6 --- 5

"That was--" Susan said breathlessly.

"Breathtaking." Nate finished. They were both naked under the sheets on Susan's bed and struggling to catch their breath after a rigorous session of hot sex.

"I can't tell you how much I really needed that." Susan said, still trying to catch her breath.

"Same here."

Susan looked at him with a shocked expression. "Are you telling me all this time you have been in New York, you haven't had a bit of fun?"

"Nope, too busy trying to piece my past together while working for a crime lord." He answered humoredly. "What's your excuse?"

"It may not look like it but working for Victor is very tedious. He is constantly receiving packages and sending packages and sending in and out of the country all the while avoiding authorities and don't get me started on the work I had to today."

That piqued Nate's attention. "What did Victor have you working on today?"

"Several things, apparently he has precious cargo he wants to deliver to china tonight. He made me make several preparations including renting a cargo plane at the last hour."

It was coming together for Nate.

He remembered Wynter's words *He's got the money and experience but not the manpower.*

Victor talking to Cheng, the doses of sedative and the whole secrecy thing, it finally clicked in his mind. "Is there anyway the cargo could be human?"

"Huh." Susan thought deeply. "It could be, the preparations seem to be pointing in that direction. At first I thought he was transporting illegal exotic animals because he did it once and--"

Nate was out of bed in a flash and he started putting on his clothes. "What time does this plane take off?"

Susan pulled the sheets to her chest and looked at him in confusion. "About ten-thirty."

He glanced at his watch; he had about twenty minutes to stop Victor. "And where is it taking off?"

"A private airstrip along Westville road, Nate what is going on?"

"It is a long story." He was fully dressed and halfway out of the room before he realized he was being an asshole. He turned back to her. "I am so sorry I have to leave like this. Thank you for a wonderful evening."

She gave him a small smile. "Do what you gotta do."

With that, he left the room and the house in a second. He took a look at the car in the driveway but ignored it. He took to the air instead; he flew high to avoid searching human eyes and fast to get to the airstrip the plane could take off. At full speed in the chilly night air, he realized he had no plan. He could not take on victor all by himself especially if he had some of his teammates with him. Nate could be very well heading to his own death. He ran every possible scenario in his mind but he couldn't come with any plan to beat victor.

At long last he reached the airstrip. He could see the plane with victor, Ronda and Caleb standing behind it. His fears were confirmed when he saw Caleb lead two teenagers into the plane. They looked drugged and out of it. They were also handcuffed with black ivory, the only thing that could inhibit their powers.

Victor suddenly looked up, he had sensed Nate. No point in hiding now as he descended right in front of him.

Victor's lip curled in distaste. "You little shit; you couldn't just keep your nose out of it, could you?"

"It was quite an elaborate scheme you have here, Victor." Nate answered, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.

"Yeah and I tried to keep you out of it but shit just follows you around, doesn't it?"

"Why didn't you tell me anyway? Do you really care if I disagree with your plan?"

Victor smiled. "You are my prized asset, Nate but you have a naïve way of looking at the world. Like when you wouldn't kill Charlie's girl at the warehouse and trying to keep your hands clean off my business even though I pay you off it."

"I guess it's a good thing that I am here then. I mean what was your plan? Kidnap all these breakouts kids for Cheng and hope no one notices?"

"They are willers; no one gives a shit about them."

"So you are just going to force them to fight in Cheng's war?"

"Force them?" Victor laughed. "You don't see it, do you? This is all about you; you are a dream soldier for anyone. A veteran willer with no past, Cheng's war would be over in a flash if he had a shipment of willers like you."

Nate frowned in disbelief. "Cheng has a healer who can clear memories?"

"Bingo." Victor smiled and clapped like he just won a prize.

"There is no way you can hide this from the council forever."

"The council won't care about what I am doing as long their precious humans don't get hurt."

Nate gritted his teeth when he realized he was right. "All the more reason for someone to stop you."

Victor smiled maniacally. "You know it is truly a surprise that you are here so why don't you let me give you a surprise of my own." He snapped his fingers and Ronda went inside the plane to bring one of the handcuffed breakouts. Nate's heart stopped, it was Anna.

Victor's smile grew wider when he saw how pale Nate's face had gone. "What? Do you really think I wouldn't notice your little ruse? This is my territory, I know everything."

Ronda pulled out a knife and held it to her throat. She looked a bit out of it but she was conscious. "I have to commend you on how well you trained her. I sent Minx, Carl and Genk after her. Only Genk and Minx returned her to me with severe injuries. She killed Carl; Cheng will have to pay double to get her."

She was useful; Victor wouldn't want to lose her or any of the breakouts. That means losing money, if Nate knew anything about Victor; it was that he hated losing money.

"Surrender now or I will have Ronda slit her throat."

He was bluffing and Nate knew it. "Okay, I surrender." He said suddenly.

His answer caught Victor off-guard. "You do?" He asked warily.

It was Nate's turn to smile. "Of course not." He immediately focused his will into his hands and unleashed a beam of energy towards them. Victor dived to avoid it but Nate wasn't aiming at him. He watched as an entire wing of the plane exploded and burst into flames.

"Nooo." Victor wailed.

Nate lunged at him, wrapping his arms around his waist. Victor responded by kneeing him in the gut, he recoiled in pain. "You little shit; do you really think you can take me?"

Nate grunted. "No, I don't. I just needed this." He revealed the key he had snagged from Victor's belt.

Nate unleashed his next beam at Ronda, knocking her into Caleb. Victor ran at him with Fury etched in his face. Nate stretched both his hands and fired two concentrated beams of energy at him, Victor summoned a shield but it was not strong enough to stop the beam from knocking him off his feet.

With no time to waste, Nate ran to Anna and unlocked her cuffs. He watched as her powers returned and her ayes became alert. He gave her the key. "Free the others while I hold them off." She nodded and went into the plane.

Caleb was first to recover. Nate fired at him but he batted the energy away with one hand. Nate ran at him, Caleb tried to punch him but he ducked under bulky arms and plunged a glowing hand right into the giant's thigh. Caleb howled in pain but Nate didn't relent, he ducked under another swipe of his hands and punched him heavily right on the chest.

Caleb stumbled backwards, Nate was about to finish him off when a tingling sensation ran up his spine. He ducked under the swipe of Ronda's swords and rolled away to a safe distance. A flash of red suddenly streaked between him and Ronda.

"What the fuck?" Nate looked back at Anna and saw her getting up to her feet.

"She was too fast. I couldn't hold her." One of the breakouts had escaped.

Nate looked forward to see Victor and Caleb getting to their feet. Dread filled him; there was no way he could hold three of them off.

"Hey Nate." Anna called at him; he looked back again and saw one of the breakouts struggling to keep a portal open. *Oh thank God.*

Nate stretched his hand and summoned a tall line of fire between him and his opponents. He immediately ran towards the portal, everybody had gone through, the portal was shimmering and about to close. A beam of energy hit him at the back but he couldn't stop to feel the pain. He dived through the portal just as it closed around him.