Archangel - Chapter 2: Not Good Enough
Acre watched as their last vespid got gunned down while defending a gate in front of her. The situation had deteriorated rapidly ever since the mortar strike on the command post. Although Castle managed to pull herself back together quickly and organise a desperate defense, Sangvis forces have been routed and herded into an overgrown cemetery on the edge of the village surrounded by trees and a low wall. Griffin squads quickly moved to surround their position, blocking any chance of escape.
"Castle!" Acre yelled. She felt helpless as her left arm was still damaged, preventing her from wielding her weapon properly.
"I know!" replied Castle a few metres away as she fired a burst of bullets at a Griffin doll who stuck her head above the wall. A grenade exploded not far beside her, showing her with dirt and small rocks. Only three SFMTF members plus a guard unit were left standing, and none of them were uninjured. Although they had inflicted considerable casualties on the Griffin forces during their retreat, Castle knew they wouldn't be able to hold their position for much longer.
"Everyone, we gotta fall back! Acre, Sophie, you two pull back first, I'll cover you as you move." Castle ordered as she loaded one of her few remaining magazines into her rifle.
"Fall back? There's nowhere to fall back to!" Acre exclaimed as she looked around.
"Just move! We have to buy time for Archangel, it's our only option!" Castle urged as she returned fire at a Griffin doll. To her left, she heard an explosion as another enemy stepped on a mine laid by Sophie. After confirming that the other two were done relocating, Castle got up and ran towards them. Seconds after Castle left her position, a grenade exploded on it, destroying the remaining guard unit in the process.
Acre and Sophie had their backs to each other, trying their hardest to prevent the encroaching Griffin forces from entering the cemetery. However, as much as the bushes and clutter concealed them from hostile eyes, they also obscured their vision from most of the cemetery's outer perimeter. Acre felt extremely claustrophobic not knowing what or who may lie in wait behind the bushes surrounding her.
Suddenly, Sophie bent over and fell to the ground, having taken a bullet to the stomach. Acre just noticed the Griffin sniper as another one of her bullets zipped past Acre's face, shredding off part of her bangs in the process. Acre rested her rifle on one knee as she fired a volley of rounds at the sniper, forcing her back from her position.
"Sophie!" exclaimed Acre in worry, "Are you okay?"
"Urk…" groaned Sophie as she pushed herself back up, "Never been better, haha…" Fortunately, the bullet passed through her torso without damaging any vital components.
Just then, Castle finally regrouped with the two, and an eerie silence swept through the cemetery as the three desperately scanned the bushes and trees for enemy movement. Although tactical dolls couldn't experience fatigue the same way humans could, the three were on the verge of mental and physical exhaustion. At least the Griffin dolls should be just as tired as we are, Castle thought to herself as she frantically tried to think of a course of action.
"They stopped again…" noted Acre as she adjusted her body to get a better firing position.
"Oh hell no, are they gonna shell us again?" complained Sophie.
But instead of the scream of falling mortar shells, the three noticed the distant sound of a helicopter, except it was coming from the wrong direction—that of Griffin's lines.
"Come on, more of them?" Sophie groaned, "I thought we were making progress here!"
Aboard the Griffin helicopter, Mossberg M590 caught a glimpse of the cemetery that the Sangvis Ferri forces were holding out in. On route, she was warned about the tenacity and skill of the Sangvis defenders, which was unusual considering there wasn't a ringleader present. But the fact that her squad had to have been deployed was a testament to their resilience, although without heavy weapons, her squad's thick armour meant they would be able to easily roll over the defenders.
"Mag check!" Castle ordered as she tried to assess their current situation.
"About 3," answered Acre, "Though I can't freaking hit anything right now…"
"Half a mag…" replied Sophie, "And… a grenade…?"
"I've got barely a mag's worth of bullets left on me," Castle gravely replied as she shook her head. It was no good, soon they would literally be unable to fire back at the advancing Griffin forces. And with a fresh squad of Griffin dolls arriving very soon, it looked like they were fast out of options.
Acre watched as Castle slowly closed her eyes and lowered her head. The sound of the Griffin helicopter was now much closer as it decelerated to land in the same basketball court Acre's team first inserted in. Ironic, she thought. "Archangel's not going to arrive soon enough… is she?" Acre weakly asked, "Is this… the end for us?"
"Yes…" Castle admitted quietly.
"Castle…" mumbled Sophie, fear brimming in her eyes.
"I'm sorry… If only I-" Acre began.
"No, don't be sorry," Castle replied, "We all did our duty 'till the end, and we did a damn fine job too." Castle turned her head towards the two, a forced smile on her face. "You two should both be proud of yourselves, especially you, Acre. You have stood defiant in the face of overwhelming adversity and given it your all, despite it being your first mission. I couldn't have asked of anything more from you."
"But if only I was a bit better…" Acre lamented.
"A bit better?" a new voice crackled over the radio as Acre's eyes widened in disbelief, "You can always do better next time, but today, you did good enough!"