AN: The end starts now. There will be a lot of death and darkness in this chapter, but like I said before, it will all end good.
Alpha Base was in the mist of a state of peace. Perelli's Enforcers hadn't been seen in quite some time. While sentries still went about their appointed duties, the Alpha Base Members were taking full advantage of the quiet period. At the current time, Roger, Joanne, Mark, Emily and Penny were sitting around the Main Hall, joined by Tyler and Jeff, sharing a lunch Joanne had prepared, simply relaxing and joking around. For a moment, Roger was strongly reminded of the old days, when they'd be simply hanging out in the Loft. One thing was for sure, when he went back to his time tomorrow, he'd never take those moments for granted ever again.
The peaceful moment between the Bohemians was interrupted by the sudden appearance of an Alpha Base member, who looked completely and utterly panicked and fearful.
"Sound the alarm!" he cried. "Everyone, evacuate the base!"
"What's wrong?" Joanne asked in concern.
"Enforcers!" the Alpha Base member cried, pointing in the direction he'd came from. "An entire squadron of them! And Perelli's with them!"
"They found us?!" Penny leapt to her feet in shock.
"No," Mark stiffened. "I'm not going back to that processing camp. I'll die first."
"Then we have to fight," Roger stated.
"You can't be serious," Tyler scoffed. "The Enforcers outnumber us greatly.
"But we have the home-field advantage," Roger pointed out. "Anyway, I'm not going to run. Not after all they've done, especially to Collins and Maureen, and certainly not after what they did to Mark and Mimi. They've hurt my friends, my family, far beyond the point of forgiveness." Behind Roger's back, Emily cast Jeff a meaningful glance, but Roger didn't notice this. "Tyler, what's the plan?"
"Roger," Jeff stepped into the conversation. "How about you and I head down to the storage room? We can gather weapons to fight them with. If that's all right with you, Tyler." Tyler mulled the situation over.
"Right. Roger might have the right idea. In any event, we'd have to hold off Perelli long enough for everyone to get to safety anyway. Jeff and Roger will gather some weapons. Joanne, gather the others and tell them of the situation. Tell them they must prepare to fight. This is our Judgment Day. If anyone is wishing to leave, however, they must be allowed to leave. Penny, I want you to escort those individuals to our Gamma Base. If this place is destined to fall today, then at least some of us will survive. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Sir," Penny replied somberly before turning to the others for brief goodbyes, clearly understanding that this might be the last time she'd see her family ever again.
"Roger," Jeff's voice interrupted the musician's thoughts at watching the final farewell. "We need to go, now."
"Okay, Jeff," Roger nodded, before following the old man out of the room. However, Jeff did not bring him to the weapon storage, but to his workshop where the time ray resided. "What's this?" Roger tuned to Jeff in alarm.
"It's time to send you back to your time, Roger."
"I'm not leaving." Jeff laughed in amusement.
"Emily and Mark were right about you. You really are stubborn to a fault. But this isn't the time for arguing. There's every possibility that Alpha Base will fall before Perelli and his Enforcers, with no chance of saving it. There's no hope. Our one chance is sending you back. You can save us all by doing whatever you can to prevent all of this from happening right off the back."
"I can't abandon you guys," Roger insisted.
"You need to go back now, Roger," Jeff attempted to reason. "This might be your last chance to go back. Your last chance to see your friends, all of your friends. Your last chance to see that girl of yours, Mimi. If you stay, that chance will be gone. You'll never see any of them again. Think about that. Think hard about that." Roger bowed his head before looking over at the time ray, frowning in consideration.
Gunfire had been echoing throughout the halls of Alpha Base for almost half an hour. Mark, Joanne, Emily and Tyler were grouped together in their designated sector, giving all they had to defend their home, and trying not to think too much about how many of their friends had already been killed by the Enforcers. In the heat of their battle, a shot hit home in Joanne's leg, forcing her to her knees. Emily immediately dropped to her side to assess the damage while Mark and Tyler covered them. As the fighting went on, an urgent message came through on Tyler's headset radio.
"Tyler!" a defeated voice stated. "The others have all fallen. Your group is all that remains." Tyler clenched his jaw in anguished sorrow. He couldn't believe that they had lost. "They won't take much longer to find me here, Sir. And once they do… Tyler, please get your group out. Alpha Base has fallen."
"Good luck, my friend," Tyler sighed before ending communication. So, the four of them were all that remained alive. "Mark, Emily, Joanne!" Tyler gave one last order. "The three of you get to Gamma Base."
"Tyler…" Joanne tried, but she was cut off.
"I can only hold them off for so long, Joanne. Do not make my sacrifice in vain. Now hurry." With that, Mark and Emily pulled Joanne to her feet and helped her walk off, making sure she didn't put too much weight on her injured leg.
"I hoped this day would never come," Mark spoke solemnly.
"Mark," Emily stopped walking. "We need to stop for a moment."
"But Tyler said…."
"Joanne is loosing too much blood," Emily gestured to their wounded friend's injury, which was indeed bleeding heavily. "We're right next to the supply room. I'm just going to grab something to make a quick bandage, and then we'll continue on."
"Okay. But hurry," Mark relented, looking back down the hall where the sounds of Tyler bravely holding off the Enforcers alone had stopped. As Mark supported Joanne, Emily quickly disappeared into the supply room. To try and calm himself, and to keep his friend conscious, Mark started to talk with Joanne.
"Hang in there, Joanne. Soon we'll have you in Gamma Base. Remember when we were there last? They managed to put up an underground garden there. Remember how we'd all go there for picnics in the beginning?"
"Not… the same," Joanne smiled sadly. "Most of us are no longer…"
"I miss her, too, Joanne. But we'll see her again."
"Allow me to help," an Enforcer suddenly appeared in the hall. Before Mark could react, the Enforcer had finished Joanne off with one shot. Hearing the shot, Emily dashed out of the supply room, the bandages in her grasp falling out of her hand at the sight of her fallen friend. The Enforcer glared at Mark and Emily, paying no head to their grief.
"Well, look at that," the Enforcer taunted cruelly. "You two are all that's left. All your little friends have died. Thus," the Enforcer paused to aim a weapon at the two. "No one is left to miss you."
"Guess again!" a familiar voice announced seconds before a heavy bar crashed down over rhe Enforcer's head. Mark and Emily gaped in surprise as Roger stepped over the unconscious Enforcer and walked to their side.
"Roger, you were supposed to go back to your time!" Mark reprimanded. "Why'd you give up your only chance?"
"I ran away before, if you'd remember. I made a promise long ago I'd never run from problems again. I was through being a coward after Santa Fe. I made my choice. I told Jeff to get out of here and head to Gamma Base. I told him I'd catch up with the rest of you shortly."
"But…"
"Come on Mark. Do you seriously think I could be content back in my time, when I knew I just left you all to die?"
"Suppose not," Mark sighed at Roger's reasoning as the musician knelt by Joanne's body to say goodbye to his friend.
"If only I got here sooner," he noted sadly.
"Mark, Roger," Emily spoke with a strained voice. "The two of you need to go to Gamma Base. You're all that remain of the Bohemians. The survivors of Alpha Base, and those that reside at Gamma Base, need people who remember the world of Bohemia, someone who can keep the spirit alive."
"Well what about you?" Roger blinked. "You'll be there to help, too."
"I can help by making sure that you can rebuild the city the way it should be. The Enforcers are like a giant serpent, with Perelli as the head. If you cut off the head, the serpent will die. And that's what I must do, cut off the head of the serpent."
"What do you mean?" Roger instantly regretted his question when Emily turned to them and revealed what was hidden beneath her body suit. She had strapped multiple bombs to herself. "YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Roger shouted. "I can't let you…"
"Roger, I've seen too much death in my life. I told you sometime ago, the Emily you knew died long ago. You remember how I couldn't save April. I couldn't save Mimi. I couldn't even save my own son. But I can save the two of you. You two and Penny all that remain of my family. I'll gladly do what must be done to ensure you live on. And the only way to do that is to stop Perelli for good.
"I just got…" Mark whispered. Emily's face softened.
"Mark, you know I must do this. For you and everyone else." Mark nodded numbly before stepping forward for a goodbye embrace.
"Emily. I…"
"I know, Mark. I'll say hello to Collins, Maureen and Angel for all of you." Emily whispered. "Now both of you. Go. Go and don't look back." Together, Mark and Roger obeyed Emily's final wish and hurried out of Alpha Base.