Sam sat in an old black leather chair and watched with lazy eyes, how the snow fell before the window of the crow’s nest, room.

Crows nest…
That’s what the people called this position in the fifty-fifth floor of the old and long abandoned bank building of San Valera which belonged to one of the most successful corporations on the planet.
But that was before the Urley landed…before the Blood Day.

A day, twenty-four years ago, on which the huge alienscalled Urley, drenched the seas, rivers and the ground with the blood of billions of humans all around the globe.
A day on what the human race was nearly extinct from its home world….nearly.

-  Earth 2059 Somewhere in September -

Groggy yawned the mid thirty, old man and stretched his arms with several audible cracks in his elbows and fingers before he got up and stretched his legs with the same results in his knees and his back.
He walked towards the window and looked out seeing the white landscape in the dim, weak, sunlight that managed it to break through the dark grey clouds.
He saw the snow covered ruins to the west of the city and heard the explosions again in his ears when they had buried two Urley’s alive under several buildings. It had been many years since then but he could still hear their screams…and those of two of his friends who were along with them.
It had been his assignment his choice to blow up the explosives and Butch had told him again and again that his choice was the right one.
Still, he could hear them…their pleas…their screams…

“Enough!” Told Sam to himself and turned his face away from the window and back to the chair.
He looked at the watch and then checked the time with the one on his digital watch. It was identical.
“Strange. She is never late.” Said Sam to himself, when he noticed the silent alarm on one of the monitors, who stood on a table next to the chair.
He pushed on the display and the camera went on to show the last four stairs below him. A figure with a long coat and a scarf was running up the stairs but he couldn’t see the face while it was now only two levels below his position.

Sam grabbed his old assault rifle and loaded it along with his pistol which he had holstered on his back. He looked again on the monitor and saw how the hooded figure went into the same floor he was in from the stairs and now began to walk straight for his position.

Had they caught her? Thought Sam as the figure was now only a few feet away from the reinforced door to the room he was in. He rose the rifle knowing that he had only a few seconds to react before the machine would probably overpower him.

“Two, maybe four shots.” Thought he to himself while the muzzle of the rifle was still aimed to the door.
The time began to slow down rapidly. Seconds seemed like minutes and the waiting was nearly unbearable when he suddenly heard a knock, then three more, then a single one again and then two hard kicks at the lower half of the door.

“Oh man really.” Sighted Sam and shook his head when he walked to the door and after unlocking it on several places, finally opened it and was soon greeted with a cold wind.
“Get in already its getting cold in here.”

The hooded figure which was about as tall as he was, didn’t took a second longer before she entered the room and took the hood off which revealed her brunette, long hair, a greed bandana and her green eyes as soon as she took the ski glasses off.

“Sorry for being late Sam.” Excused Catherine herself while she patted the last bits of snow from her coat and boots while he closed the door behind her and slung his rifle again on his back.
Catherine, or Cathy how many called her, was in her mid twenties, had pale skin which was normal when you were living underground all the time. She had green eyes a well trained figure, and long brown hair which she, like so often, had bond to a ponytail.
She wore a long dark grey coat, with a winter hood which was attached to it the old green scarf which she had placed a few times before her mouth against the freezing winds.


“You shouldn’t do that again.” Began he to scold her for being so reckless as she placed her clothes on a nearby old and worn out couch while he poured the rest of his hot water in a cup and handed it her.
She eagerly held it in her cold and stiff hands and welcomed the warmth that the small porcelain cup gave away since it was much too cold even with her gloves.

Sam inspected her coat while she was taking a few sips from the warm water and was surprised in what a good shape it was.
“Where did you found this one?”

“Just a few blocks, to the south from here. In one of the old ruins.” Was her answer and placed the cup on the table with the monitors on it.
“I also have something for you, Sam.”

She began to rummage in a pocket and then held a gift before him which was wrapped in old papers. He looked at it a bit surprised and touched that she hadn’t forgotten it.

“F-For me?” He said a bit nervous and saw her shy grin appear.

“It’s nothing big. I…I just thought you might like it since your old knife…oh.” She stopped holding a hand before her mouth when she noticed that she had just told him what was inside the paper.

Sam looked at the gift and began to smile a bit himself. He hadn’t thought that anyone beside Rosa and Butch would remember on his birthday but here was Cathy…no Catherine.
A woman he had saved out of the cold just four years ago and who had, ever since then, stood close to him.
They weren’t a couple like some had thought after some time but he respected her on a deep level. Something he hadn’t thought he was able to do after so many losses of friends over the years.

“Thank you Cathy. I will open it when you get back from your shift.”

“No! Open it now. I want to see you face when you open it so come on.” Came her answer eagerly on what Sam began to unwrap it as careful as he could.
It took him a bit time but when the strings were gone, and he unfolded it out of the layers of paper, could he feel the smooth surface of the hilt in his hand.

As soon as he put the paper away and got a first good look on it, could he barely hold his excitement back and said a few times “Wow.” Out loud while he turned the knife in his hand.
It had a black wooden shaft with small ripples in it which helped to have a better grip on it. The shaft of the blade was held in a beamless black with a small pouch sewn on its front were a whetstone was inside. He unclipped it and felt the wood on his skin and took it out in a slow move admiring the blade itself when he saw its surface.
It was made out of armour steel and had its typical muster on it along with its color.

Sam turned it a few times and was amazed how light it felt in his hand. It was perfectly balanced and in an extremely good look.

“Where did you…” But Cathy quickly silenced him and gave him a kiss on his cheek which completely hit him out of the blue.

“That’s my little secret, Sam.” Was her reply before she walked passed him and took her still warm cup from the table.

Sam shook his head and thanked her before he placed it in one of the smaller pockets of his backpack.
He took his old black, worn out parka, a grey scarf and his skicap and was about to leave when Cathy stopped him out of a sudden.

“Sam,” Began she and held him by his sleeve. “..ah-eh…it can wait.” Said she all back in her shy mood and let go of his arm.

“What’s wrong?”

“I…can we talk later? I-I have to tell you something. It’s really important and…we can talk later about it.”

Sam had no idea what to do. He knew her since the last four years and in all the time had she never been like that. Sure she was a quite strange type of person but this was even for her a bit ‘strange’. For a few seconds thought he of staying and telling he to talk with him now but he nodded and before he left the room, told her to stay focused just like he always did.

Hearing the locks popping in behind him began the freezing weather to nag on him. He checked his old assault rifle and pistol again and then waved a last time into the first camera that he passed on his way down to the ground.



The temperatures were far below the zero degree line and even with the thermal underwear under his clothes, could he feel the ice biting on his skin. In his memory could he vaguely see the green trees in the streets and a clear blue summer sky above him. But it all vanished as soon as it came when a sharp gust of cold wind hit him straight from the front and forced him to put even more strength into each step. His sight was bad. He could barely see the corner of the next building when suddenly something appeared, and right on it, disappeared already.

Sam stopped and cleared his ski glasses with the fingers. Had he just imagined that?
Still unable to see clearly, turned he around and tried to check his surroundings but the wind and the falling snow, made it impossible to see further then a few feet.
He prepared his rifle and scanned his surroundings with his eyes as good as he could when the strong wind began to slow down a bit and allowed him to see a bit better.

“Just look what I found out here.” Could he hear the voice saying and spun around thinking that it was behind him.
“Ooh you nearly had me.” Mocked him the female voice, with a metallic sounding undertone.

Sam turned his body and rifle but again did he only saw the empty street.

“And again, too slow pinkie.” Heard he the voice but this time, was way too close.

With wide opened eyes spun Sam around and saw the pearl white face of the doll only two feet away from him.
Then happened everything as if time was as frozen as the ground on which he stood. He felt how his finger pressed the trigger of his rifle knowing that the muzzle wasn’t at the right place just yet but the reflex and surprise had already taken over the higher thoughts. The first bullets made their way and went on their destroying way as the hand of the machine shot up and held the front easily at a save distance while he continued to hold the trigger. Upon realizing that it had taken over, tried he to pull it away but the brute force that the machine had, was easily three times higher then a human which made it impossible for him to even move it an inch no matter how hard he tried it.
Cursing himself for his laziness, grabbed he for his old pistol while his other hand was already busy to get the old knife from his back when the right, free, hand of the human looking machine shot forward and hit him hard into his stomach sending him flying through the air until his backpack and he, hit the iced door of an old parked car.
The impact forced the warm air out of his lungs and when his spinning vision began to clear itself a bit noticed he that his rifle was missing.

“Fuck.” Grunted Sam through gritted teeth and unclipped his backpack before he tried to get back on his feet.
He looked after the doll but the snow and wind had already begun to increase again which left him again with a pretty short field of sight.

Again grabbing for his pistol and the knife prepared he himself when the remains of his rifle where thrown at him and landed just before his boots.

“Not really impressive, human. Come on entertain me a bit more.” Could he hear the pilot of the machine say again in this damned tone followed by a laughter.

She was playing with him. They loved it. And he hated it.

“Come out and fight me face to face you coward!” Was he yelling and aimed with the pistol into the storm hoping to see a glimpse of the deadly thing.
“Come on and show yourself.” Mumbled Sam angry, into his scarf.

The seconds felt like an eternity. His nerves where at their limits and cold sweat ran over his cheek and forehead. His eyes scanned through the storm he knew he had to see her first. One or two well placed bullets into the right side of their heads to destroy the control system. The practise he had to aim for that one spot was intense but only that had prepared them for situations like that.

“Fine…” Heard he a low grumbling sound right up ahead of his position when the outlines of the doll came at him at high speed.
In a hurry fired Sam one, two and a even a third time but the machine dodged them all with slight steps to the side and within a split second was it already at arms length and grabbed him by his throat.
The direct impact took him from the ground while the machine was still running with him at its outstretched arm.
Sam lost his sense of direction again but had no time to orientate himself when the thing hammered his entire body straight into the wall of a nearby building.
The brutal impact let him loosen his grip around his pistol and the knife and for a few moments lost he his consciousness before the pain brought him back into the real world.

Letting him go, sunk Sam easily down on the ground and sat there for a couple of moment before the mechanical arm lifted him up again from the cold ground

“Not so tough huh?” Mocked him the pilot and turned his head with its free hand from side to side to get a good look at him. “Pretty skinny but I think it’ll have to do. First I will have my fun with you, and then, will they send you to our masters.”

Sam listened half awake to what it said as he prepared a last trump in his sleeve which was a short pocket knife he had always ready. Coughing out some blood onto the white artificial skin of the machine, stopped she all of a sudden and increased her grip around his throat.

“Pretty rude of you, human. But what could I expect from such a creature.” Said she over the link and was about to throw him away when the human’s arm shot forward and punctured with the sharp end through the artificial skull damaging the system just where he wanted it.

The grip around his neck loosened up and he fell on the ground again while the machine before him spammed around making a step back and then turning and shooting its arms high in he air.

The system had to calibrate itself which gave him a few seconds to act.

Quickly crawling back to his pistol aimed Sam carefully taking his time when the head of the machine looked towards him again only to be shot at several times before it fell backward into the snow leaving him tired but glad to have destroyed it finally.

Sam sighted and groaned audible while the snowstorm around him began to slowdown a bit. He walked over to the still slightly moving thing as its eyes began to fix on him as he looked down at it.

“How weak…but what can I expect from such a creature.” Grinned Sam dark as he looked down onto the twisting face aiming his pistol at its head and emptied the rest of his magazine and destroying the face completely.

He smiled despite having trouble to breath because of the steel like grip from its hand, was he glad to have it destroyed. The fight could have ended much different he knew that but here he was standing over the destroyed remains of another urley hunting machine.

He was just about to get his knife back when the ground began to shake under his feet. First barely feeling it knew he quickly what was coming when it started to increase rapidly.

“No…” was all he managed to say when the giant form appeared out of the snow storm.

He looked up at the alien feeling that it had to be about thirty five or more feet tall as it ran straight towards him until it stopped probably twenty feet away from him.

He began to walk backwards not even putting away his pistol when he heard a deep laughing sound followed by the hard impacts which were her following him at a steady speed while he ran as fast as he could. His legs burned his ribs arched and the ice cold air in his lungs felt as if he would be stabbed with hundreds of needles  at the same time while she, her voice gave that now clearly away, followed him and amused herself of his useless try to escape.

“Come on tiny, hurry up or my boots will get you soon.” Mocked she him and began to speed up a bit. It didn’t took her long to catch up and in the end just made one larger step right over him and stopped when she was right before him now.

Her giant frame loomed down and he could see the grey and black full body suit with its armour plates and the combat gear they wore. Pouches filled with gas grenades or more scouts to hunt them and catch them along with some to hold them secure as prisoners.

She took of her helmet and immediately fell down her long light grey hair which began to flow with the winds. She grinned down at the human knowing that he couldn’t escape anymore.

“Well, that wasn’t very nice of you, tiny.” Was all that she said before she knelt down and picked up Sam in one swift motion before he could even react.

His arms were forcefully pinned to this torso as she lifted him easily up to her face.

Her yellow iris with the black sclera its background, looked into his pain grimaced face with joy when she used her left index and thumb to hold his head easily.

“You really gave a bad feedback wave you know, and I think, that’ll cost you…” She said let go of his head and pinned his left shin bone instead between her fingers. “A leg.” And with that, broke his bone as if it were nothing.

Sam screamed up in pain before she let go of him and allowed his body to fall onto the gorund with an barely audible sound.

She slowly crouched down near him and smiled when his body began to move again even after the drop.

“Feisty, dirty little creature, I have to give you that.” Said sheas the human under her began to move his hands as if it wanted to crawl away.

“Oooh! Did I broke your other leg too? Oh sweety I am so sorry.” She said and flinched his side with her indexfinger forcing his entire body to roll a fe times before he stopped laying on his back and looking up at her.

“Ups, I guess that cost you a few ribs, right?” Giggled she and stood up to her full height.

Sam tried to catch some air but the pain in his side was too much. He began to cough again spitting more blood then before into the white snow now as he looked up at her form. He felt tears running down his face when his mind yelled him to flee. He wanted to run but both of his legs were broken and he could barely breathe. He knew his time was up.

Thalia knew he wouldn’t run away while she fished one of her cells out of a pocket on her belt. She even began to whistle silent when she looked down and saw his little frame on the ground before her. They always tried to run it was so much fun but seeing him only using one arm now to pull himself away from her, left her thinking if she had overdone it a bit this time.

She went down on one knee again and gave the creature a closer look again. The hunter, saw the red blood on the snow and his twisted legs that he pulled after him and really started to think if she shouldn’t just crush it into paste under her sole and end its worthless life.

Her commander would understand it for sure since they had thousands of them in the farms at the bases. One more or less it wouldn’t matter that much.

She was still debating over it in her mind and so didn’t notice that a second, a bit taller urley sneaked up on her from behind.

Thalia only noticed that something was behind her, when she felt an arm wrapping itself around her throat and lifting her up dragging her a bit back from her point.

She began to struggle looking up to the unknown one but all that she could see was s the mask that she wore and the red painted stripes that identified her as one of those hatred traitors.

She grabbed with both of her hands onto her arm pulling at it with all her strength while her feet crushed a nearby car that had stood on the side of the street.

She cursed the traitor under her breath as she was dragged further away when she finally remembered on her plasma pistol and dragged it out of her holster aiming it towards her attackers head.

But her enemy noticed it long before and stabbed her with a knife straight through her wrist on what she lost the grip around the pistol and let it fall on the ground.

Thalia screamed out loud in pain or better as loud as she could when the attacker spun her around and let her fall hard on the cold ground.

The urley warrior quickly got up clutching her wounded hand tight to her body before she looked back and faced the her.

“You! You human lovers! Traitors of our own race! How dare you to…” She was caught off when the one before her took of her mask and showed her face to her.

“S-Setol Vareva!” Said Thalia with wide opened eyes as she looked into the ice cold yellow eyes of one of the most respected, and feared urley warriors…before she changed the sites and became a fighter for the creatures of the planet.

“W-why? Why do you help them!” Yelled Thalia when the urley in front of her grabbed a hilt from her belt and after pushing a button, grew a thin, orange coloured, holographic, sword out of it.

Her eyes pierced through hers and she didn’t gave her any reply as he made a step further.

Thalia made a step back out of pure instinct when her body made contact with a small building behind her. She gulped suppressing the pain in her throat from her firm grip when Vareva made another step closer and rose the buzzing blade with one swift move piercing her opposite straight through her heart and the building as well. Vareva grabbed her under her arm supporting her body when her legs lost their strength and even helped her to get down on the ground.

“It won’t hurt for long now sister. Forgive me for what I did, when you reach the afterlife.” Whispered Vareva into Thalia’s ear s she held her close to her until she was dead in her arm.

She shut off the blade and rested her body on the ground sending a prayer to whatever god would listen and begging to accept her into their ranks before she got up and began to walk back to the site where it had begun.

She saw a second figure kneeling next to the one she had just saved and identified her right away.

“How is holding up?” Asked she when she knelt down next to them.

“We have to bring him back to the base. I stabilised him for now but he needs a second infusion, Vee.” Answered Catherine very concerned and looked up into the face of her giant friend.

Vareva nodded and very carefully picked up both Cathy and her wounded friend in both hands. She held these little people as careful as she could knowing very well, what destructive power one of her hands possessed from her memories.

She made once again sure that Catherine and her friend were secure in her hands when she asked her who this one was.

“Its Samuel.” Came her concerned reply.

Vareva, knowing what her little darling felt for this particular one, was even more concerned for him now. She wouldn’t let him die since he had been the one who had saved her little darling out of the cold many years ago.

They had already reached the outskirts of the city when Vareva told her to get closer to him on what she slightly cupped her hand to shield both a bit better from the cold winds. Then began she to speed up and within two or three long strides, was she at full speed and headed away from the old human city she was protecting since the last four years.

“Hang on Samuel Terrance…hang on.” Thought she to herself as the landscape rushed past her as she easily jumped over a long abandoned house and crushed a parked car that had been covered under snow.

Vareva knelt in the snow just before the hanger she had called her home for the past four years. She was washing her hands and desperately trying to get the small blood stains of the human off her hands with some snow.

“Damn.” Grunted the tall female warrior silent, as she took another handful of snow and rubbed it over her hands and fingers to get rid of the last red blood stains on her skin.

Still not satisfied rubbed she one handful of snow after another over her hands while flashes of her past rushed through her head and flooded her mind with the high pitched screams and the terrified yells and pleadings of those she killed in the name of a brutal and cold species she hated deep down to her core.

A few tears hit the snow below her and when she noticed it, stopped Vareva and looked up while the voices in her head began to disappear again.

She looked up into the cloudy, dark, sky and wondered, like so many times, if she and the others, who were like her, would find any redemption for all the things they had done.

“Are you…” Began Cathy behind her when she saw how her foster mother cleaned her hands and fingers again and again.

“I’m done. Sorry. I should have helped you inside but…”

“It’s okay. He is stable for now. Thanks to you.”

Cathy went closer stopping first when she reached the tall Urley’s knees. She took a sip from her still hot tea and looked up into the sky before her eyes fell on the sad face of the one, who had saved her many years ago.

Vareva was sad. She knew the look and she knew what lied behind it. The countless battles she had been forced to fight. The bitterness to have no home or any memory of it because of the long sleep they had been put in.

Still, as both hands of that big woman came towards her, who had easily the power to smash her into pulp in an instant, could she feel the gentleness and carefulness that lay behind every move she did when handling a human.

Cathy was taken upwards until she reached Vareva’s chest and soon found herself sitting onto her mothers left shoulder before both enjoyed the silent humming of the wind for a while.

Inside the hangar, near a small fireplace at the backside, laid Sam with bandaged legs and arms and with a bandage around his head.

In his dream, was he running through the darkness always followed by loud and hard steps until he was finding himself inside a snow covered alley. The buildings and stores where destroyed and covered with layers of snow and ice. He, not older then ten stood in that alley his jacket dirty and his pants sewed together on many parts. His face was dirty and tears ran over his cheeks as he heard the ever so mechanical steps and the silent sound of crushed snow behind him.

He knew what was coming as he saw his younger self before him. But it felt as if it would be the first time again when the snow white hand grabbed the boys shoulder and violently turned him around only to grab his throat with its other.

“Damn you!!” Yelled Sam and charged the machine and his younger self but he simply ran through both as if they weren’t there. He turned and tried to grab its arms while it held the boy further up turning its head from one side to the other as if to inspect him.

“Stop it!!” Yelled he again when his younger self began to cry and desperately tried to get the hand off as well.

“Stop it you monster! Let him go! Let him go!” Yelled Sam out in frustration and anger when the Deva suddenly let go of his younger self and made a few steps backward until it fell backwards.

There in its forehead loomed a big hole and little sparks of the failing energy system jumped out of its inner part before also those died off.

Sam’s younger self turned around when a tall figure seemed to walk out of the fog that was his memory. The mechanical sound of servo engines and the metallic clank sounds it made whenever its steel plated boots hit the concrete where intimidating even after all those years.

The large figure stopped in front of the boy and knelt down before the boy offering a free hand for him to grab which was also covered up and steel and polymer armour pieces.

“Butch…” Said Sam’s older self as he saw the slightly wrinkled face behind the mask of the power suit.

It was the man who had found him. The man who had saved him after his sister had been taken as well. The man who had trained him for years and who had made him to what he was today.

His memories began to vanish behind the clouds of his mind when the tall man picked his younger self up with one arm. He saw the faint smile on the older mans face. Gentle, friendly, determined to protect those under his care.

Slowly awoke Sam from his forced sleep and it took him a few moments until his eyes had adjusted themselves to the dim lights that seemed to come from a barrel somewhere in the distance.

With a grunting sound tried he to get up but his body turned those tries down by sending him one stitch and pain wave after another.

Sam waited until his eyes could see more clearly and then tried it again. This time ignored he the warning signals that his body made and got up forcing his bandaged and stitching legs off the bed he was on. The cold of the floor greeted him immediately and he noticed that he wore none of his old clothes except his underwear for what he was kind of thankful while it only added more and more questions to him.

He checked for his clothes but couldn’t find them anywhere but instead found a pair of black boots under the bed and a pair of white pants and a black sweater nearby.

It took him some time to get it on but he did and when he felt strong enough, he tried to get onto his feet.

Sam felt like walking one a wobbly ground but he knew it came from his nerves and from whatever he had been given as he walked along the riffled metal walls to the large opening where he could see a large grey concrete wall.

“Where am I?” Asked he, himself as he noticed the large tarp which was spanned over the metal walls who he found out, where large freight containers. 

He had a bit of trouble to remember on the last moments before he passed out after the Urley had let him fall to the ground when he thought that he had seen Cathy looking down at him.

He wasn’t sure if he had dreamed it…but surely someone had helped him and he was pretty sure that he was not in the Cadiea bunker.

The bandages around his legs began to hurt as well as his lung and head as he walked around the container he had leaned on when he saw the true size of the place he was in.

His eyes grew wide when he noticed the huge space before him which had to be at least twice the height of Cadiea’s own underground hangars.

There was only one place he knew of that could be probably have the size of that but it was impossible to reach for anyone since it was at least dozens of miles outside the city.

“Fort Hannibal…” Came it over his lips when he heard the silent humming sounds followed by a louder yawn then any human could have done.

The seconds that followed then seemed to stretch into hours when one arm and then a second arm slowly began to reach toward the ceiling. But those limbs…they were far bigger then that of a human. They had the size of small tree trunks…and they had the colour scheme of the aliens as they stretched before Sam’s now shocked, wide open eyes.

“Oooh! That was a good nap.” Managed he to hear when the rest of the giant alien rose behind the containers.

He saw the long light grey hair even in the dim light and heard the muffled noises of cracking joints as she stretched herself some more.

Sam’s jaw stood wide open. Never had he thought to be that close to one of them or even be alive to find them just waking up.

His mind literally screamed to him to run, make a dash or hide but none of his muscles wanted to move as the giant being began to rise and slowly, began to turn its body towards his direction.

As much as Sam wanted it, and as much as his brain told him to move couldn’t he when the giant yellow eyes finally fell on his frozen form on the ground.

He gulped feeling the first sweat drops running down his back as the giant face just looked at him without saying a word.

His mind went blank. No feelings. No plans or ideas that came up in him. He and the giant thing just stared at each other for what seemed like eternity when he heard some noises coming from behind him.

It was the sound of an unlocking door and before he could bring the first thought to an end, was he already running as fast as he could towards the sound and the door.

He didn’t look back to the urley when the door was only a couple of feet away of him when the same began to open and the first icy winds made contact with his skin.

He even began to run faster and slammed with his entire weight against the half open door feeling, and hearing the faint grunting noise that he had hit someone pretty hard and even had knocked him onto the ground.

Had it been a deva, thought Sam as the ice cold wind hit his face but didn’t stopped to take a look back.

- - -

It hadn’t been long after Cathy had gotten back on her feet again. She had tried to call out his name and even thought of running after him but with no clue of where he was, had it been futile an much to dangerous for her. Vareva on the other hand, was already preparing herself and grabbed a visor from her stock.

“I can’t believe that he just ran away.” Stated Cathy sitting on one of the containers and holding her left elbow where the door had hit her pretty hard.

“It was my fault.” Said Vareva when she checked the visor a last time before she closed her violet full body suit, and grabbed her combat belt.

“I should have tried to calm him down or at least catch him before he could reach the door.” She said and sighted before she reached for the tall hangar doors and opened them.

“But don’t worry. I will find him.”

- - - - 

Sam tried to run but his legs were hurting along with his lungs while his eyes still tried to adjust to the darkness. The ice cold wind lashed through his face and forced him more then a few times to adjust his balance while the snow began to get higher and higher.

His breath was still visible in the cold but was already dragged away as soon as it left his mouth while he held his arms, tight around his chest. His lungs began to hurt and after another step, his legs just stopped moving.
Here he was somewhere in the darkness far away from his home his city and the people he loved and cared for. His head was spinning as the freezing cold began to take its toll as well as the wounds in his body which weren’t completely healed up yet.
Sam sunk on his knees and the snow and sharp wind already began to cover his legs and parts of his upper body.
His shivering body refused to do as his will wanted when he felt that his body fell to a side and his face landing into the snow.



Vareva activated the visor as soon as she had left the hangar and had closed the large doors behind her. The greenish HUD in the visor gave her the relevant outlines and information’s of her surroundings and thanks to the system, could she see in the storm and at night, as clearly as if it had been broad daylight on a cloudless day.
She walked around the building seeing the smaller door through which he had left just a couple of minutes ago and zoomed closer to the spot.
The system showed her barley visible footprints, on what it began to calculate a possible course within the blink of an eye.

“Feisty little human.” Mumbled Vareva under her breath and smirked slightly before she began to follow the trail that the system gave her.
It didn’t take her long, thanks to her much lager and wider steps, until the system recognized a faint heat signature a bit ahead of her.
She began to pursuit and reached the little form which had been covered by a thin layer of snow already.
Vareva took her gauntlets off and as carefully as she could, picked she Sam up from the ground. She held him up and close to her body trying to protect his small form, from the freezing weather as she turned and headed back to her home. 

  „Do you think that he is okay?” Asked Catherine while she was sitting into the opened hand of her big friend Vareva.

The big urley leaned at one of the hangar walls while she held Cathy up to her face noticing the worried look on her little darlings face.

“Hey lighten up dear. I’m sure he will understand everything as soon as we explain him the situation.” Told her Vareva and held her hand towards her left shoulder on what Cathy stepped off and sat down.

“I’m sure everything will work out well Cathy.” Added the huge alien and stroked with a finger the side of Catherine’s face while she gave her a big smile.

Sam had waked up just an hour ago and was about to bind his boots again as he heard Cathy and Vareva talking behind the large freight containers. He sighted and took a deep breath before Vareva’s hand came down and allowed Cathy to step down from it. He looked up his gaze still nervous as he looked up at her.

“Feeling better, tiny?” Asked Vareva and grinned before she leaned her chin onto her arm and looked down at both humans.

“A bit…I guess.” Answered Sam and looked over at Cathy who sat on a black storage box near the fire.

She wore a pair of white pants, black boots and a long sleeved black sweater. He hair was put into a short ponytail and she seemed kind of nervous to sit in front of him.

“Are…are you hungry? Or would you like something to drink? We-“ But Sam cut her off before she could move on grunting a bit as he tried to get up from his bed.

Cathy saw his struggle to get up and wanted to help but he also cut her off by giving her a short glare.

 “I have questions. And you will answer them. And depending on those, will I decide if you can earn my trust again, or if I just grab some stuff and leave.” Answered Sam in a stern tone looking towards Cathy and then up at the urley.

 “I-I understand. Well sure you absolutely deserve answers but let me assure you that you are perfectly safe and should you really decide to leave…will we bring you back into the city.” Said Cathy in a depressed tone and rubbed her tights as she formed her thoughts.

“What does an urley and a human do, in an abandoned human military base?” Started Sam and held his side as he felt a stinging pain coming from his ribs.

 “Well, she watched over me while I,” She stopped and looked at him. “While I made sure that you are all save.”

“What do you mean stay save. For what?”

“For the transport to Atlantis.” Replied Cathy, who was nervously looking between Sam and the fireplace before Vareve decided to step in.

“Samuel,” Began Vareva from her position on what Sam, looked up at her. He had to crane his neck to see her face and it was still making him nervous to be so close to one of them.

“We were sent from a hidden base called Atlantis which is set far up in the north. That is four years ago now. Our mission was to check this city for any survivors since the database back in the station, noted that there was a fallout bunker somewhere near it. We flew here and first took shelter, here in this base. After that, started we our search for life but it was like the search for the needle in the haystack. Week after week went by and we were close to fly back when my little girl here decided to give a last desperate shot.”

Sam was listening very carefully and upon hearing ‘little girl’ fell his view back to Cathy. He was about to ask what she mean with that when the urley moved on with her story.

“She camped in the ruins of the city while I was waiting a few miles outside of it but after nearly a week was there still no sight of anyone. I was afraid that she might freeze to death and was about to move back to get her when she told me that she could hear voices nearby.”

“It was the day when you found me nearly frozen to death, Sam.” Jumped Cathy back into the conversation. She was smiling and slightly blushing as she remembered how Sam had carried her back all the way. He had been too afraid to let her walk all the way back in her weak status back then.

“I told her when I was in your sickbay to stay back until I would call her again and-“

“How.” Interrupted Sam her suddenly.

 How did you call her? If I remember right were you in the sickbay for at least three weeks.”

“I used this.” Said Cathy and took a small device out of her ear. It was shaped like a small battery but had not its metallic look more that of Cathy‘s skin. “It is a small communication device and is able to-“

“You called her back from the inside of our base?” Fell Sam into her explanation and got up grunting from his seat. The anger that rose in his guts was already blocking the pain in his chest and legs as he walked a few steps and balled his hands to fists. He tried hard to calm down again but he couldn’t shake the feeling off that she had played with them over the entire time.

“Are you telling me that you were in constant contact with her?! What did you tell her, hm? What does she know!”

“Easy now Sam.” Began Vareva from her position, trying to easy the situation a bit. “She didn’t tell me anything vital.

“And why should I believe you?! Why should I even trust you, alien?! I mean you could have set this up to lure me in and bring you into our base to get us all killed!”

“Really? I save you two times, kill one of my kind, bring you both here, where she treats your wounds and all that, to get into your home? Not only to mention all the things I we did in the past to help you guys.”

Sam rose an eyebrow upon hearing the last part. “What do you mean?”

“Where do you think came all the parts from? The medicine, the electric parts, all those things, came from here. I brought them to her when we met us in secret and she brought it to you.” Said Vareva in a serious tone.

 Sam had his problems to believe it but he had always wondered how Cathy always managed it to find the right stuff, which they needed at places, where he knew that it couldn’t be there. He had never questioned her about it since he was relieved that the problem had been solved but now, when he thought about it, made it quite sense. Also the fact that she never had told him anything about her past rather then that her parents had gone years ago. She had often thought that she just tried to forget her past and so had never really tried to dig deeper. Now, he thought, wished he that he had.

 “Sam.” Started Cathy and walled slowly over to him. “I would never do something to hurt you, or the others. Never! But I had to keep it a secret. I mean had you believed me if I had told you about her, or my mission?”

Sam shook his head and tried to play it through his head. As much as he disliked it was the answer simply, no. No he wouldn’t have. He would have probably thought that she would go nuts or so. To think that a human would work together with one of them was just impossible and still, here he was.

He looked up at her shaking his head, as she took a small photography out of a pocket on her white trouser and handed it to him. Sam took it and looked at the people on it. The thing his eyes fell on first, was the two big faces who were smiling behind a group of four humans. They stood in front of them waving and Sam noticed Cathy being one of them in the group.

“The two urley in the background are Malan and Ellisia. They came into the base, a year after me and Vareva. The others are Jessy, Robert and Tessa. We were best friends back in Atlantis.” Began Cathy to explain to him, while Sam stared at the little photography trying to find a hint that it could be a fake. But why was he eager to find anything suspicious.

“Let’s say I buy all this and believe you. What would happen next? I mean we can’t stay here. Butch will get crazy…not to mention Rosa.” Said Sam as he sat down on his bed with another grunt. He needed to rest that was for sure. “And what did you gave me. I know my legs were done for and now can I already walk…and run.”

“I injected you with five dosages of nanobots. They were made on Atlantis and were specially designed to repair any damage to the human body. Without them, had you died on the spot and later on when Vee took you in from the cold.” Told him Cathy and held out one of the injections with a strange green liquid in it.

He looked at it when his memories kicked in about that. He remembered on the figure he was sure to have hit as he placed the injection aside on his bed and looked back to Cathy.

“Did I…I mean. On my way out. Did I-?” He started but Cathy just chuckled a bit and rubbed her arm.

“It’s nothing don’t worry. I probably should have stayed with you until you were awake.” Replied Cathy with a forced grin and rotated her arm to prove that she was alright.

“Well, the next step would be to get you back and I guess, make the first contact with the rest of the people. I mean I would to get to know those that my girl here has told me so much about.” Cheered Vareva as she smiled down towards Sam who shook his head slightly.

 A few hours went by in which Cathy checked his injuries while Vareva sat again with her back against the wall checking some of her weapons which consisted of a holographic sword two shorter keratan daggers and plasma pistol.

Sam and Cathy were sitting near the fire and ate each a military ration. None of them spoke much and it mostly consisted of Cathy who told her more about the Atlantis and how amazing it was. The different domes large dry places where they had started to grow fruits and vegetables. Grass, trees…even a few animals were there. Sam listened closely to her story. It sounded kind a like a little paradise but he still had issues when she told him about the number of urley who lived there as well.

“What’s the story between you and her.” Started Sam and took a bite from an protein cereal which didn’t tasted as bad as Cathy had told him.

 “It’s a bit complicated and long.”

“We have time when I see that right.” Was his simple answer and took another bite from the cereal.

“Well, I-I was very young back then. My mom, my real mom was running with me away from a group of urley and their deva’s. We were hiding in a house as they hunted us through the floors and tore pieces of the building away. We…she took me and ran but a deva got us and…” Stopped and held her arms tight around her chest. “The wall exploded and…and the next thing I know is that I woke up in Vareva’s hand. She told me about the death of my mother and that she would take care of me. She saved my life.” Sam saw how much it seemed to pain her to talk about it. Indeed could he very much understand her pain when he thought back about the loss of his parents and his sister, Kara.

He wasn’t sure what to say when suddenly the lights started to flicker and turned off leaving him and Cathy only with the flames of the fire left in the hangar.

“Are you two okay?” Asked them the loud voice coming from Vareva as she looked over the containers from her side.

”Yeah we are. Seems that the old generator went off again.” Said Cathy as Vareva went back and took her gear. “The thing is old and it happens sometimes.”

Sam nodded as she got up and grabbed a white coat.

“Where are you going?” Asked Sam as he saw her walking away from the fireplace.

“I will go with Vee to start the old generator again. It will only take a moment before we are back.” Said Cathy and went around the containers. Sam followed her, a bit slower then he wanted and as he was around the containers, found himself watching a rather strange scene.

Cathy stood next to Vareva who was kneeling. She seemed a bit surprised to see her standing next to her and scoped her up easily with one hand.

 Do you want me to come with you? I’m sure that….”

 “You will stay with him dear.” Answered Vareva and held Cathy up to her face.

 Sam was just around the corner of the containers when he saw the tall urley actually giving Cathy a kiss on her head before she set her down and then left the hangar through the large doors and for a second, was he sure that she gave him a wink before the large doors closed again.

 “Did she just…”

“Gave me a kiss on the forehead, or my entire head? Yes.” Answered Cathy with a smirk and placed her hand on a Sam’s shoulder who was still looking a bit dumbfounded at the hangar doors.

“Not all urley are evil, Sam. When you and the others come to Atlantis, will you see it with your own eyes. They would rather die for each of us then harming us.”

 She left Sam there who still looked at the door before he returned to the fireplace.

 - - - - 

The generator stood in a separated hangar at the other end of the base. It wouldn’t take her long to reach it as she made her way trough the snowy base. Thanks to her visor was Vareva able to see her way in the storm and darkness. It was a tool she didn’t wanted to miss any more since it was the only way to see properly in this environment. While she made her way at the hanger in which the generator stood, couldn’t she help but think about that human. The way he had looked at her when he had woken up the first time, was the same she had seen in so many people before. How many humans she had killed during the war, and how many she had transported to the camps, she didn’t knew it anymore. But all their faces had the same expression on them.

She stopped short and looked up into the cloudy sky wondering if all the bad things she had done, would be forgiven to her one day. Would she go to heaven when her time would come, or would she go to hell? Would she be able to see her family? .

 Vareva arrived at the hangar still slightly sunken in her thoughts.

She was just opening the doors when several human sized bodies fell down hanging with strings around their necks at her eyelevel.

She mustered them quickly but none of them was alive anymore when several beeping noises came from the inside of the hangar and caught her attention.

Vareva activated her visor and saw the explosive packs which were planted at the generator just seconds before they blew the entire building up and sent her flying through the air and flatten an entire building when she landed on it.

It took her a moment to recall the last seconds while everything around her spun around like mad. The fire blinded her with the visor on, on what she took it off and allowed her eyes to adjust on their own.

“Well hello, my dear sister.” Called her a female voice out of the darkness with a loud laugh.

Vareva tried to locate its source and she found it when her eyes had adjusted enough to the darkness and the light of the fire. But what she saw, let her eyes widen in shock.

“Tashigi?” Stammered Vareva when the figure made a step into the light.

The newly arrived urley warrior wore one of the lower-class combat suits with the only visible armor being at her chest, lower arms and shins. A long slim sword hung from her waist belt down and nearly reached the ground while she had a plasma pistol in her leg holster and a short staff on her back.

 “It is been a very long time dear sister. You don’t call; you don’t write or sent us any presents, and you don’t even appear to die properly.” Said Tashigi, draw the gun from her holster and fired three times towards Vareva who managed to get out of their way in the last second and flattened a parked car under the snow in the process.

Tashigi fired again and again but missed Vareva always just by a few inches while the urley prepared herself for her own attack.

Vareva grabbed one of her daggers and used a short fire pause to throw it at her opponent before she, went and attacked her while she was distracted.

Vareva rammed her knee deep into Tashigi’s stomach but the enemy warrior wasn’t that easy to beat and hammered her fist into Vareva’s right side.

She then used her other hand and landed several hard punches into Vareva’s stomach and her face on what Vee bent her head forward into Tashigi’s punch line and let her hit a hard spot at her head.

The enemy urley warrior yelled up in pain when the slight sound of cracked bones coming from her fingers could be heard on what Vareva gave her another kick into her stomach and allowed her to fall on the ground.

“What you did with those humans…” Began Vareva when suddenly a smaller barrack next to her literally exploded and a second urley tackled Vareva into another building.

The second one was way bigger from the few seconds that she had, had when it picked her up and literally threw her into a hangar as if she would weight nothing at all.

Every part of her body hurt when she began to open her eyes and to push some of the debris of the hangar off of her.

“urgh…” Groaned Vareva silent when she removed one of the plates from her leg.

“That is just not your day big sister.” Told her several metallic sounding voices at the same time when suddenly a large hand reached down and pulled her out of the destroyed building.

She was lifted up and now finally got the time to see the second urley warrior a bit better.

“Dalsahim…” Escaped the name her lips weak, before the heavy muscled, male urley threw her away and let her land on a large place instead of another building.

Tashigi walked over to her sister and smiled as she saw her on the ground holding her side. 

“Oh sister it’s a shame. This life has weakened you so much. I mean years ago would it have been no problem for you to counter such an attack and now, look at you.” She said and knelt down next to Vareva. 

She turned her around and grabbed with her right hand at her chin and forced her to look her straight into the face. “…how pathetic.” Frowned Tashigi disgusted and let her go. “It’s a shame, really. I hoped you would at least put on a little fight...” That said, used Vareva the short time and grabbed another dagger from her belt to land a blow of her own. She cut trough Tashigi’s face and gave her a deep wound straight over her cheek. 

The female warrior screamed while the male looked down in shock before Vee grabbed Tashigi’s hidden gun out of her left boot and shot him two times into his legs.

She used the moment and got back on her feet in a swift move and as she noticed that the guy was down on his own knees, used Vareva the moment and kicked him with her right boot across his face with all the power she had and slammed his head into the ground.

 Tashigi hadn’t noticed what had happened right before since she was focused on her own problem. The stinging feeling in her face didn’t want to die down and the violet blood on her gauntlet let her heart only beat faster and faster. 

“You damn bitch!! Look what you did to my face!!” Yelled Tashigi and looked up from her point at Vareva. She ignored that Vee pointed her gun at her and only cursed her even more for what she had done. 

“…I’ll gut you up and then I cut your pumping heart out but before I do that will I shot you and heal and shot you again!!” Yelled Tashigi I her madness her mind obviously not clear anymore. 

 “When you arrive in hell…tell them to make room for more.” Said Vareva cold. Her eyes were fixed on the little piece of a tragic life she once knew but which she would end in a few seconds. Tashigi looked down and into her bloody hands until she began to laugh like mad.

“No…you first.” Replied the giggling urley soldier who raised her head and looked at Vareva with crazy eyes before a silent hissing sound could be heard and something hit the pistol and whacked it out of her hand.

 Vareva looked up trying to find the source as another hiss hit her shoulder and let Vareva yell up in pain again.

“Damn…” She thought, holding her left shoulder with her right hand while the same violet color ran down her arm. 

A third Urley warrior knelt about 700 feet away from the burning building with her assault rifle held in firing position.

Ale'ir took her night vision goggles away. She wanted to see her former battle sister dying without the device since the fire gave her more then enough light to aim at her properly. 

Her long white hair with a few dark grey strains in it, waved in the rough and cold air. 

She touched the grey eye patch over her left eye and followed the thick scar which came out and went over her cheek to her throat with a finger. 

“Let her escape Tash…I want some more fun before we finish her off.” She said calm and began to move slowly at the scene. 

She saw Vareva looking at her trough the night and the storm and felt a strong erotic shudder she hadn’t felt in years going down her spine. 

“She knows it…” Said Ale'ir silent, her breath visible in the cold air as her and Vareva’s eyes met over the distance. 

She watched her former commander turning away and running nto the darknees with the fire of the burning hanger at her front

The hunt was on and this time, she would bring her down.

“Are the scouts spread out in the base, Ve’ret?” Asked Ale’ir and from behind her stepped a fourth urley. 

Her eyes were hidden behind a mask which left only the lower part of her mouth visible. A few stains of her short white hair came out under it while a male doll sat on her right and a female doll on her left shoulder. 

“Yes Ma’am…” Her right doll said. “She won’t escape us this time” Finished the left on what a smile crept on Ve’ret’s lips.

“Good. Very good. Just watch her dear.” Ale’ir said while both went closer to the still burning building. 

Tashigi was still sitting and holding her cheek while the male, Dalsahim, began to get up. 

He took his damaged helmet off and adjusted with one loud cracking noise, his dislocated jaw.

“Get up Tashigi!” Said Ale’ir angry, as she and Ve’ret entered the scene. “We have just begun to have some fun…”

Vareva ran quickly into the night. She held her shoulder as her violet blood dripped down onto the ground. She went behind a smaller hanger which was not even higher as she was tall and sat down behind it. 

“Ah stupid, stupid, stupid!” Said she under her breath while opening, a smaller pocket on her belt and taking a cylindrical metallic device out. A small rod appeared as she pushed on a button and then, shoved it into her wound. She pushed a second button right over the first, on what a thick, greenish fluid was being injected straight into her wound. It oozed out of the fresh wound and began to harden as soon as it came into contact with the air to seal the wound and stop the blood loss.

She bit her teeth together as the pain in her shoulder grew more and more but she had to endure it if she wanted to continue the fight.

Vareva pulled it out and threw the now empty cylinder away while she allowed her arm to rest a bit more. With the other, fished she her com device out of another pocket, put it in her right ear and with a tip on it, opened a cyan colored holographic panel in front of her right eye. 

It took a moment until she saw the face of her little angel and from the look on her face, knew Vareva that she had heard the explosion too. 

“Vee what happened I…” “Listen Cathy I don’t have much time.” She interrupted her. “Leave the hangar with Sam and move away from the base as fast as you can. I…” She stopped as she noticed something watching her from the corner of her eye. It was a deva…

“Ahhhhh how nice. You have your pet here too and also a friend I assume. So my toys were right with the signals” Vareva heard Ve’ret’s voice over her and as she looked up, noticed the wounded urley warrior a second machine standing on the roof of the hanger.

“Ale’ir will be very happy to hear that.” The deva said with her voice as Vareva grabbed it and held it about eye level in her hand. “Lay a finger on her and you will die horribly slow Ve’ret.” Snarled Vee knowing that Ve’ret could hear her before she crushed the figure between her fingers.

Throwing the destroyed remains away went Vareva back to Cathy. She began to get up using the building as a help. “You two have to hurry dear. When they find you they…” But Sam interrupted Cathy from her side. She heard him firing a few shots while a loud smashing sound could be heard in the background. “Vee I…” Began Cathy on her side as the connection broke and only static noises remained. 

She tried to call her a few more times as she noticed the sound of footsteps getting closer to her position. Vareva gulped her feelings down deep into her body. If she wanted to win, she had to block her feelings. “I won’t die here.” She said through gritted teeth as she spun around the hangar and pursuit her enemy with a dagger in hand…

- - -

(a few minutes earlier)

Sam and Cathy sat again near the fire which was now even more welcomed by both. 

“Let’s just say I buy what I saw just a moment ago and that Atlantis and this entire evacuation thing you talked about is true. What happens when we get there? Wouldn’t we just move from one bunker to another?” 

“If you see it like that, are you right but Atlantis is so much more. Sam we started to plant trees in some of the caves we managed to build a small garden in one of the domes with fruits vegetables and managed to breed a few animals as well” She said her eyes enlightened with a fire she wasn’t able to hide anymore while she sat forward on her bed. “Can you remember how grass smells? Or a flower?” She said and Sam looked down. 

“Some of the kids have never seen or smelled anything like that in the vault. They only know them from pictures and stories of the elders. Wouldn’t it be nice if they could see it for real?” She said and stared at him.

It was a long pause between both until Sam looked up at her again with a sly grin. “You two better don’t screw this up.“ He said as some noises came from the metal roof. 

“What the...” Said Sam while they stood up and pointed with their flashlights towards the ceiling.

“Could it be your friend?” He asked Cathy as another loud bumping sound could be heard. Cathy walked in front of Sam as both moved to the edge and peeked around the containers. 

Something hammered this time against the small door were Sam had just ran out a few hours before.

They looked at each other before Sam asked her were the rest of his stuff was on what she pointed under the bed he had laid on.

After opening the box, he found his gear, the pistol and the knife that Cathy had give him as a present before. He checked the magazine while Cathy took a pistol and a small bag out of another box. 

“I have a bad feeling.” Said Sam as they heard the sound of a muffled explosion and the outside became bright for the blink of an eye.

“You’re not the only one.” Replied Cathy as both heard a louder smashing sound coming from the hanger door. 

They moved at it while something was still hitting the door. Cathy fished a glow stick out of the bag, broke it and handed it to Sam.

“Lights, out.” She said as a beeping sound came from one of her jacket pockets on what she fished a small device out and put it partly into her ear.

The door began to creek while Sam aimed his pistol straight at it. Something told him that whatever would want to get trough, wouldn’t be nice and that they wouldn’t have much of a chance with their current hardware. 

A push on a button of the small device let a small holographic window appear over Cathy’s left eye. 

Vareva what’s going on?” She said but the Urley quickly cut her off. 

“Listen Cathy I don’t have much time. Leave the hangar and move away from the base as quick as you can. I…” She stopped as someone talked with her in Urley but the conversation stopped and Vee again talked with Cathy. “You two have to hurry dear. When they find you they…”  “Cathy!! At the door!!” Yelled Sam as something ripped the whole door out and a white female looking head peered in followed by two more. Sam fired two shots and landed a hit on one straight into its forehead. 

Cathy also began to aim as something smashed trough the large hangar doors. The only thing she could see was a hand as suddenly another one hammered trough and began to pull on the door. “Vee I...” She said as a loud screeching sound came over the channel and Vee’s face got replaced by static. “Damn they must have blocked the channel.” She said and fired after one of the robots. 

“Is there another way out of here?!” Said Sam while reloading on what she nodded and looked over at the platform on the right side of the hangar. “It’s an old elevator but I’m afraid we have to take the ladder now that the electricity is out.” 

“As long as we get away from here, I’m fine with everything!!” He said and fired four more times while Cathy grabbed a small thing out of her bag and threw it at the drone group. “Duck!” Yelled Cathy as the grenade went off and ripped the group apart. 

“That should buy us some time!” She said and both went to the platform. Sam began to pull on the handle but had a hard time while his ribs remembered him on his inner wounds. “A little help here!!” He said out loud and was surprised as Cathy easily lifted the hatch with a smirk. “Getting old?” She said on what he grumbled some words before he went down followed by Cathy who sealed the hatch afterwards. 

- - -

“I’ve found them, Commander.” Reported Ve’ret trough the deva’s communication system who was sitting on her left shoulder. Ale’ir only snickered and watched trough the scope of her rifle as the fight between Dalsahim and her former Setal and sister, continued.

“A male human is with her just as we thought and it seems that they went deeper into the base.” The male looking deva continued.

“I leave it to you, to catch her. Do with the male whatever you want but bring the girl, to me.” Ale’ir told her on what Ve’ret bowed down slightly and vanished into the darkness.

Ale’ir then shouldered her rifle and began to move further into the base heading to the place were Dalsahim and Vareva fought their battle at the moment. She wanted to see her former Setal with her own eye before she would kill her slow and painful.

She knew that neither Dalsahim nor Tashigi would be able to kill her and she was willing to sacrifice them.

“Twenty years. Twenty, fucking, years…sister…” Snarled Ale’ir calm and silent after she had shouldered her rifle on her back. She looked up into the dark sky while the cold wind washed the falling snow over her face. It was as if she took in the scent of her prey. A prey she had hunted for so long. A prey she would not allow to escape again.

“Have your way with them. And then face me…”

- - -

The two humans had just reached the sub levels of the base and it didn’t took long before the cold temperatures left Sam shivering. Cathy on her part seemed to have none of those problems and he blamed his injuries for that.

“Damn cold down here.” Said Sam silent and blew some warm air into his cold hands while he followed Cathy to a near corner. 

“Yeah I forgot to tell you. It could be a bit colder down here.”

“Why aren’t you freezing?” He asked on what she pulled a thin dark cloth from under her black sweater sleeve.

“Thermo adaptive, combat clothes.” Replied Cathy with a smirk allowed the thin fabric to snap back. “It holds a constant temperature and pushes on relevant spots to maximize your body functions.”

“Why didn’t you give me some of that?” Asked Sam and shoved a fresh clip into his old pistol.

“Your injuries don’t allow it.” Was all that he got as an answer from her. “Can you move or do you need some help.”

“I’m not dead, Cathy. Not yet.” Was his reply before he blew another gust of warm air into his freezing hands.

Sam frowned while she cracked a few more sticks and threw some of them down the hallway before she went in.

“Come on.”

A thin layer of ice covered the floor, walls and the ceiling and Sam had to watch out a few times if he didn’t want to slip on the icy surface. Cracks in the concrete walls and several broken pipes with long icicles appeared every now and then while they walked down the corridor until they reached a door with the half faded word, armory.

A thin ice layer covered the steel door and to Sam’s surprise couldn’t he find a door knob or anything like that.

“And now?” Said he looking down the long dark corridor on what Cathy opened a small panel at the side of the door and took a little device out of her grey bag.

She connected two cables to a FieldLeader. A device that he and other scout troops used when they had to enter secured parts of the city or when they had to work on technical systems inside the bunker..

It was an extremely handy device with a big touch screen, fast processors and a large database. Two cameras, and several ports for cables made it perfect for him and the others and its size allowed it to fit in nearly every pocket.

Cathy tipped on a few icons on the screen and activated a code cracking program and after a few seconds, swung the door open and a gust of warm air left the inside of the room.

“The wonders of modern technology Sam.” Said Cathy with a smirk on her lips and entered the room right behind him before Cathy closed the door again.

“Show off” Was his only answer when he entered the room and felt the welcoming heat warming up his body.

The Armory was a large room but Sam was only able to see half of it cause of the weary light that the glow sticks emanated.

“Nice toys that you got here,” Said Sam with a grin as he took one of the assault rifles out of a nearby shelf and gave it a short inspection. “I think they will come in handy when we meet these toasters again on our way out.” He added while Cathy was kneeling to a nearby box and took a backpack out of it. He looked at her noticing the worried look she had. He knew her long enough. Well, that was at least what he thought now while she shoved a fresh clip into her pistol.

“I know that look Cathy. And no. Don’t even think about it.”

“What do you know?!” Yelled Cathy as she snapped and got up. She looked at him with a mix of anger and deep worries that he could understand just too well. “She is everything I have left.”

“And I understand that. Believe me.” He said and placed and hand on her shoulder as he gave her an understanding look. “But we are just in no position to help her at the moment and with those oversized toys on our tail, will it be already hard enough to get out of here.”

Continued Sam with a concerned voice and waited when a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Cathy…”He wanted to console her just when the comm.. device crackled in Cathy’s ear.

He mood lid up as she answered the call but as soon as she did widened her eyes when the voice she heard, came not from her mother.

“Hello my little treats…” Said a feminine voice with a hint of static in the background while Cathy handed Sam a second device and patched him in.

“Who are you?!” Began Cathy with a demanding voice while Sam listened calm.

“My friends, call me Ve’ret. But you, will soon call me mistress.” Said Ve’ret over the channel and laughed as Sam looked over to Cathy and she, back to him.

- - -  

Vareva gasped eagerly for the cold air as she noticed that Tashigi was already getting back on her feet.

“Stop it Tash…surrender and I let you life.” Said Vareva under deep breaths before she looked back to Dalsahim who was still lying unconscious, in a destroyed, old building.

Good. One down, three more to go.

Thought Vareva and whisked some violet blood from her left eye that came from a deep cut just above her eyebrow.

Making a step forward towards the half crazy warrior felt Vareva the spot on her left leg where Tashigi had hit her with her sword.

Damn kid had gotten better.

Admitted Vareva in her mind while she tried to block the sharp pain out and focused on the matter at hand.

Tashigi used her sword to get back on her feet and it took her a moment to regain her balance back before she lifted it from the ground and held it ready with one hand.

Vareva saw the small cuts that were nearly all over her body and the deep cut she had given her at the beginning of her fight.

Slim, little cuts.

Not even deep enough to bleed much, but just enough to cause pain…a lot of pain.

She picked the second dagger up from the ground which she had ‘borrowed’ from Dalsahim and made herself ready while holding both of them with the blades down.

"Don’t do it."

Begged Vareva on what Tashigi already stormed at her with her sword held in both hands and high over her head.

Wasn’t she thinking clear anymore, was she so absent minded that she wasn’t able to notice that she had now every part of her body open for a counter attack?

"Don’t!"

But it was useless and even before the sword of the berserk Urley could touch Vareva, blocked she the attack with both daggers just above her head.

She held the attacking urley at that position with ease while she began to get a bit closer then she already was.

“I gave you a chance and the offer still stands Tash. Lay down your sword and I let you go.” Said Vareva while she held her sword in position. “I could also help you Tash. To remember you, who you really are.”

“Liar!” Yelled the warrior in reply and increased her force. It took Vareva by surprise and to her shock did she actually sink on one of her knees while she began to lose more and more strength in both of her tired arms.

“We are Urley! We are the hands of the gods! We will crush every enemy with our strength!” Yelled Tashigi in her anger, while she increased her strength and forced her former Setal even further down to the ground.

“How does it feel to kneel before a true warrior! You and all the others will kneel before me and then, they will die!!” Yelled she her last words out loud before she lifted her sword and swung it down for a last final blow.

Vareva felt the change in the weight and acted before she could hammer her sword down again. Her position couldn’t have been better for a swift and deadly move.

All it took her, was to get up and use one of the daggers to penetrate her armor just a bit under her heart.

“I’m so sorry sister.” Was all she could tell her as Tashigi’s entire body lost all of its strength and after loosing the grip around her sword, held Vareva her close with both arms to her own body.

“I-I am so sorry that I wasn’t able to help you Tashigi.” Whispered Vareva silent into her ear as she sunk down with her and carefully placed her limp body into the snow which was already soaked with her violet blood.

She watched into the teary eyes of her enemy as her life began to fade as a tear rolled down her cheek. Vareva whisked it away with a finger but left her hand on her cheek. She wanted to let her know that she wouldn’t be alone in her last moments as Tashigi’s eyes looked up at her for the last time.

Vareva wasn’t sure what the warrior felt. Was it rage, hate, fear or even remorse? Would her soul find peace in the afterlife?

“I hope you find your peace…just like all the others.” Whispered Vareva as the last signs of life vanished out of Tashigi’s eyes which then closed themselves as Vareva stroked her cheek a last time.

Sure. She had been killed. She had done horrible things. They all did. They had to. Were forced to. By them…

She crossed Tashigi’s arms over her chest and placed one of her daggers in one of her hands when she saw her sword laying next to her and took it. She gave the blade a short look before she heard a loud roaring sound coming from behind her which unmistakably, belonged to her second, unwelcome, guest. .

“You will pay for that, traitor!” Yelled Dalsahim out loud in a deep hate filled growling voice as he stood already on his own two feet and prepared himself to attack her again.

“I’ll crush your bones!” Added the tall, male, urley to his list of vulgar phrases which he mostly spoke in his native language.

 “It is a shame that she had to die even with her craziness. But you.” Said Vareva and pointed with the tip of the sword in his direction. “You deserve it.” And threw him her second dagger before his feet.

Dalsahim looked a bit confused first on the weapon and then back to her.

“Don’t want that you complain about unfair chances when I sent you to hell.” Mocked Vareva on what she then began to walk towards him with her new sword ready to strike him down.

 Piece, by, piece…if it had to be…

Weak illuminated the flashlights mounted on the assault rifles, the long corridor ahead of Sam and Cathy. Tremors shook their surroundings and from time to time fell a few pieces of ice or concrete from the walls or ceiling. They knew they had to be fast if they didn’t wanted to be buried alive under tons of massive rock but they had to look out if they didn’t wanted to get hit by the pieces.
Also, if that wasn’t already enough, had both to worry about the threat that a loser coming Deva army possessed.
Ve’ret, which was the name of the controller of all these units had declared a manhunt on them just a couple of minutes ago and Sam, or Cathy were in the mood to make it that easy for her.

“How much longer, until we reach that carpool?” Asked Sam as the turned into another corridor and gave her the sign to follow.

“It should be pretty close. I just hope the way didn’t came down over the years.” Replyed Catherine as another, much heavier tremor shook their surroundings and let both stop for a moment as a few metal plates and an old pipe came down and hammered onto the metallic and ice covered ground.

“We better be.” Added Sam concerned and looked at his visible breath before him before shaking his head and moving on. The pain in his ribs and legs was getting worse with every step he did and he was kind of glad that Cathy had taken the backpack before they had left the old armory.
Surely the new combat gear he wore was already hurting enough on his ribcage but it was either this, or stuffing all the magazines and the other stuff into his pockets. Not a really nice view.
Cathy on her side didn’t seem to mind that much. She had taken the backpack easily along with the combat vest and the assault rifle. He was kind of impressed about it but blamed his wounds for being so weak.

“Argh.” Grunted Sam when he took a wrong step and nearly slipped on a piece of ice.
Cathy saw it and immediately hooked him under to support him. He wasn’t supposed to be up after all and especially being under those circumstances. The beating he had become from that urley had nearly killed him and it was only thanks to the Nanomed injections she had given him that he was alive after all.

“We have to find a place to rest.” Said the young woman and leaned Sam near a wall before she searched for another nanomed injector in one of her pockets.
Sam, began to cough while he tried to support himself on the icy wall. He turned away from her and when he took his hand away, noticed he a small drop of blood on his hand along with a burning and stinging feeling in his chest.

“You need another injection, Sam.” Said Cathy as she began to prepare the tube for him.

“How many do you have of those?” Asked Sam on what she said that she had only two left.
“Then we save them for an emergency.” Was Sam's only replyand forced to grin.

“This is an emergency. Sam you should be in bed and not move for at least a week.” Replied Cathy  as she held the injection still ready in her hand. You inner wounds were critical. The machines can repair them but even they need time.”

“I am fine…trust me.” Said he with a smirk and guided her hand and the injection back into her pocket. “And now let’s move on before that bitch comes here with those damn trash cans.”


- - -


Vareva felt her body getting weaker and weaker by the minute. She was still holding Tashigi’s sword firm in her right hand but she felt the lack of strength to rise it up anymore.

“I thought you…you wanted to kill me.” Mocked Dalsahim who was standing at the other side of an old helicopter port and held his broken left arm with his right.
A deep cut was visible on the left side of his torso and a stream of violet blood ran down over the armor and his left leg.
“You have to try harder if you want to bring me down, traitor.” Ranted he and coughed before he took a few deep breaths in and out.

Vareva panted heavily on her side. She knew she had to bring him down but she hadn’t thought that he, along with Tashigi, had become that much better since the last time.

“I have to admit that I underestimated you. I guess I have to train a bit harder when this is over.” Came Vaeva's reply as she held her side with her free hand and wondered how many of her ribs weren’t broken yet.

Dalsahim began to walk towards her on what she took a step back and held the sword higher up despite her condition.
She wished for her Holographic sword but her equipment had been lost during the fight with him.

“Your ribs were only the start Vee! Ale’ir allowed me to rip you apart should I get the chance and I will make sure that I break you apart before we give you the final blow. And your pet…” Said Dalsahim while he had to adjust his earlier broken jaw again. “I think Ale’ir will allow me to have my fun when she had hers. Of course only if she or Ve’ret doesn’t break her before.” Added the urley warrior and grinned wicked as he prepared himself to strike again.
Loudly yelling, stormed the giant towards her and left deep imprints into the ice and snow and even in the pavement under it. He balled his hands into fists and jumped towards her on the last few yards rocking and crushing the ground beneath him.

Vareva saw him coming while the ground shook under her feet. He was truly a walking tank and even feared under other urley for his immense strength.
Vareva knew, that would he get her, was she done for.

She waited until he was closer and ducked just in time when he jumped forward to make a roll right under his immense.
The ground literally exploded when the giant landed again and his fists hammered into the ground where his opponent had stood just a second ago.

“GAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!” Yelled Dalsahim out loud to undermine his hate and rage as he noticed that Vareva wasn’t there anymore.

Vareva came back on her feet just as he was about to turn around, and prepared another blow towards him as he already wrapped his arms around her and easily lifted her up his arms around her waist. He pressed her tight at him and she heard something else cracking on her body as he squeezed her more and more.

Vareva could barely breathe and felt her chest getting more and more compressed while he smiled up to her and increased his grip.

“How can he…with that arm.”
Thought Vareva as she tried to free herself from his steel grip, but without success.


“Getting hard to breath, traitor?! Don’t worry this is nothing compared to the agony you will be in before I end your life!” Yelled the warrior and increased his grip again on her on what Vareva lost the grip around her sword.
“Can’t even breath can you, my Setal?! Thought you would at least put on a bit more of a fight!”

Vareva wanted to scream but she didn't have any air left in her lungs after his last move. She wanted to fight back but couldn’t and allowed her upper body to fall towards his left shoulder leaving her head hanging just a bit over his back.

Dalsahim grinned widely as he saw her falling over his shoulder and with the victory, which was literally in his grip began he to loosen his grip just a bit on her.
But just as he did so, felt he an arm around his throat which began immediately to choke him.

“Neither you, Ale’ir, or any other of you monsters. Will. Ever. Touch. My. Girl!” Said she in a grim and deep voice as the legs of Dalsahim began to loose their strength and he fell on his knees. He was trying to free himself from her grip but Vareva was using every bit of strength she had left in her arms and held against his attempts.
She felt a fury inside her as the images of past battles came up in her mind.
She saw Dalsahim running like a tank through groups of humans not caring if they were soldiers or civilians. She saw how he treated those they captured what he did to them for fun and…pleasure.
Tears welled up as she saw their horrified faces on what she increased her grip around his throat even more. She would make sure that this monster would never be able to touch a human. She would never allow him to harm a human as his neck made a loud cracking noise and she felt his body giving away for once and for all.
She remained at the position to make sure that he was really dead until his body began to fall backwards and she loosened her grip and allowed her beaten body to fall into the snow as well.

With an ear deafening sound crashed Dalsahim’s dead body and left a deep imprint in the ground.
Vareva was lying with outstretched arms in the snow and ice as well and allowed her body for a second to relax while she was breathing eagerly the cold air into her lungs.
“I really…have to train a bit more when we are back.” Said she beaten but with a smirk and looked into the dark grey sky above her.




“I have to say that I am a bit disappointed that it took you so long to kill them.” Said Ale’ir and stopped in some distance to her former battle-sister .
She walked calm and with all the patience in the world to Dalsahim’s dead body but didn’t even tried to check if he was alive as she sat down on his chest and crossed her legs and arms.

She smiled wickedly down at Vareva who was trying to get up.

“What’s the matter, traitor? Already beaten?” Said Ale’ir in a hunmored tone and placed her sniper rifle slowly on the ground next to her.
She then began to open a small pocket on her belt and took a syringe out which had a light blue, glowing liquid in it.

“Do you remember that?” Began Ale’ir and turned the syringe between her fingers. “It’s the good stuff. Not the lower class medication that they give us nowadays. No. This here is the real deal.” Said Ale’ir and got up from Dalsahim’s dead body. She played with the tool all the way until she reached Vareva and then crouched down next to her head with a grin on her lips.

“I want you in top shape before I kill you, Vareva. I want you to see just how strong my hate made me.” She said and then injected the entire liquid into her neck.

Vareva began to turn her body as the liquid began to flow through her body. The intensity of the serum began to burn in her veins and she felt as if she would burn out from the inside while the billions of organisms, began to repair and regenerate her body in an astonishing time.
She tried to hold it in but the pain became just unbearable after some moments on what she began to cry and scream out loud while she went into a fetal position.

Ale’ir couldn’t help herself and grin as she saw what the results of the high dosage did with her former commander’s body. Sure the effect would wear off in a short time but until that, would she enjoy every single moment of the little spectacle.
The warrior walked back to Dalsahim’s dead body as one of Ver’et’s modified deva’s ran up to her and gave her an update of her very own hunt.


- - - -


Sam couldn’t believe it when his eyes fell on the largest car park, he had ever seen in his entire life. Barbossa’s as far as he could see stood neatly in three long rows up to thirty cars in front of him and waited patiently for a day on what they would be used again.

The large, eight wheeled, armored vehicles, with their cal. 50 machine gun and the grenade launcher build on top, looked like beasts ready to attack as the light of their flashlights shoed away some darkness from the waiting machines.

“There should be an emergency ladder at the end of the hall.” Said Cathy and nodded down the row of cars as Sam inspected the nearest one a bit closer with a child like grin in his face.

“Butch had often told me stories about those. He always wanted one or two but…we never managed it to find one intact enough to bring it home.” Said Sam and touched the ice covered metal surface of the vehicle.
Catherine saw the slight glimmer in his eyes when his hand touched the car. He seemed to act a bit like a boy who had just found a new toy he wanted to have so badly. But as much as she would have loved it to give him a few more moments, knew she that at least a dozen Deva’s were on their way to them and it would only be a matter of time until they would find them here.

“Sam.” Began she and placed her hand on his shoulder on what he turned his head to her and nodded.

It didn’t took them long until they reached the end of the main hall and found the emergency ladder at its end….or better, what was still attached to the half fallen in wall it was build onto.

“Damn it.” Spoke Cathy out loud as both them saw the pieces that lay scattered around. At least twenty feet of the ladder were missing or better, not more attached to the wall. Sam thought of maybe climbing the wall and using the caps in the concrete but the ice made it too slippery to get a grip and so was that idea shattered as well.
They pondered on what or where to go when a faint explosion halled through the corridor they had walked through before.

“They are coming.” She started and aimed her assault rifle to the door at the end of the hangar when Sam noticed the still closed vehicle doors on the left side of him. He knew similar ones from the vault and if they were lucky, could they open one and run to the surface even if it would take them longer.

“Come on.” Gave he Cathy to understand on what both of them ran to one of the two doors. The left one where they stood before, seemed pretty much okay while the right one, had already several large bulges in its middle and the upper part.
The dent metal told them clearly that this was not the way they could go when a second explosion emanated from the second package they had planted on their way here.

“That was the second pack we planted.” Said Catherine when Sam looked to the Barbossa’s

“Do you think that they still drive?” Asked he and made his way over to one of them.
Cathy was close behind him and climbed up the hull like a little monkey on what she then opened the armored hatch and climbed in.
Sam needed a bit more time and waited outside while Cathy sat down in the driver seat and began to wake the old beast up from its deep winter sleep. She needed a few tries until the system jumped back to life and showed her an energy cell power of at least thirty percent.

“Wow not bad for such an old bucket.” Could Sam hear from the inside while the system made a quick diagnostic and suddenly went silent again.

“What’s wrong?”

“Seems that we cheered a bit too early. The cold start must have killed the power cell. It might have a few bits left but that will never get us out of here.” Started Catherine to explainto him as she looked up at Sam who was looking at the other cars.

“We need a replacement but I’m afraid that it will be the same with the other cells in the cars. Maybe if we had one from the storage area a bit further down the hangar. They should be still working even after such a long time.”

“Good.” Came Sam's answer on what he began to climb down on the tank before Cathy could stop him.
His rips were hurting as well as his legs after he went down from the car and he needed a second to breath through before he made his way to the storage area.
On his way, cracked the comm. Device in his ear and he feared that this urley could be at the other end again when he heard Cathy’s voice.

“I build up a short range communication link between us but I am not sure how far it will work so you better stay close to me.” Said she over the link and giggled at the last comment on what he grinned on his side. It felt good to hear her as he went into the storage area and walked to the part where the cells were stored.
"I try and run the diagnostic with what we have left until you come back.” And added. “Oh and I found a box with ammunition for the autocannon. That way if those monsters show up, can we greet them as they deserve it.”

Sam only nodded as he went absent minded through one empty shelf or empty cell. He was already half way through when his eye fell on a cell that lay half hidden under a staple of prints. He hoped and for once, seemed the luck to be on their side.
“Cathy, I found one. Prepare the beast, because we drive it out in style.” Joked he over the link and heaved the heavy cell on his shoulder with some more grunts. His rips began to remind him again that he wasn’t in any way fit for this.


The way back seemed endless until he finally reached the tank again and pulled the heavy cell up and into the hands of Cathy who was eagerly waiting inside.
“Okay just a few moments and then are we out of here.”

It was not a moment too early thought Sam when the sounds of multiple running feet could be heard in the distance.
“Well, you better hurry or it’s getting ugly, really…” He said but was violently pulled off the roof by a slim, white, mechanical hand and thrown easily with his back at the nearby wall behind the tank.
With a loud thud hit Sam the wall and slid down rather forceless until he landed on the floor.


“Sam!!” Screamed Catherine out loud when the white, female, face of a deva appeared before the hatch, and closed the heavy door before it blocked it from the outside.

“Damnit! Noo!!” Yelled Cathy and pushed against the hatch from the inside. It wasn’t moving an inch when her mind took over again and her eyes fell on the ammunition crate.




Sam grunted when a hand grabbed his throat and forced him against the wall with his feel dangling a few inches above he ground.

“Well, well, well. Look what the cat brought me.” Could Sam hear a sneering voice as he grabbed his pistol and in a swift move fired two rounds into the skull of the deva.
He choked a bit when a series of laughters began to fill the room .

“Oooh you broke one of my toys.” Said the voices in unison and giggled. “But don’t worry…I have plenty more for you to play with.” Added Ver’et and laughed when three of her drones spotted the human at the end of the car hangar.



“Cathy…” Began Sam and rubbed his sore throat when he heard the urley. The footsteps were close but the weak light made it nearly impossible to track them when something grabbed him by his collar and threw him along the floor until he stopped near the entrance to the storage area.

“Cathy!” Said he again and aimed down the floor with his rifle in the nick of time when the male version of a deva came running towards him. He fired and decorated the upper body and the face with a series of holes before a part of the face broke away and the machine fall forward skidding the rest of the way until it died down a couple of feet before him.

“Catherine!!” sam yelled out loud as another couple came running towards him followed by a small group of four who seemed to have taken the way over the roofs of the tanks.
Adrenaline rushed through his body and numbed the pain in his body while it sharpened his senses and reaction. He aimed at the couple and fired but only hit the female on the left before its partner jumped aside and used the walls to give him a hard time to aim.

Sam screamd out loud in rage as the magazine reached its end and quickly grabbed his pistol again using the last rounds on the remaining deva before its powerless body collapsed near him on the ground.
He knew of the consequences when four shadows appeared above him and eyed him down from their point of view.

“Our turn…” Said one of the male versions with a dirty smirk and a female voice as it looked down at him.

“Sam!” Coudl he hear Catherine yell over the micro in his ear  before a staccato of cal 50. bullets shredded the bodies of the deva’s into pieces.



Sam sighted when the engine of the old tank roared in the distance and a group of lights broke through the darkness.  
Never in his life had he been happier to hear such a sound when he began to walk back towards the tank.

“Not a second too late Cat.” Said Sam relieved and quickly changed the magazines when he heard something behind him.

“Do…do you believe that, that’s it?” Sputtered one of the shredded devas in Ver’et’s voice on what he approached it and kneeled next to it.
“I have an army of drones and they are all on their way to you, and your little girlfriend.” Said Ver’et before the system broke down.


“Cathy…”Began Sam when he heard the machines getting closer in the distance. “Get the thing going. We have to leave…fast.”


Ver’et hadn’t had that much fun in a long time as she followed her little toys through their very own eyes. Hunting humans had been always spatiality for her since she was able to command multiple drones at once. She loved it to hunt them not to catch them because that would mean the end of the fun for her.

“Yeah hide and fight. Give me a good show…” Moaned the urley in her own little hideout which consistent of a smaller hangar. She loved the rush the feeling of power she had not over the little playthings but her prey as she would hunt it until it would give up out of fear or helplessness.  
“…be good little morsels and do what you can…until you break and die.”




“I can’t open it! It’s blocked!” Began Sam clearly now out of breath on the outside as he tried to pull the hatch open while Cathy was on the other side and pushed.
The devas where probably only moments away and he knew a decision had to be made.
“Get the tank going, and drive through the gate!”

“And you?” Replied Cathy from her side and tried again to open the door. “I wont leave you!”

“I will hang outside and try to hold them away from us! And now stop arguing with me, and move!”


It took Cathy a moment until the old tank broke free from its cold place and rolled the first feet. Sam knelt with his rifle ready at the roof as the first devas appeared at the entrance on the other side of the hangar.

“They are here! Take a round and then break through!” Commanded Samuel her, as he took down two drones.
He knew that it would bring them closer to the entrance from where the drones were comming but the autocannon and five more magazines made sure that not even a handfull managed to be able to walk after they had passed it.

The tires squealed loudly on the icy beton as Cathy made another turn and accelerated the 20 ton heavy vehicle down the hangar. Sam was still on the roof shoving his last magazine in his rifle as pair of deva’s jumped from the sides at the tank. Their hands left deep scratches on the armor while Sam was busy to fill their heads with a few rounds.
He saw a few running after them and threw a grenade which got most but not all when more and more seemed to appear behind them.


“It’s no use.” Grumbled Samthrough gritted teeth and took another one down on what three more appeared.
He saw that the storage was close and closed his eyes before he moved to the edge of the roof and waited.
“Cathy! Don’t stop no matter what!” Came his last order over their link before she turned the car around the corner and he jumped off landing harsh on the icy ground.

“What are you talking about?!” Asked she unsure what was going on when she was already facing the door at the end of the room.

“Just go!” Yelled Sam and fired his last rounds from his rifle and taking three more deva’s down before he switched back to his old pistol and started shooting.

He allowed himself to pause for a moment eagerly breathing in and out as when the Barbossa crashed violently through the old doors and was soon followed by a few drones before the roof collapsed and closed the opening.

“Cathy!”

“I’m fine. Seems that the old ceiling gave away after we hit it.”

“Catherine..…” Began Sam, when the sneers and snickers around him began to fill the room. Cathy was driving the heavy tank at its limits as she made her way further up. “You have probably three of four devas on your tail…”


Cathy turned the wheel but couldn’t hinder the collusal machine from scratching against the right walls as she remained with her boot on the gas all the time.
“We will make it! Just a bit…” But static began to appear in the link which seemed strange at such a short distance.

“I am not with you…I’m still down here.”

The words literally gutted her as she took her foot from the gas. “What…”

“I hold them off as long as I can. If that bitch wants a hunt, I will give her one.”

More and more static filled the link as she absently minded, stepped on the gas again and pushed the old tank further.

“Cat,…” Began he, not knowing if she could still hear him or not. “Make sure that you survive…and save our family back home.”




“Sooo. Only you and me then, hm?” Heard Sam the urley saying as one of the devas made a step forward. “What a pity. I hoped to hunt you two together.”

“Only me now.” Grunted the man and reloaded his pistol before he took his empty rifle and dropped it on the ground before him. He  looked into the crowd and counted at least fifteen devas. Some were female, some had male features and all he had, were the 14 rounds inside his magazine.

“Thirteen for them…one for me.”  Thought Sam with a smirk and pulled the hammer back. “Well, what are you waiting for…” Said Sam out loud and dropped a grenade before he jumped back and turned. He made a run towards the storage doors remembering that the heavy weights on the other side were only held by old and hopefully, weakened chains as the grenade went up behind him.  
The shockwave hit him in his back and pushed him forward before he tripped and fell. He activated the light on is gun and searched the chains.
“Got ya!”

He fired round after round as the devas made their way over to him.
“Cheap tricks like those won’t save you, human. I will get you and will enjoy my time. I guess I will break your limbs first. Arms, legs…your ribs…and then…” She waited and thought before the machine smiled and crossed her arms behind her head. “I guess I will think of something funny.”

He had only five rounds left inside when the metal started to groan. He had never heard such a nice sound.
Again fired Sam on the chain when it finally snapped and flew up vanishing into the ceiling above him. The heavy doors groaned violently before they began to close before him.

“No! Nooo!” Heard Sam the urley screaming as the doors literally crashed into each other and left him with good twenty inches of steel between him and the machines.  
He collapsed grinning and laughing as he looked at his pistol and noticed that he had one bullet left.

“One for me…”


- - - -



Cathy drove the tank as fast as she could higher and higher until she noticed that the way was getting brighter before her.
“Close…” Thought she and pushed the pedal on the ground.

The heavy tank groaned under the speed but she wasn’t caring for it as the light before he got brighter and brighter until she reached the end of the tunnel and crashed through a thick layer of ice.
“You idiot! You moron!” Cursed Catherine and hit the steering wheel under her breath as she followed the snow covered road. The day had already begun even if most of the light was covered by thick clouds. She maneuvered the vehicle around a corner when something hit the side. She activated the cannon but got no signal.

“Damn!”

Again got the car hit but this time not on e one but on both sides. “Must be the devas he mentioned!” Said Cathy and hit the gas again when something caught her attention in the corner of her eye. It was big. Bigger then a normal human and when it hit the right side of the tank, was it more then enough to push it up and crash it on its side.
Metal groaned violently and the armor dented upon the impact. The wheels on the right side lost their contact with the ground as the tank flipped to the side and hit a nearby building before it stopped and laid their like a dead animal.



“Oooh poor little thing…I hope I haven’t scratched her too much.” Said the heavy deva with Ver’et’s voice as a small group appeared behind it. “But…accident’s happen…right?”

Slowly opened Vareva her eyes as the blackness in which she was forcefully sent, began to fade and allowed her to regain conscious again. She felt better then ever and knew that it as just thanks to the revitalising liquid which she had been injected with.

“Ale’ir…” Shot it back into her mind on what she turned her head and saw her, still sitting on Dalsahim’s dead body.

She held a deva model in her hand and smirked before it turned and made a jump off of it.

“Look whose back under the living.” Began Ale’ir and then and smirked towards Vareva as she, slowly got back up into a sitting position.

“Still a bit stiff, hm? Oh don’t worry that will fade soon.” Added she and took a little device from behind her back.

“I see that you still use your old blade, hm?” Said Ale’ir with a grin as she examined Vareva’s old holoblade and activated it. She examined the orange glowing blade as it hummed with every move she did while the fresh falling snow was instantly vaporized as soon as it came into contact with it.

Vareva growled and closed her eyes as she tried to get back onto her feet. She had to get back up and end this once and for all and then go, and find Ver’et.

He muscles burned under her skin and she felt her heart pumping madly in her chest as she got up and glanced back towards Ale’ir.

“Oh the memories, hm?” Purred Ale’ir as she deactivated the blade and threw it back at her former commander before she herself, got up from Dalsahim’s body.

“I wonder,” Began Ale’ir as she started to walk around Vareva. “I still wonder why you betrayed us..me...back then. Was it all worth?” Began Ale’ir as she started to walk around Vareva’s body. Her long graceful strides and her hands held together behind her back and onto her own blade, looked she down onto her former battlesister.

“I always wondered what force, forced you to do that. To us. To me.” She continued and after she had once rounded Vaevas entire body, crouched down right next to her head and stroked her through her silvey hair.

“Don’t tell me that it was the love for those pathetic creatures.”

She stroked Varevas cheek and awatied her reply but even after several long moments came no word over Vareva’s lips.

“How pathetic.” Snarled Ale’ir and got up turning away from her as she made her way towards Dalsahims corpse and her rifle.

“It was something you will never understand.” Began Vareva silent her lips only so much apart that the words could leave her mouth as she finally managed to move her fingers and toes again.

“What was that?” Replied Ale’ir as she turend back towards her and saw the fire in her former battlesisters eyes as she darted up at her.

“I said, you will never understand what drove me to that. Nor will you ever experinece it.” Her last words came over her lips like venom that spread through a body as she grabbed her sword and despite all the pain in her body, pushed herself up in one quick move and made a dash straight towards a stunned Ale’ir.

Snow hulled both titanesses into an eerie fog as the buzzing sound of two holoswords remained the only sound for a short eternity until a powerful blast shook the wall of snow away and allowed a look onto both warriors.

Vareva held her sword with both hands firm and ready. Her eyes piecring through Ale’ir as she held her own ready with one arm countering her former commander’s attack easily.

“So perdictable.” Mocked she Vareva as she used her free hand and hit her stright into the face.

Vareva felt the pain on her cheek and the following kick into her stomach which sent her back onto her back.

Ale’ir smiled wickedly wielding her sword playfully as she looked down onto her. How weak she had become over all the years. Her life with these creatures had taken the beast from her. The monster she had been called during the war...nothing was left of the image she had buidl around her. Just a weak shadow and nothing more.

“You know, we could have been in the ranks of Primes by now! Primes!” Yelled Ale’ir out in a frustrated tone as she slowly cam e over to her beaten sister her sword idly swooshing around.

“We were meant to become leaders! To stand among the gods in their fortress! But you!” She said and began to speed up raising her sword and perparing herself for her next attack when Vareva rolled to the side just before Ale’ir’s sword could hit her and only left a deep bubbling slit in the ground.

“Leaders! As if they would allow us that!” Spat Vareva ack and got onto her feet in the nick of time before Ale’ir could land another attack in her direction.

Again and again collided their swords hissing and vaporising every material they came into contact with.

“Why wouldn’t they! We are their warriors! Their children!”

“Lies!” Protested Vareva out loud and made a roll backwards just in time before Ale’ir could manage to cut her in half.

“They are monsters!” Came her reply followed by a block of her sword as Ale’ir’s came down towards her. “Have you never wondered why you cant remember further back?! Back until we walked into the transporter, to the time we awoke on that blasted ship? Have you never tried to remember up to your childhood?”

“Thats because of the accident! You know that!”

“Bullshit Ale’ir!” Yelled Vareva and made a step back before she changed her passiv style and for the first time, got into the offensive.

“Thats because we have none! Not of the form we are in now!”

“And what form then?!” Shot Ale’ir back at her her sword already held into a new stiking pose as both gladiators stood heavily breathing amongst the rubble of several destroyed buildings and crushed vehicles and a few hangars.

Their intense fight had left its marks but so far, none of them had recieved even a scratch.

“You know what form.” Said Vareva silent and prepared her attack in mind as Ale’ir’s facial features darkened by the second.

“You! Don’t you try those filthy tricks on me!” Yelled Ale’ir and stormed foward flattening a parked car under her combat boot as she ran towards Vareva.

The swords collided again and again but none managed to get into touch with the other as they held their stand.

Ale’ir glared at Vareva with her remaiend eye griting her teeth in pure hate as she increased her pressure bit by bit.

“I will kill you. I will bring our leaders your head and redeem our old unit. I will show everyone that we are the superior race and when I am up there, I will personally see the rest of these vermins die!”

Vareva felt the pressure agaisnt her arm rising as Ale’ir pushed more and more towards her. The swords hissed already throwing small electrical charges around the fighters as both held agaisnt the other.

“I have to admit that you got quite better in the sword fight...maybe even better then me.” Said Vareva and bit her lip as she looked at the fierce face of her opponent.

“But there is one thing you lack...one thing which makes me much stronger then you or any other urley...”

“And that would be?!” Spat Ale’ir back and pushed her sword even further inch by inch.

“...love.” She said and swoped around shutting off her blade in the process and leaving Ale’ir to lead forward into empty ground as Vareva activated her blade again and struck her straight through he chest from the back.

Ale’ir felt none of that as the holographic sword cut through her spine and destroyed her nerves. She didnt even feel it going through her heart or coming out of her skin at her chest as she looked straight forward into the wide land before her as her legs gave away and let her sinking down on the ground.

****

Sam sat on the ice covered ground of the supply hangar his back leaned against a larger storage box as the thick steel of the blast door was slowly eaten away in the shape of a door frame.

His lung and other parts of his body still arched from the recent fight and fall he took but knowing that at least Cathy had manged to get away, somehow eased his mind while more and more melted steel dropped onto the floor.

Sure it wouldn’t take long anymore for the deva’s to come in. But would he fight with the remaining bullet in his gun, or...would he take them the satisfaction and just end his life before they were done.

“I bet that would piss you off you cunt.” Said Samuel silent under his breath and coughed violently before he put his head back against the cool plastic surface of the container.

His breath was shorter his heart working harder and his chest hurting even more after that while he watched the melting steel at the door.

It was strange to see his time running lower by the second as he began to rise his pistol and pulled the hammer back with its well known clicking sounds.

It wouldn’t even hurt.

Thats at least what he hoped as he rose the pistol and held the muzzle pointed towards his head.

Images of his long lost friends popped up.

Rosa who always held that smirk when he came down for breakfast. Butch who taught him how to hold a rifle. His sister who held him in her arms in a basement shortly after they had lost their parents.

His mom and dad...and the last time he saw them before he went down that pipe under the factory hall.

Cathy...Catherine who he could never told just how much he...

“Live...”

Sam was taken out of his thoughts when he heard the noise a second time.

“Live...”

He rose his gun and looked around in everyway he could from his point. Had one of the blasted machines found a way in? Or were his nerves so wrecked that it played a last cruel joke on him?

“....Live....human.”

“Who’s there! Get out you bloody bastard and show yourself!” Sam held his pistol ready poiting the muzzle into the darkness around him.

“Come on! I am not afraid anymore! Whatever you have in mind you won’t get the satisfaction!” He said and held the muzzle back to his head.

“...trust...human...live....”

The voice seemd to come from every direction inside the dark hall as he spun around hoping to see and not see something. But still he was alone...for now.

“Trust me human. I want you to live.”

The voice was louder clearer this time but still was he unable to see its owner as he looked back towards the door and the nearly finished work of the machines on the other side of it.

“Follow me...don’t be afraid.”

The voice was warm it sounded friendly and good but there was still no body to it as Sam’s legs started to move on its own.

He looked back over his shoulder as whatever it was pulled him closer towards a couple of boxes on the far right wall of the supply room.

“What do you want...” He wasnt even able to finish heis question as his arm put the gun away and then started to pull on the boxes untl they started to move. Why was he not able to stop why were his limbs moving on their own. Or werent they? He had feelings in his limbs and he felt clear in his head. So why couldnt he stop to pull and push on those boxes until he got a first glimpse of a door behind them.

“What is...” Was he asking himself on what he began to push as hard as he could. His body found new strength from asource he didnt knew. Maybe it was his pure will to survive to get out of this mess just one more time. Well, whatever it was. He was glad to have it as he gave the boxes a last push from his side and revealed the door completly before him.

Not sooner died the sound of the burner out and him, with his hadn on the doorknob which, as if it was completly common, gave him a free passage into whatever was there for him to go at behind the door.

****

Cathy had no idea how long she had been out as he eyes opened and the punding of metal agaisnt metal droned in her ears.

She looked around and after a few moemnts, grabbed the lock on her belt to get out.

The snapping of the lock was impossible to hear as was the sound of her falling down and landing in the wall left of her as gravity took her down and partly out of her seat.

Groaning again made it the beaten woman out of the seat and began to search for her bag when the hammering sounds died all of a sudden and a gentle knock replaced it instead.

“Hey!” Could she hear a feminine and familiar voice say as she saw her back laying along with the automatic mumpgun at the back of the tank.

“I hope I didn’t bruise you too much in there!” Added Ver’et and looked down into the crowd of her personal devas before she turned the head of her newest creation back onto the human vehicle before her.

The deva she controlled was easily taller then the human tank. She had build it over month and resembled nothing of the oridnary hunting units that they would use.

No.

This one had no skin but mostly rough plates she had brought into form. It had three roughly formed fingers on each hand just long enough to grab a humn around its waist and a feature less face with only two slits where red optics mimicked the eyes of the creature.

“Hey my little one. Come on say something.”

Ver’et turend the head of the machine and over her system, ordered two devas to go and get inside.

Not a second followed when the two selected machnes jumped onto the side and began to search for a way inside until one of them, a male version found the damged hatch and signalised the other to come and pull with him onto it.

Cathy was already halfway to her bag and the weapon when she heard the sounds of footseps on the roof just after that maniac had ended her question to her. She had to hurry and even more, when she heard the screeching metal coming from the entence hatch at the former upper part of the Barbossa tank.

“Just a bit more...” Where her thoughts when the steel hatch was thrown out of its place and now gave a free entrance at the tanks interior. Cathy heard the cold wind blowing outside as she finally grabbed the rifle with her fingers and turend onto her back loading and aiming it to whatever would want to get inside.

No sooner had she done so as the head of the male deva peaked inside and locked onto her with its red eyes before she blasted its entire face off into tiny pieces and left the rest of the destroyed and useless machine fall inside with an audible thump.

“Who’s next!”  Cathy waited and aimed again as she yelled that from her position as a second head this time a female versin with long black hair, peered insde.

Cathy fired but the female deva was a bit quicker and avoided the small rounds by taking her head back out in the last second.

Catherine gritted her teeth as she leaned herself a bit more to the back door adn at the same moment, hoped that they wouldn’t tear this one out just now. Sure the tank had at least three entrance possibilities and with the hatch now ripped out, were there only the slidedoor on the left side, and the large backdoor left.

“Two possible openings...and just eight rounds left plus a complete magazine and a knive.” Muttered Cathy as she still aimed the muzzle towards the opening and waited for the head to appear again.

“Come on...show yourself again.” She said quietly and heldherself ready when the shadow appeared over the opening and two legs went down first.

Catherine fired right away shredding its knees and tighs along with the lower part of its torso as the machine didnt even tried to protect its body. She fired one load after another into it destroying its right elbow before it landed with a crashing sound inside and quickly used its destroyed partner as a shield from the remaining rounds that Cathy had until they died down.

Just as that happened began it to move with its last remainng good arm and its partly useless limbs began it to crouch over the ground and towards Cathy who alreadyheld her pistol read and fired one bullet after another into its moving body.

“Fuck!!” Screamed Cathy out of her lungs as one of her bullets finally hit its head and slowed it down enough for two more to enter its metallic skull and bring it down just a couple of feet before it would reach her.

“HA!” Scremed Cathy up. “Is that the best you have?! I can do that all day, Ver’et!” Added Cathy with a smile and shoved a freesh clip into the rifle and her pistol. Sure her ammunition wouldn’t last forever and they could probably tear the back door away at any moment...but damn. She would give that urley a very hard time.

Outside was Ver’et smiling even if it was not visible on the smooth faceplate. She loved the resistence that they both had put up agaisnt her so far. It made it all the more exciting as she established a link with another of her devas who stood on Ale’irs palm.

“I found her pet. Her first one. Can I have some more fun with her, please? I promise I wont break her....that much.” The mouth and skin around its eyes folded slightly as the machine got out Ver’ets question in a mere begging tone towards her commander.

“Do what you like but leave at least some for later. I have a few ideas myself...oh.” Ale’ir stopped in her sentence when the first signs of life began to appear in Vareva’s body again.

“I think my fun is about to begin as well.” Were her last words before Ver’et gave her a nod and then cut the link to the deva.

Her mind went back to the tank and her little plaything inside of it and despite most of the time, was she focussing only on this scene and this deva body. Yes she wanted to enjoy this rare moment. A moment where the prey thought it still had a chance. Oh how she loved those moments.

Catherine sat still inside the tank waiting for whatever woudl be thrown at her next. Sure she woudlnt let her wait. Ver’et was much to eager to get her out of here and that thought was prooven when she heard more footsteps on the roof making their way down until they stopped at the hatch.

“Four...” Cathy had counted them on their way down and made herself ready for the next wave.

“...okay come on...give me all you got. I can do this.” Muttered Cathy to herself as she prepared herself and place d her pistol onto her lap. Speed was everything this time if hse was fast enough woudlnt they be able to move in the tight space. And the more that woudl come in, the tighter it would become...even for them. Thats at least what she thought, and hoped.

And then was the moemnt there and the the first legs came through again.

Cathy fired and hit its torso with a full salvo until she gave it a few milliseconds and fired again this time, having its head in her line of fire as she pulled the trigger and saw a rain of metal after its metallic skull got blown to shreds. The second followed close by using its destroyed brother as a diversion as it jumped in and was also greeted by a rain of metal. Athree more times fired Cathy until she got its back and damaged its spine and so the connections to its legs. 

Number three followed shortly after but Cathy was already using her pistol and hit its right eye before it even landed on one of its destroyed counterparts.

Cathy switched with her other hand back to the crawling deva and waited until it was just an arms length away before she fired two more times and blew its arms into scrap metal.

“Come on!” Yelled she out loud and fired a third round through its wide opened mouth before she looked back to the one eyed deva and used her last shutgunshell to shred half of its face into oblivion on what it fell back without any more movements.

“She starts to annoy me.” Mumbled Ver’et as the fourth deva looked up at her on what she gave it the command to get in and get her.

The machine didnt replied as it got the order but began its mission and first crouched down and take a look to spot the human inside.

Catherine knew she ran out of options seeing the closest deva nearly reaching her boots as she opened her bag and took a grenade out of it along with soem ductape and her knife. Her idea was risky to say the least and could end in the worst possibility end with her death. But what was the other option. Staying here, until she ran out of ammunition?

She prepared her little gift not a moment too soon as the shadow loomed over the open hatch while she was already on her feet and began running the short distance with her pacage in hand.

The fist outlines of the machine came in view as it looked down to get an image of the situation and to possible plan a new strategy. Well, it wasnt going to get its chance as Cathy held her hand with hte knive ready and ran further towards it.

Its head was just low enough to look inside but as soon as its sensors adjusted to the dim light insde, was its entire vision filled with that of an enraged human amazone and not evena millisecond later, remaiend only the loud crunshing sound of a blade which hda made contact with metal and plastic as Catherine rammed her knive into the devas forehead and pulled the pin before she pulled the trigger of her shutgun and sent a blast of shells into its upperbody.

Teh program worked better then she coudl have foreseen it as the machine retracted its body and tried to search for cover which was outside and with that, left her save as the integrated timer of the grenade reached zero and exploded just over the opening sending tiny metal shrapnels ina 360 degree radius which damaged several other devas but not bad enough to take them out.

Ver’et shielded herself with just an arm as the explosion happend not even a foot in front of her. The tiny metal splinters were no harm to her model but something else left her damaged. Her ego.

She was done playing after this last action as she looked to the last pieces of her toy and then back towards the vehicle and its right side which was facing up at her.

“I’m getting tired of your games, human!” Snarled she a little louder then she had wanted as she prepared her own deva and brought its titanic arms into position.

“Get out of there! Or I take you out!”

Cathy couldn’t hide her smile when she heard that. Had she really managed it to make her angry? Ver’et, who was so confident about her little game that she wasnt taking them for full all the time? Well, it was a slight win so far.

“Force me!” Came her only dry reply of course as she was kneeling in the back of the Barbossa this time. She had slung her bag over her shoulder and the shutgun and pistol ready waiting for whatever woudl come next. Convidence was spreading through her mind along withthe adrinaline that flooded her body and kept her ready and on her feet. Maybe she coudl hold out long enough in here. Long enough for Vee to come and help her.

“Mom...”It was a sudden thought as her mother came up in her head. Was she well? Or was she...

Her train of thought was broken when the situation around her changed completly for her. The roof, or better the right side of the barbossa began to bulge slowly at first as somethign heavy hammered againt the reinforced steel plates from the outside again and again.

The metal began to deform and break and Catherine was out of ideas on what to do when the first rays of light got inside throught the first holes which soon grew more and more.

Catheirnes eyes widened as the first metallic claw appeared inside and took a hold of the steelbeofre it began to tear the side appart like a tinfoil.

She really had just played with her all the time.

“Oh my god.” Came it into Cathy’s mind as her only answer as the hands made view upon the huge machine and its head with the two red eyes aas they peered directly down upon her.

The shock still held her gripped in its tight fist while another part of her, literally scremed to move. She had never seen something like that not even in Atlantis where she had been trained to fight off the devas.

“I see you like my little creation hm?” Said Ver’et with a giggle as she tore the hole a bit bigger and focused onto her lovely prey.

“Why don’t you come a bit closer and take a better look. Here I will even help you out!”

Cathy saw the stell slaw coming down towards her but she was still to shocked to move. How could something like that exsist. Sure Atlantis had mechs who were even taller but not in her wildest dreams could they have been looking as gruesoem and grotesque as this thing.

The metallic fingers were about to touch her when the voice in her headn finally managed it to get her out of her trance but it was already too late for her to escape as the giant metallic pillars wrapped ina crushing grip around her body and lifted her without a care out of the tank. Cathy raised her shutgun but was stopped quickly when her shoulder was thrashed into a sharp edge of steel. The metal dug in deep into her flesh and let her yell up in pain as her grip loosened aroun her rifle and hse dropped it back inside.

“Ah, ah, ah. Naughty, naughty, little girl. Didn’t your mom teach you that weapons are not for children?” Mocked Var’et her little huamn prisoner as she took her out and held her up to eyelevel with the machine.

Catherine gritted her teeth and tried her best to get her left arm out but the grip held it trapped between the steel and her torso.

“Don’t you dare!” Spat she out in anger as the pain in her shoulder left her unable to do a thing at the moment.

“Oh and what should stop me? You?” Ver’et held her little toy closer to the blank face of her creation on what the red glowing eyes shined upon Cathy’s sweating face.

“You can bearly breath.” Added Ver’et and increaed her grip just a bit on what Cathy began to wince in pain. She desperatly tried to pull a finger of the hand away with her right hand but the pain in her shoulder and the slippery blood that already covered her hand, left her attempt’s without any success. She could have even tried to push an entire truck up a hill with her arm. The result would have been the same.

“Ohh I love those sounds.” Ver’et began and loosened her grip a bit. It was just enough so that Catheirne was without a relative ammount of pain as she rose her free hand and grabbed the humans, blood covered right hand.

“No!” Yelped Cathy up when two of the three steel fingers grabbed her hand and pulled her arm which sent another surge of pain through her body.

“You...you sick freak!”

Ver’et couldn’t help but grin in her hideout as she heard that comment. Oh how often had she heard that. Still, it never got old on her.

“Well, time to play.” Said she and grinned even more as she prepared herself for the actions to come.

With Catherines hand still in the thick clutches of the machine, was every try to escape already doomed to fail as it began to pull onto her arm.

“No! Stop!” Yelled Cathy out loud as the pain in her shoudler began to grow even more as the thick fingers of the Ver’et’s machine pulled even more onto her.

Her muscles protestet. Her nerves screamed and begged to stop but Ver’et didn’t listened as she pulled and pulled even more until her arm dislocated from her shoulder in one sudden move.

Cathy had no air lef in her lung to scream as her arm snapped out of her shoulder. Her tears ran down her cheeks but she coudln’t get a sound as her nerves overflodded her brain with stimulations which left her completly paralyzed.

“Oh, already broken?” Said Ver’et with a chuckle as she let Cathy’s arm go on what it fell limp down and hung there touching the metall of the hand that held her and smearing some blood onto it.

She lifted Cathy a bit higher but saw no reaction comming from her as she seemd to struggle with her body to get some air back into her lungs.

What followed then was somethign she had not heard in a long time as the little human before her, got out of her state of shock adn let out a soul crushing scream filled with all the pain she had felt over the past couple of minutes.

Catherine was at her limit’s as she screamed out on top of her lung. She looked along her blood drenched arm which hung limp down before her. She felt nothing in her fingers not the cold steel or the wound as she looked back up into the glowing eyes of her tormentor.

Just how much cruelty could one posses to do that and how much would she love it if she had the chance to show her the same ammount of pain...and even more.

“You....fucking...bitch!!” Yelled Cathy as she wound some breath again over her pain. Her eyes darted up towards the red spots and right into Ver’et as she followed her from her own position and couldn’t stiffle but moan as she smiled as well over the little pet’s facial expression.

“Ah they always tend to those words once the real fun begins.” She said and turned her toy towards a free place where her devas had already formed a small circle.

“But I think its time to start the main course.”

Cathy felt the movement through the steel that surrounded her as the giant machine began to move and turn away from the tank below her. She had no idea of what would come next but she knew it wouldn’t be good for her.

Not long after that thought saw she a group of devas who had made some kind of ring using their bodies as an improvised barrier as Ver’et began to walk towards it.

“I alwas loved your fighting styles you know? Especially when you tried to go hand to hand with our devas. Not that it worked very well. But from time to time, you really used some interresting techniques liek your knife in the forehead stunt. So...” She stopped and held Cathy back up at level with her face.

“I wonder how good you are when it comes to a one on one fight with one of my babies here.” She added and laughed before she lowered Catheirne and to the humans surprise, threw her the rest of the way until she landed hard in the ring rolling over the cold snow until she stopped on the other end and to the feet of several devas.

Her body was nothing more then a place of pain. Every part was screaming for rest but she wouldn’t get that luxury as she looked up and saw the faces of several machines lookeing down at her.

“Don’t worry dear. They won’t interfere in our game. I promise.” Said Ver’et out loud as she stopped just before the small ring.

“Think of them, as our private audience or your fanclub.” She added and spread her arms in a wide manner as if to underline her last sentence.

Cathy looked around as she slowly got back on her knees using her left arm as she looked back her limp right. She was surrounded by monsters with the biggest one towering over the others and cheering down at her like a little kid which woudl play with its newest toy until it broke.

A sadistic, psychotic, child with dozens of deadly machines at its disposal and she, well...

“Fine.” Grunted Catherine and put the bag off from her shoulders before she used her mouth to hold ont her pistol with her teeth gripping the slide of it.

She quickly removed the strap from her bag and upn stepping on one of its ends, adjusted its length until she was satisfied.

Ver’et had no idea what she was doing but gave her the time. Whatever she was planning would fail anyway but she had to admit that she was kind of curious what she would do.

Cathy looked back towards her right arm and bit even harder on the slide of her pistol as she grabbed the white, or better blood drenched sleeve of her  former white jacket and began to pull on the seams. Every move burned as she pulled some more until the seam gave away and she began to tear the entire sleeve off. Grunting deeply used Cathy the fabric and slung it around her shoudler and the open wound before he let go of her pistol and took one end into it while she made a knot with the other and then, pulled.

The pain left her nearly unconcious as she lost her balance and strength and dipped her forehead into the snow while tears ran over her cheeks in streams.

But for all she knew, wasn’t she done yet as she repositioned herself again and used the strap from her back and slung it square around her torso before she clipped both ends into each other and positioned her arm into the improvised sling before she adjusted its length again until her arm was tightly secured agaisnt her chest.

“Interresting...” Mumbled Ver’et as she saw her little toy getting up and holding her pistol in her left hand while her right one was secured to her body.

She was definitly an interresting and defiant member of her species. Oh what fun she would have.

“Come...and show me what you have.” Said Cathy as she looked into the crowd of Devas expecting to be attacked at any moment.

She didnt have to wait for long when a few of the machines gave way and allowed a slimmer version of themselves to enter.

She noticed some kind of gloves on its hands but she was far from believeng that those were filled with some soft material. It had a few smal marks pinted onto its cheecks and wore, for most of the other devas untypical, trousers and a shirt as well as some kind of trainings shoes who were already worn out and had holes here and thee. As well as the old trouseres.

“He is my favorite. I made him just for occasions like those but over the last few years became those pretty rare.” Said Ver’et as she looked down into the ring from her position.

“I programmed him myself with some of your cultures martial art to make it a bit more fun to watch.”

“Should have made him bulletproof.” Replied Cathy through gritted teeth as he aimed and fired two times as fast as she could. But she dint hit the deva but instead destroyed the head of one which were ordered as ring keepers.

“Too slooow.” Cheered Ver’et and laughed as the deva got back into its former position.

Cathy was doen for as she felt the gun lower as well as her entier arm.

The bloodloss was taking its toll on her as well as the constant adrinaline whihc was running low.

Her body was slowly shutting down on her as she fell back on her knees. Whatever Ver’et had planned for her, she woudln’t fight it. All she coudl hope for was that it would be over quickly as she lost the strength inher fingers and dropped her gun into the snow.

“Already done? I thought you humans were a bit more persistant.” Said Ver’et and gave the command to her deva to break her left arm.

She would get her fun no matter what.

The deva stopped before Catherine and roughly grabbed her left arm with both of its hands.

She looked up but saw the machine only in a mere foggy version as she was close to loose her conciousness.

“Do it. Come on.” Whispered she as the pressure begsn to build up at her arm when a crashing noise interrupted the situation.

Ver’et saw only one of her other devas getting literally thrown into the middle of the ring as a piece seemd to stuck inside its back. She zoomed onto the remains and recognized a piece of a deva being stuck into its back.

But where.

She coudlnt end her thoguth when something collided with the larger machines head  forcing its to step sideways befoere it regained its balance again.

“Who the hell...” Yelled Ver’et annoyed as she turend her head and zoomed into a slight cloud of snow as an incomming object was signalized to come straight towards her.

Out of instict covered Ver’et her head with the machines arms beofre the rocket came into contact with her but the explosion had enough force to let her stumble backwards.

“What is going on!” Ver’et wsa more then annoyed ass he lowered her arms and tried to focus again at the direction whenshe could finally get a first glimpse of the small figure that stood alone in the alley.

“What’s that.”

Catherine followed the scene as the grip around her arm loosened and she fell down in the snow. Her body felt numb but she managed to get a last glimpse of the figure as the fog which surrounded it, began to vanish and allowed her a short look upon it.

The figure wore a power suit. Black and grey a knight of the modern age. A tank on two feet. Two green eyes who only knew the next target. Hands able to crush the enemy with ease....and weapons powerful enough to destoy anything that would be stupid enough to go agaisnt it.

“Ver’et!!” Could the urley hear the familiar male voice calling out to her. “We’re not done!” He added and growled as he locked the giant machine in the targetting system again.

“Not yet...”

Sam stood inside the room the door closed behind and barricaded with a couple of smaller boxes as he made a  few steps back and touched a shelf stocked with several ice covered tools on it. He rummaged in on of his pockets as he noticed that his glowstick began to lose some of its capacity and activated a second.

„Where the hell am I.” Murmured he to himself and swung the stick in his hand while his eyes desperately tried to find an exit.

He was sure that the devas wouldn't need long and then even less time to find him in here as he walked along the shelf and back.

„Boxes… for fucks sake just boxes with whatever!“ Yelled he up in frustration as he couldn’t find anything beside the barricaded door he had just entered through.

„Awesome Sam. You traded one trap for a smaller one you moron.“ He said and grinned as frustration began to spread in his mind while he tried to get a hold on one of the larger crates inside the room.

His hand began to slide down as he turned away and without him noticing at first, began a larger piece of fabric to fall down behind him.

It was slow at first as he looked towards the door until the it speeded up and revealed with a low noise, its hidden secret beneath.

„What the…“ Were Sam’s only words as the greenish light revealed a black and smooth surface for him. The light of his stick didn't gave much as he touched it with his hand and felt the cool surface which to his surprise, had no thin ice layer over it but as soon as he slid over it, seemed to emanate a low humming noise.

Sam was fixed on it until he heard a loud crashing sound coming from the larger hall on the other side of the barricaded door which, he was sure, could only mean that they had finished their work and would soon be here for him.

The little blockade wouldn't stop them raced it through his mind as a silent hissing sound followed by a faint, but slowly brighter light came from behind him on what he turned back to the crate and saw its front opening for him and showing him the first outlines of one of humanity's latest works before its fall.

He couldn’t hide a smirk as his eyes fell on the armor before him.

The black and dark grey armor plates along with the exoskeleton underneath them along with its layers of protective layers, looked used here and there with its scratches and bumps and he wondered who would place such a machine in here when the noises outside got him back to the situation he was in.

The suit seemed ready at last, thats what he hoped for when he thought on the theoretical training he had gotten from Butch when he had been younger.

In theory where those machines relatively easy to use but theory and reality where often a tiny bit different as he felt along the back of the helmet and found a little button and pushed it.

With a hissing sound began the system to awake from its slumber and soon began the front of the armor to spread open for him. The helmet began to slip backwards while the rest opened up like a flower did and showed him its interior while he took out his gun and took off his vest and jacket so he could fit in better.

The devas had made it inside and already began to search through the room for any possible hints of the human as one of them found the footprints which lead towards a door to their right.

The deva, a male version, spread ist information to the other five of the group as several more entered through the slim entrance they had made as they began to engage for the door.

As soon as he was inside felt Sam that it was not fitting fim properly since the chest parts were higher and a bit wider then he was when he heard a voice coming from the helmet.

„Adjusting armor.“

Thats all he heard when the system began to adjust the suit to his form. The sides pressed a bit hard on his ribs as well as the shoulder parts as his arms slid into the arms and his hand inside the gloves.

The helmet was the last part as it slid over his head and sealed off as it made contact with the neck.

The HUD flashed up inside the left visor and immediately changed to a night version mode as several code lines ran over the little screen.

„Armor adjusted. Battery status, eighty five percent. Interface link…“ Sam heard the suits voice saying as something made contact with his upper neck which soon after resulted in a sharp pain. „…Established.“ The sharp pain soon faded as he remembered that a link had been necessary to maintain the status of the pilot as well as to have a better and quicker movement since the nerves would transmit his every move faster to the artificial muscles and the exoskeleton servos.

All in all, would he move so without any lag as Butch has stated it.

His moves, were the suits moves.

„Harcon Mark one, Ready for combat.“

„And not a second too late.“ Added Sam as he heard the faint sound of footsteps at the outside.

„Just move Sam. Nice and slow…get a feeling.“ He grumbled under his beard as he made a first step. The armored boot made a clinging sound as they came into contact with the concrete and ice but that wasn’t important. They knew already that he was here.

„Okay…eh now for some guns.“ He said more to himself and turned his head to grab his pistol as the HUD gave him a list.

„Erebus?“ He asked and looked down at his right thigh and saw a larger pistol holstered to it. The pistol was larger than a normal one with a longer clip for more rounds and as it seemed, stronger ammunition as he noticed the size.

Sam had not much time to marvel at the gun as the first punches coming from outside of the room knocked his senses back into the situation at hand.

Quickly aimed he as the first fist punched through the door and punched one of the boxes he had stabled up against the opposite wall.

The HUD provided him a crosshair with a second one standing for the pistol he used. Sam aimed and waited as the head of the Deva peeked into the room and was then blasted into scrap metal by a short burst of the Erebus.

The sudden action had alerted the remained  machines and without a moment to wait, kicked one them the door in. Sam waited as a slim fog of ice filled the room. The suit began to adjust to the new situation and switched through its different vision modes when the second deva entered the room and went straight for him.

Sam aimed out of instinct and fired destroying the upper torso of the deva as it came for him before several more went through the door as well.

He fired again and again watching the counter for ammunition getting low by the second as he destroyed one deva after another.

It wasn't long after the first wave when he heard a faint clicking noise coming from the pistol when it ran out of bullets. He placed the pistol back as another deva stormed towards him when a small icon in the lower left blinked up and the suits voice was heard.

“Combat blade, ready.”

The deva crashed into him pushing Sam and the suit back into its chamber as it sunk its steeled fingers into the armor plates.

The crunching sound of metal getting crumbled was heard as Sam grabbed behind his back and got the hilt of the blade using the ultra heated blade to cut through the devas armor like a hot knife would do with butter.

Melting metal and carbon rained down onto his chest armor where it quickly cooled down as he moved up and took the rest of the deva in one hand.

He walked towards the entrance of his room only to find an entire group of devas waiting for the human they were ordered to kill.

“Well, time for round two…” He said with a grin as he shoved a fresh clip into the Erebus.

Catherine kneeled in the ring of devas. Her right arm was tied into a makeshift sling as she looked between the legs of the machines and saw Sam in an old power armor at the end of the road.

The armor looked pretty battered from her point and she noticed him holding the ripped off leg of a deva in his hand as he stood there waiting for the urleys move.

“Well, well, well. Look what we have here. The shining knight coming to save his beloved princess.” Snickered Ver’et through the deva as she gave her attention to the male.  

“And what a lovely new toy you took with you. I always wanted to see one of these.”

She looked down at the deva standing before Cathy and gave it the command to attack on what it only nodded and began to run towards its brothers.

It jumped easily over the others and increased its speed as it took Sam into its focus. The machines system began to prepare a strategy going within seconds through hundreds of pre-programmed movements as it ran at its maximum speed towards its target.

Sam took the deva in the crosshair of his HUD and aimed his pistol at it but waited a couple of seconds before it was in his optimum range.

He wanted the machine close enough, but not too close.

Gritting his teeth as the deva came closer and closer, fired he a single salvo but the deva countered the attack and jumped up high in the air.

Sam only saw it jump high up and turned his body forward activating the last missile on his back on what the micro rocket left its home and went straight for its target.

Ver’et watched her favorite toy blowing up into hundreds of small pieces while the small human got up and took her into focus again.

He began to walk towards her and stepped uncaringly, into the smoldering remains of the machine.

“Good...I hoped to see some action with this.” She said smirking in her hideout as she gave the rest of her private little deva army the command to attack.

The suit acknowledged the new targets and marked them on his HUD counting about 30 new targets as Sam selected the boosters under his boots and on the backpack. Speed and agility was his best option as he took some deep breaths and prepared himself for the upcoming battle.

_ _ _ _

Vareva held Ale’ir’s limp body in her arms as she sat in the snow with her back leaned against an old office building.

“I wish their would have been another way.” Mumbled the giant warrior silently before she placed the lifeless body into the snow and picked up her holoblade.

There was still one of them left as Vareva took her communicator and tried to contact Catherine.

Once, then twice, but she got no connection as only static blocked the link.

“Damn!” Growled Vareva and looked around for any trace.

The base was large and with its large hangars that could sustain an entire superbomber, wasn’t she able to look over every building.

But searching through the entire base would take too long and who knew what Ver’et was doing to her daughter and Sam at the very moment.

The sheer thought sickened her as old memories of Ver’et and her sick games came up in her.

She had to find them fast.

“The east…”

“What!? Who’s there?”

“...east…”

There was no reply as Vareva looked around but found nobody nearby. Still, the voice hummed in the back of her head and something about it, left her trusting it for some reason.

“East, that's where the hangers for the bombers are.”

Vareva took the gun from Ale’ir and her holoblade before she looked to the eastern section of the base and began to run.

Vareva passed Tashigi’ s dead body but paid it no attention as she already jumped over a smaller building which barely reached her hips.

“What if she got her already? What if...I’m too late?” Shot the troublesome thoughts through her head as the giant warrior flattened a car on her way and sent another one flying into a closer building as she hit with her foot.

“What if she...took her away from me?”

_ _ _ _ _

Sam fired again and again but the flood of devas didn't seemed to end as more and more appeared from the roofs and side streets.

It was a true army as the erebus spit its deadly little friends towards the oncoming machines.

The HUD gave him new targets by the second as his ammunition ran low and the blade began to cool off. It wouldn't be long until he would have to fight them with its bare hands as a number of devas managed to get a good grip onto his backpack and his legs to slow him down.

The boosters were on full thrust as he moved from side to side and swung around to loose some of them in a desperate attempt.

“Fuck! Dammit you stupid trash cans, get lost!!”

“Sam…” Catherine saw him fighting madly against the horde of machines while the big one, still used by Ver’et herself, remained at her position and only watched the spectacle from afar. Maybe, if she could distract her, she thought, would Sam get a chance to gain the upperhand. but how? With her left arm bleeding and inside of that makeshift sling, without any bullets left or explosives, what could she do.

The enegery level of the suit began to get into a dangerous low level as three of the devas combined their attacks and rammed Sam into a wall and through it on what they found themselves inside of an old warehouse.

Crates and containers filled the room partly open and with their contains scattered here and there as they threw the over 600 pound heavy suit, into a closed container.

“That should teach him a lesson.” Smirked Ver’et in her hideout as her mind, took in the six different angles of her devas and the seventh from her favorite toy.

“Too bad that I can’t keep him. But it was fun nonetheless.”

“Time to die little human!” Said Ver’et out loud through one of the devas as she entered the container with it and suddenly saw a metallic hand coming forward and grabbing its entire face.

she saw Sam as he raised her up and held her easily above him before the glimmering blade slashed through the machines lower body and cut it in half.

“Funny…” he began as he lowered the deva and held it at level with his eyes. “...I just wanted to say the same to you....” his words echoed grim in Ver’et’s head as she saw a smile on his face. Had the human gone mad? She had at least twenty more devas and her big toy for him out here and he? His armor was battered all over and a part of the right shoulder armor was already missing which left the exoskeleton with its wires and power-servos exposed as well as the second layer of the armor.

“W-what are you talking about?”

“First, I will take down those toasters here, and then that big ass freak machine.” He said and grinned as he began to increase the pressure on the devas skull.

“And when I’m done with it, will I come for you and tear YOU apart. Limp, for limp!”

“What?!” Ver’et said out loud in her hideout as she lost the connection with the machine before its remains were thrown out of the damaged container and landed with a shattering metallic sound in front of the rest of her troop.

She took a closer look at it and found its entire head being squashed like a grape as she gave out the order to bring the human down.

She switched her mind back to the colossal deva outside and turned its head, in search for the other human she had caught.

Sam felt better then ever as the drugs flowed into his body and numbed the pain. Strength replaced his tired muscles as he stepped towards the hole his crash had made and took the group of devas as targets.

A small countdown in the lower right of the HUD, indicated the time he had until the system would shut off the BOOST mode he had just activated which would then also mean that he would not be able to move until a small recovery phase had been done, but he also would be out of juice since the system had only enough energy to sustain him for the remaining time.

“Five minutes….well then...lets see what this rust bucket can dö...for real.”

Ver’et moved the body of the colossus over to Catharines nearly unconscious body and lifted her up not really caring if she got hurt in the process or not as she held her upside down on her left leg, in front of the plain and expressionless face.

“I have to admit, you worm, that this Sam is quite an entertaining little pet. Too bad that he won't be here for long.”

She waited for a response but got none.

“Well, at least I got you to play with, when Ale’ir is done.”

“Do...do you think that you can break me?” Sputtered Cathy as she turned her head towards the flat face of the deva and grinned.

“If you think that you can break my mind, then you are wrong. My body, maybe but never my mind.”

“Yeah human...I heard that so often, but in the end, they all broke. Believe me.” Said Ver’et without any care as she held her dangling in front of the machine.

“And I, will be there and watch when it happens. Oh while we are at it, why don't we go and check on your little friend. I’m sure my toys already handled your little hero who came here, to save his princess.

“I...told you already…”

Ver’et moved the devas head to check upon the source of the sound as she noticed it comming over the comlink to one of them who had chased Sam into the building.

“How...thats not possible.” She said in her hideout and turned the entire mech into the direction of the signal.

“I am no hero...and that, should scare you.”

“Sam…” Said Cathy tired but with a smirk as she saw the black battlesuit, appearing again on the street.

The suit was beaten down. The keratan plates were dented everywhere and parts of them on the chest and its legs where missing and showed more of its skeleton and the second layer.

The helmet was missing and left Sam only with its monocle which had already fine fissures in it and gave him only a flickering display to check upon.

Hydraulic fluids were sprayed over it partly and gave the modern knight and even grittier look as he walked slowly but steady towards Ver’ets modified deva model and her little hostage.

“How did you!”

“Let her go!” Replied Sam loudly as he came closer and closer. “Only you and me.” He added and stopped waiting for the urley to make her move.

It didn't took long before Ver’et lowered her hand and without a care, let go of Cathy about ten feet of the ground. She landed heavily in the snow but Sam saw that she was moving.

And then began Ver’et her attack as she stormed forward with the deva.

Its heavy feet sinking deep in the ground as she locked on Sam and prepared herself to stomp him into the ground.

He on the other side began also to run towards her but his system was already too damaged to get a fix on her titanic deva.

“Doesn't matter.” He said as he prepared himself and saw one of its hands rising and then coming down upon him like a jackhammer.

The giant claw hammered down and created a huge cloud of the fresh fallen snow around it as Sam grabbed onto it and lifted him on it. The head was his target and there was not much time anymore as the small counter in his partly broken HUD fell under the three minute mark.

“Just one good hit.” He thought to himself as he planted his foot onto the metallic hand and jumped forward. The head was his target and the last microrocket in his arsenal the key. One direct hit and it would be over.

“Oh no.” Growled Ver’et as she saw the human appearing out of the cloud and coming straight for her.

The other claw came straight for him and made contact with the armor just before he was close enough and with a loud metallic bang, sent him flying right through the wall of another building.

“No…” Cathy held her left shoulder as she had to watch the fight between them. The drop had increased the pain in her shoulder but it also had given her a new burst of energy as she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

“Foolish human! Do you really believe that you can beat me?!” Said Ver’et in her hideout  and smiled as she got another kick out of the situation. How long had it been since she had had so much fun. Sure it came with a small price but she could build some new toys in some time so it was all worth it as she concentrated her senses onto this one moment.

Sam heard an alarm going off over the earpiece but the HUD was now completely broken and got no information on what was going on as more painkillers were injected into his body.

The suit did everything to hold its pilot alive as Sam began to get up and out from the rubble that had landed on him after his harsh impact.

“Come on you piece of junk! Move once more.” He said and saw the shadow of Ver’et’s deva appear in front of the hole she had made with him.

Vareva stopped as she reached the larger hangar bays. The area was huge and from her knowledge, were at least a dozen of them big enough to house an Urley.

“Dammit.”

She was about to tear the first one open as she heard a faint noise coming out of a half opened hangar door.

“Laughter!”

It had to be her.

Vareva let no time waste as she ran to the building and looked carefully in it. What she saw left her speechless as she saw Ver’et laying on the ground and barely covered in her clothes.

That sick, twisted woman enjoyed herself while she did god only knew, what.

Vareva pulled the the door open and entered the hangar. She stepped on one of Ver’ets devas and crushed its torso as she grabbed her blade and knelt down.

That siko hadn't even noticed her yet and she was only an arms length away from her while Ver’et moaned and fumbled over her own body.

“Yes my little human come here again. I want to tear you apart piece by piece.” She said as she licked over her lips with anticipation.

“I don’t think so.” Growled Vareva and held the hilt of her blade at Ver’ets head as she grabbed the urley with her other hand by her throat.

“What the…” Gasped Veret and grabbed with her hands at Vareva’s arm but the rogue warrior held her in an iron grip and had no intention to let her go.

Catherine noticed the strange behavior of the machine as it grabbed near it throat and tried to pull something away from it.

“Vee?”

Sam saw the struggle of the machine to hold onto something and pulled the rocket out of his backpack. This was the chance he needed to end it.

With one last burst of energy, ran Sam with the suit towards the opening and jumped using the arms of the deva as help as he rammed the tip of the rocket into the faceplate and detonated it.

The explosion destroyed the faceplate and its inner systems but it also used the last bit of armor the suit had as protection.

Catherine saw the explosion and her eyes widened when the machine fell backwards with Sam still on top. The suit fell with a heavy thump on the ground and remained there leaving no trace for her if Sam was okay or not.

“Sam…”

Vareva pushed Ver’et hard on the ground as the urley tried to pull her arms away without any luck. Her fingers dug deep into the deva pilots skin as Vareva held her hilt over Ver’et’s forehead.

She activated it and the holographic blade shot out penetrating flesh, bone, brain mass, and the back of Ver’e’t’s skull as it went out on the other side again.

Her struggles died down in an instant and Vareva felt that it was a way too quick death for that freak  while deactivating the blade again.

“Now were done.” Said Vareva as she got up and closed the door behind her. She tipped her comlink and closed her eyes.

“Please don't let it be too late.” She said silently when she heard the most wonderful voice ever.

“Vee!”

“Cathy…” Vareva could barely hold her tears back when she heard the voice of her little angel on the other end.

“Cathy, how are you?! Are you hurt?”

One moment, filled silence the link and Vareva felt the worst until she heard Cathy’s voice again.

“I have seen better days, mom. But Sam...can you come and get us?”

Catherine broke the contact but left her device active as a beacon. She knelt next to Sam who was still in the suit and took the Monocle with the broken HUD and its attatched com off his head. his nose was bleeding and several scratches in his face left him bleeding here and there.

Carefully, felt she behind his neck and searched for the little button until she finally found it.

A hiss indicated that the locks began to open and indeed began to chest to open and revealed its pilot to the harsh outside world again.

On a first look seemed nothing broken but she couldn't be sure as she crouched closer towards Sam’s face and touched it gently. His eyes were closed and if it hadn#t been for the small cuts, and scratches, had anyone thought that he would just sleep.

“Sam?” Said Cathy silent and whisked a few strands of his dark brown hair out of his face. “Please Sam, if you can hear me, wake up.”

In the distance could she already feel the slight tremors that indicated that Vareva wasn't far away anymore but was it still in time?.

“Please open your eyes Sam.”

Cathy leaned her face close to his as her tears fell on his cheeks and mixed with the dirt and blood on it as s he stroked over his cheek and laid her head gently on his chest.

“Don’t do this to me you idiot. Please don’t…” She said weeping when she heard something faint. A beat?

“Sam…” Catherine focused on the noise and there...she heard it again. “Yes...Yes!”

He was alive. Wounded, beaten and knocked out. But alive.

“Cathy!” Yelled VAreva when she appeared in the street and saw her little girl next to Sam on the ground. The large machine behind them with a slightly smoking head as she came to them and crouched down onto her knees.

“Oh god Cat. I - I can't tell you how happy I am to see you.” She said and resisted the deep urge to scope her little girl up when she saw the makeshift bandage and the blood on her girls shoulder.

“Cathy are you,” But she already shook her head and forced to smile as she tried to get up but landed on the ground due to her shaking knees.

“He’s alive.” She said happily with tired eyes as Vareva picked her up and placed her carefully in the palm of her hand. “He made it back and saved me.” Added Catherine as Vareva picked him up too and placed him carefully in her hand next to her.

“Well, seems that it becomes a habit for me to pick him up when he is barely alive.” Joked Vareva as she left the place and headed back for their home. Both needed medical attention and the injections, even if powerful treatments, needed living tissue to work their magic.

Vareva was halfway back to their home when she took another look down to her little guests and smiled as she saw Cathy having her left hand in a grip with Sam’s. She really liked the guy but what was with him? Had she ever told him about it? Well, she would talk about that later with her when both would be in a better state. First things came first and that meant to get them stable.

Three days had passed since Ale’ir and her crew had attacked when Vareva finally found the ship about seven miles away from the base. It was already beginning to get covered with a layer of fresh fallen snow so far outside but the smooth outlines of the alien ship were still visible for her as she approached it. .
The female urley stopped a couple of feet in front of it and activated the ramp over Ale’ir’s control device which she had taken from her.
With a hissing noise lowered the metallic ramp at it backside and buried its front partly in the snow before her, before she entered it.
Once inside, overcame her a strange feeling as she found herself passing the first door which, was build for her size of course. It felt strange that everything was now set into normal proportions as she walked through it and found herself in the main area of the ship or as she remembered it calling, the lounge.
The lounge was build into a round form with a round table and seating accommodations build in the same form around it. Tables that reached her hip and chairs, all build for her size, were placed on the walls of the room with cupboards and shelves being here and there. She didn't bothered to look into them but she stopped when she passed the seats in the middle.
How often had she sat there after a mission…a hunt, with the others and had used captured humans as their personal entertainment.


“Come on tiny! Kill him, and you are free to go!”
She could hear her own voice saying to one of her prisoners as the two humans stood terrified on that table while she and the rest of her team sat around it, and placed their bets.

It made her sick inside. They had turned her into a monster. Had given her false memories of people she had never met before of a home on a far off world she had never seen and which probably didn't even existed. They had taken her from her real home so many years ago and had turned her into...this. And worst of all, they hadn't even bothered to erase those old memories...this old life this real life she had had before all that. All they had done, was to implant a barrier inside her brain and then left her to fight against her own race.

Until…

She smiled and closed her eyes banishing all the horrible scenes and replacing them with ones that had always given her hope.

It had been years ago. Back when she and Catherine had lived in Atlantis. Back when she was not the young warrior she was now, but just a child...innocent, but already scarred inside from the war.


“Mom! Mommy! Look!”

Vareva heard the little voice calling out to her as she held one of the reinforced steel beams in position for the human welder group to be fixed into its final position. Flying sparks of molten steel rained down on her hand but did little to nothing as they cooled down halfway. She waited until the team was done before she got her attention to the little voice which was still trying to get her’s.
“Mom look what I did for you.” She heard her saying in a highly excited tone holding up a little paper with something on it.
The tall urley offered her hand palm up, and waited patiently before her girl had climbed up and sat down in the middle before lifting her up and stopping with her, just about her face level.
She wasn’t angry with her. How could she be as she looked at the bright smiling face and her little, wide opened eyes. She held her picture up for Vareva to see and now, could she muster what she had drawn on it.
It was a large figure with yellow and black eyes and long grey hair and camouflaged skin just like she had. She held a smaller figure in her hand and both smiled with some trees around them whom reached up to her waist.

“You did that?” She mocked her with a grin pretending that she had had some help and immediately, got her reaction as Catherine began to frown and pout saying that she did it on her own. “Na ah I bet you got some help from Mrs. Carter.”
Cathy told her again that she had done with all the energy a kid of her young age could muster up as a few more urley gathered around them. Cathy was so proud and showed everyone what she had done and not once was her little girl cheered from the others and asked if she could make a drawing for them too.

“My child…” It seemed so long ago now as she looked at her hand and saw the image of her little daughter sitting in it and smiling up to her. That kid that she had saved so very many years ago from herself and the others of her team.

The memory began to fade but the feeling of that day and so many more like it, remained when Vareva opened her eyes again. Could the years she had spent to save the people give her the salvation for all the bad things she had done before?

Maybe yes, maybe no. Who knew.


The urley warrior moved on and entered the corridor with the crews quarters in it. On each side were four rooms. Single bed rooms with a slightly bigger one for the captain at its end. It had been her room and as she assumed, later, Ale’ir’s.
She wasted no time and walked up the stairs to the cockpit and sat down in the pilot's seat.
The controls began to lighten up and the system was beginning to wake up as a low hum indicated that the reactor was being warmed up.

“Not so fast.” She mumbled to herself and opened the subsystems and from there, went to the manual override codes. She found the lines she needed and wrote in the codes to overheat the reactor. As soon as she was done, left Vareva the cockpit and walked down the stairs when she felt a sudden urge to enter Ale’irs room. Why, she couldn't say as she pushed the button and the door slid open  with a hissing sound.
Ale’irs room, Vareva’s former room as the commanding officer on that ship, hadn’t any greater luxury in it then she could remember. She saw a sword hanging on the opposite wall which was a meant as a mere decoration then as a actually well working weapon. The table to the right, had several datapads on it and Vareva took them. Maybe she would find some useful information on them and especially, how they had managed it to find her.
Sure she knew her hideout would be found someday since she had killed quite a few urley scouts over the years as a mean to protect the city.
It was unavoidable that they would investigate this sector someday as she placed the pads in a pocket at her belt and went around to leave when she heard a faint sound somewhere behind her.

“Hello?” She listened but the noise had stopped. Vareva waited a few seconds before she looked on her watch and set the countdown on the display on standby.
If there was someone on that ship would she get them out of here and bring them back.
“Please, I can help you. Don’t be afraid.” She checked the table and nearby locker for any sings and listened patiently for any sound aside from the humming of the machine as she knelt before the bed and finally, heard it again.

“Please come out I won’t hurt you.”

Vareva waited. Her hands in front of her as she knelt before the bed of her former enemy and looked from side to side in case a little human head would pop up somewhere. She was worried that the little...that the human would be too scared to show up and so she put her combat gear next to her all the while listening and looking for any signs.  
Nothing happened aside from slight rustle now and then. A silent wince here and there.
Whoever it was was scared and she couldn't blame the person for that.

“I promise...I swear, you have nothing to fear from me. Ale’ir, the commander of this ship and her crew, is dead. They won’t come back, but you have to show yourself because the ship will blow up soon and I would really like to leave before that happens.”
But again, happened nothing as she waited and waited...until.

“W-will you not...hurt me?”

Vareva looked under the bed and finally could she see the source as the small huddled frame of a human appeared before her his arms...or what was left of them, hugging his front as he slowly made his way towards her with only a makeshift crotch as support.

Vareva’s first instinct was to grab him and get him out but as she took a second look at him, could she see why he had made such a slow approach on her.
His left leg was gone as well as a part of his left arm. He only wore a simple piece of cloth as a pair of trousers which was already stitched up here and there. He had no hair on his head but instead just a few scars which ran over his head and whom seemed to be made by acid-burns or burns in general. His only foot had a larger bandage starting from his foot and going up to his knee which appeared to have been broken a few times since his leg had healed in a few wrong ways.
His chest revealed multiple scars running over it and also seemed to have burns on it as he came closer to her. His entire form was beaten and he also looked as if he hadn’t gotten anything to eat for weeks as his haggard face looked up at her with his only good eye.

“Oh...by the gods.” Murmured Vareva as she gave him a bit more room. She tried to get lower and appear to him as friendly as possible as he began to get out from under the bed.
“What did she do to you.”

The man...said no word but only looked at her before he lost his strength and began to fall.
Vareva was faster and before he made any contact with the hard floor, was her palm already there and cushioned his landing.

“Easy there.”

“Are...are they really gone?” His voice was weak as he laid in her palm and looked up at her with his only eye left.

“Yeah.” it was all that she could say as he held this little life closer and sat down on her former opponents bed. Now that she could see him better, was she able to see even more scars on his body as she whisked a bit of dirt and dried blood from him.
She did so gently on his face as his right hand touched her finger and stopped her.

“Then...please. Let me go too.”

“But I can get you out of here. I can help you.” But the human only shook his head as she slowly took her finger away and placed her hand gently on his body.

The human felt the warmth of her skin on his. It was something he had thought that he would never feel again in his life as years of his tormentum at the hands of Ale’ir and the others repeated themselves inside his head.
How many people he had seen come and vanish. Most were killed by his tormentors art of fun. Others, just caught to be used as food or...other things. But he, he had been spared all the time only to watch.

“Please…” begged he nearly as he touched her fingers again and gently almost without any strength of his won pulled her index finger and thumb up until his head rested between them.
“...let me go.” The little soul whispered as a large teardrop fell on her hand and ran down her skin.
Was that what she was, again to do the dirty work of others, as her thumb and index finger touched the side of his head and rested there for a few more seconds.
He saw her crying and rubbed his only good hand against the skin of her thumb as she and him looked at each other and she, saw his smile and a nod before he closed his eyes.

“Thank you…”




She looked back as the back door ramp of the ship closed just as her display gave her a warning sign that the last seconds were about to count down and gave the ship a last look before its hull began to moan and began to get sucked it as if an invisible force seemed to push it inwards.
The entire process took only moments as the reactor created a miniature black hole inside its chamber and sucked everything into in its reach.
It was only moments later when the last pieces of his old life were sucked through a microscopic abyss and she turned away when it was gone and only she, and the cold icy desert remained without any trace left that an Urley transporter had stood here.


“Maybe, that is only what I am good for after all.” Whispered the warrior as she looked at her hand and tried to whisk away the sound that the neck of the tiny guys neck had made when she had fulfilled his wish.
But to be honest, she knew that that, among many other sounds and pictures she had had about her old and new life, wouldn't vanish until her time would come too...
All she was hoping for,was that when it would be her, that she had someone gentle with her too when her time would come.




_ _ _ _ _ _


"Thanks" said Catherine as Sam gave her another spoon with a hot soup that had the strange taste of chicken despite him saying that it would be beef or at least beef flavor with meat like pieces as Sam watched out not to spill any of the contents on the spoon
She laid in one of the transportable beds from the base with two covers over her to keep her warm.
The room they were in, belonged to an older office building since the devas had literally destroyed the hangar they had lived in, before on their search to find another entrance.
It wasn't much but for the moment, it was better than nothing.

“You know I can eat by myself, right?” Catherine obliged and opened her mouth to accept the hot soup as Sam looked at her from his seat.

“And you know you aren't in the position to argue at least not now.” Replied Sam in a stern and slightly annoyed tone as he waited for another round of arguments coming from her.
“Your body needs rest at least for the next few days, until those nano-thingys could do their work on you. And now eat up. You need it.”


Catherine eyed the room from her point and saw some of the boxes and crates laying near a wall next to a small generator. It was just then that she noticed some improvised lamps here and there who illuminated the room next to the two barrels which had a warm fire in them.

“Did you do that?”

“Who else should have?” Came Sam’s answer as he held her another spoon to take. “Your ‘mom’ helped with the moving but aside of that, is it all human hand made.”

“But, how? I mean you were…” But Sam cut her off before she could end her sentence.

“The suit injected me with so many painkiller dosages, that I was numb for an entire day. Believe me, my body hurts like hell right now but I can move and that's the important part. Besides,” He said and for the first time since she had opened her eyes, could she see a small smirk on his lips which vanished as soon as it appeared. “Who else could take care of you in here.”

Catherine said no word as she turned her head to the side and glanced without any mean at the wall.

“Hey. What's wrong, you’ve got to eat.”

“She could.” Came her reply but she still didnt looked at him. “She could. Even now.”

Sam took the spoon away and waited not sure what to say as her head turned again and her eyes, suddenly filled with a fire met his.
“She did it as long as I can remember. She was always there for me, Sam.”

“I don’t get it Cathy!” He said and placed the dish on a nearby cargo box before he stood up and walked over to one of the fireplaces.
“I get it that you two have lived together for some time and that you see more in her then me or anyone else would but don’t you think that this ‘mom’ thing gets a bit too far now?”

“You wouldn’t understand Sam. None of you can. She saved me from a group of urley when I was a kid and...and...”

"And what! She is an alien! She and all the others like her, butchered billions of people. Our world was green once Catherine. Warm once....filled with life and sounds and now, look what they did to it." He said and had all hands full to suppress his own memories of those who had been taken away from him. " She will never be more for me then a possible threat."

Sam finished his little speech  in a low whispering tone as he looked at his hands whom he held near the fire feeling the warmth upon his skin.

None of them said a word after and for some time was the only sound the howling of the wind outside and the slight cracking of the fire inside the bowl.

"Once were back at Cedia, you can try and convince Butch about it. He might even listen to what you say and will decide how we continue."
He added and went back to her bed holding the dish of soup again in his hand.

"And if he trusts me, and agrees upon my decision to bring you all to Atlantis?" She said facing him now with a slight angry glare in her facial expression.

"Then I will trust upon his decision...if I like it or not." He replied and held her another spoon of the soup which, after a moment of silence between them, she finally ate.


_ _ _ _ _ _ _

Vareva leaned against a nearby building and waited for Sam to appear. She wanted to talk with him about what she had found and about the next steps in person and not over the com. She felt that it would be better that way and also wanted to know him a bit more aside from the few times they had to talk with each other when he had prepared the second floor as his, and Cathy’s new home. She knew that he was far from being fond of her but he had to step over his shadow sooner or later...and especially when they would leave with the others to Atlantis.

She checked the logs from Ale’ir’s ship and scrolled through her personal log when a small figure appeared on the roof a few floors above her.

“You wanted to see me?!” Sam’s voice was far from sounding happy to be here as she looked up and noticed that he was rubbing his hands together.

“I thought you wanted to wear one of those thermal suits.”

“I do. But I can't work with the gloves on. So what is it.”

“I found Ale’irs ship and destroyed it.”

“Any survivors?” Asked Sam and blew some warm air into his cupped hands before he rubbed them again.

“N-no...no survivors. But I found some files.” She showed him one of the pads but Sam only gave it a short look as he saw the runes in which the urley wrote. He had seen them before on some of their armor or on some of the devas but he had never understood it.
“It's about some logs and patrols in a few sectors. Some of it is pretty up to date and could help us.” Said Vareva and saw the look of disinterest in his face. “But don’t worry there aren't any nearby.”

“That's what we have you for. If any of your friends show up, must you deal with them. I simply don’t have the firepower since the suit got destroyed.”

“Don't you worry your pretty little head Sam.” Vareva grinned and looked up at him but saw no sign that her little joke got to him.
“You...still don't like me hm?”

“Is there any reason why I should?

“Well, I saved your life a few times now so, I thought that you maybe would be a bit more open now.”

“Okay let me get a few things clear now. You and me, we will never ‘open up’ on each other nor will I ever do with anyone else of your kind. Right now, you are nothing more than a tool for me. I will need you as a shield and a sword on our way back and as a carrier for the rations that you have stored here and once we are back in Cedia, can Butch decide what to do with you.” His glare would have burned its way through her flesh, skull and brain if he had had the power to do it or poisoned with his words as he stood upon the roof and looked at Vareva who was a bit shocked to hear him but also not really surprised.
He had been like that the entire time over the last days and she wasn't going to blame him. After all, wouldn't he be here if they had not landed….but, neither would she be here if they hadn't taken her.

Both stood at their spots and looked at each other for a few brief moments as the cold weather tore on Sam’s clothes before he adjusted his scarf around his neck a bit and then turned to move back inside.
“Get ready...we move tomorrow morning.” Came his last sentence before he closed the door to the staircases and left Vareva behind in the cold.
She waited for a few brief moments and sighted shaking her head slightly as she hoped that Butch would be a bit easier to talk to.
Well, from what, what Cathy had told her over the years, seemed he to be a more reasonable person and he surely would understand and see that she wouldn't have any bad intentions in mind and that Atlantis would only be a logical choice...well their only choice if what she knew from Cathy, was right.



“Are you sure that you can do this?”

“I practised with it her.” Replied Sam calmly and closed the backdoor to the truck before he looked back towards the giant who was getting her gear ready herself along with a makeshift over sized poncho.

“Don’t worry sweety, he barely hit any other cars in his practise or killed the engine off...well, just a couple of times...oh and the lamp he ran over was also totally unexpected.”

“Hey! I’m sorry that I don’t have that much of practise when it comes to driving a car or truck or other stuff. It's not that I was growing up in a damn vault,” He said as he opened the door and waited before he looked back towards Vareva and then inside the truck. “oh wait, I was.”

“Well, the streets should be cleared of any obstacles.” Came Vareva’s answer as she now talked with them over her com and prepared her backpack and checked her gear for a last time.
She had to admit that as much as she looked forward to make a first real contact herself with the survivors of the vault, was she also a bit nervous about how she should approach them. Sure she had some experience in that field since she had to interact with different humans back in atlantis for nearly two decades and she was certain that she would act responsible and most of all, careful with them would it work out somehow. But the people in atlantis, they were used to her and the others...but them, they only knew her kind as monsters. Well, she would do what she had came for and bring them all back to atlantis and finally end this mission. And she was sure that she would make a good impression on them. After all, they had had some gifts in form of fresh apples, and other very rare foods to share and the best way to make friends, was to fill their bellies.

“Just like you did back then with those that you found and caught right?!”

“What?” Vareva looked back towards the truck before her and then quickly around leaving her right hand close to the pistol as her adrenaline pushed her body onward and left her in a kind of nervous state. Who had said that?

“I asked you if we can go now.”

Vareva shook her head and grabbed a bag from the ground with some of her personal belongings and a few of her own rations and other stuff she would probably need as she looked back down and nodded on what Sam slowly speed up and followed the snowed street towards the gate of the base.

Cedia and its people were in for quite a surprise. Thought Sam as he drove through one of the last gates and went towards the street to his hometown.

Bakersfield…



It felt like an eternity to Sam as he saw the first outlines of his city and the large lonesome tower of the old office building near its center as he stopped the truck and gave his eyes a moment to look over his home.
Truth was, that it had been just a few days since the lone urley had attacked him and upon which, he had been saved by Vareva and Catherine.
Both had saved him in the nick of time and after his first meeting with the giant alien and a load of questions and answers which Cathy had taken care of, not to mention the little party that Vareva’s old team mates had given shortly after, was he finally back home.

So much had happened in such a short time and he himself was still unsure if he could believe it all.
Atlantis...humans who worked and lived together with urley, these giants...an entire base hidden under the thick ice of the North Pole.
It still sounded like a dream and while a part of him still screamed ‘Trap!’, was another part of him eager to get there and meet those people.
Cedia was his home but the old bunker had its limits and those limits or better, its age was already showing with its first cracks and leaks. His home wouldn't last forever and Atlantis...seemed good.

He was still in his thoughts as Vareva’s shadow fell over the drivers window and her right knee buried into the soft snow next to his door.

“Are you okay?” Her worried tone still surprised him as she looked though the small window of the truck as she placed both of the large bags on each side of the vehicle.
“You should have slept a bit. You know I could have pulled your little car easily.”
Her statement did not surprise him in the least. She was much stronger than her look would tell but she was already carrying two large (for her) bags and one large backpack all stuffed to the limit with food rations, medical supplies, and other goods that she and Cathy had salvaged over the years, and recently.
Also, didn’t he wanted he to be chained up to her should another, unfriendlier, urley show up. She was their only effective protection against them for the moment since the power suit had suffered way too much damage in the fight.

“I’m fine...I...I just haven't seen the city like that. It's so calm and looks so peacefully. As if,”

“...It would sleep.” Finished Cathy as she climbed over the passenger's seat and gave Sam a wide smile.
The young woman had slept most of the time since they had started their way from the base to the city since she too had to recover from a deep wound on her shoulder.
She pushed a loose strand of her hair behind her ear as she made herself comfortable in the passenger's seat.

“Slept well?” Came Sam’s question as she yawned but grimaced as she lifted her right, injured arm, a little too much in the process.
Vareva too chimed in the conversation as she saw her adopted daughter through the windows and smiled genuinely to see her kid back up.

“So and so. But I’m good.” Replied the brunette woman with a grin as she spoke into her headset to get into contact with the giant.


Sam nodded before he asked Vareva if she was good to go again on what they continued their trip towards the snowy hills of Mount Nisir which grew proudly behind the city.
Another hour passed until the group arrived at the mountain's foot and Sam stopped the large truck before a incredibly large rocky wall.
It easily dwarfed even the urley as she placed her bags down and took a look around while Sam stepped out of the car with his thick jacket pulled tightly to shield himself from the chilly weather while Vareva seemed to have no problem at all despite her, to his look, thin combat overall.

“You should have taken one of the thermogarments, Sam.” Remarked Vareva as she saw him shivering under the cold winds and blowing warm air into his hands as he rummaged at a piece of the stone.

“I- I am fine. It’s not that c-cold.” Came his reply as he opened a small console which was hidden under some artificial rock. The system acknowledged his code and activated the mechanisms to open the huge, hidden, entry doors.

“Stubborn as always.” Whispered Vareva with a smirk under her breath and a shake of her head as the mountain wall before her began to split.


“Home, sweet home.” Sam couldn't hide his joy as he walked towards the huge entrance which was a t least as tall as Vareva. At least she wouldn't have to duck down all the time, thought he when he saw her surprised expression.
But why did he care she had to duck down or not?

“Well, time to meet the rest of your bunch.” Began Vareva and shouldered her bags again. She was already a step before the dim lighted entrance when Sam told her to stop.

“Okay.” Said Sam as he walked back towards the driver's door of their truck and got in again.
“They will know that the doors have opened…” Continued he with a scratch on his neck.
“And hopefully won't activate the bombs.”

“Bombs? What bombs.”  Escaped it Vareva who halted her movement as soon as she heard it over the com.

“The ones placed to seal the entire tunnel. Just in case any of you had ever found it.” Answered Sam flat as he looked over towards Catherine.
“You should stay in here. Its freezing out there and…” There was more that he wanted to say, more that he wanted to tell her as they both looked at each other. But they had to get inside and close the entrance again before any not so friendly urley could notice it.
“Make sure that you are ready to drive this thing inside when I give you the signal.”

“S- Sam,” But the door was already closed and he on his way. She would have to talk to him later as she watched him from the driver's seat.
The winds began to pick up as the light of the day, began to fade already. It wouldn’t be long now. And when everything would be set out at the end of this day, would she ask him the one question that was burning inside of her for so long now.


Even with the scarf shielding his mouth and nose was the cold wind hurting his face as he left the truck and put on his slim gloves. Behind the truck knelt Vareva and dropped the heavy bags filled with supplies for the base and her backpack on the ground.
He tipped the communicator two times and told her to give him a moment and to get comfortable.
She didn't seemed uncomfortable at all even with only the, for his understanding, thin combat suit. But he had given up to understand how those multi layered urley suits worked which she had tried to explain him a few times on their way home.
She wasn't freezing for all he knew and wouldn't even if she would have to wait here for hours or even days.
On his way towards the rocky wall, wondered Sam why he even cared if she would freeze.


It took him a bit to disarm the first lines, and to place the mines to the sides but it was done.
He told them to come but to be careful...just in case.


Cathy was the first to enter and drove slowly inside. The dim lights mounted on the roof of the tunnel worked sparsely and since most were broken turned Catherine the lights on the truck on to get a better view.
Sam was kneeling in some distance and worked on another line of explosives as she stopped and took a look around.
Wires ran along the walls and ended and started anew from small but well placed explosive packs and she noticed carefully placed mines on the sides near the walls.

“Are you okay Sam?” The worries in her tone were quite understandable but instead of giving an answer, held he only his thumb up at her.

Vareva came behind the truck with her bags, slung over her bag. The walls had some cracks here and there and frozen water covered a few places on the walls and the ceiling. She noticed the wires and small boxes on the wall but knew better than to touch anything. The whole stuff had been set here years ago and the gods knew how fragile they were if they would be touched. She was even a bit worried that a too long look at them, might blow them up when the entrance doors began to close behind her.
With a loud clang shut the doors behind the now slightly worried urley as she looked back at the truck, and the human in front of it. There was no going back for them and all she could do, was to trust him that he would get them in, in one piece.


Sam continued his work on one line of explosives after another. The lights from the truck helped him to see as they went deeper and deeper as the lights around him, began to weaken slowly until they died off completely.
“Must have shut them off finally.” Remarked Sam as he blew some warm air into his hand and moved them a bit to get a bit of feeling into them again.
“But don't worry...only two more, and where there.”
Two more. He said it again in his head and was about to think on what then. Sure he could open the inner gate and get them in...but he was pretty sure that every available weapon in Cedia was already waiting for that to happen and he had no way to tell them that it was him.
Well, maybe they would wait just long enough for him to enter….a risky thought.

It took him about fifteen more minutes until he had disabled the last batch and was now standing right before the inner blast doors.

“Okay you two you stay back and wait...eh if..if they decide to shoot first and ask later,” He pondered the words but what else could they do. Sure Vareva could bash forward and maybe….the hell was he thinking?! If they would see her before he could clear the coast, would they fire everything they had on her. Understandable, but not what he had in mind.
“...well, just wait and hope for the best I guess.”

He worked on the control panel and bypassed the system. He told Cathy to stay back a bit more and shut off the engine and turn off the lights while Vee would have to wait a bit further back. He gulped as the heavy blast doors began to part in the middle. The thin layer of frosted water fell of its metallic surface as the mechanics behind the walls moved for the first time since the last two and a half decades. Strangely, he thought, were they still pretty much in a good shape as the massive doors made way into Cedias inner sanctum.


“Alright…here we go.”  Sam breathed out long as he made a long step and steadied himself with raised arms for the first bullet to be fired.
With his eyes shut, waited he several agonizing long seconds but to his surprise, fired nobody.
Hadn’t they noticed that someone was coming? Had the sensors failed to sound an alarm?
He pondered the possibilities as he opened his eyes and looked into a dark nothing before him as the first beam of light, cut through the darkness, and hit him full on.
Sam tried to shield his eyes as several more lights shined right at him and set him perfectly on stage for everyone to see.
A loud voice told him to stay still.”or it will be the last thing that you….Sam?” The male voice asked in a raised voice as silent murmurs began to fill the void around him.
“But...we thought you were dead?”
More voices sprang up on that as he began to lower his arms a bit to shield his eyes from the blinding light.
“Well, not yet.” Came his reply as he lowered his hands a bit more just to be stopped with a silent clicking noise.

“But you should. Or can you somehow explain to us how you survived the attack of an urley?”
The new voice in the round belonged to Castor. A man with a burly figure who was a few years younger than Sam.
“Oh and when you do, tell us how you killed that one because I bet everyone would die to know it.”

Not sooner had Castor finished his little speech when the flash lights were turned off and the normal light began to illuminate the large hangar.
Sam thought that half of Cedias population had gathered to ‘welcome’ the visitor as he looked at the faces before him and on the second floor, above it.
They looked frightened as if they had expected the end itself to enter through that door.
Faces he knew as friends, as family, who now aimed their weapons at him.

“I had help and if you allow me, can I sho…”

“Liar!” Yelled Castor and cut him off as he made his way towards him. “Who would have been able to help you?! You were alone!”

Castor nearly spat into his face as he came closer aiming the end of his pistol straight at his head the entire time.
That was not the welcome home he had hoped for.

“Let me explain Cas, but first put down your gun.”

“Do you need some help?” Asked Cathy over the com as she followed the scene from inside of the truck.

Everyone will put down their guns!”
The powerful voice deep and rough echoed through the room as the sound of a pair of heavy boots made their way towards both men.
Gray, backcombed hair shone under the lights as Richard's eye wandered over the line of his people before they stopped with a stern expression back on Castor and Sam.
The old man stood nearly two heads over both men as he eyed Castor again who lowered his gun finally on what Sam gave out an audible sigh.

“Are you okay, should we come?” Came Varevas concerned voice over his mic a bit too loud on what both men before him gave Sam a surprised look.

“Who’s that?!” Said Castor angrily as he already began to lift his gun.
Richard just held his hand down when he saw it and gave him a long, stern look before he took it and another long moment went by before Richard looked back to Sam.

“Well, let them in.” Came his answer as he signalized everyone to lower their weapons.


Sam signalized Cathy to come on what she started the engine and slowly made er way in under the watchful eyes of cedias population.

Richard had to blink a few times when the old truck came in, thinking that he was seeing a ghost but it surprised him even more when Catherine opened the door and left the vehicle with a wave of her hand and a friendly hello.

“W- where back, Boss.” Was all that she said as she walked over to Sam and him until a slow rumble went through the hall followed by a steady thud of giant boots.

“W...What the hell.” Grumbled Castor when the gargantuan shadow of he urley fell over him and the others.
The hangar went silent as the massive urley came out of the shadows of the corridor and stood upright at its entrance.
Dozens of eyes looked up at her. Most being filled with fear and the first levels of panic as they stood openly in front of one of the very beings that had forced them and many more into hiding many years ago.

Vareva tried her best to look as non threatening as she could as she carefully placed the two bags on the ground and inspected the small beings in front of her.


Sam looked up at her Vareva as she gave him and his little group a look over before her eyes fell back to the people on the other side of the room.

“Like she said, Butch, we’re back.” Began Sam with a grin as he began to walk over towards Varevas boots closely followed by Cathy as they stopped close in front of her.
“...and we have a lot to tell…”