The Silence of Alium [On Hiatus]

Chapter 4 - Impact

"Holy Hell," Bills shouted. "Somebody help him!"

Carlo heard the crack as Robles smacked headfirst into the top of the capsule. A light spray of blood rained down, a thin crimson vapor. Carlo's stomach churned, both sickened by the horror unfolding before him and mortified as he inhaled Robles' bloody spray.

Suddenly a buckle unclicked beside him. The Korean private that had been reading his dime store paperback earlier had freed himself from his restraints and hurtled beneath Robles. As the sergeant fell back to the flooring, the now unrestrained private weaved with the swaying of the capsule and thrust himself between his sergeant and what could be a fatal landing - if the man wasn't already dead. Robles impacted his savior, and try as the private did, twisted and smacked against the floor with an audible crunch, as his legs twisted, snapped, then bent back beneath Robles as if a shirt being folded.

His flesh tore and the splinters of his femur pierced from one leg spearing the air. Blood gushed with the sudden puncture pooling below the jumble of sergeant and private and sloshing across the flooring with every tilt of the capsule.

Robles made no sound. The man was dead or unconscious, and though he believed in no higher power, Carlo thanked God that the man wasn't awake. If he was alive, Robles had plenty of pain waiting for him. There was no need for him to endure this hell.

A growing urgency flooding the descent vehicle, Simmons began barking commands. "Lance,get that radio working. Park, strap in now. Everyone else, hold tight."

The capsule bucked swaying up in the opposite direction still caught in the tumble as it lurched back into a parachute descent. As it did, Park, as Carlo now believed to be the private's name, rolled gently over Robles placing himself between the sergeant and the wall towards which he now slid with the shifting of the capsule. Park planted his feet, fighting the slide, doing everything in his power to keep Robles steady.

"No chance in hell, sir," Park said, ignoring Simmons order.

The two slid into Waller's legs? Walker's legs. Damn it! Carlo had spent so much time reviewing the colony data he hadn't had time to fully acquaint himself with Cerebus's crew.

As he cursed himself for this oversight, Waller unbuckled herself. Yes, Carlo thought, I'll just call her Waller until I know better.

The capsule swayed threatening a 180 degree pivot. With no time for thought, Waller grabbed her safety buckle with one hand and Park with the other. While Waller clung to him, Park propped himself over Robles, steadying him to prevent further damage.

To Carlo's left he could see Karzai reaching for her buckle as well. Simmons piped in once more.

"No one else unstraps. That's an order!"

"Sir!" Karzai, and she wasn't offering an agreement so much as indignation.

"Our mission is to get the package to Lacroix. We can't do that if we're all dead before we land. Do you hear me?"

A chorus of yes sirs rose around the capsule, but it was not unanimous. Waller and Park ignored Simmons, already in violation of his orders, but Carlo could make a case that they hadn't been included in the command. They were both also privates directly under Robles and their loyalty could not be questioned. Only one private from team Baker affirmed Simmons command: Ruegger, the brooding intellect.

Team Able, however, all affirmed their staff sergeant's order - all save Karzai. She stood her ground, defiant in her silence.  As the two faced off, the capsule slowly swayed returning to a peaceful descent. Waller knelt over Robles, holding his hand and speaking into his ear. What she was saying, Carlo could not hear, but there was a tenderness there, a bond born of years. Meanwhile, Park scrambled tearing open a floor hatch and ripping out medical supplies from the storage unit beneath, examining each in passing and discarding them all until he had his prize. Happy with his find, Park ran back to Robles, two packages in his hand.