A/N: Hey everyone, Chronos reporting in again! You're probably looking at this, then going back to Under Fire and thinking "What the hell?" Well, when I'm suffering from major brain farts and can't really work on Under Fire, I start working on this little nugget. It follows Gears of War 2 more closely then Under Fire does; in a way, its easier to write then Under Fire simply because it parallels Gears 2. Anyways, enough of my babble, I hope you guys enjoy this :) Reviewers get cyber cookies!

Kudos.

Gears of War 2: Revelations
Chapter 1: Where We Were

"We need more morphine, stat…!"

"We're loosing her!"

If those were the last words Allena Duke ever heard, she wasn't sure she would have minded.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed since the KR had crashed- maybe it had only been a few minutes. She vaguely wondered what had happened to the other occupants of that ill-fated chopper- the kid named Liu and the older Gear, Featherstone, and the pilot and his copilot. They were probably all dead; if not, someone upstairs must have really liked them.

As she bobbed in and out of consciousness, one thing became painfully clear- she wasn't dead yet. It was nicer to be asleep, oblivious to the pain that seemed to come from everywhere, so she put most of her energy into that, into finding a peaceful oblivion that was hers and hers alone for long periods of time. She managed a sound in the back of her throat as someone tried to prod her out of it- it was a sort of I-don't-care-who-you-are-leave-me-the-fuck-alone kind of sound, since the words wouldn't exactly come at the moment.

"Well, it seems she's awake," someone said, and her mind was too muddled for her to recognize who was talking. Slowly, she opened her eyes, everything blurred and hazy for a moment before sharply coming into focus. Three figures leaned over her, all wearing surgical gear.

"Is that… my blood?"

She could only stare wondrously at the blood in the needle that the one of the doctors held into the air, watching as they injected it into a vial. Something told her she should ask what was happening, why they were taking her blood, but the blinding pain in her skull told her it was better to just sit and admire the scarlet liquid

"Yes, you lost quite a bit of it sweetie," one of the medics said soothingly. Allena frowned; she didn't exactly feel like being mothered. She wanted to go back to sleep, more then anything, but the good doctor (or doctors, in this case) seemed to have a different opinion on that. "We thought we were going to loose you there." Allena raised one eyebrow, then tried to sit up, gritting her teeth against the jackhammer going off inside her head.

"Whoa, slow down there," one of the other doctors said, as they rushed to push her back down.

"Get the hell off me," she grumbled, although she wasn't sure those were the words that came out. Someone obviously was not a happy camper.

"Miss Duke, you're still recovering from the KR crash," the female surgeon said, sounding distressed. She tried to gently push her down again, but Allena shrugged her off, pushing the covers back. She checked her arms and legs- they were sore, but it was manageable.

"How long have I been out," she asked, as she unsteadily got to her feet. The doctors gave up on trying to get her back down and went on to mollycoddle her, something that left a bad taste in Allena's mouth.

"Two weeks, Miss Duke."

Allena froze, turning to look at them. "Two weeks? You can't be serious!" The doctor's blinked, looking more then a little fazed by the young woman's outburst. "I've been out for two weeks?" She shoved past the doctors and began walking again, fury oozing off of her at a tremendous rate and giving her the energy to move; one could compare it to an injured Brumak going on a final charge. It was all she could do to keep her temper in check- it wasn't the doctors who put you under for two fucking weeks, Allena… it was that stupid reaver that just had to hit the King Raven and… two weeks? Jesus!

She pushed out the double doors, gritting her teeth as a wave of nausea hit her. She refused to go down again, she had work to do and it was important…

She tripped over her own feet, and her legs decided to give out on her there and then.

"Shit, what the hell?"

Allena was more then surprised to find the she had stopped falling, and that she hadn't hit the floor. She looked up as someone roughly put her back on her feet, her body aching in protest to the rough treatment. She looked up, her scowl already set in place, to find herself looking up at a man built like a tank.

"Gear," she said immediately, then flushed slightly. "I mean, thanks." the blonde man scowled at her like she was some kind of nasty disease; Allena raised an eyebrow at him, one hand on her hip. And who the hell did he think he was?

"Yeah, just watch it," he said rather rudely. "Fucking women," he muttered under his breathe. Allena's temper flared, but he stalked off before she could give him a piece of her mind. Allena wasn't the biggest fan of the Gears- sure, she thought they were great warriors and vital to the cause. But learning a bit of decency wouldn't have hurt them one bit.

"Miss Duke, are you alright," the female doctor asked, as they caught up to her.

"Perfectly fine," she said brusquely, a frown still on her face as she watched the blonde Gear leave. "Who was that?"

"I'm not sure, ma'am," the doctor said, not even bothering to look at who Allena was talking about. "You really should get back, Miss Duke, we need to run some diagnostics tests before we can clear you-"

"I'm perfectly fine," Allena said, obviously irritated. "Look, I'm sure there's some poor, dying Gear in there that needs his daily shot of morphine, so you go take care of your business and I'll go take care of mine. Have a nice day." She spun around and walked off, leaving the doctors rather baffled. Allena couldn't spare a moment to care; she was going to go back to her office, and if someone had so much as breathed on her work, heads would roll.

-VVVVVVVVVVVVVVV-

Damon Baird was more then a little surprised when the girl unexpectedly tripped right in front of him. A few expletives escaped his mouth as he caught her, trying not to drop his Lancer in the process. She was a tiny little thing, and she looked like hell; he wouldn't have pinned her for being over 16 or 17, had he run into her on the streets. She looked up at him with big, ice blue eyes; they made him think of a husky dog, like the one his neighbor had had when he was a kid.

"Gear," she gaped, as he set her back on her feet. Her cheeks flushed a delicate shade of red, and she shook her head slightly at herself. At least it wasn't just him who thought she was a complete idiot. "I mean, thanks." He only scowled at her, shouldering his Lancer again.

"Yeah, just watch it," he spat at her, turning abruptly on his heel. "Fucking women." He stalked off, hurrying to catch back up with his squad.

"Yo, Baird, what happened to ya back there, man," Cole asked, slapping him on the shoulder as he caught up. It was apparent that the smaller man was in a rather foul mood, but that didn't deter the ex-thrash ball player. "Thought some of 'em grubs came up and got ya, baby!"

"Nothing, just some stupid kid who didn't know how to walk," he said moodily. Cole only chuckled and shook his head, turning to continue down the hall.

"Damn, Baird, something's sure got you in a bad mood," he said.

"Yeah, and what the hell do you have to be so damn cheerful about?"

-VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV-

"Its good to see you back on your feet, Miss Duke."

Allena only nodded her head once at Hoffman's words, more concerned at why the hell she was in his office. Didn't he know she was busy? The 24-year-old tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for him to say whatever it was he had to say.

"That little 'copter crash set you behind schedule, I understand," he said in his gruff manner. She nodded again, noting that the Colonel didn't look too happy. And what's wrong with you, sunshine? "Prescott isn't too happy about that; apparently your work is some big to-do with the higher-ups." Allena could have snorted at that, had she felt the need to. Of course, the Colonel wouldn't agree with her work- for the Gears, hell, for most of humanity, trying to understand the Locusts was a lost cause; killing them all with guns blazing was a better way of life for them. Of course, people like Allena understood that humanity could only hold out like that for so long, and if they didn't win this war now, there would be no later unless there was some sort of contingency plan.

"Yes, well, I am behind a few days," she said, one eyebrow raised. "Excuse me for my rudeness, Colonel, but I do have work to do, and this little meeting is holding me back even more. If I may be so blunt as to ask why I'm here?"

"Yes, of course," Hoffman said, sounding slightly disgruntled. It was obvious he wasn't used to being talked to like that. "Chairman Prescott thinks it would be best if you got some more… hands-on experience with the Locusts."

It was silent in the office as Allena stared down the Colonel, one eyebrow still arched perfectly above her eye. "Pardon me," she finally asked, unable to grasp what he had told her.

"Chairman Prescott wants you to see these things up close and personal," Hoffman said, sounding almost amused by the baffled expression Allena was giving him. Smug bastard. "He's asked me to assign you to field work." Allena paled noticeably, her eyes widening.

"Wait, sir, I don't quite understand," she said, feeling herself begin to panic. Keep your cool, Allena… "Do you mean I'm going… out there?"

"Yes, Miss Duke," Hoffman said, as if he were talking to a child. "Now, normally I'd say no- my Gears have enough to worry about without having to baby-sit you while you gather information- but the Chairman was adamant that you be sent out." She flinched at the word baby-sit, but let it slide without comment; she was more worried about the fact that she was actually being sent into the field. Did Prescott want her dead?

"With all due respect, I'm not a soldier," she said, that ugly beast named Panic sinking its teeth into her. "You can't possibly expect me to survive…"

"No worries, Miss Duke," Hoffman said, sounding smug. "You'll be with the best soldiers I can offer…." Allena felt her stomach sink as he pulled out a file, writing some things on a paper inside. "You'll be assigned to Delta squad for Operation Hollow Storm."

"Sir, I don't think that the best time to send me anywhere with anyone would be right now," she said, sounding panicked. "Operation Hollow Storm? I'm sure those Gears don't want to have to worry about me, and I'm not sure I feel so safe-"

"Orders are orders, Miss Duke," Hoffman cut her off, almost cheerily, stamping something on top of the papers. He slid them across the desk to her, and she took them with a sick feeling.

She had a feeling this wasn't going to end well.

-VVVVVVVVVVVVVVV-

"What was that?"

"Hoffman did what?"

Marcus sighed in irritation as the other members of Delta voiced their complaints, running a hand over his face.

"Look, I'm not to happy about it either," he growled, the other men falling silent. Dom was generally good about these kinds of things; he would be more concerned about their charge then anything else. But of course Baird would bitch just to bitch- it was in his nature.

"First Prescott sends us into the pits of hell, okay, that's all fine and fucking dandy, but now this? The last thing we need is some scientist prick slowing us down," the blonde Gear said, looking absolutely furious. "What the hell, man?"

"Quite your bitching, Baird," Marcus growled, clenching his jaw for a second. "Hoffman gave his orders."

"Who's this kid, anyways," Dom asked, breaking through the tension building between the two Gears. "What's he doing getting assigned to fieldwork?"

"Last name's Duke," Marcus said, grabbing the file off the table next to him and tossing it to Dom and Baird. The blonde gear recoiled from it as if it were an ink grenade, leaving the latino to pick it up and flip it open. "Apparently the kid is some high-up scientific figure, specializes in linguistics and Locust rituals."

"Why would anyone want to specialize in that," Dom asked incredulously, reading the first paper he saw.

"Beats me," Marcus said with a shrug. "He's working on some project for the higher-ups, gotta gather some information first hand."

"He's twenty-four and a what?" Dom said, his eyes dancing over the paperwork. "How the hell does this kid already have a doctorate?"

"I was one of those whiz-kid types," a voice said from the doorway, effectively startling the three men. One would have thought that the Locusts had gotten the drop on them, the way they reacted. They stared blankly at the slim woman standing in the doorway, dressed in civvies with her arms crossed over her chest. She raised one eyebrow as she scanned the group of men, her eyes resting on Baird. She blinked, then scowled at him, uncrossing her arms and entering the room. "I graduated from college at 16," she continued. "Just received my doctorate last year." She stopped in front of Marcus, holding one slim hand out. "Allena Duke, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Marcus Fenix," the man growled, recovering in time to shake her hand. He was slightly surprised by the strength in her hand, but wasn't given the time to think much more about it as she let go, turning to look at the other two.

"Dominic Santiago," Dom said, stretching his hand out to her. "You can call me Dom."

Allena cracked a small smile for Dom; she had a feeling she would like him. She shook his hand, then swung around to confront the blonde Gear. She raised one eyebrow expectantly, waiting for him to extend his hand and give her a name. The two stared each other down for a moment, and then he shot his hand out with an air of contempt.

"Damon Baird," he said carelessly, as he briefly gripped her hand. They let go at the same time; she only rolled her eyes at him before turning to face Marcus once again.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience this must be causing you," she said, brushing inky black hair out of her eyes. "Chairman Prescott somehow got it into his head that it would be better if I got some hands-on information." The distaste in her voice was obvious; she wasn't happy about this anymore then the members of Delta squad were.

"You any good with a gun," Marcus asked, cutting to the chase. Might as well see how much trouble the kid would be.

"I can shoot," she said uneasily. "I mean, I've been to the range enough times. Its mandatory to go down every couple of months, at the very least." She took a deep breathe, shrugging. "I'm qualified as a medic, if it matters any."

"Can you perform surgery on yourself," Baird asked mockingly, earning a scathing look from Allena that would have had a lesser man cowering under the table. "You're gonna need it, kid."

"You shouldn't be so pessimistic," Dom said, nudging the other man. "We'll look out for you, Miss Duke."

"Its just Allena," she said with a grim smile. "And I appreciate the thought." Dom smiled uncomfortably, then noticed the thin black tank top and jeans she was wearing.

"Are you going out in just that?"

Allena looked down at herself, then shook her head. "They're getting together some armor and gear for me," she said. "I was on my way to grab it, just thought I'd drop by and introduce myself before the big push. I'm accompanying you to Landown," she said, looking nervous and uncomfortable again.

"Well, no shit," Baird muttered, loud enough for Allena to hear. She scowled at him, her irritation evident as the blonde grinned at her.

"I'm going to go and pick up my stuff," she said stiffly, promptly ignoring Baird. "I'll be meeting you guys at the rigs." She turned on her heel and marched out, leaving the men to watch her as the door closed.

"This is going to be one hell of a ride," Dom said, letting out a breathe and rubbing the back of his head.

"Maybe if we're lucky, she'll get shot," Baird muttered, earning a punch in the shoulder from Dom.

"Enough you two," Marcus growled. He shook his head at them, pushing off the table. "We've got work to do."