"Things are quiet, that's a good thing", said Bas from the passenger seat upfront of Emily's Humvee.
Emily looked around outside, maybe she was on edge but indeed everything was quiet.
A mile further they reached a bend in the road and as they progressed two jeeps stopped a few yards away from them. In them, approximately 15 heavily armed rebel militia.
Emily removed the safety from her rifle and Sonny did the same. He noticed that she had been quicker than him and that impressed him. She had been prepared.
"Captain, we've got two jeeps behind us as well", said Bas after a glance in his rearview mirror.
"HQ this is Scorpion", the guys back at the base in the armory perked their ears. "We're two miles past Checkpoint Agassi. We are currently surrounded and held in vice by four enemy jeeps and approximately 30 rebels".
Sonny looked at her. She was calm and focused. Her finger was teasing the trigger and he couldn't help to think that she was definitely the kind of woman for him.
"Scorpion, do not fire. I repeat you are not to engage unless fired upon", said General Goodwin.
"Copy that Sir".
"Scorpion, this is Merlin, we are ten minutes out and ready to provide backup".
Still with her eyes on the jeeps in front of her, Emily saw two guys pull out the heavy artillery.
"RPG! Everybody out!" yelled Emily.
Jason put his rifle down and placed his hands firmly on the table.
The explosion was heard loudly over the radio and they all held their breaths.
"Scorpion this is HQ, do you copy"?
No response was heard.
Eric looked at the driver. "Step on it".
"Scorpion this is Merlin, do you copy, please come in".
Suddenly all hell broke loose over the radio. "Bas! Sonny!", they could hear Emily yell.
After what seemed the longest 2 minutes, they heard Emily's voice again.
"HQ this is Scorpion, we are taking heavy enemy fire. We've got three confirmed dead and one heavily injured".
The jeeps were closing in on them. She placed herself in front of Sonny who had taken a pretty bad blow to the head and a potential bullet in his arm. "Sonny, are you alright? Talk to me". Emily fired back, not even worrying about the bullets whistling in her ears, indicating that they were too close for comfort. She managed to take down a few men, but they were being attacked from all fronts.
Sonny who was coming to, realized that Emily was shielding him. He also looked around and noticed that Bas, Tony, and the driver hadn't made it.
"Captain"! said Sonny as she took a bullet in the arm and then somewhere else he heard an impact but didn't know where.
"Scorpion this is Merlin we are 7 minutes out".
Emily looked around and assessed the situation. She knew that if Eric and the others came, there would be more casualties and that was unacceptable. They would be outnumbered by far. She looked at Bas and Tony. This was where the bloodshed ended.
She turned her head and looked at Sonny. She had blood spurts over her face and an open wound over her eye from the blow of the RPG.
"That's a negative Merlin. Your orders are to return to HQ"!
"Scorpion, please repeat", said Eric as he looked at Campbell.
"Merlin you are to return to HQ, that is a direct order. Do you copy"?! Sonny looked at her and nodded in understanding.
Bullets could be heard flying through the air, not a second went by where they weren't heard whistling.
Clay looked at the others. "What is she doing"?
Jason put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground. "She's preventing a carnage. She's doing the ultimate sacrifice".
"Wait, can she do that"? asked Clay.
"She's his superior and has just given him a direct order. He has no choice".
"Copy that Scorpion. We are heading back to HQ", said Eric his voice shaky and tears in his eyes as the Humvee turned and headed away from the war zone.
Back up after the bend, Emily put her rifle down, turned off her radio and put her arms up in the air.
"What are you doing"? asked Sonny.
"What I hope will be difference between you and I being sent home in wooden box and being saved".
The whistling of the bullets stopped.
"Emily"! yelled Eric in his microphone. "Emily"!? "Sonny"?!
Realizing that there was no response and that their radios were dead, he placed his hand over his mouth to muffle the uncontrollable moan escaping from it.
Lisa crumbled in Trent's arms and started to cry. Ray turned and punched the locker behind him. Jason stared into nothing, in a state of shock.
The ride back to the base was a silent haze. None of the men dared utter a word, not even Campbell who had spent the duration of the ride staring down at his open palms.
When the Humvee came to a halt its occupants were frozen for a few minutes before they finally felt it vital to escape the hell, they were stuck in.
Eric was the last to exit the Humvee under everyone's eye. The news had circled fast around the base. He removed his helmet, threw it at the ground in vivid anger and yelled out of rage before sliding down the side of the Humvee and falling to the ground. Still yelling, the tears rained from his eyes.
Jason arrived and sat himself down next to Eric and put his arm around him in support. The rest of the Bravo team joined them.
"I promise you that we're going to bring them home", said Jason.