Shadow War

Marcus Fenix felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle again. For the third time today, he was certain the rippling heat coming off of the roofs of the surrounding buildings were tricking his eyes. He and Delta squad had been assigned to guard a convoy of survivors toward a relatively safe location picked out by Chairman Prescott. Since a large group of Gears and their families would be too tempting a target for Locust, the decision had been made to split the groups up. After the sinking of Jacinto Plateau, the COG had been hard pressed to provide for the safety of its own soldiers. So many were lost just trying to defend their wives and children from straggling parties of Wretches and Grubs. With the very future of the human race resting inside the three derricks trailing behind his and Dom's APC, Delta Squad was on edge.

Baird and Cole trailing behind seemed to be taking the entire assignment in stride, all be it with a bit of cynicism from Baird. Some of the women had taken to calling him Mrs. Baird because of his constant complaining. The moniker had served to shut the Sargent up for the time being. Cole, on the other hand, when he wasn't manning the turret on his APC was hamming it up with some of the younger single women riding in the derricks. Most were not quite old enough to remember his Thrash ball days, but their parents fawning and his likable nature soon had him very popular among the young women. Even Baird had a bit of a following, though the women he attracted had humors just as biting as his and he found himself beset on all sides with razor sharp jokes and barbs that left even him speechless. Needless to say, he was in heaven.

The same could not be said for Dom. The Lieutenant exhibited no outward signs of distress. He was quiet, focused and single minded in his hatred for the Locust that attacked the convoy. Though nothing he said or did not say could hide what he was feeling from one of his best friends. Normally, Dom would be talking his head off, so hopeful and enthusiastic about his mission. He had had the hope of finding Maria to spur him on. He had spent more than fourteen years searching for his wife, never giving up hope that they would soon be reunited. Till death do us part.

And it was death that had parted them. When he had found his wife, she had not even known it was he who was holding her. She had lain limp in his arms, silent, vacant. Her mind had left her long before he had rescued Marcus from prison. Even before the COG had retreated to Jacinto Plateau. His wife's soul was gone, but her body was still forced to work in conditions that would drive even a Gear suicidal, as it had Tai. Dom loved his wife beyond all measure and it became clear that letting her live, even in safety, was a torture he refused to subject her to. He had done the only thing he could do for his beloved, his last act of devotion, burying a bullet in her brain pan. It seemed that he had killed a part of himself that day.

Marcus glanced up to the roofs again, wondering if the shadow he saw from time to time was a Locust scout or something else. He was quickly coming to the conclusion that this was 'something else' since no Locust he knew could leap roof tops in broad daylight. He had not seen the figure for some time but that did not mean that they were not being watched. As he brought his canteen up to his lips, he saw a shadow dart from one of the windows ahead. He stopped in mid-sip, watching the building. "Dom," he whispered, leaning down to tap his friend on the shoulder. What ever trance he had been in was broken as Marcus pointed to the windows of the large building to their right. Dom watched the shadows moving parallel to them, perhaps to flank them at the intersection ahead. Marcus pressed his finger to his ear bud, opening the channel to the derricks.

"Stay focused. Cole, Baird, keep an eye behind us, I think we're being flanked. They might try to ambush us up ahead." As soon as Marcus closed the connection, his fears were confirmed. E-holes were opening up in the intersection ahead of them and from the shouting at the rear of the convoy, behind them as well. As Dom leaned forward to apply the brake to their APC, he felt the bullet that just grazed his skull bury itself behind the spot his head had occupied just seconds before. "Snipers!" Every Gear riding on the derricks got low to the deck, blind firing over their shoulders at the buildings to suppress any more sniper fire. Marcus and Cole manned their respective turrets and started mowing down Locusts.

There were half a dozen Emergence holes ahead of Marcus and he was hard pressed to keep all of them covered with both turrets. "Epsilon! Get grenades out and close up those holes so we can get out of here!" With that many E-holes appearing ahead and behind them, everyone knew there had to be a Corpser or two in the area. That alone was enough to make even Cole want to get the hell out. Marcus focused on the Locust ahead of him, not moving until those in his sights were nothing but bloody chunks on the concrete. Several of the grenades Epsilon had thrown had hit home, reducing the E-holes around them to three in front and four behind. Though Locust were still pouring out by the dozens, each wave getting closer and closer to the convoy.

Marcus clenched his jaw, keeping his eyes focused on the targets ahead of him. One more hole closed ahead and one more left behind and still more Locust were assailing the convoy. Cole and Baird behind were treating the Locust to more of the same, strafing up and down their lines in short bursts. The derrick operators had climbed out from behind the wheel to operate the turrets to spray those Locust that got through the front and rear defenses. The Locust dead were piling up in front and behind, Epsilon squad coming out of hiding to pick off those they could with either Lancer or Snub Pistol.

"Uhh...Marcus," Baird stuck his head out of his APC, feeling comfortable enough as the last E-hole was closed. Marcus responded with a grunt, still watching out for any more E-holes to open up. "Where'd the Snipers go?" The question struck Marcus as odd, so he too poked his head out of his APC, looking around them to the eerily silent buildings. He got the same feeling of the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as he observed their shadow's handy work. Several snipers lay on the concrete at the base of the building, not one bullet hole in their bodies. What killed them, it seemed, was some kind of blade directly in the back. Others were in various stages of decapitation or evisceration, entrails still steaming on the hot concrete. The fall on its own would have killed them never mind having a blade run through them.

"Freaky..." Cole had none of his flamboyant banter today. "You think someone's trying to mess with us?"

Marcus shook his head, watching the shadows inside the building and on the street. "I think someone is trying to help us," Marcus gave up his search for their ghost, retreating inside his APC again, still uncomfortable with the whole situation. Just before the E-holes had opened up, he could have sworn he saw a small Locust jumping a gap between the buildings they were in front of. He shook his head, trying to forget it. It had to have been a trick of the shadows since no Grub was that small and no Wretch was that big. "All the same, lets get the hell out of here before more Grubs try to crawl up our ass."

---

It was well after sunset when the convoy had settled itself in the shadow of a large wall. The engineers mounted high powered lights to drive away the kryll that had begun their nightly hunt. Marcus and Baird stalked up and down the line of derricks, watching for any movement where the light faded into the surrounding pitch black. Baird shouldered his favorite toy, a Scorcher Flamethrower that had ended many a Locust charge and turned them into fast food as their charred corpses rolled downstairs or slid along floors by their momentum. Neither noticed as a small figure dressed in the skins of Grubs settle behind the spot lights, taking comfort in the warmth they emitted as she drew her cloak around her and settled into a light sleep.

"So," Damon paused, watching the windows of the buildings across the square. "you think this plan's gonna work," he barely gave Marcus time to answer. "I mean, not that I don't trust Prescott," Marcus let Baird talk, thinking that he needed to get this off his chest. "or Hoffman, you know? It's just - well - were dropping like flies, Marcus. I remember when Jacinto was first set up. There were millions of men and women and lots of babies everywhere." Marcus inclined his head, he had a feeling he knew where this was going. Baird stared out into the darkness, trying to find the words to express what he was feeling without sounding like a pussy. "I'm afraid I'll be cold and dead before I get to have one."

Marcus nodded. "Yep. It'd be awful hard to conceive a baby with a corpse." He smirked when he saw the disgusted look on Baird's face. "So why don't you get in there and find you a girl, or three?" Marcus had to laugh at the slack jawed stare he was getting from Baird. "It'd be a damn shame if Cole had to repopulate this planet all by himself. Probably be disabled with a chronic butt cramp, or something."

Baird gagged, shaking his head to get that picture out of it. "Thanks," he wasn't sure if he should be disgusted or laugh at the mental image of the Cole-Train with his butt in a sling. "You sure you don't mind?"

"Baird, if I have to stand here and listen to you complain about not getting laid one more time, I will shoot you myself. Got it?"

Damon saluted. "Yessir," and whirled around with a flourish, making good time up the middle derrick and into its main hold. Marcus shook his head, relaxing his shoulders somewhat as he made his circuit in front of the convoy. It was looking like a quiet night, which he welcomed. Peace and quiet were two things he had not experienced in a long, long time and he drank them in as he did the water from his canteen.

His smile softened when he heard his connection to the rest of humanity come on to wish him a good night. "Good night, Anya," he responded softly. "Stay safe." Her soft promise to do so as she handed her station over to the night shift kept him warm through the night.