Author's Note: Just to parry off any confusion, the first bit of this (up until the page-break) is all in the infamous Damon Baird's point-of-view. Also,for the sake of not being creepy, I'll be changing his backstory - a LOT. (It would be weird if Bri was involved with someone her father's age.) Enjoy! :D


Just Outside Mount Kadar

Present Time

"When we are fully cleansed, and the truth comes forth, will we listen?"

-A Recording of 'Niles' from New Hope Research Facility.

Life...is all about ass.

Don't believe me? Think about it; you're either kicking it, kissing it, laughing it off, busting it, or trying to get a piece of it. Currently, I was busting mine, trying to get these friggin' Stranded bums out of the locust tunnels. I don't know why we bothered; anyone that stupid deserves to die. Natural selection, and all that.

Oh, don't you give me that look! Yeah, you. You don't know what it's been like since E-day. Humanity's been reduced to the size of a small city, and that's before you throw out the ones who should be drowned in the gene pool. Now, we finally get a chance to stick it to the grubs, and I get stuck on baby-sitting duty. This never would have happened if I'd had my own squad by now. But do they promote the genius? No, they promote the asshole who tosses me out with the trash, so excuse me if I'm not bright-eyed and bushy-tailed today.

What? Yeah, that's right, genius. Does it make you squirm 'cause I say it? I'm probably the smartest man left in with all these morons who drag their knuckles and grunt a lot. I stick with Delta 'cause they all have IQ's in the triple digits, and they haven't shot me in the ass - yet. Normally I'm nothing but flypaper for morons, but we've always managed to pull our asses out of the fire just in time. There's something to say about that, especially when so many weren't so lucky.

A solid hand slaps me on the back, and I know I'll be spending tonight fixing the dent in my armor. That's Cole, formally known as the 'Cole Train'. He's pretty much always in a good mood, which is friggin' weird for such a smart guy. He knows how deep we are in the shit, but he never lets it bother him. "Damon," he says with that irritating, ever-present grin of his. "You ain't pretty enough to sit around doing nothin', help me move some of this luggage."

Cole's not fooling me; he could probably pick up the damn Centaur and move it single-handily. He wants me to interact, to see for myself that these Stranded pukes ain't all bad.

Bull.

Bri had told us to take them back to that rundown camp she'd brought us to, and that's what we did. Some of the 'guards' down the mountain path seemed pretty confused as to why we were booking it already, but I didn't bother to stop for each one like Marcus did. He was the touchy-feely type, not me. I only answered to those who ranked above me, and only if I thought they actually deserved it. Those who brown-nosed their way to the top weren't fit to lick the mud off an enlisted man's boot.

Cole took a large suitcase off the top of the stash and passed it down. He watched me toss two ratty boxes into the dirt before speaking. "Baby, what's going on with you and lil' sis?"

My shoulders stiffened immediately, instinctively. I stepped away from the tank, shoving a handbag at some lady with maybe a bit too much force. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Cole shrugged as we started towards the slum's gates. "Nothing. Just noticed how you watch her sometimes."

"Oh? Enlighten me. How do I watch her?"

Cole waved to some straggly-assed Stranded hanging on the gate. "Like you'd kill anyone who tried to touch her, but like you don't think you're worthy to have her for yourself."

I snorted. Then, for good measure, I snorted again. "No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"It's all in your head."

"Whatever you say," Cole said easily, pissing me off even more.

I didn't want Bri. Hell, she'd probably deck me again if I tried anything. Okay, so yeah, she was hot, and I'd noticed that she had really nice legs and ass, but who wouldn't notice that? I am a dude, after all. You'd appreciate some double 'X' chromosomes too, if all you had to stare at all day was Dom's hairy ass. She was also short, which made me feel kinda protective of her, but that just explained why women shouldn't be gears. Guys should be focused on their own shit when it hit the fan. If they were all focused on helping Cinderella into her glass slippers, things where bound to start slipping.

I snorted once again. Bri…wasn't exactly the Cinderella type, however.

"She doesn't scald my eyes, if that's what you're getting at."

"There's that, too," Cole said, passing off another ripped and torn suitcase that should have been used for kindling about a decade back. He shot me a wink, "It wouldn't kill you to pretty yourself up if you're going to be in my presence."

"Yeah, I'll get right on that."

He slapped me on the back, chuckling slightly. "I'm just playin' with you, baby!" Then he got serious, shooting me a look that I had learned well. It meant that the 'Cole Train' was taking a break, and this was all Augustus Cole, straight from the heart. "Just watch your step. You hurt her, and you'll have a hell of a lot more than just trouble coming your way. You know Dom's practically adopted her already, and you know how protective he is over his lost pups."

"So let me get this straight. I'm good enough to be your friend, but not date Bri?"

"Exactly. Glad we're on the same page."

This was the part where I chimed in with some pointless cynical comment, but I couldn't get my jaw to unclench.

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, waving him off. He was probably right about Dom, but I wasn't going to piss myself at everything Dom got his pants in a twist over.

It wasn't like Dom had some kind of claim on Bri, anyway.

Cole chuckled, and then started jogging towards the Stranded camp. Ah, hell. I'd been hoping to get out of here with as little Stranded–to-asshole interaction as possible, but it looked like that wasn't going to happen. Cole would want to inform the little pukes that they had a COG armada coming to knock down their doors. Ungrateful bastards.

"Am I the only one that can feel crosshairs just…about…here?" I muttered to Cole as we jogged up to the gates. He shook his head at me, but didn't say anything. Some old woman met us at the gate, giving a warm – but slightly worried – smile to Cole.

"Hello again, Cole," she said. "Is something wrong? Where's Bri?"

"Bri's with the others," he answered her. "Perfectly safe. But…there has been a bit of an issue." Her eyes darkened as she waited for him to continue. "Ya' see, we found Nexus, but we need some more muscle to take it down. We need to ship in more troops, and the easiest way to do that is through this neat little camp y'all got here. Now, I know ya' got a little sensitive last time, but-"

"Absolutely not," someone said from behind us. That guy – Dix or whatever – gave a tight-lipped snarl that made me feel like punching his teeth down his throat. What the hell had Bri ever seen in hanging with people like this?

"Oh yeah?" I snarled at him, taking a threatening step forward. "I'd like to see you punks try and stop us-"

Cole held his hands out between us in a placating gesture. "Whoa, there. I'm sure we can come up with something that makes everyone happy-"

"Bull!" Dix interrupted, nostrils flaring with anger. "The deal we made to let y'all come through here was so that I wouldn't have to see anymore of you assholes on my turf."

I jabbed a finger his way, incredulous that someone could have their head shoved so far up their ass. "Either we move our guys in and take out Nexus, or we let the grubs have their way with you, and then we move in and take Nexus. Your choice."

'Dicks' opened his mouth to say something, but the little old lady shot him a look strong enough to bend steel. "Listen to them, Dix. This is bigger than your ego and whatever vendetta you've got against the COG. I know what they did to you, but this is more important than the past."

Dix gave her a murderous look, but his unspoken threat was empty. His shoulders slumped the tiniest bit, but his snarl didn't waver a bit in his intensity. "If you COG assholes hurt anyone, touch anyone, so much as move a hair on someone's head…" his threat hung unfinished in the air.

I rolled my neck, making the action look as impertinent as possible. Yeah, cause this little shit was gonna make us quake in our boots. "Granny's right about one thing-" I started saying.

"You may call me Momma," she said in a tone that let me know she would not tolerate being called anything else.

"Yeah," I drawled uncertainly for a second. Cole caught on pretty quick, and jumped right in.

"Baby, we ain't the boogie-man. Our job's to kill grubs, and then kill more grubs, 'til all the mother-fuckers are outta here." Cole's undeniable charm relaxed Dix's cold façade a tiny bit. "Now, look," Cole continued, "Alls we gonna do is drive our vehicles in one way and out the other. We go up the mountain, and you never have to see Blondie's ugly mug again."

"Hey!" I snapped, narrowing my eyes. Who was he calling ugly?

Dix shook his head and spat in the dirt. He stared down, thinking, before looking back up at Cole. "One hour," he said. "I'll give you one hour to get all of your forces through the camp. After that, I never wanna see you assholes again."

Cole guessed correctly that I was about to rip him a new one, so he grabbed the back of my neckplate and started talking over me as he herded me away. "Will do," he said hastily, giving me a heavy shove back towards the Centaur.

"One hour," I repeated under my breath. "Just who does he think he is? We've been fighting this war for fifteen years so he wouldn't have to, and he gives us one hour."

Cole just shrugged easily. "Shouldn't take that long. Once Dom and Marcus plant the beacon, the real time-waster is gonna be drilling down to the middle of their city." He fumbled for a sec with his comm. "Yo Marcus, man, you there?"

I pressed my comm closer to my ear so I could hear the conversation better. There was a long pause before Marcus answered, which wasn't like him at all. Usually, he answered right away, even if it was to tell us to shut the hell up. "Yeah, Cole," he answered, sounding gruff and worn out. Well, more gruff and worn out than usual. "Status update."

"We've secured transport through the Stranded Camp for our guys." Cole pointedly looked away as I mimed putting a gun to my head and pulling the trigger, showing what I thought of our task to 'secure transport'. "Command knows where we're at, we just gotta wait for them to show. What about you? Found the capital yet?"

"Yeah," Marcus answered, "And a few other things."

Cole looked like he was about to ask what Marcus meant by that, but Marcus talked over him. "Nexus is sitting on a lake of imulsion. We don't plan this right, and we could end up blowing us and the grubs to bits."

Imulsion was the highly flammable, raw fuel that we found underground and drilled for. If you didn't refine it right, it could end up taking more than a few of your fingers off.

"I'll spread the word, baby," Cole said. "Y'all all right? Bri, you enjoying your new toy?" Cole mentioned the lancer he'd given her with a smile. I rolled my eyes, fighting to ignore the way I immediately listened more closely to hear her response.

It didn't come. "Ah…Cole?" Marcus said, sounding uncharacteristically unsure. "Bri's not with us right now."

"The hell do you mean, Marcus?" I snapped into my comm, stepping away from the Centaur. "Where the hell is she?"

I snapped my eyes to Cole, feeling the fury rise in my chest. I'd told Marcus she wasn't trained, wasn't ready for this. And now these two nitwits had dicked around, not even managing to keep a Stranded girl safe. She should have come to the surface with us; she'd have been better dealing with Dix, and she'd be here right now, instead of God-knows-where.

It was just like the fight in the bathroom all over again. We'd all seen Ramos at the canteen station that morning over breakfast, and the predatory gaze half the guys had given her. There were a lot of people who weren't happy with a Stranded walking around in the heart of the COG. Bri had shown what she could do with a pistol at New Hope, but shooting a gear – even in self defense – wasn't the way this had to go down.

Bri had been throwing me for a loop all day. Usually people snapped and told me to just shut the hell up. She had been content to sit and trade colorful barbs the whole way home, never taking them too seriously or getting ticked off. Already, I knew I had met my match. I've got a habit of pushing people's boundaries, seeing how far I could push them before they snapped. And when sarcasm hadn't done it, I'd increased the dosage.

Of course, the ass-slap wasn't one of my better ideas.

I'd wanted to see how far I could push her? I found out fast. I hadn't even seen her fist come up before she was slamming it into my jaw. It wasn't the first time I'd taken a sucker-punch to the face, but dammit, she hit hard. I'd had my hands full just fending her off, and that was before she pulled the gun. I was lucky to have the left side of my face still attached.

Regardless, catching someone unawares with a few quick moves wasn't the same as being caught flat-footed against someone who was trying to kill you. Cole had an easy, trusting nature, and he'd felt it safe to leave Bri alone to wash the vomit out of her hair. Even her dog had left her, choosing instead to curl up in the corner of the garage while we prepped to move out.

I'd almost been too late. The thumps and muffled cries could be heard all the way down the hallway. One of the a-holes from breakfast had cornered her in the bathroom, and we had just left her alone. Damn it, we'd left her alone. The first thing they taught you in basic was always work in pairs, especially while in enemy territory. Cole, and Dom, and the rest of them felt safe in the base, but, in truth, there was probably nowhere more dangerous for Bri.

The door had been locked, so I'd booted it in without thinking. It hadn't even taken me half a second to register that there were blood smears all around the bathroom, probably from the split lip and bleeding gash on Bri's face. Bruises were already swelling on her neck, jaw, and left arm. She was weakly struggling against Ramos – the same gear who'd given her a tough time with the canteens. He'd lifted her by the neck against the wall, and was brandishing a glinting knife in the space next to her throat.

I'd attacked. I hadn't even paused a second to think, to remind myself that Ramos was a gear like me, that she was just some Stranded, that he'd had a knife. I tackled him, and we went down to the ground, both struggling for possession of the weapon. Suddenly, all close-quarters-combat training went out the window. Evasive maneuvers, leaving myself room to dodge and evade…none of that happened. All that mattered was getting him away from her.

If any woman could bring you to your knees, it was that woman.

I was going to kill him. I could feel it in my chest. He'd gone for a punch that I'd ducked out of, snatching the knife as I went. The blade had cut into my palm, but I hadn't even felt it. I'd yanked him to his feet, rotating the knife for a better grip. All the better to kill you with, my dear…

That was when I'd caught sight of Bri, shaking and curled up on the floor. With all her bluster and big talk, the way she'd built herself up, all of her cocky attitude…it never dawned on me exactly how tiny she really was. Compared to civilians and Stranded, gears almost looked like a different species of humans. Frontline gears were awarded three times the amount of rations of a civvie. Plus, lugging heavy armor and weapons around all day led to the muscular, brick-shithouse look every gear had.

She had to be at least a foot shorter than me, which I'd noticed, but never really noticed. Her arms were thin and shaking, painfully vacant of the mountain of muscle that gears had. Her long black hair was still wet, hanging in straggly, limp strands down her back. Her brown eyes were wide and panic-filled as she fought to keep the gun steady in her grip, as if the weight of the pistol was too much for her.

All of a sudden, I'd had something much, much more important to focus on.

I'd thrown Ramos out of the bathroom, growling some barely coherent threat his way. Bri was still curled up on the dingy bathroom floor, not looking like she even had the strength to move. And yet, she still mustered up a snarky comment to throw my way. There she was, looking like death warmed over, tossing around sarcastic barbs like nothing was wrong.

It was then I figured I was a goner.

I didn't touch her, figuring she needed her space. I'd be damned if I was going to leave her alone, though, even if that was what she wanted. I didn't want Ramos coming back and finding her again. I'd grabbed her pack so she couldn't run off, and personally escorted her to the med clinic. I figured I'd at least try to get her out of there alive.

And now Marcus was saying she was missing?

"Woah, Boss Man," Cole said, deadly serious. "There's something you're not telling us. What happened? Where's Bri? Where's Dom?"

Again with that damn pause. With Marcus, sometimes the pauses told you just as much as he said aloud. "Over the comm isn't the place to say," he finally answered. "Dom's right here, we're continuing on towards Nexus. Either Bri's not answering her comm, or she has it switched to another channel. I have Anya looking for her over the system. As soon as she says anything, we'll find her."

I snorted in derision. Again, sending in a chick who had no idea how to use the equipment given to her. I yanked my hand away from my comm after setting it to 'receive only'. "Son of a bitch..." I muttered under my breath. After Marcus and Dom set off the beacon, there'd be minutes before the COG army barreled down in force on top of Nexus, awakening every damn grub underground. Bri would be screwed if we couldn't evac her before then.

Cole signed off, and slapped the side of the Centaur. "Guess you know where we're heading," he said to me, climbing into the passenger seat. Bri was just as important – if not more – to Cole as she was to me. He'd be worried about her, too.

And just what the hell was Marcus not telling us? 'Not fit for comms?' My bullshit detector was screaming at full volume.

I jumped in the Centaur right behind Cole, hitting the gas before I'd even shut the door. "Next time Marcus has a plan, remind me to punch him in the face," I said angrily, heading back up towards Nexus.


You can't save yourself if you don't know the danger you're in.

If you're looking ahead, you can't see the past that's creeping up. We'd all like to think that we're strong, that we're capable of solving our own problems. And sometimes, you're right. Sometimes you can put on a brave face, struggle through until whatever haunts you is gone.

But sometimes, your most challenging obstacle isn't circumstance, isn't some external force, or even your worst nightmare. Sometimes, it's those closest to you, those you never even saw coming.

As a soldier, there's no greater luxury in the field than working with a friend you rely on. When you find someone you can trust absolutely, you want them on every operation you do. And nothing hurts worse than having that trust broken; to be betrayed by those you thought would always have your back.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her dying.

I saw her sickened and emaciated corpse slowly sinking to the earthen floor while her blood painted the walls in a deep red. I saw Marcus' ice-cold eyes appraising me, betraying me. I saw the false innocence in his eyes as he rose up, the evidence of his atrocious crime lying at his feet.

I felt the absoluteness of their betrayal with each echoing footstep that brought me towards their demise. I wasn't trying to be quiet; let the Locust come. Let anyone come. A fight was just what I needed to release some of the stifling pressure building up in my chest. I had been walking for hours, but there was one undeniable truth that was becoming apparent with each step I took.

I was completely, absolutely lost.

The network of underground tunnels twisted and backtracked upon each other, occasionally dead-ending onto a stone wall or steep drop-off. Coupled with the lack of light, and menacing shadows, the underground world was a labyrinth of wrong turns and turnarounds. If we had just followed the main highway towards Nexus, instead of turning off and going deeper underground, we would have found Nexus hours ago.

Of course, then I'd still be nothing more than a simple pawn in their twisted game. All the memories of my time with them were now haunted, tainted with new knowledge. I couldn't afford to think too long, however. Thinking was bad. It was better to work with actions, with a singular act in mind.

Kill Dominic Santiago.

The longer I traveled, the colder the world around me became. Exhaustion quickly sank its venomous teeth into my limbs, making my steps sluggish and weak. How long had we been trapped in this hellhole? A day? Maybe more? Only Sam's quiet breathing and irreversible will kept me going. She plodded carefully besides me, never once wavering. Perhaps we would get out of this after all. Her thick tail beat a regular rhythm against my leg, setting the pace for our walk.

Unbidden and without warning, my traitorous mind chose that moment to jump to another plane of reality, a memory that had nothing to do with where I was.

"Daddy!" the young girl screeched, running as fast as her little legs would carry her. Tears flooded freely from her eyes and ran down her red cheeks. She was sobbing and panting for air when she came around the corner of their house.

Dominic stopped what he was doing and sprinted towards the sound of his daughter in distress. "Sylvia?" he called, adrenalin already pumping its' way through his system. He caught her in his arms, visually checking her for any harm. "Sylvia, baby, what's wrong?"

She couldn't speak for a second – out of breath from her sobs and sprints – but she didn't appear to be in any physical distress. "The sign!" she gasped out. "It…says….'Last Dog'!"

Needless to say, Dominic was certainly confused. "What?" he asked, his eyebrows knitting together. "I don't-"

"Daddy, the sign!" she insisted. "It says that there's going to be no more dogs! Why? Where are they all going?"

"Show me the sign," he said calmly. Sylvia's sobs had quieted, but tears still ran freely as if from a faucet. She pointed the way, and Dominic soon found himself in front of the stop sign at the end of their street. He gave the sign a quick once-over, finding Sylvia's mistake immediately. She had just learned to read, and, apparently, had misinterpreted the letters. "Sylvia," he said warmly, a grin threatening to escape. "It doesn't say 'Last Dog', it says ' Lost Dog'."

"Oh…" she said quietly, rereading the sign. She looked placated for a second, but started crying all over again. "But, daddy, why is the dog lost? We've got to find him!"

Well done, Dominic thought to himself. Mouth, meet foot. "Sweetheart," he said gently, "we don't know this dog. His owners might have already found him. He might not even be missing now!"

"But we have to try!" she whined out. "If I was missing, would you just give up on me?"

Before he could say that a missing little girl was not the same as a dog, he stopped himself just in time. "Baby girl, I would never give up on finding you."

The stomping of boots nearby snapped me out of my reverie just in time. I ducked into an outcropping of rocks just in time to let a pair of Locust guards go right past. I watched them go before letting my head sink back against the solid rock at my back. My heart pounded irregularly in my chest, and sudden beads of sweat probed onto my forehead. You lied… I thought to myself. You didn't find me. You didn't even try to find me…

I fought the memory, forcing it back into the dark corners of my mind. I couldn't afford to think about it now.

I ventured onto a serrated outcropping with many different levels beneath it. Many of them dead-ended onto a sheer cliff drop. Even from my high vantage point, I could see the numerous Locusts completing their rounds. With this many guards, I had to be getting close to Nexus.

Perhaps any sane person would have ventured around the death-trap of Locust guards, but I wasn't exactly sane at the moment. Perhaps a fight would help clear my mind and refocus. Anything to free myself of the mental image of my mother's dead body falling freely through the air.

I eyed a pair of guards quickly approaching on the level beneath me, directly underneath my little perch. Silently, I eased myself over the outcropping, dangling there by my fingers and nothing more. I motioned to Sam to stay quiet. She laid down silently, her thick fur masking her movements. I waited for the pair of grub pukes to travel beneath me before relinquishing my grip on the balcony.

I landed on the shoulders of the first grub. He stayed standing out of some inexplicable force of will. I wrapped my hands around his thick neck and violently yanked to the left, snapping his neck. I jumped off of his shoulders as he started to fall. He was dead before he hit the ground.

The other grub looked astonished, and hesitated a split-second too long before grabbing his gun. I slammed my fist into his neck, forcing him to drop his gun. I snatched it out of mid-air and whipped him with it, knocking him off balance. I kicked his center chest plate, sending him barreling over the edge of the cliff.

It was over in a matter of seconds.

I could hear the next patrol coming, so I quickly sent the first grub's dead body over the edge also. To the left there was another balcony. I propelled myself along it, landing feet first against the chest of a lone guard. He fell hard, hitting his head against the stone floor and knocking himself unconscious. I rolled with the momentum, coming up just in time to yank his shotgun out of the air before it could clatter against the floor.

I got to my feet quickly, racking some shells into the grub's gun. Hearing the slight sound of footsteps scraping over loose pebbles, I spun around, jabbing the gun's barrel into the face of a surprised – and unarmed – grub.

I could see the shock in his jet-black eyes and smell his putrid scent. His gloved hand inched toward his gun strapped across his back, and I motioned threateningly with the gun. "Don't. Even. Think about it…" I snarled at him. He looked at me, then down to my gun, and then across to the unconscious grub behind me. His eyes hardened a split-second before he lunged at me.

I rolled to the right, feeling his arms skid right past my boots. He managed to get a quick peal of fire off – sending the sound of gunfire echoing all around us – before I righted myself and sent two shells his way. He fell to the ground, dead, just as the thunderous sound of dozens of running grubs came my way.

"Well…fuck…" I muttered just before squads of grubs surrounded me on all sides.

I swung the lancer around in a circle, sending a blast of gunfire in all directions. It bought me just enough time to sprint backwards, spinning behind a massive boulder for cover. Three grubs approached me from the left, and I shot three times with my pistol.

They doubled over in pain, and I dove out of my hiding place and into theirs. I used my momentum to kick the left one in the chest. He fell hard, knocking over another Locust who had come running around the slab of rock. I spun to my feet, slamming my pistol into the neck of one of the three. I squeezed the trigger and shot his neck point-blank. Using his falling momentum, I grabbed his body and spun us around, launching his corpse at the other, knocking him off balance. In the split second it took him to shake off his compatriot's dead body, I drove my boot into his knee, feeling the satisfying crack as the kneecap broke. He roared wordlessly, bringing around his gun to hit me with. I ducked just in time, feeling the wind as his gun parted the space above my head. I stuck my pistol right underneath his chest plate and pulled the trigger.

Three or four more grubs came around the side of the boulder, sending a deadly storm of bullets my way. I leaped out of the way, hearing them give chase. Circling the boulder, there was another group of grubs running straight forward me. Not slowing down, I sprinted towards them. Just as they raised their weapons to fire, I slipped down onto my back, sliding between the leader's legs. Unable to stop running, the idiots behind me slammed into their buddies just as they squeezed their triggers. The whole group was now a mess of bloody, broken limbs and dead bodies.

I staggered to my feet, checking frantically for cover. My wishes were granted in the form of an armored turret. I slid behind it, hearing the sharp dings as bullets collided with its thick metal surface. I grabbed the controls to keep myself from going too far, and felt the vibrations as the turret unleashed its deadly storm.

There was a huge, groaning crash, companied with shocked and angry yells. I peeked out from underneath the armor to find the cause of the commotion. The gunfire from the turret had taken out the supports for one side of the balcony, sending it and the grubs aboard it crashing down to the floor. Those beneath were killed by falling debris, or were knocked forcibly off the edge of the cliff.

I yanked the turret to the right, aiming again for the other balcony's supports. Those aboard, who had seen what had happened to those across from them, were trying to run to safety. They were too late, as the onslaught of fire from my turret knocked them all to their deaths.

Now, to deal with the remainder grubs on my level. The shield in front of the turret rattled with the impact of enemy fire, and I instinctively knew my cover would not last for long. Making a split-second decision, I ripped a slip of fabric from around the hem of my pants and tied it around the trigger group of the turret. The turret fired blindly at the grubs, although I had no idea if it was actually doing any damage. For now, that was not my goal.

I slammed my shoulder against the turret's shield, feeling it give way slightly. Another two forceful shoves and it detached completely. I snatched it out of the air before it could fall and leave me vulnerable to locust fire. Feeling the heavy metal bite into my fingers, I rested my boot against the barrel of the turret and shoved.

I pulled the shield over my body and laid prone against the cool floor as the turret above me spun in a threatening circle of death. The momentum of the ricochet kept it spinning long after the grunts and shouts of the Locust faded into oblivion. Once the belt ran empty, the turret no longer spewed bullets and circled harmlessly to a stop.

For a moment, all I could hear was the echo of my breathing against my metal shield. I shifted it to the side and sat up, cautiously looking for anyone who might have survived the attack. There were none. I rose stiffly to my feet, feeling my skin catch and pull against fresh wounds and drying blood – the majority not my own. The carnage and gore spread out in a sickening sea around me, leaving me awash in the cruelty of it all.

"Bennie! Sylvia! How many times do I have to tell you, knock it off!" Mommy's voice echoed threateningly around the room. She gave them an exasperated look and brushed her hair back, leaving behind a smear of flour across her forehead.

The troublesome duo dropped their arms immediately, feeling abashed. "But mom-" Bennie started, ready to jump in to his own defense.

"He 'tarted it!" Sylvia whined, rubbing her arm where her brother had gotten in a particularly good hit. They had been fighting over the last cookie when things had gotten ugly and dissolved to blows.

Maria sighed, squeezing her eyes shut for a split-second. What she wouldn't give for just a few moments of peace. "Alright you two, listen up." She bent between them, snatching the cookie off the table and holding it up. "Now, what would happen if I gave this cookie to Bennie?" she asked.

Bennie's eyes lit up and he reached for it, just as Sylvia let out a whiny, "No! I want da' cookie!"

"Exactly," Maria said, pulling the cookie out of Bennie's grip. "And if I gave it to Sylvie, Bennie would be upset because he didn't get it, right?"

"Mommy, I wants the cookie!" Bennie said, letting his lower lip tremble just the slightest. Maria bit down a grip at his forlorn expression.

"I know," Maria said. "Now, if we fight over the cookie, feelings get hurt, and so do people. Right?" she questioned, rubbing a red mark on Sylvia's arm. Sylvia nodded solemnly, staring at her mother. "But," Maria continued, "if we share the cookie, then everybody gets what they want, and everybody is happy." She split the cookie into two parts, and held each in one hand.

"Now, before I give these to you, I want you to make me a promise." Maria gave each of her children a serious look, evoking their sincerity. "No more fighting. Okay? From now on we settle out differences like mature boys and girls, not by squabbling and scratching. Deal?" She held the cookies out enticingly.

"We promise," Bennie and Sylvia parroted, their voices unison. Maria smiled as she passed off the cookies.

"Hello? Damnit, can anyone hear me?" The crackling voice snapped me out of my reverie, bringing me back to the present. I whipped out my weapon again, snapping it around to aim into dark corners, looking for the source of the voice.

"Who's there?" I spat, my finger resting heavily on the trigger. The only thing that should have been this far in were grubs, and a pair of recognizable gears. The rest would only be trouble.

"Ugh, finally," the voice – a woman's – answered. She sounded close – much too close for comfort. I scanned the darkness furtively, looking for her. "You have no idea how long I've been looking for you. Your name is Bri, correct?"

Okay, now this was getting scary. "I'm giving you one chance to answer me," I growled to the voice. I still couldn't find her! "Who are you and how do you know my name?"

I could hear her clear her throat – loudly. She sounded like she was right next to my ear. My hand went to block my hearing for a second, and then felt my fingers bump something. It was the comm unit Cole had given me. I had forgotten I was wearing it, and she was using it to communicate with me. "Of course," she said, and I imagined the nameless woman straightening her posture. "Marcus asked me to locate you. My name is Lieutenant Anya Stroud, with the Logistics division of the Coalition of Ordered Governments. I'm here to get you out of there."

"Hold up," I snapped, lowering my lancer now that I discovered there was no immediate danger. Sam came down and sat next to me, giving me a quizzical doggy-look. "How exactly did you find me?"

"You must have accidentally switched to a different channel," she answered. "Marcus tried to contact you after you were separated from them, but he couldn't get a response. I had to flip through every station until I found you."

My mouth twisted into a frown as I deliberated. Separated? Well…that was one way of putting it. Due to her nonchalant reasoning, I assumed she didn't know the specifics yet. If she did, I didn't think she'd be so ready to try and help me. "Alright…" I said slowly. "What else did Marcus ask you to do?"

"He wants me to try and get you out of there. Problem is, I don't have the locations of any exits." She let out a light puff of air, and I heard some clicking noises. "I have you pinpointed, and I have Dom and Marcus pinpointed, but besides that-"

"That's enough," I interrupted her. If she didn't know what I was planning, maybe she could be of some use. . I could spend the next couple hours wandering around on my own, or I could employ help from this 'Anya'. "Can you just direct me towards Marcus and…and…in their direction?" I did a mental head-slap. If I was trying to keep her unassuming, disconnected babbling was not how to do it.

There was a pause while she considered. "I could do that…" she said slowly. "But Marcus wanted you out of there. He was adamant about that."

Of course he was, I seethed silently. He probably knows what I have planned. "What's worse?" I said, trying to keep the angry hiss out of my voice, "Me running around in a Locust stronghold by myself, or me running around with half of Delta as backup?"

It was quiet while she thought. Come on, I mentally urged. "Alright," she agreed. "I'll send you to Marcus, but, if you find an exit, you will take it, understood?"

"Of course," I replied, knowing the words were a lie even as I said them. "Now, which way?"

She kept me going in the right direction, but that was all she could do. Her 'pinpoints' didn't account for the numerous holes, caverns, and dead ends. Occasionally I had to back-track and turn around, heading in the opposite direction before I could find a turnaround. Still, it was faster than mindless wandering.

"Alright, Anya, where to now?" I said into my comm, and for once there wasn't an immediate response. "Anya?" I asked again, this time getting slightly worried. I was running blind. Without her input, I'd be back to meandering about.

There was a crackle as she came back online. "Sorry," she said, sounding distracted. "That was Marcus."

A wedge landed itself in my throat. So this was it. Marcus would tell her his suspicions – which were no doubt spot-on – and she'd refuse to help me. Or, even worse, she'd send me right into a pack of grubs.

"They're setting off the beacon," she supplied, her voice much too easy to be lying. I breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't know how much longer I can help you."

"Just keep me on track," I said, waiting for her next direction.

She paused again. "You need to do an about-face, and head to the left."

I froze, my hand shaking slightly in anger. So he had told her after all. "And why would I do that?" I almost snarled into the comm.

"Marcus found an exit, but it's on the other side of Nexus. You need to turn around. You're closer to Nexus than I thought."

She kept talking, but I wasn't listening any longer. I jogged up to the end of my hallway and hung a right – the exact opposite of the direction she'd told me to go. I rounded the corner, and I felt a slow, menacing grin spread my face.

The torrents and peaks of towers crashed through the open space, revealing the Locust's capital city. Nexus… I breathed, feeling awe-struck. The same weird and enthralling architecture I had noticed before, on their torches, was evident in their city. The compact buildings swooped and circled around each other, and yet there wasn't a bit of wasted space anywhere. Stone steps led from my perch down towards the center of the city, where not a single grub could be seen. In the middle of the city – standing tall amongst the rest – was what appeared to be their capital building. I assumed that was where the Queen would be, and hence, Delta Squad. The whole city glowed and pulsed with a series of yellow lights scattered around thevicinity. The entire structure was suspended over a lake of luminescent imulsion. A series of turrets surrounded the city, but I knew I could escape their fire.

"Damn it Bri, are you listening to me?" Anya's voice finally cut through. "Delta just set the beacon; hundreds of COG gears are going to be drilling down right on top of you! You're standing right in the middle of the battlefield!"

I adjusted my weapons; my pistol locked and loaded on my belt, my sniper slung comfortably across my back, and the lancer resting its' weight equally across my arms. It's time to finish this, I mentally whispered.

"Bri, listen to me!" Anya said, with just a trace of desperation in her voice. "You're not just on the battlefield; you're right in the middle! You'll be caught between the gears and the grubs; you have to get out of there! Hello? Listen! Get out of there now! If you don't, you're going to die!"

I grinned again as I brought my hand to my ear. I deftly unclipped the comm unit from my ear, feeling it tug slightly on the hair it caught itself on. I could still hear her frantic orders droning dully through the air, as I tossed it onto the ground.

I lifted my boot and stomped on the comm, crushing it into pieces, and took my first real step into the City of Nexus.

No going back now…


Author's Note: Things are getting intense for our poor, little Bri now. Not only is she travelling alone in the city of Nexus (and is finally out of those stupid tunnels!), Marcus knows she's coming, and what she's planning. Also, if that wasn't enough, there's soon to be a full scale war between the COG and the Locusts right on top of her. So what's a girl to do?

Besides kick ass, that is. :D

So what did you think of Baird's point-of-view? In truth, that was the reason this chapter took so long. He has a certain….personality, that I wanted to make sure I did justice to. I don't know how many times I re-wrote that. *shudders* But hopefully we got to see exactly what was running through his mind, and see his feelings towards Bri!

I know many of you were…*ahem*…booing for Baird earlier, but did I manage to shift your opinions? No? That's okay, he's still got to convince himself and Bri, so plenty of time! *evil grin*

Next chapter will be much more interesting, as we finally see the first interaction between Dom and Bri since she found out the truth. Plus, finding the queen, a mild skirmish with General Skorge, and a quick trip down the side of a mountain…just a normal day in the life of a gear!

Huge thanks to rockforthecross74 (Who I actually got to fangirl over Baird! Muhahaha!) for betaing this chapter!

Also, huge thanks to anyone who reviews! (Hint, hint) So why are you still reading this humungous author's note? Click that review box beneath this, and talk to me! I'll even send you a little sneak-peak of the next chapter! :D