Operation Anchorage

Sarah glanced at Mark and rushed over to him. "Mark!" She called out to him, her voice filled with a nervous fear for him. "Anything I can to help?" She put her rifle down, her hands moving and then stopping a distance away from him as if she did not know exactly how to help but she wanted to.

All Mark could do was laugh, and groan in pain. "Well.. it would be nice for some help up... and a one way ticket to the seirra madre." He shook his head, got up, held his side and groaned in paiin, "So I guess this what it feels like to have a really bad... Let's keep movin. No time to waste, people are waiting for us, Sarah!" He grabbed his gun, searched the bodies for ammo and supplies. Nothing, but some codesto some bunker inside enemy lines. And a note, couldn't tell what it read, since, of course, Mark only spoke English.

She nodded and kept watch while he searched, she could still barely see in the blizzard. But if she did not then more chinese dragoons might appear on them. Sarah reloaded her rifle, checking that it was still in a good condition to fire. She did not want it to jam mid-fight. "Of course people are waiting for us we are their star players!"

He chuckled, "Sure we are." As he kept searching, he looked at her puzzled, "So... I have question... Why did you ask me if I had someone waiting for me at home?"

He smiled at the question, wondering what the answer would be.

Sarah hesitated before finally replying. "Well I thought you might have had someone at home to fight for, someone waiting for you when you return home" She did not look at him, deliberately scanning her surroundings. "Why do you ask?"

As he finished searching the bodies he looked her. Something about the question made him question himself. When he started in Echo squad he didn't have much feelings. But as time went on, he felt something strange, for some reason it was toward Sarah, "Oh nothing... I. was only wondering why you asked." He looked down at the snow, grabbed his rifle, then looked at her once more, "If this ever ends Sarah, you wanna come with me to the grand opening to the new casino/hotel near Las Vegas?" It took him a lot of strength to ask that, hbut he felt realived doing so.

She looked at him curiously, thinking a thousand different things. Sarah had allowed herself the hope that she might be able to convince him to come back to Detroit and meet her large family. "Sure" Sarah replied thinking that a holiday somewhere nice and warm might be nice after the freezing, bone numbing cold of Alaska. "That sounds like fun really.. Considering how cold it is here it might be nice to get away from the snow and ice for a bit" Sarah fell silent before offering. "When this is all over would you like to come round for Christmas?" It took her a lot of courage to ask that but she felt that she should.

He smiled, looking at her then walking forward, "I sure would, but first... We have a mission to finish. Then we can talk more about Christmas, and the Seirra Madre."

As he walked forward, all he could think about was that the whole Seirra Madre thing was a lame attempt to a date of some sorts. He still wished he would've had the guts to tell her about how he felt... well at least how he thought he felt, though he was sure it was pretty real.

Sarah looked like she had something that she wanted to say, her lips moved before she stopped and nodded. "Okay let's end this war so we can all go home" She tapped her rifle and pulled back the bolt with a clack, making sure that it was ready to use, should danger threaten again.
Perhaps she should tell him how she felt but she was pretty certain that such things where not appropriate in a war zone, he even out ranked her so she was almost certain that there was a regulation of some kind preventing it.
Sarah wondered what would happen when and if they managed to get home, would they remain friends? Would they ever see each other again? Would they keep in touch? So many questions, no answers and none of that mattered right now, there was a war to finish, a fight to win for Uncle Sam.

As they went through the snow, the wind died down, making everything more visible. It was nice for a change in weather, "Looks like God has given us a break today, perhaps we'll be going home soon!"

He smiled, and chuckled to himself. He wiped the snow from his goggles, lifted them, and pulled down his face mask. "Holy moly! I've been meaning to do that for awhile!" He felt the cool breeze hit his face, he closed his eyes for a second just to take in the moment. He then looked behind him to Sarah, "I think I see some smoke over the hill... Might be the base, but... I'll check it out."

He ran towards the top of the hill, stopped. Dropped his gun, took off his helmet and dropped that also. Then dropped to his knees. There was bodies everywhere, barracks smoldering, and bodily fluids everywhere.

Sarah sprinted after him and skidded to a halt, her face was still hidden by her mask. She froze slowly taking in the destruction before her. It defied imagination, there where no words to describe it. Unlike Mark she managed to remain standing before finally speaking.
"Looks to me like there has been a change of strategy" She whispered finally moving down the hill, towards the battlefield. She had to search for survivors see if there where any... Even though the Chinese rarely took anyone prisoner or left anyone alive.
"I'm going to kill everyone of those..." Sarah stopped midsentence, realising that there was no word strong enough for her to describe their enemy.

Mark put his hands on the ground, crying to God,. "Why? Why do you take away all of these lives? Why did you have me leave?!? I should've stayed... Stayed and helped... Died with my comrades with honor. Now, now I am stuck here to see the destruction you let the Devil cast down upon us!"

He yelled it at the top of his lungs, then sobbed. Taking out his Bible, and throwing it away from himself. He had lost hope, and his own faith his own God. He knew now that there was nothing left he could do but stay on the top of that snowy hill and watch Sarah search through the rubble.

Sarah glanced up at Mark and searched for something to say, something that would bring comfort to him but she found no words. She resumed her solo search for survivors, a desperate hope that she might find some miracle, that someone who had survived this.
She paused next to a body, searching for his vital signs and found none, his dog tags however where gone. She moved onto another nearby American body whose dog tags to where missing. Either the Chinese where collecting trophies which she doubted highly or the Americans had been able to recover them from the fallen.
While she was thinking whether the US forces had been victorious or not, her eyes detected a faint shimmer in the air... She reacted several seconds later but the delay cost her dearly.
Sarah brought her rifle round to fire, the weapon clashing with a sword. Before her a Crimson Dragoon shimmered into existence. She froze for a moment, but was saved from having to act when the soldier kicked her backwards, sending her sprawling to the churned up snow. He advanced on her however Sarah was faster and cut him down empting half her clip into him, she got to her knees when another appeared who she brought down. She stood over the body when suddenly he moved, lurching forward and plunging his sword into her. Sarah slid to the ground, wailing in agony. Just then a trio of dragoons appeared, she brought the rifle to her shoulder and fired, bringing down one before the weapon clacked empty, with no time to reload, she scrambled for her silenced 10mm pistol as they charged towards her screaming something in Chinese. Sarah pulled her pistol free of the holster and opened fire. The closest dragoon stumbled and crumpled to the ground, the final one took three rounds in the chest and kept coming. She pulled the trigger fire time but each time the dreaded clack, clack, clack of the weapon being emptied was her. Sarah tossed the pistol aside and unsheathed her trench knife just in time to block the sword strike. The weapons' sparked off each other and she let out a scream, the shock sword stunning her agonisingly. The dragoon pushed her down, pinning her to the ground with a heavy booted foot and brought the sword back. Sarah forced out some words even if she was stunned and unable to fight back, it seemed fair to give some last words of defiance. "You may kill me but this war is already won by the USA you just don't know it yet" She spat weakly, her voice not as strong as she would have liked for her last words.

As Sarah laid on the ground, Mark shouldered his rifle, shooting the Dragoon in the head.he walked down towards her and the dead Dragoon, taking out his knife and he began stab him repeatedly.

"This! This is how it feels you son of a bitch! This is what you and your people to us! How does it feel to be cut down by a lamb of God? Huh?"

Mark wasn't going to have Sarah die today, he got back up from stabbing the Dragoon and looked at Sarah, reaching out to help her up, "Sarah" he spoke very softly, " I've wanted to tell you something... even before all of this happened, but I couldn't muster it..."

He paused for a few, then let out a heavy sigh, "I... I do like you... But not as a squadmate or a friend... more then that...

Sarah watched as the dragoon was felled by Mark, she swallowed painfully, her hands trying desperately to plug the gap in her flesh in which a scarlet river rapidly flowed out of. She gasped agonisingly but did not reach out to accept his hands. "Ah... I.." She swallowed tasting blood in her mouth. "I... Know" Sarah whispered forcing the words out.
"I... I am dying... I... I... Don't want to die... Don't let me die Mark, don't let die!" She begged him, her voice desperately. "I don't want to die"

He got down on one knee, some tears rolling down his face, "I'm hear... I'll... I..." He grabbed his bag, praying in his head. He grabbed some morphine, injecting it into her. He began to put pressure on her wound so the bleeding would stop. He couldn't think fast enough, he didn't want her to go. Not now, not like this, "You'll be fine! Just... Just stay with me... Remember, Christmas at your parents... Remember the Sierra Madre..."

He tried to distract her mind from anything about death. "I'll get you better... Just stay with me!" He tried to stop the tears from coming out his eyes, just the thought of not being with Sarah crushed him.

Sarah gasped, making a few croaking sounds as she tried to say something. She could feel him numbly trying to stop the bleeding, his words seemed distant to him. She thought of her family, remembering dimly how she promised to end this war and return home to them. Sarah had promised to come home, her family needed her money... Mark needed Sarah without her he would not go to the Serria Madre.
"I... I'll try"

He heated his knife asbest he could, coderizing the wound, he looked at her. " this might hurt, a lot. Just take my hand, and we'll get through this." Tears rolling down his face as he put the knife flat upon her wound. Hoping it would work, he kept it on her for some time. All he could say to her, "I love you,Sarah" He was hoping for a miracal from it

She squeezed his hand tightly, screaming as the knife burned her flesh. Sarah shut her eyes squeezing out a tear. Apart from her scream Sarah was silent, either unable to talk or not having the words in which to talk with. She found herself silently praying to whatever was up there so that she could return home to her family, with Mark.

After it was done, Mark pulled out some wrapping gauze. He began to lift her up to a sitting position, "I'm so sorry I didn't help you earlier. I should've gone down there with you" As he talked to her he wrapped the wound tightly,and securely. He teared up once more, feeling more responsible for her wound. For almost getting her killed, he fell silent. No crying, no words, he just stopped looking at Sarah. Smiling, with a hint of exhaustion.

"Don't be... I knew the risks we... Signed up for them right?" She replied her voice, tired, weak and filled with pain. "I... I can't die too many people rely on me, not even in death would my duty end to them" Sarah was speaking about her family but also about Mark though she was yet to say anything about them. She shut her eyes, tired, having lost a lot of blood... It was peaceful now the battle was over however the mission was not.
Sarah could not rest yet...

Mark shook his head, with a worried look on his face. It was a sad look,"Don't close your eyes Sarah.... Please don't close your eyes! Stay awake! Don't go to sleep... Your not going to go to sleep. Please..."

Tears rolling down his cheeks, he didn't want Sarah be out here. She deserved a better resting place. He just couldn't give it to her, not now. Not in these circumstances.

Sarah looked at him, her eyes weary. "I cannot die just yet... But there is nothing wrong with just... Resting my eyes" She wanted to be with her family but she was serving them best by being out here, protecting them, earning money so that they could eat and keep warm. Failure was not an option, she could not die, not until they where safe forever.

Mark didn't know what to do, his face was read from the cold, but his hands were red from the Sarah's blood.it wasn't a pleasant sight, all he could think of was her. How much he had failed her, he should've been with her instead of thinking about what he did or did not believe in. He sat there, putting pressure on the wound. Trying his best to keep the blood from coming out any longer.

Sarah suddenly started laughing, quietly at first but soon she was laughing pretty loudly. "At least I now know what a girl has to do in order to get some time alone with the guy she likes" She did not think she was going to die, she was simply going to refuse to as she was needed her, at Earth.

Mark smiled, as she laughed, "You know, we could've done our first date with less blood, and more relaxing." He began to laugh with her. Her statement couldn't have been made at a better time, "I kinda wish I told you how I felt earlier before... well.... This." He pointed around with his bloody hand, but most of the blood seemed to stop coming out, so he grabbed a needle and thread, "This'll hurt for a bit. If you need something to bite on, let me know. I'll give you the sleeve of my shirt." He waited for her.

"Yeah... Well sometimes things happen the way they do" She replied her voice quiet and weary. "Okay I will be fine.. I don;t think I will have the energy to scream" Sarah was utterly exhausted, even talking was a challenge for her. She had never felt so utterly exhausted, so utterly drained and empty of energy, of strength.

Mark nodded, "Okay..." he began to stitch the wounds carefully. It wasn't going to be that best, but it wasn't going to be the worst. He had some sweat run down his forehead, and he swallowed in nervousness, scared he might screw something up.

"Alright, just a few more threads and you'll be good to go!"

She nodded, her jaws clenched shut from trying her best not to yell out from pain. Never had she known agony like this, but she bore it was best she could, even if it was too painful to bare. Sarah let out a single tear, she never cried, only ever let out the occasional tear from agony or from being strong for too long.

Putting the last stitch through, Mark let a heavy sigh. Finally done, just need to wipe the blood, and give her some pain killers until we can get her real medical attention.

"All done Sarah. You feeling good? Can you walk? Do you still wanna do this?"

"No... I feel worse than..." She paused searching for a comparison. "Actually I've never felt this rough before..." For Sarah it was not a matter of could she still walk or did she still want to do this. She had to do it, she had to walk. Too many people counted on her, she could not afford to take a time out or a break. With a groan she forced herself to sit up and then to her knees before standing uncertainly, nearly losing her balance and falling into Mark. "Yeah I am good... I can go give me a weapon and I'll fight"

As she leaned on Mark, he grabbed his .45 pistol and handed to her, "Be careful with that, it was my great grandpa's grandpa. From WWII" He handed her the pistol,along with some ammo, "It's all I got. Sorry Sarah."

She gripped the pistol tightly and nodded. "Thanks I felt a little bit naked without a weapon of some sorts.." She said weakly.

Mark smiled, "Alright, let's get searching then. No time to dilly dally!" He grabbed her arm and put it around his shoulder, "Let's get movin' private!" He laughed, moving deeper into the destroyed base

She winced from pain but did not object. "Sir yes Sir" Sarah answered though her voice lacked enthusiasm, she had to keep going for Mark, for her family, for her squad, for her country. There simply was no time for her to catch breather, to take a few minutes out and relax. Sarah scanned the environment around them, trying to look for survivors.

He looked at Sarah to make sure she was alright getting up. His breath was ice cold in the air, his finger tips were feeling frozen against his gun, and his ears felt numb. It was all part of the process, the way of the Alaskan frontier. As he scanned, he stayed close to Sarah making sure nothing was going to happen to her.

His rifle loaded, and his helmet on, and his boots crunching the snow below him. Not knowing where the Chinese were was one thing, but fighting them was another.

"Mark?" She whispered quietly. As much as she hated it, she knew she had to rest again... Sarah had lost a lot of blood and several days fierce fighting had sapped her strength and crippled her endurance. "I... I have got to rest" Almost immediately her legs buckled and she crashed into the churn up snow with a small thump.

Mark looked to his left, then right, then ran to her. Grabbing his rucksack on his back, he grabbed his sleeping bag, and his extra clothing, "This'll keep you warm until I can find someone or something to help us. Just put these on, and slip into this. You can do that on your own, right?"

Sarah looked at him and smiled, her lips moved as she was about to reply when suddenly... Her eyes rolled back and she fell into unconsciousness. That probably counted as a no.

Well fuck... Now I'm on my own for a bit... with my own thoughts, kind of scary if I do say so myself

He put his rifle down, and put the extra clothing on her, and slipped her in the sleeping bag as carefully as possible. Putting a mat underneath her so the Sleeping Bag, so it doesn't get wet.

Alright, well looks like I gotta find survivors... Maybe that Sargent who was wearing the power armor is still around here... I hope so.

Sarah remained unconscious her breathing shallow at first before it settled down into a normal, calm rhythm. She looked a lot smaller somehow, more pale and vulnerable, her armour clearly too big for her in places.

Before leaving, Mark applied heat packs on her abdomin, neck, armpits, and chest to keep her from getting any kind of frost bite, and keeping the circulation of blood going. He knelt down, "I'll be back... Gonna look for supplies and survivors... If there is any. I'll come back in 30 minutes tops!"

Running with his rifle in hand, he went into the ruined camp site. Smolder and craters and some body parts were all that could be found. It was a site he didn't ever want to see in his life time, but it was to come sooner or later.