A/N: Probably one of the most longest chapters I've ever written, last chapter, and it wasn't even my intention to make it go on for as long as it did! However, I think the length of these chapters is doing me some good as I've actually been able to get some sleep after writing these up. I also wish to apologize for how short the Origins adventure is cut. It's just that everything is extremely hard to explain as far as the easter egg goes and it's very hard to keep up. I'd be several chapters into the story and barely be done Origins at this rate. Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy.

I also had to switch this story to an M rating; I'm sorry!

As another note: I apologize if my Russian is rusty, as well as my German.

Chapter Genre: Action, Humour, Friendship

Chapter Rating: M

Rating Content: Violence, Mild Blood, Coarse Language

Vivian felt someone shaking her shoulder and she groaned, gathering up the sheet and bringing it up to her neck as she curled into a ball. Whoever was bothering her could bugger off.

"Do you want Zombies eating your brains?"

She nuzzled into the mattress. "Mm... don't got any..."

Daren then poked at her back with a stick, constantly, trying to annoy her enough to wake her up. "You gotta get changed and eat or you're gonna be grumpy. We don't want a grumpy bea-"

Vivian suddenly whipped around and, grabbing the stick, yanked it out from his hands and threw it at him, hitting him square in his knees. He let out a short yelp of pain and Vivian sat up from on her mattress, rubbing at her eyes and letting out a giant yawn.

Daren rubbed at his knee and glared. "Dude, that actually hurt."

She looked at him with narrowed eyes. "I's supposed to." She slurred, yawning once more. "Don't poke the bear when she's sleeping..."

"The nemnogo mishka."

Vivian looked over to Nikolai, who now had a goofy and mischievous grin on his face. She pointed a finger at him. "I ain't that little."

"Well, while you're awake," Tank threw a clean shirt at her. "Get changed. Then you can eat."

Vivian looked down at herself to see that she had, indeed, fallen asleep in her muddy shirt and pants. She then looked at the shirt he had thrown to her; plain black, but it was far too big for her. Most likely because all of the other members of the group were men. Back home, she could easily fit into a size Small in men's shirts, and if she had a Medium it would be somewhat big on her but she would still wear it. This looked like a large shirt though, something she knew wouldn't fit too well on her.

She'd still have to wear it though.

With a pained groan, Vivian managed to get up onto her feet, now being able to feel her whole legs. The muscles throbbed and twitched with pain, most likely still sore from the previous days' activities. "Where can I change?" She asked.

Tank looked at her, then he looked to Richtofen, who only shrugged. They never really thought of a spot for people to change, mainly because they were all men. She was the only woman in the group so it made sense why she'd want privacy to change her shirt. Tank looked around and then gestured to a closed door. "We have the storage room."

She nodded and slowly made her way over to it, wincing at the pain in her legs. She hoped that she didn't have to do quite as much running, because if she did, she was screwed.

She opened the wooden door and then closed it behind her. It wasn't too small so she had plenty of room to move and the hole in the roof provided enough light for her to see.

She removed her muddy Star Wars shirt and tossed it onto the shelf. Her tank top was only slightly muddy so she kept it on. She then slipped the shirt over her head and found that it came to past her hips. It was also really baggy. It covered her chest well, at least, and it only slightly hung off her shoulder.

Maybe she could spice up the look a little bit.

She opened the door slightly and peeked around it. "Does anybody have a spare belt or something? Men always have belts."

Richtofen was quick to throw her a harness and she nodded her thanks before closing the door again. It looked like a mix of a cross-chest strap and a waist belt, but it would definitely do the job.

She put the harness over her head and the one strap went across her chest and the belt part hugged her hips. Grabbing at the loose straps, she tightened the harness so it hugged her waist and her chest tightly, not tight enough to strangle her but enough so it wouldn't slip. This kept the shirt from being too baggy and getting in the way, which was great!

Now she was ready to face the day!

She opened the door and stepped out, pulling down at the hem of her shirt. "As soon as I eat, I'm ready to kick some ass!"

Scott snorted. "Well, good. Because we got some major big ass to kick!"

Vivian cracked her neck. "Bring it on!"

/ / /

"I am so not ready for this!"

Vivian barely managed to jump out of the way before Odin stomped his foot down, dirt and mud kicking up from the impact (and nearly covering her in it in the process). That was, what, the fifth time that she nearly got smushed by the giant robot and there was nothing to show for it.

Two groups were working together to find the last two pieces of the Wind staff; Vivian being partnered with Nikolai and Daren being partnered with Takeo. She and Nikolai were still trying to find their piece while Daren and Takeo had found it within a few attempts, so they went around trying to help the others as best as they could, mainly keeping the zombies off of everyone. Richtofen was working on getting the Maxis Drone going and Scott was working with Tank to get the Lightning Staff pieces and having it put together. They had managed to finish the Fire and Ice staff with ease, as well as getting them upgraded. They also had filled up the soul boxes; all of them. All that they needed was the wind staff and then they needed to collect more souls down in the Crazy Place in order to open up Argatha. Which was gonna be one hell of a ride!

Nikolai laughed at the young woman and she couldn't help but laugh alone with him. "What happened to you being ready to kick ass?"

She got up from the muddy ground and brushed herself off as best as she could. "Well, I meant zombie ass; not the ass of a giant robot!"

He shot at a zombie that was running at him with his shotgun, blood spraying from the impact of the shells. Vivian checked her own weapons and saw that, not only was she running low on ammo, but she needed a better gun. The MP-40 and the ICR-1 could only do so much for her (even though her ICR was Pack-a-Punched). "Can we maybe take a break?" She asked. "I want to make another go at the box."

He nodded in agreement. "Da, let's do that."

They quickly made their way to their starting point to Generator 1, where the box ended up after she got the Teddy Bear (which she still thinks is creepy). Daren was also there, his arms crossed and fingers tapping against his arm. The weapons slowed and settled on the Drakon and he raised his arms in the air. "Finally!" He shouted before taking the weapon, checking over it before cocking it.

Vivian chuckled. "How long have you been waiting for that thing?"

He aimed down the sights. "A while." He said.

Vivian rolled her eyes and approached the box. "Well, I'm glad you're happy, mate!"

She tapped two of her fingers on the lid of the box, making it open as the music box tune played. She cracked her knuckles. "Gimme fuel, gimme fire, gimme that which I desire..." She said.

The guns slowed in their cycle and landed on the Argus.

She gasped heavily and immediately took it, trading her MP-40. The gun immediately became Pack-a-Punched and she smiled. "Oh, my beautiful baby..." She purred.

Daren continued to check his gun. "I don't see how you like that thing; it sucks!"

Vivian aimed down the sights and she grinned. "Says you."

She fired a practice shot.

She was unused to the kick that shotguns had, as she had never fired on before. She was more used to the constant kick of an automatic rifle. So, as a result, the shotgun went flying out of her hands over her shoulder and she looked back in time to see Daren holding one hand over his family jewels and he groaned loudly, slowly sinking to the floor.

Vivian snorted and laughed. "Well, shit, with that kind of aim I'll never hit a zombie!"

Nikolai gave the young woman a look. "Make sure nobody stands behind you, next time."

"No... shit..." Daren groaned.

Vivian turned around and knelt down to pick up the shotgun, patting her friend on his shoulder. "Sorry, mate. You alright?"

"No..." He groaned. He then tried to stand up, his legs somewhat crossed over as the pain was still fresh between them. Vivian just rolled her eyes. This wasn't the first time she had managed to hit his balls; and each time being an accident. Most of the incidents happened at school when they were being idiots, and he recovered every time it happened. He'd be fine.

Probably.

Vivian went over to the Gobblegum machine and tapped a button. The various Gobblegums spun before the lion head presented an orange gum to her. "Perkaholic, let's do it!" She took the Gum and popped it into her mouth, chewing a few times before blowing a bubble. The instant it popped, it disintegrated in her mouth. It was strange how the Gobblegum worked, but it, well, worked. She then tapped the button once more and the lion presented a purple gum to her. "Cache back..." she muttered. She then shrugged and took it, popping it in her mouth and chewing it. "Could come in handy." She said.

Nikolai and Daren approached her. "Ready to go back to work?" Nikolai asked, to which she shrugged.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"I can help keep zombies off you!" Daren quickly stated.

"You just want to use your sniper."

"Maybe."

"Fine, but if you get down, don't blame us!"

/ / /

Nikolai and Vivian did their best to keep the zombies at bay as they followed Odin. This had been taking almost too long, which was strange. There had been enough of a time gap that everyone else already had their staffs made and upgraded, as well as the last few tidbits such as the Drone, and they still hadn't found the last piece of the Wind Staff.

The three of them had been trading off on checking for the foot. Everyone else had also managed too get the staffs in the Crazy Place and kill enough zombies to get Pack-a-Punched weapons for the final battle they would have to face. Of course, at this rate they may not get to it that day. Which would really annoy her because they had been working hard and got so much done.

Nikolai slowly made his way towards her, firing at the zombies with the Dingo. For a few moments everything went quiet, symbolizing the passing of rounds and they quickly checked over their guns and ammunition. Chewing her Gobblegum, Vivian popped a bubble and immediately spawned a Max Ammo power up and the gum disintegrated in her mouth. She touched the power up with her finger and the item disappeared, the ghostly voice saying, 'max ammo'. Everyone's ammunition got restocked.

Nikolai cleared his throat. "There is something I want to ask you, nemnogo mishka."

She raised an eyebrow. "Ay?"

"You and your friends," He gestured to Daren, who was moving away from the incoming foot. "Daren and Scotty. You are... close, da?"

She shrugged and then nodded. "Yeah. We've all been friends since high school. Been there for each other right from the start."

Nikolai seemed to hesitate and Vivian could sense what he might be asking next. "Just friends?"

She tsked and sighed. "Yes, just friends. No, I'm not interested in women romantically, and no they are not interested in men. We are interested in the opposite sex but not in each other. We are all best friends, even family. Simple as that."

Nikolai raised his hands in mock surrender. "Sorry, I just-"

"It's fine." She sighed again and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "It's alright, mate. I just have gotten that more than once where people assume we're more than friends. It's understandable."

The roars and screams of zombies could be heard and they both readied their guns. It took a few times for Vivian to learn how to reload the Argus, but she was a quick study. "One thing's for sure, though; I am definitely not friends with these demon spawn!"

/ / /

All they heard was a cry and they turned around to see Nikolai holding the final piece of the Wind Staff. Daren and Vivian both nearly tackled the Russian, Daren punching his shoulder and she smacked his back. "Well done, mate!"

Nikolai smiled and he nodded. "Let's go to Crazy Place, da?"

They both nodded and they all ran for No Man's Land, trying their best to pass by the various zombies. Vivian and Daren both made sure to stop by the Gobblegum Machine before heading over to the Excavation Site, where Takeo, Dempsey, Richtofen and Scott were all holding out. Corpses were piled everywhere and the blood of the damned flowed, mixing in with the mud and water.

Tank noticed the three running towards them. "About damn time you got here!"

Vivian glared. Before she could come up with a witty retort Daren quickly said, "Don't blame us, blame Odin!"

She patted her friend on his back. "You and Nikki go to the Crazy Place. Give us a signal and we'll come down when you're ready!"

Daren gave her a confused look. "Why not now?"

"Do you want zombies swarming all of us?"

"Good point."

The two men went down into the Crazy Place, leaving the rest of them to their own devices. They formed a semi-circle lineup; Scott and Richtofen stood in the back line, shooting down the zombies from out in the distance. Vivian, Tank and Takeo all knelt down in front of them, taking out the zombies who were at a close to mid-range. It was one of the most simple lineups, but it was effective as they could not be attacked from behind (as they were backed up against the stairs) and they were able to keep an eye on all angles.

Vivian pulled at a grenade on her belt and cooked it for two seconds before tossing it. Most zombies she managed to kill, but she created two crawlers. Once Daren and Nikolai were done, they would shoot them and move on to the final battle.

Well, that was the plan at least. Unless something went 'bump', of course.

Knock on wood.

As they continued to shoot the zombies, Vivian started humming a small tune to herself. Most would think her to be strange, considering the circumstances, but whenever she was doing something that was fairly consistent, she would often pass the time by singing or humming (or whistling, which wasn't the best idea due to the climate and the fact that it could be distracting to the others).

Her fingers also started tapping to the beat of the song she was humming (not her trigger finger, of course, or she'd end up firing wasted shots) and her one foot tapped to the beat.

As odd as it sounded, she felt a sense of calm whenever she was singing or humming. Even though the dead were hanging around them and death was always trying to push open the door or crawl in through the window, her humming brought a small sense of normalcy to her. She was still a person, even in a fucked up situation like this.

All seemed to die down and they realized that there were no more zombies to be seen. Vivian rolled her eyes. "Who killed the crawlers?"

A crack of thunder was heard and then Samantha's giggle came shortly after. 'Goodnight.'

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Daren could be heard shouting in the Excavation Site. "We just got this thing, man!"

Vivian snorted and Scott laughed at their friend.

/ / /

"Remind me how you ended up with so many bruises and cuts?"

Vivian winced as he applied pressure to her arm, inspecting the various wounds she had gained from the day. "Blame Odin." She stated simply.

She hadn't realized the extent of her wounds and bruises and it wasn't until she removed her baggy shirt, leaving her in a tank-top, that Richtofen suddenly acted like she was dying.

Once she thought about it, however, it made sense. She had been knocked around more than once by the Zombies, fallen into the mud, hit hard things because she would often have to dive out of the way of Odin, nearly killed herself with a grenade, been underneath falling debris when she fell through a hole in the roof of a bunker and Odin stepped on it, and she also got one-shotted by a Panzer. Although when revived, the pain of the wounds went away, the marks left by them would stay.

It also wasn't until they got to the safety of the bunker that she started actually feeling the pain from her wounds.

Vivian hissed as Richtofen applied alcohol to the wounds, making them sting. "You should be more careful, kleine maus, or you could end up in worse shape."

She tsked and rolled her eyes. "Yes, mom." She clenched her fist as he applied more alcohol to a large cut on her forearm. "Y'know, for someone who cares about the health of those around him, you seem to be doting on me more than anyone else."

It was true. As soon as she had taken off her shirt, he was helping her instantaneously. She hadn't moved from her spot on her mattress since they had gotten into the bunker. Everyone else seemed to be doing alright, aside from a few bloodied cuts and a few bruises. Nikolai looked as if he had sprained his wrist, since he had a thick wrap around it. Tank was rolling his shoulder more than once, suggesting some muscle pain, Takeo was nursing his right arm, which had a huge bruise and a cut on it. Scott and Daren, aside from a few scrapes, seemed to be doing okay (which she really didn't understand how). However, Richtofen didn't seem to care or notice.

The German scoffed and grabbed for a roll of bandages. "I am not doting. Everyone here can take care of themselves. As for you, I am uncertain of your medical capabilities."

"Is it because I'm a girl?"

Everyone suddenly paused in what they were doing to look at the pair, almost as if they were expecting something to happen. Richtofen stared for a few short moments before answering. "Nein. The men here have seen me do enough work to know how to heal themselves." He unraveled the bandages. "I am unsure if you know the proper procedures to-"

Tank could be heard laughing before he said, "I think he's stuck on you, Blue."

Both the Canadian and the Doctor turned their heads to the American, shooting him a deathly glare. Vivian looked as if she was about ready to jump the man. "Excuse you?"

He just crossed his arms and shrugged his shoulders in a cheeky manner before a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "Y'know, he's getting all sweet on you."

Vivian, finally realizing what he meant, rolled her eyes and leaned back against the wall. "Oh, that's what you meant." She then shook her head. "Look, mate; Scott, Daren and I have been here for like, what, two days, almost three. I hardly call that enough time to even start to develop a boyish infatuation. So lay off."

Tank shrugged and decided to leave her be. For now.

Richtofen gently pulled at her arm and she lifted it so he could wrap the bandage around it. "How's the bandage gonna help with all the mud?

"They are water resistant," He replied, "Something I had created in my spare time."

"Ah."

He made sure to keep the bandage tight, but not enough to cut off the blood circulation in her arm. He didn't want the wound to become infected and for her to become sick and become exposed to the Virus that the Zombies had. As he tied off the bandage near her wrist, he saw some pale marks against her darker skin and he paused for a moment. What were those?

At first, she wasn't aware of what he was doing. But once he brushed his thumb over her forearm, she attempted to pull away, only to have him grasp tightly to her wrist, almost painfully so. Upon inspecting her wrist more closely, he could see that the pale marks were scars. His eyes caught hers and he almost glared. "What are these?"

"Scars, dumbass." She replied snappishly.

"What from?"

"Wired fence." She replied. "Back on my farm, my family and I had a puppy business. One of the puppies got caught under the wired fence of their pen and I had to help." She laughed, almost nervously. "Stupid me, I didn't think quite right and I ended up getting my arm caught under the fence and cutting it up."

Richtofen stared at her blankly and she couldn't tell if he believed her or not. Daren and Scott, who knew far better, both gave each other knowing and worried looks. She was particularly good when it came to lying, but there were some people who were a lot more perceptive than kids at school. More specifically, doctors-slash-scientists.

Vivian swallowed quietly when Richtofens' lips set into a slight frown. Yup, definitely not buying it, she thought.

He let go of her wrist. "It is a good thing you did not have any vital veins cut by the fence." He said.

"Yeah." She cringed as her voice cracked.

Putting the medical items away in a box, Richtofen moved onto his own mattress to tend to his own wounds. Nikolai then asked her, "You had puppy business, you say?"

She nodded and breathed a very quiet sigh of relief. "Yup!"

"What kind?"

"Pure Bred Border Collies." She replied.

Takeo now suddenly became interested in the conversation. "A smart and honorable breed. They are loyal and trusting."

Vivians' eyes widened in surprise. "You're familiar with the breed?"

The Japanese soldier nodded. "My family owned one. Very smart, very sharp-minded."

Tank raised an eyebrow. "Aren't they a working dog?"

"Yeah. Well, they can be used for herding, but they can also just be your loyal pet."

"What were puppies like?" Nikolai asked, his blue eyes lighting up with an almost child-like curiosity. "Fluffy? Floppy ears?"

She held back a snort and brushed back her blue hair (well, somewhat brown now no thanks to the drying mud). "Depends. Border Collie puppies, when they are newborns, are very short haired. Once they get older, you can tell if they are going to be short, medium or long haired. Most of the puppies we had were rarely short haired due to their mama being a long hair. Their ears cannot be guessed by genes. It's always a mystery if they'd be pointed or floppy." Vivian smiled to herself. "Then there was the faces. They were always very distinguished and some were round and others were pointed. Some were pure black or had white stripes."

"Did you have favourite puppy?" Nikolai asked her.

In an instant, her smile disappeared as her thoughts and memories traveled to this one single puppy. One that stood out from the others, one that would always stick with her. She stared into the fire, the flames reflecting in her now glassy eyes. "Yeah, actually..." She replied, forcing a half smile. "Her name was Buttons. She was as cute as a button, hence her name. She was my favourite because we had gone through a lot together. She had a rough start after a puppy from an older litter had played with her a little too roughly. Everyone, especially my mother, thought she was dead but I had faith."

Everyone seemed to lean forward, now fully enamored by her story. She didn't seem to notice, however, as her eyes continued to stare into the fire. "After a day, when my mom was taking me home from work, she said to me, 'You were right. She is alive', and I remember looking at her like she was crazy because she never, and I mean never, says that I'm right!"

This made everyone chuckle and she laughed along with them for a brief moment before continuing. "Anyways, she had said they brought her into the house so her last moments would be comfortable and that she knew she was loved, but I remember saying, 'she won't die', and when we got home I was in the house in like, five seconds. I was right by Buttons' side, comforting her and petting her. She was having seizures and she wouldn't eat even with a syringe to help her.

"I had made a promise to Buttons that evening," she said, "I had promised her that she wouldn't die, not as long as I was around. I stayed on the couch for two whole nights, comforting her when she cried and calming her when she had a seizure. I made sure to feed her often and I would hold her close to let her know there was another living thing there with her." Her face shifted to a more happier expression. "One day, she had started teething the syringe and I decided to get the bowl of milk. When I put it next to her, she started lapping it up right away. You would've thought I had resurrected someone with they way I was screaming, 'Mom! She's eating by herself! She's eating by herself!'."

Everyone laughed, then, and a brighter smile came onto her face. "After a few days, she was finally up and walking, although she had some major counter-weight issues, constantly toppling over. She'd also run into things. However, she was very responsive to my voice and she would always run to the door when I got home from school and she'd want to sit on my lap when I was on the couch. She was a good puppy."

Richtofen tilted his head to the side. "What happened to her?"

Vivian opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by Samantha's giggle. 'Sleep well...'.

She suddenly looked horrified. "'Cus that wasn't creepy at all!"

Everyone else (aside from Scott and Daren) seemed to be put at ease. Tank breathed an audible sigh of relief. "Looks like the kid is giving us a break," He said.

Scott was visibly confused. "What do you mean?"

"Samantha is giving us time to rest," Richtofen explained to the younger man. "This can last for one or two days, depending on how hard the challenge ahead will be."

Daren shrugged and suddenly pulled the sheet over himself and lied on his mattress. "I'll take it." He muttered. "G'night."

"Da, it is getting late." Nikolai let out a massive yawn before leaning back against the wall and closing his eyes (how he was able to sleep like that was beyond her, but she had some odd sleeping habits herself so she really couldn't talk).

Everyone else tucked themselves in while Vivian remained awake, once again, being unable to sleep. There was not too much to do, so all she could really do was watch the fire as it danced and crackled. Soon, the fire died down to small flames, then to hot red coals.

Only then was she able to close her eyes.

/ / /

It wasn't quite as busy as she thought it would be. In fact, everyone seemed fairly laid back. Takeo was sharpening his katana, Nikolai was carving into a piece of wood, Tank was cleaning and checking his weapons and Richtofen was reading a book (which she needed to ask where he got it from).

Daren and Scott were talking among themselves, mainly about sniping methods and the best spots to camp. Vivian was currently drawing in an old, blank notebook that Richtofen had found in the storage room.

When he had found that she enjoyed writing and drawing in her spare time, he had remembered seeing an old book along with a jar of ink and a calligraphy pen. Her eyes had brightened greatly when she saw the items being handed to her and she had started drawing right away. She was a woman of many talents, he thought. She also seemed to have a heart of gold, which normally would not bode well in settings such as this, but she was also tough. She could also understand and speak other languages (to an extent, of course), and now she could write and draw. What else could she do, he wondered.

Her two companions were also extremely talented, he noted, if not slightly dangerous. They could fire weapons like any regular solider, even though they claim they had never fired anything too extreme. He had also seen them when they worked together; very efficient and very fast work. Scott was an excellent strategist and Daren worked well in executing the strategies. Add those two with Vivian, who had the know-how and plans ready, and you had one hell of a trio.

They all complimented each other quite well. But he could only wonder just what else those three were capable of. Perhaps they were a lot more dangerous than he could think.

"Hey, Daren, Scott?"

The two young men looked over to their friend. "Yeah?" They said in unison.

"Y'know the Gobblegum machine, right?"

"Yeah."

She looked up from her book. "Well, since the lion head is the thing where the gum is dispensed, did you ever think that the glass ball is its' tummy? Like, basically it's puking up bubblegum and then you're eating it, or it pukes it up and then swallows it if you don't take it..."

They both instantly burst into laughter and she joined along with them and they all gasped for air as everyone continued to look at them like they were crazy. Tank just shook his head almost disapprovingly and then resumed in cleaning his guns.

Perhaps more of their skills would show with time, Richtofen thought.

/ / /

The day had gone by rather quickly, she thought. She had been drawing for most of it and it wasn't too long before it was evening once more. Everyone had already asleep hours ago and Vivian was struggling to even go to sleep. Perhaps a little walk or something, she thought. Not too far, however.

Getting up, she grabbed her boots and quickly put them on before she wandered towards the door, careful as to not trip over anybody in the process. As quietly as she could, she opened the door leading outside and stepped out, settling with just leaving a small crack in the doorway. She shivered at the chilly night air.

The moon shone full and bright in the sky and the stars glowed brightly, an almost a peaceful sight, aside from the planes firing at each other in the air. War never slept, she thought.

She heard shuffling behind her and looked to see Richtofen coming out from the bunker. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"Shouldn't you?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes, looking back up to the sky. Richtofen approached her and then stood beside her, also looking to the sky. "War is an ugly thing, ja?"

"Hm?"

"War." He repeated, not taking his eyes off of the sky. "It can be such an ugly thing. No matter if you come out of it physically unscathed, there are always scars from the battles you've fought."

She paused for a moment before looking up at him. "Why do I get the feeling you're directing that at me?"

She was perceptive; mental note taken. "I am, in a sense." He looked to the woman and gestured to her arm. "I don't know the... personal wars you fought, but there was no need to put physical scars in place of the mental or emotional ones."

If looks could kill, he would've died slowly and painfully. The glare she shot him sent shivers down his spine as her lips curled into a snarl. "That... is none of your business."

"So it wasn't a wired fence."

She mentally cursed herself. She needed to learn to be less defensive or one of these times it'd come back to bite her in the butt real good. "Look, mate, I don't get why you're so concerned. Or nosy."

"Mental well-being is as important as physical well-being." He replied, almost cryptically. "If your state of mind gets in the way, it could spell out major consequences for a lot of people."

They stared each other down for a few moments, neither willing to back down. Her personal problems were always that; personal. Anyone who intruded or tried making things better would often get drop-kicked or leave her alone about certain situations. However, her problem with a blade had been long forgotten, and so she wished for others to forget as well. With a low growl, she shoved past Richtofen and went back into the bunker. "Leave me the fuck alone."

/ / /

"We're gonna fuck this up aren't we?"

Daren yelped loudly as Vivian smacked the back of his head. "Yeah, if you keep talking like that! Look, we just need enough souls to open up Agartha and we're good to go!"

They had had a stressful morning already. The original plan was to just head to the Crazy Place, open Agartha, and leave it at that. However, for whatever reason, lots of Panzers would continuously spawn, leaving each of them unable to enter the Crazy Place. Then, Scott ended up having to run things solo for an entire wave after Vivian had thrown a grenade and killed everyone in the area (which really wasn't her fault - a zombie stepped in front of her!). Then, Tank and Richtofen's arguments had nearly gotten them all killed, Daren got crushed by Freya, Takeo got swarmed and nearly died, Nikolai had killed Vivian after she shot and killed a Zombie that he threw his axe at; everything bad that could've happened, did happen. It had been... horrendous.

And now, they had to open Agartha. Which was a lot more harder than it sounded. They had to kill Templars. And avoid falling rocks and avoid being trapped in a corner.

Thankfully, they wouldn't have to deal with Panzer Soldats or worry about getting crushed by any of the Robots. They also didn't have to worry too much about being swarmed since there was so many of them to fight off the Templars.

Everyone was also prepared (a lot more than they should have been, really). Everyone had double Pack-a-Punched weapons, each had a shield to defend their backs, they had literally grinded to get a Max Ammo so they'd have full magazines and extra ammo ready for the battle and they each had a designated partner (because the buddy system was important) and each group had a 'squad name' (which Vivian really didn't understand the need for it, but Dare was insistent on it). Takeo was with Nikolai (Squad Red), Tank was with Richtofen (Squad Grey), Daren, Vivian and Scott were in a group together (Squad Blue).

They also each had a Gobblegum ready to pop when they needed it, as well as the same Perks (which would be needed in this situation).

Vivian had a Cache Back at the ready, Nikolai had Idle Eyes ready, Takeo had Fatal Contraption, Scott had Kill Joy, Tank had Phoenix Up, Richtofen had Crawl Space and Daren had Near Death Experience. All of them had Juggernog, Double Tap, Speed Cola and Widow's Wine.

Yup, definitely over-prepared.

Then again, there was the threat of this becoming extremely difficult (if Samantha was deciding to be nasty). So perhaps they were just on the border of being over-prepared.

Vivian cracked her neck as the final staff was put into place and each squad quickly went to their designated areas. Vivian then cried out, "Bring it on, fuck nuggets!"

/ / /

"How many more fucking souls does this need?!"

Vivian fired her Argus at a zombie, its head exploding in a spray of blood. She then used her bowie knife to slit the throat of a zombie that had attempted to take a bite of her shoulder. "We need a hundred Templar souls!" She shouted back at Tank. "But for whatever fucking reason, we are hardly getting any!"

It was true, they had hardly encountered any Templars so far, which was strange because that's all that they should've been encountering in this place. And, just about everyone had used up their Gobblegums, much to Vivian's dismay. She hadn't used her Cache Back yet, thankfully, as they had encountered that power up more than once. However, one big problem was that there seemed to be almost no end to this wave. There was no break, no short moment of respite, nothing. Not even after they had gotten a couple Nuke power-ups.

So they were all becoming very tired, very quick, both physically and mentally.

It wasn't until another Nuke power-up came around that there was a small hope for them.

Takeo had seen it first and he struggled to get to it, constantly shooting at Zombies and swinging his katana around. The constant shower of blood and the constant grabbing was making it extremely difficult to grab the power up.

And it was already beginning to blink.

With a roar, Takeo pushed through the large horde of Zombies and grabbed at the power-up, grabbing it just in time. The Zombies cries were heard as they all burned, some exploding, as their bodies fell to the floor in a bloodied mess. Everyone quickly reloaded and grouped back up in their squads. "Anyone need a Max Ammo?"

She flinched as she heard a chorus of 'yes' (mainly shouted at the tops of their lungs) and she immediately blew a bubble and the gum disintegrated in her mouth and she quickly grabbed the power-up. Everyone seemed to breathe a heavy sigh of relief, until they heard a clap of thunder and then Samantha's giggle.

'Have fun!'

Everyone suddenly became on edge, keeping their backs tight against their partner's. All was quiet and the only sounds they could hear was the beating of their own hearts. Water dripped from a stalactite, the droplet hitting a small puddle on the ground, creating an echo. Someone's knees cracked, the sound of leather gloves tightening against a metal gun, boots shuffling against loose earth.

Vivian let out a quiet sneeze, making just about everyone jump, and Scott couldn't help but chuckle. "Why do you shake your head like that when you sneeze?" He asked, his voice just above a whisper.

"Shut up!" She hissed, elbowing him in his back.

They all then heard a quiet rumbling, progressively getting louder and louder, and then the rumbling could be felt underneath their feet and everyone looked down to see small cracks forming in the earth.

This wasn't normal. At all.

Vivian, upon realizing what was happening, shouted as loudly as she could, "Split up!"

The zombies hands started shooting up from the ground and everyone tried to avoid being grabbed, running in every-which-way in an attempt to prevent being downed before the Templars even got out from the ground. They also had to avoid the rock walls so they didn't end up being crushed.

A lot harder now that they weren't in groups.

They had formed squads for a reason; to keep everyone safe and to make sure that, if one went down, the other would be right there to help. And to prevent their partners from wandering into a dangerous area and to prevent any 'friendly' incidents. Communication was key and now that they were split, communication was practically non-existent.

Daren was already forming a train of Templars and he thought things would be easy this way, so, he grabbed his sniper and fired at the oncoming line of Zombies.

They barely even flinched.

He fired again, then again and again, and only four had gone down from his sniper shots. "I thought the Locus was one shot one kill!" He roared, now running once again to get his weapon reloaded.

Vivian wasn't having much of a good time herself. Even with her Porter's Mark II, it still took about four full shots for a Templar to go down. With a headshot, two full ones. It didn't make sense why these guys were so tough! Even Scott was having a harder time taking them down, despite getting headshots with his sniper.

Takeo and Nikolai seemed to be having a much easier time, mainly because they weren't using guns the whole time and were using melee weapons (Takeo was using his Katana and Nikolai was using his axe). Two hits max from those things. Richtofen was using a Death Machine (most likely taken from a random Power Up spawn) to take down the Templars that were following him and Tank already had his shield broken and resorted to using his Bowie Knife and pistol (not the regular ones - Scott made sure everyone upgraded their weapons).

On the bright side, however, a great many souls were now being taken, the small glowing orbs travelling to the Teleporter.

A wall rose and Vivian quickly made her way under it, tossing a 'widowed' grenade at the train of Templars she had created. Hopefully, she'd be able to slow them down at least a little bit.

When the grenade blew up, several of the Templars Froze and some even turned into crawlers. Careful as to not kill the knee-biters, Vivian open fired on the train, slowly backing up as she did.

With everyone becoming so distracted by the Templars following them, they had failed to realize that they were getting themselves closed in more and more, slowly making their way towards the center of the Crazy Place. Templar after Templar fell to their bullets and blades, their blood colouring the stone floor a dark, crimson red, flowing between the cracks, their cries echoing against the stone walls.

Their circle tightened and only then did they sense their proximity to one another. They had enough space to move, but now with the Templars surrounding them, they had no hope of breaking their circle. They had to fight or flee, and fleeing wasn't much of an option for them.

Everything was becoming a blur, bullets firing, blood spraying, blades swinging, heads rolling, clicking of empty chambers sounded, shouts or grunts of pain as Templars grabbed them. Now it was a fight for survival, a fight for their lives. It couldn't end here, not after all the work they went through!

And not after having to beat so many Panzers, that was something she definitely didn't want to have to relive again!

A sudden flash of white blinded nearly everyone in the group, rendering them unable to see in front of their own faces, then once the light died down, Samantha's voice echoed throughout the Crazy Place. She couldn't be properly heard but upon feeling a strong gust of wind, she shouted at Richtofen, "Release the Drone!"

Richtofen was quick to allow the Maxis Drone to float in the air. The Drone quickly entered into Agartha, freeing the young girl.

Then the Templars suddenly fell to the ground, lifeless, their eyes void of the evil light they normally pertained.

Everyone looked up to see the Portal was now open, the clouds circling around the ray of light, spinning, turning like a hurricane, but no such storm was brewing.

Several moments passed, everyone was dead silent. Once it finally sank in, Tank couldn't stop the breathless laugh from escaping him. "We did it..."

Vivian let out a cry of triumph. "Damn right we did, boy!"

Everyone's voices raised in a chorus of victorious cries and hollers, fists were raised and Vivian had tackled Tank to the ground with how hard she ran into him to hug him. "We did it!"

All but Edward seemed to enjoy their victory. Although they had finally gotten through, and that they would finally be able to get out of this hell hole, he couldn't follow where they were going.

Vivian seemed to sense this and when she looked to him, her smile disappeared for a brief moment, turning into a frown, before Scott and Daren began to talk with her, replaying the events of what happened in the Crazy Place.

We'll see each other again, he thought. It was going to be all up to her and her companions if it would be a happy reunion.