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Faraday Medical, the cutting edge of prosthetic replacements, proved to be nearly impossible to kill. Faraday did extensive testing and demonstrations, such as their alloy being crush resistant to 40,000 PSI and withstanding high voltage plasma cutters. Their weakness, however, proved to be the Snaypsis connection required to give a patient control over their cybernetics.

I hadn't hardly had time to yell out that Zack had gone down before Shannon was at his side. It was very clear that Zack had stopped breathing before he had even hit the ground and, without his cybernetics being powered, all that metal and copper that had been surgically shoved into his body now rendered him a nine hundred plus pound paperweight. It took Benjamin, Skeve, Truck, Tess, and Shannon to get him onto his back so Shannon could start trying to make sure he didn't asphyxiate. She shoved a Nasopharyngeal Airway Tube down the front of his snout with a sort of precision that screamed that she had to have done this at least once.

With Zack in Shannon's care, we turned our attention to the active hostile we knew was still in the AO.

"Gonna throw a mother fucking goddamn grenade at our friend and then run off with your tail tucked between your legs!?", James was screaming so loud his face had gone red, "come out you pussy! Face us head on you fucking domestic!"

The grenade had come from the building across the street, Skeve had had his back turned to it and since the grenade had struck the back of his helmet and bounced back towards it, it was a safe bet our hostile was still inside. Everyone who wasn't Shannon and Eirren had their rifle on it, safety off. We had it surrounded, there was no way in or out without us catching him.

"Show your face and die!", Benjamin ordered.

"We'll come in to get you coward!", Alex barked, "don't think we won't!"

"Don't run either!", Nat added, "you'll die tired!"

Of course, there was no answer from inside, I hit my PTT, "Girls, you're cleared for entry, we're comin' in the front. If you see him, go for the headshot!"

"With pleasure!", Nat growled.

"Move!", I shouted.

The door put up little resistance as it shattered under Truck's weight, another door in the house slammed shut.

"He's bolting for it!", Truck shouted

"Like hell he is."

I ran through the house, coming on the door that had been slammed, not stopping as I threw every ounce of my 500 pounds into it, taking it off the hinges. It lead into a bedroom with an Animal in a black uniform with an M4 over his back trying to get out through the window. Spinning from a momentary lapse of judgment and acting on my urge to just... lay into the guy, I skidded to a stop, raised my rifle and ran it until the bolt locked back in the rear. I didn't waste anytime reloading, rather I immediately went for my SIG. I only had it halfway out of the holster before he fell out of the window back into the room, blood spilling from 20 or so different bullet holes tearing through the front of his plate carrier. He lay there, spasaming several seconds before going still.

"Get up I'll kill you again!", I snarled, dropping the magazine from my M4.

Nat laughed as the others entered the room, "Hah! Quicker than I would have killed him! Serves him right for hurting Zack the way he did!"

"Didn't save any for me?", James seemed to take genuine offense to the entire situation. Alex, however, had a look of "here we fucking go again"

"Oh great", Alex sighed, "not these guys again."

"You know this guy?", Truck asked.

"I know his type", Alex said, "his uniform's not marked and that's their MO, but I can't say for certain without finding their truck. That truck, it'll be a blacked out F150 if I'm right and it'll have everything in it. For our sake, I hope I'm not."

Truck and Skeve whispered something to each other, then left the room.

"Turn this area upside down", I looked to Nat and Ben, "find that truck and any documents, phones, flash drives, a tablet, anything that might clue us in to who this Animal is. In the mean time, I'll go help Shannon keep Zack as far from death's door as I can, James, I need you with me too."

We scattered, the others beginning to search the house while James and I went back to Shannon. She was crouched over him, giving him CPR for all she was worth. Zack, though bastard he was, looked like he was breathing, even if it was only barely. He certainly wasn't conscious. Shannon had stripped off his t-shirt and plate carrier, he was covered with spiderweb like markings that had been seared into his skin by the EMP. His Cybernetics now rendered him a little more than a 1,000 pound paper weight. Shannon...she looked broken. I don't think, ever in her career as a Veterinarian, she had met an Animal she couldn't save. I could only stand over her for a second before I fell to my knees.

"I...I can't save him Arien!", she choked the words out, one at a time, in between her tears, "I don't know anything about Cybernetic Prosthetics! Even if I did, I'd need a hospital full of equipment."

I couldn't tell if the expression on James' face was rage or sadness as he collapsed into the street, paws over his face trying to hide his tears. Nero and Mya looked like, if Zack lost this fight, they may follow him.

"You can't leave Uncle Zack", Nero whimpered, "you swore that you wouldn't leave!"

"Yeah. You promised!", Mya agreed through her tears.

"It can't end like this", I muttered at first, then I turned to Alex, "Alex, where's the nearest hospital?"

She shook her head, "The nearest one is two hours way at least."

I gritted my teeth, "It can't end! Not like this! I can get him there."

"You'd never make it in time", Shannon panted, "our only hope is to make his heart work! Help me get him inside!"

Skinny as Sharks were, most of them weighed north of 800 pounds. Zack's cybernetics, either due to what they were made of, or how much of it there was, had him clocking in likely in the high 1,100, low 1200 range. James and myself, perhaps the strongest of our bunch, needed help from Truck and Skeve to get him into the house. Once we had, Alex threw down a bed sheet and shower curtain on her kitchen table and we threw him on it. Thank god it was made of 4x4's and pallet wood. Shannon, for all she was worth, fought to keep Zack alive. She just wasn't heavy enough to force his Cybernetics to work, not like you could a regular heart. The color was going quickly from Zack's skin, from a pale blue and white to dark grey alarmingly fast. Shannon just wasn't strong enough to make his shit work.

"Gah! These fuckin' cybernetics are gonna kill him! Arien, get me the biggest gauze pads you can find and something to pour a bunch of clean water into. If I can keep his blood at least sorta flowing, we should beable to use his gills to bypass his lungs, for a while at least!"

"Got it! I got just the thing", I jumped up, leaving my rifle where it was and ran back to the Tundra. I hit the fob twice to unlock the backdoor. For as long as I could remember, I'd kept an old cookie tin and grocery store bags in the back seat for whatever trash I might accumulate while driving. The tin, while in good shape, wasn't water tight, so with a simple change of the bag I was able to fill it with water from the trailer, which I carefully brought to Shannon and the tore into my IFAK for my gauze pads, which I promptly soaked in the water, following her instructions to secure them to his neck to the letter. Seemed like it was doing just enough to let Shannon keep somewhat of a grip on the situation. Like I said, I don't think that she'd ever met a patient that she couldn't, or hadn't, saved. The idea that Zack may be her first? She wasn't having that. Drops of the sweat were literally collecting in a puddle at the soles of her boots and her teeth were clenched so hard that her gums were losing color. All her fur was matted down to the back of her neck from sweat, most of which I think was caused by stress, and stress alone. Zack, though not quite there, was slipping, I couldn't tell who was losing their grip. She looked almost as bad as he did.

"Dammit Zack...Why. Won't. You. Fucking. Wake. UP!? I don't weigh enough to make this...this fucking thing work! So what if you can breathe, it doesn't matter if your. Fucking. Heart. Won't. Beat!", Shannon swore between her breaths, pounding and beating on Zack's chest.

In a fit of rage, she screamed out, "Dammit! He doesn't deserve to die like this! Like a fucking lesser! God please don't let him go out like this!"

It was at the point Shannon looked like she might falter that James stepped in.

"Mask! Please!", He said, "please! I need you!"

"Anything for friend", James' Biomass said as he engulfed him. James turned to look at Shannon, his biomass asked, "how I make heart work?"

Shannon seemed taken aback by the question, falling away from Zack's limp body into my arms. I could feel how exhausted she was and heat was radiating through her combat gear through mine. That is how long this tiny female stayed trying to make these cybernetics work.

"How I make Friend's heart work!?", the biomass asked.

She stuttered something I couldn't understand, then screamed for all she was worth, which wasn't much at this point. "I don't know! How the fuck did Faraday do it? How does their fuckin' shit work!?"

"I no understand!", the biomass shrieked, "How I make friend not die!? No want friend to die!"

In a bout of pure frustration, Shannon screamed at the top of her lungs at James' Biomass, "However you keep James alive! Do it for friend!"

"Yes", The biomass said, "I do for friend what I do for master!"

James sank his claws into Zack's chest. Immediately drawing blood, the bleeding of which quickly stopped. James sat Zack up, keeping his claws firmly dug into his chest.

It was truly eye opening to watch the color come back to Zack's oxygen deprived face and skin. His eyes rolled out from the back of his head and closed, but he still didn't wake up. Now that, that didn't sit well with James' Biomass, and it's voice was full of distress with it's next sentence.

"Friend...I do not understand. Why? Why is friend not awake? Why does friend's heart not work?"

Shannon looked more frustrated than I'd ever seen anyone in my life, "Why do you think! He's been electrocuted!"

"Friend is in pain?", The biomass asked, "how I make go away?"

"If I knew, don't you think I'd have fucking done it already!?", Shannon squeaked.

Shannon paused for a moment, looking like she was still trying to figure out what to do, a thought struck me.

"Check his IFAK. Might he have instructions on how to do emergency field repairs on his Cybernetics?"

Shannon, without words, tore into Zack's IFAK, pulling out a document in a sealed envelope that had large white text reading.

"Faraday Medical Corporation. Technique for reset of Cybernetic Prosthesis of patient Zachary Ethan Thompson."

She practically kissed the little white plastic bag as she tore it open and began reading the documents enclosed.

"And with that, we have jobs to do", I took a deep breath, "Eirren, get a perimeter set up around this house. No fucking surprises, if an Animal shows up with a radio and rifle you don't recognize, shoot them."

"Got ya", Eirren said, immediately assuming command.

I took my M4 off my back and hit my PTT, "Truck this is Arien."

"Truck here", he answered, "go ahead Arien."

"I need to talk to you guys, like face to face, where you hiding at?"

"I think we need to chat with you too bro", Truck said, "we're a few blocks behind the house, we found the truck Alex was talking about. Bring her with you, we need her to confirm PID."

"Rodger that", I said, "coming to you. Alex, rally on me."

"Of course", Alex said.

As the others moved into the house, Alex and I moved down range, following the directions Truck had given me.

Alex was a Shark of few words, but you didn't need to be certified to know that her life had been turned on it's head when her daughter was born, and then again when the bombs fell. She was rough looking, even for a shark, wearing a full Gorka 4 suit in Desert Dirt coloration and a mix of Russian and American kit stuck on her plate carrier. It was all set up to work with her MG34 and, though it was empty at the time, she had a rocket satchel attached to the back of her plate carrier, the kind that was designed to fit under any kind of assault or external frame pack. Speaking of her MG34, that was not an old firearm. It appeared to be a new manufacture, quite possibly from post war. It was sporting lots of modern parts, including a Trijicon TR21, a very aggressively cut barrel with a muzzle device that looked like it directed gas in such away it may be a danger to the shooter and a drum hanging off the side that read "Aeyrs Weapon Systems. Drum-7.92x57 Mauser-150 rounds". The overall fit and finish of the firearm was not consist with a salvaged WW2 machine gun.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that Zack is in some damn good hands, but...on the same note...You had better be really fucking forthcoming with the information. What the hell did I just watch?", she asked darkly.

"You witnessed what happens to an Animal that the war took everything from. When he had nothing left to give, the sun took the skin from his back and forced the product of runaway cell division mixed with chemical weapons and radiation down his throat.", I explained.

"I'd say so", Alex sighed, pausing for a moment, "Arien, I'm fully aware that I've just met you, so as I get to know your reasoning, my opinion may change. And you did just save my and my daughter's life, so I'll extend the benefit of the doubt to you and your team, but by that same token, do you seriously expect me to trust a fucking_Biomass Example_?"

"James and his Biomass are a packaged set. Don't complain because I can't change it, they're like two sides of a coin from what I've seen", I said, "I don't think the Biomass is capable of thinking above the level of a small child. James is in charge, and that Biomass clearly knows and understands that."

Alex sighed, I knew she had more questions, but she didn't push the matter further.

"You can ask whatever you like when your ready", I shrugged, "I'll answer the best I can. I've got a question for you too though."

"Sure."

"Mind telling me where you managed to find an MG34? And a full auto, modernized one at that?"

"Trader came through here a few weeks ago", she told me, "two of them actually, one from Kostrormansk Ammunition Plant and another from Ayers Weapon Systems. Post War upstarts the way they explained it. Their rates aren't all that bad, can get a decent amount of kit in exchange for not a whole lot back."

I made a mental note to look into that when this was all over.

Some 200 or so yards away from Alex's house, deep into the area that she lived, we found Truck and Skeve, chatting by a blacked out Ford F150, similar to the one that carried the crews that had attacked us.

"Well shit if that don't look familiar, just like the one the Animals that attacked us drove."

"Looks like you were right Alex", Truck sighed, "there was some shit in this truck."

Alex sighed, "I really wish that I wasn't."

"So? Who am I at war with now?", I asked.

"Looks like our mystery Animal works for a group called Shadow Company", Skeve said, "from what we can tell from a tablet we found in the truck, the group has followers all over the country, but they're primarily based in Houston Texas, and there's a reason that's important. Seems like this team's mission up here for the time being is strictly reconnaissance. That being said, there are standing orders that "all locals are to be ignored, but Mech operatives are to be shot on sight." Description of Mech operators...well, that's basically us."

"Read it off to me", I said.

Skeve cleared his throat, "any Animal, male and or female, that exercises firearms or survival skills/knowledge that rises above that of a standard civilian as noted. Any Animals that are armed, wearing military equipment not multicam black and or solid black, or driving vehicles truck, SUV or sedan, of Toyota make and any sub model, wearing the color blue. These Animals are assumed to be Mech operators and are to be captured, interrogated and then executed on sight."

"That's a pretty broad definition", Alex sighed, "fits their MO. Capture, torture, kill."

I rubbed my forehead, "I should have figured that getting attacked by those animals that night wasn't some random act of violence. Been called a lot of things for my choice in cars, but never eaten rounds for it."

"Looks like", Truck sighed, "and, speaking of that attack, how's your brother doing?"

"Not well. James has found away to keep him alive for the time being, and I need to inform you guys so there's no twitch trigger reactions, that James is sharing his body with a Biomass Example. Said Biomass example is currently keeping Zack alive, so keep your fingers the hell off triggers. I don't need a fucking accident right now."

Truck and Skeve exchanged bewildered glances.

"I...how?", Truck asked.

"Dunno", I shrugged, "we have some notes on crude experimentation conducted on the mass by James' late friend, but the results are inconclusive at best and at worst raise far more questions than they answer. For now, he's keeping Zack alive, but he can't hang with that shit for long, it dehydrates him like wringing out a sponge. If James and his Biomass try to do work for their bodies and Zack's, we'll have three casualties. Our only hope is to get him somewhere where Shannon can work on him."

"There's a hospital about two hours out", Alex said, "it's a shot in the dark, and we'll have the Scourged to deal with, but there, we might find proper life support equipment to keep Zack's blood moving while Shannon sets about solving this mess."

Truck and Skeve exchanged glances.

"Well, Skeve and I think we can lend a paw there", Truck said, "does the name Tucker Memorial ring any bells?"

I nodded, "Everyone knew about them. One of the biggest hospitals in the country Pre-War. Not like it helps us any. It's on the other side of the fuckin' country."

"It does", Truck said, "Tucker Memorial was Faraday Medical's flagship facility. It was where they were rebuilding their star patient. They'll have everything Shannon needs to help Zack in whatever way he needs, and we can get you there, by sun down."

"What kind of drugs are you on Truck?", Alex scoffed, "I could use some."

"He's not smoking anything.", Skeve said, "We have a plane, more accurately, we have an Antonov AN-150/96/GSC."

"A what?", Alex asked, "that name sounds somewhat familiar."

"It's a Russian cargo platform gunship", Truck said, "We don't have time for the story, only the offer. You help us get our plane refueled, and we'll take you to Houston."

Skeve added, "Until then, we have a doctor on broad. No cybernetic expert, but he should be able to help Shannon keep Zack's lights on."

"I'll happily repay a favor in exchange for a gunship", I said hitting my PTT, "all points, all points, the game has officially changed. Shannon, get Zack prepped to move, Truck just got us free plane tickets to Tucker Memorial Hospital."

"How!?", Eirren asked.

"I've got a gunship", Truck said, "I just need help getting it refueled."

"How long will the trip be?", Shannon asked, "I...don't know how much longer I can keep the reaper away."

"Just over four hours", Skeve said, "assuming we can get refueled without too many problems."

"Okay", Shannon pondered, "I...I should beable to make that work. Gonna need clean gauze and water to help Zack breathe and, as much as I hate asking, Truck, if any in your crew have an infusion kit, I need it. I have to put James on an IV due to the amount of fluid he sucks down when..", she hesitated, "when friend lends a hand."

"We've got a medic and plenty of kit. You'll have what you need from us sister', Truck assured.

"Gotta count on the Scourged", Benjamin said, "this is gonna be one hell of a fight."

"Big game", Nat agreed, "but we'll give death a big middle finger before the day's out."

"That's what I like to hear. Force up! We're oscar in five mikes!"

"Rodger that", Shannon said, "five mikes."

"Condor 1-4 to Rhino 2-2", Truck said getting on his PTT, "secured assistance to secure runway and fueling trucks at Rockwood Air port. Moving to secure now, be advised, allied assault team has one member outfitted with various Cybernetics incapacitated due to use of EMP weapon, need you to prep medical for when he comes abroad."

A slight pause.

"Rodger that Rhino, Condor team is moving to airfield now, will advise", Truck said, "My plane's burning fumes Arien. If you want that ride, we gotta move. The Captain said we only have enough fuel to make one run around the airfield in combat support before he has to land, we got about 30 minutes to make that airstrip if we want any kind of air support in clearing it."

"Then let's hustle."

The four of us were moving with purpose as we high tailed it back towards Alex's house. Once there, we learned that Luka had already surrendered their last infusion kit to Shannon, who had put an IV in James' arm. Both Truck and Skeve seemed surprised when they saw the state of affairs we were in. They held their tongues as Shannon started trying to unscramble the mess this afternoon had become.

"I need Animals, three on each side", she said, "We can't break James' connection to Zack or he'll stop breathing. We're gonna take them outside and load them into the trailer with two on security, I need volunteers."

"I'll do it!", Nat piped up quickly.

"Yeah, I've got your six sister", Tessa agreed.

"Okay", Shannon took a deep breath, "Zack's one heavy bastard, so, let's do this as quickly as possible."

Even with James' helping, it was difficult to keep the him level as we loaded him into the trailer. Once we got them situated, Shannon stayed behind to make sure James' IV was good and to keep an eye on Zack. With Tess and Nat on guard, the rest of us loaded up. Just as I was about to start the Tundra's engine, when Truck came over the radio.

"Heads up Arien, I don't have the space for all these trucks in my cargo bay. Could fit your Tundra and sequoia, but your rig is just too big."

"We'll make do well enough with out it", I said starting the Tundra. From Alex's house, Truck took point, relying on radio calls from his plane to guide us to the air field. Rhino led us out of Alex's sub division out onto a wide open straight away, which, according to the gunship Com officer, was clear all the way to the objective. Visibility was restricted by the clouds of blue smoke emitted by the high performance diesels currently announcing to the world that their drivers were ready to be served to whatever abomination in the area that was hungry. Rhino continued to feed us directions all the way to the airstrip, which turned out to be a private airport, somewhere outside of Rockwood, given the near 45 minutes it had taken us to drive out there. Shannon had been quiet the entire ride, so Zack's condition hadn't likely gotten worse, but then again, it probably wasn't getting better either. Upon arriving at the air field, Truck gave his Tundra it's head and smashed it through the wrought iron fence, the crash of which literally had Scourged and Biomass Examples come running, or, to be perfectly accurate, hobbling, towards these new canned meals that had been kind enough to deliver themselves to the slaughter. Truck smashed his Tundra through a few of them on his way towards the runway. Things were happening so quickly it was difficult to keep up. The Airport's area was quite open, with the only significant structures being the main building, two at the end of the long runway and a parking lot filled with rusted cars. Scourged and larger Examples were scattered all over the airport property, and there were more gathering at the far edges by the fence, there were a lot of them. Not as many as we'd seen in the mall, but there were a lot.

"Condor 1-4 to Rhino 4-6", Truck said, "Allied forces are approaching the runway, I need to know where they're stashing their fuel, confirm you have visual."

"Condor 1-4, Rhino 4-6, fueling station is located in the inner loop of the southern runway approximately one mile from your current location. In order to access, well have to come around from the East side of the runway, it'll take us three minutes after touch down to taxi to you."

"Rodger that Rhino 4-6, stand by for targets."

Truck drove his Tundra to the end of the runway, rolling out with his M4 in his shoulder. Skeve, Luka and Tess exited the Tundra weapons hot, Skeve and Luka around the back side of the truck with their rifles planted along the side of the bed, engaging the several dozen Scourged shambling steadily towards us. While the Scourged fell rather easily under their calculated rifle fire, some larger examples of the Biomass were beginning to appear, seeming to be coming from the main air port building. They were swallowing up the fallen Scourged as the shambled or crawled or slithered or...whatever the fuck they were doing. They didn't seem to be bothered by rifle fire, even Skeve's fat 12.7x55 rounds, devastating on impact with the Scourged, the Biomass ignored it.

"We'll we're not stopping these with our rifles!", Luka exclaimed dropping the magazine from her SCAR-17s.

"Come in Rhino! Condor 2-4!", Skeve shouted, "I need that air!"

Skeve, with his rifle in his off hand, threw a smoke grenade towards the oncoming Examples with every bit of strength he had in his upper body. It started to produce a dark blue smoke almost the second it left his hand, landing with a thunk at the foot...or slab, of one of the approaching Examples.

"Rhino 1-6 on station", the gunship pilot said, "death from above!"

I didn't actually hear Rhino's gunner cut the chain gun lose, only saw the rounds impact. The biomass exploded outwards at first, but, seeming that it was too dense for even a 25 to deflate completely, collapsed back inwards. This rubber band effect forced body fluids and shredded chunks of meat through every available pore in the targeted examples bodies. The gore ejected with force comparable to Yellowstone's largest geysers. Chunks of broken bones, various, mutilated organs from who only knew what species, viscous, rabies ridden foam mixed in with nasty brown and semi coagulated blood and rotten flesh erupted from the slain examples and spray painted the run way in a stomach turning display of violence. It was hard to believe that these fucking things had been other Animals once. Rhino laid waste to every example that came within the smoke's radius, firing I don't even know how many rounds and coating the runway with blood shed and gore to rival that of the bloodiest battlefields of the final world war. The battlefield quieted, though the warning signs were still pounding in my head, I looked up from my ACOG.

"Condor 1-4, target area suppressed. Coming in for a landing now."

"Rodger that!", Truck acknowledged, "three minutes!"

"These fuckin' things make my brain hurt.", Skeve growled getting his rifle back into his shoulder.

"Wonder how they pull that off?", Eirren asked.

"Does it matter?", I asked.

"If we knew maybe we could make it stop", Luka suggested.

"We know how to stop it. We flatten' 'em", Skeve said rotating his magazines.

Standing behind my Tundra, I watched the large, dirt brown colored aircraft descend from the sky. I'd seen some large planes during my time with the Army, but if there was one thing the Russians did the best it was aircraft. Rhino was quite the plane, bristling with teeth, some of which had barrels longer than six feet. The wing span stretched almost all the way across the space between the two runways and the sounds of it's six engines winding down rendered all forms of communication other than sign language worthless, at least for the first thirty or so seconds after it put rubber to pavement. I suspect that the plane switched to electric motors on the landing gear as the plane continued to keep a constant speed as it taxied across the long runway to take the turn to loop around to reach the fueling station.

"Electric Motors on the wheels?", I asked.

"Yup", Truck said.

"That's new."

"Was a first for us too", he added.

Rhino's left wing blotted out the sun as the massive plane came to a slow stop near the fueling station, engines still technically running, but at low speed. Truck and Skeve began the process of attaching the fueling hoses to the plane as the back ramp came down. Two males stepped out, one of which appeared to be the captain of the gunship and the other looked like a doctor. The captain barked something in Russian to Truck, who answered back in the same language. The pilot gave a thumbs up and then he and the doctor made their way over to us.

"Where's your downed guy?", the doctor shouted over the turbines.

"We've got him laid up in our rig!", I answered.

"Let's get him into the medical bay! Sooner I get him hooked up the better!"

"Fair warning! We got a biomass guy keeping him alive at the moment, keep your fingers away from the trigger."

"Truck told us already!", the doctor assured.

I lead them back towards the rig, rapping on the door.

"Someone unlock the door! Plane's here!"

Nat answered the door, letting the three of us in. Shannon stood over Zack like a concerned mother, looking almost as bad, perhaps worse, than he did. Zack was losing color again, and so was James, the biomass half peeled away from his upper body with almost none left present below his waist. The area where James was connected to Zack had discolored, turning a similar color as all the other biomass that I'd seen.

"Can't keep up", James said, struggling to get a breath, "I can't...can't do it."

"Can't save...can't save friend. Too weak..." The biomass sounded like it was in as much distress as Zack was.

"Save your energy James", I said, "Help's here. Friend's not done yet!"

As we picked Zack up, I gently shook his head, "you better stay alive Zack! We've come too far and have got so little left for you to let go. If you can hear me hang on just a bit longer! Help's here!"

Everyone who was able assisted in helping pick up Zack. Quickly and carefully as we could, we moved him from the Rig's trailer to the plane's makeshift medical bay. Once inside, we laid him out on a stretcher that had been bolted to the ground and he was secured to the bed via some straps to prevent him from moving. Once he was secured, the Doctor barked orders in Russian to a wolf kid that was on the plane with him, his daughter perhaps. The wolf quickly retrieved some surgical tools from a cabinet and handed them off, promptly following up by wheeling in some piece of medical equipment marked in all Russian. The Doctor turned to Shannon and then, in perfect English said.

"How long as your Example been bypassing his cybernetics?"

"47 minutes exactly", Shannon said.

The Doctor thought for a minute, "okay...I can make that work. You are an actual veterinarian and not just a combat medic right?"

She nodded, "yes, general prac and surgery."

"Outstanding", the doctor said, "help me run this aerator."

At that point, the pilot tapped me on the shoulder, "bring in your truck and SUV! We gotta get airborne quick!"

"Got ya!"

I stepped back outside of the plane, Skeve, Luka and Tess were standing guard while Truck was lashing his Tundra to the back left of four vehicle spaces, general supplies sat in the back right, leaving just two spaces for trucks.

"Looks like we're losing the rig and the trailer", I cursed under my breath, "Fuck."

Benjamin ended up helping me strip all the meaningful supplies from the Rig. We packed the Tundra and Sequoia full as we could and then loaded them up, the door closing behind us.

"Well, that could have gone smoother", Skeve sighed, "but, mission accomplished."

"Assuming Zack lives", Benjamin stated dryly.

"Go be with your family", Truck said, "we'll take care of your rides."

"C'mon Ben", I said, "He's got a point."

Benjamin sighed, staying silent as the two of us walked back to the medical bay, where the other members of the team had now gathered around. We entered just as Shannon and the other doctor were finishing up whatever procedure it was that they were performing.

"Well", the doctor said, tossing some gloves into a bio-hazard bin located at his foot, "it ain't a fix, but it'll keep him alive for the foreseeable future."

"What exactly did you do?", Benjamin asked.

"Hooked him up to a blood pump", Shannon said, "it'll circulate blood white water over his gills oxygenates it the way it's supposed to be. It'll work until we can reach Tucker memorial."

"You all get some real rest", the doctor said, "we're safe up here in the sky. I can watch your friend for the time being. You can take the stair case to the next level of the plane, we have living facilities up there."

"A two story plane?", Nat pondered, "huh, learn something new everyday."

"Don't have to tell me twice", Benjamin huffed.

"Me either", Shannon agreed.

The end of the cargo bay had a metal stair case that had boxes piled up behind it. It was clear upon heading upwards that the plane had been retrofitted for living after the fact. Industrial carpet tiles had been glued to the metal floor and the walls had simply been spray painted a very "house wall white", kind of color. Mattresses were tied to frames bolted to the floor by para cord around the bottom seams. They were bunk frames that came equipped with hand woven para cord net's that I assumed were supposed to prevent occupants from being thrown from their beds should the plane make a sudden maneuver. There was ample space, but I guessed that Truck and his crew slept in shifts, given there was only five beds. I didn't know much about this particular aircraft, but I figured that it took more than five Animals to keep it aloft.

"Nice place they've got here", Eirren noted, "very....cargo plane?"

"Very cargo plane?", I asked.

"Fuck dude I dunno what to call it", She shrugged, "I usually just fly myself if I need to be somewhere that needs to be flown to."

"If Zack wasn't a hair away from death", Nat sighed, "I might actually be comfortable."

"Must be nice to sleep at night without worrying about a mob of dead shit rushing at you", James exhaled, slumping against the wall. Eirren put a paw on his shoulder.

"You realize that you are probably the only reason Zack lasted this long right?", she asked.

"No shit", Benjamin agreed, "you continue to impress me with that Biomass shit you got going on."

James managed a slight smile, "I feel like there's acid slugging through my veins."

"I mean you were doing the work of two animals", I said, "I'm no doctor, but I imagine that's a lot of stress on your organs, not to mention sharing your body with someone else already. Maybe tell Shannon though, we don't need any more Animals out of the fight."

There was a moment of silence.

"So...what now?", Benjamin asked.

"Whatever you feel you need to do with your equipment before we hit Houston. Clean it, check it, whatever you gotta do, do it, then get what rest you can. I get the feeling once we're boots on the ground in Houston we won't get a respite until we hit my place."

It was an eerie feeling. We were so close, but still so far. There was so much on the line. Our priority had to be making sure that Zack pulled through, so close to our goal, it would sting a lot more if it was time for him to leave the team, especially after all we'd been through. I had no idea what we were going to find in Houston, other than more Scourged, more Biomass and now we had cultist mercs in the mix. What, I fathomed, could possibly go wrong? Time would tell, I guessed.

While my team worked on getting their equipment clean and ready to go, I went back down to the cargo bay, finding Truck, Skeve and Alex standing by the bay door, neither of them looking too concerned with much of anything.

"Must be nice not having all kinds of shit to worry about."

"Worrying about parts and fuel on a gunship isn't exactly a cakewalk", Truck said sarcastically, "Trust me bro, we've got our own problems."

"Could've fooled me."

"Only thing pressing at the moment is taking ya'll to Houston", Truck said, "After that, we'll just keep flying south in all likely hood."

"Where you planning on ending up?", I asked.

Truck shrugged, "Dunno, "wherever the next airstrip we can find fuel is."

"Well, I wish you guys luck. Regardless of outcome, thanks for doing this for us. It means more than you know."

"I'm always happy to help someone out", Truck said, "and...listen Arien. Houston is a fuckin' warzone. Keep in mind, we haven't gone through it all, but while we were in-route here, our comms officer tore into the intel we found in that Shadow Company truck back at Alex's place and what he found is concerning. We'll brief your team soon as we enter Texas, for now, get some rest, you'll need it."

"How long until we make the state?", I asked.

"About four hours as of now", Truck said, "should be a smooth flight."

"Sweet. Thanks for this guys, means more than you know."

"Happy to lend a paw brother", Skeve shrugged.

I returned upstairs, finding Shannon had now joined the group, looking exhausted, more from stress than effort.

"How is he?", I asked.

"Assuming we can get into the hospital in one piece and get a sterile environment. I know I can save him. Those fuckers at Faraday medical designed the Snaypsis to be the weak point on purpose, it just pops out of place when it get's hit with high current, like a circuit breaker. All that needs to be done is popping them back into place. If he had newer cybernetics, I could have just done it through his skin. His are a little older though so I'm gonna have to open him up."

"So he'll live?", Eirren asked.

"If everyone goes accordingly", Shannon said, "Yes."

"That's a pretty big if though", Benjamin countered, "Can't you just cut on him here?"

"Benjamin, if I could have done that, I'd be doing it. Like I said, Zack's Cybernetics are older and need a tool to reset them. Yuri doesn't have said tool."

"You sure Zack doesn't have it somewhere in his kit?", he asked.

"Ben, I tore his kit apart looking for it. If I had found it, I'd have done it already. I just don't have one."

"And the hospital will?", Eirren asked.

Shannon struck a cold stare at Eirren, "I fucking hope so. It's Zack's only chance. Ari, did Truck give you an ETA on when we'd been crossing into Texas?"

"Four hours", I said.

"Four hours", Eirren mused aloud as I sat down next to her, "two nights ago, Four hours was four months."

"Then we met Truck", Benjamin asked, "I wonder, if this entire mess could have been avoided if we had listened to Zack and rushed the shit out of them."

"Guy in the house probably still would have thrown the grenade", I shrugged, "too late now to wonder what if. Gotta just focus on the task at hand."

Those four hours, damn, did they pass quickly. We mostly spent it checking equipment and resting, both of which were much needed. Shannon was back and fourth from our company to Zack's every thirty minutes or so and, according to her, he was breathing easily and didn't seem to be in too much pain, though he was still out of it. According to Shannon, he likely wouldn't wake up until after his Cybernetics had been reset, something about a safety feature triggering an induced light-coma when all his cybernetics went off line at once. It was roughly quarter past five when Truck called us into a room directly beneath the cockpit, which had a great view of the sky below us, being located in the nose. We were flying above the clouds, and the sky was almost deceptively clear above it. We'd noticed over the course of the flight that the air seemed...fresher, in the plane than it had in a long time.

"Can't remember the last time I saw blue sky", Nat said, "not like this....it's almost normal up here."

"Air's fresh too", Ben added.

"Fresh air intake", Truck said, "can't exactly go stand on the wing, this is the next best thing. So, for the reason we're here. We'll be over Houston in roughly 20 minutes, everything regarding your vehicles is prepared for drop, however, there's some information I want to share with you all first."

"Which would be?", I asked.

"Houston is a fucking warzone", Truck said, "I've told Arien already, dunno if he's explained yet or wanted you to get the full story from me. The Animals that attacked you and crippled Zack belong to a group of cultist mercs known as Shadow Company. They and another faction refereed to only as Mech have been warring for about a year now over what little supplies are left in the city. The company seems based in Houston, but has followers all over the country, and lately they've been rounding up anyone they can convince to join them to help stamp out Mech's resistance. Most of the survivors of the war live under Shadow Company's thumb in Alley One."

"Junkyard slum built from old buildings and rubble scavenged from around the area", Skeve said, "It's an open air torture chamber, for all intents and purposes."

Alex nodded, "Fits their MO."

"Now, the city is divided into three sections, One, Two and Three. Tucker Memorial is in Section Three, Dead Zone territory. Not much in the file intel wise, expect usual wasteland vermin at a minimum, I also know that Shadow Company doesn't patrol Section Three nearly at all during the day and none during night, so, in order to attract as little attention as possible, we're going to drop you off as close to Tucker Memorial as we can get you at midnight. Expect some target drift, once you're on the ground, we'll circle the area and provide intel support until you're inside the hospital. Because of the situation within the city, I won't fire on anything unless you tell me to, and unless otherwise told, we'll be sticking to the 25mm for minimal sound signature on impact. If you have suppressors, use them."

"What's in this city that we have to do dark ops in an abandoned part of the city in the dead of night?", Eirren asked.

"We simply don't know what to expect", Truck said, "essentially we'll be dropping into an AO with no forward planning or knowledge on what a known hostile presence in the area is capable of. Flying blind, for all intents and purposes. We'll keep you updated on what's going on around you best as we can, but in the interest of staying as undetected as possible, my plane's guns are down unless you order me to fire."

"Sounds like a solid plan", I agreed, "Shannon, how are we going to move Zack, and how do you expect him to fare during the drop?"

"James?", Shannon asked, "that blood pump is too big to take with us, how are you feeling?"

"I'm not at a hundred percent, but whatever you need me to do, I'm more than up for it."

"Arien, what's the plan of attack once we're on the ground?", Eirren asked.

"Our first objective is to secure all ground level entrances into the hospital and make sure that nothing and no one is going to be taking us off guard. From there, we'll have to pick a room with a quickly accessible escape in the event that something get's past our defenses. We'll then need a way to provide power and cooling, as well as sterilizing Shannon's workspace."

"I'll need Ice too Ari", Shannon stated, "I've gotta cut a sizable strip of meat from Zack's back to get to his Snaypsis, I have to put it back when I'm done so I need a way to keep it from dying in the mean time."

"How the fuck are we supposed to get ice? And sterile ice at that?"

"Hospital should have at least a couple of high end freezers in the labs", Shannon said, "temperatures cold enough to flash water into ice within the needed time frame will kill anything living in the water. All we'd need would be ice trays."

"Plastic wrap too", Shannon added, "where ever you can find it, I can sterilize it if needed."

"We have water", Truck said, "take a five gallon tank from our storage, on the house."

"Arien, if I may?", Benjamin asked.

"Yes?"

"If James is keeping Zack going during this, whose gonna be making the room's AC work?"

I sighed, "good question..."

I thought for a moment, "does someone have a 2019 map of Houston?"

Truck turned around to a map case, "maybe...."

The rifled through a few rolled up maps, "here, what have you got on your mind?"

"Pre war I worked for an AC supply house that had a DC in Houston. If I recall the address correctly, it was very close to Tucker Memorial."

I panned the map for a moment, finding the hospital, then locating the DC.

"There, it's barely two miles from the hospital", I said, "Addison Supply & Equipment. I remember that DC being full to the brim of all kinds of equipment. Can't be too hard to find a workable window unit we can rig for the time being."

"That'd work for the duration", James said, "three ton should work."

"Gonna be a big ass window unit for a three ton", I noted, "we were Freidrich dealers."

"Cut a hole in the wall and vent it into the next room over", James said, "hand saws can't be rare finds these days."

"I hate to say this", I sighed, "but we're going to have to split up once the hospital lobby is secure. I can deploy with Eirren to go find the unit and whatever we'll need to install it. We carried some stuff for cleaning and disinfecting too, if I can find anything I'll bring that back too."

"I'll stay with you guys then", Alex said looking towards Shannon, "you'll need some kind of security, plus, I can keep track of the kids while you guys do whatever needs doing."

"Ben and I will look for the generator and the fuel", Nat suggested, "Shannon, how long do you expect this to take?"

"Once I get him open and have the tool in hand? Not very long. Closing him up correctly will be the hard part, but everything should be done within a couple of hours."

"Are we missing anything?", I asked.

"Don't think so", Shannon said, "if anything else comes up...well, I guess we handle it in order of appearance."

"Okay", James checked his watch, "let's gear up and get evil, time to work for a living."