CHAPTER 20: OPERATION TROJAN HORSE
0930 Hours, October 7, 2557 (Military Calendar) / Unknown System, Planet Remnant, Continent of Sanas
The Master Chief had decided on what was to be the fate of Belladonna. The plan he had in mind was quite frankly out of the ordinary, even for someone like him who was an experienced user of unconventional tactics and warfare.
The girl was useful solely off of her name alone. Not only did she have connections in high places with the White Fang, but she also had familial connections with the previous High Leader of the White Fang. That last part in particular interested the spartan because it meant that if necessary, he could use the faunus girl as a hostage in order to further his goals of reducing the terrorist group to nothingness.
All of that was more of a long-term hypothetical scenario. In terms of the more immediate future, he was looking to exploit the cat faunus's reputation within the ranks in order to dismantle all cells within the vicinity of the Kingdom of Vale. If they had to, they would move inward, although moving into more populated areas carried a significantly greater risk to their overall ability to move freely.
In short, Belladonna would be used as a decoy to infiltrate other cells scattered throughout and one by one, John and his team would route them all out. This would likely span at least a month's time, maybe even longer due to the sheer number of places they would need to hit. Speed and timing would be of the essence as well; if they didn't work fast enough, the remaining cells would send warnings out.
Normally, the Master Chief wouldn't trust a terrorist to even do simple tasks like eat their food quietly let alone perform a role in an operation such as this. However, as he had come to see from yesterday's interaction with the POW, she was scared out of her mind. No amount of loyalty was going to stop her survival instinct. He would use that to his advantage in order to ensure that she was psychologically chained to him.
Before the spartan could inform the prisoner as to her fate, he would first need to confirm the plan and its details with his team. Both Rose and Xiao Long had spent the bulk of yesterday resting their bodies, checking their gear, and ensuring weapons were at their peak. Right now, they knew nothing about what he had in mind.
Additionally, he would use them as sounding boards. Although he wasn't expecting much in terms of objections or additions to his plan, he did want them to be a part of this process in order to develop their minds. A spartan's best weapon was the mind, the ability to conceive of ideas that could be executed that took in both the big picture and the small details. Any weapon was easily disposable as was any piece of equipment. The best of the best won their battles with intelligence, cunning, and determination.
Once he was done physically securing Belladonna to ensure that escape was impossible, John called for his newest spartan and his remaining trainee to rally at him so that he could begin the briefing.
"There are a lot of details that we're going to cover." The Master Chief said to the two of them. "Both of you will commit these to memory."
Both females nodded from their seated position, their attention on him. He wasn't surprised by the Rose's attentiveness, but Xiao Long caught him off guard just a little bit. She even had something to write on and write with.
The spartan pressed on. "The White Fang has cells dotting all over the territory surrounding Vale, even a few hideouts within the capital itself. Our new mission is to go to each location and shut them all down."
"How many are there?" Rose raised her hand to ask her question.
John noted that the spartan patch he had given her was now attached to her. "There are two answers to that question. The first is a hard number, twenty six locations according to the map. The second answer is that the number could change by next week."
"The fuck?" Xiao Long's face scrunched up in confusion. "How do you just change that number?"
The Master Chief waited for a beat. "The White Fang is adept at moving their operations, their resources, and their manpower quickly and efficiently. That's how they've operated ever since their radicalization."
"...that's kind of racist, Chief." The SAW gunner snickered. "They're faunus."
Spartan 117 gave her a momentary glance, choosing not to correct her. "...the point is that because they make use of textbook guerilla warfare tactics, exploiting them will be fairly easy. We'll simply use the same."
"Aren't the other cells gonna throw a fit when they realize that their leader's dead?" Rose asked her next question. "People must communicate frequently in order to be quick on their feet."
The armored man activated a 3D hologram of the terrain of Vale and its surroundings. "That's where our POW comes in. In exchange for her life, she will be our way inside each cell. She will communicate that there are no changes to report, then she will direct us to the cells and infiltrate them, giving us the element of surprise."
"Wait, hold on." Xiao Long now had her own inquiry. "Aren't we tracking the locations of these cells? Why do we need her anyway? Isn't she gonna be a drain on resources?"
John shook his head. "Her most important purpose is not in these hit-and-runs. Ultimately, she's a hostage and a bargaining tool for a later time."
"...isn't she just a girl working for the White Fang?" Rose was now perplexed.
He turned to his newly-minted spartan. "No, she is the daughter of the previous High Leader of the White Fang, Ghira Belladonna, who is now serving as the Chieftain of Menagerie."
"So… what, she's royalty?" Xiao Long crossed her arms in contemplation. "I don't know all that much about Menagerie, but I do know that the chieftain is the big dog there… that sounded kind of racist."
Again, the Chief didn't comment on that last part. "Regardless, her family name alone makes her too valuable. I won't mourn for her should she die, but her significance makes her death undesirable for our purposes."
"So basically, she's our way inside these cells without raising alarms from the get-go." Rose summed up the conversation. "And because she's got a name that matters, we can't let her die."
The supersoldier nodded his head. "Correct."
"So I know that I'm beating a dead horse, which I'm not sure if that verbiage is fucked up, but whatever." Yang moved on to get to the matter on her mind. "Why not just kill her and be done with it? I get that she's hot shit, but all I see is a coward and a waste of resources."
John had an answer for this. "As long as she is our POW, she is not to be harmed any more than she already is. In combat, the only deaths we will carry out are clean and swift ones. There is no point in prolonging suffering unless it serves a specific purpose."
"Like interrogation for info." Xiao Long let out a small huff. "I hear ya, Chief, but I still don't like it."
The senior NCO breathed in, then out. "Your opinion is noted."
"So how are we executing these attacks?" Rose leaned on her knees, her notepad and pen at the ready. "I'm guessing that we can't use the same method twice."
"Recon will be necessary when we're within a click and a half of the encampments." The Master Chief spoke, his hands working the hologram. "Sub plans will have to be made to account for the size of the enemy presence, their activity, the location of their camp, their units if there are differences, the time of day, and their equipment."
Xiao Long stood up straighter. "One more question, Chief. Prisoners or no?"
"The ultimate goal is to send a message to the senior leadership of the White Fang." 117 made his tone serious. "We do not tolerate acts of terrorism and anyone involved will pay the price. That should make those considering joining think twice."
Lilac eyes sparked with fire. "Too fucking easy."
While he did appreciate that enthusiasm to combat, he would have to make sure that her more violent tendencies didn't manifest in monstrous ways. Like Mendez before him, he was trying to make killers of these girls, not machines.
I'm sure Cortana would've liked these two. John couldn't help but smile sadly at that thought. They would've been able to talk to each other in a way I can't.
The Master Chief reeled himself in. "While we will make plans as we move along, the first location we can begin planning for. Additionally, it's time that the two of you received some upgrades to your full battle-rattle."
Both of them perked up at hearing that. It was a reminder of him and his spartans in their youth. New things to work with presented new opportunities to accomplish the mission at hand.
Halo - - - RWBY
2026 Hours
Despite leaving parts of herself when first embarking on this journey, Ruby couldn't help but retain a part of herself, that of a weapons and equipment freak.
For the entire team that she had spent time with the Master Chief, she had been making use of simple uniforms that were meant to blend with the landscape and didn't provide protection. In combat scenarios, she made use of her aura, but when it came to training, she always did what she could to not use it.
Now, it was time for some new stuff and no matter how much she tried to control herself, she couldn't help but get a little starry-eyed.
The armor she was given was the same as his, but different at the same time. It was an all-encasing armor, but its color was different. Red visor, black and gray all over, the vibe was completely different.
Ruby had been informed that this was designated as Orbital Drop Shock Trooper gear, a BDU to be more exact. Based on the name alone, it made her wonder. Being able to deploy troops from orbit?
We can't even leave the planet. She stared at her new helmet. Where do these guys come from?
Back to the BDU, this one was outfitted with equipment for sharpshooters and snipers. On the helmet in particular, there was an I/O mounted to help supplement a user and their sight mounted on their weapon. According to the specs on this one, it doubled as a NOD and Thermal. There was also functionality in conjunction with a AN/PEQ.
The armor was light, but in exchange, mobility and endurance wouldn't be sacrificed, which made sense; Ruby's role was to provide overwatch and accurate fire over long distance. If she had to move quickly, she could trust herself to do that.
The most interesting part of all of this was the armor's internal system. It was so weird to have a HUD with actual functionality in it. From tracking ammunition to motions sensors and the like,
Yang had received more heavy gear obviously meant to be able to withstand more damage. Not only that, but she was to become the team's grenadier as well, which meant her gear was prepped to hold as many explosives as possible.
In terms of extra electronics, the former brawler's armor was very naked, which was perfectly in the blonde's eyes. Less was more in her eyes.
The Master Chief has designated the armor as meant for combat engineers, meaning that in the near future, Xiao Long was going to be the team's explosive expert. She would have to learn explosives inside and out.
Let it be known that the elder daughter of Taiyang Xiao Long was never known to care about being book-smart, but even she was motivated to learn when it came to this particular subject.
In addition to kit additions and upgrades, they were switching weapons for their first target, which was a heavily-fortified location due to the heavy presence of Grimm.
The Master Chief was opting for a chaingun, which he designated as the M41 Light Anti-Aircraft weapon system. He was also making use of the M41 Jackhammer. Clearly, he was preparing to go in guns blazing.
Ruby was armed with her trusty SRS99D-S2 AM sniper. She was carrying extra rounds in order to provide sustained long-range fire. In fact, she was carrying so much for her main weapon that her sidearm ammunition was limited to three mags.
Yang was armed with the M319 Grenade Launcher and her favorite M90 Shotgun. Her pack and any pockets on her person was absolutely stuffed with ammo, with 40 mike-mikes being the priority this time around.
The mood between all of them was generally subdued, even for the sisters. They just knew that there was work to be done and that was the end of it.
The only one who clearly wasn't looking forward to what was to come was the cat faunus girl. For the most part, her presence was ignored except when it was necessary, that being meal times, occasional bathroom breaks, and light interrogations.
Whenever she was in earshot, conversation was kept to a bare minimum and their words carefully measured so as not to give away anything, not that she had the willpower to break away from them much less even be physically capable.
The Master Chief referred to her as either a prisoner or simply by her last name. He was the most respectful of the team.
Ruby simply called her the faunus. Calling her by her sex could potentially get confusing because there was herself and her sister.
Yang was the most insulting, calling her by her faunus species or any other variation of insults that was completely unnecessary.
The general outline of hitting each location was simple: Belladonna would act as the decoy and distraction while the three of them rapidly made preparations to assault. Generally, in order to make swift progress, hard hit-and-run tactics were in full swing. In order to maintain overwatch on their POW, Ruby would act as sniper and observer. She had orders to shoot her should she attempt to do anything that went against what she was told to do. Killing was a last option, but if they had to, her body could be used as an example to the rest of the White Fang, an extremely heavy-handed method, but a viable one nonetheless.
Speaking of the cat faunus, she was currently facing the Chief, tied up and secured against the central flagpole. The time was now to make sure that the raven-haired girl understood exactly the position she was in.
Ruby continued to check her weapon while glancing from her peripheral view. Yang was more shameless in her staring of the conversation.
"Am I going to die?" Her voice was so small and pathetic.
His response was deep and overwhelming. "That depends entirely on you."
Silence for ten seconds.
"You will be traveling with us for the foreseeable future. You are going to help us destroy every single location that the White Fang has established." The Master Chief left no room for negotiation. "And we will wipe them from the face of the planet."
To make sure that the cat girl couldn't avoid him, he her by the chin with his right arm, compelling her to face him eye-to-visor.
Even kneeling, his physical presence was staggering. "You will be given your weapons and equipment and you will infiltrate these camps preemptively. You will find the leaders and you will kill them quietly. Then we will assault the location and kill everyone else who remains."
"...all of them?" Belladonna's question was a near whisper.
The green-armored man was silent in response.
It looked like the girl was about ready to start sobbing.
"In exchange for helping us eradicate the White Fang's presence in Vale, your life will be spared and when our mission is complete, you will be turned over to Vale law enforcement." Chief leaned in closer. "However, should you do anything that goes against my instructions, should you try to warn your fellow terrorists, or should you act in any way that is perceived as suspicious by myself or my team, I will personally see to your death and your corpse will be shown as an example to those who have any considerations for joining the White Fang."
With no will to fight back or any sort of rebellious spirit to counter his words of promise, the raven-haired girl could only nod. There was fear in her eyes, clear as water, but it looked like she understood logically as well.
Once that interaction was done, Belladonna was given food. Nobody else talked to her, not that anyone on the team wanted to get acquainted with someone that was going to end up either dead or behind bars, maybe even both.
In the past, Ruby would've given sympathy to the faunus. She probably would've asked for her life story in order to understand where she was coming from. That would've been the morally right thing to do.
Instead, the sniper felt indifference towards the cat girl. It didn't matter if she had the biggest sob story on Remnant. The fact of the matter was that she was a terrorist by choice. She knew what she was doing.
Still, it was a shame. In the service of someone other than terrorists, she might've become something much greater than what she was right now. She wanted to change the relationship between her race and the human race. Another time, she might've been able to do just that.
But debating the 'what-if's' was an exercise in futility.
We all have to live with the consequences of our actions, good or bad. Ruby mused to herself. We can lie to ourselves all we want, but we still gotta live with it.
An uncomfortable feeling in the silver-eyed girl's body began to set it. All of this philosophical thinking was making her mind work too much.
She needed to push all of that aside.
RWBY - - - Halo
0857 Hours, October 11, 2557 (Military Calendar) / Unknown System, Planet Remnant, Continent of Sanas
"Alpha team, this is Alpha 1-1. Radio check, how copy?"
"This is Alpha 1-2. Good copy, over."
"Alpha 1-3, Afirm, out."
Yang was honestly looking forward to finally being able to break loose with these new weapons. It had been a minute since she had seen actual combat and the more she saw the Chief and Ruby get their fill, she felt kind of angry she was being left out.
Well now she was about to get her chance. Since Ruby's role was split between sniper overwatch and POW surveillance, it fell to the now-grenadier to pick up the slack, a job that she was more than willing to fill in for.
The weird part about her excitement was that it was amplified to such a degree that she had never felt before. Sure, she had always had a penchant for violence and combat was what she lived and breathed for, but this time it was different. She loved to fight, but she was never one to cross moral lines or boundaries. She had come close several times, but all those times, she was lucky enough to reign in her temper.
Yang could only say that she was motivated for this mission. Even with the reality of violence and death against other people, she wasn't the least bit deterred. If anything, the visceral and frank reality of what she was about to do fueled her in a way that she had never felt before. There was no hesitation, no doubt, just acceptance.
I wonder if I get that from Raven. The blonde almost laughed to herself. I've never known dad to be like I am now.
From her position, she carefully concealed herself against an outcrop of rocks, which was similar in color to the armor that she now wore. The color aside, it was actually pretty cool. It had these cool bells and whistles. She could see just as well as a faunus with night vision, and yes she was aware that not all faunus had outstanding night vision.
Truthfully, Yang had a sliver of doubt about whether or not the kitty cat would actually do her part. Then again, she didn't know the feeling of absolute fear that could paralyze someone's ability to perform simple actions. It sounded to her like the prisoner was weak of self, didn't know what to do without guidance.
Whatever her brain damage, it's not my problem. At the end of the day, it's on her whether or not she wants to live or die.
The old Yang would've balked at the callous disregard for another life. However carefree she was in the past, she was never so unaware as to ignore someone in need of help. Now, the grenadier couldn't even be bothered to give even an ounce of care to someone who was probably suffering in ways she could only imagine.
From her place of concealment, she carefully tracked Belladonna walking through the camp. From the look of things, the camp was curious why she was here. It looked like the girl had a name and reputation that was almost as infamous as Taurus. She was being given an escort and everything.
Bet daddy dearest called her his princess every day, said she could have anything she wanted. Yang scoffed lightly. I've had to work my entire life for what I have.
A few moments later, the group entered a tent. There were a few moments of silence. With the naked eye, the explosive enthusiast couldn't see what was going on inside. Still, with her helmet's VISR system, she was at least able to track movement from within.
A moment later, the sound of gunfire erupted, which instantly prompted Yang to take aim with her M319, pull the trigger, and watch for a moment. The explosive impacted nearby two grunts, a cloud of mist and dirt as well as what appeared to be a slight mist of red. Once she confirmed her hit, she began reaching for another 40 mike-mike.
"Boom." She loaded her next HEDP round. "Yeah, be good terrorists and stay the fuck there."
Again, another round was discharged, followed by a couple seconds of silence, then another audible boom. This time, she didn't hit anyone, but now everyone in the camp was scattering around, trying to figure out where the fire was coming from.
Then she heard something different. It was weapons fire, that much she could tell, but it didn't sound like the MA5C… or was it MA5D? Whatever its designation, that automatic fire was clearly not what she was used to.
Must be the chaingun. Yang could see the White Fang scattering, some instantly cut down. Poor dogs, never stood a chance.
The Master Chief's voice sounded on the coms. "1-3, this is 1-1, prepare to assault the objective, how copy?"
"1-3 to 1-1, ready to move, over." She replied back.
Her radio chatter wasn't too shabby. A little more work and she might actually be a decent RTO.
Yang quickly jammed another round into the weapon before firing it quickly, this time hitting one more foot mobile. Whoever it was did not get back up.
After reloading once again, sheadjusted her weight so that she could be ready to bolt forward when she was given the order. Her finger had left the trigger well, but she kept the weapon on fire. If the 40 mike-mike went off, well that was tough.
She began to feel how many rounds she had left.
Thirteen total. Yang also remembered something else. Four frags.
And there was also her shotgun. She might want to switch to that soon given that she was about to do a head-on attack,
"1-3, move up and assault." He issued the command.
Guess she was waiting until she got up close. "1-3, moving!"
She bolted into a speed between running and sprinting. Although she wasn't fast, at least not when compared to her sister, she could cover a good distance fairly quickly. With aura helping her a little bit, she managed to cover a couple hundred meters in less than ten seconds.
A few rounds whizzed past her, close enough that she could hear the hissing as they passed by her.
"Gods dammit!" Yang weaved to her left, then quickly fired another 40 mike-mike. "Fucking shoot at me, I'll fuck y'all up!"
She didn't stop to see the result of her shot, merely got behind a large rock, quickly loaded another HEDP, then continued to push.
According to their initial recon of the place, there were three entrances to this place. Two were obvious, one was a panic route in the event of an emergency evacuation. The hidden entrance was concealed by some rocks and other small shrubbery in the mountainous terrain, facing towards the southeast, which was the direction that roughly went down the mountain.
If not for the recon they had done the day before, it would've been relatively hard to find on the spot.
The grenadier took a knee by the hatch, ready to open it.
Then a head popped through.
One male faunus wearing the White Fang's mask.
Yang used the butt stock of her weapon to whip the guy, causing him to lose his grip and tumble down the hole he had just climbed up from. She put her M319 to the side, grabbed one of her frags, quickly swiped the safety clip of, pulled the safety pin out, took one last look down the hold and simply dropped the explosive. Then she closed the hatch and jumped a few meters to the side.
The ground beneath her feet moved for a second. Even underground, she could feel the shockwave very clearly.
She took one look at her handiwork. Smoke and steam were rising from the closed entrance.
Using the opportunity, she retrieved the shotgun on her back and slung her grenade launcher. Racking the pump-action weapon, she inspected the chamber, making sure her close-quarters baby was loaded.
"Rock in hell!" Yang shouted to no one in particular.
The back entrance was around the corner and about another fifty meters. With her weapon up, she quickly made her way to her next attack point.
"1-1, this is 1-3, preparing to breach reach entrance." Yang keyed into the coms. "Be advised, emergency entrance might have more dudes coming out. Just schwacked one on the way in."
The Master Chief sounded off. "Acknowledged. 1-2, make sure nobody escapes within 100 meters of the compound."
"This is 1-1, on the hunt." Ruby didn't hesitate.
Yang tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge for her. "Fuck. Guess we're doing this the hard way."
Stepping at a 45-degree angle away from the hinges, she took aim and fired at the hinges. She moved to the edge of the frame, prepared another frag, mule-kicked the door in, then tossed the grenade.
"FRAG OUT!" Just in case the Chief was nearby, she shouted.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
A loud bang and a shockwave.
Yang held her M90 at the ready and began her breach.
Not even five meters inside and she found a silhouette to fire at.
One shot.
One kill.
Halo - - - RWBY
0912 Hours
Blake felt so sick of herself. She thought herself better than this, selling out her White Fang brothers and sisters, but as she had been proving to herself these past few days, her own life mattered more than those that she had a sword to fight and die with.
What made her feel guilt even more was that when she tried to warn her fellow faunus of their impending deaths, she could only imagine what would happen if she refused to comply with her captors. Even if she did warn everyone here, they would all die one way or another. She didn't doubt that the armored giant and his followers could accomplish that much. Adam was dead, after all.
If she tried to save any of the White Fang, they would all die. If she did as she was told to do, maybe there would be wounded for her to save. Maybe it won't be the end for everyone here. That's what she tried to tell herself.
So she pulled the trigger on the leader of this camp, Azure Morgan. The woman was known to be firm, but fair, a competent leader who had seen her people through many raids. Anyone under her had nothing but good things to say about her.
The moment that Blake pulled that trigger and sprayed her magazine to ensure the kill, the faunus in the tent instantly were on her, ready to tear her a new one. Not even a meter outside, then the explosions outside began reigning down hell, followed by heavy machine gun rounds. She had been forgotten in the chaos. They too were trying to preserve their lives and the lives of their sworn brothers and sisters.
None of that mattered. The golden-eyed girl collapsed to the ground, paralyzed and unable to do anything except curl into a bawl and try to drown out the sounds of screaming and explosions and weapons discharging.
Make it stop.
Make it stop
Make it stop!
Blake covered her head with her arms, shut her eyes tight, but no matter how much she tried to shut it all out, she could still hear what was going on.
MAKE IT STOP!
MAKE IT STOP!
MAKE IT STOP!
Her existence was all but forgotten in the chaos and death that was going on around her, not that anyone would stop to help the traitor who had brought this on them.
I'M SORRY!
I'M SORRY!
I'M SORRY!
She wasn't even sure what she was apologizing for, but her mind just conjured them up. Perhaps if she said it enough, she could survive this.
How long had it been since she began the assault?
She had no idea.
Where was she?
She didn't know that.
What was going on?
Hell if she knew.
Blake wasn't conscious of anything around her. She was barely able to comprehend herself.
Someone please… save me…
"Found her." A voice somewhere nearby. "Look at her, curled up in a ball like the cat she is. Fucking weak."
Another voice. "Is she injured?"
"Just shaken up, looks like. Hey, get the fuck up, kitty cat. Stop cowering in the dirt like the shitbag you are!"
She wouldn't budge
"I'll deal with this. Make sure we got them all."
"Too easy, Chief."
There was quiet for a moment.
Then she felt something grasping her shoulders, forcing her to sit in an upright position.
"Belladonna, look at me."
That was her family name.
Belladonna.
"Belladonna, look at me."
Blake's eyes opened and she tried to trace the voice back to the person.
It was the giant man. His left hand remained on her shoulder, but his right hand moved to her upper arm.
"I'm squeezing your arm right now. Squeeze mine."
That authoritative and confident voice told her to do something.
She responded by embracing his right arm with her left hand, squeezing it exactly as instructed.
"Good, now listen to me. You did your job, you're out of danger. You're my POW and you have my protection."
It was the closest thing to a guarantee that she would stay alive and for her in this moment, it was good enough.
His grip remained steady. "Stay with me. What kingdom are we closest to right now?"
Her uneven breathing and her mind was still jumbled, but she felt like she could try to answer. "We're…we're…"
"What kingdom are we closest to?" He repeated the question louder.
A thought came to mind for her. "V-Vale."
"What is the huntsman academy within Vale?"
"...Bea-Bea-Beacon Academy."
"Who is the headmaster of Beacon Academy?"
"...Professor Ozpin!"
A moment of silence.
"Here's the situation. My team just assaulted this base with your help. The base is currently under our control and we're sweeping for stragglers. We need to clear everything here before we move on. Do you understand?"
Blake nodded her head. She understood.
She found her weapon handed to her roughly. "Secure these to your person and scan for survivors. If you see anyone still alive, make a clean kill."
The Master Chief offered a hand to her.
She took it and she felt her legs engage, allowing her to stand upright without any assistance.
"Xiao Long, keep an eye on her."
"I got you, Chief."
With some semblance of control of her mind, Blake began to carry out the task given to her. She didn't even stop to think about it, merely executed.
It didn't take long to find a wounded White Fang member, groaning and clutching at his now-severed left leg. She subconsciously reloaded her SMG and walked up to the downed man in agony.
The two of them locked eyes.
"Traitor." He whispered with fire. "Adam will have your head for this."
Blake took aim with her weapon. "Adam won't be saving you. He won't be saving any of us."
She fired.
His suffering came to an end.
She didn't stop to mourn, feel guilt, or express any emotion.
She moved on.
I swear to god, this year is MUCH busier than last year. Training density is a real pain in the ass, but I persisted. I got this chapter out and I'm satisfied with the quality of it.
So I'm sure this comes as no surprise to anyone, but Blake is being warped without realizing it. Writing this out was fun, but also challenging. I can't personally say that I've ever exerienced anything like I wrote, merely heard it from someone who has experienced it. Also, bits and pieces of my training from normal field and EIB/ESB.
Thoughts on this chapter? Reviews and feedback are appreciated.
As always, my thanks for taking the time to read this chapter.
"In the over two centuries since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, millions of Americans have bravely served our nation in uniform so that all generations can continue to enjoy those same liberties."
Doc Hastings
May our fallen service members' sacrifices never be in vain.