Chapter III:
-''Within the Shadow of Peace''-
-Harris Prison: New York City, New York-
-13 February 2013-
-0425 Hours-
Alex found sleep unable to come back to him. He had returned to his bed, managed to get warm and comfortable in the otherwise freezing cell, but he spent an unknown amount of time staring at the wall, a victim of his thoughts and doubts. He found most of his thoughts lingering around Dash, but some of them even took him back to No.1, especially after this recent dream. Was it even possible that she was still alive? It only seemed that the message he had viewed was some kind of beacon, perhaps a final goodbye if something happened to her...it's this unknown knowledge that tore him to pieces. He had lost all contact with No.1 a few months earlier, but it had been brutal and violent, and he didn't even realize how much she had served to remove the pain of a couple of his recently departed allies until she was gone. Had she filled the void left by Crash and Cheet subconsciously, or intentionally? He didn't know, only knew that those voids were still as large and open as ever, and now with Dash and the rest of his companions no longer able to be sensed...he felt naked and empty, exposed.
He closed his eyes, trying to detach himself from his thoughts long enough so that sleep could come near him, or at least enough so that he could latch onto it and allow it to take him away from his mind. Where was she? Was she still alive? Was she okay? It was the unknown that was tearing him apart. Although he was almost certain that she was okay, the fact that he didn't know was devastating.
Stay strong, Dash, he thought, not doubting that she would and knowing she couldn't hear him, but wanting to say so anyway to put his mind and heart at ease, I will come for you...stay strong.
"Are you sure about this?" Cynder asked, facing Elliot, whose was looking out the window of the conference room, his back to the rest of Alpha Company.
"I know we can trust Discord about as much as Mabao or Jazz, but the potential that they ARE there trumps our doubts," Terrias replied. Aria, standing beside him, nodded in reply.
"How do you know it ain't some kinda trap?" Applejack asked, "I mean, y'all know that's what Discord does best. Fool ya into doing somethin' or goin' somewhere dangerous, then turnin' around and stabbin' you in the back not too long after."
"That's why I'm commissioning half of Alpha Company and half of Gamma Company for this invasion. The other halves will remain here to watch the city," Elliot began, turning to face them.
"Still don't think he's trustworthy enough to warrant an invasion," Applejack continued.
"We have to take the chance."
"So, million dollar question then..." Spyro began, "Where are they?"
"Apparently, Alex is imprisoned in another universe, and Dash is locked away in a stable," Terrias replied.
"They in the same place? World, I mean..." Cynder asked.
Terrias nodded, "Yes, but their exact location is kinda touchy...we've already relayed their coordinates to Max. The minecrawlers may be out of the question, but we can at least get a lock-on to their exact location."
"So it's up to us to break them out by ourselves..."
"The good news, is that this world supposedly contains no mutants, but it is also, apparently, very anti-Terminator, so you WILL need those soul gems again."
"Shit, I was afraid you'd say that," Cynder replied with a sigh, "The last time we needed those gems, we were almost screwed over by the Maxia, back during Necro's days...and that world was doing everything it could to make us disappear forever. I think that was also the event that tore the time wound into the Burned Lands."
"According to Discord, we have a very same situation here," Terrias replied, walking to the window, "The only reason why he can coexist there without issue is because of his power, it reaches across worlds, but is specifically rooted in his own 'plane of Oblivion' for lack of better terms."
"So what do we do?" Spyro asked, "Just go in there, armed with our soul gems, and bust them out?"
"Sure seems that way, don't it, Commander?" Elliot replied, "Arm up, we're dispatching the Hornets in an hour, you better be ready."
Dash lay on the pile of straw in the corner of her pen, watching as her hoof slowly continued to fade into oblivion. Alex...where was he? Was he okay? She found herself worried and terrified for his safety. Their relationship was more than just simple mates, sure that's what they were, but there was more to it. She did deeply care for him, and the fear that something bad was happening to him, or could happen, tore her apart. She could no longer sense his presence, and she was alarmed to find that memories of her stay in the Terminators, and even her identity were somehow slowly being erased. She just hoped that they could be reunited before either one passed away, or she completely forgot about him.
The Hornets tore through the early morning skies above the Burned Lands north of New Alexandria, heading towards the Time Wound, a strip of wildly growing, emerald grass on the otherwise baked, cracked, desert-like landscape. The world was eerily dark without the glow of the Fiernes Curtain, and only a faint glow of smoldering embers remained of the former wall of fire. Terrias sat beside Aria in the passenger hold of the vehicle, sitting through the briefing.
"The mission is pretty standard," Spyro began, "We roll in, tear through any resistance we encounter, and find our target. Remember our goal is Alex and Dash, they are our primary objective, and we can't let anything stop us. See if you can get a hit on where they're being kept, and if any of you come up with any details, inform us immediately. Make sure you keep your Soul Gems on at all times, this territory is dangerous for Terminators. The good news, is that we shouldn't encounter many threats, as we highly doubt they possess any silver or poisoned rounds. By-the-book extraction, let's do it! Terrias," and the dragon turned to face the servine, "Head on up to the cockpit, let us know on what's going on."
Terrias nodded and moved through the crowded vehicle, sitting beside Tails, who was piloting the craft. Directly ahead, the Time Wound lay, its presence only known by the wild, enigmatic grasses on the ground growing around it, and the slight ripple in the air.
"Get ready," Tails began, "We're about to pass through," and he grabbed his mic, "Everybody buckle down and hold tight, here's the rocky part!" Holstering his mic, he turned to Terrias, "Hope you don't get motion sickness..." and turning to face ahead, they neared the time wound as the whole vehicle began to violently quake. Alarms went off throughout the vehicle, the electronics flickered on and off, and for a precious few moments, Terrias feared the engines were going to die. The instrumentation and gauges were off the charts, and then all was silent as the engines finally sputtered and died. Heart racing, a frightened Terrias turned to face Tails, who nervously clutched the cross around his neck as the vehicle began to descent, giving them a feeling likewise to an elevator car in motion. In a final, violent shake, everything reactivated and the world before them flickered into a vast starfield, and they were trapped in a winding, blue vortex snaking through the stars...a teleportation vortex. Directly ahead, they could see the end of the tunnel, a blinding white light, and as they passed through it, the world lit up, and a New York Harbor, unscathed by war or violence, emerged into view.
They flew over the rolling waves heading towards the docks. Around them, the other fifty Hornets, loaded for bear, appeared in consecutive flashes of light. "Looks like the gang's all here!" Tails replied cheerily, and he picked up his mic again, "All units, this is Blackbird, we are approaching the LZ, avoid confrontation, but do not, repeat, do not, let any resistance stand in the way!"
"Our objective is clear," Elliot began, "Move in, locate and grab the Commander, then get our asses back to the LZ for extraction."
"ETA sixty seconds," Spyro began from behind them, and Tails turned to face Terrias, who was watching as the Hornet unleashed a barrage of rockets on and near the docks, clearing a landing zone.
"Terrias," the fox began, "Get back there and be ready for disembarkation, I'll cover the landing zone until we figured out what the hell we're up against."
"ETA thirty seconds," Spyro said over the radio, "Everybody ready?"
The vehicle was filled with the sounds of a dozen consecutive 'uras' as Terrias stood up and headed to the back, where everyone was gathered around the ramp. The servine grabbed his Frinesi, which he had leaned against the bench where he had been sitting, and cocked and loaded it, heading to the cluster of soldiers and standing beside Spyro.
"You ready for this, Captain?" Spyro asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be, Commander."
"Good to hear," tapping his ear piece, Spyro said, "Ten seconds."
The vehicle lowered to the ground, hovering just a couple of feet above as its occupants disembarked, covering behind supply caches that had been airdropped prior to their deployment. "Here comes the welcoming party," Cynder said over the radio, and Terrias peered out from cover as a dozen law enforcement cruisers zoomed around the corner, heading to the docks.
"Remember," Spyro began over the radio link, "Our objective is to find and rescue the Commander and his protege, try not to harm any officers or military if you can, and do not harm any civilians. Let's move up."
"Tails, you're our eyes in the sky, see anything?" Terrias asked.
"Negative Captain, civvies are wondering what the hell is going on and running barking mad around the city, but aside from some cops headed your way, nothing much more threatening than a few blues. I'll keep an eye out for any military or riot squads."
"Keep me updated."
"Affirmative, Blackbird out."
"Keep moving, we're on a deadline!" Elliot barked harshly over the radio, "Don't let anyone keep you down for too long!"
Terrias rejoined his squad as they headed off the docks and into the city, soon finding police cruisers tailing them.
"Well isn't that just charming," Cynder began, "Looks like we have some fans."
The rest of the squad turned to see at least six cruisers rounding the corner, heading to their position.
"Commander," Tails began over the radio, "I'm seeing a police barricade being erected about three klicks north of your position."
"Any military or S.W.A.T?" Spyro asked.
"Negative."
"Roger."
They continued their advance deeper into the city, fighting through the minor resistance with ease as military and riot squads finally began to arrive.
"Commander," Tails began, "Update from King Max, should I patch him in, over?"
"Go ahead, Blackbird."
Within seconds, the harsh, angry voice of King Max, lord of Swizzle Firma, one of their greatest allies, came over the line, "We managed to isolate and single in on that weak signal we received of the Commander, seems they're being tied up near Central Park, there's a max-sec prison in the general area, our friend may be detained there."
"Any sign of Dash?" Spyro asked.
"She's nowhere around the Commander, actually she's about ten miles outside of the city, maybe a farm or a stable out there according to our satellites."
"Copy that, Max, good find, Seraph out," then, "Alright, all units, this is Seraph, we have a...slight change of plans. Regroup on me near the site of the former World Trade Center."
"Be aware," Tails came over the line, "We have heavy military resistance quickly approaching your position. They've already overrun the extraction point, we can only assume that they've tapped into our communications...you better pick up the pace."
"Bloody hell!" Spyro swore, "Alright! Yet another change of plans. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo squads are to head to the maximum security prison near Central Park. Foxtrot, Gulf, and Hotel squads are to head to the farm outside of town, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, and Mike squads are to return to the extraction point and try to take it back, Seraph out."
"Don't let anything stand in our way," Cynder growled, "We need to find them!"
Spyro, part of Alpha Squad, led the units he assigned towards the prison, across town. While they tore through the streets of downtown NYC, cries went out across the radio.
"Something's happening on Liberty Island! There's this light around it and...wait...i...is she moving!? The Statue of Liberty is oscar mike! Repeat! Lady Liberty is oscar mike!"
"What...?" and Spyro turned to face the rest of his unit, all who seemed equally as confused as he did. It was then that they noticed the ground was quaking beneath their feet...something was coming, something big. "Oh you've got to be kidding me..." Spyro said to himself as he turned around, alarmed to see that the Statue of Liberty was, indeed, on the move. She stomped towards them, her height nearly blocking out the sun over the area, and they could hear an omnipresent laugh...one that was all too familiar, linger around her form.
"Thought you could use a little help," Discord said, the statue finally coming to a stop across the park from where Spyro's unit stood, mouths agape. "Go on ahead towards wherever Commander Vaughn is being kept, I'll keep any...undesirables...distracted."
Spyro nodded, and once more turning to his squad, nodded towards the direction of the prison. "Thanks..." he muttered as they disappeared into Central Park.
"Keeping making the push to this stable, everyone's talking about," Terrias, leading Gulf Squad, began over the radio link he had with his unit, "Spyro and his boys have this prison down, rest of us gonna get Dash out.
"Are we so sure that Dash is being kept there?" Aria asked, giving her mate a concerned look.
"I don't know," Terrias replied, sighing.
"Let's hope she is..." the pregnant female servine replied.
Terrias nodded, half-hugging his mate, "I'm pretty sure she is."
"I hope they're both okay..."
"So do I...but I don't think we need to worry."
"Hold up!" one of Terrias' squadmates called out, "Enemy convoy 3 o' clock!"
"Get down!" Terrias replied harshly, "Stay quiet," and his unit went prone, staying absolutely still, blending into the foliage of the park they were in, "Let 'em pass..." he whispered over his radio. Terrias slowly and carefully crawled through the thick brush until he had a clear view of the road ahead of him, but was still invisible to an unsuspecting passerby.
Within seconds, a large convoy of military tanks and Humvee rolled past, armed to the teeth."Woohoo..." someone whispered into the mic, "Now we're living Grand Theft Auto style."
Terrias only shook his head and rolled his eyes, not saying anything.
Messorem...
Alex opens his eyes, finding himself in a wheat field in the dead of the night. A faint, gentle wind blows against his bare flesh, and he observes himself, finding that he is only in his boxers. Where am I? he thinks, and he hears a distant cry, as well as the thundering sound of horses racing through hard terrain somewhere nearby. He heads towards the source of the sound, keeping low to the ground, hiding in the wheat. He soon finds himself along the side of a cobblestone path that snakes across the land, following its curves and hills. The sound of galloping horses is very close, and he ducks in the grass, watching as a convoy of carriages rush past him. The men on board are all clad in lavish robes, like the honor guard to some king, and in the back of one of them, a glint catches his eye, and he spies a man crouched over, shackled to the deck, clad in armor resembling that of the Black Knights from a game he had recently acquired...Dark Souls.
What is this? he thinks.
Vitam...
That word, so full of power, and for reasons he does not understands, drives a painful emotional nail deep into his heart. Alex looks up into the sky once the convoy passes, seeing swirling clouds of amethyst, emerald, and sapphire. The whole world before him, the colors are so fine and sharp, that it is almost as if he's living in a surreal painting. He feels a strong compulsion to follow the carriage, and begins to follow from a distance, the only sound in this empty landscape being the wind blowing the wheat, almost ready for harvest, and his own footsteps pattering on the hard, cobblestone road beneath him. He is undeterred by his partial nudity, as the weather is neither hot nor cold, and there is not a soul in sight.
He follows the road through the seemingly endless fields of wheat for what seems like hours, the only scenery breaking the monotony being the occasional medieval-style hut, well, or stable. Eventually, he begins to hear what sounds like voices...chanting, screaming, hooting and hollering...again, he finds himself puzzled by what is going on and where he is. He continues up the road, and in an instant, as he climbs a hill, his continuous sprint never sapping his energy, he is breathless by the view of an immense, beautiful castle perched on a hill in the distance. Gold-trimmed, tan-clothed flags and tapestries, with a dark red cross stitched onto them, are draped over the rampars, turrets, and ballistae aimed towards the world beyond those cobblestone walls. The sounds of a wild crowd seep from within the walls, and he slows as he approaches the portcullis and the heavily armored knights standing before it. A line of peasants, miles long, stretches from the gate, and he finds the crowd parting for him. One of the knights steps forward, and speaking in an ancient language which his mind identifies as ancient Hebrew, commands him to approach.
Not knowing how he could understand this alien language, he reluctantly agrees and walks forward, and the knights steps to the side, raising his sword in salute as his companion, wielding a halberd, roars praises to God. Alex carefully walks through the open portcullis which soon shuts behind him, and he stares in wonder at the quaint castle village before him. The city is empty, but he is not suspicious in the slightest, he feels safe here, and a warm light seems to radiate from this land. He continues towards the actual castle, where the knights, almost statuesque, say nothing as they part, allowing him entry. He walks through the grand hall, immense, beautiful tapestries depicting various Biblical events line the halls of the tall, pristine, and pillar-strewn room. The tile floors are clean and polished, and the rug creating a path towards the massive double doors leading into the chamber beyond is clean, kept, and as red as blood, with gold fringes along it. Reaching the large, oak, double doors, he pushes them open, and is alarmed by not only a blinding light radiating from the ceiling of what seems to be a rotunda, but the immense crowd that fills the room, and both a spiritual and physical warmth that nearly cripples him.
However, there is tension in the air, and as he steps towards the heart of the room, he spies the gaily dressed guards from the convoy surrounding the dark-armoured fellow, still crouching on the ground. A voice, deep, booming, loud, and omnipresent, both threatening and comforting, kind, but also demanding and judgmental, spoke in that language that he could mysteriously understand and identify, "Archangel Messorem, why hast thou chosen thy wife over thyself? Wouldst thou sacrifice thine own life for a woman who hath betrayed her own?"
"My Lord," Messorem began in a voice that eerily resembled Alex's own, "Vitam doth not know what she hath done. Wouldst Thou show mercy, being the Kind, Loving, and Forgiving God you are?"
"She hath returned life into the cold corpse of the traitor Lucifer, an act worthy of eternal damnation."
"I shant regret my choice, spare Vitam, takest me in her place."
"So it shalt be done."
Alex is confused by the cryptic events occurring, and finds himself frightened and nervous for no clear reason. Just as activity begins to pick up as the apparent trial concludes, the world flickers unsteadily before fading to white, and he...
...Awoke, out of breath, shocked from his sleep by the sounds of dull explosions emerging from outside. "What the hell is going on?" his cellmate asked, standing on his bed as he peeked out through the bars.
"What do you see?" Alex asked, sitting up.
"It looks like a fuckin' war is goin' on out there. Soldiers, whole helluva lot of 'em are shootin' at each other."
"Lemme see," Alex replied in alarm, leaping out of bed as he nimbly climbed the stone walls until he had gripped the bars, pulling himself up until he could peer outside. Sure enough, armor and infantry were exchanging fire just outside the main block, and one glimpse at the side of a nearby tank instantly lit a fire of joy into his heart. "Terminators!" he exclaimed, "They found me!"
"Terminators?" his cellmate asked, looking at him in confusion, "You mean like the robots? Is there somethin' wrong with your head, man?"
"No, Terminators, as in my army, the Terminator Militia! They managed to track me down after all," and he quickly scanned over the crowd until a glint of amethyst caught his eye, "And there's my wing-second!"
Mustering every ounce of his strength, he punched the reinforced glass. Despite losing his power and strength at a rapid place in this hostile world, he still managed to bust out the window, and planting his face against the cold bars, shouted as loud as he could, "SPYRO! OVER HERE!"
Spyro stiffened, looking around.
"IN HERE! I'M IN THE BIG BUILDING!" and he reached through the glass, waving his hand, bloody from punching the glass and not healing...
"ALEX!" Spyro cried, and, swiftly slitting the throat of a soldier that had attacked him, the dragon broke formation, racing towards the building as he took flight, perching precariously on the narrow ledge and poking his muzzle through the hole,weary of the glass. Alex, who had hopped down to gather his strength, reached and pet the dragon's snout. "Christ, Alex! We were worried about you! Hold on! We'll get you out of here!"
"What about Dash?"
"Terrias is leading the charge to get her, don't worry, man, we'll get you both out of here in no time."
"How in the hell did you find us?"
"Believe it or not, Discord told us, and Max confirmed the location and pinpointed where you guys were exactly."
"Thank Christ...Spyro, we need to get out of here ASAP, this world is anti-Terminator."
"I've noticed," and Spyro ripped a rope from around his neck with his teeth, throwing a soul gem through the hole in the wall, "Suit up, these guys are pushovers compared to shit we've dealt with in the past, but if you got no mutations, you might have some difficulties."
Alex picked up the soul gem, retying the rope as he tossed the necklace around his neck. Immediately, he felt power surging through his veins, and summoning as much power as he could, let loose a massive fireball that blasted a hole through the stone wall dividing him from the outside world. Spyro stood by, taking down several nosy soldiers who had decided to intervene, and as Alex scampered through the rubble, sheltering his eyes against the harsh sunlight as Spyro ran ahead, tackling a nearby soldier, the Commander suddenly paused, turning around to face his cellmate, who was cowering just behind the hole in the wall, occasionally peeking out only to retreat as bullets whizzed by, striking the bars and ricocheting with a flurry of sparks.
"Alex!" Spyro asked, turning around to face the Commander, "C'mon! We need to go!"
"Wait a moment!" Alex ordered, and he returned to the cell, "You," he began, nodding towards his cellmate, "Anything tethering you to this world?"
"What do ya mean?" he asked.
"Family? Friends? Anybody giving you a reason to stay here?"
"Think I said there was no one earlier."
"Wanna come back to my world?"
"What?"
"Wanna come back to my world? I can recruit you into my forces, it's hard work, but the pay is good, and the living is even better."
He hesitated for a few moments, then nodded, "Sure, why the hell not?"
"Spyro!" Alex called, throwing the man's arm around his shoulder as he led him outside.
"Right here," the purple dragon replied, and Alex turned as Spyro threw his supplies at him. Alex caught them, heading into a dark corner of the building, away from his battle, as he quickly changed into his armor, reemerging less than a minute later with AK47 loaded, cocked, and equipped.
"Let's move."
Spyro nodded, tapping his earpiece, "Seraph to all units, we have Archangel, proceeding to the extraction point...Blackbird, is Phoenix secure?"
"Negative, Seraph," Terrias replied, "But we're working on it."
"Need any help?"
"Negative, just get back to the extraction point, help our guys take it back, we'll be there shortly."
"Affirmative, Seraph out," and Spyro turned to face Alex and the black man, "Alright, let's get moving. Guy, know how to use an assault rifle?"
"Uh...not really?"
"Well you're gonna learn," and Spyro picked up a fallen soldier's dropped SCAR-H, equipped with a laser sight and ACOG scope. Checking the clip, Spyro tossed the weapon and several magazines to the man. "Oh, and just be forewarned, turn that damn thing against one of us, I guarantee you'll regret it. Those rounds won't do shit to us, but ours will do shit to you."
"Like I'd shoot at someone who busted me out of prison. That's fucked up, jack."
"Like the way you think, guy, alright, let's move," as they sprinted through the crowd, returning to an idling tank column covering the assault on the prison, Spyro said, "Oh, and for the record, mind Lady Liberty."
"Hell you talkin' 'bout?"
"Hehe...let's just say, 'welcome to Ghostbusters'."
"What?"
"Nevermind. Reaper, this is Seraph, I need a sitrep on the extraction point, over."
"Bastards are putting up quite a fight, but it's nothing we can't handle. Gimme ten minutes, fifteen tops, and they'll either be running to the hills with their tails between their legs, or there'll be nothing left standing that can fight."
"Alright, we're oscar mike to the extraction point, ETA twenty minutes, get ready to get the hell out of dodge."
"What about the others?"
"They'll come. Avenger, this is Seraph, what's your location?"
"Approximately twenty klicks south of the LZ," Tails began, "We ready for evac?"
"We have Archangel and are oscar mike to the LZ, ETA twenty minutes."
"Affirmative, I'll be there, Avenger out."
"Blackbird, this is Seraph, what's your ETA to the target destination?"
"ETA five minutes, Seraph."
"Get your ass in gear, Lieutenant, Avenger's en route to the extraction point, sure he wants to leave ASAP."
"Don't worry, Commander, we got this."
Twenty minutes later, the extraction point came into sight, and it was clear that it wasn't as secure as Elliot had predicted. "Reaper!" Alex barked into his earpiece, "What the hell is going on? We're at the extraction point and you clearly do NOT have the situation under control!"
"Yeah well, they called in reinforcements."
"Course they did. Oh well, we need to hold the LZ until Terrias gets here."
"What's his ETA?"
"I'm not sure, tried to get a hold of him, but he's run into some difficulties."
"Well does he need backup!?"
"He says it's nothing he can't handle, just a little delay."
"Tell him to pick it up, we need to get back to New Alexandria, we've already stayed here longer than I would have liked."
"Well sorry we failed to meet your deadline Elliot," Alex replied bitterly, "But the lives and safety of Alpha Company is higher priority than whatever damn appointments you have."
"I doubt this world could do much to harm you mutants."
"Cut it out, both of you!" Spyro replied harshly, "We have more important matters to deal with, like securing the LZ so we can get out of here?"
"Seraph, Archangel, this is Blackbird, do you copy?"
"This is Archangel, we copy, Blackbird, what's your status, over?"
"Package Phoenix is secure, we're oscar mike to the extraction point, ETA fifteen minutes, and we're coming in hot, get ready for one helluva close shave, Blackbird out."
Alex tapped his earpiece, "Avenger, this is Archangel, Blackbird is on his way with Phoenix, you ready to go?"
"LZ's too hot, can't land. I need you to loosen up resistance before we can enact a safe extraction."
While they waited for Terrias' arrival, Spyro spread out his troops, ordering them to establish a perimeter as they waited for the next wave of soldiers to arrive. Once they did, they were quickly dealt with, and after several more waves, the flow of troops finally began to subside. Not too long after they began to go on the retreat, Terrias' squad arrived via tank, and Spyro ordered the invasion party to regroup on him.
"Good to see you are safe, Alex," Terrias began, hugging the Commander, then nodding towards Alex's former cellmate, he asked, "Who's this guy?"
"He was wrongfully imprisoned, nothing's tethering him to this world, thought I could adopt him into my ranks."
Terrias chuckled, "Yeah, you're definitely fine...in danger but still taking the opportunity to recruit new members."
"How's Dash?" Alex asked, sobering.
Terrias walked to his tank, where an unconscious Dash was being pulled from within. "We found her like this..."
"Is she okay?" the Commander asked, concerned.
The servine shrugged, "I don't know, man. When we got to her, she was almost entirely transparent...she's getting some solidity back now that the crystal's on her...but I don't know if the anti-mutant physics of this world did any serious or irreparable damage."
"Christ..."
"I'm sure she'll be fine though, especially once we get back into our world, remember, this isn't the first time we've been locked in an anti-Terminator world. Remember the Parallel Crisis?"
"Don't remind me..."Alex replied bitterly, remembering when, way back during Necro's reign of the Maxia, he had launched an assault on New Alexandria, somehow sending Alpha Company into an anti-Terminator world, one where only Alex, powerless, was visible and existent to the world's inhabitants...Necro's teleportation being responsible for creating the 'Time Wound' in the heart of the Burned Lands north of New Alexandria.
"Anyway," Terrias began, watching as Dash was loaded into his Hornet, "Let's get back to our world before we're completely destroyed, even with our soul gems."
"Agreed...delaying our leave is only hampering Dash's recovery."
"Exactly," and Alex climbed into the Hornet, helping Terrias and Spyro on as well. The Commander seated himself between Cynder and Dash while Terrias walked to the cockpit. Alex cast a worried look towards his unconscious mate, stroking her rainbow mane.
"You okay?" Cynder asked, purring loudly, heart beating against his chest as she pressed her warm flank into his side. She nuzzled his neck, and he hugged her.
"I'm fine..."
"We were worried about you..." she began, "I was worried about you..."
"I'm fine," he replied, smiling, feeling tired, "Just...ready to go home..."
She nodded, nuzzling him again, "I missed you..." and she kissed his mouth lightly, her purring increasing in volume as he pet her soft scales and flank.
"How are you feeling, Alex?" Spyro asked, sitting across from them.
He shrugged, "Been better...tired as hell...but at least I'm alive."
"You look like hammered shit, man."
"Thanks, Spyro," Alex replied bitterly, idly scratching his arm. His whole body was still burned from the nuclear explosion and had been healing slowly throughout his time in this world, despite its physics, confirming that this wasn't as bad as the Parallel Crisis...but now he was wearing the soul gem, and his power had been restored to full, his whole body itched, feeling like it was crawling, a clear sign of his mutated genes healing his wounds, "Hopefully it doesn't scar," Alex replied with a chuckle.
"We'll have Fox check you out when we get back to New Alexandria."
At mention of the name of Alpha Company's physician, also one of the R&D department heads, Alex suddenly remembered Aria, whom was pregnant with hers and Terrias' child. "Did Fox ever figure out when Aria's gonna lay?"
Spyro shrugged, "To be honest with you, I haven't asked, none of my business really. Nobody knows anything about the reproductive rituals and behaviors of Pokemon, which is funny giving how ingrained they are in the Regions' culture and history. Guess nobody really cared to look."
"So nothing on servine then."
"Nothing I've come across anyway."
"I would assume soon...how long has she been pregnant?"
"About a year, I'd assume she might lay any time now...she's showing."
"I can tell," Alex replied, glancing over at Aria, asleep at the opposite end of the Hornet, curled into as small a ball as she could manage, one arm laying across her extended belly. "Probably need to take her out of operations...can't let her get in harm's way when she's dealing with the safety of not one, but two."
"Probably would be a good idea."
Another period of awkward silence before Alex said, "I'll tell you what though, after all this crap in Phoenix...I think its time for a series of promotions,all across the board."
Spyro chuckled, "Is there even anything beyond 'Regional Commander'?"
"Yes there is."
"Besides Great Commander...that's a title I can't get to, there can only be one."
"Yes, but there is one rank between Great Commander and Regional Commander that has only been filled by Rapid...though he's pretty much decided to start anew."
"Which is?"
"How does being referred to as 'Lieutenant Commander' sound? That's the highest rank beneath Great Commander, best part? There can only be two at any given time."
"R...Really?"
"Yep."
"Thanks...really..." and Spyro hugged him tightly.
Alex chuckled, petting the purple dragon, "No problem."
Once their embrace broke apart, Spyro asked, "So...not to sound like a creeper or anything, but I'm going to assume that you and Cynder have some catching up to do tonight? Especially giving that Dash may be out of commission for awhile."
"If Dash isn't in any condition to once we get back to the Base World, then it's up to Cynder on what to do."
"I can safely say that I think she has that in mind...she's been worried about you a lot lately...not saying that I haven't, cause I have but..."
"I get what you mean."
"So...Base World huh?"
"Yep..."
"Where'd you come up with that name?"
Alex shrugged, intending to keep the cryptic message he had been told by Jazz during the Blood Week Crisis six months prior a secret, "Just hit me all of a sudden."
"Kinda catchy...more so than Alpha World."
"Yup..." silence then, "If Dash is in any mood for a fling, and Cynder's also wanting one...maybe I can get 'em both."
Spyro was overcome by laughter, enough to drive a few of the others in the vehicle to stare at him in confused glances. He ignored them, and the rest of the passengers were too tired to worry about it. "I'm sorry man," Spyro began, "But if you are wanting both Dash and Cynder, you better make room for a fourth."
"You wanting in, too?"
"Hell yeah, two females?"
"Two females and one other guy, we'd be crossing swords man..."
"Not like its anything we haven't seen or done before though, right?"
Alex shrugged, "Yeah, guess you got a point."
"Anyway," and Spyro smiled, "You should really get some rest before you delve into catching up."
"I have the whole day, Spy. Spend the day resting, then be ready for action tonight."
"Well...yeah, you got a point."
Silence fell between them then as Cynder curled into a ball by Alex's side, and Spyro curled into a ball in the Commander's lap, all three soon falling to sleep, with Alex gingerly caressing the cyan-furred Pegasus by his side.
Later that evening, Dash finally began to stir, but she was still feverish and clearly suffering. "You think she'll be okay, Fox?" Alex asked.
The British-born doctor sighed, scratching his stubble of a beard. He was of medium high and build, with thick, black hair combed back, blue eyes set behind a pair of glasses, and clad in his usual attire, a labcoat, beige slacks, and a clean white T-shirt. Years of living in the Americas after his parents immigrated when he was a young boy, he had no accent, "I don't know what to say, Commander...I mean, will she make a full recovery? I'm almost certain...but her stay in that world really took a toll on her, undue stress and the like. I'd give her some time to rest up and recover, no strenuous activities, that means no sex. She's stirring, which is a good sign...I'd guess that she should probably wake up within the next few hours."
"Thanks Fox."
"No problem, Alex."
"Also," and Alex reached into his pocket, revealing his gemstone, "Thank Bleu when you see him for these."
Fox laughed, Bleu was a great dragon from the Terminator-friendly nation of Rune, located within the collective of Medieval countries known as the 'Gothics' and was the Terminator Militia's main head of the research and development department, "I'll tell him, stay healthy, Commander."
"You, too, Fox."
As the Commander stepped out into the hall of Fox's office, located in the basement floor of Club Camelot's rotunda, he was shocked to see Cynder and Spyro waiting for him.
"How is she?" Cynder asked.
Alex sighed, "She's stirring, but still out like a light. Fox is keeping her overnight to ensure her vitals stay good, but she seems to be fine. Just gotta take it easy for awhile."
"Uh oh," Spyro began with a chuckle, "Alex lost his mate for a month or two."
"I doubt nearly that long, Spyro," but he grinned, "Besides, Dash is the one that's gonna have a bitch of a time dealing with the lack of action."
"Meanwhile..." Spyro began, "I've got some training to do with Terrance and Spike...Alex, you need to rest."
Alex nodded, "I'm not gonna complain, wake me up in a few hours."
"Goodnight, Alex, sleep tight."
"Thanks Spyro."