Chapter 30:
Casualties of War
"WHAT?" Shouted Sergeant Chief Exveemon in disbelief and anger at the Force Recon Marines, "You can't bloody expect us to leave them behind!" He argued passionately, standing up for the frightened civilians that were gathered in the lobby.
"We have no choice, Sergeant," The second lieutenant shot back coldly, "We have restricted use of air support and we're wasting precious time with this useless debate."
"USELESS DEBATE?! USELESS DEBATE, Lieutenant!" ExVeemon glared at the human officer, whom so far, remained unfazed by the blue dragon's outburst, "Our priority is to protect the civilians and bring them to safety."
"No, our priority is to search and exfil a high-ranking VIP," Colbert corrected diplomatically, "A high-ranking officer from your army, remind you." Colbert matched his cold steel gaze with Exveemon's blazing red eyes. "I put my men at risk to save this VIP, one that I do not know nor do I personally care."
"This is bullshit!" A MirageGaogamon sneered with frustration.
"Welcome to the suck, kid." Corporal "Coal" Blackburn responded sarcastically.
"Either you stay here, Sergeant, or you come with us," Colbert suggested neutrally, "Enemy force largely outnumbers and outguns us. If we do not act quickly, we will be surrounded and this operation will end with a butchery." The officer explained to him with a firm and serious tone, "It's your call but make it quick."
With that he turned away from the squad of shock troopers, his Marines right behind him without casting a single glance at them or the civilians who watched them hopelessly.
Exveemon glared at them one last time before growling and punching a hole through the wall of the apartment in frustration. Releasing a tensed breath, he turned to the civilians and gazed at his troops.
"Sergeant Rena and Corporal Garu." He called out, using their informal nicknames. The two mentionned female shock troopers stepped forward, waiting silently for his next order. "Join the humans, they'll need extra hands. We'll hold out here until help arrives."
Hesitant at first, they sharply saluted and ran out to join the Marines. WereGarurumon and BlackRenamon stopped in their tracks and glanced back at the civilians. They were mostly females and children, caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time. To ease their fears, the two female soldiers gave them a friendly smile and waved happily before sprinting back to the humans. The children waved them back, their parents wishing the two soldiers good luck.
The platoon of Marines waited for them at the doorway, piled up and ready to get back in the fray. Staff Sergeant Renamon gave the two newly arrived troopers an acknowledged nod before cautiously pushing the door open.
The men rushed out, watching their surroundings. Sergeant Roach was on point, guiding the platoon through the maze like streets of the town.
"Spartan 1, this is SnakeEater 1-3," The radio crackled with life, "I've got eyes on your position." The pilot informed, the shadow of the large helicopter casted over the Recon Marines, the rotorblades washed them with light dust clouds. "Be advised, I've spotted at least three dozen tangos, foot mobiles, guarding the courtyard of Tango 1. Proceed with caution."
"Many thanks, 1-3, see you in a bit." Colbert responded quickly.
"Roger..."
Walking through an abandoned building, the platoon reached a small narrow street, the other buildings towered over them. Roach took his position behind a structural column made of stone, peeking his head a little bit on the outside.
His back against his cover, Roach slowly peeked his left; nothing to report, just an empty street that leads somewhere else. Peeking right, he could see the faint, round-ish, blue tiled roofs of the target building, some sort of praying area like a mosque or something of the likes. Risking to expose himself a little more, he glanced behind him at the other side of the street; an opened door that leads to one of the buildings currently facing the target building. This could be used to their advantage, he thought so.
Facing back the platoon, he pointed to his right, signaling Renamon where it leads, then pointed behind him, showing the opened door of a building. The digimon fox nodded in understanding and pointed at four Marines, nominating them to search, clear and occupy the civilian house. The four Marines nodded, stood up and swiftly made their way in. The others regrouped next to Roach, Colbert behind the platoon and Renamon at the head, ready to rush to the target building.
A single yet tense and silent minute later, Roach could see one of their own poking his arm out, waving at them down below, the coast is clear, building occupied and machine gun team ready.
The 'go ahead' signal went through, the Marines ran out of the building and strided swiftly and silently towards their objective.
The target building was a large, rectangular structure made of polished sandstone bricks, sturdy and flexible metal works and pristine blue, ceramic tiled roofing. Amongst the hundreds of civilian structures, this one must have been the most majestic and certaintly most expensive building for the town. On both sides were two roofless corridors that led directly in the courtyard. There was also an internal hallway on both sides that also leads in the courtyard. Only four barred windows were present on the building's façade.
Going through the outdoor corridor, the Marines stacked up behind Roach silently, they could faintly listen the idle chatter and soft metallic foosteps of enemy troops just a few meters away.
A clear hand signal order came from Roach to the rest of the platoon, three members prepped their fragmentation grenade. They simultaneously pulled the pin and counted down; one thousand one, two thousand two, three thousand three – they all tossed the grenades in different directions, hoping to decimate the opposition force with three grenades, the combined blasts and fragments should be enough.
A panicked scream and three loud blasts later, the Marines breached in the courtyard guns at the ready. Their weapons sniffed for the next target and angrily barked, empty bullet casings impact on the stone paved ground with a metallic melodic tune. Bodies fell and blood decorated the floor and nearby walls. From the outside, the machine gun team cleared out the remaining enemy soldiers on the first floor, a shower of hot lead shot through the windows and eliminated their targets.
The few imperial troopers that survived the onslaught fought back with displine and equal savagery, planning on avenging their fallen comrades with their own hands.
A Commandramon tried to tackle Roach to the ground, fortunately for the human, his superior training allowed him to perform a shoulder strike on the opponent's face, staggering him and giving some distance in the "critical zone". He swiftly took out his M45 sidearm and shot four rounds of .45 ACP in the dramon's chest at close range. Streaks of blood shot out and spilled on Roach's woodland MARPAT trousers and combat boots. He kicked the wounded digimon away and shot three more rounds into him.
"Contact right!" He shouted urgently as three imperials appeared on the stairs leading to the first floor of the façade.
"Shadow Storm!"
Black shards plummeted onto them. The energetic projectiles shot through the hostile digimon with terrifying ease, penetrating digizoid armour like paper, painting the stairs with their blood.
More hostile troops surged in from the stairs at the back of the building. The Marines and the two shock troopers were outnumbered, but not outgunned. Renamon and Roach had their backs on each other, switching targets and covering their surroundings, bullets flying around them.
Five long and intense minutes later, the courtyard fell silent. Bullets, blood and data particles scattered the floor. The two wide squares of tropical plantations were stained by burnt marks, bullet holes and blood.
Unfortunately for Colbert, two Marines fell during the firefight, Sergeant Alexander Olsen and Corporal Lewis Brawse. Two more fallen to burden on Renamon's consciousness. Without a single moment to breathe, the Marines resumed on clearing the building's first floor.
A single golden door was built at the back, filled with intricate digimon designs and digi-letters. Renamon and a squad of Marines prepared themselves to breach in. Placing the C4 charge on the door knob, Sergeant Cody counted down before pressing the detonator's button. A loud 'bang' rang in his ears, he lifted his M4A1 carbine and pushed through the small mist of dust. The Marines dispersed on all sides, clearing each corner.
To their surprise, a lone, chained digimon knelt on the beautiful mosaic floor. The digimon was big, fully clad in silvery white armour and a long royal green cape, tattered and messy, stained by a thick layer of dirt. The digimon knight groggily perked his head up. Two tired yet glimmering orbs gazed up at them, a soft sigh escaped his helmet clad head.
"Took you guys long enough..." He whispered with a faint smile behind his helm.
"WarChief, this is Spartan 1-2, we've found Nobu, I repeat we've found Nobu." Renamon reported dutifully.
"Solid copy, Spartan 1-2. Mark LZ with green smoke, escort and extraction teams should arrive in ten minutes. Do you copy?"
"Negative, we do not have ten minutes, hostile forces are closing in on us."
"Sorry, but that's as soon as we can give you. Hang tight, Spartans."
"Easy to say than done..." She muttered bitterly, "Get him out of his bindings and fortify our defenses, imperials are bound to surround us in any minute now."
"Uh, Staff Sergeant..." Spoke out Roach with uncertainty in his voice, "These chains are kinda... robust."
Indeed, Slayerdramon, his hands binded behind his back, was chained with one of the toughest digimon material in the DigiWorld, one that was the dread of human weaponry, the perfect countermeasure to their superior firepower, Chrome Digizoid.
To make matters worst, his legs were also binded with the same tough metal, negating Slayerdramon freedom of movement, he had been chained to the floor of this room for a couple of days now.
"Do we have anything to bust these?" Asked Corporal Coal.
"C4 ain't worth the risk and a blowtorch will take too long." Roach replied, grunting in frustration.
"What about the Staff Sergeant?"
"None of her attacks are capable to pierce Chrome Digizoid..." He answered matter-of-factly.
"Stay here." Renamon ordered them before phasing out of mid-air.
Entering the large room was Colbert along with two other Marines. Confusion was clear on the officer's face when he notices that their VIP is still bounded to the ground.
"Chrome Digizoid, Lieutenant." Roach responded to his silent question.
Colbert nodded and knelt in front of the prisonner, a sheepish grin on his face, "Uh, sorry about this, sir, but it won't be long so... hang in there."
Slayerdramon let out a soft laugh before gazing into the human's light blue eyes, "Nothing to worry about, human, I'm just glad and grateful that rescue came. I sincerely express my gratitude to you and your troops."
"Heh, not now, sir, you're not free and safe yet." Colbert began with a smile, "You're still in a combat zone and chained to the ground, there is a chance that you might stay here longer than expected."
Another roar of laughter came from Slayerdramon, completely at ease of the situation, "Indeed, human. But I still hope you boys get me out of these binds."
Renamon re-appeared in the room, a frantic WereGarurumon bursted in the room shortly after. A surprised gasp escaped the wolf commando's mouth before she stood straightly, giving Slayerdramon a formal and sharp salute.
"WereGarurumon, just get me out of here before you present yourself like that." Slayerdramon said with annoyance and a roll of his eyes.
"R-r-right! S-sorry!"
Taking her place behind the dramon, she took a fighting stance and closed her eyes. "Garuru Kick!" She shouted passionately, launching a powerful kick that fired a blade of hot energy at the chains binding the high-ranking officer's legs. Though it didn't break instantly, her attack did some significant damage.
At the same time, Colbert's radio came to life suddenly, an urgent voice echoed in the room, "Spartan 1, this is Spartan 1-5, I've got multiple hostiles coming to you, a dozen are in our building! We need- *static*..."
"Spartans, this is Warchief, be advised: we've spotted at least three dozen hostiles with armour support. Hold your positions until reinforcements arrive. Air support is online and ready to engage, Boogey 1 has permission to fire in the AO. Good luck and God speed, Marines."
"CONTACT FRONT!"
"Here we go, boys!" Shouted Second Lieutenant Colbert as his Marines took up their defensive positions.
Coming out of the streets was a wave of enemy foot soldiers, charging into a storm of bullets, striking and mowing them down mercilessly.
No words have yet to come from the small overwatch team at the other building.
Bullets and energy projectiles flew in every directions, zipping and snapping in the air, near the Marines. Overpowering their opponents with superior accuracy and solid cover, the Marines had confidence in their ability to hold on for a short while.
Frag grenades started to fly onto the streets as the enemy drew closer in their perimeter. It felt like hours have passed but it was only a few minutes.
Empty, steamy bullet casings fell constantly on the floor, rolling idly away from their owner. Flashes of lights and fire popped up behind the windows and corridors. Green striking streaks of light shot through the streets and through an unfortunate target, bursting blood out of their chest and painted the ground red.
The pungent smell of smoke and gun powder laid heavily in the tense air. Bullet holes peppered the streets and nearby buildings, small size craters dotted the solid ground, dust and smoke slightly obscure their vision, dirt and stone shot up as projectiles hit swiftly and violently the ground.
Their eyes focused behind the sight, senses working at ease, finger systematically pulling the trigger, breath held and short, body stance still and with purpose, shoulder lightly shaken by recoil but hands and arms steady like steel. Blood pumping through their body with hot adrenaline but their mind and heart were cold-blooded. Find a target, eliminate them, proceed to the next one, rinse and repeat. Three shots to the chest, one to the head after they were downed; double-tap is highly recommended.
Body motion strict, minimal yet swift and effectively deadly and precise. Like machines, turrets, no emotion was in their mind. They were calm in a hectic firefight. It was quite easy for them actually; shoot first, ask questions later.
"This is getting more than three dozens!" Stated loudly Sergeant Christos Howell, manning the formidable MK 48 LMG, spraying a shower of 7.62mm of death.
A lucky enemy projectile struck Corporal Tyler Glover, a Force Recon Point Man, across his left cheek. Dropping on the floor with a gasp of pain, he instinctively put his hands over the wound, his M4A1 carbine fell on the floor next to him.
"Man down!" He shouted as he quickly searched for a roll of bandage.
SARC Gordon "Summers" Mackay, the platoon's Navy medic, rushed to his aid, his head low as he avoided numerous enemy fire flying through the window. He slid his way next to Glover and knelt beside him, sliding his med-pack in front of him as he inspects the wound on the Marine operator.
A long gash was on Tyler's cheek, blood profusely bled through his gloved fingers and down his face. With quick but smooth motions, the medic applied a bandage dressing on the wound, instructing Tyler to hold it while he gets up and started to drag him away from the firefight. Struggling to avoid enemy bullets while dragging the heavy man away, BlackRenamon appeared out of nowhere and lent him a hand. Her superior natural strenght allowed the both of them to evacuate safely the wounded away from the firefight.
While the medic attended to his patient, the black and white vixen spotted Tyler's M4A1 on the floor a few feet away. She wanted to grab the rifle and bring it to the Marine when Gordon stopped her abruptly.
"Don't. It might get more use to you than with him." He explained straight forwardly, "Do you know how to use it?" The digimon shook her head. Sighing, he stood up and walked up to her, giving the quick basics of holding and using the firearm. "Buttstock on the shoulder, cheek resting on top of it. Eye focus on the red dot of the holosight, aim it at an enemy. Breathe in slowly, slowly pull the trigger before breathing out slowly. Left hand firm and steady on the handguard, the rifle will kick so be ready for the recoil. I've set the rifle to semi-auto, one shot at a time for better recoil control and accuracy. Got it?"
Though the instructions were brief, she seemed to understand quickly as she nodded at him confidently.
"Alright then, watch your head!" He added before going back to his patient.
BlackRenamon inspected the human weapon in her hands, she have heard and seen many exploits and tales of these small yet lethal weapons that almost every human soldier possesses, and now she has one in her own two paws. Though the grips were a bit small for her big furry paws, the ergonomics were quite comfortable.
Satisfied and estatic to test the weapon through baptism by fire, she joined the other Marines in the firefight.
Taking her position behind solid cover, she examined the nearby Marines, processing and learning their movements; they were the experts in this field after all, might as well copy and learn a thing or two from the professionals.
Lifting the surprisingly light weapon to her right shoulder, she leaned to the right of the window, spotting a couple of hostile troops, her first targets. Remembering her quick crash course on the weapon, she applied the medic's instructions and pulled the trigger. The rifle barked, an empty casing shot out on the side of the rifle, a quick kick to the shoulder and the barrel slightly elevated.
However the result was satisfying, a Commandramon took her shot through the right eye, his head jerked backwards and to the side with spots of blood bursting out and painting the street. The soldier digimon fell on the ground but was not dead yet, he was crawling away with a pained growl. BlackRenamon repeated the action, adjusting her aim on the Commandramon. This time, two shots came out, both struck the Commandramon's spine and head; he fell limplessly, his body twitched a little bit before his data particles started to fly off.
"Oh crap..." She noted in disbelief. That was her first kill with a human weapon, and it certaintly made her feel weird.
"INCOMING!" A Marine shouted after a loud 'thump' was heard outside.
BlackRenamon gasped in horror as her eyes were drawn to a sailing rocket, flying straight at her. Before she could register everything that will ensued after, she felt herself being forcefully tackled by a powerful mass before the world shook violently around her, disrupting her senses and a cloud of dust staining her eyes and making her cough dryly.
Moments later she regained her senses and looked around. To her shock, she had no apparent injuries and more surprising she was saved by someone, the one and only: Renamon.
The other vixen had her arms around her waist and her head on her white mane. Light pink blush appeared on BlackRenamon's face before she heard her saviour grunt in pain. Renamon slowly rose up to a kneeling stance, placing her left paw on her forehead.
"Damn, that hurts a lot more than expected..." She hissed irritatedly. "You okay there-HMMFH?!"
Out of every possible outcome BlackRenamon could've decided, she promted to kiss her idol and saviour, in the middle of a firefight, possibly in front of every Marine... without Renamon's consent. She will probably be court martialed for this.
Fortunately the kiss was brief and fast. Both Renamon remained speechless, one shocked and internally screaming in horror while the other was stunned and blinked emptily while her cheeks were as red as Guilmon's scales.
Thankfully the gunfire was there to remind them of the dangerous reality.
Shaking her head, Renamon rose back to her feet and went back with her Marines as if nothing happened. BlackRenamon decided to help the Marines defending the corridors, prohibiting the enemy from entering the courtyard.
"Warchief! Where the hell is our evac?" Colbert asked in frustration, "I've got two wounded and we're getting surrounded here!"
"Spartan 1, your evac helo should come anytime soon. The LZ is still too hot, Boogey 1 are doing their best to halt enemy advances in the town-"
"Fuck it!" He threw the radio back at the platoon radio operator and began taking things into his own matter. "SnakeEater 1-2 and 1-3, this is Spartan 1, I'm requesting an urgent evac on my position, LZ marked by green smoke. Be adviced the LZ is hot."
"Spartan 1, this is 1-3, inbound in twenty seconds but I'll have to make it quick, I'm currently low on fuel here."
"Thanks a bunch, 1-3."
The sound of rotorblades cutting through the air was approaching, enemy projectiles tried to take the metal bird down, but the pilot expertly dodged them with the help of the side crew gunners, the M2 Browning machine guns of death grumbled menacingly.
Thankfully, the courtyard was large and wide enough for the helicopter to land, if only there weren't any palm trees.
"Uh, Spartan 1, we have, uh, a situation, here. The palm trees are blocking the LZ." The pilot told him nervously.
"I'll handle this quickly, 1-3."
"Awesome, dude! We'll hold on in the meantime."
"Renamon!" The platoon commander called out loudly, "Get someone to take out those fucking trees!"
"On it!" She shouted back and phased out of the firefight.
During the chaos that was happening just outside their safety, WereGarurumon and Slayerdramon waited patiently in the large 'prison' room. The armour clad digimon was meditating peacefully. As for WereGarurumon, she was tasked with protecting him, and it made her nervous each time the ground shook. Worry and stress put her mind in array.
A light knock came from the door, interrupting Slayerdramon from his peaceful state. WereGarurumon opened the door and was surprised to see Renamon instead of her friend and partner.
"We need you, now." She commanded the wolf bluntly. WereGarurumon seemed to be taken aback by the sudden tone, " We're wasting time here." Renamon urged her.
"But what about the VIP?" She asked nervously and hesitantly.
"I can take care of myself, Corporal!" The digimon dragon shouted back.
Nodding in reply, the wolf commando followed the Force Recon digimon to the courtyard. Renamon spun around and pointed at her the palm trees.
"Cut those trees down so that we can get out of here!"
"Right! Stand back!" She warned loudly as she takes a fighting stance. "Garuru kick!" Perfoming a mid-air kick strike, a blade of energy shot out and sliced the palm trees like a hot knife cutting butter.
"1-3, LZ is tree free." Renamon informed the pilot.
"Shit! Uh right, copy that, landing now. Fuck that was close."
Dust and dirt kicked up as the air began to rotate violently, generating a cyclone of brown mist. The helicopter hovered still in mid-air, a few feet away from ground. A risky and dangerous manoeuvre but somehow the pilot was skillful enough to pull it off easily.
"Get the wounded and VIP here now!" He urged the Marines.
Little by little while maintaining suppression fire on the enemy, the Marines evacuated the VIP, the wounded and the dead along with WereGarurumon and BlackRenamon.
However the situation got more complicated.
"Sir, what about the overwatch team?" 'Summers' asked concernly.
"Hey!" The air crewman shouted at them, "Hurry up! We're low on fuel!"
Colbert turned back to the medic, then back at the helicopter. "Renamon!" The digimon in question walked up to him expectantly, "Pick a small squad and retrieve the overwatch team. We'll get you at LZ Delta. Got it?"
She nodded in understanding, though in her opinion she didn't particularly liked the task, she however will not leave a man behind, not when she's still standing.
"Roach! Coal! Cody and Jenkins! On me!" She ordered loud and sternly, "We're getting Spartan 2 back!"
The hallway was strangely quiet, despite going through a really chaotic "redecoration". Bullet holes peppered the plastered wall, blood sprayed all over the surface, dripping on the walls and flowing on the wooden floor like numerous rivers.
At the end of the hallway, in the left room, laid four Marines, their backs against the farthest corner to the door. One man, Lance Corporal Andrew Mills, was killed; multiple gunshots to the chest and throat, he was the squad's Point Man.
One man was wounded to the right arm and legs; laser bolt wound and grenade wound respectively. He was Sergeant Carter Frank, the assistant team leader.
The two others were Sergeant Siegfried "Jon" Johansson, the Slack Man, and Corporal Eliott "Trigger" Springs, the SAW gunner, substained minor injuries.
Jon was scratched on the face by a projectile and got a light concussion from an enemy handgrenade, as for Trigger, by a miracle was the least harmed in the small team. Jon had his eyes on the outside, barely peeking out of the window and peering into the crater filled streets while Trigger remained watch on the door, the only entry point for the enemy, his M45 pistol raised and trained on the door, ready to take out the first target to pop in.
The team ran out of ammo during their struggle for survival in the cramped space. A dozen of hostile turned into a whole platoon coming up for their lives, relentlessly trying to kill the four-man team of Force Recon Marines. They somehow held their grounds but the Marines knew they won't handle another wave, until then, they will fight to the very last breath, this is their last stand.
"Shit!" Jon cursed silently, "Chopper's leaving." He informed grumply.
"Nah, man," Began Trigger, "They're probably relocating."
Several intense gunshots interrupted their silence, making Carter jump in surprise and picking up his MK18 MOD 0 by reflex. Enemy voices could be clearly heard in the hallway. More frantic shouts and gunshots were heard before muffled footsteps slowly came up the stairs.
Trigger and Carter readied themselves for the fight, only to be stopped by Jon whom put a reassuring hand on Trigger's left shoulder.
"Don't, the Staff Sergeant is coming for us." He told them in a hushed whisper.
A couple of seconds later and a familiar head popped in, making both Carter and Trigger huff out in relief.
"You're a sight for sore eyes, Staff Sergeant." Jon said jokingly with a cheeky grin.
"Not sure I can say the same for you guys." Renamon shot back sarcastically.
"Ouch, Staff Sergeant, now I feel inadequate for my fiancée." Carter pointed out with a humourous tone.
"What's the sitrep?" She demanded dutifully before looking down at Andrew Mills, visibly pained.
"Mills didn't make it, Staff Sergeant." Jon replied grimly. "And Carter has his legs busted by a grenade."
She sighed inwardly, "What about you two?" She asked while metionning both Jon and Trigger.
"We can still fight, Staff Sergeant." Trigger answered confidently.
"Coal, Jenkins, put Mills in the bodybag and carry him. Jon and Trigger, you guys will have to carry Carter out of here. Cody and Roach, you're on point now. Oorah?"
"Oorah, Staff Sergeant!" They all replied determined and focused.
"1-3, this is Samurai 1, we're Oscar-Mike to LZ Delta, ETA five minutes. Be aware that we have one wounded and one KIA. I repeat: one wounded and one KIA. How copy? Over."
"Copy that, Samurai 1. We're at LZ Delta now. Hostiles are still present in the AO and coming for you. Good luck out there, Staff Sergeant."
"1-3 out, radio silence is on." She warned before following her men outside.
Traveling through the town proved to be delicate and difficult with enemy soldiers going through the streets by the dozens. The Force Recon Marines had to move swiftly, with caution but also stealthly. Fortunately, the team managed to do so; they were trained for this.
Coming through a small family shop, they were met with the large abandonned street outside. The shop's front windows were shattered and laid across the white tiled floor. Small cracks echoed painfully in the shop as the Marine moved in. Cody peered into the street, scanning left and right. Across the street, facing the shop was the small restaurant, which through its back door will lead the Marines to their objective, the school's recess area, their LZ point. Thumbs up, coast is clear.
"Go! Go!" Renamon ushed urgently.
Roach was the first to cross, then came Coal and Jenkins with the bodybag. Following just behind was Jon, Trigger and Carter. Finally it was Renamon and Cody. A loud 'fump' disturbed the eerie silence, a high pitch sail got closer and closer by the seconds.
"FUCK! INCOMING!"
A rocket shot through the street sailing at high speeds. Renamon's quick reflexes and training instinct kicked in, time seemed to slow down yet not enough. Without thinking, she lunged forward with her left paw out, desperate to grab Cody. Successfully, she had a firm grip on the man's plate carrier and yanked him backwards with all of her might with the limited time they both had.
The explosive ammunation barely passed Cody and hit a corner of the restaurant. The world around them shook, senses all confused and fuzzed. Renamon felt her body being thrown to the ground by the powerful shockwave caused by the blast. Hitting her head hard against the stone paved road, her vision blurred due to pain and concussion.
Sporatic gunfire rang in her troubled ears. Pain shot through her whole body, the back of her head was especially throbbing heavily. She felt as if the shockwave have crushed her chest and her internal organs flat, struggling the breathe properly and warm liquid came out of her notril and back of her skull.
Wheezing in pain, she tried to sit up. Managing to do the bare minimum, the digimon huffed heavily as her senses came back to her bit by bit. Looking around dazily, she spotted Cody laying on the floor a few ahead of her. Slowly and with pain, she crawled to him, hoping to see him breathing and alive.
What she saw hurt her.
Cody's left leg, up to the kneecap, had been blown off by the blast. His other leg was in a horrible shape, deep gashes were evident through his combat trousers. His left arm was bloodied and dark, caused by the explosive blaze. His plate carrier was completely ripped apart, revealing more holes and burnt flesh. His face was covered in his own blood, bleeding profusely through his ears and nostrils.
Refusing to give up, she groaned in agony, slowly rising back up to her weak feet, ignoring the flying projectiles of the ensuing firefight. Her body trembled but her resolve steeled through the stinging and crushing pain.
She grasped Cody's unconscious body and lifted him off the ground, picking him up on her shoulders. Grunting with effort and breathing dryly, she dashed the last few meters in the restaurant. Once in safety she dropped on her knees roughly, gasping as more pain shot through her beaten body. She was tired for some reason.
She gently dropped Cody on the floor and blankly stared at him. During the whole time, a muffled voice was screaming at her constantly through her drumming ears and loud gunshots. Then a hand grasping her shoulder snapped her back to reality.
"Renamon! We need to go now!" Roach shook her, his eyes filled with worry but his tone was urgent and commanding. "On your feet, Marine! Get Cody out of here! Trigger and I will cover you!"
Without responding she followed his commands. She picked Cody back up and followed the rest of the team, the gunshots still echoing loudly in her head.
Thankfully the trek to the LZ was short. The CH-53 Sea Stallion has landed, the ramp down and a couple of Force Recon Marines came out, forming a defensive perimeter. She boarded the helicopter, Summers quickly ran to her and took Cody off her shoulders. Her mind was still dizzy, not knowing how to respond properly or doing anything. The gunshots attracted her attention.
She spun around and looked outside the aircraft; she saw Trigger and Roach running towards the Sea Stallion while the others were already in. The menacing bark of the M2 Browning machine gun shot through the air, 12.7mm rounds decimated and destroyed the pursuing enemy, ending their lives in a bloody and spectacular explosion of guts and flesh painting the ground.
Roach jumped in the helicopter, his teammates gave additional cover fire as Trigger was a couple of meters away. Then he fell down, a trail of blood just behind him. He turned on his back, crimson blood tainted his leg and spilled all over the ground. Though hurt, his fighting spirit was still strong, firing back at the enemy with his pistol while slowly crawling back.
"Someone get him!" Shouted the co-pilot at the Marines, "We need to lift now or we're all going to die here!"
Being the fastest of the entire platoon, Renamon sprinted out of the chopper and carried Trigger back to safety. The man cursed as he used by accident his wounded leg, pain shooting through his whole system. Setting foot in the helicopter, Renamon breathe out with relief, another Marine could finally go back home alive. If only that was true.
She felt his body pushed forward before dropping heavily on the side. She heard something hit a very soft and fleshy surface. From what she could see, the floor was covered with gore; blood, brain matter and pieces of the skull. She looked back at Trigger and her eyes went wide with horror, her blood went cold. A large hole came from the back of the helmet and went through the entire skull and out of the other side of the protective gear. A clean headshot with a messy end.
"Son of a bitch!" Shouted Coal with anger, "Man down! Fuck, Eliott's gone!"
Struck by the sudden death of Eliott Springs, Renamon sat down on the passenger compartement floor, traumatized. She let out a shaky gasp, her hands trembled, her legs too weak to move out of the medic's way as he inspected Eliott's deceased body. She simply stared blankly out of the helicopter, the rural town filled with black thick plumes of smoke and craters flew farther away from her.
The trip back to base was silent.
The helicopter made its slow descent on the base's landing platform. It jerked up roughly before letting the rear ramp down. The Marines got out with solemn and stoic looks, four of their brother-in-arms have fallen, carrying their body bags towards the medical convoy that awaited them. BlackRenamon and WereGarurumon guided Slayerdramon out and led him towards a digimon medical staff. Renamon was the last one out. She felt exhausted to go anywhere and her mate was already away in the frontline which means no more comforting hugs at night for two weeks.
Cody got transported away to receive an immediate surgery with Carter soon taken away for treatment and surgery. The remaining of the platoon split off in silence, others went to the mess hall while some went straight for their barracks, wanting to wash away the grime and blood or sleep now. Renamon was still on the landing platform.
A youthful medic came to her. The medic seemed to have just arrived in the Digital World and this must have been her first time on the job, her first time and she has to witness this mess. It was evident she was an inexperienced soldier, unlike the Digital Marines who demands Marines with at least a year of service or combat experience, most armed forces recruit any servicemen and servicewomen into the IDDF. A desperate measure for a desperate time.
"Are you okay, sir?" The medic asked with concern in her light voice, clearly not knowing who Renamon was. "Are you hurt?"
"Y-yeah..." Renamon finally responded, "Back of my head hurts and I think, uh, my chest is bruised."
The U.S Army medic nodded and set the digimon down, sitting in front of her and held up a torchlight, inspecting her eyes then the injury on the back. Though inexperience, Renamon could tell that the medic was doing her job with professionalism and care. Her touch was soft but precise. She cleaned the wound then applied a bandage roll around the vixen's head.
"Nothing to worry, Staff Sergeant," She said with a reassuring tone, "Just a head bump that is all. Oh, and put this against your nose." She instructed while giving her a small pack of ice.
The medic took a white towel and wiped Renamon's bleeding nose. She then took off her plate carrier and pressed a gentle hand against her upper torso. She winced to the soft touch but tried to dismiss the fact.
"No need to act tough to me, ma'am, I know when it hurts." She pointed out with small grin. "Looks like you hurt your ribcages."
"Again..." Renamon hissed irritatedly.
"Tough luck, but at least you're still alive." She stated cheerfully after concluding her inspection. "Soo, what's your name?" She asked with a friendly tone.
"Renamon..."
"I'm Sarah. Nice to meet you."
"... Nice to meet you too..."
September 20th 2019, thirty klicks away from the town Burgundy .
Grass, the one thing the Marines of Alpha company are currently missing is grass.
Though it may sound dull, it was at least more interesting than dry, greenless and desolate land. If it were not for the deteriorated, two lane, concrete road, the Marines could have been lost in the middle of nowhere with little to no life around them.
Another thing bothering them, other than insufferable heat, was boredom. Boredom, a soldier's worst enemy, below dihydration and above the enemy.
"Avenger 1-1 to Paladin, smoke trails up ahead, 500 meters, possible hostile activity, over." Informed the lead vehicle of the convoy.
"Roger that, keep your eyes open, gentlemen." Instructed the company commander.
"Man, fuck this heat." Cursed the turret gunner of the lead L-ATV. "Shouldn't it be autumn by now? Can't the Digital World just change the weather on its own?"
"How about shutting the fuck up, Dom? Can you do that?" Shot back the driver of the Light Tactical Vehicle.
Joining the Marines in their trek to this desolate and barren landscape were two squadrons of battle tanks from the 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, and a three-digimon medical team from the United Alliance Federation - formely the Fusion Fighters United Army.
Lance Corporal Dominic Lockheed was about to respond when something caught his attention on the horizon.
"I've got eyes on something." He informed with a more serious tone. "Three hundred meters, maybe more. Do you see it?"
"Yeah." Replied the driver, Corporal Adam Dillon, now focused ahead of him.
"Paladin, this is Avenger 1-1, we have eyes on something at plus three hundred meters ahead of us." Reported Sergeant Bruce Galloway through the radio, "Requesting your orders, Paladin. Over."
"1-1, Paladin, proceed on objective. Report back when you have clearer line of sight. Over."
"Roger that, 1-1 out. Keep that gun trained on that." He instructed before searching in his rucksack for his pair of binoculars. He peered into it and observed closely ahead. He immediately cursed and took the radio back.
"Paladin, this is 1-1, correction on last report; we have clear visibility on a dozen of digimon. I repeat, a dozen of digimon ahead of us."
"Do they seem hostile? Are they armed?"
"Negative, it doesn't seem like it. However I cannot confirm if they're either friendly or hostile."
"1-1, proceed on the objective. If they do anything funny, you light them up. If not, you stop at a distance of a hundred meters ahead of them. How copy? Over."
"Solid copy, Paladin, 1-1 proceeding to objective and maintain visual on the digimon, over."
"Christ...there are more of them." Dominic reported in disbelief, "Make that three or four dozen digimon."
"Paladin, 1-1, it appears that there are more digimon on sight, maybe three or four dozens, maybe more. How do we proceed? Over."
"1-1, Paladin, maintain with the original plan. If hostile you eliminate them, if not you stop. Over."
"Roger. Over and out."
"Dude, I do not like to look of this shit..." Adam remarked cynically. "I have a bad feeling about this..."
"Heh, you can say that again." Joked the driver while focusing on the road.
"Stop the vehicle." Bruce commanded abruptly. The wheels wheezed on the concrete by the sudden halt. "Out of the vehicle, weapons ready." He instructed and went out of the L-ATV.
The whole convoy halted suddenly, the rest of Bruce's squad followed and took firing stances, lined up and weapons drawn up. Dominic racked the charching handle of the heavy machine gun turret, releasing a mechanical 'snap' as a fifty caliber round was chambered.
Bruce took a few steps ahead of his squad, his men were tense and immobile like stone cold statues. He waited that the group of digimon to stop at their hundred meter mark. The group seemed to be led by some sort of mage as they strided at the head of the large group. They seemed to notice the line of Marines but fatigue was evident on them, probably the reason they didn't stop yet.
Raising his left hand, Bruce shouted sternly: "HALT!" The digimon stopped on command, "You are in the way of the IDDF, state your name and remain where you are!" He demanded, raising his voice.
The mage at the head of the group stepped forward, placing a hand on their chest and gazed straight to the Marines. "I am Flawizarmon, the village's apothecary and sadly its only protector." He explained solemnly, "We seek refuge away from the warzone, so please, dear sir, let us be on our way." He pleaded formally and politely.
Sensing no hostility, the Marines relaxed and lowered their weapons. Bruce slowly walked up to the digimon apothecary. "Where are you from?"
"From the smoking village you see in the distance." The digimon replied with grief, "The Imperials have begun their campaign of scorched earth, our village is in ashes now." He revealed to the Marine.
"God damn..."
The company has established a makeshift medical station. The six Abrams tanks that accompanied the convoy spreaded out to the sides, securing and covering the flanks, they are the watchful guards of the company. The dozen or so Amtraks formed the primary defensive wall of the makeshift camp surrounding the large group of refugees and the two medical tents along with some of the unarmoured military trucks. Next were the LAVs, acting as the second line of defense. Finally were the APCs, the camp's "sentries" and checkpoints, the outer wall or some sort.
The medical staff, human and digimon, were busy with inspecting, diagnosting and helping the numerous sick and injured digimon civilians. There was a total of a hundred forty digimon in the camp, the medics and physicians were overwhelmed with work. As for the others, Marines were tasked with checking on the digimon to make sure no imperial spies have slipped through or a bomb. Insurgency or not, it is better to be safe than sorry... or dead in their case.
Marines interviewed some of the locals, offering them water and food in return for their useful information.
Black smoke clouds tainted the clear skies, shadowing the village in its embrace. Fire lit up the once populated settlement. Buildings eventually collapsed on their own, swallowed up by the violent and intense blaze. There was no life present in the area, the town's populace were either killed or escaped just in time before the massacre.
Peering his eyes away from his binoculars, Raymond spat on the ground, his throat dry and itchy. After taking a quick sip of water from his camelbak, he spun around and faced his subordinates, the platoon commanders waiting for his orders.
"Alright gents, we have one hour before we are behind schedule, finish your original tasks and get ready to move out. Helos should be here in twenty minutes, Staff Sergeant Kead will pop green smoke on our LZ. Once we pack everything up, we move out for Burgundy. Any questions?"
There was a silent reply to his question.
"Then let's-"
A loud 'bang' echoed throughout the arid environment. A sharp snap blew next his left ear before he felt a violent and swift force punching his head to the ground. He felt his whole head snap sideway and neck twisting suddenly before hitting the concrete road. His head was throbbing painfully, an agonizing headache surged in, warm liquid poured onto his forehead.
"CONTACT!"
It was the last thing he heard before falling unconscious.