With every high comes a low, unfortunately... =]

~*~*~Chapter 1: Call of Duty~*~*~

Two months later...Month of Bounty, 20 A. E. : New Jacinto (before known as Anvegad), Anvil Gate

Thinking back to that night of frenzied sex they had both shared made Baird clench his sphincter. As wonderful as it had been, he wasn't able to sit properly for a week after that.

He focused his gaze out of the side of the Raven at the tumultuous scene below, holding onto the guard rail. Men and women were scattered about in different directions, buildings were slowly being reconstructed, temporary shelters were being broken down—and Marcus was nowhere in sight.

The man could easily be picked out among a mass of people. All Baird had to do was look for the fading black skull cap that he constantly wore. He was usually with a small group of people, making sure that trouble wasn't caused or alone contemplating. But Baird couldn't see him now.

And that distressed him.

Two months without a single letter or even a visit that both would have made conjugal put his normal paranoia on overdrive. Why hadn't Marcus written to him since he knew that it was the only way that the two could communicate? Baird wrote letter after letter with no response and he felt himself slowly becoming that annoying clingy person that no one wanted to date because of it.

So he stopped writing after the first month. Pissed at the fact that Marcus might be tiring of him so soon (his five years compared to Anya's fifteen) and may be starting up his passive aggressive shit again (avoiding Baird at all costs due to his feelings), he decided not to indulge the man any further.

He didn't send any letters and he didn't ask for any requests for visitation, as if the latter mattered much anyway. They had all been denied recently.

It hurt like hell what Marcus was doing to him and he didn't know what he wanted to do more: avoid the man so Marcus wouldn't realize how hard Baird had fallen for him or yell at him until he was hoarse with rage. To refrain from doing the latter in written form, Baird had immersed himself in his work.

His work would be a good excuse for not writing to the man and seeing him if Marcus objected in any way. I bet he'd use the same damn excuse, Baird thought.

He sighed heavily, doing another sweep of the people below as the Raven slowly circled about New Jacinto. Yet, no matter how angry he was with him, Baird couldn't do anything but yearn for Marcus. It was obvious since he was actively searching (and not too discreetly either) for him.

Maybe...Maybe Baird was being a bit pessimistic. Perhaps Marcus was too busy to write any letters, just as Baird. They were in the post-apocalyptic period and the man took his job very seriously. But of all the letters Baird had written him, he couldn't write even one ? Wouldn't Baird's line of thought make sense then?

I have a reason to not have anything to do, but work and sleep though. All he has to do is police idiots and make sure they don't steal anything or cause trouble.

The Raven hovered a few feet in the air to let the Gear personnel on the ground below know that it was about to land before doing so. From the corner of his eye, Baird saw a flash of yellow and turned his head to see Anya heading towards him.

Anya. He didn't want to have anything to do with her. Since his conversation with her about not giving up Marcus, he didn't trust her. She seemed like what she normally was: professional on the job. He hadn't had any more disturbing feelings about her. But she still wasn't to be trusted.

He had inquired to her casually if she had received any letters from Marcus. She usually delivered the letters personally and when it had been a week since he'd gotten one, he had actively sought her out. She had furrowed her brow and looked sorrowfully at him, telling him that she hadn't received anything.

And it wasn't as if he was able to go to the mail center to find out if she was being truthful or not, asking if Anya had received any mail that was truly meant for him. Firstly, it might get back to her. Secondly, it might raise suspicion. So Baird was at a loss to actually find out if the woman had tampered with his mail.

He snapped out of his accusatory thoughts to look down upon the woman who visited New Jacinto every week. Stepping off of the Raven, he wondered if she had asked Marcus about the letters if she was telling the truth.

Probably not. Baird thought. Marcus wouldn't ever talk about that in public. More or less open up to Anya when he hadn't before. Especially about us.

"It's good that you're here, Baird." Anya said to him. He gave a smirk. Pleasantries weren't always honest.

"Yeah, I'm here." He forced a look of aggravation upon his face. "At the beck and call of Hoffman. What's he want? He's denied my requests for visi—days off."

Baird faintly saw the look of pain that passed through Anya's eyes. She wouldn't ever be used to the idea of her ex-lover being in his arms. "It's Chairman Hoffman, Corporal. Please follow protocol when you meet him." She scolded lightly as they headed towards a large gray stucco building that housed the Combat Information Center.

"I didn't do it when Prescott was alive." Baird scowled, looking around warily at the random Gears passing around him. He couldn't see Cole either now that he thought of it. "Why would I do it with Hoffman?"

"You know the Chairman better than Prescott. He sticks to protocol." Anya said, opening the door for him. "And," she added in a lower tone. "Marcus is helping to round up supplies. He's not in the city currently."

"Oh." Baird sounded dejected and relieved simultaneously which Anya caught since she cast him a confused glance. He then added in an annoyed tone, "I was looking for Cole."

"He's with him." she responded, still watching him.

He was embarrassed at the fact that she could tell that he was keeping an eye out of for Marcus, but it was none of her damn business what was going on with his relationship or his feelings.

He was actually looking for Cole as well. Baird couldn't forget his buddy on his short visits to the Mainland.

It was good, though, that Marcus wasn't in town. Baird wasn't really ready to see him yet. He wanted to quell his anger that raged within him whenever he thought of how Marcus stopped all communication with him.

Again.

"So what is this about?" They headed down a long hallway that looked more like a hall from an asylum: white walls, floors, doors, and lights. No color.

Guess we have to relearn how to make paint too.

They passed a room that Baird could identify as the CIC. Donneld Mathieson and a few other Gears were at their posts, commanding the intercoms that had been set up.

"I honestly don't know." She responded, knocking and then opening a door a few feet away from the CIC. "I need to go though. I have to make sure the supplies are dispersed appropriately."

You'll be with Marcus again, huh? Baird frowned. Was this bitch the reason why Marcus never answered him? His time was consumed with her and only her since, he could guess, they were working closely whenever she visited Anvegad, now called New Jacinto.

Were they fucking again? He gave his head a slight shake. His head was filling with possible deluded thoughts: thoughts that made sense if you thought about them, but thoughts that could easily be dismissed with a bit of evidenciary proof.

But the absence of objective evidence doesn't necessarily mean the evidence of absence. He'd have to watch Anya's body language a bit closer to see if she gave anything away about a possible secret relationship.

"Chairman." Anya nodded her head to give notice to the man in the room, bent over a table, peering over a slew of papers.

Chairman Hoffman looked up, eyes taking in both Baird and Anya. "Lieutenant. Corporal." He greeted each in a gruff tone before returning his gaze to the papers. Anya touched Baird lightly on the shoulder, which made him want to move from her grasp, before heading down back where they'd come.

"Come in, Corporal." Hoffman said, not looking up. "I don't bite. You should know this by now."

Baird entered, shutting the door behind him while he approached the table. "No, you don't." He sighed. "Kind of wish you would pertaining to my requests."

Hoffman straightened up to look Baird square in the eyes, frowning. "Now, isn't this a surprise?" He asked. "I would have thought that you'd be damn happy to be playing with bigger, shinier, and more complex mechanical toys."

"Yeah. Elated." He jeered. "I'm overjoyed to be in the presence of things that are more intelligent than the dump that resides on Sera. But I need a break as well. Do you expect me to work twenty-four-seven on the generator?"

"I expect everyone to do their part, Corporal, and for damn good reason." he growled. "Even you. That's why I've called you here."

"Haven't I been doing my part?" Baird said, slightly insulted. How could the man insinuate that he hadn't? He wasn't a fucking physicist like Adam Fenix. So learning all of the shit from the notes left behind at Azura took time."I haven't had a frigging break for months."

"You live at Azura, the haven with high standard sanitary conditions, good food, and clean sheets. I would think that that's enough of a break for you." He watched Baird grit his teeth. "Besides we need you working on the Generator. What if Ollivar had attacked the island? He wouldn't have even been near Azura if it had been working."

He couldn't argue with the man's logic. It seemed as if Baird was bitching about not having time off to enjoy himself when people would see that his conditions at Azura were much better than theirs. It would be seen as a vacation from some points of view. And his expertise was needed for the maelstrom.

But the constant work that was needed on Azura sure didn't feel like a break to him. He never got to enjoy himself due to his thoughts being consumed of his next time with his lover or working. Baird was ready to switch places with another Gear stationed within New Jacinto in a heartbeat.

They thought he was living the lavish life? They could have it.

He should have been grateful for being located there, he knew, but he honestly wasn't. Marcus wasn't there with him, so how could he enjoy himself? And Marcus may not want to be with me for long... he thought, his mood souring further as he remembered the loss of contact between the two of them.

Which led his thoughts to Anya...

Baird didn't think that Anya had it in her to conceal the letters from him. Well...she had it in her, but her relationship with Marcus was much more important to have it poisoned by such actions.

Marcus could have been extremely busy, but so was Baird. And his ass had found plenty of time to write him. Baird had still written letters to the man during the month that he hadn't sent any. He just stashed them away.

And not one damn letter did he get from that hairy gorilla.

Baird really didn't feel like facing the man anytime soon and, by what Anya had set off to do, he knew that Marcus was due back anytime now. He wanted to wrap-up whatever new assignment Hoffman had for him to do so that he could go see Cole. His buddy would be able to answer his questions about the letters.

But Cole would be with him...How would he get him alone without Marcus seeing him?

"Anyway," Hoffman continued, breaking into Baird's thoughts. "You'll be getting a two-week break starting today from Azura, so quit your bitching."

Baird nearly let a smile form on his lips, although his heart sunk a little. "Sounds good. What am I doing in the time being? Helping Sergeant Perry and his team of half-decent engineers with side-jobs they can't get to?"

"Perry and his half-decent engineers kept Old Jacinto running before we had to sink it. And it was only a handful of them."

He snorted. "I could have done that." Baird muttered. But he had been put on the front-line.

"You can help them on your spare time though, which, I'm sure, you'll have plenty of. But your major focus is an even dire one."

Baird's eyes slightly widened. "Sounds important." He looked down at the papers. It was a mixture of maps, figures, and reports. His eye caught a few parchment papers that as well. "What do you need me for?"

"Not any of this." Hoffman alerted Baird to not take any notice of the mess on the table with a flick of his wrist. "I don't know if you know, but we have no idea how many Gears we have. We know the population of New Jacinto and Azura, of course, but we don't know of any else. I think it's safe to assume that they're dead."

"Okay." Baird said slowly, not comprehending Hoffman's angle. "There are plenty of unknown Stranded as well that probably outnumber Gears. What's your point?"

Hoffman was quiet for a moment, his arms behind his back as he stared at Baird intently. He seemed to be chewing on his thoughts.

An idea popped into Baird's head. "Are you thinking that we should expect an attack by some violent Stranded?" he asked, a bit too excited. "Like what almost happened on Azura a couple of months ago?"

The prospect of that was a possibility and could be a grave blow to the COG when they were already in an unfortunate situation. Yet, that would allow him to spend time with Marcus...if Marcus still wanted him.

His heart ached a bit. Here he was, a poor sap pining for a man that may not be interested in him anymore when he had told himself that he was going to try and evade him.

A man in love couldn't evade his thoughts though.

Old feelings began to swell up. Baird began to wonder, for the millionth time, if he had been used all along as he had expected. Had Marcus just professed his love to get enough use out of Baird? And was he trying to rekindle his old flame with Anya as she had told him that she'd try to do?

"We have that taken care of." Hoffman finally said quietly. "What I need from you, Baird, is your expertise, your I.Q., your skills—"

Baird nodded at the compliments with a sneer. But the next words stopped him cold.

"—to be passed on to the next generation."

His breath hitched in his throat as his heart began to beat rapidly. "What do you mean?" He let out a nervous laugh. "Two weeks isn't enough to teach any snot-nosed kid anything."

"Thankfully, we have quite a few teachers still at our disposal that will do well with teaching the children the basic necessities and more. I wouldn't ever put you in a room with people full of ignorance."

"You know me so well." he jeered as a faint smile played upon Baird's lips. But it was wiped away soon enough.

"That's why all I need for you to do is pass on your seed. I need you to enlist into the COG breeding program."

Baird + Fathering Children = ...Uh oh! ^_^

*Anvegad was the city that Anvil Gate, a COG defense Fortress, had protected in the Pendelum Wars. It's also the birthplace of Samantha Byrne.

*If you aren't too familiar with the Gears of War Story, Jacinto was sunk to flood the Locust Hollow in Gears of War 2. It was going to be sunk by the Locust Queen but, after Delta learned of her plans, they sunk it first.