(Previous stories on this arch are located in Battle of Reveresburg Part 2)
Chapter 5; Vermillion
Sundown came only moments later.
Brooklyn led his people through the woods, at first the shadows grew long as the evening atmosphere burned in pink and red. Then the landscape turned gray and blue as the sun gave its final farewell over the South Dakota hills.
Because he had humans in his party, Brooklyn slogged his way on foot. It seemed as if the woods were an endless upward grade and soon his legs started to ache with the murderous pace he had to set to put distance between his party and the enemy. Katana scouted ahead by wing, stopping here and there to watch from treetops as Brooklyn's footbound group caught up below.
Unfortunately it was a new moon that night and the stark uncaring stars were not bright enough to navigate by; Brooklyn had to call an end to the frantic march in order to make camp.
"Lay down and rest," Brooklyn whispered to his remaining troops and new prisoners. "Silence and light discipline. Resistance prisoners, remember that there are Minions in these woods and any noise or light will attract them. They are our common enemy and you will be killed along with us should we be discovered. Let's work together in order to survive."
Brooklyn and Katana went to Val, using a muted flashlight to look the unconscious woman over. For the first time since her injury Val was properly secured onto the backboard along with a C-Spine, blanket, and padding under her head and joints.
"How is she," Katana asked.
Brooklyn took her vitals and blood pressure, "her vitals are steady, but she may sleep forever."
"I didn't want her to go like this," Katana whispered.
Brooklyn gave his mate a sharp look as he didn't understand her meaning, "I'll put her up on oxygen and saline for now. Once we start moving we'll have to disconnect her. I don't know…. Would you go back and watch the prisoners?"
Katana nodded and went back to the others who sheltered under pine trees.
Brooklyn went to the medipack to prepare for the next operation when he saw Angela sitting nearby; Brooklyn jumped. "You may not be a part of the Hive anymore, but you still move as silently as a Minion."
Angela was about to respond when they heard distant yelling over the night breezes, then an echoing gunshot. Whatever had just taken place happened miles away and near the highway.
"It's not the ones you hear that you should be worried about," Brooklyn whispered as he dragged the medipack back to Val. Angela looked the unconscious woman over in silence, as if she had never seen an injury before.
"Your world is so brutal," Angela commented in a quiet voice, such words had to be an attitude from the Hive and the strange sort of collective fishbowl in which their spirits resided while their bodies did the Hive's will.
That statement and naivety struck Brooklyn in a strange way, the words hurt like stepping on a stone wrong and twisting his ankle. He couldn't hold it back any more and burst into tears.
"Brooklyn!" Angela cried.
"Just leave me alone!" Brooklyn sobbed as he hyperventilated, trying to stem the tears. "I'm so tired. I just want to wake up at Castle Wyvern and to be told I was just having a twenty year nightmare."
His throat was twisted and painful, he wiped at his tears and snorted, the pain slowly abated.
"Is everything okay," Katana whispered as she crawled back through dead leaves.
Brooklyn grabbed her and hugged her tightly.
"Brooklyn! What's wrong?" Katana cried.
"I'm okay now," he responded. "Go back and watch the prisoners."
Without another word, Brooklyn went back to his Medipack and took out the necessary gear. Katana watched him for a silent moment, wanting to say so many things. In the end, she couldn't, and returned to the prisoners who were sitting nearby.
"You can put that stuff away," Angela said to Brooklyn as she laid her hands on Val's forehead and chest.
"What are you doing?" Brooklyn whispered.
"Just watch," Angela said and closed her eyes.
Nothing seemed to happen for several minutes, then Val's eyes fluttered open and she gasped with new life.
"Val!" Brooklyn cried, breaking the rules of silence. He rushed over and tore open the restraints to let her off the backboard.
"What the hell happened," Val whispered and was shocked when Brooklyn scooped her up in his arms. "I guess we won…."
"We did, we sure did," Brooklyn said. But as he looked up he noticed Angela crumpled on the ground. He gasped and rushed over to her.
Katana again was curious enough to come over, "Val!" Even the warrior herself was surprised how excited she was that the red gargress was okay.
Brooklyn helped Angela to a sitting position, the woman was visibly drained but seemed otherwise functioning.
"Are you okay?" Brooklyn asked.
"The Solanum granted me some healing powers, but a major injury like Val's is very hard and exhausting to treat," Angela said. "I will be repaired soon."
"Thank you," Brooklyn said. "Rest as much as you need to."
Angela closed her eyes and instantly slumped in a death like state. Brooklyn recognized it as the Minion's way of repairing themselves and knew she would be better in time.
"Oh damn!" Val hissed as her hand spasmed and her fingers dug into the soil. "Can't Angela just heal my nose as well?"
Katana shined the flashlight on Val's nose as Brooklyn finished palpating it. "Broken, broken, broken, Val. I'm sorry, but you may not be a beauty queen when we get home."
"My only regret is that I have but one nose to sacrifice for my country," Val gritted a reply; Brooklyn was not sure if she was being sarcastic or not.
Brooklyn smiled anyway and continued checking the nose.
"So who made the save," Val asked, asking who had saved her life.
"You owe your continued existence to Katana and Angela," Brooklyn replied. "Katana slew most of our captors and Angela healed you."
"Thank you, all of you," Val said.
Katana nodded gravely and continued holding the flashlight.
Brooklyn nodded, "don't thank us yet. Your nose is broken in at least three different places and I am not sure when Angela will be up again. I can't risk crepitus or gangrene, so I will have to set it now."
"Oh no," Val whispered.
"I'm going to set your nose and it will be the worst pain you ever felt in your life," Brooklyn concluded. "You cannot scream."
Katana already knew the next step and broke a series of sticks and handed them to Val. Val clenched one between her teeth and shut her eyes.
"On the count of three," Brooklyn said and placed his hands around her nose which was slippery with blood. "One… Two…" Without another count he grabbed her nose and tried to pop all the parts in their correct locations. Blood oozed between his fingers and Val gave muffled exclamations.
Seemingly an eternity later, it was over and Brooklyn set to bandaging and splinted the nose as best as possible with what he had in the Medipack.
"How was it," Katana asked Val.
Big tears rolled from Val's reddened eyes, "it really was the worst pain ever. Makes me wish we could still stone over and heal that way."
Katana couldn't help but to smile a little.
The Resistance prisoners were more than a little surprised when all four Gargoyles joined them under the eaves of an evergreen; again they heard voices carried over the breezes from the direction of the Interstate.
"I guess you don't need us anymore," Skull Face commented.
"I guess not," Brooklyn replied. "You can leave now, as per our agreement."
The resistance prisoners hesitated, there was no telling who or what was roaming the woods that dark night.
"Or you can stay, in exchange for information," Brooklyn said.
Skull Face was silent, but stayed.
"What is the Resistance doing attacking the Reservation," Brooklyn demanded.
Skull Face hesitated, then said, "the Hive has broken. A splinter group known as the UnZ has taken on the main group of Hive in some sort of Civil War."
"I know," Brooklyn said.
"The UnZ are not strong enough to defeat the Hive, so they were pushed into our territory," Skull Face continued. "They pushed the eastern and the central Resistance bands west, and soon all were crashing into our territory. We weren't able to plant or harvest crops and hunting and foraging could not turn up enough to feed all the hungry mouths. So, last Christmas, Demona and Xanatos along with the chieftains declared that we would invade Reservation Territory and destroy an enemy once and for all."
Val let loose a groan and fell backwards, Katana and Brooklyn exchanged glances. Total war with the Resistance, maybe the second worst thing to happen besides war with the Hive, was now taking place.
"Is Vermillion under attack," Brooklyn asked.
"Yes," Skull Face replied. "But our bands have already pushed beyond that city. We have gotten as far north as North Dakota."
"Yeah, I know," Brooklyn said. "What is so important about the UnZ that you, the Resistance, and the Hive, are not only on your heels but shitting your pants about them?"
"Rumor is that the UnZ can free everyone from the curse of Zombieism," Skull Face replied. "Or at least free their minds from control, you know, to make Minions like us again."
Brooklyn and the others exchanged glances, it had been a long time since anyone had spoken of any sort of cure for the infection, nearly twenty years long. So long that the infection almost seemed to have reversed itself. Now, minions of the Hive referred to the Sentients as 'insane' and always spoke of 'cures' for the last remaining free thinking peoples of the world.
"After so long, there could be a cure. We could release Goliath, Elisa, Lexington, and everyone else from slavery to the Hive," Brooklyn whispered. "You may remain with us, if you so wish."
The morning sun was starting to cut through the thick branches when Brooklyn saw them. He had not slept that night and instead rested against a leaf strewn embankment. The others slept around him, resting in the shallow slumber of the terrified hunted.
As the forest brightened and the morning birds began to sing he saw a group of figures making their way down through the forest toward the Interstate.
Brooklyn did not wake anyone as he watched them move in a line with remarkable efficient speed and precision. He quickly realized that it was a group of Minions moving toward the Interstate in order to ambush another party of north moving Resistance, or whoever they could catch.
He looked to Katana who was curled up under the bows of the evergreen tree, as far as he could tell she was still sleeping. Brooklyn decided against waking her to destroy the wandering Minions.
They were gone in a moment and Brooklyn rolled to his feet, the march would begin again soon.
The next day they continued south, cutting through the woods as to avoid detection. They had to, the Intestate was crawling with invading Resistance Warparties heading north…. And those parties were being shadowed by hunting Minions.
It was chaos, slaughter on a plate, and Brooklyn realized that it was all coming apart. Victory or not, the Reservation way of life was coming to an end.
Toward afternoon Brooklyn's party approached the settlement of Vermillion, but far out they could hear gunfire. Coming close to the city they could hear the crash of artillery and the sharp report of small arms, as well as the cries and shouts of many people.
Brooklyn made camp at an old truckstop a couple of miles outside of the city and continued with Katana on a scouting mission. Just outside the city Brooklyn spied with binoculars while picking wild raspberries from a nearby bush, eating as he watched the situation.
The Resistance had Vermillion surrounded, running around the city wall like rabbits scared by the wolf. Resistance Fighters had sunk nearly back into the Paleolithic Period, they ran around nearly naked, armed with crude firearms and handmade blade weapons.
Brooklyn saw that the military base that was supposed to secure this region was already occupied by Resistance. No doubt the army stationed here had been called away by Congress to join the soon to be launched attack on Hive infested Minnesota.
Brooklyn could only see a few hundred helmeted heads behind the walls that protected Vermillion, obviously only the city militia was here to hold back the onslaught, they wouldn't last long without help.
Having seen enough, Brooklyn and Katana returned to camp.
"Suit up," Brooklyn said when they returned. "If you haven't eaten yet, do so now. We are going into battle."
Val groaned, but once again put on her helmet and flak jacket, she loaded her machine gun. Katana readied her bladed weapons and ripped open an MRE to eat a quick lunch.
"Eat light so you can run fast," Brooklyn reminded. "Val, have you eaten?"
"Yeah, while you were gone," Val replied, she appeared tragically comical with her nose bandaged and splinted.
Brooklyn nodded, ripped open an MRE and readied a few weapons of his own. "Resistance is invading. They have Vermillion surrounded with about a thousand Fighters and maybe a couple hundred armored vehicles, machine guns, and artillery. However, they are bypassing the city and hundreds of Fighters are pushing north.
Our army is massing near Fargo, which makes the five of us the only thing between them and the soft underbelly of the Reservation. Angela, will you be willing to join us on this attack?"
"Sure, it will be like old times," Angela replied.
Brooklyn nodded again, "we cannot kill all of them. However, I noticed an artillery position nearby. We will storm it, taking prisoners; if we are lucky Demona and Xanatos will lead the counterattack. If they do not, we will move into the city of Vermillion and aid the defenders to the bitter end. Understand?"
"Where am I in all of this," Driver asked.
"You will stay with the prisoners for a period of two hours, and then let them go. Afterward you will make your way back to Jackson Hole and inform Congress that war has arrived on their southern border. You get a bye, my friend."
"Sir, I have a couple of questions," Val said. "First, aren't we trying to make friends with the Resistance?"
"They're killing our people, that's all we need to know," Brooklyn responded. "Time to protect the civilians as we swore to when we took this job."
"Second, can Angela heal my nose? So that if I am killed I can at least attempt to look good when I am found on the battlefield," Val asked.
"Angela," Brooklyn asked.
Angela did not answer, instead she put her hand on Val's nose. Nothing seemed to happen until Val's eyes scrunched shut again and she gave a squeal of pain. But, a moment later, Val took the splint off, revealing a shapely and beautiful nose.
"Ha! Cheated the Rhinoplasty out of a couple thousand credits," Val said.
"Go Val!" Brooklyn cried as they dove at the bunker protecting the Resistance artillery battery. The Fighters in the bunker just seemed surprised to see Gargoyles diving in at them and appeared from their protection.
Val let loose with the fifty cal and more than half of them dropped.
Katana and Brooklyn landed at the top of the bunker, both had swords and began chopping. The Resistance survivors ran to safety in their own lines.
The three landed atop of the now empty bunker and Val instantly set to work. She put up the heavy machine gun and opened a can of ammo, lacing belts into the action.
"Their counterattack will come directly from the wall and maybe from thirty degrees right. So, we can set up a crossfire if you take the AK to the tree over there," Val said as she closed the action and cocked the weapon.
Brooklyn nodded, "Angela, follow me."
He took off from the bunker roof and flew to the tree with Angela close behind. Already rounds and mortar shells were sailing in, intending to soften Brooklyn's party up before the main counterassault came in.
Brooklyn crashed into the treetop, quickly finding branches that would support him, Angela landed below him. "I need you," Brooklyn said. "To keep watching my weak side."
"Just like old times," Angela cried back.
Brooklyn gave a quick smile before finding crossed branches in which to brace his automatic rifle.
They did not have to wait long before the counterattack came. Clouds of Resistance Infantry rushed in from their trenches along the walls with an armored truck… along with something else.
Brooklyn and Val got to their grim task. The way they had set up their automatic weapons meant they could cross their bullets at a certain point and that was where they tried to pinch the enemy. Katana and Angela waited, they would be there in case the guns failed.
"Misfire," Val reported via mic.
Brooklyn glanced over his shoulder and saw that she was opening the action to the machine gun. Brooklyn's chest tightened when Katana instantly jumped to work, rushing past Val toward the enemy.
"Angela," Brooklyn said to his comrade. "You have to help Katana."
"Oh, right," Angela said and jumped from the tree to race forward.
"Be safe," Brooklyn cried after her as she ran after Katana.
The Resistance enemy did not delay a second, they were already up and charging in with their armored vehicle…. And something else, something big.
"Val," Brooklyn called over the Mic. "They're going to run us over if we stay here. Ready your weapon and support us from the sky. I'm going in."
"I'll be right behind you," Val responded.
Brooklyn spread his wings and took the afternoon breeze. He let the wind take him off the branch and dove in toward where Angela and Katana were already in action.
Katana threw two stars and took out two fighters in one throw. She landed and drew her swords.
The wretched warriors of the Resistance already knew Katana's reputation as a great warrior and backed off, they had an ace in the hole. From a distance the Armored truck fired at her with a big mounted cannon.
The small but lethal Gargress cartwheeled over the heavy fifty millimeter rounds that plastered and tore at the ground around her.
Brooklyn roared and charged in from the sky, crashing into a group of fighters and bowling them over. A fighter in an oily trench coat charged at him, a bayonet glittering at the end of his old rifle.
Brooklyn hated it, but aimed him automatic and hosed him down with bullets.
A second later, Val darted across the sky dropping grenades and firing off her gun at the armored truck and groups of enemies.
It worked, the troops and the cheap tank retreated, but the creature they brought along roared and charged in.
A monster, a giant, that had to be formerly of New Olympia raised its club and charged at Brooklyn.
Brooklyn scoffed at first, raising the AK with its extended magazine and started firing. He could see the bullets impacting around the creature's thick white fur, but it didn't seem to notice.
"Right," Brooklyn commented and jumped out of the way of its great war club, but he still managed to be slammed to the side by the beast's hip.
The monster growled and turned, Brooklyn saw him. He threw his gun aside, it was of no use anymore. Brooklyn roared and charged the beast. He managed to catch the snow white creature low, taking out its legs and flipping it over.
Every muscle bunched, Brooklyn charged to finish it off. He slammed his fist into the creature's only eye over and over again.
This attack just seemed to annoy it. It gave a growl and with a gesture tossed Brooklyn like a toy. Brooklyn cartwheeled through the air to land hard on the rocky earth.
Val swooped overhead, dropping grenades and using her now functional fifty cal to scatter incoming Resistance Fighters that were clustering around Katana. Clear now, Katana saw that her man was in trouble. She finished off the two Resistance troopers she had been working on and charged in for the rescue.
Brooklyn jumped to his feet as the monster advanced on him again, club raised.
With a roar, Katana jumped in and sliced with her sword across its yard wide thigh. This would be enough to remove the leg of a normal person, but for this beast the attack just seemed to annoy it. The creature hit Katana, throwing her across the field.
"You just made a serious mistake," Brooklyn's eyes blazed and he charged again.
The creature was just getting to his feet when Brooklyn attacked. It just swatted him away like a fly.
Brooklyn tumbled over to where Katana lay, she was unconscious but otherwise appeared okay. He looked up to see the creature charging at him again, club raised for the final attack.
Brooklyn layered his body over Katana's, ready to take the blow for her.
As the creature was about to swing the fatal weapon down, he was suddenly riddled with heavy bullets. His white fur was splattered red, the heavy club tumbled from his hand, he fell on his back.
Val had pulled an amazing shot and swooped overhead, landing in a nearby tree to reload her fifty cal.
Brooklyn smiled in gratitude, then turned to Katana, lightly slapping her face. "Wake up, baby. We can't stay here." Thankfully her eyes fluttered open.
"Come on, Brooklyn!" Val shouted. "I chased off that armored truck but it will be back and I'm running out of ammo!"
Katana was wobbly on her feet, but managed to stumble over to her sword and picked it up. Angela rushed over and pulled Brooklyn to his feet. The Crimson Bomber noticed a small constellation of holes through her chest.
"I'll be fine, the Solanum will repair me," Angela said as if she could read his thoughts, another possible gift from the Solanum Parasite.
Brooklyn nodded and looked to the creature Val had just fallen and said, "what a waste."
Angela shook him, "let's go!"
Brooklyn nodded and Katana returned, soon they were all running. The soldiers of the city militia had been watching the battle and cheered, but something else killed the relative good mood.
The armored truck had sheltered from Val's bullets under a glade of trees, its lethal automatic cannon still out and ready to start firing; Brooklyn pulled his small command to a stop near a crushed car overlooking the enemy vehicle.
He took a look at the faces of his three charges, noticing how exhausted they appeared. He wondered how long it had been since any of them had decent sleep, he wondered how much strength any of them had left. He knew what he was about to ask them was unfair, but it had to be done.
"We're going to destroy that vehicle, Val," Brooklyn said. "How are we going to do it?"
"I have thirty fifty cal rounds left," Val replied. "Grenades do nothing to impact its armor. But maybe if I got explosives under the chassis…"
Brooklyn was surprised when Katana said, "we can evade the truck and still get into the city; that was the whole point of this attack."
"I am shocked hearing such sentiment from you," Brooklyn growled. "You watched the entire population of your country murdered, and you are okay letting a machine gun crew go to slaughter innocents up the road?"
"Destroying a truck will not bring my people back," Katana said. "And our foolish deaths will not repair your wounded honor, Brooklyn."
"Fuck you, Katana," Brooklyn growled. "Is that what they're supposed to tell the people that gun crew kills in Vermillion should they get past those walls? I'm destroying that truck along with anyone inside of it."
"Destroying a truck will not save that city," Katana continued. "The same reason YOU used when you let that line of Minions go this morning. Destroying a few Minions will not save the world from this infection. Just as taking out a truck will not save the Reservation."
Brooklyn was shocked, he didn't know anyone saw those Minions but himself.
"I can destroy it," Angela said, thankfully breaking the argument. "Bullets generally don't harm me."
"They won't be using NATO rounds this time," Brooklyn replied. "That machine gun is probably a fifty and fires dum dums. It would shred you like paper."
Silence greeted when Brooklyn stood, Angela slowly stood with him. Val sighed and stood as well.
Katana seemed very out of character when she sat for another moment as if contemplating leaving the party.
"This is not like you, what's wrong," Brooklyn demanded. "Katana, I can't do this without you."
Katana sighed and slowly stood with them.
"That's better," Brooklyn gave a scary grin.
The armored truck saw them coming and drove from its hiding place in the trees to meet them. Militia on the walls tried to help by shooting at the vehicle, but the bullets and explosives missed.
From the van the terrible machinegun fired at Brooklyn and his comrades and armored men tumbled out of its back. Brooklyn, Katana and Angela charged in on foot, Val waited a moment and then flew in overhead.
Brooklyn smiled and roared, charging at the men who were wielding shields and armor. The armored enemy infantry drew long cattle prods.
Brooklyn shoulder checked the first, sending him flying. Another rushed up behind and stabbed the gargoyle. He roared as electricity clenched and tore at every muscle in his body.
Katana ran the elite soldier through.
Brooklyn nodded his thanks and the both went for the incoming soldiers.
Val took advantage of the chaos and landed near the truck, quickly throwing a grenade. It bounced off the vehicle's armored side and exploded. The grenade shredded the truck's tire, crippling it, and drew the ire of the machine gun crew inside.
The terrible automatic cannon blazed away at Val as she quickly climbed a tree and flew out of there.
For Brooklyn, getting past the shields that once served riot police was a pain. The troopers tried to corner the Gargoyles, so they could shock and immobilize them. But Brooklyn's warriors were too good and fought out of the trap.
The machinegun in its armored turret tried to spray heavy rounds at Brooklyn and his warriors, but the weapon soon sputtered and fell silent; out of ammo.
Soon, the enemy soldiers were running, back in the direction of their lines, leaving the crippled armored truck to smoke helplessly under the evening sun.
"Don't kill us!" A cry erupted from inside the truck; Brooklyn, Katana, and Angela surrounded the cheap tank.
"Let's see your hands," Brooklyn cried, he couldn't help smiling and looked at Katana. "See, that wasn't so horrible, was it?"
Katana looked away sharply and watched as the truck's doors opened and more wretched Resistance Fighters stumbled out with their hands up.
"Val, check them for weapons and intelligence," Brooklyn said as their prisoners stood before them, a ragged little line before their smoking tank.
Val did not step up, and Brooklyn could not see her when he looked around; he sighed. "Where did she go now?... Katana, will you check them? Angela, stand with me and keep an eye out."
Katana did as ordered, she found some weapons on the prisoners and a few nondescript maps but nothing legitimate.
"Go on, get out of here," Brooklyn said to the prisoners. "Beat it!"
The captured soldiers did not have to be told twice, they rushed back toward their lines.
"Excellent!" Brooklyn cried. "Val, get out here and blow this van, then we can go into the city."
Again Val did not show up.
"Goddamn it," Brooklyn muttered and lifted the mic. "Val, get over here, pronto!"
No response.
Cold realization fell on Brooklyn's shoulders and he was running with a purpose, the others following. "Val!" He cried. "Val!"
Unfortunately, it did not take long to find her.
As pollen fell from the nearby trees as if a freak summer snow storm, Brooklyn found her lying on the green field. Her hands were up and curled as if trying to crush some invisible object, her chest heaved as she fought the inevitable.
"Oh shit, Val!" Brooklyn cried as he slid the rest of the way, Katana and Angela arrived a second later. Brooklyn and Katana took Val's upstretched hands and held them, if the red hued Gargoyle noticed the comforting gesture she said nothing as her eyes were clenched shut and would stay that way for all eternity.
"We have to get this gear off of her, Angela! Can you do something," Brooklyn cried.
Angela kneeled and put her hands on Val, "I don't think there is anything I can do…"
"Yes you can! You healed her before, so Do It!" Brooklyn cried.
Angela closed her eyes, but nothing seemed to happen.
"NOW," Brooklyn roared.
Angela opened her eyes, "there's nothing…" she didn't finish the statement, instead she burst into tears. Angela collapsed backward and sobbed.
Katana frowned, "It's enough, Brooklyn." She said in a soft voice.
Tears fell from Brooklyn's eyes, "shit!" he sobbed.
Katana took Val's helmet, her dark hair was a mess. "Look at your hair, my dear." Katana took a moment to smooth Val's black hair into something more attractive. "I was wrong to bear you any ill will, my comrade." She put the helmet upside down near Val's shoulder and let go of her hand. Val's hand remained up, curled, every muscle clenched as her body suffered disjointed impulses from her malfunctioning nervous system.
From her pack Katana took out sticks of incense which she put in the up turned helmet.
"What are you doing," Brooklyn wiped tears away and croaked.
"An old tradition I know Val would appreciate," Katana said as she fumbled with a lighter, eventually it lit and the sticks put up a pleasant smell.
Angela broke into fresh sobs.
"Troops!" Katana cried while drawing a sword.
"Relax! Vermillion Militia!" Soldiers in old American army uniforms cried, they formed a circle around the scene. "Where is the rest of the relief force?" They asked.
Brooklyn wiped away tears and attempted to compose himself. "It's just us. The rest of the army is near Fargo."
"Holy fucking shit!" The young soldier cried happily. "The three of you chased the Resistance away! All by yourselves!"
Though he felt like rubber, Brooklyn stood and looked around. It was true, the Resistance fighters were retreating south, the siege of Vermillion had been broken.
Brooklyn gave a desperate laugh and fell to Val's side again. "Did you hear that? We chased off the enemy army, all by ourselves! You were a part of that! You did really well today."
Val did not respond, instead her body grew exhausted with its struggle. Her skin grew a shade lighter and soon her lungs ceased its train like respirations. Her hands and arms finally dropped at her side and remained motionless.
"Rest now," Brooklyn said. "You've earned it. May the dragon take you somewhere better, far from here, where there is no pain."
Brooklyn stood and sighed, "come on, let's be strong for Val's sake. Let's go into the city and get some rest, you all have more than earned it."
Katana and Angela nodded sheepishly and slowly walked away with the Militia.
Brooklyn remained with Val long enough for an ambulance to come and pick her up. He took her dog tags, weapons, and any letters or other personal effects he could find on her body. He could not see the wound that killed her, so at least Val would get her wish, she would be beautiful, as a warrior angel Valkyrie, forever.