Chapter Twenty-Two: Battle of the Beach


Valdain burst through the door of the storage closet, followed closely behind by the two scientists. "Seriously, buddy, what's going on?" Gina asked. "You just ran off without explaining what was happening! At least fill us in on your plan!"

"It isn't so much a plan as it is a method of denying Alkaria valuable intelligence," said the robot, collecting an assortment of tools. "The procedure to remove the device will be crude, but there is no time for precision." He handed Rhodes a crowbar.

"W-what exactly am I supposed to do with this?" he asked.

"Alkaria has just explained to us exactly how she knew our every move!" Valdain said, handing Gina bolt cutters. "We surmised that she had a way of tracing our actions, and she has admitted not only that she has, but exactly how she did so!" He swept a number of assorted supplies off a nearby table before lying down on it. "Quickly, we must remove her tracking device!"

The pair looked at each other, unsure of how exactly to proceed. "Uh…and this tracker of hers, where would it be?" Rhodes asked. "I don't want to have to tear you apart to get it."

"It is likely right here, within my midsection," Valdain said, placing his hand on where his stomach would be. "Do not worry about causing me any pain, but please be careful not to damage any important systems. Too badly. As I said, this will not be a delicate job."

"Well, if you say so," Rhodes said, approaching him hesitantly. He gingerly placed the tip of the crowbar between two metal panels and began to pry them apart. Gina noticed that Valdain was gripping the edges of the table as his abdomen split apart. Realizing that his careful efforts weren't garnering much progress, Rhodes pulled with all his might, opening a hole to their ally's inner workings.

The robot then let out a sharp cry of pain. "Wait-wait-wait, you can feel?" Gina asked, horrified. "And you're asking us to root around your insides while you're still awake?"

"Don't worry, the pain is muted compared to living organisms," he explained hurriedly, "and even if it wasn't, we have no time! Hurry, find the device and remove it!" She peered inside. "It will likely be a small, oval-shaped object with a blinking hexagonal light."

A brief scan of Valdain's inner workings brought up no such device. "Uh, hate to break it to you, buddy, but all I see is a lotta wires and some flashy bits. It could be deeper in, but I'd have to…" She looked up at him, her expression conveying the nature of her task."

"As I have said, it is necessary," Valdain said, hiding his trepidation. "You must find it and remove it, regardless of my discomfort."

Gina shrugged. "In that case, I'm goin' in." She pushed the metallic organs and intestines aside, trying not to think about what she was basically doing. "Wait, I think that might be it back there…"

Rhodes leaned in to confirm. "Yup, that's definitely it," he said. The tracker was fastened to Valdain's spinal column equivalent using a multitude of wires and cables. "Now comes the tricky part."

The bolt cutters were lowered into the robot's body. "I'd offer you something to bite down on, but y'know," said Gina. "On three, ready? One–" She snipped through the wires around the device, alarmed at a sudden spasming from Valdain, as though he was malfunctioning. "Val!"

"I am fine!" he said in a strained voice. "Don't stop until it is removed!"

Wanting to get this over with as soon as possible for all their sakes, Gina tried to snip through as many wires in one cut as the tool was able. Though since the tracker seemed to be welded to Valdain's spine, Rhodes had to pry it loose with his crowbar. Through it all, Valdain stayed mostly silent, only letting out occasional stifled grunts. Even if it wasn't as painful as it could have been, Gina had to admire his persistence.

At long last, she pulled the tracking device from within his mechanical innards. She held it aloft, its light still blinking. "Congratulations, Mr. Tramarkos, it's a boy."

No sooner than the device had been removed, Valdain shot upright to grab it, throwing it against the floor. When it did not break, he looked at Rhodes and gestured to it. "Quickly!"

Rhodes speared downward with the crowbar, smashing the device in two with just as many more swings. Everyone panted heavily, their mission successful. "That…was not something I thought I'd be doing today."

Valdain got to his feet, Gina catching him when he stumbled. "Woah, easy there, tiger! You just finished surgery without anesthetic, you shouldn't be walking just yet!"

"It…it's nothing that cannot be repaired later," he said. "But now, I must do my part to aid you all in fighting off Alkaria's forces. Help me to the control room, and I will do what I can."

Gina did so, keeping Valdain upright as he limped on. "See if you can find a welding torch or something," she asked Rhodes. "I know he can't exactly get infected, but I hate leaving him like this." He nodded, heading deeper into the room to look for something of that nature.

As she carried him out into the hallway, the sound of artillery thumping away from the roof rattled the nearby walls. "It won't be long until they are here," Valdain said. "Knowing Alkaria, she will no doubt not be far behind."

"So, she's joining the fight herself, huh? So much for her not being intimidated by us," said Gina.

"Indeed," Valdain added. "I believe she is more intimidated by your prowess than she lets on. And if she considers you all a threat…that means you can win."

"Easy there," Gina said. "There's a big difference between 'can' and 'will,' you know. We still have to deal with her whole army first."


The ships had begun evasive maneuvers once the artillery started firing. A few of the slower ones were hit, and careened down into the sea, but the vast majority spread out all across the island. Fighter jets were scrambled to intercept, but plenty of dropships still made it to the ground. Daniel readied his weapon, awaiting orders.

And then, they came: "All units, press the attack!"

"Go, go, go!" Daniel urged Fireteam Victor forward as they, along with dozens of other teams, charged the approaching enemy. Bullets and beams flew back and forth across the battlefield as the machines emerged from the treeline. But they were not the only ones with lasers, as a barrage of energy ripped through the approaching robots. From the base's rooftop, a battalion of Quartzbreakers kept the enemy at bay.

Likewise, BAINE was not the only one fighting back. Soldiers both on foot and in armored vehicles opened fire on the Koh'i'Noor forces. The humans' defenses were significant, but so was their opposition's offense. Fighter ships swooped past and unleashed fire on the charging troopers as jets soared in pursuit. Just as many machines emerged from the ocean as the forest, making this an attack on two fronts.

Luke took cover behind a rock as a squadron of Scavengers surrounded him. "Get some of this!" he yelled, sending bursts of bullets tearing into them. As they fell one by one, a Predator made its way towards him, charging its cannon. He raised his weapon to do the same to it, only for a dreaded click to reach his ears.

Before it could fire, the Predator was thrown to the ground. James pressed his boot against its chest and opened fire into its face, shredding it to scrap. "Close one, eh?" he said, ducking behind the rock as well.

"Too close." Luke inserted another clip into his rifle before leaning out from cover, firing a few rounds at the approaching robots. "Looks like Alkaria was holding out on us back at the Polaris place! There's enough bots here to take over a small country!"

"Not if that small country has BAINE guarding it," James said, opening fire on a nearby Scavenger. "Bridge! Any sign of those dropships slowing?"

Daniel looked at the skies, which were swarming with both ships and planes. It was hard to tell which was which, let alone how many there were. "Negative. I wouldn't expect their advance to let up anytime soon."

An explosion ripped through the sand, scattering Koh'i'Noor troops in every direction. "Hey, speaking of advance," Ichigo said, C4 detonator in hand, "it looks like the second wave is on its way. And they're comin' in way faster!"

The defenders had no time to collect themselves as more machines emerged from the treeline, this time accompanied by aerial Raptor units, which wasted no time in making a beeline for the stronghold. Evading the Quartzbreakers' fire, the flying robots searched for windows and other points of entry.

"They're tryin' to get in!" said Vargas, saturating the air with beams. "They're too fast, we can't hit 'em all!"

"Cover me!" Hester ran forward, sliding behind the rock as well. Luke and James ran out either side, playing defense as she lined up her shot. Moments after a Raptor landed, it would explode into shrapnel as a sniper bullet tore clean through it.

With snipers like Hester clearing them out, the Quartzbreakers were able to further thin the Raptor flock. "Whoo, bullseye!" Vargas exclaimed after seeing one's head explode. "But let's see you top this!" As more of the aerial units approached, he shifted his gun into its blade configuration, slicing them in half as they flew nearer. He held up his weapon to block when they fired back before his teammates shot them out of the sky.

"Heads up–one got past!" another of the Quartzbreakers yelled. Vargas quickly went after it, bisecting this one as well before it could break through the vent it was pulling at. After that, he focused his attention on the other front.

On the beach end of things, Koh'i'Noor were emerging from the water like vengeful ghost pirates. They trudged up onto the sand, immediately firing on any resistance once they surfaced. Soldiers kept them at bay, but this side of the base was less defended than the other, making it more vulnerable to the invaders. Vargas did what he could and lit up these as well. But something else soon became apparent. The machines emerging from the water were only a fraction of what Alkaria had in store.

Along with the fighters and dropships that made up the armada, a single enormous vessel had come along, but had hung back from the front lines. Vargas had assumed it to be some sort of command ship, until he spied it descending towards the water. Although hard to see from this distance, parts of it appeared to be shifting. Suddenly, almost the entire mass of the ship dropped down into the ocean.

For a split second, Vargas saw treads on the vehicle's underside, like those on a tank. This thing was absolutely bristling with armaments, which shot at the warships the moment they opened fire. And he was sure that it was slowly crawling across the seafloor towards land. He turned on his radio to contact the others.

"Uh, guys?" he said, uncharacteristically nervous. "I don't wanna alarm you, but there's a massive frickin'...I don't even know, some kind of moving building headed right for us."

"'Moving building?'" said Ichigo. "What exactly are you…oh. That thing. Yeah, now I see where you're coming from."

Bridge radioed for aid. "Command, what should we do about this new development?"

"Stay focused on the ground troops for now," came the reply. "Our heavy artillery will keep it at bay for as long as it can, but until then–" He was suddenly interrupted by another voice.

"M-may I?" asked Valdain. There was a brief exchange of equipment. "Everyone, that is what is known as a Broodmother! It acts as a kind of mobile factory, creating new troopers as it advances on the enemy base. Enemy in this case, of course, meaning us."

"It's nice to know what it is, but how do we blow it up?" someone asked.

"I…do not believe we can," he said. "We would need something larger and with more force than we are currently equipped with to damage its armor. However, I believe I have a solution. I will need someone to report to the control room–I will explain there."

The mic was handed off once more, this time to Gina. "Fireteam Victor, that might as well be you!" she said. "Quick, get in here!"

Amidst the chaos, the rest of the team waited for Daniel's confirmation. "Fireteam Victor, prepare to fall back," he soon said. Moving back proved no easier than moving up, as the surroundings were still thick with gunfire. "Vargas, Ichigo, cover our retreat!"

"You ready?" Hester asked the two nearest to her. She waited for a lull in the carnage before making her move. "Go, now!" She took off sprinting from behind the rock, Luke and James close behind. They fired at pursuing machines as they hurried back to the base. Once more, an explosion erupted from the sand, this time right behind them.

"What's the deal, man!?" said Luke, nearly stumbling back into cover. Ichigo moved closer, throwing a grenade into a group of Scavengers. "You tryin' to blow us up or something!?"

Ichigo fired at the survivors from his explosion. "Ah, you're fine," he said. "I know my blast radiuses. Radia? Radii? Well, the important thing is I'm an explosive expert."

"'Expert,' in quotes." Vargas leapt from the rooftop, the weight of his armor shaking the ground as he landed. A storm of lasers shot forth, decimating the approaching robots. "You movin' or what?"

Daniel stood by the door, gun trained as his team made their way inside. He waited until Vargas, apparently reluctant to leave the battlefield, entered, following him and sealing the door once he was inside.

The sounds of battle were muffled inside the base, but no quieter. As the captain led his team to the control room, not everyone was on board with this plan. "I hope whatever Valdain has in store is worth it," Ichigo said. "It doesn't feel right, leaving the battle before it's done. Leaving our comrades to deal with those things without us."

"They're BAINE–they'll be fine without us," said James. "As fine as we're all gonna be if that mother thing reaches the shore, at least. We're all boned if that happens." Although nobody said anything, everyone else silently agreed.

Once they reached it, the control room was surprisingly not in panic. Like James had said, the rest of the troops were doing a fine job holding the Koh'i'Noor off. The sky was still full of both ships and jets, an enemy fighter seemingly being felled for every allied one. And out to sea, the Broodmother inched closer, both fleets doing their best to hold it back. Some of the humans' aerial units had gone over to engage with the enormous vehicle as well, making sure its cannons were occupied with anything but the base. Rhodes turned away from the monitors once he heard the team enter.

"Ah, good, good, you made it," he said, hurrying over to where Valdain was resting. "Okay, we don't have much time, tell them what you told us." Their ally was propped against an empty desk, trying to crudely hold himself together, quite literally.

"Woah," Luke said upon seeing the wounded Koh'i'Noor. "What happened to him?"

"I will explain later," he assured them. "Just know that Alkaria is no longer listening in on our conversations. Which is fortuitous, as we have a rather pressing matter to discuss."

"More pressing than literally being under siege from all sides?" said Vargas. "Alright, shoot."

Valdain stood up, not without some help from Gina. "Something I have worried about for some time now is the consequences of defeating Alkaria. If she wins, the Earth will be destroyed. But if we defeat her…there is nothing to stop Teptromina from sending another attack party when he realizes the Earth still stands."

"You're telling me this whole thing might be pointless!?" said Daniel. "We barely scraped all this together as it is, if they send another group after this one, there's no way we'll be able to–"

"Easy, easy, that's what we have a plan to deal with!" said Gina. "Val, explain if you would."

"Indeed." Valdain held up a small mechanical device–the remnants of one, in any case. "This is the very tracker that Alkaria has been using to keep tabs on our movements. The same one Doctors Rhodes and Packard managed to remove from, er, within my person." Several of the others looked down at the marks from his impromptu surgery. "It has been disabled, but I believe I can repair it so as to reverse its effects. Sending signals rather than receiving them."

"And make Tetra-whoever think the Earth was destroyed?" From the confusion in Luke's voice, it was clear he wasn't entirely sold on the plan.

"Precisely," continued Valdain. "However, it will not be that simple. Alkaria herself is the only one with clearance to send messages to the Oculus. As such, we will need to run our false clear signal through her processor in order to have it be received. In a matter both fortuitous and unfortunate, I estimate that she will join the fight herself soon."

The team was quiet as they thought this over. "I dunno, man," said Ichigo, "seems like a lot could go wrong. And how exactly is that supposed to stop the Broodmother out there?"

"That's the beauty of it: if we do manage to get access to Alkaria's frame, we'll have access to the second-strongest Koh'i'Noor signal hotspot in the entire solar system," Rhodes explained. "Once that crust-buster up there goes nuclear, all we'll have to do is hit the killswitch, and all those bots out there'll shut down."

"So, once again, it's up to us," said Vargas. "Is anyone else getting tired of being at the center of so many crises?"

"Hey, either it works or it doesn't," James said. "It might be risky, but with everything going on right now, it's our best shot." He turned to look at Valdain. "I say we trust the alien."

Luke thumped him on the shoulder. "If he's in, I'm in," he said. The rest of the team voiced their agreements with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Valdain placed the tracker on the table.

"Then let us get started."


Outside the base, the battle continued to rage. Although the plan had always been to hold off the Koh'i'Noor while the jet fighters took out their weapon, there had previously been a hope of fending off their attack. But now that the Broodmother was a factor, continuously churning out a seemingly endless supply of machines, victory seemed to rest solely on the pilots' shoulders.

But even if they should succeed, their victory would be meaningless if a second wave were to show up, one better equipped to deal with resistance. Only if both fronts defeated their opponents could they be truly called victorious. And for the ground team to succeed, everything had to go exactly according to plan.

It was first noticed in the water. Among the robots emerging from the waves, a massive dark shape could be seen slowly approaching the shore. A metal giant burst forth, water cascading from its body as it rose from the sea. Towering over its fellows, the Carnivore began its assault.

The moment it appeared, all fire was diverted towards the giant machine. Bullets didn't faze it in the slightest, and all explosives seemed to do was slow it down. Rotors buzzing, a helicopter unleashed a salvo of rockets in its direction. The Carnivore merely staggered, returning fire of its own. Hot plasma seared the helicopter's tail clean off, as it careened downwards and crashed into the beach.

From the relative safety of the control room, Luke and James watched the battle with growing concern. "That's one of the things that attacked the Polaris place," Luke noticed. "I don't know how we're gonna kill it without a building to drop on it."

"Oh, we have a building," Rhodes said. "Just one I'd prefer to keep standing."

James pointed at the screen. "Look at that: it isn't moving forward. It could bulldoze through our troops just with its size alone, but it's staying in one place. What's it trying to accomplish?"

Rather than an answer, further questions would be raised as movement came from the forest. Much like back at the Polaris blacksite, the ground shook, and trees fell as something forced its way forward. All those present looked on in horror as a second Carnivore appeared.

Much like the first, despite its superior armor and armaments, the mechanical behemoth simply began attacking the troops themselves rather than making its way towards the base. And given what it was capable of, this was equal parts devastating and puzzling, especially since there were two of them. Valdain spoke over the radio to provide an answer.

"Alkaria must be using those Carnivores to cover her advance," he said. "With our forces overwhelmed by their combined offensive, she will be able to breach the base with a small squad. That is where you all come in."

"Gotcha," Ichigo replied. "Give me the run-down one more time."

"Knowing her, Alkaria will leave taking the control room to her subordinates," Valdain explained. "I estimate no fewer than three units, and no more than six. Meanwhile, she herself will head to the last place the tracker was active. But we do not know when or where she will be here, so we must prepare ourselves now."

"Understood," said Daniel. "Rook, Svartign, you keep the control room safe. Vargas and Ichigo will protect Valdain, and Hester and I will watch the hallways. Is that clear?" A chorus of 'Yes, sir' and derivatives. "Then get to it!"

Using every table that wasn't currently occupied by vital equipment, James and Luke created several makeshift barriers around the room. They blocked the door as well, pushing a metal filing cabinet in front of it. They crouched behind cover as everyone else continued monitoring the battle, ready to take cover at a moment's notice. It wasn't long before they got their first hint that their foe was approaching.

The frightened voice of a soldier sounded out over comms. "Command, come in! There's some sort of new unit out there, tearing through our troops!"

"Heard, Captain," said Command. "We're concentrating all the firepower we can on those Carnivores, just do your best to–"

"No, not the big ones! This one's smaller, and fast, way too fast! We can barely get a bead on it before–Incoming!" There were sounds of yelling and gunfire, before the call abruptly cut out."

"She's almost here," said Valdain, clear worry in his voice. "Best of luck to everyone, and may the Mother be with us all."

Alkaria was focused on one thing, and one thing only: ending this headache. Everything she had done so far depended on her dragging that traitor kicking and screaming back to the Oculus before he ruined everything. She didn't even take pleasure in tearing through the humans' troops, simply tossing them aside without a second thought. Flanked by a small team of upgraded troops, she carved a path towards her enemy's base.

The humans were too busy being slaughtered by her Carnivores to pay her much notice. She quickly reached her destination, breaking the door off its hinges with ease. She had expected a warm welcome, but the facility seemed at first to be empty. A pair of Predators entered first, scanning the halls for hostiles. She knew where her goal was, and nothing was going to stop her from reaching him.

"Shut this place down," she ordered. "I'll handle the traitor." She bolted off towards where she had last detected his signal. The rest of the robots, detecting the source of the human's transmissions, made their way to the control room.

Security cameras had seen the Koh'i'Noor invaders. Luke and James waited, guns at the ready, as they came closer and closer. Silence…then the sounds of metal hands banging on the door. "What are the chances they'll–"

Luke didn't have time to finish, as the door and its barricade were suddenly blown apart by a Predator's cannon. The cabinet fell to the ground as smoke filled the air, obscuring the two Scavengers that entered the room. Lasers flew as they fired at the humans within who all scrambled for cover. James dove to the side, lighting up the intruders.

The bullets tore into one of the Scavengers, sending it down but not completely shutting it off. The second took a few hits, but was agile enough to take cover as well. The Predator then entered the room, cannon humming as it charged.

"Hey! Over here, tin can!" Luke banged on a table to get the Predator's attention. It worked, as it discharged its weapon in his direction. James took the opportunity to fire, targeting its cannon. Its weapon was successfully disabled, and it charged at him as the remaining Scavenger flanked the pair.

James dodged to the side as the Predator slammed its now-useless gun into the wall where his head had been moments prior. He fired a few shots into its side before ducking underneath a follow-up swing. It was noticeably hardier than its fellow he had shot into scrap earlier. As he struggled with this one, Luke dealt with the Scavenger.

Like its ally, this one was different than its kin, being somewhat more agile. It climbed onto the computers, ignoring the cowering technicians as it searched for the primary threat. Assuming him to be hiding, it hadn't expected him to tackle it from behind. Luke slammed the Scavenger into the floor, repeatedly beating its head down with his rifle until it stopped moving. He hoisted it up before charging at the Predator.

The larger machine blocked James' bullets with its larger arm, backing him into a corner. It likely would have done the same to him that he did to its fellow had it not been alerted to another's presence with a shout of "Heads up!" The Predator turned around in time to have the lifeless form of a Scavenger thrown in its face. It battered its former ally to the side, leaving it open to Luke shoving the nozzle of his rifle between its armor. He squeezed the trigger, not stopping until the cables holding its head attached had all been severed. It fell to the floor, its limbs writhing for a moment, before it was finally still.

"Nice one." James walked over, lightly kicking the fallen Predator. "You think it's dead?"

Luke glanced from the robot's body over to its head. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

While the Predator was most certainly dead, the first of the two Scavengers was not. Dragging itself into position, it charged up its cannon, aiming it at the pair. A sudden noise caused the two to turn around, though it wasn't a cannon discharging, but a gun firing. Rhodes stood over the Scavenger with a pistol in his hand, watching as both its weapon and its eyes stopped glowing.

"And that," he said, holstering the weapon, "is why you always double-check."

Elsewhere in the facility, Daniel and Hester waited for Alkaria to arrive. Their weapons were trained down the length of the hallway, ready to open fire at a moment's notice. Their surroundings were completely silent, at first.

And then, they heard it: metal limbs banging against the floor, carrying something towards them far too quickly for as large as it sounded. Both of their fingers hovered over the triggers as the robot tore around the corner, leaping off the wall as she raced straight at them.

Hester fired a shot, but Alkaria had anticipated her reaction. Daniel took aim as his partner reloaded, waiting for her to get into range. She leapt at him, and he fired, the shotgun shell tearing into her armor. Her momentum still carried her forward, tackling him to the floor.

"Insect!" she shouted, raising her arm above her head to pound him into the ground. Moments before she could, a sniper shot collided with her head, throwing her off. Daniel picked up his gun and scrambled to his feet, but Alkaria was only dazed for a moment. "Useless! Do you really think anything you do here matters!?"

Alkaria jumped aside as Hester drew her sidearm, leaping across the walls and ceiling away from the bullets. Those that didn't miss mostly grazed her, and even those that hit caused only minor damage. That is, until a second shell hit.

Silently seething, the robot crouched as Daniel fired a third shell, lunging forward and grabbing him by his neck. Hester lined up another shot, but Alkaria held Daniel up in front of her as a human shield. Before Hester could find an opening, Daniel was thrown into her, causing both to collapse. Not wanting to deal with them further, she sprinted towards her target.

"We slowed her down as much as we could–which wasn't much," Daniel said over the radio. Hester stood up first, helping him to his feet. "She's headed your way now."

"Roger that," Vargas replied. "We're ready for her here."

Although Alkaria didn't fully expect Valdain to be in the same spot as the tracker's last position, it was as good a point as any to go looking for him. Between her and the others scouring the facility, they were sure to find him sooner or later. And with her forces keeping the humans busy outside, there was hardly anyone in here to hinder her. In no time, she reached the room where the transmitter had gone dark. She kicked down the door, scanning the darkened room.

Whatever she was expecting to be in there, it certainly wasn't a single person against the rear wall. "Howdy!" Ichigo said cheerfully, raising his grenade launcher. He lobbed one of the explosives before she could react, consuming the doorway in a fiery blast. "And see ya!"

Roaring in frustration, Alkaria shook off the explosion and threw herself forward. Ichigo had the good sense to make himself scarce, so the robot found herself hitting nothing but wall. At the sound of approaching footsteps, she turned just in time to see another foe charging at her.

Vargas swung the blade with all his might, burying it in the floor as Alkaria dodged backwards. He recovered quite quickly, raising his weapon to unleash a flurry of shots. Much like before, Alkaria was nimble enough to dodge most, but the sheer volume of beams meant her armor took a fair amount of abuse. "Get to the door!" shouted Ichigo, firing another bomb at the wall.

As Alkaria braced herself from the explosion, Ichigo and Vargas both made their exit, the Quartzbreaker providing suppressing fire. "How much firepower does it take to kill this thing!?" he yelled.

"More than we got!" Ichigo replied. "Gotta go with the classics!" When both of them were clear of the blast zone, he fired two more grenades into the room, strategically weakening the structure. Before Alkaria could follow them, the ceiling collapsed, burying her in rubble.

Vargas watched the room crumble as Ichigo covered his face from the dust. At first, it seemed like they had won, or at least bought everyone some time. "Vargas to team: enemy incapacitated. Everyone to my position." Ichigo placed his hand on his friend's shoulder in celebration–but they hadn't won yet. A faint beeping tone could be made out amidst the debris, barely audible.

The pair leaned forward to investigate, when Alkaria burst out from the rubble and through the now-destroyed ceiling. Vargas fired a few shots, but she was too quick. "Strike that, she's back on patrol!" said Ichigo.

"Yeah, I think I know why!" responded Gina. While James and Luke had been successful in fending off the Koh'i'Noor, she hadn't been as lucky. The two Raptors had found their hiding spot, and were now chasing her and Valdain down the hallways. She fended them off with a pistol for now, but she could tell it wouldn't hold them back for long. "I think they just called for backup!"

She pushed Valdain into a stairwell, shooting at the incoming machines for good measure. She then motioned for him to go on ahead, holding the door closed. "Doctor Packard–" he tried to protest.

"Go on, you're the one they're after!" she said. The two Raptors fired at the door, which was thankfully thick enough to resist their relatively light shots. That wasn't to say it would hold forever, though. "I can hold them here!"

Rather than argue, Valdain hurried up the stairs. The sound of blasters was getting louder, and the metal door was getting hotter. Gina groaned in discomfort as her shoulder burned, but she held firm. All he had to do was find one other person, and he would be safe. He threw open the door on the next level and…

And found himself face-to-face with a Predator's blaster, Alkaria standing right behind it.

Valdain's metaphorical heart skipped a beat before it sank. He slowly backed into the stairwell, the Predator taking a step forward for his every step back. "All of this, for one lousy technician," Alkaria growled. Despite her anger, she seemed to take pleasure in Valdain's fear. "If anyone else had turned deserter, I would have bombed this base from orbit just to be done with it. But you, Valdain…you're a special case. You always have been."

"What happened to you, Alkaria?" asked Valdain, backed against the wall. The twin Raptors had finally made their way inside, hovering over Gina with their weapons raised. "The woman I knew would never have gone to these extremes."

"Exactly. She wouldn't. Because she was far too sentimental for her own good. Even my choosing to spare you now is an echo of that. Luckily for us, he made me better. He made sure I would never make the same mistake as you."

Valdain looked at her in horror. "He's…what has Teptromina done to you?" He looked at his fellow Koh'i'Noor. "To all of you? Thi-this goes beyond fanaticism. He's brainwashed you!"

Even behind her troop, Alkaria loomed over him. "All he did was magnify the loyalty that was already there. Now…I will give you one last chance to make things right. Come with me willingly, let this planet die, and I will not speak a word of this. Or, I could send you back the hard way…and let him fix you."

For a moment, Valdain considered her offer. Gina looked up at him: "Val…no…" He thought long and hard, before looking Alkaria in the eyes with determination.

"I will not let this planet die because of our leader's selfishness," he said defiantly. "And I swear, I will find a way to save you. All of you."

"A touching sentiment," Alkaria said. "Unfortunately, you will not even be able to save yourself. She nodded to the Predator. His blaster began charging. Valdain gave his captors one last glare, before he closed his eyes.

A shot rang out, but not from a blaster. As he was still functioning, Valdain cautiously opened his eyes to see the Predator slump over, a hole in its chest. Alkaria looked over her shoulder to see Hester readying another shot. "Get outta there!" she yelled, Daniel charging towards the door.

Valdain hit the deck as Daniel opened fire. Alkaria leapt to the upper floor as he rendezvoused with his ally. "You good?" Valdain nodded as he lifted him to his feet, taking aim at the level above. But they weren't free just yet, as the Raptors rose, blasters at the ready.

Before they could fire, a bullet collided with one of the robots' thrusters, causing it to careen to the side. Daniel took advantage of this distraction to unload several shells into the other one. Gina pulled herself up the stairs, emptying the clip on the first as the second fell to the floor. Hester arrived as well, putting two more bullets into the fallen Predator.

"Look out!" Alkaria reappeared, kicking Daniel to the ground before moving on to Hester. She threw her against the wall with a punch, before grabbing Valdain. She easily shrugged off several shots from Gina before making her way out the door…only to run into James and Luke.

The two of them opened fire, only stopping when she held Valdain in front of her. She retreated back into the stairwell, knocking Daniel aside as she headed back for the third floor. However, this time her path was blocked by a flurry of shots from a Quartzbreaker.

Now, it was Alkaria's turn to be backed against the wall. Gina and Hester stood beneath her. Daniel, Luke, and James stood before her. And Vargas and Ichigo stood above her. "Game over, Al," Daniel said. "Now drop the robot unless you're looking for a ticket to the junkyard."

Despite knowing she was beaten, Alkaria simply chuckled. "How quaint. As I said before, it's almost impressive how tenacious your humble little species is. But alas, I was never one to admit defeat. Ever."

The rumbling from the battle outside was growing louder. Far too loud to be background noise. Whatever it was, it was getting closer. "Um…does anyone hear footsteps?" asked Ichigo.

And then, the wall behind her exploded. Everyone was thrown back as the Carnivore tore through the concrete like it was tissue paper, except Alkaria and Valdain, who were seemingly buried in the rubble. The massive machine's glowing red eyes loomed over the team, focusing on Ichigo in particular. "Get outta here!" yelled Vargas, opening fire on the titan. "I'll hold 'im back!"

Hester pulled Gina out of the rubble. "Everyone, fall back!" she yelled, carrying the injured woman to safety as the Carnivore continued to tear through the building. It threw its arms up through the roof, bringing them down with enough force to completely sever most of the second floor in the stairway. Luke had gotten far enough back, firing uselessly at the giant, but James tumbled down along with the floor.

Before the Carnivore could stomp James into paste, its face suddenly exploded, causing it to stop in its tracks. "Yeah, you like that, huh!?" Ichigo yelled, firing more and more grenades at the invader. "Come on! Get some of this! Yeeeeaaaaah!"

As Daniel helped James up, Vargas focused fire on the Carnivore's leg, another explosion sending it down on one knee. "Go after Valdain!" shouted James. "We can't do this without him!" Once they were both clear of the huge robot, the captain pulled himself back to the second floor, and then the third, racing down the hallway.

It didn't take long for him to find her, as Valdain was fighting back as best he could. He found his severed leg on the floor, and the two robots weren't much farther. She had him pressed against the wall, preparing to finish him off. "Hey!" He shot at her with his pistol several times to get her attention, before raising his shotgun.

Alkaria let the shot hit her arm, grabbing Daniel before he could fire another. She slammed him into the ground almost hard enough to knock him unconscious. "I wish I could say it was an honor fighting you," she said, pulling him back as he tried to crawl away. "But that would be a lie." She removed his helmet, pressing him into the floor.

"You will simply be one among many casualties in a war far beyond you."

At that moment, Luke rounded the corner, raising his weapon. Before he could fire, Alkaria raised her leg above Daniel's head, a blade extending from the edge.

"Fire, and he dies," she said. The two of them were silent, waiting in a stalemate. "Now, isn't this exciting? Do you sacrifice the life of your commanding officer to buy your planet another few months? Or do you give him another few minutes of life? A troubling dilemma, one in which you lose in both choices–"

A loud rapport rang out. But Luke hadn't touched the trigger. Alkaria stumbled forward, half of her head in pieces on the floor. Electricity sparked and her eyes flickered, and she finally fell down, lifeless. And Valdain sat behind her, holding Daniel's gun.

Luke ran forward and lifted his captain up. "Bridge, talk to me! You alright?" Valdain dropped the weapon, looking over his fallen former friend.

"No, not exactly 'alright,'" said Daniel. "I'll be seeing stars for a minute, but that's nothing new." The sound of numerous running footsteps filled the room as the others hurried in. Most of them came from the stairwell, but Rhodes came in as well.

"Everyone! A Carnivore's breached the perimeter and…and you all probably know that already…" He walked up to the group, crouching down next to Alkaria. "So, we got her, huh?"

Valdain sat down next to her. "Indeed we have," he said, somewhat solemnly. "I am truly sorry it had to go this way, my love. But my promise to save you still stands." He stood up with James' help, steeling his resolve. "But for now, we have work to do. Carry her to the command room."

Vargas hoisted Alkaria's body over his shoulder. Everyone made their way to the control room. "How exactly did you destroy that big guy?" asked Daniel.

"Oh, we only softened it up a bit," Ichigo said. "It was those GIs that finished it off. Pro tip: a bunch of missiles usually gets the job done!"

"So, uh, we got everything we need now, right?" asked Gina. "Are we all set to take these guys down?"

"Almost," Hester said. "Their mothership is still an issue. As long as it's still intact, we can't do anything." She looked skyward. "It's all up to them now."