Zach strode out the door. He quickly walked back to the lobby of the bank. The flurry of activity droned in his ears, melding together into a dull buzz. His gaze caught sight of the pool of blood. His eyes snapped upward; his heart thumped against his chest. Zach took a deep breath, keeping his strides long and brisk. He plowed through the groups of medics and officers, lowering his head.

He didn't want to look at their faces.

Once outside, he made a beeline for the nearest sidewalk ledge. When he reached it, Zach sat on the pavement and rested his elbows onto his knees, dropping his face into his hands. His eyes burned. He could hear the people around him and feel their presence, but he kept his head down, his thoughts racing a hundred miles an hour. Over and over again, his mind replayed the scene, trying to see if the next time would, somehow, be different.

But it never was.

It wasn't going to change. Each time, bullets would pierce her heart and shred her lungs. Each time, her heart would stop. Each time, Hikaru's hands would be covered in blood. Replaying it wouldn't change the past. He knew all this, but he couldn't stop thinking, wondering if there had been anything he could've done to stop this terrible event.

Well, if he wasn't such a disappointment, then none of this would have happened. That much was clear.

His cheek throbbed.

Surely he could've prevented that woman's death. A year ago, Zach could've saved her. He knew it. That was the key to all of this: it was his fault she had died. It wasn't Hikaru's fault. Being discovered by the criminals had been bound to happen, as always. It wasn't like no one knew about Unit Twelve or hadn't heard rumors of their powers – it had only been a matter of time for one of the robbers to find her.

They weren't infallible.

'It was an accident.'

'I should've been able to save her.'

But he hadn't been able to – those anguish screams of a little girl, he had caused them; he had made a little girl cry.

He couldn't speak the truth. He couldn't tell Sullivan. His friends knew, but they never said anything. The moment he told anyone, then everything would change. His life would never be the same again. Their lives would end.

'Those who fail are not given unlimited chances.'

How many chances did he have left?

His poisoned thoughts continued to seep into his mind. For a few minutes, Zach couldn't move from the sidewalk. The late afternoon sun shone down brightly, unaware of the tragedy that had occurred. Its warmth beat down on his back, heating his suit, yet the chill of the November air countered it. He tried to collect himself. He needed to pull himself together. He had to present a strong front for the others.

'Just another minute.'

Voices spoke in low, hushed sounds. Zach shifted on the pavement, turning his head to the side slightly. He peeked through his hand, seeing two men standing a number of feet away. He recognized them, officers who worked beneath Sullivan. It seemed they hadn't noticed him sitting there.

"Do you think he'll come here? The news has been saying he's on the move again."

There was a low scoff.

"A man like that is faster than the news. If he left, then he's long gone. If Templeton is his next target, I bet he's already here."

Zach frowned, closing his eyes for better focus; he stilled.

"Is that why the chief is calling in extra security?"

His eyes popped open; faint light streamed through the cracks in between his fingers. He had noticed that. There had been far more officers on duty tonight – more than normal.

"I hope not. If he comes here, we've got our work cut out for us, not to mention those poor kids will have the fight of their lives – no unit has defeated him yet. There's plenty of hospitals, medical centers, clinics, and other facilities in this city. We have no way of knowing which one he'll target, unless he drops a hint like he usually does. Arrogant, that one. He could go to Philadelphia or Trenton." There was a low sigh. "Is it too much to hope that he'll just skip New Jersey altogether and go to New York?"

The other officer chuckled.

An icy chill slid down Zach's back. His breath stopped in his lungs; fear clutched at his heart. He moved one of his hands from his face and pressed it against his chest. He tried to breathe slowly.

They were talking about 'him.'

Tales of this man had gone around the country for a few years now. The terrorist left in his wake carnage of monstrous proportions. His destruction was costing the country billions, perhaps trillions, of dollars – all because this mysterious man had some kind of agenda or vendetta that no one seemed able to figure out. Why target hospitals and clinics? Supposedly, the targeted hospitals were specialized ones and the fatalities weren't huge in number, but the death toll was still high and ever rising with each attack.

If that man was going to come to this city, then more people were going to die. Hospitals of that man's choosing would be blown up. The city would be terrified, wondering when the man would strike next.

That is, if Unit Twelve didn't do anything about it.

It was their responsibility to protect the lives of these people.

'I can't live through another death like this. If this criminal comes to our city, we'll take him down no matter what. We can't go through this again.'

But… Would they fail again?

A hand touched his shoulder. Zach took a deep breath and looked up. Drake stood over him; the muscles around his eyes crinkled with a pleading light. The hand withdrew and Zach nodded. He stood up, brushing himself off. The rest of the team stood nearby. Sevati and Brielle were looking away. Hikaru had Jacob in a tight hug; he clung onto her, his upper body shaking with silent tears. She looked over the boy's shoulders towards Zach, her gaze penetrating in its intensity.

Pain resided there.

Author's Notes: Next update will be on Tuesday, Oct 29th!

The heroes don't always win. =/

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Thanks for reading! See ya next time! Comments/reviews = much love! ^.^

Anthy