Lieutenant Nolan ducked just in time as another shell impacted the area in front of the barricade, sending shrapnel flying through the air. He had been lucky to dodge it, unlike his radio-man. A jagged strip of metal caught his radio operator in the neck and severed his jugular. He fell to the ground with a sickening gurgle as he choked on his own blood.
"Damnit!" Nolan shouted, reaching over and grabbing the dead soldier's vest and dragging him closer; he snatched the radio's microphone.
"Saber-main this is Saber-2, over!" He yelled into mic, barely able to hear his own voice over the gunfire all around; there was no response. Nolan shouldered his rifle, popped up over the barricade, and squeezed off a few rounds at the advancing Helghast; he hit one center mass and the mask-wearing soldier fell over dead. He took aim at another enemy, but before he could get any more shots off a burst of well-aimed machinegun fire forced him to take cover. Nolan cursed and grabbed the radio again.
"Saber-main this is Saber-2, come in, over!" He shouted angrily. He ducked instinctively as another explosion shook the ground underneath him. The trembling faded after a few seconds and Nolan took the time see how his men were doing; they were ragged and beat to hell. Most of them had gunshot wounds, and some were even missing limbs – Nolan himself had a splinter of shrapnel embedded in his thigh – but they fought on courageously. They were trying to hold this position but they were vastly out-manned and out-gunned. While they were holding them for the time being, the Helghast were slowly, but inevitably, flanking them. His platoon was already taking fire from three sides and it was only a matter of time before they were completely surrounded. The situation was beginning to look hopeless, but Nolan swore he would be damned before he surrendered.
"Jones!" He shouted, trying to be heard above the cacophony of battle.
"Sir?!" A soldier yelled in response. Nolan turned and saw Jones a few meters to his right, laying down suppressive fire on their left flank.
"We need that gun up front!" He ordered, motioning for Jones to come to his position.
"Yes sir!" Jones answered, pulling away from his firing position and running over to Nolan, keeping his head down. He threw his machinegun up on the barricade and pulled down hard on the trigger, throwing a barrage of lead towards the oncoming Helghast. Nolan slammed a fresh magazine into his rifle and joined Jones. It was hard to miss at this distance, the enemy was barely more than fifty meters away, and Nolan easily shot down a handful of them.
His rifle clicked empty and he took cover again to reload. As he did so, Nolan heard the radio crackle to life; he quickly grabbed the receiver and put it to his ear.
"Saber-2 this is Saber-main, over." A calm voice came over the radio.
"It's about damn time!" Nolan said to himself, exasperated. He picked up the mic to reply.
"Saber-main we are getting our asses kicked out here, the Helghast are maneuvering around us and we'll be cut off in a few minutes! Half of my men are dead and so will the rest if we don't get support, now!"
There were a few moments of silence as Nolan waited impatiently for a reply.
"Uhh…copy that Saber-2, we'll see what we can do." The monotone voice answered placidly, "Standby for further information."
"Shit!" Nolan hissed and hung the radio back up, frustrated; if they didn't get help this instant they were as good as dead. Next to him, Jones was still firing away on his machinegun, the brass casings raining down and forming a small mountain of shells. Nolan was about to stand back up and return fire when the radio lit up again, signaling an incoming message; he hastily grabbed the receiver.
"Saber-2, we're dispatching an SF unit, call sign Tempest, to your position. They'll be entering your AO momentarily, over."
"Roger that Saber-main, Saber-2 out." Nolan said, hanging up the mic. Jones suddenly collapsed next to him, a bloody mess where his face had been. Nolan cursed again, grabbed the soldier next to him, and told him to man the LMG in Jones' place.
We can't take this much longer. Nolan thought to himself. He slid another magazine into his weapon and popped up over the barricade.
"This is it." The pilot's voice came through the headset, "Right below us."
Captain Hawkins was sitting at door of the drop ship, his legs dangling over the edge into thin air. He grabbed the support bar, leaned forward, and peered over the edge, observing the scene on the ground. The ISA platoon they had come to rescue was almost completely surrounded – the entire area was swarming with Helghast soldiers. The ISA were holed up in the ruins of a bombed out building. It was a good defensive position, as evidenced by the numerous dead enemy fighters, but the Helghast were determined and were battering down the ISA with sheer numbers and volume of firepower. Tracers and missile contrails streaked through the air as both sides fought furiously, but it was clear that the ISA were at a disadvantage.
"It doesn't look too pretty down there." Vera said, appearing next to Hawkins and watching the battle play out below.
"It never does." Hawkins said, "But we're going down there regardless; we won't leave them to be massacred."
"Well then let's get to it then, shall we?" Vera replied. Hawkins nodded in agreement and looked over at Vera. He thought he detected a hint of sarcasm in her voice, but the helmet covering her face betrayed no emotion and he couldn't be sure. He decided to ignore it.
"Pilot." Hawkins hailed over the radio, "Put us on the roof of that building there, on the north side of the square." The building he was talking about was several stories tall, and the Helghast had fortified it with multiple gun emplacements that were raining hell down on the ISA forces; they had to take out those guns first before they could inflict anymore casualties.
"Affirmative." The pilot's dry voice came over the radio, "I see it, taking us down now." The drop ship broke its holding pattern over the battlefield and began its descent.
Hawkins turned away from the door to face his squad. He saw they were busy going through last minute weapons and equipment checks, double checking to make sure everything was good to go. Hawkins looked at each of them in turn.
To his right was First Lieutenant Vera, his second-in-command. They had been serving together for years and in that time they had developed a close friendship. Even though he had a few years experience on her, Vera was shrewd and resourceful, and Hawkins had grown to rely on her intuition and advice. As a squad mate and a trusted friend, Vera was irreplaceable.
Next was Second Lieutenant Aszmann, their squad's qualified sharpshooter. Back in sniper school, Aszmann had excelled above his peers and graduated top of the class. After that, he had been assigned to this squad. That had been nearly a year ago and since then Aszmann had become an invaluable asset to their team.
Next to Aszmann sat the bulky Staff Sergeant Reeves. Reeves was a grizzled old NCO and didn't talk much, but he always got the job done. He was the team sapper and there was no door, wall, or stronghold that he couldn't breach.
Next came Second Lieutenant Mavik. While Mavik seemed to lean towards the more timid side when they were off-duty, during combat he was the most stalwart and fearless man Hawkins had ever fought with. Mavik was a stellar, dependable soldier and a fine addition to their team.
Lastly, there was Cadet Griffin. Being only twenty-one years of age, she was youngest member of the group. She had been assigned to the unit as Vera's student. It was Vera's job to train Griffin and forge her into a officer capable of leadership. Griffin was a friendly, lively girl and Vera, along with the rest of team, had quickly taken a liking to her. In the few months she had been in their unit, Griffin and Vera had become inseparable friends. While Griffin was an intelligent and able soldier, she was still a little too inexperienced, idealistic, and impulsive at times for Hawkins' liking. Vera vouched for the girl, however, and he supposed that if Vera trusted Griffin, he could too. In any case he still considered Griffin, and the rest of the squad, as family.
"Okay people." Hawkins said, "Let's do a quick comms check in sequence – go."
"Vera, up."
"Aszmann, up."
"Reeves, up."
"Mavik, up."
"Griffin, up."
"Hawkins…up." He said, the last one, "Alright, here's the plan: we're going to take this building that the Helghast are using as a strong point. We're landing on the roof; I want a clean sweep, top to bottom, of the entire structure. Once the 'all clear' is given, we're going to use their weapons and take out the Helghast assaulting the ISA position." Hawkins finsished, "Any questions?"
"No, sir." Replied Griffin, "Sounds simple enough."
"Good." Hawkins said, "Now stay sharp, watch your corners and each other' backs – let's get it done." He turned back around, facing out the door once again. He didn't need to say much more, his team knew what to do.
"Disembark in ten…nine…eight…" The pilot began to count down. The drop ship's engines whined as they reversed directions, slowing the craft down as it approached the roof of the building.
"Seven…six…five…"
Hawkins watched as the roof came closer and closer. The ship wasn't actually going to land; they were going to be jumping. Hawkins prepared himself to leap as the rest of his squad lined up behind him, ready to follow.
"Three…two…one..."
Hawkins pushed himself off the ledge and fell the remaining distance to the roof. He landed, knees bent, and then quickly moved out of the way as the rest of the squad dropped behind him. Once everyone had dismounted, they moved swiftly to the roof access door and stacked up – Hawkins taking point, Reeves taking position as the doorman.
"Last man ready." Mavik called out, letting Hawkins know that everyone was prepared to enter. Hawkins looked across the doorway at Reeves and nodded. Reeves nodded back and stepped out in front of the door; the hinges broke and the wood splintered under the force of his kick.
Hawkins rushed through the doorway, knowing that the squad was right on his back. He went down the dark flight of stairs, weapon at the ready. He reached the bottom and proceeded through the doorway. He hooked left and the person behind him went right; the floor was empty. Hawkins moved back to the staircase and they went down another level. As they descended, the sound of machinegun and rifle fire became louder; there were definitely Helghast on this floor.
Hawkins passed through the doorway and went left again. Immediately and without hesitation, he put a bullet in the head of the first Hig that came into his crosshairs – his head jerked back and his brain matter splattered the wall as Hawkins let out a burst. Behind him he could hear the deafening reports of more gunshots, the enclosed space amplifying the sound waves, as his squad opened fire on the unaware Helghast. A soldier manning an HMG turned to see what the noise was; Hawkins put three bullets in his chest before he even knew what was going on. They killed everyone in a matter of seconds.
"Right side clear." Said Reeves.
"Left side clear." Hawkins said, "Move on to the next floor."
They swept through the rest of the building in much the same fashion, efficient and deadly. The sounds of the battle raging outside were too loud for the Helghast to hear was going on and each floor was as surprised as the previous whenever Hawkins' squad came in; it was a massacre. From when they touched down on the roof to when they had killed the last Hig, it had only taken them three and half minutes to clear seven floors.
Hawkins looked around: the floor was littered with dead Helghast, "All clear."
Hawkins walked over to the window and looked out; the ISA were still alive, but they were quickly running out of time. The Helghast were still pushing their assault and they were about to break the ISA lines – they needed to hurry, it wouldn't be long until the enemy noticed that their guns had stopped firing.
"Griffin, Mavik, with me!" Hawkins ordered, "Vera, take Reeves and Azsmann and cover the entrances; make sure no one gets in to surprise us!"
"Roger sir!" Vera confirmed, taking off with Reeves and Azsmann to secure the building.
"Griffin, Mavik; find the nearest Hig machinegun and open fire on those bastards!" Hawkins commanded as he ran to one of the gun emplacements. He set his rifle down against the wall and pulled off the dead Helghast soldier that was slumped on top of the weapon. Hawkins gripped the heavy weapon and racked the bolt. He swiveled the barrel down, setting the sights on the oblivious Higs below. The weapon roared to life as he yanked the trigger, sending a hail of bullets down upon the Helghast.
Immediate chaos ensued as the Helghast infantry quickly realized they were caught in a crossfire – they were taking fire from both sides and had nowhere to run or take cover. The remaining ISA forces, noticing what was going on, let loose with everything they had left; Hawkins heard the rattle of more machineguns as Griffin and Mavik opened fire. Hawkins didn't relent and kept the trigger depressed, the gun spitting out ammunition at a blistering rate, the large caliber rounds ripping through the Helghast soldiers with terrifying ease; they scrambled, trying to find a place to escape, but to no avail. Hawkins swung the HMG back and forth, raking the entire area with bullets until he ran out of ammo. Smoke drifted up from the glowing red barrel as he let go of the weapon and looked out at the carnage they had created.
They had decimated the Helghast. The one hundred or so that had been out there had been slaughtered, their bodies strewn about amongst the rubble. There were still a few alive, however, crawling weakly or rolling in pain on the blood stained ground – Hawkins grabbed his rifle and finished them off, the gunshots rang out loudly in now quiet battleground.
"Good work team." Hawkins said over his radio and lowered his weapon, "Let's go meet up with – Shit!" Hawkins exclaimed.
An enemy tank smashed through a nearby wall, not more than fifty meters from where the ISA troops were positioned.
"Zephyr-1, come in Zephyr-1!" Hawkins said hastily, trying to raise their pilot.
"Tempest this is Zephyr-1, over." Came the immediate response.
"Zephyr we have enemy armor on the scene!" Hawkins informed him. He saw the tank's turret begin to traverse, the cannon turning to face the ISA's holdout, "We need air support, now!"
"Roger that Tempest, I see him." The pilot answered, "Commencing strafing run now."
But it was too late.
The earth shook as the tank's main gun fired, a plume of fire erupting from the barrel as the high velocity shell was propelled at supersonic speed through the air. The shell detonated right in the center of the ISA fortifications, blasting apart what was left of the building. Before the echoes of the explosion had even faded, the tank was blown to pieces as Zephyr-1 opened fire. The ship's anti-armor cannon easily penetrated the tank's hull, igniting fuels lines and hitting ammunition compartments. The Helghast tank exploded with a shriek of twisting and ripping metal – Zephyr-1 pulled up out of its attack run, the vehicle now just a mess of tangled steel, fire, and oily smoke; an uneasy silence settled over the battlefield.
"Oh no…" He heard Griffin say softly over the radio. Hawkins closed his eyes and sighed.
"Okay people." He said quietly, looking at where the ISA had been – he didn't see any movement, "Let's get down there and search for survivors."
"Holy shit." Nolan coughed, rolling over on his side. He quickly checked himself to make sure all his body parts were intact – except for the ringing in his ears he seemed to be in good shape considering he had just been blown up. He sat up and dusted himself off. He looked around but didn't see any of his men; no living ones anyway.
"Hello?" He called out, "Is there anyone still alive?"
"Here…sir." A weak voice answered. Nolan crawled over to where he thought it was coming from.
"Over here, sir."
Nolan looked to his left and saw Tipton, one of his newest soldiers, sitting down with his back against an ammo crate.
"How are you holding up soldier?" Nolan asked moving over next to him. He looked him over: he had a gash on his forehead, and one of his legs was bent in the wrong direction.
"I'm fine sir, but – but I don't think I can move my legs." He said through clenched teeth, obviously in pain.
"Don't try then, just sit tight." Nolan patted him on the shoulder, "We'll get you out of here."
"Sir, I've got two live ones over here!" A female voice sounded behind Nolan.
The lieutenant looked over his shoulder to see a figure clad in black armor running towards him. The suit was sleek and form fitting and it bore no markings save for a small, white sword decal on the chest plate.
"So you must be the special forces unit sent to help us." Nolan observed as the armored solider reached him and kneeled by his side, "Your timing couldn't have been better. I'm Lieutenant Nolan, leader of this platoon."
"Cadet Griffin, sir." She said quickly and politely, introducing herself, "Are you alright?" She asked anxiously.
"I'm fine." He said.
"But sir, your leg –"
"I'm fine." He repeated, "This man needs more help than I do." He gestured towards Tipton.
"Of course sir!" Griffin moved over to the wounded soldier and began attending to his injuries.
"Lieutenant Nolan." An authoritative voice called out behind him. Nolan turned around again to see who it was. He saw a group of SF soldiers approaching, "I'm Captain Hawkins." The one in front said. Nolan forced himself to stand and limped over to meet him.
"Pleased to meet you captain." He said, shaking Hawkins' hand when he offered it. "If it weren't for you and your team we'd all be dead for sure."
"Truth be told, we thought you had all been killed in that explosion." Hawkins admitted, "I'm surprised that you're able to stand on two feet."
"Me too... but I wish I could say the same for my men." Nolan said regretfully, motioning to all the dead soldiers around them, "Regardless, you have my thanks."
"Don't thank me yet." Hawkins replied, "Our pilot informed me that there is a sizable force of Helghast converging on our position as we speak. There's a plaza about two kilometers south of here where our extraction is waiting – we need to leave now."
Griffin finished bandaging Tipton's head wound and looked up at Hawkins, "But what about all these bodies? We can't just leave them here to rot, sir."
"We can, and we are." Hawkins said tersely.
Griffin stood up and faced him, "We're not supposed to leave fallen comrades!"
"Griffin, we can't – " He began, an edge creeping into his voice, but she cut him off before he could finish.
"But sir! I – "
"Stand down, cadet!" Vera commanded, stepping in-between Griffin and the captain.
Griffin hesitated for a moment and then sighed in defeat, "Y...yes ma'am." She mumbled, hanging her head dejectedly.
Vera placed a hand on the cadet's shoulder, "We'll come back for them Griffin, after this is all over, okay?" She told her, softening her tone.
Griffin merely nodded in response and remained silent.
"Hawkins." Aszmann said, walking up to the group, "We really should be going now, we haven't much time before the Helghast will be upon us."
"Right." Hawkins raised his voice for everyone to hear, "We're moving out, the LZ's not far."
"What about Tipton?" Nolan asked, "He can't walk."
"I got him." Griffin offered, picking up the wounded soldier and putting his arm around her shoulder for support. Tipton winced in pain as she did so, but thanked her for the help.
"No problem." She replied, then looked at Hawkins, "We're ready."
"Let's go!" Hawkins ordered. The small group took off south towards the plaza.
They moved quickly through the city streets with the wounded soldiers, five total, in the center of the formation. Hawkins was in the rear, urging them to move as fast as possible, but the injured men were significantly slowing them down.
"Come on, let's move it people!" He called out, "Not much further now!" Suddenly, a bullet smacked into the concrete near his feet. Hawkins looked behind him to see a pair of Helghast soldiers leveling their rifles at him. Hawkins snapped up his weapon to his shoulder and took them down before they could get any more shots off.
Damn! He thought to himself, their forward units have found us, it won't be long until the main force catches us.
"Hurry up!" He shouted, but the group had already picked up its pace, knowing full well what Hawkins had just realized. A few seconds later another series of shots rang out behind him, the bullets whizzing past his head. Hawkins cursed and spun around, firing a quick burst in retaliation, and turned back around.
"Move, move!" He commanded and they began running with renewed vigor.
They turned a corner and Hawkins sighed in relief as he saw the drop ship, about three hundred meters away, waiting for them, "There it is, push harder!"
They ran past the buildings and were now out on the open plaza, but the Helghast were right on their heels. More and more enemy fire was pouring down on them as the majority of the Hig forces caught up with them. Hawkins' helmet display was flashing red, his suit informing him of several hits on his back, but the armor held; it was impervious to most small arms fire.
It was now raining lead, bullets snapping through the air and others taking out chunks of concrete as the Helghast tried to take them down. They were less than sixty meters from the aircraft. Hawkins heard a ripping sound as the Higs opened up with their machineguns, a line of bullets raking the ground next to him. Hawkins heart stopped for a second as he saw a missile streak overhead towards the ship. The warhead went high, however, and skidded off the top of the drop ship.
"Hurry the hell up Tempest!" The pilot said urgently, his otherwise calm tone infused with anxiety, "I'm a sitting duck out here!
"We're almost there, just – incoming!"
Hawkins called out as he heard the familiar whistle of an artillery round. The shell landed behind and to the right of their formation, but the blast was enough to knock down him, Reeves, and handful of the ISA troops.
"Get up, get up!" Hawkins shouted, scrambling to his feet, dashing over to Reeves and pulling to his feet. "Get up or we're dead!"
He ran up the stairs two at a time, his training and physical conditioning allowing him to do it with ease. Soon, he had reached the sixth floor of the building; a good vantage point. He looked out the window at the escaping ISA forces.
Griffin reached the ship first. She jumped onboard and then pulled Tipton up after her.
"Come on, you're almost there!" She yelled, watching as the rest of the group ran to the drop ship. Aszmann was the next to arrive; she held out her hand and pulled him up. Vera was next and Griffin helped her up too. Mavik, Nolan, Reeves, the rest of the ISA soldiers, and then finally Hawkins all made it.
"All right, that's everyone!" Hawkins exclaimed, jumping into the ship, "Pilot take us out –"
"Wait!" Griffin interjected, "There's someone still out there!"
Hawkins turned to look and there was indeed a soldier lying out on the ground, waving desperately at them; they must have overlooked him in the confusion after the artillery blast.
"Watch my back!" Griffin told them and jumped out the door without hesitation.
"Damnit Griffin don't - " Vera cursed, "Covering fire!" She shouldered her weapon and began to fire at the Helghast that were ringing the plaza. The rest of the squad joined in, taking out the enemy targets with deadly efficiency to take some of the pressure off Griffin.
Griffin bolted across the open ground to the wounded man. Her suit was beeping furiously and flashing multiple warning signs as it detected numerous hits coming in from every direction; she prayed that her armor would hold just long enough. She reached the soldier – the explosion had taken off his right leg below the knee – and she bent down to pick him up. She grunted with effort as she hauled him up and over her shoulders into a fireman carry.
"It's okay, I got you." Griffin assured him and began running as fast as she her legs could move back to the ship.
He saw them and aimed his high-powered rifle at the one carrying the injured ISA. He put his finger to the trigger and gently squeezed.
"Good job Griffin, now get your ass back here, now!" Griffin heard Vera shout anxiously over her radio.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Griffin yelled back, pushing her legs to move faster.
Suddenly a shot rang out, loud enough to be heard above the hundreds of other ones. Griffin fell to one knee as she felt a bullet tear through her right thigh.
"Ahh!" Griffin cried in pain, "I'm hit, I'm hit!"
"Sniper!" Vera yelled, "Get up cadet, you gotta keep moving, you can make it!" Griffin pushed through the burning agony in her leg and forced herself back to her feet. She stumbled at first, but she picked up her stride again and began running as best she could.
"That's it, come on Griffin!" Vera encouraged her. Griffin was breathing heavily now and covered in sweat. The man on her back was growing exponentially heavier by the second, but she summoned all her strength and pushed on, focusing on the ship in front of her.
.
"A little too low…" The sniper said calmly to himself, the mask on his face giving his voice a mechanical quality. He pulled back on the bolt and ejected the empty brass casing. He grabbed another large caliber round and placed it into the chamber. He smoothly rode the bolt forward, locking it in place, and took aim once again. "…just a little higher this time."
Griffin stumbled and nearly fell as another shot tore through her midsection.
"Griffin!" Vera exclaimed, horrified.
"I…I can make it..." Griffin told her over the radio. She coughed, splattering the inside of her helmet with blood. The pain searing through her body was excruciating, and her breath was coming in short, ragged breaths. Her body was fighting her every step, but she was determined not to give up, the life of the man on her back depended on her.
"I know you can, but you've got the hurry!" Vera urged her. Griffin was nearly as the ship.
"Pilot!" She heard Hawkins say, "I want this drop ship in the air as soon as she gets onboard!"
"Roger that." The pilot affirmed. The ships engines prepared for takeoff.
.
"Hmm…" The sniper hummed, "...maybe this will do it." He opened the chamber on his rifle and produced a much longer bullet; the extra gunpowder giving it the power to take down lightly armored vehicles. He loaded it into his weapon and set his crosshairs once more on the staggering soldier.
"Here…take him." Griffin groaned, handing the wounded man up to Hawkins who then pulled him onboard. Griffin put her hands on the edge of the ship to pull herself up –
.
The sniper slowly exhaled and gently squeezed the trigger. The firing pin slammed forward and struck the primer on the round, which sent it flying at incredible speed from the barrel. The bullet sliced through the air. In less than a blink of an eye it reached Griffin. The bullet's ultra-dense tip punched through the back-plate of her armor, ripped through her body, came out the frontal armor, and put a hole in the hull of the drop ship.
Griffin's legs finally gave out as the third bullet struck her, but she maintained her hold on to the ledge.
"Shit!" Vera cursed, "Help me pull her up!" Aszmann rushed to Vera's side and grabbed one of Griffin's arms. Together they hauled up Griffin's limp body and laid her out on the metal floor of the ship.
"Get us the hell out of here pilot!" Hawkins demanded. The ships door slid closed and the engines roared as the craft took to the air. The pinging of bullets on the hull faded as they ascended higher into the sky.
Griffin began to panic as the shock of being shot started wearing off. She looked down and saw the large holes in her armor and the blood pouring out of them.
"Oh god…no, no, no…" She repeated, starting to hyperventilate. The squad rushed over to her side and began to go to work.
"Hold her still; we need to get her armor off!"
"Take off that helmet so she can breathe!"
"Hold her legs down!"
"Give me that med kit!"
The drop ship was a flurry of frenzied activity as everyone was frantically trying to save Griffin. Vera crawled over and gently lifted Griffin's head and rested it on her lap, removing her helmet. Griffin's blue eyes were wild with fear and she was muttering something, a prayer maybe, over and over again, a small stream of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
"Griffin." Vera said, trying to soothe her, "Griffin, I need you to calm down." Vera grabbed the sides of Griffin's head and held it still, forcing Griffin to look at her. Griffin looked up at her with her frightened eyes,
"Just look at me." Vera said, yanking off her own helmet and tossing it aside, "Just keep focused on me, you're going to be okay." She brushed the loose strands of blond hair from Griffin's sweaty forehead, "You're going to be fine." She seemed to calm down a bit and her rapid breathing slowed a little.
"There you go." Vera said, stroking her hair softly, "That's it, just breathe."
"It hurts…" Griffin cried softly, locking eyes with Vera.
"I know it hurts Sweety, I know." Vera soothed, "Just hang in there; we're going to take care of you." Griffin nodded shakily and closed her eyes.
"Here, help me pull this off!" Aszmann said to Reeves. They unbolted Griffin's front-plate and forcefully wrenched it off – a sudden hush fell over the drop ship. Vera looked away from Griffin's face and down towards her exposed torso. She felt her heart drop. There were two gaping holes in her midsection, one off to the side and the other right through the middle.
Griffin noticed that everyone had grown quiet and was looking away from her, a few slowly shaking their heads. She began to panic again, "What is it? Let me see!" She said, straining her neck to look down at her body.
Vera pushed her head back down, "No don't look; it's fine, you're going to be fine." She looked anxiously over at Hawkins, who just shook his head and turned away – Griffin didn't have a chance unless they got to a hospital soon.
"Pilot." Hawkins' voice was quiet but tight with tension, "Get this ship going as fast as possible, we need to reach base immediately."
"Let me see it!" Griffin cried, her voice rising in pitch, but Vera firmly held her down, preventing her from seeing her wrecked body. She struggled for a few more seconds but gave up, falling back on Vera's lap, tears in her eyes, "I don't want to die." She sobbed piteously, "Please, don't let me die." She begged Vera.
"You're not going to die." Vera tried to comfort her, wiping away Griffin's tears with her thumb, "You're going to make it; you just have to be strong for me, okay?" Griffin sniffled and nodded in response. Vera reached for the girl's shaking hand and grasped it, firmly squeezing it.
Aszmann rolled out a length of white bandages and wrapped Griffin's torso. He put his hands on the wound – Griffin bawled in pain – and applied pressure, trying to stem the blood flow. But the bandages quickly turned red and a pool of blood soon began to form on the ship's floor.
Vera looked down at Griffin and saw that her face had begun to lose its color. She wasn't trying to move anymore and her breathing had grown quiet and shallow.
"I'm sorry." Griffin said weakly, her pale cheeks still stained with tears, "I'm sorry I went and got myself shot."
"Don't say that." Vera said softly to her, "You did good, you saved Berrick's life – see." She pointed over to the man that Griffin had rescued. He was sitting against the wall, a tourniquet wrapped just above his knee.
Griffin turned her head slightly to see him and smiled faintly, "Yeah, I guess I did, didn't I…they'll give me a medal for that for sure." She laughed feebly.
"Of course." Vera smiled, beginning to tear up, "They sure will."
Griffin laid back on her lap and smiled, closing her eyes. A few seconds passed and she didn't reopen them.
"Griffin?" Vera asked, alarmed, "Griffin wake up!" She slapped her gently on the cheek, "Stay with me!"
Griffin slowly opened her eyes, "Yeah…I'm still here." Her voice was almost a whisper now. Vera kept lightly slapping her to keep her conscious.
"We're almost there, just a minute or two more, but you gotta hang in there for me."
"Sure thing…" She answered, "…too easy…" She smiled meekly up at Vera.
"Too easy." Vera echoed and smiled back at her, wiping away a teardrop from her own cheek, "You got this."
"…Yeah…" She murmured, shutting her eyes again, "…too…easy…"
"…Griffin?" Vera asked anxiously after a few moments passed, nudging her again to wake her – she didn't respond.
"Griffin?!" She slapped her, hard this time, but she still didn't open her eyes.
"Oh Shit!" Vera muttered, moving to Griffin's side. She got on her knees and placed both hands on the center of the girl's chest and began pumping, trying to revive her. She pushed furiously but it was having no effect.
"Come on damnit!" Vera shouted. She tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but it didn't seem to work either. She went back to compressing her chest, and then back to blowing air into her lungs. Vera grew more desperate with each passing second.
"Wake up Griffin!" She wailed.
"Vera…" Hawkins said softly behind her.
"Wake up, please!" Tears were pouring down her face.
"…Vera…" He said a little louder. She felt his hand on her shoulder, "…She's gone."
Vera stopped and turned toward Hawkins; he looked at her sympathetically.
"I'm sorry." He told her. Vera looked around the room at everyone else, but no one would meet her gaze, they all looked down when her eyes passed over them; except Reeves, who only shook his head slowly, sadly.
Vera looked back to Hawkins, and then to Griffin; she leaned forward cried on the dead girl's shoulder.
The aircraft sped over the Vektan skyline, and the ongoing battle below, to the ISA headquarters.
Author's note: Hey thanks for reading! I've been writing Warcraft fanfics and I'm excited to be working on something sci-fi. I'm really interested in the Killzone universe and I look forward to writing a story based in it. Hopefully you liked what I've put down so far, it was fun to write. Regardless if you did or didn't, have a great day.