Here is the second chapter in what will probably be a rather short fan fiction, as I explained earlier.
Also, I apologize to you all as I just previewed the last chapter and saw all my spacing and section marks were erased when I uploaded the chapter. Hopefully what I use this time will make it through the program and I plan on fixing all my other work.
NOTE: I DO NOT AND WILL NOT EVER OWN RED EYE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. THE ONLY THINGS I OWN ARE MY OWN SICK IDEAS AND THE PLOT LINE.
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Lisa's knuckles were white as her hand clenched around the handle of her umbrella. She stood just outside the door of the doors of the hospital, the rain pouring down around her. Fragments of the red eye flight flashed in her mind, causing her blood to run cold. She could faintly hear the people around her, one couple rejoicing the birth of their new child while another mourned the loss of an elder relative.
"Thanks for distracting me." "Well, it's not really what I'm doing."
"So what do you do?" "Government overthrows, flashy high-profile assassinations. The usual."
"You tell the flight attendant and your dad dies."
"Don't fight me. You're all worked up from being so creative."
"So do dad a favor and stop gambling with his life!"
A loud crack of thunder broke her out of her moment of terror, allowing her resolve to take over. She had won, hadn't she? She had beat him. Beat him at his own game. Now what was he? A death row prisoner with two bullet holes in his chest and a hole in his windpipe.
Swallowing hard, Lisa stepped into the protection of the hospital before shaking the rain drops off her umbrella and closing it. Stepping through the automatic doors she immediately identified the guard that Keefe had said would meet her in the lobby.
"Are you Lisa Reisert?" asked the man and Lisa nodded. "Then come this way."
He led Lisa over to the elevator where he promptly hit the button for the fourth floor once they were both inside and didn't wait for anyone before closing the doors. As the elevator climbed the guard turned to Lisa and began to speak.
"Mr. Keefe has asked me to warn you that Mr. Rippner, regardless of his condition, is still a very large threat and should you, at anytime, feel uncomfortable, to let one of us know."
"Thank you." said Lisa as the elevator came to a stop.
"Ma'am." said the guard as he waited for her to exit first.
Lisa nodded to him and stepped into the hallway that was deserted except for a nurse and another man that was standing guard outside a room. Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she started walking towards the room and the man that lay inside. When she reached the door she couldn't help but let out a small gasp at the sight of his name written across the top of a doctor's sheet.
She was actually here! She was actually going to do this!
Getting a hold of herself again, she nodded to the second guard who opened the door and stepped aside. Sensing her distress, he gave her a smile and said, "We'll be right here should anything happen."
"Thank you." said Lisa, giving him a smile before stepping into the room.
Lisa couldn't help but notice the tangible temperature change in the room, as she absent-mindedly started to rub her arms to keep them warm. She jumped a little as the guard shut the door, the knob sliding into place with an ominous click. The constant beeping of the heart monitor only served to heighten the sense that she was in danger, even though it was lying quite helplessly on the bed.
"Hello Jack." said Lisa, emphasizing the use of his hated nickname.
He let out a hoarse laugh before rasping, "See? I never lie."
"What are you talking about?" asked Lisa, comforted to see his left wrist handcuffed securely to the bed. She also couldn't help but notice that his voice was almost completely back to normal except for the underlying rasp that would probably take him years to get rid of.
"I said we'd talk again." rasped Jackson as he struggled to sit up. "I take it you got my message."
Lisa had to restrain herself from attacking him as she remembered how Lucas Werner had casually slipped Jackson's note into her purse.
"Why exactly do we need to talk?" asked Lisa as she set down her umbrella.
"You may want to sit down, Leese. This might take a little bit." said Jackson, attempting to revive his old act as he shot a furtive glance at the door.
"I'll stand." said Lisa firmly as she glared at Jackson.
"Suit yourself." rasped Jackson, pausing for a minute as he rubbed the spot in his windpipe where Lisa had stabbed him. "I suppose you already know this, but I don't have much longer to live."
"You're a death row prisoner. Of course not." said Lisa without a trance of sympathy in her voice. "Besides, even if you weren't your company would come after you and finish the job."
"So cold." rasped Jackson before letting out another little laugh. "But my company has no reason to kill me when my mission was a complete success."
"What do you mean 'success'?" asked Lisa as she felt her blood run cold again. "You said your job was to assassinate Keefe."
"I thought you were sharper than that Leese." rasped Jackson as he flashed her one of his triumphant smiles. "I only said that I needed you to change Keefe's room from 3825 to 4080, which you did."
Lisa could taste bile in her mouth as she realized Jackson was telling her the truth, as usual. She sank into a nearby chair and put her head in her hand as she tried to piece everything back together.
"So, you mean it was a fake assassination?" asked Lisa as she looked up at Jackson.
"Yes. We were hired to stage an assassination that would be foiled at the last minute by another person in the company." said Jackson as he looked over at her.
"You don't mean…" said Lisa, wanting to know yet dreading the answer.
"Keefe hired us to fake an assassination." stated Jackson. "In order to gain more power and influence in the Department of Homeland Security."
"But it doesn't make any sense!" cried Lisa as she clutched at her chest. "I know Keefe! He isn't like that!"
"You thought you knew me." said Jackson quietly, all trace of the rasp gone. "That night on the plane."
Lisa was shocked into silence at his logic but managed to whisper, "But if it was a complete success, why are you here?"
"I guess I shouldn't have said a complete success." rasped Jackson before letting out a little cough. "Though it added to the cover story that the assassination was planned by terrorists, none of us were supposed to get caught. Now, in order to cover his tracks, Keefe will have me assassinated before the trial."
"Won't your company step in?" asked Lisa, a little shocked that she cared for his well-being.
"As I said, I wasn't supposed to get caught. While technically the mission was a success, there interpretation of my slip up is that I'm too much of a liability now for the company." rasped Jackson and Lisa couldn't help but be amazed by the level of calm he was showing.
"And you're okay with that!?" asked Lisa.
"I knew it would happen someday." rasped Jackson bluntly. "I wasn't planning on it being so soon, but everybody slips up eventually."
A sudden thought entered Lisa's mind and she quickly asked, "Why should I believe all this? What if it's just one big lie?"
"How many times do I have to tell you? I don't lie." rasped Jackson before clutching at his chest in pain.
"Then why are you telling me all of this?" asked Lisa desperately.
"I don't really know." rasped Jackson with an amused look on his face. "Maybe it's an unconscious cry for you to save me or maybe I just needed to get it all off my chest."
"If you're done, I'm going to leave." said Lisa as she stood up and grabbed her umbrella.
"Just one thing." rasped Jackson as Lisa's hand touched the door knob. "Don't tell Keefe about what I told you."
"Why not?" asked Lisa as she turned around to face him.
"Because, regardless of whether or not you believe me, Keefe will see you as a threat to his plans and will have you and anyone you may have possibly told assassinated." warned Jackson as he stared at her.
Lisa looked at the floor before glaring at him one last time and exiting the room, shutting the door with a slam behind her.
"Goodbye Leese."
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Before I get into anything else, I would like to thank kobadera and bookfanatic123 for reviewing. I really encourages an author to write when she knows she has people waiting to read her updates.
I should probably also mention this now. If you don't already know I also have a Bleach fan fiction in progress and I hope to time their updates to be about the same time. Also, with it being summer in all, hopefully that shouldn't be too far apart as I have much more free time now.
Remember, read and review!