Lore/Aftermath

Aftermath
The sound of heavy breathing was the only thing that could be heard as Main Squad hustled their way back to the Skyranger. They had killed the alien hierarchy, but the ship was ready to blow itself up and with them in it. The three members in front hurried through the nearly endless halls of the Temple Ship, noting it was too empty.

Brad Reed, however, found the silence exhilarating. It gave him a sense of drama, and of mystery. More importantly, it gave him the sense that he was out of medpacks, and if anything big came up, it wouldn't be fun for the others if they got hurt. He was only the medic, after all, but when you're a medic for XCOM, you tend to be a frontline fighter.Still, something seemed off to Brad as he, Saito and Solo reached the Skyranger and loaded in the back.

Big Sky called from upfront, "Where's the rest of Main Squad?" Solo, 2nd-in-command in the field after MC, responded, "Right behind us. We need 3 minutes." Big Sky chuckled, "I'll give you a minute and a half. This thing's gonna blow, and I wanna be out of the danger zone soon."

Brad looked back, and saw nothing but an empty hallway. Removing his helmet and replacing it with a tactical cap and headset, he replied over the squadcom, "MC, Helljumper, Sentinel, what's your ETA, over?"

A static-filled replied came over, the voice recognition conveying Helljumper's voice, "ETA 45 seconds, Bonus, over..." Brad leaned back and sighed a sigh of relief. They'd have time to get back to humanity after all. Then, maybe, he'd live a normal life like he was going to before the war. Then maybe he'd find the courage to ask Leticia to marry him, and they could be happy together and-

"Bonus, get your head out of the clouds!" Big Momma scolded, smacking the younger Canadian on the back of his head. "MC and Helljumper are almost here! You can see them."

Brad looked, and as Saito had mentioned, he did see the large, imposing MEC Trooper running down the hallway, and the Helljumper right behind him. Brad strained to find Leticia, but she was nowhere to be found. Ibrahim jumped, landing in the midst of the others, shaking the whole ship. As karma tic payback, he banged his head on the ceiling as he straightened up. Helljumper quietly sat in his seat. Brad didn't notice anything unusual until Ibrahim called to Big Sky, "Load her up. This is everyone."

Big Sky responded, "Where's the package?"

"It was a one way flight for the package, it seems."

Big Sky nodded, and the Skyranger prepped for flight. As the rear hatch began to close, Brad's eyes widened. "No! Sentinel's still down there! We have to wait for her." Brad lunged for the emergency hatch release, but was stopped by Helljumper, who tackled Bonus to the floor.

"We have to leave, Bonus."

"But, she's still in there! I can't just-"

"She wanted to be left behind."

Brad turned, astonished, to Ibrahim, who had casually entered the conversation. "Wh-wh-what?"

"The ship is going to implode like a dying star eventually, turning into a black hole. since we killed the crew, the only person with the psionic abilities to move it is...Well, guess who?"

Brad's face paled. "But that means...No. No! There's got to be some way she could get out of this! A escape pod, a falling piece of debris, anything! She can't just...give up and die!"

MC shook his head at the young, torn-up solider, feeling a tinge of anger and sadness. "Would you say Chip gave up and died when he helped fight the first Sectopod? Or Android, when he killed 3 Sectoid commanders, one of which had mind controlled both Helljumper and me, before succumbing to his wounds? Or would you say that Delta Squad gave up when they made the first encounter and only one man came out alive? Colonel Reed, she did this not because she didn't care enough, but because she cared too much! About everything, about life, about you.

Brad started to break down and cry, as Big Sky called back to HQ, "I'm bugging out of here. The Package is not onboard. I waited as long as I could."

Brad sniffled. This couldn't happen. He had just saved the world! They all did! And now the one person he wanted to come back the most had stayed behind to save everyone. "What luck I have," he muttered, slowly rising and sitting back in his seat.

A hand rest on his shoulder. "We all lost someone in this war," Saito reassured the broken medic, "But don't et this define you. Be strong, Bonus. She may not be here in person, but in your heart, she will always be with you."

Brad sniffed again. "Thanks, Momma. But nothing's ever going to fill this...ever."

The ride home was filled with silence as the Temple Ship rose up into space, explode and the debris fell back into Earth's atmosphere.