Chapter 27 ending (rewritten with new writing)

for Christmas, I'm allowing everyone to see the entire chapter instead of a snippet...


“I said I could take him,” he said, sounding chastised.

“Mister Kosloski,” she said, colder then ice. “You are a field agent, I was-am-as Special Ops Agent. You are not remotely qualified to deal with this; so sit down, shut the **** up and let me work!”

“I understand that!”

“Besides,” Kate said, ignoring his protest. “You wouldn’t have made two steps before you would die. The sniper is across the road on the third floor.”

“You can see that far?” he asked, his admiration for her cybernetics growing.

“I’m bionic, remember?” Kate asked in a sour tone, hating to have to remind herself about it. Maybe, she reminded herself, it would have been better if Reyes had just let her die five years ago!

“I keep forgetting I saw that in your file,” Kosloski admitted with a shrug.

“You saw my file?” Kate looked at him, her eyes narrowing. Just who did this guy think he was? Her file was supposed to be sealed from anyone other then her superiors to see.

My superiors, she thought with a snort. The same assholes that are trying to kill me!

“I kind of hacked into the system to see it,” Kosloski admitted, his bravado wilting under her intense stare.

“When this is over,” she said, shaking a finger at him. “We’re going to have a talk about that!”

“That is if we get out of this,” he corrected her.

“You keep thinking that way,” she said. “And you will die. Now keep your ass down! I’ve got some work to do!”

Crouching and crawling, she made her way towards the rear of the car. Half her clip was gone, she reminded herself, leaving her only five bullets. If this weren’t done just right, she would have to change clips in the center of the street. As if the sniper would allow that!

And I’ve got to get Mister Gung-Ho across the street too, she thought sourly.

“Now listen up,” she looked over her shoulder at Kosloski. “I’m going to distract the sniper, while he’s occupied, you make a run for the building across the street.”

“Isn’t that the same building the sniper is in?” he asked, eyes going wide.

“Yes it is,” Kate muttered. “Nice of you to notice that…”

“Are you sure you want to do that?”

“No I’m not,” she said. “But if you have a better idea I’m open to hearing it!”

His silence was deafening.

“Good,” she said, moving into position.

She let loose three shots as she popped into the clear. As she fired, Kosloski raced across the street. Time to go, she told herself as she followed him.

“Kosloski!” she yelled. “Move that ass!”

The sniper tried to take aim at them, making her shoot her last two bullets. The building materials flew as the bullets struck around him. Ducking back into cover, he gave them the time they needed to cross the street.

That worked about as well as I expected, Kate told herself, crossing the last few steps to cover.

As she entered the building, she threw herself against the wall. She reached into her pocket with one hand and grabbed a fresh clip. With a smooth movement, she thumbed the release button with her shooting hand, dropping the empty clip into her hand. Without even a pause, she slammed the new one home, the old clip going into her pocket.

“Are you hit?” she asked Kosloski, sliding the breech to chamber a round.

“No,”

“Good,” she said, spotting a closet beside them. “Get in.”

“What?”

“I said get in,” she told him coldly. “I won’t say it twice.”

“Are you serious?” he said incredulously. “You must be out of your mind.”

“I’ve heard that before,” she said. “Now you can get in there on your own-or I can put you in myself.”

He looked deep in her eyes, trying to see if she was bluffing. After several seconds, he sighed in resignation. No, he told himself, she was kidding nor was she out of her mind! He was going into the closet and there wasn’t anything he could say about it!

“Okay,” he said, stepping inside. “Don’t forget about me.”

“I won’t,” she said. “But if I’m not back, I’m dead and you’re on your own.”

She stayed against the wall as she moved forwards. A stairway was before her that would take her to the third floor. Even if there was a lift in the building, she told herself, she wouldn’t have used it. Being in that enclosed room would make it too easy on the man to kill her.

He would have gone up the stairs, she thought, and so would I.

She took a deep breath, stepping onto the stairs. Keeping her pistol at the ready, she slid up the wall. If she could make the third floor undetected, she thought, then there was a chance of taking him out. Being spotted, though, would end that plan before it even got started!

Reaching the second floor landing, she let out a sigh. She scanned the hallway and there was nothing but apartments visible. He had to know she was coming by now, she told herself, starting to climb again. With them out of his sight, it would be the only logical option left before him.

Stopping short of the third floor, she leaned her head back. She closed her eyes and tried to get her breathing under control. Even if she got the drop on him, she reminded herself, it didn’t mean she would be able to beat him.

He would be trained identical to me, she thought, which will make him dangerous as hell.

Letting a breath out, she stepped up onto the third floor. With her eyes glued on the apartment he was in, she had her gun ready. The door was cracked and she could see a shadowy shape moving within.

He is panicking, she thought, smiling. That is going to throw him off his game and hopefully give me an advantage!

She grabbed the doorknob. Opening the door slowly, she raised her pistol. She fired at the shape, and cursed immediately. It wasn’t the sniper, she thought, it was a dummy holding his gun!

Spinning around, looking for him, a crushing blow struck her arm. She lost her grip on the pistol. The metal chattered as it slid under some furniture. She barely had time to recognize the sniper before he struck her again.

Grabbing her by the coat’s collar, he slung her across the room. A short, dizzying sensation struck her as she flew through the air. Slamming into a wooden table, she shattered in on her way to the floor.

Rolling back to her feet, she faced him. She growled in her throat as the pain blossomed. Charging her, he swung at her face. Blocking the move with a circular motion, she grabbed his arm. With the twist of her waist, she sent him flying. He flew through the air to slam into a couch across the room.

A cacophony of labored breathing filled the room. Blinking rapidly, she felt the sweat running down her face. Her bangs clung to her forehead as she looked at him. So, she though, he wanted to do this the old-fashioned way then! So be it!

That was fine with me, she thought, as long as I’m the last woman standing in the end!


He launched himself at her again. Both of his hands tried to land a blow on her. Blocking him with one hand, she felt him grab her combat knife. Cursing, she grabbed his wrist to fight over the knife.

He slammed his forehead into hears, sending her reeling. Seeing stars, she staggered as he sliced at her. She screamed in pain as she felt it cut into her side. A gloved hand went to her side and came back bloody. The pain was excruciating.

The son of a bitch cut me, she snarled as the pain washed over her.

She launched herself back at him. Growling like a caged animal, she struck him. They both fell backwards, their momentum carrying them into the hall. His hand hit the ground hard, dropping the knife.

Kate grabbed the knife in one hand, keeping it from him. She climbed astride him, her other hand fighting his. Grunting, she started to press the knife towards his chest. He reached out and pushed against her, moving it even with his neck. Sweat poured down her face. Into her eyes, over his face, they strained in the fight to the death.

A cry escaped his lips as she pushed the knife closer to him. If it goes into his neck, she thought, it going to rupture his jugular! Screaming, she put every ounce of strength into her effort.

His hand slipped from the knife and it sank deep into his neck. Blood sprayed over her face again. With a cry of victory, she watched his life ebb from him. She rolled off his body and collapsed onto the floor. Watching the blood pool around him, she panted for breath.

Stupid ass me, she chided herself. Go racing in, so sure of my superiority that I almost got myself killed! Goddamn moron!

Groaning, she climbed onto her hands and knees. She pulled herself to her feet and stumbled into the apartment. She gabbed her pistol and TAC com system on a table. Placing the throat mike on, she stumbled out to check on Kosloski…