Marlene looked from Toby's smiling face to Reid. There was a sort of pained appreciation in her eyes, as if she were impressed with what he'd just done, and at the same time hated that he'd done it. Reid tried to ignore her look, and the eyes of everyone else around him. They could judge him if everyone lived through this.

Marlene's voice rang out cold and clear. "We won't be able to hold back the other salamanders with just us and Toby. We need more people to fight." She swept her eyes over the men around them, then thumbed her radio. "This is Marlene. We're going to stall the beasts so they don't catch the evacuation column. We need volunteers to help." She paused and looked at Toby before continuing. "Let me be crystal clear - if you come back here to volunteer, do not expect to make it back. Our goal is to stall the creatures and then find our own way to escape the horde. No one's safety is guaranteed. If you still want to do this, thank you. Get to the command tent ASAP. We don't have much time." She turned off the radio again and shifted her gaze to Reid. "For the record, this is still a stupid plan."

Reid didn't miss her use of 'we' throughout her message. It was true - having more people around to distract or delay the smaller salamanders would be beneficial, but Reid wasn't confident of getting anyone free from the beasts but himself. If Marlene was planning on staying, she was wrong. Reid couldn't have her die here - he needed her to keep Sara and the tail of the column safe. James was bleeding and hurt - he wasn't a viable option. It had to be Marlene. And she needed to understand that she had to go. Some small groups of fighters were already walking or limping back towards the command tent. More headed for the rear gate.

Reid stepped towards his wife and squeezed her hand twice. It meant so many things - I love you, and trust me, and we'll get through this together. She met his eyes and squeezed back. Reid needed her on his side here. He turned back towards the growing group.

"Marlene, I need you to coordinate the retreat and get defenders positioned on the column's tail. Make sure there are enough people there to defend against anything that could catch up to you - and, of course, make sure Sara and the other vehicles stay safe."

The woman frowned at Reid and Susan, then pointed her thumb at James. Her voice bubbled with venom. "My husband can do that just as well. What you need is someone here to watch your back. It's going to be nearly impossible to get everyone coordinated right now anyway. I'll-"

Susan squeezed Reid's hand and jumped in. "That's exactly why you need to do it. James is hurt, and we can't spare healing time. You have to make sure the column is good. If you don't, Reid is going to be distracted, and worrying about the wrong things."

The Titan screeched as its claws glowed again. They smashed through more and more of the wooden battlement. One of Mark's traps was half-buried in the thing's tail.

Marlene took a breath. "We don't have time for this. This discussion happened already, it's not happening again. I'm staying. If you didn't want me to, you should've come up with a better plan. Or, we can all leave together and just hope they don't chase us like they have every other time."

She was right. They didn't have time. The Crimson Titan could get bored or finished with its wall-focused rampage any second, and they had no idea what the main force of the beasts was doing. Reid got Susan's attention.

"I'm sorry, Sue. I'd do it myself, but I can't give out official orders. You have to be the one to do it."

Susan trembled for a moment, then her back went rigid. "Don't make me lose you again, Reid. Promise me." She pulled him in for a kiss, and he resisted the urge to melt into her. She blinked away tears as they separated.

"I promise I'll come back to you, Sue. I know I can make it out, no matter what happens. But she was right, we don't have time. Take Sara and get clear away. You'll be safer with Marlene there."

Marlene's eyes went wide, then narrowed to black points as they darted between him and Susan. "You bastard. You goddamn bastard. Don't you fucking dare."

Susan squeezed his hand twice. "Marlene, under the power granted to me through Sara's contract with you, I order you and James to coordinate our retreat and defend the column - and to keep Sara safe."

The woman, for her part, attempted to turn and walk in the direction of the second wall. She took two steps before doubling over with a pained groan. However the contract enforced behavior, it had been immediate, and strong. When she regained her composure, Marlene marched back towards the group. Reid held up his hands in a placating gesture and tried to make his voice sound soft.

"You're going to be more useful helping the column. Don't waste any more time."

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Marlene snorted through her nose and gave him a hateful glare that softened into something else. "Useful. You're starting to sound like me." She leaned in closer and whispered so only he and Susan could hear. "Keep your goddamn promise to your wife and come back. Sara needs you. And I owe you a thorough ass-kicking."

She was already three steps away, shouting into her radio by the time the words actually settled in Reid's brain. Everyone had heard him talking to Susan. They were surrounded by long faces and hollow eyes as more men and women than Reid expected took on the summons to fight and delay and probably die. They all looked physically and mentally exhausted. The past few days had been completely draining, and that was true for everyone.

Susan's hands glowed as healing power filtered its way into Reid. It wasn't as much as her usual work, but it soothed some of his already-overworked muscles. She ended the quick rejuvenation session by giving his hand another squeeze, then climbed into the back of the van with Danny and Sara. She gave him a half smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"What, no goodbye kiss?" Reid half shouted with his own lopsided smile on full display as one of the bystanders closed a rear door.

Susan cocked her head, and the smile reached her eyes. "Nope! I'll give you one when you get back. Think of it as incentive!" She pulled the second door closed, and the van rumbled away.

#

The tail of the final retreat vehicle vanished out the back gate. Marlene was on top of it, secured to the luggage racks. Reid was mostly certain she'd given him the finger as her van disappeared beyond the wall.

One thing down. With that section of vehicles away, They just needed to delay long enough to ensure that the main group had gotten far enough away to no longer get caught or noticed by the beasts. Simple, in theory. Especially if the Titan continued its hyperfocused destruction on the wall. Not content to just break more of the wall down, it had stomped the remains of the structure into the earth below.

The field - aptly nicknamed weeks ago - was as ready as it could be. Mark's traps were set like rings in front of a series of camper trailers and other vehicles that would serve as improvised towers archers could shoot from. Warriors were stationed with the ranged fighters to press back anything that got close enough to enter melee with the volunteers. Reid hoped the traps would slow the beasts long enough to give the archers time to wipe them out.

A few of the volunteers were stationed close to the rear wall. If the salamanders did make it past the rest of the defenses in the field, their job would be to hold them from getting out of the settlement as long as possible. They were vulnerable until they climbed, and they would have to fight the monsters to a standstill once they got in position. No place was good, but Reid liked the idea of that the least.

He stood clad in hastily-reattached bone armor. A freshly grown gauntlet covered his left hand. He held Requiem against the ground. Reid's place was the front line. Out ahead of the traps and far from the command center at the center of the field. The space around him was mostly grass, save for an odd patch of dirt that looked like a worn down walking path. Toby was behind him, waiting for the signal to use his taunt on the Titan. He had an ATV he'd then use to pace ahead of the other Salamanders as he tried to kite them around, or at least to keep them off of Reid. His warhammer was strapped to the handlebars.

There were only a handful of running vehicles left inside the walls. Three ATVs and a pair of dirtbikes, along with one rusted truck, and two old, large SUVs. It wasn't enough to get all of their volunteers to safety, but that didn't matter. No one that was still in the field had any misconceptions about what they were all doing.

One of the forward teams was made up entirely of 20-somethings. Some were wearing rings - all wore dead looks on their faces. He didn't need to ask - he'd seen some of them around. They'd been camping to celebrate two engagements in their friend group - the attacks on the walls ripped away their chances at a happy future. They, and Toby, and everyone else had similar mindsets. It felt to Reid like he was standing amongst an army that was already dead - just waiting for the world to catch up to that reality.

The walkie talkie on Toby's hip chirped, and Reid heard Walt's voice come over the speaker.

"Toby, I'm coming back to get you. I just heard about Lowell, and I'm sorry. Don't do anything rash."

He stared down at the plastic box like he had just realized he could use it. "Hey, Walt. I'm sorry I wasn't a better brother. I let you down, a lot. But I'm good with this. It's what I want."

"Stop that - you're great. You're fine. Just... you've done enough today. Alright? You can run. You should run."

Toby looked out at the Titan. "So, I know I told you that Lowell and I were already planning on where to get married even though we aren't engaged, right? Well, we'd made a lot of plans, you know. He was a real romantic. His grand plan had us growing old together, and having one of those houses with an open porch and rocking chairs. We'd drink tea and rock and talk and argue about crossword puzzles in the newspaper. And when that was over - we'd get buried, side by side."

As Toby kept talking, Reid squeezed his eyelids together and wiped the tears away from his face. He hadn't hit the line, but it felt like he was closer than ever. The volunteers here all expected to die. No matter Reid's success or failure in taking down the Titan, there was a good chance none of the others would survive. They weren't as strong or well-armored as he was, and they all knew it. Saving the column may have been the reason they were here - but that had never been Reid's true priority. His goal was always Sara - and the fact that he was willing to trade the lives of dozens of people just to buy her time pressed against him like a thorn.

Back at the wall, the Titan screeched and popped, and Reid heard the distant rumble of hundreds of feet. The Titan's army was on the move.

"Toby, taunt it now!" Reid called back.

"Take care of the kids for me. They still need a lot of help. Love you, bro." Toby turned off the unit before Walt had a chance to respond, and focused on the Titan. It stopped its vocalizing long enough to look towards them, and then let out an angry screech as it rushed forward.

Reid tightened his grip on his mace, and hefted it into both hands. He just needed an opening. One he'd have to make himself.