2nd - Dramatic Arrival
"Are we there yet?"
Pause.
"Are we there yet?"
Toni ground her teeth. "If you ask that one more time, I promise you will not make it to the 4077th."
Jack and Quinn exchanged an amused look. Simultaneously they both replied, "are we there yet?"
She jumped up and one of her knifes flashed against Jack's jugular. "Say it one more time, and you will die."
"Sorry, girl. Calm down. Friggin psychopath."
Toni sat back down, and flicked the blade back.
"Is everything okay back there?" A voice came over the radios.
Jack glanced at Toni. "Just fine. How much longer have we got to go?"
"About six hours. Sit tight."
Toni closed her eyes, and tried to rest.
As soon as she felt like as was about to sleep, the helicopter rocked.
"What was that?" She snapped into her helmet's radio.
There was the crackling of static. "We are under attack! Repeat, we are under attack!"
Quinn pulled three parachutes from under his seat, and passed one to Jack, then Toni, who took it with a suspicious "thank you".
The helicopter jerked violently left. The three soldiers looked at each other and nodded, clasping hands briefly.
"Let's go!"
Toni was the first to jump, and she didn't look back. She knew the pilot was as good as dead, and right now emotions could get them all killed.
Toni felt giddy, and the view from midair was amazing. She pulled her cord, and felt the parachute jerk slightly. She pulled harder, and it released, letting her float to the ground, landing surprisingly softly on the grass.
As she took her bearings Jack landed hard beside her, gasping.
She knelt next to him. "What is it?"
"They shot me. What are the chances in midair." his eyes lost their focus, and his voice trailed off.
Toni was aware of Quinn landing beside her neatly as she tried to keep Jack conscious.
"What happened to him?"
Toni grunted, trying to take Jack's parachute off. "They shot him. I need to get his parachute off before I can tell you anything else."
Quinn helped, and the parachute came off quickly.
"Shit." Teri removed Jack's shirt and rolled it up, holding it against a gaping hole in his lower back.
"In need an emergency kit."
Quinn obediently opened his pack and pulled out a survival kit.
Jack's shirt was already covered in blood, and there were no cloth patches in the medical kit, so Toni took off her jacket, passing Quinn her backpack.
Quickly she folded it and covered the wound with it, then tightly wrapped a bandage out of the emergency kit around it.
She stood, and looked at the map Quinn had.
"I'd say we're about here." Quinn pointed to a place on the map.
Toni frowned. "Which means we're about five hours walking distance from MASH 4077. I assume our radios are out." She glanced at Jack, who was mumbling incoherently and thrashing around, then Quinn who nodded. The radios were out.
"We need to carry him, that will bring us back probably an hour, maybe even more."
"No if one of us went ahead of the other." Quinn pointed out.
Toni sighed. She looked at her watch. "What time were we due at 4077?"
"Five - sorry, seventeen hundred hours."
She waved her hand. "Call it what you like. That means that we'll get there at about eight tonight. We can't send one of us ahead. If we run into trouble we'll need the other."
She picked up her pack and slid it on, fastening it around her waist.
"How are we supposed to carry him?" Quinn demanded.
"I'll take his legs, you take his shoulders."
Quinn stared at her. "This man has a bullet wound to his back. There is no way we can carry him out safely."
"What do you suggest we do then?"
Quinn licked his lips - they were dry already. "I'll go. You stay here with Jack."
Toni sighed, and paced a few steps, thinking.
Finally she stopped. "Have you got everything you need?"
"All I need is water. The map says there's no mountains or massive ditches, I should be right." Toni took her pack off, and Quinn put his on. "Don't worry. I'll be back with a jeep before you know it."
He turned and started walking.
"Quinn!"
He turned, and she threw him her knife.
"I want that back." She said evenly.
---
"Toni?"
She turned, putting aside the matches. "Jack. How are you?" She asked, feeling his forehead for a temperature.
He licked his lips. "I feel like something's drained every last drop of liquid from me. But other than that, and the throbbing pain that is coming from between my shoulder blades I'm fine. How are you, girl?"
She smiled. "Been better." She admitted. "Are you comfortable enough?"
"I'm fine for now." He looked at her strangely. "You know, I would never have thought of you like this?"
"Like what?" She asked, turning back to the fire she was working on.
"I don't know. All. not sentimental exactly, but."
"Caring?" She suggested.
He weakly snapped his fingers. "Yah, that's it. Caring."
"I value my mystique."
"Would never have guessed."
Toni smiled again as the fire went up into the night, sending out waves of heat. "Is that better?" She asked.
"Much, th-"
"Shhh!" Toni stood carefully, reaching down to grab a second knife from her boot.
"How many of those things have you got?" Jack muttered quietly.
"Never enough." She stepped back into the shadows, hearing footsteps.
She crept forward one more step, and gasped as she was grabbed from behind.
The assailant pulled her back, and grabbed the knife from her.
He turned her so she was facing him, and he smiled.
Toni struggled, but he hit her across the face with a gun.
"This one's female. In good condition."
A gruff voice replied, "the male's looking bad."
She was pushed harshly to where Jack was lying, and forced onto her knees.
The second man pulled Jack up onto his knees too, so they were side-by- side.
"Hey! Leave him alone! He's injured!" She snapped, attempting to stand.
She felt a gun point dig into her back. "If I were you, I would not move." The one behind her said in roughly accented English.
---
"Hey BJ. Weren't we getting a new paper-shuffler today?"
"I wouldn't know. Nobody ever tells me anything."
"No, really. I thought we were getting another Corporal around here. Like Klinger isn't enough."
BJ stopped pushing the food around on his plate and stood. "Let's go find out then."
Hawkeye followed him out of the mess tent.
They arrived at Potter's office, and met Klinger in the entry.
"Hey Klinger, when's that other Corporal due in?" Hawkeye asked, leaning against a filing cabinet.
"Other Corporal?" Klinger asked. "Oh, you mean Toni White. Uh, she should have been here by now." He checked the clock. "She should have been here two hours ago!" He jumped up and went into Potter's office.
"Colonel Potter, sir, Toni White. Have you had any word from her?"
"Toni White?"
Hawkeye smirked. "Come on sir. The newest paper shuffler."
"Oh, Corporal Toni White." Sherman shifted some papers on his desk. "No, no word from her."
Suddenly there was a loud commotion outside.
Klinger ran out, closely followed by Hawkeye, BJ and Potter.
"What's going on?" Sherman demanded.
"Captain Quinn." A breathless man said quickly. "I was coming through on my way to MASH4080 with Captain Jack Morris and Corporal Toni White. Our helicopter was shot down. They need help. Jack's hurt." he bent over, trying to get fresh air into his exhausted lungs.
Hawkeye and BJ exchanged a glance. "We're going." They said simultaneously.
Sherman nodded. "Houlihan is with you. Klinger, get the Major."
Klinger ran to her tent quickly.
Hawkeye got a jeep ready while BJ got three packs of survival bags.
---
"What do you want from me?" Toni asked, annoyed. For the last hour her and Jack had just sat there, while the two Korean men had been talking quietly, yet animatedly to each other.
One of them seemed about to answer, then thought better of it. "Shut up." It was the first one, the one that had her knife. If only she could get close enough.
"Don't even think about it, girl." He advised, knowing with she was thinking.
Jack swayed, and appeared about to collapse.
"Can't he at least lie back down? You saw his wound. He isn't going anywhere."
"He stays like you." The was the second man, it was the second time he spoke, and his voice was deep, and not as accented as the first one.
Toni bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from replying.
It didn't work for long. "He's going to faint. Can't-"
The second man hit her, not too hard, just a warning blow.
She knelt back on her heels, and scowled. There has to be a way out! She thought desperately. I didn't pass high school for this!
"Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
The second man turned slowly. "A truck. There are people coming."
The first grabbed his gun again, and took position behind Jack and Toni. "You see what's happening. First sign of trouble and I'll take out one of these."
Toni could hear Quinn, and another man she didn't know talking.
"Hey! Put any weapons down, and come out here slowly!"
"No way." She heard Quinn snarl.
"Put it down or one of them dies." The Korean soldier pointed to where Toni and Jack were. Toni recognized the other man as BJ Hunnicutt from the files she's looked up before coming.
BJ indicated to Quinn. "Put it down." He said quickly.
"No. I'm not gonna let Toni and Jack die for no reason."
The Korean man yelled, and a gunshot went off.
Toni was aware of being splattered with blood, but everything after that was a blur. BJ was pulling Quinn back, but he resisted and fired at the first man, then the second, hitting both. Two more American fighters came from the darkness, Toni recognised them as Benjamin Pierce and Margaret Houlihan.
Quinn stood in shock, holding the firearm with numb fingers.
BJ pulled the weapon from him slowly, and walked him back to the jeep.
Toni felt everything go black, and for the first time didn't resist the darkness.
"Are we there yet?"
Pause.
"Are we there yet?"
Toni ground her teeth. "If you ask that one more time, I promise you will not make it to the 4077th."
Jack and Quinn exchanged an amused look. Simultaneously they both replied, "are we there yet?"
She jumped up and one of her knifes flashed against Jack's jugular. "Say it one more time, and you will die."
"Sorry, girl. Calm down. Friggin psychopath."
Toni sat back down, and flicked the blade back.
"Is everything okay back there?" A voice came over the radios.
Jack glanced at Toni. "Just fine. How much longer have we got to go?"
"About six hours. Sit tight."
Toni closed her eyes, and tried to rest.
As soon as she felt like as was about to sleep, the helicopter rocked.
"What was that?" She snapped into her helmet's radio.
There was the crackling of static. "We are under attack! Repeat, we are under attack!"
Quinn pulled three parachutes from under his seat, and passed one to Jack, then Toni, who took it with a suspicious "thank you".
The helicopter jerked violently left. The three soldiers looked at each other and nodded, clasping hands briefly.
"Let's go!"
Toni was the first to jump, and she didn't look back. She knew the pilot was as good as dead, and right now emotions could get them all killed.
Toni felt giddy, and the view from midair was amazing. She pulled her cord, and felt the parachute jerk slightly. She pulled harder, and it released, letting her float to the ground, landing surprisingly softly on the grass.
As she took her bearings Jack landed hard beside her, gasping.
She knelt next to him. "What is it?"
"They shot me. What are the chances in midair." his eyes lost their focus, and his voice trailed off.
Toni was aware of Quinn landing beside her neatly as she tried to keep Jack conscious.
"What happened to him?"
Toni grunted, trying to take Jack's parachute off. "They shot him. I need to get his parachute off before I can tell you anything else."
Quinn helped, and the parachute came off quickly.
"Shit." Teri removed Jack's shirt and rolled it up, holding it against a gaping hole in his lower back.
"In need an emergency kit."
Quinn obediently opened his pack and pulled out a survival kit.
Jack's shirt was already covered in blood, and there were no cloth patches in the medical kit, so Toni took off her jacket, passing Quinn her backpack.
Quickly she folded it and covered the wound with it, then tightly wrapped a bandage out of the emergency kit around it.
She stood, and looked at the map Quinn had.
"I'd say we're about here." Quinn pointed to a place on the map.
Toni frowned. "Which means we're about five hours walking distance from MASH 4077. I assume our radios are out." She glanced at Jack, who was mumbling incoherently and thrashing around, then Quinn who nodded. The radios were out.
"We need to carry him, that will bring us back probably an hour, maybe even more."
"No if one of us went ahead of the other." Quinn pointed out.
Toni sighed. She looked at her watch. "What time were we due at 4077?"
"Five - sorry, seventeen hundred hours."
She waved her hand. "Call it what you like. That means that we'll get there at about eight tonight. We can't send one of us ahead. If we run into trouble we'll need the other."
She picked up her pack and slid it on, fastening it around her waist.
"How are we supposed to carry him?" Quinn demanded.
"I'll take his legs, you take his shoulders."
Quinn stared at her. "This man has a bullet wound to his back. There is no way we can carry him out safely."
"What do you suggest we do then?"
Quinn licked his lips - they were dry already. "I'll go. You stay here with Jack."
Toni sighed, and paced a few steps, thinking.
Finally she stopped. "Have you got everything you need?"
"All I need is water. The map says there's no mountains or massive ditches, I should be right." Toni took her pack off, and Quinn put his on. "Don't worry. I'll be back with a jeep before you know it."
He turned and started walking.
"Quinn!"
He turned, and she threw him her knife.
"I want that back." She said evenly.
---
"Toni?"
She turned, putting aside the matches. "Jack. How are you?" She asked, feeling his forehead for a temperature.
He licked his lips. "I feel like something's drained every last drop of liquid from me. But other than that, and the throbbing pain that is coming from between my shoulder blades I'm fine. How are you, girl?"
She smiled. "Been better." She admitted. "Are you comfortable enough?"
"I'm fine for now." He looked at her strangely. "You know, I would never have thought of you like this?"
"Like what?" She asked, turning back to the fire she was working on.
"I don't know. All. not sentimental exactly, but."
"Caring?" She suggested.
He weakly snapped his fingers. "Yah, that's it. Caring."
"I value my mystique."
"Would never have guessed."
Toni smiled again as the fire went up into the night, sending out waves of heat. "Is that better?" She asked.
"Much, th-"
"Shhh!" Toni stood carefully, reaching down to grab a second knife from her boot.
"How many of those things have you got?" Jack muttered quietly.
"Never enough." She stepped back into the shadows, hearing footsteps.
She crept forward one more step, and gasped as she was grabbed from behind.
The assailant pulled her back, and grabbed the knife from her.
He turned her so she was facing him, and he smiled.
Toni struggled, but he hit her across the face with a gun.
"This one's female. In good condition."
A gruff voice replied, "the male's looking bad."
She was pushed harshly to where Jack was lying, and forced onto her knees.
The second man pulled Jack up onto his knees too, so they were side-by- side.
"Hey! Leave him alone! He's injured!" She snapped, attempting to stand.
She felt a gun point dig into her back. "If I were you, I would not move." The one behind her said in roughly accented English.
---
"Hey BJ. Weren't we getting a new paper-shuffler today?"
"I wouldn't know. Nobody ever tells me anything."
"No, really. I thought we were getting another Corporal around here. Like Klinger isn't enough."
BJ stopped pushing the food around on his plate and stood. "Let's go find out then."
Hawkeye followed him out of the mess tent.
They arrived at Potter's office, and met Klinger in the entry.
"Hey Klinger, when's that other Corporal due in?" Hawkeye asked, leaning against a filing cabinet.
"Other Corporal?" Klinger asked. "Oh, you mean Toni White. Uh, she should have been here by now." He checked the clock. "She should have been here two hours ago!" He jumped up and went into Potter's office.
"Colonel Potter, sir, Toni White. Have you had any word from her?"
"Toni White?"
Hawkeye smirked. "Come on sir. The newest paper shuffler."
"Oh, Corporal Toni White." Sherman shifted some papers on his desk. "No, no word from her."
Suddenly there was a loud commotion outside.
Klinger ran out, closely followed by Hawkeye, BJ and Potter.
"What's going on?" Sherman demanded.
"Captain Quinn." A breathless man said quickly. "I was coming through on my way to MASH4080 with Captain Jack Morris and Corporal Toni White. Our helicopter was shot down. They need help. Jack's hurt." he bent over, trying to get fresh air into his exhausted lungs.
Hawkeye and BJ exchanged a glance. "We're going." They said simultaneously.
Sherman nodded. "Houlihan is with you. Klinger, get the Major."
Klinger ran to her tent quickly.
Hawkeye got a jeep ready while BJ got three packs of survival bags.
---
"What do you want from me?" Toni asked, annoyed. For the last hour her and Jack had just sat there, while the two Korean men had been talking quietly, yet animatedly to each other.
One of them seemed about to answer, then thought better of it. "Shut up." It was the first one, the one that had her knife. If only she could get close enough.
"Don't even think about it, girl." He advised, knowing with she was thinking.
Jack swayed, and appeared about to collapse.
"Can't he at least lie back down? You saw his wound. He isn't going anywhere."
"He stays like you." The was the second man, it was the second time he spoke, and his voice was deep, and not as accented as the first one.
Toni bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from replying.
It didn't work for long. "He's going to faint. Can't-"
The second man hit her, not too hard, just a warning blow.
She knelt back on her heels, and scowled. There has to be a way out! She thought desperately. I didn't pass high school for this!
"Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
The second man turned slowly. "A truck. There are people coming."
The first grabbed his gun again, and took position behind Jack and Toni. "You see what's happening. First sign of trouble and I'll take out one of these."
Toni could hear Quinn, and another man she didn't know talking.
"Hey! Put any weapons down, and come out here slowly!"
"No way." She heard Quinn snarl.
"Put it down or one of them dies." The Korean soldier pointed to where Toni and Jack were. Toni recognized the other man as BJ Hunnicutt from the files she's looked up before coming.
BJ indicated to Quinn. "Put it down." He said quickly.
"No. I'm not gonna let Toni and Jack die for no reason."
The Korean man yelled, and a gunshot went off.
Toni was aware of being splattered with blood, but everything after that was a blur. BJ was pulling Quinn back, but he resisted and fired at the first man, then the second, hitting both. Two more American fighters came from the darkness, Toni recognised them as Benjamin Pierce and Margaret Houlihan.
Quinn stood in shock, holding the firearm with numb fingers.
BJ pulled the weapon from him slowly, and walked him back to the jeep.
Toni felt everything go black, and for the first time didn't resist the darkness.