Taking the rest of the way to Fort Block on foot, the clock is ticking for Sigma squad as the evening, freezing temperatures begin to take it's toll on the group.
Features the sixth Intermission.
Intermission VI
Captain Miller of Epsilon One sat in swivel chair in the Communications station, sipping on a hot cup of coffee, the only thing he could muster to help warm him up from the Frosts' cold shoulder. As he leaned into the lumbar flat of his chair to savor the coffee warming his sinuses, Lieutenant Stroud was tweaking with the radio signal, still keeping an ear out for any possible transmissions from their lost squads.
Despite the fact Hoffman ordered Sergeant Fenix to list Sigma One as MIA, Marcus asked Anya to keep listening to the radio just in case. Although the thought of anyone surviving out in the freezing wilderness was improbable, Anya knew that Marcus had a sixth sense for such things and she had long learned to trust him, despite the odds.
Occasionally glancing over the com where Miller had his feet propped on the desk near the console, Anya kept communications feeding throughout the complex while Miller yawned from a long excursion the day before, trying to find more venison for the troops. She could tell that Miller was exhausted from wandering out in the cold, hours at a time with Sergeant Mataki, looking for deer, which had been becoming too far in between. Since one of their outposts was mysteriously attacked and raided a few weeks before, they lost a rather substantial amount of rations and supplies that was stored there. Forcing the men to cut their rations by another third, they wondered if they were going to have enough for the rest of the season. The cold was taking its toll while the men were forced to tolerate the hunger pains by the afternoon, but at least they still had plenty of hot coffee.
Fiddling with the handle on mug to warm his hand, Miller let out a sigh, "Heard anything lately, Lieutenant?"
Anya looked up from her post as she meandered through the archive of the most recent communications.
"None, Jon…I haven't heard anything from anyone outside of the Block," Anya replied, solemnly. She knew that Marcus had been worried over Cole and Baird since their latest transmission, but as the days have been counting, so was inevitability.
"Well…it's been almost week sweetheart…and granted I know your sweet-talk can calm the soul of any man," Miller mused, flashing a grin as Anya chuckled lightly at Millers' flattery, "…but, I should probably take the hassle off your hands and go tell Fenix the bad news myself."
"Sigh, that's a gracious offer, Captain…but I feel I should take that responsibility."
"Ah, perhaps you're right...you know the Sergeant better than anyone else," Miller gave her a refreshing smile, a gaze that mellowed Anya's anxiety for the moment as she smiled back, knowing the Captain was just trying to keep her focused and tranquil.
She remembered a Lieutenant Jonathon Miller during her academy days, often offering to buy her a cup of coffee on occasion for the sake of just shooting the breeze, especially to ease her sorrows that followed her mother's death and Marcus' incarceration. But her affections were always for the Sergeant, and it kept her on edge when he was present. Miller eventually caught on to her daze when Marcus appeared, but there was plenty of other fish in the sea, and it was seldom a problem for Miller to enchant a lady or two with ease. Nevertheless, there were times when Jon could still make Anya blush, and yet, in the grand scheme of things, Miller would not cross the line when it concerned the Lieutenant, but at times he was tempted to, especially when Anya would occasionally mope around because of Marcus' distant demeanor. The reserved Sergeant Fenix would seldom make an effort to express any sentiment to her, much less insinuate any desire for companionship, and Miller could tell that it would distress her on occasion.
With that said, Miller would often invite her for a cup of coffee, just to rock the boat a little, and maybe then the Sergeant would take notice. Anya would always laugh at the idea, but as silly as it sounded, she really couldn't argue with Jon's logic. Maybe he's right.
Anya finally took a seat in a chair to rub her forehead before turning the volume to the com radio one more time. Without warning, the Captain suddenly sat up from his seat, spilling some of his coffee on his armor as he stood up to look over the Lieutenant's shoulder.
"Whoa, hold it right there sweetheart…can you hear that?"
Anya looked up at him and then turned the frequency back from where she had it set earlier,
"Ok I got it back, but I don't…" Anya was about to say when a subtle noise was more audible this time around.
"…oh my God….yea, I can hear it."
"Quick, turn up the volume," said Miller. Anya pulled up the earphones to get a more audible reading of the transmission.
"It's still pretty weak, Jon. Can you alter the frequency just a hair?"
"Sure…one second."
Miller reached over to the console to adjust the frequency, hoping to get a better quality signal. The radio static was breaking up in waves as a faint voice could be heard through the com.
…this is Si….squa…d…we nee….assista…if you….hear…repea…t…
"Well I'll be damned…get a location on that signal Lieutenant, I'm going to form a search party," said Miller.
"I'm on it, Captain. Be sure to…" Anya began as Captain Miller interrupted,
"…don't worry, I'll be sure to enlist Fenix," he said while Anya returned a soft smile before he exited the Com station to gather his troops.
Chapter 36: Returning To Fort Block
Tell it like it is (And on this land, we cast our fortune),
Till there's no misunderstanding (And on this ground, we make our home)
You make up what you like,
Man feed machine,
Machine feed man.
~Peter Gabriel~
Snow was falling hard from the dismal sky, blinding the road as a drained and weary Sigma One pushed through the heavy air, pulling each other a step closer to destination.
We're almost there, closer…getting closer, Sven kept telling himself. Leading the pack while trying to push forward, he carried a bundled Delilah close to his body, using their duel body heat to try and stay warm. His night-vision goggles were strapped over his eyes while a scarf was wrapped tightly around his head. He could make out the view better with the lenses enhancing the dimly-lit terrain despite the breeze blowing the snow into his face. Along with Corporal Baird, who also had his goggles to enhance his vision, were able to find something of a direction in the icy, pale void.
Baird was right behind Sven, keeping him from falling backwards against the damning wind by pulling up his legs and pushing through the now waist-deep snow that had accumulated on the road to Fort Block. The only thing they had to go by was the bright yellow markers along the side of the ditch that was not yet buried, but after tonight, they may as well be.
The storm was becoming fierce, dropping snow like a heavy downpour and covering everything in white. The heavy-clouded sky darkened the world around them, masking the late sun completely as the air they breathed began to freeze.
Cole was huffing, breathing the heavy cold air while trying to keep up, but between the wind pushing against him and the weight combined with Raven's, whom he had strapped up against his torso, was slowing him down. Baird looked back, noticing Cole was struggling to keep up. Turning around to go back. Baird moved his way towards Gus, whom by now was shivering profusely. The cold air Cole was breathing was tightening his massive lungs, which strained them to near capacity as he held Raven close to his body in hopes to keep his chest warm. Raven was still sedated, lying limp and wrapped in scarves while her limbs hung from the harness that was haltered around Cole's shoulders. Baird came up to Cole and started to rub Gus's arms, hoping to rekindle circulation in limbs.
"C'mon man…we can't stop right now, you're doing fine," Baird said, trying to encourage Cole, "…here…"
Baird started to pull him, using himself as a shield to protect Cole and Raven from the wind. Baird was wrapped with a blanket over his coat while rags where tied around his waist. He had Raven's velveteen sash, wrapped around his head, particularly snug around his chin to keep the wind off his neck. Sven was waiting ahead as he too, began to walk next to Cole, all huddling together while staggering forward through the freezing abyss.
Their limbs were burning from the frost, biting them through the layers while the cold stung their exposed skin, numbing their flesh. The wind seeped around them, pushing the snow in all directions to the point of saturation. By now, they had lost all feeling in their legs.
The weight of the weather was getting heavier and heavier as the minutes went by. God, I hope somebody heard me, Baird was pleading, hoping that someone from the Block picked up on his transmission. He continued to look towards the road, waiting for a sign, something, anything. They wouldn't send a Raven out here, that's for sure…not in this weather.
Without warning, Sven was caught in an abrupt gust of wind and fell to the side of the road. The ground-accumulated snow practically engulfed him, sinking into the four-foot deep, white fluff. Baird quickly tried to grab him to pull him up before he noticed that Sven's face was ghastly pale. His lips were so dry they were cracking, not to mention the skin around his stubble was flaking horribly. Baird leaned over to pull Sven up, but the rookie couldn't muster the vigor to get back up. Baird had to straddle his legs before he could summon up some strength just enough to pull Sven and Delilah back up.
"C'mon Vinny…not now, you gotta pull through it," Baird pleaded. Almost immediately after, Cole too, suddenly slumped to the wayside.
"Aw Shit! Gus…" Baird said frantically. Dragging Sven along with him, Baird meandered his way to Cole,
"C'mon Gus, get up!"
Cole could hear Baird, but his body wouldn't move, it couldn't move. He had pushed himself through pain before, but the freezing conditions had him pinned down, almost as if he was tied to a freight truck driving in reverse.
Baird gathered up a shivering Delilah while grabbing Sven's arm to drag him up over his shoulder, trying to haul both Sven and Delilah back over to Cole, whom was lying idle in the snow. Coming over to Cole, he leaned over to drop Sven next to Cole and then gently placed Delilah in between. The weight of the load that Baird was pulling was on the verge of buckling before another abrupt gust of wind was just enough to finally take him down. Collapsing into the snow, Baird gathered himself up to crawl over to the rest of his squad, tugging Sven closer to him and Cole to brace Raven and Delilah between the three.
There they sat, huddled in uncertainty, waiting for the glimmer of hope that someone from the Block would find them, eventually. Baird pulled out his com radio one last time to turn it on, hoping somebody would catch the signal. For now, all he could do was wrap his arms around Sven and Cole to shield them from the wind. Peering out into the void through his iced-over goggles, he watched ahead of what was left of the snow-buried road.
The markers along the side of the road faded away as the light dwindled underneath the blanket of clouds, swallowing the landscape around them. All had faded to gray. With each passing exhale, Baird dreaded having to breathe the freezing air. He couldn't feel anything anymore, not even the snow hitting his frost-bit face. The snowflakes swirled around them, draping them steadily into a snow-heap. All Baird could do was look out towards what was left of the road…until, in the distance, Baird could see a ray of light, shining subtly from the void.
The light was faint but evident, wandering slowly in the gray vacuum ahead of them. Though it seemed obscure, Baird swore he could see the persona silhouette of Death, standing in the light from a distance. The guise of Death stood idle between them and the light as Baird watched and waited. The entity made no effort to reach out to them, nor approach them, which consequently started to piss Baird off... just take us now and be done with it, damn you!
"What the fuck are you waiting for?" Damon screamed, tempting fate one last time before his throat dried and his voice was quashed by the wind. As his eyes began to blur, he brought his hand to shield them from a glistening brilliance ahead. Suddenly, the silhouette in the distance began to move, closer…
Feeling the struts from the back of the Dill jolt, the crew braced for more bumps along the winding road. The heater in the cabin was on full blast, trying to keep the console warm as well as the crew, attempting in vain to keep the frost off the windshield as the driver attempted to steer in a total, white void.
The crew inside felt another sudden bump as everyone inside jerked to one side,
"Damnit, Bjork…slow down, shit," barked Captain Miller of Epsilon One, riding shotgun alongside Corporal Bjork, trying to make out the road in a snowstorm.
"I can't see the fucking markers along the side of the road, sir," Bjork sneered in an ale of tension that had been festering in the cabin since they left Fort Block, trying to locate the source of a weak radio signal.
Accompanying Epsilon was Delta, carefully monitoring the radio signal that would come in waves of static between frequencies. Sergeant Marcus Fenix sat anxiously, trying to make out the direction of the signal. It was a longshot at best, but so was anything else he had done throughout his military career. For the past week, they had been searching for the whereabouts of Sigma One, and their latest broadcast was the first sign in days.
He could remember the transmission, buried somewhere in the static. Marcus replayed the transmission over and over again, trying to stabilize a very frail signal, but the faint voice imbedded somewhere in the transmission was all too familiar. Baird is alive out here, somewhere.
They were taking a risk, coming out in such demanding conditions, but Marcus wasn't going to let the impending weather stop him from finding his men, even if this hell froze over, he wasn't going to leave his men behind. He occasionally looked up, checking up with the Captain, impatiently waiting for something in sight, but with the snow making the air dense, was adding to their frustrations.
Dom sat quietly, watching Marcus monitor the radio com, waiting for something to come though, watching the others in the cabin as they hung onto whatever they could, every time Bjork would make a turn.
"Shit…got anything Bjork?" Dom blurted out, noticing that Bjork was slowing the vehicle down.
"Natta…fuck this weather, man."
"Got anything, Sergeant?" said Miller as he turned to Fenix.
"Nothing…just static," Marcus grumbled, hearing nothing but the same thing over and over for the past twenty minutes since they left Fort Block. Epsilon's medic, Sergeant Grimes peered over the crowd,
"We need to pick up the pace! They're not going to survive for too much longer if we don't find them," Grimes reminded them.
"You think we don't know that, Doc?" Bjork scoffed, trying to drive and lookout for a sighting at the same time while the Captain kept a sharp eye between the navigation console and the road ahead. The crew was getting antsy, hoping for something, anything to find their comrades alive, but as the time passed, the possibility of finding them alive was thinning.
"Whoa, whoa…shit," Bjork slowed even more, sitting up at the edge of the steering wheel, "…aw, you see that Captain?"
"Yea I do…carefully, move the headlights," Captain Miller said in monotone, peering through the small windshield, noticing something in the road ahead.
Marcus got up from his seat, moving to the front to look out through the windshield,
"Son of a…pull over, I'm going out there," Marcus ordered.
"You got it, Sergeant," said Bjork as he slowed the Dill down to a stop, switching on the high beams while Captain Miller took off his seat belt, grabbing a flashlight from the side of the cabin.
"Is it them?" Dom asked in anticipation.
"We're going to find out, Dom," Marcus said in a solemn tone. As Miller was trying to unlock the front hatch, Dom quickly took off his seat belt to grab the nearest blanket from an overhead compartment and slap it under his fleeced arm.
Miller turned around towards the crew,
"Get ready ladies," he said before he opened up the door. The APC opened up and the blistering air swarmed in quickly, pushing snow into the cabin.
"Fuck…we need to hurry this up!" Bjork yelled out over the wind as Miller, Fenix, and Dom marched out into the freezing abyss. Sergeant Grimes was rummaging through compartments in the back, pulling out medical supplies just in case, preparing for the worst as much as he could while their sniper, Private Welche started to fold the back seats into the side compartment, making room for Grimes.
The three men continued forward, moving carefully through the thick snow, trying to make out a clump on the side of the road in the near distance ahead. Marcus pushed forward with a scarf wrapped around his head and neck, trying to peer through the thick snow as he noticed something as if it was moving.
With Miller and Dom not far behind, Marcus picked up the pace, lifting his knees above the deep snow, turning his hips to get a better look at something, or someone that was apparently standing ahead of him. He couldn't tell what it was as the figure swayed, trying to stand against the wind. A piece of clothing that was draped around the figure was flapping in the wind. Could it be Death?
Marcus moved closer, trying to get a better look at the figure until he saw something familiar, something glistening from the radiance of the light coming from Miller's flashlight. The body started to lean, after dropping its arms, hanging onto whatever equilibrium it had left, and a blue flash glistened across its eye sockets.
"BAIRD…" Marcus yelled out as he started to run as fast as his legs could take him, running over to the Corporal, drifting away into the white abyss. Marcus reached over to grab Baird by the torso before he slumped into Marcus' arms.
"Baird…talk to me you asswipe, don't you die on me or so help me God, I will reprimand your sorry ass," Marcus yelled at him, trying to get Baird back into consciousness, but Damon's body started to go limp as Marcus held him up. In the distance, Marcus could see some other bodies, huddled in a pile,
"DOM!"
"I SEE THEM…" Dom yelled out. He and Miller ran to the others, passing up Marcus…hold on Cole, I'm coming.
Miller was the first to arrive. As he pulled up another Gear from the snow heap, he quickly noticed that it was his former rookie sniper,
"Vinny," Miller barked, tapping him on the face, trying to wake him up, "…you lucky son of a bitch!"
Dom soon joined them, noticing quickly that there was two other people bundled in between Sven and Cole,
"Fuck me…they got their Feral guide with them…and what appears to be a kid, shit," Miller turned over his shoulder and into his com, "…WELCHE, BJORK, get your asses over here, NOW!"
Private Welche jumped out of the cabin and into the elements, followed by Bjork, making haste as they close in on Marcus' position.
Moving carefully, Marcus was heading back towards the Dill, dragging Baird along over his shoulder, trying to remain stable in the damning weather.
"MEDIC," Marcus roared, pushing along as he was coming towards the Dill. Grimes quickly jumped out and welcomed the Sergeant, extending his arms to help carry Baird into the Dill.
"Shit, Sergeant…get him back here! I'll try to make as much room as possible, but we're going to get cramped here real quick!"
"We'll figure that out as we go along, Doc."
"I need to get him on plasma, help me lay him on the floor."
Marcus and Grimes laid Baird on the floor, setting him down carefully. Grimes proceeded to remove the sash from Damon's head and cautiously began to peel the goggles from his eyes. Almost instantly, the moment he began to remove the goggles, Baird twitched, and then let out a groan,
"Corporal…can you hear me?" Grimes spoke. Baird suddenly started to flinch, shifting his body in short bursts,
"Baird, stop, hold still," Marcus knelt down, trying to calm Baird down as he started to curse,
"Fuck…that…hurts," Baird wailed, shivering violently as Marcus held him down so Grimes could remove his coat and armor.
Marcus looked up to notice Welche coming in with another Gear. Draped over his shoulder, Welche attempted to stabilize his weight as he climbed into the Dill. Bjork followed shortly behind, carrying a shivering little body against his torso. Bjork moved to the side to place the shivering kid in the back seat.
Marcus got up to help Welche lower the soldier onto a nearby seat, next to the kid. As they placed the Gear down, he started to mumble in between shivers, calling out to them.
"Don't…forget…others," the soldier squeaked out.
"What's your name, Private?" asked Marcus as he carefully began to unravel the scarf from around his head.
"Vi…V…Vinn…y," Sven quivered. Marcus then carefully unstrapped the goggles from Sven's face. As Marcus removed them, he noticed the frostbite on Sven's lips and cheeks, blistering.
"Hang on, Vinny," said Marcus, grabbing a blanket that Grimes left out nearby to place it around Sven.
"Vin, Vinny…you there?" Baird managed to muscle out while still lying on the floor, bundled in a blanket that Grimes had wrapped over him.
"I..I'm here…Corp…oral," Sven mumbled, slightly turning his head. Marcus looked down and noticed Baird moving his cracked lips, trying to communicate in between shivers,
"What, about…the kid…?"
"She's right here," Bjork answered. He scanned Delilah's face for frostbite before wrapping her in another blanket, "…she's ok…just a little cold."
"Gus…where's, Gus?" Baird whimpered.
"He's coming, Baird," Marcus answered.
"…and…Rav…" Baird started to mumble. Marcus looked up at Grimes and then to Bjork,
"Who…what are you talking about?" Marcus questioned.
Sven started to mutter, "Feral…where's…Feral?"
Before Marcus could answer, Miller's voice is heard over the bristling wind,
"Somebody get out here and lend us a hand…"
"I'm on it," Bjork blurted out as he jumped over the front seat and darted out of the Dill, moving as fast as he could through the deep snow.
"Welche...come help the Corporal," Grimes asked.
"Sure thing…" Welche responded, meandering over to Baird's position.
"Sergeant," Grimes turned to Marcus, "…I got the Corporal on the I.V. and I'm going to check on the Private. Can you look over the girl?"
"Yea," Marcus responded as he stepped around Sven and moved over to Delilah, whom was bundled like a caterpillar in a cocoon.
"Hey, kid…" Marcus called softly in a low, raspy voice, "…you ok? Just…nod your head yes or no…"
Delilah peered through her wrappings and looked up at the big Gear. Between shivers, she tried to nod her head as she trembled lifting her little, gloved hand. She held it out as Marcus looked down, struggling with the words to say as he extended his own hand and gently took hers in. It was then he could hear her quietly mutter,
"I…want to go…home."
"We all do, kid."
"But…where's…Birdie Lady…we can't leave Birdie Lady," Delilah choked out as Baird slowly looked up, trying to keep some poise in all of this,
"We're not…leaving Birdie lady behind…" Baird was able to muster while Welche tried to keep the I.V. from getting tangled. Suddenly, Grimes started to move back from the APC entrance.
"Sergeant…I think they're going to need your help on this one…" said Grimes.
Bjork and Dom were making their way to the Dill entrance, carrying Cole. They carefully moved him in as Marcus went over and picked up Cole's legs while Dom had one arm and Bjork the other.
"Guys, over here…put him on the floor, next to the Corporal," Grimes instructed as the men carefully placed Cole next to Baird.
"Shit, Gus…GUS, can you hear me?" Marcus started to yell out, "…you answer me now, Private, you hear me?"
Cole was shivering profusely, trying to muster the strength to open his frost-bit mouth.
"He…here…re…reporting for…duty. Sir…" Cole was able to spit out. As Grimes started to rip into Cole's fatigues, exposing his arm, for an I.V., Baird looked up at Grimes.
"Sit…me up, please," Baird muttered out.
"Hold on, Corporal…" Grimes said, putting the needle in Cole's vein, hanging the bag on a compartment hook.
Suddenly, Marcus looked up to see Miller, moving quickly inside the Dill with a small, framed person lying limp in his arms.
"GRIMES…get another blanket and I.V." Miller shouted, "…this one's in bad shape!"
Marcus moved to the entrance to meet Miller. Miller carefully placed the smaller-framed female in his arms,
"She's been sedated…and it looks like she has a broken ankle," said Miller before he turned around to shut the door. Bjork instantly hopped into the driver's seat and began to rev up the Dill.
Marcus moved over to the others, carrying the little woman as Grimes helped Baird sit up against the cabin wall. Baird turned his gaze over to Marcus,
"Set…her here," Baird suggested, moving up and making space as he extended his arm. Marcus knelt down, gently placing Raven in between Baird and Cole. Grimes started to unwrap the cloth around Raven's head, revealing a pale, rosy facade,' with dry lips and sunken eyes.
"Is that…Feral?" Cole asked as he slightly turned his head. Marcus just glared at Cole, nodding his head, assuming the woman was whom Cole was referring to.
"She's here…Cole," Baird muttered, "she…already has…a connector in her…left arm…"
Grimes nodded as he knelt down, "Alright…I'll look."
Cole mustered the strength to yell out, "Vinny…you here?"
"Yea…" Sven yelled back, "I'm, here."
"..and Delilah…"
"She's doing fine, Gus," Marcus assured Cole.
Grimes tore into Raven's attire, trying to free up her left arm as he scans for cannula connector to place in the I.V., when he suddenly noticed it still taped to her arm. Baird carefully placed his hand on Raven's forehead, stroking her hair, trying to find something warm to see if she was even alive.
"Rav…" Baird tried to muster out, searching for a pulse.
"She's alive, Corporal," Grimes tried to assure him the best he could, "…a little worse for wear, but she's alive."
Then Baird moved his other hand over Cole's head, patting it gently,
"G, Gus…you there?"
Cole turned his head slightly as he responded,
"Yea…I'm…here…"
Marcus sat and watched them in awe, wondering how they actually survived out in this frozen hell. Grimes managed to connect the I.V. into Raven while he hung the bag next to Cole's. Cole reached over as he patted Baird's leg,
"She'll, be…fine," Cole assured him, finally thawing from the warmth inside the cabin. Dom sat next to Cole on the floor, unfolding some more blankets to place under Cole's head.
"Ok, Cole…lift your head up, man," said Dom. Cole slowly lifted his head enough for Dom to slid it under, and then dropped it back down.
Marcus sat up in the last open seat in the Dill as he reached for the radio com,
"Control…this is Delta, come in."
A sudden sparse of static blared from the com, until a sketchy voice could be heard,
"This is...control...go...ahead,"
"We found Sigma, I repeat…we found Sigma One. We need an immediate medical team waiting upon arrival, do you copy?"
"Roger that...Delta…How many?"
"We have five, control. They're in pretty bad shape, so we need the medical team to be ready and waiting as soon as we get in."
"Understood, Delta. They'll be ready...upon...arrival, control out."
The staff medics of Fort Block scurried around the makeshift hospital, setting up beds and monitors while stacking towels and bandages on the beds. Nurses set up the curtains while others were filling galvanized tubs with hot water and prepping the beds with fresh sheets and pillows.
Lieutenant Stroud was walking in a hurry, scanning the room that used to be a locker room, now a hospital room to place Sigma in when they arrive. She checked to make sure they had five of everything, including galvanized tubs for thawing and cleaning. She didn't know what to expect when Delta and Epsilon came back, so she instructed the medical staff to prepare for the worst.
Anya left the room, moving outside as she buttoned up her coat and wrapped her scarf around her neck, trying to withstand the cold wind that stung her delicate face. Gears were waiting near the Fort entrance, preparing for the Dill's return from earlier that evening. Hoffman waited outside in his usual attire, waiting patiently, with Sergeant Mataki hanging back, waiting anxiously.
But the audience that struck Anya the most, waiting for Sigma's return was the Feral scouts. They sat out in the weather, withstanding the cold surprisingly better than everyone else. Even the latest Feral recruits that joined them shortly after deployment were out, watching and waiting for their linguist to return to them. Anya had never seen the Feral so concerned for one of their own before.
A familiar noise could be heard in the distance as everyone in the Fort began to move with anticipation. Anya quickly stepped out from the building, placing her hand next to her com,
"Delta, this is control, do you read?"
"This is Delta…we're coming in, get ready."
"Roger that, Delta…we can hear you coming…the medics are standing by, over."
Shortly after the last transmission, the APC roared in slowly, trying to move through the slushy snow that has piled up within the past few hours. The Dill carefully drove up towards the hospital, moving close to the entrance before slowing to a complete halt.
Shortly after the vehicle stopped, the hatch door opened up as Captain Miller is the first to exit. He quickly gestured to the medical staff, waiting near the entrance,
"Bring the gurney's! We can load them up from here," Miller ordered. Marcus was the next to step out of the Dill, carefully carrying Sven over his shoulder before he placed Sven on the first gurney while Miller helped a nurse to bring the next one.
Everyone in the Fort watching the events unfold was standing quietly on edge, waiting to hear the news of Sigma's condition. Hoffman watched as Delta and Epsilon started to unload the others.
Dom was the next to come out with Raven, holding her head to his chest while her legs dangled over his other arm, carefully placing her down while Welche followed behind, holding up her I.V. As soon as Dom laid her down on the next gurney, the nurses began to move her into the building. Miller and Bjork carried Cole, carefully placing him down in a nearby gurney while Marcus and Grimes moved out with Baird. Welche followed, carrying Delilah as he carefully placed the little girl into the arms of one of the nurses nearby.
Anya noticed the apprehension in Hoffman's expression, not to mention Bernie's, as Sergeant Mataki placed her hand over her mouth, watching in shock at Sigma's condition. She watched from the distance as they placed Cole down, throwing blankets on his body and moved him inside. Marcus and Grimes carefully placed Baird down into another gurney, propping up his head. Baird turned over to reach for Marcus' arm, grabbing it firmly,
"Look into…the Jacinto archive," Baird spat coarsely, "…and look up a former Gear…by the name of Morose ."
Marcus glared at him with a perplexed expression on his face until Baird continued,
"He's…the leader of the militia, Marcus," Baird was able to spit out, definitely catching the attention of the surrounding Gears as Marcus looked up at the others.
Bringing his hand on Baird's shoulder, Marcus assured him,
"I'll look it up…but you need to rest, you hear me?" Marcus demanded.
Baird forced a grin as if it hurt to do so, but his gaze wandered the moment the medics hurried him inside. Marcus watched them take Baird in until he was no longer in sight. He then turned over to see Hoffman walking towards the hospital entrance, opening the door to proceed to march in without pause. He's seen the Colonel divert like that before when the old man was particularly on mission, but for what, Marcus wasn't quite sure. Nevertheless, Marcus stood there for moment, pondering what Baird had just informed him; an ex-Gear is leading the Stranded militia? Fuck.
The atmosphere outside hung blankly as everyone went back to their stations. All of the anxiety drifted inside the hospital now. For Cole, Baird, Sven, and Delilah, the vicinity was warm at best, but they were home, at last. They were among the last of the COG refuge at a dreary, barely functioning Fort Block, but they accomplished what they were set out to do.
Between the hospital staff murmuring to themselves and the array of hands pulling and prodding every-which-way, Baird was still able to muster enough strength to turn his head and peer through his groggy eyes. He was able to ignore the nurse drawing his blood from a vein in his now, bare forearm as he watched the other staff carefully pick up a weary Sven and place him in a bed next to Cole.
Drifting in and out of exhaustion, Cole was dead weight for the staff as five of them attempted to move him on his bed. He could hear the voices of the staff running around his head, but his focus was on Sven. The kid made it…he actually made it!
Sven was somewhat conscience, listening to the nurse babble with another as she adjusted his IV. At the end of his bed, the other nurse was threading a catheter into his urethra, not exactly taking consideration of Sven's somewhat coherent state. Watching from abroad, Gus could hear Sven respond to the nurse with a low moan as if the procedure was either uncomfortable or Sven was just that delirious. It wasn't long before Cole noticed the rookie just closed his eyes before letting out another abrupt grunt…he's medicated for sure now.
Cole slowly turned his head to look on the other side where Baird was already transferred. Almost instantly he could hear Damon griping, blurting out some random profanity in his tired, course voice. He could hear Damon trying to convince them that he didn't need rest, until one of the nurses got tired of Baird's raving and loaded a sedative into his IV to knock him out. As the drug pulsed through his veins, Baird's words started to slur as he slowly dozed off, until he succumbed to the medication. As predicted, he was hushed.
Cole chuckled as he watched his best friend slip into a comatose state while the nurse proceeded to thread a catheter into his urethra. Man, he's really going to be in a shitty mood when he gets up.
The nurse eventually directed her attention to Cole by placing another blanket on his body,
"Are you doing ok, Private?" she asked, breaking Cole from the daze.
"Yea…I just, have one question ma'am…" Cole asked in a tired voice as thoughts of Raven's whereabouts flooded his conscience.
"Of course, soldier,"
"How's Feral?"
"You mean the Feral who came in with you?"
"Yea…I don't…see her in here…"
"She was relocated into the trauma station. The Corporal suggested to the head nurse to screen her…"
"Screen…for what?"
"…to check to see if she was sexually assaulted…it's a normal procedure for anyone whom was held in captivity."
The color in Cole's face started to pale as the news sunk in. He wasn't quite sure if it was better for him to know. The nurse could see his expression turn cheerless so she attempted to reassure him,
"She's doing fine, otherwise…it's, just a precaution."
Cole didn't say a word. Instead, he gazed upon her wearily and nodded in response. She gently placed her hand on his forehead,
"She'll be ok. They may move her back here after they realign the break in her leg and cast it."
Lifting her hand from his head, she gave a brief smile before pulling the covers over his body. Cole basked in the warmth for now, finding sanctuary from the bitter cold, hellhole they had been swarming in all week. Dozing off, he pondered about his squad mates, his now-only family, running insistently through his head.
He thought of Sven, how the kid actually made it with them, and if it weren't for Vinny, they wouldn't have been able to pull off their rescue mission from Plantire. The kid deserves a medal after all this.
He thought of Damon, despite jackass that he is, still managed to come up with a sound plan that actually worked in getting Raven out of Plantire. Cole had since wondered why Damon changed his mind concerning rescuing their Feral guide. Was it because of principle, or was Damon actually taking a liking to Feral? Shit, now wouldn't that be something!
But knowing Baird, Cole figured that there was an ulterior motive for why Baird did what he did, and it was seldom out of heart, but this one last time, Cole couldn't concur. Why would Baird's efforts for risking the lot of them for Raven be any different? All they ever really did was fight, just for the sake of quarreling! Perhaps the reason was not so baffling after all. Maybe Damon likes arguing with Feral. It seemed like the more plausible theory when it concerned his cantankerous, best friend, especially since Damon thrived in conflict. It was the one thing that would often compel him to excel.
Cole rolled his head over to glare at a disheveled Damon Baird from his bed, watching the comatose Corporal snore obnoxiously though his gaping mouth. Shit, he's earned the rest. He watched as Baird slept soundly for the first time in a long time, wondering what Baird was thinking about, or dreaming about. What does Damon Baird reminisce the most?
Surrendering to exhaustion, Cole closed his eyes to drift into an ambiance that was calling him, coercing him to enter. Peering past a misty curtain, he could hear Damon's ever-so-pretentious ranting over the usual petty things until he distinguished Vinny above the chatter, listening to Sven talk consistently about his pretty sister, Guinevere. He could then hear the course, but mellow tone in Feral's voice, often rebuking Baird for something that he said that was tactless or out of context. But then he would hear Feral mutter faintly, conversing with Sven over random things as Cole would sit back and watch the soft, winter light glisten on her pale face. Cole didn't know why, but the glistening light glaring form the setting sun would illuminate the iced-over terrain into a stream of iridescent colors, and when he could see Raven look out towards the sunset to bask in the last ray of warmth of the day, the winter glow would ignite the life in the soft contours of her cheeks, nose, and brow…
…and then he saw her smile; a rare specimen to witness, but it was there. Her face was radiant, bringing out something surreal that complimented everything that Raven could be if she really wanted to. It never occurred to him to pay attention to it before until he saw it etched in detail, carefully illustrated in perfect form…when he snuck a peek into Damon's journal the night before.