Falling Skies Invasion Alone

Torture

Charleston's army deemed it too great a risk to go for Ben and the skitter's proposal. So we were going to do it alone.

Tom filled me in when I got back round to the canteen. I realised I hadn't actually asked Ben what we were doing, I had just unloaded emotions onto him.

"Anne and Lourdes are packing up med supplies. Cassie, go help them pack up?" Weaver said to me. I nodded.

I was in a sort of limbo; over the moon that Ben was safe and kind of back, and yet deflated that he wasn't back, wasn't with us.

"Where's Ben?" Matt asked me, looking around me, as if I was hiding him or something. Tom explained that Ben was staying with the skitters for now. "Does that mean he's choosing them...over us?"

I put a hand on his shoulder. "Ben will never choose anyone or anything over you guys." He went to protest, question me. "No, Matt. He will never do that. You are his family."

After a few seconds, Matt gave a nod, accepting my promise. I headed off to the medic area. Lourdes was packing things away into a bag.

"Hey. Anything I can do to help?" I approached her.

"Can you hand me those bandages?" She motioned. I handed them to her and leant my elbows on the countertop, watching as she packed up a kit. Anne rounded the corner with more supplies, but I felt Lourdes' eyes on me instead. "Have you been crying?"

"I think weeping is a more accurate word." I sighed heavily and ran my hand over my face. "Ben's away again."

They looked at me sympathetically. The first time he had left, that had drove me insane; them looking at me like I was a fragile, lovesick puppy.

"But it's gonna be fine. Because I will see him soon." I ground my jaw. "Now. Aren't you pumped to be back in danger?"

"To be honest, yes." Anne laughed. "I never thought I'd say it, but theres something about the..."

"Rush?" Lourdes offered.

"I guess we've all been fighting so long, we don't know anything else. I know..." she stopped and blinked a few times. Lourdes and I looked at her, waiting for her to finish. "Uh..."

She put her hands to her mouth and ran over to the sink, throwing up. Lourdes and I ran over to her. I pulled Anne's long hair out of the way of the sink and Lourdes grabbed some tissues.

She threw up a few more mouthfuls before standing up again, holding onto the sink. I bit a smile back and looked at Lourdes. We were both thinking the same thing.

"Does Tom know?" Lourdes asked as Anne wiped her face, acting as if she didn't know what we meant.

"Oh, give it up, mom." I said softly.

Anne's shoulders dropped and she glanced between us. "He doesn't know. And I'm not gonna tell him until after this mission."

Lourdes and I shared a look as Anne went back to packing. "Are you going?" Lourdes asked me.

"Hell yeah." I nodded slowly, watching Anne.

"Watch her back, Cass."

I clutched Lourdes' shoulder. "Absolutely."

-

"Catch." Maggie threw a pack up to me. I stood on one of the Jeeps, packing away some guns. Maggie was happier than ever and more buzzed than I had seen her in days.

It was happening all over the garage as we readied ourselves to go out. For what I had been told, there was a huge beam in construction, a new weapon for the Espheni and we were gonna blow it up and kill the Overlord who apparently was in control of the entire skitter army on the eastern seaboard.