Chapter 16:  Traitors

3 days later....

Kimberly finished her mental checklist as she made sure the IV bags, ironically made from full sized IV bags only cut into far smaller sizes, still had plenty of liquid. Satisfied that it would last for a few more hours, Kimberly headed back into the main room and left the patient rest.

The poor woman wasn't the only one from the surprise attack who had ended up here. Pyrrha's over zealous movements had put fifteen people into the ICU, two of which they had already lost. Thankfully, it was looking like they would be the only ones. Kimberly wanted to be furious at the damn catmonster... but she knew it wasn't it- her fault. The crazy bitch who had wrecked her own jeep trying to crush them was the one to blame. But that particular giant monster was beyond Kimberly's reach while Pyrrha... Kimberly shook the thoughts away as she headed to her last stop on her rounds.

Kimberly gave the cracked door a light knock before pushing it open. Roan turned to face her and gave her a, slightly forced, smile. He tried to turn his jury-rigged wheelchair toward her, but spun the wrong way and tangled himself in the tubes still connected to him.

"Here, let me," Kimberly said, rushing forward to stop him from pulling anything out. Roan looked less than pleased about the help, but had learned not to bother voicing it. Kimberly understood he wanted to be more independant and get used to using his new "legs", but wasn't about to let him hurt himself by doing so. His pride took a very distant second to his well-being.

"I keep forgetting I have to use the opposite wheel to turn a direction." Roan said as Kimberly got him untangled and spun around the way he had wanted. Kimberly chuckled at him before moving to check on his vitals.

"Perhaps we should ask them to put an R and L on the wheels so you can remember," Kimberly suggested with a smirk. Roan rolled his eyes.

"Oh God no! Then I'd never remember which side is right and which is left. I'd be even more confused," Roan said, cheering up a bit. Kimberly was glad to see he was recovering quickly and was pleased to see his vitals going strong. She wasn't quite ready to release him from ICU, doubly so with… upcoming events, but once that was over it would be something to look into.

"Is Gabby here, today?" Roan asked sending a wave of dread and despair through Kimberly. She hadn't had the heart to tell him the truth about the poor woman, doubly so when Gabriella had flatly refused to see him even after hearing he was up and about. Mostly cause she still refused to believe them. It was tempting to have some orderlies, or guards considering how strong Gabriella was, drag her out and MAKE her see him... but that wouldn't do either of them any good. If anything, it would only make the situation worse.

Unfortunately, that put Kimberly in the unenviable position of having to make excuses for why Gabriella wasn't there. And she was running out of them...

"Not today, Roan. She is still on the mission from yesterday," Kimberly lied. She risked a quick glance at Roan and saw him deflate. Thinking that Gabriella was too busy to even come see him was crushing the boy... but seeing that she had lost her will to live, and, inevitably, blaming himself for it, would do more than crush him...

Kimberly sucked in a breath to say something, but was interrupted as a knock came from the door. Both she and Roan looked to the door to see the smiling, bearded face of William in the doorway.

"Hello, you two. How's my brave protector," William asked with a smirk. Roan looked away in embarrassment as Kimberly finished the last of her updated notes.

"Doing much better. Few more days and he'll be ready to be dismissed," Kimberly answered. She thought that news would brighten Roan up, instead, he seemed to darken at the news. A fact William noticed as well. He nodded to Kimberly before moving over to Roan.

"Hear that, my boy. You'll be getting out from under the old ladies skirt soon enough and be able to do what you want, when you want again," William said giving Kimberly a sly look. She fired a glare back at him, but their trade of barbs didn't raise Roan's spirits'. If anything, they dipped lower. William let out a sigh as he knelt down beside Roan's chair.

"Listen, Roan. I know you are trying to put on a brave face, trying to keep just how much being... like this hurts. But there is no shame in admitting you are angry, frustrated, or just plain sad. Hell, it takes a very brave man indeed to admit to any of that," William said in his grandfatherly voice. Roan's eyes drifted away from the far wall and wandered toward his legs. He didn't say anything so William pressed on.

"I know you still want to help. I know you, also, think that you can't now, that the war is over for you and Gabby will move on without you," William said causing Roan to twitch. The beginnings of tears started to form in the young boy's eyes as his breath became more erratic.

"Well, as people down here say, that's a load of horse shit," William said, finally getting Roan to look at him.

"I saw how smart you were back when I was second in command. I've seen how dedicated and quick witted you are as well. Most importantly, I've seen how much Gabriella cares about you. Trust me, the war is over for you only if you let it be. And you'll never be rid of Gabriella even if you tried. So don't let this beat you, don't let the Society beat you. Get better, cause the Resistance needs you," William said giving Roan a light pat on the arm. Roan's eyes had lost the battle with the tears and he whirled away as they started to pour out. William gave Roan an understanding smile and started to stand back up when Roan grabbed his arm.

"I can't fight....I can't do patrols… I can’t scout or even deliver messages... How… How am I supposed to help?!" Roan asked looking up at William with tear-stained eyes. William knelt back down and put his arm on Roan’s shoulder before answering..

"I hate admitting this, but I’m not very good at fighting myself. Hell, Kimberly here could kick my ass up and down this ICU with both hands tied behind her. Imagine what Sanders or Gabriella could do to me. Yet despite that I was the second-in-command, not Gabby and not Sanders. There is more to war than just fighting or missions in the field, Roan. Sometimes, the best way to fight, is not to fight. But to support others who can," William said before giving Roan a kind smirk. Roan stared at William for a second before glanced back down at his legs. William gave him one last pat on the arm before standing and motioned for Kimberly to follow him outside.Kimberly looked back at Roan and, despite his lingering tears and rattling breath, thought he looked less... sad. She wanted to comfort him and make sure those foolish thoughts were dispelled completely, but William's radio crackled to life. Roan would have to wait.

Moving outside, and closing the door, Kimberly watched William take out his radio.

"Patrol command, go ahead," William said in a voice that sounded nothing like his own. In fact, if Kimberly hadn't seen him say it, she would have sworn it wasn't William. She had seen him do this trick once or twice before, but it never got any less unnerving.

"Two Reaper squads just landed. We caught one, but the other is heading deeper into the town. In pursuit, but need the area around the hospital cleared," a man, Victor if Kimberly placed the voice right, said on the other side of the radio. William and Kimberly looked between each other and unspoken words passed between them.

As William acknowledged the message, Kimberly had to fight the urge to rush out and tell everyone in the lobby what was heading their way. Leaving them out there was putting them all in danger, but emptying the lobby would alert the Reapers to something being off. After all, Patrol Command didn't have a direct line to the hospital... For this damn plan to work, she had to let those people be in harm's way. All she could do was pray the Reapers weren’t in the massacring mood...

Pushing her fears aside, Kimberly walked to a nearby room and peeked inside. The Shadow operative was still unconscious and safe, and would stay that way if the plan worked. Kimberly had never removed her from ICU, but did purposely spread the rumor that she had. It had, originally, been to send any traitors after her on a wild goosechase through the main hospital, but now… Damn Darius and his heartless plans.

It hadn't been that hard, honestly. The Roman ICU was nowhere near as well regulated and watched as a proper ICU from before the Shrink. Thanks to that, it was simple to load up an already dead patient into a bed, move the real Shadow to another room with a fake name and cause of injury(with the constant Reaper attacks no one would bat an eye at a sudden new arrival), and roll the fake Shadow out of the ICU and into a room in the reception desk-turned main hospital. Kimberly had keep an eye on the room, making sure no one showed any unneeded attention in it and had planned to keep it that way till the Shadow woke up. But then Derek had gotten the truth out of here after an… eventful night together. He had been worried about the woman, and Kimberly, being attacked by the traitors and she had told the truth to make him feel better. And then the idiot had let it slip to Darius… Bastard better thank every god conceived he had been such a goo-

"Here," William said, snapping Kimberly out of her thoughts. She looked down and frowned at the handgun William was passing to her.

"Just take it so I can feel a bit better about leaving you alone here," William pleaded and Kimberly sighed to herself. She didn't like having weapons in the ICU, but relented and took the gun. William gave her a nod of thanks before heading out of the ICU, leaving Kimberly to pray this damned idea would prove to be worth the cost.

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William sighed to himself as he looked over the people inside the lobby. Women, children, elderly, all here seeking help for an injury, an illness, or just to check on someone. And in less than a minute Society-controlled killing machines would burst into the area… and he couldn’t say a damn word of it to any of them. He prayed they would ignore the crowd, view them as distractions from their real mission and just plow through. But if not...

What really infuriated William, though, was that he couldn't deny this plan. This WAS their best chance to find the traitor. This WAS a risk worth taking. These people's lives WERE worth putting in danger... because it would save not just Rome, but maybe the entire world. What were the lives of twenty or so people compared to the entire world? William despised having to think like that... and yet...

A sudden crash from the large window-walls of the lobby's entrance ended William's internal war. It was too late to change his mind, now. Either these people were butchered, or they weren't... and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to change that.

Screams, which WIlliam joined in to keep his cover, filled the lobby. People rushed into corners or moved toward the doors leading into the hospital, only to be blocked by the guards. Four Reapers stomped their way through the lobby, all armed to the teeth with, already, bloodied weapons. Seeing them heading their way, the mass of people split like the red sea while the guards drew their weapons. William whispered a silent prayer of forgiveness as they were cut down with ease. Screams erupted again as the Reapers stalked past the dead men and toward the doors leading into the hospital. The lead one kicked the doors off their hinges and sent them flying down the hallway before moving into the hospital proper. The others followed without a word leaving the civilians to flee toward the ruined entrance. Thank God... they'd only killed the guards....

"Patrols, be advised that Reaper insertion team has been spotted in vicinity of hospital, repeat, in vicinity of hospital," William said into his radio, making sure to keep the fake voice he had perfected long, long ago.

"Patrol 2 here, heading that way now," Derek reported, giving the signal that he was ready. This was it...

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Derek slid his radio back in its holster and raised his borrowed rifle toward the door. The four other Phoenixes with him did the same as they took up covered positions in the room. They all held their breath as shouting, confusion, and general panic raged outside. Derek wanted to help those poor people, to make sure the Reapers didn't kill any civilians, but doing so would ruin the plan... and their chances of finding the head traitor.

Slowly, the noise began to die down and the sounds of running feet faded away. Derek gripped his rifle tighter and shifted into a good firing position as the silence hung in the air. For a second the only noise was his and his comrades slow, tense, breaths. Then the sounds of booted feet began to pierce the silence, along with an all too familiar whine of metal, Reapers....

The boots became louder and louder as they marched toward the door. Derek, who was taking cover at a lip in the wall close to the door, motioned for everyone to hold fire as they approached. Being so close to the door was dangerous, but let everyone in his squad see him, plus made it where the cybernetic monsters would have to go through him to get to the rest. Derek hovered his finger over the trigger as the boots moved to only a few feet from the door... their shadows peeped through the small gap between the door and floor… this was it!

But the tense stand deflated almost immediately as the booted feet and shadows stomped past without breaking stride. Derek swore as the noise began to fade as the Reapers continued onward. Dammit,  Marketta's squad was the one getting hit first, not his… And Waring, well that was something to worry about after.

Despite wanting to rush out to follow, Derek waited till the boots had faded away completely before moving to the door. The rest of his squad moved up with him and had formed up behind him by the time he opened the door. The hallway was, thankfully, much the same as it had been, though a bit messier. The mess though was only from dropped clipboards, trays, and other things, not blood and body parts. It seemed the Reapers were only interested in killing their quarry... at least for now.

The sound of approaching feet caused Derek and a few of his team to whirl around to face the direction the Reapers had come from. Derek breathed a relieved sigh, though, as William and a few Roman guards rounded the corner. He and his troops lowered their weapons as William and his bunch jogged toward them.

"They marched right past us, didn't even slow down," Derek said getting a nod from William.

"We need to hurry, then. Either Marketta is going to need help or... well we'll still have a squad of Reapers in the hospital doing God-knows-what," William said as he started to move to follow the Reapers. Derek nodded and fell in with the older man.

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Marketta grimaced a bit as she shifted her position behind the bed. Her injury from the attack and its rough ending hadn't fully healed, but she wasn't about to let a few bruises keep her out of the fight. Doubly so when she had gotten off so much easier than most.

She didn't blame either Pyrrha or Sanders for what had happened. While she hadn't been able to see too much being sealed in the platform, she had seen enough to know the necessity of Pyrrha's actions. Hell even Taylor had, begrudging, admitted they really had had no choice. It was either injury everyone on board, or get crushed by the jeep... not really much of a choice.

Pushing the past away, Marketta focused on the present and made sure her squad was in position. Everyone was where she wanted them and ready to repel an assault... An assault that might not come, though.

Marketta didn't know all the details of the plan, but she did know that one of the potential targets was a room Derek and his squad were in. And, more importantly, that room would be reached by the Reapers BEFORE this one. If Derek’s room was the target, all this prep work to repel an assault would be pointless as they'd have to rush out to help Derek and his squad. However, the fact they had yet to hear gunfire was beginning to make her glad she had been cautious.

The panic and general chaos had faded away a good while ago as the civilians were evacuated by the guards. Silence had filled its place and left Marketta and her squad on edge. She expected a storm of gunfire to erupt any second, but the silence just hung and lingered. Until the rhythmic thump of boots slowly grew. A rhythm too perfect for normal humans... Reapers.

"Prep!" Marketta hissed out as she and her squad quickly checked their weapons. Part of her had been hoping Derek would get the brunt of this plan, but the fact the Reapers were here proved her hopes had been in vain. They were coming for them... The bootfalls became louder and louder as her squad of five settled into position to greet the Reapers.  

A few seconds later and Marketta saw hints of shadows coming through the door crack. She held her breath and waited with her finger hovering over the trigger. It was so tempting to open up right now and take the Reapers off-guard, but Darius had been VERY clear. They had to wait for the Reapers to come into the room, it was the only way to be sure. Which left Marketta with n-

Suddenly, the door snapped, buckled, and crashed inward into the room. Light flooded into the dim room as a shadowed figure slammed their foot down after delivered the door shattering kick. The figure fired an arrow before their foot had even settled fully and it hit dead on its mark. The arrow smashed into the "head" of the dummy in the bed, punching straight through and embedding itself in the headboard of the bed. Had the dummy been a real person, they'd have been beyond dead. Thankfully, the dummy of pillows, covers, and wood didn't care too much about being "dead."

"FIRE!" Marketta yelled as she hammered the trigger down on her rifle. The reaper in the doorway had just enough time to look surprised before he was sent reeling back by a barrage of gunfire. Marketta and her squad had set the Roman guns to full auto, knowing aimed shots were mostly useless against the nimble cyborgs. A mass of bullets sprayed out like mad however... well dodging could only do so much.

The first reaper collapsed to the ground, blood and sparks erupting out of it. Its four companions all dived to the side of the doorway, but Marketta managed to bring her kicking gun onto one of them. The spray clipped him in the leg and caused his dive to turn into a flop. He never had time to even think of recovering before he was shredded like his comrade. Two down...

"Alphonse, Caroline, move up!" Marketta ordered, knowing they only had a few seconds before the reapers turned the door frame into a chokepoint for them. The two Phoenixes moved up, but were greeted with a small device a Reaper tossed into the room. Marketta wasn't fully sure what it was, but she had a good idea and it filled her with dread.

"Grenade!" one of her other troops yelled, coming to the same conclusion as Marketta. Marketta tossed herself to the ground along with the three who had held back, but Alphonse and Caroline had nowhere to go. All Marketta could do was pray for them as she took cover and the grenade exploded.

The explosion, however, did not send waves of flames or shards of flak flying out. Instead, a sudden burst of sound and light erupted from the object. The sound left Marketta unable to hear anything save a sharp ringing, but she had managed to get behind the bed enough to avoid the worst of the blinding flash. Rather than being blinded, she was just dazed and seeing spots. Alphonse and Caroline were not so lucky...

Marketta pushed herself back to her feet and got up just in time to see the two Phoenixes cut down. Having taken the full brunt of the flashbang, or something akin to one, neither could defend themselves as a Reaper spun around the door frame and cut them down. Marketta yelled in fury before firing a wild spray of fire, but the Reaper dodged back out of the doorway before she could get her gun on target.

It was tempting to rush out after the monster, but a quick glance around killed that idea. Her other troops were all still recovering from the explosion and she'd never be able to take a Reaper in close combat by herself, and that was assuming there was only one left. The flashbang had shifted the initiative to the Reapers...

Suddenly, small flashes of light raced past the door, causing Marketta to lose her train of thought. She stared at them in confusion before remembering that all she could hear was ringing. Those were tracer rounds which meant... As if to confirm her thoughts the Reaper sprinted past the doorframe and away from the tracers origins. Derek and his team must have arrived!

Running out of cover, Marketta moved to the door, but stayed in the room to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Knowing her own gun was running low, she snatched up Caroline's, she didn't need it anymore..., and made sure it was still working. WIth the rifle ready for action, she waited till Derek's massive frame appeared in the doorframe.

He stopped firing and said something to Marketta. Marketta gestured to her ears and made a cut motion before pointing to the blackened shell of the flashbang. Derek looked between her and the still recovering troops before nodding in understanding. He motioned for her to stay before rushing off after the Reapers.

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Derek growled in fury as he left Marketta and her surviving soldiers. Flashbangs... Dammit they should have realized the Society might break those out. Some part of him reminded him that there were two dead Reapers on the ground back there as well, but Derek didn't want to hear that. He didn't want to start thinking of this as a war of attrition... a meatgrinder for people to be tossed into.

Focusing back on the here and now, Derek sprinted down the hallway to the corner the Reaper had dodged behind. William had said there were five Reapers who had entered the hospital, but he had only seen three so far. The two dead back behind him and the one that had had Marketta's squad trapped. That Reaper had raced down the hallway the moment they had come into sight and avoided most of their chasing fire. The few that did hit the inhumanly fast monster just shrugged off, however.

Despite the risk of running right into a trap, with three Reapers waiting to spring it, Derek took point and rushed to the corner. He slowed long enough to peek around the corner, but was forced to duck back as an arrow barely missed puncturing his eye. The Reaper who had hung back had taken his bow out and fired a quick shot before making a run for it again while the other two rounded the next corner and vanished from sight. They could still catch them!

Derek spun out of cover and fired a spread of bullets after the fleeing Reaper. It tried to jank the rounds, but a second gunner joined in and made it impossible to dodge them all. The Reaper had its legs cut out from under it before being shot to pieces on the ground.

"Let's move!" Derek ordered, sprinting after the remaining two Reapers. He reloaded his rifle, a bit grateful he didn't have his laser slowing him down, and noticed the second gunner keeping up with his full on sprint out of his periphery. He glanced over and was surprised to see it was Marketta.

"Marke-" he stopped mid word as he remembered she couldn't hear and tapped her instead. She glanced over and he motioned for her to stay. She shook her head.

"WILLIAM IS TAKING CARE OF IT!" Marketta yelled louder than she needed to. Derek wanted to argue and tell her she needed to stay, but also knew they didn't have time. Doubly so with him having to charade every word he wanted to say...

Both he and Marketta rounded the corner and spotted the last two Reapers rushing toward a window. Derek swore and opened fire along with Marketta. Despite the gunfire, both Reapers leap through the window, shattering the glass, and vanished from sight.

"Dammit!" Derek swore as he ran to the window, Marketta in tow. They were halfway to it when a sudden barrage of gunfire roared from outside. Derek slowed his sprint into a jog and looked outside. A ring of Roman troops, lead by Victor, was starting to close in on the remains of the two Reapers. It seemed they had leap right down into the Romans' waitings arms. Victor glanced up at them and got a slight smirk.

"You could have left us three of them you know. Be nice and even then," Victor said. Derek was going to snark back at the Roman commander but stopped as Victor's words sank in. Been even? But there had been fiv-

"How many did you count land?" Derek asked as fear started to creep into Derek's body. Victor gave him a confused, then worried, look.

"Six... you did kill four didn-" was as far as he got before Derek whirled away and sprinted back down the hallway.

"William! WILLIAM!!!!"

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"Please, everyone calm down! We will all be safe in here and there are guards at the door, so please keep calm!" Kimberly yelled over the droning fear and intermittent sobs. Her pleas fell on panicked and worried ears, however, and seemed to only add to the noise.

After the Reapers stormed into the hospital, a large group of people had fled into the ICU and its armed guards. Those same guards would have keep the mass of panic out of the area, but Kimberly couldn't bring herself to not allow them in. She knew it was dangerous... but she couldn't abandon them since she had, in a sense, been responsible for this situation.

She was starting to regret that choice, however, as it became obvious the panicked mass was not going to be calmed down by her words alone. Worse, they were making it nigh impossible for the ICU staff to work. She had to get these people calm and in order... or have to force them out.

"Kimberly!" a voice yelled off to the side. Kimberly turned to see Roan rolling out of his room. She hopped down from the desk she had gotten on and moved to him.

"Hey, what can I do to help?" he asked, bumping into a few people as he tried to move closer. Kimberly gave him a true smile, touched by his need to help despite his condition, and patted his shoulder.

"Thanks for the offer, but we can handle this. Just stay in your room and out of the way," Kimberly said before hearing a loud crash from behind her. Dammit now what? She whirled from Roan and rushed toward the sound to find a bunch of equipment knocked over by someone. And the two likely suspects looked on the verge of fighting over it.

"Stop STO-" Kimberly started to say before her voice was drowned out by a sudden blast of gunfire. Everyone whirled toward the door as a short cry of pain pierced the wooden door. More gunfire followed the scream but died away with horrific quickness. Kimberly felt a wave of fear wash over her as she sprinted to the front desk, grabbed the gun William had given her, and pointed it toward the door.

A sudden and unnerving silence filled the ICU as everyone, even the children, seemed to hold their breath. Kimberly prayed the Reapers had just gotten lost o-

Suddenly, the door exploded inward, sending bits of wood and dust rushing in. People screamed and recoiled in terror, but the ICU had only one entrance and exit leaving them nowhere to flee to. Kimberly leveled her gun at the figure cloaked in the dust and pulled the trigger. The gun barked in her hand, but the figured had already shifted out of the way. She tried again, but she was still too slow. The Reaper rushed out of the dust, sword in hand, and charged Kimberly.

Kimberly brought the gun around, but the Reaper's free hand smacked it away with effortless ease. Pain rocketed through Kimberly's hand as the gun tore its way out of her grasp and she, instinctively, cradled her wounded hand. Before she could do anything else, the Reaper's hand clamped down on her neck. Kimberly tried to pry it off, but its grip was iron solid and it lifted her off the ground like she weighed nothing at all.

"Where is the survivor?" the Reaper demanded as its cybernetic eye darted between her and the people behind her. Its grip was unbreakable, but still light enough to let her breath with some difficulty. She was gasping and had to fight to get air, but she could still talk.

"No.." she gasped out as she forced a glare onto her face. The Reaper's glowing eye locked onto her face and its scowl deepened. Kimberly expected the grip to tighten, its face to move closer, threats and pain be administered. Which was why she eeped as the Reaper dropped her like a sack of potatoes.

Kimberly flopped to the ground and took a minute to regain her full breath. The Reaper didn't wait, however, as it stomped past her and toward the crowd. Screams and cries came from the mass, but stopped as the Reaper demanded silence with a ear-splitting yell. The monster reached into the crowd and plucked out a screaming child before turning back to Kimberly. The child's mother tried to take the child back, but a quick backhand sent her reeling, unconscious, back into the crowd.

"The survivor or the child," the Reaper said, moving its sword to press into the poor child's neck. The young boy screamed in terror as blood began to trickle down the sword. Rage and fear roared through Kimberly as she shoot daggers at the Reaper, but its half machine face simply stared back. The sword shifted and the boy's screams grew louder...

"STOP! Stop... She's in room 6..." Kimberly admitted, unable to keep her resistance up. She knew the Reaper would kill them all... but she couldn't let it butcher that poor child. She just...she just couldn't...

The Reaper lowered its sword before dropping the screaming child to the ground. The boy rushed to his mother's side as the Reaper stomped toward Room 6, batting away the few civilians not quick enough to get out of its way. It moved to open the doo-

"NO!" Roan suddenly yelled as he charged the Reaper with his wheelchair. The Reaper snapped toward Roan, sword ready, as Roan closed in. Fear and panic washed through Kimberly as she was sure Roan was about to be cut down.

But the Reaper's battle stance was forgotten and, rather than slice Roan apart, it simply sidestepped his chair. Roan missed the Reaper by inches and looked about to speed past... but the Reapers' free hand grabbed the handlebar of the wheelchair. The wheelchair came to a dead stop, the inertia not enough to even shift the Reaper, but Roan was not so lucky. He was sent flying forward and smashed, head first, into the ground. He tumbled and skidded along the ground for a good three feet before, finally, stopping in a heap. He groaned in pain as he shifted a little. At least he was still alive...

"Fool. A broken thing like you is no threat," the Reaper said before kicking in the door and starting to move into the Shadows' room. Kimberly started to push herself to her feet to try and stop it, but only got to her knee when a sudden gunshot rang out. The Reaper's head jerked to the side and the cyborg came to a dead stop. Blood and sparks began to leak out from the sides of its head before it crashed to the ground, the light in its machine eye fading away.

Kimberly looked to the side and saw Roan with the gun that the Reaper had smacked away in his hands.

"I'm not broken... but you are," Roan said before slumping back to the floor.

"I am hurt, though...owww that was stupid." A few heartbeats passed before people began to cheer and a wave of relief washed through the room. Kimberly rushed her way to Roan and bent down to check on him. He waved her off, though, as she started to grab a few supplies.

"I can wait a few minutes. Make sure the girl is OK," Roan said as one of the nurses came forward to help. Leaving him to the nurse, at least for now, Kimberly headed for the room the Reaper had almost gotten into.

Walking over the dead Reaper, Kimberly rushed to check on the equipment next to the Shadow. Thankfully, the debris kicked into the room didn't look to have damaged anything and everything was still showing green. Kimberly let out a sigh of relief as she bent down to check the girl directly.

Kimberly was about to check her pulse when the woman’s hand twitched and shifted. A low groan escaped the woman’s throat and her head moved to the side. Slowly, her eyes began to open and turned to focus on Kimberly. The Shadow was awake.

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2 days later….

"Citizens of Rome. I have grave, yet happy news," Cortez said into the transmitter. Unlike his last few addresses, this one was made over the radio, only allowing his voice to reach the people. He would have preferred to do this in person, but the cold and speed this had all happened made it impractical. And he needed to get in front of this before the rumor mill turned it into God knew what. He just wished Terence had warned him before...

"It is with a great deal of shame I must admit we, both my office and the military, have been keeping something from all of you. A secret we... thought best to keep quiet. A few of you may have already deduced it, or heard rumors of it, but today... today the truth will be told. Traitors loyal to the Society had infiltrated the ranks of our forces," Cortez said, dearly wishing he could see the reactions. He could imagine the intial reactions, shock, stunned silence, a few angry curses... but after that. He needed to press on before anger and rage shut off their ears.

"I am deeply sorry we needed to keep this from you, but we feared that telling you would cause the traitors to hide even better. Or worse, spark a witch hunt whose inevitable chaos would only help the damned Society. And so we keep this information suppressed while doing all we could to hunt down the traitors. A hunt what has, finally, been successful." With practiced ease, Cortez made his voice happier and stronger. While he couldn't see any of his people, he knew he needed to do something to get their attention fully back to him. By now, anger at being lied to and the threat of traitors would have gotten more than a few to stop listening. They would be venting, demanding a protest, or simply uninterested in what might be more lies. But those last words, and his tone, would get others to silence them.

"The traitors have been found, citizens, and they are in custody as I speak. Captain Waring, leader of the River Defense, has been charged with treason along with his entire command. He showed his hand by trying to assassinate an injured Shadow operative. An operative who survived our first bloody night of Reapers and saw him issuing orders to the monsters. And while searching their belongings: Society made radios, weapons, and even explosives were found in their possession. His betrayal is a cruel dagger to us all, but one he will pay for with his life. His official trial will begin tomorrow and I have instructed our lawyer to seek the death penalty. I will hold an open conference as well to answer any of your questions in a few days. But for today, relax and sleep easier knowing that the traitors among us have been found and brought to justice," Cortez finished with an upbeat tone and instinctive smile. He set the transmitter down and leaned back in his chair. Relax... if only...

Picking himself up, Cortex headed to the door leading out of his office. Relaxing was about the last thing Cortex to do after hearing Terence and Darius' mad plan. But...but it was the only real plan they had. And now he had to sell it to the various power brokers... a daunting task to say the least. Still, he would make it work. He had to if he hoped to make up for his failings. And to see anyone in Rome survive this war...

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It was odd being back here, mostly because of how different she was treated now. The last time Samantha had been in the Phoenixes' base she had just been William's helper, a special grunt but still a grunt. Now... now she was the Captain of the forces keeping Rome alive. And the reactions to her changed accordingly.

Where waves, some kind words, or a nod had been her usual greetings before, they were now salutes, whispered words, or just general awe. It was a struggle for Samantha to keep from squealing like a schoolgirl at how far she had come. She had always dreamed of this, of being a leader like Jessica and Lindsey. And now she was not just a leader, but one being invited to a meeting of all the top brass.

But her high had come crashing down as she entered the war room. Seeing Darius, Commander Terence, Derek, Captain Freeman, and Captain Dixie all already sitting and ready to begin... it made exactly where she was come into horrifying focus.  This was it, the nerve center of everything... where the fate of Rome, the Phoenixes, hell maybe everyone, was decided... What in the FUCK was she doing here!? But there was no backing out now. Not when Derek gave her a beaming, proud smile and barely stopped himself from embracing her. She managed a few pleasantries through her haze of anxiety and doubt before finding herself sitting in front of the war-room's large map table. Oh God...

Samantha looked around in frantic need of a distraction and found it in the map. It was impressively detailed considering it had been carved into the wood. It even had wooden figurine set on it to represent different units, both friendly and enemy. Her eyes seemed to, instinctively, drift toward the line.... and the huge amount of enemy figures arrayed in front of it. And not one had made it through... Nowhere on the map was the Society in such numbers... nowhere else had an open path straight into Rome. Samantha took a deep breath as she pushed her fear, her insecurity, and her perceived inferiority away. What in the fuck was she doing here? Being a leader and a woman worthy of admiration, that's what. She had EARNED her place her, and no one, not even herself, was going to say differently.

With her anxiety beaten to a pulp, Samantha focused on the meeting. She had missed a bit, but it sounded like it was all just Terence going over what had happened. Good, she hadn't missed anything important as she had already read the reports on the hospital battle and its implications.

"-eans we need a replacement for Waring. And I think we all agree the obvious choice is Captain Dixie," Terence said before giving the Roman woman a slight smirk. Dixie's eyes widened in astonishment and she looked like someone had just told her she was naked. Obviously, Terence had not warned her of his nomination of her.

"Indeed, she will be more than capable of replacing Waring," Freeman added, stopping Dixie from protesting as she turned to him. Samantha had to stifle a chuckle as the rest nodded and Dixie was left no choice but to quietly accept. It was kinda fun seeing command thrust onto someone else.

"I... I suppose I can't refuse after all this trust you are putting on me. But wouldn't Derek make a more obvious choice?" she asked, grasping at a sudden twig she saw to avoid acceptance.

"No, Samantha taking over the Line was... troubling to some Romans, but her saving the Line silenced them. Derek taking over, and taking over for a confirmed traitor, would make it seem we no longer trust any Roman to lead. A Roman needs to take command of the River Guards if we hope to rally them, not demoralize them further by perceived distrust," Darius said, smashing the twig apart with the worst weapon of all, cold hard logic. It was a bit brutal, and caused memories of William's story about their leader to come back to mind, but very effective as Dixie let out a resigned sigh.

"True... Very well, I accept," Dixie said before turning to give Terence a slight smile, "On the condition that I get to take some of Central’s staff. I am going to need to replace Waring's command staff." Dixie’s words caused Terence's smile to fade and he tried to hide a worried look.

"Then it is settled and we can move on," Darius said, seemingly eager for them to get things moving. Terence didn't seem quite so eager to just leave it at that, but didn't voice any issues. And even if he had, Samantha wasn't sure Darius would have stopped to let him speak them.

"With the traitors arrested and our hands untied, it is time we discussed a tactic myself and Terence have been forming since we first arrived. And a hard truth that has become clear to both of us," Darius said spreading a bit of serious gloom over the meeting. A hard truth… Samantha didn’t like where this was going...

"Rome is doomed and no amount of victories or surprise attacks will change that. To stay here is to damn us all to a slow death, at best. We, including the civilians, have to accept that and focus on how to save ourselves, not this place," Darius said causing a ripple of shock and disbelief to go through the room. Dixie, Freeman, and Poole all whirled to Terence, but the Romans’ leader was nodding in agreement. Derek seemed less shocked and more resigned to what he had heard. As for Samantha... well she'd be lying if she said she was totally surprised. Being on the frontlines, she knew better than anyone here just how outmatched they were... and how easy it was for the Society to simply wear them down. They had almost done it, after all.

"I know this is... difficult to accept, it was nigh impossible for me... but Darius is right. We can't save Rome. We might be able to hold them off for a few more months, but the Society has almost unlimited resources to call on while we...we are dwindling with each fight. This is a war of attrition we cannot win," Terence said with a pained, but sure look. The other three Romans looked at their commander for a few more seconds before turning away. They each looked lost in thought as they came to terms with what this news meant.

"Well... I suppose some part of me kinda already knew. Should have been obvious when that surprise attack only knocked the Society back a few steps rather than break the siege altogether," Poole said as he forced his smile back onto his face.

"So...if we can't save Rome then what are we going to do?"

"Break the siege. And flee," Darius said.

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"Is everyone satis-, able to accept," Terence rechoose his words after he got more than a few glares, "the current plan?" Silence hung over the planning table, probably the first since they had started the discussion of the operation to break the siege, as everyone looked between each other. No one looked thrilled with the plan, but no one spoke up in furious disapproval either... which was the best they could hope for with a plan like this.

"Good, then let's run throu-," Terence said before having to stop as the door opened. Derek and the rest turned to see Mayor Cortez enter the room, back from his talks with the civilian leaders. The poor man looked exhausted physically, and utterly annihilated mentally. He gave a short nod before flopping down in his spot at the table. He rubbed his temple before giving a short nod to Darius and Terence.

"The Representatives have agreed and are making preparations now. They will be ready. And agreed to send extra help," Cortex said, glancing at Poole at the last sentence. Poole gave him a nod of thanks along with a pat on the shoulder. Derek was amazed the mayor had managed to talk those idiot politicians into accepting Rome's demise. But he'd managed it and, now, the last foreseeable hiccup to the plan was taken care of. Even Terence gave the Mayor an appreciative smile.

"Fantastic, then we can finalize the operations' plans," Terence said before standing up to better reach the various pieces on the map.

"Poole, you and your new volunteers need to get as many trucks, cars, anything, and convert them into transports. Those transports need to be ready to go by this time next week," Terence said causing Poole to shake his head. He'd said through the entire meeting it was next to impossible, even with help, but they couldn't risk giving the Society anymore time to, potentially reinforce and regain the initiative.

"Dixie, you need to have your people gather in areas and look to be building boats or making crossings. We need to get the Society to stretch their numbers off the wall and spread along the river," Terence continued getting a nod from Dixie. That was one of the easier tasks as all it involved was smart troop movement to make it look like more troops were at the river edge than there were.

"Freeman, Derek, your troops need to be ready to move to the wall the night before the attack. They need to be rested, fully equipped, and ready to storm the wall AND can't be seen doing that by any Reapers," Terence said. Derek nodded, but was already wondering how the HELL he was going to pull that off. Getting the troops ready was easy enough, it was not getting spotted that was going to be hell. Maybe the Society would be nice and not send any Reapers that night… He was fairly sure he’d have more luck getting Kimberly to forgive him for telling Darius about the Shadow.

"Samantha, you are to keep your troops in the best shape possible while spreading the news of the attack bit by bit. The line shouldn't know in full till the night of the attack," Terence continued causing Samantha to sigh, but nod. She hadn't like the idea of keeping it from her people, but had caved.

"One week from today, our full might will gather at the line. Once dawn comes, we will launch a full scale assault on the wall spearheaded by Pyrrha and Sanders. We will punch through the wall and raid the Society's camp once again. During the confusion, the transports with the civilians will slip out and into the wilds while our troops fight off the Society. Once they are safely away, we will pick up our remaining forces and flee down a different route. We should be able to lose them in the overgrown farmlands to the east. Once we do, we will rendezvous with the civilian column in Cartersville and then make our way to Hope, making contact with the main force of the Shadows if possible," Terence finished, moving the pieces around to show the plan visually.

It was.... gutsy...and near suicidal if the Society sniffed it out. While Pyrrha could handle any giantesses and Typhoons were plenty for catgirls and fairies, they could still be overrun if the Society hit them hard and fast. Having to be spread out to cover the civilians was going to be the worst part and a counterattack could doom them all. Still, it was the best plan any of them could come up with. Crossing the river was just too slow and they had all agreed staying was not an option. Punching through was the only way out... even if it was beyond stupid. Though that might be their best advantage. No way the Society would think to plan for such a stupid idea.

"Are we sure we want to do this? If this plan fails there is no recovering from it. We are betting everything on this," Samantha asked, revoicing her biggest worry.

"We, sadly, have no choice. There simply isn't another way to break out," Darius said, using the same argument he had used the last time she had brought this issue up. And it was just as effective as Samantha sighed and nodded.

"You mentioned the Shadows at the end, are we not going to see if they have another way out?" Dixie asked causing Samantha to brighten a bit. It was premature as Derek shook his head.

"We asked them to come to this meeting... well tried to, but couldn't find them. They refuse to speak to any of us so even if they do have one, there is no way to find out about it without risking a fight with them," Derek said, sorry he had to crush Samantha's hope. Damn cowards... ever since Malcolm had died they had refused to say a damn thing to them, just hid deeper into the fields' forest and done who knows what.

"Any other issues or questions?" Darius asked after a moment of silence. No one spoke up as he scanned the room.

"Very well, then you all have your orders. We won't be meeting like this, short of a disaster happening, till the day of the attack. Keep this meeting a secret, carry out your tasks... and pray we manage to make this work."

 Report 22-35-10:

Agent 05: "Traitor" has been discovered. Scheduled to be executed by weeks end.

Command: Excellent. Are we go for assault?

Agent 05: Affirmative. However, I suggest we wait as a great opportunity has come to our attention. Sending recording…

File transfer complete: Resistance meeting

Command: Fantastic work as always. Assault will be moved back to one week. Resources and troops will be rerouted to arrive in that timeline as well. Capture leaders ASAP once assault begins. It is time for this game to end.

Agent 05: Understood ma'am. They will be in custody before the soldiers make their move.