Chapter 10

The Rookie's investigation had brought him to Kikowani Station, as he found more video logs. He hid Behind a destroyed truck, hoping no one would find him, as he activated the logs.

Ruby and Weiss ran down the escalators, which were deactivated, as Ruby said "Torchwick told me to meet him at the train station. That's what I'm going to do."

"Come on Ruby," Weiss started. "You can't trust him! You know that!"

""My mother is still in Vergil's data-center!"

"I've been listening to your dad all day. And the one thing he wouldn't want to do? Put yourself in more danger by-"

"You're not listening at all," Ruby shouted. "Torchwick said he'd trigger the emergency fire response!"

"And that will-?"

"Flood the data center with argon!"

"Can people breathe argon," Weiss asked.

"No, Weiss. It freezes you! Dead!"

Ruby looked at Weiss with anger in her eyes as Weiss said "Look, I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"Vergil? Are you there," Ruby asked, as the new Vergil whistled.

Weiss saw the determination in Ruby's face, as she said "I know that look…What's your plan?"

Ruby looked at Weiss and said "Escalation."

As Ruby and Weiss pushed through the crowd at the station, which were filled with shouts, the normal announcement said "Trans-bay express train departing Kikowani station. All passengers must depart from platform fourteen-" The message disoriented, replaced with a loud whistle. "PLEASE REMAIN CALM! NO TICKETS-NO PROBLEM! SLOW CHILDREN-USE CAUTION!"

"Maybe mom was right," Ruby said. "The tentacle aliens she found? I think they are helping Vergil. Bringing him back from the dead."

"Why would they do that," Weiss asked.

"Mom said they were looking for something…something Vergil found."

"KEEP IT CLEAN! LEAVE ALL LUGGAGE ON PLATEFORMS!"

"Maybe they're sick of fighting, just like us. I don't know…Mom would know the answer…"

Ruby looked down in sadness, as Weiss lifted her face back up and said "We'll ask her when we see her, OK?"

"OK," Ruby said, with a little smile on her face.

"Now where are you supposed to meet the Commissioner?"

"Platform nine. He got a private train."

"I still think you should let me-"

"If I don't come alone, my mom will die! Torchwick made that clear! You and Vergil know what you have to do?"

"Yeah…" As Weiss answered, a plasma shot slammed into the station, as the crowd panicked. "Covenant are closing in. People are panicking. This is gonna get ugly…"

"This day is a nightmare," Ruby said. "It all keeps getting worse! Everything's falling apart!"

"Not everything."

"Listen. I know I'm just a girl who got you fired…"

"You're more than that."

"I might also be the girl who gets you killed!"

"Maybe. But not today."

"Weiss…" The ex-cop looked at Ruby, as she was pulled into a deep and passionate kiss. After a minute, the two pulled back to breathe, as Ruby said "I want you to live. I need you to live…for me."

As they kept walking through the station, the plasma fires coming closer and closer, they spotted the train, as Ruby said "Platform nine…"

"There's Torchwick's private train," Weiss started. "Guarded by corrupt cops with machine-guns."

"I'm going in. My mother's life is on the line."

"Be careful."

"You too." With that, Ruby pushed through the crowd, as they protested.

A corrupt cop shot into the air, yelling "Get away from the train! You hear me! Everyone back off!"

"Steady, officer," Roman said. "Not yet."

"I can't hold the crowd back much longer, sir!"

"Torchwick!"

Roman looked and saw Ruby in the crowd. "You won't have to. My passenger has arrived. This way, Ruby! Push right on through!"

"Make some room! Let her through," the cop said.

The crowd argued, as one of the bystanders said "Now's our chance! Rush the train!" As they took one step, the cops started to fire into the crowd, as they all backed away, or fell to the ground.

"Any other objections," Roman shouted. "Careful, Ruby. Watch your step."

"You ever worry there might really be a heel," Ruby said, as she entered the train.

"Oh I know there is, my dear. And you and I are leaving it. Officer, close the doors."

As they closed the doors, the cop said "Button-up men! We're out of here!"

As the crowd shouted, Roman said "I don't want any of that on board."

"Yes, sir!" Then, the corrupt cop started to shoot the crowd, as Ruby heard the muffled screams.

"You can't just kill them," Ruby shouted.

"Why not? I'm getting quite good at it. For instance…I killed your mother an hour ago…"

Ruby's eyes widened, as she sat in a chair, her hands on her face.

"You…killed my mother?"

Roman smirked. "My men near Vergil's data-center tripped the fire-response system. She suffocated and froze. Not a bad way to go, all things considered…I wanted to tell you face to face."

Ruby started to cry, as Roman started to pour himself a drink, saying "Please, get all your tears out now. It's a long ride, and I don't want to hear you moaning all the way to Nairobi. Well, come to think of it…I might."

As Roman drank, a cop had called him from his radio. "No sign of it yet, sir."

"It's a pink, airborne octopus! How hard can it be to find?!"

"The tunnels are crawling with Buggers, Commissioner. We've lost a lot of men. Maybe we should-"

"No one leaves until I get that alien! Do you hear me, officer? It found a way to hack a Superintendent-class A.I.! Knowing how it did that is vital to the war effort!"

"Like you ever cared about anyone besides yourself," Ruby said, tears still in her eyes.

Roman looked at her and said "Just because I'm a murderer, doesn't mean I'm unpatriotic."A plasma fire slammed into the station once more, causing the train to rock.

"Covenant armor approaching the station, sir," a cop on the control console said. "What do we do?!"

"We wait," Roman shouted, slamming his drink. He sighed, as he went up to Ruby,saying "Don't you see the beauty of it, Ruby? Whatever you think of me, whatever I have done, I will leave this city with vital intelligence about the Covenant."

"Bastard," Ruby said.

"Call me what you like…but the world will call me a hero."

As the corrupt cops fired into the crowd, Ruby heard Weiss scream "Listen to me! The Covenant are coming! Listen to me if you want to live!"

Ruby then looked back at Roman, as he said "I've killed your mother, Ruby, and now we're leaving the city. No one is coming to save you. Not Schnee. Not Vergil. It's the end of the line!"

Ruby heard a chime, as train made a loud whistle, as sparks came out of the train's control panel.

"What the hell is that," Roman shouted, as Vergil spoke.

"WARNING, FIREWALL DOWN! CONTROL-CIRCUITS NOW OPEN TO REMOTE ACCESS!"

"That damn machine is dead! I killed it! It doesn't matter! Anything it does to this car happens to you too!"

As he spoke, Ruby heard Weiss and the crowd chanting.

"Are you ready to die?"

"No!"

"Do you want to live?"

"Yes!"

"Are you ready to fight?!"

"YES!"

The crowd had somehow pushed past the cops, and started to pound at the doors of the train.

"That's it, Weiss," Ruby muttered.

As it was getting more violent, the cop said "We need to go now, sir!"

"Yes," Roman said. "Go…the est of your men will have to-"

"Die," Ruby said, smirking.

"Sir, we aren't moving," the cop said. "I've lost engine control!"

Roman then started to shout at Vergil. "Listen to me, Vergil, or whatever you are no! Move this train out of the station, or Ruby dies! You hear me?! The Covenant will kill us all"

Vergil whistled angrily.

"I'm locked-out of the system! The train's not responding!"

"There is nothing you can do to hurt me that won't kill her!"

"Almost nothing," Ruby said, glaring at Roman. "Vergil. Open the doors."

Vergil complied, as the doors opened, the angry crowed sprint up to Roman, grabbing him.

"What?! No! No! Get back! Get back! Get away from me," Roman shouted.

Ruby got out of the train to find Weiss, as she heard the screams of the crowd and Roman, as they teared him apart.

The Rookie got up, taken back of what just happened. That was the last of the video logs, but it couldn't end like that. What had happened to them? As he was searching the station's entrance, he saw a bio-foam container on the floor. He went up to it and picked it up. He check to see if it was empty, and sure enough, it was. This was bad. If it was empty, it indicated that someone on his team was hurt. Before he could do anything else, there was a call over the radio.

"Can anyone hear me? This is Captain Veronica Dare!"

The captain? The captain was alive!

"My beacon is active-need immediant assistance! Someone, please respond!"

It ended there, as Rookie looked up to see a Phantom searching for something. He then followed to were the beacon was, and with Vergil's help, he had found an empty elevator shaft, the cords still hanging. Rookie put his SMG away, backed up, and jumped, grabbing onto the cord. He then slowly started to climb down, hoping to find some answers.