South Kavala, Altis
June 23st, 0105 Hours
Not five minutes after Seth told Mark that they were under attack they were already in a motorcade to CENTCOM so Mark can fully understand just how exactly an entire island's defense network collapsed in under an hour.
"How the fuck did this happen?!" Mark yelled, asking nobody in particular.
Seth shook his head and put his face in his hands, still trying figure out if this was real and not some whacked out nightmare induced by drinking… which he denies having before bed. "I don't know sir… I'm having trouble believing this all…"
Mark groaned and rubbed his head annoyed "Driver, how much longer?" Mark said in an impatient tone.
"We're almost at the heliport sir, less than a few minutes."
"Step on it, I don't mind running a few lights…" Mark said back.
The driver nodded and then sped up, the others cars automatically following suit, almost like a hive mind.
Mark fidgeted nervously, thinking about who or what could have attacked his island. So far they were in the dark, last contact with the island was a garbled SOS before Mike 26's frequency was cut, and it didn't give them much to work with. Mark had a feeling that he knew, the Red Skrill came to mind, but where would they even get the means to mount a full-scale assault?
And then he remembered last night.
"…Jesus Christ, Seth get me Cinder on the Sat phone, now." Mark ordered his right hand.
Seth was quick to fish out said phone and dial in the assigned number, bringing up to listen for an answer "…Miss Fall, Zeus needs to speak with you, it's urgent… no, it cannot wait… hang on I'll put him on."
Seth handed the phone to Mark who took it quickly "Cinder, Last night you said something about the Red Skrill having equipment that looked like ours, can you elaborate any further?" Mark said hurriedly.
There was an audible groan "It's one in the morning and you asking me something like that?" Cinder asked, mildly annoyed.
"Now listen here lady, cut the bullshit. I just got a message from one of my fucking islands that it was being attacked right before contact with it was lost entirely. I am in no fucking mood for your prissy shit, get yourself together, or your protection status becomes null and void, do I make myself clear?" Mark ordered in a very uncharacteristic tone.
There was a pause on the other line, Mark could picture the red-dressed woman staring at the sat phone with a surprised look on her face and were he not in the mood he was he would've chuckled. "… Alright fine… the equipment you're asking about did look like yours, only it was slightly different."
"How so?" Mark asked quickly.
"I was getting to that. They looked more… uniform in design, less sleek and more utility based."
"Can you describe some?"
"Well, I saw some of the… tanks are what you call them I think… they were about thirtyish feet long, had a strange track design, more round compared to your tanks. The… head, I guess, was more round too." Cinder told Mark, struggling with remembering every detail.
Mark was silent, not believing what he heard. The way she described it, even as vague as it was, it sounded like she was describing the standard design of Russian MBTs. But that was impossible, simply impossible.
"…Are you there?" Cinder asked, growing impatient in waiting.
"Thank you, miss Fall… have a safe flight." Mark hung up the phone without another word, staring off into the distance in disbelief. There was no way that was possible… the Red Skrill surely doesn't… well, actually The Coalition didn't know the full extent of the Red Skrill's manufacturing abilities. But even if they had the proper materials, equipment, and means, how did they even design it? Maybe Mark was just overreacting; perhaps they created the tank themselves.
Or at least Mark prayed that they did that, the alternatives were not exactly better.
As Mark prayed to whatever God would listen the motorcade arrived at the Heliport outside of Kavala where an awaiting Venom Huey, the only helicopter available, was waiting. Mark made a mental note to actually get a personal helicopter in the future because having to drive as far as he was or use civilian heliports was getting tedious.
He and his detail boarded the chopper and headed east towards the center of all military and defense action taken in the Coalition, CENTCOM.
CENTCOM or 'Central Command' is the largest underground facility next to the classified location in Northwest Altis. It is the Cheyanne Mountain Complex of the Coalition and has the security to boot. A vault door that weights a combined total of 30-tons, automated gun turrets, an armored division on the exterior with infantry support, and full SAM array.
Even in the event of a disaster, the base can have full communication with anyone outside and issue orders for years before power and rations drain to critical levels.
It also serves as Zeus's 'War Room' in the event of an attack.
When Mark touched down outside the base he made his way inside, something which did require a Jeep to do quickly seeing as the entrance of the base was a tunnel that dug deep into the ground.
But once Zeus was finally inside he gave the order to seal the door; if this attack spread to Altis, he wanted to be sure a general command structure remained so the chaos would be limited.
Mark sighed as he entered the conference esq room and sat at the head. Behind him was a full wall window overlooking a control center and a huge digital map of the three islands with points of interest marked with green lights. Stratis, however, was all red which signified lost contact.
Men and women in the control center were abuzz with activity, running to and fro doing whatever duties were available to them. It was a controlled chaos that Mark used to and always fascinated to watch, but in light of what's happened, he was t busy in thought trying to plot a course of action.
After a moment the door opened back up, and his most esteemed generals and heads of defense marched in and took their seats, some holding files in their hands and talking amongst themselves. Not a single one noticed Mark sitting there.
It wasn't until the man cleared his throat did they all notice and collectively stand from their chairs giving a salute. "At ease… formalities are damned… I want an update, someone, tell me something, anything on the status of Stratis…" Mark said in a tired yet desperate voice.
The head of the Navy, Admiral Mackbar, stood up "Sir, I've just got contact from an assault submarine who confirms sightings of several Russian made Su-25s flying from Stratis followed by Bullhead troop transports. I have the sub patrol the waters nearby to look for any possible ships… hopefully, they can be identified as survivors…"
"Wait… Su-25s?... Frogfoots?... Jesus, I was right, we are dealing with something far more dangerous than simple insurgents. God forbid it's another, hostile Zeus…" Several of the men silently shivered. "But in the case, it's not… It's just like the Malden Island dispute some sixty years ago. We can handle this if we are smart."
"General Wills, I want Malden to be on full alert and Altis Defense Forces doing double patrols, don't let these bastards get the drop on us again." The General nodded and got on his computer, typing away.
"Director Aegis you're on intelligence like usual, find out if this really is the work of a second Zeus or if it's the Red Skrill like I believe. Hell, make sure it's not both." The Director of Intelligence also nodded in understanding and got to work. "The rest of you, figure out what the fuck happened on my island and why and tell me when you get any information." Mark finished.
They followed their leader like sheep and got to work quickly, doing their jobs and tasks as best of their ability, pulling every string they had to get anything they could, all while Zeus sat and think. Like he already asked his Director of Intelligence to figure out, there was one thing that Mark couldn't get out of his mind the entire time he sat there.
Why exactly would they attack him in the first place?
Classified Location, Altis
June 23st, 0155 Hours
Deep under the surface waiting in a quaint little reception sat Summer still dressed in her armored hazmat attire. Around her were several guards both from the base itself and from her personal detail which escorted her here, the telltale differences being that the base guards wore digital camo and her private guard being dressed in black.
The Major in charge walked up in front of Summer to a soldier who was currently on the phone. "What is taking so long?! The transport was supposed to be here by now!" he said in a hushed yell, his frustration level past its peak.
The soldier brought the phone down and covered the receiver "I don't know what the fuck is going on, everyone I've called says there's been an attack and logistics is being diverted!" he said back, equally frustrated.
"What do you mean attack? What attack?" The Major asked in the same tone, although, confused more than angry now.
"I don't know, I'm trying to get more information…" he turned away and went back to speaking on the other line. At that moment, Cole walked into the reception and to the nearby drink machine to get something too, well, drink. "You guys still here?" he asked.
"Yeah, transport is backed up, something about some... attack." The Major said with an air of bewildered confusion.
Cole raised an eyebrow "Attack?"
The officer nodded and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose through his face cover "Tonight's gonna be a long night…"
Suddenly there was a commotion down the hall where the freight elevator to the surface lied "Hey, who are you!? Show me some-"
All of the sudden the entire corridor lit up in a hail of gunfire and the screams of men being torn to shreds. "What the hell?!" one of the guards exclaimed just before a stray bullet caught him in the neck and he collapsed only feet away from Summer. The woman screamed at the top of her lungs when she saw that, watching with terrified eyes as the life drained from the poor man's punctured throat.
"FUCK ME! ENGAGE ENGAGE!" yelled the officer who began returning fire.
"YOU!" the Major pointed to Cole who had ducked behind the drink machine "GET HER THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" he ordered the younger soldier, gesturing to Summer who huddled behind a potted plant as guards fell around her, some gurgling on their own lifeblood.
Cole didn't have to be asked twice, the grenadier raising his rifle and putting rounds down range towards whoever was currently shooting back. Cole could only see so much in the hail of bullets and dust being kicked up by ricocheting shots, all he saw were yellow chemical suits with what looked like Russian style armored vests.
In the commotion, Cole didn't bother trying to be gentle with Summer, despite her mental instability, he just grabbed her by the vest and pulled her behind him, slowly leading back and cover firing while shielding her from harm.
Some of the guards tried to aid them, following by example with Cole, only to end up being gunned down. Somehow Cole was lucky and made it to a split in the next corridor deeper in the facility.
He spent his last round and ejected his mag, forcing Summer behind cover while he slammed against the wall himself, bullets flying by. After a moment the firing stopped, and Cole had a chance to breathe while he reloaded.
"She's here, find her! And her daughter!" Cole heard one of them yell through their mask followed by the marching of boots.
Cole was no genius, but he was sure they were talking about Summer.
And after what he heard Zeus talking about the day before he could also guess why…
"Come on, quickly!" Cole hurriedly whispered and took her hand, taking off down the corridor as quiet as they could. Summer was already having an anxiety attack, breathing heavily in her mask. Cole didn't have time to stop and calm her down.
Cole paused as the two of them came up to an intersection in the corridor.
He leaned out carefully and peaked down it seeing the turn off that would lead to Ruby's room, or in other words, a place where they could hold out for a while and possible call for help.
Cole didn't see any of the hazmat clad attackers in the hall or hear any of their heavy footfalls nearby so he and Summer made a mad dash for the turn while trying to be as stealthy as they could. They made it, only for Cole to run into one of the assailants who lept out at him with a fire dust laiden knife, jabbing at Cole and knocking away his weapon.
Summer screamed in shock and backed away while Cole wrestled with the attacker who was for some reason stronger than him despite their similar gait and body shape. Cole was at a disadvantage from the start and was losing badly, the blade already leaving burned gashes in his uniform and on his vest. However, Cole had been in scenarios like this during training, and he knew a way out.
He quickly headbutted the masked assailant and used his split-second window to plant his boots on the attacker's chest and push him off. Before his enemy could get back up, Cole grabbed the loose chemical suit's hood and used it as leverage to smash his head into the corner of the turn off repeatedly.
The attacker went silent swiftly, blood beginning to spill from the cracked mask and to the floor below.
Cole's breathing was quick, on an adrenaline high from the attack and rage-filled fury of caving his attacker's skull in. He quickly collected his weapon after and grabbed Summer's arm pulling her away from the body she stared at, hyperventilating.
The two were in Ruby's room before any of them realized it, Cole facing down the barrel of his previous commander's weapon. "Tom… calm down, it's me…" Cole panted out.
"Jesus Christ all mighty, Cole, what the fuck is going on out there, sounds like a goddamn war!" Tom said extravagantly.
Tom wasn't wrong, despite Cole and Summer's quiet movements, there was still the omnipresent sound of scattered gunfire as the invaders stumbled upon groups of survivors and soldiers as well as the screams of everyone in between.
"I don't know!" Cole answered back "One minute I'm getting a soda and the next we're under fire and the Major apart of her detail ordering me to get her to a safe place!" Cole said pointing to Summer.
"Where is Boon and our charges?" Cole suddenly asked noticing the lack of presence by the three.
"In the bathroom. Ruby, despite my own protests, is up and in her gear. It's damn lucky that that weapon of hers never left the base, I was able to grab it off the cart outside."
"And her sister?"
"Adamit on using her bare fucking hands if it comes to it…" Tom droned out.
"Yes, but that is before you add subsonic gunpowder-based ammunition… you and I both know Aura only holds up so much to it." Tom countered. Cole sighed, remembering the experiments with Aura and conventional weapons from Earth.
Turns out Dust is an exorbitantly weaker alternative gunpowder, one of the reasons that Dust based weapons are a lot quieter compared to gunpowder-based ammunition. The only upside to using Dust is the elemental factor.
"Go tell them to come out, I need a breather…" Cole said tiredly, Tom already at the door before Cole even finished talking.
Tom knocked "Hey, it's safe to come on out." He said.
The locked clicked and boon opened the door cautiously; when he saw his commanding officer, he opened the door fully to reveal Ruby who was fully dressed and had her weapon in its signature 'sniper' mode with Yang who looked as she did before.
"Sir." Boon greeted and was met with a tired wave.
"Mom!" Ruby exclaimed and rushed over to her parent, embracing her tightly. Summer, who was terrified and in need of severe comfort, gladly excepted the hug and nearly crushed her daughter in a vice grip hold. Yang was less quick to join in on the hug, not having her sisters speed, but gladly hugged the both of them with a smile.
Tom sighed and rubbed his temples, trying to figure out what exactly they were going to do. "We are so screwed…" he said, more to himself than the others.
"What do you mean?" Yang chimed in, releasing the hug along with her sister who sat and started to rub her mother's back comfortingly.
"I mean we are currently in an underground facility, surrounded, with no means of escape, and with little contact with the outside world…" Cole said for his companion.
"How'd you know we couldn't contact anybody?" Tom asked.
"Because you would have said something by now," Cole replied, also sighing and pulling his weapon into his lap. "We are going to have to get to the Emergency Exit somehow… it's the only way." Cole said somberly.
"It can't be that hard… can it?" Ruby asked.
"We're surrounded darling, even with your fancy smancy abilities, we'll only get so far with such a large group… and that's not even factoring in if they've already sealed it off…"
"Where does the escape hatch even go out to?" Tom asked suddenly "aren't we like… a mile underground?"
Cole nodded "Yes, but the base was built inside a mountain, and the escape hatch leads to an outlet for sewage…"
"So our glorious escape route will be through a river a shit… anyone bring a paddle?" Boon joked humorlessly.
"Cut the crap Boon, it's not just shit we are going to have to endure, it's the bunch of tangos in our way," Tom said back.
"Tom's right, if they knew this place existed then they know any possible escape routes. We are going to have to fight our way out of here."
Yang took her moment to shine, punching her fist in her hand "We can take 'em, it's just a bunch of dude with guns, what's the big deal."
Tom sighed "For the last fucking time, it's not that fucking simple! These aren't your average dust weapons!"
"So? I've taken down Grimm twice my size before, this'll be a cake walk."
Cole sighed loudly "I don't give a fuck if you took our leader on in a one on one fight and came out without a scratch, you are not going to fucking fight anyone with your bare hands! Even if you had your weapons, I'd still be against it!"
Yang blew it off "Whatever, I can take on your 'precious leader' too…" she said nonchalantly, borderline mocking.
"Ugh, we don't have time for this Yang, just listen to them already so we can get Mom out of here… she looks pretty bad..." Ruby said, holding her mother close. She was right, something was up with Summer, and Cole just picked up on it. She looked abnormally anxious and downright fidgety, which was actually habitual for her in this state, but she was looking around at everything that moved and was clutching the bed sheets tightly.
Cole had seen this before, but with how crazy everything was being, he couldn't remember where.
"Fine Ruby… let's get out of here…" Yang conceded.
"Finally," Tom said, grabbing his gun "Let's get the fuck out of here."
"Yes. Tom, you're with me. Boon, Yang, and Ruby you three will be on Summer. Do not, under any circumstances, let her suit get torn."
The three of them nodded and prepared themselves, Yang lightly grabbing her step-mom's shoulders and guiding her behind Ruby. Boon took up the rear while Tom and Cole led front.
Cole quietly unlocked the door and glanced out into the hall, holding up a fist to keep everyone else in place. When he was sure, the coast was clear he motioned with two fingers to the right and snaked out, head on a swivel and weapon raised at the ready.
Tom did the same as Cole while Boon watched their tail, training his gun on every corner and anything that moved or seemed like it.
Everything seemed quiet, even with the sounds of battle in the distance, the group quickly passing down the halls. Now and then they would pass a body, and the three huntresses' gazes would linger a little longer before Boon nearly bumping into them snapped them out of it.
Cole peaked down another hallway intersection then rapidly he pressed himself against the wall and shot up a fist to signal everyone to stop.
Down the hall, there was two fireteams worth of combatants just standing about and waiting for orders, all armed and dressed with Russian designed armor and weapons. The only thing that didn't look Russian on them was the bright yellow chemical suits.
The more he looked, the more he got confused. Everything about these guys screamed military, the subtle actions, the way they carried themselves, the equipment. However, there were no Russian units in the Coalition, and those chemical suits didn't even look like Coalition design.
Tourists. They had to be from the mainland, looking at the air filtration units of the suits Cole saw elements that incorporated Dust. But how in the world did these Tourists even find out about the facility, let alone the island?
Cole shook his head. It didn't matter, at least not now, questions like that can be answered later when they weren't in danger.
Cole signaled the others how many there were then jabbed a finger to the other side of the corridor. Tom nodded and raised his rifle. When Cole gave the signal, Tom rushed to the other side and took cover on the other corner of the intersection.
He nodded to Cole who nodded back, inserting an HE round into his under barrel grenade launcher and turned back to his second squad member and the three charges. "Ruby, stay behind us and cover your sister and mother, Boon on me." He whispered quietly.
Ruby prepared her rifle and nodded while boon silently moved up and set his rifle. It was showtime.
Cole stepped out, and the familiar 'thunk' of the grenade launcher was heard followed by the resulting explosion and the screams of those affected. Cole retook cover as a swarm of bullets flew down the hall, ricocheting off the walls.
"COVERING FIRE!" Cole yelled. Tom and he peeked out and opened fire on the remaining soldiers… and then Cole saw the exact effect his grenade had. Three were unmistakably dead, one writhing in pain from shrapnel, the rest were returning fire.
Boon, under cover of his friends, ran out and began firing, moving to the protection of an abandoned cart in the hall. Tom popped his mag "Reloading! Cover me!" he yelled while taking cover.
Cole nodded and mover out, Ruby taking his place and aiming down the hall; cole then got behind Boon and took several pot shots down the hall.
And this is where their luck took a turn. The gunfire attracted several other soldiers from around the area, including a few on Tom's flank which forced the Corporal to take cover behind an overturned bench.
Ruby decided to lend her own unique form of aid in the form of high impact sniper caliber rounds. While dust was, in fact, significantly weaker than ballistic rounds, the simple fact was .50 BMG dust rounds were still very effective.
Several of the anti-material rounds were fired down the hall, knocking back anyone they hit, sometimes knocking them clear into the back wall. Ruby smile widened with each pull of the trigger. Just by how the weapon felt with firing she could tell that whoever cleaned and repaired her weapon did so as affectionately and thoroughly as she did.
She allowed herself a small giggle as she continued firing, occasionally switching from one hall to another and knocking down oncoming attackers as well as knocking out the occasional poor bastard.
Summer clung to her eldest daughter and kept her eyes shut the entire time, trying to control her ongoing panic. Meanwhile, Yang being Yang was getting increasingly jealous of everyone who was fighting.
She rarely ever sat on the sidelines during a fight, always the quote un-quote "Frontman" of Team RWBY. Always in the face of Grimm and subsequently beating the shit out of them.
He patience finally got to her, and she smiled smugly. It was time to show these soldiers what she was made of.
"Mom," she said, getting Summer's attention "Wait here ok? I'll be right back." She said in a reassuring tone. Summer, not wanting to lose the only comforting thing she could get a hold of shook her head violently, something Yang ignored as she pried herself from he mom's grasp.
She stood up and let out a battle cry, sprinting down the hall Cole and Boon were covered in, the two only catching a glimpse of the yellow themed woman before she was too far to stop. "WAIT STOP, NO!" Cole yelled.
Now the center of everyone's attention, the hazmat clad soldiers switched their focus on Yang.
Everything happened in a split second. It all seemed to happen in slow motion.
The front-most soldier, wielding the Russian standard AK-74, let out an automatic burst which caught Yang in the lower stomach, causing her to stumble. Another burst shot from another soldier wielding an AKM hit her in the shoulder, shattering her Aura and knocking her back.
And finally, a single round from another AK-74 caught her in the gut and passed straight through her body tearing a disgusting hole in her back and sending her to the ground motionless.
Cole and Boon were at a loss for words, never taking their eyes off her as she helplessly collapsed.
Tom continued firing as more en poured towards them from his position, totally unaware of what happened.
"YANG!" Ruby nearly screamed, her voice sounding like a hushed echo in the chaos.
The men down the hall just ignored Yang's lifeless body and began advancing on Cole and Boon who were still overcoming the shock of what they witnessed.
And in the middle of it, all was Summer, who had watched her daughter run out heroicly to try and save them… only to be cut down like a tall blade of grass.
Something in Summer cracked… like a barrier being struck by a giant hammer.
Ruby, whose eyes were glued on her sister, tried to step out, to run to her and help her, only to be pushed back by more gunfire. Tears streamed down her face like rivers as it got increasingly harder to focus, her potshots becoming more and more scattered.
The barrier cracked again.
Yang, who had been on the ground, stunned, tried to roll over only to scream in agony as her bloody wound shifted.
The barrier cracked even more.
As the soldiers advance closer to Cole and Boon, who were pinned down by a hail of bullets they passed Yang. One of them took notice of her and placed a boot on her chest, causing her to scream in agony.
The barrier cracked to the point of breaking.
Slowly that same soldier brought his weapon to bear, barrel aimed right at Yang's head.
And suddenly… the barrier shattered.
In a split second Summer remembered everything, knew everything… and immediately the protective mother in her came out, and she stood up in the intersection, in full view of everyone.
"CEASE FIRE! IT'S THE TARGET!" one of the attackers yelled, most likely a commander.
The soldier that was about to kill Yang switched his attention to Summer and raised his rifle on her as everyone else did. Cole, Boon, Tom, even Ruby were staring at Summer like she grew a second head not expecting something the likes of this to unfold.
She had a fire in her eyes that could burn a hole through steel, and glare so venomous it could kill a village.
"Get away from my daughter…" she spoke, her tone so cold that Cole even shivered a little.
"Stand down lady… you're surrounded!" the same commander yelled, "Come quietly, and we might let the others live…"
Summer didn't speak, she barely moved… and then suddenly, all everyone saw were white rose petals scattered through the hall… and the commander with his own combat knife driven in his skull, Summer wielding the blade.
Several of the men jumped back from the sight. Meanwhile, Cole and the others were slackjawed at what transpired. None of them even had a chance to blink before the enemy commander was dead.
"Oum above!" one of the enemies yelled, training their weapon on Sumer again only to suddenly be relieved of that rifle and have the same combat knife driven through his mask and ending his existence.
Now armed, Summer went on a rampage, the only sight being men getting killed by their own weapons and a flurry of white petals that looked like a stray snowstorm was blown into the facility. It was over before it began, the soldiers not even getting a chance to run for their lives before Summer was upon them.
When it was over their bodies were strewn around the halls nearby, all torn apart by Summer's brutal killing spree, Summer in the center breathing heavily and coated in the blood of her victims.
Yang made another pained whimper and Summer turned around, immediately switching from protective mother to caring in a fraction of the second. "Sweetie!" she cried, rushing over and lifting her up into her arms carefully, stroking her hair out of her face. "It's ok, mommy's here, it's ok."
Cole and the rest of them took their time in walking over, giving Summer wary looks of uncertainty except Ruby who cautiously put a shaky hand on Summer's shoulder "Mom?" Se asked, hopeful "You… you remember us now?" she offered.
Summer nodded, crying a little in both concern for her eldest child and joy that she was with her beloved children "Yes baby… I remember." She said, Yang, making her current state known once again with a pained wail. "Oh, honey… it's ok… Cole was it? Can you help her?" She asked, the man in question shaking out of his stupor and looking at the wound.
"Yes… luckily it was a through and through, clean as well… Boon get me a clip from one of those men, Tom, I need some bandages and your Zippo."
"How did you-" Cole stopped Tom before he could continue "Tom, you and I both know you never fully quit, I don't particularly care, just give me your Zippo."
Boon returned with a clip of 5.45 caliber rounds, and Tom pulled out bandages from his FAK as well as his Zippo "Ok, Boon, break the tips off all those shots and dump the powder onto these bandages, quickly."
Boon nodded and quickly went to work, taking the bullets apart while Cole went over the wound. Again, he was no doctor or medic, but in a situation like this, he could make do. "Right… Yang? Can you hear me."
He got another whimper and whine from Yang as an answer.
"Listen… what I'm going to do is going to hurt worse than anything you have ever felt. But right now it's all I can offer on short notice, and it'll limit your chance of infection…"
"Wat, are you going to do?" Ruby asked.
"I'm going to field cauterize the wound. It's all I can do, we have little time before more men show up."
Ruby looked at him wide-eyed but said no more, Summer didn't even say anything, knowing that this was better than nothing and quicker in sealing the wound. She had also done it before on a girl about Ruby's age using fire dust a long time ago, so she was no stranger to it.
Boon handed him a bandage full of gunpowder which Cole quickly split into two and dusted a half onto her first wound. "Hold her down…" Cole said, flipping the lid of the lighter with a telltale click.
Ruby got on her knees and placed her arms on Yang's shoulders while Summer held her arms. Cole Lit the lighter and quickly ignited the gunpowder which flashed brightly and instantly sealed the wound. The result caused Yang to scream loudly which made Cole wince and shake his head.
He repeated the process on her back, dusting the rest of the powder on her wound and lit it making Yang scream even louder.
Ruby closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face, Summer only faring marginally better with keeping a straight face, but you could see in her eyes she so badly just wanted to scoop her daughter up and comfort her.
Luckily the shock finally set in from all the pain and the blond brawler fell unconscious in Summer's arms.
Cole sighed again "Let's get out of here, we're running out of time."
All of them were in agreement, Summer electing to carry Yang showing testament to her natural strength. Yang wasn't exactly heavy but she was defiantly bigger than her short-statured step-mother.
Cole and Tom took up the front again with Boon in the rear as they all made their way down the corridors for a second time, moving closer to their escape which was only a few more passages away.
Ruby and Summer kept close together, the latter worried about her sister and her state. While her wounds were closed, it wasn't a permanent fix, Cole knew that from the start, but it would keep her somewhat stable until they got to a medical unit capable of treating her.
All of them were in the home stretch now, one more passageway to go before the emergency exit that would lead to freedom was in sight. Cole and Tom let themselves smile, they were going to make it.
But as Cole peaked around the net corner his smile immediately fell. Deep down he knew it was just too easy, making it this far with only one casualty.
He also wondered to himself where this amount of enemy soldiers even came from, there were just too many to the grenadier to all fit in that single freight elevator. That's because they didn't only originate from the elevator.
Blocking the door that led to their freedom was a hastily built barricade with a DShK static gun set up with a full crew. From the entry came more and more hazmat clad men, all grouping up into squads and moving out down other halls that were nearby, several commanders going over what looked like maps of the facility.
Their way home was gone, up the creek of shit it actually was and disappearing in the distance. They were all trapped.
Tom looked at him worriedly and hesitantly asked "What is it?" his voice hushed to keep their cover.
"…We're trapped…" was all Cole said in return, his voice hollow and defeated "Mounted gun… endless soldiers pouring in… there's no way out…"
Tom looked at him surprised and turned to the others whose faces were all twisted in looks of fear and worry. Tom shook his head and looked at the ground, closing his eyes in defeat.
All of the sudden Boon looked back, and his eyes widened "Conta-!" he never got to finish before he was silenced by a spray of bullets which peppered his body, killing him almost instantly. The rest of them crouched down as more bullets came flying towards them.
Alerted by the gunfire, the mounted gun began hoseing the hallway in front of it with bullets, efficiently pinning everyone.
Ruby began firing back at the soldiers that spotted them, terrified for her life and the lives of her family. Summer shielded her daughter while Cole moved in front of them and began firing. "TOM WE NEED COVER!" He yelled over the chaos.
Tom saw some potential cover over on the other side of the hall. Risking it, he got up and sprinted to a closed door none of them saw before and crashed through it screaming in the process as a bullet tore into his leg.
"RUBY! GET SUMMER ACROSS! I'LL COVER!"
"But!-"
"NO BUTS, GO!" Cole yelled
Ruby looked at him a moment before leading her mother and sister to what looked like a supply closet, Cole spraying the hall wildly, even taking out his sidearm to add to the hail of bullets.
When Ruby was clear, he began to move towards the room and took a bullet to the arm causing him to drop his rifle. He continued firing his 9mm sidearm at the approaching men and took another shot to the knee causing him to stumble to one knee as he moved.
His pistol clicked dry, and he threw at them, diving into the room and scooting against the wall beside the door.
Tom pulled out his own sidearm, a Taurus .357 revolver. Cole opened the chamber and checked the rounds before flicking it shut and leaning against the wall breathing heavily.
He peeked out and saw his friends corpse, lying lifelessly at the other end of the hall. He pulled his head back in and hit his head against the wall and let out a frustrated forlorn yell, resting his good wrist against his head holding the pistol loosely.
He pulled it back down and looked at Ruby which had her scythe at the ready and summer who sat behind them holding her eldest daughter close and defensively.
Tom was currently making use of his tac-belt, sacrificing loose pants to staunch the bleeding on his leg. Once he was finished, he brought his weapon back up and looked out into the hall to see if anybody was getting closer.
Cole pulled back the hammer on his gun and kept it trained on one side, still breathing heavily.
Now they were truly trapped and low on ammunition.
Neither Tom or Cole knew if they could hold out until help comes. If it even does, their hopes were not high.
Both of them wholeheartedly believed that this was going to be their last night alive… but what they didn't know is that help was actually on the way.
Coalition CENTCOM, Altis
June 23st, 0212 Hours
Mark sat and waited patiently for an update on the status of Stratis and how exactly a bunch of Tourists got their hands on Russian equipment.
There wasn't much he could do other than wait as his generals and staff worked tirelessly around him, he wasn't that technical he was the man that sat in the big chair and made the tough decisions for the good of his country.
So there Mark sat, hands clasped together in front of him, his head resting against his knuckles as he watched the ongoing organized chaos that unfolded around him.
Upon the vast map, several markers indicated the multiple fleet groups and submarines that Mark's naval command had available. Most were converging on Stratis trying to get a read on the situation.
Some of the more massive defense fleets stayed close to the Altis coasts to defend them in case of an attack on their shores. So far it has been quiet since the attack, no other attempts on his territory were made. Which was strange to Mark.
Mark believed that if the enemy thought they had the upper hand in the battle, then they would attempt to at least prod his defenses or make a move. However, there wasn't a peep from them after Stratis fell which made Mark wonder. Why not push even further? Were they gearing up for another attack? What exactly was going on?
Suddenly a phone nearby rang loudly and a loose general that Mark couldn't name picked it up and answered. After a moment of listening his face grew more and more shocked by the second. He then pulled the phone away from his face and addressed Zeus.
"Sir, the complex in the Northwest is under attack!" he said.
Mark stood up "What?!" he yelled "General Stag! Where is Project Rose Thorns!? Has Summer been transported back to her containment facility?!" he asked urgently, the general in question picking up a phone and dialing in a number "I don't know, last I heard from my people she was being prepped for transport." He said in a marginally calm tone.
"I need to know now dammit! She cannot fall into the hands of the enemy, not when she's still contaminated!" Mark replied back furiously. He had a right to be this angry, his home and his people were needlessly attacked, and his patience was wearing thin.
After a few tense moments, Stag slammed the receiver back on the phone, nearly breaking it in the process "Son of a bitch! The transport never made it! She's still there!" he yelled.
Mark said nothing and stormed out of the room, some of his personal guard rushing to catch him, General Stag not far behind him. "Mark. Mark! CHIEF HARRISON!"
"WHAT!?" Mark yelled, rolling on the general who took a step back in surprise. Mark took a breath, realizing that his temper was getting to him, he calmed down. "Sorry… what is it?"
"Where are you going… you aren't about to do what I think you are going to do, are you?" the general asked with ripe concern.
"What else is there to do… these bastards attacked and killed the people I took an oath to protect… and now they are threatening guest in my country as well ass the world itself… I can't risk them taking Summer and using her against the world, or risk men trying to storm a facility I designed with protection in mind, it would be a bloodbath… I have to do this… if not for the sake of good but for the sake of the lives lost tonight…" Mark spoke slowly, his voice barely above a whisper.
The general gave him a look which mark couldn't read then sighed, bowing his head and closing his eyes "Alright Mark… but be careful…"
The Commander nodded and began walking down the hall again, this time alone ass he waved his guards off.
After only a few short moments he walked down a seemingly abandoned hallway that was just barely well kept it seemed, a lot of boxes with dates going all the way back to the Cold War on Earth and beyond.
He came upon a door with no handle, only a keypad. Once he entered a specific code in the door's lock, there was a loud chime followed by an even more emphatic 'Thunk' heard in the door as the lock disengaged and the door popped open.
As Mark slowly pushed the door open, letting light in the room for the first time in a very long time, mark saw a footlocker which had his name and rank from when he served under the US military long, long ago.
He smiled fondly and approached the dust-covered green crate and opened it's sealed lid.
It was time to enter the field once again…
