Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author Note: Set after the last 2015 Chikara event 'Top Banana.'

ANTS GO MARCHING AGAIN (AT LAST)

Soldier hadn't stopped marching since leaving the ring. He didn't want to stop. It'd been too long. He was made for marching. He'd pushed that truth away for too long. Everything had been upside down and far away and he'd been so angry and bitter and there'd been so many dark spots whenever he'd looked around. There were still some dark spots now, lingering long, along with a headache that wasn't leaving. Thinking about it all now made him want to march harder.

Silver and Fire were laughing, he knew those expressions. They were happy. They were the Colony again; the way it was always meant to be. Soldier was happy too, he was with Silver and Fire and he was marching. Worker was smiling quietly, phone in hand. He was giving them a little space but he hadn't left either. It was...strange. The last Ant to call themselves Worker had been injured badly enough to suffer medical discharge. To have another Worker in the Colony, Soldier had only known this Worker as an enemy, then as an interloper, taking his place. But Silver and Fire trusted him and he had given Soldier the King of Trios medal that Soldier had earned and that Worker had worn. It still hung around Soldier's neck; the medal was a good solid weight over his heart.

When it was time to leave for temporary base camp, Silver and Fire led the way and Soldier was more than happy to follow. Seeing Fire with only one antenna made Soldier feel guilty and angry – at Wink for splitting the Colony in the first place, Deucalion and Jakob for scrambling his mind, himself for not fighting hard enough. A good soldier would never switch sides, never betray their friends and comrades, never be turned.

Worker fell into step beside him, easily keeping up, his phone still clutched hard in one hand.

"Sir?"

Soldier indicated the phone, was something wrong? Worker shook his head. He understood Soldier, Ants always did. Carpenter Ant – the shadow of Pinkie, a cocoon - had understood Soldier too but he had been a lie. There had been enough Ant damage, Soldier would protect them now. He had to.

"I miss my kid."

Worker showed Soldier a photo on his phone of a small child wearing dark blue. His antennae were growing tall already. Soldier smiled and tapped a knuckle to the photo.

"Sir, yes, sir."

Worker smiled, "Do you think so?"

He looked so happy as he gazed at the photo. Worker was a father, Soldier assimilated the information. He was glad he hadn't known that when under the BDK's control. The dark spots grew and flittered.

"It's good you're back," Worker said quietly, nodding towards Silver and Fire who were deep in conversation just ahead of them.

Soldier nodded – looking back at the month, years he'd spent away from the Colony, he'd missed them. He hadn't realized at the time, when he'd been working for the Flood, for the BDK. He'd had completely focused on destroying Silver and Fire instead. He'd been a good soldier against them; he'd been so sure of his mission.

"You good?"

Worker sounded concerned. Soldier shook his head briefly; there was nothing for the Colony to worry about. He was going to be a good soldier, a better one, despite the dark spots.

"I know it's not worth much but I'm sorry, for when Wink mixed up the teams. I wasn't at the time, but things changed a lot."

Soldier shook his head again; what could Worker have done? Wink had been consumed by command and had really wanted to see the Colony, always close, always loved by the fans, broken down and shaped the way he wanted them, for power and for profit. Soldier had hated teaming with the Swarm and he'd hated watching some other Ant fight in his place in the Colony. While Silver and Fire had come to accept Worker, Soldier had been wounded, resentful, bitter, only able to see the dark spots. Because they hadn't fought for him, they'd walked away; like he hadn't mattered at all. Even good soldiers could be replaced.

He should have known that; Green Ant had replaced the first Worker Ant. But the Colony was family and that couldn't be replicated. He'd thought they'd known that. He'd thought...

All he could see was dark spots. He set his teeth and stared at the darkness. It lessened but like his headache, it didn't leave.

His mind had been scrambled, that was true. Deucalion, Jakob, they'd made sure it'd stuck, that he'd see better in the dark. He'd never felt so angry, so determined to destroy. The old commands hadn't mattered anymore; all that had mattered was destroying the Ants who'd abandoned him when he'd been a P.O.W. His orders had been clear and he'd been determined to fulfill them.

Worker had left Soldier to his silence. He'd apologized and that was it. The apology was...the apology was unnecessary. Yes. Worker looked like an Ant – like Carpenter had too – but Worker also sounded like one, acted like one when actions really mattered. He'd chosen Chikara when the Flood had ordered him back, he'd chosen the Colony. He was sorry; he hadn't liked seeing Soldier hurt or Silver and Fire hurt either. He'd been Swarm and had to have been eager to rip apart the Colony, but things changed. The Colony could do that.

Soldier nodded sharply, "Sir."

Silver and Fire were glancing back now, like they wanted to make sure that Soldier was actually there, that he and Worker were able to be comrades-in-arms. Soldier kept his eyes ahead on them too. The Colony would stay in a hotel tonight of course then they'd be on the road tomorrow, back to the Wrestle Factory probably, to help out with the new grunts. Soldier hadn't been there in a really long time. He was looking forward to it now. Maybe he could help the others in picking up what Hallowicked had abandoned.

Hallowicked hadn't just had his brain scrambled; he'd chosen to follow someone, something, that had taken him very high up the chain of command. He'd been transformed, like Soldier, but his belief was different, his orders were too.

Inside the hotel, Soldier took the stairs. He wanted to march some more, maybe it would help with the darkness. Silver and Fire walked behind him this time.

"March all you want," Silver told him, a smile clear in his command.

Soldier did. Worker came up to the room too and began rearranging his stuff, like he knew it would matter. He wasn't complaining or resentful about the old Colony reforming. He didn't look like he was feeling left out either. He'd given Soldier his medal back.

Silver offered Soldier a bottle of water, Fire checked the view outside and drew the blinds. It was late; Soldier didn't have his kitbag with him.

Fire told him he could borrow some of their clothes, if he wanted, until they all got home again. They'd kept Soldier's gear. He'd been destroying them and they'd been preserving him.

When they started to get ready to rack out, Soldier prepared to take first watch. He wanted to be sure; he wanted to see the Colony safe. His brain was unscrambled but it still wasn't completely clear. He wouldn't be a good soldier if he couldn't think clearly.

Silver and Fire both protested; they wanted him to sleep. How well had he rested before? When Soldier thought about nights with the Flood, he thought of dark dark nights, of Jakob and Pinkie (always with the afterimage of Carpenter). He didn't think of rest. His headache spiked and his hands clenched.

"My wife's calling, I'll be awake," Worker told him.

Soldier didn't know Worker yet but he could already see some of the parts that Silver and Fire had come to value. Worker was here, not with his wife and child. He'd left a lot behind – family and old friends. Soldier understood sacrifice. He tried to remember how to lie down comfortably, how to rest outside of darkness. Perhaps his headache would sleep and clear too, along with the dark spots. There was some conversation as Soldier chose a bed and tried to arrange his body. Then Fire was in view, like for once he was the one waiting for orders. And there was Silver sitting down beside Soldier.

He hadn't said anything, but there were Silver and Fire, like they knew anyway that being alone wouldn't help him find sleep. Soldier had missed this, the knowledge that flowed between them and that made teaming together so easy, so fun. He'd forgotten that.

Silver and Fire were shifting a bit, Fire had pulled up a chair and Silver was still sat on the edge of Soldier's bed. They were reaching and fingers gathered jointly in the space where one of Soldier's antennae had been. He lowered his aching head. They didn't let go.

They had before. What had changed? There was still so much to clear and assimilate.

Silver ran a hand over Soldier's skull, Fire muttered. Soldier's hand flickered, he'd reached before, in the ring, to touch where he'd so recently ripped away one of Fire's own antennae. An unforgivable act. He knew that pain and he'd given it to Fire. He'd wanted to hurt his oldest friend. But Fire was still close, so was Silver.

They'd all worn capes once.

The lights dimmed and Worker sat on the other bed, fiddling with his phone again before it rang and he answered. Family. The dark spots shuddered before Soldier's eyes. His head ached and his legs twitched. Fire tapped out a marching rhythm on Soldier's bicep. It ran steadily alongside Worker's voice.

They were here – would they let go again? The actions of the past shouted at Soldier, theirs, his. He'd hurt them, they'd hurt him. They were family; they'd betrayed him, he'd betrayed them, they were here, all together again. His thoughts were his own but they hadn't stopped turning in wounding circles, they weren't marching straight and orderly. He'd be a good soldier again. He had to be.

-the end