Unknown Location

Taber, Alberta

Earth


─•~:~•─


The Raptor flew in fast across empty fields and past the McCain's Plant, preserved as a historical museum when the Province of Alberta voted to separate from Canada just prior to the third world war.

The vote passed, but it was made irrelevant by the nuclear exchanges, which turned the provincial Capital of Edmonton into smoldering ruin.

Mark had spent many long nights of his youth partying and fighting with other bored teenagers around the disused potato factory. The first time he kissed a girl, Dawn Howlette had snuck the pair behind the crushers and dared him to kiss her at fourteen.

And the first time he'd been punched in the face, it was when Garreth Pronk – Dawn's boyfriend at the time – discovered Mark's lips on hers, and replaced them with his fist. This also happened to be the first time Mark had won a fight, when he responded with his own fist to Garreth's face, causing Dawn to kiss him for a second time.

The memories made him smile for just a moment, but reality came at him just as hard as Garreth Pronk's fist when the Raptor pilot directed his attention to the sensor console.

"I've got something here, Sir. You'd missed it if you blinked, but look closely at this EM distortion."

Mark studied the console, and found himself impressed by the Pilot's sudden sharpness.

"Well, I'll be fucked," said Mark as he patted the Pilot's shoulder, "A warp reactor under thirty feet of snow. Take us over for a new sensor pass."

While the Pilot set his course, the Marine manning the GAT-P station suddenly cried out, "I've got targets! Six foot mobiles, advancing at two o'clock… shit! Sir, they're firing on the Major's little girl!"

Mark quickly lined up the targeting sensors. They were still out of range to help Kayla.

"ETA!" he shouted to the Pilot.

"Thirty seconds!"

Keep running Squirt, we're coming.


The snow was cold on her bare feet, but she wasn't cold. There was only one thought on Kayla's mind.

Run.

And she was running, faster than she ever had in her life. She wasn't getting tired, her legs weren't sore, and she was able to jump and roll away from each phaser blast the came her way.

But these enemies, whoever they were, just kept shooting at her, and even though Kayla had run further and faster than she ever had before, she was getting tired, and she knew it would only be a matter of time before the monsters got her.

Suddenly, despite the fact she could see further and better than before, she jumped too far to the left and tripped over a hole.

Kayla fell into the snow and felt the coldness on her face. She got back up as fast as she could, just in time to witness one of the black suited enemies taking aim at her with his phaser rifle.

But a new sound reached her ears first, and it was enough to make Kayla think she was going to be okay.


Mark squeezed the trigger, and in less than a heartbeat, the wedge of tritanium fired from his carbine forced the enemy's head to disappear in pink mist.

The Raptor rapidly dropped altitude, and Mark jumped twenty feet out of the rear bay and landed in the snow, while the Five Tribe Marines with him followed seconds later, armoured up and ready to fight.

The Enemy Operators, not knowing how to react, suddenly stopped dead in their tracks, a fatal mistake.

Mark and Five Tribe let their rifles and carbines erupt in thunder, shredding the platoon of unknown enemies taking shots at Overlord's niece. Mark stood up from a knee, and ordered the boys forward.

"Secure their weapons and tighten the perimeter, hold on the structure until my orders!"

While Five tribe moved as ordered, Mark ran to Kayla's side, "Hey, hey! You okay squirt?!"

Kayla was shivering – likely the result of minus fifteen degree weather combined with adrenaline drop off – but otherwise looked okay.

Mark again broke standing tactical doctrine by removing his TAV so he could in turn remove his MDU jacket and wrap it around the little girl.

"Hey, you're gonna be okay Squirt, it's me, Uncle Mark, everything's fine now."

Kayla shivered, but she looked up, and she didn't seem scared, "Uncle Mark? How'd you get here so fast?! Did you fly from Beaufort? And how'd you know where to find me?"

Mark lifted her up and started walking back towards the Raptor, "I grew up around here. I know all the good hiding places, I'll show you around-"

Kayla cut him off, showing him her arm, "Uncle Mark, something happened to me… It's weird, I feel like I'm smarter but, I'm really scared…"

It took a second, but clicked for Mark as a cold chill chased away the winter weather in his spine.

They did to Kayla what they did to Rain. Fuck.

Mark carried her as gently as he could into the Raptor, set her down on the bench, and looked at the Pilot, "There's a public hospital in Leth, Chinook Regional. You get her there, lock her down and fucking ventilate anyone who comes near her without my authorization. Understood Corporal?"

"Aye Overlord!" the Pilot answered back, quickly setting the controls.

"You shouldn't curse, Uncle Mark," Kayla protested, barely keeping her eyes open.

"Rain can slap me after. You just get yourself comfy. I'll come check on ya once I finish up here, Squirt."

Mark tucked her magic cap over her eyes, walked out of the Raptor, and watched silently as the Pilot took off and began the forty-second flight to the same hospital he was born in. Despite his earlier shakiness, the young man seemed to have found his confidence, and Mark trusted that he'd die before he let anyone touch his niece.

Once the Raptor was away, Mark held one hand to his ear-piece and opened a secure QC channel, "Overlord 1-9 to Reaper 1-9, go to QC secure three."

Mark watched the channels change on his wrist-comm, and seconds later, Rain's voice launched into his ear, "Mark, I just spent the last six hours killing her hateful fucking Majesty. This better be important."

Mark opted to keep it simple, dreading Rain attempting to kill him in turn, "Your kid's at Chinook Regional in my hometown. You uh, you better get down here."

As he finished speaking the words, the assault element finally arrived, and Work Mode returned to finish the task at hand.

"Tear this place apart."