The fire was withering as Scott, and I charged down the long alleyway, broken only by the world-shaking impacts of cannon fire from the T90, and the detonation of RPGs.

I lapped Scott, taking the lead and sidling up to the edge of the street peeking out. The T90 was just ahead of the intersection; we'd come out behind it…infantry covered every angle; there was no way we'd be able to get close enough to do any real damage. I shook my head at Scott, and he keyed his radio.

"Actual, Two, we are South of your position, adjacent to enemy armor, we have no anti-armor capability, please advise."

…

Scott's eyes went wide, and all the color ran out of his face. "She did WHAT?!…Understood!" He grabbed my shoulder and shoved me away from the intersection, "RUN!"

Something about his tone scared the shit out of me, so I didn't question; I just ran. I didn't dare look back, desperate to outrun what had dragged that much fear out of Scott.

I heard it then; it thrilled and scared the shit out of me in the same breath, coming from somewhere high above us.

Boom!

I ran faster.

Boom!

With a screech like ripping metal, both '105 rounds impacted within seconds of each other, blowing the intersection and the bad guys away like so many leaves on a fall breeze… The shockwave rolled over me, throwing me to the ground; I caught sky, dirt, and sky again as I tumbled.

The wind thoroughly knocked out of me; I just laid there for a long moment, staring at the sky; it reminded me of lounging on the deck of the 'Lagoon after a job well done, Revy tanning and Rock trying his best to look anywhere but at her.

Peaceful.

Until the AC-130 flew by, it's big engines roaring, lazily arcing uphill, and Scott grabbed my vest, filling my vision.

"You alright?" He shouted, and even then, he was muffled.

Tinnitus, here I come.

I nodded, snapping my fingers next to my ears and shaking my head; he pulled me to my feet.

"Rasp called in a favor!" He yelled with a grin, "C'mon, we've gotta make the RV!"

We started jogging, and I retched from post-blast nausea; we'd been too fucking close…again…

"Actual, closing on the RV, no contact."

…

"Understood, see you there…Briggs?"

I glanced over at him, trying to ignore the pain in my leg and face, and everywhere else, my hearing had come back to somewhere near normal.

"Yeah *huff* Scott? What's up?"

"We've got a ride coming to bring us back to Valentine; the contractors are falling back, Triads and Hotel Moscow are filling the gaps, we've got 'em on the run!" His smile was million-watt.

I grinned breathlessly, mad relief flooding through me, even as a small voice whispered that it couldn't possibly be that easy.

Two blocks down, a Land Rover came flying out of an alley, the back door coming open as the big vehicle skidded to a stop, Dave's soot-covered face grinned at us, Kelly rode shotgun, and Tucker had the wheel.

"Heard you boys needed a ride!" Kelly shouted.

"Fucker," I muttered, laughing as we closed the distance and jumped in; Dave passed Scott, and I bottles of water.

Dave slapped in my broken plates, "Glad you're alive, kid!"

I spun the top off and killed half the bottle in one go, "Me too, where'd the fucking 'Spooky' come from?"

"Blackwater pulled some strings, big ones."

I finished the rest of the bottle, "Well, she saved all our asses, what's the move?"

Dave leaned back in his seat as we pulled away, "We regroup at Valentine, let the 'Spectre' do its job, once it's done, we move in and wipe these assholes off the map."

"Sounds about right," Kelly added over his shoulder.

I lit a smoke, offering one to Scott, who took one and nodded his thanks.

I finally allowed myself to relax, the last few hours had taken their toll, and as the sun slowly set behind the smoke-filled horizon, it hit me that we'd all but won.

Roanapur was about to be safe again…

Well…as safe as Roanapur could get.

The thought brought a smile to my face as I leaned back and closed my eyes…

"HOLY FUCK" Somebody shouted, and my eyes snapped open; Kelly was looking off to our right, where the AC-130 was making another pass…

Corkscrew trails were heading straight for our savior, the big bird dumping flares… but the missiles just kept on going, blowing through the superheated phalanx and slamming into the side of the aircraft in an explosion that I could feel miles away.

"Oh my god…" I whispered, watching in horror as the now stricken bird listed, one wing breaking free before it crashed into the jungle, sending burning fuel and debris over a mile of triple canopy.

Kelly was the first to gather himself, "Tuck, get us back to Valentine, NOW!" He keyed his mic, "Rabbit, be ready to move; we just lost our air!"

I felt Tucker hit the gas, the big knobby tires eating up the distance between the Church and us.

"Someone get eyes on where that trail came from!" Kelly ordered.

"On it," I answered, spinning in my seat, using my rifle scope to backtrack the fading smoke trail, leading me right to the edge of the port; two big S300 launchers sat there silently, their job done.

"S300s, two launchers!"

"Fuck!" Kelly growled, "How did nobody see them!?"

I panned further towards the port, something pulling my gaze. My heart stopped when I saw the bustling activity. I grabbed Dave's radio without thinking, ripping it off his vest in what amounted to blind panic.

"Break break! Valentine, Whiplash, be advised, the bird is down, and hostile forces are setting up rocket artillery on the docks at Grid: Kilo Two-Six, how copy?"

…Then they started firing, and my blood froze, streaks of rockets, too many to count.

Some of them were heading straight for the church.

"VALENTINE! INCOMING! GET COVER!" I screamed into the boom mic.

Seconds later, the rockets impacted and blew the Rip-Off church to pieces.

Fireballs spread across "August," hammering our guys, but my eyes were fixed on the collapsing bell-tower, the shattering walls, and the marble turning to dust in a flash.

"NO! FUCK! NO!"

I was shoving past Dave, about to open the door, when hands grabbed me, holding me down.

"NO EDA NO! LET ME GO, YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!"

Tears were pouring down my face, tears of rage, tears of the most unbearable sadness, and I was back on that snowy road, watching my family die.

I felt the Rover start to turn; I didn't stop fighting them, I couldn't… my eyes fixed on the inferno as we bounced up the road in time for another salvo to smash into our positions. Sending plumes of smoke and shockwaves into the sky.

The rig skidded to a stop, and I was out and moving; my rifle fell to the ground as I ran, utterly forgotten.

She was all that mattered, not my life, not the fact that the city was going to fall, none of it.

I had to get to her!

"EDA!" I screamed into the blaze, ignoring the heat that scorched my skin, raising blisters on my exposed arms…

I would've made it into the wreckage if someone hadn't crashed into my hips like a linebacker, taking me to the ground and holding me there.

"Zack, she's gone, she's gone man, I'm sorry, we gotta go, now!"

"NO, DAVE, LET ME GO, YOU MOTHERFUCKER! EDA! EDA!"

More hands grabbed me, pulling me back into the rig as I screamed and raged.

"HEY!" Kelly got right in my face, "YOU NEED TO LOCK IT UP! THEY'RE COMING!"

My world was coming down around me, the hole in my chest was deep and all-consuming, and she'sgoneohmyfuckingGOD…

Something snapped.

I felt it break.

Whether it was my heart, or the last thing tying me to a world that seemed dead set on taking everything from me, I couldn't tell you.

It wasn't cold; it wasn't rage, it wasn't even sadness that rushed in.

It was…nothing.

I stared up into Kelly's eyes, and I saw hell reflected there.

"Let me go." My voice didn't sound like mine.

Nobody moved.

"Let me go," I repeated.

Kelly looked at me for a long moment, "Let him up, guys."

I pushed my way past them, away from the rig, scooping my rifle off the ground with fingers that felt disjointed, like they were someone else's.

"Zack?"

Dave.

I started walking, down the hill, towards them.

"Zack!?"

I didn't answer; I just kept walking deeper into hell.

Alone.

The knife whispered out of its sheath, a hand clapped over his mouth, and the blade slammed into his kidney twice before looping in a high arc that terminated with a soft smack, the serrated steel buried in his chest. I held him close, twisting the knife until he stopped moving, letting him fall to the dirt.

One.

He never saw it coming; he'd been having a smoke, laughing with his friends.

Laughing right up until I shot him in the head, the soft pop, almost muffled by a passing truck, was lost on everyone but his buddies, hard to ignore brains all over your face.

Two shots apiece blew their heads open.

Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen.

I drifted among them like a ghost, cutting them apart where they thought they were safe, darkness had fallen, and I was their personal nightmare come to visit.

A young kid stared into a campfire; I slapped him in the side of the head and buried my knife to the hilt in between his ribs, shock set in quick as I twisted the blade, pulling it out and ramming it back in, feeling his heartbeat in the haft as it destroyed itself on the razor-sharp blade. He grabbed at me weakly, and I angled the knife so he'd slide off; he did a moment later, collapsing in a sobbing, gasping heap.

Twenty-five.

They knew I was here now, but it didn't matter.

I sliced the corner, snapping my rifle to my shoulder, two men hit me with a flashlight, and I responded with three rounds apiece, their bloodied, almost headless corpses dropping to the ground.

Thirty-one and two.

I stepped over them and kept moving.

So much work to do...

The rockets fired again, closer now.

A clatter of automatic fire somewhere.

Someone was humming an old song.

Someone else was screaming.

The knife flashed, drawing a bloody gurgle through a shredded windpipe.

The rifle bucked in my hands, and someone called for their mother in weak Russian before it bucked again.

Silence.

But there was more to be had, more sounds of fear, of pain.

"Zack?"

The rifle snapped up, and nickel-plated steel mirrored it.

"Boy Scout… you want to point that somewhere else."

This target had a name.

Revy.

Like waking from a dream, she resolved in front of me, both barrels pointed at my face, eyes hard, fingers tightening.

My muscles relaxed, the rifle falling to snap at the end of the sling, the world swam back into focus, and with it, a pain that threatened to bring me to my knees.

"Revy?…"

She kept her guns on me, "Yeah, Dutch sent me to look for you; the spooks said you left after the church blew… Been busy, huh?"

I nodded numbly; a gritty feeling on my face told me I was absolutely covered in someone else's blood. I reached up and wiped my eyes, my black gloves coming away wet. I looked around; somehow, I'd made it almost to the docks, the darkened alleyway was only a few blocks out.

"I…I don't…"

Revy lowered her Berettas; she looked almost sad…"Yeah…C'mon Briggs, we need to get to Sis's territory, they're holding out with Chang, but we don't know how long they can keep it up."

"Rev'…I…"

"We can deal with your little freakout later; we gotta move… now."

I followed her; the tears wouldn't even fall, hollow and dead… I wish they'd killed me too.

We pushed together, I tried to keep myself in one piece, but the cracks at the edges were letting it all in and FUCK…

I shook my head, clearing the corner; Revy went left.

"Clear," I muttered, not trusting myself to speak any louder.

The streets were quiet; all the fire was ahead, up the hill, I could see explosions and tracers making their way back and forth. Behind us, another volley of rockets launched…

I stopped dead, the fire rising inside me as I watched the smoke trails.

"Revy, I can't leave."

Sofiya was up there, my whole world was up there, friends, family…Eda was gone… but they still needed me….

"The fuck are you talking about?" She growled.

I felt life flowing back into me… Eda wouldn't want me to run…I could hear her even now, adding to the chorus of voices in my head.

You're a goddamn warrior… act like it.

I owed her my last full measure.

Choking back the tears, I let the steel back into my voice, "I'm talking about taking those launchers," I pointed back the way we came, "I'm talking about ending this. 'Spooky' took care of the armor; without their artillery, they've got nothing. I don't know if anyone's caught up with the Delta QRF, but if we could get them here, we could push behind the contractors, punch a hole in their line, and rally with our guys. You got a phone?"

She reached into a pocket and tossed me a battered cell; I'd memorized the number after the brief, a voice answered a moment later.

"Hello?"

"Word of the day is Horseshoe, I say again, Horseshoe. I authenticate Sierra Oscar Golf, Whiskey… This is Whiplash Four; I'm activating the QRF if not otherwise engaged." I gave him my coordinates, "Consolidate on that position, OGA is moving to deal with the launchers; once they're down, we'll RV and push up the hill to 'August.' How copy?"

"Understood, callsign for the op is 'Raven.' Moving now, will advise."

I killed the call and tossed Revy the phone.

"Briggs?"

I glanced up at her, she…she didn't look concerned, I don't know that she knew how, but she definitely looked less angry.

"Yeah, Rev'?"

"You know I'm not letting you go alone, right?"

I smiled tearfully, "Yeah, Rev', thank you, man."

She gave me a cocky grin, "Maybe I'll leave you a couple."

I couldn't help but smile at my friend as she pushed past me, socking me in the shoulder as she went.

"C'mon, Boy Scout, killing time."

Three rounds took the sentry high, under his helmet, I dropped to a knee canting my rifle to avoid a wild butt stroke and shot his buddy twice in the throat, obscene gagging followed him to the ground, the barrel dropped, and I fired again.

Silence.

I waved over my shoulder, and Revy ran past me, two blocks away from the launchers now; they'd recklessly thrown every man they had at taking the hill, leaving a skeleton crew to guard their egress.

Either they were incompetent or so angry that their judgment was off.

Now it was time to make them pay.

"CONTACT!" Somebody screamed.

I could hear Revy laughing as she cut them down; I kept my rifle pinned to my shoulder, hitting them hard.

Guys screamed and died, rounds snapped past us, and still, we came, inexorable.

I skidded into cover, rotating magazines as Revy ran past me, dodging and weaving as she fired, taking down three more guys in a hail of bullets. I popped over the barricade and banged five rounds into a guy lining up on her; she'd dropped to a knee, an RPG on her shoulder, and a mad grin on her face, sighting on the rocket stockpile a hundred-yards ahead of us.

Where the fuck did she get that?

I didn't have too long to think about it before she fired, the shockwave knocked dust from buildings, an almost biblical looking wave of it stretched down the street, chasing the rocket; I ran for Revy, tackling her into one of the small storefronts an instant before detonation. The explosion when it impacted was nothing short of apocalyptic, shattering every window for a mile; the fireball rushed past, blistering the side of my face as I shielded her.

My ears were ringing as I rolled off the gunfighter, hacking and spitting blood on the dusty floor, my nose bloody from the overpressure.

"Was it good for you?" She rasped out; I could hear the toothy grin in her voice.

"You're a fucking menace." I groaned, pushing myself to my feet and offering her a hand, "C'mon, gotta rally up with Delta."

She waved me off and popped off the floor.

"With you, Boy Scout…and listen, I saw you and the nun before we left…I'm sorry, she was kinda my friend too."

I nodded, sniffing, "Yeah, thanks… Let's go."

We stepped back into the street, not bothering to check corners; there was no need, the docks were flattened…fires burning, buildings reduced to frag, the entire rocket battery, including the S300s, were sinking to the bottom of the bay.

Revy grinned toothily, spreading her arms wide.

"Do I do good work or what?"

She shot me a wink.

I realized right then that she was trying to keep my mind off it, trying to cheer me up in her own twisted way. I'd gone off the fucking rez,' and the hole in my heart would never mend, but here Revy was, in the middle of hell, trying to get me to smile.

I kinda loved her for it.

So I let her and chuckled, "Yeah, Rev' you're a fucking rockstar."

"Fuckin' A right I am. Let's go meet the other boy scouts and kill these pricks."

I nodded, and she fell in next to me, socking me in the shoulder again. I went for it as we started jogging back to the RV.

"We weren't just friends; she was my best friend, we've known each other for about seven years; she was the one who brought me into the fold. I know you know how I was when I got here. Just dead, cut off from the world, and more than a little crazy. Eda…" My voice cracked hard…

"Eda pulled me back from the brink, more than once. Now she's fucking gone, and I'm still alive, no equity there."

Revy kept her pace with me, side-eyeing me as we lapped the first mile.

"Would she want you going backward?"

I shook my head, "No, which is one of the only reasons I'm still here…her memory and Sofiya."

"Sofiya?"

I kept my eyes on the corners now; we were getting close.

"Balalaika."

"When the fuck did the first name basis happen?"

"Right about the time I told her I was in love with her."

Revy stopped for a second before racing to catch up.

"You told Sis you loved her?"

"Well, it was more of a mutual thing, after I got rolled up by the Colombians, just before I went MIA."

"Holy shit," she cleared her throat, "Kudos on living through that shit."

I sliced a corner, "Right? Clear up, let's move."

I stayed out front as we moved down the street; without my NODs, I was almost useless. But I still saw the figures waiting for us around the square, their guns coming up as we approached.

"Identify yourselves!" Someone called out.

"Whiplash!" I called back, taking a knee, Revy following suit.

"Come ahead."

I slowly stood up, keeping my hands away from my weapon; the D-boys weren't fucking around. They'd drop us if they thought we were a threat.

The guy who'd spoken peeled out of the perimeter and walked up to us.

"You OGA?"

I nodded, "Yeah, you 'Raven?'"

"That's us, are you wounded?" He pointed to the blood smeared all over me.

I shook my head, "No, I'm good to go, just got in the middle of it."

He nodded, "Fair enough, lost your NODs, huh?"

"Yeah, fucking T90 blasted my shit."

"We've got spare gear, Mick?"

"Mick" jogged up, "Yeah, boss?"

"Need a spare set of NODs for the spook."

The newcomer dug in his ruck, passing me a carbon helmet and a set of BNVDs, sliding the rig together and pulling it onto my head felt good, some sense of normalcy returning, I adjusted everything and dropped the NODs, painting the world blue-white.

It hit me that I'd be useless in a fight, "Shit, I've got no IR."

"Gotcha covered," Mick answered, tossing me a MAWL; I ditched the broken PEQ in a pocket and slid the more compact IR laser onto my rifle, making sure I could get at the switch in a pinch.

"Perfect, thanks, man."

"Anytime, OGA."

The ranking dude spoke up, holding out his hand, "Call me Midas."

We shook. "Briggs. This is Ms. Lee, my consultant, she answers to me only."

"Fuckin' maybe." Revy scoffed.

I rolled my eyes under the NODs, "Sometimes. You guys ready to roll?"

Midas nodded, smiling evilly, "Yeah, brought a whole shitload of toys to play with, let's go kill some Russians."

I grinned back; I was sure that later, I'd have the fucking breakdown that was lingering at the edges, but right now?

Payback.

"On me then, let's get it done."

The run-up the hill with seven full Delta teams at my back is something I'll never forget… we moved like liquid, flowing over everything and clearing any supporting units before they could radio for help, jamming their comms and killing them so fast they had no time to react. It was systematic and brutal.

They deserved worse.

D-boys had brought "Hatchet" Drones, small prop jobs that could help us ID units that slipped the net. We moved in a line abreast, killing them where we found them until, finally, we reached August, stopping five hundred yards behind the line where guns barked, and explosions rocked the last bastion of Triad and Hotel Forces in the city. The decision was made to split the elements, flanking to consolidate with the boys.

Revy refused to let me out of her sight as we moved slowly through the Napier grass, drilling a hole through the rear of their line, one bullet at a time. I was beyond grateful for her; Rock would be a lucky man, loyalty like that, if we lived and if he found the sack to pull the trigger.

"Briggs?"

I glanced over at Midas, more watching the tracers crisscrossing overhead than him.

"Yeah?"

"This is ugly no matter how you slice it. Can you get in touch with anyone on the other side?"

"Just get me comms and hope they haven't changed any frequencies."

He passed me the MBITR; I plugged it into my headset and spun the knob, getting back on Whiplash's freq.

Voices exploded out of the static.

"Scotty hit that asshole on the right!"

"RPG! RPG!"

I took a breath, "Break! Break! Break! This is Whiplash Four to any Whiplash elements, be advised, Four is towing 'Raven,' Delta QRF, we are to your direct front across the field, ready to hit targets on your word."

Kelly's voice answered, "Briggs? Fuck, thought we'd lost you. Listen, you need to get here quick."

Something in his voice sounded off, but I shelved it; we had bigger fish to fry.

"Understood, bringing the party your way, where do you need us?"

"KPV left flank; cocksucker's been shredding the Hotel boys, much obliged if you'd cut his fucking head off for us."

"Can do will do; Four is moving to deal with your target, will advise."

"Lima Charlie, Briggs, get his ass; we're wearing thin here."

"On it, out."

I handed the radio back to Midas, "Catch all that?"

He nodded and spoke into his own mic, " Badger, Ace, push right, target that KPV, and rock his fucking world if you please."

I could hear the thumping 14.5-millimeter reports before it stopped abruptly, the two Delta snipers killing the crew before they could cry out. I could see the IR lasers from the contractors spinning wildly, looking for who'd dropped the KPV.

I keyed up, "Actual, your target is down, coming to you, expect friendlies." I let go of the PTT and glanced at Midas, "We gotta push through, link up with my team and the Partner Force."

Midas nodded, "Gonna have to do it at a run."

I nodded, "A fucking sprint."

He keyed up, "Alright boys, everyone push, get to the defensive line, see you there." He let the PTT go and took a breath, "On your lead, CIA."

I took off at a dead run, Revy right on my ass the whole way and the D-boys flanking us; we crashed through the grass and almost stepped on a group of contractors…. One of them looked up at me, wide-eyed, someone screamed in Russian, and I emptied half the mag into him, Revy shot two in the head, and Midas muzzle thumped one in the chest, his ribs cracking audibly, before walking rounds from his sternum to his face.

We barely slowed down, sprinting through the undergrowth; they were in disarray as we pushed, still firing on the defenders, and now trying to kill us as well, an RPG skipped off the ground and flew east, hopefully detonating harmlessly. A PKP chattered, rounds shredding the grass and small trees, pelting us with branches and wooden shrapnel as we ran. A Delta operator on my right took three rounds to his plates, pitching forward and down the embankment that paralleled the field.

I skidded to a stop, calling out to Midas, "I got him! GO!" He nodded, and I jumped down after the stricken operator, tracers snapping over my head.

"Fuck!" He groaned, "Ah… fuck…"

I was all over him, sliding my hand under his plate carrier, coming away wet with blood.

"It's nothing, man; it's nothing. I got you." I pulled my small medical kit and got to work. Revy landed next to me, covering, as I worked on him.

"Fuck, that hurts, can't breathe…"

"I know, man, I know."

I sliced off his carrier and moved to his shirt, pulling it away from his skin before cutting it open; two neat holes on the right side of his chest greeted me.

Fuck.

The world blurred out as I worked the problem.

Collapsing lung, arterial involvement possible…

I didn't have the tools in my tiny first aid kit.

I had to get him out of here.

"Rev', I gotta move him; he's gonna bleed out," I whispered.

She nodded, and I slipped my rifle off my shoulder, handing it to her.

"Let's go."

I grabbed him under his arms, ignoring the weak cry of pain, and slung him across my shoulders. A quick glance and a nod from Revy, and we pushed off, running for the edge of the field. We finally cleared it long moments later, tracers nipping at our heels, the sandbagged entrance to the Hotel only a few yards to our front, muzzle flashes seemed to be coming from every window.

Rifles snapped our way.

"BLUE! BLUE!" I yelled as loud as I could, hoping the reunion wouldn't be a short one.

Nobody fired as I hurdled the sandbag emplacement, sliding across the marble floor, dumping my patient and a good portion of my gear, rounds cracking the air around me, Revy vaulted over, rolling cat-like before coming to her feet and firing back out the door.

"C'MON, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLES!"

I dumped the rest of my gear, scrambling over to the D-boy, "MEDIC!"

Someone was at my side in a flash, Dima, he'd been a medic back in the day, and he had a full field surgical kit under his arm, "I've got him!"

I nodded, picking myself up off the floor, grabbing a Hotel runner, Anatoly, who broke his arm a lifetime ago in a brawl, hadn't even flinched when I'd set it.

"Tolya, where are the other Americans?"

It took him a second before a smile broke across his face, "Zack? Two floors up!"

I slapped him on the shoulder and nodded, "Thank you, my friend, stay safe." I turned and caught Midas's eye, "Going to rally with my team; Hotel boys got your back!"

He nodded, flashing me a thumbs-up before barking orders to his guys.

Revy was catching her breath, and the building shook under the weight of another RPG as I took the stairs two at a time. She fell in behind me as I raced up the steps hooking towards Sofiya's office; it was deep enough in the building that it would make an ideal spot to run the defense of the place.

We closed on the door; I was so tired, beyond empty, I didn't even bother knocking; I just shoved the door open.

"No…don't you fucking tell me that, I need fast air, and I need it now!"

I.

Stopped.

Dead.

And stared at the Blonde yelling into a sat-phone, her hair was a mess, a few butterfly bandages closed a nasty looking cut on her cheek, her clothes were all fucked up.

I'd never seen anything so beautiful.

She was still talking, while my ears rang and my heart pounded, the room spun, and she just kept on talking, "Yes, my teams will coordinate the strikes… thank you, Admiral." She tossed the phone onto the table with a sigh, "Thirty minutes, people, we've got our air."

Our eyes met, and my soul filled up so fast it felt like I might just explode.

"Holy shit," Revy whispered.

All the talking stopped.

"Eda?…"

It was like a dream as I reached for her.

"Zack?"

I couldn't move, so she moved for me, crossing the room like lightning and leaping into my arms…

The fight didn't matter; the total war going on outside was a distant memory as I clung to my best friend and cried like a child, sinking to the floor and taking her with me.

"I thought you were dead…" I choked out.

She rubbed my back slowly, soothing me like she always had, "Rabbit and I got out ahead of those fucking rockets by seconds, Kelly's call out saved our lives. We must've just missed each other at the church."

"Fuck…Eda, I…"

"Shh, none of that, you're okay, it's all okay, cowboy."

I nodded weakly, trying to get my marbles together, but she felt so real and warm and good under my hands, I was having a hard time wanting to do anything but hold her. But she was right.

Everything was okay now.

I sat back, gently releasing her, and looked around... Rabbit watched us, Carter and her two guys, Ford and Adams. Revy was standing off to the side, looking uncomfortable at the flood of emotion bouncing around the room.

I locked eyes with Jackie and her guys "Thanks for getting her out."

They nodded, and Carter spoke, "Our pleasure, Briggs."

I smiled weakly, still recovering.

"Where's Whiplash?"

Jack pointed out the door, "Frontside of the Hotel, The Russian Captain is with them."

I glanced at Revy, "Ready?"

She snorted, "Hell yeah," She looked at Eda, and for a second, I thought she was gonna say something heartfelt, but she flipped her off instead, a gesture Eda returned with a grin.

I just shook my head, chuckling as the sweetest relief flooded through me. With one last look in Eda's direction, just to ensure she wasn't some ghost conjured by my broken mind, I eased the door open and ran to the sound of gunfire.

A/N: They had us in the first half, not gonna lie.

Boys and girls, I agonized over this chapter, I thought about killing her for good, and then it hit me. I hate stories like that, where they just kill off a character for convenience sake, which, let's be real, it'd be easier from a narrative perspective if it was only Zack and Sofiya on that particular playing field. But I'm not a lazy prick, ain't nobody getting off the hook that easy.

Until next time!