A/N: Chapter title is also the motto of the US Air Force's Special Ops unit known as the Pararescue jumpers. Their mission is to perform extractions of wounded members of the US military's Special Ops community, such as the Army Rangers, or Army Delta Force, or Navy SEALs, or Marine MARSOC ( Marine Special Operations Command ) from deep behind enemy lines. This requires one of the toughest, most grinding, and most taxing training programs on Earth for any Special Ops unit: a fail rate of upwards of 88 percent. Those who are suited and get through, are some of the most dangerous, bold, and driven men to ever live, and are the most decorated enlisted unit of the USAF.
May 23rd
2535
6:34am
City of Manila
Philippines Islands
Earth
This wasn't right. It felt good, sure, but it wasn't right.
Well...not permitted, actually.
The bundle, wrapped up so snugly with- fittingly enough- wrapping paper that would usually be used to swaddle up holiday gifts, bounced and shifted around at the base of her pack. She couldn't see it, needless to say, but she'd put it there personally, so she knew it was still there- even if it hadn't been jostling around, buried under all the other loose collection of your average teenager stuff she'd loaded the pack up with:
Sunglasses. Some bags of chips, and a crumpled up swimsuit...no sunscreen today, though. The carpet of clouds that had been rolling forward from over the Bay were practically dripping with " rain is coming ", with their steel grey color, and thickly clumped up looks. They were no doubt ready to burst with all that water, but wouldn't do it until they were right over the town.
No doubt they'd be drenching the whole thing from one end to the other before an hour was out. Storm drains would be pushed to keep up, and rivulets would form left right and center. Cars would get off the road as quick as they could, so as not to hydroplane all over the place.
And, obviously...it wouldn't be a good time for what she and her friends had planned, given that it was kind of weather-dependent a tad. If she was going to have any room on the clock to get done what she wanted, she'd have to be quick about it..
' Thank God its just a stone's throw from where I left ', she noted, sparing another quick glance at the approaching storm. The sight of all those looming clouds was definitely some motivation to hustle, and more icy adrenaline flooded through her as she sped up her pace over the dusty , cracked sidewalk.
On either side, all of the same laundromats, family convenience stores, cafes, and other assorted private businesses lined the road. Given that this was a Saturday, most of them weren't opened yet, and especially not at this hour...but on the other hand, it wasn't much of a surprise to find that at least some of them were.
Life goes on like normal...at least around here.
Sure enough,to back up that sentiment, the keepers and owners of said stores began appearing at the entrances. They flipped over " Closed " signs ( written twice with both English and Taggalog ) to " Open ", lit up Neon signs that said the same, or for some...both. Doors were swung wide, or slide aside, and ceiling mounted lights began flickering on.
Yes...things were waking up around here, and right on schedule. Life was going on.
..Wish we could say the same for Harvest, Jao wistfully thought, as the first of the drizzle finally began coming down.
It must've been said rain that brought on that kind of pessimistic thinking- because it wasn't normally like her. Or, maybe not the rain, but that it was forcing her to speed up her day plans.
Only been there once. They were building that wheat field of a planet up to be like this...
Wonder if they'll get the chance again.
The brief flash of memories of being on that distant Agriculture world, or what had happened to it, didn't last long...but they didn't need to. Harvest had been the first world to go down under the plasma of the Covenant, after all. The first world of hundreds,and all of them burnt like a BBQ briquet..
Maybe that was why the sight of rain made her think of that place. Or, maybe it was helping her not think of it.
Yeah...that was probably it, Jao decided. Better not to think about what had happened to Harvest...not again. Let the rain do its work: calming, relaxing, and not at all scalding hot enough to melt sold steel like it was butter.
Blessed was the rain. Any Filipino would say the same.
For most things, that is. It could still ruin your day though...if you had outdoor plans. Which she did.
But, the beach wasn't that much of a walk away. Just till the end of this street, then hooking a right past the Quizon Seafood Restaurant, and then down the other street , which led all the way down to where the shoreline stretched out for miles either way.
Barely a few minutes by foot, easily. It'd hardly make a dent on much time they could enjoy there...but still. Those clouds were a problem, and they weren't going away...
Booooombll...!
Right on cue...the thunder boomed. Distant, yes, but it was thunder, so it sounded like it was just a stone's toss away. More than anything , it was the sign that you were going to get a heavy drenching if you stayed outside.
Not shockingly, though, that wasn't stopping the store owners. This was the Philippines, after all: everyone and their mother was practically raised by rain and storms...or both. It was just a factor of life here, and so routine that it wouldn't be enough to stop the rhythm.
Unless-again- you had plans outside. Then it would be.
Still got some room to play with before that happens, though...
Some. Not a whole lot, but it'll do.
Boooombll...!
...Emphasis on the ' not a whole lot '
But, better than nothing- and more importantly, she was nearly there. Already, she'd turned down the length of Magellan Boulevard , and from there, it was just a straight shot all the way down to where the beach was. Even better, the sidewalk here was definitely better than the one on Madrid Street, where she'd just left, so the going would be smooth and easy the rest of the way.
Not to mention the beach sands, though. That would the real standard for what was great to walk around on when you had no shoes on. Just the thought of getting to do that again, no matter how often you had before, was enough to get a smirk going on Jao's face.
She couldn't help it, and didn't want to. With the Covenant burning a path closer and closer to Earth with every single day that went by , you needed to remember what they were all fighting for. Places like these....
City. With some nature...if it had to be there. But, either way, it was Earth, and it was amazing. This corner of it, was amazing. If anything was worth enjoying every last minute of, it was here. Not just Manila, obviously, or even the whole island, but the Philippines as a whole. It was one of the most...pure, of anywhere on Earth, and spending just a day walking around on either its beaches or streets...made you want to stay.
The bundle that Jao was still carrying at the base of her pack was, granted, the exact opposite of that-loud, violent, and good at putting holes through something. Especially if the person using it was a klutz, and made a rookie error.
But, that was a lot like the Philippines themselves. The mix of danger and prettiness was pretty much the whole point of the islands, from Manila down to Mindanao. Even with the Covenant out there...as long as there were these islands to call home, then all wasn't lost.
Not everything. Not yet.
She still had to walk that line, of not worrying that much about the aliens that were out there, and remembering that they were. But...that would be sorted out soon enough.
For now...she could have the island life to herself.
There they were.
Yes, all of them. A loosely bunched up group of kids her age, all dressed for the beach. Short shorts, water-wicking t-shirts, and that one New Dallas Rangers cap that Avaerz always wore. It was the whole usual crew, all of them, and already having a ball on the soft coastal sands.
Especially Yevena, with her red hair tips, and that burn mark on her left forearm. The one she said would get taken care of after she got it a few days ago...but obviously hadn't bothered with. Why that was, Jao couldn't be sure- either that stubborn chica was slacking on taking care of something that she really should've gotten on top of...but then again, that was just her.
It was alright- she was here. As was the rest of the gang. All of them.
A smile formed on Jao's face. This was already a party.
Well, a quiet one for now. But, as soon as the bundle Jao was carrying was unwrapped...then it would get lively.
And how.
" Hoy ! Saan ka nagpunta ?! ( Hey ! Where have you been ) ", called out the one nearest to her.
Havena, specifically. Her long dark hair was tied back as a compact bun, as always, and the dimples around the corners of her mouth showed up clear as day. Out of all of them, she had the whitest teeth as well...somehow. Not that everyone else's weren't, obviously, but hers just shone.
Showoff. Still...could be worse.
" Hinihintay kang mag-ayos ng buhok ( Waiting for you to get your hair done ) ! ", Jao responded, laughing.
" Masyado kang nahuhumaling sa pagpapanggap ( You're so obsessed with preening...)...".
It might've been low hanging fruit, but that was why it was so easy to grab. You couldn't not go for it. Besides, good friends always let it slide...especially if they knew it was true. Which it was, here.
Sliding the pack off from around her shoulders, Jao carefully lowered it onto the sand, as the rest of the local crew she killed time with began gathering around, getting closer and tighter, forming a pack. She was here, after all, the last of their number, and with the secret special thing that would make all this- coming out here to where the storm would soak them if they stayed out here much longer- with her.
Storm or not, though, they'd all waited long enough. And anyway...they could still get about an hour out of this...before the rain would come and ruin it.
Already, though, the humidity was getting thick- milkshake thick. Out from over the water, the rumble and boom of thunder easily reached them, and the wall of steel-grey clouds was definitely headed toward them, not away. The pleasant scent of salt on the ocean air was getting diluted, as the storm clouds crawled closer and closer, ready to unleash even more water of their own...
Something to be worried about ? Not really. Something worth hurrying over, though ? Well...yes.
So...
On that note...
"Dapat may tao sa paligid dito ! Ngunit , paano ang tungkol sa mga paputok ( Someone around here has to be ! But, what about the fireworks ) ? ". Laughing again, Yevena came over, leaning forward to watch as Jao set down the heavily weighed down pack she'd lugged onto the sand, before unzipping it.
Nodding by way of response, Jao tossed the assorted stuff that was filling most of the pack's space out, dropping it onto a roughly neat pile. " Oo, siguradong bagay. Bawat huli ( Yeah, sure thing. Every last one ). "
" Dito Mismo ( Right here )..."
Right on cue, the last of the random stuff was out of the way...and that just left the real reason they were all here:
The bundle of fireworks.
Real ones, as well. Not just firecrackers, or noise buds- real, explosive, high powered stuff. They had seriously authentic explosives packed, and if something were to go wrong...well, anything that could be festooned with as many warning labels as these things wouldn't just leave you with stinging feelings and burn marks.
These would take something out of you. Literally.
They were dangerous. But, that was just adding to the danger. Already, the adrenaline that'd first surfaced back when she'd swiped these things off the shelf back at the store, was back again- but stronger.
As the wrapping came off of them, and she saw the labels again...she couldn't wait to use them again. Despite the danger of things exploding violently and maybe taking any of her fingers with them, it wasn't enough to stop her. Or, any of the others, judging from the hollers and exclamations of the kind that only teens were capable of.
" Oo, Ya ang gamit ( Yeah ! That's the stuff ) ! "
" Ngayon ay magkakaroon tayo ng kasiyahan ( Now we're gonna have some fun ) ! "
Avarez was especially eager- practically jumping up and down, smiling with open enthusiasm. " Nakuha mo ang mga iyon ?! Oo, ginawa mo ( You got those ones ? Yeah, you did ! "
By " those ones ", he was referring to none other than the gold standard for fireworks- not just here, but for the whole world. Next to military grade explosives, this was the closest a Civ could get to blowing stuff up enough to leave a crater.
But, it was enough. Not quite a C12 BlowPack, but it was still going to go " boom !", and that would be plenty of a thrill. They were a bunch of rule-skirting kids, after all, and major thrills were something they'd chase no matter what- even if it came with plenty of risk.
And, there were 8 of them here. Actually, that was most of what Jao had brought...aside from enough Sparklers and Flaming Pinwheels to light the beach up like Dubai at night. As much fun as they would doubtlessly be, though...it was the borderline missiles that would really make this all worthwhile.
" Sige, sige ! Alam mong hidi ko makakalimutan ( Sure, sure ! You know I wouldn't forget ) ! ", laughed the fireworks smuggler. She made a point of handing of the heavyweight rocket over to Avarez first, already aware of how much he was eager to get ahold of.
"Magbasa ka para maliwanagan , langit ( Get ready to get lit up, sky ) ! "
Yeah. That was plenty of confirmation from him. As if Jao didn't already know.
And, she knew about the rest of them as well- they were all just as eager , and chomping at the bit.
They were already gathered around her now, leaning forward like a ring of hyenas. But, then again, she was a hyena as well, and she fit perfectly. She knew how to handle this bunch, because they were hers.
Keeping with that, she was quickly buckling down, and handing out fireworks to everyone like it was candy. Sparklers and Pinwheels, rockets, and more were out of the bag and soon gripped by the eager hands all around her. It was rapid, kind of chaotic , and not entirely organized, but...that was fine.
Explosives or not, kids just had a good track record for having dangerous fun. Long as they weren't stupid about it, that was.
And they weren't- not even close.
Mostly.
Still...they knew what they were doing.
Again, mostly. But, that was enough.
For them.
Skreeeeeeeeeeee...!
Booom !
Krcklee, krcklee, krckeel !
Oh, absolutely perfect !
They sounded just they always did- throatily loud, shrieking, and then the snapping blast that came when the 'works went off. It'd happened so often before, but that didn't matter so much after a while. Like now.
Every time, was like the first. When it came to what was this much fun, it was always like the first time.
Skreeeeeeee-!
BapBapBapBapBapBapBapBap...!
Boom !
And they blended so well together ! The crackling pattern of the Sparklers, the rifle-crack of the Firecrackers, and then, obviously, the SkyScreamer Rockets going for the clouds ( now just a few miles away, and still darkly colored steel ) before exploding like grenades...all of them just came together and did the trick. You could feel the blast waves all the way through you-especially your ears.
But...really, it was just fun. Well, actually, that's why it was fun- you heard it all, felt it all, and experienced it all. You ended up laughing for a long stretch, and grinning like a kid without a care on Earth...
...Because you were a kid again. Just for a while, but that was the real point.
Krcklee, Krcklee, Krcklee...!
" Maglinaw ka, Yevena ! Narito ang isa p. ( Watch yourself, Yevena ! Here comes another one ) ! ", yelled Avarez, laughing his head off all the way.
" Mag alala ka sa sarili mo ( Worry about yourself ) ! ", came the reply, just as the roll of Sparklers went off .
" Woooahh...! Hahahahah...! "
Jao lost it for a moment, leaning forward by reflex laughing. Thunder boomed as she did, but it didn't matter. It wasn't here yet, and for now...she was digging this.
Shame it couldn't last as long as she'd wanted it to. But...what they'd had up till now was plenty.
Could've been longer, but it was still plenty.
" Hahahhah...hahh...ohhh-woah ! "
BapBapBapBapBapBapBapBapBap !
Somebody just sent a Firecracker wheel rolling past her- lit up. Sparks and embers were flying everywhere, and with so much daylight gone, all that light at close range was pretty searing- like a coal mine flashlight.
Not to mention the noise. It was kind of different when it was so close...
Yet again, though...all a part of the fun.
Yevena was quick to claim responsibility. " Mukha kang buhay, Jao ( Look alive, Jao ) ! "
She wasn't even making the hint of apoligizing...but...that's just how things rolled out here. Everyone knew that.
Jao among them. It'd been a tad of jerk move...but....that's just how things rolled.
Which, obviously, was why she was laughing herself again a moment later.
" Sinasadya mo yan ( You did that on purpose ) ! "
Yevena just smirked, and promptly let another Pinwheel go flying. It was the most shameless move she could've made, and nothing about Jao made her want to complain.
It was...it was the explosions. The blast of this kind of fun was literal, and if you weren't ok with it, you wouldn't be here.
All it really came down to...was the thrill. That thrill of the boom.
And the crackle, and the rest.
They were so loud- her ears were vibrating.
Like they were all going off right down them...
Like the thunder overhead had hit her...
New Mombasa
2552
Massai Traffic Tunnel
1944 Hours, Local Clock
...
...It was like an actual, God-sent Thunderclap had hit her.
For real. That's what it felt like.
From head to foot, all of her ached. All of it. It was a deep , penetrating, burrowing pain that snapped you awake, but wouldn't let you move much either. You just had that suffocating, crushing feeling of lead all through your body, most of all with your limbs, and your muscles stung like they'd been massaged with dumbbells...
For a dose of icing on top, your head was all...off kilter. Spinning, throbbing, and just straight up feeling dazed...as if you'd crashed your SUV at highway speeds, then flipped it and rolled down a hill. You were all...rattled around and shaken about, bounced all over the place and left not sure which way was up, or without much strength to even get your arm to move a millimeter.
It was...it was all a perfect storm.
Pretty much all that was going well, was the one corner of her mind that was still firing on all pistons:
Survive.
" Hhhhhu...! "
"...Hhhua.."
...Ok.
So...that didn't hurt, at least. Thank God...
No blood from the lips, so...
So...it couldn't be that bad, right ?
...Right ?
"...Jao...hey, Jao..!! "
" Hey...hey, Jao ! Can you hear me ?! "
..Kivec.
...He was here.
She'd know that voice anywhere. No matter how out of it she might be, she'd always remember that voice.
She'd always remember it.
" Hang on...! "
Scraping and scratching sounds followed-armor plates on the tarmac. He was coming her way...
Jao willed herself to respond, and her head answered- but only halfway. All 4 limbs did the same- so at least they were all still there. They were nearly numb, but not quite. She was still aware of them, and they did move- but not as much.
" Ahhh...God, that hit something soft..! ", the Filipino hissed.
" Hit something, alright..."
Exactly what, though...she wasn't sure. Confident, yeah, but not sure. It probably didn't matter, though. All that did was that " it " was aching up a storm, and it was deeper than the skin. The kind of pain you could feel deeper down..
Oh. And...no, that wasn't her canteen that'd burst, running down her back.
Something was there, and it wasn't cold. It wasn't water...
Ok...yeah.
Something's been torn. But, she could still move, and think, though not that quick.
The pain wasn't staggering, but it was there, and it was a problem..
" Hey, hey...slow down. You got something stuck here.."
Kivec...
Jao rolled her head, and got a visual on the Canadian as he reached her, hustling over and dropping to a crouch with a scrape and crunch of boots on asphalt.
" Hey, hey...! Easy.."
He sounded...calm. Calmer than he actually was ? Maybe...but it was good to hear it.
Hands reached out, and got ahold of the wounded RPG operator's right arm- the one that didn't throb like a beaten drum, thankfully. Actually, it was almost gentle, the way he held onto her...
Not quite, but she wasn't made of glass. Kinda felt like it right now, though.
" Up with you..!". Kivec pulled, not yanked, her upwards. Another arm touched her, slipping around her back and holding firm, as the Canadian carefully lifted her off the tunnel floor, and then steadied her against him.
" Gotcha...gotcha, Jao. "
That he did, no question.
He always did...
"...Yeah...that's for sure. ", the Fillipino agreed.
She'd had to say it through gritted teeth, whatever had torn that gash across her back was throbbing again- no, wait. It hadn't stopped. Yes, it was still throbbing, and getting distracting, too. Not to mention that there was still that feeling of blood running down past her gear belt, under her armor plates like a frozen river still running.
" Hsshh..."
It made her pull more air through her teeth, despite doing her level best not to. She wanted to fight the pain, but...
Geeez...that bites !
...it wasn't possible. Not here. Not now.
She wanted to. She was doing everything she could- mind over matter, basically. But, it was a weak second fiddle to actually taking care of it..
"...Damn ! Jao...you got something stuck here..! "
" Right...right at.. "
Something..stuck ?!
...Well, that was a shocker, if ever there was one for her now. Sure, Jao had felt the trickle of what could only blood, running down her back, but...now..
"...The hell ? You're saying...I caught some shrapnel...? "
That was where the hurt was coming from ? She thought it was from a plasma bolt...one that might've gotten through the tunnel mouth right before it blew up.
Now it was because something was stuck through her ?! Where ?! Even with her mind fogging up the way it was, and how hard it was to fight off all the dizziness that was suddenly all over her- it'd crashed like a wave, just a moment or so ago, but it was hitting hard, and she was feeling it now.
The room- no, the tunnel, the tunnel- was swaying a bit.
Or, was she swaying..?
"..Yeah...yeah, there's something stuck right through you ! I don't- I can't tell how deep, but its there..! "
" Geez..there's a lot of freaking blood. Armor slowed it down..but I don't know how deep it went. I don't...I don't know if I should pull it out..."
Even though she was having a hard time staying awake after...
..Wait, how long had it been ?
She couldn't remember. Just realized...that she couldn't remember.
" Ok...ok- you got to lie down first...easy now ..! "
" Easy...! "
Kivec had a good hold on her, and by now, he was completely propping her up- her legs weren't doing a good job of keeping her vertical anymore. They were hurting up a storm by now...but, also getting kind of...
...Numb ?
God...Oh God.
As the Canadian lowered her to the floor-amid more rushed, adrenaline charged promises that she'd be ok, and how he would help her out here no matter what- Jao felt something else wrapping around her, tight as a closed glove. But, unlike all that blood, or how her head was spinning like a merry-go-round...it wasn't psychical.
It was worse- it was something that actually scared the life out of her. Already...something...cold was running through her spine, and her pulse was skipping a beat. The bad kind of beat skipping...
She did her best...not to think about what it might be...
"...Jao ? Jao, can you still hear me ? "
Something clamped itself around her right hand- Kivec was gripping it, the torn-up Filipino realized.
" Come on. Come on...clench for yes..! "
...
Seemed easy enough.
Hopefully, it actually would be.
It was probably the only thing that was anymore, honestly. The perfect storm of pain and disorientation was spiking, and all she could really focus on was just a light twitch of a movement, or just thinking. It was pretty much just that right now...because whatever it was that'd stuck her like a shishkabab was painful as all heck.
Deep, throbbing, and sore. The pain went...all the way down, and it was just sucking all her energy to that point like a black hole. It was like someone had stuck a flagpole through her...after heating the tip with a furnace.
God, it was...it was just...
There...there weren't any.
But...she still clenched back. Hard enough, somehow, to actually feel it.
For a moment, at least.
" Thank God...", the Canadian whispered. There was a tremble as he spoke, palpable even though he was obviously doing his best to hide.
" Thank God...ok...ok...now. "
There was some rustling from behind, some light impacts along her back from what had to be fingertips pressing down against the plates of her torso armor, and then:
" I'm gonna...get it clear of you now. I got to do it slow, though...and its gonna hurt like hell. "
It was sweet of him to be so worried about her- as usual. Touching, actually. But, it was still kind of a given that she was on fire, pain wise- Kivec knew that, though. He was just out to make sure it didn't get worse.
If that was even possible. Which, well...maybe it was.
"...You ready ? "
Could anybody be ready for this ? Probably not. But, there was no other way, and no point waiting any longer...
They couldn't.
No way.
Though she was using everything she had just to even stay awake by now, Jao mustered the energy to speak: "...Do it, man. Do it..."
" Sure about that ? Its gonna suck.. "
I don't doubt it...
But I still got shrapnel..and its filling my back !
Please...please just tug it loose !
Well...that's what she wanted to say, at least. Wanted to. But...
...She could barely keep her eyes open. Could barely move a finger, let alone a leg or arm. It couldn't have been more than 3 minutes after she'd gotten her senses back, but...already, this was shredding her. Like nothing else, and she'd been hit before.
But not this hard. Not this badly. It hadn't made her feel so...
...so..cold. And, way worse than that:
Afraid.
" Do it...do it. ". Jao's voice couldn't above a murmur, but it was all she had.
It would have to be enough.
" Get it..get that thing outta me...please. "
God, she was practically pleading there at the end. But, she couldn't help it..!
" Its ok...you can...you can pull it.."
She couldn't...
She wanted, though..just...
" Ok. Here goes...nice and slow...! "
Manila
Philippines
Earth
2535
7:45am
May 23rd
" Nakita mo ba kung paano tumalon si Avarez na parang 5 taong gulang nang itakda mo ang Pinwheel na iyon sa tabi niya ( Did you see the way that Avarez jumped like a 5 year old when you set that Pinwheel off next to him ?! ) ", laughed Yvena. " Hindi Mabibili ng salapi ( Priceless ) ! "
" Talagang hindi mabibili ng salapi ( Absolutely priceless ) ! "
The target of her amusement scoffed as she chuckled away, and did his best to act aloof. " Gusto mo lang akong pasabugin...( You just wanted to blow me up ) ..!"
" Aminin mo. Gusto mo akong atomize..( Admit it. You wanted to atomize me ) "...
" Uy, kung mayroon ako , magpassalmat ka sa akin ( Hey, if I had, you'd thank me ! ) " , the would-be assassin shot back.
Avarez responded by making a rude gesture, which set off a round of jeering laughter from everyone who saw it...along with a few more High-School level choice names and taunts. None of which would've been suitable for Church...which was just as well, because that was...3 hours ago.
Give or take.
But it was close enough. These days, you had to get what you could- and for more than one reason. There was the near-constant barrage of typhoons and rainstorms, for one. It was monsoon season, sure, but even so...there wasn't a full week going by where it didn't rain at least once...or several times. And that wasn't even accounting for the full-on hurricanes...which did a whole more than just drop enough rain to make the streets rivers for days at a stretch.
And, on top of the battering the elements kept on giving them like it was the oldest hobby that ever existed...
...there was the Covenant.
There was...always the Covenant.
As if anyone could forget them...though a lot of them wanted to. But, it was impossible; the aliens were always on everyone's mind, even if you were doing everything you could to focus on things that didn't scare the bejeezus out of you, like packing your baon, or not being late to catch the Manila Machetes Baseball Team's homecoming game at the MacArthur Stadium. No matter what you did...word and news of the genocidal aliens always reached you one way or the other.
And it was pretty much always bad. Another world...burned. Another fleet...wiped out. Another one, another one, and so on. Sometimes, you got better news, though- and by " better ", that was just that said fleet or world had been badly mauled but not quite annihilated, which had become the horse to bet on about 10 years ago back when the first showed up, and baked the whole planet of Harvest like a cake.
Heck, they'd all been raised on reports like that. All of them. Their parents and, obviously, the likes of ONI had pulled every card to keep the gnarliest of the details away from them...but what filtered through was enough. Enough to make sleeping a full night an off and on again thing...not regular. At least every other night, you'd dream of those bulbous, purple ships that'd you'd seen on the vids, gliding out of the clouds over the city, and spitting that red and blue plasma bolts all over the place. Then, you'd wake up, and realize it was just a dream...but, the trouble was, you kept seeing the dreams even while awake. You kept thinking about it actually going down, even when it didn't.
But, that didn't stop you.
Nothing could. They knew...because this whole bout of shenanigans was part of it.
" Kung makak atulong , Avarez- muntik mo akong iluto ng Bottle Rocket ...dalawang besses ( If it helps, Avarez- you nearly roasted me with a Bottle Rocket...twice ) ! "
Jao held up two fingers to drive the point home, all while laughing up a storm. The others couldn't do anything else, but cackle up even more.
"Tinatawag ko itong, ok ? "Kahanga-hanga ! ( I call it square, ok ? Awesome, right ?! )"
Why else did they come out here to raise all kinds of chaos with explosives ? Fireworks, sure, but still explosives. Ones that technically were Jao's...but her parents weren't exactly aware of where theses ones that disappeared to from the store. If she was slick about it, though, like always, they'd think they were just the end result of a busy day..
But, anyway...what mattered was: They were for a good cause. If anything could calm them down, even for a few hours...then it was worth it.
The Covenant were still out there. Every day, they were getting closer. Who knew how long they had till the clock ran out ?
It was a blessing that they didn't know.
It was...also a healthy reminder of something.
That they needed to value every day, is what. Live each one...
As if it were their last one.
New Mombasa
Kenya
Earth
2552
8222 hours, local clock
"...around, Corporal ! She's coming around...! "
" Eyes are fluttering...see ? Yeah, she's..."
"..the lord for that, PFC. Hey...easy ! Don't shake her around- just let her come back. "
...Lance ?
...Oh, right. Right...Corporal Miles. The ODST she and Kivec had been shadowing all the way from the Preserve ! He was here ? Well, if so, that was a Godsend, because after that plasma bombardment had just pulverized the front entrance like a sand castle getting kicked over at the beach...she'd been wondering what happened to him.
Or...she would've...if she hadn't been fighting just to stay conscious earlier. That might have something to do with it.
Probably. For a split second, though, the realization that she'd even briefly had trouble remembering who he was...
...that was scary. That, was frightening.
And then...then it went longer than just a split second, and it lasted way longer. Not to mention all the pain, dizziness, disorientation...it all came rushing back like a fiendish avalanche, burying her under it. Worse, it joined up with the fear on the way down, like blending razor blades with nails. Altogether, it was pushing the limits of her trained discipline, as nothing else had.
She'd been caught by surprise by all this. It was so..unexpected, and...
...and...
"...lance ? Where'd...where'd you go ? "
Louder, you stupid puke !
Louder !
Like pressing a button, the voice of her old Marine DI exploded though her mind, leaping on a chance to dress her down. It was Staff Sergeant Vlaski , all over again, chewing her out and driving her forward, all over again, and years after she'd clawed though that nightmare that was Basic.
Of anything keeping her up, that was the...well, the most jarring of them all.
What the hell was that ?! You whisper again, and I'll staple your craw shut !
Answer me..!
" Corporal.! "
" ...La...no, Corporal...Kivec ? "
She forced her voice to go up- it only went as high as a talking-murmur, though- and forced her eyes to open- but they didn't go all the way. Not quite.
But, it didn't matter.
Because, she could actually see them now. Both of them, leaning over her, and staring down.
Thank God...
...You're here. And I know who you are.
That was a relief: Maybe she wasn't all gone, after all. Lance was on the right, his helmet visor depolarized , and reserved concern on a grizzled, weather-beaten face. Kivec was on the left, and his own worry was showing like a neon sign at midnight.
Not panic, but he was definitely worried about her.
He could afford to, though. He wasn't the CO around here anyway...and besides.
He had a good reason to be so. They, had a good reason to be so..
Knew you'd stick by me.
I knew it.
" Hey, hey...! There she is ! There she is...", the ODST exclaimed.
It was the closest Jao had ever seen him to getting actually emotional. But, he was still an ODST, and their NCO...plus, they were all outside the wire, so he had to keep it under wraps.
Didn't matter, though. He was still there.
Kivec was as well...
" Jao ! Can you hear us ?! "
...a tad less stoic. But that was fine.
" Jao.."
Something really stung down at the base of her back, just like she remembered, and her legs were...off, but she was awake, and could hear them.
Encouraging, right ?
"...Not dead..I guess ? ", the Filipino tentatively asked, to both at once.
"...Gyhh...! "
Pain bloomed from where she'd been hit at that moment, though, and her molars clamped down.
" Jao ! ". Kivec leaned closer, and reached for her.
" Easy, kid ", the ODST NCO advised, putting his own glove out to stop him. " She's up, and she's responsive. Biofoam did its job. "
Reassuring. Calm. Commanding. Everything a Sergeant, or a Lance/ full Corporal was supposed to be. Except for the ones at Basic, obviously.
You knew that, though..
You knew...
" Yeah, but...I mean...you should've seen it, Gunny ! That chunk of steel was stickin' out of her like a porcupine quill..! "
" And you got it out. You applied the B-Foam, and you didn't lose your cool. That's what I've come to expect outta both of you. ", the ODST reminded him.
" You did good, PFC. "
As pep talks went, that one actually worked- because it was the truth, and not some honey-smothered sound bit from some politician. A flicker of " I don't know if I deserve that kind of praise, but I'll go with it " flickered over Kivec's face- so quick, it'd be easy to miss, but Jao caught it.
No matter what was going on with her now, she definitely caught it.
Heck yeah, he did.
Believe it.
Having bolstered the Canadian's ( not that it was flagging, but...any boost was helpful ), the ODST focused again on the wounded Jarhead still laying on the tarmac.
Moving slowly, and carefully, and with purpose, he slipped both arms up and under Jao's , before bodily lifting her to a sitting position. She had no choice but to go along with it...given that she was still limp as a rag doll, and could barely even twitch worth a damn.
" Alright...let's get you up. Step by step...easy does it.."
With a clacking sound, her back touched the side of the tunnel, her legs splayed out front. Her head was about all of her that she could move even close to easily, but it still made a tap off the wall. Thankfully, her helmet was still on.
Neck damage...
Couldn't risk it. Smart they left it on.
" Alright...that feel any better for ya ? ". The ODST kept a hold on her, moving both hands to her shoulders, and meeting her eyes dead on.
"...A bit. Kinda. Still feels like...someone rammed a fireplace poker above my hip. I dunno about standing up..."
" I wouldn't go for that ", advised Gunny Miles. " Not now. But, God as my witness, we're getting you out of here. Understand ?! "
"..Yeah. I gotcha, Corporal ". The Filipino nodded- more of a dip of her chin, but it was something. Also, all she could manage.
That, and keeping her eyelids up. It was getting harder by the moment...though, whether that was because of blood loss or the Biofoam, she had no clue.
Probably both.
She'd manage, though. For as long as she could, anyway. She trusted these guys.
" Hey. You're not gonna die here ". Kivec entered her field of view, on the right. Fire lit both his eyes.
" I'll do it myself if I got to. "
" Not as long as the M12 is working , you won't have to ". Corporal Miles pointed out. " Sure she appreciates it, though. "
" Speaking of which, we need to get on that. PFC- get on her left side. I got the right. Let's get her back to the M12, on the double. Sooner we get her out of here, the sooner a bonne fide medical suite can have a look at her. "
Now, that was a plan, the Filipino acknowledged, as the aforementioned PFC responded to the order with a quick and determined sounding " You got it, Corporal ".
The Canadian and the ODST didn't waste another moment after that-both were soon surrounding her holding tight and lifting her off the ground like she weighed nothing. Thank the Creator for that, because shew knew for sure that her legs couldn't have done it on their own.
Not even close.
" Quick and steady, PFC...there we go.. "
Quick as a flash, they had her up, with their strong arms around her back ( needless to say, nowhere near the wound ), while draping her own arms across their shoulders.
" There...good. You steady over there, Kivec ? "
" Steady as a cruiser, Corporal. "
" This way...on me. Get her to the M12..."
With that, the ODST set off, bringing the other two with him.
All Jao could do, needless to say, was go along for the ride.
But, even with her fogged up, dazed, barely awake mind, one thing- one new thing- suddenly came through it.
Something that, as she thought of it, wished she had before. But, then again...she had gotten run through by something. Something like that would probably distract you...
Just a tad.
Should've asked...sooner.
Dang it ! Supposed to be keeping them safe..!
"...Hey...hey guys..", she murmured.
Kivec , unsurprisingly, was quick on the draw on hearing her voice, and Gunny Dutch even let her slip up of rank go by ! Probably would get on her case about it later...but it was fine.
That could wait.
" Sure. What's up ? ", asked the Canadian.
"...What about..."
More dizziness stopped her for a second, but thankfully, it was over, and she pushed on.
"..what about the others ? Y'know...the others ? Are they ok ? "
" Are they alright..? "
" The folks we found hiding ? ". Corporal Miles specified. " No worries; none of 'em got more than a scratch. They're still with us. "
" And so are you. ", he pointedly reminded her.
...Yes.
"
Yes, she was.
Their Creator had , somehow, chosen to let her stay with them, as they finally reached the parked M12.
" Ok...made it. Now: You take her legs, kid, and I'll handle the rest. Smooth and even...we'll lie her down next to the M41. Got it ? "
" Roger that, Corporal..."
" Better be. We'll do this on my go..."
" Ready ? "
" Ready. "
" 3...2..1...mark. "
Holding her tight, and lifting with perfect sync, they hefted her up and over , like a rolled up rug, up and onto the bed of the M12's rear, before carefully lowering her onto the armor plates surrounding the base of the heavy gun. One of their hands kept her head raised, stopping it from clacking off the toughened metal-protected by a helmet or not.
" There...settled !"
" Got her done...", observed the ODST. It must've been his hand behind Jao's head, because it-slowly-slipped free then.
Or...she was mostly sure it was. All the Filipino could see was the ceiling now, with a single overhead light still online after the plasma had slammed the place.
Oh...
...that's why it was so dark.
...That's why...
That's...
...
And...rather poetically, at that moment..
..Darkness swallowed her again.
"...What the- ?! What- Corporal ! She's out again..! "
" Just like that...! "
"...Drifting, PFC. ", the ODST noted. An edge of grimness had entered his tone, as he saw what was up. " She's drifting. That's not good. "
" I thought...but I thought we stopped the bleeding...didn't we ?! "
" I thought so as well ", the Corporal grunted, as he deftly sprang up onto the M12's beefy rear wheel, using as a step to board the gun bay. " But that's the thing 'bout getting carved that deep- you can't always tell how bad. "
Something about that last few set of words...it sent the message that he'd seen this kind of thing more than once before. Obviously, though, as an ODST, he would, and Kivec knew it, but even so...
There was nothing like hearing it. And from an ODST, as well. They were the roughest guys and gals the UNSC, bar none. If they said something was rough...then you knew it was.
Cold worry began crystalizing deep down, but Kivec fought back. That wouldn't help anyone- lest of which Jao.
But, the urge to do it...
It was stronger than he thought. He couldn't give up.
So, he followed the ODST onto the gun bed, as the Helljumper was leaning over the prone ( and out cold ) Jao, checking the spot of the wound.
They'd removed her armored vest , and sliced away the uniform beneath to get at the gash. The deep crevice had been jammed up with BioFoam, forming an off-white , puffy mound that was smothering the wound, capping it and stopping the leakage of desperately needed blood...though, plenty had already come out to stain the skin around it red. The patch job, though, was still holding.
For now, though...
For now.
Maybe that was the problem; it looked so good, that Kivec had a major hurdle coming up with a reason why Jao was drifting...
...Except for one. One...but it was one that he didn't want to consider.
He was thinking about it right now, technically...but not focusing. That...no. No doing that till he had to.
And he didn't.
Not...yet.
"...Do we need to remove it ? ", asked the Canadian , fighting back the gnawing the apprehension. He glanced at the ODST, who's fingertips were already carefully exploring the strength of the Biofoam pack.
" I mean, if that's the problem..."
" About stopping the blood ? I don't think so...it already has. ", the ODST noted, giving the pack a strong nudge. It didn't budge.
" No..."
He was quiet for a moment, saying absolutely nothing...
Then:
" Whatever stuck her went real deep...could've hit something. Bleeding down there, where we can't see. "
Nitrogen blew threw Kivec's veins. Like a winter's cold snap, and he wasn't as prepped for it as he'd have wanted- it stung, it chilled, and worst of all...
..Worst of all, it grabbed him. Grabbed, and didn't want to let him go. It was sending his mind to a dark place...and he didn't want to.
But...it could be the truth. Could be..
He had to be ready, the Canadian forced himself to admit. He had to.
For her.
So, breathing deep...
" ...Thought it was just the blood, Lance. You're saying it gone down for the bones, though...but we can't treat that. "
"...Can we ? "
Maybe I overlooked something...
Something...anything at all..!
It was a dangerous kind of hope- he knew that. And, he wasn't even banking heavily on it, because..that would be a mistake. He knew that as well.
But...what was the harm with having it ?
Just for its own sake. And...maybe it was true.
Maybe..
" Not here , kid. Not here. ".
The ODST had nothing but honesty, though. The hard and straight truth.
Which, to be truly honest, was actually a good thing. Sure didn't feel like it at the moment, though...
Not at all. More like a icy jab to the gut, and then spreading through your blood...making you think worst case scenario, whether it was there or not.
But, he still had to keep his head on straight...even though that was getting harder and harder by the second. All kinds of...less-than-optimal
He had to...
For her.
" ..We'd need a surgical suite for that. Trouble is, the Covies have taken over the whole of the New City. Only place the UNSC's got any traction is the Old one...but that's behind us. "
Ending that assessment on a " This is the only shot we've got " tone, the ODST straightened up, then looked over at the Canadian.
" You get me ? If we don't move now, what's tearing her up under the surface will just go downhill, taking her with it. And if we're wrong...we still can't find out what from here. Still no abandoning the mission to round up Alpha-9, but I won't give up on her. I don't think you will, either. "
..100 percent, Lance.
And then some.
Talk about an on-point statement. Give Kivec a day, and he couldn't have said " Absolutely " enough. That, was something that could carve though any doubt, fear, and worse like a hot knife through butter. It was something to cling to, and that could help him stay on task- as opposed to making him do something stupid with just raw emotion, which it might've done.
A civvy would've, probably. They generally lacked the discipline...but not all of them. And besides, it wasn't their fault..
"..Roger that, Lance. ". Kivec nodded, setting his jaw. " Got it. "
" Alright- you keep that up. Understand ? We're getting her out of this mess. "
With that dose of assurance handed out, the ODST reinforced it with a quick- but powerful- shoulder clamp with one hand, before pivoting away, and leaping down from the perch the giant-wheeled 4x4 vehicle offered.
" Lance..? "
" Got to let the Civves know what the new plan is ", the ODST explained. " Stay with her- we're rolling out soon. "
He jabbed a finger toward the KO'd Filipino, before jogging off-nearly-running- toward the gathered mass of previously hunkered-down civvies.
All along, they'd been grouped up, only a stone's throw away from the M12. Thankfully, by some God-sent miracle, none of them had been badly hurt when the plasma had struck, though it'd been darn near impossible to keep them from going to absolute pieces and scattering to a panicked mob. There's been screaming, questions yelled over questions, and more than one who'd been on the knife edge from running like an aimless flock of chickens...even though there'd been hardly anywhere to go.
Except for outside, obviously. Not really a choice.
But, the ODST that was on the scene had done what ODSTs do: taken charge, and getting them to listen:
" You want to meet God that bad !? ", he roared at them, placing himself between them and the tunnel mouth of the other end. " You think that's the way out ?! "
" They're coming for us ! They're coming here ! ", wailed a girl who looked to be barely out of collage, and skinny as a rail.
" We can't stay- they're gonna kill us..! ".
And with that, she'd made a beeline for the mouth- but the ODST had stopped her cold. He'd grabbed her, by both shoulders, and held her more still than a street lamp as if she wasn't lunging and pushing against his grasp...which she was. But, it made no difference, because he didn't let go.
" They will if you leave...they will ! ". Lance Miles would not give an centimeter- literally or otherwise.
" Look at me...look at me ! "
" Look...! You're not going out there to die, understand ?! Not on my watch ! "
" They're right out there..they're so close..! "
" And if you run out like that, you're handing yourself to 'em ! Not happening. No way. "
It was a masterpiece- one second, his tone had been like a stern Principal, but the next, it was like a tough older brother. Confident, steely, and commanding, it blew through the freshwoman's terror - clearing a channel just wide enough through it for her to understand, comprehend...
...and then , most of all...do it.
Listen, and carry it out. For a civvy !
Not too shabby...
He'd saved her life. No question about it.
And...there she was. Still there...and not even at the very back , either. Right there, still with the bunned up high hair, loose skirt and beads.
She was, now, one of the first heads that came around and focused on the ODST, as he stopped at the front of their group and called for their attention. Just as before, they listened, and raptly. There was still the...hint, of tension, nervousness, and flightiness hanging all over them, obviously- glancing around, shifting weight from foot to foot, and wringing hands...but they were staying put.
They were listening. That's what counted.
Thank God for an ODST. He's got a handle on them.
He can get them out. I'll go the distance to help him out .
That's a promise..
And, speaking of promises...
Reflex took hold, and he lowered his eyes to where Jao was lying.
She was sound asleep- or, sound unconscious, technically. If it wasn't for how she'd been sliced open like a Pinata, and was probably bleeding by trickled where they literally couldn't see...!
If only...
God...
...I got to stop that. I won't let you die..
..We got a lot to live for.
...I know I do.
And I know you do as well.