[hr][hr][center][h1][color=662d91]Alexander Polawski[/color][/h1]
[img]https://www.crank-in.net/img/db/1048373_300.jpg[/img][/center]
[hr][center][b][color=662d91]Location:[/color][/b]Eden: Terrace, near stairs - Pillar left of Gavin, second floor.
[color=662d91]Skills: [/color]Pistol, Suppression Tactics[/center][hr][hr]

[color=662d91]"...No..."[/color]

When you got cocky, you make mistakes, and mistakes gets you killed. Alexander could feel the words physically grip the inside of his chest as he too heard Lola's singing stop, his words playing on repeat in-between the nagging feeling of knowing what must have just happened, but not wanting to believe it. Putting suppressive fire up those stairs was out of the picture. They had to go, and fast. Alexander wasn't far behind Thalia as she made her way up the stairs and taking out another Edenite. Hadn't it been for the cowboy shouting down to them and the lack of their Kiwi, this could have gone according to plan. 

But nothing ever went according to plan. 

Alexander saw her now as well, Lola; Laying on the ground, motionless, unlike the eccentric personality their beloved Kiwi had shown since the first moment he lay eyes on her. He hadn't expected her to be the first one going out. He had bet on himself, even for Lola's lack of sense of safety. But now...she was gone, there was no denying it. And with Thalia crouched over her friend in a moment of grief, he felt an immense sense of both sorrow and sympathy. He had been through this many times before, as surely everyone else had too. He'd seen countless friends, brothers in arms, team mates, all showing every sign of life only to have it taken away a split second later. NVA and Viet Cong, Walkers, raiders, the outcome was always the same. But they had no time for grieving, like Thalia called down stairs to him and the others. There was still a mission to complete. There was always a mission to complete. 

The old vet rushed up the last steps of the stairs, making his way up to the second floor as he passed Beatrice, Gavin and Thalia. Turning right, he came out to an open area with a pair of pillars, and could just see what he thought was an Edenite behind one of the pillars. He had to take him out, before more of them ended up like Gavin, or else this was going to be a suicide-mission. Alexander threw his back against the other pillar, before turning around and firing at the Edenite. The Edenite proved a difficult target to hit however, taking cover behind that solid pillar. Thankfully it was not solid enough not to have chips of debris knocked off it, which probably either scared the Edenite or forced him to step away as to avoid getting hit. But he did get hit, as Alexander pulled the trigger of his Beretta again, sending another bullet flying towards the Edenite and hitting him just underneath the eye. One more hostile down, another floor to go. 

Alexander pushed his back against the pillar again, looking down towards the stairs, calling back to the Gavin. [color=662d91]"You okay, Cowboy? How bad is it?"[/color] In any combat situation, the 'military theorists' would have called this operation an overwhelming success with acceptable losses; Probably two dozen charlies taken down with just one K.I.A. and one wounded. But to Alexander, and probably everyone else, this was a tragedy.