"Holy shit," Lee said once they were on the ground. There were Mimics everywhere. James and Brady were already forging ahead, slicing them in half as they went. Mark stayed back to protect the medics, leaving Rita with Lee.

"You ready for this?" she asked him.

"Oh hell yes," he answered. They powered forward. Lee was grateful for the days of practice. His suit didn't feel as heavy anymore, and his weapon felt like it was part of his arm. He tried not to look around at the soldiers who were dying and being killed by Mimics. His mind flashed to Barney when he was killed, and he shook it out of his head. He needed to focus. He ran after Rita, who was swinging left and right, sending pieces of Mimics flying everywhere. Lee wasn't sure exactly how they were going to make it out of this alive. They fought for what felt like hours. Then, Lee turned to see Rita getting thrown into the air. She landed hard, gasping.

"RITA!" he shouted. Within seconds, a Mimic larger than he'd ever seen sprang upon her. Rita caught his gaze just as she pulled the pin of her self-destruct bomb.

"RITA!" he screamed. He ducked as a Mimic leaped over his head, attempting to kill him. He took it down with a swift blow. Rage controlled him now. Then suddenly, there was silence. Lee looked around, puzzled. Not a Mimic was in sight.

"Where's Rita?!" James shouted, sliding over to him through the mud. Lee couldn't even look over at the site where she'd died. Brady and Mark were beside him now too.

"What happened?" Brady asked.

"Rita?" Mark said.

"She's gone," Lee answered.

"Oh God. No," James moaned.

"Where are the Mimics?" Lee asked, changing the subject. He didn't want to talk about Rita right now. It hurt too much.

"We don't know. It's like they retreated or something."

"This smells off to me, boys," Lee said. "Come on." He surged ahead, not looking back. James was surprised that Lee was so cold, but then again, you couldn't be emotional in the middle of a war zone. Lee crested the hill only to surprised by a waiting Mimic. He felt its arm go through him, and he knew he was done for. He didn't mind. What was the point of living under the control of aliens anyway?

Reset 1

Rita awoke with a gasp, falling onto her face on the ground.

"And you said you wouldn't fall asleep during meditation," Lee chuckled. She rolled to her side and clutched at her chest, sure she was dying. Once she realized she was sitting on the floor of the training ground, she grew confused. What was going on? She had been in battle...right? Or had it been a dream? She had died. She had heard Lee screaming her name.

"You okay?" Lee asked, frowning. She looked like she had or was having a heart attack the way she was grabbing at her chest. She dropped her hands.

"I...I think so," she answered. "What day is it?"

"The day before our lives end as we know it," Lee answered. "We go to Verdun tomorrow, remember?" He was looking at her quizzically now. She was acting strange.

"Oh. We haven't gone yet."

"No."

"Right," she got to her feet, feeling woozy. So it had been a dream. That made sense. It was dark outside when she opened the door. Her watch said 9:13pm.

"Wait up," Lee said. "You wanna hit the road? Loosen up before tomorrow?"

"No thanks," she replied stiffly. She had flashes of a bar suddenly in her mind, and Lee laughing. She shook her head. This was all too intense for her.

"If you change your mind..." he started.

"I'll let you know," she cut him off. She hurried to her bunk, needing to think about what had just happened. After hours of not making sense of it, she fell asleep.

Morning

"It's go time!" James hollered, banging about, which woke Rita up. Her head snapped towards her door, brow furrowed. He had said that in her dream too. She got up cautiously and walked to the door, opening it. She saw Brady and Mark gearing up. James was waiting for them. Lee wasn't there.

"Hey, sleepyhead. Battle awaits!" Brady said, grinning at her. Rita stared at him. He had said that too in the dream. She swallowed, wondering if she was losing her mind.

"Here we go," Lee said, returning. He held out a coffee cup for her. "Can't win a battle without some caffeine."

"Thanks," she said, taking it. This was all to familiar. She went back into her room, thinking. What else had happened in the dream? She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember. There had been fighting. She had been thrown. Then she had blown herself up with a Mimic. Wait...

"Rita?" Lee asked, following her.

That Mimic had been different...

"You all right?"

It had been...blueish. Mimics weren't blue.

"Rita?"

"I'm fine," she answered, annoyed. "Get ready."

"I am. Just checking in on you first," Lee said. He knew she was upset about something, but he let it go. He slid out of view then. Rita rubbed her forehead mercilessly. Could this strangeness be because of that Mimic?

...

"This is it," Aldridge said to the team. "You are going to Verdun. We have to win this. We have to show them that we mean business. It's the first time our suits are being used. Let's hope it brings us some luck, huh?"

"It's the person in the suit not the suit itself," Lee muttered. Rita snapped her head to look at him while Aldridge plowed on.

"Good luck to you all. God speed," he finished. Rita felt deja vu as she walked up into the waiting ship.

"Let's do this!" Mark shouted, whooping. Brady joined him. James just shook his head. Rita knew what she had to say next.

"Okay, team," Rita said. "Focus, attack, and don't get killed."

"Great advice as always," James teased. She didn't respond. It was almost identical to her dream. It scared her a little.

"For England?" Lee asked her, making her positive this was her dream come to life.

"No, for me," she answered distantly. He gave her a concerned look, but they were already in the air. Rita knew exactly what was going to happen next.

...

"Holy shit," Lee said once they were on the ground. Rita watched all the Mimics fighting with the squads who had landed before them. She was searching for one in particular. If it appeared, then this was definitely not just deja vu or a dream. She moved ahead, Lee beside her. When they reached a familiar landmark, she twisted out of the way just as a Mimic burst out of the ground. Lee destroyed it instantly.

"That was close," he commented. She was shaking now. That Mimic would have thrown her. She would have then been attacked by the other, larger Mimic. She spun her head around, looking. Where was it?

"Rita! Focus!" Lee shouted, bringing her back to the battle. He shot down another Mimic as it charged at her. "What is the matter with you?!"

"I'm sorry," she said. Her head hurt. She felt dizzy. She kept turning around and around. There was no blue Mimic.

"RITA!"

Then it was dark.

Reset 2

Rita launched onto her face, gasping again.

"And you said you wouldn't fall asleep during a meditation," Lee chuckled. She sat up slowly, her mind going a hundred miles an hour. This was real. This was happening. There was no way she'd dream the same thing twice.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Uh huh," she nodded.

"Wanna call it a night?"

"Okay."

She walked ahead of him back to their barrack. Lee didn't make conversation with her. He could tell she was stuck in her own head.

"Good night," she said, closing her door without another word. She'd see how tomorrow went.

Morning

"It's go time!" James's voice was shouting. Rita snapped her head to her door. This was way too bizarre. Shaking, she got to her feet. She almost didn't want to open the door. The sudden pounding made her jump.

"Hey, sleepyhead! Battle awaits!" Brady yelled through it. She had no choice. Pulling it open, she was greeted by his grinning face.

"What?" he asked, seeing her face. She moved past him, wondering who to tell. Would they think she was crazy? Would they send her to an insane asylum? Well, it wouldn't matter. If they lost the war, there would be no asylums left.

"Whoa," Lee said as she almost collided into him.

"Sorry," she muttered. Then it hit her. Maybe Lee would believe her. As she looked at his questioning face, she realized he would think she had lost her mind, and she needed to ensure her team didn't think that.

"Can't win a battle without some caffeine," he said eventually, handing her a cup.

"Thanks," she nodded.

"Are you all right? You look like you've seen a ghost," Lee commented.

You have no idea, she thought.

"Rough night."

"That's to be expected," Lee validated. "I'm a little anxious myself."

"You'll be just fine," she reassured him. It's me who dies, she wanted to add. She walked away, taking a sip of her coffee. She needed to think before they went into battle. She wanted to remember everything.

...

They were farther than she'd been before. She kept her eye out for that blue Mimic, but it never appeared. When it all went silent, she knew it was some kind of trap. They tentatively walked ahead, and sure enough, surprise attacks from Mimics occurred. Rita felt horrified when James was killed. She kept reminding herself she could bring him back, that it wasn't the end for real. She knew for next time where to let him walk. They approached the abandoned buildings with caution. Rita felt her skin prickle, and she just knew something was going to happen. Brady decided to step inside.

"Don-" she started. A blinding explosion cut her off, and she was thrown backwards into Lee. They landed hard, and she scrambled to her feet. Lee behind her.

"BRADY!" she shouted. "MARK!" Neither of them responded.

"Shit," Lee swore. He looked angry and scared. Rita turned to see a wall of Mimics roaring towards them. She looked at Lee, who knew they were outmatched.

"I'll see you when we wake up," she said.

"What?" he asked, completely confused. Rita turned just as the Mimic crashed into her. Darkness fell once again.

Reset 3

Rita opened her eyes with a start and knew exactly what was going on now. She needed to talk to someone about it, and she knew just who to look for: Dr. Carter. Everyone knew he was the expert on Mimics.

"You all right?" Lee asked as she got up.

"I'm fine," she answered. She needed to talk to Dr. Carter right now. This couldn't wait.

"You sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine. See you later," she said, going out into the darkness. She hoped the doctor didn't go to bed early.

...

Rita watched Dr. Carter fumble with his papers. He was excited.

"You are really reliving the same time frame again?" he asked her.

"Yes," she nodded. "This blue Mimic died on top of me, and I can't seem to find it again. Do you think it has something to do with it?"

"It has everything to do with it," Dr. Carter answered. "That was an Alpha. If one of them is killed, time is reset back 24 hours in order for the Omega to change what went wrong. You've gained that power."

"I...I have Mimic blood in me?" Rita asked, feeling a little sick.

"Apparently so. How many 'days' have you relived so far?"

"This is my third time."

"If my findings are correct, you have this power so long as you die every day within the 24 hours and don't get a blood transfusion."

"You're serious? I have to die every day?" she asked.

"Yes, before 9:13 pm tomorrow night you have to die. You'll lose it otherwise."

"Oh boy," she muttered.

"With this ability," he said eagerly. "You can find the Omega. You can kill it."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"All right. Tell me everything you know," she said. Dr. Carter smiled. Then he launched into it.