Jimmy was nervous, and how could he not be? Everything about this was terrifying. They were in the middle of nowhere waiting for the General's men to pick them up and take them to another location.

"I just really don't understand why you didn't ask Clark to come with you." He suddenly stated, and Irene was surprised that he was just brining it up now. She had expected him to question her on the 10 hour flight or even when they arrived at their hotel, but now it was too late for him to back out.

"You didn't have to come Jimmy." Irene told him, having to admit that maybe she was a terrible friend for always asking Jimmy to be involved in these kinds of situations.

"It's not that." He replied as he wrapped his scarf around his neck nervously. The wind was starting to pick up, and it was beginning to become difficult to see with the all the sand in the air. The longer they waited for the General's men, the more she admittedly became anxious herself. "It's just that your boyfriend is Superman and yet here you are with me in the African desert. I just don't seem like the safer option."

Irene couldn't deny that Jimmy was right, that the logical choice was Clark. "I just went with my instinct."

Jimmy clearly had more questions but he immediately froze at the sight of a black van approaching them. It was difficult to see though all the sand, but they both knew that this was it. That there was no turning back now.

When the van stopped in front of them, the door slid open as two men gestured for them to enter. Not wasting anytime Irene rushed inside the van, the door closing the moment that Jimmy was inside.

"Passports. Electronics. Phones. Camera." One of the men ordered as he held out a bag before them.

"Your fixer said that the general approved photos." Irene quickly reminded them. They needed the photos not only for credibility, but recent photos of the General would only bring more attention to their story.

The men talked to themselves for a moment before one of them nodded. Once again extending the burlap sack in front of them. Without another word Jimmy and Irene placed their phones and passports into the bag, and all they could do was hope that everything would happen without any problems.

That the interview would take place and that they would be back in their hotel rooms soon.

She couldn't deny that she felt a slight tense of panic the moment that burlap sacks went over their heads. They had been told before their arrival that they would do this as a safety measure, but nothing could have really prepared them for the feeling of the world going dark and being taken somewhere that they had no real control over.

There was no telling how long it took them to reach the General's camp, it could have been an hour or two but as the sacks were pulled off of their beards they were met with almost blinding sunlight.

The men around them didn't say a word as they only motioned them to follow further into the small village.

There were very few pictures of the General that were out in the world, but even without those pictures Irene knew it was him. Powerful men always needed to make sure everyone knew that they were powerful.

Even sitting on a mat on the desert floor the General held himself like a man who believes that he could conquer the world if he wished.

Irene sat down on the mat, adjusting her journal before looking up to meet the General's curious eyes. "Are you a terrorist, General?"

She knew that with a man like this it was best to be straight forward, there was no point in wasting his time with formalities.

"They did not tell me the interview was with a lady." The man replied, his words leaving her stunned for a single moment. A moment in which she spared a quick glance at Jimmy who also seemed confused.

This wasn't right. Perry had told them that the General had specifically requested for her to conduct the interview, but if he didn't know that he was going to get interviewed by a woman then this was all a lie.

This has to be some kind of trap or misunderstanding. But even if the general was unaware than who had set all of this up and why?

"I'm not a lady. I'm a journalist." Irene replied, because her gender didn't matter at all. It didn't affect her work or her make her less qualified to write. And she wasn't going to let the man in front of her assume other wise.

"What I am is a man with nothing except a love of my people."

Irene looked around her at the the men with weapons in their hands. They were all clearly from many different parts of a world, they weren't from here. Meaning that they had to come from a private company outside of the general's beloved country. "Who's paying for these security contractors, General?"

"Who pays for the drones that pass over our heads at night?" He replied casually, but Irene wasn't here for vague answers or assumptions. She needed a clear statement, something that would be considered groundbreaking. "One question begs another. Yes?"

"Say what you're saying, General."

"It's just a camera." She heard Jimmy object behind her, and although she was tempted to look back she remained focused on the interview.

"The United States has declared its neutrality in your country's civil war both in policy and in principle." Irene continued knowing that her words could potentially anger the General, but she needed to test his reaction in order to plan how she would continue the interview.

"These pious American fictions... spoken like truth." The man and although his posture was relaxed, there was no hiding the passion and anger in his eyes.

"Don't open... You just exposed... Okay." Jimmy began to object, and Irene could only imagine what was happening behind her. Perry wanted photos, but if they were pulling apart Jimmy's camera it seemed that the interview alone is all they would be waving with. "That's my film."

"Men with power obey neither policy nor principle, Miss Miranda. No one is different. No one is neutral."

"CIA." One of the men declared causing the general to immediately rise to hide feet. "They're tracking us!"

The General turned to a Irene his face consumed with both anger and fear. "You're CIA?"

"What?" Irene said, stunned by the sudden turn of events. She didn't entirely understand what was happening, it didn't make any sense. But she did know that they were not going to be given a chance to defend themselves. "No. No!"

"You brought him here!"

"No, he's a photographer." Irene told them and this time she was not able to hide the panic in her voice. There were over a dozen guns pointed at them, and one of the men had a gun pressed to the side of Jimmy's head. "No!"

"It's okay, Irene." Jimmy whispered, almost like he had accepted his fate.

"We... we didn't know." Irene quickly defended, not about to let Jimmy die. Especially when he wasn't supposed to be here to begin with, if there was anyone that should have a gun pointed to their head it was her.

Two men grabbed Jimmy and Irene forcing them into a nearby building, where they were forced onto their knees in front of the General. Neither of them dared to move, knowing that the wrong one would get them killed.

"Ignorance is not the same as innocence, Miss Miranda." The General replied, and Irene found herself unable to find any words that could fix this. Nothing could fix this.

Suddenly the sounds of gunshots were heard outside, it was like they were in the middle of a war zone. But it was the women screaming that caused Irene to wince as the General pulled Irene to her feet.

The other men in the room rushed outside leaving Jimmy and Irene alone with the General whose fear only seemed to increase with every gunshot.

Then everything went silent. All the screaming and the gun shot stopped, and and that only seemed to make the General more nervous.

Grabbing  Irene's arm he pulled her to her feet, pressing this gun to the side of her head. Even then she found that she wasn't entirely afraid. She knew that he was coming, that he would save them.

Clearly the General was also waiting for something as his grip on her tightened.

And like she expected, he came crashing through the ceiling only a couple of feet from where Jimmy was still on his knees.

Superman was here, and from the way that the General's hand shook as he pressed the gun harder against her head he knew that it was over. That he would not be able to outrun this.

"Step any closer and you'll see the inside of her head." The General threatened, and although the man's hands were shaking she knew without a doubt that he would go through with that threat.

Meeting Clark's eyes she saw the quiet fury in them, as he waited for her. With a small nod she told him that she was ready for what ever he planned to do. One second Superman was standing in front of her and the next he had flown past her take the General with him.

Turning around she could see where he had flown through the concrete wall. But before either her or Jimmy could process anything Clark was back.

"I'm getting you two out of here." Clark stated firmly as he pulled Irene closer and looked over at Jimmy who couldn't seem more relieved.

"You have to go." She urged him, knowing that he shouldn't be here. Superman being here could be interpreted as a political act, it was dangerous and the reason that she didn't want Clark to come in the first place. There was an image the he had to maintain and Superman was not a political figure.

"What?"

"You have to go. You take us with you and you'll only make this worse."

"She's right." Jimmy agreed knowing that soon the CIA probably would arrive to investigate what had happened.

Clark clearly wasn't comfortable with the idea of leaving them here, but he knew that what they were saying was true. He had to go, and he had to leave them here.

He stepped forward placing a hand on her cheek as he rested his forehead against hers. Clark didn't want to go, but he knew that she wouldn't let him stay. "I'll see you soon."

Irene simply nodded, as she took a couple steps back. There was nothing more that she wanted than to be home, but that would have to wait as Clark nodded in return before disappearing up in the sky.

"Jimmy." Irene said as she turned to her best friend, his hands were still shaking and when she looked down at her own she was surprised to find that hers were shaking too. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for." He replied, but it was more of an attempt to comfort her. Because they both knew the truth. That all of this had happened because of her. She had once again let her ambitions take control.

"Jimmy there's something wrong here."

"I know." Jimmy said, the seriousness in his voice surprising her. "But maybe we should let this story die."

She wished it were an option, but she couldn't shake the feeling that this was going to haunt them all. Everything that was going on around them, all the deaths shouldn't have happened.

A/N: We are finally getting into the BVS plot! We're going to see Irene begin to crack a little with the pressure of everything that she finds herself in the middle of. I'll try to update more frequently, so expect another chapter soon.