Patriots & Tyrants

by Brian Cotton

  ***

  Sullivan took out yet another enemy and then moved back down behind the safety of the broken white stone. It was just in time to see one of his new buddies get hit. The rebel was hit twice in the chest and his body flew back. His head slammed against the earth beneath. The rounds hadn’t killed the man, yet, but it certainly wasn’t looking good for him. The USR soldiers were starting to overwhelm their invaders. There really wasn’t time, but X moved over to his friend, pulled his mask off, and then looked into his eyes through tinted lenses.

  “Sugar, you okay?” X asked.

  “I can’t…feel anything.” Sugar replied.

  “It’s going to be okay, you hear me?”

  “You just…take…care of them…don’t let…”

  Sugar’s head moved over to the side and his breathing stopped. X let out a curse before he shot up from behind his cover spot and fired at any and all the enemies he could see. Sullivan could feel something in the pit of his stomach as he joined in with X. Statue took Pinkie with him to another block of ruble to the right of their current position.

  “We can’t hold out much longer!” Sullivan yelled in between firing his ZX-17.

  “We’ve got to!” X shouted back.