Day 2: 0900 Hours
"MAN DOWN, MAN DOWN, RICOH GET OVER HERE," Midnight shouted as he and Blackjack pulled Haze up through the body of the helicopter. Ricoh jumped from his seat and moved to greet them halfway up the isle, immediately throwing off Haze's bullet proof vest to check for penetration. They all fell into complete shock watching this all unfold, it didn't seem possible that one of their friends could take a hit.
"Haze, Haze can you hear me," Ricoh asked calmly as he didn't see any entry wounds on Haze's chest. A second passed before Haze started coughing and gasping for breath, much to Byron's relief.
"The fuck happened," Haze asked gripping his chest in pain.
"You got hit," Byron said as he pulled his brother into a hug.
"No fucking way man, the bullet went through your plate, and the kevlar, but your iPod stopped it," Ricoh laughed as he pulled a completely shattered iPod from Haze's vest.
"NOOOO MY METALLICA," Haze cried in agony causing them all to break out in a laughter of relief, except for Byron, who was furious at poor Mooch.
"What the hell is your problem why the fuck didn't you shoot back," Byron shouted as he shoved Mooch.
"I-I-" Mooch tried to explain but couldn't admit that he was too afraid.
"What you were to scared?! You're telling me your a soldier and you're too scared to shoot back at someone trying to kill you?! That magazine might as well be filled with nothing but blanks, no I take that back at least they would think you were shooting at them," Byron was immediately silenced by Midnight who threw hit hand over Byron's mouth and started to give him his own personal chew out session, while Blackjack, along with Humphrey and his friends, came down to check on Mooch.
"Mooch don't let Byron get to you, he's not as understanding as everyone else is," Blackjack whispered trying to calm Mooch down, who was on the verge of crying.
"But he's right, I should have been able to shoot back, I'm nothing but a coward," Mooch said as he depressively slumped down into a seat.
"Mooch, you had every right to be afraid, that was your first firefight. The same thing happened to me during my first shootout too,"Blackjack said giving Mooch a comforting pat on the back. Mooch looked up in shock as tears poured down his face.
"Really," he asked as he wiped tears off of his face.
"Yeah, in fact, why not I tell you a little story,"
Blackjack's words
It was maybe six years ago. I hadn't been in for more than a year when we were first shipped out to Afghanistan. Actually it hadn't been more than a few months after we picked up Lilly as our new recruit. It was around six in the morning when we were called out and loaded into the back of an AC-130. It was one of the longest plain rides I had ever taken.
See the good part about being special forces is you won't really see much combat unless you are drastically needed. But when you are called for, you knwo that things are going to be bad. Our unit was first called out to assist a group of Marines who's convoy was ambushed. We were told to go in and provide some backup so they could get out.
Well, when we got there the situation had become severe and we were under the threat of being overrun, the Marines had already been pushed back into an apartment buuilding. So we set up positions. Haze and Byron set up on the roof of a bulding as a sniper team, Midnight collaborated with the Marine leader to formulate a plan, Ricoh helped tend to the wounded, and me and Lilly were put on the bottom of the building to act as a frontline of defense.
A few minutes passed and it seemed like nothing really happened. Then, they pushed forward. Before me and Lilly knew it they were rushing in quickly and bullets were flying all over the place. They were whizzing past us and landing near us, it was honestly terrifying. Everytime I would start to peek around the wall and shoot it seemed like even more shots would come my way. Even if they didn't hit near me I would still jump back in fear. I was afraid to shoot back. But, sometimes life has a way of motivating you.
I looked over to check on Lilly and saw that she was completely pinned down, and the rounds were wearing down her cover. Seeing that took me back to something horrible that happened in my life, and I wouldn't let it happen again. At the time of this I had an M249, just like the one you have there, and without even thinking spun around the wall I was hiding behind and pulled the trigger. I never let go of it. Even once my magazine ran out I was so high on adrenaline that I couldn't stop. I reloaded and rushed to the smoldering remaines of a car that was outside of the building and started shooting again.
Eventually we managed to fend off the attackers just as a few helicopters showed up to pick us up. I had shot so many rounds that I completely melted two barrels, and wound up fusing the bolt to the upper chamber, rednering the gun useless. As I sat down in one of the Black-hawks someone Midnight looked at me and said, "Blackjack sit down, you've been shot." I just laughed at him and said "What are you talking about I feel fine." I looked down to prove him wrong, and he was right. My vest was completely shreded, and not a single bullet got to me.
3rd Person view
"Moral of the story, find a reason to fight back, find your motivation, and you'll be alright," Blackjack smiled at the awestruck group and let out a slight chuckle.
"If you think he's lying I have a pitcture to prove he's not," Lilly said as she sat beside Blackjack and pulled out a neatly folded photo from her pocket and handed it to Mooch. He unfolded it and his eyes widened as he looked at the picture. On it was a slightly younger looking Blackjack sitting in a tent with a kevlar vest at his side that was torn down nearly to the back piece of fabric.
"My god, do you know how many rounds hit you," Humphrey asked out of curiosity. Blackjack stared off in thought for a moment, and let out a thoughful hum.
"I think it was one hundred and eighty-six," he replied scratching his head. "At first I thought it was a miracle, and i still think it is, but I was told that somehow almost a full layer of synthetic diamonds wound up in my chest plate,"
"Wow, so all I have to do is find motivation and I can fight back," Mooch asked himself rhetorically. Blackjack started to nod his head but the pilots screamed in over the radio.
"SHIT RPG HOLD ON BACK THERE," they screamed as the helicopter banked heavily to the left, sending them all to the other side of the craft.
"FUCK MAN THOSE .50'S NOW," Midnight screamed at the top of his lungs as he rushed to the front of the vehicle and grabbed one of the M2 Browning .50 caliber machine guns and charged it. Haze, who wanted revenge for being shot, was right behind him, manning the one behind Midnight and charged it as well. Blackjack, after helping Lilly to a safe seat, ran to the tail gun, with Mooch right behind him.
"I GOT THIS ONE," Blackjack shouted over the hail of gunfure.
"THEN I'VE GOT YOUR BACK," Mooch shouted back as he cocked his M249. Blackjack smiled and nodded giving Mooch a quick pat on the shoulder before grabbing hold of his own machine gun.
"LAY IT ON 'EM BUDDY," Blackjack screamed as he layed it to the trigger, sending massive .50 caliber rounds towards the Russians below. Mooch looked up from the ground at the Apache escorts as they veered away from RPG's and shot back with cannaons and rockets. Mooch aimed down the sights of his machine gun and grit his teeth as he started to pull back on the trigger. Mooch jumped when he felt the first shudder of recoil against his shoulder as rounds fed through the gun.
Mooch smiled as he felt a surge of adrenaline course through his veins as bullets flew from the barrel and struck the ground. He couldn't tell if he was hitting anything but the ground, but he was trying. Blackjack howled in excitement as he swiveled the gun and continued to send a wall of lead out of the back of the helicopter. Hot shells fell to the loading ramp and the rolled out to litter the ground with brass. Unexpectedly a bad shell fed into Blackjacks gun and he was forced to eject it, right as a massive explosion rattled the ground beneath then.
"FRIENDLY ARMOR, HELL YES," Midnight shouted as they flew above dozens of American tanks and APC's.
"Wolverine 3-1 this is Hammer 2-2 glad you join the fight, mind giving us a little air support," someone asked over the radio.
"Copy that Hammer 2-2, Wolverines 3-2 and 3-3 hold back and proved air support for the tanks, we're heading back to base to pick up supplies and drop off the rescued Canadian forces," the pilots called.
"Roger that Wolverine lead, 3-3 let's smoke 'em," the Apache pilots replied.
The group pulled away from the raging fight and the sky finally fell into a calm silence. The only audible noise was the roar of the helicopters rotors, and the idle chatter over the radio. The group sat together and talked among one another, in which time Byron appologized for what he had said. Not to much later after that, they came to a landing, and couldn't have been more relieved.
"We realize that there are many options out there and we thank you for choosing Wolverine flight, not like you had much of a choice anyway," the pilots laughed as they stepped off and onto friendly grounds.
"Blackjack, I think we should tell them," Lilly whispered as she flicked her tail against his playfully. Blackjack smiled and but his lip.
"I might as well, seeing as you won't let off until I do," he giggled sticking his tongue out at her.
