Title: Sense of Purpose

World: Advanced Warfare

Main Characters: OC (Sam), Jack M, Gideon

Pairings: Jack M x OC (Sam), Gideon x OC (Sam)

POV: First (Sam's), may switch

Rating: M for intense violence, blood, gore, strong language, alcohol use, adult themes, adult situations, and drug references. Read at your own discretion.

Author's Note: I got Advanced Warfare for Christmas, which I was excited and somewhat hesitant about. I'll admit, after Ghosts, I nearly gave up on the COD franchise. But after playing through the campaign— Wow! I'm in love with it (and Gideon *swoons*)! Seriously, how can you not love Troy Baker?! *Swoons again* It's exceeded my expectations and I've already beaten it a few times. I know I should be updating my other stories while I'm on Christmas Break but after playing AW, I just had to write this and put it up. I was really sad to see that there's only like a couple AW stories out there, which I'm hoping will change soon. My original idea was a tad different; to make it short, it would've been AW, with Jack Mitchell being a girl instead of a guy…But I figured adding an OC would switch things up a little and make it more interesting! I've written out a rough outline for this story, including a bio of Sam and everything from her appearance to relationships with others to her personality. I plan to give out little pieces of info at a time and not do the overused tactic of "hi, I'm blah blah blah, and I have brown eyes and long dark hair. I love shooting things and have a problem following orders." (No offense to anyone that does that!) Hopefully Sam isn't a Mary-Sue or too unrealistic or anything like that. If she is, please let me know! Anyways, I'd love to hear what you guys think of this story. It's gonna stick pretty close to the campaign the first few chapters, just to get things moving, but after that, I plan to add in some extra scenes and fluff moments. The romance in this story will NOT be a key thing— in fact, it'll be pretty small compared to my other stories. Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I also hope you'll enjoy this story. If you see any errors or things you think I can improve on, please let me know in a Review or PM so I can fix it ASAP! Remember, if this story isn't getting many views/reviews, it'll get deleted and will probably get lost somewhere in the countless other stories I've written on my computer. So be sure to give me some feedback! Love you guys! -Mia

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC, Samantha Irons. Everything/everyone else belongs to Sledgehammer Games, Activision, High Moon, Raven, and anyone else I missed. All rights go to their respective owners; I'm writing this purely for entertainment.

Warning: The following chapters contain spoilers for the game Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Read at your own discretion.

Update: Yeah, I know using pressure points is dangerous and serious and not as easy as I described it..but whatever. It's a fanfiction. Deal with it lol. This chapter has been edited, mainly in the middle of the chapter, when Sam is faced with a huge height drop. The beginning has also been slightly edited- Sam no longer has a wounded side, just a concussion.

Bullets rush past us, lodging themselves in the metal walls. Jack crouches beside me, using his good arm to raise the pistol. His aim is precise; he quickly kills three enemies in one clip. When he tosses the gun away, I wordlessly hand him another. He looks into my eyes, trying to mask the pain with a smile. For a moment I see my reflection. I see the ugly bruise that's formed, covering almost half of the right side of my face. Jack turns away quickly, like he can't stand the sight of me. I wouldn't blame him if he did.

Gideon rushes over to us, sliding down to wrap his arms around my torso and legs. I moan in pain when my head begins pulsing. He gives me an apologetic look before pulling me tightly to his chest. Part of my brain wants to blush at how close we are, but the rest of it is trying to numb the pain. Mind over matter. My eyelids become heavy as Gideon and Jack rush through the halls of the prison. Faintly, I can hear Gideon pleading with me to stay awake, to focus.

"Please, Samantha, we're almost there," he whispers. Gideon whispers more things to me that I can't comprehend. His words slur together, morphing into one big blob of nothing. His accent soothes me, only making my struggle to stay awake more difficult. My head is pulsing, like someone is drilling holes into it.

Gideon sets me down and I begin to protest, not wanting to be away from him. I think he even smiles, but it's gone before I can tell. He turns to Jack, who's anxiously waiting a few feet away. "Stay with the kid," he orders, waiting until Jack nods and moves over to me. I cringe at the nickname. Jack slides down next to me and scoots close, until I can feel his warmth against my side.

Jack waits until Gideon leaves to clear out the next room before pulling me under his good arm. "We're gonna be okay, Sammy, you'll see." This nickname makes me cringe as well, though the reasons are different and a tad more personal. "Just stay awake and help us make it out alive, alright?"

"Jack," I whimper, clutching to his vest.

"You're nothing like Will."

The simple and gut-wrenching sentence wasn't entirely aimed at me, but I still felt the sting as if it were. My vision blurs as tears fill my eyes, spilling onto my bloodied and beaten face. I cry for Will, Jack, Gideon, Cormack, and all the innocent lives ended because of one powerful man's misguided views. Jack comforts me as best he can with one arm while staying alert in case some Atlas soldiers stumble across us. My rifle is lying on the ground next to me, where Gideon left it.

"I love you, Sammy," Jack mumbles into my hair. "Shh," he whispers, rubbing my arm. His words only make me cry harder. After all I've done? After what I've turned into? After all the terrible things I've helped accomplish? He still loves me, through everything that's happened?

Gideon comes back then, breathless but still as enticing as ever. He takes in the scene before him and freezes for a moment, unsure of what to do. "We need to keep moving," he reminds us simply. Jack nods and peels himself away from me, scrambling awkwardly up onto his feet. Childishly, I wonder if he said that just to get Jack to move away from me. Gideon goes to crouch down but I hold up a hand, sleep no longer at the front of my mind. He pauses, cautiously watching my movements. My head pounds fiercely for a moment, but I fight through it. After a failed attempt to get up, Gideon holds out a hand, silently accepting my decision. Taking it, I ignore the rush of butterflies that tear through my stomach. With his help, I stand. My legs are wobbly at first, but after a moment I gain my balance.

"Are you sure about this, Sammy?" Jack asks in a worried tone, holding his good arm out like he's waiting for me to fall.

"Of course she is, rookie. She's tough," Gideon cuts in, grinning as he releases my hand. I watch as he grabs the rifle from the floor before handing it to me. Meeting his gaze, I'm briefly stunned by the intense emotions I see there. He believes in me, trusts me… loves me.

"You're nothing like Will," the fragment of a memory repeats.

Accepting the gun, I smile at the man before me. You're right, I think as I pull the hammer back. I'm not.

"We come into this world with our eyes closed. And most of us choose to live our whole lives that way. We blindly follow anyone who will lead us, giving ourselves over to anything that provides us with a sense of purpose. For me, it was the Marines. I had enlisted six months ago with my best friends Will and Sam. Now we were half a world away, being deployed into South Korea. We were brothers in arms. No matter how bad it got, I could always count on them to keep me in line." – Jack Mitchell

7 Years Earlier

July 10th, 2054

Will smacks Jack in the arm lightly, noticing our friend's expression. "Cheer up, Mitchell. It can't be that bad," he says happily. A smirk makes its way onto my face as I finish strapping up my gear.

Jack releases a held breath. "Guess it's just finally starting to sink in."

"Ah, this is what we signed up for," Will replies seriously. Straightening, I take a quick glance around, looking at all the men and women I've trained with. This is it, I think, mentally giving myself the pep talk Will was giving Jack.

The tall man beside me shrugs. "Well, the old man was a leatherneck, so I didn't really have much of a choice."

All around us flows an electric buzz; everyone knows we're about to face the battle head-on. No turning back now. Murmurs and lighthearted conversation fills my ears and I breathe deeply. We're all in the same boat— sure, we've trained for ages, but nothing can truly prepare us for a real battle. Years of training means nothing to the enemy; it's up to us to make it out alive.

"Yeah?" Will asks in confirmation, drinking in the given info. Jack and I are similar that way— we both prefer to keep to ourselves. "We joined up because of the old man, too," he continues, reaching over to give my helmet a loving pat. "More just to get away from him, though," he adds with a laugh.

Mitchell lets out a chuckle before gazing at the gigantic hangar we're in. "Well you can't get much further away than this."

Will begins to say something but I shush him when Sergeant Cormack runs up to the front of our group. "Alright, alright! Listen up!" He shouts over the chatter, stopping all conversation immediately. He jumps on top of a few supply crates and faces us. His helmet light is on, illuminating his dark skin. "We have our orders— inserting at LZ Epsilon," he continues loudly. "Down and dirty, just like we taught you."

The platform below our feet jerks before lowering. "Everyone know what's going on?" Cormack asks as we shift in excitement and nervousness. "Everybody know where they're going?"

Tightening my grip on my gun, my voice blends with the others. "Ooh-rah!" We shout in confirmation. The kid next to me is fired up, nearly bouncing around in his spot.

"Everybody ready?" Cormack shouts, reminding me of my high school volleyball coach.

"Ooh-rah!" We respond as one.

He climbs off the crates quickly, waving his hand as the platform stops with a thud! "Let's do this! Mitchell, Irons, lead out!" For a split second, Will and I stop to glance at each other, wondering who he was talking to. Will shrugs, making me smile. Together, we follow Jack out, prepared for war.

"Let's get it done!" Will shouts in determination.

"North Korea was invading Seoul. We had to push them back. This wasn't just a mission… It was an initiation."

With a shaky breath, I climb into the pod after Jack. "All units, all units, this is Spaceman, commencing drop in one mike."

"Badger zero-one, standing by," Cormack replies as we strap ourselves in. To my right is Will, with Jack on the other side of him. They give me encouraging smiles, which I return with a nod.

"Copy," Spaceman acknowledges over the radio. "Dropping grid at three one five niner, repeat three one five niner, cross checked and verified."

Cormack breaks the tense silence as Jackson, a friendly kid I'd met a few times before, finishes strapping in. "Everybody hold tight," he advises. "Here we go."

Over the radio, the Battle Commander briefs us on the situation. I look over and see Jack breathing deeply, obviously trying to get himself together. Maybe he's having second thoughts, I think to myself. If Will wasn't between us, I'd take his hand, reassuring him that everything will be fine.

"Just like in training, Mitchell," Will says comfortingly, giving our friend a small smile and nod. Jack nods quickly, his breathing a little easier now.

"All pods ready. Five, four, three, two, one, deploy, deploy, deploy!"

The screen above our heads flickers and flashes to life before turning into a window of sorts. My breath catches in my throat. I've never been a fan of heights. "Goddamn," Jackson says in awe and shock as pods get blown to hell right before our eyes.

Cormack shifts, visibly unsettled by the destruction around us. "Thirty seconds to insertion point!"

My eyes widen in terror as the clouds clear, revealing the city we're now plummeting towards. "Hey," Will says loudly, making me tear my gaze from the roof. "See you on the other side," he says, looking between me and Jack.

"Spaceman, I'm seeing heavy enemy fire in our drop path!" Cormack informs, clutching the handles tightly and staring at the roof of the pod.

"Copy that, Badger zero-one, adjusting your trajectory," Spaceman replies after a moment. He's too late, however, because a shell hits our pod just then. The door creaks before flying wide open. Jackson, the closest to the door, gets ripped out of his seat, nearly thrown out of the pod. He grabs the doorframe tightly as Cormack unstraps himself to get a farther reach.

"Hold on!" He shouts to Jackson as he grabs his hand. Will and I watch the scene in horror. "Mitchell," Cormack shouts, turning to look at Jack, who is directly across from him. "Close the blast shields!"

All around the pod, things are beeping and whirling in panicked tones. "Come on, Mitchell, now!" Cormack shouts impatiently, clutching his seat with one hand while helping Jackson inside with the other. "Mitchell, now!"

Jack hits the button and the door is closed. The noises around us stop and we watch with wide eyes as Jackson hits the floor before jumping into his gear. My eyes dart up to the roof, where the screen is flickering and blinking different colors. "Resetting drop point!" Cormack says, punching in some numbers. After a second, the lights turn green and the screen resets itself.

"Shit!" Jackson screams when the screen goes back to being a window. Our pod is quickly falling toward a skyscraper.

"Brace yourself!" Cormack shouts just as the pod collides with the building. We're tossed and jerked around in our chairs for a few moments, then the pod breaks away. My stomach drops when I notice the pod had ricocheted from one building to another. Our pod meets the unmoving building and we crash.

After a few moments, we get a hold of ourselves. I open my eyes, blinking away the shock and soreness. "You still in one piece?" Will asks Jack in concern. I can see him shaking slightly. Jack nods once before leaning against the chair, breathing deeply. "Sam, are you okay?"

I grab Will's outstretched hand and link my fingers with his. "I'm fine, Will," I say sternly, though my shaking fingers tell a different story.

"Mitchell, get the door," Cormack says breathlessly, struggling to get out of his harness. Across the pod, Jackson groans. Poor kid must've blacked out. Jack kicks open the hatch, stopping to stare in wonder at the city before us. "Badger squad, the North Koreans have invaded the city and are pushing towards your position. Watch out for fire teams in your AO," Spaceman says, breaking the silence. Cormack jumps down to the level below the pod. Undoing my harness, I make my way to the door. Jack smiles as I stand beside him. He grabs my hand and we jump to the ground together.

"Copy that," Cormack replies. "Eyes open, team."

Will is right behind us, followed by Jackson who nearly gets crushed by the falling pod. "Look out!" Will says quickly, grabbing Jackson's jacket to keep him from falling off the building. "Damn," he says, letting go and bringing his gun up.

"Okay, we need to get our feet on the ground and link up with Demo Team One," the Sergeant says, leading us through the apartment we crashed into.

"Yes sir," Will says with a grin. I roll my eyes at his antics, following the men.

Cormack and Will take cover on one side of the doorway, weapons pointing toward the open hall in front of us. Sliding to the opposite side, I raise my IMR and aim down the sights. "Contact, contact!" Will shouts as a few men rush forward, shooting wildly. Crouching, I steady my breathing and pull the trigger, effectively killing the two that tried to rush us.

"Clear."

Cormack advances, with Jackson and I bringing up the rear of the group. "Got a sheer drop on this side," Will says as we look over the railing. "There's a clear spot over here."

"Still afraid of heights?" Jack asks with a smirk, nudging me.

I shrug uncomfortably, a panicky expression on my face. My actions and demeanor wipe the smirk off his face. Jack gives Will a look as Cormack rushes over. "Everyone get your boosters ready. Remember, short bursts to control your fall," he reminds us while I try to control my breathing. My brother steps forward and pushes against a few pressure points, making me fall to the ground, unconscious.

"Who the hell are you guys?" A man asks in frustration as I come to. Jack sets me on my feet and I rub my neck, trying to ease the pain. Beats having a heart attack, though.

Cormack leans in, gesturing to us. "Badger squad, 227th! Providing support for Demo Team One!"

Daniels steps back to check a monitor before replying, "they're already on the move! Thought you guys were fragged!"

"What's their position?" Cormack shouts over the blasts and shells landing around us.

"Two klicks northwest at grid seven seven five!" Daniels answers, pointing in the direction we should be going.

"Alright, we're moving, guys!" Cormack beckons, running off to our objective.

"Badger zero-one, be advised: we are tracking a drone swarm heading your way," Spaceman informs helpfully.

"Copy that," he responds. "Everybody keep your eyes open!"

We follow the Sarge through two hills of debris and dirt. Suddenly I'm yanked back by Will, who stares wide-eyed above us. "Watch your head!" He commands as a huge tank climbs easily over the gap before continuing on its way. "Holy shit," Will breathes.

Rushing forward, I slide to a stop behind a car. "Contact!" Jack shouts next to me as he begins firing at the enemy. Rising from my cover, I fire at the advancing enemy, stopping only when everyone is dead. My ears are ringing a little and adrenaline is pumping through my veins, but I come to the conclusion that I made the right choice when I signed up with Jack and Will. I was born for this, I think in a cocky manner, moving up between cars with the others.

"Here it comes!" Jackson shouts in a panic.

Cormack dives behind a bullet-filled car. "Swarm! Everyone get down!"

"Drones, drones!" Jackson repeats. Jumpy in the field, much? "Holy shit!"

"Get to cover!" Will commands as Jack and I scramble to find a place to hide. "Protect yourselves!" He says just as the swarm goes flying by, shooting at us.

"Someone get on that turret!" Cormack orders, shooting at the swarm. Jack moves to stand up but I push him down.

Standing, I give him a look. "We both know I'm the fastest," I say before darting off toward the unoccupied turret. If Jack made a smart comment, I didn't get to hear it. Leaping into the seat, I grip like a kid on Christmas morning. Grabbing the handles, I aim at the Swarm.

"Keep those drones off us!" Cormack says in my ear. "Need to buy time for that EMP to charge up!"

"Roger that," I answer back, pulling the trigger. Drones drop like flies as they zoom around, unable to avoid the miniguns. Their bullets uselessly hit the shield of the turret, making a ping! sound every time one hit its target.

"EMP's at 50%!" Cormack informs as I continue to spray down the Drones. The crowd is thinning out and when the Sarge tells me to fire the EMP, there are only about a fourth of them left. They all fall to the ground simultaneously.

When I climb out of the turret, Jack is there to catch me. "Piece of cake," I grin cockily, patting him on the shoulder. He says nothing, shaking his head. We boost jump over some vans and hurry over to the hotel.

"Go, go!" Cormack encourages. "We need to push through this hotel," he says, running ahead.

As soon as we finish climbing the stairs, we're met with resistance. "Zipliners coming in!" Will shouts from the right. Crouching, I fire off a couple shots, reloading after the clip runs dry. Bullets fly past me, one even coming close to hitting my arm.

Jackson and I push forward, diving behind some couches to avoid fire. "Tossing a smart grenade!" I shout a moment before throwing said item. I watch it hover in the air, then zoom toward its victims at a fast rate. After merely minutes, the large room is cleared.

I walk over to Jack and Will, blowing a strand of dark brown hair out of my eyes. Cormack waves us over. "No time for a break, kids. We need to cross over this to the other side. Get your boosters ready." He shoots the glass, then runs out and hovers across the gap, landing unsteadily on the other side.

Jack and I stare in disbelief over the side of the building, looking at the very big drop. "You only live once," Will mutters before throwing himself into the air. He lands ungracefully in the other building, catching himself with his hands.

"You first, Sam," Jack nods.

Sighing, I narrow my eyes. "Scaredy-cat."

As I hover over the gap, I try not to focus on the drop, the height, or anything that could go wrong. Will waits with open arms as I land. "Whew," I breath unevenly, pushing myself out of Will's grip.

"Nothing like basic, huh, Mitchell?" Will asks rhetorically as I turn to see him land just behind us. We say no more, waiting for Jackson before rushing ahead to catch up with Cormack.

"This whole city's fucked," Jackson remarks as we come to another gap. I groan in annoyance.

"Secure that shit," Cormack barks. "Keep moving."

We descend and continue running through the trashed building. "Havoc launcher, dead ahead," Jackson comments, pointing at the giant aircraft in front of us.

"No shit," Will remarks sarcastically.

"That's our target," Cormack says, ignoring the men. "We need to find our demo team."

"They took out the whole street," Jackson gapes at the Havoc launcher flies away, leaving a huge hole in its wake.

Cormack continues ahead after taking in the scene before him. "The North Koreans are knocking out major roads. We're gonna have to get around this sinkhole to get to the commercial district." He jumps lightly off the edge and I gasp in shock, hurrying over the edge. The Sarge continues to make his way over the rubble and debris, oblivious to the height or possibility of death.

"Come on, slow poke," Will complains from behind me.

"Don't make me push you over," I threaten before landing simply on the ground below, with the help of the boosters.

"Demo Team One, this is Badger zero-one! Are you there, over?" Cormack asks, attempting to sync up with the other team. Climbing through what used to be a parking garage, I pause as a video feed appears on the top left of my eyewear. I take note of the Mobile Weapons Platform as the feed highlights specific things and rotates the image.

"—hear you Badger zero-one! We are approaching the Havoc launcher position! Sending you vidlink coordinates now!"

"Copy," Cormack replies. "We are receiving. We are proceeding on foot, ETA fifteen mikes."

The small screen changes to show a map. I nearly groan in frustration when I see how far away we are from the landing area.

"Copy that!" The Demo Leader replies over the radio. "We are strongholding our position, over!"

"Okay, let's hustle, Badger team," Cormack orders as bullets fly past us.

"Contact!" I shout, crouching instantly and aiming at the enemies across the sinkhole. Picking off a few of them, I let the others jump down first.

A moment after he lands on the ground below me, Jackson begins shouting, "drones! Drones!"

Glancing over the edge, I see drones fly up alongside a few enemies that are hiding behind a destroyed train car. "EMP incoming," I shout before tossing a grenade at the enemies. The drones fall to the ground and the men pause briefly, fighting the shocks and electricity that flows through them. Cormack and Will quickly take them down.

Twisting around, I fire on the surviving enemies across the way again. When they're all dead, I hear Jackson shout, "clear!"

"Through the train car!" Cormack orders as I rush to catch up. We advance quickly, but are forced to stop shortly after. "They're popping smoke! Toss a threat grenade!"

Jack pulls one from his vest and tosses it into the cloud. It goes off just as it hits the ground and the enemies are cloaked in red light. Firing through the smoke, we easily take down the enemies. Where would I be without you, Exo Suit? I wonder, lovingly patting the skeleton. Will gives me a weird look as he runs by.

With Will leading, we follow up the stairs, pausing only to wait for Cormack to point us in the right direction. "Shit," Will mutters sadly. "Bastards killed them all."

Jack stops beside me as I stare at the dozens of dead bodies that cover the ground like garbage. "Come on, Sam," he whispers, encouraging me to not look and continue with the mission. I try not to think of the broken families and ruined lives we're leaving in the other room.

"Stay focused. Nothing we can do for them now," Cormack says gloomily. We come to a halt at a closed gate. "Sam, get that gate open," he commands. Slinging my weapon over my shoulder, I jog past the crouched men. I place my hands on the metal bars and crouch, preparing to life the heavy object.

Suddenly, the ceiling on the other side of the gate blows apart, debris showering the ground. Two men follow a moment later, crouching and looking around quickly with their weapons raised. Taking a step away, I raise my own weapon and aim down the sights, preparing to shoot.

"Check fire! Blue, blue!" Will shouts, jumping in front of me and pushing the barrel of my gun down.

"ID yourselves!" Cormack says to the strangers on the other side of the gate.

A man with a beard and beanie steps forward, lifting the gate with ease. I watch as his muscles tense and flex at the effort. His friend stands at attention, weapon raised and eyes scanning the area for any threats. "Atlas PMC rescue force. We're transporting a principle," the man says with a husky British accent.

Two other men drop from the hole, one with his hands tied behind his back. I feel someone step up to my side, but I'm too busy watching the members of Atlas to register who it is. The man in the beanie walks up to Cormack. "How's the weather south side?" The Sarge asks, facing us.

Looking at me with unreadable eyes, the beanie guy responds bluntly. "It's a fuckin' mess. Better odds taking the east tunnel out."

"Copy that," Cormack says, nodding his head in thanks.

Beanie guy tilts his head, almost like he's analyzing me. The person beside me shifts uncomfortably and I realize it's Jack. "Good luck," the Atlas member says, finally taking his gaze off of me. "Let's move!" He shouts to his team.

"On me," Cormack says a moment later. We run past the Atlas team as they head the way we just came. But before we turn the corner, I sneak a look back at the strange yet familiar soldiers. To my horror, beanie guy is watching us leave as well. After a moment, he smirks and gives me a two-fingered salute before turning to catch up with his team. Releasing a shaky breath, I fall in step beside Jack, who looks uneasy.

Trying to get rid of the odd feeling in my stomach, I push beanie guy's alluring voice from my mind— a difficult task. "Atlas," Jackson repeats from the front. He turns to Will, who's mounting the stairs beside him. "Isn't that your dad's company?" He asks.

Jack glances at me out of the corner of his eye and I shrug. "Yep," Will says shortly, not wanting to talk or even think about our dad. Some things never change, I mentally sigh.

Jackson, however, doesn't seem to take the hint. "They've got the best gear, the best pay." He pauses, looking from me to Will. "Why'd you guys never join?"

Remaining silent, I let Will answer, knowing his reasons are different from mine. "We wanted to serve our country, not our old man," Will responds with a chuckle.

Do I have to remind you who it was that made it possible for us to be together, in the same damn squad? I want to scold. My little brother may think joining the Marines gets us away from Dad, but what he doesn't realize is that Dad was the one who got us this position in the first place. "Cut the chatter," Cormack whispers, crouching behind a sign. "Patrol. Drop 'em."

Crouching, I aim, and fire, instantly killing one of the enemies with a headshot. The others quickly take down the remaining targets. We advance, moving up the street.

"More coming in!" Jackson shouts as enemies file out into the street, firing at us.

"Check the buildings!" I warn, picking off a few on the second level. Will and Jack disappear inside the building to the right as I stay back, providing suppressing fire for Cormack and Jackson.

Tossing a few Smart Grenades, I reload and run up, ducking behind cover. Steadying my breathing, I aim for the man using the turret. Two shots later, he's down, allowing Jackson and Cormack to continue their advance. Jack and Will make little work of the enemies hiding in the buildings, and soon we're standing in an empty street.

Making our way onto the next street, we hide behind cover as bullets rain down on our position. Will tosses a Threat Grenade, which Jack helps by tossing a few Smart Grenades. "Badger, where the hell are you? We're getting torn up! Need fire support—" Demo Leader shouts over the radio.

"Demo Team One! Come in!" Cormack shouts when there's no response. "Shit, we gotta move!" He says, running up to a car for cover. Eyeing a piece of scaffolding, I boost jump on top of it, quickly laying down and picking off enemies.

When the area is clear, I jump off the scaffolding and rejoin the others on the ground. We rush through the bar, stopping as we reach our destination. "We need to get eyes on the Demo Team. Mitchell, over here," Cormack says hurriedly. Jack takes the binoculars and crouches down.

Doing the same, I stay back, scanning the area. "There's the Havoc launcher," Cormack states. "Demo team should be nearby."

I find the team a split second before the others do, briefly bowing my head in respect. "Over there," Will says, pointing in their direction. "Shit, they're KIA," he mutters.

Looking up, I see everyone turn to Cormack, waiting for further orders. "Okay, okay," he says shakily, trying to formulate a plan. "I can see their explosive packs. We can still do this."

Jackson shifts uncomfortably. "But sir, we aren't a demolitions team—"

"No, we're not," Cormack agrees. "But we wait for another demo team, and that launcher is going to move position."

Will stands, a determined gleam in his eye. Oh no. "I'll get the charges, sir. Just give me cover."

Cormack gives him doubtful and hesitant look. "You sure, Will?"

My brother nods, straightening. "Yeah. I can make it, sir."

Needing no further encouragement, Cormack nods. "Okay. Mitchell, you're with Irons. Sam, Jackson and I will cover your movement."

Standing, I quickly cross the distance between my brother and I. "See you on the other side," I mumble as I bring him into a tight hug. This very well could be a suicide mission— he knows that. But, like he said, he wanted to serve his country. Who am I to stop him?

"Sure thing, Sammy," Will grins, patting my helmet and kissing my forehead. I give Jack a hug, too, which he awkwardly returns. "Let's do this!" Will shouts as he and Jack jump off the side of the building, using boosters to soften their fall.

Throwing myself to the floor, I quickly aim and pick off the guys on the roofs and balconies. Beside me, Jackson and Cormack provide covering fire. Reloading, I watch as the men below us advance on the deceased Demo Team. Jack grabs the charges and they continue to make their way to the Havoc launcher.

"Will, that launcher is heavily armored," Cormack says over the radio. "You're going to have to find an access panel and plant the charges inside it."

"Copy that, sir. Mitchell, on me!" Will's voice fills my ear before it goes silent again. Adjusting my position, I take out the stray enemies that slip past Will and Jack.

"We'll provide cover for as long as possible," Spaceman informs as a plane zooms over Will and Jack's positions. I can only see a limited amount of things from my perch, making me want to jump off the building and get to a better vantage point. "Cormack, that launcher is tearing us up! What's your status?" Spaceman shouts as the plane goes flying backward, away from the launcher.

"Demo team is KIA. We are attempting to complete the mission ourselves," Sarge informs, filling Spaceman in. Drones come sweeping in suddenly, pinning Jack and Will down. With a few well-placed shots, some of the drones go down. The rest are fried by Jack's Smart Grenade.

They quickly clear the area and I jump down without hesitation. Using my boost jump, I make my way through the cars. Jackson and Cormack hit the ground behind me, telling me to slow down, wait, don't rush ahead. But I don't hear an order, so I ignore it. My eyes are locked on the Havoc launcher as it begins to take off, with Will and Jack still on its side.

Running as fast as my legs can take me, I scream at them to jump off. I watch Will push Jack off the launcher with one arm as it continues to rise. A moment later, it explodes in the air, launching debris and metal everywhere.

"WILL!" I scream at the top of my lungs, already knowing his fate. Jackson grabs me, but I forcefully push him back, sending him into some crates. Cormack and I run to the explosion, looking for Jack.

"Mitchell? Mitchell!" Cormack shouts, being the first one to reach him. Jackson rushes up to the launcher, searching for Will. Sliding to Jack's side, I hold his face in my hands, my eyes widening as I see what happened to him.

"It's okay," I whisper against his chest. "You're gonna be okay. It'll be alright." At the end I can no longer contain my sobs. They tear through my body even harder when Jack's right arm wraps around me.

"Spaceman, Badger Two is down, I need immediate medivac," Cormack shouts into the radio, leaning over Jack.

Cormack pulls me up gently, helping me remove the giant piece of metal that's covering Mitchell's arm. He pauses, a look of fear and horror on his face when he sees the damage. "Stay with me," he demands, beginning to pull Jack away to a safer location. "You're gonna be alright."

My eyes fill up with unshed tears as Jack sees his left arm remain unmoving on the ground while Cormack drags him away. "We're gonna get you home," he tells Jack gently, trying to take his mind off the detached limb. Blood pools around the arm and flows freely from the stump, making me want to gag. As soon as I know Jack is safe, I turn and run to Jackson's side. Together we dig through the wreckage, searching for a sign of Will.

Just when I'm about to give up hope, we find a gloved hand. Jackson and I dig Will out of the debris, trying not to hurt him any further. My heart breaks as I take in my half-scarred brother, whose complete right side is charred and burnt. "Sammy?" He wheezes, coughing from the effort.

"Shh, Will. It's okay, it's okay," I soothe, helping Jackson get Will to a clear patch of concrete. Putting his head in my lap, I try to distract him. "Heh, mom always said your selflessness would be the death of you," I smile, trying to keep my voice from breaking.

"You're the selfless one, Sammy," Will weakly argues, coughing up blood onto our uniforms. "I… love you… yo—you know that, right?" He asks seriously, struggling to speak. "I know I never showed it as much as I should've, but—"

"Shh," I command gently, no longer bothering to hide the tears that now freely flow down my face and onto Will. "I know you do. I love you, little bro. With all my heart. Mom would be so proud of you," I give him another watery smile. "I'm proud of you too, Will."

Giving me one last grin, Will nods. "You've always been so level-headed. You take care of yourself and Mitchell, okay?"

"Don't talk like that," I snap angrily. "Don't think that way."

He closes his eyes after a moment. "It's okay, Sammy, I know what's gonna happen." He opens his eyes— our eyes, the ones we got from our mother— and forest green clashes with forest green. "See you on the other side, huh?"

A sob escapes my lips and I clutch tightly to Will, lashing out when a teary-eyed Jackson tries to get me off of him. The medivac comes a minute later, and I'm forced to let Will go. I kiss him lightly on the forehead, my tears dropping onto his scarred head.

Cormack puts a comforting arm around me as we fly away with Jack and Will. The doctors put up curtains so we can't see them anymore, which infuriates me. I need to see them; I need to know they'll be okay! Cormack orders me to remain where I am, which I dejectedly obey. I'm not sure I can handle seeing my brother so broken and destroyed. I don't think I can handle seeing him die.