RSH- Savior
#8 of RSH
********************SEXUAL CONTENT WARNING*****************
This story contains consensual sex between a male Utahraptor and female human.
Read at your own risk.
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RSH- Savior
Chapter 8
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***German National News Services wire report***
1430 Berlin, ----------------------- FX86PNNG
Brandenburg, FRG- American units operating in the easternmost sectors of the country have been falling under attack since late last night, reportedly from probing attacks by the New Soviet Contingent. Meanwhile, the Commander in Chief for Soviet Military District West was killed early this morning in a military power struggle that has left NATO baffled. According to reports from Russian State Television, only the fast actions of the GRU prevented a catastrophic release of suspected Weapons of Mass Destruction. A Colonel from the Internal Military District is in interim command until a suitable replacement can be obtained. Western analysts are poised to see what further developments will come out of this situation. As for the fighting, all is definitely not quiet on the Western Front as both armies continue their bloody strife.
***End GNNS Wire Report, FLIXRIN***
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Jay glared out the windows of the HMMWV as it pushed through debris-ridden streets, taking in all of the sights of a country at war. People darted from building to building, taking care not to expose themselves to the open air for longer than necessary. Even though the Russian bombardment moved north to the ports during the day, the denizens of Berlin still acted as if a bomb would blot them from the earth at any instant.
"The amount of damage here is incredible." Captain Terri observed over the sound of the rumbling diesel engine as the driver accelerated down the streets, traffic yielding to the military vehicles.
"Too bad, the nightlife here rocked." Jay pointed out dryly. He'd spent many a night here before his RSH days.
"The Russians have destroyed most of the city with their bombing raids, so you can't even walk down the street anymore." The captain observed, indicating to the civilians that were peeking at the convoy from behind every nook and cranny. The once beautiful city was utterly destroyed, leaving most of those that hadn't seen it speechless. It hadn't hit Jay how much ordinance the NSO had deployed until he witnessed it firsthand.
"Right here!" Jay called, seeing the gargoyle statues that provided silent overwatch on the RSHCOM courtyard. He pointed his finger towards the tall structure, waiting for their acknowledgement call.
"Guardian Charlie Two-Two, we have you on station. Pull through the south gate and move to the edge of the compound. Instruct the OIC to stand by for a staging point." Pirate called over the net, no doubt picking up the Utahraptor's IFF signatures on their security systems as they kept a close eye on the trucks entering their space.
"Roger Pirate."
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"Sergeant Redfield, welcome back to RSHCOM." Colonel Estes greeted them with a handshake, standing out in the cold air to welcome them. The man couldn't stand being cooped up inside and underground for the long hours that his position forced upon him, so this was a genuine excuse to get some air.
"I wish we could be back in better circumstances Sir." Jay responded as the rest of his pack approached from the staging area where the vehicles had stopped. They didn't look any worse for wear, moving with the tired urgency that only soldiers could manage underneath the weight of their gear. Cale intercepted them about midway, leading them in a different direction. Colonel Estes noticed Jay's hesitation at their disappearance.
"Don't worry Sergeant, you'll be together soon. They are going to go down to do a quick debriefing before they get released." Sergeant Redfield only nodded, staying abnormally quiet. The satisfaction of being back in the rear had not yet hit him, and Colonel Estes noticed that fact all the way to his office in the underground expanses of RSHCOM.
"Sir, there was nothing I could do to prevent Aud's death." Jay answered before Colonel Estes even had a chance to sit down at his desk.
"Knowing you personally, Sergeant Redfield, I don't doubt that fact. What happened?" The older man asked, pouring Jay a cup of fresh coffee and sitting down at his desk, listening intently as Jay recalled the events of the previous night. He started from the assault on the artillery observers, through the order to move to the chateau, and all the way until the GRU assault. Colonel Estes listened intently, analyzing the situation as Jay recalled all of the events with shocking clarity.
"So, these GRU soldiers, do you think they targeted you specifically?"
"I think we were just unlucky enough to be discovered by them. I just don't know how they found our position."
"We've lost eight Utahraptors to suspected GRU units in the past month, so we are definitely going to look into this. It is possible that the Russians have managed to get enough intelligence to form some sort of countermeasure. In the meantime, I want you to stay put here at RSHCOM until we can figure out some more information. Everyone is getting called back home tonight."
"Everyone Sir?"
"Everyone."
Two hours later, the RSHCOM communications center filtered the message across the RSH radio waves.
"Flush, flush, flush."
Moments later, acknowledgements filtered back across the chain of Jumpstarts as packs from Mecklenburg to Bavaria answered the call to duty. Operators turned from their missions at a moment's notice. Within a few hours, GPS dots started to move back towards home base from all over the country.
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Jay pushed open the door to his room, finding Meryl inside just as he had hoped he would. The female had removed her armor, leaving it on the armor rack that had been left behind from their previous stay. She was manipulating the controls on the television, watching some of the news reports on the fighting on the frontlines. Jay had entered so quietly that she hadn't even noticed his arrival. He looked over her shoulder at the images of a fierce tank battle that was being covered live. The reporter was yelling into his microphone, broadcasting images of the Russian tanks as they charged through the field towards the American lines. As the reporter spoke, a missile streaked from a Russian infantry carrier, accelerated skywards, and blotted the entire news crew from the screen. Snow was all that followed as the shocked news anchors stared speechless. Meryl turned away, noticing Jay behind her for the first time.
"How was your debriefing?" She asked, mood seemingly better than it had been hours before.
"Colonel Estes says we aren't the only ones that've been hit like this. Something like eight Utahraptor fatalities in the past month alone." Meryl absorbed this fact with dismay, working through the information in her head. _Eight Utahraptors?_That is a pretty steep count as far as the RSH was concerned.
"They must've been getting sick of us screwing with their operation."
"Must be." He laughed, moving into the next room.
"Colonel Estes just put out a flush over the net, so we may be getting a little crowded here pretty soon."
"That is no good for us." Meryl answered back as she curled up on her mat, smirking tiredly. Jay popped his head around the corner as the smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted into Meryl's nostrils, catching her innuendo. It seems as if humanity rubbed off on her more and more....
"Behave yourself." Was all she got as a response, causing her to scoff and turn her head away. Jay ran from the kitchen a moment later, getting his arms around Meryl's neck and pinning her to the ground. She laughed, flexing her powerful neck muscles and reversed it, forcing him down to the floor.
The pair was interrupted by a loud crash through their door as the entirety of their pack burst in, shouting and making a general commotion. Meryl and Jay both attempted to jump to their feet, startled by the interruption, but the move was fated from the beginning. Jay's foot crossed in front of Meryl's as she got to her feet and attempted to move, throwing him against the wall on the opposite side of the room. The Raptoress lost her footing as she launched her Guardian and went face first into the floor. Jay attempted to move the same direction only to collide with Meryl and end up in a heap in the center of the chamber. All they heard as the commotion settled down was the sounds of pained gasping as Stear and Learn rolled on the floor with laughter.
"Dicks." Was the only word Jay could manage to attempt to repair his damaged pride.
"We love you too."
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"Make sure you stay low and fast after you let us off. I want to get the helo out of here as fast as possible." Revedov nearly shouted into the microphone as his exposed head took the brunt of the wind from the gunship's flight. A few quick seconds and an acknowledgement from the Mi-24's crew later, Revedov had his headphones off and his paratroop helmet on. A quick visual sweep of his soldiers saw them mirroring his movements, unconsciously reviewing the data that Revedov had fed them about The Project. He noted uncomfortably that they seemed a little nervous, a characteristic that had not befallen his team in quite some time. Regardless of their experiences all over the world, this was something new, and something deadly.
The Spetsnaz hit the ground already at a run, sliding their collapsible stock AKS-74s up into the low ready, fanning out from the helicopter and taking up a loose security perimeter. Revedov was at the head of the group, giving his map one last going-over before stuffing the case back into the slot in his body armor.
"Comrade Colonel, are you sure you want to do this alone?" Krenne asked, coming up next to his commander and looking him straight in the eyes.
"I need to. I want you to take the team and wait at the headquarters. If anything should happen to me, I want you to be aware of Nymev. We all know that CinC West was not a traitor."
"Exactly so, Comrade Colonel." Krenne spoke smartly, saluting the Colonel with the military discipline that still resided within him. Revedov returned it, walking off into the woods and leaving his men to load back into the helicopter.
When Nymev executed his plan, Revedov would be ready for the aftermath. Surely the Americans would act on his tip. As the Mi-24 lifted off behind him, the Colonel threw his troops one last wave. He turned away, mind already set in a destination.
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Two days later......
Jay sat at his laptop, browsing the RSHCOM network for updates before checking through his personal messages. The sounds of the others drifted in from the common area as they watched a movie on the big screen. Colonel Estes was generous enough to give them one of the VIP areas, and they used it to their fullest potential. He laughed as Rachel made a snide comment about one of the characters in the movie, clicking on his personal notifications tab.
To: SGT Redfield, Jayson
From: MAJ Offerson, Gerald ERO (Electronic Records Overwatch)
SBJ: CAS 1432-3653-8A Guardianship Board
Sergeant Redfield;
The council acknowledges receipt of your statements regarding the events of 07 DEC 2010 in which KSK Sergeant Hans Richter and his protectorate, Audwin (4357765) lost their lives to hostile action. At this time, we have recommended that you be placed before a board of inquiry to determine whether or not your actions had something to do with the loss of two valuable members of the RSH. You will receive orders for the Guardianship board no later than fifteen (15) days from the date marked on this notification. Thank you for your cooperation.
MAJ Gerald Offerson
Redfield stared at the screen in shock, reading the message through a second time. This wasn't happening! Not only had he lost two good friends and partners, but now the military was threatening his Guardian status? Why? Nothing he could've done would have prevented the GRU from attacking, but that wasn't important to the Bureaucrats back in the rear. These orders came from higher than Colonel Estes......
"Jay, are you coming?" Meryl asked as she popped her head in from the next room. The female instantly noticed the look of panic on his face as he stared at his computer screen.
"Are you okay?" She asked, taking a step forward into the room. The footstep jarred his vision from the computer screen, and he looked at her with his normal look. The Sergeant was good at hiding his emotions, but Meryl had no problem detecting that his pheromones spelled trouble.
"Just making sure. You're missing the best part, so hurry up!" She turned away, waiting till she got into the next room to her head in sadness. Jay did not have to lie to her about anything. He must forget that I can tell...
With that, the Sergeant shut his laptop down and stood up, tucking the worry into the back of his mind. He couldn't let it bother him now. Meryl was waiting for him in the next room, his usual spot against her belly waiting to be occupied.
As her Guardian sat down in his place of safety, he didn't notice the tears floating silently down his female's face...
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"What is your fascination with hot chocolate?" Learn asked, watching as Jay placed two cups onto his tray instead of the allotted one. The sergeant turned to her, giving no more than a mischievous smile as they approached the rest of their brethren. The Sergeant was more than happy to have a good breakfast for once. The news of the night before was gone from his mind for now.
"Hot chocolate?" Meryl questioned as Jay sat down cross-legged next to her, situating his various food items in strategic locations around him, lest they be knocked over by a careless swipe of a tail. Learn plopped down across from him, rolling her eyes at what she knew would soon turn out to be the start of trouble. One way or another, Sergeant Learn was sure that some sort of dilemma could come out of everything that Jay set out to do.
"It is similar to coffee, except with a chocolate flavor and less caffeine." He said, watching as the Raptoress made a humorous face of disgust at the mention of coffee. She had not enjoyed the caffeinated experience, with her non-accustomed body reacting to the substance like an electrical appliance thrown into the kitchen sink. Needless to say, her sleep patterns were off for the next two days.
"Can I try it?" Meryl asked, acknowledging the fact that it could turn out as bad as the coffee experience. Apprehension in her voice betrayed her emotions, but something new was something new. She watched as Jay stirred in a few ice cubes that he liberated from Learn's cup, much to his counterpart's dismay. Jay brought the cup up to her mouth, laughing as she tilted her head back and took in the liquid. He grinned from ear to ear as his female analyzed the new taste. A medical orderly shot him the stink eye from across the cafeteria as he gave her more. Learn put her head into her hands, shaking it as Jay smirked.
"Excellent job Jay, now we are all going to hear about it." Learn scolded, projecting a biscuit at him at a high rate of speed, which he expertly dodged. Meryl brought her head back level, Utahraptor smile present as usual.
"That is definitely better than the coffee."
"I'm glad you like it." Jay laughed as he finished his breakfast, wiping his face with a napkin before crinkling it and putting it on his tray. He looked around the crowded cafeteria at the various packs that had been arriving throughout the night. The Sergeant could instantly tell the packs apart from actual combat units to the RSHCOM stationed ones, as one ate with their partners on the floor and the others were separated by long tables.
"I wonder what the Colonel is planning." Learn wondered aloud, watching as more and more pairs entered the large cafeteria. They were all sorts of tattered, a fact that both Sergeants shared. Jay's ACUs were stained almost a different color, and Jordan's didn't show much better treatment. Then again, every soldier in this war was some sort of filthy, as the supply ships from the states were few and far between. Everyone knew, but would not admit, they were coming less and less.
"Sergeant Redfield, please report to the commanders office immediately."
"Damn, that was fast." Learn commented, grabbing Jay's tray and throwing it atop of her own. She smirked at him as he stood, giving her a covert middle finger with the movement. She answered by scratching her eyebrow with her own and laughed, turning to Meryl and shrugging her shoulders.
"Bad shit happens when they interrupt my breakfast. I met you last time." He shot back, walking away before she could dignify him with a response. Meryl accompanied Learn and Jericho out of the chow hall and back to their quarters, wondering what the commander had to say to her Guardian. The Raptoress got her answer soon enough.
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"Send us only, he says. What are we? The mod-squad of the RSH?" Learn complained as she looked out the window of the Chinook at the dawn countryside. The Sergeant wasn't too happy about getting her R&R cut short, and was even less enthused that Estes had picked them for this particular mission.
"Hey now, Colonel Estes said that these launchers have been terrorizing the local populace since the snowstorm ended. There is a rumor that a chemical agent was deployed to a village near here yesterday, but so far no Intel is available about it. He said it was based on an anonymous tip. They mentioned us by name, that's why we are going. "
"I'll be damned if we don't run into an armored division or a psychotic Russian officer that doesn't want to kill us all and string our insides from his command carrier. We seem to attract those types." She spoke through her headset as the back ramp of the Chinook opened into the cold morning air. The sun greeted them, pale winter glow lighting the inside of the aircraft as it started its decent.
"Live life on the wild side!" Jay called over to her as he slid his goggles over his eyes. The Sergeant stood up and gave Meryl's armor a reassuring tug, which she promptly acknowledged with a smile that lit up her eyes. He looked her in the eyes and smiled, giving a thumbs up.
"Good luck!" Shouted the crew chief as they made their drop zone. At a distance of five feet, they dove from the helicopter and ran for the wood line at a breakneck speed. Within fifteen seconds, the sound of the helicopter was already fading away and the pack had already set up an effective perimeter. The steady chopping was replaced by a new sound. It seemed almost like the sound of being next to a highway where traffic was flying past at seventy five miles an hour, except the traffic consisted of rockets that jetted into the morning sky.
"Okay ladies and gentleman, we are so freaking close to this battery that I could probably throw a rock and hit it, so watch your step. We are going dynamic as soon as we make contact, so get ready to move!"
"Jericho, Rachel, you work on the launcher crews and guards, I'm going after the battery commander and any Intel I can find." Meryl ordered, stretching out both of her legs with a few satisfying pops.
With that they were off. Meryl, Jericho, and Rachel headed off the tip of the spear as they moved towards the sound of the Grads further down the AO. They were navigating through the woods in a full out run, closing the distance rapidly as another volley shook the snow from the trees. They had to hurry, or more innocent people would die at the hands of the Russian artillery.
Further through the woods, Colonel Nymev looked off in the direction in anger as he heard the inbound helicopter ascend at full power. The sound was distinctly American, a Chinook by what he could guess. They must be crazy to drop that close to his forces!
"This is Eagle, Swatter, Swatter, Swatter!"
The GRU Colonel propped his collar to the wind as a thunderous volley erupted from the nearby Grads. Most of the rounds were HE, but several of them contained the Cyclosarin nerve agent that he had worked so hard to get on station. The launchers ripple fired, sending the rockets shooting skywards at max range, dropping them in the middle of two strategic targets kilometers away. Nymev smiled as he listened to the sound of the battery, moving from his observation post to the command truck. Once inside, he picked up the cup of coffee his orderly had left him on the desk and sipped it. It was a German blend, rich in taste compared to the Russian army's motor oil flavor. He picked up the secure line.
"Comrades, I've begun phase one. How soon can I rely on a shipment of troops?" He spoke into the microphone, knowing that the group of men on the other side demanded to be kept up on current events. It would make the Anti-NSO bandits look even more like monsters.......
"As soon as General Pasha arranges it, Comrade Nymev."
"Thank you gentlemen."
"Nymev, stay alert, the Americans may know of your intent. We detected a communication to them from behind our lines, but we don't know anything more."
"I'll keep that in mind Comrades." He finished, hanging up the secure telephone without much thought. A traitor, in his ranks? Nonsense.
Nymev stepped from his truck, sweet smelling German cigarette in hand. He raised his head in triumph as he took a long drag, only to see a shadow descend on him from the light blue morning sky.
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Meryl sailed through the air with more grace and finesse than any Olympic gymnast could ever hope to achieve, landing atop the man she recognized as CinC West a moment later. The Raptoress lost her footing and fell atop the man as she landed in the fresh snow. She used the position to her advantage, pinning him to the ground with her body weight. Gunfire erupted around them as Jericho and Rachel swept through the line of GRU troops defending the launchers with a ferocity that was unmatched. Their Similarities to the troops that attacked them at the Chateau helped to fuel that rage, and Meryl took notice as well.
"Who attacked us at the chateau?" She shouted over the din of the gunfire, looking Nymev dead in the eyes as he squirmed underneath her. She applied a bit of pressure on his chest, watching his demeanor change as the question was posed and a smirk play across his face. The female looked away for a moment, watching as Jay shot a Russian soldier straight through the head as he tried to run from the far launcher. She didn't notice the Commander slip his hands down towards his utility belt....
"I'd assume that you are Meryl?" He responded, hearing her voice was distinctly female. The Colonel just stared, flinching as the far launch truck detonated in a large multi-colored explosion, taking the next two trucks with it. A gunfight had ensued to their left, and Jay, Learn, and Stear traded fire with highly-motivated artillery crewmen.
"Where did you learn this name?"
"Your mate screamed it as he died." Nymev responded, not reacting as Meryl let loose a roar that forced a temporary lull in the gunfire.
"You will die for him!" She yelled, hearing all she needed to hear. Meryl brought her right foot up and extended her scythe-like killing claw. The Raptoress felt a strange satisfaction as she lowered her foot, intending to drive her claw straight through this creature of a man and split him right down the middle. However, it was not meant to be.
Colonel Nymev pulled his hand up from his belt and drove his knife right through the joint in Meryl's armor, plunging it to the hilt in her chest. The female gasped in silent pain as he sliced the ties that held her armor in place, causing it to fall to one side. He drove the knife point in again and again, stabbing the big female as fast as his tiring muscles would allow. She staggered off of him, letting loose a painful howl as she staggered away from the danger. Blood trailed from the wounds, creating a path through the snow. Nymev used the freedom to regain his footing and run as fast as his legs would carry him in the other direction.
"Meryl!" Jay shouted as he heard the Utahraptor's pained howl over the sound of dying gunfire. He fired four rounds into a charging Russian and got up from his position by the launchers, running towards his female. The NCO could see that she was seriously wounded, a fact that made his brain almost shut down with cold pain.
"Meryl, wha..."
"Nymev!" She gasped, interrupting him midsentence and pointing in the direction that he had fled.
"I want you to get into those woods and out of sight. I'll be right back." He yelled in her ear, giving the Utahraptor a kiss on the forehead before turning and running after the footprints in the snow. He was going to catch that man and make him pay.
"Get back here Nymev! I'll skin you alive you son of a bitch!" He yelled, seeing the fleeting form of the Colonel through the snow-covered brush ahead. Redfield raised his rifle, throwing the selector to burst and dumping several volleys through the shrubbery. The rounds missed the man by mere inches, and the M4 came up empty. Jay dumped the magazine and rammed a fresh one home, continuing through the thicket after the man. He slammed the slide release on the M4, hearing the bolt go forward with a satisfying click. The NCO looked for his target.
"Hear me Nymev! I will find you! I'll Find you when you least expect me!" Jay shouted once more, spraying along the line of footprints to his front.
"Indeed Sergeant Redfield!" A voice answered when the M4 ceased to chatter, along with several pistol rounds back at Jay. The Sergeant ran right, intending to flank and run right up on Nymev before he had the chance to realize what was happening. Redfield came to a hilly clearing, stopping and glancing back and forth for any sign of the Russian. His tracks continued forward, over the crest of the next hill. Redfield started along them once again, only to hear a faint rumbling coming from the next hill. An Mi-24 helicopter suddenly shot up from behind the rise, bearing all of its weaponry down on Jay. He just stood there, watching as the huge helicopter pointed straight at him. At that moment, Sergeant Redfield waited for death. There is no way he could take that machine down.
The machine tipped forward and accelerated away, leaving Jay standing baffled in the clearing below it. The bulky Soviet gunship came low over the battery, releasing two napalm canisters from its wing hardpoints. It didn't take long at all to burn the launchers into a whole lot of nothing. The Hind was long gone in a matter of seconds.
"Charlie Two-Six, all accounted for. We are in pursuit of Russian soldiers out of the AO and will rendezvous with you back at RSHCOM. Make sure you get Meryl back to us, one way or another. Good luck Jay, Learn out."
Jay looked towards the direction that the helicopter had gone, now choked with the churning black smoke from the burning rocket battery. He paused for only a moment before retracing his footsteps back towards his partner. Meryl needed his help now more than she ever did before.
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Colonel Revedov poked his head around the building, scanning for the Utahraptor's footprints on the snow-covered ground as well as keeping his eyes looking for movement that would betray her position on the rooftops surrounding him. The fight at the rocket battery had reached his ears seconds before it began, and a commotion took place that only the RSH could manage to start. Apparently, his tip through the secure channels had reached the right people.
The Colonel's AKM was at the ready, selector switched to fully automatic, hoping to gain the advantage over her before she did the same. However, as he had found out first hand, the Raptoress was no small threat against a single man. She was born to hunt, and her engineered intelligence made her even better at the trade than any human. The time had finally come where she did not have the advantage, where she was not expecting him. He heard light footfalls coming towards him from behind, not normal footsteps, but footsteps associated with large strides and a strangely uneven rhythm. The wind was blowing towards him, so the big female wouldn't be able to smell him as she approached.
_ That doesn't mean she can't hear._ Revedov thought to himself, moving into the doorway of the building, aiming his AKM directly out of the portal at where the female was likely to cross. He was ecstatic, knowing that the time had finally come to take revenge on his fallen comrades. A death which had come swift and deadly out of the barrel of a rifle, a death in which she had partaken.
After a few moments of tense waiting, her body appeared in the doorway, about a foot below what he expected. Revedov ducked silently into a cubbyhole, praying that she didn't detect him as she entered.
"C'mon Meryl, we gotta get you inside." He heard a male voice say in quiet English, followed shortly thereafter by movement. A man that had to be Jay Redfield had his left arm around her neck, helping brace the big female as she came through the door. The colonel could see his legs shaking under her immense weight, but he heard no complaints from the NCO. Upon closer inspection, he could see that she was wounded, armor nowhere to be seen.
"How is it Jay?" She asked, easing herself onto the floor, eyes closed in pain.
"You got hammered pretty bad, but you should be okay with some rest until we can get a Chinook from RSHCOM. You used up the last of my first aid kit."
Jay came down with her, running his hands over the bandages and making sure that they were secure. What he had described as minor wounds sure did not appear as such to Revedov as the Sergeant brought his hand up covered in his Raptoress's blood. While he didn't show it openly, Revedov could also see that Jay was worried. Unless he got a first aid kit, he couldn't stop the bleeding, and Meryl could be in some serious trouble.
"Jay, what is the matter? You haven't been yourself after Aud's death." She asked, distracting herself from the wounds.
"It isn't important." He protested, tightening up one of the supersized 'Israeli' chest trauma dressings that covered her side. He kneeled next to her and reached into his bag, producing the tubing required for an IV. The solution came next, and he prepped the tubing for hookup He picked her leg up slowly, finding one of the good veins he knew existed there and painted it with iodine. The Utahraptor didn't even notice as he ran the catheter through her vein, letting the fluid flow moments later. Meryl didn't like being put off like that.
The female looked him dead in the eyes with all the ferocity left in her weakened form.
"No, it is important!" She responded, angered that he was hiding something.
"They are blaming me for losing Aud and Richter, and now they are trying to take you away from me." He exploded, throwing his hands up in frustration. He quickly realized what he had done after seeing Meryl's verge-of-tears reaction. Revedov watched as Jay stopped what he was doing and placed his hand on the Raptoress' neck.
"I'm so very sorry Jay, I didn't mean to press you."
"The problem is that these people control whether or not we are together, and so far they seem to want to pin a combat loss on someone. That someone, conveniently, is me."
"It isn't right!"
"You and I both know that. I won't let them hang our partnership out to dry."
"You must. I don't know what I would do if I was reassigned." Meryl mused, a raspy cough echoing her throat along with it. The exhaustion was showing through her usually difficult to read expressions, much to her dismay.
"You should rest now." He whispered, running a hand over her snout and slowly guided her head down to the ground. He kneeled over her for another minute, until her breathing deepened and her head nodded from his hands. Jay made a silent sign of the cross, said a brief prayer and stood, exiting the building.
Revedov stood from his hiding place and approached her slowly, careful not to step on any debris and make unnecessary racket. He stood over her, for the first time seeing up close the female he had pursued for the better part of six months. The colonel studied her as she slept, confirming what he already knew from his preliminary research reports, but intrigued to finally be in her presence nonetheless. Even in her wounded state, the powerful aura that he had first noticed around Aud had not deserted her, but this did not discount the fact that Revedov had a job to do. He raised his AKM, slipping a finger into the trigger guard and bringing the barrel online with Meryl's forehead.
"Jay?" She uttered just before he pulled the trigger. He slid his weapon behind his back, putting his finger up to his mouth and giving her a quick shush. His heart felt as if it was beating through his magazine pouches as she looked at him through tired, unfocused eyes. The Raptoress fell back asleep almost immediately, not realizing she had just looked the man determined to kill her in the face. Colonel Revedov let off a quiet sigh, bringing the rifle back up to finish the job. As he stared down the sights, Revedov had a revelation. He remembered Audwin's last moments and the request that he had put forth.
"Colonel... Meryl...She isn't evil, none of us.....none of us are...please, don't harm her."
The female was sleeping as peacefully as possible despite her wounds, which were creating a deadly situation without available first aid materials. Revedov peered outside at Jay as he crouched over his backpack radio, propping his face up with his left hand as he argued with someone on the other end. When he hung up, Redfield's face sank into both hands, with the tired frustration that only a war can bring finally overwhelming the man's rock solid determination. Revedov looked back in at Meryl, knowing how much Jay cared for her even without words.
"Damn." The Colonel muttered, knowing that he had been beaten again. Except, this time he had been beaten by his own morals. Revedov reached down and unclipped his first aid pouch, knowing it to be well stocked, and set it down next to the Raptoress. It was not his place to kill her when she could not fight back. With that, he threw a piece of debris against the far wall with a crash, and snuck out just behind Sergeant Redfield as he came running in to investigate.
Had he stuck around, Revedov would have witnessed how the little things in life can make people eternally grateful. The Colonel wondered if he would ever be able to finish the mission that he had partaken as a quick exit from the area was executed.
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Colonel Nymev sat alone in his darkened office, letting only the floodlights from the complex drift in through the blocked window. Cigarette smoke drifted through the light beams as Nymev destroyed one after another in a pack that had been whole just a short time before. For hours the General sat deep in thought, pondering the words of the American as they echoed over and over inside his head. This Sergeant Redfield was proving to be quite a thorn in the side indeed. He looked down to the wounds on his side, courtesy of the female Utahraptor's claws. He didn't regard it as a huge deal, as he had returned it twofold. Nymev let these thoughts go, shifting to another matter entirely. The secure line phone was picked up seconds later.
"Let me speak to General Pasha."
"Exactly so Comrade Commander."
"This is General Pasha, Comrade. I've been looking forward to your call." A senior voice came over the secure telephone, one that had been weathered over the years by hard liquor and excessive smoking. Nymev recognized the voice to be the real deal.
"Did you obtain what I requested, Comrade?"
"The train should arrive in L'viv in twenty four hours. From there it will go to your rearmost headquarters. I've sent my best men to make sure the cargo makes it there safely. The troops you have requested are in transit as well. Did you complete phase one?"
"Indeed I have, the canisters got out before the launchers were destroyed."
"I am glad to hear this. How did they find you?"
"This I do not know for sure."
"I shall look into it as well. Your contacts in the GRU have some interesting developments as well, I suggest you pay them a visit."
"Exactly so. You have done our Motherland well, Comrade General. We can only hope that history will see it as such."
"Have a good evening, Comrade Nymev. I will be in touch."
"To you as well, Comrade General Pasha." Commander in Chief West responded as he hung up the phone, putting the butt of his cigarette out in the already full ashtray.
"Comrade Redfield, we're just getting started. Your female has already partaken in on some of the fun." The Colonel laughed as he kicked his feet up to rest on the desk. The Allied Contingent was about to receive a wakeup call.
Hundreds of miles to the south, Russian forces fresh from a two week R&R finished lashing their vehicles onto miles and miles of armored trains. The Chechen contingent was acting on their new orders for deployment to the European theatre, and the battle-hardened soldiers were ready to do their duty for their Motherland.
End of book one.