Disclaimer – I own nothing, and I don't live in America, nor have I been to New York, so, I'm sorry if I get some of this wrong.
Enjoy!
As the ship landed on a street in Manhattan, the sound of gunfire was heard from outside, though it was not at them. It was the Mechs and skitters attacking the Berserkers in the jeeps, who were doing their job of keeping the attention off the oncoming Volm spaceship and the boat that was currently heading into the bay that was carrying the weapon to destroy the Espheni tower that had been built over the city.
Once the spaceship was on the ground, the ramp opened, and everyone climbed out. Hal held his gun tightly, as did everyone else. Maggie and Ben stayed by his side. His Dad was in the front with Weaver and Tector while Matt hung back with Anthony There was no sign of anyone around.
When all the fighters were off the spacecraft, the ramp closed, and the ship took off again.
"Well, is she here?" Ben asked Hal. They knew there that the best way to get into the tower undetected was to have another group distracting the Mechs and skitters. The risk of doing that however, was Karen or any other Overlord would escape during that time.
He and Ben had been working on fine tuning his ability to connect to the skitters. Even Deni had helped out every now and then. Now, it was time to see if he could find Karen. Closing his eyes in concentration, he lowered his guard slightly, allowing himself to search for the human Overlord.
Hal could feel Ben beside him. He could also feel Deni, and several skitters fighting over three miles away to the south, but 15 blocks to the north, then 3 blocks west, he felt more skitters, and Karen. They were making their way towards something.
"Yeah. That way," Hal pointed his gun down the street they needed to take, "but they're moving. They're heading towards to bridge."
"Probably heading back to the tower where their spaceship is. We need to cut them off. Ben, Hal, you take that road, get behind them. We'll try to get them from the left." Tom ordered. Hal and Ben nodded and took off down the street.
"You sure it's a good idea putting them together? If something happens to them, we'll have no idea." Weaver questioned as the rest of the group continued down the street they were on.
"And if Karen tries to get to Hal, or Ben? They're stronger together." Tom assured him, though was having doubts about himself. Ignoring it, they started running down the street.
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"Wish we could've landed closer. They could already be crossing the bridge by the time we catch up to them." Ben said, staying by his older brother's side, gun firmly in his grip.
"Then they would've realized that Pope and his gang were just decoys and will target us. Maybe we'll get lucky and Cochise can blow the bridge before they get there." Hal suggested, looking over down the alleys and streets, making sure that no skitters or Mechs creeped up on them.
"But, then the beamers would start attacking them, and possibly destroy the boat that has the weapon on it, keeping the tower intact." Ben pointed out.
"Guess we'll just have to beat them to the bridge then." Hal stated. Once they got past the 15 blocks, they looked down the street, and saw three mega Mechs, at least ten skitters, and one human, walking away, their backs to the brothers. They were roughly 7 blocks ahead.
"Sneak up behind them, and wait until Dad and the others attack first?" Ben wondered.
"Yeah, let's do that." Hal agreed, knowing there was no way they could take them all out by themselves. And if the aliens knew they were being followed, they would just move faster, making it harder for the rest of the fighters to cut them off.
Keeping to the side of the road and their backs to the walls of the buildings, they followed their targets. The cars parked along the sidewalk giving them cover, and they kept walking at a brisk pace, catching up to them, yet staying behind until it was time.
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It didn't take long for Tom, Weaver, Matt, Maggie, Tector, and Anthony to find them. They went to pass the one alley when they saw Karen, the three Mechs, and small band of skitters making their way towards the bridge, not even 5 blocks from where they were.
"You think Ben and Hal are already behind them?" Maggie asked Tom.
"They should be. But if they aren't, doesn't matter. The other bridges are this way. They'll either have to get past us or have a ship come pick them up. Hal and Ben will join us soon enough if they aren't already in position." Tom explained, then looked over at Tector.
"Tector, let's get their attention." Tom ordered the sniper, who smiled.
"With pleasure." Tector lifted his rifle, and shot the leading skitter right through the skull, killing it instantly.
Before the mega Mechs had the chance to turn and start firing at them, Anthony through a grenade that had an additional pack of C4 taped on it, at the robots, taking two of them out. Then, the soldiers rushed in before the smoke had a chance to clear. Tom was not willing to let Karen slip away this time.
Firing has they went, the skitters started falling to the ground, and Tom and the group managed to get in front of Karen and her remaining skitters and Mech. Karen looked as though she was about to turn around, when Ben and Hal appeared from behind a truck, firing at her.
Karen took off to the other side, away from the 2nd Mass fighters and the bridge, leaving the mega Mech and remaining skitters to finish them off. Hal looked over to where the Overlord was making her escape, and started chasing her.
"Hal!" Maggie called out when she saw what he was doing. Ben looked over his shoulder down the street where Hal was chasing after Karen. After shooting the skitter in front of him, he took off after his brother.
As the group destroyed the Mech, and killed the last skitter, they were about to follow Hal and Ben, when a noise at the bridge caught their attention. Tom turned his head towards it, and saw an army of skitters coming towards them, as well as a few Mechs.
"Guess we lost the element of surprise." Weaver realized. Tom nodded, and turned his attention to the aliens, as did everyone else. He hoped that Hal and Ben would be able to take care of Karen by themselves.
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Hal finally cornered Karen when she ended up reaching a dead end in the street. She turned, looking like she was about to find another way out, when she saw that he had followed her. She smiled, as though she was actually happy to see him.
"Hello Hal. I'm glad you're okay. I was worried that you had been hurt in the attack the Volm launched." Karen said. Hal's only response was to raise his gun and point it at her head.
"Really Hal? You actually want to kill me?" Karen wondered, sounding doubtful.
"I want to know what you did to me, and why." Hal told her, fingering the trigger.
"You know what I did, or at least, what I started to do. Hal, there's still so much you don't know, so much you don't understand. Come back with me, and I'll show you." Karen offered.
"Never." Hal spat and fired. Karen seemed to be expecting it, and she ducked out of the way. Another shot rang out, but it wasn't Hal who fired. He looked behind him and saw Ben, his own gun raised.
"Well, well, well. This is a little unexpected, and unfair. Why don't we even out the playing field a little, shall we?" Karen suggested. She raised her hand, and Hal's gun flew from his hand and landed 20 feet away. Before either of the brothers could respond, Karen moved her hand towards Ben, and his own gun flew through the air and landed by Hal's.
Hal and Ben looked at each other, then looked back at Karen, all of them unsure as what to do. For a moment, none of them moved, then Ben charged at the woman. Karen again raised her hand and Ben suddenly went flying. His body slammed against a streetlight and he fell on his face.
While her focus was on the younger Mason, Hal got close enough to grab her, and he pushed her to the ground. Though momentarily stunned, Karen grabbed his arms and pulled him down with her. Rolling over so that she was on top of Hal, he lifted his leg and kneed her in the stomach, pushing her away from him.
As Hal started to get up, he felt Karen attack his mind, pushing herself inside. But she wasn't trying to take control of him. He didn't know what she was trying to do, until the memories started to overwhelm.
He was back on the table, the ropes digging into his wrists painfully. Blood running through his fingers.
Karen sticking another needle into his neck, the feeling of fire flooding through his veins. The faces above him changing from skitters to nurses to Anne, back to skitters. Karen and Anne's voices in his ears saying, "Trust me," over and over again.
Hal fighting against his restraints, trying to pull away from the needles and scalpel. A skitter putting his clawed hand on his chest and pushing him against the table hard, the claws cutting into his skin.
The memories continued playing, everything that happened during those five months of h*ll flashed before his eyes. He didn't know why Karen was forcing it, or how to stop it. Then suddenly, Ben's voice echoed in his mind, worried, and horrified.
Hal?
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Tom, Maggie, Weaver, Matt, Anthony and Tector kept firing at the oncoming aliens, but there seemed to be no end to them. Not to mention, Mechs were slowly making their way across the bridge as well.
"Anybody got any grenades to take that bridge out?" Tom yelled over the gunfire. In response, Anthony pulled out his last two bombs and threw them on to the bridge, both going off.
While the explosions took out several skitters and a few Mechs, besides a deep pit in the pavement, the bridge remained intact, and the aliens kept advancing. Continuing to shoot and kill the aliens, Tom soon became aware that they were all running out of ammo. Then, he spotted the ship coming into the bay.
Less than a minute later, a shot was fired and the tower that stood in Queens, was destroyed. The skitters and Mechs stopped for a moment, as though they weren't sure what to do. It was only for a few seconds though, then they continued advancing.
They didn't get that far, because the Volm spaceship that had taken them here flew overhead, and fired down at the bridge, causing it to collapse. The aliens that were still on the same side as 2nd Mass's soldiers, kept coming at them, but they were limited though. They might actually pull this off.
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When Ben looked up from the pavement, he saw Hal and Karen fighting on the ground, and watched as he kicked her off himself. It looked like Hal was about to get up, when Ben saw his eyes starting to glow blue again.
Turning his head to Karen, he saw her spin glowing too, and she was already standing up. Hal on the other hand, and turned over on to his side, hands clutching his head. Ben opened up his mind and connected with Hal, hoping that he could help force Karen out, but what he saw and felt was not what he was expecting as his spikes lit up.
Ben expected to feel Karen trying to force his brother to do something, to hear her voice trying to persuade him to go with her, trying to bribe him in some way, but that's not what was happening at all. Instead, images started flooding his head.
He was suddenly lying on a cold, metal, table. Ropes were wrapped around his wrists, holding him down. They were cutting into his skin, blood flowing through his fingers.
Karen stood over him, needle in hand and stuck it into his neck. A burning pain like fire flooded into his veins. Karen's and the skitters faces looking down at him changed from their own to nurses and to Anne's. Her voice and Karen's mixed together, repeating the words, "Trust me," constantly.
Then he was fighting against the ropes keeping him trapped on the tables, despite the pain it caused in his wrists. A harnessed boy was standing above him with a scalpel and Karen was on his other side with a needle. He had to get away.
As the images flashed through his mind, Ben realized what it was. These were Hal's memories. This is what he went through those five months he was gone, and Ben was horrified.
Hal? Ben tried reaching his big brother through his mind, trying to bring him back to reality. He could feel his brother acknowledge his presence, but Hal couldn't focus. He was too lost in the memories Karen was forcing him to relive. He was completely incapacitated.
So, Ben pushed himself back to his feet, despite the painful throb in his ribs from when he hit the street light, and charged at Karen. She turned when she heard him coming, but he was too close for her to do anything about it. He threw a punch but she dodged out of the way, and reached for his arm. He grabbed that same arms in response, using his free hand to try and land another punch but she managed to grab that one as well.
They ended up pushing against each other, trying to knock the other one down. Ben, with his added strength from his spikes, and Karen, with her added strength from her harness and alien DNA. They seemed to be evenly matched, but then Karen twisted his arm and shoved him away from her. Before he could respond to the attack, she lifted her hand, and again he went flying, this time into an abandoned car, his back smashing the windshield before he rolled off the hood and back onto the road.
Hal watched his little brother and ex-girlfriend fight from his spot on the pavement. The minute he felt Ben in his head, he was gone and not a few seconds later, Karen was gone too. He looked up and saw that his brother had taken advantage of the human Overlord's concentration on him and attacked her.
Once he saw Karen throw Ben against the car, that was it. All the anger and rage Hal felt towards the human alien came back in full force, and he pushed himself to his feet. He came up behind Karen and wrapped his arm around her neck, pulling her against him tightly. He could hear her gasping for air as he choked her. Karen wouldn't let him kill her though. He felt her hand wrap around his wrist and she actually flipped him over her head.
Unfortunately, she still had a grip on his right wrist, and it snapped as he landed flat on his back on the paved road. Hal screamed as he both heard and felt the bone break. Karen released her grip and he brought his arm close to his chest, cradling it with his other hand.
"Oh Hal. Why do you have to make everything so difficult?" Karen asked, walking towards him.
"Get. Away. From him." Ben growled, as he moved to his hands and knees, blood running down his back and arms from where the glass had cut him. Karen turned and looked at him, half annoyed, half impressed that he was still getting back up, and she started walking towards the former harnessed boy.
"I have to say Ben, you've changed a lot since last time I saw you. You're not the innocent, gullible boy that used to be such a threat. But you know you're no match for me. You're not strong enough to fight me, you're too we-" Two gunshots rang out, cutting Karen off. A small gasp escaped her lips, and she slowly turned her head.
Hal sat against an SUV, his semi-automatic in his hand, pointed at her. When she flipped him onto his back, she didn't realize that he was only a few feet away from where she had used her telekinesis to drop the brothers' guns. While she had her back turned to him, he had crawled over and grabbed his rifle, and shot her twice in the back.
Karen fell to her knees, as Hal stood up, holding his gun up in case she tried anything. Hal moved closer to human Overlord while she fell onto her back. Once he was standing beside her, he crouched down, and opened his mind, connecting to hers, letting her see what he was thinking of.
He showed her how he remembered waking up on the ground after the Mech stunned them, seeing her lying down only two feet away. Watching as a bunch of harnessed kids grabbed her and started dragging her away from him. Standing up to try and stop them, calling out for Ben to let her go. Falling to the ground because he was so weak and sore.
Closing the connection as the memory ended, Hal whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't save you."
Opening his eyes, Hal saw Karen staring at him, her face full of pain and, remorse? Hal couldn't really tell. But he stood back up, and started making his way to his little brother, wanting to make sure he was okay.
"Hal?" Hal stopped when he heard Karen call out his name, and looked back at the girl who used to mean so much to him. Her assault in his mind was so strong and hit so fast, that he didn't see it coming. Random and confusing pictures ran through his mind, and everything turned black. He didn't feel himself fall to the ground, or hear Ben yell his name.
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Ben watched as Karen fell to the ground. He looked over at his brother, and saw that he gotten to the guns, and was the one who shot Karen. Hal was now walking over to her, and got down beside her. He could see Hal's eyes glow blue, and was wondering what he was doing, but then the glow was gone and he saw Hal's lips move. Using his hearing, he heard Hal whisper, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't save you."
Considering everything that happened over the last two years, Ben had forgotten that Hal actually did care about Karen at one point. He forgot how much his older brother wanted to save her. After she led the attack on the hospital to get her Overlord master back, before the 2nd Mass even got to Charleston, Ben, and everyone else lost any hope of saving the real Karen.
Now here he was, watching his brother finally put an end to the nightmare that they had all been trapped in for two years, yet all his brother could say was that he was sorry, and a sudden feeling of sympathy crashed on Ben's chest. That feeling left though when he watched Hal collapse to the ground after taking a few steps away from Karen.
"Hal!" Ben yelled, crawling to his brother on his hands and knees. Hal laid on the pavement, his entire body shaking. Blood was starting to run down his nose and his ears. When Ben reached his brother, he turned him so that Hal's back was halfway on his lap, and slipped his arm under the young man's shoulders, but he never stopped shaking.
It was at that point he realized Hal's gun was still in his hand. Pulling it out of his big brother's grip, he pointed it at Karen, ready to shoot her again for whatever she was doing to Hal, but stopped when he saw her lifeless, unblinking eyes, staring at nothing. She was dead.
Looking down at Hal, Ben saw that he had finally stopped shaking, but didn't wake up. Ben gently shook his shoulder. When that didn't work, he lifted his hand that wasn't under Hal's shoulders, and lightly tapped his cheek. Slowly, Hal opened his eyes.
"Hey." Hal whispered, and Ben almost laughed with relief, then Hal asked, "You okay?"
"I'm fine, you okay? It was like you were having a seizure or something." Ben wondered.
"Head hurts, so does my wrist, but I'm okay." Hal said, then moved to sit up only to fall back down.
"Don't move, just stay still. Dad and the others will find us soon, and we'll get you back to Charleston." Ben told him.
"I'm fine Ben, but Anne really should examine you." Hal responded.
"I told you I'm okay. It's just a few cuts in bruises that will heal soon. My spikes heal me faster, remember? Besides, I'm not the one who just had a seizure." Ben pointed out, but Hal didn't hear him.
While his younger brother was talking, Hal started hearing a ringing in his ears, and the darkness claimed him again.
AN – Again, I have not been to New York City, so I apologize if I got the details wrong.
In the season 2 finale, when Karen and the Overlord captured Tom, Hal and everyone else, it looked to me like she was using telekinesis to hold them, so that's where that idea came from. Plus, often when there are stories of someone have telepathy, they are also telekinetic, so it made sense to me. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I shall update soon.