ROSALIE.
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"I still remember, do you?"
THE door exploded with a deafening roar, the force of the explosion reverberating through us, as Simon shielded me. For a moment, all I could hear was the ringing in my ears, my heart thudding in my chest, fingers still gripping my rifle.
The blind door now lay in debris on the floor, welcoming us in the command room. Empty.
Every station was empty, papers scattered everywhere, monitors broken down.
Simon was the first one to step through the wreckage, his eyes scanning the room with a sharp focus of a man who'd been trained hardly for moments like this, even when he had a bullet stuck into his shoulder. His boots crunched over the debris, the hum of malfunctioning lights and servers were the only things that could be heard.
Nothing.
"What the fuck.." I heard him whisper, his hand went to the trigger as I followed after him.
The stillness of the command room was unsettling, the emptiness questioning our main mission. "Where did everyone go?"
No words came from my mouth, but my eyes narrowed as I prowled around the desks, checking every paper and possible intel. This wasn't what we were expecting. The intel had pointed everyone straight to this stronghold, the heart of the mission.
Yet, it was deserted, no sign of life or recent activities.
"I wish I could check the monitors, to find a trace, but the goddamn assholes broke everything." I spoke, my voice low as my hand brushed against the screens of the control panels.
"Sit down, I'll try to tend your wound." With a sigh, I pulled out a chair, motioning him to obey. But all he did was look at me, before he headed for the central console. "Simon." I repeated, sternly this time, making no room for arguments.
His fingers flew over the keyboard, calling up every system he could access. but as the systems came up, the screen flickered with glitches, then nothing came. "They're fucking GONE." He growled, slamming his fist against the keyboard, "No sign of any personnel, this place should've been bloody full of them."
Then a soft click sounded from behind us, our bodies going rigid, every muscle tensing in an instant. What-
The rampage of gunfire ripped through the silence, a rain of bullet ringing out, slamming into the walls.
Simon was already on the ground, grabbing me by the wrist to pull me into cover behind the desk. "Down!" He shouted, enveloping me whole as to shield me from the chaos and awaiting death. We couldn't make exactly the number of rifles that were shooting at us, but we only knew they were a lot.
I dropped to one knee, drawing out my rifle with velocity, my eyes darting to where the fire was coming. Simon too, scanned his surroundings, locating the numerous shadows that moved quickly at the far end of the room.
Five--no, six of them.
"I have them," He whispered with a growl. Adrenaline surged through us, and without wasting a second, he popped his head from behind cover, firing two quick shots. He missed, barely, but managed to knock at least two of them.
Amidst the chaos, I darted forward, using the momentary gunfire as cover, moving with precision. In an instant, I was on the opposite side of the room, my weapon ready and steady, cutting down one of the soldiers as they tried to take position near a column.
A sharp cry echoed in the air, the last soldiers were caught off guard, disoriented. But before Simon could properly change mags, a burst of gunfire raked across my area, a bullet tearing through my hip. I stumbled, letting out an agonizing cry.
"Rosalie!" I could hear my husband scream.
The adrenaline dulled the agony, there was no time to hesitate and cry. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself back on my feet despite the pain of the wound that felt like Hell. With one swift motion, I took out another one of the enemies, then rolled to the side to dodge a spray of bullets that missed my recent presence.
Simon pushed forward, stubbornly, pushing aside the pain from his shoulder. His focus sharpened as he moved closer, emptying completely a mag into one of the attackers, dropping them down.
Only one was left, one that hid beneath a mask. Could it perhaps be Manuel?
The very last figure retreated toward the back of the room, as a desperate attempt to make his escape through the secret tunnel. "Manuel!" A click echoed in the silence, the man stopped abruptly in his tracks, raising his hands in the air as to surrender. "Drop the fuckin' gun."
I was on my feet, dragging my body toward Simon, my hands gripping the rifle, ready to finish the target. "What a gathering. Mr and Mrs Riley." Manuel's accent was thick, his tone low and disgusting.
"Shut your filthy mouth." I spoke, hissing in pain as I stood next to Simon. "What a shame it has to end like this--"
"Have you counted your days? Because hell, this will be your last. I've been at your throat for months." Simon cut him off, gun still pointed at his head while he stepped forward slowly, "What a shame it has to end like this."
It was then that we saw the glint of something in Manuel's vest, something small and unmistakable.
A detonator.
❀
"You bastard.." Simon breathed out, realization crashing over them. "You fuckin' bastard!" His finger was ready on the trigger, but it was already too late.
Manuel's hand jerked toward the detonator, and their world exploded.
The strong blast threw them back with a brutal force, slamming Rosalie against the concrete wall, something sharp piercing through her abdomen. The shockwave made Simon's head spin, his ears rang, his visions blurred. Rosalie couldn't focus on anything else if not the pain spreading throughout her whole body.
A cloud of dust and smoke rose in the air, she could hear Simon's grunts as he attempted to push himself up, gasping for precious air. "Rosalie..?" He called out, his silhouette moving amidst the dark cloud.
She was leaning somewhere near him, face pale as blood seeped from her abdomen.
"No, please no." His voice was desperate as he sprung toward her, ignoring the wound that attempted to still him, "Rose!"
The wound was deep, and the blood soaked her clothes, dark and mocking. "Simon.. I'm fine." She managed to choke out, only for her to fall into a fit of coughs, a drop of blood running down the corner of her mouth. "Not again, please God, no."
He fell on his knees in front of her, hands grasping the sharp metal tube that stuck out of her abdomen, "I'm fine." But the emptiness in her eyes denied her own words. "You're not! You're fucking not.." He snapped, a lump forming in his throat as tears gathered in his eyes.
She winced, but her lips curled into a humorless smile, trying to lighten up the situation, though she could sense her soul leaving her body slowly, "We're not done yet, you just came back into my life." Simon whispered, his hands cradling carefully her body into his strong arms.
The only safe place she ever wanted to lay in.
"I remembered you," Her voice was weak, her body trembling, her lips quivering, "Don't leave me alone.." His breath was catching in his throat, feeling the weight of her words, "Stay awake, let me see your beautiful eyes, everyday."
"I'm so sorry I couldn't remember you earlier." She whispered, raising her hand to caress his cheek, "I'm so sorry and I love you." She knew she couldn't make it.
"This ain't a bloody goodbye, do you hear me?" He fought back, gritting his teeth to suppress the tears that burned into his eyes, "I'm dragging you out of here, alive."
"I'm so sorry and I love you." Her words rang into his head, his hands clutching her body desperately, as if he could grasp onto her soul and not let it go away.
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FRAGMENTS ; Simon Riley
FanfictionSimon Riley x OC 𝑹𝒐𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒆 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒏, a specialized military medic, transferred to the skilled SAS unit: Task Force 141. She's agile, an expert, quick on her abilities, fiesty and strong - yet the most soft hearted woman on Earth, out of...