Bad Things Happen

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye!

Summary: Jackson Rippner is attacked in the hospital following the red-eye and forced to fight for his life. He disappears and by chance, is reunited with Lisa Reisert, only to have someone make an attempt to kill them moments later. Now, they bind together to save themselves. Can two former enemies put aside their differences long enough to save their lives?

Chapter One

Oh how he despised her! That oh-so "innocent" Lisa Reisert had nearly ended his life! The bitch had cost him his job and soon, the people he had been hired by would be out for his blood. It was only a matter of time and it was all because he had felt drawn—okay, attracted—to the helpless victim of the Keefe assassination. The over-emotional loner that he had followed for eight fucking weeks who had dared to fight back.

Lisa Reisert had escaped his control and screwed the job over and placed his life in eminent danger.

The door to his off-white sterile hospital room opened slowly and quietly, allowing him to hear each and every squeak. Jackson closed his intense blue eyes and calmed his breathing, despite the gaping hole in his throat, which had thankfully been closed at the same time the bullets had been removed. He listened to the quiet, halting footsteps of the intruder. It was a man, he guessed, sent here to kill him.

A nameless, faceless killing machine intent upon ending Jackson Rippner's life.

"Good, you've made this a hell of a lot easier," whispered the man, his scratchy voice close to Jackson's right ear.

There was a sharp ping as the hit man dropped something. "Shit," he cursed, bending over to retrieve the fallen object.

It had to be a needle. The hit man was going to inject some kind of drug into his IV and stop his heart. He had planned these super simple clean-up operations before—he had even carried out a few as a rookie. Now, they were trying to assassinate the assassination manager. Jackson was not going down without a fight, though the hit man did not know it.

A flicking sound filled his sensitive ear and he knew that this was it. Now was the time.

Clumsy fingers reached towards the IV inserted in his right arm. Faster than any bolt of lightening could have struck, Jackson Rippner grabbed his would-be assassin's wrists in a left-handed iron grip as his icy blue eyes opened and focused their wrath on the man.

"Not so fast, huh?" he hissed through gritted teeth, the hole cause by Lisa Reisert still impairing his usually smooth voice.

"Rippner," replied the other man coolly with a smirk.

Jackson ripped the needle from the hit man's grasp. "Trying to kill me?" he asked with a sadistic smile; a twisted expression upon his usually pretty face.

"Just a job, nothing personal."

"Then you won't mind," Jackson grinned as he flipped the needle around and plunged it in a vein in the assassin's arm. At least, he assumed he had hit a vein. He had not really been aiming.

"Damn you, Rippner," snapped the man as he slowly crumpled to the floor, the needle still in his right arm, where Jackson had stuck him.

Jackson smiled before ripping the IV from his arm. He was not going to stick around and wait to die. Where there was one assassin, there was plenty more on stand-by, ready to finish the job. That was how his profession worked.

Carefully, he unplugged himself from the various machines and monitoring equipment. Once free, he took his belongings from the closet and slipped them on. There was blood on the pale green dress shirt and the white undershirt from his various wounds, yet he not give a damn. He simply buttoned up the pinstripe suit jacket and wrapped the stylish burgundy scarf around his neck, concealing his bandage and the bloodstains.

Satisfied, Jackson Rippner exited the hospital a free man.

Author's Notes:

I'm trying a super realistic version of a sequel to the movie. I've got the entire story and plot sketched out, but I'm not sure how quick I'm going to get updates out. The chapters are going to switch between characters, so it's not entirely Jackson-centric, but much of it will be from his POV because Jackson is the easiest for me to write. He's gonna be one nasty bastard, but it's because of his job. It's all related to his job. Enjoy and please view a review!