Okay. Let's try this. New story, and after 2 ½ seasons of TFP I should be , short chapter because I have somewhere to be. Tell me if anyone is out of character, and I will try to fix it. This story takes place in...eh, around season 1 or season 2. Thank you.

The thick warm air seemed to slow me down, tossing my hair to and fro with whip-like tenacity. My legs pumped as hard as they could, my feet rhythmically hitting the ground in a quick, strained pace. I was gulping for air, my lungs straining from the work. My sole objective: dont let it catch me. Dont let it grab me and toss me into the darkened corner.

Let me live.

I felt the vibrations, the monster slowly gaining on me. I tried to run faster, but I could only go so fast. I felt the claws of it scrape my heel, and I fell in pain. I looked up to see the monster's terrible face, a wide gaping grin with sharp, serrated teeth. It opened the hinges, and I felt it close around my head. The knives stabbed through my neck, and I fell unconcious.

And then I woke up.

Catherine was shaking me, her expression was horrified and worried. I relaxed, then looked around. We were still on the cargo plane. I wiped my brow, almost flooding with sweat.

"You okay? Damn Eliza, that's the fourth time this week!"

I shuddered, feeling how cold the back of my neck was. "I'm...I'm fine. I just need to breathe. Did I hurt you? Did I lash out again?"

She nodded, slumping back in her seat. "You fought like you were going to die. I thought you said that they stopped, Eliza! I thought this wouldn't be a problem anymore!"

I flinched at her words. She quickly stated, "I didn't mean...oh, God. I just hate it when you DO that. I know you don't do it on purpose but I swear someday that is gonna kill me."

I nodded, bringing my knees up to my chin. It happened again.

Ever since I lost my brother in that raid, I have been having nightmares. Strange thing is, it's the same one again, and again, and again. I get chased, I fall, and I get disemboweled by...something. The last few days had been nightmare-free, though, so I presumed they had stopped for good. Of course, they wouldn't stop. This had happened before, where they took a break and then come back with all-too well known vividness. It hurt. Only recently had I been lashing out during my nightmares, and giving the guy next to my bunk a nice-sized scratch on his cheek. He moved bunks shortly after.

That's why I was coming home. After five years in the Army, I was finally going home for as long as I needed. So was Cat, but she wasn't going to be in Jasper long. She was going to Reno, where she would spend some much-needed time with her younger sibling. Speaking of which...

I pulled out a faded photograph, the edges worn from where I held it. In the photograph were my parents, my little brother, and me. We were all standing in front of a miniature replica of the Taj Mahaal at Legoland, and laughing throughout the photo. Yep, that was a good day. Let's just hope that Raphael didn't forget who I was.

The plane landed, the jolt of impact rolling through the cabins. I was blinded by the light outside, as we flew all night. We were let out with a firm handshake and a couple of salutes. Our bags were piled outside, carrying everything we left with (except perishables). I stood for a good minute, breathing in the warm Nevada air and feeling the asphalt underneath my feet. God, it was great to be on Earth.

I walked around, looking for any sign of my family. As I skimmed the edges of the crowd, a firm large hand was placed on my shoulder. I turned around to meet General Fowler. I stood to attention.

"Sir, General Fowler, Sir!"

He looked me up and down for a few moments before calling me off. "At ease."

I relaxed without a moments notice, though I still stayed to attention.

"It's good to see you well, Esquivel." He started, his arms clamped behind his back, "I was sent here to pick you up. Your family isn't here at the moment."

Before I could ask questions, a helicopter started up. Fowler took my shoulder and marched me into it. I sat down, placing the earmuffs and microphone over my head. I did a sound check, and in no time we were in the air.

"Enjoy your time there?" Fowler asked, his hands fiddling with his sunglasses.

"Of course sir. Best job in the world." He smiled, "You don't need to talk to me like that, Eliza. You're home, yes? Just be yourself now. I'm no longer General, remember?" I relaxed in my seat, grinning back at him. It was good to talk to him again.

"So, where am I being taken? It's not another routine mission, is it?" He laughed, slapping his knee. "No Elizabeth, it's not another routine mission. You see, a lot has changed here since you left. Though it doesn't look like it, things have changed. I'm gonna have to warn you. Your brother has changed, too. Don't treat him like a baby."

I scoffed. "A baby? Honestly Fowler, I thought you knew me better. He is my brother." I stopped, then looked up at him suspiciously, "Exactly how much change are you talking about?"

He sighed, then looked out the helicopter. "Oh look, here's our stop."

The slow downward movement of the helicopter as it descended made my stomach churn. Oh god, I want a paper bag. We landed on a small platform, out in the middle of nowhere. As I exited, I froze as I heard a voice.

"No Bee, I don't think she knows who you are...well, maybe Fowler can update her on what happened. She has been gone for five years, Bee, I'm not sure..."

A group of children, three, stood and talked together. The tallest was talking with a girl with a pink streak in her hair. The smallest one...

All three of them stopped talking and looked at us. The smallest stood away from the other two and was staring at me. Out of sheer impulse, I walked towards him. He copied, starting to jog. I ran. He sprinted. Then, when we were five feet from each other, we stopped.

His brown hair was a flame, blown back by the wind. He wore regular clothes, and his pants bagged over his shoes. His glasses, too large for his face, sat in front of large brown eyes. Yep, nothing changed.

I hugged him, and he hugged back. I smiled as I touseled his hair. "Hey!" he exclaimed, putting his hands over his hair. I laughed. "What? I can't be rough anymore? Has someone turned soft when I was gone?" In response, he tackled me, sending me plopping on the floor. "Good to see you, Raph."

He wiped away some tears, and smiled too, "Good to see you too. I missed ya."

His two friends were standing there. I stood back up, and I brought Raph to my shoulders. The oldest one looked around 16, and the girl maybe 15. "Hey," I said, putting a hand out, "I'm Elizabeth. But just call me Eliza." The boy smiled back and took my hand, shaking it, "I'm Jack. This is Miko." I turned to the spunky little girl, who took my hand eagerly. "Nice to meet 'cha!"

Fowler had already left, so we were standing out in the wilderness. I raised one eyebrow, "So, um, how did you guys get here?"

Raphael smiled and pointed north. I saw a small dust cloud, which slowly got bigger and bigger. Then, more. It seemed to divide. I squinted, trying to make out the shape. A slew of vehicles surrounded us, of numerous size and shape. I looked up at Raphael (still on my shoulder) and gave him a questioning glance. He only whispered, wait for it. For what? Then, I got to see what he was talking about.

They transformed.

Welp, can't say I am happy. I became lazy for a year. I needed to do this. So, as always, leave a review and count on more chapters. I won't be able to work on anything for a week because I'm spending time with family. Thank you!

Question of the day: If you do, what is your favorite video game as of today? If you don't game but want to, what would be your first game to play?

Mine? Psh, Portal 2 all the way.

Over and out!