An Edge of Tomorrow Fiction

Live, Die, Repeat

"William Cage, the Major that was inspired by love in the end to keep going. The one who will make Rita Rose Vrataski feel loved, wanted, and cherished for the rest of her life."

Living The Beginning Of The End

Chapter 1: It's A Long Story

Major William Cage snorted, his expression priceless, Rita looked a bit confused. Just the sight of him made her tingle though, like there was history between the two of them.

"Yes Major? Can I do something for you?" Rita questioned, getting uncomfortable as Cage edged closer, a slight grin still on his face.

"Yes, yes you can." He replied slowly, trying to find the words to say. It felt quite weird, he never had a conversation like this and he knew that there was no reset button for this one either. Cage knew he had to speak carefully if he wanted the same relationship back with Rita, the woman he loved dearly, even though he won't admit it to himself.

"Would you like to know what happened tomorrow?" Cage asked, but his tenses were mixed up, 'happened' is past tense while 'tomorrow' is future tense and Vrataski picked that up immediately and she had that gut feeling. He knew, he had or has the Alpha's blood on him.

"Ah-ah-ah-ah. Not here." Cage said, seeming to read her mind. Rita closed her mouth and then followed Major Cage out of the room. He seemed quite familiar with the rotating claws because he gracefully avoided them.

Vrataski walked out behind him, the sun hitting his brown hair just right, making him gleam in the warm sunlight. Rita sighed, feeling her heart beat a few times faster than usual.

"Coffee?" Cage asked, knowing that she did in fact like coffee, three bags of sugar of course. Vrataski smiled before replying.

"Sure, why not?"

Even though the boot camp wasn't that nice, they managed to find a nice corner in the cafeteria. Rita watched as Major Cage came back with two cups of coffee and several bags of sugar. Politely he handed her the coffee, muttering warnings that it was 'in fact quite hot'. He then seated himself opposite of her; he grabbed three bags of sugar and slowly ripped each one and poured it into her coffee.

Vrataski found herself starting to like a man she just met that day. Major Cage started from the beginning, talking about how he got sent into Boot Camp, then was sent out onto the beach, which there he killed an Alpha. He talked about how he found her and she started to train him, he told her about how far they got, then how the Omega played a trick on them by showing him a vision of the wrong location.

Then he talked about how he lost the power after he got shot in the leg and how they went with the J-Squad and fought their way to the Omega. At the end of the story, Cage forced himself not to choke up as he told her about how she ran out to distract the Alpha while he made his way to the Omega and blew it up, along with the Alpha, which he so happened to get its blood on him.

Cage told her about how he then came here and then now they were having this conversation, throughout the story, which took him several hours to explain, Rita listened quietly. William took a few deep breaths once he was done, Vrataski's expression looked lost in thought.

"Thank you Major Cage for telling me this, but I really must go now." And with that Rita Rose Vrataski left heart aching Cage alone in the cafeteria. Cage swallowed hard, his heart feeling sore in his pounding chest. How could she just leave like that? Did this mean nothing to her?

Cage got up from his seat and threw out the trash and left the empty cafeteria. When he got outside, Rita had already left. The Major took in a few gulps of airs, his heart shaken. He knew deep down that he had failed; Rita didn't feel for him, she didn't care enough.

He slowly walked through the camp; the moon was out along with the stars. The crisp air was refreshing, but didn't ease his mind of the longing pain.

Even though the war was over, they weren't packing the camp up like Major Cage thought; they were keeping it here so they could train more soldiers just in case another outbreak occurred. A chunk of the world was destroyed because of the Omega, but decades from now the area will be rebuilt and repopulated.

The next day, Major Cage was at the bar, the one he had went to when he had been stuck in the loops over and over again just like groundhog day. He snatched the glass of alcohol and pressed it to his lips.

He hadn't slept a wink last night and he felt it dawn on him that he wasn't going to sleep through the next night either. His mind was too preoccupied with Rita; he longed to be with her again. Cage felt the mixed emotions fill up inside of him as he drank down the rest of the glass.

The Major quickly ordered another and the bartender filled his cup again and handed it back to him. The bartender wondered when the man was going to leave; he had been here all morning, more than likely drank down four or more glasses of beer. Cage took no notice of the stares he got from the bartender, but simply drank down the rest of the alcohol and paid the bartender before he went out the door.

Rita was training, even though the war was over, why lose your physical fitness level? And also she had nothing better to be doing. It wasn't after a few minutes she noticed Cage sitting in the corner, watching her closely. Vrataski paused and turned off the equipment.

"How long have you been sitting there?" She asked, pressing the off button, craning her neck to see him.

"A while now." He chuckled and got to his feet. Rita approached him slowly, feeling the awkwardness come over her. Cage took a few drunken steps over to her and that's when she realized he was drunk. He reeked of it too.

"Major what did you do?" She snapped, knowing that if he was caught like this he could get in trouble. She also knew that he had a meeting tomorrow; he's probably going to have a bad hangover that day.

"I'm sorry, I-I just thought it would be fun to have a little drink." Cage said drunkenly, itching his ruffled hair.

Rita felt sympathy wash over her; she had left Cage alone in the cafeteria after he had poured his heart out to her. He basically told her flat out that he loved her. She felt terrible now, guilt seeping into her chest.

"Cage, how would you like to take a walk with me?" She asked, trying to get his attention, which seemed to be on something distant.

"Sure . . . sure." He muttered and followed her out of the room. Rita led him through the camp, she had to get him away from all of these people, but the only place she knew was her trailer.

After a few moments of thinking, she decided to take drunken Cage over there. Several minutes passed by until they reached it, the outside of the trailer was black and a bit rusty in some places. There were a few steps up to the door and Rita and Cage walked up them. She took out some keys and she unlocked the door.

The door swung open, revealing her room/house. A bed was tucked away in the corner and a sink and fridge were at the opposite side. A small fluffy rug was at the center of the room, to make it feel more at home. Rita sighed and showed Cage over to a cushioned bench that popped out of the wall.

He sat down, his expression looked nauseas and his head was sweaty. Rita grabbed a cloth and soaked it with cold water. She squeezed the excess water out and then laid it across his neck to help cool him off. Cage nodded his thanks and accepted the glass of water she handed him.

"So about last night . . ." She trailed off, Cage was drunk he wasn't going to remember any of this.

Rita sighed and stared at Cage, who finished down the rest of the water in the cup. He looked awful, sweaty, pasty, greenish, and even his eyes were bloodshot. Vrataski realized he must have had a rough night.

After a half hour, Cage fell asleep, partly because she drugged his drink and partly because he hadn't slept last night. Rita slipped out of the trailer and she decided to continue on with her day. Cage would be out for several hours or more, so she would be able to get through her day and come back before the Major would wake up.

Rita did continue her day, no one asked where the Major was, or even thought to ask. He was assumed to be out in the city doing whoever knows what. The man didn't really need permission and if he did, they didn't really care that he was gone.

Major Cage was supposed to help them run the Boot Camp for a few months and to supervise over it. After those months he would go to an interview and talk about it, like he usually did with other things.

When Vrataski returned to her trailer, Cage was just stirring. The room reeked of alcohol so Rita opened some of the windows and she lit some candles to freshen up the air. Cage was a sweaty mess, his face looking like death itself. He moaned as he opened his eyes.

"What did you do?" He groaned, rubbing the drowsiness from his eyes.

"Drugged you, what does it look like?" Rita responded, snatching an apple from the cabinet and tossing it at Cage. The Major caught it with his left hand and nodded his thanks. He bit into it, the apple being the first thing he had eaten all day, but surprisingly, that day was already over.

"Thanks Rita." Cage mumbled around a mouthful of apple.

"No problem Major." She responded, cleaning up her bed.

"You can call me Cage." He croaked as he got up and started to wash his face in the sink. Vrataski paused and watched him for a moment; he splashed cold water onto his hair and neck. He snatched a towel from its hanger and he dried his face. Rita bit her lip, just by looking at him she could see his toned muscles through the black t-shirt he wore.

"What are you staring at?" Cage's voice brought her back to the present.

"Nothing Major-" Rita got cut off.

"Cage." William corrected, strolling over to her fridge.

"Cage . . ." She breathed, thinking about all that he had said. There was one thing that he had mentioned that night that made her tingle each time she saw him. He had said her middle name, Rose. He knew, so that meant his story was true right? It was the only explanation for the death of the mimics and the Omega.

Cage closed the fridge door when he didn't find anything worth eating. Rita looked lost in thought as he approached her. He sat down slowly next to her, his head pounding with hangover. William hesitated before he spoke.

"Rita . . . I-I know that, that you don't really care. I just, if I make you see . . . If you could just give me a chance . . ." Cage fought for the words to say, his mind drawing a blank on every scenario he had played out in his head. Rita looked to him, her eyes sparkling in the flickering candlelight. The Major took in a shaky breath and Rita felt the urge to draw closer to him, but she fought it back.

Vrataski stood up, her face looking somewhat frustrated.

"I'm sorry Cage. I can't do this. Please, just leave me." Rita said, opening the door for him. Cage swallowed hard, he got to his feet slowly. He walked out the door, Rita refusing to make eye contact with him.

Cage turned sharply on his heels to face her, but she slammed the door shut and locked it. William's aching heart lurched out in pain. That was it. He failed. She denied him. That was his only chance and he blew it. The Major forced down a few tears and emotions and walked away from the trailer.

It took him awhile to get himself back to the camp, for he had never been out this far. He had wondered around a bit lost until he saw the familiar lights of the boot camp. Cage strolled in casually and pretended nothing had happened, like he had been there all day. Some of the Field Sergeants stared at him suspiciously but let him slip by.

The Major went straight to his bunker which was tucked away near the corner of the camp. Once inside, he closed the door behind himself, set the alarm for bed, stripped off his shirt and jumped into his bed. He closed his weary eyes and within two hours his alarm went off.

Cage opened his eyes, which he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. He turned off the obnoxious alarm and sat upright. William stared at himself in the mirror, his face looked gray and worn out. His head drummed in pain and felt light headed. Not the typical way you want to look for your first meeting on the camp.

The Major sighed and started to get himself ready, he had only an hour to make himself presentable. He took a quick shower, followed by a shave and hair trim. He put on his best suit and did his hair quickly. Once finished, he strolled out the door, there a car waited to drive him off. Cage entered the truck smoothly, opening the door and sliding into the leather seat.

Rita ended her day by doing a jog around the camp, there at the corner she saw Major Cage's bunker and the lights were turned off. Either he was asleep, or was still out. Footsteps behind her made her turn sharply on her heels. In front of her stood Major Cage, his face looked stoned, but he had a grin on his face.

"You're back. I thought you didn't like me." Cage commented as he unlocked the door to his room.

"I was just taking a jog. And I wouldn't say I didn't like you. I just don't enjoy your company." Correct Rita, as she watched him swing the door open.

"I'm guessing trying to invite you inside is pointless." Cage stated, scratching the back of his head.

"You guessed correct then." Replied Rita, feeling her heart pound in her chest, he wanted her and she knew it. But she didn't want to be with him. She couldn't do it, but he did in fact know a lot about her. Maybe they were just meant to be.

Cage saw that she was thinking and waited silently at the door. His heart told him to scoop her up in his arms, but his brain told him to screw the relationship and get on with his life. The Major decided to ignore both and took in a deep breath, calming the nerves.

"I'm sorry Major Cage. I must be going now-"

"Rita-just, just give me a chance? I'll make it worthwhile." Cage begged, his eyes gleaming in the sunset. Rita felt longing for him, but she held it down.

"Cage . . . I really must be going-"

"Rita please. Just one time. Give me one time." The Major pleaded, taking her hand in his.

"Just one time." He breathed and she got uncomfortably close to him. His strong arms were around her waist and he looked straight into her eyes. Rita's heart stopped beating, she felt the emotion, which she worked so hard to hide, stir up.

"One time?" She muttered, thinking of a decision.

"One time." Cage repeated, the heat of the moment consuming any thought he had outside this conversation.

"No! Get away from me, Cage I'm not doing this, nor will I ever do this." Rita snapped, pushing Cage away from her. Cage fought back a few tears, the pain of love welling up within his chest.

"Rita please-please! This isn't fair! You've given me no chance! Rita I've not come this far just to lose you now."

"I've already given you a chance. And that was back at the cafeteria." Rita responded and then jogged off, towards the opposite side of camp. Cage was left to stare after her, heartbroken, teary eyed and depressed.

Major Cage didn't sleep that night either, simply lying in bed until his alarm went off at 5 in the morning, to get ready for the long day ahead. He washed and dressed himself quickly and headed out the door. The meeting the other day had gone terrible, but he pushed the past behind him and continued forward. He was to inspect a new squad called Z-Squad, which he wasn't too excited about.

Rita got ready for the morning and started out with her daily breakfast and then headed out the door. She then went straight to training and then some exercising. Vrataski really didn't have anything to do, the war was over and she was left here to train with all the other soldiers. Some of the men were getting off time at home, but Rita didn't have much of a family to go home too.

Cage strolled tiredly across the road, the Sergeant going off on how amazing the new squad was and how he would love it. Honestly Cage couldn't care less, his mind was distracted on Rita, that's all he could think about and that's all he thought about last night. The Sergeant said his name, bringing him back to the present.

"Are you alright Major Cage? You don't look well." The Sergeant said, pausing in his tracks.

"I'm fine, continue on." Cage snapped his mood wasn't at its best at this moment.

"Very well." He said and then continued his walk forward and continued to speak.

Cage just simply nodded his head, acting like he was listening. His heart felt heavy and his mind was weary. He couldn't handle this anymore, his mind was racing and his heart was thumping in his chest. The Sergeant paused again.

"Sir, or you sure you're okay?" He asked, turning to face him. Cage's face paled and he looked feverish for a moment.

"Sergeant, I must insist, carry on . . . I'm fine." William stated, waving the Sergeant forward, The Sergeant nodded his head and led him inside the same building where he met J-Squad. He led him down the hall and passed several other teams, who gave him sideways glances over their shoulders.

Finally they reached the room; four bunks sat in the corner and in the middle of the room was a table. Four girls popped their heads out; one was tall with long black hair. Another one had short ragged brown hair, which she had a stocky build. The third one looked like a Californian girl, sandy blond hair, tan, long legs. Typical. The fourth one was short with brown hair which was tucked into a bun.

"Major Cage, meet Z-Squad." The Sergeant said, and then continued to name them all. The one with the black hair was Juliet; the one with the short brown hair was Victoria, which they called her Vicky for short. The blond one was Gaby, which was short for Gabriella. The last one was Destiny.

"Well, it's nice to meet you all. I'll be evaluating you today. So if you don't mind, I like to start immediately." Major Cage stated and led the girls out the door.