Written for the LFWS Challenge.
Many thanks to Jayne Perry and Ferryman for beta-ing duties - You guys ROCK!
Duty First
Major Evan Lorne launched himself at Doctor Radek Zelenka, knocking them both to the ground as dirt and debris exploded over them. Even before the dirt settled, Lorne yanked Zelenka to his feet, grabbing his tac vest as he tugged him past the crater, back towards the track.
The mission to an often visited planet had suddenly gone to hell. Hostilities between the two ruling societies bubbling over into a sudden and vicious civil war, catching Lorne, his team and Zelenka in the middle. Having lost contact with the rest of his team after the bombing of the town and with the radios down, Lorne had no idea if they were safe, in danger, injured or dead. But his first duty was to Zelenka, a civilian. Once he got Zelenka back to the gate, he could call in reinforcements to search for his team.
The air vibrated with the rumble of airships and the whistle of mortars, explosions making the ground shake. Ground troops had yet to appear and Lorne wanted to get to the gate before they were caught in the crossfire. There was so much noise that Lorne had given up trying to yell instructions to Zelenka and had taken a more hands on approach.
Even through the vest, Lorne could feel Zelenka shake with fear. Flinching every time an explosion was heard, his eyes wide and face pale, but despite that, the scientist carried on, quickly obeying every command Lorne gave him.
He had just pushed Zelenka in front of him, motioning him to follow the track to the gate, when a mortar exploded behind them, sending shrapnel ripping into his leg. He fell to the ground in agony.
He twisted round, sending more waves of pain slicing through his leg, as he searched for Zelenka. He cursed as he saw him sprawled out on the ground only yards away.
Lorne turned back to look down at the leg, the lower part a bloody mess, a piece of shrapnel, clearly visible, imbedded in his calf. He pulled out a field dressing, jumping in surprise as a hand took it from him. He looked up to see Zelenka, who apart from being covered in dirt, appeared unhurt.
Zelenka made short work of bandaging the wound, carefully securing the shrapnel before wrapping the rest, using every dressing they had between them. Lorne fought to keep conscious, dark spots threatening his vision.
He felt Zelenka grab his vest and haul him to his feet, securing an arm around his waist.
They staggered up the track, their progress slow and lumbering, mortars still shaking the ground behind them. When the gate came into view Lorne could have wept with joy, he saw Zelenka turn his head towards him and smile, Lorne smiled back. In just a few minutes a rescue team would be dispatched to find his missing team. He and Zelenka would be back in the relatively peace and quiet of Atlantis, Zelenka dirty but uninjured, Lorne with his duty done.