Holiday stood back back with a genuine smile on his sore visage, watching them hold one another. Arms folded quite comfortably. It was already a good change of pace. Jin's spirits had picked up the moment she saw him, as he'd expected they would. The entire atmosphere in the room seemed to change as well, despite the shit storm currently taking place outside and around Fairport, how bad things looked. He almost hadn't been sure he'd be able to keep the secret for much longer. Especially with her nearby, possibly listening in. At his side, Sergeant First Class Passalaqua stood uncomfortably, shifting from side to side on the spot. Less than enthused by the development.
"Aw. Nothing quite like young love, huh?", Holiday grinned, elbowing the operator next to him in the shoulder. Glancing between him and the pair standing together at the door. "The medic and the mute. Nice ring to it."
"If you'll excuse me, Top, I think I need to vomit.", The operators's mildly irritated, stiff voice spoke up to him with a shrug. He turned and moved back behind Holiday, towards the back of the shop where a few of the others were. Returning to their makeshift armory. "I'll be in the back, getting shit ready for deployment. Doing all the hard work and getting none of the credit. Like I'm good at."
"We've all been there. Better luck next time, Donnie boy."
"Yeah, right, Sarge. Maybe if there's not another like him around."
The simultaneously reluctantly amused and annoyed operator left his side and moved into the back room, muttering under his breath, while Holiday remained where he was, chuckling at the remark. He watched the two of them fondly a few moments longer, then turned his attention to the civilian, giving them some time to themselves. He strode across the front of the shop to examine him, Jenkins and Bisenti moving aside to give him some room. The civvie was a pale, dark haired man wearing a dress shirt and a black tie... business looking sort. He was visibly conscious, with his eyes shut tightly... silent, and shaking slightly. He was soaked from the rain... and from bloodstains all over his shirt, staining it pink. The water was running and dripping off him, red water, forming a small puddle already. He couldn't see any major wounds... but he then again, he wasn't the doc. All the same... at least the man had made it, survived whatever he had been through. He looked back over to the door, to see the two Ghostbusters embrace had finally broken. Though they still stood close together, and Jin was whispering something to him. When it looked like the right time, Holiday cleared his throat, directing their attention back over to him from the doorway. Gesturing with a thumb in the direction of the civilian.
"Hate to break up the tender lovin' reunion, but where did you pick this one up? Poor motherfucker looks like he's been through hell. Not that we all ain't been there, by now."
Jin looked over to the civilian, back to Holiday and then up at the ever silent Point Man. Nodding at last and remembering herself, as not only the Technical Officer of her team, but the Medical Specialist. Setting her gloved hand on his shoulder, and speaking quietly.
"I'd better look him over before we head out. Find out what I can."
The Point Man nodded back slowly in return, his gloved hands relinquishing her, and Jin reluctantly retracted her touch as well, before turning, leaving the doorway and moving over towards the civilian. Holiday stepping back to give her the room she needed. Jin crouched in front of the traumatized civvie, and Jenkins and Bisenti remained close by. Overlooking him as well. Helping her out where needed. Holiday finally turned his head and nearly started with surprise. The Point Man had moved up beside him silently and was watching as well. The mute turned in Holiday's direction, and he caught his own reflection in the red goggles. Seeing his bruised, not so pretty looking features smirk, and laugh as he addressed the super soldier.
"Hey, I'm not hugging you too, man. No matter what crazy shit you've been up to out there. But... it's good to see you again. Maybe now we can make some fucking headway in this city, with our star player back in the game. You with me, brother?"
Holiday held up his fist again towards the Point Man. The mute super soldier looked at it for a moment, hesitating, but was faster on the uptake than he had been the previous times. Raising his own and bumping their gloved fists together firmly.
"Fucking A, man."
The Point Man nodded agreeably, lowering his fist... drawing another appreciative chuckle from Holiday, who folded his arms. Together they turned back in Jin's direction, watching her again as she examined the civilian. After a good amount of time, the Sergeant Major spoke to the medical expert again for them at last.
"How's he looking, Jin? Besides like an overly enthusiastic Vampire or blood donor."
"A few minor lacerations...most of the blood isn't his, of course. Nothing visibly broken. No ID. Unresponsive. He's suffering from deep shock... it might take him awhile to emerge from it. The sooner we can get him to the hospital and in a bed, the better. There's only so much that can be done for him out here."
Jin drew back slightly from her examination, standing back up. Stretching her arms and popping her joints and muscles, drawing a low breath and rubbing her bruised face. When she was ready, she turned her attention to Jenkins and Bisenti, gesturing them closer, and speaking up again.
"You two stay with him. Keep a close eye on the patient. If he says anything, let me know."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Understood."
Jin turned away from them, satisfied, and strode back over to Holiday and the Point Man, in the middle of the pawnshop. She cracked a bit of a warm, rather lovely smile... it did wonders to offset all her cuts and bruises. He hadn't looked in a mirror lately himself, and wasn't in a particular hurry. Two helicopter crashes was plenty for him, here in Fairport. He wasn't eager to try his luck for a third. When she reached them, she spoke up before the Sergeant Major could.
"So. Together again, huh boys?"
"Looks like it. Not surprised myself, we make a pretty good team. Survived this long in Ghostsville."
The Point Man nodded his agreement again, looking between the both of them... but staying, as ever, the only place he could. On the sidelines of discussions. It only made Holiday more sympathetic. How much did the man have to say, but couldn't? It was why he tried to include him in as much of the conversations as he could... as much as he could with a man who couldn't talk. Holiday hoped the Point Man at least felt involved... but with that mask, who the hell could tell? Only subtle gestures and movements gave minor things away. They hadn't been around each other long, but he intended to keep an eye on the big guy and learn them as best he could. Especially considering their best hope of survival was with him around. On that note, Holiday picked up the reigns of the discussion again.
"I don't know about you two, but I have a lot of questions I want answered. One, where the hell is everyone? Until the big guy strolled through that door carrying a civilian, I haven't seen a single one yet. A city doesn't evac this quickly. Population was what... hundreds of thousands? Approaching a million? There should be mass pandemonium, a stampede of people still trying to leave. This city is damn near empty."
Jin looked deeply troubled by that assessment all at once. Turning away from them and looking back at the civilian and operators tending to him. When she looked back, she drew a low, steadying breath. Speaking again, tone lower and terse.
"It's Alma. It's got to be Alma."
That name again. Commissioner Betters had told them about the projects Armacham had running. From the data the Point Man had collected along the course of his mission. Origin. Perseus. Among others. Apparently this... Alma was the key behind it all. A test subject for ATC... she'd been just a little girl at the time. Forced to give birth to two prototype psychic commanders... including the cannibal motherfucker they had been trying to hunt down since the start of the operation. Psionics. Clones. A lot of weird, fucked up shit that F.E.A.R. specialized in combating. A pale little dark haired girl, bare foot in a blood stained red dress had been reported by a number of his men back at Armacham HQ. Being where she couldn't have been. She was believed to be responsible for all the deaths... at least the sudden outbreak of liquifications. A psionic ghost girl with a temper. That was all they needed right now on top of everything else.
"The ghost kid?"
Jin laughed bitterly at that simple assessment of the biggest threat in Fairport. Shaking her head slowly. Visibly pondering the matter, her features evidently troubled as her words.
"She's a lot more than that. We're in a lot of trouble. Ghosts don't create temporal and spatial anomalies."
"Looks like our girl's got a new hobby, then."
"No better than her other one. She murdered Bremmer, at the crash site. Liquified him, like the others. Right in front of me, not long after I woke up. There was... nothing I could do."
The news was a blow... but not a surprising one. If Bremmer had been alive, he would have been with her, Passalaqua and his team. She hadn't mentioned him when she'd arrived, and he hadn't been about to push the subject just then. Holiday became aware the other Delta Force operators were listening in, as silently as the Point Man... he glanced at the Point Man... and again wondered about him. His stance had changed a little when the subject of Alma came up. Grew stiffer... looked away from them a little bit to stare off into space. Holiday wondered what he had seen down there in the Origin Facility... the Vault. What he had found out. What he had fought. He was the only person who had ever gone down into that place and came out alive. A vault full of nightmares, undoubtedly. One that had been leaking into Auburn and Fairport for years... now fully released. If the Point Man, tough as he was, hadn't emerged from that a little fucked up... it would be a miracle. Jin went on, drawing back Holiday's musings of the matter.
"I was afraid she did the same to both of you. Lured you away from the Black Hawk. I thought I was going to be next... she... smiled at me. Then she vanished. Burst into ashes."
That drew back the Point Man's gaze. He was staring at Jin, quite motionless, for a moment. Then he rose a gloved hand, and set it comfortingly on Jin's back. She looked up at him again, smiling a little appreciatively at the gesture. Holiday meanwhile sighed wearily and shook his head, rubbing it tiredly. Another good man under his command, down and out. If Holiday survived this, he was certain he was going to be out on his ass from the job when the casualty reports of the Delta Force company under his command came back.
"Bremmer... fuck. I figured there was a good reason he wasn't with you. What do we do about this ghost, demon... whatever-the-hell kid, then? Bullets don't exactly work on dead things. I hope you Ghostbusters got some solutions handy... any beam weapons we can cross the streams of, make her go poof?"
"That's just it. We don't. What can we do? Best I can figure is keep moving and hope like hell she doesn't come back. She might be our biggest threat, but she's not our only problem. Genevieve Aristide sent a Black Ops team to the crash site, accompanied by at least a platoon of ATC Security Forces. Specialized Riot Troopers, the works. Probably more. They were driving armored trucks like the Replicas, and even had themselves a giant APC. Looked more like a tank than an armored car. One of the Black Ops guys was a cyborg... giant. Cybernetic limbs and an exosuit. Not much different from the exoskeletons the Replica Heavy Armor Units use. Probably another ATC experiment they're field testing. Things just keep getting better, huh?"
Holiday balked at the unpleasant update, eyes widening with scepticism and disgust. Fairport was devastated... tens, hundreds of thousands were dead. ATC was fucked, especially when all the information got out... and Aristide was still running around trying to control the situation? Playing backroom politics? Making it worse, and funnelling more bodies into the meat grinder? It was bad enough the Board of Directors had moved their own troops into Fairport... but even they had a semi rational excuse for doing so. They had an army of fucking Replica to try to contain, clean up their own mess in the hopes of salvaging something of the company. It was difficult to believe, even knowing Jin wouldn't lie about such a thing.
"What the hell is the President of Armacham doing sending her own private security force and fucking cyborgs out to this neck of the woods? Pretty sure she has bigger fish to fry about now than getting her goddamn job back. It's toast, history. Armacham is finished, ain't no recovering from this. Figured she'd be flying somewhere tropical about now, save her own neck."
Jin's eyes narrowed a bit at that. Considering his words, and something troubling. Speaking up again gradually, taking her time.
"Us... she was after us. She wants us three taken alive... God knows why. Would have caught me probably, if I hadn't got into contact with Passalaqua. He marked the convoy and tipped me off. I got out in time but saw... heard enough. There's someone else she's after... a Delta Force unit codenamed Dark Signal. Something about a place called Still Island. There's only a couple of them left, apparently. Someone named Morales, another named Stokes. Stokes is injured, and they don't know where they are. Yet. I don't know who they are, but they are Deltas. Your guys, Holiday?"
Another name that took him off guard... albeit for different reasons entirely. Dark Signal. He hadn't heard it in awhile... and hadn't the time to think about them before. Too much shit had needed doing. Only two of them left... Jin was reliable, but how reliable was a clearly batshit woman like Aristide? He had to call bullshit on everyone else on the team being dead... at least until he got some confirmation from the survivors himself. It was easy to assume the worst in his line of work, in the fog of war... but there came a time when he had to assume the best case scenario. Enough good men and operators had died already, lately... and they needed everyone they could get.
"Dark Signal? Griffin's boys. They were supposed to be reinforcements for us at Armacham Headquarters. Den Mother had to divert them for another mission. Orders from higher up. I had my hands full at the time, never found out what the mission was. I know Morales, damn good APC driver and soldier. Never met Lieutenant Stokes myself, but I know she's the new communications liaison and combat medic they requested. USASC. Tech officer, like yourself. She's not with Delta Force officially, obviously. Apparently her resume was so good they wanted her to stick around for an extended period, past the Armacham mission. Your guy Jankowski also has a younger brother on the team."
"Redd's with them? I know Spen has brothers, younger and older... that Redd is in Delta Force, but... I didn't think he'd be deployed here.", Jin started with surprise, staring back at Holiday. Pursing her lips with consideration, eyes growing more regretful. "God I hope he made it somehow. It's going to be hard enough informing his family about one loss. Good thing Leo is with the Marine Corps... and he's as far away from this as possible."
"I know most of the team pretty well. Griffin. Keegan. Manny. Jankowski. Fox. Just not Stokes, or their new guy who transferred in a couple weeks ago, I forget his name. They're a hell of a fighting unit. Best of the best. I'm not surprised any of them made it in this clusterfuck. Den Mother would know everything, if we could get through to him. If Aristide wants them, it can't be good for them. But... we have ourselves to worry about right now. Enough shit on our plate. We'll put them on our growing to do list."
Holiday paused for a few moments on that note. Getting his bearings. His thoughts together. He looked around the front of the pawn shop... to Taylor and his boys on guard duty. The men watching over the civilian. He could hear the rummaging in the back, Passalaqua and some of his men attending to their gear and gathered supplies. One thing was certain, they couldn't just stay put any longer and hope for the best. The ghost girl was bad enough... but she was an unpredictable factor. The second battalion of active Replica were tied up with the Board of Director's troops as well, taking them both out of the equation. For the moment. But a heavily armed ATC Black Ops team, complete with a security platoon, armored vehicles, an APC and a goddamn cyborg gunning for them? That was another thing altogether. Something he could influence, have control over, in the here and now. They were sitting ducks... so it was time to remedy the problem. He took control over the situation... before he couldn't any longer, looking around and addressing them all, raising his voice so everyone in the shop could hear him.
"Here's the situation, people! We're in the middle of a goddamn disaster zone... and we need to get out of it ASAP! While you two were out of contact, I came up with a plan. We can use the Old Underground Metro Area to bypass any surface threats, get out in a hurry. We can make it to the connecting subway system... it'll get us there, only problem is I don't know which train route will get us closest to the hospital. We'll have to hunt down a map when we get over there."
Holiday considered the dilemma a bit longer, rubbing his stubble lined cheek. He hated flying blind without recon or intel, but it was a damn sight more preferable than the alternative, staying topside and getting picked off by one threat or another. Escape was the priority, regrouping and getting the lay of the land. There was some rustling and movement in front of him, then, and he glanced up, to find the Point Man reaching into a pouch. Producing something... folded up paper from the looks of it. Turning away from them, he began to unfold it, pacing over to the counter of the pawn shop and spreading it out. A big piece of paper, covering a sizable section. Holiday and Jin followed him over to it as he smoothed it out, looking back their way again and tapping it with his gloved finger. Holiday looked down, taking in the features of it... to find it was a well detailed map of the subway system, joined with a map of Fairport. Displaying all the exits, all the stations, and all the lines, in different colors. Showing where they started and ended up. Holiday looked up at Jin, then to the Point Man, a wide grin spreading, roaring with laughter. Slapping the Point Man on the back appreciatively.
"You snatched this on your way out the station, man? Damn. You think of everything, don't you? What are you, psychic?"
"Wait a minute, he was at one of the subways earlier?"
Maybe their luck really was holding out after all... at least for the time being. He'd take as much of it as they could get with no complaints, considering most of the odds were stacked against them. Already he was leaning over the map and getting to work, figuring out what was where, and where they needed to be. Answering Jin's curiosity only with partial interest.
"According to my short range comlink, that's where he was. Came back online when he reached the surface. I directed him over here."
Jin was studying the Point Man carefully, pursing her lips a bit. Her curiosity only deepened further by his words. She asked a question in a tone that seemed to be as much to herself as it was to him. Not accusatory in manner, but perturbed.
"How did you make it that far away from the crash site? Why did you leave after Holiday left you standing watch?"
The Point Man merely stared back at her... for a time. Then looked away, breaking her eye contact and shrugging his shoulders slightly. Holiday noted the exchange, from the corner of his perceptions. Whatever had separated him from the crash site, he wasn't sure... but he could probably imagine. All things in Fairport lately considered. Ghosts and the supernatural... a psionic dead girl, perhaps, given what Jin had seen. He almost certainly had not wandered away from protecting her of his own volition. He came to the Point Man's defense quickly, looking up from the map at Jin.
"Hey, I don't know about you, but I'm just glad he didn't hop a train without our asses in tow. Came back for us. Brought a map we needed back too. I'm not one to look a gift super soldier in the mouth, Jin... but you can feel free to look at his mouth in your private time. Meanwhile, let's get back to business and take a look here."
His words seemed to satisfy Jin... but still there was a shade of uncertainty. Something speculative in her eyes she was considering. Still, she dropped the subject for the time being with a nod. At last, they all gathered around the map, drawing closer, and Holiday began to scan it carefully, speaking up again as he did so, laying out the details for everyone present.
"We can take the sewer manhole outside. Walk down to the nearby adjoining Underground Metro Area. Find our way through, follow the metro guards old route to the maintenance areas... when we get inside, we'll end up here, at the Green Line Station. We need the Orange Line. It'll take longer to move through the main station to get there... areas are probably locked down. God knows what else will get in our way. Best shortcut to the Orange Line is to take the train tunnels from the Green Line. We keep following the tracks, we'll get to the right station. We hop on the 435, get it going, we'll be at the subway station exit here, outside Auburn Memorial Hospital and the adjoining Medical Center in no time. Sound good?"
Jin's arms were folded comfortably, considering his plan as much as she was the map. She glanced back up. Looking between Holiday, the Point Man, and back at the other Delta Force operators. The civilian as well for a long moment, before looking back down at the map with a nod.
"No objections. If it gets us out of here, I'm all for it. Sooner the better. We need to get to that hospital. The civilian needs help, we need somewhere relatively safe to lie low, and God knows how many other wounded are already at the extraction point needing my help. I'll have my hands full, if there isn't a staff present. And then we have the ATC to worry about... the Replica... Alma..."
"One clusterfuck to deal with at a time, Jin."
She nodded simply again, still going over the map, as Holiday drew back a bit to give her some room with it. Folding his arms again and looking over her to the Point Man. He was studying the map as well... or at least watching her do so. She had a point about the ATC, Holiday recognized. It would be too easy to waltz into the subway without expecting resistance. They were probably already camping down there in wait for them. If they wanted to capture them, as Jin said, it would be a place for it. The ATC rent-a-cops were pretty tough... but no match for Delta Force, especially not with a one man fucking army on their side. It was the ATC Black Ops, the Cyborg and the APC Holiday was concerned about. The APC at least was out of the equation, wouldn't fit down there... the cyborg and Black Ops? Well. That was another story. Part of him wanted to see the Point Man match skills against this cyborg... reduce the bastard to scrap metal. Though if things managed to work out for them, it might not prove necessary.
His comlink came to life, then, interrupting his thoughts... and a familiar voice with a Midwestern accent suddenly spoke into his ear wryly, making him jolt on the spot with a start.
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything important on this line, lady and gentlemen. I can always call back later if you'd prefer."
The man's faintly amused words blared from outside of Fairport and on every comlink in the place, from the way everyone else reacted. Passalaqua and his men came out of the backroom as well, joining everyone in the front. Taylor and his boys on guard duty started with surprise, turning around towards them up at the counter. The Point Man's helmeted head snapped up sharply. Holiday couldn't help but grin again, at the sight of them all... and what the sudden, unexpected development meant. Again their fortunes managed to take a turn for the better.
"Betters!", Jin exclaimed with a start, rising up from the map, beaming as she spoke into the comlink, breathing deeply with relief. "Is that really you? You have the damnedest timing!"
"Who else was going to pull your asses out of the fire, Jin? We're back online up here... me and Den Mother. I'm looking at the pawn shop around you all now."
They survivors looked over at one another, Holiday still smiling, Jin beaming, as much as she was stunned and relieved. Holiday glanced back, seeing Taylor and Passalaqua making use of their own comlinks... undoubtedly to reach Den Mother, as every Delta in Fairport probably was about this time. He didn't envy the Delta Force Coordinator... he was about to get swamped by voices, if he wasn't already. Hopefully he had some backup where he was to handle some of the calls. Holiday was especially glad... he wasn't cut out for the job of coordinating... it had taken long enough just to get this team back together as it was. The Sergeant Major activated his comlink, and spoke not to Den Mother just yet, but to the F.E.A.R. Commissioner before anyone else could.
"Made it back to the party just in the nick of time, Tomcat. I thought you guys were out of commission for good. How the hell did you get through?"
"Some of my other assets on the ground. They took Armacham's Satellite Relay Tower with a few of your Delta boys. Altered the relay and bounced a signal off one of our older USAF satellites. Pretty goddamn clever. I just might have to come through with that raise they've been wanting after all."
"Don't tell me, Betters, let me guess.", Jin cut in with a pleased, thoughtful smile. "Lieutenant Chen's plan?"
"...Raynes' plan. The Captain sends his best, Jin. And to you, buddy."
The Point Man looked over at Jin, and Holiday the moment he was included in the discussion. And they watched him shrug almost imperceptibly. Evidently, he'd never heard of Raynes, being a new guy on the team. Holiday had always wondered why Raynes had transferred to F.E.A.R... never got a chance to ask him. Maybe he might yet get the chance. Whatever the case, they were better off having him. Only he could have pulled this off in an unpredictable manner. Jin laughed a little at the Point Man's confusion, shaking her head. Speaking into the comlink again.
"David? Go figure. Wonders never cease. Give him and his team back my best."
"Will do. His team is holding the tower now, until I can send them some relief out there. It's a vital location for us now... last thing we need is Armacham getting wind of what they've done. Taking the place back and cutting off our communications and intelligence all over again. While bolstering their own."
"Goddamn right, man."
"On the matter of Armacham, I didn't get a chance to ask before, in the chaos, before the explosion. Did the Point Man make it out of the Vault with Harlan and Alice Wade, by chance? They would make for key eye witnesses in the pending case against the company."
Holiday and Jin alike looked over to the Point Man as one, who stared back at them for a long moment. Shaking his head slowly at last, then looking down slightly and away from them. Whatever horrors he had witnessed down there, Holiday didn't even want to imagine or guess... much less ask the unfortunate super soldier. Given who the poor, foolish girl had been with at the time, the flesh eating madman that had dragged her down to the Vault, he probably didn't need to guess the outcome. The Sergeant Major was almost relieved he had been injured in the crash, and unable to tag along to help him out. To see what he had. Almost. He felt fresh sympathy for the Point Man, unable to save a damsel in distress... who hadn't wanted to be saved. He imagined she probably changed her mind about that decision, once Fettel had crossed her path. A grave expression crossed Jin's bruised features, setting a hand on the Point Man's shoulder bracingly, and she spoke for him into the comlink.
"No, he didn't. The Wades didn't make it. Sorry, Betters."
"Damn it... figured as much. That sick cannibal bastard probably got to them first. It's not your fault, buddy. He had a head start on you and Replica to impede you.", Betters tired voice returned over the line, sighing audibly. Holiday could almost imagine him rubbing his own face at the unpleasant news. "Didn't have to be this way... for Alice, at least... if she had just listened to me. Went to the fucking safehouse... or took you with her to Auburn. To hell with it. We'll have to make do with the evidence and witnesses we got."
"Speaking of evidence... I have some important information about Armacham you'll want to hear about.", Jin spoke up again into the comlink quietly, looking all the more troubled. "It's fairly pressing stuff."
"Always glad to hear more dirty laundry on those bastards, but you can fill me in along the way, Jin. I want you guys locked, loaded and moving down to the Old Underground Metro Area right now. The remnants of Fettel's first Replica battalion have woken up recently... only a matter of time before they find and corner you out there."
The Replica were back on the menu after all. Great. The ATC was bad enough, the distance from Auburn Memorial was bad enough... now the clone super soldiers who had given Delta Force nothing but hell got thrown back into the mix. It seemed their good luck couldn't happen without something else going horribly wrong to balance it out. Holiday looking back at Jin's startled expression, some of his operators muttering among themselves about it as well, and groaned with irritation, rubbing his face. Looking over towards the silent Point Man, who doubtless knew far more than he was able to let on.
"They've woken up? How? All we fucking need right now. You see any of em' on your way over, Point Man?"
"I think we can guess how, Holiday. The dead don't stay dead... not in this city. It's not the only battalion either... but right now it's the biggest threat to your operational vicinity. They're getting organized on various streets, rallying all over Auburn and the neighbouring districts. The how doesn't matter, what you're going to do about it does."
"What about the C-130? Did you see it crash not long ago? You know anything about it? I was worried it was our only ride out of here."
"Special Forces reinforcements for you guys, TF 92. President was getting impatient. The team survived the crash, ended up parachuting downtown. I've got Raynes on it once the tower is secure. Nothing for you guys to worry about. You have your own mission. Pack up and move out. And from now on we're all keeping in constant radio contact. Understood? Now, someone repeat the plan you've no doubt put together bye now for me, in as few words as possible."
"Underground, subway stations, Orange Line, Auburn Memorial Hospital. Sound about right, Betters?"
"That'll do nicely, Jin. Now get your asses moving, while it's still an option. You didn't survive all this just to let the bastards get you now. We'll be in touch as you go. Betters out."
The comlink snapped off curtly, leaving them all in the front room of the pawn shop. Holiday looked around at everyone else at once... and he stepped forward to the center of the room. Redirecting the attention off the call from the outside and on to him. Belting out his best drill instructor's voice. It was time to do what he did best, again. What he had worked his way up for. They had a chance, now... there was hope. Now they had to make that hope a reality.
"Alright sweethearts, you heard the man and you know the drill! Assholes and elbows! Pack up and get moving outside like you got a purpose! Passalaqua, I want those supplies and gear assembled and ready to move five minutes ago! Taylor, get your people moving on the double! Jenkins and Bisenti, get that poor bastard on his feet and out that door! Don't make me carry him myself!"
The scramble of movements and words of assent, salutes, obedience of his commands was all the Sergeant Major needed to know they were on it. Passalaqua and his team disappeared in the back, gathering up the extra supplies and gear, while Taylor assembled his team, issuing deployment instructions. It felt good to have another unit to run, Holiday couldn't deny. To be useful again. However long that lasted. He turned back to Jin and Point Man, the ones outside of his chain of command, to find the latter packing up the map again, tucking it out of sight in one of his pouches like before. Unslinging the RPL Holiday had given him earlier that day and taking it up in both hands, nodding to the Sergeant Major and Jin before marching away from them and towards the door, opening it up and being the first one out. Taking the lead, as was only fitting of his position. Holiday winked at Jin, and did the same with his assault rifle and followed after the super soldier, while Jin lagged behind, moving over to the traumatized civilian and Jenkins and Bisenti, who had hoisted him to his feet, supporting him. She'd have to keep back, not being trained with firearms... and the civvie needed babysitting anyways.
Holiday stepped out back into the rain storm again, resoaked within moments, to find the Point Man standing further up the road already, next to the closest manhole. Holiday looked up and down the street, among the ruined, abandoned cars... and the Replica corpses Taylor and his boys had dealt with before they had regrouped. Turning back, Holiday went over, joining the Point Man, looking up into the stormy night skies. The lightning flashed a vibrant blue... and the thunderclap came on its heels. The distant sounds of gunfire and explosions audible deeper in the city, the Replica and Armacham still in the thick of things. Good, let the bastards all kill each other... made things easier on the rest of them. Then, Commissioner Betters' voice filled their comlinks again.
"Smile. I got you guys on candid camera again. Could get used to this baby. Enjoying it while I can."
Holiday looked up and around in the skies... he had no idea where the satellite was, of course, but he grinned all the same. Touching his face with a glove. Brushing his fingers through his hair.
"I'm still looking good, right Tomcat? Chopper crash didn't mess up my award winning looks?"
"I better zoom out a bit, Baby Bear. Don't want to break Hannibal-3's God knows how many millions dollar camera."
"Now that's just cold, man."
Holiday looked back down the road to the pawn shop, to find the rest of his operators streaming out of the front door at last. Fully locked and loaded, weaponry at the ready, moving through the rain, weapons sweeping the vicinity for any hostiles, keeping their guards up as they fanned out over the road. Taylor and his men up front, Passalaqua and his in the back, while Jin, Jenkins, Bisenti, and the civvie remained in the center of the unit. Holiday's head snapped back when he heard the sound of metal creaking just behind him. Turning to find the Point Man effortlessly lifting, removing the lid of the sewer with one hand. dropping it off to the side, and looking back up at Holiday. He was getting too jumpy for his own good... even if he had all the reasons to be. Holiday peered down into the darkness, and looked back at his smirking reflection in the red, water stained goggles again.
"Hey, you're the Point Man, not me. We're all right behind you. Especially when the shootin' starts."
The Point Man merely nodded, turning on his headlamp and looking down into the sewer. Flashing his light down below, illuminating the concrete bottom and the metal ladder. Slinging his RPL, he lowered himself down and began his descent down the rungs, boots tapping and echoing below. Holiday watched him reach the bottom, looking at both sides of the sewer, and stepping out of view. Taylor and his boys reached the sewer just then, and began their own descents down, turning on their own headlamps and following suit after the Point Man. Holiday stepped back away from the manhole and activated his comlink again. Reaching out not to the F.E.A.R. Commissioner, but to Den Mother's CENTCOM channel for the first time in a long time.
"Den Mother, this is Baby Bear. You really picking this up, man?"
"Loud and clear Sergeant Major. Damn good to hear you again. I assume you've been briefed by Betters on the situation?"
"That's right. Also gathered a good enough idea of the shit hitting the fan before you guys came back online. We're on our way to Auburn Memorial now. Figured I'd check in, given I'm not under these F.E.A.R. Ghostbusters' chain of command. We've got a unit of guys down here, on the way to reinforce the hospital. Who's calling the shots over there now? Has Major Silva reported in?"
"Doesn't seem to be much of a solid command structure set up there yet, but I'll look into it. Scattered Delta units are in disarray, still rendezvousing at the hospital from what I can gather. Gathering and bringing in supplies. Signalling other survivors to come find them. Still no word from the Major. The brass is assuming the worst case scenario. Your team is to make it to Auburn Memorial ASAP and, if necessary, you are to assume command of the operation. Bring some efficiency and organization back online. Then we can make some real headway. Find everyone who made it and get them out of there. Get the evacuation choppers in there and reinforcements, as needed."
"Oh don't you worry, Den Mother. We'll make it. You tell those boys to get ready to roll out the red carpet. And I'm not talking a blood soaked one."
"I'll let them know who's coming. They've got their hands full as it is, even without the Replicas and ATC breathing down their necks... yet."
As they spoke, Holiday looked back over to the manhole, to find Jenkins and Bisenti helping the civilian down the ladder. Coaxing him to grab the rungs and hold on. Enough of his senses seemed to come back that he was able to obey. At least slowly, and with plenty of support. Passalaqua's men were the next down, one after another... and when they were down, Passalaqua snapped Holiday a mock salute, slinging his HV Penetrator and following them on down as well. Listening to the echo of their boots down below, some of them chatting, Taylor ordering them to create a formation. Watching the Deltas move about, he was reminded of something he'd meant to ask Den Mother, activating the comlink again.
"And Den Mother, almost forgot something. It's about the Dark Signal squad. Have they checked in?"
"Negative, they went radio dark like everyone else after the blast. Since things came back online, I've been periodically trying to reach them. So far no luck. They're still down. Comlinks and trackers could be damaged, or turned off deliberately."
"Or they're in a jamming zone... or worse. Either way, what was their mission you had to divert them from Armacham HQ for?"
"They were supposed to pick up Genevieve Aristide at her penthouse. After Betters informed me how deep the rabbit hole went, and the orders came in from higher up, they were my closest units to go grab her. The Board of Directors was trying to eliminate or capture her, they were supposed to beat Armacham to the latter. Didn't work out the way we planned it... not that anything did."
"I hear that. I'm not entirely worried, they were well away from the Auburn District when the Vault blew up, and Griffin will pull the team's asses out of the fire. If they aren't at Auburn Memorial now or on their way, they're sitting tight somewhere safe. One way or another, we'll find them."
"I hope to God you're right. And Holiday? Glad you made it, at least."
"That makes two of us, brother. You just keep watching our asses up there, and we'll make it out of this. Orders received and understood, Den Mother. Holiday, over and out."
Holiday turned off the comlink. No news was better than bad news. The Major could still be out there, somewhere... and Griffin and his men had a good chance at least... better than most. He refused to take second hand word from Aristide that most of the team was gone... they weren't dead until he was one hundred percent that they were. Even if it was more than possible, under the circumstances. He looked over... to find Jin watching him close by. She hadn't gone down yet. Her arms were folded comfortably, and she seemed quite at ease in the rain. And in her surroundings, the devastation around her. She gestured to it, with a gloved hand.
"What do you think? Of all this?"
"I think that if we hadn't linked up out here, hadn't found that Terminator of yours, tried to head to the hospital on our own, we'd all be well and truly screwed.", The Sergeant Major answered her quite honestly at once, laughing a bitter chuckle. "Now? I think we have a fighting chance. Regardless of the weird ass psionic ghost girl, clones, cyborgs and corporate thugs."
Jin smirked a little wryly at that, again offsetting all her bruising, nodding knowingly, visibly tired but in better spirits now.
"Actually? I was just thinking the same thing, more or less."
"Guess that cannibal motherfucker and the ghost kid ain't the only psychics out here. When this is over, when we're all still standing, maybe I'll let you sweet talk me into joining Mystery Incorporated. Until then? Let's get the hell out of here. Ladies first. Well. Second to last."
Holiday grinned back at her, gesturing down to the open manhole. Jin couldn't hold back a dry laugh at his assessment, and she obeyed, moving over to it. Switching on her headset's headlamp, she lowered herself down on to the ladder and began her own descent, passing out of Holiday's sight. Holiday took one last look around the street... silent in the immediate vicinity, save the patter rain... though that probably wouldn't last forever. ATC and Replica armor and troops would be rolling on through soon enough. Though glancing down into the sewers, remembering the stories about the Old Underground Metro Area... part of him would have preferred hoofing it to Auburn Memorial while fighting through through both armies. Sticking to the surface. Sadly, as ever, necessity demanded it. He moved over to the manhole, slinging his G2A2 and stepping down on to the rung, activating his own headlamp. Grasping the rung in one hand, he remained half out for a moment, taking the time to grasp the manhole lid. Lowering himself steadily, he dragged it over to the manhole and closed it down over top, sealing away the surface.
Darkness circulated around him on all sides, but his light illuminated the way down, along with the numerous headlamps below. Climbing down the rungs, at the bottom of the ladder he turned to find everyone had formed up like before on their side of the tunnel. The Point Man was at the tip of an arrowhead formation with Taylor and his boys, while Passalaqua's men brought up the rear. Jin, Jenkins and Bisenti seeing to the civilian while Passalaqua and guarded them. Taking a breath, Holiday unslung his assault rifle again as he passed by most of them, moving up ahead closer towards the Point Man. When he reached the front of the unit, he looked at the Point Man beside him, and then back around to everyone else. Headlamps shining back and forth, illuminating ever direction in the dark, dank space. With a nod to the super soldier, they set off at last, boots echoing around them in the enclosed space. As they moved through the darkness, another thought came to mind, and he withdrew his datapad, activating his motion tracker... to find that familiar buzzing static on it... the radius of the tracker barely visible, much less functional. He cursed under his breath, deactivating and stowing it away... but not about to give up altogether, looking around to the others.
"Motion trackers are still fuzzy, unreliable... but I want somebody on theirs at all times, just in case that changes. Last thing we need is to be walking into any ambushes we don't gotta. You back there... yeah, you. What's your name? You got motion tracker duty. You see anything on it, let me know right away."
"Carmine, Sergeant Major. I'll take care of it, sir... but I got a bad feeling about this."
"No shit, pretty sure we all do. Didn't see this in the travel brochure. Hope nobody's afraid of the dark. Or tight creepy underground spaces leading to an old ghost town."
A few of the men laughed, and Holiday shook his head as Carmine took up his data pad, activating the motion tracker. Looking back down the tunnel ahead of them, before he could take a step further, a high sound emanated from down there. Echoing and carrying... not entirely unlike a scream. Screeching... but he sure as shit knew it wasn't coming from a pair of human lungs, whatever it was. And then it was gone as suddenly as it had rang out around them. He looked back around, to find everyone else had heard it too... weapons snapping up. The operators suddenly silent as the grave and startled, save Jin, who appeared quite calm, focusing on keeping an eye on the civilian. Holiday looked past the unperturbed Point Man to the distant darkness their headlamps couldn't reach yet. Maybe it was just the wind... or some other natural phenomenon... but he was well past hoping for or counting on that by now. He was starting to feel like one of the F.E.A.R. Ghostbusters himself already... aware of how normal this city's insanity was becoming to him. Becoming used to things that nobody on Earth should ever have to get used to... the supernatural. He glanced over to the Point Man at his side as they moved forward again, who met his look... and the Sergeant Major's bruised features tightened into a grimace, shrugging.
"Or whatever the fuck that was."