Summary: You'd think there were other people to capture.
pairing: Elina x Adam
words: ~800
Adam knew the fight was lost the second he saw them. She was so small; he'd noticed, of course, but it was painfully obvious as the Trapper held his knife to her throat. Her frame was engulfed by him without even trying. She whimpered when she saw him, panic clear in her eyes and the way she struggled to breathe, probably afraid of the sharp object piercing her skin.
"Vampire." The Trapper gave her hair a hard tug, making her stumble. "I have your friend here. You have nothing. I'd suggest you follow my orders."
Rage and fear roiled in Adam's mind, but he gritted out, "Talk."
"I'm so glad we're on the same page! I know you have more vampire friends in the building, so I think you should call them here. Just so that there aren't any misunderstandings. Oh, and I know that there are exactly three, so don't think you can call two without me noticing."
What choice did he have? He knew that he would fail any mission, do anything for Elina to live. "Nate! Felix! Mason!" Turning back to the Trapper, he sighed. "They should be here in a moment."
"Ah, you choose the easy way. Perfect."
After a few seconds, they heard footsteps coming closer and then bursting through the hallway, his friends stopping abruptly when they catched sight of the situation.
"Shit." Surprisingly, it was Mason that said it. Eli was growing on the team, and were the moment any different, Adam would have smiled. But he couldn't, not when she was in danger.
He addressed the Trapper yet again, "Say what you want."
"Well, we can all see I have the upper hand here. I don't want to hurt her, but can I trust you to not stab me in the back if I let her go?"
Elina finally found her voice, but it was smaller than she usually had. "Please, just let me go. I promise we won't hurt you."
The Trapper laughed, and the sound made her wince. "Even though your mission is to capture me? You don't seriously think I believe you, do you?"
She flinched and shrunk further into herself. "Adam."
Her eyes were glassy, and he wanted nothing more than to hold her in that moment. "Yes?"
"I'm scared."
Adam turned his gaze on the Trapper, voice cracking. "Can't you see how horrible this is for her? Let her go. Please."
He might have imagined it, but he thought he saw a flicker of remorse in the man's eyes. "I'm sorry." What happened after that went fast, but it felt like an eternity to Adam.
He lifted the knife from her throat, only to slam the hilt into the back of her head. As she crumpled to the ground, he ran away, but Adam's entire focus was on Elina, hurrying to catch her before she fell. Her body was limp in his arms, and he resisted the urge to yell.
"Do you want us to go after him?" Nate.
"I'm not sure. He didn't kill her, as he promised. Kinda." Felix.
"I still think we should go hit him real good for Eli." Mason.
Adam himself was focused on examining her head. It seemed like the impact had only rendered her unconscious, her pulse and breathing fairly normal. But could he be completely sure? "Maybe we should get her to the Agency."
Mason furrowed his brow. "Really? We're just going to let that sucker get away?"
Nate put his hand on Adam's shoulder. "She's fine. But I think it's a good idea to return to the facility." And so they set off, Mason grumbling a bit but still doing as they said.
---
The doctors concluded the same thing; she was fine, no permanent damage, she would wake up in a few hours. And so Adam waited, until her heartbeat sped up and her eyelids opened. Her gaze immediately fell on him, smiling as brilliantly as always. "Did we win?"
"Yes. He got away, but...." For me, the fact that you survived is a win. But he couldn't say that. Instead, he simply stated, "The team is intact. That, by itself, is at least somewhat of a win, considering the earlier situation." She winced as she was reminded by the knife scraping against her skin.
"You saved me, didn't you?"
He tensed. "Not really... I think that Trapper had more empathy than some others."
"But then it was you." She reached out and put her hand on his arm. "You pleaded for him to spare me. Thank you."
He tensed further at her touch, but didn't pull away. After a few seconds, he smiled hesitantly. "I had to... but you're welcome."
