Christmas Special: Her Favorite Christmas

Jane Cross
Friday 25, December 2009
05:08 Hours
Avatar City, New Mexico

Jane felt a little drowsy after having woken up so early. Somehow, she felt like today might pose a bit of a challenge, and her feeling turned into certainty when she heard a loud crash downstairs, which could only mean Beatrix was down there. Jane chuckled lightly and walked to the bathroom, where she performed her morning routine. Soon, she walked out, her long, wavy hair messy after towel-drying it. She had pulled on an old, oversized Linkin Park shirt her boyfriend, Joshua, had given her as a gift and shorts Beatrix herself had helped pick, so clearly it had the Amazing Spider-Man's logo in almost everywhere. Though totally missmatched, these were her favorite pieces of clpthing, and always wore them when just lounging around the house. With a yawn and placing her towel around her neck, Jane made for the stairs, when a eleven-year-old Greg pounded onto her path and said:

"The boss says Santa fell unconcious after being pounded in the head with a baseball bat." The boss was, Jane assumed, Beatrix. "So you need to stay up here until the mess is cleaned up and everything is ready."

Knowing that Beatrix would kill her of she (Jane) dared to go downstairs before time, she spun right around and retreated into her room. Looking around, her room could have easily passed for a guy's room. The walls were invisible under posters from different bands, such as Disturbed; AC/DC; and My Chemical Romance, while the contents of her hamper were, literally, scattered across the room's floor, clothes that could actually pass for men's clothing, in fact. A DBZ shirt hung from the ceiling fan; a Death-Note shirt with Kira on it was half-falling out the window; and her musical instruments were burried under assorted clothes. Her Converse were dirty and laying by the door, next to an overflowing trash can. Her bed was decorated by a blanket her mother made, which was divided in patches, each for a different Anime; Manga; TV Series or book series she became a fan of. She even had replicas of different weapons from lots of different Anime hanging from anywhere they could hang. Even though her room was a mess, she knew exactly where everything is, which is why she could easily dive into an extra-large pile of unused dresses and emerge holding her notebook.

This notebook wasn't just any old notebook. It contained her songs; thoughts; and poems, but most importantly, it contained her reports. Whenever something interesting happened, Jane would create a report and write it here, as if it were her newspaper or magazine, and only Joshua was allowed to see this most prized treasure. Today, she began to write a poem she might eventually turn into a song.

Today is Christmas Day,
And my parents are gone.
I honestly wish they would stay,
for once, but that's just dumb.
They are always here and there,
Working all day long, and I sit here, hoping they return.

Her eyes began to water when Greg walked in. He smirked and gestured her to follow, and so she did, her sorrow from before vanishing at the expectation of what Bea had prepared for her. The walk down the stairs was suspenseful, but when she reached the landing, her heart felt like it was going to explode. The house's chimney, which was for decoration, had a TV stuffed into it and was now playing a video of a crackling fire. A steampunk tree that wasn't there the night before stood besides the fake fire, it's branches pipes and it's leaves little multi-colored hairs. At the top was a TARDIS with it's door half-opened, from which emerged a silver path spiraling down to the bottom. Down the silver path, at random intervals, was a tiny plushie of a Doctor, starting from The First Doctor, leading to the bottom, where Joshua sat, dressed in a suit and a trench-coat. Jane was completely speechless, unable to say a single word, as Joshua stood and walked to her.

"Jane. I have but one Heart. I can't offer you time and space. I can't give you eternity as a Time Lord you so love. But I can; want; and will love you as if I had two hearts. Offer you what I have as if I had all of time and space. And I can give you a present that will last forever." He was looking into her eyes as he said: "Sure, we're young, and the army's waiting for me, while a long life awaits you. But I still wanted to ask you, before I go..." He proceeded to bend a knee. She gasped in surprise as he pulled a tiny box from his pocket and, opening it, revealed a plastic One Ring: "Would you be my companion?"

She never replied, for as hee finshe talking she tossed herself at him and gave him a long, loving kiss, tears of pure happiness flowed freely from her eyes, because she knew he wasn't into anything remotedly similar to fandoms. He didn't watch Doctor Who; or read Lord of the Ring, but still showed her he didn't mind. That meant a lot more to her than the whole thing. She might have never verbalized her 'yes', but he knew he had achieved his purpose.

Later on that day, Greg; Joshua; Beatrix; and Jane opened their presents. Joshua got a Swiss Army Knife from Beatrix, and she promised she didn't steal that one; got the complete collection of Harry Potter movies from Jane because, like she said, 'once you watch them, you'll love them'; and he got a hoodie from Greg. Beatrix recieved a new lockpick from Joshua, who knew she broke her last one trying to sneak into the local police department (he might have helped a bit); a pair of glasses from Jane and a Three Musketeers from Greg. Jane got Joshua from Joshua and the steampunk tree (and it's decorations) as a gift from Bea; while Greg got her nothing. Greg got Joshua's old combat boots; a camera from Jane; and a strange box from Bea. 'it's pretty, I guess', he commented. That night, as Greg slept, he began to hear an odd cackle. He sat up, then saw the box Bea gave him slowly open and watched the Jack-In-The-Box slowly emerge as the cackling laugh grew louder. When the Jack-In-The-Box was completely visible, Beatrix jumped out of his closet dressed like a clown and shrieked. Ever since then, Greg disliked Christmas; Clowns; and Beatrix.

Chapter 14: Juan Sierra

John McCloud
Saturday 14, February 2015
22:39 Hours
Location Unknown

Torches off and weapons ready, the team approached their target location. Upon reaching it, they watched from afar an ancient bunker now surrounded by buildings. A hellipad stood someways off, while a patrol walked past the gates. This scene was in a hole, high natural walls surrounding the makeshift base. Olive dashed to the edge and scanned the area with her binoculars. Four sets of guards patrolled the area while a watch-tower overlooked the whole base.

"We need to neutralize the watch-tower before going in."John mused. "Leaf?"

"On it." He left swiftly.

"Olive, take the girl and follow Leaf. I need your eyes up there."

"Roger that." Olive went off, closely followed by Yanai.

"Peter, there's a few second opening during which that door-" John pointed at the door. "-isn't within a patrol's sight. Once Leaf takes the tower, you head for that door. Understood?"

"Aye."

Several minutes later, Leaf used their communication system to inform them that the tower was theirs. Swiftly, Peter ducked into the building as Olive watched the area with her rifle. With the help of Olive's skilled sniping, the four patrols were taken down. The team, minus Olive, made a quick rendezvous at a warehouse, and in they went. The door opened into a small, office-like room, where a man was tied up. Shoulder-long silvery-blond hair was covered with blood, and he would have been talen for a dead man if he hadn't looked up at them. His bloodshot eyes made the team train their weapons at him, but then he spoke.

"Ya era hora! I thought that useless colonel of yours was gonna abandon me here!" The man laughed. "What flies through the sky with charcoal-black scales?"

"A winged furnace." John replied, then began to unbound the man. "Juan Sierra?"

"The one and only, man. You are late. I would have been killed!"

"Luckily, we made it in time." Leaf smirked. "We have to go, before-"

"It's too late, gringo. The helicopter is here to bring me my ironic death." Juan said as the helicopter was heard.

"We need to go now!"

As John shouted that, an enormous figure slammed through the door brandishing a chainsaw. It hacked at Peter with it, but he had already moved. Swiftly sidestepping the chainsaw, Peter brought his fist into his attacker's stomach, then spun and, grabbing his enemy by the neck, made him fall on his own chainsaw. The others dashed out, ducking into cover as reinforcements arrived. The helicopter oversaw the whole gunfight going on, then lowered itself to fly very close to the ground. Two shiny gattling guns were aimed at the team, when a loud bang pierced the air. One well-aimed bullet went straight through the helicopter pilot's skull and lodged itself into the co-pilot's throat as Olive shifted her scope to provide support to her fellow soldiers. Joshua made a mental note never to mess with Olivia as she skillfully sniped most of the remaining soldiers. A slight chill began to settle over the base as the group rejoined at the base of the warchtower.

"Hello, lovely lady. Is your name as radiant as your eyes?"

"This is who we were sent to get?" Olive asked, looking at him with something similar to disgust.

"Juan Sierra, at your-" He was suddenly forced to his knees by Peter. "What is this, eh? I am on your side!"

"A codeword isn't proof enough. These people are heavily loaded, and I can't afford to sacrifice my team for your sake." John stated.

"You're soldiers. All soldiers are expendable." Juan smirked, then Leaf put one of his handguns against Juan's forehead. "Threats aren't gonna help, gringo. So stop playing around."

"I don't play around." Leaf stated. "Prove to us you're on our side and that you're of actual help, and I'll gladly die for your sake."

"Easy. The girl." Juan pointed at Yanai, who had been silently standing besides Olive. "I can show you how important she and I are."

"You're not getting anywhere close to her." Olive growled, aiming her rifle at him.

"Then look at the back of her neck."

"Why?" Joshua asked.

"Proof. Proof of her importance and my knowledge."

Nervous glances were exchanged among the team as Olive placed her rifle on the ground. Yanai obediently turned around and allowed Olive to move her hair out of the way. A circular pattern of punctures was perfectly visible. The marks were an ugly blue, and the surrounding area was pale white. Upon seeing this, Olive gasped and backed swiftly away, mosty due to surprise.

"Olive?" John asked. Only Olvie had seen the marks. "What's wrong?"

"She's been bitten." Olive stated, shock and confusion settling over the others.

"The question, my odd friends, is why hasn't she turned." Juan mused.

"I take it you know the answer." Joshua glared at Juan.

"Of course. And I'll tell you as soon as you get my little butt to safety." Juan stood and dusted his clothes off, then smirked. Turning to John, he said: "Do we have a deal?"

"Deal."

Chapter 13: Mission Starts

Peter Gordon

Saturday 14, February 2015

22:00 Hours

Location Unknown

The silent, rot-infected wooden home gave a feeling of total abandonment. It's slightly greenish planks of oak revealed the house's long life, while the pitch-black darkness in the windows showed no sign of life. The door was ajar, and slightly off-hinge, with long scratches down it's center, as if a wild bear would have broken in. The night that surrounded this house was cold, enhanced by the tightly-knit trees of the forest around, while a crescent moon glistered like silver between gray clouds. This scene is what greeted Colonel Santos' hand-picked team as they traveled through the forest on their search. John McCloud, leader of the team, gestured his men to stay on their toes as he advanced upon the house. He reached the side of the door and gingerly stared inside. The darkness hurt his eyes, so he activated the flashlight on his rifle and gestured the others to advance. Alexander Franklin, Codenamed Leaf, went inside several steps and crouched, gun at the ready and flashlight on. Quickly, Joshua Adams and Olivia Collins dashed in and separated, heading into the two adjacent rooms. Once securing the room, Cloud and Peter Gordon, guns at the ready, headed further down the hall and up the stairs as Leaf proceeded to follow, still watching his back.

"You think this is it, then?" Olivia asked Joshua as their paths reconvened once again at the front door.

"I don’t know what to think. My every instinct is telling me to flee this place, while my intrigue informs me this place holds more than just rot and dust." Joshua glanced about, trying to sort through his thoughts. "I fear this place might be our downfall."

"Or our glorious objective." Cloud stated as he walked down the stairs, Peter and Leaf behind himself. "We'll hole up here for the night. In the morning, we'll move to checkpoint Alpha."

"We should move on, Cloud." Joshua advised.

"No, we rest here. There's several rooms upstairs that aren't too badly damaged."

The team went to the second floor and prepared for a night of uneasy sleep, while Peter was given first shift as a guard at the stairs. Peter's uneasiness disallowed him stay put, so he began to pace back and forth, right besides the stairs. After a bit, he checked the others, one by one, and noticed that they were all asleep. Silently, he stole into Olivia's room, where she was sleeping, using her jacket as a pillow. She was sound sleep, but with one hand under her jacket. Upon inspection, Peter realized she had a handgun in her hand, which proved she was, even while asleep, ready. He silently took his own jacket off and covered her torso with it, then turned and left. 

As he stepped out onto the landing, a muffled, distant noise reached him from below. Rifle at the ready, Peter headed downstairs to investigate. The whole of the ground floor proved to be empty, but more crashing sounds informed Peter that there was a basement. A basement where there's something that most probably won't be friendly. Once again Peter searched the whole ground floor, this time looking for a way down. 'No need to worry the others,' he thought. With that one thought he found the stairs and went downstairs.

"Is anyone there?" He called out. "I'm one of the good guys. Is anyone there?"

"I'm hungry..." A voice, that of a young girl, answered. "Help me..."

"Where are you?" Peter called back, investigating the large basement in search of the girl. "Come out, I won't hurt you."

The girl walked out from a cupboard. She was bruised and dirty, evidently haven't been taken care of in several days. She was skinny beyond what a girl her age, around twelve, should be. Peter escorted her out and gave her some of his own provisions, which she ate while sitting at the top of the stairs. Quickly, he awakened the rest of the team and their surprise was evident when they saw her. Once she finished eating, Olivia helped her clean up, then the girl stood before them in a plain dress.

"I know you." She stated, pointing her finger at Joshua. "You are Joshua."

"Yes I am." He said. "And, you are?"

"I'm Yanai." She replied, groggily. She mumbled something else, then fell asleep.

"Joshua? Do you know her?"

"We all do." Joshua replied. "She's like us. She's one of the survivors from the airport."

"You mean... Wait, what happened to her?" Olivia asked.

"I have no idea." Joshua said, gloominess settling over him. "I know one thing, though. She had it rough these past few days."

"Leaf, do you remember where she was sent?" Cloud asked, leaning against the wall.

"Not quite, sir." Leaf replied. "I do recall her, though, getting on an helicopter."

"Which one?"

"The one Francis was piloting, sir."

"Bound for Texas." Peter stated. "Francis' helicopter was bound for Texas."

"You sure?" Cloud asked.

"Sure as day. She and I are close friends." Peter stated. "Quite."

"I'm sure you are." Olivia said, shaking her head. "Francis Evergrande is close friends with every guy under Colonel Santos' command."

"Not me. I've never heard the name." Joshua stated.

"And I'm otherwise engaged." Leaf added, grinning.

"This is besides the point." Cloud stated, then looked at Olive and added: "I'm interested in someone else, by the way. Never talked to her beyond business."

"Fine. Every guy but you three." Olivia said, shaking her head. "Anyway, Pete, word to the wise, that girl goes around faster than a Nascar car."

"Hey, watch it." Peter growled. "She's not like that."

"I'm sure she'll continue to be a subject once we answer a very simple, yet incredibly important question." Cloud stated. The others attended to him in confusion, then he said: "What do we do with miss Yanai?"

"We can't surely abort the mission and just return, can we?" Peter asked.

"But we can't allow her to tag along." Olivia shot at him. "I won't allow it. It's too dangerous."

"I agree with Olivia on this." Joshua stated. "Yanai is young. I don't even know if WE can survive this, let alone with her."

"We could split up." Leaf suggested, hopeful.

"That'd just increase our chances of dying." Cloud countered.

"Then, what do we do?" Peter asked, annoyed. When Cloud took his time, Peter insisted: "Cloud! What do we do?"

"We'll take her with us." Cloud finally decided. "She'll be under your care, Joshua; Olivia."

"Yes, sir!" They all saluted, unaware of the true nature of the choice they just made. And what it meant for the future.