Red awoke to the sound of loud screeching, or was it screaming, she couldn't be sure. The noise pierced through her jumbled thoughts and roused her to full consciousness. Her whole body ached, but she pushed herself through the pain. 5k, she needed to get to 5k – it was the only thought she could hold on to through the noise.

She planted her palms firmly on the ground below her and pushed. It felt like she was trying to move a stalled out car, but eventually, she was able to sit up. Through her deep gasps, she noticed the air tasted stale. She briefly wondered if the weapon Zona had used was the cause, but knowing she'd never have an answer, she let her questions drift away. Instead, Red turned her head to look for the others.

At first, her vision blurred and the whole world seemed to tilt, but eventually indistinct shapes began to take form. Sun Mei was crouched down over a body. From where Red sat she couldn't tell who it was, but the person seemed to be alive. They weren't moving but Sun Mei had moved their hands to their ears and appeared to be screaming something to them. Red realized the noise was still present. She pulled her hood up and then brought her hands up to her ears to muffle the sound. It barely helped.

Red looked around for the source. She needed to find 5k she didn't have time to deal with this, but the noise was so loud it was painful. She briefly remembered hearing it before going unconscious, and she realized it must have been what knocked them all out. She tried to focus in on the sound to find the source, but it seemed to come from all around her and Red still couldn't make out what it even was. It sounded like a scream but it was too loud and high pitched to be anything human.

10k came into Red's field of vision. He was stumbling but he was walking towards the short set of stairs where Warren had been before they fell. Red didn't see her anywhere and then she noticed Murphy was also gone.

"10k!" Red screamed, but she couldn't hear her own voice. She could only hear the noise.

She needed to go to him. They needed to find 5k. She had seen him jump before Zona's weapon had fired. The first shot knocked them all to the ground and then they had dropped whatever was causing this noise.

Red pulled her legs under her and attempted to stand. It took her a few tries but eventually, she made it up. Stumbling she headed towards 10k still desperately screaming his name, at this point not for him to hear her voice, but to hear it herself.

He was kicking at a large metal device. It looked almost like a large spider and its legs were stuck in the brick of the roof they stood on. Finally, 10k brought his boot down hard on its center and, all of a sudden, the noise stopped. He slumped down falling to the ground next to the machine. Red felt her own body sag in relief, she let out a breath and removed her hands.

"10k," Red said quietly and was grateful to hear herself, and ecstatic when 10k looked up at her. He quickly shot to his feet and ran in her direction. He had her in a tight hug within seconds.

"Are you okay?" he asked pulling away. His eyes were bugged wide the way they always were when he was worried.

"Yes. What happened to 5k?" she asked desperately even though she knew the answer.

"I saw him jump right before the attack," 10k said. He looked into her eyes and she knew he could see her desperation. The anxiety that she felt creeping up her gut and trying to turn into despair. Maybe, she thought, he felt it too. After all, besides herself, no one loved 5k more than 10k. "Let's get the others and then we're going to go down and search for him."

Red just nodded. She was so grateful that he understood. He knew she needed to find 5k. She didn't care about the alien tech or the Zona army. She just wanted to get her brother out of this alive.

Red and 10k ran over to Sun Mei. As they approached, Red realized the body she huddled over was Doc. He had started to move, but it was just a few twitches of his leg and he didn't sit up.

Red heard 10k say Doc's name under his breath and noticed he picked up his pace. As soon as they arrived, 10k was down on the ground by Doc's side. He pulled Doc's hand into his and leaned down over him.

"Are you okay, what happened?" 10k asked Doc whose eyes were open but he seemed to be a bit unfocused.

"Yeah, kid, I'm fine," Doc said. "I just hit my head pretty bad when we fell. Other doc here is patching me up."

"He should be fine. Just be disoriented and we shouldn't move him for a while," Sun Mei said. "Where's everyone else?"

"I don't know," 10k said finally taking his eyes off Doc now that he knew he was okay. "Warren and Murphy are gone."

"And so is that whacky space plane," Doc said. "Everyone else see that too?"

"Yes, we all saw the plane," Sun Mei said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Oh good for a second there I thought I was tripping on some Z weed," Doc said closing his eyes again.

Red tried to focus on the conversation, she really did, but her mind was on 5k. He had pulled out his 'wings' before the jump so it's possible he survived. When he was raised by the crows, he used to sore with them. The wings he had on his jacket allowed him to glide in the breeze and down from tall heights, but he'd never jumped from something as large as the mountain they were still on top off.

"We should go down the mountain and check for survivors," 10k said and the suggestion pulled Red into action.

"The man, Addy, Lucy, and…and…5k all jumped just before the attack," Red said. "We need to see if they survived. They might need help."

"We're really high up. It's highly unlikely that someone would survive the jump," Sun Mei said.

"Well, until we know for sure," Red said aggressively. "We need to check."

"Kid, Red, you both go down and check for survivors. We'll stay here until I feel up to making the trip down," Doc said. "Sun Mei will stay with me. Won't you, Sun Mei?"

"Sure, Doc," Sun Mei said softening her features as she looked down at Doc. "But we shouldn't spend too much time here. Who knows if they'll come back for us? After you check for survivors and Doc is ready to move, let's meet at a rendezvous point."

"Works for me," 10k said. He stood and jogged over to the ladder. He pulled himself up and then looked out for a moment. "There's a clearing of trees right on the water's edge just ahead. Let's meet there."

Sun Mei went over to look where 10k was pointing. Once she found the right spot she agreed.

"If we don't make it by sundown tomorrow then you leave us and we'll do the same."

"It's not going to come to that," Doc said.

Red wanted to agree with him but knew that in the apocalypse hoping to see friends again was a fool's errand. She saw 10k silently nod to Sun Mei before he turned towards her and indicated towards the stairs. Her instinct was to immediately set off in a run to get to the bottom of the mountain, but she hesitated.

"Say goodbye to Doc," Red said.

"We're going to see him at the rendezvous point," 10k said shaking his head.

"It doesn't matter. Don't leave someone you love without saying goodbye."

10k looked at her for a moment and then he turned around returning to Doc. Red heard the soft words of farewell and turned away. It was a personal moment for 10k and he deserved to have that with Doc. While 10k said his goodbye, Red wondered over to the ladder. She climbed up to look over where 5k had jumped. She didn't see anything, but they were so high it was hard to make out was below them.

"Let's go," 10k said appearing by her side again. His eyes were guarded and his face was set in determination.

"You can stay with him," Red said hoping desperately that he wouldn't. "I can search for 5k on my own."

"No, if the kid needs me I'm going to be there," 10k said. "Just like Doc would come searching for me. He understands I know he does. And he'll be safe with Sun Mei."

"Okay, then let's go," Red said picking up her weapon. "I don't know how to get to this side of the mountain from the way we came in. Our only option is to climb down."

"You lead and I'll follow," 10k said.

Red started heading down the mountain. It was a steep climb down, more of a scale than a climb really. They had to take it slow and even then both she and 10k had more than one close call. Red wanted desperately to look down towards where her brother's body might be lying broken and dead, but she knew looking down would just make the journey harder. Her arms ached and her fingers were bleeding by the time they reached halfway.

"How are you doing?" Red asked 10k.

"I've been better," he said with white knuckles clutching the rocks next to her own. They were climbing side by side. Occasionally using a hand to right the other one if they lost their balance. They had stopped twice on small ledges for a rest and they both seemed to desperately need another.

Red chanced a look down. She forced her eyes away from the ground, afraid of the height and whatever horrors lay below. Instead, she focused her attention only on the rock wall.

"There's another ledge maybe twenty feet down," Red said. "Can you make it?"

"Not much of a choice, is there?" 10k asked and started to climb again.

They made it to the ledge in one piece. Red looked down at her hands and found them shaking. She tried to still them to no effect. She looked up at 10k. He still had dark purple circles under his eyes and he was paler than he should have been. She had nearly forgotten that he had died and been brought back just a few hours ago.

"Drink some water," Red said handing 10k her jug. "We'll make it. We're over half way now."

"Thanks," 10k said taking the water from her hand.

"Are you feeling okay?" Red asked him. "You did just die of an infection, be bitten by Murphy and come back to life a few hours ago."

"Surprisingly, I feel fine," 10k said. "Not stronger necessarily, but more like my old self. Before Murphy's first bite."

"That's good," Red said. She had so many questions, but they'd have to wait for a better time than on a tiny ledge on the side of a mountain.

Red and 10k stood silent for a few moments enjoying the break. Red knew they should start to move again, but wanted to know one more thing before they continued.

"Have you looked down yet?" Red asked 10k not sure what she was hoping for in his answer.

"Yes," 10k said looking at her hesitantly.

"Do you see him?"

"No, there's a murder of crows blocking the view."

"Crows?" Red asked looking down abruptly. She started to sway forward. At the same time she registered she was about to fall, 10k's arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back to the ledge and back to him.

"Red, careful!"

10k left his arm around her even after she found her footing again. He pulled her in close to him and they both breathed heavily. The adrenaline from the climb, the near fall, and finding 5k was pumping through her veins and making her reckless. She knew it and now so did 10k. She needed to get off this mountain.

"I'm good," Red said, but didn't move away. "We should keep going."

10k didn't say anything, but he silently let go of her go. Red continued to lead and took the first step down off their ledge. Fueled by the image of the crows, Red began to climb faster until she pulled ahead of 10k. At her new pace, it didn't take too much longer for Red to make it to the ground.

As soon as her feet hit the floor she turned towards the crows who were still going crazy, and that's when she saw 5k. He was standing right at the center of the birds. He was turned away from her, but he was there. She was sure of it.

Red clamored over the rocks to get closer and then stopped. He was gone – 5k had disappeared. She stood still and looked closer trying to find 5k among the black birds. A second later, the murder dispersed. In the spot right where she had seen 5k standing just a moment before, lay a mangled body.

Red couldn't breathe. The body was so badly destroyed it was just blood, bones and flesh crushed into the grass. She closed her eyes and looked away from the hideous pile.

Red wanted to cry but tears wouldn't come. She opened her eyes to look up at 10k. He was frozen in place looking at where the body lay. She let her head fall, but then she thought of the murder of crows and the tiny person she had seen standing among them. The body wasn't 5k's it couldn't have been she was sure of it.

"Red we should go," 10k said from behind her. She looked up to see him scampering over the rocks to where she stood. She turned away from him and looked at the destroyed body, again.

"I saw him," Red mumbled to herself. She wasn't sure if 10k could even hear her and she didn't care. She would tell him eventually, for now, she just needed to hold on to the thought. "I saw him. He was there."

"Red," 10k said as he reached her. When she didn't respond he shook her lightly. "We don't know if Zona is coming back we should go."

"10k, you don't understand. I saw him standing with the crows," Red said trying to get him to believe her.

"Red," 10k said pulling her into a hug. "I want to believe that but the body and the crows. It has to be him."

"But I saw him," Red whispered into his chest. "Four people jumped off the cliff. That could be any of them."

"That's true," 10k said pulling away and looking down at her. His eyes looked hesitant, but he continued, "We have just over 24 hours to make it to the rendezvous point. Let's look around here tonight and tomorrow morning. But if we don't find him we have to move on."

"Okay," Red said content with that compromise. She knew that if it was anyone but 5k she would have been pushing to leave. With the threat of zombies and Zona, she knew it was stupid to scour the woods in search of someone, but she would never forgive herself if she didn't even try to look for 5k.

"You lead," 10k said from behind her. Red nodded silently and started heading into the woods screaming 5k's name.

The plan for this story is to make it a long-form fic about Red and 10k and their lives in the two years between S4 and S5. I'm warning you now - this is a project I'll just be working on in my free time and updating randomly. There's just not enough Z Nation fanfic! I couldn't help myself.