Greetings readers. So I beat Gears of War 3 a while ago, and decided it's time to attempt a story for it. This, of course, takes place after the end of the game. The Gears had finally gotten settled in, feeling like everything was finally over, but sometimes that ain't the case. Sucky summary, I know. Give ideas if you've got a better one. I'm always open to ideas. Anyways, enjoy the story, and don't forget to review afterwards.

Prologue

The war, the war was finally over. After so many years of fighting, after years of chaos, despair, death, the war between the humans and Locust was finally over. Now came the hard part though. Now humanity had to heal. Humanity had to rebuild. But that wouldn't be possible for some. The hardships of war was too great, having broken many a man to the point where they didn't even want to keep moving on. The war left many scars, many wounds. It would take a while for some to heal, but there were still going to be the scars.

Marcus Fenix was an example of a man who had truly been affected by the war. Leader of the Delta Squad and having been there at the end, having watched his father die before his eyes not once, but twice due to the actions of people such as Prescott and Myrrah. He had to watch his best friend, his brother, sacrifice himself, allow death to take him, just to make sure that the rest of Delta squad would be allowed a better tomorrow, be allowed to end the war, once and for all.

Marcus had taken the blunt of the damage of war, had been forced to endure the pain, the stress, the hardships, and not the mention the buckets of bullets being shot into him by the hordes of Locust.

But now it was finally over.

The war, it had finally ended. They were free. Free to live a better tomorrow. Live their lives to the fullest. Not have to worry about some grubs storming in and riddling them with bullet wounds.

They finally had a tomorrow. But some still didn't see it.

The war, it lasted so long that many were so accustomed to the sight of battles, hearing their fellow gears shoot round after round into Locust's, that now they had no idea of what to do now that the war was finally over.

Sure, there was the obvious. They had to rebuild, restore Sera to her former glory. Try and move on now that the Locust and Lambent were gone.

But some things, some things just wont learn. Wont learn to stay dead, wont learn they've lost. That's why, when the newly reforming Coalition of Ordered Governments was first alerted to a sudden spike in seismic activities, all time seemed to stop.

They had done the deed, they had killed the imulsion, resulting in the painful deaths of the Locust and Lambent. It couldn't be possible that there would be any kind of survivors, besides the humans who hadn't been affected more seriously by the parasite.

So why was it then that when the Cog was alerted of a new possible threat, they had a feeling that their long lost nemesis had risen from the dead?

The only intelligent life left on planet Sera was the humans, they had secured their survival. They had won the battle. They had wiped the Locust, Lambent, and Lambent humans from the planet.

But had they truly won, or was their just going to be one more enemy trying to seize Sera for it's own? The Humans won the battle, but have they truly won the war for Sera?

Six months after the war's end

It had been only a week since the Cog had first been alerted to a sudden seismic spike originating around the land that once used to be Jacinto. Every Gear has been on full alert ever since. But not as much as Delta squad.

"I'm telling you for the last time, it's not the Locust. They're dead!" Corporal Damon Baird barked at his squad, the group having been outside waiting for Coronal Hoffman.

"We heard you, ya don't have to yell." Sam Byrne snapped at the blond Gear.

"It's gotta be something else. Maybe it's just the planet settling." Clay Carmine offered with a small shrug.

"Still?" Baird asked with an incredulous glare at him. "It's been almost six months. It's not the planet settling anymore." Baird said with a dismissive wave at the soldiers who he thought not as smart as himself.

"Alright then, what do you think it is then Baird." Marcus Fenix asked, obviously tired of hearing the Corporal's bitching and whining.

Baird put a grease covered hand to his chin thoughtfully. "He don't have an answer." Augustus Cole spoke up before Baird could even open his mouth.

"Yet." Baird countered quickly, to keep his intelligent demeanor.

"Then shut up until you do have an answer." Marcus growled at Baird before turning as Coronal Hoffman walked up to the group, obviously not in the mood to deal with any bullshit today.

"Hello Delta." Hoffman greeted the seven tiredly, obviously having been working non-stop for a while now. "I have a mission for you all." Hoffman said as he turned more to Anya now, seeing as she had moved off more to work as a briefer for the team again.

"Oh great. And I thought our little vacation would last forever." Baird stated sarcastically as Jace groaned, wanting to knock the mechanic out.

"Oh great. We're heading back to Jacinto to check this shit out?" Marcus grumbled angrily.

"Yes and you're going to be meeting up with a patrol group. They were the ones who alerted the Cog about the sings in the first place, so you're going to find them." Hoffman said as half the team was unenthusiastic.

"Baby we got this under control. Jacinto was our home. We'll make sure she's taken care of." Cole assured as he wrapped an arm around the two closest team mates, who happened to be Baird and Carmine.

"When's departure?" Carmine asked as he pulled from Cole's grip.

"At 1400 hours. You'll be taking a King Raven there." Hoffman alerted Delta squad before walking away to get back to work.

"And I thought we were going to get to stay here forever." Baird said before receiving a smack from Sam to shut him up.

"Be ready to depart by then." Marcus said before walking away, Anya going after him.

"Looks like our fearless leader's down in the dumps again" Baird said, ignoring the smack he had received from Sam.

"Can you just shut your trap for five minutes blonde?" Sam questioned angrily as he glared back at her.

"Fine, seeing as how we've got a few hours to spare, I'm going to the garage." Baird said before turning to walk away.

"Yeah go get your thing on with your toys Baird." Jace stated with a smirk, a little joke that had begun going around recently.

"Fuck off." Baird replied simply as he kept walking.

"So what do you guys suppose is going on in Jacinto then?" Cole questioned the remaining Delta squad.

"I have no idea but I hope it doesn't involve any grubs." Carmine said as he folded his arms over his chest.

The group came back together hours later at the newly built raven nest, ready to get on their King Raven and go. "So did ya enjoy your time with your lovely vehicles?" Sam asked the grease covered Baird.

"More than I would if you were around." Baird countered with a smart-ass smirk, earning a glare from the private.

"Stop fighting for one god damn minute." Marcus snarled at him, far beyond annoyed at this point. The two had been constantly fighting for weeks, and frankly everyone was tired of it by now.

"ETA will be two hours." The pilot stated to them as they all piled into the Raven.

"Good the less time in a Raven with Cole, the better." Carmine said with a chuckle at the large, strong man who would blow chunks if in a King Raven for too long.

"Haha very funny Carmine. I'm getting better." Cole said with a smile at him.

"Yeah if by better you mean trying to fall asleep so you don't know we're in the Raven." Sam jumped in with a knowing smile at her fellow Gear.

"Hey it still works." Cole pointed out with a shrug.

"Barely." Baird stated as he looked out at the ground as they took off.

"I haven't hurled on here in at least a year and a half." Cole stated back to Baird as the mechanic rolled his blue eyes at him.

"Yeah, almost makes you forget that we were being shot at with mortars." Baird said with his normal pessimistic attitude.

"Shut your yap if you are gonna keep being negative, or I'll shut it for you." Sam snapped at him as he gave her a challenging look.

"Oh he's just mad because he doesn't have his garage anymore. Made up for him not being laid in...how longs it been now Baird?" Jace questioned tauntingly as the Corporal glared at him furiously.

"Is that any of your business?" Baird questioned angrily, beyond being annoyed.

"You can take that as a long time." Marcus butted in, breaking his silent streak.

"As a matter of fact, I got a pretty good girl a few weeks ago." Baird said with a cocky smirk, before Cole, Carmine, Jace and Sam burst into laughter. "Shut the fuck up!" Baird snapped furiously at them.

"Did that lucky girl happen to be your pillow, or the gas tank of the Armadillo you've been fixing?" Anya butted in, making the team burst into another fit of laughter as Baird's face went red in fury towards the team.

"It was probably not a girl at all." Carmine butted in before taking the butt of Baird's Boltok Pistol to his chest.

"Everyone just shut the fuck up!" Baird snapped, far beyond angry, far beyond even furious. A vain had begun pulsing in his forehead that had become visible now.

"We wouldn't want to hurt the little blonde's feelings anymore I guess." Sam spoke up through her laughter before Baird turned his back to all of them, looking out the Raven.

"This is going to be a long flight." Cole spoke up, before remembering they were in a Raven once more.

Indeed it was long, with a plethora of bickering and whining from the mechanic, yelling from Marcus for him to shut up, but finally they arrived at what used to be Jacinto. "Alright then where's this damned patrol group?" Marcus questioned as they all piled out of the Raven, searching around for the Gears.

"Oh I don't know, maybe patrolling the perimeter." Baird said as he pushed his goggles up on his head a bit. They then heard a round of bullets about a click away and hurried to the area quickly.

"Fucking stranded monsters!" A voice yelled out through the smoke, a smoke grenade having obviously been thrown.

Delta was about to help when fire concentrated on them. "Cease fire! We're Gears!" Marcus yelled over to the attackers.

"God damn it how many times are people going to try and shoot me in the head?" Carmine complained after almost taking a bullet to the head. He ducked behind cover right away afterwards.

The shower of bullets ended abruptly as the smoke cleared. "You're late!" The Gear called over to them, Delta coming out of their cover. "If you'd have been here on time, maybe my squad would still be alive right now!" The gear snapped angrily before Anya recognized her fully.

"Maxine Prescott?" Anya questioned the Gear as Delta made their way over to the Sergeant.

"Wait Prescott, as in the sorry bastard who died six months ago? I didn't know he had a daughter." Jace spoke up as the gear before them slung her Lancer over her shoulder.

"What happened here?" Marcus questioned, ignoring Jace's statement.

"Those Stranded bastards are what happened!" Maxine barked angrily at them.

"Of course it's the Stranded again. It isn't enough that we finally get rid of the Locust and the Lambent, but now they've gotta keep fucking with us." Baird grumbled, never being fond of the Stranded, not even with the war being over.

"The Stranded ambushed us with some new weapon, I don't know. The thing shouldn't even be considered a weapon I guess. It killed my other four team mates!" Maxine growled furiously as she held up her teams Cog tags.

"We should fall back before they come back then. It wouldn't be safe being out here in the open." Anya stated as she looked around.

"They're not coming back. I blew half of them to kingdom come." Maxine growled as she held up a Frag. "I found them all over the place. Could explain the activity around here." Maxine said with a shrug.

"A few frags isn't going to set off an earthquake." Baird stated with a roll of his eyes.

"Really? And I thought we had this whole thing figured out and we could all go home." Maxine stated with her own sarcastic tone, before turning to the others.

"Oh no let's hope this ain't another Baird." Sam stated quietly to Jace and Carmine.

"The Stranded have a camp nearby that was the pinpoint for the activity, but you cant get close to that thing without being shot at or blown up. Hoffman ain't giving us shit to work with here, or better said me since those bastards just took out my team." Maxine said before looking towards the bodies of her former team mates.

"What...killed them then?" Carmine asked the angered Gear.

"I don't know. I heard something growling, then someone threw a god damn smoke grenade." Maxine snarled as she looked back towards Delta, eyes blazing with fury.

"Alright I'll call in to Hoffman." Anya said before walking a bit away.

"Don't worry baby. Those Stranded cant do much damage. They just got lucky this time." Cole assured as he walked up to Maxine.

"Where's your camp then? Don't feel like getting shot in the ass for the first time in six months." Baird said as Marcus glared at him, tired of his consistent bitching.

"You're a bitchy little guy ain't ya?" Maxine questioned as Sam and Carmine laughed at the comment, Baird glaring, tired of being picked on so much.

"He just misses his garage." Cole spoke up before Baird could.

"Ah, another techy." Maxine said with a small nod.

"Ah, another smart-ass." Baird countered as she raised an eyebrow at him, obviously not impressed.

"Least I haven't been shot." Maxine said as she pulled out her Boltok Pistol.

"I haven't been..." Baird was cut off by Maxine shooting at him with her pistol.

"I like her. She can shut your mouth up." Marcus spoke up, examining the last Prescott. It was obvious she was related to the ex chairmen by her strong features, fierce attitude, and cold, hard eyes. Eyes of a person who's watched many a man die and seen the worst of times and worked through it.

"Well I don't like her." Baird spoke up angrily, glaring at Maxine.

"Good thing you don't. You'd probably try and jump her since you cant stick with your lovely creations all day." Jace commented as Baird turned his hatred towards him, Maxine raising an eyebrow curiously at them.

"Alright Raven's coming back around. Hoffman wants us out of here ASAP." Anya spoke up to the group as she returned.

"Why the sudden change in plans?" Sam questioned as she turned to Anya.

"Hoffman said they wanted someone else to look in it." Anya stated as she looked towards Maxine.

"Hoffman's a candy-ass. I'm still standing, I'm still here, so why not use the advantage. The Stranded are still here." Maxine stated gruffly, looking towards the direction of the Stranded camp.

"Definitely don't act like Prescott did. Much tougher." Carmine stated to Jace and Cole.

"Hey looks like you may have been shot baby." Cole stated to Maxine, tapping her on the elbow and indicating the blood on her forearm.

"It's a graze, ain't nothing." Maxine stated like it's was nothing.

"That could get infected though, gotta treat it." Cole informed as Maxine Prescott rolled her eyes at the former Thrashball player.

"I'll be fine. It's nothing." Maxine assured with a curt nod to assure him more.

"Persistent. Reminds me of ol' Blondie here." Sam said as she smacked Baird on the back, catching him off guard.

"Fuck off Private Byrne." Baird snarled, a small smirk at using his superiority over her since he knew it pissed her off.

"You pull that card one more time..." Marcus cut her off.

"You two start again and I'll send you to find those frags the hard way." Marcus snarled at the two.

"When's that Raven gonna get here?" Jace asked Anya, not wanting to hear Baird and Sam bicker again.

"Any time now." Anya said as she scanned the skies.

Maxine was about to speak up, when a bullet nearly missed her shoulder. "Fuck they're back!" Maxine yelled out before ducking for cover, grabbing her Lancer off her back.

"The Stranded?" Carmine questioned as the sounds of guns riddled the land once more.

"Who else?" Maxine barked at him before hopping over her cover, firing rapidly in the direction of the attackers.

"Raven inbound!" Anya called out as the sound of the Raven came over the guns.

"Hold off the Stranded a little longer so we can get out of here quickly!" Marcus ordered before hearing a low growling start.

"I don't think we've got the time for that Delta!" Max hissed at them before a smoke grenade hit, clouding the gears vision. "Go, get out of here now!" Maxine barked at them.

"Retreat now!" Marcus ordered his squad, everyone running towards the Raven as it touched ground.

"Let's leave Sam here for the Stranded then, hold them off better." Baird commented as they ran for the Raven.

"Or you, they'd have a ball listening to your bitch all day." Sam hissed as they reached the Raven.

"Fuck did Prescott go?" Marcus questioned before hearing a frag explode nearby, then looking to see a chain reaction begin.

"Go now!" Maxine barked as she ran for the Raven, throwing another Frag and setting off another line of hidden grenades.

"Fuck is she trying to blow us all up?" Baird questioned angrily as she neared the Raven before hopping in quickly.

"Not as bad as when you blew up the god damn Sovereign with your Ticker bombs." Jace spoke up as the Raven took off.

"Hey, it killed the Leviathan." Baird countered as he looked out at the land, smoke clouding the place due to the plethora of Frags having gone off in a chain reaction.

"While almost killing us, and killing Prescott." Sam pointed out which got a glare pointed at Baird from Max.

"Why, why would you say that with her here?" Baird questioned as he indicated the last of the Prescott's, who had been pulled aside by Cole to have her arm checked over.

"She probably knows already that Prescott died and how." Carmine stated with a shrug before noticing the death glares from Max towards them.

"Yes, I have known how my last family member had died. I have his Cog tags." Maxine said as she pulled an extra pair off her neck, showing them to be those of the late Chairmen.

"Alright how's about we all just shut up for the rest of the ride." Marcus spoke up, obviously annoyed as usual with his squad.

"Can I have a gag for the fabulous Blondie here then?" Sam questioned as she indicated the mechanic.

"Oh stop trying to hop on his dick already. We don't need to see it anymore." Jace spoke up, both Sam and Baird glaring hatefully at him.

"I think I'd prefer to take a bullet to the temple than to sleep with the short Blondie here Jace." Sam said as Max pulled out her Boltok.

"I can do that for you, considering I'm tired of hearing bitching and whining. I'd prefer to hear the sounds of war than this, this is just torture." Max said as she re-holstered her pistol.

"Finally, someone with some sense that doesn't want to hear you Private." Baird stated as he leaned back in his seat on the Raven.

"Alright, alright that's enough baby. You've all made your point." Cole spoke up, breaking up the bickering as he finished tying a gauze to Maxine's arm.

"Thank you for quieting them Cole." Anya spoke up, rubbing her temples due to a headache.

"You better hope you don't get stuck with us Prescott. These two are always at one another throats." Carmine warned the Sergeant.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Maxine stated sarcastically.

"Hoffman better have something planned for when we get there, I don't wanna just be standing around waiting for orders." Jace stated to Cole and Carmine.

"Well it better not involve going to make sure that the Stranded aren't planning something. The wars over, so let's just move on." Baird stated as he looked out the side of the Raven at the land that had been ravaged for years by war.

"Someone's still living in his own little world." Max spoke up as she looked at the gauze on her arm.

"What?" Baird asked as he turned to the raven haired girl who'd that day alone seen four team mates die, almost like the war wasn't over yet.

"The Locust and Lambent may be dead, but that don't mean we can be at total peace yet." Maxine stated as she let her cold, war hardened eyes fall on the mechanic. "Now we've got these Stranded bastards to finish up with." Max stated with venom in her tone towards the Stranded.

"Or we could just go back home and act like they died with the Locust." Carmine said as Baird and Max rolled their eyes at his statement.

"Ain't that easy, in case you forget my fallen team mates." Max said as she held up the cog tags of her squad.

"Sorry." Carmine said as he looked away from the last Prescott.

The rest of the ride was relatively silent, not as much bickering as usual, and before the team knew it they were back just as the sun was setting. "Alright I'll go see Hoffman." Marcus said as he got off the Raven, Anya behind him to follow.

"Where's little miss Prescott going then?" Baird asked as the girl hopped off the Raven.

"What're you, a stalker?" Sam questioned Baird as she got off next, before the rest of the team piled off.

"No just seems someone's in a bad mood, so I don't wanna be nearby in case she snaps." Baird countered as he pushed his goggles off his forehead a bit.

"I'll make sure to come and get you when I want some target practice then Corporal." Sergeant Prescott stated as she slung her Lancer over her shoulder before turning to walk away.

"Someone pulled your own superiority card over you now." Carmine stated with a smirk behind his helmet.

"Really? I hadn't noticed. I'm going to the garage." Baird stated before turning to head back to work on his Armadillo.

"So is anyone else getting the feel that ex-chairmen Prescott might have been older than he looked?" Jace asked the remaining squad, receiving nods and grunts of approval.

"She sure ain't nothing like Prescott was. She's got an attitude, and isn't as hard to look at." Carmine stated before receiving a glare from Sam.

"You men are pigs sometimes." Sam stated to Clay Carmine with a roll of her eyes.

"At least she didn't run away from the Cog for months." Cole pointed out, receiving approval all around.

"Alright I'm going to go see what's up with this mission then." Sam said before turning to walk away from the men.

Ah so what is it that the Stranded have planned now then? I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I thought it would be an interesting idea to have a family member of Richard Prescott. Well, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, there will be more to come. I hope you all have a happy New Years since it's tonight, and please remeber to do a favor for me and hit that review button.