"I don't think I can watch this," Sabra gasped as the woman she had known as docile and delicate flew into action beside her daughter. "I've never seen this side of Jonaraja before."

"You've never seen her angry or punch something?" Chelsea asked, not taking her eyes off the combat couples.

"No, she never even raised her voice," Sabra whispered, "yet here she is fighting like a ..." Sabra shrugged, not finding the words to describe what she saw.

"A french fry for sauce or someone trying to get the last pair of her favourite shoes on sale day," Chelsea supplied.

Sabra chuckled, "I don't think that describes what we're witnessing."

"You're right," Chelsea said, "I know now that Bev can bring the pain without remorse, but her mom is showing less mercy than Bev."

"Her mother is not a discretionary death dealer," Sabra said, "she is of the old school."

"Deal it out without mercy," Chelsea said, "but can she?"

"There is only one way to find out," Sabra sighed, "we'll have to wait and see."

Bevis was focused on The Calderone as she came at her once more. Assessing her mother as she landed some painful blows and deflected the rest. It surprised her to see how her mother moved, but Bevis did notice the old-school training and merciless way her mother dealt out her blows. It could only mean that the aftermath was also old-school and unregulated. One hard blow landed, knocking her mother to the side and making her stumble; she rectified herself quickly and faced her opponent. Bevis ducked an incoming blow while landing a breathtaking punch against the exposed rib cage without taking her eyes from the woman's face.

She knew that look, the unforgiving death dealer of old had risen, and anything in her way would die. But she also noticed her mother's chest moving quicker than it should. Suddenly, she realised the sacrifice her mother was making for her.

"Idiot," she muttered as she manoeuvred The Calderone around and kicked into the back of her knees, pushing her to the ground before delivering the blow to the grinning face and hearing what she had been waiting for, the crack of the neck.

The sound must have been louder than she thought as those guarding the perimeter of the clearing glanced her way and then at each other. The Calderone did not move, her chest did not rise, it was enough ... without waiting for whatever they would do, Bevis pulled out her weapon and fired into the back of The Calderones' head.

"Termination complete," she muttered as she fired another two shots into the chest area.

A small gasp was the only sound in the sudden silence. Glancing to the side, she raised her weapon without hesitation as her mother moved to evade the slicing motion of a knife at throat level. Bevis didn't hesitate; lining up her firearm, she fired, hitting her target between the eyes, and quickly aimed in her mother's direction.

"Pause," she shouted across the field as the death dealer in her mother's body turned toward her, "complete the termination."

A flicker came across her mother's face as she glanced down at the body, drew her weapon and fired two into the chest area.

"Report in," Bevis called, still aiming the weapon at her mother, "and disarm."

"Termination completed," her mother called, holstering her weapon and turning to look at her daughter. "Cleaning is required."

Nodding, Bevis waited as her mother walked toward the cave, passing a cautious Chelsea and disappearing within. Slowly, she lowered the weapon and released the breath she had been holding while meeting Chelsea and Sabra's curious gazes returning to her.

"I'll explain," Bevis said before turning to those on the perimeter, seeing they were already surrendering to a team of new faces following Nagid. She nodded her acknowledgement before he signalled the team to move forward and secure the men. Pulling her phone from her belt, she dialled a number and waited.

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"It's done," she said, "The Calderone and the Merchant are both terminated."

She listened a little more and sighed, "Copy that. I will monitor the other Death Dealer. I think I got her to disengage, but I'm not certain. I'll debrief her in a bit."

Shoving her phone into her belt, she moved toward the cave's entrance and stopped next to Sabra and Chelsea.

"Everything okay?" she whispered, extending her hand toward her best friend.

"Everything is okay," Chelsea replied, shaking her hand, "is it over?"

"I think so, but uncertain," Bevis said, "where did she go?"

"Into the cave and to the left," Chelsea spoke quietly, "I've never seen your mom like that."

"Neither did I. It all makes sense now about why she didn't want me to have this life; that was a part of my mother she never wanted to engage ever in her life," Bevis said, sighing. "Until I say otherwise, you're still on duty."

Nodding, Chelsea moved Sabra into the cave, clearing every step before taking it.

Bevis moved into the cave's entrance and slowly scanned the area. To the left, she found her mother's form kneeling facing away from the entrance, her head bowed, and the palms of her hands pushed into the sand of the cave's floor.

"Approaching," Bevis said, her even voice grasping her mother's attention and whipping her head up, "stand down."

"Stop talking to me like I'm going to kill you," her mother said, "I'm fine."

"Are you?" Bevis asked.

"Of course I am," her mother said, "I'm not a cold-blooded killer."

"No, my mother is not," Bevis said, stopping before her, "but the person she was trained to be is."

The head snapped up, and cold eyes glared at Bevis, who nodded in understanding.

"It's a battle to find the balance between that person and the person you truly are," she whispered, gently smiling. The road back is not always easy, and since this was your first, I understand the struggle more than you know."

Slowly, she joined her mother and knelt someway from her, watching the death dealer facing her, seeing the confusion and war between the training and the mind.

"Talk to me," she whispered as she adjusted the angle of her gun. "Tell me of the time you decided not to go this route ... and why."

Silence met the words as Jonaraja bent her head, sighed and swallowed hard.

"I cannot," the words came softly. "It was a time I felt less like myself than I ever had."

"Do you feel that way now?" Bevis asked.

Again, silence met the words as Jonaraja's head rose. Looking at Bevis through haunted eyes, she nodded, "I never wanted to be in a position where I could not disengage, and today ..." she shook her head, "... today ..." she breathed heavily but did not continue.

"Today, you struggle more than ever because you chose to engage this side of you," Bevis said, watching her mother as she nodded. "Do you think you can choose to disengage? "

"Is it that easy?" her mother whispered.

"It can be," Bevis answered, edging forward and stopping when she noticed her mother's gaze darting in her direction. "It can be as easy as saying it, deciding it, and keeping your other side in check."

"How do you know this?" Jonoraja asked.

"I know because I practise it," Bevis said.

Chelsea waited on the other side of the cave with her weapon drawn and Sabra neatly tucked behind her.

"Why are you still guarding me?" Sabra whispered as she watched mother and daughter on the other side.

"We still have an active Death Dealer," Chelsea murmured. "Bev, I'm okay with, but not the old-school Death Dealer."

"What is Bevis trying to do?" Sabra asked.

"Debrief and secure her," Chelsea said, "it would seem this is her first fight and kill."

"I take it that is significant." Sabra sighed. "Why was Bevis on the ground with her?"

"You're asking the wrong person," Chelsea said, "there could be several reasons."

The phone's chiming caught her attention, as did those on the other side of the cave. Wincing, she quickly read the text and sighed.

"Ten minutes," she called, "and then there is a clean-up crew coming in. We're needed elsewhere."

Bevis nodded without taking her eyes off her mother and continued to whisper to her. Finally, the pair rose, and Bevis walked her mother toward the tunnel. Suddenly, Jonaraja turned and smiled at Sabra.

"I guess you'd better come with," she winked and entered the tunnel.

"Am I off duty?" Chelsea asked a frowning Bevis.

"No, you're still on duty," Bevis said, "and will remain that way until we're told differently."

"What were you told?" Sabra asked.

"I debrief her and close her down, or she is terminated," Bevis said, shaking her head. "The latter cannot happen. I lost her once, and I won't lose her again."

"We'll do everything we can to make sure it doesn't," Sabra said, "let's move."