Let me start off by apologizing for this REALLY long hiatus for me writing new chapters. Things have been crazy with exam week, graduation, work...my microsoft word has been deleted. You name it, it probably happened. Anyways, the good news is that I'm back and it's time to get back into writing. Thank you guys for sticking with me and all of the amazing reviews and PMs you've given me. Hope you like this chapter.
Puck and Finn tossed and turned as they napped, while Artie plotted the routes they'd be taking to get to the roadside bombs in his head. Major Heyward ordered one of the soldiers to bring Artie a bomb suit just in case they needed it. Artie couldn't take it anymore. He climbed out of his cot and talked to Major Heyward, telling him about his plans. Major Heyward quickly fell in love with them. After several more minutes passed, the plans were set and they were ready to move out. Artie woke up the others and the group climbed into the Humvees and helicopters. Only a few tanks followed as they prepared their attack on the city.
"So what did you and Major Heyward talk about?" Finn asked as he stretched in his seat.
"Oh...um nothing. Just doing some catching up, you know." Artie said as he turned and looked out of the window.
Puck shot a look over at Finn and then at Artie. Letting out a small cough, Puck stood up and manned the turret, avoiding the awkward conversation that was forming.
"2 miles from the city. ETA 5 minutes." Finn heard on his radio.
"Echo 3-9, we have reports of possible roadside bombs 200 yards from your position just outside of the west gate. Approach with caution or find a different route into the city. It's your call." Command said.
"Command, this is Echo 3-9. We're going to attempt to disarm the bombs." Artie said over the radio.
"Roger, Echo 3-9. Be careful out there. Command out." Command said.
"Are you fucking kidding? Are you trying to get us killed?" Finn asked as he looked at Artie.
"No. I know what I'm doing, alright? Just trust me." Artie said as the driver slowed down.
The Humvees all stopped in a line as Artie climbed out first. Finn and Puck drew the weapons and began surveying the area while Artie put on the bomb suit. More soldiers climbed out of their vehicles and helped survey the area. After a few minutes, Artie slowly began making his way down the road, following a red cord that stuck out of the ground, next to the pavement.
"10 yards...20 yards...30 yards...40 yards...Hello, beautiful." Artie said with a grin as he continued to follow the line until it stopped 50 yards away from the others.
"Artie, what's going on over there?" Finn asked over the radio.
Artie didn't answer at first. He began digging around until he struck a large metal object.
"Jackpot." Artie said with a small laugh as he slowly picked it up.
As he began to defuse the bomb, he noticed another red line leading away from the bomb. Quickly finishing defusing, Artie grabbed the line and began following it.
"Finn, I've got more. Keep me covered for a little bit longer." Artie said over the radio.
"10-4. We've got you." Finn said as he continued to look around.
"What do we have here..." Artie said to himself as he stumbled came across a series of red lines tied together.
As he pulled the middle, six or seven bombs came up out of the ground. Artie's eyes widened as one of the bombs had a small ticking sound to it. The sound grew faster and faster.
"Finn, get everyone inside the Humvees and get the fuck out of here." Artie yelled over the radio as he turned and started running towards them.
The ticking continued to grow faster and faster as Artie put some distance between him and the bombs. Finally the ticking stopped and a large explosion erupted right behind him, sending Artie flying towards the Humvees. The soldiers shielded their eyes as the large fireball consumed the air.
Puck and Finn quickly regained composure and saw Artie laying face-first on the pavement. They quickly sprinted over to him, while the other soldiers gave them coverage.
"Command, this is Echo 3-9. We've got a man down-" Finn started to say but was quickly stopped by Artie pushing himself over to his back.
"Never again..." Artie said as he took off his helmet.
"You dumb bastard. You could've gotten yourself killed." Finn yelled as he helped Artie up.
As they slowly made their way back to the Humvees, bullets started whistling passed the them. The soldiers began opening fire as Artie quickly changed and grabbed his weapon. Finn and Puck already began firing into the hillside as the engines to the Humvees started up. No one knew just where the bullets were coming from though.
"Let's move out." Puck yelled as he watched soldiers stop firing and climbed into their vehicles.
Finn, Artie, and Puck were the last to climb in. Soldiers climbed onto their turrets and fired, however, they still didn't know where the bullets were coming from. One bullet pierced the passenger window, hitting one of the soldiers in the neck. Another soldier, sitting right next to Artie, took a bullet into one of his eyes, killing him instantly.
"Get us the fuck out of here!" Finn yelled as he took over in the turret.
"Echo 3-9, be advised. There are 300 + foot soldiers over the horizon. Get into Kabul and find the weapons quickly." Command said.
"Command, where's our God damn support fire?" Puck yelled into his radio.
"Echo 3-9, we're sending an AC-130 your way. ETA, 20 minutes." Command said.
"Fuck this. We won't be alive in 20 minutes. Get us into the city quickly." Artie said as he fired out of the broken window.
The Humvees pressed forward, barely avoiding roadside bombs as they exploded behind them. The sound of tank fire could be heard as they finally entered the city. The streets were baron and covered with burnt garbage and rubble. There was an occasional dead body as they pulled into the middle of the city.
"Is it weird that we haven't seen a single person yet and we're in the heart of the city? Not good!" One of the soldiers said as he gripped his assault rifle.
"Easy there, killer. Don't jinx us." Another soldier said as beads of sweat ran down his face.
"Both of you shut up and stay alert. Be ready for anything." Finn said as he slowly climbed out of his vehichle.
I'm sorry this chapter's kind of small. Again, I'm sort of easing my way back into this, so PLEASE bare with me. For those who caught this chapter, I've used a lot of this from the movie The Hurt Locker. I love that movie so much and thought it'd be a great addition to my story. Hope you guys liked this chapter. Reviews are always perfect.
