What If? (P1) || Jake / Reader || Draft

Persevering

Despite having his small group of men surrounding, he has no use for them.

Quaritch.

Between him, Parker, or any other of the higher ups - he's the last one you expected to stick around. Usually his weapons and craft were too valuable in a situation like this, and certainly would have prioritized recovering those and ordering his men.

If anything, he would have gotten to Jake before you.

Granted... He wasn't the type to retreat in the bunkers, either. He probably wanted to go after you, and then Trudy for having his son if he had known.
   Never mind that, though. He'd find out soon enough when he goes to check the bunkers later.

He picks you back up after a few mid-level insults, and jolts you every few seconds as you're set to meet the copter a rather far way down.

Which isn't exactly the best of situations -  considering the closest mine is now go your left.
    it's off in the distance, sure - but that's where Jake's dumping the others — y'know?  ones that can't be safely disposed of in the air.

Fuck.

It was far too easy to set off the explosives within the first war, using those against themselves.
    But this time around - they were even more powerful, stagnant and freshly made.

For these plans, the only harm done there was collapsing the tunnels, and the planet would heal from that soon enough. They didn't care if Parker or Quaritch lost a few men, either.

Except for one glaring issue staring you in the face as you step closer and closer to the air craft.

The plan didn't include anyone being near it when it set off, at least not from your team.

Jake calls in for a check - alerting everyone he's set off the timers and asks everyone to get out.
    Because, of course, now the signal works. When it's too late.

You yank your arm free, and quickly speak into it, begging him to delay it - but Q rips the ear piece out too soon and all Jake gets is your pleading voice calling his name.

If only you knew earlier that Norm was safe with N'deh — working his way around the perimeter as they intended on getting their own ride out of here.
    He saw you leave for Trudy out of Grace's office window, and assumed you were safe.
   Something you don't blame him for following, as you should've trusted Norm would be alright, and left then and there.

Quaritch lifts the ear piece higher, specifically wanting Jake to repeat what he's said - but it's too late.

You can hear the first set of explosives going off and it domino effects the rest of the way in louder booms - orange and yellow coloring filling the sky as Quaritch yanks you again, proceeding to the copter.

Why he doesn't kill you is something you'll never understand, practically giving you the chance to walk away - unless he intends on leaving you for the explosion to take?

He manages to walk onto the first horizontal step, and while you're struggling to break free - the explosion only grows larger and flames grow massively in size. The back building is turning to ash as you both fight.

As a last minute defense, and a sure-fire way of getting rid of you - he kicks you off at the last moment, leaving you on the ground as he flies off. Clearly prioritizing his leave.

You're still not even quite sure what happened, as one moment you were running just fine to get away from everything — and the next you're on the ground with your ears ringing so loudly that even your own screams don't silence it.