Sergeant Marcus Fenix looked out over the empty, vast horizon he could see from the lookout tower. What little that remained of the Gears and Stranded of Jacinto had moved to small towns in the nearby mountain ranges. Marcus could still see what had passed as a normal life for the last 15 years in that city in his mind's eye. But now Jacinto was just a ghost town in a sink hole. It made him hate the Locusts even more if that was possible.
Delta Squad was at the tail-end of their lookout shift. Cole and Baird had finally become permanent members of Delta, and Dom was still the positive voice of the group, although the death of Maria had hit him really hard. Marcus knew his old friend enough that Dom was holding himself together just so he could kill more of the Locust bastards that had killed most of the planet.
As a small speck appeared along the horizon, a slight static filled Marcus's earpiece. The voice he heard through it made him involuntarily snarl.
"Delta, this is Hoffman. Raven coming in with your new teammate. Gamma Squad is releaving you early. Meet at the city square."
"Wilco. Delta out." Was all Marcus could say as he heard footsteps come up from behind him.
The third Carmine brother, Chris, was more seasoned than either Anthony or Benjamin. Marcus couldn't help but feel grateful that he wasn't in charge of another one of the brothers. Delta seemed to be a death sentence for them.
Chris's red hair gleamed in the setting sunlight. Unlike his brothers, he hated the issued helmet, complaining it hindered his field of vision. This finally gave a face to the Carmine brothers; they apparently looked all the same with their dimples.
Chris stood at attention. "Corporal Christopher Carmine of Gamma Squad, sir. I'm here to relief you." They even have the same innocence in their voices, Marcus thought wearily. He nodded at his replacement and started down the stairs.
The rest of Delta was already in the square when Marcus jogged into it. Each one of the members held their usual auras: Cole seemed as giddy as a child on his first day of summer camp, Baird looked as if he was being punished for something, and Dominic seemed to be trying to hold a smile. Trying was the key word.
Colonel Victor Hoffman stood at attention in front of the squad. He glared at the leader of Delta Squad, who returned it with equal venom. They may respect one another for keeping humanity alive, but they'll never be anything more than begrudging allies with a lot of bad blood between the two of them. "The name of your new teammate is Corporal Blacktalon."
"Does the corporal have a first name, sir?" Marcus asked with his usual grit in his voice.
"No, Sergeant. Even Blacktalon was just a name she made for C.O.G."
Baird was the first one to open his mouth. "Wait, she?" Hoffman gave Baird a hard glare, although he didn't seem to notice. "She is adept at all weapons, including hand-to-hand and bladed weapons. We have written reports of her taking on Locusts since roughly the age of 14. She has turned down being stationed in Sigma Squad so she can join Delta." Sigma was probably the best team beyond Delta in all of C.O.G., specializing in commando and covert missions. Most Gears killed just to get on the recommendation roster.
Marcus barely reacted. "I thought women weren't allowed to be Gears since E-Day." This was true. Although many women were in the ranks in the Pendelum Wars, the necessity to protect humanity by producing more children had caused almost all women to be pulled. The women still in the military were usually just put in Control. Hoffman for some reason smirked.
"Anyone who has learned to predict E-holes and knows their battle tactics is needed on the front line."
Someone able to know where emergence holes popped up? Where the fuck do you learn that?
Before any more questions could be asked, a Raven gunship whirled into position in the square and landed. A Gear in full armor jumped onto the gravel pathways before it completely landed. The armor had been augmented to hold 18-inch blades on each thigh plate. A Lancer, as clean as it had been when it came off the assembly line, hung on its sling as two bags, two standard-issue duffel bags nearly bursting with gear, hung from each hand. The new member wore a do-rag over the ponytail that kept her shoulder-length black hair in order. Although her young age of probably 20 showed on her face, her three large scars there also showed as a badge of duty. Her blue eyes were almost as icy as Marcus's, but she bore an almost innocent smile. She stepped out of the whirlwind created by the helicopter blades, shifted her gear to one hand and saluted to Hoffman. "Corporal Blacktalon reporting for duty, sir." Hoffman sharply saluted back. "Welcome aboard, Corporal."
He motioned toward Marcus. "Sergeant Marcus Fenix of Delta Squad." Blacktalon walked toward Marcus and saluted again, although her body language showed she was more excited this time. "Corporal Blacktalon, sir. Everyone calls me Talon." She said with a small smirk.
Marcus looked at her starkly, but then let a small smile slide. "Welcome to Delta."
--- --- --- ---
"This is Delta's block."
Dom had agreed to show Talon around as Marcus got a debrief from Hoffman. Talon looked around the floor she was now presented with. Delta had been given half a floor of a small apartment complex. The other side was occupied by weapon caches. Talon looked down the hall. Four doors were shut, and only the last one was open. "I guess I get the last one?"
Dom chuckled softly. "Yeah. You gotta deal with Marcus as your neighbor." He whispered to her as the walked down the hall. "I'm on the other side of him, followed by Cole, then Baird."
"Baird seems like such a fucking brat." Talon scowled before she realized what she had said. "Oh...sorry. Didn't mean that." Dom just laughed. She hadn't even talked to him yet and she already had an opinion. "No, you're right. He is a bastard, but he knows more about machines and Locusts than anyone that I've ever known. Oh, up til you, of course." Talon giggled slightly. Shit, this girl seems so innocent. Dom thought. How the hell is she what Hoffman says she is?
They got to the final apartment and Talon quietly glided through the door, although its small birth hindered Dom a little. It was simple, cozy probably the best word. The windows weren't blown out, and it even had a small couch in the living room. The bedroom was small, but adaquate. But the most loved feature by everyone in the building was clear running water throughout. Hygiene was something sorely missed by everyone. Talon sat her gear in the closet and looked at Dom. "Real squishy realty, here." She sighed in joy at she fell onto the bed. It cried out in protest from the weight. Dom stood in the entryway of the room. "We were lucky. People had cleared out of this town years ago, but nothing had really fallen into disrepair. There wan't even Kryll shit up here." Talon sat up and pulled a small ration from a pouch on her belt. She offered some to Dom, who declined, and preceded to eat what looked like a solid cube of beef broth.
"Are you really as good as Hoffman says you are?" Dom said finally, his curiosity finally getting to him. Talon looked at him out of the corner of her eye, her demeanor almost instantaneously looking like a female Marcus. "Probably not, but I'm still good." She said with a smile. She sighed heavily as she pulled a piece of armor off her arm. There was no underarmor, only her bare skin, which was covered with tattooes of nothing but cogs. She smiled weakly. "Every Gear I have been stationed with is now KIA. I've managed to survive at least three dozen ambushes with no scars from active duty. I'm either really good...or really lucky." She sighed heavily as she replaced the bracer, then she stood up and walked toward Dom. "Gears are the only thing I got that resembles family. Maybe if I find one that won't die on me, I may just be human at the end of this." She softly walked by Dom and out the front door. Dom sighed heavily and followed, closing the door behind him.
--- --- --- ---
Marcus was not liking this. Hoffman had just read the rap sheet on the newest member of Delta. Blacktalon was notorious for her temper. She fucking jumped a Boomer once. The scariest thing, though, was that she killed the thing on her own with a damn commando knife. She was use to being deployed with teams that ended up being barely recognizable as human remains. She had become bad luck to have on your team. She probably didn't have many more chances before they forced her into a desk job.
Marcus looked down at her paperwork. Sigma Squad had wrote about her six years ago in their report. She had helped them with three E-holes on their patrol of Stranded territory. To purposely recommend a Stranded into C.O.G. by them is a very rare compliment, let alone when they are two years below the minimum age of acceptance.
He looked out the window into the apartment courtyard. He could see Dom and Cole standing around in a circle of Gears that looked like was surrounding a fight. He looked closer at the combatants. "Ah, shit!" he yelled as he ran down the steps two at a time to the courtyard.
--- --- --- ---
The crowd of Gears roared as they circled Talon and Baird. Baird never knew went to keep his mouth shut and had made some wonderful remarks about how he detested Stranded. The consequential coldcock by Talon is what had landed them in this mess.
Baird was the first to attack, lunging at Talon's midsection in an attempt to tackle. She easily dodged and landed Baird in a chokehold. He clawed at her, but she just closed her eyes and held on. She had nearly gotten him to go limp when she was punched with so much force it sent both combatants to the ground.
Marcus stood over the two of them, his face blood red from both anger and running down five flights of stairs. The Gears were quickly dispersing. Dom stepped foward. "Marcus. It was Baird that started it. He wouldn't shut his mouth."
"Yeah. It was nice to see someone shut his ass up." Cole injected. Marcus was still fuming at Talon. "I don't give a fuck! You don't start fights! PERIOD!"
He looked solidly at Talon. He noticed the venom in her now almost dead eyes. It rattled him slightly that this young girl had as much venom in her as he had in him. But he wouldn't back down.
Baird's annoying voice broke the silence. "Gee, guys. Thanks for helping me out there." He was swiftly kicked by the still prone Talon, knocking him back onto the floor. Marcus closed the distance between them and pulled Talon to her feet with a rough jerk so she would look him in the eyes. He spoke very low, almost a gutteral whisper. "Don't ever start fights. We don't need people in the Med Sector because of your temper." This curiously provoked a smile. "Sir," she started, "if I had lost my temper, he would have been dead before you got here." Marcus let go of her chestpiece, allowing her to squarely stand on her feet. A slight glint in his eye showed his stifled smile. "I don't doubt that. But you won't win many friends pulling that shit."
"It won't happen again, sir." She saluted smartly as she turned and extended her hand to the still prone Baird. "If he does it again, I'll just cut his tongue out when he sleeps." Her smile made Baird feel uneasy.
"You're one crazy bitch, you know that?" he said as he got to his feet. Talon just laughed. "Then I joined the right team. You're all crazy bastards."
Cole and Dom couldn't help but laugh. It was true. Ever other Gear respected Delta, but they all thought they were crazier than shit. Even Marcus cracked a smile. Dom took notice. "Talon," he motioned to Marcus, "you have managed to get Marcus to hit you and smile at you on the same day." He clasped his hand on her shoulder with a smirk. "I thought I was the only one he did that to."
"Come on, guys." Cole yelled over the other four. "Mess starts in ten." The team started to jog to the old school that was now their Mess Hall. "Yeah, maybe our rations will be in date this time." Baird grimaced.
"What's wrong, Baird? Stomach doesn't like rations no more?" Talon said, oozing with sarcasm. "Try barbacued Kryll sometime." Dom looked at Talon in disbelief. "You ate that?"
Talon smiled. "Stranded will try anything once. If we survive it, it may be eaten again." She let out a laugh. "I have yet to meet someone eat Kryll more than once, though."
"I suddenly want to chew on those outdated rations." Baird sulked at they all entered the Mess Hall. It seemed their new member may just fit in after all.