XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sarah took out the empty magazine in her RE-45 Auto-Pistol. After feeding it a fresh clip, she kept the weapon trained on the cloud of smoke that rested on the small battlefield. All weapons that had fired seconds before had subsided, giving a feeling a sense of uneven calm.

Dominic ran up behind her and crouched down next to her with his rifle armed and ready.

"You took longer than I thought." Sarah said. "What took you so long? Were you afraid?"

Dominic scoffed. "Shin wanted me to do something."

"What exactly?" She asked.

"There was an IMC operative that actually worked for Shin in the past." Dominic said. "Shin wanted me to go get him and see if he still wanted to work for him."

"So we're keeping one of these bastards alive?" Sarah asked, malice in her voice. "After what we saw them do to Hyun and-"

"Sarah." Dominic said sternly, prompting Sarah to be quiet.

"Do you think you are the only that is mad at these people?" Dominic snapped. "Look, I know Hyun was killed by those people today. I'm not mad. I am furious. If I can get my hands on the people that killed Hyun I will not hesitate to pull the trigger. However, that doesn't mean we can go around killing everyone that pertains to them. That won't justify Hyun's death. No. Far from it."

"Won't justify?!" Sarah exclaimed. "Dominic, these people are our enemy!"

"Really? Just because they are our enemy, doesn't give us or anyone else the right to kill all of them."

"But they killed tens if not hundreds of people today. People who live in this colony!"

Dominic was quiet for a moment. "You wanna know something?"

"What?!" Sarah barked.

"That man, Rhodes, was knocked onto the ground by me. I hit him squarely in the face with my rifle. When I approached him, the look on his eyes was pure fear. He was afraid of dying and I saw it with my own eyes."

"Why didn't you just kill him?"

"Orders from Shin, you idiot." Dominic said.

"Ch." Sarah said, spitting on the ground.

"Anyway, I helped him up and I handed him back his sidearm. I know. In that moment, he had every right to kill me and he had chance to pull the trigger. But he didn't. That's saying something. Not everyone in the IMC is bad. As childish as my speculation seems, it is true. That man could have overpowered me but he didn't. He and I are enemies but I spared him and he returned the favor. That's saying something."

Sarah sighed, shaking her head. "Dominic, I-I…"

"Anyone there?" A voice called out. From behind the smoke.

"Who's there?" Axel asked. He was an African Black Sparrow sniper specialist. He raised his rifle. Dominic and Sarah followed suit.

As the smoke slowly cleared, there was an IMC soldier who was unarmed. He approached them, arms raised. Dominic looked at the man's shoulder and saw that he held the rank of a Private.

"Anyone out there with you that we can't see?" Dominic asked, still pointing his Hemlok at him.

"N-no…" The man said, his voice choking up. "E-everyone else is dead… I'm the only left alive."

"Axel." Dominic said, looking at him.

Looking through the thermal scope on his rifle, Axel looked behind the man and beyond. "No one's there. He's telling us the truth."

"Alright," Dominic said, "Approach us, nice and slowly. No sudden moves."

"Before I do," The soldier said, "is Sergeant Rhodes alive?"

"Who?" Sarah asked.

"The sergeant." The soldier said again. "He ran into the building earlier… and I-I didn't see him come back out… Is he dead?"

"No." Dominic said, shaking his head. "He's still alive."

"Oh thank God!" The man said. "Is he going to be released?"

"Soon." Dominic said, "But he isn't going to go back."

"Go back?" The man asked. "What do you mean?"

"Sergeant Rhodes" Dominic said, "Is no longer a Sergeant in the IMC military. He has defected."

"Wh-what?!" The man exclaimed, walking towards Dominic. "What the hell happened?"

Sarah raised her hand gun and pointed it at the man. "No sudden moves. Walk slower."

Dominic glanced at Sarah. "Put the gun down Sarah."

"Dominic, I-"

"NOW."

Sarah scowled as she put down her gun and holstered it. She then walked towards the man and went past him.

Dominic then faced the man again as Sarah disappeared from view. "What happened to Rhodes was that he never wanted to be in the IMC and wants to get back at them."

"Then can we negotiate something?" The man asked. "Could I possibly join you people?"

"Well…" Dominic said, looking at Axel who merely shrugged at him. "I think we could come to terms with something."

The man sighed with relief, "Ah, that's great, I- arghh!"

There was a red mist that exploded into the air as a bullet exited out of the man's left side, blowing chucks of flesh off of his torso. The man was thrown several feet forward, clutching his left side.

Dominic and Axel quickly fell behind cover.

"Wh-what the hell was that?!" Dominic yelled to Axel.

"I didn't shoot him if that's what you are asking Dominic!" Axel yelled back. "There's an enemy sniper out there… and he's damn good."

"What do you mean?"

"It wasn't meant to be a kill shot." Axel said, pointing towards the man on the ground who was writhing in pain. "It was meant to incapacitate him and grab our attention… damn fine move…"

Soon, they heard footsteps approach them. Then they heard them stop. Axel and Dominic exchanged glances before, sprouting from their cover spots, weapons armed. In front of them stood a woman garbed in some strange camouflaged combat armor. She had a long sniper rifle slung behind her and she held someone with a bag over her head at gunpoint. She was holding an RE-45 Auto-Pistol.

"Who are you?!" Axel yelled. "What do you want?!"

"I'm here for the Core Drive." She said in a cold voice.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Axel asked. "What Core Drive?"

"Don't play dumb with me you insurrects." She said. "Give me the Core Drive and I let her go."

"Wait…" Dominic said. Who?"

The woman took the bag of the hostages head.

Dominic's jaw dropped.

"SARAH!"

She was gagged, tears flowing from her eyes which were filled with fear and terror.

Dominic raised his Hemlok rifle. "Let her go!"

"Do you have any idea what you are actually aiming at?" The woman said. "No, didn't think so… and now since you don't have the Core Drive, I guess I'll be taking this girl with me."

"NO!" Dominic said, running at the woman.

"Ah ah ah~" She said, holding the pistol towards Sarah's head. "One more step, and she's dead."

Dominic gritted his teeth.

"Put your weapon down." The woman said. "You too, dark skin."

Axel and Dominic both put their weapons on the ground, albeit reluctantly.

"And now." She said. "Until I get away from this compound, you two aren't going move from where you are."

Dominic gripped his fists tightly, unable to do anything.

"No sudden moves, or she gets it."

Dominic saw that Sarah was trying to resist the woman's grip on her. She was trying to stand her ground by embedding her heels into the ground.

"You're too troublesome to deal with when you're awake." The woman said, and she quickly used the grip of the handgun to hit Sarah in the head. She yelped briefly before getting knocked unconscious.

"You crazy bitch!" Dominic screamed as he reached down for his rifle.

"Dominic, no!" Axel yelled.

But it was too late. Dominic quickly grabbed his Hemlock and shot a three round burst at the woman. The first bullet knocked the woman's gun out of her hand. The second bullet went through her hand and the third bullet imbedded itself into her arm. The woman grunted in pain as she swung Sarah over her shoulder and made a run for it.

Dominic ran after her only to realize that the woman had wall jumped into a dropship that appeared out of nowhere. He saw the woman put Sarah down on the ship and strap her down. The woman stared down at Dominic before the dropship flew away.

Dominic threw this rifle on the ground as he fell to his hands and knees, screaming aloud.

"GOD DAMN IT! GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!"

Shin and Rhodes suddenly appeared in the doorway, dumbfounded.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Shin asked. "We heard a shot."

Axel turned to him and said, "There was a pilot. A female one. She gunned down one of the IMC soldiers and held Sarah hostage"

"Shit." Rhodes said. He then looked over Axel's shoulder and saw the Private laying there.

"Oh fuck, Nils!" He said, reaching for him. "Shit!"

"He was shot by the female pilot." Axel said.

"That bitch…" Rhodes said, checking on the barely breathing solider. "Nils is still alive! Shin quick! Do you have a medic?!"

Shin looked at Axel. "Help him take the man inside, I'm going to talk with Dom."

"Will do." Axel said, helping Rhodes carry the injured man indoors.

Shin walked over to Dominic who had his face buried beneath his arms.

"Get up Dominic." Shin said to him.

Dominic did as he was told. His face was red, burning with anger.

"I'm going to kill her." He said. "I am going to kill her again and again."

"Calm down Dom." Shin said.

"How can I calm down?! My best friend was killed and the other closest friend I have just got taken hostage, how the hell can I be calm."

"Relax Dominic. Now, tell me what happened. Everything."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Axel carried the wounded Private Nils into the common room were several of the wounded lay. Rhodes got a table and cleared everything on top of it.

"Quick, lay him here!" Rhodes said.

Axel did as he was told. He gently laid the wounded man on top of the wooden table.

Rhodes put his ear by the man's heart. "I can hear it beating but it is weak."

He looked around the common room. "Is anyone here trained in first aid?!"

"I am." A man said, standing up from the couch in the common room.

Rhodes looked at him and the blue-purple bruise on the man's nose. "You…"

"Don't worry about it." The man said, pointing at this nose. "Shin already explained everything to me. Let's check up on him."

Rhodes stood back and saw the man check up on Nils. He then turned around and told the other people to gather some things. The man then turned to face Rhodes.

"The bullet cleanly exited his ribcage. No bullet fragments or any ruptured organs. However, he does need an immediate blood transfusion. He's lost a lot of blood."

Rhodes tore off his sleeve. "I'll do it. I'm responsible for him."

"Wait, what blood type are you and him?"

"He's the 'Universal Recipient.' I'm the 'Universal Donor.'"

"Perfect." The man said. "Axel, do me favor and get the medical supplies from the cabinet on the second floor."

Axel nodded and ran off.

The man quickly pulled out a syringe and plunged it into Rhodes' arm. Rhodes winced in pain but withstood it. After pulling some blood out, the syringe displayed 'Type O-Negative.'

"You ever save a life before Sarge?" The man asked.

"No, not really.

"Well, congratulations." The man said as everyone else bolted down the stairs with medical supplies and equipment. "Because you are going to."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX