Snowblind [FF]...Complete

[TheRealBigBoss]

Up to Chapter 9 now.

The thing about burning COG bodies? I've wondered about that too. In Aspho Fields they mention creating a funeral pyre for fallen Gears because they refuse to put their bodies in the ground as that's where the Locust come from. But they don't do that in the games or all the time in the books either, so my take on it is, if they get the COG tags then in some way that's considered enough. Almost like the body (once dead) is simply a shell, or vessel. And it's in the COG tags were the soul of the fallen Gear resides.

Anyways, so far so good. And I'll keep going.

[Jonesybites]

Yea, I'm limited with the resources from the game and from the internet, including the gearspedia, which is not entirely reliable.
I just based the cremation incidents according to the immediate circumstances thereof.

I do not have readily access to the novels so if there is something that I have wrong, let me know.

[TheRealBigBoss]

^ Well, I wouldn't worry about that part too much. Like I said, it was mentioned once in Aspho Fields then apparently, forgotten. At the time, it kinda struck me as odd anyways, it seems fairly inconvenient to have to build funeral pyres every time a Gear falls in battle. I mean where do they find the wood? Wouldn't the stranded have taken it all already? So in general I'll stick with my theory of a COG tag almost being like a Samurais Katana sword, the thing that represents the warriors soul. But yeah, what you did was fine and works for the story, it just made me remember that part in Aspho Fields.

[Jonesybites]

After discovering a lifeless Gamma squad, Sigma must now decide where to go from here...

Chapter 14: Detour


"Gus baby, you need your hat…you can't go out in that without keeping your head warm…"

A six year old, Augustus Cole groaned, feeling the time delay between being stuck in the house all day from the white, snowball fight, bliss. As with most little boys, time cannot be wasted trying to put on a bunch of outdoor attire before jumping out to explore the freezing enigma that awaits them.

"Aw, c'mon mom. I'm not going to get sick," he moaned as his mother walked over to him to fasten his hat on his earflap beanie, snug on his head.

"That's exactly right…you're not going to get sick, if you keep your head warm…do you understand me?"

His mother gave him a scolding look as he nodded.

"Yes ma'am…" he muttered out as she finished wrapping the crochet scarf around his neck and checks the buttons on his coat. After she finished, she kneels down to him, laying a kiss on his exposed cheek.

"I only want what's best for you baby…you know that," she said solemnly. Looking up at her, she gives him a smile while he flashes one back as he gives her a hug. She lets him go, and then looks him in the eye,

"Now you be careful…and you will be back in this house by six o'clock, do you understand…unless you don't want your supper?"

"I don't want to miss supper."

"Then you'll be back here by six, right?"

"Right!"

"Ok…now go out and play nice!"

"I will, momma…bye!"

"Bye, baby!"

His mother waved as he darted out the door and into the snow, covered wonderland, teaming up with his friends from down the street.

Ever since Gus was four years old, his mother practically raised him herself, taking on the multitasks that many a single parent often had to do endure for the welfare of their children. His dad had disappeared, along with forty-three other men who worked out on the Imulsion drilling fields.

With the war becoming closer to home, a lot of kids have either lost a father, or a brother, sometimes even a mother. Gus could remember two of his friends whom lost family members a year later from when he lost his daddy. It was sadly starting to become the norm as he grew up in school, along with every other kid who lived with a single parent or grandparent.

But his mother would always wake him up in the morning while she got herself ready for work and him ready for school. She would always make sure he had his shoes on right with his shirt tucked in and his teeth brushed, while she kissed him before she dropped him off to school. His bond with her was beyond price.

Like many, she worked hard, but she always had him in mind when she would help him with his homework or take him to his games, followed with a homemade meal. She did the best she could not to let her circumstances get her down. She would always tell him,

"You make the best of what you have…the good Lord will never leave you with just nothing. Everything he gives you is for a reason."

She supported his internship at school to play "thrashball," making an effort to come to some of his games when she could get off of work early enough to watch her son play. She was impressed by his intensity as his talent eventually helped pave his way through college, where he was eventually employed to the "thrashball" profession. As he moved up into the big leagues, however, he started to lose contact with his mother as the games took him further away from home. He often sent her money to help pay bills back home, but she often refused it, sending him letters stating how proud she was, to see him become the man he grew up to be. That was all she ever wanted from him.

If only momma could see me now.

********

Cole was trudging through the snow, trying to bring his knees up to keep the snow from dampening the rest of his fatigues. They we're already soaked around the knees and started to bleed up into his thighs. He wrapped his head and arms in the blanket he took from the conduit station, while he trekked around the trees, occasionally looking back to see if Feral was coming.

All three were getting dreary as the snow started to soak into their pants from all the hiking. Sven had a pillow tied to his lower back, which offered some warmth, but his lower thighs were screaming at him. He kept moving his legs, just to keep them warm, but it did nothing to settle the hunger pains in his gut and the cramping in his aching calves.

Baird still had the torn sheet wrapped around his neck and another around his waist, trying to make sense of where they were actually going. Nobody else seemed to know where they were going, but him. He finally halted as they come to a rocky ridge, inside the forest that probably stood down twenty feet, peering over to see the rocky bottom below.

"Ok…we need to take a breather," Baird announced before he plopped along the side of a boulder, slumping into the snow. By now his pants were already soaked, so it didn't matter anymore if he sat in snow or not.

"I heard that," Cole agreed as he too, descended to the ground, lying out with his limbs sprawled in all directions. Sven finally came up to join them, panting in between breaths from the climbing.

"Oh, good…a break!"

He too plopped down, leaning his back against a tree.

The three sat and waited, reminiscing what may have happened back where they found what was left of Gamma Four. It was a sobering encounter, considering they had no contact with command. They were literally on their own out in the arctic wilderness, without shelter, without food, and without their guide. The situation couldn't be any less bleak, although nobody dared to say it.

Cole groaned as he tries to pass the time, hoping that Feral would catch up with them, but in the back of his head, he was worried, and Baird could tell that he was worried.

"Relax, Cole…she's a big girl…well, not literally, but, you know what I mean."

"Yea…I just still can't help it…that we left her behind, alone."

"Cole, she's been wondering in the wilderness, alone, for weeks at a time. She knows this area like the back of her hand…"

"Maybe she had to take a detour…ya know…to lead the Stranded away from our trail," Sven added, sharing his thoughts openly.

"Sigh…maybe," Cole pondered.

"Do you think we'll ever get back…I mean…back to headquarters?"

"Yea kid…we'll make it…you'll see," said Cole a he too starts to wonder, does he really believe that? He tries to find something else to talk about to lighten the bland mood, making the best of what they did have…and right now, it was each other.

"So…Damon…what did you say to Feral?"

"Huh…what?"

"What did you say to her, man?"

"We didn't kiss and make up, if that's what you were wanting to know. You can give Vin his ten bucks back."

"Ok, so what were y'all talking about?"

"Sigh, nothing."

"What? Nothing, my ass! You guys were talking, non-stop for almost an hour…Sven would know, he timed it!"

"What…you actually timed it…for real?"

"Yea, I mean it was seventy one minutes," Sven said, despite it lacked Baird's point.

"Look…we just talked about the Feral's breeding theories"

"So you were talking about sex," Cole blurted out.

"Not really, she was just explaining to me how the Feral ordain their "fertile" periods," Baird responded.

"Ew…y'all were talking about periods," Sven cringed as Baird turns to him and sneer,

"Seasonal periods, not menstrual periods, you dumbass!"

Cole cuts into the conversation.

"So did she tell you about what they teach?"

"Teach?"

"Yea…like some sex ed class…ya know…how they stroke it,"

"No, Cole…we didn't talk "techniques"…can't imagine what the hell for,"

"Ah c'mon! It was some good stuff! She was talking about sh*t I never knew…and I know quite a bit, I mean…"

"Ok, Cole, we can stop right there,"

"Oh c'mon, baby…everyone can use some pointers, even Vinny learned some stuff…"

"Yea, I can't wait try some of it," Vinny joined in with a giddy expression. Baird retorted,

"Oh yea, great Cole, now you soiled his virgin mind with all that crap!"

"I didn't tell him…I showed him," Cole beamed.

"You…wait…what? How'd you…"

"I used your pin-up drawings in your journal."

Baird's expression turned into irritation.

"Damnit Cole, you were rummaging through my sh*t again!"

"Hey, quite leaving your **** behind when you go out to take a sh*t!"

Sven jumped back in,

"Wow, I never knew you could draw like that…those were some hot chicks…I especially like the one with big knockers, holding a blowtorch…"

"Oh, great, Cole…now you ruined his virgin eyes too?"

"Hey, I'm not a virg…"

"Shut up, Vin," Baird stopped him in mid-sentence.

"Ah, give the kid a break! It's been awhile since he's seen some nice ass…hey, remember when Tanner talked you into drawing him that one chick,"

"What chick?"

"Ya know, that one waitress from the bar,"

"Oh, yea…I remember now."

"Was she hot?" Sven asked as Cole nodded,

"Whoa yea…she was hot, wasn't she Baird…" Cole lightly kicked Baird's boot as he continued, "…he would know, he drew her."

"Yea, Cole I did…thanks for reminding me," Baird muttered while rubbing his arms, trying to stay warm.

"Hey, you went along with it willingly, don't say you regret it now, white boy."

"I'm not implying anything…besides, Tanner was the one who had a big crush on her."

"Yea, he did…may he rest in peace," Cole muttered solemnly.

The three sat quietly, contemplating about the events that had taken place in their military careers, reflecting the times of tribulation, and wondering where will they go from here? But despite the past and the bitter, freezing cold, Cole decided to break the ice of their gloom for a second round of useless, men's locker room chitchat.

"So, Damon…did you frisk her?"

"What…who?"

"You know…that chick you drew,"

"What, no, I didn't frisk her, she just…willingly took off her clothes to let me sketch her, especially when I told her that it was for Tanner."

"Uh huh…"

"Ah damn…she actually did that, man, I really need to change my strategy," Sven whimpered.

"Yea…Baird's all good about strategy, hehe," Cole let out a chuckle.

"I didn't bang her, for crying out loud, Cole…ok, I'll admit, she was kinda playful."

"Uh huh…so what stopped you?"

"Are you kidding me, you know Tanner would've been pissed about it, besides, I didn't feel like picking up every disease in the STD alphabet,"

"What, you didn't know where she'd been?"

"No, I knew exactly where she had been…that's what was so scary,"

"Yea, I guess you got a point there," Cole pondered for a second before flashing a playful grin, "…so, when are you gonna draw Feral?"

"Oh, oh now I get it, you just couldn't resist, could you. You had to bring that up!"

"Damn right, baby…no point in leaving any blank spaces in yo journal, when you could be fillin it up…so when can we see some artistic pics of Feral?"

"Damnit Cole, I'm gonna start hiding my journal from you!"

"Damn, you already drew some stuff on Feral…how'd I miss that?"

"I didn't…and even if I did, it's none of your f***ing business!"

"Aha, so you did!"

"Sigh…you know what, f*** you," Baird then redirected his attention to Sven, "…and f*** you too!"

"Ah, c'mon baby, it's all good…everybody likes your artwork…I especially like the one you did of Marcus banging Any…"

"Sh*t, Cole, what else have you…"

Before Baird could finish, the three looked up to find Raven standing above them with her arms crossed and her brow lowered, glooming at them. It was apparent she'd been eavesdropping on them for some time.

The mood suddenly turned awkward while the three sat in hesitation, as if mom caught them with their pants down, pissing in the yard. Instead, Raven simply strolled down next to the ledge to peer forwards, and then directed her attention to the gloomy Gears...

"We need to talk."

Baird sighed, finding the right note before he attempted to try and explain.

"Yea…we figured that. Look, we just…"

"Not about your "male," gossip," she said in exasperation.

"Oh…well, while we're somewhat on topic, yea we do need to talk. We're cold, we're hungry…we're cold,"

"Yes, Damon, I know,"

"Did he mention that we we're cold…and hungry," Cole reiterated for Baird as the three looked at her with weary gazes. Glancing at the three of them, she could tell they were uncomfortable and fatigued, not to mention famished.

"Sigh…listen, for a moment…please…and I promise I will take you to some food."

The three slumped further into their places as they looked up drearily at her. Considering she hadn't let them down yet, they figured they could spare some time to give her their audience, despite their unpleasant dilemma.

"Ok…look…I found out for sure that the Stranded, did, in fact, set up those bodies back there,"

"Sh*t, man," Cole spat while shaking his head in disgust.

"I also…found out…that they have been eavesdropping on our radio conversations to control."

Baird quickly looked up, pondering back to what all was said during those radio contacts. He then turned his gaze to Raven,

"You mean to tell me they've been monitoring our communications…which means, they knew we were coming, and, any contact from here on out is going to expose the other squads, not to mention, ourselves…all further communications from this point on will be compromised, right?"

"…I'm afraid so," she answered him.

"F***…" Baird growled to himself, leaning his head back against the boulder behind him.

"It gets worse, Damon."

"How can it possibly get any worse, Feral?"

"They…may, have some former Gears working with them."

The three look up, appalled by what Raven had just revealed to them. She could feel the heavy, concentrated glares as she decided to sit in her place, grasping the inevitable unpleasantries.

Baird's brow began to sit heavy over his blue eyes as if he was demanding her full attention.

"Are you sure?" he said sternly.

"They were wearing some of the Gear fatigues and armor…and they moved like you guys do. They were not typical Stranded, that's for sure, which might explain the new strategies they used to hunt down Gamma Four."

Cole kept his gaze fixated to the ground as he curls his lip, processing Raven's words, and then started to speak out loud.

"That explains why they set up Gamma…they were waitin' for us...or some other squad that happened to be nearby."

Raven let out a sigh, "That seems to be the better theory, but, they definitely know, that we know, where they are located," she said as she started to rub her brow, still trying to unwrap her head from the image of the large man with the cold, piercing gaze.

"Well sh*t…that changes our plans, big time," said Baird as he slowly sat up, trying to get comfortable, but it did nothing to relieve his cold joints. Forgetting the fact that the older he got, the longer it took him to warm up and stretch his muscles. He realized that he was going to have to get these guys to some food and warmth pretty soon. That was their current and only objective. He redirected his attention back to Feral.

"First thing's first, we need to go someplace where we can eat and get warm…preferably somewhere that we will not be found, before these freezing temperatures kick our ass."

"It's not horribly far…we can get there by dark."

Baird nodded his head as he motioned the others to get up as well.

"But what are we going to do afterwards?" Cole stammered impatiently, suddenly forgetting that he was cold and hungry.

"I don't know yet, Gus…we'll figure this out after some grub, ok," said Baird, trying to get Cole to focus on the problem at hand, "…we can't stay out here after dark. It's not feasible."

Cole glanced to his side as if he was going to say something, but instead, he just nodded his head and coldly gathered his gear. He knew Baird was right. There was nothing they could do at the moment but relocate before nightfall. The idea of potentially freezing to death was not at the top of anyone's list.

Sven gathered himself from the cold, mushy ground, as Baird helped him up on his feet. Raven stepped back up towards where they just came, motioning to them,

"...this way."

As they departed to follow Raven to their next shelter for the night, it started to snow.

Damon’s Journal Entry 1

Baird here,

It's been nearly two days since we landed, oh wait I'm sorry, crashed, for a mission that was supposed to take only till dusk. Well, somehow, somewhere, we f***ed that up royally.

As much as I was able to gather within the past few days, when Cole and Vinny are not bugging me about sh*t I could care less to talk about, I have been monitoring our Feral "guide," Raven in hopes that maybe we can get a little better understanding of the Feral and how they have managed to function as a somewhat separate culture. Now, I have not been able to observe their language since Raven has seldom used it, but she speaks our language rather well, which I later found that she was actually integrated into COG society before she ran off and joined the Feral; a little tidbit I had to pick her brain to get, but with some perseverance I was able to manage it. Yay me.

Needless to say, apparently they have some sort of caste "structure," broken down into what I believe to be two major groups. First we have those similar to Raven, who do reconnaissance work, spying, hacking, busting balls, the usual, and then there are the "breeders," to put literally are specifically "trained," yea you heard me right, to seduce and mate with whoever they find, I guess "worthy" to lay pipe with, all under the guidance or leadership of a "matriarch," or "reverend mother," whom supersedes above the "right of passage" for mating and procreation.

According to Raven, after I had to drag my ass and apologize to her just so I could get her to talk to me, (don't ask why) majority of the Feral have had some basic training on "breeding," techniques. As I am trying to keep a straight face while writing this, please pardon the following jargon as I attempt to orient this to my own understanding of the topic. Besides, we can always edit later.

Now what one can find anything about sex that requires training was for the most part beyond me. I had always assumed that it was "wham bam, thank you ma'am," until Raven mentioned the methods they use to inevitably turn a man on to the point his load blows all the way to the moon. Anyway, the Feral have amassed some sort of techniques on pleasuring, enticing the male by multiple means, and let me tell you, there was sh*t I found out that made me shudder. Things that they can do with their hands, feet, mouth, breasts, buttocks (don't ask because I didn't), legs, nose (wtf) and of course the vaginal fly trap.

Now, being inevitably the man that I am, you would think I would find the conversation rather alluring, but I sh*t you not when I say that it was pretty disturbing. These women can be malicious! They make S&M look like kiddie play, and on top of that, they take this business pretty seriously, almost as if it was a religion.

But moving along from the sex ed category, Raven has proven to be more resourceful than we give her credit for, hence the reason most of Sigma squad is still alive. Apparently, we have been trekking into her assigned territory, which crosshatches into other Feral "scouts'" along the mountain border and coast. She has amassed supplies, including food, shelter, and ammunitions for quite some time, stashing it away in "secret" locations, some of which is pretty well hidden. I believe she uses these places to stay at weeks at a time, carefully rationing her supplies, including medical and hygiene supplies. These chicks really take care of themselves, I mean, I've seen Raven use her toothbrush on the road several occasions using some "homemade" toothpaste and peroxide mouthwash. She probably uses the river, when it's not frozen, to bathe, otherwise, she has found access to some old wells with a water heater, powered by a fuel generator. Needless to say, she doesn't stink!

Now whether this is relevant, I am not sure, but it has been difficult to tell how old Raven really is because the Feral have found some means to keep them looking young. I found out that Raven is actually twenty-seven years of age, but she looks as if she's nineteen, and apparently from what I gathered when I was conversing to her about it, they use some means of detoxification and natural ointments to keep their skin protected from the elements. Whatever it is they're doing or using to keep them looking young, they could make a fortune patenting it.

Anyway, obviously she has been spying on us for quite some time, longer than I expected, so I would put money on the fact that these chicks are not by any means ignorant of what's going on between us and the Locusts, as well as the Stranded. I can only guess though is that they are losing territory and their natural resources to the Locusts, Stranded, and probably us. This may be the contributing factor as to why they're attacking Gears, but this is just speculation.

I also have reason to believe that she has been hacking into our network in the past few years, maybe longer, especially since she has access to computer terminals in some places where they are still connected to Jacinto's mainframe. Now I do not know as of yet how much of our intel she has gathered but I bet she has a whole network of "classified" information somewhere in that little riddle of a head of hers that as of now has managed to keep from me, imagine that. But whatever the case, we seriously need to upgrade our security system on command's terminal, because obviously it's not working.
When and if we return to headquarters, I would strongly suggest to command to invest into the further development of Feral and COG ties. The last thing we need is for these *****es to go medieval on our ass!

But on a more observational note, if these chicks have a more advanced means of reproducing as Raven claims them to be, then perhaps the COG needs to rethink its present "breeding" strategy other than just throwing all the women in the barn and hoping for the best.

Chapter 15: Back to Square One

Author's notes

I just want to say that the brief intermission of Cole’s childhood past is by no means canon and is speculative only, based on my research and the understanding of the character.

I also included a bonus journal entry from Baird’s, infamous dictations to help bridge additional facts that I did not want to drench the dialogue of the story so much, it starts to lag. Although you could probably understand the basic plot without reading Baird’s journal entry’s, I was hoping it would help to break up dialogue sequences so they don’t become redundant. That, and understanding Baird’s sarcasm in almost everything he does, it may provide some additional comical relief as he tries to be objective at the same time. Again, let me know of your opinion

[Jonesybites]

Sigma attempts to find shelter from the freezing, night temperatures...

Chapter 15: Back to Square One

The key is so distant...I've open doors.
Now when to listen, know what to listen for.

The shelf in the room, has been the way,
Of holding me, and letting me stay.

The shelf in the room, has been told the truth.
I can't hide, from the shelf in the room.

The key is so distant, and I've closed my door.
The shelf in the room, is rain waiting to pour.

~Days of the New~


Part 1

The air grew colder as the light from the setting sun faded behind the mountains, making the shadows from the trees grow taller as the afterglow buried itself further into the Seran terrain. The sky was water brushed in an array of colors, accenting the thin clouds over the horizon.

Though Raven has watched it many times, she would never cease to awe at its magnificence. Of all the sunsets she had ever witnessed in her lifetime, this kind was her favorite. She wanted so badly to sit and watch it go by, but the urgency of finding shelter hung heavily over her head, as if she was dragging three, heavy sacks of potatoes, uphill.

Nothing seemed to ruin a picturesque moment more than Vinny asking annoying questions, or Cole whining to slow down, or Baird b***hing about one thing or another, and then another. She continued to remind herself, it's for the cause, for your sisters and our relations with the COG…pfft, seriously, and who is this really fooling? As she finally made her way to a familiar place, she stepped up onto a boulder to peer overhead to see a small, vacant cabin up ahead in the woods nearby. Our destination, finally! She then motioned to the others to look ahead.

"We're here…just near that cabin," she pointed to the shabby, log building.

"Agh…about time," Baird moaned, rubbing his arms to stay warm, while Cole and Sven huddled together, shivering in the cold.

Raven darted down the boulder and through the woods towards the cabin. Cole and Sven moved ahead, trying to keep at each other's pace while Baird picked up his legs, attempting to dodge fallen logs and heaps of foliage debris as he ran down a slope to the back of cabin. Slowing down, he peered around the rickety building, noticing that the roof had caved in under the heavy snow, while the foundation was teetering slightly on one side.

"This piece of sh*t is not going to help us, Feral," Baird griped as he kicked it, hoping that the tattered cabin would just collapse. We hiked all this way through this frozen hellhole, just so we can spend the night in this crap shack?

"We're not staying in the cabin, Baird," Raven responded before she went a little further down behind the cabin and into an unmarked area near a slope. Cole and Sven finally joined up with Baird, gazing at the abandoned, rickety cabin.

"Ugh…this doesn't look good…what are we going to do now?" Sven complained while Cole just stared at it blankly.

"Guys…over here," Raven yelled out, waving her hands as the three turned to see her pull open a cellar door, hidden behind the brush. The three quickly made their way around the trees and over to the cellar entrance while Raven pulled out a lantern that was hanging next to the doorway to light it with a match. As the three finally catch up to her, she holds it at the doorframe, revealing a flight of stairs that lead further down into what appeared to be an underground refuge.

"This was a shelter, used at one time during really bad snow storms. It's pretty intact; it has about two rooms with beds, a "living" area with a fireplace, and an iron stove with a large pot for cooking."

The Gears were about to melt at the news of beds, food, and warmth. Raven proceeded to walk down the stairs as she cleared the way into the "living" area to hang the lantern on a hook that was bolted to the ceiling. She could hear the stairs creaking under the heavy Gears feet, carefully moving down the twelve-foot, flight of stairs. The three began to sober up from the blistering cold as they could feel the warmth of the shelter already.

Raven meandered over to a wardrobe cabinet to pull out some more lanterns, while Baird went back up the stairs to shut the wooden door and clamped the bars down onto the hooks bolted on the doorframe.

"We're secure," he yelled over his shoulder while Raven lit up two more lanterns.

"Damon, come help me with this," Raven yelled from the living area as Baird made his way back down the flight of stairs. She glanced over to Cole and Sven,

"See if you guys can get the fireplace started…"

"I'm all over it," Cole beamed as Raven handed him the matches while waiting for Baird to join her.

"Did you call for me mistress," he said as he limped his way over to her. Groaning, she got up to hand him one of the lanterns.

"Sigh, yea…I…need you, to go put this in that room over there while I set this one in the other room."

"Alright," he said as he took the lantern and walked towards the room while Raven moved into the other.

With the only lighting coming from the oil lanterns, the shelter was dimly lit against the wood walls and concrete flooring. Judging by the odor, apparently either the walls or the cabinets were made of cedar; it was hard to tell otherwise.

Sven meandered around a table to a wall of cabinets. Opening up the cabinet door, he started to rummage around in the shelves, looking for something to eat.

"Hey…we have beans…chicken broth…some canned vegetables…hey, we could make soup," Sven yelled out over his shoulder.

"Leave the cooking to me, Vin…you nearly burnt the chili last time," said Cole while lighting up the cast iron stove, pulling out some more chopped wood from the pile that was flushed against the wall.

As Baird scanned for a place to hang the lantern, he looked around to find two twin beds, adjacent from each other on opposite sides of the room walls, with several quilts and a pillow on each.

"Hey, guys…we got beds…with blankets," Baird yelled out as Cole and Sven dropped whatever it was they were doing to go run into the room, nearly tripping over one another trying to cram through the doorframe to get a look.

"Aw, man, this is paradise," Cole beamed in excitement. The Gears continued to admire the comforts of the room, until Raven's voice could be heard coming from the other room.

"There's a full size bed in here," she yelled out.

Without hesitation, the three raced over to the other room, slamming into the doorframe as they peered in, watching Raven pull out some fur blankets from under the larger bed.

"I call dibs on this one," Cole blurted out as he pushed the others out of the way dart in and jump on the bed, all the while Raven jolted back.

"Holy cow, Cole…geez."

"Sorry Feral, but you gotta be quick with these guys."

Before she could even turn to the other two, they were already darting back to the other room to claim their sleeping arrangements.
Raven could only sigh,

"Oh, well…the couch is more comfortable anyway," she muttered to herself, picking up the sheep hide blankets before returning into the living area where the couch was at.

The four continued to make themselves at home as the fireplace thawed the cold, musty air. The chicken broth in the pot, above the iron burner was boiling while Cole opened up the cans of beans and vegetables, dumping them into the pot. He pulled up a chair next to the pot and sat down, wearing only his shirt and pants while his armor and boots sat near the fireplace to dry off.

Sven started to disrobe the top portion of his fatigues as he sat down and warmed up next to the fire, taking off his boots. He slowly peeled off his socks from his suffocating, pale feet before laying them close to the fireplace to dry out.

"Aw, yea…much better…I swear, my feet felt like they were going to fall off," Sven moaned, relaxing as he propped himself up with his arms and extended his throbbing legs.

"You'll feel even better once you get some food in ya," Cole grinned as he takes a wooden spoon to churn the broth. "…but I know what ya mean…I couldn't wait to get my boots off my achin' calves."

As the two got comfortable, Raven walked in, carrying some wooden bowls and stainless-steel silverware, placing them on the wooden coffee table next to the couch.

"You guys may want to eventually take off the rest of your fatigues so they can dry out…they're pretty soaked," she suggested as the two noticed that she was still in full gear.

"Hey, how come you didn't get drenched in the snow?" Sven complained.

"My fatigues are mostly made of Reaver hide…their pretty weather proof…that's why the Feral preferred the Locust garb over the Gear's."

"So how'd you get em?"

"We've spent the past eight years collecting a lot of armaments from the deceased…we discovered the advantages of the leather hides used by the hordes. Granted the armor is light, but we can move more efficiently in it than the Gear equipment…no offense."

"None taken…besides, it looks flattering," Cole mused as Raven gave him a perplexed look.

"On who?"

"On you, baby!"

Raven rolled her eyes as she continued,

"If you say so…and one more thing, there's no bathroom so you'll have to use the bucket in the closet."

"You got it," Cole replied while Sven continued to bask in the heat coming from the fireplace.

As the three chatted, Baird carefully limped into the room, cringing as if he was walking on broken glass. He came in wearing just his undershirt and pants, tip-toeing barefoot while his COG tags dangled around his neck.

"Sup, Damon," Cole acknowledged, noticing Baird was trying not to put too much weight on his bare feet.

"Sore…everywhere. My feet…my legs, my ass…hey Feral, I don't suppose there's any ibuprofen around?"

"In the cabinet…over there," Feral pointed behind her to the counter.

Baird limped over to the cabinet and opened it up. The shelf was filled with all sorts of pharmaceutical bottles as he scanned through them, organized alphabetically.

"Geez, Feral…half of this sh*t is prescription only," Baird noticed as he could see the colored labels used to mark prescription bottles for side effect disclaimers. Baird finally found the bottle he was searching for and grabbed it. After closing the cupboard, he carefully limped over to the couch, cringing as he took a seat until he sat down before redirecting his attention to Raven setting some folded blankets out on the coffee table.

"What is that all for?" he bugged her as he slowly propped his feet on the coffee table.

Raven looked up with sarcastic expression,

"I'm going to wrap you up in it with duct tape and use you for a kicking bag," she responded volubly.

Baird leaned back into the plush couch while bringing his hands behind his head before flashing a musing grin.

"A little too soon for foreplay, don’t cha think?"

Raven picked up one of the blankets and threw it at him,

"That's yours for the night…and keep it up, asswipe, you have to sleep sometime."

"Ooo…better watch it Baird," Cole chuckled.

"Yea, yea…still, at least I can say I got some action with a chick, even if it involves getting an ass kicking. Whatta you got to say for yourself, Gus?"
Cole sat in silence while Raven interrupted,

"Also, you guys need to hang up your fatigues so they can dry."

"On what, the countertop?" Baird griped.

Raven sighed, "You see that clothesline on the wall over there," she pointed over at the wall while Baird looked up to notice a wire prostrated along the wall, "…that's where you hang your clothes and socks."

"Yes, mom," Baird sneered in return. Raven ignored him and started her way to the cupboard, pulling out some more bowls.

"Damn, Feral, how'd you collect all dis stuff?" Cole asked in amazement, noticing all the supplies Raven had stashed around the room.

Part 2 continued on the next post...

[Jonesybites]

Part 2 of Chapter 15...


The living area was conventional with wall shelving, makeshift wood furniture, and other furnishings containing books, cans, and the like, with several hooks on each wall to hang the lanterns. The pantry was open with top and bottom cabinets and a stainless steel countertop. The breakfast area was merely the cast iron stove and fireplace with a couple of chairs and no table.

"Did you guys think I wandered the wilderness for five years and not pick things up along the way? How did you think I managed to stay out weeks at a time without food and supply?"

"I guess that would explain all that canned food in the pantry...half of them are expired though," Sven observed, noticing the dates were at least five years old.

"Most cans have a shelf life of at least three years…but I believe we'll be ok. I've had it before and it tasted fine," Raven recalled from her past experiences of eating expired, canned food. She couldn't afford to be picky when food was scarce to begin with.

"You've used this place several times, haven't ya," Baird observed as he leaned back into the sofa, noticing some clamped, modem wiring along the wall. She's probably got a laptop stashed somewhere around here, he pondered.

"Quite a bit actually. Like I said…this is a perfect spot for hiding away for a while, whenever needed."

Cole stood up as he checks their meal, picking up a bowl and scooped some of the soup up for test tasting.

"It's ready guys," he announced.

"Ah, sweet," said Sven as he got up and hobbled over to the pot. Baird groaned, realizing that he really did not want to get up, especially since his feet were still hurting. He gestured over to Cole,

"Hey man, bring me a bowl, willya?"

"Sure thing…" Cole replied as he got up and extended it for Baird’s reach. Before Baird could even grab it, Cole shook the bowl, teasing Baird while still keeping it barely in reach.

"Don't make me have to get up, Gus," Baird sneered while Cole let out a laugh, finally handing the bowl to him. As Baird placed the bowl on his lap, he takes out the spoon for Cole to see,

"I outta shove this up your ass when I'm done," Baird scoffed.

"Ooo, is that promise? Heehee," Cole chuckled as he sat back down with his bowl while Baird flipped him the bird and blows him a kiss.

"Yea, you know you love it when I talk dirty to ya," Cole mused.

"Whatever man," Baird snickered before chowing down. Raven was right...this didn't taste too bad.

"Pretty good, huh," said Cole. Baird nodded, trying to swallow before he acknowledged Cole,

"We've had a lot worse, that's for sure…and it beats Marcus' cooking any day," he said while Cole laughed.

"You mean, Sergeant Fenix?" Sven asked, eating at the same time.

"Hehe, oh yea, that's the one…tell ya what, that man can burn water…" said Cole, reminiscing the days when they had to put up with Marcus' burnt toast for breakfast.

"…now Dom, WHOO, that boy can cook. He can make some the best enchiladas, hands down!"

Cole and Baird quickly figured that Dominic was better at cooking home, made meals, mostly from when he used to fix dinner for his wife and children. When Delta squad was getting tired of chewing on burnt rice and scorched eggs, it was widely suggested that Dom would be the "cook" from then on.
"Yea, those were the same enchiladas that also gave you guys the runs for a whole, damn week," Baird griped, "...I finally had to tell Dom to quit making them because I got tired of cleaning the f***ing toilet every time you guys used it!"

Raven dropped her holsters down next to the couch before turning to Baird,

"Ok, of all the things you could be ranting about while we're eating, Baird, you had to bring up your former squads' dietary issues?"

"Are you kidding Feral? Damon's always talking sh*t!" Cole elaborated while Sven laughed.

"Damn right I am…anything I can use to diss Marcus," Baird scoffed.

After removing her shoulder harness, she placed it next to the couch beside her holsters as she rotated her head, trying to relieve the tension in her neck before turning to Cole.

"Could you make a bowl for me please, Cole? I need to go turn on the generator for the water heater to work."

"You got it, baby!"

Raven opened up a trap door that was underneath a floor rug in a storage closet, next to the pantry. She grabbed a flashlight before going down a ladder into the small quarters below.

After filling his bowl, Sven walked back over to the fireplace and sat back down on the floor.

"Oh, don't forget, Feral said we need to strip down," Cole reminded the other two.

"Yea, yea…we'll hang it all up when we're done chowing down," said Baird as he removed his aching feet from coffee table.

Raven came back up from out of the closet, bringing a galvanized tub to place on the countertop in the pantry.

"Please put your bowls in here when you're done so they can soak," she said, leaving the tub on the counter, and then walked back to find her bowl.

"I got it right here, baby," said Cole as he handed her the bowl. She turned around to go sit down on the couch next to Baird, waiting for it to cool off by setting it on the coffee table. Baird placed his empty bowl down on the floor and slowly leaned back to prop his knees up before directing his attention to Raven,

"Ok, back to business…so where do we go next, because obviously we can't flank the Stranded settlement from the side, if we can flank them at all. Most likely, they are probably waiting for us, and from what I understand from what you mentioned earlier, they're probably a lot more resourceful than we give them credit for."

Raven took a moment to analyze the situation, reviewing her own mental notes from a few months earlier.

"The settlement has been there at least five months, that I know of, but I have not updated them in over a month so I can't tell you what they have amassed as of now…but what I can tell you is that they have been stripping down a lot of your fallen vehicles, and I'm not just talking about ammunition, or weapons."

"What else can they possibly take?" Cole asked in curiosity.

"I've seen them haul an entire APC, using a couple of mountain bison to pull it all the way to their fort. At first, I thought they were just using the metal for scrap to melt down; I really didn't know why at the time, but after recent events, I believe they may be forming some sort of a militia."
"Do you think they could fix up those vehicles?" Sven asked as Baird turns to look at Sven to add in his two cents.

"I doubt it…they can't even maintenance their own vehicles, much less fix a Dill…"

"I have reason to believe they may have a few mechanics working on something," Raven responded.

"Oh? Please…enlighten us," Baird questioned her.

"The last time I spied on them, I noticed some Stranded working on the vehicles inside a large, metal building…that and they were moving all scraps into some makeshift a garage. They have a smelter in there."

"That doesn't sound good, Damon…" Cole acknowledged, "…if they have some disgruntled Gears working along with the Stranded…"

"That's another reason why we can't just go up to them, guns blazing Gus… we won't know for sure what they have until we can investigate it. Sh*t, this whole thing is starting to piss me off!"

"Hell Baird, you knew this whole thing sucked balls to begin with," Cole conveniently reminded him, "…and I wonder what command is going to do about it now!"

"Well, Cole, only three squads made it do the drop-off point, and from what Anya told me, they too were having communication problems," Baird informed him.

"Well, **** Damon! What the hell could be causing that entire radio disturbance? How can we be having radio disruption in such a wide circumference all over this cold hell hole?"

Raven began to blow on her bowl, hoping for it to cool down as she cut in,

"I believe I may have an answer to that," she said as the others directed their attention to Raven, "…they're using some device to shield them from your satellite. I believe this same device may be contributing to your communication issues."

"How do you know?"

"I overheard them talking about it. They were curious as to how we figured their location, since the COG couldn't locate them.”

"Wait…you overheard them?" Baird asked abruptly.

"Uh…yea…"

"You were that close…without being detected?"

"Are you kidding, I've managed to hide from Drones and Berserkers without being detected."

"Ok, now how did you do that?"

"I used entrails left by wretches to hide my scent. It works great as a camouflage, especially against Stranded; not to mention you guys."

"Yea, you keep reminding us…" Baird groaned as he rubbed his forehead, waiting for the medication to kick in, "…but it probably smells pretty gross, too."

Raven sighed, "Yea…you get used to it."

Baird let out a slight chuckle as he continued,

"Anyway, if what you said earlier is true, then that would explain quite a bit. Command has been searching up and down this whole area, trying to put together schematics of this entire terrain. If they're disrupting the satellite, then we were probably going the wrong way to begin with…the schematics that we had to work with is crap!"

"They also mentioned that they have acquired some troikas and something about a fortress…" Raven continued, "…as you said before Damon, it will not be wise to move in from the side as we originally planned."

Baird groaned, leaning his head over the cushion while Raven finally picked up her bowl and began to eat.

"Which means we're going to have to go around the mountain to the "ass end" of the settlement…" Baird moaned.

"…that would be the more practical alternative, yes," Raven confirmed. Baird slumped into the sofa as Raven finishes up her soup and then continues,

"You may want to sleep on this one, Baird, because the only thing I can suggest at this point is to wait a little longer. They have no idea how you guys are surviving the cold. They think y'all will not last any more than a day."

"Point taken…sh*t, my feet hurt," Baird griped while Cole put up his bowl.

"Well then get off your feet and go to bed," Raven suggested as she got up to put up her bowl.

Baird began to groan, "But then that means I have to get up…"

"Well why don't you sweet talk Cole into carrying you to your bed?"

"Sh*t yea, I'd do it," Cole blurted out. Baird lifted up his head to give a Cole a dirty look.

"You even so much as look at me wrong and I swear…"

"Yea, promises, promises, hehe…" Cole chuckled while he looked at what was leftover in the pot, "…hey, we got enough here for breakfast!"

He placed the lid back on the pot while Baird pulled himself up and hobbled his way over to the tub on the counter, placing his bowl inside,

"Ugh, we still need to hang up our clothes…damnit, my pants are still wet," Baird suddenly remembered.

Cole started to snicker as he took off his pants to hang them on the clothesline, leaving on his boxers and undershirt.

"Well, quit wettin' yourself…c'mon guys…take it off so I can hang it up! You too Damon!"

Baird groaned as he loosened his utility belt to slip off his pants, all the while, glancing at Raven filling the tub with warm, soapy water.

"Ok, Feral…cover your virgin eyes while we undress," he smirked while Raven looked over her shoulder to give him a dirty look.

"Contrary to what you may believe, I am familiar with the male anatomy," she explained, "…so anything that you may have to brag about will not shock me."

Cole started to chuckle,

"Yea, but you ain't seen nothing until you've seen the Train, baby!"

Baird snickered while watching Sven throw his pants over to Cole. Raven waddled over to help Cole hang up their fatigues.

"Try to spread them out so they can breathe," she said.

"You got it, baby," said Cole, pulling up his pants over the clothesline while Feral hung up Sven's.

"Hey Cole…" Baird blurted out, "…catch!"

Baird threw his pants for Cole to catch in midair.

"Damn, baby, these are soaked," said Cole, still holding up Baird's damp fatigues.

As Raven finished setting up their pants to hang and dry, Cole moved over to pick up his armor.

"Well, I'm going to hit the hay…catch you b****es later," Cole announced as he started to walk into his room. While Raven hung up the last pair of socks, Cole yelled out from his room,

"Hey, Feral…be a sweety and bring me a cup of water, willya?" Cole asked in his come hither tone while Raven just let out a mellow groan.

Sven began to pick himself up from the floor after thawing out. He raised his arms to reach up to stretch before shuffling his light brown hair, yawning. After his pre-bedtime routine, he staggered his way to bed.

"See y'all in the morning."

"Be sure to put your armor against the wall so I don't trip over it," Baird articulated to Sven. Sven only waved his hand in return in mid-yawn. As Baird turned back around, he noticed Raven was still loading the dishes into the tub that was sitting on the counter.

"And while you're at it, you think you could massage my feet…" Baird mused for the hell of it. Placing the last bowl in the tub, Raven rebutted.

"Go to bed, Damon…and don't trip and fall on your way over there because you're not going to get a lick of sympathy from me."

"Aw…not even a tiny lick?" he scoffed as she turned to face him with her arms crossed against her chest, "…alright, fine…but you need to get some rest too, so quite playing house-wife and go to sleep."

"Yes, dad," Raven sneered, flashing Baird an expression of sarcasm as she resumed finishing up the dishes. Despite the rhetoric exchange, her words bounced off him like raindrops hitting kevlar, rolling off his back while he could dish out the same without pretense.

"Yea, you remember who's your daddy," he casually scoffed back, followed by a chuckle as he staggered to his room. Raven threw her washrag to the wayside before marching over to Sven and Baird's door.

"Good night," she growled, and then shut the door. Arrogant prick.

Raven turned back around to grab a clean cup from the cupboard and fills it with water. Walking over to Cole's room, she stepped past the open door. She could barely see him under the faint light coming from the lantern, still trying to get under the layers of blankets that was neatly tucked under the bed.

"Geez, Feral…how many blankets are there?"

"Hopefully enough to at least keep your feet warm."

"Yea, I heard that!" said Cole while Raven walked into the room, trying not to trip over his armor that was lying on the floor.

"…and I brought your water."

"Aw, Feral…that's so sweet of you. My momma used to bring me a glass of milk almost every night."

Raven walked over to hand him the cup while Cole continued,

"When I was real little…if you can ever imagine me being little…" Cole bragged, "…Momma would either read me a story, or sing me a song."

"Well, I'm afraid I am out of bedtime stories…or at least some happy ones…and I'm not much of a singer."

Cole let out a slight chuckle, glancing at Raven's pale face under the dim lighting coming from the lamp above. Although her expression was serene for the moment, relaxed and glowing compared to her usual scowling glare that he remembered when they first met. It was another side he guessed that was always there, she just didn't have much of a reason to show it.

"How long have you been away from people, Raven?" Cole suddenly asked. His question caught Raven slightly off guard, but answered it anyway,
"Too long, perhaps," Raven said soberly, with a brief smile that dissipated just as quickly as it appeared. Cole drank his water and then sat the cup on the table next to the bed, while Raven leaned over to pick it up.

"Well…hopefully that will do," she said as she stood back up.

"Oh, yea…that's nice…" Cole moaned, nestling his head into his pillow, thawing from the cold. He returned his gaze back to Raven, watching her rub the back of her neck.

"So why doesn't a cutie like you ever get out?"

She looked at him with a perplexed look, but then responded.

"Get out, where…I mean…where am I to go? To the COG, where I'll get shipped out to the nearest breeding farm…to the Stranded, where the only means of survival is to work in a brothel?" she listed on while Cole just took it in, realizing he should have rephrased the question, but allowed her to vent nevertheless, “…and with two-thirds of Sera scorched beyond recognition, I can’t imagine going anywhere outside of Glacier Valley, not that this place would have been my first choice.”

"Gee Feral…I meant, why didn't you go out and get married, have some kids?"

"With who…to some scrawny, booze ridden Stranded, or some chauvinistic hormone-fed Gear? I mean… yea, my choices are really infinite," she laughed sarcastically. The idea of going out and finding someone to spend the rest of her life with and raise a family was thrown on the backburner for so long, she didn't dare to entertain the option since.

"So I guess us, guys aren't to your liking, huh?"

Raven could already feel the weight of complexity, coming from Cole's question, even though he was just making small talk. No harm in that I suppose. But how could she answer that without coming across as snooty, or without lying, which she already knew she wasn't very good at? She figured if the Cole Train can handle Locusts, then perhaps he can handle the plain truth.

"Sigh, Gus…don't take it the wrong way, it's just," she hesitated for a moment, but then decided to just let it out, "…you guys have more important things to worry about than thinking about settling down, much less worrying about me. Seriously, how often do you think about it, Cole? When was the last time you even had a moment to yourself to think about such things, as ****ty as this world is?"

"All the time…" Cole answered with a smile, knowing that Raven wasn't being condescending. He was just glad that she could finally open herself up about something.

"It's just I got a lot to choose from, ya know," Cole chuckled to himself, "…well, at least I used to. Those were the good ol' days."

Raven realized that Cole wasn't afraid to admit that things have changed, whether they were for the better or for the worst, while still reminiscing the good ol' days as if they were something worth remembering.

"Yea, I bet they were…" she acknowledged, knowing that he probably had flocks of women wanting to shack up with a sports celebrity, lingering like groupies to the latest flame musician.

"Nah, there's plenty of strapping men out there Feral."

"Pfft, like who? Vinny?" Raven laughed half-heartedly, "…seriously, can you see him settling down? I mean, geez, I don't even know if his balls have dropped yet."

Cole chuckled in amusement at Raven's blunt observation.

"…and oh, where do I even begin with Baird?"

"Nah, Baird's ok…you just have to get to know him before you hate him."

"Who ever said that I hated him?"

"Well…it seems like you get pissed off at him all da time…and believe me when I say he really isn't trying to piss you off, he just doesn't know how to talk to the ladies."

"I don't think he really knows how to talk to anyone, much less ladies."

"Oh…so…you don't hate him?"

"He's just as human as the rest of us…but apparently you know him best, Gus."

"Pfft, sometimes. Other times, I just take him as he is, ya know," Cole continued, his eyes gazing at the glimmering light bouncing off the wall adjacent from him, "...but, I guess there's hope for him yet,"

Raven sighed as she made an effort to change the depressing subject.

"What is it about you that keeps you going, Cole?"

Cole never thought that Raven would ever be interested in such things, but he addressed her inquiry anyway,

"My Momma always used to tell me, when things just didn't seem to go right, to make the best of what you have," Cole continued, as Raven hung onto every word, listening attentively, "…and right now, the best that I have is Damon, Vinny, and you."

Raven could see the exhaustion in his face as he mumbled the last bit of words that she took into her mental journal. She never thought a Gear could feel such things, embrace on the little moments that would otherwise appear so trivial. Perhaps they were not as unsentimental as she always believed them to be. Cole certainly wasn't. Raven almost envied Cole, in the way he viewed daily life as a blessing, considering everything he did have, and not second-guess on the things he didn't have.

"Get some sleep, Cole…your exhausted," she said while Cole snuggled his head into his pillow, and shutting his heavy eyes. Raven slowly exited the room with the lamp in hand and carefully closed the door behind her.

As she made her way to the couch, she opened up a blanket to place it on the couch while she straightened the cushions before taking a seat. Taking off her boots and leather leggings, she groaned before placing them on the coffee table, and then unstrapped her loincloth, along with her pelvic plates to relieve her cramping diaphragm. Leaning back, placing her hand on her forehead, Raven sighed, slowly unwinding while she drifted into exhaustion.
Raven started to get comfortable until she felt something underneath her, jabbing into her thigh. Damnit, what the hell am I sitting on that is digging into my leg? She sat up from her seat, looking over and noticing a pair of goggles clumped in between the cushions.

Ugh…geez, Damon, she groaned, picking them up and started to make her way to his room, cringing from the cold, concrete floor stinging her bare feet. Carefully, opening the door, she slowly stepped in, trying not to make any noise while Sven and Baird were fast asleep. The lamp, hanging above, gave just enough light for her to move around without tripping over their equipment, sprawled out on the floor.

I thought they were going to put it up against the wall, she growled to herself as she carefully meandered around their armor while moving over to a lamp table that sat in between the two beds. Sven, who was lying on his side in the fetal position, snored, soundly as she walked over to the lamp table to place Baird's goggles next to his Snub pistol. As she turned around, her glance caught Sven's youthful skin under the faint light, noticing the reddish stubble that littered along his jawline. Apparently he hadn't shaved since they were deployed. I guess he didn't bring a razor...but then again why would he? This mission was only supposed to last a day.

Moving away, trying not to step on their stuff, she turned around and noticed Baird was lying on his stomach, snoring loudly, while drool was seeping from his mouth. His arm was hanging off the bed while the rest of his body was sprawled out, judging by the indentions in the blankets that laid on top of him.

Well isn't that a classy sight, she chuckled to herself. Stepping around the armor in the dimming light, she stumbled over a boot, quickly placing her hand along a bedpost to keep herself from falling on her face as she managed to pull herself up along the side of Baird's bed. Sh*t…she was grinding her teeth in fury, tempted to entertain the idea of picking up his boots and tossing them outside. Releasing a sigh as she rubbed her forehead, she turned her head and noticed the calm expression on the side of Damon's face, while the other side was buried in his pillow, lying on top of his pool of drool. Out of inquisitiveness, she slightly leaned over to get a better look of the scarring that was apparent on his pale cheek, wondering to herself, what has this man seen in his military career…is this the face of a hardened soldier?

Unlike the youthful, innocent complexion of inexperience that masked Sven's façade, Baird's complexion was coarse from years of service and mature in age. She never took notice of Baird's scars before until the fluttering, dim light of the lamp exposed them, revealing a part of his character in a way that was serene, yet obscure. She couldn't help to wonder what it was that made him so fractious and unfeeling. Despite his hardheartedness, she wondered if there was something she never thought to see in him before that he kept so veiled, that only the most penitent of people would be able to grasp it. As Cole pointed out, you just have to accept him for who he is.

Raven placed her thoughts aside the moment her eyes began to grow heavy. She carefully stood back up and proceeded to tip toe out of the room before grazing her shin against one of their breastplates. Ugh, damnit! Wincing from the sharp pain, throbbing in her leg, she caught her tongue before she was able to blurt out any profanity. Limping out of the room to her own place of rest, Raven crashed on the couch, pulling herself under the layers of sheep and camel, fur blankets, closing her eyes to succumb exhaustion at last, just in time to take me away from this cold and callous place.
Succumbing to her dream state, she drifted in and out of her thought closet, subconsciously wandering into her childhood memories, dwelling on the times when she was "happy," and life was normal. She recalled the days when Mommy would greet her with a smile when she got off from school, and then went home to see Daddy to tell him about her day, just as any family should be.

How much things have changed since then, when her foster father was killed defending an COG medical frigate, and her foster mother was hiding her from the "Fortification Act," by home schooling her and keeping her profile low when they went to places, like the supermarket. Everything changed after E-day. Everything that she was taught, their family values, the moral code, all that she grew up to know was quickly debased when the Probation officer would visit their home, checking on Raven when she was a preteen. She remembered her mother confronting the officer, telling him to get out of their house, accusing them of soiling the sanctity of their home with their presence, eying her "daughter."

But then it happened; the day Raven dreaded for so long had inevitably come. It was the first day she began her menstrual cycle. She realized she could no longer hide her secret from them anymore. It was from then on, she believed there was no other option, but to run away.

Chapter 16: Rude Awakening

Intermission 2 is on the next post.

[Jonesybites]

A new day begins for Sigma Squad as they iron out the details of their new objective.

Intermission II

The dogs of war don't negotiate
The dogs of war won't capitulate,
They will take and you will give,
And you must die so that they may live
You can knock at any door,
But wherever you go, you know they've been there before
Well winners can lose and things can get strained
But whatever you change, you know the dogs remain.

Pink Floyd



The early morning was calm and clear as the overcast sky remained dormant, giving time for the recent fallen snow to settle. The sun peered over the mountains, giving a soft afterglow into the forest as the faint light glistened around the snow, covered trees.

Not far from the frozen great lake, a Stranded on horseback traveled across the open plain, clopping back to the forest where Gamma Four was left to rot. Tied to the back of his horse, pulling behind him was a man, partially unclothed as he moved barefoot in the snow behind the animal.

Hanging heavy in the a air, the bitter cold nipped at his flesh while his feet were frost bit, numb and unfeeling as he could barely keep up with the pace of the horse, until he finally collapsed onto the ground, letting the horse drag him. As they moved near the edge of the forest, the rider slowed down and then suddenly dismounted. It was the same man Raven saw before, the big one who was sniffing out the whereabouts of Sigma squad.

He walked around as he grabbed the man by the hair on his head and stood him up, barking at him,

"On your feet soldier…keep moving this way," he growled as he untied the rope from the saddle and pushed the man from behind, forcing him to grudgingly walk on his frozen feet, wearing nothing but his lower fatigues without anything covering his torso or face. The Stranded shoved him again.

"Move along, Sergeant Harley…your men are waiting,"

"Go…f*** yourself…traitor," the Sergeant spat out while shivering violently from the cold. The Stranded only shoved him again as Harley staggered into the woods, back to where his men were dumped in the open area ahead. His face and chest was as red as beets, blistering from the frostbite that infested his peeling skin.

Just as they entered the forest, Harley collapsed from his weathered feet, trying to get back up as he crawled. Instead, the Stranded decided to grab Harley by his hair and drag him inside. The Sergeant could only cringe from the pain as the big Stranded threw him next to one of the bodies, still partially buried under the snow. The Stranded walked around Harley, patiently waiting for the Sergeant to look up at him as he lectured.

"Apparently Sergeant, Sigma One is still alive and out looking for our settlement...so what I want to know, is how did they found out about our location?"

Harley didn't answer. He just glared at him, blood seeping from his mouth as his arm was hideously swollen from a bullet wound he received during the ambush Gamma Four walked into the night before. He could tell that the Stranded was once a Gear. He knew their protocol too well, and was able to strategically take out his men, one at a time. He knew that it wasn't the Locusts or the Feral who took out Epsilon Two and Etta Three a month ago and Theta Four a week earlier. Command has it all wrong. This wasn't about just stealing supplies and clashes among factions.

"Come on Sergeant…don't make me have to ring the info out of the others."

Harley was shivering vigorously as his whole body was becoming numb, his limbs losing their feeling as his lungs ached from breathing the cold air. He didn't know if he could respond if he wanted to. Either way, he knew he was dead, and the others would eventually be too, regardless if he told this guy anything or not. If Sigma was still alive and searching for the settlement, then he would be damned to tell anything about how they knew about it. Their Feral guide is with them…she's supposed to know this place front and back, so she probably knows about their location…and I bet she is leading Sigma to it.

As much as he could muster, Harley sucks in the cold air into his nostrils as he summoned up the blood hanging in his throat into his mouth to spit on the Stranded's boot.

"F***…you...asshole!"

The Stranded's blue eyes scowl underneath his hooded scarf as he looked away at the scattered remains of Gamma squad. There's plenty of room for one more.

"Then I believe it is time for you to join you're men, Sergeant. I must admit, you are an admiral Gear, you would have been an excellent soldier for our cause…but alas, you are brainwashed… and all this for what? For the sake of humanity under Prescott's rule?"

The Stranded pulled out his Lancer and then revs up the drum on his chainsaw bayonet, warming up the chain belt from sitting idle in the cold air. As he revved the Lancer some more, he moved in to prostrate himself over Harley, holding the Lancer above his head.

"Until we meet again soldier…in hell…"

Harley closed his eyes, not feeling the air turn around him, even while the Lancer comes down on him, plowing through his head. His body was too numb to feel anything, even while his severed skull collapsed under the jagged teeth of the saw. No screaming, no howling, just the sound of the Lancer echoing through the woods and over the lake. Only to those who may be in earshot, understood it's war cry, even in the blinding snow.

Chapter 16: Rude Awakening


The smell of burnt wood saturates the air, as Raven pictured the fires still burning after the Hammer of Dawn raped the landscape of its once rich resources. She can still smell the smoldered prairies still fresh in the aftermath of its ruin. A world that was once so beautiful, now ravaged by the schemes of men, trying to control what was not meant for them to meddle.

She could still see the faces of those left behind, to wander in the wilderness, known only as the Stranded. She can still remember the seeds of hate, still burning deep in the soil, while further down into the deeper depths of Sera, lays another tribulation, soon to surface and rear its ugly head. Now, both forces rise against the COG, as the Stranded gather to reorganize their masses, and the Locusts, fighting over territory on two fronts; the humans and the Lambent. But now, the wrath of Sera has chilled the air with her cold shoulder as this year marks a heavy Frost, raging on all that inhabit it. The lines of right and wrong have since then blurred into a gray so vague, it was at times Raven didn't know whom to feel sorry for the most.

As the aroma of the burnt wood begins to dissipate, she can feel something tugging on her shoulder, pulling her consciousness back into a reality she really didn't want to wake up to. She slowly began to open her groggy eyes, only to see another dilemma that she had been dealing with for the past couple of days.

"Ugh…what do you want…go away," she moaned, pulling her blanket over her head.

"C'mon sleepyhead…it's after nine…we need to get moving," said Baird in a low, soft tone, shaking her shoulder again. He could hear her groan under the fur blanket, curling into a tight ball, not wanting to give him the time of day. Baird sat up with his hands on hips, getting impatient.

"Alright, that's it! No more nice guy," he announced before he grabbed the top of the blanket and yanking it off of her. Suddenly, the cool air swarmed her body as she feels the cold tingling her exposed legs and shoulders.

"Son of a b****!"

"You better believe it! C'mon Feral, get up!"

Baird threw the blanket on the floor before picking up Raven's equipment and then dumping it on her.

"Owe…damnit, that's cold!" she yelped.

"It's after nine, we need to get going." Baird informed her.

"After what? Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"Well, I figured you needed the extra rest…besides, it's not like we're in a hurry to get anywhere."

"That's not the point!"

"Yea, yea…hurry up and get your breakfast. The rest of us are ready, waitin’ on you."

Raven grumbled to herself, feeling her hair shuffled in all directions as she scratched the back of her head. Moving her hands down, she began to rub her bare arms to warm herself up. She wore only her ceremonial garb, made of a fine velvet that wrapped around her body as it haltered around her neck, holding up her bosoms. Baird walked back over and put a warm bowl of soup on the table while Raven quickly shielded her covered breasts with her arms to shelter her hardened nipples from sight, still protruding through the cloth. She couldn't imagine anything more embarrassing.

Baird stood back up, already in his full armor as he crossed his arms, amused by her modesty.

"Nice…"

"Oh, shut up! Go…do something."

"Like what?"

"I don't know and I don't care, just go away."

"Alright, alright, I'll give you your privacy."

"Thank you," Raven barked as Baird started to climb up the flight of stairs. She picked up her bowl of soup and began to eat, hoping it will warm her up enough for her to crawl out into the cold air.

Meanwhile, Baird emerged from the warm shelter and back out into the bitter wilderness of a white wonderland as Cole and Sven were throwing snowballs over a shallow cliff, trying to see who can throw the farthest.

"Haha…c'mon, Vinny…let's see how low you can throw," Cole mocked in amusement.

"Yea, you just wait Cole Train…I got ten years of softball behind this arm," Sven bragged, taking a few steps back before swinging his arm, watching the ball of snow hurl across the rocky chasm below.

"Not bad kid, but let me show you how a pro does it," Cole mused as he stepped up for his turn. Baird hollered in the background,

"C'mon Cole, you’re not going to let that snot nose get the best of ya!"

Cole swung his massive arm, launching the ball across the gap, but stopped abruptly as the ball of snow splattered on a boulder below, shortening it's distance a lot sooner than Cole anticipated.

"What…the…f***," Cole snorted in shock while he could hear Baird spilling with laughter, so hard he nearly falls over. Sven started to laugh as well, moving back down the slope, trying to brace himself against a tree.

"Yea…you assholes laugh it up," Cole barked while the two started to laugh even harder at Cole, as if ponies and rainbows were coming out of his ears.
All the while, Raven stomped up the stairs with her equipment and out onto the surface, seeing what all the commotion was about. As she glanced over to see Baird on the ground trying to contain himself and Sven hugging a tree, she shook her head and carefully shut the door to the underground shelter. Baird pulled himself up before walking over to Raven's position, still trying to compose himself.

"Uh…ahem…so are you ready to go?"

Raven hid the chain back behind the brush as she kicked some snow on it to conceal the entrance before she turned to address Baird.

"Yes…it is time to go…and will you please, wipe the snow off your ass before it gets soaked again?"

"Yes, mom," Baird sneered, wiping the snow that was caked to his fatigues.

Raven adjusted her holsters as she waited for the other two to join them. Still wiping the snow from the back of his rear and legs, Baird watched Cole tread his way down the slope, huffing in the cool air while Sven meandered over to pick up his Longshot before slinging it onto his back.

"Well as our illustrious Corporal mentioned earlier, we need to go around another mountain to flank the Stranded from behind," Raven began. Baird perked up to respond,

"So the back of their settlement is further from the lake, I take it."

"Yes. It will take us out of their sight, giving us some time to flank them in the back, which is actually the more vulnerable area…and that’s assuming they have not fixed that since the last I've seen it."

"Terrific…so what makes the back vulnerable?"

"There is a cliff that hangs a bird's eye view of the entire settlement. I've used numerous times to spy on them."

Cole took it upon himself to jump into the conversation.

"So how come we didn't consider this direction before if it offered a better advantage?"

"Well, that's the bad news…" Raven replied, "…there is a problem if we go this route."

Baird sighed, "Here it comes…"

"There are some Locust outposts between here and there," she said.

"****, are you kiddin’…that's even better! Now we can finally get some action," Cole blurted out with enthusiasm.

"How many are we looking at?" asked Baird.

"At least two…maybe three…" said Raven.

"Are there any places that you know of where we can accumulate ammo?"

"Of course, Baird…. I wouldn't suggest this path otherwise"

"You do realize, Feral, that we're taking quite a risk here…especially when it concerns Locusts. There's not a lot of room for screwing this up guys!"

Baird directed his attention to the squad as a whole while his demeanor turned sober, hoping that the three will understand what they are getting into.

"What's so different about these Locusts than the ones we encountered before?" Sven asked.

"For one thing, kid, we don't have access to any intel from control," Cole answered while Baird continued,

"That also means we are outside of the line of command, and until we can reach the other side of this settlement, we are literally on our own…just the four of us," Baird directed his attention to Raven.

"Feral, as you should already know, although we're somewhat on objective, we have no other resources concerning the schematics of this area, so we're going to have to trust you to help us get through this…we're kinda winging it from here on so there's no room for f***ing this up."

"Ok, now are you being serious, or are you just patronizing me?" she said in suspicion.

"No, I'm being serious…look, yesterday has been kind of a circus so I need everyone to get back into focus, just as we did when we were being dropped off, you got it?"

"Sigh…understood," Raven replied.

"So what's the plan when we finally get there?" Sven asked.

"We haul ass back to Fort Block…" Baird replied.

"Command is going to have reevaluated this fubar situation real quick, if what everything we speculate is true," Cole added as Baird replied,

"That's the plan Gus…so are you up to it?"

"You know it," Cole blurted out while Baird continued,

"Vin?"

"Yes sir," Sven saluted as Raven nodded.

"Alright ladies, let's get this party started!"

Chapter 17: Running With Scissors

This chapter is alot shorter that the previous one's so it didn't take too long to edit it, but the action picks up again in the next chapter.

[Jonesybites]

New Chapter.

Chapter 17: Running With Scissors


A small town sat on a shallow plateau, wedged against the mountain where a small mining community apparently made their permanent residence. From the woods nearby, Sigma squad could see the empty civilization clearly as they observed cargo trucks lined up near the town fuel station, heaped in snow. A pavilion sat in the middle of the town, surrounded by wooden and log houses while the mining facility ran along the mountain slope.

The town had long since been abandoned, leaving the roofs on a few of the homes caved in from the heavy snow. The snow on the gravel roads were piled so high, the vehicles were practically buried. A bridge that crossed over a rocky frozen creek was iced over while the water tower leaned slightly on one side from the ice weighing it down. The place was completely dead.

The squad sat and looked on, wondering what was actually down there while Raven sat and scratched her head, trying to figure out what happened to the Locust outpost that once occupied the area.

She started to get irritated.

"Ugh…damnit, they were here…not even two weeks ago!"

Baird looked over the area, using Sven's rifle-scope.

"Well, it appears to be empty now. We're just going to have to go down there and check it out, Feral…we don't have any other option."

"I don't like this," she growled as Baird chuckled.

"What's to like?"

Raven buried her head in frustration, and then looked up, holding her head with her hand. She groaned trying to reevaluate the situation, wondering if there was anything she may have missed. It was not like her to be careless when it came to such things.

Sven and Cole sat along the trees, waiting for Raven and Baird to make up their minds as to what to do next. Baird finally sighed before turning around to hand Sven his rifle back. Cole decided to break the awkward silence,

"Maybe we ought to split up…ya know...two of us stay here while the other two go in," he suggested.

"No way…we need complete support in the case of an ambush…" Raven immediately protested before Baird cut her off.

"I like that idea, thanks Gus."

"You're most welcome," said Cole.

Feral looked at Baird in shock.

"What…you can't be serious!"

"Yea, well, guess what Feral…I am," Baird responded without missing a beat.

"You're only agreeing with this, just so you can disagree with me, you arrogant bastard…" Raven continued to rant, all the while Baird ignored her by pulling off his COG tags. He gestured Cole to do the same.

"…and furthermore…wait, what the hell are you doing?"

Feral gawked at the two as Cole handed Baird his tags. Baird then turned to Raven,

"You and Vinny stay here and wait until Cole and I check it out."

"Oh no…nuh uh…I'm not going to sit here while…"

Baird grabbed Feral's hand to place their tags in her palm as he cut her off in mid-sentence.

"The Locusts can't handle a snowstorm, so they probably took off elsewhere…" Baird continued while Raven returned her blue eyed glare of disapproval, "…look Feral, if there is an ambush out there, we can't afford to let it take out the entire team…if we don't signal to you guys within thirty minutes, you and Vinny get out of here and head back to Fort Block. Oh, and hang on to these just in case."

"This is absurd…"

"Hey, if you have a better idea, then let's hear it!"

With Baird catching her off guard, she reacted as if she was going to rebuttal, but her words came up dry. Raven was so drenched in frustration, she couldn't come up with any other better alternative. Baird sat patiently as he waited for an answer, but soon realized she didn't have one.

"Uh, huh…that's what I thought," he said as he stood up, impressed with himself while Raven just flashed him a scowl. As Baird pulled out his Lancer, Cole did the same, brushing the snow off of the handle as he too got up. Baird directed his attention to Sven,

"Vinny, you keep a scope out for our signal, you got it?"

"On it!"

"Good boy…oh, and watch the little lady…be sure she doesn't run off!"

Feral returned a sour glare before Baird continued,

"Yea, you heard me Feral…we'll be back soon, so keep your panties on," Baird mocked further. In response, Raven only stood up, grumbling to herself as she sat in disgust next to Sven. Baird started to chuckle to himself as he moved down the slope into town with Cole following behind.

The two slowed down as they get to the central road that swerved into town, covered in at least knee-deep snow. A breeze passed by, circling around the structures and the vehicles that laid piled into the snow. Cole and Baird walked cautiously through the deserted town, looking around for tracks, shells, anything resembling Locust paraphernalia as they peered into the windows of the buildings nearby.

"Wow…could it be any more desolate?" Baird remarked, glancing around the structures.

"Ah, man…this is just a ghost town, I just don't know why Feral is so all uptight about it," said Cole still scouting for tracks at the same time.

"Aha, you see? This is why girls should never be in the military. We were doing just fine until they put a little estrogen in the mix, and now we're up to our elbows in an emotional cataclysm that just won't die!"

"Yea, but if it weren't for Feral, we would be popsicles by now."

Baird walked in silence, realizing that Cole did suggest a valid point. If it weren't for Raven's insight, they would have most likely suffered from the unforgiving conditions that surrounded them.

"Besides…she's just worried about ya."

"Why in the hell is she worried about me? I don't need to be worried over, I've been taking care of myself since I was seven years old...I don't need some woman trying to nurture me with empathy, compassion, and all that other maternal crap...I get enough of that sh*t from Granny!"

"Did it ever occur to you that there are people in this sh*tty world that actually care about your sorry ass…and those don't come often!"

"Oh come on, everyone hates me! Feral will figure it out, and when the **** hits the fan, you'll see…she'll hate me too!"

"Uh huh, well she's a lot sweeter than what she puts out."

"Ok, now what are you talking about…wait…what the hell did you two do last night?"

"Nothing…just talking."

"For almost half an hour? C'mon, what did you do?"

"Why do you wanna know, mister "I don't need anybody worrying over me..."

"The hell Cole…whatever happened to "bros before hos," man?"

"Tell you what, boy…she can be really sweet when she wants to…"

"Damnit Cole, are you gonna tell me or not?"

"Oooo…somebody's getting jealous…"

"I'm not f***ing jealous!"

"Yea you is…just cause some cute little girl wants to snuggle up with a real man…"

"Yea, right."

"Hey, you know what they say…once you've had black, you never go back, heehee…instead of shacking up with the anal, angry white guy…"

"Screw you, man!"

"Haha…I knew it…you are jealous! Ooo, I can't wait to tell Boomer Lady when we get back!"

"If you even so much as sneeze about any of this to Bernie, I'll kick your ass!"

"C'mon, Damon baby, make your Granny proud!"

"Whatever…"

"But just so you know…we really didn't do anything. She just gave me a drink of water to help me sleep, and then chatted for a little bit."

Baird sighed before coming to an halt at the pavilion to look around. Cole stopped beside him as he conversed further,

"You relieved now?"

Baird continued to scan the area, finding nothing that would suggest an ambush, much less occupancy as he peered into the windows of the buildings.

"Somewhat…I don't see any tracks, do you?"

"Nah...nothin."

"They must have cleared out before the storm came through…they can't handle the cold any better than we can. In any case, let's go ahead and signal Vinny and Feral. I don't see any threat here, but keep your eyes peeled anyway."

"You got it…I'll go get em."

Cole ran back down the road as he looked up in Sven's direction and waved his arms. Sven pulled up his rifle before turning to Raven,

"They gave us the ok to come down."

"It's anything but ok, Vin."

"Well, I'm going down…" Sven said as he loaded his rifle onto his back and started to make his way down the slope. Raven sighed to herself as she got up to grudgingly follow Sven, keeping a wary eye for tracks. They came down onto the road, moving through the snow until they reached the gravel curb.

"Gee…how long do think they place was deserted?" Sven asked randomly.

"It wasn't deserted Vin, it was invaded. If you look closely under the snow, you can see blast marks on the vehicles. These people attempted to defend it, but it was too late. The Locusts strategically took them down, swiftly."

"How did you know?"

"I watched it."

"Oh…"

Sven stopped asking questions as he saw Cole in sight and picked up the pace. Raven followed behind while still looking around, hoping to find clues as to where the Locusts went, but so far nothing indicated otherwise. She didn't like this at all.

"It's clear, baby...everything seems to be ok," Cole announced while Sven and Raven moved closer to his position. Raven looked up at Cole,

"Then what is Baird doing, if everything is ok?"

"He's just looking through the buildings…ya know, looking for anything they may have left behind."

"Sigh…do you know where he went?"

"In the house over there…" Cole turned around to point as he continued, "…watcha going to tell him?"

"He may need to know what actually happened here," Raven explained as she made her way towards the house.

"Don't be too hard on him…hehe," Cole yelled out.

Raven waved from behind, continuing to walk towards the porch. Sven leapt over to Cole before he looked up to watch Raven walk over to the building.

"Man, she's going to chew him out, isn't she," Sven pondered out loud.

"Probably…and he deserves every minute of it. But I still don't see why she's so moody about this place."

"She said that this place was overrun by Locusts…and I guess they killed all the people here."

"Sh*t…f***ing grubs. Maybe we'll get lucky and find a few, so we can blow them b****es back in their sh*thole."

One could hope, Sven grumbled to himself.

Stepping onto the wooden porch, Raven noticed the door was wide open and resumed entering the building. Peering around the frame as the wood floor creaked with each step she took, Raven cringed; Ugh, good stealth skills there Ellie…you'd make a Gear proud! Stupid wood floor! Widening her stances to avoid making any more noise, Raven peered over to her left to analyze the interior.

It was a makeshift laboratory, set up to inspect the ores from the mine nearby. She moved in further, looking at the ore's and rocks scattered on the tables and floor while the equipment, for the most part was untouched for a while now. The microscopes, metric meters and handheld analyzers were covered in a thick layer of dust, lying idle among cobwebs and dirt. Raven carefully picked up a piece of ore on the table nearby as she carefully examined at it. It had odd scent that was not overwhelming, but subtle. A combination of an ozone and metallic aroma with a dirt-like odor ignited her senses. They were mining for metals.

Although she knew there was a mining settlement here, she never knew what they were actually mining. She never came back since the Locusts took it over. The memories of the incident still haunted her as she could still hear the screams, the children crying, the men shouting, and she was helpless to do anything about it. She hated it.

Baird peered over the balcony looking down at Raven as she studied the vicinity, not acknowledging his presence, which was not like her. She must really be focused on something for her not to notice me. He finally broke the silence.

"What do you see?"

She whipped around as if she was startled, and then suddenly placed the ore down before looking back up at him.

"I was…just wondering what they were mining."

"Metals…steel alloys mostly. This whole area is littered with them…" said Baird as he started to walk down the flight of wooden stairs, "...I'm not entirely sure how long this place was taken over by the Locusts. They didn't leave much behind to indicate otherwise."

"They took over this place last Thaw. They killed everyone here."

Baird observed her solemn expression as she turned around to look out the window. Delving further into her thought closet, memories of the onslaught ran insistently through her head. She often tried to forget about it but she couldn't. It was embedded in her psyche forever, all the horrible images of people, slaughtered, desecrated, until she was suddenly distracted by Baird's subtle voice.

"You saw what happened here?"

She hesitated for a moment, not really wanting to talk about it, but she felt she owed it to them if only somebody knew. Nobody knew what happened here, and the Feral have since stayed clear of the area.

"Yes…I did…but that's not the worst of it," Raven muttered.

She turned around to find Baird leaning against a wood pillar, his expression lenient and maybe sympathetic, but with Baird, Raven couldn't really tell. She began to explain,

"They…were…flanked in all directions. It happened so fast, they didn't have a chance…and I watched it happen, from a distance. I have never felt so helpless when…I saw one of them, throw a young child in a bonfire. I can still hear her scream, Damon."

Raven's eyes were restless as her glance moved between Baird and the rest of the room. She couldn't focus on one thing for too long before she could give away the duress in her expression. She didn't like to be vulnerable and she certainly didn't want to cry in front of anyone. But the voices of the people, the children, they wouldn't go away.

"They took the women, in chains…they, disemboweled the men and fed them to the Bloodmounts, while they burned the children."

She choked the last few words as she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, collecting her thoughts before coming to composer, and then returned to Baird,
"I do not trust this place. The Locusts used it for their outpost for almost a year and now suddenly, they're gone…it makes no logical sense to me. I suggest we find some food and leave…this place is damned."

She shook her head and started walking towards the door, walking past Baird until he gently grabbed her arm and slowly pulled her back to face him. Raven didn't flinch or fight back. She was so entrenched in recollection; she didn't even look up to face him.

"I need my tags," he mentioned, directing her thoughts back into the present. She looked down into her ammo pack and pulled out both his and Cole's COG tags, and held it up for him. He gazed into her eyes, trying to see through the windows into her conscience, wondering what was hiding behind them. Baird gently took the tags from her hand as he placed them over his head.

"Will you let me go now," she requested glumly. She didn't struggle or pull away, which surprised him. He gazed at her for a moment but then loosened his grip and let her go. She turned and walked out, isolating herself from the others.

The moment seemed awkward to him as her expression was embedded in his head. He could tell that she was fighting back anguish but it was a side of her he didn't understand. He probably didn't want to know. He had seen so much death, so much despair in so many faces, over time it only made him jaded, but the expression in Raven's soft face was beyond words and comprehension for him. It weakened something in his subconscious that he had nothing to collaborate with to resist it.

He pushed his emotions aside as he normally did when he felt susceptible by it and finally started to walk out of the laboratory when he heard a faint sound coming from a distance. As he turned his head to peer through the dense, air, he opened his ears to the sound that he could not clearly elaborate. Raven was nowhere in sight.

Baird looked across the street to see Cole and Sven loitering on the curb as the sound became more audible, but before Baird could make his way to Cole and Sven, it started to snow.

"****, this is going to make it harder to see," he moaned as he picked up the pace to meet up with Cole and Sven.

"Whoa, did you hear that," Sven said softly.

"Why are you whispering, Vin," Baird nagged.

"Shhh, Damon…yea…I can hear that," Cole said, moving around the other two to look down the road.

The faint noise sounded like an echoing thud, moving in a slow rhythm. The snow in the air only hindered their visibility as it started to snow even harder, thickening the atmosphere around them. Cole’s gaze was fixated down the long road, watching intently past the dense snow.

"We better get some cover…whatever it is, it sounds like it's coming closer," Cole suggested.

“I agree; let’s move,” said Baird. The three began to meander down the road, looking for a place with a lookout view.

"Guys, move into the storage barn…hurry," Baird insisted as they quickly moved over into the barn further down the street, taking cover from the heavy snow. The three shake the snowflakes off their armor as they pull out their weapons. Sven climbed up the ladder to the top of the barn to get a better look with his Longshot. He peered out past the broken glass of a window, facing towards the road.

Baird pulled out Cole's tags,

"Here Gus," Baird said before tossing them to Cole.

Sven then suddenly realized something, "Hey, where's Feral?"

Cole and Baird looked up and then they looked at each other.

"Ah, ****…where did she go," Cole moaned.

"She went around the town to look around…" Baird answered.

"Well, we need to go find her before whatever it is, comes rearin’ its ugly head around the corner..."

"Well then go find her, Cole!"

"WHOO, you know it!"

Cole got up and stepped outside into the heavy snow, moving to the road. Suddenly, the noise became increasingly louder, as Sven can feel it rattling the barn.

"Oh, sh*t! Guys…"

"What is it Vin?" Baird griped.

"Whatever it is, it's big…I can barely see it in my scope."

"What do you mean, big?"

Baird raced up the ladder to Sven's position. Taking a seat next to him, Baird peered out through the window.

"I can't see **** in this…Vinny give me your rifle," Baird commanded as Sven handed him the Longshot.

Cole carefully moved around a snow, buried car, parked right outside the barn as he looked towards the road, only to catch a glimpse of a large black figure approaching them in the distance. The noise is suddenly broken with a large growl, piercing the vicinity as it rattled the buildings nearby.

"Ah, man…what the hell is that?" Sven whined as Baird peered through the scope, getting a better look at the menacing massive figure, slowly walking in their direction with lights glistening from its chassis.

"Oh, f***…BRUMAK, DAMON…IT"S A F***ING BRUMAK," Cole yelled, frantically running back to the barn.

"Son of a b****…Cole, you in here?" Baird shouted.

"Yea…how many Locusts are with it?"

"Two on top…three that I saw walking along the side…" Baird replied. He hopped down the ladder with Sven following behind, only to feel the rickety building rattle under the footsteps of the oncoming Brumak.

"****,” Baird blurted out after nearly stumbling from the tremors, “…I believe they're just scouting for food or supplies, otherwise they would have brought larger numbers."

"Are you sure?"

"Hey, I'm just telling you what I saw…"

"Well, sh*t…that's not very comforting, Baird!"

“You’re welcome!”

"What the hell is that?" Sven started to panic.

"It's a Brumak kid," Cole said as the three hunker down into the barn, "…so now what do we do, we need more than just these Lancers to take that b**** down, and I don't see any heavy artillery lying around."

"I know, I know…and if we try to take out any of the Locusts, it will just alarm the Brumak to come after us…"

Baird peered his head around the corner, pulling his goggles over his eyes to see how far it was.

"Can't we just hide until it passes?" Sven eagerly suggested, hoping they really wouldn’t have to go up against this thing.

"No we can't Vin. That thing has a keen sense of smell…that, and they'll eventually find our tracks. The only reason it hasn't sniffed us out yet is because of the cold."

"Oh, so we're just screwed..." Sven ranted.

"Yea, Vinny…we're f***ed!"

As the creature moved closer, it suddenly stopped in its tracks, idling as the three Gears watched the lights glimmering from its armored helmet, rocking side to side as if it was trying to catch a scent. The Locusts on the ground began to move forward down the road. The falling snow made visibility strenuous, which gave the Gears some advantage since humans could naturally see better on the Serean surface than any Locust. However, their sense of smell was not near as ardent as a Locust, and it was that little known fact that worried them the most.

"Ah, crap…the drones are coming in. They’re gonna sniff us out, man," Cole gestured.

The scaled faced drones walked slowly through the snow, peering with their deep-set beady eyes scanning the streets with their nostrils twitching, searching for a scent, but the cold masked the looming odors. They come to a halt as if they could smell something peculiar while the Brumak sat back with its rider holding the beast into position. The mounted gunner on the Brumak’s canon sat and waited, peering from under his UV visor.

Suddenly, without warning, a massive array of flames erupted around the drones. The Gears gazed in shock as they watched the drones shriek and holler from the rampant inferno, engulfing them. They couldn't escape the napalm, splashed all over the vicinity, burning frantically.

"Damnit, Feral…" Baird yelled out.

The Brumak let out a deafening roar, startled by the raging fire while the rider attempted to regain control, moving the Brumak back away from the sudden blaze. It turned to its right and suddenly fires the large canon, mounted on its back. The blast obliterated a building next to it as pieces of rubble and wood scatter in the dense, frosty air.

"RAVEN…F***," Baird shouted out. Cole didn’t hesitate to take off running towards the hotspot.

"FERAL…I'M COMING BABY…" Cole roared out, taking out his Lancer and firing several bursts of rounds at the screaming drones ahead. The three drones fell onto the ground, impaled by the Lancer shots, throwing their burning bodies backwards.

"Vinny…give me your scope," said Baird as Sven handed him his rifle. He moved to get a better look at the creature before he quickly noticed something out of place.

"Wait…it doesn't have any gun turrets on the wrists…just the canon. If we can take out the gunner, we can at least keep it from firing the canon."
Baird quickly handed the rifle back to Sven as he grabbed him by the shoulder, dragging Sven back into the barn.

"Listen, Vinny…you need to get up there and take out that gunner, or else we're all going to eat it…do you understand?"

"I…I got it, yea," Sven stammered.

"Then get your ass up there! I'm going to draw their fire!"

Sven jumped up onto the ladder to climb back onto the sniper point while Baird ran back out into the street.

Cole continued to run around the enormous flames until he took cover behind a car nearby. The Brumak shifted its direction away from the demolished house, scanning the street through the blinding snow still falling over them. Cole peered over the car to get a better look while the Brumak suddenly turned its gaze towards the commotion down the road ahead.

"HEY ASSHOLE…" Baird roared out, revving the chainsaw bayonet on his Lancer to draw the creature's attention.

Ah, Baird…what the hell are you up to now?

Cole looked back over his shoulder as Baird continued to scream at the beast, attempting to draw it nearer to him.

"YEA, THAT"S RIGHT *****…I'M TALKING TO YOU!"

The napalm scattered in the street continued to burn, forcing the Brumak to walk around the intense flames. Although its hide was thick and resilient, the Locusts soon learned that napalm was not only excessively scorching, but it burned consistently and brightly. It was the one armament the Feral used at their disposal that the Locusts knew not to underestimate. With each step, Cole could feel the ground shake as the snow started to slide off the car next to him. He then could hear a familiar noise; a large shell being loaded into the canon.

Ahhh, Damnit, Baird, you better move!

After the Brumak delicately moved around the flames, it directed its attention in Baird's direction when a shot rang out in the sky, startling the Brumak so much that it shook it's massive head, swerving it from side to side. Cole looked around to see a drone fall from the Brumak and onto a car nearby. Crashing into the metal chassis, glass and metal shards scattered in the snow-covered street. The noise of the impact only aggravated the Brumak even more, letting out another deafening roar.

"Whoa sh*t…was that Vinny?" Cole muttered to himself before clutching his ears to shield them from the Brumak’s bellowing.

Baird began to shout as the creature stepped back.

"SH*T, YEA…GOOD SHOT VINNY!"

The Brumak let out another booming roar, nearly throwing Baird backwards.

“Gah, will somebody shut him up? F***!” Baird cringed, clutching his ears.

Cole moved from his position to point his Lancer directly at the rider, who was still trying to get the Brumak under control, and fires at him.

"Yea, it's your turn now, Jackass!"

As the rounds impale the rider, the Locust toppled off to the side before his foot is caught in one of the rider’s halter, still strapped to the consol. Instead of falling off the Brumak, he is hung by his foot along the side of the Brumak’s massive head. The unmanned Brumak started to stagger in confusion before it blindly began to walk towards Cole's direction.

"Uh, oh…time to go!"

Cole took off running towards Baird to avoid the Brumak’s path as the massive beast pushed through the cars and debris scattered along the road, roaring with its dead rider, swinging on the side of its head.

"Ah, crap! Run Cole…move your ass," Baird yelled out as Sven ran out of the barn to join up with Baird.

"Ok…now what?" said Sven.

"Vinny, you need to get out of here…go back down the road," Baird said before Cole joined them in the middle of the road.

"We need to move man," Cole blurted out over the noise of the Brumak still walking around aimlessly, feeling the ground shaking underneath them from the Brumak's heavy stride.

Continued on next thread...

[Jonesybites]

Chapter 17 continued...

As three continued to stand out in the middle of the road, suddenly the sound of a roaring diesel engine revs into the background behind the houses. Out of the blue, a fuel truck drove through a wooden fence, consequently knocking down a shed in its path as it swerved on the ice. The sudden contact on the icy ground caused the wheels to lock up and the momentum forced the cabin of the truck to topple onto its side, sliding across the road until it came to a grinding halt, directly in front of the agitated Brumak.

"Holy sh*t, what's up with that?" Sven shouted over the commotion. The other two didn’t hesitate to dodge behind the nearest cover along the side of the road, dragging Sven by his collar in the process.

“Move your ass Vinny,” Baird growled, following Cole to a shabby storage building.

Peering around the corner of a storage house, Baird could see the truck lying on its passenger side with the engine still running.

“You two hand tight,” said Baird, and he started to walk out towards the truck.

“Whoa, wait…Damon…” Cole tried to reason, but Baird continued, yelling out,

"Feral? Is that you?"

Suddenly, the driver side door is swung open. Looking up, he sees Raven trying to climb out of the cabin.

"FERAL…GET DOWN," Baird yelled out, noticing the Brumake’s attention is locked on the toppled-over truck. Baird is intent to remedy the situation so he turned around to run back out into the street, trying to draw the Brumak's attention away from the fallen vehicle.

"NO, OVER HERE…" Baird shouted, waving his arms. Realizing that his voice may be drowning under the commotion coming from the still burning fire and the running engine of the truck, he pulled out his Lancer and randomly fires some rounds at the menacing beast.

“HEY…I’M TALKING TO YOU,” Baird yelled out again. After a few rounds ricochet off the Brumak’s armored head, Baird managed to finally grab the Brumak’s attention.

"YEA, REMEMBER ME, SH*TBAG?"

Titling its massive head so it turn direction, the Brumak stepped around the debris littered on the snow-covered road. A roar rang through the vicinity as the Brumak moved near the fallen truck, focusing in on Baird, whom was cautiously moving back, keeping something of a distance, in which Baird had to wonder if it would have really made any difference.

With the Brumak now distracted, Raven managed to climb over the toppled truck with a crowbar in hand, jumping to the ground on the undercarriage side. Staggering along the deep snow, Raven moved along the undercarriage to swing the crowbar and punctures a hole in the fuel tank, allowing the fuel to pour out onto the ground. Quickly, she set a times Nape grenade before tossing it under the truck and then instantly darted away from the vehicle, running towards the road yelling.

"MOVE, MOVE…get back!" she yelled, running feverishly towards Baird.

With his attention now divided between the menacing Brumak and an oncoming, frantic Raven, Baird had to reanalyze the situation real quick, but before he could even compile a contingency plan, Raven’s voice finally reached his straining ears.

“DAMON, GET DOWN, NOW!”

Oh, God…Baird could only groan to himself,

"Ah hell…what did you do Feral?" he cringed.

She quickly ran toward him as she tackled him with all of her momentum, shoving him down into a somersault as the two rolled into the snow.

"Feral, what the…"

"Keep your head down and…"

Before Raven could finish her sentence, the grenade ignited the fuel underneath the truck as the flames rise into the tank. A massive explosion shot high into the air, catching the Brumak in its path, consequently blowing it apart. Truck parts are projected into the air, scattered with the cadaver parts and mangled metal. The sky began to rain blood and metal shards while the fire illuminated the falling debris strewn all over the vicinity.

Glistening in the afterglow of the fire ahead, the blood rained down, coloring the snow crimson as the commotion that stirred the ghost town went mute. All that is left now is the silence after the startling disarray of a beautiful disaster.

This chapter is actually a extension of "Running With Scissors," but because of the length, I decided to seperate the chapters instead of putting it all in one.

Chapter 18: Beautiful Disaster


Entrails, mixed with metal debris was scattered dispersed all around, blanketing the area within the circumference of the decimated Brumak. The snow was inked with blood, seeping into pools as the crimson rain was settling down, leaving only a faint red mist.

Sven and Cole raised their dazed heads from behind a car as they peered over into the bloody chaos.

"Whoa…that was awesome," Sven perked up, marveling the scene.

"Damn…that's a huge mess…I'm not cleaning that **** up," Cole mused as he looked over to see where Baird was, yelling out,

"Hey Damon…Feral…you there baby?"

Toward the side of the street, Raven is lying face down into the bloody snow, slowly lifting her head while Baird was resting on top of her, carefully wiping the blood from his face, trying to avoid getting it in his eyes. He turned over his shoulder to get a look at the mess behind them as he proceeded to pull his goggles onto his bloody forehead, letting out a gagging cough, pushing out the blood that seeped into his mouth.

"F***, *cough…that's the second time I had to cough up blood that isn't mine, sh*t," Baird began to rant in between coughs.

Raven spat out snow from her mouth as she gagged on the bitter, iron taste of the Brumak's entrails.

"Ugh…gross," she whimpered.

"Ah f***…there's sh*t everywhere, Feral," Baird whined, wiping the mess from his mouth and face. He looked down at Feral,

"You ok?" he managed to say before coughing yet again.

"No, Damon,” she cringed, “…your weight is crushing me…”

“Oh…” he grunted. He carefully propped himself up on his arms, lifting his weight so she could steadily crawl out from under him. Dragging herself across the crimson colored slush, she pushed metal debris aside, all the while cringing from a sudden sharp pain in her buttocks.

"Ahg…sh*t, I think something got me…damn, it hurts like hell," she grimaced in aggravation. Cole and Sven run over to their position, carefully trying not to slip on the crimson rubble, mangled with soft tissue.

"Man, Feral…you need to warn us next time when you set up booby traps," Cole lectured, but still in awe of the commotion Raven had just made, "…look at this sh*t! Damn, it's still rainin blood!"

She looked up at Cole as she tried to sit up.

"Ugh…well, I couldn't give away your position. That Brumak would have taken out that barn for sure…that, and it took a while to get the engine started...and what was up with you three standing out in the middle of the road with your thumbs up your ass, while the damn thing was coming at you?"

"Uh, well…" Sven started to explain but Baird abruptly cut him off,

"Don't…answer that Vin…just…do us a favor and don't even begin to try," Baird groaned, coughing yet again.

"Damn, Damon…you got Brumak sh*t all over ya," Cole chuckled at Baird's expense.

"Gah, you think?" Baird snapped back, still trying to wipe the blood that was still caked on his head.

Wiping the entrails out of his hair, not bothering to even look at the rest of himself, he rolled over to sit up, using his arms to brace his torso up off the ground. He turned to look at Feral, who was still on her stomach, groaning.

"Ah, geez Feral, no wonder you’re miserable," said Baird before he crawled over to her position.

Sven staggered over to where Feral was lying, trying to avoid splashing blood on his fatigues as he knelt down next to Baird, taking a look at her wound.

"Oh, crap…she's got something stuck in her ass!"

"It's called shrapnel, kid," said Baird as he sat up to get a better look at her lesion.

"Grrr, son of a b****…don't touch it," Raven flinched as Baird tried to move her loincloth away from the shrapnel stuck in her rear, but the cloth was caked in snow and entrails, creating an adhesive that was stuck onto her fatigues.

"Don't…move, Feral," Baird warned. Carefully, he moved the cloth to find a long piece of metal, hanging slightly into her cheek.

"Yep…looks like you got a piece of fender in your ass."

"Well, don't just sit there, admiring it, get that piece of sh*t out of me!" Raven growled.

Suddenly, the ground began to vibrate underneath them as the pools of blood rippled from the tremors.

"Ugh, now what? Damnit, I can't move," Raven griped while Baird sat up, hushing Raven so he could listen. Cole and Sven looked around, trying to peer through the crimson rain, still falling all around them.

The ground shook underneath them again as the snow began to fold from the seismic pulses, streaming around the area.

Baird started to get antsy, "…we need to move, now!"

"And go where?" Sven whined.

"Anywhere but here…I say we go for the chapel," Cole suggested.

"You got my vote…" said Baird as he quickly knelt down to help Raven up, "…c'mon, Rav, we gotta go!"

Grabbing Baird's arm as she slowly stood up, Raven grimaced in pain, letting out a whimper,

"Grrrr…I can't move that well," she cringed, barely stable on her feet.

Rolling his eyes, Baird let out a groan as he quickly bent down, wrapped his arm around her legs and threw her over his shoulder as he stood up.

“Hey…” Raven started to protest before her voice was quickly quashed by her stomach sinking over his shoulder plate, nearly knocking her air out.

"C'mon, Damon…move!" Cole yelled out.

"Working on it, Gus…hang on, Feral," Baird griped as the three raced towards the town chapel nearby.

The tremors began to worsen the closer they moved towards the cover of the wooden chapel. Roadie running through the snow, they could hear a commotion from the parked vehicles nearby. Suddenly, they could hear the sound of bullets whizzing past the parked vehicles while others glanced off of the metal frames.

"Aw, crap…did you hear that?" Sven panicked.

"Sh*t…move, move," Cole yelled out as he and Sven climbed up onto the chapel porch, while Baird grabbed cover behind a parked truck nearby. Bullets flew all around them while Baird carefully dropped Raven on the ground, next to him.

"Ugh, the f***," Baird bellowed, trying to keep his head down behind the truck while loading his Lancer. Raven grimaced from the pain, trying to stabilize herself against the chassis while pulling out her Gorgon pistol. Baird peered around the front fender, trying to make out something in the thick air as it snowed even more profusely.

The firing ceased for a moment, leaving the Gears on edge as struggled to make out their attackers. Cole and Sven hung around the porch, looking out with weapons in hand. After loading more rounds into his rifle, Sven lifted it up to peer through the scope.

"You see anything?" Cole asked, getting irritated that whoever was shooting at them was nowhere to be seen.

"Nothing…sh*t, I can't make out anything in this snow," Sven griped, "….wait…I see movement!"

Sven peered carefully through his scope while trying to keep his cover at the same time. He suddenly noticed movement closing in on them. Peering past the falling snow, he saw the flickering lights coming from Locust armor as they moved, their weapons glistening in the dim illumination from the overcast sky.

"Hey Cole…" Sven said quietly, "…I got em…they're moving in!"

"How many?" Cole asked.

"Six, that I can count…maybe seven…but there's something behind them…something… oh f***."

"What?"

"Aw, what the hell is that?"

"Gimme that," Cole demanded and Sven handed him the rifle. Looking through the scope, Cole could see the Locusts take cover behind some parked vehicles down the road. Then, he saw it. Watching carefully, he saw the movement of six large, arachnid-like legs, clopping through the deep snow.

"Oh, oh hell no..." Cole blurted out before handing the Longshot back to Sven and started to wave his arms, grabbing Baird's attention.

"CORPSER…" Cole yelled out to Baird, "…STRAIGHT AHEAD!"

Baird pulled back behind the truck to lift his goggles from off his eyes and onto his forehead.

"How in the hell did a Corpser get out here?" Baird started to rant.

"What did Cole say?" Raven stammered as her buttocks throbbed from the sudden cardiovascular rush.

"A damn Corpser! I don't suppose there's another truck we can use to ram into it?"

"Not a working one…ugh…I was lucky to get that one working. Why is there a Corpser out here?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"Because YOU said that YOU knew everything!"

"Yea, well I haven't updated my database in a few days, OK?"

Suddenly, the Locusts resumed their fire. The Gears quickly took cover as the bullets ricochet around their vicinity.

"Ack…I'm getting ****ing tired of this ****!" Cole barked, aiming his Lancer and returning fire. Sven also took aim but had difficulty making out the Locusts through falling snow. Baird also exchanged fire, but it was futile not being able to see the enemy accurately.

A noise broke out as the ground started to shake yet again. The Corpser was slowly crawling over the Locusts’ cover and onto the road ahead.
"Aw…that doesn't look good," Sven yelled out as he could see the Corpser crawling over to their position. Cole looked over his shoulder, straining to listen to Baird yelling over the noise of the exchange of gunfire and the roaring Corpser,

"GET OUT…GO TO THE BACK OF THE CHAPEL!"

"WHAT ABOUT YOU AND FERAL?" Cole shouted back.

'WE'RE GOING BACK! THAT CORPSER CAN"T FOLLOW US BOTH!"

Cole nodded, knowing exactly what strategy his cantankerous friend had in mind. After years of fighting alongside each other, Cole had picked up on Baird’s tactical insight, and he knew that Baird could often pull something out of his ass that would remedy almost any situation.

Cole grabbed Sven by the shoulder,

"C'mon, we gotta go!"

"Go…go where?"

"Just move, kid…I'll explain later!"

Cole and Sven quickly moved through the chapel doors, running into the sanctuary as they crawled over into the pulpit and raced to the back entrance behind the baptismal room. They exited through the door and back out into the cold wilderness as they move over to the corner of the building. They peer around the building, looking out as they catch a glimpse of the Corpser moving by.

Suddenly, an array of bullets race past them as they move back behind the building.

"Ah, sh*t!" yelled Sven as they could see the Locusts flanking from the side. Cole returned fire with his Lancer as Sven also raised his Longshot rifle to take a shot at a nearby Cyclops Drone, lobotomizing his head clean off his body, leaving only a crimson mist.

"Sh*t, yea, Vinny," Cole complimented his kill as he too took out a Drone, whom stumbled backwards before falling into the heap of snow below. Two more move in, closing the gap between them and the Gears as they continued to fire their Hammerburst assault rifles.

Sven darted off to the side while he reloading another round into his rifle. As he moved sideways, he shot a Drone into the chest. The other Drone continued to move in, firing aimlessly in the falling snow. Cole moved around, taking advantage of the Drone's limited sight as he flanked from a utility pole, taking out his Gnasher to shoot the Drone in close range, blowing off an arm. Screaming hideously, the Drone dropped down onto the ground, clutching his bleeding arm while Cole moved in to swing the butt of his Gnasher across the Drone's exposed head, knocking it sideways. Bludgeoned by the force of Cole’s swing, the beast fell back and plummeted to the ground, lying limp and bleeding.

"WHOO…yea, take that b****!" Cole recited his victory chant while Sven reunited with him, loading another round into the chamber.

"Hoorah," Sven joined in as the two clamped fists. Suddenly, another roar rang out from the other side of the building.

"Aw…we gotta move to help Baird and Feral," said Sven.

"This way, kid...we're going to flank that Corpser from behind," Cole suggested. He went ahead to take lead, moving towards the back of another building around the Corpser.

Meanwhile, Baird managed to carry Raven back to the laboratory, taking cover in the upstairs balcony and firing at the Locusts below. Raven was sitting inside against the wall, trying to wrap her last napalm grenade around Baird's Bolo grenade with Baird’s electrical tape, making sure it would stay intact when swung into action.

"I got it, Damon," she yelled over the gunfire. The building started to shake as the Corpser moved closer.

"Ok, Rav, we gotta move."

"…Alright," she responded, not getting excited about the idea of being picked up and carried again, but what choice did she have.

Baird moved back inside to load up his Lancer. He knelt down so Raven could hand him the grenade.

"Are you sure this will work? Corpsers have hardier hides than Brumaks," said Raven.

"Their underbelly is not so sturdy; it’s their weakest point, so we have to aim for that."

"But that means we have to get close in,"

"Exactly…"

"Damon, I can't get in fast enough to plant it and then move out."

"Who said that you were going to do it?"

Raven's eyes widened at the insinuation as Baird took the nades from her hand. Before Raven could even rebuttal he grabbed her hands to lift her back up on her feet.

"Baird, you can't get in close enough to throw it in before running out far enough to avoid the blast! You’re going to get killed!"

"Well then, I guess that's one less moronic Gear you have to worry about now, isn't it."

"Ok, that's not even close to fair!"

"You know what…your right, it's not," Baird mused, but before Raven could respond, he quickly leaned over to grab her legs, subsequently lifting her back over his shoulder, and began to run down the stairs despite Raven's ranting.

"Damnit, you egghead…that grenade has a ten foot reach! Are you even listening to me!?"

"Shut up, Feral…you're going to give away our position."

Baird kicked down the back door as he roadie ran the best he could with Raven slung over his shoulder. Fortunately, she was pretty light so moving around quickly wasn't too difficult, it was just moving fast through the snow that became problematic.

He quickly took refuge between a shed and a tireless bus, putting Raven back down as she cringed from the pain in her buttocks.

"Ugh…asshole," she grumbled subtly after landing on her bum.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Baird scoffed as he stood back up, peering around the bus.

"No," she cringed.

"That's what I thought," he sneered as he looked back out. The Corpser was still moving towards the building as the Locusts where still firing in the same direction. Suddenly, Baird could hear the Locusts yelling,

"Behind us," one of them growled out. Baird peered out to see Cole and Sven flanking them from behind from across the road. As they fired towards the Locusts, they shot down three almost immediately while the other four took cover quickly, bunching them up in their position.

"That's my signal," Baird blurted out. Raven looked up in shock.

"Wait…signal, for, what?" she demanded but Baird ignored her as he took off running towards the Corpser.

"DAMNIT…BAIRD," Raven yelled, trying to pull herself up with her hands, pushing with one leg while dragging the other, but there was no way she could move. Baird ran out, meandering around the parked cars until he found cover behind a horse trailer, and knelt down. He was close enough to see the Corpser's belly as it stopped in its tracks, bellowing out before it turned around to see what the commotion was from behind.

The other Gears managed to distract the Locust force, eventually drawing the Corpsers attention as well. Baird ducked back down, trying to stay out of its sight, using the trailer and falling snow for cover as the massive creature turned around, letting out a deafening roar over the sounds of gunfire. Baird could only tuck his head into his shoulders to shield his ears from the noise.

"****…shut the **** up, willya," he ranted as the beast started to move back towards the Locusts' position. No, no…he wasn't supposed to go back, damnit! Baird realized that he was going to have to change his position.

Cole returned fire towards the Locusts until he saw the Corpser moving back to their position.

"Aw…DAMON, BABY, YOU BETTER HURRY THIS UP," he yelled, hoping Baird could hear him over the deafening Corpser.

"Cole, it's coming back," Sven whined.

"I know, Vinny!"

Within an instant, Baird had to act now while he still had some chance of success. He quickly pulled out the grenades before he darted out, moving behind the Corpser while swinging the duct-taped grenades on the chain, and then tossed it underneath the Corpser.

"FRAG OUT," he yelled.

"Sh*t, Vinny, get down," Cole grabbed Sven and they both went down.

Raven groaned as she dropped where she stood, placing her arms over her head and curling up behind the bus, in the event of more shrapnel coming her way.

Baird hoped over a picket fence and rolled next to a snow buried, parked truck. The sound of detonation echoed from the ground underneath the beast. The sudden pop from the Napalm grenade mixed with the loud boom from the Bolo grenade pierced the decibel level in the vicinity, splitting the sky with a ringing reverb. The Corpser let out a gurgling snarl, limping on one side that was tattered into bloody shreds. Leaning its weight on one side, the creature fell over and toppled onto the ground, causing the area to shake from the impact. The flames from the napalm took control, consuming all in its path, including the Corpser.

Shimmering through the falling snow, Cole and Sven hoped over their cover as they raced towards what was left of the Locust horde. Cole charged in, revving up his Lancer before spotting the nearest Locust, still weary on the ground from the blast. Cole moved in, plunging his chainsaw bayonet into the Locusts’ head, severing the skull into halves as the body collapsed from the impact.

The last two Locusts started to pick themselves up when another shot whistled in the air, splitting through a Cyclops' head. His blood splattered on his comrade next to him and then tumbled to the ground. The other Cyclops frantically wiped the blood from his lens as he randomly lifted his Lancer, pointing it in Sven and Cole's direction, when a shotgun blast suddenly ripped into him, severing his waist as his bowls scattered across the snow. Letting out a gurgling grunt, the Locust slumped into the blood-drenched snow.

Shaking his head to get the ringing out of his ears, Baird staggered in from behind with shotgun in hand, stepping round the mess he made to get a look at his final masterpiece. Leaning over while letting out a cough, pushing out the metallic ozone taste from the snow that managed to get into his mouth from when he took cover from the explosion, he relishing in his kill before spitting to the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did that hurt?" he sneered loudly, kicking the corpse a few times before Cole and Sven reunited with him.
"Damn, Damon...you look like ****," Cole laughed at Baird's scruffy, bloody appearance,

"Yea, gee thanks, Cole. I can always count on you to let me know when I look like sh*t!” Baird barked, still trying to spit out the sour aftertaste.

“Hehe, and that’s all the time…I’d figure you would eventually take the hint,” Cole jeered.

“Yea,yea…not quite sure whom I’m supposed to impress,” he rebutted.

“Man, you never gonna get the ladies with an attitude like that…”

“What ladies, Cole? When was the last time we saw any chicks, other than those skanky, disease-ridden Stranded broads…”

"Hey, speakin’ of which, where's Feral?" Cole asked, after soon noticing that Baird was by himself.

"Damn, I knew I was missing something...I left her near the bus," said Baird, turning around towards the stationary bus, "…over there, c'mon!"

Part 2 continued on the next post...

[TheRealBigBoss]

Yeah, I'm starting on chapter eleven now, and I'll edit in my thoughts tomorrow.

[CanOGears]

Dude, very sweet writing.
So far, I'm in awe. I'll get back to you when I've finished reading it all.
Once again nice!

[SeaGear]

I'm enjoying every bit of your FF. Real good. I'm liking the interaction with the Sigma Squad.

[Jonesybites]

Part 2 of Chapter 18: Beautiful Disaster

The three move quickly, taking a detour around the burning Corpser while pushing through the collecting snow, making the road even more difficult to follow. Raven was pulling herself along the curb before coming to a utility pole. She peered out to see the three Gears making their way to her location.

"Feral, baby…you alright?" Cole asked while Raven groaned in return,

"No, I'm not alright, Cole. This shrapnel hurts like hell!"

Kneeling down, Baird outstretched his hand out for Raven to grab as he turned over his shoulder to Cole,

"Cole, I'll need bandages or something to get this cleaned and stitched," he said before helping Raven get back on her wobbly feet.

"Sure thing, Damon, but you take her to that house over there so we can get out of this snow" Cole suggested, pointing to a small log cabin nearby, "…I'll look around to see if there's a med kit somewhere."

"Alright...I'll meet you there," said Baird before Cole left the scene to go search for medical supplies. Raven groaned as she tried to balance herself without using Baird as brace as much as possible, but it was a pitiless attempt and she soon grabbed his bicep to avoid falling over. Noticing her struggle, Baird then turned to Sven,

"Vinny, go see if you can find some alcohol, whiskey, anything I can use to clean this up…meet me at the house."

"Alright; where should I look?" Vinny asked.

"Try the fuel station...that's where I would start."

"Got it."

Sven took off while Baird carefully pulled Raven's arm over his shoulder.

"Look, Damon…I may be able to walk,"

"No, you can't…and even if you could, I don't have time for you to be limpin' like an impotent mare on three legs."

Raven's face began to burn in fury, but before she could let even let out a single word, he quickly, knelt down to scoop her up, lifting her legs off the ground with his arm. Frantically, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck to brace herself from the pain in her rear. Cringing, she closed her eyes and tightened her grip, putting pressure on Baird's throat.

"Rav…you’re…choking me," Baird grimaced as he tried to breathe.

"Ugh…sorry…" she groaned as she reluctantly but carefully loosened her grip, allowing Damon breathe.

"We're almost there, just don't pass out please…" he griped as picked up the pace a little.

Raven only grunted in response, wincing in pain from the shifting of her legs dangling over his arm.

"Just…get me into the cabin, please," Feral managed to muster a reply as he carried her onto the porch and carefully moved through the door, trying not to bump her legs along the doorframe. Raven grimaced in pain from the impact in Baird’s stride, walking into the nearest bed room and carefully laid her back on her feet.

"Ok, let's get you situated," said Baird While Raven carefully rolled out on the bed, lying delicately onto her stomach, yelping from the fragment aggravating her gluteus.

"Ack…ok, now get this thing out of me…" she demanded the moment.

"I need the medkit first and some alcohol to clean it, so will you relax?" Baird scoffed. Raven groaned in pain, grabbing the nearest pillow and placed it over her head.

Suddenly, a pair of boots could be heard walking on the porch just outside. Alarmed, Raven lifted her head to look out the door, only to find Cole walking into the house with several cases of medical supplies in each hand.

"Hey, I found some, baby!" he announced.

"In here Cole," Baird yelled out from the door as Cole walked in, placing the equipment on a vanity table.

"There's bandages in this one…and some stitches and iodine in this one." Cole informed him.
Baird was in the process of removing his bloody chest armor so he could zip down his upper fatigues, leaving on his undershirt while freeing his arms and hands.

Just as Cole opened up the med boxes, Sven came running in with a bottle of vodka and rice wine.

"Hey, I found some stuff…will this work?" Sven asked as he entered the room.

"Yea, that's enough," said Baird before pulling out several sheets from a nearby dresser and proceeded to rip one in half. While Cole rummaged through the med kit, Baird took a sheet and wiped the blood from his face and pants. He then walked over to carefully wipe the blood from Raven's backside.

“Agh, sh*t,” she grimaced, “…warn me next time.”

“You’re gonna have to get over this here real quick, Rav…”

“…and you have the bedside manners of a baboon!”

Baird let out a rhetorical laugh,

“Aha, you see Cole? We get along oh so f***ing well, wouldn’t you agree?”

Cole snickered, “Yea, yea, like peas and carrots.”

In response, Raven could only bite her lip and bury her head in the pillow to withstand the pain she knew she was going to have to endure however long it was going to take to stitch her up. God, I could really use a painkiller right now, she groaned to herself.

"Alright, Rav…I'm going to have to cut into your pants," Baird informed her. Raven lifted her head from the pillow to protest.

"I don't want you touching my ass…get one of them to do it!"

Cole started to chuckle, "Sorry Feral, but Baird’s the better medic, baby."

"Sh*t, I don't know how fix a cut," Sven added.

"Well watch and learn, Vinny." said Baird as he picked up the bottle of vodka and opened it.

"So guess what, Feral," Baird snickerd in amusement.

Raven groaned in response, placing the pillow back over her head, mumbling to herself.

"Yea, I thinks she's ready," Cole chuckled. Baird moved her loincloth before he carefully grabbed the side of her hip to brace himself, gently lifting the tear around the shrapnel.

"DAMNIT…" Raven blurted out, flinching while grabbing the edge of the mattress. Cole quickly walked over to help Baird out.

"Sh*t…you're going to have to hold her down Cole, she's squirming way too much…and where's the gloves?" Baird asked.

"What gloves?"

"I need latex gloves, Cole."

"I didn't see any."

Baird turned to Sven,

"Vinny, is there any gloves in those boxes?"

Sven rummaged through the med box.

"Ah, sorry…I don't see any," Sven replied. Baird let out a sigh as he pondered for a minute and then turned to Cole,

"Ok Cole, give me your wallet."

"What for?"

"Cole, will you just do it please…we don't have a lot of time!"

"Alright, alright…sh*t!"

Cole pulled out his wallet from his side pocket and tossed it over to Baird. Baird opened it up, rummaging through his cash, cards, and photos of some pin-up girls while Sven peered over his shoulder.

"Whoa…where'd you get those?" Sven jeered.

"Damn, Cole…you didn't tell me about these," Baird mentioned as he turned them over to get a better look.

"Hehe, thems just souvenirs...you know what I mean?" Cole mused, elbowing Baird. Ignoring him, Baird looked further into his wallet and finally pulled out a couple of packets of condoms.

"Hey, I need those," Cole protested.

"Are you kidding me Cole, you haven't had to use one of these in two years!"

Both Sven and Baird start to laugh.

"Yea, just keep laughing it up, assholes!"

Baird opened up the condoms to place them over each of his fingers while Raven impatiently yelled out from under the pillow.

"Whatever it is y'all are trying to do, will you hurry it up, please?"

"Now, now, don't worry, I'll have my hands embracing your ass in a minute, I promise," Baird teased.

"Shut up, Baird…and what the hell are you doing?"

"I thought you told me to shut up..."

Raven turned her head over and growled; literally. The tone in his voice changed as he went on to explain,

"Alright, look…I don't have any latex gloves to keep your wound sanitized so I'm going to have to use the next best thing."

"Whoa, seriously?" Sven beamed in interest while Raven fumed.

"Some f***ing condoms?" she barked. Baird sneered back,

"These things are made out of latex too! It's the best thing I have right now so deal with it!"

Raven shoved her head back under the pillow, grumbling.

"Hold on baby…it'll only take a sec," Cole went on to assure her, placing his arms around her upper body, holding her down before she started to fidget and yell back,

"A second my ass! The sooner you guys get this done, the sooner you can get your paws off of my rear."

"Damon, you better hurry this up," Cole said as Baird managed to widen the tear in her pants.

"Alright, get ready Cole…I'm going to pull it out," Baird warned him, pouring vodka around the shrapnel. As the alcohol soaked into the gash, Feral fidgeted intensely from the sting as Cole carefully held her down while trying not to crush her at the same time.

"...and here we go…"

Baird placed his hand on her cheek as he slowly removed the shrapnel from her buttocks. She clinched and squirmed at the same time, grimacing and whimpering from the throbbing pain. The moment he was able to remove the shrapnel completely was when Raven could finally begin to relax.

"There we go…all better. Well ****," Baird remarked.

"What?" Raven groaned with her head still buried under the pillow.

"It really wasn't that deep…just two inches,"

"It was deep enough…now will you patch it up, please!"

"Yea, yea…sh*t, you’re ornery when you're hurt."

Raven could be heard grumbling from under the pillow the moment Baird poured more vodka on her lesion. She clenched for a moment but then relaxed after the stinging sensation subsided slightly.

"Ok, Vin, bring me the box with the stitches."

"On it."

"Rav, this is going to have to be stitched."

"Ugh…I was afraid you were going to say that," Raven whined after she lifted the pillow from over her head .Baird took a bed sheet to soak up the blood, putting pressure on Raven’s wound to stop the bleeding. He could feel Raven clenching her rear.

"Feral, you need to relax, darlin."

"Ugh…I'm trying..."

Sven pulled out some packaged needles and iodine while Cole gently loosened his hold on Raven. Baird opened up one of the sterilized needles and proceeded to tie a thread to it. He gently released pressure from the wound to check to see if it stopped bleeding.

"Ok…I just need to wipe this down with iodine and I'll get started sewing it up," Baird announced, still wiping the wound down with another sheet. Sven handed him the bottle of iodine for Baird to open it up and pour it around the lesion.

"Hey, Baird, how long you think this will this take?" Cole asked, noticing the midday light had come and passed.

"Probably no longer than fifteen minutes…it's not that big of a cut."

"We need to move out as soon as we get done. I bet you ten bucks more Locusts are going to come back, looking for their missing squads."

"Sigh, agreed…go see if you can find something that we can take to eat on the run...and take Vinny with you."

"You got it. Come on Vin."

"Alright, comin’," Sven acknowledged, placing the bottle of iodine on the dresser and proceeded to follow Cole out of the room. Baird sat up for a moment, moving his neck as he slightly induces a vertebra back into alignment by rolling his head to one side. He moaned as it pops back into place, feeling the release in tension in his shoulders as he slowly rolled his head to stimulate circulation.

After spending the past half hour running around, dodging exploding tankers and rolling on the ground from grenades, all of which was in miserably cold weather, Baird's body was beginning to feel the strain. He then leaned back down to begin stitching the gash in Raven's gluteus.

Remaining motionless and mute, she drifted into a trance, not making any attempt to converse or rant; she just took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, releasing the tension from her body so she could try to tune out the numbing sensation in her buttocks. She was fatigued and Baird could sense it from her arched back as he proceeded to stitch up her wound. She didn't flinch as he gently touched her skin, just clench as he brought the needle in and through, closing the wound. Continuing to sew it up, Baird kept his concentration to the stitches, making sure they were even to avoid rupture. With each passing stitch, her buttocks went numb and Raven was able to relax, letting out a long sigh in the process as if she was going to say something, but she didn’t. Baird looked up as if he anticipated her to speak, but instead, she just closed her eyes and coasted into a daze.

He looked back down and continued to work, but the mood was becoming awkward for him as his mind began to meander between the direction of the needle and Raven’s flaccid state. Gently pressing her soft bare skin so he could get a good tight thread to bring the wound together, he realized that he probably needed to keep his mind occupied before something else distracted him. So he started to randomly converse,

"Alright, what are you thinking about...and don't bother sparing my feelings?"

She hesitated at first, but then answered him.

"Nothing."

"Oh, please, Raven! you may be good at surviving but you're a bad liar."

"It's nothing personal that concerns you."

"Well then what's the problem, if it's not that big of a deal?"

"I don't feel like talking about it, Baird."

"Well you're going to have to talk about something because I need to know if you're still coherent."

"What do you mean?"

"You lost a bit of blood…you probably feel woozy by now."

"Yea...I do…and your point is?"

"We can't stay here for too long, so you're going to have to suck it up. I'm hoping Cole will find something for you to eat; you’re going to need it. Speaking of which, is there any place we can to for the night?"

"There is a place that we can stay the night from the cold, but there is no food stock piled there…we'll have to either find something, or hunt something."
Baird finished up as he tore the thread with his teeth and wiped up the stitches with a cloth.

"Crap…well, hopefully the guys will find something that we can eat along the way."

Raven buried her head back into the pillow, groaning. She had gashes before, but never stitches. Her legs went flaccid as Baird finished up, carefully placing his hand on her tailbone to rub more vodka on her exposed rear. Raven clenched up again from the sting.

"You ok, Feral?"

"Ugh…yea…it just stings."

"We're almost done, sh*t…you can't handle the pain, can you."

"How would you like it if somebody shoved something up your ass?"

Baird let out a grin as she turned over her shoulder to look at him,

"I don't know…that actually sounds kinda kinky…gee, Rav, I didn't know you had it in you. Maybe all that training is finally coming out."

"You know what…I'm just not going to talk to you for the rest of the day."

Baird started to laugh, "Oh, and why not?"

"You're giving me a headache," Raven groaned, laying her head back on the pillow, closing her eyes.

"Yea…you definitely need to eat something."

Baird smirked as he finished up cleaning the wound before a thought started to fester in his head. Entertaining the notion of teasing her some more, he threw the sheet onto a pile while he turned over and carefully prostrated himself over her lower body so he could lower his head over the wound and kiss her exposed cheek. Instantly, like an unexpected chill, Raven flinched the moment she felt something odd touching her skin, mingled with the numbing that sent a shockwave up her spine, not realizing what just happened until she took the pillow off of her head.

She peered over her shoulder, watching him lift his lips from her rear as he grinned. Despite her condition, she could have easily mule kicked him from where he was sitting, but something compelled her not to.

"Ok now what the hell was that for?" she sneered.

"Well…now you can't say I don't ever kiss your ass."

Chapter 19: The Iridescent Snow

My apologies, I'm just now catching up after Halloween...

Dude, very sweet writing.
So far, I'm in awe. I'll get back to you when I've finished reading it all.
Once again nice!

Thanks...this thing is pretty long, (at least 30 chapters, and counting) so take your time.

I'm enjoying every bit of your FF. Real good. I'm liking the interaction with the Sigma Squad.

Thanks...I was wondering how some of y'all felt about the dialogue. I wanted to keep the story a bit more light-hearted while still keeping it at par with the GoW universe. But that's not saying it's a smooth ride the entire way...eventually things start to get shaky.

[TheRealBigBoss]

Kay, so a quick review of chapter 10. There are some spelling/grammar errors, stuff like hear instead of here, damn instead of dam, stuff like that. And some sentences don't make grammatical sense, but it's minor stuff and nothing that a proof read can't fix. Now onto the good parts (yayy!), the character interaction is really well done, I know how hard it can be to make characters "come to life", to define distinct personalities and make conversation flow and seem natural. So congrats on doing a great job with that.

Lol, not sure about Cole and the roaches, but somehow it fits and makes for an entertaining comedy segment that never gets too silly or far fetched. It can be tough trying to write established characters because people already have ideas of how they are burned into their minds, so unless it's something done by the characters original characters people will always be that more critical. But, Baird for example, is so "Baird" like in this it's hard to think of him of anything else. So well done on that.

Anyways, really liking it so far, the story seems to playing out at a good pace, and has lots of atmosphere which I really like.

[Jonesybites]

Kay, so a quick review of chapter 10. There are some spelling/grammar errors, stuff like hear instead of here, damn instead of dam, stuff like that. And some sentences don't make grammatical sense, but it's minor stuff and nothing that a proof read can't fix. Now onto the good parts (yayy!), the character interaction is really well done, I know how hard it can be to make characters "come to life", to define distinct personalities and make conversation flow and seem natural. So congrats on doing a great job with that.

Lol, not sure about Cole and the roaches, but somehow it fits and makes for an entertaining comedy segment that never gets too silly or far fetched. It can be tough trying to write established characters because people already have ideas of how they are burned into their minds, so unless it's something done by the characters original characters people will always be that more critical. But, Baird for example, is so "Baird" like in this it's hard to think of him of anything else. So well done on that.

Anyways, really liking it so far, the story seems to playing out at a good pace, and has lots of atmosphere which I really like.

Thanks for the update...I'll go back and proofread it again. I have a beta reader, but it's taken him a month to correct just the first chapter...

Anyhoot, I'm glad you beleive my interpretation of the (existing) characters is close to accurate...I don't get enough feedback on the matter so I rely mostly on my research. The new characters is sometimes challenging because I use the existing one's as a catalyst to somewhat define the new one's.

[Jonesybites]

Trying to stay on route, Sigma squad runs into another calamity...

Chapter 19: The Iridescent Snow


The sun began to set and the colors of the sky unfolded into a winter manifestation so scenic, it bleached the white ground into an iridescence of many colors, like a petroleum puddle on a slab.

As Sigma squad continued to trek in the cover of the woods, they could peer outside to see the glistening snow, reflecting the numerous hues of the sky. They walked through the snow, covered thicket, brushing along the conifer branches until they came to the edge of the woods, gazing at a mountain behind a haze.

Raven was not ahead of the pack this time, trying to come out of her anemic weariness as she nibbled on some trail mix, filled with nuts, dried fruit, and cereal flakes. Cole and Sven were doing the same, picking in their plastic bags, full of nuts and potato chips, while Baird was leading the pack, looking ahead just outside the forest.

"Well…Feral, the area looks clear," he motioned, feeling the twilight chill nip at his fair skin. Raven moved up to the front to get a better look, wrapped in a sash and blanket to withstand the rapidly dropping temperature. She peered out towards the open area, looking for tracks but saw nothing that would indicate a Locust outpost.

"Maybe they took refuge in the mines," Raven wondered as she shivered.

"Yea, that's what I'm guessing."

"There was an outpost on the edge of the woods over there…" Raven pointed in the direction of a forest on the other side of the hill, "…but they too may have taken refuge in the mines. There's no other means of shelter in this area."

Cole and Sven moved up as they tried to gather what they were saying.

"Are you sure the outpost is empty?" Cole asked impatiently, still bundled in a blanket.

"No, I'm not sure…which is why we may have to check it out," Raven answered Cole before turning to Baird, “…judging by their relocation in the mining village, they may have also left this area too.”

Damon looked up at Cole as the two got the drift that they would have to go investigate it themselves, trekking through the bitter cold while leaving Sven and Raven behind, just in case they did find something. They were really starting to hate this part of the job, especially in the damn cold.

It had been nearly three days since they began their mission, one that should have only taken a day. All four were getting pretty weary of the Frost, which seemed to be worsening as the long nights came and the short days went.

Although Baird seemed to be handling the cold better than the others, despite his constant whining about it, he too was feeling fatigued. He was mostly annoyed of the fact that they had to procrastinate, throwing everything they we're supposed to be doing completely on the back burner just in order to stay alive. Baird was not one to give anyone credit for much but he had to admit to himself, indeed, that if it wasn’t for Raven, they would have not lasted as long as they had. I'll need to write a note to remind me to ask Hoffman to give Rav a gift certificate for free coffee and donuts for a month, or something.

Cole groaned as he shook the snow from the blanket wrapped around his arms. His charisma was put on limbo for the moment as he started to move forward without complaint, but one could tell he was loathing it. Baird did the same as he turned to Sven and Raven,

"Stay here…we'll let ya know if somethin's up."

Raven didn't argue this time. She knew Baird and Cole didn't want to do this anymore than she wanted to stay behind, while Sven second the motion. The feelings among the four were becoming a lot more mutual this time around. Although, it was few in between that anyone agreed with Baird on anything, they were in total agreement on him with this one, and that was that the whole thing really sucked balls.

As Cole and Baird took out their Gnashers, Raven gently grabbed Baird by his arm before he stepped out,

"Listen…" she said in between shivers, "they may still be using the forest as a hide-out, so you and Gus will need to be extra careful when you go in."

"Yea, Feral, we've done this sh*t before…" Baird replied, dividing his focus between the forest and Raven before he replied sarcastically"…but thank you for your concern. Gee, you're in a much better mood than you were earlier."

Raven sighed, "Look…I'm sorry I was difficult before, ok…it's just…"

"Oh for God sake, don't start apologizing, Rav…this is what Gears do…and besides, you can make it up to me later." Baird smirked, while Raven's expression drooped into a sarcastic gloom, letting go of his arm and gesturing,

"You can go now," she snorted. Baird chuckled to himself before he joined Cole to walk out towards the empty woods ahead.

The two Gears moved out into the open while Raven and Sven slumped into the thicket, keeping their coverings fastened to avoid the cold seeping in. Raven finished up her "take-out" food, feeling a little better but still somewhat fatigued while Sven slouched in his spot, moving his hands up and down his arms trying to keep them warm. They were just as miserable as Cole and Baird were.

Raven drifted into her thoughts, trying not to dwell on the numbness on her bum. Although the bandages offered some warmth, sitting in the snow offered no comfort whatsoever, and yet, despite not being able to have any feeling in her frozen ass, she could still feel the stitched gash.

It was then that it suddenly dawned on her, why is Sven so quiet? It was not like Sven to just sit and be quiet. He must be really miserable.

Sven was already getting impatient as the day was almost done and they have yet to find a place to stay for the night before the cold worsened. Shivering next to Raven, Sven finally started to rant,

"Aw, man…how long are we going to have to do this…sit and wait, hike and wait…sit some more…"

Sven rambled on as Raven rolled her eyes, letting it go through one ear out the other. Ugh, I spoke too soon. She was hoping that the outpost would be deserted so she can finally take them to the place she intended for them to stay the night, but Sven's whining was quickly getting irritating. She finally had to cut in,

"Alright Vin, enough…you're really starting to sound like Baird."

Before Sven could put his foot in his mouth, he caught himself just in time, coming to terms with Raven’s insinuation; Holy crap, I am starting to sound like the Corporal!

Sven slumped further, grumbling under the bitter cold. Raven tried to sit as comfortably as she could, but the stitches in her rear were making it difficult for her to be content. Both of them were fidgety, with Raven trying not to sit directly on her wound and Sven crossing his legs trying to keep his bladder from exploding.

"Damnit, Vin, why can't you hold still? Wait a minute…you're doing the peepee dance, aren't you!"

Sven grumbled in misery, "Yes…I really need to take a piss."

"Well then go out and piss…geez Vin, instead of sitting here squirming like a little girl, holding herself."

"But it's cold…do you know what it feels like for a guy to have to whip it out and piss in the cold?"

"Sigh…can't say that I have,"

"It's worse than sitting on a cold toilet seat…it sucks!"

Raven finally got irritated and resumed to bark at him,

"Get up…go out, and take a piss, please!"

Sven groaned, "…alright, alright…sh*t!"

He got up, shivering more than ever and started to stagger back into the thicket, moving a ways before he found a tree, wide enough stand behind for some privacy; not that it was going to really matter since the cold shrunk his winky down into a little nubbin. As he unzipped his pants, the cold air rushed around his male bits, making him shudder before grabbing his crotch with both hands, trying to shield his sensitive testicles from the bitter cold.

Sven grumbled to himself, "Ah, f***! I hate this part, ugh…"

He managed to barely muster some strength to force himself to finally urinate. He moaned the moment he released his bladder from the obnoxious pressure he had to endure for the past thirty minutes. Basking from the warm sensation moving through his urethra, he leaned his head against the tree, feeling relieved, at last.

"Ah…that is soo much better…" he soothed, closing his eyes while still urinating until he pushed himself to drive it all out, down to the last drop. He did not want to have to do this again anytime soon.

His body stopped shivering for a moment as he finally relaxed, savoring the sentiment as much as he could before he had to go back and sit in the snow some more. Yuck! As his head was still leaning on the tree, his ears began to catch a faint noise deep within the forest. Opening his eyes he looked around with his peripheral vision, not moving or twitching, trying to focus on the noise coming from a distance.

Maybe it's just Feral…wait, why would she come out here? Sven began to analyze the possibilities in his head as the faint noise became more audible. Ok, now there is something definitely moving back there. He slowly moved his head off of the tree, trying to open up his ears to listen carefully, hoping whatever it was would either not notice his presence or just casually pass by. Wait, can Feral hear it?

His adrenaline pulsed through his body and his heart rate picked up the pace, pushing the hormone more potently. He slowly dropped his hand to his pistol holster, quietly lifting the flap on the pistol stock while carefully sliding it out, not realizing the obvious as the cold air filtrated through his pants again; ah, sh*t, I forgot to zip up my pants!

But before he could remedy the situation, something huge moved right out of the thicket and right in front of Sven, causing him to scream,

"F***!"

Startled by the scream, Raven quickly dragged herself up to go find Sven, pulling out her pistols in the process and shaking off the snow while attempting to run through the thicket at the same time. She meandered around the trees until she heard the shattering sound of gunfire, followed by series of growls.

Oh God, what was that?

Raven came to a complete stop to peer into the woods as the noise dissipated into silence. Moving her head, she scanned the area looking for Sven's trail, when suddenly Sven jumped out of nowhere, running as fast as he could muster while holding himself at the same time with one hand and holding a pistol in the other, shouting,

"LOCUSTS!"

He nearly runs over Raven as he grazed right past her, grabbing her arm and trying to pull her back the other direction.

"MOVE, HURRY!"

"What the hell, Vin…" Raven blurted out but Sven was inevitably pulling her with him as the two run through the forest, pummeling through the branches and pine needles along the way. As they run, the sound of gunshots whizz right past them as they both dive into the ground, stirring up the snow and forest foliage around them. They crawl up against a tree as they both turn on opposite sides, looking for their pursuers.

"Oh sh*t, oh sh*t," Sven whispered to himself before Raven immediately shushed him.

"Shut up, Vin…be still!"

The footsteps could be heard as the growling became more familiar. Sven quickly darted his head back behind the tree, trying to stay calm.

"Sh*t, they got some big guy with a machete' and three Grenadiers," Sven frantically whispered. In moments, they could hear the Butcher moving, breathing heavily and slowly pushing through the thicket.

Raven cautiously peered around the tree to get a glimpse of the massive beast, chopping at the brush with an enormous cleaver. The Grenadiers came up from behind with shotguns in hand, waiting for the Butcher to cut them a more mobile path.

"They must be hunting for food…" Raven whispered. Sven was desperately trying to zip up his pants up with his ice cold hands, but the frost made the pull-tag stick to the teeth, thus requiring more force to get it moving again. F***, not now…of all the times to get stuck, why the f*** now?

Raven knew they could not stay in their spot; the Butcher would sniff them out for sure.

"Ugh, we can't stay here, we have to move. Sven, do you have any nades?" Raven asked.

"Just this smoker."

"That'll do...let me see it."

Sven quickly handed it over to Raven as she peered around the tree, watching the Mauler still hacking at the brush while the Grenadiers push it along. She carefully tossed the nade right over the brush until it landed somewhere right behind the Mauler. The smoke grenade went off, thwarting the Grenadiers a few steps back while the heavy, dense smoke swept across the vicinity around them.

"Let's go, Vin, hurry," Raven pushed at him until he finally moved along with Raven following behind. They could hear the massive Butcher coughing heavily as it blurted out in its gurgling, congested voice,

"Landwalker gone…"

Leaving the scene, Sven and Raven pushed through the thicket, making their way out into the open.

"Aw sh*t…where do we go now?" Sven griped while Raven looked around to see where they were, turning to the direction of the Locust outpost.

"This way Sven…we need to find the others!"

She grabbed him by the arm and the two hauled ass before the Locusts could make it out into the open. Not looking back, Raven picked up the pace through the thick snow, lifting her knees up in almost a galloping stride while Sven attempted to do the same, still clutching his exposed crotch with one hand and carrying a pistol in the other.

Suddenly, a load roar echoed from behind.

"Oh, sh*t," Sven panicked, still running and trying to zip up his pants as the same time.

"Keep moving, Vinny…don't stop, we can make it to the woods ahead," Raven persisted before she slowed down to come up behind a waddling Sven and push him from behind.

"Landwalkers…" the beast bellowed out the moment the massive Butcher stepped out of the woods, peering through the dense snow with Sven and Raven barely in view. The three Grenadiers were not too far behind as they too entered into the open area and continued moving after them, leaving the slow-moving Butcher behind.

Raven managed to move Sven into the woods as they both brush up behind the trees. Managing to finally zip his pants, Sven pulled out his sniper rifle, shaking the snow off before he peered into the scope, trying to catch a glimpse of one of the Grenadiers moving through the falling snow.

"Can you get a visual, Vin," Raven asks.

"Barely…" he analyzed, moving to the side to get a clearer shot.

"…just…a little closer,"

Sven fired a round, knocking the front Grenadier backwards as Raven could see it clutch the jugular of its neck, bleeding profusely. It squirmed on the ground, hacking and hemorrhaging while the other two dropped to the ground to take cover.

"Hoorah…" Sven beamed as he placed another shell into the bolt chamber, but after loading it in, not realizing the old shell had not properly ejected, he ended up jamming it.

"Ah, sh*t…c'mon!"

Raven noticed that his gun was too cold to load it quickly, watching Sven trying to pull out the old shell still jammed in the chamber. She pulled out her Gorgon pistol to load up the magazines while peering around the trees, but before she could even fire a round, one of the Grenadiers stood up to fire his Gnasher shotgun in their direction.

"Damnit," Raven yelled, pulling back into the woods as the stray shots flew by aimlessly. They were still too far away for the Grenadiers to shoot at them more efficiently but as the other one ran out of ammo, the other strategically provided cover fire with a fresh clip, making counter fire almost unfeasible.

"Son of a b****…Sven, do have a round in yet," Raven yelled out, hoping that Sven would have it fixed by now, but considering the circumstances, that may have been asking much.

"Agh…I can't get the damn shell out; it's as if the chamber shrank…f***ing cold weather," Sven complained.

Raven groaned as she peered around the woods once again, hoping not to take a hit as before getting a glimpse at the Grenadier and fires her Gorgon pistol, alternating around the tree in between bursts.

She managed to hit one Grenadier, but not enough to knock it fatally. Growling in fury, the Grenadier proceeded to move forward while firing its Gnasher along the way, closing onto their position.

"Oh God…get ready Vin…he's coming in…" Raven warned.

"Wait, what?" Sven panicked, finally giving up on loading his rifle after he threw the empty shell on the ground and moved over across from Raven, waiting for the Grenadier to enter the woods. The Grenadier moved in quickly, wasting no time as he fired his last round right before he entered the thicket.

Moving in he turned around to find Raven pointing her Boltok at him and firing, but she accidentally stumbled over something on the ground as the shot just grazed the Grenadier over the shoulder. He flinched back, grabbing the tree next to him to keep from falling backwards. The Locust glared at her with his menacing eyes, snarling at her as his thick scaly face scowled at the little human who took a shot at him.

"Puny female…I break your little neck" it sneered, moving closer, but Raven managed to climb up into the broken tree near a cluster of boulders, moving up quickly without effort before the Locust could clutch her, evading him and slipping from his massive grasp. He was nearly three times her size and slightly bigger than the average Gear, not to mention he had a devastating right hook as he tried to melee through the branches after her. He attempted to climb, but he was too heavy to balance on the branches properly.

Without warning, Sven came charging in, yelling as he swung his Longshot, plummeting it across the Grenadiers head, knocking him sideways.

"Yea, take that, b****," Sven yelled.

The Grenadier tried to pull himself backup as he shook his head from the contact but he fell back down while Sven swing to his rifle up over his head and drop it quickly onto the Grenadiers head, finishing the job at last.

"Feral…" Sven called out as Raven looked down from the top of the boulder.

"Sven…move away, now! The other one is coming!"

"Sh*t," said Sven before he moved back further into the woods before he soon noticed the other Grenadier running just outside the forest when a gunshot rang out into the horizon. The Grenadier's skull cratered as a part of his head sprawled off from the side and the body toppled over, sliding across the snow near the edge of the forest.

Sven carefully skimmed area before he looked out, perplexed as to where that shot came from.

"Hey, Feral…did you do that?"

"No, Vin, I didn't," Raven answered in a dreary tone. Just then, a couple more shots echo out into the frosty air as the snow continued to fall, not the least fazed by the sound of gunfire in the distance.

Raven climbed back down to reunite her with Vin, trying not to make too much noise as she peered out from their position, but the snow made visibility next to impossible.

"Maybe it's Cole and Baird…maybe they heard us…" said Sven.

"No Vin…they don't have rifles. Just…stay quiet for a moment."

"Uh…ok."

The two meandered carefully to the edge of the woods, looking out from where they just came. They could barely see the Butcher, whom was lying in the snow, motionless.

"Alright, I know we didn't kill him," Sven observed. Even Raven had to ponder, so who did if we didn't?

Just after Sven openly spoke his mind, Raven slowly stood up, putting her pistol back into the holster. She started to speak to Sven while keeping her gaze fixated outside of the thicket.

"Whatever you do Vinny…don't make any sudden moves, don't raise your weapon or arms…" Raven continued to articulate as if she was petrified, not making any gestures of any kind as if she was looking into the eyes of the devil himself, but it was the next sequence of her mellow words that made him nervous the most.

"…and do exactly as I tell you, if you want to survive this."

Chapter 20: The Harpies

[sputsputdi]

hope your being sarcastic

[Jonesybites]

sarcastic about...? you lost me

[Jonesybites]

Baird and Cole search for their missing comrades as they make a startling discovery.

Chapter 20: The Harpies

As the sun descended behind the mountains, the afterglow mingled from behind the woods as Cole and Baird ran around through brush, darting through sparse thicket to find the commotion coming from the wilderness ahead of them.

They spent the latter thirty minutes looking around what apparently was once a Locust outpost, now long abandoned. Nothing was left of it, no ammunition's, no troika's, just a map of sandbags, covered in heaps of snow, but the sound of gunshots in the distance redirected their attention back to where they left Sven and Raven.

Cole finally had to stop as he halted next to a tree on the outskirts of the forest, clutching a nearby boulder to hold himself up, panting. The cold air was too dense to breathe without effort, which made long-distance running even the more difficult. Baird came up and joined him, also prostrating himself along a neighboring boulder, looking out into the empty, white space outside of the woods.

Cole couldn't stay silent for too long before he started to worry.

"Aw, man…I hope that wasn't coming from Vinny and Feral," Cole mumbled.

Baird turned to look at Gus and then returned his gaze back out into the open.

Still looking out, Baird decided to respond to Cole,

"I don't see anything out there…we'll have to trek back to where we left them…to see if we can find a trail before the snow covers it up."

Cole gave Baird a nod as he resumed to catching his breath before he continued to exit the woods and into the open field of snow. Baird followed close behind, trudging along as the two Gears moved as quickly as their legs could take them in knee-deep snow. Pushing through the terrain, they could feel the snow seeping into their fatigues again, adding more weight to their legs. It was bad enough that the cold air hindered their heavy breathing, putting a slight damper on their endurance.

Coming to the middle of the open area, Cole halted to get a better look out to the side of what appeared to be several trails heading into another wooded area to the right of the one they left earlier. Baird gradually moved his way up as he too glared at the faint, but visible tracks.

"Son of b****," Baird blurted out, moving ahead of Cole to get a better look. Cole didn't move as he just stood there fretting, thinking the worst while Baird moved along to analyze the footprints.

Baird peered over his shoulder,

"They went this way…they were being followed, Gus," said Baird, not mincing words but choosing them carefully, knowing that Cole was worried out of his at the moment. Baird turned back towards the area Raven and Sven were retreating at. He continued to follow the trail as Cole moved behind him, keeping up at Baird's pace, moving down on the incline. Baird hiked along until he saw something partially buried in the snow. Oh, God, no.

Baird picked up the pace while Cole slowed down, letting Baird get ahead as he watched him slow down before stopping to kneel down, brushing the snow from what appeared to be a corpse. He didn't want to know whom it was, but at the same time he was hanging on the edge of sanity, observing Baird's mannerisms carefully to see if it was ok to come over there or not.

Baird stood back up before turning to Cole, motioning him to come over as a great weight lifted off of Cole's shoulder's, freeing him from that brief moment of anxiety that seemed like an eternity. Cole moved quickly to join Baird, glancing at the object in the snow, noticing the familiar scaly hide of a Grenadier, Locust. His heart started to sink, wondering if there were other Locusts following Raven and Sven. Cole took a closer look at the corpse, noticing the jugular in its neck exposed.

"It was shot by a Longshot, no doubt," Baird informed him, looking at the gaping hole on the back of its neck. Baird held out the bullet he found near the corpse.

"Vinny must have shot him from the wooded area, but why so close?" Cole pondered in puzzlement as Baird continued,

"He probably couldn't see that well…I mean look at it now; I'm having a hard time making out the area from here, so he probably had to wait. Sh*t, I'm surprised he managed to clock him from this range…I gotta hand it to the kid, he's getting pretty good with that thing."

Baird got up to look ahead, noticing another Grenadier corpse nearby.

"Hey Cole…there's another one, over there," he said a loud.

"Oh, yea…I see it," Cole reiterated, following Baird over to the other carcass. Baird knelt down to get better look at the Grenadiers caved in skull, folded under by some high caliber weapon. A Longshot maybe, definitely some sort of rifle.

"Damn, that kid was on a roll," Cole beamed.

"Yea I'd give him credit for it if he actually did it, but he didn't."

"Say what?"

"The trajectory of the bullet didn't come from the woods ahead…it came from somewhere back there," said Baird, pointing behind them from the forest further up the hill.

"How can you tell?" asked Cole, watching Baird pick up the bone fragments from the snow.

"Look at the direction of the bone fragments and blood splatter…its impact came from the back of its head, not the front."

"Holy ****, Baird you're right."

Looking more closely, Cole could still see the blood not entirely veiled in the snow. Baird stood up to place the bone fragments he collected into his pocket while he stepped around the body and proceeded towards the woods ahead, with Cole not too far behind.

They followed a set of tracks into the forest, seeing that some of the brush had been recently trailed through with some of the limbs bent and broken, as if someone forced an entry. Baird carefully entered first into the thicket as he looked down, occasionally looking up to see if it was still clear. Cole followed close behind, moving along the side of Baird, noticing the tracks divided in different directions. At this point, the array of footprints only muddled the existing trail. There was no way find them now.

As Baird looked down, he noticed a faint pool of blood not too far from his feet as he pulled away trying not to step on it before he realized something lukewarm was dripping onto his head. He slowly looked up to the source of the liquid dropping on his head as his eyes widened in horror,
"Oh, **** me," Baird swallowed before taking few steps back, feeling the drops rolling down the side of his face.

Cole turned around to look up as he too blurted out in revulsion,

"Ahhh, man…what the f*** is that?" Cole whined as his stomach started to turn, feeling the nausea creeping up.

Slowly moving backwards, Baird reached his hand on his face to wipe the droplets from his face and look into his hand. It was blood. Damon started to cough as he bent down, trying to control his compulsions, spitting on the ground, groaning. Cole rushed over, dragging Baird back by his shoulders, trying to pull him up as the two looked back up at the horrible scene.

It was a Locust Grenadier, hung from the tree upside down, with its intestinal bowls tied around its neck while its genitals were apparently removed and shoved into its mouth, along with its heart.

The chest of the beast was removed completely, leaving only an empty cavity while its skin from its torso was stretched from side to side, pulled apart with ropes tied from opposite limbs. Its arms were completely severed, cut cleanly either with a sharpened saw or some sort of sharp metal object, similar to a cleaver, or perhaps a sword. In either case, whoever did this had experience and paid attention to detail. This was not the work of some drunken hoodlums, just out having fun; this was the work of either of a professional or a masochist.

As Baird managed to come to composure, he carefully looked around at the disturbing scene, trying to make sense of different sets of footprints underneath the hanging cadaver, but there was too many to make out what all that happened there. The ground was littered with footprints, blood splatter, and pockets of blood glistening against a boulder nearby. Instantly frustrated, Baird began to rant,

"Ok…I can't make any sense of what happened here, what happened first…or last for that matter…and it's getting too ****ing dark and too ****ing cold for me to just sit here and figure all this out!"

"Uh Damon…" Cole tried to subtly interrupt but Baird ignored him and continued on,

"…furthermore, there is no way I can find Sven or Rav's trail now…"

"Damon, hey…"

"…and I'm not…"

"BAIRD…LOOK UP, SH*THEAD," Cole was finally able to yank Baird's attention and redirect him to the conundrum at hand.

Looking up, Baird instantly noticed that they were surrounded, with weapons pointed directly at them. Dropped his jaw, Baird stood speechless for a change while Cole just stood there frozen, just now realizing that they were being watched almost the entire time they were there.

The dark figures in the woods glared at the two Gears, their eyes hidden from them as their attire blended into the snow, ridden forest around them. Their weapons, mostly shotguns and Hammerbursts, glistened in the partial light stemming from the setting sun that seeped through the trees.

Although the Gears have fought against overwhelming odds before, these were not Indies, or Locusts, or even Stranded. With just the slightest slip of a finger, Cole and Baird may as well serve their testicles on a silver platter, knowing full well that these people could and would do it without a second guess. They've done it before, and they would do it again.

Though Cole wanted to react, he looked to Baird for guidance as the two exchanged glances, trying not to make any sudden movements before returning their glare to the predicament at hand. If there was a time they didn’t quite know what to do, this was it.

Although the armor and weaponry of their captors was not all too dissimilar to the Locusts, the figures' shape and demeanor was anything but familiar. They are the Feral.

Chapter 21: Marching Into Darkness

[Jonesybites]

Ok, here is Chapter 20. This chapter is a little short, but the next one will be longer, so it may be a little while before I post it.

Chapter 21: Marching Into Darkness

"I was born amidst the purple waterfalls.
I was weak, yet not unblessed.
Dead to the world. Alive for the journey.
One night I dreamt a white rose withering,
A newborn drowning a lifetime loneliness.
I dreamt all my future. Relived my past.
And witnessed the beauty of the beast"


Bless The Child

Nightwish


Lights from the night sky lit up a pathway between two dense forests, winding as if the trail was once, intentionally bulldozed to lead to some sort of settlement nearby. The moon hung high and bright, as its light guided the band of Feral scouts, pacing along comfortably in the bitter cold.

They continued to escort the two Gears into what was once some small mission settlement, made up of only two log buildings and a chapel of sorts, made of cobblestone, wood, and clay. The Feral clan apparently found refuge here for the time being as campfires glistened around tents made of animal hide. The sounds of singers, Raven referred to as "Sirens," could be heard subtly around the campsite, their melodies in harmony from one end of the campsite to another. The song was soothing and surprisingly angelic as the soprano, in time with the contralto, gave the Gears chills with their strenuous chords. Such a beautiful thing has long since been missing for a long time to the ears of some war-hardened men, to hear the velvet, exotic voices of women, while at the same time, the soothing sounds was like a poison, incapacitating those who are seduced by it. The two Gears were not inclined to forget whom these women really were, and their brief meeting in the woods only added to their cynicism.

The exchange in the forest was fairly brief, with whom it was assumed was the “scout leader,” managed to convince in her broken Tyran that they were there to bring the two Gears to their camp. With nothing else to go by, Baird and Cole had little choice but to take their word for it.

So for now, the two Gears followed them willingly, in hopes that they may uncover information on the whereabouts of their missing comrades. If the Feral wanted to kill them, they would have done it already, instead of going through the effort of escorting them back to their camp. If anything, Baird and Cole hoped that they would at least know where Raven was.

As the scouts led them into the camp, the women became alert to the men’s presence as some immediately moved the children out of sight by shooing them into the tents. Meanwhile, the clan's lookout’s, or whom Raven referred to them as "praetorians," continued to stand guard from multiple, strategic sites around the camp.

Baird quickly assumed the "cast structure," of the clan, as he observed the slight differences between what he believed, based on what Raven had disclosed to him, to be the "soldiers" and the "breeders." The scouts themselves wore dressings similar to Raven's, Locust materials made of exotic hides while wearing cloaks and sashes around their heads to hide their faces, and probably to protect them from the cold, granting them the ability to adapt and maneuver in the climate.

The mood that hung in the atmosphere varied as Baird analyzed the women, but many of them quickly slipped away into their tents as if they could feel his eyes ogling them. On the flip side, there were a few others whom instead, simply gazed back at the two men, possibly either out of pure curiosity, or to also observe them analytically. They probably don’t get to see a lot of men, much less Gears, Baird suspected. It was almost borderline creepy, if not flattering that the women may have been admiring them, taking notice of their husky build, which was in contrast to straggly, local Stranded. Other women however, were more ominous in their ogling, staring down on Cole and Baird as if they were going to burn a hole in their chassis with their glare. Then, there was a few who would glance when their eyes met with the men, and then shyly turned away in a flirtatious manner. If Baird had to summarize it all, the Feral were very conscientious about one thing or another, and they probably had to be in order to survive in the wilderness, but with mating being part of their ethos, Baird had to consider his company.

The scouting party led Baird and Cole into the steeple, lit up with lamps and countless, staged candles, illuminating the entrance and inside the chapel sanctuary with the fire light afterglow.

The place was warm, a nice change from the chilly climate the two men had to endure the latter two days, especially since it getting worse with each passing day. Both Cole and Baird started to thaw, noticing the fires in several fireplaces around them were burning as they caught a whiff of the aroma of pine wood burning with an incense of peppermint.

Baird could feel the ogling eyes rolling on him the moment he stepped past the steeple entryway. Some of the women gawked in what appeared to be interest while others would take a glance before they quickly turned their heads the moment they made eye-contact, almost as if they did something they were not supposed to do. Baird continued to follow the scouts until he could sense the glance of a familiar gaze. Cole felt the same as the two looked over up near the pulpit to see Raven alive and well, standing in anticipation but somewhat apprehensive to the atmosphere around them. Sven, however was nowhere to be seen.

Cole's eyes widen as he quickly turned his glare to Baird. Baird carefully acknowledged Cole with a nod, still keeping his eyes fixed on Raven. She was looking at him as well, the two exchanging some sentiment until Raven's eyes moved to her left, acknowledging a more authoritive presence. If Baird had to take a guess, he would have identified the Feral woman as the leader, or "matriarch" of the clan.

Holy sh*t…I don't think anyone has seen this before, and lived to tell about it. As Raven glanced back and forth between Baird and the clan leader, he could tell that she was nervous around the intimidating woman. Baird directed his gaze to the "matriarch" as she glared at him in return, but then dismissed him as she turned back to Raven, acting as if the two were carrying some hypnotic jousting.

The woman had a bizarre attraction to her, one that commanded anyone's attention to her as she moved in fluidity and elegance. Her dark wardrobe contoured to her long figure. Her dark hair was wrapped tight into braids as they themselves were woven into a headdress made of some organic material. Her dark eyes pierced through her light olive skin, fresh and rosy from the cold while smooth and hard, like porcelain. Turning her gaze back to the Gears, her swollen, dark lips would part as if she was testing the air for a scent.

Her light armor was a bit more elaborate than Raven's and just as dark, as the shoulder pieces sat on layered plates made of some pieces similar to the Locust. The layered plates extended down around her chest and reformed down to her waist, exposing her ground shattering boobage, bolted up into a nice, perky form of round cleavage so arrogantly flaunted and ridiculously cliché, Cole had to pinch himself twice just to make sure he wasn't daydreaming. Pieces of cloth, draped from her waist into some sort of "battle" skirt, similar to what the Theron Locusts used. If the Feral from Fort Block was intimidating by appearance, this "matriarch" in particular was even more so.

"You…" the "matriarch spoke in a mellow, mature tone, not showing the slightest emotion in her cold, pale face, "…you are the remnants from the COG descent a few days ago."

Baird and Cole stood there, dumbstruck. How does she know our language?

The two glanced at each other for a moment and then Baird gave Cole the subliminal hint that he would be the one to speak.

"Yea…we are. So what's it to you?"

Raven's face cringed at the sound of Baird's callous tone.

Sh*t, Baird, you’re going to get us killed!

The matriarch's gaze turned back to Raven in awe. Raven looked up at the menacing woman as Raven's expression turned bleak, shrugging her shoulders and looking away as if she just wanted to put a plastic bag over her head.

Just shoot me now.

The woman immediately spoke to Raven in a strange dialect, pushing vowel sounds with a hiss. Raven collectively spoke back with the same dialect, but with different articulation that is commonly found in the Tyran language. Judging by her upbringing, Baird guessed that Raven’s first language was Tyran and therefore inherited the choppy accent, but it was still fascinating to listen to Raven actually speak the foreign language, something she had never done in front of him, until now.

Baird’s continued to fixate hit attention to their conversation, trying to make out the language as he could hear some of the sounds repeat themselves. The matriarch's tone in her voice was stern, but not livid. After she finished her talk with Raven, she turned to the Gears and proceeded to speak to them again, in Tyran,

"Your guide has informed me that you are looking for a Stranded militia…"

"A rumored, Stranded militia…" Baird said, choosing his words carefully, trying not to reveal too much information about their directive as much as possible.

"I see…and are you aware that it was, this militia, that ambushed and killed some of your fellow Gears?" the woman retorted.

Baird could see from his peripheral view that Cole was getting anxious. The thought of Stranded killing Gamma was infuriating enough, but to hear of a Stranded militia, intending to decimate Gear squadrons out of spite was unfathomable. Baird continued,

"We have reason to believe that the Stranded may be involved..."

"...then you may not know that this same militia, has taken hostages."

"Hostages?" Baird's eyes widened at the revelation as Cole turned his glare towards Baird, hoping he would say something, but Baird was just speechless.

Hostages?

Cole just couldn't wait anymore.

"Where did they take them?" Cole blurted out, fidgeting in his place as if he was a man on edge, "…where are they?"

The atmosphere took a turn for the worst as the Gears could feel the spaces between them shrinking. The "praetorians" moved out from their crevices in the room and started to close in on the two men. Raven quickly jumped off of the pulpit area and darted over to where Cole was standing.

Baird suddenly noticed that more praetorians began to emerge from the corners of the room and was closing in on their position. But Raven got to Cole first as she quickly wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head against his massive chest plate. Cole was perplexed at Raven's demeanor but stood his ground, no longer commencing to move as he watched their surroundings cautiously, keeping his hand just a few inches from the Snub pistol in his left holster…yea, you wenches bring it on!

The praetorians halted in their tracks, holding their stance as they kept their weapons at bay, trying to make sense of the situation Raven just put herself into. The tension in the air was larger than the room, almost suffocating as everyone stood in their places, baffled as to what to do next.

Baird didn't have to analyze too hard to understand that Raven took a great risk, putting herself in between them and the Feral. The only question that now fiddled in the back of his head was why. Why would she waste her life to save two chauvinistic Gears?

Cole didn't dare move for Raven's sake, but that seemed to be the only thread that was keeping him subdued from going into a rampage. Raven stayed close as she leaned her head on his arm, turning her gaze to the matriarch.

Without warning, the matriarch started to laugh haughtily, amused at the predicament that acted out in front of her. As she laughed, Baird noticed that the praetorians were backing down, retreating from whence they came, and that was almost out of nowhere. Their stealth skills are pretty impressive for a bunch of sadistic *****es, Baird had to admit.

Cole slowly loosened his brace around Raven as she turned and looked up at the matriarch, whom was composing herself from her amusement. The woman then spoke directly to Raven in the Feral language, almost jeering at the predicament of Raven's interference. The matriarch's voice was almost mocking, speaking in some repetitive prefixes, moving the dialect as she rolled her tongue, and ending it with a hiss.

Raven stood there with her brow, hanging heavy over her icy blue gaze. Baird could tell she was not the least bit amused, but she didn't say anything. She didn't even make any gestures that would suggest otherwise, as if she was petrified to do so.

After the matriarch finished her musing, she turned her eyes on Baird and gave him a sinister smile.

"I have not found such loyalty to the COG in so long…I would have never believed it coming from the very least of us."

Baird could tell that Raven's body began to stiffen at the matriarch's words. Her fists started to clench as she held her tongue back, trying to keep whatever piece was stirring in her mind to herself, while the matriarch continued to lecture,

"I must admit, if she finds your favor, then surely your presence here is not threatening, however…" she spoke as her gaze meandered to Cole.

"…there is a price, for your, intrusion on our territory."

Baird's expression turned into puzzlement as he slowly turned his eyes to Raven,

"Ok…what did she just mean about "price?" Baird asked in annoyance while Cole mumbled quietly,

"…and what the **** does she mean, their territory?" he said, almost grinding his teeth from the fury in his breath.

With her eyes, still fixed on the matriarch, Raven responded in disbelief,

"The Feral demand a seed…"

"A seed…now what the f*** is that suppose to…wait…" Baird caught himself in mid-thought as his expression turned sour,

"…oh, no, is…is she serious?" he started to sulk as Raven answered,

"Yes, Baird…she is."

Intermission III

[Jonesybites]

Here is the third installment of a series of intermissions that will be inserted in the story to help keep the background plot updated.

Intermission III

The fluorescent bulbs dimmed on and off between surges as the lights flickered in the makeshift, office, containing the motherboard of the COG terminal that was connected to the building next door. Although the buildings that inhabited Fort Block were not the best in condition, they surprisingly held up to the bitter cold that laid the rest of Port Farrall to waste.

Colonel Hoffman sat in a chair, glaring at a computer screen for the past hour, searching through Jacinto's archive of COG personnel. He refreshed the search for "McNight," hoping to pull up the database listing all known active and inactive Gears within the past thirty years, hoping the information wasn't lost during Jacinto's fall into the ocean's abyss.

He took off his hat to rub his weary head, watching the list of names just pour onto the screen. Damnit to hell…there's over four hundred possibilities, Hoffman groaned to himself, watching the list extend in length every three seconds. Apparently, the database was including government employees along with the enlistments but the archive to Jacinto's records have been on the fritz since the desolation, which was somewhat expected.

I guess I should be lucky that this thing still has access to this information.

A knocking on the door steered Hoffman away from the screen as he peered over the arrangement of consoles, stacked side by side near the room entrance.

"Come in," Hoffman yelled out.

Sergeant Bernie Mataki peered her head around the door frame, giving the Colonel a peculiar look.

"I would have never thought to find you decomposing behind some deskjob," Bernie joked. Hoffman could only chuckle at Sergeant Mataki’s loose banter. She walked in, making her way to the computer station, standing behind Hoffman while observing his latest updates.

"Now don't you be going around telling the staff that I'm contemplating a career change, Mataki," Hoffman replied in return while Bernie was looking over his shoulder, reading the content on the computer screen.

"Of course not, Vic…" she jestered , reading down the list of known "McNights" in the human resources database.

"McNight?" she observed, perplexed.

"Yea…does a Jonathan, W. McNight ring any bells for you?" Hoffman asked.

"I vaguely remember several Jonathan's…but it's been over...sh*t...twenty years?" she recalled vaguely.

"What about a Captain, Jonathan McNight?"

"Captain…wait…was he the one who was awarded several Embry Stars within a five year period?" Bernie recollected.

"That's the one."

"He also had a pretty wife…Marion was it…but as I can recall, they couldn't have any children."

"Yep. Shame really…Marion was a charming woman; she would’ve made some pretty babies…but, they did have one kid…"

"…I thought they adopted?"

"That's what I'm trying to confirm, right here," said Hoffman, pointing to the computer screen, "…and there's at least seventy-three possible "Jonathan McNights" in this database that I am going to have to rummage through to find the one I'm looking for."

Hoffman leaned his head on his hand that was perched on the desk, scratching his scalp that was dry from the cold. Many of the soldiers had been dealing with skin issues since the beginning of the Frost.

"So what bloody hell brought this on, Vic?" Bernie cut to the chase as she usually does when she wants to forego the technicalities.

Hoffman sighed, knowing he wouldn’t be able to get anything past the ornery Sergeant if he tried.

"Well…" he stopped mid-sentence when a personnel file of interest suddenly came up on screen, "…wait…hold that thought, Sergeant."

He moved closer to the screen to read the file. It was a missing child report from the Dept. of Missing Persons, listing Jonathan and Marion McNight as the parents of the person of interest, but a COG officer in charge of reporting adolescents, specifically in this case, adolescent girls, was from an entirely different dept. It was according to the written report that the officer, not the parents, was the one to originally file the transcript for missing persons.

"Son of a b****…" Hoffman muttered to himself, "...they did have a little girl after all…and she was reported missing."

"So why didn't the parent's report it…why did a COG officer go through the hoopla to make an inquiry on some adolescent girl?" Bernie asked with a hint of revulsion under her breath.

Hoffman knew why, and it was something he really didn't like to bring up, especially with Sergeant Mataki. The Fortification Act required "of age" girls to report to a probation officer to be "placed" in camps for potential breeding. It was a sensitive subject that people didn't want to acknowledge. In fact, most of what happened was just as soon, swept under the rug and was nearly forgotten until recently.

"She didn't just go missing, did she…" Bernie scolwed, glancing at the missing person's profile, "…the kid ran away."

"That's, probably what really happened," Hoffman said regrettably.

He scrolled down the report with the mouse, coming across the Tyran Citizenship documentation.

"Now I remember…" Hoffman recalled, "…Captain McNight was on a waiting list from an adoption agency when the COG came across an abandoned baby girl. He and Marion volunteered to take the infant under his immediate care while going through the process of adopting the child. It was finalized the following year."

"What was her name?"

"They named her, Ellie…no wait, it was Eloise McKnight…"

Hoffman typed in Eloise McKnight to pull up the profile. The database brought up several records concerning the link.

Bernie chuckled as the list of records came up under a photo of a caucasian, black haired girl with braided pig tails, roughly eight years of age showing off her bottle rockets in a school science fair,

"Well idn't that something…this kid has a juvie record," Bernie noticed under the "cute" photo of a little girl whom didn’t resemble much of what one might identify as a “trouble maker.”

"Class C misdemeanors only…apparently she intentionally hacked into the school grading database just to prove that their system was corruptible…and then she made pipe bombs for a physics class, violating school policy on bringing "weapons" and explosives to the school grounds."

Bernie laughed, "She would have made a damned, fine Gear…so why now the sudden interest in this kid?"

"She's not a kid anymore, Mataki…and I have reason to believe that she's a Feral."

"You’re bloody, sh*ttin me," the Sergeant responded in shock.

"I wish I was, Berns…I have reason to believe she ran away to join the Feral…and I also believe that she's one of the scouts whom was deployed out to locate the insurgencies a few days ago."

"Where is she now?"

"Missing,with her squad, Sigma One."

"Sh*t, Victor…you lost her again?"

"We're not sure…Sigma was able to make contact with us from Hurl Dam, and hasn't made contact since. As of now, both McNight and Sigma One is MIA."

Bernie hesitated to ask, knowing the squad was reformed with its former members. Concerned for her comrades in arms, she couldn't help but to ask anyway,

"Who's among the missing?"

"Corporal Damon Baird, Private Augustus Cole, and Private Sven Dunrich…Sergeant Barker Milane is the only one that we know of that is KIA. I had Lieutenant Stroud inform the Corporal to take charge, and return when their objective was complete."

"…and what was their last known objective?"

"To investigate and bring back intel about a possible Stranded settlement somewhere in the mountains…and they've been silent since. Nobody has a clue where they are…"

"And what of the search parties?"

"They located the chopper, but their trail is long gone…the snowstorm took care of that. We're not sure if they even survived the snowstorm, so I had little option but to list them MIA, along with six other squads."

Colonel Hoffman slammed his hand on the desk,

"Sh*t, Sergeant, we lost six damn squads in one day! This whole place is has been nothing more than an icy tomb," the Colonel barked in aggravation.

"I wouldn't count them out yet, sir…knowing my Cole and Blondie, they may pull through this yet, you'll see…and maybe they'll bring back your missing little girl."

The Colonel just chuckled, "Maybe…"

He knew that the two Gears had a history of surviving much bigger odds than this, but the question that still remained was how generous "lady luck" is willing to be.

Chapter 22: The Covenant’s Sharp Edge

[Jay the Arbiter]

I'm going to give this a proper read soon, you'll have to forgive me, i've kind of tuned in half way through.

[Jonesybites]

Everyone stands on the edge of a knife as Raven tries to keep the peace, but she's pinned between the Feral and her commitment to guide Sigma One to their objective. As emotions flare, patience starts to buckle...

This one is a bit long.

Chapter 22: The Covenant’s Sharp Edge

Vows are spoken
To be broken
Feelings are intense
Words are trivial
Pleasures remain
So does the pain
Words are meaningless
And forgettable

All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm


Enjoy The Silence



The sanctuary basement was not the coziest place in the building, but it wasn't the worst either. The temperature in the air was mild, in comparison to the below, freezing temperatures outside the building, while trapping in the humidity from the damp, winter air.

Cobwebs hung from the ceiling as a thick layer of dust on the rice bags, stacked along the walls of the basement, was like a chalky paste, mixed with the balmy air.

Baird sat on top of a stack of bags set along the wall with his feet propped up on another stack, reclining against a stud on the exposed, inner wall. He sat with his arms crossed, glaring at Raven whom was sitting on the floor, adjacent to him, with her back leaning up against an old mahogany wardrobe. Cole sat next to her on the floor, reclined on another stack of rice bags, while his legs were stretched out in front of him with his hands resting behind his head.

The basement was a decent size, divided into several chambers that contained food, medical supplies, and wine. Wheat and flour were set neatly on wooden shelves while bales of hay were stacked no more than two at a time against the walls. The mission must have been a central location for storage, rationing, and distribution for the local communities during the harsh frost when such items became scarce.

The voices of the neighboring Feral in the other rooms could be heard from the open doorway as voices carried into Sigma's room. They could hear water running nearby as the commotion of the Feral moving about became more audible.

But the mood within the immediate vicinity was growing coarse as the three sat in agitation, not really understanding as to what the Feral intended to do with them while still sobering from the enlightened news of their fellow squads, plight. Ever since their little confrontation from earlier on, and then escorted into the belly of the chapel, the three were hanging on a thin thread.

Raven for the most part was mingling in her thoughts, not exactly sure where this was going to go, but she hesitated to tell Cole and Baird to avoid making things even potentially more complicated than it already was. Cole sat in silence, huffing with his arms crossed, impatiently waiting for someone to get it out and say something. Baird sighed as he removed his goggles from his forehead and started rubbing his temples. Patience was testing him and Raven knew it.
Since the atmosphere changed little within the past fifteen minutes, Baird finally stopped rubbing his temples and turned his attention to Raven.

"Ok, Feral…I'm a little behind here on what is really going on, so if you would, since we're just sitting here with our thumbs up the ass, f***ing vegetating, would you care to please enlighten me?" Baird began as a precursor to long, overdue rant.

"…first of all, where in the hell is Vinny…second, why are we down here, and furthermore, how the f*** do these b****es know what is going on with the other squads, and the Stranded?"

Raven was mute for a moment, before she felt inclined to wearily respond,

"Sigh…Baird,"

"…and WHY have you not told us that the Feral was occupying this territory?" Baird's pale face was becoming red with fury. Cole looked up and noticed Baird was close to blowing a fuse as he started to sit up, hoping to cut into Baird's ranting before he busted a nut.

"C'mon, Damon,"

"…No, Cole! These are questions we need answers to!"

With Baird continuing to *****, Raven rolled her eyes as her patience with Baird was soon wearing thin. She cut into his venting,

"I didn't know about this clan settling here, Damon," she barked before she got up, "…and I never knew that they had information concerning the Stranded…so get off my case!"

Trying her best to avoid getting into an argument, Raven proceeded to leave the room before Baird could drag her further into the confrontation.

"Oh…no, no, no, NO," Baird growled as he too, quickly got up to suddenly grab Raven by the arm before she exited the room, restraining her from leaving, "...I am not going to let you try to weasel your way out of this one!"

Raven sneered back, "You let go of me now, Damon!"

Putting her hands together, she quickly twisted her body, consequently yanking her bicep out of Baird's grasp, but the gesture only pissed him off even more as he grabbed her again, only this time, he tightened his grip which caused her discomfort.

"You're NOT leaving without an explanation, DO YOU HEAR ME?"

"Damon, you're hurting her damnit," Cole protested as he could see Raven grimacing from his hold. Although Baird probably did not intend to hurt her, but her lack of empathy concerning the situation was too disquieting to just let it go till morning.

The confrontation instigated adrenaline rush, suddenly surging throughout Raven's body as it quickly boiled in her blood. The sudden oxidation caused her muscles to heat up, and she reacted quickly; only to whirl around, snapping her leg with a diagonal kick, plowing her boot into the inside of Baird's thigh.

"F***," Damon bellowed as a sudden sharp pain pulsed up and down his leg, subsequently loosening his grip on her arm to lean against the wayside, clutching his leg while Raven backed up into a "fighting" stance. She never backed down form a fight, and Baird was certainly no exception. He wouldn’t have been the first Gear she scuffled with, so yea, you bring it, you pompous dick!

Baird managed to compose his equilibrium as he subconsciously clenched his fists so tight, the forearms started to bulge slightly from the tension. His brain switched into battle mode, rewiring the pain from his leg as he moved forward, his jaw locked and his shoulders widened.

Cole was the first to see the signs as he quickly got up to place himself between the two knuckleheads, facing Baird with his hands up, restraining him. This was certainly not the first time Cole had to step in front of Baird to keep him out of a fight, and although Cole was the stronger of the two, he knew Baird can summon quite a spat of strength when his temper flared.

Raven was more direct in combat and had the speed to use it effectively, but Cole knew she didn't have near the brawn that Baird had, and he could have easily overwhelmed her with his brute force if he wanted to.

"Get the f*** out of my way, Gus!" Baird growled, keeping his focus on the little b****.

"As soon as you calm your hot-headed ass down," Cole warned him as Baird and Raven continued to glare at each other with the most spiteful scowl each could muster, exchanging that subtle hint; you don’t know who you’re ****ing with…and both were probably right.

Cole turned over his shoulder as he blurted out at her, "…and don't think I'm letting you off the hook, Feral…Baird's right, you need to get straight with us," Cole demanded.

"Like hell I do," Raven yelled, with her menacing eyes glaring at Baird, itching for another match, "...I don't have to do **** for any of you! I could have dumped your sorry asses more times than I could keep count! You don't have any idea how much ass I had to kiss, just to make sure this clan didn't obliterate you, because believe me, they would have done it in a heartbeat…I could have just let them rip you to shreds, saving me alot of trouble!"

"So why haven't you Feral…let's hear it!" Baird roared, pushing up against Cole.

Her lips quivered in fury as she stared at him, her scowl fierce and her glassy eyes fervent, but something deeper that was tugging hotly against her innermost instincts compelled her to hold her tongue. Though the denying truth was blatant in her mind, no matter how hard she tried to repress it, she didn't have the valor to say it. She couldn't tell him, she didn't want to tell him. Her eyes began to tear up as her rational thoughts began to slip to the wayside. Baird noticed that she was close to crying, so he continued to instigate it, just to see how far he could push her closer to the ledge.

"Yea, you go ahead…cry…do it, you little crybaby" Baird sneered in a spiteful tone, hoping to crack her spirit.

Raven suddenly leapt at him while Cole quickly turned around to face her, wrapping his arm around her and holding her back before she could take a swing at Baird. ****, for a little wench, she's got some vigor, Cole pondered, struggling to keep her back. It didn’t take long for the tears to run down her soft face as she pushed against Cole's massive bicep, trying any which way she could to get to Baird so she could tear into him, but Cole's brace was too strong. Impressed with himself, took a few steps back and continued to taunt while Cole held her back,

"…and I was beginning to think you were tough as nails, but I guess you’re just a softy like every other whiny b****…so yea, cry for me!"

Raven shrieked like a wild animal, cussing at him in the Feral tongue as the commotion could be heard into the other rooms. The other Feral began to turn their attention to the spat, peering around the corners and into the hallway. Baird and Cole had no idea what Raven was saying, but the other Feral could hear the profanities clearly as their eyes widened in shock.

"Feral, baby, you need to calm down, ****," Cole begged her, "…stop, Feral…damnit, stop, RAVEN,"

Cole's bellowing voice startled her as she came to a halt. Still trembling from the adrenaline rush, she started to shut down as her fury redirected into dejection.

Cole turned his head to glare at Baird, scolding him, "Are you finished?"

With his brow still heavy over his pale blue eyes, Baird backed away. The three turned their eyes to the entrance of the room, noticing their little spat brought the attention of everyone down the hallway, watching the drama unfold as if they we're wrapping up a fight in a highschool hallway.
Raven suddenly turned to Damon just for the sake of getting in the last word,

"You want to know what happened to the other squads, you arrogant prick? They were ambushed and killed by a Stranded militia…they took prisoners, tortured them to get info, and then left them out naked to freeze…that's what is happening to them! They sacrificed themselves to save the other squads, including ours, you putrid, son of a c*nt!"

Cole slowly began to let her go as he looked at her in disbelief, but her concentration was still directed on Baird, using whatever ammunition she had left in her verbal arsenal, just for the sake of smite.

"The Feral scouts saw them…the same one's that took out Gamma Four, they were the ones who are attacking the outposts, not the Locusts, not the Feral...so you can get off your sorry, dip-**** soap box and get the f*** out of my way!"

Baird stood up straight, letting the information flow into his head, along with the rage in Raven's voice, watching her lips quivered in fury. If there was any victor to be had, Baird was satisfied enough to know that he got to her. Nevertheless, he still needed the information concerning the recent revelation,

"So where's Vinny," Baird sneered.

"He's the collateral, Baird," Raven scoffed back.

"And what the f*** does that mean?"

"He's the one providing what we need to get out of this, dumbass! I had to make a bargain to satisfy the retribution for invading their territory...in exchange to relocate YOU safely back here!"

Damon's façade drooped in disbelief,

"So he's the one getting f***ing laid?"

"Yes, Damon, he's the reason why you're sorry ass is still alive!"

Baird threw his arms in the air,

"Well that's just f***ing incredible," he spat out, turning around in irritation.

Cole jumped in on the bandwagon,

"You mean he's been getting some tail why we've just been sitting here with our dicks hanging in between our legs…man, that ain't right!"

"Idn't that the truth," Baird agreed.

"It was their choice, not mine!"

"You could've at least given them a good word about us,"

Raven scoffed as she gave Baird the most pitiful look that she could muster, not even trying find the words to justify Baird's complaint. Shaking her head, she immediately marched out of the room, miffed, wiping the tears from her face while the other Feral that were watching the drama from the hallway moved out of her way.

After somewhat simmering down, Baird sat back in his seat, growling to himself and cringing from the pain in his thigh as he propped one leg up and started to massage it. Sh*t, that's going to leave a mark for sure.

Cole threw his arms up before plopping back down onto his seat, astonished with Baird's "conflict management" skills.

"F***, she kicked me hard…and right on the nerve, too!" Baird grumbled as he started to loosen his utility belt, carefully dropping his pants just enough to get a better look at his thigh. Sure enough, there was a large, revolting bruise on the sensitive part of his thigh as he tried to massage it to get the blood circulating, grimacing from the pain. Although he was still fuming at her, he decided to somewhat let it go, recalling that she did save them from becoming fubar, earlier, but he was still puzzled as to why she put herself at risk like that; there's got to be something she's not telling us.

Cole watched him, still slumping in his seat getting bored watching Baird baby the massive bruise on his leg,

"Man…I don't know how the **** you ever expect to "get some" if you keep pissing girls off."

Baird looked up as he gave Cole a menacing scowl before turning back to massaging his thigh.

Raven walked in to what appeared to be a bathing room as she dropped down on one of the hay bales to put her head in between her legs. Taking deep breaths and then exhaling slowly, Raven started to unwind from her little spat with Baird while succumbing to her exhaustion, still wiping tears that was still clinging to the bottom of her chin. The other Feral in the room tend to their business, filling a galvanized water trough with hot water and mixed herbs, preparing it for hand bathing. Raven looked up to ask them a question in the Feral tongue,

"Who is that for?"

One of the other Feral looked up, only to give Raven a grin as she replied,

"This is for your friends…they are dirty."

The others in the room started to snicker while preparing the towels and soap ointments for different aromatherapies that are often used to help relieve tension and encourage healing.

"They're not my friends," Raven growled, making a point to correct them.

One of them replied back,

"Of course they are your friends…do not see us as fools."

The girls giggled amongst themselves at Raven's expense. She quickly remembered why she never liked gossiping with "breeders." Raven was never very good at lying, much less hiding secrets because her demeanor always gave it away. Breeders were manipulative, and they were very good at it. They had to be, in order to please a man's most inner inclinations without seeming intrusive. Raven never did learn how to do it, nor did she attempt to make the effort, to learn. She was too hard-headed and defiant to take on such a roll…but there were other useful talents she excelled whereas the breeders could not.

"But come…" one of the breeders attempted to sway her, "… you are mentally exhausted; you must calm yourself down into the therapy room,"

"I don't need therapy," Raven disputed before the bathing breeder cut her off,

"This was not a suggestion, sister of the valley…this was a command by Tamar."

Raven groaned, knowing that the "matriarch," known only as Tamar, was very insistent of certain things and that it would be terribly unwise to disobey her, especially with Sigma squad at stake. She could only hope that the Gears would keep their "hands," or other parts, to themselves, or this evening will end in one, big tragedy.

Raven slowly got up and grudgingly started her way to the "therapy" room as she could hear them whispering among themselves. She then heard one of them blurt out as she exited the room,

"Do not worry, black bird… we will not frolic with them too much."

They started to laugh as Raven rolled her eyes, dragging her feet almost the entire way to the other room. She could hear some of the other Feral laughing and teasing down the hallway, apparently trying to coerce Cole and Baird to follow them. Of course she expected Cole to be easily persuaded, but Baird on the other hand was more like a obstinate mule.

Cole didn't understand a single thing they were saying, but he eagerly followed them anyway as a little petite, caucasian blonde was gently pulling him by his hand while an oriental one with gray eyes was pressing him from behind.

"Hold on, baby,I'm comin’…" Cole assured them as they were leading him into the bathing room. Raven could tell he was getting giddy as the two girls giggled and teased, gesturing to him to take off his armor and attire.

"…oh you ladies wanna see the Train in the flesh, huh," Cole said with glee.

She could also hear Baird’s ranting, whom was reluctantly following Cole,

"Cole…hey wait, don't leave me alone with these wenches," he complained while a brunette Feral shoved Baird into the bathing room. Still clutching his pants by his utility belt to keep them from falling down, Baird staggered into the bathing room, fidgeting.

"Hey, hey…handsies off the merchandise…will you…****," Baird protested. The commotion was becoming a little more than Raven could tolerate as she casually gets up and walks over to the room, only to find Cole nearly stripped down to his undies and Baird trying to shoo off the array of little hands trying to undress him,

"…hey, that tickles, wait…no, no, don't touch me there, damnit…" Baird panicked, “…Feral, I could use a little help here!"

Raven stood near the doorway with her arms crossed in defiance, somewhat finding amusement with Baird’s conundrum.

"Oh, and what am I supposed to say?" she scoffed.

"Tell them to get their little hooks off of me…and tell them to stop laughin!"

Cole began to mock at Baird's expense,

"Awww…what's the matter Baird…you afraid they're going to laugh at your teeny weenie?"

"Screw you, man!" Baird blurted out before one of the girls finally managed to pull his white undershirt off with some difficulty. It never occurred to them that the guy was not exactly very touchy, feely kind of a person.

Weary of watching Baird in the pitiful predicament, Raven spoke out to the other Feral,

"Let them be…they don't need any more assistance."

The girls stopped what they were doing as they looked at her with a perplexed expression.

"Go on…come back later when they are washed," Raven ordered in the Feral tongue. Cole and Baird directed their gaze to Raven, watching and listening to her speak in a dialect they have otherwise never heard her speak before. Baird especially tuned in as she continued to converse with the others.

After Raven made her instructions clear, the girls collectively moved out of the room to give the men their privacy. Just as they left, Baird let out a sigh of relief from the "fondling" he had to endure.

"Oh thank God…"

"Aww…you ruined it Feral, I was just warmin’ up," Cole complained, bummed that he was going to have to wash himself. Instead, he subtly wrapped a towel around himself before dislodging his underwear.

"Chill out, guys…they're just trying to get you ready for a washing," Raven was aiming to explain.

"Why, do we stink that bad?" Baird rhetorically whined.

"Well, now that you mention it…yea, you stink," Raven replied, adding on the list of insults she intended to stab at Baird as much as she could for the rest of the evening. Giving a scowl in return, Baird started to pull off his fatigues while Cole was testing the water in the tub nearby.

"Sh*t, that's hot…how are supposed to, uh…" Cole tried to be discreet before Raven immediately elaborated for him,

"You take the wash towel there, soak it in the tub and just wipe yourself down with it," she explained.

"Oh, so this isn't really a bath, just a wash down,"

"Yea...you could say that Cole."

Baird continued to disrobe down to his underwear as he moved his tags to the front of his pale bare torso. It was obvious that Baird didn’t expose himself to the sun very much, but judging by a few scars he had on his deltoid, it was apparent that he spent a lot of time under an engine, most likely welding.

Raven moved over to the tub to soak one of the towel and then lightly ring it out. It was damp enough to scrub with, especially with a vinegar-like disinfectant in the mix.

Baird observed Raven prepare the wash towel while he routinely began to scratch himself in places that normally don't see the light of day, and then watched her stir the water with a wooden rod.

"Ok, now what the hell are you doing Feral?" he scoffed, just for the sake of getting a rise out of her to pass the time. Without missing a beat, Raven responded as she held up the rod, enough so Baird could see it.

"Why don't you bend over and I'll show ya."

Cole chuckled,

"Oooo, buuurn, hehe," he teased. Baird only shot a dirty look, continuing to scratch his male bits under his underwear before he entertained the idea of prolonging the playful banter.

“Actually hat sounds kinda kinky," Baird frolicked, "…oh, wait, are you going to give my ass a rub down?"

"What the hell for? Didn't your mother ever teach how wash your own ass?" Raven sneered back. Were you really that spoiled, Raven had to guess.
"Nah, that's a woman's job…to do all the cleaning," Baird smirked, impressed with himself. Raven slowly turned around to peer at him with her burrowed, blue eyes, somewhat riled with his unflattering comment,

"Well, then you definitely could use a rod shoved up your ass…maybe then, you won't be such an asshole all the time!"

Cole suddenly spilled out in laughter, hanging onto the side of the galvanized tub while Baird just stood there, curling his lip.

"Haha…she's getting pretty good at this," Cole continued to jester. Between the fight they had earlier and now, it seemed that Raven was gaining the lead. But Baird wasn’t one to just to back down; if anything he reveled in conflict. With a moment he had to his musing after having quite enough of Raven's flak, he evenly shoots her a grin before he reached the waistband of his underwear with both hands and without a warning, simply slipped it completely off, right in front of Cole and Raven, and then kicked it to the wayside. Not the least bit embarrassed about exposing his junk, Baird casually grinned at the expression on Raven’s face the moment she caught an eyeful of his male bits; hell, she'll eventually see this anyway when the plumber gives her the one eye salute.

Just as Raven gets an unintended eyeful of Baird's indiscretion, miffed, she grabbed the damp towel to throw it at his groin. He catches just short of it slapping him on his genitals, and then smirked in return.

"Don't you want to get a look at the big bruise you put on my leg when you kicked me earlier…" he sneered, propping his leg up on a chair for her to see. Raven huffed as she got up, evidently trying to leave the room to avoid her embarrassment, but Baird couldn’t resist as he continued,

"What… you wanna take another swing at me, well here's your chance," he scoffed, "...I thought you wanted some of this?"

"When pigs fly, Damon," she barked back before making her way to the exit, pulling the curtain down in front of the door.

"Ah, c'mon Feral," Baird mused before he noticed an odd smell coming from the rag. Bringing it to his face to take a whiff, he began to gripe, "…hey, why in the hell does this smell like geraniums?"

Raven yelled back from behind the curtain,

"It's the oil and soap mixed with water…just, shut up and clean yourself with it," she barked back while trying to shun the image Baird threw in her head as she walked down the hall to another room.

"Aw…you mean we don't get any room service?" Cole whimpered.

"Be sure to include behind your crannies and especially your feet, please," Raven reminded them before she entered the next room.

"Yes, mom…" Baird scoffed as he washed himself down with the towel, mumbling,

"…yea, I got your crannie right here," he made an unflattering gesture, using his parts.

"**** Damon, have you no shame?" Cole derided.

"This is me you're talking about, remember…" Baird reminded him.

"Uh, huh…"

Cole managed to soak another towel before he pulled it out of the tub to ring it out. Removing the towel from around his waist, he too started to scrub himself down.

"Well Baird, I gotta hand it to ya…you're pretty hung, for a white guy…or are you just happy to see Feral get mad?" Cole flashed a smirk, observing Baird's generously gorged appendage.

"The f***, Cole, will you quit staring at my dick?" Baird griped, covering his half-massed member with the towel.

"Well sh*t, Baird, you took off your britches right in front of us, what did you expect us to do…besides, you don't have to hide your feeling's in front of me,"

"Don't you be talking to me like that when I'm naked…the hell's the matter with you?"

Cole stood erect from being hunched over, and started to strut his own stuff.

"Now, get a glimpse of a real man, hehe,"

"I'm not going to be looking at your cock…" Baird griped while Cole flashed his family jewels for Baird to see.

"F*** Cole, will you knock that **** off?"

"What…afraid Feral's going to wise up and go for The Train, WHOO"

"I doubt Feral gives a **** about your pecker, Cole…"

"Yea, but I bet she gives a **** about your little willy,"

Baird flashed Cole the middle finger before he resumed washing the rest of himself, ranting at the same time,

"Besides, the only one that's getting any boon out of all this is the damn Rook…now explain that one to me," he complained. Cle couldn’t help but to sulk as well.

"Sh*t, man, you got me on that one…" Cole sulked.

Part 2 continued on the next post...

[Jonesybites]

Part 2 of Chapter 22...

The two continue to wash themselves, rambling on, while in the other room, Raven removed her fatigues, leaving on her velvet undergarment. Another Feral waited for her to sit down on a chair, covered with a wool pelt. Raven carefully sat herself down, feeling the soft wool feather along her bare legs as she reclined back with her feet propped up on a stool. The stitches in her rear were pulling slightly, causing some discomfort but Raven tolerated it regardless, still annoyed about getting it in the first place and further humiliated about having a Baird stitch it up for her.

The other Feral pulled up another stool after placing a bowl next to Raven's feet. Another stood behind her, carefully stroking the back of her neck, releasing the tension in her body as she pressed her thumbs against Raven's trapezoids, activating the acupressure point along the shoulder muscle.

"You are taut, like the head of a drum," said the dark skinned Feral spoke in the Feral tongue as she moved her hands along Raven's shoulders.

"The males stress you out," she pointed out, amusingly, "and yet, you have found favor with Tamar that she would grant you their lives...they must be of great importance to you."

"I don't want to talk about it right now," Raven groaned as the fair-haired Feral at her feet began to rub her calves.

"You are tense all over…you know what this means," the fair one said.

Raven sighed, "Again, I do not want to talk about it…"

"But you are in season. How will you manage, especially around the males?"

The dark Feral moved her hands around her head, massaging her scalp as she moves her fingers into her soft, ebony hair.

"Even your hair stands on its ends…"

Raven abruptly interrupted,

"I am not an animal! My primitive instincts do not preside over my actions…"

The dark Feral chuckled as she could feel the heat coming from Raven's body. She moved her hands back to her shoulders, feeling the knots built up around her scapula and down her thoracic vertebrae.

The dark Feral finished up Raven's upper back while the other pulled on her feet, releasing the tension as she rubbed along the arches along the fasciitis tendon.

Raven was able to finally let out a soothing sigh, closing her eyes and letting the tension flow out from her body, as if the fair Feral was letting it surge out of her, massaging deeply into her feet and heals. Raven was not one to be touched by anyone, even by the breeders in her own clan, but when it came to her feet, she would melt like butter.

The fair colored Feral continued to rub deeply along the phalanges in her feet, noticing that reflexology was the key to unwind the anal retentive Raven.

"Oh…and did you hear?" the dark Feral mentioned, exchanging a nod with the other Feral. Raven looked up at her, perplexed.

"About what?"

"The younger Gear, who took down the Locust is released. The "avatar" said, that he was productive."

"I bet," Raven groaned, wondering how the other two were going to feel about all of this, considering she didn't know how these Feral were going to react towards her alliance with the Gears. This clan was not as cordial as hers. Among the Feral in general, they were known as the Harpies, the clan of the mountains, and they do not play well with others.

She turned her head to the commotion coming from the "bathing" room, listening to Gears open the curtain and exit the room, wearing their lower fatigues and undershirts, apparently finished with their bathing.

The two were still chatting as they turned towards the room to see Raven being "treated."

"Damn…now that's what I need," Cole pestered as he peeped form around the doorframe. Raven could only turn away and sigh, realizing that this was going to have to end rather sooner than later. The fair Feral finished up before she packed up the supplies to move out of the room, turning her head to glance at Raven, flashing a grin before walking away. The dark Feral does the same as she too, smiled, and then turned her smile at the Gears, exiting the room.

The two Gears watched in them leave, their expression perplexed before directing their attention back to Raven,

"Ok, so what was that all about?" Baird demanded.

"Sigh, which part?" Raven asked bluntly.

"What were they smiling about…and don’t say it’s nothing because girls just don’t smile at a guy without having something else in mind!"

"I don't know Damon, this is not my clan."

“They’re gonna cut our balls off in our sleep, aren’t they,” Baird jumped to conclusions, not that it was a bad one.

“If they had any intention of bringing you harm, Baird, they would have done it already. So you can quit worrying,” Raven groaned.

The two enter the room to place their armor against the cobblestone wall. Raven remained seated in her chai, rubbing her forehead in exhaustion.

"And apparently Sven is doing well," she decided to inform them, not that it would bring any more cheer to ever-so-happy trio.

"Yea, I bet…lucky bastard," Cole mumbled before plopping down in a chair near the entrance.

"No kidding…how'd the hell we get the short end of the stick?" Baird complained alongside with Cole.

"You know, I would have never thought you were the type to contribute to the human population Baird," Raven conveniently mocked him.

"Yea, well, it doesn't mean I don't like playing hide and seek in the garden, either" Baird openly admitted.

"Well I guess I know what you're priorities are…wanting all the service without paying the tab; just find something to put your knob in and then you could call it a day, huh?"

"You got that right."

Raven finally got weary of Baird's banter and decided to call it a night,

"Ugh, well, I'm going to go check on Vinny and then hit the hay, so try to behave yourselves…or better yet, don't even leave this room. If you need to go piss or masturbate, there is a closet right over there with a bucket in it…now goodnight!"

Cole quickly jumped up at the opportunity,

"Ooo, I get the bathroom first," Cole blurted out as he darted towards the closet, and slammed the door shut behind him.

With her eyes already growing dim, Raven got up to leave the room, rubbing the back of her neck while still in her velvet, ceremonial garment.

"But mom, I want a drink of water," Baird nagged before she even stepped out the door. He stood near the door frame, leaning against the wall, giving her a sarcastic grin. Halting in her tracks, she reluctantly turned around to walk over to a water trough nearby, grabbed a metal cup and then scooped up the water from the trough. She turned around and held it out for Baird, glaring at him with tired eyes.

"Go on, take it…" she grumbled, and Baird gently took it from her hand, "…now goodnight."

She tried to leave the room when yet again, Baird was going to find another excuse he could muster to drive her further up the wall,

"But mom, you didn't kiss my bobo to make it better," he derided, "…as I recall, you still owe me one."

Raven stopped in her tracks, her arms drooped to her side with her back still facing him, grumbling to herself. Down the hall, she could see some of the Feral ogling, as Raven sighed, contemplating what she could do to remedy the situation, and quick. She turned around with a tired expression on her face and her hands on her hips, glaring at him at the condescending smirk on his face, whom was obviously impressed with himself for finally getting under her skin.

"Seriously, be quiet…and I'm not your mother," she scoffed.

"Oh come on, if there ever was a pitiful copout, that would be it," Baird began to rant all over again. Raven was quickly becoming exasperated; what does it take to get this guy to just shut the hell up? Apparently hitting him doesn't work!

A last ditch effort to remedy the situation he had unknowingly put them in, hit her mind almost instantly as she moved closer to him while he was still ranting,

"…and besides, what are…"

Before he could even finish his sentence, she quickly placed her hands on his shoulders.

“Wait, what the hell are you…”

…and immediately she wrapped her hands on the back of his neck before sliding her fingers into his thick blonde strands and pulled him down to her level,
pressing her lips to his.

Standing right in front of the doorway, the on-looking Feral watched in awe. Baird, on the other hand just stood there, stunned. He had expected her to try and hit him again, so he braced himself for another fight, but was completely not expecting her come up and mesh her lips to his. The sudden contact made him slightly twitch before he realized that what was going on, but it wasn't exactly a near catastrophe either. Feeling her warm, soft lips mesh with his, slightly coaxing him to gape his mouth with hers, she gently tugged on his lower lip with her teeth.

He never really didn't intended to go this far while messing with her head, nor did it occur to him that she would take the initiative. Yet at the same time, he didn’t fight against it either, which immediately suggested to him that perhaps he wasn’t all that dissatisfied with her either. Aw, what the hell, I could use a little mingle, so he closed his eyes and opened up his mouth, letting her in as he moved with her. Raising his hands to the back of her neck, he pulled her in, gently stroking the side of her soft jawline while moving with the motion of her caress, feeling her exhale on his balmy skin. Although he wasn't quite sure where she was going with it, he decided to stop analyzing it and started to enjoy the ride as far as it would take him, delighting in the bliss coming from the grasp she cornered him into.

It had been awhile since the last time he kissed a woman, he nearly forgot how enticing it could be, but just as betraying, recalling that the last time that it ended on sour terms. Since then, he didn’t allow himself to fall into that same trap again; so how was this any different? Was it just experimenting, or does she mean it? Nevertheless, he figured to just go with it, letting out an approving moan while savoring the moment that lodged him in place by a primitive, subliminal tick that was hesitant to let go.

She was stroking him in all the right places, gently moving her fingers across the side of his stubbly face, feeling the fervor in her touch while pondering at the same time, sh*t, if she's willing to kiss me after a fight, I can only imagine what the make-up sex would be like. He wasn’t quite sure if it would ever lead to some gratuitous past-time, but one could supposedly hope; I could use a good f***.

Feeling the drive pulsing further in his brain, the sensations that have long been idle began to wake and float to the surface, but before he could jump into the deep end of the pool, she suddenly stopped her caressing and gradually dislodged, liberating the hold she had on his mouth while gliding on his lower lip with hers, and then gently released him. As everything came to a winding halt, he suddenly dropped his hand from the back of her neck to brace himself against the door frame, taking a deep breath after the sudden shock of just stopping before it progressed further. She steadily moved away to re-establish that same, uncompromising space that had been lingering between them since land-down.

"Now, we're even…so good…night!" she re-instated.

Baird just stood there, completely speechless, just as she hoped he would; finally!

At the moment, he had nothing witty to say or anything that he could instigate after their brief, little rendezvous. As she turned around to make her way to the door, she stopped suddenly as a thought came to mind, something she would have never thought to say to him before, but to further the dissidence, she looked over her shoulder and casually mentioned,

"Oh, and by the way…thanks for the practice."

Baird stood there, too stunned to come back at her with anything. Her statement caught him off guard which allowed her to get a lead in the "head game." Score one for the virgin…sh*t! But before Baird could really respond, if he had anything to respond with, the door to the closet was opened and Cole stepped out to find something he could use to wash his hands. By this time, Raven had already escaped out of the room, leaving Baird to his own vices.

"The room's all yours," Cole mentioned to Baird, whom was still naturalized in the moment. Damon shook his head before directing his gaze to Cole.

"Damn, baby, you alright?" Cole asked.

"Yea, I'm…just…tired."

"Well, the bathroom is all yours if you need to…well ya know, beat the stump."

Baird groaned,

"...whatever," he mumbled before dragging himself over to the makeshift bathroom, loosening his belt as he closed the door behind him, still groaning.

Damn you Feral.

Chapter 23: Back On Route

Give me some feedback on this one...

[Jonesybites]

Still feeling the, tight, awkward noose from a long, dreary day, Sigma tries to shake it off for the sake of the mission at hand.

Chapter 23: Back On Route


The sun peaked over the mountains early that morning as the freezing temperatures lingered for hours, until the sun made it to the sky, warming the land underneath it. Finally.

This was the first day in days that Sigma squad could feel some warmth out in the wilderness as they moved on around the mountain. They couldn't leave the monastery soon enough as the four progressed to the mission at hand, trying to put the later evening far behind them as their memory will allow; or at least three of them were trying to move on.

Sven, on the other hand, was in good spirits, can't imagine why, which, for the most part, annoyed everyone else. Raven, otherwise was deeply relieved that they were able to walk away without too many repercussions while Baird was crabby as usual and Cole kept to himself most of the morning, pouting that he didn't "get any."

Normally, Baird had a list of the usual things he ranted about every morning, but this morning, it was all Sven. The rookie went on and on about his "experience," so much that Baird put his scarf around his ears just to shut Sven out while Cole just listened, and pouted some more. Raven, on the other hand, just stayed quiet while pretending to care. The three were too mentally exhausted to bother listening to Sven but just as equally exhausted to shut him up, so they presumed to tune him out as they continued to drag their feet through the snow. Considering all that they had been doing for the past three days, they still couldn't really get used to walking out in the wilderness for this long. You'll be back by nightfall, my ass, Baird mumbled to himself.

During the early trek, Raven noticed that Baird would periodically pull out his journal to write down some notes or go back to review his previous ones, mumbling to himself as he reflected on his thoughts. She couldn't help but to question what he had been focusing on ever since their encounter with the Locusts at Hurl Dam. She didn't think much of it at first until she noticed that he wasn't rummaging the Locust paraphernalia for just ammunitions. This led her to speculate that maybe he had some knowledge on the Locust war machine, or something else of importance.

Cole was ahead of the pack today, while Sven and Baird stayed close behind, with Raven hanging at the end for a change. She had a lot on her mind, going through the motions in her head while trying to piece together the events the Harpies were telling her. Why would the Stranded take prisoners? What intel were they trying to get out of them? Is there something that these guys are not telling me? Is Baird even contemplating the same thing?

She could probably ask him but she had quickly learned that the early morning was not the best time to talk to Baird about anything, even if it had to do with the mission. So her questions were put on hold, since it wasn’t like they were getting anywhere, anytime soon, except to their next destination for the evening before they could finally come over to the plateau above the Stranded settlement; or least that was the plan for now, if no other calamity came their way.

The only good thing that seemed to have come from their time spent with the Harpies was that they were given several bags of rations, a trail mix full of protein rich nuts, dried berries, wheat flakes and some spicy jerky. That would be more than enough to accommodate their supper for the evening.

All the while, Sven continued to yak about his late night rendezvous with a fresh, young breeder and an experienced "avatar" to help guide the inexperienced breeder through the motions, and then some. Although Sven was completely clueless that the two women were manipulating him for procreation, Baird had a more generalized idea as to what they were doing to him as he occasionally listened to Sven bugging Raven with question after question.

"I can't believe they could do that with their feet…holy cow, I didn't think that was possible!"

"Yes, Vin…it's an old practice passed down from generation to generation," Raven replied, grudgingly.

"Yea, but…wait…how do they…uh, learn to do …this stuff? I mean, like that one hot chick…"

Oh God, there's that word again, Raven groaned.

"…who just…uh, she didn't really have sex with me , but,"

"She's what you may call an avatar, trained to provide guidance and stimulation for those whom are inexperienced," Raven explained.

"You mean, like a coach?"

"Somewhat…but she uses her own body to provide visual means of arousal and sometimes uses other vices to accomplish the same."

"Wow, you guys really have this down to an art form," Sven beamed in amazement, while the other two just kept quiet.

Cole continued to sulk while Baird just kept to himself, making mental notes in his head for his journal later, trying to get past the fact that the topic of sex has seemed to poke its naughty little head in almost every concept of dialogue during the entire mission. Oh, thank God Marcus isn't here to watch me put up this. Baird put his mental notes aside as he continued to reevaluate his inquiries, trying to interpret the Locust language while Sven rambled on.

"It was kinda scary at first…I mean, I had no idea that "avatar," was going to shove her finger up my ass, while…"

Cole's expression suddenly drooped into a façade of shock, turning around towards Sven,

"Ah, what the hell...did I just hear that right?" Cole busted out in uncertainty, "...what kind of sick, twisted sh*t you guys got going on over there?"

"Cole," Raven tried to explain as Baird dropped his attention from his notes to the three while Cole continued to rant,

"Feral, you didn't say nothin’ about them wenches shoving something up someone's ass!"

Raven sighed, "I didn't think it was going to be an issue…in fact why would it be an issue?"

"Man, I know I've done some kinky sh*t, but that…that's just wrong!"

"Why are you lecturing me about this?" Raven griped, "…I'm not the one who did it!"

"...but that's what they teach you, Feral, idn't it…and I thought it was all touchin, and stroking, maybe a little polish on the knob, but shoving sh*t up the cornhole…man, that's just downright nasty!"

"Oh, and all this time, I thought the Cole Train can handle anything, especially when it concerns the ladies…did I get that right, or was that just someone blowing smoke up my ass?"

Baird busted out laughing, nearly stumbling over his own feet while Cole just turned around to give Damon a dirty look. Sven joined in on the jubilation, trying to brace himself while keeping his distance from Cole.

"Oh, hahaha…that's some funny sh*t right there," Cole sneered sarcastically at Sven and Baird, "…I don't even know what the f*** you're laughing at, Damon! As I recall, you wouldn’t have mind getting’ some Feral ass too!"

Baird tried to compose himself before he even attempted to respond while Cole just stood there with his arms crossed, waiting for Baird to come to grips with himself.

"Sorry, Gus," said Baird in between chuckles, "but she's gotta point…like they say, don't knock it til' you try it."

"Yea, well you go ahead and knock yourself out, Damon, if that's how you wanna get your jollies," Cole sneered as he turned around and started to hike again.

Sven manages to pick himself up while Raven glanced between Baird and Cole, and then shrugged before she too continued on. Baird picked up the pace as he moved up next to Raven.

"So let me get this straight," Baird started off, "…you have a handful of "breeders" whom primarily guide, I guess, the "virgins," or newbies, to do what, exactly?"

Raven sighed heavily, "They help the newbies by interacting with them,"

"By…wait…what do you mean, interact?" Baird asked in puzzlement while at the same time, he wondered if he should even venture this topic further. But it was too late as Sven jumped in on the bandwagon, bluntly spilling out the details,

"Ah, man, they were smooching…and don't mean just a peck on the cheek, they were going at it!"

Cole turned around as his interest peaked at the news of girls "making out."

"Say what?"

Raven cringed as she realized she had all three taking a peek through the forbidden keyhole, something she could never understand about men and their fascination with women "making out."

"I'm not kidding," Sven continued, "…I mean, hell I bet Feral can back me up on this one."

The three turn their attention to Raven. Ugh, Vin…you had to drag me into this.

"Well, c'mon Feral…spill the beans," Cole tired to sway her, much to her hesitation.

"What does any of this have to do with our mission at hand?" she griped.

"It's intel," Baird jumped in, "…any information we can gather about the Feral will help the COG improve our relations with you guys and the other clans."
Cole and Sven busted out laughing while Raven's brow drooped over her eyes. Baird stopped himself, coming to realize that what he just said was taken directly out of context.

"That's not what I meant, you f***ing pervs," Baird barked over the boisterous laughter.

The two Gears eventually stopped to catch their breath in the thin cold air. Raven sighed as she continued ahead of them, ignoring the comical relief at Baird's expense. Normally, she would probably enjoy the occasion of Baird’s ridicule just to bring him back down off his pedestal, but Raven was not in the least bit of mood to entertain them in any way. She was still a little shaken from their meeting with the Harpies. Something didn't settle too well with her concerning their pact. She never told the Gears that in exchange for their lives, she had to give them information concerning the COG's plans, moving Jacinto's remnant to the island of Vectus.

She stopped along a slanted cliff, not too far from where she left the Gears, looking out across the mountain range while scanning for smoke or other signs to indicate the whereabouts of Locusts. Although the Locusts were now few in between than they were before, they were still a threat. Even though the Harpies desecrated the remaining Locusts from the outpost they were investigating, many may have still taken refuge into the mines that run deep in the mountains. Raven feared they may be gathering, but they were probably not in the condition to strike any human settlement until the next season. But by then, hopefully, that which is left of Jacinto's remnant will be relocated to Vectus before they overrun Farrall. But how the Harpies heard the news of this before Raven confirmed it to them, troubled her the most.

Why do they care what happens to the COG? Perhaps they too are losing their lands…to the Locust maybe, or is it something else?

It was a sobering thought, knowing that one day she will lose her home, regardless if it was because of the Stranded, or the Locusts, or even the COG; one way or another, she will not be able to stay. And then where will I go? With only a handful of what is left of her clan, they may decide to stay with the COG, and do what? To become a part of their society, to maybe be forced into a "breeding camp," for the sake of repopulating the human race, or will they venture back into the wilderness, if there is a wilderness to return to? So many things remain uncertain, but she couldn’t help to wonder, for the first time in her life since she was taught not to trust the COG, about how do the Gears feel about all this? What do they desire out of all of this that compels them to fight against overwhelming odds, knowing that they may not live to see their dreams come to fruition? She began to think of Cole, contemplating over the memories of his mother when things were "normal," Sven daydreaming about his memories in school, or even Baird. What does he miss the most?

As her thoughts raced through her head, she could hear them from a distance, some laughing, some scolding, followed by inevitable array of laughter, a typical moment that had become the norm for Sigma squad, almost similar to that of a family, if one dared to call it that. So what's it to me if they are more than just soldiers that are expendable?

Never in a million years would she ever dwell on such things, realizing what if everything she was cultured to do by the Feral was wrong. Where would her alliances be now, if she cannot trust one over the other?

The calm in the air took a turn as reality speared into her conscience, thrusting it's javelin into her subliminal instincts that she long learned to trust over everything else in this world. She looked out into the wilderness ahead, tuning out the commotion nearby and listening to the forests crying out to her. She had heard these voices before when she discovered what happened to Theta Four a few weeks back, when she could hear the screams echoing in the wilderness, and the same voices she heard when they discovered what was left of Gamma Four. Raven was too terrified to accept it, but she knew what it was and she could no longer play ignorant anymore. They had been betrayed.

Entrenched in her thoughts, she barely noticed Baird as he casually walked up to join her, looking out into the wilderness, trying to get a glimpse of what Raven may be contemplating, while the other two were still behind, shooting the bull. He could tell she was in deep thought since he’s had seen it in her expression before, so he finally severed her concentration in hopes that maybe she would be willing to share something she would otherwise had not made an attempt to mention,

"Ok, I know something is wrong…so what is it?" he asked in a tired, low voice. Raven was slightly caught off guard by his calm demeanor, which was unusual for him early in the morning. Nevertheless, she decided to tell him the bad news,

"We're…going to have to take a different route."

She waited for him to rant or holler, suggesting the idea was another bull**** strategic maneuver, but he didn't. Baird didn't scowl or bark, nor did he give her a look of disapproval. By now, if Raven felt that they were going in a direction that could be perilous, she would detour elsewhere. He stopped doubting it, and made no effort to argue about it. Instead, he fixated his gaze towards the mountains, looking further into what was left of Sera. Despite all the military outposts, the scattered Locusts, and the crappy weather, this place wasn't too bad. Beautiful view, plenty of space to wander around, find a place to settle with his own workshop garage, building whatever the hell he wanted to, without interference or parameter; hell, maybe Raven had the right idea, finding solitude out here.

Baird sighed, placing his hands on his hips as he peered down, but Raven was at loss as to what he was contemplating. This was something she had never seen in him before and it became surreal. For the first time since she had been out here with him, she did not know what to expect. And then he said it, as if he knew all along what she was trying to avoid,

"We're being followed aren’t we, right?" he asked, with no emotion in the tone of his voice. He then turned his glance to her and waited for a response, knowing that she was a piss poor liar. She turned her gaze from him and looked to the ground,

"Yes…but I fear that may not be the worst of it…and I can't tell you what it is right now or else it may compromise the mission. I can only hope that you'll understand," she said.

"I can understand…" said Baird, "…I just don't have to like it."

If there was anything that Raven appreciated with Baird, it was his honesty. Although it was blunt and sometimes crude, it was honest. He didn't mince words for anyone's sake. She could see why people didn't like him; maybe it's because nobody wants to hear the truth… ignorance is too blissful.

"So, which way do we go?" he finally asked the question, without rebuke or sarcasm.

Raven gestured to him without visually pointing in the direction she intended to lead them.

"All I will say is that it will be someplace we can stay until early morning…I can tell you the rest later, when it's safer," she said. Baird groaned, knowing this was going to delay them even further, but what other choice did they have?

He yelled out to Cole and Sven, who were still chatting amongst themselves,

"Hey, sh*theads…get up here, we're moving!"

"Say what?" Cole yelled out, trudging up to their position with Sven not too far behind.

"Change in plans guys…we're going a different way," Baird announced as he could already feel the groaning from his other squad mates.

"Holy crap, we have to hike the long way again, sh*t," Sven griped.

"Damn Baird, what the f*** are we doing?" Cole joined in, getting somewhat irritated with the lack of intel concerning their predicament.

Baird turned around as he blurted out in a foul tone,

"For starters, you two can shut the f*** up and stay quiet for the rest of the f***ing trip, until we reach the place Feral intends to take us to spend the night…and I'm being f***ing serious, not a word!"

The vicinity was quiet as Baird gathered himself up and stormed down the path while the other three just stood there in shock. Even Raven was stunned by Baird's sudden spat, not seeing exactly what it was that set him off. She finally looked at the other two, who were still in a daze,

"C'mon guys…the place we're going will be worth it, I promise…" she attempted to assure them as they started to follow her while keeping a generous distance between them and Baird. Raven continued to elaborate quietly out of Baird's audible range,

"…but we need to stay quiet for now. We may have someone, or something, following us."

Sven and Cole nodded, walking along Raven's side as she started to ponder to herself. She didn't know exactly what Baird had in mind, but she kept her distance along with Cole and Sven as they trekked into forest primeval, concealing themselves from the hostile world around them.

Intermission IV

The sun shines out of my hands,
can burn, can blind you,
When she breaks out of my fists,
ice lay down on your face,
lays painfull on your chest,
the balance come to loss,
let’s you go down hard,
and the world counts loud to ten.

Here comes the sun...(English translation)

~Rammstein~



Tamar looked out into the grand horizon, admiring the white snow, spread out on the forest foliage and nesting in between the mountains. It was only four in the afternoon and the sun was already starting to fade behind the mountains, with its colors bleeding into the snow on the landscape while the water in the air turned to frost, swelling the molecules as they clung to the icy terrain.

As the matriarch of the Feral clan, she had known many days when things were much simpler, when the resources were plentiful. Much has changed since the Lightmass Offensive, which has since shortened their territory in half. The clans struggled to occupy areas that were not intruding upon others, but the endeavor for control became inevitable, Tamar found a way to successfully keep her lands and supremacy.

Few knew of her schemes, while others were naïve, and before they realized their impending doom, it was too late. She knew it would work and she justified it as a means for the survival of the fittest. That is how the Harpies will survive, with their clan being one of the first to wander in defiance. Amassing in numbers, they have destroyed Stranded settlements to gain their women, and retrain their daughters into fierce warriors, and proficient breeders.

Though the Coalition was powerful, they have become arrogant, and Tamar knew it. The Union of Independent Republics became too overconfident, misplacing their power when they lost their key weapon of mass destruction. The COG is no different, but whether they will lose to the Lambent or to the rebels is yet to be seen.

Tamar peered out as she could see a stray Feral coming into their camp. The stray entered without escort, as if she had been there before, even though she was from a clan that was decimated earlier that year. Carrying a Gnasher in her right hand with a Gear issued Snub pistol in her holster, she proceeded to meet up with Tamar, whom had been waiting to hear the news this stray may have to offer.

As the stray Feral made her way before Tamar, she looked around, noticing the praetorians gathering between the two as the stray carefully held up a handful of COG tags in her other hand for Tamar to see.

"You have done well, sister of the valley…and the others who are blinded along with their Gear comrades?" Tamar asked in the Feral dialect. The stray Feral looked upon Tamar as she could feel the piercing eyes of the Harpies upon her.

"Three daughters of Anetha have managed to return to Farrall with what is left of the remaining squads…I do not know what has happened to your Pandora," she carefully responded to Tamar, nervously, "and the Stranded militia continue to search for the squad they call "Sigma."

"We know of Sigma's whereabouts…and they will continue to seek out the Stranded settlement, hence, returning to Fort Block…the COG will unleash their offensive against the militia, hitting two birds with one stone. They will do the dirty work for us and then leave to Vectus...and then, we will pass without notice, taking the women and children left behind."

Tamar gazed ahead of her clan, admiring all that she has amassed in the past twenty-seven years, watching, waiting, and plundering, when no one was looking. She learned from the best of what the COG had to offer.

"Myrrah will soon return from the ashes of the world…and when she does, we will be ready. And then, perhaps my Pandora will return to me to seek the truth. Until then, continue to watch them."

Chapter 24: The Fellbeasts of Nexus

[Jonesybites]

With the holidays coming up, my postings are going to slow down a bit since I am involved in alot of events that I have to somewhat coordinate, yayz!. For those who celebrate Thanksgiving, enjoy your holiday...stuff yourselves until you explode!

Well, I've been getting the hits but little feedback, but then again the other authors have been getting little feedback as well, so I won't complain too much. BUT...if your new to the series, please leave feedback whenever possible so that I may improve the work.

Chapter 24: The “Fellbeasts” of Nexus

"Vinny…we need to go…hurry up Vin…"

…Sven could hear the voice of his sister Guinevere, insisting him to hurry up so they could get to the park before all the neighborhood kids beat them to the tire swing.

"Coming Gwen," Sven yelled out as he raced down the stairs, trying to put on his jacket at the same time. As Gwen opened the door, the two raced out towards the sidewalk.

Sven was seven years old at the time, while his sister was nine. They spent most of their off-school days at the downtown park, filled with swings, monkey bars, and an enormous playground that consisted of wooden poles and old, weathered, tread tires.

But the one place the two would spend countless hours playing back and forth was the tire swing at the end of the playground. Sven would often get on while Gwen would pull the tire back and then push as she jumped in, letting the tire swing them, spinning around from the three chains tied to the wood post above, until they got dizzy.

Gwen always tried to spin the tire so fast until Sven threw up, and then she would laugh at him. After Sven vomited, they would climb up into the playground to slither down the whirl slide that dropped twelve feet from the very top of the structure, and then would climb back up that same slide afterwards.

Of all the training that the COG put him through, nothing was as tedious as the downtown playground. Sven could remember the days he would be chased all over the playground, climbing up the fireman's pole and then jumping from a ten foot ledge and rolling on the sand, getting it all in his shoes, his hair, and his mouth. Gwen would swing him by his arms and then let him go, watching Sven fly until he hit the ground. He had so many scrapes, tears, and holes in his jeans, his mother ceased to ask how in the world he ruined his brand new pants.

The memories of those days ran through his head like a compilation of clips that would rerun constantly. The very same rush that he would get on the brink of puking as the world spun from the tire swing, would pulse through his body. He could feel the deja vu all over again, the running the chasing, and the climbing as if his life depended on it. Never in a million years would he have ever thought that he would have to run for his very survival.

But there he was, running as fast as his legs could take him, darting through the trees as he could hear in the distance the snarling and growling of the beasts that ran behind them, following the nearest scent that their nostrils could gather. He knew his rifle was useless at this point as he reached for his Gnasher just in case, but whether that would help him or not he had no idea. Man, the Corporal was right all along, this so sucks balls!

The others were already ahead of him, motioning him to hurry up as they took refuge into the thicket, trying to climb up onto a mass of boulders.

"C'mon Vinny, move your skinny ass…unless you wanna to be dog food!" Cole yelled out as Sven picked up the pace, trying not to run into the snow-covered trees in the process. Raven was already perched up on the boulder, extending her hand to Baird as he took a hold of it, pulling himself up with the other that was clutching the ledge. Cole was close behind as Baird quickly turned around to help Cole up, who also grabbed the ledge to pull himself promptly onto the top while Sven had just now started to crawl up.

"Aw, sh*t, I can hear them," Sven panicked, diligently trying to pull himself up on the tall boulder.

"F***…Cole, hold my legs willya," Baird yelled out as he quickly knelt down.

"You got it," said Cole before grabbed onto Baird’s legs, and then gently lowered him towards Sven.

"C'mon Vinny, grab my hands," Baird shouted. Sven reached up to catch one of Baird's hands, all the while the snarling from behind was getting closer and more boisterous.

"Aw, crap, pull me up man," Sven panicked. Baird went ahead and grabbed Sven by the collar with his other hand, trying to yank him up.

"Sh*t...hold still Vin," said Baird as he turned around and shouted, "...c'mon Cole, pull us up!"

Cole started to pull them up as Baird hung onto Sven. Suddenly, the beast that was following their trail thrusts itself into the brush, pushing through the thicket as it snarled and gnashed with its massive jaws filled with jagged teeth.

"Damnit, hurry Cole," Baird yelled.

"I almost got it, hang on," Cole shouted back as the two suddenly felt a jerk before they were yanked over the ledge. Sven pushed the remainder of his body over the ridge, feeling the tremors coming from the beast ramming into the boulder.

"Ok Vinny, will you please shoot that son of a b****," Baird shouted, Vinny stood above the ledge and started to shoot rounds into the stray Bloodmount below. The beast became more irritated after Sven shot three rounds into it.

"Damnit, why can't these things just DIE," Sven yelled out in irritation. Suddenly, Cole joined him with his Gnasher to put a few more rounds into it until it started to gurgle, twisting and turning from the impact before slumping to the side of the boulder as it's blood was smeared along the wall. It laid still as the Gears could hear it exhale its last breath. Baird walked over to join them, looking down at the fallen beast without its rider, whom Sven took out earlier before the Bloodmount started to go berserk.

"F***, that was way too close," Baird commented as Raven quickly joined them from scouting the area ahead of them.

"I'm assuming there's bound to be more," she analyzed.

"Yea, they usually come in packs of five...and they're going to catch up with us real quick," Cole mentioned, looking up at Raven while Baird continued,

"...and they don't die easily. We need to stay up on the boulders and trees to avoid the mounts claws. Fortunately they can’t climb worth a damn, but they still have a pretty good, six-foot reach!"

"But what about the riders?" Cole asked.

"Vinny may be able to take some of them out while you and I can focus on the Bloodmounts with our Lancers."

"Ok, that sounds feasible...so what should I do?" Raven asked, making sure she wasn't being put off to the side.

"Can you get up into the trees across from here?" Baird asked.

"Yea, no problem," she said.

"Then get up over there so you can draw their attention with your Gorgon pistol…just try to keep yourself for the most part high up and covered. The riders normally use Hammerbursts."

"Got it…going up," Raven replied as she stepped back a few paces and then ran to jump onto a nearby tree branch that was sturdy enough to accommodate her weight. She hung onto the tree using the flexible needles that hung from the nearby branches to climb a little further up the trunk towards the next tree branch to peer through the trees to look out. Sure enough, five more Bloodmounts and their riders were making their way into the forest.

"Here they come," she yelled out. Sven moved up to a higher position, placing his rifle along the ledge before peering into his scope. Cole and Baird took refuge along the ledge as they reloaded their Lancers.

"Get ready guys…Vinny gets the first shot," Baird reminded them as they braced themselves for the oncoming assault.

Sven finally got a view of the beasts as they torqued and moved around the trees, making it difficult for him to get a clean shot.

"****, those things move around too much," he complained.

"Breathe out and shoot Vinny. I know you can do it…I hope you can do it," Baird yelled out to him, trying to keep faith in Sven's sniper skills. It may be a little too much to ask, since there hasn't been a sniper who had ever had a lot of success shooting the rider off of a Bloodmount.

Sven held up his rifle to brace it into his shoulder, let out a slow exhale, and then fired a round, knocking one rider clean off his saddle.

"WHOO, good shot, kid," Cole yelled out while Raven is the next to take the stage as she fired off her Gorgon pistol to draw riders’ attention away from the Gears. The riders fired their Hammerburst assault rifles in Raven's direction as she quickly took cover behind the tree trunk. The bullets ricochet off of the tree, ripping off the bark as wood chips scatter in multiple directions.

Sven loaded up another round into his rifle before he raised it up to fire a shot, taking the head off of another rider. The headless corpse was still strapped into the saddle as the Bloodmount wandered the area aimlessly, compromising the accuracy of the others riders whom were trying to avoid running into the free-roaming Bloodmount.

"Ok, Cole, let em have it," Baird yelled out.

"You got it, baby!"

The two started to fire their Lancers at the other Bloodmounts as their riders turned around in confusion, but before they could fire their weapons, Cole and Baird had already over-leaded their Bloodmount as the dying beasts flipped them out of their saddles.

Thrown across the thicket into the trees nearby, a Locust rider tried to get up to continue the assault as he looked up only to find Raven holding her Boltok directly aimed at his head and fires a shot. The Boltok impaled his helmet and into his skull as he fell backwards, rolling down into a ditch nearby.
The other rider was able to stand up and fire his Hammerburst at Cole and Baird, until another shot rang out into the woods, knocking the rider backwards as he let out a growling cry before crashing into the snow covered ground, lying lifeless.

"That's two, b****es,” Sven yelled out after shooting the other rider as he flipped the shell out and slid another round in.

Cole and Baird moved back up over the ledge as they fire at the other loose Bloodmount, loading it with almost two cartridges of ammunition before they finally take the beast out.

"Eat **** and die," Baird sneered after finally killing the beast.

The other two were still wandering without direction, snarling and huffing in the dense, cold air. Raven started to fire her Boltok pistol at one, trying to aim carefully as it moved constantly.

"Sh*t…I can't get it down," she yelled before she finally got a shot in, but it only provoked it as it started to ram into the tree, shaking it.

"Ugh, damnit," Raven hollered, trying to hang onto the branches while the beast slammed into it, shaking it violently. Losing her footing, she hung onto the branch for dear life, catching herself along the thick bark of the trunk with her boot.

"Ah, Baird…it's going after Feral, man," Cole blurted. Baird didn’t waste any time to move around to get a better look.

"Aw, sh*t…hang on Rav! Cole, fire at that *****!" Baird yelled as he raised his Lancer, pummeling the beast with rounds while Cole did the same, nearly emptying their cartridges into the beast until the Bloodmount started to falter. It thrashed and twisted its body before it slumped onto the wayside, gurgling and choking on its own blood until it laid limp.

Raven was able to pull herself back into place by using her legs to push herself onto another branch, when the other Bloodmount went over to the boulder ridge, trying to climb it to get to the Gears above.

"Guys…it's near the ledge!" Raven yelled. Sven pulled out his Gnasher and started to fire some rounds in it. The Bloodmount, growled in fury, picking itself up the edge with its back claws.

"Sh*t…it's coming up," Sven yelled as he quickly backed up. Baird and Cole reloaded their Lancers and started to fire at the thing pitilessly as it hung just over the ledge. They were trying to take it out before it got any closer over the ledge until the beast started to waiver under the gunfire, and then slid off, falling into the ground where it laid motionless.

"Yea, take that mutha****a," Cole yelled from above.

He looked over to see the last Bloodmount and its rider, loitering near the thicket entrance as the rider tried to turn the menacing beast around.

"Oh, oh hell no…don't think you're going to get away," Cole blurted out as the other three caught a glimpse of the last rider making a retreat. Sven moved up further near the ledge as he rose up his Longshot to fire a round, consequently shooting the rider in the back, knocking him off of his mount.

"Hurry, we got to take out that Bloodmount before he gets away," Baird yelled before jumping off of the boulder and rolling onto the ground. The others followed as Cole and Sven did the same, while Raven climbed down from the tree to follow behind the Gears. The three men ran quickly towards the edge of the thicket until they entered into the dense forest, listening to the beast wander around without purpose. With its battle helmet still on, the Bloodmount’s visibility was limited in the frosty climate.

"There it is," Sven pointed it out, peering through his scope, "…holy sh*t, it's coming back!"

The beast made a detour the moment it caught a glimpse of their scent, cocking its head to the side before it turned around to charge in their direction.

"F***, shoot it with everything you got, now!" Baird ordered as Sven was the first to fire a rifle round into it. As the bullet ricocheted off of its helmet, the beast came to a halt, trying to remove the helmet with its back hook.

"Shoot it now," Baird yelled again, trying to take advantage of the beasts’ delay before it got any closer as both Cole and Baird loaded it with Lancer rounds, but it only aggravated the beast as it removed its helmet off completely and began to charge at them.

"Sh*t," Vinny yelled, firing another round into its shoulder, but it didn't slow it down the least bit. Raven managed to unload eight shots with her Boltok into it, but that didn't slow the angry monster either.

"Aw, **** this!" Cole growled as he put up his Lancer to take out his shotgun. As the beast ran right up to him, Cole took his weapon to slam it across the Bloodmount’s big head, nearly knocking it sideways before he pulls it back to fire a fatal round into its exposed skull, taking it out for good.

"...AND STAY DOWN, B****!" Cole yelled at it, giving it a couple of pummels into its head just to make sure.

"Alright Cole, you took it out, enough already," Baird tried to pull him back but Cole was so riled, he moved out of Baird's grasp and he kept hitting at it, beating and bludgeoning it until one couldn't recognize what it was. Baird quickly gave up and backed away, letting Cole take his adrenaline high out on it. He knew better than to get in Cole's way when he was “in the moment."

Cole continued to bludgeon it as the blood sprayed all over the snow around it, splattering on his armor and his arms. With each passing fist, battering it nest to nothing, Cole started to calm down, slowing his pace until he came to a stop. He stood over it, panting with his eyes closed, catching his breath. He had forgot how cold it was as he breathed the crisp, frosty air, inhaling long and slow, and then exhaled the same, letting the tension depart is body.

He slowly turned around to look at Baird and Sven, just standing their glaring at his blood smothered fists, torso, and arms. Sven was more shocked than Baird was, remembering how strong and brutal Cole could be. Baird on the other hand had seen this before, and has learned since then to just let him go, take it all out on whatever he found to be his punching bag, thanking God it wasn't him.

Raven however stood further away, conveniently perched on a log as she peered down at the bloody mess strewn around Cole. He could tell that his demeanor must have made her nervous, judging by the distance she had placed herself between them.

Baird turned around to walk over to the dead Locust nearby and began rummaging it for ammo packs. Sven walked over to do the same, but could not find any rifle rounds. Baird moved back into the woods to search the others, looking for other miscellaneous paraphernalia that he may be able to find.
Cole stood in his spot for a while and then decided to sit down on a snow buried log, lying on the ground. His head hung low, not wanting anyone to see the look on his face, especially Feral.

Like any other soldier who has fought in this war for too long, it had taken its toll on him, and it just couldn't end soon enough. He didn't know if Raven would ever understand how they felt about warfare; hell, she must think we relish in it. Sven was too young to understand that war was hell. Will time and death harden him as well, just like the rest of us?

Baird walked back over to Cole, who was still sitting on the log with his head down.

"Gus…I got some ammo for ya," said Baird. Cole looked up to see Baird toss him a clip.

"Did you find anything else?" Cole asked, wondering if he found any other materials that could help him decipher their language.

"Maybe…we'll see when we find a place to sit for a while," Baird answered as he extended his hand for Cole. Tentatively, Cole took his hand as Baird helped him up and then slapped him on the shoulder.

"C’mon Gus, let's go. Everyone's tired and hungry…and we only have a few hours left before dawn."

Baird turned to Raven, whom was still perched on the log, and gives her a nod. Instantly, she pointed towards a mountain,

"This way," she said as she walked on the log before jumping from the ledge onto the white floor in front of them.

Suddenly, a noise rang out through the air in the distance, behind them. The four turned around, drawing their attention to the commotion echoing over the woods. Sounds of gunfire suddenly hit their ears, startling them. A shrieking roar that was all too familiar to Baird's ears, was closing in. After taking out the Bloodmounts, the commotion must have alerted another scouting squadron nearby. There could be no other explanation.

Cole's eyes widened to the sudden realization that they were being hunted as he turned his gaze to Baird.

Baird sulked, slowly moving back as the noise shivered down his spine, "F***…we need to move, now!"

"Aw, sh*t," Cole grumbled, hoping they had enough ammo for another assault.

The four took Baird's advice as they picked up the pace, moving quickly from the direction of the commotion coming behind them.

The snow began to fall again, accumulating onto the ground and trees around them, concealing their footprints, but would that be enough to keep them from being followed? With the sun still hung over the mountains for now, it will soon sink into the horizon, leaving Sigma little choice but to take out the Locust scouts before the sun departed, blinding their only advantage in this frozen hell of a wasteland.

Damon's Journal Entry 2

Baird here,

Well, it would seem the past few days…sh*t, we've been out here for three, going on four days? Anyway, we’ve stumbled upon some disturbing revelations as of late. We’ve learned that the Stranded may be more inventive than we could ever comprehended; even I'm having some serious doubts, but the evidence we’ve gathered so far suggests that they’re packing a sh*tload of armaments…and I’m not talking just a few assault rifles; I’m talking about entire vehicles, troikas, or some other sh*t that suggests building up some mass army or militia.

After our sleepover at Hurl Dam, we’ve stumbled upon what was left of Gamma Four, and unfortunately they were KIA while their Sergeant is, as to my knowledge, MIA. We can only guess that they were ambushed sometime the following morning the day after we were deployed, and then relocated to be set up as bate for other squads. We also have found out that the Stranded may be taking prisoners and subjecting them to torture. As if Stranded weren’t bad enough, how or why they would even remotely be this tactical is beyond me, since most Stranded couldn’t sh*t in a hole in the ground if it was two feet in front of their face, and yet, they’re setting up ambushes and as we managed to find out, they’re jamming our radio contact.

During our investigation, we found reason to believe that the Stranded are either being lead, or assisted by some "disgruntled" Gears. If this is so much the case, then that may explain the tactics these Stranded are using, but we won't know for sure until we investigate the settlement on the other side of the glacier lake. As of recent, we’ve have had to change our route since we now know that we're being followed, so it may be a few more days before we can even remotely check out the site since this climate has made it difficult for us to move from place to place without freezing our balls off!

But, moving on to a lighter note, we've attained additional intel from another Feral clan, known as "the Harpies," which I totally agree is the appropriate name for these b****es since, from what I understand, are more militant than the other clans. During our "stay" at their camp, I have come across some additional observations concerning the Feral culture and evidence to back up my previous speculations.

While, apparently, Raven's old clan, known as "Daughters of Anetha," (I'm not sure what the names mean) is more "talented" in the arts, sciences, and breeding philosophy, another clan of this same valley is made up of hunters and metallurgists. From what I have gathered, these women are skilled; these women are not just a handful of dumb, broads who just run around, accumulating testicles from anyone who is unlucky to come across them. The quality invested in Raven's "custom" armor and attire alone, should be evidence enough of the degree of their proficiency. I would know, I spent over thirty minutes closely evaluating her armor while she overslept the other morning. Now how they have acquired these skills is unclear; I can only guess that maybe some of these Feral were educated in a prior "occupation," before they we're integrated into the Feral doctrine.

I have also discovered, (oh boy, here it goes), additional methods they use to assist in proficient breeding. They have, whom they refer to, as an "avatar,' whom assists the virgin breeders, or inexperienced breeders, by offering their services as, I guess you would call, "eye candy," for the male's visual stimulation. Apparently, they used one when they threw Sven to a breeder (I didn't know this until after the fact, lucky bastard). From what I gathered, since Sven wouldn't shut up about it, she's literally there just to entice the male to f***, and help boost the breeder's confidence so she won’t be so rigid; or at least that’s how I understand it. Anyway, in some situations, they have been known to interact with the breeder by performing "lesbian," or bisexual acts to, as I mentioned before, entice the male visually…sorry, my mind wandered. Anyway, she may also engage with the male during “procreation” (I’m using Raven’s terms here) by stimulating his other "regions" at the same time, however, it would probably be best if I did not leave it to my own imagination to theorize what exactly the "other regions" are, so I'll bug Raven about it later.

Anyways, I have managed to figure out a few snippets of the Feral language, very basic words mind you, but enough to get me started on translating.
I will try to record my observations daily whenever possible; in the meantime, I will attempt to milk Raven's brain of anything I can get her to reveal about the Feral dialect, which may take some prodding on my part since Raven is anal retentive and won’t humor me with details. Stubborn b****.

On a side note, would be too much of a request to accommodate us Gears with some bottle of “ointment” in the event one would need to tend to “personal matters?” It’s been only three days and we’ve already seen enough partially naked women to subsequently suggest enough of a hard-on that would warrant pulling enough root to clear a lawn. Oh, and I’m speaking on Cole’s behalf too; it’s not just me.

Chapter 25: Riding The Pale Horse

[Jonesybites]

Just when you think things couldn't get any worse...

Chapter 25: Riding The Pale Horse


Pushing through the light breeze to stir the snowflakes floating in the air, prodded the exposed skin as Sigma ran profusely through the woods, feeling the heavy panting of Locusts tracking them from behind. They’re faces were tender to the chilly air with each flake colliding onto their cold-nipped epidermis, if almost felt like running it through pin-pricks.

It wasn't long that the "hounds of Nexus" alerted another Locust search party nearby. Although Sigma took out their Bloodmounts, the other platoon was on the move in full force, pursuing the Gears, fast and hard.

Sven pushed ahead of the pack, closely following Raven as they darted around the trees, brushing against the snow covered branches. She could hear him breathing heavily as he started to pass her up.

Raven finally had to yell out to him,

"Wait…where's the others?"

Sven stopped to take cover behind a tree, panting in between words,

"There…they…are," he pointed.

Baird and Cole where running around the trees, evading an array of bullets flailing from behind.

"TAKE COVER…" Baird yelled out.

"MOVE BACK," Cole followed as the two reunited with Sven and Raven.

Bullets whiz through woods, glancing across trees and boulders, stirring up the snow and pine needles.

"There…" a loud, foul voice shattered the serenity of the woods as the Locusts take cover in the forest, opposite of the Gears.

"F***…there's eight of them!" Baird griped, fiddling with his gun while Cole fired his Lancer in short, controlled bursts, trying to aim around the trees as he taunted,

"WHOO, yea…come get some, b****es…"

Sven lifted up his rifle, peering carefully through his scope as he found a Cyclops glancing from behind a tree. Sven took the shot, splitting the Locusts’ head as the body slumped to the ground. A Grenadier moved up in to take the Cyclops' position, exchanging fire with his Boltok pistol, aiming directly at Sven.

"F***! I can't get around that pistol," Sven barked as the rounds ripped off the bark of the tree in large chips.

Raven took refuge up into the trees and onto a tall boulder nearby, strategically flanking from the side, pulling out her Gorgon and Boltok pistols. Dueling with both , she fired one after the other, striking the nearby Grenadier with her Boltok first, forcing him to stumble back and then finished him with the Gorgon, pummeling him with bullets. As the Grenadier dropped to the ground, a Cyclops discovered her position and began to fire at her.

Raven took cover behind the boulder, yelling as she nearly slipped on the snow,

"Damnit…I hate Lancers"

"Get your tiny butt back down here, Rav…you don't stand a chance up there with your pea-shooter," Baird blurted out as he quickly moved into position behind another boulder to fire his Lancer towards the Cyclops' direction, redirecting the Locusts attention away from Raven. As the Locusts continue to fire at Baird, Raven slipped down the boulder onto the ground, sliding on her bum before plummeting into the heap of snow below. She suddenly felt a tear in her rear as a sharp pain shot down the back of her upper thigh.

"Ugh…oh, God…" Raven panicked, "…my stitches! I think they broke…sh*t!"

Cole and Baird alternate as one loaded and the other continued fire. Cole pulled back behind the tree, yelling,

"Reloading!"

"Got it," Baird yelled back as he returned fire, filling a nearby Cyclops with rounds until the Locust stumbled backwards, falling down onto the ground.

"Sh*t, yea," Baird shouted over the array of gunfire.

"Haha…good one, Baird," Cole yelled out as he reloaded before he peered around the other side of the tree to return fire. Cole aimed at a Bolter, trying to meander through the woods, but the impact of rounds rushing from Cole's Lancer, struck him down, causing the Bolter to slip to the ground, bleeding profusely through his bullet wounds.

Peering through the heavy, cold air, Cole noticed his victim trying to pull himself along the ground, sluggishly crawling as it choked and heaved.

"Oh, where do you think you’re going?" Cole sneered before he proceeded to move toward the lame Boltok, still dragging himself like a maimed animal evading a predator.

"We ain't finished yet, b****!" Cole quickly grabbed the downed Bolter, pulling the beast up against his torso as he whipped out his pistol, using the Locust for a meat shield. Moving forwards, using the lame Bolter for cover, Cole walked out into the firefight.

"Holy crap, Cole," Sven beamed in amazement.

"Move up Vinny…we have the advantage," Baird yelled, and the two started to move around the trees, following Cole.

Sven took position behind Cole as he raised his rifle to shoot a round into another Grenadier in range. The beast stumbled back from Sven's Longshot while taking Cole's pistol rounds, finishing the job. The Grenadier gurgled his last breath before slumping onto a heap of snow.

Baird moved up, revving his Lancer to catch a Locust sniper trying to reload his rifle. Before he knew it, Baird had already entered his domain and rammed his chainsaw bayonet into the sniper's head, carving it into bloody pieces.

"Hehe…parts is parts," Baird sneered before he kicked what was left of the corpse, away from him. Cole continued to follow the last two Locust, still up ahead.

"C'mon, bring it!" he taunted, moving forward while the Bolter's body ate up the bullets coming from the Cyclops and Grenadier ahead. Cole and Baird exchanged fire, picking at the trees as the Locusts alternated between the Lancer and Gnasher shotgun. The exchange was taking a massive toll on Cole's meat shield as the corpse began to limp in shreds as pieces were falling off , leaving a trail.

"You better drop him, Cole," Baird yelled out, “…I believe he’s had it!”

"Aw, f*** this," Cole griped before dropping the bloody meat shield to take cover behind another tree adjacent to Baird. As the two held onto their position, the Grenadier started to advance, growling,

"Moving…"

The large, husky beast plowed through the thicket like a charging bull, unloading his shotgun towards the Gears.

"Sh*t…take it out," Baird shouted.

Suddenly, a shot rang out from Sven's rifle, knocking Grenadier's head of his body, leaving a crimson mist, while the rest of the body toppled forward.
A growl could be heard in the near distance,

“Die groundwalker…”

The Cyclops charged in, revving his Lancer to cut through the rest of the thicket. He was advancing quickly in a last ditch effort to take out the Gears.
Cole quickly turned around to move to the other side, revving up his Lancer as he darted between the trees towards the Cyclops until the two clashed saws, pushing against each other. Sparks flew from the duel as the two move from side to side, trying to push the other down. The glistening teeth from the chainsaw bayonets grind against each other, building friction between the two searing teeth of the saws.

"Die…human…" the Locust scoffed, putting more force into his Lancer, pushing Cole slightly back.

"I don't think so, b****!"

Cole moved his arms in a circle, releasing his bayonet from the Cyclops' Lancer to free his, forcing the Locust to lean on one side so Cole could move in and thrust his chainsaw bayonet across the Cyclops exposed gut. The sudden contact cut clean through the mid torso, splitting it in half.

"Yea, that's one for the highlight reel, WHOO," Cole hollered, stepping back away from the bloody, bowel clutter. Sven and Baird soon joined him to admire his handy work.

"Aw, dude…that's a mess," said Sven, looking at the bloody meat pile in awe.

"Sh*t Cole…you had to overdo it…again" Baird griped, only aggravated that Cole had outdone him yet again.

"You know it…” Cole relished in his kill before another thought soon came to mind, “…hey, where's Feral?"

Instantly Baird’s focus was deterred from the carrion lying in a bloody, snow heap.

"Aw, crap…I knew I was forgetting something," Baird groaned while Cole turned back around,

"FERAL…WHERE YOU AT, BABY?" he immediately called out, knowing that Raven was having some trouble with her stitches earlier.

Baird started his way back, stepping over the Locust cadavers towards the boulder where he saw her last.

"Raven…hey, where'd you go?" he called out. He suddenly heard a whimper further down a slope behind the trees. He looked in horror to find a slight trail of blood in the snow.

"Aw, crap…Rav, say something…please?"

Now's not a good time to lose our guide…sh*t!

"Over here…" he could hear her faint voice as he followed the blood trail into a dense thicket. He finally saw her lying on her side, groaning.

"Sh*t Rav, you alright?"

"Do I look alright?" she barked, cringing from the pain coming from her derrière.

"You really want me to tell you what you look like?" Baird joked before he knelt down beside her.

"Damnit, Baird, not now!"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry."

He looked over to her gluteus, noticing the blood seeping from the stitched gash.

"I…I think I tore it," she said, cringing in pain.

Baird sighed, "Yea, you did…****! I can't stitch it up right now…we gotta get you…"

Suddenly a loud grating noise startled the four. Baird looked up towards the direction of the noise as it was becoming more audible. The low roar was clearly familiar as Baird's face went pale. Raven instantly noticed the change in his poise the moment he whispered subtly,

"Don't…talk. Don't make…any noise."

He turned over to see Cole and Sven taking cover behind some trees, both frozen in awake of the new menace. Raven tried to sit up so she could get a clearer audio of the damning clatter of some beast roaming nearby. Her blue eyes widened the moment she recognized the heavy rumbles coming from the sinister monster.

She shrunk back to peers through the trees, watching movement in the woods, hearing the rattling of chains along the slow thumping of a Berserker's heavy feet. Baird was frozen, looking out the same direction. He'd seen these things more times than he really wanted to count; one was enough. They must have brought her to sniff us out, he thought to himself, since the cold made visibility difficult for them. The snow was also making it difficult for her to catch their scent, despite her keen sense of smell, but it won't be long before she can hear them. It was this Baird feared the most.

Raven carefully turned over and started to crawl over to the nearest Locust corpse, lying in the forest behind them.

"What the hell are you doing?" Baird hissed quietly. Raven pulled with her hands, keeping her profile as low as she could muster.

"Get over here…hurry," she motioned.

Baird crawled over to her position, keeping as low as possible, which was a bit more problematic for him in the foot deep snow. He managed to crawl to her, watching her rummage her packs; good grief, what the hell are you doing woman?

"Get my knife from my boot," she said. Baird looked down towards her boot and leaned over to pull out her "bowie" knife. Handing it to her, he couldn’t help but to get the scoop on what it was she was trying to do. Although everything he had seen her done as of yet was not without reason, or at least a sensible one, so it was another opportunity for him to pick on her little survival quirks; especially since she’s been out on her own, surviving in this area for some time now.

"Ok, now what the hell are going to do?" he cringed, brushing the snow form his face after crawling in it.

Raven began to cut into the dead Locusts’ gut, disemboweling it. Almost immediately, the stench coming from the loose innards was staggering potent.

“Ugh, God,” Baird recoiled, bringing his hand over his nose.

"We need to cover our scent…here," she explained as she continued to remove the contents from the Locust cadaver. Shortly afterwards, she began handing Baird some of the entrails.

"Aw, gross…ugh, now what?" he asked, trying to tolerate the smell.

"Smear it on you."

"F***, I had a feeling you were going to say that."

"Hurry Damon…before she sniffs us out."

"Sh*t!" Baird griped before he bit the bullet and began smearing the guts on his chest armor. Raven did the same, smothering her legs with the entrails.
“For the sake of my compelling sanity, this better work!” Baird growled, trying to tolerate the overwhelming stench, hoping that the Berserker will confuse them with another Locust corpse. Hopefully.

Part 2 continued on the next thread...

[Jonesybites]

Just a heads up...I have been updating the story myself since my Beta Reader fell to the wayside. I have done some modifications on Chapters 15, 17, & 18, slightly changing the atmosphere and extending some action sequences.

So, I haven't jumped ship on this thing, just trying to update the story flow.

[mortablunt]

I like it. The pacing is good, and the characters are wel written. Now it's your turn to post on mine. Seriously, I need the reveiws!

[Jonesybites]

Part 2 of Chapter 25...

Cole and Sven move quietly next to them and then they were suddenly aghast the moment they saw the two sloshing through the entrails.

"What…the…hell," Cole covered his nose from the stench.

“You're going to have to put some on Cole if you want to live," Raven whispered sternly, making sure he understood her intentions. Recalling the last few times she encountered Berserkers, although their sense of smell was very acute, they couldn't distinct a live human from a Locust corpse when she first discovered the strategy.

The monster stopped in its tracks, listening inventively as it turned its head, gaping its mouth slightly to catch an odor with her vomeronasal glands in the roof of her mouth. The steam from her heavy breathing seeped from her jaws as she clamped them shut; a sign that she was getting antsy. Swinging her head from side to side, the five drones that were trying to guide her with the chains hold fast as she growled impatiently.

Suddenly, a loud shriek bellowed from behind then. A Kantus priest moved in from the rear, branding a strange, thick fatigue littered with Locust characters, or some form of ancient writing. The priest began to "chant," reciting some poem in a dialect Baird had heard before but couldn't quite decipher it. The Berserker started to calm down as she stopped moving her head, focusing her senses ahead of her, which just so happened to be I the Gears direction.

"Let go…" the priest hissed in a high, pitch shriek. The Kantus let out a wail, which looked as if it aggravating the Berserker. She shook her head violently before stomping her feet. The drones dropped the chains, allowing her to march into the woods, pushing down the thicket with her massive body.

Sigma scattered as fast and quiet as they could, using the noise she was making to push through the thicket to cover their movements. All but Raven managed to get some distance, struggling from the tear in her rear. She tried to pull herself with her arms and push with one leg through the thick snow.
The Berserker stopped suddenly to tilt her head in Raven's direction. Baird peered out, noticing that Raven was still too close for comfort as she leaned against a tree, near a Locust corpse. She froze in her place, ceasing any potential noise that the Berserker may pick up. The monster shook her head, trying to shake the accumulating snow on her snout, brushing it out of her nose cavity and ear holes. Raven's heart started to race, breathing heavily the closer the creature moved in her direction, and Baird could see it from a distance. Sh*t…you need to calm down, Rav!

The Berserker ceased in her tracks to lean over to the other side to sniff out another corpse nearby. Raven tried to move back slightly in between two standing trees while the Berserker was temporarily distracted. In the process, she felt something moving from behind, compelling her to yelp until a hand reached over mouth, fastening it.

"Shhhh…don't…move," Baird whispered into her ear. The monster spun her head around and began to sniff the vicinity around them. She moved her massive head closer to them, sniffing the area as the stench from the corpse in front of them was inhaled into her nostrils.

Calm down…Baird could only hope that by covering Raven’s mouth, her breathing won’t be as audible.

Raven was trembling slightly, thawing from Baird's body heat as the two sat deep in the snow, trying to cover their scent from the hunter. Her eyes widened in fear, getting a front seat look at the Berserker’s gaped jaws, feeling the panting from her nostrils brush against her hair while Baird held his hand over mouth, keeping the creature from hearing her breathe. The monster suddenly let out a swoop of air that brushed up against them the moment she exhaled. The two got a big whiff of her warm, foul breath.

Baird's face suddenly turned pale the moment the Berserker’s breath splashed his face. He grimaced from the revolting odor, trying to hold his breath from breathing the stink coming from her orifice. Agh…it smells like somebody took a sh*t in her mouth.

Raven did the same, trying not to breath it in directly but it was all over the both of them. She two started to pale, closing her eyes while trying to control the urge to cough. She didn't know what smelled worse, the entrails that they smeared over themselves, or the Berserker's bad breath. Please, just kill us now and get it over with, she groaned to herself, feeling Baird tense up as he tried to refrain himself from heaving.

The Berserker brushed her head against the tree trunk, scratching the side of her rough face, ripping the bark off with each movement of her big head. Shaking the bark off, she pulled away and moved to the side, continuing to follow the scent of the entrails nearby. She continued to move until she was out of sight, disappearing into the dense forest ahead, knocking down brush in the process.

Baird and Raven exhaled in relief, trying to catch up as they sucking in the somewhat, cold but foul air. Cole and Sven sat still in their places, watching the Berserker move past them, grazing their place of refuge as she moved further in to the woods nearby.

Pushing through the thicket, sniffing out the entrails ahead, the Berserker growled in between her heavy breathing. She too was having trouble breathing the chilling air, so she continued forwards, moving effortlessly, as the snow began to fall again. The white flakes add density to the air, making visibility next to impossible.

As Baird and Raven sat in their place, they direct their attention towards the noise of footsteps ahead, listening to them crunch the snow beneath them with each step. Raven stiffened up, wondering how long it was going to be before they were discovered, but the heavy snow accumulated on top them, falling quickly, nearly covering them completely.

Drones are the first to march in, barely visible through the falling snow, but their movements and grunting were still readable. They make no acknowledgment to Baird and Raven, cooped up between two trees and a corpse, buried under a heap of snow. Passing them up without taking a glance, the Drones push forward, following the Berserker ahead.

Cole and Sven stayed in their place, not making any effort to start a ruckus as the Drones pass by, not taking notice of them either. Cole could barely make out Raven and Baird as he peered through the falling snow that had them hidden away.

Suddenly the Kantus priest made his entrance. His raspy breathing could be heard as he stepped lightly into the vicinity. Unlike the peon Drones, he was more subtle on his feet, but the way he moved and his congested breathing gave him away. He stood for moment, taking the time to scan the area. Raven didn't even dare to breathe, trying to keep the steam, seeping from her breath from being seen. Baird did the same, holding his breath as the priest glanced by.

Moving along, the priest continued forward behind the Drones, passing up Cole and Sven. The two were shivering profusely from the cold settling in. How can these Locusts stand it? Cole couldn't understand why they would want to come out in this icy hell, they must be desperate if they're out here…but desperate for what?

One thing was for sure, they couldn’t let this scouting party go, otherwise they would be hunting them down for the rest of their journey, and that was the last thing they wanted to deal with. Although the Drones weren't much of a problem, the priest on the other hand was a force to be reckoned with, even more so with the Berserker. This was not going to be easy.

Baird moved slightly, releasing his hold on Raven's mouth while trying to sit up and breathe again.

“Gah…holy sh*t, that nearly made me puke,” Baird groaned, swallowing hard to control his bowels. Raven also let out a gasp, moaning to the stench still rabid in the air, although it wasn’t as strong as it was earlier, it still clung to their skin like the adhesive leftover from removing a sticker.

"So now what do we do…we can't have them following our tracks," Raven quietly griped, keeping her decibel level down.

"I'm thinking, ok?" Baird sneered back, realizing that the situation had just gone from bad to complicated. He peered through the falling snow, watching from across the woods as he caught a glimpse of Cole waving his hand. Baird looked up, checking to see if it was clear and then staggered across the vicinity to Cole and Sven.

"Sh*t, did you get all that?" Cole whispered.

"Yea Gus, I did, ugh," Baird responded, holding the contents in his gut while he leaned over to spit.

"Man, what are we going to do now…they'll hunt us down for sure," Sven whined while Cole noticed that Baird was hunched over, reevaluating the situation. So far, they were up against five Drones, one priest, a Berserker, with three Gears and a wounded Feral. F***!

Raven tried to stand back up, lifting her frozen bum from the heap of snow she had been sitting in for the past fifteen minutes. Bracing herself against the tree, she turned around and noticed a frozen river nearby. It was the same river that would eventually lead to Hurl Dam. Raven could recall bathing in it many a time during the Bloom season, and she could recall that the waters ran deep towards the center of the river. An hypothesis spawned in her head.

"Baird…" she called out, trying not to get too loud. Baird turned around, noticing that she was trying to walk, but was leaning too far to the wayside. He ran up to her to snatch her arm before she toppled over.

"Geez, Rav, you really need be careful," Baird began to rant. Raven intercepted,

"The river, you see it?" she pointed, directing his attention to the frozen body of water, "...how much do you think that Berserker weighs?"

"Uh…several thousand kilo's I imagine…three to five tons, I don't know, I'm just guessing here."

"Does she weigh enough to break the ice through the river?"

Baird looked over the river, realizing what Raven was getting at as he gazed at the river for a few moments before turning back to Raven.

"She may not be quite heavy enough to break it with her weight; judging by the freezing temp, it’s probably too thick,” Baird elaborated, “…but, if we can cause the ice to crack, her weight may be enough to aggravate it further, resulting in collapse."

"And how can we do that?"

Baird pulled out a his last Bolo grenade for Raven to see,

"This should do the job…" he said, flashing her a devious grin. Baird looked up to see Cole and Sven coming towards them.

"Ok, what are you two conspiring about now?" Cole griped.

"I believe we may have found a way to take care of the Berserker…after our next order of business, which is to take out the others without being mauled by that fugly b****!"

"Hehe, you got that right!" Cole chuckled.

Without warning, a loud screeching roar echoed through the forest. The trees rattled from the tremors coming from the noise.

"EVERYONE EVASIVE…NOW!" Baird yelled out, abruptly throwing Raven over his shoulder as she yelped in pain from the transfer,

"Sh*t, Baird, warn me next time!"

"Shut up, Rav!" Baird grunted, trying to move to the closest possible cover available before calamity ensued. Without surprise, the Berserker thrashed through the forest, letting out a loud, piercing squeal. She halted in her tracks to shakes the snow from her head, trying to scope out a scent, but the cold air was hampering her efforts. The cold, however, didn't numb her hearing.

The Drones followed behind with their Hammerbursts ready, but kept their distance from the monstrous female. The Drones were making too much noise with their feet which only irritated the Berserker, displaying her aggravation by thrashing her arms, swinging the chains around the vicinity that was still attached to her massive wrists.

Suddenly, a smoke grenade is tossed between the Berserker and the Drones. The grenade popped, startling the Berserker. She instinctively thrashed the area around her before charging toward the area the grenade went off, which also happened to be where the Drones were conjugating. Alarmed by the commotion, the Drones tried to clear out from the smoke, but it was too late. The Berserker tore right through them, not knowing what she was running into other than the sound of something threatening. All that she could smell was the smoke hovering densely in the air, unintentionally decimating the three out of the five Drones that were unlucky enough not to get out of her way in time.

One of the Drones was slowly trying to get up after being shoved away through the blinding smoke. But before he could even make sense of what was going on, something grabbed him by the neck and twisted, severing his spinal cord and dropping him lifeless to the ground.

Cole threw the Locust down after breaking his neck and then peered towards the Berserker, barely visible through the smoke. I see four down…where's the other?

She was growling swinging her arms as the chains thrashed along the trees, shredding the bark off in large chunks. As the smoke cleared, the last Drone was up and started to fire his Hammerburst in Cole's direction. Perfect timing, asshole!

Cole quickly took cover behind the trees near a boulder as the Drone started to move back in, but the noise coming from his gun only startled the Berserker even more. Tuning in from the noise coming from behind her, she whipped around to charge again, pushing down trees until she plowed through the forest, running over the unsuspecting Drone, trampling him to his death. She continued to move out of the woods until she stopped out in the open, losing all scents and sounds.

Cole was trying his hardest not to laugh at the Drone's misfortune while he turned his attention to Baird, whom was making hand signals, instructing Cole to stay put while so Baird could go out to redirect her attention towards the frozen river.

Squealing like a couple of boars in a skirmish, the Berserker stomped her feet, trying to brush the snow accumulating on her massive head. Baird used the commotion to roadie run out of the woods, passing her up while Sven followed behind, trying to stay on route with the Corporal. The two Gears manage to get closer to the lake before the Berserker could hear them running through the snow.

Baird stopped to signal Sven to do the same as Sven came to a halt. The moment she could make out the sounds, the Berserker went on a rampage and aimlessly charged across the white, open area, pushing her weight at an incredible speed through the deep snow. She missed the two Gears by a longshot, hoping that their lack of movement will only confuse the blind monster. Stopping in her tracks, she sniffed the air yet again, hoping to find a scent but the falling snow shielded their whereabouts from her. She displayed her annoyance by beating her chest, snarling in a blind rage.

Baird gestured to Sven, giving him instructions on what to do once Baird proceeded to dart out onto the river, hoping to direct her onto the iced over water below. After Baird signaled his instructions, Sven nodded, understanding what he was going to have to do to make this work. Hopefully.

Baird waited a few moments to study the Berserker's demeanor before charging out and getting her to follow him. She continued to meander, aimlessly searching for them. The moment Baird caught a window of opportunity to run, he suddenly sprinted towards the frozen river ahead. God, I hope this works, otherwise I'm going to be a Gear meat pile! Not exactly something I want to be listed in my KIA report!

Shifting her attention to Baird's getaway, the Berserker snarled for a moment before charging in his direction, shrieking as she plowed through the snow. He doesn't stop running until he made it onto the frozen river and slide to a stop, grasping the floor before he slipped further than he anticipated. Sh*t, I haven't done this in years…I hope I still got it.

As the Berserker ran out onto the thick ice her massive feet slide out from under her, causing her to collapse and slide out into the middle of the river. Baird looked up, noticing that she was having a hard time trying to keep her equilibrium on the slick ice.

Baird couldn't contain himself,

"Haha…not so tough now, huh, b****?"

She responded with a piercing roar, directing her senses in his direction, focusing on picking up his scent that was barely readable, but it was enough. She knew where he was, and she started to slowly get back on her feet, oh, crap!

Baird suddenly managed to set his footing right to where he pushed himself and slid across the ice while using his knee armor for breaks as he dropped down to come to a stop. He turned around to taunt her some more,

"What…are we having trouble?"

As soon as he finished his taunt, the Berserker was back on her feet and she charged again, but the ice made her aim futile as she slipped again, rolling out further onto the river.

Now's my chance, Baird said to himself, pulling out his Bolo grenade. He started to swing the grenade by the chain, trying to get the projectory just right through the thick snow falling between them. He released the grenade, letting it roll across the river until it stopped right next to her. As soon as it stopped, the grenade went off, blasting the snow and ice around it. Suddenly, the thick ice started to shift underneath them as large popping sounds echoed through the area.

Baird was moving quickly, sliding and stopping with each push along the slippery ground, but the ice below, started to move.

Aw, crap…hurry up Damon, move your ass, Baird was trying to move as fast as he could across the shifting ice. As the Berserker thrashed her arms, the ground beneath her began to sink in, pulling her down as large blocks of ice collapse from under her weight and movement.

Sven watched form the shore, shocked that it worked. Noticing Baird was having a hard time trying to get off the river before the cracked ice collapsed underneath him as well, Sven darted out onto the frozen river. Within an instant he could feel his feet slide, he slowed his pace, trying not to slip and fall. With Baird slipping and sliding along the ground, he finally caught up to Sven, grabbing him before he slipped down, taking Sven with him.

Without warning, the ice broke apart between the cracks that extended near the shore, floating aimlessly, bumping into each other while the wailing of the sinking Berserker was diminishing. She wasn't going to get out of this one as she sunk into the cold waters with the surface starting to freeze above her, trapping her in.

Baird and Sven could feel the block of ice turn as they both kept their ground.

Cole was running out towards the edge of the river when he noticed that the two were just a few meters away.

"C'mon, guys…you can make it!" he yelled out. Baird and Sven turned to his direction.

"Let's go kid, before this situation gets ugly," said Baird.

"On it, Corporal," Sven responded, grabbing Baird's extended hand, pulling himself up.

The ice rocked slightly against the aftershock form the grenade while the other blocks of ice bobbed up and down in the water like a buoy.

"Move, Vinny," Baird said urgently, giving Sven a shove as he slide across the moving block of ice, coming to the ledge that was rising up fast.

"Aw sh*t…" Sven grumbled, with his legs hanging over the edge. Baird quickly joined him, watching below as the block started to lean on one side.

Suddenly, the ice block dropped down, knocking Sven's balance, causing him to slip and fall into the cold, blistering water.

"VINNY!" Baird shouted before jumping in after him.

"BAIRD…VINNY, sh*t," Cole yelled, making his way onto the river, trying not to slip before coming do a grinding halt near the cracked ledge. He looked down, noticing Baird's head was still above water as Sven hung onto him like a monkey on his mother's back.

Cole stretched his arm,

"C'mon baby…you gotta reach," said Cole as Baird swam as fast as he could carrying Sven in the icy water, trying to move before the surface of the water froze up round them.

"****, this is cold," Baird griped as he reached, catching Cole's hand.

"Hang on," Cole yelled, tying to pull them both out.

"Cole, take Vin first…you can't pull us both out at the same time!" Baird cringed, feeling Sven’s body shiver.

"Shut up Baird, and hang on…" Cole barked as he grimaced, pulling both men out. The water was starting to refreeze as Baird kept kicking his legs to avoid them getting trapped in the ice while Sven was hanging on for dear life, trembling profusely from the cold water.

"Almost…got, it," Cole grimaced, slowly, but surely pulling them out from the icy tomb below them. Cole continued to drag the two over to the snow-covered shore. Cole knelt down next to Sven, whom was shivering violently. Cole took off his blanket to wrap it around Sven while Baird sat up, beginning to feel the brisk cold air sting his wet face and hair.

"Agh…this is going to feel like hell," Baird whined while diligently rubbing his arms, trying to keep the blood in his body circulating.

Suddenly, a load shriek surged into the air. An audible, familiar chant could be heard by the Gears.

"Son of a…now he's here?" Baird barked, grabbing his pistol from his holster, hoping the trigger wasn't frozen as he looked up.

Sure enough, the Kantus priest was wailing, waiving his Gorgon pistol as he threw out an Ink grenade in their direction.

"INCOMING INK," Cole yelled, grabbing Sven to take whatever cover he could find nearby while Baird did the same. The grenade rolled over to a halt and then detonated, splashing its poisonous fume, filtering through the immediate air around it. The men started to cough, trying not to inhale as much of it as they could. Baird buried his head into the snow, avoiding the eye and mouth contact, despite not being able to feel his face still numb from the freezing water. It’s either get frost bite, or die from the toxins coming from the Ink grenade. Cole held Sven down, using his own body to shield Sven from the spreading fumes.

They could hear the Kantus taunting with his chants, reaching for his Gorgon pistol. Cole sat up, pulling out his Lancer while bringing the blanket to his face, trying not to breathe in the poisonous air, but the priest fired first, firing in bursts in between shots.

"Sh*t, *cough, damn," Cole grimaced, ducking down to avoid the gunfire.

The fumes from the Ink grenade started to dissipate, allowing the Gears to breathe freely as they try to focus on the problem at hand. Baird sat up with Lancer already in his trembling hands and began firing.

"Back off, asshole!" Baird sneered. The Kantus rolled backwards, trying to avoid the gunfire from Damon's Lancer. Soon, Cole also joined in once he was able to peer over the heap of snow and catch a glimpse of the priest moving back.

“F*** you,” Cole growled, annoyed with the odds.

The Gears took turns firing at the priest while he dodged, moving from side to side, reloading his pistol and returning fire. While firing with one hand, he pulled out another grenade and started to swing it with the other.

"Aw, crap…not again! COLE…ANOTHER INK!" Baird yelled, trying to find cover that didn’t involve shoving his head in a heap of snow, but it was futile. He didn't know if they could handle another Ink grenade.

As the Gears go back down for cover, a random shot rand out into the air, followed by a screeching hiss, and another round of shots from a Gorgon pistol. After a loud shriek, the area went silent.

Baird picked himself up, shivering between the cold air and the adrenaline rush, peering over the snow and saw that the Kantus lying lifeless on the ground and Raven , limping along the way.

"Well I'll be damned…FERAL," Baird said in between shivers as he staggered back up, rubbing the sides of his arms. He looked over to Cole and Sven's position, calling out with a coarseness in his voice,

"Cole…you alright?"

"Yea…F***, its cold!"

Cole stood back up, pulling a shivering Sven onto his feet next to him. Baird could tell by Sven’s red face that he was freezing. He looked over to see Raven carefully sitting down as she began to rummage the Kantus' lifeless body.

Raven managed to pull the Gorgon pistol from the priests’ hand, taking out the rounds to load up her own. She then rummaged through his paraphernalia, looking for artifacts, or other religious materials. She looked up to find Baird walking over to her, watching him gesture,

"Hey, hey…quit hoggin’ all the goodies," he protested coursely.

"I need the ammo, Baird!"

"..and I need anything else this priest might be carrying."

"Like what?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," he scoffed as he shooed her away, but she stood her ground and shooed back.

"No, this is my kill! Go back there to claim yours!"

"Oh, so we're on, only rummage what you kill, terms now?"

Realizing she didn't have a lot of movement with her wound, Baird took advantage of the situation and scooted her over with his hip.

"Hey…this is mine!" she sneered, trying to push him back, but he was too big for her to move him from the ground.

"Mine now," he chuckled, amused by her insistency as she slapped his arm, unintentionally glancing his shoulder armor in the process.

"Sh*t!" Raven wailed in pain from the contact, clutching her hand as she cringed. Baird started to laugh after he pulled out a "leather" scroll and some metal pieces that resembled "runes."

Cole and Sven made their way over to the corpse.

"Man, we need to find shelter…and fast," Cole mentioned as Raven looked up, still rubbing her hand from accidentally hitting Baird's armor.

"It's not far from here…" Raven squeaked out.

"What is?" Baird blurted out.

"The place we're going to stay at, asshole," Raven barked, carefully standing back up as she placed her Gorgon pistol back into her holster.

"All right, all right, let's get going," Baird scoffed, shoving the paraphernalia into his pack. Cole had Sven's arm over his shoulder, shivering profusely,

'Yea…" said Sven in between shivers, "…let's…get…some, place…warm."

Raven limped around the group as she growled to herself, moving ahead while the others just glared at her. She finally stopped in her tracks and turned around.

"Well…c'mon. This way," she stammered as she turned back around and continued forward, limping on one side. Without comment or sarcasm, the three Gears huddled up and followed her down the slope as the snow continued to fall, turning the world around them into white as the sun was now setting behind the mountain.

Chapter 26: Quid Pro Quo

This chapter is an addition to the events following the previous chapter to extend the action sequence. Let me know what you think.

[Jonesybites]

Next chapter:

Chapter 26: Quid Pro Quo


The afterglow of the setting sun had nearly dissipated, leaving little if any light for Sigma to venture to their place of refuge for the night. Although the Gears had no clue where Raven was taken them, they trusted her word that the grueling trek would be worth the aching.

Raven stopped in her place, waiting for the others catch up to her, and then carefully limped over to Baird, speaking to him in between shivers,

"I'm going to…need a flare," she asked, shaking from the gust of wind, brushing against her cold face. Without a snark or sarcastic remark, Baird reached into his leg pack and pulls out a flare, shivering as he handed it to Raven.

"Thanks…give me a…minute," she said. Baird managed to muster a nod, rubbing his trembling arms as he waited for her to light up the flare. He quickly noticed that Raven was having trouble lighting the stubborn flare in the wind.

"Here," he said before he moved towards her, using his body to shield her hands from the snow and wind, "...now…try it."

Raven nodded and tried again. Cole and Sven huddled together, watching Raven finally light up the flare, their eyes now absorbed in its illumination.
"Well, at least we have light…sh*t, Feral, are we there yet?" Cole asked, trying to be patient despite freezing in the blistering cold air moving briskly around them. His dark skin was starting to pale from the frost gathering on his face. Sven on the other hand, was getting frost bit.

"Just ahead…around those jagged rocks," Raven said as she pointed ahead of them. She lifted the flare to get a better look of the rocky, cliff wall next to the dense forest.

"Ugh, about damn time…sh*t, its cold, can we hurry this up?" Baird complained, keeping his pace with Raven.

Raven sighed as she shivered,

"I'm…working…on it, Baird."

She moved along the wall over to a cluster of shard rocks before they catch a faint hole surrounded by immense boulders.

Baird moved up closer to Raven's position to get a better look at their destination.

"Wait…is that a cave?" Baird shivered.

"A shallow one, but yes," she replied.

She limped ahead while Baird followed with Cole and Sven close behind. Baird turned around and waited for the other two as he too huddled with them, trying to shield himself from the brisk wind gusting along the rock wall. Raven finally moved into the cave entrance as the flare lit up the walls inside. As the Gears follow Raven into the cave, they started to relax, relieved from the harsh cold breeze that was beating on their faces. They move in, following the flare to look around at the granite and marble contusions that glistened in the light, mixed with the solidified ice. They peered ahead to a faint pool of water as Raven carefully climbed up on a slope shelf, placing the flare on top.

The three Gears stare in awe as steam was lifting from the pool nearby.

"Holy crap…is that what I think it is…is that a hot spring?" Baird beamed.

"Yes it is, Damon," Raven replied in between shivers.

The three looked at it as if they we're going to faint. After three days of hiking and trekking through the harsh, bitter Frost, they could finally get a chance to soak in a hot bath.

"This is one of several hot springs located around the area…obviously I found this one more suitable since it is more concealed," Raven explained. The three Gears just stood there and drooled as Raven continued,

"Damon, could you light up another flare please?"

Baird shook his head for a minute before he looked down to pull out another flare and lighting it.

"Ok, now where did you want it?" he asked while Raven made her way down the slope to their position near the shore.

"Hand it to me…I can take it from here while I get a camp fire started," Raven suggested as Baird handed her the flare. Sven started to get antsy,

"Hey…can we…" Sven managed squeak out, shivering profusely before Raven interrupted him,

"Sigh…go ahead," she said.

Not even within a split second, Sven and Cole darted to the shore to start removing their armor and clothes as fast as their frozen hands would let them, throwing their attire to the wayside any which way. They were too cold to care.

Sven was the first get completely undressed before he staggered into the water,

"Whoa, yea…" he ran in, not realizing how hot the water actually was as he squealed, "…oh sh*t, it's hot!"

Raven rolled her eyes, walking down the slope to get a campfire going and to give the men some privacy.

Baird was the next to disrobe as he tried to pull off his attire with his ice, cold hands. Pulling off his boots while dropping his pants, he threw them to the wayside, peeling off his drenched socks shortly afterwards. His body felt a rush of relief the moment he was able to disrobe his cold, balmy attire that he had to endure ever since he fell into the frozen river.

Cole was the next to get all his clothes off as he too ran up to the slope shelf.

"WOOOO," Cole blurted out before jumping from the rock ledge into the hot spring, ass first. The waves of hot water wash over Sven, trying to brace himself from the stinging surf. As the water finally settled, Cole merged from the bottom of the pool to the steaming surface.

"Whoa, CRAP, that's hot," Cole shrieked as the heat stabbed him like a bunch of poking needles.

"Sweet, that was awesome, I wanna try that," said Sven.

"Nah uh, my turn," Baird interrupted before he too, hobbled off the ledge and jumped into the pool. Landing on his bare back, the splash caused a massive wave of water to rush over both Sven and Cole. Baird quickly emerged, cussing from the sweltering water stinging his fair skin.

"Sh*t, this water is hot…FERAL, you didn't say anything about this spring being scorching!"

"I said it was HOT!" Raven reiterated from a distance, still trying to set up a campfire.

"It's BOILING Feral…big difference."

"Well what the hell did you expect; it's a hot spring,"

"It's a swelter, look at my ass, it’s f***ing red,"

"Well that's sounds more like personal problem Damon. You know they got ointments for that,"

"Yea, I got your ointment right here," Baird mumbled under his breath. He moved closer to the shallow part of the spring to find some relief from the sweltering water, revealing his beet-red mid-section. Cole started laughing,

"Damn, Damon, yo ass is red man, not to mention your…"

"Oh, shut up…HEY FERAL, move the flare more over to the right," Baird yelled, looking up to see if the light over the bolder was relocated. Noticing the light moving into the opposite direction, Baird bellowed out,

"Your other right!”

Raven growled, moving the flare yet again to the other side.

"There…is there anything else?" she sneered.

"Well, now that you mention it…"

"You know what…never mind."

"What…oh, c'mon, you didn't know what I was going to ask you…"

"You're just going to try to find some moronic reason for me to come over there, just so you can somehow humiliate me for your amusement."

"Who, Baird…nah," Cole mused.

"Ah ha, ha…ass," Baird said sarcastically, "…c'mon, Feral, it's nothing you haven't seen before," he conveniently reminded Raven.

"Just because somebody's seen the show doesn't make it spectacular, Baird."

Cole and Sven laughed out loud, nearly sinking into the pool, trying to brace themselves along the rock wall.

"Well, apparently they still pay to go see the sequel," Baird continued.

"Not in this life time, Gear," Feral responded.

"…you know I had to try."

"Whatever, shut up and scrub your ass. Other people need to use the pool too,"

"Well nobody’s stopping you from joining in," Baird continued while Cole and Sven kept laughing, almost to tears.

"Dude, ya think she'll do it," Sven beamed with glee.

"Like, dude, I don't think she would pose selling tupperware, much less jumping naked in the pool, especially with us three grunts," Baird replied.

"Man, that don't mean we can't dream," Cole mumbled before going down, submerging his head under the water, then racing back up.

"In it that that the truth," Baird muttered to himself as he looked over to view his red buttocks, not the least bit concerned about exposing his junk to the others while trying to orient his body to the sweltering water.

"Woooh, damn this is NICE! We need to come back here when this is over," Cole began to simmer as he leaned his back on the smooth bolder behind him. Baird too went under briefly and came back up, feeling the tension in his shoulders relax the moment he breathed in the steam to clear his sinuses.

"When and if this is ever over," said Baird as he sobered up to the idea of rest and relaxation.

"Like, when will it be over…I mean…do you think we're close to ending the war?" Sven asked. His optimism started to shy away the moment he caught both Cole and Baird just stare at him with discernment. Sven hadn't fought near as long or hard as these two had, and his naive outlook on the situation was only natural for the fledgling soldier.

"Hey, so how does this water get so hot," Sven asked, trying to deter the somewhat, sullen atmosphere.

"It's getting its heat from under the ground, right Baird?" Cole answered, scanning his filed away archive of when he last studied geography back in high school. Nevertheless, Cole diverted his attention to Baird in hopes that Damon could clarify further. Baird was still leaning his head back on the boulder before he looked up to notice Cole and Sven glaring at him.

"What am I, your personal encyclopedia?" Baird scoffed as the two continued to just glare at him.

"Sigh… the water is being heated by a geothermic heat source."

“Whoo! I knew I got it right,” Cole slammed his hand over the surface of the pool, impressed with himself for still retaining what he had learned in tenth grade science.

“What?” Sven was bemused.

"Oh for crying out loud…” Baird growled, “…there is a heat source under the damn ground, heating the groundwater…just like Cole said."

"Oh…ok," Sven acknowledged, although he still trying to envision the geology.

"So, exactly what is it underground that is heatin the water," Cole continued.

"The planetary core, or magma, or hot rocks."

"Like in volcanoes?"

"Probably…there's one not too far from here,” Baird elaborated, “… where do you think Vectus island came from? This whole area sits on the edge of a tectonic plate."

"So that's why we haven't seen any grub holes lately...I thought it was because this valley is mostly made of granite, like Jacinto."

"The mountains are, but most of the valley is some form of limestone…this place is rich with metals and it was long rumored that there may have been some Imulsion depositories here as well," said Baird as he gave Cole a grin, "you’re finally starting to catch on, Gus…I'm impressed!" Baird mused while Cole flipped him the bird from the other side of the pool for being a smart ass.

"*****," Cole sneered. Baird could only smirk, blowing him a kiss to add to the fire.

As the three men soaked in the sauna, shooting the breeze and slapping their cocks around, Raven slipped over the boulder and took a seat, trying not to sit directly on her wound that had been numb from the cold. She quietly rummaged through Baird's nap pack before she uncovered a journal. Perfect, she muttered before tip-toeing back to the campfire, occasionally looking over her shoulder to make sure the three men were still occupied in the pool.

Carefully turning the pages, Raven discreetly rummaged through the pages until she came across some of Damon’s less-than-prudent artwork, which mostly consisted of pin-ups of naked women. She turned the book on the side, shuddering as she inadvertently wrapped her head around his doodles. What a perv, she said to herself, but continued to analyze the sketches more closely…wow, he's actually pretty good, despite the subject matter. Curling her lip and scrunching her brow, she turned the page to read several extensive notes regarding the Kantus scrolls and something about the "Trinity of Worms," straining to read the material in the half light, fluttering from the campfire, especially since the asshole insisted the flare to be moved closer to the shore.

"From other writings I've found, I think I've pieced it together: This is something called the "Trinity of Worms," and it's probably the closest thing I've seen yet to a Locust religious symbol. They really worship worms…we so do not deserve to be alive.

As far as I can tell, there's some kind of mantra on the artifact, about the queen making drones, drones protecting Nexus…and I'll have to work out that last part a little later. I don't work well under gunfire." (GoW 2)

Reveling in her thoughts, Raven contemplated the worms Baird was referring to. He must mean the rock worms…but how does he know about them, they're not indigenous on the surface, or at least near Jacinto.

Turning the pages, Raven came across some more of his "creative doodles," only this time they were caricatures of some other squad mates. She stumbled upon a caricature of Colonel Hoffman, whom appeared to be rhetorically "yanking" his male appendage." Raven laughed to herself, trying not to do it out load before turning the page to find another hand drawn caricature of what appeared to be Sergeant Fenix, boinking a less-than-discerning Lieutenant Stroud from the rear. Raven raised an eyebrow, wondering if there was any truth to the cartoon. Turning the page, she approached some more of his entries regarding the Locusts. Trying to read Baird's somewhat legible handwriting, Raven squinted at the scribbled print,

"Why aren't there any Locust brats around here? Figured we'd see some grub's grub somewhere around this place.

Well, guess if the Berserkers are the females, maybe the males just wised up and quit laying the pipe to 'em. Man, that would be perfect... Locust go extinct due to the fugly, homicidal chicks they have to mate with." (GoW wiki)

Raven rolled her eyes at Baird's observation and what she perceived to be ignorance, but at the same time, she pondered; what place are they referring to, the Hollow, or Nexus?

She recalled the means she noticed when she observed how Locusts managed to mate with the Berserkers, but it wasn't from strapping them down in chains so the drone could procreate without being ripped to shreds, as it was also cataloged in the COG database.

On the contrary, Raven scribbled to the side of Baird's notes, they use a song, or chant to "charm" her when she is in estrus…and that, from what I have observed only happens four times a year.

Among Ravens' surveillance of the Berserkers, from a safe distance, she found that their keen sense of smell was particular on whom they want to mate with. She had seen instances of Berserkers mating willingly with one drone while decimating another. She could only guess that Berserkers have a pheromone preference. With many of the Berserkers becoming few in between, this may have been one of the contributing factors as to why hardly anyone has seen juvenile Locusts.

The Locusts must be trying to produce out of desperation by forcing the Berserkers to mate using confinement, similar to what the COG was doing with breeding farms. It seemed pliable in theory, but as one wise woman once said, there is a rhyme and reason for nature's selection. To deviate from those natural laws will lead to misfortune.

She turned over to another section of notes to what appeared to be printouts pasted on his journal pages. She started to read one of his note's;

"I think this thing's like the Locust equivalent of a calendar or a clock…it says something about "every season having it's opposite," and I also see some glyphs for "Nexus," "Queen," and maybe "Imulsion"…can't quite tell.

I'm guessing it has something to do with the ebb and flow of Imulsion, but I'd have to do a lot more research to confirm that.
Considering that I'm about, oh, three kilometers deep, right square in the guts of the enemy, you'll have to forgive my vast empirical skills aren't exactly at their finest right now." (GoW 2)

Raven stumbled upon a picture taped into the next page of what appeared to be a calendar dial. She tried to peer carefully to get a better look at the glyphs on the picture of the "calendar."

These look more like star constellations than glyphs, but how can that be plausible, they dwell under the surface…unless…

As she flipped to the next page, she noticed that Baird drew out the Locust "alphabet" along with part of the interpretation.

He has actually deciphered some of the Locust language?

Raven quickly reached down into her pack to pull out her own journal and a pencil, setting them down in front as she reached near her boot to take out her knife. Carefully placing Baird's journal next to her leg, she sharpened her pencil with the knife on the other side to avoid getting any shavings on the pages.

Over the slope near the pool shore, she could hear the three Gears frolicking in the water, doing whatever it was men did when they're naked in a hot tub, she could only guess. She carefully placed Baird's journal on her leg as she sat hers close by so she could quickly write down the "letters" of the Locust alphabet, still keeping a tuned ear in the Gears' direction.

How come I haven't seen any of this in the database, Raven pondered, wondering the reason may have been perhaps because Baird wasn't done translating it all yet.

She turned several pages, trying to ignore more of his "pin-up" drawings until she stumbled upon a photograph taped to a page, faced down. She carefully lifted it up to see what appeared to be a "family" picture. She turned the journal upside down to get a better look at the photo and noticed that it was some picture of some outing or a vacation of sorts. She could see a man and a woman with a little boy in the middle of the two, posing in front of some ruins outside a historical site somewhere outside of Tyran. Raven tried to turn the journal more toward the fire light to make out the details. Is that Damon with his parents? She could make out the scruffy looking blonde kid in a knit sweater over a dress shirt; a school uniform maybe? Raven could recall the days she had to wear a school uniform, and it wasn’t the most comfortable attire, but it sure beat wearing a dress any day.

The pouting blonde kid was holding what appeared to be a notebook, posing grudgingly what looked like to be with his parents.

Raven laughed to herself, I don't know of any kid that liked to be photographed…I couldn't stand it.

Raven could recall during her childhood when her foster father would tickle her to get her to smile for the camera. She would have never thought that she would ever regret it now.

She sighed as she carefully flipped the photo over into place, turning a few more pages until she came across something peculiar. Trying to go back to the page of interest, she skipped over some "life" drawings of some women, posing naked. She rubbed the back of her neck, trying not to be impressed with his eye for detail, but she couldn't help but to take notice of the fineness in his work.

"HEY FERAL," Cole could be heard, blasting like an obnoxious, muted trumpet, which startled her. Oh good lord, now what?

"What doya girls think about a guy with big hands,"

Fumbling with the journal, Raven managed to place it on her lap before she looked over her shoulder before she shouted back,

"Well he probably wears big gloves, Cole." Raven yelled back, closing the journal carefully as to not wrinkle the pages.

"What about big feet,"

"Big shoes."

"And nose?"

I can already see where this is going.

"Well Cole, I hate to bust your ego but just because a guy has some funky characteristics doesn't necessarily mean he's packing," Raven blurted out, hoping that it would be the last of Cole's musings.

"But I thought…well you know…supposed to know all dis breeding stuff, what do y'all chicks dig in a man," said Cole as the others started to laugh.

"I'm not a fertility counselor, Cole," she yelled back.

"Alright Feral, Cole wants to know if size matters," Baird finally had to say it. Raven placed the journal down before she let out a heavy sigh, contemplating if she should even amuse him with an answer.

"Are we seriously having this conversation right now?" she barked.

The three men responded in unison,

"YES!"

Raven grumbled as she placed the journal back where it was, just as Baird had left it before he stripped off his boots and pants. Speaking of which, what is taking them so long? Raven pulled out a watch from her pocket, it's been…almost an hour!

She got up to limp down to the pool shore, coming to the rock ledge the men were jumping off earlier. In a brief instance of borderline shock, she glowered at the men the moment she caught Cole and Baird wrestling in the deeper part of the water.

"Uh, sir…guys," Sven tried to intervene, all the while Cole and Baird ignored him as usual and continuing with their "dude fest", not even giving Raven a glance. As Cole tried to keep his footing, Baird strategically went under to snag the Thrashball player by his legs, lifting him up as Cole toppled over into the spring. All the while Raven tried not to look directly at their male bits between the unsettled steam and choppy water. Baird laughed out load as he started to goad his victory,

"Haha, c'mon Cole! I thought you said you can…oh," Baird cut himself short the moment his eyes met Raven’s stabbing blue gaze under her scowl. Raven stood on the shore with her arms folded, giving the men a grimacing look before Cole was able to emerge, itching for a comeback.

"That's it, white boy! You’re going…uh… oh," said Cole the moment he looked up and could already feel the awkward moment already emitting from the other two as if someone let out a loud fart during a eulogy. Whatever testosterone frenzy they were relishing in, it was over now.

"Wow…two guys wrestling naked in a hot tub…I should post this on my blog,"

"Yea, I bet that gets you all hot, doesn't it," Baird gloated to Raven's sarcasm.

Her brow shrunk over her eyes, as if she was going to burn a hole in Damon’s head.

"It's been nearly an hour…you’re done! OUT, now!" Raven ordered.

The three glared at her dumbfounded for a moment before turning to each other as they suddenly start to snicker, and before Raven could even get another word in, the three were already laughing hysterically.

"You know what? You three can go f*** yourselves! I'm going back to the campfire," Raven scoffed, unamused as she turned around to limp back over to the campsite.

"Aw c'mon Rav, you know you want some of this…" Baird reveled in banter as she continued to walk away. He turned his attention back to the other two Gears, "ok, the party poopers' right. We do need to eat and hit the hay," he resumed.

"Ah, we gotta go back out in the cold?" Sven moaned before he attempted to dash his way out of the pool to try and get his clothes on as quickly as possible. Cole followed close behind, attempting to do the same.

"Yea, now my dick's going to run and hide…SH*T, it’s cold," Cole whined. Both were shaking the water off while putting on their clothes. Sven slipped on his pants rapidly, but his hands were shivering so vigorously, he fell over onto the rest of his attire.

"Crap, man I can't find my shirt…" Sven groaned.

"I got yo shirt! Here..."

Cole tossed it over to Sven, whom was still rolling on the ground to quickly put on his clothes.

Damon finally dragged himself out of the warm water, feeling the sudden rush of the cold, crisp air, whisk right in between his legs. The moment the frost started to cling to his damp epidermis, he suddenly dropped his hands to shield his naughty bits with his warm hands.

"Ah, man, this feeling sucks," Baird griped as he teetered over the rock, staggering to his wardrobe to quickly put on his pants and undershirt.

Cole and Sven eventually got dressed before they made their way to the campsite, carrying their armor and boots. Plopping their armor near the campfire, Raven threw some more tree branches into the flames to keep the fire going. Baird too, jumped down from the shallow ridge, tossing his gear next to Raven.

"Oh damn…I missed," Baird snickered, hoping it would get a rise out of Raven, whom was already in a foul mood. Knowing that Baird was just being an ass for the sake thereof, she turned on Baird's frolics.

"Yea, that too sounds like a personal problem. How do you expect to multiply with your crappy aim?"

"Oooo…burn...hey Baird, I think you just got told," Cole coaxed as he resumed laughing. Baird picked up Cole's blanket to throw it at him before he returned a condescending smirk in raven’s direction.

"My aim is still better than yours," Baird mocked back, although she was not quite sure what he was referring to; whether it be her sexual orientation, or her lack of experience with a rifle. Either way, he was slowly trying to get under her skin.

"Oh, by the way, you can have the pool now," Baird continued gesturing a feminine pose to further his point, "…and be sure to wash out your gash. I'll stitch it back up when you're done."

"Gee, you’re too kind," Raven mumbled, still tossing in some branches and weathered pine needles into the fire.
"You better start being nice to me," Baird sneered, noticing that she was cursing under her breathe. Raven glanced up to exchange a grin of sarcasm before frumpily turning her grin into a frown, just before she got up to tend to other matters.

"So what's for grub?' Cole asked, pulling out a bag that the Feral gave him from the night before.

"Nuts, dried berries, and jerky," she said as she pulled out a piece of jerky and started to gnaw on it.

"Aw, for real? We got some beef jerky?" Cole beamed in excitement.

"Beef? I don't think so," said Baird, picking the jerky strands from his sack, trying to analyze it.

"How do you know it's not beef?" Cole asked.

"When was the last time you saw a cow, Cole?"

Cole ignored Baird as he took a bite into his strand, tasting the spicy meat. It tasted like a mix of cedar, honey, and cinnamon. Sven started to chew on his, relishing in the sweet taste that salivated in his mouth. For jerky, it was rather tender.

"Whatever it is, this stuff ain't bad," said Sven.

"Damn, this **** is good…what is this Feral?" Cole finally asked and then shoved the rest of his jerky in his mouth.

"It's Kryll, Cole," Raven answered. Baird suddenly threw the meat from his hand in disgust,

"Aw, gross…the ****, Feral!"

Cole stopped chewing for a moment, letting the info that Raven just informed him sink into his head. Sven turned to look at the others, wondering if that was actually a bad thing. They all then turned their attention to Raven who was just eating away at it, not thinking twice about it. She stopped for a moment before she caught notice of the immediate glares she was getting from the squad.

"What…it's good for you. It's a lot leaner, and more tender than beef…besides, it's rich in iron," she tried to justify the means.

"It's Kryll, Raven! I can't believe you chicks actually eat this ****," Baird griped. Cole shrugged and continued to finish up his jerky.

"It ain't that bad, Baird. Try some…it'll put hair on your chest," Cole chuckled while Baird gave him a dirty look.

"No thanks. You guys go ahead."

Raven finished up as she tossed her bag down on the ground,

"Well, I'm going to take care of business, so try not to screw anything up…and refrain yourselves from pissing in the campfire, please," she informed them before making her way over to the spring.

"You got it, baby…" Cole yells over his shoulder.

"We won't piss in the campfire as long as you don't piss in the pool," Baird added while carefully picking out the more recognizable nuts in his food bag. Raven let out a sigh, ignoring Baird’s commentary as she continued to limp over to the pool.

Meanwhile, the men took refuge in front of the fire, thawing out from the cold air still lingering in the cave. Although the night air outside was below freezing, the steam coming from the spring, mixed with the heat coming from the campfire kept the campsite tolerable. But just as the night air settled outside the cave entrance, the men resumed their bantering.

“So where are we supposed to go if we wanna take a piss?” Sven asked while chewing on his jerky stick.

“In the campfire, like she said,” Baird responded.

“I though she just said not to piss in the fire,” Sven protested.

"Hehe, I think she was really talking to you, Vinny," said Cole.

"Really?” Sven beamed naively, “…hey, you think she..." Sven began to contemplate, but before he could finish, Cole and Baird cut him off, barking in unison,

"NO!"

Chapter 27: Taming of The Shrew

Well, I have the chapters finally updated.

[Jonesybites]

As the headgames continue, Raven and Baird share information, coming to revelations that they may not be prepared to hear, or reveal.

Chapter 27: Taming of The Shrew


The night had settled in while the wind could be heard, whistling just outside the cave entrance. The campfire offered warmth along with the steam coming from the hot spring nearby as the air grew comfortably warm. The three Gears sat around the campfire, eating the trail mix and jerky they picked up from the Feral camp the night before. It wasn't like a warm bowl of chili or vegetable soup, but it satisfied their hunger, nevertheless. Cole and Sven continued to stuff their faces, chewing on dried berries while munching on the Kryll jerky. Baird on the other hand, nibbled frugally on the trail mix, ignoring the jerky altogether; gross.

In the denizens of the searing spring nearby, Raven had already stripped down to enter the warm steaming pool. Thawing in the middle of the pool, she took a deep breath before leaning over to a rock nearby to cup her face with her hands, sliding them over her head, slicking back her black hair before folding them behind her neck. She could feel the warm water on her bare skin, loosening her anxieties as the tension in her muscles began to relax. She tilted her head back, breathing in the steam, clearing her sinuses as she exhaled slowly, relieving the tension that had been building up over the past few days. Although normally she spent most of her waking days trekking through the rough terrain, the recent incidents since she and Sigma were deployed, was something she was not entirely used to. On contrary, she invested most of her tactics by avoiding the Locusts and Stranded if avoidance could be had…but there is something else that is amiss.

Thoughts continued to race through her head, recalling the conversation she had with the Harpies, trying to piece together the events that have been unfolding during their mission.

Running through her mental notes over and over, Raven attempted to piece it all together but she couldn't make any sense of the puzzle, only speculations that just so happen to fit the facts. But that wasn't enough for her, for none of it made little sense. Why would the Harpies willingly let the Gears go? That was the question that troubled her the most.

The matriarch Tamar was known for her brutality, especially when it concerned the COG. Raven knew that the hard woman seldom entertained Gears, or men in general for that matter, if at all. It was long rumored that Tamar was a repercussion of a failed experiment that attributed to her spite, but none of the Feral would ever speak of it otherwise. It was as if any correlation concerning Tamar's beginnings and early whereabouts was quickly brushed under the rug to be piled on the heap of hypocrisy.

As Raven understood it in grammar school, it wasn't uncommon, back in the day when people would receive subsidies if they volunteered to be subjects in individual studies, whether they were by legal means or not. Some of those studies unfortunately went as far as exploiting their subjects, performing experiments that were deemed inhumane, which lead to an extensive chain of events, followed by lawsuits and for some, criminal charges. Raven never really knew what happened to Tamar during her trials, but one thing was for sure, she gave the Feral the bad rap for being malicious, brutal, and cruel.

Although there have been other militant clans, the Harpies were by far the most ruthless, especially when it concerned males. It wasn’t unheard of for the Harpy Breeders to abandon their male infants shortly after birth, stressing their strict matriarchal ethos. While most clans would raise their sons to be self-reliant, eventually the males would be sent out from the clan by the age of thirteen to avoid “inbreeding.” In fact, some of the wandering Feral males, whom were given the nickname “Lost Boys” by the COG, were often drafted into either the UIR or COG military, mostly because they were already, for the most part, conditioned for warfare; but they were never killed off because of their gender. It was this selective infanticide that the Council of Matriarchs detested the most concerning the Harpies, and had since excommunicated the clan and stripping Tamar of her place amongst the Council. Needless to say, this did not settle well with Tamar, and had since shut all contact with the other clans.

It was something Raven has heard many times from her Reverend Mother, Paroux, an elderly woman whom, before she chose to pursue a life of wisdom, was once a fierce, tyrant herself. However, the elder woman learned long ago that only wrath could lead to inevitable destruction and that ties with the governments must one day be reconciled if the human race was to ever survive the impending holocaust. But how can we accomplish this if we are betrayed by our own, and for what purpose? Raven felt the tension, strong enough to quickly notice that Tamar did not like their alliance with the COG, but how long had she known about it?

Soaking in the warmth of the water, she couldn't help but to recollect the notes she read from Damon's journal. She recalled, before Jacinto's destruction, that the Locusts were advancing out of desperation from another threat, something called, the Lambent. Raven knew that the sinking of Jacinto was a huge blow on the Locust war machine, but something didn't seem right about it. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she felt that maybe Baird had the right idea, that their last ditch effort to destroy their only refuge may have been in vain.

As she slowly exhaled, she shoved her thoughts to the wayside for now and began to focus on relaxing. The stinging sensation from her wound eventually faded as Raven leaned her head back and moaned at ease, only for the moment to suddenly go sour as she turned to the footsteps of someone entering the area. She peered through the rising steam, only to notice of all people, Baird, trudging down to the shore, cussing under his breath. He came to a stop to stand on the shore with his hands set firmly on hips. Ugh, what implacable timing! What the hell does he want now?

"You were going through my journal, weren't you..." he barked.

Raven dropped her hands in annoyance as she turned her focus in his direction, responding bluntly,

"Yea…so?"

"****, you're really are something else…how'd you like it if I started rummaging through your sh*t?"

"Wait a minute…you have been consistently "picking at my brain" for the past three days and now, all of a sudden, you get little miffed when I read notes from your journal? Are you for real?"

"That's my personal journal, goddamnit!"

"...and now you have the audacity to come here and complain? It just couldn't wait until after my bath to talk about this?"

"Hell yea, I'm addressing this now…before you take off on me!"

"Where in the hell am I going to go in this freezing weather, Baird, especially with this open gash on my ass, which you have yet to fix, by the way!"

"Well then get out so I can fix it! Believe it or not, I would like to go to sleep sometime, especially since it's your turn to keep watch!"

Raven growled, realizing if she didn't get out, he may never fix her wound, that jerkoff! She moved closer to the shore as the steam rose around her, exposing her upper torso that was visible above the water.

"Fine, I'll get out…" Raven growled, glaring him down, "…now, do you mind?"

Baird stood there with his arms crossed as a smirk swelled at the corner of his mouth. He shrugged,

"No, not really," he said as matter-of-fact. It's not like she'd be the first woman I ever saw naked…

Raven curled her lip in aggravation, oh, so we're going to play this little game are we? Fine!

Without a comeback or a gesture, Raven started to march out of the water, not the least bit conscientious about exposing her bare lady bits as she stomped out of the water and onto the shore, passing him up without pause, making a b-line to her pile of clothes and armor.

Baird stood there as he turned to look her over, raising a brow, surprised that she actually exposed herself without indignity. Well, sh*t…that backfired…but hey, at least I got a look.

The faint light coming from the dimming flare illuminated the water still clinging to her skin, accenting her pale toned body. The musculature that protruded down her back to her calves would contort as she knelt down and twisted along her slender her waist, searching diligently for her velvet, ceremonial garment in her pile of clothes and armor. Huffing under her breath, Baird could tell that she was getting irritated, which only made her even more enticing, in an odd, peculiar way. She's kinda cute when she's pissed. Baird finally had to break the awkward moment as he sighed and then interrupted her frantic search,

"Are you looking for this?" he said as he held up her ceremonial garb for her to see.

"How…why do you have my clothes, Damon?"

"Quid pro quo…" he sneered.

"Can it wait till after I get dressed?"

"You should have thought about that before you got outta the pool, " Baird mused. Raven could only flash him a foul look, knowing that she could probably kick him in the balls from where she stood, but wasn’t quite sure if he had his groin guard on or not. F***ing Gear armor!

"What…” he frolicked, “…are you embarrassed about me seeing you naked?"

"Is there a reason I should be?" she sneered back, "…or are you not mature enough to handle it?"

Baird stood there as her words wrestled in his head, realizing she was turning the discussion in her favor real quick. Not wanting to give her the benefit of dominating their conversation, he quickly changed the subject by getting to the nitty gritty portion of their little chat.

"Answer me this…why did the Harpies let us go? As I recall, the Feral are very strict about imposing visitors, especially with the egotistical, chauvinistic, Gear pigs…"

The question caught Raven slightly off guard, not realizing that Baird had some insight on Feral history, culture and their relations with the COG, to many of which were not constructive ones. She turned her gaze to the ground as she shrugged her shoulders, rubbing her arms to warm up her exposed skin from the crisp air. Baird could tell that grew nervous anytime when the Harpies were mentioned; in fact, she's been on edge ever since we left the clan.

After contemplating for a moment, Raven looked back up, finding the confidence to tackle Baird’s question,

"I had to give them something for escorting you safely into their camp. I…used Vinny as collateral, to express our intentions…"

It was in that moment that Baird realized that she must have given them some information in exchange for their lives. What else could she have possibly given them that would remotely equal the Gears in value?

"What did you tell them?" Baird asked without being sarcastic.

"Quid pro quo, Damon," Raven said, turning the tables over before she gave away her leverage. She could see Baird's brow droop over his eyes, giving her a suspicious glare, but his expression softened as he dropped his arms and started to lean against the ledge of a nearby boulder. Folding his arms with her garment still in his hand, he responded with a sigh,

"Go on…"

"You've been trying to salvage Locust paraphernalia for quite some time. Apparently you have some key insight into their language and civilization…with that said, do you know why they are advancing on the human race…does it have something to do with the one's they call, the Lambent?"

Baird chuckled to himself, realizing that she had been hacking into their classified archives concerning Locust intel; clever b****. He looked down for a moment, collecting his thoughts before redirecting his gaze back to her as he replied,

"From what I have gathered, the Lambent has been advancing on the Locusts territory…which has led us to believe, as of now, that this may be the reason the Locusts were advancing to the surface."

Raven's pale blue eyes widened, as if an epiphany just spurred into her head. She crossed her arms, subtly covering her swollen bosoms as she slowly knelt down, attempting to take a seat. She leaned to one side, keeping her legs together to avoid showing off her girly bits while trying to avoid sitting directly on her gash. Sitting up on her side, she pulled her legs in, reaching over and grabbing her fatigues as she propped it up over her breasts to keep them warm.

Baird almost found the whole thing amusing as he watched her trying to be discreet, but continued on with their discussion, using his own leverage.
"Ok, your turn…" he coaxed her, "…so, what did you tell them?"

Raven stared at him for a moment, coming to terms with the scathing she was going to get in return.

"I told them about the COG whereabouts…that Jacinto's remnant is going to be relocated to Vectus Island."

Baird's jaw dropped, as if she just let a big cat out of the bag for the whole world to see. Raven could feel the singe burning from his pale eyes as he just stood there with his brow, hanging heavily over his face. He began to scratch his head, shuffling his blonde hair before he dropped his arm in exasperation,

"So now they know where our new headquarters is going to be located," he griped, and Raven confirmed,

"Yes,"

"F***."

An awkward wall of silence was quickly bricked up, filling in the emotional gap that neither really wanted to reveal at the moment. The mood was suspended somewhere in the steam, threading along the shore as the air intertwined between the masses.

But whatever anger that festered in Baird's head, something compelled him not to take it out on Raven. Though he tried, Baird couldn't find anything to blame Raven for what happened. If she didn't reveal any information to the Harpies, they may not have lived to see the next day. It was this fact that he couldn't really argue against.

His only card that he had to play now was the fact she was, literally, a cyber-pirate. But what was he going to do about that, apprehend her until they got back to the Block...and that’s if they ever got back to Fort Block. The only immediate leverage he had now was her clothes in his possession.

"Was that the real reason they let us go?" he insisted.

"I, don't…" Raven began but suddenly held her tongue before she found the words to carefully explain, "…really know, as of yet."

"What other reason could it possibly be?"

"That there was something of value for sparing our lives…but I don't know of any reason why we would have been any value to them, so…I'm…not entirely sure."

After watching her demeanor, he could tell she wasn't lying. He knew that she was a bad liar, so anything that he asked at this point was cut and dry, whether it would be for better or for worst.

But something else came to mind that was lingering in the back of his head ever since they left the camp. He didn't think to ask it before, but what the hell…it's not like it's going to get me into any more trouble than I'm probably already in.

"Ok, remember back…at the Feral camp…" he started, somewhat apprehensive, but there was no turning back now, "…I asked you to kiss my bruise that you left on my leg, which I'm still waiting for you to do, by the way…"

Raven rolled her eyes,

"I'm not kissing your damn leg…you earned that," Raven snorted, but despite her shrewdness, he continued,

"…instead of addressing my leg, you kissed me on the mouth instead."

He looked at her as she tilted her head in suspicion. Baird continued,

"What… brought you to…I don't know…do that?"

Raven's demeanor softened slightly as her eyes glared down for a moment, for the words to finally surface and perhaps satisfy his curiosity,

"The breeders were eyeing you for potential. I had to make it look like that you were "taken" in order to…prevent them from using you, which would consequently may have led to your destruction."

Baird's eyes widened in shock. He had no idea that the breeders where contemplating having relations with him.

"Wait…why…would they kill me…but let Vinny go free...that's makes absolutely no sense to me!"

"Well, gee Baird, why don't you read in between the lines…your kinda overly opinionated, and believe me when I say they would have done some things to you that would have thrown you for a loop…they would not tolerate your big mouth!"

Baird lifted an eyebrow as he started to chuckle,

"But you did…"

"Say what?"

"I think you heard me," he smiled as he noticed that he was getting under her skin again.

"I think you actually enjoyed it…practice my ass, you just wanted to get a piece of me."

"I wanted you to shut up, because, apparently kicking you didn't do the job!"

"Oh, so you’re going to sit here and tell me that you kissed me, just so you could get me to be quiet…is that what I'm supposed to believe?"

Raven carefully got up as she threw her fatigues to the wayside and marched over to Baird. He watched her in amusement, wondering what she was going to do now, but before he could get a word in, she stopped right in front of him as she gave him a menacing glare,

"Well, I would say it worked, didn't it," she sneered as she quickly snatched her garment from his grasp, and then turned around to march back to her clothes pile.

With his esteem now cupped in her cold, little hands, she started to twist at it, mercilessly.

"…and just so you know, before your ego gets ahead of yourself, I've had better."

Ouch, that was low, Baird thought to himself as he watched her put on her velvet attire. He really couldn't tell if she was just saying that to get back at him for something he did, or if she really meant it. Who else has she been lip locking with? She's bluffing…

"Oh, c'mon…with you being out and about, away from society, where did you ever find the convenience of kissing guys at random?"

"I have my sources…and why do you care?"

Raven finished putting on her ceremonial garb as she glared at him with her hands on her hips. As thoughts festered in her head, she started to really dig into the heart of the matter,

"Oh, so, are you insinuating that we're supposed to, fall in love, and then f***," she sneered as Baird's expression turned into a bleak dribble, "...or are we supposed to run away someplace for a brief time...and then f***, is that how it’s supposed to happen?"

"I wasn't trying to insinuate anything...you were the one who kissed me, so you tell me how it's supposed to be."

"You were the one who asked…and don't try to sugarcoat it now, Gear boy, because if you weren't curious about it, then you wouldn't have asked!"

"Ya know...ok, yea, I was curious...but don't start jumping to conclusions,"

"Of course not Baird, because that would have been a really tall order for you, Oh no, she might actually like me...oh, I better change the tide so she doesn't think I'm coming across as desperate...oh, we can't have that now, can we. Gee Baird, is it any wonder women hate you!"

"Ok, now that was below the belt!"

"Oh, I’m sorry, did I hit a sore spot?"

Baird's face was starting to scowl as the words just added more fuel to the fire.

"It's not funny when people say something that's asinine and insensitive, isn't it..."

"Are you finished?" Baird scoffed, his brow now drooped into a menacing glare. Impressed with herself, Raven backed off as she continued to rummage through her things, not giving the conversation another chance to be saved. What the hell for…we've hurt each other enough with the things we wanted to say…but as always, Raven had to have the last word,

"...and just so you know, I wasn't implying that I just go around, kissing guys at random."

Baird's expression shifted as the conversation took a turn that could work to his advantage, "...and you never did...did you...until recently."

He gave her a condescending grin as she just glared at him, her brow slumped down over her eyes, looking at him intensely as if she was going to burn a hole in his head.

"Ok, this discussion is officially over…" she barked just before she knelt down, cringing in the process from the pain in her glute.

Baird started to chuckle at her , whom was trying to just shut him out. Completely amused by her defiance, he decided to give the banter a rest for the moment as he attempted to pull himself together. Baird suddenly changed the subject to salvage what they were discussing earlier before they pissed each other off to the point that neither would have anything nice to say at all.

"So, with that said…who has been following us?"

At last, it came down to this. Oh, so now he wants to talk about this again? Raven sighed as her eyes moved from side to side, as if she was trying to be discreet, and yet despite the quarrels they have had over the past few days, the mission was still a priority to her. She responded mildly,

"Another Feral…has been tracking us."

Suddenly, some of the pieces were coming together.

"Say what?" Baird blurted out in shock.

"I believe a Feral has been keeping a watch on us…as to why, I'm not sure. I speculate that the Harpies may be involved."

Baird hung onto her words, giving her his complete audience as Raven's suspicions pulsed in his brain.

"How did you figure this, Rav?"

"I know how scout's operate, Baird. I'm the best at it, remember?" she conveniently reminded him, "…I really didn't start to notice until after we discovered Gamma Four…and after our, encounter with the Harpies, I was able to put the two together. I believe she has been conspiring with them."

"Conspire to do, what?"

"I'm…not sure as of yet…all I know is I'm not sure who to trust anymore. Ever since our, stay with the clan...this is the first time I felt out of place, within my own kind. I was so focused on trying to keep you guys from, literally, mortal danger. I feel that I may have missed a lot of details that could have...maybe, prevented some things."

Raven started to rub her arms to stay warm as she knelt down to take a seat. Her demeanor shifted , getting lost in thoughts while trying to make sense of things she wasn't sure she was ready to deal with. It was one thing to sniff out a ruse, but it was another thing to uncover betrayal.

Baird didn't know what to tell her, and even if he did, he didn't know how to say it without being either brutally honest or lying sympathetically. This was not the kind of thing he knew how to do, much less do well, but he didn't want Raven to fall into a state of despair either. It was then that it suddenly dawned on him, sh*t, I need to stitch her gash.

Baird sighed, "Wait here…I need to get some bandages…and some stimulants, so I can fix your stitches."

Raven nodded slightly, still keeping her gaze to the ground as Baird marched up towards the camp near his pile of armor and leg packs. He quickly grabbed the one with the medical supplies and antibiotics. Swinging it over his shoulder, he marched back to where he left Raven.

The flare was nearly expended as Baird pulled out another flare and quickly lit it up, placing it on the ground near the shore as he took a seat next to Raven.

"Lemme guess…I'm going to have to roll on my stomach again, right?" she groaned, knowing she was going to have to endure this unnerving ordeal all over again.

"Unless you want me to do this standing up…" Baird rhetorically responded. Raven gave out a slight chuckle, finding some amusement with his view of things. He looked up at her for a moment, realizing that she just laughed, something that was so few and in between with her.

It had been awhile since he last saw her even remotely smile, and when she did, it was a sight for sore eyes. With each smirk or grin, Raven's cheeks would beam with a brilliance that only poets would dare to describe. Baird could still envision the subtlety of her face when her lips parted as she laughed. It was something he meant to one day put on paper, but never got around to it.

Raven proceeded to lie on her stomach while Baird was pulling out a small bottle of antiseptic and a syringe. Raven looked over her shoulder, wondering what he was going to do.

"What's the syringe for?"

"I need to give you something to avoid a possible infection…that and it's also a pain med. This should help make hiking a lot more comfortable…that and I'm tired of watching you limp."

Raven groaned as she rested her head on her arms.

"What, you don't like needles?" Baird frolicked at her expense.

"Do you?" she rebuked.

"Well, now that you mentioned it…not really. And speaking of which…"

"What?"

Before Raven could even comprehend what he was getting at, Baird dropped the needle into her other glute. Raven let out a faint squeal, conscientious about alerting the others over a syringe being shot in her butt.

"Sh*t, Damon…you could have warned me!"

"I could have…but then you would have tensed up and I would've had to really dig to get this in you. Besides, at least I can say I made you squeal with a little prick."

"Ok, the playful banter is getting old…seriously.”

"Why, am I actually getting to you?"
"What is there to get, Baird?"

"…ok, I guess you gotta point…but still, you’re kinda cute when you get mad."

"Well, I'll be sure to mention that to the matchmaker!"

Baird let out a slight chuckle, somewhat amused with Raven’s dry sense of humor.

"Don't you be laughing when you're sewing me up…" Raven reminded him as he prepared the needle and thread.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop," said Baird in between chuckles, "…just…give me a few seconds."

Taking a rag, he moistens it with the antiseptic and started to wipe the wound down through the tear in her garment that he left from last time. Raven tensed up from the sting as she tried to take deep breaths before slowly exhaling.

Baird began working the thread in the needle while Raven let out a sigh, somewhat dozing in and out from exhaustion. It had been a long day.

Straddling his legs, he climbed over her thighs, sitting slightly and leaning down to get a better look at what he was doing.

"You ready?"

"Sigh, not really…" Raven replied bluntly. She could hear Baird let an out a light snicker as he proceeded to sew the gash back up. At this point, her bum was surprisingly numb; the medication must have kicked in. It then dawned on her that the medication may be contributing to her exhaustion. Damn…it was my turn to keep the night watch.

"Uh, Damon…I think…"

"Relax, Rav…if you're dozing off, don't fight it, geez," he said. He looked up and noticed that she was rather drowsy. Her body started to relax as her shoulders drooped down to the floor and the arch in her back laxed. Baird was just relieved that she finally got some rest. She had been a nervous wreck since their encounter with the Harpies, and she hadn’t been in the best of condition since her injury. Hopefully, the painkiller will loosen her up.

The air in the cave was settling for the night as the steam from the spring hovered over the shore. The campfire was completely extinguished, which left the flare the only source of illumination left, still burning brightly.

Baird finished gathering the wound as he tied the string into a taut knot, hoping she won't break it again. After he finished, he leaned over to her fatigues and gently pulled it over her body as Raven snored peacefully in a deep slumber. He gathered himself up to move over next to her equipment, setting his med pack to the side and pulled out his journal.

He opened it up, looking though his notes and then turned over to a blank page. Placing his pencil in between is teeth, he leaned over to her heap of armor as he rummaged around and pulled out her journal. Leaning back against another rock, he placed her journal on one side while resting his own on his leg.

Pondering to himself, he looked up over to the sleeping Feral, succumbed under the weight of a mission that was supposed take no longer than a day. Baird couldn't help to wonder what was driving Raven to keep them alive. Knowing that she could no longer trust some of the other Feral, he could only imagine how lost she must feel to spend most of her existence fighting for a cause she once believed in, is now pulled out from under her.

If they could locate and report the Stranded militia before they advanced, it would be the end of a perfect week as far as the Gears was concerned, but for Raven, it probably wasn't going to end well for her at all…and it was this that concerned him the most.

Chapter 28: The Gallant Will Emerge

This chapter has been rewritten several times as I was trying to somewhat bring in hints of the overall background plot into the dialogue while not revealing too much, keeping the reader guessing of what may happen upto the very end.

As always, feedback is welcome.

[Jay the Arbiter]

Still gathering up my thoughts, but the chapters i've read so far seem fine, great even.

Unfortunatly, i've done what i did with S1lent RIP's "Childen of War" fic and started reading it half way through. *Slaps self*

I think really, my only complaint is that the Locust come across as a bit weedy (or easily foiled) but that's just me.

Keep going!

[Jonesybites]

Still gathering up my thoughts, but the chapters i've read so far seem fine, great even.

Unfortunatly, i've done what i did with S1lent RIP's "Childen of War" fic and started reading it half way through. *Slaps self*

I think really, my only complaint is that the Locust come across as a bit weedy (or easily foiled) but that's just me.

Keep going!

Well, I have been basing the chronological events following "Jacinto's Remnant," which insinuated that the Locusts where for the most part hanging by a few threads so I kinda had to "guess" on the condition of the Locust war machine and their involvement, which is why the confrontations have been patchy. The book doesn't even mention the Locusts at all so I was under the insinuation that the conflict would involve squables with the Stranded, but the book turned out to be a dissapointment concerning the events thereof.

Granted the action has been sporadic but things really pick up inthe end when Sigma finds what they're looking for, and it just goes down hill from there.

[SKORGE]

Don't mind me just yet, reading along. Didn't want to miss out on this one Jonesy!

[Jonesybites]

The next Intermission follows this chapter. The plot will really start to pick up after the next chapter.

Chapter 28: The Gallant Will Emerge


"Damon…"

…a voice could be heard from nearby,

"…Damon, c'mon get up, time for school."

"Ugh, five more minutes, mom…please?"

His eyes fluttered, opening and closing as he peered at his blaring alarm clock, screaming at him to wake up. He lifted his arm to slap the snooze button and drifted back into slumber.

His mother finally walked in, trying to avoid stepping on his assortment of pet projects scattered abroad as she yanked the covers from his flaccid body, still wearing the clothes he wore the day before.

"Argh, mom, gimme five more minutes," he groaned some more.

"It's twenty after, you're already running late, so suck it up and go shower…and your breakfast is waiting. Maybe next time you won't stay up so late tinkering with your airplane!" she barked.

A ten-year-old Damon Baird groaned as he slowly dropped one leg at a time off of his bed while trying not to knock down the collection of motorized parts accumulating on his nightstand. He spent majority of his evenings working on his RC plane, trying to configure the radio frequency so it could fly further than its original design intended it to. With school taking up a good chunk of his day while the family trips soaked up most of the weekend, it left only weekday nights for him to get anything done.

So he spent most of his spare time ever since he was seven years of age, when daddy would actually let him use a solder, taking apart and reconstructing anything motorized. Damon had begged his dad to get him a more advanced model for his birthday; a custom fitted plane model that was almost worth as much as a mid-size car.

But his father would only agree to the purchase if Damon obligated himself to take up more "physical" hobbies outside of school. So every season, his father would drag him to the play field where all the ball games were being held, forcing Damon to be a team player, which needless to say wasn’t Baird’s better qualities.

Although Damon would think back to his childhood days, he seldom mentioned it. His only hobbies that he had any passion for was his mechanical projects, where he would spend countless hours after dark tinkering with them until he was so exhausted, he would crash where he worked. It wasn't uncommon to find him asleep in his work chair with his head on the desk, next to his tools, or sprawled out on his bedroom floor in his school clothes.

"C'mon Damon, get up…"

"Ah, mom, just five more minutes,"

"Damon get up,"

Damon…

"Hey Damon, get up man," he could hear Cole’s looming voice.

Cole was shaking him vigorously out of his slumber, waking hi from his dream state. Baird slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes as he tried to remember exactly where he was. His memories of home were still fresh in his brain as he looked around to see nothing but a cold, dreary cave.

"Damn, man, you were out like a light…everyone is waiting for you man," said Cole as the light from the cave entrance peered on the wall next to them, glistening on the snow, blinding Baird's eyes.

"Ugh…damn, what time is it?" Baird groaned, shielding his eyes from the light.

"It's nine, baby,"

"NINE, s***, why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

"We tried…like I said, you was out!"

Baird proceeded to roll over onto all fours, shaking his head as he gradually stood up, stretching his arms and torso while letting out a massive yawn. He looked around with groggy eyes, trying to find his chest plate, shoulder guards, and goggles.

"Hey…I got yo stuff right here," Cole gestured while Baird looked up, peering into Cole's direction, watching Cole hold up his goggles.

Baird sighed, "Thanks…just…give me, a minute," he mumbled as Cole handed his goggles. Shuffling his tattered blonde hair, Baird placed his goggles back on his head, feeling his partially grown whiskers begin to take root all over his face. Damn, I need to shave.

"You alright, man?" Cole asked.

"Yea…why do you ask?" Baird responded as he put on his utility belt.

"You just seem…out of it."

"C'mon, Cole, you know I'm not a morning person."

"Yea, well it's not like you to oversleep and miss breakfast either."

"I missed…aw, s***! Is there anything left?"

"Yea…Feral saved some for ya."

"Great."

Baird finished up with his armor, strapping his leg pack to his thigh before loading up his weapons. Cole leaned over to slap him on the shoulder plate,

"C'mon…we gotta move.”

"Yea, yea, I'm comin."

As Cole and Baird make it out of the warm cave, Baird looked up to see Sven leaning against a boulder, polishing the barrel of his rifle with a rag. He looked up at the weary-eyed Corporal, putting his rifle down to hand Baird a bag of trail mix and some of the Feral's Kryll jerky. Ugh, not this **** again.

"Feral said to give this to you when you woke up," Sven replied.

Baird took the bag and opened it up, nibbling on the contents as he looked around to find Raven nowhere in sight. Aw s***…where'd she go now? I hope this wasn't from last night…ok, now my head hurts.

He ate his breakfast slowly, not relishing much of an appetite as his mind wandered, bouncing between the dreams he had last night and his discussion the evening before that ended on weird terms.

He tried to change the atmosphere in his own consciousness as he directed his focus to the problem at hand.

"Ok, now where did Feral go?" Baird asked.

"She got up early to check out our trail…" Cole replied, "…and something about watching out for a lookout party."

"A lookout party?" Baird blurted out in puzzlement. Cole just shrugged before he wrapped his stiff blanket around his shoulders, the same blanket he had been using for the past few days.

"How long ago did she leave?" Baird asked.

"Since seven," Cole responded.

"...but she got up at six," Sven added, trying to be helpful.

"You mean to tell me she's been out for over two hours…and you hadn't heard back from her since?" Baird ranted.

"Uh…yea," Cole replied, perplexed by Baird's demeanor, "…and this bothers you, why?"

"Maybe she went to make sure there were no Locust outposts out there that we didn't know about…or maybe she had to use the bathroom," Sven commented further.

"For two whole f***ing hours, Vinny?" Baird griped.

"Like you should talk, Baird! I remember Dom would b**** constantly about you hogging the can for almost an hour…reading your techie journals!" Cole barked.

"That's because it was the only place of privacy that I could find in the whole f***ing base…and did it ever occur to you people that she may have left our sorry asses to rot out in this s***?"

"Now why would she do that? Wait…did you piss her off last night or something?"

"What, no…not…exactly,"

"Whata ya mean, not exactly?"

"Look, we just talking about the Feral camp we were at the other night…and I went ahead and fixed Rav's stitches."

Cole gave Baird the look of suspicion as Baird's conscience fumbled with the words to explain why he was up so late. If there was a moment Damon wanted to put a bag over his head and call it a day, this was it. F***!

But fate would save Baird's ass once again as the three could hear the faint noise of footsteps coming near the cave as they turned over to the slope nearby to see Raven trudging uphill through the knee-deep snow. She finally staggered to the cave entrance where they were waiting for her return.

"Oh good…you're finally up," said Raven, still panting for air, "…I've got some good news…and bad. So what…do you want…to hear first?"
Without missing a beat, the three blurted out in unison,

"Bad."

Raven let out a heavy sigh to catch her breath before she stood up again, gathering her mental notes.

"Ok…bad news. I may have figured out where all the Locusts are gathering at."

"Ok, so this pertains to us, how?" Baird blurted out before thinking ahead, coming to realize what the news really implied, "wait…this camp is nearby, isn't it?"

"Hello…yes Damon," Raven sneered.

"F***!" Baird blurted out.

"Alright, cool it Damon…so what's the good news?' Cole asked.

"We may be able to go back the way we came," she said.

"Wait…you mean we get take the shorter route to the end of the Stranded campsite?" Baird beamed in enthusiasm.

"Very possibly…I have scoured the area to look for any recent tracks but found none…so, we may be able to get there before dark if we leave now."

"Aw, sweet," said Sven.

"So what are we waitin’ for?" Cole got antsy.

"Let's go then," Raven gestured as she turned back around towards the slope. The three Gears follow her lead.

For the first time in a few days, the sun started to shine through the clouds, illuminating its light on the path ahead of them. The four travelers could feel the sun as their armor absorbed its warmth, basking in the heat radiating from the white snow. Visibility was the clearest it had been in weeks, ever since the air was littered with the Frost's haze, filled with its chilling resonance. They were able to pick up details in the scenery they never could make out before, including the details they recognized on the way back to where they changed course.

As they climbed up the slope to the side of the mountain just on the edge of the forest, Raven perched herself up on a boulder, gesturing,

"Over there…in that direction," she pointed. Sven climbed up to her position while Baird and Cole stayed near the ledge beside the boulder.

"You mean down into that valley?" Sven asked.

"Yes…we hike just around the mountain…and then the Stranded settlement will be in scope visibility," she replied.

"Sweet…did you hear that, guys?"

"Yea, Vinny…we heard." Baird muttered.

"I can't believe we've actually made it…assuming nothing else comes up," Cole assessed.

"C'mon Gus, don't jinx it!" Baird was quick to remind him.

"Sorry man, but all this hiking is getting’ old."

Baird couldn't agree less.

"Yea, and I'm sure I'm speaking for everyone here when I say I'm getting tired of wiping my ass with pine cones."

"Amen to that!" Cole added.

"Yea, well it hurts more for me that it does you guys," Raven grumbled.

"What, you don't drip dry?" Baird gloated in amusement at Raven's expense. Instead of snapping back, Raven gave the flak a rest and just turned over her shoulder to give Baird the finger. Baird just snickered at Raven's gesture.

They had been wandering in the wilderness for over four days, dodging snowstorms, getting shot at by Locusts, frisked by the Feral, only to locate and report a Stranded militia when and if they ever got back to Fort Block. Why are we doing this again?

Baird lifted up his goggles from his eyes as he peered up to Sven and Raven.

"How long will it take to hike in visibility range?" Baird asked.

"It's a two hour hike at most," she replied.

"Damn…the day will be close to done before we get there Rav. I hope there's another place nearby that we can stay for the night."

"Of course, Corporal…"

Baird gave Raven a sour look,

"What I'd tell you about calling me that," he reminded her, waiting for her to respond, but she only flashed a grin shortly before dislodging from the boulder.

"Aw, man…we gotta stay out in this s*** another night? Damn, I'm starting to miss the guys back at Farrall…no offense Feral," said Cole.

"None taken…if nothing else happens, we should be able to wrap this up by tomorrow," said Raven.

"Well, let's get this over with." Baird mumbled. Raven nodded while Sven joined them by hiking down from the boulder. Raven then moved towards the path between the mountain and the forest, walking down the slope through knee-deep snow. While Cole and Sven basked in chitchat to pass the time, Baird moved up next to Raven, picking up his legs before he finally caught up to her. Geez, she must be doing better today. He soon noticed that she was back to moving at an even pace again, not limping or lagging behind.

"Alright, I'm going to have to ask, so...are you holding up ok?" he asked out of curiosity when he caught up to her.

Raven turned to over to look at him, somewhat bemused that he asked.

"Yea…I mean...well, considering…I think the stuff you gave me last night worked."

"I'll say! You crashed within five minutes when I gave it to you."

"Seriously?"

"Yep. You were out."

Raven turned her gaze forward, somewhat smiling, not realizing that Baird caught a glimpse of it. Yea, she's in a lot better mood.

"So, you're not pissed at me for last night?"

Raven chuckled in amusement while Baird lifted a brow, wondering what was so funny.

"I never said that," she smirked. Baird rolled his eyes, knowing that she was finding amusement at his expense. But he didn't say anything back nor tried to get the last word in. Raven continued on, waiting for him to say something bombastic, but nothing came. If Raven could ever muster concern for Baird, this was it.

"Now, are you alright?" she asked as he quickly turned to her, somewhat startled that she would even ask.

"Uh, I guess…why do you ask?"

"Because you're out of it. It's not like you…normally you're a lot b****ier than this."

Baird started to rub his sinuses between his eyes as he loosened the pressure that had been building up since morning.

"I didn't…sleep well, last night…that, and I have a sinus headache."

"You stayed up last night, didn't you," Raven quickly jumped to conclusions, wondering if his plight had anything to do with what they talked about the night before. But instead of giving her an answer, Baird just turned and asked,

"Do you still have that bottle of ibuprofen with ya?"

Raven sighed, "Yea, just…give me a minute."

Raven turned over to rummage through her pack. As she pulled out the bottle, Cole and Sven managed to catch up to them as Cole started to yak.

"Ok, so what are you guys, chattin’ about now?"

"C'mon Cole, I'm just getting some meds."

"What, your head hurtin?"

Baird groaned, "…Yea."

Raven turned over to Baird to hand him the bottle.

"Ok Feral, so what's up with Damon?" Cole persisted.

"He just has a headache, Cole…and he mentioned he didn't sleep well last night. Nothing more dramatic than that…you can give Sven his twenty bucks back."

"Whoohoo…now I'm ten ahead," Sven beamed while Cole grumbled.

Baird looked up in astonishment,

"Wait, what…ten ahead…what the hell Cole?"

"Yea, Vinny's ahead," Cole admitted.

"What the hell did you…" Baird stops mid-sentence before he realized what he was getting himself into, "…you know what, my head hurts too damn much to be dealing with this s*** right now!"

"Yea, well that's alright…I'll read about it in yo journal later," Cole chuckled. Baird could only growl to himself, knowing that Cole was pretty talented at figuring out his more internal conflicts and protégés. As the four continue on, Sven and Raven continued to talk while Cole and Baird hung behind, listening to random conversation.

"Man…I miss Gwen's homemade honey rolls," Sven lamented.

"Honey rolls? Man, when do you ever get to eat honey rolls…and who's Gwen?" Cole acknowledged.

"Gwen is his older sister, Gus." Raven answered.

"Aw, for real?"

"Yea…and every time I got on leave, she would make me some honey rolls…enough to take back with me for a few days," Sven pondered, remembering back when he would visit his sister in Jacinto.

"Hey Vinny…yo sister, is she, uh…single?" Cole tried to ask discreetly. Raven couldn’t help but to laugh.

"Geez, Cole…you've only heard about this girl for, not even, five minutes…"

"Ah, give Gus a break…" Baird interrupted, "…it's not like we get a lot of "down" time to socialize with the local ladies. Ya gotta get em in when the chance arises."

"Hehe…I heard that!" Cole chuckled as the two Gears clamped fists.

"Yea, I remember back at the town square, they would make us recruits host the dances," Sven recalled.

"Dances…" Baird groaned, "…where the hell were we at when they had "dances?"

"Damn, no kiddin…they had some social gatherings and we weren’t invited…man, that's low," Cole complained.

"Well, you guys did mention you were always out on missions…and I assumed they preferred their more experienced soldiers on the front line," Raven analyzed.

"That may have been the case…doesn't mean it was right," Baird grumbled.

"Of course not, Baird. I can't imagine the COG not letting you go out dancing, getting plastered, and hiding the rainbow roll…" Raven continued to relish in mockery, "…that's just wrong."

"Damn right it is…they don't let me do anything. They won't even let me get close to a blow torch anymore, much less going out and getting some tail."

"Oh, sniffle…" Raven gloated in mockery, "…I can't see straight because of the tears in my eyes."

Raven reveled at Baird's predicament. He tilted his head in astonishment before spoke openly,

"Ya know…why am I taking this crap from someone who has never hit an orgasm?"

"That's not true," Raven blurted out without thinking. Oh wait…did I just say that out loud? F***!

The three Gears looked up in astonishment after Raven's sudden outburst that went a little further than she meant to insinuate it. There was no turning back now, the cat was already out of the bag.

"Uh, so…you've, uh," Sven tried to ask discreetly, but was failing miserably, until Baird said it even more bluntly,

"Aha! So, you've been basking in the garden, touching the forbidden fruit…whoe, man, I could go all day with this little tidbit!"

"I'll say,” Cole jumped in, "…gotta pet the kitty!"

"…and sweeten up the sugared almond…"

"Alright! Enough…yes! I admit it!" Raven barked, "…I just don't understand why it has to be such a damn, big deal?"

"So…Feral…how do you bump the carpet?" Baird frolicked.

"Why should I tell you…" Raven sneered, "…in fact, why should I even entertain this subject to you at all?"

"Because we're guys, Feral…this is what makes the world go round. Every guy dreams watching a chick rinsing her cock holster" Baird mused as Cole continued,

"Yea baby…somebody's gotta polish those pretty pearls…"

"...and sit back and watch the teaser trailer."

Raven gawked at Baird's frankness.

"Why am I taking suggestions from a guy who can't even find the remote control!"

Cole and Sven bust out laughing.

"Whoa…you got so told…" Sven snorted.

Baird curled his lip as Cole busted out laughing. Raven continued,

"What, got lost trying to find the canyon, have we?" You know, I can play the devil's euphemisms too…and you get on my case about my "lack" of experience, when apparently you've spent more time buttering your corn than rocking the boat."

"Yea, well it takes a while to steer a ship than it does the little dingy, darlin," Baird sneered back. Raven returned a scolding look.

"Oooo…are you gonna take that from him, Feral?" Cole mused.

"Wow…you really are an arrogant ass," Raven sneered.

"Yep...and you wouldn't have me any other way, would ya," Baird gloated.

"Ok, we're not even going there, Baird," she snapped.

"Well, **** Feral, don't tell Baird...you can just tell me and Vinny," said Cole.

"What, no! In fact, we're dropping the subject, starting now!"

Baird started to laugh, "Aw, c'mon Feral! You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

"It is when it…" Raven began to comment as her intuition suddenly hit her, stopping her mid-sentence. She halted suddenly, turning her head forward before she abruptly knelt down with her hands on her pistols. Her sudden change in demeanor startled the Gears as they too, stopped suddenly in their tracks.

Part 2 continued on the next post...

[Jonesybites]

Second part of Chapter 28...

Her attention was fixated elsewhere as Baird looked ahead of them, kneeling down while Cole and Sven followed. Waiting for Raven to react, she merely tilted her head as if she was listening for something.

"Do you hear that?" she whispered.

The three remained silent for a moment as they could barely make out some sort of thumping sound. The three looked at each other as they try to make out what it could possibly be, until the noise became more audible.

"Oh, s***…" Baird quietly murmured, "…yea, I hear it."

Raven turned around to motion silently to the others,

"Go…" she said while making hand gestures at a massive rock heap to their left, "…stay low."

The three moved to their left as they subtly make their way over to a pile of boulders, covered in snow. They moved behind the mass of rocks, with Raven following close behind as she turned to meet up with them. She stood up from behind the boulders to peer down toward the valley. Baird moved over to her position to get a better look.

"Was that the sound of horses we just heard back there?" he quietly asked.

"Yes…but I couldn't make out the direction…I don't see anything in sight," Raven responded. Baird turned over to the others, gesturing Sven to move up to his position. Sven quietly tip-toed next to Baird,

"Vinny…give me your rifle," Baird ordered as Sven handed him his Longshot. Propping the rifle on his shoulder, Baird peered out through the scope. Raven moved out of the way and back over to Cole while Baird and Sven continued to peer out from their cover.

"What's going down?" Cole asked Raven.

"I heard what I believe to be horses…there may be Stranded nearby," she said.

"Ah, s***…which means they can pick up our tracks," Cole mentioned.

"Possibly…but we can't make out their location."

Suddenly Baird brought the rifle down and gestured to Cole and Raven to move up. The two followed suit as they moved next to Sven and Baird.

"There's three of them…on horseback, to your right," Baird informed Raven as he handed her the rifle so she could get a look through the scope. She peered through the scope and sure enough, three men on horseback were clopping through the snow.

"S***…they're going to discover our trail Damon! We can't let them," she said sternly.

The three gawked at each other to let the suggestion settle in. In all logic, they couldn't let the Stranded find their trail and report back to their camp, but how to do it, humanely was the real question. Baird removed his goggles from his forehead to rub his sinuses, delving into thought as to how they were to go about this.

"Damn…that's going to be a tough order Feral," Cole admitted.

"I know Gus…but please remember, these people have ambushed and killed your fellow squads. They may attempt to do the same with us. Letting them go would be catastrophic!"

Cole nodded his head, turning his gaze to Baird to see if he had anything to say about Raven's suggestion. Baird looked back up over his shoulder to see the riders in the distance.

He sighed, "S***, she's right…they're going to pick up on our trail here real quick if we don't act, and we need to do it real soon."

"So what do we do…they're still pretty far away," Sven asked.

"We can either draw them near here, or, go out and meet them…either way, I suggest one person to be the bait while the rest of us stay hidden with the rifle ready," Raven suggested.

"Which would mean, Vinny here stays behind while one of us goes out, right," Cole translated Raven’s suggestion.

"No…Feral needs to stay back too…which leaves just you and me, Cole," Baird clarified.

"Wait, Damon…why are you suggesting that I need to stay behind?" Raven asked.

"We need you to lead the rest of us out of here in case this goes horribly wrong," Baird responded, expecting Raven to argue, but instead, she gently nodded her head. Raven understood Baird's judgement as she gave him a grave look before directing her gaze to Cole.

Cole looked over to Baird as the two exchanged glances, realizing that one of them was going to have to go out.

"Cole…stay here," Baird began while Cole interrupted,

"No Damon…this has my name written all over it,"

"Gus, listen to me…please. If this goes bad, I need you to look after Sven and Feral…it's crucial that they get back to Fort Block."

Cole turned away to shake his head, wanting to so desperately disagree, but if there was anything that the two did agree on, it was imperative that somebody made it back to Fort Block, and as of now, it was the women and children; rhetorically speaking.

Baird grabbed Cole's shoulder pad pull his face to his so Baird face him clearly with pure intent,

"You need to take care of them, Gus…I know you can take care of them; you’ve never let me down before,"

Cole glared down for a moment, but then raised his head back up to face him,

"Alright, but just this once, Damon…for Vinny and Feral."

Baird nodded; I know you will. Shortly after patting Cole’s shoulder plate, Baird reached behind his back pull out his Lancer, checking to see if it had a fresh clip. He then stood up as he placed his Lancer back, straightening the holster on his thigh and peering forward to get another look at the riders.

"They're moving to the north…" Raven informed him, "…they don't seem to be in a rush…at least not yet."

"Yea, well that might change here real quick, so you'll need to be alert Vinny."

Sven nodded his head,

"Got it."

Baird placed his goggles back on his forehead before he shuffling his hair, moving his head from side to side, releasing the tension in his shoulders.

"Well…here it goes."

He carefully roadie ran around the bed of boulders, staying low until he found cover behind some snow covered shrubs. The men were still unaware of his presence. Sven carefully lifted his rifle up and followed the Stranded while Raven and Cole sat up further along the boulders, watching Baird stand up to make his way over to the Stranded on horseback.

"Here it goes," Cole muttered to himself, followed by a deep breath. He could sense the tension in Raven's demeanor as she too sighed heavily, watching Baird walk his way over to the riders. Cole looked over to her, noticing that she doesn't take her eyes off of Baird almost the entire time, feeling her on edge before he carefully placed his hand on her shoulder. She jumped slightly the instant he touched her, before she looked up at him and then let out a sigh of relief, realizing it was just Cole trying to calm her down.

"It's ok Feral…he knows what he's doing," Cole attempted to ease her tension. She redirected her gaze back out into the valley to look out, entrenched in thought. She closed her eyes for a moment before turning to look up at Cole again,

"I'm just…uneasy about all this…" she confessed.

"All of us are, baby," Cole replied as he turned his gaze back to Baird.

"Man…you better come out of this alive," Cole muttered to himself.

As the two watch the events unfold, they observed the Stranded acknowledging Baird's presence as they hold their horses in place, making gestures to each other and to Baird. They continued to wait in anticipation, holding onto the thread of hope that this encounter will not turn out for the worst.
Sven, sat idle as he carefully watched through his scope.

"Hey, Vinny," Cole whispered, "…what's going on?"

"They…they're just…talking," Sven replied, "they don't seem to be threatening at all…I can't even see any weapons on them…except for hunting rifles…but they’re not armed."

Raven turned to Cole, perplexed as the two look back over from their position, watching as they suddenly see Baird motioning to them. Cole carefully observed his hand signals, interpreting his instructions.

"Wait…what is he saying?" Raven insisted while Cole was looking out, displaying a few hand signals of his own. He then knelt back down with Raven,

"He says it’s ok…Vinny and I need to come down, but he said for you to stay hidden, but follow behind."

Raven peered over to Baird's position and then directed her perplexed look back to Cole,

"Can, you…do that?" Cole asked.

"Yes Cole. That's not a problem for me."

"Well, if Baird says so, there must be a reason."

"I can understand his reasoning."

"Even if you don't know what it is?"

Raven sighed, "I have spent the past few days expecting you to trust me…I guess it would be fair that you expect me to trust you."

Cole nodded as her words filtered into his conscience. Within the past few days, they have come to rely on each other more than they ever anticipated prior to their meeting. Although Raven seldom trusted anyone other than herself, she didn't believe that the three would intentionally put her in harm’s way. Why she came to this conclusion she either couldn't really clarify, or she didn’t want to clarify.

Cole and Sven gathered themselves shortly before peering over the rock, revealing their whereabouts to the strangers below. As Cole waved out towards the men, he muttered quietly to Raven without looking at her,

"Stay close baby…we'll be in touch. Got it?"

"Of course, Gus."

Cole was the first to step out from behind the rocks as Sven followed with a weapon in hand just in case. They started to walk down the same path Baird took to meet up with the strangers below. The men sat patiently on their horses, watching and waiting as Cole and Sven casually come down the hill, keeping their guard at the same time. The two Gears looked up to see an elderly chap whom appeared to be roughly in his fifties, sitting comfortably in his saddle, dressed in a wool coat and scarf, not readily carrying a visible weapon. His facial expression was cheery as the lines lifted to their places when he smiled. Cole could tell he was an industrial man, looking at his carpenter fatigues and work gloves. He didn't really resemble a typical scrawny Stranded.

The other two men were younger, late twenties to early thirties, not near as mature in age as the older gentlemen, only that they carried hunting rifles strapped to the side of their horses along with their other equipment. They too wore similar dressings, carrying tool similar to that of surveyors or prospectors, men whom go out and search the land for minerals and other materials. In either case, they did not appear in anyway threatening to anyone.

"Guys…" Baird began as Cole and Sven reached the group of men, "these men work for the Santa Fe Mineral Corp. They have been monitoring the potential mineral deposits around this area…how long, did you say you where contracted out here?"

The old man answered, "We were deployed to Farrall to test the sites for the COG about three months ago. We came up here to set up some stations, but we're getting behind on our research because our communications have been unreliable."

One of the younger men followed in response,

"We have been collecting data for weeks now and we cannot get in contact with our home base either."

"And where is your home base?" Cole asked.

"At Vectus."

"Wait, did you say Vectus?" said Cole.

"That's right, son," the older gentlemen replied, "we had locations all over, including Jacinto…not anymore though."

"They've been searching for metal ores, similar to the one's at the mines from earlier," Baird explained, realizing the men were not Stranded after all. He continued,

"They're just some prospectors checking out the sites…only did they realize that they were sent here at the wrong time."

"No kiddin…" the old man snorted, "we didn't expect to find a bunch of Stranded hooligans, running amuck around these parts. I’ve surveyed this area before; it’s been desolate for years, especially after the Hammer of Dawn was unleashed…but we sure were in for a surprise."

"So where were you headin?" Cole asked the older gentleman.

"Back to our temporary refuge, not far from here. You boys can come along if you want…we may be able to sort out some of our stories there over supper, whataya say?"

The three looked at each other, feeling the temptation of hot food stirring into their consciousness. Although Baird was not one to take charity from most people, he noticed that Cole and Sven were somewhat famished, and if what these scouts say is true, they may have essential information that could aid them in their quest. There was only one way to find out.

Baird looked to Cole as Cole nodded, agreeing to the idea while Sven stood there glancing between the two, wondering where they're going to go from here.

Intermission V

The heaps of snow scattered over the frozen glacier lake glistened under the fading sun as the lights from a grunite layered, security wall, beamed out from the watchtower nearby. An iced over sign that read Plantire Mining Corp., hung over the chain link fence near the entrance around the concrete walls. Inside the forted area was a large pumping station, nestled in between three large metal buildings and four large generators that were being powered from the collected, electrical output, surging from Hurl Dam.

The facility was once an Imulsion mining station, long abandoned when the Locusts ravaged the land, until the urgency from the Hollow, followed after the Lightmass Offensive, subjected every possible Locust back to the stronghold, abandoning the station.

Now, it is a militia stronghold, housing the Stranded settlement that had been gathering there for almost a year. The station has since been converted into a fort, armed with chain gun turrets and spotlights posted on the watchtowers. One of the buildings was being used as a makeshift, vehicle salvage yard and mechanics station, while the noise of air compressors and generators could be heard coming from inside.

The "citizens" of the settlement were armed with mostly Hammerbursts and shotguns while the "soldiers" carried the Gnashers and Lancers. Only a handful of soldiers carried Longshots and Plancers. They would rotate shifts in the watchtowers every other hour to keep fresh eyes on the lookout.
The people were a rough looking bunch, wearing shredded clothes, layered one on top of another to keep warm while wearing boots that were usually two sizes too big, but they were shoes. The "soldiers" on the other hand wore blood stained Gear fatigues and salvaged combat armor, with either a piece or two missing. Much of the Gear battle armor was custom, layered with duct tape and soldered metal patches while those who were there longer had made enhancements to theirs. Some wore the old gray issued armor while many others salvaged the recently manufactured blue armor, with slight modifications. On each chest plate was a red, pray-painted symbol of a gear with jagged edges, and in the center of the gear sits a star; the a-typical emblem of revolution.

The soldiers meandered around the complex in between shifts while the "citizen's" were either busy making ammunition, or preparing deer and wild boar carcasses for meals. Many of the men were subjected to heavy duty jobs, hauling scrap metal to the garages and chopping down trees for fire-burning wood. The few women that they did have were subjected to harlotry, to keep morale in place and the people under control.

In the central area of the camp, large, metal posts where propped up, apparently for public hangings and burnings. One corpse was still swinging by the rope tied around his neck, frozen over and hanging a few feet from the ground, right above a heap of ash, burnt armor plates, and some skeletal remains left from previous cremations.

Not too far from the "execution" platform, a figure stood in front, glaring at the dead body still hanging from his execution the day before. It was the same figure that Raven saw out in the wilderness when the Stranded came to check on Gamma Four earlier that week. He stood there, his cloak still hung over his eyes while wearing the same coat and battle fatigues. The Lancer he used to butcher Sergeant Harley was still drenched in blood from another execution he performed earlier that morning. It was business as usual, here at the Plantire settlement.

But the past few days have left him frustrated, going through prisoner after prisoner, trying to find the whereabouts of Sigma One. They have eluded his search parties three times now, and it was three times too many. He had already interrogated over half of the Gear prisoners, but none would speak concerning the objective they were sent out to do, much less the whereabouts of the other squads. His jaw was clenched, trying to simmer out of frustration as he heard footsteps from behind. He whipped around to find Gil, carefully approaching him,

"We…we have…some news that may be…of interest to you," Gil trembled as he walked up towards him.

"We'll see if it's of interest, or not…who brings the message?" the dark figure spoke in a low, grizzly voice.

"It's that…damned Feral," Gil sneered while trying to keep his composure, especially in front of the intimidating man.

"Ah…the prodigal daughter returns," the figure chuckled in amusement while Gil smirked slightly, but then quickly went back into a frown as he continued,

"She said she knows…where Sigma One is hiding…"

"Is that so?"

"But…I don't trust her, Mo…Morose," Gil shivered violently in the cold, "…what if she's lying just to distract…"

"Did she say anything else?" Morose asked sternly, cutting Gil off.

"Yea…she said they have…a Feral guide. A remnant…of the Anetha clan from the valley…but it sounds fishy to me,"

"Shut up, Gil," Morose growled, "…what she's saying is true. I'm just surprised that the remnants allied themselves with the COG pigs…how ironic."

Morose looked back up at the corpse hanging from the rope as he placed his hand out in front of Gil. Gil hesitated at first but he knew what he had to do as he handed Morose his Hammerburst assault rifle. Morose cocked a round into the chamber and pointed it up, shooting a round into the rope, consequently splitting it as the corpse came crashing down onto the ash heap below.

Morose handed the gun back to Gil as he turned to look at him,

"Get that piece of sh*t out of my camp. Afterwards, gather the militia for debriefing…we have a big day tomorrow."

Chapter 29: The Girl With Kaleidoscope Eyes

Well, I can only hope your enjoying the story so far...but before I go on, please note that the details of Baird's childhood are speculative and are not canon. Based on my understanding of the character from several, canon resources, Baird's only known passion is machines, and I believe (in my opinion) that this "infatuation" thereof has contributed to his own solitude.

[Jonesybites]

Coming across some friendly company, for a change, Sigma listens to some disturbing revelations, while Raven is forced to deal with another calamity...

Chapter 29: The Girl With Kaleidoscope Eyes


The night sky began to creep from the east as the curtain of stars hung clearly above the trees. Although the cold was becoming more demanding as it always was every evening, the mood seemed to be oddly serene. The three Gears followed the Santa Fe prospectors to their makeshift hideout that was actually one of Raven's underground, supply stations, unbeknownst to its newfound tenants.

"So how long have you guys been out here?" Cole asked, flicking the snowflakes from his chest plate.

The old chap known as Billy grinned from ear to ear, walking alongside side his horse he named Seoul, while Jon and Ashley were still mounted on their steeds.

"The station sent us from the Block nearly two months ago, trying to find possible mineral deposits, but…our communications…"

"…have been jammed," Baird interrupted, finding the whole situation amusing, considering no one has ever known about the Stranded screwing up their frequencies.

"Yep…and since then, we've been bouncing from refuge to refuge, trying to beat this, damned Frost…that and avoid the Plantire colony."

"Say what?" Cole beamed in interest.

"The Stranded colony that has taken refuge at the Plantire Mining facility…has been amassing a militia for a while."

"Yea…we just figured that out a few days ago," Baird mentioned as he continued, "…what do you know about it?"

"Which part?" Billy chuckled under his breath, "…I mean, those bastards are ruthless. They have been gathering almost all the Stranded around the area, drafting them for their cause…and if they refuse, they're shot on site!"

"Funny little world, idn't," Ashley commented as Billy continued,

"We've seen them out on patrol, looking for runaways and such."

"Have you seen them take prisoners?" Cole asked, hoping that they may have some knowledge on the whereabouts of their missing squadrons.

"Not that I could confirm…but it wouldn't surprise me. Their "leader," goes by the name of Morose."

Baird looked up in intrigue as the name Morose came up, trying to gather where he had heard that name before.

"You say his name…was Morose?" Baird asked for confirmation.

"Yea, that's the one…and let me tell you, he is the bastard you don't want to be, not even within twenty feet."

"So you've seen him?" Sven jumped in as Billy continued,

"Kid, I've seen alot things in my life, especially during my service in the Pendulum Wars, I've met a lot of hard asses, but this one…is something else."
Billy could barely finish his thoughts as he looked up to what seemed to be their destination, deep in the trenches of the woods as they could faintly make out the firelight nearby. They could smell the scent of freshly, cut mesquite, burning as its aroma seeped in the air, mixed the scent of ozone and conifer trees.

"Aw…is that what I think it is?" said Cole, drooling over the scent of the barbecue, coming from the hideout. As the group made their way towards the stable, they could hear the laughter of a high-pitched voice, running towards them.

"Daddy, daddy," a little girl yelled out as Billy bellowed out in laughter, opening up his arm to receive the little girl, who seemed to be no older than seven years of age.

"There's my angel," Billy beamed at the girl, covered in small pea coat and beanie hat. She giggled as she looked at the rag-tag group of Scouts and Gears.

"Are they friends, daddy?" she looked at Baird with her large, glistening gray eyes, staring at him for some reason that Baird couldn't tell what about him she would remotely find interesting.

"Yes, sweetheart…these men are Gears. Their soldiers that fight the monsters," Billy said as the girl smiled, showing her missing baby tooth grin. Ashley went over to take Billy's horse into the stable while Jon loaded up the saddles.

"Come on inside, boys…you're in for a treat!" Billy beamed in excitement.

"Yea, I bet," Baird muttered, realizing that they were probably going to eat some of the food that Raven had stored aside in the shelter. I bet she's pretty pissed about these guys rummaging through her hideout…speaking of which, I wonder if she's nearby?

Baird followed Cole and Sven as they entered the shelter, occasionally looking over his shoulder to see if maybe he could catch a glimpse of Raven, perhaps hiding away in the woods. He then turned his focus back into the shelter as he walked in, shutting the door behind them.

He could tell that Cole and Sven took their places inside as they sprawled out on the floor, basking near the fireplace, defrosting from the cold evening air. The smell of mesquite planks and cooked meat festered into their nostrils, watering their mouths as they could already taste the spice in the meat.

"Aw, man…that smells so sweet," Sven moaned.

"Hehe…you haven't had the pleasure of Abigail's cooking. Like I said, you're in for a treat," said Billy.

Baird took his place in a chair nearby, sitting down before peeling his goggles from the thin layer of frost that was caked on his forehead. His hair was disheveled from the mix of the frozen air and brisk winter breeze he had been enduring for most of their excursion since land down. He cringed slightly after he was able to detach the strap from around his head, leaving a slight indention from where his goggles clung to his scalp. Finding a moment after being freed from the cold air, Baird started to rub his eyes, stimulating his tear ducts to ease them from the dryness.

Cole on the other hand had begun rubbing his massive arms, circulating the blood flow to ease the tingling he had been annoyingly bearing almost all day. Sven just sat idle in his place, trying to wiggle his toes from inside his boots to see if he could even still feel them. All three were a bit worn from wear, and it would have been a lot worse if it wasn’t for the evening interludes of finding shelter in Feral’s secluded hideouts, not to mention the surprise warm bath; something they had already began to miss.

Ashley and Jon came in through the door as they took off their coats to hang them on the hooks on the wall near the entrance, after kicking the snow from the bottom of their pac boots before walking in. Billy walked past the men as he turned over to the still-bundled rosy-cheeked little girl still clinging to his coat,

"Delilah, darling, why don't you go over and help Abby with the cups," Billy said to the Delilah as he carefully put her down.

"Ok daddy…can I bring them in here?" she asked.

"Of course, darling…be sure to bring some for our guests."

"I won't forget."

"That's my girl."

Little Delilah ran off into the other room, where it was assumed that Abby was preparing the meal for the evening.

This wasn't the first time Baird could recall coming across prospectors, looking for mineral or Imulsion deposits. It wasn't uncommon for a five man/woman team to be out for weeks, maybe even months at a time, checking areas similar to places such as Glacier Valley. Any place that was on the edge of a tectonic plate was often rich in materials, gemstones, or other metals, and often in their purest form. Such occupations of prospecting have especially been on the rise ever since there was a demand for Imulsion. To think of it, it wasn't a bad job…hell, I mean, you're out on your own, working without some superior breathing down your throat, make your own hours, as long as you turn in your assessments on time; s***, it wouldn't be bad job at all! Baird couldn't help but to envy their freedom from such parameter.

"I hope we're not impeding on you guys," Cole began as the group soaked up the warmth coming from the fireplace.

"Nonsense, son…you're the only pleasant company we've seen out here in weeks."

"What do you mean? Who all have you come across?" Baird asked.

"Well, sometimes the Stranded…mostly drifters that come through, but they eventually get picked up by the militia…and then we don't hear from them again. We haven't seen too many Locust around; they may be having trouble adapting to the cold…and then there's the Feral."

The three Gears perked up in interest as Billy continued with his thoughts on the matter.

"…we haven't had too much of a run in with them, but the few times that we did, it was pretty intense. They don't play nice, that's for sure."

The atmosphere sat hollow for the moment as Billy reclined in his chair, chewing on his thoughts while Ashley came out from another room to join the group.

"We haven't seen any Gears come near this area, until you guys showed up," Ashley began, breaking up the silence in the room, "…I take it your on mission?"

The three looked at each other as to who was going to explain everything they had to endure within the past four days, not to mention the whereabouts of their Feral guide. Baird sighed as he placed his goggles in his pack,

"We were deployed out along with some other squads to quash the hostilities that have been attacking our outposts," Baird said, choosing his words carefully.

"Out here?" Jon asked, perplexed with Baird's demeanor, "…I mean, we haven't even seen any Locusts out here, much less between the mountain and the coast."

"…It was also rumored that a Stranded militia was located somewhere near the glacier lake…and apparently from what you’ve just told us, our presumptions are for the most part not too far from the truth," Baird explained, trying to keep his sarcasm to a minimum.

"It wasn't the Locusts who've been hostile to Farrall's outposts, Jon," Billy convened before he directed his attention Baird, "…it was only a matter of time that some of the Stranded would eventually rise out of the ashes from the corners of this Hell to go out and ruin the prospect of peace for everybody else."

"What do ya mean?" Cole asked, finding the insinuation short of disturbing.

"In my experience soldier, wherever there's power, whether it be an infinite resource, a great weapon, or just simply control, somebody else is going to have an issue with it. Think about it, we've spent eighty years fighting over it, hell, I wouldn't be surprised if and when this war ends, we'll just slide back from where we started and start fighting over something else."

"So why do you think this "militia" is attacking the COG outposts?" Cole bypassed the subtly and just jumped to the nitty gritty of details that have been evading them for who knows how long. Billy just looked up at Cole as he chuckled to himself, amused by Cole's insistence. He would expect as much from a younger man on the edge of testosterone lore. Billy then sighed as his old, tired gaze met down to the wood floor,

"You remember the man I mentioned to you earlier?" Billy asked. Jon and Ashley sat in silence, not wanting to delve into the deeper ambiance that was already festering in the cramped room.

"Somebody by the name of Morose?" said Sven, trying to be helpful.

"That's the one…you need to pat this kid on the back Corporal, he's pretty sharp," Billy complemented as he turned to a weary Baird, whom was rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sigh, you have no idea," Baird grumbled to himself.

"So what about this Morose, guy?" Cole said impatiently.

"He's not like the other Stranded, if you ever see him," Billy continued, "…we, as in the boys and myself, noticed that most of the higher ups at this settlement have some military background."

The three Gears glanced at each other as they listened attentively. Baird was rushing through his mental notes that Raven spoke of earlier after their encounter of what was left Gamma Four. The idea of former Gears working alongside the Stranded was becoming more of a reality than they could fathom. Baird listened carefully to Billy, taking in any information he was willing to give by letting him continue without interruption,

"I have reason to believe that Morose was a Gear at one time...and from what we can tell, he has some vendetta against the COG leaders," Billy explained as he leaned back into is chair, "...this guy isn't doing it for business, or profit…he's doing it out of spite, and we believe that he may be conspiring along with some other former Gears, his comrades in arms.”

"Comrades?" Cole sneered.

"How many of these…disgruntled Gears are we talking about?" Baird asked in monotone, his gaze now hung over the floor. Billy was able to catch a subtle glimpse of Baird's stern expression, his brow hanging heavily over his scolding pale eyes. He could tell that whatever these Gears had gone through, it had gotten short of personal. Billy looked up as he turned his attention to Cole,

"Eight at least…maybe twelve…about a total of two, three squads, I reckon."

Cole turned away in disgust while Baird closed his eyes, taking in the information into his subconscious while Sven just sat there in awe. As the atmosphere sat in loom, Delilah entered the vicinity with an armful of cups, clanking with each step that she took. Baird opened his eyes to glance at the oncoming commotion.

Billy eyes beamed in the faint firelight as he chuckled, finding delight in watching Delilah passing the cups around to the men in the room.
"Don't forget about our guests, angel," Billy reminded her.

"I won't…here you go," she said as she handed a cup to Cole.

"Aw, thank you sweety," Cole said as Delilah giggled, and then moved over to Sven as she handed one to him too. Exchanging a beaming smile with the younger man, Delilah then turned around to give one to Baird.

"Here ya go, Mr. Gear," she said with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Baird lifted an eyebrow at Delilah's "childish" nature, somewhat apprehensive as to how to respond to the kid. Although Baird was not one to relish in the company of children, he tolerated Delilah's antics for the moment as his mind was preoccupied with other more important things; such as how to get back to base, and what to tell them when he got there.

"What happened to your glasses?" she asked with an expression of curiosity. The question snapped him back into the present, noticing the girl’s bright iridescent eyes, staring at him with the utmost of attention, which was more than what Baird was capable of handling. He wasn't quite sure how to respond, so he looked down into his pack to pull out his goggles and then show them to her.

"Wow…those are cool," she said while Cole chuckled in amusement.

"They're even "cooler" when you put them on," Cole instigated while Baird looked up and gave Cole a sour look.

"Gee, mister…could I try them on?" she asked. Baird's eyes widened as he looked up at her father, wondering if he would have a problem with her associating with a Gear. Billy only gave him a smile as Baird sat up in his seat.

Baird looked back down at her, "Here kid…allow me."

He carefully adjusted the strap so it wouldn't fall off of her head before he carefully placed the goggles on her head, trying to avoid tangling them in her light brown hair. As they hung on her forehead, Cole let out a laugh,

"I think you started a fashion trend, Baird," he mused while Baird rolled his eyes and proceeded to put them over Delilah's eyes.

"There you go kid," Baird said as he watched her smile, looking around the room.

"Wow…I can see closer…I can see better," Delilah said in awe, still looking around the room while Baird looked up at Cole and stuck out his tongue. Cole leaned back while he subtly gave him the bird as he scratched his forehead.

Delilah carefully took the goggles off as she walks over to Baird to hand them back,

"Gee, where can I get some?" she turned around and looked at her father, "…can I be a Gear daddy?"

"Well, if you become a Gear, you have to fight those ugly monsters," Billy replied in amusement by his daughter's charisma.

"Ew…no way, I don't want to fight monsters," she said with a scuffled expression.

Delilah decided to skip around the men while Abby came into the room,

"Supper's ready, boys," she announced. The group instantly stood up and made their way to the makeshift kitchen.

"C'mon, darlin…let's go eat," Billy said to Delilah.

"Okie, dokie," she replied, jumping around as the three Gears followed her into the kitchen.

"Hehe, cute kid," Cole chuckled quietly, nudging Baird with his elbow, "…just think Damon…you could have some cute kids just like her if you…"

"We're not going there, Gus," Baird snapped while trying to keep the conversation low.

"Have a seat boys, dive in," Billy announced as the three Gears took their seats at the table while Ashley and Jon already started to help themselves to the rolls and potatoes.

"Gee, Abby, you really outdid yourself," Ashley commented as he was struggling to get a potato while Jon was hogging it.

"C'mon boys…there's plenty for everyone…I still got another bowl on the counter," said Abby. The woman appeared middle aged, early forties maybe with some gray strands mixed with the auburn color in her hair. She came back to the table with a plate piled with meat.

"I hope you Gears like venison," she said.

"Are you kidding…this is best meal we've had all week," Sven beamed in excitement.

"More like all month," Cole added as he helped himself to the venison, while Baird was able to finally get some potatoes before the others hogged it all.

Abby came back to the table with a jug full of water and handed it to Billy.

"I can imagine the COG having issues trying to keep everybody fed," Billy added while he poured water into his cup.

"It's been getting harder to find deer," Baird could recall as he remembered the times that old hag, Sergeant Mataki would go out to hunt them down, trying to get enough to feed several thousand people.

The Frost was making conditions bleak at best, forcing Jacinto's Remnant to relocate to the island of Vectus, but the hostilities around Port Farrall have escalated as of recent, making the relocation even more difficult…and if what we just found out is true, then we really have a problem on our hands.
Keeping the civilians alive had become quit a conundrum since the COG had lost several outposts that had stored the last of their grains. To make matters worse, several supply trucks had been targeted by Stranded, consequently forcing the COG to dispatch several squadrons in an effort to escort the last remaining supply trucks to Fort Block. Ever since, the rations kept coming, but the portions were getting smaller week after week.

The room went silent as everyone was focused on eating their meals, enjoying the mesquite, cooked venison and garlic potatoes while they had an opportunity to enjoy it. Although the venison the Gears had eaten in the past was normally dry and tough to chew, the meat was surprisingly more tender, not quite as tender as beef, but a lot better than what they had before.

"Damn, baby…this is some fine meat, right here, ma’am," Cole complimented, nudging Baird with his arm, "idn't it good?"

"Sure…" Baird mumbled with his mouth stuffed. He wasn’t about to let it get away.

Delilah started to giggle from across the table, watching the blonde Corporal and the big Private stuffing their faces as if they haven't ate in days.

"Gee mister…you must of been hungry," she observed.

"Kid, you have no idea," Baird replied, trying to speak before he finally got to swallow.

"Well, honey, they've been out in the wilderness for a while...I'm willing to bet they don't have a lot of five star motels with a big breakfast buffet around here..." Billy commented, "…speaking of which, where's your little Feral friend?"

The phrase dropped in the middle of the room like an anvil falling from the sky, cutting right into the fabric of whatever bliss the three Gears were relishing in. Cole froze in his seat while Sven sat there with his mouth open, not quite sure if he should even say something about the topic. Billy broke the awkward silence,

"Oh, come now…we're not as dumb as we look. We know that the COG allied with some of the local clans outside of Farrall, and that they dispatched some squads earlier this week, trying to eliminate the Locust outposts and locate the Stranded gangs…we have radio's too."

Baird carefully placed his eating utensil on his plate as he refrained himself from eating any further.

"Well then why did you ask us what we were doing here to begin with?" Baird replied with a somewhat hint of annoyance in his tone.

"Well son, I wanted to hear it from you first…I wanted to make sure you were from the COG and not from Plantire," Billy continued, "…they've been looking for us for the past three weeks."

The Gears looked at each other as they started to ponder the same question that was pondering in the back of their heads.

"Wait…how long have you been here at this shelter?" Baird asked.

"About a week. We found it filled with supplies and some ammunition, as well as a radio and other technical equipment," Jon replied.

Baird slumped in his seat, realizing that the three may have put these people in danger.

"Well, then, if you've been monitoring our communications, then you may already know that we too are being hunted," Baird added, "…and this shelter, by the way, is a Feral supply refuge that has been used to store stolen COG equipment and food rations."

The men sat in silence as the news filtered into their ears, realizing the danger they may now be in.

"Our Feral guide," Baird continued, "…is out in the wilderness nearby, watching out for the Stranded…she didn't feel too comfortable being amongst some scouts while they were rummaging into her shelter. If you guys have managed to find it, the Stranded will probably eventually find it as well."

The men glanced at each other while Billy sat in silence, staring at his plate as the other two were getting antsy.

"See? I told you we couldn’t stay here for too much longer Billy," said Ashley.

"...especially if they found out that we have Gears here," Jon added.

""Relax boys…it would have been only a matter of time before the Plantire found us. The Corporal's right, if we managed to find this place, the Stranded are bound to find it as well. They have been growing stronger, adding to their numbers of people and weapons, including some tanks and APC's."
"****…they have vehicles?" Cole griped.

"At least one Dill is in working order," Jon responded, "they've been salvaging fallen vecs for a while now."

"****…" Baird mumbled, rubbing his forehead before he noticed that Delilah was staring at him with her solemn, gray eyes, twinkling in the candlelight. Baird knew that they would have to leave as early as the following day if they had any chance of completing their mission.

"Listen Corporal…my boys and I can rotate guard duty through the night while you guys get some rest," Billy suggested, "…and you may want to convince your Feral friend to come inside and get out of this cold. She's not going to survive if she doesn't."

Cole and Sven watch Baird pile some meat and potatoes on his plate before he stood up from his chair.

"Vinny…" Baird began as he held up the plate, "…take this out to Feral."

"Is she even around? I mean, how will I find her?" said Sven.

"You won't find her, she'll find you…take this to her and see if you can get her inside," said Baird. Without further prodding, Sven got up and walked around the table as Baird handed him the plate.

"...and if she doesn't come in?" Sven asked.

"She's coming in…one way or another, even if I have to drag her in."

Sven walked out of the room as the others started to get up and out of the kitchen. Ashley and Jon immediately went back to the stable to pull out their rifles. Abby picked up their plates and loaded them in a galvanized tub filled with soapy water. Billy escorted Cole and Baird to the back of the room before taking a seat in the chair. The other two seated themselves on the floor while Delilah peered around the corner, watching the men prepare for the evening.

"You boys are going to have to head out first thing in the morning," Billy began.

"Yea, we figured that," Cole jumped in.

"...and I'm guessing you guys want to come with us," Baird scowled.

"No…" Billy said suddenly, as if he never intended the idea in the first place, "…we will not go with you. You guys need to focus on getting this info back to command before this militia sprouts legs, it it hasn’t already. That’s your objective…we would only slow you down."

"But what about the kid?" Cole asked sincerely.

"Delilah comes with me…she's always with me, she prefers to be with me…and when it comes right down to it, she'll die with me."

"But…" Cole started to concern until Baird interrupted him,

"We can't protect her any more than they can, Gus…" said Baird, "…we've debated all along during this entire time if we were ever going to get out of this alive."

After Baird rested his case, Cole backed off from the idea of taking Delilah with them.

"So now what do we do?" Cole griped, not one to simply sit and do nothing.

Part 2 continued on the next thread...

[Jonesybites]

Part 2 of Chapter 29...

Meanwhile, Sven went out in the open as he could hear Jon and Ashley rummaging in the stable. He peered out in the darkness as the cold air gusted past him, listening to the breeze whistle around the conifer trees, shaking the snow from the needles.

Sven tried to cover the plate with a paper towel to keep the food from getting cold, but he pondered if it would make any difference. Damn, it's cold out here! How can Feral stand this? He continued out into the wilderness as he whispered out into the woods,

"Feral…hey Feral, you there?"

He looked up into the sky, taking notice of the stars shining brightly in the heaven above, glittering into the surrounding milky-way around them. Awing at its’ magnificence, he pulled his arms closer to his side with the plate still in hand as he tried to keep himself warm, still admiring the dazzling white lights above.

Suddenly, he heard a faint noise coming from the side. He carefully turned his body to peer into the woods, directing his ears into the thicket. Vinny…

"Feral…is that you?" he called out quietly, trying to make out the shadows among the trees. He hesitated as he took one more step, carefully trying not to drop the plate of food while he looked around, wondering if it was just the wind.

And then he suddenly heard a subtle voice,

"Vinny…"

"Feral?"

"…you can turn around now,"

He cautiously turned around to find Raven perched on a fallen tree, shivering slightly while wrapped in a fur blanket.

"S***, Feral," Sven went over to her as he put the plate down before extending his hand to help her down from the log. She slumped down, carefully placing her feet onto the ground while Sven backed up to give her some room.

"Geez, you must be freezing…here, Corporal said to bring this out to you," he said as he picked up the plate and handed it to her, taking off the paper towel. She carefully takes it and instantly started to nibble on the contents with her frozen hands. Shivering, she tried to pull the meat apart with her teeth as Sven knelt down, occasionally looking over his shoulder just in case.

"Th…thanks," was all she could muster while trying to eat. Sven noticed the skin on her pale face glistening under the stars that was framed by her dark, feathery sideburns that hung over her ears. A thin layer of frost had taken roost on her epidermis, causing it to glean under the winter night sky.
"You really need to come inside…you can't take this for too long," Sven mentioned as Raven ate. She put the plate down on her lap as she tried to swallow her food before she spoke.

"I've handled worse," she commented.

"In ten degrees below freezing?" Sven asked skeptically. Raven frowned as she picked up another piece of meat,

"Gee, Sven…you're starting to sound a lot like Baird," she griped before gnawing on the cold venison.

"No, I'm not…you're just trying to find some excuse not to listen to reason," Sven quietly rebuked. Raven looked at him in shock as she could somewhat see the sincerity in his eyes. He's growing up after all.

She turned her attention back to her food as she tried to gobble it up before it froze. Sven sighed as he looked back over towards the shelter, trying to make out the faint noise that was moving towards them. Raven stopped eating to raise her head towards the direction of the faint noise. She quickly, but subtly hopped back up to dart back onto the log, perching herself next to the neighboring trees. Sven quietly stood up as he noticed a small figure walking towards them. He could instantly make out the wide curious, gray eyes that sparkled under the stars.

"Delilah?" Sven called out. A giggle could be heard coming from the thicket.

"Hey…you shouldn't be out here, it's too cold," Sven scolded as Delilah looked up into the trees, looking at the pale face perched into the forest.

"Then why is she out here?" Delilah said, fascinated with the ambiance, radiating from the frost on Raven's face.

Raven relaxed the moment she had nothing to fear but a little girl skipping into the woods. She wearily watched the silly girl glare at her with iridescent eyes, that moved as if they were dancing in the skylight.

"How are you?" Delilah beamed with a grin, "…I'm Delilah…what's yer name?"

Raven's brow lifted in puzzlement. Sven glanced at Raven and then turned his gaze back to Delilah. Raven decided to delight the child with an answer,

"My name is Raven."

"Gee…like the birdie?"

"Yea…like the birdie."

Delilah giggled as she skipped around the forest. Raven leapt off of the log onto the snow, covered ground landing on her frozen but balanced feet.

"Wow, how'd you jump so high?" Delilah asked.

"I didn't jump…I climbed," Raven replied.

"Or fly…can you fly, like the birdie?"

In the background, a familiar laugh could be heard as another figure walked into the woods. Oh, great, now he's out here too.

"Now wouldn't that be something…if Raven could fly," Baird chuckled the moment he walked into the woods while Raven gave him a shallow, but acerbic scowl. Delilah laughed as she abruptly ran over to him to gives him a hug. Baird cringed from the impact of Delilah's head butting against his groin as she wrapped her arms around his legs. He tried to keep a straight face as she tightened her grip, and then let go to look up at him and give him a warm smile.

"I like the pretty lady," she said with glee, "…do you like the pretty lady too, mister?"

What is this, trivia bingo?

"I…think it's time for you to get ready for bed…your daddy's waiting for you," Baird replied, trying to calm the numbing pain in his crotch.

"Ok…but will the pretty lady come inside too?"

"Yea, sure kid…won't you, pretty lady…" Baird sneered, looking directly at Raven as she rolled her eyes at him.

"See ya later, birdie lady," Delilah yelled out before skipping back to the shelter.

Baird sighed, "Vinny, why don't you make sure that kid gets back inside,"

"Sure thing, Corporal," said Sven as he started to walk back towards the shelter.

Baird looked back in puzzlement as he turned his bemused gaze back at Raven.

"Birdie lady?"

"She associates me with the bird, Damon…and by the way, I'm not going in,"

"Uh, yes you are."

"Uh, no I'm not."

"Rav, it's late…I'm tired, I really don't want to deal with this s*** right now, so could you please cooperate…for once?"

"Somebody needs to keep watch, Baird."

"And somebody is keeping watch, Feral."

"Oh, and who?"

"The scouts are going to rotate tonight."

"I don't trust their competence."

"And we should trust yours?"

Raven's eyes widened in fury while Baird continued,

"You're tired too, Rav…you're in no condition to be doing anything right now."

"I can manage just fine if you haven't noticed by now."

"I really didn't want to have to argue with you about this..."

"...well then don't," Raven replied as she folded her arms in defiance. Baird groaned as he rubbed his head in irritation...s***, I swear this stubborn woman is going to be the end of me!

"Ok…I'm going to take a wild guess at what's really bothering you,"

"Don't bother Damon…you're not very good at playing twenty questions."

He could see the scowled expression on her pale face soften before she looked up into the night sky. He couldn't help but notice the ambiance shining from what resembled a porcelain façade. She looked so unusually beautiful under the winter night sky, accented by the frost in the air that clung to her cheeks. Perhaps it was appropriate that she would be a child of the Frost, the season of cleansing all life from the hurt of this world, preparing to start anew…but it was without consequence, and they both knew it. Deep down, they knew that this saga was not going to end well.

She looked back down as she wrapped her arms around her body, trying to shield herself from the cold before letting out a long cold sigh, feeling the air exiting her breath roll on her frost-bit face. As the cold swept around her body, she started to listen to the reason that had been screaming at her for the past two hours. Maybe Baird was right, but she wasn't going to admit it, especially to him, the voice of reason. So instead, she looked up at him as she carefully walked over, shivering between syllables,

"We…need to leave…before sunrise…no exceptions," she ordered as she hissed in between her chattering teeth.

"Ok," Baird said matter-of-factly, without sarcasm or retort. Raven looked at him with puzzlement, but then walked past him towards the back of the shelter, lifting up her legs to trudge through the deep snow. Baird turned around, perplexed as to what she was doing. He proceeded to follow her behind the shelter, and then turned around the corner to find her rummaging into a hidden storage case. Pulling out some bottles of what appeared to be rice wine, Raven’s hands shivered.

"Feral, what are you doing?" he finally asked while she sat up onto her knees to shut the case, grabbing a bottle in her hand as she stood up.

"Something to help me sleep," she said in monotone before pulling off the top with her teeth. Lifting the bottle to her chattering mouth, she began to chug the contents down like it was water.

"What the hell, Rav," Baird blurted out before darting over to pull the bottle from her mouth and out of hand. She coughed and gagged from the liquid overhaul, leaning back against the building to brace herself against the wall, continuing to cough.

"Too…late, Gear boy," she sneered as Baird noticed that she drank almost more than half of the bottle.

"**** Rav…how is getting drunk off your ass going to help you sleep at night?" he barked. Raven was able to still grasp her equilibrium before she started to walk over towards the shelter entrance.

Baird stood there for a moment, still in awe concerning Raven's odd behavior. He darted back over to the shelter entrance with the bottle still in hand before turning around the corner to find Raven standing at the door, indecisive. Hesitant to go in as she clenched her tiny, shivering fists, Baird walked up behind her to gently grab her by the shoulders,

"C'mon, you drunken maid…let's get some sleep," he groaned, gently pushing her forward as they went inside, only to find Delilah sitting on Cole's lap with her blanket in hand and Sven nuzzled in a fur blanket next to the fireplace.

"See the birdie lady…just like I told ya," Delilah said cheerfully as Cole and Sven looked up at a chilly Raven.

"Damn, baby, your whiter than the snow," Cole noticed as her face was still sallow and frost-bit. Her hair was dry as she shuffled it with her hand, her expression drooping into a gawp as the warmth in the room eased her trembling.

"Geez, she looks like something the cat dragged in," Sven added, wondering what Baird did to convince her to finally come in from the bitter, cold hell, festering outside.

"Cole, could you make a space for her to sleep at?" Baird asked, still holding Raven by her shoulders with his hands.

"Sure thing…" Cole said as he sat Delilah up on her feet with his massive hands and opened up another blanket. Baird gently turned Raven around as he pushed her into the kitchen.

"C'mon Rav, we need to get you warmed up," Baird insisted, convincing her to walk forward into the kitchen without rebuke. The room began to spin as the noise faded in and out of consciousness, echoing into her head. She started to sway slightly.

"Aw, ****…" Baird said, realizing what was happening to her, "…****, ****, ****…c'mon girl…just stay up a little longer."

He pushed her near a tub as he grabbed a towel, soaking it in warm water and started to wipe her expressionless face down. It had been over fifteen minutes since she chugged all that wine down, and now it was pulsing through her system.

As Raven stood there, she got lost in thought. Pictures of the warm nights would rerun insistently, memorizing the touch of warm hands caressing her bare body in warm water, the merriment of playful banter stirring underneath a cold starry sky, and the aroma of pine meshed with the scent of aftershave. Succumbing to a hormonal concoction that had been festering in her conviction for the remainder of the day, Raven could hear the bells ringing and the sky singing as a Feral "avatar" danced with her eyes glistening and giggling, blowing kisses in the wind. Raven couldn’t help herself but to laugh.

She could faintly hear the voices of Sigma squad, fumbling through her head,

"What the hell happened to Feral?" Cole's voice could be heard.

"She's smashed Cole," said Baird, trying to keep Raven standing straight as she twittered and swayed, hanging off his bicep to stay balanced.

Yielding to the emotions stirred by the heat coming from her core as the dopamine slammed into her head from the lack inhibition, morale and restraint fell to the wayside. Subliminally slipping in between the cracks of what is rational, Raven started to fall into the clout of her most primitive of drives as her brain flooded with oxytocin, causing her to moan in between spats of laughter; her time of estrus had begun.

Baird was short of panicking, assuming she was just being bubbly from the alcohol which would appear a-typical for any woman in a drunken state, unbeknownst to him and the others that another force was coming of age, and its flow was much more powerfully potent than she could tolerate. Of all that the Feral conditioned her to be, she was desperately trying to fight it back. No, no…not now…

But her strategy worked as the wine swelled into her system while her eyes slipped into the back of her head, causing her body to go limp, falling into forever. If she was to hit the floor, she wouldn't have registered the collision, but the warmth that caught her in midair was unblemished. Her lifeless limbs dangled as she slipped into a comatose state, passing into a dazed consciousness as she slumped into Cole's massive arms. He managed to scoop her up effortlessly before she could hit the ground. After pulling her up, Cole carried her into the room and gently laid her on the floor next to Sven, whom was fast asleep. Cole looked up at Baird as the two exchanged glances, trying to make sense of what had just transpired, but neither were in the mood to talk about anything, much less about their plastered, Feral guide.

The night air drifted into the frost as Ashley and Billy took up the watch so Sigma squad could get some sleep. They scattered on the floor, sprawled under wool blankets. Sven was lying next to Baird, snoring noisily along with Raven, whom was just as loud, completely dazed, and out of consciousness. Delilah snuggled between her and Baird, finding serenity in the most least likely of people the little girl could possibly find solace in, but for the moment, Raven was too disjoined to notice and Baird was just too tired to care. Cole laid next to the two girls, shielding them with his massive arm, basking in their combined warmth. All laid with a sense of apprehension that they simply shoved to the wayside for the time being as they finally drifted into the catacombs of clumber.

And when all piece of mind succumbed to the siesta, the most ludicrous of thoughts would take reign in the more lucid of our dream-state.

Chapter 30: Can You Hear Me Running

[Jay the Arbiter]

Good good!

As SKORGE always used to say "Let's go kill dem Stranded!"