Chapter Twenty-Five: Diverging Pathways

As we emerged back into the hallway, I knew we needed a plan. The original was to get the prisoners out, but Laraza had somehow very obviously taken the upper hand here. One of my senior officers - and a good friend - was dead, and I wanted to find out how.

And more importantly, I wanted Laraza to pay.

"This isn't like him," I muttered under my breath, forgetting that my private channel to Ethan was still active.

"What?" he answered, moving up behind.

"Laraza. This is completely not his style. He isn't a doer; he hires others to do the dirty work, always. At least that was his modus operandi on Khan."

Ethan scoffed. "That was three years ago on a different planet, Nat. Things change."

"I know, I just..."

I couldn't help but feel like something was wrong here, out of place. But since watching Major Harris get killed, what little progress I'd made towards inching back to something resembling my old self was gone. It was hard to think when my mind flooded again with awful memories, sensations, emotions - all of them bleak. My head hurt, and my heart, and I felt a startling loss of control - loss of self - with every step that terrified me.

Take a deep breath, Cooper, I thought to myself, mirroring Ethan's previous words. Just breathe.

It was a mantra I felt I'd be saying silently in my mind for quite some time to come.

"Natalie?" came my ex's voice again. "I know better than to ask if you're okay, but are you prepared to move on?"

I didn't answer him. Couldn't. I did take a step forward though, and then another, and somehow found the determination within me to see this through.

Out in the hall things were eerily quiet after all the commotion the rebs had just caused. My team and I, along with the rescued prisoners, continued ahead with weapons at the ready, yet we were met with no resistance. I knew we hadn't managed to take everyone out in the facility, not by a long shot, and so I wondered at the silence.

I felt like it was as good a time as any to get a hold of Harris's second in command, Captain Norfolk, so I hailed him over a private connection.

"Captain, this is Colonel Cooper. Please respond."

No reply. I tried again.

"Norfolk, this is Cooper. Please answer the hail."

Silence filled the channel and I got the uneasy feeling that maybe Laraza hadn't been bluffing after all. Maybe he did have more than one Marine in his hands.

"We need to move quickly," I said to my team. That included Ethan, and I watched him perk up. "Laraza may have more of us he's holding."

That was enough to get everyone going as we picked up the pace, staying just under a full sprint past more corners, hallways that branched off to the left and right, and interrogation rooms. As we got closer and closer to the center of the facility, the rooms we passed changed from "prisoner accommodations" to things more geared towards housing a light garrison of troops - barracks, two more offices, a small gym, and a mess hall.

I had a feeling that past this epicenter of amenities was Cell Block Alpha - and hopefully Laraza.

"Which way, ma'am?" Gunnery Sergeant York asked at the juncture, weapon up since he was currently at point.

"Ackerson," I said, gesturing to the first office. "Check both for any intel we may have missed. Fast. O'Bannon, watch his six."

"Yes, ma'am."

In the meantime I moved just past York to peek in the hall that led to the barracks, but I wasn't looking to attract even more company. "I'm betting the mess hall joins the two big cell blocks so we'll go through there. Let's check the gym while the commander inspects the offices though, just in case. Don't want to get hit in the back."

"Understood."

York moved to take point again, but I gestured him behind. The gym wasn't large and quite frankly, I doubted anyone had remained inside during an assault.

But it turned out that even after thirteen years on the job, I could still be wrong.

No sooner had I taken a step towards the room then a woman dressed in a T-shirt and shorts came barreling out, a huge weight in her hands that she tried to bash into my side. I side-stepped just in time and grabbed the reb by the arms, spinning her bodily and throwing her against the opposite wall with the momentum. She crumpled on the floor beneath the heavy weight and groaned.

When she blinked open her eyes again, I saw the rage but also the fear. Five Marines, myself included, stood over her with guns raised - and she looked to be barely older than conscription age.

"Speak," I ordered, finger just outside the trigger guard on my rifle. "What are you doing hiding here?"

"Nothing!"

"Bad time to go lift some weights, huh?" York added beside me.

"I didn't know we'd be getting attacked!"

"So what's your story?" I pressed, willing to offer a reprieve because she seemed young and, despite myself, reminded me of Matt when I'd first found him - naive and inexperienced, caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. "You heard the commotion and the alarms and just...stayed put?"

"Clearly not one of the brave ones," York quipped.

The rebel snarled fiercely at him. "Go to hell!"

I lowered the barrel of my rifle for just a second to indicate the large weight on top of her. "Used that in lieu of a weapon? Pretty clever, if you'd hit."

"What do you want from me? Why not just kill me?"

"Because you can help."

"Fuck you! I ain't helping no Marine!"

"Then you can take a bullet," one of my team members said behind us, stepping forward, but I raised a hand.

"No. She's coming with us. York, Patterson, secure her."

"What the hell!" the young rebel cried, staring daggers at all of us. "I said no! Kill me!"

"Not today, kid, and not if I can help it."

Once the reb was restrained I turned to the Marine who'd offered to take her out and got in his face.

"Never aim to kill an unarmed prisoner, Meyers. Do you understand me?"

"But she's the ene - "

"Yes or no, Marine?"

"Yes, Colonel."

"Because believe it or not, that doesn't exempt us from following the rules of engagement. Now where's Ackerson?"

"Here, ma'am!" I heard down the hall. "O'Bannon's with me. Offices cleared."

"Good. Then you - " I said, pointing to the secured reb, " - can show us the way to Cell Block Alpha."

The rebel prisoner became belligerent then, fighting against York and Patterson but shrinking back when something pained her - likely damage from weight. "Fuck! I said no! I'm not telling you shit!"

"York, bring her with. We'll see if she changes her tune later, but in the meantime, we can't afford to linger here."

"Understood, Colonel."

I raised my own rifle again, and made for the mess hall. "Through here. Keep your eyes and ears sharp."

As I figured for a situation like this, the mess hall was empty, too. It was the largest room we'd been in by far, but still not too big by garrison standards. While the facility could hold quite a few prisoners at one time, it obviously didn't have a huge staff. That made me feel better about our chances of overtaking this place, before Laraza could take out anyone else - but I was still worried. And because of that, I almost made a rookie mistake and stepped out in the opposite hallway first.

I would've walked right into a squad of rebels racing down the corridor.

Instantly going into a crouch, I gestured for my Marines to do the same, including the prisoners we'd freed and the reb we'd just taken. I also signaled for quiet, but as soon as I did so, I heard a young female voice call out from behind us.

"In here! They're in here!"

Shit.

Just as the rebels turned around I charged out and opened fire. Two rebels went down in quick succession before I dropped to the ground on my stomach, going prone to avoid the hail of bullets sure to come my way. York came out behind me, followed by Ethan, then O'Bannon.

A round from one of the rebels ricocheted off the wall and into O'Bannon's sleeve, making him cry out and putting us at a disadvantage with only three of us trying to fight them off. But most of the rebs were still trying to make it back to the remainder of their squad, taking cover in small nooks in the wall and behind crates.

"Nat! They're probably buying time for Laraza!" Ethan suddenly yelled into our private channel. "We better hope he doesn't have anyone right now. And I think it was a mistake to bag that reb - "

"Shut! Up!"

Nothing was going to get the rebs out of their chosen positions, and we were out in the open. So to get them out, I did the only thing I could think of - pulled a frag off my web belt, pulled the pin, and let it fly. "Marines, take cover!"

The rest of my security detail came rushing out of the mess hall just after the grenade went off, taking down two more rebels and scattering the rest. I heard guns going off beside and behind me, a total wall of sound, and watched as the rest of the rebs dropped one after the next. One rebel slipped on the blood on the ground and I got him in my crosshairs as he fell. I immediately pulled the trigger and when he hit, he didn't make any move to stand again.

My ears were ringing when the skirmish ended, and I found I was breathing fast. I felt lightheaded and I didn't jump up to my feet right away. My stomach churned and I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to this feeling.

"Come on," Ethan said beside me, half pulling me up. "Let's see if your reb'll play ball now."

"Right."

I shook my head to clear it and pushed myself up the rest of the way. Looking behind us when I stood, I saw O'Bannon getting treated, and then I picked out our prisoner's face among the group. There was a mix of horror and unshed tears in her eyes. When I indicated we were ready to move, Patterson, who still had a hold of her, had to shake her to get her going.

"Is this the way to Block Alpha?" I said, stepping in front of her. "To Laraza?"

She glanced up and our eyes met. The tears finally spilled over and she nodded wordlessly.

I turned around and got my Marines moving. She had no idea I felt the same.

The closer we got to the block the worse the feeling became. I continued to feel it until we heard the sounds of a scuffle going on just up ahead, then four gunshots in rapid succession.

"Shit," Ethan said over the general channel, mirroring my thoughts exactly. "He's got another one!"

We all picked up the pace, ready to face whatever lay before us...

Except when we got there, we all lowered our guns in an instant.

Out in the hall was Captain Norfolk and a bevy of Harris's Marines.

"Colonel!" Norfolk shouted, stepping over the body of a dead rebel - whom I presumed had been at the business end of those shots we'd heard - and coming towards me. "We've got a situation on our hands, ma'am."

"I hailed you twenty minutes ago, Captain," I replied. "Why no response?"

He tapped the side of his helmet. "I got very lucky, ma'am. Bullet dinged my helmet in a firefight but not me. Fried the electronics, though."

"You were saying?"

"Yes, ma'am. We just cleared Cell Block Alpha. No prisoners left."

My eyes widened despite myself. "None?"

"Not one, ma'am," he answered solemnly, shaking his head. "No sign of Laraza, either."

"Son of a bitch."

I was still trying to digest the information when Ethan came up beside me.

"Colonel, our own prisoner says he may still be here."

"Who? Laraza?"

"Yes. She says the room he broadcast from...it couldn't have been the cell block. She said he has another office in this wing of the facility as well. Was likely done in there."

"You told her about the broadcast?"

My ex just shrugged. "Thought it might help, and it did."

I finally shut my eyes tight for a moment and blew out a long breath. "Okay. Get her up here, then. She can lead the way."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Norfolk?"

"Colonel?"

"Keep the area secure in the meantime, please."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Ethan," I said over our private channel. "This better be on the up and up. We should be wary of where this is going."

"Agreed. I'll come up at point with her if you want."

"Do it."

With Ethan and our rebel prisoner as guides, my team and I set off again past the cell block and further into the long corridor. Although it was quiet and there were no signs of trouble so far, I felt my heart rate going wild under my skin. I worried about an attack or an ambush, but I was more worried about what we'd find.

Eventually our prisoner indicated that her commander's office was the next one, up ahead. Ethan exchanged custody of her with York and Patterson, then focused on the room. A couple of Marines and I stacked up beside him, and then my ex went in first, gun raised.

I waited for a shout, a fight, something. Instead it was silent.

"Ackerson?"

"All clear, Colonel."

"What?"

I practically ran inside to see, and immediately wished I hadn't.

It looked like Laraza had made a space for himself in here expressly for the holo broadcast - the desk and chair were moved, other items and furniture all pushed to the walls. It would've looked silly, except for the fact that there was a dead body on the ground.

I nearly lost my breakfast then and there. Not because I wasn't used to seeing this by now, but because of who it was.

Facedown in the middle of the room was Major Shawn Harris, my former XO and good friend. There was blood pooled on the floor beneath him, a spent casing by the desk, and a sizable hole in the back of his head.

"I'm sorry, Natalie," Ethan said over our private channel, pausing in his work looking over the office for material. "I'm sorry you had to see him like this in person, too."

"Yeah." I said the word softly back over our shared channel, but didn't move. I wasn't going to allow myself another lapse in front of my Marines, but I felt the hurt and the anger bubble up again, and I hated that we had nothing to show for this, nothing to go after now. "I don't see Laraza in here. Does that mean he's gone?"

"For now."

"How?"

"I don't know, Nat. Maybe the bluff was to help him escape."

There was nothing I could do but shake my head. I could certainly lose my shit and start beating on every available piece of furniture in the office - and I thought about it - but it wouldn't help. Besides that, I was hopeful Ethan might still find something in all this that could be useful in tracking the bastard down. So instead, I crouched down by my friend's body, placing a hand on his back.

"I'm sorry, Shawn," I said softly. "I'm so sorry."

With O'Bannon's help we turned the body around so at least he wasn't crumpled against the ground anymore. I pulled off his dogtags and put them carefully in a pouch on my web belt.

"We won't be back, but I will get him for this. For all of you."

After that I stood. As soon as Ethan was finished we went back the way we came, still encountering no resistance, and I walked up to Captain Norfolk.

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes, ma'am. Demo team came in and rigged what they could along the way, just as you ordered."

"And you're sure we checked every inch for any more of our prisoners?"

"Yes, ma'am. All checked out."

I nodded. "Good. Let's get out of here then and blow this place to hell."

Fitting, I thought, for a place that had been my personal one. And that of many others - some fortunate enough to be departing beside us, others whose bodies and memories and stories we'd be leaving behind forever. I never thought one of those would be Shawn's, but as I'd come to find out by now, life was full of surprises.

And Laraza would be getting his one day, too. Soon.