3. Kate

Chapter 3

Kate

T he droning of engines lulled Kate into comfort, and she dozed lightly. She sat with three others on a C-130 on the tarmac, waiting to take off. She'd been early. It had occurred to her that if she were in place and asleep before the plane took off, she wouldn't have to endure any idle flirtations from Lt. Cole, so she'd gotten up long before she'd needed to and had been the first non-flight-crew member to arrive. She'd spent the last hour snoozing off and on to the rhythmic rumbling of the airfield.

Kate had spent the rest of the previous day packing, prepping, and going over the maps. She knew if she committed the maps to memory it could save their lives. She'd texted Lt. Cole a few times to arrange an equipment pickup and had request the final mission plans electronically so she could review and memorize those, too. Kate believed in being prepared.

Trauma nurses spent a lot of time thinking about the next patient. Kate was no exception. She'd spent the last hours before going to bed flipping through her trauma notecards and going through her triage material. She knew backward and forward, but practicing and preparing helped her recall important details in the heat of the moment. Kate wanted every advantage going into the scenario with limited information on the status of her patients.

She'd dozed off amongst a meadow of flashcards that covered her bed. The rest of her room was otherwise spotless. Kate frowned to herself, recalling waking up with notecards stuck to her forehead and several crumpled beneath her.

Sudden heat bathed Kate's left side, pulling her out of her reveries. Her eyes sprang open. Lieutenant Cole occupied the bench seat next to her, her eyes closed, and her belt-harness already fashioned. Kate stared at her, consuming Alexis's profile with abandon. The cocky, flirtatious arrogance was gone, and a serene, tired mask darkened her expression. She had dark brown hair in a low fade, with it grown out carelessly long on top. Kate was certain it was out of regs but doubted Alexis cared.

The uniform hugged Alexis's body in a way that Kate tried to ignore, but she couldn't help but appreciate her tan forearms covered in swirled black ink tucked across her chest. Her gaze drifted up to Lt. Cole's mouth, and she snapped her eyes shut. Alexis's plump lips were turned up in a cocky grin, as if she knew Kate had been looking.

Kate jolted awake sometime later, feeling the plane jerk down slightly due to turbulence. Pain radiated through her neck, and Kate groaned. She'd slept with her neck bent and now her muscles were protesting. She worked out the knot with her thumb and opened her eyes.

Lieutenant Cole had fallen asleep at some point and had leaned over the cable net between them. Her her head was tilted to the side and was resting atop Kate's. Quickly surveying the others, Kate found that everyone else in the cargo area was also asleep, despite the roaring of the Hercules engines. Rivera and Huang were in a similar position. The two large men's heads were tilted together, Sergeant Rivera's temple resting on top of Master Sergeant Huangs's shaved head. Kate was tempted to take a photo. The two men bickered like old hens when they were awake.

Even though she wanted to pull away from Alexis, Kate stopped herself. The flight was long, and most of them hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before. If Kate woke up Alexis and their team leader didn't get enough sleep because of her, she'd feel responsible. She reluctantly closed her eyes and sighed. She'd forgotten how good it felt to be close to someone else, and the warmth that spread from Alexis into Kate's side was intoxicating. The woman was a furnace, and the C-130 was colder than usual. Kate resisted the urge to snuggle in closer and bask in her presence.

Alexis sighed and nuzzled the top of Kate's head, and she blushed. Alexis's voice was groggy and rough, as if she were still asleep.

"Go back to sleep, Little Lieutenant. Still got four hours," Alexis whispered, her voice soft and low. It wasn't a question but a command. Kate found herself complying without even thinking of arguing. This time, she fell asleep and remained that way until they touched down on the tarmac. Her dreams were filled with piercing blue eyes and tan skin covered in inky black tattoos.

Kate knew they'd landed in the desert by the scorching heat. Night was ready to fall, but as the sun was still up, the temperature persisted. Sweat dripped down her neck and back, her normally spotless appearance marred by the heat. It didn't matter. They were headed deeper into the desert soon, and they'd all be cold or overheated and covered in a layer of dust and sand. The risk of infection worried Kate, but she kept her mind on the present as they went through their gear.

The atmosphere had turned electric. Kate felt wary, knowing her job was to follow orders until she reached her patients. Huang and Rivera were already snipping at each other about something, and the rescue ops soldiers who worked directly under Lt. Cole were compulsively field stripping their weapons. Everyone was, double and triple checking that everything was shipshape.

Kate did the same, repeatedly taking inventory until Lt. Cole materialized at her side, bathing her hip in heat and lighting her ablaze with awareness. Kate finished the inventory, put all the supplies back into her pack, secured the cauterizer, and turned to see what Lt. Cole wanted.

She was surprised when Alexis offered her a pistol tucked into a leather shoulder holster. Kate shook her head nearly imperceptibly.

"I don't usually carry a weapon, Lt. Cole. Didn't Colonel Williams informed you of that?" she whispered, motioning Lt. Cole away from the others so they could speak privately.

Alexis jerked her head in a rough nod and followed, sticking close to Kate's back. "I was made aware of the fact that you usually do not carry on your missions. This is not a normal mission, and we don't know what we're walking into. I wanted to strap you up with several different options for weaponry, but Colonel Williams insisted that you wouldn't like that option. So in the spirit of…" Alexis trailed off, pausing to find the right word. "In the spirit of cooperation and compromise, I hope you'll be willing to graciously accept this 9mm pistol along with a tactical knife."

Lt. Cole held the pistol out to her with her right hand by its barrel, and a large knife by its sheath in her left. She'd successfully backed Kate into a corner. Technically, Lt. Cole could make her carry whatever weaponry she chose. It was only out of respect for Kate's wishes that she had limited it to a pistol and a knife. By all accounts, Kate figured she was getting off easy when she saw some of the hardware the Combat Rescue Officers's were packing around with them.

Alexis offered the pistol and strapping up to her and Kate was all planning to snap and snatch it from her and do it herself, but before she knew it, she had offered her arms up to Alexis and was allowing Alexis to strap it onto her.

What the fuck are you doing, Kate. Get a grip.

As Alexis' hands roamed freely over Kate's chest and back while she strapped her into the holster, she called over one of the CRO's Kate had seen handling a grenade launcher earlier.

"Maloy! Come give me a status report on the ammunition situation."

Kate listened as Maloy rattled off an encounter with a particularly dense ammunition supply technician. When Alexis finished with the holster, she started to put Kate's gear on her piece by piece. Kate tried to focus on what Maloy was saying, and not on where Alexis' hands slipped Kevlar plates into the base layer vest.

"So this genius was like, ‘Yeah but the earliest I can have the ammo shipped to you is Monday morning.' And I'm like, ‘Dude, our mission is tomorrow, and what are you talking about shipping ? If you can't haul the ammunition to the flightline, we'll just sign out the equipment at the source and transport it to the freakin' C-130 ourselves.'"

Alexis's rough laughter made butterflies swarm in Kate's stomach.

Kate could clearly dress herself. Why on earth was she letting Alexis just do as she pleased? It wasn't standard practice. But then Kate figured, Alexis wasn't ever so hung up on standard practice. It seemed Alexis Cole just did whatever the hell she wanted.

"So what was the final solution? Did he have them transported, or did you pick them up yourself?"

Maloy launched into an explanation that Kate couldn't focus on and didn't hear. Lt. Cole had spun her around and slipped the vest over Kate's head. Kate closed her eyes and froze as pain shot through her neck again.

Lt. Cole secured the vests' Velcro, then applied pressure with her thumb to the knot in Kate's neck. Her vision swam as darkness creeping in and stars exploding. She let out a soft yelp at the equally pleasurable and painful sting of the pressure from Alexis' hand. Alexis pushed into the knot and kneaded, Causing Kate's brain to go haywire.

Suddenly, the knot released, and Kate gasped and stepped out of Lt. Cole's grasp.

Kate nodded and thanked her, then walked away to check her weapon to be sure the safety was on and there wasn't a round in the chamber. She triple-checked her supplies again and touched base with her medic, Sergeant Garcia. Before long, Lt. Cole was rounding everyone up and going over the mission plan again in earnest with all their team gathered together for the first time.

"I'm Combat Rescue Officer Lieutenant Cole. We have six possible victims and a handful of injuries and unknown conditions. The goal is to get Lt. Cross here to our boys."

Lt. Cole motioned for Kate to join her at the head of the group.

"She and Garcia need to get to our wounded as fast as possible. As soon as we get eyes on the patients, Lt. Cross is in charge."

Silence descended as everyone digested this. "She will best know which individuals need what, and we don't have the time or the luxury for anyone to be questioning her expertise. Are we understood?"

A resounding "Yes, ma'am," put Kate at ease.

Kate stepped forward. "Time is our biggest factor. We're going to have to move quickly, and there are only so many of us. The status of our wounded may prevent us from moving them without extensive treatment first. We may need to split our exfils into two groups. All possible scenarios are in your binders, but I assure you, I'll lead you and give you direction as new situations arise. I'll need all of you if we're going to get as many of our people home as we can."

Smiles greeted her, and Kate felt she'd won a few of the CRO's over.

Lt. Cole finished covering mission basics, and when the darkness fell, they loaded up into the helicopters and headed out of Iraq and into Syria toward the site of the ambush. The helo ride felt short, but Kate knew it was over twenty minutes. As they lowered to the ground and touched down, they quickly filed off the helicopter, their boots sinking into the sand as they moved forward as a unit.

Kate and Garcia were surrounded in moments, the team tactfully cocooning them from danger. The darkness of nightfall was offset by the luminescent moon and dappling of stars that illuminated the desert before them. It was cold, the temperature biting in contrast to the extreme heat of the day, and Kate shrugged her shoulders to generate some warmth.

The unit moved forward as one, and the helicopter rose behind them, hovered for a moment, then turned around and returned the way they'd come. Kate padded along next to them in silence with her pistol drawn. The mission plan said they'd need to cover more than five miles, which would take them over an hour with all the possible obstacles. They'd have to maintain speed and stay out of sight of possible enemy combatants.

Kate was hoping to get to the wounded and get out of Syria as fast as possible without any encounters with the locals. Lt. Cole's detailed navigation plan had impressed her, and Kate realized just how much time and conflict they'd saved due to Alexis's careful planning.

They rucked for an hour, alternating walking and jogging as they constantly surveyed their surroundings. The terrain was rougher than Kate had expected, even though she'd seen the photos of the cliffs. Craggy peaks jutted into the sky on the far sides of the valley, a warning to any who'd attempt to stray too close. The ground was made up of sand, sandstone, and rock, and Kate tried her best to maintain her footing. The others didn't seem to be struggling with the sand, but then, they'd spent time in the desert, while she'd mostly spent her time in hospitals. This mission was certainly within her expertise but also completely out of her comfort zone.

As they approached the northern end of the valley, Lt. Cole drew them to a slow trot before they came to a complete stop, tucked away out of sight in the basin of a dried riverbed.

The others were surveying the area for enemies, but Kate's eyes were immediately drawn to a tiny ray of light coming from what appeared to be a riverbed. Kate wondered if it was a cave. She reached out and tapped Alexis's shoulder. Lt. Cole turned and Kate drew her attention to the light, pointing out the possible cave.

Kate was apprehensive. She could be leading them to an enemy encampment in a cave system. Then again, she might be leading them to their wounded soldiers.

Lt. Cole approached the light, determined to make out whether its source was friend or foe.

Following behind, still encapsulated by her guardians, they approached from the riverbed, easing toward the light. As they drew closer, it became clear that it was a well-hidden cave near the bend in a dried riverbed, an ideal hiding place.

Lt. Cole led them forward and into the mouth of the cave. The light grew brighter, and they turned a corner into a larger cavern. Kate let out a breath of relief when Lt. Cole called out, "Clear!"

The wall of military muscle separated, and Kate peered out to assess the situation. The medic, Bowie Krantz, knelt next to a man with a bloody stump for a left arm that had been amputated above the elbow. He tended to the wound. Kate saw at least two others lying down in her peripherals, but they weren't moving.

Kate wasn't sure if it was because they were sleeping or if they were casualties.

"Sergeant Krantz. It's good to see you, I'm Lieutenant Kate Cross. We've met before, actually. You came through when we did the skills rodeo last fall."

Krantz's eyes flitted to Kate, and a small smile of recognition lit up his handsome face. He spoke in a thick southern accent.

"It is good to see you again, Lieutenant."

"Can I get a status report on personnel?"

Krantz swallowed hard, and Kate pulled a pair of gloves from her pocket, tugged them on and began fishing out the supplies to debride and clean the amputation wound.

"Rodriguez, Smith, and Mallory are dead. They were killed during the ambush, and their bodies are over there." He jerked his head over to the unmoving forms Kate had seen earlier.

Kate swallowed. She hated this. Losing comrades never got easier. She didn't know them but it still hurt her deeply.

"Cassidy has injuries he won't let me look at. Andrews has this amputation and probably a TBI. Smacked the shit out of his head. I'm pretty sure I have at least minor injuries, but I haven't stopped to assess them. I'm trying to keep Andrews's wound clean and keep him from bleeding out."

Kate could hear the strain in his voice, and she rested her hand on top of one of his.

"You've done everything right up to this point, Bowie. Now, you let go of Andrews for me, and I'll take over from here. I want you to go eat a full meal pack here and get some water on board, and then take a nap while we treat some of these other guys first."

Nodding incoherently, Bowie stood and his huge, cornfed frame lumbered away led by Cole and Maloy.

Garcia appeared at Kate's side with the medical packs open and ready to go.

"Tell me what you need," he said, voice calm and even.

Kate grabbed some gauze and started belting out orders. "I need sterile water now, and I need one of you to confirm the status of those three bodies. Cole, I need you to find Cassidy and make him talk. I need to know what's wrong with him, and we don't have time for his macho big-boy bullshit. The rest of you, if you have steady hands and you're not squeamish, come over here, grab a pair of gloves and get ready to help me dress wounds."

Everyone leapt into action, and Kate continued cleaning Andrew's wound, firing off questions one after the other about his condition. The amputation had been nearly two days ago, but he hadn't gone into shock. Kate was astounded at his fortitude. She couldn't imagine how incredibly painful this injury must be for him.

"What do you want to do for pain medication?"

Andrews blinked at her as if he didn't understand. "You can't give me narcotics, doc. If you do that, I won't be able to ruck out of here."

Kate reeled back. "Aren't you in pain? Why would you turn down the meds? A bunch of hard asses!"

Someone behind her grumbled something about being manly and she growled in exasperation. Kate had heard enough.

"You have an amputation from above the elbow. If you go into shock while we're transporting for exfil, we'll have to stop and stabilize you. I'm giving you the damned morphine, and I don't want to hear anything about it. Is that understood?"

Andrews's jaw was clenched in pain and sweat glimmered on his brow. He nodded his agreement, and Kate turned to Garcia.

"Get me IV access on the other arm, at least an 18-gauge, and if you can't get good access then go for an IO."

Having heard Kate's no-nonsense attitude, Sgt. Krantz and Sgt. Cassidy shuffled over and sat quietly near her, waiting for their turn to be examined and patched up. Garcia and Kate worked in tandem, and she secured the dressing as Garcia finished taping the IV line down, immobilizing it to Andrews's arm and bicep.

They finished up with Andrews, and Kate surveyed the other two injured. "I want one of you to monitor Lt. Andrews. The morphine's going to make him tired and loopy, but he should still be able to walk. Make sure he doesn't sleep too much. I'm pretty sure he's got a concussion. Talk to him and keep him engaged."

Huang rose and took Kate's place, assuming vigil over Lt. Andrews. Kate looked over Cassidy and Krantz, assessing what little she could see. They'd been through a lot already, and she didn't want to add to it.

"Sgts Garcia, we have at least two gunshot wounds that seem to be through and through, one in each of our patients. Looks like Cassidy's wound has stopped bleeding, but it needs to be cleaned and dressed. Take care of him while I try to stop the bleeding from Bowie's shoulder. Lt. Cole, I could use another set of hands if you have time to spare."

Alexis materialized at her side, her innate heat sinking into Kate's tightly clenched muscles. Lt. Cole's voice was calm and reassuring in Kate's ear.

"I'm here. What do you need?"

Kate ignored the wrenching in her chest at Alexis' words and focused on Bowie.

"Wound needs to be cauterized. He's got a slow bleed that won't stop. Hand me supplies as I call for them and talk to me about our status."

Equipment set out and ready, Kate set to work on Krantz, giving him an IV and cleaning the wound. Apologizing softly to the man for the pain, Kate focused on her task and Lt. Cole's voice.

"Krantz was correct. We have three bodies. Looks as if they took enemy fire and were the first three to go. Their commanding officer was Major Smith, who died leaving Krantz in charge as we suspected. The immediate area is secure. This cave is well hidden. We can stay for another hour or so, but any longer and we risk getting caught in the daylight for the exfil. As far as I can tell, there aren't any enemy combatants in the immediate area, and they're unaware of our location."

Kate was especially grateful they'd come in under the cloak of nightfall. If they'd arrived during the day, they could have alerted any nearby enemies to the location of their injured.

Alexis's voice held concern. "How much longer do you think we'll need to remain here, and what's the travel status of these three?"

Humming in thought, Kate responded while she focused in, pulling out the cauterization tool and setting to work on the now half-conscious Bowie's shoulder wound. The tough son of a bitch had held out through the cleaning process, but the narcotics had finally taken effect, and he'd zoned out, blissfully unaware of Kate searing his flesh to staunch the blood flow.

"I'll be done with him soon. I suspect Cassidy has a broken wrist, but I'm letting Garcia deal with his bullet wound for now and check him over. Once I've stabilized the issue with Cassidy, these two," Kate pointed at Krantz and Andrews before returning to the wound and continued, "should be ready to go within the next thirty to sixty minutes. The meds will only dull their pain, not keep them out. All three should be able to walk to the exfil. The amputation is serious, but we have it contained for now, and as long as Andrews doesn't slip into shock, we should be able to get them out of here relatively soon."

The smell of burning flesh wafted up from where Kate worked, and she heard a small gag next to her. She quickly glanced at Alexis, hoping the other woman wasn't going to be sick.

"If it's too much, swap out with Sgt. Rivera. There's no shame in it."

From the corner of her eye, Kate saw Lt. Cole shake her head.

"No, no. I'm okay. I'm sensitive to smell, and I wasn't expecting it."

Kate finished cauterizing the wound and accepted the dressing from Lt. Cole's outstretched hand. Securing it over the wound on the front, Kate and Alexis repositioned Bowie so she could apply another dressing to the exit wound, as well. They lowered him gently to the floor, and Bowie curled up on his side, a smile covering his face.

"He's all set. I'd say we give these two another fifteen minutes to sleep off some of the drugs. I should be able to get Sgt. Cassidy sorted out in the meantime. Get the team ready to leave, call our ride, and let them know our ETA."

Alexis rose to complete her requests, and Kate joined Garcia in attending to Sgt. Cassidy. Turned out he'd dislocated his left shoulder and broken his left wrist. Kate was just glad his dominant hand was uninjured.

They set his bones and popped his shoulder back into place, ignoring Cassidy's yowling cry of pain. They'd already given him what pain medication they could, and there was nothing more they could do for him but work quickly. When they were finished, Kate patted Cassidy on the right shoulder.

"You did well. I'm not going to immobilize your shoulder yet. We can secure it on the helo. I want you to continue to use full range of motion if you can. It's going to hurt, but it'll keep your muscles from locking up and we may avoid another dislocation."

Kate rose and scanned their faces in search of Lt. Cole. She was stationed at the cave entrance, keeping watch.

"We're ready. Can we make the southern extraction point before sun up?"

Alexis turned, unaware of how close Kate had gotten. Their chests nearly touched, noses mere inches apart. Checking to make sure no one was watching, a small grin tucked into the corners of her mouth as Alexis reached out to ruffle Kate's hair. Kate felt thrown by the intimacy of it.

"Yep. Good work, Little Lieutenant. You managed to patch them all up in record time."

Kate thought to snap and correct the nickname, but felt the magnetic pull between them as Lt. Cole leaned in closer, studying her face.

"How are you doing? You look tired."

Kate shrugged. "It's been a long two days."

Alexis grunted her agreement and Kate stared into her eyes, unable to pull away as she leaned in closer, her eyes locked on Kate's lips.

Behind them, Bowie coughed and stirred, waking from his morphine-induced nap. Kate stepped back immediately, glad for the cold bucket of water he'd dumped over her head. Her unease multiplied at her growing inability to hold the dreamy Alexis Cole at a distance.

Lt. Cole cleared her throat and rounded up the team in preparation to depart as if nothing had happened between them. Kate frowned. It seemed Alexis wasn't as affected by their proximity as she was. Kate tossed the thought out and focused on getting her patients up and moving.

The ruck out was far slower and more grueling than their hike in. Bowie shuffled along in front of Kate, no outward sign of distress evident, but she could hear his rasping breaths and the gasps emanating from him. The journey was hard on his wound, and Kate grew concerned that her cauterization work might come undone. If he threw a clot, they were fucked. Unease skittered through her. Kate liked Bowie. He reminded her of a cousin she'd once met but didn't know well. While some men were intimidated or even openly hostile toward women in charge in the military, Bowie had clearly immediately taken a liking to Kate, and the feeling was mutual.

Kate dropped back slightly to walk next to Alexis.

"We have to increase our pace and get Bowie out of here. Andrews and Cassidy are stable, but if Bowie's clot bursts, he won't be."

Alexis's eyes flitted over the men. "We're not splitting up. We'll have to increase our speed."

Kate hadn't wanted to split up either, but she chose not to examine her motives too closely.

Alexis trotted to the front, and Kate heard her soft, lilting voice giving orders before the group picked up speed. The fastest runners shifted in place, taking up the rear and positioning themselves behind the wounded.

Sergeant Rivera murmured to each of their patients, "Go at the briskest pace you can maintain for a longer period of time. If you're ready to fall out, throw up a hand, and we'll carry you."

Kate monitored from behind as Lt. Cole led the way up front. Surveying their surroundings, Kate's neck prickled in awareness. The hills and rocky crags took on familiar shapes, and she recognized the area from her maps and their arrival. They were closing in on the extraction point and were making good time. Kate's awareness spiked abruptly, and she glanced around again. Fear skittered down her spine and she instinctively knew they were being watched. It had all gone too well up to that point, and Kate wondered if this was when trouble arose.

"Alexis", Kate called in a subdued tone, just loud enough for Lt. Cole to hear.

The use of her first name alerted Lt. Cole that something was wrong. She held up a fist to signal them to stop and they took cover behind the crumbling ruin of a building.

Kate crouched next to Lt. Cole. "Someone's watching us. I can feel it. How far is exfil?"

Alexis narrowed her gaze and pointed toward a clearing to the south. Kate hadn't noticed on their arrival that the clearing stood amongst the ruins of a crumbling city. Not a single building had withstood what must have been a bombing run, and their skeletons jutted into the night, shrouded in darkness that cast shadows in the moonlight. Visibility was low here, as the ruins made it impossible to know if they were being watched by unseen enemies hidden amongst the rubble.

They sat in eerie silence and waited for the helo. Kate checked over each patient, taking vitals and making sure that Bowie and Lt. Andrews didn't go into decline. Sergeant Cassidy was grimacing in pain and rubbing his shoulder but was otherwise silent, and his vitals were still steady.

Kate felt adrenaline pumping through her.

Loud, rhythmic thumping came from the distance, and Alexis motioned for everyone to freeze and be silent. The deep whooping of the helicopter blades drew closer, and Kate breathed a sigh of relief. The sky was just beginning to lighten in the east, and she knew they didn't have much time before the sun rose for the day. The temperature was beginning to climb as well, and a cold sweat broke out on Kate's brow as she waited impatiently for the helo.

Kate whispered to Alexis, "I need your two strongest to escort Bowie and Lt. Andrews on the helo first with Sgt. Garcia, flanked by the others. We'll follow at the rear."

Alexis nodded and gave whispered directions to her men, and they peered around the edge of the building toward the clearing. The helo came into view through the valley's southern exit, and Kate grew antsy but was frozen in place out of habit. If she could hear and see the helicopter, then anyone in the immediate area could, as well.

The whirring of blades grew louder, and Kate's pulse roared in her ears. The only other thing she could hear over the sound of the helicopter's approach. The others rose from their crouched positions and prepared to make the sprint to the helo. They'd barely be able to fit them all, and they had to act fast. If there were any enemy combatants in the area, it was about to get froggy.

The Blackhawk helicopter touched down, and the first wave consisting of Huang and Rivera, weapons held at the ready, moved forward with Andrews and Krantz secured between them. Maloy and the other officer, a hulking but silent combat rescue officer whom Kate hadn't been introduced to, followed with Cassidy between them, providing cover for the first group.

Kate and Alexis drew up at the rear, their weapons drawn and ready for anything. Her heart pounded as they drew closer to the helo, and Kate swiveled to her right as something caught her eye. The barrel of a rifle protruded from the otherwise empty window of a collapsed building. Kate screamed a warning that Alexis barely heard.

"Enemy combatant! Six o'clock!"

Alexis spun, leveled her rifle, took sight, and located the enemy. In the next moment, everything happened at once. Gunfire rang out, piercing Kate's eardrums, and the early morning darkness exploded into activity. Enemy combatants fired upon them, and the others broke into a sprint toward the helo. Kate and Alexis were still over twenty yards out, and they were taking heavy fire.

Bullets whizzed past Kate's head, almost nicking her helmet, and she dropped to the ground for cover. Alexis had dropped with her, both realizing if they pushed through to the helicopter, they'd just be bullet meat.

They crawled to a nearby ruin and took cover behind the parts of its frame that still stood. Alexis's hand went to her shoulder where her radio was tucked.

"Bulldog One, this is Sniper Alpha, come in."

The radio crackled imperceptibly, but Kate couldn't hear the response.

"Extraction site is compromised. I repeat. Our extraction site is compromised. Get out of here," Alexis responded. "We're pinned down. Take the wounded and get them home. Lt. Cross and I are reverting to Plan W."

Kate's mind whirled. She'd only memorized the possible extractions up to Plan D. Her anxiety must have shown in her eyes, and Alexis squeezed her shoulder. The helo rose and took off, rounds of gunfire piercing the air as the door gunner gave them cover. Alexis rose and took off at a run, staying low among the rubble of the buildings.

Kate followed, her weapon drawn and heart pounding so hard she thought it would break out of her chest. Alexis led her to the outskirts of the city's ruins, and they crouched in the cover of a building. The sounds of gunfire still popped in the distance, as if the enemy combatants had lost sight of them and had followed the helicopter instead.

Alexis fixed her gaze with those piercing blue eyes. She felt Alexis's grip on her forearm.

"Kate- Look at me. Try to stay calm. We are ok. This is my expertise- trust me. First, we need to get the hell out of here. This is a shooting gallery, and the extraction site is compromised. We need to get as far west as we can, then see if we can ruck through the southern entrance. If we have to go north we'll be flying blind. We're on our own, and the hike could take us weeks through enemy territory."

Kate nodded, knowing that this is what Alexis did, what she lived for, and she was damned good at it. The only thing she could do was put her trust into Alexis and hope they stayed off the enemy's radar. The sun was going to rise over the valley soon, and then movement during the day would be impossible. The heat would dehydrate them and would be deadly, not to mention they'd be far too visible.

"We need to run now. We have maybe fifteen minutes before the sun comes over the eastern ridge, and we need to be as far away from here as possible when it does."

Kate nodded in determination. "Lead the way. I've got your six. I can keep up."

Alexis flashed her a smile, then took off. "That's my girl," she exclaimed.

Ignoring the butterflies that swarmed in her stomach, Kate ran after her, determined not to fall behind.