It is currently 1973, the Vietnam War, and Captain Jonathan is a famous US pilot. With his trusty UH-1 helicopter, 'The Medic On Wings', he is capable of flying, solo, through heavy fire to rescue those who need it most. However, during a transport...
"Almost...fix that wire...there! It's fixed!" I flicked on the radio and was instantly met with military radio chatter. "Mayday, mayday, one-two, this is Echo Delta-07, I have been stranded in an unknown location and need immediate assistance, over." I waited a moment before a response was given. "Unknown transmitter, we didn't quite get your callsign, please say again, over." I was about to respond when a terrible thought occurred to me.
'Wait, what if these are FIA communications?!' Out of a blind panic, I ripped the antenna off the radio and threw it away, causing it to go out. 'Ahhhhh shit! There goes my only communications with anyone!' I sat down in the wrecked humvee and stared into the distance. "Well, I'm just a sitting duck here, gotta find a vantage point." I looked around, until spotting a bell tower. "Well that's convenient." I grabbed the rifle and jumped out of the humvee, the snow crunching beneath my boots.
"Man am I glad I found that military uniform earlier, those prison uniforms didn't insulate shit." I slung the pack over my shoulder and began trekking through the snow, occasionally making lefts and rights, passing more and more abandoned cars and infrastructure. Passing a destroyed tank, I hoisted myself over a flipped bus and discovered an intriguing sight.
"Why the hell are there...oh God." Piles of shoes and clothing peeked out of the snow, no doubt civilians. Those FIA bastards must've killed them all. "Fucking little shits." I took off my new helmet and walked past the piles, not saying a word. It was best to respect the dead, as they had suffered more than I had, paying the ultimate price in the end.
Ash POV
I didn't know why the General had called us to the Briefing Room, but he soon walked through the door, no doubt ready to answer that question. "Thank you all for coming. We just received report that an FIA labor camp suspected to be housing more than 50,000 human prisoners was deliberately destroyed. Cause of the destruction is believed to have been the self-destruct system."
"Additionally, a brief distress call was received from an unknown transmitter in the town of Mulberry. We have reason to believe that these may be human survivors from the prison. We need you to go and locate them. The FIA evacuated the prison shortly before it was leveled. And unfortunately, additional ground units are already finding mass human casualties. We need you to head out as soon as possible, because the chances that any survivors that may have escaped the prison and surviving the freezing cold are slim to none."
I sighed, burying my face into my hands. 'Another blow to the human population, God, any good news anymore?' "Alright guys, let's get ready and go find these guys." I saw Tammy go up to the General, but didn't pay any mind to it. I checked my rifle and headed for the chopper, followed by the others. "Hey Ash?" "What is it Marcus?" "Do you...think we'll ever get news about Jonathan?" I sighed.
"To be honest, they probably executed him after capturing him." Tammy ran up, quickly joining us as we entered the hanger. We silently climbed into the chopper. I half expected to hear a snarky comment or music being played by Jonathan, but looking over I only saw the empty seat. It was silent as we took off, and I could see Todd and Tammy staring at the seat that Jonathan would've been sitting in.
"It just feels so...empty without him." I heard Tammy saying, and I nodded in agreement. "Ridiculed while alive, we will only respect him when dead." I quoted a famous author, and Marcus shook his head. "They haven't found his body yet, so there's a possibility he's still alive." I doubted it, but didn't want to lose hope just yet. "Once they recover his body will we will grieve. Until then, we'll continue to keep his rifle safe and sound."
Jonathan POV
I had managed to get situated in the abandoned clock tower, which provided a bird's eye view of the city. Resting in a makeshift chair, I'd just started to relax when I suddenly heard a helicopter approaching. 'Don't stop, don't stop, keep on going...' I groaned as it flew into view and landed in a large clearing just outside the town, obviously depositing soldiers.
"Alright, as long as I stay out of sight, I'll be fine. I won't go back to the FIA...I can't!" Suddenly, I came aware that there was a slight glint coming from where the helicopter had landed; Sniper. "Shit!" I dove down. "Well they know I'm here now..." I sprinted down the stairs, rifle in hand. I busted through the front doors, instantly being bombarded by falling snow. I struggled to fight the wind and managed to reach a supermarket. I suddenly saw two figures in the back of the store, along with three more coming through the other side. I fired a burst of gunfire into the air and ran further into the store.
"This is the UF! We're here to help!" 'Wait, that voice...is that...!' "Ash?! Is that you?!" It was suddenly silent, then a gasp. "J-Jonathan?! Is that you?!" "Y-Yeah! I-Is that really you guys?" I had crouched behind a checkout counter, in disbelief that my old squad was in the exact building as me. "Oh my God! Jonathan you're alive! W-We thought you were dead for sure-" "Oh I almost was! Thanks to you guys! Y'know it really hurt, the feeling of helplessness as y'all left me for DEAD!"
"W-We didn't mean to leave you behind, but the pilots said they had a lock and they just...they wouldn't go back down!" I now heard Tammy entering the argument. "Uh huh." I heard a scoff of disbelief. "Damit Jonathan! It was a genuine mistake! We swear" I sighed. I could tell they were slowly surrounding me, just not shooting. 'If they wanted to hurt me they'd have done it already.' "Well, I believe you." I stood up, but suddenly there was a pift of air rushing, followed by a prick to my neck. I felt sluggish, and looked left to see Todd with a tranquilizer gun. "You sonuva..." I slumped sideways and blacked out.
Tammy POV
"Todd! Seriously?!" "What! I had to make sure he wasn't gonna try anything!" "Guys, I don't think anyone else is with him." I turned to see Marcus holding his tac-pad. "Thermals show no one else but us, I'm calling for evac to get us back to base." I sighed and picked Jonathan up bridal style. "I'll carry him, let's just get back before we freeze to death yeah?" I looked down at Jonathan's sleeping form. 'He's so cute when he's sleeping.' I thought to myself.
"This is Echo Delta-01 to Base, target objective secure, requesting extraction." Trudging through the snow to the awaiting chopper, I hoisted Jonathan on board and fastened his unconscious body into a seat. "All personnel and cargo secure, exiting the A-O." The pilot's acknowledgment was swiftly followed by the feeling of ears popping. I glanced out the window, watching the ruined town fall away. 'Going home.'
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