Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the movie Red Eye. I do, however, own all characters that were not in or mentioned in the movie.

Settling the Score
Part VI: Master Plan

I know well what I am fleeing from
but not what I am in search of.
Michel de Montaigne

To say that Lisa had a spring in her step would be an understatement. She felt like she was on cloud nine. Most likely, very few had made it this far in their fight against Jackson Rippner (and by his own admission he had never failed), and here she was besting him at every step.

Lisa plopped down in an old tattered chair with a sigh. She was a little on the exhausted side. The curtains were drawn leaving her no way to tell what time of day it was outside. The walls were made of wooden planks and looked a lot like what she thought a cabin wood. The furniture was no doubt from the seventies, and it was very clear that this cabin hadn't been used in a while. Lisa stared into the fire wondering how long she had been there.

"So, you hauled me up to this cabin for what?"

Jackson walked into the kitchen, which looked like it was an after thought. It was maybe the size of a hallway and contained a fridge, a microwave, and a sliver of a counter. He put his hands on the counter and looked down at them.

Lisa watched his shoulders move up and down. A silent Jackson was a scary Jackson. She stood up slowly from the chair and walked over to the kitchen.

"Jackson?"

He didn't move. The ringing of his cell phone broke the silence. He slipped a hand into his pocket only to retrieve it seconds later.

"Rippner." It was a no nonsense greeting.

Lisa watched his back for signs of how the conversation was going. When Jackson stood up straight and all but ran into the back room, Lisa became alarmed. She backed up slowly and returned to the chair, finding that she suddenly couldn't breathe. Lisa had this overwhelming feeling that things were going to go farther to hell than they already were.

When he entered the living room again, Jackson hung up the phone and clenched his jaw.

"Son-of-a-fucking-bitch!" He threw the phone at the wall. The sound made Lisa jump almost a foot out of her chair. He was angry, and this was new. Jackson only got mad when she was actively defying him.

She scrambled out of the chair and out of Jackson's path. He was rushing toward the front door. A gust of cool air rushed through the room as he ripped the front door open and peered into the driveway. After seeing that no one was there, he slammed the door.

"You're really starting to freak me out," Lisa said softly, watching him stalk toward the back door to do the exact same thing.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"He's coming."

Lisa was sure that he hadn't meant to say that out loud, but he looked so pissed off that it probably just slipped out. Tentatively, she took a step toward him. He was standing in front of a window facing what she assumed was the backyard. Now that the curtains were open she could see that it was nighttime. Lisa briefly wondered if her parents were okay or if Rick had lived. Just thinking about Rick made her overwhelmed with guilt. Her whole body felt numb. She collapsed into the corner of a couch that was close to the fire. The nighttime air had chilled her.

Jackson pushed away from the window. She watched as Jackson paced back and forth. It was as if he was nervous, and a nervous/pissed Jackson was not a Jackson that she liked. He was becoming someone she didn't know right before her eyes. Someone she was sure he didn't know either.

"Why is he after us?" she asked, hoping to make sense out of the situation.

"There is no us, Leese. He's after you."

That wasn't exactly the news she wanted to hear. Her numbness was intensifying. Why did everyone want to kill her all of a sudden?!

"But I thought you killed the other person who was after more. I thought it was just you now." Her fingernails were slowly getting chewed down. If one psychopath killer wasn't enough, now she had to worry about someone else.

"I was the only one until you had to screw around with the plans. The company has deemed you a threat."

Jackson glared at her, and she couldn't help but be afraid. His eyes had a crazy look in them.

"So because I got away, the people you work for have sent someone else after me as well as you."

No answer. He continued to pace.

"Do you know who it is?"

This question caused Jackson to stop in his tracks. Several minutes passed by before either of them moved.

"Jared Sorn."

He said it so faint that Lisa had to lean forward to catch it.

"Who is he?"

Jackson turned around to face her. There was a distant look in her eyes. They were officially traveling into uncharted territories, and she was freaked out.

"I killed his girlfriend." That was definitely not the answer Lisa thought she was going to hear, but she wasn't sure why she was surprised.

"The people I work for thought that it would be best if she were eliminated. She was some foreign dignitary's kid, and my employers wanted to make a statement. So I did what I was asked to and killed her."

"How?" Lisa wanted to stop the words from coming out, but her curiosity got the best of her.

"Two shots to the head." His words were cold and precise.

"So he's wanting to get back at you by killing me?"

Jackson started pacing again. "No. Several people have been contacted to kill you so it's not personal. Besides, he killed my sister to get back at me."

Lisa's eyes widened. Jackson had made what she thought was a reference to killing his parents when they first met, in jest she hoped, but never had he mentioned a sister. Her heart broke at the thought of Jackson losing his sister.

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," he snapped. "Killing my sister served as his audition of sorts into the company. He was and is the only person to get the better of me. And now he's after you. Once he kills you, it's open season on me."

Jackson plopped down in the seat next to her.

"How long ago?"

"What?" he said, finally looking at her. His voice was strained, but there was no telling what that meant.

"How long ago was your sister's death?"

"Right before I took your mission." He shook his head slowly as if to shake out the thoughts.

Their situation was becoming messy. Not only was Jackson now sent to kill her, but also Jared plus more. Lisa sunk back into her seat. It seemed as though she was destined to die. In the back of her head, she had sort of convinced herself that Jackson wouldn't go through with it, but now she wasn't so sure.

Jackson stared into the fire with a blank look on his face. There was no telling what he was thinking. Lisa reached over and picked a piece of lint off of his shoulder. This was the closet she had been to Jackson without feeling malice toward him.

"If…" She cleared her throat. "When it comes time, I want you to do it."

Nether one of them was brushed up on "you can kill me" protocol. What should be said next? What should be done next?

Jackson looked at her before nodding. "I'll make sure you die with dignity." He placed his hand on Lisa's for a second. After the moment passed, it was back to business as usual.

"I brought you up here so I could wait for things to calm down with the company before killing you." He stood up and walked to the front door. "But now that things are stirred up now more than ever, looks like we'll have to speed things up."

"What do you mean speed things up?" Lisa questioned.

"I mean that I'll have to kill you."

This is what I get for thinking he's human. Self preservation mode kicked in.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's the rush? I mean what's to stop jared from attacking you once I'm dead? Why don't you wait, kill him, and then you can take care of me." She wouldn't look him in the eyes, knowing that he wouldn't agree with it.

"You're just saying that to save yourself," he mumbled.

Lisa picked at her fingernails. Maybe she was, but it was her right to want to live.

"I am, but also wouldn't it make more sense this way? Besides i still have to help you with something remember?"

She was pulling out all the stops. It was the only way she knew to get Jackson to listen to her. He pondered her statement for a second before nodding to himself.

"I have a plan." He looked over at her and smiled. "And you, my dear, are the main character."

Lisa – 2 / Jackson - 4