-Advance Wars 2
--Death Array
---Chapter 3: The Crossing Guard
I was quick to untie her and rip off the tape. This was the first time I had met Jess, and I didn't really know a whole lot about her, only that she was some ground specialist for Green Earth and had some friction with Eagle. I heard one time she removed all the tires from his entire fleet after he diverted parts meant for her tank divisions.
"You're the Green Earth ground specialist, Jess, right?"
"You got it." She answered shaking her hands to get the blood flow moving again. "Who are you?"
"I'm... Wolf. Orange Star's man on the inside. I was sent to rescue you. What exactly happened when Black Hole moved in?"
I heard Jess's bones groan a little as she stood up. Man, I wonder how long she had been sitting there?
"Somehow they managed to get some spies in our ranks. During the exercise, I was stationed here and tried to take over Andy's position across the snowfield. Suddenly our own soldiers were shooting one another, it was then I realized we had been made."
That would explain all the guys outside patrolling the grounds. I guess Hawke stole some uniforms and snuck into the drill while it was being performed. When they started taking over, it was too late to do anything about it. Jess also added that the alien troops rushed in from helicopters to make a bad situation worse. They didn't stand a chance.
"I'm also here to rescue Andy. Is he still around here somewhere?"
"No he's not here. After awhile, they split us up. I was tossed down here hoping that no one would bother to search the armory. That man with the green hair said he was planning something."
"You mean Winchester." I told her. "I've met him. Him and his six round grenade launcher."
I saw a smile form on her face.
"So that's why it felt like this base was being bombed. Did you..."
"No, he got away. Broke his leg though."
She moved over to a shelf full of rifles and began to look through it.
"There's another thing I wanted to ask you. While you were running the exercise... Did you come across any suspicious areas?"
"Suspicious areas?" Jess repeated.
"Hawke is threatening Orange Star. He says if we don't give him 100 million credits, he'll activate a prototype Death Ray weapon and fry a major city. We think it's somewhere on this base."
This was obviously news to Jess as she glanced over her shoulder toward me in a surprised way. It also answered some questions, like why they would take over such a so-called worthless base and take hostages.
"Unfortunately no. I didn't see any suspicious areas. But I can tell you that they moved Andy over to the Barracks somewhere. It was where his HQ was stationed."
She paused and then turned around as if deciding something.
"Let's go find that death ray before Hawke can use it."
I was caught off guard for a second by her sudden motion to join me on my little escapades around the base.
"With all due respect ma'am, you should leave the fighting to the frontline grunts like me."
A distant expression washed over her face and she balled her fists.
"You don't understand Wolf, I lost a lot of good men and women during the take over."
Before I could say anymore, I got a call and told Jess to hold on for a second while I answer it. It was Sami.
"Wolf, we have some bad news. Eagle's rescue team has been taken out, half of them didn't even make it to the ground."
"Anti-air shoot down the copters?" I wondered aloud.
"Not exactly. Black Hole has a fighter jet on base."
"It figures. At least I have something good to report. I've successfully rescued Jess."
"Really?" She sounded ecstatic. "Good work!"
"What's going on?" Jess interrupted.
I took a deep breath as if trying to figure out a way to sugarcoat their failed rescue. But I finally decided she could take the direct news. She was after all, a CO who's probably seen more death on the battlefield than I have.
"Eagle sent in a rescue team to save you when this base was taken over. Unfortunately for them, Black Hole has a fighter on hand. Half of them didn't even make it to the ground."
She punched the wall in anger and shook her head.
"Dammit Eagle! You always have to be so stubborn. You should have asked for help..."
"Look I have orders ma'am. I can't let you run off and start shooting the place up."
Now she was looking at me in a stern tone. I guess I had revived her CO instinct.
"I'm not that reckless, soldier. As for the shooting up part, I think you have that area covered pretty well."
Ouch, that was cold. I was thinking about trying to explain that it wasn't me with the grenade launcher blowing up the place. It wasn't my fault, but I was wasting time and I had to speed things up.
"Look, you said something about Barracks. How can I get to them from here?"
"There should be a blast door on the first floor leading out to a snowfield. It's locked right now, but I know the code, I can get you through, across from this building is the Barracks."
That was fine with me, but I made it clear that was only thing she should do. After that, she was going to report directly to the docks for evac. Orange Star had a mini-sub waiting to surface and retrieve her at the end of the pier. It was the only sure fire way of getting out since Black Hole didn't have a sub or cruiser in the area. Judging from my mission, I don't think they had the man power to run those things even if they had it.
But before we left, she fished out an M4 from one of the lockers and threw it to me. I caught it easily. I was well acquainted with this rifle, but I didn't quite understand why she gave it to me. I think a pistol was all I needed if I wanted to stay hidden. Assault rifles aren't exactly the quietest weapon ever made.
"You'll need some heavier weapons for the Barracks. Black Hole is using some sort of new suit for the alien troops."
Fine and good I guess. The M4 could be more useful if they tried to take me out in groups. We took the elevator back up to the first floor and approached the blast door. I made sure we were careful avoiding the big hole in the floor where the recon jeep had slid down into the basement. She punched in the code and the door began to open up. It was there we said our goodbyes and she was off.
I wasn't really worried about her. Most of the soldiers on the docks had been relocated to the heliport to intercept Eagle's rescue team anyway.
I stepped out onto the snowfield to see that the storm was still hanging around. Visibility was a tad bit better, but it wasn't much. I could notice two buildings in the distance, the Barracks which were directly ahead of me, and a building I didn't recognize off to the left. I must have taken two steps before a siren began to blare from the Barracks.
A hangar door located to the right of the Barrack's main entrance had begun to open up. It was then a Neotank began to roll forward out into the field. I stopped dead in my tracks once I spotted the black paint job. The exhaust vents on it's underside were almost generating a small smokescreen. It's engine had been revved up a long time ago.
It was definitely waiting for me.
Once it had left the hangar, it came to a dead stop and switched into walking mode so that it's wheel-like treads wouldn't get stuck in the snow. I simply watched and waited until it got halfway across the field and the hatch popped open. Someone I recognized very well appeared. Big muscled Flak, the powerhouse of Black Hole. I took him on once, hand to hand, and I won't lie to you... he kicked my ass.
"Holy hell..." I muttered.
"Worm!" Flak roared out. "Why don't you come out so I can go to work on you with Big Bertha! I heard what you did to Winchester!"
The massive Neotank, which he must have been referring to by Big Bertha, was probably their latest model. I don't know how they got it on the island, but it was bigger than most I've seen. It's shiny shell made it clear to me how recently it had been made, it hadn't even seen combat yet.
"What are you waitin' for worm?" He started again. "Get over here!"
Flak was nuts. There was no way I was going to be caught dead a hundred feet from that thing. All I had was a lousy pistol and an assault rifle. It was impossible to take out Big Bertha with the kind of weapons I had. I needed a damn nuclear missile.
"That's it! Jus' crush him!" Flak ordered.
Running away was out. When that Neotank's main cannon opened fire, it seemed like the whole world stopped turning.
Snow, dirt, and fire went everywhere. I hadn't realized it at the time, but the blast had flipped me into the air. Damned if I know when I landed, I just remembered waking up face down in the snow. I realized that Flak couldn't spot me while I was ducked down in the snow since it was so high.
"Quit hidin' worm! Get up so I can blast you!" He continued to yell.
I could hear the rattling of the Neotanks mounted gun as he began to spray the area with lead. The deep thumps of bullets falling all around me told me to keep low and just crawl through the snow. Anywhere, so long as it was away from brawny and brainless and his shiny new Big Bertha. Maybe if I scratched his paintjob, he'd get really angry and run away crying.
Yeah ok, I like being sarcastic when my luck is down.
Truth was, I wasn't going to commit suicide and try to take out his tank without some serious backup. And since I wasn't going to be getting any, it was time to head for the hills. Somehow I had made it to the building I hadn't recognized and finally stood up. Flak was nowhere near me but it took only seconds for him to whip his big helmeted head in my direction and redirect his pilot.
It must have been a manual Neotank. It proved they could still build it, but without the computer AI Sturm was accustomed to installing.
I found some double doors and jumped in as Flak fired off another Neotank round. The doorway I had just gone through turned into a heap of scrap metal and I was sent rolling forward into a stack of oil drums.
"Damn you Flak!" I couldn't help but yell in frustration.
It was only his lack of aiming skills that left me alive after blasts like that, and I guess I should feel lucky or thank him somehow. When I stood up, I already had the feeling I had gone the wrong direction, because all the signs I was looking at read "Fuel Depot". The whole frame of the structure shook as Flak fired another tank round into the building. I had to get out fast before it collapsed or something.
The tank must have been right outside because the ground was rumbling. Now that I think about it, a building might not have been the best way to describe it. It was more like a shed or guard station because I had soon come out the back onto an asphalt field packed full of oil drums and tanker trucks. Man, I had to get out of the open before Flak shoved a tank round down my throat.
My eyes darted around to notice that the depot was fenced off in nearly every direction. The depot was also dotted with small warehouses, and I leapt into the first one I found, locking the door at the same time. When you think about it, what the hell is that going to do? Stop him? He's driving a Neotank for crying out loud. Funny as it sounds, it made me feel safe.
The stacks of crates and metal barrels began to shake and clatter together as Flak brought his tank into the depot. He must have run down the fence on one side and come in. I ducked down behind a box as he rolled by. Since there wasn't any trouble spots for the treads, it'd be really damn hard trying to outrun him. The tank would slow down as he peered through the frosted windows.
I held my breath.... and thank god he didn't see me. But the depot wasn't big, and I figured he could only hold his trigger finger steady before leveling the whole place with his tank. There had to be someway out of this place that doesn't involve getting blown up, shot up, or run over by Flak's Neotank. That reminded me of someone I could turn to, Sonja.
"What's up Wolf?"
"Flak has me trapped in the Fuel Depot. I need to get out of here before he blows the whole place to kingdom come!"
"First, I want you to calm down." She began in a quiet voice.
Strange as it sounds, she pretty much got me under control. Her voice was so full of confidence I guess... as if she could never be wrong. But I knew that was far from the case. Still...
"What's going on?" Sami burst into the conversation.
"It seems your operative is trapped in a Fuel Depot. I was going to explain to him that Flak's tank is equipped with safety measures so he can't blow the whole place up with one reckless shot."
"Safety measures?" I repeated.
Sonja gave a polite little laugh. It was hard to talk to her without feeling a little stupid, but I just had to deal with it for now.
"Hawke is too smart to let Flak rampage around the base. Accidents happen, frequently with him. So he had Lash install certain measures on the tank. As long as Flak is on the Depot grounds, his main cannon will be inoperative."
That sure as hell didn't make me feel any better.
"Well, that's just great. So now instead of being vaporized, I'm just gonna get shot to death."
"Do you always have to be so pessimistic?" Sonja practically groaned.
"Sonja! Quit wasting time, tell him how to get out of there." Sami demanded.
"Calm down, the both of you. I'm glad one of us can still remain reasonable. Wolf, I want you to look outside. Do you see any manholes?"
Manholes? What the hell was she talking about? When I asked where, she said outside and I carefully moved toward one of the windows. It was easy to avoid Flak, mainly because the whole area would shake when he rolled by. Strangely enough, I did see a manhole outside. But it was pretty far out. Flak would definitely spot me if I moved out of the warehouse.
"All right Sonja, what's this about?" I asked her.
"That manhole leads to the base's drainage system. I'm sure you could make your way out of the Fuel Depot without having to face Flak."
She didn't have to say anymore. It was simply a matter of timing on my part. Flak had just recently passed by, so I decided to take a chance. I rushed out and dashed over the manhole and began to try and pry it from the ground. The first time I tugged on it, I realized it was almost frozen to the ground. I mean I REALLY had to work on it, then my heart began to race as Flak was coming back around.
I might have heard him yell something out, it's fuzzy in my mind. Mostly because of the gunfire that droned out his yelling. Somehow, I yanked the manhole cover up and used it as a shield before jumping down the hole and letting the cover fall back down into place. As I fell down, I think I could vaguely hear the inhuman roar of Flak in anger.
-To be Continued
--Next Chapter: Underground Access
----------------------------------------------------
Damn, I had never been anywhere so dark before. I was pointing the flashlight in all directions to make sure I wouldn't go walking into a wall. I swear I heard someone down here. Mumbling about something. Then I saw some used casings. It was like a trail, and I followed it until my light illuminated a leg in the darkness.
I could see a green trench coat. Must have belonged to a guy in Eagle's rescue team. He was slumped up against the wall with his head down. I assumed he crawled his way from the battlefield to rest and never woke up. I had intended to keep moving, leave the dead undisturbed you know? But suddenly a hand reached up and grabbed my leg!
-----------------------------------------------------
--Death Array
---Chapter 3: The Crossing Guard
I was quick to untie her and rip off the tape. This was the first time I had met Jess, and I didn't really know a whole lot about her, only that she was some ground specialist for Green Earth and had some friction with Eagle. I heard one time she removed all the tires from his entire fleet after he diverted parts meant for her tank divisions.
"You're the Green Earth ground specialist, Jess, right?"
"You got it." She answered shaking her hands to get the blood flow moving again. "Who are you?"
"I'm... Wolf. Orange Star's man on the inside. I was sent to rescue you. What exactly happened when Black Hole moved in?"
I heard Jess's bones groan a little as she stood up. Man, I wonder how long she had been sitting there?
"Somehow they managed to get some spies in our ranks. During the exercise, I was stationed here and tried to take over Andy's position across the snowfield. Suddenly our own soldiers were shooting one another, it was then I realized we had been made."
That would explain all the guys outside patrolling the grounds. I guess Hawke stole some uniforms and snuck into the drill while it was being performed. When they started taking over, it was too late to do anything about it. Jess also added that the alien troops rushed in from helicopters to make a bad situation worse. They didn't stand a chance.
"I'm also here to rescue Andy. Is he still around here somewhere?"
"No he's not here. After awhile, they split us up. I was tossed down here hoping that no one would bother to search the armory. That man with the green hair said he was planning something."
"You mean Winchester." I told her. "I've met him. Him and his six round grenade launcher."
I saw a smile form on her face.
"So that's why it felt like this base was being bombed. Did you..."
"No, he got away. Broke his leg though."
She moved over to a shelf full of rifles and began to look through it.
"There's another thing I wanted to ask you. While you were running the exercise... Did you come across any suspicious areas?"
"Suspicious areas?" Jess repeated.
"Hawke is threatening Orange Star. He says if we don't give him 100 million credits, he'll activate a prototype Death Ray weapon and fry a major city. We think it's somewhere on this base."
This was obviously news to Jess as she glanced over her shoulder toward me in a surprised way. It also answered some questions, like why they would take over such a so-called worthless base and take hostages.
"Unfortunately no. I didn't see any suspicious areas. But I can tell you that they moved Andy over to the Barracks somewhere. It was where his HQ was stationed."
She paused and then turned around as if deciding something.
"Let's go find that death ray before Hawke can use it."
I was caught off guard for a second by her sudden motion to join me on my little escapades around the base.
"With all due respect ma'am, you should leave the fighting to the frontline grunts like me."
A distant expression washed over her face and she balled her fists.
"You don't understand Wolf, I lost a lot of good men and women during the take over."
Before I could say anymore, I got a call and told Jess to hold on for a second while I answer it. It was Sami.
"Wolf, we have some bad news. Eagle's rescue team has been taken out, half of them didn't even make it to the ground."
"Anti-air shoot down the copters?" I wondered aloud.
"Not exactly. Black Hole has a fighter jet on base."
"It figures. At least I have something good to report. I've successfully rescued Jess."
"Really?" She sounded ecstatic. "Good work!"
"What's going on?" Jess interrupted.
I took a deep breath as if trying to figure out a way to sugarcoat their failed rescue. But I finally decided she could take the direct news. She was after all, a CO who's probably seen more death on the battlefield than I have.
"Eagle sent in a rescue team to save you when this base was taken over. Unfortunately for them, Black Hole has a fighter on hand. Half of them didn't even make it to the ground."
She punched the wall in anger and shook her head.
"Dammit Eagle! You always have to be so stubborn. You should have asked for help..."
"Look I have orders ma'am. I can't let you run off and start shooting the place up."
Now she was looking at me in a stern tone. I guess I had revived her CO instinct.
"I'm not that reckless, soldier. As for the shooting up part, I think you have that area covered pretty well."
Ouch, that was cold. I was thinking about trying to explain that it wasn't me with the grenade launcher blowing up the place. It wasn't my fault, but I was wasting time and I had to speed things up.
"Look, you said something about Barracks. How can I get to them from here?"
"There should be a blast door on the first floor leading out to a snowfield. It's locked right now, but I know the code, I can get you through, across from this building is the Barracks."
That was fine with me, but I made it clear that was only thing she should do. After that, she was going to report directly to the docks for evac. Orange Star had a mini-sub waiting to surface and retrieve her at the end of the pier. It was the only sure fire way of getting out since Black Hole didn't have a sub or cruiser in the area. Judging from my mission, I don't think they had the man power to run those things even if they had it.
But before we left, she fished out an M4 from one of the lockers and threw it to me. I caught it easily. I was well acquainted with this rifle, but I didn't quite understand why she gave it to me. I think a pistol was all I needed if I wanted to stay hidden. Assault rifles aren't exactly the quietest weapon ever made.
"You'll need some heavier weapons for the Barracks. Black Hole is using some sort of new suit for the alien troops."
Fine and good I guess. The M4 could be more useful if they tried to take me out in groups. We took the elevator back up to the first floor and approached the blast door. I made sure we were careful avoiding the big hole in the floor where the recon jeep had slid down into the basement. She punched in the code and the door began to open up. It was there we said our goodbyes and she was off.
I wasn't really worried about her. Most of the soldiers on the docks had been relocated to the heliport to intercept Eagle's rescue team anyway.
I stepped out onto the snowfield to see that the storm was still hanging around. Visibility was a tad bit better, but it wasn't much. I could notice two buildings in the distance, the Barracks which were directly ahead of me, and a building I didn't recognize off to the left. I must have taken two steps before a siren began to blare from the Barracks.
A hangar door located to the right of the Barrack's main entrance had begun to open up. It was then a Neotank began to roll forward out into the field. I stopped dead in my tracks once I spotted the black paint job. The exhaust vents on it's underside were almost generating a small smokescreen. It's engine had been revved up a long time ago.
It was definitely waiting for me.
Once it had left the hangar, it came to a dead stop and switched into walking mode so that it's wheel-like treads wouldn't get stuck in the snow. I simply watched and waited until it got halfway across the field and the hatch popped open. Someone I recognized very well appeared. Big muscled Flak, the powerhouse of Black Hole. I took him on once, hand to hand, and I won't lie to you... he kicked my ass.
"Holy hell..." I muttered.
"Worm!" Flak roared out. "Why don't you come out so I can go to work on you with Big Bertha! I heard what you did to Winchester!"
The massive Neotank, which he must have been referring to by Big Bertha, was probably their latest model. I don't know how they got it on the island, but it was bigger than most I've seen. It's shiny shell made it clear to me how recently it had been made, it hadn't even seen combat yet.
"What are you waitin' for worm?" He started again. "Get over here!"
Flak was nuts. There was no way I was going to be caught dead a hundred feet from that thing. All I had was a lousy pistol and an assault rifle. It was impossible to take out Big Bertha with the kind of weapons I had. I needed a damn nuclear missile.
"That's it! Jus' crush him!" Flak ordered.
Running away was out. When that Neotank's main cannon opened fire, it seemed like the whole world stopped turning.
Snow, dirt, and fire went everywhere. I hadn't realized it at the time, but the blast had flipped me into the air. Damned if I know when I landed, I just remembered waking up face down in the snow. I realized that Flak couldn't spot me while I was ducked down in the snow since it was so high.
"Quit hidin' worm! Get up so I can blast you!" He continued to yell.
I could hear the rattling of the Neotanks mounted gun as he began to spray the area with lead. The deep thumps of bullets falling all around me told me to keep low and just crawl through the snow. Anywhere, so long as it was away from brawny and brainless and his shiny new Big Bertha. Maybe if I scratched his paintjob, he'd get really angry and run away crying.
Yeah ok, I like being sarcastic when my luck is down.
Truth was, I wasn't going to commit suicide and try to take out his tank without some serious backup. And since I wasn't going to be getting any, it was time to head for the hills. Somehow I had made it to the building I hadn't recognized and finally stood up. Flak was nowhere near me but it took only seconds for him to whip his big helmeted head in my direction and redirect his pilot.
It must have been a manual Neotank. It proved they could still build it, but without the computer AI Sturm was accustomed to installing.
I found some double doors and jumped in as Flak fired off another Neotank round. The doorway I had just gone through turned into a heap of scrap metal and I was sent rolling forward into a stack of oil drums.
"Damn you Flak!" I couldn't help but yell in frustration.
It was only his lack of aiming skills that left me alive after blasts like that, and I guess I should feel lucky or thank him somehow. When I stood up, I already had the feeling I had gone the wrong direction, because all the signs I was looking at read "Fuel Depot". The whole frame of the structure shook as Flak fired another tank round into the building. I had to get out fast before it collapsed or something.
The tank must have been right outside because the ground was rumbling. Now that I think about it, a building might not have been the best way to describe it. It was more like a shed or guard station because I had soon come out the back onto an asphalt field packed full of oil drums and tanker trucks. Man, I had to get out of the open before Flak shoved a tank round down my throat.
My eyes darted around to notice that the depot was fenced off in nearly every direction. The depot was also dotted with small warehouses, and I leapt into the first one I found, locking the door at the same time. When you think about it, what the hell is that going to do? Stop him? He's driving a Neotank for crying out loud. Funny as it sounds, it made me feel safe.
The stacks of crates and metal barrels began to shake and clatter together as Flak brought his tank into the depot. He must have run down the fence on one side and come in. I ducked down behind a box as he rolled by. Since there wasn't any trouble spots for the treads, it'd be really damn hard trying to outrun him. The tank would slow down as he peered through the frosted windows.
I held my breath.... and thank god he didn't see me. But the depot wasn't big, and I figured he could only hold his trigger finger steady before leveling the whole place with his tank. There had to be someway out of this place that doesn't involve getting blown up, shot up, or run over by Flak's Neotank. That reminded me of someone I could turn to, Sonja.
"What's up Wolf?"
"Flak has me trapped in the Fuel Depot. I need to get out of here before he blows the whole place to kingdom come!"
"First, I want you to calm down." She began in a quiet voice.
Strange as it sounds, she pretty much got me under control. Her voice was so full of confidence I guess... as if she could never be wrong. But I knew that was far from the case. Still...
"What's going on?" Sami burst into the conversation.
"It seems your operative is trapped in a Fuel Depot. I was going to explain to him that Flak's tank is equipped with safety measures so he can't blow the whole place up with one reckless shot."
"Safety measures?" I repeated.
Sonja gave a polite little laugh. It was hard to talk to her without feeling a little stupid, but I just had to deal with it for now.
"Hawke is too smart to let Flak rampage around the base. Accidents happen, frequently with him. So he had Lash install certain measures on the tank. As long as Flak is on the Depot grounds, his main cannon will be inoperative."
That sure as hell didn't make me feel any better.
"Well, that's just great. So now instead of being vaporized, I'm just gonna get shot to death."
"Do you always have to be so pessimistic?" Sonja practically groaned.
"Sonja! Quit wasting time, tell him how to get out of there." Sami demanded.
"Calm down, the both of you. I'm glad one of us can still remain reasonable. Wolf, I want you to look outside. Do you see any manholes?"
Manholes? What the hell was she talking about? When I asked where, she said outside and I carefully moved toward one of the windows. It was easy to avoid Flak, mainly because the whole area would shake when he rolled by. Strangely enough, I did see a manhole outside. But it was pretty far out. Flak would definitely spot me if I moved out of the warehouse.
"All right Sonja, what's this about?" I asked her.
"That manhole leads to the base's drainage system. I'm sure you could make your way out of the Fuel Depot without having to face Flak."
She didn't have to say anymore. It was simply a matter of timing on my part. Flak had just recently passed by, so I decided to take a chance. I rushed out and dashed over the manhole and began to try and pry it from the ground. The first time I tugged on it, I realized it was almost frozen to the ground. I mean I REALLY had to work on it, then my heart began to race as Flak was coming back around.
I might have heard him yell something out, it's fuzzy in my mind. Mostly because of the gunfire that droned out his yelling. Somehow, I yanked the manhole cover up and used it as a shield before jumping down the hole and letting the cover fall back down into place. As I fell down, I think I could vaguely hear the inhuman roar of Flak in anger.
-To be Continued
--Next Chapter: Underground Access
----------------------------------------------------
Damn, I had never been anywhere so dark before. I was pointing the flashlight in all directions to make sure I wouldn't go walking into a wall. I swear I heard someone down here. Mumbling about something. Then I saw some used casings. It was like a trail, and I followed it until my light illuminated a leg in the darkness.
I could see a green trench coat. Must have belonged to a guy in Eagle's rescue team. He was slumped up against the wall with his head down. I assumed he crawled his way from the battlefield to rest and never woke up. I had intended to keep moving, leave the dead undisturbed you know? But suddenly a hand reached up and grabbed my leg!
-----------------------------------------------------