Okay, this one is much longer cuz I had alot to write:) Enjoy
My Lonely Road Ch.3: Alone
If only...
"Captain? Are you okay? Hold on tight everyone! Status report Reevs .Man, you are such a kiss-ass. There coming in fast! I need back up! I need Backup! Brode, beef up the defenses! Get… Off…Me!"
The entire mission played in his head over and over again like a broken record. Again and again, he had to relive this seemingly endless nightmare, which was clearer with each time he saw it. Exeter's head was throbbing out of control, his chest was stiff, and he felt like he was going to fall apart. Exeter just wanted it to end; as far as he knew his men were dead, his comrades, his closest friends. The ship was probably destroyed from the recent attack, and there were no intelligent life forms here. He had survived, but had anyone else? How would he escape this dreaded planet? How would he stay alive until help came? He could barely even move. That is, if help came. He thought to himself, the once brave and courageous captain of task force Herakles was now trembling, fearing the next moment would be his last.
"NO" he murmured. He had survived. He had survived for a reason, and he would keep on surviving until he was rescued. He would not give up until his last breath. He would find survivors, if any, and wait until the day.
"I WILL!" he roared, opening his eyes, making them look as big as a pirate grenade. The next thing Exeter saw, he would never forget. Everywhere lay bodies of his fallen comrades. There surface were heavily scarred, almost unrecognizable with the many punctures scars and claw marks which covered there armor. Wreckage lay strewn everywhere with many splinter exoskeletons lying around like garbage. He turned his head to take a look at the ship, only to see no longer the Tyr. Large chunks of the ship missing. There were signs of a recent battle, indicated by fresh scorch marks on the ground and the burning smell of dead splinters. Exeter now realized that he was no longer pinned to the ground by his injuries, but by extreme shock.
Exeter attempted to lift himself up, but to no avail. He then consulted his scanner to identify all the injuries on his body. It took him another second to realize that his HUD was almost entirely gone! Exeter then remembered that it had broken during his struggle with that splinter. Using his left eye, he could see that his scanner showed that his armor breastplate was punctured. However, it was rather shallow, but needed medical treatment soon. It also showed that his left arm was fractured, and bone was broken in one area. He needed to get the medical equipment onboard. Exeter tried again to lift himself up, succeeding but it caused great pain. He slowly limped toward the Tyrs ramp, and using his right arm to stabilize himself.
He headed toward the storage area, where all troopers' personal items, equipment, and cargo were kept. He noticed that the sliding doors were open. Strange, Exeter thought. They were supposed to be kept closed at all times. He limped toward it to examine the doors closely. There were no signs of any damage, and certainly nothing that could have pried it open. He peered inside, gun pointed aimlessly. Exeter cautiously limped in: finding no threats, began searching for the med pack. He found it in a container right above Angseths personal things. He administered it on his leg, arm, and chest, letting out a sigh of relief. He had forgotten how good penicillin morphine felt; it helped numb all the pain and assured a fast rate of recovery.
The battered soldier let down his guard as the medicines soothing affects took over. After about a minute or so, the effects began to wear away. The pain was still numbed, but the warm sensation had ended completely. Now it was time for preparation. He stood up and began searching all the containers for anything useful. Exeter had a long road ahead of him. He first looked through Angesth's container, being the closest of them all. He searched through until he found what he was looking for.
It was Angseths prized beam sword. Exeter remembered one time when the proud female told him who she "found" the rare weapon. She was on Zebes, looking forward to stopping Mother Brain single handedly, when she ran into a battalion of Space Pirates. Her squad was able to surprise them, killing many until only the general Weavel and two elites were left. They attempted to retreat, but Angseth had different plans. She shot the general wounding him, causing the legendary pirate Weavel to drop his favored beam sword. The general looked at her with murderous glowing green eyes and fled quickly, leaving the blade for Angseth.
Exeter stared at the weapon and clutched it tightly in his hand. He would not forgive those creatures that slaughtered his friends, and he would not forget about them. Exeter quickly packed many other things, including Jim's spare missile launcher, a second GF assault rifle, food, extra ammunition, survival gear, and replaced his helmet and armor with his other spare armor. He made sure to download all of his info from his old helmet to the new one. As Exeter glanced through the hole in the ship, he saw the skies growing dark. Tonight is not a good night to go anywhere. They might come back, he thought. Exeter then took his equipment and headed toward the cockpit. He walked past the barren seats which once held his team, now empty, which he felt like inside. The cockpit remained untouched by the merciless creatures, so Exeter decided to spend the night there. He programmed the door to seal, to keep him safe from the outside world. AsExeter took off his armor, put his supplies away and set his sleeping bag, he began to ponder. He had had a premonition and it came true; yet he ignored it, tossing it aside and acted like it never happened.
If I had just paid more attention…then… they may have still been alive. All of this could have been avoided, he thought. Exeter felt the immense guilt over his head, making him facedown.
"If only……. "He whispered as he silently fell asleep under the thunderous storm.
Whew, this took me some time to finish.Stay tuned for Ch:4 Preparation and theUnexpected