This story is best read while listening to Does This Darkness Have a Name (it's also named after it). Also, I have made it so that Church and Tex were never AIs just because I can. Anyway, enjoy.

"This whole thing is you goddamn fault! If you haven't come to bloodgulch in the first place this never would've happened! If you hadn't come we would be just fine. Sure, bored out of our minds but that's better than this!" as the he spoke the last sentence the Alpha gestured to all the bodies with his pistol. Blood covered both of their armor as they stood across from one another. Most of the bodies were guards and some where freelancers. "Better than not knowing if the others are alive! They were all I had, Tex! All I had! They were my friends, for Christ's sakes they were my family! Why the hell did you have to come and fuck it all up? Why, Tex? Why!" Church's hand gripped the pistol so tight that his armor started to crack ever-so-slightly.

"I didn't want to come, it was part of training, an exercise! What do you want from me? Do you want me to say I'm sorry? Do you think that will fix this? Huh? I'm sorry I got you mixed up in this mess, but it's not like I wanted to! Heaven knows I never wanted to see you again, you know that. Do you seriously think that I did this all on purpose? Just do I could torture you and your dumbass friends?" Tex screamed at him. Church hissed angrily and resisted the urge to aim the gun at her face. "And don't tell me not to insult them, you know that they're dumber than dirt!" Church tensed up even more and they stared each other down.

Tex gasped and took a step back. Church turned around to see a man aiming a gun at his head. He started to raise his pistol, even though he knew he could never be fast enough. But someone else was. There was a streak of blue between the two men and Church took the moment of confusion to shoot the man through the skull. The body jolted backwards and fell to the ground. Church looked over at the man who had jumped between him and the bullet, intent on thanking him. As navy blue armor looked back at him with a reflecting visor he dropped his pistol to the ground.

"No," he murmured running over to him. He pulled his helmet off and checked his pulse. The innocent, stupid (but also kindhearted) soldier gave no pulse. Church felt tears streak down his cheeks as he could not longer hold them back. Without hesitation he closed those crystal blue eyes that were staring back at him, his hand shaking as he did so. Tex walked over to him. Church shook with anger and he got to his feet. "This is all, your, FAULT! You're a bitch, an asshole!" Tex went to place a hand on his shoulder, tell him she was sorry, but he whacked the hand away and took three steps backwards. "No, get away from me. You're a monster Tex, a monster! Just, get out of here! Leave!"

"Church, I..."

"LEAVE!" his voice echoed throughout the empty base they stood in. Tex took a step back, as if questioning him, after not getting so much as a huff she turned and ran out of the base, and though he didn't know it, tears streaked down her cheeks as well. Church put the pistol on his hip and picked Caboose's body up. He then proceeded to walk through the halls in silence. When he reached the room he was looking for he kicked the door open and walked inside. On the floor rested two bodies. One with orange armor and one with aqua. He set Caboose down next to them and stood there, looking at them.

"Church?" He didn't turn around in response, he didn't grunt, or nod, or shrug, he did nothing at all as the person stood at his side. The armor was dark silver with some yellow. Washington. His shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, he didn't deserve it. None of them deserved it. This shouldn't have happened." Church grunted slightly as a response to this. Washington looked over at him in silence as the soldier dwelt in his own thoughts. After a moment he turned and walked away, leaving Church alone with his thoughts. As the door hissed shut Church twisted his helmet off and tossed it to the ground. The silence only lasted three seconds.

On the fourth a sob echoed through the room, soon followed by more. Tears fell to the ground and Church knees joined them. His hands turned into fists and he shook. He wasn't made for this, he would rather be back in bloodgulch, Tucker asking him what the reds were doing every five seconds, Caboose asking a dumb question over and over. But he couldn't go back, but he wanted to, but he knew he couldn't. He was stuck in the present, having to live through this torture. Lost in his thoughts he hadn't noticed someone else had entered until a hand gently grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. He looked over to see a helmetless Tex staring back at him. She pulled him into a hug, one that he gladly returned.

"I'm sorry I did this to you, Church. I'm sorry I did this to them. If I could I'd change it, but I can't. Neither of us can. All we can do is try our best to stop them, avenge your soldiers' deaths as best we can," Tex told him. Church nodded, but he still let out a sob. She held him a little tighter for a short moment, before pulling back and pulling him ever so gently into a kiss. The kiss wasn't loving and passionate, nor was it very long. It was more of an apology, an apology that Church returned kindly. Tex pulled back and they stared at each other for a long moment. Tex wiped away his tears and gave him a small smile.

"Let's get moving, if we stay here any longer more people will die." Tex stepped back and they looked at the dead bodies laying before them. Church's shoulders sunk. They turned as Wash walking in, six grenades in hand.

"It's better than having their bodies be used for some twisted experiments," he told them. They nodded and he set the explosives. As they exited the base Church heard the explosions behind him. Now it was sealed, he would never see them again. Ever. Church sat in the passenger seat and closed his eyes tightly, clutching Caboose's rifle. It was better than wasting it, but it made the pain worse. A hand rested on his left arm, he looked over at Wash in the driver seat. Neither spoke as Wash put both hands on the wheel and they drove off, another warthog trailing only slightly behind them.

This darkness has a name, it's cruelty and it's hatred. It's name is pain and suffering, sadness and anger, killing and torture, loss and hardship. It's name is one we all know, but we all ignore. A name we have heard over and over. Something humanity has gone through time and time again, something we keep in history books but simply skim over, only seeing the facts and not the pain and suffering it was. Things we yawn at, not noticing the sadness and anger that really went on. Something we read without much interest, not caring about the killing and torture we didn't endure. Not caring about the loss and hardship we didn't need to go through. Yes, this darkness has a name. It's name is in history books, story books, and it's written all along the walls of out minds. This darkness had a name. An evil name, a horrid name, a lost name. A name we know and hear, but ignore every day we wake and every night we sleep.

Church yelled as a gunshot rang out and the warthog flipped over, making everyone inside fall to the ground and cry out in surprise. He looked up to see men lifting people and leaving the dead behind. Tex got up and shot two of them, Wash joined her. Church grabbed his rifle and stood up, firing at the enemy. Not wanting any more to die. He watched as Sarge used Grif's rifle to kill three men, Simmons right behind him with Donut's old duel pistols. Church clutched Caboose's old rifle closer as he fire.

Yes, this darkness has a name.

...

War...

*grabs tissue* I cried writing this. It's sad. Please let me know if I captured the sadness and anger well, I really want to know.

Thanks for reading and please review.