Reset 11

Rita was getting tired. She couldn't keep doing this by herself. Yes, she had gotten very good at keeping her team alive most of the time, but she needed someone else to help her find the Omega. After debating all night, she had decided finally that Lee would be the better person to tell this to. He would most likely be able to keep his head on from the shock.

"It's go time!" James hollered. She walked past him in search of Lee, who was getting her a coffee. She briefly thought about how sweet that was of him, that he took the time to bring her something she enjoyed.

"Hey," he said. "Coffee?"

"Thanks," she replied, taking it. "Can we talk?"

"Sure."

She led him outside to talk in private where no one else could see or hear them. She felt nervous suddenly. What if he thought she was completely crazy?

"You all right?" he asked, seeing her face.

"There's something I need to tell you," she started. "And I know it's going to sound very strange and unreal, but it's true. I need you to believe me."

"Okay," he laughed. "What is it?"

"I...I'm reliving the same day over again."

"It feels that way sometimes, eh?"

"No, Lee, I'm really reliving the same day over again."

He frowned, trying to comprehend this.

"How so?" he asked.

"Well, the thing is, we were in Verdun fighting, and I died, but it wasn't a regular Mimic that I blew up with me. It was an Alpha. Alphas are rarely in battles because when they die, the Omega uses it to reset the day and change what went wrong. You following so far?"

"Um, I think so?" Lee said, scratching his head. "The Omega is?"

"The mastermind. Alphas and Mimics are its soldiers."

"Got it. The Omega can reset a day?"

"Yes."

"Okay, so what does this have to do with you?"

"When the Alpha died on me, I got its blood in my system. I can now reset the day just like the Omega. I have taken the power from it."

Lee stared at her, and Rita knew she'd blown it. He'd call her crazy and report her. She'd get locked up in a nut house. She'd lose the power.

"So you're telling me that you can relive the same day over and over again because of some Alpha's blood?" he repeated.

"Yes."

"How many days have you relived?" he asked.

"This is my eleventh."

"Wow," he said, rubbing his jaw slowly. Rita released the tension in her body. He was believing her.

"I know it's incredibly bizarre and unrealistic..." she started.

"No, it's not," Lee cut her off. "Not if it's how these aliens work."

"I met with Dr. Carter, the expert on Mimics and the Omega, and he's explained what's happened to me. The only thing is..." she trailed off.

"What?" he prompted.

"I have to die every day so as not to lose the power."

"You what?!"

"You heard me."

"That's insane, Rita."

"It's not so bad," she said defensively. "I've died ten times now."

"Why are you telling me?" Lee asked. Then he thought hard. "Is this the first time you've told anyone besides Dr. Carter?"

"Yes. I'm telling you because I'm hoping you won't freak out," she winced.

"I'm not freaking out. This is something that could really help us win this," Lee mused.

"I know, but here's my problem, I can't go looking for the Omega in battle by myself. It doesn't work. I need a partner."

"I'll go wherever you want me to go," Lee said immediately.

"Can you keep this between us?"

"Of course."

"Okay. I guess we should get ready then," Rita said, gesturing. She walked past Lee, who was looking at her curiously. He wondered if this really was the first time she'd told him.

...

When they hit the ground, Rita took off in the direction that had the least chances of one of them getting killed. Lee noticed her precision and how she knew where every Mimic seemed to pop up from. She hadn't been lying. This wasn't her first rodeo. James and Brady went to help the other soldiers while Mark stayed back with the medics to protect them. Lee went after her.

"Where are we going?" Lee asked.

"I'm not sure," Rita admitted. "I never know where to start looking."

"If I was a big ugly alien, I'd hide underground," Lee said.

"You're probably right," Rita agreed. They looked around desolately. There was so many places it could hide.

"You promise to tell me every time you reset?" Lee asked, getting her attention.

"I will," she nodded. It was nice to have someone to talk to about it. Without saying anything else, they forged on ahead.

Reset 30

"I...can't...take it...anymore!" Rita shouted, throwing her weapon against the wall, the same one Lee was leaning against. They'd taken refuge from the battle for a moment. They had just seen Brady die. Lee couldn't imagine witnessing that repeatedly. Then he got to thinking.

"How many times have I died?" Lee asked her softly. She stiffened then, not wanting to answer. "Rita?"

"Every time," she answered. He nodded thoughtfully. Even though he suspected it, he was still shaken by it.

"How are you holding up?"

"It's the fact that you'll all come back that keeps me going," Rita said. "But no matter what I do, you and Brady die in this battle every time. Sometimes Mark does; sometimes James does, but I can usually keep them safe. I can't keep you all alive, though, and it's frustrating me!"

"That's war, Rita," Lee told her. "People are bound to die."

"But I have this...power!" Rita spat. "I can change it! Why won't it change?!" She collapsed to her knees, bending forward and burying her face into her hands. Lee bent down beside her and put his hand on her shoulder. She felt the warmth through her shirt.

"You can't save everyone, Rita," he said quietly.

"You'd be just as frustrated if you were me," she said angrily.

"I probably would be," he nodded.

"I'm finished with this day," Rita said miserably. "I want to wake up again fresh."

"We can still go on," Lee urged. "Until we die that is. Why waste time? You know Brady will be back tomorrow. We are all expendable in this, Rita. If we die, then it's the way it was meant to be."

"I will not let you die," Rita said strongly. "I promise you."

Reset 47

Rita awoke with an idea. It was a little mean, but she did not want to watch any of her teammates die that day. After breakfast, they started complaining about cramping and pain. Then they were sick. Aldridge refused to send them into battle like that. Rita was the only one unaffected, so she'd carry on. She didn't make it very far in battle on her own. It was heartbreaking to admit, but she needed her team if she was going to find the Omega.

Reset 61

"How many times have you told me?" Lee asked. Rita calculated quickly in her head.

"49 times," she answered.

"Holy shit," he muttered, rubbing his head. Rita left out the time she had made them all sick so they couldn't fight. He didn't need to know.

"I can't do this alone. I need you."

"I want to meet Dr. Carter," Lee said. This was surprising. He'd never asked before.

"Okay," she agreed. "But it'll have to be quick."

They walked quickly to where Dr. Carter was staying. He looked up as Rita came in. She had to tell him all over again in front of Lee about what was happening. Dr. Carter put his hand behind his back, and Rita knew he was holding up two fingers, so she told him so.

"You've been here before," he noted.

"I have. This is the first time I've brought Lee with me."

"What is it you need from me this time?" Dr. Carter asked.

"I need to know if there's a better way of locating the Omega," Rita said. Dr. Carter thought about it but shook his head.

"It was confiscated. You'll just have to keep looking on your own."

"Great," Rita muttered.

"We'll find it, Rita," Lee reassured her. He knew she could do it.

...

As usual, everyone was dead except for her and Lee. They were standing and looking out at the water, the Mimics having disappeared again. Rita knew it wouldn't be long before they came back.

"How do you do this?" Lee asked. "Every day?"

"I don't know," she answered. You ask me that every time, she wanted to say, but she didn't.

"Has anyone ever told you how hot you are?" Lee asked suddenly. Rita was taken aback. Why the hell was he asking this now?! In the middle of a freaking war zone?!

"Excuse me?" she asked, outraged. "Lee, we are not in the right time or place..."

"Why not?" he interrupted. "We're both going to die, probably very soon. You get to remember all of this; I don't, so dammit, I'm going to tell you that you're hot. Actually, you're beautiful."

"Lee, that is not true," Rita argued. She really wasn't.

"I say it is," Lee argued back. "Why isn't that enough?"

"This is ridiculous," Rita said, moving away from him. "We need to focus, Lee, on the war! Not about how hot or beautiful I am."

"Aha! So you admit it," Lee jumped in.

"No!"

"It sure sounded like it."

"Leland," she warned. He froze, and she remembered then that he had no idea that he'd told her his full name.

"What did you just call me?" he asked.

"Nothing," she cleared her throat. He studied her.

"I told you," he clarified. She bowed her head, acknowledging it.

"Yes."

"I only ever tell someone I really care about my full first name," he told her.

"I know."

"In that case," he said, moving closer. "You have to believe me when I say you're hot."

"Lee...!"

He kissed her then, taking her completely by surprise. It was softer than she'd imagined, but full of passion. She had no idea why they were doing this when they should be focusing on winning the war. A noise made them break apart, and they aimed their guns behind them. A squirrel scurried by, making them both relax and laugh a little.

"Well," Rita said, feeling a bit awkward.

"Sorry," Lee responded. "I got a bit carried away."

"It's okay. I didn't mind," she smiled. It had been so long since she'd been kissed. She tried not to think about her first serious relationship. It had ended too badly and left her so hurt.

"Time for war," he said, knowing she didn't want to linger or talk about it more than she had to. He wasn't really sure what had possessed him to do it since he'd forget all about it once she reset the day.

"Right," she nodded. They carried on, only to be met by Mimics shortly after.

Reset 89

Rita struggled to remember what normal life even was anymore. She lived, died, and repeated over and over and over again. Nothing seemed to be getting accomplished. Since her kiss with Lee all those resets ago, she didn't let herself get into close contact with him. He never tried again anyway. Sometimes, it all made her head hurt. When she hit the floor this time, she couldn't bring herself to even push her body up off the ground.

"Rita?" Lee's voice said by her ear. He sounded far away still. "You okay?"

"Go away," she answered.

"It's time to go," he said. "Sleep helps you fight better."

"I'm not going tomorrow."

"You have to," he chuckled.

"No. I'm not going. I'm sick."

"Seriously?" he asked, kneeling beside her. Rita turned her face and looked at him and felt sad. He had no idea.

"I just can't do it," she said, her throat tightening. In the last reset, Lee had died in her arms. It had been unbearable.

"You sound as though you've done it before," Lee laughed.

"I have, Lee. 89 times," she said. He stared at her.

"What?"

Rita sighed. Every time she told him, it always took a few minutes before he understood. This time was no different.

"So, you get to reset the day? Every day? As long as you die before 9:13 pm tomorrow?" he confirmed.

"Yes."

"That's..."

"Insane, I know. You say it every time," Rita sighed. Lee felt disgruntled. It was all so strange, but she looked so tired that maybe it was true.

"What else do I say?" he asked.

"Sometimes you ask to meet Dr. Carter. We've done that about ten times. Sometimes you just nod and tell me to lead the way."

"I believe you every time?"

"Yes."

"You tell me every time?" he pressed.

"Most times," she answered, not looking at him.

"Have you ever just taken a break?" he asked.

"What?" she countered, finally looking at him. His face showed concern.

"A break. From the fight. To reboot," he said.

"Are you crazy?" she asked. This was new. Did she look that bad? She felt pretty bad.

"No, I'm not. You said it yourself that you get to reset the day, so take a day off," Lee ordered. "Everyone needs a day off, Rita."

"You're the one who's insane right now," Rita said, scoffing. "I can't just take a day off, Lee."

"Sure you can," Lee said. "Come on."

"Where?"

"Away from here. Come on," he urged. She let him take her hand and pull her out of her room and away from the barracks. He led her to an area where something was under a tarp.

"What's that?" she asked. He ripped it off to reveal a speed bike.

"Our ride," he answered, grabbing his helmet and tossing it to her.

"Where's yours?" she asked.

"Don't need it."

"We can't do this," she insisted.

"Rita, you need this," he said, looking at her. "Trust me."

"I'll feel so guilty..." she said, looking back towards where the others were getting ready for sleep before tomorrow came.

"You can make up for it in your next reset," he insisted. Rita was torn, but she eventually caved. Lee was right. She was tired of fighting every single day. She did need a small break. He started up his bike, and she got on. It felt strangely good to hold onto him as they sped away.

...

Lee drove to an abandoned cottage on the lake for them to hang out in. Rita still felt bad, but she was starting to enjoy just living like a normal person before all this Mimic/Alpha/Omega shit started. Lee unlocked the door with the key he'd found, and they went inside. It smelled a little musty, but Rita didn't care. Lee showed her to a room, and she fell face first onto the bed and fell asleep. She slept in late the next day. When she finally got up, it was well past noon. She exited the room and looked around, spying Lee on the deck outside. She wasn't long before she joined him. The view was breathtaking.

"Sleep well?" he asked.

"I haven't slept that much in a long time," she answered. "It felt good."

"Good," he smiled.

"How did you know about this place?" she asked, sitting down on the chair beside him.

"We used to come here," Lee answered.

"Your gang?"

"Yea."

"It's nice."

"It's my favorite place in the entire world," he told her. Rita could believe it. After a while, he got up and came back with a beer.

"Where did you get that?" she asked, taking it.

"Fridge downstairs. We left some extras just in case," he winked. They drank in silence for a while. Rita had forgotten how it felt to be "normal." They sat out there all afternoon, and Rita wished it would never end, but she knew it would. After a while, she decided to ask Lee some questions.

"Have you ever been married?" she asked out of the blue. It was completely random, but she was curious.

"No," he answered. "I was engaged once to Lacy, but she left me. Turned out she couldn't handle my job after all."

"I'm sorry."

"Eh, her loss," he shrugged, taking another swig. "You?"

Rita couldn't believe she was going to tell him this, but she felt like she'd known him forever. Despite never wanting to be vulnerable with someone again, it was time.

"I was married once."

"Still married?" Lee asked. His voice had a little bit of caution in it.

"No. He horribly abused me, so my Dad ran him out of town. Last I heard, he'd died from a bar fight," Rita answered. "So technically, I'm a widow."

"Oh, Rita."

"Don't," she said fiercely, pointing her finger at him. "I don't want or need sympathy. It happened, I got out, I moved on...end of story."

"All right," he responded. She got up then, mad at herself for telling him. What had she been thinking? She stood inside, leaning on the countertop in the kitchen. After a few minutes, she felt his presence. He slid his arms around her from behind, and she let him. She closed her eyes when he kissed the side of her head.

"I would have beat him up for you," he whispered into her ear. Rita couldn't help it. She snorted in laughter. He joined her, and for a moment, Rita forgot about it all. All the battles, all the deaths, all the resets...everything. She was just in the moment here and now.

"Oh, Hendricks," she said, facing him finally. He gave her his famous crooked smile, and she kissed him. If he was surprised, he didn't show it. She gripped his shirt while he slid his hand up her back, the other on her face. Once it got too heated, though, she stopped.

"You all right?" he asked, breathing heavily.

"I can't do this right now," she answered. She wanted to, but she didn't want him to forget about it.

"Because I won't remember," he said on cue. He always knew what she was thinking. Sometimes it was infuriating.

"Right."

"What if I said I didn't care?"

"You would, though, if I told you after."

"I'm an adult. I can take it."

"We should get back," she said, moving away from him. If he kept it up, she'd cave, and she really didn't want to hurt him like that.

"And get arrested for abandonment? I think not," Lee answered. Rita felt a little bit of panic, but then she remembered that no one would remember this tomorrow. She pulled out her gun.

"What are you doing?" he asked, looking at it.

"Resetting the day," she answered. "Why? Do you want to do it?"

"No," he shuddered. Then he got thinking. She would die, but he'd have to look at her lying there dead, and he didn't want to. He went over to her and took the gun from her hands, throwing it onto the floor.

"What are you doing?" she asked. His closeness was intoxicating. He didn't kiss her again, but he touched her cheeks with his fingertips lightly, looking into her eyes. He wanted to remember this moment, but he knew he never would. It hurt more than he wanted to admit.

"I have a better way," he said, taking her hand and walking down to the water. Rita knew immediately what he was thinking. She went along with it. Once they were in the water, she floated on her back.

"Whenever you're ready," he said. She decided to swim for a bit, soaking up as much of the last of this day off as she could. She tried not to think about her team dying while she was here relaxing. The sun started going down, and she knew it was time. She looked over at Lee, who was looking at her.

"Thank you," she said seriously. "For the day off. It was really nice."

"I'm glad," he smiled. Then she submerged herself and breathed in deep. She hated to leave this day. Out of all the resets, this one was her favorite.

I hope you enjoyed the bit of romance. I know it might not be like Rita, but this is before the events of the film, so I imagine her as less hard and cold and a little more vulnerable.