an: sorry guys, I can write neither a normal fight nor a shootout, so you get whatever this mess is. Also thank you for the reviews so far, they're really making my day at the moment. Hope everyone's staying safe out there.
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RHIB team
Location: Unidentified Island, Coral Sea
0735 hours
Chris's heart is beating erratically, his pulse deafening as everything else around him quietens to a hush. His eyes are trained on the boat on the water, where things have been eerily quiet since the gunshots had echoed across the waves. The X is on that boat.
Angry yelling breaks through the haze, and he looks towards the group of men standing at the shoreline. They seem to be arguing amongst themselves, and he exchanges a glance with Buffer. This might just be the break they needed. Two of the men start walking towards the group, clutching at their weapons.
"Get ready."
Chris nods slightly at Buffer, his muscles tensing in anticipation. Going up against these guys isn't the best plan (they don't even have a plan), but with Kate on that boat, and half of the drug-runners away from the island, they're not going to get a better chance than this. Watching as the men come closer, he nods again as Buffer claims the guy on the right, leaving the one on the left for Chris.
He takes a deep breath before springing forward to tackle the blond, crashing heavily onto the sand as he wrestles for the gun. The man strikes out, catching a glancing blow on Chris's head and he grunts, aiming his fist into the soft flesh under his ribs. The man howls, his grip turning lax as the blow to his kidney lands, and Chris takes advantage, wrenching the gun away. He kneels, quickly aiming the weapon at the man lying on the sand. "2Dads," he calls out, his eyes flying to check on Buffer, who has the situation in hand.
"I've got it Swain," the younger man says, scrambling forward to flip the man around, pulling his arms around his back. Gunfire breaks out, and Chris swears under his breath, pulling his weapon up to return fire. He can hear Buffer shooting next to him and the next thirty seconds are a haze of bullets and exploding sand. He sees one of the men go down, and then the next, and the next, until the sand has settled and his finger loosens around the trigger.
"Buffer!" Bomber's voice catches his attention and he turns to see Buffer clutching at his leg.
"I'm okay," he says, passing his gun onto Bomber. "You and Swaino need to go check on those guys, make sure they're actually down."
Chris stands cautiously and motions for Bomber to circle around. If the men aren't down, he doesn't want to provide them with an easy target. Coming up to the first man, he moves the gun out of his weak grip. His breath comes out in a wet rattle and Chris can tell that his lungs are punctured. Chris shakes his head, angry at the senseless loss of life, and looks across to Bomber. She's pulled a weapon from the crumpled figure in front of her, and has her fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse. The third man groans, and Chris darts forward, diving for the gun and knocks it away as the man tries to aim it at Bomber. Once he's disarmed the man, he checks him over, realizing that he only has a glancing wound to his arm.
"Swain?"
"Yeah, we're clear," he calls back to Buffer, pulling the man up and twisting his arm around back to keep him secure. "Bomber, can you find some restraints?" He waits until she appears with a set of zip-ties, and secures the man before he starts moving back to Buffer. His breathing is rough and he inhales slowly, trying to settle. The adrenaline is still buzzing under his skin and he feels shaky, but he focuses on his breathing, quickly coming back to an even keel.
Bomber secures the man that Buffer had been hovering over, allowing him to sit back on the sand with a grunt. "Let's take a look at that leg, hey Buff?" Chris moves his hand to the wound, relieved when he sees that it seems to be a graze. Gunshot wounds to the thigh can be devastating – even if the bullet misses the femoral artery, the energy from the bullet can cause catastrophic damage to the vascular system. Memories of his training kick in, and he puts pressure on the wound, eyes searching for signs of swelling or unnatural bruising appearing.
"How's it looking Swain?"
"Just a graze, luckily," he replies, giving Buffer a quick grin. "You'll get to keep your leg mate."
"You're a right comedian Swaino," Buffer shoots back before attempting to stand up.
"Hey, take it easy Buffer."
"We've got to get to the X," Buffer says in response, and this time Chris helps him to his feet. "2Dads, can you find our weapons and gear?"
"Bomber, once you're finished securing these guys, work with 2Dads to figure out where we are with ammo." Chris adds, waiting for the younger woman to nod before his eyes fell on the boat again. There hadn't been any visible movement from the boat despite the firefight that had just taken place. "What do you think Buffer?"
"It's too quiet," he says, limping forward to the shore line. "But we'll be sitting ducks in the water if we try and make it over."
"Yeah." Chris looks over the team, and gives Buffer a wry glance. "Not sure if any of us are in any condition to make it out there at the moment anyway."
"We can't just leave her out there."
"We won't." He turns back to see Bomber and 2Dads adding things to a pile on the beach. "We need to have a plan first though."
"Because planning has worked so well for us so far." Buffer huffed, running a hand over his face. "Christ, how has it only been a day?"
"Cheer up mate, it can only get better from here," Chris replies, laughing a little at the baleful glare that Buffer gives him.
"Great, that's just what we needed, thanks Swaino."
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HMAS Hammersley
Location: Coral Sea
1145 Hours
"Hands to boarding stations, hands to boarding stations," the boss calls over the tannoy, before turning to the crew on the bridge. "Charge, Nav – find our team."
"Aye sir," Charge replies.
Nikki exchanges a glance with Charge, who will be leading the search party on the RHIB, before her eyes fall on the small land mass barely visible in the distance. The depth is too shallow for the Hammersley to go in any closer, so they'll be surveilling from Thunder for now.
They make their way down to the boat deck, gearing up and meeting up with the rest of their six man team. Spider has just finished pulling on his gear, and they climb into Thunder, waiting for the RHIB to be lowered.
"Away sea boat," Charge calls and then they're off, the RHIB skimming over the water.
Nikki clutches at the binoculars she's holding, pulling them up as they come closer to the island. She looks through, searching for any sign of the other RHIB or their team.
"All clear on my side," Spider says, and Nikki groans in frustration. She can't see anything here either.
"Nothing here Charge," she says, but keeps her eyes focused as they continue around the island.
"How's it looking Charge?" The bosses voice crackles through the radio, and she can see Charge's frustration as he replies.
"Nothing here sir, no sign of Lightning or the boarding party."
"Okay Charge, continue to the next island. Hammersley will get as close as we can."
"Yes sir." Charge motions with his hand and the RHIB turns, making its way to the next island they can see. Nikki thinks back to the maps she'd pored over. The small group of islands were part of a chain, uninhabited and densely forested. If the crew have left the beach, then finding the RHIB is going to be their only chance of spotting them.
"Hold on guys," she whispered to herself. "We're coming."
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an: would love to know what you're thinking.
