Chapter 1: Rucidia Island Pt.4 of 4
"Light vehicle, there!"
Lenn points at an armored vehicle up ahead, partly hidden by the trees. It didn't seem to be doing anything, probably didn't notice them yet. He keeps the gun fixed on the vehicle, and fires three rounds into it when four startled Arcanian soldiers in the vehicle suddenly realizes their presence. For another minute or so, not much resistance is met. Then the railroad turns, revealing an intersection previously hidden by the trees. Immediately, two Arcanian platoons open fire on the train. The bullets are absorbed by the sandbags on the top of the cargo container. Fredric fires the autocannon in two-round bursts, and makes short work of the enemy. In less than a minute, the train passes the intersection and continues through the jungle.
Two light vehicles emerge from a small road on the right, and they open fire with their .50 cal machine guns. The sandbags absorb the rounds while Fredric faces the autocannon at the vehicles. The wolf presses down on the trigger, destroying one vehicle and rupturing the fuel tank of the other, leaving it in flames. Lenn, who is lying prone on the roof of the cargo container, points at a machine gun nest further down the railroad. It's a simple circular wall of sandbags with a machine gun facing forward. To conserve ammunition, he picks up his rifle and fires a few rounds.
Why is this so hard, we're soldiers! The general watches the map on the table as an officer removes a pin, representing friendly forces, from the map. Four intersections already, and that's excluding other troops in between!
"Colonel!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Where are my helicopters?!"
"They should be arriving now, I'll get a radio."
The colonel runs out of the command bunker, and returns with a radio operator who hands him the radio, already tuned to the helicopter's frequency.
"Who is this?"
"Fang 1, reporting. Location of the train is known but a visual has not been established."
"Fang 1, I am the commanding officer of operations on Rucidia. I am giving you a direct order, use any means necessary to eliminate the enemy, out!"
Treetops conceal the helicopter as it approaches. Fredric is firing at Arcanian troops in a concrete structure when he finally sees it. The helicopter swoops past low and fast, right above the tree line. The pilot squeezes the trigger, covering the irregular cargo container with bullets. The helicopter is not armed with an autocannon, but instead with a tri-barreled .50 cal rotary gun. The rounds, therefore, are not explosive, but it's not hard for it to shred infantry. Fredric falls onto his back, and at first he doesn't know what happened. Then the helicopter zips overhead. That must be why I'm staring at the sky right now. Fredric rolls over and tries to get push himself up with his left arm.
The wolf cries out in pain and collapses, blood gushing onto the metallic surface he's lying on. Then he notices his left shoulder is shredded, his left arm almost torn off because of that, and a gaping wound on his upper right leg. Fredric also notices that Lenn is lying quite still. He was hit by at least four bullets, one of which landed on his chest and probably killed him instantly. He is obviously dead. Fredric struggles to get back to the autocannon, mopping around his crimson blood in the process. He sees the helicopter not too far away, slowly circling like a vulture. It seems to insult him, jeering at his failure to stay alive. He finally reaches the 20mm gun, faces it at the helicopter, and mashes the trigger.
Fang 1 attempts to evade the rounds, which he does for some, but not all. Two rounds hits the helicopter's single engine, which starts trailing smoke. The radio suddenly crackles to life - it's the general.
"Fang 1, is the enemy dead?"
The wolf quickly maneuvers the helicopter so that it's hidden behind the trees before responding, "Negative, helicopter has been hit by ground fire. Engine took damage, trailing smoke. Requesting permission to return for repairs."
"Denied! You have rockets, don't you? Use them! Stop that train somehow!"
"Sir, the package-"
"HighCom High Command would rather have it blown up than captured!"
"Yes sir, I will report when completed."
The wolf turns the helicopter towards the railroad, tilts the nose of the helo down, and zooms towards the train.
Fredric rests his head on the autocannon. He doesn't know how much blood he's lost, but it has to be more than is safe. The wolf looks back at Lenn, lying prone in a puddle of blood with his eyes slightly open, looking at an enemy no longer there. How far is the airport now? Maybe it's not far away...maybe I'll make it...maybe I can go home. Slowly, the wolf's vision grows hazy as his blood loss takes its toll. He barely hears the helicopter approaching from behind, but doesn't even try to shoot at it. Regretfully, Fang 1 fires four rockets, two from each of its two pods, at the train slowly making its way towards the airport. They reach out towards their target, drawing wispy white trails of smoke behind them. The package, and weapon inside, is consumed in a cloud of dust.
What...happened? Fredric is again staring up at the sky, now clouded by dust, but this time he isn't on the train. He's lying at the side of the railroad, on the verge of death. Fredric breathes, but this simple action results in pain relatable to a knife being plunging into his chest. The wolf tries to move, but his body fails to respond. Fredric coughs up blood and whimpers in agony. Through the fatigue, through his belief that he has failed, through all of the pain, he feels peace and calm. A similar sense to when he hiked through the jungle earlier this morning washes over him, a sense of tranquility. A memory returns unexpectedly. It's him and his father in the mountains, the highest in the local area. It was just the two of them in the fresh, high-altitude air. He will never experience that again. Slowly, Fredric closes his eyes. The wolf gently takes one last breath to avoid disturbing his wounds. He relaxes his body and gives up the fight to stay alive.