Green and Taylor

Author's Note: Enjoy the story and R&R.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or of the House of the Dead series.

Summary:

An interquel set between The House of the Dead 4 and The House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn. Not keen on squandering James Taylor's heroic sacrifice, Kate Green takes her late partner's younger brother under her wing.

Kate considered how delicately to phrase the news. James didn't leave much behind. Not a body. Not his gun. Everything of his that survived the attack on the AMS Branch Office was boxed in two dusty packages she lugged out of the trunk of her car.

James put a stop to the World, but it cost him his life. It was distinguished, as honourable a life as one could lead dismantling a sinister corporation secretly financing horrendous mutant experiments.

Though the handy device closed Pandora's Box for good, she had to question who in leadership signed off on standard issue PDAs rigged with A-bombs. Not a smart idea.

You couldn't tell they about blew it beating the apocalypse. Unlike the epicentre of the outbreak, cities weren't on fire, and everywhere you turned wasn't crawling with undead monsters.

London and Rome crumbled under mandatory quarantine, but in the months that followed Kate and G fighting Goldman's scourge back to its source, some semblance of order had been restored.

Kate couldn't shop at her favourite store there anymore.

The man she came to see was out front, chopping firewood in the yard. A young version of James. Just add a couple age lines and grey hairs.

"Ryan Taylor?"

"That's me. May I help you?"

"Kate Green, AMS. I was on assignment with James overseas."

"Oh. You're his partner. How is my brother these days?"

She took a long breath. "He was killed in the line of duty."

"Shit."

"Yeah," Kate elided. "I gathered up his stuff at the office. Old newspaper clippings, mostly. Less a pack rat than I pegged him for."

"Except delivering the bad news and unloading his junk aren't the only reasons you're here, are they?"

"I read your file. You and James trained at the academy together, and fit a similar psychological profile. He graduated to field missions. You quit."

"Never got a handle on desk jockeying," Ryan chuckled. "So, they're recruiting retired assets now? What, is AMS short the personnel?"

If you count murdered by zombies short personnel.

Ryan sensed mourning, and not just for James.

He gave it some thought. "Did my brother go down in a blaze of glory?"

"Don't approve of the wording, but James saved us all."

After observing a moment of silence to salute the fallen hero, Ryan noticed Kate's sidearm. "Can you shoot?"

Unholstering, she pulled the trigger and split the log he'd been hacking at, showing him the Hollywood action gal sneer she practiced pumping cyborgs full of lead.

"Sorry I asked."

"It's too late for regrets, Ryan. I won't give up hope."

"Hope?"

She held her head high with learned bravery. "A promise I made to James."