Author's Note: Alright, I tried something new this chapter and I hope it's not too confusing. I figured it was time the third member of our little outcast team got an active voice. Enjoy this scene from Andrea's eyes. As always, thanks for reading and enjoy! -Foxmerc

CHAPTER 14
Hero Within
West Relay, Fortuna
0645 hours

I shivered violently, but not from the icy wind whipping around West Relay's landing pad. I felt a nauseating pressure in the pit of my stomach, the same way I had back on Macbeth with Gage or on Katina when we went after Fox or even back when I first snuck aboard the Great Fox. It was just the pressure of moving through a deadly operation. I don't know how Gage and Fox lived with it for so long. Maybe if I actually got to finish Dagger training I'd have learned how to cope with it. Bitter? Maybe just a little.

I snapped my mind back into focus. No time to let my thoughts wander. Blinking lights slowly descended on us from the snowstorm; Fox was carefully setting the dropship down. The mission was almost over. The two soldiers that had escorted me up showed no sign of suspicion and Gage was almost certainly lurking around, ready to take out the guards once Fox landed and help the rescued prisoners aboard. It was almost over.

But, of course, my horrid luck came back to haunt me.

Fox landed alright after a bit of weaving and yawing and I nodded to the soldiers and said my farewells. As I neared the ship, I made out Fox's voice, seemingly distant in the heavy storm. He was yelling; that immediately made me shiver again. As I started to climb aboard I finally made out what he was yelling.

"Hurry up!"

I was no combat expert, but I knew that wasn't a good sign and immediately I felt a pang of fear for Gage. Something had happened to him. I instinctively looked behind me. One of the soldiers had his hand to his ear and was leaning away from the wind to hear his radio better. He jerked his head up. For one split second our eyes locked and it told me all I needed to know. I jumped the rest of the way aboard and started pushing the door closed, shouting, "Go! Go!" Lasers rattled the door as I finally got it shut, sealing away the gunfire and howling wind. Fox took off with a violent swerve that sent me sliding against the wall. After a long string of curses he let out his breath and all was silent. No gunfire, no roaring engines…and no Gage.

"What the hell's going on?" I demanded, pulling myself to my feet. "Where's Gage?"

Fox ripped his headset off and threw it down on the empty co-pilot's seat. He covered his eyes with his hand. "He was captured by a Black Scythe officer. They're holding him with the rest of the prisoners."

I gaped. Gage was the example of the perfect soldier in my book; to think someone in there outdid him surprised me…frightened me. But that wasn't what I really feared at the moment. I realized that I had feelings for him. I always suspected but I could never get a free moment to just sit and think about it. This screwed up mission jarred it into me big time. I felt a protectiveness for someone else that I never felt about anyone before, even myself.

"You have to call off the air strike," I said.

"I tried already. They only have a limited frequency to destroy the ballistics and they're already out of range."

"Then shoot them down!"

"I can't, dammit!" He pounded the control deck. "This piece of crap doesn't have the firepower or mobility."

I turned, burning tears welling in my eyes. I was lost. Gage was always there with the decisions. I looked around the dropship. It was teasing me; the ship was decked out with gear that any Special Forces soldier could take on an army with. But Fox had his hands full with the blizzard; I couldn't pilot the ship in this storm for three seconds before crashing and burning. And me…me…what could I ever do with it?

You can do nothing.

I closed my eyes. Wolf's voice penetrated my mind, the same way it had haunted me for so many years. I was defenseless against it. My brother had always been right and had always been better than me at everything. He never cared for me but he sure cared about making sure I knew he was better. Hell, he was even prepared to sit back and let me be tortured. And even though he was dead, he was still right there in front of me on the dropship, his one eye boring into me. I looked away.

But for the first time, I looked back up.

Gage's voice overlapped Wolf's and my mind became clearer. I again looked around at the gear and slowly walked over to the locker where extra polymer "shadow" suits hung. I lifted a sleeve and let the smooth yet tough material slide through my fingers. After a moment I looked towards the cockpit and said, "How much time do we have before the strike hits?"

"Twenty-four minutes."

The base wasn't large; it was more of a glorified weather station, as Gage put it. In and out in twenty-four minutes…my mind worked through it. "Fox, head around the base. Drop me at the south landing pad."

"What?" He glanced back and saw me in the process of taking off my fake flight suit, a "shadow" suit on the seat beside me. "No, forget it. Andrea, he's being guarded by Black Scythe in a locked down building that's going to be vaporized in less than a half hour! You've never done something like this before. You'll be killed."

"So you want to leave Gage for dead?"

"No, but we have to find another way."

"If you have another idea, I'd love to hear it." I zipped the black suit, pulled my tail through the opening, and searched for gloves and boots. Fox remained silent while I finished off the garb and started with the equipment harness. After a few failed attempts at lining up the multiple buckles, I finally got it on and tight. "If you have nothing better, get to the landing pad."

He sighed and shook his head but flew on.

I put one of the NS-7 pistols in my holster, skipped the knife, and went straight for the assault rifle. One thing I was especially appreciative of in the equipment harness: plenty of ammo space. I jammed in as many mags as possible and loaded up. Feeling the hum of the gun as it powered up made my heart pound faster. It was then that I noticed the darkened Dagger insignia under the Cornerian flag on the left arm for when the members had to identify themselves to others. All the time wishing I was in Dagger, praying to be part of the real heroes, and this is how I finally got to wear the suit; a failed mercenary on a suicide mission.

"Ten seconds!" Fox shouted back to me. "You have twenty minutes before this place becomes a crater. I'll have to circle around, but trust me, I'll be here to pick you up 'till the end."

"I know you will. Thanks." I took a deep breath and gripped the starboard door. "Wish me luck."

"Don't trust luck," he replied. "As I always got pounded into me, Andrea, trust your instincts."

The ship vibrated as it hit the landing pad. I slid the door open and hopped out into the snow. Gage was right; the suit worked like a charm, blocking out all cold. A quick scan showed the landing pad was clear. I glanced back to see the dropship pull up and disappear once again into the wall of falling snow. This was it. Just me, the wind, and a base full of soldiers out for my blood. I took a few deep breaths. Gage needed me. Fuck my brother and fuck the past.

I took my cue from what little Dagger training I could remember from my short stint there. One was most obvious: keep surprise as long as possible. I slung my rifle over my shoulder and pulled out the pistol. I walked up to the icy door and flicked the switch beside it. It slid open and, after a quick peek, I moved into West Relay.

The prison would be at the bottom and stairs would take far too long. I'd have to compromise surprise a bit and find an elevator. The corridor before me was blessedly empty, thankfully; the sudden silence when the door slid shut behind me freaked me out for a few moments. I moved as silently as possible, my pistol up and leading the way. My first fight came quicker than I would have hoped. A soldier rounded the far corner and stopped, obviously shocked. My greatest fear was freezing in battle, but it fortunately didn't happen. I squeezed the trigger – squeeze, not pull, squeeze, not pull, thank you, Gage – and the guard fell, not a sound from the silenced bullet-loaded gun. But my celebration was cut short as I heard yelling from around the corner. Great, screwed up already. Someone had seen the soldier fall.

Swallowing down panic, I holstered the pistol and shouldered my rifle. And all of a sudden, the corridor was ablaze with noise, lasers, and puffs of dusty debris as shots tore up the wall and floor. I fired back, but I couldn't last without cover. I patted the equipment harness, feeling for anything useful, and came up with a small sphere the size of a golf ball. Memory kicked in; a flashbang. I squeezed the trigger, hurled it down the corridor, and looked away. After the loud bang, the firing stopped and I advanced.

Two soldiers lay on the ground, blinking wildly. I put a burst into each chest and let my breath out. But once again, soldiers felt the need to interrupt my celebration. I came under fire from the next corridor and fired back. Not even three minutes into the mission and already I was in over my head. Fox was right; this was insane. I flattened my back against the wall and looked down the hallway. Smack in the middle of the hall on the left was the elevator, chairs and a metal table beside it for waiting visitors. Of course, stupid. Standard design was to put base navigation near landing pads and parking lot entrances. The only problem was the nonstop barrage of gunfire from the end of the hall.

I changed out my mag and loosed a long burst down the hall. When return fire was lessened from 'certain death' to 'probable death,' I sprinted from cover to the elevator, heaved the metal table onto its side, punched the elevator call button, and ducked. The metal table was thick but it was starting to heat up and dent from the gunfire. I strummed my fingers on my gun, murmuring, "Come on, come on," and yipped when a hole was finally punched in the metal beside my head. The elevator doors opened with a pleasant ding and I dove in. I hit the lowest floor and let out my breath. There was no elevator music; I guess the mercs weren't all bad.

I realized I was shaking. I'd felt the dizzying mix of fear and adrenaline before, but never like this. Now that I thought about it, this was the first real mission I'd been on where something good was really at stake. I derailed that train of thought immediately; psyching myself out was not an option. I instead but my mind on a constant loop of both Gage and Fox's combat advice. Keep cool, keep focused, and trust my instincts.

"Keep cool," I said aloud to the empty elevator. Hearing it out loud helped to calm the hyperactive butterflies in my stomach. "Focus. Instincts."

I shouldered my rifle as the doors opened, ready for a fight. Instead I got a dead silence and a corridor that definitely looked like it belonged in a prison. I narrowed my eyes and inched forward until I saw the reason for the emptiness. I hastily-made sign hung on the wall by the elevator:

Authorized personnel only on this floor. Disturb me at your own risk. --Tamran

Somehow I knew that this Tamran was the man behind Gage's capture. It was almost as if I could hear the creepy inflection in the written words. My hunch was that this guy liked working alone and would only have a few guards. My hunch worked out for once. The prison level was small with only a few directions; a couple doors leading to equipment rooms and maintenance access and two more important doors: one marked "Cell Block" and the other marked "Interrogation." First thing was first. I had to find out where Gage was and I wanted to avoid Tamran in the process. Cell block was my best bet.

Readying myself again for a fight, I switched the metal door open and slid in. The dim light threw me off but I squinted and stayed calm. There were only three cells, all against one wall, and a desk at the far end with one bored guard behind it. He hopped to his feet, but I was quicker. I aimed at him and shouted, "Drop it! Don't move!" I realized he wasn't actually holding anything, but I think he got the message. I heard rustling in the cells behind me as the prisoners roused, but kept my focus on the frozen guard.

I moved up to the brown canine guard and shoved him against the wall. It felt good, released some tension. "Where's Gage Birse? Tell me now, or I'll…shoot you!"

Wonderful threat, very intimidating.

The guard looked like he wasn't taking it seriously, but I guess the look in my eyes made up for my crappy intimidation. He pursed his lips and said, "We just got him in a little while ago. Colonel Tamran's interrogating him now."

I grimaced. Well, no matter how good this Tamran guy was, if I surprised him and got off the first shot, he wasn't laser-proof. I noticed a few wrist restraints hanging from the wall and grabbed a pair. I told the guard to sit down and handcuffed him to the chair. For good measure, I smashed the comm set on the desk. I don't know why I did it; an air strike was on the way and would kill him anyway. I guess I just wasn't ready for execution-style shooting yet

On my way out, I looked at the bedraggled cell occupants and said, "I'll be back. I promise." If I survive, I didn't add.

I busted into the interrogation room but let out my breath as I saw I was in an anteroom. A large window took up the right wall and I nearly jumped when I saw people on the other side. They hadn't reacted yet. My heart started beating again when I realized it must be a one-way mirror, reflective on their end. I couldn't have asked for a better way to study my goal. Two guards stood at attention in the far corners and an elderly lizard stood in front of a table in the lizard. I assumed the lizard was Colonel Tamran. The ordinary table had been converted into a more sinister object; Gage lay on it, clamped down at the wrists and ankles. I felt pain upon seeing his face. It was bruised as if he had received a bad beating and he stared straight up with a deathly look. He knew the air strike was on its way. As far as he was concerned, he was already dead. Any waning resolve I had was strengthened at that moment. The plan was simple; bust in, cap the old lizard first, and take down the guards while they were recoiling from surprise. I contemplated using a flashbang, but I didn't know Gage's condition and I didn't want to hurt him.

I took a deep breath. Then another. On the third deep breath, I slid the door open and hopped in like the cavalry, my finger already squeezing the trigger. I have no idea what happened then. I got off a shot, but it only hit empty air. The old bastard had ducked away, fast as lightning! Before I knew it, my gun had been kicked out of my hand and my face felt as if Fox's dropship had landed on it. Next thing I knew, I was looking up from the ground at the old man, a disappointed look on his face.

"This one is not Dagger," he spat. "She's weak. I won't waste my time. Guards, kill her and get her body out of here."

My throat tightened. This was it; I had failed. And this time failure meant death for both me and Gage. I looked forlornly up as one of the guards hovered over me and leveled his rifle. But he didn't fire immediately. I focused my eyes and saw that he was an avian. And through the goggles and helmet, I saw his eyes and I knew them. Not personally, but from somewhere…

To my total surprise, he whirled around and brought the butt of the rifle down square on the back of Tamran's neck. Without missing a beat, he shouldered it and fired a perfect burst into the other guard's chest. To my even greater surprise, Tamran actually stood from the blow and kicked the mystery soldier away. The blow hurt me just looking at it and the soldier dropped his rifle. He went for it, but a light speed punch from Tamran sent him back again. He pulled off the goggles and helmet and I finally recognized him without doubt. It was the greatest surprise of the day: Falco Lombardi.

"You," Tamran snarled. "Torqinski should have killed you when he had the chance. You should be proud. Not many soldiers turn traitor twice in one war."

Falco growled and advanced. He ducked another punch and came back with an uppercut that made Tamran recoil. The two exchanged blows while I looked around for my rifle. I realized my pistol was gone also. Tamran must have disarmed me while he beat me senseless. Both guns lay on the other side of the room. I kept low and crawled to the table. Gage was up and about now, struggling against the clamps. I saw they were held by bolts under the table and slid them all out. Gage hopped off the table and stretched his limbs. Tamran had his back to him and didn't notice. But Falco did.

"You won't be the end of me," Tamran said as he advanced on Falco. "My life lies with my brothers in the Black Scythe, forever."

Falco landed a hard kick to Tamran's stomach that propelled him back…right into Gage. The fox grabbed him in a headlock and growled into his ear with an otherworldly anger, "They'll meet you in Hell soon enough."

He pulled, hard, and a wet snap echoed in the room. Tamran fell, his head lolling on the broken neck. I swallowed nausea and stood. The fights had put in perspective how stupid my inhibitions were; I hugged him tight and he hugged me back.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded. I could tell from the bloody forehead and labored breathing that he was far from perfect. "Alright" would have to do for the moment. Fortunately, it looked like Tamran hadn't gotten around to "interrogating" him yet. We looked over at Falco. With one feathered hand he dabbed a nasty cut above his right eye and with the other he threw Gage a rifle.

"Do you trust me?" he asked simply.

"A half dozen missiles are going to destroy this place in less than ten minutes. I don't have a choice right now. Fox is flying, though. I don't know what he'll do."

"I know. I'll take my chances." Falco picked up a rifle for himself while I retrieved mine. "We have to get the prisoners out of here. I'll go in first and take out the guard."

"I already took care of him," I said. Gage looked at me and grinned a bit. I recognized it as his impressed look and a bit of pride swelled in my chest.

"Alright then, let's go pick them up."

"You two go ahead," Gage said. "Which pad is Fox meeting us at?"

"South," I replied.

"I have to take care of something. I'll meet you by the elevator on that floor."

I didn't voice my concern. Gage knew what he was doing. I instead followed Falco as he led the way to the cell block. The prisoners were overjoyed to see us, the guard less enthused. Falco shouted for them all to keep tight and told me to cover the rear. I did so. It was only when we got to the elevator when we realized it would take two trips to get them all up. Time was ticking, so we moved as fast as the damn elevator would allow. He went up with the first bunch and I brought the second group up. By time we were all gathered in the corridor, I saw Falco had taken out a soldier and Gage was back, two very nervous-looking women in merc uniforms with him.

"What's this all about?" Falco asked him.

"We met in the ladies' room earlier," he said with a little grin. "Leaving them to be vaporized just sort of itched at me." He turned to them and said, "Follow us if you want to live. You won't be harmed."

They both nodded.

The blistering cold was actually a nice welcome and I saw the same feeling reflected in the prisoners' faces. Fox was there as he promised and he had his worried look on. He shouted something and this time I didn't need to be told he was telling us to hurry our asses up. We piled in, the dropship's space sufficient for all of us, and he pulled away.

"Let's stay for the fireworks!" Gage shouted up to Fox.

I swallowed when I saw Fox had to circle for only two minutes before a blinding light pierced the blizzard. The relay station erupted in a pillar of fire that burned extra bright in the dreary snow. I looked away from the window and at Gage. He looked at me and sat with a weary sigh. He smiled and gave me a tired thumbs-up. I knew we would talk later but that was the best kind of appreciation I wanted.

We both swallowed when we reached orbit as we saw that Fox had put the dropship on auto-pilot and was coming back to see us. He was smiling too, but it fell faster than a rockslide when he saw Falco sitting in the back amongst the former prisoners. Falco stood and lowered his eyes. Fox looked to Gage for an explanation.

"He helped rescue me," Gage said. "He saved Andrea's life."

Fox again looked up at Falco with a fiery gaze that I'd never seen in him before. Falco met his eyes and said in a low voice, "Fox, I want to talk. No bullshit. Can we go to the cockpit?"

Fox must have stared at him for a good minute, all of us in silence, even the Cornerian soldiers. He finally turned away without a word and went back to the pilot's seat. Falco hesitated, but followed and dropped into the co-pilot's seat. I was pretty certain that at least no shooting would break out so I leaned back and rested. After a few seconds, a small smile returned to my face and stayed there for the whole trip.

I had done it. I may not have been officially in Dagger, but at least I could finally say I knew how a superhero felt.

-Chapter 15 coming soon-