"Rite of Passage"
by HonestlyCynical
Pairings: Baird/OC, Marcus/Dom, Other pairings may apply.
Set: Post Gears of War 2, up to Gears of War 3
Warning(s): Nudity, M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.
A/N: Well, this story seems to be doing good so far.
Disclaimer(s):I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Simply put, the only thing I own is the ideas I place here. I do not preside over the existing characters that are implied in this story, nor the GoW elements and it's franchise. Any detail, titles, names that may be similar to that of other fiction or fanfiction, (unless cited) is strictly coincidental.
Chapter 3: Unwanted Sympathy
Marcus stomped out of his room, followed by Dom. The two Gears were suited up in their armor. Marcus had his Lancer strapped on his back, and had two Frags, his Snub Pistol, and a Longshot. Dom had his Snub Pistol strapped to his chest, like always. He carried two Frags, and of course, his Lancer on his back, along with a Gnasher Shotgun. The two Gears exited the COG base quietly, both of them sporting a scowl.
Even though Dom took a liking to Rex, the male was going to yell at him until he got a sore throat. That was how pissed he was. Marcus and Dom headed for the garage, where all the COG vehicles were located. Marcus burst through the doors, and walked up to the gear stationed there. "What's going on?" the gear asked. He was looking at the scowls on both of the bigger men's faces.
Marcus looked at the helmeted man. "The soldier I've been looking after went missing. Most likely ran away. Give me the keys to a Centaur." the war-hardened soldier grunted. The helmeted male nodded quickly. He scrambled out of his seat, and to the key rack. He gripped the keys to the Centaur and tossed them to Fenix. "Here. Go find the man." the soldier said nervously. "I plan to." Marcus replied, turning his back to the man.
Dom nodded in response and went to the yard. Marcus found a Centaur that was closest to the exit point of the base. Getting inside, the gear stuck the key in the ignition and turned the vehicle on. Dom got into the vehicle and closed the door, remaining silent. Marcus stood quiet, driving out of the base. He caught Dom looking at him as though he had something to say.
"What is it, Dom?" the male asked, his voice calm, yet hiding the anger within him. Dom sighed deeply before looking at his friend. "Marcus, what if we find him too late?" the gear asked. His hands curled into fists. He was shaking with anger, yet his voice was full of worry. Everything was running through his head. 'What if he's dead before we even get there?' the gear thought, looking at his best friend. Marcus grunted before answering. "We'll make sure we find him. We won't let him end up like the two Carmines. May they rest in peace." the soldier replied.
Back on the COG base in New Jacinto, just after Marcus and Dom left...
A King Raven had appeared in the distance. 'This is KR Seven-Nine. Requesting permission to land, there are two passengers. Corporal Damon Baird, and Private Augustus Cole.' the pilot said over the com. In his office, Colonel Victor Hoffman spoke into the com. "KR Seven-Nine, this is New Jacinto COG base. You're clear to land." the man said. He removed his hat and scratched his bald head.
Hoffman was filing out paper work when Sergeant Bernadette Mataki entered his office. "Vic. I got some news for you. It's about that kid you assigned to Delta, Rexxar Musica. It seems he successfully ran away from the base. Nobody knows how he's done it, but it's caused one hell of an uproar with everyone. It also seems as though Marcus and Dom already left to find him." she said, watching the man contemplate what she had said.
Hoffman stood up slowly. "Are you shitting me Bernie? Some kid escaped this base, possibly having been kidnapped as soon as he set foot outside of the perimeter, with access to the basic COG ways, and all we send is Fenix and Santiago?" the man yelled. Bernie looked at Hoffman quietly. "Marcus made it clear he only needs Dom with him, Vic. If anyone can get the kid safely back here, it's those two. Besides, you already know he's not just some kid. According to his file, his family was mostly engineers, and that kid has a gift with tinkering with shit. If you ask me, he may give Blondie a run for his money. Which reminds me, wasn't he an engineer already?" the Sergeant asked.
The Colonel closed his eyes. He had Rex's file on his desk already, reviewing it. "Yeah, Bernie. Even before he left school, he was hired as an Engineer. He was so damn good at it, he was drafted into the army to help our piece of shit crew repair everything that went wrong. He had a knack for disobeying the rules when it came to his hair. Right now, it's probably past his face. But that's beside the point. I put him in Delta because of his past. Something bad must have happened if he had to run away from everyone." the male finished, rubbing his head due to a headache.
Bernie smirked when Victor told her about the mysterious Rex. "Don't worry too much about, Vic. I'll alert Blondie and Cole about it." she said. "I'll make sure not to mention the little engineering fact." the sergeant added on. Victor nodded his head. He was getting to old for this shit.
Bernie left the office and headed to the King Ravens. As she got to the exit of the main building, Baird and Cole walked in. "... and I'm telling you Cole, nothing happened with that crazy bitch!" Baird shouted.
Damon Baird was a sarcastic fucker, to put it nicely. He had cropped blond hair, and he had blue eyes. He always wore goggles on his head, and seldom took them off. When he did take them off, it was to sleep, or shower. That was it. The man hated anything that had to do with people, except for Cole, Bernie, and some others. He didn't like anybody, and nobody liked him, so it all evened out.
Augustus Cole was a former Thrashball player. He was built, almost as if he had overdosed on steroids. The man's strength was truly something to fear. The guy could most likely pull a Centaur out of the mud barehanded. He was never able to be quiet because he was practically a noise incarnate. Anything that needed to be done quietly was not a job for him.
Baird noticed Cole laughing at him and flipped him the bird. Cole roared with laughter again. The black gear raised his hand at Baird. "Whatever you say Damon, baby. We all know she denied yo ass. She saw the Trainand wanted a real man, not some sarcastic white boy!" he replied, wiping a tear from his face.
"Oh haha." came the sarcastic gear's reply. Baird slugged Cole in the arm. "Fuck you, asshole. From what I recall, even the Cole Traincouldn't pick up a chick. So don't act all high and mighty, Gus." Baird said, finally seeing Bernie walking towards them. She had that look on her face, as though everything turned to shit before they got back.
"Hey Granny, what's wrong?" Baird asked, stopping in his tracks. Cole however, was hugging her. He was careful not to squish her. "Hey Boomer lady, how ya been?" the black gear asked. He set her down and waited for her to reply.
Bernie looked at both Cole and Baird. "Hey Blondie, Cole. I've got something to tell you both." she said. Cole and Baird looked at each other, and then back at Bernie. "What is it?" they asked in unison. Bernie cleared her throat, and began. "Marcus and Dom ain't here right now. The private that was assigned to your squad has run off, leaving this place in an uproar. Right now, those two are looking for him, and they're bloody pissed. You two, as of now, are to keep a look out for him. You'll notice him when you see him."
Cole and Baird scowled at the news. "So the fucking brat decided to run away, because his life was too hard here? Let his ass rot out there, Granny." Baird said through gritted teeth. Bernie walked up to Baird and punched him in the jaw. "Dammit Blondie, can't you shut your mouth for once? He left because of something that happened to him in his childhood. His psyche reports showed he had repressed memories and it caused him to stay away from everything and everyone. He's at risk out there, and those two morons went to save him before something bad happened!" the Sergeant yelled.
Cole held Baird back. "So Boomer lady, you're sayin' this kid didn't have any other choice but to run away, and you expect us to just sit here and let Marcus get him? Marcus ain't exactly known for his kindness." the black gear replied. Bernie smiled at Cole, crossing her arms seriously. "I'm not saying you need to sit here and twiddle your thumbs like idiots. I'm sayingyou should do whatever it takes to assist Marcus and Dom. That kid isn't going to let them grab him. They'll need you. Cole. You are probably the only one that we know of that can persuade him to come back. What you two do is up to you." she replied. Cole gave her a thumbs up, and looked down to Baird. "Come on, Damon baby. Let's go help out Marcus and Dom." the black gear said, smiling at the struggling gear.
Baird sucked his teeth at Cole. "What the fuck do I look like to you, Cole? A goddamn babysitter? Let those two get him themselves, I don't even like them in the first place." the white gear said. Cole grinned, because he knew that was a lie. "Baird, stop lyin' to yourself, baby. You know as well as I do that you like those two." the black gear droned on. Baird needed to shut his friend up, so he finally gave in. "Fine Cole, I'll go and rescue the fucking kid." he mumbled.
Marcus and Dom were keeping their eyes out for Rex. They were driving around in the fucking snow for him. "Dom, you can't say I hate the damn kid since I'm out here looking for him." the gear said, his tone serious. Dom looked at his friend and sighed. "Marcus, I didn't say you hated the kid. I'm just saying you're too hard on him. You heard Hoffman when he described the kid's psyche evaluations. He's repressing his memories, which in turn makes him distant." the gear said.
Just then, Marcus stopped the Centaur and looked at a trail of crimson in the snow. "Dom... come on." the gear said, turning the Centaur off and taking the keys with him. Dom got out of the Centaur and moved to the trail of crimson. It looked as thought whatever had crawled in the direction of the blood trail was extremely wounded. "Marcus if it's him... I don't think he made it. We have to get his tags." Dom said, sadness in his voice. Marcus narrowed his eyes and looked at the trail. "Don't speak like that Dom. The kid has to be alive. Even if he's on the brink of death, it's up to us to save him." the man said, his icy blue eyes staring at Dom now.
Dom nodded slowly. He had to have hope. Even though he barely knew the kid, he still had to care about him. It was one of the things he knew as a father. Every kid who was repressing their memories needed to know someone cared. For Rex, and even though he didn't know it, that person was Dom. Marcus and Dom gripped their Lancers and moved forward. The headed deeper into the woods, snow piling up on their boots.
They stumbled open something bulky on the ground. It looked like a chest plate. A COG chest plate. Dom looked at the chest plate, and felt sick. He picked it up and looked at it carefully. "Marcus... It's his chest plate." the man said, showing Marcus the spot that had Rex's last name on it. Marcus scowled when he saw it. "REX!" the man yelled out.
Silence. "Rex, goddammit, answer me!" the man yelled again. Dom went to his friend and put an arm on his shoulder. "It's no use Marcus... he's-" the gear's voice trailed off. Dom thought he heard something. It was faint, but he heard it. "Marcus, listen!" the man whispered.
Marcus strained his ears to focus in on whatever Dom could hear. "Ugh... he... help!" came a faint voice. Marcus and Dom roadie ran to the source of the noise. "Holy shit!" the gears said in unison. There, tied up to the tree and naked to the waist, covered in wounds, was Rex.
Dom felt a surge of anger at the sight. 'Who the hell would do this to a kid?' the man thought to himself. Marcus moved closer to the tree, getting a closer look at the nineteen year old. "Rex, can you hear me?" he asked. Rex barely nodded in response. "Who did this to you, kid?" the Sergeant asked. He examined the kid's wounds, and they were serious. If he wasn't treated soon, he would die from blood loss. That is, if the cold didn't get him first.
Rex looked up at the two gears. He must have looked pathetic in their eyes. His hair had blood in it, and it covered both of his eyes, only leaving his mouth and nose uncovered. His body was covered in deep gashes and cuts, blood pouring from them. He heard his commanding officer ask who did this to him, to which he barely choked out. "Drones... Sorry sir. I couldn't fight them off." the kid tried to explain. However he ended up passing out.
Dom knelt down next to Rex. "Rex, wake up buddy, don't fall asleep! Whatever you do, hang on soldier!" he yelled. "Marcus, we need to get him out of here, stat! He's not doing so good at all!" he yelled to his friend. Marcus scowled once again. "Dom, those fucking grubs did this. He said so. You need to get him out of here, now!" he replied.
Marcus cut the chains binding Rex with his Lancer. Dom took off his chest plate and shirt. He put his shirt on Rex. Thankfully due to the kid's size, the kid's chest plate covered his more... sensitive areas. Dom put on his chest plate and picked the kid up. Around them, voices could be heard.
"HUMANS!" one set of eyes said, glaring at Dom. "Oh no... Marcus, we can't fight them all off like this. Not with Rex in critical condition." Dom said. He was getting the same tone he had when he found Maria. Scowling, the man of action aimed his lancer and shot at the eyes.
Baird and Cole found themselves being escorted from the base by one of Hoffman's men. They were driving for at least an hour before seeing a Centaur parked in the road. There was a trail of dried blood, and Baird saw it first. "Stop right here! I can see blood!" the blond said, jumping out of the jeep. Cole followed after his friend, running in the direction of the blood. However, they soon heard a gunshot in the distance.
"Shit!" Cole yelled loudly. Damon and Cole ran and followed the trail of crimson into the forest. They could hear a firefight going on in the distance. Following the sounds, they saw Dom and Marcus. Dom was holding someone on his back, trying to kill what appeared to be Locust Drones while trying to keep the person alive. Cole and Baird drew their Lancers and shot the Drones behind Dom. "Gus, go get Dom and Marcus! I'll flank 'em!" the blond shouted over the roar of Hammerburst rounds.
Cole gave Baird a thumbs up. "You got it, Baird baby." the black gear said, rushing in. Cole used his Thrashball strategy to break through the Drones, killing some of them in the progress. "Hey, Marcus and Dom! Who's that?" he asked, pointing his large finger at Rex.
Dom looked at the black gear. "No time to explain, he needs a hospital, Cole. We need to rush him back to the base stat, or he's going to die!" the gear replied, keeping the soldier on his back. He had the kid's hands around his neck, and had to force the kid's legs to close around his waist. He was much lighter than he looked.
Cole seemed to understand the situation. "All right baby, the Cole Trainwill give you a chance to escape!" the gear said, watching the Drones close in. Baird had opened fire from the cover of the trees. He got in a head shot with the Lancer, and a Drone's head was knocked clean off. The other Drones split up, three on Cole, three on Baird.
Cole switched to his Gnasher, and ran in at the grubs. He shot two of them from point blank, their bodies splitting into pieces. The last one, Cole bashed his head in with the side of the weapon. Baird took the easy approach. As the Drones closed in on him, he threw a Frag. "Frag out!" he yelled as Dom and Marcus ran through the trees. The grenade exploded, taking the three grubs with it. Cole and Baird ran after Dom and Marcus.
They ran back to the main path, straight to the Jeep and Centaur. Marcus was helping Dom put Rex in the Centaur, while Cole was in the Jeep. "Cole, I'm going to go with Marcus. That kid is in bad shape, and I'm the only one out of those two that can keep the kid from dying at the moment. Rush to base, and get the medics to stand by." he said, running to the Centaur. Baird jumped into the back seat and kept an eye on Rex.
"Bernie told me everything. Nice job making him run away Marcus. You know, if he dies, I would have had some respect for you. At least you could say that you lost him in a battle." the blond sneered. Dom glared at the sarcastic gear. "Goddammit, Baird. Now's not the fucking time for your shit! If that kid dies, I'll kick your ass, just because. So you better make sure he makes it to base!" the gear said, rubbing his cold arms.
Baird crossed his arms, then noticed Dom's bare arms. He looked at Rex, who was wearing a shirt too big for him. "Don't tell me this kid is naked." Baird scoffed. He noticed the glares from Dom and Marcus. "Right, yeah. Make sure he lives. Well I need to see his wounds to see how serious it is." Baird said, in all seriousness. Baird removed the kid's chest plate, and pulled up the blood soaked shirt. He noticed all the gashes in his body and cringed. The kid was getting paler by the second, and there was also the cold to worry about. "Marcus, you need to step on it, this kid is losing too much blood. He won't make it in time at this speed. Come on, you drove faster than this to Mount Kadar, so I don't see why we can't go fast now." the Corporal said. Marcus put all his weight on the pedal. "Hold on to the kid, Baird. It's gonna be a bumpy ride." the Sergeant yelled. Baird reluctantly grabbed the kid, putting pressure on the most severe wounds.
Cole had reached the base first. He saw Bernie rush to him. "Hey Cole, where's Blondie? Wait, what's wrong?" she asked, looking at the gears face. Cole explained how he had found Dom and Marcus fighting Drones, and how they had a severely wounded kid with them. Bernie held her hand over her mouth before going to the intercom. "Mataki to Medics, we need you at the entrance stat. We have a severely wounded soldier coming in quick." she said, moving to clear the area.
Marcus had reached the base in fifteen minutes. When they got Rex out of the Centaur, someone placed him on a gurney and wheeled him away. Dom ran after the nurse. "I'm going to watch over him, Marcus." the gear said. Baird looked at Marcus curiously. "Since when did Dom take a liking to a kid?" he asked. Marcus scoffed at the blond. "What? Are you jealous, Baird?" the gear asked.
Baird scowled at Marcus. "Hey, fuck you too, Fenix. I just saved that kid's life and for what? Why should I care about him" the blond yelled. Marcus put a hand over Baird's mouth. "Shut the fuck up. You should care because if he didn't make it, Dom would have made your life a living hell." the gear said simply. Marcus knew Dom was only filling a hole left by his kids. Sure, it would never be the same, but if Dom could help Rex, and it made him happy, Marcus wouldn't stop him.
Dom stood in the waiting room. The medics wouldn't let him watch the surgery, so all he could do was hope Rex made it out okay. He didn't notice Cole sit next to him, which was shocking because he always made his presence known. "Dom. I need to ask you a question. Why do you care so much for a kid you barelyknow?" the gear asked, raising his brow.
Dom looked at the man before replying. "I don't understand it myself, Cole. I just can't let a kid as young as him break away from people. He'll end up like Baird and we don't need another one." the gear said, laughing slightly. When Cole gave him a look of concern, Dom sighed. "It's because of what Hoffman told us about his psyche evaluation. He's repressing some memories, and he's drifting away from people. I feel that he just needs to know someone cares. Call it Father's intuition." Dom explained.
Cole nodded at Dom's explanation. "Why didn't you say so, Dom?" the larger man asked. "Just be glad we got there when we did. Boomer lady sent us as soon as we got here. Said you two might need us to help with the rookie. She was right. But why was he stripped like that? Grubs don't just do that Dom." Cole mumbled.
Dom shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, Cole. But you should have seen him when we found him. He was barely hanging on as it was. He was ready to just lie down and die... It was like he was okay with throwing his life away. The way he passed out, Cole, it was like he knew he wouldn't make it." the gear sighed. Cole could tell that Dom was sensitive ever since his wife's death. The bigger gear put his arm around Dom. "It's okay Dom, baby. Let it out. You here takin' care of this kid, man. You gave him the shirt off your back, even though he was bleeding like no tomorrow! He's part of Delta, ain't he? He's part of our family now. He needs us to watch him, and we need him to watch us. It all works out in the end." the gear said. He really had a way of cheering up everyone.
Dom smiled for the first time that day. Cole left the gear alone after that. Dom ended up staying until 0200 the next day. A nurse came to him, and told him that Rex was resting, and that he made it out alive so far. He would still need to be hospitalized, and that the team should refrain from going on missions until the soldier was all healed.
Dom sighed deeply. He was truly relieved.
Rex would make it to fight another day.
TBC..
A/N: This chapter was difficult to write. It took me forever to just think how Dom would react, and how Fenix would react. Tell me how I did so far please? ;D Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave reviews.