Chapter 18 [Soldier]

Aquarius 7/2261 16:26

"Everyone ready?" I whispered. I raised my rifle and moved it from Legion to Legion. I made sure I could move to each one within milliseconds.

"Ready," Clare said.

"Ready." another voice said. I assumed it was someone on Ethan's team.

"Lovely." I breathed. I took a breath. "Fire."

My rifle jerked in my hand as I fired. One Zerian down. Another. Jareian. My arms burned. My eyes were jumping to the next target even before I pulled the trigger. With their attention on us, the Legion didn't even notice the two teams sliding down the mountain. Once down, Legend open fired on the Legion's exposed backs. His team quickly followed suit. I jumped to another branch before firing again. To my left, I saw someone drop from the trees. Now that the Legion had overcome their surprise, they split up, half firing at the trees and half going after the ground teams. Soldiers dropped on both sides.

We can't win. The thought hit my mind before I could stop it. I glanced around and dropped to another branch. My foot sliding on the smooth bark. I nearly fell, just managing to catch myself with one hand. An energy bullet rushed by me, burning my sleeve and arm. I hissed in pain. Damnit. I need to focus. I dropped to another branch and swung my rifle up.

It felt like an hour. Both sides losing soldiers. When the final Legion fell, I didn't want to look at who remained. I scanned the courtyard, firing a few shots when I saw an alien move.

"Who is left?" I managed to choke out the words.

"I'm here. I got Juni and your Legend." Clare said. Three.

"I got two with me." Someone else said. Six.

"I'm with Jackson. He's hurt." Eight.

"I'm got shot in the shoulder, but I can stand." Nine.

"Guys... I'm not doing so well." Someone said. Ten. Eleven plus me. I took a breath and bowed my head.

"Clare, get to him. I'm on my way." I said. I slung my rifle over my shoulder, careful to avoid letting the barrel hit my leg. It would be burning hot from all the shots I took. I carefully made my way down the tree. Only one other person dropped to the ground with me. I met their gaze and saw his bleeding shoulder. "You good?"

"Flesh wound, kiddo." He smiled. He looked at my burnt arm. "Right?"

"Right." I nodded. We turned and ran for the ruined gate. Inside I got to see the carnage up close. Legion bodies mixed with human bodies. I stepped over each body. Legend stood in the center of the courtyard with the others. "We won."

"Did we?" Juni asked. I swallowed and avoided his gaze. "Our entire team is gone."

"Knock it off Juni!" Clare snapped. Jackson laid on the ground, blood seeping from his side. "We took back the base. That's good enough to show the council that we are not a suicide team."

"Hey, Jack." I knelt beside him. I ignored Clare and Juni's bickering as I looked over him.

"Hiya girly. We did good." He smiled. Jackson was the only other soldier/scientist in the military. "I see that the serum worked."

"Kinda." I smiled and nodded. "You're okay."

"Sure. Whatever you say, girly." He nodded. I looked at Clare and waved her down.

"Keep pressure," I warned. A beeping drew my attention to my bracelet. I stood and went to stand by Legend. I answered the call to find Jermia.

"Your sister found out you went on the mission. We left two days ago." Jermia said. I nodded and looked away. "How did it go?"

"We got the base," I answered. Jermia's eyes widened. "But lost... a lot of people."

"How many are left?" he asked. I took a breath and scanned the yard.

"Eleven with me," I answered. Jermia closed his eyes. I saw Clare beside an injured. She sat up, meeting my gaze and shook her head. I took a sharp breath in. "Ten."

"Don't beat yourself up over it."

"Kinda hard." I strode away from the others. I dropped my voice so they wouldn't hear. "They were under my command."

"Storm, this was a suicide mission, and you know it. You bad feel was right. If you hadn't gone, there would be no one left." Jermia said in a hushed voice.

"Why would Lily do this?" I asked. My shoulders slumped from exhaustion. The stress of the mission finally hitting me. Jermia shook his head. He looked as helpless and frustrated as I felt.

"I don't know. I'm trying to find out. Cleo is helping me, but so far we have found nothing." Jermia said. I rubbed my head and nodded. "I'll let you know if we find anything."

"Okay," I whispered. Jermia gave me a sad look.

"Excellent job." He said. His praise fell on deaf ears. So many dead... I nodded and tapped my bracelet close. I looked over the remaining soldiers.

"Move Jackson inside. One of you search for a first aid kit inside. I want two of you on the wall keeping an eye out. We will do rotations. The Master will be here in a day or so." I commanded. Clare and another knelt to carry Jackson in. Juni stared at me with dark eyes.

"Why is she coming? To finish the job?" Juni asked.

"For that comment, you start the wall patrol. Clare, go with him and make sure he doesn't slack off." I commanded. Juni growled and stomped off with Clare. I stumbled over to the half-broken wall of the base and sat down. I sat there, pain building in my chest. I sighed and got up again. I needed to go. "Legend watched the team. I'm going to go... scout, a bit." I lied. He started to nod before looking at me and freezing. He inclined his head in concern. I ignored it. With weak legs, I left the base and walked into the forest.

Once I was a safe distance away, I covered my mouth with both hands. I screamed as loud as I could into my palms. My knees gave out. Ash floated around me as I hit the ground. My body curled into a ball, and I screamed into my hands again. My eyes burned. Tears streaked down my face. They hit the ash, where they were immediately absorbed. I pressed my forehead to the ground and cried. I can't lead. They were under my command, and now they're dead. So many dead.

How many?

Just under two hundred made it back to base camp.

So almost nine hundred died?

You did well. We were extremely outnumbered. Your plan saved hundreds. We won.

It doesn't feel like a win...

I sat up, turning my tear-stained face to the pale Minerva sky. It's not enough. I didn't do enough. I failed. Again. My breaths caught, sending a low whimper out.

I heard footsteps approach me. I didn't need to look to recognize the owner. I wiped my face and turned away. My breathing was still in harsh hiccups. My eyes still burned with tears.

"Go away, Ethan." I hissed. My voice trembled and broke. I covered my face with one hand. I didn't want him to see me like this. I didn't want anyone to see me crying. "Leave me alone."

Instead, he sat beside me. He stared out over the forest, slowly turning his head to watch. I tried to stop my tears. I felt a gentle hand on my back. For some reason that made it worse. Another wave of tears overtook me. I curled my legs and hugged my knees to my chest, crying into the fabric. So many gone. I couldn't save them. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.