Ilima City, Sera

Ilima Sinkhole

Abigail's POV

I think I should have stayed with the ponies.

The first I felt was someone shaking my shoulder. Opening my eyes felt like pushing open a pair of metal shutters. Blinking away the blurriness that occupied my vision, I see the big form of Carmine above me. "Hey there, good see you not dead Sarg."

"Carmine? What happened?" I said groggily.

"Raven got hit and crashed down into a big sinkhole. Lost the guys from Charly nine with us on the way down and the Pilot died when he was retrieving some stuff from the Raven when it went up. He did throw a green smoke grenade before going through." Carmine summarized.

"What about Starlight?" I asked.

Getting an arm under me, I didn't feel solid metal but hardwood. Looking around I saw we were in a destroyed building. Over to the side, a fire was consecrated around the crashed Raven we flew in on. Carmine was kneeling by my side when my eyes landed on the other blue armor laying on the ground. Springing into action, I was by Starlight's side in an instant prying to whatever god out there in the hope that Starlight wasn't dead. "Starlight?! You best not be dead, or Twilight is going kill me?!"

I watch as Starlight's face scrunches up in irritation before I see her eye's opening as she blinked a few times. "Abby?"

"Good to see you're still among the living, Gear. I would hate to tell your family back home of you dying after coming this far," I then grabbed her hand and hoisted Starlight up on her feet. Starlight was shaking like a leaf from the shock of the near-death experience as Carmine, and I led her to the nearest wall. We let her rest against the wall for a moment. Giving her a moment of rest while I get a better view of the situation at hand. Checking my stock, I saw I had my Lancer, the Boltok pistol, and collapsed chain sword with me, but lost my shotgun. Carmine looked like e lost his Boomshot too but still had his Lancer at the ready. While Starlight still had her Retro Lancer, her special Boltok and chain sword, but looked like she lost her other Lancer and Snub pistol. We were still low on Ammo from the recent fighting, but I did see an ammo crate nearby. Walking over and bringing the container over I began to distribute it among the three of us.

In the distance, I could hear a firefight getting closer to where it was happening just outside the building. "We got company coming, get in defensive positions around that entrance." I pointed.

Carmine went over to the right behind some desk while Starlight and I stood further back in the room behind some pillars. We all waited patiently for the enemy to come and it wasn't till we heard them enter the room. Pinking from behind cover I saw three Gears walking into the room. "Damn we're too late," I heard one of them say.

"Actually your right on time," I said from my spot spooking the three of them. It was then I got a better look at our rescue team. One had on the standard blue Gear armor, another I instantly commando Dominic Santiago, That made me glad to see he's still alive and kicking. The last one killed my good mood with a bit of anger and a side order of rage as I looked at the last member of their rescue party.

"Marcus Fenix..."

When the man in question saw me his shoulders slag a bit. "...Aw shit," He said.

"Abigail? You're alive?" Dominic said in surprised to which I nodded back.

"Nice to see you too Dominic, "I greeted before turning to face to the direction to the others, "Starlight, Carmine. Come out and welcome our rescue team," I called out.

"Clay?" The third guy on Fenix's team said kind of sounding like Carmine for a sec. Carmine looked at the guy for a moment, and I swear his eyes grew when he looked at the other.

"Benjamin?"

"Clayton, Your alive?!" The Gear, now named Benjamin express as he and up and hugged "Clayton" like they were brothers or something. "When I was told Tollon had been sunk in a giant sinkhole and then flooded I feared you'd died. I'm so glad your alive big brother." Well, that answers that. Before the heart filled reunion could continue, we all hear the roar of a Locust right above us.

"Ambush!" Shouted Dom as he razed his Lancer and fired a burst at the balcony above.

"Everyone fine cover!" Marcus Shouted before taking behind a pillar.

While doing so, Starlight and I hid behind some debris while the brothers hid on the opposite side of the room providing supporting fire on the enemies above.

Lifting up my Lancer I provided my own support and was rewarded with a dead drone done. But I quickly ducked back down as the Locust fire was drowned to me forcing me back behind cover.

"They're closing in!" The younger Carmine said in a panic as I saw him raze his Longshot before firing at a nearby Drone.

"Good shot Ben," The older brother brazed before firing his Lancer at the enemies above.

Crouching down behind cover I watch across from me as Dominic trade fire with a pair of Locust Drones and Marcus with a Longshot sniping on a Grenadier. Said Grenadier's head was now nowhere to be seen a second later. She couldn't believe her eye's though. She remembered Marcus's trial, hell she was in the courtroom when it all went down. She had no problem with him abandoning his post to try and save his father, hell she would have done the same if it was her mother. No, what she loathed about him was he took the Laser designator for the "Hammer of Dawn" with him. Leaving the dozens of squads of Gears to face off against an unrelenting hoard of Locust on them. Hell, she and one other Gear from her squad beardly made it out alive along with a few others from other teams. Without the support from the Dawn that Fenix took with him they lost the Capital.

"Keep hitting them Delta! Control, this is Delta, we backup ASAP!" Marcus radioed in before he sighted another before firing.

"Good to see prison hasn't dulled your aim Fenix!" I jabbed as I stood before squeezing a few bullets at nearby Grub.

"Neither has yours after you were declared MIA!" He jabbed back.

More Locust soon started to pile in and take up more of the balcony above adding their fire down on us. A few nearly hit Starlight as she was forced down into cover besides me.

"There's too many of them!" Dominic said as he fired at the ones that just enter. Taking one of them down.

"They just keep coming!" Dom called out.

"Then we just keep on killing!" My Carmine said as he and his brother fired at the enemies above.

Firing at the enemies above I felt the distinct click of my Lancer going empty, I reloaded and realized I was down to my last clip. "Fenix! You better get me some dame support here quick. We're running low on ammo here!"

I saw give off a pissed off scrawl before call out over the coms again.

"Mayday, mayday, mayday! This Delta, we're caught off and trapped in the Ilima sinkhole. Any squads in the area, mayday!"

The fighting went on for a few more seconds went by after that as bullets flew between our two groups till suddenly an explosion accrued from above killing three drones. Soon more and more of the attacking drones fell making me and the rest of our two teams stop firing to wonder what was happening. That was when I heard shouts and taunts hit my ears.

"Oh yeah! Take that all, baby! Yeah! Come get some! Come get some! Yeah, Coles here, baby!"

"Marcus, is that?"

"It gotta be!" Marcus answered.

"Oh boy," I muttered. A roar of a chainsaw bayonet followed by a few more gunshots and another explosion in rapid succession. The dark-skinned thrash ball superstar Cole Train stood for all of us to see with a joyous face while bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Nobody play's this game like me! NOBODY!" Cole proudly proclaimed.

"Cole!" Dominic said happily.

"Haha, in the flesh, baby!" Cole then raised a finger telling us to hold one for a sec before disappearing. A few moments later the unmistaken sound of a Lancer's chainsaw bayonet roars behind a nearby wall. Said wall soon had a few saw cuts go through it before the wall was kicked down. "Tried to tell you to stay away from that chopper man! Sounds like shit got think for you!"

"It did, thanks for the assist, Cole." Marcus greeted as he Cole bumped Lancers. "Where's the rest of your squad?"

"Here's my squad.." Cole replied as he pulled out serval COG tags. "Except for Baird and Tanner. We got separated after the drop. Their last message came from nearby."

"Sounds like we got a new objective."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go find your friends." Starlight said openly. Catching Coles attention was drawn to the rest of us for the first time.

"Well thank you. What's your name girlfriend? Haven't seen you before in the Gears, I'm Cole." Cole greeted in a friendly manner.

"Nice to meet you, Cole, I'm Starlight." Starlight greeted back.

"Likewise girl, where'd you from?"

"Later Cole lets get your friend first before we play twenty questions with my rooky later." I stopped in suppressing Cole.

"Abby?!" Cole said in a surprised voice. "You're alive!" Cole quickly pulled me in a hug as he laughs out in joy. "I was told that you bought the farm when your team said you fell in a sinkhole. Should have known better than that! Sorry that the COG gave up on you."

"It's fine, Cole. You know as well as I that the COG doesn't have the manpower for rescue operations in the Hollows." I responded with a smile. "Besides, did get to meet some new friends along the way." As I looked at Starlight and Clayton. "But enough for now, Marcus you might want to cancel that Mayday." I said turning everyone's attention to the other NCO. Marcus nodded nod in response before turning on his radio.

"Control, this is Delta. Cancel Mayday. We've grouped up with the Abigail along with two survivors of Five fours crash sight and are regrouped with Cole. Baird and Sigma are MIA. We're assisting with the search." He explained as he walked away from us to a JACK bot appeared.

"Regrouped?! Is that what you call it when I saved your ass?" Cole complained.

The JACK then dropped a small TV monitor and a blond women wearing a gray officers uniform. "Roger that, Delta. We have additional squads moving in to secure Ilima."

"Roger, control. We'll keep you posted. Delta out." Marcuse finished as the JACK bot disappeared under its cloak. Once it did, I stepped up to my fellow new NCO.

"I noticed that Control didn't say anything about us three so will be following behind you guys. Mostly to watch you." I pointed Marcus.

"Me?" He asked in confutation.

"Which reminds me." I then as quickly as I could, I surprised him, and I guess everyone else that was behind me with a left hook to Fenix's face knocking the Gear on his rear. "That was from me to you for the idiotic move you pulled back in Ephyra."

Dom was by his friends' side and started picking him up. When he looked back at me with those cold eyes of his, I didn't even flinch. "You were hanging on to that one, weren't you? Out of everyone I know, didn't expect you to hold a grudge. When I was the one trying to save my father." He told me just before spitting out a glob of blood.

"Oh, you misunderstand Fenix. I would have done the same thing for family." I replied, which caused him and Dom to look at me in confusion. "I was pissed off that you took the damn 'Hammer of Dawn' Laser designator with you instead of passing it off to someone else before going off on your personal mission. Doing that wouldn't cost us the damn battle and losing the damn city along with all the ground, Gears, and equipment we lost. That's what I got against with you. So as of this moment till I'm told otherwise, I'm going to be watching over you till I figure you won't abandon any missions." I can only imagine my little lecture was like a slap to the face the way Marcus and Dom's looks were giving me. Dominic was the first to break from his stupor.

"So you're coming with us even if we don't like it?" To which I nodded.

"Yep, now we're wasting time lets go find your friends Cole," I said before turning to stun dark man as I walked past everyone out of the building. I then heard Dom sigh before him and everyone else followed behind me.

"Welcome to Delta, Abby.." I heard Marcus said with disdain knowing that I outrank him. While also knowing from experience of working together on several ops how stubborn I am.

'This is going to be fun I thought evilly.

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait, but now I'm back.
Not much hear but I promise more to come later on.

Next chapter, firefights, a annoying Gear, and BUGS!!!