He shuts the car door and runs up to the front door, leaning on it as he grabs the knob and turns, expecting it to open...

...but it won't budge. He bounces back, looking at the door strangely. He looks over to the windows...lights are on. He knows Tea just went in...why'd she lock the door? He starts banging on the door, getting completely drenched.

No one answers. He rolls his eyes and knocks again...still no answer. He sighs and runs past the windows of Joely's office, where Sykes stands, hiding behind the wall, grinning at him. Sykes watches as Todd jumps up, trying to see inside. He cracks up, watching Todd run off, undoubtedly headed for the back door. Sykes walks calmly out of the office and down the hall.

He stops about halfway down, hiding in the dark hallway, watching the back door. After a few seconds, Todd appears. Sykes grins, listening to the sounds of him trying to turn the locked knob. He raises an eyebrow and smacks his lips together coolly, as Todd starts banging on the door, his calls muffled by the rain.

"Doc?! Tea?!"

Sykes cracks up again, then turns and strolls back into Joely's office.

Outside, Todd continues to bang on the door, looking like a drowned rat now. He stops after a few seconds, completely confused. He stares in the little window...it's dark, but he can see the light coming from Joely's office.

"...the hell is goin' on..." he mutters to himself.

He looks down the hall again...and suddenly, a pang of fear hits him, as if the darkness was trying to warn him. He takes off, back around to the front of the house, stopping in front of Joely's office window...

...where Sykes stands, somewhat silhouetted, but in plain view now, looking down at him. Todd's eyes widen and his heart drops into his stomach. His mouth opens slightly, and he starts shaking his head...

"Oh...no..."

Sykes grins diabolically...then raises a finger to his brow, mock-saluting. Todd snaps out of his shock-induced trance, and starts to yell at the top of his lungs...

"TEA!! TEA!!"

Sykes watches him flounder around hysterically for a second...tilting his head slightly. Then in one swift, fluid move, he grabs the gun out of his belt, aims out the window and fires...

BANG!! A window pane shatters as the round flies out...

Todd gasps, and ducks just in time...Sykes' eyes fill with rage...he snarls and starts firing at him rapidly, stepping forward. The air is suddenly filled with loud BANGS, the sound of glass splintering apart...and the rain.

Todd drops to the ground, splashing into the wet grass, covering his head...hearing, and feeling, the rounds whizzing by him. He stays down, his breaths short and ragged, until the shooting stops. The air soon quiets back down to the steady patter of the rain.

Sykes stands by the broken window, breathing hard. The 9mm sits quietly smoking in his hand. He raises the gun up, releasing the magazine. He steps up to the ledge, yelling out the window as he reaches into his pocket for another magazine.

"Come on, Manning!! Get your ass up!!"

Todd looks around...then starts to get up, slowly, carefully. He straightens up, looking up into the window...Sykes is aimed in on him again, reloaded. Todd stands motionless, dripping wet and muddy...looking extremely pathetic. Sykes grins at him, his aim steady.

"Hmmph. You look GREAT," he shouts, sarcastically.

Todd just stares at him, his chest heaving. Sykes tilts his head a little, taking a deep breath.

"Well...we have things to discuss, wouldn't you say?! And not a lot of time, so...won't you come in?"

Todd's brow creases. Sykes smiles at him. "Oh, don't worry, I'll get the front door for you!! Now MOVE IT!!"

Todd takes a deep breath, then starts to walk over to the front door. Sykes watches him for a second, the gun following him...then takes off. Todd looks around the dark, deserted grounds wildly, feeling helpless and trapped. As he walks up the steps, the door opens in front of him. He stops for a second, then steps inside.

He looks around the foyer, taking a few steps toward the hall. The door slams behind him...he turns around, and...

BAM!!! Todd flies back from the punch, then falls to the floor in a wet heap. He blinks rapidly, eyes wide...he shakes his head and looks up...to see Sykes standing over him, flexing his gloved fingers, shaking his wrist out.

He grins down at him, his voice oozing out venomously. "Now THAT...felt REALLY GOOD."

Todd stares up at him through his wet hair, dazed. He blinks, feeling his face smarting...and suddenly feeling a horrible sense of deja-vu...like he's been in this very same position before. He blinks again...as Sykes starts to morph in front of his eyes...

Sykes keeps grinning, just waiting for him to try something, the tone of his voice condescending now.

"Awww...what's the matter, Manning? Your head hurt?"

Todd just blinks at him, entranced by the foggy images he's seeing...Sykes is starting to look, and sound, an awful lot like...

Sykes makes little quoting gestures with his gloved hands, his eyes full of mock pity.

"Are you gonna 'shut down' now...turn into that stupid little kid...or the guy with the cheesy accent?"

Todd focuses on his face...a face that's switching back and forth...from Sykes' own...to his father's.

"Come on, let's hear it. Tell me. Tell me how the world OWES you because your father smacked you around a little...how 'past abuses and trauma' give you an EXCUSE to be a criminal..."

Todd feels the fire in his belly starting to rise up, as Sykes drones on with Peter Manning's face and voice.

"...and how nobody could possibly blame YOU for being a worthless little psychopathic rapist... 'cause you've got ISSUES, and, uh...oh, what's it called again? Oh, yeah...a dissociative disorder."

Todd shakes the wet strands of hair out of his face, snapping out of his trance...his eyes flashing with old...and new...anger.

Then suddenly, he springs up and rushes him...Sykes brings an elbow down hard into Todd's back as he tackles him. Todd pushes with all his might, running them into the living room...forcing them backward, until Sykes falls over the arm of one of the chairs, pushing furniture with them as they fall. A lamp sitting on the end table tips over and crashes into a million pieces on the floor.

In Joely's office, the sudden noise causes Tea's eyes to flutter open. She grimaces, a whole side of her face throbbing. She blinks, focuses...and sees Joely lying next to her, motionless. She leans over, touching her arm...no movement. Tea gets up, slowly, and touches her neck...feeling a faint pulse. She looks toward the door, hearing the scuffle going on outside...her eyes dart around wildly...finally falling on the phone on the desk...

Pinned against the chair, Sykes brings his arms up, grabbing a hold of Todd by the neck and squeezing. Todd grimaces, twisting around, gasping for air...then manages to slip his own hands between Sykes' arms. He pushes against his arms with all his might, forcing them apart, breaking the stranglehold.

He gulps down some air, then pulls back and swings...

...punching Sykes square in the jaw. Sykes grunts, his head snapping to one side with the hit, then turns back, eyes flashing. He brings a knee up hard into Todd's crotch...Todd sucks his breath in, reeling back with the pain...Sykes brings a foot up quick and kicks him in the gut, sending Todd flying back into the foyer.

Todd falls down hard on his butt. Sykes gets up fast, taking long strides toward him. Todd scrambles, trying to get up, but can only manage to move backward across the floor on his hands, backing up against the bottom stair. Sykes reaches down and grabs him by the jacket lapels, pulling him up...their eyes pierce into each other's faces, both panting. Sykes pulls Todd in close, whispering to him with a bloody mouth.

"I've had it with you, Manning. You may've fooled Tea, and that cute little girl of yours, but not ME. I know what you are...you're a pathetic excuse for a human being, who should be put down like a rabid DOG. And you know what? That's EXACTLY what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna make the world a better place..."

He tilts his head, eyeing Todd coolly. "...and then Tea and I...we're gonna disappear forever."

Todd shakes his head, eyes filled with rage. He snorts, then spits at him...Sykes blinks as it splatters right by his eye, then looks back at Todd, who stares at him defiantly.

"If anyone's gonna go down like a dog...it's gonna be YOU."

Sykes grins, then sniffs. Without a word, he whirls Todd around and kicks him down onto the floor, falling on his stomach. Todd tries to get up, but Sykes quickly plants one foot down on his back, pinning him to the floor. He flails around wildly as Sykes pulls the 9mm out of his belt, and checks it. Todd glances up in time to see him point the muzzle directly at his face.

"NO!!!" The house suddenly echoes with Tea's scream. Their heads both turn to see her running toward them.

Sykes instinctively lifts the gun, aiming at her. "GET BACK!!"

Todd yells at her, pinned down. "Delgado...STOP!!"

She sees the muzzle pointed at her and stops in her tracks. She looks down at Todd, then up at Sykes, who stares at her with narrow eyes. She takes a deep breath and holds her hands up slowly, her eyes brimming with tears.

She whispers to him. "John...please..."

His brow crinkles as he looks at her, his voice coming out low and calm

"I'm warning you, Tea...get back."

She shakes her head, edging her way closer, hands still out, begging.

"Please...please...don't do this..."

He snarls as she approaches...feeling himself start to panic. She gets within arms reach...

...and in a couple of quick, smooth moves, Sykes lowers the gun, re-aiming at Todd, and reaches out with his other arm, grabbing her by the neck in a vice-like grip. She gasps, eyes wide, as Todd yells up at him.

"Let her go!!"

Sykes pulls Tea closer, as she flails around, punching his arm. He stares into her eyes for a moment...

...then tosses her aside like a rag doll. She lands on her hands, sliding across the floor. She sits up, shaking her head, trying to focus. She looks up just in time to see Sykes move his foot up to the back of Todd's neck, pinning his head down. Sykes blinks hard, then looks up at the ceiling for a second, steeling himself as he points the muzzle at Todd's head. Todd flails around, desperately trying to free himself.

Tea screams as she tries to get on her feet. "John...STOP!!!"

"Stay back!" he growls. But Tea scrambles over, getting between the muzzle and Todd's head.

"Tea...DON'T!" Todd yells at her as she covers him, looking up into Sykes' icy eyes.

She cries, her voice wavering, pleading with him. "PLEASE..."

Sykes doesn't budge...he just stares into her eyes, unmoved...

"Get out of the way."

Hysterical now, her speech becomes frenzied, running her words together into a pathetic, tearful plea.

"OhgodjohnpleaseImbeggingyoudontkillhimpleasegodIlldoanything..."

There's a tense silence as Sykes looks at her for a moment. Tea stares back at him bravely, but terrified inside, unable to read him. Sheltered behind her, Todd shuts his eyes, holding his breath.

Sykes glances off to the side for a second...then back at Tea's pitiful, wet face. Without a word, he reaches behind him, lifting a pair of handcuffs from his back pocket. He snaps his hand back to the front, twirling them around and opening one cuff. Tea's mouth opens slightly, her brow creasing. He stows the gun as he bends down, kneeling on Todd's back. He reaches over and locks the open cuff around one of Todd's wrists.

He picks his head up, and looks at her, calmly. "Get up, Tea."

"Wh-what are you..."

"I said get up."

She moves away, reluctantly, but not far. Todd tries to look around behind him as Sykes starts frisking him, checking all his pockets. He feels the car keys and pulls them out...then he gets up, and pulls on the other cuff, lifting Todd up and over. Tea looks on, confused, as Sykes starts to drag him by the arm. Todd realizes what he's doing and starts to throw himself around, trying to break free. He grunts, pulling against Sykes as he opens the other cuff...

Tea crawls over, sniffling, looking up at Sykes. "John, what are you doing?"

CLANK...CLICK. He locks the other cuff around the iron banister. Tea's mouth drops as Sykes grabs her by the arm, lifting her off the floor. She stands up as he looks down at Todd, who's pulling on the post with all his might, uselessly banging metal against metal . Sykes looks at him strangely.

"Why dontcha just CHEW your arm off, Manning...you'll probably have better luck."

He shakes his head, then looks at Tea, who's staring at him in shock. He returns her look.

"What?" He glances down at Todd, then back up at her. "You asked me not to kill him."

Tea can't even speak, she's so traumatized. "B-b-b-b-but..."

Sykes runs a hand through his hair, sighing. "Oh, man. We gotta get outta here. I'll get your stuff."

He walks off into Joely's office. Tea runs back over to Todd...they stare at each other for a second. She holds his face in her hands, her voice wavering.

"I-I don't know what to do...I-I-I already called 911...they should BE here..."

Todd glances around, desperately trying to think of something. He looks back at her, at a loss. Just then, Sykes comes back out with Tea's coat and purse. He sees them and stops, sighing heavily. Then he tosses her coat over his shoulder and walks over to them. She looks up at him just as he grabs her arm, starting to pull her up.

She resists. He pulls harder. She pulls right back. "Let me go..."

He rolls his eyes at her. "I don't have time for this. Get up."

Todd just looks back and forth between them, speechless. Sykes looks at him, and smirks.

"Sorry, but we gotta go now. Hope they find you sometime in the next month...oh, and, uh...tell Bo I said hi."

He starts to pull Tea up again. She grabs Todd's hand. Sykes puts all his strength into it, and yanks her up, straining the link...her hand starts to slip away. Todd reaches as far as he can, trying to hold on to her fingers.

Sykes rolls his eyes again. "Oh, for God's sake..."

He grabs her wrist, pulling her fingers out of Todd's grasp. She struggles, pulling her wrist free, trying to hit him. He bends slightly, pushing her knees out and scooping her up into his arms. She starts to scream as he carries her out, flailing around wildly.

"NO!!! LET ME GO!!! TODD!!!"

Todd tugs on the handcuffs, pulling and pulling as hard as he can...the cuff clanks against the iron railing, solid. He starts to make soft, whimpering sounds as he tires, realizing the futility of what he's doing...and hearing Tea, outside in the rain, still screaming at the top of her lungs. He collapses against the stair, exhausted...and powerless.