Clark sat in the Co-Pilots seat of the Grizzly that over the past few days started to seem like a second home, or sixth in Clark's case. He swiveled around his seat and stood up. The Grizzly was full with marines, a medical team and their medical equipment in case the worst outcomes occurred. Clark looked down and checked his cut down rifle. "Safety is on, magazine is full and the sights are centered." Clark thought to himself. "Arleigh Burke to Fun Fields, Come in Fun Fields." Josie's voice sounded over the comm. "Fun Fields Here, this is Clark. Go ahead" Clark said chinning the microphone activation switch in his helmet. "We are picking up a faint signal that's outbound from the No Fly Zone, standby we are triangulating with the Blue Ridge and the Guardian wing. I'm sending you the data and the projected course now." Josie replied sounding preoccupied "Copy that. Receiving data now" Clark said, walking over to a terminal and pressing buttons to receive the data being sent. when the data opened on the monitor it showed maps, grid references, co-ordinates and various other details. Clark looked at the rough silhouette, Not much to go on. "Looks like a Fighter or light transport of some kind, judging by the size of it." Clark told Josie over the comm "Well whatever it is its headed out system, you think Lambert is on it?" She asked. "I don't know. IF we do pursue it and it is him, well then good job all around but if we are wrong we could be getting Lambert killed" Clark replied lowering his voice. "Yeah, but whats to say he isn't already dead?" Josie continued "Nothing Jose, You know as well as i that we have no eyes inside that base of theirs. I guess we have to take this chance." said Clark. "Well i guess we are taking the chance. Your the closest to it at the moment. I guess I'll see you when i see you, Arleigh Burke Out." Josie finished, cutting the comm channel. Clark focused again on the terminal and sent the trajectory data to the pilot. "Plot an intercept vector, Disengage anchor hooks. Get us off this damn rock and get us into cruise and don't lose that ship." Clark ordered.
There was a sudden scramble in the Grizzly as everyone checked, double checked and triple checked their weapons and put on their EVA helmets. Clark put his combat helmet and checked that the airtight seals where engaged. The Grizzly shuddered as the anchor hooks retracted into the ship and the maneuvering thrusters fired. "I damn hope my guess hunch is right."
The next thing he knew, rough hands were grabbing him, shaking him. His eyes didn't want to open all the way, but he forced them open a crack.
Three demons stared down at him, faces twisted and non-human. He recoiled from them, but they reached out and grabbed him, shaking him and mumbling words he didn't understand.
So, I've finally made it to Hell. Guess there's no reason for a dead man to resist any longer.
Reluctantly, he let them drag him to his feet. He swayed unsteadily, for this place was both dark and seemed to be spinning rapidly around him. Two demons grabbed him on either side, guiding him down towards what looked like a door. The third demon hauled it open, and Lambert was dragged through it to find...
Is this a ship's cockpit? Wha...?
Then he saw her, standing in the corner and frowning furiously. Pita. She looked oddly... shrunken, he thought. She looked every inch like a scared little girl.
But if she's here, then...?
He whirled, glancing to his sides at the 'demons' dragging him towards the girl. His eyes finally opened fully as he realized. They weren't demons at all; they were battle-armored Liberty Marines! Angels who would carry him home at last!
He couldn't help it... a huge smile broke out on his face. And it grew even wider when he caught his first good glance at the man leading these marines, a man with the three full bars of a commander and CLARK engraved into his armor.
'Lambert hang on, we got you man. Marines, help him get ready for EVA.'
He opened his mouth to speak to Clark, but his mouth refused to cooperate and form coherent speech. He was prodded from the right, and the marine standing there handed him an emergency EVA suit: little more than a full-body shell to protect a person from the dangers of outer space for a short time. He slowly began to pull it on over his clothes, being careful since his arms and hands still weren't fully cooperative. The marines helped him pull it on as he listened to Clark speak to Pita.
'What the hell did you do to this man?'
'Like I told you, we had tea parties...'
Clark snorted loudly, glancing back at Lambert. It was then that Lambert saw a glint of metal around Pita's neck and his mind flashed back to the horrific pain that had nearly killed him in the first place.
He stepped forward, gesturing desperately to his wrists, still free from the EVA suit.
Pita spoke up again, rolling her eyes. 'Guess I should probably give them the key too...?'
Lambert nodded furiously.
Clark looked confused. 'What key?'
'The key to those pretty bracelets he's wearing.'
She reached into her pocket, pulling out a small silver key on a simple string. She handed it to Clark, and Lambert sighed as relief overtook him.
Clark tossed the key to the marine on his left, and Lambert held out his wrists as the marine unlocked him. Lambert gathered the small bracelets and then, after a moment of consideration, placed them in one of his pockets. Finally, the last stranglehold on him had been lifted.
He held his arms in the air now, as the marines finished suiting him up. A breathing mask was secured over his head, and one of the marines signaled Clark with a thumbs-up.
Lambert sucked in the clean, filtered air as the marines began to guide him to the nearby airlock. At the last moment, he turned his head to look at Pita one last time. She was watching him with a stony face, but he noticed the glint of two tears on her cheek. For a moment, despite everything she'd done, he sincerely felt bad for her. If Erwin Jaeger had deserved a second chance at life, shouldn't this poor girl deserve at least as much?
As he was helped into the airlock, he reached out his arm back and waved to her, silently hoping she survived her return to the Rogues. The last he saw of her before the inner door closed she was standing there, lower lip trembling ever so slightly, as she lifted her hand in a barely perceptible motion to return his wave.
The door hissed shut, and the air quickly hissed out of the chamber.
Clark spoke again, voice slightly distorted through his helmet. 'Lambert, these two grunts will carry you across to the Burke, and I'll head back to my Grizzly. Ell-Tee-Cee Josephine Alibrandi will take care of you over there. Got it?'
Lambert managed a weak nod, and then the outer door opened. Both marines grabbed him, and between them they carried him out into space with a powerful kick from the floor. Once they cleared the fighter, they fired their suit thrusters. Lambert felt a lurch in his stomach as they turned and started climbing rapidly. The huge bulk of a Bison supertransport was visible, a silhouette against the brown and yellow space Lambert immediately recognized as the Texas system. The marines held him close as they approached the massive ship, and finally a small emergency hatch became visible on the ship's hull, marked with a pair of red lights.
The marines executed a perfect landing on the hull of the ship, aided by the magnetic boots of their battle armor. One marine passed Lambert off to the other as he pulled the hatch open, and Lambert was ushered through into an airlock very similar to the one he'd left moments ago. The outer hatch was closed, and the small room rapidly repressurized, air hissing in from all sides. A green light appeared on the inside hatch, and it was pulled open.
Lambert was escorted into what seemed to be a small docking bay, a bay that was packed full of marines and naval personnel in service uniforms. A cheer erupted from the group as he emerged, and one of the marines behind him pulled off his breathing mask and his head emerged from the suit. The cheer intensified as they finally saw his face, and the powerful emotions of the welcome he sensed from them, coupled with the realization that he was finally free brought him to his knees. He lifted his hands to his face, fighting back tears, as he leaned forward and kissed the deck.
Safe. Safe at last.
He fought back to his feet again, as an officer in a naval Lieutenant Commander's uniform stepped forward to him, a smile on her face. She saluted him, a gesture of tremendous honor, and he jerked to an attempt at coming to attention and returned the salute.
'Welcome home, Jay-Gee. We didn't think we'd ever manage to find you. I'm Lieutenant Commander Josephine Alibrandi, and welcome to the Arleigh Burke.'
He discovered his voice seemed to have returned to him enough to spit out, 'Thank you ma'am.' Then, turning to the others in the bay: 'Thank you everyone. I am'¦ honored by your efforts.'
They cheered again and then began to disperse, some coming forward to clap him on the back or offer a personal welcome.
I think I should consider changing my opinion of the Marines, he thought with a small smile.
Alibrandi spoke up again: 'Lambert, the medical staff is here. I think it would be a good idea to let them have a look at you. Meanwhile, I'm going to make sure we get back to Richmond in one piece.'
He nodded to her as a handful of men in white stepped up to escort him to a medical bay. When they arrived in the bay, they offered him a sinfully comfortable bed and a sedative, both of which he gladly accepted. They were going to run some checks on his condition, and if all went well he'd be all taken care of by the time they reached Richmond.
He fell into a deep sleep, finally resting peacefully in the knowledge that he was safe.
Far away, back on Buffalo Base, Banshee howled in rage. The clunky mask the Rogues had scrounged up to 'fix' her with was horribly inadequate for her needs, and she was constantly suffering low-grade symptoms of cardamine withdrawal despite the fact that the mask was technically working. The pain added further fuel to her already towering rage towards the nameless Rogue who'd come to deliver several pieces of progressively worse news to her.
'So you're telling me that Lambert is gone, Pita is gone, and, on top of that, Moka has ordered me off this base?'
'Uh, yeah. That be the gist of it.'
She shrieked. 'Fool! Moka dares not cross me! I am powerful beyond his pitiful understanding!'
The man shrugged, not backing down an inch from her imposing figure. 'Frankly, I don't think Moka gives a sh...'
He was interrupted by her right hand closing around his throat. Steel fingers, powered by cybernetics and spurred by her fury, closed around his throat as cardamine-infused strength lifted him off his feet.
'You dare? YOU DARE? SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR IDIOCY, ROGUE!' she screamed.
His neck was smashed to a pulp by her powerful fingers. The last thing he saw was her hideous face, twisted in rage, with steely dark eyes staring straight into his soul.
In the morning, other Rogues came looking for the man. They went to Banshee's quarters and were stunned by an indescribably brutal scene. There were no remaining pieces of the body big enough to identify the man with. Banshee, meanwhile, was long gone.
She would find Lambert again, and when she did... he would pay for every last one of his sins.
--~--
"Who knows what true loneliness is - not the conventional word but the naked terror? To the lonely themselves it wears a mask. The most miserable outcast hugs some memory or some illusion."