Gadget's New Mission

Altruism

My eyes are starting to fill up with smoke and ash as I run to the first person I see. There's a jackal pinned down by a metal beam. He's screaming in pain. I quickly pull the beam off of his back. There are scorch marks on his back. The beam must've been very hot, and it was after I touched it myself. I drag him away from the building before he forces out his words. "Arrrrggggghhhh!!! Get the others! Please!!!"

I do as he says and I continue into the fiery mass. "Hello?!" I hear screaming all around me and I don't know where to start. I'm frantically turning myself in every direction before a jackal pushes some rubble aside and starts to limp his way toward me. I run to him and I catch him as he's about to fall. I notice he's coughing a lot as I carry him over to the other jackal I saved. I leave him slumped against a wall. I see blood in his mouth... I'm about to speak before I get interrupted.

"AHHHHHH!!! HELP!!! MY LEG!!!"

I immediately run towards the voice. I avoid some fire as I stumble upon the wounded jackal. He's sitting there with burn marks on his face and his hands on his leg. He tries to get up. His leg moves unusually like rubber. I think I'm gonna be sick... He falls back to the ground before I muster up the courage to hold him up without looking at his leg. We slowly walk our way out of the mess...

I can feel the smoke entering my lungs. I finally start coughing myself thin. I cover my mouth as we keep going. I've never dealt with a fire before, at least not during my time with the resistance... I also haven't done anything like this: saving people from a flaming building, or in this case an exploded building... This feels scary for me as it probably is for the people hurt by all of this...

I bring the jackal and his broken leg to the others. I slowly lay him down against the wall being mindful of his injury...

"Thank... you..." He's still holding his leg as he speaks.

The other jackal coughs up blood trying to talk. "You didn't need to do this for us... We've failed our boss... He'd think nothing of us after this... He'd gladly let us die here..."

I comfort him as he's clearly struggling. "Well, I'm not like your boss... I have compassion... no matter who the person may be... No matter what they've done... No matter what they're perceived as... That's something your boss is lacking in... I'm doing what I can for all of us..."

"Ain't that inspiring... We all do what we can... but... it's never enough... The grass is always greener... Our boss isn't easy to please... and... people have always looked down on us... Maybe things will be... better... now that we're gone... Gone... Gone..."

... ... ...

I back away... He knows they're doing no good... He wants to die?! Is he that loyal that he's willing to abide by his boss's horrid orders after defeat?! Are there others like that?! Anyone else might say this is poetic justice... I see it as a tragedy... They guys are still human... They could've lived the same life as any other average Joe... like me... like Sonic... but this is their fate: burning alive with broken legs and mouths filled with smoke and blood...

"NOOOOOOOO!!!"

Another voice enters my mind, this time sounding more feminine. I make my way to the scream. I find a female jackal kneeling down next to another jackal with his eyes shut and his mouth gaping open... She's sobbing. I hesitantly talk to her...

"We have to go!"

"I won't leave him!!! Please, help him!!!"

I do as she says. I grab him and I hang his arms over my shoulders ready to carry him to safety. "Let's go!" We both run through the fiery chaos as she leads the charge. The knocked out jackal slowly wakes up on my back. I hear a huge crumble as I look ahead to see lots of metallic debris above us. It's about to give away... The one jackal makes it, but the debris is starting to fall as I come up. I take the jackal on my back and I throw him ahead of me as I dive bomb to make it through. The two jackals make it safe and unharmed. I, however, can't move. My left leg is blistering with pain... I'm screeching as I see that my leg is pinned to the ground by burning, metallic rubble. I reach for my grapple hook, but it's gone... I must've dropped it...

I feel my leg beginning to burn...

I command them, "GO!!! GET MORE HELP!!! HURRY!!!" They both run off without mentioning another word. I try to pull myself out. I struggle constantly with no success... Smoke is dangerously surrounding me and entering my lungs. I'm coughing from smoke and screaming from my burning leg... I feel like my life is fading away in a fiery blaze... My head is starting to give away...

"GADGET!!!"

The voice is muddled as I continue to lose my energy. I can just barely make out Wesley's face.

"You're gonna be okay, Gadget! You'll be fine!!!"

As his words collapse, so does my consciousness... The last sensation I feel is my leg with immense pressure before I feel absolutely nothing... I've drifted away... Everything is black... and I feel nothing...