"NO!" Thud. The sound of a body hitting the ground followed the shot. Cedric had just taken a bullet for Nora and now her gun was trained on Collinson again.
"Nora get out of the way," Matthew coughed.
"No."
"Nora," Matthew pleaded, "please."
"Let him talk Nora," Ryder said.
Reluctantly, Nora stepped away and President Collinson grinned as Matthew limped heavily away from Aidan and Lauren. He coughed again, spitting blood onto the ground, "I'm tired of this," Matthew said, "I'm done with this stalemate. If you're going to kill me, do it, but let my friends go."
"I made that offer and they didn't take it." Collinson replied.
Matthew turned his head to look over his shoulder, "will you leave us?"
"We aren't going anywhere," Nora replied sternly.
"Worth a shot," Matthew mumbled. "Look," Matthew turned back to Collinson, "you want me dead, so just do it."
"If I kill you, they kill me, I'm not stupid."
"Could've fooled me," Matthew snorted.
"This isn't going to get anywhere if we just stand here aiming our guns at each other," Aidan broke in.
"This has to end," Nora moved next to Matthew, still holding her gun at arm's length.
The President shifted on his leg and Matthew noticed the blood for the first time, no doubt a wound from Nora. "What do you plan to do? You know what happens if you shoot."
"Yes, but I'm afraid your term has come to an end Mr. President." The gun came flying out of Collinson's hands with one quick shot from Ryder and Nora took her chance to lay three rounds into his chest. Matthew leaned into Nora's support as President Collinson fell to the ground, dead.
"Wow," Aidan gaped, "years of terrorism by that guy and it ends with this."
"Why did you do that?" Matthew asked through another cough.
"Because your life is not something to be traded for others," Nora replied.
"He needs to get looked at again," Ryder said as he came to help Nora.
"There's nothing you can do now. I'm dying, so don't waste your time fixing me."
"Nonsense," Nora said as they limped out of the building.
"We need to find the others. That's more important," Matthew coughed, "and we have to stop Blake."
"He's right," Aidan said. "Matthew will be fine for a little while; we have other things to worry about."
"Besides, we don't have anything for infection," Matthew rasped as he was helped into the van.
Ryder started the car and they drove away. "Why do you think that Cedric guy sacrificed himself for you?" Ryder asked Nora.
"I don't know," Nora replied, puzzled. "Maybe he knew we were fighting for the right thing."
"What has me stumped is how he didn't know it was President Collinson who was giving him orders," Lauren said.
"Huh," Aidan looked back at Lauren, "that's a good point."
"Yeah," Nora nodded, "you'd think everyone involved in the organization would know who he is, you'd think everyone in general would know who he is."
"Maybe Cedric didn't fully see Collinson," Matthew suggested through another cough.
"Maybe," Lauren shrugged.
