Freedoms Call

by Bronycommander

Chapter 12 Desperate act

Chapter 12: Desperate Act.

Scotch Tape awoke with a gasp, panting heavily. When she got up, she thought she had died and gone to Tartarus. They blew up the mountain. They buried the Americans. They buried themselves.

Getting up with a grunt of pain, she looked around. The crashed plane was next to her, still burning, it was night and raining, small fires were scattered around the area.

Looking on her PipBuck, she saw there were no survivors of the Battalion she had supported, as no yellow bars were around her. She could see some body parts poking out of the rubble, but they all were buried, the filly never got the medic to tell her his name.

She wondered if this was a desperate act by the enemy to stop the offensive, or just crazy.

Jackson! She remembered that he was in the Battalion down there.

She had to find him – so she went into that hell. It was her only choice.

Scotch Tape had to find Jackson. He could have been anywhere. If he survived this massive rock-slide at all.

She prayed he was still alive, he hadn’t deserved to die like this.

Moving down to a trench system, 3 red Bars appeared on her EFS: soldiers of the 718 Division.

“That must have stopped them for sure!” One of the Koreans said, sure of victory.

“Yeah, but it also took a lot of our men with them.” Another replied, unsure what to think of it.

“Sometimes, you have to sacrifice some men to save another or to reach a goal.” The first replied.

“Besides, the Colonel-Commandant knows what he’s doing, if you doubt our capable commanders, why did you even join the 718?” The third asked with a hint of disappointment.

“I just care for my comrades, that’s all.”

They were distracted by their conversation, so Scotch Tape could easily sneak past them. When she had the trenches behind her, she heard gunfire in the distance and screams as the fog cleared. Some US soldiers had survived, pinned inside lodges. She needed to help them, Jackson could be among them.

Walking towards the source, she could saw that the lodges were damaged, the Americans stood their ground, managing to defeat the attacking infantry as she reached them.

“Scotch Tape, you’re alive!” One of the US Soldiers said relieved.

“Yeah...fortunately.” She replied before a sound of engines could be heard in the distance. Armored vehicles came from the enemy fort.

3 LAV-25s of the KPA arrived and soldiers got out.

“There are crates with KPA weapons in the lodges, we scavenged them when we advanced!” The soldier yelled, using a stone wall for cover.

The filly ran into one of the lodges, checking the crates, she found rifles, LMGs and SMGs. Due being still a foal, she could only use light weapons like her M9, a SMG could maybe work for her. Yet nothing that could destroy the APCs.

Until she checked the last crate: it contained C4.

Jackpot!

It was risky but there was no other way to destroy them. “Cover me!” She yelled, running towards the first vehicle, the gunner seemed to ignore her, either overlooking her or seeing her as not a threat. Either way, it turned out to be a fatal mistake.

The filly placed some C4, then dived to cover before detonating it. The explosion leaved only a burning wreck. The second LAV was right next to the wall, allowing the young pony to quickly take it out too.

The last one was at the other side of the lodges, having identified her as threat, firing its cannon at her, pinning her down.

“I can’t move!” She yelled as bullets flew past her.

“Die!” A 718 soldier lunged at her, a knife in his hand. He threw her to the ground, trying to stab her into the chest, she grabbed the knife, struggling against it.

Scotch Tape fought with all her strength, but the Korean was stronger, she had a painful expression as her hooves got weaker, the knife closer to her heart.

No! Please…

“Not on my watch!” An American shoved the KPA soldier off her, drawing his pistol, shooting the enemy several times into the chest, the 718 flinched, getting thrown back with every shot, until he fell with his back against a tree.

“You okay?” He asked, concerned as he helped her up.

“I’m fine.” She replied before another bullet flew past her, the APC was still active.

Carefully peeking out from cover, the filly spotted a US soldier climbing up the LAV to the turret, opening the hatch, throwing a grenade in before jumping off, diving to cover.

With a dim explosion, smoke began to came out of the hatch, the turret ceased fire.

“Enemy APC down!”

Scotch Tape looked on her PipBuck, there were no red Bars remaining.

They had taken out the KPA’s firepower and the lodges were safe.

“Is Jackson here?” She asked with hope.”

“Unfortunately not, his unit had made it further up before the Mountain came down.” One of the soldiers explained.

“Anyone there?” A new voice spoke on the radio. The filly recognized it, it was the Security drone.

“Yes, we have a few survivors. Scotch Tape is with us.” The man spoke into his radio.

“Can’t say how relieved I am to hear that. We got a bit delayed but we are on our way. Expect us shortly.”

“Copy that.”

“I won’t stop until I have found Jackson.” Scotch Tape was determined to find him.

“Our orders are to take the fort, it is highly likely he is doing the same. Follow me!”

After a short walk the fort was in sight, defended by mortars and MG positions.

Looking around, she saw another trench system to her left.

She could hear English yells from it, knowing that they were trapped, she went into it where they were connected to a small bunker where the screams were actually coming from.

The door was not locked.

Once inside, she looked around and what she saw was horror.

While the bunker served as storage for supplies and some weapons, it was also filled with the bodies of Jackson’s unit, only a few were still alive, huddled against the wall, crying, completely shocked, no longer able to fight. The bodies were bloodied, scattered everywhere, the stench terrible, hard to bear, causing her to cover her nose but it didn’t help. She couldn’t even look at the bodies, fearing he might be among them.

None of the survivors or dead looked like Jackson, the still living soldiers were too shocked to be talked to. Most of them were wearing goggles, so she couldn’t identify them but she knew that Jackson wasn’t wearing goggles at all. While he had black hair and green eyes, the dead and survivors had brown hair, blue eyes, brown eyes, blond hair, some had either his eye or hair color, leaving only one possibility:

He had to have made it to the fort.

Walking towards it she saw how two Heavy soldiers got taken out by her allies.

She started to run to evade the mortars until she got to the trench at the outer wall of the fort, looking for another entrance as the front was impossible to reach. Walking to the left side of the trench, she found what seemed to be an underground tunnel.

The soldier who had taken care of the 718 soldier that had tried to stab her joined her. He also was wearing goggles concealing his eyes, but she could see blond hair under his helmet and his name tag showed that his name was Davis, armed with a M4.

“You shouldn’t go alone, Scotch Tape.” His voice sounded caring.

An enemy soldier had spotted them from the inside, Davis took aim, a short, controlled burst, and blood splattered from the Korean’s head as he fell backwards to the ground and a puddle of blood formed on the ground.

“Stay behind me.” The soldier ordered, taking the lead.

Inside, he took 3 more soldiers out. A red bar was still there as they moved past sleeping quarters to their, a 718 rushed out to melee the US soldier, but it was a bad mistake.

Despite being not as trained or being an elite soldier like the 718 was, Davis shoved the edge of his knife into the Korean’s jugular vein. The Korean grabbed the American’s chest in shock. The 718 got shoved backwards and spun around as the US soldier forcefully pulled his knife out.

Scotch Tape had watched everything slightly shocked herself but knew it was in self-defense, Davis had no other choice.

Coming to the stairs, a group of enemy soldiers held them back, Davis threw a grenade to clear the way.

Finally at the top, they saw how the other soldiers got through storming the fort with them.

But the KPA had one last reserve they threw in.

One of the doors got swung open, an entire group of Heavy Troopers came out, firing at the US troops who scrambled for cover.

As Scotch Tape tried in cover to find a way how to take them out quickly, she an idea that could work. Having one last C4 left, she waited until the group came into range, then threw it between it, detonating it.

They staggered from the explosion, making easy targets for the US soldiers, getting defeated in a few shots.

“The fort’s ours now! Great work everyone, especially you, Scotch Tape.” Davis praised her.

She smiled. “Thank you.”

She didn’t know how, she just knew that Jackson wasn’t here.

She walked to the door where the enemy group used to get it, opened and walked outside.

At the exit was a path, littered with dead US soldiers. She checked the bodies, none of them was Jackson.

It gave her hope that he had survived.

And then…

“No! No!” She yelled as she saw Jacksonlying on his side on the edge of a rocky patch, galloping over to him, checking him for a pulse.

Nothing.

Overcoming with grief, she mourned the loss of her friend, a hoof wrapped around him as she collapsed beside him, tears leaving her eyes.

He would never see his beloved family again, which he hadn’t seen for two years, she didn’t wanted to imagine in how much pain his wife and kids would be when they would get told he was dead. The filly knew how much Amy had suffered from the loss of her father.

Suddenly, she felt a hand around her.

Slowly opening her eyes, she felt that Jackson was…breathing.

It was his hand she was feeling. “Jackson?”

“I’m alright…” He couldn’t finish as she hugged him tightly.

“I thought you died!” Tears of joy were now leaving her eyes.

“Just knocked out, sweetheart.” He patted her back.

Davis joined them, relieved to see that his comrade was still alive. “I’m glad to see that you’re still alive, my friend.” He carefully lifted him up and carried him to a Black Hawk for medical treatment.

Once placed inside the helicopter, Jackson said to her, “I owe you one, Scotch Tape. Without you, I had never made it this far.”

“Save your strength, get well soon!” She replied before a medic closed the door and the chopper took off.

She was very happy, Jackson had survived and could see his wife and kids again.

“I never thought we could make it this far alone!” one of the soldiers chatted with Davis.

“You and me both. At first, I thought we would need the drones for that.”

“Me too. Speaking of them, why are they taking so long?” His comrade asked him.

“I don’t know.”

“Hey, look!” Scotch Tape called out, pointing into the direction of the lodges asa great number of yellow bars appeared on her EFS.

It was dark, but they could see that this was the small army of drones, marching in formation, with Fletcher taking the lead.

There they are. About time.” A soldier commented.

A loud mechanic groan came from the sky, Scotch Tape looked up in fear, hoping it was not that was she feared it was.

“No! Anything but…”

A KPA Airship.

It sprayed out green gas, in a blink of an eye, it surrounded the entire fort. “Gas! Quick, Gas masks!” Davis yelled as he coughed violently, having been exposed.

Struggling not to collapse, he saw how all comrades tried the same, all had failed to get their Gas Masks on in time.

Scotch Tape’s eyes watered and burned, her lungs burned, barely able to breathe, her entire body cramped in the worst pain possible as she collapsed, her nose was running and she vomited.

In her painful vision, she witnessed how the soldiers struggled not to collapse, some vomited before falling dead to the ground, others tried to make a run for the exit, staggering before vomiting and dying.

Then she saw Davis.

He was trying to overcome the pain, trying to use the wall as guide, touching it with his hands, moving along it to the door. He abruptly stopped, vomiting against the wall before trying to grab it, falling forward as he died.

The filly thrashed wildly from the excruciating pain, no longer incontrol of their bodily functions.

In her blurry vision, she spotted a light coming closer to her. Was she dying, was this the sign for heaven?

It wasn’t a sign for Heaven, it was one for help.

The light came from Fletcher’s horn, as a green shield surrounded him. When he reached her, he closed his eyes and exhaled, the glow of his horn going brighter.

With a powerful blast, the gas got thrown away from the fort, clearing the area completely of it.

The Unicorn looked at the filly with great worry, her eyeswere swollen, her chest barely rose as a small hint she was still alive but close to death.

“Scotch Tape!” He yelled, almost desperate.

She whimpered, starting to shake.

Fletch…”she said weakly. “Hurts.”

“Hold on, the medics will fix you up!” His voice changed to one of panic as he looked at them, they checked for other survivors, shaking their heads to signal that there weren’t any survivors.

The leading medical drone galloped forward, checking her over. “She’s dying, we must act fast!”

“We never reach the next hospital in time by walking! She’ll die before the doctors could stabilize her!” Fletcher exclaimed.

“We got this!” The leading medical drone lifted Scotch Tape on her back, making a waving gesture into the sky.

The Eternal Knight wondered why until he saw what appeared to be another airship, right over them, it was dark he couldn’t see it exactly, but it was differently formed than the KPA airships. A door in the middle opened and several ropes were dropped from it.

The drones grabbed them, the ropes retracted, bringing them on the airship.

There was also one rope for Fletcher, and without hesitation, he grabbed it too, getting onboard.

He was slightly impressed at the furnishing and equipment of it. The corridors were mostly metal but there were also charging stations for the drones, sleeping quarters, a cafeteria, and even a medical bay where the drones transferred Scotch Tape.

After a few minutes, the first created Blackjack drone came out. “How is she?” Fletcher asked, worried.

“We could stabilize her once we return to our base to treat her. It will only take a few minutes to get there.”

He let out a sigh. “That’s a relief, I thought we would lose her.”

True to the drone’s words, the airship reached the base in only a couple of minutes, and a large gate opened, allowing it to land in the underground base.

The medical drones, as well as all leader drones brought Scotch Tape into the operating room, she was apparently in anesthesia, an oxygen mask over her mouth.

Fletcher Fray waited outside, worried if Scotch Tape would make it, he cared for her.

Not only because he liked her or enjoyed her company but also due a horrible event during the Civil War. The Eternal Knights cared for a filly that got killed despite their attempts to save her.

That memory was still stuck in his head, and as such, he sworn to himself to help any foal in need and keep them safe until they were reunited with their family.

But at the moment, he could only pray that she would make it.

Scotch Tape awoke as she felt great pain, she wanted to scream but she couldn’t as her entire body was numb. Her vision was completely black. Despite the pain and the numbness, she could faintly hear a voice but the last word cut off.

“It looks like a... Walks like a... and sees like a...”

Author's Note:

I think you can imagine what happens to you, don't you?