A/N- Hello guys!

It's been a while, I know, but school has been hectic. I'm sure you know the feeling.

So in return, here's an extra-long chapter for you.

Happy reading!

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Outside

21 August, 0028 A.V

22:47 (10:47pm)

~~Audra~~

Audra's first impression of the outside world was the familiar clamor of bullet cartridges being emptied at them, barely missing their heads.

Before she could take even a glance at her new surroundings, she was pulled down roughly to the ground by her backpack, tugging her to the side. She hit a wet surface- the ground, she assumed- which soaked into her face and stuck there. She opened her eyes and found that she had been thrown to the ground, not for the first time in this mad escapade. Brown, wet soil stuck to her face and arms, and Audra searched for the word that represented the disgusting material.

Mud.

Audra grunted as she felt a heavy object plummet to the ground in front of her, before she could see anything else. The bright blonde hair that blocked her view hit the mud hard, creating an indent in the liquid-like dirt. Eve had fallen after her, as if she was an afterthought. Audra assumed Conan was probably nearby.

"We have to get them through!" Sena's normally controlled voice reached a shrill octave. They heard a loud gunshot right above them- Audra assumed it was from one of their own. She covered her ears quickly, in a late reaction to the noise.

Audra quickly realized why there was no one on Floor 1. Even why there were hardly any at all in the entire Tower.

"Diversions always work," A female voice rose over the thunderous gunshots. Audra didn't recognize the voice, assuming that it was one of the others in the group.

"What kind of diversion?" Lennon's harsh voice interjected, and Audra could feel a tug on her backpack as she was hauled to her feet and pushed forward. She grabbed Eve, pulling her along. She didn't have any time to check where she was going before she was shoved behind what felt like a concrete wall. She cringed as her bare toes sunk into the mud.

"Any kind of diversion," A voice responded snappishly close by, sounding distinctly like the first voice, but with a deeper, more masculine tone.

As Audra stood and looked behind her to see the voice, it dawned upon her that she was standing not behind a wall, but a man's back. He was muscular, like Conan, yet not as lean. His darker skin stood out in his torn clothing. He was on the shorter side, yet still seemed to tower over Eve, who stood stiffly next to Audra. The man's face was hidden by the darkness of the night lingering over their heads.

"We could use the extra," Lennon sniffed, and then pulled the trigger on her gun. A well-aimed shot downed one of the Penance in one blow.

"What extra?" The first voice responded snappishly from the other side of Lennon, and for the first time Audra look towards it. A woman, lean and muscular, was standing in the same position that the man behind Audra was standing in. She had a rounder face, only visible by the light that erupted from the gun every time she shot. Conan was behind her, seemingly having been through the same treatment as Audra and Eve.

"The blonde?" The woman added hastily, brushing a long, black strand of hair out of her face with her free hand.

Eve seemed to shrink beside Audra.

"Yes, the blonde," Lennon hissed, glancing backwards quickly, as if to count who was still alive. Audra had counted more than fifteen before Lennon had opened the door- now there was less than ten. "She's not even supposed to be here."

"No, we have to find another way. We'll lose all cooperation from them if we use her," The woman decided, shooting once more into the crowd of armored men.

Audra peeked out from behind the man's shoulder, curiosity finally getting the best of her.
She instantly regretted it.

What she had imagined before as a long, grassy plain was anything but so. Prison fences lined the perimeter of the Tower that stood behind them, and it seemed to be the only thing separating the Alliance from the small band of rebels shooting back at them. Just fifty feet away from the fence, a brigade of Allied soldiers were shooting at them.

The front line seemed to go on for miles, each soldier equipped with the newest technology. A tank, something that Audra only knew from the pamphlet in her old cell, stood in the middle of the line. A symbol was imprinted on the front of the tank, glowing in the dark of the night. An outline of an eagle, its wings spreading behind it as if it were to be grabbing a fish out of water, held a lightning bolt in its talons. The mark was simple, and it was found on every officer's armor.

A red haze seemed to float off of the ground, floating like fog. Audra couldn't help but imagine if all of the world was like this now- a wasteland, destroyed, without a tree in sight. This isn't how they described it in the pamphlet, Audra thought to herself.

"Audra!" Sena's vociferous shout pierced her thoughts, and she blinked a few times before realizing that everyone- excluding the man in front of her and the woman protecting Conan- was looking at her.

"Uh... what?" Audra's voice cracked, glancing quickly from each person to the next.

"Didn't you-" Sena began, but was interrupted by a gunshot that whizzed by them, hitting the wall behind Conan. She shot back, then turned back to Audra. "Didn't you hear what we just said?" Her voice was becoming increasingly desperate, and she was shooting more and more every time she aimed her gun.

I suppose not, Audra assumed. "No," She responded simply.

"Fantastic," Lennon groaned over from where she was standing. "I told you they wouldn't be any help."

"Shut up." Sena looked as if she could strangle the woman where she was standing, regardless of whether she was helping them or not. "Audra, just be quiet and don't get killed."

Audra wasn't so sure about her abilities to stay alive, but she nodded in agreement.

Sena seemed slightly satisfied with her answer, because she instantly picked up her comm. "This is Oda to Fenton. We need the Squirrel, pronto. Over."

Static filled her comm, and she tapped her foot in frustration, until a response came in.

"This is Fenton to Oda. The Squirrel is on her way. What is your location? Over."

Sena seemed to want to scream at the man on the other end of the comm. "Oda to Fenton. Front lawn. I repeat, front lawn. Over."

"This is Fenton to Oda. The Squirrel has lifted off. ETA four minutes. Over."

"Oda to Fenton. Hurry. Diversion will last for no more than two minutes. Over."

There was no response, and Sena didn't seem like she expected one.

"Hold your fire!" A man's voice, powerful but slightly strained, roared over the clamor of gunfire. The shooting suddenly halted. The silence seemed louder than the gunfire itself. Audra stayed frozen in place, her heart beating against her chest. Fear spread through her veins as a breeze blew by, her hair flying as it caught the wind. A shout behind them caused Audra to jump.

"Cassidy?" The same voice, quieter this time, echoed through the empty field to where Eve and Audra stood. A light was shined into the empty clearing, revealing a man walking to the center of a clearing.

Audra stood on her toes as she tried to get a view of what was happening. The man stood, dressed in Alliance armor, with a gun to his side and an incredulous look on his face. His eyes, though hard to see through his mask, seemed old and frail, which surprised Audra. He didn't seem any older than fifty.

"Hey," Cassidy's voice responded back, at almost a whisper. She limped out of the gate that separated the group from the clearing, and went about four steps before stopping. She messed with the dirt under her shoe. Her hands were above her head, and her gun was on the ground behind her.

It was almost mesmerizing.

"What are you doing here?" The man asked Cassidy warily.

Cassidy turned back to the group desperately. Her face had an obvious what-should-I-say-now look. Lennon seemed to shoo her with an odd hand gesture- as if she were waving her away. Cassidy now had a pained look on her face. Audra felt a stab of sympathy for her, mixed with curiosity.

What is she doing? Audra wanted to ask, but in the complete silence, even a whisper could be heard from the other side of the clearing.

"I'm... just hanging out. Seeing the sights. What about you? You don't get out much," Cassidy said brightly, not exactly answering the man's question. The man twitched, as if he had been slapped across the face.

"I... what are you doing here?" He repeated, not satisfied by the last answer. "You left the Tower almost an hour ago. What-" He looked Cassidy up and down. "What happened to your leg?"

"I got on someone's bad side." She looked down on her leg, blood seeping through her jeans. "He's not here anymore."

The man's concerned eyes suddenly hardened. "You're working with them." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Audra could hear Lennon curse under her breath. "This isn't working," She hissed quietly to Sena. "The conversation is going too fast, we need more time-"

Sena shushed her with a finger over her lips.

"Yeah." Cassidy blinked. Audra could hear guns being loaded, aimed at  Cassidy's head. They were ready to fire if this man, who appeared to be  in charge, even made a hint to shoot.

"Why?" The man asked, lifting his combat mask. The conversation was deteriorating quickly.

"Two minutes," Sena checked her watch. "They'll be here then." Her voice was just below a whisper.

"Are you sure?" The young man that seemed to be protecting Audra and Eve asked.

"As  sure as I am that this plan is going to work," Sena snapped back.  Somehow, that didn't comfort Audra. "Pay attention!" She hissed at them.

Audra turned her attention back to the clearing.

"I don't really think that killing thousands of innocent people is a cure to an epidemic," Cassidy shrugged as an answer, seemingly nonchalant. Her fingers, however, were twisting and tapping her thigh from nerves.

"We're not... how did you..." The man stuttered, disbelief overtaking his previous confidence. "That was classified information!"

"We have ways of knowing," Cassidy answered ominously, not giving anything away.

The man didn't relent. "How much did they pay you to do this?" He asked, glancing behind Cassidy, looking directly at Lennon.

"Nothing, actually," Cassidy shrugged once again. She looked back once at Sena and Lennon who were looking up at her and then down at their watches. One minute, Sena mouthed to her, and started to look up at the sky, as if expecting the sun to suddenly come out.

"They must have bribed you somehow," The man seemed to become more desperate to believe it himself. His eyes were pleading with Cassidy, as if it could make it true.

"Not really."

This seemed to have pushed the man over the edge. "Then I'm sorry, Cassidy. There's nothing I can do." He turned away, walking towards the tank. The soldiers parted to let him through, giving him a curt nod. The guns were loaded, and soon the man had nearly disappeared. "Take aim!" He ordered.

Cassidy began to back up. She began slowly, and then got faster when the next order was given.

"Three!"

Cassidy neared the fence.

"Two!"

Lennon's eyes widened, and turned to the young man and woman that protected Audra, Eve, and Conan. "You need to run. We'll handle this," She finished bravely, turning towards the seven other men and women left standing. Cassidy reached the fence, flung open the gate, and closed it behind her quickly.

"One!"

The young man grabbed Eve and Audra by their backpacks, forcing them forward. Audra's heart quickened as she realized where they were going. The only place to go was back inside the Tower.

"It's here!" Sena exclaimed suddenly, pointing upwards. Time seemed to slow down as a low rumbling noise erupted from the sky, rhythmic in nature. The Allied seemed to stop and stare at what was coming down from the dark sky, lowering their weapons temporarily. The wind picked up, blowing into Audra's face and stinging her eyes. The dust flew everywhere, making sight almost impossible. As she opened her eyes once more, she was being pushed forward, through the gate. "What are you-" She began, before realizing what she was being pushed into.

A helicopter had just landed.

"Go, go, go!" Sena shrieked, taking Audra out of her trance suddenly. The Allied had opened fire on the helicopter, but to Audra's surprise, it bounced off of the surface easily. The helicopter had two blades pounding mercilessly against the sky. A door swung open, to reveal a man standing inside. "Come on!" He yelled at her, taking her arm quickly and pulling her into the helicopter. She was instantly shoved roughly into a seat, watching helplessly as Eve was given the same treatment.

"How many people can fit in this thing, Fenton?" Sena demanded of the pilot, climbing aboard.

"It's a remodeled CH-47 Chinook. I could fit nearly thirty-six peop-" He was cut off suddenly by Sena.

"Good. We only have ten others," She said quickly, moving into the helicopter. Conan was pushed into the helicopter, being lifted by the young man and woman. He was seated to the right of Audra.

It seemed like the boarding of the troops took forever. Suddenly, the doors closed behind Cassidy as she boarded last. "We're taking heavy fire!" She yelled at the pilot. "Let's go!"

She didn't have to ask the man once more- the pilot lifted the helicopter off of the ground as quickly as he could.

Audra's eyes widened; she felt the sudden feeling of weightlessness. Her stomach seemed to drop to her knees. As she turned her head to see Eve, she realized that she was as frightened as Audra was.

"We're off!!" The pilot yelled, and Audra looked behind her through the circular window. The ground seemed to fall away from her, and the Alliance and the tank seemed to be getting smaller and smaller. As the helicopter circled around, Audra watched as the home that she had known her entire life became nothing but a tiny speck.