Chapter 9: Welcome to the Resistance

January 12, 2024 2:36 PM

Lindsey held on to the catmonster's hair as it stalked through the woods. Despite its huge size, it was making very little noise and was managing to only step on a few trees. Lindsey had known catmonsters could be incredibly silent when they wanted to be, but it was still surprising just how quiet something so huge could be.

She glanced over to Sanders and saw that he still had an angry look to him. She couldn't blame him, Jacob had shot at his catmonster and, judging by the way he acted with her, Sanders cared a good bit for her. It was kind of cute seeing him be so protective of her when she was the one who with a thirty story height advantage. But she didn't have time for that, she needed to find out if Sanders could be really trusted or not. After all, that was why Darius had sent her with Derek, along with making sure he didn't kill him before they found out.

"You seem to have a rather close relationship with the ca- Pyrrha," Lindsey caught herself, figuring he probably would prefer she use her name.
"How did you manage to tame her like this?" Lindsey asking. Going straight for the question of trust would just make him suspect something. Better to go at it in a round about manner.  Sanders glanced over and his angry look faded a bit.

"Well...I guess just dumb luck. Pyrrha is an experimental new catgirl that the Society bred. They made her to be smarter than a normal catgirl and I guess it, also, made her more... human? I...I don't really know how to explain it, but she isn't like a normal catgirl so I doubt what I did to..."tame" her would work again," Sanders said, though he seemed to not enjoy using that word. Lindsey couldn't help but smile at this new information. The fact he was just offering it up further proved he was not with the Society, which was nice. But the knowledge they were turning a Society prototype weapon against them was the real treat. That was just so perfect she almost wanted to giggle.

"I see. Shame we cannot duplicate your dumb luck on another catmon- catgirl. Turning them against the Society would be a wonderful sight to see. That said, you still didn't answer my question. If you don't wish to talk about it, I understand, just tell me so," Lindsey said trying to be as nice as possible. She had found long ago that honey got further with people than vinegar. Though that didn't mean she couldn't use vinegar when it was needed...

"I guess I didn't... Its fine just...seems like its been another lifetime since then. I got separated from the rest of my Ranger group and lost in the woods. Was pretty banged up and was about to pass out when I stumbled onto her. She was even worse than I was and was about to become a meal for a pack of wolves. Don't really know why I did it, but I charged in and fought them. Everyone I killed she ate and the more she ate the more her wounds healed till she was able to move again. That was when I passed out and, well, I guess she must have felt some kind of appreciation for me cause I woke up on her rather than in her. Kinda been stuck with her since," Sanders finished rubbing the back of Pyrrha's ear. The large catmonster gave a low purr of pleasure from the scratching. Seemed to Lindsey it was a bit more than just appreciation that was keeping Pyrrha from eating him. Perhaps whatever the Society did to make her smarter also got something else working again... Now THAT would be a sight.

"Ahh. Dumb luck indeed to stumble onto her when she was most vulnerable and get the chance to save her. Not hard to see why she would take a shining to you after saving her. Doubly so when most sane people would have left her to die," Lindsey said with a slight smirk. Sanders sighed at that and nodded.

"Yeah...I look back on it and I always can't help but wonder what the hell I was thinking. But...but how could I just turn my back on her when she was crying for help? Who would be the monster if I had just left her to die all alone?" Sanders said as he looked down. Lindsey sighed in her head at that response. Another fool of a man who thinks himself a hero... though his luck had saved him from those foolish thoughts thus far. It would be interesting to see how long he lived. Shame too, she was starting to like Sanders.

"Rather noble of you and a rare outlook out here. You won't find many who would agree with your choice and many who will think you a fool. Just fair warning," Lindsey said with the same slight smirk. Sanders turned back to her and gave his own smirk.

"Maybe. But if I hadn't been a fool we wouldn't be riding on Pyrrha right now, would we?" Sanders shot back. Lindsey had to laugh at that as she decided she did like Sanders.

"Very true. And Hope might very well have been doomed as well. The world does have a sense of humor and enjoys making fools out of geniuses and geniuses out of fools," Lindsey said as Pyrrha came to a stop.

Sanders motioned for quiet as Pyrrha began to lower herself to the ground. Lindsey knew what was about to happen, she had been on the receiving end of it more than once. Pyrrha had found something and was getting ready to pounce. Sanders braced himself against Pyrrha's head and began to wrap more of her hair in his hand. Lindsey did the same, trusting his greater experience to keep them both safe. A fall from Pyrrha, even while she was crouched, would mean a broken limb, at best.

Pyrrha inched forward a little and Lindsey tried to look over her head to see what they were stalking. She managed to see a few deer in the area and gave a slight sigh of relieve. She didn't think Sanders would let her hunt people, but it was still a worry in the back of her mind.

Pyrrha lowered a few inches more before springing forward with horrifying speed. Lindsey held on with all her strength as she was pushed back by the inertia, only to nearly smack into Pyrrha's head when she smashed down into the ground. Lindsey managed to stop herself with her feet, just like Sanders, and heard a Pyrrha's hands smashing through trees to get at her prey. She glanced back down and saw Pyrrha had snatched up quite a few of the deer in the small herd, blood dripping out of her hand.

Lindsey looked away as Pyrrha began to bring the fists full of deer to her mouth, having no real interest in watching that. She could hear the crunching of bones and such as Pyrrha chewed them up and gave a slight cringe. Sanders didn't seem to enjoy the sounds anymore than she did and didn't bother to hide his disgust.

"She isn't the most...delicate of eaters," he said with a slight smile as another loud crack came from her mouth. He shook his head in disgust.

"I see...or rather hear," Lindsey said as Pyrrha began to lick her hands clean. As she did, the hole in her wrist looked to slowly shrink, but didn't vanish completely. Lindsey had fought catmonsters before and seen their healing ability work. However, it was something else to see it up close like this along with the sheer power at ones fingertips. Darius' plan was looking more and more likely to succeed.

"That should be good enough for now. We'll head back to the gas station and pick up the others trail from there. Pyrrha, let's go," Sanders said. Pyrrha didn't stop licking her hands, but did stand up all the way. Lindsey couldn't help but be a bit nervous finding herself nearly 300 scale feet off the ground and only a catmonster being between her and certain death. She made sure not to show it, though, as she keep a good grip on Pyrrha as she got moving back toward the gas station, licking her hands as she went.

After a minute, Lindsey felt confident enough not to keep a death grip on Pyrrha's hair and had got into the rhythm of bracing for the jarring footfalls. Oddly, Sanders didn't seem so used to it and was looking a little off. Despite his look, Lindsey decided now would be a good time to get at the heart of why she wanted to come along. Doubly so with him looking a bit out of it.

"If you don't mind me asking, what got you to quit the Society and join with us?" Lindsey asked figuring now was a good time to test Sanders. Of course, she already knew the story he had told Darius and Derek, Darius had sent it along with her new orders. Hopefully, the story he told her would be the same one that was in that letter, otherwise... Otherwise, she might have to figure out a way to kill a catmonster on her own. How fun.

Sanders sighed  and looked to the side after she asked her question. He took a second to respond, seemingly conflicted in what to say.

"My giantess leader, Isabella, found out something, something Dr. Manchent had been trying to tell us before he... I don't know what she found, but it was horrid enough to convince her to quit the Society. She was trying to get us out and to safety when they killed her...all because she happened to learn something they didn't want her to know," Sanders' hand tightened into a fist.
"I quit because I am going to make them pay. Isabella was a great woman who deserved better. Just like Dr. Manchent and God knows how many others. I'll find what Manchent left and Isabella found, go back to New Atlanta, and make sure the Matriarchs and Aviel pay for betraying what they should be standing for!" Sanders said with a mix of anguish and rage. Lindsey was very skilled at seeing past deceptions and lies, as a scout should be. She didn't see either on Sanders' face. And his story, mostly, matched up with the version Darius sent him. Lindsey was pretty well convinced Sanders was not with the Society. Of course, if he was an ally or not was still to be seen. Only a fool blindly trusted the enemy of their enemy.

"You seem rather determined on that course. I take it Isabella and you were close?" she asked, deciding to push a little further. Sanders blushed a bit and turned away.

"Not...Not that way. She was...a very special person. Kind, but stern when she needed to be. She treated all of us, including Flonne, our fairy, like family and always remembered that us normal sized people were still people. She never thought she was better than anyone just because she was a giantess and was always...always protecting us...and everyone else...right till the end," Sanders said as his look changed to sadness and lose. He turned away and hung his head. Lindsey was beyond sure this was genuine. Isabella's lose had hit him hard and it looked like he still hadn't had real time to mourn her. No way of faking this kind of look.

"Sorry. I should not have brought her up," Lindsey said, still trying to stay as polite as possible, and feeling a bit guilty. Sanders shook his head.

"Its fine...just...can we not talk for a bit?" Sanders asked. Lindsey nodded and the two of them fell silent. Pyrrha gave a soft meow, but went silent after that as well. They stayed silent until they reached the gas station.

It didn't take long for the combined efforts of Lindsey and Pyrrha to pick up the others trail. It was even easier to follow it with Lindsey picking out their tracks and Pyrrha keeping their scent. It only took them about half an hour to catch up with Derek and the rest. Jacob stayed away from Pyrrha, as he should after his stupidity, as she lowered Sanders and Lindsey down to the ground.

"I can say for certain that riding a catm- Pyrrha is a very interesting experience. One I did not think I would ever have, as well. She is safe enough, as is Sanders. As long as one does not give them a reason to be dangerous," she said shooting her worst glare at Jacob. Sadly, the boy had preempted her glare and was looking away.

Derek ignored the glare at his son and nodded in approval.

"Good. We haven't been able to find the rest of the Force's trail, yet, but we know where they are going. If we keep moving we should catch up to them sometime tomorrow," Derek said as he turned to get moving. Sanders glanced down and sighed as he looked about to say something he didn't want to. Lindsey had some idea what it was.

"We...we could catch them faster if we all rode on Pyrrha. She can move a lot faster just walking that we can, even while running," Sanders said, glaring a bit at Jacob. Jacob returned the glare full force and planted his feet on the ground rather firmly. It was so nice seeing everyone get along...though she supposed that wasn't too fair to Jacob. Luke and Samantha didn't seem anymore thrilled with the idea than he did and the look on Derek's face was...displeased to say the least.

"It can also kill us all just by rolling over or tripping. We will walk, thank you," Derek said getting a look of relief from Samantha and Luke. Premature relief.

"Come now, Derek, Pyrrha is not a dog or a pig. She doesn't just roll over whenever she feels like it and when was the last time you saw a catmonster trip?  We will be perfectly safe up on her, probably more safe in fact. Up there we won't have to worry about being stepped on or the wildlife. And the sooner we get back to the Force, the sooner it will have its Commander back," Lindsey said, knowing that last part would be the selling point for Derek. It was no secret Derek had a soft spot for the soldiers under his command and Lindsey was more than willing to use it to her advantage.

Derek growled a bit in annoyance, but Lindsey could tell it was the "don't like it but will accept it growl". Good, if Derek rode on Pyrrha and saw she was no threat, he would be more apt to make sure another incident like with Jacob wouldn't happen again. An incident they could NOT afford to repeat.

"Fine. But its on your head if something goes wrong," Derek said getting a swear from Luke.

"If something goes wrong we will all, most likely, be dead," she said with a smile that didn't make Samantha or Luke any happier. Jacob shook his head and sighed to himself.

Sanders got Pyrrha to pick up the group two at a time and lift them onto her back. She didn't mind getting Lindsey or Samantha on though Samantha still seemed very unsure about this. She did star to sniff at them before Sanders got her to quit, making Samantha really nervous. Luke and Derek got a slight growl from her as she lifted them up, which they both gave right back to her. Sanders had to bring Jacob with him when he came up as Pyrrha wouldn't let him near her without him. She hissed and growled at him as she lifted him up while Sanders glared at him the entire time. For his part, Jacob said nothing and looked away, much to Lindsey's relief. At least the boy knew when to suck it up and deal with it.

With everyone on, Pyrrha started forward on all fours while they held on to the fur on her back to stay on.

"Not..very smooth is it?" Luke said as her back bent and shifted as she moved, moving them right along with it.

"No...I'm going to...go to her head and...see if I can fix that," Sanders said as he stumbled up to her neck. Luke glared at him as he left them, looking less than convinced by that lie.

"Too good... for us, huh? Figures," he grumbled out in annoyance.

"I...don't think that's it," Samantha said as she pointed back to him. They glanced over and saw Sanders starting to climb up her hair, but having to stop to gag into his hand. He managed to hold it in, but his face had turned a very unhealthy green. Motion sickness...maybe he wasn't so lucky after all. Luke chuckled at that and shook his head.

"Pussy."

Despite Sanders attempts to make the ride smoother, it was still a rather uncomfortable ride. Every so often Lindsey and the rest would have to get off just to rest a bit and enjoy having solid ground under them. It was, also, a good chance to try and pick up the Force's trail, though it wasn't till after sundown that Lindsey managed to find it. Another hour of bumpy traveling got them caught up with the Force.

Derek had to yell down at them to hold fire as he was put down by Pyrrha, along with Lindsey. The Force had hidden itself well and had readied itself to fight, but a few of them came out when Derek yelled. They gave the all clear sign and the rest of the rear squad of the Force came out. A runner got the other squad leaders to come back so they could talk about what to do with Pyrrha and Sanders.

"I think it would be best if we keep the...catmonster away from the soldiers, sir. A lot of them have lost friends and family to those things and might be more than a little trigger happy," Fulton suggested getting a nod of agreement from Susan and Jeremy. Derek nodded as well and Lindsey made it a unanimous decision.

By then it was already well into the night and Derek decided that they might as well set up camp. Pyrrha and Sanders set up a good ways away from the Force, but Lindsey made sure to have some of the more trustworthy people of the Force keep an eye on them. Normally, she would have just watched them herself, but she needed to talk to Derek now that they could be alone. She found him up on a hill overlooking their camp, sitting next to a tree he was leaning on.

"Watching your soldiers, Derek? Making sure they are all tucked in for bed?" she said as she creep up behind him. He didn't jump from her voice, however, and just simply turned to face her.

"Making sure they are safe. Something I know you find pointless," Derek said as he turned back to the camp. Lindsey walked up and leaned against the tree he was sitting next to.

"Indeed I do. Your time would be better spent simply resting and winding yourself down some. No amount of watching or worrying will stop them from dying if we are found. So what's the point? All your doing is making yourself worry," she said thinking back to when she used to do the same. So much stress...so much pain...so much death... She beat herself up over it everyday till Darius finally got her to see. Pity he couldn't get Derek to see it too.

"Maybe there isn't a point and maybe I am just worrying, but what I do with my time is my business Let's not get into this right now, though. I assume you are here to talk about Sanders and the catmonster?" Derek said as he looked back up at her.

"Indeed I am. I questioned Sanders on why he quit the Society and he told me a close enough story to the one he told you and Darius. He, also, made it very clear he is not a fan of the Society. Should have seen the anger and bitterness on his face when he talked about their betrayal of him, you would have been impressed," Lindsey said glancing back to where she could just barely make out Pyrrha's shape in the distance. 

"So he isn't a spy then and we can trust him?" Derek asked going straight to the point as usual.

"To the first part, almost certainly. Even if he was a spy, I doubt he is one any longer. The Society did something to him to make him furious with them, whether that is the story he tells or something else, who knows and who cares? Either way, he is furious at them and more than ready to fight them. As for trust, that's a bit harder to say. I think, at least for this mission, we can. After that, though, I am not so sure. Our...priorities and combat doctrine are probably not going to agree with him," Lindsey said sighing inward. It would be a shame to lose that catmonster, but she couldn't see Sanders going along with Darius' usual plans.

Derek nodded and glanced over toward Pyrrha as well.

"We only need him and that catmonster for this mission anyway. Beyond that, its Darius' problem. I'll keep my soldiers away from them and make sure they don't do something stupid. You keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't either," Derek said as he stood up.

"Of course. Oh and might I suggest putting your son on a tighter leash as well?" Lindsey said before vanishing into the darkness. Derek snapped back toward her, but couldn't find her in the darkness. He grumbled out a damn woman as he stomped off. Lindsey did enjoy messing with Derek. He was a good soldier and a good man, but so uptight. One of these days he was just going to snap in half and it would be a huge lose to the Phoenixes. She hoped she could loosen him up before then.

The rest of the trip to the Southern HQ was uneventful. Derek and Lindsey were able to keep the soldiers from bothering Pyrrha and Sanders, and Sanders keep himself and Pyrrha well away from them. Lindsey spent a bit more time with them to keep an eye on them. She found Pyrrha to, indeed, be smart for her catmonster and made up a few games with her. She even fashioned a whistle that was too high pitch for anyone save Pyrrha to hear as a way to call her. Though her first test of it nearly caused a disaster as Pyrrha tried to go right through the camp to get to her. Thankfully, Sanders managed to stop her and Lindsey made sure to only use it well away from the camp.

It took them another three days of traveling to arrive at the HQ and Lindsey made sure to keep Pyrrha a good deal away from it when they did arrive. Darius should have sent word ahead of them, but still best not to risk someone getting jumpy. Not to mention the giant catmonster might draw unwanted attention to the HQ.

The HQ was in an abandoned van out on a back road. Most of its important stuff was stuffed into its engine block which had been removed by a Society member at some point. Derek and Lindsey both headed into the HQ to speak with the general of the Southern Group before they headed out on their mission. He would have valuable intel they would need if they wanted to pull this off.

They found General Holmes in his war room, pouring over a rough map of the southern areas. A few carved wooden pieces were set on the map along with a number of torn papers and such. He was stroking his long white beard as he took another report from his comm officer. Off in the corner, two sets of communication consoles were set up, both taping away.

Holmes was an older man, probably in his late forties. He had a large white beard and long white hair that he keep tied into a rat tail. He was still in good shape, for his age, and carried himself like he had military experience. However, he had actually been a foreman for a factory up in North-east Georgia before the shrink. He and the other workers who had survived managed to get all the way to Atlanta thanks to him and had even taken on a few jobs for the Society. Of course, this was back before they started attacking people and still seemed the best chance to normalize the world.

Holmes and his workers were outside Atlanta, working on an irrigation project Manchent had spear-headed, when a survivor of one of the attacked towns showed up. Once he had seen the devastation for himself, him and anyone else he could get to follow him took off into the woods. Lindsey had been the one to first make contact with them and Darius managed to convince him and his people to join the Phoenixes. Since then, he had proved a natural leader and his skill at building and management made him an obvious choice as the Southern General. When his people were not in crisis mode, like they were now, they were building defenses and traps to try and slow an attack on Hope. He never claimed his stuff would stop an attack, but he always did boast it would give Hope the time it needed to get ready.

"Sir, Scout Leader Lindsey and Force Commander Derek have arrived," the officer who had escorted them in said. Holmes looked up from his map and got a big smile as he walked over to them.

"Lindsey, Derek! Good to see you both! Haha! Its been far too long," he said clapping them both on the shoulder. Despite Lindsey's repeated attempts, she never could keep a stern or sad face with Holmes around. His big smile and general good cheer was more infectious than a cold.

"Same to you, General. I wish it was under better circumstances. You still owe me that drink," Derek said as he got a genuine smile on his face, a rare thing for Derek.

"General? Derek, how many times do I have to tell you to just call me Martin? When you get that right maybe I will invite you to drink," Martin said as he sighed and shook his head.

"It is a shame that this is not just a social visit, but it isn't. I'm afraid we need to get to the task at hand, Martin. Time is something we do not have much of," Lindsey said, trying to get the boys back on task. Martin's big smile faded to be replaced with an all business look as he nodded. He motioned them over to the map.

"You're right, time is something we certainly do not have. I did as Darius told me and started setting up fake bases out in places away from our lines. Its helped, a bit, but I think the Society is starting to catch on. The last base they found they only spent a few hours looking at before moving on. Their advancing on us far too fast for my liking and will probably hit our outlying scout camps in a day or two, our watchposts in less than a week," Martin said as he showed them where he had marked out the furthest reaches of where the Society had patrolled. It was only about twenty miles from their watchposts and, considering the erased marks, was moving about two to three miles a day. Things were worse off than Lindsey had thought.

"Then we need to get moving. We'll need a copy of all your latest reports on where their Ranger patrols are and where you made those fake bases. Any other info you have would, also, be good," Derek said looking just as worried as Lindsey was. They were going to be cutting it close and if they got spotted getting into position... No use worrying about that, though. If it happened, they would just have to improvise.

"Right. Ivan, get all our reports on Ranger patrols all maped out and our fake bases. Also, give them the latest info we got from our scouts,"  Martin said to the officer who brought them in. He nodded and started working on getting everything gathered up.

"So you really got a catmonster, then?" Martin asked as Ivan went to work. Derek nodded.

"Yes. So far, it hasn't attacked anyone and the man with it seems to have it tamed. Hopefully, it'll give us the edge we need," Derek said looking less than sure of that. Lindsey couldn't blame him. They were putting a lot of trust in an unknown asset.

"Derek, I have another Force kitted out and ready to go with you. Even with a catmonster, a single Force against a Ranger squad is suicide. Take them and don't throw your and your soldier's lives away," Martin said. Lindsey was expecting this. Martin was a good commander and inspired loyalty because he cared for his soldiers. But, that also meant he had a tough time making the tough calls. It was why Darius was in full command and not him. She hoped Derek, at least, could see the bigger picture.

"I can't do that, Martin. This is already risky enough and I am not going to risk anymore people than I have to. Besides, if we do fail, you will need ever soldier you have. Keep your Force here and put it to better use, General," Derek said getting a slight smile from Lindsey. And that was why Derek was the second in command. Though Lindsey had to wonder if he said no because he knew risking two Forces for this was stupid or just because he didn't want to risk more lives. Well, either way he still said no.

Martin sighed as he shook his head. He looked about to argue when Ivan showed up with the papers. Lindsey took them and nodded to Martin before heading out.

"Stay safe, General," Derek said as he followed her out.

"That should be my line, Derek. And its still Martin," the Southern General said as they headed back out.

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It had been three days since they had left the Southern HQ and the Force had managed to slip through the Society patrols to their destination. They had set up a small camp between Kennasaw and Marietta, just like Darius had told them, and made sure to keep Pyrrha well hidden in a large valley behind the camp. Lindsey and Squad 4 had gone out the day before to set out some signs pointing toward the area for a patrol to find. Lindsey had stayed to make sure they were found and, once all of them were, she slipped back to the Force's camp to get them ready.

"A Ranger patrol found the bait. They should be heading this way soon," Lindsey told Derek, his squad leaders, and Sanders. They all nodded as Derek took a deep breath to get ready. He used a stick to draw a very rough map of the area in the dirt before he starting to explain the plan.

"Alright. Susan, I want all of your people loaded with rockets. Take them to this bluff here and wait there. Fulton, I want your people all rifled up and spread out in the front. The giantess will send out her normal-sized Rangers to scout ahead of her and I want them dead before they tip her off. Jeremy, I want you on this hill opposite Susan's group. Stay hidden and don't reveal yourselves till I give the word. Me and my squad will set up back here on the hill and make some noise and draw attention to us," Derek said setting up the Susan's and Jeremy's squads across from each other and his own behind them. Lindsey could already tell his plan.

"The plan is simple. Fulton will get rid of the small Rangers and blind the giantess. With no support, she will spot my squad and advance to us. When she gets here between Jeremy and Susan's squads, both of you will open up. While she is reeling from the attack, Sanders and Pyrrha will move in and finish her off before she can counter-attack. Any questions?" Derek said, confirming Lindsey's hutch. It was a simple plan, but simple plans were often the most effective. After all, there was less things that could go wrong and something always did go wrong.

"What do we do if she doesn't take the bait?" Jeremy asked looking at the map.

"Then we send Sanders and Pyrrha in to attack, piss her off, and lure her in that way," Derek answered, getting a nod from Jeremy.

"So you are going to kill the Rangers then?" Sanders asked getting a cold stare from Derek. Lindsey was afraid of this becoming an issue. She tried to answer, but Derek beat her to the punch.

"Yes. Anything less and they might report this was a trick or warn the giantess. You don't have a problem with that, do you?" Derek asked giving him a stern glare. Sanders closed his eyes and sighed.

"No...no, it can't be helped," Sanders said. Lindsey eyed him a bit, but found him harder to read now. She dearly hoped he meant that, for all their sakes. Just in case she made a mental note to have him watched closely. The last thing they needed was him getting cold feet. Derek seemed to have the same concerns as her and glared suspiciously at Sanders, but moved on.

"Alright... If there are no other questions, get your people loaded up and moving out," he ordered as they all split off into different directions. Lindsey took a moment to follow Sanders to give him a bit of advice before she headed out.

"Don't try to save everyone. It never works out, trust me," Lindsey said before slipping away before he could turn to her. She had no time to relive that memory with this mission about to start. She needed to focus if she was going to help Fulton and his soldiers find those Rangers.

Lindsey headed out with Fulton's squad and split up, alone, once they passed the two hills the other squads were setting up on. The sun was starting to dip down into late afternoon and the shadows in the forest were growing in size. Good, she would need them to keep hidden. Lindsey creep through the barren forest alone, moving from shadow to shadow.

For about half an hour she listened, moved, listened, moved, listened, and moved. But still there was no sign of the Rangers or the rumbling footsteps of the giantess. Perhaps she had overestimated the Ranger's ability to follow the clues she had left. Or maybe they had decided it was too late to keep patrolling. Both situations would be equally vexing as it would mean their plan would have to be revised. Worse, being ready for a fight that long would start to fry nerves and increase the likelihood of someone doing something stupid. Not to mention Pyrrha being spotted when she went to hunt.

Just as she was about to curse to herself, she heard a slight rumble off in the distance. The rumble was followed by another and Lindsey knew what it was instantly. Foot steps...giant foot steps. The Ranger patrol had taken the bait and were on their way. The giantess was still a good ways off considering how muffled her footsteps were, but her smaller Rangers could be anywhere out here. Lindsey got lower to the ground and made sure to stick even closer to the shadows. Being found now could ruin the plan before it started.

Lindsey stopped as she heard a very faint sound. She ducked into the shadow of a nearby tree and pressed herself as close to it as possible. The sound came again and Lindsey recognized it. Footsteps...careful footsteps of someone trying not to be heard. Anyone else would have missed them, but Lindsey was an expert at hearing such things. It could be someone else from Fulton's squad...or. She slid her knife out of her coat as she knelt down on all fours. She crawled toward the barely audible noise without making a sound of her own. She slowly crested a hill and looked down to see the source of the noise. She sighed when she saw who it was.

"Sanders...what the hell are you doing?" she said as she got up and moved to him. Sanders jumped and swung around, but relaxed when he saw it was her.

"I wa-" he started to say, but Lindsey stopped him.

"Actually, never mind, I already know. Did you not hear me when I said trying to save everyone would end badly? Do I need to remind you that all of the Phoenix forces out here are relying on you and Pyrrha coming to aid them?" she said giving him an angry glare. Fool might just doom them all if he didn't get back. He was the only one who could control Pyrrha and without her, they had no way of dealing with the giantess.

"I know that and yes I did hear you. But I can't just doom my old comrades to death without trying to save them. They are good people who just have been lied to by the Society. I-" he stopped as a snapped branch echoed from over a hill nearby. Both of them dived into cover as a curse came over the hill.

"Dammit Blanch, are you going to step on every branch?" a female voice said from over the hill.

Sanders eyes lit up with recognition at the voice and name. At least now she knew the enemy was over that hill. She didn't waste a second as she took off up the hill, completely silent. She easily crested the hill without disturbing a bit of the earth or dead brush and reached the top in seconds. Sanders came after her, but nowhere near as quickly. At least he was being quiet, though. Good, she would have time to deal with this before he could interfere.

She looked down and saw a man with red hair coming up the hill. He was wearing typical Ranger gear and had a sword hooked to his side. He kicked a branch away and grumbled to himself. A little bit below him she could see more movement as another Ranger, this one a black woman with a spear, was coming behind him. Well there was a problem... If she killed the man the woman would notice and might call for help before she could kill her. Best to start with the woman.

Lindsey slipped around to the side of the hill and began to slowly make her way down, making sure to stay out of sight. About halfway down she spotted more movement and saw a third person in the group, this one a lanky brown haired man with an axe. Damn...taking on three Rangers without any of them reporting the attack was going to be near impossible. But, she would figure out someway to pull it off.

She was about to move to engage them when Sanders crested the hill, in full view of all three. Great...

"Shit, Resistance!" the lead guy yelled as all three reached for their weapons. Lindsey cursed under her breath as she got ready to rush the closest one.

"NO! Blanch, its me! Sanders," Sanders said getting all three to stop dead in their tracks.

"Sa...Sanders?!" the lead guy said as he looked closer at Sanders.
"Holy shit, it is," he said as the other two came up to join the lead guy, both eying Sanders. Lindsey moved up too, but stayed out of sight of all of them. She would see how this played out for now. The guy who had been bringing up the rear gave a short laugh before moving up to Sanders.

"Son of a bitch it is you. What the hell, the top brass said you were dead, killed along with Isabella. Wait, is she still alive too?" he asked with a smile, a fake smile. Lindsey looked at the other two and saw they were eying the forest around them, hands near their weapons. They were expecting an attack, which meant they expected this to be a trick. And Sanders was completely oblivious to it. Wonderful.

"N...No...she's dead. I...I know this is going to sound crazy, but you have to listen to me. The Matriarchs killed her and nearly killed me. Isabella found something, something Dr. Manchent tried to get us to find before he died. I know where it is and I could use your help getting to it. Please, I know this is a lot to take in right now, but trust me the Society does not have our best interest at heart anymore," Sanders said to all three of them. The male that was not Blanch keep his smile through the story, though it was obvious it was a strain to. Dammit, he wasn't believing a damn word Sanders was saying and Sanders wasn't seeing it at all. She had to do something or they were going to kill him.

Lindsey took out the whistle she had made and blew into it as hard as she could. It made no sound any of them could hear, but hopefully Pyrrha would. It would still take awhile for Pyrrha to arrive, though. Lindsey was going to have to buy some time till then or hope Sanders could talk himself some.

"That is a really interesting story, Sanders. You make that up all by yourself?" the woman asked as she turned back to Sanders. The unnamed guy shot her a dirty look while Sanders looked at her in confusion.

"Wha- NO! I didn't make this up. Trent, you know I wouldn't lie about this! They KILLED her and they will ki-" Sanders started before Trent interrupted him.

"Just stop, Sanders. We know what really happened, so you can just stop. Sharon told us the whole, pathetic thing. I'll admit, I didn't want to believe it, that you killed Isabella and switched over to the Resistance, but after that stupid ass lie and being out here where we know a Resistance group is," he paused as he shook his head, "Let me ask you one thing. How the hell can you live with yourself after murdering Isabella in cold blood?"

"What?! Murdering?!  Trent do you even hear how absurd that sounds?! I had nothing but respect for Isabella, hell I loved her! And how the HELL could I have even managed TO kill her?!" Sanders yelled out.

"By shooting her in the throat with that gun you keep from the Resistance," Blanch answered as Sanders' face began to pale.
"You got close to her neck when you were being picked up by her and shot her point blank. Would have killed Aviel too, if she hadn't cut the gun in half before you could."

"He already knows how he killed her, you dumbass," the woman said before turning back to Sanders.
"Enough talking. Let's gut this traitor and get back to killing Resistance fuckers."

Shit, Lindsey had to act fast. With no other choice, she rushed toward the group, not caring about making noise. The group whirled to face her as she charged in with her knife, not daring to use her gun lest it draw the giantess to them.

She leap up and tried to stab it into Blanch's shoulder, but he dodged to the left just enough to cause it to scrap off his armor. The woman grabbed her spear in both hands and thrust it forward straight for Lindsey's stomach. Lindsey dodged back before having to duck under Blanch's sword. She stabbed her sword into his leg and he cried in pain as he fell over.

"No! Stop!" Sanders yelled as Trent joined the fight. He swung his brutal axe down for her head and Lindsey danced back to avoid it, only to come right into the reach of the woman's spear. Lindsey managed to shift just enough to cause it to slice across her side rather than straight into her and jabbed her knife down at the woman's hand. She was too quick and yanked her hand back as Trent came forward to deliver a horizontal blow. Lindsey backed up and ducked down as Trent's axe thunked into the tree she had moved to. Lindsey smiled as raised her dagger to stab him in the throat when a hand grabbed her arm, stopping the thrust before it began.

"STOP IT I SAID!" Sanders said as he held her arm. She cursed as the idiot did more than just stop her from killing Trent and cried in pain as Blanch's blade sunk into her side, punching right through to the other side. The last Ranger had gone down the hill and had been coming up on the attack, apparently unnoticed by Sanders, and had taken his chance to stab her straight through.

"No...BLANCH!" Sanders yelled before he kicked him back down the hill. He grabbed the sword and pulled it out of her, causing a new wave of pain to lance through Lindsey. She gasped in pain as she felt her legs turn to jelly and Sanders had to hold her up. Blood was already pooling out of the wound and Lindsey could feel herself starting to get light-headed. Trent managed to free his axe as the woman approached with her spear. Sanders grabbed her knife and held it in front of them both to fend them off.

Idiot...didn't he know she was dead? Damn bastard had stabbed her right through the stomach, no living through that. And here was Sanders, trying to save her with a knife despite being the reason she was dead. At least...at least he was constant. Damn hero types.

"Stay back you two. I don't want to hurt you. Just please, listen to me. The So-"

"Shut up, you fucking traitor. I liked you, you know that? Thought of you as my friend, but now I see you're just a damn traitor. You killed your Captain and now you are trying to save a fucking Resistance bitch. So if you got any last words, now would be the time for them," Trent said as he and the woman moved toward them. Lindsey's vision started to fade, but she still caught the slight movement in the trees above them. Two huge glowing eyes appeared behind the branches and stared down at them. Well...she had bought them time, been pretty pricey though.

Sanders saw them too and slowly shook his head. Lindsey looked at him and took a ragged breath.

"You better...take the...chance...You can't....save...but there....are others," she said. Sanders looked at her as tears began to form in his eyes. He looked up and lowered his knife as Blanch began to move up to join the other two.

"Pyrrha....kill," he said getting confused looks from all three. And then Blanch vanished as something massive closed around him. His muffled screams came out for a second before a gulp silenced him forever. The other two Rangers spun around and got looks of pure terror as Pyrrha towered above them. The woman tried to run, but Pyrrha snatched her up before she even got a step. Trent got no further as Pyrrha's other hand plucked him from the ground as well. Sanders stood there, his eyes locked on the site as his body froze in place

The woman screamed in terror as Pyrrha dropped her into her mouth and swallowed her alive. Trent watched in terror before screaming himself. Sanders started to mutter to himself and shook his head, as if trying to say something.

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! SANDERS CALL HER OFF! SANDERS SAND-" and then he was gone too. Pyrrha gave a happy ahh as she licked her lips and looked down at the two of them happily. Sanders stood there for a second still muttered what almost sounded like stop before, flopped to the ground, shaking like crazy and sobbing uncontrollably.

"What....what did....I just wanted..." he sobbed out as he sat there, still holding her. Lindsey could feel herself slipping away, the last bit of her blood spilling out. Resting was...sounding so good, but she couldn't yet. She...she needed to get Sanders to...to fight. Not...not cry like a...baby

"Sa...Sanders..." she gasped out using the last of her energy to talk. He looked down to her, his eyes full of tears and red from crying.

"Not...your fault...can't save....everyone...lies...told...them...li-" she tried to say more, but her voice just refused to come out. Sanders stared at her for a moment before his shaking began to slow. He looked up at Pyrrha who was looking at him and her with a very worried look.

"Told them lies....Who told them lies..." his grip tightened on her shoulder as his look changed from despair to anger.
"Sharon told them I killed Isabella...She told them the lies...She....She is supposed to be protecting them...She should have seen the truth like Isabella. They all should have...They..." Sanders stopped as his grip became a vice grip and his look one of pure rage. Lindsey smiled to herself as she knew she had done her job well.

"She didn't care...They all don't care...They are all like Angela and Cathrine and....AVIEL!" he said as his grip tightened even further. He looked down at her and slid her over to a tree. He leaned her onto the tree and wiped away his tears.

"I promise you won't have died in vain, Lindsey. I'll kill them all and make sure the Society falls. And I won't try to save everyone doing it. I swear it," he said as she smiled at him. Still acting like a hero...so stupid and yet...and yet she couldn't stop smiling. She mouthed go to him as her energy ran out. She keep watching, though, as he stood up and turned back to Pyrrha.

"Pyrrha, up. We have a giant bitch to kill. And a friend to avenge," he said with a look of pure hatred on his face. And then everything went white. She could let Sanders handle it from here.