Dancing With The Devil (part two)

Chapter 39: Bang Bang, You're Dead

They walked up the spiral staircase, girls in the lead, thinking they had gotten clear, however, as soon as they opened the door Lucas Hansel was stood waiting with a pistol to Amelie's head. Astrid responded by aiming the handgun at her father's head.

"So you were lying."

"Duh."

"Pull that trigger, I blow her head off."

"Pull that trigger, I blow your head off."

They both smiled smugly at each other and slowly lowered their guns.

"Father," she began, "there's a bomb down there, in the midst of an entire warehouse full of extremely flammable liquid and a woman a few miles away with a detonator."

"Right."

"I have the high ground. Dad"

"Right, of course." He said and stood straight, "unless this is the woman you're talking about."

Immediately, the kitchen door swung open and Faith stepped out, hands above her head being escorted in by an armed guard pointing a gun at her head.

"Faith!" Seb called out and stepped forward.

"I wouldn't if I were you." he tutted then turned to Faith. He beckoned her forward and she slowly moved next to him, the gunman behind her, following her closely. He held out his hand, "would you kindly."

Faith reached a shaky hand into her pocket and pulled out the detonator. She placed it gently into his hand and he smiled, "tak."

He turned back to face Astrid, "how did you come up with this then?"

"You can thank your idiot staff for this." she gestured to the gun, "H. Samuels and British Army Browning L9A1s? Seriously dad?"

"Three exes under one roof," he smirked, "you do get around don't you?"

"At least I don't hit them." She said, smugly, "they're all alive, aren't they?," she peered at Dominic, "for now."

He frowned at her and she tilted her head and looked back at her father, "so now what? You can now resurrect you great big plan of corrupting governments."

"Of course, and you could have been a part of that world, child of mine." He growled and Astrid rolled her eyes, "but you've betrayed me, so now I have no choice but to kill you."

Astrid tilted her head, as if pondering what he said, deciding what to do next, "right, well, let's avoid that."

There was a small pause

"Seb, now"

She suddenly lifted her gun to aim it at the soldier behind Faith. She shot him point blank and he fell down giving Faith a chance to run behind her. Seb dove forward and grabbed Lucas's arm and wrist, holding him so that he was immobile. Jim casually stepped forward and took the detonator out his hand.

He lifted the detonator up and smirked, "tak."

Seb let go and turned the man around to face Astrid who had her gun aimed directly at his head. She steadied it with her other hand and pressed her lips together.

"Feel familiar, daddy?" She twitched her head to the side briefly and smiled down at Lucas, "nearly twenty years since you had my mother in this exact predicament. I mean I could give u a taste of your own medicine, but I think this will be more of a trip down memory lane."

"Ah, of course. The shooting in the head bit," he smirked up at her, too confidently, "but, maybe you should pay closer attention to the people around you."

Before Astrid could contemplate what he was saying, she heard a yelp of pain and faith fell down onto the floor. Her eyes widened as she looked over her fathers shoulder to see Dominic stood over her with a syringe in her neck.

"What have you done?"

"I've killed your friend."

Astrid rushed to Faith's side, pushing Dominic out of the way, Seb crouched down at her head, as she breathed heavily.

"I understand it's a little dramatic," Lucas said, brushing his suit, "I didn't have to inject her with the stuff, but it works faster when it's in your veins."

"Where's the antidote?" Seb demanded.

"Oh. I destroyed it, of course," he smiled flatly.

"Why did you kill her?" Astrid looked up to her father, shaking her head, "you didn't have to!"

"Because she was getting in the way," he growled. Astrid left Seb to cradle Faith's dying body and stood up fiercely, aiming the gun back in his face, "are we just going to go back and fourth, playing this game for eternity."

"No, we aren't." she said, assertively, "Because I've spent the last twenty years telling myself I'll get revenge, and now, that's exactly what I'm going to do," she addressed the room, "everyone, the second I pull this trigger, you all will say that your allegiances are to James Moriarty. If not, you get a bullet in your head." She returned her attention back to her father who was smirking and shaking his head.

"How your mother would hate to see you like."

"It doesn't matter what she thinks, she's dead." Astrid shot back, "say hello to her for me, will you?" Astrid smirked, preparing to pull the trigger, "oh wait, where you're going, you won't see her."

And with that, she pulled the trigger. The same bang that rand throughout the forest those twenty years ago, rang out through the room and Lucas Hansel's body limped to the floor.