Chapter Four

Croc Master was not pleased. He'd already lost a STUN and nine men. Of course the losses didn't brother him. Men and material could be replaced, but he was furious at the fact that some dared to intrude into his jungle. He glanced around the control room, seeing various feeds of data and video scroll across the numerous monitors manned by his Televipers. He'd personally taken charge of the control room after Patrol Four and Search Two had gone off the air. The closer the intruders got to the MARS factory the more difficult life would become for them. He'd already ordered his personal team of Range Vipers and two transport helicopters on standby. As soon as the slightest sign of these intruders showed up he would personally destroy them. They wanted to have his jungle? Fine, they could rot in it.
"Sir, we've just had a series of six of our mines detonate in Sector 41-B." A Televiper reported as he stared at a series of alerts that had suddenly shown up on his monitor.
"Excellent." Croc Master said as he headed towards the door. Cobra Commander had called him paranoid when he and his Range Vipers had personally seen to setting the traps and attaching special sensors to them. "Well Commander, it looks like my 'paranoia' has born fruit. I told you no one would survive my jungle, even if I have to deal with them myself." Croc Master said as under his breath as he headed towards the helipad.


Explosions. Behind him. His team. Covergirl! Ripcord shot to his feet and began to run towards where his team was. He stopped himself before he took the first step. He remembered a speech on fear given by a General Schwarzkopf during one of the 82nd's pass-in-reviews, telling a story about soldiers in a minefield panicking. That was the last thing they needed to do. "Everybody stay still!" He yelled over the radio, "Status?"
"Check. We're okay." Came the voice of Covergirl over the radio.
"Okay here too." Zap came in.
"Me and Fastdraw are fine." Hotseat said before continuing, "What the hell just happened?"
"Land mine got tripped." Came back Covergirl's response. There was the click of someone's radio starting to transmit but it never finished. The thin stretched column immediately went silent as the steady beat of rotor blades was heard. Everyone tensed up as the sounds kept getting louder. Ripcord looked up into the dense canopy, as a large shadow blotted out the light starting to appear from the rising sun. Ripcord saw the leaves in the canopy above whipping back and forth. The chopper had to be right above them. 'Don't move,' he told himself in his mind, 'the canopy is too thick, we're to well camouflaged. They can't see us. Don't move.' Suddenly ropes burst through the leaves, landing on the forest floor with a dull thud. Ripcord wanted to yell 'scatter' at the top of his lungs. He couldn't. That would just get people killed for sure. He dropped to a knee and sighted up to where the ropes disappeared into the canopy. He took stock. 11 ropes. 11 people. They had to be quick about this. Suddenly the sound of heavy gun fire broke into the air. A hailstorm of bullets ripped through the canopy and tore into the ground around them. Ripcord fought the urge to dive away. His grip on the rifle was white knuckled under his gloves. He could only wait as dirt was kicked up around him. Focus on the ropes. Focus on the ropes. Suddenly after what felt like a lifetime, a pair of legs burst through the canopy. He didn't hesitate. Three quick squeezes of the trigger. The man on the rope he had drawn a bead on jerked violently; a scream was heard as his repel turned into a eighty foot freefall. The canopy erupted with fire. They didn't want to share the fate of their comrade. Figures appeared sliding down the ten remaining ropes. Nine Range Vipers in uniforms with an alligator pattern on them along with a man in black pants and the same alligator pattern on his sleeveless shirt and boots. All of them were firing Bizon-2 submachine guns at the ground below. Ripcord's mind screamed for him to dive for cover. He couldn't, he could only return fire. He grabbed hold of one of the ropes that had fallen almost on top of him and jerked it violently towards another rope. The Range Viper on the rope was ready. He held onto the rope with all this might. His partner wasn't. The first Range Viper collided with his teammate who was busy trying to sight up on one of the Joes. The engrossed Range Viper lost his grip on the rope, sending him barreling down to the jungle floor. His sixty foot fall ended a few feet from Ripcord, who almost sworn he heard the man's bones break. Ripcord looked back up to sight another Range Viper. He saw three more fall under the fire from his squad. Six men left. Ripcord found his next target but he never got a chance to squeeze the trigger. Something slammed into his gut. It sent him flying back about eight feet and his weapon went spiraling away from him. He landed against a tree trunk, blackness clawing at the edge of his vision. He tried to focus. Tried to stay lucid. The remaining Range Vipers had hit the ground and were trading fire with his squad. At first he thought it wasn't real. There was a huge man approaching him. Repeater? No. It was the man that repelled in with the Range Vipers. Ripcord fought a swiftly losing battle to stay alert. He saw the man stop a few feet in front of him. Ripcord blinked. As his eyes opened he was staring down the muzzle of the man's Bizon-2.
"You should not have come to my jungle." Ripcord was brought back to reality as a high pitched scream tore into his mind. He saw a flash in the distance and cloud of smoke. Less than a second later there was a bright light and a loud sound. As more of the darkness lifted from Ripcord's head he realized what had happened. Fastdraw had just hit the helicopter with one of his two LAWs. Ripcord and his executioner looked up to see the helicopter start to fall through the canopy. Ripcord reacted instantly. It was certain death or possible death. He didn't hesitate. He shot to his feet and dove further away from the where the helicopter would come down. As he watched the mine laden ground rush up at him, he prayed to see Covergirl again. That's when it happened. He felt the explosion more than he heard it.

He felt heat. He heard fire. He slowly opened his eyes. The darkness provided by the canopy was gone. It looked like every inch of the jungle was on fire. As his senses processed everything he took stock of himself. He was on the ground spread out on his belly. Other than some bumps and bruises he seemed okay. He slowly tilted his head up, his eyes falling three short, thin metal rods sticking up from the ground, just inches from his face. "Holy shit..." He trailed off in a small voice. As carefully as he could he slowly put his feet under himself and stood. He started to bring his M-16 up when his realized it had flown away from him earlier. Ripcord reached down and pulled his M-1911 out of its holster on his hip. As he took the safety off he pistol his eyes scanned the area. Smoke, fire, and twisted metal were everywhere. Occasionally he'd see a haphazard, smoldering mass that he could only assume was a body. He shuttered at the thought that it might be one of his squad. "Status?" He asked into the receiver. No answer. It must be broken. It has to be broken. Maybe they'd be in shouting distance. "Sta-" Ripcord's word was cut short as he saw a figure appear from behind a tree. Ripcord recognized the man from earlier and immediately raised his pistol. He wasn't fast enough. A massive leg slammed into his gut and sent him into a tree trunk. The man was on top of Ripcord before he knew it. He grabbed Ripcord's arm before he could raise his pistol, and slamming it into the tree. Ripcord inhaled sharply as the pistol slipped from his grip. Still recovering from the pain in his hand he wasn't ready when the man back fisted him in the chest, forcing the air from his lungs. Wheezing and trying to keep the pain the in his body from overtaking his senses he felt the big Cobra flip him over. He felt the man's hands wrap around his chin and the back of his kevlar. Ripcord's mind flashed back to the Frag Viper at the A10 complex. No! The man started to turn Ripcord's head. Ripcord strained to resist, forcing the man to put even more of his strength into his killing blow. Ripcord clawed at the man's forearms with one arm, forcing laughter from the man.
"The last thing you will hear is the cracking of your vertebrae, one by one!" A thousand things rushed through his head, none offering any help until the image of Covergirl's face entered his mind. No! His free hand, shaking violent from the intense strain his body was putting out to fight the man, he began to fumble with the snap on his knife's scabbard. The strap snapped open, dropping the knife into his hand.
"NO!" Ripcord yelled as his arm shot up, sending the knife barreling at the Cobra's face. The Cobra broke his hold to block the incoming knife. He was too late. The tip of the knife connected with the Cobra's eye. Ripcord heard a deafening high pitched scream as a warm fluid hit the back of his neck. Neither was enough for him to feel sorry for the Cobra. He jerked the hilt down, feeling more resistance. The screaming continued as the man's grip went limp, sending Ripcord sprawling out on the ground. He saw the Cobra stumble off into the jungle, screaming all the way. He focused on the spot of the jungle where the Cobra had disappeared, half expecting him to return like a demon. The green of the jungle started to blur, then darkness.


"STATUS" Came the call from Hotseat over the radio after the sounds of firefight ended. That's one. The team had pretty much scattered to take on the Range Vipers.
"Heavy Metal - Check." That's two.
"Zap - Check." Three.
"Repeater - Check" Four
"Covergirl - Check" Five
"Fast Draw - Checked, locked, and fully loaded." Six. Silence. Seven. She thought slowly… There are seven of us. No….
"Ripcord, STATUS?" Hotseat called into the radio. Again, Silence. Why? Why Ripcord? "RIPCORD, SAY AGAIN, STATUS!"
"I saw him last holding them off, right near where the chopper came down…" Zap's statement put a lump in her throat tight enough to keep her from breathing. No…
"Search parties, double up." She was closest physically to Fast Draw. Fast Draw who shot the LAW rocket, bringing the entire chopper down. Fast Draw, who she'd hold personally responsible if ANYTHING happened to Ripcord…. Hot shot sonuvabitch …
"No." She shook her head, unclenching her teeth. Nothing had happened to Ripcord. She knew Fast Draw made the right call, had she been carrying the LAW, she would have done the same, but she didn't want to admit it. It was easier to be mad at something tangible.
"Remember, watch for traps people. Caution is key." Zap and Heavy Metal took east, She and Fast Draw to the west, Hotseat and Repeater straight up the middle, eventually to merge at the crash site. She and Fast Draw stepped quickly over bloodied bodies, her praying each time they came upon them that Ripcord wouldn't be one of them. Seconds seemed endless as they avoided the smoldering fires and the pieces of molten hull which had once been a rotary wing aircraft. At least the rain was good for something. "STATUS?" from over the radio. Hotseat.
"Nothing.." Fuck.
"Nothing."
"We'll give it just one more sweep." He called. She shook her head in disbelief. 'No….' She thought. 'We'll give it as many sweeps as it takes, we're going to find him, we're going to find him, and he's going to be okay…. ' "Fast Draw, Covergirl, drawback, Zap, Heavy Metal, stay east." They were too close to the wreckage to drawback. He might be there. He might need help. Fast Draw put a hand on her shoulder as she continued to walk towards the craft.
"We were told to draw back." He said almost gently. She shrugged him off. "HEY!" he called, catching up to her. "We were told to back off." This time, he clamped a hand down hard on her shoulder.
"Fuck you!" She spat, trying again to windmill his hand off. He held fast and spun her to face him.
"What are you going to do, huh?" He asked. "Charge in there do WHAT? All it's going to prove is that you're too damn emotional to handle this, not do a thing to help out Skyboy…"
"Quit calling him that!" She hissed.
"That's what I'm talking about. Hotseat's not stupid, you know. He was there, remember? A10. We were told to head to Zulu, obviously told that for a reason, yet did you? We drawback." She stared at him for a second, rage filled, until she finally was able to choke out a few more words.
"A10 never happened. Who the hell do you think you are, lecturing me abou….."
"I think I'm the guy who saved your life once, and is about to do it again. Listen, you want to be mad at someone, fine, you be mad at me. You be as mad at me as you want. I'm not going to have you walking around like some zombie like back in the woods when I found you with those Cobra...."
"You have to keep bringing that up, don't you? Conceited fuck! Do you want a medal?"
"No, what I want is for you to stay focused. If being mad will keep you focused, then you stay mad. But you have to face facts, Babe, Skyboy might not be coming out of there, the sooner you accept that, the sooner you…"
"GOT HIM!" from over the radio. Zap gave the sector. She froze. "He's breathing." She closed her eyes for a second, relief washing over her, yet Fast Draw didn't let up.
"Suck it up, Krieger." He told her. "You keep letting your emotions take control, you're going to end up dead." She absolutely hated him, his cocky attitude, and his damn lecture. They were the first to arrive to Zaps locale. Zap had taken one knee in front of his teammate, Heavy Metal standing guard in the background. Her eyes fell to the crimson blood which soaked his collar and helmet. She thought she saw Fast Draw roll his eyes and shake his head as she dropped down next to Zap, but didn't care. Zap had opened his BDU shirt, raising the t-shirt underneath. Deep shades of reds, blues and blacks covered his ribs and abdomen. She hesitated before grabbing his gloved hand, then decided it was something she'd do if it were any of the others… well, almost any of the others.
"I'd hate to see the size of the guy that did this." Zap said. She didn't see a bandage, anything applied to a wound by his neck, wincing as she touched the blood, feeling the tears starting to build, tears she swallowed down quickly. As big a dick as Fast Draw was, he was right about showing emotions, and he of all people would never see her cry.. "Not his." Zap quickly told her about the blood. "I checked him."
"Jesus…" After a brief minute… "Can he be moved?"
"Nothing internal from what I can see…He should be…" She lightly touched his ribs, not believing the deep color of the bruises, causing him to let out a small groan. His green eyes fluttered, rolling from the back of his head forward, and he woke with a start, almost as if he was still fighting. "Easy, buddy… Easy…" Zap grabbed him to keep him from swinging, as he frantically looked around. Once a little more aware of his surroundings, he shrugged Zap off, sitting up on his own. His eyes quickly scanned the soldiers around him, falling on hers and softening. She tried to offer a warm smile… not show any sign of how bad he really looked. Still somewhat dazed, he smiled back, coughing slightly, but patting her on the hand.
"Unbelievable" from Fast Draw, before he joined Heavy Metal on guard.
"What happened, amigo?" Zap asked. Ripcord shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs. "Is everyone okay?" he asked, becoming more alert, sitting up. He pulled down his T-shirt, and started buttoning his shirt as Zap and Covergirl tried to convince him that he should stay down. He insisted on standing, cursing when he slipped and fell to one knee, grabbing his ribs.
"Just stay down, you're hurt…" She told him. For the first time he turned angry eyes on her. Never, not even when he was set to fight Fast Draw had she seen them towards her. He looked away quickly. "I'm fine." He insisted. Stubborn. Just like he was when his arm was hurt. Part of her wanted to touch his ribs, show him that he wasn't, but not with Fast Draw standing there. He stood up on his own to prove it, shrugging off Zap's hand, and looked around. "Hotseat? Repeater?" She checked her watch. Near 10 minutes had past. He and Repeater should have been there, they weren't so far off. She thought back to all the traps that they had avoided, and felt a strong chill through the hot jungle air. She shot a look to Zap that Ripcord caught. "What?" Ripcord asked, wide eyed.
"They should be here by now." Ripcord shot off questions rapid fire, hearing two teammates were missing. His questions were soon answered by gunshots. Several of them, from the west.

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