His entire body hurt.
A good sign, in all honesty. It meant he wasn't actually dead. Just fairly injured. Going by the fact he was barely breathing, or was at least trying to breathe and somewhat succeeding, he was right about his assumption. Slowly, he worked to open his eyes, only for a bright white light to beat down on his face. An LED light, recessed into the white ceiling above. Beside him, he could make out the beeping of a heartrate monitor and the hisses of various medical machines.
He wrinkled his nose, taking a sniff and feeling the annoying twin-tubes and oxygen pumping into his nostrils. He lifted his right hand and found it was in working condition. Then, he lifted his left hand. A small jolt of pain coursed through it, but it moved all the same. He ran his fingers over his face and looked at them, to see that his right hand had an IV drip connector sticking out from underneath, while the left was bandaged.
He then looked at himself with a slight panic, only to see that he was covered by a thin blanket from the hospital. His chest had been bandaged, visible being the small pools of blood that had formed from the punctures. Dead ahead of him was another bed with a US Infantryman, his head covered by bandages and a tube sticking out from his throat. He was missing a limb. To his immediate left, another bed with a Kosovar Defense Force member missing an arm and a leg. Injuries varied in intensity even in the bunks to Vic's right.
He seemed to be the best off, what with having all of his limbs. He heard a door creak open and the voice of a young woman speak in Serbian, though tinged with a heavy East Asian accent, almost Chinese. He looked over at the door, which was immediately to the left of his bed and in the middle of the wall separating the ward from the hallway. He saw her come in, clad in tattered woodland camouflage gear and with an arm in a sling, plus a burn mark covered by a bandage on her cheek.
She turned to face Vic and could only manage half a smile. She spoke, "Finally awake, huh?" as she sat herself down next to him. The Doctor walked in to make the rounds, a Serb combat medic. Sam, however, locked eyes with Vic and told him, "Thought we lost you there... Half your Platoon's also in another room in the ICU. Other half didn't make it in the strikes..."
"Fuck..." Vic rasped, then coughed, "How bad...?"
"Bad enough," She replied, "Shrapnel and severe burn marks across your chest. Arm was nearly broken, though thank Christ the concussion wasn't bad. Meanwhile, your right lung just about collapsed before the docs managed to wheel you in here. Alien bastards dropped WP intermixed with other incendiary rounds and HE. Swear to fuck they knew where to aim..."
"Clearly not," The Romanian coughed as he straightened up.
Sam put her good left hand on his shoulder and said, "Easy does it, tiger. You're still hit pretty bad, but you're a walking casualty at least..." squeezing his shoulder. He sighed, then gently leaned back into the comfort of the pillow as the beeps and distant ICU noises like oxygen pumps played in his ears, his head slightly thumping due to the exertion. The Chinese El-tee handed him a glass of water and said, "My unit got the least worst hits. Forty percent MAS-CAS... We had a chance to shoot back, but we were firing blind."
Vic took a sip of the water, sloshing it around in his mouth to wet every corner before swallowing and coughing. He set the glass cup aside and said, "Good to know you're alright, Sam... Well, as alright as it gets..." then offered her a smile. Sam smiled back, then took her glasses off and let out a shaky sigh, wiping her eyes. He asked, "What about the others...?" Warily.
She licked her lips and shook her head, then looked at him, "Vicky's fine... She's waiting for you to wake up outside. I'll call her in when we're done chatting. Paul and Paula's unit was in the rear, prepping to come join us when shit hit the fan, so their casualties were minimized. Dushman's Marine unit was nearly flatlined, but he's alive and unharmed, the lucky fucker..." And she hesitated. She looked at him, "Alexi's presumed KIA... We lost contact with his entire platoon while they were en-route to another incursion point..."
"Jim... Hass...?" Vic then asked, feeling his heart sink.
She nodded, "Their Chalk managed to fly out of the area and RV with units coming in from Romania. Marines, Army, Army Rangers, hell, even Air Force. RoAF has been flying hourly sorties to keep Belgrade safe, ironically enough..." Only to let out a short laugh, "Man, barely thirty years and NATO F16s are guarding this place instead of bombing the living fuck out of it..."
"Ironic," He nodded, though he was still worried, "... What about..." And he almost didn't want to say it.
Sammy swallowed, tugging at her collar, which was the sole thing keeping her camo jacket attached to her, due to being buttoned up. She spoke, "... The 95th Guards Mech. suffered 75% Casualties... They were rendered Combat Ineffective and have had to retreat," only to watch his eyes widen and his heart-rate spike. She spoke to him, "Vic, calm down, they managed to pull back. Forwardmost infantry units were unlucky in the first strike, but for all we know, Ves, Ayesha and Lita managed to escape..."
"I need to go find her," He whispered as he looked at himself, unplugging a few things attached to him before swinging his legs over the side of the bed. She shook her head and pushed him back down, to which he tried pushing himself off again, calling out, "Lemme fucking go, Sam! I have to go find her..." as his heart continued to spike. She pushed him again, finding more strength in her than he had to counter, and glared at him.
"Vic, you'll do her no fucking good if you go dying on us here and now. Get treated, get well and then rejoin your unit," She ordered, her voice bearing a weight and tone the likes of which Victor had rarely seen, "I'm not going to let you kill yourself. If I have to get Robert's ass in here to tie you to the fucking bed, I will. You get me, soldier?" only to wait for his response. Despite every cell in Victor's body burning with a desire to know if the girl he'd just managed to become a thing with was alive, he couldn't fight it in his weakened state. He slumped back, frowning, then rubbed his face.
Sam sighed and sat herself down, murmuring, "I know, Vic... I know... Trust me, I wish I had better news to give. Alexi... Ves, Aye and Li... Fuck, we nearly lost you. Vicky, me, Rob? Much as the lattermost plays himself up as 'not giving a shit about us', we were all worried sick. Shit, your sister's probably still crying out there, man. Please, just take it easy till you heal up. We can get payback and go looking afterward... For bodies to bury, or-"
"She's alive, Sam..." Vic sighed, "She has to be..."
Sam had a minute's pause, then sighed and nodded, "Of course. They're all alive..."
She stood up and told him, "Which is why you need to recover. I don't think she'll like seeing her boyfriend like this. If you want good news, Docs said you'd need at least one more day for full recovery. Rest of your platoon's going to need a few more, so you'll probably be doing menials here in Belgrade, guard duty or some shit. That, or they'll form a scratch unit and add you to it 'till we can reform, start coordinating again..."
"Gotcha," He replied, staring at his hands. Avoiding eye contact.
The Chinese Lieutenant sighed, "Get well, Toma," before turning and leaving. She propped open the door to the hallway, the screams of the wounded and dying, though muffled by the walls of the place, filling her ears. Each and every hospital in Belgrade had been filled to the brim with casualties, both civilian and military, from the initial enemy strike.
She turned to a waiting Vicky, the young blonde staring at her with her heart beating in her throat. She smiled and gave the go-ahead for the twin to step inside, which the girl did without hesitation. Licking her lips, the Chinese officer marched down the hall and into an elevator. She pressed a button just as a nurse called out to her, "Hold the door, please!" her Serb accent thick. Sam put her hand in front of the door's sensors and watched the woman jump in, leaning against the wall as the elevator began its descent.
The Serb Nurse turned to Sam and said, "Thank you..."
"No problem," She replied, leaning against the wall closest to her as she was in thought, "How's the hospital doing for meds?"
"Like every other. Running out," The woman admitted with a sad smile, "We're going to have to prioritize..."
Sam sighed, "Yeah... I know... Thank God most of our friends aren't in a bad enough state for you to consider leaving them," Before the elevator dinged. She nodded to the nurse, then stepped off the elevator. Walking out of the place, to the sight of a Belgrade in active preparation for war. The sky above was a dark-grey broken only by the forms of orbiting fighters. On rooftops, SAM batteries ranging from ancient Soviet equipment to more modern American and NATO-aligned country gear guarded the skies. A FlakPanzer Gepard stood guard on the central boulevard leading up to the hospital, its Romanian markings glimmering in the faint light. Farther forward, a Shilka battery and even a Tunguska stood.
Infantry and tanks, a mishmash of Yugoslav modifications of Cold War equipment and NATO-standard fighting vehicles, upgraded Serb kit and various NATO and NATO-adjacent guns and gear... Belgrade had become a rallying point for surviving units and elements from all theaters and militaries amidst the former Yugoslav territories. She walked toward the command post for her unit's leftovers and listened to the radio blare with warnings in English, Russian, Serbian and so many other languages about the enemy advancing and almost blitzing through them.
She approached her RTO, who was sat in the tent and perusing the various radio frequencies, then asked her, "What're we looking at, Ai...?" before the girl handed her a transcript she'd made of some of the more important radio coms she'd intercepted. Sam sighed as she sat herself down next to Ai and started reading, furrowing her brows as she noted that, yes, in fact, the Aliens were all over Europe. All over the world. Latest news recorded spoke of the units in Fighting Retreat from Prishtina and so many other places.
The woman blinked, then asked, "Am I reading this last bit wrong...?"
"No... Berlin's gone. They overran its defense garrisons just two hours ago..." The girl replied in a murmur as she read through the data, "Similar story in most of the US West and East Coasts, far as I get from comrades. Beijing isn't doing much better, with several buildings levelled, but the First Armored's fighting tooth and nail there. As for everywhere else?"
"Shit," Sam murmured, scratching her chin, "They moved fast... Poland?"
"Holding, surprisingly," Ai commented, then chuckled, "Switched to English again."
Sam smiled awkwardly, "Sorry. Too used to it..."
The girls paused as alerts started playing from units closer to Belgrade. Sam paled for a moment, then switched frequencies and radioed, "Joint Defense Command HQ, this is City Post Twenty, reporting that we've got incoming. Enemy is closing distance, bounding advance. Radars are..." She watched the Gepards and Shilkas swivel up, "Fucking hell, Radars are picking up enemy Fast Air! Air Defense just positioned to engage!"
The first alarms blared around them as the missiles from Patriots lanced out of their tubes. Overhead, fast-moving enemy drones raced forward. Some were taken out by the missiles, but others had to be tracked by the autocannons of the Gepards and Shilkas. Several dropped payloads across the street up ahead, which burst into flame. Sam radioed, "This is Outpost Twenty transmitting in the blind, all units! The enemy is at Belgrade, I repeat, enemy forces have reached Belgrade! Prepare for battle!" before she pulled the sling around her arm off and clenched and unclenched it. It hurt, but it was functional.
Sliding her jacket and gear on, the girl told Ai, "Evacuate to the center of the city with all Com equipment, Ai. The two yelped as another barrage of enemy projectiles landed dead ahead, one of the Shilkas detonating in a burning blaze. The Gepard beside it was washed with shrapnel and heat, but continued tracking, its autocannons scoring several good hits on the enemy air asset.
Patriot missiles hit the next wave in force, a volley of SAMs detonating and blasting apart a cluster of enemy fighter-bomber drones. Thankfully, most of the city's outskirts had been evacuated to other parts of Eastern Europe that were still secure, but the enemy was advancing from every side. Vladivostok had fallen with Siberia barely holding, China was under siege, Japan was facing so many incursions the JSDF was supposedly ready to summon even the old and the sick into battle and the US?
Well, reports were grim from both Coasts, but the West was mounting the strongest resistance. She grabbed her QBZ-95, racked the bolt and moved to join the infantry. The distant thunder of engaging tank cannons filled her ears. More missiles from the enemy's craft screamed forward, detonating upon impact with buildings, shattering glass and cratering the facades.
Shards rained down on top of Sammy and a mixed advancing platoon of Serbs, Croats, various other Yugoslav nationalities and NATO members. An American Abrams up ahead fired its main gun at advancing silhouettes covered by a thick smog that rolled forward. Sam swore to herself and took cover behind the tank, where an American radio operator spoke, "Valkyrie Six, this is Easy Twelve, requesting JDAMs dropped due West of our position, danger close up to 200 meters, over!" only to look up at Sam.
Sam demanded, "The fuck is going on?!"
"They dropped in an infantry unit up ahead of us! The bastards are hammering our position with their drones and keeping us suppressed!" The American replied, checking his M4 quickly, "Serbs lost two T55s in the engagement! We lost a Bradley! Unknown Casualties in terms of infantry!" and gasped as a bullet of some kind snapped over their heads, the smog covering them to the point they couldn't see two feet in front of each-other.
"Fuck..." Sam murmured. She peered out from behind the tank and ducked back just as a bullet scratched the armor. The tank's gun thundered again, followed by the Fifty in a CROWS. Another missile screamed overhead, while the allied jets seemed to finally be able to target the enemy's craft. Sam poked out again and fired a burst of assault weapons fire. Return fire came immediately.
She could barely make out their silhouettes, more drones screaming overhead and more distant explosions filling her ears. The chittering of the aliens also filtered in through the shooting. They sounded almost mechanical, or almost like bugs. She didn't know, but she wanted to know where she could shoot them. She looked back to the Radioman and asked, "Any news?!"
"Reports from Mainland US just came down the chain! Earlier in the morning, US Marine Elements managed to locate and destroy the enemy HQ in Santa Monica! Took two Copperhead missiles and a ton of Casualties for the Two-Fifth, but as they say, Retreat, Hell!" The Man smirked, "Though it's not gonna be of use to us for now! Another bit is to shoot them on the left side of their chest, where the human heart usually is! Turns out their heads don't house the brains!"
"Noted!" Sam nodded, then radioed and explained to her unit in Chinese. The air around them began to clear as a US Apache attack helo swooped in, pushing the mist out of the way just in time for Sam to witness a Serbian infantryman get eviscerated by the machines' bullets. She gasped, finally laying eyes upon their foe:Spindly, tall, brown and seemingly semi-mechanical in nature, the bug-like monsters had massive heads, long arms and were taller than the average human. Their right arm had the weapon grafted on, apparently, what looked to be a crude firearm.
Sam looked up and gasped as she saw the drones next, one of'em sweeping in low just as the Apache fired one of its Hellfires. She dragged the Radioman out of the area, the Abrams detonating upon impact of a missile from an enemy drone. She groaned as she felt her wounded arm, then said, "Fuck today, man..." with a whine to her voice. The Apache exploded next, shards of metal raining onto the street. An alien approached her, bounding over cover and aiming its weapon.
Sam snapped up her weapon and recalled:Where the heart was, in the chest. She aimed and fired. Multiple times, in fact. Multiple bullets struck the machine's chest. At half a mag, Sam had finally managed to pierce the thing's armor, staggering it and causing its own shots to go wide. The next shot pierced whatever stood for its heart and brain, a clear liquid pouring out of the wound as the monster collapsed.
She yelled, "EY! EAT THAT, YOU FUCK!" Before laughing... And realizing it was too soon to be happy.
The alien's comrades advanced, taking cover behind destroyed vehicles and firing. Multiple Serb infantrymen were killed, but many more managed to return fire. Sam scrambled to her feet and grabbed the radioman, pushing him behind a concrete barrier and sliding into cover with him. Bullets hit the concrete as Sam reloaded her half-empty weapon. She turned to the Serb officer and waved her over.
The woman crouch-ran toward her, AK in hand and stating, "Major Mila, 1st Brigade! Bastards started pounding us all across again!"
"We just got tips for killing them! Aim to their left, where the heart is in the human chest cavity!" The girl told them. The Serb was quick to relay it over their radio, before poking out and hefting her own assault rifle. She fired a burst at one of the aliens, which staggered, but did catch a Serb soldier to Mila's left with a burst, killing him instantly. The woman dipped back behind cover and swore to herself. Sam told her, "Yeah, they're tough fuckers..."
The Radioman spoke, "Valkyrie Six, this is Easy Twelve, enemy has destroyed armor support! Requesting those goddamn JDAMS NOW!" only to pause as an Alien attempted to climb overhead. Sam and the Major hefted their rifles, but were a little too slow on the draw. Twin MGs chugged away, 7,62x54 Rimmed rounds piercing into the alien's chest and killing it on the spot.
Sam looked over and smiled, watching as Vic and Vicky moved forward, the barrels of their PKMs glowing. Vic still had bandages underneath his armor, but seeing him up and about, as well as engaging, welled Sam's heart. Robert moved in behind them, helping the various medical crews drag the wounded out. Something which Sam soon noticed the aliens do as well.
She yelled at Vic, grinning, "I thought I told your ass to stay in bed, Vic!"
"You ain't my El-Tee anymore, Sam! We're all back to our units!" He shot back with a grin, then put the bipod down and shouldered his LMG. Vicky followed suit, setting up on a destroyed car and opening up on the enemy. The Machine-like creatures realized that the enemy had fire superiority, with the Gepard now shifting its own autocannons to welcome them while the Air Forces up above fought tooth and nail for every inch of airspace. Vic called out, "Sis, shift fire right! Incoming on the flanks!" just as a group of enemy units popped out and opened fire from a building. Vicky ducked and returned fire.
Belgrade would hold. It had to hold...