Author's Notes:

Long time no see?

Yeah, it's been awhile, but I also know is that writers have disappeared for longer. (Yes, I am looking at you Dust Traveller.) Of course, those writers are much better writers than I'll ever be; therefore are allowed to be excused.

Anyways, this chapter is fairly long. I hope this makes up for the long hiatus, and is up to standards. Enjoy this longer continuation of The Wanderings of a Nameless Man.

Also, on a further note, the rating of this story has been changed to Mature due to the contents of this chapters. It's nothing too extreme, but I felt I was pushing the teen rating beyond it's limits at this point. Plus, I've been wanting to change it for awhile now. Felt that mature would be more fitting for this story, and stops the limitation of I can do when it comes to storytelling. Anyways, you've been warned; uneasy feels ahead.

They were finally getting out of the canyon. As exciting as this was for the scientists of the team, the circumstances could have been better. Not only did they have to move base, leaving some of their equipment behind, but they now had a tour guide they they didn't entirely trust. They were thankful for his help for sure, and he's helped out plenty otherwise, but he certainly was not to be trusted; given what had just happened.

The alien wasn't exactly what you would call 'stable.' First he's grateful for their help in saving him, the next he's trying to kill them all. One moment he's holding them hostage, then a moment later he's giving them their weapons back and proposes a trade. One moment he's a raging psychopath out for the blood of his enemies, then suddenly he's concerned for the health and well being of the ponies who openly defied his interests. Nopony knew exactly to make of him, but 'trustworthy' was not a word they would describe him to be. If anything, he was unpredictable.

This put everypony on edge, however, it was mainly Twilight who was concerned; as she had come up with disturbing theory while they packed up.

Was the alien still trying to kill them?

The 'Stalker Incident,' as Twilight recorded in her log, was an extremely close call; nothing sort of a miracle that they all got out alive. From her observations of the Stalker encounter, Twilight was easily able to come to that conclusion. They were, in fact, very lucky to all be alive and well right now.

However, that fact alone wasn't what spooked her. It was also the fact that she believed that their new guide knew very well what the stalker was capable of, beyond what he told them initially. She believed he knew that it was highly likely that the runners would have been killed trying to provide him an distraction. Yes, he warn that the creature was dangerous and fast, and yes he did imply it was unlikely all of them would make it out of it alive. However, the fact that he didn't bother warn the two pegasi what precautions to take ate away at Twilight.

It was an irrational theory, and Twilight could have passed it off as something that slipped his mind under the pressure, but...

He just stood there, in silence, waiting for something he must have expected to happen. She didn't pay much mind to his sudden silence before, but now...

Could he have been doing it on purpose? Was he trying to get Daring or Sky killed? Maybe both? Was he trying to thin the herd? If so, for what reason? Did he still consider them a threat?

Perhaps Twilight was reading to far into it, scaring herself for no reason, but the possibility still terrified her.

He did threaten Fluttershy after all... Twice as a matter of fact.

Twilight, shook that thought out of her head. Now was not the time to let personal feelings interfere with the mission. Plus, Twilight had come to believe the first situation with Fluttershy was just a misunderstanding... His apology and subtle concern for the ponies made Twilight believe as much. Even if she still didn't know why he acted like that. The second was admittedly Fluttershy's own fault. She got between the the human and his enemy, there was no excuse for that; even if Fluttershy was just standing up for what she believed.

Twilight wanted to continue believing this human was not out to get them, as it would make it easier to work with him. Like it or not, they needed him. Otherwise, they were walking blind and with no one to vouch for them if they ran across more humans. Given the first encounter, Twilight didn't want to imagine how that would end. Without him, the only viable option was to go home empty hoofed. With everything that has happened thus far, there was no way they'd risk going any further without a guide.

However, Twilight just didn't know what to think. Tossing the theory aside, chalking it all up to coincidence, and blindly trusting him could be a mistake as well... A potentially lethal one.

She decided it was best to keep this theory to herself for now. She didn't want the rest of the team fearing like she did, it would only cause more problems. She already had a problem with Shining trying to convince her that they needed to take the alien's advice and go home. The last thing she needed was paranoia jeopardizing the mission. They've already put too much into this expedition, an insurmountable amount of time and resources to make this very mission possible. If they went home now, the risks they've taken, the time and resources they've used, all of it would have been a waste.

She would confront the alien later, hoping to Celestia that it wasn't true. Then, she'll figure it out from there. She couldn't imagine how that conversation would go, but she knew she couldn't risk having the team jump to conclusions just yet.

Unfortunately for Twilight, she wasn't the only one with her theory...

"I think he was doing it on purpose." Daring muttered to herself.

Daring had been thinking to herself for the past hour as she helped tear down the camp. She couldn't stop thinking about how close she had came to dying. How completely taken by surprise she was. Why was the human so vague in his warning? Had she known that it was that fast, she would have never considered her plan. Tartarus! Had she known it was that fast, that would have changed their entire approach to the situation!

With that, Daring was able to come to that conclusion. He obviously was doing it on purpose! He was trying to get everypony killed!

Despite her volume, almost everypony heard her, but they didn't know what she was muttering to herself about. Twilight did, however, as she was just thinking about the same thing. Fearing that Daring was about to cause a panic that Twilight was hoping to avoid, she was about to drag Daring off and order her to keep quiet about it for the time being. However, the fateful question was asked by Sparks.

"What are you muttering about?" Sparks asked, a bit concerned.

"Daring, could you-" Twilight was about to ask Daring to come talk to her for a moment, before she got any ideas, but Daring was quicker to speak up.

"The stalker! He knew how dangerous it was, and he hardly gave us any warning! I think he was trying to get us killed!" Daring informed the group.

The team looked over to Daring as they paused loading up their supplies onto their sled. Some, including Lyra, and Sky looked at her like she was crazy. The rest, Shining, Ironhoof, and Sparks were not so sure. Twilight was about to speak up, to try to dissuade the conversation from getting out of hoof.

However, it turned out that Twilight wouldn't need to. Suddenly, yet thankfully, Sky came out as the voice of reason on this subject.

"Daring? Did you hit your head harder than I did? Seriously, where the heck is this coming from? Why would he be trying to kill us? He had plenty of opportunity to do that before! It wouldn't make any sense that he was trying to kill us off with the monster. What would he gain with that?" Sky voiced.

Unfortunately, Daring didn't bend that easily.

"I dunno... Maybe for the massive amount of supplies we have. Maybe because of the fact that he has a huge rage boner for anything non human; or whatever. I don't know what his exact reasons are, but I'm almost certain that he was trying to get some of us killed! Why didn't he give us better warning of what the kitty cat was capable of!" Daring countered.

With this, Daring managed to plant the idea in the heads of the team. Shining, Sparks, and Iron began to wonder if Daring's suspicions were correct, and if the human had alternative motives in regards of taking them with him... They might have considered it more if it were not for what happened next.

Upon finishing her sentence, Daring received a fierce glare from Sky; she looked ready to give Daring a piece of her mind. Twilight, at this point, felt like intervening would be pointless. So she let it happen, getting ready to interfere in case things came to blows... It seemed everypony else had the same idea as they watched the conflict from their positions.

"Actually, I believe he did, you just refused to listen." Sky remarked bitterly.

Daring gave Sky a glare in return, her look accusing Sky of calling her a liar. She was about to retort, but Sky would not give her the chance.

"'The bitch is faster than it looks.' Recall that little warning? 'Having no casualties is extremely optimistic, even in the best of situations.' Recall that one as well? I dunno about you, but that should have been warning enough to not underestimate it's abilities. Something you clearly did when I had to pull you from the jaws of death!" Sky started sternly, practically fuming

With these words, it suddenly became apparent that Sky was feeling a little more than ticked off by Daring's stunts. First, she nearly gets them both killed with her stunt with the whip. Now, she was attempting to put the blame on the alien, which would practically shatter the unstable trust they had between him and the rest of team at the current moment.

However, Sky was not about to have any of it. It wasn't that she trusted the human. No, not even close. It was the fact that not only was Daring compromising the mission they were on here with her personal feelings, but also the fact that she wasn't owning up to her obvious mistake; one she had yet to apologize for. This pissed Sky off something fierce.

Daring could tell by Sky's tone where this was going, and she could see how pissed Sky was getting. Daring was about to say something, anything to calm her down, but Sky wasn't no where near finished.

"I warned you that we shouldn't have gotten to close, and you said 'alien's warnings be damned!' Seriously Daring! He isn't the most trust worthy creature I've met, but I doubt he would have lied to us about how dangerous that creature was! We were all working together for Celestia sake! It was us against it, and getting us killed wouldn't have helped him! He wasn't the one trying to get us killed. If anyone, you were the one trying to get us killed." Sky stated coldly, cutting Daring off completely.

Daring was stunned into silence. She didn't know exactly how to respond to that. It wasn't entirely the fact that she knew that Sky was right, but also the fact that she remembered that she was arguing with the mare that saved her life after she did something very stupid. She realized that she was coming off as an total bitch right now. She still trusted the human as far as she could throw him, but she knew she was out of line here.

She was about to apologize, but that was when someone else made an appearance...

"What are you all bickering about this time?" Daring heard the human ask from behind her.

Daring nearly jumped out of her skin, not expecting the human to have suddenly appear behind her.

"How in Tartarus is he so quiet!?" Daring thought to herself.

The entire group seemed surprised as well, how they had not spotted the human creeping behind her was beyond Daring. However, they reacted quite differently.

"Nothing!" They all shouted at once, completely frozen in panic.

"Real smooth... Now it's obvious it wasn't 'nothing.'" Daring thought to herself.

The human seemed observed the team with a skeptical gaze. For a moment, the ponies were afraid that the human had actually listened in on their conversation. Twilight and Lyra feared that human was now going to change his mind about taking them with him, figuring that he could no longer trust them.

However, soon the human simply shrugged it off, turned around, and started walking away.

Mentally, the entire team released a collective sigh of relieve, and went back to packing gear.

"This sled isn't going to be able to fit a bunch of our supplies, we need to prioritize. Any ideas?" IronHoof said, changing the subject.

The entire team agreed that now was not the time for them to continue their previous conversation, not with the human roaming around close by. However, they would continue this conversation later. Regardless of whether or not Daring should have brought it up, How far they should trust the human needed to be discussed.

"Well, we definitely need my equipment. Not all of it, but most of it. I suggest we bring the material analyzer, the drill, the probe, and whatever you can of the lab; we'll leave the rest of it behind. It will be a loss of what we can discover, but we'll have to deal with it. The rest should be as much food, water, and other supplies we can carry. Try to prioritize the food and water, I'm not sure if anything here is drinkable, or eatable for that matter... Agree?" Twilight summed up.

Everypony seemed to agree with that notion. However, before they could get started, a voice from afar added one more thing.

"And a tent! We need the tent! We can't be caught without one in an ash storm!" The human yelled back as he continued to walk away.

None of the team knew exactly what an ash storm was, however, it was far from the last thing they were thinking about. If he heard them talking among themselves from way over there...

...There was no way he didn't hear them the first time around.

The ponies silently agreed among themselves that they should be more careful when talking about the human, especially when he's nearby. Celestia knows what ideas they were putting into his head...

Admittedly, I surprised myself when I told the team of aliens that they could come with me. Yes, I did need them, but I'm still not sure I would trust them to watch my back; for more reasons than one.

So far, they've been an hindrance and a hazard. I told them that one of them had to run, and they debated it with the little time we had. Admittedly, it worked out in the end, but those who won't follow orders at a moment's notice are bound to get us all killed. It's like having a trainee around in a scout party, except ten times worse; like having an entire squad of trainees who are out for nobody but themselves. Maybe even worse than that... All I have to say is at least a trainee wouldn't allow the enemy to escape...

Another problem is that one of the aliens in particular seems to hold severe resentment towards me; I'm not talking about Twilight either. Yes, she was obviously still pissed at me for holding Fluttershy at gunpoint, but I believe she was past the point of trying to kill me by now; with their whole mission going on and all. Of whom I'm speaking is Daring Bitch. Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised at this point if I found a bolt in my back and she was the one who happened to be behind me holding the crossbow saying 'oops.'

I overheard a conversation she was having with the team, something about me trying to get some of them killed; particularly her and Sky. A nice little theory, I guess, If I WAS trying to kill them. Sure as hell would have been a good way to get rid of a couple of them, but it'd be the equivalent of shooting yourself in the foot. I find shooting myself in the foot to be distasteful, so I try to avoid doing it whenever possible.

Yes, following my orders, they could have died. However it wasn't like I could change the reality of the situation, or make Daring less stupid. People die in Stalker attacks, it's usually unavoidable no matter what you do. Though admittedly, I wouldn't have lost any sleep over it. That just meant one or two less potential threats I had to deal with.

If anyone, I would have preferred Daring bitch bit the dust. Sure one less soldier was also a benefit, but Sky had yet to actually piss me off; and I doubt she had any ill intent towards me. Not to mention that she was the first to stand up against Daring's bullshit accusation; which was a plus in my books. Daring on the other hand... her energy, her general attitude towards me, is bad news. I will need to keep a close eye on her, not to mention sleep with one eye open. Otherwise, she might just slit my throat when she gets the chance.

If only that stalker had got her ass... Life would be so much simpler right now.

Anyways, despite all this, I can admit this ended in the best possible way for everyone involved. Whether that will turn out to be a good or bad thing is still yet to be seen...

Firstly, No one died, which is a first for me. I still think I'm dreaming in regards of this. No team I've heard of has survived a Stalker attack unscaved, no one. I am bold enough to say we are probably the first group ever to sustain no casualties from a stalker attack. Quite the achievement I have to say. Surely a story no one will ever believe.

Secondly, The stalker is gone for now. I still don't quite know why it is gone, the whole scene with Fluttershy was nothing short of confusing as hell, but I won't complain. It did get me a good shot, even if I wasn't able to finish the job...

Thirdly. I got a bit more food, even if I'm not sure if it is edible. These 'apples' are going to be a definite last resort. It would suck to die of food poisoning after all the shit I've been though.

Lastly, I have a team watching my back, even if I'm not sure if I can trust them. Daring currently sits right at the top of my shit list of team members to avoid being alone in a room with. Currently don't have anyone else shitlisted, but I'm sure I'll get to it.

It's not the perfect situation for me, but I don't believe it could have gotten any better than this. Aside from a dead stalker that is...

...I still can't believe I flipped out like that. I usually don't lose it that badly; for any reason. I've had enemies get away from me before, but I guess I've never had a stalker escape me. Perhaps that's why I lost it? When it comes to encounters with them, the scout parties will usually stick around to finish the job; no matter how many casualties they took. Stalkers were simply far too dangerous to be left alive. The thought that we just let that stalker go to hunt another unsuspecting team must of seriously fucked with me... I don't know how to explain it otherwise.

I wish I could have got the fucker before it got away, but I guess it was just never meant to be. All I can hope is that stalker dies of its wounds, and never comes back to hurt anyone again... Small hopes I guess?

Anyways, Fluttershy's wound and suit rupture was taken care of. However, since Fluttershy was occupied at that current moment, they were down a medic to help Sky with her head injury. So, I ended up having to pitch in. Now, I'm definitely a bit rusty when it comes to the whole, 'Medic' deal, but I'm far from novice; I've had to patch myself up plenty of times. Plus, despite our differences in biology, wrapping a head wound is pretty straight forward.

The team thanked me for my help, but I told them not to mention it; ever. The last thing I need is for these aliens to start getting clingy to me. I hoped to get rid of them as soon as possible. Traveling around with a group of aliens was not going to be good for my health, especially if we come across fellow humans. They'll probably just assume I'm enlightened and shoot on sight. I know I would.

Sky woke up; very curious of what happened. Since everyone else was far too busy being concerned for her health, I ended up being the one to tell her what the hell happened; minus the part where I patched her up. She was relieved to say the least that everyone made it out alive. However, I'm not sure she entirely acknowledged how close we all came to being cat chow. Personally, I'm not sure any of them do, aside from Fluttershy...

She spent an hour in the tent crying her eyes out after she took care of her wound. The realization must had finally hit her, and she was pleading to whatever god she prayed to that she could go home. God knows why she hasn't begged her team leader yet.

She was definitely a wreck at this point, however, it didn't seem like anyone noticed aside from myself. Aside from Twilight, of course, those two seem to be close. I left her alone, figuring that I'd be the last person she'd want to see right now. After the whole Stalker ordeal, the feeling was mutual. Spike and Twilight would keep her company anyways, didn't need to concern myself with all this emotional bullshit.

Around this time, Daring was accusing me of trying to get them killed. Thankfully, as I said before, Sky set her straight. I was thankful for that, the last thing I needed was the rest of the team plotting against me. It would have been impossible to sleep then... I swear, if I didn't need this team...

After the argument, the team of aliens finished tearing down their "base of operations" as it was apparently called, they went on to figuring out what supplies they were going to drag up the hill. I personally suggested from the beginning that they bring at least one tent, as I don't know when we'll be meeting another Ash Storm. Thankfully, they took my suggestion seriously, even if they didn't quite know why.

Other than the tent, they ended up packing the 'apples', garbage MREs, weapons and ammo, rolled up cots, some scientific equipment I couldn't put a name to, and other kind of equipment that I am not going to bother naming. We'll just call them 'general supplies.' Anyways, they ended loading all that up on themselves and a travois they had lying around. They designated Iron Hoof to be the sleigh dog. He didn't say anything, but he obviously wasn't very happy about that...

After they finished, we were very quick to finally set off. I climbed my rope out of the canyon while the aliens airlifted each other and their supplies out. They wanted to try to lift Spike out of the canyon too, but the he found his own way out very quickly. More or less, he just powered his way up the steep slope, much the the aliens' shock. I personally laughed on the inside at the confused look on their faces.

As soon as we were all at the top of the canyon, the aliens were finally able to get a good look over the world above them. I can see the confusion and awe on their faces. It was obvious they were still not sure what they were seeing. All around us there was nothing; nothing but frozen wasteland.

Nothing but ash and snow...

"How far does it go? Does the Ice ever end?" Twilight piped up.

They still can't see it, huh? Not yet, it seems... You would think that seeing nothing but wasteland for miles on end would tip you off... Soon enough though. Soon enough they'll realize they've wasted their trip over here. This place certainly isn't the vacation destination, for any kind of party.

"No, it doesn't end for quite awhile. Hope you like 'snow', you will be seeing it a lot." I replied simply, checking my compass for North-East.

Twilight didn't say anything after that, I suppose there was nothing else to say. After all, there wasn't much around us to talk about...

Finding the direction I desired, I signaled the team to follow me. They did so reluctantly, still trying to contemplate what they were seeing around them, but soon we were all walking together at a brisk pace; heading North-East out of Stalker territory.

It was going to take awhile to reach the edge of the stalker's territory. After all, territories did extend up to 50 miles of area. Not knowing where we were in the territory, it was a safe bet to go at least that far. So I was going to have a team for at least that long. After that, though, I wasn't sure...

The plan was to get rid of them, tell them to fuck off with whatever UFO they came in, to whatever world they came from. However, Despite the shitty company thus far, traveling alone with just a dog isn't all that it has been cracked up to be. Within the period of my travels, I've had nearly twelve brushes with death; including the last few. Almost every one I've barely survived. Who knows what I might run into next? It could be something I can't take with just Spike and I...

I suppose we'll find out where we stand after we get out of here. Something tells me that they won't like this world enough to stay for long.

With that, we continue our journey North-East into the wasteland.

Soon enough, the ponies were packed and ready to go. They were leaving behind a ton of supplies, but there was no way they were going to carry them. Everypony's bags were packed as it was, and the alien was not willing to help carry any of their 'useless trinkets.' a term in which Twilight took great distaste in. She had half a mind to retort, but decided against it. Relations were unstable as they were.

In entirety, they had fourteen days of food and water: They had an overcompensated amount before, far more than they needed in case of emergency. A packed tent as per request of the human, though Twilight couldn't wrap her head around what an "Ash storm" was; it was something to ask about later. Various supplies including weapons, bolts, ropes, flashlights and such; never knew when you would need them. Twilight's lab kit, her analytic probe, and an excavation drill; Twilight was determined to get a soil sample before their week ended. Most of the food and supplies were packed on the ponies' selves, while the rest was packed on the travois.

Soon, they head out. They managed to get all the supplies they were bringing with them out of the canyon with little effort. The supplies were airlifted out via pegasi team, and those who couldn't fly were airlifted out as well; aside from the human and his dog. The human insisted that he climb his way out with the rope he spent so much time putting up. He also mentioned something about 'manhandling' him being a punishable offence.

Spike, much to the ponies' surprise, didn't need much help at all as he basically jumped his way up the canyon wall with minimal effort. Twilight noted in her data pad that animals of this world had surprising agility...

Once everypony was out of the canyon, they began to look around. All had been curious since they got here, of what lay beyond the canyon's walls. When they discovered intelligent alien life, it only made them only more excited at the prospect of what lay beyond... Would they see a city in the distance? An outpost maybe? Some place brimming with life and strange new landscapes?

They were excited to see to say the least, but what they did see shocked them; not in a good way either.

Their imaginings of what they would see turned out to be a utopia compared to the disappointing reality of where they were. As it turned out, they were in fact in the middle of nowhere. All that surrounded them was a white, snowy, landscape... one that seemed to go on for miles and miles on end. No grand cities, No outposts, no unique landmarks of any kind. Just dead, frozen, and plain.

Looking to the human, who was apparently looking at a compass trying to get a certain direction, Twilight raised the question.

"How far does it go? Does the Ice ever end?" Twilight asked.

Twilight personally couldn't tell what the alien was thinking at that exact moment, but he was obviously off put by Twilight's question; as he looked to her with a tilted head. It looked like he was questioning the question, as if the answer should have been obvious. However, soon he simply shrugged it off; eventually speaking up.

"No, it doesn't end for quite awhile. Hope you like 'snow', you will be seeing it a lot." The human said simply, returning his focus to the compass.

With this, the ponies internally groaned. They were hoping to see something, and had even gotten their hopes up when they found the human. They hoped that where he came from would at least be visible... Unfortunately, that seemed to not be the case.

However, that did raise some questions... What was this human doing in the middle of nowhere? Where did he come from? Who is he?

What is his name?

This particular question came from Lyra. She couldn't believe she didn't realize it before, the fact that they didn't know his name yet! They never asked, and he never mentioned it. With everything that had happened, they hadn't even bothered to think to ask for it. This entire time, they had just been referring to him as 'the alien' or 'the human.' As Lyra came to think about it more, they haven't even introduced themselves!

Lyra may have been a professional diplomat, but it was clear she flunked on the social part of Extra-Equestrian relations.

However, this was a mistake that Lyra planned to rectify. Given the fact that they were likely going to be traveling for awhile, and with not much to talk about, she knew that this would be the perfect time to get to know the human better. To get an idea of who he was, where he came from, what he was doing out here, what his world was like, and most pointedly...

...what his name is.

"You know, we never did get your name." I heard a familiar voice say behind me.

The voice addressing me caught me a bit by surprise. The entire group had either been silent or talking quietly among themselves ever since we left the canyon nearly an hour ago. I had all but assumed they had any interest to speak to me. I didn't mind all that much, as I really didn't have much to say to them other than what I already told them. However, that seems to have changed.

I spared a glance at the speaker. It was the Aqua green alien I believe was named 'Lyra.' Team diplomat from what I learned. She was currently standing right behind me, a bit away from the rest of the group. It seemed like she wanted to ask me this privately, as odd as that was. I'm pretty sure she isn't keeping this information confidential...

Anyways, she was right, I had yet to give them a name. However, it was really none of her business, and I wasn't eager to give her an answer. For reasons...

I didn't exactly have a singular name, people called me by many names due to the fact that I had no real name. Most of my friends called me 'John', as in 'John Doe', a name given to unidentified corpses. The joke was that it would save them the trouble of having to name me a 'John Doe' when I finally croaked. It was a popular joke throughout the bunker when the name was first given to me. It was some kid who decided it was a bright idea to call me that... He was sort of right in a way, even if I didn't agree at the time. What was his name again? Fuck, I can't remember...

Anyways, Others called me 'The Dead Man,' though that was more of a callsign in relation to my more popular title. Then was 'Wander,' something I was called because I was a nobody looking for something. Finally, there was 'Nameless,' one of my least favorite names; for obvious reasons.

There are too many names, and none of them are really mine. It felt wrong to call myself something I'm not. I had a name, a real name, I just didn't know what it was yet. It's the reason I'm out here, so I won't have to refer to myself by a dead man's name anymore, so I can discover a purpose other than waiting to die. A life and I never knew. I left the purpose of waiting for death behind when I left the bunker. I'm not about to go back to that to that name so easily...

So, I try to dodge the question.

"I don't see why that's any of your business." I remarked, greatly emphasizing that she should fuck off with that line of questioning.

This seemed to give the alien slight pause, maybe because she was confused as to why I dodged the question. My hope that she would drop it immediately was dashed, however, as she spoke up again.

"Well, I mean, you know ours names, but we still don't know yours." Lyra tried again.

"So?" I question, expressing disinterest.

This seemed to cause Lyra to give a glare, obviously displeased with my lack of manners or common courtesy. Maybe both, I honestly don't care. However, she tried yet again. Goddammit...

"What are we supposed to call you by if you don't give us a name? I'm sure you wouldn't like being called 'Alien,' 'human,' 'creature,' or 'Mr. Nameless'-"

"Do not call me that." I practically snapped. Of all the names...

This seemed to shut the alien right up mid sentence, seemingly knowing that she must have hit a nerve somewhere. However, obviously against her better judgement, she kept talking.

"Sorry, but that proves my point. If you don't want us making a name for you, could you just give us something to call you by?"

It took a moment, but I sighed, allowing myself to relax. I knew she was right. The last thing I need right now is more creative names. I definitely had enough. However, the question was, which name should I give them?

Actually, it's kind of obvious, isn't it?

After a few moment, I responded hesitantly.

"Just call me John." I muttered with disdain.

I figured she was just going to roll with it. Accept that as my name and be done with it. However, she then said something that caught me a bit off guard...

"John? Hmmm.... What an odd name." Lyra commented, seemingly to take a mental note. However, I think I broke her concentration as I started laughing.

I was really caught off guard with that one, and I found it surprisingly funny for some reason... Actually, I know why! She's a fucking hypocrite! I mean seriously, her name is Lyra, by far the closest to a human name out of the team, and she's saying MY name is weird?! What the fuck man!? How does one get the name 'Lyra' and decides that something like 'John' is weird?

Anyways, a chuckle came out, and apparently it got the attention of the rest of the aliens as they all looked over to me with a confused look. This only made me laugh even harder for some reason... Fuck, something is wrong with me! Snap out of it! It's not even that funny! I probably looking like some sort of nutcase right now!

"What is so funny?" Sky asked, looking like she missed out on a good joke.

By now, I got a hold of myself, and I could end the whole debacle right here. Just said it was nothing and move on like a true professional. However, I got a funny idea, and decided I was going to milk this a little longer. In my defense, we've been walking for nearly an hour with nothing to see but snow, ash, and more snow; plus little conversation to lighten it up. I might have been a little more than bored...

"Oh... nothing! Nothing at all! Lyra is just trying to be a good diplomat... by insulting my name moments after I give it." I lied, mock muttering under my breath.

Instantly, shocked eyes accusingly turned to Lyra, and said alien looked like she was about to die of embarrassment. Given the alien's reactions, the thought that she might have insulted me must be catastrophic for someone in her position. I'm sure wars have been started for less, given their reaction.

Hmm... That gives me a better idea...

"I-I didn't-" Lyra started before I cut her off.

"Man... I think I'm going to have to take this to humanity's war council when we get to the great city Fuckoffpolis. I'm sure they will want to hear this. Did you know insulting anyone's name on earth is grounds for war?"

The team's eyes seems to widen at this, meanwhile Lyra looked like a dying fish out of water. Sweet fucking god, I was trying so hard not to laugh. Without my mask, I'm sure this show would be over before it started.

"B-but I- Fuckoffpolis?" Lyra asked, looking more confused than ever.

Oh god, That's too fucking good to let up now...

"MY GOD LYRA!!! That's a second offence!!! This DEMANDS Immediate action! Go back to your leaders and inform them the Humans of the great city Fuckoffpolis declare war on y-your pitiful-" I started to say with a dead serious tone before I completely lost it.

The growing look of panic was just far too much for me. I swear, it looked like they were about to scatter like a bunch of cockroaches and bury themselves into the snow. The moment I started laughing, their panic morphed into confusion, which only made me laugh even harder. Finally, I was receiving a deadpan stare from the entire team, and a furious glare from one particular alien.

"WHAT THE BUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!!! THAT'S NOT FUNNY!!!" Lyra yelled.

Oh grow a fucking sense of humor you multi-colored freak.

"AHAHAHAHA!!! Who the fuck you kidding!? That was hilarious! The funniest shit I've ever seen! You should have seen the look on your faces, and seriously, Fuckoffpolis!? Did anyone of you actually believe that bullshit???!!!" I bellowed in laughter.

Seriously, this was the funniest thing I've experienced in a long time. This was ten steps up from that one time a friend and I pranked the overseer by filling his entire room with snow and built a snowman wearing a straw hat and a stick in its mouth in the middle of it all. God he was pissed, but it was so worth it!

Huh... The kid. There he is again. Jeez... What was his name?

Ryan, I think...

Oh... Yeah, I remember. It was Ryan, wasn't it? That was such a long time ago... He's the one who gave me my first name, and a sense of humor. I never liked him, least at first. He didn't exactly make a good first impression on me when he called me out as 'John Doe' in the mess hall my first day inside. However, he did eventually grow on me.

He got me involved in our little community, had me help him with his little 'Pranks' he'd pull every once in awhile. Some were small, some were huge, taking months of planning to pull off and always ending in hilarity. I swear, I would have never lived as long as I had without him. I'd probably could've put a bullet in my head by the end of my first month; even with my will to survive. Hell, I think a lot of us could've. However, he kept us together, had us looking forward to something everyday.

That snowman prank... That was the last one he ever did.

He died a month afterwards, at the age 25, right before his next prank. He was going to pull it off as soon as he got back from patrol, one in which he would never return from.

He died in a stalker attack I believe... Yeah, took him and five of his squad. The two that made it back said that he drove a knife into its throat right before it ripped his blond head off. He managed to hit its neck vein, and the stalker died. Everyone else made it out alive because of him... Good kid, good fighter, funniest person I've ever met. He was the one person who taught me to not take everything so seriously, and to lighten up every once in awhile.

Age 25... Man, he lived longer than most kids do nowadays. Most start patrols at age 16, and they are lucky if they last the year, let alone 9. Hope he's okay, wherever he is now...

Well, that's a mood killer. Why the fuck did I have to remember that?

With that I stopped laughing, turning around again and moving forward. I ignored the looks the alien's gave me, I've had my laugh for today. Now it was time to keep moving.

Behind me, I heard them begin to idly chat among themselves, and suddenly start laughing about something.

"Fuckoffpolis... wait.... OH!!! Buckoffpolis! I can't believe I thought that was real for a moment." I heard Daring remarked. She almost smiled for a moment. However, she must have remembered that she hates me as it disappeared a second later.

"Yeah, that was intense... But I guess that was a little funny; even if I looked like an absolute dork." Lyra responded.

"Oh my gosh, you soooo did. You looked like you might have just died." Sky chimed in.

"The alien certainly has a strange sense of humor. Never seen someone threaten war as a joke before..." Shining armor commented.

A smile once again crossed my lips. I suppose my joke wasn't all bad. It managed to lighted up this dull situation at the very least.

Thanks, Ryan.

As the aliens continued their gossip, we continued our journey North-East across the frozen wastes.

The alien, now known to the team as 'John', was quite strange indeed; Sense of humor or otherwise. Never before had any of the team, especially Lyra, heard someone threaten war against them as a punchline for a joke. Normally, war was the last thing to ever be joked about. To most ponies, it was something to be taken very seriously. However, it's apparently not the same case for this human. He doesn't seem to have a care in the world if he got his nation accidentally involved in a war because of his mistake. It did bring up some more questions...

Though, to some ponies, mainly Lyra and Twilight, his outright seclusive and reserved nature confused them most of all. Aside from threatening war as a joke and asking Twilight a single question, John had yet to really interact with the team aside for telling them what to do and vaguely answering questions. All of John's response to their questions have been direct, reserved, and not much else; and that is if he answered the question at all.

Why did John make such a big deal about his name? When Twilight was listening in on Lyra's conversation with the human, she found it strange that he dodged the question about his name constantly. Was it not a custom among humans to give their names upon greeting? Was there some taboo in human interaction they hadn't known about? Are all humans like this?

Or was John just trying to hide something? Perhaps something his name represented? Who knew at this point. Names likely carried much different meaning here.

Either way, Lyra and Twilight were both dying to know.

Though to answer this question, they were going to have to get to know him better. They had his name now, so that was a start. Now, they have ask him more questions. Not about himself though, given his reaction to simply asking his name, it is likely he doesn't want to be asked about his personal life. So, perhaps the best way to get to know him was to get to know the world he lived in first; not exactly an issue since that is the reason why they're here. All they can hope for was that John would cooperate with them when it came to this line of inquiring. He still seems to like playing this game where he only vaguely answers these sort of questions...

Twilight and Lyra talked about it privately for awhile, trying to figure out what to ask him first. Thankfully, Lyra already knew what she was going to ask. It was something she planned on asking anyways. She did wonder what had happened to that group John mentioned when he first woke up...

No pony had forgotten about that little detail. Despite everything that happened after the fact, it was by far the first thing that was on everypony's mind. It was strange that he never the group mentioned after the fact, and the ponies began to wonder why he had decided to choose them to watch his back over a group of his own people; who were supposedly nearby.

When they first started moving, Lyra figured that they were perhaps going to regroup with the rest of their guide's group and figure things out from there. There was also the fear, with Daring's warning, that the human was leading them into a trap. However, as time passed, it became clear that he had no intention of finding this group.

Was the group made up? Are they real? If so, why is John avoiding them? What were they doing out here? Lyra hoped by answering these questions, they would gain more insight into who John is and the world he lived in.

They chatted among themselves for awhile as we walked, and another hour passed. Eventually though, Lyra apparently grew her balls back and approached me once again, though notably far less cautious than last time; I was actually able to notice her this time. Seems like they are getting comfortable with my presence. Not sure if that is a good or bad thing...

"So... John. Before that threatening war thing, I actually wanted to ask you a serious question." Lyra started.

A serious question huh? This better not be another one of those personal question...

"So ask." I replied nonchalantly.

"Well, remember when you said that you had a group that you were traveling with? At first I was thinking that we were going to regroup with them, you explain our situation, and we could be brought back to your home. However, obviously, we should have run into them by now... I mean, it has been a couple of hours... Are we planning on regrouping with them at all?" Lyra asked.

The group? What the fu- OH!!!! That! I remember that! The garbage story I told lying down on the hospital bed fearing for my life! Good times... I'm surprised they hadn't seen through that bullshit yet. They actually still believe there is a team out here? I'd fuck with them more, but I feel like I've done enough of that for one sitting...

... okay, maybe a little more. For practical reasons though. Never know when a little lie like this will come in handy.

"We are not going to be regrouping with them. Too many people, too many opinions. I'd rather keep this between us for right now, least till we get to where we are going..." I lied.

For once, it looked like she might have actually agreed with my decision here. However, there was obviously something still bothering her. I imagine I already knew what it was...

"Oh... But won't they come looking for you? I'd imagine they'd notice you were missing." She asked.

Yep, that's what I thought. Guess, I'll have to reassure her.

"Nothing to worry about. They probably believe I'm dead already. Any party scout who leaves and doesn't return within four hours of departure is assumed dead and left behind. It's been far beyond that time limit for me now. They're likely long gone." I responded.

This much was actually true, If I was with a party, they would have left me behind by now. It's nothing personal, it's just far too risky to stay in one place for too long. Alien hunting parties and stalkers, among other things, make four hours the maximum we'll ever stay in a certain area; with the exception of a fallout bunker. If you don't get back within that time, you're walking home alone.

Again, nothing personal, it's just survival.

"That's... a bit extreme for a time frame. Why would they assume you were dead after such a short time? Why would they leave you behind?" Lyra asked, sounding a bit concerned.

"It's nothing personal, I assure you. We as a party, doing what we are doing, generally just don't want to stick around one area for very long; it tends to attract attention."

"What kind of attention?"

"The bad kind." I reply simply.

I guess my answer was enough, as she paused for a second to think about what I said. Least, that is what I assumed she was doing. However, it wasn't too long before she asked me another question.

"What exactly were you guys doing out here?" Lyra asked.

This alien certainly curious isn't she? Oh well, I suppose I'll entertain the question. It's better than having her ask questions about me personally.

"You are going to need to be a bit more specific than that. We were out here doing a lot of things."

"Well, what was your team's objective? I'm just kind of curious of your world's military presence roaming around in a place like this... I mean... You are military right?" Lyra asked.

Cute... She thinks I'm military. Though, I suppose she isn't completely wrong. We are the world's military now. Though, Militia has a better ring to it. We don't nearly have enough training to consider ourselves military soldiers or marines. Most who did have that sort of training died a long time ago... Anyway, it wouldn't hurt to tell her a reason a fake squad was doing out here. Hell, it's not really a secret what scouting parties are for.

Here's a hint, they are not actually for scouting.

"Search and Destroy is generally our objective. We are usually out here keeping the wildlife under control. Though, our objective this time was to scout a route between our base and NYC. Lot of ground to cover I have to say."

Little did Lyra know, I was using 'wildlife' as a broad term. 'wildlife' nowadays equates to animals, aliens, and even other humans who've lost their way. Whether they'd be enlightened or just plain insane, we didn't discriminate.

I also figured I might as well make the fake squad's objective the same as mine, just so they're close by...

"Search and Destroy? Meaning you are out here to kill... Wildlife? Is wildlife really that big of an issue here? Also, NYC?" Lyra asked.

"Only as of recently anyways, they've been a tad bit more aggressive. Feel like it might be because of a particular event that happened awhile ago. Doesn't exactly matter anymore though. What's done is done. Also, NYC stands for New York City. It's... A huge city to say the least. One of the Largest in the world. Lots of people live there. It's where we are going by the way, if you're curious." I explained.

This prospect of going to a massive human city seemed to excite Lyra, as well as the rest of the team; who seemed to have tuned into our 'private conversation.' So much so that I was soon being barraged with questions.

"This isn't another fake city, is it?" Daring immediately asked.

"What does it look like? How tall are the buildings? How many are there? What's it's level of technology? Is there a library!?" Twilight asked like a gleeful girl on her birthday.

"How many people live there exactly?" Shining asked.

"Is there, um, a national park? With animals?" Fluttershy managed to ask.

"Is there anything fun to do there? I mean, Once we make sure that no one will kill us... I could really go for a drink right now." Sky asked.

"Here, here!" Both Sparks and Iron agreed.

"Is there a chance that I can get my hooves on a biology book? Maybe an anatomy book..."

"AAAAWWWRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Spike Howled, so happy to be apart of the conversation. Once again, he scared the shit out of Lyra...

"MY BUCKING CELESTIA!!! WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT!!!???" Lyra yelled.

The only response she got was a lick on the front of her mask.

"Jesus Fucking Christ...." I muttered, wondering what the hell I just brought upon myself.

The questions kept coming, even as I wasn't answering them. I swear to god, it was like I was in a survival class of thirteen-year-olds wondering how a bolt action rifle worked. You would not believe how excited little kids get when you try to teach them the basic use of weapons.

Soon I was reaching my limit, however, rather than shout at them, I put a hand in the air and signaled them to shut up.

Much to my surprise, it actually worked. All of them shut up immediately, to my relief. I then turn around and addressed them all.

"It's just something you are all going to have to see for yourselves. We're three days away, but we should be able to see it from a distance soon. Trust me, it's not that hard to find..." I informed them.

The team seemed disappointed with this answer, you could tell they were dying of curiosity, but they accepted it nonetheless. I suppose they believed a view from the distance would at least answer some of their questions. Personally, I believed it was only going to bring them a lot more... Last time I saw New York, it was in ruins buried in ice and ashes. I'm not sure what has happened since then, but I can assume it hasn't gotten much better.

As we continued our journey North-East, I was asked various questions along the way. Question about what it was like living here, what New York was like, what it was doing in the middle of nowhere, how we were going to get into the city without causing a panic, and what we were going to do when we get there. These Questions I promptly ignored. There was no need to get their hopes up, I've already set them up for disappointment... One Good look at New York, and soon enough they'll learn they wasted their trip.

Maybe even sooner...

The information they've managed to obtain from John in regards to his way of life was interesting to say the least. This group that John was supposedly traveling with seemed to be a military presence whose objective was to scout a path between their base of operations and a major city known as New York City, or NYC.

Their general behavior was a bit more interesting to hear about. According to John, most of the time they are out there 'keeping the wildlife in control.' This seemed to insinuate that wildlife was a huge issue out here, something that they needed to control in order to maintain the order of things. The severity of the situation seems to be emphasised by the fact that these roaming military groups take certain, and rather extreme, measures to ensure the safety of the group.

The fact that they will only stick around in an area for a maximum of four hours, and will abandon scouts that are gone for more than that seems to say something about the harsh conditions these humans seem to live in. With the wildlife they've encountered so far, the team could only imagine the average life expectancy of a human in this world given what she's heard.

Of course, John also seemed to hint at that it wasn't always like this. That there was a time where Humans didn't have to struggle so much for survival. How much so was entirely unclear, John was completely vague when explaining it, but that was what the team was able to glean from it.

With this information, The team found it easy to understand why humans were so hostile. The world seemed to be literally against them, probably making it very easy for humans to assume who their enemies are. Much like their first encounter with John. Still, they seem to still be doing alright despite everything, considering they do have major cities.

And speaking of major cities, the very idea that they were about to see one in person was a very exciting notion for the team. Twilight wondered what sort of knowledge the humans held inside, and how much of it she would be allowed access to while she was there. Lyra wondered how the city was run, whether it was a militaristic society, like the griffons, or if they had a similar government to their own. (She also was hoping to nab an anatomy book while she was there.) Shining wondered how many of them there were exactly, and how many of them were soldiers. Fluttershy was curious, given all the talk of wildlife being a major issue here, if there were any more friendly, and less scary, animals here like you could find in Equestria. Sparks, Sky, and Iron simply wondered if there was a pub they'd be allowed to hit when they got there.

Of course, all of them were excited to just see the city, all of them were curious what one on such a world would look like.

However, among all this excitement, there was still concerns about John himself, and what he has said. There was still the whole trust issue in the back of everypony's head. No pony was certain about trusting John, as he'd given no reason for them to do so thus far. The vagueness of his answers, outright avoiding questions, none of these things was helping his case.

Shining himself was getting rather tired of it, he couldn't understand why the human would just dance around their questions and not be straight with them. He knew something they didn't, and he just wasn't telling them. Shining didn't know what game John was playing at, but he wasn't going to tolerate it much longer.

There was also the concern of what John has told them so far. If any of his words ring truth, it was obvious that this world was far more dangerous than they originally suspected. If humans were having such a problem living here with the level of tech that they have, what were their chances? The team, mainly Shining and Daring, questioned if they should stay here for much longer, let alone a day longer. Given all the factors, the odds of them staying a week without losing someone was against them.

With this Shining and Daring agreed they needed to get the team out the first chance they got. This expedition was not worth any of their lives. However, they were not about to do it when John was around. Given the trust issues, they were not sure how John would react to them trying to leave suddenly; let alone through a portal quite alien to him. They couldn't imagine it would end well. So they needed to wait for the opportunity, when John was out of the picture, to call in the emergency portal and get everyone out; before someone gets hurt.

Thankfully, that opportunity was going to come sooner than they expected. Unfortunately, not in the way they would have liked.

It has been a good seven hours now, the entire time filled with conversation and questions about New York. Personally, I was getting tired of it. Really fucking tired of it. So, when one of the aliens was starting to ask me another stupid fucking question about New York, I was about to tell them to shut the fuck up. However, a familiar sound in the distance cut us both off. It was a sound we were all familiar with by now.

*POP* *POP* *POP*

Gunfire...

With that I hit the ground, and signaled the team to do the same. I'm not sure if they understood my sign language, but they certainly got the message well enough. The entire team hit the ground, the guards of the team were looking around themselves frantically, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. They were a bit slow on the draw though, by now, I already knew where it came from. Right up the slope in front of us... I let the team know by pointing it out.

"What was-" Twilight began to ask.

"Shut up, do not talk. Signals only until I say so." I whispered sternly.

This shut Twilight right up, though she didn't look happy about it.

With that, I began to crawl my way up the slope, the team followed suit. It wasn't long before I reached the very top, the same could not be said for the team, as they lingered behind me. As soon as went to peek over the edge of the slope, I had to immediately duck my head down as more shots went off; closer than they were before...

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

I waited a few seconds, waiting to see if any more shots went off. Then I started hearing voices.

"I'm telling ya, ya dumbass, ya shooting at ghosts!" I heard one voice yell.

"NAH!!! I know I saw something outta there!! I know there is!" I heard a shivering voice call out in response.

"Ya been eaten too much of that alien meat, haven't ya? I told ya not to touch that shit! It's haluigentwhatyacallit! Ya'll become enlightened before ya know it!" Another voice called out.

"Nah, that only happens when ya you eat those enlightened freaks... Eating alien meat just gets ya HIGH!!!!" I heard the second voice reply.

Three more shots... *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

"Dumbass! Ya'll wasten mah ammo. Cut it dafuck out and come back to the fire; befer I wasta bullet on ya!" The first voice called out once again.

"Fine!!! We'll get eaten by a stalker if it suit ya..." The second voice replied, mumbling.

Figuring that they still hadn't seen us, I decided to peek over the edge once again. Sure enough, there I saw four men down twenty feet below, about sixty feet away us, hunkering down around a small fire.

The ruins of an old brick building was nearby, surprisingly enough, it was still standing. Looked about three stories tall, it's first floor barely made it past the snow, and looked to be completely filled to the brim. The only access to the building was via the second floor windows. One was more accessible than the others, being a mere step to get in, so it was likely the main entrance.

It'd make good shelter for the night, and was tall enough of a vantage point to be a good lookout for stalkers... only problem was those men. I'd say it was about 10 feet to their left.

The men's backs were to us, and they all were shivering around the fire...

Shivering... in thermal suits... around a fire... During the day...

Well, there went any possibility of them being friendly.

That settles that I guess. We can't leave them here. Even if we did leave them alone and continue on, they would find our tracks and try hunting us. Last thing we need is cannibals on our ass. We have enough problems with the stalker as it is. They are going to have to die.

I observed the building, looking for any activity inside. I didn't find anybody else, walking past windows or otherwise. If there is anyone else around, they are likely asleep inside...

I suppose there is only one way to find out.

After observing for another minute, making sure that I wasn't missing anything, I ducked back down under cover. Unholstering my AK, and unzipping it's protective casing, I tested it for malfunctions before I found a full clip and loaded it. With one pull of the bolt I was ready to go.

The team looked at me uneasily. Obviously, they still had no clue what was going on. Me loading my weapon wasn't making making them anymore at ease. So, I decided to let them in on the general idea of what was going on.

"Okay... here's the situation. Over this slope, there is a building we are going to take shelter in for tonight. Problem is, it's already occupied. Four or more of my kind are hunkered down here, and we are going to need to talk to them first. I doubt that they are going to be understanding of our... particular situation, so it is going to take a lot of talking. In the end though, I'm sure we'll come to an understanding..." I whispered.

The team listened intently, seemingly believing in every word I said. Of course, they didn't know that 'Talk' meant shoot them in the back multiple times and 'Understanding' was them dying from said shots in the back. Of course, If I told them that, I'm afraid we'd have another Fluttershy's mercy situation on our hands, one that she definitely wouldn't survive... I didn't want to have to shoot that girl.

Of course there was a couple of the team that glared at me skeptically. Namely Daring and Shining, obviously they didn't believe me. Daring didn't surprise me, she was, after all, the one who believes that I'm trying to get them all killed. She wouldn't believe a thing I said no matter how cleverly I put it. Shining though, I think he might be catching on... the fact of what I say and what I do can relate metaphorically if not in exact definition.

Well, least it won't be a complete shock to him what I do next. I only hope is at least as understanding as he is clever and won't outright panic the group about this until I do what needs to be done.

"Alright, so what do you need us to do?" Lyra whispered back, looking like she was ready to throw in her support.

I did briefly think about having them watch my back, as it is the reason I brought them along in the first place. However, then again, There was tons of problems with that. Another Fluttershy's mercy situation would be inevitable, the guards would hesitate, one of them could die and cause a bunch of drama, etc... just a bunch of headaches I didn't want to deal with. Plus, their current weaponry would be lucky to even puncture a thermal suit. They were practically useless in this situation.

"What I need you all to do to is stay here, none of you move an inch from this spot until I call you over. I have to explain the situation to them first, before they jump to conclusions and shoot you on sight. Even if things go wrong, no matter what you hear, If I do not call you over, you do not come over this slope. Is that understood?" I told them.

There was a reluctant pause among the team, they seemed a bit uncertain of this one. However, they eventually nodded in agreement.

"Alright, Spike and I are going to go negotiate. Remember, do not come over this slope until I call you." I responded, before getting up and quietly making my way over the slope. With a grunt, Spike followed suit.

While I carefully approached the campfire dead on, Spike decided to take the left flank and use the building to cover his approach. He'd likely be hiding behind the building, waiting for his opportunity to jump in. Hopefully, if everything goes right, he won't need to.

Four shots, let's go for four shots only, plus a few more for whoever is left.

Approaching the campfire gathering, I prepared to begin 'negotiations'...

"We should go, while we still can." Shining commented out loud, as he sat behind the slope with the rest of the group. He was in the process of loading his crossbow, keeping an eye where John had just left.

John had only left a few moments ago, and Shining had been waiting till that moment to speak up. He didn't trust him, not since he pulled a weapon and held them all hostage. Sure, it was eventually chalked up to a huge misunderstanding, but something had irked Shining about John. He was a liar, a huge liar. The story about his group, why he was out here, right down to his very name. He's lied about it all, and this last moment just proved it in Shining's eyes. Between John arming himself and his carefully chosen words to the team, it was obvious that he was not going down there to negotiate.

Why he was lying was beyond Shining, obviously he had something to hide, but what was it? Who was he really? What was really he doing out here? What was his intentions for the team? Shining had no clue, but with everything that has happened since they've found him, he wasn't going to risk the safety of the entire team waiting to find out.

As far as Shining was concerned, they should have left after the stalker attack. They stayed for the sake of his sister's expedition. However, that was not good enough anymore. No amount of knowledge would justify the loss they may sustain if they stayed any longer. They needed to leave, now.

The rest of the team looked at him curiously, not quite understanding what he was saying. The exceptions being Daring and Twilight of course. Daring and Shining had just talked about this earlier, and Twilight already had this conversation with Shining back at camp. Twilight glared at her brother, this was not the time to be doing this. Not when they've just barely gotten the chance to explore the world on a larger scale. Not to mention the first chance they've gotten to establish connections with the dominate species of the world.

"Shining... This is not the time or place to be doing this." Twilight half growled at her brother.

Shining merely glared back, clearly not backing down. He loved his sister, and he understood what she was trying to accomplish here. However, he was not going to allow her to put herself or the rest of the team at any more risk than they already have.

"Yes it is Twilight, this is exactly the time to be doing this! This might just be our only chance to get out before someone gets seriously hurt. It is clear that we shouldn't be here. Everything we've been through thus far has told us that. I personally believe we should have left after the stalker attack. However, now it is obvious that we need to get out while we still have the chance. We can't trust this human! Not when he just lied to our faces! Not when he's been lying to our faces!" Shining half whispered in response.

At this point, everypony was worried about what Shining just insinuated. John had just left to go negotiate with the other humans. Surely that was what he was actually doing, right?

Right?

"What are you saying Shining, are you saying that he's not going over there to negotiate?" Lyra asked.

"Well? Was it not obvious? I don't care what planet you're from, but you don't load a weapon to prepare for negotiations. You load a weapon to prepare for a fight. He was preparing for a fight. Just as much as he was preparing to do god know what with us. If he can easily lie to us about this, who knows how much he's lied to us before this! We cannot tell how much he's told us is true, thus we cannot afford to trust him anymore." Shining pointed out.

Everypony took this information in, and were quick to conclude that he was right. Even Twilight was at a loss for words. The way John reacted upon seeing them, loading his weapon, there was no way he was going over there to have a peaceful chat.

With this Sky, Sparks, and Iron loaded their own crossbows, preparing for things to go sideways. Sky in particular wasn't too sure John would outright attack them for trying to escape, but she wasn't taking any chances. Iron and Sparks on the other hoof were certain that John would flip out, and were taking no chances at all.

Fluttershy looked over to the slope, looking like she wanted to stop whatever John was doing. However, she remembered last time, that she only barely stopped him from killing the stalker. There was no way he'd allow them to get in his way this time. This time, who know what he might do if they betrayed his interests again.

Daring simply watched the edge like a hawk. This trip had been interesting to be sure, not enough material to write a book about, but she knew as well as Shining that they needed to leave. Daring was all about an adventure, but when it was practically suicidal, and other ponies lives in involved, she knew when to call it quits.

Lyra looked mortified, the thought that John was likely going over to kill those people without even talking to them disturbed her. She questioned if circumstances had been different, had there been no stalker to begin with, would they even be alive right now? Would he have just killed them all without a second thought? Much like he was going to do to these other humans now? Lyra didn't want to believe it was true.

Twilight simply didn't want to believe it. Not because of what it meant for those humans over the slope, or because she didn't want to believe their guide was truly that much of a monster. No, because at this point, she knew that the expedition was over. There was no recovering it at this point. Everypony was afraid, and they all wanted to go home. Twilight was helpless to stop it.

"I-it could still just be a misunderstanding, we still don't know what he's actually-" Twilight started, hoping that she could somehow salvage the expedition. However, nopony was having it at this point.

"No, Twilight. We can't push this any further, we've risked enough already. We need to leave, right now. This expedition is not worth any of our li-" Shining began to say, however he was cut off as everypony heard someone scream.

"OH SHIT, WE GOT A-"

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

*BANG*

"AHHHHH!!!!"

"WAIT! PLEASE! DON-"

*BANG* *BANG*

If there was any room for arguing left, it was not completely gone. Shining was right, he was not negotiating. There was no way they could trust John anymore at this point.

"Alright, that's it, now we DEFINITELY got to go. No more arguing, activate the crystal Twilight! Call us back home." Shining shouted.

Twilight wanted to argue more. It took years of effort and risks to get this far, to finally reach another world with teleportation. However, now that didn't matter. Shining was right, this expedition was not worth any of their lives. They've risked too much already... it was time to go home.

Begrudgingly, Twilight opened her saddlebags and received the crystal. With a small charge of magic, she started broadcasting.

Taking out the first three wasn't a problem, it was actually rather simple considering their backs were to me. One bullet to each of their heads eliminated them rather quickly. The forth one reacted fast though, almost too fast. He was in cover by the time I took two shots at him; both missed. Thankfully, he was unarmed and I was able to flank him before he could get the weapon he was reaching for. One shot in the back ended his effort quickly. His thermal suit stopped the bullet though, and he flipped over, hands raised in surrender.

"WAIT! PLEASE! DON-"

Another two shots through his mask cut him off mid sentence. Two was probably waste, but when shooting through a mask, you can never be sure.

With that, the outside was clear, however, the inside was the real mystery I was concerned about. No shouts or alarms could be heard from inside the building. This could mean one of three things... One, the building was clear; highly unlikely. Two, whoever is in there is keeping quiet, hoping to catch me unawares from one of the windows; extremely likely. Three, the cannibals were not using the building at all, and likely just used it as a trap house; more likely than I would like to believe.

Trapping houses is a common tactic used by humanity in general to catch whatever and whoever is unfortunate enough to wander inside. Most trap houses are designed to kill anyone who walks inside. Usually an explosive trap of some kind, that or a incredibly elaborate trap of the worst kind that can be reset; for those who don't like to waste buildings. However, cannibal trap houses are a different kind of evil. These traps won't kill you, but they will make sure you never walk out of that house again, not without assistance at least. Assistance that cannibals will more than happily provide, given that you become their next meal.

Thankfully, I happen to know how to tell if a trap house is truly a trap house. I've worked with plenty of them in the past. Usually the first sign is a trip wire mere feet from the door, usually heavily concealed, but you will always see it if you are looking for it. In the case that there isn't, it will usually be best to check for any inconspicuous pieces of cardboard or rugs hanging around on the floor, crooked paintings or mirrors on the wall, even hanging light bulbs from the ceiling; you'd be surprised how often people actually try to pull those things to see if they actually work... If you see any of these things upon first entering a house, it's probably safe to assume the entire house is booby trapped.

With my theories in mind, I scooted my way along the building and near the front entrance (the window) I took a small peek inside, quickly ducking back into cover. It was dark, and hard to make out any real detail of what was inside. Given I wasn't being shot at yet, I decided now was probably the best time to take a flashlight and peek inside again.

I received my flashlight from my pack and tested it, it seemed to be working fine. Holding it with the end of my gun, I took another peek inside. I found nothing of note. All I could see so far was rubble and various pieces of broken frozen furniture scattered about the room. All the interior walls of this floor had been torn down or rotted away at some point it seemed. All that remained was the structural supports keeping the building standing. At the other end of the room, there was a staircase leading up to the next floor and another leading down. The stairway leading down, however, was completely blocked off by the snow burying the floor below. This left only one way to go.

Scanning the room one more time, I found no evidence that this was a trap house. However, I still kept a watchful eye on any all potential spots for traps. You can never be too careful, and even if there are no traps on the first floor, that doesn't mean there are no traps.

I made my way up to the staircase and began to make my way up. Much to my dismay, the stairway creaked loudly as I stepped upon it. It seems that if anyone was hiding out in this building, they were going to know where I was. Deciding that trying to sneak my way in was a waste of effort at this point, I picked up my pace. I was still on the lookout for traps, but found none as I made it to the second floor.

Reaching the top, I was now staring down a hallway. The walls were crumbling, but still held firm enough to stay upright. There were various rooms to the right and left of me. Almost all the entryways were doorless, all had seemed to have fallen off their hinges long ago. That was, except for one. There was a single door still standing on the last room to the right.

The entire building was still eerily silent. The Silence was almost haunting me at this point. If there was someone here, I wish they'd just spring out already. I hate hunting through buildings like this...

I made my way down the hall, Checking rooms as a I went. I checked a room to my left. Nothing but more broken furniture and rubble... Room to my right, more broken things. To my left, even more. To my right, a room that looks like a sleeping area; filthy mattresses in a orderly fashion throughout the room. I let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that this wasn't not a trap house. They wouldn't be sleeping in here otherwise... Of course I'd check the mattresses for traps later, just to be sure, but not before I secured the house.

Room to my left, various bags of mystery items I will sort through later. Room to my right, Just another empty room. Room to my left, collapsed, filled with nothing but rubble and ash from the dull sky shining through the roof above.

Now, for the final room. The door room.

If I was certain this was a trap house, I wouldn't ever open this door. Door traps, when made by cannibals, can be very nasty. However, given everything I've seen so far, I wasn't exactly convinced this was a trap house. I haven't spotted a single trap yet, and I'm pretty good at spotting these things... So I was going to risk this door; carefully.

After checking for any wires or triggers around the door area, I cautiously turn the handle, listening for any odd clicks. I didn't hear any, so I flung open the door from cover.

The heat from inside the room hit me like a brick, making me feel like I was entering a heated bunker. This made my thermal suit start to question its priorities. Then at that moment, I was hit by something else. Something charging around the corner, out of the room.

"RRRRAWWAWAAAH!" Something screamed at me as it tackled me with full force and sent me tumbling towards the ground. My assault rifle was thrown across the hall.

Looking up at my attacker, I find that I'm currently being pinned down by a disheveled, nude, and very pissed looking woman, a fist raised to strike me.

Very confused by the scene before me, she managed to land the first hit across my mask, knocking it clean off. She lined up a second fist to strike again, however, I managed to catch this one mid stride with my left hand. With my right, I quickly retaliated, giving the crazy woman a blow to her face; knocking her off me.

I'm very quick to get up and attempt draw my revolver. However, she was quick to recover as well, and she seemed to have receive a weapon of her own. A knife.

Namely my knife. She must of got it when she tackled me. That little bitch...

With my knife and another battlecry, she charged and took a slash at me. I dodge only barely, she nicked my overcoat, leaving a large cut in it. She went for a stab next. However, I managed to dodged this one as well, following up with an elbow to her face; knocking her on her ass. She attempted to recover, but only managed to catch my boot in her face. She went down like a sack of bricks, completely unconscious.

I stepped on her wrist, and retrieved my knife, putting it back in it's proper place. With that, I finally grab Little Lisa, cracked the hammer back, and pointed it at the unconscious woman's head, about to make sure that she didn't get up again.

However, I stopped. I stopped as I got a better look at her. More pointedly, what she was currently lacking; thermal suit. What the hell was this cannibal doing out here in the middle of nowhere in nothing but her skin? I've seen cannibals do some weird shit, but running around naked wasn't one of their hobbies... It was a little too cold to be doing that.

I looked back at the door room, and I noted that there were heat waves emitting from the room. Stepping over the unconscious woman, I stepped in front of the doorway to get a better view. Suddenly, things became very clear...

There was a small thermo heater inside, just hanging from the ceiling. The rest of the room consisted of a filthy mattress, and chains. The entirety of the room and everything in it was stained in blood, among other things. I also noted that the door could only be opened from one side.

One thing was certain, she wasn't one of them. She must have thought I was though... I could hardly blame her at this point.

Looking back at the unconscious woman, I began to notice she was shivering. The freezing temperatures was starting to get to her. She wasn't going to last for long in these conditions.

I sigh, shaking my head. Things are just getting better and better.

I quickly came to a decision. Walking over to the girl, I picked her up and brought her back into the heated room. Laying her down on the mattress, I took one hand and locked a chain to it.

"Sorry about this, but until I can find you a thermal suit and get shit properly explained, I can't have you trying to kill me again." I told her. I know she couldn't hear me, but it felt right to say.

Leaving the room and closing the door behind me, I proceeded to retrieve my AK down the hall. I secured the roof, and it turned out there was no other cannibal in the building; it was just the four outside after all. Now, I need to call my team over, and get the drama that is about to ensue over with.

I don't think I'll be able to get away from not explaining this one. People died, and I'm pretty sure they are going to want to know why. Thankfully though, they're in luck. The big reveal for them can be seen from the rooftop of this building. New York City, from what I can see, it hasn't changed a bit. It should answer most of their questions anyways. After that, I'm sure sure they'll want to go home. Good riddance, I guess, It will be one less thing to deal with; even if it means losing support.

Of course, this is assuming they haven't run off already. I did use a lot more ammo than I intended to...

"Equestrian Portal Control! I repeat! We've encountered some problems, and need an emergency portal opened at our current position! How copy?" Twilight repeated into the crystal, worry beginning to lace her voice.

This was her fifth attempt at this point. However, they were receiving no response from the other side. Twilight couldn't understand this, was there no pony at the Portal control? What the buck was going on!? This should be working! They've tested it at least twenty times before they came here; ensured it would work no matter the conditions! Why the actual buck wasn't it working!?

The sounds of gunfire had stopped minutes ago, leaving them in a eerie silence, putting the entire team on edge. Moments later though, they began to hear faint screaming from over the slope. At this point, everypony was beginning to panic. This needed to go faster than it was.

"Twilight, what's wrong with the crystal? Why isn't it working?" Shining asked worriedly.

"I-I don't know! They've should have responded by now, and the crystal is perfectly intact! Maybe they're not there!?" Twilight responded, not quite sure what other explanation there would be.

The entire team was both worried and enraged by this. Of all the times for this to happen, it had to be now? When their lives were in Jeopardy? Did somepony back at portal control stepped out at this vital moments? Was there something wrong with the crystal? The signal? It was outrageous and concerning, their only lifeline was not working and nopony had a clue why.

"That's a load of manure! There is always supposed to be someone there! No matter what! I swear to Celestia, if we die because of a coffee break-" Daring began to rant.

Everypony aside for Fluttershy, Twilight, and Shining began to mutter among themselves about how such a thing could be happening now of all times. As the concern and worry continued to grow among the whisperings, Shining decided it was time step in and calm the team down.

"Everypony! Calm down! Let's not lose our heads! Panicking is the worst thing we can do right now. Twilight, just keep trying." Shining consulted the group.

Twilight nodded, and was about to try once again to reach portal control. However she was interrupted when John's voice echoed over the slope.

"Negotiations are over, you can come out now!" John shouted.

Everypony froze as they heard this. What were they going to do now? John was no longer distracted, and if they were to try to summon the portal now, Celestia knows what he might do. Given all the commotion over the hill, and the fact that he was still alive, it was easy to tell who'd win in a firefight. Shining himself was not about to challenge those odd.

"Captain, what do we do? Do we run for it?!" Sparks asked worriedly.

"No, if he planned to kill us, he'd pick us off from the distance. He's likely more than capable of pulling it off. It's not worth the risk. Let's just play along, see what happens." Shining suggested.

Everypony was surprised by this, especially Daring. Both had agreed they couldn't trust the human, yet here he was suggesting that they just 'play along.' He just killed all those humans down there, members of his own species. Who knew what John would do once everypony came down there.

"Are you bucking nuts, we all know what the buck he just did over there! He just killed his own kind! Lied about his intentions to kill them! Are we really going to trust him after that!?" Daring argued.

Shining shook his head, realizing how he sounded at the moment. He was quick to start explaining himself.

"No, I don't trust him, but I don't see any other options. Plus, it is as he said: If he wanted to kill us he would have by now. I have no clue of what his real intention for us is, but dragging us across this world just to do what he could have done miles ago doesn't make any sense. I say we buy more time this way, figure out what's going on with the crystal, and get out of here when the opportunity arises. This is the only way."

No pony was sure about this, not even Twilight. Yes, John did say that, but it was also John that said it. Given how much he's been lying to them, he could very well be lying about that as well. However, they also knew that Shining was right. They didn't have much other choice. Running was stupid, especially when their portal key wasn't working. Fighting John was even stupider, they were certain that this point this human could kill them all blindfolded.

That being said, John, so far, hasn't shown any real intent to harm them, and he's been given plenty of opportunity to do so. This was not to say John wasn't planning something, but it was to say that staying with him and playing along would buy them more time. Between Fighting him, running, and staying, the team reluctantly agreed staying was the best course of action.

With everypony in agreement, Shining got up from his position and started making his way over.

"Come on, let's go before he gets suspicious." Shining said, leading the way over the slope.

With this, everypony got up and made their way over the slope. At the top, the scene before them was just as they feared. All the humans were dead, four corpses laid out around a burning fire. John was currently dragging the corpse of one of former member of his species away from the building residing to the right of the massacre. Spike seemed to be helping with another. There wasn't much left of their heads, their masks seemed to only barely hold on to what was left. None of the other corpses were in much better condition.

The sight was too much to behold for one particular pony. Fluttershy turned green, and found herself running back behind the slope, ripping her mask off, and letting loose the contents of her stomach. She hurled about three times before she crawled back, curled up into a ball, and started crying. Twilight was quick to be by her side, trying to comfort her the best she could. However, it was hardly enough. The poor pegasus continued to wail on the ground, mumbling to herself how she hated this place and how she just wanted to go home.

Everypony else also turned a bit green at the sight, but all managed to keep a hold of themselves. Shining was disgusted, but not surprised by this outcome of events; he did see it coming after all. The guards felt along the same lines, but couldn't help but feel a little surprised and unnerved by the alien's actions. Lyra was simply horrified and couldn't help but feel very uncomfortable, like the air around her was only just barely allowing her to breath. Terror of John and what he was capable of was seeping into Lyra's mind, and she couldn't stop it.

Daring on the other hoof was quite pissed. They've been jerked around by this monster since they've got here. With the stalker, with his avoidance of questions they had, with his keeping them in the dark about anything that was going on, and now there was this. Without even explaining, he goes and outrights murders a bunch of his own kind right in front of them. Without care, concern, or worry about how they might feel about it. At this point, Daring has had enough of it.

Now, Daring wanted answers, and she was going to get them one way or another.

With this, Daring started trotting over, her gaze fixed upon John. Soon enough she picked up her pace and was flying. Moments later, she was soaring straight towards her intended target.

At the moment Daring took off towards John, Shining knew what her intention was. He yelled for Daring to stop, but it was far too late for that. All he and the rest of the team could do was look on in horror, hoping to Celestia that Daring stunt wasn't about to get them all killed.

So, here I was, minding my own business, dragging the mess I created out of our new front yard. Then, quiet suddenly, I see this blur fill my vision. The next thing I noticed was that my gasmask was flying off into infinity. The next, I was on my ass staring up at a very pissed alien hovering over me. Eight guesses as to who that was...

Yep, it was Daring.

So, yeah, I just got sucker punched and knocked on my ass by some wing alien that was half my size. Not my proudest moment I have to say, and I can't say that I didn't see this coming; even more to my shame. I wasn't quite sure what their reaction to me killing four people after telling them I would negotiate would be, but I did think it was going to be dramatic. Punching a heavily armed man twice your size with the ability to kill you at the pull of a trigger would count as dramatic I believe.

Especially when his oversize dog is nearby...

Daring probably would have thrown a second punch, however, Spike was quicker on the draw. In the blink of an eye, Spike was on her, his lunge snatching her straight of out the of the air and onto her back. The next thing she knew was a very pissed looking Spike looking right into her eyes. I have to say, she went from very pissed off to very concerned for her life pretty quick.

I whistled sharply. "Spike! Get off her! Now!" I ordered before Spike did anything rash. Had I not said anything, he probably would have snapped her neck. He tends to take attacks against me personally.

Spike obeyed, begrudgingly, getting off Daring and taking a position between me and her. From there, he continued to snarl at Daring as she quite carefully got up.

I got up myself, dusted myself off and retrieved my mask that landed nearby. This was the second time today my mask was knocked off by a girl. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about that, but in the end, I decided that life goes on.

I looked up and spotted the rest of the team at the top of the slope, minus Twilight and Fluttershy it seemed. All who were there were staring at me in wide eyed shock and fear. At this point, I wasn't quite sure if it was because of the various bodies littering the surroundings, or because of Daring's bone headed decision to come knock me on my ass. I was going to assume it was both.

Given the look of worry on their faces, I'm going to assume that they think I'm going to shoot them now. I won't deny that the thought has crossed my mind, multiple times. Of course, I'm not one who goes around shooting people without good reason. Getting punched in the face, though it might sound like a good enough reason, was not good enough for me. However, there was one thing I needed to make very clear.

I turned back to Daring, who seemed to switch right back to pissed off mode, glaring at me with all her fury. I was unimpressed, and proceeded to glare right back.

"Now, I'm pretty sure you believe I deserved that. Hell, I just might have. So, I'll give you that one for free. However, if you try that again, I will snap your neck." I stated simply.

With this, Daring's bravery slightly faltered, and for a second I could see some fear in her expression. It was gone seconds later, but I could tell I made my point very clear.

"Glad I made that clear." I said.

With that, I turned my attention back to the body I was dragging before the whole fiasco. I was hoping to get these corpses out of the camp as quickly as I could. Despite the freezing temperatures, the smell still lingers due to the thermal suits keeping the bodies warm. Leaving them out here would only attract animals, and likely our stalker, right up to the building. Wasn't exactly something I was keen on doing. However, I am going to leave the corpses in sight of the building, just in case our stalker decides to show up and scavenge the corpses. That way there's a chance I could finish it off; assuming it is still alive.

As I picked up the corpse to continue dragging, I heard Spike start growling again. Looking over, I could see that Daring was still being held back away from me by Spike. Every step Daring tried to make around him, Spike took a step in the same direction; growling all the way. At this point, I decided it best to call off the dog completely, before Daring got hurt.

"Spike, help me clean up. She isn't going to do anything." I ordered Spike.

Spike stared back at me, then at Daring. With one growl, he slowly moved out of the way and back to the corpse he was dragging before.

With this, I continued to drag the corpse away. With Spike no longer stopping Daring's approach, she began to make her way over to me once again. I wasn't worried about her attempting to knock me out again, I believed I made myself very clear. It seemed that the rest of her team wasn't so sure though, as they were attempting to call her back over to them.

"Daring, get back over here! Let's not make this any worse!" Shining yelled at her.

"Daring! Are you a bucking idiot!? I wouldn't test this guy! Seriously, get the buck back here you moron!" Sky bellowed at her.

"I swear to bucking Celestia, Daring! If you get us all killed!" Lyra yelled after.

Twilight and Fluttershy seemed to make their way over the slope as this was happening. They looked completely oblivious as to what was going on, but given the fact that Daring was right next to me, they probably assumed it was nothing good.

Daring stopped a mere foot away from me, I suppose to act like she wasn't afraid of me, where she continued to glare into the side of my head. I continued to ignore her, of course. As adorable as this dick measuring contest was, I had better things to do. So, if she didn't have an actually point behind this-

"What the actual buck is your problem!?" Daring finally said.

... and there it was. She was going to start questioning my motives. I knew this was coming, but not this soon. I assumed they would be scared of me for awhile before one of them gathered enough bravery to ask. It would allowed me time to get a few thing done before I had to show them the truth.

Was it time to send them up to the rooftop? No, not yet. Still haven't secured the entire building for traps; the mattresses were still a major concern. Sending them up there on their own accord before I was sure the building safe would be a mistake. So, for now, I was going to have to answer questions.

With a sigh, I dropped the corpse once again. Standing up to my full height and stared down at Daring. This time, she didn't falter in fear, she stayed determined and brave. As a matter of fact, she started flying to meet me face to face. I guess she really was about proving she wasn't scared of me.

The rest of the team cautiously made their way over. I came to note all their weapons were loaded, and they looked quite scared. I guess they all assumed that Daring has pissed me off beyond the point of rational thought, and I was going to kill someone. Thankfully for them I was nowhere near that point. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to know that.

"We're so sorry, we don't know what got into her! Please, don't do anything rash! Daring, back off, now." Shining ordered.

Daring didn't seem to care, as she maintained her position in front of me. Arms crossed and attempted to glare though my mask and into my eyes.

"Buck no, we can't just let this go anymore! He needs to explain this! We can't just let him walk away from this one unquestioned! He's gotten away with jerking us around for long enough! What in Tartarus are you doing!? What are you planning!? What the actual buck was this!? Why did you kill these guys!? Why won't you tell us anything!?" Daring was practically yelling in my face.

The entire group was put into a stunned silence, absolutely horrified that Daring would be speaking to me like this. They stared worriedly at myself, the guards looked like they were preparing for a fight while everyone else looked like the were about to run. I decided now was the best time to speak up, before everything went overboard.

"I'll be honest, I'm surprised you are all so dense as to not just put it together already." I started simply.

Suddenly, they all stopped looking scared, and Daring stopped looking so pissed at me. Now, they simply looked at me with confusion, likely wondering why I was accusing them of being completely oblivious. Obviously, I was hiding the truth from them; like the scheming monster I was. How was it possible that the they were simply not seeing the truth right in front of them? Thankfully for them, I had a very simple answer for them.

"Seriously, look around you. What the fuck do you see here? Does this place look normal to you? Does it look like some place you would want to raise your kids? Start a business? Live in? Can you really not see it?! Is the 'snow' REALLY all you see here?"

The team looked around them, the bodies, the abandoned building, the endless plains of ash and snow around them. They saw everything around them, yet, it was still obvious that they could not see it. I could tell by their expressions, all they could see was the people I killed for no reason and a building that just happened to be in disrepair. This was starting to become frustrating, they can't seem to see past their own delusions of what was right and wrong; of what a world should be like. This was only confirmed by Daring's next statement.

"What are you talking about?! Seriously! You're doing it again! What is it that you are not telling us!? Why don't you just tell us!" Daring piped up.

I let out a sigh, placing my hand to the front of my mask and shaking my head in shame. These aliens really were oblivious; blissfully so.

At this point, there was only one thing left to do. Bring them up to the roof and let them see for themselves. Outright saying it won't even work at this point. If I told them outright, they likely still wouldn't believe me. These aliens are so wrapped up in their bubble of reality, it is impossible for them to comprehend the remote possibility of a world so much different than their own without first being slapped in face with it. So, instead of wasting any more of my breath explaining how dense they are, I was going to show them instead. If this doesn't pop their bubble, I'm not sure what will.

Removing my hand from my mask, I walked past them all and towards the abandoned building.

"Follow me." Was I said as I made my way to the entrance.

I didn't look back to see if they decided to follow me, but I knew they would. I assume that they were not done with me yet, and that they would just let me walk away from the conversation, assuming anything Daring said was truth. So, I made my way inside the build through the accessible window. From there, I made my way to the stairs and stopped, waiting for the team to catch up.

Looking back towards the entrance, sure enough, the team was following. Daring was the first inside, likely being at my heels the entire time. She was looking around the place, and for some reason she was beginning to look uneasy; a very distinct look of curiosity and dread. I wasn't sure if it was because of my demeanor, or if the setting was upsetting her. I could see similar faces on the rest of the aliens. At that point I assumed it was the setting of the building. They seemed to be questioning it's features, likely wondering why it looked like this. Why it looked to haunting and soulless? Why it was abandoned.

I guess now they were starting to think about my questions. What I was implying with them. This was good, it seemed that their bubble was finally bursting.

"Follow my very footsteps, and don't wander off. This entire house isn't secure, and there might be traps." I said as I began to make my way up the stairs.

Daring gave me a questioning look at the mention of traps. She began look around, seemingly looking for anything off.

"Traps? In here?" Daring asked, a bit concerned.

This concern seemed to be shared by the rest of the team, as they froze in place. I stopped for a moment and I shook my head. Do these aliens not listen...

"Just follow me and don't wander off, you'll be fine. Now come, I got something to show you." I replied as I continued my way up.

The team reluctantly continued to follow me. Up one flight of stairs and into the second floor. There, they got to see more of the ruined building. The ominous hallway with a single door at the end. I'm sure they were questioning what was behind that door, but were not brave enough to wander over to it given my warning of traps. What's behind that door will be an aspect of this world I'll explain later, but for now I needed to show them the bigger picture.

Finally we made our way up the final set of stairs, and up to the rooftop. Well... it wasn't REALLY a rooftop, just another floor of the building that got leveled some time ago. The entire roof was covered in ash and snow, containing it was what was left of the walls that used to isolate the former floor from the outside. From here, you could see from every direction. You couldn't quite see the canyon from which we came, but you could see the one thing that mattered...

On the North-East side of the building, off in the distance, you could begin to see the beginnings of New York City. Least what was left of it. From this view, you could very clearly make out how much damage was caused by the alien's bombing of the once great city.

New York was unique when it came to the type of attack and damage it sustained. Oddly enough, when the aliens attacked this city, they didn't just blow it off the face of the earth like they did every other city. No, with this city, they used one single bomb. No one knows why they only used one, but it did get the job done. The middle of the city is completely gone, and uninhabitable. If you somehow made it to the middle of New York, the amount of radiation there would kill you within the day; if not only half. Nowadays, it's possibly to get there and survive with a thermal suit, given its radiation resistant properties, but it was not healthy to stay for long. Even thermal suit will give out to the radiation eventually.

The destruction it wreaked to everything else around it was pretty significant. All building just outside ground zero were nearly decimated. Buildings a little further than that were only barely standing. Further than that the buildings were only half standing. Further than that... you get the picture.

The buildings at the very outskirts of the city, back when I was there were at least, by some miracle, were still standing. However, now I can see that they were beginning to decay and collapse. It's been awhile I guess... Seeing it again brings back some memories. Unfortunately not the ones I want to remember.

When I first woke up there, I was on the outskirts, and the radioactive ash was just beginning to fall. I don't know how I survived. With the amount of radiation falling on me at the time, I should have just grown sick and died on the spot. Yet... somehow, I managed to get away. I just picked a direction and started to run. In that direction, I kept running. I didn't understand what was going on, I was confused, I was scared; I hardly understood what had happened. All I knew was that if I stopped, I would die, and god forbid I would ever do that.

So, I kept running; for god knows how long. For almost a week I'm sure. I survived by scavenging houses as I went, hyjacking cars when I could find one, and continuing to move whenever I could. I knew if I stopped, the fallout would catch up to me, and I would die. Again, god forbid I ever do that...

In the end though, the fallout caught up to me. It began to grow colder, and I was getting sicker. Soon, I couldn't keep going. I was dying, and I couldn't run anymore. Knowing that I was done for, I decided that it was time find a place to curl up and die. I broke into an abandoned house, found a bed, went to sleep; knowing full well I wasn't going to wake up. Next thing I knew, I woke up in the bunker. My bunker, my new home.

I was lucky, that house I broke into was found their scavenging team not even ten minutes later. One of them was Ryan, I remember that much clearly. Another was Fredrickson, before he was the bunker overseer. The last one's name escapes me, all I remember was that he died a month afterwards from god know what. They found me, realized I was still alive, and brought me back to the bunker to revive me. Within days, I was cured from my sickness and brought back into action. I wasn't sure how they managed to do it, but they did it. However, it was not without strings attached.

Given my memory loss, they tried to explain to me what had happened. However, at the time, not even they really knew what was going on. All they knew was that we were under attack, they didn't know by who, but they did know they had to be doing something about it. So, I was given a choice. Take up arms and joined them, or get sent back outside to fend for myself. I made the obvious choice. I don't regret it to this day.

There was so much more of us back then... and we were so optimistic and certain that we would be able to stop whatever was killing us off. My god, we had no clue...

So, here I am again, standing over 100 miles away from the once great city I ran from. However, now, instead of running away from it I'm running towards it. Running towards the one place that may hold the secrets to my past life, and the same place that just might end up being my final destination. Isn't life just complicated?

At this point, I begin to hear footsteps slowly approaching from behind me, joining me by my side. Breaking my gaze from the ruined city, I turned my attention back to the team beside me. Their reactions were pretty much as I expected. Complete. Utter. Shock. More than that really. I could see in their expression that their minds were having an extremely hard time figuring out what they were staring at, but at the same time couldn't deny what they were looking at was real. Right there before them, a great city in shambles, and they couldn't deny to themselves it was real.

The entire team was speechless, seemingly not having anything to utter, much less say. So, I spoke for them.

"So, is it really just Snow?" I asked, breaking the silence.