Scorned (Rainbow Six Siege Fanfiction)

Sacrifice

"Gunner, good work." She commends as she turns the handle of the foam injector. Releasing it into the Nutrient Node, it fizzes and foams over the dark construct, dimming it slightly. "I'm going to get another one, wait here."

"Copy... Please, be safe." He nods to her, watching her carefully approach the hallway. It was a long, slow crawl back to the landing pad. She shines her blacklight down on two Grunts, lighting up their weak spots and putting carefully quiet bullets in each. The sprawl from their corpses stuck to her boots as she trudged on through squelching nests and roaming monsters.

"I have the device," She sighs as she pulls the injector from the pod, holding the heavy item to her chest. "I'm coming back."

"Good, it's getting a little hot over here." Gunner grimaces. Ritual can hear the gunfire first, then the howl. Slightly panicked, she picks up her pace to reach the Node. Firing into the crowd blocking the doorway, she pushes in past him and quickly places the injector. "That was it, right?" He turns to face her again, watching her turn the handle before a cry erupts from behind her. "Kámá, look out!"

"What-" Ritual turns to see the Rooter in the door just before it sends its roots shooting through her knee where she kneels. She screams in agony as it pierces her leg all over, the howls of Archæans left and right matching her. Leaning on her gun, she pulls her pistol from the holster and shoots desperately at the beast, her bullets bouncing off of its armored head. Her knee was bleeding through the ripped fabric, shards stuck out from behind her kneepad, lodged into her skin and shifting agonizingly with every movement. "Gunner!"

"I'm right here!" He rushes to her after ripping the life from the Rooter with his REACT blade. "I've got you." He assures while scooping her up and helping her walk to the extraction zone. One arm still behind him to shoot down the swarming Archæans, he extends his free hand for Ritual to step up onto the extraction pod. She places her good foot into his palm, throwing herself onto the pod and cautiously sitting back.

She looks over the man's shoulder, seeing a crowd of the monsters. A Rooter raises its arms above its head, and in a split second, Ritual grabs the man by his vest and pulls him onto the extraction pod with her. The duo huff as they look back, seeing the parts of the landing pad rise like a wave and become splintered as the roots sink through it. The woman raises her pistol with a shaky breath and kills the Archæan quickly.

Gunner places his hand to the scanner, which signals their departure, but the gas that usually came from the landing pad to keep it clear never came out. Ritual can see that he's visibly panicked as he draws his revolver from his side.

"We're on our own!" He shouts over the howls of the beasts. He backs up towards the small fence, looking out over the water on the other side. There was nowhere to go.

"Not for much longer!" Ritual points behind them to a teal and yellow helicopter quickly making its way to rescue them. She turns back to see the man cutting through a crowd of Archæans, the sound of his bullets and the whirring of the helicopter blades starting to sound the same. She looks up and desperately reaches for the silver hooks, securing them to the pod.

"Come on, Gunner!" Ritual reaches, tearfully gripping her pistol and trying to kill the gigantic swarm of Archæans. She throws herself from the pod and limps towards him, her hand brushing his shoulder. "We have to go!"

"Kámá, no!" His eyes, full of fire, turn to her immediately and he scoops her into his arm. A Breacher clearing the immediate crowd buys him just a moment to place her back onto the pod and secure her harness to the wire, which he firmly attaches before inputting the final signal for take off, stepping away from the helicopter as Archæans begin to siege the launch pad. "Don't move!"