Corbec walked slowly down the road, staring at nothing. "Why didn't you kill them?" Pyrojoe asked. "Because I have nothing against them." Corbec replied. "But you heard what Halifax said. They all want to bring down the Mods and Achronos...and they're willing to kill in order to do it." Corbec turned on him, "The Mods can take care of that. If they can't defend themselves then maybe it's time we got some new Mods anyway. But I'm not a killer. The only man I want dead is Halifax." "Hey!" A voice called from behind. It was Butane, a member of Bungie Jumpers. "We want our money." Corbec looked at him incredulously, "You didn't do anything!" "You hired us to help you." Butane said firmly, "And now we want our pay." He leveled his gun, "Now." Corbec glared at him and then slowly pulled out his check book. He scribbled down the appropriate amount and handed it to Butane, "Here. Now get out of my sight." Pyrojoe watched as Butane walked away, shouldering his weapon as he went. "I'm leaving." Corbec turned on him in surprise, "What?" Pyrojoe was still staring at Butane, "All you care about is killing Halifax. I want to save the Flood." Corbec glared at him and then shrugged, "Fine. I'm not forcing you to stay." He turned away in a huff and strode quickly down the street, not bothering to look back. ------------------------- Pyrojoe caught up to Butane and tapped him on the shoulder. Butane turned and glared down at him, "What do you want now?" "I have another job for you." Pyrojoe replied. "Money first." Pyrojoe held out a stack of bills, "Will this satisfy you?" Butane smiled greedily and then asked, "What's the target?" "Banshee Barron." ----------------------- Un Gato sat in the apartment along with MCs Brother and Banshee. "Where's Caspian?" He asked. "He's out getting some food." Banshee replied. "I'm starving." Un Gato nodded, "So what now?" Banshee looked at them intently, "It's up to you. You know the story, you know what the Mods have done, what I've done, and what Halifax has done. It's time for you to pick a side." MCs Brother shook his head, "We don't have to pick a side. We came here to visit and now that I've seen what it's like, I have every intention of leaving." Banshee shook his head, "So did I. But you'll keep coming back because you know that beneath all the idiots, the Spam, and the Mods is a great community." MCs Brother laughed, "Is that so? Well, from what I hear, this great community has supported every action the Mods have taken. Now how great can they be?" Un Gato was watching Banshee closely, "If we agree to help, what would you have us do?" Banshee shrugged, "I don't know...the Mods have killed so many and all I want to do is kill them. But I have a feeling you don't approve of that." "Actually...I do." MCs Brother looked at him in surprise, "You do?" "Sometimes the only way you can over throw a corrupt government is through killing." He glanced at MCs Brother, "I'm not so willing to give up on this place." MCs Brother stared at him, "I've known you for years Gato, but I never expected you to agree with cold-blooded murder." "Well what do you want from me?" Un Gato shouted, rising from his seat. "We said we were leaving to find something better, but you and I both know that it was just so we could hide. We saw this coming a long time ago! Well I'm sick of running and I'm sick of hiding. I want to make a change." MCs Brother nodded and looked at him with disdain, "And becoming a terrorist is the best way you can think of?" Un Gato shook his head, "I don't know. But if it gets their attention then--" "It'll get you killed." MCs Brother responded, "But it won't change anything." Un Gato glared at him, "I've made my decision. I'm staying with Banshee. You do what you want." MCs Brother shook his head, "In that case, I'm leaving." He stood up and pushed past Un Gato. "If I die, at least it will be with a clear conscience." "MCs Brother." Un Gato said when the man reached for the door. "I'm still your friend. I always will be." MCs Brother looked at him for a moment and said, "We'll see." With that, he left. -------------------- Halifax stood at the window of his apartment, looking out at the streets of the Flood. "Am I right to go against Banshee?" He asked aloud. "He's trying to bring change in all the wrong ways." Obbi responded who was sitting on the bed. "Someone has to stop him and make things right." Halifax shook his head, "We've killed Mods, blown up two of their buildings, and left Banshee and Caspian to the mercy of Corbec. Are we any better?" "We did what we had to do." Obbi replied. "We killed in self defense." Halifax sighed, "Maybe...but what if it was more than that. I mean...I hate them, the Mods. I want to kill them." "No you don't." Obbi replied confidently. "Otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation." He stood up and walked to the window to stand beside Halifax, "You and Banshee are not the same. You'll kill Mods because you have to, not because you want to. If we can find a way to negotiate with them, you'll take it...Banshee won't." Halifax stared at him for a moment and then shrugged, "I guess...if negotiation is even an option. What about you?" "Me?" Halifax nodded, "Ya, you're still here when you have no reason to be. Do you want to talk to the Mods...or do you just want to kill them?" Obbi smiled, "The Mods aren't in control...but if Achronos were dead, they would be." Halifax glanced at him curiously, "What are you saying?" Obbi stared at Halifax, "If you want to negotiate with the Mods, you need to get rid of the man giving them the orders. And I intend to do that." "Halifax?" The two men looked back to see Dragon Eyes, stretched on the bed with her leg still in splint. They didn't dare take her to the hospital when all the Mods were looking for them. Dragon slowly opened her eyes and looked at him, "What time is it?" Halifax looked at his watch, "It's one in the morning." Obbi let out a low whistle, "I'd better get to bed." He headed for the door, "Good night Halifax, Dragon." Halifax nodded and then followed, "I should probably get to sleep as well. Tomorrow's going to be a long day." "Halifax," Dragon said quietly. "Can we talk for awhile?" Halifax shrugged, "Sure...but you should really get some sleep." Dragon shook her head, "I can't right now, I have too much on my mind." Halifax nodded, "Alright. What do you want to talk about?" Dragon shrugged, "Anything. I haven't been able to talk to anyone since Kritz...since he died." Tears welled up in her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. "I just watn to talk." Halifax stared at her for a moment and then said, "Are you hungry?" Dragon looked at him curiously and then nodded, "Sure." "Great, let's go get something to eat, and we can talk on the way. I'll drive." "You have a car?" "No, but Obbi does, and since he's sleeping, I'm sure he won't mind if we borrow it." Dragon smiled, "Of course not." Halifax smiled back at her, "It's been a long time since I've seen you smile." "It's been a long time since I've felt happy." She looked at him gratefully, "Thank you." ---------------------- Corbec walked quietly down the street, fingering the gun in his pocket. He hated Pyrojoe for leaving him, but he hated him even more because he knew Pyro was right. He was obsessed. Halifax consumed his thoughts. All he could think about was putting a bullet in that man's brain. He wouldn't have peace until Halifax was dead. A car pulled up to a parking lot ahead of Corbec. Odd that someone would be driving at this time of night. Corbec crept closer and saw someone get out of the car. When the man came into full light, Corbec's eyes widened. [i]Halifax[/i]! Halifax opened the passenger side of the car and reached in and pulled Dragon Eyes out, carrying her in his arms. Corbec strode forward, not bothering to sneak anymore. "Halifax!" He shouted. "You and I have a score to settle." Halifax turned and glared at him, holding Dragon close in his arms. "Not now Corbec." "I can't think of a better time." Corbec replied snidely. "No one around except for me and you." "And Dragon. This is between you and me." Corbec nodded, "Of course, so let her go. I promise I won't kill her. I only want you." Halifax stared at him, "Why?" "You think you're better than everyone! You go around toting about your stories like they're something special--" "My stories? You want to kill me over that?" "It's you!" Corbec replied. "You're trying to bring down the Mods, and Achronos himself! You're a killer, a terrorist, and you deserve death." "So does Banshee Barron. Did you kill him?" "He didn't blow up HFCS." Corbec said calmly. Halifax sighed and laid Dragon on the ground. She stared up at him, "Don't." "I have to." He replied. "Better to face him now than get shot in the back later." He stood up and turned to Corbec, "Alright. I'm here." "Good." Corbec said with a smile. He whipped his gun out and fired, but Halifax was already moving. Halifax dove to the side as the bullet ricocheted off the light post behind him. He tried to put distance between himself and Dragon so she wouldn't be caught in the crossfire. When he reached down to his waist, he realized that he'd left his gun back at the apartment. Halifax groaned and then dove back behind Obbi's car, just as two more gunshots went off. He quickly pulled the handle on the door and opened it slowly.