Yolanda was the first to wake when the automatic lights kicked on. She slid from her bunk and padded up to the galley and caught Fuse with a finger to his lips in the pilot seat. Lin was curled up in his lap, gripping his shirt with her face pressed into his chest.
She smiled and moved closer, gently pulling the blanket over the small teen's toes and giving Fuse a squeeze on the shoulder. "How long?"
"A few hours." He mouthed.
Nodding, she moved back to the galley and sat down gently on one of the benches facing the bunk so she could intercept anyone else before they could make any noise. But Lin woke before anyone else came up. She'd been having a nightmare and whimpered herself awake as Fuse comforted her.
Her eyes were red as they focused on him, then Yolanda. She exhaled in relief and curled tighter against him while he continued to stroke her hair and whisper things that Yolanda couldn't hear. Taking the opportunity, she started preparing a drink that resembled a sweet coffee. Something she'd been craving for weeks, but could never get her hands on. The drink wasn't the same, but it was bitter and perked her up, which she decided was close enough.
"Yolanda?" Lin's weak voice asked, just above a whisper.
She set down her cup and walked over to them, resting her hand on the girl's head. "I'm right here."
"Thank you." She breathed in relief, closing her eyes and resting against Fuse's chest again.
The older woman leaned down and kissed the top of her head before sitting in the co-pilot's seat.
"Porter said that Rinku's juju wasn't that powerful. It didn't affect them at all, except Alice. But she hadn't been fully revived when he implanted his control into her."
"Once they removed that thing from her head, she was able to break free of it. That's what you told me." Fuse muttered, adjusting the blanket over Lin. "Also, 'juju'?"
She laughed quietly. "That's what he called it. As good a name as any."
"I guess." He agreed with a smirk.
"What'd she do to you?"
He scowled and held Lin tighter. "Turned me back into a killer."
"And Lin?"
The girl whimpered weakly and clenched her eyes tightly shut as Fuse sighed. "Made her believe her worst fears. That it was all a lie and she was still at C-Corp being experimented on by all of us. Ripping her apart, putting her back together, dissecting her brain. All while she was still awake and able to feel every second of it."
His lip curled in anger and Lin started crying again, muffling her whimpers with his chest. Yolanda stared at Fuse as he seethed, then looked down at the teen she'd come to love and trust more than she thought possible. Leaning over, she reached out and rested her hand on Lin's arm.
The small teen launched herself into her and clung tightly to her neck. Yolanda wrapped her arm around her and held just as tightly, feeling her eyes burn. "It was just a dream. Just a horrible dream. None of it's true, okay?"
Lin nodded, but her sobs doubled in strength and she held on tighter. "I love you."
"I love you too, little sister." Yolanda said, her voice wavering.
~
Lulu was sporting a large, purple bruise on the side of her jaw, but didn't seem bothered by it as they assembled in the galley. Fuse had placed the sleeping Lin in her bunk, but left his helmet there so she wouldn't panic if she woke up alone.
"We have to operate on two possibilities. The first is that Rinku and Rainura are working together, the second is that Rinku hired Rainura, but she's operating on her own. Even so, that's still two distinct enemies and we have no way of knowing what her numbers are." Yolanda started. "So we could be fighting a war on two fronts when we get back to Earth."
"We also don't have any way of knowing if the others are even alive or still together. They're a complete unknown at this point." Fuse added. "So, as far as plans go, it'll just be the four of us. Red is our support, but he's still a civilian, so securing his and Lin's safety is our first mission."
"Me and Fuse will be the Vanguard. I know I'm not as strong as you two are, but the armor helps tips the scales slightly in my favor. You'll be rear guard until we've seen them to safety." Yolanda picked up. "After that, we'll have to fight our way through to our objectives. Thinning numbers as much as possible and hopefully joining with the rest of our number along the way."
"Me and Lu have Rinku." Porter said firmly.
Fuse nodded. "Unless he's with Caspar or Avery. Then you let me and Cruz handle that while you cover us."
"Main event or trash detail." Lulu muttered.
"Unless Rainura's there." Fuse said, ignoring the comment. "Then you two will face down whoever's present and leave her to me."
"What if the others are there?" Porter asked. "Tim, Halo, your friends from Echelon?"
"We can't count on unknown variables. The plan is the plan. We're still the headliners, but we'll adjust on the fly as need be." Yolanda said.
"Grudge match of the century." Porter smirked.
Fuse sighed at him. "Be ready to abandon the plan at any moment. Strict adherence to orders can cost lives if you ignore your instincts and judgement. Do what you think is best in the moment, don't wait for permission."
"It's that philosophy that got you stuck at the front so much." Yolanda said, but raised her arm in a salute. "But you're the ranking officer, Captain. Apologies for using the wrong arm and congratulations on the field promotion."
Porter, Lulu, and Red all saluted as well. Fuse rolled his eyes. "Alright, no use going over it again. We all know our roles, now let's hope our enemies understand their place."
"They'll paint the ground red either way, sir." Porter said firmly.
~
Rinku glared at the screen with such hatred that the air warped around the desk, obliterating it. His rage filled eyes looked up at Caspar, who stared in shock. "Prepare for war."
"Fuse?"
"My sister." He snarled, his long hair falling into his face. "Now go."
Caspar walked quickly from the room leaving the enraged alien to destroy his office. He snagged Avery's arm and pulled her along with him. "Get the troops ready. Get the orbital stations online. And outfit any of our men with whatever armors are ready to go."
"What's going on?"
"Apparently a different visitor from space than the one we're waiting on." He said, sprinting ahead.
~
Tim and Alice watched as the GA compound lit up and became a flurry of motion. Their movements were battle preparations and not drills, as they'd observed several times.
"What do you think it is?" Alice signed to him.
He shook his head. "Something from space, given the fact that those batteries are aiming upward."
"Fuse?"
"I don't think we're that lucky." He sighed. "We'll wait for whatever it is to start, then use the chaos to sneak in and find the others."
She nodded and closed her eyes. After a few slow, deep breaths, she was asleep.
After Veronica died, they spent a few weeks training to get into fighting shape. Tim recognized that Alice had a severe lack of stamina to accompany her strength and had her train her lung capacity as much as possible. He knew that close quarter combat was his, so once she was exhausted for the day, they'd fight each other. By the time they decided to move on, Alice could run full tilt all day and Tim was able to hold his own against her at full strength.
He was confident they could handle fighting the rank and file just fine, but was less sure about Caspar and Avery. Alice was better than Avery due to her overwhelming aggression, but since the Spire, she'd lost nearly every ounce of it. Only fighting out of necessity. And Caspar had likely trained specifically to beat Fuse, which would put him well out of the duo's league.
Eriq had made a production of mourning Veronica's death, but assured Tim that he would uphold his end of their bargain on the condition that he upheld Veronica's. Tim assured him that he would, but they needed the help before he could deliver on that promise. There was a few minutes where he was worried that Eriq would hold to the letter of his agreement, but after some consideration, the terrorist said that Tim's honesty was refreshing and that he'd give him the benefit of the doubt one time only.
As he continued to watch the compound, he started to see something that set his heart pounding. "Oh fuck." Alice's eyes snapped open and touched Tim's arm. He flinched slightly and pointed to the base. "Armors."
Her eyes widened, but there was no time to dwell on it as the sky began to light up with several large ships appearing and raining fire down onto the compound. They got to their feet and started running, aiming for a spot where the fence had been destroyed. Alice dashed ahead and clotheslined three soldiers at once, snapping their necks before sliding to a halt to grapple with another who was wearing what looked like a cobbled together set of armor.
Tim was held up by another soldier, but dispatched him with a punch to her throat. Blood gurgled from her mouth as she fell to the ground. He saw Alice still struggling and pulled a knife, dashing forward and sliding it between the man's ribs, puncturing a lung. This gave her the opportunity to wrap her arms around his head and twist it until it was facing the opposite direction.
Giving each other a nod, they pushed forward toward where Tim knew the holding cells to be. There was very little resistance and they didn't encounter anymore of the armored soldiers, but before they ducked into a building, they saw that one of the ships had finally touched down while a few others were falling out of the sky.
"Should be down these stairs." Tim whispered, taking point and making his way slowly in the darkness, sidearm drawn. His enhanced eyes able to make out shapes better than Alice's could, so when he spotted the lone figure standing in the hall, it stopped him cold. "Fuck."
The figure turned into a blur and he was thrown into the wall as Alice pushed past him and locked up with their attacker.
"Tim!" Clint's voice shouted. "It's Eve! Don't kill her!"
"Or do! Makes no difference! She's trying to kill you!"
"Shut up Armand!" Rebecca yelled.
Tim watched as Alice struggled for a few seconds before getting to his feet. "Her head's clear! Aim for her temple!"
Alice wouldn't be able to put enough force into the punch to kill her, but that wasn't the point. Alice knew what he was aiming for and wrenched her arm free to deliver the blow, but Eve blocked it and slammed her head into the teen's face at the same moment Tim's own fist connected with her temple. Eve crumpled like clothing and Alice dropped onto the steps, panting heavily and gave her nose a hard jerk before pinching the bridge.
"Where are the keys?" Tim asked, not moving far from his partner.
"Only Caspar can open the cages. They're keyed to his handprint." Rebecca replied.
He sighed and looked at Alice. "You think you can rip those doors open?"
She nodded and got up, heading first to the twins' cell and with a powerful jerk, the bars came free from the hinges and bent against the lock, allowing them to step out. Shaking her hands and rotating her shoulders, she repeated the process on the other cell, freeing Clint and Rebecca.
"Mom?" The woman asked as she stepped out.
Tim shook his head. "Shit went down and she got hurt. Went in her sleep."
"Did she-"
"After, Miss Chase." He said firmly. "Her words are for after."
Rebecca nodded, but Tim looked up at Clint. "We need to make it to the ridge two clicks north. If Eriq's true to his word, reinforcements should be arriving there within the hour."
He nodded. "First, we need to wake Eve up. Alice's firepower is nice, but we need her as well. Who's attacking?"
"No clue, but I'm pretty sure it's not Fuse."
"He won't be too far behind, then." Clint said, walking over to their fallen comrade. "Just gotta survive til reinforcements arrive."
Tim smirked when the ground shook slightly. "Speaking of reinforcements..."
~
Rinku's eyes widened as Caspar groaned in frustration. "You're kidding me."
Gunfire erupted from the treeline as uniformed soldiers emerged. An explosion near to the two made Rinku sigh in annoyance. "We don't have the manpower to fight a war on two fronts. Turn the orbital cannons on them, then pick off the stragglers. I have some family business to attend to."
Caspar nodded as Rinku walked toward the large ship in the middle of their compound. Caspar tapped his comm. "Mark my position, aim one click north, and keep firing until all heat signatures are gone."
"Sir?"
"You have your orders." He barked, drawing his sword.
~
Avery slipped away from the front, leaving the armored soldiers to deal with the pirates that spilled out of the ships that had landed and ran toward where she saw Caspar's ping. But movement from a far building caught her eye, so she slipped into the shadows and drew closer.
When she was close enough to get a good look, the first thing she noticed was blonde hair. Ignoring the impulse to attack, she continued to observe the group as they took down a few soldiers and armed themselves before continuing toward the far fence line where Caspar was busy fighting off the Frontier's army as the orbital cannons fired on the treeline.
"Well, there goes our chance to group up." Clint grumbled.
"We need to stay away from Caspar." Tim said, then turned his head in her direction. "But we have a new problem."
Cursing Tim's superior eyesight, she darted forward. Her HUD showing the projectile trajectories made dodging them at top speed a walk in the park. What she hadn't expected, however, was to see the person she hated most appear in her vision and slam an armored gauntlet into her chest. Her speed mixed with Halo's overwhelming strength amplified by the armor she wore shattered her sternum and ribs.
But she still wore her own armor and was still able to stand. Tim stepped ahead of Halo and pulled out a knife, a smirk on his face. "Hello, Avery."
She couldn't muster the strength to respond and Tim's outline was growing blurry.
"It's unlikely she'll survive more than a few minutes. We should keep moving." A clinical voice said.
Tim suddenly appeared in front of her, his expression cold. "This is for Veronica Chase."
~
Eve activated the prototype armor and felt it cinch against her body again. It had been Alice's idea for a one off surprise if they ran into either Avery, Caspar, or Rinku. Her body could withstand one full power punch using the armor to amplify it. As she shakily pulled on the armor pieces Tim and Clint pulled off Avery's body, it was clear she was still feeling the effects of making use of the beast's power.
"How long until you're combat ready?" Tim asked. His tone was clipped, but his expression showed deep concern for the teen.
"Twenty minutes." She replied.
"Alright, Eve, you're the Vanguard now. We know Caspar's fighting where we came in and the Frontier's first wave is probably spent by now thanks to those cannons. Good news is, they'll need to recharge for about an hour before they can unleash another volley like that." He said, pacing as he thought. "With Avery down, Rinku's full might is cut in half. But we won't get that lucky with Caspar, no matter how tired he might appear. So our best plan of action is to keep taking down GA soldiers where we can until their numbers are depleted more, then start on those pirates."
"And here I thought I was leading this team." Clint said, smirking.
"You lead the spies." Tim said, returning the grin. "I lead the team."
"Enough dick measuring, let's move." Rebecca sighed.
Clint shook his head. "Not yet. This area's clear for now, so we should use this time to rest. Alice is our ace right now, and she needs twenty minutes."
"Clear, but not safe." Eve said, working her hand into a fist. "Stay on guard."
"I can do that. The rest of you kick back." Tim said, nodding to Alice.
She nodded back and closed her eyes.
"We never taxed Alice's recovery. I need to know if we're going to run into another issue like before." Tim said, looking at the twins.
Armand rolled his eyes. "I'd say it's marginally better than before. Depending on the severity of the wound, it should close within a matter of minutes with bleeding staunched in seconds. Perfect for her style of combat."
"More significant damage will take longer, of course. She's been eating properly, yes?" Sebastian said.
Tim nodded. "She eats three times more than I do. All high protein, high calorie."
"Then her estimate of twenty minutes for the damage she sustained is accurate. Ideally, she'd have time to eat another meal once she wakes, but I don't suspect that'll be possible."
"We have a few ration bars. I'll have her eat those if we still have time. Alright, we've got a direction pointed out. Let's charge up a bit." He said, handing Eve one of the bars. "You need to eat, too."
She nodded and quickly consumed the bar before resting her back against his and closing her eyes. She couldn't get to sleep like Alice could, but she could doze lightly by counting seconds. Only fifteen minutes had passed by her count when Tim leapt to his feet. She looked up and saw a ship streaking across the sky toward the compound. It's engines were on fire, but it didn't look like it was crashing.
"Is that-?" Rebecca said, getting to her feet.
"Time for a new plan." Clint said with a smile.