Author's Note - So here we are ploughing ahead with the next chapter. My hassled Proof reader had a reading purge over the last weekend so I have plenty of chapters to keep you going between now and the Gears 4 release. Anyone else as excited as I am?

Chapter Thirteen - Revenge

The Leader supported another one of his men, who had escaped the carnage from the mansion, to the camp he and Thaw had set up. Few of the Nightmares that had managed to make it out alive were now being patched up by Thaw. The Leader sat the injured mercenary beside the fire and offered him a drink.

Thaw finished bandaging the head of one of the men as the Leader approached him to watch his work.

"Those Formers are going to rip that place apart," he muttered thoughtfully.

"If they haven't already," Thaw commented as he pinned the bandage in place, "we were getting too complacent anyway."

"It would be useful having something that destructive at our hands,"

"If it was ever possible to control those monsters I'm sure the Professor would have found a way,"

"Yeah but he was only ever interested in curing Lambency, not controlling,"

Chrysto, who had been listening nearby, spoke up, "You know they were following that thing that followed Lem around."

"Angelo?" the Leader turned, interested in this new revelation.

"Yeah, they looked to him every time he was around,"

"Hmm," he thoughtfully walked through his surviving men, working out their injuries and their remaining capabilities, "Thaw. You up for getting back in there?"

"Why?" Thaw frowned.

"I'm going to see if Freja is still there, hunt around and hope she's escaped. Plus if we're going to harness those Formers for our purposes we need something that can control them, Angelo is the key. I'm gonna go back in there and hunt out Angelo. He knew me once, which I'm hoping will help me lure him out to us. Once we have him in under our control, we can use him to force the Formers to obey us,"

"You really think that's going to work?" Thaw couldn't help giving him a look of bemusement.

"We can at least try," one thing he liked about Thaw was that he was always honest about whether his plans were likely to succeed. Thaw was never scared to speak out against him if he thought a plan was doomed to fail, "all we need is to drive them at that Stranded village. Surely we could herd them. Once we get them there instinct should take over and they'd wipe that place out in minutes. Unarmed Stranded would be easy pickings and we can walk in and take over the place after we finish the Formers off and claim it as our own."

"The theory is sound, but it's the Formers I'm worried about, what if they stop obeying Angelo?"

"They're Imulsion born right, surely they are Imulsion motivated. We've all been mutated by it somehow, if we show them our own mutilations they may start to see our side,"

Thaw rubbed a subconscious hand over the back of his head, his beanie hat covered his hair and with it his own disfiguring wounds. He knew all Nightmares had their own unique form of defect but he wondered whether monsters such as the Formers would understand that they were effectively the same, humanity aside.

"It might be best for a small group to go in with you, to limit any further potential losses."

"Agreed. Anyone willing to come with me, otherwise I will be going in there alone,"

His men stared back at him uncertain which decision was the right one. He could see the fear in their faces, he knew they would have followed him anywhere but their most recent encounter may have been a step too far for them.

He prepared himself to go alone, pulling down his mask to psyche himself up, when Thaw's familiar hand placed on his shoulder.

"We're in this together,"

Angelo started to drop back as the squad of Gears made their way through the building. Wilks took point as he scanned the corridors for any sign of life, there was a determined look of aggression on his face which was made Angelo grow wary. The Gears followed their way into the darkness, the Imulsion lamp light flickering and dancing as they jogged past. Wilks drew to a sudden halt as the tunnels widened into a huge darkened cavern filled with cells similar to the ones they had been trapped. He silently held his hand up pointing for Cam and Miles to spread out along the walls, he indicated for Archer to follow him. As he took a step forward a shadowy outline started charging towards him, arms flailing out for him.

His instincts clicked in before he even allowed himself to see the creature charging towards him, lifting his Gnasher up he fired two rounds. It burst into a charred dust as Imulsion particles filled the air.

"What the hell was that?!" Archer exclaimed loudly, causing Wilks to glance round at him to silence him. Archer gave him a look in response, "uhh bang, bang?"

To their left three more creatures sprinted towards them, but neither saw until they were picked up by the indicator lights on Wilks' armour. He whirled round quickly and blasted them, catching two with his Gnasher, the other swung out and caught hold of Archer. He struggled against it until he was able to unsheathe his own Boltok and fire point blank at it.

In the resulting silence Wilks calculated out their next movements. He could hear Cam and Miles to their right every so often firing their weapons, despite being at a disadvantage with Miles' broken arm. He indicated for Archer to take cover as he retreated momentarily back up the stairs to grab hold of a lamp. He returned to the cavern and strode midway into the room and smashed the lamp onto the floor. The Imulsion inside ignited lighting up a circular target for the creatures to aim as Wilks targeted in the centre.

"C'mon then," he growled readying his Gnasher, "why don't you show me what you can actually do."

From the darkness the shuffling came, followed by a low moaning, then the Formers charged frantically at him. The insatiable need to quench their hunger driving them to the extremes. The light meant that the Gears could fully see the horrific disfigurement twisting the creatures rapidly closing down on Wilks.

He stood unflinchingly still as he waited till they were almost on top of him then let himself loose. He twisted left and blasted the first wave, ducking down to avoid a swipe from the mass to his right and firing upwards into their twisted clawing faces. Ash filled the air as the vanquished Formers crumbled into the ether. He dropped to one knee to reload his Gnasher, relying on his squad covering his back as he left himself exposed.

"You're crazy," Archer exclaimed as he stepped forward, double wielding his Pistols.

Cam took to Wilks' side with his Sawn-off Shotgun, pushing the Formers back as a swarm were hit by his blast. Miles' Snub wasn't as powerful in comparison, but it was effective enough against them. Wilks read his men quickly understanding their need to reload and took to his feet to draw their attackers away them.

"The Scorcher!" Miles shouted out to him, "they're Lambent remember, they'll light up just like the Polyps."

"Archer, help Miles with his Scorcher, take 'em down," Wilks ordered as he drew out his Lancer and revved the chainsaw lunging out at the next attacking horde, slicing through their torsos.

He leapt backwards to watch as they wobbled slightly and unsteadily on their feet but still made their way to him. He ground his teeth as he charged back at them, jamming the chainsaw hard into their burning bodies till he could finally see them drop. They pushed against him, the swarm becoming heavier around him as he started to struggle, their weight forcing him to the ground. Their gnashing and swiping getting dangerously close, one clamped it's teeth around his wrist and started chomping down on his forearm armour. Wilks let out a cry as it pressed heavily against his wrist straps, feeling the pressure on his arm. He tried to flick his arm away to shift it's hold but it only seemed to tighten itself around him, lips shifting around his arm as it's jaw unhinged for a better hold. He winced at the sudden pain as its teeth started to break the skin. He exhaled through his clenched teeth as he struggled to pull his Lancer up with his free hand. Flicking the switch on the chainsaw he rammed it into the face of the Former, pulling his arm free as the creature screamed at the blade slicing through the Imulsion filled brain.

He felt a hand grab him from behind and heave him backwards from the foray. Adrenalin surged through him as he twisted, ready to turn his weapon on his next attacker, revealing Cam stepping protectively over him with his Sawn-off. He took down the attacking Formers easily, blasting groups of them apart before they were aware of the range of his weapon.

"Gerrup!" Cam barked as Archer surged towards them with a Scorcher, setting the next few alight. He offered a hand to help him to his feet, quickly glancing down at his Sergeant's bleeding arm in scrutiny, "can yer use it?"

"Of course I can," Wilks responded dryly, glancing quickly around them in case any more attacked, "have we got them all?"

"They started dropping back once the Scorcher came out," Miles answered, regrouping with them.

Cam pulled out a roll of bandage from his pouch and took hold of Wilks' arm, Wilks struggled against him momentarily until Cam fixed him with a stern stare. He unstrapped Wilks' wrist straps to examine the full extent of his injuries, twisting his wrist around and testing the movement in his hand. Wilks grumbled as he watched him inspect it.

"Yer okay?" there was a concern in Cam's voice that he only ever kept for Wilks, forcing him to slightly alter his own behaviour to respond.

"Yeah," he sighed, "thought it was the Wretch all over again."

"Me too kid," Cam wrapped a bandage over the slight injury as a precaution.

"I'll be going down fighting next time mind,"

"I'd rather there wasn't a next time,"

Wilks frowned slightly as he took in Cam, he kept forgetting the effect his actions had on the people who loved him. He may not have had much to live for anymore, but maybe his family had him.

"Anyone seen Angelo?" he asked, looking around them.

"He fled the moment you started playing 'Splat a Former' with his buddies," Miles told him as he assisted in adjusting the Scorcher for Archer.

"Didn't have much choice when the Formers charged right at us,"

"So our plans are? Aside of course blasting any Formers apart."

"I think we need to find this Professor, see what he's doing exactly and if we can put a stop to it. Not totally enjoying being around someone who creates Formers as a hobby,"

Once Archer had finished refuelling the Scorcher he had started searching through the cells for signs of his people. Stepping over the crevices and cracks around him ignoring the Imulsion fumes as he continued his hunt. Eventually he entered one and let out a sigh.

"I've found them," he called back to the Gears, "the women, I've found them."

Cam and Miles approached quickly, a need to affirm their fears forcing them forward, whilst Wilks hesitated behind them. There were blood splatters across the ground mixed with Imulsion. Wilks stood outside the cell watching as his men examined the bodies.

"This ain't right," Cam announced eventually, "These women are all infected yes, but they've been stabbed not shot."

"So what are you saying?" Wilks asked, slowly approaching.

"That our mercenary friend has not been completely honest with us,"

"Cam, friend is not a term I would ever use to describe that bastard,"

"Aidie isn't here Ol," Miles confirmed as he shifted the last body to one side, "Neither is Sofie."

"My sister isn't either," Archer added, "this is good right?"

"It means nothing. We all saw your niece's head, all it means is that they've either burnt or severed them for show. He had Aidie's COG tags, she would never willingly give them up. Look at them, they're all horrifically infected, there's no way anyone could have survived that unarmed."

"Keep yer head together kid," Cam warned, already seeing how the change in Wilks' disposition affected the others, "We're gonna find that Professor and we're gonna blast a few holes in his chest. But we need answers first."

The tunnels split in two directions one into the darkness the other one twisted through cracks churning out thick Imulsion fumes. The squad separated into two, Archer and Miles ventured into the darkness whilst Cam and Wilks pushed through the fumes. As they trekked further they stopped to take out their respirators from their pouches as the breathable air had become stifling. Cam and Wilks never usually paired up, but Cam had seen in a shift in Wilks' behaviour which had started to concern him the more he witnessed it. The last thing he wanted was a reckless Wilks with no one to control him.

They chainsawed through a padlock leading them upwards into a vast laboratory where two men had their backs to them busy working with chemicals. The severed body of a young woman draped over the centre table between them and the Gears. Wilks leant against the wall as he pocketed his respirator, clearing his throat at the same time. Lem and the Professor whirled round in sudden shock.

"Where the hell did you come from?" the Professor demanded angrily.

"Oh we were just taking a tour through your dungeons of horror," Wilks casually lifted his Lancer up and revved the chainsaw as if to reflect how their journey had resulted, "also not too sure whether you're aware of this but someone let your toys out to play with 'em."

"What?!" the Professor stormed forwards and for the first time noticed the door to Luicie's cage wide open. Lem followed close by, slowly realising the culprit behind the actions.

"Angelo," he sighed, unable to understand why he would betray him in such a way.

"Where is she?" the Professor shouted rushing towards Wilks, "where's my daughter?"

Cam stopped him midway with a pistol pressed against his chest.

"Well if she's anything like those delightful Formers that came to pay us a visit, I would assume she's nothing but dust," Wilks made his way to the Professor, "but then I'm also assuming a few of them escaped with your buddy Angelo."

"Did he free you too?" Lem asked assessing the two Gears carefully.

Wilks gave him a look that confirmed his suspicions.

"He must have my Luicie, we need to get them back," the Professor pleaded, concern now crossing his face.

"They've gone, along with the Formers,"

"We need them back,"

"I don't think you're in a position to argue here," Wilks stepped in front of the scientist, blocking his route into the dungeons.

"Look you don't understand," he tried to explain, rushing back to the set of chemicals on the bench at the back of the room, "I have a cure. I can cure them. I just need to treat them before the Lambency reaches their brains. The longer they are away from us the quicker they turn into one of them, we were the only thing tethering them to their human minds."

"You're kidding me right?" Wilks asked approaching the mixture of chemicals the Professor was playing with, "You can actually cure what's happening?"

"Only on humans with their minds still intact, once the Lambency reaches their brain and memory centre we can't go back."

"So what does the cure do?"

"Hopefully it eradicates the Lambent parasite from their system, they'll still look and behave the same way but there will be no risk of it developing further,"

"What do you mean hopefully?" Wilks frowned.

"We haven't really tested it extensively, we tried the cure on our most recent subject and she actually started improving," he indicted to the body sliced apart on the table between them.

"Must have made such an improvement you had no other choice but to chop her in half,"

"Well how else are we to see how the cure works on the Lambent?" he asked, honestly defending his own actions to them.

Wilks glanced across at Lem, "What the hell are you doing with this man?"

"I do what I do for Angelo," Lem defiantly met his gaze, he totally believed in the man who saw nothing wrong with slicing a human in half for science.

"We need Luicie and Angelo back," the Professor added, allowing the Gear to advance closer to their work, "now we know the cure works."

"Please help us," Lem pleaded, causing Wilks to turn to the young lad.

As Wilks' attention was momentarily diverted the Professor picked a vial up from the bench. He clicked it into a syringe and jabbed the needle into the Gear's neck, depressing the plunger to inject a fluid into him. Wilks' lashed out, thrusting the Professor across the floor.

"What the fuck!" he bellowed, heaving the needle out of his neck, "what the hell did you just..."

A searing pain suddenly surged through him, dropping him to the floor in agony. He clutched his fists around his head as he felt an aggressive entity burst into his system. Letting out a cry as his body started to convulse in response. Cam surged forward in concern, grabbing hold of Lem and heaving him along.

"Ollyvar!" he called out, rushing to be at his side.

Wilks held a hand out to stop him approaching further as he unfurled himself to bend over and vomit. Eventually he unsteadily set his gaze at the Professor. He staggered over to him grabbing him by the throat, needing to use both arms and put his whole weight into heaving him against the wall.

"What did you just inject me with?" he spat to one side to dispel the taste of bile from his throat.

"The Lambent parasite," the Professor choked back, refusing to struggle.

"You infected me?" he roared angrily, "You fucked up bastard!"

"How else are we going to get you to help us," Lem responded quietly hung from the scruff of his jumper as Cam angrily clung to him.

"You were in on it?!" Wilks dropped the Professor to the floor, a look of defeated betrayal overcame him.

"Look we just need to find the Serum before the Lambency starts affecting your brain. Your link to Aidan will keep you grounded enough to slow the process, like it's done with Angelo and Luicie. It'll be safe, we'll find Aidan and keep her close to slow the transformation."

"So you'd turn me Lambent just to incentivize me!"

"Can't yer just inject him with the cure now?" Cam asked, the wrath in his voice was making his accent more prominent than usual.

"It's not as simple as that," Lem responded

"The Imulsion has to be in his system deep enough to want to control the individual before the cure could even work," the Professor answered as he propped himself up against the steps.

"So what, he's gonna turn into one of those Formers if we don't treat him with the cure in time," Cam looked worriedly across at Wilks who was leaning against the wall heaving in a breath.

"Look it'll be fine," Lem stuttered an excuse, "we'll find Aidan and that'll help slow the process significantly."

"Well that's not going to work Lem," Wilks grumbled sadly, "she's dead."

"What?"

"You heard me," he stalked towards the severed body on the table and stared at it broodingly.

"I didn't realise..." A lot of Lem's brain had turned off to the possibility that he had put Aidan in physical danger the moment he had locked her in with the infected humans. But he refused to accept the guilt just yet.

"If there is no other way to keep him rooted to who he is, how long does he have until it takes him completely?" Cam asked.

"Days, maybe less depending on the individual,"

"Can't we just administer the cure as soon as he starts showing symptoms,"

"Well that's another problem," the Professor added from his step, "we don't have the cure on us."

"What?" Cam had finally lost his patience with the pair, "Where the hell is it?!"

"Angelo has it," Lem announced, "it's in a vial attached to his collar."

"You sick bastards," Wilks seethed approaching Lem angrily, "are you telling me that kid has been wearing the cure around his neck all along! You could have fucking saved him!"

"We needed to make sure the cure worked first!" Lem shrank back, he had no intention of being a victim to Wilks' rages.

"Why the hell didn't you use it on him then before you even fucking sliced that girl apart,"

Lem could see the anger and confusion in Wilks' eyes, the guy wanted to protect all of Sera if he had the chance. For years he had been united in Frost's wrath at Aidan wanting to choose Wilks, but now he was starting to see the uniqueness she had been drawn to.

He felt an involuntary tear streak down his cheek.

"I... I don't know, I guess we wanted to make sure it actually worked,"

Wilks prodded him hard in the shoulder, "You don't get to make those choices, you don't get to play with other people's lives without their consent."

"We've gotta find him then," Cam announced beside Wilks, drawing him out of his rage. He nodded thoughtfully, glancing at his next in command to see him watching him carefully.

"I'm fine," he brushed off Cam's unspoken concern.

He strode over to the Professor and grabbed hold of him, dragging him towards Luicie's empty cage and stuffing him inside. He slid the bolt across and clicked the padlock closed. The Professor shook at the bars angrily.

"What are you doing?" he cried out in response, "You can't do this to me!"

"You're staying where I know you can't damage any more people," he whirled round and fixed on the teen now nervously eying up the two Gears, "Lem, you're coming with us."

"What?"

Wilks unhooked a pair of wrist chains from the wall, cuffing them over Lem's hands, "if you really are the reason Angelo is still hanging onto his humanity I'm going to need you more than him."

"What about you?" Cam asked him.

"We're going to find Angelo and just pray to those bloody Allfathers that I can hang on that long,"

"If we could get yer back to the Village, kid, we could sort the cure there,"

"And what if it doesn't work, Cam?" Wilks asked him, "I would never put them in jeopardy like I did Aidie. This has to happen away from them. Besides we have to consider the worst case scenario here. Cam, I'm gonna need you to do the hardest thing I've ever asked you to do. If this Lambency takes over me quickly I need you to pull the trigger for me. I need you to end it before I hurt anyone."

"I won't let yer go kid," Cam placed a fatherly hand on Wilks' arm, "I already watched yer pa die, I'm not going to let yer go too."

"On the bright side, at least you'll get your own squad then,"

They stared back at each other, the elder squeezed the arm of the son he never had whilst the younger closed his eyes trying to fight back the affection his second father gave him. As he looked back at him he could see tears building up in Cam's eyes.

"I'm not ready to give up on yer yet kid,"