Drake had been in the living room by himself since his not-too-pleasant debate with the nurse.
A moment to himself to really think maybe something he needed. Her words repeated in his head that he wished would stop. But it's like those words were trying to confront him on their own.
'What if it was your family?'
'What if it was your family..?'
'What if it was your family...?'
"Shut up..." He lowly grunted to himself. His family was gone. They left him. It shouldn't matter anymore.
"I... didn't say anything."
Drake quickly turned his head at the voice and met the green eyes of Wes who looked a little startled. "You alright, dude?"
"I'm fine." He wasn't but he was a sergeant. He had to play the part.
"You sure?" Wes came around the couch and carefully plopped down on it, making sure that it didn't aggravate his leg. "You haven't really got any rest since we days."
Drake looked down at his best friend's leg and was glad to see it was getting better. If Jonathan wasn't dead already, Drake still had a bullet waiting for him if they ever crossed paths again.
"How's the leg?" He asked, changing the topic over to the scientist.
Wes placed a hand over where the main wound was. While he was able to walk, if he moved too much it brought some pain. "Maybe if we still had some painkillers, I'd be perfectly fine."
"If we had much of anything." Drake sighed. "Running out of gas, ammo, food..."
"We'll be fine." Wes reassured. It was a big world after all. "You and the scouting team have brought back enough already. That's better than nothing."
"And soon it might be nothing the longer we stay in this town. But the ol' Rose is too worried about helping people." Drake grumbled.
Wes knew what he was referring to. The original plan hasn't really fallen through exactly. Right now, he would've been with the pickup traveling to the facility with (Y/N) in tow. The survivors would've gone to a safe zone and the rest of the team would be off on their next orders.
Nothing about the original plan has come to fruition. Not since the facility's communications went offline.
Wes can admit that the captain was only trying to help everyone as much as he could. Being involved in such a disaster left the man in guilt as it did for Wes.
But they had (Y/N) who could be the answer. Or not. It gave Rose a reason to keep going however and that was enough for Wes.
"The captain is doing his best with what we're facing. We did help hurt... a lot of people." The scientist sighed.
"We didn't know that damn drug was going fuck up." Drake tried to cut in but Wes shook his head. It doesn't matter if they knew or not. "Whether we did or not doesn't change the fact that we still helped push TAP out. Rose knows that so he's trying to save as many as he can."
Wes turned to face his best friend and grimaced a little from his leg. He needed to get Drake to understand where the captain was coming or else this debating and arguing between the two was going to continue. They couldn't afford animosity right now. "You need to give him a break, man. These people need us."
"Look where helping those survivors got us." Drake pointed toward the back where he knew those guys were resting. "Some asshole special op decides that we're dangerous and sends a whole ambush of fiends on us."
"You can't let what one person did speak for the rest!" Wes agreed that it was a mistake to let their guards down around Jonathan, but Jonathan was one person who conned scared people into joining him. "If we turned away everyone we came across, we would've never found (Y/N)."
Drake knew where he was going with this and scoffed in response.
"And, if I'm being honest. I think she's a good influence on you."
'What..?' Drake paused for a second. The nurse? The infected stubborn woman? The same woman who refers to him as an asshole instead of his own name?
"Now you're fucking with me, Wes." Drake chuckled in immense disbelief.
"I'm being completely serious." The scientist exclaimed. "You've been more... honestly don't know how to say it. But you've just been more attentive to her lately. You aren't as much of an ass as you were before."
Maybe getting shot in the leg made his best friend slightly delirious? But Drake feels he hasn't changed at all.
"All I'm saying is, we shouldn't just disregard everyone or we wouldn't have (Y/N) who's our best chance at fixing things." Wes returned back to his original point.
"If Satellite doesn't fuck that up too." Drake grunted and looked away. He was starting to see Wes' point but he was too stubborn to admit it.
"You trusted them before." Wes spoke as he watched his friend carefully.
But instead of replying, the sergeant didn't. His thoughts returned to the nurse's earlier words once more and the memories that followed them.
'What if it was your family?'
His trust in Satellite is why he didn't have a family to worry about anymore. Not after what he did.
"I trusted them when I shouldn't have..." His stern tone began to drop and replaced by a more distant and quiet one.
Wes placed a comforting hand on Drake's shoulder. "You did what you thought was right. That's all anyone could do anymore."
He trusted someone and it cost his family leaving him. It caused the last moments of someone so important to him to be all for nothing in the end. He hasn't been so trusting of others since then.
While he was right not to allow his team's guard down around every person they meet, it could lead to them missing out on someone so important.
Like (Y/N).
He didn't trust her at first. For all he knew, she was just a fiend waiting to pop. But he can admit that he has lowered his guard down around her lately.
From when she saved his ass back at the gun store, to getting a glimpse into her personal problems, and then finding her breaking down in the forest.
He has been less of a jerk to her lately. More than he wanted to admit...
"Where is she, anyway?" Wes looked around for the nurse, wondering why she wasn't glued to his hip right now as his rules suggested.
"We kind of got into it again." Drake turned to see the 'really?' look in Wes' eyes.
Wes shook his head a tiredly leaned back against the couch. "Dude, you suck with women."
*BANG BANG BANG*
Both men jumped up at the sounds of gunshots outside. Wes moved his leg too fast and winced at the sore pain that followed. Drake got up and moved to the front windows in a hurry just as Rose came rushing in with Rockman not too far behind. "What was that?"
"Shit!" Drake cursed and rushed over to a table to retrieve his rifle.
Wes pushed himself up to his feet and trudged over to the window. "What's going on?"
He was immediately answered as he looked outside to see a man in a biker out holding (Y/N) at gunpoint while another had tackled Kelly to the ground and held the barrel of a shotgun to his head.
"What the- who are they?!" Wes questioned as he turned to Drake.
"Those fucking Red Dog guys! They got (Y/N) and Kelly." Drake spoke, loading up his gun and rushing to get out there.
Rockman was taken aback by this. Immediate concern washed over his face. Those bikers had his family! "Y-You gotta help them! Those people are trouble!"
Rose nodded and began giving orders to his soldiers. "Wes, take Rockman's rifle and get to the roof. You're giving us cover. The rest of you take up positions outside. Drake and Cheng, you're both with me."
Meanwhile outside of the station, (Y/N) had flinched at the sounds of the gunshots that were so close to her. Tripp had returned the barrel to the underside of her chin and it felt hot from the previous bullets.
Her breathing started to quicken as memories of getting shot before returned to her. She didn't want to experience that again.
"The hell are you guys doing?!" Kelly yelled and looked over his shoulder at (Y/N) being held hostage. "Let her go!"
"Kelly man, if you want this to go smoothly, I suggest you shut up." Tripp called with a snicker. "Besides, we're not planning to hurt anyone. Yet. Whatever Papa wants, Papa gets."
All of the Red Dogs present laughed along at this.
"So that's what this is? You're robbing this place?!" Kelly exclaimed in disbelief. "Aren't you forgetting that I built your fucking bikes?! This is how you do me?!"
The biker holding him down shoved Kelly's face to the dirt with the barrel of his shotgun. "We're not here for this shithole. We want the people inside of it!"
"Haven't you heard kid? It was all over the radios!" Tripp snickered. "These Satellite folks, they're wanted fugitives!"
(Y/N)'s eyes widened. Fugitives? What was he talking about?
"It's a lot of money on their heads. We already nabbed a couple of them. We're just here to grab the rest." Tripp pushed his gun further into (Y/N)'s chin, making the poor woman whimper at the threat of it. "Maybe I'll take this one back with us too. We could use a couple more extra hands back at base."
The front door handle had something heavy banged against it which broke the lock on it and allowed it to open for the first time in decades. To (Y/N)'s relief, out came the captain followed by his two sergeants.
Cheng held her favored shotgun close and eyed each biker that she could see. Counting them all and noting their positions.
Rose carried his own rifle and stepped forward into the open to prepare for this confrontation. He needed to buy time for the rest of his soldiers to get into position.
But Drake...
(Y/N)'s eyes met his and she's never seen him look so pissed off in her life. He was glaring daggers into the biker holding her hostage and his fingers twitched around the trigger of his gun. She couldn't take her eyes off of him even if she wanted to and silently pleaded for him to help her. He faintly nodded his head to her, telling her that she was going to be okay.
Just because a bullet couldn't kill her, that didn't mean she wouldn't experience the harsh feeling of death.
"You Satellite, buddy?" Tripp called out to the captain who kept a calm expression on his face.
Rose stood confidently and kept his sights on Tripp who seemed to be the man in charge of these men. "Who's asking?"
"The government." Tripp snickered. "They're offering a hefty sum of money for you people. Looks like you fucked up big time!"
'The government wants us?' Rose thought to himself. Why would the government want to arrest them? For the TAP drug? If so, the government was just as involved in it as Satellite was.
"And how much is the government offering exactly? Sounds kind of funny to me." Rose questioned.
From the corners of Drake's and Cheng's eyes, they could see their fellow soldiers sneaking into bushes and taking cover behind large piles of trash.
Wes was up on the second floor and aiming his sights at the guy holding (Y/N). He didn't like Rose being so far in the open but he had faith that his captain knew what he was doing.
"Is she ok?!" Dell whispered to him as she held Vivian's hands for comfort. Rockman was worriedly pacing back and forth behind them.
"She's fine. Kelly too. The captain has this handle." He reassured them. "Is Luke and Mack up here yet?"
Dell looked around behind her but didn't see the two guys. "No. I don't know where they are."
Back on the ground and to the question of how much the government was giving for the arrest of Satellite personnel, Tripp grinned widely. "It's not too much really. Just a measly little $1,000 per person. Nothing too grand."
The bikers all laughed once more. While for one person, $1,000 wasn't too much. But for several? That $1,000 could turn into $10,000. Or $20,000.
Satellite was a large corporation after all.
This whole ordeal came as a surprise to Rose and the rest of his team. But right now, they had to deal with these bikers. Answers can come later.
"If it's Satellite personnel you want, then let those two go." Rose spoke. "They have nothing to do with us."
"Oh, we know Kelly there isn't with you. He's been out little mechanic after all." Tripp sneered, his voice full of mischievous. "But we don't know this girl."
(Y/N) flinched as the gun was moved to her temple. The steel pressed against her skin and it made her skin crawl. Drake had to keep himself from raising his rifle then and there.
"You say she ain't Satellite?" The biker asked with a sinister smirk on his face.
"I'm saying she's innocent. Let her go." Rose ordered. Becoming more firm in his words.
Tripp didn't like that, however. He didn't appreciate getting told what to do. Not by his bounty.
The pistol cocked and (Y/N) felt herself tensing up as tears pricked her eyes.
"And what if I don't? If she's not Satellite, then why should I let her live?" The biker wasn't merciful. None of them were.
Drake could see this. No matter how much Rose talked, the bikers weren't going to let her go unharmed.
If only there was a clear shot to Tripp, he could buy time for her to run put the way. But she was practically forced into a human shield. There was no hitting Tripp without hitting (Y/N).
Kelly struggled on the ground against the Red Dog holding him. The biker snickered at his attempts but didn't notice a soldier in hiding nearby training their gun on his head.
Drake knew she wouldn't like it but there was no way around it.
"Go ahead then."
(Y/N) snapped her eyes toward the sergeant who stepped forward. He wasn't saying...
"Shoot her." Drake plainly stated, his hazel eyes focused on Tripp's brown ones.
Now it was the biker's turn to be perplexed by this. "And what's this about? I thought you Satellite kooks were supposed to help people?"
Drake shook his head. Rose eyed him like he had gone mad but started to realize what he was trying to do. So he stayed silent.
"She's not essential to what we're trying to do. So shoot her. Doesn't make a difference to us." Drake shrugged.
"Are you fucking serious?!" Kelly yelled. "Don't tell them that! Help her!"
(Y/N) shakily breathed deeply as her panic was close to rising. But as she looked into Drake's eyes, there was a hint of understanding behind the cold expression he put on.
He knows. He wouldn't be doing this if there was another way...
She exhaled slowly and faintly nodded.
To touch death's door again... Maybe it was something she'd have to get used to.
"You people are crazy." Tripp tsked but a sadistic smile grew on his face. "I like it."
(Y/N) let go of her grip on his arm and reared her elbow up high enough as fast as she could. "I hope you like this, fucker!"
She threw her elbow back into his gut and caused the man to heave and double down in pain. That was the soldiers' cue to get ready. Drake grabbed Rose as they both ran for cover.
"Fucking bitch!" Tripp shouted and aimed his gun at her head.
And just like before, everything went black the second the shot was fired.