{Don't apologize! I'm just worried that I won't be able to match your length, lol! And what's funny, I started typing this up and then realized that the space bar on my keyboard wasn't working. What's weird is that it moved up and down, and when I would move back to put the spaces for the words that were stuck together, the space bar worked. Sorcha may have not messed up her keyboard, but she did mess up mine for a little while. I had to refresh the page to get it working again lol. If it's alright, I'm just gonna talk about Ajax's family situation a little for somewhat of a filler.}

-

Ajax had decided to stay at the station for a couple more hours after he and Sorcha had gotten back. He felt too restless to go home, knowing that he'd only start worrying about the case and overthinking things again. Nyx didn't seem to mind, though, as she followed Ajax as he went around the practically empty station, cleaning and organizing whatever he could find to try and keep his mind off of the dire case. Even though cleaning the station was normally tasked with the chore, Ajax just needed something to keep his mind busy.

Because the snow storm had driven the rest of the K9 officers home, other than the night guards, he was able to clean the majority of the building without much issue. Deciding next to deal with the kennels, he went to the hangar that held the kennels and started with Nyx's so she could lay down while he worked. She did so, and he went on working, his body going on autopilot as his mind began to wander back to the case.

Once again, he thought about how Jamie's disappearance was most likely connected with her father. He still couldn't understand why people could do things the blood-related family, but he had learned long ago to not question the decisions of criminals. That was a job for the Forensic Phycologists. He never had a close relationship with his parents or siblings, but he couldn't even imagine his father doing something like this to him or his brothers and sister.

Ever since their mother died, his father fell back into drugs. He and his siblings couldn't stay there with him, so the youngest of the group was sent to foster care since he and his two older siblings could barely support themselves in the meantime. Their father was still in rehab programs and was a near-permanent patient there. This, of course, left a lot of stress on family relations, but without a doubt, he'd be damned if anything like that happened to his family.

Ajax sighed, shaking the dark memories and thoughts from his head as he went to sit next to Nyx's kennel, laying a hand between his dog's ears and rubbing her head. In hindsight, he wasn't the smartest, having stuck himself and Nyx at the station as most of the roads had been shut down due to the heavy snowfall. They would have to wait for the snow to be cleared by the plows before they could get out of there.

Jamie looked uncertain as she began to speak. "Sorcha, I don't know how, but she found out where I was being held. She came into the cellar or basement or wherever I was being held and freed me, but the guy who kidnapped me, I think his name is Kieran, came back. She jumped him, giving me time to get away with those two dogs. They brought me to the car. I tried to get here as quickly as possible, but I don't know how much time has passed. Please, you have to go help her! She was fighting with the man when I left."

Ajax cursed in his head. He recognized that name. Kieran was a man that the FHPD was constantly struggling with, always having issues with him or his gangs and drug and weapon rings. Sorcha must've found something on him while she was at her home after they had parted ways for the night. She'd gone out to deal with this case herself, without even alerting the station of her plan or her location. It was beyond reckless of her to do that, but he couldn't focus on them. Titan and Hades were obviously in immense distress, while Nyx stared up at him, waiting for orders.

"Jacob, take Jamie into one of the offices further into the building and get her warmed up. Stay with her until I get back or the chief arrives." Ajax ordered one of the night guards. Turning to the other, he told them the address to Keiran's main house. "Call for backup immediately. Send them there. Also, get a medic here to check on Jamie's injuries. We can't let those go unattended for very long. Nyx, grab your vest." His canine wasted no time and darted off to the kennels, where her vest was still laid by her bed. Ajax was grateful that he didn't have enough time to put it away. Nyx would have to fair without foot protection, but she'd be fine.

The night guards did exactly as he said, and as he glanced back at Jamie, he saw her looking back with worry etched deep into her face. "It'll be fine. We're taking that man down, for good this time." He grabbed his vest, as well as his gun. He opened the front doors to the department and ordered Titan and Hades to the car they had come from. He stepped outside just as Nyx ran after them, her vest clamped tightly in her jaws.

The car had seen better days. They would have to have it fixed if it wasn't already totaled, but it would work. It was also the only car that wasn't blockaded by snow, and it had a clear path back to Keiran's house. He ran after the dogs and opened the door for the three of them briefly, before shutting it and getting into the driver's side. Nyx struggled into the vest, with a little help from Ajax's hand that he reached back to help. Ajax wasted no time in pulling out and barring through the empty streets toward where he hoped his partner was.

One thought kept flashing through his mind. Sorcha didn't know about Keiran. She had no idea about the things he had done. No one in the FHPD did fully, but Sorcha was in even more darkness. But Ajax did not doubt that the man could kill her, without hesitation. Sorcha wouldn't have left Jamie to get to the police department on her own if she could help it, meaning that she was either still fighting (unlikely) or restrained. He didn't even want to think about the third option.

In the time they worked together, Ajax had come to enjoy Sorcha and her dogs. She was practical, independent, and incredible in the field.

"Don't worry, guys." He muttered, half to himself. "We'll get her back."

{Don't worry about it! I'm the king of gruesome >:) I love all things Gorey (the horror kind, I promise I'm not a serial killer lmao) and stuff like that lol. Call me unhinged, but I find that stuff fun to write, not gonna lie...}

-

Before Kieran could fully cock his gun, there was a quiet click behind him. A shiver went up the older man's spine as several low growls resonated behind him too.

"You're gonna want to put the fucking gun down, you bloody bastard," Ajax said coldly, one hand aiming his gun at Kieran while the other held a warped crowbar. His face was contorted into a deep scowl, his eyes shining with a dark, almost bloodthirsty gleam. Titan, Hades, and Nyx were spread out behind him, lips drawn back in vicious snarls, teeth bared, and threatening growls coming from deep within their throats.

Not more than three minutes before, Ajax had arrived at Kieran's house. Not even parking the car he flew out of the car and followed Hades and Titan as they dashed toward the shed. The door, supposedly leading down into the basement area where Jamie - and now Sorcha - was/is being held was locked as he tried the door. Swearing under his breath, Ajax rammed his shoulder into the door a couple of times, no doubt bruising it with the force he was using, but the door didn't budge. He looked around for anything he could use to break the handle and the lock so he wouldn't have to use his gun to do so. He hadn't grabbed a silencer in his hurry and didn't want to risk the chance of Kieran killing Sorcha after hearing him. Finally, in the corner, he saw with the garden tools, a crooked, rusted crowbar.

Ajax grabbed it and just as he was about to bash the handle in, a scream rose from behind the door. Titan and Hades went ridged, starting to snarl, leaving no room to doubt that the scream belonged to his partner. Using the scream to his advantage, he drove the crowbar into the handle until the old wood caved in, both the lock and the handle falling a couple of stairs down with a clatter covered by the scream. He quickly ordered the dogs, "Do not attack. Wait." He ran down the stairs as quietly as he could, rounding the corner of the small hallway into a wide room, only to see the man, someone he hated more than anyone else, pointing a gun at Sorcha.

Sorcha didn't look all that well. She was slumped in the chair, her limbs restrained and tied to the chair at awkward angles that could not have been comfortable. Lines of red wove and crisscrossed up her arms, seemingly random little 'doodles' and symbols carved into her flesh. Blood was dripping onto the floor, forming constantly growing small puddles of blood around her. One of her knees was soaked in blood, and the fiery light that used to shine in her eyes had dimmed down to less than an ember, barely more than a snuffed-out cinder. She was staring down the barrel of the gun that Kieran held to her head almost apathetically.

"Well, if it isn't Scorcher! It's been a couple of years." Kieran snarked, not turning his head away from Sorcha. "How's that knife wound holding up for ya?"

Ajax's scowl deepened. It was Kieran who had given him the long, light pinkish-white scar that ran up his upper arm in a scuffle over illegally obtained weapons. It happened when he was still fairly new to the K9 units, only about two years into his career. It had healed long ago, and though Ajax never had to deal with Keiran again after that, as it was always someone else who got to him first, it was still there. The scar gave a little phantom ache as they spoke.

"It has been a while, but you can't seem to keep out of trouble, could you? Kidnapping a 14-year-old girl, whom you were planning to kill, and then torturing a law enforcement officer? Two counts of attempted first-degree homicide, kidnapping, assault, battery, involved in unlawful activity with Jamie's father... the outcome's not looking too pretty for you."

"Oh yeah? Well, it's a pity that you're not going to bring me in. If I shoot her, you'll kill me. Not necessarily a win-win in my opinion, but better than letting her go and still having to face all of that."

"Who said I would kill you?" Ajax's voice took on a sickeningly gleeful tone. "I have three strong, smart, and deadly dogs behind me, two of which want to tear your throat out because you've harmed their handler. You remember how it feels to have one of our dogs get their teeth in you, yeah?" This time, there was a slight tremor in Kieran's body, no doubt remembering how his old canine partner had managed to lock his jaws around Kieran's arm at the end of the fight years ago, badly damaging it. Kieran managed to get away, but the scar of it would stay as a reminder to him, just like his would.

"I'll only say this once more. Drop the gun, turn around, and put your bloody hands up. I don't care how you end up, so the choice is yours."

(Heh heh, yeah >:) Trauma to the characters!)

-

Ajax stared down at the man, his hand steady as he continued to aim his gun at him. Kieran was hesitating. That could either be very, very good, or very very bad. A cornered animal was always the most dangerous. Titan and Hades were snapping their jaws, their tense muscles flexing underneath their sleek, ebony coats.

Ajax took another quick look at his partner. Sorcha's head was still hung slightly, but her eyes were shifting up toward Kieran and the others, struggling to focus. The puddle of blood continued to grow underneath her, staining the wooden legs a deeper color. The air was stifling, filled with the tingy, metallic scent of blood. Ajax's nerves were fringed. His partner was bleeding out in front of him, the guy he hated was responsible, and three dogs were snarling behind him, barely being held back.

Kieran's head tilted toward him, eyes narrowed and sweat trickled down the side of his face. The gun quivered in his hand and in that moment, Sorcha lunged forward and wrapped her arm around the gun, jerking it from Kieran's grasp. Kieran whipped his head around, his eyes widening. He opened his mouth to yell something, but suddenly a shot was fired, and Kieran's body jerked backward, red blossoming at the front of his shirt, seeping into the light fabric and spreading like a wildfire. Titan and Hades lunged forward, bowling the older man over and tearing into him with fang and claw, being very vocal while doing so. Nyx darted forward, but instead of diving into the bloodied mess with the other two dogs, she was at Sorcha's side, gazing up at the woman with her glinting green eyes. His partner muttered something in a foreign language, and then her eyes flickered close. Her body swayed to the side before her legs completely gave out. Her body would've crashed into the cold, hard ground if it wasn't for Nyx, who took the brunt of the fall. Nyx wriggled out from underneath Sorcha, letting out a whine as she began to sniff Sorcha's face. The ebony hound then went to her arms and began to knaw at the ropes still tied around them.

Ajax lunged forward, dropping the crowbar and shoving the gun back in its holster, a string of curses - both American and English - flying out of his mouth as his eyes flew over Sorcha's body, taking in her situation. Panicking and thinking fast, Ajax shrugged off his protective vest and tore several thick strips of fabric from the bottom of his undershirt. It may not have been sterilized, but it would be better than letting Sorcha bleed out. He ignored the wet crunching and ripping sounds of flesh and bone, focusing on wrapping Sorcha's wounds as tightly as he could. Finally, he snapped at the dogs, "Titan, Hades, here!" As much as he didn't care what happened to Kieran's body, as he knew he was going to die the moment Sorcha shot him in the chest, the other law enforcement officers, as well as the medical examiner and everyone else that would be involved in the case when they brought the body in.

He took a glance as he gathered Sorcha in his arms, being careful not to pull at any of her wounds, which was a hard thing to do since she seemed to be injured everywhere. The majority of injuries and tears in the criminal's body were mainly in the arms and torso area, meaning that Kieran's face was mostly untouched. They would have no issue identifying him.

Sirens sounded from outside, and a voice shouted through a megaphone. "This is the Fallen Hills Police Department. You are surrounded! Come out with your hands above your head!"

Ajax clicked his tongue, making Nyx slide into place next to him, her fur bushed up. Hades and Titan were behind him, following their handler, now completely ignoring the body behind them.

Ajax slowly ascended the stairs, carefully moving. When he approached the door to the shed, he could see the searchlights shining at the shed, the bright white light slinking underneath and through the cracks and holes in the doors. "This is Officer Ajax Scorcher! The suspect is still in the basement, detected! I have an injured officer with me who needs immediate medical attention! I'm coming out!" He pushed the door open with his foot, stepping out into the biting winter wind.

Several other officers rushed past him with guns drawn, entering the shed and going down the stairs. One guided him to the ambulance that was there, explaining that the girl had told them that there would be serious injuries when dealing with that man. Ajax just nodded grimly, setting Sorcha down gently on a stretcher. EMTs immediately got to work, and Ajax had to stop Titan and Hades from jumping into the ambulance as Sorcha was loaded up.

"We'll follow you." He said to the EMT, hurrying to another police cruiser and asking him to take them to the hospital and to follow the ambulance. The officer agreed too, but was reluctant, as he realized that blood had sprayed on him when Sorcha shot Kieran, and all three dogs had some blood on them.

The dogs piled in the backseat as he sat in the front with the officer, quickly following the ambulance as it began its journey to the hospital. Ajax just hoped that he wasn't too late.