After the J'avo burned away, it left the office in eerie silence as I waited to see if more had heard the commotion. I held my breath and counted down from thirty before deeming it safe and removed my disguise. The blazer rolled over my black jumpsuit and swished to the ground to join the pencil skirt and discarded heels. Undercover work is a pain in the ass, but it gets the job done easier than rushing in guns blazing.
The ancient architecture of the building held firm against the modern world, but it wasn't without fault. The echo of my footsteps continued slowly down the hall as I surveyed the rot forming in the nooks and crannies. It was plain to see where patches and repairs were made to the old building over its long lifetime.
Dust twinkled in the dull sunbeams like the snow outside the windows. The roar of gunfire and men's screams outside seemed to fade away when the door I was looking for came into sight.
The new pungent odour hit me in the face like a wall. Rotten. Repulsive. Gross. I could smell the maggots ripping into the rotting flesh and the dirt clogging the wrinkles on what's left of the man's face even before seeing it. Even with the ventilator, I wore, it couldn't mask the foul stench. The keys came quickly off his keychain on his coat. My lungs burned with much-needed breath as I stepped back into the hall and made my way back up the other wing to the offices.
Sweat slicked the back of my neck as I took in the sight of the war once more. The J'avo fired off and rained down on the BSAA like a poison, showing no mercy to the soldiers. So much blood—innocent blood spilled over someone's greed. Whatever information is in this room, I pray it can help them.
The key slid into the lock with a click and opened with a squeak. Tiptoeing inside, I found the desk at the far end of the room. My heart rate skyrocketed as I skimmed through the remaining emails left behind.
They want answers. What are you planning? Where are you? The strains you gave me work perfectly...aside from a few flaws, but I know you're working those out. Email me back ASAP.
D.C.S.
At the bottom of the email was a symbol like a four-point star done up in a rope texture. I skimmed back over the email a few more times and always paused over the three initials at the end. D.C.S.
Who is that?
Another email was salvaged from the mess of data.
My dearest Ada Wong... Jake Muller has been located in the Republic of Edonia. Your mission is to find out if his body has antibodies to the C-Virus. We cannot allow a vaccine to be produced. Agent Birkin has been sent in to acquire the target. Your job is to ensure they escape the country alive. Good luck.
D.C.S.
This is the second time Ada has been mentioned in correlations with the C-virus. I thought I was mistaken back at the Marhawa academy, but I guess this proves what I saw.
The summer memories came rushing back; students screaming hit me full force to the chest, knocking me back a step as I waved the memory off. The fear in their eyes as their dead friends stood back up and attacked them is forever ingrained into my mind. They were innocent. They didn't deserve that...no one did.
The look in their eyes—the BSAA—struck a chord in me as well. Their anger—hatred—for me as if I was nothing but a monster in their eyes...it—
"Freeze." The sound of a click cut the air. "Hands where I can see them. Move slowly and turn around." A masculine voice growled out behind me.
I did what he asked and turned to face the man slowly.
His piercing gaze glistened from under his heavily hooded eyes and over his gun. The green military uniform enforced those memories into the front of my mind, where I couldn't escape it. As soon as our eyes locked, the malice in his face let up and was replaced with recognition.
"You were at the Marhawa Academy back in the summer."
"How did you know that?" That's impossible. Only the three agents saw me, and one of them is dead.
"We have a photo of you in our database." He straightened up and took out some handcuffs. "You're under arrest for involvement in the bio-attack at Marhawa Academy."
"That's ridiculous. Under what pretenses?"
"Eyewitness reports."
"Bull." I stepped away from his hand and levelled with his glare. "I didn't do shit."
"Then you shouldn't have any issues telling that to the heads during your court hearing."
There was no other option. I swatted the gun out of my face and landed a punch to the man's shoulder and finished it with a kick to his chest. He fumbled over with a cry while I bolted past him and backed out into the hallway.
It didn't take long before his bullets flew past my head and smashed through the windows as I escaped down the hall. The BSAA member cursed and yelled, screaming for me to stop. I didn't want to hurt the man, but if he left me no choice. More bullets pelted the hall along with angry screams.
J'avo.
They scrambled down the hall towards me with weapons in hand.
"Fuck!" I swirled to the side, pressing myself to the wall while gunfire bombarded me from both sides.
A new string of curses rose, and it was coming from the other side. The BSAA member held his ground among the group of J'avo, sandwiching me between the fighting with nowhere to run.
One broke from the group and charged the man, ignoring me as he ran passed. I raised the gun and planted three rounds into his skull, dropping him at the man's feet. I watched as the creature crumbled away into nothing but ashes. Just like back at the academy.
Something flashed through the BSAA soldier's eyes as he watched the J'avo crumble away then flicked his gaze onto my own. We both nodded. No words were needed as we raised our guns towards the J'avo and finished them off, but more scrambled the halls.
"We gotta go!"
He replied with a curt nod and shot the legs of the leading J'avo out, causing the others to trip and stagger. With the bought time, we pushed ourselves through the rooms and down the halls. Walls and windows whipped past our faces as we maneuvered through the maze of the building.
"This doesn't change anything!" The man panted and threw down another J'avo mid-sprint. "You're still under arrest when this is over."
"We'll see about that."
A shadow appeared through the room to my right. My shot rang out, knocking the J'avo off his feet and making his arm explode into an insect limb, but my disgust would have to wait as more enemies emerged and blocked the exit with guns at the ready.
"Shit." I cried out and grabbed the soldier's jacket, and flipped us behind a pillar as the onslaught of bullets ripped and tore at the pillar's side.
"Fuck! They blocked us off!" I fired off, toppling one more over and slid back behind the safety of the pillar.
"This is Ricky Jones. I'm trapped inside the Queen of hearts, along with a suspect in the Marhawa incident-the nun-the one spotted by Captain Redfield and Lieutenant Nivans. We need back up!" The man barked into his earpiece.
"No, we don't!"
"You got any better ideas?"
"Yes." The flash bomb on his vest glistened in the light. Ripping it off him and the pin, his scowl staggered when he caught on.
"What're you doing?"
The explosion blew the J'avo back and ripped open the doors, leaving us a clear path to escape. "Let's go!" I grabbed Ricky by the sleeve of his jacket and yanked his behind me as we bolted towards the door.
The explosion was big, but some J'avo still survived and crawled back onto their feet with angry roars. Luckily, Ricky shot them down. Good. My gun was nearly empty. I used my knife instead, slicing through the J'avo in a frenzy.
Ricky reached the doors first as I finished off the remaining J'avo. He tossed the broken doors open and pivoted around. The white of his eyes grew visible as he straightened up. The gunshot rang out, cracking the air and knocking Ricky off his feet with a cry.
"Fuck," My hand snatched up his gun and fired off at the J'avo while my other hand latched under his arm and hoisted a groaning Ricky to his feet. "Keep moving!"
"Look out!" He shoved me away just as the explosion sounded off.
The pressure threw me off my feet and slammed me into the side of a car. I hit the pavement with a cry as the glass rained down over me. The ringing in my ears wouldn't let up as I crawled to my knees and blinked back the bright lights in my eyes.
The body beside me laid unmoving. The stench of blood seeped through my mask and pricked my nose, and dropped my stomach. Ricky's lidless stare and bloody face burned into me. Shaking his shoulder didn't stir him. Crap...
I should have moved faster.
Gunfire pelted the car, breaking me away from the moment and forcing me to run. The last thing I did was send out a message to the BSAA for my coordinates. The least I could do for them after what Ricky did for me. Not like it will change anything.
It was easier to think now that I got out of that building, but those emails scraped at my mind. Ada was there at the Marhawa academy back in June. She caused the outbreak, but I didn't want to believe it, and now I'm being blamed for it.
What's wrong with her? Why do all this?
The symbol at the bottom of the email played across my mind. I've never seen it before; a roped cross in the middle of a diamond. It's my only lead. But now I had to find a way out of here.
The war raged all around me. Gunfire, explosions and screams melted together into one fucked up symphony of death, and the real villain in all this was orchestrating it all. With no direction in mind, my feet lead the way. Everything looked the same; destroyed roads and buildings with men and J'avo running amuck. There was no choice but to blend in with the shadows—too many eyes searching for me and even more, enemies wanting me dead.
The gunshot came out of nowhere and clipped the side of the wall, sending debris everywhere and spooking me behind the building. My attempts to hide were futile. Another string of bullets ricochets at my feet and over my head. There was no other choice; I had to make a run for it.
The sniper's gun sounded off again and again, but none could land a mark. Everywhere, men were there with their weapons up. Dozens of them screamed or yelled incoherent things to the other while running my way. They spotted me. The window of escape was closing, and I only had two bullets left to protect myself. I had to keep running.
The tank rolled forward and out of the shadows and fired off one shot, going high overhead but still destroying the building behind me. My legs finally buckled, sending me tumbling to the ground in a screaming heap as the next shot hit closer. Debris poured down on me while the dust settled over like a cloud. A yelp escaped my mouth when a chunk of concrete hit my shoulder.
My feet wobbled under me, and the dust whipped at my eyes. The sound of the tank reloading clanged as it readjusted its gun cranked through the air. Getting behind the tank was the only option to escape. I can't waste time.
The shot rang out, the sound making my ears ring as I charged forward. My heart raced as I looked down the barrel of the tank's gun. The gun shifted and fired, sending up a spray of dust behind me. Using the broken down wall as leverage, I jumped on top of the tank and rolled down the back. Tingles erupted over my body as I made my escape. My heart lowered from my throat and backed down as I turned the corner.
It was a small victory, but far from the last. I'm still stuck in the middle of this war zone with no way out. With the immediate threat behind me, I slowed to a fast walk and took in the scene around me. There was no opening; no exit and little hope left.
"Alpha team come in." The radio in my ear chartered away. "Our teams are spread too thin right now to offer you assistance."
I can't get out on my own, but with the aid of the BSAA, I can waltz through. If I can follow them, I can stick close behind and let them do all the dirty work for me.
Now, I just find out where the alpha team is located. They have to be close enough for my radio to pick up their signal. My ears opened as I listened for any sounds that stuck out. Heavy gunshots came from a street over to my left, followed by the screams and yelling of men.
I grabbed the broken lad; my feet dug into the side of the building as I grappled up to the roof to get a better view. It was just as I thought. Tanks rolled through the streets, setting up along the ridge with heavy artillery set up on the roofs, while other men patrolled the buildings and side streets. That's when my eyes drifted over to the overturned BSAA truck.
Men in green gear returned fire upon the insurgents with military precision-or BSAA precision. The insurgents-or J'avo-were steadily being pushed back and killed off, but the wall of snipers and reserves was going to give them a hard time. It was impossible to see their faces from this distance, so I jumped down and started my pursuit closer, making sure to stay out of sight.
It was luck when a dead insurgent laid out on the ground with his rifle nearby. Upon picking it up, I noticed the still half-empty clip. Grabbing it with me, I continued to a closer advantage point to lend a hand to Alpha team.
I counted four snipers along the wall and possibly two more hidden out of sight. Moving along the street, six BSAA members bobbed along the shadows firing off at the enemies. Captain Redfield stuck out among the rest with his built figure and squared-off face, and beside him, I recognized his lieutenant. He held off the snipers with his rifle, but they were overpowering him quickly.
Marhawa flooded back into my mind like a plague. The lieutenant's face is as bright in my memories as I see him now. The same anger is carved into his eyebrows as they were when he and his captain held off the BOWs and Bindi while I escaped in the chopper.
I shoved the memories aside and secured a spot above the wall and aimed for one sniper. The sniper above the lieutenant flung back and burned away with a cry as my shot hit. My scope fixed over a sniper aiming at the preoccupied Lieutenant. The gunshot cracked the air, and the sniper's skull wide open as he fell to the ground with a cry. My interference wasn't going unnoticed any longer, and the Lieutenant's confused face and radio transmission confirmed it.
"Alpha team to HQ...did you bring in those reinforcements?"
"Alpha team, all teams are spread too thin to offer assistance still. Hold on a while longer."
"Then who's covering us?" The lines went quiet for a moment but started up again when I fired off a shot that took down a J'avo coming at another alpha member.
"There they are again! Who's covering us? We need more assistance!" A member asked through the gunfire.
I set up again between a blown-out wall and scoured below for any more snipers or enemies. Two more enemies flooded inside the building Captain Redfield and the lieutenant were currently cleaning out. I held my breath and steadied my arms by the open window and fired off one shot as a shadow darted by, striking down the enemy closest to them. Hearing the shooting and the gurgle from the enemy, the lieutenant shot around and finished it off with one blow. He flicked his eyes out the window in my direction; he couldn't see me from where I sat, but I still shrank away when his eyes surveyed the area.
"Thanks for the cover," He said through the radio. The breath from my laughter puffed back into my face from the mask at his remark. If he only knew who it was covering him, a thank you would be the last thing out of his mouth.
The two men made it out of the building and over a balcony connecting to the small watchtower. I'm sure the hidden snipers were taken care of but still kept my eyes peeled for anymore.
Unease settled in my spine as the ground rumbled and shook; it even caught the attention of the alpha team below. All our gazes flicked towards the row of buildings as a gigantic BOW showed up and squeezed through them like it was nothing, and scrambled into the street.
"Holy fuck—" it let loose an ear-splitting roar and honed Captain Redfield and his lieutenant in its sights.
It lifted one of the BSAA trucks as if it were a pillow and hucked it at the two men. It missed them, but not by much, and slammed into the balcony and crushed it under the weight. I lost sight of the two men as they leapt off the other side, but knew they were okay when Captain Redfield's voice started on the radio.
"Finn, we need those armoured trucks in here—now!"
"I'm on it!" A young man's voice, probably Finn, answered.
The BOW smashed through the balcony and clambered down the street and started after the two men. As I moved to a new spot, the sounds of gunfire and the creature's pained screams filled the air.
Shadows darted through the blown-out building while gunshots ricochet around the area. The lieutenant was surrounded. He aimed his gun at the nearest J'avo and didn't see the other one rushing towards him with a large knife. My shot sent the J'avo over the ledge of the building with a scream, alerting the lieutenant in time to notice the approaching BOW. He dodged to the side as the BOW's hand came crashing down and taking out a part of the building.
All eyes turned to the armoured trucks breaking through the metal fence a little ways off from the fight. The heavy ammo pelted the BOW until it stumbled back with a cry and roar. It stood no chance against it and retreated down the road where it disappeared.
The rest of Alpha team met up with their captain and lieutenant and started after the BOW. While I picked up my gun and followed suit, making sure to keep out of sight as I advanced on them.
I didn't know the BOWs could get to that size! Ada, what monstrosities have you created? And why?
A barrage of bullets began pelting the men and blocking their advancements. A horde of J'avo surrounded the team; they came at the men with knives and guns. They were sitting ducks out in the open.
My shot dinged off the tanker near the J'avo's truck and set off an explosion. The impact took out most of the J'avo and confused the rest long enough for the alpha team to finish them off in one final swoop.
Everyone took the win, except the lieutenant. He held back from the rest of the team and scanned the area with deep-set brows. His frown carved into his face like stone. He turned to his captain and uttered something, but I was still too far to hear what was said. The older man nodded and let his eyes slink across the buildings before retaking foot, with the lieutenant at his back, still scanning the area.
I began to shrink away and move ahead but stopped when I saw the lieutenant's eyes snap and lock on to my position. The shadows covered me mostly, so I don't know how much he can see, but I'm not taking any chances. I ducked out of sight and started down the street little ways in front of them. I hope I'm not wrong about this.
Alpha didn't make it too far down the road before they were blocked in once more by an overturned train car and a bunch of J'avo. It didn't look good for them or myself. The train car is blocking our only way out of here. Kneeling behind an overturned truck, I followed the team's movements.
I locked on to one of the BSAA members closest to me, I didn't recognize him from other encounters over the past year, and one look at his face told me he was young. He was busy trying to set up the explosives on the train car and hadn't realized the J'avo pulling the pin on his grenade behind him. I lifted my handgun, but it clicked. Empty. I cursed and dove out from behind the truck and started towards the soldier.
"Behind you!" My knife buried deep between the J'avo's eyes, throwing it to the ground as the young soldier jerked up and tensed as I slammed into him, knocking us off our feet. We tumbled to the ground as the explosion detonated, sending debris raining down atop of us. My ears still rang as we climbed to our feet, his wide eyes settled on my own. "Get the explosions set. I'll cover you."
His mouth opened and closed until finally, he nodded his head with a jerky movement and got to work.
Something hard and cold-pressed into my back, the faint click in the air sent my nerves into a frenzy. Spinning around, my eyes met with the business end of a gun and on the other side, two seething, brown eyes and a nasty attitude that doubled as soon as our eyes locked. "You!" The Lieutenant growled.
"Look out!" I shoved him out of the way as a J'avo charged up behind him. Ignoring the click of his gun going off, I slammed my foot into the J'avo's chest. It stumbled back, and its head exploded into a mess of flesh and teeth as it roared and dashed forward. The crack of a gun going off echoed beside me and threw the J'avo to the ground.
The Lieutenant kept his gun raised and pointed at me. Anger radiated off him as his eyes locked onto mine; I could feel its heat from where I stood. The breath in my lungs stifled as I realized my predicament. J'avo and men alike that would love to put a bullet in my head surrounded me with no way of escaping. Other members of the team finally took note of my presence but were too preoccupied to do anything about it. Their eyes dug into my face as I waited for the lieutenant's next move.
"The explosions are set!" The young soldier yelled. "Everybody take cover!" His eyes flickered between the lieutenant and me, his demeanour crumbling as he took in the sight.
It was now or never. I took the chance and bolted towards the young soldier and grabbed his arm. "Come on!" I yelled and dove to the other side of the train cars.
The last member squeezed under just as the train car came crashing back down, blocking us from the horde of J'avo. The victory went unnoticed as the lieutenant ripped up his gun and fixed it to my head.
"Captain, it's the nun from Marhawa Academy."
Captain Redfield followed the lieutenant and shifted his gun onto me, followed by the rest of his team.
Slowly, I raised my hands. I hardly breathed as all eyes jabbed into me. "Listen, I can explain. I'm not your enemy.
"Who are you then?" Captain Redfield probed.
"My name Is Catherine. I was sent to Marhawa Academy as an undercover agent to look into the activities going on at the school." Well, not a complete lie, I guess. I was there undercover...just not as an agent.
"Who do you work for?" The Lieutenant piped up.
"National Security. I'm undercover right now and in charge of investigating what's been going on here. I've found some connections to the Edonian BOWs and the ones found at the academy."
It looked like the Captain was taking the bait, but it was the Lieutenant giving me a hard time. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. "You killed one of our team members."
It took everything in me not to collapse then and there. The voice took some of the heat off me and displaced it over the bridge down below. A tank rolled across the bridge, shooting down BSAA soldiers trying to hold it off.
"It was a misunderstanding. I was aiming for the BOW, but the helicopter moved. It was never my intention to hurt your team."
"Bull," The lieutenant hissed, "I saw you there. You're not an agent-where's your badge then, huh?"
A new voice sounded over the radios. "HQ to alpha team. The city hall is on the other side of the bridge. Pick up Bravo and move in. They got a man down on the bridge."
True enough, a tank rolled across the bridge, shooting down the BSAA soldiers trying to hold it off. Flames licked the sky like a beacon, giving us ample view of the blown-out tanker and the injured body trying to crawl away from the fire. "I meant what I said-I didn't intend to kill one of your own. I was there undercover and didn't want to blow my cover by getting involved with the BSAA. Please, I only intend to help you."
Captain Redfield looked as if a war was raging inside his mind at that moment. His eyes narrowed, and they sized me up until he finally spoke. "Fine. But after this, we still need more answers."
My grin could barely lift the corner of my mouth before the lieutenant jumped in. "Captain? That's not a good idea. We don't know if she's even telling the truth."
He didn't even try to keep his voice quiet as he expressed his strong distaste to me. I held firm and plowed through. "I'm good with a gun. Just put one in my hands, and I can help. Those men down there can't wait any longer for you two to work this out. I'll be more than happy to answer all questions after we rescue those men."
"You're in no place to be giving out orders here," The lieutenant took a threatening step towards me. "I don't trust you or your intentions."
"She saved me from the J'avo and covered us while we were fighting off the hoards." The tiny, soft voice of Finn piped in, earning him a death stare from the lieutenant. He shifted away and clamped his mouth closed.
"Enough," the captain snapped. "Piers, give her a gun and take her to the building. Keep an eye on her, and if she does something, you know what to do."
"Cap-" He shut his mouth as the captain shot his glare towards the lieutenant, then took the team and turned towards the bridge without another word. His back grew smaller as he disappeared towards the enemy line. So, this is the legendary Chris Redfield? He lives up to the rumours.
"If you even think of trying anything funny, I won't hesitate to shoot." The lieutenant's growl shook me from my thoughts.
"Let's just get your men to safety first, lieutenant."
"When we finish with the bridge, you answer my questions."
I rolled my eyes and jumped across the gap leading to the tower and kept up the pace. "Sure thing, mutt."
"What did you just say?"
It was physically painful not to roll my eyes at his attitude. Luckily, another BSAA member approached us, giving me a reason to ignore the idiot beside me. He gave me a funny look but didn't say anything about it as he turned to the lieutenant. "We need the snipers on the roof." He handed me an extra sniper rifle, which I gladly took. "Cap called ahead and told me to give you that. Good luck."
The lieutenant was quiet as we made our way through the building and down the old, stone hall. His gaze would routinely shift over to me every few steps. Left. Right. Left. Flick. Frown. Keep going. Left. Right. Glare. Left. Right. This time, I couldn't stop my eyes from rolling. I kept my mouth shut; Better to remain silent than give him anymore doubt as to my intentions.
When we finally made it to the top of the stairs, we met another soldier already scouring the activity on the bridge. "You can get a clear view of the bridge from here. Captain Redfield's safety is in your hands now. I'll go and start clearing a path." He gave me one last look before retreating down the stairs. I followed his back until it disappeared, and the annoying lieutenant piped in with an annoyed huff.
"Are you going to help or just stand there and waste my time?" He stood by one of the posts with his gun at the ready, and his eyes shifted over his shoulder, where they scrutinized me. I strolled up beside him without a word and loaded my rifle and began to aim.
"Your shoulders are too tense. Relax them."
My mouth snapped shut, and my teeth ground together to stop myself from snapping back a reply. Instead, I took a calming breath and fired off, hitting a J'avo gunner in the shoulder and knocking him off his feet.
This man, I swear to God, could lead a monk to drink if given a chance.
"It was you covering for us earlier, wasn't it? Why didn't you just come out and show yourself?" He asked between gunshots.
"Is this your idea of small talk?"
"No," he scoffed, "It was just a question."
"If I recall correctly, you said you were going to question me after we clear the bridge and get your men to safety. Or did you lie, Lieutenant?"
Captain Redfield's voice over the radios cut off his glare and gave me a reason to turn away. "I'm gonna need a bigger gun."
"If you draw the tank out, we can take care of that problem for you," I answered back.
"How the hell did you answer that? Are you hacked into our radios?" The lieutenant snapped.
"It's not my job to do that...I just follow orders from National Security. Maybe they have an understanding with the BSAA. Besides, it makes helping you guys a lot easier." I choked on my breath as he snatched me to his feet.
"No, no, no." He shook his head repeatedly. "I knew you were lying. You're not here to help us-you're not even with National Security!" His hand tightened around my bicep.
"You're fast to judge."
"I have good reasons to."
"I said I'd answer your questions, but only after we get your friends to safety. The tank is out in the open."
His fists clamped tighter around my bicep before he dared to flick his eyes off me, and towards the tank captain Redfield drew out into the open. "Our guns aren't going to cut it." He spat just as the tank moved further up, revealing the tanker behind it more.
"Now, they will." I grabbed the gun and took the shot, hitting the tanker dead on. The explosion swept across the bridge and even whipped my hair back as we watched the enemy go up in flames. I could still feel the lieutenant's heated glare burning the side of my face as I watched alpha team continue onward.
"Nice shot, guys." The captain praised over the radio.
"We should get down there and give them a hand-" his hand tightened uncomfortably around my bicep once more, reminding me he wasn't finished with me just yet. "I'll answer one question right now if it makes you happy?"
"Who do you work for?"
"No one. I'm doing this on my own."
"Why?"
I smiled and plucked my arm out of his grasp. "Ah, I said just one, for now."
"Stop playing games!"
Our radios clicked on, and captain Redfield's voice broke through. "Finn, I need you up here!"
"I got a wounded bravo, go on without me!"
"No one gets left behind. Can anyone get to Finn?"
This time, I answered back. "Yes. I can get to them. Give me a moment." I turned back to the lieutenant. "Let's just focus on getting everyone out of here alive, okay?"
He pushed past me, clucking his tongue and swearing, but continued down towards the catwalk and the bridge.
Charming. Pain in the ass-but charming.
"Are you listening?"
"Yeah. I was just blocking out your nagging."
The veins on the side of his head twitched, "I said get down the ladder-I'll cover for you."
"Just don't shoot me, okay, mutt?"
"You know what-" Whatever it was he was going to say died on the roaring of the winds.
My feet wobbled along the small landing below him, and my eyes scanned the scene for Finn and the wounded soldier. I spotted them down below me, on the first level of the bridge with the bravo tucked behind him. J'avo fired at the two men as they hid behind some wreckage for cover.
My attention turned to the stray J'avo climbing the ladder down above the men; his gun glistened in the sun as he picked it up and took aim at the rookie. My shot rang out, hitting the J'avo and knocking him off the ladder and down below where Finn sat. His head popped up and studied the body, then flicked his gaze up to me. With a thumbs up and a nod, I started to make my way to him.
I patted across the metal support beams and dodged stray bullets when a scream erupted behind me. The J'avo rushed up so fast; I didn't have time even to blink. The gunshot rang out, punching through the J'avo's skull-like glass, and nearly nicked me in the face. "Ah!" I yelped as I jerked to the side and watched as the J'avo fell to the level beneath me. My glare flickered off the body and up to the lieutenant as he lowered his gun with a smirk.
Asshole.
Deciding to ignore his antics, I jumped down beside Finn and laid a hand over his shoulder. "How is he?" I asked as I studied the bandaged wound on the Bravo member's side.
Finn jumped at my presence but brushed it off with a heavy sigh. "He's hurt badly, but he'll survive. The J'avo are closing in on us, though, and he can't walk."
We both jerked back as an explosion on the other end of the bridge sounded off, blowing away the debris of the separate tank. Another armoured tank emerged from the smoke and wreckage and began firing. "Well, you're going to have to carry him then. That tank won't wait for him to heal."
"Enemy reinforcements!" He cried.
"I'll cover you. Take the guy and get a move on, the team can't hold that tank back for long."
While he placed the bravo member on his back and started retreating, I held off the J'avo, trying to sneak closer. My gunshots rang through the noises of war. Single shots rang out from behind me and struck down the J'avo I couldn't see.
Well, at least he isn't shooting me...yet.
Another one of the lieutenant's shots snapped the air and ripped through a J'avo to my side, killing it immediately.
The gunfire above us seemed to have tripled after the tank blew through. From this level of the bridge, I couldn't see what was going on. I picked up a discarded grenade and hucked it at the oncoming enemies and bolted for the stairs where Finn and the bravo were and reached the top level of the bridge. It was even worse than how it sounded.
Gunfire from J'avo came from everywhere-even the sky as they rained down in parachutes from reinforcement planes. I covered Finn as he made his way slowly behind the safety of our barriers and settled the bravo down.
A cry broke from my lips as my hair yanked back, and a knife pressed to my neck. The J'avo's breath breathed down the side of my face like dirty trash in the sun. In an instant, blood splattered my face as the J'avo snapped back its neck. It collapsed into a heap at my feet with a grunt. I breathed a sigh of relief just as the lieutenant's shadow cast over me.
"You let your guard down."
"It was a one-time accident. Thanks for the help."
"Hm," He grunted and resumed firing without another word or glance in my direction. "Finn, we need those charges set!"
"I'm on it." Finn raced ahead of me and into the thick of the fight and began setting the charges.
"These assholes just keep coming!" I said between shots and ducking away from punches thrown my way.
"Don't talk. Just shoot-duck!" The lieutenant's body-slammed me to the ground as a massive explosion went off. The heat from it crawling up the side of my body warmed me momentarily while I tried to get my bearings back.
"Geez, you don't have to crush me. A simple shove would have done the trick." I said and pushed the man off me.
"A simple thanks would suffice after I "shoved" you out of the way before that railgun blast hit you,"
Finn's scream cut our argument short. The young soldier fought and yanked at the rubble covering the lower portion of his leg, but nothing he did could free him. "Finn!"
"He's stuck!" I cried and began climbing over the barricades and ignoring the commands of the lieutenant and the captain for me to fall back.
Ducking and blocking, I made my way over to the young soldier. The cement pinned his leg, but with an extra shove, we dragged him to his feet. "You good?"
"Yeah, but I dropped the charge." I ducked my head when another blast from the tank sounded off and landed not far from our location.
"The two of you! Get back here!" Our radio crackled with the captain's roars.
"I dropped the charge!"
"Dammit. Hurry up and find it. The tank is getting too close."
"There it is!" I cried.
"Wait-"
The bright light blinded me, and the loud crack of the explosion drained out any voices. The weight of something massive crushing my legs took my breath away as pain flooded me. My heart hammered away into my ears, and the fog in my brain cleared as I attempted to stand up but failed. Pain flashed through my body, exploding into my legs and hips as my hand felt around. The wet and cold chunk of debris felt gritty under my hand as I stared around. A hole is all that was left of the tank, the gurgling of the icy water below told me it was its grave forever.
"Hey! Finn!" My attention snapped to the other side of me, where the BSAA stood. The blurry shape at the edge of the hole shimmied across the gap and flimsy beams while the rest of the team yelled for him to get back. All eyes were on the rookie as he jumped across and landed beside me.
"Hold tight; I'll get this off of you." His gentle hands cupped my shoulder and gave it a shake.
"Finn! Careful. The support beams are giving out!" His captain yelled while holding back some enemies that survived the blast.
The groan from the support beams caused the men to freeze. "Finn, I'm fine. Get back to the other side. These beams won't hold much longer."
"No one gets left behind," Was all Finn answered with as he tried pushing the debris away.
"Finn..." The heat in my chest clenched, and even though he couldn't see my smile, it still shined with admiration for the boy.
Slowly, the slab started rising off me, giving me hope we could get out of this. I lent a hand and heaved up on the piece and wiggled myself out from underneath. Already, the bones and tissues in my leg were starting to heal, giving me more energy to move.
The slab dropped with a loud bang. My sight turned into a scream when the platform gave way under me.
The icy water came into view, then someone snatched at my wrist, stopping me from plummeting down. Finn clutched at my wrist like a dying man clutching to life.
The wind ripped through me as I dangled off the bridge, making me shudder. My shoulder burned from hanging, but I gritted through the pain as I tried to reach up with my other arm, but it wouldn't move.
"I got you. Don't worry-I got you," Finn repeated as he attempted to lift me but failed.
"Finn-"
"I won't let go-don't worry. Give me your other hand!"
"I can't...it won't move." My eyes locked on to the crumbling platform under him as the weight of both of us wore it down. I met his stare with a smile, even though my mask hid it from his eyes. "Let go. I'll be fine, but if you fall, you'll die."
"No...no one...is...expendable!" He said through gritted teeth and laboured breathing.
The platform crumbled and cracked under him while his team screamed orders we both ignored. My hand started to tire and slip with the blood covering it.
My breath stilled as his grip let go, and I was airborne. Finn's voice broke the deafening wind like a silent scream before I hit the icy water. Pain engulfed me from head to foot like a boa constrictor dragging me down the darkest depths and strangling the breath out of me.
The surface grew smaller as my vision faded. Images crashed down on my mind like a ton of bricks. Children in small cages screamed for their mothers while more bodies laid on the ground in blood. It all crashed and changed into a blurry picture of one boy with tear-stained eyes and hollow cheeks. His silent screams stirred something deep within me. It was the final flash of a man in sunglasses that made me scream, and my lungs burn for air.
