It was a stormy day just outside of Oxford, Erika stood leaning her back up against the wall watching as some of the older men and women were having a meeting. "We need to send out some scouts, and also we need to have people on supply runs we are barely getting by as it is now." Said a man wearing what looked like a London PD's uniform. It was a fairly large group of survivors that made it out of London and surrounding areas. Erika remembered the day when they came, at first they didn't do anything until they started the invasion, Erika was at work when it happened watching alien Airships bombing the streets Erika barely made it out alive.

"I know we need to scout the area and supplies, we will send two people out then. We need to leave Oxford as soon as possible." Said another man he looked over at Erika and waved her over. "We need you to go and scout the area out take Morgan with you." Erika nodded and started to leave the warehouse they were set up in, she went over and grabbed an M16 and a 1911 taking three magazines each stuffing them both into her pockets.

The soft patter of rain fell against the muddy fields beyond. Morgan leaned against a wall as she sat on a worn box. It was a wooden one with alphabet letters stenciled in. No matter how hard she tried, she could't help thinking back to when everything was normal. She was at Parliament when things fell into pandemonium. The press office had never been so busy as she fought the assault of the reporters. Those vultures. No matter how persistent they were, however, she preferred dealing with rude questions and camera flashes taking pictures and recording than them. Authors all wrote about first contact. Never did they think it'd turn out like this she thought to herself.

"Hungry?"

Morgan turned around as her watch partner returned back from the canteen. She took a whiff. "Those damn baked beans in a can again? I suppose pizza was too much to ask for?"

The man chuckled as he handed over the tin bowl, which Morgan accepted. "Fresh out of pizza love," he said. "I'll be sure to put in a word when our scouts go back into town. We've been cooked up in this position for a while. Wonder when we'll move. Don't want them spiders finding us - particularly the children."

Finishing up the bowl, Morgan placed the tin to the side as she picked up her rifle. The weight had long since become as natural as her limbs. It calmed her. "Let the Captain decide," she said as she scanned the field beyond. Nothing. "We'll knock the crawlies back before they get too close."

The stair case behind the two creaked as Morgan turned. Another fighter from the Brigade. "Morgan? Captain wants you downstairs. Seemed pretty impatient."

Sighing, she got to her feet. "Cover for me?"

The man nodded as he took her spot. "No worries here."

Following the soldier down, she soon came upon the tent. The Captain looked up and saw her. "Hate to pull our sharp shooter off wall duty."

"What's up Captain?"

"Scouting party. You'll be heading out with Erika. She should be gearing up. I need your eyes, Morgan."

She hated scouting. She was good at it, but preferred the distance. "Objective?"

"Danger and supplies. We need those supplies. Low as it is. However, don't compromise yourselves. Supplies can be found. Capable combatants not so much."

"Got it." Turning around, Morgan exited the tent as she spotted Erika gearing up. She walked towards the woman. She went to the rifle ammo box and took two more magazines and shoved them into her belt. Four clips for the rifle, two for the pistol. "Alright Erika?" Morgan said as she checked her gear. "I'll be counting on you when things get close, yeah? Ready to move when you are."

Erika turned to see Morgan approaching her grabbing her own ammo that she needed and smiled back at her. "I'm doing good you Morgan?" Erika asked making sure that her rifle was still in good condition. "I'll be sure to keep you safe from the space spiders for you." Erika said jokingly as she headed towards a truck it would cover more ground quicker then having to go to downtown Oxford on foot, though she wished things weren't the way they were now.

Erika opened the door to the truck and got into the driver's seat setting her M16 in the back seat she looked towards her partner as she started up the truck. "So where do you think they are going to be taking us next?" Erika asked waiting for Morgan to get into the truck as she started to drive down the makeshift road until they made it to the main road that went to the center of Oxford.

"I'll be sure to keep you safe from the space spiders for you."

Grinning, Morgan followed Erika to the truck. She hated those things. Not only were they large death traps when the spiders found them, but they weren't the quietest things on the block. Though impractical, foot traveling was Morgan's preference.

"And I'll make sure to keep them far away," she said. Opening the door to the passenger side, she slipped in and rested her rifle against the ground. "Nasty things aren't they? Kidnapping children and putting those ... worms on their back. It's sickening."

"So where do you think they are going to be taking us next?"

Morgan kept her eyes on their surroundings. She hoped the tin cans weren't out. Those robots were bloody nightmares. Their bullets had minimal effect so far. "Somewhere further into the country," she said after giving the question more thought. "Going into the city would be suicide. Even the Captain should know that. But, I think they'll keep us around Oxford - for now."

"I feel bad for their parents having their children being taken away from them, and forced to obey those aliens." Erika said looking at Morgan for a moment as she drove down the road and shrugged slightly. "I know it is I don't like going into the populated areas because of those things out there. I wish they would send out more then the two of us if we ran into those mechs." Erika kept an eye on the road in front of her and looked up at the sky seeing a few of the clouds parting.

"Looks like its going to stop raining here pretty soon." Erika stopped the truck in front of the University of Oxford, she looked around before reaching back to grab her rifle the campus seemed clear for now. "Hopefully theres something good in there." Erika then climbed out of the drivers seat readying her rifle feeling the rain had finally stopped smelling the wet ground relaxed her somewhat.

"I know it is I don't like going into the populated areas because of those things out there. I wish they would send out more then the two of us if we ran into those mechs."

Morgan chuckled. It was as if the woman had read her thoughts. "They follow into the country side as well. Just ... not as often," she said as the city came ever closer. University of Oxford if she recalled correctly. "Remember several months ago when we were somewhere between London and here? We lost a lot of people when the spiders found us. Those mechs. We can't punch through their armor. Explosives, yeah, but we don't have too much of that either."

The truck came to a stop as Morgan looked up. Hopefully it would stop raining. She hated walking and sleeping in wet clothes. It became normal nowadays, but she was still nostalgic for old war luxuries. Getting to of the truck, she gripped her rifle as she looked around the buildings. Paranoia was a life saver these days.

"I'm pretty sure this place would've been picked clean," she said as she led the way towards the nearest building. It read commons. If they were going to find anything useful, right there would be a good place to start. Her feet sunk into the damp ground until she reached solid concrete. She rolled her eyes. She was going to have to clean her boots.

Slowly pushing open the door, she took a look around. Nothing moved. Tables were overturned and papers littered the campus ground. The sight depressed her. "Let's take a look around," she said to Erika as she walked towards the Quick n' Go Mart. "No perishables. Lets try to stay quiet. No need to draw anything to us, love."

Erika looked at Morgan for a moment and nodded recalling the event several months ago as they were leaving London. "Yeah I remember I lost a childhood friend that day." Erika said remembering her friend John they were friends since they were little kids, he was attacked by a swarm of skitters that ended up tearing him apart. She shook her head not wanting to remember the event. Erika followed Morgan into the building that said commons. "We should stop by the local police station to when we are done here. And if you find clothes you should grab them as well I don't think people like being in their clothes for several weeks without changing."

Erika went into the Quick n' Go Mart that was inside the commons, there was some food but not a whole lot anything that was perishable was now bad and the power was out in the building, Erika reached into her pack pulling out two flashlights and tossed one over to Morgan. "So what were you doing before the aliens invaded?" Erika asked going towards an aisle of canned food stuffing cans of chicken, soup, and corn.

As Erika was grabbing cans she stopped as she could hear the sound of a skitter going down the hallway that they were just in to the store, Erika quickly dropped down to her knee leaning her back up against the shelf trying to get a better look at the alien.

Morgan nodded as she walked through the Quick n' Go's isles. Hitting the police station wasn't a bad ideas whatsoever. However, she wasn't sure how much would remain. Guns were precious tools that anyone procured no matter where it came from. Homeland Guard barracks and police station were no doubt the first things to go. That's what the Brigade did anyways. Though they were officially military, they acted like a bunch of looters. it was the only way to stay alive these days. One had to do things that one wouldn't be proud of.

"So what were you doing before the aliens invaded?"

That was an interesting question. What did Morgan do before she popped a hole into the first skitter she saw? "I was public affairs person for the British government," she said as she pocketed a few can of beans. She spotted a cream of mushroom. She wanted to sneak that for herself, but she'd have to hand it over. "You know? One of those dafts you'd see speaking on behalf of parliament and everything. I worked in the background, so folks would never've seen me."

Morgan ceased communication as she noticed Erika stiffen. She listened as well. The footsteps, they belonged to Skitters. Putting her bag down slowly, she drew her pistol and crouched behind a shelf. She hoped the alien would pass. They didn't need a firefight. Not now since they were scouts. If a mech found them, they'd be done. She fought to control her emotions, but she couldn't block out her heartbeat. It filled her ears as her eyes focused on the sound of the footsteps.

She flicked off the safety and chambered a round. Just in case she thought to herself.