Hey guys! This is the edited, slightly altered revamped version of 'Survival'. Not much has changed from the first copy, but I've decided to split the parts into smaller chapters, instead of whopping 9,000-10,000 word ones. This chapter and the newly uploaded second chapter are just the original part 1 split up, but I'll be uploading the third chapter (NEW!) in the next few days :)

If you've read this before, then you might wanna read it again, just to catch up and refresh yourself on the plot etc and if you haven't read it, then please read! (and leave a review if you're feeling generous).

SURVIVAL

DancerInTheDark101

– Part 1 –

Chapter 1

So it begins…

Captain Weaver looked on in a mixture of shock and horror as Tom Mason followed the harnessed Karen onto the mother ship, where they soon quickly disappeared into the depths. The ship began to hover and the lights emitting from the alien structure began to flash at random intervals as the door closed with a hiss. The sound of the ships thrusters powering up ripped through the otherwise calm night air, followed closely by a strong wind caused by the energy being dispersed by the engines.

The captain threw up an arm to shield his face as the ship began to elevate, the wind howling around him and lashing at the exposed skin on his face and neck. Another burst of energy later and the mother ship, along with the tall alien, Karen and Tom Mason, was gone. Dan Weaver was left standing in the ruins of Boston, Massachusetts alone and with a very long trek back to John F. Kennedy High School.

Tom had informed him of the survival of Pope and Anthony, so that was one less thing for Weaver to worry about. Anthony was in bad shape, but Pope managed to get another old car up and running and was driving that back to the school.

Something moved to his left and instantly Weaver was on alert. He reached behind him and quickly grabbed his gun, swinging it around to the front and gripping it tight with his finger pressed against the trigger tightly.

He scoped the area out, eyes sweeping back and forth in the darkened night. Bending his knees slightly, the militia captain slowly and carefully moved along the edge of the road. He had moved a few hundred meters before he heard it. To the right of him on the other side of the road was the tell-tale noise of Skitters communicating. Their garbled snappish tones seemingly magnified in the cool night air.

"Shit," he whispered as they came into sight. There were four of them, standing in somewhat of a circle. He couldn't see or hear any Mechs nearby, which was strange in itself. Now he just had to find a way to get around the Skitters without making himself known. As much as he took pride in his own fighting and shooting skills, there wasn't much he was going to be able to do against four Skitters. He was alone and only had the SIG assault rifle and the Beretta handgun. The best thing he could do now was make it back alive to the rest of the Second Mass. They were his first priority.

Taking in a deep steadying breath, Weaver inched backwards to shield himself in the darkness provided by several trees lining the road. The Skitters were smack bang in the middle of the intersection, the very same intersection he was going to have to go through to get back to the high school.

Behind him was the city. There was always a chance he could back track into the city and find another way around, but there was no telling how many Mechs and Skitters were patrolling there. Especially considering that they'd just managed to severely damage the control tower.

Allowing himself to turn and look at the tower, Dan Weaver couldn't help but smirk. The tower was slowly but surely being destroyed. He could see multiple explosions ripping through the metal structure in a domino effect. Soon, there wouldn't be enough support to keep it upright and it would crumble. Weaver wanted to be far, far away when that happened.

Weaver gripped the gun a little tighter before moving forward, keeping as close to the tree line as he could. It wasn't long before he reached the edge of the road which then spread out into the open space of the cross roads before splitting off into the four separate roads. He was going to have to continue going straight, but with the Skitters converged right in the middle; it was going to be one hell of a problem.

Maybe he could use a distraction. He had a quick look through the pockets in his jacket and pants to see if there were any grenades or other weapons he could use, but came up empty. He could always fire his weapon in another direction, but there was always the chance the gunfire could bring other Mechs and Skitters running and if he was followed…

No, the only way to go about it was to somehow get past without being heard or seen. He pressed himself against the nearest tree and decided to wait it out. If the Skitters didn't move in half an hour, he was going to have to try something else.

As he waited, Weaver thought about everything that had just happened. Yes, they had managed to destroy the tower over Boston, but at what cost? He'd lost his XO aboard an alien mother ship in an attempt to save his middle child; several of his best fighters had been killed on the attack on Boston and god knows what else.

Tom had informed him that there had been an attack on the school, so they had been forced to evacuate all the civilians and children while several of the fighters stayed behind to fight them off. In the end, Scott had managed to find the frequency at what the Mechs and Skitters were communicating through and jammed it. And he'd had help in the most unusual way – Ben Mason.

Weaver was a little wary of Ben Mason. Yes, he seemed like a decent kid; smart, loyal and dedicated. But he had overheard the other Mason children talking about how much he had changed. The kid had increased strength and stamina and now he could hear the radio frequencies used by the aliens? There were two ways that could go. It could be an asset, used much like how Scott did and jam the frequencies; or it could be one hell of a hindrance. If the kid could hear the Skitters talking, who knew what they were telling or doing to him.

He rubbed a hand over his face in exasperation. God, things were becoming more and more complicated. And now he was going to have to go back and tell those three Mason boys that their father was gone – willingly boarding an alien ship to save Ben's life.

A sound tearing through the sky broke the captain out of his thoughts. Looking up, Weaver saw several airships rocketing towards the tower. A quick peek out to the intersection showed that the Skitters were moving and they were moving away from the city.

A sinking feeling shot through his gut. As soon as the Skitters were out of sight, Weaver sprinted across the open, exposed area and to the other side before quickly hiding in the tree line again. He watched on in horror as the airships stopped over central Boston and dropped what looked like glowing balls of…something.

The results were instantaneous.

A huge explosion tore through the city, sending a shock wave like a tidal wave racing outwards from the point of impact. Weaver grimaced as the wind hit him and almost threw him off his feet. There was another explosion, quickly followed by a third.

The aliens were bombing Boston. Anyone still alive in the city would have been killed in seconds.

"Oh god…" He stared as buildings began to crumble, the once amazing skyline of the city now reduced to rubble and ashes.

Boston was gone.

Entranced by the sight before him, it took a few minutes for Weaver to bring his thoughts back together. From the actions before him, he knew that the aliens were pissed. After all, they'd just bombed a city they had complete control of. Obviously the towers were much more important than what they originally alleged.

Looking back, Weaver saw the truck that he and Tom had managed to get up and running. It was just sitting there. Before, he hadn't been able to use it as he hadn't wanted to alert the Skitters, but now… Making the decision, the captain raced back over to where the old truck was parked and jumped in the driver's side. He was going to have to high-tail it out of there, because if any of the enemy heard the engine, he was screwed.

Weaver winced as the engine started with a loud grumble before smoothing out into a dull roar. He pulled the rifle off his back and placed it on the passenger's seat, making sure that he would be able to grab it easily enough. He placed the Beretta that was currently placed in a holster attached to his belt on the dash.

Gripping the steering wheel, he did a quick sweep of the area and after finding it abandoned, he planted his foot on the accelerator and headed towards the school. Hopefully there were still some of the fighters hanging around, as Pope and Anthony should have arrived by now.

It took less time to get back to the high school than it did heading towards the city, Weaver noticed as he pulled up to the darkened buildings. He had been lucky on the way back, not encountering any Skitter or Mech patrols. That didn't quite sit right with him, but he was going to take all that he could get at the moment.

The school was dark and he couldn't see any movement coming from within or outside. Maybe they'd all gone.

"Hal?" he called out, grimacing as his voice carried in the otherwise silent night.

"Captain Weaver?" a hesitant voice spoke out several moments later. Grabbing the two guns in the truck, Weaver slowly inched his way out of the truck. He had no idea how many guns were trained on him and didn't want to take any chances.

"Yes, it's me," he replied, knowing the other voice belonged to the teenage fighter. He knew what the next question would be, and he wasn't looking forward to answering it.

"Is my Dad with you?"

Weaver hesitated. He put a hand up to cover his eyes as several floodlights came on, bathing the entire area in light. Looking from behind his hand, he saw Hal, Maggie, Dai and Jimmy standing beside one of the overturned cars and they all had their weapons aimed in his direction.

"He's not with me." He decided not to elaborate. The figured the best way to break the news would be to tell the Mason boys separately and then the rest of the Second Mass as a whole. Weaver then dropped his SIG rifle and Beretta on the ground before turning around, hands in the air, showing the fighters that he was unarmed.

Hearing the tell-tale clicks of the safety being flicked on the fighters' weapons, Weaver bent down and grabbed his own weapons before straightening again and facing the young men and women before him.

He looked at the faces staring back at him, almost buckling under the emotion pouring off one in particular. Hal looked devastated; sick even. His face was ashen under the mop of black unruly hair; his eyes glistening under the light as they swum with unshed tears. He seemed to have shrunk, his body slouched and limp. Weaver cursed Tom Mason for doing what he had done. He knew he was just trying to save his kid, but what about the other two?

Weaver knew what it was like to lose a child and never wanted to experience that again, but what were Hal and Matt going to think when he told them what their father had done? Yes, he'd gone with them to save their brother, but at the same time he'd effectively abandoned them all.

"Let's head inside and I'll explain," he said. He locked eyes with Hal. "Hal, you need to grab your brother. Bring him to my office and I'll explain everything, okay?" His tone softened noticeably when talking to Hal.

The boy nodded before stalking off, head hung low. Weaver caught the glances the others sent to each other. "Go," he ordered gruffly. "Get everyone still here and gather them in the gymnasium. Once I've finished talking to the Mason boys, I'll debrief everyone on what's happened. We'll be moving out to join the rest as soon as I've done that." When no one moved, Weaver stopped walking and spun around, glaring. "Go! You'll hear everything soon enough. Hal will be fine." He added the last part as an afterthought. Of course they were going to be worried about the teenager. He was a fellow soldier; a friend.

The three fighters dispersed, each heading in a different direction to round up the remaining troops. Weaver now had the hard task of explaining to two teenagers and a young boy why their father was gone. He strode towards his office, thinking of how to break it to them. It was obvious that Hal thought his father was dead. Yes, he could have cleared that up when he had first arrived, but there wasn't time.

It was only a matter of time before the Skitters and Mechs found out that there were still fighters left at the school. They'd be back, and they'd bring the heavy artillery this time.

Arriving at his make-shift office, Captain Dan Weaver peered inside before entering. He placed a hand on the glass window the made up the top half of the door, feeling something inside him break as he saw the two boys.

The two of them were sitting together on one of the couches placed against the far wall. Hal was sitting on one end, fidgeting as he waited to hear news of their father. Ben however was sitting very still, seemingly staring out into nothing and not responding to anything said to him by his brother.

As soon as he opened the door, the two boys head's shot up and towards the noise. Hal stood immediately, his eyes shining with grief and laced with anger. Good, Weaver thought. Anger was what was going to get the eldest through this.

"Sit, Hal," Weaver commanded. The black-haired boy sat again, this time on the edge of the couch. The captain went and grabbed one of the many wooden chairs placed in the room and pulled it so that he was sitting directly in front of the boys. He spun it round and sat on it, arms resting on the back of the chair.

Weaver breathed deeply, preparing himself for the task he was about to undertake. He knew that the boys weren't going to react well. There would assuredly be blame placed upon him for letting their father onto the alien ship in the first place.

"Your father isn't dead." He went straight to the point. There was no reason to beat around the bush and delay it all out.

"What?" Hal exploded. "You came back alone! If he's not dead, then where the hell is he? Is he still in the city? Injured?"

"Let me explain, Hal. You will know everything. Just let me explain." The elder Mason boy slumped back into the couch. Weaver could see his hands clenching and unclenching into fists. This was not going well.

"I met up with Tom in the city. He'd come in a little too late though. Most of our men were dead and as far as I'm aware, only Pope and Anthony made it out. Tom managed to get hold of our RPG-7 fitted with the Mech-enhanced warhead and shot down one of the airships as it was entering the Boston Tower. The tower is gone."

Leaving no time for the boys to interrupt him, Weaver carried on. He noticed that Hal looked proud of his father's achievements. Personally, Weaver thought the shot was somewhat of a fluke, but fluke or not, it worked.

Shifting slightly in his seat, the Captain sighed heavily as the events of the day finally caught up with him. He was exhausted and in desperate need of sleep. That wasn't an option however. They needed to keep moving.

"We managed to get an old truck up and running and were leaving the city when we were stopped. An alien mother ship blocked our path and we were confronted by," he broke off, coming to the sudden conclusion that this next part wasn't going to be easy on the eldest Mason boy either. There was no avoiding it though. "We were approached and confronted by Karen."

Weaver had never seen someone deflate as easily as what Hal Mason did when he heard his girlfriend's name. The young man fell back in his seat, face draining of all colour and Weaver could virtually see the thoughts racing around his head.

"Was… was she harnessed?" Hal's voice was shaky at best. He ran a hand through the mess of black hair, his gaze locking with his own as he leant forward placing his elbows on his knees and resting his head in his hands.

"I'm afraid that she was harnessed, Hal."

"Oh god…" Hal groaned. "Karen…" he trailed off into a whisper.

Captain Weaver let the boy have a moment and while doing so, he took the time to take a good look at Ben. The boy looked horrified and Weaver knew exactly what was going through his mind. Karen had been taken when Hal and his girlfriend had been trying to rescue him from the Skitters. The boy was blaming himself for Karen being harnessed; which was ridiculous. It was as much his fault as it was Hal's. There had been nothing they could have done. Just like Ben had no choice when he had been taken and harnessed against his will.

"What happened then?" It was Ben Mason who had spoken this time. His voice was quiet and filled with regret. "What did Dad do?"

"After Karen appeared, the alien ship had landed and one of the tall aliens stepped out. Karen started spouting a whole bunch of nonsense and we quickly realised the alien was using Karen to communicate with us."

"What did it want?" Hal enquired. He was now siting up straight, his gaze boring straight into his own. Weaver could see that the anger that had been flickering through his eyes was now fully there.

"It wanted your father. Karen started saying some stuff about Ben, how the harness is a process and apparently Ben isn't free from it yet." Weaver took the time to observe how they were processing all the information.

Hal was angry, his face closed off and his eyes gleaming. He was now looking at his younger brother, but Weaver knew he didn't blame him.

Ben… Ben looked horrified. His mouth was open, lips trembling slightly as he attempted to handle the information that had just been handed to him. His breathing had sped up slightly, hitching as he inhaled. The boy was close to a breakdown.

Weaver hated that he had to do this to the boys, but they needed to know. They deserved to know the truth.

"What happened then?" The question came after a long silence; Hal's voice tired and flat.

"They wanted Tom to go with them. It was the only way they were going to leave Ben alone. So Tom went with them." Weaver waited for the backlash. The boy's didn't disappoint.

"What!?" Hal exploded. He stood and glared with eyes full of fury. "You just let our father go onto an alien ship willingly!? What kind of leader are you!?"

Weaver said nothing, but stood as well. He felt the ache immediately rush back into his bones. He was getting too old for this. He brought himself to his full height and stared down at the black-haired teenager. Hal was furious, that much was evident. He had the right to be angry. Hell, Weaver was angry with himself. But Hal hadn't been there. If Tom hadn't have gone with them, they would have been killed on the spot, and the Second Mass would have been next. Tom hadn't just sacrificed himself for his boy (although that was the main reasoning behind it), he had also given the Second Mass some time to get far away from Boston.

Weaver found himself in a deadlock with the eldest Mason boy. Hal was glaring at him; confusion, questioning and fury flashing through his eyes. He was standing ramrod straight, his hands clasping the grip of the assault rifle that was slung over his shoulder. How long the stare-down lasted, Weaver had no idea. They were broken out of it by the slamming of a door and both turned to see Ben's spot on the couch empty.

Hal deflated again, seemingly shrinking into himself as he stared at the door which had closed roughly behind his younger brother.

"I'm going to find Ben," Hal growled. "Once I have, we need to talk."

Weaver nodded. The teenage fighter had questions; one's that he didn't want his brothers to hear as the answers might not be what they wanted to hear. Hal nodded his head once before striding over to the door and wrenching it open.

Running a hand over his face again, Weaver wondered what the hell they were going to do now. He was going to have to appoint a new XO, but there weren't a lot of choices to go around. He needed someone who wasn't power hungry and would put the civilians first. That's probably why his and Tom's relationship worked so well. He was in charge of the battle plans and anything relating to the fighters, while Tom worked with the civilians and worked his hardest to make sure they stayed safe and weren't forgotten about in the grand scheme of things. Tom's knowledge of American military history had come in very handy as well.

But now all that was lost and there were only a few he would trust to step up and take the responsibilities. There was also the option of not choosing just one, but splitting the duties between several soldiers. He would just have to play it by ear and see how it went.

Right now, he had a debriefing to attend in the gymnasium. Weaver rolled his head back and forth, stretching the muscles in his neck. His body was beginning to stiffen up after all the excitement the day had brought. He was going to be sore tomorrow, that was for sure.

With all those thoughts running on a continuous loop in his head, Weaver strode towards the gym.

Thanks for reading! Second chapter is up now too. Third is to come in a few days :)