Author's Note: Durp, so I decidedto do a rewrite of Revelations. I was reading it the other night and realized that I hated how it only had one point of view- it made the story feel too bland. And all Allena ever did was bitch -_- Not to mention, Allena feels too "Mary Sue"-ish for me to feel comfortable. So, I'm rewriting it. It's not like I'm overhaulin' the entire story and changing everything that happened (In fact, you should recognize the opening XD); oh no no no, don't fret your precious little heads about that. It'll be Revelations still, just better.
I hope you guys enjoy C: Regular updates will be coming back soon (yaaaaaaay) but I'll probably post another chapter by the end of this weekend.
Gears of War: RE:Revelations
Chapter 1: Where We Were
"The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire."
"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- she didn't feel anything when she was asleep. Even just lying still hurt her, so she focused on staying asleep in a nice, happy little oblivion.
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; 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 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 closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to ward off the nausea that had suddenly hit her.
"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.
"Three weeks, Miss Duke."
Allena froze, turning to look at them. It took a while for those words to really sink into her head- three weeks. "We had to do some surgery," the doctor continued. "You were in terrible shape when they brought you through here." The doctors began following after her as she headed for the exit, her steps wobbly and unsteady. "Miss Duke, you really should lie down again, you haven't recovered fully from the injuries-"
"I'm fine," Allena said, exasperated. She hated when people treated her like a child. She may have been young, but she was old enough to pull her own shoes on. She was determined to show these doctors that she was perfectly fine, even if she really wasn't.
She pushed out the double doors, gritting her teeth as a wave of nausea hit her. She really wanted to go and throw up, but she couldn't afford to. Time was precious. She needed to get back to her lab and make sure no one had touched her work…
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.
"Sorry," she managed, staring for a bit longer then she should have. He was tall and blonde, his blue eyes narrowed to tiny chips as he glared at her. She frowned slightly at his scowl- why was he looking at her like she'd just run over his dog?
"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.
"Yes, yes," she said distractedly, 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.
-=V=-
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 shuffling around in a thin hospital gown. He couldn't pin her as being over 17, but there was a way that she held herself that said she was older then she looked. 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.
"Sorry," she said, pushing away from him. She tilted her head to the side curiously as she looked at him, a frown creasing her forehead.
"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, baby, 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?"
-=V=-
"Its good to see you back on your feet, Miss Duke."
Victor Hoffman watched the young girl fidget in the seat before him, her hands folded neatly in her lap. Jesus, she was young; he couldn't even remember how old the files had said she was, but she looked like she was maybe 16, her dark black hair pulled back from a pale, pretty face. She bobbed her head in simple acknowledgement, a suspicious look in her eyes.
"That little 'copter crash set you behind schedule, I understand," he said in his gruff manner. She nodded, one eyebrow arched; he couldn't blame her. Hell, he'd be suspicious too, in her position. "Prescott isn't too happy about that; apparently your work is some big to-do with the higher-ups."
"Well, yes," she began slowly, eyeing him skeptically. "Pardon me for my abruptness, sir, but may I ask as to why I'm here, exactly? I have a lot to do and time is precious." He sat back, studying her for a second. He hadn't expected such a mature reaction from someone who looked that young. He shook his head slightly, then leaned forward.
"Alright, Miss Duke, I'll cut to the chase," he said, watching her carefully. "Chairman Prescott thinks it would be best if you got some more… hands-on experience with the Locusts. He thinks that'll help you get what you need faster." She stared at him for a moment; he gave her time to let the words sink in.
"Pardon me?"
Hoffman sighed; he knew exactly how she felt. When Prescott had told him the plan, he'd thought he was crazy. Now, looking at the kid in front of him, he thought that it was a damn irresponsible idea.
"Prescott has ordered me to assign you to field work," he told her, lacing his fingers together on top of his desk. She continued to stare, looking lost. It would have been funny, had the situation been different.
"You mean… I'm going out there?" That dazed, lost puppy look dissipated quickly, as panic began to struggle to the surface. She did a good job of keeping herself composed, he'd give her that much, but her eyes gave her away.
"Yes," he said, trying to be patient. "Now, normally I'd say no- my Gears have enough to worry about without having to baby-sit you while you gather information. However, the Chairman was adamant that you be sent out." Her eyes narrowed slightly at the word baby-sit; she lifted her chin slightly, a defiant frown tugging at her lips.
"With all due respect, sir," she began, and he wondered vaguely if she was going to tell him off for suggesting that she was a child (who could blame him if he had? She looked like she should still be playing hopscotch on some playground.) "I'm no soldier. Surely the chairman realizes this?"
"I can't say I know too much about what the Chairman is thinkin', these days," the Colonel admitted, frowning slightly at the thought. "All I know is that your going, and there wasn't nothing I could say to make him change his mind."
"I've never been in a battle situation, sir."
I'll bet you haven't. "No worries, Miss Duke," he said, despite the fact that he was extremely worried about the whole situation. "You'll be with the best men I can offer." He reached for a manila folder and opened it, pausing to study her. The men he had in mind were certainly the best choice; they were the ones most likely to get her out alive. Still, he wondered just how well this whole operation would go. The men he had in mind were… abrasive, to say the least. "I'll be assigning you to Delta Squad for Operation: Hollow Storm."
"Hollow Storm," she asked, blanching. "I don't believe that would be the best time to send me anywhere, sir. I'm sure you're Gears have more to worry about then watching over me."
"I agree with you whole-heartedly," he said, writing something on the top paper in the folder. "But orders are orders, Miss Duke, whether we like 'em or not." He closed the file and slid it across the desk to her; it was silent for a moment as they both stared it down. It was like the little folder was a time bomb, and they were just waiting for it to explode on the next person who touched it. She hesitantly picked it up, staring at the manila folder with a faintly horrified expression.
Hoffman sighed again and ran a hand over his face. He was going to need a drink after this.
-=V=-
"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. Baird opened his mouth to make some sort of comment; Marcus cut him off before he could.
"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."
-=V=-
Allena watched as the men spun around at her voice, looking imposing. With the way they reacted, one would have thought the Locusts had gotten the drop on them or something. Allena cleared a suddenly-dry throat, reminding herself to move. She shouldn't be so damn intimidated by guys who were on her side.
"I graduated from college at 19," she told them, coming to a stop a few feet away. She kept her distance- she didn't know these men well enough to be comfortable with standing too close. "I only just received my doctorate." She hesitated, then held a hand out to the man closest to her (he was huge. How did they find people that big?) "Allena Duke, it's a pleasure." The man studied her for a second; his eyes were the most intimidating part about him, despite the scars and the muscles.
"Marcus Fenix," he said in a low, deep growl. Something in her head flashed- Fenix was a last name she knew. She studied him again, then offered a smile and moved on to the man next to him. She didn't know him well enough to ask any personal questions. This was all strictly business.
"Dominic Santiago," the man said, taking her hand in his. He smiled at her, and she decided that she would probably like him. "You can call me Dom." He released her hand, and she turned to the person sitting on the table next to Dom. Silence descended on them like a hawk; a big, bloodthirsty hawk. Her eyes narrowed slightly as they fell on the man sitting in front of her, her body taking on a defensive stance instinctively. The blonde male from before just smirked at her, one eyebrow raised.
She finally exhaled and held out her hand; a peace offering, of sorts. He looked at it, then reached out contemptuously, squeezing her hand for a moment. "Damon Baird," he said, that same smirk still plastered on his face. She frowned, releasing his hand- this could get messy. She turned her back on him to face Marcus once more.
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience," she told him, clasping her hands behind her back. She wrinkled her nose slightly, then reached up to brush inky 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.
"You any good with a gun," Marcus asked her abruptly. She tilted her head to the side, then nodded.
"Well, yes," she said, her words hesitant. "We're required to know how to handle firearms. Just in case of an emergency," she explained. Then, she paused, thinking. "I'm a qualified medic, if it helps any." It was an interesting little nugget about her past; there'd been a short while where she'd studied medicine, gotten the appropriate training and everything. That was back when she'd been determined to join the war effort; her interests had long since switched around.
"Hope you can patch yourself up, kid," the blonde said, a smirk on his face. She shot him a scathing glare, one that would have had a lesser man cowering under the table. She resented being called a kid. "Hey, you're gonna need it," he said easily, holding his hands up.
"Hey man, give her a chance," Dom said, nudging him with his elbow. "We'll look out for you, Doctor Duke." Allena blinked at the use of the title; no one ever bothered to call her that before.
"Ah, you can just call me Allena," she said quickly, defaulting to a smile. "And I appreciate the thought."
"You got your gear," Marcus asked, drawing her attention back to him. She nodded, pointing a thumb towards the door where a heavy duffle bag sagged against the wall. "Good," he said, his eyes going back and forth between her and the dingy bag. "Suit up, kid. We're going to run you through your paces."
"My… paces," she asked, giving him a blank look. He sighed; she had the vague thought that this wasn't going to go well.
"Get your gear on and we'll see what you can do," he reiterated, giving her a steely look. "We'll meet you outside in five minutes."
"Oh, right," she said, trying to ignore Damon Baird's snickers. "I'll see you in five minutes." She paused, then turned and went to grab her bag; it took all her control not to run out of the room.
-=V=-
Marcus sighed as the girl retreated; he shot Baird a nasty look as the man burst into laughter.
"Ah man, that kid is a riot," he said, shaking his head. "Five bucks says she's dead within the first hour."
"I think she'll be alright," Dom said, shooting Baird a look.
"We'll just see about that," Marcus muttered under his breath. Even he had to admit, this kid looked like trouble. It probably didn't help that she looked about 16; it made him uncomfortable for some reason. "Go get your armor," he told the two, getting to his feet. "I'm going to find Carmine."
"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." He stalked out of the room, rubbing at his head. Not only did they have a new recruit, but they were going to have to look over a kid who looked like she could barely pick up a gun.
At least the recruit sort of knew what he was doing. The hospital incident from earlier had shown him at least that much.
He sighed again; this was going to be a long day.
-=V=-
A/N: This next spiel isn't important XD you don't have to read it (though you can if you want som lawlz.)
ADVENTURES IN WARZONE: PT. 1
Apparently, I'm a pretty funny person when playing Gears. I scream all sorts of obscene things... at the bots (especially the ones on my own team) -_- (I can't play live right now. Have to renew my membership.) The whole time I'm sitting here, cursing at Hoffman because he's a bitch (YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BEAT ME BY FIVE POINTS) or hoping Cole is going to blow that Drone's face off because he blew mine off with a shotgun, and my little brother is sitting here laughing.
I'm the comedy act for tonight folks, and I'll be here all week.
I really hate it when someone else beats me to the sniper rifle (I always play as Baird.) I hate it when it's the enemy, but I hate it even more when it's someone from my own team. Because then I can't kill them and snatch it so that I can get some headshots (for Sparta!)
I also hate being on a team with Minh Young Kim. That guy just attracts enemy grenades like a flame does a moth. I was hiding behind some cover on the Blood Drive map, and Minh came along (this was the fifth or sixth round and I'd only died twice. Once was a serious case of shotgun to the face. The other was because I tried to roll away from a grenade and Minh was standing right behind me, so he got in my way -_-). Well, I instantly panicked and started yelling "NO, NO YOU GET AWAY FROM ME." And the whole time I was thinking I'd rather be stuck with Carmine then with Minh.
(Don't get me wrong, I love Carmine. But we know how notoriously unlucky the Carmine brothers have been so far.)
I don't know how Minh Young Kim keeps ending up on my team when I play with bots (he's there every. single. time.) but I'm telling you now, I didn't pick him.
Okay, that's the end of that XD I hope you guys enjoyed it (the story and my little extra story). Tune in next week for more Adventures in Warzone (and another awesome chapter of RE:Revelations!) R&R for the win! (and some internet cookies)
