanted to keep it safe so that no one else could use it."

"Is that really it?"

"Yes! Yes, you have to believe me!"

"I believe you. Doesn't excuse the fact that you sent Jackie to kill me. If I'm so good at killing, why did you think she would make it out alive?"

She didn't think it possible but Thomas blanched even more. "Annabelle..."

"Shot her right in the head. But she was good, she roughed me up a bit. So, good call on that one. Too bad it wasn't enough."

Thomas opened his mouth, to beg more she believed, but he stopped when he heard the sound of a helicopter in the distance. A quick smile flashed across his face but it diminished once more when he saw Anna cocking her head at him, her arm never shaking in the slightest. "Looks like your ride is here," she said.

"Annabelle, listen to me. We can make more of you. You're perfect in every way possible. Just think about the possibilities if we had an entire army of people like you? America would be indestructible!"

"Probably," she agreed. "But don't think I'm going to sit by and allow you to destroy people's lives with the excuse that it's for the nation."

"You can come with me," he chanced a shaky foot forward, "I can take you with me. You can help me, we won't ruin any lives. Annabelle, we can do this together."

The whir of the helicopter grew even closer. Anna didn't pay it any mind. One pull on the trigger and it would be all over. She was ready for it to be over.

"No, thank you, Thomas. I don't want to be a part of this any more. Goodbye."

Just as she was about to pull the trigger, she heard someone shout her name. Eyes wide, Anna whirled around to see a wide eyed Jessi running out of the elevator clutching his side, Mina, Jessi, Angela and Roger running out behind him. As soon as their eyes made four, Anna felt the gun being roughly pulled out her hand. She moved without thinking, trying to run, but a bullet was faster than she was. It got her in her chest.

The helicopter was hovering to land. A frantic Thomas dashed the gun away and made a beeline for the the copter. Stars clouded her vision as she watched Thomas climb unto tit. The pain was horrible, but she didn't let it stop her. With the shouts behind her blurring into nothing but a mass of noise, Anna ran after the helicopter. She caught Thomas victorious smile as he began to fly away, she saw his surprised eyes when she made a beeline for him, and she barely heard his shout of anger when she grabbed onto the bottom.

He gritted his teeth but Anna was not about to let him get away. To this point, she could feel the blood pouring out of her wound, but even then she reached down into her boot for her knife and stabbed him into his foot. She used his momentary blinding pain and the leverage to haul her into the aircraft.

"You're crazy!" Thomas screamed at her. He was right. She was crazy and she knew she looked so too. Her hair was falling out of its tail, her clothes was soaked with blood. But she had a mission and by God, she was going to end it.

Anna allowed the rage to consume her. It nulled her sense of pain, drove her. She pulled out the other knife and stabbed it straight into his heart. Thomas' hand instantly closed over it, eye wide. She stared into them, feeling the hatred fade with satisfaction. The life drained and with it came a calmness inside of her. She didn't even think twice of pushing him out the helicopter. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Anna killed the man steering immediately. She had to get back to HQ, to show the others she was fine. She threw his body out too, then took ahold of the wheel. Not even bothering to stop and wonder what to do, Anna jerked the wheel around back the way she came. They hadn't made it far, and soon enough, she could see the lights on the roof of headquarters. Tiny dots representing her friends grew larger by the second.

It was when she was close did Anna realize she didn't know how to stop. "Crap, crap, crap!" Her mind whirred, a plan formed.

She came so close, she could begin to make out details. Anna waited until the copter was upon the building before she swerved it downwards. Now, it was heading straight for the ground. She let got of the wheel, letting it stay on course and headed for the open door. The wind whipped her hair around her face, its whoosh flying past her. For some odd reason, she didn't feel scared. Just determined. And it was that determination that pushed her feet to spring out of the helicopter just as it rushed past the building. She heard someone scream, probably Mina, then the unmistakable sound of heavy footsteps.

Her fingers ached to keep ahold of the side of the roof, waiting impatiently for them to arrive and spot her.

"Oh my God!" Angela exclaimed as soon as she saw her. "She's over here!"

Dan and Roger were the first to arrive. With the help of Jessi, they pulled her up. As soon as they did, the helicopter crashed into the awaiting ground. The explosion was a long one, the sounds of splintered pieces rolling away, bouncing off the ground, and the screams of everyone down below. Anna felt the rush of adrenaline fade just as Mina's arms wrapped around her.

"Oh my gosh, Anna, you scared me! Don't ever do something like that ever again! Okay? Okay?"

"Yes, Mina."

"Anna, are you fine?" Jessi knelt at her side, touching her gently. He looked positively terrified, white as a sheet. "He shot you."

"Yeah, I think I need to go to the hospital. And by the looks of it, you too."

"Anna, you scared the hell out of me. I thought you ... I thought ..."

"I'm here, don't worry." Finally, Anna allowed herself to smile. She placed her hand on Jessi's cheek. "I'm here to stay. I would never leave you, okay?"

Releasing a ragged sigh, he placed his forehead on her shoulder. "Don't ever leave, Anna. Please. I love you. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Jessi. Now let's go before I bleed to death."