The Broken Soldier

by M10m gas mask soldier

He hated Alma. So why did he decide to fight for her as the Commander of the Replica and her husband? Leading the Replica and F.E.A.R., they freed Fairport and turned it into an international super power. When the F.3.A.R. Universe invades their own, can Becket, Alma, their daughter Amara, the Heavy Trooper Alpha 1, and their Replica Army save the world? AU Post-F.E.A.R. 2

11. Chapter 11: Fairport: We are free

Ch.11: We are free!

A.N.:

So, this is what I did with my weekend. I hope it is interesting. I am sorry about the length but for the troopers out there, you might enjoy the ending haha. I apologize for updating this so late. I really meant for this to be posted hours ago but I hit a snag and felt compelled to fix it.

There is a synchronicity event between Alma and Becket in this chapter…I hope I described it enough for it to be clear that was happening. Anyway, I hope the readers like it.

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I walked out of the APC and started over towards Morales. As I did, Alpha 1 walked next to me. He had changed since his outburst inside the submarine. Now, he acted more and more like a person. I definitely thought of him as a friend. As we neared Morales, I noticed Jin and Point Man interacting together and could not help but smile at them. Jin would say something and he would reply either with a hand gesture or by nodding or shaking his head.

I saw Alma frown at the sight and I said through our bond, "He is a grown man. Let him be interested in her." She looked up at me but did not say anything. By that time, we had reached Morales and I asked, "What is the fuss about?"

He looked away from the laptop and said, "Becket, man we have some problems. ATC is massing the remaining bulk of their forces to retake the city. We can expect those reinforcements to be here in less than twenty-four hours. Meanwhile, the forces holding out in the harbor are keeping our forces from advancing with some kind of EMP defense system. It is preventing our power armor from getting close enough to support the pinned down infantry. Inside the fortress, they have several of our Delta Force operatives as hostages. They have warned that the second one of our troops sets foot inside the compound that they will execute them."

I paced as I thought through my options. I could lead the frontal assault on the fortress but I would get my captured comrades killed. The EMP defense system posed a lethal threat to my soldiers too. Air support would be useless as long as that defense was in operation. With reinforcements on the way, I could not afford to use attrition to force the ATC mercenaries into submission. I could infiltrate the harbor again, neutralize the defense system, and rescue my brethren. However, now that the place was under siege, I doubted that I could infiltrate them like I had before.

I asked Manny, "Do you have a layout of the fortress?" He nodded and brought it up on the main flat screen monitor. I studied it for a moment. I retraced the path I had used to infiltrate the frigate and noticed that the key communication and power hubs were located at the center of the facility.

I saw that there was a warehouse on the west side of the complex that was merely labeled, "Body storage". It would be lightly guarded as the mercenaries were concentrating on the attacking Replicas.

I asked my armored companion, "Alpha 1, do our forces have a spare cargo plane or something that can achieve high altitudes?"

He replied, "Affirmative. One C-130 Hercules, sir."

Stunned, I said, "Really? Where?"

He explained, "Hidden runway in the forests, sir."

I asked, "Is it functional?"

He nodded before he said, "A squad is on site." I smiled as I realized I had my answer. That just left the reinforcements.

I asked Morales, "How are the reinforcements going to enter the city?"

He replied, "Massive armada of about twenty ships." Looking at Alma, who was levitating an empty oilcan out of boredom, I thought of a way to destroy the approaching fleet.

I looked back at Manny and asked, "Tight spacing their formation?" He eyed me as if he suspected what I was planning before nodding. I looked over at Point Man and then at Alma. Only they knew the exact cause of the Origin Explosion and Point Man was unable to tell me.

I asked my bonded partner, "Alma, may I ask you something?" She lowered the can back down before raising her head up and nodding with a curious expression.

I asked, "Alma, what caused the Origin Explosion?"

She hesitated for a moment before she explained, "My son shot the cooling system of the reactor inside the Origin facility in an attempt to kill me. When it overloaded, the facility exploded."

I nodded before I pressed, "Okay but even if it was a large reactor, it would not have produced the explosion that I saw."

She lowered her head as if she was embarrassed. I sighed before I gently said, "Please, I need to know."

She explained through our bond, "I did it. I used the original explosion of the reactor and combined it with my rage. That is what everyone saw: my explosion."

Trying to keep the rest of my allies from knowing what I was up to, I asked her through our bond, "Would you be able to do it again?"

Stunned, she raised her head and looked at me with a shocked expression. She said aloud, "I…guess…so. I would need a catalyst but I think I can do it again."

Holiday asked from a corner of the garage, "Do what again?"

I simply replied, "Origin."

Everyone, even the Replicas, froze and slowly looked at me. I explained, "An explosion like that will destroy the reinforcements without endangering the Replicas or our men by trying to fight them conventionally."

Holiday stated, "Are you serious right now?"

I nodded as I said, "Yes, I am." I looked at Alma and asked, "How big of a catalyst would you need?"

She started to answer but Jin cut in, "One was bad enough. Do you really intend to scorch the Earth twice in less than a month?"

I replied, "Yes I do. It is our only hope to keep the city out of their control. We just don't have the resources or manpower to do it another way."

I looked back at Alma and nodded for her to continue. She said, "I need an explosion large enough to project my anger into but it does not have to be anything near the reactor explosion to work."

I thought quickly and asked, "How about a UAV strapped with C4 and detonated above the center of the fleet?"

She thought for a moment and nodded her head. Manny added, "Becket, Armacham has an AGM being repaired inside a warehouse within the harbor. If you can get me to it, with a little assistance I can get her airworthy again in twelve hours max."

Jin said, "I can help with that. I am qualified to work on them."

I nodded and Manny asked, "So you lunatic, what is the plan?"

I explained, "We use the C-130 to do a HALO insertion into the harbor. There is a warehouse located at the western edge of the complex that they are using to store bodies. I doubt that it will be guarded beyond the occasional squad that makes it rounds. We land there and use the cover of the frontal assault of the Replicas to infiltrate the rest of the complex. We rescue the Delta Force operatives, neutralize their defenses, and then assist the Replicas as they storm the harbor. Manny and Jin will fix the AGM and then we will use it to create a catalyst for Alma to cause a second Origin Explosion that will destroy the reinforcements. Do that, and will have officially liberated Fairport from Armacham."

Holiday remarked, "Wow…what could possibly go wrong with that amazing plan?"

I sighed before I asked, "Are you with me?" The Replicas immediately confirmed that they had my back.

Manny said, "Well, you only live once so why not."

Holiday looked at Jin and Point Man for a moment before he nodded. Jin sighed and finally nodded as well. Point Man looked at her and then nodded at me.

Eight hours later, as the sun finally started to set, I found myself inside the Replica C-130 as it prepared to take off. We had all completed our pre-jump oxygen breathing where we had to breathe one hundred percent oxygen and boarded the aircraft. Calculating the amount of time it would take to reach optimal altitude and then reach the harbor, I waited for the right time. As I waited, I tried to calm myself.

Being in Delta Force, I had been instructed in how to perform a HALO insertion but it was not something I personally liked doing. So many things could go wrong and I had lost friends during routine practice jumps because of malfunctioning gear. I looked over to see Morales silently praying while I heard Holiday telling perverted jokes to Jin and Point Man in an attempt to hide his fear. There was no room for error and no safety net when it came to HALO jumps.

I was so anxious that my hands were shaking uncontrollably and I could not stop them. However, Alma materialized next to me and saw my hands. She cocked her head to the right before she smiled and reached over. She gently held my hands and the shaking stopped.

Finally, I instructed the pilot to get the cargo plane into the air. With a roar of the engines, the plane raced down the runway before finally taking off. We all checked and then rechecked our gear to provide peace of mind that the fall would not kill us. After about fifteen minutes, the red light and buzzer activated and we took our respective positions.

The rear cargo hatch lowered and a rush of ice-cold air tore into us as we patiently waited for the signal to jump. The bag filled with all of our gear laid beside my feet and I prayed that if I survived the jump that I could find it. Finally, the green light and tone was given and I threw the bag out the opening. Not thinking about it, I jumped out of the safety of the aircraft and into the darkness of the nighttime sky.

The force of the air ripped into my gear but it remained securely attached to my body. Within seconds, I had reached terminal velocity. The cold stung at my body but I reminded myself that it would not cause any permanent damage. The harbor below me got closer and closer as I fell towards it. It took all my focus to keep from opening my parachute prematurely.

Finally, at the last possible second, I pulled the cord. I wanted to breathe a sigh of relief as it properly deployed. It felt like hitting a concrete wall but the pain was better than splattering on the ground. I was never so happy to feel my boots impact the ground.

Quickly unstrapping the parachute, I stood and took in my surroundings. I had landed in front of the warehouse and sure enough, body bags were stacked nearly to the ceiling. The stench of decomposition was in the air and it mixed with the familiar lead smell of gunpowder that came from the raging firefight between the Replicas and ATC mercenaries.

Alpha 1 landed a few inches to the left of me and we were soon joined by the rest of the team. We all discarded our HALO gear and tried to find the bag with all of our weapons. Alma appeared levitating the bag and dropped it front of us. As the rest of the team was retrieving their weapons, I bent down and hugged her. As I released her and stood, she smiled up at me and I smiled back.

Alpha 1 handed me my silenced assault rifle as he whispered, "Your weapon sir."

I whispered back, "Thank you. Contact the Replica commanders and confirm a successful touch down."

He nodded and started relaying our successful landing to his brethren. I knelt down and reached into my left pouch. After retrieving the folded up copy of the compound's layout, I unfolded it as I lowered it to the ground. My team surrounded the piece of paper and I risked the use of my flashlight to illuminate the diagram.

I pointed to the respective buildings as I whispered, "Okay, we are here. The main gate is here and is where the majority of the ATC troops are located. The hostages are located in this office building under the watch of two squads. The generators are located in this building near the ammunition supply dump so we need to use EMP charges to knock them out so we don't turn this place into a roman candle."

I turned off my flashlight and folded up the piece of paper before returning it to the pouch. Holding my rifle with my hands, I whispered, "Remember, there is no escaping if we are exposed. We do this or we don't live to see the sunrise." Everyone nodded and I said quietly with more confidence than I actually had, "Alright, let's move out."

We all moved to our assigned objectives. Holiday, Jin, and Point Man made their way for the generators while Alpha 1, Morales, and I made our way to the hostages. Juggernaut and Gamma 3 had taken up position behind cover just outside the main gate and would lead the first wave of troops once the defense system was down. This fortress was nothing like the disciplined powerhouse that I had encountered only days prior.

The facility was in a state of chaos as the chorus of shouts and gunfire filled the air. The thundering of artillery volleys from both sides went through cycles like clockwork. Darkness was everywhere as the siege had knocked out various electric grids. Fires were lit all around the compound either intentionally by guards or simply because of the shelling.

The building I needed to get to was three buildings over and as I made my way there, I had to wait in the shadows a few times to let enemy patrols pass. At the second building, I encountered a stationary group of guards that were huddled around a burning barrel. I signaled with my left hand and we all crouched down.

I requested Alma through our bond, "Alma, kill the fire." She giggled and sure enough, the fire died down before finally going out. The four men huddled around the now useless barrel audibly cursed and tried to restart the fire. I signaled to Morales to take the one furthest to the left and telepathically ordered Alpha 1 to take the middle guard. As we took position, I aimed at the two men on the right. I whispered the countdown, "3, 2, 1, smoke them."

I activated my reflexes and fired a single round into the first one's head before switching targets and repeating the process on the second mercenary. I deactivated my reflexes and all four men had been silently dropped at the same time. Since all three of us had silenced assault rifles, though I noticed that Alpha 1 had brought along his automatic shotgun, no one would hear the shots. I signaled the all clear and we stood. After we hid the bodies in the shadows, we continued towards the hostages.

As we approached the third building containing the hostages, my com link activated and Jin reported, "Becket, the charges have been set and armed. Awaiting your signal."

I replied, "Copy. Standby."

The office building was one story but I did not want to approach it until I had scouted out the enemy and allied positions. I could not endanger my captive brethren now that I was so close to getting them out alive. We found a nearby collapsed guard tower and set up position. I asked Morales, "You bring her?"

He smiled and retrieved the book bag off his back. He set it down and unzipped the main pouch. He reached inside before withdrawing a radio controlled miniature surveillance bot. Looking more like a child's toy than a piece of military hardware, it was normally looked upon as a joke by most enlisted men and women.

However, the rugged little device was perfect for surveying the enemy's position before launching an attack. Morales had nicknamed ours "Matilda" and was fond of her.

He set her down beside the pack after examining her to ensure that she had survived the drop. He unzipped the second pouch and withdrew a small foldable monitor. He powered on the monitor that indicated that it was functional as it activated. He reached back into the pouch and withdrew the radio controller.

He extended the innocent looking controller's antenna to its maximum length before switching on Matilda. The monitor screen received her camera's transmission. Manipulating the controller, Manny guided the silent bot around the edge of the guard tower and approached the building. For nearly five minutes, he guided her around the building as I watched the screen.

There were ten mercenaries in total. Four guarded the south entrance to the building, four guarded the east entrance, and two were pacing around the five bound Delta Force operatives. The captives were in a circle restrained in simple wooden chairs. They all seemed unharmed beyond a few minor injuries but I did not know for how much longer that would continue.

ATC was becoming desperate as the Replicas tightened their grip around the harbor. We had to get them out before the mercenaries killed one as a warning. Matilda returned and Manny repacked the equipment. He returned the book bag onto his back.

I instructed them, "Manny, Alpha 1 take the east entrance. I will take the south entrance. Breach and clear at the same time. Trigger discipline. No one shoot a friendly. Do it as quietly as possible. No explosives. Move out."

Silently, we approached the building in a crouched posture. Alpha1 and Morales branched off and went to the east entrance while I approached the south entrance. As I reached the wooden door, I heard the first four men conversing about what they were going to do if the Replicas broke through the main defensive line. The main consensus was surrendering and I could not help but smile.

Armacham should have known better than to rely upon hired guns. No matter how much money you paid someone, you could never buy his or her complete loyalty. These mercenaries were like any individual. They were just trying to make a living. I did not hate them or pity them.

As my Delta Force mentor had once told me, "Every individual has just as much of a right to live as you do. In the end, someone has to lose in order for the other to succeed."

Alma whispered into my mind, "I am interfering with their com links. Hurry before they grow suspicious."

I leaned against the wall next to door frame and gripped the doorknob. I telepathically counted down the breach to Alpha 1. "Three, two, one, breach!" I silently turned the knob and pushed the door open as quietly as I could. My reflexes activated and I proceeded through the door frame with my rifle raised. The four men were still sitting around a table playing Texas Hold 'Em by the looks of it.

They were around five feet from the door and only had time to look up before I fired my first shot into the first man. I moved so fast that no sooner had the empty shell casing ejected and the next round cycled into the chamber before I fired another round. I killed them and they remained sitting in their seats with their cards in their hands. I proceeded into the central room and saw Alpha 1 already waiting at the east entrance to the room. The two men were unaware of our presence and we dispatched them at the same time.

I deactivated my reflexes. Weapons still raised, we proceeded into the room. We reached the five confused men and I ordered, "Alpha 1, Manny, help me free them." They nodded and placed their weapons on their back. Retrieving their utility blades, they started to cut the men free. As I cut the ropes off the closest man, who was wearing the traditional long sleeve olive green, camouflage uniform with a Kevlar vest, black ballistic helmet, elbow and knee protection, and black face cover with eye protection, he saw my armor and asked, "Who are you guys?"

I replied, "Dark Signal, or what's left of it."

He said, "Dark Signal? Heard you guys got put on ice. Nice to see that the rumors were false. Thanks for the assistance."

I smiled before I replied, "No problem, just glad to finally find a squad that wasn't already dead." When he was free, the operative stood and stretched.

He examined me closer and backed away slowly. He commented, "Your…your eyes. What are you…?"

He was interrupted by Manny saying, "Hey buddy, you got a problem with Becket, you have a problem with me." The operative looked at my friend and saw that he was normal looking.

Turning back to me, he apologized, "Sorry, it's just been a weird couple of days. Fucking nightmares wherever you go." I nodded and he walked back over to me. As he neared me, he suddenly pointed behind me as he said, "Look out!" I quickly turned with my weapon raised but only saw a confused Alma who also turned to look behind her briefly before looking back with her right eyebrow raised.

I turned back to find the soldier shaking with fright as he stammered, "It's her! No, no, no. Not again."

I reassured him, "Easy, she is not going to hurt you or your men."

He paused for a moment before he remarked, "You can see her too…oh thank god, I thought I had lost my damn mind."

I laughed before I commented, "Yeah, I know the feeling."

He returned the laugh before he extended his right hand as he introduced himself, "Sgt. D. Passalaqua, at your service."

I extended my right hand and shook his as I said, "Sgt. Becket, nice to meet you Passalaqua. You had any luck contacting Den Mother since the explosion?"

He retracted his hand as he laughed. He then remarked, "Hell no. Command has their heads up their asses. You?"

I shook my head before I asked, "Heh, yeah story of our lives right? So, how did you end up here?"

He explained, "Well, I was originally an escort for F.E.A.R. operative Jin Sun-Kwon but we were separated after we investigated the disappearance of the recon unit sent into Armacham Headquarters."

I laughed before I commented, "Small world. She is with the remaining F.E.A.R. team and they are here helping me."

He paused and then asked, "No shit?" I shook my head and he replied, "Well, I am glad that she is alright."

Morales interrupted us by saying, "Becket, as much as I know how you two would like to keep blowing each other, there is a firefight going on."

I laughed quickly before I replied, "Don't be jealous sweetie, you know that you will always be important to me."

He snorted and gave me the middle finger with his left hand. I laughed as I shook my head. Turning back to Passalaqua, I asked, "You guys up for a little fun?"

He remarked, "You know it!"

I smirked and said into my com link, "Jin, I have successfully liberated the hostages. Five Delta Force operatives. Cut their power."

She replied, "They are alive? Thank goodness, great job Becket. Detonating the EMP charges now." An energy pulse, originating inside the building housing the generators, rocked the area. The area was reclaimed by darkness as the facility lost its power. The sound of sentry turrets and the EMP defense system ceased. The backup generators kicked in a few seconds later but they only produced enough power to keep the lights on.

Alpha 1 reported, "Sir, our forces are beginning their assault."

I nodded before I declared, "Fuck yeah, let's do this! Okay, Manny head for the AGM. Jin will link up with you and I need you to get that Reaper online. Passalaqua, take your men and secure an orbital drop point for the Replicas. It needs to be about the size of a typical helicopter landing zone and clear of any overhangs. Use this to mark the spot…"

I handed him the transponder. He took it and nodded. I continued, "Activate it at the center of the point and then move out of the way. When the first unit arrives, form up on them and assist. Alpha 1, form up on me and let's go assist our brothers."

Everyone replied, "Yes, sir."

I noticed the suppressor attached to the end of my assault rifle. As I wrenched it off, I commented, "No use for that now." I tossed it aside. Alma drew my attention and I looked at her as she stood before me. The air around her was pulsing with a miasma of dark energy and her ominous expression of homicidal excitement alone would be enough to make any man fall under her spell.

As I looked into her glowing eyes, I heard her say in my mind, "Kill them. Kill them all." I felt her influence rising in my mind as it filled me with euphoria, but, this time, I felt no desire to fight off her guiding touch. I let it flow through me and I nodded at my goddess.

I spoke into my com link and addressed everyone, "Brothers and sisters in F.E.A.R., Delta Force, and Replica Forces, these fuckers have overstayed their welcome in this city. They treated us all like we were nothing more than garbage. They have killed our friends or turned them into monsters. They have showed us no mercy. So now, we shall return the favor. We will show them what true FEAR is! The order is as follows: lethal force authorized, no quarter or mercy given, terminate with EXTREME prejudice! Send these motherfuckers on a one way ticket to Hell!"

The roar of warlike cries vibrated the very air of the harbor and above us, the blood red storm clouds returned with vengeance as molten rocks, ash, and this time, blood began to rain down upon what was about to turn into a slaughter pit.

Alpha 1 yelled as he threw his suppressed assault rifle onto the floor, "I am with you sir!" He retrieved his automatic shotgun and pumped it an almost comically over-dramatic enthusiasm. We all exited the building and proceeded towards our objectives. Before long, we were all colored a nice transparent shade of red.

The main gate was already being abandoned as the ATC grunts retreated from the overwhelming number of Replicas and their volley of bullets. I made my way down the main pathway that connected to the main gate to intercept the retreating mercenaries.

The first building we passed was a warehouse that was gutted by an explosion but a lone sniper tried to take a shot at me from the railing of a catwalk that ran along the front of the building. I activated my reflexes, dodged his shot before taking aim, and fired a burst into the man. I deactivated my reflexes as he fell over the railing. Past the warehouse, I saw a retreating group of five mercenaries running towards us. I sprayed down two of them and had to reload.

Alpha 1 blasted two of them with his shotgun. The last one tried to run back towards the main gate but Alma appeared before him, which caused him fall backwards in fright. As I neared them, she skipped happily around the terrified man in a circle. She asked him, "Do you like to play games?"

He grabbed his pistol and shot himself point blank in the head. Brain matter sprayed out of the exit wound as the corpse fell backwards onto ground. She stopped and sighed. When I reached her, she looked at me with mock sadness before she complained, "They never want to play with me."

I smiled before I said, "I want to play with you."

She smirked at me for a moment and then winked before dissolving into a cloud of ash as her giggling filled my mind briefly. I continued onward towards the main gate.

A Phase Caster appeared before us and tried to summon troops to aid him. However, a rocket fired from the alley to our right stuck him and he exploded in a massive electrical pulse. Holiday and Point Man appeared with Holiday holding a smoking MOD-3 Multi-Rocket Launcher.

As we approached, Holiday examined the scorch mark left on the ground from the Phase Caster's explosion before remarking with satisfaction, "Hell yeah. Last round too." He tossed the launcher onto the ground and retrieved his G2A2 assault rifle.

Side by side, the four of us started a bloody trail of death as we made our way to the main gate. In the distance, we soon saw two Replica Elite Powered Armor units chasing the retreating mass of ATC soldiers. Their rotary guns tore into the lightly armored men and as we got closer, I saw a squad of Replicas leading the way.

In the middle of the squad, I saw Juggernaut wielding the trademark HV Hammerhead and to his right, Gamma 3 was unloading on the mercenaries with his assault rifle. Realizing that our assistance was not needed and not wanting to be caught in the crossfire, we turned around and headed towards the last bastion of ATC control in the city: the Harbormaster's Tower.

The structure came into view and we saw three Phase Commanders at the front entrance guarding a fourth Phase Commander that was at the top of the tower on the observation deck. They spotted us and opened fire with their penetrators. We quickly got behind the cover of a flipped APC that was about twenty yards from the tower's entrance. As we took stock of our equipment, Holiday began to groan.

I looked over to find that he had been hit in his right thigh and left shoulder. He dropped his weapon and squeezed the area around his now bleeding thigh wound. Point Man assisted his teammate and I took that as his request to stay behind. I spoke into my com link, "Yankee 2, target the tower. Danger close."

I heard the pilot reply, "Roger that sir. Being strafe run." The Hind D gunship roared down from the bleeding sky and peppered the tower with rocket and cannon fire.

One of the Phase Commanders at the entrance suffered a barrage of cannon fire and self-destructed. After the gunship passed by the structure, it turned, and returned with a second strafe run. As it passed, the pilot reported, "Need to resupply armament sir. Will report when available."

I replied, "Copy that Yankee 2. Thanks for the assist."

I looked at Alpha 1 who was staring at the Phase Commander still perched on the observation deck. I said, "Alpha 1, let's get these guys."

He pointed at the Phase Commander on the observation deck and growled, "That is the one that killed my brother, sir!"

I smirked before I replied, "Really? Perfect, let's go kill his ass."

I extended my left hand out and he shook it as he remarked, "Right on, sir!"

I tossed a shock grenade at the duo guarding the door and as they were stunned, we charged them while unloading a maelstrom of assault rifle and shotgun rounds. When we got to within ten yards of them, they had recovered. They were about to unleash a barrage from their penetrators, but the one on the left suddenly screamed in pain.

His body shook violently and a red aura enveloped his form. His comrade groaned when the afflicted tin soldier began firing his penetrator into the unsuspecting man's armored body. The besieged commander turned and violently assaulted his possessed former ally.

The one on the left was dispatched first and self-destructed in a cloud of electric energy. Left standing before the wounded brute was Alma who seemed dazed by the death of the body she had possessed. Before she could recover, the bully grabbed her by her tiny neck and brutally pinned her against the doorframe.

He hissed at her, "Fucking little brat! Why won't you die?!" He slammed her into the doorway again. As he did, I heard a soft groan escape her.

Enraged beyond rational thought, I screamed with a demonic voice as my body became enveloped by a red aura, "No! You will not harm her!"

The terrified commander dropped Alma as he turned to face me. Behind me, a whirling black vortex manifested as my fury boiled over. Alma looked on in shock as the commander was forcibly lifted through the air, flew past me, and disappeared into the vortex. After his body disappeared, the vortex vanished and extreme fatigue hit me. I collapsed onto my hands and knees breathing heavily. Nausea hit me and I violently vomited a pool of strange black fluid that resembled old engine oil.

As I tried to reel in my thoughts, I felt her soft arms wrap around my neck. Humming softly, she nuzzled against the right side of my face. My strength returned and I was able to stand. She gazed up at me with a mixture of amazement and concern.

I asked, "Are you okay?"

She replied with a shaking tone, "Yes. Michael, that was amazing. I thought that only I could do that."

I smiled weakly before I remarked, "I am full of surprises."

Alpha 1 asked, "Sir, are you okay?" I nodded and motioned for us to continue.

We approached the door that led inside the tower with only goal in mind: to kill the last ATC soldier on Fairport soil. We breached the door and proceeded up the spiral staircase with our weapons raised. As we made our way towards him, my com link activated and, to my surprise, it was the Phase Commander.

He taunted, "I know who you are. Sergeant Michael Becket. Sole surviving product of Project Harbinger and member of Delta Force squad codename: Dark Signal. You are Armacham property…have been ever since Project Paragon. Test scores third only to Origin Prototype Paxton Fettel and his freak of a mother."

I ignored his taunts as I made my way up the seemingly endless flight of stairs.

He continued, "Poor academic record but exceptional military record. Mentor was codenamed Mr. Death...strange how everyone who fights alongside you ends up dying. Even stranger is how you always seem to leave a trail of death. Just before being transferred to Dark Signal, you slaughtered an entire village before rescuing a group of American hostages. How does it feel to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of people?"

He was close and I forced myself onward.

He continued, "Tell me freak, how did it feel to fuck that abomination? Did you cry?"

We reached the top floor and opened fire at him through the glass panels. The panels shattered and fell to the ground in shards. The armored soldier returned fire with his penetrator, causing us to dive behind the cover of an Armacham satellite and communication hub that he must have been using to request for evacuation. We went to return fire, but stopped when he had disappeared.

As we leaned around the piece of cover, he suddenly phased through the center of the device. I turned just in time to receive a bone crunching kick to my face. I flew across the small circular room and smashed into a support column on the far side. As I flew through the air, I had lost my grip on my assault rifle and it disappeared as it flew down the hollow center of the tower.

The force of the impact caused a grunt to escape me before my ears started ringing. Blood dripped down onto my vest from my now broken nose. Before the mercenary could finish me off with his weapon, Alpha 1 shot him in his back multiple times with his automatic shotgun. In pain, the commander turned and bashed the Replica in his helmet with the stock of his penetrator.

As he dropped his shotgun, Alpha 1 backed up in shock, but recovered just in time to catch the armored brute's left leg as he tried to kick him. Holding the leg in his vice like grip, he rushed forward. The charge resulted in the metal soldier being thrown off his feet and smashed into the communication gear. Pouncing on his pinned enemy, Alpha 1 disarmed the tin man by using both hands to break the brute's right arm with a sickening crunch.

As he was sending a powerful downward strike with his right fist, my friend roared, "You killed my brother you son of a bitch! I am going to fucking kill you!"

The commander phased back through the now sparking device to avoid the blow by mere seconds. I finally managed to stand despite the protests by my joints. A sharp pain in my right side indicated the broken rib but I forced my body onward.

We both went around the side of the device at opposite ends to tag team the lone soldier. I used my reflexes to dodge the fist and, with my hand glowing red, countered with a vicious punch to his face that cracked the helmet. From behind, Alpha 1 stomped against the tall man's left knee with his right boot.

A wet pop indicated a compromised knee but the armored brute simply yelled in fury as he spun and backhanded both of us at the same time. While we were stunned, he grabbed both of us and threw us out onto the observation deck. Since he had used his left arm with me, I flew all the way across and impacted the metal safety railing.

One of the ornate pieces pierced my vest and penetrated my back. I howled in pure agony as I felt the metal spike penetrate deeper and deeper as I tried to stop my slide down the side of the railing. Meanwhile, Alpha 1 had only been thrown a short distance because of the broken limb of the commander. However, when he lifted his head the brute kicked his helmet with a savage blow using his good leg.

The force was enough to flip the Replica onto his back a few inches from me. His white spider web cracked ceramic mask detached from his armor and landed against the side of the railing. The Replica's real face was revealed to the world for the first time since he had received his armor.

I stared in shock at the sight and even the Commander paused for a moment. Unlike the deformed faces that I had seen on the other Replica soldiers, Alpha 1's face was almost completely normal. Except for his extremely pale skin and sickly looking brown hair, he looked like any other middle-aged soldier. His blue eyes squinted from being assaulted by light without the protection of his visors. Blood trickled down his left cheek from a nasty gash just below his left eye that must have been from his mask being forcibly removed.

He started to crawl backwards to try to use the support of the railing to stand. The commander laughed sadistically as he approached us. I focused my psychic power and sent a blast of energy to knock him backwards.

However, my outburst only minutes earlier has severely drained me. As a result, my weak blast only caused the brute to slide backwards about a foot. Still, it was enough of a delay to allow Alpha 1 to reach the railing. By that time, I had also managed to stand enough to get the spike out of my back.

We simultaneously drew our sidearm and unleashed a volley of rounds. The assault was enough to stagger the commander. After one of my shots scored a critical hit that compromised the man's already cracked helmet, he crumpled to his knees as his hands went up to his exposed face.

Helping each other to our feet, we limped over to the downed armored man. We dropped our pistols and grasped the man with our hands. With all the strength we could muster, we rushed forward towards the railing. As we reached the railing, we released our grip and threw him off the observation deck.

The Phase Commander screamed in anger and fear as he tumbled downwards through the air before slamming into the ground head first four stories below. His body twitched before it exploded. Alpha 1 yelled with his real voice that was rather deep and strong, "That was for my brother asshole!" As we supported each other, we stood and observed the crowd of Delta Force Operatives and Replicas that had surrounded the tower.

At first, they all just stared up at us. I guess everyone was in a state of denial. Then, it dawned on me: we had liberated Fairport. Alpha 1 grunted, "We did it sir." Since my right arm was busy supporting his left shoulder and his left arm was busy supporting my right shoulder, we raised our only free hands into the air above our heads. As we did, the crowd erupted into a chorus of cheering. We turned to leave, but we lacked the energy to move.

We separated as we collapsed onto our backs. I stared into the Hellish clouds as the blood rained down on my motionless form. Alma appeared beside me and knelt down. She reached out and gently touched the sides of my bloodied and bruised face. I winched in pain and she retracted. Blood covered her from head to toe and it rolled off her and onto my face as if she was crying. I realized with shock that she actually was crying as she studied my beaten body.

She finally choked out, "Michael…I'm sorry. All my fault. Please, don't hate me. I…I can fix you. Just let me…"

She reached down again but this time, I gently reached up and pulled her down on top of me. Her thin smooth legs straddled my waist and she caught herself by placing her hands on the concrete floor on either side of my head. Her nose was touching mine and our lips were only inches apart.

As we stared into each other's eyes in intimate proximity, our racing thoughts flowed back and forth through our bond. They all arrived at the same idea. It was there, as blood rained down onto us and absolutely drenched our bodies, that we first truly kissed each other. It was not out of lust or even for the event that we had all just survived. It was a mutual showing of affection that filled us both with warmth.

Hours later, under clear blue early morning sky, we all sat on the observation deck and studied the massive armada that had arrived right on schedule. I sat against the right side of the doorway with Alma snuggled against my chest. To my left, Alpha 1 sat in the corner with his mask in his hands. He would occasionally flip it in his hands to have something to do besides waiting. He face was bandaged where Jin had stitched the gash wound shut.

Morales returned and said, "She is all set man."

In a tired tone, I remarked, "Let's fry these bitches so we can get some rest."

Everyone murmured in agreement and Morales activated the controls to the repaired AGM. The UAV flew out to intercept the ships. As the center ship came within range, the armed Reaper fired a predator missile at it. The ship destroyed the missile in mid-flight, but it did not matter.

Like a replay of the Origin Explosion, a massive red/orange mushroom cloud towered into the air as a deafening explosion rocked the peaceful silence of the ghost town.

Alma rubbed her head against my neck and I whispered, "Perfect. I did not notice how beautiful it was last time."

As we watched the explosion unfold, I fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. That was the last time we ever saw the armada and the last time ATC had forces deployed in the city of Fairport. Now, we would have to reveal the company's dirty secrets, keep the U.S. Military from arresting us for terrorism, hunt down and kill Carson Salyers, protect Alma from Fettel, successfully deliver the third child, and, finally, kill the senator David Hoyle.