[IC] Ashes Beneath the Burning Sun

[Ambiguity]

She took the doll back and carefully cupped it with her hand. It was silly to keep something like this; distractions was the last thing she needed. As unnecessary as it was though, it served as a reminder to what Fareeha fought to protect. Even at the school she occupied before fleeing Cairo was a reminder. Historically, her country had undergone many turmoils. Some economic, some by radicals that sought to sway the country's doctrine in one way or another. The omnics united them against a common enemy. They stole much. Took much.

Angela wasn't wrong. A machine without emotion or a human struggling with emotions. Which of the two was the greater kindness? Some days, Fareeha felt it was all pointless. Being human was suffering. There were good times to counteract that however. Living, loving, learning, enjoying. As scarce as they might be, Fareeha wouldn't have traded that for the coldness of a machine. Outside of war, she had a purpose while the omnics only produced for war. Perhaps that was the single most important distinction between man and machine. Man had infinite possibilities while machines did not.

"Thank you Angela. I feel much better. Just to get it all off my chest," Fareeha said. She smiled at the woman, unforced and genuine. "It still astounds me to volunteered to come here, but ... I'll take you any day. You keep my - our - people alive. I'll do what I'm good at. Smashing toasters from the ground or the sky. Two companies is still a lot. Switzerland's contribution shall not be forgotten. Your efforts or the soldiers coming here. At least to me."

Fareeha didn't know what else to say on the matter. She couldn't describe what she felt at the moment. Having Angela here, however, already did wonders for her personal health. A friendly face amongst the death around her.

[Dewey Deftones]

Two Days Later

Angela stood outside, the sun beating down on her pale skin as she watched the skies for signs of the Swiss troops. They should be arriving any moment, and yet it appeared that they were running late. Fareeha's unit was to deploy in an hour, everyone was getting in final preparations, there would be no time for the Swiss to prepare. They'd have to go straight from landing to deployment, no time to get ready or be briefed on the mission. Angela took a deep breath, hoping for the best. The Swiss wouldn't dare be a no-show, would they? That'd be a disgrace to their reputation, and break the trust between Angela and the Egyptian soldiers who were waiting for the reinforcements. Nothing was worse than false hope.

After almost a half hour longer, Angela was getting very anxious that they wouldn't show up after all. Suddenly on the morning horizon, multiple black helicopters emerged, red squares with white cross marks on the sides. It was them, the two companies. Angela released the breath she'd been holding in her chest, but her worry wasn't over. Two of the four helicopters had thick black smoke trailing off of them. So that's why they'd been late. They'd been attacked on their way here. She waited for the helicopters to get closer. The two that were undamaged landed safely, and the one company that they carried exited and hurried over to Angela. They turned their heads to watch the other two helicopters. One landed with some difficulty, while the other still hovered above.

Angela looked to the soldier next to her, who was a Captain and Commander of the unscathed company. "What's the issue? Are they unable to land?"

The Lieutenant nodded his head a bit. "They are having a lot of electrical malfunctions. Landing gear probably isn't responding, among other things. Their communications haven't been working for the past hour."

"When did you get attacked?" Angela asked.

"Over Greece. No one in this company was injured, but we don't know the conditions of the others. We've been told we're all under your command, Doctor Ziegler. I know we're late. What do you want my company to do?"

Angela looked around a bit. "Find Captain Amari, she's a jumper. Her armor is blue, shouldn't be hard to spot. Her unit is the one we'll be tagging along with. Follow any instruction she gives you."

The Commander saluted then motioned for his company to follow. Angela remained waiting for the other helicopter to land. The one on the ground billowing smoke opened up and the portion of the second company it was carrying scurried out. A few were wounded, but nothing severe. Angela waved them over to her location and she treated them herself. Once they were ready, she sent them to follow the first company. Looking back up to the sky, the severely damaged chopper was still hovering. Without warning, it lost altitude and slammed hard into the ground, steel twisting into a deathtrap. Fires ignited and panicked Swiss soldiers crawled out of the wreckage wherever they could.

Angela was frozen in shock for a moment before running in to assist her countrymen. She had to do something. Some Egyptian soldiers ran in to help as well, showing unity despite these soldiers not even being of their own country. Angela reached into the twisted metal, feeling flames lick her arm. She felt a hand grasp hers, and she pulled hard. She tugged a young man free of the wreck, grabbing him under his arms and dragging him to a safe area. Her arm stung, but she wasn't a priority.

The Egyptians soon got everyone they could out before the inferno encapsulated the helicopter. Anyone left within it was nothing more than a charred skeleton by now.

Angela focused on healing the wounded, while other medics offered their own assistance. She looked to them. "Don't waste your supplies on those with minor wounds! I will take care of them! If there is anyone with a severe wound, try to stop the bleeding or clean the burn, set any broken bones, and just leave the hard work to me!" She called out. She could take care of her people. The Egyptians need not waste their resources just before an important deployment, and it seemed that the medics listened to her. They tended to those with serious injuries, leaving the minor ones for Angela to deal with alone.

She moved from man to man, hands soon becoming red with blood as she healed each person. By the time she'd gotten to everyone, she was exhausted, and they were to deploy in only a few minutes. Those who were fine to deploy were quickly on their feet, joining the other company. It appeared that only four soldiers had died in the crash. The pilot and copilot, then two others that were assumed dead from the fire that still raged. It was still two companies. Angela's chest heaved with fatigued breaths.

This could have been much worse. Only four died, and the wounded were back in shape and ready to go thanks to Angela's nanotechnology. This deployment would be rough, as she found herself depleted of her strength. She took off her gloves and slid them into her bag. She'd don them when she needed. Walking over to where the two companies awaited, Angela went to the front of the formation. The Commander of the first company had assumed control of both. He looked to the pale woman.

"We only lost four. I'm taking over leadership of both companies, since the Captain of the second company is dead." He was surprisingly stalwart, and ready to get going. There wasn't a hint of hesitation in his voice. The Swiss had clearly sent some very hardy soldiers. It brought a bit of relief to Angela, who nodded her head.

"Very well. I'm leaving all of this in your capable hands, Commander." She sighed, bringing a hand to her head. "I hope your soldiers aren't as tired as I am."

The Captain shook his head. "We never tire. These two companies are the best Switzerland could send. I'm former Special Forces, and the rest of my company are my own hand-picked platoons. The General ordered me to gather the best I could to assist Egypt, so that two companies would feel more like a Battalion. The 2nd Company was hand-picked by other other Captain, who was a combat veteran. He knew what it takes to win a war."

Angela felt even more relief. "Fareeha will be happy to hear that your soldiers are all so tough. Maybe things will go well after all."

[Ambiguity]

They were moving out.

Since dawn broke this morning, Fareeha worked with her officers to get the jumpers fit to fight. The two days were too short, and she wished she could offer her people more. They deserved it; however, Egypt demanded them back into the fight. A fight that non shied away from. Omnic forces, from her briefing, were near through the Cairo defense line. Since their advance was halted at that front, more machines had been sent to break through. Bastion and sneaks from what Fareeha recalled.

For all that they lacked, the omnic leadership was smart. Though they were machines and could learn everything quickly, integrating the piece of information was where it'd become difficult for them. A foolish thought. Fareeha constantly had to remind herself that these toasters were granted a hyper aware AI program designed by the world's greatest scientists. Of course they'd be smart. If she were in their position to command, she'd have more bastion classes to while sneaks flanked and moved in close. The ESF was dug in well in certain locations. Heavies had to enter the ESF artillery zone to fire upon the lines or else the ESF would be out of their range. Her company was an exception. They along with several other companies were part of the break through, which had gone to hell.

The sun beamed down upon her shoulders, a stark contrast to the gentle morning dawn. Dressed in full battle gear, Fareeha stood next to Alawa with a map. She pointed at the ESF established lines then a position past that. "They want us to punch back into the city."

"Can't believe it. The toasters have that area locked down. If we could only go more east! Sometimes, I feel Command wants to wrack up the casualty list."

Fareeha agreed wholeheartedly. "Any suggestions?"

"You would have us die, ma'am?"

Her hand tightened around the map as she stared coldly at her First Lieutenant. "You - my men - have never been expendable."

Alawa had the decency to look down. "Pardon me, captain. It's just-"

"At the end of the day, we're soldiers, lieutenant. We follow orders; we win; we die," she said. Her eyes moved east of their insertion point. What would be so terrible about altering their approach? The artillery wouldn't be showering when they advanced. The other companies were entering at different areas. The Swiss companies' mission was a mystery to her. Angela would handle that. She had to focus on the 5th. "How we do it, however, is up to us."

"Ma'am?"

Fareeha handed the map to Alawa. "Omnic presence is extremely laxed to the east. It'll still be a hard fight, but we can at least flank. Provided our approach is not from the ground."

"You mean to dive in. Yes." Alawa pointed at the point he had in mind. His brows furrowed. "We dive in at this point. Not only would bastions have to reposition, but we could shower Ra death until we land. It'll be a ground war from there," he said. "We'll still lose people, but it won't be as much as our intended IP. Ma'am?"

Soldiers were supposed to follow orders. She'd just told Alawa that and now said something that contradicted that statement. Following orders, however, shouldn't be a justified excuse for acting foolish. This war couldn't be won by conventional nor old-traditional thoughts of war. Minds had to overcome the superior intelligence of the AIs to safeguard the preservation of humanity. With all this blood shed in payment for the preservation of the human race, may future generations learn from the mistakes done by her generation. For the future, she'd pay the price. Whatever the cost.

"Circulate it to the others." About to head to check in with the other companies that were heading out with her, Fareeha heard an explosion from somewhere. She lowered herself instinctively to ground and saw the plume of smoke in the distance. "Alawa! On me. You as well!" A handful of jumpers, in full gear, moved with her as they neared the source of the smoke. It didn't take long to find the burning Swiss helicopter. They'd arrived too late to help with S&R.

She walked up to Angela who looked worn out. Fareeha frowned. Concern etched across her face. She looked at her people. "Lieutenant, go see what you can do. Take the others with you." She looked back to the Swiss. "Angela, are you alright?" Then she addressed the Swiss soldier who stood before Angela. She looked at his rank stenciled on his uniform. "Welcome to Egypt, Captain. Captain Amari of the 5th Company ESF Sky Jumper. Were there any casualties en route?"

[Dewey Deftones]

The Captain brought his hand up in a sharp salute when Fareeha approached, despite their equal ranking. This was her home turf, therefor she had the upper rank. At least, that's how he saw it. Angela looked up at Fareeha, who was clad in her blue armor, ready to go. She clasped her hands in front of her.

"I'll be alright, Fareeha. Don't worry." She assured, before allowing the two soldiers to talk. Kalte, the Captain of the Swiss forces, dropped his salute though he didn't relax in the slightest. This man was stiff as a board through and through.

"Glad to be here to assist, Captain Amari. We were attacked over Greece, but the only casualties were from the crash. Four killed. The injured were healed by the doctor and are back on their feet and ready to deploy. We're all under Doctor Ziegler's command, so it is her choice as to what we do." He reported, looking beside him to the tired Swiss woman, who spoke again.

"My orders are for you to follow Captain Amari's lead. I'm no soldier, I couldn't command a squad, let alone a whole two companies."

Kalte nodded his head. "Very well. Captain," He turned his green eyes to Fareeha's. "A small rundown of the strengths and capabilities of my forces so you know how to command us; we're infantry, capable of carrying out hard assaults and pulling quick defensive tactics. There are three medics in each company, one for each platoon. Our primary strength is fighting on the ground. Most of us are combat veterans who know the omnics well. The few that are fresh came out of training with top scores, and are just as capable as the rest. My second in command since the death of the other Captain is Lieutenant Messer. If I am killed, he will take my place. I myself am former Spec Ops. I can carry out solo objectives if the need arises. Know that these soldiers are loyal to whomever is said is their leader. I will tell them that you are in charge, and that they are to follow your orders above mine. Each one of us is prepared to risk our lives for your country. All in all, we're ready when you are. Just say the word and we'll move out."

Angela didn't know why she felt so surprised by the professionalism in her countryman's voice. He was as soldierly as they came, and looked almost twice the age of Fareeha. He'd likely refused promotions in order to stay on the battlefield instead of running a desk. He left nothing more to be wanted. Kalte was a very capable leader, and an excellent soldier. Angela felt a sense of pride swelling up in her. This was her country's best.

[Ambiguity]

Fareeha nodded. "I'm sorry about your men. They'll be remembered."

The quick transfer of chain of command surprised Fareeha. There weren't many officers that were willing to give up command of their troops except to a superior officer. Captain Kalte and her were of the same rank. She supposed him being in her country allowed for the transfer of leadership be much more straight forward.

He was professional though. The description he quickly gave for his men was circumspect despite its brevity. Quick and hard was what she got from the Swiss captain. Flexible too. Fareeha thought how the two companies were going to work with her plan. The dive strategy only applied to jumpers due to the jet packs. The Swiss couldn't do that and the ESF didn't have the equipment to outfit them either. The g-force tolerance and force was a problem as well. A new plan was needed. Making one before they were supposed to move out, however, wasn't possible.

Fareeha bit the inside of her cheek. Thinking. "Firstly, again, thank you for coming. I shall treat your men like my own," she said. "Here's the problem, Captain. Orders are to move out in twenty. The section we're to assault is heavily fortified. I came up with a way to invade, but it involves diving. Your men don't seem to be of that speciality." Pulling out a map from her pack, she unfolded it. She motioned to Captain Kalte and Angela to take a look. She indicated enemy positions relayed from infiltration teams. Whether they were accurate or not was a different story. "Here's our staging area for the dive. A strategy we implement is close to the old Blitzkrieg term. Lightning war. We'll clear the omnics from the sky, draw their attention at the least.

"Once our attack starts, move your companies in at this position. I would expect the omnics to expect a northern rather than southeastern." Looking at the captain, Fareeha wondered if he'd be willing to follow through. The plan wasn't the most thought out. How could it? She wasn't expecting to assume command over the extra two companies; command would've wanted jurisdiction. However, if it was Swiss orders to have them follow Angela's orders, which she then gave reins over to Fareeha, then she was now responsible. "It's not perfect. Speak freely."

[Dewey Deftones]

Kalte listened closely and inspected the map with experienced eyes. When Fareeha finished speaking, he took a moment to think before he opened his mouth. Angela stood idly by, not having the knowledge of military tactics that these two did. However, she'd need to know what the plan was so that she could make the most of her own capabilities as an advanced medic.

Kalte pointed to the position on the map where the Swiss companies would infiltrate. "Once your jumpers distract the omnic with an assault from the skies, my companies can press forward from here. If your scouts are correct and the omnics are fortified on these positions," He motioned to the portions on the map that showed where the heaviest omnic defenses were. "We can split the two companies to spread out. If I know the omnics like I do, they're most deadly when their targets are clustered together. Especially those Bastion units. So, when my companies move in, we'll form up around the omnics in a wide pattern and try to take out as many as we can. Even if they take some of us out, the more we weaken their defenses from the ground, the harder you guys can hit them from above, and the less danger you'll be in. A few of my troops are equipped with grenade launchers attached to their rifles, including my own. The Bastion units will be killed if they sit in sentry mode. We can force them to stand up and move, which weakens their defense."

Angela continued to be impressed by the Captain. If he survived this assault, he'd surely go on to lead more missions alongside Fareeha, so long as the Swiss remained deployed here.

Kalte looked to Fareeha, determination in his eyes. "Doctor Ziegler would need to be somewhere else, as opposed to with those on the frontlines if she wishes to be safe and make use of her healing. It's the best plan that I can think of for the ground troops to follow, but it is still very dangerous. In twenty-two years of service, I've ever done missions harder than those that are against the omnics."

Angela's eyes widened a bit in surprise; twenty-two years? That was more military service than most people she knew. Even some senior officers didn't have that amount of time spent enlisted. However, she didn't take lightly to the fact that he wanted her to stay off of the frontlines.

"Captain Kalte, with all due respect, I disagree with where you would prefer me to be. I am not a soldier, but my place is not on the backlines of the fight. I will go where I am needed. I will go where the wounded are." She insisted.

Kalte looked to the doctor, and for a moment, she could almost see defiance in his gaze, but he quickly nodded his head. "Very well, Doctor. But know how valuable you are. You are the best doctor in the world for what you can do. Losing you means losing many more people than we would if you remained safe."

[Ambiguity]

Fareeha listened to the two talk. About to voice her agreement with Kalte that Angela should remain behind, Angela spoke up and requested she stay with the soldiers. Was it something about healing in danger that the doctor liked? After their talk from yesterday, Fareeha heavily doubted that was the case. Angela didn't seem war prone and did it because it saved others when they should've died. She witnessed that first hand when Angela saved many from her company. Many of them wouldn't be here if it weren't for the doctor. Tactically, it made sense for Angela to come with her. Personally too. It was nice having a non-military person to talk to. Doctor Marsala didn't count.

"She'll stay with your ground forces," Fareeha said. "My company will be mobile once we take to the air. I'd rather not have you risk getting shot down. Support Captain Kalte's forces." She put away the map. "We have our plan. Captain? No unnecessary risks. Too many lives have already been lost. We need to break the omnic line, but we can ill afford an assault of attrition."

Looking at the two, she played with her helmet. The pre-operation anticipation grinded away at her insides. She was scared, but so was she excited. "We'll move in twenty. Brief your men, Captain. We'll be a bit behind operation schedule, but it's best to be thorough."

---

They were behind schedule.

Reaching their jump point, Fareeha checked in with her officers. All jumpers were ready while support personnel hung back with a defense guard before moving in. There was no reason for the doctors and medics to die if they weren't successful. However, success was all she could think about. Repeatedly drilled into the heads of her men, success started from the mind, which then spread into actions. A coward's mindset begets the coward.

Receiving confirmations that her company was ready to jump, she opened communications to Kalte's company. "Operation commencing. Follow the plan, and we'll be alright." She paused for a second. "May we meet again across the Nile, Captain. Angela."

Ending the communication to the ground team, she switched to her company's feed. "We jump so Egypt may live. May we meet again across the Nile's shores. On my mark." Fareeha counted down in her head. "Mark."

The sound of a company of jet packs ignited in unison as the jumpers took to the sky. An army of shadows slide across the ground. As Fareeha neared the point where the omnics were fortified at, rounds of enemy fire saturated the sky as jumpers all around her fell to their deaths.

Taking aim, Fareeha fired into the omnics below. She let out a primal scream as her Ra Seeker found their marks and Bastion classes fell from its awesome power. A round caught her in the shoulder blade, but it didn't pierce her armor. It'd be one hell of a bruise. Shrug it off later she thought to herself. She, her jumpers, had a war to win.

[Dewey Deftones]

Angela tried hard to contain her anxiety. The deployment came in a flash, and they soon arrived at what would be a combat zone for the next... who knew how long? When Fareeha and her jumpers took to the skies, it seemed that almost instantly there were wounded to deal with. The medics were fast, moving to the wounded, pulling them out of the line of sight of the omnics and working on their wounds. Angela was no exception, even in her exhausted state.

She used her Valkyrie suit to glide across the battlefield as fast as one could run if not faster, conserving energy by not using her legs to run. Landing next to a fallen jumper, she quickly assessed the man's wounds. His right arm was in shreds, and he had multiple bullet wounds in his chest. Likely the unfortunate target of a Bastion unit in turret form. She dragged the heavy trooper aside, then began removing his armor. Blood poured from the wounds, and the man was hardly breathing. Angela took a deep breath and got to work, using her healing on the most vital parts first. She drew a line with one hand slowly over where the arteries in the torso trailed, while one hand lay flat against his chest, keeping his heart beating. Slowly, his breathing picked up, but he wasn't out of danger yet. Looking over what was left of his arm, Angela sighed slightly. There wasn't really anything left for her to heal. She'd have to amputate.

Swinging her bag off of her shoulder, she retrieved a latex band to use as a tourniquet and a small laser cutter. This wasn't something she could do with her suit. After tying off the blood flow to the damaged limb, Angela used the laser cutter to quickly and efficiently remove the flayed, mangled skin and bone. Once the parts were cut off, now she placed her hand over the end of the stub, watching the skin heal rapidly beneath her fingers, covering the exposed muscle and bone. The amputation was safe and complete, and this man would live. With a prosthetic, he could easily go back to his days as a jumper.

She motioned to another medic, quickly telling him to drag the man to the backlines. The other nodded and lifted the healed jumper onto his shoulders, carrying him away. Angela took a deep breath to steady herself. Blood was staining the ground, and this battle had only just begun. Scanning the area with watchful eyes, Angela moved from casualty to casualty, healing those that could be saved, even allowing some to return to the fight. She saw once or twice the surprise on Fareeha's face when a downed jumper rocketed back up with ferocity in their eyes.

Kalte's soldiers were some of the fiercest ground troops Angela had seen in a long time. Some continued to fight while heavily wounded, waiting on a medic to get to them but never dropping their weapons unless to self-administer a tourniquet to stop bleeding. Angela tended to a few of them, forcing a few to leave the frontlines much to their disagreement.

For a stretch of time, it seemed that the fighting was at a stalemate, but then Kalte made one motion of his hand and the remaining Swiss troops moved forward towards the omnics. They were pressing forward, making progress. Angela moved forward with them, steady despite her own exhaustion. Her suit was doing what it could to regulate her body's temperature and condition, but even small bursts of adrenaline from the suit couldn't counteract her brain's need for rest. She hoped that this would end soon, but there was no end in sight. Not now, at least.

[Ambiguity]

A heavy exploded from its fortified position.

Touching down on the ground, a few of her jumpers joined her as they all went to ground. The gradually started to crumble as a core of Bastion classes whittled away at it. They needed to jump, but the raptoral systems could only sustain so much flight. It wouldn't be long though; however, the longer a jumper remained ground side, the less effective him or her would become. The sky was their domain. Not the ground.

A jumper went down beside her as Fareeha pulled the woman into cover. It was a replacement. Green as grass. "Medic!" she called out. Applying pressure to the wound site, sanguine liquid kept pulling out from the woman's chest. Fareeha didn't know her name, but she certainly wouldn't leave the jumper. Looking at the woman's eyes, she saw the spark of life turn from tenacious resistance of death to faded surrender. Fareeha pulled the jumper's dog tags and moved on.

Coming from behind, Fareeha was about to unleash a salvo of rockets at the sneak. It was a Swiss soldier. She lifted her weapon up. She waved the trooper over to her. "I need you to dig in and pull the omnic fire. My jumpers need to get airborne!"

"Yes, ma'am," said the Swiss soldier. He told the others with him the orders. They got into position he nodded at her.

"Jump!" Fareeha shouted above the weapon's discharge. Her group catapulted back into the air. She got a good view of the battle progression. Kalte's forces were pushing in hard with Angela doing her thing with the wounded. The omnic controlled territory were being pushed back too. They were doing well.

Firing into a building where a few B-classes were holding up, Fareeha fired a concussive blast as several units were dislodged from their fortifications. They cleaned up the dazed machines. "All jumpers, phase 2! Dive down and hold your assigned areas." She switched over to Kalte's channel. "Captain, my jumpers are entering phase 2. Sweep and make a perimeter. We'll pull back behind your lines when you're operational."

Landing on a building, Fareeha shot several rounds into a heavy. She ducked behind cover as the explosion of the heavy nearly blew her off her feet. Damn heavies always packed a metric shit ton of ordinance. About to move downstairs, Fareeha's eyes widened as a sharp, serrated metal blade punctured clean through a jumper. Jumping to intervene, something slammed into Fareeha. All breath left her body as she plummeted down onto the ground. She felt something crack in her body as pain laced through her in one dose.

Decloaking, a sneak rested on top of her. A metallic scream emanated from its metal mask of death. It brought its blade down towards her neck. Adrenaline kicking in, Fareeha brought her hands up and resisted the awesome force the sneak outputted. No matter how much she resisted, the blade drew ever closer.

Howling in rage and defiance, she gave one last push. The sneak's head exploded as it toppled over her body. Her face burned from the shrapnel as she was pulled up.

"Covering fire!"

A Swiss soldier carried her back to the lines of Swiss and jumpers combined. Rockets and bullets pelted against the remaining omnics as a medic saw to her when she was in relative safety.

Hey body ached though she laughed. She was long overdue for a reality check.

[Dewey Deftones]

Kalte's forced quickly moved into position, spreading out over the battlefield and taking ground inch by inch. With the omnic forces having to focus on multiple targets spread over a wide area, it was much easier to take them out. Grenades were lobbed into fortifications, rifles fired slews of bullets, chipping away at walls and soon busting through what soon became nothing but heaps of scrap. However, despite their success, the wounded were piling up. Where Fareeha was taken, most of the medics were taking care of people who had sustained very severe injuries or had been knocked completely unconscious. Jumpers that fell from the sky with minor wounds often had very hard landings that turned to more serious injuries, breaking bones, or at the worst rupturing internal organs.

Angela was still doing everything she could for those on the frontlines, dashing from soldier to soldier, mending their wounds and either letting them continue fighting or having another medic drag them off to the backlines. Sweat dripped from her face and blood stained her Valkyrie suit, but she pushed onward. There was no time to rest.

As she had both hands on the thigh of a woman whose femoral artery had been severed, she was almost done with the process of healing it when an explosive shell landed only a few feet away. The few who were in the area, three soldiers, Angela, and the wounded woman, were all knocked away from the blast. Angela slipped into unconsciousness.

-flashback-

"Ana, do you ever make the decision between life or death?"

"Hah... I am no angel of mercy like you. Most of what I deal is nothing but death."

"And yet you brought life into this world years ago."

"Indeed I did, Angela. Life is a wonderful thing. I try not to think about what I take away when I kill. Someone's mother, father, daughter, son... I don't know what I would do if I ever lost Fareeha."

"And what if she loses you?"

"The dead often come back as a shadow in a dream. She won't lose me forever. You are her friend, you know. What if she loses you?"

"I... don't know."

"Grief is burnt as fuel for life. The shadows in dreams become shadows on the walls and sometimes it feels as if you're fighting alongside them again. Hopefully Fareeha will come to terms with the pain she will feel when I go. Hopefully she won't have to see the day when you leave as well."

"You sure have some profound thoughts about death, Ana."

"They are only profound because you have yet to experience them."

-

Her ears rang as bullets rattled around her, shouts and commands were incomprehensible and muffled. Explosions in the distance and the stench of blood. Angela opened her eyes, blinking away the blurriness, looking around. A few soldiers were protecting her while a medic leaned over her torso. Jumpers in the sky rained down Hell on the omnics. Angela moved to sit up, but a wave of pain stopped her. The medic said something to her, pushing her back to lay down, but the Swiss woman was too dazed to understand what she'd said. The doctor lifted her head and peered at her body, seeing blood staining her abdomen. She was wounded, pretty badly from the looks of it.

She reached her hands down, feeling the wound, trying to focus what strength she had to heal it. It hurt, immensely. She cried out, gritting her teeth. She was sure there were tears in her eyes but it didn't matter. So this was how it felt for the nanotechnology to heal your body. It was far from painless.

After a few moments, the pain became only a dull ache and Angela grabbed the medic to help herself sit up. From the look of things, a few minutes had passed. Kalte's forces were farther forward than she'd remembered them to be, pressing even further into omnic defenses. The battle was still in their favor.

"Come on, Ziegler, we've got to get you out of here!" The female medic pleaded. Looking at her nametag, it said Kantor.

Angela finally understood what she was shouting at her. The doctor nodded her head, standing up with Kantor's help. She wrapped her arm around the woman's shoulders, allowing herself to lean on the medic for support as they walked to the backlines. Angela would have to resign herself from this fight. The exhaustion was too much at this point, and having been wounded... She'd need a bit of time to recover.

As she was sat down with the other wounded, Angela vaguely remembered the bizarre dream she'd had while unconscious. It was a memory. A time when she'd spoken to Ana back when the sniper was still around. She wondered now, if she understood what Ana had been talking about. In a flash, she recalled that she'd seen Fareeha get taken down, but only for a moment.

Before Kantor could leave, Angela grabbed the sleeve of her fatigues. "Fareeha... Is Captain Amari okay?" She asked. Kantor nodded her head.

"She'll be fine from what I saw. Sneak got close, and she got hurt, but she's being taken care of. I've got to get back out there, doc." She said before hurrying back to the frontlines.

The Swiss doctor breathed a quiet sigh of relief. If Fareeha was okay, the jumpers wouldn't lose hope. Angela herself wouldn't lose hope.

[Ambiguity]

"You're okay. Just hold still, Cap."

Meerian, a medic from her company, continued to clean up the face wounds Fareeha sustained from the sneak. Alawa had taken over command temporarily; she was in no condition to jump again. From the very brief report from Meerian, the face wounds were superficial. Light scarring perhaps. What concerned the medic more so was the impact from the sneak. A rib may have broke. She prayed that wasn't the case.

"I need you to fix me up." She resisted the urge to grunt in pain. She'd been through worse than mere shrapnel. It could've been worse as well.

"What I'm doing, Cap. We need to move you back," Meerian said. A round slammed into the wall they were behind, Meerian ducked while Fareeha sat there. There was nothing she could do.

"I will not leave," she said. Trying to get to her feet, she hissed as fire hot pain snaked within her chest. "Holy hell that burns..."

"That's why I said not to move!" Meerian scolded. Cleaning up the last shrapnel wound opening, she threw the contaminated supplies on the ground. "Begging your pardon, but you'll be dead weight. You can't jump - let alone stand." Meerian waved over a jumper. She began to deploy a stretcher. "We're getting you out of here, Cap. We've established a perimeter near our insertion point. You'll still be close. Don't worry."

Unable to argue due to the pain she felt from moving, Fareeha allowed herself to be placed on the stretcher as she moved away from the fighting.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair for her to not fight with her soldiers. She'd seen enough jumpers to plummet to their deaths that she felt like not fighting dishonored them. Her condition hardly made her useful though. Meerian was right. There was no way she could jump or handle the recoil from her rockets. If she really humped it out, she could stay ground side and orchestrate the attack. She could do it from behind as well, but there wasn't something significantly different from commanding in the rear to commanding in the front. Commanders lost perspective when they didn't experience what they're men did.

Reaching the secure zone just outside the radius of the front, Meerian and the jumper brought Fareeha to the hospital tent. Reinforcements were already starting to move in from the ESF to relieve her vanguard unit. Even if the battle had just started, her people were tired. Jumping took a lot out of you. Something that the medical branch in the ESF weren't afraid of sharing with jumpers and the brass.

Moved to a table, Meerian took a deep breath. "I'm heading back out, Cap. Get better. We need you."

Before Fareeha could say a word, the medic and the jumper quickly exited while the medical professionals in the field hospital began to strip off her armor. She swore as they prodded her chest. "So?"

The doctor looked at her. "We'll start treating the broken bone immediately."

"How long?"

"A few days. Depends on how well the muscle accelerant takes."

Fareeha shook her head. "One day."

The doctor rose an eyebrow. "With all due respect, you're not medically trained, yes?"

Fareeha didn't answer.

"That's what I thought." The doctor said something to a nurse before the nurse left. "We'll get it ready. You'll leave once you can, and I clear you. Conversation over."

The doctor left just as quickly leaving Fareeha by herself. She swore again and laid back. She listened to the explosions and gun fire in the distance. How many of her people had died already? The Swiss? She closed her eyes.

Too many.

[Dewey Deftones]

Angela wasn't one to sit still for long, even in her wounded and tired state. She was wasting space, sitting here on a cot in the hospital tent where a more seriously wounded individual could lay. The blonde woman stood up, hand clutching over her abdomen. It still hurt quite a bit. It was likely that the wound wasn't completely healed, that there was still some internal damage that she'd have to be cautious about. The blood that stained her suit was now mostly her own, but she'd pay it no mind. It was the blood of others that bothered her most.

She stepped out into the middle lane of the tent, the cots lining the walls giving space for transport. There were thin partitions set up between beds so that there was a meager amount of privacy, and as well so that each wounded person wouldn't have to look over and possibly see the mangled body of a comrade. Angela soon spotted Fareeha, laying in one, stripped of her armor, battered and bandaged. Nothing too serious, it seemed, but enough to take her out of the fight. She couldn't imagine how much more it hurt Fareeha to be forced away from her duty.

The Swiss woman walked over to the side of the cot, sitting down on the edge of it. She likely looked like hell, but had to see if there was anything that she could do to ease the Egyptian jumper's pain, whether it be mental or physical. She cared too much to just let her lay here.

"Fareeha... How are you feeling?"

[Ambiguity]

Laying there by herself, Fareeha felt the effects of the rush wear off. A sensation she long became accustomed to. Her chest still throbbed, but her body slowly acclimated. The doctor hadn't returned. Not his fault in her eyes. Wounded filled every cot in her area of the medical tent. Many were far worse off than her. Her gaze lingered on a Swiss soldier who stared up at the ceiling. His right arm was removed and bandaged while his foot was placed in a cast. Prosthetics would replace what mobility he lost, but it took time for the body to get used to. The shock factor existed too. The pain couldn't be remedied. She felt for him. Surely he hadn't enlisted to give up so much on foreign land.

Trying to move again, Fareeha grunted as her chest flared up immediately. Stubbornness had got her through a lot of things. This, however, was just stupid and she knew that. Being useless, however, wasn't in her DNA. Where the hell was that doctor? Was it so hard to deliver bone remedy medication? She had no medical experience, but it didn't look that difficult. It was just a pill. Right?

About to close her eyes again, Fareeha caught a familiar face. Angela. Her eyes moved directly to her abdomen where the woman was clutching. Fareeha waited for Angela to sit down. She looked exhausted. Hurt. How many lives had she saved? That didn't matter. Even one life was enough.

Fareeha waved off her question. She bit her tongue to quell any outcry of pain from the movement. "I'm more worried about you," she said slowly. "Have ... you been looked at yet?"

[Dewey Deftones]

Angela shook her head. There was likely no point in her being seen anyways; not only could she take care of herself, but her injuries weren't something that anyone had the time to remedy. She'd heal them on her own when she had the strength to. There were others who needed attention more than her.

"No, I haven't been seen yet. There's not much of a point to anyone putting time into my wounds anyways. I healed myself as much as I could, though I'm certain there are still some internal wounds that are sorting themselves out... An explosive shell landed only a few feet away from me. It could have been much worse. I think the soldiers near me took the brunt of the blast. I was knocked unconscious for... I'm guessing a few minutes. From what I saw through my pain, Kalte's forces are continuing forward. The battle is in our favor right now. I think it's okay for us to rest. We did our part the best that we could, but..." Angela paused, tensing as a wave of pain tore through her. She cursed to herself, hand gripping her wounded abdomen. "Scheiße..."

She reached for Fareeha's hand for support, holding it tightly. "I may be a doctor but pain is not something I experience often.. Not like this, anyways."

[Ambiguity]

Danger was something many doctors weren't expecting to experience. Why would they? Spending all those years in school, training to save lives in hospitals, Fareeha expected many to not want to work in hazardous conditions. The pay wasn't bad from what she'd heard. Spend a few years after training, and you could live a good life. Good house, financial security, the works. Sometimes she wondered what she'd be doing if she wasn't in the service. Start a family somewhere. Maybe go into engineering.

It was all moot now. She'd chosen her path. There was no going back.

When Angela gripped her hand for support, Fareeha frowned. Angela didn't belong here. There were so many places where she could've gone instead and had more of an impact. But she chose to come here. Fareeha squeezed Angela's hand back. Her frown turning into a pained smile.

"I tried to give you a chance to reconsider. When you first came." Trying to move, Fareeha grunted in pain. She laid back down. Her ribs alight with beautiful, cruel pain. "My ... ribs are broken. I would let you lie down, but ... I just can't, really, move."

Not taking her eyes off Angela for a moment, she looked at the woman's wounds. "You should have someone look at that. In the field, no wound's a small wound." Too many soldiers passed away from infection during the war. Not enough supplies were circulated. "I hope they're doing alright. The assault. I should be there."

[Dewey Deftones]

Angela thought to herself for a moment, thinking on what would happen if she were taken away from the soldiers for longer than need be. She was the reason many still lived, and if the wounded didn't have her, then... well, they would be more than just wounded. Normal medics couldn't do what she could. Often times, extremely traumatic injuries like loss of more than one limb, head trauma, or sever internal injuries were too much to handle even for the most well trained.

She grit her teeth, not only in pain but in frustration. She was exhausted. There was no doubt that if she tried to use her suit, something would go wrong. She'd never tried before, never actually tested the limits of her own capabilities. She tried to always stay within reason, and never push things further than what she could physically handle.

But she didn't want to be a burden on the other doctors and medics. Doctors shouldn't have to treat other doctors.

"Fareeha... I... I'm going to try to treat myself in my current state. I've never tried doing so when I'm this tired, but I don't want to be a burden. I don't want others to waste supplies on me. So... bear with me. And please don't let go of my hand." She took a breath to steady herself, closing her eyes to focus. The hand gripping her abdomen was her tool, her scalpel, her gauze, her syringe and stitches. She flattened her fingers over her injuries and where the pain was the worst, beginning to heal herself very slowly. The pain worsened at first and she gripped Fareeha's hand very tightly, but it began to ebb away slowly, like ice melting.

Her face contorted in pain for a few moments before she was able to relax, her grip on Fareeha's hand loosening. She felt dizzy, but not in so much pain as she had been. She hadn't fixed everything, but it was enough not to cripple her.

However, her exhaustion now reached a point where she could hardly move. She opened her eyes slowly, letting go of Fareeha's hand to clasp her own head, as if holding it would somehow bring relief. "Okay... I can't do any more... I can breathe again but... I feel faint. But at least no one will have to waste anything on me... now I can just sleep... and heal on my own."

She moved to stand up, but immediately it felt like the room was spinning. She sat back down quickly, shaking her head.

"No use... I'll just fall if I stand up." She inhaled deeply. "God, even when I saved Genji from death and rebuilt him from scratch I didn't feel this way... I wish that I had the strength to heal you right now as well, Fareeha. I know you want to be with your soldiers."

[Ambiguity]

It didn't take a trained physician to know that was a bad idea. Even with the expertise that Angela possessed, a human being could only push him or herself so far. Certainly, a person's breaking point varied. Some push themselves to unimaginable feats while others failed from the get go. It was how you perceived the challenge that would determine how successful you'd be. However, if the body couldn't keep up with the mind, that was how mistakes happened.

Fareeha shook her head and was about to voice her disagreement, but Angela had already started the process. Unable to do anything but wait in silence, she gripped Angela's hand. The pain was painted clear on Angela's face. Whatever the nano machines or whatever the doctor used did, whatever pain felt from the recovery wasn't mitigated. Fareeha supposed there were trade offs to the miracle medicine. Efficacy in lieu of comfort. It wasn't such a bad a trade off all things considered. It would've just been an added bonus. Fareeha was certainly thankful for the technology, even if Angela was the only one who could use it.

Painful moments passed until Angela finally opened her eyes. Though she looked fine, Fareeha's bubble of worry had yet to pop. Letting Angela's hand go, she watched intently as the doctor tried to stand up. The telltale signs of nausea and dizziness assailed the doctor as she sat back down.

Fareeha grimaced. She reached out and rested her hand on Angela's lap. She fixed her with the best 'try that again, and I'll knock you out' look. "This is different. You were wounded. I doubt you were when fixing him up. You rest up. You hear? I don't need Swiss brass drilling me with questions. I can't let anything happen to you. Permanently anyway." Looking back at her healing ribs, Fareeha exhaled. "I could never ask you to heal me in your condition. You have nothing to be sorry for."

Trying to shift in her cot, Fareeha bit her tongue as acute pain flamed through her midsection. She laid back down and moved as little as possible. She chuckled. "I would offer you the cot," she said. She looked around. All the medical personnel were occupied. "What can I do for you, Angela? I'll do what I can."

[Dewey Deftones]

Angela offered a smile of humor, finding the situation to be a tad on the funny side. Neither of them were going anywhere, and in Fareeha's condition, what was she to do to help Angela do anything? The Swiss woman shook her head. She should have healed Fareeha with what strength she had. At least then, Fareeha could continue to do her duty. Angela was no use, even with her wounds more or less healed.

"There is nothing more that can be done to aid either of us, it seems." She sighed, looking down at the hand on her lap. She placed her own hand over Fareeha's. If only she was stronger, she could have kept healing. She could have kept working hard, saving lives. "But we can support each other, at least. I'm sure your soldiers will give you an update when they have a moment away from the battle. Though... I assure you, Kalte is a wonderful soldier. He's leading his troops alongside yours very well, from what I saw."

Angela watched as the other medics and doctors shuffled down the aisle with wounded to tend to. She bit her lip, furrowing her brow in frustration. Why of all people did she have to get injured? People were dying, and she couldn't help them. She couldn't even stand up to help herself.

"I wish... I wish I could be stronger. I could have kept going if..." She sighed, shaking her head, her own anger wetting her eyes, making the crystalline blue color glass over. No, this wasn't the time to cry. 'Keep it together, Angela. You've been through worse.' She tried to reassure herself mentally, but in all truth, this was the worst scenario she'd ever been in. Through all the death and despair that came with her job as a doctor, she'd seen much stress. More than your average person, that was certain. But war, with the devastating nature of every bullet that whizzed through the air, was not something she would ever get used to nor would she ever like. In fact, she was opposed to fighting wars, but it was the only way to stop the omnics. Machines didn't listen to thought or reason. They were programmed. The only thing they could learn was how to adapt to enemy strategies, and how to most efficiently kill a human being.

"Fareeha... I'm so sorry." She couldn't help but apologize, her optimism crushed. She didn't want Fareeha to see her so weak.

[Ambiguity]

Fareeha smiled. "Broken together it is. Hopefully not for long though," she said. She appreciated the words from Angela concerning Kalte. Since his arrival, his professionalism spoke more than words or compliments could. Fareeha was less stressed knowing he was out there. As the ranking officer, he would assume control. She expected her officers to adapt accordingly. "The fight goes on. With or without me. I'm sure he's a fine officer. I ... trust his judgment."

Closing her eyes, Fareeha relaxed into the spartan, hard cot. Every chance of resting and catching sleep wasn't something she could ignore. The smell of medicine and a sterile environment was welcomed compared to gun powder, blood, burning flesh, and sweat. What she wouldn't give up for things to return back to the way there were when she was a child. She didn't have a care in the world. Days would be spent at school, mom teaching her how to defend herself, and running around with everyone at Overwatch.

War robbed her of that life. All she could do now was cower like a civilian or take up arms to end this war one way or another. What had she lost since the war began? What humanity had she lost to ensure the survival of ESF members as well as keeping civilian casualties to a minimum? There was no hiding from the fact that many would die for cause or not. Fareeha didn't like war. She didn't like violence, but sometimes it was necessary. Such as this where humanity's survival hinged on the efforts of those brave enough to stand against their creations.

Reopening her eyes and centering on Angela, the doctor's eyes glistened with moisture. Fareeha was at a loss of what to do. She'd seen men cry in combat when comrades fell or when they snapped. Outside of those situations, however, she wasn't the greatest at consoling.

"Some aren't cut out for this life," she said. She looked at the other wounded. Some in worse condition than her. She got off lucky. "You see doctors running around in the ESF due to the mandatory conscription. Voluntary service was repelled due to the need of soldiers. Most don't want to be here. Why? Because at any minute, a stray bullet could find you. You came here voluntarily. I'd say that makes you plenty strong. Wars isn't won solely on soldiers. The support matters. A lot."

Low on air, Fareeha stopped talking. The broken ribs made it hard for her to breathe fully. A few days of this was going to piss her right off.

[Dewey Deftones]

Fareeha's works struck deep and made a lot of sense. Likely more than half of the people fighting in the ESF weren't soldiers, had never been one, and had never intended to ever become one. And the doctors were probably used to their calm and sterile clinics, where all was quaint and easy. This place, this battleground... Angela couldn't imagine your average doctor ever volunteering to be here.

Then again, she wasn't your average doctor. She was the most well-regarded researcher in the world, and one of the most excellent practitioners of the modern day. It wasn't just a job to her. This was her passion and her life. People could fight with bombs and guns all they wanted, but when it came down to it, they would need to be tended to in the aftermath. Being in Angela's capable hands was likely a blessing; when she wasn't absolutely exhausted, that was.

The Swiss woman squeezed Fareeha's hand. "You shouldn't talk too much. Try to get some rest, I won't be going anywhere so at the least, you'll have me watching over you to make sure nothing happens."

Before Fareeha could relax, however, a Swiss soldier peeked in, looking relieved as he found the two. He stepped into the partitioned area, saluting the two women.

"Private Karson, reporting. I have a message from Captain Kalte." He announced. Angela somehow found herself expecting the worst. Had their frontline been annihilated? Were there too many wounded?

"The fight goes well. The omnics are pushed to their last defenses. We've sustained a lot of injuries, but a low amount of deaths from them. Some are still fighting the battle even with wounds. It should be over soon, and with our victory. Kalte wanted to see if we could evacuate the wounded from the area early, so that there is more time for them to rest, so that all could be ready to fight sooner. He told me to ask you both." Karson explained.

"Both of us?" Angela raised a brow. "I'm not a Commander. Fareeha has the highest rank."

Karson nodded. "I'm just following orders, ma'am, I realize you're not a soldier. Captain Amari, what would you advise us to do while the remaining Swiss and ESF forces finish off the omnic presence here?"