I'm feeling preeeetty special today guys:) Thanks for the reviews!:D

I cried last night.

So hard.

NO BEN YOU CAN'T LEAVE.

I WILL MISS YOUR GORGEOUS FACE. D: Oh god, I'm going to cry again. NO. I have to stay sane to write!

Damn it. This sucks so bad. :(

~NumberSixteen


"You said it was only a klick or so out?" Tom asked Ben again. He wanted to make sure he understood the entire story. Ben was doing all the talking while I just stood there, gripping my gun and watching as Tom seemed to come unglued at the news. "This is not good at all." He began to order soldiers to start the vehicles and load everyone on with as many supplies they could carry. We were moving out in half an hour, tops.

"Heather." Tom threw his intense gaze onto me. "I want you and Ben to get all the leftover fighters you can find and start a perimeter. Make sure that no mechs are within at least half a klick from the road. Clear?"

"Yes sir." I nodded and turned to Ben, who nodded towards the door. I followed him as he began to run down the corridor in search of a handful of fighters. I spotted Maggie first. "Maggie!" I shouted and jogged over to her, Ben a beat behind me. "Mech patrols are almost less than a klick away from the hospital. We're moving out as soon as everyone in on board. We need to go scope out the roads, make sure no mechs are in firing distance."

Ben took over from there. "Grab Hal and meet us by the bikes in five. Grab who you can."

Maggie nodded and started to run off in the opposite direction. I glanced at Ben before he started leading the way down the corridors of the hospital again. We'd gotten a few other fighters to grab their partners and head down to the bikes to take off. We started heading there ourselves when I decided it was a good idea to ask Ben about our plan. "So what's the plan?"

We forged ahead together but he didn't look at me while replying. "While everyone gets on the busses to leave, we patrol the perimeter around the road so we can get through. We have to make sure no skitters, mechs, etc. get through to the road to intervene. Simple, Heather. I thought Tom explained this to you."

It was like a slap to the face. "Well I understand that part, but what I don't understnad is what we do if we come across one of the aliens." I slid the words out through clenched teeth. I knew we had a lot more important things to worry about, but I couldn't keep the nitch of irritation out of my voice.

Ben ignored my tone before answering. We were getting near to where the motorbikes are parked, and I'm growing more tired by the moment as we jog. "Well," Ben breathed out. "We kill them. That's simple too, Heather."

Why did I have to get stuck with such a douche bag as a partner? What have I ever done that was so wrong to deserve this? I had a million questions like these running through my head before we reached the motorbikes. I was too tired and pissed off to give a snarky reply back, but everyone was climbing on their bikes. Maggie climbed onto one with Hal and Dai cliimbed on with his partner. I looked around to see everyone pairing up and sharing a bike. I bit my lip nervously and glanced over to Ben to see that he was getting on the last bike. He turned to me and gave me a pointed look.

"Well, are you getting on or what?"


BEN P.O.V.

I raised an eyebrow at the blue eyed brunette standing a few feet from my bike. She looked unsure and just stared at me. I sighed heavily at her. "Do you not like motercycles?"

She tossed me a deadpan glare. "No, I'm fine with the bike. I'm not fine with you."

Of course, I should have known. "Well you can either climb on and do your job, or you can stay here and join all the other non-fighters, leaving me without someone to watch my back. So get on or leave."

She squinted at me, scrutinizing me. "Fine." She retorted begrudgingly before moving toward me and the bike. She gave off a 'hmph' before sliding over the bike behind me. She got comfortable but never gave any indication she was going to hold onto me.

"Are you going to hold on or do you plan on flying off the back of the bike?" I spat over my shoulder at her.

A few moments later, I felt arms wrapping themselves around my torso. She had a loose grip on me, like she was hesitant. I felt her breath on my ear in an annoyed huff before she muttered to me. "I really don't like your attitude."

I rolled my eyes before revving the engine once on the bike. "Good. I don't like yours either." I knew with her grip, there'd be no way she could hold on. She really needs to learn better. I released the brake and we shot forward. I felt her arms suddenly tighten around me and she let out a yelp of surprise. I slowed the bike just as quickly and she slammed into my back.

"Ouch!" She snapped at me. "Why did you do that?"

I laughed at her attitude before releasing the brake again and taking off behind the others. I chose not to answer her question as we raced down the road to go set up the perimeter. Every now and then we hit a bump in the road and I felt Heather's grip on me tighten. Her hands grasped my jacket in attempt to gain more support. I know she lied. She doesn't like motorcycles. The way she eyed it gave it away. But she genuinely did not want to ride it with me either. Surprisingly, this actually hurt my feelings somewhat. I guess I'm just surprised she doesn't like motorcycles. I mean, who doesn't?

When the group of us stopped about a klick from the hospital, Hal gave out the orders to go on foot around the road and kill any alien closer than a klick. All the fighters nodded at their orders before breaking up into pairs with their respective partners. I turned to Heather who was checking her gun to see if it was properly loaded. "Ready?" I asked her.

She swung the gun back over her shoulder, securing the strap before nodded and pulling out one of her pistols. "Ready."

I couldn't help but think of Maggie when I saw the pair of pistols. One strapped to her right hip, and the other to her left. Not to mention, she also had a monstrous, lethal looking gun on her shoulder. This girl knew her guns, but still had a lot to learn about fighting. She wanted to be just like Maggie. I can tell. She dresses like her, talks like her, and has her fiery attitude. They clearly spend a lot of their time together.

As we ducked through the woods, I decided to strike up a quiet conversation. "So Maggie taught you how to shoot the way you do, huh?"

She looked taken aback. "How can you tell?"

"You shoot just like she does." I felt clever for noticing the intimate detail but of course, Heather turned it right around.

"So you stalk Maggie then? It takes a lot of attention for someone to know exactly how someone shoots." I could practically hear the smirk in her voice. It was getting really dark by now, dusk having passed.

I furrowed my eyebrows irritatably. "I don't stalk Maggie. You have the same aggresion and passion as her."

"Oh so I'm passionate now?" Heather replied snootily. "Should I take that as a compliment?"

"Sure." I spat back to amuse her. I shouldn't have ever started this conversation.

We were silent for a while longer, dodging through the bushes and sneaking through the undergrowth. Finally I heard her voice again. "What do we do if we come across a skitter or a mech?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes, shifting my gun in my hands slightly to make it more comfortable against my shoulder. "We already had this conversation, Heather."

"I know we have to 'kill it,' but how? I've never done anything like this before." I could hear some fear in Heather's voice.

I chanced a glance at her. "Well, the skitters don't stand much of a chance if you shoot it in the head. Mechs on the other hand? Well that'll take some work. I'm just glad we didn't have showdown with the one from earlier."

She nodded as we moved forward, both of us glancing around constantly, straining our ears for any noise. But the forest was deadly silent. There wasn't even a breeze moving through. It was almost too silent...

That was my first thought right before we moved into a clearing and our attention was grabbed by six skitters standing there. They seemed as if they were conversing to an extent before we barged in on their little tea party. I instantly raised my gun and fired, taking out the closest skitter. The other five quickly leapt up into the trees or came at us. I quickly looked at Heather to see her firing into the trees, trying to land a shot on one of the two that were crawling through the trees.

I aimed my gun down at the three skitters barrelling toward us and shot to kill. In three shots, I took one down and aimed at the next. I shot it in the leg, making it scream in agony before continuing its quest to Heather and I. I shot again at it's head and took it out without a sweat and turned to aim at the next when I heard Heather's scream. I didn't realize how seperated we'd become until I turned abruptly to see that a Skitter had knocked the large gun from her hand and had her pinned. She couldn't reach her pistols as it peered at her menacingly. "Heather!" I screamed at her but suddenly, the third skitter I'd been aiming for was upon me.

I took the butt of my gun and slammed it to his head. It fell back and I took the opportunity to fire. It's dying screams were excrutiating to my ears as I turned to see that the Skitter pinning Heather was moving in for the kill. She already had a thick, deep gash in her arm and a cut on her forehead where blood was trickling down toward her eyes. She screamed for me, wailing helplessly as he life flashed before her eyes.

"Ben! Ben! Help!"


CLIFFHANGER.

MWAHAHAHA You all probably love me to pieces right now:) Awh, I love you all too:)

Leave a review and tell me what your thoughts about what happens next are!

What will happen to Heather and Ben..? Ooooo:)

Oh, and Happy 22nd Birthday to Jay McGuinness from The Wanted. Maybe he'll read this one day and smile:)

Don't forget to review!:D Thank you!:D

~NumberSixteen