(updated 12-13-2020)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
A Promise Kept
"When I heard about the Regent, I thought this was all some sick joke being played on a cosmic scale. Paul's {Admiral Coleiro} death tore at me. I ran the full range of emotions from mourning him to hating him for what he had done. By this time, I'd seen too much… losing too many friends and family. All I wanted now was to get drunk and find some way to make the pain go away. Giles was more than willing to assist with both…"
— Rachel Larson
oOoOo
"Look alive, people! We got incoming boogies at our three o'clock high! Tally-ho!"
Kennedy acknowledged, turning her Alpha to face the incoming Haydonite fighters. A small group of enemy fighters had survived the destruction of their fleet and were making suicide runs on the troopships. So far, Kennedy and the rest of the fighters had protected the larger ships from any damage, though there had been a few close calls.
As her flight section closed to engage the incoming fighters, her thoughts drifted back, remembering the Invid fleet's arrival. Gasps and shouts of surprise filled the communications channels as unending waves of Invid carriers appeared out of nowhere. Her fighter pilot mindset took in, appreciating the moment as the carriers launched their fighters. The tactical channel crackled, interrupting her thoughts.
"Heads up, people! Looks like we've got a bunch of Invid fighters that want those Haydonites!"
Kennedy noted the large group of Invid fighters swooping in, racing to intercept the Haydonites before Skull Squadron. She activated her radio, "Skull Leader, those Invid look like they really want those bastards. I think we should let them have first crack. We can do clean-up if needed."
There was a pause before her squadron leader replied, "Roger that, Skull-Nine. I think we can let the Invid have their shot at them… They look really motivated!"
Kennedy added her chuckle to the chorus of chuckles over the squadron channel. The laughing quickly faded when the Invid fighters tore into the Haydonite fighters.
"Jesus! Did you see what that Invid did?" one of the Skull fighter pilots exclaimed.
Kennedy blinked, not believing what she'd just witnessed. One of the Invid fighters had a Haydonite fighter on its six o'clock position. The situation appeared dire for the Invid when it suddenly changed direction, inverting itself, and then coming down on the unprepared Haydonite. The Invid showed no hesitation or mercy, driving one of its armored pincers into the side of the enemy fighter. It then opened up with its plasma cannons, shredding the enemy craft to pieces, causing it to explode.
"Did that Invid just pull a Fokker's Feint?" questioned another Skull pilot, her voice showing their disbelief.
Kennedy watched speechlessly, having just witnessed an Invid pull a maneuver that only the "best of the best" Veritech pilots had mastered.
Until that moment, there were no doubts about who were the best fighter pilots in the galaxy. Kennedy—and many others—were now seriously watching and studying the Invid fighters, tearing apart the few remaining Haydonite fighters. The communications channel crackled again, cutting short any further evaluation.
"Attention all fleet units… Standby for a message from Fleet Command…"
This immediately caught Kennedy's attention and had her wondering what was going on. She recognized Dawn's voice on the communication channel, but it sounded strained. Not something you'd expect after your side had just destroyed the enemy. Time seemed to pause as General Coulson addressed the fleet.
"With the help of our Invid allies, we have defeated the Haydonite fleet to open the way for us to retake Earth. We have suffered heavy casualties in this effort to liberate Earth, with many making the ultimate sacrifice to help remove the Haydonite threat. In the light of our victory, it is with a heavy heart I have to make this announcement. Admiral Paul Coleiro is dead… He gave his life to make it possible for the Invid to break the hold of the enemy's PSI jammers on them. I don't have all the details of how, but I know he made his sacrifice knowingly and willingly. His death made it possible for the Invid to send fleet units here to help us. The Admiral has now made it possible to unleash the full military power of the Invid to help the rest of the Alliance in our war against the Haydonite Hegemony…"
oOoOo
General McLean, with a stone-cold, emotionless expression carved on his face, watched General Coulson's broadcast. McLean took a moment to glance around the command center aboard his Anaconda-class Assault Transport, studying his staff's reactions as they watched the video broadcast.
Despite the mix of different species on his command staff, McLean could easily read their stunned shock as they tried to grasp the news.
He was lucky with General Coulson briefing him of the situation before his broadcast to the fleet. Even with this warning, he was still having trouble coming to grips with the Admiral's death. He suddenly noticed the deathly silence gripping his command center as General Coulson's broadcast ended.
McLean took a moment to let his staff absorb and compose themselves. Yet, an air of disbelief hung over everyone. McLean became conscious of all eyes turning to him, looking to him during this moment of loss.
A few years ago, he would have found it strange to be in a room full of aliens. The many battles and campaigns on dozens of planets had more than proven their worth and dedication to him. Now, he didn't give it a second thought. He only thought of the people in this room as Marines.
I need to shake them out of this… I need to get them to focus, McLean thought.
He had expressed his concerns and reservations to General Coulson about announcing the Admiral's death. Yet, he'd agreed it was better to break the news now, rather than having it leak out at the wrong moment, causing shock and harming morale.
"Alright, Marines!" McLean growled, catching not only his staff, but himself by surprise with the harshness in his voice.
All the officers in the command center stiffened at his voice. Even though they were still trying to process the news, he knew he had their attention now.
"The Admiral, the Invid, and the Navy did their job. They've cleared the space around Earth so we can land," he paused, seeing his officers nod and acknowledge his statement.
"I do not… I repeat, I do not intend to let their sacrifices… his sacrifice… go to waste! We will land on the planet, and we will kill every one of those bastard Haydonites…! Do you hear me?"
There was no hesitation from his officers, "WE HEAR YOU, SIR!"
Chesty Puller himself couldn't ask for better Marines! McLean thought proudly. Looking over his people, he noticed their shock wearing off, their expressions now filled with anger and determination.
"The follow-up divisions from Tirol are to arrive here in forty-eight hours. Our original plan had the division landing in North America, and with those reinforcements expand our bridgehead outwards to retake the planet."
McLean noted the nods of acknowledgment among his officers before continuing.
"General Coulson has informed me that the Invid have thirty carriers full of Shock Troopers. Their Regent has allocated them to provide ground support to the invasion," McLean paused, again letting this information sink in.
It didn't take long for McLean's staff to realize where their General was going.
"First brigade and my HQ will land in the first wave at the primary LZ. We will secure and hold! Second brigade will land at the alternate LZ in Europe, while Third brigade will land to reinforce where needed. We will split the Destroid and Hovertank units to land with each brigade to provide heavy support with Veritech squadrons providing air support. The Invid will be on our tactical channels, so we can call on them for air and ground support. I will address the division, to let them know what is happening," McLean paused, meeting each Marine's eyes.
"We will take the planet back… Today! We will take back the planet or we will die trying! Is that understood?"
Shouts of "YES, SIR!" echoed through the command center.
oOoOo
While Gunnery Sergeant Deru may have been sitting in the Predator Assault Transport, making its approach towards Earth, her mind was on another time… another place.
The Karbarran along with everyone else in her platoon listened to General Coulson's broadcast. Before the announcement of Admiral Coleiro's death, the normal pre-invasion chatter and anxiety filled the transport. Now, a deathly silence filled the transport.
Deru couldn't believe the Admiral was dead. To her, he'd been someone larger than life, bringing hope and helping to free her people and other races. Her mind drifted to the day the humans and their allies liberated Karbarra. Scattered intense, desperate fighting raged across the planet with the Haydonites determined to make the Kabarrans suffer.
She could still recall the exact moment she saw her first humans. It was a small group of armored infantry, arriving by assault shuttle on the edge of their settlement. She later learned that it was a Special Forces unit sent to set up a roadblock to prevent Haydonite forces from converging on the primary LZ.
With most of the adults having gone to gather weapons from the hidden caches, Deru was one of the few females left, staying to watch over the settlement's children. Her town was helpless as Haydonite ground units closed on them…
To this today, she still doesn't completely understand what the word "Spetsnaz" means. All she knows is that small group of humans fought—and died—holding off the Haydonites until reinforcements arrived.
Many times, it appeared as if the human's defensive lines would break. Each time, the humans rallied, knowing the Haydonites would massacre everyone if they broke through, counterattacking and driving the enemy back.
Their bravery and sacrifice not only saved her life, but also her children and everyone else in the settlement. After Karbarra's liberation and joining the Alliance, she enlisted in the Marines, deciding to repay the blood debt she felt her people owed.
Four years later, she was now a Gunnery Sergeant in her company's reconnaissance platoon, and about to make a landing on another Haydonite-occupied planet. This time it was different. Now, she was part of the force that would free the human's homeworld, giving a sense of balance and symmetry to it all.
Now, shock gripped her, still absorbing the news of the Admiral's death. Deru glanced around, seeing how shaken the rest of her platoon was by General Coulson's broadcast. Her gaze settled on her human platoon leader, seeing how he was struggling with the news.
In that moment of shock and sadness, General McLean's voice came over the ship's PA system to address the division. Deru and others listened as their General spoke. He told them that while they had suffered a tremendous loss with the Admiral's death, his sacrifice made it possible for the Invid to add their strength to the invasion.
General McLean's words reverberated with all his troops, telling the division they would take the planet back in one stroke. His last words still echoed, mixing with Deru's thoughts and memories.
"The Admiral and others sacrificed to get us groundside… We will not fail them! We will not break the faith with them!"
The General's words stirred something deep in Deru. She stood up, making her way past the rest of her seated platoon to where her platoon leader was sitting.
"Lieutenant," she breathed in a low voice.
"Gunny… What's the problem?" the Lieutenant replied slowly, the shock and disbelief still gripping him.
Deru took a deep breath, "Sir, your people have fought and sacrificed to free my people and others. We… I will not forget what you humans have done for us. As Admiral Coleiro gave his life…"
The Gunny paused, extending her left arm, showing her paw, "I pledge my blood! We will free your world or die!"
Claws extended from her paw. She then curled her paw into a fist, sinking her claws into her paw. The surprised officer stared at the blood on her paw as she uncurled her fist, extracting her claws. Deru placed her bloody paw on the chest of her body armor, leaving a bloody paw print on the armor over where her heart was.
Her Lieutenant was speechless, watching the Gunnery Sergeant make her pledge. Immediately, the other Karbarrans in his platoon followed the Gunny's lead, standing up and making the same oath.
The Lieutenant was a hardened veteran of the war, but his eyes blurred as the rest of his platoon joined the Karbarrans in their oath. Those races without claws drew combat knifes, slicing their left hands, pledging their lives to free Earth.
oOoOo
At the far end of the assault transport, Samantha watched the scene playing out with fascination and a sense of awe. In her short exposure to the Alliance, she'd found a new sense of pride in humanity.
She'd heard the stories and accomplishments of Admiral Coleiro, General Coulson and the others. Samantha suddenly realized, watching the Lieutenant join his platoon in their blood oath, that things would never be the same for her and the rest of humanity. There was no going back. Humanity needed to grow up if they were going to take their place in the galaxy.
The people with the Arcadia mission have set a high bar for the rest of us to meet, she thought, watching the Marines finish their blood oath.
A heavily Russian-accented voice caught Samantha by surprise, "I almost feel sorry for those Haydonite bastards. A Karbarran blood oath is not a trivial matter… especially for the females."
Samantha turned towards the voice. The Special Forces soldier wasn't looking at her. His focus was on the combat knife he was sharpening. She glanced around, checking out the rest of the soldiers in the Special Forces unit assigned to her.
The soldiers in the unit were all human, a mix from the SEALs, SAS and Spetsnaz units that went with the Arcadia. These soldiers now worked together as one unit—the elite of the Alliance's Special Forces. Before General Coulson's broadcast, there was the expected standard banter and small talk. Now, all the soldiers wore hard, determined expressions while checking their equipment and weapons.
Samantha's—and their—assignment was an important one. Once they landed, they were to make their way—with no stops or delays—into Washington. Samantha had orders from General Coulson to "secure and detain" President Kinsey until relieved by supporting forces. The Special Forces soldiers were there to remove any "roadblocks" that got in her way.
She had no doubts about their ability to get her to the White House, having trained with this unit on Tirol while the invasion forces were being readied.
At first, the bulkiness of the Cyclone armor concerned her. After being briefed on Haydonite Reavers, along with getting a demonstration of the power armor made her a convert. She'd thrown herself into the training, and in a short time had become proficient and comfortable in its use.
Samantha watched everyone in the transport as their shock wore off, and a determined anger now gripped them. Her attention turned to checking her own equipment, starting with her Wolverine assault rifle.
As she checked her equipment, her thoughts drifted between Willow and Riley. She'd been barely able to contain her worry for her former lover while the fleet engaged in battle. Now, her thoughts turned to Riley, wondering how he was doing. She wondered if things would ever return to normal between them.
The PA system announcing their transport was beginning re-entry into Earth's atmosphere interrupted any further thoughts of her complicated personal life.
oOoOo
The Regent studied the sensor displays on his mecha's console. He noted the Alliance assault transports and dropships of the first wave beginning their entry into the planet's atmosphere. To assist the attack, he had assigned fifteen carriers to accompany and support this first assault wave, holding the rest in reserve for the next landings.
His eyes locked on the image of the small blue and white world, filling his mecha's display screen. An unexpected, strange wave of emotions and memories washed over him, noting the hive mind stir at his discomfort. The Regess's thoughts reached out to him. Even over the vast galactic distances, he could easily feel her pain at the losses they had incurred.
It is the price we have to pay if we are to be free, he thought, trying to ease her anguish.
The Regess's voice echoed back, "I know, but they are my children… Their pain and suffering is mine."
He understood the Regess's pain, each Invid death having touched him too. Rather than suffer the pain and sorrow, he'd used each death to motivate and fuel their hatred of the enemy.
A voice echoing in his head told him it was all for the greater good, not only for the Invid, but for her too. The echoing voice wasn't the Regess's or the hive's, catching him by surprise.
You're so close… so close to home…
The same voice echoed again as more memories of her coursed through his thoughts. Another strange, disturbing emotion grew, taking hold of the Regent. It took him a moment to realize what he was experiencing.
Anticipation… I'm feeling anticipation…
It took an extreme amount of willpower to push the memories and emotions away. As a semblance of normality returned, his focus returned to the planet and the invasion.
The carriers going in with the first wave were starting their entry into the planet's atmosphere. Invid Shock Troopers, led by Pincer Command Units, would help the Alliance forces make quick work of any enemy forces in the landing zone.
The Regent was looking forward to battling the Haydonites on the planet's surface. Before leaving Optera, the Regess had presented him with the latest and ultimate mecha ever designed by the Invid—the Royal Command Battloid. This mecha's weapons and power were unlike any used before by the Invid. Designed and built specifically for him, in his hands, it would be an instrument of death and destruction.
There was only one addition he requested before taking the mecha, which caught the Regess by surprise. The picture of a hooded smiling human skull holding a curved metal weapon now adorned the shield covering the plasma cannon on his mecha's right arm.
The Regent didn't know understand why he wanted this, but it felt… right, like it should be there.
His thoughts returned to the attack, noting the first wave of ships were not meeting any opposition on their re-entries. He contemplated how best to employ his Shock Troopers into the ever changing tactical situation.
At this rate, we should be—
A vision suddenly flashed in his head, and he instantly recognized the work of The Shapings. The vision flowed over him, realizing The Shapings were showing him a glimpse of events taking place.
A battle was raging… destroyed vehicles and burning buildings dotted the desolate landscape. Through this maelstrom, he saw her riding a Cyclone, unleashing death and destruction on the Haydonites.
I-I… I know where she is!
There was no hesitation or second thoughts or hesitation. He immediately issued commands to the crew of his flagship and escorting ships. The Invid responded instantly with one voice, realizing where they were going and for whom.
The Regent's carrier accelerated, changing course and setting a new re-entry approach. Quickly matching the course change, the four escorting carriers followed the Regent's flagship towards the planet.
oOoOo
A panicked voice filled the tactical channel, "Alamo! Alamo! Alamo! Breakout to the Southeast… I repeat, go South by East!"
Despite the explosions and weapons fire going off around him, the broadcast caught Riley's attention, bringing dread and fear with it. The code words told him the perimeter around Adamsville was collapsing and the enemy was overrunning their position.
His thoughts switched to Buffy and Faith, hoping they heard the message. With the situation collapsing, he prayed they would do as they discussed earlier, and hightail it out of town. Memories of how well Buffy listened to orders flashed through his head.
She'll listen this time? They'll both listen… won't they?
Heavy machine gun roaring from a nearby position interrupted any further thoughts or worries about the two Slayers. Tracer rounds streaked towards armored figures moving around at the end of the street.
A Humvee came roaring down the street to engage the advancing enemy, a gunner firing rounds from a 40mm grenade launcher mounted on top. Riley ducked as return fire converged on the vehicle, taking out the Humvee in a tremendous explosion.
oOoOo
"We have to leave…"
Buffy couldn't see Faith's face through the tinted helmet visor, but she saw the subtle change in her body language. She immediately realized what the other Slayer's response would be.
"Faith, you heard the call. It's done… it's over," she said, trying to head off any argument.
Parked in Andy's driveway, they were picking up reloads for their weapons. Buffy watched as Faith ignored her, continuing to reload the missile launcher on her Cyclone.
They'd been busy adding their firepower to the perimeter defense, having ridden out with a group of M1A1 main battle tanks to engage enemy vehicles.
The massive alien vehicles filled Buffy with awe and dread. Their size and design appeared to have come straight-out of her worse nightmares.
The alien attack "vehicle" was as big as a two-story house, shaped like a spider. Four huge curving legs extended from the body, allowing the vehicle to skitter across the ground. If the design and size weren't nightmarish enough, the weapons mounted in the vehicle's body and legs made it worse.
Energy weapon beams lanced out, cutting and burning through anything they touched. Buffy watched the enemy vehicle's main gun vaporize a tank with a single direct hit.
It had taken all of Buffy's and Faith's missiles, combined with the firepower of the surviving tanks, to destroy the enemy vehicle. The aliens retreated with the destruction of their attack vehicle, temporarily stabilizing that part of the defense perimeter.
Buffy's attention briefly shifted from Faith, watching a ragged procession of people and vehicles streaming by Andy's house.
Civilians, strung out in a column of small groups, were looking to escape the fighting, interspersed with the occasional civilian car or truck, filled with the elderly, children and wounded. Headed in the opposite direction were small groups of soldiers, along with a few armored vehicles, to reinforce the collapsing perimeter. Buffy showed no emotion, watching the people stream past.
Her attention returned to the other Slayer, who had finished reloading her missile launcher, "Faith?"
Faith didn't respond, and Buffy shook her head in frustration. She reached out and grab Faith's arm, "Faith… we have to leave," she breathed in a quiet, firm voice.
Faith spun, catching Buffy off-guard, "Why?" she hissed angrily.
Buffy hesitated, "Why, what?"
Faith angrily flipped up her visor, "Why the hell do we have to leave? Why should we leave?"
Faith didn't give Buffy a chance to answer, continuing her tirade, "Those bastards are the same ones that killed everyone we knew and cared about! Your sister, Xander, Willow, Cassie, James…" she breathed, "T-They killed Paul, and Andy is still out there…"
Faith's anger and desire for revenge stoked the simmering embers in Buffy. She found it hard to argue as the long repressed hate and pain called out for her to take revenge on those that killed those she loved.
Buffy eyed Faith, "So what do you have in mind?"
Faith flipped down her helmet visor while remounting her Cyclone, "We go show those bastards, what Slayers can do!" she snarled.
Faith's words brought back memories and words danced in Buffy's thoughts.
Death is my… our gift! Let's go share our gift!
"Amen to that," Buffy nodded, mounting her Cyclone. Her Cyclone roared to life, joining Faith as they both roared out of the driveway, heading towards the sounds of the fiercest fighting.
oOoOo
Colonel Weir was listening to his command die. Desperate and scared voices—some cut-off in mid-sentence—filled the radio channels.
There's nothing else we… nothing else I can do, he thought, experiencing a sense of emotional disconnect as the radio channels cried out. Not that he didn't care or feel for the people serving under him, and who were now dying. He did it to keep functioning.
The loud roar of automatic weapons fire focused his attention to more important matters, turning to his staff in the command post, "EVERYONE! TIME TO LEAVE!"
One of his staff—a young-looking officer—spoke up, "Sir, What do we do?"
Weir gave the officer a small, tired smile, "Fall back and try to join up with General Chambers's column. They should be close now. We'll keep fighting, collapsing the perimeter towards the South-East. We need to cover the withdrawal and make sure the wounded and civilians get clear."
The officer nodded, moving to gather his equipment before evacuating the command post. The young officer paused, seeing Colonel Weir picking up his personal weapon, checking the magazine.
"Sir?"
Weir noted the questioning expression on the young man's face, reading what he was thinking, "I'll be right behind you and the rest of the command group, Lieutenant. I want to make sure our remaining units know what the plan is," he replied, flashing a reassuring smile.
The Colonel stood by, making sure everyone evacuated the command post. Sounds of intense fighting grew louder, finally getting him to think of his own exit.
As he stepped out of the entrance of his command post, the sight of his troops falling back greeted him. Even though they were retreating, they were still engaging the enemy. A surge of pride filled him, knowing his people were still fighting and hadn't given up.
Yet, the enemy was relentless, firing long bursts of heavy automatic weapons. The sight of several of his troopers cut down by enemy fire caused anger to surge through him. Without thinking, he gripped his assault rifle, flicking off the safety.
While he took cover, he scanned the street. His retreating troops were on the other side of the street from the command post. They were moving between cover, firing at the enemy as they fell back.
Sounds of armored vehicles caught his attention, and he turned towards the sounds of two M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles pulling up at the far end of the street. Out of reflex, he ducked as the armored fighting vehicles opened up with their 25mm chain guns. A mix of armored-piercing and tracer rounds roared towards targets at the opposite end of the street.
Weir risked a look, raising his head from cover. The path of tracer rounds guided his gaze towards the enemy positions. He finally got his first actual glimpse of their enemy.
As if conjured from a madman's nightmare, huge armored creatures advanced up the street. Their size and design projected nothing but a sense of oppression and death, sending a shiver down Weir's spine. Several of the armored creatures raised their arms, firing with their attached weapons at his troops. A heavy stream of fire tore into his retreating soldiers.
Rage consumed Weir. Again, without thinking, the Colonel reacted, lifting his weapon to his shoulder. He took careful aim, firing at the closest enemy targets.
A part of him noted his shots hitting, but were ricocheting off the alien's armor as he ducked to change out his empty magazine. He didn't care because he now had a target to vent his rage and frustration on.
Armored-piercing rounds from a Bradley cut through one of the armored creatures, causing it to explode. This caused a roar of approval to erupt from Weir.
"TAKE THAT YOU, SONSOFBITCHES!"
His jubilation was short-lived. Another of the enemy soldiers stepped out from cover, carrying what looked like a shoulder-mounted missile launcher. A missile streaked down the street, catching one of the Bradleys.
Weir ducked behind cover as an enormous explosion sent shrapnel, flame and debris hurtling everywhere, cutting down more of the retreating soldiers. The remaining Bradley tried to reverse out of the street, but another missile roared in, taking out the armored vehicle in another tremendous explosion.
Weir slouched behind his cover, watching the Bradleys burn. He suddenly realized the surrounding fighting had stopped. His heart was pounding as he raised his head from cover to take another peek. The enemy was now advancing towards his position.
A hyper-awareness gripped Weir, everything moving in slow motion as the enemy closed in on him. He realized he only had moments left as a wave of thoughts flooded and gripped him.
There would be no surrender. His training kicked back in, taking deep breaths while he checked his weapon's magazine. A sense of fatalism gripped Weir as he stood up from his cover, raising his weapon. Before he could pull the trigger, a shadow flashed out of nowhere, attacking the advancing alien soldiers.
The enemy didn't notice the Colonel. Their focus was on this new threat. The Haydonite Reavers turned to strike back at the shadow attacking them, but they were too slow. Even Weir had a hard time tracking the smaller armored figure, dancing around and through the alien soldiers.
The Haydonites opened fired, but their target deftly avoided their shots with several of the aliens catching each other in their crossfire, destroying each another.
Weir's eyes widened as two glowing blades extended from the smaller armored figure's arms, slashing and stabbing at the larger armored aliens.
In moments, an eerie silence filled the street with only the echoes of distant fighting reverberating. Weir stood there, speechless, staring at the scene of death and destruction left in the armored figure's wake. Pieces of arms and legs littered the ground with some of the enemy soldiers sliced in half. A greenish liquid leaked from their remains, pooling on the ground.
Weir finally recognized his armored savior, "T-Thanks," he stammered, again taking in the scene.
Buffy nodded, "It's clear… for now. I'm going to sweep around and see if anyone else needs help."
The Colonel nodded absently as Buffy took off in a gigantic leap, assisted by the Cyclone power armor disappearing from sight. Time paused as Weir stared off in the direction Buffy had gone before he regained his composure. Relief and thoughts of still being alive bounced around his head, but one other thought stood out.
If Buffy's here? Where's Faith?
oOoOo
The question and worry of Faith's whereabouts also filled Andy's thoughts. He'd jumped into a defensive position, and was manning an M2 Browning heavy machine gun, firing long bursts, at extreme range, on a group of advancing alien infantry. The enemy was ignoring him, choosing to concentrate their fire on closer defensive positions and vehicles.
Even though he'd been out of the military for years, he could easily read how badly the situation was deteriorating.
A Humvee, braking to a sudden stop behind his position, caught him by surprise. The front passenger door swung open, catching Andy by surprise to see his friend Mike Dixon at the driver's wheel.
Mike shouted, "Andy! Time to bug out!"
Andy hesitated for a second, glancing around the defensive line. The sight of other soldiers withdrawing from their positions was all the convincing he needed.
Mike hit the accelerator hard as Andy jumped in the Humvee. The vehicle squealed, spitting rocks and dirt as it peeled away. Andy struggled to get the door closed as the acceleration threw him back into his seat.
"My family? Have you seen them? We have to make sure they're okay!" Andy babbled franticly, realizing the town was being overrun by the aliens.
Mike nodded, keeping his focus on the road, trying to avoid people, other vehicles and the occasional explosion, "They're okay! I loaded them on a truck heading out of town! They should already be out of here!"
Andy sighed in relief, but his thoughts and worries shifted, "Faith? Have you seen her?"
Mike shook his head, "Not sure… I heard radio chatter her and that other woman—"
"Buffy?"
"Yeah, Buffy… There was radio chatter about both of them raising holy hell among those space invaders! They're buying time for us to withdraw," Mike replied.
A cold, deathly sensation gripped Andy. He needed to know Faith was safe, "We have to find Faith! She needs to get out of here! If those bastards get their hands on her…"
Mike nodded, giving Andy a small grin, "Yeah, I figured you'd want to find your girlfriend. We're headed to where the last reports have her."
Andy exhaled a deep sigh of relief, "Thanks, Mike. I owe you… big time!"
"Andy."
"Yeah?"
"I get to be best man."
Andy smiled, "Damn right!" he said while the Humvee roared down the road.
oOoOo
"COME ON YOU MUTHAS!"
Faith was in full blood lust mode with bodies of armored aliens littering the surrounding landscape. Another pair of armored aliens charged towards her. They weren't firing their weapons at her. Their intentions were obvious, and this suited her. She was more than happy to meet them in hand-to-hand combat.
A huge armored alien lunged at her. She sidestepped, slashing with the glowing blade on her left arm. Memories of her Cyclone training flashed in her thoughts. Sergeant Bronowski had told her there was nothing her CADS blades couldn't cut through.
He'd been right as the sweep of her blade cut the armored alien in half. She didn't stop to admire her handiwork. Another alien charged at her, and she stepped in to meet its attack.
Fierce-looking claws at the end of the armored alien's hand swung at her. They only clawed empty air as Faith avoided the alien's strike. She parried with her blade, cutting the alien's arm off.
Greenish fluid spewed everywhere, covering her, and distracting her at a crucial moment. The alien swung its other arm, catching her across her mid-section with its gruesome-looking claws.
The claws cut through her armor, sinking into flesh. Faith grunted in pain as the blow sent her staggering. She glanced down at her mid-section to see warm blood spreading across her torso.
Damn it! Not the stomach again!
She recovered, fighting through the pain, as the one-armed alien charged her again. There was nothing subtle in her attack as she met the armored alien's charge head-on, driving both her CADS blades into the creature's chest.
The alien continued lunging towards her, pushing its body further down on her blades. Faith shrugged off her growing weakness, putting all her remaining strength into digging in and holding her ground.
Faith dug into her reservoirs of strength, holding off the towering alien. The alien continued struggling to get its remaining hand free to strike again at her. It continued sliding, inch by inch, down her blades, vainly sweeping at empty air with its armored claws.
"Not to you bastard! I'm not going to lose to you!" she cursed in a hate-filled voice.
Then, as if a switch flipped, the alien lost strength, slumping on her blades. It took all her remaining strength to extract them from the dead alien.
Freed from the deathly embrace, Faith staggered backwards, glancing around the battlefield. There were no nearby threats, but off in the distance another wave of alien infantry and vehicles gathered, moving towards her.
I-I g-guess I-I should get out of h-here, she thought.
The world suddenly began spinning, and a wave of dizziness gripped her. Her legs suddenly gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.
oOoOo
Andy was screaming Faith's name as he jumped from the Humvee before it had stopped. He'd witnessed her collapsing as they pulled up and was now running towards her. Panic gripped him when he caught sight of the blood and green fluid covering her stomach and chest.
"No, no, no… Come on, Faith! Stay with me!" Andy cried, struggling to get Faith out of her Cyclone power armor. If he could get her free and back to the Humvee, they could escape.
Mike's shouts from the Humvee caught his attention, "ANDY, WE NEED TO GE—"
Sergeant Dixon never finished his sentence. A missile roared in, taking out the Humvee in a gigantic fireball.
Andy threw himself over Faith to shield her as the Humvee exploded. After what seemed an eternity, he shakily sat up, staring numbly at the flaming wreckage.
With his ears still ringing, Andy pushed thoughts of his friend's death down, turning his attention back to Faith. After a few more moments of struggling, he finally got the Cyclone armor to release her from its grasp. Moans of pain escaped her lips, causing Andy to wince as he dragged her free.
"Come on, Faith… I need you to stand up! We need to get out of here!" he muttered.
He stood her up, flipping up her helmet visor. Her eyes were open, but appeared dilated and out of focus. She was barely conscious, which wouldn't make their escape any easier.
Out of instinctive, Andy looked towards the direction of the advancing enemy forces. A sense of resignation gripped him, seeing them moving to close the distance. He gently laid her back down, sitting with her, cradling her in his arms.
It won't be long…
"A-Andy… I-I'm sorry…" Faith muttered, grimacing in pain.
"Shhh… It's okay… We're together… that's all that matters. I love you!" he whispered, leaning in closer.
"I-I-I…" she stammered, drifting off.
Andy took his eyes off Faith. The enemy was moving faster to get to them. He glanced down at Faith, and then up at the hazy sky.
Even the sky is against us…! There must be thousands of them! All coming down to get us…!
Faith was fighting to stay conscious. She wanted to tell Andy how much she loved him, but it was hard to speak. In her pain-filled haze, her thoughts drifted.
I wonder if I'll see Paul… Will he be there waiting for me?
This thought brought forth twinges of guilt. Her focus should be on Andy, but her thoughts still drifted to Paul. Her eyes focused on the sky, taking in the unfolding spectacle.
It's so beautiful… The entire sky is lighting up in colors… It looks like the 4th of July…
Faith barely comprehended what was happening as a rain of plasma fire fell from the sky on the advancing Haydonite forces. Multitudes of tremendous explosions erupted among the enemy as Invid Shock Troopers descended from the sky like avenging angels.
In her weakened state, she couldn't process what was happening or why Andy was cheering and shouting wildly as Invid forces tore into the enemy. One final thought came before she finally fell unconscious.
What a strange looking robot? Why would it have a Grim Reaper on its arm?