Ch1 - From the Ending Comes the New Beginning

The first set of rounds from the aircraft laid waste to the area Banshee and the other woman had been. They were lucky they decided to leave when they did. If they had stayed put, they would be nothing but bits and pieces of flesh and bone for scavengers to pick over. This added, heavier fire power was alerting anything and anyone within a five mile radius the aliens were on the prowl once more and had apparently discovered humans. And were in the process of eliminating them.

As Banshee and the woman headed out, Eve remained where she was, certain the two humans were nothing more than a memory now. That was until she saw the quick glimpse of something out the corner of her eye. Using the visors technology she was able to pick up on the hover bikes turbines. As Eve leaned forward on the bike and started after the women, her handler was once more feeling as though this woman was some sort of new breed of Necro but her vitals were indicative of a human.

This time, the aliens were going to use human nature against Banshee and the woman. Knowing the extent of the injuries the young woman suffered, there was a high probability she was going to meet up with the group that struck out from the old bunker. If that were the case, they would let the women guide them right to the larger group.

Eve remained far enough in the distance behind the women to make sure they couldn’t see her yet close enough where she could keep them on her sensors and track them from there. In the meantime, the air craft circled the area as they usually did insuring no vital signs were read then lifted higher and moved in the direction it had originally come from. In reality, it was circling wide to follow along behind the implant to strike when, and if, the humans guided them to the larger group.

She was at a loss... she was no tactitionure and most importantly she was just trying to get out of this mess. Banshee watched the radar, searching, praying... she could hear the constant hum of the hoverbike just beside her and slightly behind of the other woman she was now traveling with. It was only about five minutes at their speed and suddenly she saw a faint blip, then another, then a small group, she smiled with exhausted relief as she hit the accelerator and came up on the group.


He heard something behind them, there was no subtle play, there was only noise. He knew that sound, it was an aerial bombardment, and it was coming right from where he suspected Banshee was... she said she would check in every fifteen minutes, it had been almost an hour and a half. He had the group keep moving as fast as they could, Jasper was clearly shaken, things were falling apart and they were doing so at an alarming rate. Finally Jasper yelled and pointed, Beatnik grabbed him and shoved him to the ground whispering harshly in his ear, "Shut the hell up Jasp! What if it's Skinnies or Necros?!? You trying to get the whole group incinerated?!"

Jasper looked up at him apologetically and spoke, "But I say the contrail, it has to be her!"

The whole group had hit the dirt thanks to Jasper screaming and Beatnik brought up the binoculars, glassing the horizon line. He saw her, but there was also another. At first he thought she was being chased but it was clear they were moving together, not with the second as a hostile, he smiled and shook his head, "Looks like she found a friend, and how rare that she too has transportation."

Jasper looked up excitedly and watched as the bikes both cut power and started to drift in, just as her bike came to a halt Banshee stepped off, took about a step and a half and fell to her knees. Jasper immediately broke cover and ran to her, Beatnik grabbed at his coattails but missed, "Damn it kid...," he hissed under his breath as he watched for followers... not seeing anything he stepped out and went to Banshee with haste.

Jasper grabbed her and she reacted as he pulled her towards him by pushing him away. She looked up and clicked up the visor, "Easy Jasp... I can't ... it hurts."

Jasper looked at her chest and saw the black impact circle, about 3 inches in diameter right below her sternum. Beatnik got on his knees and spoke, "What happened?"

Banshee coughed and looked up at him with watery eyes, "Plant... and she's tough. Not like anything you have told me, she's different, faster... stronger... it's like she is more than just bio-enhanced, I don't know, I can't ... I can't explain. She's the first I have ever seen, but not like what you told us... "

Beatnik looked to the horizon and then to her, "Where is she now?"

Banshee shrugged and shook her head, "I... I don't know... we just had to get out..."

Beatnik furrowed his brows as he looked at the new woman who was now off her bike and standing with them. He stood and looked at her, his face was etched with lines of experience and seriousness, however there was a kindness to his eyes, she would see that he meant her no harm, "Name's Beatnik, this is my gang." He thumbed over his shoulder and then extended a handshake of welcome.

The woman shook his hand and Beatnik was about to say something when Jasper suddenly spoke up, "Uhh, Beat? There's another contrail line on the horizon..."

Beatnik looked quickly and saw the tell tale line of a hover bike slicing over the landscape, he grabbed his binoculars quickly and brought the lone figure on a hoverbike into focus. His face dropped and he became very serious as he began to bark orders, "Defensive perimeter! NOW! Jasp, get Banshee to the center, we will form around her!"

Banshee stood up and in a wince of pain unslung her rifle and looked down at Beatnik, "The hell you will... I might be hurt, but I can still shoot."

Beatnik knew there was no time to argue, and she was not one to argue with anyway, despite her being so much younger. He gave one firm nod and spoke to the gang, "OK Troops! Banshee says this one is different, faster and more capable, give her hell!"

They formed a semi-circle and watched with weapons drawn as the contrail came closer and closer...

The sounds of movement came closer to Murdoc and GG, whatever was coming was big, bigger than a human.

The ruins of the city were a very dangerous place, the invaders were constantly patrolling for humans but there were other dangers to consider also. The invaders had only recently perfected a technique to control humans mentally and physically, the result were known as plants and they look like any other human but they are not. Plants are enemies and spies, traitors to the human race and the invaders secret weapons. Before the Vashar'in had perfected this trick they had experimented on humans for years and had been slow to understand our physiology especially the human mind. The had experimented on thousands of us, most victims of these experiments had survived but were left mutilated and mindless. Knowing that these victims were no threat to them the Vashar'in simply turned them loose back into the cities. The invaders had however seen that the mindless hordes were driven to kill and devour each other and any other humans so turning a huge mass of these 'humans' loose back into the cities where they would seek out and kill and eat their own kind was just another weapon they aliens could count on in their ceaseless war.

And now a huge necro was shambling down the dark hallway a mere 4 or 5 feet from Murdoc and GG. The large thing was feeling it's way down the hall and stumbling as it went. The necro was missing it's head, most necros are blind but still use their nose and ears to locate their prey. With no ears nor nose this creature was feeling its way around and it was starving. The necro had been a human male, the Vashar'in had tried to create an army of disposable human proxies, the invaders had forced their human muscles to grow to massive proportions to see how strong these proxies could become. For an unknown reason this particular necro had no head, at the top of it's hulking torso was a gaping wound which now was it's mouth.

The big thing stopped close to Murdoc and GG, it began to feel around on the floor scratching at the broken glass from the vending machines.

It was still near pitch black so Murdoc and GG could not see much. Murdoc slid his pistol from it's holster and fired at the creature.

The muzzle flash illuminated the creature just enough for Murdoc to see it's size, twice that of an average human, it looked like a headless bodybuilder as it staggered back from the shots. Murdoc shot three rounds and landed all three into the center of the necro. It didn't appear to be overly concerned about the shots.

Murdoc got to his feet and fired again, the necro just stood there, it was trying to locate Murdoc and GG by feeling the vibrations in the walls and floor. It's fresh gunshot wounds bled black.

The thing lunged at Murdoc and GG, knocking Murdoc down, the man rolled to the left and got back to his feet. Everytime it moved it would stay still for a second and press it's large and grotesque hands to the floor to feel for the movements of it's prey. It swung into the darkness and blasted Murdoc with it's fist, Murdoc tumbled down the hall and into the darkness a few feet GG.

When GG saw the grotesque creature as Murdoc’s muzzle flash illuminated it, she felt a momentary wave of stark fear wash over her. While she wasn’t afraid to die, she sure as hell was afraid of ending up like this hapless soul or worse yet, ending up a meal for it. To make matters worse, it seemed as though the thing was immune to gun shots. A lot of good that was going to do her and Doc.

When the thing came back for Murdoc, GG did her best to scramble out of the way but when it’s pitch black darkness, it’s a little difficult to get out of the way of something that huge and that determined. Still, somehow she found her way out into the hallway when she felt Murdoc come flying at her and land just a few feet from her. AS the man got to his feet, she yelled at her friend.

”Light that thing up, Doc! It can’t see us anyway!”

As Mutdoc clicked the flashlight on and shone it on the creature, GG pulled her shotgun up and hesitated a moment when she got a good look at it. With black, oozing wounds, no head, a hulking form and looking like something out of a freak horror flick, she was struck dumb at the sight before her. It wasn’t until Murdoc yelled at her that she snapped out of her stupor and fired, blasting the creature full on in the torso with the slug from her barrel.

The thing stumbled back as bits and pieces of flesh and bone spewed all over the area peppering the walls in black ooze. When it fell back, GG was certain she’d put the thing out of its misery but to her horror, the thing started moving again. When it sat up there was a huge gaping hole in the torso and strings of flesh and innards hung from the hole.

”What the hell?”

The next thing she knew, Murdoc grabbed a hold of her shirt at the shoulder and was practically dragging her out of the hallway and back towards the steps they descended to get to this area. The food in the vending machines would have been great to have but now, with the noise their guns made, there were bound to be more Necros arriving with the commotion and they’d be damn lucky to get out of there in one piece.

Murdoc fired at the necro a few more times as he hustled to the stairs, he still had a tight grip on GG as they both reached the staircase. He could hear the creature moving down the hallway but it did not seem to be following them, perhaps it was unable to. GG's shotgun had ripped the thing a new a$$hole, maybe it was finished. They were certainly more of the mindless monsters in the area and the gunfire would bring them all right in top of them.

Doc pushed GG in front of him and watched the bottom of the stairs as they ascended up towards the dusty dim sunlight.

"If the necros corner us in here we are boned." Murdoc said with his back pressed against GG's back.

"I promised we'd be home for dinner so let's get the fuck out of here..." He said with a slight smile.

There were over a hundred people in Murdoc and GG's settlement not all of them were meant to be soldiers or 'freedom fighters' most were regular folks that had somehow survived all these years since the invasion. A few people were ex military like Murdoc and some were just willing to learn how to fight the aliens. Murdoc had helped to organize a small group within the settlement that resembled a combat platoon, a few dozen of the toughest, meanest and best trained people to scrounge for food, water, ordnance and when the circumstances were just right, to engage the enemy and destroy them. The fighting wasn't easy, the odds were near to impossible. Doc and his people had grenades and guns and the Vashar'in had advanced energy weapons, incredible war machines and other technology. Murdoc had said a few times to GG that they were like mice that had to fight wolves. The going was tough, it seemed that every week Murdoc and his group suffered casualties and he and GG and the rest were digging new graves on the regular. But they pressed on and continued to fight even as the mice were being devoured by the mighty wolves. Murdoc had decided a good while ago that he would fight until they won their freedom or the fighting claimed his life, what else was there? Someone had to stand against the Vashar'in, the invaders should learn the lesson that the human race will not simply lay down and die, they should come to know that there would be resistance.

Murdoc moved quickly up the stairs with GG, soon they were back at ground level. Yellow sunlight filtered through the damaged building around them. A small group of necros were outside the police station, a half dozen of the creatures were standing near the open parts of the crumbling walls. The necros sniffed the air looking for a scent their white useless eyes peered through the wall openings at Murdoc and GG.

"Well I guess we can't go out they way we came in." Murdoc said sarcastically.
Murdoc pulled a small dirty plastic water bottle from his leather coat. He squeezed the bottle and shook it vigorously. Murdoc unscrewed the cap and stuffed a small bit of fabric in the top of the bottle and lit the fabric with his trusty Zippo lighter. He then tossed the bottle near the group of necros, the fluid ignited and erupted into a large ball of fire setting a number of the necros on fire. The creatures stood still as they burned, their hunger still driving their ruined minds. The burning necros still seemed to be sniffing for Murdoc and GG as they burned. 2 of the monsters had not been caught in the firebomb, they caught the scent of the humans and rushed through an opening in the wall and came at Murdoc and GG.

Murdoc shot out the knees of one of the necros, these creatures were the basic model. They looked fairly human but with the telltale white cataracts and nasty decomposition. Murdoc continued to fire at the necros, his shots found their mark and one of the necros fell onto it's side. It's legs were shattered by the .45 rounds, it twisted and flopped on it's side but could not get back up. Murdoc walked close to the creature and calmly shot it through the head and it instantly ceased it's movements. The last necro was making a run at GG, it held it's grey arms out in front of it as it shambled towards the woman with the shotgun.

"You got this?" Murdoc said as he tracked the creature with his .45. He had no clear shot, GG was too close to it.

The burning necros were inside the building now, they walked slowly towards Murdoc and GG. it was a sight to see, the creatures were nothing but walking columns of fire, thick black smoke wafted from their heads as they moved closer.

Murdoc fired at the flaming creatures, pieces of them fell down and burned as Doc's .45 punched holes in them.

Casings were falling at Murdoc's feet as he fired again and again, he removed an empty magazine and clicked another full one into his gun and fired some more.

"All this and we didn't get the goddamn cookies and chips..." Murdoc said through gritted teeth.

"Danny found some unopened Coca Cola today," Murdoc shouted as he fired. "I'll split one with you when we get back!" He added.

"Jessica Douglass", was all she said as she shook Beatnik's hand. She then heard the voice of the younger man and turned and looked behind her, seeing nothing but knowing the plant was there. She looked worriedly at Banshee when she said that she'd fight and shook her head at the younger woman's spunk. She just hope it didn't get her killed.

Pulling her 9mm glock free of it's holster she looked at Beatnik, "Banshee's right...this Plant is different. If this is what the aliens are coming up with then we're all in a world of hurt that pales to what's already happened. And Banshee may have some cracked ribs, possibly broken. I'd suggest that she follow your orders so she doesn't risk puncturing a lung."

Jessica was checking her ammo as she spoke, her dark eyes taking in everything around her as she took the defensive along with Beatnik and his group. This was one Plant she wanted to see dead....but then again, she'd just as soon see all the aliens and their plants dead. She closed her eyes for a brief second as the grief washed over her as she saw her little girl and husband laying dead among the ruins of her parent's house in upstate New York. Seven years and it hadn't gotten any easier, but killing as many of the bastards as she could helped.....a little.

She looked over at Beatnik, "Something else to consider....what if her handler has already called in an air strike", she looked around at the other people, "No offense to Banshee, but the Plant broke off pursuit too quickly. What if she did so to let me and Banshee get here. You know....kill two birds with one stone. Something tells me that we have bigger problems heading our way and we won't have to wait long."

Humans were such a predictable species. It never failed to amaze the Vashar’in just how true that was. And this was no exception. As Eve followed along behind the two hover bikes, she saw a blip appear on the visor. Then another. And eventually a larger blip indicative of a group. If she was capable of smiling anymore, she would be. Or at least her handler would be.

As Eve drew closer she saw the defensive maneuvers the group was taking. With a quick check of the location, the Vashar’in knew this fight wouldn’t last long but long enough. There were abandoned vehicles capable of providing cover, but it would do the humans little good.

As the group formed a circle around the wounded woman, Eve turned the bike to make a wide circle around them. Still far enough away that conventional weapon fire would be of little threat to her, but the plasma weapons were a different story. As she circled, she was evaluating the prospect of future implant specimens and from this distance, a few seemed viable. It would take closer inspection to figure that out. And there was only one way to do that.

Bringing the hover bike to a halt, she faced the group, directly in front of Beatnik, and studied them for a few moments. The Vashar’in were determining who the bigger threat was from simple readings they were getting from the group and where Eve was now posed the greatest threat. Once more putting the bike in motion, she circled again and this time, came to halt in front of a man who had an unsteady hold on his weapon. That was her best chance.

Leaning low on the bike, she hit the throttle and wound the turbine up as fast as she could get it to go as she headed straight for the group. Weapons began firing at her and her handler was taking evasive moves with a tight zig zag pattern. The discharge of plasma weapons made her take a wider move left before she corrected and came back to the right. Pulling the glock from her left holster, she began firing. The man brought his weapon up to fire at her but he fell with a bullet slamming into his sternum before he could squeeze the trigger. Now that one was down, it was only a matter of time before the group fell apart and people started scrambling to save themselves by finding something to hide behind.

At the very last second Eve pulled the bike to the right and leaned hard to keep the machine from rolling as she slid sideways but her handler waited too long to make the move and she ended up barreling into the group. Her bike tumbled about striking several of the humans as she rolled until she came to rest with the aid of the roof of a car that was resting on its side.

The air was knocked out of her lungs and while her handler was making her move, Eve’s human body was not able to respond as quickly as her handler wanted it to. Gasping for air, the helmet became too confined and human instinct took over. Reaching up and ripping her helmet off her head, she flung it to the ground and slid up the roof of the vehicle to her feet as she took in huge gulps of air to reinflate her lungs.

Her visor was still bleeping warnings of the high threat level as it laid on the ground near her feet. She drew her weapon and began firing at the members of the group who had recovered and were coming at her now. Using the vehicle she’d slammed into as a shield, she quickly took cover but not before she felt a burning sensation in her right thigh. With a quick glance she saw her armor was ripped open and a long gash was bleeding. A bullet had torn into her leg letting her handler know that while she was implanted and bioenhanced, she was still vulnerable as a human should be.

Her bioenhancement kicked in and the pain faded away allowing her to concentrate on defending herself. As the group advanced, firing at her, she ran from one place to the other as the plasma weapons took out her cover. When she moved, she would give herself cover fire with the remaining side arm she had but she knew she had to get help or she would be done.

That was when the sound on the horizon could be heard. Even over the gunfire and shouts. The air support that had been waiting in the distance was about to re-engage to protect Eve….and take out a few humans while they were at it.

”I got this!”

The best thing about using slug shot instead of pellet rounds were that slug shots delivered more damage. And GG was more than happy to prove it. Pulling the shotgun up and firing, she exploded the front of the necros head off spattering herself with gore in the process.

”Yeah! You better damn site share it with me! Who knows….I may have a secret stash of cookies to share with you too!”

Murdoc glanced over at her with that ‘you’ve been holding out on me’ look on his face and she reached over gently pushing his jaw up to close the small gap of his mouth.

”Cat got your tongue, Doc?”

Before the man could say anything, GG fired off another shot at a necro that had gotten too close. As the building began to fill with the acrid smoke, GG and Doc were coughing and trying to make their back into the building. GG looked behind them down the hallway when she grabbed Doc by the shoulder.

”This way, Doc!”

As the man fired off a few more shots at the necros GG led the way down the hallway towards the back of the building. She’d been to this place in the past and she remembered the entrance used by the police when they were reporting for and getting off duty. Of course along the way they met up with a few necros who’d been dormant inside the place but it didn’t take them long to get rid of them. The problem was the fact they were running out of ammo and at the rate they were going….

When they reached the door, it was a keypad lock that needed a combination. More necros had arrived and these were a bit more aggressive then the last group. Their moves were quicker and they seemed more desperate to reach the warm flesh they craved so much. GG knew the code but she couldn’t think clearly and she knew if she put it in wrong three times, the door would lock until it was reprogrammed again.

She did the first combo but it didn’t work. As the necros screamed and hissed, Doc was plucking them off carefully, making sure he conserved as much ammo as he could. When she missed keyed the combo a second time, she cursed loudly.

”Mother fucker! I can’t concentrate with all this noise!”

Finally she got the combination right and the door buzzed. She quickly pushed down on the lever like handle and flung the door open. The area was clear and she reached back grabbing Doc by the shirt and pulling him out before they both slammed the door. Of course it took some doing to get the door actually shut. Especially when a necros decomposed arm was sticking out of it. Finally with one hard shove they severed the rotten limb and the door shut, locking again. With the steel reinforcement, it would be impossible for the necros to break it down.

As the necros banged, screamed and hissed on the other side of the door, Murdoc and GG pressed their backs against it as they caught their breath. Finally GG looked over at her friend.

”Let’s go get some supplies, he said. We’ll make it quick, he said.”

Beatnik welcomed Jessica, "Good to have you in the gang Jessica, I wish I could be more friendly and welcoming but you are more aware of the situation than I am, let's plan on neither of us getting killed so we can get to know one another instead of dying right away."

He turned and looked at Banshee who was flipping the scope to sniper mode and hit the switch that extended the barrel to make a tighter bolt of plasma for snipering. He turned back to Jessica and whispered, "There ain't nothing I can say that will make her sit this one out, best to just let her do what she wants."

Banshee turned and scowled at the woman and spoke, "Who the hell are you to tell me to..." "STUFF IT Banshee, I won't tell you to sit this out because it would be a waste of breath but right now we work as a team if we want to live!"

Banshee narrowed her eyes at Beatnik and then to Jessica before she snapped the visor of her helmet down and took up a position on the defensive line. The look Jessica received was a great indicator that this conversation wasn't over.

Beatnik looked at Jessica and spoke softly, "Come on..."

They watched and trailed the figure on the hover bike as she prowled like a lion looking for a sick straggler, and then suddenly she pounced. Her bike was much faster than Banshee's and their lack of any sort of military training showed as the group opened fire and none of them got even close. Beatnik was the only one who had any sort of accuracy but with a short barrel pistol even he couldn't hit her. As the woman shot Henry and then slammed into the group Beatnik was completely taken aback at this tactic, it made no sense, she just gave up her speed and mobility, the only advantage she might have possibly accomplished was to be behind the group, but with no other support she was merely a sitting duck. The group opened fire and Banshee was tearing the vehicle apart with her plasma rifle, attempting to flush her out.

Beatnik was not shooting, he was moving slowly and purposely to the side, trying to flank the Plant and catch her off guard, hoping to put one bullet through her brain. As he circled he finally got a good look at her and dropped his pistol as he whispered, "Dear God no.... Krystin..."

As if she heard him the Plant turned and looked at him, there was no expression of recognition, no sense of memory or recollection, she simply lifted her pistols and started firing. Bullet's whizzed over his shoulders and head, he dove for the ground, taking cover. He was in a perfect position, Eve had to drop again as bullets bounced all around her and a blast from Banshee's rifle nearly took her head off. Banshee was screaming, "SHOOT HER DAMN IT!!! BEAT!!! SHOOT HER!!!" Beatnik froze, he couldn't move, it was impossible, not Krystin!

He turned as he heard the tell tale sound of aerial support coming and on the horizon he saw the alien fighter craft approaching quickly. He turned to look at Krystin, she was now focused on the group, peering through a large hole in the body of the vehicle. She had a device in her hand and it sent three laser designators out into the group, the fighter came over, let a barrage of gunfire down onto the ground instantly killing six of his gang and then long tentacle like arms shot down, grabbing Lee, Michelle, ... and Jasper.

The fourth gently grabbed Krystin around the waist and lifted all four of them into the air before swinging around and letting loose several rockets that smashed into the ground and exploded sending shrapnel and debris in all directions. Beatnik ducked and covered, Banshee moved and dove behind several large chunks of concrete, most of the gang were incinerated or peppered with death.

The fighters pulsating jet engines fired and it shot towards the horizon again, disappearing into the mustard yellow fog.

The three humans were unceremoniously deposited in a holding cell type of area on the fighter and the lid slammed shut and locked. There were two Vashar’in on the outside of the cells with wicked looking weapons. Lee attempted to engage them and was instantly incinerated leaving nothing but a bloody vapor that stained the bottom of the holding cell.

As Eve was gently dropped into the outer area with the Vashar’in guards, she stood statue still again looking straight ahead. Finally her eyes looked to Michelle and Jasper. She moved forward as a strange humming sound started. Any weapons they had were violently thrust from their bodies, along with anything else metal in nature, to the ceiling of the holding cell. The next instant the weapons and other metal objects held to the ceiling were evaporated. Again her eyes looked to Michelle but settled on Jasper.

”You are young. You should be able to pull through. If you do not, we will find others. Just like we found you.”

She could see the emotions playing out on his face and in his eyes. Anger. Fear. Desperation. They were all a part of the human way of thinking. Something the Vashar’in did not experience. They looked forward to the implant process discovering the human emotion as they did in converting the humans.

Banshee screamed as the fighter took off with Jasper. She shouldered her weapon and fired multiple times, not a single one of the bolts of plasma even came close. She feel to her knees and watched as the Vashar'in aircraft disappeared over the horizon. She didn't cry, she was simply silent, placid, almost frozen as she stared into the distance, and then suddenly she turned, her face full of rage as she walked over to Beatnik.

Beatnik was still sitting on the ground with his back to the junked out car he was hiding behind. As Banshee approached he turned his head slowly and looked up at her just as he fist come crashing down on the side of his face. He recoiled from the blow which snapped him out of his stupor and quickly stood to his feet. Three of the gang grabbed Banshee as she was going in a second time and she started screaming as she fought to escape, "I'LL KILL YOU!!! WHY DIDN'T YOU SHOOT HER!!!?? YOU HAD HER!!! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Beatnik looked at her as he wiped the small trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth and then looked around at the complete devastation that was wrought on the group in a matter of seconds, "I... I'm sorry Bansh, really... I loved that kid too."

"YOU MOTHER FUCKER!!!"

She lunged at him again and took a swing which Beatnik easily side-stepped this time and she tumbled over into the car he was just leaning on. She was in such a rage that she was out of control, off balance and her eyes were full of tears as she recovered and stood back up, "He was all I had left! ALL I had left! And you let them take him away! You could have shot her! You could have killed her!"

Beatnik looked at her and spoke softly, "Killing her would not have made a difference, the aerial was already on it's way, we were already compromised, there was no stopping the thing once it was in route. We're just lucky some of us made it out, we could all be dead now."

Banshee looked up at Beatnik with anger in her eyes, "I would rather be dead with him then be alive knowing what kind of shit they are going to do to him! We know the necros are the cast away distortions of those fuckers tests and experiments! Who the hell knows what new torture they have developed as a result! DAMN YOU!"

She walked over and picked up her rifle, slung it on her back and walked over towards her hover bike. She sat down beside it and stared into the horizon.

Beatnik watched Banshee as she walked away, he inhaled deeply and looked around again, including himself, Jessica, Banshee, and the five survivors they were down to eight now. They started with 21, now they were down to eight. the good news was they were only about five miles from where Murdoc and his gang were. He looked up at the sun and had to make a tough decisions however, they only had about an hour of sunlight left, not enough to finish the journey. He looked at the survivors who were now gathered around him and he spoke, "Gather up supplies, ammo, whatever you can carry. We need to shelter up for the night. I don't like sleeping in the wild but we have no choice so we will make the best of it."

One of the men looked at Beatnik and spoke, "What about here?" He thumbed towards Banshee, "She's gone through enough for now...."

He turned and looked at Jessica, "Well Jessica, I'm sorry that our initial meeting had to be so full of drama, but you are more than welcome to stick with us for the night. I am not sure where you were heading when Banshee found you, but at least for the night we can help keep each other safe."

GG saw the look Murdoc gave her and knew he was thinking the same thing she just said. After a few more seconds, they moved on, Murdoc leading the way.

“This way, GG.”

GG smirked and couldn’t help herself.

”Sure thing….Doc.”

They hadn’t gone far when they came across a few more necros that had been alerted by all the noise and movement from the back of the police station. GG didn’t know if it was her or if they seemed to be adapting and getting faster but this group was on them faster then ever and they were down right vicious in their attempt to get at her and Doc. It was almost like they were pissed off because of what they were and they were going to take their anger out on anything with living flesh.

GG flipped the shotgun up and fired off a shot taking the head of one of the bastards clean off and Murdoc had to once more shoot his way out of the crowd. It was getting more difficult each time they ventured out to try and escape these things. At least when they were first starting to creep about the place they were slow moving and motivated strictly by the need to feed. Now….not so much. It was almost like they evolved some how.

Not a pleasant thought when you were facing off against a group of them.

Still….by the time GG and Murdoc made their way out of the streets of the city, they left a trail of necros behind. An easy trail for anything to follow. Like more necros…..and skinnies. Another pleasant thought to deal with. Deciding to circle around and leave a trail of necros in a totally opposite direction, Murdoc and GG soon found themselves having to hunker down for the night in an old building that used to be PS 89.

Making their way carefully to the cafeteria they found the walk in freezer. Unoccupied. While it didn’t smell all that nice, it sure as hell beat having to spend the night in an unsecured area. At least in here they could put the iron rod Murdoc found in the door handle and make it damn near impossible for it to be opened.

With Murdoc’s help, GG was able to reach the ventilation unit and poke a hole in it for air. At least now they wouldn’t suffocate. With a last check on the security of the door, she and Murdoc settled down, back to back and using each other to prop against, to get some rest.

*******

The next morning, GG woke with a start. Sometime during the night Murdoc curled up around her, spooning her. Jumping up like she’d been burned, she yelled at the man.

”Murdoc! Daybreak. We need to get moving.”

Murdoc had jumped up when GG moved so quickly and he had drawn his sidearm that quick. When he got his senses about him he blinked and looked around. Running a hand through his dark hair, he nodded.

“Yeah….the others are most likely worried.”

Opening the door, they looked around cautiously then slowly made their way through the school. As quiet as church mice they eventually found themselves on the street. Creeping about like ghosts, they stayed to cars, trucks, buildings…anything they could to avoid being detected.

After what seemed like forever, they made their way back to the colony as the sun was setting. There was no sign of the new arrivals and Murdoc shared a worried look with GG. Shouldn’t they be there by now? There wasn’t time to think about it as the necessity of the group came into play. GG and Murdoc were busy with the colony discussing movement plans, alien sightings, chore distribution, food gathering and security. You know…..Just another day in post alien occupied Earth.

The sun was starting to set for the night and that’s when they heard the explosions. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what was happening. By the time they made it outside, they could see the strange aircraft turning and leaving the dust behind in its wake. GG looked over at Murdoc and was about to say something when he spoke quietly.

“Banshee’s group. Poor bastards never had a chance.”

GG squinted and looked into the growing sunset.

”Suppose we should go out there tomorrow and see if there’s any bodies left to burn.”

Murdic didn’t say anything. He just kept staring out at the settling dust in the growing darkness.

Back underground at the colony Murdoc was in what passed for the communal bathroom area. Murdoc was washing his face, his clothes and hair were covered in ashy dust. Murdoc slipped his leather coat off, as he did he noticed a tear in it above the left sleeve, the stitching had come apart, the black leather sleeve was coming loose from the body of the coat. Murdoc set the jacket aside cursing as he did so for the coat had lasted him all these years, all the years since the Vashar'in had come to earth. Murdoc continued to wash his face, the cool water was making the man feel energized. The water was washing a heavy feeling of fatigue away, Murdoc could not remember the last time he slept more than two or three hours straight through. As tired as he was he knew that GG and the rest were just as tired, those that have chosen to protect the colony did not get much rest, sleep was for children and the old.

Cold water ran down Murdoc's face and trickled down onto his shoulders, as the water reached his left shoulder he felt a stinging sensation. There was a small laceration across Murdoc's shoulder about 2 inches long and about a half inch wide. It was not bleeding heavily and was discolored. Murdoc removed his shirt and looked it over in the large broken mirror in front of him.

"Shit." Murdoc thought as he inspected the wound. Thinking back he remembered being punched by the big headless necro and being mobbed by the smaller ones as he and GG made their escape from the city. Could the big creature had scratched him when it landed it's powerful punch at the police station? Could one of the smaller ones have nicked him in his haste to escape the buildings?

Murdoc poked at the scratch, it was the color of lead and the skin around it was hard and stiff. There was a slight burning sensation and a dull pain. Murdoc splashed some water on the area, the water did seem to penetrate the skin.

"I'll have Danny look at this in the morning..." Murdoc thought as dried his face and hair put his shirt back on and poured the water from the shallow washing bowl into some nearby buckets to be reused and recycled.

On his way out from the cavernous 'bathroom' area he saw GG heading his way.

"Is the headcount good? Is everybody inside?" Murdoc said drying his hair with a stained and threadbare towel.

"If so, let's seal the door and serve dinner, everyone's probably starving." Murdoc said as his own stomach growled. He and GG had been gone for a day and had not eaten much.

Behind GG came Danny, a young man in his mid 20s, he was dressed in mix matched fatigues and had long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. Danny had a long range sniper rifle strung on his back as always. The young freedom fighter was carrying a few cans of coca cola.

"The group is worried, Doc. They heard the fighting and they know that the other group did not make their arrival." Danny said stone faced holding two bright red cans of soda.

Danny stood straight as an arrow as if he was at attention, the group was not a real military unit but Danny took his duties very seriously.

"I know Danny, me and GG will talk to them at dinner." Murdoc said taking a can of soda from the man's hands. Murdoc opened it and handed it to GG.
"You keep that one," Doc said to Danny. The young man was noticeably excited and opened the can and began to drink the sweet drink.

"Thanks, Murdoc!, thanks GG!" Danny said as he walked away.

"Let's eat and get some rest." Murdoc said with the old towel draped around his neck.

GG nodded to Murdoc.

”Head count is done, everyone’s here, Doc.”

She studied the man’s face for a few minutes. He was good at hiding things but GG had gotten to know him over the years and knew when things were troubling him. Perhaps it was just the loss of Banshee and her group that she saw in his gaze. It was never a good thing to lose humans, even worse when you knew them. Even if only for a few hours like they had Banshee.

As Danny showed up with the cans of Coke, GG listened as the young man gave Murdoc the report. When Doc handed her the can of soda, she looked at it a moment then brought it to her lips taking a small sip of the sweet, carbonated drink. It was few and far between they were able to enjoy such a treat but even now GG felt guilty for doing so.

As Danny beamed at being able to keep the can, GG watched the excited young man leave. As Murdoc got ready to walk away, GG reached out and touched his upper arm for a second to get his attention. When he turned and looked at her, GG searched his eyes once more. Handing him the can of soda, she spoke.

”Here. Looks like you need this more than I do. Besides, too much sugar makes me have bad dreams and I have enough of those on my own as it is. Don’t need added influence.”

She looked back towards the others as they mingled around and were getting settled to eat.

”How much longer you think we can stay here like this, Doc?”

She looked back up at him.

”We’re gonna have to move to an alternate location eventually. Those bastards are getting closer and closer to finding us. It’s just a matter of time before they find us and then we’re really screwed. And they won’t even kiss us when they’re done.”

Her brows furrowed slightly then.

”If you want, I’ll head out tomorrow morning and start looking for alternate locations. You know how well I know the city. Hell, if it makes you feel better, you can come with me. Danny will do just fine while we’re gone. After we take care of Banshee’s people, of course. I don’t want to leave them out there any longer than we have to. I don’t like the idea of the necros having a free meal from them.”

Beatnik moved with his group. They had decided to move on, despite the twilight coming. They were double timing as best they could, five miles and only about two hours to do it. Not bad if the roads were perfect and smooth, but that hadn't been the case for almost eight years.

The destroyed remnants of the city came into view and Banshee motioned without making a sound towards the entrance of Murdoc's location. Beatnik looked at her and made a motion like he was going to come chat but she turned her head and kept moving without acknowledging his even looking at her. He sighed heavily and kept the group moving. He wasn't surprised that there were no Necros to deal with, for starters it was still fairly light and they tended to only come out in the evening, but mostly there was nothing for them to hide behind, the last four miles were barren and open. It was sheer luck that the wind had died down enough to keep all the garbage in the air from blowing around.

Banshee stopped her hover bike on the top of a hill and as the group came up beside her she spoke as she pointed, "There, at the base of the old bridge support, you can barely make out the entrance, looks like they have already sealed up for the night."

Beatnik looked and nodded. He turned to look at Banshee and spoke, "Thanks for navigating us in kid, I really apprecia..."

"Fuck you Beatnik."

He looked at her and she turned her head away from him looking to the other six that were still with them, "You all stay here, the know me, I will go see if they will let us in for the evening."

She dismounted from her bike and walked the last couple hundred meters to the fortress entrance and knocked. Murdoc had told her, three, then two then four. She tapped the combination on the massive steel door that looked like it once belonged in the Fort Knox vault and hoped that someone inside heard her.

Jessie said little as she followed along with the small group. She understood Banshee's anger and also knew that there was nothing that could be done about it until it ran it's course. She also wondered as to why Beatnik didn't kill the plant.....but that would come later if he chose to share with her. She wasn't one to pry.

She straddled her own hover bike as they stopped and Banshee mentioned that all stay put until she checked to see if they would be allowed safety for the night. She heard her exclamation to Beatnik and felt sympathy for the man but again it wasn't for her to butt in. She was new to this group so she was still feeling her way about on where she fit in to the scheme of things with them. As he turned to look at her, she gave him an understanding smile.

GG and Doc were just getting ready to eat with the others when the ominous knocking came from the large steel door they used to barricade the area. GG and Murdoc shared glances with each other for a brief moment before they were up and heading for the door.

“I thought you said everyone was inside.”

GG heard the frustration in Murdoc’s voice and she quickly responded in kind.

”And have you ever known me to miscount after all these years?”

Inside, though, GG was questioning herself. HAD she forgotten someone? It wasn’t like her to miscount. Ever. She triple checked the numbers and names to make damn sure she got everyone inside before the doors were closed and locked for the night. But this person knew the code for knocking so they knew it was someone that was a part of the colony.

How could she have been so stupid to forget someone and not count them??!!

With the colony on edge, everyone that didn’t have a weapon was sent into hiding, just in case. As Murdoc reached the door, he double checked to make sure everyone was ready in case it was trouble on the other side. With a nod from GG, Murdoc gave the OK for Danny to reach forward and carefully unlocked the heavy door and pull it back.

Murdoc took point with GG directly behind him and several others on the other side of the door just in case the two of them were cut down. A couple of others were next to Danny ready to shove the door shut as well. As GG gripped the butt of the gun and felt it pressed into her shoulder, her finger rested on the trigger ready to blow the head off whatever it was knocking. But when she heard Murdoc say the name, she lowered her gun

“Banshee?”

Daring to peer over Myrdoc’s shoulder, she looked at the young woman and blinked. She survived? She saw Murdoc’s eyes scan the area as he took a few small steps from the door to the outside. GG stepped up then and looked the young woman over.

”Banshee? Did any of the others survive?”

Like Murdoc her eyes were now scanning the area. The butt of the shotgun was still resting comfortably at her shoulder so she could pull it up at any moment and fire.

Banshee heard the door locks snap and then the creaking of the steel being pushed on rusty rails as the smallest of cracks was opened, just enough for one person to come through. As she saw Murdoc and GG there was the briefest of expression of relief on her face. When GG spoke her face sunk slightly and she nodded, "Yeah, we started with 21, now there are eight, and we are pretty banged up, four of them have injuries, nothing life threatening but they certainly chewed us up, and..."

She paused and her eyes welled up slightly, but she clearly fought back the tears and inhaled deeply, "The fuckin' skinnies took my brother."

She saw GG and Murdoc exchange glances and Banshee continued, "Anyway... those of us that made it are formally requesting entrance, we picked up one along the way that joined up with us, she's clean as far as I can tell, has an older model hoverbike and seems fit."

She never turned around but on the hill Beatnik waved, indicating that they were all there and waiting for word that they could come forward, in this modern wall unwritten protocol's were in place when approaching new pockets of civilization, it was always best to approach humbly and without malicious intent, Beatnik above most knew this.

Murdoc saw the man wave and turned to look back at Banshee then glanced at GG. With the slightest of nods he gave the OK for them to come in. GG signaled to the others behind the door to open it up for the newcomers to come in. The door creaked open slowly as Murdoc signed to Beatnik.

GG looked back at Banshee again and gave her a small nod letting her know she understood how she was feeling.

”Come on….we’ll get you all settled in. We were just getting ready to eat. We’ll get the medic to look you all over good.”

GG looked over at Danny then.

”Get Steve to the infirmary and let him know he’s got some work to do. And tell the others to make room for new refugees.”

Danny nodded then took off. As he let the others know it was humans they began to come out of hiding and helped make way for the others to come in. GG looked back at Banshee then.

”Sorry to hear about your brother, Banshee. What happened? We heard the skinnies firing at something. We figured it was your group from the direction the firing was coming from. We thought you’d all been killed. Glad that isn’t the case after all.”

She saw Beatnik talking with Murdoc and saw the way Banshee looked at the man. Furrowing her brows, she looked at Banshee.

”If looks could kill, that man would be dead ten times over. What the hell happened?”

Banshee looked at GG and then back to Beatnik, "To make a long story short, there was a plant, unlike anything I have ever seen. She was fast, accurate and apparently able to cast some sort of spell on Beatnik over there because he had a clear shot at her and didn't take it."

GG looked at him with concern and Banshee continued, "I don't know what happened, first time I ever saw him hesitate, had her dead bang and just sat there staring at her like a kid in puberty looking at his first dirty magazine. It gave them enough time to deploy an aerial and they snatched my brother Jasper..."

She paused again and clearly this was about the only thing that caused the hard shield of her face to crack, she composed herself quickly and cleared her throat softly, "Thanks for letting us in, no chance we would have survived the night otherwise."



Beatnik saw the signal and pushed the hover bike down the hill as the small group advanced up to the steel door. They all had apprehensions and there was doubt on all their faces, but they all trusted Banshee and if she said these people were legit they were willing to go on her word. Beatnik walked right up to Murdoc, it was clear and obvious by the look of the man that he was the one Banshee had told him about. He extended his hand and spoke, "Johnathon Clement, everyone calls me Beatnik, kind of an ironic twist on my former life I guess. You must be Murdoc."

As Murdoc shook his hand Beatnik tapped his chest pocket and smiled, "Banshee told me you were Irish, so I wanted to give you something very special as a gesture of friendship to get us going on the right foot and to thank you for taking our small group in." He unbuttoned the flap on the pocket and removed a small, single shot bottle of Jameson's Irish Whiskey and handed it to Murdoc, "It ain't much but these are getting harder and harder to find anymore."

GG turned her head to look at Beatnik then back to Banshee with her brows furrowed even more. The news was disturbing, at best, if what Banshee said was true. If the plant was in clear shot range, why didn’t the man take it? Had they just opened themselves up to something more vulnerable letting these strangers into their colony? Turning her back on the men talking, she looked at Banshee again.

”Do you think this plant and Beatnik have some sort of…..connection? I’ve heard of humans selling out humans before to the skinnies so they can get food and supplies from the bastards. Wouldn’t be the first time something like that has happened. Do you think Beatnik may be a threat to us? I gotta know right now, Banshee.”

Looking over her shoulder at the men, she saw Beatnick handing Murdoc something that looked like one of those small liquor bottles you got in hotels. If Murdoc heard what Banshee just told her, Murdoc wouldn’t be so eager to accept the gift Beatnik was handing him.

GG looked back at Banshee then and the concern was clearly etched in her dark eyes.

Banshee looked at GG and shook her head, "No, he's a ruthless killer... I have no idea why he froze up, I have been living with he and his colony for almost nine months, I have personally seen him waste over a hundred of the bastards. It's something else, but I don't know what."

She turned and looked towards Beatnik when one of the men in the group approached and gave both of the ladies a hard look, "Not that the two of you are making an incredibly hard attempt at being quiet but I'll tell you what happened. That plant we ran into used to have a name, it was Krystin, and she was part of our group. She was one of the finest people you could have ever spent time with and they turned her into a mindless plant."

He turned and looked at Banshee and his face was like stone, "You're not the only person that's lost someone you love Banshee, it might be wise to keep that in mind."

He turned and looked at GG as he slung his rifle over his shoulder, "Thanks for letting us in."

He walked off into the cave and Banshee watched him a moment before turning back to GG. There was a clear look of regret on her face as she stared at GG a second before turning to look at Beatnik, "I don't know what to do... I feel ashamed but I still want to punch him in the face for letting them take my brother." She looked back at GG, clearly the emotions that were etched on her young face had her overwhelmed and she didn't know what else to say.

GG watched the man walk away. So, Beatnik’s girlfriend? Lover? Close friend? Was now a plant. And he came face to face with her. And she ended up taking Banshee’s brother. Alive. That meant only one thing for the guy. Looking at Banshee and seeing the look in her face, GG took a deep breath and nodded.

”I’m sure it wasn’t easy for him to realize what he came face to face with. Our brain tells us one thing and we react to it when we don’t know who the plant used to be. But when we come face to face with a plant who used to be one of us, it’s not as easy as it seems. I hope you never find out what that’s like.”

She looked back at Murdoc and Beatnik as the heavy, steel door was pushed back into place and secured once more for the evening..

”At least we know he’s not a sell out.”

She looked back at Banshee again.

”Come one…let’s get something to eat. Looks like you could use a bite or two. And no…it’s not an option. It’s an order.”

GG knew the young woman wasn’t all that hungry considering her emotional state of mind but GG knew first hand if you didn’t force yourself to eat, you would waste away to nothing. If it hadn’t been for Murdoc, she would be dead. Not because a necro or anything like that but because he found her and forced her to eat when all she wanted to do was lay there and die. He taught her one foot in front of the other each day was what she needed to do as well as making sure she ate and drank water. Eventually she did it without him making her do it. And now, she would take a bullet for him….or stand in front of a skinny or necro for him because of what he did for her.

MEANWHILE….Back at the Vashar’in Base of Operations (formerly known as McGuire Air Force Base)

The aircraft carrying Jasper, Michelle and Eve landed. It took a few moments but soon the loading type doors opened and several more plants could be seen moving about the tarmac. Six of the plants came on board, two of them carrying long looking poles and the other two carrying something odd looking in their hands. The remaining two carried plasma weapons that were charged and ready to fire at any moment.

Eve stood up and approached the crude holding cell that contained the two humans. Her dark eyes looked at both of them as she spoke.

”The doors will be opened and you will be approached. Do not try to harm the ones who approach. If you do, the enforcers will not hesitate to use their weapons on you and kill you.”

She stepped back and Jasper and Michelle heard the locks to the cell door open up. The plants with the poles and odd looking object stepped in. They were quick and efficient and while both Jasper and Michelle fought their efforts, even with the threat of dying as the sinister plasma weapons were aimed at them, they were no match for the strength of the plants.

When the struggling was all done, Michelle and Jasper each had a metal collar around their necks. Each collar was about two inches thick and made of a metallic substance, but nothing quite like they had seen before. The poles the plants carried were attached to the collars and the four plants that had placed the collars on the humans each had one and guided the humans out of the cages and off the airship followed by the plants with the weapons. The poles were about six feet long each and kept the humans at a safe distance away from the plants but allowed the plants to move the humans wherever they needed them to move. Eve brought up the rear and walked along in silence, looking straight ahead.

Jasper and Michelle were guided to a large hangar where they saw other humans caged up and being held. Many other plants moved about as well removing dead bodies or taking a human or two from the cages in similar fashion Jasper and Michelle were removed from the airship. Once they were led to their cage, Eve approached and once more let her dark eyes look at both of the humans.

”You will be held here until you are called for processing. Until then, you will receive bread and water. Once you finish the processing, if you survive, you will be given more substantial food.”

She turned and headed back out of the hangar then even as she heard the cries, screams and curses from the humans locked up in cages like Jasper and Michelle were now. A hover craft picked her up just outside the hangar and carried her to a location on the opposite side of the base. Once there she was guided to the infirmary to assess her wounds and repair them.

There was no talking. The plants didn’t need to talk to each other. Everyone moved with efficiency knowing the tasks they were required to do. Moving through several white washed hallways, Eve entered a medical room for assessment and processing. She was stripped of her clothes and a thorough physical examination took place. The wound on her leg was deemed bad enough where it would need to be repaired with aid. Two of her ribs were cracked from the hit she took to the vehicle and she needed some oxygen to help cleanse her blood of toxins she inhaled after she removed her helmet.

Moving to a tank that held a strange kind of liquid, she walked up the steps and waited as the respirator was lowered for her. Placing the device in her mouth, a syringe injected something into her arm and she stepped over the edge of the tank and slowly sank into the liquid. It was cool, but not cold and while it was slightly thicker than regular water, it didn’t feel bad against her bare skin. As the liquid surrounded her completely, Eve felt the effects of the sedative that had been injected into her body. Slowly her eyes closed and she sank into a comatose like state as the liquid began to heal her body.

It was during these times of deep sedation, her mind was free of alien control and she was able to recall flashes of everything she had done as well as let her memories from her past move through her mind. Her memories and recall was now plagued by a dark skinned man. His eyes were equally as dark but flashes of him smiling came to her. She knew this man. Knew they had shared time together. Knew they were close. She even knew his name. It was right on the tip of her tongue. It started with a B. Bert. No. Brad. No. But there as another name she called him sometimes too. That one she knew. John.

More memories flooded her mind then. They had been on missions together but he didn’t work for the same people she did. They didn’t work together all the time. Only on certain occasions. And she enjoyed the time she spent with him. Over and over again his bright smile and twinkling eyes came to her more than anything and she found comfort in that. And that was what she let her mind recall over and over. His smile and his twinkling eyes. If nothing else, she would have that to hold onto.


For now.