The Angel's Descent
Present Day

The hue of the sky was a soft red and orange as the early sun began to return life to the long night, it should have been a moment to be appreciated but Kyle's mind was in an entirely different world; a world of dread, a world of worry and a world of unending longing. He felt like little more than an insignificant mouse compared to Latnok now that Amanda was gone, a small mouse imprisoned in its hole watching the cheese atop the trap; incessantly wanting it but dreading the consequences of making the impulsive dash. In truth, that was all that this was; as soon as Kyle announced himself to the world Latnok's mouse trap would spring, Amanda would be free but Latnok would have Kyle right where they wanted him. He didn't want this to happen, not again. This time he'd find them and he'd find them before they found him.

The ground was damp with the morning dew, under Kyle's touch each droplet sent a cool wave down his spine whilst the tender whistle of the early morning breeze left a tingling sensation in his uncovered arms, the daggers of cold this sent through him didn't prove to be a distraction, it'd take a lot more to take Kyle's mind away from the task at hand – Where was Amanda? How had they known she'd be here? Had they just simply followed her? The cabin had proved to yield no results on Kyle and Foss' search however the slight discrepancies on the grass outside - which in light of the early morning, Kyle could see had in fact grown, in places, up the side of the old abandoned cabin - led Kyle to a small opening in the trees. Here, Kyle had lost Amanda's trail, which meant that this must have been where they attacked her. It was only a slight opening but Kyle admitted he too would have used this location to set up the perfect ambush; he gave that Latnok were smart, they'd even known to cover up their trail past this point lest Kyle follow them all the way to their base of operations. Daily commuters could be heard on the nearby road, she'd come so close. The sound of their engines was almost patronising here in the forest, Kyle couldn't begin to imagine the hope Amanda must have felt when she arrived here, the realisation that she'd made it to safety. For Latnok to have attacked here it was just wrong; it fuelled Kyle's hatred for the organisation, he was going to destroy them for this. There'd be no rest until the very name Latnok was taken from existence. No, Kyle wasn't out for revenge, he was out for justice.

Kyle felt Foss' arm wrap underneath his own and pull him to his feet, he had been spread out on all fours closely inspecting the ground and it was clear that the man had grown impatient, to him it felt as if Kyle had been looking for Amanda's trail for an age.
"We have to move Kyle, we can't' stay here," Foss urged, releasing Kyle and wrapping his arms around himself as if to protect him from the cold,
"Just give me five more minutes, I can do this," Kyle pleaded but Foss wasn't swayed, Kyle noticed the frequent glances around his shoulders. He didn't like being here,
"I know you're panicked Foss-," Kyle started,
"You're playing right into Latnok's hands." Foss interrupted, "It doesn't take a genius to figure out that this would be the first place you'd come," As if by cue, that's when the attack began.

This was the most comfortable Amanda had ever felt. Granted, she was still begrudged at Latnok for attacking her in the forest but it was for her own safety, after all. How Kyle had betrayed her the way he did, she could never understand. The sorrow of such was overwhelming and though it bought her no relief, Latnok let her indulge herself at this place and it helped to remove her mind from the reality. At first Amanda didn't believe them when they told her Kyle was nothing more than a criminal. She kicked and screamed, swore that he would find them but that was before they showed her all of the documents they'd collected on Tom Foss; the news stories of how he'd ran down his own family in a drunken rage – how could Kyle mix with such people? He'd always seemed like the friendliest person in her life but the revelations explained so much; all this mystery surrounding him, the way he and Jesse always ran off together, why they'd disappeared entirely of late. They were harbouring Tom Foss and they thought Amanda wouldn't find out. Cassidy had explained to her upon arriving that Latnok were an organisation dedicated to tracking large criminals down, a special unit for the police. They were the good guys. Kyle had even said that Latnok were storming his house in the video, they were simply looking for him and Foss; it all made sense now. She was in a large and open room. The far wall was the most impressive, Amanda thought. It was a wall made entirely of glass looking out at the calm sea. It helped to take her mind of the revelation. She was sat atop a large red four-poster bed with many deep cushions around her. Beside her there was a small wooden table, atop of which a platter of food sat however it remained untouched; Amanda was too busy reflecting on the fact Cassidy had told her she'd get whatever she wanted whilst she was here as a token of how sorry the company were of the danger that had lived right on her door step: the danger of Kyle. Despite her comfort, the gentle knock at her door still sent a sensation of fear through her body. Her instincts told her to hide but her mind and voice gave leave for the person to enter. Cassidy walked into the room in a style which suggested an innocence that highly contrasted against the man that had been there when Amanda was attacked,
"Yes?" She asked,
"I wanted to see how you were coping," Cassidy said, sitting next to Amanda and putting a comforting arm around her.
"I want to go home," Amanda stated, "My Mum must be so worried,"
Cassidy smiled, "Don't worry, my people have explained the situation to her and she is fully understanding. In fact, she was quite happy to have you here until Kyle and Foss are safely away in custody,"
"That sounds about right," Amanda smirked; her mother would give just about the world to have Kyle taken away.
"I promise, Amanda, that as soon as we have Foss and Kyle in custody we will let you leave and I can't express this enough, if there is any compensation for the troubles, which we might provide you whilst you're here, just let me know. Okay?"
"Okay," Amanda said, she rubbed her eyes and as she did Cassidy looked at her, clearly sympathising with her, she'd been through hard times.
"Amanda, Amanda, Amanda." Cassidy repeated sorrowfully. "Look, I want to offer you some comfort. Do you remember Nate?"
The mention of the name made Amanda feel both bitterness and hate,
"What about him?" She asked, staring at Cassidy with clear anger in his expression.
Cassidy let out a slight smile as Nate self-consciously walked into the room, Amanda quickly stood up in a defensive stance,
"What's he doing here?!" She snapped,
"Amanda I –," he started.
"Save it!" She interrupted, turning her back to him and Cassidy. Nate was at her side in a second, grabbing her softly. He was a bulky person, not like her earlier attacker but still bigger than must people she'd seen; his hair was shoulder length and as black as Cassidy's, making two look like the perfect team. Amanda couldn't help but to still feel some attraction toward him, despite everything. He held onto both of Amanda's hands, towering over her, the warmth making her feel truly safe as Cassidy had promised.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Amanda, I had to protect the files you saw on my computer. I couldn't have you know we were chasing Kyle. It could have ruined our mission!"
"…But in The Rack, why didn't you take Kyle when you had the chance?" She asked.
Nate gave a quick glance toward Cassidy, who looked at him as if to give permission for him to say what he did;
"We didn't want to apprehend him while he was away from Foss,"
"What about Jesse?" Amanda wondered, she was beginning to look more understanding of the situation. Latnok had a very convincing story,
"She's not as important as Kyle and Foss. We'll take her if she's with them but not alone, it'd be better if Kyle and Foss didn't know that there accomplice was behind bars. Not yet, anyway." Nate said. Amanda pulled her hands out of his own, she admitted he had a very comforting voice but no matter how safe Latnok made her feel, she didn't feel hatred in its entirety toward Kyle. She was angry but she couldn't lie to herself in saying that being with Kyle, despite the recent revelation, wouldn't bring her both incredible happiness and comfort; she just couldn't believe how much he'd betrayed her off late, especially after she'd asked him to take her back, much to Jesse's dismay.
Amanda sat back down hopelessly on the four-poster bed. She still very much remembered all the happy times she'd shared with Kyle.

Kyle watched in horror as the figure descended from the sky, it was as if it fell in slow motion, in unison with the sun winning its battle against the clouds, for it broke through them at the same time silhouetting the figure. Kyle looked at Foss whose face simply read; I told you so but it was too late, Latnok had found them. As true as it may be, Kyle saw the opportunity in this attack; he had finally been given his chance to find out where Amanda had been taken, he wasn't going to miss it. Before the figure touched the ground, Kyle made his move. Diving with an uncanny speed toward the figure, arms outstretched, he wrapped his arms around the attacker's hips; they were slender and cold but Kyle only felt such for a short moment, the driving force behind his dive threw the attacker backward into a tree which splintered behind Kyle's strength. Fuelled by the anger of Amanda's kidnapping, Kyle's fist flew at the attacker face without hesitation but it was stopped in its tracks, the grip that wrapped around his hand was like stone and for the first time in what felt an age, Kyle felt genuinely afraid. Instinctively, he tried pulling away but it was too late, the attacker twisted Kyle's arm and threw him with devastating force. Foss charged next, wanting to protect Baylin's creation but the attacker simply threw out an arm knocking him to the ground, using his own speed against him. It was as if the attacker was unhindered by Foss' attack. Pulling their arm back to their side, the attacker set out toward Kyle with a fast and threatening pace, though Kyle wasn't going to give up so easily, he quickly kicked his legs up, hitting the attacker as he did and throwing himself to his feet also, taking the attacker by surprise. The figure remained uninjured. Strange, Kyle was sure anyone else would have been knocked to the ground with such a kick yet the attacker just stumbled a little…
"KYLE, KYLE, STOP!" The voice suddenly cried out, it was a female voice but a recognisable one, much to Kyle's surprise. The girl stepped forward and only now did Kyle get a look at her, he'd moved with such lightning speed that he never got to see her face before. Her hair had grown long but Kyle realised how perfect it looked; though she had a hard and stern face that told people to stay away, she wasn't someone to be taken lightly. Kyle felt every part of him melt in affection and though his adrenaline was rushing through him, he felt nothing but weakness the moment their eyes made contact. Kyle realised he'd attacked an angel, an angel that fell from the sky.
"What are you doing here?" Kyle asked, he couldn't remember the last time he saw Jesse and his mind was running wild at the very sight of her. I love Amanda. Jesse is so beautiful. Kyle shook the thought out of his head, what was he thinking? He didn't see Jesse like that at all; she was a friend, that was all. Jesse looked at him, she was exhausted but she felt like she'd managed to hold her own in that short conflict
"Jesse," Foss said in form of greeting, as he pulled himself to his feet, trying to act as if she didn't fling him to the floor,
"Foss," she replied in imitation,
"Jesse, what are you doing here?" Kyle repeated and Jesse saw from the look on Foss' face that he was wondering the same thing,
"I've been following Amanda," she stated,
"So you saw what happened her?!" Kyle asked hopefully, which caused Jesse to smirk benignly,
"Yeah," she started, "I was up in the trees the whole time, Cassidy had some low-life thug knock her out, then they dragged her into the forest,"
So someone did attack Amanda. Kyle felt anger surging through him. Latnok really will pay.
"…And you didn't think to stop it?!" Kyle found himself shouting at Jesse, grabbing her by both her shoulders. She gave him a cold look, pulling herself away,
"No."
"What do you mean no?!" Kyle shouted, he was starting to get frustrated at Jesse and she'd only just revealed herself, it was typical of her. In truth, she didn't want to save Amanda; she'd never tell Kyle such but at least with Amanda removed from the picture, Jesse would have a chance. That's all she wanted with Kyle, just one chance to impress him and this was her perfect opportunity. If Jesse knew Latnok the way she thought she did, then they'd only have taken Amanda to get Kyle's attention, so if she could show him how resourceful she was, maybe she'd just have a chance to be with him. She reached into her pocket and threw Kyle a pink cell phone,
"What's this?!" Kyle asked, he was in no mood to play around,
"…Address book," Jesse simply uttered but before Kyle could bring it up, Foss had stormed to their side,
"You bought a phone with you?! Do you want them to find us?!" He shouted, making for it however Kyle moved his arm out of reach,
"No. Foss, I have to see this. If there's a chance…"
It was as if time stood still as Kyle looked down at the screen of the small cell phone, the wallpaper was plain and uninteresting but Kyle recognised it immediately as Jesse's personal phone, Foss is right, he thought, Cassidy will know that this is Jesse's phone. He can track it but… Trembling, Kyle clicked the Menu button, navigated to the address book and saw immediately exactly what Jesse wanted him to see;

CASSIDY, MICHAEL.

"...his number," Kyle muttered, eyes widening as he stared at the screen. "You have Cassidy's number!"
"Ring it," Jesse replied, trying to act as if she didn't notice the way Kyle's face lit up, the way he smiled, the way he looked at her.

When his phone rang, Cassidy was away from Amanda but he wasn't worried she would try to escape, not after the documents he had formulated on Tom Foss and the way he had Nate watching her. Cassidy didn't like Nate. His arrogance would be his undoing however he was a good dog, barked when Cassidy gave the order and bit when Cassidy pointed the finger; it was all he needed. Beside, even if Amanda tried to escape for whatever reason, she'd find herself a whole two kilometres from the mainland and Vancouver for Latnok had built their own little luxurious Alactraz on Passage Island. Just try it Amanda, just try it.

Cassidy was set up in a traditional Victorian office. It had an old feel to it but it suited him perfectly, especially when looking at the large fireplace against the wall; Cassidy felt it spoke a lot of his character – of how big he was, how powerful and all because of his mother, Grace Kingsley. When Cassidy's phone began to ring, he looked at it expecting her very name to appear, when he saw Jesse's name instead; Cassidy raised a single eyebrow before bringing the phone to his ear,
"Jesse, nice to know you're still alive," he teased, "What can I do for you?"
"Where is she?" Cassidy almost dropped the phone when he heard the sharp tone of Kyle's voice, he hadn't expected this. Not so soon, he hadn't heard anything from Kyle since he fled the Trager house. A sinister smile formed on Cassidy's face, we have him.
"Kyle, how are you feeling? Oh, wait; no need to answer that, I know exactly how you are. Tell me, what kind of a face did you pull when Amanda didn't make it to your little rendezvous? I can't imagine it was pleasant.
"…How did you know? WHERE IS SHE?" Cassidy felt himself holding the phone away from his ear as Kyle shouted.
"Tut, tut. Angry are we?" Cassidy mocked, "I warned you, Kyle. Amanda was the first to fall and your family will be next. Know that I won't take much pleasure from hunting them all down, knowing that all of this could have been avoided,"
"Why are you doing this?" Kyle bitterly replied, Cassidy found himself laughing unexpectedly,
"You already know the answer, Kyle. You're a great asset to Latnok, your friends and family… Well, it's collateral damage."
"If you hurt one more soul…" Kyle started,
"You'll do what?!" Cassidy snapped, "You'll track me down from your incredibly convenient location and have your revenge? Don't make me laugh; you have nothing on us," He paused for a second, remembering Kyle was talking through Jesse's phone, "However, I see you've found Jesse, it's so refreshing to have friends at a time like this, isn't it? …Or is Jesse truly a friend?" Cassidy wondered, he was playing Kyle so easily; it was clear Kyle phoned expecting to be intimidating but Cassidy had immediately put himself in the position of power, sometimes he outdid himself as to how he could fool just about anyone – however this time, he was going to speak the truth;
"Kyle, mayhaps Jessi is hiding something from you. Something that's bought her great regret. I think you and her need to have a little conversation."
"What do you-,"
Cassidy quickly hung up his phone. The chess pieces are moving, the game has started. Pressing a button under his desk, a door opened on the far side of the Victorian office showing an iron-made military base on the other side and a guard awaiting orders.
"Did we manage to trace the call?" Cassidy asked, the guard held his hand up to his ear, listening in to an attached communication device, after a moments waiting he simply nodded,
"We have them,"