Ch. 19: Athem of Sparta

A.N.:

I am so, so sorry that it took me so long to write this. I have rewritten this chapter like three times because I could not get it to fit the idea I had in my head. I was amazed by all the feedback that I got.

Thank you to everyone for being so supportive. To be honest, I probably would not have gone this far with my story without my readers' support.

The official name of my version of the third child is announced in this chapter. I wanted an "A" name because the two Wade sisters' names (Alma and Alice) also started with an "A". I was tempted to name her Alessa but then I thought that it would be too much of a reference to Silent Hill.

I was also wanted to originally name her Emily because it is the name of my most beloved character that I have ever created. I created her and a male companion for an original story that I started writing back in High School. Still not done with it and it is enough to fill two whole binders. I decided against Emily because for some reason, it is a popular name amongst fans for the third child and I did not want anyone to think that their ideas were being taken.

I hope all my American readers managed to stay warm the past few days.

College starts next week for me. :( Again, I will try to keep updating as much as I can.

As we approached the Black Hawk, my com link activated and the image of a Replica Heavy Trooper appeared in the upper right hand corner of my HUD. The Trooper reported, "Sir, War Dog 1 reporting in. Target surrounded but enemy forces are continuing to resist. Enemy positions are heavily fortified. EPA Units and supporting REV6 Powered Armor Units are unable to advance. Our Infantry Units are pinned down by enemy MG emplacements. Requesting assistance."

I replied, "Copy that War Dog 1. The assistance you requested has been approved. Hang tight, support is in route to your location. ETA: 5 minutes."

War Dog 1 replied, "Copy that, sir."

Alpha 1 handed me my magnum as he said, "Your sidearm, sir."

I took it from his grasp as I replied, "Thanks." He nodded in response. I was confident that we would receive replacement primary weapons in the Black Hawk.

When we boarded the bird, there was an immediate reaction from the men when they saw the baby in Alma's protective grasp. Morales inquired, "Becket…man…is that…?"

As I unstrapped an assault rifle and automatic shotgun from where they were being stored onboard the helicopter, I replied, "My kid? Yeah."

After handing the automatic shotgun to Alpha 1, I addressed everyone inside the cargo bay as I loaded a fresh clip into my new rifle, "Anyone here got a problem with that?" They all, except Point Man who seemed to be staring at his mother and new sister, shook their head. I nodded before I said, "Good. Now, our boys need assistance. Let's go kick some ass. We'll sort this all out later."

Morales replied, "Roger that man." The Black Hawk's powerful engines roared to life and we were airborne within seconds.

I spoke into my com link, "Attention all nearby air units, this is Dark Signal's Black Hawk, call sign: Reaper 1. We are about to commence a gun run on the ATC positions around the target. All free nearby air units are to form up on us. The more, the merrier."

In response, my com link activated and I saw the familiar sight of the image of Yankee 2's pilot in my HUD as he replied, "Yankee 2 reporting for duty, sir."

I smirked before I said to the old Cold War veteran Mil Mi-24, or Hind D gunship as most people know them, that seemed to have become my personal aerial guardian ever since the incident on the bridge in Sparta, "Always a pleasure to see you Yankee 2. Your Hind ready to kick ass?"

The pilot reported, "Same to you, sir. I have full tanks, ammunition, and rockets, sir. You point the way, and I won't stop firing until I've run dry."

I saw the Russian made gunship form up on the right of our Black Hawk before I replied, "Copy that, Yankee 2."

My HUD displayed the image of another Replica pilot who reported, "AH-64 Apache, call sign: War Horse 1, reporting as ordered and forming up, sir."

I smirked as I saw the Replica operated flying killer AH-64 Apache form up on the left of our Black Hawk.

Alma, who had never seen an Apache in action before, asked me through our link, "You like the Apaches. Why? Are they any good?"

My smirk increased as I telepathically replied, "Are you kidding? Are the Apaches any good? Let me put it this way, if the Grim Reaper designed a helicopter, it would be an Apache."

I spoke into my com link, "War Horse 1, sitrep."

The Replica pilot reported, "War Horse 2-5 are currently engaged. War Horse 1 is currently formed up on Reaper 1. War Horse 1 is fully loaded with a Close Air Support Loadout, sir."

I replied, "Copy that War Horse 1." With our engines vibrating the air, we roared towards the Eiffel Tower.

Morales finally called out, "Thirty seconds out."

Switching off my rifle's safety, I ordered everyone, "Kill anyone wearing black or metallic armor."

All the Replicas and Delta Force Operatives replied, "Yes sir!"

I laughed slightly before I ordered Morales, "Manny, Snake Fist theme instrumental and make it loud."

My friend laughed before he replied, "You got it man. Music commencing in: 3, 2, 1, mark."

I asked through my com link, "Yankee 2, War Horse 1…gentlemen, shall we dance?" The Snake Fist theme music that had been playing over the loudspeakers on the Dark Signal APC during our assault on Still Island started blaring through the jerry-rigged loudspeakers on our Black Hawk.

I edged close to the edge of the cargo bay door on the right side of the Black Hawk and placed my rifle on my back as Alpha 1 handed me an M-60 light machine gun that had been modified with a grip and an ACOG scope. My entire body became surrounded by a red aura as I used my abilities to be able to handle the heavy, crew-operated weapon. The Black Hawk's gunners spun the helicopter's miniguns to life. The clicking of mechanical parts sounded through the cargo bay as everyone prepared their weapons. Seconds later, we arrived at the tower.

I saw that the Replicas had indeed surrounded the tower on all sides at a distance of around half the length of a football field. I quickly realized why the power armor units were unable to advance. The Armacham troops were using EMP cannons similar to the one that we had encountered in the harbor in Sparta. I counted three EMP cannons. They had been set up in a triangle around the tower.

A makeshift wall had been set up around the tower in the shape of a square as well. I saw around ten heavy machine gun nests set up around the tower, around a hundred and fifty ATC troops inside the wall, and four snipers on the tower itself. At the very top of the tower, I saw a Phase Commander. Within the wall, I saw several vehicles as well as several of whatever those escape pods were that were still intact.

At the sound of the music, the ATC defenders shifted their attention to us. Looking through the ACOG scope, I said, "Fire at will." I had no sooner said those words before Yankee 2 and War Horse 1 started unloading on the ATC positions with rocket and cannon fire. The closest EMP cannon suffered a barrage of anti-tank Hellfire missiles from War Horse 1. Metal shrapnel flew through the air and flames erupted from the cannon following the barrage. The Black Hawk's miniguns joined in as we passed by the tower.

Those of us inside the cargo bay of the Black Hawk opened fire on the ATC mercenaries with our small arms. Alpha 1 fired his missile launcher and scored a direct hit on the second EMP cannon, which effectively neutralized it. Meanwhile, I continued to kill mercenary after mercenary with pinpoint accurate bursts from the powerful M-60. However, I grew concerned when I noticed that Point Man had killed fifteen ATC troops to my twenty. I had already won the bet but he was still ahead in overall kills.

In a synchronized manner, we turned around and returned for a second gun run. In the first run, I estimated that we had killed around sixty of the ATC troops (the majority of which came from Yankee 2, War Horse 1, our Black Hawk's miniguns, Point Man's G2A2 assault rifle, and my M-60 LMG), destroyed two of the three EMP cannons, and seven of the ten machine gun emplacements.

As we approached for the second attack, I switched sides inside the cargo bay to have a better shooting spot. Once again, a symphony of small arms fire, cannon fire, and missile fire sounded along with the Snake Fist music. I can only imagine the psychological impact that our attack was having on the Armacham mercenaries and the reporters that were observing the incident.

From my vantage point, it looked like the ground itself around the tower was exploding from cannon and machine gun fire. A barrage of unguided rockets from Yankee 2 put an end to the final EMP cannon. Immediately afterwards, the EPA units began advancing on the surviving ATC mercenaries with Replica ground troops advancing close behind them.

However, as we passed over the tower, a rocket, fired from the Phase Commander, struck the armored hull of our Black Hawk. Before Morales could react to the hit and stabilize the helicopter's flight, Alpha 1 and I fell out of the cargo bay. We fell through the air, but, luckily, the tower was close and we had only fallen a short distance before we managed to grab ahold of one of the massive iron struts of the tower.

Even so, the force of the landing caused me to moan in agony and lose my grip on the M-60, which went tumbling towards the ground. We were holding onto a strut near the top on the third section of the structure where it becomes a tower instead of columns. Below us, the remaining ATC forces were quickly succumbing to the withering firepower of the Replicas. The observation deck was twenty yards away from us so we began to climb towards it slowly. Despite the growing protest of my muscles, I forced my body to continue.

The groaning of the metal structure worried me. The battle raging below had caused extensive damage and severely reduced its structural integrity. It was already a miracle that the tower was still standing. Any further damage would have likely sent the tower tumbling down with Alpha 1 and myself with it. Hell, a bird's dropping would have probably brought it down at that point.

Finally, after a few near fatal slips, we reached the observation deck. Luckily, the observation deck had suffered a direct rocket hit and there was a hole large enough for us to climb through. Relieved to find ourselves on flat ground, we stood and looked around for the Phase Commander with our weapons raised.

The deck was severely damaged to the point that it was a single, flat, open area with only a few columns keeping it from collapsing in upon itself. As we neared the center of the observation deck, the commander phased down through the roof in an attempt to get the drop on us. However, due to months of combat, Alpha 1 and I had become proficient at dispatching the commanders.

We both dodged his attack and tag teamed the lone commander. Strafing the cyborg in a circle, we quickly had the brute's shield down. However, as we attempted to finish him off, the commander surprised both of us by suddenly using a Flashbang Grenade. Before my senses could return, I was roughly kicked through the air and nearly out of the hole in the observation deck. Only blindly clawing out with my gloved hands, I had purposely lost my grip on my assault rifle because I knew that I would need both hands to catch myself, had saved my life.

Despite the near death experience and losing my rifle, I smiled brightly when my vision returned. My hopes became high because I believed that this commander would be a challenging opponent. I saw Alpha 1 recovering in a corner seemingly from being thrown while he was disoriented from the Flashbang and the brute approaching me with his S-HV Penetrator in his right hand. My instincts told me that he was likely going to phase me through the floor. He paused when he got close enough to study me. For once, I could have sworn that the commander actually seemed to be frightened and even backed away slightly.

Pointing at me with his left hand, he stammered, "Y-yo-you! No…no…no! Yo-you're…supposed to b-be…retired!"

Doing my best to imitate my mentor, I replied, "Death cannot retire."

Pulling myself back up through the hole, I stood before the frightened commander.

He said, "Command, he is here! Mr. Death is here!" I heard voices but could not make out exactly what was said. The commander backed away from me, oblivious to everything except his own fear, as he replied, "Because I am fucking looking at him right now! Fucking mask and everything!"

There was another response but, again, I could not make out what was said. He looked at me again as he asked, "Who is your employer Mr. Death? My employers are willing to pay you for your services."

I smirked before I replied, "My employer is Alma Wade. Tell your employers to shove their bribe up their asses…nice and slow."

I began to slowly advance towards the cyborg. He tried to back away but Alpha 1 was waiting for him. My best friend grabbed him. After a brief struggle, Alpha 1 was able to disarm and restrain the larger man.

I motioned over towards the opening. Alpha 1 dragged the cyborg over to the opening. I grabbed a nearby, loose, thick steel cable. As I wrapped the cable around the commander's neck, he asked me, "Why? Why are you taking that bitch's side?"

After using my psionic abilities to melt the steel cable enough to tightly secure it around the man's neck, I took position on the right side of the man while Alpha 1 took position on his left side. I leaned in close before I whispered, "Because I love her and her new daughter."

He only had time to utter, "What?!" before we shoved him over the edge. We essentially hung the Phase Commander of the ATC Forces in France from the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower for the whole world to see. I do not know if the fall broke his neck, which would have meant that he had died instantly or if he slowly suffocated to death. To be honest, I do not really care which one was his fate. He died and that is all I care about, even now.

Moments later, Morales brought the Black Hawk to a hover near the edge of the observation deck and Foxtrot 813, Point Man, Holiday, and Sgt. Passalaqua joined us with their weapons on their backs. Alma, with our daughter safely in her grasp and in her normal form, materialized near me as well. Alpha 1 located my assault rifle and returned it to me. After returning the rifle to my back, I addressed them, "Let's finish this." They all nodded in approval. Foxtrot 813 presented the giant French flag to me. After climbing to the very top of the tower, I attached the enormous French flag to the top.

A thunderous cheer erupted from the Replicas below that rocked the area as the flag proudly waved at full length in the breeze. By the time that I had returned to the observation deck, the Replicas had rearranged themselves into their marching columns with their weapons on their backs and the powered armored units grouped together after every infantry division.

I noticed the arriving news helicopters so I decided to seize the opportunity. I telepathically informed my goddess about my idea. She visibly smirked before she nodded in agreement. She changed her body into her child form before she walked over to the edge of the hole so everyone would see her.

After informing everyone about what we were doing, I lined up to the right of my new family with Alpha 1 next to me and Foxtrot 813 next to him. Point Man lined up to the left of his mother and new sister with Holiday next to him and Sgt. Passalaqua next to Holiday. When we were certain that the news cameras were broadcasting a live feed, we all simultaneously turned to face Alma. We bowed down onto our left knee, with our left hand placed onto the floor and with our heads lowered. Seconds after we had bowed, the Replicas below us started marching around the tower in a near perfect square.

As their boots thundered in perfect unison, they all raised their heads up and turned their torsos slightly so they were constantly looking up at the observation deck, and, more specifically, at Alma and the new Wade family member. As they continued marching in a style that was reminiscent of the pride marches of the Soviet Union, they raised their right hands up to the proper position for a military salute and held them there as they marched.

As they continued to march in perfect synchronicity, with the city burning all around us, with the thunderous report of the AC-130Us flying in formation overhead, and with the enormous formations of Ospreys, Apaches, and Raptors flying overhead in such vast numbers that they blackened the sky, the seven battalions of Replicas started proudly chanting in a marching hymn,

We are the Spartans!

We are the Holy Mother's Sword and Shield.

We are the Holy Mother's Sentry and Avenger.

We pledge our minds and bodies to her will.

We proudly serve her.

We will burn for her with a smile.

We are the Spartans!

Our Strength is Unconquerable.

Our Will is Unbreakable.

Our Resolve is Unwavering.

We are the Spartans!

Air, Land, Sea, and Space, we are ready for the fight.

Until our enemies taste our Fire and Sword,

Until the last man,

Until the last drop of blood,

Until our final breath,

Until the end of time,

We serve the Almighty Holy Mother.

We are the Spartans!

We are her Sword and Shield!

We are her Sentry and Avenger!

We will never leave her side!

We will proudly march in her name 'til we die!

WE WILL NOT FALTER!

WE WILL NOT FAIL!

Certain that the spectacle had done its intended job of not only intimidating our enemies but also our allies, I stood and moved to stand by my goddess's side. She smiled up at me with a level of happiness that I had never seen before. Despite her form, I could not help myself as I bent down and kissed her passionately. My left gloved hand went to the back of her head and my right gloved hand went to her left hip to pull her in closer. There had been a time when I had been justifiably resistant to treating her child form as I would treat her other forms but trust me when I say that Alma has ways of changing one's attitude about certain things.

Alma did her best to return the kiss and we continued the taboo embrace for seemed like hours before I retracted. Alma looked up at me with a victorious smirk. I remarked defensively, "Shut up."

She replied, "I didn't say anything."

Groaning, I said, "I still think that it is disgusting."

She raised her right eyebrow briefly before she said with a mock childish voice, "The strange man touched me in bad places, Mr. Officer."

I snorted before I replied, "Officer, she is a homicidal psycho bitch who is older than I am and she raped me while I was strapped in a chair."

Alma quietly remarked, "Among other fun things that we have done but he is too bashful to admit that he likes his dirty little girl."

I chuckled nervously before I said, "Let's keep those things to ourselves okay? You know, for the children's sake."

She smiled before she said as she looked around at all the occupants in the room, "You are all my children."

I replied, "Right…speaking of which, have you decided on a name?"

She shrugged before she answered, "I am narrowing down a list. Anyway, to the victor go the spoils."

I smirked before I addressed everyone, "You heard the boss, time to start lootin'."

Half an hour later, I stood before the statue Aphrodite of Milos, or, as most people know it, the Venus de Milo with my arms crossed in front of my chest. Alma stood next to me in her normal form with our daughter in her gentle motherly grasp. We studied the large, famous Greek statue of Aphrodite while we waited for news that we were all set to go back to Sparta. The statue of a topless young woman intrigued me because of the mind-blowing level of detail that the sculptor had put into the piece. I could only imagine how much time and effort had been put into the statue.

I had already found that I personally did not possess the discipline and patience required to be an artist or any profession related to Liberal Arts. There had been a time that writing had interested me. I had not been serious about it and I saw it merely as a hobby. However, I did find it relaxing to create my own little worlds and characters.

I had pursued the hobby long enough to be able to produce passable works that only someone with an English degree would give me flak for. Given that most of my childhood had been focused on survival and that most of my English teachers had been comically inept, I was proud of myself for being able to write semi-competently using one of the hardest languages to master. I had learned to be thankful for having been taught English as a first language because it was not until the U.S. Military had given me a crash course on other languages that I learned how unbelievably complicated the English language is.

I said aloud, "There is no way any woman looked like that back then."

Alma asked, "What do you mean?"

I explained, "Oh please, this is not natural. I have been trained enough to know that most women do not look like this."

Alma asked with a curious tone, "Trained? You mean in the military? Why were you trained like that?"

I sighed before I replied, "Because having extensive knowledge of the human anatomy makes me a much more efficient killer. That's not the point though. This chic is not real."

Alma giggled briefly before she said, "No shit genius. She is Aphrodite, Michael. It is idolized beauty."

I groaned before I replied, "I know that! I am not an idiot. I am just saying that art should depict the world as it truly is. Not how it is fantasized to be."

Beside me, Alpha 1 remarked, "I like it."

I looked at him as I asked, "Really?"

He nodded before he explained, "I like how people still think that it is valuable despite being damaged."

Stunned, I assured my best friend, "Just because things are damaged doesn't mean that they aren't valuable. We all have our scars, my friend. Some more on the inside than outside. I would rather have you by my side than some FNG straight out of his stasis pod. You think any of those other Replicas can do what you can do? I would bet my life on your loyalty and combat prowess."

He looked at me silently for a moment before he said, "Thank you sir."

Before we could converse further, Foxtrot 813 appeared carrying a large painting. He had it turned around so I could not see which one it was. He called out, "Hey, do you think that they will miss this one?"

I asked, "Which one is it?" He turned it around so I could see it. I nearly face palmed when I saw that it was the Mona Lisa. I said, "Yeah, I think that they would get rather pissed off if we ran off with it. Go put it back…gently."

Foxtrot 813 replied, "Aw, I was going to use it for target practice."

Hours later, the F.E.A.R. Team and Dark Signal were gathered in the command center inside the Harbormaster's Tower in Sparta. They all surrounded Alma and me as they tried to get a better look at the infant safely cradled in our goddess's arms. The overall atmosphere of the room was curiosity mixed with excitement. However, I could sense some uneasiness amongst them.

Particularly, I felt uneasiness from Jin, Holiday, and Point Man. Point Man's uneasiness was understandable considering the things that he had suffered through during the events leading up to the Origin Explosion. Holiday was uneasy simply because he was having a difficult time with trying to understand how exactly the child had come into existence. The only one I worried about was Jin.

I admired her for being so stubborn. She was clinging to the way of thinking that she had been taught during her employment with F.E.A.R. That organization's only philosophy was that if it was paranormal in any way, then it was a threat that should be terminated, no questions asked. I addressed her, "Touch my daughter Miss Kwon, and I guarantee you that it will be the last thing that you ever do."

She looked at me, but I did not feel any anger or fear. Instead, she surprised me by stating, "You know Becket, when we first met I would have wanted to destroy her. I expected some monster or demon. Now, I can clearly see that she is not a threat…not as long as she is raised by loving parents." She paused and moved closer to Point Man before she finished, "Besides, I have a date to get ready for."

Stokes asked, "So, what is her name?"

Before I could reply, Alma announced, "Amara Wade."

A.N.: Yeah…Amara Wade. I thought it sounded cool. Amara is Greek for eternal, immortal, beloved. It is a loose translation so I took some liberties with it.

Ha-ha, can you imagine if I had named her Samara Wade? That would be some shit right there! HA! You're going to die in seven days :P