Three Strikes

by bluebellwren

Naomi Foulke - TAC 'Trigger' - the latest in a line of air force prodigies, becomes the OADF's scapegoat when she's wrongfully accused of murdering former President Harling. In the midst of war against Erusea, she's sent to a penal unit to atone. Determined to redeem herself and swiftly end the war, she finds herself facing threats from all sides as she grows from prisoner to hero.

42. Blackout

Chapter Forty-One: Blackout

|...|...|...|

Tyler Island, Spring Sea.
September 20th, 2019.
0400hrs.

|...|...|...|

The morning air was crisp and cold, made only worse by the rainfall that had started earlier in the morning. It only added to the dreary and tense atmosphere that set Avril on edge, and she shivered as she tugged at the camouflage coat of her uniform. Normally she would have tied it around her waist, but the temperatures were starting to get lower and it was bad enough on her as it was. The rain had only let up slightly, going between a downpour and some light drizzling. Right now it fell steadily over the island, pattering against the concrete and hitting the beige, winter cap Avril had put on.

Every step that she took was agony, the pain that she'd grown accustomed to becoming much more severe with the changing weather. First the cold made it ache constantly as far down as to her knee, sometimes just past the joint, but the rainy weather made her entire leg hurt and every step sent a jolt in both directions. All the way down her leg and all the way up, which made it harder to walk on. It had only been a few days since the sudden change in the weather and shift in the temperature, but it was already starting to screw her over. Her work flow had slowed the day before because of it, and what movement her injury had allowed before was more limited now.

Avril had pushed through it and refused to complain, but the sergeant she worked under forced her to go to the doctor to get something for it. And of course the doctor didn't believe that she was averaging a six or seven on the pain scale when they asked. And that was on good days. They gave her some pathetic, low-dose over the counter shit and sent her on her way. The medicine that actually worked was reserved for soldiers with gaping holes in their bodies or missing limbs. Apparently, if you weren't keeled over and bleeding out, you weren't actually suffering. Seeing as how her body was in one piece and her leg was — unfortunately for her — still attached to it, Avril decided to just suck it up and take what she could get.

This morning in particular had been difficult for her, for some reason. She'd worked a bit later the night before, hoping they might get word on how the operation at Farbanti had gone. They'd gotten a nice view of the first of the Erusean satellites going down before the clouds started to move in, and not long after their base commander claimed they were shutting off personal communication on the base. That had been what really threw Avril off, wondering what had happened for them to just cut everyone off.

As far as she knew, typically the only time that happened was when things had gone to hell and someone had died. The higher-ups never wanted to risk word breaking out and causing a panic for folks back home, so to make sure family would be notified in a delicate way they shut everything down for the rest of the soldiers. However, they hadn't seen any major, direct combat with Erusea on Tyler Island for some time. So there was no reason to shut them off, as far as Avril knew. But who could say for sure, ever since an increase in Erusean activity on the opposite end of the island. Maybe something really had happened.

Regardless, Avril had been uneasy when she'd gone to bed and she woke up feeling more exhausted then she had before. It took her about fifteen minutes before she was able to force herself out of bed, taking a while to steady herself enough to stand. Every muscle and bone ached in protest, and her stomach felt like it was in knots. Aside from that and the fact that the base was dead quiet, everything felt...mostly normal. So she just went about her morning routine with a little added effort. Nothing really clicked in her mind until some airman she worked with came by, telling her the base commander wanted her to go to the HQ for some briefing type thing or something.

So there she was, limping along in the pouring rain, practically dragging her leg and feeling a strong desire to punch something. Or someone. She hadn't figured that part out yet. Was something happening here? Or did something go wrong in Farbanti? Everything should have gone according to the plan, assuming nothing got in the way and Trigger managed to stop herself from doing something stupid for once. Given that the Erusean network was supposedly down, that meant something must have gone right. Whatever the case, she was starting to get tired of everyone leaving her in the dark.

The faint roar of what sounded like a jet engine briefly distracted her, and she looked up at the still pitch black sky in search of the source of it. As quickly as the sound came, it vanished into the distance, and with the cloud cover it was impossible to figure out where it was. If it was Osean or not, it obviously didn't matter now. They might as well be lit up like a Christmas tree. If anyone wanted to attack, now would be the perfect time, and Avril wasn't really sure she gave a damn either way.

Scoffing to herself, she turned and made her way towards the door of the main building. Opening the door, she was promptly greeted by a rush of warm air as she stepped inside and she gave a relieved sigh. As she paused to reach up and pull her damp hat off, shoving it into her pockets, she muttered out loud, "Whoever put the damned barracks so far from HQ can kiss my ass..."

Luckily for her no one was around to hear her snide remarks, not that she really cared if they did or not. It's not like she was officially military and this was as close to joining the air force as she was gonna get, so it didn't really matter. Not like they could really lock her up for insubordination or something stupid like that. However, it did strike her as a bit weird that nobody was rushing around the place. Only guy she saw were a couple of majors quietly talking to one another, looking like they were just getting off an unfortunate night assignment. Avril shrugged it off. Whatever.

It wasn't a very long walk to the room they used for briefings, one small thing she could be grateful for. She moved herself along, the warmer air making it a bit easier on her leg. It still hurt, but she could tolerate it a bit better. When she reached the door she could already hear the muffled chatter of several other people, explaining why the hallways were so empty. She didn't know how many people besides herself were supposed to have come for this thing, but when she opened the door she was surprised so many were there.

The place was packed, with only a few empty seats left. Some people stood in small groups against the walls, others angled their chairs so they could talk amongst themselves in the comfort of their seat. A few MPs were there, but she didn't recognize them. Avril stood in the doorway, a bit stunned by the situation and a bit annoyed by how loud it was, but eventually she took a few steps inside and started to search for a seat. To her surprise, she heard Bandog's voice call out to her suddenly, "Mead!"

She looked his way, holding back the urge to scowl when she spotted him at the front of the room giving her an exasperated motion to invite her to the empty seat beside him. For a few seconds, Avril weighed her options before she stifled a groan and limped her way down the aisle between the sections, before turning down to the row he was seated on. Sarge laid in front of the seat, her head resting just beside Bandog's shoes. She lifted her head as Avril approached, tail wagging slightly as she stretched and climbed to her feet to greet her. Avril gave her a quick couple of pats before moving to flop down into the empty chair.

"'Morning, I guess," Avril said to him before she gritted her teeth and winced slightly as her leg hit the chair, but the pain began to ebb away and she relaxed into the seat. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and asked Bandog, "Sooo...the hell they bring you out here for?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Bandog said flatly, grunting as he shifted in his seat and stretched out his arms. "No idea why I'm here. I got pulled in off a late patrol before we could head out, and all they said something came up. Not really complaining, I could use the break ever since they doubled our patrols."

"Hmph. Sucks for you..." Avril said, opening one eye and giving a bit of a smirk. She still felt a bit bad for him, but at least he wasn't stuck fixing planes with a busted up leg. The smirk didn't last long, though, as she thought about their current situation. "Still, that does make you wonder what's been happening. I got told the same thing you did."

"Did you hear from Tabloid or the others last night?" Bandog asked her. "Y'know, before they allegedly shut stuff down for 'security' or whatever?"

"Tabloid, but they were still waiting for word on how it went," Avril answered with a sigh, her throat suddenly feeling tight. She kept a blank expression, though, ignoring her creeping anxiety. "If something went wrong, surely these idiots would've at least told us before now."

Bandog didn't answer right away, and there was a hint of hesitance and doubt in his voice as he finally said, "Yeah. You might be right."

Avril lifted her head, pulling herself up into the chair to sit straighter, and glared at him as he reached down to pet Sarge without another word. She was about to ask him what the tone was all about, but before she could, someone at the back of the room called for everyone to stand at attention as a man Avril recognized as the base commander, Colonel Green, entered the room. Avril didn't bother moving, because by the time she would have been able to get to her feet he had already ordered them to sit back down as he moved over to the desks at the very front of the room.

The commander had a tired look on his face, and he seemed a bit jumpy as well. He eyed Avril, Bandog, and Sarge in particular as he passed them before he mentally shook it off and took a look around the room. Clearing his throat, his voice a little shaky at the start, he asked a major sitting a few seats down from Avril, "You sure you called everyone in here? Where are the rest of the ex-co— I mean, the pilots? We're missing a few."

Almost everyone caught his slip-up, fully knowing the status of some of the pilots on the base. It had been a temporary prison, after all, not unlike the 444th from what Avril heard. As far as she knew, everyone here was locked up for mostly petty crimes. And since the penal unit was practically a death sentence, most of them saw it as unfair. At least in Spare most of them were actually given a punishment that fit the crime. Here the worst guys she heard about were those crazy assassin twins. But even after they'd decided to pardon their pawns in the penal units, a lot of the pilots around here were still bitter about being locked up at all, which meant the higher ups didn't completely trust them. Avril didn't trust them herself, so she wouldn't condemn them completely.

The major the base commander had addressed took a look around, seeming a bit annoyed by the mistake as well, and answered, "Couldn't find 'em, sir. I'm betting they passed out drinking again last night in a premature 'victory' celebration. Perry said he'd keep an eye out for them, but I didn't think you'd want them here before they got cleaned up."

"Ah. I see...that's fine. We'll manage without them," Green said, and Avril noticed a quick flash of annoyance in his eyes, but in spite of the absence of a few of his pilots he moved on. For a few seconds, the room was completely quiet, and everyone was watching him expectantly. His shoulders slouched and he sighed before he finally gathered his thoughts. "Now, I'm sure you're probably curious as to why I've asked so many of you here. I want it to be clear that, as of now, we're going to put the base on high alert."

A few confused murmurs spread throughout the crowd. Avril looked to Bandog for his reaction, but the confused look on his face told her he had been honest when he said he didn't know what was going on. Green quickly continued before anyone could panic or start asking a million questions. "Alright, calm down, all of you. Last thing I need is everyone to lose their head. The reason for this, as I'm sure you're all wondering, is connected to the increase in Erusean troop movements. We believe they may be planning another assault on the Osean forces around the island."

Didn't we already know that? Avril wondered, leaning further into her seat and crossing her arms with a frown.

"In response to this, we doubled our patrols and increased focus on our defenses. We even put in upgrades for our squadrons in case they needed to sortie," Green went on to explain, still seeming a bit reluctant to share this information. Avril hardly knew the guy, but he seemed way to secretive and jittery to be in command. Just their luck. "However...in the attack on the Erusean satellite network, they also launched an attack and destroyed Osean satellites. We didn't shut off base communications...they were cut offline when the satellites went down. We are cut off from our Osean allies, now outnumbered by Eruseans, and in a very vulnerable state."

"And what about the operation to seize Farbanti?" Bandog asked suddenly, clenching his fist. The fact that he even spoke up surprised Avril, but his sudden tension and shift in attitude was even more surprising.

"We don't know for sure. I'm sorry. I know you two were assigned to the LRSSG and you're probably worried about them," Green said, looking at the ground while Bandog just stared him down. He continued. "There's no way I can confirm the intel that managed to reach us before it all went to hell. I'm not concerned about that, though. With the current situation being what it is, I need to focus on us. Whatever it takes, I need everyone working around the clock to make sure our defenses hold up. And we might have to be prepared to surrender."

Avril narrowed her eyes on Green, ignoring the chatter around the room that picked up, a bit glad she wasn't the only one that hated the sound of that. She leaned towards Bandog, making sure he was the only one that could hear her when she said, "What, is he insane? No one around here made it this far just to lie down and let Erusea win."

Bandog was about to answer her, but right as he opened his mouth he stopped and looked down at Sarge. Avril did the same, noticing that the dog had suddenly tensed. She'd been sprawled on the floor, but her ears pricked and flicked towards the door as she stood up and let out a low growl. Something had gotten her attention, and not five seconds later there was a faint thud and the fire alarm suddenly began blaring out.

"What just happened?" Bandog asked, grabbing Sarge's leash and standing up. Avril looked up at him, uncrossing her arms and bracing herself on the arm rests as she sat up.

There was another thud, much louder and harder than the first. The entire room shook, and the lights overhead flickered and buzzed as a result. What followed this time was the sound of the air raid siren coming to life, whining out a warning Avril hadn't heard in some time. Although everyone was pretty certain of the situation now, a soot-covered and slightly burned lieutenant burst through the door suddenly and coughed out, "The base is under attack!"

"Goddammit!" Green snapped, almost choking the word out. Avril glanced at him, wondering for a moment if he was about to start crying. Surprisingly, he seemed to keep it together enough to order, "Tell the squadron to scramble. Everyone, get out there and try to get the damned jets prepped!"

A few of the men Avril worked with jumped to their feet, and Avril struggled to push herself to her feet. She hissed in pain and barely stopped herself from crying out by biting her tongue, but she suddenly felt a hand on her arm as Bandog moved to help her. Without a word he hauled her to her feet, holding her up long enough for her to adjust to the weight and steady herself. Neither said anything about it, but Avril considered thanking him. Before anyone could get too far, though, the guy that came in spoke again.

"Wait! There's no...don't bother!" he said, gritting his teeth and clutching his arm where there was a decent sized burn. "The fuel tank by one of the hangars went up in flames...hangar followed. We managed to get a couple of the crew out alive...but some of the pilots had already taken the plane. Next thing we knew, they'd bombed the other hangar."

"W-What?" Green stammered out.

"There's no way we'll make it out of this...I don't even know if it's Erusea or our own guys gunning us down out there!" the lieutenant said, shaking his head, voice cracking and strained. Green's eyes went wide and his jaw fell slack as he tried to process everything. All of them stared at him before the soldier got his attention again, following another, much closer explosion. "Sir, your orders?"

"If we don't do something, we're all dead," Green said to himself, then suddenly looked up and raised his voice again. "Alright, everyone, get out of here and do what you can! All buildings need to be cleared, fire whatever AA guns or SAMs are still working for as long as you can. Then...all the rest of us can do is get as far away from here as we can. Everyone, move it! Get out of here, unless you've got a death wish!"

As quickly and calmly as they could, everyone began to file out of the room, nobody wasting any time. Probably figured out their odds were better without worrying about a ceiling caving in over their heads. Sarge let out one short, impatient bark and yanked on the leash, nearly pulling Bandog forward. He reined his dog in as best he could, and looked back at Avril, glancing down at her leg. "Are you going to be able to walk on your own?"

Avril didn't answer right away, experimentally applying more pressure to her bad leg and trying to take a step forward. It hurt, but she either got her ass moving or she died. She sighed, brushing past Bandog and following what remained of their allies out the door as quickly as she could. "It ain't like I've got a choice, right? If you're looking to not be crushed, I'd suggest you get moving. Don't think Húxiān would be too happy if I let you die, right?"

Bandog snorted, but didn't protest, quickly following after her with Sarge right beside him. He kept a tight hold on her leash in spite of her snapping and tugging at it, but even so the force of her jerking forward caused Bandog's pace to increase whenever he stumbled. In a way, it actually gave them both a reason to go faster, though Avril doubted that the dog had any idea about that. She probably just didn't want to die, and Avril didn't blame her.

It didn't take them long to finally get outside, and Avril would have rather stayed inside. The rain had gone back to pouring down, almost immediately drenching them when they stepped outside, unfortunately doing very little to kill the fires that continued to grow. Several soldiers were running back and forth, some operating what few anti-air weaponry they had left in an attempt to fire at the aircraft flying overhead while others tried to stop the fire from the fuel tank from spreading beyond the hangar and taking anything else out. The smoke, rain, and cloud cover made both tasks increasingly difficult.

Orders were yelled back and forth, attempts to follow them not really ending very well, and there were already a few casualties. Avril and Bandog slowed their pace upon the sight, Bandog pulling Sarge closer to him while they tried to dodge everyone running about. The few tanks the base had were already scrapped, not that they managed to do much good but help the enemy with their target practice. A few soldiers were dressed in what gear they'd managed to get on, not that it was much beyond a helmet or vest. They held tightly to their rifles as if those tiny things were gonna help save them.

Avril looked towards the hangars, wondering if they even had the time to get those planes ready to go and in the air. There wasn't much of a chance for anyone or anything. The smart move would be to run before they all got captured or killed. Some had already given up and turned tail to run, ignoring their orders and getting out while they still could. At this rate, with this level of chaos, that was the only choice they really had.

There was a slight lull in the bombing, and at first it seemed like the first wave passed by, but the sudden roar of a low flying fighter said otherwise. Avril looked back in time to see an F/A-18 fly in, a red glow coming from the bottom of the canopy, and felt a hand slam against her back as Bandog shouted, "Shit! Get down!"

The sound of a missile zipping through the air and a sudden, hot burst of air was all that followed before she felt her body slam into the ground. A rumbling sound, like thunder, came and faded away, eventually drowned out by the loud ringing in her ears. Searing pain started from the back of her skull and moved all down her body on one side, from her shoulder to her leg. All she could see was black, and her attempts to move didn't go very well.

Avril wasn't sure how long she'd been laying there or even if she'd been unconscious the entire time. She felt a hand on her shoulder and someone press their fingers to the side of her neck in search of a pulse before they tried to shake her awake. Barking and shouting were the first things she clearly made out, and Avril grunted as she forced her eyes open. Bandog stood over her, looking the closest thing to scared as she'd ever seen from him, and almost looked relieved when her eyes finally opened and focused on him.

"Oh, thank God...dammit, Mead..." Bandog said, looking around nervously. He looked behind them, then back down at her. "HQ's been destroyed...we were barely clear of that blast. Can you move?"

"Ack...would you relax? Gimme a sec..." Avril grunted and used her arms to push herself up, checking her shoulder and arm out. The jacket hadn't torn, so the only scrapes seemed to be confined to her neck and one side of her face. Busted lip...bloody nose...scraped hand. No blood from my head...but my leg... The brace looked a bit scuffed, but it would probably still help support her leg. The second she tried to move it so she could stand up, the pain became overwhelming and she couldn't stop from crying out. "Aaarghh! Shit!"

"Is it your leg?" Bandog asked her, looking her up and down. At least he was managing to stay calm.

"What else do you think it would be, dumbass?" Avril asked, gritting her teeth as she involuntarily began to tear up. Dammit. She tried again to move, managing to sit up and pull her good leg up. After a few attempts to stand, she fell back again and sucked in a sharp breath. "I don't really wanna admit defeat right now, but something's telling me I can't walk."

"Now isn't the time to be a smart-ass," Bandog said, sighing as Sarge approached Avril and sniffed at her face, licking at the scrapes on her cheek. Bandog pulled her back and began to wrap her leash around his upper arm, tying it into a knot after that. As he did this, he declared, "You're gonna have to at least stand. Otherwise this isn't gonna work..."

Avril frowned. "What the hell are you going to do?"

"Well, if you think I'm gonna leave you here then you're the dumbass," Bandog said to her without looking up, making sure the leash wasn't going to come untied before he stood up. He moved just behind her and lifted her arm over his shoulder. With a hint of amusement in his voice, he added, "You aren't getting off that easily, Scrap Queen. We haven't made it this far just to die, now get your ass up or I'm carrying you across this damn battlefield."

It surprised her that Bandog's words gave her the motivation to get up, and she managed to help Bandog get her to her feet. While she never thought in a million years she'd have to rely on him, that was the only way either of them were getting out alive. If Tabloid and Trigger and Count could trust him, even just a little, Avril was sure she could manage it. At least until she could stand on her own. But for now, he was all she had to help her with that.

She wasn't sure how, but eventually they made it to the fence a little after the second enemy wave arrived. The explosions and gunfire faded into the distance, and what was left of the base was almost impossible to make out. Along the way Bandog had picked up some rifles off of a few dead soldiers they'd come across just clear of the runway, and although neither were pleased with the idea, they needed some way to defend themselves. And the two sidearms between them weren't going to be useful for very long. By some stroke of luck, the guns they picked up hadn't even been fired. Those guys must've been dead before they had a chance to shoot at anything.

As soon as Bandog helped her through a sizable hole the base had yet to patch in the now offline electric fence, they both took a moment to catch their breath. Sarge gladly sat down, ears pricked and alert for any dangers. Maybe she wasn't such a bad guard dog after all. Avril wasn't sure how well the three of them could manage on their own, but at least they had a way of knowing before anyone attacked them. It at least gave them a slightly better chance.

Bandog was the first to get his thoughts together, nodding out at the field in front of them. "If we can get across here to those trees, we can stop and rest. Try and come up with a better plan."

"Yeah, I guess. Did you see where those other guys got away to?" Avril asked, leaned against him and massaging her leg to try and ease the pain.

"No. And I don't care. So unless you have a better idea, I'm not waiting around," Bandog said, taking a step forward without warning and forcing her to follow, rifle awkwardly clutched against his side. Sarge grunted and reluctantly stood as well, keeping a slow pace beside them. "If we don't get out of sight and Erusea sends the army in to clean up, then we're dead. And I don't think our own guys are gonna be too thrilled to see us either."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Avril asked him, forcing herself to keep moving.

"I heard something about those other ex-cons from the soldiers. They think all of us were in on some sort of riot, I guess," Bandog said, flexing his shoulder a bit. He must have started to get sore by now, and Avril almost had the thought to apologize. Not that she'd done anything wrong. Bandog went on. "I mean, of all the stupid ideas these morons could get in their heads, that's the most absurd. We're not even prisoners anymore, and I never actually was one myself. Whatever those traitors did, they did alone. But if they find us after all this shit's gone down, I don't think they're gonna agree."

Avril glanced at him, keeping a blank expression. As if she needed more things to worry about, now her own life was on the line. She knew they were taking a risk by coming here, but this was all getting ridiculous. Unfortunately, Bandog had a pretty good point. They would already have a hard enough time telling friend from foe, and with the way things looked to be going it was better not to risk it. Straining as she tried to keep up with him on her own, she sighed. "Hate to say it, but you're probably right."

Bandog grunted in response to that, keeping his eyes straight ahead. After a short while, he glanced over his shoulder. "Guess they were right about this place. I get the feeling we've just stepped through the gates of hell."

"Yeah," Avril said, a bit breathlessly. She looked up at the sky, blinking as the rain continued to fall, a bit slower now. "I definitely can't argue there."

That was all that was said before they fell silent for the remainder of their walk, the sound of gunfire beginning to die out and the enemy aircraft finally withdrawing. They circled the base like vultures before disappearing, but Avril couldn't get that weird red glow she'd seen out of her mind. Was that one of those drone fighters Tabloid had told her about, after the incident at Waiapolo? It had been hard to believe the story, but...it all was adding up.

She wished she could be more certain about what she'd seen. She wished she could be more certain about a lot of things. But it seemed there was a long road ahead of them, and Avril was pretty sure she wouldn't get the answers she wanted any time soon. Eventually all of the noise completely stopped, and all that could be heard was the peaceful pattering of rain while the sky began to slowly shift to a dark blue color. It was as though nothing had even happened.

---

Farbanti, Erusea.
0600hrs.

Although the Erusean capital had been quiet since the afternoon before, that didn't change the mood among the Osean soldiers. Ever since their communications had been cut off, everyone had their guard up. It didn't help that the Osean air support had no choice but to retreat after the battle was finished. They'd been dealt quite a blow at the end of the day, one that had Genette concerned for those he knew in the air force. He had his head down for most of the fight, having been ordered to keep low and out of the way, but he didn't remember Golem or Mage being present at all. Which only worsened his fears.

The night had been a fairly unpleasant one, and Genette had been awake on and off the entire time, grateful they allowed them some rest. Now as they all waited outside one of the Erusean GHQ buildings for Major Grimm to return from a search of the building, Genette took what little time he had to document his experiences. Out of respect he had avoided taking too many pictures or videos, even though they had taken very few casualties. At least none Genette had witnessed up close. Still, for this particular account he preferred writing it down. This way he could save space for interviews when the time came. For now it was just his side.

Genette scribbled as fast as he could, hunching on the steps he was seated on and leaning over the notebook he was writing in. His small, chicken scratch writing was going to be hell to reference later, but his computer was packed away where he couldn't get it. Not like it would do him much good anyways. Even if he had a more skilled hand for typing, this would have to do for now. At least only he would be able to read it, assuming the notebook's possession fell into anyone else's hands.

Suddenly he stopped with a frustrated sigh, steadily alternating between tapping the pen on the paper and clicking it repeatedly. Why was he stuck all of a sudden? The battle had been easy to recount up until this point...the point at which that Mr. X guy everyone had talked about showed up. Had Genette not heard first hand about the experience from pilots such as Captain Foulke, Major Wiseman, Lieutenants O'Connor and Jaeger, among many others...he probably wouldn't have believed the stories. Yesterday he'd seen pieces of the fight firsthand for himself. It was exhilarating and horrifying at the same time.

It was the kind of thrill he hadn't experienced since the Circum-Pacific War, as much as he and his stomach hated it. At the same time, he remembered how awful it was to watch helplessly while everyone else fought to keep people like you safe. He wondered about the three planes that had been shot down during the battle. It was only the LRSSG that went up against the enemy squadron, according to the radio chatter. Genette knew Lieutenant Lanza and Winters had bailed out, as a request for rescue had been sent to their location. But who else had gone down? Not having a name made this difficult.

Of course this wouldn't be published until the OADF approved it, to keep the family's from getting informed the wrong way. Genette would never want it to be any other way, but at the same time he wanted to honor those that had fought and gone down. Anyone who fought that bravely for so long, whether they survived or not, their names deserved to be known. His experience with the Razgriz only cemented his belief that if someone sacrificed for their country, they earned the credit. They deserved to be remembered.

The realization that one of the many pilots he'd met that bravely fought against this Mr. X could be dead was a bit distracting. Without a name or any idea of exactly what happened, he didn't feel right continuing. He needed to be sure of all the details. Tapping the pen a few more times, he pulled it away from the book and placed it between his teeth to free up his hands. He opened the side pocket of his camera bag, securing the book inside and placing the pen in after it.

As soon as he set the bag beside him again, he straightened his back and stretched out his arms, choosing to ignore the sound of his joints popping a little. With a huff, he leaned forward again, clasping his hands together and absentmindedly picking at his nails while he stared out at the yard in front of him. The sun was starting to come up, the sky noticeably lighter, but most of the light was coming from the still working streetlights and the lights from inside the government building.

It was a nice building, remaining relatively undamaged throughout the battle, with brick walls and marble steps and pillars among the rest of the intricate detailing. There was a cobblestone pathway and roundabout with a fountain in the center, with a paved road and parking lot off to the side and out of the way. Many different trees and small gardens added to the overall tranquility and beauty of the place, not that it was unique compared to the surrounding buildings.

The main HQ was a ways down the road, but they had already been there and come back, choosing to set up here temporarily while they did a sweep of every building. That had taken the entire night, and not once had Genette been allowed inside or updated on the situation. All he knew was that their communications were down and they were more or less on their own out here. Beyond that, he didn't know much else. They probably wanted to make sure all the facts were straight so he wouldn't impulsively write anything down.

A few soldiers hung back outside, not paying him much attention. They seemed more focused on their conversation, but they kept glancing around for any signs of straggling Eruseans. Genette was pretty sure most of them had escaped or been picked up by Osea already. Nobody could really say for certain though, and it was better to be safe than sorry. Still, he might feel a little better if he thought they were actually rested enough to fight back in the off chance Erusea made a very late, desperate attempt.

Genette shivered as a cool breeze blew past, rustling the trees nearby. He zipped up the faded old flight jacket he'd had since his first week on Sand Island, running his fingers over the faded 5th Fighter Wing patch over the breast pocket of the jacket before he lowered his hands again. The jacket was probably due for an upgrade, but he couldn't bring himself to throw it out or pack it away. He glanced up at the sky, the stars still visible but some beginning to fade.

Before his thoughts could drift very far, the sound of the heavy wooden doors drew his attention behind him. Major Grimm and his group of soldiers emerged from the building, talking quietly and wearing tired looks on their faces. The second the major spotted Genette on the steps, he tried for a bit of a smile and nodded in greeting as Genette stood up. He stopped beside him, and looked to the others. "You guys go on ahead. Let everyone know what's going on. Tell them to be ready to move out."

"Yes, sir," they all said in response at different times, slowly making their way down the steps to join the rest.

They watched them leave in silence, then Genette looked back to him. It took a few seconds before he finally asked him, "So...what exactly is going on?"

Jacob looked up at him, blinking a few times, then he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He hesitated, then once he gathered his thoughts he answered. "Er, well, unfortunately the King of Erusea is...dead."

"What?" Genette asked, feeling like the breath had been knocked out of him all of a sudden. He knew this was bad. The King was an important piece in ending the war, almost as much as the conservative leaders that agreed to help. They couldn't very well help if he had gotten caught up in the chaos, but they weren't supposed to be aiming for anyone or anything that wasn't shooting at them. "But how? I thought the plan was to bring him in. Keep him and the conservatives long enough to get a ceasefire, right? So what happened?"

"That's the thing. We don't know what happened, but some of the conservative leaders were found dead too," Jacob explained, looking out at his men. It looked as if they'd just gotten the news as well. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he shuddered a bit. "I'll try to spare you the gory details, but it wasn't pretty, Genette. Whatever happened to them, I'm pretty sure it wasn't Osea's doing. They were found dead in one of the conference rooms, each killed by a single shot. Probably died instantly. Hard to say for sure, but they were probably fired at pointblank range."

Genette didn't answer right away, pausing a few times while he processed what he'd just been told. It seemed to him like somebody didn't want Osea to have a chance to get to their leader, but assuming whoever it was got the opportunity it was likely they'd be taking the blame for this. Regardless, without Erusea's King and a few notable politicians on their side along with the state of their communications, it would make it that much harder for Osea to end the war.

"Not to bring up the past, but isn't this all starting to feel a bit too familiar, Major?" Genette asked him, glancing towards the soldiers as one of them exclaimed something out of frustration towards the situation. Jacob looked at him curiously from the corner of his eye, but said nothing on the subject. Genette swallowed and continued. "Not exactly like it was back then, but I feel like this whole thing is being pointlessly dragged on. And for what?"

Jacob closed his eyes for a few second before he turned towards Genette, his expression and tone hardening a bit. "Even if that is the case, it doesn't matter much now, does it? And honestly, I couldn't care less. We're stuck here with no leverage and very little hope. We can worry about government conspiracies or whatever later...right now, we need to focus on getting out of here alive and our steps after that."

"Right." Genette had to admit, even if that was really their only option he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against one of the pillars beside the steps, trying to relax a little. "So, what exactly do you have planned? Last I heard, Farbanti was supposed to be the last step needed."

"Well, as far as fighting goes, that much had just been assumed," Jacob explained with a huff, turning away again and staring out at the scenery. "But there was one final thing we needed. If we had the King and a few of the Conservatives that stood their ground, we might've stood a chance with a ceasefire. Most of the conservative faction was organizing in secret around the country once they caught onto General Parrish's plan to split. The only ones we had tabs on were the ones here in the capital, and General Labarthe...thank God he got away long ago, at least."

"He was — I mean, is — the leader of the conservatives, is he not?" Genette asked, tilting his head slightly. "If he's on our side, don't you think we have a chance?"

"Yeah. That was the idea. He's been hiding out in Anchorhead for some time, under the protection of some Osean soldiers," Jacob answered quickly, glancing at Genette once more as he spoke. "And assuming the last intel we got on them was true, then nobody's found them out just yet. They know he's in the area, but they've managed to keep a low profile. We were cocky enough to think we could actually get that ceasefire, so our next step was to get him moved out of Erusea and somewhere safe so he could tell us what he knew. Maybe get this damn war to end. But..."

"But?" Genette prompted.

"But now, I don't even know if it's worth the risk," Jacob replied with some reluctance, looking down at his scuffed and mud stained boots. "We managed to get some guys into Anchorhead. Special Ops types, mostly just to keep an eye on things and make sure Labarthe isn't discovered. But we're cut off from them and our other contacts in the area, so even if we assume Erusea truly is as in the dark as we are I have no idea how safe we are. If none of our allies already there can set up and hold their positions, and with no reinforcements or intel...it could be a suicide mission."

"You're considering going in anyways, aren't you?" Genette asked evenly, not exactly opposed but just a little worried. He wasn't a soldier, and he sure as hell wasn't going to be able to go in shooting like one, which meant he had to trust those around him. Easy enough — he'd done it before and they never once let him down — but nerve-wracking nonetheless. Jacob didn't answer him, but he gave a subtle nod in reply. Genette blinked, looking up at the sky while he thought for a bit, then he answered. "If you want someone to talk you out of it, I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to help you there."

Jacob again nodded, lowering his voice a bit when he said, "I know that. But I also have known you for a few years. And I know how much you helped my family. You may not be a soldier, Genette, but you've got guts and you're smart. I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance that if I make this choice I'm not dooming us all. It's stupid, I know, but I don't have many people I can go to for advice."

"Lonely at the top, right?" Genette asked him with a slight smile and a light tone, attempting to ease some of the tension.

"Yeah, something like that," Jacob answered with a quiet chuckle, his smile fading almost immediately after. Looking him over, Genette felt sorry for the guy and a bit guilty. In that moment, he reminded Genette so much of his brother many years before. His eyes were dull and he was obviously exhausted from the previous day. To make matters worse, now he had another long day ahead of him and a difficult decision to make. He and Hans both tried so hard to keep morale up for those around them, always optimistic and friendly, but there was only so far that could go.

After a bit of careful consideration, having learned a thing or two about strategy in his time, Genette finally broke the silence between them again. "Staying here now is clearly pointless. If we don't do something, we're all dead anyways. At least we might stand some kind of chance if we go ahead and move on like the original plan...who all knew about this plan?"

"The IUN and the LRSSG as far as air power goes, if that's what you're asking," Jacob answered him, reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck as he lifted his head. He looked to Genette curiously before he went on. "But I don't know how bad their losses are. Aside from those two we picked up...I don't remember a rescue request coming in for that third one. And Golem and Mage Squadron never showed. Doesn't exactly scream 'good news!', y'know?"

"Maybe you're right, but I still think it's the best option we have at the moment," Genette said confidently, not sure what else they were supposed to do. "There's nothing left for us here."

"Alright, so say we actually do it. Only plan I've really got that even might work, so it's not really an 'if we do it' problem, though," Jacob said, sounding as though he was thinking out loud rather than looking for a reply, so Genette stayed quiet until he was sure. As expected, he continued. "Without any air support, pulling off an actual operation and getting in and out is doable. I think we probably have the resources, too. Which means our only concern is the communications. No way of telling friend from foe until we're right on top of them, and no way to get organized."

Genette frowned. Alright, so he hadn't considered that, but in his defense he'd briefly forgotten it. One tiny detail and yet it created too many problems to count. Genette knew his way around a computer, but this wasn't something he could fix that easily. It was basically useless knowledge with the current state of things...but he knew something not everyone did. Their radios worked fine, so he wondered if he could work that in some way, but he should take this a step at a time. Don't get ahead of yourself.

"The space elevator..." Genette said quietly once it dawned on him, not really sure if his idea was worth putting forward. But it got Jacob's attention, so he couldn't turn back now.

"What about it?" Jacob asked, furrowing his brow.

"I think I need to see a map to be sure, but Anchorhead might just be close enough to it," Genette said, quickly putting things together. Almost right as it came out of his mouth. In fact, part of him was cursing himself for not thinking about it sooner. Raising his voice a bit out of excitement, he quickly turned to Jacob and began to explain his idea. "Alright, not a lot of people really know this because nobody really paid attention. I guess they thought the ISEV project thing or whatever wasn't gonna go anywhere, but that's besides the point. Anyways, the space elevator is kinda like a big, multi-purpose transmission tower, right?"

"Oh, yeah, I think I might've remembered hearing something like that. Kathryn was pretty interested in it. Hans, too, if I recall," Jacob answered, seeming to figure out where Genette might be going with it. "But...I don't know if it can help us any right now."

"Actually, it just might. I don't know the exact range of it, but I think it might be connected to the Arsenal Bird," Genette answered, still figuring it out himself but certain it had a chance at working. "I'm not an expert in satellites or communications or anything like that. Not by any means. Writing is much more my speed, but I've had to research a lot of things for that and I've picked up quite a few tricks. So assuming it's range could be aided by the Arsenal Bird, which I'm not sure how likely that is...it seems a bit far fetched, honestly. But Anchorhead would be within it's range if that's the case."

"So you could use it or the signal or something to send something out?" Jacob asked him, and Genette nodded. Still, he didn't seem to find the suggestion to be a hopeful one. "That fixes the problem of transmitting something, if you're right at least. But not the issue of receiving something. So, how can we contact...say, our air support in case we need someone to come bail us out?"

"They went to Gardos Air Base, did they not?" Genette asked and Jacob just confirmed what he already knew. "I'm pretty sure they're just outside the Arsenal Bird's range, then, but I don't know how good that would be. It's easily a day to reach Anchorhead in our current state. Might be enough time for them to figure something out, but there's no way to know for sure. If you get me there, I might be able to at least try. At the very least I could try to get in touch with the troops around the city. It's better than sitting by and doing nothing, right? I mean, I don't know about you, but I'm getting sick of doing nothing."

"You're sure there's a good chance you can do this?" Jacob said, his tone changing to a stern one. There was a lot riding on Genette's idea, and it was a big risk to take for a hunch. Jacob's concerns were probably for the men under his command, and understandably so.

But Genette stood up straight and gave a firm, confident nod in spite of his own list of worries. "Absolutely."

"Okay, then...I'm going to trust you, Genette. Don't let me down," Jacob said, and Genette swallowed and nodded again.

With a sudden deep breath, Jacob put on a poker face and started down the steps towards his men, leaving Genette by himself to wait. The soldiers all looked to him expectantly when they noticed him, some of them even talking over one another and throwing out questions. Jacob motioned for them to be quiet, and there was a series of hushed questions and exchanges before Jacob motioned for them to be quiet and loudly told them, "I want you all to be ready to move out, so let the others know. We're going to Anchorhead."

All Genette could do was cross his fingers and pray that he could handle the situation. Pray that it would even work. It was a long-shot, but he didn't know what else to do and it was too late to turn back now. And they were out of options. He looked up at the sky and watched the stars begin to fade completely as the sun finally broke over the horizon.

---

Tyler Island, Spring Sea.
0700hrs.

I didn't want this...I didn't want any of this. I'm tired. Tired of everything...tired of the fighting. I'm sorry.

Everything around Rosa was pitch black, as she remained stuck in some barely conscious state. There was no sound other than the overwhelming ringing that almost drowned out her own thoughts, which probably would have done her some good.. The only thing she felt was some faint sensation of pain, but it was impossible to pinpoint where exactly. Maybe it was everywhere. The only thing she could be certain of right away was the smell of burning jet fuel around her. She knew she should open her eyes or even try to move, maybe just to test that she was still alive, but if she even made an attempt to do those things they didn't work.

The last thing she remembered before blacking out was only fragments of their trip. They had stopped briefly on the flight to resupply and change out a handful of the crew, allegedly at her father's request. She remembered that...it was a start. Then what had happened? Conversations were a blur. She'd spoken with her mother and with Henri. Maybe about nothing in particular, but she'd felt awful about everything for days. Maybe they'd tried to comfort her? They'd mentioned responsibility or duty or something like that, and that was all that had been clear to her.

It wasn't long ago that this happened, but...the sky had still been dark. She'd seen a fighter jet — no, she'd seen three. All of them Erusean. Two of them turned on one of them, or perhaps they'd been pursuing him the entire time and there was an explosion. They had...killed their own ally. Rosa's memory blanked there for a short time, after she'd screamed without meaning to. Next thing she remembered she had run up to the cockpit. Something happened. Her father had been killed. Farbanti fell and Erusea's forces had split. Because of Parrish.

Was all of this because of them? Or...because of us? Rosa wondered.

There'd been a lengthy conversation with one of the pilots at gunpoint, if she recalled correctly. He'd been assigned by Parrish to bring her and her mother to him. Henri had tried to fight back, and some attempt at reasoning with the man from Rosa...and at some point those two fighter jets had shot down their plane. None of it made any sense and she couldn't line it up exactly. Maybe all of it happened in a different order, Rosa had just put it together in the best way she could. The plane had begun to shake and break apart, and they were falling. Then it all vanished.

A jolt ran through her body like electricity and Rosa's eyes snapped open suddenly. Her upper body shot up from wherever she'd been laying and she cried out in a mix of pain and fear as she finally came to, all of her senses rushing back to her at once. What happened? And why?!

Smoke immediately filled her lungs and burned her throat, and she fell back to the ground in a coughing fit. Now that her eyes were finally opened and focused, she could see most of her surroundings clearly. Rosa wasn't sure how much time had passed and what time it was, let alone what day, but the sky wasn't much lighter than she remembered. Dark clouds hung in the sky, while freezing rain pattered steadily around her. It was chilly, with the rain and a slight breeze.

After a few moments she forced the coughing to stop, throat and nose both still protesting the smoke. She tried again to sit up, head pounding and the rest of her body aching or stinging in some way. Wincing, she firmly planted her hand into the dirt beneath her to keep herself propped up, keeping her other arm free. A quick look around her surroundings was enough to tell her that what she remembered wasn't a nightmare.

Rosa let out an audible gasp at the awful scene around her and her breathing became shaky while she fought back a sob. The plane she'd been on had practically been snapped in half, the right wing having been blown off when they were fired on. When they crashed, it looked like it just kept going from there, like cracking an egg or breaking ice. The other wing was hanging by a few very thin pieces of metal and wiring from the looks of things. Most of what would have been the larger fires must have been quenched in the rain, though there were still flames. Charred pieces of metal were all around her, some burning just a bit.

She looked all around her, and was able to spot bodies among the debris. Some far beyond the point of recognition...some that she recognized and knew the names of. They all were employees to her family, mostly bodyguards that Henri brought to be safe. The rest — a small handful, at least — were other loyal staff members that had volunteered to come along on what was supposed to be a safe trip. She could only count a few, though, none of them moving or breathing. Not all of them were here. Some of them were missing.

Realizing this and not being able to remember when she'd last seen her mother, Henri, and Leo before the crash, Rosa began to panic more. Quickly checking herself over for injuries, she made sure she wasn't pinned down or impaled on anything and checked to make sure nothing was broken. She had more than her fair share of cuts and bruises and burns, but as far as she could tell she'd gotten surprisingly lucky. She wasn't far from the plane even though she'd probably been thrown from it in the crash, but with how far some of the bodies were...she didn't know where to begin looking.

With a great deal of effort, she began to slowly and carefully force herself to her feet. Every movement hurt in some way, and she gritted her teeth to keep from crying out again. Grunting from the effort, she finally stood up only to almost stagger off her feet again after getting a head rush. Planting one foot firmly and stumbling, she steadied herself and waited for it to pass. For the first time in a long while, she didn't care about correcting her posture and let her shoulders and back remain slumped while she tried walking.

Fog and smoke both made it hard to see very far into the distance, but she could hear a distant thudding and boom like thunder. At first, she thought that was what it was, but the muffled and unmistakable rapping of one or several guns firing off immediately after told her that it had been an explosion from something else. Which meant, somehow they were back in the war zone. Directly near one of the front lines, by the sounds of things. Exactly the place that her father had been trying to send her away from, but exactly where they were she didn't know.

Rosa took a few steps with an awkward limp, not sure where in the wreckage she should even begin with. Her mother had been to the back of the plane, from what she remembered. Henri had been in the cockpit. For Leo, there was no telling how he made out in all of this. Brushing the strands of hair that had come loose out of her face, she began a slow and careful walk towards the rest of the plane. As she walked she tried to mentally prepare herself for what she might find.

When she reached an opening she could get through, not that it was difficult with a gaping crack right down the middle, she heard a muffled whine followed by a bark. Rosa felt an instant rush of relief and stepped inside, dodging debris where she had to. Inside the plane, which was much darker thanks to a lack of lighting aside from whatever natural light got in, she was instantly met by the sight of Leo. He stood atop a twisted pile of metal and the seats they had, his front paw lifted off the ground and apparently bleeding.

"Leo!" Rosa called out to him and he turned to look at her, hopping back a step and barking loudly at her. She carefully hurried her way over to him, his tail wagging slightly as she reached him and crouched down. She lifted the paw he refused to step on and checked it over, looking like he'd just gotten it caught in something. It didn't appear broken. Checking him over for injuries, she didn't object as he whined and sniffed her face, licking at whatever cuts she had on her forehead. Instead she just scratched behind his ears. "Oh, thank goodness at least one of you is okay..."

Leo backed away from her with a huff and barked again. Rosa stood back to her feet, confused at first. Until a strained voice she recognized as her mother's called out from somewhere underneath all of the scrap Leo had been standing on. "R-Rosa? An-anybody? Please...help..."

"Mom!" Rosa stumbled toward the pile and grabbed the first loose thing she saw, trying to throw aside what she could. Most of the metal was hot or sharp, but she didn't stop no matter how much it hurt. She pulled and tossed and dug at whatever she had the strength to, teeth gritted while her hands stung in protest the entire time. It was probably a very bad idea to just move things blind, not knowing her mother's condition or what chain reactions she might cause, but she needed to see her to know how badly she was hurt.

After a few minutes of wrestling, she finally got to her mother. The sight almost broke her on the spot, seeing her like that. Her arm looked broken, twisted at an awkward angle and sitting limply across her chest. A large gash across her forehead was bleeding, some of her blonde hair stained and clinging to the dried edge of the wound. Her lip was swollen and bleeding, not to mention the other scrapes on her face and burns on her neck and shoulders. Rosa leaned forward, checking to make sure she hadn't been impaled by anything. She hadn't been, as far as she could tell.

"Oh, my God...mom..." Rosa felt and heard her voice cracking, hating seeing her mother in so much pain. And if she tried to move her it would just hurt her more, but she couldn't leave her there like this. "Mom, I need to move you...y-you need to wake up..."

"Rosa?" came her mother's weak reply as she managed to open her eyes a little. At least enough to squint. She tilted her head towards Rosa and through the pain gave her a small smile as tears formed and rolled down her cheek. "My baby...you're okay. I didn't— argh...I didn't know if anybody made it or not...Leo found me..."

Rosa bit her lip, looking to where Leo stood behind her, obviously anxious about the situation. She tried a small laugh, not sure if he could even understand her as she praised him. "Good boy. You did good...that's a great boy, Leo."

"What about...Henri a-and the others?" her mother asked suddenly, swallowing a bit. Her smile faded, and a look of worry replaced it.

"I don't know about Henri. You're the first I found, but..." Rosa trailed off, looking over her shoulder. Back the way she came, thoughts returning to what she'd seen outside. "I-I don't think anyone else did."

Her mother took a shaky breath but stayed silent for a while. A few moments of silent passed before she spoke up and said, "You should go check to see if you can find anyone else. I can wait a bit longer."

It hadn't been what she was expecting, and Rosa looked back at her suddenly. Probably too quickly, since it made her head spin again. Quickly, she answered her mother, not really wanting to leave her. "No, I can still try to get you out first...i-if I leave you, then all this could shift again and then you could be worse off and—"

"It's too narrow an opening, and I've only got one good arm to help you with," her mother cut her off with a sigh. "Someone or...something needs to hold this part over me up so you can pull me out. If anybody else made it out and they're okay, then they can help. At the very least you could try and find something to prop it up with. Now go. I told you, I'm fine waiting a little longer."

Before either of them could keep the argument going, Rosa already planning to keep firm in her decision to stay put, Leo perked up and his attention snapped towards the opening leading to the cockpit. A new voice entered the conversation, more strained from pain than her mother's, and Rosa turned to find Henri standing there, braced against the wall. "Ugh...no, Your Highness, don't bother — ack...t-there's nobody else."

"Henri!" Rosa smiled at first, struggling back to her feet and trying to approach him. She stopped halfway when she noticed he kept a hand clutched to his abdomen, and the fact he was hardly moving. His skin was pale, and he tried to turn away from her but she still noticed his injury. A mess of what looked like glass and what might have been a part of a metal frame to the windows awkwardly stuck out, stained with blood. He kept his hand firmly pressed on the skin around the worst of it, pressing where there wasn't glass. Rosa covered her mouth with her hand. "No, no, no...Henri, you-you're hurt too..."

He made an attempt to smile. "Don't worry, Your Highness. It's just a scratch..."

As soon as he finished saying that, he winced and his knees buckled underneath him. Rosa hurried to his side and grabbed his free arm to help him up, trying to support him as she got him back on his feet. "You shouldn't have tried to stand or walk like this...I'm amazed you haven't passed out by now. Y-You should have called out or something, I could have found you sooner...I could have helped you."

"No. It's my job to look out for you and the Queen. That comes first." Henri firmly shook his head, trying to pull the arm she'd grabbed away once he'd stood back up. He couldn't straighten up, remaining hunched over the injury, which Rosa doubted would help him any. Although he tried to pull away from her, she currently had more strength than he did and pulled his arm over her shoulder to support his weight. He made what sounded like a frustrated sigh. "I already broke my oath to your father when I let that pilot get on board...I should have known. Please, Your Highness, I need to stand on my own."

Rosa grunted as he stumbled, adjusting her grip on his wrist as she kept guiding him back to where her mother and Leo were. He was almost dead weight, which made it difficult, but she couldn't let him go. She wouldn't. "You're supposed to follow the orders of your leaders, right? Well...I'm one of them, and I'm not going to watch you kill yourself because you feel guilty, so...I-I order you to let me help you."

If he wanted to protest any further, he didn't as they kept walking. Instead he swiftly changed the subject. "How about you and Her Majesty? How badly were the two of you hurt?"

"I'm fine...I got outside somehow and hit my head pretty hard, but I think that's the worst of it," Rosa promptly replied, carefully lowering Henri to the place she'd been sitting before, right in front of the spot her mother was at. She tried and failed to fight Leo off as he hurried to check Henri over for himself.

Henri looked over at her mother expectantly, and she gave him a smile like she'd given Rosa before. "I've got a broken arm and most likely a concussion, I'm guessing. But compared to being impaled like that...we're fine. Really, you shouldn't blame yourself too much, Henri..."

"The King gave me strict orders to get you and the Princess to safety, Your M-Majesty...when we stopped to refuel, I should have checked into those 'orders' more...i-instead Parrish got one of his treacherous lackeys on board...a-and...well, you know the rest." Henri tried to stifle a cough more times than once, unable to hold it together much longer. After an unpleasant coughing fit, his breathing seemed to have worsened. He pulled his other hand from his mouth to show blood there as well, trickling out from his mouth. "Argh...dammit..."

Rosa looked down at her mother, not able to see a lot of her expression, but judging from the way Henri wouldn't look at her she guessed he was getting one of her sympathetic looks. Rosa realized her mother hadn't learned about her father's death when Rosa and Henri had, and it seemed that was playing a big part in Henri's guilt. She needed to know, but Rosa didn't want to tell her now. Not yet. They needed to get her out first. "Henri...if I can lift that bit of debris that she's still pinned under, would you be able to pull her out?"

He didn't say anything, swallowing hard and giving her a slow nod as he moved to adjust himself. Rosa also got a grip on the metal, waiting for Henri to get ahold of her mother before she moved. He reached his arm out and with the one good arm her mother had, she grabbed as far up his arm as she could. Once they both told her they were ready, Rosa braced herself and with every ounce of strength she could tried to lift it up enough. It was less than an inch of extra room, but it freed her mother's legs and she was able to help Henri pull her out.

As soon as her mother was completely out from underneath it, Rosa cried out as she lost her grip on the metal, stumbling off balance. She caught herself before her head could hit the floor, her lower back hitting the floor with a thud. "Gah...crap...that hurt...Mom, Henri, you both alright?"

Her mother had already checked over her own injuries, neither of her legs too badly injured, and was already helping keep Henri from falling. "I'll be fine...we should do something about Henri, though...Rosa, help me get him outside."

Wasting no time, Rosa got on Henri's other side and the two women struggled to get him back on his feet. It had to have taken them a few minutes, between everyone's injuries, but they managed to get outside and they all seemed to welcome the rain. It was still cold, but after all of that Rosa would have been willing to sit out in the snow just to cool off. Leo seemed to share the sentiment, eagerly hobbling out into the rain. His excitement and relief, much like everyone else's, soon faded when they got a good look at everything.

Rosa slid off the embroidered dress jacket she'd had on and passed it to her mother. Quietly and carefully, they both worked to treat everything the best they could for the time being. Henri, losing blood and somehow still (barely) lucid, instructed Rosa on how to tie a sling with her jacket to give her mother's arm some temporary support. As soon as that was done, her mother did all she could to add pressure to Henri's injury, but beyond that they didn't know what else to do. They just knew not to try taking anything out.

The distant sounds of battle along with the roar of jet engines not too far away continued to rage on, which did nothing to ease their anxiety. Leo had limped his way back to Rosa, curling up on the hard ground and resting his head on her thigh with a whine. They did what patching up they could do for Henri and her mother, but she didn't know what to do for Leo. She reached out for his paw, but he let out a low, pained growl when she touched it. Not feeling like fighting with him, even if it was for his own good, she pushed his head back down and gently stroked the side of his face with her thumb to calm him.

"This obviously isn't where we're supposed to be...so, where exactly are we?" Rosa asked, breaking the silence between the three of them. She took a good look around, part of her wondering if she should investigate. But with all the fog and the ongoing war, not to mention her mother and Henri's condition, she decided it was best to stay put. "Still in Erusea, you think?"

"No, we're not," Henri said through gritted teeth, lifting a hand to point in the opposite direction Rosa had been looking. "Through the fog...and smoke. I think I saw the mass driver. You can just barely make it out."

Squinting, both she and her mother turned to look in the direction he'd been pointing. Sure enough, thanks to the wind, they could just barely make out the shape in the distance. The large structure almost completely blended in with their surroundings, but it was there. As the pieces fit themselves together in her head, Rosa looked down at her lap with a sigh. Mostly to herself, she murmured, "That means...they took us to Tyler Island."

Her mother let out a frustrated scoff, using her good hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. "None of what I know is making any sense...what do we have to do with any of this? Rosa wasn't supposed to have anything to do with any of this. Just give the public a face to look at...now Parrish wants us dead? I-I mean, I knew he's been troubled for some time...but this is all ridiculous!"

"I opposed the plan to use the drones...you knew I didn't like it..." Rosa admitted in barely more than a whisper, and her mother fixed her with a worried look. Raising her voice a little, she explained herself. "I know you paid attention. You know what I've been saying. I didn't want to keep pushing for more violence...none of this was going anywhere. Erusea wasn't thriving, we were suffering. Parrish thought that the drones solved the problem...keep Erusea from taking losses. But the fight wouldn't end here. We all knew that. I was just the only one who said it. Guess he thought I actually would be able to do something to stop him."

"Parrish wants her out of the way. Ack...t-that's what that pilot said, anyways. He was acting on the general's orders," Henri put in, trying and failing to sit himself up a bit more. "Which...all things considered, it would seem it's just a personal score he wants to settle...nothing more."

"Of course you didn't pay attention when I told you to listen and learn. I didn't say that because I didn't agree with you, Rosa, I said it because it's easier than you think to make enemies," her mother said, half-scolding her. Of all the times for a lecture, she chose now. After a plane crash, when her arm was broken and Henri was bleeding out and Rosa was barely able to remember and process all that had happened. The perfect time to criticize her, obviously. "As if Parrish didn't have something to prove before, he definitely does now! If he truly has your father on his side—"

"Whether he does or not doesn't matter now, does it?!" Rosa snapped at her, not meaning for it to come out that harsh. Of all the ways she would have wanted to break that news to her, this wasn't it. "We lost Farbanti! That's what the pilot said. Dad is dead, and we will be too, soon enough. And it won't mean anything! None of this will mean anything! My death, yours, Henri's, all of these innocent lives, and every Erusean and Osean soldier will have died just to settle a score!"

"Your Highness, please—" Henri let out a pained cough, his interruption keeping her from continuing as she realized what she'd done.

Her mother just looked between the two of them, apparently not past registering the news of the King's death. After a while it seemed to hit her full force and she covered her mouth with her hand to muffle the sob she let out. "Your father...he...he's dead?"

"Mom..." Rosa reached out towards her, not having meant to blurt it out like that. Her hand reached her mother's as she moved closer to her, Leo having moved away when Rosa started yelling. Although she was more angry and scared than she was sad at this point, that didn't mean she wasn't still in shock about the news herself. In fact, of the few things she remembered, it was the one thing that felt the most like a dream. But Henri remembered it too, which told her it was very real. As much as she didn't want it to be.

As her mother processed the information, squeezing Rosa's hand tightly while she tried to keep herself composed, Rosa looked away from her. She shouldn't have gotten carried away like that, but it all happened so fast that she hadn't really been considering what she was saying. Henri looked between the two of them, a pained look on his face that wasn't the same as the one caused by his injuries. Tears seemed to be welling in his own eyes, and the guilty look he'd had before returned.

Rosa reached out with her other hand and rested it on Henri's arm, giving it a gentle and comforting squeeze. She kept a blank expression, though she tried to give him a reassuring smile when he looked her way. The sign that she had that she'd failed in that was that Henri's guilt seemed to worsen and he looked away from both of them. He leaned his head back against the place they'd sat him up against, tilted up slightly so he could watch the sky.

The rain continued to pour, whatever battle was happening continued to rage, and it seemed to her like the war that was supposed to end with Farbanti had started back from square one. After a few minutes her mother's sobbing died down, and she just sat there shaking in silence. Eventually she let go of Rosa's hand, but she was barely paying attention. Her head was pounding. Everything hurt when she moved, but if they stayed here and did nothing then Henri wouldn't make it. She and her mother probably wouldn't be far behind.

She tried to ignore the overbearing ringing in her ears and the pain that wrapped around her head, down her spine. The momentary stinging of her burns and cuts as the rain hit them, followed by a brief sensation of relief once the cold set in. Memories were returning to her in pieces. Words of the pilot behind the sabotage that led them to this wreck echoed in her mind. He was dead now, killed in the crash. It all felt like a horrible dream, really.

Looking at what remained of her family, Henri among the three of them, one memory stood out among the rest of them. He'd hesitated for a few seconds before he'd informed her, "Believe it or not, this isn't personal. Not for me, really...not for a lot of us."

'This isn't personal'. It sure felt personal. Because he'd been right when he'd said later — before the crash — that one way or another they would die today. Rosa wasn't sure if she felt ready to die, but she wasn't ready for her family to die. And yet as it stood, making it through the night would be a miracle for Henri and luck for Rosa and her mother. It had been luck that they'd survived the crash, but luck had its limits. Didn't it? It came and went as it pleased.

"Some of us are just tired of fighting."

Why did she remember this conversation now? It didn't matter. Rosa gritted her teeth and pressed a hand to her head, trying to ease the headache or erase the memory. Something. Anything. "I'm tired, too."

"If Osea has to burn to the ground for us to be done with all of this, then so be it. Let them burn. And the Royal Family can burn alongside them, cowardly dogs."

"Risking your life and betraying your country to settle some misguided maniac's score isn't going to fix anything. It won't stop with Osea." That had been Henri's attempts at reasoning with the soldier.

Rosa sniffled, trying to fight off the tears that began to pool in her eyes. She couldn't cry. Not right now. She kept her eyes fixed to the ground, and searched herself for the resolve to do something but came up empty. It was like she was frozen still, forced to sit there and remember whatever came to her whenever she could recall it. Everything had happened so fast, like she blinked and that was it. She glanced at her family once again. Was Parrish right? Was all of this just her and her father's fault? Should she have spoken up sooner or not at all?

"I'm sorry." Without meaning to, she blurted out the same thing she'd said to that pilot. It didn't mean much then, and it probably didn't mean much now. But it was the only thing she knew to say.

They barely reacted to it, not even looking at her. The only indication she received that they even heard her was her mother's choked back sob as she cried harder, gripping Rosa's hand tighter now. Leo had returned to her side and sat with his head on the ground, keeping pressure off his injured foot. He didn't seem to care one way or the other what she had to say. Henri glanced her way, but looked like he was just fighting to keep himself conscious, still losing blood and getting paler and weaker by the minute.

Part of her wanted to go and search the battlefield for anyone that may help them. If there was a battle going on, that meant someone here wasn't on Parrish's side. Somebody out there would help. Whether they were Eruseans still loyal to their leaders, agreeing with Labarthe's less extreme beliefs, or if they were Oseans...she didn't know. Osea may not be as evil as Parrish and the others made them out to be, and they certainly weren't heartless, but she didn't know if she could trust them not to just take the opportunity to end this themselves.

Even so, the nagging feeling that she should do something to help them wouldn't go away. If it was her fault they were here, then she felt she should take responsibility and be the one to fix it. But this wasn't something she could fix. They were all she had left, and she couldn't let anything happen to them. If she stayed, they died, but if she left then they may as well die. They were both too weak to fight anything. Her thoughts continued to race. If she needed to protect them, could she? Did she actually have it in her to fight? No. She was scared. The thought of that made her stomach turn and she felt like throwing up.

So she did the only thing she knew she could do. Silently she just...prayed. To whatever god or saint cared to listen to her. She didn't know if anyone was there, she didn't know if any of them cared. But she just wanted to ask for a bit more luck. Enough to get them through the day and night, that was it. That would be fine. But she was probably at the devil's mercy by now, and she couldn't say she would be surprised if that was the case.

Rosa's thoughts finally left her alone, keeping her in complete silence. She pushed back every thought and feeling she could, deciding it was best to just let the ringing and pain take over. Unpleasant as it was, it distracted her from her thoughts. She chewed at the lower part of her lip to keep herself from crying, and stared at the ground. After a while she noticed nothing but the sound of rain as a lull in the battle came.

No gunfire, no explosions, no jet engines. Complete silence other than the rain.

A light breeze sent the smell of saltwater and gasoline towards them, and from somewhere in the distance she heard the sound of a vehicle. Not a plane or a tank, she figured out quickly. It was the sound of a truck. Looking up she squinted through the fog, looking at the others to see if they'd noticed anything. Leo had already sat up and looked in the same direction, a low growl coming from him as his fur bristled in uncertainty.

Rosa stayed frozen still, unable to move or speak once again as the blurry sight of a pair of humvees emerged from the fog in the distance, a good minute from reaching them at least. This was either the answer to her prayers, or the final, dreaded card that fate had to play on her. Henri and her mother took notice and looked up as well, the anxiety Leo felt spreading to them. Rosa kept her gaze fixed ahead as the vehicle drew closer.

The heavy vehicles came to a halt, tires crunching the dirt and rocks beneath them loudly as the brakes whined in protest. The doors opened, and several armed soldiers quickly stepped out, the Erusean uniform unmistakable. Their country's brilliant orange flag stood out on the dull beige outfit, velcroed onto the shoulder of each and every one. She weakly lifted her head, gasping slightly as one soldier stepped forward. Their leader, with the rank of a major.

Unable to read their expressions or tell if they were sided with Parrish, she and the others kept quiet as he took a few steps. He abruptly stopped as soon as Leo jumped to his feet, a barking and snarling mess. Their weapons were raised as a precaution, but the major motioned for them to relax once Rosa got ahold of Leo's collar and held him in place. They reluctantly lowered their weapons, wary but relaxing slightly. It seemed they were more concerned about their surroundings than the pathetic group in front of them.

The major held his hands up to appear less threatening, trying for a gentle and reassuring smile. His face was aged and he was obviously exhausted. He barely managed a ghost of the smile he was going for. Nodding first to her mother and then to Rosa, his eyes seemed to flash with recognition and hope as he asked, "Your Majesty? Your Highness?"

Rosa was pretty sure she managed a nod, and audible relief spread through the soldiers as soon as she confirmed that. The major's second attempt at a smile was far more successful than the first as he nodded to the group behind him, several soldiers bearing a cross on their uniforms racing back to dig around the inside of the vehicles. The major took a few more steps toward them, Leo's frantic barking dying down to that low growl from earlier as he did. Was that a good sign?

"It's alright, Your Highness. We'll get you taken care of...you must have had a rough trip, huh?" The major asked them, talking to her the way one might talk to a scared child or patient. It set her at ease a bit, but she wasn't sure how she felt.

"You...are you...?" Rosa's mouth felt dry, and it was hard to talk. That and she was occupied with Leo, her muscles aching in protest every time he tried to lunge forward.

The major seemed to understand what she was asking and he gave an awkward laugh to try and ease the tension. "We're not with General Parrish, if that's what you're wondering...it's a long story, so it can wait until later, but suffice it to say we're the true loyalists. We're gonna get the three of you properly taken care of, Your Highness."

We're saved. That was the thought Rosa had as she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, her mother and Henri reacting in the same way to the news. The medics from before returned, and began to check them all over and figure out the situation with Henri. They even offered Rosa a bandage for Leo when they noticed his mangled paw. They were safe. But for some reason, that painful pit in her stomach didn't go away.

---

Author's Note: I was going to hold off and wait to post this with the next chapter to make up for being gone for so long, but if I don't post it now I'll keep wanting to rewrite stuff that doesn't really need it.

Once again, it's the last scene that gave me trouble with this one. Fun fact, the first two scenes have been finished since December, but I got to the last scene and got myself stuck. It's not my favorite but I'm happy with what I went with in the end, because trying to write the events leading up to the crash? Yeah, didn't work out so well. If you have a bad feeling about what's to come, then good because you know how Tyler Island went in the game. This is the final set up for what I've got planned there, so trust me when I say things are only getting worse from here!

I'm gonna be taking a break and then I'll get started on the next chapter, where we'll be checking back in with Naomi and Mihaly and their squadrons so stay tuned! This time I'm gonna try not to disappear for another three months. Keyword 'try'.
Until next time, take care and I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter!