The End

Juliet 2-5

I woke with a start to the discordant sounds of battle being dragged by a NATO soldier behind a Humvee.

I shook myself as the soldier noticed I had regained consciousness and he let me go behind the Humvee. "Are you okay?" He shouted at me and I nodded my confirmation.

He patted me on the shoulder and then returned to the fight standing behind the Humvee and firing shots at the enemy. Bullets whizzed around the vehicle and men shouted as I gathered my bearings.

The Humvee I had been in before was now a burning wreck. Flames licked the twisted metal frame and the odd round from the minigun 'popped' as the heat set it off.

Buts as I looked around it I saw another sight. It was Rogers, crawling away from the wreck.

And he was missing half of his body.

I dashed over to his moving form and as I approached he turned himself over to look at me. His clothes were singed and soaked in crimson blood and his face was pale and clammy, even more blood was trickling from between his lips.

"Get.....to.....phoenix......" He gasped before going limp where he lay. "Shit No!" I said before I was interrupted by a hail of bullets slamming into the road at my feet.

I scrambled over to the burning wreck, as close as I could without getting singed by the fire and unslung my M4. Which had remained miraculously on my back even after the explosion.

I cocked it before looking around. There weren't any more bodies around, and in the wreck from I could tell, and that hopefully meant the squad also got out.

But I couldn't be sure and I didn't have a radio. I looked around desperately hoping one would present myself when my eyes fell on Rogers corpse. I stared at it for another moment before rushing over to it hating myself for doing this.

I whispered my apologies to Rogers as I stripped him of his radio and ammunition and returning to cover to turn on the radio. Static burst from the speakers followed by shouts and orders.

Amidst the chatter I pressed the speak button on the radio and called, "Echo team this is a member of Alpha team, has anyone seen another group of Alpha team over?".

The chatter continued over the radio for a moment before a louder voice called back to me. "Member of Alpha team the rest of your team is with us at the last Humvee over!", I sighed with relief and acknowledged my thanks before strapping the radio to my back.

I picked my rifle up and readied it as I eyed my path. I had to sprint from the wreck along 2 Humvees to get to the squad and i'll be followed by bullets all the way.

I took a deep slow breath before leaning on my knee and pushing off.

As soon as I left cover a hail of lead thudded after me like a pack of vicious hounds, snapping ferociously at my ankles. I staggered as I ran and crashed into the side of the first Humvee before regaining my balance and pushing off again.

Even more bullets followed this time as I crossed the no-mans land and it was close call when I reached the second Humvee, manned by three soldiers, and the last one came into view.

The rest of the squad crouched huddled around the remnants of the hole ridden Humvee a lone NATO soldier slumped clutching his shoulder and bleeding heavily was being tended to by Geneis.

The sight of them set my heart at ease, when they caught sight of me they gestured urgently for me to stay at my Humvee and signalled to talk on the radio.

I nodded fervently before pulling a handset from my radio and turning it on. "Jason!" Ray exclaimed over the static "thank god you're alive!", "Likewise Ray!" I responded flinching as a particularly close shot pinged off the Humvee I was behind.