Chapter Text
4 June 2029
10:47:51
WHOOP WHOOP!
The alarm blared throughout the aircraft carrier, and Hesh Walker sprinted down the hall, clipping on his vest as he ran. Coming to his brother’s room, he stopped in the doorway, panting.
“Logan! The carrier is under attack! Let’s move!” He stressed, and Logan turned to him, already in his gear as he loaded his gun.
“I know. I heard the alarm. Let’s go.” He said, and Hesh grinned. Logan followed his older brother through the hallways, both checking their guns as they ran. Slamming the door open, their eyes widened when they saw the carnage around them. Soldiers screamed for help around the deck, and burning jets scattered the landing way. Logan shook his head.
“Shit, when you said we were under attack you weren’t kidding…” He muttered, and Hesh stood for a moment with wide eyes.
“I had no idea it was this bad…” He said quietly, then a voice in his com snapped him out of it.
“Hey, if you two are done standing there, we could use some help on the South Deck! We got an incoming airship and multiple boats! Get your asses over here!” One of their privates, Trent Brenner, called, and the boys met eyes, then started across the deck. Hesh saw Brenner running towards them, and they met near the railing to the lower South deck.
Brenner shook his head. “It’s a shit storm out there! Logan, get down on the turret! Maron will cover you! Hesh, I need you with me! There are about twenty incoming boats that we can’t hold off on our own!” He exclaimed, and the brothers nodded, then followed Trent towards the edge of the carrier. Hesh jumped down to the deck while Logan climbed up to the turret, finding the airship and starting to fire.
Hesh focused his shots on the incoming soldiers, ducking down to avoid fire. He glanced over at Trent. “Why didn’t the attack show up on the scanners?! Weren’t we prepared for it?!” He asked and Trent shook his head.
“You got me! But all I know is that this carrier doesn’t seem like it’s gonna hold!” He replied, and Hesh frowned, then stood back up to continue shooting. He barely dodged out of the way of two shots, then ran along the railing of the deck, finding better angles while simultaneously avoiding fire. His soldier followed close behind him, also trying not to get hit by any bullets. Hesh then gritted his teeth.
“We don’t have any upper hand whatsoever. No advantage and nothing to hold against, but we have to defend the deck. If we let the carrier go down, hundreds of our soldiers will die, and we’ll lose a bunch of our fighter jets along with it!”
Spinning back, Hesh ran towards the edge of the ship, firing towards the incoming boats with Private Brenner at his side. Brenner shook his head.
“Walker, we need to regroup! They’re starting to cut us off from the main deck!!” He yelled, but Hesh shook his head.
“No! I already told you! We have to keep our fire on the gunship! If it stays in the air, we’ll all be picked off within minutes, and the whole carrier is gonna go down!” He shouted in response, then a shout to their right made them turn. Corporal Maron ran towards them, then pointed out towards the enemy.
“We got incoming birds!” He yelled. Hesh’s eyes widened as he saw the incoming chopper and its destined target. His gaze snapped to his brother, still at the turret.
“Logan, get out of there!” He shouted, but over the noise of the battle, Logan couldn’t even hear him. Hesh started towards his brother, but Brenner grabbed his arm.
“Walker, what are you doing?!” He yelled, and Hesh wrenched himself away from the Private’s hold.
“Logan’s in the chopper’s sight! But he’s focused on the airship! He’ll be hit!” He shouted quickly. Then the unmistakable sound of the choppers firing made Hesh’s pupils dilate in fear. His head spun to his brother, eyes wide.
“Logan-”
His voice was cut off as a missile from the bird hit the turret, rocking the area they stood in. Hesh’s heart stopped as he saw his brother thrown back from the hit, slamming to the deck, motionless.
“LOGAN!!” He screeched, sprinting over to him with Brenner at his side. Hesh dropped next to Logan’s still form, then rolled his brother over. Blood ran down his head from a gash at his hairline and a few drops spilled over his lip. His face was scratched and ashed from the explosion, but his chest still moved with breath.
“Logan!” Hesh shouted, but his brother still laid unmoving. Brenner put a finger to his com.
“Sergeant Logan Walker is down! I repeat, Logan Walker is down! South deck, 2nd platform! The turret is gone, and we’re getting hammered with fire from the incoming birds! We need reinforcements!” He shouted, and Hesh took a deep breath, then shook a bit as another barrage of fire hit the South wall.
He shook his head. “We need to move! We can’t wait for backup.” He lifted his brother over his shoulder, holding him tightly. He looked towards Corporal Maron.
“James! We’re moving!” He ordered, and the Corporal nodded, spinning away just as another bird flew by, letting loose another rain of bullets.
“Shit!” James yelled as he narrowly avoided a slice of metal blown from the fire. Hesh started towards the ladder to the main deck, still holding Logan with his life.
“I gotcha, Logan….I’ll get you out of this…” He muttered. Starting to climb, he balanced himself so that he could still carry his brother while also managing to make his way up. Brenner followed right behind him, and after him, Maron.
He had almost reached the top when a familiar voice shouted over the chaos, "Need a hand?”
Hesh let out a deep breath as he felt Logan lifted off his shoulders, then he climbed the rest of the way up the ladder to see Keegan holding his brother. A sigh escaped his lips.
“We’re in a bad situation here, Keegan! We gotta move our troops away from the South deck! It’s hit hard, and the oncoming fire from the birds isn’t going to do us any favors!” He shouted, and Keegan nodded.
“Merrick called in a helo retreat. It’s going to be on the North West deck!” He shouted, pointing across the carrier. “It’ll take us some work to get over there through the mess, though, so you better prepare yourself! The center deck is a shit storm!” He responded, then Brenner stepped forward.
“Well, whatever we do, we have to do it soon, sir! Those choppers are coming in for another run!” He pointed towards the enemy ship, and sure enough, there were five more choppers flying towards the deck. Hesh shook his head.
“MOVE!!” He yelled, gripping his gun tight as Keegan held Logan on his back. They started to run across the carrier through the wreckage. Hesh swung his gaze around, looking at all the carnage. Then a missile from the airship hit the deck, and it jeered, then suddenly started to tilt.
Brenner shoved Maron. “GO! We need to get to the helos! The carrier’s going to be toast soon!” He yelled, causing the four soldiers to start running. One of the jets started to slide down the slanted deck, and Hesh’s eyes widened.
“Look out for that Osprey!” He yelled as Keegan ducked under it, the wing barely missing Logan on his shoulders.
Maron then shouted to the group, “We got incoming Zodiacs!”
Glancing to the side, Hesh saw the enemy soldiers climbing up the Zodiac ropes attached to the sides, then finding the four in their sights. Brenner narrowed his eyes.
“I’ll cover us! Keep going!” He ordered, but Hesh shook his head.
“Trent, what are you-”
Brenner spun around, meeting his Sergeant’s eyes.
“GO! I’ll cover you!” He shouted again, and Hesh hesitated, meeting his man’s determined eyes, then turned to run after Keegan and Maron. Brenner then spun to start firing on the soldiers as the other three ran towards the helo precariously waiting in the midst of all the chaos. Stumbling back as he tried to keep after his friends but still shoot towards the enemy at the same time, Brenner’s breath quickened as he saw the number of enemies boarding the slowly sinking carrier growing.
Narrowing his eyes, he picked off more and more, glancing back every few feet to keep his gaze on his fellow soldiers. Seeing them further away, and realizing he had no chance against the enemies on his own, Trent turned and started to run after Hesh. Breathing hard, he pushed himself to catch up, then he felt a sharp pain in his leg, then his back, a bullet cutting through the edge of his vest.
He cried out as he stumbled forward, gritting his teeth in pain. He could feel the blood quickly wetting his thigh and his shirt, but he shook his head and kept going. Looking up, he saw the Ghosts and Maron reach the helo, then his Sergeant looked back for him.
“Brenner! Come on!” He shouted, and Trent nodded, running towards them despite the pain, every limped step he took more painful than the last. The warmth of the blood on his back concerned him, and he staggered a bit, flinching as his leg gave out and he fell to the ground. Hesh’s eyes widened, and he jumped out of the helo. Keegan stared after him from the copilot’s seat, headset already on.
“DAVID! What are you doing?!” He yelled at his friend, but Hesh paid him no mind. Running to Brenner’s side, Hesh bent down and picked him up, lifting him up onto his shoulder.
“Hang in there, Private. Your job’s not done yet,” He stated, and Brenner took a shaky breath.
“Yes, sir…” He murmured as Hesh ran back to the waiting chopper, struggling as the deck tilted more. Reaching the edge, Maron outstretched his hand.
“Come on!” He shouted, and Hesh grabbed his wrist, the additional help gratifying. Setting Brenner against the chopper wall, Hesh looked up at Keegan, then to the pilot.
“Get us out of here!” He ordered, and the chopper started to lift off. Turning to Logan, Hesh licked his lip nervously, but Maron put a steady hand on his shoulder.
“He’ll be okay, Walker. Brenner needs your help,” He said, and Hesh nodded. He moved next to Brenner, whose breathing had begun to dissipate, his eyes weakly holding half open.
“Private, keep your eyes on me,” Hesh said calmly, and Brenner lifted his head slightly to nod.
“Yes, sir,” He whispered, flinching as he moved even slightly. Hesh sighed, then moved closer, putting his hand on Brenner’s shoulder.
“I need you to turn, and I know it’s going to hurt so fair warning,” Hesh advised, and Brenner’s frown increased. Grimacing, he slowly turned his shoulder, exposing the blood stain on his back. Through his vest, the wound was unable to be seen, and Hesh sighed.
“Damn,” He muttered, then his gaze fell to the reddened pant leg. He reached down to put his hand on the wound, and Brenner flinched, shrinking back. Hesh immediately drew back his hand, then took a deep breath. Shaking his head, he met Brenner’s eyes.
“Okay, I know this is going to be painful, but we need to stop the bleeding in your leg right now.” Turning his gaze to Maron, Hesh frowned.
“I need you to wrap his leg, Corporal. There’s a medkit behind you, and there are some bandages in there. Make sure you stop the bleeding.” He ordered, and Maron nodded.
“Yes, sir. I’ll keep him with us.” He responded, and Hesh nodded, then gave Brenner one final glance before turning to his brother. With a heavy sigh, Hesh picked Logan up off the floor and held him in his arms as he sat against the wall. Wiping away some of the blood that ran down Logan’s face, Hesh sighed.
“Come on, buddy….stay with me….I don’t want to go on without you.” He whispered, closing his eyes. A hand on his shoulder made him look up to see Keegan had gotten up and crouched next to him. He met Hesh’s brown eyes with the icy blue of his own.
“He’s going to be okay, David. He’s strong like you. Not to mention he definitely fulfills your uncanny characteristic of stubbornness.” He said with a grin, and Hesh chuckled as Keegan sat down next to him. Keeping his hand on Hesh’s shoulder, Keegan looked down at Logan.
“Plus, if not the most important and sure of all, he has his big brother looking out for him.” He said, and Hesh’s lips turned up in a smile.
“Yeah. He does. And he always will.”
5 June 2029
09:23:54
Logan groaned, slowly opening his eyes, shielding them with his hand from the blinding lights above him. Blinking a few times, he tried to sit up but immediately fell back with a groan. He put a hand to his head, then took it away when he felt the bandage wrapped around. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder, holding it gently. Turning his head slightly, the headache still pounding, Logan saw the vague outline of a person sitting next to him. Eyes still hazy from the bright lights, he blinked a few more times, then his view started to focus.
“Logan?”
The voice was soft and caring, and as his eyes adjusted, Logan found it was his brother sitting next to him.
“David…” He groaned, and Hesh nodded.
“Yeah. You okay?” He asked quietly. Or at least it seemed quiet. Maybe it was the ringing in Logan’s ears. Logan slowly nodded.
“Yeah...what happened?” He asked, his voice seeming hoarse. Looking around, Logan saw that he was in one of the singular medical rooms back at the base. Hesh sighed, then leaned forward to rest his arms on his knees.
“We were all on the carrier. You were on the turret taking down the airship, and Brenner and I were taking care of the incoming boats. Then Maron ran up, shouting, and we realized the wave of birds flying in. One shot towards the turret. I tried to yell, but you didn't hear me. Then the shot hit, and you were thrown back. You hit the deck hard, then Keegan and I barely got you out of there before the choppers sent another wave of fire towards the ship.” Hesh let out a deep breath, rubbing his face.
“I….I don’t know what I would have done had you been seriously hurt...or worse...” He muttered, then Logan chuckled a little.
Hesh glanced up, raising his eyebrow. “What?”
Logan lifted his head, then with a groan forced himself into a sitting position. Shaking his head slightly, he grinned.
“You wouldn’t have gotten very far without me watching your back, that’s for sure.” Logan cracked, meeting Hesh’s eye, and David stopped, then a smile broke out on his face. He shoved Logan’s shoulder with a nod.
“Okay, smart ass. Get some rest. I know you still have a headache, you took a pretty hard hit. But I’ll be back later.” He stood up as Logan slowly laid back down, then stopped before he walked out of the room. Glancing over his shoulder, he met Logan’s bright, sky blue eyes.
“I’m glad you’re okay, Logan.” He said caringly, then he left the room, walking down the hall. Logan closed his eyes as the smile kept his face alit.
‘I’m glad I have you as a brother, David.’
Hesh walked into the infirmary’s main ward, then over towards one of the cots. Sitting down next to it, he sighed, then met the eyes of the injured soldier laying in it.
“How ya doin’, Trent?” He asked, and the Private groaned, then shrugged with a flinch and an optimistic face.
“Better than I could be. I mean, I could be dead.” He then met his Sergeant’s eyes with a smile.
“Thanks.” He said. “Y’know, for saving me.” He pointed out, and Hesh nodded with a grin.
“Brenner, you’re a good soldier. I would risk my life for any of my soldiers, but the valor you showed by weighing the odds and covering us while risking yourself? That’s the quality I look for in a man. I’m proud of you.” He said, and Trent’s eyes beamed. He then groaned again as he shifted slightly, sucking in a hard breath of air.
Hesh put his hand on Trent’s shoulder. “Don’t strain yourself. You took a bad shot in the side. But it should heal well. You’ll be back protecting us in the field in no time.” He said with a wink, and Trent chuckled.
“Yes, sir.” He replied, then slowly eased himself back down to the cot.
Hesh smirked. “Rest up, Brenner. We’ve got a full war ahead of us.”