I love my job.

I LOVE MY LIFE AND MY JOB SOMETIMES. I REALLY DO.

DAY 21.

DAYS IN GAME: 20

QUARTERS: 500

LEVEL:12.

SUNDAY.

ATTRIBUTES: STRENGTH: 15. DEFENSE: 15. STAMINA: 20. AGILITY: 15. DEXTERITY: 15. INTELLIGENCE: 15

The next morning Tyler was awakened by Bird's weight on his chest and he smiled as he saw the dark haired girl using him as a mattress. The Teenager smiled as he kissed the dark haired girl awake,. making her smile.

"Mornin!"

She got another kiss and Tyler chuckled as he held the slender girl for a moment.

"Mornin Birdy. Ready for more??"

"Hmm, in about twenty minutes I will!"

"Well alright then."

The pair left the camper then. Bird went to the bootleg shower while Tyler relit the fire and started making breakfast. Once her cold shower was finished Bird came bouncing back over for a snuggle and Tyler was all too happy to wrap the bubbly girl in an arm,

"SOMEONE'S snuggly today."

Her content yet smug tone made the Survivor chuckle.

"I'll admit to enjoying the novelty a little. Sides. Not like you're not enjoying the spotlight."

"Yup! KEEP DOING IT."

"Yes Bird."

"Hey! STOP DOING THAT! It's WEIRD!"

"As you wish."

"I will HIT you."

He chuckled at her embarrassed fury as the rest of the camp came out...with Yuna and Grudgia smirking as the pair settled around Tyler and Bird. Yuna had a light in her bright blue eyes as she got her morning joe and some fried eggs.

"REMEMBER, you affectionate jackass: DO. NOT. PLAY. FAVORTIES."

Tyler nodded with a few beads of sweat lost to the intensity of the ladies' smirks.

"Yes Yuna."

"GOOD BOY. And MY turn tonight for a solo."

"Sure. Grudgia? Tomorrow?"

The dark haired gothgirl licked her lips alluringly.

"I'm looking forward to it."

Tyler smirked at the incredibly sexy reply....before the friends all refocused. Benni unrolled the map as the Survivor pointed an extendable baton.

"Okay. Today's plan. I'll do another solo scouting raid on the Base. The rest of you split in half. One guards the Slab, the rest raid this town here for supplies and equipment. You'll be on a timelimit however. We're to regroup here by 12 high. Then we're doing another full assault on the base's morale. We have the rifles for a few loud volleys in broad daylight. Targets aren't important so long as you DO in fact kill some of them. Four shots per and then we retreat. Tonight we're doing another stealth op on their mortar tubes. Capture, and then lob five shells from the tubes into the base itself. Remember the captive pen here and that's the only rule. DO NOT HIT THE PEN, or anywhere near the pen. Five shells...and bail. Any questions?"

Ronny smirked.

"Boobytraping?"

"Not this time. NOR will we put the bodies on display. Capture and rain hell."

THey nodded and Jarvia smirked.

"This'll be fun....and we'll be busy today."

TYler nodded.

"THAT we will, Jarvia. Alright. AnyOTHER questions?"

He got crickets.

"Outstanding. Survivors ready? GO!"

The friends scattered like ants to their tasks. Tyler took the jeep while Yuna and Benni formed parties for raiding and defense. As the Teenager drove away from the Slab, Yuki appeared on the screen with a frown.

"You're pushing your luck with this one, Tyler. Your tactics are becoming predicatable and easily read."

That made him smirk.

"I'm aware. Which is why, the actual assault on the base will be tomorrow noon...AFTER they find Dirk's body."

Yuki blinked as she saw the ploy.

"YOU'RE going to have Dirk's body be hit with gunfire after blowing your portion of the op....and hit them at the height of their exhausted debauchery! My GOD is that a classic use of bait and switch. Okay. So tomorrow you'll be mounting the full assault on the base."

"Yup. I'd bet money a few of the crew will drop shells on their antiair defenses. Alls we need is for TWO of the triple Zs to be knocked out. That alone will throw the base into chaos. The lightning strikes, damage from them, fact they're being hunted, and the sudden killing of a single person found at the scene will sap the rest of the men's strength and discipline."

The more experienced soldier nodded slowly as the campaign played out in her mind.

"You thought this war out well. and turned a group of mere survivors into a well trained team in a few weeks time. Okay. I'll keep watch on the prisoners' screens."

TYler smiled as he pulled off the road a mile from the airport to hide the jeep in some brush.

"I'll go see what the hornet's nest looks like."

The screen went out and the Survivor was running along the forest without so much as a sound or a shadow on the ground. Tyler smiled as the air traffic control tower appeared soon enough between the trees and he slung his 45-70 into his hands with a newly aquired suppressor attached to the barrel along with a 6X magnification scope on the rail. Tyler leaned the barrel against a tree trunk to peer through the crosshairs at the tower....and smirked as he counted close to five different snipers all doing sweeping patterns with long reaching rifles.

"They're jittery and nervous. ALL their movements are jerky and I can see the shaking weapons from here. Okay."

The rifle was lowered before the scout moved to the top of a ridge completely covered in ferns maybe 50 yards from the mortar pit he'd destroyed the night prior. This time, the pit had been completely abandoned with the bodies strung up on trees left to rot while a series of ten new constructions were seen at the perimeter of the camp. Tyler nodded as he saw this countermeasure against the Survivors' night raids.

"Pull the mortar lines back to the extreme perimeter of the base and in turn give up the high ground advantage. Okay."

The rifle came out again and the scout panned the scope around the base taking note of the men on patrol....and smirked.

"Oh they're pissed AND exhausted. They haven't had proper sleep in two days. ONE MORE, and they'll be next to helpless. Okay...HOW to RUIN their day....hey they look interesting."

A group of four soldiers were seen playing a poker game beside some barrels and from their expressions and relaxed shoulders...and the lines of crosses on their tunics, were CLEARLY higher ranked officers in Bjorn's force. Tyler then noted the longing glares, resenting looks, and the fact most of the rank and file foot soldiers were all eyeing the lazing around officers disdainfully. This discovery made the surveying sniper smirk as he noted the barrels....and then panned the rifle to the captive pen. There he noted the poor bastards in the cages were in finer spirits with even a few smiles here and there. Tyler smirked as he looked back to the air tower...and noted all but two of the men had left for some reason. So the lever was flipped and a round chambered as the hunter took aim. Tyler let out a slow breath as he squeezed the trigger....and BOTH men's heads suddenly exploded from the powerful round punching right through them when they passed in front of each other. Behind the explosion of red mist, a window was witnessed to fragment into car sized sheets and fall to the ground nearly 150 feet below...RIGHT onto Bjorn's own tent. Tyler smiled as he collected the spent shell as the tent was sliced into pieces from the falling death...and the base went utterly INSANE from the surprise. Amidst the chaos of men racing to the tent, trying to figure out what just happened, and other such tasks, five more silenced shots rang out. Dropping five bodies around the poker temple beofre a sixth round took one of the men in the face as he ran by the slave pen. Tyler rose to his height as the captives all looked along the path of the bullet....and the Survivor waved his rifle. Then he was gone. Yuki appeared with a smirk as Tyler returned to the jeep and rolled away from the losing it's shit base.

"NICELY DONE. The prisoners KNOW a rescue is being worked on without a DOUBT now. Bjorn's okay but three of his highest ranking soldiers were killed by falling glass. Yeah. He's foaming at the mouth this time."

Tyler smiled as he rolled along the highway.

"The raid at noon will drive him even farther up that wall. Okay. This one'll be fun."

The Survivor returned to the Slab...and found the raiders were returning at the same time. Yuna had a smile on her face as she hopped down from the Greyhound.

"We got good news, Tyler."

"At the campfire."

Once everyone had gathered around the campfire, Yuna smiled.

"We found an APC in realy good condition in the next town. Problem was a busted rear axel. A MARDER I think."

Benni whistled at this news.

"Them things are mean. We'll need the halftrack to tow it back, Gore. But you knew that."

TYler smirked.

"We'll pick it up later. Time being. Bjorn pulled the mortar pits to the extreme perimeter of his base. So, we'll bring the ones we stole instead."

That made them chuckle and Ronny smirked.

"What's the big play Boss?"

"We set up around the rim and lob shells anywhere we think will pop best. So long as the prisoner pit is NOT touched. Five shells and vanish. This'll be done at high midnight. Now. MY part is twofold here. As I'll hav e Dirk's body get lit up with machine gun fire and make it seem like he was the one doing the firing. If they're as fed up as I THINK they'll be, the next morning they will be so FREAKIN hungover from the partying....when WE roll in there for REAL all guns blazing....we'll catch them half asleep."

The map was unrolled again and a circle drawn around the cages.

"We'll go in with two Greyhounds, the Stug, and the halftrack. The Greyhounds wil have two in them. A driver and a main gunner. The stug will have the full crew of four. And the halftrack will have the remaining two. ME driving, and the gunner. The Greyhounds will serve as bodyarmor for the prisoners as they'll park by them. The halftrack too. Stug, I want to rain shells from a ridge into their mortar tubes and large clusters of men. Once we have a perimeter around the cages, kil everything that is not inside them. Watch your asses, watch your shots, and we'll be fine."

The heads nodded....and Benni frowned.

"We're not using the Dauntless or the Chinook?"

"We would if we knocked their triple Zs out. But, I want those emplacements for our own base."

"Makes sense. How many prisoners?"

TYler sighed.

"25 at the new count. 20 women. 5 men. Make sure you LOOK where you AIM in the event there's more."

Another around of nods and Tyler smiled.

"We pull this off....we'll be set on supplies for a good long while and get some help for our construction projects. So that'll be nice."

That made them chuckle and the Survivor smiled.

"Alright. Load in."

The heads nodded and the friends scattered to their takss with a will. Tyler went to the jeep where he and Benni loaded the 75mm mortar tubes into the bed beofre Yuna and Jarvia came over with a crate of 50 shells from their armory. Once everyone had a tube and five shells Dirk's body was loaded in as well. Tyler smiled as he climbed into the driver's seat.

"Alright ladies and you. Lock and load. Same drill as the night raid."

They nodded and they rolled out. Bird smiled as she loaded a magazine into her FN FAL.

"This'll be FUN!"

Her excited chirp made them smile as Tyler merely smirked.

"Long as it goes of without a hitch that is. Remember. YOU get caught you're on your own till the bigger raid."

Ronny nodded vigorously as he pulled the charging handle on his M4A1 back.

"We'll be careful boss."

Yuna smirked.

"YOU BE CAREFUL TOO, Tyler."

"Yes Yuna."

"GOOD boy."

The jeep chuckled at that one as they approached the first of the ten deployment locations. This time they would set their tubes up in the same places the PREVIOUS pits had been and rain five shells on the base in alternating volleys. Once their shells were spent they would take the tubes and linkup at the highway. Tyler smiled as the friends started hopping out while he drove.

"Watch your asses people."

His friends all nodded as the rolling deployment went off without an issue. Tyler was the last and smirked as he claimed the hill he had been hitting for the last few days....and set his tube up with a clean line of sight over the still in choas base from his EARLIER visit. Once the tube was loaded he tapped his coms,

"Razgriz in position."

The Survivor got a chorus of confirmations on position....and he smiled as he aimed the mortar tube in a way his shell would land DIRECTLY on the air traffic control tower.

"Roger ready. Alright. Ready to pull!"

He dropped the round in the bore and a dull thunk was heard before the round whistled on it's flight to impact the air traffic control tower with a dull explosion that blew half the roof clean off. Like magic nine more shells fell to earth around the once again caught by surprise base with no patern or coordination between them. Though Tyler noted the captive pen was utterly avoided as he dropped his third shell into the bore. This one landing clean on the tent containing the kitchens. In the camp chaos was the order of the day with officers trying to get some form of order from the rank and file while the grunts were in full rage mode from the repeated attacks. Most of the barracks tents had been hit by mortar fire and the air tower had been set on fire by repeated hits. A few of the supply tents and the terminal itself had been peppered as well with many craters being seen around the place. Tyler smirked as he fired his fifth shell.....as something heavy slammed into his stomach as he rose. The impact sent him to the ground bleeding and with a minor grunt of pain as a smirking man in a ghillie suit holding a silenced UMP submachine gun approached.

"I KNEW you'd be back you bastard-"

Tyler's OWN silenced gun took the ambusher in the eye and he fell to the ground with a thud. Now bleeding heavily from a wound in his stomach, Tyler produced a syringe from his backpack and injected the syrium directly into his wound. The wound stopped bleeding but he knew that was a temporay reprieve as he set Dirk's body in the bloody pool and put his M1911 in his hand. The ghilli sniper was left unlooted and the tube as well while the badly injured teenager bandaged his stomach to prevent anymore bleeding and he crept back to the jeep. Hannah appeared on the screen then with concern on her face as the Survivor injected another of the blood cougulators into hi9s wound.

"Yuna's ready with her kit. YOU are in NO fit state to drive."

Tyler smirked as he did indeed drive away from the scene.

"I'm fine. This one wasn't even close. Have the group ready for linkup."

Yuki appeared with a sigh.

"Okay. I'mma nip THIS one in the bud. DO NOT. Get all cavelier on us now. YOU nearly JUST died. AGAIN-"

"It's a FLESH WOUND. Otherwise I'd be dead already."

The ladies sighed at that as Tyler pulled out onto the highway where the rest of the camp were waiting. Yuna was quick to open the door with her kit.

"Benni, you drive. Ronny on the gun, Bird open the rear hatch. Jesus the seat is SOAKED in blood! Come on we got this."

Tyler chuckled as he allowed the team to drag him to the rear of the jeep while Benni drove.

"I'm alright. Used two of the Blood things."

Yuna sighed as she removed the bandage and saw the nearly quarter sized hole in Tyler's stomach just above his belly button.

"If you die on us, we're screwed. So for ONCE take it easy?"

Tyler sighed as she got to work with her own custom medical bag on the wound.

"Fine. Seriously, it's just a 9 mill."

"45 ACP actually."

Bird smiled sweetly as she held the freshly dug out bullet.

"UMP 45 submachine gun. I have one. So yeah."

Tyler just sighed with a smile as Yuna stabled his wound closed and applied a fresh dressing.

"Well the trap's set. I'll be fine for the raid tomorrow."

The friends returned to the Slab and gathered around the campfire. Tyler winced slightly as he walked but it only lasted a split second before he was walking like normal. Once the fire was blazing merrily Yuki appeared with a frown.

"Well they found Dirk's body. And my GOD is there a party going on. The prisoners think it's a fakeout and are PRAYING it is. Bjorn and his men, however, are utterly convinced of their victory. Even IF the damage to their base is extensive."

TYler nodded as he popped a painkiller.

"Good. And when we roll in tomorrow they'll be too damned tired to really fight back."

Yuki looked at him.

"YOU are in NO fit condition to do ANY raiding Tyler. NOT with a bad stomach injury. The timetable has been pushed back-"

"The HELL it has."

Tyler cut the delta soldier off with his own glare.

"We CANNOT push the timetable back at ALL. If we DO, we'll have wasted al our work up until now. THose bastards CANNOT get even a SINGLE good night's sleep or we're back to square one. We're keeping the plan. Sooner we overrun them, the sooner we can ACTUALLY relax and take a day."

Yuna looked at him now.

"Can you even AIM with that Tyler? I dunno how the hell you're even still STANDING!"

Bird nodded with her own wide eyes.

"I had to be carried when I got my cut. We can wait an extra day, Tyler. Not like they're going anywhere."

Tyler chuckled at that one.

"I'll be fine ladies. Not the first time I've been hit in the gut. Hey, Hannah, didn't you see the thin line on my stomach when you put the tubes in?"

Hannah appeared with a frown now.

"I did. And that is the result of a gallbladder-"

"Nope. That's what my family wanted to be written down so it was. Truth is, my sister stabbed me with a flay knife.....five times."

They blinked and Yuki frowned.

"And HOW did they cover THAT one up?"

Tyler shrugged.

"They paid the doctor. And were friends with a few more."

The asian soldier sighed at that one.

"Even so. You are not cleared for active duty Tyler. I will NOT let you kill yourself because of your stubbornness. Will there be an issue?"

The Survivor chuckled now.

"Yuki. I CAN'T take a break. And YOU know it. Think about it. What would happen if the thus far best player in the game were to show he DOES bleed? Especially with all the shit I've been pulling until now?"

Yuki blinked now and frowned as she considered the thought.

"You've been down for recovery before, Tyler."

"Yet there wasn't a high tier mission on the line. And I did it WITH those under my command ALSO badly wounded. If I take a day for no other reason then my own health, then my thus far reputation as the best will be shot full of holes. And YOU know it."

Yuna smirked.

"Okay, Tyler. You can stop with the show. What's your workaround?"

That made the friends chuckle and Tyler as well. The Teenager shrugged as he looked at her.

"Well we DO have that needle of Endrocin we've been sitting on."

Everyone slumped and Yuna sighed.

"That one that's supposed to make large wounds like his own heal overnight. Okay. Fair enough. I got it."

Tyler was hit with the healing accelerant and Benni chuckled.

"And once again Gore leaves us in the dust. What's the play for the raid now?"

The Survivor nodded as he unrolled the map.

"Alright. Most of the infrastructure around the base has been trashed. Plus the men will have spent the night partying. Tomorrow we'll get up early. And attack as the sun rises. The goal is all soldiers dead to the last man. We'll kick in their front door with the greyhound while the STUG snipes from a ridge. We'll roll over their front door, light everything that looks unfriendly, and once they start to regroup...we hit the gas pedal and run them over. Those tires are next to bulletproof and that frame can take one HELL of a pounding before it buckles. Intial goal is to surround the prisoner pens. That way, everything outSIDE the circle is hostile."

Ben nodded as he looked at the map.

"And once the shooting stops, a retrieval team collects the chinook and flies the rescues to the Slab."

"LIke you've done this before. Pretty much."

Yuna crossed her arms.

"We'll be moving really fast, Tyler. There won't really be any time to heal up if we get hit."

"Nope. So watch your asses."

Bird smiled.

"Specially MINE It's the BEST!"

The friends laughed at her smugness and Tyler patted the dark haired girl adoringly.

"YOU are WAY too damn cute sometimes."

"Yup!"

YUna smirked.....and Tyler smirked back.

"What, Yuna? You JUSTa said don't play favorites."

".....PRICK."

"Love you too, Yuna."

She sighed at that with a smirk and the friends all refocused. Tyler took the instaheal injector Yuna and stabbed his still sore stomach. Within seconds the wound healed to a fresh scar and he nodded.

"Alright. Load up! We're going to hell! Ya got five minutes!"

"Let's MOVE MArines!"

The party loaded weapons and equipment as Tyler slotted some heavy load shells into his 45-70 and flipped the lever as his eyes went hard.

"MOUNT UP!"

Yuki whistled as she watched the sudden gearshift as the Survivors climbed into their designated vehicles.

"It seems he FINALLY started being serious again."

Hannah nodded as Tyler climbed into the kitted out jeep and floored the gas with the convoy roaring out behind him.

"I think.....he wants to prove a POINT."

"All units checkin."

"Devildog locked and loaded."

The friends all went down the list of checkins and Tyler nodded as he armed the rockets on the jep.

"Rockets armed. Job's simple. Kick in the front door, rescue the captives. KILL everything that is NOT friendly. Any questions?"

He got crickets onm the coms.

"Out-FUCKING-standing!"

The airport tower appeared and the secured gate as well...and Tyler flored the gas pedal.

"LIGHT EM UP! SURVIVORS READY? KILL EM ALL!"

He fired the rockets and a pod emptied itself into the steel slab, utterly demolishing it and catching the partying men inside COMPLETELY off guard. Tyler's kitted out jeep was seen catching air off the remains of the gate and he slid into a perfect drift to skid to a stop outside the depleted slave pens. The people inside all burst into tears at the rescue that HAD in fact come as the highly skilled party took up positions with all guns firing outwards.

"DO IT!"

Yuna and Bird broke the locks to the pens as Ben and Ronny tossed weapons and ammo to the fired up captives. The Marine roaring at them over the gunfire.

"GROUP AND STAY ALERT! PICK YOUR TARGETS AND SEE TO THE WOUNDED! WE GOTCHYA!"

Tyler was standing on the roof of his jeep firing his lever action into the panicking camp with terrifying accuracy and Grudgia smirked as she fired her FAL.

"THAT guy is a FUCKING badass."

"Shut up an keep firin!"

The friends laughed at the movie line while Ronny climbed into a .50 cal mount to start laying down masses of heavy fire on dense pockets of resistence while the newly freed and armed captives also took aim at everything that moved that was not friendly. Tyler's razor eyes picked out Bjorn's tent suddenly burst open and the nearly 8 foot tall man lift a large weapon,

"GRENADE LAUNCHER 12 LOW! SOMEONE DROP HIM!"

"I got em."

Tyler's mildly amused chuckle had the friends smiling as the Survivor fired his lever action at the massive man's necklace of .50 cal ammo. The result was a small explosion that took Bjorn's head clean off. A near instant yell of despair was heard in his former men before they turned to run...but were promptly shot in the back by the merciless friends. Tyler had climbed up onto the Greyhound with his lever action firing as fast as the tube would allow while the freed slaves added their own rounds. Within minutes Tyler blew a whistle on his lips.

"CEASEFIRE CEASEFIRE! WE GOT EM! ALL HANDS MOVE TO STAGE 2!"

A cheer broke out among the friends as the last of the NPC occupants were put down and the freed slaves were seen weeping in utter relief at the end of the hell before Tyler's highly efficent team regrouped...and scattered. Benni, Jarvis, and Bird got to work loading wounded into the Greyhound where Yuna was waiting with her medical bag and Hannah's onscreen guidence, Tyler and the rest on overwatch in the event of a counterattack. Benni and Jarvis took off in the jeep after a period to retreive the Chinook as Tyler climbed up onto the Greyhound looking at the rescued prisoners. Despite his and the team's extensive scouting efforts, they'd been wrong on the number of captives. Instead of a mere 25, there had been a staggering 75 total. Now Tyler faced them with a chuckle.

"Nice to meet you all. My name is Goreleech."

A mass of shocked gasps went up at the tag and the Survivor chuckled again.

"Yeah that guy. Alright. Once Benni gets back we'll get you all to the Slab. You that been hurt are on reserve till thre wounds heal. You ablebodied will help US with our gimmicks. Plan gfoin forward is to stripmine this place to the last bullet and reinforce the Slab. Any questions so far?"

A well muscled man lifted a hand.

"Are we enslaved, Gore?"

"No. Wanna take off go for it. But my crew IS accepting new crew if you want in. Just know....I WILL work you like a dog."

Ronny chuckled from his spot on a .50 cal.

"Guy's not even exagerating. Sometimes he forgets we're not machines. It's okay. HE works harder then all a us."

The speaker smiled.

"It'll be nice to work with the pro. Staff Sargent MArtin Macmillar. United States Rangers 3rd Artillery division. There's actually a few soldiers here."

Tyler's eyes flashed.

"Any medics?"

A woman stepped forward now with a lifted hand.

"Chief Medical Corpmen Vanessa Mcgorden. USS Washington. I was an assistance medical officer aboard ships. I've skills in Combat Search and Rescue as well."

Tyler smiled widely.

"Score. YOU are with Yuna. SHe's our medic in training. She'd benefit from your experience Vannessa."

Another guy stepped forward. THIS one a lankier specimen as he chuckled.

"Private First Class Richard Williams. 4th Engineer divisoin US army. I like working on stuff."

"Oh good. We got another wrencher. Benni's US Marines and he's one a mah go to heavies for anything really."

The three soldiers nodded at this and Martin crossed his arms.

"YOUR advisor, Gore?"

Yuki appeared with a smile.

"Captain Yukimora Sukimoon. United States Rangers, Task Force Delta, 1st Recon Sniper."

The three whistled at this as they saluted and Yuki smiled.

"At ease, soldiers. Not bad Tyler. I've got their profiles. Richard's fresh outta bootcamp, but the other two have medals to their names."

"Alright then. Once back at the Slab we'll regroup and plan our next move."

A sound of rotors was heard now as the chinook appeared over the base perimeter. Tyler smiled.

"Alright. Peg out a landing pad and pop flares! Benni needs to be guided in!"

The friends nodded and the large transport chopper landed on a section of tarmac and the ramp deployed. Tyler and the rest helped the weakened recruits onto the chopper with enough left behind to drive their vehicles back to base. The Survivor nodded as the ramp closed and he took his place at a Mark19.

"Clear!"

"roger. Lifting off."

Benni and Jarvis worked the sticks and the large bird lifted off the ground without issue while Yuna saw to the others. Grudgia smiled as she looked over attheir leader.

"We got a LOTTA new hands here, Tyler."

Tyler chuckled as he panned the grenade launcher around.

"Yup. It'll be fun getting them up to speed. The new soldiers I've some ideas for."

"Squad Leaders?"

"Pretty much. Feeding this many people won't be easy. But then again, not like we haven't been prepping for it."

The pale girl shrugged at this point.

"And with the mass of supplies we'll get from the outpost? we'll be semifine."

"Love the opitimistic pessmissm, Grudgia."

"I was a fan of Paramore too."

The Survivor chuckled as they approached the Slab and Benni settled the bird down without so much as a bump. Tyler chuckled as the ramp lowered.

"Alright ladies and leftovers, let's get the newbies comfy. Once they're settled we're on to stripmining. Any questions?"

He got crickets.

"God answer. Survivors ready? Go!"

The team scattered as the vehicles returned. Those with debilitating injuries were settled into te camper while the lesser wounded were given sleeping bags inside the fortress in one of the ground floor rooms. Yuna and Vanessa saw to them directly and the entire debacle took less then fifteen minutes. At which Tyler nodded.

"regroup at the campfire."

And the friends gathered around and he smiled.

"NOW we move to looting. Yuna?"

Hannah appeared and she smiled.

"I'll be working with Vanessa closely for the time being, Tyler. Once we got the severe injuries stablized we'll check in."

Yuki nodded as she appeared.

"I'll be stepping my inputs up as well. YOu're now the leader of a small division. Things are going to be a LOT more complicated going forward until the wheels are turning smoothly."

Tyler nodded as he looked at the small mass of ablebodied survivors....and smiled.

"It's gonna be a shitshow for the time being, but hey. Not like we didn't sign up for this. Alright. Think by now you've met my crew and figured out we're kinda good at this. Look around you. See this base? We BUILT IT. With nothin but scavanged gear, our bare hands, and a VERY pissed off wrench. Not kidding. That wrench nearly killed me."

The group smirked and Tyler pulled up a photo of the clearing before the friends had moved in...and a mass of impressed whistles were seen from the newcomers at the drastic shift from rundown horror cabin to heavily fortified base littered in supplies and vehicles. Tyler smiled.

"WE did that. Together. In three days. The 11 of us, built a FORTRESS in the WOODS...and we're next to invisible. We allllll started out the same way in this deathgame, and with the same skills kinda sorta. And look what we can do. As long as we work together, we can build anything. As long as we work together, we can KILL anything in this game. Together, we can DO ANYTHING. BECAUSE WE STARTED OUT, WITH NOTHING. As long as we keep FIGHTING and making sure the guy next to us survives too, we WON. This fresh hell does everything it can to kill us or worse...AND YET LOOK AROUND YOU! WE ARE HERE! WE ARE THIRIVING! AND WE ARE NOT DONE YET! Now I'll ask YOU, are YOU done yet?"

He got a mass of denials at this question and the Survivor nodded approvingly.

"THAT'S what I thought. We are NOT dead. We are NOT giving up. And WE ARE JUST GETTING STARTED! WE GOT THIS! SURVIVORS TOGETHER! WE WILL SURVIVE THIS HELL!"

"WE WILL SURVIVE THIS HELL TOGETHER!"

The entire camp roared this simple pledge and Tyler smiled as they worked themselves up into a fine fire....before he snapped his finger. Like magic silence fell.

"Okay. I'm keeping that."

Benni smirked.

"NO. It goes to your head I WILL slug you."

"Noted Ben. Buzzkill."

"Jackass."

Tyler chuckled before he smiled.

"Alright. Time being we're on rest and recover. Once we've stripmined that airport to the last, we'll update the Slab. THIS base is OUR hideout. Do NOT reveal it's location. Those a you without extensive skill in guns and fighting, don't worry. You'll be trained by ME and THEM in that order. By the time WE'RE done trying to kill you, er, trying to TRAIN you...er same thing. You'll be able to the stuff WE do...and you'll do it with a SMILE. Any questions so far?"

Veronica perked up.

"What is your plan to get out of the game, Goreleech?"

"We're NOT."

THIS news had everyone take a step back that wasn't in Tyler's crew and he nodded.

"Get THAT idea outta your head and focus on surviving. I have no intentions of trying to get out. I don't even think we CAN get out. But that's not our biggest problem right now. Put that energy into making sure the guy next to yuo lives. Long as we live long enough and gather enough supplies? We'll figure something out."

The corpmen nodded with a mild frown.

"So your answer to escape is take it slow and steady....and live as though we CAN'T get out."

"Pretty much. I'm more interested in survival then a pipe dream that might not come true."

This was met with a gust of sighs before Veronica crossed her arms.

"So after we're done stripming in your words, what is your next BIG project?"

Tyler smiled.

"The ULTIMATE goal is to secure an aircraft carrier or similar sized vessel as a mobile command post. THIS base, is a mere TEMPORARY hideout. Once we've got the ship we can explore the coasts at our lesiure."

He was met by a new mass of impressed whistles and Bird chuckled.

"Gore aims high. Same time? We DID clear out an entire outpost of several hundred bandits with a mere 11 people AND saved YOUR asses. I think we can do it."

Benni shrugged.

"Gore makes this game look soulcrushingly easy too at times. Same time? Hasn't steered us wrong yet."

"Well that's because I know how to DRIVE, Benni."

"Man FUCK you."

That got a mass of chuckles from the friends and Tyler smiled.

"Alright. We've plenty of food and soda for the moment, so get your shit back together. We'll move out in shifts on the chopper. Those a you that can't sit still for five minutes can help out. I'll be touching bases with Yuki in the RV. You rookies piggyback off the OG crew until you know what you're doing or you get bored. Any other questions?"

HE got crickets.

"Alright. Survivors ready? Go!"

They scattered to their tasks and Tyler went into the RV where Yuki appeared on the screen with a thoughtful frown.

"Nice speech there."

"I've some practice. Alright."

The Delta sniper nodded as he sat at the table.

"You've crossed the Rubicon now, Tyler. Your rescue of the prisoners was broadcast and your name is being passed around. That Mushroom prick made another sermon and has expressed intent to meet with, in his words, the single most lucrative member of the flock. He's coming to meet you, Tyler."

".....In PERSON?"

"...You'd kill him in a heartbeat even under a white flag truce."

Tyler shrugged at her mild shock.

"Yuki I know a problem when I see one. If I get the oppurtunity I WILL drop this guy. If he's DUMB enough to get in RANGE? It's not worth letting that problem fester."

She frowned.

"Even if he came under peaceful pretences?"

"You open the door I WIL use it. This guy is a THREAT to ME and MY crew. I do NOT care WHO he is. He is NOT leaving a meeting with ME alive. Especially since he's a CULT leader. He DIES his cult goes with him."

She sighed.

"If I advised you AGAINST it?"

"I'd ask WHY are you risking our lives to play politics."

"Tyler, you might NOT have an option. THIS guy has HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of members in his crew-"

"And all that's holding them together is a SINGLE jackass. pop em, and they'll kill each other in a mass of powergrabs."

"YOU can't say that for sure."

"NO. But what I CAN say is my GUT doesn't like him. All I need to put a BULLET between his eyes."

Yuki rubbed her eyes.

"You're out numbered a thousand to ONE here, Tyler. If he DEMANDS YOUR SURRENDER, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU TAKE IT. You have over a 100 lives to consider now. That cavalier Lone WOlf attitude is just NOT an option any-"

"And it's THAT attitude that keeps your FRIENDS KILLED. We will either do this MY way, or DIE TRYING. PERIOD. I am NOT getting MY CREW KILLED OVER FUCKING POLITICS. Ah. SHUT IT."

The Delta Sniper's now VICIOUS outrage was cut off entirely by Tyler's OWN ice cold viciousness.

"I do NOT play by YOUR rules. Or ANYONE ELSES, Yuki. YOU do NOT control ME. This is MY crew. And we will SURVIVE on MY skills. NOT your ASSKISSING. Is that going to be a PROBLEM?"

She glared at him.

"If it IS?"

"Then it seems I will be without a war manager. OR outside CONTACT."

She and the rest of the room slumped at this steel clad ultimatium.

"you'd isolate your entire camp over this."

"I don't NEED you. Never did. Never will. NEVER FORGET THAT."

The teenager nodded out the window to where his Elites were directing the newly rescued members to their various tasks. Whether that was repairing their weapons, licking wounds or resting from their ordeal in the camp.

"What MY crew needs more then anything right now, is to RELAX. And regain their morale before the next big project. And I need to check in with the medics. You done trying to play asskisser?"

Yuki sighed deeply now at this.

"If you assassinate that Mushroom guy under a TRUCE MEETING, Tyler, it will only make your position worse and undermine all the work you've done to boost your image to the world. It is MY ADVICE YOU TRY TO WORK WITH THE MAN."

"No. I am going to kill him."

"Ugh. Whatever."

Tyler closed the panel and left the RV...and Yuki sighed deeply as she settled back in the hospital chair.

"Great. He's fuly committed to that Lone Wolf mentality."

Hannah nodded with mild shock in her eyes as they watch Tyler meeting with Vanessa and Yuna in the manor's medical wing.

"He's right about Mushroom being a danger. But even I know it's better to be at the Devil's side then in his path. You think he'll go through with it, Yuki?"

THe sniper nodded with a resignated sigh.

"Absolutely. He'd KILL that man and not even HESITATE. And given the mental state of Mushroom's flock? If he DIES...they'll outright PANIC. And with the amount of explosives and materials they have? it'd set of a near full scale world war inside the gameworld! And his little world is caught in the CLEFT of their border! He has NO idea what the hell he's gotten himself into."

The doctor frowned now.

"Funny. Didn't his shrew of a foster mother say something similar?"