Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

September 26th, 2013 - Downtown Suburban Detroit.

The sound of a car pulling in and the headlights beaming through the slits of the blinds of the window was enough to wake Cole up from his light slumber on the couch in the living room. He decided to keep pretending to be asleep as his father walked through the front door, his voice low as he argued with someone over the phone.

“Look Gavin, I know we’re on the verge of… I know that! But I just…” Hank ran his fingers through his hair, a thing he usually did when he was frustrated. “It’s just…look, I haven’t been home in two days. I’m tired and I’d like to see my son… Gavin. Go home, for fucks sake. Get some sleep and we’ll talk about this in the morning.”

Hank glared at his phone as he hung up, then let out a deep sigh. He flicked the light switch and the living room was flooded in light, causing Cole to blink rapidly and he sat up, yawning. Hank sat down beside Cole on the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table.

“Hey.” Cole whispered as he shuffled over to snuggle into his father’s side.

“Hey, kid.” Hank smiled as he wrapped an arm around Cole’s shoulder.

“Who was that on the phone?”

“Ah, that was Gavin. You remember him, right?” Cole nodded. “He’s so excited because we’re on the verse of breaking through on his first major case. He wanted to work through the night but I told him I didn’t have the stamina for that sort of thing any more. He wants to impress people, I just want to sleep. It’s tiring having him as a partner.”

“Oh, c’mon Dad!” Cole laughed and nudged Hank in the side. “33 isn’t that old! … Yet.”

“Heh, thanks kid. I’m just worried because the next thing you know I’ll be pushing 40 and you’ll be off to college or some shit.” Hank muttered as he once again ran his fingers through his hair, the locks already starting to fade to grey.

He picked up the TV remote and flicked the TV on. A repeat of the hockey game from earlier that day was on, Hank had missed it due to being at work. He relaxed into the couch as Cole shuffled to get more comfortable. Sometime later, after the game had finished, Hank looked down to see that Cole had fallen asleep. Scooping the boy up gently, Hank carried him up the stairs and into his bedroom. Placing him on the bed, he pulled the covers up over him, then kissed him on the forehead.

“Sleep well, son.”

Cole was woken up sometime later that night by the phone that was on the table by his bed. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he sat up on the bed and picked the phone up and held it to his ear.

“H-hello?”

“Cole? Is that you? It’s me, Gavin. Is your father there?”

“Gavin? W-what’s going on?”

“No time to explain, I need to sp—“

The phone line went dead.

Cole blinked stupidly at the phone before putting it back on its base. He sighed, deciding that he needed to find his father. Leaving the comfort of his bedroom, he went to the bathroom first. After relieving himself and washing his hands, he picked up the newspaper that his father had left on top of the bathroom counter. The headline yelled “Attendances spike at local hospitals!” and under that it mentioned a 300% increase due to a mysterious disease.

Shivering, he placed the paper back on the bathroom counter and left, heading towards his father’s bedroom. Pushing open the door, Cole could see that his father wasn’t in here although he must’ve just left the room recently as the TV was still on. The clock above the TV indicated that it was just past 2am. Cole stood in front of the TV so he could hear the news report that was currently playing.

‘It appears that what we originally reported as riots now seems to be connected to the nationwide pandemic. We’ve received reports that victims afflicted with the infection show signs of increased aggravation and—‘

“Hey, that’s nearby us…” Cole muttered.

‘We need to get everybody out of here, there’s a gas leak!’

‘There’s a commotion going on beh—‘

‘Get the hell out of here!’

‘Lady, you need to le—‘

There was a sudden explosion as the TV feed cut out. Cole jumped as he heard the same explosion happen just outside the house. Looking out of the nearby window, he could see the plume of smoke rising up from where it happened.

“Oh my god…”

He stumbled back from the window and left the bedroom, making his way down the stairs as he called out for his father. There was no reply back though and Cole was worried. He stared out the window as police cars rushed by, their sirens blaring and cutting from the silence for a moment. Cole hugged himself as he walked around and then headed into the kitchen. He saw a flash coming from the counter and he walked over, realising it was his father’s phone. He picked it up and noticed the string of texts and missed calls from Gavin.

‘Where the hell are you? You need to call me!’

‘Hank, I swear to fuck if you don’t…’

‘Fuck it, I’m on my way.’

The last message was sent only a few minutes ago.

“What’s going on…?” Cole wondered to himself as he glanced around the house. He began to walk towards the study when he was startled by the sound of the neighbours’ dog barking. He glanced out the patio doors but he couldn’t see anything but the tyre swing hanging from the tree that was blowing gently in the wind. The dog’s barks stopped suddenly and Cole had to repress a shiver. He hoped the dog was okay, he liked playing with Sumo.

He opened the doors to the study and sighed with relief when his father came rushing back in, shutting the glass door behind him.

“Hey Dad, there you are…"

“Cole…” Hank smiled slightly as he went to pick up his gun holster, which was hanging on the back of the office chair. “Are you alright, son?”

“I’m fine…” Cole had to wonder why his father was getting his gun.

“Has anyone come in here?” Hank asked as he checked the gun was loaded.

“No why would anyone come in here?”

“Just… stay away from the doors. Come over here, son.”

“Dad, what’s going on?” Cole said as he walked over. “You’re kinda scaring me…”

Hank sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s… it’s the neighbours. The Edens, I think. There’s something wrong with them, I think they’re sick.”

“Sick? What kind of sick, Dad?”

“I’m not su—“

The conversation was cut short as someone began to bang on the glass doors.

“Cole, Cole, stand behind me son.” Hank ushered the boy behind him.

“Dad?” Cole whimpered as he clung to his father.

“It’s going to be alright, son.” Hank whispered as he put himself between Cole and the door. “North?”

The banging continued as North attempted to break through the doors, succeeding as she football tackled it; sending her and the glass flying into the room.

“North! North, stay back! I’m warning you!” She paid no attention to his words as she charged straight at him, her blood from the cuts of the glass dripping on the floor. “North!”

She lunged for him and Cole let out a scream as Hank fired, putting a bullet right in her forehead. She screamed as she crumpled to the floor and a horrible gurgling sound rose out of her throat as her body twitched and writhed as she bled out on the floor. Hank took a hold of Cole’s hand and led him back to the living room so he didn’t have to look at the body. He placed his hands on Cole’s shoulders as he boy looked at his father in shock.

“You.. you shot her.” Cole stammered. “I saw her this morning, before she went to work…”

“Cole.” Hank shook his shoulders. “Listen to me. There is something really bad happening right now. I don’t know what it is, but we have got to get out of here, do you understand me?”

Cold could only nod.

Hank blinked as light suddenly flooded the room.

“That must be Gavin.” Hank took Cole’s hand. “C’mon son.”

They rushed through the house and opened the door, just as Gavin was leaving the car.

“There you are! Have you got any idea about what the fuck is going on out there?"

“I have no idea, Gavin.”

“Holy shit, Hank…” Gavin gasped as he took in Hank’s appearance. “You’re covered in blood, what the hell happened?”

“It’s not mine. I’ll tell you later.” He waved Gavin off as he lifted Cole into the car. “There you go, son…”

Gavin climbed into the driver’s seat and Hank got in the passengers’ side a few moments later. Gavin grimaced as he started the car back up.

“They’re saying half the people in Detroit have lost their fucking minds…”

“Hey, would you mind not swearing so much in front of my son?”

“Sorry.” Gavin sighed. “Anyways, they’re saying it’s like some sort of parasite… like, it’s getting into people and they’re losing their minds…”

Gavin looked backwards as he pulled off the drive, glancing at Cole for a moment and smiling. “Hey Kid. How are you holding up? Sorry I woke you up earlier.”

“It’s alright and I’m fine.” Cole whispered and Hank frowned, the kid seemed to be in shock. “Hey, can we turn the radio on?”

“Yeah kid, not a problem.” Gavin went to turn it on but was met with nothing but static. “Oh, that’s great… no phone and now no radio. They wouldn’t shut up a minute ago.”

Hank glanced over to Gavin, then out to the road “They say where to go?”

“They said that uh… the army’s blocking off the routes into Detroit. Putting up barricades an’ shit.”

“Which means that we’ll not be able to get out soon. Take route 71, that’s the closest one out of here.”

“71. You got it, Hank. That’s the one I thought of. Man, I wish I had Eli’s private plane at this moment.”

“Eiljah? How is your cousin?” Hank asked.

“Eh, he’ll be fine. Spoke to him about an hour ago. He’s taking his plane and hiding in his secret lab on an island somewhere. The one where he’s developing new models of those… what did he call them? Androids?”

“Something like that, yeah. You’ve mentioned them before.”

They stopped at a junction as police cars flew by them.

“Hey, you think any of those are our boys?” Gavin mumbled as he pulled out of the junction.

“If they are, I can only hope to hell they make it out alive.” Hank sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Speaking of, any idea how many may have died yet?”

“No, no official numbers yet. I haven’t heard anything and it’s too early to say.” Gavin grimaced. “they did find this one family though, all mangled up like so—“

“Gavin!” Hank snapped as he motioned to Cole.

“Right, sorry."

“Christ, how did hell did this mess even happen in the first place?”

“Honestly? No-one seems to know. There’s that one theory about the contaminated crops but that’s all it is right now. No-one seems to have any solid evidence yet. It’s not just us though, I’ll tell you that. It started in the south apparently, then spread to the east coast and then to the west. Whatever it is, it’s moving at a rapid pace.” He glanced at Hank “It’s a bloody mess, that’s what it is.”

“Yeah…”

Hank sucked in a breath when they passed out of the three storey buildings that were more common in this part of town. The building was on fire and thick, dark smoke billowed into the night sky.

“Holy shit, that’s Jeffrey’s place. I hope that son of a bitch and his family got out alive.”

“I’m sure he did, Hank. That old bastard is more stubborn than the two of us combined.”

“Dad?” Cole’s timid voice came from the back seat.

“Yeah, son?” Hank shuffled in his chair so he could get a better look at him.

“Are… are we sick?” The poor boy looked terrified.

“No, no! Of course not!” Hank reached out to take Cole’s hand in his.

Hank, of course, didn’t actually know but he didn’t want to worry his son more than he already was.

“I uh… they’re saying it’s only the people on the east side of the city that’s gotten sick so far.” He lied.

“Wasn’t North working on the east side?” Cole isn’t look convinced and Hank gave his hand a squeeze.

“Yeah…” Hank nodded. “Yeah, she was. We’re going to be fine son, just trust me.”

“Alright, Dad.” Hank let go of his hand and Cole settled back into the seat.

“Ah shit…” Gavin cursed as Hank turned back around in his seat. “Looks like everyone and their brothers had the same damn idea.”

Hank frowned as he looked at the long line of traffic in front of them “We could just turn around an—“

He didn’t get to finish as the man in front of them, who had gotten out of his vehicle and was flailing his arms and swearing at the army, was tackled to the floor by a man in a hospital gown. Both Gavin and Hank looked on in horror as the man’s throat was ripped out by unnaturally sharp teeth before being gutted. Another person in a gown clambered into the open car and attacked the people still inside, causing a red mist to cover the inside of the car’s windows.

“Holy shit…” Gavin muttered, unable to take his eyes of the scene.

“Gavin!” Hank yelled at him “You’ve got to turn the car around!”

Gavin didn’t respond.

“Gavin!” Hank shook his shoulder.

Gavin snapped out of his trance and threw the car in reverse, just as the first person… no, the first creature let go of his victim and charged towards the car, blood glistening on his teeth. Gavin managed to get the car to spin 180 and they took off down the road they just came up.

“What the fuck…” Gavin muttered as he drove. “What the fuck just happened!? Did you see that?”

Hank didn’t even yell at Gavin for the colourful use of his language. “Yeah… I saw it. Hey, turn here.”

“Holy shit… is that what this infection is doing to people? Turning them into some sort of cannibals? It’s like Hannibal… just en masse!”

“I don’t know, Gavin… this world has gone to shit.”

“You’re telling me… Oh, no. C’mon people… move!” Gavin honked the horn as people barrelled towards them, barely even paying attention to the car in their way.

“Gavin, we can’t stop here…” Hank warned.

“I know that! C’mon, you idiots! Move!” Gavin honked the horn again.

“Gavin! We need to go!” Hank yelled.

“What do you want me to do!?” Gavin yelled back. “I can’t fucking drive through them Hank and I can’t go back either!”

“Look!” Cole shouted from the back of the car “There, there’s a gap!”

Gavin slowly drove the car forward, managing to avoid people still filtering through the gap and squeezing the car through the tight space. He’d just managed to get the car back onto the road when Cole yelled out a warning and a car crashed directly into the side of them causing their car to roll and flip multiple times before slowly coming to a stop, settling upside down on its roof.

Cole groaned as he regained consciousness first. He sat up in the back of the car and looked over the top of the seat in front of him. He gave Hank a few shake before letting out a groan.

“….what?”

“Dad?”

“….hey kid. I’m okay.” Hank looked up at Cole and smiled. Glanced in front of him, he saw the windscreen in front of him. Bringing his feet up, he grunted as he slammed his feet once, twice, three times on the glass before it shattered. He crawled out of the car slowly before pulling himself unsteadily onto his wobbling legs. He didn’t have time to adjust though as he was tackled to the side by one of the strange creatures as it attempted to bite him with its snapping jaws. Luckily, he was saved by Gavin who had managed to get out of the car and he took a brick to the creature’s head, causing it to cave and collapse to the floor.

“Ugh… Thanks.” Hank coughed, then rubbed his face. “Man, these… thing don’t even look human any more.”

He turned back to the car when Cole called out to him.

“Here son, I’ve got you. Here, give me your hand.”

Cole reached out towards his father and attempted to climb out of the car but his leg gave away and Hank had to catch him before he feel face first into the glass.

“What’s wrong?”

“Dad, I… I think it’s my leg.”

“How bad is it?” Hank asked as he steadied him.

“It’s pretty bad… I don’t think I'll be able to walk.”

“Ah shit...” Gavin swore as he stared down the street before looking back at Hank “Hank, we’re going to have to run!”

Hank nodded as Gavin pulled out his own gun before hoisting Cole up into his arms, bridal style. He held the boy close and looked at Gavin. “you keep us safe, you hear?”

Gavin could only nod as he reloaded his gun.

“Dad, I'm scared...” Cole whimpered as he clung to Hank and buried his face in his chest.

“I know, son, I know… just keep your eyes closed, alright?”

They ran down the street, avoiding both people who were running for their lives and the people being eaten by the creatures on the ground, blood spraying out everywhere. Gavin had them turn down a different street, away from a burning gas station which had exploded when a car ran straight into it. Hank’s heart seized in sorrow when he heard the anguished cries of the people on fire reached his ears.

“We’re going to get out of this…” he whispered to himself as well as his son. “I promise...”

They ran past a fire truck and had almost made it to the theatre when another car came speeding down the street and crashed into some nearby cars, causing another explosion and a lot of noise. Gavin cursed when he saw the creatures make their way to the source of the racket.

“Shit...” He swore as the swarm turned towards them. “There’s too many of them!”

Hank looked around and saw an alley and darted towards it, Gavin following behind as he saw Hank move. They made it to the gate and Gavin pushed it open, urging Hank to go through. Hank ran ahead but had a creature jumped from the ground and went straight for him, teeth snapping and its mouth was foaming. He held it off long enough for Gavin to catch up and shoot it in the head.

“It’s dead! C’mon, this way! Through here!” Gavin ushered as he pushed on.

“Jesus...” Hank muttered.

He followed as Gavin made his way through the outdoor area at the back of the pub, shoving the door open and yelling for Hank to get in and more of the creatures clambered over the walls. Gavin slammed the door shut but struggled to keep the door shut as the sheer amount of bodies trying to force the door open threatened to overwhelm him. He looked at Hank and winced.

“Go!” He yelled. “You’ve got to get to the highway!”

“What…?” Hank couldn’t believe his ears.

“Go! You’ve got Cole! I can outrun these fuckers!”

“Gavin!?” Cole yelped and reached out.

“Dammit Gavin! You better live, you hear me you asshole!” Hell yelled as he backed away from the door, Gavin grinning as Hank went. Hank made his way through an opening at the side of the building and came out onto a slope. He ran down the edges, dodging snapping teeth that were trying to get at his heels.

“Dad, we can’t just leave him...” Cole whimpers as he kept clinging to Hank.

“He’ll be fine son…” Hank muttered. “He’s the toughest bastard I've known in a while and the fastest. If he says he can outrun them, I'm sure he can. Hold on, we’re almost there...”

They kept running down, Hank struggling to keep going as the slippery ground threatened to give way under his feet. They past an ambulance which was overturned. He wasn’t sure how it got there, but he didn’t stop to check if the EMT that was crawling out of the back was okay. They were being chased and they were almost caught when gunshots rung out and the creatures behind them dropped to the floor, dead. Hank tensed up, but relaxed once he saw a soldier in the distance.

Hey!” He called out. “We need help!”

“Stop!”

“Please, it’s my son, I think his leg is bro--”

“Stop right there!”

Hank stopped moving towards the soldier.

“Hey, listen… We’re not s-sick okay? We’ve just been through hell...”

The soldier wasn’t paying any attention to Hank’s words as he spoke into a radio.

“We’ve got two civilians on the outer parameter… please advise.”

“Dad? What about Gavin?” Cole whispered to his father.

“We’re going to get you some help, then we’ll go back from him alright?”

“Sir, there’s a little boy…” The soldier said over the radio. “But… yes, sir.”

A foreboding feeling settled in Hank’s stomach as the soldier looked at them.

“Listen, pal… we’ve just been…”

He stopped once the solider aimed his gun at the both of them.

“Oh, shit!”

Hank attempted to flee from the soldier but a bullet grazed his arm and caused him to spin, losing his grip on Cole who was sent sprawling away from Hank and landing a few feet away. Hank blinked and shielded his eyes as the soldier ran over and hovered over him, spotlight and gun pointed directly at his head.

“Please don’t...”

The soldier never had a chance to fire as a bullet suddenly went clean through his head, causing the soldier to drop like a stone onto the floor with a loud thump. Looking over to the side, Hank could see Gavin approach with his gun pointed forward, as if to warn anyone else that might be out there. Gavin’s stance faltered when he looked past Hank.

“...Oh no.”

Hank glanced over to where Cole was lying, only to see the boy lying there, motionless. He quickly got on his knees and crawled over to him.

“Cole!”

He hovered over him as his eyes quickly checked over the boy’s body, a lead weight settling in his stomach as he saw the multiple wounds and the blood seeping from his son’s abdomen. He reached down and tried to move Cole’s hands.

“Hey, move your hands for me, son!” Hank whispered as Cole cried out in pain when Hank applied pressure to the wound. “I know son, I know it hurts...”

“Listen to me, Cole! I know it hurts but you’re going to be okay!” Hank wasn’t sure if he believed his own words. “Alright, I’m going to try and pick you up…”

Cole struggled in his father’s arms as Hank shuffled him around, attempting to lift him off the ground.

“I know, just hang on! We’re going to get you some help.” He glanced over at Gavin, who had a look of horror on his face then sorrow as he looked away as Cole’s cries suddenly went silent.

“Cole…?” Hank whispered as he shook Cole lightly. “Son?”

Cole didn’t respond.

“C’mon Cole, don’t do this to me...” Hank held his son’s hand as he rocked him back and forth “C’mon, baby boy, please don’t… please.”

Gavin could only watch on as Hank lifted Cole’s body up and hugs him against his chest tightly, tears streaming down Hank’s face. Even Gavin couldn’t stop the tears from slipping from his eyes.

All he could do was place a hand on Hank’s shoulder as the man wept openly for his lost son.

Chapter Text

July 28^th, 2033 - Quarantine Zone 2, Detroit.

‘The number of confirmed deaths is—‘

‘Hundreds of bodies lining the st—‘

‘Panic spreads worldwide as the latest vaccination tests have fa—‘

‘All civilians are required to report to the—‘

‘Riots have continued for a third—‘

‘Anger over the execution of six more Jericho mem—‘

‘You can still rise with us. When you’re lost, look for the light.’

Hank stopped flicking through the radio stations as someone began to make a racked by banging their fist on his front door. Swinging his legs off the bed and placing the radio back on the bedside cabinet, he slowly stood up and made his way through his apartment.

“I’m coming, damnit!” He yelled at the door.

Undoing the many locks on the door, he opened the door only for his partner to walk in. She walked over to the kitchen counter and lent on it. Hank noticed she had a black eye and frowned slightly.

“So…” she began. “How was your morning?”

“…You just woke me up, Kara. Where the hell were you?"

“Well…I have some interesting news. I was in the west end district, doing our drop—”

“Our drop to make, Kara. Ours; not yours alone.” Hank growled.

“Yeah, well…” Kara shrugged as she poured out a shot of neat whiskey, only to dab a cloth into it. “You wanted to be alone.”

Hank sighed as he paced the kitchen, running a hand through his grey locks. Taking a hair tie off the top of the table, he tied his hair back as he approached her. Taking the cloth from her, he gently dabbed at the bruise and cuts on her face, ignoring the small flinches she was making.

“So, let me guess…” He said quietly, as he tended to her. “The whole deal went south and the client ran off with our goods. That’s what this is, right?”

“The deal went off fine, Hank. There are enough cards here to last us a couple of months. I got jumped on the way back by a couple of thugs.” She frowned as he sighed “Look, I’m fine. The point is that I got some interesting information off the guys who attacked me.”

Hank raised an eyebrow.

“Leo sent them. He knows we’re after him.”

“Son of a bitch… Kid’s smarter than I thought.” Hank muttered as he tossed the cloth in the sink.

“He’s not smart enough.” Kara smiled as she walked over to Hank. “I know where he’s hiding.”

“The fuck you do.”

“It’s an old warehouse, in Area 5…” she shrugged. “I can’t say for how long he’ll be there though.”

“Well…” Hank ran another hand through the stray bits of hair that had escaped its binding. “I’m ready to go, if you are.”

“Oh, I’m ready now.”

They took the stairs down and exited the apartment complex. The sun shone in Hank’s eyes and he had to shield his eyes. Glancing up, he saw someone walking along the top of the roof of a building. The sun caused the armband on the person’s arm to glint and gave it away as one of the military androids. It made sense to Hank. Kamski had originally designed the first android, an RT600 called Chloe, back in 2011 to help with day to day tasks such as housekeeping and accounting.

However, after the outbreak, Kamski was recruited by the US government to develop androids that could serve alongside the US military. The androids couldn’t be infected and were usually sent outside of the quarantine zones to deal with the dozens of infected that lurked outside the zone walls. Despite the android’s help, however, the hordes of infected continued to grow and things were looking more desperate year after year. Hank shook his head as Kara spoke to him as they walked.

“We need to hurry up. The checkpoint is still open but it’s only a few hours until curfew.”

‘Hey, got served the papers this morning. I’ve been selected for outside work.’

‘That’s bullshit, the androids are supposed to…’

Hank followed after Kara as conversations floated in the air around them. He shook his head as he passed some graffiti on the wall that said ‘Seek the Ship.’ A military tank passed by as they walked, spitting out the same warnings about ID that Hank heard every single day since coming to the quarantine zone.

“Huh. Look at that.” Kara commented as they walked down the street. “The ration line isn’t open. They must be running low on supplies again.”

“If they’re running low now, I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like in winter.” Hank shook his head.

They passed a building just as a human officer was dragging people out of a building. Hank and Kara stopped for a moment to watch what was happening. Two officers in white contamination suits were manhandling people to the round while the android officers stood watch, impassive at the ruckus being made.

‘On the ground, now!’

‘Alright, alright...’

‘On the fucking ground with your hands on your head, now!’

‘Alright! Geez, I didn’t do anything wrong…’

‘Alright.’ One of the soldiers motioned to one of the android soldiers. ‘Scan ‘em.’

The android soldier stepped up and raised its hand. Pressing it to the back of the man’s neck it waited until the program beeped. ‘He’s clean.’

The android moved along the line, declaring the next two people clean. The fourth one, however, gave a positive reading. ‘We’ve got a live one here, sir.’

‘No..! Please!’

‘Hold her down.’

‘Pl—‘ The solider put a bullet into the back on her head, causing her to fall to the ground and writhe in agony as she bled out.  The soldiers made their way down the line, only to be momentarily startled as the last person knocked the detector out of the android’s hand and made a break for it. The human soldier recovered first and mowed the fleeing civilian down, halting their escape.

“Holy shit…” Hank whispered.

‘Alright.’ The soldier spoke into his radio. ‘We’ve got two bodies here that need clearing up.’

The android soldier turned towards the crowd. ‘Alright folks. Please move along, this isn’t a show.’

Hank followed after Kara as they continued on.

“Looks like more and more people are getting infected.” Kara spoke as they approached the gate. “I got us fresh papers. They shouldn’t give us trouble.”

They walked up to the gate with caution, Hank accepting the ID from Kara as she passed it over. They spotted military tanks going back and forth behind the gate as the guard at the gate spoke to them.

“Let me see your IDs.”

They handed them over wordlessly and then took them back when the guard nodded at them.

“What sort of business do you have out here?”

“We’ve got the day off.” Hank supplied. “Thought we’d visit an old friend of ours.”

“Alright, go on thro—“

They were interrupted when one of the tanks passing by blew up right in front of them, causing them to stumble backwards as the heat of the tank overwhelmed them. The guards quickly shut the gate and opened fire, yelling something about Jericho and telling them to get the hell out of there. Kara took off running and Hank could barely keep up with the younger woman as she made a beeline for a nearby building. Following her inside, he shut the door and stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He might still be in good shape for his early 50's but she was faster and was a few years younger than him. She walked over to him and lifted his hand gently, taking out a bandage and wrapping up the lacerations he didn’t even realise he had; he must’ve received them from the flying debris of the exploding tank.

“Well, so much for that.” She said as she finished off working on his hands, walking down the corridor. “They’ll close off all the checkpoints after that stunt. We’ll have to go the long way around.”

 Hank jogged to catch up to her. “You mean… outside the zone?”

“Unless you want to let Leo get away?”

“Hah.” Hank chuckled. “Not in a million fucking years.”

A young man sitting down in a plastic chair stood up as they approached, bouncing back and forth on his feet slightly.

“Yo Kara! Did you see that!?”

“Yes, Charles, we were both there. Have there been problems with the east tunnel?”

“Nope! Just came back through that way. Didn’t see any patrols.” Charles fell into place, walking beside Kara as Hank took up the rear. “Where are you off to?”

“We’re going to pay Leo a visit.”

“Shit, you too?” Charles asked.

“What? Who else is looking for him?” Hank queried.

“Um…  Markus. He’s been asking around. He seemed pretty angry with him. I just told him that I had no idea where Leo was hiding. I certainly didn’t want to get on that android’s bad side.”

“Good man.” Kara nodded. “Look, you be careful, you hear? Military is going to be out in full force soon. Don’t get caught.”

“Yeah, you both be careful as well.” Charles waved as he headed off back the way they came. “I’ll see you around!”

“Take care, kid.” Hank smiled.

They continued their way when they passed a young man, asleep in one of those cheap plastic garden chairs. There was a cage on the floor and a couple of pigeons cooed softly from within. Hank stopped for a moment as he took him the man’s peaceful expression.

“Hey… Hey Kara, come here.” He whispered. “Looks like Rupert fell asleep again.”

She came up beside him and then chuckled. She tugged on Hank’s arm and they continued walking. “Leave him be. He was on patrol all last night and he needs the sleep.”

“So...” She said as she walked beside him. “Markus is also looking for Leo. What do you make of that?”

“It can’t be anything good.” Hank shook his head. “Whatever Leo has done to piss of the leader of Jericho, it must be bad. Markus doesn’t get angry easily. We better find Leo before Markus does.”

They walked into a room with a table and a couple of couches in it. The man sitting on the couch got up to shake Kara’s hand.

“Hey. How are things at this end?” She asked.

“Ah, it’s been quiet. No sign of the military or the infected. What’s happening out there?”

“It’s a mess out there. Jericho blew up a military tank.”

“Daaamn.” He whistled.

“Yeah. Hey Hank.” She motioned him over. “Give me a hand with this.”

He grabbed one end of the bookshelf and together they shifted out of the way, revealing a hole in the wall. Kara went through the hole first, followed by Hank. They were encased in darkness as the young man shuffled the bookcase back into place behind them.

“Oh god, it stinks down here… those guys need to be careful with what they throw away down here.” She stumbled for a moment before a click could be heard and the place was filled with light. “Ah, that’s better.”

They walked through the tunnel until they came to an open area. Kara headed for the tables sitting in the corner of the room. “Good, our backpacks are still here.”

“That’s good.” Hank picked up his pistol that was sitting by his pack. He grimaced as he checked it. “Man, there’s not a lot of ammo in this.”

“Well, make sure your shots count then.” Kara grinned at him as she holstered her own gun.

Flinging his backpack onto his back, he followed her up a slanted corridor until they came to another hole. He lifted up the door that covered the hole and Kara crawled up, holding the door up so he could do the same. They appeared to be in an abandoned diner, though anything of value was long since gone. He followed Kara out of the front of the building and into the fresh air.

“I haven’t been here in a while…” Kara smiled as she walked around with her hands behind her back. “It kind of feels like we’re on a date…”

“Well…” Hank ran a hand through his hair. “I have been known to be romantic.”

“Hah, only you would think putting a bullet between someone’s eyes was romantic.”

“Heh, you got me there.”

“Hey…” Kara frowned. “Where’s the ladder?”

“It’s gotta be around here somewhere… I’ll have a look.”

He looked around the area, through the long overgrown grass and weeds until he almost fell over the ladder which was barely visible on the ground. Grumbling about his now sore toes, he picked the ladder up.

“…Got it.”

“Great.” Kara said as she waved him over. “Place it over here.”

“Yes ma’am.” Hank did as he was told and lent the ladder on the wall, just under another hole that was in the wall. He motioned to her. “Ladies first.”

“Always the gentleman, aren’t you?” Kara smiled as she climbed the ladder.

“You know me so well.”

They walked through what appeared to be an apartment, picking up a few bits and pieces and in one of the bedrooms Hank found a Jericho pendant. Flipping in over in his hand, the back of it read ‘S. Colton, 08341’. The name didn’t ring any bells with Hank and he simply placed the pendant in his pocket. If they ever ran into Markus, he could ask him.

“So…” Kara asked as they walked down the apartment complex stairs. “Do you think Leo still has our weapons?”

“For that bastard’s sake… he’d better.”

“Relax, once we get them back, we can take it easy until the next shipment.”

“Speaking of, any word from Rose when the next shipment might be—“

“Hold up, Hank. There’s spores.”

“Ah shit.” Hank swore as he pulled out his gas mask from his backpack. He hated wearing the thing but it was better than being infected. “Where the fuck are they coming from? It was clear the last time we came through.”

“Well.” Kara said as she squeezed by him. “They’re coming from somewhere, so keep an eye out.”

He crouched down as he slowly crawled through a small tunnel and frowned at the body at the end. Checking the body over, he nodded at her.

“Well, there’s the culprit. Be careful, Kara. The body isn’t that old, there might be more infected nearby.”

She simply nodded as she followed him. He attempted to move a board out of the way but the ceiling collapsed on him. Cursing, he waved his hand in front of him in a vain attempted to clear the dust caused by the debris. Luckily there was still enough space for them to crawl though even after the collapse. Hank went first and almost had a heart attack when he felt something grab his leg. He ushered Kara through and looked down at the pitiful man on the floor, shaking his leg to release himself from the man’s weak grip.

“P-please… My mask broke…“ the man begged. “Please… don’t leave me to turn... I don’t want to become out of those… things…”

Hank simply pulled out his gun and shot the man, ending his life with one bullet.

“The poor soul…” Kara whispered.

Slowly making their way forward, they stopped for a moment as an infected shuffled by them. Crouching down, Hank slowly snuck up behind him and grabbed him, wrapping an arm around its neck and strangling it. He dropped the body on the floor. They sneaked by as a couple more infected tore into a body that was lying on the floor, the screams of agony rattling through Hank’s bones and causing him to shiver. They managed to avoid them as they climbed the stairs then dropped down onto the ground outside. Pulling off the mask, Hank was grateful to be breathing fresh air once more.

Following Kara across the courtyard, she opened a secret entrance that was covered in vines and they both headed through, closing it behind them. Walking over a narrow plank, they made their through some back alleys and around to another building. Opening the door they headed through, Hank squinting into the darkness. He ended up having to pull his flashlight out; it was so dark in the building. Following Kara, he picked up some ammo that was lying nearby as she knocked on the door. They waited for a moment, before a young boy appeared and opened the door for them.

They walked through what appeared to be some back street market. There were dogs for sale and everyone was trying to force Hank into buying something. He ignored them for the most part, just stopping for a moment to watch a fight go on through a bus window wincing as a burly man feel to the floor and didn’t spear to get back up. He attempted to pass through the bus, but a man stood up and blocked his way.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Malick, sit down.” Kara’s voice rose from behind Hank. “He’s with me.”

“Oh, sorry Kara. Didn’t realise you two were together. Go on through.”

Hank just nodded and hopped down from the bus, Kara behind him.

“You’ve got some authority around here, huh?” He asked her.

“Just enough to get me from point A to B.”

Walking through, he picked up a poster. It appeared to be a wanted poster and it was a poster of Markus. There appeared to be a message on the back so he placed it in his bag and walked over to where Kara was. She was speaking to a man and waving ration cards in his face.

“Have you seen Leo?” She asked him.

“He was just here half an hour ago. He was headed back to the wharf.” He man nodded, before taking the cards and letting them through.

“Thanks.”

They came to an open area with crates scattered all over the place and Kara sighed as three men headed towards them, their body language screaming hostility.

“You better turn around and leave if you know what’s good for you.” The leader of the trio shouted at them.

“We have no issues with you; we just need to speak to Leo.”

“You best turn around and get the fuck out of here, right now lady!” He waved at her in a dismissive manner.

“…Ah, screw this.” Kara said as she pulled out her pistol and shot him before the man had a chance to react.

Chapter Text

August 17^th, 2028 – Zone 3, Downtown Detroit

Markus watched as Gavin entered the small office of the Jericho leader. He was sat at his desk and Gavin pulled out the chair sitting in front of it before sitting down in it with a plop. He watched as Gavin pulled out his pendant from underneath his shirt, fiddled with it for a moment before he unhooked it.

“I can’t do this anymore, Markus.” Gavin said as he placed the pendant on the table and slid it towards him.

Markus picked it up and turned it over in his hand a couple of times, before looking up at Gavin in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“This whole…” Gavin waved a hand, gesturing to the office. “The whole fighting the army… fighting for power. I just can’t do it, Markus. It’s not for me, the Jericho thing just isn’t for me.”

“Gavin, after all this time…?”

“I’m tired of fighting, Markus. I’m not getting any younger.”

Markus snorted. “What will you do now then?”

“…I’m leaving Detroit. There’s nothing left for me here.” Gavin shrugged. “I know a couple of good men who want to leave too.”

“Any idea where you might go?” Markus asked as he leaned forward.

“I’ve heard rumours about there being settlements out west… somewhere near Fort Collins? We’ll head there first.”

“Alright, you’re a good man Gavin, despite your rough edges.” He stood up and offered his hand. “Remember, there will always be a place for you here in Jericho.”

“Thanks man.” Gavin said as he stood up to shake the android’s hand.

August 18^th, 2028 – Quarantine Zone 2, Detroit

“You’re WHAT!?” Hank yelled, unable to believe the words that had just come out of Gavin’s mouth.

“I’m leaving Detroit, Hank.” Gavin spat as he crossed his arms.

“Oh, well that’s just great. First you fucked off to Jericho and I don’t hear from you then you turn up just to tell me you’re leaving Detroit altogether!”

“Hank…” Gavin sighed, staring at the floor. “This is something I have to do.”

“Something you have to do? You said the same fucking thing when you ran away the first time!” Hank stormed over to Gavin, using his hand to shove him back. “Joining Jericho was ‘something you had to do’ and now you’re just… are all your wants this fleeting!?”

“Goddamnit, Hank! I just can’t be here anymore!” Gavin shoved him back, causing Hank to stumble. “Detroit gets worse as the days pass and YOU’RE a miserable old bastard who—“

“And those fucking fault was that!?” Hank yelled. “You were my partner and you just up and left! It’s been almost 4 years!”

“You can’t pin this all on me!” Gavin shoved Hank again, malice written on his face. “I tried to be there! I tried to help but YOU pushed us all away! After Co—“

“Don’t you DARE bring him into this Gavin!” Hank roared, picking Gavin up by the collar and shoving him into the nearest wall. “Don’t you fucking DARE!”

“But it’s true!” Gavin choked out as Hank squeezed around his neck. “Ever since that day you… you won’t… Damnit, Hank! I loved being your partner but I can’t help when you’ve turned into a bastard who only cares about himself!”

“That’s… that’s just the way it is now.” Hank hook him slightly, causing spots to appear in Gavin’s vision. “I can’t… afford to get close to anyone.”

“Well, you… won’t have to worry… about me…” Gavin struggled to breathe, Hank’s grip never loosening. “I won’t… be here anymore and…”

Hank dropped Gavin to the floor; the younger man gasping as air suddenly filled his lungs as he struggled to breathe.

“…Where do you plan to go?” Hank couldn’t even look at Gavin.

“…West.” Gavin sighed as he shakily stood up. “There are three of us heading out west. There are… settlements near Fort Collins. We might stop there, it depends what happens.”

“Gavin, look, I’m—“

“Save It, Hank.” Gavin rubbed his sore throat. “You may have been my partner once and I respected you. Now, I can’t even bear… I can’t bear to be around you. I can’t bear to see the shell of the man whom I once admired.”

“Gavin, I—“

“We’re leaving tonight.” Gavin said as he shakily walked over to the door and lent on the door frame. He gave one last glance back to Hank. “I never want to see your face again. It’s too painful.”

Hank couldn’t say anything as Gavin walked through the door.

August 18^th, 2028 – Quarantine Zone 2 Outskirts, Detroit

The sun had begun to set over Detroit as Gavin and his two travelling companions stepped out of an underground tunnel. One of the men, Charles, had been a doctor in a hospital before the outbreak occurred and he had to flee before the infection took over and the other, Ingvar, had been in the army before a house fire had claimed his family and his voice shortly before the outbreak occurred. Both men had known Gavin for a few years now and decide they had nothing left in Detroit, so they decided to go with him.

Gavin peeked out from behind the wall they were crouching behind, scanning the area for the outer patrol. It was past curfew and if they we’re spotted then they would be shot on the spot. Gavin couldn’t see anything though and he ran, taking shelter behind an overturned car. He waved them over and they ducked behind the care with him just as a searchlight passed by. They weaved and ducked behind a couple of more vehicles before stopping.  Ingvar nudged Gavin and he looked over to where Ingvar was pointing. There was another tunnel, but there was a guard standing in front of it.

“Here…” Charles said as he passed Ingvar a glass bottle.

He took the bottle and threw it at a nearby wall. The guard was startled and walked over to where the noise came from, turning his back to them. Gavin snuck up behind the guard and grabbed him, wrapping his arm around his neck in a sleeper hold. The guard was knocked unconscious and Gavin gently placed him on the floor. He took the guard’s pistol and tucked it away before signalling to the others that it was safe. They quickly entered the tunnel, leaving the guard behind. By the time the guard would wake up, they would be long gone.

They slowly made their way through the maze of tunnels, stopping every so often as light shone through the grates above them and footsteps in the distance. They eventually came to an exit and they stepped out in the pitch dark of night. They were on the very edge of the city, houses to the left of them and an open field on the right. Deciding it was too risky to traverse the field, they took shelter in a nearby abandoned house.

Gavin made a small fire in the middle of the kitchen, while the other two checked the house to make sure it was secure and free of infected. After getting the all clear, they made sure the doors were secure and the windows were blocked. Settling down in front of the fire, Gavin pulled out some bread and a couple of tins of beans. Placing the beans on the fire and the bread in some tin foil so it could toast, he also pulled out some paper plates. His companions looked on in utter confusion as he worked.

“What?” He said as he unwrapped the now toasted bread, placing it on the plates and putting the beans on top of them. “My cousin told me about this after he came back from visiting English. He said it’s called ‘beans on toast’ and it’s really popular over there.”

“Ah, fair enough. How is your cousin doing? You mention him but I’ve never seen him around.”

“You won’t. He’s hiding somewhere far away, on an island somewhere in the Atlantic, in a secret lab of sorts. I haven’t seen him since before the outbreak. He’s absolutely terrified of being bitten, so he refuses to come back. He helps work on androids though, so he’s not lonely according to him. He’ll occasionally send a Chloe over to see me.” Gavin had never mentioned his cousin’s name to them, he didn’t think he was relevant. “There’s only the two of us left now. The rest of the family was either killed on the night of the outbreak or infected later on.”

 “Ah…” Charles mumbled. “It’s nice to know you’ve got him at least. Most people don’t even have any families anymore.”

Ingvar scowled at the fire when Charles mentioned family. Gavin noticed as he nodded subtlety to Charles. Gavin often worried about the grey-haired man. He’d lost his wife and daughter to an arson attack on the family home in 2010 and then lost his son, Oliver, shortly after the outbreak as he was bitten. The fire was also the reason Ingvar couldn’t speak and in the 10 years Gavin had known him, he loudest noise he’d head Ingvar made sounded like a whoosh of air. Charles scooted over to Ingvar and place an arm around his shoulder, drawing Ingvar closer to him. Charles had been the doctor who had looked after Ingvar and Oliver after the fire and he’d found the man shortly after the outbreak. Ingvar stiffened, then slowly relaxed against Charles’ shoulder and let out a silent sigh.

“Right…” Gavin said after they finished their meals, pulling out a map and placing it on the floor “Here’s the plan…”

September 19^th, 2033 – Somewhere in Chicago.

Their first major target was the city of Chicago. They travelled by day, taking advantage of the late summer nights and travelling for hours on end. They raided towns and abandoned settlements on the way but they were running low on food by the time they’d arrived just over a month later. They walked down an empty street just as the sun began to set, gazing up at the fallen buildings at the surrounded them. Skyscrapers fallen from grace and building crumpled in on themselves as nature worked to reclaim her land.

It both amazed and saddened the men that the wonders of men could be erased by Mother Nature with the span of 15 or so years.  Being one of the biggest cities in America with a population of well over 2 million, the infection spread through Chicago hard and fast. 70% of the population fell to the infection within six months and the other 30% were forced to evacuate.

Things seemed quiet while they were travelling from Detroit to Chicago… that silence was broken as a tank came racing down the main streets, men hanging out of the top and firing straight at the three of them! Gavin ducked behind a car, the other two following suit as the tank open fired that them, the bullets ricocheting off the roof of the car.

“Shit! This car isn’t going to last!” Gavin yelled, barely audible over the noise of the bullets. “We can’t stay here!”

“Look, over there!” Charles pointed to an open door “If we get in there, we might be able to get out the back!”

“Alright, if we can—“ Gavin looked over to the other two and noticed Ingvar was clutching his shoulder. “Shit, Ingvar! Are you alright?”

The man in question was pale as he looked up at Gavin, wincing in pain. He had his hand over his shoulder and there was blood running down the front of his coat. Charles gently moved Ingvar’s hand away from the wound as he checked it.

“It looks like a bullet went straight though his shoulder, it’s a clean shot though!” Charles yelled. “If we can move him and get in a better hiding spot then I can stitch it up!”

Gavin nodded and attempted to look around the car, pulling back quickly as a bullet flew past his nose.

“Shit! They’re not letting up!” He pulled out one of his guns and peeked over the top, blindly firing at the men in the tank. He smirked as he managed to hit one of the men, a bloody scream ringing in the air as the firing stopped for a moment and a thump was heard as the body fell to the floor. “If you can get him over into the building Charles, I’ll distract them!”

The doctor nodded and hooked Ingvar’s good arm around his shoulder, lifting the man up onto his feet. Ingvar shuddered and leaned into Charles, his legs weakened from the blood loss. He staggered as Charles pulled him along to the edge of the car. Gavin nodded at the pair as the gunfight resumed and he took shots at the tank. He aimed at a gunman who pointed at the two men who were making a break for the building, Gavin managed to shoot the gunman in the head, causing him to slump forward and fall out of the tank. Gavin winced as a bullet grazed by his arm, but kept firing until he saw that the pair had made it. He shot again at the gunmen, then ducked down and made a break for the door, having to dive into a roll as the gunmen shot at him. He rolled to a stop beside Charles’ legs.

“Oh god, that was…” Gavin wheezed as he tried to get his breath back. He crouched by Charles, not wanting to make himself a target in front of the open window. “We can’t… stay here.”

“Agreed.” Charles nodded as Gavin hooked Ingvar’s other arm around his shoulder causing the man in question to wince. “We need to get as far from here as possible.”

They made their way through the building, Charles nudging a back door open. Peeking through, they saw the coaat was clear as they ducked down the alleyway and into another building. They kept going for 20 minutes, ducking in and out of building as the sound of the tank got further and further away. Taking shelter in a diner’s back kitchen, they shut the door so that they couldn’t be seen. Placing Ingvar on a nearby chair, Charles checked his vital signs.

“He’s weak from the loss of blood, but his heart is still strong.” Charles carefully removed the layers of clothes from Ingvar, exposing his shoulder and the wound to the open air. “Gavin, do you still have any water?”

“Huh? Oh, sure.” He placed his backpack on the floor and pulled out an unopened bottle of water. “Here.”

Charles nodded and unscrewed the top, pouring the water over both sides of the wound causing it to bleed slightly and Ingvar to hiss out air as he screwed his eyes shut.

“Sorry, Ing.” Charles apologised. “I need to clean the wound before I stitch you back up. Gavin, can you get the suture kit out of my bag?”

“Sure, not a problem.” Gavin said as he did what was asked of him.

Gavin passed the kit to Charles, who opened it and took out a needle and thread as well as a block of wood from the kit. He gave the wood to Ingvar, who placed it in between his teeth. Gavin looked away as Charles began to stitch the wound closed, Ingvar trying his best not to flinch, but it was impossible as he had no pain killers and the pain was like having a red hot poker shoved inside him. It only took a few minutes for Charles to close the front wound and he moved around to work on the back, once again pouring the water on and then stitching it shut.

After he got both holes closed he took a bandage out of his bag and wrapped up the wound, placing gauze over both holes and securing them in place. Once finished, he checked on Ingvar again, who had put a sizable dent in the wood and was sweating profusely.

“Here you go, old friend.” Giving a pat to his good shoulder, Charles gave him a small smile. “It’s all over now.”

Ingvar visibly relaxed as Charles’ words sunk in and he passed out on the chair. Charles and Gavin both reached forward, catching him before he fell and gently sat him down on the floor, leaning him on the wall as Charles redressed him.

“He’ll feel better once he’s rested.” Charles looked at Gavin and then frowned. “You’re bleeding.”

“Huh? Oh, I’m fine. It’s just a scratch.” Gavin waved him off.

“Still. Let me sort that out.”

“…Fine.” Gavin removed his coat and pulled his t-shirt up.

Charles had Gavin sit on the chair Ingvar had been on as he dabbed at his arm with a cloth. Luckily, the bullet hadn’t gone through Gavin’s arm, so all Charles had to do was wrap it up, similar to the way he did Ingvar’s shoulder. Having done so, Gavin pulled his jacket back on and noticing the hole, he decided he’d fix it later.

“We might as well stay here for the night.” He said as he locked the door. There were no windows in the kitchen, but there were air vents, ensuring the men wouldn’t suffocate during the night. Gavin looked around the small kitchen and found some old army rations stored at the back of a cupboard Checking the dates on them, he handed one to Charles as he tore one open for his self and ate it quickly, wincing at the flavour. He stored the rest away in his pack apart from one, which he kept for Ingvar when he regained consciousness.

Charles sat down on Ingvar’s right size and Gavin sat down by his left. Taking out a blanket, he draped it over the three of them as they huddled together for the night.

Chapter Text

July 28th, 2033 – Area 5, Detroit

“Take cover!” Kara yelled as she dragged Hank behind an old storage container.

The men began to shoot at them, outraged at the fact that Kara had killed their leader. She nodded once to Hank, who had reloaded his gun, as he looked over the container. He aimed at one of the gunmen and unloaded two bullets into his chest. He smirked as the body hit the floor with a thump, closely followed by another as Kara took him down. The men who were left cursed loudly and Hank ducked as a bullet whizzed by his ear, almost hitting him in the process. He aimed once more at the man who was peeking out of his cover to shoot at him and got a lucky shot, hitting him right in the forehead. They scanned the area before standing up, stretching their cramped legs.

“Nice work, Hank.” Kara smiled at him.

“You too.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Where the hell did Leo get all of these guys?”

“If there’s one thing Leo’s good at, it’s making promises and writing blank checks.” Kara began to walk down a nearby alleyway.

Hank grunted and followed her.

They made their way through the streets, before dropping through a hole in a chain link fence and ducking behind a wall.

“Look, Hank.” Kara whispered. “More of Leo’s men.”

“I see ‘em.” Hank nodded.

‘How do you know they’re coming?’

‘We lost good men trying to take Kara out. I bet you anything she and Hank and on their way here.’

‘Fucking hell, we should never have taken this job.’

‘I know, but we have families to feed too. You go that way, I’ll check this way.’

“Follow me, Hank. If we can get by them and find Leo…”

He watched as Kara snuck up on one of the men, before she grabbed him and stuck a knife in his neck. She set the body on the ground, wiping the blood on her hands as Hank snuck up on the other guy and strangled him, dropping the body to the ground. He spotted a man in the nearby building and sneaked through the open door but was unfortunately spotted by the man and he came rushing at him. Hank quickly stood up and threw a few punches at the man. He was a hit a couple of times, but managed to knock the man out. He went to shoot the man in the head, but he was grabbed from behind by a man he’d failed to notice. Hank struggled for a moment before Kara noticed him and ran over, punching the man and causing him to let go of Hank. Hank then turned around, throwing punches at the man before clocking him in the head with his pistol. The man crashed to the floor, a key falling out of his pocket.

“Huh? What’s this…” Kara said as she picked it up, turning it over in her hand. “Well, I’ll be. It’s a key to a warehouse.”

“Leo must’ve given it to him.”

“Lucky for us… not so lucky for him.” Kara chuckled.

Hank looked around the area they’d cleared, picking up a few stray bullets and a couple of first aid kits. Placing them in his backpack, he walked down a corridor to find a locked door. He signalled Kara over and she opened the door with the key they just found. They ducked as they headed into the room, voices coming from the other side of the wall.

‘Supplies are locked up for the night.’

‘What about Leo? Where’s that bastard staying tonight? He’s too paranoid to stay here by himself.’

‘Fuck if I know, man. We’ll check in with the others and come up with something.’

Hank snuck around to where the voices were but he was spotted. Reacting quickly, he punched the man who was rushing at him and grabbed his head; smashing it against the wall. He flinched as a bullet grazed his arm and he ducked behind a broken window. He rushed the guy shooting at him, tackling him and sending him sprawling to the floor. He put a bullet in his head before turning around a putting another bullet in the head who was attacking Kara. She ran over to him as they listened for other people rushing to the area.

Not hearing anyone nearby, he took a moment to re-bandage his wounds. He picked up a glass bottle as he made his way through the warehouse and almost ran face first into another gang member, startling him. Reacting on impulse, Hank smashed the bottle in his face and the man cried out in pain. He was quickly disposed of and Kara took care of someone who was trying to sneak up on Hank.

“We… should’ve brought more people…” Hank wheezed out.

“Hah, they would’ve just slowed us down.” Kara chuckled. “Besides, where’s the fun in that?”

Hank just sighed as they continued on.

They came to the wharf after around half an hour and they ducked behind a half-broken wall.

“Look.” Kara said, pointing. “There’s Leo, right there.”

‘Shipments have dried up.’

Hank signaled to Kara as they jumped over the wall and down to hide in an empty shipping container.

‘Yeah, well… all our contacts dried up. Fuck, I don’t know if there’s anyone left out there!’

Kara and Hank made their way around, sneaking around to take care of one of the guards.

‘Guess this is why we’re taking these protection jobs.’

‘Yup.’

They stuck around the back of the wharf as the men continued to patrol the area. Picking up a plank, Hank made his way around and smacked a man over the head; causing him to crumple to the floor. Shifting the body and making sure no-one had heard, he signaled Kara over. He pointed to the shipping containers inside of the wharf storehouse and they quietly made their way over. Hiding behind a box, he tried to throw a bottle but failed to grab their attention. He grabbed one of the men and managed to choke him but was spotted and fired at. He winced as a bullet went through his side but retaliated in kind, shooting his shooter in the stomach multiple times and taking him out. Kara took out the other men and they stopped for a moment to look around the area. Kara checked over the wound in Hank’s side. Luckily it hadn’t hit anything important and had passed through him, so all he had to deal with was the entry and exit wounds. Kara placed gauze over the holes and wrapped him up. They needed to catch Leo before he left the area; she’d stitch him up later.

Kara picked up a note that one of the gang members had left on the floor and chuckled to herself.

“Trust Leo to make everyone angry…”

They made their way to an office door and slowly opened it, backing up when shots were fired at them.

“Get back! Get the fuck back!”

“Leo!” Kara shouted over the bullet noise “Leo, we just want to talk!”

“There’s nothing to fucking talk about!”

“Put the gun down, Leo!”

“Go fuck yourself, Kara!” Leo shouted as he run out of bullets. Panicking he threw the gun at them and made his way out the back door.

“Shit! He’s running!” Kara yelled. “What are you waiting for Hank? Chase after him!”

Hank took off after Leo, the adrenaline making him forget about the pain temporarily. He barged the back door open and spotted Leo running through an alleyway. He jumped over boxes and bins, heading through another building. He ran through a door, pushing the cover out of the way and almost losing Leo before he spotted him jumping through an open window. He followed him through to find Leo rattling a closed chain link gate. Hank stopped to catch his breath a moment as Kara caught up to them and the pain flared up in his side.

“Leo.”  Kara said and Leo tensed up at her voice. He turned around slowly.

“Ah, Kara… Hank.” He sighed as he walked slowly towards them. “I ah…”

He tried to take off down the alley but Hank stopped him, smacking his legs with a steel pipe he’d grabbed off the floor.

“Fuck!” Leo swore as he fell to the floor, busting his own nose open.

Kara rolled him over with her foot, placing it on his chest. “Where do you think you’re doing, huh?”

“Look… Whatever you he—“

“You’ve got our stuff, Leo. Where are our weapons?” Kara pressed her foot down and he wheezed. “You going to tell us, right?”

“O-Of course, Kara!” Leo stuttered “It’s... It’s just complicated.”

Hank came over and kicked him in the side of his head, causing Leo to scream as blood rushed out of his busted nose.

“What can be complicated…” Kara began “than the fact that you owe us our weapons?”

“…I sold them.”

Hank and Kara looked at each other in disbelief, before Kara glared at him.

“…excuse me?”

“I didn’t have a fucking choice!” Leo screamed as she pushed her foot further down on his chest. “I owed someone!”

“You owed us, you little shit!” Hank growled.

“Look, give me a week… I’ll have your guns!”

“Fuck off, kid. You just tried to kill us.” Hank snarled and kicked him again, this time in the ribs. “Who has them? Huh!?”

“…I can’t say.”

Kara sighed as she pressed down harder and she felt one of his ribs snap under the pressure. Leo cried out in pain.

“It’s Jericho!” Leo cried out. “I owed… Jericho.”

“Well. That’s fanfuckingtastic isn’t it.” Hank growled.

“Look, they’re basically all dead anyways, let’s go in there an—“

Kara shot him in the dead, silencing Leo forever.

Hank sighed and gave Leo’s body one last kick for good measure. “Well… now what?”

“We…” Kara looked at the body. “We go get our weapons back.”

“How the fuck do you propose we do that?”

“I don’t know! We find a firefly, talk to them.”

“You won’t have to look far.”

Both Kara and Hank whirled around as a voice spoke up from behind them. A man walked into their line of sight, limping badly as blue blood dripped from an open wound to his side. He had blonde hair and blue eyes and he looked like he was in immense pain.

“Who are you?” Kara asked.

“I’m Simon. I’m one of Markus’ right hand men.”

Hank fished the firefly pendant out of his pocket. “…Is this yours?”

Simon hobbled over and took the pendant. Looking it over, he nodded.

“What’s Markus’ right hand man doing out here and injured?” Hank asked as he folder his arms over his chest.

“I was out looking for Leo and I got ambushed…” He glanced at the pair in front of him “…have you seen him?”

Kara simply stepped aside, revealing the body to Simon.

“…We needed him alive.” Simon sighed.

“Those weapons he sold to Jericho?” Kara snapped. “Those weren’t his to sell. I want them back.”

“…that’s not how this works.”

“The fuck it isn’t.” Hank stepped forward, ready to grab the android when Kara stopped him.

“We paid for those weapons. If you want them back, you’re going to have to earn them.”

“…How?” Kara asked.

“We need something smuggled out of the city. If you can do that, we’ll pay you twice what you originally had.”

“How do you know you have the weapons?” Hank asked, shoving the android slightly. “From what I’ve heard, they’ve been doing a great job wiping Jericho out.”

“You’re right about that...” Simon sighed, looking at the floor. “Look, come with me. I’ll take you to Markus and you can discuss it with him.”

‘Search the area!’

‘Yes sir!’

“I’ve got to go. It’s up to you to make a choice.” Simon said as he began to back away.

Kara and Hank looked at each other and then nodded, following Simon.

They followed Simon up a ladder and took a fire escape up to the roofs. They looked over the city at a plume of smoke rising into the sky. Simon simply shook his head and slid down the side of a roof and through an open window.

They stopped for a moment so that Kara could stitch Hank up. He winced as Kara did her work and then he thanked her. She offered to stitch Simon up to but he refused. Picking his way through slim supplies, Hank helped Simon open a heavy door and the android grunted as blue blood splattered on the floor.

“How are you holding up?” Hank asked him.

“…I’ll live.”

They took a staircase back down to the ground floor and made their way through some alleyways. They managed to sneak by some soldiers and through a door, avoiding another fight. Hank was just about done with all of the fighting they’d done today and his wounds ached in agreement.

“It’s not far now…”

“You said that half an hour ago.” Hank grumbled.

‘Curfew is now in effect. Anyone caught outside will—‘

“Shit. We need to hurry.”  Hank glanced at Simon as he shoved a door open. “What the fuck does Markus want us to smuggle anyways?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

They walked through another house and Simon called for Hank to help him open another door. The door opened and Simon all but collapsed as it swung open. Hank bent down to help the android back up when another door opened and a young girl rushed in, knife in hand to attack. Kara grabbed the girl by the wrist and stopped her as another figure came into the room.

“….Simon?”

Simon looked up and smiled for the first time that day. He hobbled forward and all but fell into the open arms waiting for him. “…Markus."

Markus wrapped his arms tightly around Simon and ran a hand through his hair, frowning when his hand came away stained with blue blood. “…God, Simon... I thought you died.”

“I’m ok... I’m ok, this is… fixable. I brought help.”

Both Markus and the young girl, who was still being held by Kara, looked at them. Kara let the girl go as they stared at each other.

Simon sat down on a nearby seat as Markus checked him over. “We can’t go with her though… It’s too dangerous, they know our faces.”

“…then I’m staying here.” The young girl spoke, and Kara could tell the girl was terrified.

“Alice, we… we won’t get another shot at this.”

“Wait…” Hank said as he walked up to the pair. “We’re smuggling her?”

“There’s a Jericho crew waiting at the Fisher building. You take her there, hand her off, come back here and the weapons are yours.” Simon said and Markus nodded.

“That’s not exactly near here.” Kara huffed.

“You can manage.” Markus snapped back.

“Where are the weapons?” Kara asked and folded her arms.

“Back at our camp.” Markus replied.

Hank and Kara looked at each other for a moment before Kara spoke up. “We’re not taking her anywhere until I see them.”

“You can come with us, Kara. You can verify the weapons and I’ll get Simon patched up.” Markus said as he hoisted the other android into his arms. Simon turned slightly blue at the motion. “She’s not going to that part of town though. I want Hank to watch over her.”

“Whoa, what the fuc—“

“Markus, no I—“

“Alice, please…”

“…How do you know them, Markus?” the girl pleaded.

“I knew his ex-partner, Gavin. He said…” Markus shuffled Simon in his arms. “He said I could rely on Hank if I ever needed help.”

“Was that before or af—“

“Hank, look.” Kara said, interrupting them. “Take her to the north tunnel. I’ll go with them and see the weapons. I’ll meet you there.”

“Fucking hell…”

“She’s just… cargo, Hank.”

“Go on Alice.” Markus urged and the girl nodded.

“Don’t take too long, you hear me?” Hank whispered to Kara, then turned to Alice “and you… stay close to me.”

They walked out of the building as Kara followed the two androids. They left through the front door, Kara going west with the two men while Hank and Alice headed towards the north tunnel.

Chapter Text

July 28^th, 2033 – Outside Area 3, Detroit

After the other three had left, Hank glanced at the young girl that he had suddenly been left in charge of. The girl didn’t look any older than 13 and she had long brown hair dyed up in a ponytail. She averted her eyes from him and seemed rather shy, staring at her feet. He looked around at the bodies that were lining the street they were standing in and she slowly walked up beside him.

“…What happened here?” Alice asked.

“They look like Jericho members, caught by the military. Same shit’s going to happen to us if we don’t get the fuck out of here.”

Hank watched as a couple of military trucks drove by as he and Alice ducked into a nearby stairwell. They walked down them, then up some more stairs to bring them back up to the ground level. Hank glanced as the girl who was following him silently.

“So, uh… How do you know Markus?” He asked her as they headed down an alleyway as Hank looked around.

“…My father. Markus promised my father that he’d protect me… He knew my father for a long time.”

“Ah, what about your Mother, kid?” He asked.

“…She died in childbirth.”

“Ah, shit. Sorry.” Hank ran a hand through his hair. He grabbed a nearby dumpster bin and rammed it so it was next to some fire escape stairs. He hopped up and then offered her a hand, which she took. “Didn’t mean to bring up bad memories, kid.”

“It’s ok; I don’t remember her anyways… My father’s always been protective of me and when he was bitten; he had Markus swear that he’d look after me.”

“Fair enough.” Hank jogged up the fire escape stairs. “Follow me; this’ll take us to the north tunnel.”

“This tunnel… you use it to smuggle things?”

“Yep.”

“Like… illegal things?”

“Yep.” Hank chuckled. “Bet you wouldn’t believe me if I told you I used to be a cop?”

“Whoa, really?” Alice looked up at him.

“Yeah, I was the youngest lieutenant on the force until this shit storm happened.” He gestured with one arm.

“That’s so cool!” She smiled. “My father used to drive taxis. That’s how he met my mother.”

“Huh, neat.” He looked at her as they walked through a building. “Wait, weren’t you born after the outbreak? You’re like… twelve, right?”

“I’m fourteen!” She huffed at him.

“Huh, kind of scrawny for a fourteen year old…” He frowned.

They entered a room and Alice shut the door behind them. Hank walked over to the sofa and sat down, fluffing up the cushion that was there. He lay down, swinging his legs up and lying flat on the sofa. Alice watched him in bewilderment.

“Um...”

“Look.” Hank sighed. “We need to wait here for Kara. Once she comes back, we’ll take you to wherever you need to go.”

“…Fair enough.”

“There’s a seat over there, if you want to sit down.” He nodded towards a chair.

“Sure.”

Hank woke up a few hours later, mumbling and twitching. He rubbed his eyes as he noticed the room was dark. The sun had set and it had begun to rain outside. Alice was sitting in the chair, staring out of the window.

“You mumble in your sleep, you know.” She said without looking at him. “I hate bad dreams.”

“Yeah…” Hank said as he stood up and walked over, standing behind her. “Me too.”

“You know, I’ve never been this close to the outside…”

Hank raised an eyebrow at her.

“I mean…” Alice continued “I’ve spent most of my life shuffling from one shelter to another, never really having the chance to stop and just… look. It’s so dark out there.”

Hank lit a nearby lamp.

“Is it really that bad out there…?” Alice asked as she climbed out of the chair, walking towards him.

Hank turned towards her and sighed. “Just what does Jericho want with you?”

“I—“

“Hey.” Kara said as she slipped through the door, shutting and locking it behind her. “Sorry I took so long, there are soldiers everywhere.”

“How’s Simon?” Alice asked Kara approached them.

“He’s fine. Markus is getting him patched up as we speak.” She turned to Hank. “I’ve seen the weapons, there’s a lot of them. Are you up for doing this?”

“Got nothing better to do with my time.” He shrugged.

“Let’s go then.” Kara patted his shoulder and made her way through the small flat and out of a window.

“So.” Hank said as they walked through some tunnels to avoid the soldiers. “Who’s waiting for us at the Fisher building?”

“Some Jericho members that have come from another city, apparently. Markus didn’t say why though.”

“Huh, kid must be important then.” Hank said as he pushed a dusty curtain out of the way of a hole.

“Yeah... hey, if it all goes as planned then we should be done in a few hours.” Kara said as she followed him.

“A few hours, huh?” Hank smirked. “Sure you’ll be able to make it that long?”

“Stuff it, old man. I’m younger than you.” Kara nudged him playfully.

“I’ve got more stamina though.”

“Don’t I know it?”

Alice could be heard making gagging noises behind them which only made Hank chuckle. They came across a ladder and Hank nodded to Kara. He climbed up the ladder and lifted the board up, scanning the area for patrols. He ducked down slightly as he saw one up ahead. He waited for a moment until the soldier was out of sight then climbed out of the hole.

“Alright, it’s clear.”

The two ladies climbed out of the hole and Hank made sure to cover it back up. They walked through the rain filled ditches, Alice marvelling at the feel of the rain on her skin and proclaiming it was her first time outside, causing Kara to look at her in puzzlement. Hank simply shook his head as he climbed into an empty shipping container that was on a slant and climbed up it. He was about to drop down from it when a soldier came from the side and smacked him across the head with his gun. He wasn’t enough to knock Hank out, but it did stun him for a few moments as he fell to his knees. The soldier pointed his gun at Alice as he ushered the girl out of the container, followed by Kara.

“Don’t do anything stupid. Get on your hands and knees.”

The solider nodded to the other soldier who was with him and Hank could see the flash of an LED underneath his helmet.

“You scan them, I’ll call them in."

The android simply nodded and went to stand behind Kara, lifting up his hand to press it against her neck. The program beeped and the android nodded to his partner. “Clean.”

The other soldier came up as the android came down the line.

“Hey, if you look the other way we can make it worth your while.” Kara whispered to the soldier.

“Shut up.”

Kara sighed. The android declared Hank clean and then came down to Alice. The girl was pale as the android scanned her. She flinched when his program beeped.

“Sir, she’s in—“

The android didn’t have time to react as Alice pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the leg, causing the android to buckle. Kara used the moment of distraction to pull her gun out to shoot the human soldier while Hank tackled the android to the floor. He wrestled the gun out of his hands and used it to shoot the android in the head, causing immediate shutdown. Alice crawled away from the bodies on the floor; her back hitting a container as she pulled her legs up to her face.

“I…I thought we were just gonna…”

Hank looked at the frightened girl cowering on the floor.

“Did I hear him right…?” He said in a low tone, almost growling.

Alice flinched and shook her head.

“Yeah?” Hank growled once more as he yanked the girl up and onto her feet. “Because I’m pretty sure I did.”

He dropped her on the floor and strode over to Kara.

“Did Markus set us up?” He yelled. “What the fuck are we doing smuggling an infected girl!?”

“I don’t know, Hank…” Kara flinched and looked at the girl. “Well?”

“I’m not infected…”

“Yeah? So the bot was just lying then?”

Alice sobbed as she pulled up the sleeve of her pants, revealing a bite wound on her leg. She looked up to the pair of them as Hank began to walk away.

“It’s three weeks old.”

That stopped him in his tracks. He turned around and stared at her. “Bullshit. People turn after two days.”

“It’s three weeks old!” Alice insisted. “Why would Markus set you up?”

“…I’m not buying this shit.” Hank said turning away, only to stop when a military car turned into the area, headlights beaming.

“Oh shit, they called for backup.” Hank said as he grabbed Kara’s wrist. “We need to run!”

He broke into a sprint as he dived into a nearby trench, the girls following right behind him. They attempted to run for cover behind a car, but a flashlight caught them, forcing them to run and dive into an even deeper trench. They ducked behind an exposed air vent, waiting for the lights to vanish.

“Don’t let them spot you.” Kara hissed at them.

They jumped over the vent and ducked under some pipes as they made a dash for an open tunnel. They crawled through and popped out of the other side. Kara quickly waved Hank over and they crouched behind a car.

“Look, soldiers.”

“Shit, yeah. I see them.”

‘They must have gotten through! Check the trenches!’

“Ah shit.” Hank mumbled under his breath. “Just… stay behind me.”

Kara nodded as she ushered Alice forward to follow Hank. They carefully crawled their way through the trenches, avoiding the lights of the soldiers as they searched for them. They stopped behind a wall for a moment before the soldier got bored of looking down and moved away. They ducked into a pipe and crawled through, only to fall into a pool of water on the other side. Hank stood up sharply, slightly coughing as he’d inhaled water. His side stung from his earlier wound but he didn’t have time to check it. They climbed out of the water, ducking behind a car.

‘Heard they took out two of our men.’

‘Must be those fucking Jericho members again. We’ll take care of them!’

“Shh, shh…” Hank lifted a finger to make sure the pair understood “I hear them.”

They crawled up ahead, but ducked behind half a wall as a soldier spotted them and open fired. Hank ran up and ducked too, narrowly missing a bullet to the head. He checked his gun and cursed out loud when he realised he was out of bullets. He checked his pocket and he only had one knife left. How the fuck was he going to do this?

He carefully peeked over the wall and noticed the soldiers’ attention was elsewhere. He looked at Kara who made a swinging motion. Nodding in understanding he pointed towards a staircase. They carefully sneaked up and dropped down the other side. Picking up a couple of supplies, Hank pulled on a chain and the garage door opened. Kara held it up for him as he and Alice slipped underneath it. She carefully let it go and it dropped almost silently.

They ducked behind a broken wall as flashlights shone on the area.

“Ah shit, another patrol.”

They hid behind a burnt out police car, then ran to hide behind a burnt out tank. Kara and Alice ran across the road to hide behind some bookcases, but Hank stayed where he was. He looked around and saw a soldier pass by him. He grabbed him and knifed him, but one of the other soldiers spotted him and shot at him, hitting him the shoulder. He winced and hid behind the car, sighed as he heard a gunshot and a body fell to the floor. He looked over and saw Kara standing with her gun before she ran to his side. Clutching his shoulder, he looked over and aimed a punch at the soldier rushing them. He startled the man with the surprise attack and Kara took him down with a shot. He followed Kara as she took out the rest of the soldiers before slumping on the car.

“It looks like the bullet didn’t go straight through. That’s a good thing for now as it stops you bleeding so much… but I’ll have to take it out later.”

Hank waved her off as he forced himself to stand back on his feet. They crept around, carefully avoiding the last soldier with the flashlight as they pressed up against a bus. They shuffled along, going around the back of a building before dropping into a ditch. They crawled through an exposed tunnel and into an abandoned building.

“We least we’re out of the rain.” Hank muttered as he scanned the area.

Kara had Hank sit on a nearby broken wall as she inspected his shoulder. Taking a knife out, she handed him her gloves. He bit down as she dug the bullet out of his shoulder. Flinching in pain, she applied pressure to the wound before taking out her suture kit and stitching him up.

“You need to stop getting shot like this…” She muttered as she wrapped his shoulder up.

“Heh, how else am I supposed to get your attention?” He grinned.

She just thumped him in the other shoulder.