Prologue: Rise of the Terror Guard
Chapter 8: A Good Day's Rest
05:00 Hours, Day 4
"F.E.A.R. Team One report to the Command Center in fifteen minutes." The Point Man heard an electric voice say over the intercom. It was enough to jolt the man from his dreams. Which, in part, he could be thankful for as he hadn't been having the nicest of dreams ever since becoming a part of the 'Terror Guard.' But, what other choices did he really have in the matter? He didn't see any, and with how twisted everything had become in the short span of time since he was first deployed to find Paxton, there was no running to safety. The United States wouldn't accept him back, and even if they did they would probably hand him over to Armacham. So, he decided to work with the lesser of the evils. At least with Betters still more or less running the show he stood a chance at doing decent work.
'I'd better get going.' He thought to himself, not really liking the thought of getting out of the warm comfort of his bed. He was still sore from all that had happened two days ago. Realistically speaking, it was closer to one and a half, but he wasn't really one to be greedy so he just settled with it being two days. Regardless of what he, or his body had felt, he sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes. It wasn't nearly as effective as he would have hoped, but that's why he had a bathroom. To brush his teeth, make himself presentable, and most importantly: to splash ice-cold water in his face.
And so he walked out of his room wearing simple clothing. A plain white t-shirt with a pair of combat pants and boots. He of course had his belt and holster which he carried his sidearm in with him, but he wasn't packing heavy for obvious reasons. He didn't know what to expect. The announcement wasn't exactly very clear. If he had to guess, the peace wouldn't last long and he'd be sent out to kill again. There was a war going on, after all. One that would be lasting for a very long time, too, or at least he didn't see any end to it.
After about five minutes of wandering the halls, he made it to the Command Center, where there were a bunch of people typing away at computers and monitoring screens. There were even some communications going on between ground forces, which was interesting as the Point Man hadn't thought that there were enough people in the bunker to deploy aside from him and his team. Rodney and Alma were at the table in the center of the room, seated in chairs whilst waited. Jin was there as well, and so Jackson decided to make his way to her and sit beside the woman.
"Tired?" Jin asked him with a smile, looking over the man as he scratched his beard.
"You can say that." He replied in his natural growl mixed with the groggy nature of sleep that still hadn't left him, "At least it isn't the day after we returned."
She nodded slowly, "I hear you there..."
Soon Logan and Michelle appeared, and took their seats. Wasp was the last one in the room, and he walked over to the Point Man and pulled out his chair before sitting in it. Rodney nodded and stood up.
"Glad you all could make it in time. We figured most of you would be drowsy...and it's quite clear that we were right." He said simple before pointing at his map, "We've been fighting Armacham all throughout the city as I'm sure you are all aware. But what you might not be aware of is just how much progress we've been making. Currently speaking, Armacham's last major domain is the airport. That is their stronghold. That's where their forces are arriving from, and that's where all of their supplies are at. If we can successfully take the airport, anything else in the city will eventually crumble. That being said, taking the airport is easier said than done.
I've called you all here today to basically inform you of our situation, and what your next set of tasks will be. Everything in the grand scheme of things from here on out in Fairport will be simple, but complicated. Reason being everything that is simple in words is difficult in action. So. First thing's first, our forces. We currently have the Replicas, the remnants of Delta Force, F.E.A.R. and S.E.A.R. teams, and a handful of extra law enforcement and military personnel. In addition...there's been a cult forming around Alma. Which bolsters our ranks even further. They're a bit loony, but they help get the job done. With all of these forces in our arsenal, we're actually standing a pretty solid chance at succeeding in taking Fairport for ourselves.
Now. In our fight, we've secured quite a few key places. Hospitals, factories, all of that. We've even recovered quite a few of Armacham's facilities throughout the city as well as other labs. Now what we are in dire need of is more Replica Cloning Facilities. There's one left in Fairport, and we already have the other one. If we can successfully take that facility, we will be golden.
So that's what I have called you all here for today. We need that facility, but it's currently under heavy Armacham guard."
Logan then nodded slowly as he processed the information, shaking his head afterwards. "Then why not send in the Replicas? It is their facility. They should capture that themselves."
Alma then decided to pitch in, her voice soft. "That is how wars are lost. When soldiers begin to question their leaders."
Betters sighed softly, "She's right. We already thought of that plan, and we realized that it wouldn't work. That's why we called you lot in here. To tell you what your next mission will pertain to. You're going to be our saving graces, I guess you could say. Your objective is to neutralize the automated defenses they've set up around the place. That requires a small strike team to head inside, get to wherever they're connected to, and wipe it out."
"EMP." Jackson stated softly.
"The only EMP charge we have would knock out all electronics within Fairport. That isn't exactly helpful to us." Betters retorted hastily, shaking his head. "I hate to tell you guys, but you're going in whether you like it or not. Now... That's not happening today or tomorrow. Way too many enemy convoys and such heading around there. You'll be striking at night, the day after tomorrow. Right now, you all have more time to rest and recover. That's all. We can tell you more during briefing. I just wanted to make sure there weren't any surprises. I know it's been hard for you all to accept our alliance. But it is for the best. We can truly change the world for the better. Armacham has been changing it for the worse. Dismissed."
Jackson then huffed before standing up, shooting a brief glare at Alma before walking out of the room. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he knew that Jin was following him. He could hear her footsteps, though he feigned ignorance to them. He was just waiting for the right moment to turn around and confront her about why she was following him in silence. It was unlike her. Usually she'd just walk up to someone's side and talk if she wanted to be in their company. So maybe she wanted to be alone, but they were going the same direction? He'd find out soon enough.
"Jackson." The Point Man heard her say, and he stopped before looking back at her until she had caught up to his side. "You look like you need more sleep, even though you've been doing so for a day." She chuckled aloud as they walked.
"You look like you weren't even in the room this morning when the announcement was made, which means you need more sleep." The man replied with a rather taunting tone in his voice.
She nodded slowly, "You know, there's a few things we never got to talk about when we first arrived here. We were just kind of...thrust into everything."
The man's reply was swift and quiet, but then again that was almost always his replies. "What are we to talk about? I don't do small-talk very well. It's not really the type of man I am."
Jin then bit her lip as they entered their shared room, "Then why make it small? Why not do some...big-talk?"
"That was bad." Jackson said with a small grin on his face, making his way to his bed and tossing himself onto it,"Worse than Betters' jokes."
The woman clicked her tongue a single time before loosening her heir hair from its binds. "You know, we've done quite a lot together. Took down Fettel...detonated a nuclear reactor but survived the explosion..."
"I suppose you could say that." He huffed, his arm placed over his eyes, "Though I remember me being alone the entire time whilst you and the others typically lagged behind. Maybe we encountered one another a few times..."
She looked over at him and scoffed, "Who was there when you got blown out of a burning building? Me. And that isn't my point! We went through that whole scenario and made it out together. And then all of the stuff that just went down...it's got me thinking. The world seems to be ending. Hell, we're siding with Alma of all people. If there'd be any time to break protocol and maybe..."
"I don't exactly know how to do what you're suggesting." Jackson cut her off, "I was known as mute because I didn't talk unless absolutely necessary, and even then...it never was. I don't socialize well. I wasn't meant for socializing, and what you're suggesting is a lot more than I should even consider doing."
She huffed, "There's no saying that we can't at least try! What's the worst that happens?"
"You end up hating me because I broke your heart over something I could not prevent." He suggested, "We get kicked out due to someone finding out we even had this conversation. My mother finds out and kills you in the most torturous way possible. Something happens to me and you beat yourself up over it. You get hurt because of what I am- need I go on?"
That was when the woman protested only more vigorously, "I don't see how any of that means we can't try! I'm an understanding person, I can overcome most of those things! And no one can possibly find out if we don't act any differently save for when it's just us...though I highly doubt it would matter - just look at Keira and Becket!"
"Someone's pushing for th-"
"Damn right I'm pushing for it!" She stated firmly, "I have been caring for you ever since we met, I've been thinking about you since we met... Let's try this! Please! Just this once. One try!"
"Fine." He conceded, "We can try to have a deeper relationship. I never really thought you'd be one to really push for this sort of thing, though. You always have seemed reserved enough to me. Professional. To think that you'd be willing to break professionalism even now-"
She shook her head before speaking, "Jackson, that's because you can't see simple social actions. Shit, did you not even hear me admit that I thought you were cute."
"I did, but I didn't really think you were going anywhere with it." He replied with a huff, "Come on. You'd better get some rest."
"You're right." The woman murmured as she approached him, sitting on his bed beside him, causing him to shift closer to the wall.
"What are you-"
"I'm going to get some rest. Right beside you." She informed him so kindly, laying down and turning to face him with a smile on her face.
"Hey, Griffon!" Logan said as he sat down at the cafeteria table the man was at.
"Yo." The Scot acknowledged as he took a bite into his breakfast burrito.
Logan's tray wasn't nearly as interesting as that, though. Whilst the Scottish man had a large burrito in his hands, poor Logan only had a small bowl of cereal with some boxed 2% milk. Regardless, he seemed happy enough. Probably because it was better than field rations, or even better, not having any food at all. But that wasn't an issue they had here. Not yet, anyways, and once they secured the place, they'd have a decent flow of food coming in again. Regardless, Logan spoke with a questioning tone in his voice.
"Why do you think Command let Miss Sun-Kwon and the Point Man get a room together, but not let me and Michelle share?" He asked.
Jonathan slowly lowered his burrito and looked into the younger man's eyes, "Are you fuckin' kiddin' me? Probably 'cause those two aren't barely into their twenties and are actually dedicated to the job."
That made Logan seem rather offended, "Dude, I'm fucking 26! And I'm dedicated to my work too! Just because I'm a strapping lad doesn't mean-"
"Alright, look 'ere kid. When you're asking about shite like that, you're asking for trouble. Command doesn't do things without a reason. Jin and the Point Man have been through a lot together. They were in this before you were even thought to be conscripted into F.E.A.R. It shouldn't be surprising to you, or to anyone, that they're inseparable. They work better as a team, and so when we're in a bunker far away from our actual homes...you bet your ass we're going to be sticking with the people we have been through shit with. You and Michelle? You're new. You don't hold any real weight. And neither of you have even thought about requesting it. You were only bringing it up because the thought of living in the same room as a woman gets your jiggly bits all tingly." He stated before taking another bite from his burrito, "Plush... Everyone knowsh that the Point Man and Jin both hold shome dark shit in their mindsh. Alma'sh fucked..."
"Don't talk with your mouth full." Ajax said as he took a seat, a cup of coffee in his hands. "What're we talking about? Sharing rooms with ladies? Wait until we get sent out to secure a brothel. Then you can really share a room."
Jon chuckled at that, shaking his head. "I doubt he'd even know what to do with a whore..."
"Oh fuck you, you haggis eating shithead." Logan growled with a roll of his eyes.
Becket sighed softly as he looked over Keira's unconscious body as she laid upon the bed in the infirmary. Her vitals and everything checked out fine. There wasn't anything wrong with her physically. Mentally, even. All the scans showed was that she was deep in slumber. That made the man feel somewhat better about everything, but in the long run, he just wanted Keira back in action. He wouldn't feel content until they could talk to each other.
She was a liaison to his squad, sure, but over time he actually had allowed himself to get closer to her. Not only that, but at this point she was all that remained of Dark Signal other than him, and perhaps Manny. But that was a topic for a later date when they discussed how to find and recover that man. He'd be a good help, no doubt. His wisecracks always managed to boost morale at least to some extent.
Regardless, the pain he felt regarding what could have happened to her was grand. He couldn't have done anything more than what he had already done by then, he knew, but it still didn't help. His mind kept going to all sorts of different thoughts, like what if they had never separated and they had stuck together? Well, in all honesty they would have both probably gotten into that sticky situation, but maybe not!
"Any changes, Doc?" He asked the man as he entered the room.
"Well, Mister Becket, I can assure you that her vitals haven't really changed all that much. Aside from that, I would have to actually be here longer than five seconds to actually examine her to tell you." The Doctor said in a tone that didn't really betray his professionalism.
It sounded like a smart-ass thing to say, but when one really thought about it, he was only telling the truth. And that's why Becket just allowed it to happen. He wasn't offended in the slightest, and knew that he was being a little bit too fidgety about the whole situation. He didn't know how to help it, however, as this was a friend of his. He had seen plenty of them pass away already. He would be damned if Keira left the world without him as well.
The Doctor had a name, though of course no one actually knew it, or his age really. He had to be somewhere in his 50's at least, but he never really told. Furthermore, everyone just called him 'The Doctor' or 'The Doc' or even just simply: 'Doc.' Regardless of what he was called, he was very good at what he did. Because of his efforts and the efforts of his team, deaths were actually a rare occurrence here. Of course, if a limb needed chopping off or something, there wasn't much they could do about that. So those people usually just got reassigned to a non-combat job. Luckily that had only happened twice since the whole ordeal with Armacham started.
Regardless, the man didn't find anything out of the ordinary. One again, she just appeared to be in a deep sleep that nothing really woke her from. That could have been considered a bad thing, but he didn't see the harm in it unless she was still asleep by the next day. After all, she had to be physically exhausted. A lot like the Point Man, though he could manage his exhaustion better than just some random soldier. He was trained to be the best of the best. Born for it, really.
"My recommendation for you, Mister Becket, is to go to the Mess and get something to eat. Maybe have a nice cold beverage, and then go rest. You can't stay here forever, and I'll make sure to call you immediately if anything changes for the better or the worse." Doc said softly as he looked into the man's eyes with his soft grey ones, "There's nothing you can do for her right now, and when she wakes up she's going to want you to have some energy and life to you. Not for you to be half-dead because you stayed here all this time without any sleep, food, or drink."
Becket wanted to decline that advice, but the old man was right. He needed to get rest, and his stomach felt like it was devouring itself. "Right... Thanks, Doc." The man muttered before placing his hand over Keira's, "I'll be back in a few hours, Lieutenant. You better be awake when I return, or I'm never going to stop chewing you out when you eventually do wake up." He said softly before heading towards the exit.
"So, Sergeant, we've brought you here to tell you our new plans for you." Rodney said softly as he looked the man in the eyes from the other side of the conference table. "Right now we're currently in the process of finding possible candidates to expand your squad, but whilst we're at it we found out some rather troubling news.
Your Captain, David Raynes, has recently made contact with us again. Don't ask me how. He's been captured by Armacham and is being held at the Airport. We're thinking that, if you're up for the task, you could infiltrate their little facility there and free him. He's a good man. There's no reason we should let him get tortured by Armacham if we can help it."
"Of course I'm up for it." The Sergeant replied, "Just give me a means to get there, and I'll get him back. The Captain is a good man. I thought we lost him. He'll be critical to this new squad you're talking about."
"Glad you're on the same page, Sergeant..." Alma cooed softly as her red eyes penetrated the man's soul, "Armacham has a tight hold over the Airport. It's where the bulk of their forces are, and it's where they are getting supplies. You'll be doing more than just going behind enemy lines. You'll be going right into their home. And as a result, you'll find that their patrols are heavy, and that stealth is much more complicated than you may be used to.
That is why I suggested you take the recently recovered Terror Guard subjects with you. They would prove invaluable for this operation."
The Sergeant tilted his head, "Terror Guard?"
Betters nodded slowly, "I forgot you may not have been told about that. They're Super-Soldiers with specially made suits of armor that increase that fact. They'll definitely be a big help when sneaking into and out of the Airport. But that's not all we'll have you do. Since it's more than likely going to be awhile until we can get our main force over there, we're going to have you do a little bit of shopping. Obviously, the Captain is your main priority. Don't risk his life. If you absolutely have to, abandon the other objectives and secure him. He's all that really matters. However, if you can get your hands on some intel, maybe transport records or battle-plans...that'd help us out a lot.
Right now we're fighting Armacham in the dark. We are having to guess at what they're going to do next, and that isn't exactly the most efficient thing we can be doing. It's getting tough, and until we secure the other remaining facilities in Fairport, we're stuck having to resort to guerrilla tactics. Striking out of nowhere when we happen to get our hands on some form of knowledge regarding their plans."
"Where would these pieces of intel be stored?" The man asked.
"A good question. More than likely, any high end intel will be located in whatever they're using as their Command Center. However, supply shipments may be easier to acquire, and they'd be located in the Flight Towers." Betters stated, "After all, they'd be the ones authorizing birds to land with their loot."
The Sergeant nodded, "Well, I'll see what I can do. If it's too far out of the way, or it puts David's life on the line... We'll just have to make do with what we've got. It's unreasonable to think that I'm going to be able to recover much, since it's just me and a few others infiltrating a heavily guarded place."
Betters sighed, though he seemed accepting of that fact. It was like he knew that's what it was going to be like anyway. "Alright. That's fair. You'll be heading out for your mission in three days from now. By then, we may be able to organize some sort of distraction for you. The other F.E.A.R. team is going to be heading out soon as well, and the Replica forces are going to be moving into other territories that are currently contested. Any questions for us?"
"Nah."
"Good. Dismissed." Betters sighed with a small smile, turning and looking at Alma.
She looked at him in return, but didn't say anything. Instead she vanished right before their very eyes in a cloud of black ash that disappeared when it hit the ground. An odd entity, but one that only wanted peace. That's at least what Betters hoped. After hearing her story, and actually properly talking with her, he had no real reason to not believe her. Well, other than her funny ways of showing peaceful intent. Like melting people alive, and other torturous acts. But that had to do with a lot of her anger, and when he placed himself in her position, well, he understood very clearly why she did what she did.
Things overall were looking rather good for the Fairport Coalition. In the grand scheme of things, there wasn't much Armacham could do to salvage Fairport. They didn't have the resources to pour into it despite their facilities, and by the time said facilities produced the amount of forces needed to retake the city, they'd lose their foothold there and they'd have a wider range of attacks. Sure, Fairport was one victory for the Coalition, but in the end, it didn't win them the war. It only won them their own domain. Their own place to call home for when they returned from the front-lines, or from behind enemy lines as our heroes would most frequently find themselves in such situations. The Replicas would take care of front-line fighting for the most part.
The bonds between the S.E.A.R. and F.E.A.R. team were strengthening, meaning that they'd be able to work closer together to achieve a wider range of objectives that they wouldn't have been able to do before. They weren't competing, and now S.E.A.R. no longer needed to sweep up the mess left behind by the F.E.A.R. team. With both the Point Man and Griffon being a part of the Terror Guard program as well, they were made into proper juggernauts of leaders for their teams. With their expertise backed by augmentations, they'd definitely be a force to reckon with.
The Point Man, Jackson... Whilst he wasn't entirely sure what Jin saw in him, he was glad that the two of them had embarked down the journey of learning how to have a relationship together. He didn't know why, but the prospect of it made him glad. It filled him with...hope, excitement, and even joy. Though it'd be a struggle, no doubt. There was no saying what obstacles they'd encounter together, but Jackson had one glaring issue. He wasn't meant to have a relationship, and he wasn't meant to have any real social interactions either. He didn't know how to date, or how to properly care for someone like that. All he knew was that they shared some form of bond. One that made him want to protect her at all costs, and to make her comfortable and happy. If that meant being in a relationship he didn't understand...well, she'd just have to teach him how to understand it. And Jin? Jin was optimistic about the future, despite all of the unlikely possibilities becoming reality.
The Sergeant was overjoyed at the knowledge that his team's leader was still alive, but also intimidated by the fact of what his mission now pertained to. It wouldn't be easy sneaking into Armacham's headquarters, with or without the help of Super Soldiers. Regardless, he knew that he needed to get David back. Without him, he didn't see how they'd make any real progress in the long-run. So he knew he'd just have to swallow his fears and get his ass moving. What's the worst that would happen? He gets thrown in a cell with David? That'd be a mistake on Armacham's part. Then again, it was a mistake on their part for doing what they did to Alma, so it wasn't unlike them to make mistakes like that.
Alma's motivations, as well as the Replicas' are still unknown to all.
AN:
Well, I hope you guys liked that chapter. Sorry that it took so long to get out. Life's been crazy. For those of you who stick around even throughout the enormous wait times, I thank you, and I want to let you know that I'll try to pick up the pace, so don't worry. As we speak I have more chapters already planned out and on the way. Thanks!
