Chapter Two: Downed Warriors

Afghanistan

Helmand Province

Blue Eagle Six

Private Echelon Corporation Private Air Transport 

August 12, 2011

09:40 AM

Nate's coughs awake him. On his blurry sight, black smoke engulfs. Voice of screamings, callings and burnings are heard. He sees a large figure is running staggerringly at him. The man addresses him, " Sir! Are you alright?!" Nate sees the man with injured head and tries to identify him. When the man's close, it is seen that he is Matthias. Nate answers him, " I'm.. I'm.. It seems that I'm.. Okay.." Matthias, seeing Nate's a little disoriented mumbling speech asks him again, " Are you sure you're alright, sir?! You're mumbling.. Sir, I see your head is bleeding." Nate, crunches at his unsheathed sword and sees his surrounding is engulfed with destroyed cabin and several of his bodyguard ninjas strewn. He speaks slowly, " Where is Shiori? ... Where is she?" Nate, with his concern about Shiori and disorientation,  run outside of the cabin's ruin and screams frantically looking for her, " Shiori! Shiori! Where are you!?" Matthias chases him, " Sir!! Sir! Hold back! It's too dangerous!" Nate runs staggeringly around the jet ruin, passing several injured ninjas dragging their friend out from burning ruins, swinging his sword at any barricading concretes. " Sir! Sir! Hold yourself!!" Shouts Matthias. Nate's frantic  run stops when he sees Shiori's figure between burning jet parts near cockpit fraction. He runs toward her and addresses her. To his surprise, she is tottaly alright. " Are you alright?" Says Nate slowly. 

Shiori keeps silent but after a while answers, " I'm okay. Wha-, what.. about you?! Your head, your head.. is covered with blood.." 

Matthias finaly catches up  and addresses Nate with concern, "  Sir!! What is on your mind?! You could have been shot or hit by explosions on this ruin!!" 

Nate's not angered with Matthias' indignation but answers with mutter, " I'm sorry, Matthias..  Save it for later.. Report in now and call in paramedic.."

" Sir, so far only four of us are still fit to fight. Including you and madam are six. The rest, including paramedic are apparently killed and missing during the landing. It's is still very dangerous to search on the other ruins. Captain Cunningham and Behari are still unknown. What's your order?"

" Alright, gather all survivors and any supplies you find. Proceed with the cockpit." Orders Nate.

When they arrive at the cockpit, it's access door is found to be broken. So the only way to check the cockpit interior is through its front windshields. Two Valkyrie ninjas, Kim and Chavez, are climbing the jet's nose and find the pilots are unconscious. Kim shouts to report at Matthias, " Chief! Captain Cunningham and Behari are passed out! Shall we break the winshields?"

"  Break and pull them out!" Orders Matthias.

Using scrap objects found, they smash  the winshields and cleans their banks from broken glasses with their sword blades. Due to Captain Cunningham large figure, both of them drag him out first, blood covers his face. Kim sees that Captain Cunningham is still breathing and with Chavez, they lower Cunningham to Matthias and Takayama, another ninja. When the ninjas are about to pull Captain Behari from the cockpit, suddenly, it explodes and fire engulfs the cockpit, prompting the ninjas to jump below. 

" Sir, Captain Behari is still there! What should we do now?" Scream Chavez.

" Sir.." Shouts Takayama.

" Javier, Cyrus, there's nothing we can do now. " Replies Matthias.

The morning sun shines brightly over the empty desert. The desert wind throws sand back and forth. Captain Cunningham slowly opens his eyes and start to mutter, " Where am I? Arrggh.. I can't feel.."

Seeing it, Matthias informs everyone else, " He is there!!"

" Arrgg.. I can't.."

" Don't speak, Captain!" Says Nate. " It seems that you have your spine broken.."

Cunningham, now surrounded by several ninjas, starts to laugh, " (Cough).. Spine? (Cough).."

" Stay here. We'll secure water, food and medical supplies." Says nate again.

" Matthias, order your men to search for survivors,  set up an observation post, gather arms and ammunition as well food supplies. Prepare for a go."

" Yes, sir! Right away." Replies Matthias.

When Nate and his men are gathering their defense and survival supplies, a bad news comes.  " Sir, we got company! Two wheels and about dozens of unknown personnel are approaching! What's our order?" Shouts Takayama suddenly when he sees them through his binocular. Hearing that, Nate and Matthias rushes to the makeshift observation post. He takes the binocular and when he sees through, he knows when he sees their civilian uniforms and various rugged weapons that the ones coming at the wreckage are foes. " Local guerrilas.. Possibly foreign fighters as well.. " Growls Nate. Since Nate's forces are far weaker with remaining weapons, mostly sidearms and blades, he orders his subordinates to hide within the wreckage and ambush the incoming unwanted guests. 

" Sir, Are we going to face ground fight?" Asks Cunningham to Nate.

" We are. Prepare yourself, Captain." Answers Nate.

Cunningham shows his grey 6 inches high - calibre Python revolver to Nate, " I've prepared it for this.."

" Use it wisely, old man. You won't need to send a second shot with that." Answers Nate with smile.

Under the ninjas' observance, the unwanted company quickly approaches the small hill.  Shouts in Pashto and steps are heard. Through a wreckage, Nate sees the armed assailants, they slowly walk toward the burning wreckage. Smokes frequently passes through between the unwanted guests and the wreckage. Wielding his M1911 Colt. 45, the jonin is waiting the right moment  to give signal, an initial fire, for his subordinates to ambush the guerrilas. He waits until they are all, or at least most of them have been close with the wreckage. His moment comes when one of the guerrilas gives away his position as the commander by his commanding gestures and loud orders. Nate aims his silenced sidearm and on the next moment, the commander suddenly stops giving command and killed. It throws confusion to his subordinates, but their quake doesn't last long as Nate's his ninjas start firing and throwing shuriken, killing more. Some of the insurgents start firing their AK's indiscriminately toward the wreckage then one of them, suddenly charge toward the wreckage followed by the rest. Their charge is greeted by a barrage of single shots from the ninjas and countered by the defenders' blade and guns charge from the wreckage which turns the battle into a bloody savage hand to hand combat. The ninjas shoot, stab and slash the overrun assailants in close proximity, giving them no chance. Three insurgents run away from the fighting toward their parked white technical jeeps.

One of them turn and shoots his AK74, wounding Chavez who are chasing them. But he is quickly killed by Matthias' P228 multiple shots. When the ninjas are approaching the jeeps, they see a panicked insurgent is about to drive the car away. His attempt is failed when a bullet storm strikes the driver's windshields. When the defenders are clearing the area surrounding the jeeps, an insurgent hiding behind one of the jeep's suddenly jump and charge Nate with a Saif sword. Nate quickly parries his sword attack with his sword, punch his face with his sword end then slashes him, ending the battle.

" One down! One down! Medic!" Takayama's shout is suddenly heard.

Nate and his ninjas rush to the upper ground and finds Chavez and Takayama. Chavez is dying. Blood gushes heavily from his mouth.

" Sir.. (Cough), (Cough), I have done my best, right?.."  Says Chavez.

" Stop talking, Javier. Hang on. We'll seek help immediately."

" I think.. I can't.. Hold.. Longer.."

" Thank you for the chance... Sir.."

Chavez stops talking and gives his last breath.

" Javier! I order you to hang on. Javier! Speak! " Shouts Nate.

" Javier! Say something! Hold on! Javier! Javier!" Shouts the other.

Chavez dies. Silence engulf the wreckage. No one speaks, nobody can say their sadness, but one can see the mourn. Nate, holding his sadness, start to make a speech, " Today, we are faced on an ordeal. We were sent to ground and we lost one of our friend. There is no time for anger and to mourn. Let us honor our friend, Javier's sacrifice by carrying on what he defended. Our survival."

All of the survivors agree with Nate. They begin to continue their supply and weapon  gathering, taking anything that is useful. All captured weapons that can't be carried away, mostly AK rifles are gathered aboard one of the jeep, the wrecked one. Matthias approaches Nate carrying  two distinctive arms, " Sir, we found a different arm. I thought it would be good if I show them to you before." It is an old light brown Lee Enfield MKIII. Nate observes the weapon and says, " I know who can handle this."  then he calls Shiori and hands over the legendary weapon to her which she quickly receives. " Take it, make it a sniper rifle."

The time comes when the survivors finishes gathering arms and supplies. Nate, Matthias, Shiori and the other two ninjas, Takayama and Kim gather around Chavez. They give 30 seconds of silent salutation. When Takayama pins Chavez's katana sword near his grave, he breaks down to weep.  This angered Matthias, " Chris! Stop.." He is stopped by Nate. Nate runs toward Takayama and addresses him, " Takayama.. What are you doing?"

" Sir, Javier's my best friend. It's just too sudden.. Too sudden.. I couldn't hold on.."

Nate replies in calm tone, " Takayama.. We all lost him.. He is our friend as well.. Remember, he died fighting for all of us.. Will you take his sacrifice for granted? Then, strengthen yourself. Let us honor his sacrifice by doing our best to get out from here. I'm sure if he is still alive, he wants us to survive. Come on. Let's go."

Hearing that, Takayama stops his crying and leaves the grave, following Nate. " Yes, sir."

After the ninjas and Captain Cunningham are on the captured jeep, Kim, ordered by Nate, pour gasoline on the another jeep where some of the captured weapons and ammunitions that are too much and heavy to be carried are piled up on its back. From a distance, a grenade is thrown at the jeep. Its explosion sets the car ablaze. It is done to prevent the enemy from using them.

The jeep and its passenger leave northward from the wreckage to settlement nearby to seek help. As they are on their way, the passengers on the back of the jeep stares at the smokey hill in sadness.  

License: Personal use and read only. Further usage requiring permission from author.

Disclaimer: All contents are fiction.

To be continued