"It was Genevieve Aristide. She sent the Black Ops unit and Armacham Security Forces out to grab us at the crash site. And she wants what's left of Delta's Dark Signal team too. She mentioned Still Island as well... I guess this Dark Signal team was out there. It must be related somehow."
"Still Island... I see. You're sure about all this, Jin? Her name was mentioned?"
"Yes. And the voice suited her. Bitchy. Holier than thou. Cares more about her resume, standing with the company and bottom line than what she did to Fairport. Textbook narcissist and or sociopath. Couldn't have been anyone but her. I still can't fathom why she didn't just leave Fairport when she had the chance."
"Don't you worry about Ms. Aristide. I have something good planned for her. I'm tracking her and her bodyguards on the Hannibal-3 right now. Her days of living the high life are going to come to a quick end."
"Oh? I'm all ears. Don't leave me hanging down here."
"You just focus on getting to Auburn Memorial in one piece, Jin, and you'll live long enough to find out. Can't be having all my eggs in one basket, about now. Need to know basis and such."
"Spoilsport."
They were making good time. Already they had reached the Abandoned Section of the Old Underground Metro Area, beyond the sewer system. It was pretty impressive... blocks of abandoned, old run down stores and tenement buildings. From what she could gather on her datapad, it dated back to the 1970's, before a great deal of it was ruined and destroyed by a big earthquake back then. The modern city of Fairport had been constructed right on top of it. It was much bigger and more spacious than the sewers, thankfully, even with all the old debris and blocked areas. More room to navigate along the old stone and concrete, while they could all still keep close together. It was big enough to drive vehicles around in... and they did find a few rusted up and abandoned among the debris. Even more fortunate, there were a number of working lamps set up down here... new and well maintained, no doubt to make life easier on the metro security and police when they had to patrol down here. It had probably been a good place for squatters, homeless and criminals to take refuge in. Though about the only thing still living down below that was left were the rats, squeaking and running by into the shadows as they approached. As such, the headlamps weren't as necessary, but everyone kept them on regardless, there were a lot of dark corners, and it would be easy to get lost down there. All it would take was one wrong turn to get separated.
There were quite a few exits that ended up in other areas of Fairport, below other districts... some of them had collapsed, either from time, or most likely the blast... but many of them were intact. That was where the datapad came in handy... Jin kept a map of the underground handy, speaking up and pointing out where they needed to go now and again. According to some of the information on the place, it was a site for urban explorers... wouldn't have surprised her if some TV show or documentary had covered the place before. There was a lot of history here, that looked like it had all simply been dropped one day. At a certain point, they stumbled upon some corpses... belonging not to squatters or other civilians, rather, to Replicas. Holiday called her up front to where he and the Point Man were standing. Leaving the civilian with Passalaqua for the moment, she moved quickly up there to where they had halted, in a corridor. Six bodies lay not far from one another, in the subsequent corridor. Illuminated by the dim lights above. Some flat on their backs, others slumped against the walls on either side. Blood soaked a good amount of the floor, all around them... smeared on the walls... complete with hand prints and boot prints. Various severed limbs lying in puddles of blood. Holiday uttered a low, impressed whistle at the grisly scene that had awaited them.
"Jesus Christ. It's like a slaughterhouse down here. Smells like a morgue. This looks more like work cut out for the Serial Crimes Unit than Delta Force or F.E.A.R."
"Replica. No trace of gunfire or shell casings. No signs of struggle... but someone, something tore through them. They have... claw marks. Their armor is shredded. Aortas and various arteries severed. Never stood a chance."
"None of them fired? How the fuck not?"
"Maybe it happened while they were inert? If not, I have no earthly idea."
The Point Man knelt next to one of the corpses, prying the G2A2 Assault Rifle from his hands, popping out the drum magazine and examining it. Sure enough, not a shot fired. He tucked it away, then he retrieved some more ammunition from the various pouches on the front of the Replica's armor, before taking up the RPL again. Waste not, want not. Jin liked his style. The Point Man stood back up off to the side again, looking ahead, sweeping the corridors with his headlamp and submachine gun. Jin stood up again, shaking her head. They hadn't been killed in the Origin Facility's destruction... if she had to guess it had been not long before or after it, during the course of the night or morning. But the question was what had done it to them, one more of many questions, added to the list.
"Whatever it is, let's keep moving, before it... or they, come back. I don't think I want to find out what did this."
"That makes two of us. You heard the lady! Move out, people!"
The group of corpses hadn't been the only ones they found along the way... just the biggest concentration of them. They found individual ones, of more than one kind of uniform and armor variation. Some with weapons, others without. All viciously gored, all with no signs of struggle or a firefight. Replica were not the only dead they found down beneath the city either. There were some slain Armacham Security Guards along the way, and more unfortunately a few Delta Force operators as well, all having suffered the same fates as the Replica... they were fewer and far between, but regardless. It didn't bode well... and there was a difference between the Deltas compared to the Armacham thugs or Replicas... they were far more worth pausing for. Holiday and his men took the time to stop at each operator's body, saying a few words of respect, and removing their dog tags, tucking them away in a pouch devoted just for that purpose. He'd found a number of them before they had all regrouped at the pawn shop as well. He would mention every operator's name as he read them, and let Den Mother know over the comlink who hadn't made it.
The Delta Force coordinator had a long list of confirmed KIA and MIA operators in Fairport. At the very least, their families would have an answer. They had no choice but to leave the bodies, below in that dark place with the dead Replicas and Armacham henchmen, but Holiday promised he'd see to it every body was recovered when Fairport was back under control. Taking the time to mark the locations of each body on his datapad for Den Mother. It was something, at least. The civilian with them was improving a little as well, as the journey went on. Becoming more cognisant. He still wasn't speaking, but he was able to walk a little on his own without support. Even so, he was still quite aimless, still needed to be directed by Jenkins and Bisenti. She kept an eye on him, kept close when she could. Jin wondered not for the first time how he had ended up in this state... where he had been when the Point Man had found him. His circumstances. Covered in blood, but not a single wound to show for it. Where was his family? It seemed everyone left was going to have a big story to tell... she couldn't imagine the fallout of all this. The ramifications that would be permanently felt by the country, the world. The supernatural wouldn't be swept under the rug again, this time around... people would know the truth. They were living the stuff of history... but all that mattered now was surviving and saving everyone they could.
"Hey, hold up again everyone!", Holiday barked suddenly from ahead, holding up a fist. He looked down at something out of her view. Then slowly back over his shoulder, down to her, expression on his bruised features perturbed. "Uh... Jin? You might want to come up here and take a look at this too. You're the forensics specialist around here."
"More Replica or Armacham men? If we stop for every one of them, we'll never-..."
"It ain't Replica or Armacham. Or my operators or civvies, for that matter."
Jin's brow rose curiously at that... glancing over at Passalaqua, who merely shrugged. She looked back ahead and got moving, moving through the equally curious operators, who cleared her some space, stepping just past an open metal gate ahead and joined Holiday, who was standing over something... another blood puddle. The Point Man knelt at the edge of its rim, staring hard at something lying in its center. She looked past them for a moment, assessing the area ahead. There was a section partially cutting off the pathway, just below, collapsed, sinking down into the sewer. Pipes visible running along the lower area. But the other side wasn't too high up, they'd be able to climb it and keep moving. She looked around the area, well illuminated by a single powerful light in the corner next to the gate. The scene before them was different from the others... there were a number of shell casings strewn all around the area, belonging to an RPL sub machine gun... bullet marks all over the wall, bites in the concrete. Pieces of which were scattered along the floor as well, in the blood and beyond.
The wall closest to her was stained, along with part of the ceiling... where it had dried. Despite the many shell casings, there was no weapon in sight, nor a body to show for all the gunfire. At least... not a complete one. When she stepped closer to Holiday's side, he took a step back so she could see for herself what they did. She looked down at what they were surveying, eyes narrowing... to find a severed right arm lie in the middle of the blood puddle. Covered in a dark grey armored sleeve of an undersuit and a shoulder pad. A thick glove of the same tone... and a strangely familiar logo patch on the shoulder. Black, with two white stripes through it. Definitley not belonging to Replica, Armacham or Delta Force. As she considered it, she looked over to find the Point Man's red goggles looking back up at her. He then slowly extended his own right arm close to the severed arm... hovering it side by side. The two arms were almost an identical match... comprised of all too similar material. Slowly, it dawned on Jin, her eyes widening... a wave of horror flitting through her as she understood what the Point Man was getting at.
"Oh God... no..."
The Point Man slowly, wearily withdrew his arm, when he knew she understood what he did. A swell of grief and revulsion almost overtook her, from the pit of her stomach. She had to contort her face, force herself to stay focused. She was a medical specialist and technical officer first. That was what was required of her now. Someone she knew was dead... but she had to grieve later... there would be a great deal more to grieve when all was said and done. Activating her comlink, she made the call. Fighting to keep her voice calm and under control.
"Betters? We found something here."
"Go ahead, Jin. What is it?"
"A severed arm in a puddle of blood. It's all pretty fresh. Every body we've found down here is."
"And that's important how? Plenty of limbs and corpses scattered down there among the rubble. All over the city. Place is a goddamn warzone and horror movie in one. What makes this body part so special?"
"It's wearing the sleeve and shoulder pad of the D-12 armor. Not Jankowski's either... it's the Medium Armor Variant. The same kind Raynes' team is so fond of. You can take a look on the Point Man's POV visor cam for yourself, if you need proof."
On that note, meeting Jin's gaze, the Point Man nodded his helmeted head, reached up to his goggles and activated the camera feed, for Betters remote viewing for the first time since the Vault's destruction. There was long and sudden silence on the line... and she glanced over during it. Holiday was hanging his head awkwardly, sympathetic... withdrawing a bit to give them both some room. Looking on ahead to the gap in the path, the broken section below. The Point Man remained where he was, goggles looking at the severed arm, as well as the area around them... but she had the feeling his eyes behind them were focused up at her. Seemingly deep in contemplation. At last, Betters defeated voice spoke again on the comlink with a sigh in her ears.
"Fuck. You can turn it off now, buddy. I've seen more than enough."
The Point Man obliged, reaching up and pressing the concealed button on his goggles again, deactivating the camera. Standing up at last and looking over at Jin once more carefully. Jin sighed tiredly as well, kneeling down gradually at the edge of the blood puddle. Looking up at the ceiling to all the dried stains, where it had dripped and ran.
"You know something. Whose arm is this?"
"Lieutenant Chen's. It's gotta be. Take a blood sample and test it to be on the safe side... but I'd say with almost a hundred percent certainty it's him."
"Chen. Damn it." The news was a hammer blow to Jin, who squeezed her eyes shut tightly, heart beating faster. It took all the more will to keep her voice steady. To keep back the twisting, worsening grief. The shock. "How are you so sure it's him?"
"He was killed somewhere down there, not long after the blast. Raynes' Sergeant confirmed it... but not the particular details, the cause, other than it being supernatural related. I understand why he withheld information, now. The Lieutenant's tracker has gone dark, but his lifesigns are flatlined. At least we have a direct confirmation, this time. Not sure if that's better... or worse."
"Why didn't you tell us earlier?"
"Because that's what I do, Jin. You know that. I don't mention mission irrelevant information. If I had to explain everything I see and hear up here all the time, we'd never get anything done. Like I said... need to know basis."
"I understand... but it looks pretty relevant to me, now."
"How was I supposed to know you guys would find him... something of him... down there? You know how big that underground is? I couldn't help him, save him, but I can make sure you guys don't end up the same way."
Carefully, Jin reached down to the severed arm, her glove settling on his. She grasped the sleeve and pealed off the glove, setting it down outside the perimeter of the blood puddle. His still, clammy, paling hand was exposed... and something glinted on his fourth finger in the light. It took her a moment to realize what it was. A wedding ring... gold band and diamond encrusted. He'd been wearing it, even on his combat missions. She'd never known that. She'd worked with him for years... and she'd never even bothered asking. With a breath, Jin forced herself to speak again, her tone hushed and solemn.
"He had a wife, Betters. Children. They're waiting for him to come home. Probably watching the news right now."
"Tell me something I don't fucking know! I'm going to have to visit them... same with Jankowski's family, after this mess is over. And I don't know what the fuck to tell them. Sorry, they were killed by supernatural freaks while battling an army of clone super soldiers led by a cannibal psychic, a corporate army of thugs and a private army of mercenary assassins. They got unlucky."
Jin heard him sigh again with more frustration on the comlink. Taking a moment to collect himself... before speaking again. His tone more weary than it already had been.
"Jankowski was right. There's a reason we aren't taken seriously. Twenty years, with what to show for it?"
Slowly, as respectfully as she could... she pealed off Lieutenant Steve Chen's wedding ring. Holding it under her headlamp, right in her palm. She looked at the engraving inside it and drew a low breath, shaking her head slowly, closing her eyes. Using all the effort she had to keep speaking. To keep her tears at bay. She could not afford to be weak... not now. Especially not now. It would have to wait.
"We will be taken seriously, after all this. They didn't die for nothing. The world will know. There's no covering up Fairport, hard as Armacham is trying. And I'll be there with you. Raynes and his Sergeant too, I bet. If he isn't back to hitting the bottle over it... blaming himself. We'll all figure out what to say together."
There was another silence on the line. She gave him the time he needed. She needed it just as much. At last, he activated the comlink again, low, exhausted voice speaking on the other line.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Good. You guys need to keep moving. The walkway to the closest maintenance area is just up ahead."
"Copy that."
"And Jin?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
Jin turned off the comlink... and at last she opened her eyes and rose, looking at the ring one more time in the light. Her hand tightened around it, clasping, and reaching down she opened a pouch, tucking it away safely inside. Then she removed an empty vial, collecting a sample of the blood and sealing it again, stowing it away into another pouch. When she had finished, she stepped away from the arm, the blood, and moved off to the side, turning her back to it all. Leaning a bit against the closest wall. She heard Holiday step up behind her, setting his gloved hand on her back bracingly. She heard the Sergeant Major's voice, low and gentle. Sympathetic, the usual grim humor and boisterousness evaporated. She appreciated it more than she could say.
"Jin? You gonna be ok?
"No. Just... give me a moment. You guys best head to the next area, make sure it's clear. I'll be up there with you in a minute."
"Understood. Take the time you need."
"Thank you."
Holiday glanced over to the Point Man, who nodded back at him. It seemed to satisfy him, he gave the order for everyone to move ahead, taking the lead. The operators passed by one after another, giving her space, she didn't raise her head, but she felt them staring at her as they went. Passalaqua alone of them stopped and put a gloved hand on her shoulder encouragingly for a moment... but didn't seem to know what to say when she looked at him. He moved on instead awkwardly, exchanging a look with the Point Man, and double timing it ahead to help out with the civilian, who needed some assistance climbing up over the gap below that the others easily bypassed. The Point Man lingered behind where he was, looking back at her from where he stood nearby. He stepped over to her at last... and when she felt his presence she looked up into his goggles again. Smiling at him weakly... trying to find her words... but they were all jumbled up, like her helpless thoughts and feelings.
"Is this all I can do? Take his wedding ring like a grave robber and deliver it for him? Grave robber... you call this tomb a grave? For a man like Steve, and the Deltas we found before? Leaving the only part of him left down here to rot. They deserved better. Of course it's all I can do, I can't just... carry a severed arm around. I...-"
The Point Man reached over, submachine gun down in one hand, the other taking hers... fingers intertwining with them, immediately breaking her darkening train of thought. She looked up at the towering man as he drew near, looked back at her battered, exhausted features in them. She wanted to weep... but she couldn't. It was all just too much... and she was tired. The tears would come again soon enough. Faster than she wished for them too. Still... she leaned forward and pressed her head against his chest, closing his eyes. Her arms rising and entwining around his armored frame. She felt his arm wrap around her again... and even in this dark place... this tomb where God knew what monsters dwell now... this city... she felt safe in the Point Man's grip. Everything else drifted away, in that moment... and she wished it could stay that way. At last she opened her eyes and leaned back a bit looking up at him.
"Let's just get the hell out of here. There's nothing we can do, except try to live. With what we have left. Who we have left..."
He nodded at her gently, arm gradually, reluctantly retracting from her, and hers from him. Raising a hand slightly, she touched the cheek of his mask, pressing along it. It was all she could do then to show her appreciation, in that moment. He seemed to understand her intent... or at least, she hoped so. At last, she looked ahead, to the gap below. Just up and over it she saw the distant team waiting for them near the end of the corridor, Holiday looking down their way and giving her a thumbs up. She moved on, away from the blood stained area and Steve's remains, with the Point Man following closely. He moved a bit ahead of her when they climbed down to the sewer section, and stepped over the pipes towards the cement ledge not far above. The Point Man slung his RPL and climbed up first with ease... looking back down at her when he reached the top. He leaned down, extending his gloved hand for her, and she gratefully jumped up and took it. Looking back up towards him as he hoisted her up on to the ledge beside him with ease. When her boots touched cement again, the two of them continued on, and Jin willed herself not to look back.
She would deliver Chen's wedding ring where it needed to go. One more reason to live through it all. Another purpose. He would want them all to survive as well. She walked in step with the Point Man, and it wasn't long before they caught up with the rest of the group. She resumed her old position in the formation, while the Point Man moved up ahead to join Holiday at the front, who nodded sympathetically. She nodded back, and turned her attention to helping with the civilian again, as well as taking out her datapad and consulting the map. They drifted on, as if they had never stopped, passing around bends, moving through gates and beyond debris. It wasn't long before the Abandoned Underground began to fade, and they drew closer to newer sections. Cleaner, recent developments, comparatively. Pipeworks. Storage containers, crates. There were pools of water below in some sections as they walked... connected to the sewers, most like... drainage ditches. As they moved along, the comlink activated again, and Betters' voice filled the line. Calm and steady, betraying no hint of their words exchanged before.
"You've reached the maintenance area? Good. You're nearly at the Green Line Station... there's a ladder at the end of that walkway, it leads up into the back rooms of the subway. Just for a heads up, Fettel's Replica have reached the subway as well. Infiltrated various points. Using it for supply lines and an Auburn command post from the looks of it. I can see a number of their trucks on the surface. I'm detecting movement around the Green Line as well. They know you're coming from somewhere."
"Copy that, Tomcat.", Holiday replied with a nod, cocking his head from side to side. Easing out the kinks audibly. The Sergeant Major breathed, almost looking relieved to hear there was again a threat he and his men could yet combat. "We'll be ready for the warm reception. I brought the party favours."
"Give em' hell, people."
It was better lit up here too, Jin noted as they moved on... she switched off her headlamp... and at various points so did the Delta Force operators. True to Betters words, at last they spotted a long yellow ladder at the end of a walkway leading a ways up. The Point Man reached it and climbed up first, making sure the area above was clear, before leaning back over the ladder and flashing a thumbs up at Holiday. Holiday passed along the word, and one after another the Delta Force men began the ascent as well. When Holiday and Taylor's team were up at the top, Passalaqua gestured for her to go up next, while he and his men helped up the civilian. She nodded, climbing up on the ladder steadily, passing one of the Delta Force operators waiting at the top. Stepping down the path, she walked down into a backroom storage and office area to find the others looking over the place. There were some desks with computers, and shelves with boxes of supplies around... but that wasn't what drew everyone's attention. Jin followed the stench... forcing herself to ignore it. They found a few bullet ridden bodies of executed maintenance workers... lined up in a blood soaked corner. The first dead civilians she had seen since the Vault's blast.
The Point Man stood over the bodies, watching them... quite immobile. They weren't the only corpses, there were three bodies belonging to Replica troopers, also shot up in contrast to the bodies in the Old Underground Metro Area. No signs of a struggle or gun battle on their part, all the shell casings around the floor the same, belonging to the perpetrator... if Jin had to guess, they had been killed when they had been rendered immobile by Fettel's apparent death. Someone had been through here and took them out before they got a chance to wake up. Holiday and the Deltas by contrast looked comfortable enough, waiting for Passalaqua to bring up the rear. He and his men led the civilian down into the storage area as well, past some of the offices and desks, and closing the door behind them. Looking to Holiday and giving him a nod that they were all good. Holiday looked back to the Point Man, standing before the executed civilians... and tapped him on the shoulder, bringing him out of his trance. The Point Man looked back at Holiday, and to Jin sharply with a start.
"You still with us, man? Don't worry, plenty more test tube motherfuckers out there to kill, just for us. Let's go get these civvies some pay back."
The Point Man stared at him for a moment, then looked again between the Replica corpses and the murdered employees. On that note, he nodded slowly. Taking up his RPL again, he marched past the corpses and the rest of the team and over to the door. Opening it, he stepped through, heading out to secure the hallway ahead, weapon sweeping the area. Taking point. When he had left out of their view, everyone prepared to follow, Holiday moving to the open door, midway through when one of the operators next to the civilian spoke up... Jenkins, who adjusted the strap of his auto shotgun on his shoulder.
"Do I really have to be the first one to ask it? I think so."
Holiday froze and looked back at the operator with confusion, raising a brow his subordinate's way.
"Alright, I'll bite. Ask what, Jenkins?"
"Why we have that mute freak working with us? Do you see the way he moves, acts? He goes into spells and just... freezes. The way he stares at us. Christ, what is he seeing? There's something not right about him. He's like a robot or something. Those Replica have more personality than he does... and they can talk. Even get afraid."
"And the man still has more personality than you, Jenkins.", Holiday shot back with a deep scowl at the operator, the Sergeant Major clearly unamused. "Admittedly that ain't saying a whole hell of a lot. He also pulls his weight, along with most of the rest of ours. He doesn't complain, he does what he has to do. I wish I could have an entire unit of men like him. Those Replica and ATC motherfuckers wouldn't stand a chance. And even with one of him, I wouldn't bet against him."
"All I'm saying Sarge, is we don't know anything about that guy. He's fucking weird. Weirder than the usual F.E.A.R. Ghostbusters as it is. Doesn't seem human. How long has he been with you guys for anyways, Jin?"
All eyes present shifted on to her... and Jin felt like she was being x-rayed. Like Spen's prior misgivings towards the Point Man, it seemed more than a few of the men with them now were sharing them. She wished she could say more about the Point Man, knew more about him... defend him with more context and information, but she stood her ground regardless, folding her arms tightly.
"He's been with F.E.A.R. for a week.", She answered at last calmly and honestly, staring back at the operator. She kept her irritation in check, tone remaining quite cool. Part of her had been wondering when someone would mention it. She knew it would come up eventually. "And his kill count alone... he killed maybe half of Fettel's battalion, near single handed. How many lives did he save in the process by doing that? It was him who acquired all the information we'll ever need to sink Armacham for good. He's done more than anyone in F.E.A.R. ever has, in that week. Probably more than every soldier in this room. Definitely more than you. "
"Yeah, like blowing up the Origin Facility. He's your team's Point Man, he's the one who went down there alone after Fettel and the Wades, right? As soon as he leaves the place, the fucking Vault goes up in a mushroom cloud. Coincidence? My ass. How many people are dead now because of him? How many people did that explosion kill? Tens of thousands? Hundreds? Where is everyone? You can add them to his kill count too. He did more damage than Fettel or the Replica. How do we know he isn't working for Armacham? Blew the place up to cover their tracks? Buy them time? They were pretty damn eager to get their hands on him, from what you've said. Maybe they want to wire some more commands into their Terminator's CPU."
There were a few murmurs of assent among some of the other Delta Force operators, and Holiday shut them up at once with an ugly look. He paused for a few moments, chewing it over, glancing Jin's way. She nodded back at him encouragingly, then he looked back ahead to the operator, jaw tightening with annoyance.
"And how do we know what happened down there, Jenkins? Like you said, it was him, Harlan and Alice Wade, Fettel and probably Alma. Nobody else... but you got it all figured out on your own, don't you, Sherlock? In that case, maybe I've figured it out too. For starters, even if he did blow the place up, the Auburn District had been evacuated, most of it abandoned for years already... and how do we know the explosion was supposed to be that big on its own?"
"What do you mean?"
"Alma. She's powerful, dangerous as all hell. We got a pretty good idea that she's behind all this spooky shit in Fairport lately... the missing people, the atmosphere, our clocks not working, supernatural fuckery, you name it.. God knows what else she was doing closer to ground zero. She can distort time and reality, if Jin's theory is correct, and we've seen nothing to disprove her. Who's to say this undead freak didn't amplify the radius of the explosion somehow? Use her psionic powers to give it a boost?"
His words drew silence from the other Deltas, a few whom shifted uncomfortably. Looking at one another, clearly mulling it over, Jenkins included. They were all quite uncomfortable with the idea of the supernatural... one they increasingly found they couldn't deny or refute. Even so, Jenkins remained defiant, speaking up again.
"Either way, my point stands, Sarge. Thousands are dead and Fairport is in a permanent ruin. It'll never recover from all this... and he was the only one to leave the Vault and live to tell the tale... well, if he could talk. And don't get me started me on how the hell he survived that explosion at ground level. I don't trust him and neither do a number of other operators, Sarge, skilled and useful or not. How long is that going to last in our favor? He could snap at any second for all we know, carry out Armacham's bidding or get telepathically hijacked by Alma, like Fettel was. Turn on-..."
"He saved my life."
The murmur was so quiet, so low, Jin and the others almost missed it. Regardless, she followed the gaze of the other Deltas as their heads snapped back in Passalaqua's direction. Specificity, to the blood stained, disheveled civilian next to him. He was watching all of them right back, distantly, looking slowly back down at the floor... the the blood close to his feet. And then glanced to the Replica corpses and bodies of the executed civilians. After a long pause of silent... he spoke up again, just as quietly... eyes remaining evasive.
"From something like this... and more than once. He's saving us all. From something... far worse than... than these... Replica. Or Armacham. I've seen..."
"What the hell are you talking about?", Jenkins spoke back in return with confusion when the civilian broke off, eyes bewildered behind his clear goggles. "Did the blast fry your brains? Saving us from what?"
The civilian stared back at Jenkins unblinkingly, looking around at all their faces... but he didn't answer... he shook his head slowly and seemed to fall back inside himself again, galling silent again. Closing his eyes and lowering his head. Everyone stared at him for a long moment in silence, before the Sergeant Major cleared his throat, redirecting the attention back his way and moving things forward, speaking to Jenkins again.
"You don't have to like him... hell, he's a smart man, he probably doesn't like you either. But you do have to work with him. And you better be glad you are, that he's on our side. You'd probably be like those poor motherfuckers down underground right now otherwise. And that counts for all of you. Keep that in mind the next time anyone here thinks of trash talking him behind his back. You secure that shit, Jenkins. If you don't trust him now, just a matter of time before he shows you how wrong you are. The hard way."
Before Jenkins could summon a retort to the Sergeant Major, and he looked like he was about to, gunfire emanated from the corridor outside, and everyone started, looking to the door and raising their weapons. The unmistakable rapid fire roar of an RPL echoing through the corridors outside, muffled faintly in the distance. Holiday swore and burst out the room, assault rifle at the ready, a few of the Deltas following with him quickly, amid the bustling of boots and gear. Jin and the others followed suit after them, her heart beating rapidly in her chest with apprehension. Moving through the door, they left the backrooms behind and stepped into a corridor leading on to the subway. Ahead she saw Holiday and his men sweep around the next corner just as the firing stopped, and they froze... slowly lowering their weapons. Jin double timed it down after them while Passalaqua brought up the rear, the civilian in tow.
When she reached the other Deltas, she slowed down, stepping past a few of them over to Holiday's side, peering down the subsequent hallway. A light swung overhead, casting shadows along the bullet ridden hall, as well as through the dust. The walls, ceiling, and floor had chunks missing out of them from the automatic rounds, scattered, strewn like debris all around. To say nothing of all the brass casings littering the ground, glinting in the swinging light, a few of them slowly rolling. The Point Man's familiar, towering form stood alone part ways up the hall, aiming up further still down the corridor. There was no blood, no bodies... no sign of any hostiles he had been engaging, but he had sprayed the hall with lead all the same. Jin could hear his muffled breaths through the mask, even his heavily armored chest moved a bit with each one. That scared her even more than the sudden gunshots had... seeing a trace of fear in the soldier for the first time, despite everything he had endured and saved in Fairport. Holiday approached him first, setting a hand on his shoulder, and the moment he did, the Point Man snapped back to reality again, staring back down at Holiday as the Sergeant Major spoke to him reassuringly.
"Easy does it. Hold your fire, it's us. Everything ok here, man?"
The Point Man's helmeted head tilted slightly, looking between his and Jin's concerned, bruised expressions, then back to the operators with their weapons at the ready and the civilian... and he merely nodded. His muffled breathing grew silent again. The moment it had, calmly tilting his RPL, he ejected the spent magazine within, clattering to the floor, and popped in a fresh one. He looked back at all of them for a moment, and then turned, raising the weapon and marching forward again, passing down the bullet strewn hallway. He swiftly disappeared around the next corner to recon the area up ahead, leaving them all in the ruined hallway, the dust settling down again, while Jenkins' faintly bemused, exasperated voice broke the silence that had formed once more.
"Hey, I'm not saying anything else. This madhouse shit speaks for itself."
"And yet, here you are. Still flapping your jaw. Stow the high school gossiping and keep your mouth closed awhile, Princess. Whatever he just encountered... I say let's count our blessings he saw it first."
His words made a chill run up Jin's spine... the implications... and she saw she wasn't the only one, a few shifting uneasily and glancing around themselves. The operator obeyed despite his evident misgivings, falling silent and looking away from the Sergeant Major's irritated expression. Although he kept silent, he exchanged knowing glances with some of the others, who shook their heads and shrugged, lowering their weapons at last. Holiday and his men took the lead again, moving down the ruined corridor and around the corner, the rest of the group following suit. As they moved along, Jin couldn't help pondering what he might have encountered... be it Alma or some other supernatural entity. Holiday had spoken the truth of it... she didn't want to know what it had been, even as her concern for the Point Man had only deepened. She glanced around the area as they passed doors, rounds in the bend now and again. One corner after another they moved along, deeper into the subway station... finally, the next hall came into Jin's view, and she saw Holiday, Taylor and the others standing near the edge of another bend. Not yet passing around it. The Point Man stood in the lead, while Jin moved up a bit closer with the others, but still hanging back slightly. When the entire group had formed up, The Point Man gestured around the corner to Holiday, nodding his head. The Sergeant Major moved over next to the Point Man, and slowly poked his head slightly around the corner. Pulling back within a few seconds, moving against the wall beside the Point Man. He swore quietly under his breath, and looked back to the rest of the group.
"Replica. They're in there alright. Just past the security gate... I could see them through the gaps, but they aren't facing our direction. If we sneak over to the side door into the station, we can take them off guard. Hopefully clear it out before they know what hit them. Point Man, you sweep in there first and do what you do best. Me, Taylor and his men will cover your advance. Take up positions of cover around the station for overlapping fields of fire. Passalaqua, you and your men stay here, guard Jin and the civvie. We'll radio you when it's safe."
"Understood, sir."
Holiday looked around at all the men one more time, readying his assault rifle for battle. Looking over to where the Point Man watched him, at the edge of the corner. The Sergeant Major grinned bitterly, moving closer to him, nudging the Point Man's shoulder knowingly.
"You're up, big guy. Time for that payback. Let's kick some fucking ass."
The Point Man nodded back, raising his submachine gun and readying it as well. He didn't go around the corner right away, rather he looked back down past the operators and to her. She felt herself smile at him instinctively, nodding encouragingly. Silently wishing she could help him in combat... even if he didn't need it. He looked away from her, back ahead and swept around the corner out of sight rapidly. Even with all his armor and size, she couldn't hear him moving down the hall, silent as the grave. Holiday gave her a thumbs up, mouthed 'wish us luck', and swept around the corner after the Point Man, with Taylor and his men bringing up the rear. They moved slowly and quietly... and Jin pressed back against the wall. Waiting and listening. She could hear the radios of the Replica troopers in the distance, beyond the gate... speaking to one another. Issuing commands, orders. Their voices low and mechanized through the radios, or voice modulators.
Jin was reminded of the Armacham cyborg at the crash site... the one the Black Ops team leader had called Crimson. While it had been a surprise to see one, perhaps it hadn't been as big of one, in hindsight. The fact was, even a cyborg seemed relatively normal compared to everything else happening in Fairport. Cybernetics technology at least had a basis in science... the same couldn't be said of all this. That was when the shooting started, echoing outside... and she heard the cursing and screams of the Replica. Orders to return fire and flank the Point Man and operators. Her pulse quickened, throbbing in her ears... being near gunfire, even away from it and concealed in cover, it always got to her. Close to danger... the threat of death... all it took was an instant. She heard shotguns going off... submachine guns, assault rifles... assorted weapons, every sound distinct. She glanced over at Passalaqua who was focused on it as well, and he shrugged slightly. Nothing he wasn't well used to, especially since arriving in the city. There were a few screams of warning... and then explosions, grenades. She could hear Holiday even among the chaos, shouting orders to his men, laying down suppression fire.
To Jin's unease, the Replicas sounded terrified... as if they were real people, referring to someone... and she could guess who, as being too fast for them. They screamed for reinforcements... she wasn't sure if they came, but if they did, she knew how they ended up. She listened to it play out, moment by moment. It didn't take long for the shooting to stop, the echoes and synthesized voices falling silent, but she could only imagine it did for them. It must have been another world, in the middle of combat, different from the one she existed in on the sidelines. Again Jin wished she could have helped out... been more use on a battlefield... but her primary weapon was her medical and technical expertise, always had been. And the other weapon she'd trained in? Well, one sure as hell wasn't anywhere to be seen. And would be pretty worthless indoors, with close quarters combat at play. There was a reason she mostly contributed scientifically instead. At last, their comlinks blared, and a familiar man's satisfied voice spoke up on the other end of the line.
"All clear. Apart from you know, the blood, guts and dead clone freaks everywhere. Nobody injured. Green Line Station situation is under our control, Tomcat. Looks like it was a staging area. You're right, they're funneling supplies through the subway system. We'll grab some and head out to the tracks in a few minutes here."
"Glad to hear it, Sergeant Major. You're finally making good time. Jin, you heard the man, head on out."
"Copy that, Betters. We're moving up now."
Jin nodded to Passalaqua, and they moved away from around the corner, down towards the closed security gate. She could barely make anything out from the slits, the gaps in the black metal from where she was, instead passing around the corner to the side door into Green Line Station. It was open already, and Passalaqua went through first, HV Penetrator risen up and ready, just in case. He glanced back and waved her through the door while the others brought up the rear with the civilian. She moved to Passalaqua's side, just outside the door... and stepped out of the way for the others to come through. drawing a low breath, she looked out over the brightly illuminated Green Line Station before her. The Delta Force operators of Taylor's team were scattered around the area, securing it at various points. Coming to a stop at a certain point, she took the time to scan the interior of the station, the aftermath of the firefight.
Replica corpses and blood were strewn everywhere... perhaps a couple dozen of them, in various positions with different weapons. Shot down, or outright dismembered. A group of them blown apart by a hand grenade... the smoking crater and rubble visible on the concrete. Debris and glass was scattered about as well, bullet marks and spent brass and shotgun shells everywhere... devastation. What remained every bit matching what she had just listened to. A few of the Deltas were combing the area, taking ammunition and weapons off the Replicas, or breaking open a few of the supply and weapons crates the Replica had been stockpiling here. There were benches all about... leftover newspapers, newspaper stands, old pay phones and ticket booths. Apart from the Replica's stationed there, the place had been devoid of life, no sign of any civilians... just their materials. As though the station had been bustling with activity before the Vault's destruction, busy, and everything had simply been dropped. It probably wasn't far off from the truth. To her far right were several turnstiles and stairwells, leading up further into other sections of the station... albeit each of the entrances were locked down with a security gate, like the one close by at the backrooms and offices.
She looked over to the main platform of the station, leading on to the tracks, to find the empty metal train and a few connecting cars beyond the railing. According to Betters, a few of the train exits and sections of the subway had been caved in, buried during the explosion. The exits stopping off closer to Auburn, at least, towards the epicenter. If not for all the damage from the firefight, this one wouldn't look much worse for wear. It was the unsettling emptiness that troubled her. City subway systems, regardless of where they were, tended to be shoulder to shoulder full of people. Seeing one without them was just unnatural. Part of her had hoped that many of the missing civilians would have been hiding out down here. Maybe they were, at other sections of the subway system... but now she had her doubts. Surely some would have taken shelter in the underground, they would have encountered them earlier. Holiday and Point Man stood near a ticket booth, and when Holiday spotted her and Passalaqua's team, he waved them over, before turning his attention back to the Point Man. Passalaqua and his men left her side, moving on deeper into the station, towards Taylor and his men. When they reached the mid area of the station, they found a bench and set the civilian down on it. Passalaqua turning his attention to talk to Taylor and get some details of the firefight.
Jin in the meantime followed suit, moving through the station at last, over towards Holiday and the Point Man... but before she could reach them, they stepped over to some nearby drink vending machines, looking them over. She moved off to the side of them, leaning against the ticket booth they left, and simply observed them. Holiday had leaned in to examine the machines, one displaying a soda in a green container, another a purple beverage, while the Point Man was looking down at the other one, a red vending machine displaying another kind of soda. Holiday drew back, bruised features grimacing with annoyance. Both of them already seeming miles away from the firefight they had won a minute or two before, even standing among the aftermath.
"Soda Bliss... Coldsnapp Kola... and Diet Zapp Burst? Disgusting shit... all they seem to have in this station. Rather have the air in my mouth. Cheap knockoff brands... who the hell would drink it? I'm telling you, if Auburn Memorial doesn't have the right drinks, I just might unload my magazine on the next vending machine I see. Diet Squish or bust. You look like more of a Classic Fizzy Kola kinda guy, am I right or am I right?"
The Point Man looked away from the red vending machine and back over to Holiday, nodding in confirmation. Holiday laughed, stepping away from the green vending machine and looking back the Point Man's way. Jin couldn't help but smile. Holiday was astute... more than once she had seen the Point Man back at F.E.A.R. Compound eyeing the vending machines, after a hard day's training. Not drinking any, to her knowledge, but at some point perhaps that had changed. As he spoke to the Point Man about something else, her eyes settled upon the masked, silent man listening to the boisterous SFOD-D Unit Leader. Watching the Sergeant Major carefully. As they were preoccupied, her thoughts began to wander, taking her mostly out of the Green Line Station. Away from the battle torn subway lined with Replica corpses. She began to think about things she'd not had the time to stop and consider since she woke at the crash site, as she did now.
There was time enough now.
The First Prototype. That was what Aristide had called him. The only subject she'd heard the term 'Prototype' applied to recently was Project Origin. She remembered what Betters had told her. There had been two... the first hadn't worked out, Fettel had been the second successful one. The goal had been to train telepathic commanders to control clone soldiers. The Point Man was a soldier... an unnaturally talented one, obviously... but a soldier. Not a commander. And they had no way of knowing if he was psionic. He had spells, yes... moments where he seemed to go in and out of trances... but that wasn't enough evidence. At the very least, he wasn't the way Fettel was. Directly connected to him, or to Alma. He couldn't be. Was he a prototype of a separate but related Armacham military project? Some... super soldier experiment, like the Replica? An advanced precursor or predecessor to them? A bioengineered clone?
It might explain why Aristide was so anxious to capture him. God knew how many twisted projects Armacham was running. And using what was left of Fairport as the testing grounds now, it seemed. He moved like a super soldier, on the battlefield. Faster even than the Replica. Deadlier. Betters had told her about his reflexes in combat, she'd watched him in training back at F.E.A.R. HQ... but training was not... this. Killing. He made it into an art form... the antithesis of why she was here, to heal. She looked around at all the corpses again... and back to Holiday and the Point Man by the vending machines. She'd never seen it herself demonstrated... even now, all she saw was the aftermath, not how he had performed it. It was hard to believe he'd only transferred in a week ago... with how acclimated to F.E.A.R. he was. How naturally he seemed to belong there. Like he had been with them for years. Even with Spen's mistrust, he'd not been able to deny the Point Man's uncanny talent.
She watched Holiday laughing and joking, talking to... at the Point Man. He couldn't even reply... but something about Holiday's playful ribbing had an effect on him. The masked operative was a little less stiff than before. It was subtle... body cues. Nodding here and there. Faint gestures. It was good for him, having someone extroverted and boisterous like Holiday around. Having others around. But who was he really? What was his name? Did he even have one? Betters had informed them not to ask questions about his name... to call him by his title moniker. Classified information. Classified background. Need to know basis. Jenkins, in spite of his unpleasant attitude, had not been entirely wrong. He was a mystery... she could see how he would intimidate most around him. His silent intensity, size and stillness. The results of what he was capable of. She'd seen him without the mask, around the F.E.A.R. Compound. Saw more than his face for his full medical exam... the tests she'd run on him.
Admittedly she had looked forward to that. He was quite handsome... the tall, dark and mysterious type. Still, that hadn't been all that drew her to him.
He didn't even wear dog tags, like all the other men in F.E.A.R... and even if he had, something told her there wouldn't have been a name stamped on them. And then there was the way he looked at her, with and without the mask. The way he made her feel when he was around her... what she had felt when he had burst through that pawn shop door. It couldn't have been only a week. Spen had teased her about it a fair bit... now so did Holiday, she'd put up a good front, but... they hadn't been entirely wrong. Something about his strength... stolidness... but how strangely gentle he was. She always felt safe around him. Among other things. Even while she recognized how intimidating he was. She couldn't say it was love, not so soon... and what did love have to do with all this? It had no place in Fairport. And certainly not this quickly... yet... it was confusing. Her focus on her medical and technical responsibilities hadn't left her much time for a romantic life or starting a family... a sacrifice she'd had to make for her career. As her parents never stopped reminding her. At least they had other, far less disappointing kids to count on in that department.
Save some good natured flirting here and there. Raynes, mostly, but... Raynes was Raynes. It didn't really mean anything.
Then he had come along.
Hell, she saw the way many of the the Delta Force operators even looked at him. Had looked at him and talked about him during the Armacham incident only a day or so before. There was envy... awe. Resentful respect. Fear. Passalaqua had asked her about him, what the story there was, during the course of their investigation at Armacham Headquarters. And before, at the water treatment plant. She heard all the whispering between the Deltas about the Point Man, off in their own corners. Except Holiday, who fell into some natural symbiosis with the strange silent man. She didn't know what it all meant... what it was... where he came from... even who he was. But he was still one of them. Belonged with them... even if she never found out the truth about him. They were better off in every way for having him. She didn't want to think about how everything would have turned out without him. If they'd lost him... or if he'd never come back for them. Especially now, after losing Spen... and Steve, he seemed to be the one holding everything together.
Holding her together.
Holiday turned away from the Point Man at last, looking around Green Line station at everyone again. There was a measure of satisfaction in his bruised visage, ready for their departure. His commanding voice shouting once more, echoing through the station.
"Alright people, coffee break is over! Down on to the tracks, double time it! Got a hell of a walk ahead of us, and the Replica know we're coming! Gotta make it through Green Line territory and the Blue Line before we reach Orange! Hustle it up! Jenkins, come here! Come here!"
All the operators milled about the area, boots echoing around the station, carrying out their orders. Gathering their new supplies and weapons, and filing out towards the platform and track. Jenkins went to the Sergeant Major, who promptly chewed him out over something. Jin wasn't really paying attention by that point. Her eyes tracked the Point Man as he moved over to where she leaned at the ticket booth, unslinging his submachine gun again. When he stood before her, she peered up at her reflections in his red goggles, and rose a gloved hand... gesturing to all the devastation and Replica bodies littering the area, setting her hand on the collar of his armor. Raising an impressed brow, smirking at him faintly, unable to help herself, despite the madness and carnage around them in Fairport... or perhaps because of it, to feel normal again, to do something that felt right.
"You really know how to show a girl a good time, don't you, big guy?"
Maybe she was mistaken... but the mouth of his mask seemed to crinkle a bit at the flirtation. Before she could be sure if it was a smile, it resumed its former shape. He rose a gloved hand, reaching out and brushing his fingers under her chin gently... and then he moved on past her smoothly as if he'd never paused. Passing Passalaqua, his squad, and the civilian sitting on the bench... taking the time to look down at the civilian. And over to Passalaqua... nodding respectfully to the First Sergeant. He continued on towards the platform, after the other Deltas, who all stared at him as he hopped down on to the tracks, all of them clearing his path as he took up his trademark position again at the head of the team. Turning on his headlamp and looking down the tunnel beyond. Beside her, Douglas Holiday cleared his throat, making her jump, startled, to find herself looking back at his bruised face and wry smirk.
"If you lovebirds can keep your hands off each other for about a minute, we got a train to catch. We'd probably be there by now if you two saved it for a nice room at Auburn Memorial."
"Can't blame a girl for trying, Doug."
Holiday chuckled again at that, and he winked at her as he passed by, taking up his assault rifle in both hands. Moving down towards the platform and tracks to join his silent buddy. Jin smirked to herself, shaking her head and rejoining Passalaqua's squad... following up behind the rest of the group. Reaching the platform, Jin dropped over the side, landing on the tracks in front of the Green Line's train. She stepped back over to the platform ledge and helped Passalaqua bring down the civilian. He was able to stand a little more steadily than before... but he hadn't spoken a word or made a sound since his ominous words in the back room. Passalaqua and his team jumped down, and like the Point Man everyone began flashing on their headlamps down the tunnel. It was pretty damn dark... only the occasional sickly light from what she could see. Holiday's commanding voice spoke up again, then, echoing about the tunnel.
"Ok, settle down people! I want everyone doing their best Point Man impersonation going forward. He's got the right idea. Last thing we need is to broadcast to the rest of the Replicas in the subway system who's coming and how many."
"To be fair Sarge, after that bloodbath back there... an admittedly fucking awesome one... I'm pretty sure Blue Line Station is crawling with them by now. Probably just waiting for us to pass. These tunnels are ripe for an ambush."
"For the last time, stow it, Jenkins. That's an order. Anything's waiting out there, we'll be ready. That's where the shutting the hell up part comes in handy. We're good to move out, you ready up there, big guy?"
Looking back at them all, making sure they were ready, the Point Man exchanged a glance with Holiday, who grinned and gave him the encouraging thumbs up. Nodding at the Sergeant Majir, the Point Man looked back ahead, raising his submachine gun to his shoulder and began to march steadily forward at the tip of the arrowhead formation. The tip of the spear he so obviously was. As they all made their departure, Jin glanced back at the ruined, corpse a bullet ridden Green Line Station that stood as proof of that. At least until it vanished out of her sight, and she looked forward again. Boots tapping faintly on the wood and metal of the tracks... looking at both sides of the tunnel, to the small concrete pathways on either side. So far, desolate and abandoned as most of the rest of the city.
They moved on at last, deeper onward, into the darkness. Leaving the Old Underground Metro Area and its horrors behind. Moving on, Jin was sure... to the next ones. It wasn't a matter of if they would come again.
It was only a question of when.