Bound By Purpose

Bombs Bursting In Air

The heaviest fire I've encountered thus far have started to rain down on me and my men. The majority of the men I'm with have no idea what my mission entails but they know the S.S.R. usually means something serious. Those that volunteered to help are part of the 107th and with a little persuasion from Dugan they got to work at getting me close enough to see the weapons with my own eyes without getting killed. Of course the mission is the priority, but with hell raining down I can't help but wish Bucky was here by my side. 

Before I can think too much deeper into my personal feelings we're up and running to the next fox hole. My rifle is slung across and two soldiers are on my sides but it's hardly reassuring with the ground shaking at each explosion. Diving forward I skid the last few feet and do a not so graceful roll into the shallow hole. My little entourage joins me seconds later. Looking around briefly I see that a few other men are taking cover here at the moment. Dugan grabs my elbow and pulls me down. Stooping low we go to the opposite ridge where two soldiers peek over the top towards the enemy.

Dugan engages in a conversation with them leaving me to sit against the makeshift dirt wall to collect my thoughts. I look down and realize my hands are shaking. I shake it out and try to catch my breath. I wish I could say that I'm okay and that I would be perfectly capable of doing this mission alone, but I'm truly not. Despite all my intelligence training and time spent observing the best at the S.S.R. the most useful thing right now is my basic training. I went through what each soldier here went through as well as some medical training but nothing could have prepared me for my first real battle. Bullets zoom a few feet overhead and shells explode. Each time I hear their whine I duck my head and pray for it to miss. 

Dugan slides down to meet me. "We're pinned down... We aren't going anywhere forward for a while." I nod in understanding, not wanting to endanger anyone and also grateful to be able to stay in my little organic bunker.

I try my best to rest my eyes, to shut my brain off, but the screams of men and the constant shower of dirt reminds me to stay alert. This goes on for at least an hour until a soldier lands face first in our hole. He'd come from somewhere ahead of us. "We're being overrun." He says, saluting Dugan.

"Time to go princess." Dugan says to me.

"I'm not a princess." I say under my breath. Hoisting myself and my gun back up I ready myself to run. The guys we left down below cover our escape as we sprint across a short distance. A shell explodes close to me as we dive into the next foxhole. My ears ring as I hit the ground hard. Dugan is up before I can even process what happened. Dugan and two other soldiers crouch together. It's dark and my head throbs but as the one in the middle turns around my heart stops.

When he sees me he too stops dead in his tracks. With my ears still ringing I can't make out what he says, but by his expression it's probably not something I wanted to hear anyway. Another explosion brings us back to the present. Now it doesn't matter how or why I'm here, all that matters is survival.