"Just a second." Steve said as he shot the phone out of her hands. The phone call ended. Steve knew who the mystery person was.

"Who keeps shooting at us?" Samantha was a tad scared. "Not sure, but if they succeed in killing one or both of us, I always thought you would suicide." Sydney smiled and got out.

"We should get going now." Steve said as he tugged on his collar. They drove off to the base.

"Grab the memory card." Sydney called to Samantha. Samantha grabed the memory card and got out.

Steve arrived at base. He received a less battered up suit for his efforts. "Thanks guys!"

Sydney and Samantha walked about a quarter of a mile until Sydney stopped and brushed some sand off a trap door.

Steve went to sleep in his private quarters. He didn't wake up for a long time.

The door led to the base. "Remember the tunnel system built at the beginning of all this"

Steve suddenly woke up as if he sensed something. He got in a car and drove off.

Sydney and Samantha crawled roughly half a mile before reaching the base. Sydney climbed up first to reveal they were in an empty room.

Steve sensed a presence. "Maybe around here!" Steve said as he found a trapdoor.

Samantha then climbed up. Both she and Sydney walked out of the room.

Steve fell into the tunnel. "What is this place?" Steve said as he walked along the dark hallway.

Sydney quickly went back in the room and shut the trap door.

"Huh? What was that?" Steve said as he ran down the dark hallway towards another door.

Sydney then asked someone, "Have you seen Steve?"

Steve busted right through the door. "Problem?" Steve said heroically.

Sydney heard something and went back into the room. As soon as she saw it was Steve, she said, "Come here."

"So much for saving you guys." Steve sighed as he followed her into the room.

"No one can know about those tunnels. They were a project that went wrong." Sydney kept voice low as she shut the door. She had built those tunnels, but unfortunately she lost a lot of memory from it.

"Well I certainly know it wasn't me. Or the rebels." Steve said loudly as he chuckled.

"Those tunnels were built to house escaped prisioners of war and lead them safely to bases. However, soldiers used them to sneek up on rebels or plant bombs underneath suspected targets. I dread ever building them." Sydney shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"You? You were the one that built these for the 'suspicious' Waterfront Base Blowup?" Steve shouted with anger. "How could you? Many of my friends were in there when it exploded."

Sydney put her finger over his mouth to hush him up. "Keep in mind, I didn't start on your side. And as an added bonus I know where tunnel leads."

"Well then lets get moving already." Steve said enthusiastically.

"Fine." Sydney opened the trapped door when she pulled a gun on Steve.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked as he fumbled for his gun.

"You can't tell anyone about this. By the way..." Sydney fired the gun but nothing came out. "The guns not loaded."

"It still gives you no reason to pull a gun at me." Steve said with anger. He left without them.

"It was to make sure you wouldn't tell." Sydney jumped down in the trap door.

Steve ran on ahead. He exited the corridor.

Sydney muttered, "He'll get killed." Sydney reloaded her gun put it back in the holster.

"I can't believe she killed Roy. My best friend since 3rd grade. Roy..." Steve stopped. "She must be brought to justice." Steve said as he climbed up a ladder and pushed up the hatch.

Sydney was a little ways behind. She figured she had to look out for Steve now. It was a pain. Samantha was following them to execute Sydney for treason. Her gun was pulled and she was set on killing her own sister. Sydney practically raised Samantha and Zach. Samantha pulled the gun to Sydney's head, and Sydney got down and quickly pulled her gun on Samantha. "Family fate I guess." "I'll kill you like you killed all of them." Samantha knew Sydney had killed the rest of their family.

Steve peeked down into the hatch. He saw them pointing guns at each other. "Well I guess that's family." Steve finished as he walked away to the jeep.

Samantha shot. Sydney's stomach was covered in blood. the bullet had barely grazed her side, but she felt over slumped in pain. Samantha, panicky, ran out of the hatch and back toward the base she stayed at. Sydney, choking on her own blood, lied face-down coughing a prayer to a God who never loved her. She prayed she could see Steve again and apologize for hurting him, and to tell him she loved him. Sydney however wasn't even strong enough to stand.

Steve heard a gunshot and ran back to see what happened. He instantly fell down through the trapdoor as he saw Sydney. "S-Sydney?" Steve said as he leaned over her.

"St-steve..." Blood dribbled from Sydney's mouth. "I..I'm so.." She past out from the pain and blood loss.

"No. No." Steve stood up. His tears hit her body. "No time for crying. I must save her." Steve said as he picked her up and got her up. Steve climbed up too. He dragged her body to the jeep and found the keys in her pocket. They drove off, leaving Samantha behind.

Sydney regained some consciousness, but not enough to communicate. She could barely hear her own shallow heartbeat.

Steve drove her to the base. He had top surgeons working on her. "Save her. Please."

Sydney's breaths grew shallower and shallower by the second. Her body was too weak to even have a rising and falling motion as she breathed.

"We'll do the very best we can Steve. I can't promise you though." "Hurry." Steve said as they wheeled her to the operating room. "Now I need to find Samantha."

Sydney's body broke into a state of shock. she stopped breathing altogether and her was working twice as hard.

They hooked her up to an artificial breathing machine. Steve set out to find Samantha.

Sydney finally had air rushing in her lungs as they stitched the wound. The put in a pacemaker and hoped she would be okay.

Steve found the hatch. He quickly jumped in. "Come out!" Steve said as he walked around with his knife in hand.

Samantha used her strength and flexability to climb up againt the ceilng. She was mouthing "Please don't find me."

Steve looked around. He had found nothing. He sat down. "I know your in here. I won't leave until you come out. I'm doing this for Sydney."

Samantha was tempted to yell at him but breathed a little. She was scared.

"Hm? I think I hear something." Steve said as he kept his knife up.

Samantha jumped down and pulled her gun on Steve. "You're really in love with that murderer?"

Steve turned around and knocked the gun out of her hand. "And what do you call yourself then? You nearly killed your sister!" Steve pushed her to the ground and retrieved the gun. "Now get ready to call me a murderer!" Steve said as he loaded the gun and aimed it at her.

"I call myself a vigilante." Samantha grabbed Steve's arm, pulling him down with her. She tried to pry the gun out of his hand.

Steve quickly grabbed her arms and tied them up. "Your coming with me." Steve said as he pulled her up and out of the trapdoor.

"Where we going?" Samantha, despite the fact she was sure Steve was going to murder her, tried to be really flirty while they walked.

"Back to base." Steve threw her in the back seat. "I got a surprise for you."

Samantha shrugged and waited to get to the base. Meanwhile Sydney was sitting up in her still not having the ability to walk.

Steve dragged her and tied her to a pole and ordered the firing squad to take their position.

"I knew it. Didn't she killed your family? She killed mine."Samantha yelled loud at Steve. She planned on stirring emotion. "Are you a coward?"

"No. Just a wise man!" Steve yelled as he ordered his men to load.

Samantha didn't shed a single ounce of remorse. "Shoot me. I hope you and Sydney get shot."

"Hmm... very well." Steve told his men to aim.

Samantha closed her eyes and waited for her to get killed. "I hate her."

"Does it give you a reason to almost kill her? No it does not." Steve said as he readied his men. "Any last words?"

"NO! KILL ME!!" Samantha closed her eyes and waited once more to be killed.

"FIRE!" Steve ordered as he men completely destroyed her in bullets. (Congratz and 2000 posts.)

Samantha was killed. Sydney heard the shots from the medical ward. "Samantha, shouldn't have messed with Steve." Sydney crossed herself and kissed her hands.

Steve walked up to Samantha's dead body. "Shouldn't have messed with one of the most powerful men in the world." Steve said as he walked away from her body. "Clean up the mess boys."

Sydney assumed Steve was coming back to her room. She waited patiently ready to apologize.

Steve walked into Sydney's room. "I'm sorry." Steve said as he fell to his knees and cried.

Sydney got out of bed and fell to the floor. She hugged Steve and said, "You did what you thought was necessary."

"I did it for you. I care. I care for you." Steve cried. "I wasn't strong enough. You got hurt. I'm sorry."

"Steve, I wasn't killed. I wasn't emotionally scarred. I'm still the same person I was two days ago. I'm fine." Sydney lifted her shirt and looked at the gash. It may have hurt like hell, but she didn't mind. It was good to know she wasn't dead in the tunnel.

"I know. But you got hurt from my wrong judgement. That got you hurt. I will not let that happen again Sydney. I promise." Steve said as he stood up.

Sydney stood up as well. She slightly grimaced at the pain but managed to pull a smile.

"You need your rest." Steve said as he gently picked her up and put her on her bed.

"I'm fine, honest." Sydney smiled in an attempted to comfort him.

"No. I must become better." Steve said as he left the room. He sniffed. "For you."

Sydney got up in pain. "Steve, wait." Sydney limped toward him.

Steve walked down to the end of the corridor. He heard a faint sound.

"Ow.." Sydney gave up and sat outside her room. She massaged her cut.

Steve left the base and traveled deep into the mountains. "I must... be better."

Sydney stood back up. She stopped a guard. "Where's Steve?" "Left the base, ma'am."

"Must become stronger." Steve said as he walked to the top of a mountain.

Sydney limped back to her room and sat on the bed. She hit the bed and immediately went to sleep. Her mind drifted from Samantha to Steve as she slept.

Steve sat on-top of the mountain looking down on the desert floor. He sighed as he took in the beauty of the view.

Sydney woke up and climbed out of bed. She was worried about Steve and hungry. She limped to the mess hall.

Steve looked far near the horizon and saw the sunrise. He began to cry at the sight of it.

Sydney fixed herself some breakfast for the first time without anyone else. She instinctively made two extra plates of french toast.

"S...Sydney..." Steve began crying on top of the mountain.

Sydney ate one of the plates and went to clean her plate. As she washed the plate, she put her hair up just like at home. She had a mental relaspe of her abusive father. How when she wasn't doing the dishes right he'd smack her across the face. Then almost instinctively she poured a shot of bourbon and set aside some heartburn pills out of her pocket. She normally didn't do a total mental relapse like that, but today was different.

Steve pushed some rocks down the mountain. He laid down on one he couldn't move. "I'll move you eventually. I know I will."

Sydney went to the bathroom and poured some water over the wound. the water took out some of the stinging. She went to her room and read some medical journals. She almost could her dad say, "You not smart enough to be a doctor." A tear fell on the journal.

Steve began tossing bigger and bigger rocks down the mountain. He then looked at the huge rock and said "I'm ready, you will be defeated."

Sydney knocked over the side table in frustration. Why was she relasping? Her mind was recapturing the memories of her father.

Steve began pushing the rock with all his force and it started to budge.

Sydney grabbed her pistol and headed to the firing range. This was method to control her anger. She figured her relasping would stop if she did an activity that started after her father's abuse.

Steve gave up after he was completely exhausted. He found a small cave entrance in the side of the mountain. He decided to go check what was in there.

Sydney set up the targets and started to shoot them down one by one. The effort as in vain though. She kept thinking about her father.