Wings of Death

A Steep Price

The men of the 31st armored regiment had won the battle but at a terrible price. Both the bandit camps had been neutralized. Even though they had succeeded in their mission, the victory left a bitter taste in their mouths. Jackson was still bleeding profusely and had no pulse while Captain Elijah lay unconscious in Abel’s arms.

Corporal Reynolds and Matt carried Corporal Jackson in their arms and took him to the armored vehicles standing nearby. They laid him down on the backseat of one of the Shock Hounds. Captain Elijah was still not responding. Abel kept screaming like a madman, “Wake up Captain! We need you sir!”

Captain Elijah’s eyes opened at last and he started coughing.

“You are alive, Captain!” cried  Sergeant Abel.

“The Kevlar vest saved me” whispered the Captain. He signaled to remove the vest.

The Sergeant hurriedly unclasped the harnesses and removed the heavy vest. It had absorbed the full impact of the M16 rounds and was almost on the verge of breaking. Captain Elijah had suffered a severe concussion but there were no bullet wounds on his body. He was able to breathe much better after the damaged Kevlar Vest had been removed. After recollecting his strength he got back on his feet and inquired about Jackson. Without a moment’s delay he ordered the men to get the vehicles started. They had to take Jackson to the hospital as soon as possible.

It was midnight when the 31st armored regiment made it back to the base. Corporal Matt and Sergeant Abel came out of the car carrying Corporal Jackson. Everyone at the base was terrified at the sight of a bleeding soldier. 

“We need a stretcher”, shouted Captain Elijah.

Immediately, two nurses came running out of the military hospital with a stretcher and an oxygen mask. Corporal Jackson was rushed to the ICU. The doctors operated on him for almost 5 hours.

“The chances of his recovery look bleak. He is in a coma now”, said the chief surgeon with a dejected look on his face.

All the soldiers in the base crossed their hearts and prayed for the Corporal. Captain Elijah shut himself in his room and refused to speak to anyone. He blamed himself for Jackson’s fate. The guilt was so overwhelming that he couldn’t even shed a tear. He felt as if an invisible hand was choking him. If only he had taken point, Jackson would have been safe, he thought. He wasn’t able to anticipate the enemy’s move and that led to a disaster. For two days the Captain refused to have his meals and didn’t even pick up Major Morris’s phone calls.

On the third day, Lieutenant Amy knocked on his door once again. This time she did not ask him to come out but slipped a note under his door. A few hours later Captain Elijah reluctantly picked up the folded piece of paper. The following message was inscribed on it:

JACKSON WANTS TO SEE YOU!

Captain Elijah hadn’t slept for two days, he felt as if he was still dreaming. He could not understand the meaning of the message. Jackson was in a coma. Maybe Amy had devised this plan to lure him outside, he thought. The Lieutenant had always helped the Captain in times of need but she had never lied to him. He needed to go outside and find out what was going on.

As he opened the door and walked outside, the sun hurt his eyes. He had been in utter darkness for too long. Shading his eyes with his palm he walked towards the hospital. Everyone was glad to see the Captain. He asked where Corporal Jackson was and was relieved to know that he was no longer in the ICU. With his heart overburdened with guilt he walked up to the Corporal’s room. As soon as he entered the room, all the clouds vanished from his mind. Corporal Jackson was sitting upright on the bed supported by pillows.

“Good morning Captain”, he said with a dim smile.

“You are okay! Thank God. I had almost given up”, said the captain, his eyes welling with tears.

“They had to amputate my leg. The doctors said that I won’t be able to walk anymore but I guess it is better than being dead”, replied Jackson.

“It was my entire fault. I should have taken point! I have decided that I am going to step down from the position of chief of security.”

“You need to stop blaming yourself for everything. I just took too long to figure out what that beeping noise was. If you weren’t there the whole mission would have ended in failure. The boys need you sir. Only you can deal with the Bloodwing threat”, said Corporal Jackson.

The soldiers of the 31st armored regiment were waiting outside the room. They had heard the entire conversation and requested the Captain not to relinquish his post. For them Captain Elijah was the only person they could depend on. Captain Elijah nodded in assent and called for Lieutenant Amy Williams.

Lieutenant Amy entered the room and saluted Captain Elijah. “Glad to have you back, sir, she said.

Captain Elijah walked up to the Lieutenant and asked for a status update. He had already wasted enough time and now it was time for him to get back to work. Lieutenant Elijah already had the previous mission report and the current status update in her hand. She handed the papers to him and waited for his orders. He read the reports and ordered her to call an immediate meeting. The agenda of the meeting would be rescuing the stranded survivors who had made contact with them.

The three survivors whom Nathan had managed to contact were still stranded outside. Two of them were hiding inside an abandoned mine and another one was hiding in a cave. The military hadn’t been able to extract them because it hadn’t rained in three days and there was no one to lead the team. Lieutenant Amy had to look after the fort’s defenses in the Captain’s absence and she had to follow protocol. The protocol stated that at least one Lieutenant or Captain should be present inside Fort Barton at all times and manage the security of the base. The rule had been put in place by Major Morris himself to make sure the base was well guarded.

All the Sergeants had been asked to report to the war room within 10 minutes for an emergency meeting. Captain Elijah spoke to Major Morris personally and requested him to be present for the meeting. The Major was happy to see him back at the helm of affairs and accepted the invitation.

Captain Elijah had arranged for a projector and was fully prepared to start the meeting. Lieutenant Amy was the first to enter followed by Major Morris. The Major was a stout looking 60 year old man. He was clean shaven and had a scar on his left cheek. Everyone regarded the Major as a guardian figure. He was a wise old man who was respected by every soldier in the base. Major Morris was currently the highest ranking officer at the military base since General Alan Walters had gone missing in action after the Bloodwings invaded.  Captain Elijah and the Lieutenant welcomed the Major and informed him about their objectives.

Captain Elijah had two goals in mind at that time. His first priority was rescuing the stranded survivors and the second priority was stocking up on oxygen cylinders. He wanted to go out that very night with the Vipers and try to locate the survivors. Everyone in the room was requested to express his/her opinion.  All the Sergeants supported the Captain’s plan to rescue the survivors immediately. They knew that going outside on a clear night might be risky but they had great faith in the Viper squad. It was decided that both, Viper squad and the 31st armored regiment would take part in the mission. The goal of the Viper squad would be to locate and eliminate all Bloodwings on the way while the 31st armored regiment would protect the survivors and escort them safely to the military base. Captain Elijah showed them the last known location of each of the survivors with the help of a map projected on the wall.  The safety of the survivors was their first priority so the 31st armored regiment was advised to stay back while the Vipers were asked to lead the way.