The Family Business part of the Cutting Edge Series.

Chapter Seventeen: Broken

I fought hard to stay alive. I sow out of the corner of my eye a glass mug on the floor. I moved my finger pointing to it. The symptoms were very similar to the poison I had been trying to build an immunity to so my guess was it was the same poison. One reason I hadn't died yet probably. Thunderstorm saw what I was looking at he took it and crushed it one hand. He took a match and tried desperately to light it. I was starting to lose feeling all over, then as he fought to light the small match I stopped breathing.

Things blurred, object moved from my eyes and the world began to spin. Tears of panic flooded my eyes! Was I going to live?! Thats when I started to feel pain again. Thunderstorm put the glass next to my head my body began to ach! I was gaining feeling again! The air I had been pleading for flooded my lungs! I breathed hard again and again taking in as much as I possibly could at one time. Pain soon began to die down as Thunderstorm pulled me up into his arms. I could move my arms, I moved them onto his back and gripped hard not wanting him to let me go. Tears of joy flooded my eyes as I continued to pray. I pressed into his shoulder, I didn't think it was possible to be that scared! He moved his hand onto my head.

"Don't ever do that again!" He said holding me tighter. I laughed as he smiled with relief.

"No better way to start the day then when you're almost dead" I said resting back down on the mat. "Unless it is you that is almost dead" I continued making sure not to close my eyes not even a blink. He stood up and walked around the small one room brick hut. I tryed to stand up but my legs didn't quite work yet. He came to my aid and helped me up leaning on his shoulder I looked around.

"This is where you live ha?" I asked looking around. It was a small single roomed place built underground with only one hole for a fire. It had a few cabinets and the bare rung on the floor, that was it.

"Yes" He answered

"For someone who drives expensive cars, you don't exactly live expensive" I said.

"Before I explain how you got here I need to explain something else." He said

"Ok" I responded as I watched him keep the small fire burning with the mug over it just in case.

"As you already know I used to be know as Stinger, Whiplash and I were partners. I never was seen unmasked by anyone, I was always on alert and the best at Scorpions headquarters. I don't want to get into detail about my life but as soon as I escaped making Whiplash think he had killed me out of jealousy. Well maybe I should explain, I was the favored one because I never messed up on a mission and he was always trying to kill me, and I wanted out so when he killed the kidnapped people that cleaned up, to cover the tracks even more, he also thought he killed me as I was helping. I reinvented myself, I taught myself how to fight so he wouldn't recognize my by fighting, I changed my name, I changed my uniform I just changed." He said

"So how can you afford cars like what you drive and live in poverty? How come, no offence, you can be so mean and bossy, then the next you look like you're praying? I don't get it!" I said looking into his mask once again wondering what his eyes looked like.

"So I don't get attached to the people I am currently working with"

"Why not?"

"It's just a job. Do you get attached to the people you don't know at school?" He asked

"So this is just a job to you? Nothing more? You didn't try to help me for any other reason?" I asked

"It's just a job"

"So I mean nothing to you? I'm just some person you have to stay around?"

"Yes" He answered sharpening his dagger.