Heather's eyes cut towards Brian, realizing quickly that he was doing more than calibrating his camera. She turned her gaze back towards the fire and let him do what he intended, hoping that he was getting something for his efforts. Brian captured Heather's ethereal face from a dozen slightly different angles, each showing the natural, effortless splendor of her visage. He clicked the shutter once more then pulled the camera back. He grimaced and grunted slightly as he got back to his feet.

"Still sore from this morning?", Heather asked without looking away from the hearth.

"You know you're not that easy to play tennis against… or with." Brian managed to make her grin a little. "At least I know why you stopped competing at tennis. It didn't appeal to your sense of fair play." This time Brian got a full fledged smile from her.

"Maybe it doesn't", she began before poking the fire. "But I quit for a very real reason. I was in a tournament in California and I must have planted my foot wrong because when I tried to stop my ankle rolled up like a tube of toothpaste. I felt the ligaments tear and the tendons snap. I heard the crowd gasp. I knew I should have let the injury last. I should have just fallen to the court, but I panicked. The injury healed as quickly as it happened. I tripped and skidded a bit, then jumped around like nothing had happened at all. I looked around and saw the faces, and I know it was over for me. I couldn't risk that happening again. So… as much as I love tennis, I knew could never play professionally. I decided to stop competing all together."

"So sad. You really are that good", Brian began, while attaching his camera to the tripod again. "Isn't Brice worried about the same problem when he plays football in college?", Brian asked in a whisper after looking around. He'd expected Heather to reply softly, but she didn't.

"He doesn't heal as quickly as Taylor and I", Heather answered her regular voice. It was loud enough for those entering the room to hear. "If Brice breaks a bone it stays broken for a while, but it heals like the injury never happened", she said, still looking at the shifting flames in hearth.

"Heather? What are you doing?", Brice demanded, a bead of sweat appearing on his forehead. "You shouldn't be talking about this." His eyes darted from Jan's face to his uncle's to Thomas' face and then to his mother. She had to put a stop to this before Heather said too much. It might already be too late.

Kat's face went from amused at Carol's singing of 'Still the Same' to completely stricken. She couldn't believe what her daughter was saying. "Heather, dear, this isn't the time."

"Yes it is Mom", Taylor spoke up. "It's the perfect time."

"What's going on here?", Carol asked. "Time for what?"

Taylor took her aunt by the shoulders and stood at arm's length and stared at her aunt. Carol looked at her niece's beautiful face, with its striking resemblance to her own daughter Jan. Then Carol looked directly into Taylor's eyes. A look of curious wonder showed on Carol's face as she looked deeper into Taylor's eyes, then disbelief. Perhaps she'd seen it before and dismissed it, but there was no denying it this time. The power that Carol often saw dancing in Jan's eyes was dancing in Taylor's. In the moment she understood, a wave of undiluted love and compassion filled Carol. She hugged Taylor with an urgent need, while tears rolled down Carol's cheeks. She didn't want to be believe that Taylor had been forced to fight the same internal struggle with a rage fueled power like Jan had been forced to fight for most of her life.

Jack touched his wife's shoulder gently. "What is it, Babe?", he asked with concern in his voice.

Carol didn't bother to wipe her tears when she looked to her husband. "She's like Jan", Carol managed.

"Really?", Jack asked with a quiver in his voice.

"I am, Uncle Jack", Taylor said. "So's Heather and Brice."

"I'll be damned", Jack exclaimed, this time unable to keep himself from choking up.

Kat and Ted looked at each other and then at Jan. "Do you have it too?", Kat asked Jan in a softer voice. "That fury that Taylor has?"

Jan wanted to cry, but she forced herself not to. "I do." She didn't have to cry because her aunt cried for her. Katherine could remember days and even weeks when Taylor had struggled to contain the monster that lived inside her.

"Oh, Jan", Kat sobbed and threw her arms around Jan's neck. "You had to deal with all the outbursts and uncontrollable emotions, just like Taylor?"

"No Mom. Not like me", Taylor spoke up. "I've always had Heather. Jan was alone with her rage."

"I managed", Jan said and wiped her eyes dry before a tear could even form.

"This is so awesome!", Thomas yelled gleefully. But Brice was still in disbelief. He'd lived for years protecting his sisters' secret every single day. He'd only found out about his much weaker power a year ago, even still he'd become comfortable with that secret. It was being ripped away now, and he didn't quite know how to feel. He should feel happy, instead he just felt scared. Fear wasn't a normal emotion for him.

Jan saw her cousin's face. "Smile", she told him. "We're all the same."

"I… just can't believe it", Brice uttered.

"Well believe it!", Jan yelled then snatched up Brice and his 265 pounds off the ground as easily as she would a toddler. Brice felt weightless in Jan's strong arms.

"I should have known", Jack said when he was sure he wouldn't start crying like the others. "I guess Caufields and Matthews combine to make super powered kids."

"Yeah", Ted agreed. "Ain't that a kick in head?"

"How long have you known about your powers?", Brice asked once Jan had let his feet touch the floor.

"Since I was six", Jan announced. "When I got---"

"Hit by that car", Kat finished for her niece. "Ted and I rushed to the hospital when we got the call, but by the time we got there the nurses said that you'd been released. We brought ice cream to you that night."

"I remember that."

"How could we not have known?", Kat asked, shaking her head.

"It's like Sara says. When you're different than everybody else you get good at keeping secrets, from everybody. Even the people you love the most. There were a thousand times I wanted to tell you, but I was never brave enough", Jan said while choking back a sob of her own

"It doesn't matter now", Carol said realizing that for years that they could have helped each other as one big family. Their children could have been even closer. Carol felt a wave of guilt for not trusting her big brother enough to tell him about Jan. She'd been too afraid. That was behind them now. It was time to move forward, as a family.

Brian stood back near Sara, Alisha, and Montez while the family had the moment to themselves. They'd kept their secrets for so long that they'd all forgotten what a burden those secrets were, and now they all felt very real relief, all except Heather who was apart, still kneeling near the fire.

"Hey", Jan said after a while. "You guys never told me when you found out about your powers."

"The same year as you did, now that I think about it", Taylor answered.

"Was it bad?", Jan asked, fearful of the answer and it turned out to be worse than she thought.

"It was horrible", Heather replied with a deep sigh. "We went to Byron Bay in Australia. I don't remember much about the trip except that I loved the feeling of waves lapping over me. I mean to a five year old everything about a beach is cool. I went into the water, and I wanted Taylor to go with me, but she had to be the only seven year old on the beach actually worrying about keeping her tan even.

"I just kept going out further and further into the water. I got so far out that my feet wouldn't touch the sand. I had the little floaty things on my arms so I wasn't scared. I don't think I was scared of anything back then. I just kept going. I remember looking at the beach and seeing Taylor roll over so she could get her back some sun. I still wanted her to join me so I called her name, and she ignored me like she often does. So I just kept going out into the water." Heather paused to slow her breathing, but she couldn't do anything about her racing heart.

"I never saw an outline or a fin or anything. I was looking at the surf when I felt a really sharp tug on my right leg", she reached down and rubbed the tingle on her thigh where the shark's teeth had entered.

"The first bite felt sort of like a pinch by really big fingers. I might have squeaked. I didn't scream though. I pulled away and paddled in a circle, looking for help, but nobody was around me. The people on the beach seemed miles away. Then it bit me again. I started to see my blood in the water, then the shark pulled me under. I splashed around, trying to get to the surface, fighting as hard as I could. I got my head above water to get a short breath. It wasn't enough. I sucked in more water than I did air. I splashed my hands and kicked my legs. I tore my leg free actually. It just bit me again, this time harder. Its teeth sank all the way to my bone. Deep down I knew I couldn't fight it anymore. It was taking me down for good. My vision went blurry from looking up at the sun from under the water and then it went dim from loss of blood I guess." Tear welled in Heather's eyes. She wiped them away before they dropped down her cheeks.

"The next thing I remember there were splashes all around me. I heard Taylor call my name. I reached up for her and she grabbed me, pulling me towards the surface, but the shark wouldn't let go. It fought to pull me back down. Taylor pulled as hard as she could. The shark just sank its teeth deeper into my leg. My head was under water and I heard the sound of my femur cracking between its jaws. Taylor tugged and tugged then she let me go. I don't think panic's a strong enough word for the feeling I got when Taylor let go of my hands. I've never felt so alone and abandoned, but I should have known better. Taylor let go of my hands so she could go after the shark.

"She hit it and punched it and kicked it, making it twist all the harder. It plowed beneath the waves, and Taylor went down after it. She thrust her hands into the shark's mouth prying against its powerful jaws. The shark's serrated teeth sliced her fingers to ribbons, but she didn't stop. There was so much blood in the water now you could taste it and smell it. It was hers, mine, and the shark's. Just the shark's struggling was scary to me. It rolled and thrashed. And Taylor kept at it. I saw her face twist up and her body start to shake. The shark churned up the water violently. I heard Taylor scream and bite her lip so hard she bled from there too, but suddenly that crushing pressure from the shark's jaws was gone. I bobbed in the surf for a second before Taylor cradled her arms under me. Her arms were bloody messes, but she carried me all the way to the beach.

"Other people ran up when we got close to the beach, but she didn't let any of them take me. She didn't stop until Dad and Mom were there. I probably blacked out. I know they put us in an ambulance together. They thought I was most injured but by the time we got to the hospital my leg was almost completely healed. I only had big bruises in the shape of a bite mark by the time the doctor saw me in at the hospital. I couldn't wait tell Taylor the news. Then I found out that she was still in the emergency room and that she was going to emergency surgery. I didn't understand. If my injuries were gone, why weren't hers?

"They tried to keep me out of her room, but I made such a fuss that they let me see her before she went upstairs. They'd cleaned the blood off her. I saw all the cuts and the bites clearly…", Heather let out a cry and covered her mouth. "I'll never forget what she looked like as long as I live. She had big chunks of skin and muscle tissue missing from the tips of her fingers all the way to her shoulders. Her arms looked like the monster had tried to chew them off. The doctors said that she might never regain full use of her fingers. I felt so guilty. My leg looked fine and Taylor had to get hundreds of stitches and staples in her arms." Heather's words were now interspersed with her sobs. Taylor walked up behind her sister slowly and wrapped her in an embrace before lowering her chin to Heather's shoulder. Tears welled in Taylor's eyes and rolled down her usually serine face as the sisters held one another.

"The doctors covered her arms in casts from her shoulders down. And on the plane ride home she was trying to look natural, but I knew she was in so much pain. She never complained though. Not once. When we got home, I was running around the yard and playing in the pool while Taylor couldn't even scratch an itch. She still didn't complain. She never said that she wished that she hadn't gone after the shark or that she regretted what she'd done. She didn't even treat me any differently", Heather tried to continue but her weeping voice failed her for a moment. Taylor tightened her embrace.

"Mom and Dad had to feed her meals at dinner time because she couldn't even bend her arms. Somehow she still managed to be an uppity bitch. That lasted for about a week. One night the pain got so bad that even she couldn't take it. Dad rushed her to the hospital and they cut the casts off. The doctors were amazed that her skin and tissue were regenerating. They took the stitches out. Some of the stitches had been forced out already. It was the staples that were hurting her so bad. They took them out too, and in another few days the scars were all gone. I was so happy Taylor had healed like me that I wouldn't leave her alone. I even slept in her room for like a month. We'd talk every night and we both realized that we weren't like other people. And the older we got the more our gifts manifested themselves. It wasn't so bad for me, but for Taylor it was a struggle all the time." Heather stopped and looked over at Brian then back towards the fire.

"I didn't understand how Taylor felt when the fury would flare up. All I knew was that when she got mad, she needed me. She needed me to help her stay under control. I had to help her when the power tried to steam roll out of her control. Sometimes it gets hard, but the truth is that there's never been an inch of separation between us. She's been my best friend all my life. I'd do anything for my big sister, and I know that she'll do anything for me. Cause before she knew that she'd heal and that she had super strength, Taylor fought a shark for me", Heather's voice was barely a whisper now. "She protected me back then, and she's been doing it ever since."

Brian unexpectedly felt a tear roll down his face. He wiped it quickly knowing that his emotion overload was from guilt. Brian felt tiny at the moment. He'd so misjudged Taylor that it was a wonder that she'd forgiven him in the first place. He understood their relationship and wished that he could have as close a bond with his own siblings, but Taylor and Heather had a bond that he would probably never quite understand. It was hard to believe that he'd ever thought that Taylor was trying to down and belittle her sister. In reality their relationship was filled with the closest loyalty and love.

Jan's grandmother Joyce came in with Andrew her youngest son and his willowy and pretty wife Amber. They walked in to see tears on almost every face. The three of them shared looks of confusion. "What's going on in here?", Drew asked. "I thought we were just going to take a picture."

Jan grinned and took them by their hands. "Come on in. You guys might want to have a seat", she began. "We've got something to tell you."

The family and the few friends could have stayed in there the rest of the night, but they had an event to finish hosting. The guests were starting to notice their absence, so they left the room and rejoined the party. Some of the extended family had only a dim understanding of what Taylor, Jan, and Heather had been talking about, but the close family understood completely. They all left the room, planning to gather again when the Cook-Out was over. Heather was still in the room when most of the people had left. So was Montez, leaning against the wall where he'd been the entire time. She came over to him, tentatively and slowly. "That was special", he told her while they held hands. "I'm glad you let me be a part of it."

Heather just looked up at Montez's face while he studied hers. "You needed to be here. I needed all the emotional support I could get."

"Why?", he asked and gently wiped away a forming tear from her eye. "You explained it great. I don't think there was a dry eye in the room."

Heather smiled up at him softly. "You feel like dancing?", she asked suddenly.

Montez nodded. "Sure."

"Good. Let's go." She took him by the hand and they rushed outside. Earth Wind & Fire had come back on and they were starting up "Boogie Wonderland" when they got outside. Montez didn't mention her powers at all. He figured she was tired of thinking about it, and he was right. He knew as well as any ungifted person could that Heather's powers, just like her siblings' and cousin's, were both a huge blessing and a potential curse.

Across the lake Slater had his van in the same place, unmoved since they'd parked. The people were getting a little restless, but Slater hadn't satisfied his sick need for gratification. He had to see the Caufield's and Matthews' pain before he left.

"Okay we have some action here", Ken announced. "Over there by the main house there're a bunch of people coming out." Slater started panning that way with his binoculars. He saw the people, but didn't recognize any of them. He went back to looking elsewhere. Ken kept his eyes on the back door of the house. He was quiet until he saw a couple come out.

"Hey Slater, didn't you say the chick you had off'ed was a gorgeous redhead?"

"Sure did", he replied proudly.

"Well I see fucking beautiful redhead in tight jeans making her way towards the dance floor hand in hand with some black guy. Don't know if it's the same chick, but this one looks alive and fine as hell!" Ken pointed and Slater panned his binoculars quickly. He saw lots of people. He saw Ted Matthews. He saw Jan and Taylor working the crowd, but then he saw her, and Slater felt like his brain would explode into a mushroom cloud. The taste of bile rose in his throat threatening to make him puke. He gasped for breath like an elephant was standing on his chest.

"How… how", he muttered in confusion. "I saw her dead. I SAW HEATHER MATTHEWS DEAD!!!!", he raged like he was truly going mad, until it all became clear.

She was holding a man's hand, and when they got to a small clearing in the dance floor crowd, Slater got his chance to see who's hand she was holding. He leaned closer, bumping the binoculars against the windshield trying to get as close as he could. The man with the long dreads put his hands on her ass while they moved to the music. He saw Heather look at her dance partner with a loving smile on her face. She rose up on her toes and kissed the man as if they were well acquainted with the other's affections. They spun, and Slater finally saw the man's face. He felt equal parts betrayal and gullibility.

"That's the goddamned hitman!", he yelled and collapsed back to the seat.

"What?", Carri demanded from the back seat.

"That… that's the thug I paid to kill Heather Matthews yesterday."

"You mean you thought the guy who's freaking Heather Matthews on the dance floor, at her family's signature event, was really a cartel hitman?" Ken laughed. Slater glared at Ken and then back towards Joe, Carri, and Mick. Slater put his eyes back to the binoculars and looked on with deflating realization that a very alive Heather really was embracing and dancing with the man that had been paid to kill her. Slater's incredulousness morphed into a seething anger that boiled deep down inside his soul. He watched on as Heather and the hitman parted ways after an encore of "Shining Star". The hitman approached Ted Matthews, and Slater wished he knew how to read lips because he was sure they were talking about him.

"So you shot my baby girl last night?", Ted started with a smirk on his face and a beer in his hand.

"Yeah", Montez admitted sheepishly. "You heard about that? Well, in my defense it was her idea."

"I know. She told me. I'm just giving you a hard time." They sat down at an empty table. "You look like something's on your mind and it has nothing to do with shooting my little Heather last night does it?"

"Sort of. Before Slater Hastings paid me for shooting Heather, he stopped at his house and stabbed his father in the back with a letter opener."

"What! Hugh's dead?"

"No, he's in the hospital in serious condition. I just called a colleague of mine who's guarding him. I asked if she wanted me to take over, and she said no. She said that it's been quiet and no threats have come down the pike, but I don't know. Something just doesn't feel right."

"You want to go check it out?", Ted asked and moved his chair to stand up. "I can drive you over."

"Oh no, I don't think I could get you to do that. I'll take a cab."

"You're not imposing on me, Montez. I think I might want to visit old Hugh anyway. We've been rivals for a long time, ever since I got into finance twenty years ago, but we've never hated each other. Come on, let me get my jacket. I'll meet you 'round front."

"Looks like your hitman's on the move", Ken said as he looked through the binoculars. Slater was so mad he was seeing red as he looked at Ted Matthews drive his brand new black and white Bugatti Veyron around to the front of the house. They were smiling and laughing just before Ted tossed the hitman the keys.

"What? You want me to drive? I don't think my insurance covers this much", Montez joked.

Ted laughed. "I think I can cover you", he assured Montez and hopped in the passenger seat. "Come on, I've been playing with this car for a month now. It's time somebody else enjoyed it."

"Follow them", Slater ordered.

"But we have to get to the hospital", Carri shouted from the back seat.

"Just follow them", Slater ordered forcefully and Mick obeyed. "I paid that bastard twenty thousand dollars to kill Heather and he didn't do it! I want to know why", Slater explained to the group. "Besides, the hospital is that way."

Half an hour later, they watched the Bugatti pull into the parking lot at the hospital. Montez and Ted walked in through the front door. A security guard with a cop standing very nearby stopped them at the door. The hitman reached into his pocket and flashed something that made the cop and guard let them inside the hospital without walking through the metal detectors.

"That hitman has to be a cop", Mick noted, feeling proud for figuring it out. "You hired a cop, Slater!"

"Thank you pointing that out", he hissed. "I wouldn't have known at all if you hadn't told me. We need to figure out how to get past the cops and the guards."

"No we don't", Carrie began while taking off her coat. "We just have to find out what room the target is in." She slid open the door and jumped out. "Let me handle that." She sauntered towards the hospital door. They watched her go in and five minutes later she came sauntering back out. She eased back into the van. "Leave the van here for now. Mick and Ken should probably go with Slater. You all have to go to the northwest corner of the hospital's tower. Me and Joe will watch the door."

"What are you planning on doing?", Slater asked, trying to fight the feeling that he was losing control of this mission. Carri put his fears at ease.

"It's our job to get to you in that room and to get you out again. We do the hard work and you do the important work. Oh and work out your grips boys, you have some climbing to do…"

Special Agent Angie James walked over towards the window. She adjusted the blinds inside the window between two shatter resistant panes of glass to get a look at the ground. It was hard to see from this angle. She thought she saw movement. It was probably somebody walking to their car, but assumptions were dangerous on an assignment like this.

"You from around here?", Hugh asked his bodyguard after a long period of silence.

"I'm from Dallas originally, but we lived all over."

"Military kid?"

Angie chuckled. "My dad's on the board of Exxon. I don't even think he knows which end of the barrel a bullet comes out of. And my Mom used to be a vice-chair at Deloitte. The only things she shot down were careers."

"Wait a minute. You're Bill James' daughter aren't you? Angeline?"

"I prefer Angie, but yeah that's me. So you know my Dad?"

"He's a hard businessman. I think I've met your mother too. Just as hard as your dad, but I haven't heard her name mentioned recently."

"She retired five years ago. I was… I was having some issues that I've worked out in the years since, but Mom sort of liked being retired so now she just freelances."

"Good for her."

"Yeah, I don't think she's happy with my career choice, but she's happy I'm not out of control anymore."

"You said earlier that you know Taylor Matthews?", Hugh offered to keep the conversation going. He felt pretty alone right now.

"We've been working together for the last few months. I know her cousin Jan better. We went to high school together."

"You guys friends?"

Angie chuckled. "I think Jan would rather wring my neck than shake my hand, but the feeling's generally mutual." Angie turned back to the window again, unable to shake the feeling that somebody was down there. She got up on her toes to try and look straight down when there was a discrete knock.

"Angie", Montez called through the door. "I'm coming in."

"Well come on in, I'm not going to shoot you", she called back. The door opened and Angie laughed. "Oh, man look at you. Must have been a nice party."

"Oh yeah, all the finest people were there. I had to turn on my swagger."

"Come to ask me more questions Agent Jefferson?"

"No, I came to check on Agent James and I brought a visitor." He waved Ted inside. Hugh's skin turned an even paler white.

"Ted?"

"Hugh, you're looking good", he lied with a smile. "I would have brought you some food from the Cook-Out, but you're probably full on the great tasting hospital food."

Hugh reached out with both his hands and grasped Ted's hands. "Ted, I can't apologize enough for the trouble Slater caused your family. I talked to Heather and I told her I was sorry, but I don't know if she accepted it or not", Hugh spit out so quickly that he was winded by the end. "When I saw that picture of her shot and bleeding, I though the worst."

"Heather's fine", Ted began seriously then grinned. "She's been shot plenty of times, stabbed and blown up too." Montez and Angie shared a chuckle when Hugh's face went from concerned to confused. Ted laughed. "Well enough about that Hugh, how are you feeling…"

Carri waited in the bushes near the parked van with an eye on the front door, ready for anything. She rolled the cell phone around in her hand as she waited. She never checked a clock. She didn't have to, besides time didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was seeing those two guys come out of the hospital. When they were gone, all she had to do was make a phone call and the other guys would get moving. She knew that by now Ken and Mick would be getting anxious while Slater would be getting nervous. That couldn't be helped. She held her breath and kept still. The automatic doors to the hospital slid open and the two men came walking out heading towards the Bugatti. There was a time when a car like that would have gotten her all excited to meet the man who drove it, not anymore. Those days were long gone, along with those passions. Instead she kept her focus on the task before her. "Ok, make your move", she whispered to Ken and quickly hung up. Now it was time to get to the van and move to pick up the soon to be assassins.

"Aw wait a minute", she heard Montez say. "I need to give this to Angie. I'll be right back." Carri froze for a moment, but she quickly realized that she couldn't stop this now. It was too late.

Angie sat down at the back of the room and switched off the reading light. She was finished with the book. She should have brought another to last the rest of the night. She leaned over to search through a stack of magazines when the storm-proof window exploded in a shower of glass and aluminum. Angie's left hand went to her hip, grasping the handle of her gun as she stood up from the chair and spun towards the danger. Mick saw her moving and he sprang from the busted window frame towards Angie faster than a man of his size should have been able to. He landed three feet from Angie and pushed her. He hadn't even shoved hard, but his super strength was more than enough to make Angie fall. She hit against the chair and slid to the floor. Mick started to turn around, but the door flew open and the cop squared in the opening. Angie took a hit to her shoulder from the door, but she stowed the pain and aimed her gun up at Mick. Angie and the cop both opened up on Mick from point blank range, riddling his big torso with shot after shot. He didn't go down. He was wearing a vest, they both realized too late. Mick lunged for the cop. Angie twisted to keep her barrel trained on her target, but five sausage thick fingers gripped her roughly by the shoulder lifting her off the ground. Ken held the Federal agent at his eye level then slapped her across the jaw so hard it made Slater cringe. With Angie's head flopping like a doll's, Ken casually threw her towards the other side of the room. She hit the bathroom door so hard that it broke into splinters. She never saw Mick send a short punch to the stunned cop's chest. The officer flew back like an acrobat on a wire, across the hall, over the counter, and into the nurses' station.

Angie opened her eyes and reached out desperately to find her gun, but it wasn't near. She saw the police officer from down the hall run up, gun already in hand. Mick was waiting for him. Mick pulled his fist back and hit the cop as hard as he could, using the super strength that he'd been building for years. Angie heard the cop's bones shatter like dried twigs and saw his chest cave in before he too flew off his feet and out of sight.

"That was easy enough", Mick observed with a meat-headed laugh. He could see nurses and orderlies and even patients scurrying around in the hallway. They were no threat at all. He felt all powerful as he turned towards the hospital bed.

"Okay, do what you came to do", Ken said to Slater who stepped away from the window and pulled out the pistol that he'd gotten from Montez a day earlier. Hugh saw his son and saw his would-be protectors defeated. He tried to get up causing blinding pain to shoot from his head to his toes at the slightest effort. He fought it and rolled away angling his feet towards the floor, but when they touched down his knees buckled and he collapsed.

Slater laughed. "Trying to run away old man?", he taunted and started to step around the bed. No one paid attention to the wreck of the bathroom. They didn't see Angie running from the darkness until she was a step away from Mick. He finally turned her way and smiled at her grit and determination. Her pretty face twisted with concentration and effort as she drew her fist back and unleashed a tremendous punch to the side of Mick's head. The big man staggered and lurched to his left. He tried to raise his hands to defend himself, but Angie's fury was unrelenting. Her powerful muscles knotted with still gathering strength as she hit Mick harder and harder each time. A loud crashing punch rocked him from his head down to his feet, and two final lightning quick punches made his eyes roll into his head and his legs give out.

Ken watched with astonishment as this little chick broke his big strong cohort down like a lawn chair. Mick started towards the ground, but Angie wouldn't let him fall. She grabbed him by the bulletproof vest that had saved his life and lifted him up. Seams stretched and muscles burst as she elevated this big strong man higher and higher until Mick was over her head. Slater looked at Angie's tightening triceps and flaring lats with growing fear. She looked like a child lifting an adult over her head. Her flexing arms were unstoppable. When he was over her head, Angie bent her knees just enough to let the muscles store some power before bursting forward and throwing Mick at Ken and Slater. Ken took most of the blow and Slater took just enough to get knocked down.

Ken took a step back absorbing all of Mick's weight and Angie's throw in that single step. He let Mick fall to the floor and charged Angie like a bull. He lowered his shoulder and aimed for her chest, but she deftly moved to the side and only caught a glancing blow. To her surprise, Ken whirled like a ballerina and threw a crisp punch to Angie's temple. The force knocked her off her feet. She landed on her ass, but jumped up and came back at him feigning a high punch only to send a sharp kick to his lower leg. Ken checked the next kick and closed the distance between the two of them. Angie hit him in his gut, but between his enhanced muscles and the battle-ready Kevlar, he barely felt it. He grabbed her wrist and instantly applied bone crushing force. Angie winced and tried to pull away, but he held her tightly. This time Ken threw a punch to her stomach.

She tightened her impressive abs, her body forming an armored wall of rippling muscles. His knuckles impacted with more power than a grenade's explosion. Her muscles held firm. He gritted his teeth and sent another punch at the exact same spot. The sound was like a gorilla punching a side of beef. Angie's abs absorbed most of that punch, but it broke through anyway. Her eyes watered from the pain.

Ken smiled like a psychopath before he punched her again in the exact same spot. She moaned and went slack with him still holding her wrist, twisting it to an unnatural position. He let her go, throwing her down with distain before pulling his foot back and kicking Angie just to hear her pained groans. "Damn that bitch is strong", Ken admitted when he was finished and checked his lip to see if he was bleeding.

"She must be on the same stuff as you", Slater put in.

"Maybe", Ken allowed then laughed and went to wake up Mick.

Droplets of blood splattered against Angie's chin as she coughed. Her vision faded and the pain threatened to consume every other thought and emotion. She curled fetally and held her stomach while a small voice in her head urged her to give up and stay down. She'd done enough, it told her. No one could ever say that she'd done less than expected to keep Hugh Hastings alive. That wasn't good enough for Angie James. She rolled to her butt, feeling the cold floor beneath her and the hot burning anger inside of her. All she could see was Ken's wide back moving away, like he had finished, like she'd been easily dispatched, like he'd simply taken out the trash. Angie wasn't trash. She bounded to her feet and took a running start before leaping onto Ken's back like a lioness on a buffalo. She wrapped her arms around his neck while cinching her legs around his waist. She slipped her arms under his chin, her arms tightened around his neck like twin muscled nooses. She hooked her ankles at his lower abdomen and squeezed her hamstrings and glutes as tight as she could. Muscle fibers feathered down the length of her legs from her hips to her calves. Ken staggered like a mighty giant and tried to twist her off. Angie bore down harder. Her sleek feminine biceps peaked spectacularly, crushing Ken's bull neck to half its normal size.

Ken's face went from red to purple as Angie cut off his air and blood flow. His struggles went from angered to panicked. Every second made him weaker while she got stronger, pushing more power from her juiced muscles. Her arms were amazingly ripped, but her legs did even more damage, forcing his body to bend backwards, stretching and constricting his diaphragm at the same time. She tightened her legs twin pythons, crushing the very life from Ken. He grabbed her arm and felt its steely hardness, harder than any muscle he'd ever felt and as unyielding as a mountain. He tried to pry against it, but he was far too weak. He had to fight though. He summed his reserves of strength, grabbed her arms with his hands and pushed outward like a close-grip bench press with the resistance provided by Angie's arms. Ken's thick chest flexed tight against his bullet proof vest, forcing the straps themselves to loosen. His own super human muscles pulled every ounce of oxygen from his blood, forcing a gap between his neck and Angie's biceps. She threw her head back, fighting to keep up the pressure. Ken wouldn't be denied. His brutish muscles strained against Angie's sexy body in a fight for life or death. After a struggle with skin bursting flexing, Angie's arms began to tire. Even with her head start, Ken's arms were stronger than hers, but he'd completely forgotten about her legs.

She drew in a breath and squeezed her lower body so hard that her hamstrings looked cables about to burst through her skin. Her glutes tightened like stone globes. The Kevlar plates buckled under the strain, and Ken's body did too. Spit and phlegm flew from Ken's open mouth as the air shot from his lungs. He opened his mouth in a silent scream while Angie used her strongest muscles against his unprotected middle. His open agony only fueled Angie's muscles. She alternated now between crushing him with her legs straight using her quads and bent using her hammies. Ken's body started to spasm and his brain began to fade. Slater looked on in horror as Ken fell to the ground unable to mount another challenge. He picked up the gun from the ground with a shaky hand and aimed it at Angie's unprotected back. He curled his finger around the trigger and hoped he didn't miss.

Montez was nearly trampled by people rushing to the elevator when the doors opened. "What's going on!", he yelled to the crowd but no one replied. He got a cold chill when he thought about Angie and Hugh. He had to get a little violent to make his way through the throng, but he did and ran down the hall towards Hugh's room at a full sprint. He saw the damaged counters and the two motionless cops. He had to steel himself for what he might see. His hands itched for a gun, but there was no time. He rushed to the door praying that he wouldn't see Angie in the same condition as the cops. When he ran up, he saw Angie getting to her feet slowly, burdened by fatigue and from the weight of a huge man who had to weigh nearly 400 pounds. His brain couldn't understand how she could lift so much weight, while his eyes were mesmerized by the changing landscape of her traps, lats and glutes flexing mightily. Her muscles gathered, stretched, bugled under the weight, but once she found a center of mass she lifted him easily. Montez could have watched her in awe forever, but his training kicked in and he looked to his left.

"Put the gun down!!!!", Montez yelled in his commanding voice to Slater who flinched before he could pull the trigger. Slater's head turned to the doorway giving Angie enough time to finish Ken.

"You!", Slater exclaimed, his face darkening ominously. "You fucking lied to me!"

Montez showed Slater his hands, as if it mattered. "Slater, I'm really a Special Agent with US Army Counterintelligence. And I've been undercover for six months."

"Oh you're not some hardcore assed killer? Really? I should have known. You gave me that bullshit as story about how you killed your first man. You didn't even kill Heather."

"No Slater, I didn't kill Heather, but that story about how I killed a man for the first time is true. Slater put the gun down and let's discuss this situation", Montez urged calmly.

"Fuck you!", Slater yelled and pulled the trigger. Montez dove to his left and the bullet flew over his shoulder. "AHHHH!!!", Slater screamed and scrambled to get around the bed. He turned his back just on Angie just as she got Ken up high enough to dump him out the window. Ken's eyes opened as he started to fall. His hands reached out trying to grab anything. There was nothing but air. The sensation of falling from five stories made him scream, and that anguished scream caused Slater to turn towards the window giving Montez enough time to get to his knees and push the wheeled hospital bed into Slater. The bed railing hit him in the center of his stomach. He stumbled backwards tripping over an overturned serving tray. He hit the floor hard, but didn't drop his gun.

"I'm gonna kill you!", Slater screamed at the top of lungs. "I'm going to kill you all!!" He fired blindly over the top of the bed, the bullets nearly hitting his father.

"Get him out of here!", Angie yelled to Montez. "I'll watch your back. And be careful these guys are class 2 enhanced."

Montez grabbed Hugh's right arm and began dragging him across the floor towards the door while Angie circled around trying to get to Slater who fired shot after shot. An image of her bleeding body tore through her mind with each shot, but she suppressed her fear. She had to stop and arrest this idiot. Angie could have looked for her gun, but she had to keep Slater's attention on her and off of Montez. Lucky for her, the super strength gave her more speed too. Slater shot to his left, while Angie quickly ducked to her right. His head turned. His gun was slow. His life flashed before his eyes as Angie reached out for him. At the last instant a female shape appeared in the broken window.

Carri paused for only an instant to take in the scene before pouncing on Angie like some sort of mythic beast. Carri's shoulder plowed into Angie's side and the power from Carri's thickly muscled legs carried them both through the wall. Studs and sheetrock flew in the air behind them. Carri didn't stop chopping her feet until Angie's back slammed into the solid wood and steel of the nurse's station. The wraparound desk was knocked from its anchors by the impact. Angie let out a pained sigh and slumped her shoulders, but Carri didn't let up. She sat on Angie's legs and pulled her fist back.

Carri punched Angie in her already tender ribs and abdomen. This time Angie's muscles offered no resistance at all. The pain though woke Angie up from her fog. Angie bucked and twisted like a bronco. Carri tightened her thick legs clamping on to Angie's body. Carri Angie's rollercoaster with ease, so much ease that Angie got frustrated. She reached out and grabbed Carri by the hair, forcing her closer, before sending a viper-like strike to the blonde's throat. Carri's hands went to the neck. A second punch lashed out, striking Carri in the pit of her stomach. She looked ready to vomit.

Angie split her legs to get the around Carri before bringing them back together and putting the soles of her cross-trainers on Carri's torso. The Federal agent gritted her teeth and kicked her legs out straight as hard as her quads could manage. Her face looked like she was trying to leg-press a planet. Her quads burst, fresh veins and striations popped up and Carri flew up and away like a rocket was attached to her chest. She tore through what was left of the wall, rising all the while. Sparks flew from the light fixtures as the phosphorus bulbs broke filling the area with a fine white mist. Carri still rose higher, seeming to gain speed rather than slowing. Her back cut through the drop ceiling tearing apart every small pipe, wire and hose in the space until her head hit the solid concrete of the roof above and her back hit a thick cast iron sprinkler pipe. There was a grunt and a loud crack before a powerful spray of water shot out from the pipe obliterating everything in its path and soaking everything beneath it.

Carri hit the ground face first, landing just before the first drop of water. In less than a second she was soaked. Despite it all, she pushed herself up to a kneeling position then stood up as if nothing had happened. In the hall Angie was just managing to get upright. Carri snarled from annoyance and ran through anything in her way to get to Angie. The two tight bodied blondes met up in the center of the hospital hall, trading blows and counter blows that would have shattered regular people's bones.

All the lights on the entire floor strobed creating flashes of reality between bits of darkness. The sounds of a titanic fight made it to Hugh Hastings' ears, but he couldn't understand all that was happening around him. He touched Montez's hand. It was limp. He lay there with a mound of wet ceiling debris on his back. Hugh looked the other way and saw that stuff from the ceiling had fallen on Slater too. The gun'd been knocked from Slater's hand. It didn't lie that far away. All Hugh had to do was reach it. He used his hands, digging his fingertips into the floor dragging his injured body fractions of an inch with each pull, closer to the gun. He shivered from the cold water raining down atop him, but no discomfort could keep him from reaching that gun. He doubled his efforts when he saw Slater stir. Hugh fingers were close enough to feel the heat rising off the recently fired barrel when Slater opened his eyes and quickly snatched up the gun.

"It's over", Slater declared, aiming the gun at his father's forehead.

"You don't have to do this son. There's a way out. Turn yourself in. It's Martin DeBraya that they want, not you. You testify against him and they'll give you immunity."

Slater's laugh pushed some of the pooling water to Hugh's face. "Beg if you want old man, but I didn't come here for a deal. I came here to kill you, to finish what I started. I won't need any deal from the lying fucking Feds. I'm with Martin now, and we're going to win."

"Win??? Son, this isn't a game. You can't run from these people."

"Do you think I'm scared? I'm not running anymore Dad."

Montez opened his eyes and raised his face off the wet floor. A couple hundred pounds of ceiling was on top of him, but at least he felt the pain in his lower half too. He looked through the falling deluge to see Slater with a gun aimed at Hugh. Montez couldn't stop Slater from firing, but he might not have to. He saw a change coming over the young man.

"Slater, I love you. I only want the best for you. It's not too late. Martin's lying to you. You're way over your head and when he doesn't need you anymore he'll kill you and leave you lying in some ditch somewhere." Hugh reached out for his son. "I haven't always been a good father or a good man, but trust me son. There are no do-overs now. There are no more chances. At a point every man has to make a choice and walk down some difficult roads. Let's walk down this one together, Slater." Hugh made it the last several inches and gently wrapped his fingers around the barrel of the gun lowering its muzzle. "Trust me, son."

Slater's grip faltered as he looked into his father's pleading eyes. A smile formed on Hugh's parched lips as hope filled within him. He'd never felt an emotion as raw and vivid as the love he felt at this moment. He reached his hand out towards his son. Slater's lips quivered and emotions danced across his face. Father and son were inches away from touching when the gun rose between them. Slater looked down the barrel at his father's face. The emotion left his face, and he spoke his choice. "I'll never trust anybody again."

Slater pulled the trigger at point blank range. The shot rang in Slater's ears almost as if he'd heard the shot before he saw its effect. He felt oddly numb at seeing his father's brains splattered against the wet cabinets and drawer handles. The cold falling water was more a problem than looking into his father's dead eyes.

"No!!", Montez yelled in defeat. Hugh's body jerked stiff before settling into death. Montez felt the burden of guilt as he watched the man he'd saved a day ago bobbing in the rising water. Slater aimed his gun in Montez direction, but Hugh's body blocked a clear shot. Slater put his hands on the floor to push himself from beneath the fallen ceiling. Montez was quicker though, and was up and in the hall before Slater could reach his feet. In the mostly dark hall, Montez crawled on all fours towards the dead cop's gun. Slater followed him.

Angie heard the shots, but didn't know what they could mean. Slater could be dead, or Hugh, or she shuttered to think, Montez. She couldn't think about it now. She ducked to the left avoiding a hard punch and sending a kick to the center of Carri's chest that seemed to annoy the fit blonde. Angie jumped forward and side kicked at Carri again, but this time she caught Angie by the ankle. The Special Agent tried to pull her leg free, but this woman had a stronger grip than Ken. Carri leaned back and spun, snatching Angie off her feet. Angie put her arms up to protect her head as she spun. Then like a hammer throw, Carri launched Angie towards a fire rated door. The strong metal and thick wood were no match for Carri's throw. Angie sailed through them with a tremendous crash. She hit the far wall of the stairwell head first. Her vision swam and her brain tried in vain to catalogue all the pain. Angie had worked hard to enhance her body. Just like her muscles, her bones were several times stronger than they'd been a year ago, but this woman was on another level completely. Angie didn't know who her oppenent was, but for the first time in a long time real fear crept into the back of Angie James' mind. She might have run away when Carri stepped into the doorway, if she'd seen the pumped up blonde.

Angie was face down on the cement stairway landing when Carri jumped high into the air. She pulled her knees up towards her chest as she rose into the air. She jumped so high that she was able to put her hands above her head and allow her palms to touch the concrete roof support above. Carri almost looked to be floating in mid-air with her body balled up, but as soon as she stopped rising, a torrent of muscle erupted along her delts, back, and triceps when she pushed against the support launching her body downward like a cannon shot. As she flew down, she stomped her legs straight using her thick, separated quads muscles to generate even more power.

The entire north side of the hospital tower shook when Carri's feet hit the floor. A small concussion wave hit against Angie's body fifteen feet away and pushed her against the wall hard, adding more pain to her already battered body. A crack formed beneath Carri's feet. It was just a hairline that went perhaps an inch deep into the concrete. Carri jumped again repeating her stomp. This time the concrete floor cracked like it had been hit by a jackhammer. In truth it had been struck by something far stronger. Once again Carri jumped, pulling her knees up before pushing off against the ceiling and extending her muscle bound legs at the precise time to add the most power to her stomp. Dust flew up obscuring the widening crack. Chips of concrete fell from the underside of the floor as the crack worked its way all the way through to the bottom. Carri stood atop the breach she'd created, but didn't admire it. She squatted to reach down and work her fingers into the narrow opening. Small indications of her true strength showed along her forearms as she worked her fingers deeper into the gash in the cement. Angie rolled to her side and put her hands under her, hoping to stand up and make a move, but it was already too late.

Carri leaned forward, just so she could curl her arms forward just a bit more. When she felt that it was right, she leaned back. The tension in her biceps caused them to flex. The fibers tightened under her smooth skin and Angie felt the floor move. Mounds rose up on Carri's arms and quickly the rest of her body flexed to match her arms. The lip of the stairs rose. Carri's face looked impassive as her body strained. Her skin flushed, and veins streaked up her neck, across her forehead, and over the peaks of her bulging biceps peaks. Her outfit morphed to match her muscle expansion. Cracks sounding like rifle shots echoed loudly in the closed in space of the stairs. People on the floors below screamed as they felt the stairs begin to separate from their supports. A gasp from Carri's lips was the only audible evidence of her intense efforts, until the zipperlike sound of surrendering stitches added to the din.

Angie tried to get to her feet, but it was too late. The floor was already at a 45 degree angle as Carri continued to curl her arms. Rebar showed in places where Carri had pulled the stairs away from the columns that held them up. Dust and chips of concrete fell down on Angie, as Carri's efforts destroyed the hanging steel poles that had at one time been connected to the railings. Those railings were slowly being crushed shorter from the power in Carri's arms. Carri halted her curl just so she could reposition her hands further down. She bent her legs, getting her biggest, strongest, and most ripped muscle group back into the action. She a deep breath followed by long exhale, Carri's legs straightened and she lifted the entire weight of the five story concrete and steel staircase. The floor beneath her feet cracked and nearly broke off under the weight, but Carri's legs were unwavering. Her quads throbbed with power, producing more and more with each beat of her heart, until she'd lifted it enough. All at once, Carri pushed the slab away from her and jumped back to let it fall. Nothing lined up as gravity took over once again. None of the supports were where they had been. Bolts had been twisted out of alignment and joints had been stressed beyond their limits. The lights went out for good in the stairs as they started to fall. The emergency lights only illuminated cloud of dust filling the area as the stairs collapsed like a pancake.

Angie saw Carri's outline standing in the doorway as the floor fell away, away. Angie knew she couldn't make it if all of this stuff fell. She'd be crushed. She looked up, knowing that she couldn't reach the landing. She saw steel hanging by a single bolt, and hope it was still strong enough. As the falling floor accelerated, Angie gathered her legs beneath her and jumped.

Carri backed up down the hall as the full effects of her efforts showed on this building. The floor itself buckled and the doorway collapsed with a broken concrete pillar falling from its perch and laying on top of the debris like a massive paperweight. Carri didn't take time to admire anything. She turned and ran down the hall as fast as her legs would carry her.

"Keep hiding", Slater yelled. "I'm gonna find you and pull a fucking bullet through your head just like I did my father. You're next you fucking liar!", Slater yelled and kept his gun aimed outward. He knew Montez was unarmed and Slater felt so powerful after killing his father. His fingers gripped the gun tightly and he stepped lightly through the puddles of water towards where Montez had to be hiding. "Come on out and die like a fucking man!", Slater yelled. He didn't even turn around when he felt the floor shake like a wave went under him. He knew something serious had happened, but it had nothing to do with him. Slater was getting closer to the end of the ruined nurse's station. He knew the fucking lying hitman had to be there.

Montez was there, unarmed. The cop's gun was about five feet away, but he'd have to expose himself to get to it and there was no guarantee that it was chambered and ready to fire. That gamble could cost him his life, and Montez had other options. Slater was more than a rank amateur. He was pathetic. Sure he'd killed Hugh, but in another two or three steps Slater was going to be close enough for Montez to get his hands on him. It would take half a second to disarm Slater and then break that murdering punk's little pencil neck. Montez held his breath and waited.

Slater turned around when he heard splashes. It was Carri. "Time to go", she yelled in breathy commanding voice.

"I want to kill him!", Slater yelled at the top of lungs as Carri lifted him with one arm and hurried towards the window. She splashed past Hugh's dead body and Slater screamed like a child. "I want to kill him!" He hit Carri with the butt of his gun. She didn't even seem to notice.

Mick was already on all fours when they ran by. "Cover our escape then hurry the hell up", she yelled before climbing into the window and jumping out. Mick watched that sexy bitch jump out the window with Slater over her shoulder like a helpless child. Mick pulled the gun free from its holster and turned his beg head to find a threat. He didn't see one so he headed for the window.

Montez ran into the doorway and stopped, sending water spraying. "Hold it! Drop the gun; get on your knees and lace your fingers behind your head." Mick froze with a startled jerk. He slowly readjusted each finger on the grip of his pistol. Mick had been building his superhuman strength for years. He knew how strong he was and what his muscles could do. He was faster and quicker than any normal human. Montez saw the defiance in every part of Mick's body. "Don't do it!", Montez warned, but Mick sucked in a breath and spun. He was just a blurred mass in human form. It was a waste. To the former Delta Team member, Mick's turn happened in slow motion. He pulled the trigger on the dead cop's gun twice and blew two holes in Mick's head.

Montez hurried past Mick's bleeding body to the window. Straight below the window lying partially on his side was Ken and further away, off to the right he saw the blonde and Slater running away from the building. Montez knew he couldn't hope to survive a jump from fifty feet, but he looked over at the low roof to his right and thought he could probably get there. He climbed into the opening and jumped as hard as he could towards the low roof.

Ted sat in his car waiting on Montez long enough to know that something was wrong. He hadn't been paying attention when Ken, Mick, and Slater had jumped through the window to start their assault, but he did see a blonde woman holding a young man jump from that window, landing in the parking lot below. The ground cracked beneath her shoes, but the boy in her arms barely jostled. Her incredible muscles absorbed all the shock of the jump. He barely felt it at all. Ted sat forward in his car. He'd raised two super human girls and he knew what was beyond human limits. He was glad he was so far away until realized that he was looking at the window to Hugh Hastings' room, and then he saw Montez's shape in the opening. The young man hesitated for a moment looking off at the roof to his right.

"Oh no don't", Ted breathed just before Montez jumped. He quickly flew out of Ted's view. Ted sat slack-jawed with his heart racing, hoping that Montez hadn't just killed himself. "Thank God", he prayed when he saw Montez run to the end of the roof. That good feeling melted away when Montez got on one knee, aimed a pistol and started shooting at the blonde who'd jumped from the window a few seconds earlier.

"Kill him!", Carri yelled to the driver of the van once she passed in front and threw Slater inside. Joe reached next to his seat and pulled out a Steyr submachine gun and pointed it out the window. Its rapid fire shots sounded like a deadly zipper. Montez was forced from the edge of the roof. The man in the van lowered his gun and Ted hoped that this would be the end of it, but Montez went to the edge and fired again. Joe ducked his head between his shoulders like a turtle entering its shell then returned fire. Montez was forced to retreat again. Joe pressed his advantage, getting out of the van and hurrying towards the wall. His impassive face hid his burning desire to kill the annoying Federal agent.

"Stay put!", Carri screamed at Slater before snatching his gun away.

"Hey!"

"You'll get it back", Carri told Slater like he was a child even though she was only five years older than he. She took off running towards Ken who was waking up after his five story fall to the grass.

Inside the hospital Angie held on for her life. The red painted metal pole hanging from the ceiling had save her, but the single bolt was losing its grip. Angie looked at the jumbled tangle of broken concrete and bent steel fifty feet below and knew that she might not survive a fall. An image of being impaled on a piece of rebar wouldn't leave her mind. Through the dusty darkness, Angie saw a little bit of the cracked landing still clinging to rest of the floor. Tons of debris had fallen across the doorway further weakening the floor, but this was her only chance. She started to swing her body, knowing the motion would further weaken the single bolt. Concrete shavings fell from the bolt hole as Angie shook the pole side to side. After one last swing, Angie jumped towards the debris. The lip looked smaller and smaller the closer she got to it. She sailed over the fallen staircase. She had to make it, or she'd die. She spread her legs, turned her feet outward and braced for the impact.

Her chest hit first, her dirty sports bra offered no cushion from the rough cement. Then her legs hit and finally her shoes. Angie leaned into the concrete and found enough balance to not fall, but her feet were wider than the concrete she stood on. Angie grabbed a chunk of destroyed concrete and tossed it down to the pile below, then she grabbed another and another. It seemed like two chunks fell from above for every one she threw down. There had to be another way. She looked up and saw a thick concrete joist cracked and leaning down on the pile that blocked the doorway. Angie took a finger hold on top of the broken joist and pulled her head up to see what was above it. Everything beyond it was cracked, but while she was holding her chin-up she looked above her. The roof of the hospital was just as damaged as the floor beneath her. Its supports had been weakened. There was another, somewhat smaller, concrete support above the one that had broken. It was cracked too and hanging by a thread. Angie wondered… Then there was a noise like the breaking of a huge walnut just before the floor dropped a few inches. Angie cut off her scream, making only a short yelp before fighting back her fear. The broken concrete shifted, sliding towards her, forcing her feet closer to the edge. She wondered if there was even enough room to stand on now. She hung from the broken support, knowing that the only way to go was up. She pulled herself the rest of the way up. She stuffed her body into the tight space, hoping and praying that this small gap wouldn't turn out to be her coffin. There was no light and precious little air. Angie felt along the concrete above her face for the crack that she'd seen. Her fingers brushed against it and she scooted her shoulders across the rough debris to get her chest directly beneath the crack. She put her palms against the cement, summoned all her considerable strength and PUSHED.

Angie's tired muscles jumped to attention. Her entire body swelled with an audible expansion as her muscles crushed the concrete around her. She pressed the support away from her. It had been mere inches from her face and now that gap grew, just like her pecs and triceps. Angie had never tried to do anything as hard as she tried to push her way through this roof. She felt the fruits of her efforts when the support rose four inches at once. Angie's teeth set on edge. Her body vibrated like a tuning fork. More cracks. A bulge like a hill showed on the once flat hospital roof, and beneath it Angie's muscles pumped with pure adrenaline and strength. She used every single ounce of strength and effort. Her head pounded and her heart raced. Her veins throbbed, adding to the mess of definition all across her body. Angie's groans of pain were drowned out by the surrendering cement. Pebbles from the roof above hit Angie in the forehead. She kept at it, pushing even harder, her body suffering terribly from the efforts. Then the floor sank beneath her. The gap in the roof narrowed, and Angie's fears were rekindled. It was now or never. She wanted to scream to the heavens, but her voice came out as an anguished whimper. Her muscles though flexed to their outer limits. They flexed with her striations rupturing into a map of ultimate shredded power. The concrete rafter broke at its fissure and flew upward taking half a ton more material with it. The fresh air hit Angie's face and steaming body like a tonic. She sat up and pulled her hands up to grab the roof an instant before the floor gave way completely. Angie pulled her body through the hole and took half a second to savor the sweet feeling of continuing to live, before she got to her feet. It was time to get back in the fight.

Ted peeked around the corner but pulled his head back before Joe could see him. A deep fear fell to Ted's stomach. The machinegun fire was so relentless that Montez couldn't even squeeze off a single shot now. Ted had an idea though. He reached into his pocket and dialed Montez's cell phone. All he needed was for Montez to drop his gun down off on this side of the building and Ted could shoot Joe from the side, but Ted had no way of knowing that Montez's phone had been completely soaked from the broken pipe in the hospital. It wouldn't even chirp let alone ring. "Shit", Ted muttered under his breath and looked around for a weapon. Fortunately for Montez, Ted found one.

Joe snapped another top mounted magazine into his gun and fired a spray of bullets that knocked chips from the top of the concrete wall. Joe craned his neck and took a step back, wondering if he could make this two story jump without a running start. He bent down to launch himself to the roof and finish off Montez when an eighty pound landscaping rock crashed against the back of Joe's head. Joe went down face first with the rock falling to his back. Ted hefted the rock again, raising it high up before bringing it down on the back of Joe's skull hard enough to break the rock into three pieces. Ted quickly snatched up Joe's gun, thinking at first to put four or five shots into Joe's back, but he didn't want to risk firing just yet.

Montez's breath came so quick he thought it could have stirred a hurricane. His heart thumped in his chest and he clutched his gun like the spark of life itself. It took a few seconds for him to realize that the shooting had stopped. He stood up with the pistol squaring on the parking lot below, ready to shoot any target, but he only saw Ted. The look of relief on that young man's face was an image Ted would never forget. "Can you get down", Ted mouthed.

Montez stuffed the pistol in his waistband and threw his legs over the edge. He gripped the corrugated concrete just like Slater's goons had. He used his grip and shoes to slow his decent. He landed on the grass next to Ted. "We have to get out of here", Ted said quietly. "Once we get in my Veyron nobody can catch us." It seemed like a very good idea until they looked towards the hospital tower again.

Ken's big head rose from the depression that his body had created in the soft dirt at the base of the hospital. He sat up quickly blinking rapidly while gathering himself. His head cleared and anger surged through his veins just like blood. He wanted to get his hands on that little bitch who'd dropped him. He didn't think he'd get a chance. Carri stopped short when she saw Ken get up. Above them Angie looked down and hesitated. She'd believed earlier that she was close enough in strength to fight these people, but she knew now that the blonde was on a completely different plain. She didn't let that make her hesitate. She didn't have to think. She just had to do.

Ken saw the shadow in the moonlight, but Carri only looked up at the last moment. She didn't even have an instant to protect herself from the brutal impact. Angie's face looked very much like a demon's as she dove towards the ground wielding the concrete support that she'd broken to free herself like it was a club. Angie brought her arms forward, adding muscle to the momentum of her dive. The corner of the cement support struck Carri in the head. The tight bodied blonde went down quite hard. The ground shook and bits of asphalt were blown skyward from the impact. Carri's body sank into the newly exposed dirt before being forced backwards ten yards creating a body width furrow in the parking lot. Angie fell to the ground and her suddenly shorter concrete club fell next to her. She hit pretty hard as well, but Carri had certainly gotten the worst of that. She pushed herself up, ready to get to Ken, but he got to her first. He grabbed her by the neck, nearly breaking it before throwing her back as hard as he could. She flew halfway across the parking lot, landing on the roof of an orderly's Cherokee. Despite the pain, she grinned and extended her arms, forcing the crushed steel of the suv's roof away from her. Ken looked larger than life as he fumed, watching Angie free herself. He stood with hands curled like claws as Angie jumped off the Jeep and charged.

Montez and Ted looked at each other, knowing that they couldn't leave. "Come on let's go get her. I'll circle around to the right."

"Sounds like a plan", Montez agreed and circled left.

Angie threw her battered arms up once again to block a series of furious blows from Ken. His bigger stronger punches and kicks had worn her down. She neared the end of her endurance and skill under his onslaught. She'd held her own, but not now. Ken's face face took on a manic scowl as he pounded his fist against Angie's guts and head. Small involuntary sounds of near defeat escaped her crushed lips. Angie's pretty face had been pounded during the fight and her muscles had just about given her all they had left. Angie wished she had a weapon, and after a devesting punch to her ribs, she got her wish. She thought one of her ribs might be cracked, but in his haste to pound her to a pulp, Ken had knocked Angie to the spot where she'd landed after jumping from the roof. She reached her hand and quickly grabbed the broken concrete rafter she'd hit Carri with. She hoped her arms were still strong enough to wield it. They were.

Her muscles came alive once again, flexing with renewed strength. She jumped up, swinging the concrete club as she did. Ken tried to stop his charging bulk and almost succeeded. He still took a blow against his arm and shoulder. It knocked him to his right. Angie stepped in, stalking him with her weapon and new found confidence. Angie stabbed the end into his crotch. He bent over and grabbed for it, but Angie just swung and hit him again. This time he flew backwards, slamming into a group of parked cars. Glass and bits of plastic flew up like a cloud around the impact. Angie heard the stressed shocks and struts protesting Ken's hands as she compressed two cars to their limits while he pushed himself up. With an angry roar he shoved his arms out, forcing the cars to part like bowling pins. He started towards Angie then stopped. He looked behind him and saw a Civic sitting there. He bent down and crushed his hands into the bumper before lifting the car off the ground. The effort from the display of power showed on Ken's reddening face, but he held it high enough and long enough to get in position to throw it at Angie who dodged it. She rolled away, and had to roll again to keep a Jetta from crushing her flat. Then Ken was there. He grabbed her by her neck. He got her feet off the ground before in desperation, Angie kicked him in the balls. He dropped her. Their eyes met and she saw the blood thirsty anger in there. She pulled her club back and hit Ken in the chest as hard as she could, hoping that it would be hard enough. He flew up and away from her, but wasn't hurt. His Kevlar vest had taken the worst of the blow. Angie knew that as soon as the big man hit the ground that he'd be on her again. She slumped to her knees, and tears rolled down her cheeks. She had no more fight left in her. She tried her best. Ken flew has high as the parking lot lights. That height was barely enough to make it hurt. He'd already fallen from five stories, but he hadn't looked behind his back. He struck the transformer hard enough to break the wires from their mounts. The electricity surged through his body. Sparks and electric arcs shot out looking like the 4^th of July. Ken's scream sounded almost subhuman. His arms and legs gyrated, but the powerful current held him in the air until somewhere down the line a breaker tripped and all the lights in the area went dark. Ken fell to the ground with thin fingers of smoke wafting up from his singed clothes.

Angie managed a small smile, and used the club to push herself to her feet. She turned around to finish this and instead was stopped by Carri's hand to her throat. Angie's face turned red instantly. The pressure was tremendous, like Carri had been toying with Angie earlier, like the breaking of the stairs in the hospital had been child's play to this woman's muscles. Angie didn't have much leverage, but she hit the club against Carri's body. Carri didn't even seem affected at all. Her fingers just squeezed tighter and tighter until Angie dropped the broken concrete support and tried to wrentch Carri's fingers from her throat. Unconsciousness came in waves. Angie's legs kicked feebly against Carri's. The blonde didn't even seem to take notice of the fight still left in her opponent, but she did hear Montez's big voiced baritone.

"Put the agent down or I will fire!"

In that instant, Angie looked in Carri's eyes and felt a cold chill touch her soul. Carri's eyes were a hazy blue, pretty, but dead. The empty gaze held no emotion, no intellect and no compassion. Carri pulled her arm back slightly, bending her knees slightly too. Then with a motion so quick that even Montez was awed by it, she dropped Angie and spun in the air to deliver a spinning kick to Angie's chest. The Federal agent flew back so fast that only radar could have tracked her. Angie saw no shapes or colors just streams of distant light until the impact. Her vision went white with hot searing pain. Angie's impact destroyed a car, tearing its roof and doors off before she hit the car parked behind it, completely crushing this one too. The third vehicle stopped her flight, but not before Angie's broken and defeated body crushed it too and bent its chassis. Angie looked now from a distance through her own dripping blood and twisted metal.

Montez fired at shot after shot. Carri ran erratically trying to close the distance. From the backside of the parking lot, Slater slid behind the steering wheel. He'd witnessed Ken's light show and Carri's unbelievable recovery from the blow she'd taken, but now it was his time to act. He started up the van, threw the gear in drive and slammed on the gas. The engine roared and the front of the van aimed directly at Montez.

"Look out!", Ted yelled, giving up his position in the shadows as the big cargo van sped towards Montez. Ted raised the gun and fired on full automatic at the side of the speeding van. Slater ducked as the bullets bounced and ricocheted around him. The windshield too several shots, and a bullet hit the steering wheel right between Slater's hands. Montez saw the van and tried to jump out of the, but took a glancing blow from the right fender of the van anyway. He was thrown to the ground, but never took his eyes off of Carri. He fired a shot that might have grazed her neck. He couldn't tell because in the next instant she was on top him. Her fingers gripped him like a lion's teeth would have. Carri's strong grip sank past any resistance his strong but human muscles could have presented. The instant pain shot from his head to his feet and the gun became loose in his hands. He growled in agony before Carri drew her hand back and punched Montez in stomach so hard he thought her fist had gone threw him. It hurt so bad that he just wished for a quick death. She drew her fist back again. This one hit the side of his skull, the sound bounced off the hospital walls, the corrugated surface playing and amplifying it enough for both Ted and Angie to hear it.

Angie reached out towards her fellow agent as Carri let Montez drop to the ground in a heap at her feet. Ted ran towards the van, knowing that there was no retreat. He threw open the van's sliding door and trained his gun on a gloating Slater. Slater pushed himself against the ceiling and door of the van like a scared cat as he looked down the barrel of the gun in Ted's hands. Ted didn't waste a second. He pulled the trigger. The first bullet hit just to the left of Slater's face. The second bullet would have struck home, but Joe appeared from behind like some sort of twisted answered prayer. He took Ted by the head and jerked him backwards. A trail of bullets pierced holes in the van's roof, but none of them hit Slater. Ted aimed his gun backwards and hit Joe in the torso and arm. Joe released him and moved backwards. Ted spun to aim his gun, but then Carri was there too. She kicked Ted in the side, knocking him against the van so hard that the big vehicle looked like it might topple over. Blood bubbled to Ted's lips and he raised the gun to shoot Carri despite his pain. She snatched the gun from Ted's weakened hand and backhanded him with the weapon so hard that his blood seemed to paint the side of the white van. Carri helped steady Joe, who kept pressure on a wound to his neck. Slater jumped out of the van and ran over laughing and yelling like a petulant child. "Let's kill him and get out of here", he screamed over and over. "Let's kill him! Let's kill him!"

"Please no", Angie cried weakly from afar. Her arm fell against the mangled bumper of the car she lay wrapped up in. A moment later her head fell too. She was too weak to move either. Her eyes closed and she forced them open with little more than her will but she wished she hadn't. Her last image was of Carri, Slater, and Joe standing over Ted and Montez with the evil clearly on their faces. Angie's eyes rolled in her head and her lungs expelled a gurgled last breath.

Taylor laughed while Heather's face turned slightly crimson. "Taylor, stop making fun of your sister", Kat chided her daughter.

"I can't help it Mom. When she got home from Morocco she looked like hot air balloon with legs."

"I'd like you to know that those are time honored traditional clothes from the North Africans", Heather countered. It only made Taylor laugh the more.

"Well, like you told me once… on you they look ridiculous!" Heather glared at being hoisted by her own petard. Taylor patted her sister on the shoulder then looked around with a frown. "Where's Daddy?"

to be continued...

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