I didn't think you'd find me out here. Didn't think anyone would. I guess that just proves my theory, huh? No matter where we are, we'll always find each other, somehow. No-one can ever drive us apart, no matter how hard they try. We'll die together, you and I. That's what I believe...

-H.


How on earth did I end up here...?

A black armoured soldier picked their way through a dense patch of overgrown undergrowth, trying not to get snared in thorny roots and branches. The figure's reflective, gold tinted visor masked the exasperated expression of its owner's face hidden beneath the helmet on their head. This jungle, forest, swamp...place, whatever the hell people called it, was a nightmare to get through, even for the Freelancer soldier who had been struggling for hours now. The figure stopped moving and sat on a branch, assault rifle laid across its armour clad legs.

"I'll just rest here a few minutes..." A slightly filtered, but obviously female voice emerged from the vents of the dark helmet and into the still humid air. "Surely there must be something around here that is interesting...- " The soldier cut herself off quickly, taking a brief look around her for a moment.
Damn it, Texas, you are talking to yourself again. Omega's wandered off again, remember?Tex berated herself mentally. She was used to her A.I. running off and jumping between people on random occasions, but this was the longest he'd ever been without coming back to her. She still wasn't quite used to not having his chaotic ramblings going on in her head, nor having no-one to talk to. Tex nearly laughed at the latter thought as it swirled in her head. Omega wasn't the best at conversation; even with him around, she was sure that she was talking to herself most of the time.

A branch snapping nearby snapped the Freelancer out of her reverie. Enemies, so soon after she had just gotten away from them? Tex was almost certain she had lost them. Then again, she supposed, this is their home. They can probably travel through it far better than I can, even with my training.She grabbed her rifle and rose to her feet, training the weapon on the undergrowth. Shouts that sounded bestial and tribal filled the air around her. Tex raised her rifle straight vertical and fired a loud warning shot into the air.

Bang!

Instantly, her pursuers screamed and seemed to scatter in all directions, leaving Tex a free path to continue walking. Holding her weapon close to her chest and her erratically beating heart, she pressed on quickly, branches scratching her armour as she brushed past them at speed. As predicted, shouts sounded from all around her, indicating her enemy was back, and Tex broke out into a sprint, leaping logs, ploughing through formerly still waters and swinging one handed off low hanging vines. She could hear the feet of her pursuers clearly now, like tribal drumbeats - du-dum, dum, dum - on the forest floor, in rhythm with the timbre of her own metallic feet and the bass of her own chaotic heart, lub-dub, lub-dub. The melodic pursuit was not to last, however, and the music was soon shattered when one of the creatures Tex was trying to evade shot from nowhere. It landed on top of her and they both rolled into knee deep swamp water.

"Umph!" The creature's tackle knocked Tex's weapon from her hands and most of the wind out of her. By the time she came to, she was face down in mud underwater, having the life choked out of her. In a blind panic, she fumbled for her knife and plunged it into the nearest part of the creature (its thorax) without a moment's hesitation. Tex was satisfied when she heard the distorted cries of a beast in pain and she could suddenly breathe again; though, not for long as mud and water was now starting to clog up the vents of her helmet. She pushed herself up and out of the water and with a water-logged hiss of air, she removed her helmet and tossed it to dry land. As a mass of medium length red hair fell over her face and green eyes, Tex breathed in deep, getting the air that her lungs so craved. Finally, she brushed her hair back with a soaked, armour clad hand and her eyes glinted, utterly focused on her enemy who was double bent on dry land in pain trying in vain to get the knife out of his chest while the rest of his people watched, phasing in and out of cover. Tex smiled and saw her chance.

Payback is a bitch, and so am I! Give no mercy, expect none back!

She ran at the beast, hair flowing behind her like fire, death in her eyes and a war cry on her lips. She was going to make them wish they'd never crossed paths with her. Weapon or no weapon, she was going to kill them.


AN: Sorry for being away a long time. School caught up with me in the end. Must now get reused to this site... By the way, story is also on dA. But unlike there, the chapters here are named.