A Dragon of the COG

by thehappy

Mira Erza and Natsu head out on their very first job as a team, but things go horribly wrong. Making Happy take a badly wounded Erza and Mira away from the battle, Natsu continues to fight on alone. This is a Gears/Fairy Tail crossover. This story contains action, fighting, swearing, gore sex and war. If this offends you you have been warned Natsux large harem

56. Azura

Hello everybody! I am back with another chapter for your greedy eyeholes! If your all caught up, then you should all know of what this chapter should entail! And hopefully, I'll be able to bring the finishing chapters back to Sera after this one, bringing the story to a close. Of course, I'll still have adventures through 'Traveling through the Multiverse" Ahh…really did write myself into a corner with that one haha.

Anyway…Still don't own anything!

Chapter 56: Azura

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A.E. 17. 28th of Bounty. The Zephyr

The hours and days after Hoffman, Delta, and the rest had learned of the Emulsion Counter Measure Weapon at Azura had been…surprisingly easy. No attacks at Anvil Gate by the savage locust or issues with supplies. No catastrophic emergencies that unfolded the following morning as they made their departure on their gas barge. Really, the only sign of the lambent had been towering stalks that had been already standing, their coloration a dismal gray of death and rot among the ruins of rubble strewn towns far below as their blimp made way to the port city of Poro, located on the far coast of Pesang.

Still…there were so many jutting out of the surface. Towering monoliths that spoke of time against them.

This is where they had met up with Trescu and The Zephyr, boarding his submarine among the broken quays and dilapidated harbor strewn with half sunken vessels and fishing trawlers.

The silence had been unnerving for the eight Gears, the once bustling port raft by the echoes of the dead and forgotten. Boarding the submarine, Sergeant Fenix and Dragneel quickly brought Trescu up to speed of this last gamble to end the lambent and save Sera.

Unfortunately, getting to the hidden island surrounded by an ever present hurricane would take a few days. That, and reuniting with the remaining Cog and UIR forces to ultimately take the island would require a clear path…so the first priority would be shutting off the Maelstrom Generator.

The plan was sound, Fenix and Dragneel going over any issues after they inserted on the island, but a journey of nearly a week in the submarine slipping through the ocean water had been…stressful. Especially after that Leviathan showed up to harass them on the second day.

The Gorasnayan's had sent it to the depths, two well placed torpedoes killing the menacing creature, but after that, the days seemed to blend together.

Ultear lay on the bunk cot, arms behind her head as the stink of machinery and unwashed bodies permeated the air. With legs crossed over one another, the raven haired time mage was for all intents and purposes…bored.

She found it oddly pleasant, not having to fight or worry about monsters wanting to rip her apart for the moment as she stared at the bunk above her head. The was a faded picture of a scantily clad woman straddling a torpedo, a left over from the Pendulum wars. If the model was still alive…she'd probably be popping out kids, a task for repopulation.

The submarine shuddered slightly, the changing of currents buffeting the hull as the turbines pushed harder.

Footsteps. Heavy and well placed approached, rising above the echoing voices of the naval crew. Ultear turned her head, seeing Dragneel approach, his attire already decked out in his Gear armor.

"Were moving under the hurricane right now. Get geared up. We'll be landing in fifteen minutes"

Ultear sighed, sitting upward as the pleasant boredom came to an end. Looking at the male, she could see the haunted look of his eyes.

"Natsu…will this work? Or are we just throwing our lives away?"

The man sat on the bunk opposite of Ultear, its old springs squeaking in protest and age. "It's the best chance we got to save this world. We win here, then we can hopefully return to Earthland and put an end to Myrrah once and for all"

His voice was tired…weary. Sick of fighting and war. Ultear knew that if it was up to Natsu, he would just spend days with his ladies…fishing in the tranquility of the forest near his home. But even if they won this whole thing, part of that dream was already gone.

Ultear wanted to tell him that he would see Erza, Mira, and Levy again…but the sheer infinite of the multiverse…

His loves could be…anywhere. Hell, with the differences in time rate and ages they could have died of old age already…or been killed on a world over run with dinosaurs. The sheer chances of seeing them again…infinitesimal.

The time mage leaned forward, putting her hand on the man's knee. "We'll win this, I promise" Trying to smile, Ultear watched as Natsu stood with a scowl. "Yeah…get ready. I'll let Grey and the rest know" He replied with an exhausted rumble of his voice.

Ultear watched him leave, her heart feeling morose. Sleeping with him that one rainy night after the news first broke of those three being alive had lifted his spirits for awhile, but he was falling into the slogs of…depression once more.

Moving to the footlocker at the foot of her bunk, Ultear started to dress with rapid efficiency. "I'll get you home my king, I promise…"

Ultear's eyes went wide moments after that, her fingers in the middle of working several clasps for the torso piece. "Hard to believe I was once asked to kill him…" A small mirthful smile adorned her lips, the memory of taking down Grimoire Heart growing strong…and Meredy. "I'll see you again too…"

Twenty Minutes later. Azura Island

Dragneel stepped onto the quay from the submarine, following Delta as the men and women looked upward in slight awe.

"Shit…they really did put an island inside a hurricane" Domonic muttered, his gaze traveling upward to the circular storm ravaging the outer waters of the hidden island. Lightning cracked, winds howled in the distance, creating a perfect eye of the storm in which the eight Gears and lone cat stood.

Cole whistled. "Damn baby! Think of the cash to keep this place going"

A shout from The Zephyr drew the soldier's attention.

"Remember! Get this Maelstrom shut off! The rest of the ships won't be able to get through this wall of wind or lightning otherwise!" Trescu shouted before retreating down the conning tower. It slammed shut with a resounding clang, followed by the vessel slowly easing below the waves as the storm roiled beyond.

"Let's go. And stay alert. We have no idea if we'll face grubs or lambent here" Fenix rumbled as they moved along the well maintained pier to the first building. Set upon a short staircase that led to an open yard covered by an awning, the building was squat and flat.

Climbing the flight of stairs, strewn crates of abandoned supplies lined the short journey…along with splatches of blood as they entered the loading platform. Luggage and papers were everywhere…along with torn apart bodies of the presumable scientists or technicians that had once lived here.

It stank…the flies feasting on rotting flesh.

A few Gears were among the dead…along with several locust drone corpses that splayed out toward the lone train sitting on the rails beyond.

"Shit. These guys didn't stand a chance" Dragneel muttered, his boot nudging a fallen drone. "Fucking Myrrah. What the hell is she thinking? Attack Azura but abandon Sera? Invade Earthland but leave drones in place? Is she fucking insane?"

"Train looks like it works, but the doors won't open" Sorano informed them all, her form standing before the short linkage of four train cars as the whole thing sat silent and dark.

Overhead intercoms crackled, supported by a nearby security camera that slowly turned toward the Gears. "Marcus? You received my message?"

"Dad?"

"And Dominic…it's good to see you both alive"

"Dad…Have yo—"

"We'll have to save the reunion for later Marcus. Sera is running out of time" The power to the train surged on, bathing the darkened platform in a fresh light…and illuminating the torn corpses. "The countermeasure weapon is at the top of Pinnacle Tower. Find me in th—"

A crash, followed by a series of gunshots echoed across the intercom along with monstrous grunts. "You need to hurry"

The sound went silent, coupling Fenix's darkened mood.

"Didn't like the sound of that" Grey muttered, risking a withering glance from the veteran Gear.

"No shit" Striding toward the train, the scowling male boarded quickly, an urgency felt by the remainder of the soldiers as the doors slid silently shut behind them.

"I'll get us moving" Natsu offered with a rasp, making his way to the front controls, passing the fine ornamentation and polished hardwood of the obvious luxury cars.

It didn't take long for the transport to move, sliding into a darkened tunnel as the Gears stood with flaring nerves and silence. Frankly, there just was no point in small talk or banter, not when Marcus's dad had been attacked just moments before.

Sorano had drifted toward the front car as the train rumbled along the tracks, standing near Cole and Dom when it happened.

The locust ambush was sprung the moment the engine car exited the tunnel, rockets burning through the air and slamming into the joining between cars. Metal screeched and twisted, a howl of sparks and blooming shrapnel that threw Dom, Cole and Sorano to the floor of the train as acrid smoke flowed.

The back half of the train slewed sideways off the rails into the tunnels exit, a torrent of machine gun fire tearing into the defunct secondary car. Another rocket flew in on trails of fire courtesy of the Brumak, striking the archway to bring down an explosion of mortar and stone upon the train …separating the eight Gears.

"SHIT! Marcus!" Dom yelled out as the howling air of passage whipped his hair and roiling concern crossed his eyes. The back half of the car was now gone, a victim of the locust as their own transports hopped the rails and quickly rolled. The Gears were thrown, tossed about before the aluminum cigar was finally halted against an impromptu barricade of debris against its roof.

Gunfire…machine gun rounds started ripping into the passenger windows, keeping the Gears down as they crouched and crawled across broken glass and strewn luggage. Taking cover below the window sill's, Sorano was the first to return fire at the grubs. There were nearly a dozen, spread out among a railway siding and extra construction supplies as their larger cousin prepared another barrage of rocket fire. But damn…they were really fucking close.

"BRUMAK! Natsu! Deal with it!" the woman screamed out, her words mixed with outgoing rifle fire as Cole and Dom took station to deal with the incoming carnage. She managed to shoot one, the grub moving forward in a low sprint as two bullets splintered its head in an explosion of gore. Ducking back down, Dom targeted a duo hiding behind old railway trestles, the bullets and tracers lighting up the air as both groups fought for supremacy.

"I'm on it! Happy! Stay down!" Natsu bellowed, moving in a roadie run to the mangled rear of the train car. Bullets screamed above his head, another fusillade from the living artillery piece as his tiny companion kept hidden.

"Hehe. Frag out baby!" Cole teased, his sportsman's arm easily tossing a grenade into a small siding shed an unfortunate locust was using. It blew, an explosion of gore billowing outward as the large male retook cover.

Machine gun rounds screamed in from the gargantuan monster, its roar a vile shudder as the four tried to make themselves as small as possible under the onslaught. Bullets sparked and careened off of surfaces, shattering any remaining glass as the Brumak pilot took another step forward, closing to barely twenty feet.

Roiling fire bloomed in Natsu's free hand, his eyes a dark glare of violence before throwing the burning orb at the monster under the cover of his fellow Gears who kept up a heavy pressure. Bullets spat…tracers shrieked as the orb flew into the beasts open mouth…to explode in a fire-laden burst. Flesh cooked and burned, the head exploding into a horrid chunk of charred bone and flesh. Falling forward in death, the Brumak collapsed on the torn rear of the upside-down car, blocking entrance or escape.

"Four left!" Dom reported, his fingers deftly reloading a fresh magazine as incoming rounds hammered into his cover.

"Yeah. I can fucking count, Dom" Dragneel groused back. Popping out of cover, the man flinched as a round nicked his salmon hair, causing him to immediately drop down to blind fire. Bullets arched across the siding, etching across air, giving the older Gear and Sorano an opportunity to lay down fresh barrages against the grubs.

"Got one!" Sorano cheered out, shifting her aim toward the huddled trio behind the stack of spare trestles. One popped out…and immediately regretted the motion as its head blew like a ripe melon. Leaving two drones, the monsters knew retreat was impossible…so they did the best they could as they came out of cover one last time to kill the humans.

They failed. Rounds ripped into their gray flesh, spilling blood under the storming sky of the maelstrom as the ambushing team found defeat.

"Shit…Shit! Marcus!" Dom worried in a split moment after the firefight ended. Mounting over the low sill of the tipped train car, he stood among the freshly killed to look at the destroyed tunnel. It had been completely collapsed, etches of smoke and smoldering flame rising from the destruction.

"Marcus! Marcus! Come on, answer me man" Dominic urged in worry, his fingers pressed to the earbud as he called his friend a few more times.

A crackling of noise…coughing, and a few errant gunshots. "We're alive. But fuck, we won't be going that way…"

"You want us to find a way to link up with you? I'm sure Ultear can fix all that shit" Dragneel asked, his rumble of tone all business despite the recent firefight.

"No. Find a way to shut off the Maelstrom to bring reinforcements. I'll head to the tower with the others, try to find my dad and end this madness once and for all"

"Alright. Good luck"

"You should know by now I make my own fucking luck" Fenix likely joked before the radio went silent.

"Well damn, that could've gone better" Sorano muttered as she studied the nearby area on their intended path. Cradling her lancer, the outcroppings of rock formations were barren of life, only illuminated by the lightning flashes above and the twin bands of steel track. She could see the roiling surf and ocean in the distance, whitecaps crashing against a ragged shoreline half a mile away near some smaller storage buildings that looked half burnt.

A medium sized structure lay three hundred yards away, off the beaten path of a service road as more bolts of lightning and howling winds momentarily lit up the structure beyond the freshly killed…and movement. Locust movement heading their way.

"Yeah. Looks like more assholes trying to invite themselves to our party" Natsu sneered, annoyance and anger pushing down his worry for the others as he briefly looked back to the flames burning the end of the tunnel. At least the others were alright, but the locust being here would complicate things. Walking forward, he stepped on the head of a dead drone, crushing it beneath with little care while Happy flew low to the ground.

The first gunshots snapped past Dom and Sorano, cracking the air as locust forces moved to kill the humans from reaching the squat industrial structure. The Gears took cover with practiced ease behind some concrete barricades, the corpses of three Gears huddled behind the flimsy defensive line across the road. A twisted wreck of a packhorse was on its side nearby, no doubt remnants from the initial invasion of the island as a fourth corpse was frozen in death halfway out of the charred mess.

'Grriiinddd"

It was a familiar tone of hatred for Natsu, twin overlapping fields of machine gun fire spitting lead and death across the service road from the larger beasts as they marched forward past a few more abandoned vehicles. They grunted and laughed, heavy helmets hiding their monstrous features as brass tinkled and fell onto the concrete. Supported by nearly three dozen additional combat drones, the grubs surged forward under a wall of deathly harsh gunfire.

"SHIT! This is no way to play the game!" Cole bellowed as the machine gun rounds spat and zipped over his head. Blind firing, the large man was sure to hit something with how many of the enemy were coming toward them.

Sorano tried to raise her head, but the incoming fire was too intense for her health. Three bullets cracked into her cover, spitting shards of concrete into her silver hair. Hissing from the dreadful knowledge of how deadly that could have been, she simply grasped a grenade and tossed it over the lip as more rounds howled and snapped above her head.

A burst and locust screams were barely heard as the lone female blindfired, hoping to at least kill a few more.

"Fucking assholes…We don't have time for your shit" Dragneel cursed, his left hand forming a fresh ball of searing fire. More bullets screamed above, adding to the carnage of noise and battle. Flinging the roiling orb like a beachball, it landed among the closest knot of drones that had moved horrifyingly close to the Gears.

Another three seconds and the four would've been overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Fortunately, that burning orb of flame burst among the closest six, torching them into howling matchsticks of flesh and skin that gave the nearby grubs a pause.

The Grinders stopped firing, halting their forward walk as they began to reload in midfield. They were never the sharpest tools in the shed.

"HIT EM AGAIN, DRAGNEEL!" Dom screamed out, popping up for a brief moment as he, Cole and Sorano sprayed down a fusillade of rifle fire. Two more grubs were killed, bodies riddled with damage as most managed to find cover behind service vehicles, barrels, or other abandoned equipment.

"No shit" Natsu replied angrily, his hand roiling with another blast of fire before Dom even shouted. Lobbing the second orb under the gaze of crisscrossing tracers and the errant bursts of grenades that failed to land correctly, the man made sure to increase the destructive power of his magic.

It landed among the Grinders, a burst of searing flames that washed over nearly all the remaining locust in a wave of death as skin became alight with fire. The monsters howled and screamed, many fully engulfed in the fresh hell of burning alive as their skin charred and melted.

Dominic was not inclined to wait. Rising up, he was greeted to a roadway of fire and charred flesh among writhing bodies. Shooting the closest drone that had half its face burned away, he ended it a lone bullet through the head.

"Kill them. We don't have time to waste on watching them die slowly" Natsu ordered darkly, his lancer cracking twice to kill the thrashing Grinder before it lay still. The Gears killed the wounded without remorse, snapping reports ending the dying as the human's broke cover and moved into the charnel house of charred stenches.

Crushing the smoldering skull of a downed drone, Sorano tried to wipe the excess from her boot as Dragneel stopped nearby and peered down the remaining service road to the industrial structure.

"Don't see anymore. But they really didn't want us going near that building" The man shrugged, his nostrils picking up the vile scent of roasted pork. "Or they were just trying to kill us because we walked into the neighborhood" Standing up, the man started to lead the way once more as the Gears spread out across the roadway.

The remaining hundred or so yards were uneventful, bringing the squad to an open doorway of the structure. Peering inside, the vile sight of ripped apart workers clogged the accessway.

"Shit. That is a nasty way to go" Cole commented, eyeing the rampant entrails of the dead as flies feasted to their hearts content.

"Yeah…just try not to breathe it in" Natsu said simply as he moved first, his boots squelching viscera as he kept his lancer pointed downrange toward the fork in the path.

Sorano followed, trying not to step in dead human as the passageway stretched ahead to her front. Dried blood caked the walls, adding to more of the hell. She should be used to it. But the smell…

She wanted to gag as maggots crawled out a dead man's mouth.

"Natsu baby. You don't think this Mael…whatever is in here right? Damn thing could be anywhere on this damn island"

Dragneel paused at the intersection, aiming his lancer to the right…and downward.

"Up here? No. But…something that can create an actual hurricane has to be big right? Probably something underground…" Stepping onto the first metallic step, Dragneel descended the stairs, the pathway illuminated by electric orange lights as Happy floated nearby and to his rear.

"Kids got a point" Dom shrugged, following rapidly as Cole shook his head.

"Man…I hate going underground" Taking up the rear, the Gears descended with caution. Scratch marks…bullet furrows along with the occasional dead worker and splashes of blood greeted the group, keeping them on edge.

The first sub-level rapidly approached, a closed door set into the right wall of the approaching landing…and guarded by half a dozen wretches. The first two turned, their claws clicking against the steel meshing of the platform as the other four fed on the unlucky corpse of a technician with sickly gusto.

"SHHRIIE—"

Natsu and Sorano didn't give them a chance to finish that horrid wail, cutting them down with accurate gunfire and sprays of lead, killing the monsters with little fanfare.

"Shit. Bet the grubs heard that" Dom muttered as he tried the door. Finding it locked, he kicked it a few times, ruining the lock…and finding what could only be described as a break room. A dead end and empty as the squad moved onward down the steps.

Grunts…stomping feet came from the bottom of the stairwell had the Gears moving, rushing to find a defensible position before the locust could do the same.

They met somewhere in the middle, Dragneel and the lead drone rounding the stairwell corner at the same time…then promptly revved up their lancers.

"Groundwalker…" the grub hissed, the stink of rotting breath mixing with the sparks of screaming teeth during the harsh duel.

"Die!" Natsu yelled, his muscles pushing the weapon forward, overwhelming the drone as the lancer tore into the collarbone. Squinting his gaze, blood and gore soon flowed in a spray of violence as the drone died in a vile scream.

A second appeared, the hammerburst in its gnarled hands already pointing toward Natsu as it squeezed the trigger. Natsu yelled in pain, his armor chest-plate taking the bullet blows as his body staggered and reeled backward against the wall.

"Awe hell naw! You ugly ass bastards did not just shoot the kid!" Cole raged, his lancer spitting a short burst into the chest of his enemy. Gray flesh was ripped, the monster falling to the steel flooring before Augustus grasped the drone and propped him up with a chokehold.

Using the fresh meatshield, Cole broke around the corner with Dom's support as three more grubs fired from the bottom of the next staircase. Bullets smacked into the grub's flesh, vibrating the corpse as Cole fired his snub at the closest monster.

"FRAG OUT!" Dom shouted in warning, throwing the grenade downward before he resumed to fire. The small explosive burst, taking out two of the drones in a fury of shrapnel and gore. The last had been flayed, its legs riddled with damage as it howled and tried to crawl away.

Cole shot it five times in the back, ending its life before dropping the bullet riddled meatshield like a rotting sack of potatoes.

Silence reigned, only interrupted by Sorano helping Dragneel to stand.

"Ugh…that fucking sucked…" Dragneel groaned out, his palm pressing against the dreadful impact sight…right in the middle of the Gear symbol of his armor. Cracked with tiny fissures, the man coughed and wheezed.

"Are you alright, Natsu?" Happy asked, his tone worried as the man picked up his fallen lancer.

"Ugh…yeah buddy. That fucking sonofabitch…"

"Heh…You totally owe me for saving your ass" Cole grinned, his smile almost infectious.

"I doubt that, you smug bastard" Natsu groaned out once more. Striding to the front, he craned his ears to listen for any more of the locust…a mistake that could've been far worse. Kicking away the dead body, he descended the stairs, speckles of fresh locust blood still flecked against his armor as the Gears moved on for several more minutes without incident.

"You feel that, Natsu?" Sorano asked, the air almost…vibrating upon reaching the last subterranean level below the ground. A double door of steel sat before them, closed and heavy as a dead Gear was propped against the corner wall, his head gone.

Dom ignored the fallen. Judging by the other bodies, it's been days since this place was taken by the locust. Plus, what possible action could he do or say for a stranger? Placing a hand upon the doors, he could feel the vibration increase. "Damn. If that's the Maelstrom Generator on the other side, we fucking lucked out on the first try"

"It's because you have a woman with you. We're good luck" Sorano stated with a slight impishness.

"I doubt that. After all, I just got shot" Dragneel butted in, passing the now scowling female and her annoyance. A statement that gained small chuckles.

Moving toward the closed door, the man grimaced as he pressed against the push bar to unlatch the doorway.

It didn't budge, locked from the other side.

Dragneel scowled, stepping back. "Happy. Rip this door"

"Aye!" Flying forward, the exceed once again wielded his cutting torch pack. Pushing his small goggles down, sparks soon began to fly among the torching of metal.

Dom glanced toward the left hand wall, his gaze centering on an air duct set near the ceiling alcove of the stairwell. Grunts and scratching were getting closer, the scrambling of claws on galvanized aluminum.

"Wretches!" Santiago bellowed, an arc of gunfire leaving his lancer into the darkened air passage as the first galloping monster tumbled out. Screams…furious screams came from the vent and the stairwell, a scrambling of tiny feet and hunger.

"Hold them back!" Sorano screamed out as over a dozen came galloping around the stairway landing beyond. Gunfire mixed in with Dom's and Coles, a carnage of bullets and ear-splitting screams that threatened to burst her eardrums. Killing the lead three in a spray of lead, more came on as Natsu stood to her right flank, supporting her defense as Happy kept ripping the door nearby.

Two of them leapt at Augustus, their swipes clawing furrows across his chestplate as Dom shot down a third.

"Illegal plays you little fuckers!" the large man bellowed as he shot one in the face, the body tumbling past. Immediately revving up his lancer, the blades sunk into the second, eliciting a scream of death and blood. Leaving the viscous pieces where they lay, Cole fired at the vent, killing another of the vile beasts.

Dragneel kicked one away…then stomped its head as more replaced the fallen, their claws climbing over torn wretch corpses.

"RELOADING!" Sorano yelled out, stepping back to drop an empty mag and slap a fresh one into place.

Natsu shot three more, gore and limbs riddled with fresh wounds…but still the wretches came on in a wave of numbers. He briefly thought where they had all been hiding…but pushed that thought aside for the moment. Glancing at Cole and Dom, they were pouring a hail of lead into the air duct, but some of the wretch horde still made it through the onslaught of bullets.

Frankly…he had enough of this shit. The salvation of Sera was at hand…ending the locust and lambent for this world…and he was fighting wretches?

Bullshit.

Natsu breathed in deep, his bruised chest flaring with battered skin and muscle. Just because his armor saved his life didn't mean it didn't hurt…It fucking hurt. A lot. But there was no way he would let any of his friends die this close to the finish line…especially from these little bastards.

Gunfire…falling brass and revving lancer saws mixed with howls of fury…he pushed it down for a second…and breathed outward. Raging flame and heat tore up the stairs, a wave of fire that scorched the horde into a screaming pile of inhuman matchsticks. Bodies withered and stank, scorched flesh sizzling and popping as the wall of fire raced upward to claim more of the galloping beasts.

Their numbers were decimated. Blowing through the top floor of the industrial factory, the waiting scourge was consumed in flame, leaving nothing but charred flesh in its wake.

Dom shot the last wretch, the vile monster writhing and screaming one last gasp before laying still. Bodies lay everywhere. Shot and sawed in half…ravaged by gunfire among spent brass as the horrid stink of charred skin rose.

"Damn! Now that is one mean barbeque!"

Dragneel smirked lightly, his facial scar pulling upward. "Only missing some beer and cheese. Happy? How's the door?" he asked a moment later, his grin falling back to business while Cole guffawed.

"Uhhh…DONE!" shutting off the torch, Happy flew back as Sorano kicked the door open, fresh spots of gore against her armor as well.

The vibrations of the air increased by half, charging their hair and skin with static as the Gears stepped into the cavernous room. The layout was circular, easily encompassing a thrashball field among two different levels of catwalks. Walking toward the edge of the nearest railing, the squad looked downward at the source of the vibrations.

Two generators were turning, each the size of a ten story building as they spun and spun with uninterrupted efficiency. The bottom of the hole couldn't be seen because of the lighting, but all knew it was pretty far down.

"Holy shit…How did the COG build all this in secret?" Dom asked in wonderment.

"Probably before E-day. Who knows when they actually built this place? Could be decades ago during the Pendulum Wars" Dragneel suggested. He took another look around, his movements mirrored by the others. The last thing they needed was a surprise ambush. But…there was nothing. At least…nothing threatening to shoot or maim them.

"How are they keeping it powered? Those generators are gigantic" Sorano asked, her voice an awed whisper.

"Geothermal? Maybe Tidal forces? After all, we are on an island" Dominic supported with a shrug.

"It doesn't matter. Let's find a way to shut it down" Natsu ordered, his body already moving toward the nearest metal staircase on the left. "Dom? Take Sorano and try to shut down the right hand generator"

"You got it"

The squad separated, moving to opposite ends of the room as static electricity thrummed the air. The spinning grew more intense as Natsu and Cole approached the left-hand generator. Or more specifically, the control console.

A dead technician was propped up against the console, a snub pistol clutched in a swelling hand while an empty water bottle lay nearby, its contents gone.

"Locked inside…no supplies…poor bastard" Dragneel commented, his face a frown before moving up to the console. It was split in two, the screens and data still feeding reports as a central power switch hung in the middle. It was large, almost three feet wide and supported by a horizontal pull bar. A secondary squeeze lock was half an inch above, intended to be pressed downward to actually move the lever. Stuck in the upward position, it was highly doubtful a single person could pull this.

"Man, this is some sci-fi shit right here. I got nothing?" Cole shrugged as he studied the controls.

"Ignore all that. We just need to pull that down" Natsu pointed. Grasping the lever and squeezing down, he was joined by Cole.

"On three….THREE!"

Both men pulled, pushing down as their muscles swelled and worked among grunts and gasps of effort.

"DAMN! That is one tough grip!" Cole groused over the slow descent of the lever.

"Just keep pulling!" Natsu yelled, his chest burning from growing bruises.

'CLANG!'

The lever fell into place with a harsh snap of motion, almost knocking Natsu and Cole off their feet. Almost immediately, the sensation of underlaying power ceased, creating a sense of a dead room.

"WOW! You did it! Good thing I helped!" Happy stated, his stance proud.

"Sure buddy. We couldn't have done it without ya" Natsu agreed before casting his glance at the spinning generator. It was slowing…but centrifugal forces would keep it going for a bit.

The other generator was powered down half a minute later, prompting the reuniting of the squad. Approaching, Sorano rolled her arm, no doubt worn from that damn lever.

"Mission accomplished. Now what?"

"Now we meet up with reinforcements. I doubt what we fought so far is the extent of the locust forces" Dragneel said with a weary tone.

The ground shook…vibrating from nearby. Something screamed outside…the sound carrying from topside as the floor shook once more, raining down dust.

"Above ground! Hurry!" Dragneel shouted in command, his feet already carrying him to the doorway and staircase beyond. He was almost thrown to the steps halfway up, another tremor even closer stumbling their ascent.

Reaching the first hallway covered with the corpses of the fallen, the four humans and cat slowly exited the structure…and gazed up with a sense of weary disappointment and tired annoyance.

The Maelstrom was clearing already…the clouds starting to pull apart as the lightning halted. But that isn't what drew their attention. No…it was the trio of lambent stalks that had punched up through the soil, halfway between the collapsed train tunnel and their position. Roiling with lambency…multiple bulbs pulsated with un-natural life, ready to disgorge monsters upon Azura.

"Never is easy…is it?" Natsu asked, not expecting an answer as the first distant pustules burst, disgorging lambent drones to join the war. Taking a deep breath, the slayer prepared for a fresh fight as the first bullets cracked the air around him and the others…

C.N.V. Sovereign

Anya Stroud had mustered all the available forces she could. Tyran…Gorasnayan…the waters around Azura bobbed with essentially the remaining naval forces of this world. Yes…Bastion was still out there in some distant universe…the last ditch effort to prevent their extinction, but this was it. They were within arms reach of ending the war on Sera…once and for all.

The defacto leader of the remnants of the Cog watched as the fleet moved…the first ravens lifting off from the deck as the Maelstrom around the island cleared. It was a massive undertaking…but in years past, it would have been pathetic. The old nations of Sera would've laughed at the state of their ships…the rust…the sheer…disrepair of the cobbled fleet.

Communications warbled, a naval technician hunched over despite the several months of pregnancy showing. Spinning, the brunette woman held the earpiece tight. "Ma'am. I'm receiving a report from Sergeant Dragneel. He's warning of locust and lambent on the island"

Anya expected it. After all, Prescott wouldn't have risked the trip if things were going well. A journey that cost his life. Steeling her gaze as the vessels surged closer to Azura, the woman clasped her hands behind her back. "Spread the word to all Ravens and amphibious assault vehicles. Have all ships target any concentrations with close support fire"

Anya watched as the last King Raven's lifted off...taking more Gears into the jaws of war, her mind already praying for Marcus and…all of them to live…to win.

Civilian Pathway no. four. Approaching Pinnacle Square.

Ultear stayed low as the explosion wracked the cover she was behind, blowing away shards of concrete and brickwork. Gunfire screamed, a constant roar of battle that reached a fresh crescendo from another near miss of artillery bombardment.

A trio of Siegebeast's had the route zeroed in, the locust batteries holding the high ground plateau that rested below a nearby hydroelectric dam. Three hundred yards away and upward of a hundred feet, it was the perfect position to rain down death and destruction on any movement along the roadway.

Not to mention the Seeder providing anti-air support, the nemacysts inking the nearby sky in a bid to keep Raven's and human air power at bay. Frankly, calling for air support would've been too easy after the hellish journey from the train tunnel.

Of course, that was the least of their problems as lambent surged forward along the battered and cratered road. A rabble of grotesque and twisted bodies…glowing with infection as the air lit up with snapping munitions.

"Shit! Is it too late to take the other path!?" Baird screamed out over the din, his upper body surging above cover to send a well placed burst against the glowies. He dropped down, a patter of hammerburst cracking the air above his googles by centimeters. Ultear and Grey returned fire, adding to the screaming terror of combat, killing another of the lambent.

"You're the one that suggested this route, Baird!" Ultear yelled back, her fingers deftly reloading a fresh magazine. Crouched among spent brass, the woman flinched from the harsh crack of rounds far too close.

Marcus looked up, a trio of Ravens heading…East? Or North? More Gears were swarming the island, making the battles haphazard and isolated as the forces of humanity pushed against the nightmare to end this war.

A staggering trio of bombardment landed ten yards from their position, ripping apart more of the lambent…but they were replaced by more coming from the cracked earth further ahead, the road covered in roiling Emulsion that bubbled like a cauldron. Two more of the vile mutations climbed out, their skin almost aglow with the parasite.

Marcus popped up, firing a short burst, then ducked down as the closest lambent burst apart in a spray of gore and flesh. "Ultear! Fullbuster! Any ideas!?"

"Yeah! But it's gonna get cold!" the ice mage shouted out. Blindfiring, the man felled another vile lambent, the beast bursting like an orange. One of the horrors was winged…pushing mutations as the monster grew tall, its arms extending into flailing limbs. Still gripping its hammerburst, the gunfire was sporadic as another staggering trio of landing artillery shook the pavement. Five lambent died, but the numbers didn't seem to end as another three climbed from the Emulsion fissure beyond.

"Just stop wasting fucking time and freeze them!" Marcus commanded with a graveling roar of his voice. Returning fire against the flailing arms, the old Sergeant was praying that his long lost father was still alive.

Fullbuster clenched down on a retort, his form moving to the nearby edge of their cover. A simple garden with a few benches, it had obviously been in a better state among the once tranquil sightseeing pathway. Pressing his hand to the brickwork of the path, the male pushed out his ice magic in a surge.

A bullet cracked, careening half an inch beyond his middle finger as he instinctively pulled back.

"Fuck…" Pressing down once more as his fellow Gears laid down a heavy fire, the ice surged outward…dropping the air temperature to below freezing. He didn't bother calling out the spell's name. Frankly, it was a waste of time and effort anyway as the crawling ice surged along the pathway. It crawled…racing up lambent bodies as their form's began to freeze in mid movement.

Locust artillery almost helped at that point, landing among frozen knots of monsters that burst into frozen chunks of gore-ice.

"Shatter those lambent!" Fenix bellowed, targeting the now frozen visage of the arms along with Ultear and Baird. With the floor of ice flowing over the bubbling Emulsion, reinforcements were halted…at least for the moment as bullets screamed and broke through frozen flesh.

"Ahhh, Finally!" Ultear stated as she stood up without the fear of becoming a riddled pincushion. Spreading her hands outward, she targeted the dam behind the Seeder and trio of artillery pieces that had halted their advance.

Time advanced…by years for the structure as cracks began to form along its face, holding back the artificial lake. The concrete weathered…weakened as the first flows of water pushed through…then spread.

The flow of water became a torrent, washing downward in a flood that carried away the Seeder and Seigebeast's in an onslaught of weight and pressure. It flowed along the old canyon of erosion, already rising horrifyingly fast along the banks nearby.

"I hope you plan of fixing that, cause I don't feel like swimming" Marcus groused, eyeing the sloshing liquid rapidly rising and threatening their route of advancement.

"I… know!" Ultear grunted, her face become flush as she began to reverse time on the broken dam. Beads of sweat dripped despite the hanging frost of Grey's ice, her breath billowing as she moved the first blocks of concrete back into place.

The dam became whole a minute later, ending the nearly bursting floodwaters as it became like new…minus the locust forces. Taking a knee, the woman breathed a harsh gasp. Pushing back a literal river of water and rebuilding a hydroelectric dam was… not easy.

"Fullbuster. Deal with that E-hole. I don't want any surprises" Fenix ordered as he kept station near Ultear, giving her a chance to catch a breather.

A decrease of temperatures…more ice flowing downward marked the sealing of the ground.

"Pinnacle Square is up ahead. You good stopwatch?"

"Ugh…don't give me a stupid nickname. Let's just get into that damn hotel and end this" Ultear groused in annoyance. Re-arming with her Lancer, the woman strode forward, following Fenix as they advanced along the cratered walking path. Leaving the sound of rushing water behind and ascending a short, angled staircase, it was really only three minutes of walking.

Distant rumbles of bombardment crashed among the island…numerous reports of gunbattle's raged with the mixture of human screams and monstrous howls of carnage, creating a somber mood. Gears were fighting…giving them a chance to reach Pinnacle Tower as they drew locust and lambent attention away from the object of their mission.

It still wasn't enough to draw all of them away. The plaza was swarming with grubs, their mission to protect the tower over-riding the fact their queen abandoned them all. Laid out in a rectangular square, two reinforced machine gun nest bracketed the approaches to the hotel itself, covering the open plaza as several dozen drones with boomer and grinder support took up positions.

They noticed the human's almost immediately.

Machine gun rounds screamed, tracers splitting the air as the four Gears scrambled to the closest wall. One struck Ultear, smashing against her armor as the woman gasped and cried in pain. Doubled over, she barely made it to the half wall of a square garden plot.

"Ultear! You hit!?" Fullbuster screamed out over the howl of renewed combat. Rising up, he barely managed a three round burst before dropping down. Renewed tracers snapped above his head, many more digging into the brickwork of this large plaza garden.

Ultear breathed, a harsh burn of agony as Grey started to pat down her body, looking for the wound.

"Ungh…stop. I'm…I'm alright" the time mage replied as she felt the impact site along her lower right abdominals. The bullet was still embedded in her armor, sticking out like a reminder of the grim reaper. Pulling it free, Ultear couldn't help but feel a shiver as her breathing hitched.

"Another few millimeters and my guts would've been all over the place…"

The thought terrified her.

An explosion brought her mind roaring back from the horrid thought, burning pieces of shrapnel flinging themselves against their cover. Ultear blindfired, her abdominals screaming like she had been kicked by a horse. Bullets spat and pinged, mixing with the tinkling of falling brass as she started to reload. Damon took the right edge of the garden plot, flinging out a frag at two drones getting far too close for comfort.

The drones howled as the small bomb burst, flaying their bodies with shearing metal shards. The nearest Troika nest burned through another burst of heavy lead, the tracers flying over the dead drones as more of the locust came onward to kill them all.

"We got boomers! Fullbuster! Ice em!" Fenix bellowed in command as two bombs burst against the far side of the plaza garden. Swinging around the left wall, he fired at the closest hulking form, putting ten rounds into its head that become a representation of ruined squash. Pulling back, Fenix scowled as bullets furrowed the sidewalk nearby.

"I have a better idea!" the mage screamed out over the sheer noise of battle. Two more grenades burst against their cover, mixing with terrible machine gun and hammerburst fire that was so thick he probably could have walked on it.

Slamming both his hands against the brick-lain sidewalk, Fullbuster flinched as another boomer bomb landed near Marcus, the burning shards pattering like vile rain. Monstrous howls of hatred mixed with the heavy exchange as the other three fired, Ultear notably strained as she shot at one of the boomers.

"ICE MAKE: FORTRESS!"

The temperature dropped below freezing, the air taking on a harsh snap as breath billowed from the other humans in rapid clouds.

The wall of ice rose with rapidity, almost crackling with fresh freezing as the locust were cut off from assaulting the four humans. Rising in a complete circle around them, they could still hear the chipping of bullets and bombs bursting against the thick walls of fresh ice.

Fullbuster moved, rushing toward the artificial staircase he had just created. Running circularly around the inner cylinder, it rose to the parapet.

"Nice. I always wanted a castle. Let's people know how much better I am than they are" Baird snarked.

"You would think that…" Fenix muttered as he reached the top. Crouching down, this wasn't the exact thing he had in mind…but at least they had the high ground now. A fact that the Troika nests couldn't deal with. Simply put, they were fixed for horizontal fire and slight elevation work.

Didn't stop them from opening fire on the thick walls of ice as bullets howled in a wave of lead, chipping away at the frozen water.

"Ultear. Do something about those nests. They're bugging the shit outta me. Fullbuster, keep up the magic attacks" Fenix said with a growl. Flinching as a boomshot grenade burst against the parapet, the older male quickly returned fire on the culprit. Bullets tore into the giant's face, shattering the teeth and puncturing an eye before Fenix dropped back into cover. Angled gunfire raced upward, the drones giving an outpouring of lead. Baird dropped two more drones, killing them as they sought cover behind a nearby tree plot.

Lances of ice formed, followed by a grunt of effort from Grey as he sent them full force into more drones, giving them a free impression of life-sized pincushions. Still, the monsters fought, trying to lay waste to this strange, ice fortress that appeared in their midst.

A dip in the incoming gunfire had Ultear peer above cover, her gaze steady on the Troika nests. Her abdominals still howled with pain. Hell, it hurt even worse now as she took a deep breath to steady her nerves.

A hammerburst round shattered the ice near her head, but was quickly silenced by Fenix as the responsible drone was mowed down with gunfire.

She unconsciously flinched, ducking down from the close call, but rose her head once more as more of the drones died under the turning of fate and battle. Extending an arm, she pushed her magic forward…and sped up time for the unspent ammunition sitting in crates among both nests.

"TAKE COVER!" Milkovich shouted over the carnage, dropping down as more locust lead tried to home in on her life. Thankfully, the others heard her plea as her time magic went into full effect moments later.

It was a carnage of munitions, hundreds of rounds seemingly fired without warning as they tore through the nearby locust with horrifying ease. Exploding outward in a cone of destruction, many of these magically activated heavy caliber munitions tore through the exposed backs of many remaining locust among the plaza.

Not through Ultear's efforts though. No…just the sheer amount being fired off at once was enough to flood the air with death. Monsters screamed and howled, their bodies tearing apart as limbs, legs, and chest cavities were torn open by high speed passages as random tracers flung in all directions.

It was a stroke of luck for the Gears, and they wouldn't waste the opportunity. Only one grinder and three drones survived the onslaught, and Delta quickly dispatched them with lancer fire, leaving the plaza in harsh silence.

Only the distant sounds of battle punctuated the air, a harsh reminder that the four needed to find Adam Fenix.

Grey quickly formed some new stairs on the outside, the mage leading the way downward to step among the ripped open bodies of the grubs. Intestines and ichor covered the ground, a rising stink of evacuated bowels making the humans scrunch their noses.

"Hate to think how tough that fight would've been without you two" Fenix asserted, his bootsteps crushing some locust gore beneath his feet.

"Yeah…best not to think about that" Grey agreed as they looked upward at the hotel. Nearly thirty stories tall, it was the defining structure of the island.

"Can you imagine the luxury these people got to enjoy? Spoiled fuckers" Baird groused as a trio of Ravens flew overhead to reach some distant combat zone. They came under fire from floating nemacyst, the living bombs homing in on the craft.

One was struck in the rotor, black smoke billowing as the machine began an uncontrolled descent.

They didn't see it crash…but the Gears heard it…a harsh reminder of lives snuffed out.

"Let's get inside" Fenix ordered, leading the way past the Troika nests toward the double doors. Pushing them open, the grizzled vet couldn't help but admire the sheer elegance of the lobby and hotel. Walking toward the middle of the cavernous lobby near the elevators, he was tempted to whistle. Hell…Cole would have.

The intercom crackled. "Marcus. Good, you made it. I'm on the thi—"

The polished floor of sheening tile cracked, the building groaning as the flooring began to bubble upwards. Backpedaling to the left with Fullbuster, they barely had a chance to take cover behind a pillar surrounded by piles of luggage as the lambent stalk broke through the floor. The gash grew long and wide, separating the squad by sheer destruction.

It was…massive.

Roiling with dozens of pustules and lines of lambency, the stalk broke through the upper canopy of the lobby, raining down debris without a care of its passage. The gaping hole where it had punched through was roiling with Emulsion, parasitic fuel bubbling as the first lambent wretches and polyps surged upward by the dozens.

"Fuck! Can't even walk into a hotel without these assholes showing up!" Fullbuster roared out as he lay down a long burst into the mass of bodies. Gunfire ripped them apart, blowing holes in the ranks as ichor and gore burst outward from rapid explosions.

But more came on…a tidal wave of monsters as the first cysts started to split above.

"Into the elevators! We can't hold them here!" Fenix shouted, his footsteps moving backward to the lift. Hitting the button, the door slid open, letting the two men slip inside. Slamming a hand against the button for floor thirty, the Gear was hardly satisfied with the design of the elevator.

Half was glass…a vulnerable design meant to look pretty instead of practical. Looking across the lobby, he was glad to see Milkovich and Baird having the same thought and piling into the parallel lift.

It started to rise, but not before the first lambent drones burst from the lower cysts and landed, cracking down some of the tile nearby. Immediately opening fire on the rising elevators, glass was shattered, blowing inward as the humans received numerous cuts across exposed skin.

Baird hissed from the cut across his forehead, but pushed it away. Opening fire on the lambent as they started to rise, he grinned in satisfaction as a cluster of wretches brewed up from his actions.

The two heard the random pings of bullets against the metalwork of the elevator, but both just stayed hunkered down, waiting to rise past the lobby as more random tracers slammed into the ceiling.

Pinnacle Tower rumbled, shaking as dust and small bits rained down from the lambent stalk entwined among its structure.

"Can you fix this building? So you know…it doesn't fall on us?" Baird asked in exasperation and a dickish tone.

"What's the point? Lambent is sti—SHIT!"

They had passed to the second floor, and immediately came under fire from five lambent drones. Snarling beasts glowing with infection as their gnarled hands shook with the pulling of triggers and expulsion of lead. The glass enclosure fully shattered, an explosion of shards that Marcus and Fullbuster had just enjoyed moments before. Staying low as munitions screamed above their heads or collided with the low wall of the elevator itself, Ultear popped up to return fire.

She managed to kill one, bullets ripping into the glowing weak points as the creature burst, a nightmare of ichor. Two more sprinted forward, trying to enclose with the rising elevator as their infected brethren lay down a deadly fusillade of bullets. Damon managed to kill one, but the other leaped, managing to climb in just as the platform rose out of range.

"FUCK!" Ultear screamed out in horror as she was practically next to the vile abomination. Revving up her lancer, she plunged it into the gap between the neck and right shoulder blades as it tried to swing its gnasher to blow her in half with a growl of death.

Glowing blood, bile, and viscera sprayed against her armor, some landing in her dark hair as the beast screamed and the woman tired to ignore the flecks splattering against her cheeks and neck. Kicking away the half torn apart drone to the far side of the elevator, it exploded, showering more gore over the two Gears.

"Gross…so fucking gross…" Ultear muttered, whipping away the excess viscera from her exposed skin.

"And here I was hoping we could ride up in silence"

"Fat luck with that. Third floor coming up!" Shifting as her boots squelched…something, the two waited as the lift rose…and revealed two evolved lambent, their arms snaking and stretching, almost dragging across the ceiling. One pulled the trigger of its hammerburst, the bullets pinging and zipping randomly while the other made a bid to grab one of the humans.

Coiling like a snake with graspers dripping with pus-like Emulsion, the arm dove toward Baird as several cysts dotted the appendage.

He dodged with a curse, the fingers clacking as both Gears shot at the exposed cysts. "No freebies! I don't give it away for free!" the blonde retorted, knowing that the monster wouldn't even understand. Genius statements wasted…

The arm exploded, a burst of flesh that rippled down to the main creature as the two rose out of sight…and breathed a small sigh of relief that the fourth floor was devoid of monsters. At least, on their side. Gunfire rippled across the gap between the exposed elevator shafts and connecting balconies, coming from Marcus and Fullbuster as lambent wretches ran into the gunfire of the two Gears beyond.

Bursting flesh slapped against Grey's face, the man wanting to puke as he fired into the mass of exploding wretches. They glowed…pouring from this monster of a stalk with ease. One screamed at him as the lift continued to rise, the mouth aglow with Emulsion and threatening to burst his eardrums as more of the beasts began to scream in a chorus of similarity.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Marcus snapped, firing point blank into the horde with Grey as more bodies burst and exploded. Flesh flew, splattering against the nearby walls of this once grand hotel as their elevator finally rose out of range.

"I'm not dealing with thirty floors of this shit!" the mage sneered out, wiping the warm gore from his face as he pushed magic outward. Collecting water from the atmosphere, he managed to erect a wall of ice around Baird's and Ultear's elevator, then his current transport where the glass used to be.

While it plunged the elevator into a fresh, hellish cold…it was better than being shot at by fuel spewing monsters.

"Good thinking"

The ice shuddered harshly, some sort of large explosive bursting against the opposite face as cracks formed. Fullbuster mended them, but he could hear the grunts of anger and annoyance along with shifting shadows of something large of this next floor.

"Probably a Gunker. Straight from that stalk I bet"

The lift shuddered again, but thankfully moved out of range, heading toward the next floor.

"Just make sure we reach the top, and I'll buy you a beer"

"That's a weak offer, Fenix"

Bullets smashed into the ice wall, flecking and trying to bore through as the veteran Sergeant shrugged, his weathered face expelling a cloud of breath.

"Two beers" he rumbled, a ghost of a smirk along his lips as the squad continued to rise past floor after floor of horrors…

Ultear watched in horror as the ice barricade around her elevator melted, a pulse of fire eating at the ice from the other side. The stream of heat bore in, scorching the far wall in a blast of embers and flame that ate at paint and furnishings.

"Damn Fullbuster! That lazy asshole!" Milkovich screamed out as she tossed a grenade through the fresh opening after the flame cut out. It brewed up, monstrous screams of locust mixing in with errant flashes and bursts of battle among floor… "Twenty Eight? Twenty Nine? We have to be close"

The entire hotel rumbled, but the two Gears were busy staying low as a scream of machine gun rounds tore above their heads, shattering the remains of the ice. The two blind-fired, not even caring if they hit anything.

Baird risked a peek, his blonde hair flecked with melting ice, bits of gore, or random sweat. A grinder was reloading, dropping an empty drum to the plush carpeting as it turned toward the intrusive stalk. Half a dozen drones supported it, already firing on the bulging cysts and swarming polyps as they crawled and scurried along a distant hallway.

"Yeah…we're running out of time" the man muttered as the stalk vibrated and shook. Rising above the outnumbered locust as they were swarmed by snarling infected, the lift reached the final floor.

A stalk offshoot broke away, stabbing like a lance toward the settled elevator. Damon and Ultear dove with a cry of surprise, the parasitic plant surging above their heads as more lines of infection laced the surface. Their trusty platform tilted and broke with a scream of rendered steel and twisting materials, the impact throwing it off the tracks into a nightmarish dangle thirty stories above the lobby.

"Get up!" Damon howled, helping the female rise as the duo crouched underneath the pulsating vine. Smaller cysts seemed to bulge…glow as they passed, ready to burst.

They heard gunfire from the coming T-intersection and moved with a crouched sprint toward the source.

"Bout' time you two showed up!" Marcus growled out, his form standing to open fire on a locust drone twenty feet away. He missed and promptly ducked down as another grub sent a stream of snapping lead toward the reunited Gears.

"We decided to hit the hotel bar. Got shitfaced and everything!" Milkovich snarked back, her fatigue and anger starting to show. Huddled behind a collection of crates, barrels and half destroyed furniture, the four humans were no better off than the collection of drones they faced.

The hallway, that once led to a lining of the most luxurious rooms and suites, was a choke point of damage, ruin, and small fires. Another stalk shot across the hallway, splintering a wall and part of a door while catching a drone in the process of moving.

Grey shot it dead, then ducked back as more bullets smashed the couch he huddled behind.

Marcus heard the sounds of pistol rounds from further ahead, yells of defiance from his embattled father.

"Dad! Shit, we gotta move!" Fenix yelled out as he broke from cover. Staying low, the Sergeant led the squad underneath the trunklike branch, flinching as more bullets smacked the leathery flesh nearby. Huddling behind a half broken dresser, the man breathed in the stench of billowing smoke as three locust drones fired on his position. Situated behind another large stalk snaking its way across the floor, the grubs taunted and grunted insults as one switched to fire on the others. Fenix tossed a frag grenade seconds later, the orb bouncing over the raised stalk.

It blew, a thunderclap of noise and death that ravaged the monster's skin and flesh.

Ultear and Baird moved up, vaulting over the obstacle and finding the trio of enemies trying to crawl away. Spinning chainsaws and sprays of blood made quick work of them, howls of agony rising above the crackling of fire. More errant pistol shots came from the end of the hallway, spurning on Fenix and Delta to reach the scientist.

Another offshoot of lambent stalk crashed across the hallway, boring through walls like matchsticks as the end pulsed with a glowing cyst. Fenix barely avoided being impaled by the vile appendage as he stepped back, the cyst glowing…then bursting in an explosion of yellow fluids. The creature was a nightmare of flesh and skin, a meat cleaver embedded along the longest arm as glowing patch over its chest pulsed.

"GUNKER!"

The Gears found cover, holding up in recessed doorways on both sides of the hallway as the terrible abomination roared, its mouth glowing yellow as it reared back its arm. It threw a roiling ball of Emulsion, the bomb bursting nearby as it shattered part of a wall and flung destruction.

Ultear was closest, the blast almost throwing her downward as she hugged the doorway alcove. She felt some shards of plaster pepper her thigh, soft stings that just added to this hellish day.

"Kill that fucker!" Fenix shouted out, his face grim and lips pursed as the Gears returned fire on the Gunker. Bullets tore into the glowing bulbs along its chest, creating a march of exploding bile as the beast gathered more Emulsion to throw.

"Incoming!" Fullbuster shouted out as he surged a wall of ice magic. It grew just in time, fuel bursting and roiling across the surface as the frozen liquid barely survived.

The Gunker roared, furious as it stepped forward, swinging the butcher arm across the hallway. Embedding into the wall inches above Damon's head, it struggled to free the limb as the Gears poured fire into the weak points.

Gunfire thundered, echoing and roiling with ear splitting noise as brass clinked and fell, mixing with the bitter cold as the monster reeled. The pile of pustules gathered on its chest exploded, eliciting a final roar as damage surged inside.

The Gunker exploded, flinging horrors of spent flesh against the Gears and around the hallway. Wiping away the excess, Marcus felt the building tremble once more…but for the moment there was silence. Stepping forward, he looked down the left few dozen feet of hallway to the room at the end.

The doors were destroyed, a splintering of heavy wood. Stepping past the threshold, Marcus found the room filled with some of the most advanced equipment humanity could produce. Most of it blinked, hummed with power as he strode past toward the central desk. Bodies of locust and the destroyed flesh of lambent littered the wooden floor, a spatter that fit with the matching destruction of the hallway behind them.

"Dad?"

A groan…heavy breathing coming from the far side of the desk. Marcus rushed, moving around the piece of furniture…and found his father leaning against the desk with his legs stretched out. A splotch of red was growing along his left side, an empty snub gripped in his right hand.

"Marcus…it's…I'm glad you're here" the scientist rasped. The balding man shifted, trying to stand as pain crossed his lips.

"Dad, don't move. I'll get some hel—"

"No. We need to hurry. Sera doesn't have much time. We need to end this now…today" He sported a look, catching the gaze of Ultear and Fullbuster. "Earthlanders…I would've loved to study how your abilities work…the harnessing of that energy"

"You know about us?"

"How could I not? Fascinating how your people evolved…"

Struggling upwards, he was helped by Marcus as the scientist gasped. Moving to his workstation, he slid his hand underneath, pressing a hidden switch. A hidden door slid open with a groan, coupled with the shaking of the hotel as a short flight of stairs led upwards.

"Myraah abandoned this world…but still left her forces in place to ensure I continued my work. Her ambition…to purge humanity from every reality…must never be realized. The conquest of your world…Sera and eliminating the lambent…it would be a springboard to wage war across the…multiverse"

"How do you know that? And besides that, we can't even travel back to Earthland cause' of the interference" Fullbuster claimed, his frown deepening.

"She told me…almost pity her…a plan doomed to fail" Fenix senior stated as he tried to straighten his stance. "The interference from Seeder's laced in atmosphere…my weapon should dispel it for our world…and end both the locust and lambent here" His voice carried a pang of regret, almost hollow.

"Don't tell me you actually feel bad for the locust?" Baird asked, his face neutral.

"No…just wish I could've done more to prevent such…loss. Now hurry" Moving up the steps with his son lending a shoulder, they rapidly ascended.

Delta found themselves on the roof of the hotel, giving a bird's eye view for most of the island. Cracks and raging firefights bloomed across the wind, almost strange on such a warm day with almost no clouds in the sky now that the Maelstrom was defunct.

Ships bombarded distant targets, the crash of munitions a tremble in the air as Raven's swooped into close range support of the distant Gears. The hotel rumbled again, the massive trunk of the lambent stalk shuddering.

"Is this it?" Ultear asked in wonder as she turned away from the echoes of war to stare upward at the Emulsion Counter Measure Weapon.

It was towering, almost fifty feet tall by itself. Coiled snakes of tubing rose among the flanks, most likely the avenues for the massive requirements of electricity as they fed into junctions near the top. The top portion was ringed by circular bands of greenish metals, hiding more machinery. Encased in what looked like reinforced glass, the interior apparatus sat silently around a central spindle.

Lowering her gaze, Ultear saw three separate control stations in a concave semi circle. They were powered, each blinking a ready status as the lone woman took a tentative step forward.

Pinnacle Tower rumbled, the stresses of the lambent inside creating a nightmare against the supports.

"We…we have to hurry. Marcus, get me to the central controls. Two of you get ready at the other stations"

"Dad, just tell me what I have to do" Marcus said, his voice eerily calm. Professor Fenix ignored him for the moment, his fingers flying across the controls. The other two stations lit up, brimming with readiness as the older man gasped.

His time was running out. Pointing with a ragged cough, a central lever hung upright nearby, lights glowing a soft blue. "You need to pull all three at once…a safety protocol built in. Just like the Hammer of Dawn…" he wheezed, coughing up speckles of blood.

"Dad!"

"No! Just make sure to time it right!" Hitting one last button, Adam Fenix collapsed at the controls, his body sliding to the rooftop. Ultear was at his side in moments, her own body flaring with bruises and hurting muscles that would take days to recover.

Marcus growled, his face a fury of worry, anger, and hollow knowledge. Grasping the lever, he looked at Fullbuster to his left…then Baird to his right.

The hotel rumbled, a nearby cracking groaning as the inner stalk began to push out through the roof, its surface covered with locust sized cysts.

They were out of time.

"ON THREE! ONE!..."

The first cysts began to tremble, splitting as the monsters within sensed uninfected humans nearby.

"TWO!"

Four of the puslike bulbs ripped in half, an outpouring of lambency that disgorged waking nightmares.

"THREE!"

The trio of Gears pulled down at once, their muscles aching…mental fatigue almost at their limit, giving way to activate the weapon. The first lambent advanced, firing with a deadly peppering of rounds as the humans immediately raised their lancers to open fire on the lambent drones.

The Emulsion Counter Measure Weapon worked. With the top opening to the blue sky, a new shaft jutted upward, its buildup of power quickly rising as the inner workings spun faster and faster. Building to a charge, the machinery began to crackle, brimming with radiation as the Gears fought to keep the monsters at bay under a burning exchange of gunfire and tracers.

It activated five seconds later, a pulse of yellow energy crashing like a wave in a three hundred sixty degree arc. Washing over the rooftop first, the lambent shuddered…the parasite in their bodies burning away into nothingness as the remaining flesh crumbled and fell.

Continuing on its path, the radiation burrowed underneath the land…across the oceans, killing the nightmarish creatures wherever they lived as they screamed and died. The few remaining locust fared no better, their bodies awash with the infection that spelled their doom.

The ruins of Jacinto…past the desolated husk of Montevado…the walls of Anvil Gate…over the ancient lands of Gorasnaya and Pelles…the weapon purged Sera of its enemy in a wave of yellow light…once and for all…

They had done it as the four found the silent after-effects…unnatural.

Coughing…rife with coming death came from Adam Fenix.

"Marcus…I'm…so…proud…"

"Dad! Dad hold on!" Fenix shouted, his hand trying to grasp his father…but it only managed to grasp glowing dust as the older man succumbed to the weapon, his body to overcome with Emulsion exposure.

Marcus kept still, the grains of particles and the lab-coat all that remained of his father as he struggled with his emotions. He wanted to cry…and scream…but mostly, he felt…nothing. Slowly standing, he looked out at Azura. Baird, Fullbuster and Ultear…they knew better than to make some quip, or give some false assurance. No…Marcus deserved a moment.

Silence. No gunfire…screams of dying men or the terror of battle…just…a warm breeze coming from the ocean. He could see the assembled fleet…Ravens flying in the distance, but for the first time in nearly a century…Sera felt peace.

His radio crackled.

A welcome distraction.

"Man Marcus, was that you!? The lambent…the grubs…their all dead man! Their gone!"

"Not all of them…" he lowly whispered, his gaze going across the horizon, almost willing a picture of Earthland to appear before him.

"Don't celebrate just yet, Dom. We still have to clear Earthland" Fenix wanted to choke those words. After all this…after seeing his own father die before his eyes just a few brief minutes ago…the war was only half over. It was like a second punch to the gut…all this almost meaningless.

Angry cursing came from the radio. "You know me and Cole are down, just name when and where. Hell, we owe the kid that much"

"Yeah…but not today…" taking a deep breath, the Sergeant could almost taste the tropical sun as Fullbuster and the rest of Delta joined him.

"I'll talk with Anya…see what we can spare for your world" His thoughts turned to Bastion, the last refuge for their people among the stars of another universe. Millions of refugees…the last dredges of cultures and countries that was mostly, children, old men, women, and cripples. The able bodied men…shit.

"Will they even want to come back? Or fight?"

It was an issue best left for Anya…she was a people person.

Looking at the horizon once more, Marcus Fenix slowly sat himself down…and enjoyed the momentary silence…

One week later… Universe 137-C, Magnolia. 1:19 a.m. (Two days until the global counter-attack)

Natsu, Grey, Ultear, Sorano and Happy walked down the ramp of the interdimensional supply ship, narrowly avoiding the bustling bodies of their allies from Eight Seven Seven-X. Shouts and commands from the ground crews mixed in with the women of the supply transport, a harsh drowning of voices among the city that never seemed to sleep.

The skyline was aglow…buildings and structures burning with electricity as nearby factories and depots continued to provide the supplies, tools and weapons to finish this dreadful war.

"Too bad we couldn't have just used your dimensional tech, would've made this trip a snap" Cole input with his signature tone. The ex-thrashball star wasn't wrong. Yes, the seeder jamming had been cleared…for Sera. They could go anywhere again…except to one thirty seven-C. Dragneel's homeworld still had their own interference to deal with…hence the looping trip to hitch a ride on this supply transport.

"I'm just surprised this city is still standing" Baird jibbed, gaining a healthy glare from Anya Stroud.

"Cool it, Baird. We're here to help…even though its not much at this point" Fenix supported. The scowling veteran looked over to Anya, his heart wanting to say so much more as she strode under a floodlight that kept the darkness of night at bay.

For all intents and purposes, the remnants of the CoG were spent. Just re-establishing contact with Bastion…inventorying their supplies…the losses. They really couldn't spare anything.

But the Earthlander's…had other allies. Allies that had kept them in the fight…fed and supplied.

"Marcus…I'm going to go see them…see you in the morning" Dragneel rumbled, his form quickly disappearing along a northbound street to his old guild hall as Happy flew behind him.

"Same here. Lucy and Flare…" Fullbuster told himself as he began to jog toward Lucy's home…the one they had shared.

Ultear and Sorano disappeared as well, praying that Meredy and Yukino were still alive and well. Frankly, Ultear just had to follow Natsu, her prayers that her adoptive daughter was living safely at the guild.

"Well shit. You know we won't be seeing any of them for hours…" Fenix rumbled. He glanced at Anya once more…then sighed. "You guys go do what you want…just don't get shitfaced. I don't want to be dragging your asses out of the drunk tank"

Frankly…he just wanted some time alone with his lady…and judging by the words of the ships crew…the assault would be in two days. Enough time for just the two of them…at least for a little while…

Natsu eyed the guild, its towering spires and battlements showing old damage…probably incurred during his time away. He looked upward, studying the Anti-aircraft cannons poking out of several points, manned by crews diligently watching the skies for Reavers under the gaze of floodlights.

They were new, another change to his old guild. Slowly turning toward Fairy Hills, he had a small smile on his face…but faltered upon sight of the shanty town growing out of the structure…and the adjoining men's dorms.

"That's right…they gave up their rooms for refugee families…" he murmured, eyes downcast.

"Do you think they fixed up our house?" Happy asked with hope, but his tone didn't match his eyes. His home lay outside the wall, probably still half ruined from the evacuation…and the tank round Natsumi had fired through his kitchen.

"No…they would want me there to rebuild it…at least…some of them" He turned back to the guild doors, seeing Ultear standing there, a stare of unease across her features.

"It's really quiet in there…"

"Yeah…it's pretty late after all" Dragneel pushed the doors open, somebody forgetting to lock them. "Probably that old man…"

He stepped in…and paused at the sounds of feminine snores coming from along the right wall, the far opposite of the bar. The door to the library was open, more sounds of sleeping coming from the adjoining room as he eyed the cots.

Sam and Knightwalker…Bisca and Juvia. Kinana…Natsumi. He couldn't smell Hisui…his actual wife among them. She was probably in Hargeon…a visit he would have to remedy later today. He heard sleepy mutterings from the library…Dimaria? Or Irene? And who the hell was that dark haired woman in the far corner? She smelled…not human.

Still…no Levy…or Mira and Scarlet. He was happy to be back, but it was hollow at the same time…like missing an arm. He had been hoping…but the odds were infinitesimal they would be back now.

"Natsu…?" it was barely heard…coming from the darkened bar as Ultear silently shuffled into the library, a search for Meredy not waiting for her fellow soldier.

He turned…studying Cana sitting there, her eyes wide, a slender hand gripping a half drunken glass of rum that seemed to catch the few rays of moonlight. She looked absolutely stunning…a beauty.

Natsu walked forward, his woman's eyes brimming with a gathering of tears as her breath hitched. Her impressive busom heaved, rising with each breath as Natsu tried to smile…but failed. It was his fault…he had left them to go fight…and who knows what hells they've been through…

"I'm sorry it took so lo—"

"NATSU!"

"Holy crap!"

Cana sprung like a coiled cat, literally wrapping her slender legs around his waist and coiling her arms around his neck…and kissed him with as much love and desire she could muster.

Her lips were soft…warm and eager. The hint of rum on them as he returned the kiss with the tugs of a smile.

Unfortunately for Cana, her shout had woken the others…and being in a harem, those women would want their own greeting as well.

"Natsu! You…you betray Juvia with Cana! AHHHHH!" the water mage cried out, her smile almost infectious as she collided with the man and tackled him…planting her own brand of love against his lips.

"Master has returned…FINALLY! Get off him water bitch!" Seliah yelled, pushing Juvia off the fallen man before straddling him and kissing him passionately. "We can finally be together, Master!" she said through errant kisses, her body almost shuddering with anticipation.

"Who are you?"

"Don't say such things!"

"Get off of him!" Sam roared out, planting a kick into the crazy demon's flank. Already annoyed from being awoken, Samantha lent a hand toward her boyfriend.

"Thanks Sam. I got ta—ooff!" She punched him in the gut, a complete surprise. Something he should've seen coming based on her personality.

"That's for making me cry and miss you!" She said with an angry sneer. Gaze softening as the man stood, she grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes. "And this is for coming back alive…" Taking a deep kiss, the two stayed like that for a full thirty seconds before Samantha finally stepped back.

Natsu looked around at his ladies…most of them…they looked like angels to him… But he knew it would become a problem very quickly…they would want some alone time…of the sexual nature. And frankly, he was still bruised and sore from that gunshot last week.

Frankly, they'd probably kill him just with their sheer desires before the locust could. "How about I make us all an early breakfast…tell you how we managed to beat the lambent and secure Sera" he rumbled, voice like gravel but with a tone of…calmness.

"I'll help!" Bisca cheered out, the agonizing loneliness pushed away as she lightly jumped…with a heavy bounce of her busom and emerald hair.

"Me too!" Kinana volunteered…much to the glares of Natsumi, Juvia and Seliah.

"It's fine…you ladies…probably had a really shitty time. Just…take it easy. I'll whip up my famous pancakes, eggs and bacon"

Frankly, if he invited them all into the kitchen, nothing would've gotten done…especially with Natsumi and Juvia. Walking into the back, the sisterhood of his loves huffed…but relented. Now was not the time to act like lust filled bimbos.

"I'll just get him alone later…" were multiple thoughts of similarity. After all…it had been quite a long time for them.

Ultear walked out with the now waken Meredy, the pink haired girl having a serious case of bedhair…but sporting the largest grin at the return of her adoptive mother. Irene, Brandish and Dimaria had been woken…how could they not with all the ruckus.

"Mind if we join you?" the time mage asked…which prompted Juvia and Natsumi to surge forward, one shifting her gaze…and the other sniffing.

Natsumi roiled back, her finger pointing with a shake and tremble. "You…you slept with my boyfriend!"

"HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY KNOW THAT!? THAT HAPPENED MONTHS AGO!"

"SO, YOU ARE A LOVE RIVAL!"

Sam and Cana surged forward with realization, taking up stances beside the time mage, grins on their faces. "The Brunette Triangle is now born! With Ultear as the newest member of the sisterhood, our power is greater than any of you! The rest of you only have two members of matching hair!" Sam roared out, daring any to defy her orders.

"No way! If anything, the queen and myself now control the sisterhood!" Bisca barked before pointing to Brandish. "Just wait until Natsu sleeps with her, then you'll be knocked down from your pedestal of brunette tyranny!"

"Yeah right, Bisca!" If anything, Seliah and Kinana would be our only rivals for dominance!" Cana replied with a shout, a small tick mark showing.

"Stupid drunk! I've already established the crimson trio with Knightwalker and Irene! After all, pink is just another word for lightish red!" Natsumi roared out, flares of feminine fury rising.

"Did she just try to invite me into their harem?" Irene asked Dimaria…who shrugged with a small giggle.

"You have to admit…it is nice seeing them act out instead of the moping and depression" of course, they missed the thoughtful tone of Brandish as she thought of…other things…

"Juvia is all alone! She needs to establish the Blunette Alliance!"

After that, the sisterhood descended into camps of squabbling and insults as both Happy's flew around with panic and fear above the growing carnage of female fury.

Working in the kitchen, Natsu could hear it all. "They're arguing…and sound so happy…at least for today" He pushed the bad thoughts away…the coming battles against the locust…the death and carnage. For now, he just worked on making their breakfast… and enjoyed being home as the war moved closer and closer to its end.

Phew! That took longer to write than I thought. I blame six day work weeks and twelve hour shifts. Still, Sera has been secured, leaving the final battles of Earthland. Delta will help out, but honestly, the people of Sera are spent militarily.

And…figured I'd make the ending fun, massive arguments between the sisterhood over nonsense haha.

Still, I hope you all read and enjoy. Reviews are welcome.

Cana: Now…how do I get Natsu away from all these other women…?

Juvia: Now…how do I get Natsu away from these love rivals…maybe a temporary alliance with Natsumi…

Sam: Dibs

Kinana: You can't call dibs!

Sam: You can help

Both Happy's: They all look really scary right now…like Erza hunting cheesecake scary…

Natsu: I should go see Hisui…

This is thehappy signing off!