It's Dangerous Business

"We're going outside, you're staying here. Call us as soon as you see anything suspicious" Piers explained with a harsh and monotone voice as he left to go outside to the airstrips together with Isabela and Rubi.
"Copy that" Raylan nodded and he seemed to go off with Bridget, as Richard and Miles had built a group as well.
"What exactly are we looking for anyway? She can be anywhere" explained the female BSAA member on the way outside. It had almost gotten completely dark by now, some of the city lights were still on and the falling sun was giving more than enough light as it blinded Piers as soon as he had stepped out of the building.
"Just keep your eyes open. I'm sure she wants to steal one of the planes or choppers so it's best for us to check there."

"Wow, that's like searching for a needle in the haystack, isn't it?" Bridget complained on her way back to the entrance hall after Raylan and her had went through the entire building.
"Sure is" said the former marshal and the nurse heard him stopping just when they had reached the benches in front of the glass entrance.
"What's wrong?" she asked, turning around as she saw that Raylan had sat down on one of the chairs. She went up to him and took a seat right next to him before she eyeballed him.
"It's just... do you have any idea what's going on? This seems like one big nightmare to me."

"Yeah, I got ya..." Bridget answered and looked around at the God forsaken place. "But we've been through worse if I remember right." she smiled lightly and Raylan grinned back. "Well yeah we did." he answered and leaned with his head on his arms. They sat there for a few minutes taking it all in when suddenly Raylan sighed. "We best get going, cover more ground. Who knows, she moved and we're able to find her now." he said getting the pistol of safety and already walked ahead of Bridget. The big hall was truly silenced, papers lying everywhere and a bit of blood covering some walls and desks. Their footsteps echoed through the hall.
"Well, I don't see her here..." Bridget then confirmed while they looked around through the whole entrance hall. "You're right, and if she were we would've heard her by now." Raylan admitted and they walked through the security blocks back to the shopping area. "Well it still is weird, I mean we can't overlook her twice as well you know." Bridget complained and kicked against a fallen trashcan. "You got that right," the former marshal admited and he holstered his gun again. "Best if we rendevous with the rest now." and Bridget nodded in agreement. "Maybe they found something after all."

Having some time alone, Miles and Richard were actually minding themselves more than the area they walked through. "So, then what happened?" Miles asked with frowned face towards Richard who just explained the whole story to Miles about what happened in their 'previous lives.'
"Well, she and me kissed," Richard said and blushed a bit. "I can't believe that I am not missing her or something..." he admitted, but it was true. Elena, the woman he used to love was completely out of sight. Who knows if he saw her again he might embrace her, but as he thinks about it, he had other needs... "So, she's not out here?" Miles then asked looking around which rarely happened in these few minutes. "Yes, she is. She's a nurse now, just as Bridget." he answered. "Well, sucks to not have feelings for that woman anymore." Matheson said, sitting down on the very bench Raylan and Bridget just came off of. "You're right, maybe it's just that this live has overtaking me from it." Richard admitted with a sad face whilst sitting down next to the previous marine. "Don't worry about it too much," Miles said while he made an annoyed face. "We're in the middle of deep shit now, so it's best we survive this now." Richard nodded while he looked out the windows. It was beginning to get dark already, a few high buildings were lit up and small fires scattered around in the city. "You know somewhere out there I left ten million dollars..." Richard grinned and facepalmed slightly. Miles glanced over to Richard and then chuckled. "You aren't serious?" he then asked chuckling further. "No, it's true..." Richard continued and shook his head slightly. "I-I got it from someone who wanted to buy the C-virus and then I betrayed him by stabbing the damn needle in his neck instead." and Richard grinned a bit. "You must've been a real son of a bitch in this life," Miles admited and slapped Richard's shoulder. "Because if you hadn't done that, we wouldn't have been in this deep shit right now." and he pointed towards the half lit up city. "I know," Richard sighed. "I know..." and then, footsteps were heard from behind them.

"We're back!" A female voice was heard, at the same time Miles turned sround with his gun, but put it away when he saw the two familiar faces returning. "Found anything?" Miles said, and Raylan shook his head. "It's all dead inside here, not even a sound. What about you? Is he alright?" Raylan asked while he looked over a bend down Richard. "Found nothing here," Miles explained. "But about Richard, he just realised the things he had done here, and he told me about Elena and all the other things you guys went through."
Raylan hurried over to his friend to give him some comfort while Bridget stayed with Miles. "We need to get outside, help the others." she offered and Miles nodded. "We've just had the same luck as you did, nothing."
Bridget made a small sigh as she walked over to the duo on the bench. "I don't want to interupt, but we need to go outside, see what the two mercenaries are up to and Rubi of course." Richard, whom became rather pale, nodded slightly and Raylan also nodded while he bit his lip. "Let's get to it then!" Miles said and he already walked towards the doors.

As soon as the decision was made, they headed for the stairs. The elevator was probably turned off, damaged anyways, or else. And it was saver heading up the stairs, where they couldn't get stuck or locked in. Rubi has had more than enough from all this already, but kept going anyways. She just wanted to get this over with, as all of them did, she figured. But Isabela has made a good point. They were going to kill Carla, but then what? What will happen to the Virus? The world? Has it not spread all over already? Wouldn't there be more zombies? Always? Somewhere?
PENG!
She saw Isabela covering her ears in the corner of her eyes and Piers twitching at the familiar sound of a fired gun.
Rubi had stopped, aiming the gun with both hands at the shadow she had seen moving, she had seen it moving for a while, to be honest. But now, just for a split second, she had seen red. The red scarf! Carla!
"Did you get her?!" Isabela whispered excited, her ears still ringing from the fired shot. But Piers was already on it and headed the direction Rubi had shot, hoping to find a wounded Carla. They were after all on the platform with the helicopters by now.

Carla had taken cover behind one of the heliports just in time before the woman shot into her direction. She hadn't thought they would kill her at sight, she had at least hoped they would try to catch her alive in order to get something out of her. But obviously she was wrong and she had her gun out faster than anyone could have reached her. She annoying sound of the sudden gun shot was still echoing in her ears as she could also hear fast footsteps approaching. Probably Piers's.
She had to figure out a way to escape as the group of opponents was assumingly already around the corner. She was so close, just a few more steps before she could step into the chopper and take off but of course they had to catch her before she could.
The researcher grabbed one of the flash grenades attached to her combat belt and was ready to pull the pin just when both Piers and his female companion raced around the corner, their weapons aimed at her.
"Don't!" Piers yelled at her and he put his rifle into her face, forcing her to let go of the grenade without activating it. Instead the researcher stepped back, slowly lifting her arms to surrender. She sighed and shook her head although she set up a mischievous laugh.
"Good boy. Came to avenge your master's death after all" she said, smirking at the two agents when she could see the rest of their little survivor group approaching behind their backs.
"Shut the fuck up," the soldier responded and his trigger finger was shaking and twitching. She would make him let go of the trigger sooner or later. She knew just how to do it. "You can call yourself lucky she missed and I didn't put a bullet trough your skull yet!"
One of the women, the dark haired short one, rolled her eyes. She figured it was the one shooting at her a few moments ago. Carla smirked. It was funny to see how anger driven he had become when he had always been the one calming his precious captain down. He had just become like him now.
"What's so funny, bitch?!" Piers cried.
"Piers," the BSAA member next to him started calmly and put her hand on his shoulder. "She's just trying to upset you."
Oh, how right she was. Upsetting her opponents had always been a good plan. It would've worked for Chris, hadn't Simmon's loyal puppies come for her and shot her in the back. It might not have been her best chance in this specific moment though as she was clearly outnumbered thanks to his bothersome bunch of survivors he had probably gathered throughout the city.
"Didn't you want to shoot her?" the woman who had fired a shot into Carla's direction before asked, nodding her head towards her.
"I will," Piers responded, leaving Carla to smile even more. "But not now. Not here. We have to interrogate her, find out what's behind all this and if there's a way to stop it. I won't take my eyes off her anymore. Not until she's dead."

Carla's head felt like it was going to explode any second. Her eyesight was blurry and she felt dizzy. She had been put in handcuffs, too. Last thing she remembered was that one chick slamming her face with the back of her gun. Where had they brought her anyway?
She was obviously in a moving car, an SUV perhaps. One of those that were parked in front of the airport. It was pretty dark in there and all she could hear besides the wheels hitting the road were a few sublte voices talking in the front of the truck. She fell back asleep.

Richard stepped back into the cab and the others went in as well, they followed the truck where Carla Radames was being held in and Isabella and Piers decided it would be better if they stayed in the truck for if she wakes up and tries something clever.
"So, we finally got her..." He sighed when he stepped on the gas and got behind the trail of the truck. The rest nodded slightly, and everyone was getting quite sleepy for the clock already said it was after midnight. After a few miles of driving a faint snoring was heard from the killer's mouth. "What the..." Miles complaint and bumped in her side when a small grunting was heard from Rubi who just slept on. Bridget chuckled, "She's known for her snoring when she sleeps, yes."
"Where will they take her anyway? It's not that the BSAA is near..." Raylan then said softly, thinking it loudly. Bridget shrugged and looked out of the window, and suddenly was overtaken by the streetlights that flashed by. "We will see in a minute right?" Richard said after a small yawn and Raylan nodded just faintly, also tired of what the day brought. An hour had passed and Richard saw they just passed Edison and he wondered indeed where they were going. Everyone was already either in deep thoughts or in a troublesome sleep. Just to see that the horror from New York had reached here as well made him terrefied. just in a half day and areas almost 50 miles out from NYC were infected. He again began to feel guilty and he swallowed in full shame. Although this was still his fault, how could he have done that in his 'other' life. What was his doing anyway? Although he remembered it very clearly now, and he still was disguissed by it. Dealing drugs, while he even tried to prevent it in his 'normal,' or was it een his normal life?
He looked over to the front mirror and he saw small stubbles coming up again from where his former mustache was. Deep in thoughts he suddenly breaked and everyone in the group was awakened in shock. The truck in front of them, almost hit by Richard had made a sudden stop. "What's going on now?" Rubi asked half awake and she lifted her head and Miles and Bridget who looked over to her saw a little line of saliva dropping from the glass. "What!? She asked in annoyence towards the duo, but they just looked away and Bridget had already opened her side of the door.
"What's going on?" Raylan asked, when Isabella and Piers came out of the truck. It was still dark, and it seemed like they haven't reached their destination yet. "Look for yourself." Piers replied and pointed over to a massive chaincrash of cars all over the road. "Great..." Richard mumbled. "Just our luck hmm?" Miles shrugged and Piers nodded in annoyance. "It seems we need to move a 'few' of them..."

"You mean, move a few cars?!" Isabela asked, her face an expression of disbelief.
"Yes, unless you can fly us over them," Richard answered, not intending it to be hurtful, as the soft smile indicated.
"Well ... no ... " Isabela mumbled, looking at the ground, her hands against her hips, trying to figure out a way to solve this.
She lifted an eyebrow. "Piers, why don't we call for back up? Let them send us over a helicopter. We can keep Carla a secret, if that's what you're concerned about."
Isabela knew all too well that Piers would want to interrogate her himself, without any of the other soldiers, commanders, sargents and else, to take that away from him or shoot her on sight. And it was true, they did need to find a way to resolve all this. And Carla was the only one who knew how to.
"Just tell them we need a helicopter, you are in a high enough position to do so, without them asking you as to why and all that crap," she added, giving a reassuring smile and finding agreement in the others' faces.

Piers had ordered an helicopter to come pick them up and take them out of the city - somewhere safe - to interrogate Carla. They had been waiting for a few minutes now, everyone was gathered around the truck they had put the woman in. Piers was always on guard as they could see some zombies every once in a while, making their way through the evacuated part of the city, looking for something to eat.
It had a pretty creepy atmosphere to it, the abandoned cars and buildings, some smoke in the distance and some lost screams of fear and agony here and there, most of them at the other end of the city. It wasn't worth the amount of time and effort to go after them anyway. By the time the group would arrive to help anyone, it would have already been too late. Besides, they had more important things to care for.
Thinking about it, Piers wasn't entirely should about what Chris would've done, would he have been in a situation like this. He thought about it a lot and the more he did, the more he questioned what he was doing. Shouldn't he be out there - with the other teams - and rescue as many people as possible instead of setting all the anger free and let it all out on the bitch who caused it? She had to be dealt with, that was for sure, but maybe it would have been best if someone else took care of her.
"There they come," Isabela pointed out and nodded towards a chopper that was approaching the little group of survivors next to the line of parked cars. Piers and her recieved a message from the pilot via their headsets, saying that they will land around the corner, a few blocks from where the group had come from. The BSAA soldiers informed the rest of their companions and they got back into their cars, headed towards the evacuation zone.

After a little whole they got at the chopper's landing site. Piers and Isabela informed what was going on and the pilot, Eko, nodded in return and he said in return they might go along with him to get to base, instead of driving and spend time moving cars. Piers nodded that he agreed and he walked over to the group, whom was waiting for them. "But we first should get some sleep, I mean we're all tired..." Richard said.
Night was again falling and Raylan signed it would indeed be a good idea if they actually got some sleep somewhere. The rest agreed and they got into a small house, emptied. "Where are the inhabitants?" Rubi asked confused "I have no idea, left I guess..." Bridget said as she looked into the fridge for food and took out a few cans of beer and Rubi grabbed it out of her hands immediatly and took a sip. Isabela and Piers dragged a still unconsious Carla and put her on one of the couches. Suddenly a few steps were heard in the hallway and after that a voice followed.
"What the hell are you doing here!?" a familliar voice said and a blonde woman came into sight with a handgun pointing at them.
"Elena!?" Bridget said and Elena reconzed them again. "What!?" and she lowered her gun, and looked around. "Elena..." Richard suddenly opened his mouth in disbelief seeing the woman he missed so much. "You're... you're living here?" he stuttered and Elena walked towards him and hugged him.
Everyone stared with happines in their eyes towards the now, kissing, duo.
"I missed you so much..." Elena said and she had teared up a bit. Richard smiled from ear to ear and shook his head in disbelief.
"What are you doing here?" Rubi asked in confusion, knowing she was in Texas not to long ago.
"I'm 'surviving' here on my own." she asnwered, "And I indeed live here though, this is my house." she said towards Richard who blushed and looked around. "I went to Texas because a specialist doctor had to be send there for an operation he needed me for, we're quite a good team." and the journalist/nurse smiled. Raylan had no idea what actually was going on, in this life, they all had a different job, a different life... Why? How?
"I went back to this state since he and I were suddenly needed here to tend to the wounded persons of this new founded 'zombie apocalypse,'" she then continued with a sad face. Richard touched her shoulder to comfort her and she made a faint smile back. "And then this happened, I had to get indoors or else I might've been there on the streets as one of them too."
"Thank God you aren't" Bridget said and also hugged her. "GROUP HUG!" Rubi yelled and Raylan looked over to the killer whom now stormed over to the hugging duo, she left a trail of a few beer cans behind her.
"Seems at least someone hasn't changed..." Elena gasped almost out of air by the pressure Rubi caused by hugging them.

Isabela, still dressed in her soldier suit, holding the machine gun in her hands, with the barrel pointing down, stood there watching the whole scenario.
She was generally very open and tolerant, no matter how crazy someone, or something but it was hard even for her to believe or yet understand how people could have had another life before this one and forgotten all about it. Isabela tried to imagine what it must be like, especially for Richard and Elena, who had obviously been a couple. Not knowing who they are, where they are, what happened to them. Living an illusion. But then ... what was the illusion? This life, or what they have had before.
Isabela shook her head the slightest to stop the strange thoughts that were just an endless circle anyhow. Like the metaphor of the snake biting its own tail. It was what it was and nobody could explain why. She wondered what they have done in their previous lives.

It felt good to see her again. It felt good to see her and Richard recognizing each other, after that whole ordeal. So, even Rubi found herself enchanted and happy and therefor fell for the whole group hug thing. But as sudden as she had joined in, she broke back out of it. "Alright, alright ... now ... I can have this, right? Right," she answered her own question about whether she could have the beer she took out of Elena's fridge or not.
Within a few gulps only she had emptied the first can.
"Stiegl ... that's really not the best brand, you know ... but, whatever. When the devil's hungry he'll eat flies, right?"
The rest of the group watched her half amused, half shaking their heads.
"So, what's going on with all those zombies? Can anyone of you tell me?" Elena asked, looking rather lost. Nobody had told her, all she knew was that she has had to tend to people that have either been half eaten by mutants, or mutating themselves.
"And who are those people?" she asked, pointing with her head at Piers, Isabela and the others she didn't know.

"Long story short Richad here helped a criminal spread something called the C-virus and now we're on our way out of the city, kindly being escorted by two BSAA agents, Piers and Isabela," Bridget explained after she had sat down on one of the two green wooden chairs that were placed around a rather small table in the middle of Elena's living room. The whole apartement looked bright and friendly despite the thunderstorm and the zombie apocalypse going on outside. Colorful curtains covered the large windows and the door that Elena had come through before delivered Bridget insight into her livingroom, consisting of a big leather couch, a flatscreen and a few bookshelfs here and there.
"Richard? Are you kidding me?" Elena had asked while the nurse was investigating her home. The former reporter was shaking her head and looked from Bridget to Richard and back again. She obviously had no clue about what was going on.
"Well, my past self, I suppose. I can't remember anything I did... nor do I remember Carla."
"Carla?" the reporter asked and offered the rest of the group to sit down.
"The woman we captured. She's out there in the truck," explained Isabela and pointed out of the window to the streets where the truck was parked. Bridget could see Eko feeling quite uncomfortable, sitting all alone in the cold at the driver's seat.
Rubi was busy taking a walk around Elena's home while Piers apparently preferred leaning on the kitchen counter and Isabela and Richard hat taken a seat together with Elena.
"So what's your view on the whole second life thing?" Bridget asked. She was curious what the others were thinking as they hadn't exactly talked much about it yet. The journalist gulped as she watched the rain outside, looking glass-eyed.
"I have no idea. It happened when you guys left the hospital. I started to feel the same headaches that you suffered from and I fainted right after it. Next thing I remembered was waking up in a sick room and..." Elena stopped for a second and she began to chuckle. "Apparently I asked the doctor if the cyborgs had been stopped yet."
The group laughed, even Rubi smirked after she had returned from the short flat viewing. Piers and Isabela looked at each other whereas latter was smiling and Piers was just shaking his head.

After Miles again was left out from all this gibberish, he came into the house very wet, thunder was still going on outside and he shook his head to make his hair a bit dryer. "Well folks, seems it's still raining outside." he said, and saw Elena looking at him with a weird look. "Oh, sorry miss, name's Miles Matheson." And he shook her hand but Elena just replied with a little nod. "That Eko guy is very uncomfertable being alone there guarding the truck so that that weird woman wont escape."
"Well, I think he can manage it..." Isabela said, looking outside again and seeing the unlited truck.
"I hope this storm will be over soon, I mean why does it always have to be us whom get these setbacks?" Piers said and walked away from the window.
"I can make you some coffee?" Elena then asked looking around and the group didn't hesitate to say no. "Coffee..." Raylan mumbled. and Miles saw him chuckling. "what about coffee?" Miles asked with a frowned face and unzipped his coat and hung it around a chair to let it dry. "Well, I just remembered in my 'other' life, I was totally addicted to coffee and I splashed it over Richard, without noticing it was him." and suddenly a laugh was heard from Richard as well. "And not to mention I still wear the same clothes!" and he indeed did. The two mercenaries just dragged him along like a pile of dirt and kept him prisoner ever since. When he was finally entrusted to the group he never had any chance to change his clothing at all. So there stood a still bloody, sleeve cut off jacket and half chique Richard. "I must say your style was really intens..." Elena said, "but that chiqueness, is actually very good on you." and she winked making Richard blush. "You maybe got new clothes or something like it?" he then asked unsure if she actually had. Elena pointed up, "you can take a small shower, I must tell you the water is cold, since after all this mess, things went totally wrong." she got the power on of the Coffee device and continued. "I must still have old clothes from my father, you know, as a hold on. You can use those if you'd like. They're in a box in the attic."
"Thank you..." Richard said, clearly glad he's with the love of his life again.
Miles sat down on the couch and made himself comfertable. "Well I must say, as long as we get a nice rest, we can continue on..." he said and closed his eyes. A Little rest is always good, he thought to himself.

Since it was obvious that they would be stuck in Elena's house for a while, for the storm didn't decrease, but rather INcrease in intensity, Isabela sat down too, waiting for her coffee.
"Milk, sugar?" Elena asked, as she brought in a plate with cups and a bigger one, which contained all the coffee.
"Yes, milk for me, please," Isabela answered, smiling grateful.
So Elena brought in milk and also sugar, just in case.
They all immediately went for it, waiting each their turn until almost all of them had a cup of coffee and leaned back, enjoying the refreshment.
"I could use some cookies with that?" Isabela said, making it sound like a question, smiling cute as if to get Elena to agree to it. The journalist rolled her eyes amused and got back up to get some cookies and dry cake. "All I have, I am afraid. That goes with coffee, that is."
"I am fine," Rubi belched, having her second beer.
"That's great, sweetie .. " Elena teased, before finally sitting down with them.
"Crazy shit ... but hey, guess I ought to be used to it by now," she said, slightly scaring Bridget and Rubi, who were not used to hearing their friend cuss.

"Nice little place," Rubi commented after a while of silence, where everyone had enjoyed their first sips of hot coffee and bites of chocolate cookies, listening to the rain hitting the windows.
Elena smiled. "Hard to believe Richard is to blame for this zombie apocalypse ... " the journalists smile faded then.
"Well, not completely, there's still Carla, who came up with the .. whatever letter of the alphabet virus it was again, virus ... " commented Isabela, grabbing her fifth cookie. Piers watched his friend's appetite with slight amazement.
She offered him one, but he refused. Isabela shrugged and ate it herself.
Elena shook her head, leaning back in her seat. Upstairs, it could be heard that Richard had found the shower.
"May I take one after him?" Miles asked politely and Elena nodded. "Sure thing."
"We could all use a shower and some rest," Bridget added.
Almost all of them nodded. Pier didn't, however.
"We can't stay here forever, we gotta get somewhere where we can interrogate Carla!"
"Well ... might as well do it here, I suppose," Isabela replied, waiting for the others to agree or disagree.

Everyone started looking at Piers as if it was him who had suggested interrogating her in Elena's apartement. Elena's intense stare made him respond to Isabela's idea after a few moments of silence.
"Well, as long as you're okay with that," he started, looking at Elena who was sitting at the opposite side of the table. "We can bring her in, tie her to a chair and make it quick. Then we can kill her right away without having to justify anything back at the HQ. We'll just tell them we had to shoot or something."
Bridget bent over to Rubi and started mumbling. Elena seemed rather shocked and Miles didn't have show facial expressions at all. And then there was Isabela, whose eyes were widely opened as she casted her intense mind fucking psycho-magic on Pier's consciousness.
"Are you nuts?" she finally asked after staring at him for what felt like an hour.
"No, I am not. I'm just angry and I want her dead. She killed our entire team including our captain and she will pay for that." Piers averted his look as he focused on the rain outside once again. It was still thundering and pouring and the longer they waited, the worse it seemed to get. Awkward silence in the room and a brawly thunderstorm outside.
"Okay. We'll get her into here, we'll get whatever you want to get out of her, out of her and we'll... dispose of her. Jesus, don't you hear how unbearable we sound, speaking like that?"
"I really couldn't care less, Isabela." The BSAA soldier had come to the point where all he wanted was revenge. And the reliefing moment of seeing that woman drop dead in front of his eyes, just like everyone he had lost on his way due to her madness.
He didn't quite know whether or not it was a good idea to go through with the whole interrogation right now instead of waiting for reinforcement and Eko's team. Besides, what about him? Would they tell him what they're planing to do, would he understand? He doesn't know Piers and he doesn't have that much of a close relationship to neither him nor Isabela, so he would probably report them once they get back to the BSAA Headquarters.
This was probably the most confusing moment in the young soldier's life anyway; he hardly knew what was going on about the whole outbreak and then there was that thing where some random strangers who magically happen to know each others due to different lives they had lived crossed his path. What was going on?

The voices were heard downstairs and suddenly a small silence fell. What was going on down there? Richard wondered as he opened up the attic door and went to search the box with clothing. He put the lamp on and a faint, dimly light was set in the attic. The wooden boards cracked with every step and Richard thought to himself it actually gave a creepy atmosphere. He chuckled, now bending down at the box saying 'old clothes.' His smiles dissapeared however, the clothes were indeed very old stylish. Richard frowned as he pulled one checkered blouse out of the box. He held it in front of him, and rarely enough he felt comfertable with it, as if it was his style all along. Jeans, a blouse and regular shoes. Must've been the way he looked back in his 'old' days.
He took the clothes to the bathroom and he threw them on the ground. Richard chuckled, and finally stepped under the shower. Like Elena said before, the water was cold but it didn't bother him at all. It felt good having a shower after all these days.

After a quick dressup, Richard went downstairs again and the mumbling inside the living room returned. He went with his hand through his hair and opened up the door. But what he saw, he'd rather didn't want to.
"Ah, hello there Mr. Alpert." the voice of Carla sounded as she apperantly awoke and was tied up to a chair. "I was just busy telling the sceme you pulled." and with a grin she clearly enjoyed how everyone looked at him. "It wasn't me, they already know and they also know I am very sorry that I did this." Carla's grin got wider and Piers git it away by aiming his pistol at her. "Now, enough of this bullshit. Tell me, what else was your plan!?" and with all their breaths kept, they waited for an answer

She was not yet fully aware of how quickly they had gotten her out of the car into the house and onto the chair. It went pretty fast and she hadn't regained full consciousness yet. She did know it was raining though and that some reinforcement guy was taking care of her. She had been trying to figure out a way to free herself ever since they had tied her to the chair but it was no good, so she accepted the situation she found herself in.
"...tell me, what else was your plan?!" Piers yelled, pushing his handgun onto her forehead.
"Oh come on, what do you think? What's the plan behind creating an outbreak? I didn't intend to open up an amusement park."
"Cut the crap," the BSAA soldier hissed and the angrier he got, the closer he was to pulling the trigger. His partner seemingly had tried to calm him down for a few minutes but she had given up by now.
"Your friend Richard here was the perfect man to spread it. I just had to give him what was left ot the virus back at Neo's labs before they got taken down. I'm sure there are more people around... people who still own the virus. You will never get the different progenitor strains out of your world again. You created them and you will have to live with the consequences. Do you really believe with founding your stupid little Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance you can just get all of the problems concerning bioterrorism out of your world? You're pathetic. Try to think before you create something that is actually capable of destroying the entire world."
It had no further use to avail herself of sarcasm, she just wanted to make a point. Just once in her life she wanted to tell someone what she thought and what she felt and what she wanted. Just once in her a life she didn't want to be judged by anyone and she wanted everyone to know what was wrong with them.
"You're sick," Piers said and he had let go of his gun a while ago, putting it back into the holster.
"Am I? Not any more sick than all of you. You think the virus isn't a threat to the global population just because there's no outbreak for a few months or years. Do you actually know how many things contain the virus already? Everything you eat or drink, every plastic bag, even plants are being grown with the use of progenitor strains in fertilizer. And you think by stopping yet another outbreak you can just get rid of all the problems?"
"No," Piers said calmly, for once in all the time she had known him. "But by killing you we can."

Piers was actually quite close to pull the trigger, but Raylan grabbed his arm and stopped him. A shot echoed through the living room and Elena gasped for a moment. Then it was filled with a smashing sound for Raylan recieved a punch back from the mercenary. "Why did you do that!?" Piers yelled out in anger, once again triggering his firearm but now pulling it towards Raylan.
"I meant no harm! I just don't want it to be here! On this exact location. Not in a friends' home." and he glanced over towards Elena whom nodded slightly out of respect. "He's right," Isabela told him and she walked over to Piers and touched his arm, forcing him to lower it. "We must do this either outside, or somewhere else." "Maybe it's best after all to bring her to your damn base..." Miles said and he stood up from the couch he was sitting in. Carla however, really enjoyed the sight. Her smirk just got wider and Raylan knew she was appreciating what he did for her. Although he glanced angrily back at her. "Try not to enjoy yourself too much, I am not here to save your ass." "Maybe you just did..." she asnwered with a slight mysterious tone in her voice. Suddenly Richard walked over to Carla and gave her a smack in the face. "That is what you did to me you bitch." he hissed and the group just stared unbelievable at Richard whom was almost preparing for another attack. "Wow, wow!" Miles yelled, "Why suddenly all the aggression!?" and everyone held their breath. "Sorry, my mins slipped..." Richard answered. "I just, want to see her dead as well..." and he looked towards the ground his face showed pain and regret.
"Hey, guys," Bridget's voice was heard at the windows. "Might be a great timing but the storm stopped." Piers immediatly opened the door to have it confirmed and he made a small grin. "Alright, we're off." and he then walked over to Carla. "Well. Carla, seems you have a few more hours to spend..." and he again bashed his gun towards her head making her unconcious once again. "So much for safety precausions right?" Rubi said with a grumy voice and already walked outside towards the truck. "We'll take the helicopter." Piers said and dragged the unconcious woman with him along with Isabela. "You guys can drive under us, so that you wont loose track of us, understood?"
"Sir, Yes Sir..." Miles added with a sarcastic tone in his voice. Piers rolled his eyes and everyone took their places and set off towards the base.

The group had almost left, Piers and Isabela pushing Carla through Elena's front door and leaving the woman behind. Richard was the last one to leave her home.
"Are you coming?" he asked as he turned around and looked at the reporter.
"I'm supposed to come with you?"
"Are you kidding me? Of course you are." Richard raised his eyerbows as if the answer to her question was unbelievably stupid but it wasn't to her. They seemed to get along without her, nobody had asked her how she felt or what she had done the past day as if she wasn't part of the group anymore. She was used to being rejected and being left out but she sure as hell didn't expect to be treated like that by what she had probably considered her best friends... back in the other life.
"Where are you headed anyway?" the journalist asked and followed her former boyfriend out of the house, hiding what she actually wanted to talk about all along.

After everyone had stepped outside a few helicopters appeared on the evening sky, along with some SUVs approaching through the streets.
"Must be the backup," Bridget mumbled.
Piers and Isabela talked to Eko and everything went faster than expected. Carla was brought into the helicopter, the BSAA members joined her and Eko was getting back into what Elena supposed to be his chopper. The rest of the group gathered in the truck that was parked in front of Elena's apartment.
"So you're actually taking her back to the headquarters now?" Elena asked, figuring out what she had gotten herself into once again.
"We're not doing anything," Rubi responded. She was sitting on the opposit side of the car, facing Elena directly. Richard was seated next to her and Bridget and Raylan sat on the far end of the truck. Miles - if she remembered correctly - was sitting right next to her, on her left side.
Everyone was looking at Rubi for answereding so quickly.
"What? Haven't you thought about it, too? I mean... we don't know these guys. Let them take care of their Carla and let them handle that outbreak and we focus on our story here."
A few last raindrops were pouring on the car as the BSAA driver manouvred through the streets rather careless and fast.
"Why where they escorting you anyway?" Elena asked. She felt quite helpless and stupid ever since she had regrouped with her friends.
"Kind of a long story. I was with them all along. I've worked as an accountant and I had to check the BSAA's use of weapons so their lunatic boss sent me into town with them. Then we've met Richard who had supposedly caused the outbreak and then we just more or less ran into each other," explained Raylan.
"There you have it," Elena said, pointing at Raylan and looking at each of the persons in the back of the van.
"There we have what?" asked Rubi, wrinkling her forehead.
"You just more or less ran into each other? You don't actually believe that, do you? I mean come on, you've got to admit that something supernatural is going on here with all the different lives we have apparently lived?"
As soon as the word supernatural fell Elena could literally feel the thoughts of her campanions. The sighing also made it pretty clear. But what else could it have been? Parapsychology was the only thing that could explain any of the things that were happening.
"You know, I actually think she's right. It has bugged me ever since we met. Not here... I mean back then. You know... back there? Has none of you ever felt the immense connection between all of us? You don't just run into each other. Not like that, not back then and not right now. Something's going on and I have no clue what it is."
"Do you think it's somehow connected with the zombie stuff?" Rubi asked, surprisingly talkative that day.
"Could be. Come to think of it - does any of you remember anything about the virus? ... Does any of you even remember anything in this world? I mean... I did before you told me that we have lived another one. I guess. Is this even the same world we're in right now? Who's the president of the United States?"
"Barack Obama," said Raylan, shaking his head, his eyes wide-opened.
"Adam Benford," said Richard at the same time and both of them looked at each other.
"No, didn't he die already? That Simmons guy killed him, right? With the virus?" Bridget asked further.
"What the hell is going on?" As far as Elena concerned, Barack Obama was indeed the president of the USA and has always been for the past four years. Did some of them remember things the others didn't remember? This was probably the most confusing day in her entire life.

"Yes," Rubi snorted. "That pig ... "
"Who is a pig?" Elena asked.
"Well. Obama, of course!" Rubi expressed Steffi, her role player's thoughts.
"Let's not get into a political discussion. Let's figure out what the fuck is going on," Bridget cut in and cutting Rubi's further arguments off.
The killers crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.
"This isn't even our fight ... " Richard mumbled. A few of the friends nodded in agreement, the rest did so silently.
Ever since they have met, Rubi remembered almost clear as day again, how they have first met, how the stopped the drug dealers, the cyborgs ...
"The cyborgs! Oh my fucking god, guys!" the killer exclaimed excitedly.
"What? Did you find out that you are art metal?" Bridget joked poorly.
Rubi ignored her friend and went on. "Well, the cyborgs. In a supposed earlier life, we defeated them, yes? Now, we find ourselves here and do not know anything about that until we meet each other and regain our memory. But this time is actually no different. First it were cyborgs, now it's zombies and a virus ... "
The group fell silent for a moment.
"So ... history simply repeats itself. But what does that have to do with us? Why do we seem to always get caught in dangerous shit like that?" Raylan asked, crossing his arms.
"Maybe because we haven't yet succeeded in breaking it ... " Rubi muttered, looking at her friends for help with those confusing thoughts.

Once in the helicopter with Piers, Eko and Carla, Isabela allowed herself to take a deep breath and slowly let it go.
The fresh air had helped a little, as did knowing they were on their way to a better future. Or so she hoped ...
She glanced over at Piers, who was looking out the helicopter, seemingly in thoughts. But Isabela knew better. He was torn inside. Unable to figure out who he was or what he was and what he wanted. She knew that killing Carla would bring him something, but what it was, if it was peace, serenity or fullfillment, she didn't know. Secretly, she thought that it wouldn't be neither one of them ...
She, too, had been driven by revenge once.
Isabela wondered about what Carla had said, too. She was right, to an extent. It was humanity's fault, that this all happened, in the first place. Had there been no virus in the first place, there wouldn't have been any zombies. But people always had to push it, further and further, over the limits and over the edge. She just hoped that they would at least live a little longer, and maybe in a little better times, for some happiness. Isabela thought, that especially Piers deserved it after all that had happened to him. She herself didn't much care either way.
Also, she wondered about the other people, the ones in the truck, especially the ones that have turned into friends, more or less, to an extend at least. What would they do? With their confusion over the different lives and all ...
Isabela got a light headache that increased in intensity rapidly and decided to drop the thoughts and look out the helicopter like Piers did.

"You mean that...," Bridget began but as soon as pretty much everybody except Miles started nodding she stopped talking.
Wow. Could this really be? Was it really that "simple"? After those weeks of wondering what the hell had been happening to her ever since she had those dreams... they had just been living the same life over and over again, slightly to completely different, until they had stopped whatever they were supposed to stop?
"Now that is something," Elena sighed and leaned back. She was theatrically rubbing her forehead and everyone else was probably busy with the process of realizing and accepting the realization.
"It makes sense though," Miles suddenly said and everyone looked at him. "I mean... you guys said you were up against some freaky robot cyborg machines back then ... and they were caused by a virus, right? Some unidentified one... or something... and now it's back. The virus. In this world... the one we ... I know that has certainly no Bearank Otama as a president - I mean... what kind of name is that supposed to be anyway? - but now it's causing zombies. Like it always did for the past thirty years. So maybe..."
"Hold on a second," Rubi suddenly interrupted. "Are you telling me that there's no Barack Obama in this world?"
"Obviously," said Miles and scratched his beard. "I don't even know how to imagine a world with somebody called like that being the president of the United States!"
"Now this is a world I'd love to live in!" the killer exclaimed and punched Raylan's shoulder, who silently commented that with silently miming an "Ouch" with his lips. Everyone else was rolling their eyes, just like they always did whenever Rubi shouted her opinion into the room.
"So let me get this straight," said Bridget and Elena turned her head to give her a judging look since that's what she always used to say to make things clear. "We're living the same story again? Just like the one we used to be in the life before? And our goal is still the same?"
Nobody said anything. The rain was still pouring on the windows and the BSAA driver was still racing through the streets.