A/N: So...how about that Remnant Unknown ending, huh?
Anyways, once again, sorry this chapter took so long! I actually got stuck about partway through planning the chapter for the longest time, largely because I wasn't sure how to end it or how to proceed in an interesting direction that didn't just follow the formula I'd accidentally ended up relying upon too much. I actually got a suggestion on how to proceed from another user on the Remnant Unknown discord server (if you're reading this Yankee - hello, and thanks again!) and that lit a fire back under me that made me write most of this within a week. Then Borderlands 3 came out on Steam, and...that set finishing the chapter back another week. (I regret nothing.)
But I'm super proud of how this one turned out! It's about 10k words, so get comfy while reading. I like to think that delivering such big chapters is a way to make up for the long waits in between them...but I'll let you be the judge.
In any case, enjoy!
Compared to the rest of the town, Rosemont University was relatively untouched. Sure, the clouds of smoke and the smell of burning steel and flesh still permeated the area, but at least the courtyard still had a nice big expanse of lush green grass and well-paved walkways lined with decorative bricks. While it barely qualified as a playground when compared to Beacon's massive surroundings, Summer had to admit, this was a gorgeous sight and a welcome change of pace to the relentless displays of death and destruction.
Too bad the pit in her stomach was ruining her mood.
Shortly after the firefight by the University's entrance, Carter had the team of agents split up and search every level of the main campus building for Doctor Weir. They hadn't found the Doctor, but what they did find was classrooms full of Sleepwalkers, hallways full of bodies, and one or two Outsider patrols that were swiftly dealt with. (Summer in particular couldn't shake the memory of seeing an exam room with half the students bleeding out onto their tests, while the other half endlessly and monotonously filled out the exam that was long over.) Eventually their fortune had changed when they came across a pair of cognizant young women holding each other as they huddled under a lecture hall desk - according to them, Weir was in the middle of an advanced physics lecture when the attack started, which prompted the good doctor to give a different set of instructions instead.
"He said 'stay here and remain calm,'" one of the girls had said as she clutched her terrified, crying friend, "'and don't do anything to draw attention to yourselves. If people come by wearing this insignia - '" she had pointed to a hastily-drawn pentagon with Vigilo Confido written on the chalkboard "' - or if they say they're from the Bureau, tell them I'm in the Observatory. Otherwise, don't say a word to anyone.'"
As the squad marched across the courtyard and moved to the Observatory, Summer noticed that Carter's usual intense, focused expression wasn't there. What was there was instead a look of annoyance, of frustration. She could easily guess why - the way the Muton encounter had ended seemed to leave a sour taste in the squad leader's mouth, what with two of his troops going against orders and risking themselves. And although she was grateful to have a proper melee weapon again, and as pleased as Shen seemed to be with his new "Scatter Laser" as Gray had called it, a tiny part of her felt guilty about making Carter angry in the process of acquiring it.
The fact that she had openly challenged his leadership in the bank didn't seem to help matters.
Summer scowled, then moved next to Carter. If there was tension between them, it would be better to clear it up now rather than have it rear its ugly head in a life-or-death situation. Being on a team with Raven and Qrow had taught her that lesson the hard way.
"Sir? Can we talk? Just the two of us."
Carter raised an eyebrow, then nodded and signaled the rest of the squad to advance. Knox nodded immediately, Shen seemed somewhat surprised, and Dawson gave a knowing smirk, but all three did so.
"I'd like to apologize for my earlier outbursts and reckless behavior," said Summer sincerely. "I understand your logic for why you chose not to reveal your healing powers at the bank, and while I'm not sure I agree with all of what you said, it was still wrong of me to challenge your authority like that. And about the last firefight… I suppose part of the reason why I insisted on fighting that Muton in melee was because, deep down, I felt I had to prove myself. But it could have gone badly. It almost did. I'm sorry."
For a brief moment, Summer got to witness the rare sight of a dumbfounded Carter. Then he regained his composure, and nodded.
"Wasn't expecting a proper apology...but it's appreciated and accepted. You didn't challenge anything but my opinion back there - as ASL, your input is expected when making strategic calls. As for that Muton...truth is, I had a gut feeling that if anyone could survive going toe-to-toe with that thing, you'd have a better chance than anyone else here. But I didn't want to risk losing you if I was wrong."
Summer smirked. Now that she knew Carter wasn't upset with her, she felt she could be a bit more playful. "So what you're saying is I'm more valuable than the others?"
"Of course not," said Carter, rolling his eyes. "Every agent is valuable, is what I'm saying. We just don't have the manpower or the numbers for any agent to take one for the team. Every agent we have makes us stronger. Every agent we lose weakens us."
"Aw," moaned Summer, pouting adorably to her squad leader. "And here I thought you were starting to like me."
Carter didn't even dignify that with a response. Not that she blamed him - he made a good point about how valuable the life of a single agent was. Much like the teams of Huntsmen and Huntresses back on Remnant, every agent represented years or even decades of experience and training - and if that was lost, it couldn't just easily be replaced.
"Is that why you ordered Shen against assisting me? And why you did...whatever it was you did to save Knox?"
The grey-hatted man nodded both times, although the second time was more reluctant. "Yeah...still trying to figure out what happened there."
"Well, you threw that Outsider like he was a ragdoll and he -"
"I know what happened, wiseass," hissed Carter tersely, "What I want to know is how it happened."
Summer shrugged. "I just sort of assumed it was the alien artifact at work. Who's to say that supernatural healing is the only power it has? Maybe it is turning you into this...Mega...man?"
Carter shook his head. "Superman. And while I wouldn't say no to being able to fly and shoot lasers out of my eyes, the fact remains that whatever this thing is, it's changing me. And I'm not sure how I feel about that."
"Faulke did say we needed to make the alien's weapons our own to win this war."
"I know," said Carter. "And that's why I can't decide if this is taking his advice too literally...or if this is exactly what he meant by that."
The two of them walked in silence for a good moment, before Summer spoke up again.
"Well, whatever it changes you into, I'll follow that. Until then, I'm at your command no matter what. You tell me to jump, I jump. You tell me to bring you the head of a Sectoid, I'll serve it up on a silver platter. With butter and salt."
Carter nodded stoically, though Summer could sense his relief - and amusement at the idea of a cooked Sectoid head. Dresner's research hadn't yet concluded on whether or not the aliens were edible, but if the mess hall kept serving variations on beans and potatoes, someone was gonna test that hypothesis sooner or later.
"Right...thanks," he finally said after another moment, then nodded again. "I'm sure we'll get some more answers about this later. For now, we have a mission to focus on. Take point alongside Kilo and Romeo. Golf, Alpha, and I will be right behind you."
Summer nodded and turned to go, making sure her new Laser Pulse Rifle was loaded.
"And Summer?"
The silver-eyed Huntress turned to see an even rarer expression on Carter's face.
A smile.
"You don't gotta prove anything to anyone. Least of all to me."
Summer returned the smile, gave a small salute, and moved into her position.
When Carter and the rest of Strike Three entered the spacious, high-windowed Observatory, the hair on the back of the Strike Leader's neck stood on end as a low humming noise washed over him. It didn't take a genius to guess where it was coming from - Carter wasn't a betting man, but he'd stake every last nickel he still owned on the source being the glowing ball of blue-green crystal suspended by a set of oscillating metallic rings. A few other trinkets and items of interest sat on the nearby desks, including a framed photograph with a pair of scientists, a pair of partially disassembled alien rifles, a globe stuffed with so many push pins it might as well have been a pincushion, and more doctorates and certifications than humanly feasible.
And there, standing in front of all of them, was a man.
Unlike the cowering, terrified civilians the squad had found, this lab coat-clad man didn't seem afraid, despondent, or even annoyed. Instead, the only word Carter could use to describe the gray-haired, middle-aged man was "focused." One unwrinkled hand held tightly to a clipboard stuffed with sheets of paper, while another danced across the keys of an alien-looking terminal. His sharply-chiseled jaw clenched in deep focus, and his dark blue eyes darted from clipboard to terminal at a rapid pace, ignoring the lines of alien code that reflected off his half-moon glasses.
Carter raised a fist to signal his squad to hold, then stepped forward as he cleared his throat. "Doctor Weir, I presume?"
The man looked up and studied the new arrivals, before smiling. "That depends on who wants to know," he said, though it was quite likely he already knew the answer. "Not sure if you've noticed, but there's been quite a few...unfriendly visitors around here."
So he was aware of the situation and was taking precautions. Good. Carter tipped his hat.
"That's part of why we're here, Doctor," he said, "The other part being to get you out of here and take you to the Bureau."
"I suspected as much," said Weir with a nod. "That's why I didn't have my turrets open fire on you as soon as you stepped into my lab." He gestured to a stack of charred Outsider corpses in the corner, remnants of previous attempts to breach his sanctuary.
"Fascinating," said Shen as he lowered his Scatter Laser and moved to inspect the four-barreled laser cannon mounted onto a three-legged armature. "What powers them? And who operates them?"
"No one," said Weir with a proud smile. "Well, technically, I operate them from here using this workstation - " he pointed to the terminal sitting on the desk in front of him, " - which communicates to the turrets using that Elerium core - " now he pointed to the glowing orb behind him " - as an intermediary connection point."
The doctor pushed his glasses into place. "Fascinating material, Elerium," he said calmly, as if the world wasn't burning around them, "Its molecular structure is constantly shifting and changing on a microscopic level, generating large amounts of both kinetic and chemical energy as it continually moves. And its atomic structure is even more intriguing - it has precisely one hundred and fifteen protons and neutrons at all times, yet it is simultaneously gaining and losing electrons at various intervals, undergoing self-ionization and subsequently - "
"Is there a chance we could save the science lesson until after we get you out of here?" Carter interrupted with a low growl.
Weir nodded. "Of course. I just need a moment to finish transcribing my research onto this terminal. I'll be ready to go soon, mister…?"
"Carter."
"Do what you must, Mister Carter. I'll let you know when I'm ready."
With a tight nod, Carter directed his squad to spread out and watch the perimeter of the room before he pulled out his two-way. "Skyranger Three, this is Whiskey-Three," he said as he reached into his pocket for a cigarette, "VIP is secured and -"
"Carter! You need to get out of that building now!"
The man in the gray hat paused. It wasn't like Barnes to suddenly forget to avoid using names over comms, and it certainly wasn't like him to interrupt. "Right, we were gonna do that anyways. As I said, VIP is secured and we're ready for evac."
"Forget evac! You've got a new bogey en-route on the Observatory, and it's a big one! ETA thirty seconds!"
The hairs on Carter's neck stood even straighter as he felt (rather than heard) a low rumble through the stonework. Whatever was coming, it was big. And it had Barnes thoroughly spooked.
It hadn't escaped the notice of the other squad members either. Adam paused halfway through putting some lab tools into his pack, Knox tightened his grip on his M14, Shen looked up from his study of the turrets, Dawson made the sign of the cross on his head and heart, and Summer's hand went right for her new melee weapon.
The only one who seemed oblivious was Weir, who was still typing at the terminal just as furiously as ever.
"Doctor, we need to leave now."
"Just a moment, Mister Carter. A few more seconds and -"
"We don't have a few more seconds! We gotta go now!"
"Even if we leave right this instant, it takes twenty-two seconds at a full sprint to walk from this room to the entrance," said Weir clinically, not looking up from his station, "and assuming we make that, another thirty-seven seconds to retreat to a minimum safe distance for military-grade explosives. There simply is not enough time to leave the way we came."
"ETA! Twenty seconds!"
"See what I mean?"
Carter snapped his cigarette in half. "Then what the hell do you propose we do?"
"Stand in the center of the room."
"...what."
"Is my Australian accent really that bad? I said - "
"Heard what you said, just not sure what - "
"Now, mister Carter. I have a plan."
"ETA! Ten seconds! Get the hell outta there!"
With a growl, Carter spun a circle in the air with his two forefingers, and the agents pulled away from the corners of the room and huddled together. Weir spent a few more seconds typing into his terminal, then folded it up into a flat-looking box and joined them, carrying what was once an alien computer like a briefcase in his hand (and grabbing one of the framed photos in the other).
"This better be safe," grunted Carter.
"Safer than the alternative, at least," said Weir as he pushed a few buttons on the exterior of his alien workstation.
"Why? You got some kind of lift to a secret underground lab?" asked Gray with a smirk.
Weir gave a small smile in response. "It's not so much a lift as it is a...drop."
Carter was about to ask for clarification when Weir pushed one more button on his case before the entire world exploded around them in green fire, sound, and fury.
And then there was only darkness.
"...do sincerely apologize, Mister Xiao Long, but I am just in the dark as you are. If you could please -"
"I'm not the one in the dark!" roared an angry Taiyang, his tattoos glowing and casting the bedroom in fiery golden light, "She is! Because you sent her out there to die!"
"I did no such thing, Taiyang." Ozpin's voice on the other end was calm. Too calm. "She understood the risks involved in such an undertaking, and fully accepted that she may not return from her mission."
"Then I'm sure you wouldn't mind explaining that to a four-year-old and a two-year-old," snarled the enraged Huntsman, "Hell, why not come down and visit yourself? Go on. Explain to a pair of innocent little girls how you killed their mommy."
"You and I both know that she killed her." Oz was still using that damn condescending tone. Then he shifted tactics. Tried to make his voice more soothing. "For what it is worth, I am deeply sorry about your loss. Summer was an amazing woman, a talented Huntress, and one of our best students. The entire faculty of Beacon shares in your grief...as do I."
"Then why? Why'd you send her out there in the first place? And why did it have to be her?"
"Because no one else could. Not even me. She was...truly the best of us."
A fresh wave of hot tears ran down his face, turning to steam as soon as they touched the lines of Auric energy surging across his skin. His hand shook and trembled, and he grabbed the nearest empty bottle and flung it at the wall with a feral yell, smashing it into a million pieces. Taiyang briefly considered doing the same to his scroll, but settled for simply snapping it closed as he sank to the foot of his bed, ending the call with the headmaster of Beacon as he curled up into a ball.
"...daddy?"
He looked up from his arms (which burned every time his tears splashed them, but he didn't care) to see a tiny, shrunken-down clone of his beloved Summer Rose toddle into the room. A pair of silver eyes looked up at him, inquisitive, curious, empathetic. Far too smart for someone so small.
Realizing his outburst had drawn the attention of his youngest daughter, Taiyang closed his eyes and willed his Semblance to deactivate, drawing a deep calming breath as the energy faded.
"It's okay, sweetie," he lied through a forced smile. He crawled over to her, putting his hands on her tiny bare, frail shoulders. "Daddy's just...upset. He'll be okay."
Ruby opened her mouth, and Taiyang hoped against hope that she wouldn't ask the question he knew was on the tip of her tongue.
He was not so fortunate.
"Where's Mommy?"
"Where's Daddy? Mommy, why can't I find Daddy?"
"He's gotta be out there somewhere. Will? Will, where are you?"
"Will? Will? Goddammit boy, get in here! Julia, get away from the flames!"
"Mommy, I can't breathe…"
"Will! Save us!"
"Daddy!"
Carter's eyes snapped open as he awoke in the barely-lit darkness with a start.
"Ah, nice of you to rejoin us, Mister Carter."
The leader of Strike Three groaned and clutched his head (which was missing its usual hat, much to his annoyance) as he sat up, blinking to try to clear his eyes and focus on the surroundings illuminated by the Venn Brace. He coughed some dust out of his lungs as he looked around, counting the number of people around him and giving a small sigh of relief when he reached six.
Knox and Adam were picking through the rubble and gathering up ammo and weapons that had been scattered in the cave-in, handing them off to Shen for field-stripping and emergency repair. Summer was busy patching up a concussed, bruised, and broken-armed Dawson, using strips of her own suit sleeves in lieu of bandages they didn't have. And Doctor Weir was sitting on a rock directly on his right, a curious expression in his eyes.
"You dropped this, by the way," said Weir, holding out something gray and hat-shaped towards Carter. He recognized it instantly and swiped it out of the doctor's hand, putting it on instantly while scowling. A sense of relief washed over him as soon as his hat was back in its usual place, and his anger faded.
"What the hell happened?" Carter asked with a groan.
"The Observatory collapsed, that's what happened," said Weir with a mirthless smile. "We're currently sitting under the ruins of what used to be the crown jewel of Rosemont University, which I'd imagine would be heartbreaking to see from the outside."
"Under the ruins?" Now that Carter was a little more cognizant, he looked around to see that although rubble and debris littered the floor, there was nowhere near as much as there should be from a collapsed building. Furthermore, they were surrounded by stone-gray walls bathed in green emergency lighting, making everything in the immediate surroundings not lit up by Venn Braces resemble a tinted fever dream.
"Yes. We're currently in the network of emergency tunnels that run under the entirety of Rosemont," explained the doctor, "connecting key locations and providing shelter for people in the case of a nuclear attack. They were constructed in secret shortly after the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and kept off the town maps for fear of their existence being revealed to Soviet infiltrators. Though lately most people just use them for smoking and smuggling drugs...or they did, anyways."
Carter gave Weir an inquisitive expression. "And how exactly did we get here? I doubt an alien bombardment would be precise enough to knock out the floor underneath us."
"It wouldn't," affirmed Weir with a nod, "which is why I had to improvise. Remember that elerium core I showed you when you met me? I had to redirect its transmissions from the turrets to the plastic explosives attached to the supports under my lab, and give the detonation order. Not the most efficient or safest method of escape, but it worked...and it's certainly preferable to being buried under a hundred tons of steel and concrete, if I do say so myself."
Now Carter could see why Faulke wanted Weir at the Bureau so badly, and why these Outsiders had risked attacking an entire town just to get this one egghead. Setting up a failsafe in their own lab - including planting charges on pillars supporting unsteady ground - in case something exactly like this happened? Carter had to admit, Weir was clever. Paranoid, but clever.
"Wasn't sure when you were going to wake up," continued Weir, "or even if you were. But Miss Rose over there was adamant that you'd live, and the rest of the squad confirmed that your healing factor would kick in. I almost didn't believe them until I saw it myself, as you healed all your wounds in your sleep. Truly remarkable."
"Carter!"
The squad leader's next response was cut off by the sudden pair of bare, strong arms wrapping around him, squeezing tightly despite the bruises and lacerations running up and down the biceps and forearms. Carter winced briefly, partly in surprise at Summer's reaction, and partly in response to the sudden surge of pain from his ribs. Evidently his healing factor hadn't fixed quite everything yet, and the sudden hug must have knocked some of the bones loose.
"Oh, sure, when the boss wakes up he gets a hug," said Dawson with a smirk, "but when I wake up all I get is 'where's your kit?'"
Summer pulled away with a roll of her eyes. "Do you want a hug too, Gray?"
"I wouldn't say no. But I'd prefer a good ol' hearty slap on the back from Carter there first."
"Right…" said Carter as he rose unsteadily to his feet. "Nice work with the patch-up Sierra, but I think I might be better qualified."
He went over to Dawson, put his hand on the Support agent's shoulder, and concentrated.
Nothing.
Carter frowned, concentrating again yet yielding no results.
"...uh, Boss? This is getting a bit awkward…I mean, you're a handsome man and all, but -"
"Quiet you." Carter pulled away with a scowl. "I don't understand. Why isn't it working?"
"How many times have you used your regeneration ability on yourself or others today?"
Looking over at Weir, Carter was about to tell him to back off, but he thought the better of it. Instead, he thought back to the events of the day, mentally counting how many times he had healed major wounds.
"Um...five or six? Maybe seven."
"I figured as much. Here."
Carter almost balked at the doctor as he pulled a small tin from his lab coat, opening it up to reveal a stack of military chocolate bars. Weir methodically took one out, snapped a square off the end, and offered it to Carter, who stared at it for a moment before taking it and biting off a corner. Semi-sweet, slightly bitter sensations rushed into his taste buds, and he suddenly became aware of how hungry he was as he took more and more voracious bites.
"Looks like someone's got a sweet tooth," said Dawson with a chuckle. Then he tilted his head. "Those the D ration bars, or the Tropicals?"
"Tropical, of course," said Weir with a smile, "those Logan bars tear up people's insides like ground glass. These have all the caloric density of those old things, with a slightly more palatable taste. Soon as you're done, give it a few moments, Mister Carter. Then try healing Mister Dawson again."
Fighting the urge to ask for another piece, Carter did as he was instructed. The next time he touched Dawson, the familiar glow of healing energy enveloped the Support Agent's wounds, repairing broken bones and undoing the damage to the skull. Grinning in response, Dawson opened up his arms as he turned to face Summer, who despite rolling her eyes once more moved in to embrace him.
"Thanks, doc," said Carter with a nod to Weir.
"Of course, Mister Carter," said Weir as he covered the tin and stowed it back in his lab coat, "I had a suspicion that the abilities from the artifact were tied to your own personal stamina. A little bit of glucose goes a long way."
"Gotta ask, though - you always carry military-grade chocolate around with you like that? I mean, I'm not complaining, but…
Weir chuckled. "It's a habit I picked up in grad school. All men have their vices, whether it be alcohol, nicotine, or fine company. Me, it's military surplus candy. But enough about that. If we're all ready, we should move. I'll take the lead, I know these tunnels like the back of my hand…"
So after gathering up the weapons and taking stock of their remaining ammo, explosives, and medical supplies, the squad moved down the dark tunnels under the guidance of Doctor Weir. Carter and Summer took up positions on either side of him as they walked, keeping their weapons at the ready in case they came across Outsiders who had found the hidden labyrinth. Despite the lights shining from the walls and the Venn Braces, the darkness still seemed suffocating and omnipresent, following their every move as they took a left here, a right there, a ladder now and again. Every sound echoed a thousand times, from the shuffling of boots to the squeaking of rats to the splashing of water.
"These tunnels must go on for miles," said Adam after they rounded yet another corner, "How do you build something this big in secret?"
"Very carefully," said Weir matter-of-factly. "You'll want to take the next right up ahead. It leads to an exit underneath the local radio station."
Gray perked up. "The one across from that one barber shop? We passed that on the way to the University, after we left the bank."
"That's the one."
"Why the hell are we going all the way there?" growled Knox, "Can't we just step out anywhere, call back to base, and ask for an evac?"
"It's not that simple," said Shen, "The Skyrangers do more than just transport us - they also extend the range of our two-way radios and mask the signals we send in the field."
"And I've been trying to hail Barnes for the last half-hour or so," added Carter, "and getting nothing but dead air the whole time. So that means that either this thing's busted, or he's out of range. And Shen says it still works, so that rules out the first option."
"But with the radio station's broadcast equipment, we could send out a message for pickup," finished Shen. "The Bureau has a full comms team that's scanning and searching frequencies to monitor things outside the base and search for survivors. If we can get their attention, we might be able to ask for a pickup."
Doctor Weir nodded. "Exactly. Very good, mister…"
"It's Shen, doctor. Raymond Shen."
"...very good, Mister Shen."
The young engineer seemed suddenly bashful at the praise, which earned an amused chuckle from Carter as the squad continued to move through the tunnels.
Now, more than ever, he could see why Faulke wanted the good Doctor on their side.
To say that Penny was a nervous wreck would be a definite understatement.
Sure, she understood that field work was dangerous, and that not every mission was a successful one. They were facing an enemy unknown, after all, and even with alien technology and the best training on their side, agents were still only human. So casualties were more than likely, even inevitable from a certain point of view.
That didn't help assuage the shaking in her hands as she turned her comm station to yet another emergency frequency, swallowing the lump in her dry throat as she listened to dead air for the hundredth time that day (evening? Penny wasn't sure what time it was). She nearly jumped when someone placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see the familiar face of Nico DaSilva giving a sympathetic look, patting her twice before walking up to Officer Chulski.
"You should be resting, Agent DaSilva," said the Chief Communications Officer sternly.
"Tried that already," said the man with the moustache wearily, "Didn't take. Even tried putting some music from the radio on, but all I got was this weird automated message that kept repeating itself."
Penny looked up from her comm station. "Message? What kind of message? What station? Could it be survivors? What kind of radio is -"
"Penny. Enough."
The small operator seemed to shrink back down into her chair with a face that looked on the verge of tears. DaSilva looked at her, then looked at Chulski, who sighed. "You'll have to forgive Miss Cohen's…"
"There's nothing to forgive," said DaSilva with a wave of his hand. "She's just tired and worried, is all. If you want, I can bring her back to the radio to check it out. Get her out of your hair if you'd like."
"That would be a godsend, Nico," groaned Chulski. "Her shift should have ended six hours ago, but I haven't pulled her away from that comm station for more than five minutes. Maybe you can talk some sense into her."
"I'll see what I can do. Come on, Penny."
Staring at her feet as she rose, the small operator reluctantly followed the taller agent as he led her back to his office. Down the halls, past her and Summer's office, down another set of hallways until they finally arrived. When they stepped inside, DaSilva closed the door and looked at her.
"You're not...really gonna try to talk some sense into me, are you?" she asked timidly, trying to keep her knees from shaking and failing.
DaSilva smirked. "Far from it. Weaver might've been quick to declare Carter and the rest of his squad KIA, but someone like Will and Summer? Collapsing a building on top of them would probably just piss 'em off, and Faulke thinks so too."
"So you think they're still out there too?"
"I got a pretty good feeling about it," replied the leader for Strike Two, "just like I got a feeling about this weird broadcast."
He turned the radio on with a click, and a static-laced monotonous voice started pouring out from its speaker.
"Tw...ive...cho...ht...ine...wo. Mes...eats. Tw...ive…"
"Sounds like some sort of automated broadcast," mused Penny, "Probably from a nearby weather station. Sounds really fuzzy, though, like it's been through a few too many relay retransmissions."
"That's what I thought at first too," said DaSilva. "Problem is, if it is just a local transmission, why would it sound so distorted? So I'm thinking there might be more to it than that. Can you clean this up?"
"I'll try my best," said Penny, pulling the pair of headphones around her neck over her ears. "Gonna need to focus, though."
DaSilva stepped back. "Take all the time you need."
With a determined nod, Penny plugged the wire at the end of her headphones into the radio. Loud static flooded into her ears and threatened to drown her in a sea of noise, but a few quick adjustments to the dials managed to reduce it to a soft trickle. With the static contained as best she could, she cranked the volume as high as it could go, pressing her ears as close to the speakers in her headphones and softly repeating to herself the sounds she could distinguish.
A few minutes of careful listening and memorization later, Penny pulled the headphones off and quickly wrote down the message on a nearby sheet of paper. She showed it to DaSilva, reading it aloud.
"Two...Five...Zero...Echo...Eight...Nine...Two...Message Repeats. That's what it says, best as I could tell."
"Definitely something automated," observed the agent, "but I'm not sure what it could mean. Just sounds like a list of numbers...and one word."
"Echo," mused Penny, "which stands for the letter E in the phonetic alphabet…"
"Seems like a pretty random letter to include in a message like this."
Penny furrowed her brow, thinking deeply as she wracked her brain for possible explanations. Then her eyes widened.
"It's not random at all, mister DaSilva. It's directions!"
At the sight of the agent raising an eyebrow, she elaborated. "Remember that group of survivors we managed to find based on an automated weather station broadcast a few weeks back? It's just like that! They're using the broadcasting power of stronger frequencies to -"
"-to transmit directions to locate a weaker signal," finished DaSilva with a grin. "A clever broadcaster could cut through most of the alien jamming that way and reach us directly. And if I remember right, we had all our Engineering Agents learn that technique as part of their standard training, so…"
"...so Strike Three is still out there, and they need our help!"
Penny was out the door and sprinting down the halls before DaSilva could even say the word "go", rushing through and around groups of people who just stared in bewilderment. She was barely aware of the agent running to catch up with her by the time she reached the comm station, skidding to a halt and panting to catch her breath.
"Officer Chulski! I need you to set the…" she stopped to take a breath her body needed, "...set the range to two-fifty, the direction to east, and the frequency to…" Another pant. "... eight-ninety-two megahertz!"
The Chief Communications Officer stared at Penny like she'd finally lost her marbles, then shot a glare at DaSilva.
"You heard the lady," he said sternly.
Grumbling under her breath about how she sent Penny with him to distract her, not encourage her, she nonetheless did as she was asked. At first it was just static that poured from the speakers, before a familiar gruff voice took its place.
"...is Agent William Carter, callsign 'Whiskey-Three' requesting immediate evac from Rosemont, Georgia."
"Oh my god," whispered Chulski as she covered her mouth.
"Carter!" Penny exclaimed. "Are you alright? What happened? Is Summer okay? What about Adam and Knox and Shen and -?"
"It's okay, Penny," came another familiar voice, this one female and motherly, "I'm alright, and so is everyone else. No one has died yet. We're safe, for the moment."
The bespectacled operator almost collapsed in relief. She took her glasses off and wiped her eyes, trying to stem the tears that were on the verge of breaking out.
"And the VIP?" Everyone turned to suddenly see Director Faulke in their midst. There was a shuffling sound on the radio, followed by a relieved chuckle.
"Good to hear your voice again, Myron," said a new voice, this one male with a slight Australian accent.
Unlike Penny, Faulke showed no outward emotion other than a small smile and a nod. "Likewise, Alan. Whiskey-Three, what's your status?"
"Alive, for now," replied Carter, "but there's more of those weird structures and the streets are crawling with Outsider patrols. What happened while we were out?"
"After the new aerial contact arrived and destroyed the Observatory, it began dropping off enemy reinforcements," explained Faulke clinically, "Strikes One and Two were forced to abort their current missions after taking heavy injuries, at which point I gave the evac order."
"Then that huge ship started shooting at us as we retreated, too," added DaSilva. "Gave Nils a bunch of new wounds and vaporized Prescott right in his seat. Dolly barely managed to get her Skyranger back in one piece."
"The new contact, which seems to be some sort of command ship, has been in a holding pattern ever since we left," finished Faulke, "and we can't risk losing any of our Skyrangers to enemy weapons fire. So as long as this Outsider command ship is in the area, extraction is impossible."
"So we just have to bring it down, then."
Faulke raised an eyebrow at how quickly Summer reacted to the news, while DaSilva chuckled. "I like your gumption, Sierra, but unless you brought one of those nukes from Groom Range with you in your pocket, I don't think there's much you could do against that."
"Maybe they can't destroy it...but an AA tower could."
Everyone turned to look at Penny, who swallowed the lump in her throat and continued.
"W-well, what I mean is...the Outsiders have constructed additional AA towers after Strikes One and Two extracted. Carter and his squad disabled one of them earlier, so perhaps...it could be reactivated? Have its targeting switched so it attacks the command ship?"
"Hmmm…" said Carter pensively. "...not a bad idea. Doctor Weir? What do you think? Is what she's saying possible? And what are the odds you could pull it off?"
"Would you prefer a quantitative answer, or a qualitative one?"
"Whichever one's shorter."
"Very possible, Mister Carter."
"Then it sounds like we've got ourselves a plan."
Another voice groaned, and Penny recognized it as belonging to Gray Dawson. "So we're taking that AA tower again? Man, that's so repetitive! It's just like pre-med all over again…"
"You think that's bad?" growled another voice, this one belonging to Knox. "Try spending six months in Korea. Go take that post! Now go take it again! Hell, why not take it one more time just for kicks?"
"You realize that as soon as you make a move on the AA Tower, Outsider forces in the area are going to start swarming you like you kicked a hornet nest," said DaSilva. "Doubly so once you shoot down the command ship. I imagine that won't make them very happy."
"Of course," said Carter, "Which is why those Skyrangers better be as fast as you say they are."
"I'll send Barnes for pickup as soon as we're done here," said Faulke, "He won't be able to move in for extraction until that command ship is taken care of, but he can maintain a safe distance until it's time. Besides, he feels guilty about not warning you soon enough about the command ship - if there's anyone I trust to bring you back, it's him."
"Alright. We're gonna mobilize in a few minutes. Gonna have to abandon the radio station though, so you won't hear from us until Barnes is back in relay range. See you soon, Faulke."
"Good luck out there, Carter. Vigilo Confido."
Penny had just enough time to realize that Faulke had broken his own rule about using code names over the comms before the sound of static filled the air once again. Chulski clicked the station off with a dial, looking down at her desk with an unreadable expression. DaSilva gave Penny a reassuring pat on the shoulder before Faulke broke the silence with clipped, stern orders.
"Chulski, contact the hangar and have them prep a Skyranger. DaSilva, assemble a crew of agents and communications personnel to assist Carter and Barnes with extraction and monitoring comms. I want one of our birds in the air in less than two minutes."
A chorus of "yes sirs" and "aye-ayes" followed as Faulke began to walk away. Penny's gaze followed DaSilva as he headed off, and her feet followed without her mind offering input a moment later.
"Oh, and Miss Cohen?"
Penny froze as she heard Faulke call her name, barely having the nerve to turn and face him.
"...y-yes? Sir?"
The Director gave a rare smile at her.
"Excellent work in locating Strike Three. We're glad to have you here."
Readjusting her glasses (why did they suddenly feel so loose and heavy?) Penny blushed and managed to return the smile.
"Th-thank you sir!"
"Penny? You coming or what?"
Now she turned to face DaSilva, who was grinning. "Boss said to bring a comms operator. You in?"
The small operator nodded and eagerly followed the agent without another word.
"Contacts incoming! Shield Commander and an Outsider firing squad!"
The cold night air quickly became saturated with red laser fire and the smell of burning ozone as Strike Three dug into the road surrounding the Anti-Aircraft tower. Like when they had tried to take it earlier in the day, seizing it had been relatively simple, while securing it proved to be the most hazardous part.
The sole advantage they had now was that Weir was more than capable of reprogramming the tower on his own, and while Carter could tell Shen wanted to stay by the doctor to assist him, the fact was that they needed every gun pointed at the enemy to make sure they didn't overrun their position. Instead, Adam was staying by the scientist as he worked on interfacing his workstation with the central targeting station at the top of the tower - which conveniently happened to make for an excellent sniping perch, allowing the Recon Agent to call out targets and deliver clean headshots with his laser pulse rifle when needed.
"Kilo and Sierra, go up the flanks! Trap them in a crossfire and give 'em hell! I'll take point!
"Tracking, sir!"
"As you order!"
Knox, Summer, and Carter's rifles all spit lead and lasers as they moved, splitting up the attention of the enemy squad and making their deadly concentrated firing tactics less deadly and concentrated. Even so, the Shield Commander erected barriers around its fellow troops, allowing the Outsiders to return fire without fear of being harmed as they popped out of cover.
Carter hunkered down under his protective barricade as alien lasers slowly whittled it away. "Golf! Could you throw some smoke on my position?"
"Sure thing, boss - but only if I get to wear the hat on the way home."
The gray-hatted man rolled his eyes. "I'll think about it."
"Works for me!" chirped Dawson, and soon enough the familiar hiss gave him enough protection to lean out and cut down one of the offending Outsiders with Laser fire. He pivoted to start suppressing the Shield Commander, only to watch as Summer drove a fully-extended Muton blade through the alien's back when it wasn't looking, the glowing red tip cutting clean through the vital organs and emerging from its chest.
"Jesus Christ, this woman is crazy," grumbled Knox over the comms.
"Aren't they all, Kilo?" quipped Dawson playfully.
"I heard that, boys," said Summer as she withdrew her blade. 'And you're welcome. Don't want you wasting frags on these things if you don't have to."
"Good call, Sierra," said Carter approvingly. "Now fall back and let your shield recharge. We'll take it from here."
"Copy that. On the move."
Now that the Shield Commander was no longer supporting its allies or trying to fling Carter's troops across the field like ragdolls, the remaining Outsiders went down with just a few well-placed bullets and lasers. Sectoids tried to dash in to close the gap, only to realize why that was a bad idea as Shen's Scatter Laser boiled two of them in one blast of red light, slamming the third one into the ground with his Venn Brace. Knox nodded in approval, then looked to Carter, who nodded in return - without a word, the two of them unslung frag grenades and tossed them at the feet of the Outsider firing squad that was suppressing Summer, sending chunks of them flying in all directions.
"Alpha, how's the doc doing?"
"He says he's decoded about fifty-seven percent of the alien targeting software," came Adam's reply over the comms, "Apparently he needs to run the code through a cipher to translate it, so he understands how it works and what he needs to change to make that thing consider the command ship a target."
"Any chance he could work a little faster?"
"Perhaps you'd like to translate an alien biocomputer while I run around with a weapon and get myself shot?"
Carter had no reply.
"That's what I thought," said Weir, "This tower seems to be linked to other AA towers in the area. If I can get control of this one, it's likely I can override the IFF for all the towers."
"Do whatever you think will help, doc," said Carter finally, "Just remember we're on a schedule."
"I trust your abilities to do your job, Mister Carter. I only ask that you trust in my ability to do mine."
"Fair enough, I suppose," grumbled Carter as he sent another headless Outsider toppling to the ground. Nothing he and the rest of the squad could do but keep fighting. So that's exactly what they would do, for as long as they could. Take down one Outsider, move onto the next, take it down, move onto another. Repeat until out of ammo or out of targets.
And since the Outsiders showed no signs of stopping their assault, even kicking away the corpses of those that had fallen before them, ammo was the only limiting factor that Strike Three had to deal with...besides getting shot, of course.
"Whiskey, heads up," came Adam's voice through the comms, "Outsider and Sectoid reinforcements are coming down from the east. Probably thinking about flanking us."
"I can give them something else to think about," said Summer with an audible grin, "Just say the word, Whiskey."
Carter hesitated for a moment, then keyed his mike. "Give 'em hell, Sierra. Alpha, give her some covering fire."
"Understood."
"Try not to have too much fun without me boys!"
And with that, Carter watched as Summer sprinted off to the right, while Shen and Knox peeled off to the left to fortify defenses. The mysterious young woman drew her blade and extended it with the press of a button and a flick of her wrist, making it come alive with red light and heat. She met the encroaching group of Outsiders and Sectoids head-on, slicing through the chest of one trooper and lopping off the arms of another before dashing back out of melee range, reassessing the situation, and diving back into the fray. Summer seemed to flow like water between each sword strike and thrust, like she was conducting a dance with her alien partners...one that ended in death for the Sectoid or Outsider foolish enough to accept her invitation.
Even from this distance, he could tell she was smiling. Like she was enjoying herself.
Who the hell is this woman?
Anytime an enemy tried to sneak up on her while she focused her blows elsewhere, a red laser lit up the sky like the hand of God reaching down to smite whatever it touched. Another group tried to move in from the west, but a combination of flashbangs and satchel charges left them easily picked off by coordinated laser fire. And whenever a high-value target entered the fray, all it took was one call-out from Carter before it was obliterated by five different crimson beams.
"Eighty-nine percent," called Weir, "seems pretty rudimentary so far. Once I have the full code, it should just be a matter of switching the 'identify friend-foe' protocol."
The good news continued as Barnes's voice crackled over Carter's two-way. "Whiskey-Three, this is Skyranger-One. We're about two klicks from your current location. Holding position for now, but we're ready to move in as soon as you need us."
"We've got four agents armed to the teeth with lasers and M14s ready to assist," came another voice, this one belonging to DaSilva, "so try to leave some for the rest of us."
Carter smirked as he watched Summer dispatch the last flanking Outsider with a swift decapitation. "You might have to compete with Sierra for that one, November. Doubt there'll be an Outsider left alive at the rate she's chewing through them."
"Wouldn't expect anything less from our resident Wonder Woman, Whiskey. See you in a few."
The string of good luck had to end eventually, and it was marked by Adam loudly cursing over the comms. "Heads up! Command ship is on the move towards us, and it just dropped off three Mutons!"
Because of fucking course it did.
Carter furrowed his brow as he growled, peering through the smoke and fire of the battlefield to try to spot the new arrivals. Sure enough, in the distance he could see a huge oval-shaped flying craft lift off into the sky, as three hulking brutish figures began charging right down the street. Not even bothering to take cover, they even went out of their way to bat away cars and trucks, swatting them and setting them flying like they were made of foam. One Muton had almost cost him two agents - against three…
"Doc! Progress?"
"Ninety-two percent, mister Carter. Try to hold out a little bit longer."
Too long to assume that they can ignore the Mutons entirely until evac. They would need to be dealt with, one way or another.
"Kilo, Golf! As soon as they come into visual range, hit 'em with a flashbang and a rocket! I've got one grenade left, so I'll use that afterwards to further soften up their armor. Sierra, Romeo? Start moving up to engage in close range, but stay out of sight until after the shrapnel's flown. Then I want you two to take down one - and only one - of the bastards before the other two can recover, then fall back! Alpha, keep an eye on that Command ship - if it starts moving closer to us, let us know so we have enough time to try to scatter."
A chorus of affirmations sounded over the comms, and Carter moved up from his cover to a more sturdy cement roadblock in preparation. He watched as Summer and Shen disappeared into the night, while Knox and Dawson took up positions next to him.
"You sure it's a good idea to be sending those two in for close range?" asked Knox as he swapped his M14 for a portable rocket tube, "Specially considering how we learned firsthand how much those fists can hurt?"
"Yeah, pretty sure I'll be nursing that bruise for a few weeks," said Gray. "What made you change your tune, Carter?"
"The fact that we're gonna be barraging the group with explosives before they move in," said Carter as he pulled his last grenade from his belt. "They'll hopefully be left blind, deaf, and dumb once the fireworks stop, meaning that Shen and Summer'll be able to get the drop on one of them before they get their heads cleared out. How many rockets have you got left, Knox?"
"Just two," said the former army trooper, "Want me to use them both?"
"Fire one of them now and keep the other warm. Dawson?"
"Three flashbangs left," said Gray, "Plus two smokes. Laser's almost dry, though."
"Better make those shots count, then." Carter heard the sound of two mikes double-clicking, confirming that Summer and Shen were in position. "Alright. Wait for my signal."
Dawson's hand grabbed a flashbang and held it tightly, as he peered over the corner at the trio of brutes that were quite quickly getting closer.
"Hold...hold...now! Light 'em up!"
The Support Agent flung the flashbang into the squad of Mutons as they pushed through a stack of cars. The magnesium ignited in a flash, creating a loud bang and a burst of bright light that overwhelmed the relatively small eyes of the Mutons. Knox followed up with a blast from his LAW, sending a rocket-propelled grenade soaring into the crowd and crashing into the leader with a devastating explosion that enveloped the other two behind it. Carter finished up the alpha strike with a frag grenade, showering the group of enemy brutes in shrapnel and pain. When the dust settled, the three Mutons were staggering around on unsteady legs, chunks of armor falling off like stained glass falling out of its frame.
"Romeo, Sierra, go for it!"
Shen and Summer moved in on the Muton closest to them, the Engineer raising his Scatter Laser at close-range and blasting through the weakened armor. The Muton roared and fell to its knees as the cone of lasers tore through its back and side, which gave Summer ample opportunity to use its leg and back as a stepping stone to climb up and drive her sword into the top of its head. With a twist of the blade and a grunt of exertion, the lifeless Muton fell flat as the heated alien blade cut through brain, bone, and bile.
The other two Mutons, though heavily bleeding from the explosive volley, turned towards the two soldiers who had dared to attack one of their own from behind. Summer and Shen made a hasty retreat as the two enemy brutes fired their own Scatter Lasers, the former letting out a yelp of surprise as a grazing shot vaporized her shield. A concentrated stream of red bolts poured out of Dawson's Laser SMG and tracked across the lead Muton, while a controlled burst from Carter's Laser Pulse Rifle plunged into the back of the other one's head. They turned their attention back towards the rest of the squad, covering their faces with their armored forearms as they advanced.
Carter's breath caught in his lungs when he saw the Muton trailing behind pull out an entire belt of alien grenades, hand on the primer button as it got ready to fling the deadly beeping ordinance -
"Oh fuck no you don't!" yelled Knox, final LAW already in hand. He launched his rocket straight at the feet of the Muton about to throw its own grenades, making sure it didn't get a chance to do so. Instead, the blast from the rocket set off a chain reaction that detonated every single alien grenade in the Muton's hand, leaving nothing behind of the foe except for a rather large scorch mark and a roar of pain drowned out in explosions.
"Good call, Kilo," said Carter approvingly. "Alpha, doc? Status?"
"Fully decoded and reassigning targeting parameters. Just a few more seconds."
"Perfect timing, too, cause that command ship's coming in hot!"
Sure enough, as the last Muton roared in fury, Carter could see the house-sized command ship swooping low, its underside glowing with green light and energy as it charged up what he could only assume was its main weapon. He screamed at the squad to scatter, which they most certainly did. Shen and Summer ran like hell into a side alley, while Knox and Dawson made a hasty retreat back towards the AA tower. Carter popped out from behind his cover to do the same…
But a charging Muton slammed its shoulder into him, sending him sprawling across the pavement.
"Carter!"
"Whiskey's down! I repeat, Whiskey's down! Moving to assist!"
"Sit your ass down behind cover, Golf! Doc! We need a miracle!"
"Almost done…"
The gray-hatted man (who had somehow kept his hat when he fell) painfully rose as best he could to see the Muton stomping over to him, Scatter Laser in hand and dripping green fluid as the command ship overhead prepared to fire on where the squad had been a moment earlier.
"Eldik kraksad," growled the mass of alien muscle and metal, "Mozaik ectun flokta."
Carter furrowed his brow as his left hand, without his input or his awareness, raised and extended itself towards the approaching Muton. He almost fought it, forced it to drag him down the road and away from the incoming threat, but then he felt a strange sensation overtake him, like electricity was surging at his fingertips. But there was no spark, no pain, not even a tingle of nerves as ethereal light pooled around his palm, unbidden but not unwelcome.
"Took the words right out of my mouth."
FWOOM.
In a sudden flash of teal light, a burst of force erupted from Carter's palm and struck the Muton square in the chest, knocking it backwards and sending it flying. At the exact same moment, the command ship's main cannon erupted, spewing a fifteen-foot-wide beam of pure emerald energy that tore up the road, shattered the windows of the nearby buildings with a deafening roar, and vaporized the Muton that came in contact with the stream of death and destruction.
A fraction of a second later, another beam shot out in the night sky, this one as blue as a sunny sky. Then another one flew in from the east, then the west, then three more from the south. All six blue beams struck the floating command ship, making the exterior crackle and splinter and radiate sparks and light before it finally succumbed to the barrage, exploding in a green fireball and raining down bits of metal, debris, and charred Outsider tissue.
The AA towers ceased their assault, and the battlefield fell silent once more, the echoes of explosions still booming in the ears of its participants.
"That...might have been the coolest goddamn thing I've ever seen."
"Way better than how it looks in the movies. Too bad there's no popcorn, though."
"Incredible…"
"Felt that all the way up here. You alright, doc?"
"I'm fine, mister Goldstein. What about the rest of the squad?"
"Romeo and I are alright. Got some minor cuts from when the glass fell on us, but we should be fine. Whiskey, you took a pretty nasty fall. You okay?"
Carter gave no reply, instead merely staring at his hand in shock, fascination, and relief. So...it wasn't just a one-time thing.
"Carter? Carter!"
"Better answer her, Whiskey. It's rude to leave a lady hanging like that."
"Outsider forces are starting to regroup and resume their assault. Skyranger-One, if you're gonna pick us up, it'd better be now."
"Understood, Alpha-Three. Head for the base of that AA tower and get ready for pickup."
"My boys will give you some covering fire as you retreat. We'll get you all home safe and sound."
William Carter was barely present in the moment as he felt (or saw?) Summer and Shen help him to his feet and guide him back to the tower. All he could do was watch impassively as Weir and Adam came out the ground floor entrance, walking towards the Skyranger that touched down gently. As the doors slid open and DaSilva ordered Kinney, Redmont, and Bradford to rain down lead and lasers on the approaching forces. As Penny ran out of the Skyranger to greet Summer in a tight, tearful embrace, the latter returning it despite her clothes practically dripping with alien viscera. As Dawson snatched the hat from his head when they all sat down in the transport and wore it with an idiotic grin the entire way back to base.
First some kind of weird healing factor, now this. What the hell is happening to me?
"Will."
He finally snapped back to reality to see DaSilva reach forward, laying a hand on his shoulder with a relieved, sincere smile. He looked away from Penny, Gray, and Kinney excitedly handing Summer a Wonder Woman comic (which Adam initially protested against, but resigned to let happen) and into the eyes of Strike Two's leader.
"It's good to see you again, buddy."
William Carter blinked, frowned for a moment, then finally let out a sigh of relief. Then, for the second time that day, he let himself smile at a friend.
"Yeah...you too."
