[DSMonkey]

***

Mule’s turret glowed red and cover the floor with spent casings. as it sprayed a hail of bullets down the stairs to suppress the encroaching Vanu.

“RPG!” Mule yelled and dove for cover beside Hicks just as the streaking blast of energy exploded, sending scorching hot bits of turret and a wave of heat over their shields.

“You whole?” Hicks screamed at Mule who he assumed, based on the Engineers glazed, far off stare; was quite dazed.

“I think so.” Mule finally muttered followed by a uncertain nodding which inspired Hicks to yell over comms for Rosh while he tossed a grenade over the small, twisted and scorched sheet metal wall they now called “cover.”

“Can it wait? I’m a little busy here, they keep coming through the windows. Rosh’s voice had an annoyed, desperate tone to it.

“Yeah Doc, I’m alright.” Mule spoke, this time with much more grit and belief about his words.

“Then throw down another turret!” Hicks ordered as he and his light machine gun took over the job of suppressing the Vanu below.

“Cam, Art; how’s it looking up there?” Hicks asked, and got a solemn, weary response from Artemus.

“Bad, I’ve fallen back to support Doc.”

“Where’s Cam?” Hicks asked, exchanging a brief yet very concerned look with Mule.

“He’s not coming.” Artemus said bluntly, her voice heavy as she steeled herself against the emotion she felt.

“I could do with some help here!” Rosh yelled, loudly enough that Artemus heard him without the aid of her ear-piece.

“Go aid the Medic, Art.” Hicks said with a grin, then turned his attentions to Lieutenant Lloyd “Command, Kilo-Actual; They’re pressing us pretty hard down here, where are those reinforcements?"

“Kilo-Actual we-“ Lloyd stopped talking abruptly causing Hicks and Mule to exchange brief looks of concern.

“Command? You there?”

“We’re here Kilo, reinforcements bound for you have been redirected to another front, you are to pull your team out and fall back to the nearest friendly outpost.”

“He’s joking, he has a sick and twisted sense of humor and is joking with us.” Mule said to Hicks, making sure not to say it into his own communications unit.

“C…copy that Command, Kilo out.” Hicks said despite the shock and anger he felt. “Kilo squad, regroup on me. Eagle, you still out there?”

“I’m here.” Harth’s cold voice answered as another shot from his rifle toppled yet another Vanu soldier.

“Can you see a way out for us from up there, Eagle?” Hicks asked over the noise of Mule’s firing turret.

“You’re not going to like it.”

“Well that’s nothing new.” Mule muttered.

“What is it?” Hicks yelled over the noise of gunfire as he hunkered down behind cover.

“South-side of the Tower, jump down and sprint for the rocks, they’ll cover you some until you hit the ditch, drop into it and re-group with me.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.” Artemus answered as Rosh and her re-grouped with Hicks and Mule.

“For you maybe, you have a jump-pack.” Rosh commented, followed by Mule who said “If it’s still working, want me to take a look at it really quick?”

“No, you can tinker with it later! Art, smoke our exit.” Hick yelled and soon enough the south side of the Watchtower was engulfed in thick, dark smoke, as were the members of Kilo squad as they jumped down to the ground. The few grunts and winces that filled the smokescreen were soon replaced with panting and heavy boots kicking up sand as they dashed for the cover of the rocks.

“Nearly there, keep going!” Hicks said through comms with a hushed tone that did nothing to mute the urgency in his voice.

That’s when Harth noticed his wrist-mounted, holographic map showing the watchtower covered in tiny, blips that slowly expanding into hollow circle, for vanishing and starting all over again.

“They’re deploying motion sensors all over the tower, won’t take ‘em long to realize you’re not there.” Harth announced over comms.

“Anymore smoke?” Hicks asked Artemus as the squad hunkered down at the rocks.

“No, and unless Mule throws me some ammo I’m down to my sidearm and wishful thinking.” She said, hinting at the Engineer to resupply the squad when the terrible sound of a Vanu Sovereignty hover device declared the arrival of a Magrider, moments before it fired a round into the rocks; sending bits of rock flying and sand billowing.

Scrambling to the other side of the rocks through the now dust, and sand filled air; Hicks fired off a rocket propelled grenade at the tank that caused just enough of a bang and flash to cover Artemus as she sprinted toward it.

The Magriders second shot seared her skin, blurred her vision and made it incredibly difficult to breathe, such was the heat of the super-heated plasma that just narrowly missed her. As Artemus closed the gap on the heavy tank she tested the construction of New Conglomerate jump-packs and, with a sputter and a bang; she was in the air, throwing her last plastic explosive onto the dented Magrider before pressing the button on her remote detonator.

The resulting explosion sent shrapnel, chunks of twisted tank and blue flames all around but it was the blue, heavy fire coming from the tower that caught Artemus as she landed. The Vanu zealots at the contested Watchtower had not missed the tanks destruction, nor the opportunity to take out a member of Kilo squad with a hail of righteous gunfire.

“Move!” Hicks commanded and the remaining squad members obeyed, following their leader into the long, deep ditch that would take them toward Harth’s position.

“I’m on my way to you.” The Infiltrator said as he began to descend the hill.

The sweat was pouring out of Rosh, Mule, Hicks and Harth almost as much as the muttered curses and repeated orders such as “Keep going!” and “Don’t look back”

Until finally, after a few hundred meters of sprinting, a few close calls and a hitched ride in a friendly Galaxy transport, they had safely arrived at a large New Conglomerate staging area and were walking, albeit slowly; toward a concerned Lieutenant Lloyd.

“Glad to see some of you made it out, Kilo.” The Lieutenant said with an air of authority that did not waver in the slightest under the glares he was receiving.

“What happened back there?” Hicks asked with a scowl.

“The Republic’s just about in spitting distance of one of our few re-birthing centers. Your reinforcements were redirected here-“ Lloyd indicated to the hundreds of troops and vehicles massing around them as he spoke “-we’ll be launching a counter attack within the hour. If we lose this facility there’s no telling how long it’ll be ‘til we can bring your lost squad-mates back. If at all.”

“Then give us ten to get ready Sir and Kilo ‘ll be good to go.” Hicks said with a determination mirrored by Rosh and Mule.

“Alright Kilo get some-“ Lloyd began until Harth interrupted him.

“Permission to join Kilo squad until they’re back to full strength, sir?”

“You getting tired of the lone wolf act, Eagle?” Hicks teased.

“No, but after saving you lives many, many times at that watchtower It’d just be a waste to see you run off and get killed now, and my names Harth.” He replied with a smile that his face-covering helmet concealed.

“I don’t have a problem with it.” Lieutenant Lloyd finally answered.

“Well then, welcome to Kilo squad Harth.” Said a smiling Hicks.

The End