“Arrahgh...” My back hurt. Felt like something was crammed into it, probably broken at this point. How long was I out? Was I even conscious at this point? Or is this my soul leaving my body for something better?

  My lungs felt like they were going to burst like an over-infted balloon. I couldn’t stop coughing, hacking up some crud lodged in my airways and throat. I rolled over onto my hands and knees, wiping at my eyes as I opened them to see what the damage was.

  My vision was blurry, but both my eyes worked. That’s a good sign. My body was still moving, but that didn’t mean something inside was jacked up. There could be internal bleeding, broken bones, or damaged organs. It’d be just my luck to get this far, survive a surface missile, and die because of some internal damage.

  “Fuck.” I coughed again, spitting up some gross junk.

  “Oh, good. You’re alive. I’ve been trying to wake you. You alright?”

  It was Sucker’s little squeaky voice in my comms. At least she was doing alright.

  “I don’t know.” I stood warily to my feet. Something heavy was still strapped to my back. I rested against a rge boulder for support. I gnced back. Sucker’s pack was still attached to me. “Everything seems to be working. Don’t know if there’s bigger damage though. How about you?”

  I pulled the pack from my back and set it on the ground. The front opened and started to fold back until I could see the small Anthro-Gecko inside at the helm of a computer and some controls.

  “I’m fine. The pod, and you, took most of the impact. I will be just fine.” She smirked, trying to sound tough, but I could see a trickle of blood on her head. “We need to get out of here, find some medical help ASAP. Your human body isn’t as tough as us Anthros.”

  “You got that right.” I looked around my surroundings, “Ash is out there.” I pulled my hand away from the boulder reflexively as I realized it was a rge chunk of a building. One of the high rises nearby.

  “Are we really going to look for her? The Gellys could be here any minute. It’s most logical to get out and save our own lives first, then…”

  “No.” I cut her off. “Ash is part of our crew. We don’t leave one of ours stranded, or lost. We take care of each other. I’d do the same for you, or Echo, or Walter, or Mama, anyone of you guys.”

  “Even Slizz…” Sucker stared at me.

  I chuckled, “Oh…” I held my side as something hurt, “Even Slizz.”

  I dusted off my clothes with no real success. I gnced out over the carnage that was inflicted on all those innocent people.

  My gut sank as I saw the massive crater between the once tall buildings. Scorch marks, rubble, fire and water, covered the ndscape. A thick haze hung about the air, unwilling to clear out. I could see bodies strung about, some in pieces, some still whole by some miracle. A few of them were stirring, coughing, cursing, anything they could do while trying to make heads or tails of what had happened.

  “Ugh, you’re right, I don’t like this, but you’re right.” Sucker tapped away on her console before the whole pod started to shift and turn. Wheels emerged from the sides and soon, Sucker was sitting on a small car-like vehicle. “We have to hurry before…”

  Wind whipped up around us, kicking up even more dust and debris. I shielded my eyes, trying to see what the hell was happening now. It was a Gelly drop ship, coming down here for whatever reasoning their hardwired brains deemed appropriate.

  “Best for us to find some cover.” Sucker chirped as she started to rev off with her car, heading towards some windows of the high rise, now on the ground.

  I followed her, keeping my eyes on the ship as it touched down. The back hatch dropped and a few dozen armed Deacons rushed out into the rubble, guns fanned out, searching for anything moving.

  We took cover in the blown-out room. My feet crunched down on the remains of a picture frame, gss cut into the picture below. This was once someone’s home, now just a warzone. I grabbed one of my pistols and made ready. These Gelly fucks were in for it now.

  I could see an anthro stumbling from a building, hands up in the air. He walked out towards the ship, mouthing something. The Deacons raised their guns and shot him down instantly. I winced. They fanned out, stopping to shoot some bodies here and there.

  “Fuck. This is bad.” I checked my ammo. I still had a few extra magazines, but not enough for a whole ptoon. “Anyway we can find Ash? At this rate, we’re both Gelly target practice.”

  “I’m scanning now. I won’t be able to pick her out exactly, but we can find live targets, pick them out from the Gellys, and there we go…”

  A small holo-map was lit up in front of her computer. Red dots and blue dots were scattered throughout the images.

  “There’s a group of people across the street. Best start there.” Her small finger was tracing the blue dots, “Just gotta get past the Gellys.”

  “Ghost.” My suit began to turn translucent until the bugged out, glitching, fshing colors. My heart sank. “Ghost mode is a no go. Must’ve been busted by the missile.”

  “Then we do this the hard way.” Sucker pointed out across the wastend. “You first.”

  “Thanks.” I stuck my tongue out at her. I readied myself at the edge of the window, waiting for the Gellys to pass another direction. I could hear their feet stomping around, kicking rocks, and the occasional gunfire on some unfortunate souls.

  “Ok, let’s go.” The Gellys moved on towards the opposite building. I cut across the street, from boulder to rubble pile, staying low and fast. I gnced behind to see Sucker zipping about as well, keeping low and quiet on her pod-car.

  I gnced over the rubble pile and held my hand up for her to stop. We made it half way across the street when a Gelly Deacon gnced over our way. He took a few steps, surveying where we were hiding. Just one wrong move and he would have found us.

  A rock across the street tumbled down into the bst zone. My eyes followed it up to a group of Anthros hiding out in a small alcove, trying to stay out of sight. One of which was a Anthro-Bunny, the very which we were trying to find. Her face was beat up and covered with dry blood. I could see her clutching another Anthro-Bunny.

  Here eyes caught mine. She slightly nodded, she held her gun up, aiming our way. There was no hope in her eyes.

  The Deacon also saw the rock tumble. He rose his rifle and began pushing towards the small alcove. He stepped out in front of me now, not knowing I was hiding behind him. He waved for his comrades to join him. The whole patrol was now on their way to the group of Anthros.

  I gnced back at Sucker. She shook her head ‘no.’ I gnced back at the group of Anthros trapped, about to be sughtered.

  Fuck me. I knew what I had to do. This was about to get very messy. Probably bloody. There was no way out now. I knew what I had to do. I wouldn’t let them die here, not without a fight. That’s not who I was.

  At least I could take out a few more Gellys before I was filled full of holes.

  I rose my pistol at the backs of the Deacons. My finger ready to fire. Here goes nothing.

  Boom.

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