Ch.14: Fettel vs. Becket

A.N.:

I am so sorry it took me so long to post this. What happened was last week, two of my professors were like, "Test, next week." We were all like, "Huh?" Anyway, so I was busy but I kept finding time for this. I hope no one thinks I am getting soft because of this chapter's content. I know F.E.A.R. is a twisted, disturbed, and very unfair story. However, I get tired of killing off characters sometimes. Rest assured, I am planning a few dark chapters. Anyway, enjoy.

The Stokes in my story from here on out is a clone that Fettel created from her dead body to try to trick Becket. She is not the original one. I think that she is cute so she lives in my universe okay? xD

Read and review please.

Since both my daughter and I were too shaken by our nightmares to go back to sleep, I lit a fire in the fireplace of the main study on the second floor of Wade mansion. As the flames danced in their prison, I leaned back into the red leather high back chair and stared at the fireplace. I reflected that given the amount of time that this enormous building had been abandoned, it was in remarkable shape. In fact, when Alma insisted that we take up residence in her family's old estate, Alpha 1 and I had only encountered a few minor issues that we had to fix.

It was odd that she had wanted to live here since she normally shunned away from anything related to her family's legacy. Plus, considering what happened here, most people would have wanted nothing to do this place. Regardless, she seemed attached to this building so I went along with her desire to move in. Both Alma and our daughter sat down a few inches from the fireplace and stared at the flickering lights. Alpha 1 sat down in the chair opposite of mine.

For a few minutes, we all simply observed the hypnotic sight of the roaring flames. Both Alpha 1 and I looked towards the replaced door as it slowly opened. We relaxed as the blonde woman entered with a nervous smile. She said, "Sorry, I couldn't sleep." We motioned for her to join us and she quietly closed the door before she walked over. As she sat down between Alpha 1 and me, Alma glanced back at her.

I felt her jealousy of the attention the blonde-haired woman got from the men and almost started laughing when her body changed into her attractive healthy form. Luckily, I managed to hold it in. After a moment, the tension was gone and we all resumed staring at the flames. As the moments went by, I felt drawn back to my memory of that horrible night when Fettel tried to destroy us with familiar faces.

I walked into the command room with Alpha 1 and Alma walking on either side of me. Everyone in the room looked up and for a moment, there was an awkward silence. I smirked at their worried faces before I said in a cocky tone, "I'm back." Morales instantly broke out into laughter while Jin, Holiday, and Point Man all noticeably relaxed. I walked over to Morales.

When I got to him, he remarked, "Becket, man I was worried that you had finally shot your bolt."

I smiled briefly before I replied, "Let's just say that I have faced my demons and come out on top. I am fine for now." I paused as realization hit me and I asked, "Wait, what do you mean by finally?"

He replied, "Oh come on man. You know I think of you as a brother and all that cute bs, but you have to admit, you have been acting crazy lately." It was true, so I nodded in response.

He said, "Anyway, things have been pretty quiet since we liberated the city. The Replicas are eliminating the occasional stragglers that they run into in their sweeps. The paranormal activity is getting worse but our boss has made us immune to it. Betters and Shepard upheld their end of the agreement about the senator. The U.S. Military has declared the city an uninhabitable area and awarded us total control over the city and surrounding forests. They even chipped in with the occasional supply drop. Ammunition, munitions, and food mostly. Meanwhile, it seems that the media was quote: accidently leaked information about Armacham's crimes. So, as you can imagine, the public outcry has been enormous. There have already been several riots by vigilantes against some of the ATC centers around the country. The government has no choice. They can't look the other way this time."

He looked at Alma, who was in her child form and busying herself with a game of hopscotch, and asked, "Boss?" She paused and looked over at him. He smiled slightly before he informed her, "You are somewhat of a celebrity now. It seems people are captivated by your story."

I asked, "They know about her…disposition?"

He replied, "Not quite sure. For the time being though, the public has fallen in love with her so I think we should keep that to ourselves. The truth would complicate things."

I nodded as I remarked, "Right…"

Before I could continue, Alpha 1 informed me, "Sir, report from Echo team. There has been a breach at the abandoned Wade Mansion. The intruders are dressed in Delta Force combat armor. From their vantage point, Echo team's snipers only had time to make out that one was a Caucasian blonde woman. That is why their commander wants your orders about what to do with the individuals."

I was beyond shocked at the information. I looked at Morales who returned a similarly shocked look. Alma walked over to me and asked, "Michael, what is it?"

I explained, "There was only one woman in Delta Force that was involved with any operations in the Fairport area before the explosion."

Manny finished, "Keira Stokes."

I shook my head adamantly before I stated confidently, "No. No, that is fucking impossible. She died! I saw her die!" I looked over at Jin, who was sitting in front of a security monitor, and ordered, "Miss Kwon, try to bring up the security cameras in the Still Island facility." After a moment of typing on the keypad, she put the frames of security footage on the main screen. We all examined the different views before I saw one that covered the large space containing the amplifier.

I gasped when I saw that her body was not there. I looked away and paced while I quietly muttered, "No, she was dead. Her body was cold."

Morales suggested, "Maybe her specter? I mean, this is Fairport. Weirder things than that happen here now."

I dismissed the suggestion when I argued, "She isn't psychic. She would not have become a specter and that would not explain the absence of her body." I sighed before I spoke into my com link, "Stokes, come in over." Morales stood and walked over to me as he waited for a response.

I said, "Lieutenant Keira Stokes, sound off. Come on Stokes, it is Sergeant Becket. I know that you are out there."

I nearly jumped when I heard her voice as her image appeared in my HUD.

She said in a noticeably relieved tone, "Oh my God! Becket, you are alive! We all thought that you died when the Harbinger Facility exploded."

Confused, I questioned, "We? What? I escaped the Harbinger facility remember? We went to the Elementary School afterwards. Sergeant Griffin died…"

I was interrupted by Griffin's voice remarking sarcastically, "It is nice that you have faith in your sergeant. Becket, what is your status?"

I was dumbfounded by the turn of events. While I was at loss for words, Morales spoke into his com link, "Top? You are alive?"

I heard Griffin respond, "Morales? You are alive too? Where the hell have you two been?"

We both looked at each other before simultaneously turning to look at Alma. She shook her head before she stated, "I did not do it. I can't read them either, something is blocking me."

Before I could question her further, Griffin said, "Becket? Are you there? What is your status?"

Alpha 1 commented, "You know that it is a trap. Right?"

I nodded before I whispered, "Yes, but let's play along for now." I said into my com link, "Griffin, we are green. What is your location?"

He replied, "Outstanding. We are at the Wade Mansion. Some guy named Snake Fist told us that a facility hidden beneath the building has the secret to stopping Alma."

I replied, "Great to hear. I am tired of this fucking spook house bullshit. Manny and I are in route to your location with the APC."

He said, "Roger that. Just try to get here in one piece. Oh and Becket?"

I asked, "Sir?"

He replied, "Watch out for whoever this Alma is. Snake Fist said that she is drawn…well he said covets you the most."

I said, "Yes sir, I have fought her off several times already. Nothing I can't handle."

He stated, "Good to hear. Get to us as fast as you can."

Before I could decipher what was happening, Stokes said, "I am glad that you are alive Becket. I was worried that you were gone."

Griffin said, "I told you not to worry Stokes. He is tough like me."

I laughed sadly as I tried to stay calm. I motioned for Alpha 1 to activate a jammer. Without responding, he withdrew the small handheld device and activated it. With our communication link jammed, I could concentrate on deciding what to do.

Morales said, "Whoever they are, they aren't our friends." I nodded as I thought about the situation.

I said, "Wade Mansion…that interests me more than the imposters. Only a few people would willing go there…the trap is meant for me."

Morales asked, "Why? What do they want with you? I mean, besides the obvious?"

I explained, "It is not me specifically that they want."

I paused, looked down at Alma, and placed my right hand on her tiny left shoulder before I continued, "It is you that they want." I looked over at Point Man and said, "And you." He nodded in confirmation.

Morales questioned, "Why? Who would be dumb enough to set a trap for Alma and Point Man?"

I looked down at Alma when I explained, "Only one person would be."

She nodded as she read my thoughts. Morales asked, "You mind enlightening the rest of us?"

Out of nowhere, Alpha 1 explained, "Rogue commander Paxton Fettel."

Surprised, I looked at him with a questioning look. He shrugged before he said, "There have been rumors. I thought it was all just scuttlebutt paranoia amongst the men sir. We knew about Foxtrot 813, as you may recall I was sent on a mission to destroy him, but we lost contact with him once he neared Ground Zero. Several of the men have reported seeing Fettel since then but could never get close enough to positively identify him."

I assured him, "Don't worry, I would not have taken the rumors seriously either."

Morales asked, "So what now?"

I replied, "We go to Wade Mansion."

Alma hugged my right leg as she said in concern, "Michael…"

I bent down and hugged her as I stated, "Alma, we can't let him hurt her. At least this way, we will be prepared for him." She hugged me tighter before she kissed me quickly and released her grip. I retracted from her as I stood.

I told Alpha 1, "Contact Echo team and order them to encircle the mansion. I don't want anyone entering or leaving the area."

He replied, "Yes sir."

As he was relaying my orders, I looked over at Point Man and said, "Point Man, accompany Alma and myself to the mansion."

Morales questioned, "Becket, man you don't want me to go?"

I replied, "Only to transport us in the APC. I don't want you going inside." He nodded and I motioned for everyone to follow as I began walking to the APC.

However, I stopped when Alpha 1 started to follow me. I turned around and told him, "Alpha 1, I can't ask you to come with me on this. I nearly got you killed last time."

He laughed with his mechanical tone before he said, "No offense sir, but get over yourself. I am going to ensure that you don't get yourself killed whether you want me to or not."

I could not help but laugh at his comment. I finally managed to stop laughing long enough to say, "Very well man. Let's go." We all made our way to the APC.

As Morales drove towards the mansion, Alma instructed me on methods to resist possession.

When she taught me how to "see" Fettel even if he tried to make himself invisible, I remarked, "That would have been useful when I was chasing Keegan." She giggled at my joke.

After about thirty minutes, I heard Morales say, "Becket, we are approaching the mansion." I readied my assault rifle as the APC slowed to a stop. When it stopped, I stood and opened the hatch. Point Man exited and after a few seconds, signaled that the area was all clear.

I started to exit but Manny called out, "Hey Becket, good luck man." I stopped and nodded before I exited the armored vehicle.

The mansion looked like a cliché haunted house from movies and cartoons with its large but rundown appearance. I was almost disappointed when a swarm of bats was not circling the mansion. I said to my goddess with my mind, "Alma, if things go south, I want you to get Morales and then get as far away from this place as you possibly can."

She frowned as she replied, "No Michael, I am not going to leave you. I won't go back to being alone. Plus, we both know what she will do if you aren't there to guide her." I sighed before I relented and nodded. We proceeded towards the building.

The years of neglect had taken their toll on the exterior and surrounding area. I could not discern if we were walking on the remains of the sidewalk or across the overgrown lawn. When we reached the porch, I heard my daughter's voice inside my mind as she said in her innocent tone, "Be careful daddy. I love you."

I smiled slightly before I telepathically replied, "I love you too sweetie." I looked down at Alma and asked, "The block set up?" I was referencing Alpha 1. She nodded even though she had a worried look. I assured her, "Don't worry, I am not worn out like the Becket we saw in the other universe." She smiled slightly but I could still hear her worried thoughts.

As we approached the door, it opened for us. I remarked in a sarcastic tone, "Gee, next thing you know, some guy in a costume is going to harass us until we catch him. Then, he will rant about how he would have gotten away with it if it was not for us meddling kids."

Alma replied, "That show is not funny."

I said defensively, "What? That show is hysterical. I love the dog." She sighed and shook her head. We proceeded through the open doorway with our weapons at the ready.

The air was thick with dust, cobwebs covered various surfaces, and the furniture was covered with yellowed sheets. I telepathically communicated with Echo team's snipers, "Talk to me. Anyone have eyes on target?"

I heard various responses,

"Negative on contact sir."

"No sir, nothing to report."

"No movement on the third floor sir."

"No contacts at the rear entrance sir."

I replied, "Keep me updated. All snipers, you are authorized to take a kill shot against target: Paxton Fettel."

They replied, "Copy that sir."

As we proceeded through the main greeting area, we were constantly sweeping the area with our weapons but the entire building was as silent as a graveyard. I spoke into my com link, "Stokes, we have proceeded inside the mansion. What is your location?"

I heard her voice reply, "You are here? Excellent. Okay, we are in the second floor main study. There is an elevator in this room according to Snake Fist."

I replied, "Copy that." After I did, I questioned, "Everyone catch that?" Point Man and Alma both nodded.

Alpha 1 replied, "Yes sir."

Echo 2 reported, "Sir, I have relocated and I have a clear view of the second floor main study."

I asked, "Copy that Echo 2, what can you tell me?"

He informed me, "Power is out. The room is too dark to make out anything definite. Standby, switching to thermal." After a moment, he continued, "I have eyes on five definite contacts inside the room. Cannot identify them, but they are there sir. Do I engage?"

I replied, "Negative. Keep your eyes on them, but do not engage until you are authorized to do so."

Echo 2 replied, "Roger that sir."

As we made our way towards the stairs, I wondered what possible trick could Fettel have pulled. Whoever the imposters were, they had body heat, which meant that they were not specters. Like Alma, specters felt like ice to the touch. It was possible that Fettel had projected the illusion of my deceased squad mates being in the room but the thermal scope would see them as black voids. As far as I could tell, a single psychic could only possess one individual at a time and, even then, only for a short period.

Sensing my thoughts, Alma commented, "I am puzzled too my love. Your friends…they really are gone. I absorbed most of them. Once I absorb someone, that is it for them. They cannot even exist as a specter at that point. I can create the illusion of their presence to lure other people closer to me, but it is not really them. The one you call Keegan, he is gone too. You killed his psychic signature. That is as dead as one can get. My son…he is strong…but even I cannot possess multiple people…I have tried on several occasions. The result is…messy. If he possessed someone, his or her body would have been used up long before we got here."

By that time, we had reached the second floor landing. The main study was in the left wing. As we approached the door that led into the study, I whispered, "Everyone, activate your strobes." After we all did, I contacted Echo 2 and said, "Echo 2, four friendlies about to enter the study. Do not shoot anyone with a strobe."

He replied, "Yes sir." We arrived at the hardwood door. Inside, I could make out my squad mates' voices. I knew that they were not my friends but I still felt guilty for what I was about to do. I pushed my emotions aside as I rallied my nerves. I motioned for Alpha 1 and Point Man to take position. I positioned myself against the wall to the right of the door, Alpha 1 positioned himself just to the left of the door, Point Man positioned himself to the left of Alpha 1, and Alma stood back from the front of the door about a foot.

I reminded myself, "Just another enemy."

I said to Alma with my mind, "Do it." The air around her shimmered and pulsed as she gathered her strength. After a few seconds, she unleashed a powerful blast of psychic energy that pulverized the door where it stood. As I charged through the doorway, I activated my reflexes. The main study looked like one would expect with a hardwood interior, fireplace, a large desk in front of a fancy window, and a small archive of assorted books alphabetized on a bookshelf against one of the walls.

As I entered the room, I saw Redd with his back to me, Fox behind the desk with his back to the window, Keegan conversing with Redd, Griffin facing one of the corners as if he was attempting to locate the elevator, and Stokes examining the fireplace. They were all slowly reacting to the sound of the door exploding from Alma's blast but their reaction time was noticeably average.

In a way, that helped me justify my future actions because the real Griffin and Fox underwent the Harbinger surgical procedures like I had. They would have had noticeably faster reactions than these imposters were demonstrating.

I aimed my rifle and fired a burst into Redd's skull. Blood and brain matter confirmed the kill so I switched to Keegan. I aimed at Keegan and fired a burst. By that time, Griffin had turned and opened fire with his assault rifle. A few rounds hit my torso but thanks to my vest, they only stung. Worst case was a broken rib leading to internal bleeding and tissue or organ damage. However, as I felt no sharp stabbing pain, I believed that I had escaped serious damage. I knew I had suffered soft tissue damage unfortunately.

From behind me, Alpha 1 ran in front of me and intercepted the incoming fire. As Griffin's rounds ricocheted off Alpha 1's armor, the Replica fired his scavenged SHO Series-3 Combat Shotgun. Because of the short distance between the two men, Griffin's body exploded into pieces from the impact of the shot. I heard the slow but powerful fire rate signature of the Point Man's G2A2 assault rifle as he dispatched Fox. I directed my attention towards Stokes.

She seemed in shock, but that was perfectly understandable given the situation. I deactivated my reflexes as I motioned for everyone to hold their fire. As I held my rifle aimed steady at her, I said, "Stokes, lower your weapon. I don't want to hurt you." Her SMG shook as she trembled in fright.

She said in a wobbly voice, "Becket…you…why? Why…did you...oh my god, your eyes…what?"

I lowered my rifle slightly as I calmly replied, "Easy, I can explain. Those men were not who you thought they were. Come on Keira, it's me. You can trust me. Look…" I slowly bent down onto my knees and gently placed my rifle on the floor. I slowly stood and smiled at her. I motioned for everyone to do the same. Alpha 1 immediately mimicked me, but Point Man out right refused to willingly disarm himself. I shrugged at Stokes as I remarked, "Okay, I can't help that he is a tight ass."

She seemed unconvinced as she eyed my pistol. Sighing, I grasped my pistol, released the clip, which fell to the floor, and then tossed the empty weapon so it landed at her feet. Finally convinced, she lowered her weapon. Hiding her fear by putting up a strong, authoritative front, she asked, "Becket, what the fuck is going on?"

I smirked as I thought to myself, "Damn, I should become a politician after this."

I focused and replied, "SNAFU is what is happening." I proceeded to tell her all the events that had occurred after we escaped the Harbinger facility, and since the amplifier. I left out the events that happened in the amplifier so she could generate her own explanation for why she could not remember what happened. I could tell she did not approve of my partnership with Alma, but she accepted it regardless.

She asked, "So what now?"

I replied, "Let's find this elevator Fettel mentioned."

She nodded before she bent down and retrieved my sidearm. After handing it to me, she returned to analyzing the room. I loaded my pistol with the discarded magazine and cocked it before returning it to its holster. I spoke into my com link, "Manny, I have neutralized the imposters. I am attempting to locate the elevator."

He replied, "Dirty business but good job man."

Alpha 1 handed me my rifle as he said, "Your weapon sir." I thanked him. Point Man was analyzing the room, but suddenly, he froze.

I heard it too, and so did Alma. Inside our minds, the arrogant voice I had heard only once before said, "Hello mother and dearest brother. We can finally have a proper family reunion. After all, family is the most important thing."

I replied in a threatening tone, "Fettel…"

The voice interrupted me, "Ah…mother's little lover. You are stronger than I anticipated…not bad for being a manufactured psychic soldier. No matter, you Delta Force grunts are weak. What makes you think you are worthy of mother?"

I replied, "You are the one hiding behind my old squad mates. You are unworthy of that shell that you inhabit Fettel. Foxtrot 813 was twice the soldier you could ever be."

He laughed in his maniacal way before he said, "Is that so? Oh please, he was nothing more than a tool. Like you are to mother…"

Alma snapped, "Stop!"

He said, "Mother, he is nothing but cannon fodder. What do you care? Do you really care about some…peasant more than one of your own flesh and blood?"

She replied in a strange, chilling tone, "You disobeyed mommy. What you have turned into…you are no son of mine. My children are respectful of their mother. I told you not to resurrect yourself but no…you had to be a rebellious child. You are your father's son. Not mine."

His voice was filled with anger when he said, "Both of you are disappointments. You have let this…Becket make you soft. After I kill him and his pathetic bodyguard, you will both see that. Then, we can become gods like we were meant too."

I issued my ultimatum, "Shut the fuck up and put your money where your mouth is."

He replied, "Come and get me super soldier." His presence lifted.

Alpha 1 remarked, "Pathetic bodyguard? Fettel can kiss the most armored part of my ass."

I raised my right eyebrow briefly before I asked, "You heard that?"

He explained, "You have a link with all the Replica soldiers sir. We all heard that." Despite the situation, I felt panic as a thought occurred to me.

I asked, "Have you heard anything…else…like recently?"

He laughed before he replied, "You mean those two hours you were bonking Miss Wade? Yeah…we heard that too. By the way, we had a bet about how long you two were going to last and I won. Which, is why I now have this…"

He placed his shotgun onto his back before he retrieved a brutal looking revolver that was red except for the stainless steel barrel with built in compensators. I asked, "What the fuck is that thing?"

He replied, "The Hammer. Group of recon boys found her in the ruins of Ground Zero. Apparently, it used to belong to Fettel. Packs one hell of a punch but the compensators keep it from kicking like a mule."

I remarked, "Nice…anyway, let's get back to the elevator." He nodded so I resumed my search of the room. Stokes glared at me because of the revelation of the depth of Alma's and my relationship, but I ignored her.

The elevator, if it existed, would be hidden in plain sight. The method of concealment would leave telltale marks on its surrounds. A scrape, a slightly off-center panel, a mismatched pair of objects, or even something as obvious as a seam would give away its location. I became suspicious of the far right corner. The room was well furnished except for that one corner. It was purposely made so obvious to even a casual observer that he or she would dismiss it. I walked over to the bare wall and carefully felt the area with my gloved left hand. It was hot the touch. Something was on the other side of it that much was clear. Now, I just needed to find out how to gain access to the elevator.

Activating the flashlight on my HUD glasses, I scrutinized the entire wall. After a moment, I located a panel of wood that did not exactly match its surrounds. I kicked it. Behind me, Stokes remarked, "Ah, how I missed your delicate touch." I laughed sarcastically at her in retaliation. My laugh caught in my throat when I saw the dark expression on my paramour's face. She was glaring at the oblivious Stokes with a look that could very well kill.

I assured her through our bond, "Alma, no. She is just a friend. We never were anything other than that. You know that already."

She replied with malice in her voice, "Harlot…" Before I could reason with her further, Alpha 1 got my attention. He motioned back towards the wall. When I turned back, I saw that the entire wall had disappeared and a freight elevator was left in its place.

I motioned for Point Man and Alpha 1 to follow me as I walked towards it. When I reached it, I realized that it had a built in security failsafe. Once it traveled to the bottom of the shaft, there was no way for anyone in the underground facility to operate the elevator. The only call button was located at this aboveground entrance. I was uneasy about the discovery.

The only reason that ATC would have gone to such extremes would be to prevent whatever it was in the facility from escaping. I said, "Stokes, the elevator can only be called by someone up here. Stay here." She started to argue but I cut her off, "Stokes…Keira, please stay here. If something happens to us, go the APC. Manny will be there and he knows what to do."

She said, "Becket…"

I interrupted her, "Keira, this is not a discussion. Stay here."

Not waiting for her to respond, I entered the open steel mesh enclosed freight elevator. Alpha 1 was right behind me and Point Man joined us within a minute. I pressed the button and the safety gate closed. As we descended, Alma materialized in front of me. Her face was set in her trademark emotionless façade. However, beneath that front, I could sense that she was deeply upset by having to confront one of her own children.

I said into her mind, "We are doing this for her."

She replied in my mind, "Yes…for her." We arrived at the landing. The elevator locked into place before the safety gate opened.

We stepped out with our weapons at the ready. The facility definitely had not been used in quite some time. The once white walls were covered with accumulated dust and cobwebs. Ahead of us, I could hear heavy machinery. As we came to the first corner, I motioned for everyone to stop. Focusing, I felt weightless once again as I projected myself around the corner.

What I saw disturbed me, which, at that point, was a noteworthy feat. I saw an open warehouse style interior, but the thing that disturbed me was the fact that there were five Griffins, four Keegans, three Redds, and, worst of all for my sanity, six Beckets.

Returning to my body, I reported, "Eighteen hostiles. Six of them look like me. Fuck…we are going to end up shooting each other." After thinking for a moment, I asked Alma, "Alma, can you somehow highlight me so Point Man and Alpha 1 know which Becket is me?" She nodded and my body soon had a green aura.

I looked back at the two men following me. They nodded in acknowledgement. I turned back to the corner. After sighing, I activated my reflexes as I charged around the corner. I fired a burst into the first Redd, dove behind a shipping crate to dodge a barrage of lead, waited for them to reload, peaked around the left edge of the crate, and shot a red barrel to eliminate three Beckets and two Keegans.

By that time, Point Man had killed three Griffins and the other two Redds. Alpha 1 was close behind me as he leaned around the right of the crate. I heard the report of his shotgun as the last two Keegans fell to the concrete floor. The remaining three Beckets and two Griffins regrouped. The three versions of me covered the two Griffins as they went to gain an elevated shooting position.

Alpha 1 cooked a frag grenade before heaving it clear across the room. It exploded within inches of the two Griffins. Blood and chucks decorated the surrounding space afterwards. I picked off one of the Beckets as his head popped up from behind cover. The two remaining Beckets were concentrating on Alpha 1 and me so much that they failed to notice Point Man as he flanked their position. After a short burst from his assault rifle, he deactivated his reflexes. He motioned the all clear and I deactivated my reflexes. After we regrouped, we scavenged ammunition from the imposters.

As we did, Alpha 1 commented, "They are like us sir."

He was referencing the Replicas. His comment caused me to realize that he was right. The same process used to create the Replicas most likely created these strange individuals. Therefore, they were just puppets. I should not feel bad for killing them.

I wondered if Fettel was their commander but Alma stated in my mind, "No, I made the new Replicas immune to his influence. These…clones are new because their auras are fresh. He cannot control them, but he is manipulating them with old-fashioned trickery."

I replied, "Snake Fist and you then?"

She smiled as she commented with our bond, "Yes, very good my love."

I shrugged slightly before motioning for us to press on. As we continued deeper into the facility, it reminded me of the outer shell of the Harbinger Facility, but in reverse. As we waded through squads of mixed ratios, we passed strange machinery that I could only guess was machinery ATC used to create clones. I wondered what had caused ATC to abandon the facility.

In the history of the corporation, as far as I knew, only the Origin facility had been proverbially abandoned in place. It had taken Alma herself to cause ATC to seal the expensive facility. What could have caused this facility to be abandoned? And why was the elevator rigged with the security measure?

As I led the way around another corner, I literally bumped into my answer. I looked down to discover a red dress clad raven-haired child. Confused, I asked, "Alma? What were you doing ahead of us?" However, when I sensed that she was not my Alma, I backed away with my rifle raised at the child's head.

I was suddenly besieged by a burning sensation in my extremities. Unable to shoot my weapon due to the unbearable pain, I called out, "Shoot the bitch!" Alpha 1 rushed forward and bashed the girl's face with the butt of his shotgun. As she was disorientated on the concrete floor, he raised his right boot above her head. He stomped down hard enough to crush her skull.

After I had recovered, I remarked, "What the hell?"

Alpha 1 said, "Sorry sir, I was in the middle of reloading."

I replied, "No, not that. That was…" Alma, the real one, materialized in front of the dead child.

After she studied her, she remarked, "Hmm…old aura. She was older than the clones you have been facing."

I asked, "Was she the reason the facility was abandoned?"

Alma shook her head before she replied, "She is still too young. I am feeling something strange in the area just ahead of us."

I motioned for the two men to follow as she made her way down the hallway as if she was in a trance. When she turned the corner, she gasped.

The three of us rushed forward and turned the corner prepared to unload on the first thing that moved. However, we too stopped dead in our tracks. I was so stunned that I nearly dropped my rifle. The room was filled with rows upon rows of spherical devices similar to the Vault. Each device had a nude adult Alma clone contained within them.

There must have been hundreds of them, and they were all still very much alive. I finally managed to say, "Holy fucking shit! They were creating an army of Replica Alma soldiers. No wonder the facility was sealed. When you caused the first synchronicity event, they must have feared that you would do the same with your clones." Alma was shaking with fury. I was just as furious as she was due to our bond. ATC had not only stolen her life, and her children. They had stolen her. They had created more of her like she was some document to be copied.

As we walked down the center of the stored clones, I prayed that they would not wake up. Even cloned and unconscious, I could feel them following our every movement. Armacham's stupidity was out shadowed only by their admittedly ambitious projects. If they had been able to create an army of Alma clones that were completely under control, the fortune that they would have amassed from selling them to the highest bidders would have made them billionaires several times over. However, even at a genetic level, Alma seemed too resistant to control.

I remembered what Halford had said, "Alma is too powerful to be contained. She probably always was."

The last two rows were child clones. I noticed that one of the devices was empty. I remarked, "That would account for the clone we just ran into." Effectively unnerved by the clones, I hastily made my way to the exit of the room. We continued in an uneasy silence. Finally, after wading through more squads of cloned members of Dark Signal, we approached the central control room that resembled the one in the outer shell of the Harbinger facility.

Through the glass panels surrounding the room, I saw a Variant VII Replica standing with his back towards us. The Replica was missing his helmet, and I could make out black hair.

Alpha 1 said, "Foxtrot 813 sir." He then asked, "Sir, I know we need to kill Fettel, but…is there some way we can…"

I finished, "Save Foxtrot 813?"

He replied, "Yes sir."

I thought for a moment. If there were a way, Foxtrot would certainly be a valuable asset. I looked at Alma. She shrugged before she explained, "It might be possible. If there is some sentient part of him that is still inside his mind, he might be too weak to fight back against Fettel's control without aid. That might explain why that body is still alive. If you weaken Fettel's spirit enough, I might be able to separate them. There is no guarantee and I have never tried to do something like that before. Without a body to control, my son is significantly weaker. I can erase him in that state."

I replied, "But, I thought you said that Fettel destroyed Foxtrot's mentality so he could possess him."

She said, "Yes, but perhaps not completely. Even if there is only a trace left, he would re-control his body after Fettel is removed. I could then make Foxtrot immune to Fettel. I should have thought of that before but I was too busy trying to seduce you."

I smirked before I commented, "Seduce…more like terrorize." She rolled her eyes for the first time. I nodded and said, "Alright then, let's see if we can save Foxtrot 813." I walked forward. I raised my left hand and pounded on the glass. As I did, I yelled, "Fettel! Open this door! Come on, are you a man or a coward?"

He turned to face me with a sneer. With a smug tone, he said, "You know Sergeant, you remind me of my brother. I hate him too. I will kill you both. Then, mother will have no choice but to keep me."

I replied, "Well, open the door and kill us then!" He pressed a button on the keyboard nearest to him and the door opened.

I activated my reflexes as I charged into the room all while I was unloading with my rifle. I emptied my entire clip into the possessed Replica, but he barely flinched. Point Man unloaded with his assault rifle to cover Alpha 1's charge with his shotgun. I had to deactivate my reflexes to conserve my energy as I reloaded my rifle. When Alpha 1 got close with his shotgun, Fettel blasted him with a psychic burst, sending him backwards through the air a few feet.

As I finished reloading, Point Man's assault rifle clicked as it ran out of ammunition. Not wasting time by reloading, the older brother threw his weapon aside. He began duel-wielding MP-970s. As Fettel dodged his brother's barrage, I raised my rifle. I could not fire because if I missed, I would have potentially hit Point Man. Fettel knocked his brother off his feet and into one of the security consoles with a psychic blast.

After he hit the console, a red light filled the room as an automated warning message said, "Specimen stasis feed discontinued."

Before I could worry about what that meant, I heard Alpha 1 say, "Sir, stun him!"

I looked back to see Alpha 1 wielding an Andra SR5 Missile Launcher. I tossed my last shock grenade at Fettel. He cursed as electricity arched along his body. Before he could recover, Alpha 1 fired his launcher. The unguided warhead stuck the possessed Replica but due to his enhanced hardiness, he flew against the far wall of glass rather than exploding.

As he groaned, the automated message returned and said, "Warning, specimen containment failure. Facility compromised. Self-destruct sequence activated. All personnel must evacuate immediately."

Fettel retreated out of the room and down the hallway. I charged after him. He made it to the large window similar to the one that Col. Vanek had taunted me from in the Harbinger facility before I ran Foxtrot down. Before we could fight, the steel door at the end of the hallway flew open.

As we both investigated the disturbance, an Alma clone ran towards as we both raised a weapon to kill her. However, before we could fire, she threw us both harshly up against the large window. The glass threatened to give way under the strain as she kept us pinned there. I heard her mutter, "Die! Everyone will die!" She shrieked as she dissolved into a bloody skeleton. My Alma in her child form stalked within view as I fell back onto the ground.

I ducked to dodge Fettel's high kick and countered with my own psychic blast. He was clearly shocked by the attack as he smashed into the concrete wall. I tossed my rifle aside before I restrained him. After I had him restrained, I called out, "Alma, now!" She teleported before us and reached into Foxtrot's chest.

Fettel roared, "No!" Alma's eyes narrowed as she concentrated. I sent a continuous barrage of bone crunching punches into Foxtrot's abdomen.

Finally, after several draining minutes, Alma emitted a grunt as she withdrew her hands. In her grasp was a ghostly Paxton. As she separated her son's specter from the Replica soldier, I saw the besieged soldier's arms reach up and grasp the spirit that had been possessing him.

As he thrust Fettel's spirit out of him, I heard him say in a voice that was similar to Fettel's but had a hardened, militaristic edge to it, "Get…out…of…ME!"

With a final exertion by all parties, Alma pulled Fettel out of Foxtrot 813. However, before she could destroy him, Fettel escaped her grasp and possessed an approaching Becket clone. After a brief struggle, the clone had a red aura. He rushed forward towards me.

Point Man tried to intercept him, but Fettel pushed his brother aside. He dodged Alma's psychic blast as he passed her. At the last second, Alpha 1 tackled him. However, with his momentum, Fettel was still able to propel the three of us through the weakened glass and down onto the hard concrete floor below us.

I landed hard on my back. The impact knocked the breath out of me. Stunned and temporarily unable to breathe, I tried to recover. I saw the possessed Becket stagger towards me. Fettel did not have much longer in the possessed body. I could already see the swelling and discoloration of the clone's skin from where the stress was killing him.

I heard Alpha 1 grunt, "Sir…here." I glanced over to my left to see my friend slide The Hammer towards me.

I grasped it with my right hand just in time for the possessed Becket to descend upon me. I pressed The Hammer's business end against Fettel's head as we entered a psychic battle. As our wills fought for dominance, I remembered watching the Becket in the other universe die. My anger resurfaced. Black and burning inside my mind, it filled me with its powerful influence.

He taunted, "You are weak. Too weak for mother."

My eyes narrowed and I made it a point that the last thing he ever saw was a mental image of Alma and me during our beautiful union beneath the flowing warm water of the shower. As he finished seeing the image, I smirked before pulling The Hammer's trigger. The back of the possessed Becket's head exploded outwards. As he dissolved into ashes, Fettel roared out, "No!" His voice faded as the body dissolved like Keegan's body had inside Alma's nightmare world.

Before either Alpha 1 or I could stand, explosions erupted all around us and the very ground beneath us gave way. As we fell downwards, I noticed that we seemed to be going beneath the facility itself. It was probably around two to three stories of falling before we landed in rapidly flowing water. I realized that it was a naturally occurring underground river running underneath the building.

As we struggled to keep our heads above the water, our bodies occasionally smashed against submerged rock formations. Just when I thought that we were going to die, I saw a light at the end of the underground passage. Horrified, I realized that we were headed for an enormous waterfall.

With my mouth half filled with water, I called out, "Grab something!"

Before he could reply, we went over the edge. For a brief moment, I felt a strange sense of exhilaration before my stomach dropped as we free fell through the foamy water. I saw jagged rock formations at the bottom and closed my eyes as we descended closer. I inhaled just before penetrating the surface of the water.

I opened my eyes and searched for my friend. The force of the waterfall kept pushing me down further so I had no choice but to swim away from the powerful force of nature. I had to fight from panicking as I faced the heart-wrenching prospect of having gotten my best friend killed.

I would have let out a sigh of relief as I saw him making his way for the shoreline. I swam towards him. Within seconds, we had broken the surface of the now calm water. We collapsed onto our backs on the sandy shore surrounded by dense forests. I laughed painfully due to my damaged ribs when I realized that I was still grasping The Hammer in my right hand.

I handed it over to Alpha 1 as I remarked, "Your weapon." He joined in with laughter despite the obvious pain it caused him. He took it and holstered the revolver. With my right boot still in the water, I placed my left hand on the chest of my vest as I looked up at the stars. This far from the Origin and Harbor explosions, the stars were perfectly visible in the night sky. I had spent so much time in cities that the chance to do something as simple as stare at the stars was rare.

The frigid bite of the water soaking my gear was barely registered as I lost myself in the simple beauty of the balls of light. As a boy, I could remember gazing up at the night sky from my window while I waited for Alma to come visit me. As I lay there, I wondered if I would be able to see my goddess's face again. I certainly wanted too, but my body was deteriorating.

I could already fell the headache from the illness I had caught from being exposed out in the open with frigid gear. I heard the sound of approaching booted footsteps but I lacked the energy to try to flee. As I saw the barrel of a sniper rifle enter my field of view, I passed out and sank into darkness.

The next thing that I can remember is waking up in a warm cot with Alma cuddled up against my unarmored body. I tried to move, but she whispered, "No Michael, let your body rest. That brunette…Miss Kwon, she said that it is a miracle you two survived the rocks. You cracked a few of your ribs but she said that there is nothing she can do about that."

Despite her advice, I tried to raise myself to look around as I asked, "Alpha 1…he is alright?"

She placed her soft hands on my bare chest and guided me back down onto the cot. She placed her head on my right shoulder before she said, "Yes, he is alright. He is asleep over there where he normally sleeps." I relaxed against the cot and savored her presence.

I asked, "Stokes, Foxtrot…what about them?"

She replied, "Safe. Stokes and Manny were very worried about you when an Echo scout found you two on the shore. Foxtrot 813 claims that he remembers very little about what happened after Fettel reached out to him. He is resting too. He has a personality…it is somewhat cute in a strange sort of way. He reminds me of you."

I asked, "What about the clones?" She shook her head and I was overcome with relief that there were not a bunch of Almas running around.

She asked, "Michael, I did not want to intrude your memories while you were asleep. So…my son?"

I sighed before I said, "I killed him. He was trying to possess me."

She nodded and expressed a brief look of sorrow before she smiled slightly at me. I tried to return the smile, but I suddenly coughed. For the first time since I awoke, I noticed that my nose was congested.

She placed her cold left hand on top of my forehead. I moaned in pleasure as it brought relief to my throbbing head. She explained, "Both of you have mild viral infections. Miss Kwon said that the fever should go away within a day or two." In her healthy adult form, she was able to wrap her entire body around mine. Much like she had when I was a child, she gently cradled me to allow her body to act as an ice pack for my aching body. I pulled her closer and I drifted back off into the darkness.

I whispered, "Mommy."

She whispered back, "Shh…sleep now. Mommy take care of her Michael."

A.N.: This week has been exhausting. I hope it was worth the wait. I tried.