"Winston!" Grace screamed as she tried to jump down after him.

Photo quickly stopped her and tried to calm her down "They'll be fine! They fell onto whatever that thing was. We need to go report back to the director now!"

Grace slowly stopped struggling and turned away from the hole "You're right, we need to call this in and get a shuttle here. They'll be back, Winston always is." While Grace tried to get in contact with headquarters, Photo pulled a transmitter out and placed it in the middle of the loading docks. "This is agent Grace requesting evac. Command do you copy?"

"We copy agent Grace, a shuttle is already on its way to pick you up. Just sit tight, it'll be a few minutes." Grace took a seat on the stairs while Photo started walking around. Grace tried to calm her nerves by slowly breathing in and out, but as soon as she shut her eyes all she could picture was Winston falling "Stop it! He'll be fine! He has never let me down, and he's not gonna start now." She was pulled from her thoughts by a loud crash.

Photo turned to Grace "What was that?"

Before Grace could answer a shuttle landed in front of them and opened its doors. Grace was surprised when she was nearly tackled by Nebula. "I was so worried about you! The whole ride over all I could think about was whether or not you two would be alright!" Nebula nearly screamed.

Grace raised an eyebrow at her and slowly patted her head "It's ok, but we've got a problem."

Nebula looked up at her "What? Please don't tell me something happened to Winston."

Grace sighed "Unfortunately yes, he fell onto the train."

"So it is a train?" Grace noticed Static standing off to the side. "Well on the bright side we were right."

Grace waved Static over and the three formed a circle "Congrats, now listen up. Winston fell on top of that train, meaning he isn't dead yet. But if we don't do something, odds are he's not gonna come back to us. So I'm gonna need you two to follow me down that scary dark hole and follow the tracks until we find him. Got it?"

Static and Nebula looked to each other then back to Grace "Got it."

"Hold on just a second." The group turned to see Photo staring at them "You three aren't doing anything except getting on that shuttle and waiting until we have a plan. Going down there is suicide."

Grace shot him a glare "And who's gonna stop us?"

He laughed at her as he climbed into the shuttle "Not me, but this shuttle is leaving in the next 30 seconds. If you're not on it then you're getting left behind. So choose wisely."

Static spoke up "Ok maybe we should wait a few days before operation rescue Winston."

"Static!" Nebula shouted as she shoved him.

"What? We don't know what's down there, or how we're gonna get back. If we leave now and go make a plan, we could come back with more plants and supplies." He explained.

Nebula was about to yell at him but stopped and though for a second "...Ok that's fair." Static smiled until Nebula started shouting "But we can't just leave Winston!"

"We've known him for a few days, is he really that important?" Static asked. Nebula shoved him again. "Kidding! But seriously, we can't do anything for him right now. What do you think Grace? Grace?"

Grace had stopped paying attention to them and was now checking out the roofs. "Something's not right." She mumbled. It was like there was something moving but everytime she turned around there was nothing. She could hear the occasional footstep or a slight click, but she just couldn't pinpoint what it was or where it was coming from. "It's almost as if there's something…"

Static looked up and shrugged "Maybe a storm is coming, even more reason for us to come back later. Let's go" He turned around and headed towards the shuttle when Grace heard a charging sound.

"STATIC! GET DOWN NOW!" Static looked back at her confused when a rocket flew into the side of the ship. The explosion sent Static flying into Nebula while Grace tried radioing in for help. "This is agent Grace, our shuttle has just been destroyed. We need evac NOW!"

"We've got company!" Nebula called out as she began reviving Static. Grace watched in horror as zombies began popping up all around them. Before she could react something hit her in the back of the head.

Grace turned to see soldier zombies lining the roofs of the buildings as they began pelting her with bullets. "We've gotta move! Get to the hallway that runs directly beneath the main center." Grace called out.

Nebula nodded, picked Static up, and began heading in that direction. Grace fired a few rounds at the soldiers to make them take cover before running away. "If we don't get help soon, we're as good as dead."

Winston woke up with a slight headache and no clue as to where he was. After a minute of lying there he determined he was still in the tunnel, only now he was off to the side behind some rocks. There was a little light coming from somewhere, but he couldn't determine where.

Winston was about to further investigate when James leaped over the rocks and landed in front of him. "Oh good, you're awake."

"Yeah, I'm awake. What happened?" Winston asked. He sat up and began looking at the cave in greater detail. He could see beams lined up along the walls for support and a few boxes off to the side, but couldn't see much else.

"We fell, you were passed out, and as soon as we stopped moving I dragged you off and moved us behind these rocks." James looked Winston up and down "You're heavier than you look."

Winston shook his head at James "Aside from my weight, did you find anything else out?"

"Yeah, the zombies crawled out of that thing a little bit after we stopped." James jerked his pod towards the metal beast "They're using smaller tunnels to crawls upwards towards the surface." James paused and looked back towards the light "Their own army transportation service."

There was a loud whistle, then the train began moving in the opposite direction until it was out of sight. James sighed in relief "Okay, let's go before anymore troops return."

Winston moved to follow him but stopped himself and looked around "Wait, what about Spike?"

James stopped and silently removed a leaf that was tucked next to his pod "That thing snagged the bottom of the rope...Spike got caught underneath. This is all of him I could find."

Winston didn't know what to say "He got run over… couldn't even find a body." He looked at James and saw a hint of sadness in his eyes before he shut them tight and turned around. He gestured for him to follow, and the two quietly made their way across the tracks.

The two found a tunnel further away from the rest and made their way up. Winston could feel the dirt begin to cover him and was somewhat thankful for the grimy feel it gave. When they got to the top they found that it let out into a small building. James looked through a window and saw wave after wave of zombies heading towards the East side of the Garden Center. "We're screwed."

"We might be, but I told Grace about what we saw. As soon as she gets onto a shuttle, every plant will know what's going on here." Winston informed him.

James pointed out the window "You mean a shuttle like that?"

Winston followed James' pod and saw a flaming shuttle lying against a building. "No… it can't be."

Winston started to feel his world shake when James pod landed on his shoulder "Relax, she wasn't on it. Look, the zombie soldier's bullet trail leads down that alley. That means Photo and Grace made it out and ran that way."

Winston let out a sigh of relief and looked at James "Then this is where we part ways."

"Oh, and why is that?" James asked.

"Because one of us needs to make it to the army located on the other side and tell them what's going on." Winston explained. "And Grace and I work very well together."

James gave him a look of horror and shock that made Winston think he was going to stop him. But instead he just laughed at Winston "You're crazy, but I respect that. Good luck, and make sure you keep Photo out of trouble." The two shook pods before James pushed open the door and they took off in seperate directions.

Winston took one last look at James before following the trail of bullet marks, weaving in and out of zombies, and praying Grace had made it to safety.

Bullets went flying by Grace's while she sat hunched into a corner. Footsoldier zombies had them trapped in the corridor that ran underneath the main gardening center, and the group had been forced to push themselves into the doorways in order to escape the onslaught.

"These zombies are way too coordinated. They keep switching off between who's firing so that we can't attack when they reload." Static called out from the other side. He was squished in front of Nebula, blocking any unlucky bullets that managed to hit them while Nebula continued to heal him.

Nebula tried to fire a few shots back at them, but she couldn't get a clear shot. "This is worthless. We can't get to the army if they keep us pinned down here! They'll keep us here until they've destroyed the army, then there will be nowhere to go."

Grace tried to think of anything that might work, but nothing was coming to her. "Well at this point I'm open to any ideas." Static and Nebula both looked at her with concerned faces, and she could already tell that they couldn't think of anything either.

Static looked to Nebula, then back to Grace before speaking up "Well I have one idea, but you're not gonna like it." Grace raised an eyebrow but gestured for him to go on. "Well if I burrow, I can get right up to them and get at least one. After that they'll be too distracted by a chomper in their face and you two can…"

"NO!" Grace yelled at him while Nebula began punching him, calling him an idiot for even thinking that. "We either all live or all die, but I'm not leaving either of you."

Static opened his mouth to reply but a commotion coming from the end of the hall stopped him. The bullets momentarily stopped coming from one direction and Static took the opportunity to dive into the ground.

"Cover him!" Grace called out to Nebula and the two began firing in the direction of the bullets. The two zombies were caught by surprise and tried to take cover, only to realize Static was right underneath them. He swallowed one of them while the other panicked and turned to fire at him. Grace had just enough time to launch a shot right into the soldiers head, freezing him and allowing Static to finish him off.

Static quickly ran back to the two as more gunfire rained down to where he was standing. "Ok, turns out there are a lot more zombies waiting outside. I'm pretty sure they're on the roofs, just firing at anything that moves."

Nebula sighed "That means all we've done is bought ourselves some time and space, but there's still no getting out of this situation." The three held similar expressions of despair, now that it was clear how hopeless the situation was.

"Wow, look at the downers y'all have become." The group spun around to see Winston standing over two corpses. "I drop down on these two zombies, cause a distraction, and beat them just so I can save you guys and what do I find? A bunch of plants moping around." While Winston tried to sound serious, he couldn't help but smile at the three standing in front of him.

Winston quickly made his way over to the group where he received hugs from all of them before they formed a small huddle in the hallway. "Alright Winston, what's the plan?" Nebula asked, a new found energy in her voice.

Winston considered their options before answering "The only thing we can do, fight our way through a horde of zombies until we get to a safe zone." The group stared at him with blank expressions on their face, until they all began laughing at their leader. "Ok, not quite the reaction I was expecting."

Grace straightened herself out before answering "Sorry Winston, its just that you come back and we're expecting some great plan. Instead all we get is 'Guys we're running straight at the enemy', so you can imagine how we feel right now."

Winston started to argue but noticed Static and Nebula shaking their heads in agreement. "Ok fine, it isn't my greatest plan ever. But it's all I've got, and if we just sit here they'll eventually overwhelm us and have us trapped again."

Static checked both sides of the passage, then replied "Well they might not even know we're here. It could end up being a better idea if—"

Before Static could finish his sentence three zombie soldiers appeared at one of the doorways and began unloading onto them. The group took off in the other direction and ran out of the passage way. What they found outside was horrifying. Wave upon wave of browncoats, bucketheads, and newspaper zombies flooded the streets. The roofs and windows were lined with foot soldiers who were currently unloading in the direction of the plant army. Gargantuars were slowly wading through the ocean of zombies, attempting to get close enough to start smashing the little plant defenses that were set up.

Winston turned around and saw the three foot soldiers were now leading a charge down the corridor. "Ok think, where could we go to get to safety? The roofs aren't an option, and all the buildings contain foot soldiers. We can't fight through this horde, so there's no getting to the military. That leaves only one option." Winston looked back towards the others "Guys, this way! We gotta make it up to the top of the center."

They nodded at him in understanding and began making their way towards the closest staircase. Upon reaching it, two zombies landed in front of them and blocked their path. "Excuse Me!" Static yelled as he began blasting electricity from his mouth onto the surprised foes. The lightning was just enough to cause them to retreat and clear a path for them.

Once they got to the staircase Grace started monitoring the roofs while Winston tried to determine the best spot to make a final defense. Nebula tapped Winston on the shoulder "We should set up near the center and towards the street, that way we have some cover behind the sign."

He thought for a second before shaking his head "Good call. Grace, Static! We're grouping up behind the sign." The two quickly made there way to the location while Winston continued to yell orders "Grace keep the soldiers from firing at us. Don't focus taking down one, just worry about keeping them from getting a clear shot. Static do not let them get near us. Do everything in your power to stop them. Nebula, keep rotating between us and healing us. Prioritize whoever is the weakest and help anyone who will need it." Winston looked back and forth between the small squad he had commanded for only a few days. "I'll start firing into the army and doing as much damage as I can. Just stall for as long as you can."

Static looked out into the distance and smiled "Even though it's only been a few days since I first met you guys, I've enjoyed every second of it."

Nebula returned his smile "Same, and I look forward to spending even more time with everyone of you when we get out of this."

"Well then, let's stop talking and start kicking some ass. I won't let these idiots keep me from beating yall in some poker." Grace called to them. She was pointed towards the top of a building and was sporting a winning grin.

Winston looked back and forth between the three while smiling, then he took aim at the army below him. "Alright you undead sons of bitches, I hope you're ready to experience death again!"

A mysterious figure was crouched on a rooftop, staring through his scope at a group of 4 plants. "How the hell did they get that far into the center without dying?" he mumbled. Standing up he pulled out a radio from his backpack and turned it to frequency 7 "Command please be advised that there are 4 plants currently free firing into the army."

There was a pause, then a voice came through "Roger that Cam, please stand by for new orders."

He put the radio down next to him and looked through his scope again. From where he was standing he could make out an ice cactus, a sunflower, and an electric chomper. The last plant he spotted threw him for a loop. He was a different tint of green and he appeared to be radiating something. He also had on some kind of mask that looked like it was used to breath. "Why would he need a mask for that? I've never seen a plant like that."

The radio pulled him from his thoughts "Cam, please be advised that you've been given new orders from the boss."

Cam was surprised to hear that the boss himself had given specific instructions, he usually didn't bother to even learn who was on what mission. "What is it command?"

A few tense seconds passed before the instructions came, and he couldn't be happier with what they were "Try out the new stink cloud, take notes on how it affects them, and leave no survivors. Do you copy?"

A sinister smile slowly made its way across his face as he picked up his gun and loaded the rest of his equipment "I copy command, believe me I copy."