Alright, the next chapter will have a huge war on the USA against the Replica soldiers. This chapter will be a bit more peaceful and less spooky than most chapters, but I tend to sometimes just have some chapters be action packed or creepily written. But this one is more of a dramatic chapter, since I seem to lack them. Anyways, please R&R!

Chapter 25: An Unfair Farewell

I left dad to rest more in my room… he was still way too tired to move right now. Or even EAT. It was around dinner time by now, and since my dad was sleeping… and neither me or the Point Man could cook, we either had to order pizza or go to a restaurant. One of those… FOR SURE.

"I'll be waiting…"

I just heard her voice again… her… as in none other than Alma.

I couldn't believe I forgot about her! I couldn't possibly leave dad while I can still hear Alma's voice… that obviously meant she was in my house somewhere!! I had to protect dad… he was in too weak condition to defend himself.

I went downstairs to inform the Point Man, who was relaxingly sitting on the couch as he brushed his hair with his hands.

"Sir…!! I just heard Al-"

Before I could finish he cut me off, "Alma… I heard her too. Don't mind what she said… I know what she means. I'm used to the way she talks. She's just waiting for us in 2 days she's saying."

"…Are you sure…?" I tried to confirm, and the response I got was a nod.

"It's obvious… why would she wait for us when she can just come in here and do whatever she pleases with us?"

I guess that made sense. What he said was true… she was strong enough to kill us barely lifting a finger. She could just kill us now if she wanted… she killed so many people like the Freddericks and the SFOD-D soldiers without hesitation or with a warning.

That's when we hear our stomach growl. I mean loud. And when two stomachs growl at once, they're loud enough to fill one whole room.

"Ah… heh heh…" I embarrassingly laughed as he laughed back a little as well.

Leaving dad a note on the dinner table, I got dressed up in normal civilian clothes while the Point Man just took off his bullet proof vest, only wearing his army outfit. We left and decided to just eat in any restaurant we can find. We decided to take a bus again…

"Hey Dash?" The Point Man called me as I turned back to him, "you don't have to keep calling me the Point Man or SIR if you don't want to… I don't really have a name, really… guess Alma should've thought of that huh?"

"Well… what can I call you then? Killing Machine?" I joked.

"Maybe… a Dork Original?" He joked back, "How about… Dash Sr.? And I can refer to you as Dash Jr."

"Yeah, guess that works… we ARE identical after all… but then again I guess I can say sir talking to you and refer you to Dash Sr… cuz calling Dash Sr. in front of a person can be…"

"Oh whatever! Ha ha ha!!" He teased, "Nerd".

I just laughed it off... can't really argue with him now can I.

When the bus arrived we took our seats. I just looked outside the window while the Point Man leaned on the window and relaxed his head there. He wasn't sleeping at least… I had to go through all the trouble waking up again otherwise. Still… there were a lot of things I was thinking about… too many.

When we arrived we got off the bus and headed towards a restaurant me and my family would go at times. It was fast food… which can be pretty unhealthy, especially for preparing a huge fight happening around the entire city, but when being too hungry no one would care whether the food is nutritious or not. The restaurant was usually crowded, but today there was less people than I thought. But that also meant there were more than enough seats for us.

All we ordered were hamburgers, fries, and cups of coke.

"Well Dash, I gotta give you credit, I was about to die of hunger while I was at the bus. You're a life saver, y'know?" He commented.

"That'd be my line, sir. If it wasn't for you I would've died from those Replicas we fought today." I replied.

"… Now we're even." The Point Man sarcastically said, simply joking.

But all of a sudden I was in no mood for joking, thanks to what I thought about in the bus. But I put out a fake laugh just to keep the mood lightened up.

That's when the food came, though. Both of us started eating, but I took small bites every 1 minute thinking about my friends and family… I'll probably never see them again, and they didn't even know that I'll be involved in this war.

"Hey Dash… what's up? I finished just a while ago…" He said.

"Huh? Oh! It's… it's nothing!" I replied and ate more quickly just to make sure the Point Man didn't think suspiciously of me.

When we finished and paid, we decided to walk back home… we may have needed an exercise the way home.

"Sir… I'm just curious… when you were in my age, were you trained to be an ATC super soldier throughout your life or were you like me, going to school like any other kids?" I asked.

"I can't say… But I remember a little of both. I studied a lot and trained my strength on the same margin. But then again… I hardly ever had anything fun to do unlike you. I mean when you were a kid you got to have fun and all sorts right?" He stated.

"Yeah… I remember when my… parents…" I somewhat hesitantly said parents… I didn't know what else to call them, since technically they weren't… "usually took me to my favourite amusement parks and whatnot… I had lots of fun those times. But I certainly hope my grandfather or you don't mind me not being like the other ATC prototypes, right? Trained to be either a psychic or a super human… Because I can't be one of those." I added.

"It doesn't matter, you know? As much as that I thought I was not normal in a bad way, thinking that being all mighty would have other people thinking of me in a freaky way. But then again… I realized I was a lady's man back in my high school. You get my point, right? Whether being more than just an ordinary human or not has it's goods and bads." He replied as he stretched.

"Well… I guessed you had a lot of friends back then."

"Sure, I guess. They all thought that I was smart, courageous, strong; both in mind and body. Which I think is the same for you, don't ya think?"

"Not really… I couldn't have faced Alma all by myself. I was a bit too afraid to see her… and I'm both mentally and physically weak. If I was smart…"

"Cut the crap about the family… will ya? Like I said, it was nothing you could've prevented."

"Well… my friends too. I mean, I never told them that I'd be involved to this whole incident."

"Well… maybe you should. Because if… if… you wouldn't survive… you wouldn't live to regret not telling them about it, would ya? Besides… it's not like they'll sue or kill you or anything once they know, is it?"

I nodded in agreement… he was right. I should tell them… I couldn't conceal my secret forever. But how can I possibly tell them to make them understand?

I just… had to... say that. That's all I had to do. Just say it...

After we dropped by our house, I realized that dad was still too tired and was still sleeping. The Point Man decided that it was a great time to take a shower. He hasn't gotten himself clean since he was left on that island alone. Meanwhile I decided to relax for at least ten minutes as well before heading out to tell my friends. I turned on the television… something I haven't done for quite a while. The last thing I watched was the news… and speaking of the news maybe I could watch that.

"…and the US government have actually announced that every citizens were at risk from those assailants that attacked Armacham Headquarters months ago. The president of the corporation has recently sent a news that over 20,000 employees have died during the incident. And it was later confirmed that they were murdered by the prototype clones created from the very corporation itself. The captain of the F.E.A.R. team, Rowdy Betters, as well as Commander Shepherd from the U.S army Delta Force have said the soldiers have planned a rampage to attack the entire city at all costs. After hearing this the president has issued every citizens in the city to evacuate as quickly as possible. He has prepared a cruise ship to Canada for safety. It was alleged that other cities in the US would cause more drastic measures than expected, therefore they have planned a city outside of United States."

The news reporter told the news extremely briefly. I changed the channel to another news channel, where Betters and the Delta Force commander Shepherd were being interviewed. I realized that it was JUST starting…

The interview…

(A/N: I decided to have this part as a script form. It's tiring to say he said she said that person said all the time… anyways, this is what's telling what Dash is watching)

Questionnaire: Thank you for coming, gentlemen, we've just heard the news of what's got in store for us in the next two days… I'm just wondering… What plan do you have to combat this certain threat? Because other US army officers are aware and watching this channel, waiting for your answer…

Shepherd: We plan whatever it takes to get rid of those test tube bastards… I'm sending every men I have as of now to counter back this threat.

Betters: Yes and in fact the police department have given us a phone call a few hours ago, saying that they will send all they have to assist.

Shepherd: Not to mention the SWAT team as well… they have insisted to be involved.

Questionnaire: And you have a certain plan to neutralize these soldiers? Because as we know the numbers are overwhelming, and once again the US army officers who are watching are waiting for your response to this.

Betters: Well it wouldn't be easy, but the president has ordered us to set up bombs around the city and set them up in case the attack fails.

Shepherd: But it's quite doubtful there will be a reason to use those. We're getting prepared and ready for everything we must face. Tanks, aircrafts, you name it. But they may also outnumber us in many ways… they may have tanks, they may have choppers to drop bombs… we definitely can't expect anything easy from this.

Questionnaire: Well… and supposedly it's going to happen the day after tomorrow. What sort of plans will be made tomorrow? Which is the day before the assault.

Shepherd: We'll first meet up with the chief of the police department, and Lieutenant Kennedy to send in all his men as well as…

The Point Man approached behind me with a white t-shirt and jeans, drying his hair with a towel.

"Heh… so the news is spreading isn't it. Guess a whole lot of people would be packing by now." The Point Man stated as he finished drying his hair.

"Yeah…" I replied as I switched off the T.V.

"Dash… maybe you should talk to your friends about what's going on with you right now… like face to face." The Point Man reminded me… I tried to say something back, but couldn't think of any. Instead, I gave a sigh and a little nod. I left the house, but not before taking a short glance at the Point Man for a bit more confidence. These could be my last days alive… and I won't see all those I valued once more if it was to be.

First, to tell Katie… even if I'd talk to her last, it still wouldn't matter anyway. I had to talk to her more or less… it was too long ago from now since we last met. After walking slowly for the past few minutes, thinking of how to explain this to her, I finally got the courage to knock on the door and wait for her… The response I got was from Katie…

"Oh…! Dash! What brings you here? We were… packing." She surprisingly greeted.

"Well… I have something I gotta tell ya." I replied hesitantly.

"…Yes Dash?"

"I… I…" I couldn't bear seeing her reaction. She was smiling right now, happy to see me. Her smiles were what usually made my days better… what helped me remember that I should be glad to be alive. Breaking her smile was almost like a sin to me…

"You have to believe me about this… and I'm sorry I couldn't tell you but… I… I might not make it." I explained briefly.

"Wh…what are you saying? Of course you will!! You told me you'll never be apart from me!"

"I… I joined the army… and I… have to fight…"

There was a pause… for obvious reasons. She was shocked just to hear the first sentence. She felt hopeless and only bursted in tears…

"You…You're kidding right? Tell me this is a joke, Dash!! It's not funny!" She cried.

"I'm sorry… Kate. I just… couldn't tell you. I… I…"

"Dash…!! Please!! Don't go!! You promised not to leave me! I… I can't live without you Dash…"

"It's my duty, as an officer. Katie… in case this is our last time seeing each other… I… I still and always love you.."

After that we hugged tightly, as she bursted in tears. I was near that stage too, but I had to stay strong… but I'd miss her a lot…

I'm sorry Kate. But please understand how much I am going through.

After my possible final goodbye to Kate, she told my other friends about what was going on. They all visited my house afterwards, along with her, and told me "Be the man!" and insisted to come back alive and never leave them. I didn't really prefer her telling everyone about this, but I guess I couldn't blame her about it. I had to tell them that I had to fight anyway.

The day went by pretty quick. That day leaders of those parties who were to battle the next day had a huge meeting to plan out the attack. The meeting really took five hours, according to Betters. But the meeting was really the time for those men who were going to fight to get their weapons ready. While that was happening, everyone else who weren't to be fighting fled to Canada for now, since the USA would be the Replicas' first target. Even if Canada was to be their possible second target, it would take longer to go to other places like Asia or Europe. By the time they went there, the Replicas would've located the ship and annihilate it.

But a surprising thing was that the cruise ship was actually ready long time ago in case something like this would've happened to fit every citizen in the city. The only we probably would have to worry about was if the Replicas would locate it and destroy it. But by the time they probably arrive, or while we battle, the ship would make it to its destination, so chances of them finding the ship was slim to probably none.

Betters also told the team that the ATC security guards that survived months ago would also help us. Apparently during the meeting, Ms. Aristide have requested to come in and say that even the company responsible for creating this massive incident had the sense of guilt and must undo their own wrongdoing. Ms. Aristide was later questioned for releasing Fettel just to test the F.E.A.R. Point Man. I still remembered what Ms. Kwon told me about that… and I guess she would get arrested for doing such thing. And they also mentioned her ordering to kill her own employees for spreading news to the media. But everyone decided to put her on trial after all this was over. At least the ATC combat forces were allowed to assist. That was a good thing… But the Replicas would probably outnumber us.

It was 7 PM… five hours until the attack. At 12 AM the city would be in utter chaos.

I looked around my house the last time. I lived here since… when I was a baby. But now the memories would be gone. Being in my room looking at photo albums of the past, I saw some happy moments with my family. They brought a single tear to my eye…

Afterwards I ate some sandwich my dad fixed before he left to the ship as well.

But mom and my sis… where were they…

I heard someone breathing… a girl. I turned around and found nobody in my house. The breathing sounded like someone was crying as well… But who was it…? It… just sounded so familiar, yet it was just…

"Dash!!"

Richard called over as he came over to the front door of my house.

"Richard…!"

"The F.E.A.R. team is going to have a meeting in an hour. We should hurry, hm?"

I nodded, but soon afterwards I said "Hang on" to go back to my room and pick my assault rifle up. Afterwards we left my house and while so I looked at the exterior of my house the last time… and soon I followed Richard. Goodbye… sweet memories.

Walking in the streets was way too quiet. TOO quiet. It was now only seven-thirty PM, and the streets would be super crowded even by that time. Now it seemed like a ghost town…

"Dash! Richard!!"

The F.E.A.R. Point Man ran over to us… what was he doing around?

"Betters just contacted me… about the meeting. We should get going, eh?"

"Sir, may I ask what you were doing…?" I asked.

"Just looking if there's anyone left in the city... Guess this city is perfect for a ghost town, isn't it?" He replied jokingly.

The trio of us continued walking to the HQ. Oh man, if there were any buses or taxis available this would've been easier. We couldn't possibly jack them, and even if we did we needed keys to activate them.

But the Point Man at least knew his way there, so we were in luck. But it would still be a long walk… no doubt.

By 9 PM we arrived at the F.E.A.R. headquarters, and a few SFOD-D soldiers were outside, getting their weapons ready. Not to mention trucks, helicopters, and even tanks… now that I never knew they had. But then again who would bring a tank to infiltrate a building? Maybe to destroy the place, but then with all those information of ATC's wrongdoing and hostages in there, who would use a tank to obliterate that place?

Once we headed inside and went to the meeting room with everyone else in there, the three of took seats…

"We recently tracked the Replicas in each different parts of the city. The police department will take the Downtown while the SWAT team has scattered to battle things out in the docks, airport, and the west part of the city. Alpha Squad will take on the north, Bravo Squad on the east, and Team Charlie will back up the ATC security. They're currently investigating the Auburn area." SFOD-D commander told us of the situation.

"Holiday, you lead the Alpha Squad while Jankowski leads Bravo. We'll leave the Point Man leading Charlie Squad…" Betters added afterwards, "Dash, you go with Alpha team. Richard, you assist Bravo."

We had four more hours now… until we engage in combat. Everyone readied their weapons and choppers, and trucks for ammo supplies and for transport. I filled up as much ammo as I could to my rifle while in the armory, but also decided to take a handgun as a sidearm in case I would run out of ammo or if I don't have time to reload. Then all I had to do was to wait until 12 AM and when everyone else were ready. This was a fight for everyone's lives… both for my family, friends, and everyone else in not just this country, but this entire world.

Hours have passed… I looked back at the clock… it was now 11:45 PM. Just fifteen minutes remaining… That was when Holiday shouted "Get in!!", pointing at the transport truck. I was the first to get in and soon the rest of the Alpha Squad entered. Holiday was the last person to get in, and he closed the door. The truck driver started the engine and I could feel it moving…

"Alright… men! Those test tube mother fuckers won't mess with the US, am I wrong? Because if I am, the country we know as the United States would've been screwed long time ago!! We may have been ass kicked by those fags before, but this time we'll be different. We're gonna show 'em that all we can give is a belly full of lead, and a pool of their own blood to drown in!!!!! AM I RIGHT, ALPHA SQUAD?" Holiday stated encouragingly, as the other soldiers replied with "SIR, YES SIR!"

"Damn straight. Let's mow em all down to hell when we get our eyes on them!!" Holiday shouted with encouragement, and everyone cheered as well.

The battle for life or death… it was approaching.

To be continued…

I took a LOT of breaks writing this chapter. At some point of writing I got so tired while writing I made grammar mistakes and probably screwed up this chapter horribly. And since recently my relative was hospitalized, I cared about her more than writing a fanfic you see.

And last thing to mention, school is coming up!! My rules of the house is that I'm only allowed to use the computer on weekends, and since it takes a while for me to write each chapter, my ability to update this fic is pretty much limited now. So don't expect update that often. But that does NOT mean I can no longer update this fic any longer. Still, it won't be often for me. Damn school…

Oh well… hope you enjoy the rest of the summer!