Black smoke was rising shiftly above the forest and looming over the colony. Alien soldiers were running back into the compound, armed with flamethrowers and bulky respirators. Waits watched in horror as they dumped tree branches in random areas before setting them on fire. Some kicked dead leaves onto the fires, trying to lead the flames all over the colony.

Zinnia didn't hesitate to start shooting, as did Waits when they both found cover. The aliens were caught off guard, and scrambled to get cover of their own. Without a second thought, Waits sent a round through an alien's fuel tank, sending the tank, the alien, and its nearby companions, up in a ball of fire. Satisfied, Waits glanced over at Zinnia. "You okay?"

Zinnia nodded before picking up her rifle. She looked in the direction of the burning forest, and made a sad noise.

Though he couldn't be sure, Waits had a pretty good idea of what she was worried about. "I'm sure your people got out," he said. "Look..." He sighed. "You don't have to help me. I've got my people to worry about, and you have yours. If you wanna go back, go ahead—"

A black shape burst out from the woods. Then another. Suddenly several of the creatures from Zinnia's camp were running into the colony compound, screaming and barking. Zinnia leapt over their cover to gallop to them.

They weren't alone. Three squadrons of alien soldiers ran out of the woods as well, firing madly at the marten-like creatures. Waits swore into his filter when one of the critters was shot, collapsing into a lifeless heap. He stood up, shooting two soldiers and pausing when he spotted one member of each squad wielded a flamethrower. If I take out the flamethrowers the way I did before, some of the critters could get killed in the explosion. Unable to take more time to think, Waits hollered, "Zinnia! Cover!"

Zinnia started screeching at her people to find cover. Waits could feel the AUG's forward grip and trigger becoming slick with sweat as he fired at the fuel tanks, sending aliens flying in every direction as they exploded.

The ringing in his ears was deafening. Waits jogged over to where Zinnia was helping another creature stand. They seemed to be deep in conversation, then Zinnia turned to Waits. She held out her paw.

"What?" Waits asked. "Are you actually leaving?"

Zinnia nodded.

"Okay." Waits took Zinnia's paw, then she jumped into his arms. "Good luck. You saved my life last night. Thanks."

Zinnia chirped and squeaked while pointing to the concrete block they had been hiding behind when they left the Bureau.

"Yeah, I saved yours, too. We're even." Waits set Zinnia down. "Be careful. We'll see each other again."

Nodding, Zinnia unslung her rifle before running off with the rest of her people. They were heading in the direction of where Waits and the other Marshals had seen the aliens land ships the day before, and Waits had a feeling the critters were taking the fight directly to the enemy. All he could do was wish them the best of luck.

Heat and toxic smoke continued to move into the colony. As Waits made his way to the housing units, the smoke gradually began blocking out the sun. He tried to keep his breathing even as he found himself enveloped in smoke the closer he got to the colony's edge.

He was blind. He struggled not to panic. Keep going straight. Don't turn in any direction. Just keep going. His breathing became faster, and he grew to hate the sound of it hissing through the filter. It made him more anxious.

He didn't see the fence leading to the Marshals' housing lot until he was right up next to it, and he breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't gotten himself lost. He pointed himself in the direction of his compartment, and kept walking until he saw the bench he sat at every morning for the last several months. What I wouldn't give to trade this for a quiet morning with a cup of coffee and a cigarette.

Waits's heart started aching when his mental image of a perfect morning included Aslett next to him. Only a week ago did he start inviting her over in the morning to share the space that he thought he would only ever have alone. Letting her into that moment meant a lot. It was his way of saying he trusted her, that he loved her.

He hadn't actually told her that he loved her yet. That was a phrase he didn't want to throw around, like it didn't mean anything. It was something that had ended relationships for him in the past. He had a habit of waiting for the right moment to say it, and he felt like Aslett was the first person he could say it to. After all, she said it to him. He needed to say it back at some point. I need to say it before I regret not saying it.

Snapping himself out of his memories, Waits entered his compartment and closed the door quickly behind him. He pulled off his gas mask to see Aslett, Nicosia, Shea, and four civilians in his kitchen. Breathing a sigh of relief upon seeing everyone alive, he was tempted to hug Aslett, tell her how much she meant to him, but he held back.

"Good to see you're alive and alright, sir," Shea said. "What happened? We couldn't find you after the lab exploded."

"It's… a long story," Waits replied. "I got stuck in the woods for a little bit. I was—" He trailed off, making eye contact with Aslett. Just tell her. "Ah… Lace? C-Can I talk to you alone?"

Without a word, Aslett followed Waits into his bedroom, where she closed the door behind them. "What's going on, Jethro? You've never looked this flustered before."

"I'm gonna get right to the point, because I know we don't have a lot of time to spare." Waits looked down at the floor, then offered his hands to Aslett. She gently took them, and he looked her in the eye. "We've been dating for well over a month, and I feel like I should've said this to you a long time ago. You mean a lot to me, more than I can express. I know I've told you how bad I am at expressing myself verbally. It's cost me a lot of relationships, and the fact that you're okay with me being… me shows me that you're an exceptional human being, despite what happened in the past, so… Lace, I love you."

Aslett grinned up at him, massaging his hands with her thumbs. "I love you, too, Jethro."

Waits hugged her tightly. He let go, though he regretted it immensely. We'll have other opportunities when this is over. "Alright. We've got work to do. This'll be over soon."

The smoke had almost completely covered the colony when Waits and the other Marshals began escorting the civilians out of the housing lot. The heat was almost unbearable. Sweat had soaked through Waits's shirt, and he hated the feeling of it sticking to his skin. Once they reached the northern edge of the colony, Waits pushed the civilians ahead. "Just go! Run! Don't look back!"

The hair on the back of Waits's neck stood on end when he heard a familiar droning sound, which gradually turned into a roar. Faintly, he could see an alien fighter craft coming down on them. He screamed for everyone to get cover, but there wasn't a chance anyone heard him. Two bolts of energy cut through the smoke as people frantically tried to find cover. Waits was disoriented from the smoke, unsure of what to do. Survivors started running back toward him, coughing. Some were spitting a dark-gray substance.

A large shape appeared in front of them. Emerging from the smoke was a black tank-like vehicle. Waits lunged to shove a civilian out of its way, narrowly avoiding being crushed by its treads. The tank stopped, its turret swiveling. Then it fired a bolt of the same blue energy the fighter used.

"Just find somewhere to hide!" Waits ordered. When the civilian he rescued had run off, Waits jogged over to the tank while it was busy. Slinging his rifle, he jumped onto the right-side tread, pulling himself up and crawling over to the hatch. The hatch was locked from the inside. After a moment of thinking, Waits got behind where it would open from and began banging on it with his rifle. A moment later, the hatch opened slightly and two energy pulses shot out from within, obviously from a crewmember trying to shoot off whoever was banging on the hatch. Waits was on the opposite side of the hatch away from the shots. He shoved the muzzle of his rifle through the small gap, maneuvering the rifle around as he fired, making sure the rounds ricocheting inside the tank went in every direction possible and killing all of the crew. The tank slowly rolled to a stop, but Waits's satisfaction only lasted a few seconds as the alien fighter screamed by overhead. He took cover under the tank when the fighter made another run over them. He couldn't hear anything other than the roar of the craft's engine. When the sound began dying down, Waits crawled out, and spotted the fighter over the central part of the colony. It dropped a cylindrical object, and Waits fell to his stomach and covered his ears, thinking it was a bomb.

There was a loud crash. Waits got back up to see fire over the Marshal Bureau. Cursing to himself, Waits looked north. He could see bodies on the ground, and felt guilt latch onto his stomach like a vice grip. No. There was no way you could've know the aliens would be here. It's not your fault... Aslett. Where's Aslett? No! Focus! Get back to the Bureau! Make sure Faulkner got everyone out!

As Waits set out to go back to the Bureau, he spotted a blackened, bloody figure on the ground, trying to crawl toward him. A trace of blond hair told Waits it was Shea.

"I dunno who made it," Shea said before breaking off coughing. "I'm sorry, sir."

"Don't be sorry. They just firebombed the Bureau. I gotta go back and make sure no one was inside."

"You said we need to leave. No going back."

"I know what I said! But I'm not leaving anyone behind! Not while I'm still breathing!" Waits picked up Shea, throwing the younger man's arm around his shoulders. Not wanting to leave him alone, he dragged him back into the compound. It was impossible to see.

Shea gasped for breath, prompting Waits to tear off his gas mask and place it over Shea's head. Waits's eyes stung and watered. His nose and the back of his throat started to burn, feeling drier than a desert. The dryness and burning seared down to his lungs. Black spots danced across his vision, and he felt like his skull was full of air. When he felt like he would collapse, he put the gas mask to his face, taking in several deep breaths before giving it back to Shea.

For the entire walk, Waits alternated the gas mask between himself and Shea. He tried not to breathe deeply while holding the filter over Shea, and it rapidly took its toll on him. By the time they reached the Bureau, Waits felt like he would pass out each time he had to give the gas mask to Shea.

All the glass in the lobby had been shattered. Part of the roof had collapsed. Every potted plant was burning. Smoke was spilling in from every direction. Waits staggered down to the armory with Shea. He threw open the door to find the remaining Marshals and civilians still there. After placing Shea on a stretcher, Waits glared at Faulkner. "I told you to get these people outta here!"

"We can't! The escape hatch was blocked when the aliens caught people fleeing." Faulkner's eyes darted around the room. Sweat rolled off him in waves. "They... They shot five civilians who managed to get out and into the woods. I thought it was best we come back here."

"Did it ever cross your mind to shoot back?!" Waits shouted.

"I was outnumbered, sir."

"I've been fighting these guys every fucking hour, and every fucking time, I've been outnumbered! That's no excuse! You want all these people to die in here because you didn't shoot back?"

Faulkner bit his tongue. "It would've been suicide. Sir, I had people running into the woods and people coming back down here! I didn't know who to place priority on!"

"You should've told everyone to take cover in the tunnel while you took out the sons-of-bitches cutting you off!" Waits raised his hand to slap Faulkner, but stopped, slowly lowering his hand. Rage still boiling, Waits stormed into the back of the armory. He pulled the last two gas masks out of their case, and closed the case before throwing it against the wall with a guttural growl.

The armory was silent aside from Waits's heavy breathing. He glanced over at the rest of the survivors. Everyone was staring at him, and he felt like he had been punched in the stomach. Everyone's counting on me, and here I am acting like I've got no control over my emotions. Fuck me. Waits picked up the gas mask case, a choking sensation building up in his throat. He looked away from the others when he felt tears well up. I can't do this now. I have to keep going.

"Sir?" Faulkner walked over to Waits, albeit cautiously. "Do you need anything?"

"No. When you said that the fuckers blocked the exit, do you mean they're standing out there, or did they physically block it?"

"They welded it shut."

Waits looked over at Shea. "What happened to the stuff we got to make thermite?"

"Nicosia had it," Shea said. "I don't know where he is. Either he... he got out, or... he was killed when that fighter struck."

"Fuck." Waits turned back to Faulkner. "Let's try breaching charges. Get me two of them."

"You can't possibly be thinking of doing this after the aliens caught us in both attempts to escape," Faulkner said. "The Marines should be here soon."

"How soon is 'soon,' son? How many more people are going to die in that time? I'm not going to sit around. I'm going to clear a path so we can get these people out of here."

Waits was almost grateful to be alone while heading to the firing range's escape hatch. The door leading to the narrow vertical passage was wide open. Trails of blood stretched from the doorway. Waits's frustration and anger from earlier still lingered. He was tempted to sit, and he gradually became aware of his own exhaustion. Soreness began wrapping around his limbs like vines. A heavy desire to just sit down and rest began pulsing throughout his body.

He slumped by the door, but caught himself before he fully collapsed. I can't be stopping now. Not now.

The throbbing in his head worsened when he looked down, hands on his knees. Making himself stand, Waits resisted a groan. He dragged himself out of his head when he heard muffled thumping sounds above him. A part of him became hopeful. Are the Marines bombing the shit outta this place? Fuck, someone's gotta let them know there's still people alive here.

Waits began climbing up the ladder to the escape hatch. Sure enough, it had been welded shut. Cursing and swearing, Waits put a breaching charge on the hatch, and worked his way back down to detonate it. He hurried back up after blowing the charge, and unslung his rifle, cautiously sticking the barrel up first as he peered out of the hatch.

Above the smoke, Waits couldn't see any USCM bombers or gunships, just more alien ships. He could see the faint outline of another alien tank and an armored vehicle nearby. Lifting himself out of the hatch, Waits weighed his options. We could use the cover of smoke to get into the western part of the forest. Then again, they might be able to see us, since they caught us last time we tried fleeing. Waits double-checked his magazine pouches despite refilling them in the armory. Somewhere deep inside, something was telling him to give up. I'm not giving up. I can't give up. As long as there're people alive, I cannot give up.

Looking in the direction of the tank and the armored vehicle, Waits contemplated hijacking one of them. No, that wouldn't work. I wouldn't know how to operate it. I'd probably accidentally set off the self-destruct.

Leaves began rustling and crunching behind him. Waits turned to see the glowing blue magazines of four alien soldiers coming out of the smoky forest. Cursing to himself, Waits frantically searched for cover, and realized he was trapped between the soldiers and the two vehicles. Feeling like he had no other option, he climbed back down the hatch.

As he tried to close it, he heard a hissing voice, and the hatch began resisting him. Blood drained from Waits's face when he saw the face of an alien looking down at him. Holding the hatch down with one hand and aiming his rifle with the other, Waits fired a round between the alien's eyes. Purple blood cascaded down on him, and the corpse dropped on top of the hatch.

One of the other soldiers yanked its comrade's body out of the hole, and pointed its rifle down at Waits. They both fired at the same time, and both hit their targets. Waits's bullet hit the alien in its right eye, and the alien's energy blast struck Waits in his right shoulder. Howling in pain, Waits dropped his rifle. He slid down the ladder, grunting, swearing and screaming when his left hand started burning. Laying on the ground just outside the door, Waits bit back tears as pain from his hand and shoulder took hold of his torso. The burn on his shoulder was about the size of a baseball, and there was no blood to be seen. It hurt worse than any sunburn he ever had in his life, though the pain was more focused around the wound than in the wound itself.

His hand was still stinging badly, and blood was slowly flowing from it whenever he moved it. When he heard the alien soldiers start coming down the ladder, Waits started crawling over to his rifle. It was hard to move without his right arm, and he couldn't remember the last time he shot something left-handed.

Regardless, he wasn't letting the bastards get in the tunnel.