Tactical Retreat

Dallas heard footsteps behind her. Turning to look, her eyes widened and she scrambled to her feet. Barely noticing her injuries, it was all she could do to keep her jaw from dropping to the curb.

Standing in front of her was the Director.

He was a tall man, standing straight up and holding his head up high. His brown hair was tied back in a horsetail, his bangs framing his handsome face. Green rectangular glasses sat perched on his nose, complimenting his stern, brown eyes. His attire of a black turtleneck, khaki slacks and white lab coat gave him an intelligent if not no-nonsense appearance.

She had never seen him in person before.

"Dallas Frost I presume?" His voice was professional, low, soft and sharp at the same time.

"You…you're…" Dallas couldn't believe she was seeing the man who ran the entire base, oversaw the operations and experimentations on the citi and kept relations with the public outside of a darkened office. Never had she dreamed she'd be meeting the monster who pulled the strings of their prison in person, let alone in such vulnerable conditions.

"Yes. I'm well aware you've never seen me in person. Quite frankly I don't understand what's so stunning. I'm a busy man after all." He sighed, eyeing her cuts and bruises. "It seems you've had a bit of a rough time with Sophia." He remarked.

"You could say that." Dallas said, getting over the shock.

"I'm afraid we may have woken her a bit prematurely but it can't be helped. We'll have to work through the kinks. I am sorry you had to take the hit in order to keep her alive." His eyes darkened. "I understand from the head doctor that you aren't supposed to be out and about?"

"I'm not joining the fight if that's what you mean." Dallas snapped. "I know when to stay back. I'm useless on the battlefield currently."

The director nodded. "I'm glad you know that. However, what if I told you right now at this very moment, I need you to accompany me to the battlefield."

Dallas frowned. The silence hanging around the outside of the base, the director showing his face, and the sinking feeling in her stomach did not add up to a hunch she didn't like. "How bad is it?" She wanted to know.

"Bad enough that I have to step out of my office. We're leaving now."

~~~

The battlefield had been reduced to a badly formed circle of mutants. The mutants, eager to see the downfall of the citi, watched in silent excitement as Angie and Seth battled it out. He had inflicted several injuries on her body, slowly wearing her down as his stamina and endurance outfoxed her's. His own body was untouched.

With a flick of his wrist, Seth forced up a large column of ice before it rose out of the ground and flew through the air to slam into Angie. They both crashed through a wall of mutants, earning a smile from Seth and a horrified look from Reno.

"I really don't understand the ideas you citi possess." Seth remarked as Angie struggled to free herself from the bottom of the pile of broken ice and mutants. "Why on earth do you risk your lives for little things like humanity or memories? You have neither so why bother?" He slammed his shoe onto her head, shoving her face into the earth.

A rumbling in the distance caught his attention and he looked up in time to see several mutants go flying through the air. Removing his foot from Angie's head, he turned to face the line of armored cars pull to a stop in the cleared area.

"Well this is a surprise." He remarked.

Dallas hopped out of the passenger's cab. "You damn bastard." She hissed, clenching and unclenching her hands. "How dare you do this to my comrades." She snarled. Her intent of a slow painful death was felt from all sides of the battlefield.

"I can show you if you'd like." Seth said cheerfully. "Though to be fair, you're a bit beat up already."

"I'll rip that mouth right off you fuc-" Dallas snarled, but a hand on her shoulder made her stop. She glared at the director who shook his head.

"Seth." He greeted.

Seth waved. "Hey old man. Didn't think you'd be here." He called.

"You know him?" Dallas growled.

"More or less." The director said shoving his glasses further onto his nose. "Seth, you know why I'm here." He called.

"Like you can stop me!" Seth's face darkened and Dallas stepped back as her animal instincts registered his power flucuated before her eyes. "I just flattened your precious citi. What makes you even think that you can take me."

The director smiled and Dallas felt a shiver run up her spine despite her anger. There was something about this man that wasn't right. There was something there, hidden behind his eyes that was begging to be released and set forth despite the chains of power that prevented it from doing so. There was something dangerous about that gaze.

To her surprise, Seth snorted. "Fine." He turned his back on them and began walking away. "I'll just have to come play again when you're not so cranky." He sighed. He looked over his shoulder, his eyes changing from that brilliant blue to bloody red. "And when I do, I'll kill each and every one of your precious monsters."

There was a bright flash and Dallas had to shield her eyes. When she could see again, there was a small speck in the sky flying away and the mutants were all moving east, away from the gate.

"That was creepy." She remarked.

"That was just Seth's way of a tactical retreat." The director sighed. "I leave you here to clean up the details. See if any of the citee here are salvageable and return to base ASAP." He ordered the men who had come with them. "Monitor that pack of mutants and make sure none of them come within a five mile radius of this place."

"Sir!"

The Director walked away, pulling out a cell phone from his lab coat. Dallas, who had more questions than answers, was about to go after him when she heard her name being called. Turning around to find the voice, she was surprised that it came from a brusied and battered Reno.

"What the hell happened to you?" She demanded running over as two men hoisted Reno to his feet.

"I got squished." Reno groaned. "By my own two feet. Why are you out here?" He wanted to know.

"Besides clearing a path, babysitting duty." She answered with a jerk of her head to the Director. "Where's the others?"

"Angie's over there, Dmitri flew off and Kai…" Reno's face darkened at the sight of three men loading Kai onto a stretcher. "He got his ass kicked." He finished.

"Oh dear god." Dallas breathed as the men carried the stretcher to one of the armored vehicles. There was a large stain in the earth where Kai had been laying and there was zero movement in the stretcher.

"It gets better." Angie limped over to them, a scowl on her face. "Seth tried to coax us to his side. What's his deal?" She demanded.

"I have no idea. But I know somebody who does." Dallas growled her fists clenching as she gazed at the Director who shut his phone and shoved it in his pocket.