Characters created by: Rebecca Sugar
Chapter 21: Ultimatum
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Fort Bragg, North Carolina-One Month Later
The Crystal Gems all stood shoulder to shoulder, with the General and Connie in front of them.
"Cadets!" said the General, "You all have passed Delta Force training! What usually takes six months for the regular trainee took only a month for you! I'm impressed! Although some of you didn't seem mature enough at first, you improved yourself, and are now deserving to be called a Delta operative! Now, salute the President as she reviews you!"
The Gems all saluted as she went up to the left end of the line. She looked up at the towering Jasper, who looked straight forward.
"Cadet Jasper, after passing Delta Force training, you are hereby promoted to Private. Congratulations."
Jasper saluted.
"Thank you, ma'am! I will serve the force with dignity and integrity!"
Connie walked over to Lapis.
"Cadet Lapis, for showing cunning and tactical intelligence in training, I hereby appoint you as Corporal. Congratulations."
Lapis gave a salute.
"Thank you, ma'am! I will serve the force with dignity and integrity, and aim to keep my comrades safe and take charge when I am needed!"
Connie walked over to Peridot.
"Cadet Peridot, for showing exemplary leadership performance, I hereby appoint you as Captain. Congratulations."
Peridot saluted.
"Thank you, ma'am! I will serve the force with dignity and integrity, and aim to lead my comrades to victory, and to care for them and protect them!"
She walked over to Amethyst.
"Cadet Amethyst, for taking the initiative, I hereby appoint you Private First Class. Congratulations."
Amethyst gave a salute.
"Thank you, ma'am! I will serve the force with dignity and integrity!"
Connie went over to Pearl.
"Cadet Pearl, for showing leadership skills in training, I hereby appoint you as Staff Sergeant under command of your new Captain, Peridot."
Pearl saluted.
"Thank you, ma'am! I will serve the force with dignity and integrity, and will help my superior lead my comrades to victory!"
And finally, Connie walked up to Garnet.
"Cadet Garnet, for exemplary leadership skills and the ability to see future outcomes, I hereby appoint you Brigadier General, and command over your fellow Crystal Gems, coordinating their missions, etc. Congratulations."
Garnet gave a salute.
"Thank you, ma'am! I will serve the force with dignity and integrity, and will take responsibility over my troop and their missions!"
Connie walked back over to the General.
"General, you may continue."
"Gems! As members of an elite force that specializes in covert operations, you will all be given callsigns! These are names given to you so your true name is not revealed! Private Jasper, your callsign is now Dozer! Corporal Lapis, your callsign is now Ocean Eleven! Captain Peridot, your callsign is now Bravo Two! PFC Amethyst, your callsign is now Joker! Staff Sergeant Pearl, your callsign is now Bravo One! And Brigadier General Garnet, your callsign is now Command! Congratulations, you all made it!"
They all saluted.
"Sir, yes sir!"
"Dismissed!"
They all performed an About Face and walked off. Connie smiled and turned to the General.
"Very good, General. I'll be calling them from now on if I ever need any.. Special work to be done."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Farewell to you, General."
"Farewell, ma'am." he said as he saluted her.
Connie saluted back and then walked off.
An Hour Later
Garnet stood in the General's office, with the General sitting at his desk.
"As you know, President Universe has signed a treaty with Hungary pledging military support, and is talking to the Allies about… the invasion."
"Yes, sir." replied Garnet.
"So, you may see your Crystal Gems working alongside the Europeans a bit in the future. That is, if France gets a little too riled up."
"Yes, sir."
"Be sure to keep the Gems prepared in case they'll need some foreign help."
The White House Oval Office-The Next Day
Connie sat in her desk in the Oval Office, looking at multiple holographic screens on her desk, showing multiple people. One screen showed a man in his early 40s, with dark brown hair, very light brown skin, and wearing a red uniform covered in medals, and wearing a blue sash, who spoke with a British accent.
"As you know, President Universe, this invasion is key to finally stopping the French once and for all."
"Yes, Your Majesty." said Connie, "I am fully aware."
The man continued.
"The landing points have not changed. The French have fell for our false information and believe we are landing on the Pas-de-Calais."
Just then, Vice President Grant walked in.
"Ma'am, you should turn on your TV to Channel 8. It's urgent."
Connie looked to the screens.
"One sec, you guys."
She turned on her television set and turned to Channel 8. There, a reporter spoke.
"And here it is again, an open threat from French Emperor Emmanuel Dubois."
The screen turned to Emmanuel Dubois, sitting on a throne.
"President Universe, if you are seeing this, stop now."
Connie was shocked.
"I see what you're doing in Hungary." said Dubois, "Sending soldiers in to help those Hungarians. Relentless. Budapest would have been mine by now! Now I'll make sure that you will keep out of my affairs. As Emperor, I have overseen the development of Nuclear Weapons into my Empire. We have now completed two large missiles, each carrying several nuclear warheads. These missiles can be used to destroy every major city on the northern East Coast of the United States."
Connie gasped.
"All U.S. forces will leave Hungary immediately, or suffer the consequences…"
The recording stopped, and Connie looked back at the holographic screens.
"Uh- Sorry guys. I'll call back later."
She pressed a button, and all the screens disappeared. She then pulled up a holographic keyboard and put it in the name "Andras Boros". The screen switched to a bald man in a suit and blue tie who spoke with a Hungarian accent.
"Hello."
"Andras." said Connie, "The French are threatening to nuke the East Coast. Mind if Delta Force meet up with your elites and stop them?"
"Of course, Universe. They can join up with the 2nd 'Árpád Bertalan'. Best soldiers Hungary has to offer."
Connie smiled.
"Thank you. Delta Force will be meeting up with you shortly."
The screen disappeared. Connie picked up the phone and dialed. She waited. Soon, there was an answer, and it was the General at Fort Bragg.
"Hello?"
"General Jackson. Put me through to Delta Force Command."
The phone switched over to another address. It was Garnet who answered.
"Yes."
"Command. Looks like you guys finished training just in time. Your personnel are going to Hungary."
Skies over Hungary-Six Hours Later
*CLASSIFIED* U.S. Army Delta Force/Hungarian Defence Forces: Joint Operation *CLASSIFIED*
In the skies over war-torn Hungary were two large jet crafts from the Hungarian Air Force. In one were soldiers of Sniper Team One, of the 2nd 'Árpád Bertalan', an elite Special Purpose Regiment of the Hungarian Defence Forces. In the other was Peridot, Lapis, Amethyst, and Staff Sergeant Gergely, of the 2nd 'Árpád's main Combat Team. He wore a standard Hungarian combat uniform. Peridot, Lapis, and Amethyst all wore U.S. Army uniforms, but lacking any markings, names, or branch names.
"It's quite simple." said Peridot, "Either we take the launch facility, or we won't recognize the world tomorrow."
"Sounds good to me." said Amethyst.
"This is it, guys." said Peridot, "This is what we've been trained to do. Once we reach our drop point, we take the launch facility and destroy those missiles, and the world won't turn into a burnt out match."
Lapis and Amethyst both nodded. Staff Sergeant Gergely examined his M4A1 assault rifle.
"I've been waiting to use this baby on some French heads for months, now."
Peridot turned to Gergely.
"Yeah, well, get in line, bud. We're all waitin' to pop some lead in those bastards."
The Hungarian Air Force pilot spoke.
"We're nearly there."
Peridot turned to the others.
"Alright, guys."
She took out a circular device the size of her hand. It displayed a hologram, showing a map of France.
"The launch facility is located in the middle of the French Alps, in an isolated location. We will land approximately a mile from the facility and take it as soon as possible."
Suddenly, a red rotating light turned on inside the craft, and a loud alarm could be heard. Peridot turned to the pilot.
"Pilot! What is that?!"
"We have a French airship! It detected us!"
A giant craft, resembling an airship from the First World War, could be seen nearby. It was made of chrome.
"Try and escape from it!" said Peridot.
Suddenly, a female voice could be heard.
"Warning: Shields down."
"They disabled our shields!" said the pilot.
"Try to get them back online!"
Suddenly, four doors on the airship opened, and missiles came out, headed towards the craft.
"Missiles inbound!"
The missiles passed by, but soon turned around and chased the craft.
"I'm deploying flares!" exclaimed the pilot.
He pressed a button on the console, and multiple flares were dropped from the craft. The missiles met the flares and exploded. The pilot pushed another button and spoke.
"Charlie Team! We have made contact with a French airship!"
A voice answered from the other end.
"Roger, Bravo Team. We can see from here. We're coming in to support you."
The pilot pressed more buttons.
"I'm gonna try and get my shields back online! Try and get them off my tail!"
"Roger, Bravo Team."
Just then, the second craft came in and fired at the airship. They hit, but not enough to do considerable damage. The craft then came in for a second hit. It fired missiles at the front nose of the airship, causing the front to explode spectacularly. The explosion also caused the support on the front gondola to become unstable. The front gondola hung by its remaining support beams, but they couldn't hold long. The gondola then took a fall down through the clouds, no longer to be seen. This caused the rest of the airship to lose control and nose-dive. The Gems cheered.
"That was brilliant!" yelled Peridot, "That thing was bugging us."
Suddenly, the alarm went off again. The pilot looked at his console.
"My shields went off again."
Suddenly, breaking through the clouds rose another airship. It was about to hit the craft. The pilot was startled. He yelled as he attempted to avoid the airship. The airship started firing lasers at the craft. One hit the left side of the craft, causing an explosion. The Gems were rocked off their seats. Peridot got up from the floor and ran over to the pilot's seat.
"A-Are you okay?!"
She looked at the pilot. His stomach was ruptured and bleeding heavily. She felt his pulse. Nothing. She pushed his body off the seat and looked to the console.
"Shit!"
She took control of the wheel and tried piloting the damaged craft.
"Lapis! Amethyst! Gergely! Take the parachutes! We gotta get out of here now!"
She pressed a button on the console and spoke.
"Charlie Team! Our craft is heavily damaged! Our pilot is dead! We're going to drop right now!"
"Copy that, Bravo Team. We're going to drop as well to support you."
Peridot pulled with all her strength to try and throttle up.
"Peri!" yelled Lapis.
Peridot turned around to see Lapis throw her a parachute. She caught it and put it on her back. She pressed a button on the console, and the back of the craft opened up.
"Go go go!" she exclaimed.
The three jumped out of the craft one by one. Peridot followed and was the last to jump out. She deployed her chute, and she slowly descended down. She turned to look behind her to see the burning craft fall back to Earth. It hit the side of a mountain and exploded.
She looked around the area for any sign of the launch facility. She could barely see in the dark foggy winter morning.
She finally reached the ground, her limb enhancer feet touching the snow, leaving footprints. She took off the parachute from her back and took out her sniper rifle.
"Regroup on me." she said in her intercom.
To her right was Amethyst, and in front of her a few yards away was Lapis. They all converged in the middle of the field. They all kneeled down.
"Where's Gergely?" asked Peridot.
"No idea, ma'am." replied Amethyst.
Just then, Garnet's voice could be heard on their communicators.
"Bravo Two, Gergely just activated his emergency transponder. He's half a klick to your southwest, over."
"We're on our way. Bravo Two out."
She looked to the others.
"Let's go."
They all started their journey. They went up a dirt road, with wooden fencing to their right, snow lightly falling on them. They reached the top of a hill when they heard the sound of a vehicle.
"Contact front." said Amethyst through the communicator, "Enemy vehicle."
They saw a jeep parked on the side of the road. Lapis laid in the grass, and the others took cover behind trees. There were two French soldiers with assault rifles. They all fired at the two, downing them instantly.
"Tango down." said Amethyst.
"Move." said Peridot.
They walked over to the vehicle. Lapis examined the two bodies, then continued on down the road. They barely went down another two yards before they saw flashlights break through the fog just down the road.
"Enemy in sight." said Lapis.
Lapis followed Amethyst through the treeline. Amethyst fired at a soldier, killing him instantly.
"That's a kill."
Lapis fired at another.
"Enemy down." she said.
They could hear the French calling out to each other. Peridot sniped one from a tree behind the others.
"Good night…"
Lapis heard two French soldiers up ahead. She fired and killed one, then the other. The last one yelped as he fell down into the snow, drawing his last breath.
All was quiet. All that could be heard was the wind. Lapis reloaded her M4A1.
"All clear." said Amethyst.
They continued on up the road. They soon came up to the back of a large house.
"They must have Gergely in one of those houses." said Peridot.
Lapis stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Amethyst went up the cement stairs up to the back door and took position beside it.
"There's an entry point through that basement door." said Peridot, "We'll go room to room from there. Keep it quiet. Move out."
Peridot went up the stairs and up to the door. She put her hand on the doorknob and opened it, slowly walking inside. Amethyst followed, and then Lapis. They put on their night vision masks. They were now in the basement. Lapis went up the stairs, with the others following from behind. She turned right to see a French soldier looking out the window. Lapis aimed for his head and took the shot, killing him instantly.
"Got him."
They continued over to the hall. She looked in the kitchen. No one was in there.
"Room clear."
She went up the stairs to the second floor. When she got up the top, she turned to see a soldier sleeping in a chair in front of the window. She aimed and fired, impacting his head, and his body flinched, causing him and the chair to fall backwards. She heard a faint "Huh?" and knew. Someone else was in that room. She went in and fired at another soldier. He fell to the floor dead. She reloaded, and the others came up. Amethyst scanned the rooms.
"Gergely isn't here."
"Roger that." said Peridot, "Regroup on me downstairs."
"Copy that." said Amethyst.
They all went back downstairs. They saw Peridot beside the front door.
"Moving to the next house. Keep it quiet."
Lapis took off her night vision mask as Peridot turned the knob, and opened the door. She went outside.
"Lapis, go take a look."
Lapis came outside. It was no longer snowing, and the fog disappeared, and it was brighter outside as the sun started rising. She walked over to the house on the other side. She got to the front door and suddenly heard French yelling behind her. She turned to see enemy soldiers coming out of the other house just to their right. She then heard the growling of dogs. She fired at one enemy soldier beside the house Peridot and Amethyst were at.
Suddenly, the door beside her opened, and soldiers and German shepherds came out. She fired at them as they came out. She ran out of ammo in her clip and took out her P320 pistol and killed the last one. She took out her M4A1 and reloaded, and was about to go through the door when she heard barking. She saw a German Shepherd run towards the other house. It approached the front, and a shot came from the front door, killing the dog. She then put on her night vision mask again and went into the house.
"The sun's coming up." said Peridot through Lapis's communicator, "We're running out of time."
She scanned the house, but there was no one inside. She took off her mask and came back out of the house, running to the one to her left, where the others were at. Peridot turned the knob and opened the door, stepping inside. Lapis, followed, then Amethyst. They scanned the area. No one was there.
"Floor clear." said Peridot, "Proceed upstairs."
Lapis walked up the stairs. When she got to the top, she heard a voice behind a door.
"Where are the others?"
She could hear what sounded like Gergely.
"I have no comment."
The three went up beside the door. As they could hear what sounded like two French soldiers conversing.
"Looks like this is the place." said Peridot into her communicator.
Amethyst placed a breaching charge on the door.
"Get ready to breach." said Peridot.
A voice could be heard on the other side.
"Why don't you save yourself the trouble and simply answer?"
Suddenly, the charge went off, breaking down the door.
"Go go go!" said Peridot.
They went in, shooting both soldiers. One was clearly an officer, who was not blue-skinned. In another room was Gergely, strapped to a chair.
"All clear." said Amethyst.
Lapis went into the room where Gergely was.
"Lapis, cut Gergely loose." said Peridot, "Move."
She went over to the chair, took out her combat knife, and cut the rope binding his hands. Gergely got up and picked up his machine gun, cocking it.
"About time… I was startin' to think you guys were gonna leave me behind."
They all went back on the move.
"That was my first thought, but your ass had all the C4." said Peridot.
Gergely laughed.
"Fair enough."
"You alright?" asked Peridot.
"Yeah, I'm good to go."
They went down the stairs.
"Okay, Team One," said Peridot, "we got Gergely, and we're coming out of building two."
They went through the hall and out the front door.
"We need to knock out that tower so the advance teams can breach the electrified perimeter."
They looked up the road to see giant power lines up the hill from them. Lapis picked up a downed soldier's G36, some ammo, reloaded it, and put it in her back strap. They went up the road, passing chain link fences.
"Enemy helicopters." said Amethyst.
They all proned in the grass as two helicopter passed by.
"Move." said Peridot, who got back up.
They got up and ran towards one of the massive power lines.
"Charlie Six, what's your status, over?" asked Peridot into her comms.
"Team Two in position at the perimeter. Waiting on you to kill the power, over."
Lapis got onto the power line. She could see the line going down the mountain from her position.
"Roger." said Peridot, "Lapis, plant the charges. Go."
Lapis planted two explosives on both front legs of the power line.
"Charges set. Everyone get clear."
They backed away from the power lines. Lapis took out her detonator.
"Lapis." said Peridot, "Do it…"
She pressed the button on her detonator, and the explosives went off. It shook the power line, loudly leaning down. It pulled the lines connecting it, which flew sparks. The lines broke away, and the tower came tumbling down the mountain. It impacted the ground. Everything shook as the electric giant impacted. The Gems ran over to the edge of the cliff.
"Charlie Six, the tower's down, and the power's out." said Peridot, "Twenty seconds."
They reached the fence overlooking the bottom of the mountain. The place where the tower impacted was engulfed in dust and smoke.
"Roger." said Charlie Six on their comms, "We're breaching the perimeter. Standby."
"Backup power in ten seconds." said Gergely.
""Standby." said Charlie Six.
"Five seconds."
"Okay. We're through. Bravo Two, we'll wait for you at the rally point. Out."
"Roger, Team Two" said Peridot, "We're on our way. Out."
The team could hear distant alarms go off. They walked over to a chain link fenced gate.
"Get that fence open!" ordered Peridot.
Amethyst crouched next to the fence and took out a special spray. She sprayed it on the fence and pulled. The spray had caused the fence's metal to instantly become brittle and rusted. She pulled, and the fence broke open. She fell on her back, and Gergely went in first, then Amethyst.
"Move." said Peridot.
Lapis went through, then Peridot. They went down the dirt road, but could hear nearby helicopters.
"Enemy helicopters." said Amethyst.
They hid in the treeline as the helicopter passed by. They saw in front of them a small French vehicle depot.
"Gonna get real busy around here soon." said Gergely on their communicators.
They walked up near the front gate.
"Lapis, take Amethyst and scout through this base." said Peridot, "Gergely and I will look for an alternate route."
They noticed a breach in the wall to their right. Amethyst and Lapis jumped over. Lapis noticed a crate of weapons. There was a Semi-Automatic Rifle and ammo on top with a scope attached. She traded her G36 for it and put it on her back strap. They went over to the back entrance of an open garage, scanning the area.
Suddenly, they heard French yelling coming from the building in front of them. A shot hit Lapis's left shoulder.
"Gah!"
She grabbed her shoulder.
"Contacts Northwest." said Amethyst as she fired at the French.
Lapis regained her composure and fired as well, killing a sniper who shot her, by the front entrance. They saw French soldiers running past the windows. More fire erupted as the two sides were in a firefight. Lapis shot a an electric generator, which short circuited and exploded. She ran out of ammo in her clip and reloaded. She took out the Sniper Rifle and aimed while taking cover behind a generator. She fired at two beside a dumpster, killing them instantly. She fired at another soldier behind another dumpster with an RPG.
"Enemy troops to the southwest." said Amethyst as Lapis reloaded.
"Enemy RPGs on the rooftop!" exclaimed Lapis, noticing a few on top of the building to the right of the firefight, "Cover me."
She took position to where the building was in her sights. One soldier peeked out from behind an open stairwell. His stomach was blown open by her bullet. Near them, an RPG shell exploded, but it did not do any harm. She saw another soldier peek out by the stairwell, and his head was blown. Lapis moved out of the garage and out in the open to take position behind the building in front of the garage. She aimed up at the rooftop and saw soldiers hiding behind rusted sheet metal. She fired through the metal, severely injuring one. He struggled to get up off the ground, but was shot again.
"Heads up!" said Amethyst, "Chopper inbound!"
She saw a helicopter nearby let down a rope, and soldiers started sliding down. She aimed and fired at one, causing him to let go of the rope and scream as he fell to the ground. She fired at another and killed him instantly. No more soldiers came down, and the helicopter let go of the rope. She reloaded her rifle. The soldiers started firing behind cover. Lapis shot one dead, then another, then more at the windows. Another big firefight erupted. RPGs and grenades were launched. After 5 seconds, most of the enemy soldiers were dead, and Lapis ran out in the open, firing at soldiers with her sniper rifle. She reloaded and took out her M4A1.
"Give me some covering fire."
Suddenly, an RPG shell exploded near her, throwing her to the ground. Amethyst, still over in the garage, saw the source, a soldier on the rooftop behind sheet metal. She fired and killed the soldier, then reloaded.
Lapis got up and ran over to the building in front of the garage, and then over to the other building through the stairwell. When she went up the stairs, she heard French yelling. She found herself inside another garage. It seemed empty though. Where could the yelling be coming from?
"Is there a guy still on the roof?" she thought.
"All clear." said Lapis through her comms, "I think we just got one guy left. Shouldn't be a problem."
The others ran into the garage. Lapis went down the staircase and met with the others. They all ran over to a side entrance. They could suddenly hear another helicopter. The moment Lapis went through the entrance, she heard a French soldier yell "Grenade!", and she was shot in the left shoulder again. They all ran for cover, with Lapis firing at the soldiers. Then, she saw a grenade land near her. She made a run for cover. The grenade exploded, but no one was harmed.
Lapis reloaded her M4A1 then fired at the soldiers. Another firefight ensued. Suddenly, two ropes fell a few yards in front of them, and French soldiers descended down. They fired at them. Lapis was reloading her assault rifle when an RPG shell exploded at the wall behind them, throwing both Lapis and Amethyst. Lapis's head hit the tank that they used for cover, causing her to fall on her back. Amethyst got up and tended to Lapis.
"Ocean Eleven! You okay?!"
Lapis was unresponsive. Amethyst turned on her communicator.
"I need help here! Ocean Eleven is down! I repeat! Ocean Eleven is down!"
"Copy that, Joker." said Peridot, "We've found an alternate route. Converging on your area now."
Suddenly, Amethyst saw shots coming from the garage to her northeast, but it was directed towards the French. They were down, and she saw Peridot and Gergely at the garage. Peridot took out her combat knife and stabbed the last man through the stomach. He fell to the floor dead. Then, they noticed a soldier carrying an RPG on the watchtower. They fired, killing him.
"All clear." said Peridot.
Peridot and Gergely walked over to Amethyst. Peridot crouched down and looked at Lapis.
"Lapis! Are you alright?!"
Lapis moaned, and she opened her eyes. She rubbed her eyes and smiled.
"Oh. Yeah. I'm fine."
Peridot sighed in relief.
"Good."
She kissed Lapis' lips and got up on her feet and grabbed her sniper rifle.
"Come on. Let's go. We don't have much time."
Lapis blushed. She took her M4A1 and got up. They walked over past an opening in a wall to their right to a back field, with a building to their right. They heard French, and shots rang out. Lapis fired at them as the others took cover. There were soldiers firing from the windows above them. She fired at them, and they were dead. She reloaded. Suddenly, she heard barking coming from the building. She saw German shepherds charging towards her. She shot one, but missed the second. It brutally attacked her. She reloaded, then Peridot shot the dog before it could pounce again. She took out her sniper rifle and shot at French soldiers on the roof.
Suddenly, she saw Peridot get thrown by the explosion of an RPG shell. She aimed her rifle across the field, shooting two soldiers, one holding the RPG. She then ran over to Peridot.
"Bravo Two! Are you alright?!"
Peridot got up, groaning.
"I'm fine."
Suddenly, generators were exploding from Amethyst firing at them.
"Joker!" shouted Peridot, "You're attracting too much unwanted attention!"
Lapis aimed her sniper rifle towards the open vehicle garage, killing a few French soldiers shooting from there. Suddenly, she was shot in the neck. She fell on her backside and clenched her neck in pain. Peridot crouched down next to her while shooting.
"I got you!"
She put her sniper rifle on her back strap and lifted Peridot, carrying her on her shoulders. She ran over to the side of the garage building, setting her down.
"You alright? Can you still keep going?"
"Yeah." answered Lapis, "Just a bit of pain, that's all."
She got up and reloaded her sniper rifle. Peridot turned around the corner and shot at the French at the other building. Suddenly, a grenade landed in front of her. She stepped back enough to where the blast wouldn't harm her. It exploded, with Lapis shielding her face. She was alright. Peridot then reloaded her rifle. She ran into the building and out the other side. Shots hit near her. They went through the wall, and she could hear someone struggle. She went up the front through the door, and there on her right sat a French soldier, in pain. She took out her combat knife and planted it into his stomach, blood gushing out. In a matter of seconds, he was dead.
She looked out the window and saw French soldiers crossing the back gate into the base. A raging firefight ensued. The others came in and joined her. French soldiers were being shot. Bodies falling on each other. Suddenly, she was shot in the stomach. She fell on her knees, her arms supporting her on the floor.
"Fuck!"
Lapis reloaded her M4A1 and walked out the building. She saw more fire coming from behind a crate. She shot the soldier, and he went down.
"Frag out." said Amethyst through her comms.
She threw a grenade behind a generator. The grenade exploded, and so did the generator.
"Oh." she said, "I thought someone was behind there, but I must've been wrong."
She turned to Peridot and attempted to help her up. Peridot stood up and carried her rifle. She reached the steps and tumbled down. She got back up and walked over to Lapis, who was in front of a truck parked in the middle of the gate entrance.
"You okay?" asked Lapis.
"Yeah." she answered, "I'm a Gem. I can handle a bullet to the chest. Come on."
The others ran past the truck down the roadway, but Peridot lagged behind. Lapis turned to her.
"Honey- I mean, ma'am, are you REALLY okay?"
"I'm sorry, Lapis, I just need to walk it out a bit. I'll try running."
She started running over to her. She started running without feeling anymore pain. She stopped next to her and smiled.
"Yep. I'm good now. Let's go."
They ran down the road, passing by a few beat-up cars.
A siren could be heard emanating from the launch facility nearby.
"That doesn't sound good." said Peridot.
The road started curving left down the slope. When they reached the curve, their communicators clicked.
"Bravo Two, Sniper Team Two. We're comin' outta the treeline to the south."
They looked right from the road, and Delta operatives in Ghillie suits came out of the brush.
"Hold your fire." said Peridot.
They stopped in front of the Gems. Their commanding officer stood next to Peridot.
"Good to see you guys made it." he said, "We'll give your sniper cover once you're inside the perime-What the hell is that?"
Suddenly, everything around them brightened. Like a second sun, they all had double shadows. A loud boom could be heard. They all turned to a sudden bright light source coming from across the treelines about a quarter mile from then down the road. They saw a missile rising up into the sky.
"Uh, we got a problem here!" said Staff Sergeant Gergely.
Peridot spoke into her comms.
"Command, we have a missile launch! I repeat, we have a missile-"
"There's another one!" interrupted Gergely.
A second missile was rising into the sky, the crackle of their rockets bombarding their ears. Everyone started running down the road as fast as they could towards the launch facility.
"Command, we have two missiles in the air! Over!"
Garnet could be heard on comms.
"Roger, Bravo Two. Our satellites are tracking them now. Get your team inside the facility and take the launch control center. We'll have the abort codes ready for you when you get there. Out."
"Roger that!" said Peridot.
"It's on now, Captain." said Gergely.
"Let's get the bastards, and stop those missiles from hitting their targets!"
They ran down the road as fast as possible, the launch facility not too far away.