"Well well well-I wasn't expecting of all people,that you would break the IMC code of conduct to help an enemy pilot. I know you quite well and what you're capable of-but this? Treason never seemed to something on your mind yet-here you are helping the enemy."
The voice was the same pilot she talked to back in the mess hall and it made her blood run cold. She should've expected him to be on the ground but-not this close to her.
"S-so what! I'm not a soldier...I'm-I'm a medic. We don't follow the same rules as pilots and grunts."
The pilot would knee and grabbed Callie by the back of neck with a strong grip making her gasp in pain as he slammed the barrel into the back of her head while spatting out the words in utter disgust and anger at her. It was a cruel sight for the militia pilot watching a poor medic girl being treated like a dog.
"Still! Treason is treason-and I'll be damned if I let a traitor run free...now I'll give you a choice Callie-Kill this pilot and prove your loyalty...or die as a militia dog! ITS YOUR CHOICE BITCH!"
He screamed the last part in her ear making her cry,and shake. She couldn't kill the man,she didn't have the heart to do it even as the cold barrel was pressed harder against the back of her head. Within those few precious seconds of her choice,a loud bang rung across her ears as she felt the barrel fall away from her with a thud; realizing the Militia Pilot shot the male to protect her.
"I-couldn't stand by and let him treat you like some-servant...You saved my life-So it was only right to save yours...Come! The militia-will take you in happily...You deserve a family that will-treat you as family."
He whispered as Callie found herself falling onto her ass in the mud staring at him, then the ground, then the distance as if she didn't know what to say; until the sound of titan footsteps were getting louder as she snapped out of her trance and told the pilot to run who scrambled twords a group of militia grunts trying to escort him away.
She was about to stand up before she felt a titans hand grab her causing her to scream in fear as she held in front of the Ion's chassis where its IMC pilot spoke to her.
"So you're the rat who killed Frank-Tis a shame such a cute face and hot body has to be put to waste...But ya know,a traitor doesn't deserve a quick death...so lets play a game. Confess you're a traitor and I wont rip you limb from limb...if you refuse,you'll lose a limb like this."
He snarled as the titan's other hand came up and grabbed Callie's lower right leg before easily snapping like a twig as she screamed in agony,tears running down her muddy and bloodied stained face as she begged him to quit the entire time. The Militia pilot stopped to watch her being broken bit by bit in horror and disgust.
"ARE YOU A TRAITOR!?"
"FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!"
Callie shouted in defiance as the titan would grab her left leg and like butter,it tore her left leg off her body; causing her to scream again and vomit from the sheer sudden shock her body went into as blood gushed from the wound all over the titan's chassis. As the Pilot laughed, he moved the titan's hand to her left arm and grabbed it tightly before asking her one last time.
"ARE-YOU-A-TRAITOR? DO YOU SUPPORT THE MILITIA?"
Callie could feel anger and hatred swell up in her despite her body and mind going numb while blurting as much hatred as she could at the male.
"FUCK THE IMC! FUCK SPYGLASS! FUCK YOU! FUCK ARES! I RATHER DIE SAVING A LIFE THEN TAKING ONE AND LAUGHING LIKE A LUNATIC!"
She regretted those words that flew out her mouth as her left arm met the same fate as her left leg being ripped completely off yet she didn't scream this time-she was numb,broken,her mind was elsewhere as the titan flung her body twords the militia forces retreating before returning back to the factory. The rain was falling steadily as Callie's mangled body rag dolled across the mud,sending globs of it and blood flying while she laid there in the mud as her eyes watched the dark gray clouds whirl by.
Everything was slow motion and voices watery except the sound of the rain splatting against the mud and running down her face; The militia pilot she saved went rushing to her with her medic pack as he tossed it down and fell into the mud by her side. Digging out a medical cocktail, he injected it where her limbs were torn off to stop the bleeding temporarily then he wrapped her in a simple blanket he stole from the medics before he scooped her mangled body up in it tightly and carried her onto the drop ship before it warped out the colony planet and back to the system nearby they were stationed at.
To Catch Dying Embers
"Alden! What the fuck happened to her? Why is there an IMC pilot here?"
"She saved my life! I saved hers once then she gave herself to the IMC who tore her apart! I couldn't let her lay there and die! I owe her my life!"
"Theres no way she'll survive! Not with wounds like that!"
"How do you know? You aren't a doctor! If she can be saved even if crippled,She deserves a chance to fucking life!"
"Enough! We'll speak on this matter later! Report to Field Marshall for further orders!"
"Yes ma'am!"
The male militia pilot named Alden would be arguing with his superior from what Callie could barely make out in the watery noise. Her eyes felt heavy,like lead was weighing them down,her body felt empty and numb like a husk. She didn't know where she was or what was going on but her mind screamed fight,survive,wiling her to keep those dying embers burning no matter how cold it got. Their small sparks dancing across the darkness,A fire once burning bright-now faded over time to simply embers and ashes. She knew she had to hold on,to keep it burning and see her dream come true.
Two week and a half weeks would pass since the Flag Drop ship Leviathan would land on Harmony at the Militia's main base where Callie's mangled body was covered up to her head wa carried away to the infirmary for proper,sever trauma care in attempts to save her life.
At first her sense of hearing came back with the soft,beeping sound of a heart monitor-then voices along with her sense of smell and taste of iron in her mouth and-sterilization chemicals filled the air causing her to realize she was in an infirmary. Her sight would come back as her eyes slowly opened and adjusted to the lighting of the room.
The walls were simple white painted metal and her bed was a makeshift one of an old spring boxpsring modified with railings to act as a bed for patients. She would try to move her arms realizing only her right arm would move and nothing on her left.
Callie then tried her legs only to find her left in a cast and propped up while her right leg was completely missing just as her left arm was causing her panic and and shoot upright before feeling her reflexes kick in and attempted to vomit yet nothing came out except a painful feeling in her empty stomach. Gods be damned she felt like shit,hungry,thirsty,confused,angry,scared- So many emotions and thoughts were rushing through her head as a doctor rushed over to calm her down and slowly explain everything that happened.
"Whoah! Calm down Callie-We aren't gonna hurt you. You're lucky you lived honestly..with how much blood you lost and seizures you went through. You're gonna be stuck here for another few weeks until we say you're stable to leave."
A doctor explained as he laid a hand on her shoulder and helped her lay back down while propping her up to a 45 degree angle for more comfort. Her eyes would simply wander about as she took in his information and tried to remember what happened yet her mind felt foggy.
"How? I can't recall anything...Except rain and-and people dying."
"We've diagnosed you with short term amnesia and hoping it'll pass eventually..Until then I'd wager you wouldn't want to remember…"
"I-see..Can i get food? I haven't ate since-since I don't know…"
Callie placed a hand to her forehead feeling like shit as the doctor sighed when Alden walked in wearing casual civilian clothing such as militia woodland cargo pants tucked into boots and a simple t-shirt. He was far more handsomer and built then she thought.
"She's alive then doctor? Good to hear. I kinda overheard her asking for food so mind if i take her to get some..some fresh air may do her good too."
"Fine-You can take her Alden but only for two hours most before she has to come back here got it."
"Roger that Doctor!"
The doctor would write a pass and allowed a female nurse to help Callie get redressed in her new militia civilian clothes that had the leg and arm of her left side tied off for easy before helping her into a wheelchair that Alden would take after waiting outside the infirmary.
As he pushed her through the large hangar,she gazed at the many rifleman,grunts,and few pilots and titans wandering about. Recalling back to the stories her mother use to tell her; Callie realized her mother was wrong and these people were more kind then the IMC. A few waved at her while others gave her a salute or two as if she was a veteran.
"Why is everyone so nice to me? Wasn't I there enemy?"
"You're a medic, the Militia sees medics differently then IMC soldiers. You risked your life to save me and they saw it as a heroic action. To put it plainly, they see you as a damn good example of how a soldier or any one should act when saving anothers life."
Callie would feel her face warm up from the praises and saluted back before they passed a large awning to a makeshift mess hall in what was probably an old factory at one point. Alden would push her through the line as they grabbed their food and paid for it before Alden pushed out through the mess hall side doors to an outdoor area with tables to sit at.
Parking her wheelchair near a table and sitting down; He would smile at her while she quickly dug in not really tasting the food considering its been weeks since she last ate.
"Slow down there speedy-This isn't your last meal ya know."
"How do you know? I could die in my sleep for all we know."
Alden would chuckle warmly as Callie slowed down to actually taste the food and realized it was better then what the IMC fed them. Alden would raise his drink and took a sip while speaking.
"Don't be a negative nancy now Callie. Besides your field of expertise has kinda stricken a gold mine with the engineers. You've heard of simulacrums?"
Callie would take another bite as she thought back to the IMC days before nodding.
"I recall a few in the IMC-not common. Go on? I'm assuming they're wanting to use me as a guinea pig for something?"
"well yes and no. Yes to being a guinea pig but no to being forced...With your conditioned,our current prosthetic aren't the best and wanted something more-natural like. So They've come up with a beta phase exo skeleton that would be implanted into the persons body connecting their nervous system ad brain to their prosthetic allowing them to move more like a human would rather then an amputee."
Alden explained as he left out the part of them wanting to eventually create fake skin to put over the prosthetic so people could normally bathe without worry of rusting and to not creep out Callie.
"It sounds rather nice. Though I'm sure its better to test it on someone who has a more problematic issue, i can deal with missing an arm at most and a basic prosthetic leg."
"If thats what you wish I'll pass word along...though I'd like to admit despite the mud and blood you had on your face back there, I figured you were always cute but not as cute as this."
She would feel her cheeks go warm and blush from his compliment as she twirled a finger around the auburn red hair that glowed in the sunlight remembering how she cut it pretty short when joining the IMC for a small pony tail at most.
"You're too kind Alden..I wasn't expecting to see a pilot with a manly beard and strong arms. I thought you were a scrawny pilot like a couple i knew"
"ha ha very funny now. Come on-Lets get you back before the doctor gets pissy with us."
"You'll visit me right?"
"of Course I will, I ain't that heartless."
They would finish their food and headed back to the infirmary to drop Callie off as Alden would make his way to the field Marshall's office where his superior also waited for him for their meeting on Callie's future.
/Quick update guys! So I'm really feeling this better now and honestly feels and looks more solid then what i tried before. Don't forget to comment below things that can be improved :)