Chapter VII


    "INCOMING!"


    That was Terry''s immediate response just before he swerved the truck out of the way of the falling object. The other occupants, Scott, Sam and Fitz, braced themselves for the apparent collision. The truck swerved to the right of the right side, as did three other vehicles in opposing directions. The object narrowly missed those vehicles but slammed directly into the fifth vehicle, completely obliterating and likely killing the occupants inside. The remaining trucks all came to a stop and the soldiers in each of them rushed out onto the field. They all took cover behind the opened doors of the vehicles and Terry threw his free hand up to halt the soldiers from firing unless he gave the word.


    Scott and Fitz stayed close to Terry and Sam, and the former was able to get a look at the plume of smoke billowing from the impact area. His eyes darted to where Johansson was standing by with Pete and Michelle. Johansson glanced back, but Scott couldn''t tell if she was looking at him or Terry. He ultimately assumed the latter. Terry looked at Johansson and he gave her a telling nod. Johansson looked oddly hesitant to Scott, like she didn''t want to act on something. She did as she was ordered, motioning two random soldiers to join her. Scott was left surprised to see Johansson and the two soldiers slowly approaching the impact area. He obstinately assumed they were looking for any survivors, but would could possibly survive that wreckage?


    "Captain?" Sam whispered.


    "No one does anything until I give the word." Terry responded in a hushed tone.


    Scott glanced at Terry and asked, "Terry, what can I do to help?"


    "Just stay down, Scott. We''ll handle this." Terry replied.


    Scott hated being useless but he understood the reasoning behind staying put. Fitz was there next to him and shaking his head in the negative, reenforcing Terry''s orders. Scott could do nothing but remain both present and still, watching as Johansson and the two soldiers were now right on top of the wreckage. Johansson motioned the soldiers with her to spread out around the parameter of the area. She stayed where she stood, keeping her rifle aimed at the impact point. Back near the trucks, Scott couldn''t help but feel like something was off about the situation. Then his suspicions proved correct when Johansson turned back around to give the all-clear, only for a Marauder to rise up behind her.


    Without thinking, Scott grabbed a hold of Sam''s sidearm and took a shot at the Marauder. Johansson ducked out of the way with half a second to spare, letting the stray bullet hit the Marauder in the shoulder. The distracted alien was easy pickings for Johansson as she unloaded on it with an onslaught of bullets. The alien dropped back into the flaming wreckage, and Johansson looked back at Scott in complete disbelief. She had no time to wonder as more Marauders emerged from the wreckage. The other soldiers with Johansson quickly regrouped with her and opened fire on the aliens while making a break for the trucks.


    Sam pushed Scott down behind the door before Terry gave the word to provide cover for Johansson and the two soldiers. The Marauders returned fire on the trio as they made a break for the trucks. Johansson was able to return fire, if only to force the aliens to avoid the shots as they came. The Marauders fired back, and they managed to shoot and kill both of the two soldiers. Johansson managed to reach Terry''s truck and slid into cover, and she seemingly inadvertently knocked into Scott. Scott himself wasn''t entirely convinced it was inadvertent, but that was hardly the issue at the moment.


    Two more flying objects crashed down near the first and more Marauders emerged from them. They attempted to flank the convoy, losing a few of their numbers in the process. Another pair of soldiers were killed within moments, but those that remained continued to hold their own. One of Marauders appeared with what looked like an alien-styles launcher, and it aimed it toward the closest truck. It fired a shot, and the truck was blown to pieces along with the soldiers that occupied the vicinity.


    "Focus fire on that target. Focus fire." Terry bellowed as loud as he could over the gunfire.


    Scott was nearest to Terry and heard him clearly. After that, the rest of the team followed the order, with Johansson and Sam taking the first shots. Johansson managed to land a shot to the alien''s left leg, but it still had enough wherewithal to bring the launcher back up. Sam took the next shot and hit the target in the stomach. Then Pete and Michelle finished it off. More Marauders retaliated but it didn''t take long before they were cut down. The firefight slowed to a halt after several minutes until the last Marauder was dead. The team and the few remaining soldiers regrouped amid the wreckage of 2 vehicles and only 3 remaining.


    "Alright, sound off, people. I want a head count. Johansson?" Terry called out.


    "Affirmative, sir."


    "Marcus?"


    "I''m still here, Captain." Pete replied.


    "Chang?"


    "I''m here, sir." Michelle announced.


    "Duncan?"


    "Right here, boss." Sam said.


    "Fitzgerald?"


    "Here." Fitz said.


    Terry sighed and looked to where Scott was catching his breath. "Scott, you okay?"


    Scott gave a thumbs up and replied, "Yeah, I''m good."


    "Alright, what about our casualties?" Terry asked.


    "My best guess is that we lost 5, maybe 6 people and 2 trucks." Pete replied.


    Michelle searched through the wreckage of a truck and said, "Maybe we can salvage some supplies."


    "Grab whatever you can and mount up into the remaining vehicles. We need to get moving as soon as we can." Terry said.


    "Hold up... what about the soldiers we just lost?" Scott asked.


    Johansson coldly replied, "They''re dead. There''s nothing we can do about them."


    "Not even a proper burial?" Scott wondered aloud.


    Johansson got right in Scott''s face and said to him, "You want to waste time burying them, be our guest."


    "Cool it, Lieutenant," Terry ordered before turning to the others. "Marcus and Duncan, get some holes ready. Fitzgerald, see to the wounded. We''re getting back on the road ASAP."


    A few minutes later, several makeshift graves were made for the soldiers killed in the ambush. Their rifles were placed over the graves as symbolic markers. Fitz had also finished examining the wounded survivors. The team stood in a moment of silence for their fallen comrades before Terry gave a visual order to get back into the remaining vehicles. As the survivors started getting settled into the trucks, Scott seemed to stall for a second. He looked down at the makeshift graves of the fallen soldiers and sighed. Then he looked up toward the sky, half-expecting to see more objects crash down from above. Realizing that standing around wasn''t going to change what happened, Scott headed for the lead truck. The remaining vehicles soon drove off to continue the trip.


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    The remainder of the travel was a relatively uneventful period. The only difference was that now, the remaining soldiers and Terry''s group were on alert. Back in the passenger''s front seat of the lead vehicle, Scott practically had his eyes glued to the sky. He then looked forward along the road and saw what appeared to be a road sign well ahead of the convoy. As the convoy drew closer, Scott was able to make out some letter that ALBUQUERQUE; 2 MILES. It was obvious now that the convoy was in somewhere in New Mexico now. The town the convoy stopped at would likely have been in Arizona, most likely Flagstaff. Scott didn''t know why, but his thoughts wandered all the way back to the night he spied Johansson and Pete having sex. Then earlier that morning, Johansson told him to forget it. That was, unfortunately for Scott, harder to do than he''d have liked.


    Sometime later, the convoy reached the city limits of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The city itself didn''t seem as ruined as Bakersfield or Flagstaff, but that hardly meant it was the safest place to be at the moment. Regardless, the convoy came to a rest at an old, burned out department store and the soldiers all stepped out. Scott was the last one out and he looked up toward the sky for only the third time that day. It looked to be getting darker, which begged the question of how long the trip had taken. Terry was seen roaming around with his rifle in hand and Johansson was shadowing him. She sent a passing glance to Scott, which Scott returned. She looked away as Terry stopped looking around.


    "Okay, we''re holding here for the remainder of the day to regroup. Then we''re back on the road first thing tomorrow morning." Terry announced.


    "With all due respect, sir, we still have plenty of daylight remaining." Johansson said.


    "Noted, Lieutenant," Terry said before motioning the remaining soldier assigned to him by Donovan, 3 in total. "You, you and you, what''re your names?"


    The first to reply was a man who appeared to be in his mid 30''s. "Sargent Bradly LeBeau."


    The second was a slightly younger woman who replied, "Sargent Krista Vazquez."


    "Corporal Tom Getz, sir." said the third, who appeared to be in his mid 30''s as well.


    Terry gave them a nod before telling them, "We camping out here for the evening. I need all of you to help my team set up a parameter around this area. After that, we''ll need a 2-member team on watch with relief every 2 hours."


    All of the soldiers gave crisp salutes before joining with Terry group, and then Scott approached Terry. "Is there anything I can do to help?"


    "You''ve done enough already, in my opinion." Johansson claimed in a sarcastic tone.


    Scott glared at the Lieutenant and replied, "I''m sorry, but who saved your ass out there? I did. You''re welcome, by the way."


    "The only thing you managed to accomplish was putting this mission in jeopardy." Johansson spat out.


    "Yeah, like you''d have done so much better if you weren''t getting a boner up your ass." Scott snapped back, offhandedly referring to Johansson''s night with Pete.


    Johansson just about snapped and moved toward Scott, but Terry stopped her. "Go help the others, Lieutenant. That''s an order."


    Johansson let herself cool down and walked away, cursing under her breath, "Little prick."


    At the same time, Scott muttered, "Ungrateful bitch."


    "Scott," Terry said and drew Scott''s attention. "What you did out there today…"


    "I was just trying to help, Terry." Scott explained.


    "I know you were, and part of me is even grateful that you did, but then what? The priority of the mission is to ensure that you make it to Sky Haven alive. If you die before that, then the mission fails." Terry explained.


    Scott huffed and grabbed his head in frustration before snapping, "I am not a fucking mission statement, Terry. I wake up 33 years in the future and everyone I''ve ever known is gone, and I can''t do anything about it. God forbid that I grab a gun and at least try to fight back against the monsters that want me dead."


    At that point, Terry snapped back, "It''s not just you the Marauders want dead, Scott. It''s everybody. It''s no secret that they unleashed Seraphim to wipe out most of Humanity as you or I know it, and then they show up to pick the bones. You have the virus in you right now, but you could also possibly have the anti-bodies that could create a cure and the Marauders will go to any lengths to ensure your death, and if you die, Humanity dies."


    "Maybe Humanity''s better off dead." Scott claimed and in doing so, he completely shocked Terry into silence. At the same time, Scott instantly regretted his words.


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    Nightfall came some hours later, and Scott was sitting alone in a corner of the abandoned department store the team had occupied. At least 2- or 3-members of the team were out patrolling the parameter around the store. Others were finishing up on gathering what supplies they could find for the next leg of the journey set for the following morning. Scott spent the time he had to himself wishing he could take back the words he spoke earlier. As it happened, Terry was approaching Scott where the young man sat and joined him. Scott didn''t object to the intrusion in any way, inwardly welcoming the company.


    "You alright?" Terry asked.


    "Yeah, yeah I''m good," Scott replied with a slight nod. He wasn''t alright, though and he then said, "Look, Terry, I''m sorry about earlier."


    Terry shook his head not out of denial or resentment, but understanding. "It''s okay. I get it; you want to be able to help us. You don''t want to seen as useless or helpless. I get that."


    "I don''t want to be seen as just some objective to a mission, you know? I should be able to contribute more." Scott admitted.


    "I can see where you feel like you''re not doing your part, and that you want to help any way you can." Terry replied.


    "I do. I''m stuck 33 years in the future and I''m at my wit''s end. I feel like I can do more, that I should do more. And yeah, there''s the obvious risk of my dying before we reach Cape Canaveral, but anything''s got to be better than cowering in a corner waiting to die." Scott said.


    Terry couldn''t help but smile at Scott''s surprising resolve, even nodding in approval of it. "Something tells me there''s more to you than you realize."


    "Think so?" Scott wondered.


    Terry visibly tilted his head to the side as if he was mentally considering his words, and then he continued, "You''re very much lacking in experience, which is understandable given the circumstances. But you''ve shown today that you''ve got heart and an innate desire to prove yourself. It''s an admirable quality. Foolhardy and stupid, but admirable."


    Scott wasn''t sure how to respond, and he simply replied, "Thanks... I think."


    Just then, Johansson approached the pair and said, "Captain, I think now would be a good time to go lights out for the night."


    "Agreed, and before you go, Johansson…"


    "Sir?"


    Terry stood up and Scott followed suit. "After some consideration, I decided that due to his presence, Scott is a part of our team now and as such, he''s going to need to some on the job training."


    "Sir, I''m not following." Johansson replied.


    "That goes double for me." Scott said, although he secretly had an idea.


    "Starting tomorrow morning, Johansson, I''m placing you in charge of training Scott." Terry stated.


    "There''s an ulterior motive, isn''t there?" Scott deduced.


    Terry knew he was caught and he didn''t even bat an eyelash. "Think of this as an opportunity to get to know each other better. Besides, I don''t see any harm coming from both sides trying to be civil."


    As Terry was about to go to sleep for the night, Johansson quickly said, "With all due respect, sir, Gavin is not a soldier. He''s not ready for what''s ahead."


    "None of us can say we''re ready for what''s ahead, Johansson. But we''ve already lost some people today and I believe that Scott Gavin, with some training, can be an asset to us in the long term." Terry stated.


    "But sir..." Johansson tried to say.


    Terry quickly cut her off by adding, "More importantly, Lieutenant, there''s obvious tension between you and Scott and it needs to be resolved before we get to Cape Canaveral. So, you both are going to have to learn to work together or you''re going to kill each other. So, get it done, Lieutenant, and that''s an order."


    "Yessir." Johansson replied with a salute before letting Terry go.


    Johansson was left in surprise before she glanced back at Scott, He was clearly seen to be sharing the same amount of surprise that Johansson was displaying. Johansson narrowed her eyes at Scott and he did very much the exact same thing. Then she spun around and rapidly closed in on him. Scott didn''t know why Johansson was coming directly at him, but he stood his ground as she came. They came face to face and nose to nose. Johansson met Scott''s eyes and they didn''t waver for even a moment. For his part, Scott thought that Johansson''s sudden approach was some kind of intimidation tactic. At the same time, his heart skipped a beat with Johansson so close to him. This was the first Scott really noticed, but Johansson was actually quite attractive for such a cold woman.


    "Is there anything you want to say, Gavin?" Johansson asked.


    The question was sudden and direct, and it knocked Scott out of his momentary stupor. "I''ve got nothing on my mind, Lieutenant Johansson."


    Johansson didn''t show it, but she was caught off guard by Scott''s show of respect to her. "Good. We''ll get started with your training first thing tomorrow morning." Then she turned and started to walk away.


    Scott then asked out of the blue, "You have any advice for me?"


    Johansson stopped and looked back at Scott, and she replied, "Don''t expect me to go easy on you. The Marauders won''t." She walked off after her advice, and Scott was left wondering just what sort of hell was in the future for him.