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It was right there. Just thirty footsteps away. He knew that every seconds passed was a gold mine slip away from his hand. Any seconds now, that machine gun could open fire again, and could potentially snub out his life, his ambition and his potential to this world forever. But his foot stride converged. He could not rush forward any faster. Because behind him was also Michael. Was also Paloma. Was also Jean, Isaac, anyone he could list the name and faces. It was another human being, a living breathing feeling creature, who also had a family waiting for them back home, had something to live for. And he was not going to recreate that scene again.

But fortunately, very fortunately, for both Michael and Diana, the noose decided not to drop today. The machine gun continued to remain silent. They were probably struggling to handle those weapons. Drops of water leaked into his eyes, forcing the lids tight, and him to rub his face onto the muddy shirt. It’d prove to make his face less attractive, but everybody was equal. Now the ruin was twice as large as before. Come on. Nearly there. He just need to push on a little longer.

It wasn’t his stamina that led to the rash ins and outs of air through his lungs. It was his heart pounding his chest, and echoing into his mind, once every half a second, a stark and constant reminder of how thinly it was the line between life and death. Not even half a second notice, and your lifespan would be cut short by a few decades. 

The moment his two legs stepped onto the stone-paved foundation of a once holy place, he could hung his mouth in relief, as his chest ceaselessly moved up and down. But the tiredness from the stress of moving that far ahead with the threat of dying all over him could not be compared with the bliss he was in right now. He was alive. The girl’s alive. He made it. For now at least, but he made it...

Finally, he let go of Diana’s wrist, also letting the girl have her moment. She managed to catch up with him for that much, considering she also just made all the way from the front trenches. That was an accomplishment to say the least. He had lots of remarks on that, but nothing materialized from his dictionary, nor could he access them right now. Instead, he simply gave her a thumbs-up, if she could see it that is. 

[color=bf00ff][i]’Now what’s the plan?’[/i][/color]

He turned to Isaac and Jean, who were busy scouting the area. Their plans were being made and voiced out, yet it was completely overwhelmed by the man right beside him. A blonde-haired man, that his chin stood at Michael’s height. He was insisting to have his equipment carried, in order to increase his chance of survival as he put it. It was hypothetically a good idea to do that, but a sapper is no sapper without his equipment. What if when he got up there, he needed those equipment? He’d not only risk being prosecuted for discarding his stuff, but he may likely endanger his allies. What if the guy died before reaching the trenches? Didn’t even need an answer for that.

[color=bf00ff]”I’m alright. I can carry all of this.”[/color] He replied, knowing that the guy had mistakenly addressed him as a kid, but he didn’t care to correct him now. Not when bullets were still zooming over his head. But the guy was persistent. He still tried to convince Michael to give him his equipment.

[color=bf00ff]”I said I’m alright. I’ve been trained for this.”[/color] He was a little annoyed, but politely raised his hand in rejection, before turning over to Isaac and Jean, trying to hear their plans. So Isaac and another gunner would be suppressing the machine gun up there, and he would-

[color=bf00ff][i]’Tch’[/i][/color]

It was that guy again. He still hadn’t let up despite the clear objection. Who is this guy think he is? He isn’t anywhere above the rank of Private? And yet he’s saying these things to Michael as if he is one. He has no rights by law.

As the man continued to press on, his patience grew thin. Until it finally reached boiling point. Just as Archibald was reaching out for Michael and his gear, with a swipe of his hand, the man received a slap on the wrist by the ‘kid’ that he perceived him to be. But the expression on his face and his voice as he addressed the man was far from being kid-like, cold and austere like ice.

[color=bf00ff]”I may be a kid to you, but I don’t take orders from you. You are a Private. You have no rights by the military law to act superior over me.”[/color] He said, unrelenting. [color=bf00ff]”If you have the strength to carry twice a sapper’s equipment, then you better save it for the climb ahead.”[/color] 

If he dared to go forward after that, he’d report this directly to the Corporals. 

Once said, he could finally hear the briefing of the plans. It was a quite simple and by the book plan of suppressive fire to back the advances of the shocktroopers and other backbone troops. He was fine with that though. A familiar plan for the better most of the time.

[color=bf00ff]”Hurry, while the guns are still silent.”[/color]
[@Letter Bee][@Landaus Five-One][@LetMeDoStuff]