EDIT: I posted this earlier, but I took it down because I wanted to make some changes.
I don't know how I managed to get this done in the middle of Midterms, but here it is. Please enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED / SEED DESTINY. Do you really need me to say this?
--
War Zone - Recovery
--
"One Three, ranging round on the way. Danger close."
Yzak looked up to observe the impact of the artillery shell. Their building was situated on a hillside, simplifying the task of guiding artillery in an urban area. Over the racket of gunfire he heard the familiar freight train rumble of incoming artillery. The quiet rumble grew deafeningly loud until it was replaced by the crump of detonation and a bright flash of light.
"One hundred yards closer!" Whatever November Victor was firing, it was more powerful than anything he had ever experienced in training. "And be careful with those hundred yards!"
"Roger that, one hundred yards closer to your position. Round on the way."
It was if a giant flashbulb had lit off across the street and Athrun yelled from across the room as light overloaded his NVG. The next round must have landed on an ammunition stockpile or a fuel dump, judging from the secondary explosions and fires spilling out onto the street.
Slightly deafened, he shouted into the radio, "Pour it on! Fire for effect!"
"Affirmative," The girl on the other end said. "Find somewhere to hide. Minerva is on the way."
Yzak paled. That explained the artillery's enormous impact; Minerva was ZAFT's newest land battleship with a primary armament of ten 18" cannons. They threw a heavier shell than both Orb's Archangel and Izumo-class battleships' 16" guns, but their fire was also slightly less precise.
"Athrun, Dearka! Get in the hallway!" he yelled before grabbing his equipment and the radio.
--
Massive automated lifters retrieved cannon shells and bags of propellant from armoured storage below decks. Meanwhile, turrets rotated to the correct azimuth and gun barrels adjusted for proper elevation. Well trained crew members stood by and made sure equipment functioned within standard parameters. A signal raced down from the Combat Information Centre.
"Fire."
--
Kira cautiously opened the door and led the way out of the basement. From the intersection the section had been ambushed, he could see that the past hour of continuous shelling from Minerva had devastated the entire intersection and levelled almost everything downhill. The Coordinator kicked at a random piece of rubble lying in the street and took a sip of water.
They were alone in a city once again consumed by war, cut off from their platoon. Minerva had since moved on to taskings from ZAFT forces and she did not have the capability to play telephone operator and fire support at the same time. It was amazing how after such a terrible bombardment that everything seemed peaceful when illuminated by the full moon. The few clouds in the sky reflected and scattered the moonlight and enhanced the feeling of detachment from the rest of the world
Athrun sat down on the edge of a crater next to Kira. "Thanks for getting me out earlier."
"No problem. Cagalli'd kill me if I let anything happen to you."
Dearka also came over, having tired of bothering Yzak. "I thought you were a goner for sure. You and Yzak went down in that explosion and then only he got back up." He sighed and laid back on the crater wall. "I could really use a smoke right now."
Yzak smacked the Dearka's helmet as he too sat down. "You know Milly doesn't like that. Still..." He whipped out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter and passed them around. "Brand new synthcigs. Guaranteed not to cause cancer or cause addiction."
Athrun gave Yzak a suspicious look as Dearka took a cigarette. "Yzak, where'd you get these?"
"Shut up. Just because I'm being nic-"
Kira erupted into a fit of coughing and Dearka reached over to pat his back. "You'll get used to it," Dearka reassured him.
"Or not," said Athrun. "Lacus will have your head, Kira."
"So anyways, I finally got through to Lieutenant La Flaga," Yzak cut in. "We're to meet up with them at the bottom of the hill in an hour."
Dearka muttered, "An hour to get down the hill? Maybe we should take a nap while we're at it."
A loud crack and a small puff of dirt in the middle of the crater punctuated his sentence.
"Sniper!" Dearka yelled.
"No shit!"
Everyone scrambled to reach cover in the building they had just spent hours waiting in. Kira glanced at the tall structure looming behind their former shelter. Something glinted in the moonlight. Another shot rang out and Kira let out a cry as he fell to the ground. Athrun turned back to grab Kira as he fell but missed.
"Dearka, help me!"
Dearka ran over and together the two managed to drag Kira to safety. They laid him down on his back and searched for a wound.
Yzak threw them an aid kit. "Where's he hit?"
"I don't know," Athrun replied as he tilted Kira's head back to open his air passages. He really was not the most qualified to do this, but Nicol, the section medic had departed from the world.
Dearka found a hole in Kira's ballistic vest. "Found the hole, but there's no blood." The machine gunner was about to strip off the armour when Kira suddenly jerked alive.
"I think I'm fine. Thanks guys," he managed to say between breaths. "The sniper's in the building behind us. Fifth or sixth floor, maybe."
Yzak passed over the brunet's rifle. "Alright, we'll take the back streets and clear out that building."
--
Dearka slowly climbed up the stairs, checking every landing for traps. The structure was riddled with gaping holes that let in the moonlight. Faint footprints in the dust indicated someone had been there before them and he continued to ascend until they stopped abruptly on the sixth floor. He edged through the doorway and the other three fanned out to cover the long hallway.
Yzak lead Kira and Athrun down the hallway, checking every room. The first was empty and so were the second and third. When he opened the fourth, there was a small click.
"Oh shi-"
He and Kira dove backwards out of the way, but Athrun was at the end of the hall and could only turn away from the blast. The blue-haired soldier grunted as steel fragments peppered his side. With his right hand, Athrun pulled out a frag grenade and bounced it off the shattered doorway. Another explosion shook the walls and he went prone on the floor.
"Do it!" Athrun shouted.
Dearka, who had run forward when Yzak and Kira dove backwards, nodded and fired at waist level through the office wall. He worked the gunfire back and forth to cover the entire interior of the room. The blond ceased fire when he was confident that anyone inside was dead. Yzak sliced off Athrun's uniform and began dressing the wounds while Kira and Dearka swept through the room. They found a single bloody body clutching a sniper rifle.
"Looks like you got him, Athrun, and then Dearka chewed him up," Kira reported.
"Good." Yzak checked his watch. "We've got ten minutes to get downhill."
Athrun stood up. "Ten minutes? I can make it, but I won't be able to shoot."
"Kira, stay with Athrun and make sure you don't fall behind. Move out."
--
The four burst out of the ground floor emergency exit, minus the caution that had cost them precious minutes earlier. Tracing their way back through the streets, they raced to rendezvous with Lieutenant La Flaga. Soon, the rumble of approaching vehicles filled the air.
"Move your sorry asses!" Yzak shouted.
The Lieutenant's convoy ground to a halt on the main road and troops spilled out. Kira and Athrun scrambled in the nearest Warthog while Yzak and Dearka stayed outside momentarily to provide cover.
Dearka tapped the driver's shoulder. "Let's roll."
--
Athrun laid a bouquet of flowers on a small black grave marker. Four days ago, they had retrieved the bodies of their fallen comrades from the ambush site. Though the bodies had been sent home, the four built a small memorial by the camp's entrance.
Four pairs of boots clicked together. Four arms swung out and snapped back. Four fingertips touched eyebrows and stayed motionless before returning to their former positions.
"How's the arm, Athrun?" A concerned voice.
A calm reply. "Another three days before I can return for duty. How are the new guys working out?"
"Damn brats. I swear Asuka going to be a worse pain in the ass than you." A waving fist.
A chuckle. "Come on, Yzak. They aren't that bad."
"Shut up. You try giving that stupid kid orders." A pair of boots stomping away.
Another laugh. "Dearka, you can't win against him."
"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Another pair of boots shuffle away.
A weary smile. "Listen, Athrun. We have to head out now. See you when we get back."
"Yeah, later, Kira."
Athrun stood at the memorial as he watched three friends disappear through the swirling dust.
Who would survive and who would die?
They were joined by another four figures who fell into formation.
Who would go on ahead and who would be left behind?
He watched the friendly antics and the playful banter.
Who had seen their last sunrise this morning?
He looked up at the clear blue sky.
Who would see tomorrow's sunrise?
--
Sorry if the end got a bit confusing; I wanted to try a different writing style.
Please review. Thanks!
redshirt
