//------------------------------//
// Last Stand 
// Story: The Final Crusade 
// by Enfield 
//------------------------------//

James span around and looked for the source of the voice, to his left he saw a Guardian charge at him. James pulled out his Enfield and shot the soldier in the face, the entire right side of his face exploded. Scootaloo came out from the left side of James to see what he had shot at, then more soldiers came into the forest. 
“Man down!” one soldier shouted.
“I can see him!” another said.
“Open fire!” a third shouted.
James pushed Scootaloo behind him, just as he brought his arm out from behind he back it felt as if it had exploded. James yelled out in pain as he dropped his rifle and looked at his arm, blood oozed out of a single bullet wound that was on his arm. He felt his bone split and shatter, James gripped his arm in hopes of putting the broken halves back together. 
“James?” Scootaloo asked. James didn’t respond, he picked up Scootaloo and threw her through the rift. He then picked up his rifle, cycled a round and aimed toward the Guardians.
“I’m right here!” he yelled. 

James fired toward the soldiers, each hit resulted in an instant kill. James was halfway through reloading when three soldiers dropped dead. James looked to the right and saw Enforcers coming his way.
“This is the end,” he thought, “This is my final stand.” 

The rest of the Guardians took notice of the Enforcers and shot at them, the Enforcers had the advantage of cover but they were still losing as many men as the Guardians. As the two factions shot at each other, soldiers from both sides converged on James, fortunately James had donned the Crusaders bulletproof vests and it created a barrier of Kevlar that was almost an inch thick. James fired at each and every soldier that came his way, he could feel bullets impacting on his chest but they were hitting the barrier of Kevlar so none were able to get through to his chest. Each time he loaded ten rounds into his gun it felt like an eternity. Just as James loaded his last ten rounds a third group of soldiers came into the fray with their guns blazing, Enforcers and Guardians fell along with the newcomers, but no matter how many were killed more joined the fight. Another bullet landed in the left side of James’ pelvis, almost bringing him to the ground. The shriek that came from behind him made James spin around.

“What the hell are you doing keeping that portal open?” he yelled to Twilight.  
“It’s on a time delay,” replied Twilight. 
James’ right shoulder exploded as a 5.56 mm round tore its way through muscle and bone. James was so pumped up by adrenaline it only felt like a sharp rock had just pierced his skin, he span back around and took aim at the newcomers. He newcomers were all dressed in a mix of blue and black and wearing ski masks, James almost mistook them for Enforcers but their combat style was much different, as was their commander who was wearing a three piece suit. James realized who it was.

“Agent West,” he said, he fired at Agent West but he ended up hitting a federal agent instead. James knew that they were federal agents but he had killed so many US soldiers he didn’t care who he hit so long as they didn’t get to the wormhole.
“Kill that kid!” West shouted as he shot at James with his M4. 
James held his ground and fired at West, West was able to dodge most of the rounds but he couldn’t prevent them from hitting and killing his agents. James kept up the fire until he was out of ammo for his rifle, he pulled it over his shoulder and was hit in the side by a stray bullet, it managed to get through his armor and flesh and exit out his abdomen. James screamed as he pulled out his 1911 and fired at everything that moved. James’ reloading speed had doubled and he was blazing away at each and every soldier that came into sight. His accuracy had dropped because James was bleeding badly from two exit wounds made by the bullets that blasted through his soft tissue. James was down to one magazine for his pistol, he loaded it and killed seven soldiers, he then pointed toward Agent West. 

“Now you’ll get what you deserve,” James muttered.
“James!” Scootaloo shouted, “Look out!”
James instinctively pointed his gun to the right and saw an Enforcer with a shotgun no more than twelve feet away. But James hesitated as he looked at the face of the soldier.
“Rickter?” James said. 
Rickter only response was the pull of the shotgun’s trigger. 

A loud boom and a large flash disoriented James as the pellets struck the side of his torso and his arm. It felt as if his internal organs were being ripped apart by the shot, James flew back and involuntarily fired his pistol. The bullet flew out of the muzzle, past a pair of agents who opened fire on Rickter, through a bush and ended hitting Agent West directly between his eyes. West toppled in front of his soldiers and lay still, face down in the mud.

The shotgun blast had sent James flying, the last round expended from his 1911 had killed Agent West but James was flying backwards and he didn’t see his last kill fall to the Earth. Time slowed down as he flew backwards, James could just see the flashes of weapons and hear shouts of soldiers, just as he blacked out he flew through the wormhole and landed on his back in front of the Crusaders, a bright light flashed thought his eyelids and a loud bang signaled the wormhole had been sealed.