The Return home: Tale of Survival
A/N: I'm back people, sorry about the super long hiatus. I am sad to report that some stories like, "our brother, our friend" from my digimon creations would not continue, and would probably be torn down, due to lack of ideas and inspiration. While I was gone, I became a US Marine. Upon hearing the accounts of the marines in my unit who've been to Iraq, it has given me some idea to what it was like. Obviously it wasn't pleasant and shouldn't be taken lightly. Disclaimer, I do not own digimon.
Summary: This Fanfic is set in an alternate universe, where the digidestineds (Post Season 2) have moved to the United States during the last few years of high school. The majority of the older boys are in the Marine Corps and were involved in Iraq. Upon returning home, they suffer through flashbacks of the war as their friends and loved ones back home help them through their troubles.
Prologue: "Time to go home!"
A convoy of seven-ton trucks and humvees rushed through the streets of Fallujah, making steady progress back to the camp. Lately, there's been a lot of insurgent attacks on the camp and other marine patrols all over the region. This particular line of military vehicles were lucky enough to avoid much confrontation. They were ordered back to base due to intelligence reports of a major strike on convoys or the camp. The commanders in charge of that convoy knew they would stand a better chance if they return back to the camp, behind the walls of the fortifications. If a major attack was to happen, they would be a lot safer inside. Occasionally, they would have an insurgent trying to take shots of them as they drove by, and they would return fire as they sped faster to evade damage. In the first seven ton truck, several marines sat down in the back on benches as they watched their surroundings carefully as the convoy drove through the area. Near the rear of the truck, sat one particular marine. He wasn't just an ordinary marine, it was none other than our Taichi Kamiya.
"How's the view back there Tai?" his radio barked as Tai watched the rear of his truck as they moved through the streets. "Boring and frightening at the same time, Matt. How's the Turret up there?" He replied into his radio, while keeping an close eye on his surroundings. He took a sip out of the tube that connected to his water pack on his backpack, as he looked around. "Why are we here again?" He thought to himself. As much as he likes to make a difference for the country by joining the military, there were times that made him question why he signed up for the marine corps in the first place. "At least my brothers in the digiworld are with me here as well." He looked at the other vehicle directly behind them and he could see Izzy sitting in the turret on the top of the truck cab. "How you holding up, Izzy?" He spoke into his radio as he made eye contact with Izzy in the truck turret. "Same shit as always, kamiya. Tiring, and damn! The freaking wind keeps blowing sand into my eyes!" Izzy replied on the radio. "Cut the chatter marines, I hear something." Matt's voice could be heard on the radio.
Matt was in the turret of the lead hummer, as they rolled past a turn. He was listening to Tai and izzy's conversation when he heard something coming from several feet ahead of the vehicles. He cranked the turret till it turned towards that direction as he looked that way. He could swore he heard some Arabic. As the hummer drove forward, he noticed something half buried in front of him. "Shit! IED! IED! Turn!" He shouted, as the driver suddenly made a left turn to narrowly miss the buried object. Matt was knocked around in the turret due to the sudden movement, but he didn't had time to curse when he heard a deafening boom. The IED had gone off by remote detonation, sending chain reactions to several more explosive devices buried underneath the road for the next few meters down towards the rear of the convoy. The last thing Matt saw before being knocked unconscious by the blast was seeing one explosion barely hitting his hummer while another exploded under the seven ton behind him.
Matt opened his eyes some time later, trying to piece together what is happening as he was still shaking off disorientation from the blast. There appeared to be debris everywhere and he was lying down somewhere near the edge of the road. A moment later as his eyes cleared up, he realized he was being dragged from behind. He struggled to shake off the shock as he wondered who was dragging him. In the distance, he saw marines taking cover and popping up to fend off an insurgent ambush. He looked over to his left, and saw another marine trying to perform CPR on one that was lying on the ground. He looked to the right and saw another marine nearby trying to take cover while firing his weapon. He was then shot as matt watched helplessly as the chaos ensued around him. A moment later, the shock faded and his hearing returned. "…Matt! Can you hear me? Fuck damnit! Matt, snap out of it!" came a familiar voice.
Tai was lucky, very lucky to have survived the blasts that happened near him. He got off with nothing, but a small piece of shrapnel imbedded in his right arm. He had taken cover behind the now disabled vehicle he was riding in and was returning fire as he noticed a group of insurgents charging in. He noticed Izzy crawl out of the cab of the vehicle behind his and ran into cover beside him. Somehow they both got off with nothing but minor scrapes and bruises. While firing, Tai noticed Matt lying unconscious still partially seated inside the turret of the vehicle he was in. The hummer was knocked completely on its left side by the blast. Tai tapped Izzy and pointed to Matt. Izzy nodded and provided covering fire while Tai made his way to check up on Matt. He found matt in overall decent condition, he couldn't see any gaping wounds on him as he freed Matt from the turret seat and began dragging him to the side of the road, and into a nearby alley, firing his pistol at the same time. He watched a marine get shot next to him and he fired his pistol towards the direction of the shot and took out an insurgent. He called Izzy to pull back to his position and provide him some help while trying to see if Matt would wake up.
"Damnit, Ishida! Get up!" Matt heard his name as he recognized the voice. He finally snapped out of the shock and noticed an insurgent on the left flank trying to take a shot at his rescuer. Tai was too busy dragging him and firing at the right flank to cover Izzy's retreat to notice that an enemy was sneaking past that fire. Matt took out his pistol quickly and opened fire at the insurgent, unloading an entire clip into the enemy fighter's chest. Tai noticed this and quickly offered a hand to Matt. "About time! You're alright?" He said as he helped Matt stand up. "I'm good! Let's kick some ass!" Matt said as he took a rifle that Tai handed him and returned fire. The best friends fired their rifles now, trying to lay down some suppressive fire. Izzy waited for a chance behind cover and as soon as it came, he dashed out and sprinted towards the alley where his friends are firing. As he neared them, he was struck in the hip with a round. "Sniper!" The marines nearby hollered as Izzy dropped to the ground, clutching his bleeding leg. "Damnit! Fuck! It hurts damnit!" He groaned as he struggled to crawl the remaining distance.
Taichi had just saved a friend but he wasn't going to let another friend die. Izzy was still in the open and he would surely be killed if the sniper could get another shot at him while he's crawling exposed. Tai fired at one of the open windows in a building down the road where the sniper was last seen and then dashed towards Izzy, dragging him the rest of the way. Izzy cursed in pain as Tai dragged him painfully across the ground, trying to save his life. A stray round from an AK-47 struck Tai in a leg. He stopped to wince in pain. A second later, he shook it off, and despite the pain, continued to drag Izzy towards the alley. Matt dashed to the aid of his two friends and lent Tai a hand in dragging their wounded friend into the alley. Just as Izzy was dragged into safety, a sniper round struck the ground near where he would have been a mere millisecond ago.
The ambush drew to a close, as most of the insurgents retreated as a Cobra attack helicopter flew into to provide support, as the survivors of the convoy tended to their wounded. Matt had stopped Izzy's bleeding and was doing what he can to patch up Tai's leg. "We'll be okay, guys. Stay with me." Matt muttered to Izzy as he watched reinforcements came and started helping wounded marines around them. Izzy was doing quite stable, but Tai looked like he was about to pass out. He was sitting against the wall while Matt was fixing a tourniquet on his left leg. Tai slumped to the right as he passed out from exhaustion and the pain. "Tai? Tai? Damnit! Stay with us Tai…Tai!…Tai!…Don't pass out on me man! Stay…" Was the last thing Tai heard before he was rendered unconscious.
A/N: And that's the end of the prologue! Is Tai going to make it? How did the boys end up in a situation like that? Find out when the first chapter is released, coming real soon!