Sorry it took me so long to upload! I had university and then work, and then more university and then I was sick over the weekend. :/ Anyway here it is, enjoy and thank you all for reading and reviewing!

Spike's senses slowly came back. He heard Ed talking on the radio. Something about AP ammo. He didn't remember when he last used something like this. It's ugly if your opponent has that kind of ammo and you don't know about it. Kevlar doesn't always keep you safe when you're being shot at with normal ammo, but armor piercing? That's nasty.

Now Ed called his name. 'Did I fall asleep at work?' His brain was all mushy, he couldn't quite make a connection. Ed sounded like a distant echo through a tunnel.

The next sense to return was his smelling. Nothing special, but a sort of metallic tang hung in the air. 'That's weird, I haven't smelled that in ages.'

Ed was still trying to get him to wake up. Why was it actually so damn hard to open his eyes?

He felt something now. A hand on his cheek, now on the side of his head, lightly stroking his hair. He felt pressure on his stomach. It was not a pleasant feeling.

Overall he felt nauseous, but not quite at the point of having to throw up yet.

He tried to open his eyes and his mouth to say something. He wanted Ed to know, that he heard him and that he was trying to wake up. He was trying so hard.

The pressure in his stomach increased. The feeling wasn't just unpleasant anymore it really started to hurt. A dull ache originating somewhere in his stomach. He briefly wondered why he couldn't pinpoint the exact location.

'Spike, open your eyes! Open your eyes now. Constable Scarlatti, look at me right this instant!', Ed's voice was stern now, commanding.

Spike blinked his eyes open and everything came rushing back to him. The young man, the gun, the AP ammunition. He had shoved Ed out of the way, must have been hit himself. That's where the pain was coming from. Speaking of that, his stomach was on fire. The pain was excruciating and if he had the energy he would have screamed.

He gritted his teeth and tried his hardest not to cry out. 'Nnnnngghhh'

Trying to look down, his breath came in short, ragged gasps. He knew it was bad, even before he saw the ragged, bloody outlines of the hole the bullet left as it penetrated his abdomen. The pain was so intense, unlike anything he ever felt before. Someone had ripped his insides out of his abdominal cavity and tore them apart.

'Aaaaaaah' He threw his head back and tried to keep Ed's hands away from his midsection. 'No pressure, .. no please ..', he gasped out in a feeble attempt to ease his agony. He knew it was futile, as Ed pushed his weak, clumsy hands away and continued to apply direct pressure. Keeping pressure on a wound like this was basic first aid, he knew that.

Between all the pain, he suddenly remembered what he learned in the academy about AP ammo:

The penetrator is a pointed mass of high-density material that is designed to retain its shape and carry the maximum possible amount of energy as deeply as possible into the target.

He sure felt the whole extent of that maximum energy.

'Spike! Spike, stop struggling! Focus on me, come on, buddy, you can do this. I'm gonna get you outta here.' Ed's voice tried to reach him through the thick fog of pain. There was a hint of something. Fear maybe?

'E .. Ed …', Spike groaned and thrashed weakly. 'Hursss bad'

'I know, buddy. But we have to get out of here right now. Spike, the building could blow up any minute.'

He opened his mouth and closed it again. 'The others?', he whispered in a successful second attempt.

'They're already out, Greg ordered to evacuate the building. The gangs are long gone, too.'

'Ss'good ..', Spike smiled. 'You.. haffft .. a go … too now'

'We're going together or not at all. I'm gonna to lift you up now. Do you think you can walk, if you lean on me?', Ed moved in position to hoist Spike up.

'Yeah', he breathed.

'Ed, status! How far are you out?', Greg's voice boomed in his ear. He could hear the slight panic in the older man's voice.

'Still on the 3rd floor. Spike's lost a lot of blood, it's not looking too good. He's up now, and we're moving towards the stairs. Do you have our position?'

'Copy that, we got you.'

Together they began walking down the hallway towards the staircase they came up only minutes before. The hallway seemed to stretch out endlessly in front of them, Spike leaning heavily on Ed. He had one arm draped around the older man's shoulders and the other holding his injured side protectively.

His head hung low as he saw and felt the blood leaking out of the wound. The realisation of his doomed situation made him tremble and the blood loss light-headed, his knees were starting to go weak. Another three steps and they gave way. Ed was taken by surprise and not able to keep his balance as they both crashed into the wall, Spike dropping like a stone. The fall sent new waves of pain through his body and he cried out. He lay on his right side and tried desperately to get enough air into his lungs.

Ed immediately scrambled to his feet and looked his younger team mate over. What he saw made his stomach twist. He had never thought that physical pain could be so visible to the bare eye. Spike was white as a sheet, his skin was clammy and his face covered in a thin layer of sweat. Dark circles formed under his eyes. He was breathing harshly.

'Not enough blood, means not enough oxygen.' Ed thought grimly, before he was able to tear his eyes from the younger man's pain-filled face.

'Spike, I'm sorry! But we have to keep going, we have to get out of here, now!' The younger man moaned as he tried to pull him up. This time he didn't even attempt to support him walking, but pulled him over his back and shoulders in a firm fireman's carry.

'Time to get out of here.', he thought as he began to jog further towards the stairs.

It was approximately three meters left, before they reached the stairs. Three meters, before they were so close to the exit, to their team, and to help for Spike. But he wasn't fast enough.

As he reached for the doorhandle, a giant blast lifted him up. His feet lost connection with the ground as he became airborne and sailed backwards like a ragdoll. He felt Spike slipping from his grasp and away from him. He didn't need to see the flash or hear the explosion to know what happened.

His shoulders and head collided with something hard and everything went dark.

Let me know what you think! :)