Prologue: Rise of the Terror Guard
Chapter 7: Retrieval and Evacuation
20:33 Hours, Second Day
"Where'd the Point Man go now?" Logan asked as he proceeded down one of the eastern hallways.
"Focus on the mission, soldier." Griffon stated, "The Point Man's a grown man. He can handle himself. Don't worry about him."
Jin didn't have such luck. She was always worrying about the Point Man. About Jackson. In the time she had worked with him, she had formed a bond that was nearly unbreakable at this point. Of course, there were still plenty of ways their relationship could go haywire, though she didn't see any of those happening any time soon. Thankfully. Regardless, her thoughts had to be on the mission. She knew that much. She wasn't going to let her worries for someone she considered her best friend cloud her judgement for her team. They had to locate Stokes and get her and Becket back to base.
As they were about to round a corner, Logan raised his hand and held a closed fist. Immediately everyone stopped and pressed their bodies against the wall nearest to the corner. 'Hold' was the silent order relayed by the current soldier on point. He must have heard something on the other side of the corner.
"Sir, we've checked the surveillance for Aristide." They overheard an ATC agent state, "She was here not too long ago, and she had a few Delta operatives on her tail. We've found and neutralized two of them, but another is holed up in the vault block."
"How'd she manage to evade you?" Another man inquired.
"Honestly, sir, Alma Wade intervened. We were beset by Remnants and Specters. The four of us were the only survivors." The first man replied, "We've identified her as First-Lieutenant Keira Stokes, a liaison to a Delta Force team known as Dark Signal. The other two were Corporal James Fox, and Sergeant First Class Harold Keegan."
"Squads Alpha and Beta, relocate to Vault Block Two. Neutralize any SFOD-D personnel in the area." They heard the man order, and that was when Becket snapped.
Before anyone could stop him, the man rounded the corner much like the Point Man would, and immediately began firing. His bullets tore through two of the unsuspecting men, but they had secured the area and he received return fire by the two others. Their leader crashed down against a wall, a bullet hitting him in the chest whilst the man he was talking two took one straight to the head. Becket groaned as he felt a bullet graze his leg, and he focused even more on the two remaining. They were dropped quickly, and Becket used his enhanced reflexes to evade the bullets.
The soldier immediately marched towards the Black Ops leader and pointed his rifle straight to the man's head, kicking him in the gut and causing him to cry out. "Where the fuck is Vault Block Two?" He demanded to know.
The ATC agent laughed, "Go choke on a bullet, grunt... your friend is dead. She locked herself in with test subjects that'll rip her to shreds. If Alma hasn't already reached her by now..."
Becket snarled and shot the man as the rest of the group came around the corner, Jin and Ajax leading the charge. "Becket... That was reckless. Calm down, or you're going to end up getting yourself, and the rest of us killed." The former warned him.
"We need to find that vault." Becket informed Jin, "Now!"
"I really fucking wish I had my fucking schematics..." Roddy stated, "It has to be close by. We just have to listen. It'll be where the gunshots and screams are."
Becket nodded slowly before lowering his rifle. "Alright. Well, let's keep moving. Maybe we can get there before shit hits the fan."
"Not likely. Not when Armacham is involved. But you're right, we do need to double-time it if Ms. Stokes is to survive this mess." Roddy replied.
Griffon readied his rifle and started moving, taking the lead in his new body meant for battle. "Less chit-chat, more shooting, lads!" He called back as he rushed down the hall with the others following him closely.
Becket felt his heart kick into overtime. He was worried to death about Keira. He couldn't lose her, not like the rest of his squad. Aside from her, he was praying that Manny made it out safe and sound. Knowing that man, he more than likely was running over Replicas and ATC Soldiers alike. Good ol' Manny.
As they made their way down the halls, they found more and more corpses. It looked like those Replicas from before made it deeper into the facility than they had first suspected. What with that one assassin top-side near the elevator. It was unsettling, as it told them that they didn't know what to expect. They were already expecting abominations spawned from Alma, and even Alma herself, as well as Armacham soldiers. But Replicas? This underground facility was going to turn into a warzone real quick, wasn't it?
They rounded another corner, which turned them from the East Corridor to the North Corridor. As they went to pass through the first set of reinforced metal and bulletproof doors, they all had to duck and move behind the closed door as to avoid any bullets flying through the open one. An Armacham rendezvous point.
"Targets spotted towards East Corridor!" They heard one of the soldiers shout, and immediately Griffon charged in from cover. "Woah!"
"What the fuck is he wearing?!" Another shouted, and those in cover could hear the bullets firing and hitting Griffon's armor.
His armor was rather resilient to gunfire, and should they manage to penetrate his armor somehow, whether through multiple concentrated rounds, or hitting him in one of the vulnerable spots in his armor like around the joints it wouldn't matter too much. It was state-of-the-art technology. The armor itself was resilient, but even should it be stripped he would be one lethal foe. The layer beneath the armor was capable of fixing itself on the field, more or less requiring a lot of damage before it was rendered useless. The metal itself could deflect most rounds. The truly terrifying aspect of it would be that this powerful suit of armor that this man wore was a prototype. It required machinery to remove it from him, unless it was something as simple as his helmet. He was a walking juggernaut.
"God help us! Retre-aaaah!" A soldier screamed, his voice eventually getting drowned out by gunfire.
"Hall's clear." Griffon stated, "No enemies left. Wait." He added before turning and looking at one of the soldiers who merely got hit in the shoulder, and was pretending to be dead. He quickly dispatched him. "Now there's no hostiles."
Becket was the first to walk out from his cover, and looked around at the carnage. That wasn't normal... A suit like what Griffon was wearing. He had known that for some time now, but the power behind it intimidated him. Hell, it probably intimidated everyone who could see it. One thing that was surprising was that it didn't make a lot of noise, for such heavy looking armor.
Gunshots and other sounds of warfare were now being heard further down the corridor. They had two more sets of doors to get through before taking a left to the northernmost room. There they'd enter the Vault Block they were looking for. It sounded like the Armacham squads had finally arrived for Keira.
"Griffon, S.E.A.R., take Becket and help out Lieutenant Stokes. Michelle, Logan, you're coming with me." Jin ordered as she looked around, "There has to be a central room located here. We need some intel about this place before it all gets destroyed. It could help us in the long run."
"Take Roddy with ya then." Griffon stated, "In fact, take Ajax too. Jim and Megan are with me an' Becket."
"Alright. Let's go! We don't have time to waste! Good luck, Griffon!" Jin said before the two groups split apart.
Becket nodded, "Let's get going."
He needed to get to Keira, and with such a thing in mind he continued on without waiting for Griffon or the others. He wasn't going to let anything stop him from reuniting with his fellow squad-mate. Especially not since she was quite possibly the last one alive from Dark Signal, liaison or not, she was one of them. They fought together and bled together, and that was all Becket needed to know. Not only that, but he had some deeper feelings for the Lieutenant. Not that he'd admit it to anyone right now.
There weren't any real obstacles between them and Keira now, at least not until they got a little bit closer to the woman. When he passed through the first out of two sets of doors, he only saw blood and bullet casings. On top of that, the sounds of battle were growing louder, and louder until he reached the second set of doors. He kicked one of the doors open, which was only able to be done due to the fact that it was already cracked open, and tossed a fragmentation grenade inside.
"Get to cover!" He heard one of the Black Ops soldiers shout, "Grenade!"
When the explosive went off he heard two men scream as their bodies were torn into by pieces of shrapnel. Not a pleasant way to go down, but it was a good thing Becket acted as quickly as he did. He wasn't the first to enter what lied beyond the doors, however, that honor was left to Griffon who plowed right on through the soldier that was about to peek in on them. As he ran into the soldier, the man was kicked aside forcefully and his comrade behind him got grabbed by Griffon's left hand and raised off of the ground. His suit, after all, gave him superhuman strength.
"AGH! HE'S GOT- AAAARRRRRGH!" The soldier screamed as the metal hand crushed down on his skull, and shattered it.
The two squads of Black Ops were now split. One of them was firing on whatever was inside the vault, whilst the other was trying to deal with Griffon. The Scot tossed the limp corpse of the man onto his friend who had just started to get up after getting slammed against a wall and knocked down to the floor. That'd keep him busy for a little longer.
Becket quickly peeked from cover, and with the help of Jim, they began firing on the soldiers firing into the vault whilst Griffon dealt with the others. He was a rather helpful diversion in Becket's mind, intimidating or not.
"Sir! This is Alpha Four requesting immediate assistance at Vault Block Two! We're taking heavy casualties, and the enemy have some sort of power-" One of the soldiers started to shout into his radio before Griffon gunned him down.
Griffon looked down at his right arm and saw some blood on the plate, sighing loudly at the realization that a bullet penetrated the gel layer. Luckily, the bullet had been suppressed to the point it barely dug into him and the suit's functions acted as an automatic bandage to hold him over until he got to safety.
"Becket, rush in to save your girl. I'll stay 'ere and make sure none of those reinforcements get to ya." Griffon stated with a grunt as he looked around at the bodies, "Be careful in there. I'd imagine it's not called a vault for no reason."
Becket nodded with appreciation before rushing into the Vault Block, Jim and Megan right behind him. This was going to be easy now that Armacham's Black Ops had been dealt with. They just had to get Keira and get out. Simple. Right?
"Woah..." Megan remarked as she looked around the Vault Block, which looked rather futuristic.
It was a large, dark-grey metal room that was lit by bright white lights that looked rather decorative as it traced the walkways and walls. It was an impressive sight. Other than that, there were pods all over the place that contained...
"Are those children inside of those pods?" Jim asked, "What the hell is Armacham doing to children?"
"No signs of life... They must be in some kind of stasis." Megan added before Becket shushed them.
He looked down on the ground and saw some blood spatter. He followed the tracks to the right and soon saw four pods that had fallen from their places. Four children lied on the ground, deceased. Killed by gunfire.
"Keira!" He shouted before rushing straight over to the pods, noticing that one of them contained his comrade.
Immediately he tried to smash the glass, and pry at the hatch. Nothing was working. Nothing would work either. He tried pressing some buttons located on a terminal to the right but that didn't do shit. He grew frustrated, and resumed trying to break through the glass.
"It's meant to keep people like me inside, should we awaken from our slumber." He heard a voice state honestly. "You won't even scratch the materials that make up that polymer."
Immediately Jim and Megan turned and pointed their weapons at the sound. Before their very eyes stood a child in a rather bland grey suit. "Woah... Where'd you come from?" Jim asked the young boy who couldn't have been any older than fourteen.
"You passed me as you entered the Vault Block." He stated simply, "I'm surprised you didn't notice. I took a bullet to the shoulder, after all. It's not like I can hide my blood until the wound closes."
"Why is she in here? How do I release her?" Becket demanded to know, his frustration showing in his voice.
The boy shrugged, "I put her in there. When she entered the vault, I was awoken by someone in the control center. My assumption is that they had planned for me to kill her. When they saw that I wasn't going to, they released some of my friends. Friends they drove insane during the experiments. When they didn't listen to me, and tried to attack her... We both dispatched them with haste. When I heard the soldiers approaching, I sealed her in my pod to keep her safe whilst I tended to the threat. To release her... well, you'd have to get to the control center. I'm sure a hostile force to Armacham has already seized control of it, however, as they didn't send any others like they could have."
"Who are you?" Megan asked, "How old are you?"
"Subject Four-Fourteen. I... don't know how old I am. You'd have to find my documents. Also in the control center." He stated softly.
Becket growled, "Damn it. Jim, head back out to Griffon and tell him to contact Jin and her squad. We're going to hole up here until the pod opens."
"Might I suggest taking up a defensive perimeter in that corner until your friends release her?" 414 suggested as he pointed over to the corner beside Keira's pod. "You could provide covering fire in the event that any of my friends are released from their stasis, or enemy reinforcements arrive."
The Delta Force operative nodded, "Yeah. That's a good idea, but how are we going to move the pods? They seem rather heavy."
The boy shrugged, "Simple." He stated before walking passed Becket and pushed a corpse off of one of the pods. Then he grabbed onto the pod and started to push it over until it was flush against the wall that the back of Keira's pod was against. Soon enough, they had a barricade.
"Damn..." Was all Megan could say, stunned by such a display of strength from someone so young.
"Alright, Control Center is dead ahead." Roddy stated, "It's in the center of the compound."
Ajax chuckled, "You got your hands on half a map and you already know the layout to the damned facility. How the hell do you do that?"
The man shrugged in response, "I just have a knack for it."
"F.E.A.R. This is Griffon. Come in." Jin heard over the radio, and as such the group halted in the hallway.
The woman responded shortly after looking around, "What's the situation over there, Griffon? Everything alright?"
"Fifty-fifty. We've located the Lieutenant, but we need you to find the control room and release her. She's stuck in a pod. We've also located one Subject Four-Fourteen. A kid. Armacham is testing on children." Griffon informed her before sighing, "A lot of 'em. Four KIA. They tried attacking Stokes and Four-Fourteen."
"Children? Damn. Alright, we'll go faster." Jin replied.
"While you're there, search for any intel that you may find, especially regarding Four-Fourteen. We should know more about this kid. He's much stronger than he looks."
"Copy that. See you soon." Jin concluded before they resumed their current path to the Control Center.
Soon enough they reached the corridor that held the entrance to the Control Center. Logan immediately opened fire on the two Replicas guarding the door. He wasn't going to be playing around. Not after the assassin near the elevator attacked. These guys weren't friendly, at least as far as he knew, and he wasn't about to ask them. Immediately three others poured from the room, firing in the group's direction. Everyone ducked down and got behind any cover they could find. Ajax and Logan, however, were exposed as they worked together to suppress the enemy. The Replicas weren't the most heavily armored opponents, and so they fell fairly quickly, but not before giving Logan a few close-calls.
"Enemies outside! Block the door and don't let them in!" A Replica ordered rather firmly.
"Understood." Another replied.
Before the Replicas could close the door, Ajax had already tossed a fragmentation grenade. Their shouts filled the air before the explosive went off, and the F.E.A.R. team breached the room. Bullets were now flying in all directions. When the guns stopped their singing, all that was left was bullet holes and dead Replicas. Immediately Ajax pointed at the large terminal.
"Oi, Jin, you might want to take a look for any useful files. Roddy, search for a proper map of this facility. Michelle, look for this Four-Fourteen's release, and Logan search the Replicas and listen in to make sure they aren't planning anything special. I'll keep a look out for any enemies wanting to catch us by surprise." He stated.
Jin nodded, "Sounds like a plan. Let's get moving, we don't have all day here. We need to get back home."
Ajax scanned the area, his rifle lowered now as there weren't any signs that enemies would be coming after them. He didn't hear anything over the Replica Comms either, which was a rather good thing. Unlike those under Paxton's command, these Replicas learned the art of keeping communications a little bit more quiet. However, Logan wasn't informing him of any unusual traffic pertaining to them, thus he knew that they were okay for now.
"Hah! Got it!" Michelle stated happily, "Oh shit... That was Two-Fourteen."
"Damn it, we have people down there, Michelle! Get your head in the game!" Ajax growled, "Griffon, this is Ajax. Keep an eye out. One of the test subjects were rel-"
"This is bad! Real bad! I can't stop it, but they're all releasing! It's like someone is interfering from somewhere else!" Michelle stated as she started to panic.
"Griffon, get the hell out of there! The entire vault is getting released!" Ajax shouted into his radio. "Griffon?! Come in!"
Griffon rolled his shoulders as he watched Keira reanimate from her coma. She started breathing, and her eyes opened. A good start! He then looked over at the children who had been released. About sixteen of them were all that made it. Eight went insane and tried to attack, but they were cut down by the others. The rest? Dead in their pods.
"So, Four-Fourteen. What's the plan with you lot? We can take you with us if you'd like. I'm sure your skills would come in handy." Griffon inquired.
Becket was too focused on Keira to be listening to anything Griffon and the kid had to say to each other. He placed his hand on her shoulder as the woman came to.
"Becket...? How'd you..." She asked with her voice rather weak, almost like she had just awoken from a groggy sleep.
The man smiled, "A F.E.A.R. team brought me here. We're getting you out of here and bringing you back to a safe location away from this mess. We're not out of the woods yet, but when we are I owe you a drink or fifty."
"Damn... right..." She whispered before resting her head back and falling back into slumber.
"Keira?" He asked before shaking his head and pulling her from the pod, carrying her over his shoulders. "We need to get out of this place before we're trapped here for good." He said aloud as he walked over to Griffon.
The man in armor nodded, "Aye, Four-Fourteen and I were just discussing that. We figure if we leave now, we can use the cover of darkness to our advantage all the way back to the base."
Becket raised an eyebrow, "You're telling me we're escorting all these kids across a warzone-"
"We were meant to live a life of war, Sergeant Becket." Four-Fourteen stated as he looked up at the man. "All of us. Some were meant to lead armies, others meant to lead squads, and others meant to follow one of the designated leaders. But we all are meant for war."
"All of you are meant for war, huh? Well what one are you?" Becket asked, "Leader or follower?"
"We were never administered our final tests. So, unfortunately, I cannot say." The boy replied, "All I can say is that we are already much more capable than your average soldier. With our combined powers we can help you all clear a path until we return to your base."
"Whatever you say." Becket huffed, "Let's go meet up with the others. They were in the Control Center, yeah?"
Griffon nodded, "Yeah, and we haven't heard from them so they could probably use our help."
"Well? Let's move, then!" Becket said before taking the lead, shortly passed by Griffon as Becket wasn't in the most combat oriented position.
"Area secured." Ajax stated as he reloaded his weapon, inspecting the soldiers that had attacked them. "More ATC goons. Nothing too major, no doubt some of the remnants from the data denial crew."
"I got everything we need," Jin stated, "We should probably render this facility useless to both Armacham and the Replicas. Taking down the reactors-"
"That'd cause another explosion." Ajax interrupted, "A better idea is just to erase the data."
Jin nodded before turning and opening fire on the computer systems, "Toss a grenade on the way out for good measure."
Logan spoke up as he walked over to Ajax. "Griffon's team is on the move. We should wait here to link up with them before heading out."
"Indeed. Any sightings from the Point Man?" The man inquired, wondering where he had vanished.
Logan shook his head, "Nothing on the cams, Replica chatter, or even ATC's to indicate of him even being here. I think he vacated the facility for some reason. Hell, reviewing the security footage shows him disappear after rounding a corner."
"Alright. Once we hit topside we'll start calling out for him over the radio. Wherever he is, he'll find his way back to us." Ajax stated with a chuckle before nodding at Jin, "He's probably just making sure we have a way out or something. Nothing to worry about."
"I know, Ajax." Jin replied, "I've been working alongside the Point Man much longer than you. I know what he gets up to when he disappears. I've also patched him up countless times whereas you have not..."
The man nodded, not exactly liking her tone. He would make a mental note to stay away from her for a little bit. Why she was worked up was beyond him, but they were in the field and that meant tensions were high right now. He then turned his attention back to the door and remained in his silence. All they had to do now was wait, and hope that they weren't attacked whilst they did so. They wouldn't be though. There weren't any Black Ops soldiers left in the facility, as they all had retreated due to the Replica presence in the area getting to be a bit too much. The Replicas were getting the upper hand in the fighting. Of that, there was no doubt. They would have Fairport under their control within the next few days. Armacham was going to have a victory in another way, however, with the information they were preventing from ever reaching Alma's hands.
The United States didn't really have much of a foothold in Fairport, most of their forces having already been spent during Alma's breakout. Delta teams were the only real substantial United States military force in Fairport now, and most of those teams were broken apart or pinned down somewhere. Fairport was being contained by the United States, however, and no one was allowed to enter or leave. No, the United States had decided to leave the recovery of Fairport to Armacham, whilst they wanted Aristide for questioning.
Twenty minutes had passed before Griffon and the others finally arrived at the Control Center. After exchanging a few witty greetings, the reunited group evacuated the area after Ajax chucked a grenade into the room. That explosive did its job and rendered every piece of equipment in there useless.
"Why so many kids, sir?" Ajax asked Griffon as they rushed down the corridors, heading back to the elevator.
"They were test subjects of Armacham. They've been through and survived Hell. We're bringing them back to base. They want to help us fight." Griffon explained.
Jin cleared her throat, "Wait, what? They're just-"
"We said the same thing." Becket chimed in, "They say they're augmented for combat, made for it, breathing for it. So I figure we may as well let them prove that. Four-Fourteen has already done that in saving Keira's life."
"Very well." Jin stated, not in the mood to get into a discussion about this right now. Everyone, including her, was exhausted from their little mission to retrieve Becket. There wasn't any time to talk until she got at least eight hours of sleep.
The rest of their journey to the elevator was uneventful. Other than the facility threatening to seal them inside due to the damage sustained to the Control Center. Armacham must have set up some preventative measures in case of this facility becoming compromised. It was understandable, given what they had found out about it. Luckily Jin had that information now, and she'd be able to give it to Betters when they returned for him to analyze. When they reached the surface they saw multiple dead bodies littering the floor of the office, and the Point Man standing in the doorway looking at them. He motioned for them to follow, and the larger group did.
"F.E.A.R. and S.E.A.R. teams, we're at the LZ waiting to pick you up." Griffon heard Hornet state, "There's a nice warm meal and some drinks back home for ya."
"Good to fuckin' hear it, mate." Griffon huffed, "What took you so long? Why'd Command go dark on us?"
"It's been busy there. Betters was in a meeting with our new allies, and everyone was getting brief on what was going to be happening. Replica forces are friendly." Hornet responded, "Sounds like we're going to war with Armacham and their supporters, but I'll let Betters explain more once you get home."
Logan groaned, "Like Hell they are! A Replica tried to turn the Point Man into a fucking kabob, and that's not even touching the fact that we were getting fired upon in that facility."
"Replica Command must not have gotten to those soldiers yet. That facility does interfere with communication." Hornet stated, "But you can bring up concerns and the like with Betters. I'm just your chauffeur. Well, Wasp too."
"Huh, glad to hear you're here Wasp. You're unusually quiet." Jin stated now sounding more friendly than she was down in the facility.
"Just jammin' to some tunes while I wait for you slowpokes to load up." The pilot replied with a chuckle, his voice rather difficult to hear with all the background noise,"So hurry it up, we can all jam together on the way back home."
Jin gave a soft laugh, "Alright, we're on our way. You two should know that we're bringing about sixteen-ish people with us."
"We'll make it work." Hornet stated, "Somehow. Can't tell you what Command is going to think about it, but who cares. They can't do much once we get them home."
"My thoughts exactly." Jin said in agreement, "So what are the Replicas going to do here?"
"To my knowledge they're just going to hold the place down. Maybe make it into some sort of base, recover some knowledge to perhaps use it against Armacham." The Pilot stated, "That's what we would do with it if we were capturing it."
Everyone in the group fell silent as they made their way out of the Elementary School. As they rushed towards the front doors, they were passed by multiple different squads of Replicas. Their focus wasn't on them, but rather wherever they were heading. When they reached the main lobby they saw the unloading process, Replicas carrying in crates of supplies as well as other Replicas maintaining guard positions around the entrance and lobby area. To the group, they were rather surprised that this was happening. After all, they had just engaged Replicas not too long ago. Then again, it could have been a simple lack of communication on the part of the Replicas that were here first. They may not have heard their Commanders tell them to let Jin and Griffon's teams pass unscathed. Who knew?
When they made it outside, well, it definitely wasn't a breath of fresh air. No, instead they saw the skies darkened by the many fires roaring throughout the city. Fairport was already war-torn and it was only going to get worse. Until everything was settled, the city would be on fire for many days. Corpses littered the ground as well. It seemed that the retreating Armacham forces had been shot down by the approaching Replica platoon. Damned fine work, in all honesty, as Armacham had quite the arsenal that was now on fire and in multiple pieces. They then saw the helicopters that were waiting there for them to board. A welcomed sight to be sure.
"Alright, we'll split the kids up. Some go with S.E.A.R. and the others come with us." Jin stated, and the sorting process began whilst Becket loaded himself and Keira up into F.E.A.R.'s helicopter.
One everyone was set up, Roddy took a seat and groaned. "Ahhh, fuck... It's been awhile since I had a nice relaxing seat..." He huffed as he looked up at Griffon, "I can only imagine how excited you are to get out of that metal suit..."
Griffon shrugged as the helicopter began to take off, "It's not that bad. It shifts around for my comfort, and it has a rather nice air conditioning module it would seem. Each time I get hot, it cools me down."
"Lucky ass." Roddy replied with a chuckle, "Hopefully you still remember what it was like to be with us people who didn't get outfitted with a prototype."
"I do. Don't worry." Griffon reassured the man, "But you are right. I can't wait to get this shite off. I really have t'piss."
The flight home was thankfully uneventful. Everyone was exhausted, and it was getting really damned late. However, the sky was ablaze with fire and choked with a thick smoke so that one couldn't tell if it were day or night. But they felt it. Oh, how they all felt it. Exhaustion. They just had to wait to get home, get debriefed, clean up, and then pass out.
The Point Man groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, seeing Alma staring down at him. Immediately he went to grab his sidearm that was always on his side, but he didn't find anything there but his holster. Then he went to physically push Alma away from him, only for her to use her powers to pin him down and make it virtually impossible for him to move.
"Your friends succeeded in their mission..." Alma stated softly as she placed her hand on that aching spot upon his chest, causing it to burn in reaction to her presence. "...They're coming here, and they'll join our cause..."
"Why..." Jackson grunted through clenched teeth.
Alma looked into his eyes, "My branding didn't hurt you that bad...did it? It's just a small burn...Lets me know if you truly have the strength you need to be a part of our new little project. Betters likes to call it Project Terror Guard. As in, guardians against terror...or maybe guardians who bring terror to our foes?"
"Where am I?" He huffed, feeling Alma take her hand away and allowing him to sit up. "Where's Jin?"
"She's on her way, bud." The Point Man heard Betters state, "And you're home, in the infirmary. You had some wounds that we wanted to tend to before we let you loose again. You really got banged up on the field this time, y'know that?"
Jackson only huffed in amusement, "Yeah, almost as banged up as when she sent me flying through a window..."
"Not my fault you were being difficult, trying to stop your brother from releasing me..." Alma replied, making herself sound innocent.
The Point Man then placed his mind back on business, "So how are you going to get everyone to follow her, Betters? She's claimed the lives of many friends to our people. We've lost a lot to her anger. And yes, I have seen you do it with my own eyes, mother."
Betters sighed as he crossed his arms, "Honestly, we've already told everyone the truth. Everyone is on board for the most part. No one likes Armacham, and knows that if that damned corporation didn't do shit like they have, Alma would still be alive and all of our issues wouldn't have been issues. They've forgiven her, at least enough to work with her. Honestly, a lot of us don't have homes to return to anyway. We're all we have.
The only ones that we have yet to talk to is your F.E.A.R. Team, and S.E.A.R. But Griffon has already accepted it.
And virtually no one cares about the Replicas as long as they are on our side and controlled by someone we know we can trust."
The man nodded, "And no one else can gain control of them?"
Alma shook her head, "Not if we capture their production facilities as and get other Commanders for them. I've already captured their storage and command facilities, which gives me access to the orbital reserve as well..."
"So the problem lies in external Replica Forces. Not the Fairport ones." The Point Man deduced aloud before sighing, "They can't produce Replicas outside of Fairport, can they?"
"They could, but such a program would mean that they created their own augmented people, and new Replicas. We believe that's what Aristide's purpose was for taking Dark Signal in for augmentation surgeries. Creating soldiers who could not only take care of Alma, but perhaps take control of the Replicas so they couldn't cause any more of a problem for Armacham." Betters concluded, "But Armacham has the resources to get what they need. Luckily, they shouldn't be able to take over our Replicas. Not with the work we're putting into maintaining ourselves. The Terror Guard being a major part of that defense system."
"How so?" Jackson inquired.
"Alma's power is immense, but it can't sustain the Replicas forever. Not on her own, at least. Project Terror Guard is similar in many ways to some of Armacham's projects, the only difference being that we are ensuring we get those who are willing to join. Already part of the Project has shown itself to be successful. Griffon wielding the TGB Mark Five is proof of that." Rodney stated, "Becket's friend, Keira Stokes, will prove if another aspect of the Project is successful."
"Hold on, you've had other iterations of the armor? How are you on Mark Five already?" He inquired.
"We originally got the plans through one of S.E.A.R.'s missions. They recovered some Armacham documents about a new suit of armor. The Mark One suit failed. We altered the original plans three other times. All ended in some form of failure. The Mark Five, however, seems to be working great." The man informed Jackson before standing up, "Well, they should be here any moment. I'll send Jin in to check up on you after the debriefing. Welcome to the Terror Guard, Jackson, I know that we'll get this world sorted out together."
The Point Man lowered his head, "Yeah..."
