I do not own Gears of War or any of the characters.

Elevator to Hell

Joseph stared at the gears that would be lowering them into the mine. They were on an ancient ore transporter, but everything was either rusted or cracked, and there were more of those red flesh vines running through them. There was no possibility of it being safe.

"This is a terrible idea," Lizzie said.

"Yup," Joseph agreed. "We're not going to be coming back up."

"You're assuming we survive the decent," Lizzie said.

"I think the right word is hoping," Joseph said as they turned to walk to the control station where J.D. and the others were. "If you want a kiss for luck, you should probably ask before the shooting starts."

"Yeah, I don't want the kind of luck you've got," Lizzie said. "I might give J.D. one, though. Or Del. Maybe Kait."

"Well, if you do choose that last one, be sure to take pictures," Joseph said.

Lizzie laughed. "You sure you don't just want to lend me a hand?"

"Oh, no, my hands will definitely be involved, but pictures are still important," Lizzie laughed. "I missed hanging out with you. I forgot how fun it was to talk to you."

Joseph smiled, nodding. "I'm sorry I couldn't make sure Gary stayed safe, too."

"Hey, don't do that to yourself," Lizzie said, stopping and setting a hand on his shoulder. "That wasn't your fault. People die."

Joseph sighed, nodding. "Still. You loved him, and I couldn't protect him."

"I love you, too, Joseph," Lizzie said. "You're both my family. And just to be clear, if you meant the other type, then no, I didn't. I was willing to see if we could get there eventually, but I didn't love him like that."

Joseph nodded just as the lights came on. "Well, there's half the job of starting it."

"After this long, it's probably out of gas," Lizzie said.

"I hope the reserve tank is stocked," Joseph said.

Lizzie nodded, then glanced at him before pulling him into a hug, resting her head on his shoulder. "I will never blame you, so you need to stop blaming yourself. I'm glad you stayed safe before I got there."

Joseph wrapped his arms around her as well, at least as much as he could with their armor in the way. "I'm glad you came to visit when you did."

Lizzie smiled, pulling back. "So, after we survive this whole thing and get you reinstated in the COG, you feel like playing wingman for each other to see if we can get you a girlfriend and me a boyfriend?"

"Sure thing," Joseph grinned. "I can't imagine it'll be too hard to get you a man, what with your crocked vulture nose, your half-rotted teeth, and your horrendous acne problem. Should be a piece of cake."

"Har-dee-har," Lizzie said sarcastically.

Suddenly, several Juvies screeched from the secondary control room where J.D. had gone to switch to the reserve tank, J.D. swearing loudly and opening fire. Joseph and Lizzie both grabbed their Lancers instantly just as several left the control room and charged them, only for them to drop the creatures instantly. After a moment of silence, the Ore Transporter suddenly lurched violently, Joseph falling to the ground before Lizzie tripped over his feet and fell on top of him. Then, the transporter's locks disengaged loudly and it began to slowly crawl downward, the gears all screeching and spitting sparks.

"Not that I don't love having you on top of me, Lizzie, but either get to work or get off me," Joseph said.

Lizzie's head rocked as she rolled her eyes before standing and helping him up. They headed to the control room where there was a Fabricator, which was just finishing making two strands of razor wire, which J.D. and del were carefully carrying out to place outside.

"You guys are wasting your time," Joseph said, typing on the Fabricator and having it form a fully-automated machine gun sentry. "Always think big."

He grunted as he lugged it over to one of the two staircases leading up to the control room. setting it so it was facing outward, then turned back tot he control room as Kait and Lizzie carried a second over tot he opposite stairwell. Just as they had theirs in place, the flesh tendrils began to get caught up in the gears and several Juvie shrieks rang out.

"We're being boarded!" Kait warned, just before the left side's turret roared to life, shredding the Juvies landing across the deck.

"J.D., Del!" Joseph shouted over the gun, pointing down the straight path to the secondary control room. "Cover down that way for a minute!"

Both nodded and aimed down the path as Joseph moved back to the Fabricator, which was recharging. He sighed, stepping back out to help the others, all of them dropping Juvies rapidly. Finally, after several minutes of this, the last of the Juvies was shredded by a turret and Joseph moved tot he Fabricator, making a third turret and carrying it to the path J.D. and Del had been covering before. The, he used the Fabricator to restock the other two turrets' ammo.

"You seem to really know what you're doing with this whole, setting up a defense with a Fabricator, thing," J.D. noted.

"I worked perimeter defense for a COG settlement before I left," Joseph said. "I picked up a few things."

Just then, more Juvies began to swarm onto the transporter. However, unlike last time, this time there were drones with them. Joseph swore, ducking behind cover beside Lizzie before they began to carefully drop the Drones as best they could. After a couple of minutes, Joseph glanced at Lizzie just as a Drone stepped out of the central path. The turret was steaming, but wasn't firing. The Drone raised his Gnasher to kill Lizzie, who was distracted by shooting at the drones below them.

Joseph dove for the Drone, the shotgun blast slamming into the center of his armor and hurling him back, though not before Joseph planted a knife in the Drone's head. He bounced down the stairs and Juvies swarmed him instantly. The turret didn't immediately rip him to shreds, so he assumed it must be out of ammo too. Joseph shouted in pain as claws tore at his upper arms, thighs, and shoulders. Then, their heads began to explode quickly but carefully, all of them dying without Joseph being hit. He groaned, forcing himself up and grabbing his Lancer before scrambling back up the stairs. A Juvie grabbed his leg and he kicked it off before shoving the turret, sending it crashing down on the Juvie and crushing it.

"Joseph!" Lizzie said worriedly, helping him up and into the control room as the other three finished off the last of the Swarm. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," Joseph said, grimacing and pulling his helmet off so he could see his wounds clearly, as his helmet was covered in Juvie blood from the ones that had attacked him dying on top of him. "I don't think any of them were too deep."

Lizzie hugged him tightly, taking a shaky breath. "You saved me!"

"Of course," Joseph smiled. "Why would I let a sexy babe like you go to waste just because one grub with a shotgun got lucky enough to sneak up on you?"

Lizzie smiled, shaking her head. "Keep that up and I might actually kiss you right now."

"Oh, well, we wouldn't want that," Joseph said. "I didn't bring my mouthwash, so the last thing I want is you kissing me."

Lizzie laughed, shaking her head, then pulled her helmet off so she could see and turned her attention back to his injuries, pulling out bandages and using the knife she'd taken from the Drone he'd killed to cut his sleeves off so she could bandage his arms, then bandaged his legs over his pants. "It's going to hurt once the adrenaline wears off."

"I'll be alright," Joseph said. "Though, I guess whatever blessing was keeping me from being hurt is starting to wear off."

Lizzie looked up at him worriedly, but he smiled, pulling her head down and kissing her on the forehead.

"Chill out, cuz," Joseph smiled. "I'm going to be fine."

She nodded, taking his hands and giving them a quick squeeze. "Thank you."

Joseph smiled and nodded just as the others walked into the control room.

"You okay?" J.D. asked.

"I'll be fine," Joseph said as he and Lizzie pulled their helmets back on.

Suddenly, the lift ground to a stop and everyone turned to Del.

"Why do you all assume I know what to do?" Del asked.

"You're the tech guy," Joseph said.

"What do we do?" J.D. asked.

Del groaned, rolling his eyes. "I think the gears are overheated. We need to switch on the cooling system."

"Which is in the engine room on the left side, right?" Joseph asked.

"Right," Del nodded.

Joseph groaned, standing and picking up his lancer. "Well what are we waiting for, then?"

"It's alright if you want to rest," J.D. said. "We can handle it."

"You sure?" Joseph asked.

"Yeah," J.D. said. "We got this."

Joseph nodded and the three of them left, Joseph sitting back down and Lizzie sitting beside him. After a couple of minutes, the transporter began to move again, just as Juvies suddenly swarmed in the window behind Joseph and Lizzie. Joseph spun, beginning to spray them instantly, killing them all in seconds just as a Pouncer leapt through the doorway, tackling Lizzie to the ground.

Her helmet bounced away and she screamed as the Pouncer snapped at her, Lizzie just barely able to hold it back from her face. Then, Joseph slammed into it, tackling it off of her before his chainsaw ripped into its stomach. After a moment, it exploded and Joseph sighed, letting his chainsaw stop and pulling his helmet off, grimacing as he wiped blood and goo from the front of it. He turned to Lizzie just as she threw her arms around him, kissing him. He froze, eyes wide before she pulled away, grinning knowingly.

"You see?" Lizzie asked. "I told you I'd actually kiss you if you kept it up."

Joseph rolled his eyes. "Well congratulations. You've now officially got my shit luck."

"That's alright," Lizzie smiled. "It'll give you a break, that way you can be well rested whenever I get to thank you properly next time we're alone." She winked and he shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"Now you're pushing it," he said. "Keep that up and I might start to think that you actually mean it." He frowned suddenly, realizing he was starting to get a weightless feeling in his gut. "We're speeding up."

Lizzie's eyes widened before she grabbed her helmet and pulled it on as they ran out of the control room.

"How the hell am I supposed to fix it if I don't know what's happening!?" Del was shouted.

Just then, the transporter lurched to a stop, the gears grinding harshly. Then, the cable system on one side exploded, that side of the ore transporter beginning to drop, the transporter beginning to basically fall. Lizzie screamed as she began to tumble across the deck before Joseph caught her hand, then the railing of the stairs by the control room.

"I've got you!" he shouted over the scream of metal on metal.

He pulled her up to the railing, Lizzie grabbing on and sighing, glancing at him.

"Remind me to kiss you later!" Lizzie shouted to him.

"I told you, no!" Joseph said. "I don't have mouthwash!"

Lizzie laughed, despite the situation. Drones began to drop onto the platform and they began to shoot them quickly, heading for the higher side of the platform, where the non-burning gears and cable mechanism was, and where there would be an emergency brake. Several shots bounced off both of their armor, and one shot actually managed to punch through Joseph's left upper arm entirely, but they managed to reach the control room, Joseph throwing the lever. Instead of stopping, what little bit of brakes were holding up the higher side broke free, the platform lurching repeatedly as it levelled out, J.D. and the others killing the last of the Drones. Then, suddenly, the brakes kicked on again, screeching loudly as the platform began to slow.

"They still work!?" Kait shouted. "After all this!? That's amazing!"

Finally it stopped, and Joseph sighed.

"Alright, guys," J.D. said. "I think we're good."

The brakes let go entirely, the transporter dropping the last twenty feet tot he ground.

"Son of a bitch!" J.D. shouted as they fell, all crashing down hard and Lizzie somehow ending up on top of Joseph again.

"You just cannot stay away today, can you?" Joseph asked.

"Well, you're just so comfortable to be on top of," Lizzie said, pushing herself up, then pulling him up.

"J.D., you're not allowed to talk anymore," Joseph said. "You've jinxed us at least three times today."

"Agreed," Del said.

"Fuck you," J.D. groaned, pushing himself up from where he'd landed squarely on his back. "Now is everyone alright?"

"Eh, surprisingly we're good," Del said.

"Good enough," Kait agreed.

"Then let's find my dad," J.D. said.

The others all nodded and quickly followed him off the Ore Transporter, heading into the mine.

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