Ch. 19 Part 2: Paris

A.N.:

Hey everyone. Man, I am glad that my semester is over. Now, I can focus on writing again. Plus, now that my classes are over, I can start posting shorter chapters again, which I hope will make the story a little bit easier to read.

I hope everyone is enjoying reading my story. I am trying very hard to stay within the general F.E.A.R. universe but please remember that this is an alternate universe that deviates from the plot seen in the games after F.E.A.R. 2.

I am not being random and everything that happens in the chapters was planned. I had this entire story all laid out in my mind when I started writing it.

For example, unlike how it happens in F.E.A.R. 3, the birth of the third child will not be a traditional "birth" in this universe. To be honest, F.E.A.R. 3 made absolutely no sense to me and I have been obsessed with F.E.A.R. since the first game. I always try to be open-minded but the third game nearly ruined the entire series for me and is the only game I have ever played that had me wanting to snap the disk in half and throw my console out the window.

Anyway, before I start rambling about my hatred of F.3.A.R., let's get the show on the road. Just a quick side note before the chapter starts, when Becket refers to Alma as his mother, he does not mean it in the literal sense. As tragic as it is, my version of Becket was raised by Alma because his real mother rejected him. So, she was his mother figure. Trust me, I know that Alma is not his real mother. Coming attractions for upcoming chapters include the liberation of Paris involving a fight scene on the Eiffel Tower and the "birth" of the third child.

I hope everyone likes the story so far. Review if you want. Ask questions if you need me to clarify something. Don't be shy, I don't bite. I should be updating regularly over the break.

As I hit the polished stone ground, I caught myself with my left hand. Standing, I aimed my rifle at the ATC mercenaries inside a nearby café. We had landed in a courtyard no more than a mile from the tower. The courtyard was a little larger than three-fourths the size of a football field. There were a few boarded up shops surrounding the courtyard. Little tables with umbrellas filled the courtyard.

Around twenty Armacham cannon fodder grunts were taking cover inside a bombed out café about seventy five yards ahead of me. I aimed through my assault rifle's scope and opened fire on the men. I dropped three of them before I had to reload. As I reloaded, one of their submachine gun bursts struck my torso. I grunted in pain but my vest absorbed the rounds. The blue armor bar on my HUD indicated the amount of armor I had lost. I would need to find an armor replenish kit to fix the damage. I still had plenty of armor in the meantime.

Beside me, Alpha 1 appeared with a missile launcher. Bravo 2 appeared and scanned the enemy positions with the thermal scope on his Barrett. After he had scoped out their positions, he pointed out the ATC positions to Alpha 1 with his left hand. After determining the most effective spot to aim at, Alpha 1 aimed his missile launcher and fired a missile.

The warhead struck the wall that the grunts were using as cover and demolished the obstacle as well as killing around five of the entrenched mercenaries. The remaining ATC mercenaries regrouped and retreated away from the area. I guessed that they were headed for the Eiffel Tower in hopes of being evacuated.

I remarked to Alpha 1 and Bravo 2, "Outstanding work."

They both replied, "Thank you sir."

I motioned for everyone to form a perimeter with my right hand while I spoke into my com link to War Dog 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, the commanders of the first seven Replica battalions, "Landing Zone Ace of Diamonds secured. Commence with Operation: French Bread."

They replied, "Roger that sir."

Operation: French Bread was basically the liberation of Paris. From the landing zone in the courtyard, the first seven Replica battalions were going to push forward towards the Eiffel Tower. Using the Replicas' inhuman coordination, we would encircle the structure and the ATC mercenaries located there. The Replica Air Force would put a chokehold on the Armacham position by shooting down any escape pod that launched.

The French Military had agreed to let us take the tower while they mopped up the rest of the city for us. Once the tower was encircled, we would slowly advance on the ATC position. If everything went according to plan, which it probably would not, all the Replica battalions would met up at the base of the tower at the same time.

Overhead, the first flight of Replica F-22 Raptors roared past us on their way to the airspace above the tower. Above the Raptors, I could make out the AC-130U flight led by the repaired Ghost Rider as they pounded the ATC positions in the city.

Beside me, Alpha 1 asked, "Why did the French Army agree to let us take the tower? It just seems that they would have wanted to reclaim their own landmark."

I smiled slightly before I explained, "Because they are French. Just kidding, the real reason is that they are getting the official credit for retaking the city."

Alpha 1 grunted in annoyance before he remarked, "Let the freaks do the work and take the credit."

I sighed before I said, "Such is life my friend."

My com link activated as the image of a Replica soldier entered my HUD. He said, "Sir, First Armored Group on station and locked onto the DZ coordinates. Awaiting authorization for orbital drop."

I replied, "OD authorization code: Tango-4-5-5-8-7-3-2."

The Replica replied, "Roger that. Standby for launch. Launching in 3, 2, 1, mark."

What would seem to be three meteors to the untrained eye rained down from the sky. One landed in the rear of the courtyard, one landed in a nearby café, and another landed in the recently cleared out café. Out of the rubble, the three Elite Powered Armor units emerged and formed up with each other. They came to stop before me and my com link activated. The lead EPA's pilot said, "Touchdown confirmed. War Pig 1-3 on the ground and commencing spearhead operations."

I replied, "Copy that War Pig 1. Go fuck them up." The three bipedal tanks turned and proceeded to exit the courtyard. Behind me, the first group of Ospreys maneuvered into a hover to offload their Replicas. I sighed because the most exciting part of the mission was over now that the reinforcements had arrived. What would happen after this was what I had dubbed "the grind". I could have died only minutes prior but now, it was only a matter of how many clips I would reload and the number of times I would aim down my rifle's scope until the mission was complete.

As the first several dozen Replicas were offloaded, their Heavy Soldier commanders approached me. As they surrounded me with their automatic shotguns casually held over their right shoulders, I informed them, "You boys are the first wave. I want you to form up with the War Pigs and Juggernaut and spearhead the assault."

They replied with their deep voices, "Roger that sir. They won't know what hit them." The downdraft from the empty Ospreys as they maneuvered away so the next group could offload their men assaulted my body and temporarily irritated my eyes as they kicked up a thin cloud of dust. When my vision had cleared, I saw the first wave of Replicas moving out to form up with the EPAs. I motioned for everyone to regroup so we could join the Replicas while Jin stayed behind to organize the incoming Replica reinforcements.

Before we could leave the courtyard, my com link activated and a Replica Commander informed me, "Sir, we lost contact with Recon Team Vector. They reported seeing unusual phenomena in Sector 10 and we lost contact with them as they investigated. I would send in a squad to investigate but the majority of Third Battalion is already committed to the assault on the Eiffel Tower so I don't have any combat teams available."

I replied, "Copy that. Dark Signal will investigate."

The Commander replied, "Roger that sir. Thanks for the assist. Please, return my men if you can."

I smiled slightly before I said, "Roger that War Dog 3."

He replied, "Good hunting sir."

My com link deactivated and I looked up to the soldiers surrounding me. I said to them, "Contact has been lost with Recon Team Vector. I have volunteered us to go investigate." They nodded at me in confirmation. I spoke into my com link, "Manny, I need a ride."

My friend laughed briefly before he replied, "You got it man. Standby." I waited for a moment before I saw a jet black MH-60M Black Hawk appear with a wave of Ospreys. As it maneuvered into a hover, I approached the spot where it would land with Alpha 1 right beside me. The Special Forces version of the rugged workhorse landed before me and I could not help but laugh at the bloody shark mouth and angry eyes painted on her nose. As I approached the open cargo bay doors, I also noticed the Armacham logo on her doors that had been noticeably spray painted over and replaced by the Delta Force insignia.

I boarded the helicopter and said to Morales, "Where did you get this one?"

He looked back with a mischievous smile before he explained, "Borrowed her…from Armacham. She was in one of the hangers in the harbor in Sparta."

I smirked before I replied, "Nice. I need to go to Sector 10. We have a missing recon team." He nodded and turned back around to face the instrument panel. Alpha 1 was already on board beside me and we were soon joined by Foxtrot 813, Point Man, Holiday, and Sgt. Passalaqua. Juggernaut was leading the Replica ground troops and Bravo 2 and Stokes were scouting ahead of the main Replica force to locate any enemy traps or remote sentries.

Morales maneuvered the Black Hawk into the air and we made our way to Sector 10, which was about a click away from the tower and ran along a section of the river. As we flew over the burning city, I spoke into my com link, "Recon Team Vector, this is Sergeant Becket of Dark Signal. We are inbound to your location. Sound off." Alpha 1 leaned in closer to me as we both waited to see if I would get a response.

After a few anxious seconds, I got a garbled response, "Sir,…Vec..r Team is do..n. Ne-d reinforcements."

I replied, "Say again Vector. I did not copy."

I heard a pair of screams, the sound of two assault rifles clattering against a hard surface, the thud of two bodies, and then dead silence. Concerned, I said, "Vector Team, respond over!"

After waiting for a few seconds, I said aloud, "Shit, they aren't responding. We have to assume a total loss of the recon team. Okay listen up, we have unknown hostiles of unknown strength and quantity. Stick together and watch each other's back. No one goes off alone no matter how brief. Don't try pulling any lone wolf bullshit. Remember, the team has your back."

They nodded in confirmation. Morales called out, "Becket, we are approaching Sector 10. Beginning final approach." I glanced out the open cargo doors to see that we were skimming along the surface of a river. Morales called out, "Going dark." We had arrived at a construction site for an office building that was about three-fourths of the way to completion. The roof had not yet been completed so Morales brought the chopper to a hover on the outside of the structure. Rappel ropes were attached to the Black Hawk and we rappelled down to the ground.

As soon as my boots hit the ground, I immediately had my rifle up at the ready. We had landed near the front entrance and I could still see power drills, hammers, boxes of supplies, stacks of lumber, and even a table saw where their masters had abandoned them. I grimaced when I saw the Armacham logo above the double doors at the entrance. It was torturously quiet once Manny left with the Black Hawk to circle overhead. We waited, in a crouched stance, for any sign of movement for nearly a minute before I raised my left hand and motioned for us to move forward.

Moving slowly in a crouched stance, we cautiously made our way to the double doors. I took position on the left side of the steel framed and glass-paneled doors and Alpha 1 took position on the right. Point Man and Holiday lined up behind Alpha 1 while Sgt. Passalaqua lined up behind me. I glanced at Alpha 1 and he returned it with a nod.

I shattered the glass panel closest to me with the butt of my rifle's stock and tossed in a shock grenade. Just as it detonated, Alpha 1 kicked in the doors and we stormed the room with the barrels our guns rapidly swinging as we scanned our surrounds. Point Man kicked in a side door before signaling the all clear. Passalaqua did the same for another side door before he called out, "Clear!"

Seeing no hostile contacts in the room, I called out, "Clear!"

The building had not yet been wired with electricity so the interior was dark enough for us to need to activate our flashlights. We regrouped at the center of the uncompleted lobby and started to make our way into the interior of the building. However, as we started to move forward, a body fell through the ceiling tiles and landed just inches in front of us. We all flinched slightly and had our guns aimed at the body for a second before we realized what had happened. A soft giggle filled the room briefly. Annoyed, I called out, "That's not funny."

Alma materialized before me in her child form as she continued giggling. When she finally stopped, she commented, "Aren't we jumpy? I didn't do that but now I wish I had. Your reactions were priceless." She continued in a mock startled tone, "Oh no! What the fuck is that? Holy shit, overreact immediately." She started giggling again for a moment before she finally stopped and looked at me with a smirk.

I extended my left hand out and flipped her my middle finger for a moment before returning my hand to grasp the grip on my rifle's barrel. She gave me a look of mock hurt before she remarked, "Aw, don't be like that my love. It was funny."

I snarled, "Humor is in the eyes of the beholder."

She gave me a strange smile before she asked in a serious tone, "Armacham had a hand in the missing recon team then?" My seriousness returned and I nodded in confirmation. She frowned before looking at the body that had fallen from the ceiling. She examined him before she said, "He is not one of ours. Armacham…" I walked up and stood beside her. She was right. The body was not clad in military attire. Instead, the bloody corpse of a middle-aged Caucasian man was dressed in a white dress shirt with a wine colored tie, pressed khaki pants with a black belt, and shiny black dress shoes.

I bent down and examined him closer. His hands had scrapes and bruises as if he had been in a fight. I searched his pockets and found a cellphone and a wallet. I opened his wallet and looked through his IDs. His name was Andre Belcher and he was an ATC employee with a third level security clearance, which meant that he was important, but not important enough to escape Armacham's kill list. After examining the call log in his phone, I noticed that the last number he called was in his contact list under the name "Him". Curious, I redialed the number to see if the owner of the other end was still alive.

The call went through and a disguised man's voice answered, "Andre? Have you destroyed the specimen yet?" I motioned at Alpha 1 who nodded in response and contacted Jin so she could trace the signal.

Trying to buy Jin enough time, I said into the phone with a deeper, harsher voice, "Andre is tied up at the moment. If you want him to remain alive, you had better remain on the line because I want to play a little game."

The man on the other end did not sound alarmed when he replied, "And what game is that?"

I answered, "Blitz Chess and it appears that you have already lost several valuable pieces."

The man said, "A winning strategy often requires sacrifice. I must warn you, if you intend to bring destruction down upon me, I will be forced to do the same for you. So, do you really wish to continue playing this little game of ours? Mister?"

My eyes narrowed as I replied with my regular voice, "Sergeant Becket; son of Alma Wade and Mr. Death. I know that you know who I am Carson."

The chairman of the ATC Board of Directors said with a calm voice, "Ah, the bitch's loyal dog. Does your master hear me? Alma! You can fool your pet but I know what you are really planning. You know that we are the only thing standing between you and the world so you have your little doggie doing your dirty work. What did she offer you Sergeant? Power? Wealth? Mark my words Becket, your only reward will be a knife in the back. She has been using you since day one and by the time you realize that, it will be too late. You will just be another fool that she has tricked into helping her."

I said, "Interesting story. Now, let me tell you one. Once upon a time, there was a little girl that was treated like a freak by everyone. All she wanted was be left alone so she could play but instead she was poked and prodded like a lab rat. They tormented her, made her live in fear, and forced her to do things with her mind that no human should be able to do. They pushed her too far and so she did what anyone would do in her situation: she fought back. Did that end her suffering? That would be a great ending but sadly, life is no fairytale world. They locked her up in a cage like a dangerous animal. At 15, she was forced to become a mother but was never allowed to hold her babies. She reached out to one with her mind and they killed her. Did death end her suffering? No, she lingered on with only her anger to keep her company. Then, one day, they came to remove her and scrub the prison that she had been confined to since she was a little girl. She killed them with the raw edge of her pain. They tried to bury their sins, but instead planted the seeds of their doom."

The man sighed before he said, "You know kid, the more you drag me closer to the edge of the abyss, the more you drag yourself along with me. You and I both know that you cannot last by her side. Eventually, you will become just like her."

I smiled slightly before I replied, "I know."

Carson said, "Looks like our time is up. We shall continue our game another time Sergeant. Say hi to the girl for me."

The line went dead and Jin contacted me, "Damn, he cut the line just before I could finish the trace."

I said, "Don't worry about it Miss Kwon. It was worth a try."

Alma asked me, "What did he mean by say hi to the girl for me? Do you think he knows about our daughter?"

I tossed the cellphone aside as I shook my head. I turned and looked at her before I explained, "No, he did not sound like he was threatening her. It sounded more like he was mocking me about something else."

She asked, "Me then?"

Again, I shook my head before I explained, "No, he would have used a colorful word for you like bitch or something along that line. I think that there is more to this place than meets the eye."

As I finished my sentence, I noticed movement at the far end of the room. In the second I had to focus on the object, it appeared to be a small child darting towards the stairs before disappearing into thin air. Focusing my attention on the spot where the figure disappeared, I moved forward with my rifle raised. When I reached the spot, I saw nothing that indicated that someone had been there.

However, from above me, I heard what sounded like a little girl whispering. I swiveled my body and rifle up towards the balcony on the upper floor and saw a small face looking back at me. Shock hit me as I recognized the face instantly. For a moment, I was confused and I addressed the young girl, "Sweetie? What are you doing here? Does mommy know that you are wandering about by yourself?"

Alma materialized next to me and addressed her daughter, "Sweetie, you shouldn't be exploring on your own. It is too dangerous for you to be alone."

My daughter spoke into my mind, "That is not me, Daddy. Is she my sister?"

Stunned, I asked the doppelganger of our daughter, "Who are you? Are you lost?"

The girl finally spoke in a whisper, "Bad people. Stay away."

I shook my head before I said in a gentle tone, "We aren't going to hurt you. We are soldiers; we protect people."

She shook her head before she replied, "Try to trick. No! No more hurt! Stay away!"

Alpha 1 called out, "Sir, look out!" He tackled me out of the way of a falling light fixture just before it impacted the spot where I had been standing. He pulled me to my feet and I thanked him. We both looked back to see that the girl was gone.

Alpha 1 asked me, "What the Hell was that about sir?"

I shook my head before I replied, "I have no idea but I think we just found out what happened to the recon team and who Carson was referring to. Come on, let's go after her!"