Jacinto's Military Base of Operations

Present Time

"Yeah, they preferred to be Stranded, even though it was a nice clean name for a dirty, terrible thing. The poor saps outside the wire were the betrayed. The COG was another enemy now, somehow even worse than the grubs. Grubs didn't kill their own."

-Dizzy Wallin's inner thoughts about living in the Stranded camps after the Hammer strikes.

The cafeteria was modestly full, for being so early in the morning. I did a quick scan of the room, and saw...nothing. No hostile stares, no whispered words behind my back, just...nothing. Either they had forgotten I was there, or they had grown indifferent to my presence. I had a feeling that none of them knew about the fight between Baird and I, at least not yet. Baird's huge mouth hadn't had a chance to whine to the cafeteria about being beat by a girl, and I chose to relish that fact as long as possible.

Dom and Cole had already sat down with their meals, and Marcus was heading towards them with his own tray. I briefly contemplated joining them without getting a tray, but figured they'd force me to go get some food. Heaving a sigh, I got in line.

I didn't even notice the battered cowboy hat in line ahead of us until Sam gave a happy woof. I smiled, happy at seeing a familiar face. Grabbing a tray, I cut in line, figuring if anyone minded they could just get the hell over themselves. Standing behind him, I summoned my best 'sergeant' voice.

"Sup, Private," I barked at him. He whipped around, probably wondering if he was going to get stuck on a charge for something or another; probably drinking, although it was a bit early for that.

He wrinkled face creased into a grin. "Aww, shit!" he laughed, slapping me on the back. "Lookit who's here! Them grubs in for the shit, now!"

I had to laugh at Dizzy's contagious excitement. He was an old friend; one who had taken care of me as I slowly learned how to brave life on the streets when I became Stranded. Even though he had turned to the COG to secure refuge for his two girls, we still kept touch. He kept me informed on the happenings around base and what squads could use me shadowing them, and I kept him in the loop of daily Stranded life.

"Shit, girl," he said, eyeing me with his watery brown eyes. "What are y'all doing round here? This ain't exactly your place."

I shrugged. "I'm babysitting Delta. Just...not in the expected way."

He cocked an eyebrow, waiting for a more detailed explanation that was not forthcoming. I didn't want to explain here that I had actually been caught lifting a kit out of a COG Centaur. For some reason, I didn't think that that would go down well, especially with so many gears within earshot. The line was moving, anyway, and I motioned him closer to the servers.

The cook on duty gave a disdainful look at us, which could have been reserved for either me, Dizzy, or Sam; who was currently sniffing the floor for any discarded food. Dizzy passed his tray up, and when it came back, it was filled with a sourdough roll, a slice of some kind of meat, and a mound of mushy yellow things that smelled faintly of eggs.

Dizzy waited while I passed my tray up to the cook. When it came back it was practically empty, aside from half a scoop of the powdered eggs. I gave it a mournful look, but didn't say anything, wondering how much jerky I still had in my pack.

I turned to go, but Dizzy stopped me with one hand. He fixed the cook with a look that clearly said explain. "Come on now," he said. "That ain't enough for a bird to eat."

The cook glared at him. "She's not a gear," he spat.

Without hesitating, Dizzy pulled my tray out of my hands and replaced it with his overflowing one. He passed his 'new' tray up again. "Alright then, I'm a gear. Fill 'er up."

The cook obviously decided it wasn't worth fighting over, and dished up the huge portions. He pushed it back towards Dizzy then moved down the line, making it clear that he was done with us. Rolling my eyes, I turned with Dizzy to find a place to sit at Delta's table. "You didn't have to do that," I whispered to him, a hint of embarrassment in my voice as I kept my eyes trained on Sam.

"Do what?" he boomed, almost as loud as Cole would have. "That wasn't nothing. Told you, anything I'd do for my girls, I'd do for you."

I could feel my cheeks grow warm, and I gave him a small smile. "You know, you kinda rock," I told him. It was nice to know somebody had my back once in a while, although I still insisted on making my own way in the world.

He winked at me. "Yep, I know it. Us Stranded folk have to stick together."

I found it interesting that he still referred to himself as Stranded. Deciding to leave that conversation for another day, I changed topics. "So, how are Maralin and Teresa?"

"Fine, fine, just fine," he said as we reached Dom, Cole, and Marcus. "Gentlemen," he said as a greeting. "Mind if we join you?"

Nobody had any complaints, so I sat next to Dom, across the table from Marcus. Dizzy sat next to the next few minutes, nobody said anything. The only sound was Cole shoveling watery eggs into his mouth. Trying to ignore the tense atmosphere, I cut the dense roll in half. I then placed the meat on one side and a forkful of eggs on the other, forming a makeshift sandwich. Resting both elbows on the table, I took a bite.

While chewing, I happened to glance at Marcus, and then back for a double take. Marcus had frozen, staring at Dom and I, his fork suspended in the air between his mouth and plate. Uncomfortable, I glanced at Dom to see if he had grown a second head or something.

Dom was staring at me with the same befuddled look that had to be mirrored on my face. He had both elbows resting on the table as well, and in his hands, a venison and egg sandwich identical to mine.

Feeling like I had just been caught with my hand in the cookie jar, I slowly lowered my sandwich to the plate and took a bite of eggs. My eyes flickered up to Marcus to see if this was acceptable, or if he had a problem with me eating my eggs too. Marcus had gone back to eating, but every so often he'd glance up with an unintelligible look on his face. Thankfully, no one else seemed to notice the tense exchange.

A tray clattered to the table. Baird sat, angrily mixing his eggs with the meat. Feeling slightly abashed, I examined my handiwork from the fight; a small cut on the bridge of his nose, and a bruise lightly shadowing the curve of his jaw. He looked up, feeling my eyes on him. "What?"

I smirked. "Just making sure I didn't mess up that pretty face of yours," I teased, just to show him that there were no hard feelings.

He grunted, eating a bite of eggs. Cole laughed, clapping Baird on the shoulder. "That's alright, Lil sis! His pretty face has survived plenty of punches."

Dizzy glanced between us. "Somebody wanna fill me in?"

Before I could explain, Cole answered him in his booming voice. "Baird here got an education." He laughed, "Lil sis schooled him on some manners!"

"More like she went berserk on me," Baird grumbled. "It was one slap. One little, innocent slap. And she decks me. She friggin' decks me."

"Well...you deserved it," Marcus spoke for the first time that morning. Baird blinked at him, as if surprised that Marcus would call him out.

The look on Baird's face got everybody laughing. I wasn't sure what was funnier- Marcus' nonchalant face as he said it, or Baird's stunned expression that he said it. "Yeah, laugh it up, assholes!" Baird barked at us, which just made us laugh harder.

A woman came up and stood behind Baird. "Whats so funny, Blondie?"

I bit my lip. Blondie? I thought to myself. Oh, I'll have to remember that one...

The woman was older, about Mamma's age. Although, while Mamma looked like a pre E-day doting grandmother, this woman looked more like a smack in the mouth waiting to happen. She was wearing mismatched plates, and her streaked-gray hair was tied back in braids. She cut her steel-gray eyes over to me. "Who's this?"

Standing, I nodded once in her direction. "Call me Bri."

She looked me over once before extending her hand for me to shake. "Sergeant Bernadette Mataki."

I shook her hand once, uncomfortable with the motion. A handshake had become an antiquated gesture that was basically meaningless in the rest of Sera. Most people never got close enough to shake hands, kept at bay by distrust and risk of disease. She nodded once before shifting her gaze to Marcus. "What's this? Are you pulling in civvies now?"

Marcus grunted, and I got the feeling he didn't want to have to explain anything to Mataki. Too bad. This I wanted to hear.

"We caught her-" Baird started to explain, but then stopped suddenly, as if someone had kicked him under the table. From the look on his face, I'd bet somebody did.

"Don't worry 'bout it, Boomer Lady," Cole said, flashing that million-dollar smile her way. "She's just our new...mascot."

I nearly choked on my next bite of food. Mascot? Cole winked at me, and I figured he probably knew what he was doing better than I did. I figured 'Stranded-that-we-caught-looting-our-tank' probably wouldn't go down well with the Sergeant. "You'd better watch yourself, though," he said in mock warning to Sam. "She likes cats."

Not sure what he meant, I offered up a tentative "I like cats, too…"

"Good," she said, taking a seat next to Marcus. "Let's exchange recipes."

I blanched, letting my fork clash to the table. I blinked, before composing myself and offering up a tiny smirk. "Well, then…" I tried to come up with a sarcastic remark, but I blanked. Damn…cats?

She rolled her eyes, then patted Cole's arm affectionately. "Don't mind him. He just doesn't understand that women will do what's necessary to survive, when men don't have quite the stomach." She gave Sam a pat on the head. "Dogs, on the other hand, are too bloody useful."

Marcus eyed her, evidently not buying into her innocent banter. "Something you need?" he asked in that low grumble of his.

"Hoffman wants to see you in an hour for a debrief. Apparently they got something off the intel you gathered at New Hope."

Marcus' eyebrow twitched, like he wanted to hike it up but he wouldn't lower himself to actually show such a reaction. "You know about that?"

She scoffed, "Come on, Marcus. The whole base is buzzing about it. Prescott withholding information this late into the war? Everybody's wondering what else the tosser has up his sleeve."

Dom cleared his throat. "What we going to do with our number five? I doubt this is something Hoffman needs to be concerned with." His gaze shifted down to me, and I realized he was wondering if they could trust me on my own.

"Hey!" I said, forming the perfect reassuring smile that I had used on plenty of people before- guards so they'd let me in after curfew, teachers when I forgot my homework, and Ace when I had gotten in trouble again. "I'm a big girl now. I can take care of myself." He cleared his throat, and I realized that wasn't why he was concerned. My smile slipping, I narrowed my eyes. "And I'm not going to leave base. Not unless you guys want me to."

Baird started to open his mouth, but Dom talked over him. "Of course not." He flicked his gaze over to Marcus to make sure this was okay. "It's just…"

He trailed off, and the reason for his unease hit me like a ton of bricks. He was afraid some of the other gears would take advantage if Delta stepped away for a minute. I took a moment to place my tray on the ground for Sam to get. Standing, I addressed the whole table. "I'll be fine. Seriously, guys. I don't need you to baby-sit me."

Not giving them a chance to argue, I turned on my heel and started off to the other side of the cafeteria. I pulled my canteen out of my pack, heading towards the sinks to refill it. There was a gear already standing there, screwing the lid tight on his own canteen. Turning, he smiled when he saw me, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. There was something dangerous about him, predatory even.

"Hello there…" he drawled, re-attaching his canteen to his belt. He still had that same odd, cold smile on his face.

"Hello," I answered, forcing a smile of my own on my face. It was just a courtesy. Anyone with half a brain could realize that this wasn't going to end well. A chill ran down my spine when I realized that this man would force me to kill him.

He reached for my canteen, and I resisted the urge to duck out of reach. "Let me help you with that." Without taking his eyes off my face, or losing that damn smile, he unscrewed the lid and dumped out the last bit of water it had contained. He screwed the top back on and handed it back to me.

I kept smiling at him. "Thank you. Probably could have handled emptying it by myself, but I appreciate the help."

When I moved toward the sinks, he blocked me. The smile finally slipped from his face. "Oh, I think you're done here." He loomed over me, and I took a step back, determined not to let him intimidate me.

I felt a presence at my back and I panicked. Shit, I can't take two of them! Could I?

I sidestepped away from them, searching for the face of my new attacker. It was Marcus. He stood at my back, a silent but formidable weapon.

He observed the situation, eyeing the gear with a slight hint of disdain in his expression. "Some reason why you're still here?"

If it had been anybody else, the gear might have pushed it. I saw his eyes graze over the deep and ragged scars on Marcus' face, and he all but tucked his tail between his legs and ran. He flipped us the bird as he left, but I figured that was better than getting into another fight. Marcus grunted before stepping forward and filling his canteen. He clipped it to his belt before reaching back for my own. I gave it up, biding my time.

He turned, replacing the lid with a twist of his large hand. I took it from him, giving him a caustic look.

"You didn't have to do that."

He didn't look surprised as we started back for the table. "Do what?"

"Fight him. I don't need you, or anyone else, looking out for me. I could have taken him." He glanced down at me, sizing me up.

"I'm sure you could have," he said, but his tone said the opposite.

Grabbing his large bicep, I pulled him to a stop. Not an easy feat, and there was no way in the world I could have done it if he didn't cooperate. He stood a head and a half over me, and had to weigh twice as much as I did. "I mean it. I don't need, or want, you to fight my battles."

"Fine," he said, pointedly staring at my hand on his arm. "Won't happen again."

He pulled out of my grasp, turning away and effectively ending the conversation. I was left with the unshakable feeling that I had let him down somehow. I gave myself a mental head slap, deciding I was getting too deep, too quick. You heard Cole. You're a plaything; nothing more, nothing less. Eventually they'll throw you out on your ass, and then where will you be? I didn't want to think about that, so I didn't. Pushing all those dark, scary thoughts to the back of my mind, I followed after Marcus.

Sam was gobbling up bits of food that had been tossed to her from Cole and Dom. Baird was tipped back in his chair, balancing precariously on two legs. I fought the urge to grab his chair and wrench it out from underneath him, and settled for smacking him lightly on the back of the head.

"Hey!" he protested, swiveling his head around to see me smirking behind him. "What was that for?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. Thought you might deserve it." I looked to Cole. "Did he?"

Mataki answered. "Yep. He did." She stood, looking down on Baird. "Don't friggin' call me 'Granny', or I'll smack you on the back of the head, and you won't piss straight for a week."

Baird glared at both of us. "I'm in hell. This is my hell."

Marcus ignored our little exchange. "Move out. We got that debrief with Hoffman." He grabbed the remnants of his breakfast and headed out, without bothering to check if we were following. Mataki took off in the other direction after mumbling a goodbye to the guys. Dizzy stood, giving me a nod.

"See you 'round," he said, tipping his hat. "Need to go see to my girls, and then Hoffman's got a job for me."

I muttered a goodbye to him, following after Delta. I quickly deposited my tray at the cleanup station, then reassured Dom I wouldn't get in any more trouble. Turning on my heel, I headed in the opposite direction, as if I was planning to hang with Dizzy some more.

Exiting the cafeteria from the south entrance, I followed the hallway around the first corner. I headed down the stairs at a fast clip, dodging gears in uniform and a few civilians thrown in the mix. Keeping my head down, I left the base.

The streets were relatively empty, with families just finishing breakfast. Gears had either already left for missions, or were on their way back in. I turned right, clicking my fingers for Sam to follow. I paused after a hundred yards or so, looking around innocently to make sure no one was following me. No guards came running, so I quickly hefted myself over the chain link fence that surrounded base. I waited for Sam to dig her way under through a hole, then took off at a fast pace.

While inside the base, there were certain wings that I never could have gotten into without proper clearance. The base was fenced off, making the need for all day guard nonexistent. There were a few stationed at the front entrance, but last night I walked in with Delta, and they weren't concerned with people leaving the base. Now, there were no guards, no checkpoints, and I was still technically on base. Now to get to Hoffman's office.

I stuck close to the mossy building, paranoid about being caught by some well-meaning civilian, or gears doing morning PT drills. Most days, it was shoot first, ask questions never. I knew how to maneuver my way around outside, just from all the time I used to spend out here with Ace growing up. That, and the fact that I used to pull tons of pranks around here. I'd never be caught on camera, just cause I was never inside while pulling off my past indiscretions. You'd be amazed at how many offices you could get into from the outside.

Nearing the western part of building, where all the 'higher ups' were located, I stopped and counted off windows, starting at the left. The one I needed was on the third floor, seven windows in. There was a modestly sized oak tree growing right outside. Bingo.

Tightening my sniper's strap around my chest, I jumped for the lowest branch. Dangling there for half a second, I used my upper body strength to pull myself up, till I had my boots on the branch. For once, I was grateful for my small stature. A full size gear could have never managed this.

Slowly working my way up the tree by using the branches and a bit of ingenuity, I managed to make it up to Hoffman's window. And, of course, the window was closed and blinds drawn. Shit, I thought to myself, frantically looking for another way to listen in on the debrief.

There was an antiquated air conditioning unit hanging by rusted nails. Pulling my pocket knife, I slowly crept forward, making sure to keep my weight balanced on the branch. I wasn't looking forward to another fall from a three story height. Slowly turning the screws with the tip of my knife, I pulled them out, one by one. As quietly as I could, I removed the air conditioner, wrapping a bit of rope through it and tying it to the branch next to me, so I wouldn't have to worry about it falling and revealing me.

Peering through the vent that was still screwed into the wall from the inside, I could just make out the four gears in armor, plus a suspiciously bald head. I was in. I smirked, straddling the branch, and settling in for the whole meeting. I'm so good I scare myself…

"Gentlemen," Colonel Hoffman said in his trademark southern twang, apparently just starting the debrief. "The intel you gathered at New Hope was invaluable."

"Just how invaluable we talking?" a voice - Baird - asked. "Cause I don't do this shit for my health, ya know?"

I heard a slight thump, probably someone slapping Baird on the back of the head, before Hoffman continued. "This could mean the end of the war on the Locust."

Blinking, I inched forward, straining to see farther into his office. Interesting…

"You wanna elaborate on that, sir?" Marcus asked, probably just as curious I was. All those musty, degraded papers. Who knew they could mean so much to the war?

Finally, Hoffman continued, free of interruptions. "We now have the location of the Locust stronghold, Nexus, and the position of the Locust Queen."

There's a locust queen? I thought, just as Cole asked, "Where's this 'stronghold' at?"

"It's at the base of Mount Kadar," Hoffman answered. "What we need you to do is enter Nexus at the entrance here," there was a pause while Hoffman must have pointed something out on a map. "Then find the bastard's capital city. Mark it using Jack's beacon, and we'll drill down and hit 'em where it hurts."

"In, out, kick ass. Can do, sir," Cole said. There was a stirring sound as Delta began to leave.

Wondering who or what Jack was, I swung my leg around the tree branch, deciding it was time to leave. Just as I was preparing my descent, I heard Dom speak. "Sir? In the information we handed you, there wasn't any word of Maria, was there?"

I froze, hanging onto Hoffman's next words. "Sorry, son," he said, sounding softer than I had ever heard him. Of course he'd treat his gears decent, the bastard. "There was nothing. I would have told you had there been any."

Dom sighed, before muttering a thank you. I heard the door shut behind him as he left the office. Feeling oddly saddened for the man, I shook my head. "Can't fault him for trying," I murmured, before focusing on the next branch.

I was halfway down the tree when I heard the window above me open. "Damn, baby! Thought that was you! Whatcha doing in a tree?"

Startled, I lost my grip on the rough tree branch. I yelped as I fell through the air, landing flat on my back with a huge whump!

"Oww…" I groaned, not wanting to move just yet. I laid there a while, trying to gather up the nerve to stand and face the embarrassment of falling out of a tree. I never fell out of trees. I used to be able to climb faster than any boy in the neighborhood; a feat I had flaunted often.

A door creaked open behind me, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Of course there would be a courtyard door right behind me, after I had gone through all the trouble of climbing the fence and sneaking around base.

"Shit, lil sis! Talk to me!" Cole said, slightly frantic. He landed on his knees beside me. He felt my ankles, checking for broken bones, before slowly moving his hands up my legs. "Say something!"

Finally finding my voice, I croaked out a sorry, "If your hands go any higher, I'm filing for sexual assault."

Cole rocked back on his knees, blowing out a breath. "Shit. You really had me scared there for a second."

Sitting up, I gave him a mock-annoyed look. "Yeah, next time don't yell at me while I'm climbing out of a freaking tree." He have me a sheepish smile, lending a hand to haul me to my feet. I sniffed the rotten air. "Whoa...what stinks?"

He gave a sniff, then widened his eyes as he caught sight of something behind me. "Looks like somebody was sick last night. And you just hit ground zero."

Of course. Why wouldn't this happen? I sighed as I removed my leather jacket, grimacing when I saw the putrid vomit splattered down the back. "Anywhere else?"

He examined me. "Looks like it splattered down your legs." Taking a closer look, he said, "And they must like corn."

I sighed again. The cargos would have to be washed. I had a change of pair, though. "Anywhere else?"

He gave me a slow smile, like he had something to say, but really didn't want to say it. "Um, some of it got in your hair."

I sucked in a shocked breath. "Get it out! GET IT OUT!" I grabbed the base of my ponytail and lifted it from the skin of my neck.

"Calm down, okay? It's going to have to be washed out." He took the jacket from me, holding his arm out towards the doors. "Let's get you to the showers. No offense, but you ain't smelling too hot."

I followed him inside, trying to ignore the assault on my nasal passages. Cole opened the door, and I followed him inside, resigned to the embarrassing walk through the base. "I have corn-vomit in my hair..." I groaned quietly, not quite sure how this could get worse.

"Don't worry, lil' sis. We'll get you fixed up and prettier than ever." He started to pat my shoulder, thought twice, and settled for giving me a thumbs up.

And the cherry on top of this shit sundae? Baird was waiting for us inside. He took a breath, probably about to launch into some self-righteous speech, but he gagged on the noxious fumes coming from the vomit splattered down my back. "Holy hell!" he said, backing away. "When did you eat the road kill?"

Narrowing my eyes at him, I contemplated punching him in the face again. Instead, I sighed, "It's a new perfume. Eau de vomit. You like? I'm thinking about mass producing it."

He gagged theatrically. "It could peel paint. But I don't know, maybe it smells great to you Stranded types."

Just as I was about to shoot a scathing remark his way, Cole ushered me past him. "Be smooth, 'kay, baby? She's having a bad day."

Baird snorted, probably excited at the prospect of me having a 'bad day'. "Hurry up then," he called after us. "We're wheels up at oh-nine-hundred hours. It's time we took this fight to the Locust."

Aaanndd...cue in cliffhanger! So we're finally getting somewhere in this story! Don't worry, I'm not going to walk you through Nexus like they did in the game. Actually, we have plenty of chapters before we actually arrive at Nexus. I'll leave just enough in so y'all know where we're at, but I'll keep it fresh and original. And for those who haven't played Gears of War 2, I'll try not to spoil it for you. (Except this one part, but if you've read any gears fiction, you probably already know it.) Anyone seeing where I'm going with this? 'Big Reveal' wise?

As always, thanks go out to rockforthecross74 for betaing this!

Thanks for reading, and please leave a review on your way out! I'll even send you a free preview, just because I'm that nice of a person! : D