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XIII: The Way Home

City-23: Riverfront District

Oct-19th, 2034, 09:49

The Pilot

Currently sitting atop an exposed parking ramp that was situated underneath another forty floors of apartments, Rooker continued to look across the river and into the azure eyes of the enemy sniper. Her large dorsal fins and menacing horns sprouted from her ebony body, while the tufts of feathers ornamenting her powerful forearms no doubt aided her in evaluating the winds aloft that served as the medium between them.

Even with his close contact with Rose over the years, the pilot shuddered at the thought of a close-range engagement with this heavily augmented viper. Rose was gentle, the one currently in his crosshairs looked to be far from it. Luckily, he still held the element of surprise and would do everything in his power to avoid squandering the opportunity to make the first and hopefully the last move of their engagement. Advent made them big, but he had the magic bullet chambered and ready to send her straight to the gates of hell.

Rooker looked into the azure eyes one final time before moving his finger onto the trigger of his sniper rifle. The music slowly withered away and the sound of silence took hold once again. His weapon was hot and now demanded its weight in blood, her blood.

Yet still, he hesitated.

Sins of the past had come back to haunt him at the most inopportune of times; however, his thoughts soon went from the nameless viper to Rose…his Rose. In the end, he would choose to be able to see her again over letting the alien in his sights escape. Indeed, the ebony viper before him had killed and would likely kill again unless he put her down for good. It would be quick and clean—a far cry from last time. He only needed to squeeze and forget. It was that easy, just squeeze and suppress the memories in the same manner that he had done in the past.

But history had taught him that the past never stayed buried for long.

No. He just had to boil it down to a single question: her life or Rose's? The one worth saving was obvious, and he would make it quick, clean, and precise.

Just squeeze and forget.

His hands then steadied and the mists of uncertainty cleared from his mind as he finally found his answer.

“I'm sorry."

Rooker then squeezed the trigger and allowed the rifle to come alive. Its thunderclap pounded his eardrums and the heavy springs soon compressed into his body. The spent casing was then spat out onto the unforgiving earth beneath him, its inertia causing it to further tumble over the ledge and fall fifteen stories to the vacant streets below. For his answer now came in the form of the silver-tipped salvo that left the sniper rifle's barrel with nothing less than malicious intent.

By the time Rooker had a chance to release his breath, the bullet had already made its way across the river and into the penthouse above, punching into its intended target, setting off a rich bloom as the modified chemical incendiary agent took over, and painting the wall behind it in a shower of molten yellow. The aftermath of the unkempt explosion latched on and the drapes lining the shattered windows ignited in a secondary ball of flames. Smoke filled the immediate area and the fires within soon raged and threatened to consume the entire penthouse. Given time, the upper levels of the other building would become a smoldering corpse of twisted steel.

The dark deed was done, and while he could not readily confirm a body, the gruesome artwork that the .50 BMG had left in its wake was enough for him to engage the safety and breath another sigh of relief. It was over and he had won.

“May you find peace in the afterlife."

A crescendo of muffled gunfire erupted soon after, allowing him to easily pinpoint the skirmish that had unfolded on the memorial bridge below. The alien device was now glowing brighter than ever before, and the pod of Lost that was converging on the downed dropship's location was one of the largest that he'd ever seen.

Rooker took one last look at the penthouse in the distance, still burning in the morning sunlight thanks to his actions. Hopefully, he would forget with time. Nevertheless, his work was far from over and it was now time to shift his attention back to covering the captain and the remains of the extraction team, who'd begun to fall back towards his side of the river.

Rooker collected his belongings and made a move to change his position, but a glint of light in his periphery followed closely by a lance of green temporarily blinded him and the ground in front of him suddenly ceased to exist. Fragments of concrete battered his body, ricocheting off of his armor as his momentum betrayed him and drove him into a tailspin. His stomach lurched throughout freefall until he felt himself crash into the roof of a dilapidated vehicle on the level below.

“Damn it…" Rooker groaned as his pain receptors flared and pieces of debris continued to rain down on him from above. He clenched his fists and curled his toes in an attempt to gauge the damage that had been left in aftermath of the attack. Fortunately, he still had feeling in all of his limbs.

After he tightened his grip back onto his sniper rifle, the man tilted his head backward, looking out towards the penthouse in the distance. The upper levels had only continued to be engulfed in flames thanks to the steady winds aloft, however, his appraisal was cut short as he caught another glint of light coming from the opposite end of the building. His eyes ballooned in size as his mind registered the impending danger.

“Shit!"

Rooker rolled himself off of the roof with as much force as he could possibly muster, striking the ground just as the vehicle caught a follow-up javelin of superheated plasma and buried him in its rubble. Coming to his senses, the man quickly pushed the remains of a tattered door aside and forced himself back onto his feet. He then retreated behind a nearby concrete barricade that placed him out of view of the penthouse.

The pilot immediately looked over his weapon and body for injuries. Thankfully, he had escaped his aggressor with only superficial wounds, even though every muscle in his body now cried out in agony. At this point, it was abundantly clear that his target had survived his wrath and he was now caught in her crosshairs.

The sound of distant gunfire continued to grow in volume, suggesting that the captain and her guard were still making their way back to him. Unfortunately, the alien sniper across the river would complicate matters, especially considering that she was likely the one who had downed the other dropship in the first place. With that said, he was quickly coming to grips with the fact that they would be stuck between a rock and a hard place if he didn't disable their aggressor before they departed the area.

The enormous snake had somehow managed to survive his initial volley, so he was likely going to need some backup if he was going to make it out of this alive. Rooker looked down to the radio attached to his vest—it was worth a shot. He then attempted to get into contact with the extraction team on their designated frequency but was only met with a steady stream of white noise. Unfortunately, they were still too close to the alien artifact and he would have to proceed without a friendly sniper to back him up.

The man then leaned his head against his concrete barrier and groaned. Figures that he'd be the one that was forced into a deadly duel with a giant, mutant viper. “Why couldn't the Elders have just come in peace and collected seashells as a hobby?" he muttered to himself. “It would've made everything a whole lot easier."

The pilot closed his eyes and mulled over his options. Hopefully, the sustained injury that he had inflicted on the viper would reduce her overall reaction time, because his human ones were severely outmatched when it came to long-range engagements. However, he wagered that the psionic chip embedded in her skull would force her body to comply nonetheless. And without another sniper currently available to aid him, he would have to get creative with the equipment and cover that he had at his disposal.

After taking another moment to collect himself, the man opened his eyes and began to shuffle his way to the other side of the barrier, making sure to continue to stay concealed from his scaled adversary. It felt as though he had been hit by an Advent freighter, but still, he pressed forward. Upon reaching the end of the barricade, he leaned out and surveyed the area that would no doubt become their battlefield.

What he found were scores of ramshackle vehicles, concrete pillars, and a similar guardrail to the one that he once used to support his initial shot. However, the sniper rifle that the viper currently wielded against him would make short work of all of these options. Indeed, even a well-placed shot at his feet would be enough to immobilize him and allow for a killing blow to be administered shortly after. Worse still, his adversary had likely repositioned herself after the second shot and now lied somewhere in the shadows for him to make the first move, lest he do something egregiously stupid and expose himself to her directly.

He turned his attention back to his armor, taking stock of the flashbang and smoke grenade that hung from his body. If the fires wouldn't flush her out, perhaps he could do so himself with a bit of misdirection? It was risky and he'd likely only have one chance before she would become wise to his bag of…

Rooker suddenly spotted an unusual object protruding from a throng of discarded boxes that sat in the back of a nearby van. The pilot briefly swung his sniper rifle around his back and slowly made his way towards the item in question, tossing away the articles of clothing and wigs that obscured the rest of the object from view. What he found afterwards only made him break out into a wide smile.

“Tricks."

Falling back to the barricade with the object in hand, Rooker then moved to unlatch his helmet and transferred it to the mannequin head that had graced him with its presence. It would be crude and he'd be banking on the viper's inexperience and impulsivity, but if it worked for the snipers of old and lady luck continued to watch over him, the enemy sniper would fall into his trap and be lulled out of hiding.

Rooker shifted his gaze back to the area in front of him, spotting another vehicle beside a pillar to prop up his decoy before their deadly dance would begin. After confirming that his rappel line had survived the viper's wrath and taking final stock of his weapon and improvised equipment, Rooker pushed himself to the closest pillar to his left, which placed him just out of view of the penthouse above. He then set down his sniper rifle and unlatched the smoke grenade from his armor. Shit, he was really about to do this.

“Come on Rooker, what do you have to lose?"

The man could immediately think of one thing, or rather someone that he would stand to lose should things go horribly wrong. He shook the thought from his head and took a final breath to calm himself, pulling the pin and tossing the smoke canister in order to cover his next setup.

Rooker allowed the thick fog to permeate the forward portion of the parking ramp and then made his move, switching between each individual piece of cover until he reached his objective. Afterwards, he set up his decoy in front of his chosen vehicle, angled one of the side mirrors to get the attention of his reptilian adversary, and then retraced his steps back to his original pillar.

One hundred seconds…

The sniper retrieved his weapon, setting up in a shallow alcove that shielded him from the reflective glare of the sun, and then pulled a final item out of a side compartment in his armor.

Eighty seconds…

He wound up the device and compressed the button on its stem, allowing its distinctive chime to flood his senses. Its measure soon drowned out the din of the world around him.

Sixty seconds…

Rooker set the pocket watch on the barricade next to him, watching the decorative scene as the timer in his head continued to count down to zero. The thick smoke in front of him continued to stream out of the canister. Surely it would be enough to warrant her attention.

Thirty seconds…

The scene on the musical watch outlined countless stars, which filled the sky and watched over a cabin in the woods with a regal stag in the foreground. However, a pair of blood moons guarded by a mask of warm scales now outshined the rest. Rooker couldn't help but smile as the seconds continued to tick away.

Twenty seconds…

Rooker steadied himself behind his weapon in anticipation for the dense covering of smoke to clear. And while the sound of gunfire continued below, he was left in his obscure corner of the world for what would come next. The man then disengaged the safety and allowed the musical chime to near the end of its measure. After all, it was showtime, and he didn't want to disappoint his guest.

Ten seconds…

The smoke began to fade and brilliant sunshine was once again allowed to flood the area. It appeared as though the haze layer from before had finally burned off. However, the fires had yet to cease within the penthouse above. Somewhere in that building was a pair of predacious eyes that were no doubt looking to enact revenge for his previous transgression. Unfortunately for her, he was more than willing to make things interesting.

“Alright, big girl. It's time to come back out and see what you're truly made of."

Five…

Four…

Three…

Two…

One.

Rooker adjusted his sights to the penthouse above and continued to lie in wait, hoping that the viper would rise to the occasion. However, the medium between them remained quiet as the seconds ticked by, the musical measure died, and the wisps of white finally withered away. The viper had chosen to stay hidden and hadn't risen to the bait as he had hoped.

The sniper sighed as his fears were confirmed. “Of course, you're smarter than that."

Nevertheless, he continued to scan his surroundings as black smoke continued to billow out of the top of the other building, masking much of what occurred within. There was no way that the viper would've continued to risk her life on the upper floors and would've likely had to retreat to a lower level to escape the inferno. Unfortunately for him, there were a lot of levels for her to choose from, and triangulating her position would be—

Movement across a series of battered windows on one of the lower floors soon caught his attention. He couldn't help but chuckle at the fact, as it would appear that her size had finally come to work against her. For the game had just begun and she'd already given herself away. A shame, she had shown promise and it was now simply a matter of tracking her movements, which soon came to an abrupt halt next to a final set of windows.

Rooker steadied himself once more, prepared to release another volley of fire once she chose to reveal herself to him. While the man still felt horrible about what would come next, he had already injured her, and she continued to make herself an obstacle between him and his Rose. After all, he had made the decision already and it was time to send her packing for good.

“That's it, just lean out and take another peek for me. I promise to make it quick this time around."

Just squeeze and forget.

He transferred his finger to the trigger as a black mass then shifted towards the edge of the window. The ebony viper then moved into his sights, but he did not find the same azure eyes staring out across the river this time. Instead, she presented him with the other end of her sinuous body—an ebony tail that glided back and forth across the window sill. It also appeared to be creating some kind of gesture, one that suggested…

Rooker trained his eyes off of his scope, only to immediately catch an all too familiar glint of light coming from a secondary set of windows. The human went pale as a ghost as he realized his mistake and his survival instincts kicked in. He then made a move to escape from the cover that once served as his shield, but the barricade was quickly turned against him as a lance of plasma struck its base. The subsequent shockwave knocked the wind out of him and sent him sailing through the air in the process. He then impacted into a nearby pillar, bringing his hands to his face afterwards in order to protect it from the fragmentation that continued to pepper his body.

The dust settled soon after, leaving him writhing in pain as he ravenously tried to refill his lungs with lifegiving air. Eventually, his senses returned to him, allowing him to survey the situation that he had unwittingly placed himself into. He soon located his sniper rifle in the distance. And while his primary weapon appeared to have remained intact, it was now out of reach. His pocket watch had also managed to survive the blast. He reached down in order to retrieve it from a pile of rubble and made a move to stand, but his body refused to comply and forced him back against the column of cement. He was in a sorry state and now a sitting duck.

Rooker spat out a mouthful of blood and produced a pained laugh once his airway was sufficiently cleared. “Clever girl…even used my own trick against me, and I failed to heed the warnings until it was too late."

He then attempted to stand a second time but was met with the same result as before. Confined to his fate, Rooker wound up the pocket watch and released its musical measure to the world around him. He balanced the watch on his thigh and placed a shaky hand on top of it, gazing at the cabin in the woods that was to be their escape from the uncaring world that had brought them together in the first place. He then looked at his reflection in the semicircular mirror—much in the same manner that his favorite red and white neonate used to do. Her red eyes then found his and filled him with nothing but happy memories.

Rooker allowed a single tear to streak down his face and weave its way around his gnarled scars. His thoughts immediately went to the night that Rose had given them to him, choosing to fall asleep in his arms afterwards as he shielded her from harm. Despite their troubled beginnings, she had accepted him all the same.

“I'm sorry Rose…I'm afraid that I'll be the first one to fall asleep this time around."

Taking one final breath, the human looked to the penthouse across the river, its burning gaze lighting the way back home. However, the telltale glint from within the building's hardened shell made its appearance known.

The musical chime in his lap completed its measure and compelled him to shift his full attention towards the viper in the distance. He smiled at her through bloody teeth. It was showtime after all; he didn't want to disappoint.

“I'll see you in the next life, girl. It's time for me to—"

A sash of green cut its way through the morning air and entered the parking ramp, causing its sole occupant to fall silent as his world came crashing down around him.

The Captain

“Feldspar, get Lieutenant Simons off the ground now! Everyone else, we are moving to that evac point. I say again, we cannot hold this position any—"

Katarina was suddenly knocked off of her feet as an armored mass moved to intercept and push her out of harm's way. A smoldering crater soon formed where she once stood. The man on top of her then cried out as debris continued to rain down on top of them.

“ENEMY SNIPER!"

She immediately felt the weight of her human shield relieve her of its burden. A gloved hand planted itself in front of her face and aided her back to her feet. Feldspar then used that same hand to direct her attention to a high-rise building in the distance.

“On the penthouse level...the bastard lied in wait, took out Ramirez, and then went after you in the midst of the chaos."

“All the more reason to get off this damn bridge," she responded as the incessant ringing in her ears finally ceased and her senses returned to her. Katarina dusted herself off and then turned back to Feldspar. “We're sitting ducks out here, so get the lieutenant moving ASAP!"

The burly man nodded his head and made a move for Simons, who grunted as he was slowly hoisted off of the ground. “The aliens had us in their sights this entire time and we fell right into their trap," the lieutenant acknowledged as he settled in for the uncomfortable ride.

“Did you manage to get a visual? How many are we dealing with?"

“Only a quick glance of a black shadow, and I believe that there's just one. The weapon they're using against us suggests an x-ray, and a big one at that," Feldspar answered.

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a conventional weapon firing behind them. Its unsuppressed bellow split through the brisk air and caused her to turn towards its point of origin: their evacuation point. That wasn't possible, everyone involved with the extraction was currently on this bridge, except for—

“Fucking hell, would you look at that…" The sudden voice of her lieutenant brought the captain's attention back to the penthouse above, which had since been set ablaze by an unknown force. However, Simons quickly put two and two together and let out a heartfelt laugh. “Lit up the building like a candle and cleared us a path home. I take it all back captain; it looks like letting the mad dog out of his cage turned out to be a good idea after all."

Katarina looked at Rooker's favorite M107 on the hood of the vehicle next to her and couldn't help but smirk. “It would appear as though we have a guardian angel watching over us, gentlemen."

“Captain, the Lost are closing in on our position, we won't be able to hold them for much longer!"

The new voice drew her attention back to the other side of the bridge, where a swarm of grey husks began to make their way across the intersection. Despite the friendly overwatch, they were still out in the open and vastly outnumbered. She looked to Feldspar who gave her a gesture to confirm that he and Simons were ready to depart.

“Protect the lieutenant at all costs, but keep an eye on that burning penthouse and let me know if you see any further movement. We have no confirmation that the sniper is dead, but hopefully, Rooker has compelled them to shift their focus away from us for the time being."

“Yes, ma'am!"

The captain pivoted on her heels, moving to retrieve her own weapon after relinquishing the assault rifle that Ramirez had left behind. Another body to be left for the vultures, but they were out of time and would run out of ammunition long before they would manage to hold this position. “I won't repeat myself another time, let's get a move on people!"

With that, the remaining humans left the relative safety of the dropship and retreated towards the other end of the bridge. Sporadic groupings of vehicles and concrete slabs left them little in the way of optimal cover, but they made do with what they had available to them. And while most of the horde ambled its way towards their position, a handful of dashers soon pushed their way past the downed aircraft, determined to stop the humans in their tracks.

“Left side, left side damn it!"

A firing line was quickly established amidst the ghoulish howls, mowing down the first wave with ease. However, as the last set of green eyes fell dim, another streak of plasma shot out of the penthouse and towards one of the cylindrical buildings that they had decided to land their dropship between. The enemy sniper was still alive and had now chosen to make Rooker their target.

“Cap—"

“I saw it, Feldspar. Sniper is still mobile in the penthouse on the south side people! Keep your heads on a swivel but focus most of your attention on the enemy in front of us," the captain ordered, shifting her gaze back to the horde that continued to converge on their position.

The woman then readied her assault rifle and joined the firing line, placing a tight grouping of lead into the nearest dasher's skull and causing its lifeless corpse to collapse to the ground. Just as she finished off a second, another lance of plasma caught her attention. Once again, the shot had been directed Rooker's way.

Unfortunately, her unruly lieutenant was on his own for the time being. Luckily, they had nearly reached the bridge's northern tender house. She departed the firing line in order to signal to its lone occupant, whom she had left to monitor the streets that would hopefully lead them back to Rooker's dropship.

“We're across the bridge, corporal. Activate that damn bridge mechanism! We need all the help we can get out here."

“On it, ma'am!" Corporal Williams shot back, doing as he was told and then leaving the bridge's tender house in order to join the steadily retreating firing line.

The group of humans continued to hold back the second wave of Lost as both sides of the bridge began to slowly raise. At this point, the heart of the horde had reached the downed dropship, flooding past its twisted corpse like a sea of angry ants. And despite the shifting landscape, hundreds of green eyes remained steadfast in their pursuit to hunt her and her men down.

With more room to maneuver, she commanded them to deploy smoke on the southwest side in order to dissuade the sniper across the river from switching targets and then to form a protective barrier in front of Feldspar, who rounded the tender house with Simons in tow and continued to make his way to the alleyway across the street.

“Can't that damn bridge move any faster?!" she complained, chewing through the rest of her magazine and swapping to her sidearm in order to plant a bullet through the skull of the nearest dasher. She then reloaded her assault rifle and shifted her attention back to the memorial bridge.

The horde of Lost had since reached the center of the bridge, spilling over the large gap that had formed between the two sections. Despite her earlier protests, the gradient soon reached an inflection point, causing vehicles and barricades to flip over and crush any Lost that happened to be caught in their path. The remaining horde was left to topple over the edge and crash into the river below. Experience had taught her that the ghouls couldn't swim, which meant that their quick-thinking had effectively cut the mass of husks to a fraction of its original size.

“Oorah! Look at all those ugly fuckers drown," Williams cheered.

Several of her other men joined in on the celebration but were quickly cut short as a final wave of dashers careened towards their position. Another firing line was set up and stopped the hellish advance in short order. She then commanded Williams to release an ultrasonic emitter down a nearby alleyway to hopefully misdirect the remaining Lost and buy them some extra time. A final smoke grenade was deployed to cover their withdrawal as they once again moved into the sightlines of the penthouse.

“That likely won't hold them forever, gentlemen. We need to continue to fall back to that evac point." The captain retreated across the street alongside the others, dropping another pair of stragglers in transit. After making it to the entrance of the alleyway, the woman caught her breath and leaned out to get a quick glimpse at the burning penthouse through the wisps of smoke. She then pulled herself back into cover. “Reload if you have to people, we may be on the home stretch, but that doesn't mean things are going to get any easier." The captain then moved to address Feldspar. “Were there any other shots taken by the enemy sniper?"

“No ma'am, the building has gone awfully quiet all of the sudden. Haven't heard any return fire from Lieutenant Rooker either. I...can't believe that the mad dog actually managed to cover our retreat."

Katarina nodded her head and shifted her attention to the pair of apartment buildings that marked the path to the remaining dropship. The captain then made an attempt to contact its pilot over the radio, but only static came as her reward. She swore under her breath in response.

Rooker could very well be dead at this point and it was all in an effort to cover their asses. However, he was likely their only ticket out of here and his absence would complicate matters if he had indeed gone missing. She shook the troubled thoughts from her mind. They would cross that bridge once they came to it. Right now, she had the rest of her team to look after.

“Let's move people, our evac point is just through this alleyway."

The extraction team then traveled through the remains of the narrow passageway, meeting the concrete barriers that separated them from the small courtyard that housed the alien dropship. Its onyx shell stood proud within the golden stanchions that covered the area.

Feldspar then came to stand next to her with Simons in attendance as well. The lieutenant looked on at the scene in front of them and chuckled. “He always did have a certain flair to him that seemed to only be accentuated in his flying skills."

The captain motioned for the seven remaining members of their party to converge on the courtyard. After she directed the others to stand watch over the area, Feldspar and her moved to enter the dropship. While Lieutenant Simons was gently placed into one of the seats that lined the center of the cargo bay, she forced her way into the cockpit, hoping to find her least favorite lieutenant waiting for her on the other side. However, she was only left to stare into the red eyes of an oversized plushie.

Frustrated, Katarina left the cockpit in a storm, only to be intercepted by one of Simons' hands on the way out. The woman hissed at the unsolicited contact and pulled away, which earned her a raised eyebrow.

“He's not in there, is he?"

“No."

Simons sighed. “He's probably the only one who can fly us home at the present moment."

The captain assessed the other pilot. While his condition hadn't deteriorated, it still looked like his bandages were the only things currently holding him together. Indeed, the man had gone through hell, yet he had somehow managed to make it this far.

“I know."

“So, what the hell are you going to do about it, captain?"

A pang of regret once again coursed through her veins. It was her fault that they were even out here to begin with. Johnson, Tremblay, Cutter, Simons, and Ramirez—five men dead and one still missing in action. In the past, she had dumped him to the curb like yesterday's trash and made his life a living hell, but now…she may have just sent him straight there herself.

The woman looked to the rifle in her hands and then back at Simons. She unlatched a flap along her waist, bringing forth a set of bloodstained patches, each bearing a unique insignia and carrying the weight of the man that they once served. She then pushed the patches into her lieutenant's hand as he looked on in confusion.

“Do something right for a change. Now hold down the fort for me, lieutenant."

Katarina then dumped the assault rifle in the seat next to Simons, moving towards the large firearm case that Rooker had no doubt hid from her before he departed the dropship in an effort to aid them. She unslung the M107 that she had brought with her into battle and then began to reconfigure and reload its magazine.

Simons' eyes had since widened at the request and he continued to look on as she finished up her task. “With all due respect, captain, what the hell do you think that you're doing?"

“You said it yourself: we need Rooker to fly us home." The captain then pulled her weapon's massive charging handle for added emphasis. “Now do as you're told and stay with the ship until I've returned."

“Until you've…" Realization finally struck her lieutenant. “Have you gone completely mad? As angry as I am at you for what occurred today, I think we've lost enough people already. I implore you to—"

“Can you fly this damn ship or not, lieutenant?!" the woman fired back. “Because if not, he is our only ticket out of here. That is unless you'd rather be carried on someone else's back across half the city in order to make it back to Terminus. I know that you have no love for the man, especially given what occurred yesterday, but his actions this morning have allowed you to make it off of that bridge alive."

Simons sighed. “No, I can't…unless you'd like me to crash another bird for you. Fine. I'll hold down the fort and rally the troops in your absence. But make it quick, otherwise, I'm promoting myself directly to the rank of captain," Simons finished with a smirk.

Katarina returned the expression with one of her own and then moved to exit the dropship through the bay door, only to be held in place by Simons' hand once again. The green eyes looked up into hers.

“Give 'em hell, captain."

The woman nodded and allowed her boots to once again kiss the fissured asphalt beneath the dropship. After she announced her departure to the rest of the courtyard, she transitioned herself to the apartment complex that had come under fire only a short while before. Upon arrival, she spotted a peculiar object hanging through the air. Shifting her gaze skyward confirmed that it was a rappel line. However, the rope's length spanned vertically a dozen or so stories into what appeared to be a parking ramp.

Bastard.

Rooker knew that she was terrified of heights and wasn't making her job any easier. Climbing up the line was out of the question, so she would have to slink in through the ground level in order to reach him. Having made a decision, the woman hugged the perimeter of the building in order to find a way inside. Luckily, her entrance came soon after in the form of a warped gateway.

Before she had a chance to enter, the sound of gunfire erupted in the courtyard behind her. Looking back confirmed that another pod of Lost had made its way to their evac point. She was running out of time and would need to locate Rooker's exact location quickly. She once again shifted her attention skyward, but this time she spotted wisps of white smoke that curled around one of the upper levels of the parking ramp.

Her gaze then fell to the remaining smoke grenade that hung from her body. Despite the fact that he was so far away, the captain couldn't help but smile as her mind began putting the individual pieces of the puzzle together. Rooker was definitely up there, but the release of the grenade still perplexed her.

“What the hell are you up to, lieutenant?"

Katarina's thoughts immediately went to the sniper across the river. A revelation then came to mind that urged her to pick up her feet and quicken her pace into the lower level of the parking ramp. The man was still alive but was using the cover of smoke to either retreat or set up for an upcoming engagement. Having known the stubborn idiot for years, she knew that he would pick the latter option every time.

She needed a place to set up and provide friendly support. Thankfully, her answer came in the form of a collapsed section of flooring that allowed her easy access to the third story. From there she shuffled between the individual pillars of cover that were available to her until she reached an area that obscured her from the building across the river.

At this point, the penthouse was an inferno that burned against the rest of the city's skyline. She checked her weapon and then began to set herself up against the hood of another vehicle. However, midway through the process, a flash of green from outside caught her attention. A deep rumble then traveled the entire course of the building and chunks of debris tumbled to the streets next to her—the enemy sniper had taken another shot.

Yet the other sniper had failed to return fire.

The captain looked through her scope, catching the trail of ionized gas that lingered after the shot. Tracking it back to the source led her to a set of windows that sat about twenty or so stories off of the ground. It would appear as though their adversary had repositioned themselves in order to escape the fires above.

She adjusted her sights, only to find herself immediately staring into the saurian eyes of the creature that had spent the last twenty-four hours slaughtering her men.

“Jävla huggorm-jävel..."

Of course, it was another scaled devil that looked to have been given about every kind of growth hormone imaginable. And while the sight infuriated her, she was equally as unsettled as to the extent to which the viper had been augmented.

It looked to be a cross between several different species that were all stitched together into some Frankenstein's abomination. A pair of intimidating horns sprouted from its head and all manner of prickly extensions grew out of its black body. But what caught her attention most was the wealth of blue that surrounded its reptilian slits.

The woman shifted her gaze past its menacing visage and towards the creature's muscular backside, finding a weeping wound encased in charred scales. She then realized that this was likely the result of Rooker's earlier round, which tore one of its large dorsal fins clean off and left exposed flesh to cook in the fires that resulted soon after. As if the damn thing wasn't ugly enough.

Going off of the healthy swells that protruded from its torso, it was definitely a female. The captain then looked towards the nearest pauldron on the creature's armor, finding that the insignia had been intentionally covered up and the only information she could glean from the viper's origins was an exposed set of digits, but the distinction matter very little given the fact that she was about to make the viper rue the day that it ever chose to fuck with her and her men.

The edges of the viper's maw then tugged upwards into a sinister smile. It was reveling at whatever scene was playing out in front of it. Katarina's mind immediately went to a dark place, watching Rooker suffer as a result of the last plasma shot that impacted one of the floors above her. The thought only enraged her further.

The enemy sniper then lifted the enormous rifle that had been used to kill her favorite corporal. It intended to snuff the life out of another one of her people. Having seen enough, the captain disengaged the safety of her own weapon and steadied herself.

“Leave him alone, you reptilian bitch. As of now, you're all mine."

As the viper's weapon glowed bright green, Katarina felt the azure eyes shift down to stare directly through her scope. The ominous smile widened even further and a harsh truth suddenly came to light: the viper had been aware of her presence the entire time.

Rooker was meant to be the bait and she was to be its prize.

Despite the revelation and the bead of sweat that now ran down her neck, the captain's blood finally boiled over and the beating heart that lay across the trigger compressed even further until the weapon in her hands came screaming back to life.

The Pilot

Rooker awoke with a start, finding himself inside a room with bleached walls and epoxy resin floors. A small cage sat in the corner and was padded in worn blankets. Various children's toys were also strewed out across the area. The clock on the wall suggested that it was still early morning.

The man suddenly registered the burning pain on the left side of his face, compelling him to run a hand across it. He felt deep furrows cut within it and came away with flakes of congealed blood as he removed his hand. A weight then shifted in his lap, forcing his hand back down in order to prevent the red and white object from tumbling to the cold floor that he sat upon.

With the crisis averted, Rooker appraised the ball of scales in his arms, which at first glance resembled that of a terrestrial cobra. However, there were humanlike qualities to it and its wide hood was instead lined with numerous extensions that looked like petals of a flower. He shifted the small bundle in his arms in order to gently massage the delicate sail, which now had a noticeable tear in it. Hopefully, it would heal with time alongside his own. The comforting gesture earned him a soft coo as the creature opened its red eyes and splayed its lower jaw, producing a frightening yawn and displaying a pair of pearly chompers.

The snake closed her maw, taking a moment to rub the nocturnal haze away from her eyes. She then looked at him, tilting her head in confusion.

“Sorry viper, I didn't mean to wake you."

The 'viper' huffed at his response, uncoiling herself and slithering off of his lap. She then turned back and tugged at his closest hand in earnest.

“What's up, girl?"

She let go, pointing to the man in front of her and then to the plastic children's table where they typically administered her meals. However, at the moment there were sheets of white paper and crayons on it. The viper evidently loved to draw and it was one of the methods that he'd used in order to make his job easier.

Rooker shrugged his shoulders and stood up, feeling an immediate tug on his closest hand as the little mass of red and white reached up and wrapped her tiny hand around his inner three fingers. An additional yank caused her fingers to accidentally slip and her sharp talons to run across his unprotected skin.

“Watch it with those damn claws!" He pulled away just as sharply and raised his voice in anger, startling the petite alien.

The red eyes found the ground in sadness and her long arms went limp against her frame. She then made a move to slither to the table by herself, continuing to hang her head in dejection.

Rooker cursed himself for acting up again. He looked at the musical pocket watch that still sat on the floor where they'd come to sleep together the night before. The promise that he had made to her involved him making an honest effort to take care of her from now on, and their relationship was already on shaky ground.

After he pocketed his watch, he moved to catch up with the viper, scooping her into his arms and carefully twirling her around in the air. Her reaction was immediate as a squeal of delight escaped her maw and she threw her own arms up. He then maneuvered them towards the children's table, where the happy ball of scales was slowly lowered into her chair.

She continued to bounce up and down like a spring out of excitement, gesturing that he should come sit next to her. Being far too large for the other plastic chair, Rooker instead chose to sit cross-legged to her immediate right. Afterwards, he felt a gentle tug on his arm and looked down at the neonate, who now had her arms spread wide in anticipation.

“Hug?"

The striped snout shifted up and down. The man sighed and leaned over to allow for her to wrap herself around his thick frame, nuzzling him in the process. She then broke away, taking a red crayon in her clawed hand and scribbling on one of the blank sheets of paper.

Rooker's impatience eventually got the better of him as the seconds continued to tick away and he was left to watch her struggle to even make a straight line. The alien would make a horrible artist.

“Is there a specific reason for us being over here?"

Being an only child, he had little experience with other kids in a household setting. In fact, he was probably the worst babysitter that one could ask for. He and children mixed as well as oil and water, but this viper seemed insistent to have him by her side at all times.

The red eyes looked into his own and the viper offered an innocent smile. She then turned the piece of paper ninety degrees in order for him to better see what was on it: some manner of stick figure. It was scraggly and of poor quality, but he held his abusive tongue this time around and decided to humor her.

“Is it a tree?"

The serpent shook her head. She added what appeared to be extra branches stemming from the trunk of the tree.

“Is it a hairy tree?"

The viper stuck a talon in her maw, which was something that she tended to do whilst lost in thought. However, her red eyes soon lit up and she jammed the same talon in front of his face, causing him to recoil out of instinct.

“No thank you, I don't make a habit of sharing uhm…those."

Her hood vibrated in frustration. She ran the talon in question across one of the corners of the piece of paper, cutting a little triangle off and then presenting its lifeless corpse to him.

“Sharp?"

A smile found its way back onto her face and she nodded. The giddiness returned as well, given how she sashayed back and forth on her tail. She then laid the talon against the branches in the drawing.

“Something else that is sharp and related to a tree?"

The viper shook her head at the mention of another tree. Afterwards, she took hold of the drawing and stuck it next to her hood, doing her best to accurately point with the talon, which shifted from the crown of the drawing to the extensions protruding from her own.

“Uhm…petals?" He threw out the descriptor that he had used to describe them since they first met.

The correct answer earned him a happy coo and another one of her little dances. The viper then repeated the gesture from before where she compared her talon against the branches of the not tree.

“Oh! You've drawn me a flower. But not just any flower…you've drawn a rose."

The smile on the viper's face widened. She then shifted the talon from the rose to herself. After she repeated the action a few more times the dots finally connected in his head.

So far, he'd referred to her either by 'girl' or 'viper.' Given her point of origin, she had never been given a name and he never cared to give her one outside of the insults that he had hurled her way. Regardless, the thorn that had been nothing but a pain in his side had just decided to give herself a name.

“You want to be called Rose?"

The viper nodded her head.

“Are you absolutely sure? Names are very important after all, and I don't want you picking a different one each day."

The viper nodded her head, fervently.

He couldn't help but smile at her final decision and surprisingly, decided to play along by holding out his hand.

“Then it's officially settled. Hello Rose, my name is Elias Rooker. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Rose let a squeal of happiness escape her maw as she matched his gesture, allowing his larger hand to close around her own and then pull her back into his arms. From there, she pushed her striped snout into the crook of his neck, tickling it with her forked tongue as she steadily lapped in his scent.

The man then felt something stir deep within him, something that had lied dormant for years. It compelled him to speak and to offer comfort to the neonate in his arms.

“Welcome home, Rose. I honestly think that with time, you and I will become—"

A loud bang at the door to the cell suddenly interrupted their moment. Rose's hood vibrated in annoyance and he couldn't blame her. Damn scientists always chose to show up out of the blue.

Another bang.

Rooker sighed at their persistence. “I'll be there in a minute!"

He repositioned Rose to her place at the table, giving her an apologetic look and another sheet of paper for which to draw on. “I need to go answer that, so please stay here until I return. Oh, and don't swallow the entire crayon like last time."

Rooker then made a move for the door but felt the hem of his shirt suddenly stretch out. He looked down to see that Rose was the cause, her red eyes filled with fear of abandonment and of what would come next. The man was quickly reminded of the injuries that each had inflicted on the other the night before—his own now on full display.

“Don't worry, Rose, I promise to be by your side from now on."

Another bang.

“They can't hurt you anymore, and neither will I."

Rose beamed up at him and then let go, putting her faith in a man that was undeserving of such trust.

Satisfied, Rooker strode across the room, placing an open palm on the doorknob but pulling away as soon as he registered the heat that it gave off. The lights above him briefly flickered.

“What in the…"

Rooker took a step back, only to watch the paint around the door blister and peel. A thick smoke also began to steadily billow through the cracks in the doorway and the nearby vents. The guardian then turned back to his ward, who seemed unaware of the present danger and continued to work on her latest masterpiece.

“Rose!"

The man then pushed his way through the pervasive fog in an effort to reach his Rose, but the room that they found themselves in stretched further and further with each step that he took. He continued to cry out her name until his voice hurt, but she was soon shrouded in darkness, leaving him alone to choke in the void.

But then an intense heat overtook him, burning away his skin and leaving him exposed to the elements. The pain soon became unbearable, yet not enough to prevent him from shifting his gaze skyward as a red mass soon lifted their head high above the smoke, leaving him to stare into a pair of blood moons that he had come to call home. He'd do anything to return to them.

To tell her that she was safe.

To tell her that there would always be a place for her by his side.

To tell her that—

Another bang, this time registering as a gunshot from a high-caliber rifle.

The walls around him suddenly collapsed, washing him in a sash of green that encased him in darkness once again. However, this time there were rays of light that shone through the heavy debris that tethered him to the earth. The man then pulled himself out of what should've been his tomb and allowed his eyes to adjust to his new environment, which was covered in concrete spires and dilapidated vehicles—a parking ramp.

A second chance.

His memory of the place returned to him as he registered the pocket watch that remained tightly gripped in his hand. While everything hurt like hell, he was overjoyed at the fact that the feeling in his limbs had returned to him.

He had survived the ebony viper's wrath…but how?

Rooker looked back to the destroyed pillar that he'd been thrown against earlier, finding that the viper's shot had gone wide and only served to trap him in the wake of its destruction. There was no way that she could've missed a shot like that, given the fact that he'd been an immobile target. He then shifted his gaze out of the parking ramp and towards the high-rise building in the distance.

The same floor that the viper had engaged him from now contained heavy pockets of fire as well. His other senses then caught up with him as the sound of gunfire continued from the courtyard below. However, it was the rich bloom impacting the other building alongside a characteristic bang directly underneath him that caught his attention most.

After he strung the pieces together in his head, Rooker couldn't help but break out into joyous laughter, for it appeared as though his backup had finally arrived. Rooker then moved to wipe away the salt from his eyes with a dirty hand, the other one still clutching the musical watch against his heart. Meanwhile, the high-caliber weapon beneath him spat out another round, which impacted the building shortly after in a burst of flames.

“Fucking hell, captain. Take it easy with that weapon."

Rooker scoured the area in the hopes of locating his other M107, finding it tucked away next to another mound of rubble. He took a final moment to catch his breath and stow his pocket watch, then made a move to right himself onto unsteady legs, provoking a grunt as his muscles protested the action.

Despite the soreness, everything seemed to be working as intended. After gathering his bearings, the pilot shifted his attention back to his weapon and began to shuffle his way towards it. However, a lance of plasma soon clouded his periphery and impacted into one of the floors beneath him. The entire building groaned in response, making him lose his balance. However, this time he allowed momentum to carry him as he reached out and maneuvered himself behind the closest piece of cover. Another plasma shot followed soon after, rattling his teeth as he registered the vibrations from below.

It appeared as though their reptilian adversary had yet to be silenced. He knew from experience that Advent made them tough, but this was getting ridiculous. His mind then went to the friendly sniper that had come to his rescue. He made another attempt to contact his captain over the radio, but the device had been damaged as a result of his quick brush with death.

Frustrated, the man looked back to his displaced sniper rifle, which was now only a short distance away. They needed to disable the viper before he'd even risk departing the area. But their current efforts were not working, so clearly a change of tactics was in order. After all, there was more than one way to skin a snake, and this one, in particular, had one factor working against her.

Another high-caliber shot from below brought with it a wave of relief and the shot of adrenaline that he needed to press forward. “Hold the line for just a little while longer, captain. Backup is on its way."

The viper then returned fire, their shot shaking the very foundation of the structure as he heard the telltale rumbling of concrete collapsing against itself. Seeing the window of opportunity that he needed, the man broke from cover and swiftly shuffled the sniper rifle back into his hands. He then leveled the weapon against his body and trained his eyes down its sight, immediately spotting the gruesome shadow that took refuge amongst the flames.

The enemy sniper then moved to guard her vitals against him. Her blue tongue was the only object left to flick in and out of view. He hadn't been conscious for long, but she was already wise to his presence; he was sure of it. While he was still unaware as to how she'd homed in on his exact location during their first engagement, he figured that enough was enough.

“No more tricks."

She began to taunt him again by exposing her armored tail to him. While his shot would definitely hurt, it wouldn't be the killing blow that she would administer to him once he exposed himself.

“No more games."

The viper was clearly experienced and built to withstand punishment. But if he learned anything from their encounter, it was that she was overconfident.

“Just you, me, and the bullet that's going to send us both home."

And speaking from experience, it would be her undoing.

The massive tail pulled itself back into the fires, being replaced soon after by a black mask crowned in thorns. And despite the weeping wound that he'd drilled into her body, he saw unwavering determination boil within her blue eyes. But they also revealed to him an unquenchable thirst and deep-seated rage that once lied underneath the surface.

Her current posture made her an easy target due to her size, but as she revealed more and more of herself to him, his sights lowered onto another target, one that was equally as large and had been wielded against them for far too long. And while he'd long since been an outsider to the ones that it had slain; he'd be remiss if he was forced to break another promise to the one person who was able to look past the scars.

The viper before him then moved to bear her weapon against him and deliver the killing blow, but this time he beat her to the punch, feeling the recoil slam into his shoulder as the .50 BMG tore into the lower half of the alien's weapon and then disappeared behind the flames that Katarina had so zealously brought into existence.

Disarmed and now left with two halves of a weapon, its owner tossed the remains aside and then splayed her fanged jaw, giving him a malevolent display of hatred that would've been intimidating if he hadn't roomed with a viper for nearly a third of his life. The ebony viper's blue eyes then took on an ominous hue before she allowed her large tail to violently crash through an entire hallway of windows as she announced her departure and retreated back into the shadows.

Rooker couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head at the final display of anger. “That one's got a real temper on her."

Satisfied that the viper was now gone for good, he engaged the safety on his weapon and rose to his feet. “Just be happy that that final incendiary round didn't blow up in your face afterwards."

The sound of nearby gunfire suddenly reminded him of the fact that he wasn't the only human in the area. His mind immediately went to the woman who had assisted him below and the fact that she failed to react to the final parting gift that the viper had sent her way.

The man slung his sniper rifle around his back, trudging towards the rappel line that still hung from the level above him. As he reached the edge of the building, he looked down into the courtyard below, finding the remnants of the extraction team holding off steadily increasing waves of Lost. Thankfully, they seemed to be holding their own, but would surely run out of ammunition eventually. Also, the captain was still nowhere to be found.

After he took one final look at the battlefield that had almost been his tomb, Rooker latched himself to the tether and began his slow descent to the earth. Upon reaching the ground, he detached the line and shifted his attention to the structure's first few levels, which had since caved in as a result of their engagement.

“No..."

Rooker advanced further along the perimeter of the building, rounding a large section of fallen debris only to discover that another man was currently in the process of repositioning a large section of the iron fence that once guarded access to the ground level.

“What the hell happened here, corporal?" He then moved to assist the other man, despite the continued soreness that had long since racked his body.

“That fucking sniper across the river is what hap…" The larger man froze after they were successful and he finally realized who he was addressing. “Lieutenant Rooker, I never thought I'd be saying this, but goddamn am I happy to see that ugly mug of yours."

“Likewise corporal. Is the captain…" He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

Corporal Feldspar's expression turned somber. “She went looking for you after you failed to return to your dropship. Lieutenant Simons was injured in the crash and is currently with the remnants of the extraction team that are holding down the courtyard, as you can probably hear already. I came to investigate after the first few levels of the parking garage collapsed and the exchange of fire across the river was halted."

Rooker nodded, pushing his way past Feldspar and into the opening that they had just created for themselves. This inside of the parking ramp was nothing short of a disaster. Complete sections had caved in, pillars and vehicles were dismantled, but there was still no sign of the captain.

“Is it dead?" Feldspar suddenly asked.

“Pardon?"

“The sniper...I saw glimpses of the creature from afar. It wasn't human but not a run-of-the-mill alien like we're used to either, well, at least aside from, you know..." the other man finished, obviously disconcerted at what he'd just witnessed.

Rooker thought for a second and then sighed, placing a gloved hand on the other man's shoulder. “The sniper is gone now, corporal. But let's not dwell on such matters, the captain must be close by, given the shots that I heard while trading blows with the enemy."

With that, the pilot moved further into the remains of the war-torn building, calling out the woman's name as they continued their search of the area. Eventually, they came across an exposed hand buried amidst the fragments of a pair of concrete pillars and an old station wagon that would have crushed the woman beneath it had it not been for the other two barriers.

Both men started to dig the woman out, who remained unresponsive up until they moved to shift a column of twisted rebar off of her legs. Of course, Katarina immediately went on the offensive, throwing open her eyes and following up with one of her famous right jabs at her closest enemy, which happened to be Rooker. However, the pilot shifted his body to halt the blow before it hit its mark.

“Whoa there, captain. It's just Feldspar and me, so you can holster your weapon now."

Katarina's eyes widened in surprise. “Rooker? You look like shit."

The man laughed. “I was about to say the same thing about yourself." He then allowed Katarina to grip his hand as he aided her back to her feet.

“Did we slay the bitch?"

Again, the question gave him pause. If he had only been in the company of the other officer, he would have stated the truth outright, but the unsettling feeling that his decision to leave the viper alive would only come back to haunt them began to settle in. He needed to be discreet for the time being, at least until they were back in the air and could discuss the matter privately.

He then let go of the captain. “Yeah, the other sniper is—"

Katarina let out of sharp yelp as she shifted her full weight back onto her feet, stumbling forward and almost face planting into the ground. He moved to support her but Feldspar was quicker, allowing her to wrap an arm around his wide torso in order to remove the extra weight off of her no doubt injured foot.

“Are you alright, ma'am?"

Captain Fahlström let out a long string of curses in her native language. “Probably just a light sprain. Sniper had it out for me and tried to crush me after destroying the support columns." She then pushed herself off of her subordinate in another attempt to move on her own, getting a single step in before nearly eating cement. Thankfully, Feldspar moved to intercept her for a second time.

“Get your damn hands off of me! I don't need your—"

“Enough Kat, let the man help you. You've clearly taken a beating and will likely need to get that checked out once we've returned to Terminus," Rooker interjected in the hopes of defusing the situation.

The woman gave him a death glare, however, she quickly got ahold of herself and then let out a burst of hot air. “Fine. We've lingered in the area long enough and it's time to depart back to Terminus. I assume that you are fit to fly despite your current condition?"

Rooker nodded his head, being interrupted shortly after by another influx of gunfire, no doubt back in the courtyard. He then turned to address the corporal. “I'll aid the captain while you provide us with covering fire back to the dropship. With luck, the onboard systems should still be on standby and it shouldn't take long to get her off of the ground."

The other man handed Katarina off to Rooker and then drew his weapon. “Stay close, we've held them off for this long, but the ghouls are nothing if not persistent."

As they began to move, the woman next to him paused to look back at a collapsed section of the parking ramp. “I'm sorry, Rooker. I had to ditch your sniper rifle in order to escape with my life. I'll try to make it up to you once we've returned to Terminus."

He smiled at the sudden apology. “My mother used to say that a rifle's main purpose is to keep its wielder safe, even in the unfortunate event that it must be sacrificed in order for that to occur; I have more than a couple of spares stashed away for a rainy day." His thoughts then went to the Advent Burger contraband that he'd yet to move into Rose's enclosure. “Although...I can think of one way that you could make it up to me."

The Captain

Rooker, Feldspar, and herself then set off towards the exit of the parking ramp, maneuvering themselves around the downed pillars and ridges of upheaved rebar. The sunlight soon washed them in its warm light as the frigid morning began to give way to milder conditions.

As they rounded the corner and began to hug the outside perimeter of the structure, her foot caught a recess in the pavement, driving the captain into her subordinate and causing the man to grunt. “Damn it Kat, have I ever told you that you're really heavy?"

“I'll have you know, lieutenant. I'm the ideal weight for my height. Also, shouldn't you be used to dealing with larger women at this point?"

“W-what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

She opened her mouth to continue the repartee but was immediately cut off by a string of ghoulish howls originating from the courtyard in front of them. Another storm of gunfire erupted soon after, flooding her veins with focused resolve. “The childish banter can wait because the men in that courtyard are fighting for their lives in an effort to stall for us."

Rooker nodded his head, directing them forward alongside Feldspar, who announced their presence once they arrived at the entrance to the courtyard, which had turned into a hornet's nest of activity. The alleyway from before now served as the main artery that funneled another pod of Lost into the area.

“Get us to that damn dropship of yours, now!"

The pair then pressed forward under the cover of friendly support, pushing aside the golden stanchions that blocked their path and arriving at the dropship. Rooker immediately jumped into the cargo bay, holding out a hand to guide her inside as well. The man then spun around to find Lieutenant Simons putting his own rounds downrange in an effort to stem the most recent wave of grey bodies.

Simons briefly looked up at the other pilot. “Ah, the mad dog finally graces us with his presence. Took your sweet time getting here." He then gestured to the black smoke in the distance with his weapon. “But I do appreciate a bit of fireworks every now and then. Take the helm and I'll continue to provide support from this vantage point."

Rooker was too shocked at the other man's response to reply and deferred to her on the matter. She smirked at the very audacity of the situation. “A man after my own heart. Come, Rooker. Let's blow this popsicle stand."

Her unruly lieutenant resurfaced, smiling back as he moved to quickly stow his weapon on the far wall. He then pulled out an assault rifle that soon ended up in her hands. “Hold them off until we're airborne, then report to your station, captain's orders."

She took a moment to appraise the weapon. “Is this a G36? I'm surprised that the Yankee cowboy would even affiliate himself with such a weapon."

Rooker winked. “Where I come from, everyone's got a little German in them. Now call back the troops, it's time for us to go home."

The man pivoted on his heels and disappeared inside the cockpit, leaving the door open in anticipation for her signal. The four thrusters attached to the dropship then came roaring back to life. After taking stock of her weapon, the woman shifted herself into the seat next to Simons, who grumbled.

“Has to go around calling himself a captain as if he was still lugging around Advent freight for a living. And he thinks that I'm the uptight one."

The other officer pulled the charging handle on her weapon. “Don't even get me started on the subject."

She cleared her throat and then bellowed out the retreat order across the courtyard. With the command given, she and Simons trained their weapons on the narrow alleyway, tearing into the line of husks that were forced to maneuver around the nearby barricades. One after another, the lost souls fell to the hailstorm that flooded the small area.

The rest of her men slowly withdrew to their position, filing in one at a time until they numbered seven in total, eight if one was to include the dropship's pilot, who turned back to stare into the cargo bay, still waiting for her signal.

“All friendlies accounted for, Rooker. Let's get the hell out of here!"

Rooker gave her a thumbs up and lowered the visor adorned to his oversized flight helmet. A voice then crackled over the intercom amidst the continued firefight. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. If you'd kindly direct your attention to the right, the once-friendly locals have seemingly turned against us. With that said, I'd advise that you fasten your seat belt and stow away any loose articles. Refreshments will be served once we've reached cruising altitude. Enjoy your flight, and thank you for choosing to fly Resistance Air."

The dropship then pushed itself off of the ground, hovering just a few feet in the air as they continued to pepper the alleyway with lead.

"Damn it, Rooker. Cut the shit and let's—"

The aircraft suddenly rocketed towards the skyline. As she felt the positive g-forces pull her into her seat, the woman moved to latch on to the nearest object due to the dizzying heights. One of these days, Rooker and his childish antics were going to be the death of her.

They continued to skirt the edges of the dead zone, giving her a bird's eye view of the burning penthouse that once housed the mutant viper. While leaving the area filled her with a sense of relief, their escape only left her with a hundred burning questions about the creature and its origins. After all, it being here couldn't have been a mere coincidence.

The bay doors then moved to encase the humans in its protective shell, leaving them in relative darkness until the red and white dome lights flickered on above their heads. The dropship shuddered momentarily as it slowly reconfigured and the inertial dampeners kicked in. They were homebound and free to now move around the cargo bay.

The thought of a potential high-ranking Advent assassin being planted outside of their concrete oasis filled her with dread. While she would no doubt bring the situation to the attention of Major Rabczewska and Dr. Hoffman, perhaps Rooker could also assist in the matter, given his…storied history with its kind.

She peeled herself out of her seat and used the closest bay door for support. The woman then hobbled her way towards the cockpit, but Simons once again stopped her in her tracks with a raised hand, which transferred four out of the five worn patches of her fallen men into her own. Despite their successful escape, the man looked defeated as water collected in the corners of his eyes.

“A reminder of what was lost over these last twenty-four hours. While I fully expect to hear the story in excruciating detail as to how you and Rooker managed to slaughter that monster…" He looked down at the remaining patch in his hand, which no doubt belonged to his departed sibling. “Right now...I wish to simply mourn my fallen brethren."

The captain placed a hand on her lieutenant's shoulder. “We'll get to the bottom of this and make sure that it never happens again. You have my word."

“Words mean nothing unless they're acted upon. But enough of that, I wish to now be left alone to my thoughts."

She released Simons from her grasp, transferring the patches back into the side pouch in her armor. “I understand, we'll discuss the matter once we're back on the ground and you've been transferred to the medical bay."

After she received no response, Katarina slowly transitioned herself to the cockpit, closing the door behind her and awkwardly maneuvering herself towards the seat next to Rooker. After she forcefully removed the first aid kit that took up residence in her spot, she sat down and shifted her attention to the pilot, who was currently in the process of doing God knows what with the digital displays.

She turned back to look at the jump seat, which was once again occupied by the red and white plush cobra—she failed to remember its name. Regardless, the reptilian eyes drilled into her soul and only served to bring her thoughts back to the giant viper that had nearly succeeded in killing her. She already felt the rage inside of her start to build back up.

“How'd she shoot?" The pilot next to her suddenly asked.

“Excuse me?"

Rooker turned to her briefly, no doubt raising an eyebrow behind his visor. “The G36 that you've already managed to misplace. You're really not making a great case for yourself when it comes to borrowing other people's weapons."

“Oh, I must've left it back in the cargo bay. I can go stow it away if it really bothers you that much," she said with an unhealthy cocktail of irritation and embarrassment.

Rooker shook his head. “Don't. You need to stay off of that injured foot of yours until we get it checked out back at Terminus."

“What're you my caretaker now too?" She looked down at the first aid kit that she had dumped next to her seat. “I've had enough injuries in my life to be able to self-diagnose a minor ankle sprain. I'll deal with it once we're on the ground," she shot back, raising her voice in the process.

Rooker sighed. “I'm just trying to help, Kat. We both barely walked out of there with our lives."

She immediately checked herself. “Sorry, I'm just pissed off about everything that happened and needed an outlet."

The man next to her laughed at the admission. “Over the years, I have become pretty good at playing the role of a lightning rod."

Rooker's accusation, while joking, still cut her to the quick. However, treating her lowly lieutenant like shit had long since become a hallmark of hers. “Look Rooker, I just want to say that—"

“Just stop. I understand how you feel, and actually want to thank you for pulling my ass out of the fire. That sniper had me on the ropes and it was through your efforts that we were able to disable her." He placed his free hand on her closest thigh and then gently squeezed. “It's water under the bridge."

Perhaps it was how he said it, but she definitely needed clarification. “In that parking ramp, I asked if we were able to slay that scaled bitch, and you never got the chance to finish your sentence. It's…dead, right?" The apprehension that had seeped into her voice was unmistakable.

The man beside her turned his head in an effort to make sure that the door behind them was closed. She didn't need to see his face in order to tell that the next thing that would come out of his mouth would not be good news. He then took a deep breath and readied himself for what would no doubt come next.

“I'm sorry, Kat, but the enemy sniper escaped with her life. She buried you alive and then zeroed in on me, and would've been successful in ending my life if I hadn't made the split-second decision that resulted in us being able to depart the area without the possibility of being shot down."

“You…disarmed it and then allowed the monster to escape."

She hadn't missed the implications of his continued use of the words 'her' and 'she.' Given the fact that he had spilled his guts to her all of those years ago and how close the man was to another member of its species, one could definitely accuse him of leaving the viper alive out of misplaced faith that its life held value, in spite of the fact that it had just slain five of his own kind in cold blood.

“Kat, you saw the size of that viper and the augmentations that were done to her. You almost emptied an entire ten-round magazine of M107 on her and it still wasn't enough. She had every advantage working in her favor and we were caught unaware, so I needed to dissolve the situation quickly in order for us to regroup and fall back to Terminus."

“Yeah, and you could've dissolved the situation just as easily by planting a round directly between that viper's murdering set of eyes." She closed her own set and tried to calm herself. Her anger was beginning to make her respond irrationally. None of this was Rooker's fault and going off on the man would not help matters. “So, you're telling me that the monster that slew our people is still out there?"

“I'm...afraid so."

She looked out into the skyline in front of them, glistening in the sunlight despite being long since abandoned by the kingdom of man. “How did this even happen? I mean, we've always assumed that Advent would eventually become wise to our movements as we continued to expand, but to send a high-ranking assassin after us instead of just kicking down our door directly...it doesn't make sense."

“An assassin? What makes you say that? I get that she was heavily augmented, but that alone doesn't mean that—"

“The viper was targeting me directly," she finally admitted.

“What?" Rooker turned to stare directly into her eyes. “You're absolutely sure?"

The captain held her subordinate's gaze. “Yes. The viper took out Ramirez and then turned its attention to me amidst the chaos. And once I entered the parking ramp, it was immediately wise to my presence. It's like...it enjoyed the aspect of toying with us. The damn thing even used you as bait to draw me back out into the open."

Rooker nodded his head. “She was tracking my movements with pinpoint accuracy as well, at least once I exited concealment for the first time. However, even in that case, I'm not confident that I remained entirely hidden from her third eye."

“You're suggesting clairvoyance?" she jested.

“I'm suggesting psionics," Rooker clarified. “And if what you say is true, it means that she was also aware of our command structure."

“Which could very well mean that…" The thought that entered her mind filled her with a secondary wave of dread. “The Elders know far more about Terminus than we originally believed, and our stronghold may be compromised."

The pilot shifted his gaze back outside of the cockpit, appearing lost in thought. “It's just a hunch that has been on my mind since we departed the area, which is why we need to be discreet about the matter until we've returned to Terminus. While we are now aware of her presence, I can't shake the horrible feeling that there is something much darker going on in the background. And if I had to wager, it has everything to do with the strange little doctor that we just plucked from the very heart of Advent."

“You believe that Adrian is somehow involved?"

Rooker sighed. “I don't know. I was thorough in covering our tracks once we escaped New Providence. Given the extensive genetic manipulation that was on display, we should at the very least get his insight on the matter. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that in the heat of battle I failed to even think about looking for anything that could pinpoint as to where the viper originated."

The woman mulled over her own encounter with the creature. Yes, the viper was ugly as sin and an outlier when it came to the kind of soldiers that Advent tended to field against the human resistance. And with a lack of visible insignias on its armor, they were more or less left to shoot in the dark. Unless she was potentially overlooking the usefulness of the Advent Species Designation that hadn't been entirely covered up at the time.

“Now that you've mentioned it, I may have gleaned fragments of its ASD during the course of the firefight, specifically the leading digit of its batch code and the trailing digit of its unit code. Would this information help us at all?"

“It very well might, what were the two digits?"

“They were actually of the same digit."

“Which was?"

“Eight…the number eight."

---

Author's Note:

The conclusion of the first act. Well...kinda. The next chapter will take another dive into Adrian's past, with a large portion focusing on A Day in the Life of an Advent Scientist (cough, cough...glorified babysitter). Of course, this means that we'll be bringing the viper squad back into the spotlight for some fun-filled shenanigans. Stay tuned, and thanks for the continued support!