Well here is the update. Sorry for the wait. A bit crude language toward the end.
"I want to go." Harvey stated, approaching the squad, "They're my people. I should be risking my life as well."
"You sure about this, kid?" Marcus asked, Dom looking at the man with uncertainty as the young man nodded.
"Marcus, he's just a kid." Dom spoke in concern, Marcus looking at the Latino briefly, "So? He's a kid that's choosing to die for something. Not many are that lucky."
"I'm fast, and a lot more agile than you Gears in your armor. I can help. Let me help you and these kids." Harvey pleaded, Marcus looking at Dom for any objections, but only heard the man sigh in response.
"Alright, kid, you're in. Who's goin' with him?" Marcus asked, Dom immediately stepping forward.
"I will, Marcus."
"You sure, Dom?" The Sergeant asked, the darker male nodding, "Yeah. I'll look after him."
"Look after everyone while I'm gone, okay, Marcus? I know I may not make it back, but they'll be in safer hands with you around." Harvey asked, Marcus grunting in response, simply nodding. He wasn't too thrilled about having to take care of so many kids, but if he had no choice he wasn't going to abandon them.
"Hold up, guys. I'll go with ya." All eyes turned to Cole, the large man stepping forward.
"You don't have to do this, man. I got this." Dom replied, the dark skinned man shaking his head, "Without the Cole Train, baby? I don't think so!"
"Hm, you sure about this Cole? Means one less soldier here." Marcus asked, grunting slightly.
"What? I'm sure you and blondie can keep things nice and cool down here." Cole replied, laughing.
"At least you can go. I'm stuck here with these little snot nosed bastards." Baird scoffed, "Baird!" Marcus grunted, quickly shutting him up.
"Why don't you go and see if Rother needs you again? I'm sure Carmine needs it." Dom suggested, Baird grumbling, "I think he has enough of my blood in him."
"Baird, go." Marcus ordered, the blonde grumbling in defiance, but slowly left. He was sick of giving blood.
"Come on. We'll go get your weapons from the stock. Good luck, Marcus. Keep them safe." Harvey pleaded, Marcus nodding in response, "Wilco. Watch each other's backs out there."
"Don't worry, Marcus. We'll be there and back in a flash." Dom chuckled slightly, smiling.
"Right then, let's get this train rolling!" Cole cheered, the trio entering the weapons stock and equipping their rightful firearms.
Once fully situated, the small group moved out, the underground depths seeming to spew them out from the bowels of the earth into the conifers.
The forest was lush and green, though many of the trees were scarred from artillery and twisted from underground movement. The great trees appeared to be slowly dying, as if in agony. No animal made a sound. No mouse scurrying through the underbrush, no song bird chirping it's territorial song. Just silence.
"Damn, it's quiet out here. You ever see any animals?" Cole asked, Harvey shaking his head, "No, not really. We think they moved away; somewhere safe. Or died."
"That's depressing. That's like saying humans are the only things left alive on the surface." Dom commented, frowning.
Harvey looked at the Latino, shrugging his shoulders, "At least we're alive. So long as we are, future generations have a chance."
"Man, I feel back for any kid that is growing up in this shit hole of a world. Only us old timers remember the good ol' care free days, huh, Dom?" Cole asked, smiling at the man as Dom chuckled, "We're not that old, Cole Train. Last I counted anyway."
"To Harvey we are. He's a whole new generation, baby." Cole replied, the pair chuckling before falling into silence..
"Why are you called Cole Train?" Harvey asked suddenly, looking upon the much larger and darker skinned man.
Cole looked upon the young man with a large grin, "You asking why they call me the Cole Train? Cause I'm famous, baby! I'm telling you, when I was on that field no one could stop the Cole Train! The Cole Train breaks through the defense-he's going-he's going-TOUCH DOWN!"
Harvey looked upon the man as if he was insane, Dom laughing and shaking his head, "Cole was the star player for the Cougars in Thrashball."
"...Thrashball? What is that?" Harvey asked, confused as Cole instantly snapped his head towards the youth, "What is-awe hell NO! You telling me you never-EVER-heard of Thrashball?!" Cole asked, alarmed.
"...no."
"Well, shit, Harv. I'll have to show you how to play when we get back." Cole offered, the youth smiling at that, "Sounds like a plan."
The trio fell into silence, on alert, yet found no opposition.
"Something isn't right. Where are all the grubs?" Dom asked, not liking the stillness.
"Maybe most of them were called out from that last movement?" Harvey suggested, Cole shrugging his shoulders as the depot came into view just through the trees, "Maybe for once we're getting a break, hm, Dom?"
"I don't think so, Cole. You smell that?" Dom asked, pausing in his steps.
"Smell what?" Harvey asked, alert, looking around.
"Gun fire. The smoke it leaves, ya know? You can smell it. Something must have went down." Dom replied, motioning his allies to keep their heads down as he took mark, cautiously taking cover at the tree line. His eyes widened slightly upon seeing the depot occupied-though at least twenty locusts lie dead around the area-at least what was visible to them. From what Dom could see, it was only one man. Whoever he was, he sure as hell wasn't a COG, for his gear was entirely black, and he sported a pilot's helm, the lense cracked. And he was smoking, a ciggarret resting between his fingers as he puffed, acting as if he wasn't standing in the middle of an intrale ridden field.
"There's no way that guy took out so many locusts on his own." Harvey whispered, Cole nodding in agreement, "Yeah. Maybe he's the only one left?"
"Don't know. You recognize the armor, Cole? That's not COG." Dom asked, judging the situation. There was no way they could reach the man without being seen.
"Nope." Cole answered, "Not a damn clue."
"We need a plan. We can't just expect him to be a friendly." Harvey commented, Dom nodding in agreement, unaware that a sniper was zoning in on his position, the man laying prone upon a ruined building, armor black. The large man sported a gas mask, his finger gently pressed upon the trigger as he zoned in on each man.
Slowly, the man pressed the coms on his helmet, "Scott? Scott, can you hear me?" The man asked, a thick accent in his voice as he glanced towards the man at the depot in the distance.
Scott blew out the smoke from his lungs, sighing, "Hot damn, I love these things." He smiled, flicking the burning butt on the ground and stomping on it with a heavy boot. He then pressed the coms as he adjusted his mike, "Sup, Yuri? Whatcha' got?"
"Three men at your six. You see them? Cause they see you." Yuri asked, voice rough from the natural static, Scott rolling his eyes, "Yeah, I'm gonna turn around, wave at them, and offer them a smoke. No, I don't see them, and I'm not going to make it obvious that I do while they're in cover."
"...did you smoke yet?" Yuri asked, a delay in reply.
"Yes. Why?"
"Because you act like a hormonal woman when you don't."
"...I do not."
"To you. Stay sharp." Yuri replied, the com dying as Scott sighed, "Over and out...I am not acting like a hormonal woman." Scott muttered, taking out another cancer stick and lighting it with a lighter.
"Ugghh...that idiot." Yuri sighed, another man chuckling, cutting a bullet out of his arm as the bloodied shell fell to the ground. Yuri looked back at his teammate, and was rather disturbed by his friend's actions, "You should have had me remove the bullet, Joel."
"Yer too slow. Besides, a little pain never fuckin' hurt anybody. Or blood. Gettin' tired of these ugly ass fucks shootin' at me." He replied, sporting the same black attire, gas mask by his side that revealed short black hair and a pair of blue grey eyes. The man briefly licked the blade before spitting it back out, "Fuckin' white shit blood."
"...you can taste the difference in locust blood and human blood?" Yuri asked, confusion ringing in his voice as he produced a cloth and handed it to the man.
"Yup. White shit blood doesn't have the metallic taste. Don't know why." Joel shrugged, cleaning his blade with the cloth, "So...how many?"
"Three. Two COG, one civi." Yuri replied, Joel chuckling before sucking the blood from his wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Yuri just shook his head at his teammate's behavior as Joel spit the crimson fluid out, grinning at the larger man with blood stained teeth, "COG, eh? Let's fuckin' kill em."
Yay for new antagonists! And yes, Alura will find out what happened to her daughter. Thank you for reading and reviewing! :)
