Chapter 3: Tonight is the Night, We'll Fight 'til it's Over
The next few days of the journey proved to be rather uneventful. The sea remained calm and, aside from a scuffle amidst the mercenaries over a well-timed and scathing 'your mom' joke, so did the ship's inhabitants.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity at sea, one of the mercenaries shouted from above deck, "ISLAND! This has gotta be the one!"
Aylin leapt up from where she'd been sitting at the table and nearly knocked her chair over as she hurried up to take a look for herself. "Are you sure?"
The mercenary handed her a pair of binoculars, though even without them she could just make out the hulking form of the cargo ship. It was quite poorly half-hidden behind the overgrowth near the island's shore. Peering through the glass, she could confirm that this was indeed the merchant ship that she'd been briefed about.
"Okay. We'll sail in, but be on your guard. I'm sure the marines can't be too far. Be prepared for a fight."
The mercenary smirked. "I'm always prepared for a fight, lady. Why do you think I took this job?"
Rocinante was drinking coffee from the largest mug the ship possessed when he heard the commotion and decided to investigate. He meandered over to Aylin, tripping and nearly falling overboard in the process. The blunder might have proven deadly had Aylin not reacted so quickly and grabbed the seat of his pants, yanking him back onto the deck.
"AGH! HOT, HOT!" Rivulets of coffee poured down his arm and soiled the front of his shirt.
Recovering from the incident quickly, Rocinante sighed and finally looked up. He pulled his own pair of binoculars from his back pocket and surveyed the area carefully, this time mindful of the railing in front of him. He saw the merchant ship they had mentioned, but as he looked closer, it became apparent that the black market thugs were not alone. In fact, as he continued to scan the coast, he noted the outline of a very familiar vessel on the opposite side of the island.
He would have omitted all that information entirely, had Aylin not been giving him a scrutinizing look when he finally glanced back at her.
"Err...I think there must be a marine ship out there, too," he admitted. "I see a few marines near the merchant ship..." He shrunk back instinctively. His face wasn't well known among the marines, since he always reported directly to Sengoku, but one could never be too careful. None of them knew about his special assignment and the last thing he needed was someone blowing his cover.
"What?" She looked again, carefully scanning the shore. Sure enough, she spotted one marine, followed by another, walking around the perimeter of the ship. "Damn, if they're here, that means they've got to have a warship somewhere..."
Rocinante heard her curse under her breath as she spotted it for herself. As he'd already discovered, she was sharp and perceptive. It wouldn't be easy to continue fooling her. Trying to spare his fellow marines of any harm would be too dangerous. She would surely become suspicious of even the slightest merciful act...he would have to proceed carefully, and hope that those marines were capable of holding their own.
"Lin, how are we going to get close without them seeing us? What's your plan? We haven't really discussed much during our journey..." He leaned against the railing, scratching the back of his head.
It wasn't for lack of trying that they hadn't talked much. Rocinante went out of his way to say good morning to Aylin, and attempted bringing up as many topics as he could think of, all the acting extremely cheerful. Sometimes talking to her was like talking to a wall. She would grunt her answers, say 'yeah' or just ignore him all together. Rocinante was a bit dismayed at this, especially after the talk they'd had that stormy night. But now, it seemed that she'd redoubled her efforts in not liking him.
Aylin lowered her binoculars. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "If we've seen them, then they've probably seen us. Luckily nothing about this ship says that we've come for a fight. We'll go around and find another way onto the island. Take them by surprise. It'll mean a longer journey, but it's our best bet since we don't know how many people they have."
One mercenary groaned in dismay. "Damn...I'd rather charge in swinging my fists, myself!"
"Then it's a good thing nobody put you in charge, Roderick," Aylin replied icily. "Sail us into the north side of that island. As for the rest of you, prepare yourselves for a fight."
The other mercenaries grudgingly complied, disappearing downstairs to gather their weapons and strap on their armor. Aylin herself headed for her own quarters to do the same. She'd been expecting it, but it was still a hassle to see that the marines had beaten them to the cargo ship. She just hoped their back-up fleet was far enough away so that she wouldn't need reinforcements herself. She didn't particularly care for Scarlet, but disappointing the woman would most certainly have consequences.
Rocinante followed her to the door of her quarters. "Hey, Lin...do you really think we have a chance against all those marines? A ship like that usually..." He trailed off rather abruptly before he gave away more information than he intended. He'd brought along several weapons of his own choosing that he'd be able to completely silence, including a bazooka, but he didn't like the thought of going up against a ship that size with only the two of them and the four mercenaries.
"I know I'm tall..." He chuckled as this was an understatement, "But perhaps you'd consider me as scout...you know the whole silence thing..." Rocinante moved his hands around awkwardly.
Aylin turned from the door, mouth ajar to shoo him away and brush off his suggestion, but of course he did have a point. He would be an excellent candidate for the job; she'd seen his ability for herself...though she was certainly not going to send him off by himself when she wasn't even sure that she could trust him yet.
She crossed her arms, looking somewhat stern as she met his eyes. "Fine. Then you and I will scout the area together." She stared at him rather critically. "You can fight, can't you?"
Rocinante gave her a look. "Of course I can fight. Do you really think that Blackburn would have agreed to let me join if I was helpless as a newborn pigeon?" He put a hand on his hip and then grinned down at her. "I know I'm clumsy, but trust me, when it counts that all disappears."
Aylin let out a small sigh. "Somehow I doubt that, but...I suppose it doesn't matter what you trip over if you aren't making any sound." Rolling her eyes, she opened the door to her quarters, which was really just a bare room containing the same sort of creaky splintering bed that the others were sleeping on. She grabbed a few things from a chest at the foot of it; a small pack that she fastened around her right thigh and a silver longsword which she slid into the sash at her waist.
Even if he weren't trying to snoop, Rocinante would have easily been able to view everything inside the room at his height, and as she moved to close the chest he could just catch a glimpse of something colorful amidst the dusty weapons.
He raised his eyebrows, feeling curious. "Lin...what's that red thing you've got there? It doesn't look like a bomb, so...just wondering..." He trailed off, wondering if he was going to get an answer at all as he watched her freeze upon his mention of it.
But after a moment, Aylin relaxed her shoulders. "...It's nothing you need to be concerned about. Just some junk," she finally replied as she strode back toward the door where he still stood. "Let's go. If you have weapons, now would be the time to go and grab them."
The tall man shrugged. He should have known that was the sort of response he would get. He turned on his heel toward the sleeping quarters where he'd been keeping his belongings and fetched the bazooka, making sure he'd brought plenty of ammunition. It was rather large in general, but for a man his size it looked like a normal weapon.
Finally, after an extra half hour of sailing, they docked on the north side of the island. This area had a white, sandy beach that gradually blended into longer and longer grass, which eventually led to more dense foliage and trees. There was indigenous wildlife, mostly consisting of birds and lizards, although Rocinante though he might have seen a small monkey or lemur as well. The mercenaries played 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' over who had to stay as guard of the ship while Aylin gave them strict instructions according to the plan she'd come up with.
Nearby, Roderick let out a hiss and a series of curses, having lost the matches to decide who would take on guard duty. He turned and stomped back to the ship, kicking around rocks in his path as his comrades snickered and jeered.
"I hope you remember this is supposed to be an exercise in stealth," Aylin dryly reminded them. "Felix, you'll take the lead. You three know what to do. Meanwhile, Rocinante and I will get closer and see what we're up against. Wait for my signal before doing anything. Got it?"
A series of grumbles reached her ears, and she realized she would have to be content with that.
Aylin gave Rocinante a nod. "We'll get going, then."
Rocinante waited until he was sure the other men were out of hearing range before he grinned down at Aylin and spoke the word that triggered his invisible soundproof wall. He then began shouting at the top of his lungs, but no birds or animals seemed to notice and none of the mercenaries came running to check on him.
"It was just a test." Rocinante grinned sheepishly at Aylin, who did not look amused in the least.
"I know this is a serious mission, Lin, trust me. I overheard some guys down at the warehouse badmouthing the Don. We're already in deep shit for this delay. You can count on me, you know. I just hate it when everything has such a heavy atmosphere. Sorry if I get on your nerves while trying to lighten it."
She did not reply, and they continued on their way. Their footsteps fell completely silently through the sand, grass, and forest as they got closer and closer to the marines and the delayed cargo.
After several miles of nothing but forest around them, light began to shine through the thinning leaves. Suddenly Aylin slowed to a stop, holding up a hand to signal Rocinante to halt as well.
"Look," she said, keeping her voice down out of habit despite the soundproof wall that he'd created around them. A group of marines could be seen through the brush on the sandy beach ahead. It seemed as though they were all gathering around something. "The hell are they doing...?" She couldn't quite make out what it was, but something certainly held their attention.
Rocinante crouched further down and crept forward until they were behind a tree where he was able to stand to his full height and peer through the gaps in the branches. "Looks like they're talking to someone on a den den mushi...we need to get closer..."
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her further down into the tall grass as they exited the wooded area, keeping low so not to be seen. When they were close enough, he removed the silent barrier and they were able to hear a rather frantic voice coming from the snail's mouth.
"...I swear, I will kill them if you don't just LEAVE. We're all as good as dead anyway if this shipment doesn't get to its destination! He told me he has a wife and children...you don't want his blood on your hands, do you?!"
A murmur went up from the crowd of marines, and the man who appeared to have the highest rank judging by the coat he wore glanced over towards the cargo ship.
"C-Captain Macklemore, we can't just stand around here! We have to do something!" One of them shouted with an air of desperation. "He's my best friend! We have to do whatever they want!"
The marine captain turned to his subordinate, his brow furrowed. "It's not that simple and you know that! If we let these guys go...anyone else they kill...THAT will be blood on our hands, too!"
"But Captain, he said-"
"Besides that," Captain Macklemore interrupted, "we know through our intelligence that this ship is filled with weaponry to be delivered to Don Fettuccine Alfredo! Do you have any idea how horribly unsuccessful we've been at putting a stop to his operation?! This could be an important step in taking him down from the outside!"
The voice from the den den mushi spoke once more. "Whatever you decide, make it quick! We don't have all day. Either you get away from here and let us go...or your man dies!"
"Please, don't kill him!" The upset marine fell to his knees before the den den mushi. "PLEASE! I'm begging you not to kill him! He has a family! A wife, a daughter and a son!"
There was a slight rustle of leaves from nearby, and when Rocinante glanced over, Aylin had turned away from the scene. He wondered if she'd seen something. Just as he was about to ask her what was wrong, she spoke up first.
"Can you lure one of them over here with that power of yours? That one on the outskirts of the group..."
He nodded and crept closer, reactivating the soundless wall and expanding it until it enveloped the man that Aylin had singled out. Since his power was invisible, the marine took no notice until Rocinante grabbed his arm.
"HEY!" The marine shouted in surprise. He began struggling, but no one could hear him as Rocinante dragged him deeper into the tall grass and tossed him at Aylin's feet.
"Who are you?! What do you want with me?!" His eyes widened in fear and he reached for the weapon at his side when the woman quickly disarmed him. "Hey!" The marine yelled again, wondering why none of his comrades noticed his departure. "We have a situation. I don't have time to play with you two..." He was clearly trying to appear confidant and brave, as if undaunted by this impromptu kidnapping, but the shaking of his legs gave his fear away.
Aylin knelt down to his level, one elbow resting on a knee. "I know the feeling." She quickly patted him down in search of any concealed weapons. Turning out all his pockets, she found a pocket knife, which she discarded. Satisfied, she roughly turned him around and tied his hands behind his back.
"Wait! What...what are you going to do with me?!"
"That depends entirely on your friends out there," she remarked as she gave him a shove, turning to glance back at Rocinante. "Wait here until I have their attention. Then fire a shot into the air and follow my lead. We're going to keep them busy while the others get the cargo back."
She didn't wait for a reply, keeping her prisoner moving forward until suddenly the two of them were standing outside of the sound-proof bubble and in full view of every marine.
Eleven guns cocked at once and every one of them was pointed directly at Aylin. But before a single shot could be fired, she'd drawn her sword and pressed the blade against her hostage's throat.
She clucked her tongue. "I wouldn't do that. Not unless you want your man back in pieces."
The captain, Macklemore, held his arm out and the rest of his men lowered their weapons. They'd already lost one man as a hostage. He wasn't going to let them take another. There was a brief stretch of silence as both marine and felon stared each other down.
Finally the captain spoke first. "You know…maybe we can make some kind of a deal…" Macklemore looked down at his nails, examining them intently before he looked back up at Aylin and locked eyes with her. "You look like a smart woman…" He took a step forward, causing Aylin to tighten the blade at the officer's throat, her jaw clenching.
Well, she had wanted to get their attention. Still, she had to wonder what was taking Rocinante so long with that signal.
Just then, a loud curse was heard from the tall grass where they'd once been hiding.
"ACK, STUPID THING…IT'S JAMMED..." The tall man stumbled out from his hiding place and promptly tripped over a root that was sticking up out of the ground, his bazooka suddenly going off and its missile heading straight for the cargo ship.
"AW, SHIT!"
Aylin's eyes widened almost comically. The ship would be destroyed! Shoving aside the hostage, she sprung into action. She took three sprinting steps toward the cargo ship before expertly hurling her long sword toward the airborne missile with all the strength she could muster. It flipped through the air like a wild boomerang, hurtling toward its target.
Right before the eyes of several shrieking marines, Aylin's sword caught the side of the missile with just enough force to send it veering off-course. It headed straight for the crowd of marines, who erupted into more inane hollering as they hit the dirt, allowing the missile to sail just over their heads and into the trees behind them. It exploded on impact, sending a shower of dirt and debris raining down onto the beach.
Aylin ducked out of the way of a large tree trunk, eyes darting toward Rocinante. He hadn't done that on purpose, had he?!
Rocinante gaped with his mouth open wide as his hands absentmindedly dusted off his pants. He shouldered the bazooka once more looking rather sheepish, but cupped his free hand around his mouth and yelled, "THAT WAS SO COOL, LIN!"
His vision traveled to the scene behind her as the three mercenaries were already working together with the crew from the grounded ship to transfer the black market goods to their new transport vessel.
One of the crew now stood out front, a gun to the head of one of the marines, though their position had shifted slightly at the site of the on-coming bazooka.
"YOU CRAZY?" The man keeping a hostage yelled, a wild look in his eyes. "YOU COULD'VE KILLED US ALL! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH GUNPOWDER IS IN THIS THING?" He jerked the thumb of his free hand to the ship behind him.
'Pity,' Rocinante thought. The ship was about a hundred times nicer than the one they'd came on. But surely that rickety ship they were using now would be more suited to their smuggling purposes.
He reloaded his bazooka and jogged toward the group of scrambling marines. He was an imposing sight, towering over the lot of them. The irony was not lost on him that he was now threatening those who were, in essence, his own comrades.
He cleared his throat, narrowing his eyes as he glared down at them. "Don't you dare move, unless you feel like gunpowder for lunch." He followed up the threat with a grunt.
"He's bluffing!" One marine shouted out. "From that distance, he'd be killed, too!"
"Arrest them," came the booming voice of Captain Macklemore, who was suddenly in the place of the smuggler who had held one of his subordinates hostage. The man lay unconscious on the sandy beach nearby. "We're finished messing around!"
Aylin grit her teeth; she hadn't even seen the Captain move. "He was just waiting for them to come outside," she muttered under her breath. Her eyes fell upon her silver longsword, which lay half-buried in the sand near ten marines. Crap. She hoped Rocinante could handle himself, because it looked like he was going to be on his own for the moment.
All at once, the marines swarmed the two black market outlaws, firing guns and swinging swords. Aylin leapt out of a bullet's path, slowly making her way toward her weapon. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted the mercenaries carrying off boxes of cargo. All the attention was currently focused on herself and Rocinante... Well, she had to hand it to him, this was certainly an effective distraction!
Rocinante, for all his cumbersome size and clumsiness, proved to be quite astute in battle after all. He lowered the bazooka, taking out two smaller handguns and firing them in succession at their foes, taking out one with each bullet.
So those were the skills he was hired for, she surmised. It was a relief to see that he possessed more than simply brute strength for lifting boxes all day.
Half of their foes went down before Aylin was finally able to reach her sword. They could see that the transfer was still coming along neatly in the background despite the angry marine captain, who was yelling for their blood all the while.
Rocinante took out two more men who dropped, howling and clutching their legs. He bent over the nearest one with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry," he said, keeping his voice low. "Don't worry, there's another fleet on the way. We'll make sure you all get medical attention."
The marine looked at the man as if he'd grown several new appendages. Wasn't he one of the smugglers and mercenaries?! But before he could think to question the enemy's actions, Rocinante had moved on to the next fight.
Meanwhile Aylin had rolled to her feet with her longsword in hand, fending off several attackers as she righted herself. Their numbers were dwindling, though she'd seen Captain Macklemore shouting into a den den mushi and knew that it wouldn't be long before they were vastly outnumbered by fresh enemies.
They would have to get out of there, and soon... The mercenaries should have finished moving the cargo by now, though neither Aylin nor Rocinante had seen any of them return to the beach to provide back-up. Hadn't they been just itching for a fight earlier?
Aylin frowned as her sword clashed with the one belonging to Captain Macklemore. Escape would not be possible as long as the marine captain was still standing. She shouted to Rocinante over her shoulder, "Make quick work of these guys! We've got to go!"
Rocinante threw himself against the remaining marines, using his bazooka like a club. He looked like a great spindly ogre as he kicked up sand in his wake, running across the beach and batting every man or woman that came at him with ill intent.
He was nearing the transport vessel when he noticed that it was no longer beached. In fact, one of the mercenaries they'd hired gave him a gap-toothed grin with a salute as held the mooring rope in one hand.
"GYAAAAAAH!" The undercover marine grabbed his head, dropping the bazooka abruptly. A man that had been coming up behind him with a knife cried out and was silenced when the falling weapon took him out by pure coincidence.
"LIN!" Rocinante shouted while he pointed at the ship that was rapidly getting further and further out to sea. She had just turned her head when he tripped over the prone body of his would-be attacker, flailing and falling face first into the sand.
Aylin's eyes traveled first to Rocinante wriggling about on the ground, and then toward the sea where he'd been wildly gesturing moments ago. Her brow furrowed as she caught sight of the vessel sailing out to sea. "What...? No!" Her jaw clenched as she felt a swell of anger. She should have expected this, although she'd been counting on a handsome payment being enough to secure their temporary loyalty. Perhaps someone else had been willing to pay a higher price...
There was no time to think things through. Captain Macklemore's sword sang through the air, narrowly missing her as she swiftly stepped aside to block the blow. Her own sword's grip vibrated in her hands upon impact, though she quickly countered with several swings in an effort to gain the upper hand. But he matched her every attack with equally skilled parries and ripostes. He was pushing her closer toward the shoreline, leaving her no opportunity to reposition herself.
Metal clashed with metal, over and over. Aylin's eyes darted across her surroundings as much as she dared to allow them to. Rocinante was surrounded by a new wave of marines, although he was holding his own against them. If she could only get away from the captain...
Taking another step backward, Aylin's heel splashed into water. Captain Macklemore's sword came at her in a downward slice this time. She leapt away only enough to soften the blow, her shoulder taking most of the damage as she was sent sprawling into the shallow waves.
Captain Macklemore smirked, pausing momentarily as he steadied his blade above her. "That's right! I've got you now, you-AAUGH!" He cried out in pain as a small throwing knife shot out from the water, embedding itself into his side.
It was the opening she'd been waiting for. Aylin flipped to her feet, using his distracted state to her advantage. With one strong blow, the captain's own blade was knocked aside. Unlike him, however, Aylin did not stop to savor a potential victory. She continued her attack, carving an 'x' onto his chest.
He stumbled and fell backwards onto the sandy beach. Aylin followed, both hands tightening around the grip of her longsword. Her eyes narrowed as she rushed forward to finish him off. At the last second, she saw the smirk on his face and realized too late that she'd made a mistake.
Pain sliced through her abdomen, stopping her in her tracks. It took her a long moment to realize why the captain's kick had been so sharp.
"Shit..." Aylin wavered on her feet, determined to remain upright.
Suddenly from nearby came the shouts of more men, and she looked up to see a crowd of reinforcement marines running toward their fallen comrades.
"Shit!"
A triumphant laugh erupted from below her as Captain Macklemore continued to hold his bloodied shoe up, almost daring Aylin to try to strike at him again. "I hate getting too much blood on my alligators, but for you, my dear, it's worth it. What's a girl like you doing out here defying the law, anyway? We could use someone with your mettle in the marines..."
She was plainly struggling to stay on her feet, and Captain Macklemore added further insult to injury with another sharp kick. Aylin doubled over and the captain struggled to his feet, clutching the open wounds on his chest with his hands.
"I've been hurt worse by better…" He spat a mouthful of blood into the salty water as he took a halting step forward.
Aylin's head felt heavy, it pounded as her blood rushed through her veins. 'This asshole's lips are flapping, but I don't hear a damn thing,' she thought as an intense ringing became the only sound she could perceive.
Suddenly the look on Macklemore's face changed to one of surprise. Aylin attempted to maneuver herself to see what had changed, but lost her balance, anticipating what was coming next. That hard fall into salt water and hard packed sand…
But the impact never came.
Instead, a pair of strong arms lifted her easily, as if she were a sack of flour, and began to carry her off. In her haze of half-consciousness, it took Aylin a moment to realize what had happened.
Rocinante dashed off into the dense brush at the center of the island, holding the injured woman carefully to his chest. He put up his soundless bubble, leaving the brush he'd trampled in his haste as a trail.
He darted across the foreign terrain in a zig-zag pattern, much like a prey animal hoping to evade its hunter, tripping only once or twice on a stump or a rotting log. He finally broke through on the other side where ship they'd sailed in on had once been moored.
The undercover marine lowered himself into a crouch and began making his way around the edge of the trees and brush toward the only side that had no enemy eyes upon it. He darted into the brush again, stopping at the first clearing and sat down. Aylin was still in his arms and looking somewhat delirious.
He brushed her bangs back from her damp forehead, trying to make eye contact with her as her vision remained unfocused.
"Shit...the ship," she gasped out, vaguely realizing they were trapped on that island. Her head lolled back enough so that she was staring up at him, willing her eyes to focus as she drew in several breaths. "You...have any brilliant ideas? I'm op-open to suggestions about now..."
Rocinante almost cried with relief, somehow refraining himself from hugging her. "Of course not, I'm just a stupid rookie remember?" he joked instead, setting her down on the ground so she was leaning against the trunk of the largest tree. "Are you alright? You took some nasty hits back there…"
Aylin nodded. "Fine. Been through worse scrapes." She exhaled slowly, doing her best to put aside the throbbing pain of her injuries. They would need treating, but at least for now she should be able to keep moving. "That bastard...I knew he was calling for backup, but I didn't think they'd have a ship here so fa..." She trailed off, suddenly falling silent as her eyes widened slightly.
"Lin?" Rocinante instinctively reached for her shoulder, slightly concerned she may have just gone into shock.
But a moment later, she met his gaze. "Rocinante, they have a ship here. A ship! That's how we're getting the hell off this sand pit!"
"Wha? You want to STEAL a ship? Isn't stealing what got us into this mess in the first pl-oh yeah, otherwise we're stranded here."
Aylin mustered up the disdain to give him a look, though spared him the reminder of who he was working for.
Rocinante relented. "Okay…but we're really, really outnumbered…and you're hurt!"
"I can manage. But you're right, we are outnumbered...and they're searching for us, so however we do this, we need to do it quick. Can you silence those missiles?" Upon his affirmation, she glanced around quickly before continuing, "Okay, this is what's going to happen..."
oOo
Minutes later, explosions began hampering the forest. Marines were scrambling from all sides, shouting amongst themselves as they attempted to track down the culprits, though they were unsure of where the explosives were even coming from. Trees were set alight, sending smoke billowing throughout the brush and creating a thick screen.
"Shit! Get out, move toward the shore!" Captain Macklemore shouted, his men scurrying about him like rats off a burning ship. He needed to get them to the ship they'd sailed in on...but finding their way to it amidst the chaos and smoky haze would be a bit of a challenge.
Meanwhile, on the south shore, two individuals were finding it first.
"It's working, even marines from this ship are heading into the forest to help! Keep shooting that thing toward the other side," Aylin instructed as she limped alongside the tall man, one hand covering the worst of her wounds. His ability had proven more useful than even she could have imagined on that particular day.
"Lin…" Rocinante looked down at her, concern covered his face, but she gave him a more authoritative glare and he stood straight to attention, firing off several more rounds. She was obviously in a lot of pain, but she was pushing through it. He couldn't help but admire that kind of resolve and determination.
Leaving the chaos they'd wreaked in the dust, they seemed to be in the clear, even if momentarily. Their footsteps padded soundlessly on the burning sands.
Rocinante looked down again, giving an encouraging pat to Lin's shoulder. "We're almost there!" He dared not try hurry her and jostle her wounds. It seemed as though the men behind them were preoccupied enough to not notice what was going on over on this side of the island.
From inside the soundless bubble, a seething noise escaped from between Aylin's teeth. She stumbled, falling onto one knee, hand still clutched tightly against her chest as if it was the only thing holding her together.
Rocinante bent down quickly and gathered her in his arms, ignoring her protests. If they were to escape with their lives, then neither of them could afford to be prideful. He carefully balanced the bazooka over his shoulder and took off, running as smoothly as he could manage toward the marine ship in the distance.
What a relief that it was a marine ship, something familiar to him. He'd have no trouble launching and navigating it, even without a crew on board. He scrambled up the rope latter on the side with one hand, checking on Aylin every few feet or so. She'd fallen silent again and he wondered if she'd reached the point of passing out.
Once they were over the side, he dashed down the stairs in search of a bunk room to place her in until they got away safely and he could take a closer look at her wounds. He knew that there were likely still marines stationed aboard the vessel, and Aylin was in no shape to help fend them off.
Entering the first bunk he came across, Rocinante made sure it was empty of inhabitants before gently placing her onto one of the beige-colored beds. None of these quarters ever had any sort of personality to them, and this one was no different. It was somehow comforting, in a way. He stepped back, watching her for as long a moment as he dared, one hand clutching the door frame.
"I'll be back, Lin. Hang in there," he said, and then turned to duck back out the door and secure the rest of the ship.