By and by the other children reluctantly raised their heads and picked themselves up. "Pinch" took an examining look at the group. "Someone got hurt?"

All of them negated that. Even Jenny, still trembling, shook her head in a moment of bravery. Only Vanna looked around searching, with panic in her eyes. "Where is Butter?" she exclaimed frightened. "Where is he?"

A bark sounded as answer - Butter reacted instantly to his name being mentioned and came running. With hanging tongue and his tail waggling everywhere he stood between the children and had them pet him from all sides. "Pinch", too, tickled his shaggy fur gratefully. "I would have never found you without him" she explained. "He is a really good dog. But why did you call him Butter?"

Vanna laughed. "Because he is crazy about butter. Seriously! He comes running every time we only say the word, so we decided to name him that."

"Pinch" rose to her full size and took a scrutinizing look around at the landscape. It couldn't be very long before the mercenaries would arrive. Because if Strike Squad had really missed this giant red-yellow mushroom of fire vaporizing above the mountains just a minute ago, she would be greatly disappointed in "Whesty". But what would happen to the others? She looked around in the group and realized that the children stared at her attentively. Even Thor did that - he had apparently lost his leader act. Although it had been him who had led them out of the tunnels just in time.

"Pinch" sighed. "My people will be here in a minute. Whether you like it or not: You will be better off going with them. The times of seeking refuge here are over."

Thor stared at her and snorted. "Vanna was right: You have grown since you disappeared on us. At least you sound like a grown-up now." He took a glance at the destroyed tunnels, nothing more than piles of rubble now. "But I see it, too. Our hideout is gone anyway. And I'm just glad what we are still alive."

"That can be helped."

"Pinch" felt her teeth howl in protest when she heard that voice. That's all we need now! She turned around on the spot, staring at Sykes. The woman was standing at the top end of the hillside, a laser pistol ready in her hand, a mean smile on her face. "We were hoping for you in the tunnels to..." She interrupted herself when she saw "Pinch". A girl she had not left in the tunnels with the other prisoners. She didn't even seem to recognize her. "Who are you?"

The others stood next to "Pinch", scared frozen, not daring enough to move. But "Pinch" wasn't scared at all. She returned Sykes' astonished look with a face that showed pure, relentless wrath. That moment memories were flashing up in her head. The crash of the shuttle. The knife that Sykes had threatened her with. the rope being tied so tightly around her wrists that she believed her hands to fall off. Her constant threats and ugly comments. What she had done to the other children. The explosion of the bombs they had barely gotten away from. For all these cruel and nasty misdeeds were this woman's doing. "Pinch" felt anger burning inside her. Her right hand griped the handle of her laser weapon on her belt, and she felt her heart racing. Only this time it wasn't out of fear.

I'm free, she directed her thought towards Sykes, remembering that horrible night she had the woman to thank for. I'm prepared. And now, you witch, it is on!

With an angry cry she ripped the laser from her belt, took the safety catch off with her right thumb, aimed without any hesitation and fired.

The shot missed for miles. Still it was astonishingly effective. Sykes hadn't seen the weapon, and she had not even considered the possibility of such a young girl firing upon her. With a terrified shriek, almost identical to the squeal of a farm animal, the tattooed scoundrel dove for her life towards the next cover. She couldn't even return fire.

"Get out of here, go!" "Pinch" called out the other children. "I'll handle this." She was baffled of how determined she sounded in that moment, and how little fear she felt right now. This was a real fight against a fully grown and armed opponent, and if she lost the fight, she would be dead. But that didn't scare her. She felt how the anger about past events boiled inside of her, giving her strength and motivation, leaving her with one desire that would rule her every action: Whatever would happen to her, Sykes was not going to get away unscathed.

She fired again. A violet energy beam shot out of the muzzle of her weapon. The sound of that shot was somehow more gentle and elegant than other laser weapons she had known. She missed the big rock behind which Sykes had found cover, but this time it was on purpose. As long as Sykes believed it to be a real lethal weapon, "Pinch" had an advantage. The woman did not dare to come out of her hiding place. That gave "Pinch" several valuable seconds to act.

Those seconds had the other children react as well: They spread out like a swarm of scared birds, hurrying to a safe place from the war breaking out right now. Butter followed his owner, and "Pinch" was relieved about it. He was probably the only one of them not understanding what was going on, but she was glad about him leaving the line of fire. Then she started to look around and think fast. To take Sykes on and fire upon her was a good start, but it wasn't enough. She needed a plan!

A silvery head of hair appeared from the cover for a moment, and "Pinch" reacted instantly. The violet energy blast shot past Sykes in a hairbreadth's distance and had her quickly retreat back to her cover with a shrill scream. "Damn it!" "Pinch" heard her shriek behind the rock, out of her mind by fear and anger. "What the hell is going on?"

"Pinch" allowed herself to a small grim smile. Against helpless weak children you are the greatest, she thought disdainfully. But if you have to deal with someone that fights back, you are screwed. Up to this point she had remained in the same place - one knee on the ground, her gun in both hands to secure her aim. But it was about time to look for suitable cover herself. A few metres before her there was a medium-sized rock, just about the right size for her to hide behind. She got up and ran towards it.

In this moment a laser pistol appeared from the hiding spot, in the hand of Sykes. She didn't aim, just pointed the gun towards the approximate direction of "Pinch". A loud buzz sounded when the laser was fired; a bright red energy beam shot past the girl only half a metre away and blasted a lump of soil out of the ground three steps behind her. "Pinch" gasped in terror, ducked her head and dove right behind the small rock to be out of the line of fire. Dang, that was close! It had become official: Sykes was trying to kill her!

Slowly she got up, pressing her back against the rock and holding her gun firmly in both hands. Still her mind was working on a plan. But she couldn't figure out a proper way. As long as Sykes was in hiding, "Pinch" couldn't get to her. Unless... She looked around. There were a lot of big rocks lying around her, but also some smaller stones in her reach. The rock Sykes was hiding behind was big - big enough for Sykes not being able to see if someone approached her directly. All I need is a distracion... She grinned and picked up a suitable stone.

Sykes yelled again with her shrill high voice - she sounded outright panicky "Who ever you are, you're going to wish you've never met me!"

As if that was so hard, "Pinch" thought derisively. She had already been there, two nights ago, on her first encounter with that woman. But there was something that amazed her: The shrieking and yelling of Sykes, nearly driven insane by her fear, sounded much more pleasant than her usual voice.

She jumped up. To intimidate the grown-up even more she fired another blast close above the rock while running to the right side. It worked. In more than one way. As she had already reached the rock and took cover on the opposite side, Sykes raised her laser again. The shot was aimed closely at "Pinch's" last position, but would have missed her by a yard as well. Thanks! Now I know where to find you.

"Pinch" came out of her cover and threw the stone over the rock. It bumped off the top side once and came down behind it. A short thump sounded, followed by a furious scream. It was a hit. "Pinch" ran to the right and around the rock, her weapon ready to fire. After a few steps she stood only one yard away from Sykes - who had tunred in the opposite direction to shoot the person who allegedly had thrown the stone. Her laser was turned the wrong way - an opportunity that "Pinch" wouldn't miss.

"Drop it!" she yelled, her own weapon pointing forward determinedly.

Sykes wasn't to be beaten that easily. And she moved awfully quickly. She whirled around, the laser pistol in one hand, when she heard the voice behind her. A tiny fraction of a second later "Pinch" looked right into the muzzle of the weapon - and at her own demise.

Or at least it should have been that way - if she had not counted on that exact reaction. Clocdrazyn, a voice whispered in the back of her head. Improves reflexes and muscle strains. Mercenaries believe it to make them faster. And Sykes was fast. She was really fast. There was but one thing "Pinch" could use against her in that kind of situation: Under no circumstances she was to hesitate.

And she didn't. With Sykes barely twitching, her index finger pulled the trigger of her birthday present, firing a violet energy beam straight into the young woman's right shoulder.

The lethal laser pistol fell out of Sykes' hand, cluttered over the rocky ground and disappeared in a small gap.

Sykes screamed again, but out of terror and surprise, not because of pain. The blast threw her backwards, making her fall on her back. For a short moment she stayed down, eyes and mouth wide open in shock, clutching her shoulder stunned. She was staring at "Pinch" as if she had a ghost in front of her.

In this moment she could have ended it. It would have been the smart decision, for sure, to just pull the trigger and fire upon this drug addicted criminal until she stopped moving. But "Pinch" felt that it wasn't the right way. Not unless this woman grasped what was happening here. Not before she understood who had defeated her. And she did not understand. She stared at "Pinch" standing in front of her, life-sized, and still there was not a spark of recognition in her eyes.

"Who are you?" The voice with this nasty undercurrent had become a whisper. The eyes moved as her look went from "Pinch's" head to her toes and back while her brain behind them was straining to find some meaning in all of this. Sykes shook her head in frustration when she failed at it and "Pinch" wouldn't answer. "God damn it, who are you?" she screamed.

"Pinch's" face showed no reaction. Through dead cold eyes the look was returned. "You know who I am" she eventually said. Calm, emotionless, factual - she couldn't have picked a meaner tone for what she had to say. "Not too long ago you were planning on gutting me and cutting my tongue out."

It weren't her words that finally didi it - more the sound of her voice that had Sykes finally see it. Recognition and terror mixed in her face to a priceless mask of sheer horror. Her eyes seemed just about to jump out of her skull. "You?" She stuttered, grasping the entirety of the situation. "That... that's impossible! It can't be!"

"Is it?" "Pinch" asked. To see her enemy down on the ground, at the end of her powers, boosted her self-confidence greatly. "If you had left me in peace like I asked you to, none of this would have happened.But you and your people, you thought to get away with it."

Sykes had been clutching her shoulder until now, but she took her hand down slowly and looked at it. She frowned. The moment of being stunned vanished, now she turned her face into mistrust. She looked back up to "Pinch". "You think you've beaten me? With a stun weapon?"

"Pinch" leaned over to her a little. "You think you can murder four children without anyone taking action against you?"

Sykes withstood her gaze. "Five" she replied coldly.

Did she really try to intimidate "Pinch"? She wouldn't fall for that! "You would have to beat me first" she answered calmly, raising her weapon so that it pointed straight at Sykes' head.

"Funny, but I wasn't thinking of you" Skyes countered feistily. "None of us expected you to turn up here again. But you are right." Her glance became as cold as "Pinch's" when she added: "It ought to be six."

"Pinch" was puzzled. There had only been four children in the tunnels. And if she hadn't been expected, then whom else would... The answer struck her like lightning.

"He let you escape" Skyes explained, not even trying to hide her disdainful tone. "Of course I realized that at once. I won't have the pleasure of killing him myself, but at least I can take credit for the idea." She looked at "Pinch" in a challenging way. And laughed. "Well? What are you going to do about it?"

Right in this moment, as short as it was, "Pinch" wished the weapon in her hand not to be a mere stun gun. The wrath she had felt at the beginning of this battle had grown stronger in her. It felt like she was about to burst. "Get up!" she hissed angrily.

Sykes' face squinted into a grin. "With pleasure" she answered and got slowly back on her feet. With her left hand resting on an item in her belt. "Pinch" didn't see it until now - and with a shock she realized that she had made a deadly mistake. This realization stunned her for a short, but critical moment.

The moment when Sykes started her attack and jumped her with a scream of fury.

The knife jumped out of the sheath, hissing through the air and missing "Pinch's throat by a hairbreadth as she flinched back from that attack. Sykes charged again, thrusting her knife at "Pinch's" torso, and "Pinch" was barely able to dodge it. But she couldn't get away from the punch with her fist that Sykes placed shortly after it. It hit her stomach area and had her stumble backwards. The hard shell that her combat suit was made of absorbed most of that impact, so she hardly felt it. Sykes on the other hand... She screamed in pain, raising that hand before her face and seeing her fingers being oddly misformed.

In this second the woman was distracted by the pain of her fractured fingers, and it was time to act on it. "Pinch" aimed her gun at the face of the woman while her left hand reached for her own combat knife on her belt. But this time she hesitated too long to shoot - her hand was trembling, and she needed a moment to take aim. Sykes saw that. When "Pinch" pulled the trigger, the woman's head flinched sideways, and the energy beam missed her. Then "Pinch" saw a whirling knife blade come for her when Sykes charged her again.

This time it was much harder for her to avoid the attack - all she could do was to drop backwards to the ground when she felt another draft of air brushing her face by another near miss. She landed on her bottom ungently, the criminal over her, casting a threatening shadow upon her. As she trieed to get back up on her feet, she was hit by a heavy boot kicking against her chest and pushing her back to the ground. Again her body armor took the worst of it, but "Pinch" felt her breath leaving her.

Loud and angry sounding barks came from somewhere close to hear - and Butter stormed the battlefield to help "Pinch".

"No!" "Pinch" yelled in panic while Sykes also saw the dog and raised her knife. "Butter, don't!" As soon as the dog reached her, Sykes would finish it. "Pinch" looked around in desperation. There had to be some way to prevent that... Butter didn't listen. With loud barks and threatening growls he ran towards Sykes who already expected him with her knife raised to attack. As a last resort "Pinch" retracted her right foot, gathered her strength and then kicked Sykes' knee with full force.

The woman yelled in pain again, losing her balance. Right then the dog jumped her and threw her to the ground. Snarling and barking furiously Butter did his best to intimidate her. But as "Pinch" observed this, she realized that the dog couldn't do any more than that - he wouldn't bite or in any other way hurt her. As soon as Sykes got over the shock, he wouldn't stand a chance. While keeping him away from her with her injured hand Sykes already tried to turn her hand in a way so she could stab her knife into him.

"Pinch" couldn't possibly hesitate this time. This shot had to hit even from her position, lying on the ground, shooting from the hip. She pointed her gun, waited for the right moment - and shot. The blast was a hit. Sykes' left hand cramped and twitched, the knife fell to the ground. Not very far, but far enough to save Butter's skin. "Butter, out!" she yelled again. "Get out of here!"

The distraction granted her a few seconds to use. She got on her feet, jumped up the rock behind which he had been for this whole time and pulled herself up with her arms for the last bit to get on top. A loud whistling came from nearby, and Butter finally broke off his attack to run towards it. This unfortunately also gave Sykes enough breathing space to get up and grab her knife. Barely two seconds after "Pinch" had climbed the rock the woman followed her with angry hissing.

"Pinch" looked at the other side and saw the rocky slope which she had come up with the children. An idea came slowly to her mind. Whether it was a good idea remained to be seen.

She jumped from the rock to the side of the slope. For one short moment Sykes was distracted by her own climb of the rock. So "Pinch" crouched right under the rock in the shadow, hoping that the woman wouldn't notice her. Her left hand reached for her belt and drew the knife from the sheath. She kept the pistol ready in her right hand, the trigger finger resting on the edge above the trigger. She had not done so on purpose, but instinctively.

Right before her, not even one yard away, a pair of boots landed heavily on the ground. Sykes was standing with her back turned towards her, looking around. "Pinch" tightened her grip around the knife in her left hand, ready to stab it into her unprotected back... Wait a second! Her own thoughts made her pause. What in the world am I doing here? Fighting Sykes, defending against her was one thing. But to kill her in cold blood?

Sykes didn't realize what danger lurked behind her back. She kept seekingly gazing around, taking a few more steps towards the slope to find her opponent. A few steps that did "Pinch" just right as distance between them. Silently she got up - but she wasn't silent enough. Sykes heared her and turned around. "There you are, you..."

"Little bitch?" "Pinch" asked angrily. "You called me that before." She raised her left hand with the knife - keeping her right hand with the gun hidden behind her back. "You can't know that, but I really hate being called 'little'."

Sykes examined her... and noticed the knife in her hand. She burst out in laughter. "You think you can hurt me with that? I'd love to see that..."

"Pinch" grimly raised the knife. Then she threw it. The blade whirled through the air - it was lighter than the big knife Skyes had attacked her with, and it didn't have to fly such a long distance. But she had thrown with her left - and since she had never done something like that before, it was no surprise that the knife didn't even reach Sykes. It landed blade first in the ground right before her. Sykes followed the path of the knife with her eyes until she was sure that she wasn't hit by it. Then she turned her gaze back to "Pinch", and her face was squinched by the mean smile on her lips.

A smile that vanished instantly as she looked down the barrel of "Pinch's" gun. The knife wasn't supposed to have hit her in the first place. It just had been the crucial distraction.

Three blasts went off, hitting Sykes in torso and stomach, having her stumble backwards. The heels of her boots stepped beyond the edge of the rock that rised a little above the slope. Dirt was crumbling downwards under her feet. "Pinch" stormed forward, right at the woman who in this moment had no means to defend herself by. Then she jumped. One foot on the ground, the over one raised up far enough to perform a frontal kick in the right moment. Making the entire power of her jump and the weight of her body concentrate in the small surface of her sole of foot as it hit Sykes in the chest like a missile. And pushed her over the edge.

Sykes fell. The fall was just one yard down, but it was enough. She crashed violently onto the ground, turned over, rolled down the slope. Her head hit rocks on her way down; she gasped, but lacked the air to scream. Only after taking half the slope she finally came to a stop. And didn't move anymore.

The other children had witnessed all that. When the fight was over, they came out of their hiding spots and ran towards "Pinch". "My goodness!" Taylor cried out anxiously. He sounded like he wasn't sure whether to laugh or start weeping. The others showed similar reactions to seeing Sykes lying down there.

"Is... she dead?" Vanna barely dared to ask that.

"Pinch" shook her head. "The weapon is only for stun shots. And I don't think she really hurt herself through that fall." She looked around and found that those words apparently had not convinced the children. So she sighed. "I'll check up on her."

Relieved the four nodded. "Pinch" carefully clibed downwards over the rocks and approached the woman's body, her weapon ready to fire. But she didn't have to come very close to see that Sykes was still alive. Sykes groaned and strenuously raised her head in "Pinch's" direction. While going down one of the rocks had given her a laceration, and blood was running over her face. But she was grim and defiant as before.

"We're not finished, you and I" she threateningly whispered.

"Pinch" nodded. "That's right" she answered. "Now tell me what you are planning with Jesper!"

Sykes laughed quietly - the laugh turning into a cough. It reminded "Pinch" of finding Tammy in the shuttle after the crash. Although she was glad not having killed Sykes - she really wished for this woman to be in tremendous pain. "I can't tell you. That's Whitmore's business." Her voice rasped. "But I don't think you will find much of him left once Whitmore is done with him."

"Pinch" looked at this woman in disgust. A drug-addicted, half insane criminal who couldn't even stop hurting people after such a crushing defeat. Whatever was about to happen to her later, "Pinch" felt no sympathy for her at all. "How much do you think they will find of you when all of this is over?" she then asked, also a threatening undercurrent in her voice.

Sykes glanced at her. For one moment there seemed to be doubt in her face, but then the arrogant smile returned. "Don't be ridiculous! You don't have the guts for that." She nodded towards the weapon. "Besides, I have counted. You've had your ten shots. That thing is no use to you anymore."

"Pinch" put her finger on the trigger with ostentation. "There are twenty shots in this. Bitch!"

That wiped the grin from Sykes' face entirely. She glimpsed at "Pinch" in anger. "When I am done with you I will deal with your parents next, you filthy little brat..."

"Pinch" pulled the trigger. The first beam hit Sykes in the head and made her collapse. The second went into her body. So did the third. Sykes wasn't moving anymore. But "Pinch" didn't stop firing. Over and over again the laser whirred, one energy blast after the next went into the motionless body of the woman. Until one hand came from the side to pull down her arm, and one loud voice screamed into her ear: "Stop it! Enough! She's had enough."

"Pinch" released the finger from the trigger. She realized that her entire body was shaking. She also noticed Vanna looking at her worriedly from the side, while the echo of the other children's shouts were ringing in her ears who had screamed their lungs out to stop her. She hadn't heard them. She had not perceived anything anymore. All her mind had revolved around in that moment was her wish to silence this woman. For good. She took a deep breath, inhaled and exhaled and felt her racing heart slowly calming down. She remembered hearing those words and feeling this bottomless hate. That was something she never wanted to experience ever again.

"I think..." she began, but had to clear her throat as she felt her voice failing her. "I think you better tie her up before she comes around again."

Vanna nodded encouragingly. "Don't worry, we'll manage that." She tilted her head and doubtfully fixated "Pinch" with her look. "Vera? Are you all right?"

First "Pinch" nodded, but then she shook her head. "It was... it was like... I can't really describe it. But for one moment it felt like I wasn't myself anymore. As if somebody took away my body and put someone else into it. And I had to watch it all."

"Maybe you should get some rest" Thor suggested who had stepped next to her as well. "Those mercs will probably get here soon if you're right. And this was kind of heavy." His voice gave away that the fight had left him pretty impressed. It seemed like his opinion about "Pinch" was changing for the better.

Another shake of her head brought "Pinch" back from her gloomy thoughts and into reality again. "No. there's no time for that. I have to go." She looked around, searching. But she had sent Quincy home - she would have to continue her way on foot. The backpack still was stored at the entrance to the cave, and she had to get it first. And she had to think about what to do next. "Stay here, everyone! The mercenaries will find you soon."

Thor looked at her sceptically. "Maybe it's a dumb question, but don't you need any backup?"

She returned his look. The worry in his eyes was real. When she had first met him and noticed how hostile he behaved towards her, she had not expected to see something like this in his eyes. But it felt good. She smiled faintily. "I have to do this alone. There is no one else." She looked at the other children. "Besides, I need someone to look after the others and protect them. Who sees to them finally getting home safely." She examined him shortly. "How about it? You want that job?"

Thor shrugged in playful insecurity. "If you think I am the right guy for that..."

He turned away to leave, but she grabbed his shoulder gently and stopped him for a moment. With a serious look she turned to him. "Vanna told me your story. No matter what has happened before, we'll also find a solution for you. I promise."

A brief gloomy smile grazed Thor's face. "I'm used to find my own solutions." With only slight hesitation he added: "But thanks anyway."

The other children had gathered around Sykes and began to render her immobilized with everything they had at their disposal. Of course they were not doing it as skillfully as Sykes herself, but they were still astonishingly effective. One day I need to get trained for that, too, "Pinch" thought. For a short moment she imagined Sykes' reaction when she woke up - all trussed up and surrounded by children. It must be hell for her - a fate that she more than deserved.

She turned around and started running to fetch the backpack. And hopefully to save a life.