Chapter 38

"Fire and Ice"

"It's Cirno…she's no match for that armored car." Roy said putting away the Binoculars.

"You think we should help her out…that's a hell of a way to go Cap?" Rhodes asked.

"After what she did to you…are you kidding?" Sakuya asked angrily.

"Look were pressed for help but these fairies have combat experience." Roy said pointing to the bodies in the grass. Everyone's eyes widened as they came to realize all of the fairies were armed with stolen guns.

"Rhodes you got the LAW?" Roy asked.

"I got two." Rhodes said handing Roy one of the rocket launchers.

"Hit it in the lower part of the turret, it might be a makeshift flamethrower." Roy said looking through the binoculars.

"Stand clear to the rear." Rhodes said quietly as he nudged Hong away from the area of back blast.

"On my go, we attack…" Roy said as Rhodes aimed his tube.

The group of Soldiers below were readying their final push as Cirno was about to give the command.

"Now!" Roy said sharply as Rhodes blasted the armored car into a blazing inferno with the rocket.

Roy, Hong and Sakuya pushed forward past the blazing hull as Rhodes laid down suppressing fire on the unsuspecting NVA forces below.

Hong lumbered forward and blasted away a group of retreating regulars with the BAR but the magazine ran dry in less than a second. In a hopeless attempt to replace the cumbersome box magazine, Hong began to come under fire from another group that was trying to pull off a peeling maneuver through the middle.

Sakuya ran forward and pelted away a few soldiers as they continued to advance up the hill. The M1 slammed back with a loud ping, reminding Sakuya to drop another clip of bullets into the hot chamber. Roy tossed a grenade across the path of the peeling group. The ground shook as the blast cut more of the regulars to the ground.

As Hong struggled to get out of the line of fire, a bullet found its way into the side of her stomach and tore upwards through the side of her back. Hong gasped as she fell to the ground clutching her abdomen as blood pooled through her tunic.

Sakuya rushed forward to one of the retreating soldiers and wedged her knife into his chest as she spun him backwards. The soldiers to his front opened fire on Sakuya. In a flash, she rolled back down the hill into a fern completely unscathed by the bullets, her heartbeat pounded wildly from the adrenaline rush.

Roy followed up by running ahead of the soldiers to intercept them as they retreated. He lifted up his M14 and took down three more of the troops leaving one survivor that he had plans to interrogate.

Rhodes came from behind and kicked away the AK from the soldiers hand onto the ground. Before Roy could move in on the young soldier, Sakuya came from out of the forest and embedded her knife into his back.

Within a fraction of a second, she batted away a primed grenade from the soldier's hand. One of those Japanese type 97s with the push down fuze fell into the brush.

"Get back!" Sakuya yelled as she dove behind the corpse of the struggling soldier. Roy and Rhodes dived away from the blast as Shrapnel cut through everything around them.

"Fucking piece of shit tried to take us with him!" Roy yelled. As Roy, Sakuya and Rhodes got to their feet, they began hearing the painful cries of Hong Meiling off in the distance. Rhodes was down the hill faster than Roy could identify the fact that Hong was wounded in the firefight.

"Shit...Rhodes...come on Suzy." Roy said as Sakuya followed close behind.

"No…Meiling…I got you, just breathe." Rhodes said nervously as he slid to her side and removed his medical kit.

Hong was still able to keep her wound pressurized but she didn't account on the exit wound in her back.

"We need to get her back to Patchouli Now…or she's going to die." Rhodes said nervously. Rhode's hands began to tremble as he tried to keep pressure on the exit wound.

"Rhodes…how many times do I have to tell you?" Hong coughed.

Rhodes looked at her in disbelief.

"I can take harder blows." Hong added in a raspy tone as she pulled herself up using him for support.

"HONG…NO." Roy yelled in a panic but Sakuya grabbed him.

"Roy trust me…I watched her get impaled by a tree." Sakuya said quietly. Roy turned to Sakuya and raised an eyebrow.

"…Patchouli might be able to help…by the way…this gun is a piece of shit…who made it?" Hong wheezed pointing to the BAR on the ground as Rhodes hastily began wrapping gauze around her stomach.

"John Browning…America…It wasn't a bad rifle but I get what you mean" Roy said picking up the measly looking box magazine that Hong casted away. Hong shuffled forward and started looking for a better weapon among the dead NVA.

"Type 56…light machine gun…Made in china...I think I'm good." Hong huffed with a smug grin as she lifted an RPD off the ground.

"We should probably take these guns back...they look better and seem to be more plentiful in ammunition than the ones we have." Sakuya said as she began picking the various enemy weapons off the ground.

Before Roy could think of bringing back the guns, he was reminded of why he ambushed the armored patrol in the first place.

Cirno floated above with a look of surprise on her face. An AK-47 hung loosely in her hands, pointed at Roy.

"Did you miss me?" Roy said raising his arms in a welcoming gesture.

"You are not a normal human are you?" Cirno asked putting the gun down.

"I'm an elite American soldier…" Roy said crossing his arms. Sakuya glared at Cirno whilst flipping the safety lever forward.

"So what made you change your mind…did I push the right buttons?" Cirno asked with a giggle noticing Sakuya's glowing anger.

"I'm looking for help and weapons…and I would suggest that if you want to make it out of here alive you bring what's left of your Fairy cadre to the mansion." Roy said sternly.

Cirno thought for a moment. She fluttered around battling emotional and logistical reasons as several of the wild Fairies watched her argue to herself.

"OK fine…look no hard feelings…I…just don't want to be punished for that little thing…I did…to you." Cirno said nervously.

"What thing…OHH." Roy cringed remembering Cirno's bizarre sexual encounter. Sakuya face-palmed.

"You know…why did you do that?" Roy asked with a condescending grin.

"That's personal fuck-stick." Cirno snarled.

"Look it was personal to me too…I mean sexually torturing somebody is one thing but honestly you were just doing lewd shit with ice the whole time…" Roy chuckled as Sakuya slapped him in the chest.

"What?" Roy asked as Sakuya glared at him.

"What were you thinking?" one of the wild Fairies said to Cirno quietly.