Project Freelancer: Alaska

Chapter 4

I grabbed my pistol and shot rapidly at the guard, despite the pain in my arm. I was stupid.

I leapt out of the way as another bullet whizzed past me.

"F***!" Why all of the sudden was I cursing?

"Thought you said you didn't curse." Said Kappa.

"Not now stupid A.I.!" I told him, and waved through the hologram.

I shot again, and the guard fell. I ran to the side, joining the others in an all out magnum war.

I did a cartwheel, the pain in my shoulder feeling like a giant needle has struck me.

I stood up and fired six shots, hitting each guard in turn. I did a front handspring and shot twice more.

A guard fell to the ground and I ran toward another. Kicking him in the balls, I pulled my arm back and punched his visor.

I did a twist in the air, landing and making a roundhouse kick to another guards helmet. He fell next to the other, not dead, but unconscious.

I shot to my right, watching another guard fail to defeat me.

I jumped onto a guards shoulders, shooting through his visor. I jumped off him, landing on someone else.

I shot the guard that I stood on, and watched as Maine shot the last man standing.

I walked coolly back to the box I had been carrying, putting on the "I'm epic" walk.

I struggled to pick it up, due to the pain that was very slowly subsiding in my shoulder. I waddled to the stairs, and others followed with different boxes.

When we reached the first floor, we caught the others in mid battle, fighting the guards that had come to back up the defeated ones.

I stayed by the boxes while Arizona, Washington and Maine helped the others. I clutched my shoulder, shaking my head. When I removed my hand, I looked at it.

Crimson blood coated the black gloves and I formed a fist.

I was debating wether I would go to the infirmary when I got back to the Mother of Invention. Would it show weakness?

We all walked to the outside of the building, quickly killing even more backup from the UNSC.

We finally rocketed to the top of the building, and boarded the pelican.

Washington sat on my right, and Michigan sat on my left.

Michigan turned away from me, starting to chatter with Arizona. I managed to hear bit of their conversation.

"That was awesome!" Michigan exclaimed.

"What!?! We could've all gotten killed!" Arizona protested.

"Well, yeah, but that's what made it epic!" He said back, his voice coated with pride.

I decided to block them out, and started toward the door that led to the drivers seat.

"You okay there, Lasky?" Washington asked.

"Don't you start." I said, referring to York and Mississippi always calling me that nickname.

"Okay. Whatever. Are you gonna answer my question?" Wash replied.

"Yeah, dude, I'm fine." I said, turning in my seat to face him.

"Whatever you say, Alaska." He said, then he went back to doing whatever Washington does.

I was still pondering the thought of going to the infirmary. I probably should. It would just make me look stubborn if I didn't.

When we got back to the Mother of Invention, I tried to slow down my pace as I headed from the infirmary. I couldn't show how much the wound hurt, that would also show weakness.

Why was I so obsessed with being noticed? I stopped, dead in my tracks. What was the point?

These others cared about me, and they wouldn't judge me just because I was younger. So why was I so worried?

I was a living definition of confusion. I started walking again, fighting the urge to run still.

When I turned the corner I saw the door, and I picked up the pace.

I burst through them, clenching my hands into fists.

After the doctors had taken the bullet out, which hurt like heck, they had bandaged up my shoulder and given me a pill the stop some of the pain. Now I walked to the cafeteria for dinner.

After a day like this, I could really use a nice meal.