Devastated
"Oh, my God!" Cadence exclaimed just above a whisper. She was vaguely aware that Meagan was sitting on the ground nearby crying. "Jamie!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Where the hell is Jamie?" she yelled, throwing herself on the ground next to her broken friend.
The expression on Aaron’s face said it all. "He's hit, too," he choked out.
Cadence's eyes widened even further. "No!" she stammered. "How...? Why...?"
Aaron was just shaking his head in utter despair.
"Hannah's on her way," Meagan said, gulping in air. "But I don't think..." she burst in to tears, unable to complete the sentence.
"Elliott," Cadence implored, "please, don't do this." She shifted her position to his other side, took his hand in hers and leaned down next to his ear. "Please... you can't go. I need you too much."
There was a sudden flicker on the IAC, and Cadence and Aaron looked at each other, hoping he was trying to make contact. A second later, a very weak message came across. "It's okay, kid. Let me go."
Cadence couldn't hold back anymore. She burst in to tears. "No!" she yelled back at him. "You can't. You have so much left to do. We'll fix you! We'll find a way."
He seemed to be laughing now. "Ain't no fixing this, kid. Just remember how much I love you." A moment later, he reached out again. "Boss," he whispered, his voice starting to give out.
"I'm right here," Aaron assured him.
"Take care of her." A few seconds later, very weakly, he managed to get out, "Love you, man. Adios."
"Elliott?" Aaron called. There was no answer. He glanced at Cadence, who was inconsolable, then he returned his attention to his lifeless friend. "I'm so sorry." He collapsed on top of Elliott's still chest, no longer able to control his emotions.
Cadence placed her hand on Aaron’s back, tears still streaming down her face. Taking in the surreal scene in front of her, anguish began to morph into anger, and she suddenly realized there were others out there who needed to be collected in order to pay for this atrocity. Pulling herself together, she turned to Meagan and asked, "Where's Sam?" Meagan was of little help, her tears blocking any means of communication.
Hannah and Christian arrived just then, the later squeezing his left arm tightly. "Is it too late?" Hannah asked. She wasn't a physical Healer like Jamie, but she had been their only chance at saving Elliott, and she had been willing to push herself to try.
Cadence wasn't able to verbally confirm the answer to her question. Instead she said, "Where's Jamie?"
"He's over there," Christian gestured. "He's hit in the stomach and the shoulder. He's bleeding pretty badly."
“Damn it. No vest,” Cadence mumbled. She glanced at Aaron, who was beginning to pull himself together, but he wasn't quite there yet. "Okay," she said. "Hannah, get over to Jamie and see what you can do. Christian, are you okay?"
"I'll be all right," he assured her.
"Good. I think Meagan needs a tourniquet. Can you handle that?" He nodded. "Okay--do it," she directed. Glancing at his arm again, she said, "You might need one, too."
The sound of choppers in the distance reminded her that help was on the way. She also thought she heard the roar of a motorcycle coming from the brush. "Shit..." she whispered, trying to decide if there was anything she could do to bring any more of the renegades in.
"Cadence, it looks like you've got two motorcycles making their way out of the woods, but one of the assassins is still on foot--and not too far from your current location," Cale advised her over the IAC.
Cadence's eyes lit up for a second. "Can you direct me?" she asked.
"Affirmative. Follow that chopper, and he'll show you which way to go. I'll have to send him back around, though. We've got more wounded than one helicopter can support."
"Just point me in the right direction, and I'll track the bastard down."
The helicopter dropped altitude enough to be of use and utilized the bright search light to illuminate a path in front of her. Cadence began to run, her instincts kicking in. The chopper turned back around a good two hundred yards in front of her, letting her know how much of a head start this jackass had on her, and she increased her speed. The branches and other rough terrain were not an issue for her, as she weaved her way through and around obstacles. She began to pick up tracks in the dirt and within a few minutes, she had a visual; it was Camilla.
She knew the woman could hear her coming, and part of Cadence appreciated the fact that the stockier woman was literally running for her life. Jamie hadn't gotten that chance to attempt an escape before she ruthlessly shot him. When she was within fifty feet, Cadence pounced, propelling her body the rest of the distance like a tiger entrapping a gazelle.
Camilla turned at the last second, extending her arms. Cadence knocked her into the ground hard, taking pleasure in the shrill scream Camilla let out and the sharp snap of her humorous breaking. "Please, please Cadence, don't kill me," Camilla begged, clearly in a significant amount of pain.
Cadence punched her hard in the face. "Why shouldn't I kill you? You deserve to die!"
"Jamie's not dead, I swear," she said, attempting to shield her face from another blow and stop the bleeding from the first. "I didn't want to go along with it, but Sam and Laura made me. You've got to believe me."
"You could have said something. You could have made sure your bullets missed. Elliott is dead, Camilla. DEAD!" She punched her again.
"I'm sorry!" Camilla pleaded, blood gushing from her nose. "I'm so sorry."
Cadence drew the gun she had taken from Laura, quite certain any bullets inside would be titanium. "You will be," she replied, pointing the gun at her head.
