Chapter 1:

Kat saw the gravity hammer's upswing. She dove left while reaching for her magnum, but it was too late. Her energy shields, already sapped from the battle, only gave her minimal protection. The blow knocked her back a good six meters and, accompanied by the Brute's guttural roar, left her ears ringing and her eyes blinded by bright starbursts.

"... Two! Noble Two, respond!" Carter's voice cut through the pain.

She coughed. She hurt from neck to groin. The Commander's voice sounded like it was coming from underwater.

The first thing she saw when her vision cleared was ARMOR MALFUNCTION blazoned across her HUD in blinking red letters. The second was Emile tackling the still-bellowing Brute Chieftain from behind and carving out its neck with his kukri. She thought she heard him laughing and saying unkind things about its mother.

"Kat, talk to me," said Carter. His helmeted head came into view above her. She tried to sit up and winced.

A quick armor diagnostic display showed multiple damages, blown pressure seals, and fried circuitry, all flashing red as blood.

"I'll live," she wheezed. "But the armor-"

"I know," said Carter. "It looks bad. Don't try to move."

"All clear," came Jun's voice over the radio. "All tangoes neutralized."

"Copy," said Carter. "Call in the transport."

He reached down and scooped her up in his arms, eliciting a strangled scream from between her teeth. He carried her to the dropship in a haze of pain and laid her on the floor. His gentle fingers tugged away pieces of armor and hydrostatic gel. She felt the sting of biofoam being applied, and then the swoop and rumble of the Pelican taking off.

"You look great," Emile said dryly, his shotgun slung casually over his shoulder.

"Don't worry," Carter reassured her. "We'll get you back to base and have both you and the tuxedo patched up in no time."

Unfortunately, they were only halfway home before enemy reinforcements moved in. A fuel rod impacted and sent the Pelican rolling like a dumpling in boiling soup.

"Banshees!" yelled the pilot.

"Give me the turret!" Emile yelled back. There was a chunk as the turret was lowered and a hiss as the hatch opened.

Unfortunately for Kat, the Pelican careened at that moment to avoid a volley of plasma. There was a dizzying jerk and the world around her spun from black metal to blue sky as she was propelled out of the dropship.

"Kat, no!"

Carter's hand grabbed for her, too late, much too late. She yelled as she tumbled through the sky, closer, too fast and too close, to the canyon below.

X

Notes: Thanks so much for reading! And yes, I KNOW Noble Team shouldn't be alive by the time RvB happens, but…. Well, it's more fun to suspend disbelief once in a while! Please review and let me know what you think! Second chapter should be up within a few hours.