- HQ to Alpha. City Hall's on the other side of the bridge. Pick up Bravo and move in.
- What's the status? – Chris asked. – Any casualties?
- They've got a man down on the bridge.
- Tank on the bridge! – Piers yelled as he walked a bit closer to the bridge. – The whole thing is blocked off.
- OK, people! – Chris started giving orders. – Getting to the wounded is priority one!
- Alpha Team! – A soldier yelled out. – Lay down suppressing fire from the flank. All snipers, form on my mark. – I saw Piers walk over to where he was told to by the soldier just a moment ago. He jumped over the gap that was separating him from the other snipers. – He's just up ahead, but he's hurt bad! You have to get him out!
- Copy that! – Finn answered. – I'll take point! – He ran over to the wounded soldier.
- Let's go, Minnie. – Chris said and we ran after Finn. A few steps onto the bridge it exploded and started crumbling down. – Go, hurry up! – He yelled as he pushed me forward.
The bridge was collapsing beneath our feet. Luckily for me, a few moments later I was on the part of the bridge which was still intact and standing solid. The moment I was standing firmly the bridge under Chris' feet collapsed even more.
- Chris! – I yelled as I saw him crawling towards me and Finn with great difficulty. I wanted to jump in and help him, but Finn stopped me. It's a good thing he did, because if I would have gone back there, Chris and I would go home in body bags.
- Captain! Over here! – Finn yelled kneeling down, ready to grab Chris once he would be in his reach zone. – Hurry, sir! – The fear was audible in his voice.
Finally, after what seemed too long, Chris reached us and Finn pulled him up.
- I owe you one, Finn. – Chris said as he stood up. – How's our injured friend? – Only then I noticed the wounded Bravo lying not too far away from us.
- Still with us! – Finn answered. – I'm going to administer first aid.
- Good. Minnie, you stay with him and cover him.
- And where are you going? – I asked suspicious.
- I need to get that tank out of our way.
- I'm going with you. – I said quickly and wanted to follow Chris, but he stopped me with his stern look.
- You're staying here with Finn.
- No way! I'm coming with you! You'll get killed if you go alone. – I protested.
- I said you're staying here, Sledge! – He barked out the order at me. I was glaring at him and he was doing exactly the same. – I have Piers covering me with the other snipers. I need you to stay here and look after Finn and the injured Bravo.
- Fine. – I said curtly and sat down next to the wounded. Chris just looked at me and went to do his job. I watched quietly as Finn was bandaging up the soldier.
- You and Captain. – He spoke up quietly. – You two know each other from somewhere else, don't you?
- Yeah. – I answered annoyed a bit as the three of us took cover behind a military tank. – And he didn't change at all over the years. Still the same stubborn ass.
- It looks like he really cares about you.
- What?! – I snapped at him. I didn't mean to sound so cold, but he was talking quietly and I couldn't hear him over the gunfire.
- I mean, it looks like he's trying to protect you from any harm. I think he cares about you. – He spoke up.
- Yeah, I know. It's just that this whole overprotectiveness can get on your nerves sometimes.
- I can see that. – Finn laughed a bit. – So, how do you know each other?
- It's a long story. – I said. – Let's just say that he saved my life when I was little and since then he has been like a big brother to me.
I wasn't in the mood to tell the whole story about myself. Suddenly I heard a huge explosion and looked from behind our cover. The tank that was blocking the path was destroyed.
- I'm heading for the upper level of the bridge. – I heard Chris say. – Meet me on top, Piers.
- It looks like they did it. – I murmured.
- Not a surprise. – Finn said. – Piers is the best sniper the BSAA's got and Captain Redfield is like a legend. They make quite a team. But I still can't understand why you hate Piers so much.
At that exact moment I jumped from behind our cover and started shooting at the J'avos that appeared from who knows where.
- Mutt boy? – I said as I was firing my gun. – It's not that I hate him. I didn't like him at first, yeah. But I got used to him by now. I just like to tease him, that's all. – I return behind the tank. My Uzi wasn't quite effective against the number of J'avos that appeared on the bridge. – Finn, give me your gun! – I said and he extended his Assault Rifle to me. I started shooting at the J'avos when I heard Piers voice come through the earpiece.
- Enemy reinforcements are moving in! Finn, I need you here!
- I got a Bravo here that can't walk! – Finn answered. – Go on without me for now.
- No one on this team gets left behind. – Chris said.
- We'll hold our positions for now! – Piers yelled. – I don't care if you have to drag him, just get your butts up here!
- That's easier said than done, Chief! – I yelled back as I changed the magazine of Finn's gun.
- You're there too? – I could hear the disbelief in his voice.
- You take the wounded, Finn. – Chris ordered. – Minnie, you cover them. Piers and I will cover the three of you from the top.
- Fine. – I murmured as I readied the weapon.
- Yes, sir! – Finn replied. – We're on our way. – He put the Bravo member on his back and started moving towards the ladder that would lead us to the upper level of the bridge.
I had to shoot at the J'avos that were on our level of the bridge and also I had to take care of all those J'avos that were parachuting from the airplanes. When we reached the ladder, Piers' voice appeared again.
- Finn! Report your location!
- We're at the bottom of the ladder, sir! Almost there!
- You go first. – I told Finn. – I'll follow right behind and cover you from the back. Once you're at the top, Chris and Piers will protect your front. Do you understand? – Finn nodded his head firmly. – OK, now go! – I ordered him as I killed a few J'avos that were coming at us from behind. – I sure hope that you two are ready to cover for Finn. – I said in the earpiece.
- Likewise. – Came Chris' voice and I started climbing up the ladder.
Once we were on top I saw what chaos looked like. *No wonder they needed him.* I thought as I started shooting at the J'avos. When we finally were behind the cover Chris spoke up.
- We need to cut off their reinforcements. I want you to blow the bridge.
- Yes, sir! – Finn answered as he laid down the wounded soldier and started planting explosives. A few soldiers came and took the Bravo member away. – I've started planting the explosives. – Finn reported as I did my best to cover him and help Piers and Chris.
- Alright, but make it quick. – Piers ordered. I saw as even more J'avos appeared on the bridge.
- Hurry up, Finn. – I mumbled more to myself than the explosives' expert.
- It's all set to blow! – Finn yelled.
- Everyone, fall back and find cover! – Chris ordered as he and Piers ran towards me. We all took cover behind the same barricade.
- Captain! – Piers shouted. – We've got a railway gun in play.
- Let it come as close as you can before you blow the charges! – Chris explained. – Finn! It's all up on you now.
- Roger that! – Finn replied as we backed up a bit. Once the railway gun was touching our barricade, Finn blew up the bridge. The gun, together with that part of the bridge, fell into the water.
- OK, let's go. – Chris ordered.
I turned away from the destroyed part of the bridge and started following Chris. But suddenly I felt a pull on my ankle and I was forcefully yanked back. I screamed out in surprise as I felt that I was falling down.
By some sort of miracle I managed to grab onto the edge of the bridge. I saw as a J'avo that held my ankle fell into the wild water beneath me. I tried to pull myself up, but when I moved, the concrete beneath my fingers started to crumble. *Now I'm dead.* I thought as my fingers started trembling. A moment later the concrete separated itself from the bridge. What I felt next was the strangest feeling in the world. I felt like I was flying. I've even accepted the fact that I was about to die.
I waited for the cold water to engulf my body, but instead I felt a powerful yank on my right arm. Actually the yank was so powerful that I thought that it dislocated my shoulder. I understood that someone caught me from falling to my death. Someone just saved my life, second time today. I looked up ready to see Chris or Finn. Instead my green eyes met up with a pair of hazel ones. *Piers.* I thought.
- Come on, give me your other hand. – He said. I did as I was told and he carefully pulled me up onto the bridge.
Once I was standing on firm ground he took a few steps back from me.
- Thank you. – I murmured.
- I can't believe it! – He said obviously very annoyed. – You put yourself and us into danger over your distraction!
- What?! – I snapped back at him. The other soldiers were watching us from a safe distance. Only Chris was nearby, observing our argument.
- You heard me. First it was with the train car, then on the bridge when the Captain almost fell off the bridge, and now this! – Chris wanted to say something, but I interrupted him.
- It's not like I did this on purpose. No one asked you to come and help me now! You could've just let me fall down and drown.
- Oh, yeah?! Well maybe I should have! I said from the beginning that a battlefield is no place for a child!
- Just stop your barking, mutt boy!
- Enough! Both of you! – Chris yelled at us. – I think the both of you made your points.
Piers turned his back to me to look at Chris. At this point I was so angry that my hands started trembling furiously. *You bastard. I'll kill you in your…* But before I could finish my assassination plan something caught my eye. It was a small red dot on Piers' back. I looked at it suspiciously. *What the fuck?* I turned my head to the direction where the red light should have been coming from and my eyes widened in horror. On the other side of the destroyed bridge stood a J'avo with a gun and he was aiming at Piers. I looked back at the soldiers but none of them had noticed it. Before I could at least come up with a plan, my body started acting on its own. I ran towards the targeted soldier and yelled out.
- Piers!
- What?! – He turned around angry. I jumped in front of him, and then heard a gunshot which was followed by a sharp pain in my side. The force of the shot threw me straight into Piers. He caught me in his arms, but because of the unexpected hit, he fell on his back with me on top of him. I suddenly felt so tired and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. Before I closed my eyes I saw the shocked expression on Piers' face.
Hello again ^_^ Today's chapter is short but I hope you liked it. And I hope that I didn't disappoint you guys with my story. I'm looking forward to your reviews and see you all until the next time ^_^