CHAPTER 28 – RETALIATION, PT 2

The commons room is only half full when I call a meeting, which is no surprise considering half the population is sick. The rest of us aren't feeling great either, but we're upright at least.

Once everyone who I think is coming has arrived, I call for attention. The room becomes silent, and everyone faces me.

"First of all, I feel I owe everyone here an apology. Protecting our water supply wasn't something that occurred to me. Our food and water supplies are necessities, and it's also our vulnerability. If we don't have adequate supplies, then we can't survive."

"But, Angel, you couldn't have known they would do this," Roman says.

"I didn't know they would do it, but it should have occurred to me that it was a possibility. Poisoning an enemy's water supply is an old wartime tactic. And an effective one too. We're a threat, so therefore, they're trying to eliminate us. And if it hadn't been for Althea, we may have figured it out too late. And it could still be too late. There's an elderly man that's very sick in one of the bunkers. And some of the children are still very weak too. From now on, we need to be extra vigilant when it comes to the Invaders. They'll try anything to defeat us."

"So what do we do now?" Walker asks.

"I say we poison their water supply!" Grayer says. A few people in the back mumble in agreement.

"No, we're not doing that," I tell him firmly.

"Turnabout is fair play, Angel!" Grayer scoffs.

"Listen, we're not poisoning anyone's water supply. We do that, and we put innocent people at risk."

"Not to mention the food supply," Roman adds. "Water is vital to the Garden District. Most of Astoria's food supply comes from there. We cannot afford to put the lives of our own people or our crops in danger."

"Well we can't just sit on our asses and do nothing!" Grayer says.

The commons room becomes loud with several people talking at once. It takes me giving out a shrill whistle to get everyone's attention again.

"Alright, listen. We have two things we need to do. Our first priority is to get drinkable water to everyone and get everyone feeling better again. Can we agree that's the most pressing need at the moment?"

Everyone agrees.

"Okay, our second priority is to fight back. We know the majority of the Invaders are in the Garden District, but the weather has hindered our efforts to go there. Well the snow has finally stopped, so we're not as Grayer so eloquently put it going to 'sit on our asses and do nothing'. So, who wants to volunteer to help fight?"

I stare Grayer down, and the older man raises his hand.


The frigid air bites at our small group as we head north to a fresh water supply. Unless they've poisoned the spring, which we doubt they have since it must supply their own water as well, we should be able to get everyone fresh, clean water.

"Damn, it's cold," Grayer complains, stating the obvious.

We're all dressed in several layers to keep our body temperatures warm in the freezing temperatures. It's hard to fight the temptation to sit down and rest, but we must keep moving.

"We're almost there," Roman says.

When we finally arrive, the spring looks like a skating rink as the freezing temperatures have turned everything to ice. We've come prepared though. One by one, we all begin to chip away at the ice.

Well, no one said this would be easy.


"Angel!"

At the sound of her shouting, I ran out of the bathroom with no shirt on and my fly half-zipped to see what was the matter. "What's wrong?"

Buffy, who was on the floor next to the open closet, turned around and smiled. "Nothing. Look what I found! And they're my size!" She held up a pair of women's ice skates. Now I understood her excitement.

"There's a pond not far from here, and it's frozen over."

"I know! I remember seeing it yesterday."

As I went to my bag to grab a shirt, she rummaged around in the closet again. A few moments later, she pulled out another pair of ice skates. They were a man's pair. "Look! This is perfect!"

I shook my head. "They're probably not my size."

Buffy smiled. "Actually, they're *exactly* your size! What are the odds of that?"

I smiled back. "That's quite a coincidence."

"Wow, I haven't been ice skating in forever. The last time I went ice skating was…our botched date night. Remember?"

"I remember."

"Well, you owe me a second date."

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess I do."

I was sure the next hour would be spent with Buffy skating gracefully on the ice and me trying not to fall on my ass, but I couldn't wait.


A team has been assembled for the next mission to the Garden District. Conan knows the area better than anyone since it is his home district, so he will come. Roman, Grayer, and Hornsby will also accompany me. Once we get there, we'll take refuge in an abandoned barn the men are familiar with from their last journey. Their "safe house" as they call it. From there, we'll strategize our revenge.

The five of us trudge through the snow in a wooded area. On my feet are a new pair of boots, or rather, a gently-used pair. My old ones had become so worn that I was unable to wear them anymore. The old man who became very sick from the water poisoning gave them to me, claiming I needed them more than he did at the moment. Lucky for me we wear the same shoe size.

I think about that man as we continue on our way, hoping he gets better. At the same time, I keep blaming myself for letting the Invaders get one on us. The Astorians look up to me as if I'm some sort of hero that will save them all, but I don't deserve that title. I feel as if I keep failing them.

In addition to the piles of snow, we have fog to contend with. An advantage for us as it keeps us hidden, as well as a disadvantage because we can't see who might be lurking. The sky offers no help either as the clouds have kept the sun hidden for days.

"We should be getting there soon, right?" Grayer asks. He sounds impatient, but for once, I have to agree with him. I want to be there already too.

"Shortly," Conan says.

"What's that up ahead?" Roman asks.

I look to where he points. It looks like a light up ahead, and high up, but we can't make out anything in the fog.

"Perhaps they have installed flood lights," Hornsby suggests.

I shrug. "Possibly. We'll know once we get closer."

"Can't see anything in this damn fog," Grayer complains. "Hey, Conan, how come you didn't predict this happening?"

Conan shoots Grayer an angry look. "The fog came on suddenly."

Grayer rolls his eyes.

"Guys, can we focus here? I'm not in the mood for another argument."

"Sorry, Angel," Conan says.

"Listen, let's keep our voices down. We never know who might be waiting up ahead."

After a few minutes, the mysterious light comes into focus, along with a strange humming sound. I have a sinking feeling of what it is.

"It's an electric fence," Roman says as if reading my mind.

The fence is tall, and the light we saw from a distance is located at the top, indicating that the fence is on.

"This wasn't here before," Conan tells us.

"They're trying to keep us out," Roman says.

I smile. "I'd like to see them try."

The ground is too frozen for us to dig a hole underneath, and there are no trees nearby to aid us in climbing over to the other side. Therefore, our only option is to follow the fence and see where it leads. There has to be an opening somewhere.


A few miles later, we find the fence's opening. It's a large gate, and it's guarded…heavily. Apparently only a few select are allowed entry. Somehow, I don't think our presence will be welcomed.

"What's the plan, Angel?" Grayer asks.

"Yeah, how will we get past all of those guards?" Hornsby asks.

"Simple. I'm going to cause a commotion to distract them. While that's going on, you guys are going to slip in unnoticed."

"What about you?" Roman asks.

"Don't worry about me. Look, get in, and get to the safe house like we discussed. I'll catch up to you later."

"Will you be able to find it?" Conan asks, concerned.

"Just south of the river near the woods, right?"

Conan nods. "Yes. You'll need to cross the bridge to get to it. It's not far from the barn."

"I'll find it. Everybody clear on the plan?"

The men nod.

"Okay. Lay low until you get your chance. I'll see you soon."

Armed with my trusty axe, I brazenly march forward in full view of the guards. "Hey!" I shout. "You the bastards that thought it funny to poison our water?"

The two guards at the gate immediately descend upon me. They're both armed with fairly large swords, and once closer, they each take a swipe at me. I dodge their moves and swing the axe forward to clip one of them on the shoulder.

I hear more guards in the vicinity which distracts me for a split second, causing the other guard to nick me on the arm. I turn around and swing the axe at my opponent. The blade connects with his neck and comes back bloody. I then manage to knock the other guard down to the ground. He's down, but not out.

At this time, five to seven more guards are charging toward me. I'm starting to wonder if I made a mistake and bit off more than I can chew when I feel a sting to my neck. I think for a moment that one of the guards hit me with an arrow, but shrug off the pain and slam my axe down on another guard. He too falls to the ground.

Suddenly, the remaining guards swarm me. For some reason, I start to feel dizzy, and my vision blurs. Then the darkness envelopes me…


When I regain consciousness, I find myself on a cold cement floor behind bars. Evidently, I'm in jail. I rub my neck where I still feel a sting. Something knocked me out.

"Thought you'd never wake up," a voice to my right says. "Those tranquilizer darts are a bitch, aren't they?"

I turn to see an old man. His blue skin is faded and wrinkled, and he's completely hairless save for the white beard on his face. He sits in the opposite corner huddled underneath a threadbare blanket. It's chilly in this cell, but at least it's out of the elements.

"Nice to have some company finally," he says. "Though I'm sorry you're here. I'm Hans."

"Angel."

"What'd they get you for?"

I shrug. "Trespassing? Why are you here?"

Hans shrugs. "Oh, isn't it obvious? I'm old, and I'm feeble. I have a bad hip and my knees give out, and I can't take two steps without needing to rest and catch my breath. I'm no use to them. They can't make an old man a slave."

"They locked you up for being helpless?"

He nods. "I suppose they could have just killed me, but some sick, twisted Invader thought it would be better to starve me. Sometimes I wish for death. Then this would all be over with."

"Don't think that. This will be over with. I won't rest until this thing is over."

I start to move closer to the old man, but Hans holds his hands up to stop me.

"No, don't get too close," Hans warns before a coughing fit seizes him. When the old man can finally speak, he gives me a pitiful look.

"You're sick?"

Hans nods. "Very, and it's contagious. Please, keep your distance. I wouldn't want to be the one to get the great warrior sick, now would I?"

"You…know who I am?"

The man starts hacking again, then nods. "Of course. There's not too many humans here. Heard you and some others caused quite a ruckus in the Sea District."

"We killed several head Invaders, yes. Now maybe if we can find Cronus, we can start to end this thing."

"Oh, you won't find Cronus here in this district."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive."

"Where is he?"

He shrugs. "That, I don't know, but I know he's not here."

"How can you be so certain?"

"Because I hear things." He nods towards the bars. "I hear the guards talk. They don't care what they say in front of me. I'm just an old man who's going to die soon anyway."

"Hans, listen to me. You have to tell me what you know. It could be important."

"Sure, I'll tell you—" he stops mid-sentence to cough again, then gives me an apologetic look. "Sorry, I can't help it."

"That's okay. Go on with what you were saying."

"I'll tell you what I know. When Cronus comes for a visit, the guards are all in a tizzy because no one wants to be on his bad side. You get what I'm saying? Like a teenage child rushing to clean the house after a party before his parents walk in the door. That's how I know he isn't here."

"Tell me what else you've heard."

"Oh, different things, little snippets of conversations here and there. But none of it makes much sense."

"Just tell me. I'll make sense of it later."

"They keep talking about a compound, and something about fertilizing."

"Fertilizing? The crops?"

"Maybe, but it was odd the way they were talking about it. Didn't make much sense."

"Tell me what you heard."

Hans shrugs. "I don't remember exactly. I just remember it didn't make much sense at the time. They kept going on about the eggs. I guess they could have been referring to the hen houses. And if that's the case, then they sure do like to eat a lot of chicken."

"Go back to what you said earlier. You said something about a compound?"

"Yeah, some place they go back and forth to."

"Where?"

"I don't know. Could be anywhere. I haven't seen the outside of this cell in months. What's it like out there?"

I shake my head. "Not much better than it is in here."


I'm shivering when I wake up the next morning. Hans mentioned last night that the guards do provide prisoners with a ration of coffee, which I eagerly anticipate. I don't care if it's mostly water. Anything hot will do at the moment. Once I get the chill off, I can think of how to get us out of this hellhole.

"Hans?" I whisper to the old man.

He appears to be sleeping and doesn't answer.

"Hans?" I call a little louder.

The old man doesn't stir. I slept very little during the night, and not once did I hear the man's hacking cough.

"Hans?" I move closer to the old man, then gingerly give him a shake.

But Hans doesn't open his eyes. When I reach to feel for his pulse, I feel nothing.

"Damn," I mutter. Not only has an innocent man died, but I've lost my only inside source for information.


In an effort to keep warm, since the coffee doesn't appear to be forthcoming, I pace my cell and move around to get my blood circulating. As I do, I spot something just outside my cell. I hope it's what I think it is. I move closer to the bars and see that it is…my axe. One of the guards had hung it on the wall. How stupid of them, but fortunate for me. I'd be crushed if I had lost that weapon.

I think for a while, and a few minutes later, the beginnings of an escape plan come to mind. I move closer to the bars and grab hold. "GUARD! HEY! GUARD!"

After a few minutes of yelling and otherwise creating a ruckus, one of the younger guards slowly makes his way to my holding cell.

"What?" he barks.

"We have a problem. A big one."

The guard gives me a look, as if to say that I'd better have a good reason for disturbing him. "What?"

I nod over to Hans. "The man over there. He's dead."

"Then I suppose he's not causing any problems, now is he?" The guard starts to walk away.

"WAIT! He is causing a problem!"

The guard stops and turns to look at me, then he smiles. "If the smell of rotting flesh bothers you, then that's your problem."

"No, listen to me. That man was very sick. He had the fever."

"Too bad for him."

"Too bad for you, for all of us, if you keep him in here."

The guard seems intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you know how contagious the fever is? Look, you may think the fact that he's dead isn't a problem, but that's where you're wrong. If you leave this man to rot here, then everyone here will be at risk for catching his illness. It's airborne, you see. Leaving his corpse here will kill us all within a matter of days if he's not buried immediately. Trust me, I'm friends with a healer. I know a lot about the diseases in this world. Now you don't want to be responsible for an outbreak of the fever, now do you?"

The guard hesitates for a moment, then calls out for another one of the guards.

Seconds later, an older guard appears. "What is it?" he asks.

"Help me get this man out. He's died from the fever. If we don't get dispose of him, we risk all of us getting terribly ill."

"I'll get him," he replies. "You keep an eye on him." The guard points to me.

The younger guard nods as the older one begins to unlock the cell door. I stand back as the older guard comes inside and goes over to Hans.

"Be careful not to touch any bodily fluids," I warn him.

The guard barely glances at me, then hauls Hans over his shoulder. Meanwhile, the younger guard stands at the door with his sword at the ready.

My chance is now. While the guard is holding Hans, his hands are full. Perfect opportunity to attack. I grab the guard's head from behind and snap his neck. The guard, and poor Hans, both fall to the ground.

The younger guard looks alarmed, and I use his surprise to my advantage. He never saw my fist coming. I push him out the door, then make my way through. The guard charges forward with his sword, but I turn around and kick him back. Lucky for me, he stumbles back into the cell. I kick him again until he's down, then slam the cell door shut before he can stand up. The key is still in the lock, so I lock it and pocket the key.

"GUARDS!" he yells, but no one comes.

I casually take my axe off the wall and smile at him. "Now you know how it feels."


I make it out of the building without incident, but I know soon enough, I'll have them on my trail again. The footprints I leave in the snow will lead them straight to me, which I don't need or want right now. So in an effort to throw them off, I walk in circles and double back to make it harder for them to know which direction I'm going. Now, if only I knew what direction I was going…

I focus on trying to find the safe house. As a general rule, I'm pretty good with finding my way in unfamiliar areas, but the perpetual cloudy winter Astorian skies is making it extremely difficult. I don't even know where the sun is in relation to the sky, and without that, I have no idea if I'm going north or south. And of course, I don't have the compass with me. Roman has it, but we hadn't counted on us being separated. Sure could use it right about now.

As I trudge through the snow, I decide to focus on finding the river. I'm in a large wooded area on the outskirts of the district, so the river must be somewhere around here. If I can find the river, I can find my way to the safe house.

My plans, however, are derailed when I feel a raindrop hit me in the nose. I hope it stays to just a misty sprinkle, but a few minutes later, it's a steady downpour. It's not that I mind the rain, but out here in these temperatures, being wet and cold is a dangerous combination. I scramble for cover underneath a rock ledge that I'm fortunate to come across.

I'm going to have to wait it out.


I must have dozed off, because when I open my eyes, I'm surprised to see that it's gotten much darker. And not only that, but I'm shivering. But at least the rain has finally stopped.

The urge to stay here and rest longer is overwhelming, but I have to get moving. Despite the fact that I'm freezing cold and haven't had anything to eat in over twenty-four hours, I muster up the strength to start walking again.

The temperature has dropped, and the rain that has settled upon the snow has formed to ice. It crunches under my boot with every step. I'm sure the temperature will plummet even more tonight, making it crucial I find the safe house before then.

With a sigh, I keep on moving.


Sometime later, whether it was minutes or hours, I don't know, I finally stumble upon the river. All I need to do is follow it, and I will be able to find my way.

There's a problem though. I'm fairly certain that I need to be on the other side. There's a bridge to cross it somewhere, but I don't know if I've long since passed it, or if it's coming up. I think the bridge is further downstream, so I decide to follow the river. And finally, after a very long and cold journey, I spot the bridge. I'm relieved I went in the right direction. At least my instincts aren't completely dead.

I start to walk over the bridge, but my foot slips underneath. I grab the rail to keep from falling. I look down at the bridge under my feet. "Great. Iced-over."

I was never elegant on the ice, as Buffy can attest when we went ice-skating, but I manage to use the handrails for support. It doesn't help that the bridge is one of those rope-type ones. They're hard to cross on a good day.

Something doesn't seem right up ahead though. When I get closer to the other side, I realize what it is. Some of the boards that make up the bridge are missing. I can still cross, but it will be tricky. I can't help but wonder if it was deliberate, though I'm sure it's possible the weather could have been a factor too.

Gingerly, I step on one board, extend my leg as far as I can, then make it to the next board. So far, so good. The next step, however, looks a little harder. Once again, I grip the handrails and take a step forward. All seems good until I hear a cracking sound below me.

Suddenly, the boards collapse under my weight, and I feel myself falling. The icy water hits me like a thousand needles prickling my skin. The cold takes my breath away as I struggle to keep my head above water. It's hard to swim with the current taking me downstream, but I have to get out of here.

The current slams me against a rock, but I can hardly think about the pain in my shoulder. All I can think about is how damn cold I am. Using the rock as a step, I hoist myself up, then somehow muster the energy to climb ashore.

Once on the bank, I collapse in the snow.


Buffy was warming her hands by the fire when I came inside with firewood.

"God, I'm freezing!" Buffy said. "Feel my hands." Buffy snatched off her gloves and placed her hands on my cheek, almost making me jump.

"God, you're freezing!"

"I told you!"

"Maybe I should throw another log on." I set the firewood down and threw another one into the fire, making it roar to life.

"Maybe we should go back to bed," Buffy said as she gave me a look.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, it has a nice electric blanket, don't you think?" Buffy crossed the room and began stripping off her clothes.

I started to take off my clothes and joined her. "Oh yeah, it's pretty nice. But I don't think we'll need it."

"Oh?" Buffy, who was now down to her underwear, climbed under the covers and gave me a smile.

"No, we won't need it." I threw my shirt onto the floor and shoved my jeans down.

"I don't know…it's pretty cold in this bed."

"Not for long," I said as I slipped underneath the covers with her. "We'll generate our own heat."


When I open my eyes again, I'm sure I'm hallucinating. Buffy is standing over me.

"Buffy?"

Maybe it's not a hallucination. Maybe she's here for me. How is that possible?

"What are you doing?" she asks.

She sounds angry, and I'm confused at why. "What?"

"Get up! Why are you just sitting there? You're going to freeze to death!"

"I'm just resting...for a moment." My eyes start to close again. I can't help it.

"Angel, get up! You can't rest! You'll fall asleep and get hypothermia!"

I open my eyes. Buffy kneels down and gets in my face. "Angel, don't you get what I'm saying? You'll die out here!"

I close my eyes for a split second, and when I open them again, Buffy is gone. So I was hallucinating, but I'm glad for it. Buffy, hallucination or not, reminds me that I can't ever give up. If I die, I'm never going to see her again. I have to live so that I can see this through, end this war, and finally go home.

With a renewed strength, I get up to my feet and take slow, painful steps forward. My feet are numb, as well as my hands and nose, but I have to keep moving.


Up ahead, I think I see a barn, but my vision is blurry and my mind is fuzzy. I'm not shivering anymore, which is a really bad sign. But maybe, just maybe, if I can make it to that barn up ahead, then maybe I can get warm. I really hope it's the safe house.

The closer I get, the further the barn seems to me, and my strength is running out. A weakness I've never felt before overcomes me, and I collapse to the ground. I can no longer carry the weight of my own body.

The snow is cold on my cheek, but I don't have the energy to move. My eyelids are heavy, and I close them. I'm just going to rest for a moment. Just a moment, and then I'll get going again.


When I wake up, I'm covered in warm blankets, and Althea and Roman are hovering over me. They both looked relieved, and I know for the second time, I have been saved from the brink of death.

I glance around at my surroundings and realize that I'm back in the bunkers. In my bunker specifically. I don't even remember being rescued.

"You gave us quite the scare, Angel," Althea says.

"I'm sorry about that," I mumble. My voice is weak, hoarse.

"I'll go get you something hot to drink," Althea offers.

Roman moves his chair closer. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I almost froze to death."

"We found you just in time."

"What happened?"

"We waited at the safe house, but when it looked like you were not going to return to us, we decided to go look for you. We were fearful the Invaders were holding you captive."

"They were, but I got away."

"We found you not far from the safe house. You were almost there, but you were half-frozen to death."

"I fell in the river when crossing the bridge."

"We suspected. Your clothing was soaked. We immediately took you back to the safe house. We were afraid you would die of hypothermia. When we got you there, we took off your wet clothes and covered you with blankets near the fire. You slept the whole time, and we were quite worried. At that point, we decided to abandon the mission and go home."

"So how…how did I get here?"

"You don't remember?"

I shake my head weakly.

"We took a risk. Hornsby and Conan left the safe house and stole a couple of horses and a wagon. We loaded you up in it, covered you with blankets, and sat with you to keep you warm. Then we got out of there."

"But the bridge…"

"Yes, it was too dangerous to cross, but there's a sturdier bridge further downstream."

"But how did you get past the gate?"

Roman smiles. "We took out a few guards."

I smile back at him. "Good job."

Althea returns with a mug of something hot. Tea, coffee, I don't care what, just as long as it's hot. "Thank you." The mug's warmness feels nice again my hands, and I take a sip of the hot liquid.

"What happened out there?" Althea asks.

I tell Roman and Althea everything, about how I got captured, Hans, how I escaped, and finally, how I got myself into trouble.

"You're very lucky to be alive."

"So, what now, Angel?" Roman asks. "When you recuperate, should we head back to the district?"

I shake my head. "No, that would be a waste of time. I'm rethinking my strategy here." I look at Roman. "We need to find Cronus. And find this compound Hans mentioned. And maybe when we do, we can start to end this thing."


A/N: Thanks again for being so patient with me while I slowly get this story finished! :) The next chapter is already done, so I promise you won't have to wait another month for an update. After that, there are a few more chapters that need some revision, so we'll have to see about those.

I was going to make this another fighting/battle chapter, but decided that I really didn't want to do that again, so I changed things up. Angel can't win every battle, and in this case, the battle didn't even get off the ground. But there are some hints of things to come later in the story. Hope you like it.

Until 29!