The humvee continued down the road and made a turn, heading straight for the base. Once they were passed the security checkpoint, they dropped Raphael and Haruhi off at the barracks where the other prodigies were.
"Hey, thanks again for the ride!" said Raphael as they humvee drove off. Once they were gone, he and Haruhi made their way into the barracks. Steven and the others were huddled around a couple bunks talking with Debbie.
Jesse looked up from the group and noticed the two enter the building. "Hey! They made it! It's Raph and Haruhi!" The group turned their heads and saw them walking towards them. They all smiled with relief and hurried to greet them.
"Raph! Haruhi! It's so good to see you both," said Yumi, giving each of them a hug.
"It's good to be back, guys," said Haruhi.
"How the heck did you guys make it out of there alive?" asked Jesse. Raphael and Haruhi took a seat on the bunk and explained it all to the group, leaving out certain personal parts that were better kept between the two of them.
"It sounds like you had it easier than we did, staying in that luxurious sounding apartment. We had to fight off against two of those things until the humvee came along and mowed them down with their fifty. Then we had to help around the base then sleep on these cursed bunks," said Jesse.
"It's not that bad. What do you expect you'd be doing once you go active duty, Prodigy Taylor?" asked Debbie.
"Yeah, well, whatever…ma'am."
"By the way, where's Instructor Ren, ma'am?" asked Haruhi.
"She's in a staff meeting with General Diez," said Debbie.
"Diez is alive?" asked Raphael.
"Yeah. He's leading all the military forces around here, well, except for those Blackwatch guys. They seem to be operating independently from the regular forces."
"I should go talk to him. Do you know where he is?"
"Sure. I can take you there if you want." Raphael nodded and followed Debbie out of the barracks. Haruhi stayed with the other prodigies and talked more about the apartment she and Raphael stayed at.
Meanwhile, Carolyn was in the command tent along with some of Rodrigo's top officers. The meeting had already started and she was just listening in as the general and his subordinates discussed their situation.
"General, the city is lost. It's just a matter of time before this area is overrun as well," said Colonel Vears, commander of the army companies stationed there.
"We need to evacuate while we still can. You need to recall all our forces and head into orbit where we can rendezvous with the rest of the Fleet," said another officer named Thatcher, Commander of the C.S. Cutlass.
Rodrigo took a moment to think over his options. "Even if we did try leaving, I doubt those Blackwatch people won't let us go so easily."
"General?" asked Colonel Vears.
"This Blackwatch unit is armed to the teeth with the latest military gear and technology, and I'm sure that a unit from R&D wouldn't come so well equipped if they didn't plan on using it," said Rodrigo.
"But they're here to combat the infestation, right, General?" asked Commander Thatcher.
"And how much combating have you seen them do lately? It's our men and women on the front lines, not theirs. All they've been doing is monitoring and directing our forces from afar. What I think…is that they're here to make sure no one leaves this city, military or civilian." The other officers in the room had a look of skepticism on their faces, but the General had a point.
"So what are your orders, General?" asked Colonel Vears.
"Withdraw our forces from the city. The C.S. Cutlass is the closest ship and is ready to take-off at a moment's notice. Inform all the platoon and unit leaders to head to the Cutlass, ASAP."
"What about Blackwatch, General?" asked Commander Thatcher.
"We'll ignore them for now, but if they give us a hard time, I'll deal with them. Now get a move on. You have your orders."
All the officers acknowledged him, but before they could leave, a dreadful atmosphere came over them as a certain person entered the tent. "What orders would that be, General."
"You better watch your tone, Blackwatch. You're talking to a general, so maintain discipline," said Colonel Vears.
"For the umpteenth time, my name…is Agent Sands." He was a husky dressed in a black Research and Development uniform, covered by a dark Blackwatch trench coat. He casually walked up to the officers and took off his gloves, placing them on the table.
Carolyn looked at him with an irritated look and confronted him. "Agent Sands? The Agent Sands?"
The husky looked over at her and scowled conceitedly. "Have we met before?"
"Not in person, but we've talked over the phone. I'm Capt. Carolyn Ren, the person you cut off after you found out Colonel Noland was dead, you prick."
"Oh, the instructor from the academy. Yes, I remember you," said Agent Sands.
Carolyn was about to punch the Blackwatch agent, but Rodrigo stopped her. "That's enough, Captain. Agent Sands, what do you want?"
"Why the hostility? We're all on the same side, right?"
"If we're on the same side, then why is it that we're the ones dying out there, and you and your men aren't?" said Commander Thatcher.
"Who's to say we don't have any casualties? Anyway, General, about these…orders. What are they? So that I can divert my men appropriately as needed," said Agent Sands.
"They're none of your concern, Agent," said Rodrigo.
"You're mistaken. Everything is my concern. You forget, General. Blackwatch is in control of this operation, not you…nor the army…nor fleet. Just us, which makes me the highest authority here, General."
"Fine. If you have to know, I was discussing reinforcing the base's checkpoints with the remaining units in the city. You do know that the city is lost and that we're eventually going to be overrun, right?"
Agent Sands looked him straight in the eye and chuckled defiantly at his condescending tone. "Yes, General, I am well aware of the situation. But we all know that wasn't exactly what you were talking about."
"More or less," said Rodrigo.
"Don't take me for a fool, Diez. They wouldn't have put me in charge of this operation if I was a complete pushover. I know that you are planning to escape via the C.S. Cutlass. Don't bother. No one is leaving this planet, and I mean no one."
Rodrigo smirked and walked up to the Blackwatch Agent. "No one, huh? What you really mean is that no one who isn't Blackwatch is leaving the planet. You're going to pack up and leave us here to die before this base is overrun, am I right, Agent Sands? A sort of containment protocol you guys have in mind."
Agent Sands nodded, impressed at his deduction. "In a nutshell, yes."
Before he could continue, Carolyn kneed the agent in the stomach then followed up with a punch straight to the jaw, knocking him out. "B******. And to think you guys are trying to help." She moved the hair out her eyes and turned to Rodrigo. "It's now or never, General."
He walked over to Agent Sands then looked to his officers. "You all know what to do. Good luck, gentlemen." His subordinates saluted then left the tent, hurrying to withdraw their forces from the zombie-infested city. Before Carolyn left the tent, he pulled her aside momentarily to address her personally. "Carolyn, I'm putting you in charge of those prodigies you saved from the academy. You're responsible for getting them to the ship alive, each and every one of them. And Carolyn, find Raphael and keep him safe. I've already let one of my best friends down with the death of Amy, please don't let me disappoint the other."
Carolyn nodded and saluted, fully understanding her duty. "I understand, General." Once she left the tent, she broke into a run to find Raphael and the others. 'This plan is severely flawed. Those Blackwatch b******* are going to catch on sooner or later when the lines start thinning. Things might start getting combative if that happens. I just need to get the prodigies to the ship before the fighting starts.' She hurried through the various tents and found Debbie walking along with Raphael. "Comet! You're alive!?"
"Yes, ma'am. Haruhi's here too. Where's General Diez?" asked Raphael.
"No time. We have to get the others."
"What's the rush, ma'am? Did something happen?" asked Debbie.
"I'll tell you on the way. Now let's go." She took a few steps then heard gunshots in the direction of the command tent in the distance. "No…that's not good."
Rodrigo fell to the ground with five bullet holes in his back, gasping for air. Agent Sands got up from the ground and walked over to him, planting a final shot in his head. "How dare you defy me like that." After he holstered his sidearm, he took hold of the intercom and addressed the entire base. "This is Agent Sands. Attention. It appears that ideas of defection and dereliction from duty are starting to arise within our ranks. The regular military here thinks they have the authority to tell me and Blackwatch what to do. They plan on abandoning their posts to jump ship before our mission here is complete. I am giving Blackwatch full authorization to use whatever means necessary to make sure no one leaves, and I mean no one. Our faithful leader, Brigadier General Rodirigo Diez, has already been executed for desertion. May that be a warning to the rest of you."
"I guess that answers why you're so panicked. So what's the plan?" asked Debbie.
"Colonel Vears is recalling all the ground forces from the city. Commander Thatcher is prepping the C.S. Cutlass for take-off as we speak. All of our forces are being ordered to fall back to the Cutlass and we'll make a break for space," said Carolyn.
"What about Blackwatch?"
"General Diez said he'd handle it, but I guess that didn't go as well as he'd planned. We're on our own. My priority is to get us and the prodigies on that ship, alive." She moved ahead of the two and led them back to the barracks to regroup with the others. When they arrived, they only saw Haruhi sitting on a bunk. "Prodigy Okane, where is everyone!?"
"They're in the mess hall eating, ma'am. Is something wrong? You sound…edgy," said Haruhi. As they were talking, small firefights began erupting all over the base.
"Is that…?" asked Debbie.
"Yeah. Blackwatch and the regular forces have already begun engaging each other. We need to rendezvous with the others. We're getting out of here. Prodigies, get your weapons. You may need to use them once more," said Carolyn.
Raphael and Haruhi nodded and retrieved their guns from their bunks. Carolyn and the other three hurried out of the barracks and went next door to the mess hall. Jesse and the other prodigies were sitting at a table, wondering what was going on. Before they could regroup with them, two Blackwatch soldiers burst through the doors and started firing indiscriminately into the room with their rifles. Carolyn acted instinctively and attacked them while Debbie forced Raphael and Haruhi to the ground, using her body as a shield. Carolyn grabbed a hold of the first soldier and flipped him on his back while drawing her sidearm all in one motion. She shot the downed soldier once in the chest and once in the head. The second soldier was about to re-aim his rifle on her and fire, but she shot first, splattering his brains all over the floor. Once they were taken care of, she scanned the surrounding area before holstering her weapon.
"Are you guys okay?" asked Carolyn.
"Yeah. We're fine," said Debbie.
"Taylor, status!"
"Green, ma'am! We're all fine," said Jesse.
Carolyn hurried over to the group and told them the situation before they headed to the C.S. Cutlass. Once everyone was up to speed on what was happening, they grabbed whatever weapons they could and followed Carolyn out of the mess hall. Some of the soldiers from the mess hall thanked Carolyn for saving them and volunteered to escort her and the prodigies to the ship. Along the way, they avoided firefights as much as they could, leaving the regular units stationed there to battle with Blackwatch. The regular forces outnumbered the Blackwatch unit, but they were still evenly matched. Blackwatch's superior firepower and technology made up for their lack of numbers. Carolyn and the others were able to make it into the space port and hurried to the gate the C.S. Cutlass was docked at.
"It should be just up here, ma'am. Just past this bulkhead," said one of the soldiers in their group. Once they turned a corner and were halfway down the hallway, two Blackwatch E.B.A.'s appeared on the other end.
"What are those?" asked Yumi, stopping in the middle of the hallway with a couple of soldiers.
"Get down!" said Carolyn, diving behind a wall. The E.B.A.s opened fire with their arm-mounted chain guns and caught Yumi and the two soldiers out in the open. Their high caliber rounds ripped her and the soldiers to shreds in a matter of seconds. The others scattered to the sides of the hallway and sought cover wherever they could.
"Yumi!" said Jesse, making sure her body was completely behind cover.
"She's dead! Just stay where you are!" said Carolyn.
The E.B.A.s stopped firing and slowly started advancing down the hallway. The remaining escorts peeked out from cover and opened fire on them. Their rifle rounds bounced off the suits' reinforced armor and didn't even make them flinch. The E.B.A.s raised their guns and fired again. The soldiers hid back behind cover, trying not to get hit by the high rate of fire as it ricocheted off the wall near them.
"What are we going to do, ma'am! We can't do anything to them with what we have!" said one of the soldiers.
"Just sit tight, soldier. We'll think of something," said Carolyn.
"Well, you better hurry, ma'am. They're getting closer!" said Steven.
Carolyn cursed under her breath and thought of something. "Soldier, give me all the grenades you got."
"I don't think it'll do anything, ma'am."
"Just do it!"
The soldier complied and rolled two of his grenades over to her. She picked them up and pulled the pins, waiting a few seconds before she threw them down the hall. The grenades detonated before the E.B.A.s could dodge them, rupturing one of the suit's feeding lines that supplied the chain gun with ammunition. The other E.B.A's chain gun barrels were bent and damaged, rending them inoperable. They looked at each other and just stood in the hallway, waiting for Carolyn and the others to make a move.
"Nice one, ma'am! You destroyed their guns," said Debbie.
"But why aren't they moving?" asked Jesse.
"Their job is to prevent anyone from leaving, not to search and destroy. As long as they stay there, they've blocked the only way out of this installation," said Carolyn.
"So what are we going to do? We can't damage them while they're in those suits," said Steven.
"There may be one thing we can do," said Raphael, catching everyone's attention.
"What is it, Comet?" asked Carolyn.
"I've worked with E.B.A.s before, ma'am. I have one. And while working with them I've noticed some weak spots and vulnerabilities that the suits have that not everyone may be aware of."
"Well, do tell. How do we take these guys down?"
"Those E.B.A.s look like newer models, but they should still operate like the older ones. If you can somehow get behind them, there should be a power regulator on the tops of their backpacks. If you could damage it, their suits' hydraulics should shut off, immobilizing them for good."
"That's assuming that regulator thing is where you say it is."
"It's better than nothing."
"Damn. I'm the one who's going to be running this little stunt, so I want a little more something concrete than a guess."
"I'm sorry, ma'am. That's all I got."
Carolyn thought the plan over her in her head and peeked down the hallway. The E.B.A.s were still standing down the hall, waiting for them to make a move. "Does anyone have any grenades left?" she asked.
"Just a couple flash-bangs," said one of the soldiers.
"When I give the signal, toss 'em down there." The soldier nodded and prepped the grenades to throw. Carolyn readied her sidearm and psyched herself up for the run.
When she was ready, she nodded to the soldier. "Good luck, captain," he said, throwing the grenades. Once they went off, Carolyn sprinted down the hallway towards the enemy. Their screens flared and their speakers crackled as they grenades went off, making them grasp their heads in confusion. She dodged their flailing movements and got behind them, unloading half her magazine on the first suit's power supply, then the other half on the other one. The suits buckled and fell to the ground as their motor functions failed due to the loss of power.
One of the suits had just enough power to turn his head towards Carolyn. "You won't get out of here alive. I guarantee it," he said through the mechanical speakers of the suit.
Carolyn just ignored him and stepped over their bodies. Once she gave the all clear, everyone moved out of cover and walked over to her. Before moving on, the prodigies looked one last time at Yumi, all of them trying not to cry for their fallen comrade and friend.
"What next?" asked Carolyn.
"This way, ma'am," said one of the soldiers with them. He walked into the rotunda and was immediately cut down by Blackwatch soldiers trying to fight their way onto the C.S. Cutlass. Carolyn and the others took cover again and returned fire.
"F***! They're trying to take over the Cutlass!" said Carolyn.
"This is nuts! This is not what I signed up for!" said Steven, firing his pistol over a barrier.
"Well what did you expect we'd be doing once we went on active duty!?" said Jesse as she reloaded her sidearm.
"This is different. We're fighting our own forces for crying out loud. They're supposed to be on our side!"
"Cut the chatter and fire your weapons!" said Debbie. Jesse and Steven exchanged annoyed looks and opened fire with their pistols. Their group was able to take down some of the enemies while the soldiers defending the C.S. Cutlass finished off the remaining Blackwatch troops. The regular forces secured the area and searched for supplies as Carolyn's group made their way over to them.
"Who's in charge here, soldier?" asked Carolyn.
"That would be Lt. Fern. He's in charge of defending this gate until all our forces are onboard, ma'am." The soldier showed her where his superior was then left to reinforce the defense line. When Lt. Fern noticed Carolyn approaching, he promptly rendered a salute.
"At ease, lieutenant. Where's Col. Vears?" asked Carolyn.
"He's inside the Cutlass directing the withdrawal of our troops, ma'am."
"How long until we're out of here? Blackwatch is closing in on us."
"I'm not sure, ma'am. You're going to have to ask Col. Vears or Cmdr. Thatcher. You can find them on the bridge."
"Thank you, lieutenant," said Carolyn before heading into the ship with her group.
"Are we going to be all right, ma'am?" asked Haruhi.
"It's too soon to tell, Okane. You'll know once I talk with Vears or Thatcher." They continued into the ship and headed straight for the bridge. The bridge was hustling and bustling with crew trying to get the ship ready for launch. Carolyn had everyone else wait outside while she went to talk with the commanding officers. Cmdr. Thatcher was at the helm of the ship, giving orders to his senior staff. Col. Vears was at the communications station, talking to his platoon leaders of the coms.
"Col. Vears, Capt. Ren reporting for duty," she said, rendering a salute.
He got off the coms and returned the salute. "Good to see you made it, captain."
"How long until we launch?"
"I don't know. We still have units out there in the city and troops in the base fighting Blackwatch. We can't just leave them here. If we do, we'd be no better than them."
"We can't just wait around forever. Blackwatch might sabotage the ship or the infection might reach here. We need to get this hunk of metal off the ground now, sir."
"That's not happening, captain, and that's final." He turned away from her and got back on the coms to direct the retreat. Carolyn sneered at him and left the bridge, returning to Debbie and the prodigies.
"What's the news?" asked Debbie.
"We're grounded until they pull back everyone, and he means everyone," said Carolyn.
"But that's suicide! No offense to the regular army, but Blackwatch is eventually going to make their way to this ship. And with the frontline troops gone, the infection has gone unchecked!" said Jesse.
"Just stay calm and keep alert. We've got to hold down the fort until Thatcher and Vears find it convenient to lift off. C'mon, let's just wait in the mess hall until either we lift off, or we get blown to bits. That's the only choices we have right now." She sighed and started walking off to the mess hall, lighting a cigarette held I her mouth. The prodigies looked at each other with disheartened looks and followed after her. Once in the mess hall, they found some food to chow down on as they waited for the rest of the troops to fall back.
"At least we're somewhat safe, right?" said Jesse, trying to remain optimistic.
"Yeah, until Blackwatch fights their way up here and kills us all," said Steven.
"That or the zombie horde overruns the ship," said Haruhi.
Debbie looked at the prodigies and shook her head. "Why are you guys so negative? There's still a chance of us getting out here."
"But how much longer? I won't start celebrating until I'm off this planet and away from all this," said Jesse. They sat together in the mess hall for about an hour, the longest hour any of them had to endure in their life. Fortunately for them, the regular forces were able to hold back Blackwatch and the zombie horde. Once everyone was onboard, Cmdr. Thatcher gave the order to lift off. The ship rose from the tarmac and headed full speed into orbit.
"Finally, we're outta that hell hole," said the main pilot of the C.S. Cutlass.
"Good job, everyone. We made it," said Cmdr. Thatcher from his seat.
"Sir! I've got an incoming transmission from the C.S. Divinity!" said the bridge com officer.
"Patch me through."
The com officer flipped a few switches and directed the transmission to the commander's chair. "This is Cmdr. Alston of the C.S. Divinity. You are approaching the quarantine blockade and must turn back immediately."
"This is Cmdr. Thatcher. Cmdr. Alston, we have survivors from the Grandeur City area. There aren't any infected onboard. Please, let us through."
"I am under strict orders to not let any ship through, military or civilian. I'm sorry, commander."
"G**d******, you can't do this! We're staying the course whether you like it or not."
"Be advised. We've been authorized to use lethal force if necessary to deter non-compliant ships. Continue and you will be fired upon. This is your final warning."
"What should I do, sir?" asked the main pilot, turning to Cmdr. Thatcher.
"Full speed ahead. They won't do it." The pilot had a nervous look on his face and turned back to his station. "Aye, commander. Full speed ahead."
Meanwhile, Carolyn's group was still in the mess hall, chatting away. "How long do you think until they can contain the problem, if they ever do?" asked Jesse.
Haruhi scoffed and leaned back in her chair. "Who's knows? I doubt that they'll-" Before she could finish, an explosion rocked the ship, causing her to fall backwards. "Ow! What heck was that!?" Another explosion jolted the Cutlass more violently than the last.
As they were looked around, Cmdr. Thatcher was heard over the ship-wide intercom. "This is your commander speaking! All hands, to the escape pods! We're under heavy fire from the quarantine blockade! Our ship won't last long under the combined fire of an entire battlegroup, so evac ASAP!"
"They're firing on us? But why!?" asked Debbie.
"Containment. I guess they don't want to risk the infection spreading," said Carolyn.
"So what do we do?" asked Raphael.
"You heard the commander. Get to the escape pods!" She and Debbie gathered the prodigies and led them to the nearest escape pods. They followed the crew through the corridors of the unfamiliar ship, hoping they were headed in the right direction. Holes were being punctured through the ship's hull left and right, prompting security bulkheads to close shut in order to prevent oxygen loss. As they were running through one of the loading areas, an explosion nearby caused Jesse to lose balance and fall to the ground. The group stopped at the exit to the room and turned around.
"Jesse!" said Haruhi.
"Don't worry, I got her!" said Steven, running back to help her up. Just as he left, the bulkhead started to rapidly close.
"Steven! The door's closing!" said Raphael. Before Steven could turn around to see what was happening, he and Jesse were sucked into space through a breach in the hull as the bulkhead closed shut. "G**d******! They're still in there!" he said, banging on the door.
Carolyn moved over to him and pulled him away from the door. "It's no use, Comet! They're gone! We need to keep moving!" Raphael struck the door once last time and moved with the group to the escape pods. There were crew scrambling all around the escape pod bay, but they were able to find a vacant one to use. "Everyone, inside!" said Carolyn, motioning into the escape pod. Raphael moved into the cockpit and started it up. Once everyone was inside, he hit the button to close the back hatch, but nothing happened. Panicking, he pressed it again and again, but it was no use. An error indicator popped up on his console telling him the door mechanism was compromised.
"What's the matter, Comet!? Let's move it already!" said Carolyn.
"The door control is busted! I can't close it unless someone does it manually!"
"Well, how do you do that!?"
"Someone has to do it from the outside. There's a panel just outside the door that would close the door."
"So…someone has to stay behind to close it?"
Raphael remained silent for a moment, then responded. "That's affirmative, ma'am." Everyone in the pod looked down, thinking of who would have to stay behind.
Debbie was about to volunteer, but Carolyn spoke up first. "I'll do it."
Debbie stood up from her seat and confronted her. "No, ma'am! I should do it."
"No can do, Debbie. I've already lived a full life and done things that I still regret doing. I have no right to live by sacrificing one of you. You three still have a ways to go."
"But, ma'am!"
"Enough! What's done is done. It was a pleasure serving with all of you."
Carolyn gave a salute and was about to turn around, until Debbie stopped her. "Before you go, I have to tell you something."
"What is it?"
As she turned around, Debbie punched her in the jaw, knocking her out. "Please, forgive me." She knelt down and kissed her on the check, then looked to Haruhi. "Okane, pull her inside. I'll release the manual override." Haruhi was shocked, but complied, pulling her body completely inside the pod. "Once the door is closed, launch no matter what. Is that clear, Raphael?" said Debbie.
He looked at her and nodded. Debbie stepped out and opened the override panel, turning the handle to close the door. The door slid shut and a green indicator lit up on Raphael's flight console. Once the door closed, Carolyn came to and stood up, seeing her on the other side of the door. Debbie was able to mouth a few last words before Raphael hit the launch button, propelling the craft out of the ship.
"Debbie? Debbie! Comet, turn this ship around!" said Carolyn, still looking out the back of the pod.
"I'm sorry, ma'am! She told me to launch and there's no way I can turn around now."
"Why would she do that? I should've been the one to pull the lever, not her!"
"I don't know, but she really cared about you, ma'am. That's probably why she sacrificed herself," said Haruhi.
"Oh, Debbie. She didn't deserve that," said Carolyn. As they were floating through space, there were explosions nearby that shook the ship. Carolyn looked out the window again and saw ships from the blockade shooting at escape pods. "Shoot. That's not good."
"Ma'am, where do we go now?" asked Raphael, struggling to keep control of the escape pod.
"Just get away from the blockade. They're shooting down all the escape pods!" Their pod rocked back and forth as nearby escape pods were blown to bits. Raphael maneuvered the craft through the debris and headed back to Corneria.
As he turned back towards the planet, Haruhi noticed an incoming missile coming at them from behind. She backed away from the rear window and screamed, bumping into him in the cockpit. "Watch out!"
#
Raphael gasped as he sat up in bed, breathing heavily as he frantically looked around. He was back at his room and everything seemed to be normal. He wiped his forehead and turned on the side table lamp next to the bed. 'What the heck? Where am I? I'm back at the base? Was it all a dream?' He sighed and felt someone stir next to him.
Amy started to wake up as the light shined on her eyes. "What's the matter, Raph? It's so early."
He looked at her with relief, overjoyed to see her still alive, "Amy? You're alive! I missed you so much!" He embraced her in his arms and started hugging and kissing her, tears flowing down his cheeks.
Amy, confused and annoyed at his sudden hysteria, tried to get him off her. "Hey, stop! What's gotten into you? What do you mean 'still alive'?"
"I had the worst dream ever. There was zombies and you got infected so I had to kill you. Susan chopped her hand off. Kyle shot Kari then killed himself. Then Yumi got mowed down by a Blackwatch EBA. After that, Jesse and Steven got stranded on the C.S. Cutlass. And, well…it's a long story."
She just looked at him with a blank look on her face. "Man, you need to lay off the ferreros before bed. You keep getting these horrible dreams after you eat them right before you go to sleep. That sounded like a very gruesome dream, especially when you said you killed me, which is disturbing."
"It was. I'm just glad you're okay and that it was all just a dream."
She smiled, amused by his affection for her, and laid back down next to him. "That's nice, Raph. Now turn off the light and go back to sleep. You can tell me all about it later." Raphael gently caressed her cheek then turned off the light, nestling his head on his pillow.