Season Three: Episode Three (Badlands)

Deni frowned, keeping an eye on the rubble of the buildings. She didn't look back at Ben or make eye contact. "How's Ericka?" she questioned, truthfully concerned. She knew what Ericka meant to him. Ericka wasn't just some girl to Ben. He really did love her, despite of everything that happened while back. Over the seven months, they worked a lot out in their relationship. He chuckled lightly to himself, staring out the opening. He looked for any movement, but found nothing. "Oh, she's doing well. Bored, but well. She wanted to thank you, you should've stopped by." he replied, holding up his gun. Deni nodded and focused her attention back on keeping watch.

...

Ericka noticed Tom and Dan march out of the war room. She heard about them being under attack on the front lines.

Ben's out there, she thought with an unsettling rumble churning in her stomach.

As Tom and Dan passed, she walked along side of them. "I'm coming too." She demanded stubbornly. Tom shook his head 'no'. "Absolutely not." he added. "I've been medically cleared by both Lourdes and myself." Ericka continued, "I'm going out there."

A grin passed on Dan's face. She was a fighter alright. There was no doubt about it.

...

"Ericka, what are you doing here?" Ben asked loudly. In his opinion, she should still be resting. Ericka knew the risks and she was definitely willing to take them. She aimed her gun out of another opening and fired. "I have to go after my dad. Deni, come with me. Ericka_" she cut him off. "I got it, go."

They grabbed their guns and left. Ericka covered them as they jogged down the same path Tom and Dan took. She didn't know who they were fighting; she only hoped that they were winning.

...

Ericka walked beside Colonel Weaver. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she listened to Dan. He was telling her who the shooters were. They were humans. One was dead and the other was the sniper who shot Crazy Lee. The sniper was still alive though. They were planning on questioning her. Ericka stopped, peering down the medical wing. She blinked, thinking about Crazy Lee. It wasn't like she was really close to the woman, but they were friends. A hand rested firmly on her shoulder. Her eyes traveled up to Dan's. He seemed to know what she was thinking. "You can go." he stated. Ericka nodded, "Let me know when the sniper regains consciousness."

"You got it, soldier." Dan said with a smile.

She walked off, down the hall. She didn't know what Lee's situation was, but she hoped it wasn't too serious. Ericka walked up to Pope, who just finished talking to Lourdes. The Berserkers were waiting outside of a curtain. She hurried over to him. He looked pale and upset. It was something unfamiliar to her. "Pope, how is she?" asked Ericka. He shook his head and bit his lip, debating on what to say. "She's alive, but the pipe blinded her." he said. She frowned, not really knowing what it was like to lose sight. "When are they taking the pipe out?" she questioned. "They aren't, kid."

Her eyes gazed over at the Berserkers. They were her family, her friends. Today they would lose Crazy Lee. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. He walked to the curtains. "You coming?" Pope inquired. Ericka shook her head, backing away. She pivoted on her heel, going in the opposite direction. A soldier literally bumped into her. They both apologized before he told her that Colonel Weaver sent him. The sniper was conscious. She followed him to the place they were containing her. Ericka placed her handheld guns on the table, along with a knife she had in her boots. The soldier seemed to disappear from her side. Noticing Ben by the cage door, she headed over to him to watch the interrogation. "I miss anything?"

He shook his head. Ben tore his eyes away from the scene to focus on her. He could tell that something was bothering her, but he wasn't sure what. Then he remembered Crazy Lee. "How's Crazy Lee?" he inquired. "She's gonna die." Ericka replied. Her eyes never left the sniper. This was the woman who shot Lee. She DESERVED to die, whether she was human or not. Ben glanced at Ericka, then back to the sniper. She just claimed to work for the real president, Benjamin Hathaway. Tom and Dan left with Marina and General Bressler. Her fingers gripped the gate. She looked back at them as they left. Once they were gone, she opened the door and went inside. Ben tried to stop her by putting a hand on her arm, but she brushed him off. Ericka took a seat across from Catherine Fisher (as she claimed to be).

"Who gave you the orders?" she asked. Catherine raised an eyebrow at her with a smirk playing out on her face. "They sent a toddler in here with me." said the sniper. Ericka frowned, leaning back and folding her arms. "You know what I think? I think you're a liar. You don't work for the president." she stated confidently. The sniper woman laughed loudly. "What would you know? You're just a kid." replied Catherine. She reminded Ericka of Karen. Even thinking of that name made her want to puke. "I may look like a kid, but from the second those aliens landed on our planet, I grew up fast."

She continued, "You shot my friend. The vest she was wearing saved her, but the force made her land back on a pipe. It went straight through her head."

Catherine frowned and leaned forward. "Then what are you doing talking to me?" she questioned. Ericka quickly left; she was right. She wasted time watching the interrogation and talking to the sniper. She should've seen Crazy Lee. She should've spoken to her or said something. They were friends. Her biggest regret was not saying she was sorry to her dad (and family) before he died. Her fast-paced walk, turned into a run as she sped down the halls.

Please don't be too late, she changed in her head.

Earlier, she was too scared to go see her. A tear fell down her face, quickly followed by another. She stopped when she saw Pope exit from behind the curtain. He draped the dog tag over Matt's head. "Pope?" her voice squeaked out. She noticed a tear come out of his eyes. That was it, she was gone. Ericka wiped her eyes. For the second time that day, she turned and rushed away.

...

She scribbled her dad's, mom's, and both of her brother's name on one leaf. When Ben finished the leaf he had, he grabbed her hand. Together they went up to the tree and hung the leaves. They moved away to allow others to do the same. He hugged her close. "I'm an idiot. I should've been with Lee. I mean, we weren't close; but she was my friend. And she had my back more than once." Ericka spoke. Her eyes glazed with tears. "It's ok. Whatever you were going to say to her, I'm sure (wherever she is) Crazy Lee knows." he told her, staring at the tree. Then Ben kissed her forehead. She smiled up at him. He always made her feel so much better when she was upset. Whether it was a joke or just a kiss, Ben was like her medicine. And as corny as it sounded, it was true. His eyes suddenly widened in horror. She didn't notice the spaceship until an explosion went off. "There's the attack we were waiting on." Ericka said plainly. Colonels and Generals were shouting orders and others ran around in a panic. Ben grabbed her hand, pulling her along with the other soldiers.

AN: I wanna redo some of the previous chapters for season 2 and then a whole new season 1. But that is going to take a lot of time. Plus, I will need somewhere I can stream online for free every episode from the first and second season without having to download anything. I still don't know if I want to do that though. It will take a lot of time. Enjoy the story and please leave a review. By the way, I did this on my iPod and don't have a spell or grammar check.