The Empire's Descent (First Draft)

Chapter 17: La Vie En Rose

Luca sat cross-legged on the floor and kept his eyes trained on the fried calamari platter before him. His fingers tracing the marks on the table from the holidays he, Marco and Marabella would spend at their Okinawa home when they were little...

As much as Luca tried to avoid the upcoming conversation, he could feel Marco's deathstare across from him at the table.

"Explain this suicide mission to me and stop being cute!" Marco yelled. Luca pouted as a final effort, but Marco didn't eat his set so, he had no choice but to elaborate on his plan...

*

"If this works, then kudos, bro...".

Luca just smiled and patted him on the shoulder before they veered off to assume their positions. Marco demanded to be alpha team to draw the fire, while Luca held the bravo team to fish.

*

Marco's ears were ringing and the gunshots sounded as if he was hearing them from underwater.

Everything's gone left. Think, Marco!

He pictured the facility layout in his head again and tried to decide the best plan of action:

Left, an old supporting wall and the new one has formed a makeshift hallway to the rendezvous zone.

Right, takes you around the facility, but you maintain a blind spot 'til the rear of the facility and back to the rendezvous point.

Marco went right and cleared the outside. He could now hear what he didn't want.

"I don't care who the fuck is with him! Take him out," a dark and gravelly voice hissed.

"He took everything from me and I'll do the same for him...," a haunted voice echoed from somewhere far off.

"Target locked. Are we a-go?" A monotonous voice inquired, sounding as if it were just around the corner of this corridor.

"Wet him up!", she answered, standing right in front of Marco and Luca.

*

🎶Say nightie-night and kiss me,
just hold me tight
and tell me you miss me.
When I'm alone
and blue as can be,
make me a promise--
promise to me:
you'll dream,
dream a little dream of me...🎶

"Boss! Boss, stay with me," a weeping voice pleaded in a whisper.

"Ma bella," Luca's weak voice sounded as his vision came into focus.

Marco shed a few more tears, but he had to keep it together. They were under fire and had to escape.

Shots rang out behind the oncoming enemy and Marco tensed, not knowing if it was friend or foe.

He had placed a tourniquet on Luca's gushing wound, and his blood-soaked hands clasped the M4 for what he hoped wouldn't be his last stand. If so... he would die shooting!

The shots were coming closer and the first attackers were falling. He refrained from shooting to keep their positions hidden until they could no longer hold it. Sweat trickled in his eye and he only spared a quick shoulder swipe at it, then he was back to being militant.

A groan, coming from the ground, briefly diverted his attention.

"Stay there, Luc, don't move, buddy, I gotcha," he tried to reassure his wounded brother as Luca writhed in pain.

"Mari, I love you," Luca whispered terrifyingly lucid.

Marco's face nearly crumpled, "shut the fuck up," he spat, "we're getting out of this and you're gonna make me hot chocolate and help me propose to Gianni," he said in ire.