Where the sound of an alarm clock used to wake her up every morning, gunshots have taken it's place.
She shoots up out of the covers at the loud and repetitive popping sound, pulling her glock out from under her pillow with her right hand. The safety is clicked off before she can even aim it in the direction of the noise; it's a knee-jerk reaction. Even the unforeseen gunfire is something she has learned to expect. Within the next ten seconds she slides her feet into her worn-out leather boots, throws on her jacket, and flings open the door of the van.
As she hits the ground running she takes in the scene before her.
Off into the distance, the sky is beginning to lighten, the first signs of daybreak. The camp her squad set up late last night is just the way it looked when she laid down a few hours before. Half a dozen trucks and vans are gathered together in a disproportionate circle. A few large tents were put up in the relatively big space in between the vehicles. Years ago, this would have looked like one grand camping trip. But the sixteen people assigned to this unit weren't looking to roast marshmallows over a fire or share scary ghost stories with one another.
Their official title, granted to them by the rapidly crumbling military, was Squad 12. Their duty was to combat the growing gang population, and to help in the fight to regain control over most of the country.
It had been almost seven years since the arrival of the monsters who turned their world upside down. Two androids, disguised as normal human beings, took to the streets, destroying anything-and anyone--that crossed their path.
The entire country panicked. People fled, but soon realized there was no where to flee. After the first year, nearly one third of the world's population had been massacred at the hands of the monsters. Cities and towns were left in shambles. There was never enough time to clear the rubble and try to rebuild before the androids were back, destroying what the citizens had tried to recover, taking more lives in the process.
Eventually, people stopped fighting back. They were trapped in a world ruled by two murderous beasts, and all everyone could do was sit around and watch the destruction unfold. This was one war that was impossible to win.
But along with the destruction and chaos taking place all over the Earth, and with most of the country's police and military forces practically decimated in combat with the androids, riots, looting, and crime seemed to escalate dramatically. Wars were being fought between rival gangs for control over certain parts of the country, and with no police force to combat the criminal activity, gangs and criminals were beginning to take over.
That was where Squad 12, and all thirteen of the military's special-force squadrons, came into the picture. Almost 200 men and women from all across the country, risking their lives everyday to try and regain what little control they had over the country.
"Videl! Over here!"
Stopping mid-stride, Videl looked over her shoulder and immediately changed directions.
"What's the situation, Captain?" she asked, pointing her gun towards the ground as she walked towards the entrance of the tent where the hefty man stood.
Captain David Xavier had been 18 years old and in his first year of training at a police academy just in the outskirts of South City when the androids first attacked. He was the only one from the academy to survive the first year of fighting with the androids. All he has to show for it are the burns on the entire left side of his body; from his face to his foot.
The captain gestured for him to follow her into the tent, "We pulled closer into Shibato territory than we'd originally anticipated."
Videl watched as he walked over to a rickety, collapsible table and unfolded a map onto it. Standing at his side, she watched as he traced lines with his gloved finger.
"Both Toniya and Evans scouted this area yesterday, but they did a poor job of it. There's a Shibato sniper set up in on of the windows in the tan building to the East of us," his finger tapped directly to the right of the red dot on the map, showing where the squad sat at the moment, "and this morning, just twenty minutes ago, Brewer got grazed by a bullet only seconds after stepping outside of his tent."
"Their sniper's either not very experienced or just stupid." Videl remarked. Captain nodded.
"Exactly, but regardless of which, that leaves us in a predicament."
"You don't know if it's just a dumb mistake or a trap." Captain nodded in a agreement once more.
"If we were in Haruka territory, I'd just mark it down as being a mistake, but since we're dealing with Shibato, I have a feeling it's some sort of diversion." As he spoke, he folded the map back up, tucked it into his jacket, and pulled a gun out of a holster on his hip. "Brewer is being patched up by Robbins right now, but the bullet only grazed his right shoulder, so he'll be back up in no time." He then walked over towards the entrance of the tent, waiting as Videl moved to stand at his right-hand side. "Toniya is at control, keeping headquarters updated on the situation. And everyone else is already up and ready to go."
"Well," Videl smirked, cracking her neck, "looks like we're starting the day early today."
Captain rolled his eyes, "Stay close, soldier."
The two quickly made their way out of the tent, across the campground, and found the first member of their team.
"Fill us in Cato." Captain yelled over the gunfire.
The tall, dark-skinned man nodded without glancing their way. "All of the gunfire is isolated in that one area," he said pointing toward a group of tall, run-down office buildings. "All of the shooting on their end seems to only be coming from a couple people-I'd say three at the most-but they're shooting rapidly and seemingly without reason."
A stray bullet strikes close to the trio, and they duck down and quickly move themselves to a different side of the van they're leaning against. "We haven't returned much fire because there's no real rhyme or reason with their trajectory. It just appears as if they're shooting at random."
"That's not good." Videl commented.
"We need to set up a perimeter around the camp. This is out-of-character for the Shibato, and that's never a good thing." Captain looked at Videl. "Stay here with Cato, I'm going to fill everyone in." Without another word, he was off.
Videl watched Captain's retreating form and had to bite back the groan that was building in her chest.
It wasn't that she didn't like Cato, quite the opposite really. She admired him immensely. Never before Cato had she seen a man take his job so seriously. But she supposed that's what happened when you lost your fiancée and unborn child in a gang raid of your hometown.
No, she definitely respected Cato. It was just that he wasn't a real big talker, and he always went by the book. Videl, on the other hand, enjoyed conversation and wasn't too keen on following orders.
It was because of this fact that she found herself paired up with Cato quite often. Captain knew of her rebelliousness and how she was prone to be a little too reckless and disrespectful on occasion, and knew that the stone cold soldier in Cato would help to even out Videl and keep her in check.
Videl despised how she was still not allowed to help in missions on her own. She had to be paired up with another soldier while out in the field; direct orders from the General himself. By law it had to be this way until she turned 18, and Videl dreaded knowing that she was over a year away from this date.
"Stay close." Cato muttered to her as he prepared to run from the truck they were hiding behind to a pile of rubble, twenty yards away.
Videl nodded and as Cato launched himself forward she followed closely behind, keeping up with his every stride, gun at the ready. As they both threw their backs against a slab of concrete they quickly caught their breath and positioned themselves at both ends of their barrier.
"They weren't even shooting at us." She commented in a hushed tone. Cato merely nodded. Videl sighed quietly and tried to adjust herself for the long minutes of silence. At least until Captain gave them any further instructions or a signal.
Peeking around the concrete wall, as she as was growing increasingly tired of remaining silent and still, Videl looked at the largest of the three buildings, trying to find out where the shooting was coming from. Then suddenly, in one of the far-left windows of the top floor, someone moved.
Videl had barely moved her head back around the barrier before shots rang out again. This time, the shooters were actually aiming towards them. For a few seconds, all she could hear was the sound of the bullets ricocheting off the other side of the concrete, until it finally stopped again, and they were enveloped in silence.
She shuffled over toward Cato, trying to will her breathing to return to normal. "Top floor. Second window to the left. There's a gunman."
"I think that's where they both are." Cato mumbled, checking the cartridge in his gun. "There's another on the far right of the same floor." He then quickly turned his body around the side of the wall and fired three shots.
They all hit the upper right hand corner of the building, entering the far right window with deadly accuracy. Two seconds later Cato turned his body back behind the wall, re-shielding his body once more.
"Got him." he commented, checking his gun once more. Cato was the best shot in the entire squad. Another reason Captain felt most comfortable with Videl under his wing. "Down though. Not dead."
Videl nodded and peeked her head around her side of the wall again, watching closely for movement. Finding the window where the gunman was moments before, she found it empty.
"Lefty has left his post." she whispered to Cato. "I can't spot him."
"Preoccupied with his buddy probably." Cato commented. Videl continued to quickly search the other windows on the top floor, in case the gunman moved to a new post.
Suddenly, a huge explosion rocked the area.
Both of their heads shot in the direction of the campgrounds. Just beyond the perimeter on the opposite end, a huge fireball enveloped a two-story, dilapidated store. Shouts suddenly broke out and the distinct sound of Captain's voice barking orders could be heard.
If Videl hadn't been leaning against the heavy rubble, she would've been knocked to the ground. Suddenly a strangled cry filled the air. The sound someone made when they were in unspeakable amounts of pain.
Unthinkingly, Videl shot in the direction of the explosion. She hardly took two steps before Cato grabbed her by the back of the jacket and roughly threw her back against the wall. Videl bounced off the hard surface and roughly landed on her backside. Before she could look back up and snap at him for manhandling her, he threw himself at her.
As the air rushed out of her lungs due to the impact of Cato crashing into her, Videl didn't know what was going until she realized he was shielding her with his body.
Seconds later, another explosion went off. This time, on their side of the scene.
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