Present Day
City of Jacinto
"Forgive us..."
-Chairman Prescott just before activating the Hammer of Dawn for asset denial of the whole world.
Sergeant Gardelli and his men - about twenty in total - were excellent soldiers, no doubt about that. But even the most skilled soldiers weren't a match for absolutely superior numbers. We fought out way as a group from Command to the drop zone, but it seemed like with every step we took the grubs forced us two back. They were everywhere; grubs popped out of the ground behind cover, right next to you, or even right where you were standing. The ground was a never-ending tremor that was more likely to trip you rather than warn you. Reavers attacked from the air and Nemasysts lobbed artillery support down on our positions. Nowhere was safe; Jacinto had fully become a war zone.
For a brief moment, I wondered where Marcus and Dom were - but my curiosity was purely tactical. They were supposed to be clearing the path; we were merely backup. Delta 1 was heading underground; Sigma squad was to take out groundside forces. If even they couldn't reach the target sight, we were all screwed.
"Move up!" a voice yelled at me and my feet automatically followed orders. The ground beneath my boots was shaking violently with the onset of even more grubs. Rounds zinged through the air like deadly mosquitoes. Quickly ducking into cover about ten meters from my last position, I planted myself against the collapsed wall and took aim.
The road we were following was a bottlenecked suicide run - but it was also the fastest way to the target zone. I perched my lancer on the edge of the wall and fired at anything grey and moving. The adrenalin in my veins turned the entire world into a hyper-array of color and sound; everything was happening quickly, but also seemed to pass by in slow motion. Laying down covering fire, I motioned for the two gears behind me to move forward.
Our squad ping-ponged their way up the street in a similar fashion. We became an endless wave of gunfire and death. We anticipated each other's movements before they happened; knew what the other had planned before they did. Sigma squad was no longer just a squad - they were a consciousness. A consciousness I was a part of. This was what war did; it formed bonds between people that could never be explained, could never be broken.
We became One.
Time seemed to meld together in a morphed sense of now. There was no past or future, only a never-ending present that sprawled onwards unendingly. All of my problems melted away with the hissing of artillery fire and the burning scent of smoke. The screams of the dead and dying were everywhere, melding with the sounds of war into a fatal lullaby. The battlefield was a mess; civilians ran everywhere in a hectic death march and were caught in the crossfire. Some screamed at us to tell them were to go, to tell them a place where they would be safe. I had no answer for them; no place was safe. There was no place to run to. If was either fight or run, and those who ran died. The only thing I could do was not look too closely at their faces and hope I wouldn't see them tonight in my nightmares.
Killing became a reflex. It was methodical; move, cover, shoot, repeat. Over and over again until we were practically on top of the target.
Slamming against a bank of overturned earth, I quickly reloaded my Lancer and fired. The area was nothing spectacular; just an embankment of concrete and dead grass. What laid underneath the soil, however, was the important mission. This was ground zero - the intersection between the Hollow and the sewers, Jacinto's Achilles' heel. It felt like we were standing on an ant hill; the only visible part was a small hole in the world, but underneath was a twisting network filled with thousands of beings. Only in this case, these being were genetically modified super soldiers whose only mission was to wipe out humanity in its entirety.
A soldier landed on my left; it took a minute to realize it was Sergeant Gardelli himself. Pressing a finger to his comm link, he listened intently and relayed command's orders back to me. "Delta 1 is almost to the target sight, the bomb is almost ready. We need to clear the landing zone so the Ravens can land here."
"Can do," I answered swiftly before leaping head-long over the embankment and into battle. Gardelli yelled at me to get back, but I was through listening to others who thought they knew what was best for me. I knew what I was doing. Killing was instinctual; it was everything else in life that was so damn hard. My body knew what to do before I could even think of giving it demands. Leave it to me, my body seemed to say, and I did. Thinking at this point would only get in the way.
Rolling to my feet, I fired off a few rounds at a pair of grubs lurking behind a collapsed building, forcing them to duck into cover. Someone else from Sigma flanked them and finished the gruesome pair off. Artillery crashed down into the arena, leaving us to duck around the explosions in a deadly game of mine sweeper. "Get to the left!" a soldier yelled at me, motioning quickly with his arm moments before a round entered his skull. A bright red, glistening trail of blood splattered along the broken ground as his lifeless body slumped to the earth. The first had fallen.
The battle continued on like that; occasionally one of ours would fall, more often we killed another grub. A splintering attack from a Nemasyst caught an oil spill on fire, spreading the flames across the battleground like water. It pressed the combatants closer together until we had to resort to hand-to-hand combat. Chainsaws roared with bloodlust, adding their cacophony to the dirge.
I screamed along with my chainsaw's whine as it bit into the central cavity of the nearest grub. He yelled and growled at me, swiping my face with the claws on his fingers. Blood caused my hand to slip on the button, and the chainsaw coughed once and halted. "Oh...shit," I whispered, frantically grabbing at the trigger before the grub ripped my gun from his chest and knocked me to the ground.
The grub slammed his clenched fists onto the ground where my chest was seconds earlier. I jumped to my feet, leaving my lancer laying on the ground in a pool of the grub's blood. He swung again, trying to connect his fist with my face, as I ducked and weaved between the deadly blows. The war raged on around us as we two battled for our lives. He swung and connected against my shoulder. Feeling desperate, I slammed my fist against the gaping wound in his chest. He roared in pain and anger, and attempted to grab me. The shards of rib bones cut my fingers as I whipped around behind him, and, using my grip in his ribcage, swung around and jumped on his back. My knees gripped his slick back as I fought his bucking and grappling to get my hands around his head and yanked hard to the right.
His neck snapped with an audible crack!
The grub - his body suddenly limp and lifeless - collapsed to the ground. I leapt off and grabbed my lancer, holding it tight in my grip. The battle waged onwards. Each movement melded perfectly into an orchestrated dance of death and destruction. If someone made a misstep, the penalty was their life.
"Get back!" Gardelli screamed suddenly, his panicked voice interrupting the fury of battle. "Get the fuck back!"
Just then, a heart-stopping rattle shook the ground beneath our feet. I barely had time to dive out of the way before the pavement began cracking and splintering open. I tried to run but it seemed like everywhere I laid my feet collapsed beneath me. It was like trying to escape a black hole; each step I took left me two steps behind. I was sinking slowly into the ground along with the street around me, only beneath the street laid tunnels and a hundred foot drop to a pit of imulsion. If I fell, I was dead.
I reached frantically for a clump of concrete and missed. Another hand - someone from Sigma - grabbed my wrist and held fast, holding my life very literally in their hands. The remnants of the road collapsed beneath me and suddenly I was dangling in midair even though I was eye-level with the street. "Come on!" the soldier grunted, heaving me upwards with all of his strength. "Climb up!"
Shoving my lancer ahead of me, I grasped the rocky edge of the abyss and pulled myself out. He dragged me the rest of the way and into cover. We rested for a beat against a rusted out car, both of us panting to catch our breath. "Thanks," I gasped. "For, you know..."
"Yeah," he responded. He tried to say something else, but his voice was overshadowed by the steady pump pump pump of two Ravens heading inbound. His eyes went to them and he smiled. "There's the bomb!" he shouted to be heard. "We're almost out of here!"
Nodding once, I motioned about thirty yards to our left where the rest of Sigma fought the grub's remnants. "We need to regroup!"
"Go ahead! I'll cover you!" I readied myself for the thirty yard sprint, clutching my lancer close to my chest. I locked eyes for a second, he nodded, and I took off. Bullets cut the air above me but I couldn't stop. I slid into cover behind a collapsed section of a wall. Positioning my lancer, I called over for the soldier to follow.
I sprayed the surrounding area with fire, but it wasn't enough. He made it about halfway across before a stray bullet caught him in the side of the neck. The force of the blow sent him sprawling to the ground, clutching his throat. Blood fell from the wound in a waterfall of gore; the bullet had pierced his artery. "No!" I screamed, readying myself to return and grab him. His eyes locked with mine for a brief moment before they glazed over into death. He was gone.
It was so similar to the way Ace had died that for a second I was paralyzed. I wasn't seeing the blond soldier any longer; instead, I saw a brown-haired sniper who had sacrificed himself so I could escape. My stomach clenched with fear and pain as the vision danced over my consciousness. Ace...I'm so sorry...
Regret and sadness was chased away by sudden, all-consuming anger. These damn locust would not take anything else from me, or anyone else, ever again. I would make sure of it.
"Let's move!" the sergeant yelled over the cacophony of screeching metal and death screams. His men started retreating one by one away from the fury of the battle. We were hopelessly outnumbered and out-gunned; hundreds of grubs of every type imaginable were slowly intruding upon our flank. My clothes were stained deep burgundy with the spilled blood that ran through the streets like a river. Sigma squad had taken devastating losses; there were only five of us left. I laid down covering fire to protect their backs; the sergeant jostled my body as he intruded upon my shelter. He clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Come on," he called out over the background noise of battle. "This place is about to blow! We need to get out!"
I waved him onwards. "You go! I'm right behind you!"
Indecision flickered in his eyes. If I had been one of his gears there was no way he'd leave me behind. As it was, I was nothing more than simple Stranded - weak and disposable. "Don't do anything stupid," he finally said. "I'll be expecting you at the rendezvous." With that, he took off after his men.
I had a score to settle. More than one, actually. There were plenty of Locusts still around that deserved shooting at. I finished those close to me with my lancer before switching to my longshot. A small mountain of brass grew by my side as I continued shooting at anything grey and scaly.
Bang. That's for Ace.
Bang. That's for my family.
Bang. That's for Jacinto, you mother fuckers.
Suddenly, there was a huge, brilliant flash of light and sound that overloaded all my senses for a split-second. Then a wave of heat came rolling over me and pressed my body to the ground - the percussive wave after an explosion. Rocks and bits of pavement that had become airborne after the explosion peppered my face and hands, leaving them stinging with sharp pain. A soundless roar echoed in my ears and overshadowed any other sound. This was it - ground zero. My wavering shelter hastily created out of concrete bricks and a rusted out car slowly disintegrated in front of me.
Gingerly lifting my head off the hard ground, I scanned for more grubs. Those who had been standing were killed instantly from the blast; their bodies were strewn amongst the street like stomach-churning confetti. A few live grubs still peppered the air close to me with bullets. However, the soundless roar in my head was slowly replaced with startled growls and yells and a horrifying, sickening, creaking of pavement and stone. Peering around the endless grey and red of concrete and blood, I searched for the catalyst of the noise.
It was the town center. Or, rather, where the town center had been moments earlier. Instead, there was a gaping void that was rapidly expanding to swallow the city around it. I watched - horrified - as a statue, a memorial figurine of a weeping woman dedicated to the lost soldiers from the Pendulum Wars, plummeted and disappeared beneath the carious nothingness.
Jacinto was sinking. All of it, crashing and succumbing to the vacancies below the city's foundation.
And it was too late to stop it.
The bright, shining light from the Hammer came crashing down below the pavement, erupting something hidden below. The noise that erupted from the hammer was a terrifying screeching sound that muted everything else. My eyes burned with the intensity and heat of the lights even as two black KR's gained altitude and fled the scene. I couldn't stop staring; it was hypnotizing, watching the end of humanity. A quick flash of light would end the world.
It was such a polite way to usher in mass destruction.
The pavement below me started shifting and giving way, diverting my attention back to the immediate danger. Right, sinking. The entire city is sinking... I thought to myself. Might be a good idea to shift my ass.
Tearing my eyes away from the apocalyptic sight before me, I turned tail and sprinted as fast as I could in the opposite direction. I could barely focus enough to gather my bearings; I just knew I had to move. Buildings started to sway above me as the world shifted and tilted downwards. With a heart-stopping groan, a multi-leveled office building that had been converted to emergency shelter gave way. Its supports yanked themselves out of the ground and the building fell, crashing into another and taking it down also. Bricks and plaster rained down on my head as I tried my best to cover myself and keep going.
"This...is...pointless!" I panted even as my legs churned beneath me, frantically trying for a bit more speed to accost my body out of the city. There was no way I could outrun the end of the world. It was another mile, at least, to the outskirts of the city. And who knew if the destruction would end there? The hollow had tunnels stretching for hundreds of miles outside the city. If the destruction triggered a chain reaction and kept collapsing those tunnels, the devastation wouldn't end at Jacinto's city limits. The only sure way out of this was either a helicopter or a boat, and I had neither.
"Help!" someone - a male - hollered hoarsely from a distance. I nearly ran past the voice - coming from down a side street - until he called me back. "No, wait! Don't leave! I'll die if you leave!"
Reason and self-preservation urged me to keep running, but my better-half grabbed a hold of me. Even now - past the end of the world - I couldn't leave someone else to die. My boots skidded on loose rubble as I yanked myself to a stop and backtracked to where I had first heard the voice.
Coming to an intersection, I hastily scanned both side streets until I saw a man - a gear - laying in the middle of the road, his leg pinned by a chunk of fallen building. I groaned to myself as I sprinted towards him. I was going to get myself killed saving another. Never let it be said I wasn't a hopeless bleeding heart.
The world shifted again, sending me sprawling to the pavement next to the man. Gasping with the fresh pain as chunks of rock embedded themselves in my skin, I looked up into a familiar face.
"You!" he almost yelped in surprise as my stomach fled somewhere down near my boots. It was the gear from the bathroom - the one who vowed he'd kill me the next chance he got. The one who Baird had literally thrown from the room.
The one who was pinned and trapped, sure to die if I didn't save him.
"Can this day get any more screwed up?" I growled to myself whilst setting my lancer beside me on the ground. Repositioning myself to get a better grip on the chunk of concrete pinning his leg, I strained to heave it off of him.
"No, no!" he protested. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I'm saving your worthless life!" I grunted as I tried to heave the concrete off of his pinned leg. "Damn it, it's too heavy. Maybe I can unstrap your armor and get your leg out."
Peering beneath the concrete slab, I tried to find what exactly had him pinned. The weight pressing against his boot had him ensnared. However, the boot was metal. If he could get his foot out of his boot, the metal of the boot might just hold the slab.
"Why are you doing this?" he questioned me. He was honestly curious.
I fought with the buckles on his boot while I attempted to think of an answer. "Hell if I know," I grunted. One buckle gave way and I moved over to the next one. "Maybe it's because I want a rematch in the bathroom. Or because I wanna see Baird beat your ass again. Or maybe, just maybe, I've seen one too many people die today, and feel the need to save at least somebody." The next buckle opened, and he was free.
Normally, it would be considered beyond stupid to save a known enemy. Especially when you yourself was in danger. But today, after everything I'd seen, I felt like being the tiniest bit stupid. If I could bring myself to save the life of someone who tried to kill me, it showed I had a small bit of forgiveness still inside me.
It was time to make amends with a certain squad, but first I had to get out of Jacinto.
"Okay, see if you can get your foot free." It took some grunting and cursing on his part, but finally his bare limb emerged from under the slab of concrete. The world shuddered threateningly again as he got to his feet. I offered him a hand, but he ignored it. Some things, at least, never changed.
"All right." The brief rescue mission had given me time to gather my bearings. "Best way out of here is north. Let's go."
He shook his head, already jogging out west as a slight crashing sound echoed through the streets. "I've got to go this way!"
I wanted to argue the point, but I didn't have time. I had given him a fighting chance; that's all I was entitled to do. Now, it was time to save myself.
Taking off towards the north, I focused on remembering every side alley and backstreet I knew from my time in Jacinto. A slight detour would save me precious seconds. The echoing crashing sound became louder as I rounded a corner. It was only when I went another three blocks when I figured out what exactly it was.
Water.
Crashing water from Jacinto Bay flooding the city, washing away blocks at a time of city streets. The grey gunk-filled water - filled with all the dirt and filth that habituated the city and sewers - rushed down the street in an endless wave. I barely had time to turn around before it crashed into my back and swept me off of my feet. The tenacious current dragged me underneath the surface and ensnared me, refusing to let me surface for air.
I was going to die by drowning in the middle of the city. The irony was not lost on me, not one bit.
The water was cold. The outside world - the sounds, smells, sights - were immediately cut off. It was quiet in a way that went beyond mere silence. Even in total silence your mind still chattered away at you in an attempt to fill the void. The water filled my ears and dampened my mind until all that was left was blissful quiet.
My senses came back to me all at once in a painful slap of reality. Right, I thought to myself, Water. Drowning. This is bad…I kicked out against the heavy water and swung with my arms as if I was fighting an invisible opponent. The covetous water sucked me back down into its murky depths. That alone wasn't enough for it, however. The water dragged at me and pushed me until I thought it would tear me in two. I spun over and over until I had no idea which way was up or down, or left or right. The river pushed insistently at my chest; it tried to force the last bit of life-giving air from my lungs.
Riptide. The word came easily to my mind. After all, how many times had Ace warned all me of their deadly embrace? The water sucked and pulled and pushed and yanked at me. The water was greedy, insatiable. My lungs began to burn in an oxygen-deprived fire. I continued to fight against the current, but my limbs grew heavier and harder to move. There was no way to know if I was even swimming in the right direction; I could have been swimming deeper into the water's depths. I knew how to find which way was up - open your mouth a teeny bit and watch which way the bubble of oxygen floated off towards - but instinct pulled harder than reason and my lips held tightly against themselves.
Sensation fled from my extremities. It felt like the icy river water had replaced the blood in my veins. My back struck heavily against a submerged building; the blow forced the last bit of oxygen from my lungs. My chest instinctively convulsed, searching for air and finding choking water instead. My throat burned like it had when smoking Diesel's cigarettes. I watched the bubbles dance above me, abandoning me for the surface.
I was tired of it. Not scared - not just then - and not awed or overcome or crushed or defeated, just tired. I was giving up. Not just mentally, my body just didn't want to fight anymore. It just took too much out of me; took too much from me.
I was done fighting.
Still, Ace's strong glare fluttered in my vision. I could only imagine what he'd say if he saw me now. He'd yell at me for giving up - for admitting defeat. He always pushed me to be my best, to run that extra mile, to do and re-do until I had everything down perfect. His extreme perseverance had saved my life many times before. Now would be no different.
Daring to open my eyes, I glanced upwards for one last peak at the world. The watery reflection of the Octus tower flowed over the surface of the water. Octus tower - one of the tallest building in Jacinto. Slowly, an idea formed in the deep recesses of my mind. Gathering up the last of my strength, I fought the fierce current to the surface, bracing myself against the wall. I broke through the surface with a gasp. The sound of the sinking city returned to my ears, sending another jolt of adrenalin through my veins.
The water had already risen to the second story windows. Somehow, I had held onto my lancer. The water pressed me against the corner, but I had just enough reach to throw my lancer against the dirty glass. Thankfully, it shattered with the impact. I grabbed the windowsill and - careful of the broken glass - heaved myself into the building.
The floor was blissfully dry and solid. I laid there for a brief moment, focusing only upon the flow of oxygen into my lungs, and then out, and then back in again. It was only the sound of water beginning to pour in through the open window that sent me to my feet. Grabbing my lancer off the floor, I headed towards the nearest staircase.
The floor still tilted dangerously because of the force of water near the foundation and the bucking of the ground beneath it. There was every possibility that the building could topple over completely, but I didn't have time to worry about that. I had to get to the roof.
The elevators were off - electricity had been cut almost as soon as the bomb exploded. Not that I would have trusted them normally, anyway. It took all of my energy to raise my feet to each and every step up the flight of stairs. I lost count of the floors; I only knew that I had to reach the roof.
Finally, a steel-grey door labeled 'Roof' with black spray paint appeared at the mouth of the endless staircase. I fell upon the handle, shoving the door open with all my strength. The building shifted again, sending me sprawling out of the opening, as if it was urging me onwards. The wind whipped through my loose hair and chilled me to the bone. The water that was seeped through my clothes mixed with the chill in the air and made the world feel colder than it was. Goose bumps rose along my bare skin as I made my way to the edge of the roof.
The devastation was astounding. Grey water rose through the area between those buildings still standing. Some electric fires had broken out, sending billowing smoke through the sky. Dead bodies of gears, civilians, and grubs crowded the ever-growing cess-pit that had become Jacinto. The current swept towards the center of the city where a rapidly-forming whirlpool was sending the trashed city down into the Hollow. The devastation was choking the grubs out of their home, but it had done the same to us.
The sky was filled with the last of the abandoning Ravens. With the entire fleet in the air, it almost looked like the COG had a proper air force again. My only chance now was to somehow signal one down to my position and convince them to give me a ride.
Once again, I kicked myself for destroying the comm unit Cole had given me. It had been a petty move to show my anger, but had only succeeded in screwing myself over time and time again. Trying to convince myself that the comms were probably already down because of the devastation, I forced my mind back to the task at hand.
The roof wasn't exactly the best place to stage a rescue mission. Like most Silver-era buildings, form took precedence over function. The building was carved and stooped to appear more like a piece of art rather than a functional office building. The very top was bulbous, a half circle of bronze and copper that was topped with the COG flag.
The Flag...
Not hesitating, I slipped my lancer through both my sniper strap and the strap of my pack so it rested against my lower back. Praying silently that it would remain there, I climbed up the slippery bulb, my wet clothing sliding easily against the slick surface. The metal was cold against my hands and made my movements clumsy and inefficient, but somehow I managed to reach to flagpole in the center. Wind whipped the ropes and pulley against the pole. Snatching one side of the pulley, I gave an experimental tug.
A flag flying upside down was the universal sign of distress. A normal sized flag would be hard to spot, but this was the Octus tower - Jacinto's pride and joy. The flag that flew proudly above the building was one of the largest left in the city after E-day. Hopefully it would be just large enough to attract someone's attention.
The pulley wouldn't give, and the building groaning beneath me was a constant reminder that I didn't have the time to struggle with it. The pole, with its slick surface and small grip, would be much harder than climbing a tree, but not impossible. Maybe all the practice I had climbing to tie apples onto oak trees would save my life here and now.
Hefting one arm above the other, I slowly ascended up the pole. It was like climbing a rope; both legs wrapped tightly around the center, I had to use my arms to shove myself closer to the flag. The deep ebony and red of the flag billowed with the wind, stretching the ropes taunt against the pole. Thick clips attached the flag to the ropes, and I struggled to get my numb fingers around the first clip to open it and remove the flag from it. The sea air had corroded the copper, and with supplies as rare as they were no one had thought to replace them.
The bottom clip finally came undone with an audible groan, just as the tower shifted dangerously to the left. The foundation was giving way; I had only seconds before the entire building collapsed beneath me. Planting the free clip between my teeth, I struggled further up the flag pole to reach the top of the flag.
The top clip was more stubborn and corroded that the bottom one. No matter how much I pressed or pushed against the release, it refused to come undone. "Come on!" I growled frantically. Numb fingers fought the slippery metal, but it was no use. I couldn't get the damn clip undone with only one hand, and I needed my other hand to hold myself up against the pole. Giving up on the clip, I gave the flag itself a panicked tug. The fabric gave way beneath my fist. One more hefty tug on the fabric, and the flag ripped itself free from the remaining clip.
Fumbling with the red fabric, I tried to flip it upside down without losing my grip on the flagpole. The wind swelled and caught hold of the fabric, ripping it from my grasp. It billowed with the wind as the strip of red and black fell away from Octus tower and down towards the flooded street below.
I froze. My eyes widened with disbelief as I watched my only hope of rescue fall into the churning waters beneath. "No...no...no..." I repeated through numb lips like a mantra. There was nothing I could do; I had dropped the flag hundreds of feet. The slim chance I had before vanished as the building shifted even more.
I pressed my forehead against the frozen metal. I had failed, and now I was going to die. Any second now the foundation would give way fully and the building would collapse. I'd join the COG flag in the deep and merciless water hundreds of feet below. My only comfort was knowing Sam was safe with Momma. Hopefully Delta had escaped. Dom wouldn't even know I was missing; hopefully Marcus would keep my identity a secret. Dom didn't need any more pain in his life.
Lost in my self-pitying thoughts, I almost missed the rapidly approaching pump pump pump sound of a Raven. I whipped my head around frantically, finding one KR heading back towards Octus tower, against the flight pattern of every other helicopter. Heading straight towards me...
"Here!" I screamed so loud that both my throat and ears protested. "Please, over here!" One hand peeled itself away from the pole and waved at the pilot. Miraculously, the Raven kept coming straight towards me. "Here, over here!"
Pulling aside the flag pole, the Raven's blades cut through the air and sent a chill straight through my bones. Chopper backlash sent all the dirt and filth on top of the building flying into my face, but I couldn't care less. The side door of the Raven slid open, revealing an all-too welcome sight.
"You know, when I looked at Octus tower and saw some maniac changing the flag, I had to think to myself, 'Who do I know who'd be crazy enough to attempt something like that'? Damn, 'Lil Sis, you're insane!" Cole reached for me as he spoke, holding his large hand out as a rescue. The pilot got the Raven close enough to the pole that I could reach his warm hand with my own. I let go of the flagpole just as the building lost grip of its foundation and collapsed towards the ground with a stomach-churning scream.
Cole pulled me fully inside the Raven and I collapsed on the flight deck, utterly exhausted. My chest pulsed as I gasped for breath. "I tried...the flag...water...collapsing..."
"Easy there," Cole said in his warm voice, pushing my wet hair out of my face. "You're safe now. I got you."
Looking into his smiling brown eyes, I felt reassured. I was safe, and I was alive. For a brief moment, that was all I could ask for. Swallowing thickly, I nodded. "Thank you..." I whispered softly, letting my eyes sink shut.
For a few seconds, all I did was breath the sweet air whistling in through the open door. The cold didn't bother me, nor did my lancer and sniper pressing against my back. Then, as my mind slowly caught up with the full situation, I opened my eyes and sat up. "Cole? Where's Baird? And Marcus...and Dom?"
He tried to hide the worry in his expression, but I saw through him. He didn't know. "Comms are down right now," he answered cheerfully. "As soon as we get them up, I'm sure we'll find them safe and sound."
I nodded slowly, but didn't share in his optimism. People I got close to died. Why would they be any different? Coughing out some of the excess water still in my lungs, I glanced around the other occupants of the Raven.
Anya, the blond woman from before, was shouting something into her comm unit, looking panicked but trying not to show it. The other two occupants made me cock an eyebrow in surprise - Colonel Hoffman and Chairman Prescott. Prescott's personal Raven had turned around to save me from certain death. Maybe later I'd find it in me to feel a bit honored.
Neither were paying attention to me, however. Hoffman looked like he was seconds away from decking Prescott. They appeared to be arguing about something, but I had no idea what. I didn't care, either. The pain in my thigh was starting to come back now that the adrenalin was fading from my veins. Other wounds made themselves apparent as well, pulsing angrily all throughout my body. Stiff and sore muscles ached under my skin, and my skin felt raw and chapped. The cold was just starting to get to me, making me shiver in the wind.
Cole wrapped an aluminum blanket over my shoulders as the Raven banked and headed back north. Cole jumped to his feet and I looked up, curious despite myself. Another Raven pulled up beside us, their door open as well.
It was the rest of Delta. Breathing a sigh of relief, I did a quick head count. Baird scanned the bird and, finding both Cole and I safe, nodded once to himself and sat down, promptly ignoring everything else around us. Marcus only had eyes for Anya, however. I fought the urge to roll my eyes as the pair of lovebirds stared at each other across the empty space. Filing that little tidbit of information away for later use, I looked at Dom.
He had risen to stand next to Marcus, but when he saw everything was fine he sat back down on the bucket bench. He pulled something out of his armor - something much too small for me to see - and stared reverently at it. If I knew him at all, if would be a picture of Maria. Now that the mission was over, the pain would hit him in full force. I knew that feeling - the one right before the pain came - all too well. My stomach clenched uncomfortably in pity and sympathy.
He doesn't know...Marcus' voice echoed through my mind. Dom didn't know I was his daughter. Maybe it was better that way; it would spare him the pain when I eventually took off for the camp. Maybe I'd tell him - either tonight, or tomorrow, or a week from now. That wasn't a decision I had to make right then. For now, we were both alive. The future could wait for tomorrow.
I sat down on the bench facing the rear of the cabin, wrapping the aluminum blanket tighter around my shoulders. "Where are we going?" I had to yell to be heard over the wind and Raven, but Cole heard me.
"Port Farrell," he answered. The other Raven banked and headed away from us. Cole nodded once and sat down across from me, pulling out a pen and a pad of paper. He began to write something down.
I nodded to myself slowly, staring out the open door. If I strained my neck in just the right angle, I could still see the last of Jacinto sinking into the ground. Fires still burned from around the city. As I watched, another tall building gave way and crashed into Jacinto bay. The sun was slowly setting across the horizon, giving the appearance that it was setting on the COG. The last bastion of humanity was being demolished before my eyes. But, on the other hand, the grubs were destroyed and the war was over. What became of Sera now was up to us.
"At least it'll be interesting," I muttered to myself as I stared out the door at Jacinto's remnant.
Author's Note: Hopefully this chapter wasn't too confusing with all the combat. I can see the fighting clearly in my mind, but sometimes it's hard to write it all down, but still keep it fast paced.
Did you like the small twist on the last mission? Hopefully there were enough details still in the story that you could mentally follow along with the game. I hope you liked it!
I'm going to try and keep the chapters shorter in the hopes of uploading more often. This next bit is actually the part I wanted to write from the very beginning, but I had to set up the story first. Lot's of personal drama, a few plot twists, and a lot of bonding.
Remember to leave a review on your way out, if you please! If you do, I'll be sure to send a preview of the next chapter your way!
Thanks for reading! :D
