Here's the next chapter! Just a quick note about the other fic I have up about the missing months – it is essentially a re-write of this story. However, I'm going into a lot more detail with that one and this one is more of a sounding board for me to get my ideas out. I will be using the ideas from this fic to write my other one (Survival).

On another note – Congrats to New Zealand athletes competing at the Olympics! Three gold medals and four bronze! Not bad for a country of 4.4 million people XD

OH, AND WHO'S EXCITED FOR TOMORROW'S EPISODE? ME! XD

Enjoy the latest chapter.

WE ALL BLEED THE SAME WAY

DancerInTheDark101

-Falling Skies-

Chapter 4

Ben collapsed. He landed on his knees, chest heaving with the effort of regulating his breathing. Maggie hit the ground beside him, also breathing hard. She was battered and bruised, a deep cut slicing beside her right bleeding sluggishly in the pouring rain.

The sandy-haired fighter let his assault rifle clatter to the leaf-covered ground with a soft thud. He rested his chin on his chest, feeling the tightness in his chest release as his breathing came under control. Ben looked towards Maggie, who was also kneeling, her eyes closed. Her Colt M4A1 gripped tightly in her hands.

"…they gone?" he breathed, his voice not travelling far due to the sound of rain slapping against the leaves and foliage around them.

"I think so," Maggie replied. She looked up, still breathing heavy but she didn't look as out of breath as she had only moments before. "Grab your gun, Ben."

Ben obliged, picking up the sleek black weapon from where it was lying on the ground beside him. He unclipped the mag and checked the remaining bullets, cursing softly when he saw there were only a few left. That was his last mag. "Dammit!"

"What?" the blonde asked, also checking her weapon over.

"I'm almost out," he stated, jamming the mag back into the slot and pulling the strap over his head to rest on his shoulder. The gun slid into a resting position against his chest.

"I've got an almost full mag. Here, take some of mine." She slid the mag out and started tipping out some of the bullets. "It's lucky that our weapons use the same ammo." She grinned. "It comes in handy."

Ben chuckled lightly before accepting the ammo. He proceeded to place the gold-coloured ammunition into the mag, uttering a 'thank you' as he did.

Originally, they were going to send Ben out to start patrolling with his brother. After the initial Skitter fiasco where he'd frozen up, the middle Mason boy had requested to start going on patrols. He wanted to learn the ropes, start to become some use to the Second Mass. Both Hal and Pope had been against the idea, for very different reasons. Ben had argued the point. If he was old enough to go on a mission with them, then surely he was old enough to patrol?

In the end it had been Captain Weaver who had given him the nod. Ben had been shocked, but thankful. He wanted to prove that he could be useful. But Weaver had stated one condition; he was only to patrol with Dai or Maggie at first. At least until his combat skills increased. He could handle a weapon fine; it was the actual fighting part of being a fighter that Ben was struggling with.

There was also the fact that they were short on fighters for patrol. Hal had been given a promotion by Weaver to temporary XO. He wasn't alone in the promotion though, both Dai and Maggie were given the role to help whenever necessary. But Weaver had stated that Hal was not to go on patrol anymore as he needed him close in case anything popped up.

"Ben!"

Ben was shocked out of his thoughts as Maggie yelled his name. His head shot up and quickly scrambled to his feet. Just as he reached his full height, a high pitched sound ripped through his head, causing him to cry out in pain.

Pressing a hand to his forehead in an attempt to alleviate the agony, Ben felt his knees give way and hit the ground with a painful thud. He could feel Maggie's hands on his shoulders, struggling to get him back on his feet. He could barely think through the pain, the sharp noise not decreasing in any way.

"Make it stop…" he groaned, his eyes screwed shut. Ben knew the sound was from the Skitters and Mechs communicating, but he didn't know why it was so loud and painful. Were they close?

"Ben, c'mon! We gotta get outta here!" Maggie's words were like barbed wire stabbing through his skull. He cried out again, this time clamping his hands over his ears. Somehow, through the pain, Ben was able to make it to a standing position. Maggie was gripping his upper arms tight and he was pretty sure that was the only thing keeping him upright.

The young fighter could feel himself losing the battle to stay conscious. The pain was so bad he could barely think straight, let alone endeavour to think of a way to get out of the mess they had landed themselves in.

And then it was gone.

Ben gasped, the shock of the agony disappearing like an ice cold bucket of water being dumped on his head. His eyes snapped open and he dropped his hands from his head. Immediately after, one hand shot up to cover his mouth as a sudden and severe bout of nausea rocked the young boy.

He dove for the nearest bush, vomiting painfully into the leaves.

"Ben?" was the tentative question from Maggie. "Are you okay?"

Ben didn't answer, instead gagging as the taste of vomit coated the inside of his mouth. Giving himself a few seconds to compose himself, Ben stood as he wiped the back of a hand across his lip.

"Y-yeah," he stammered. "I'm fine."

Maggie didn't look at all convinced at his statement but nodded anyway. "Okay. We've gotta get out of here. I don't know how close those Skitters are and I don't want to find out."

Ben nodded. He could feel the Skitters in his mind. Somehow, something had had happened and now he could tell exactly where and how far away the Skitters were. He didn't like it one bit.

Staying quiet, the sandy-haired teenager straightened and spat nearby to get rid of the last of the disgusting taste in his mouth. "Let's go. We've gotta tell Hal and Weaver."

Maggie's eyes narrowed as she listened to her younger partner. She was worried. Ben's sudden collapse and subsequent vomiting was definitely related to the Skitters. She knew he could hear the frequencies used by the aliens to communicate, but she'd never seen him have such a reaction to it. The last time he'd been that indisposed had been when Uncle Scott had found a way to broaden the range of the transmitter; clamping a few jumper leads to the school flag pole. Ben had lain on a cot for hours afterwards, headache pounding through his brain.

But this had been something completely different. It had been more intense, the pain going as far to make the young boy cry out.

Keeping an eye on Ben, Maggie gripped her gun and followed him, breaking into a run as they heard the distant sounds of Mechs reached their ears. They needed to get back to camp, and fast.

Hal Mason heard the yells well before he saw those making the sounds. He and Weaver shared a look before rushing out of the tent and into the main area of the camp. The eldest Mason brother saw Maggie headed towards him, running. She was followed by Ben, whose face was unnaturally pale and his eyes wide.

"What the hell is going on?" Weaver barked as soon as he saw them. Maggie stopped in front them, bending double and placing her hands on her knees as she sucked in precious air. Ben stood behind her, hand on his chest as he did the same.

"…Mechs… coming this… way," she explained through gasps. "Not sure… how far… away…"

Hal felt his eyes widen. Shit. They'd found them. He turned to Weaver, whose face had closed off completely.

"Right!" His voice boomed out over the suddenly silent crowd. "Pack up! We're moving out in ten!"

Luckily, they had only just begun to unpack the camp. It wouldn't take long to pack everything up and get the cars on the road.

"Jimmy, Anthony and Pope: you head to the bridge and see what you can do about stalling them if need be. Maggie, you and Dai grab two of the motorbikes and head out. I want to know how many, where they are and how long until they'll be on us!"

Hal watched as they started to move out, feeling a little useless as he just stood there. However, they didn't get far as a quiet voice stopped them in their tracks.

"Two Mechs and four Skitters. Heading in from the west. They're roughly ten miles out."

Ben.

Hal felt his mouth drop open as Ben spoke. What in the hell?

"What?" Captain Weaver questioned, inching towards the lithe boy.

"There are two Mechs and four Skitters approximately ten miles west of here."

"Ben, how do you know that?" Hal asked, also approaching his younger brother. The entire area was silent and Hal could see everyone staring at his brother; or more specifically, the metal rods sticking out of his spine.

"I just do," he snapped. Hal frowned. What the hell was wrong with Ben? But unfortunately, they didn't have the time to drill him on his intel. If what Ben was saying was true, they needed to get out of here and fast.

"Alright," Weaver said. "All those I gave jobs to before – move! We've got maybe half an hour before they are on us and I want us long gone by that time!" The militia captain stared at Ben. "Ben, Hal – with me."

Hal strode after his brother and the captain, his mind racing as everything went to shit.

Was Ben right? Hal struggled to think of what that meant if he was. Did that make him some kind of walking Skitter alarm? And what did it mean for his place in the Second Mass? When did everything become so complicated?

Okay, so there's the fourth chapter. I wrote this while watching the Olympics women's marathon so I was a little distracted at times. I hope it makes sense!

About Ben's little episode in the woods: I thought I'd just explain this a little. As we know, in Season 2, Ben is able to sense the Skitters. I thought I'd elaborate as to how and when that happened. In my mind, I see it as a switch being flicked. The frequencies that he could hear triggered something in the aftereffects of the harness and it opened like a floodgate – which was too much for his body to handle at once. Hence the intense pain. It cuts back a little as to not damage his mind, but instead acts like a compass of sorts – a tingling in his mind that signals to him.

Does that make sense?

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Sorry it's a bit shorter than normal.

Please, please PLEASE review! I really would love to hear your feedback and thoughts about my writing and the direction I'm taking the story in.

Thanks :)