For my whole life, I've always drawn the short straw. Born in a country that took both my parents from me at a young age. Born in a country that was a t war with itself. Born a woman in a country where we were worth nearly nothing. Much of my youth was spent on the streets where I truly learned what survival meant. Finding food was never a problem, but shelter was. How could you find a safe place when any second it could be destroyed? I learned how to defend and protect myself, and I learned I had a dark side to me. One that would define me for the rest of my life in Russia.
It wasn't safe for me. I needed out, I wanted out. But in order to do that, I had to degrade myself, use my body. I left Russia for America under the orders as a mail-order bride. Even in 2040, men were still that desperate.
There was nothing to really praise about my husband. He wanted a wife, a woman to bend to his needs. All he really wanted was trajat'sya(sex). I knew of this going into the agency. I would do anything to get out of Russia. He gave me independence, the least I could do was honor my wedding vows. But even that wasn't enough for me, I needed a purpose now.
By some miracle, I found what I was seeking in the US Marines. It was nothing like Russia, it was better. I finally felt a place where I belonged. The skilled I learned as a child were honed and sharpened. I became stronger and worked my ass off to prove just what I was capable of. And that darkness that was born in Russia, it was buried away beneath my control. I proved that a woman could be as strong as any man. I proved that I could take what they gave me, and i soared above their expectations.
For five years I busted my ass and soared through the ranks before being promoted to the Rapid Response Tactical Squad. RRTS. The best teams. I was met with the same skepticism, but proved them wrong. They became my comrades, ones I would lay down my life for. The family I had .long since lost.
My name is Vera Dimitrov, US Marine, RRTS Unit 2.
Then a mission went to hell…
Shells rained down from the sky. Sand, brick, and glass exploded in a flurry of fire and earth. Mira lifted her head from the ground as the shower of earth rolled off her helmet. She lifted her binoculars and scouted ahead of her unit. Through the brief respite of shelling and the moments of light given off by each explosion, she caught sight of their target; The Sira Fortress. The massive brick fortress stood a grand figure in the dark, occasionally illuminated by the mussel flashes of weaponry. Settled by the sea, that provided no access, and barricaded by trenches and sandbags, the fortress was several hundred meters from their position. Four weeks prior to the assault, Intel had received word of covert operatives going rogue, and selling government intel on the black market to the highest bidders. Intel tracked the location of the buyout to the Fortress in Aden Yemen. The mission was to locate the buyout and stop it. The priority level was the highest any soldier had ever seen, calling in all six units of RRTS. Each team was given the same orders; from their drop point, they were to scout out the bunker and relay coordinates. The mission was simple enough, but when a unit was spotted and pinned in their station, the alarm was raised...and the shelling began.
"You get a visual?" Gear asked. The young Korean barely looked old enough to shave but he was the best damn technological expert in RRTS. He was skilled enough to work in the weaponry division, but Gear preferred the field. He was laying on the ground barely and arms reach from Mira, face covered with dirt that stuck to the sweat on his face.
Mira nodded and passed the goggles to Gear. "Six hundred yards."
Gear lifted the goggles to his eyes. "Six hundred yards, confirmed." He passed them back to Mira. "Sarge, we've located the bunker."
"Copy that. Location coordinates?" he asked.
Both soldiers pushed up their sleeves, revealing their digital compasses. "Bearing 18 degrees, 20 minutes North. 49 degrees, 42.1 minutes East."
"Coordinates received. Now get your asses out of there. Bombers take down in 5." Sarge ordered.
"Copy that." Gear said. He looked to Mira and nodded.
Mira nodded in return. Slowly, they began to withdraw toward the cover of the city remains. Dirt and ruble continued to shower down on them. Mira felt it sink beneath her uniform, digging into her skin. She ignored the irritation and kept moving. Once they were close enough, they slipped into the city, using the buildings as cover. They weaved through the street toward the rendezvous point. They weaved across the streets, taking cover in abandoned buildings. Shells continued to fall throughout the city, trying to wipe out whomever lurked within them. Sarge and the remainder of their team were half a mile within the city. Where most teams would never consider splitting up under such circumstances, Unit 2 used it to their advantage. Mira and Gear were the fastest on the team, they knew how to go unseen, and were the least likely of getting killed while doing so. Sarge often used them in scouting missions because of their skills, while the team waited for their orders. It was the safest option for their unit.
A growing roar silenced the battlefield as the aerial assault had arrived. Mira caught a brief glimpse of the B-2 bomber soaring above them. Stealth or not, she could always make out the design fading out the stars above them. Only thirty seconds and the bunker would be history.
Mira and Gear came to, what had once been a families home, where their unit was now occupying. They slipped through the entryway and were greeted by the five teammates all positioned throughout the house. Mira and Gear took their positions with their comrades and hunkered down.
"Time?" Sarge asked.
"Fifteen seconds." Rex called.
Suddenly the dark street light up as a white flare burst into the sky. The entire house was illuminated in bright light, revealing every location of the soldiers within. They'd been compromised. On instinct, each soldier drew their weapons to defend themselves, but it was too late. Over the approach of the bomber, a high pitched whistle broke through the air. A high powered propellant launched into the sky, aiming for their position.
"Missile!"
The team scattered hopelessly for cover. The missile struck the earth with a deafening force that destroyed the house instantly. The force scattered Unit 2, sending the soldiers in all directions. Mira found herself flying through the east wall and slamming to the ground. Still full of momentum, Mira's body rolled painfully across the earth. In a tangled mess, Mira slammed into a pile of rubble that forced her to dead stop. The impact knocked the air from her lungs and sent a crushing pain through her chest. She gasped, painfully trying to catch her breath. She opened her eyes to find a visually disturbed sight. The house was nothing by foundation and fractured of walls. Gear lay twenty yards from her position. His eys were glazed over and hollow, staring right at her. His lower legs were burning. Rex lay missing his right arm, staring up at the sky. Sarge was pinned to a building by several large peices of shrapnel. Her breath hitched in her chest, unable to process the sights she was saw. Her hands trembled beside her from shock.
The ground beneath her trembled as the shells started up once more. Mira could feel the faint vibrations through the ground. She turned her head from her team, coughing as she tried to steady her breathing. The vibrations from the earth grew stronger, no longer shells or explosion, she noted. She tried to tighten her grasp on her weapon that lay at her side. If it were the radicals, she wouldn't go down without a fight. However, she found that her body didn't want to respond.
She turned her heard toward the vibrations and found them coming from a side street. Through her blurred vision, Mira could made out several figures coming toward her. Another moment passed before Mira realized that it was another RRTS unit. She choked out a gasp of relief as her resolve seemed to die. Exhaustion all but engulfed her instantly. Her vision stared fading to black, her body grew still, and the ringing in her ears seemed to overtake everything. She felt the earth tremble as the soldier approached her. She felt the pressure of their fingers on her neck, searching for a pulse. Mira struggled to breath-if only for a moment longer.
"SARGE, WE GOT A SUVIVOR!" they yelled. "Hang in there soldier."
But there was nothing to hold to anymore.
guess what?! it's editing time!
