Rising From the Ruins (Closed topic)

[Shula Brighton]

The world was burning down, illuminating the deepening blues of the young summer night sky with brilliant reds and golds, thick black pillars of smoke choking the air and threatening to blot out the early stars. Screams of distress, calling for help competed with the sounds of heavy gunfire, small explosives and trampling feet and machinery everywhere. Smells burned. Sounds were fuzzy. Thoughts didn't know what language they wanted to be in. The only thing that rang through clear as daybreak was pain. Pure, unadulterated pain. The nociceptors in Shula's body screamed from every angle, the tiny Ishvallan moaning as the world spun and dragged her back into consciousness. Oh dear sweet Ishvalla... This was unlike pain she'd ever felt before, even when they screwed up her dosages at the clinic, or tried to rush the treatments. She fought through the haze, trying to breathe deeply enough to make it subside. Nope. Nope, more coughing. That worked well. But as her mind clarified slightly, the pain presented itself to somewhere on her side.

A hand moved up to hold the side of her head, ignoring that something on her face was also slippery. God her head hurt. She looked town, yelping as she moved to try and survey the damage. A few loose chunks of rubble had landed on her and rolled to next to her stomach, her blue uniform soaking through a darker colour. Great, she was bleeding. Shula sucked in another breath as deep as she could, coughing and turning back around and looking down at the hand that was still gripped around her wrist. "Spade! She sat up on her knees, trying not to scream or fall back downward, her ribs shrieking from the wounds. "B-Boss... Hang tight! A small pillar had fallen onto her CO, broken in places but covering his already injured body. She hissed as she moved her hand free of his, sitting up higher and gripped the first large chunk, determined to get it off of him.

"Spade... Spaaade... Wa-..Wake up! Please, Boss!" She cried out again, the dampness on her outer thigh throbbing and hot as she placed her palms on the next large chunk. Her arms shook with exhausted strain as she began to push it. "Please, Spade... Say SOMETHING!" God today sucked.

[Spade Aeries]

Sinews of consciousness sunk into his haze-filled mind. Sounds burst through the surface as bubbles breaking the barrier of darkness to a smoke-caressed sky. Green cracked open to cries for help and blood-stained fingers reaching into nothingness. And at the same time, all was silent. His ears were ringing, loud, reverberating tones that replaced the rattle of gunfire and moans of bombs. It sounded like water was rushing over him, but he knew from the smell of smoke that it was fire. The heat blasted against his cheeks until he realized that it was Shula's breath. And then his eyes focused dully on the silhouette of her slender form. She was alive and okay...that was all that mattered. The ground was still vibrating under him from the motion of military mechanics and wheels as well as footfall. It hadn't been long. The ringing died out and he suddenly could hear her voice, but not understand her words. Muffled slurs of sounds that weren't his language filled the space in his winded mind. Not...his...language? Ishvallan! "Please, Spade... Say SOMETHING!" He understood. And the fact that he could still interpret in this state sent a sly smile slithering onto his pale lips. He was a genius after all. Or...so they said.

"Your--" Ohjesusfuckingchristinheaven. His breath caught in his lungs as if stabbed by a fishing hook and he took a moment to stop the world. It whirled in so many separate ways all at once, that Spade felt himself moving to try and get away from how ruptured his equilibrium had become. Make it stop...make it-- It crashed down to the ground again and the womanizer dug his nails into the soil, taking deep breaths to keep himself from passing out. His ribs were broken further, already weakened by the bullet that shattered one, and he was sure that he only had one lung. Blood oozed down his side and had even sunk into his pant leg and down to his boot. Sweat gathered on his forehead from the simple act of staying awake and he reached out and touched Shula's face. There ain't no way he was living through this. He smiled. "Your voice...it was...better when...you...were singing..."

[Guest]

"--KET!" Oh, look. He got to finish his sentence. Joy, joy. Pity, then. That was the only thing that Apos could be somewhat happy about. Because honestly, it was only getting worse from here on it. He grabbed a piece of his singlet and ripped it off, wrapping it around his left arm as a makeshift tourniquet. Maybe this would help stem the bleeding until he could get a doctor. Or some guy with a pair of clean pliers. Anything to get the fucking bullet out. He gritted his teeth tightly, looking around at the burning wreck that was Central City with narrowed eyes. He told Spade that when they got back to Central...

He'd leave.

He would stick by it.

He needed to become stronger.

He needed to be able to show Spade the truth.

That was what he needed to see. The Truth. He'd heard about it.

No. That was too much for him.

"G-goddamnit Aeries. Where in hell are you?" He wasn't making some reference. He wasn't using a figure of speech. If there was a Hell, he'd imagine it to look like this. The great Central HQ building that normally sat in the center of the city was nothing but rubble. Rubble that had crashed to the ground with nothing to stop it's movements. He stepped past a piece of sheet metal, kicking it roughly out of his way, retching slightly at the bloodstains beneath it.

No, you're a soldier, Rajan. This is normal for ya, right? No, it wasn't. No matter what he thought, the tough-guy shtick didn't work in this place. He was, and always would be, a scholar at heart. He'd spent enough of his life learning, trying to understand the world. That's why he was going on this pilgrimage. That's why... this sickened him to his core. All of the main cities of Amestris had been reduced to rubble. By RIOTE. He didn't just want to leave. He was almost ready to quit the military. Spade's words still resounded in his head.

"You weren't meant for the military anyway." Damn right.

"Please, Spade... Say SOMETHING!" Ishvallan. And that pretty voice. Apos smiled to himself morbidly. Time to get to work. He limped over to the pair and grinned from behind them, just out of Spade's line of sight, and behind Shula.

"I hope I'm not missin' the party here." His short blonde hair was ragged, a red line went through part of it where a bullet had skimmed his head. His left arm had been bleeding profusely, and was stained red around the bullet wound. He was limping in exhaustion. Basically, Apos was fucked over. Not as badly as Spade, but he was pretty messed up. And Shula... He knelt down beside the pair, his presence now known.

"I'm sorry, Shula. If I'd stayed to make sure you were on my chopper..." The man was truly repentant...

[Shula Brighton]

Blood of Spade's fingers mingled with the blood and grime that smeared down Shula's cheek, her own hand moving up to hold it in place, eyes wet and shining with tears of pain and fear. Her breath was coming in tiny, shallow puffs as she bit back a small sob. "Your voice...it was...better when...you...were singing..." Tears slipped down her cheeks and across Spade's fingers, thinning and swirling the blood in small streams. Every breath hurt so much more than it had before. She couldn't believe Spade was actually smiling at her. The world was burning down, things had blown up, they were both badly hurt, and Spade was hinting to her that he wanted her to sing the song she was singing when he woke up? I suppose our nature doesn't change, even as we let go... "Spade... It.. it hurts... to breathe," she whispered, her other hand moving to clutch her bleeding ribs, whimpering as she felt a jagged point beneath her skin near her side where the rubble had crashed down into her.

She looked down, still clutching her own side tightly, at the train of blood leaving her commander's body. Oh no. Nonononono. His bandages were soaking through, staining the earth and his body. The tiny Ishvallan pulled her hand away from her ribs, her fingers dripping with her own life essences and pressed against the material above Spade's heart. Wordlessly she traced a symbol, her blood vanishing into what was seeping out of her boss' body. The symbol was not an array, nor was it alchemical. It wasn't alkahestry, nor was it even intended with the hope of being magic. It was a symbol composed of three ancient Ishvallan letters that combined to represent the Absolute - the source of all Existance. Aa, au, ma... Aum. Om.

Shula lifted her hand from Spade's chest and his hand, whimpering as she moved to tear the side panel off her uniform. Really, such a useless part of their uniform except for right now. She bundled it up and pressed it firmly to Spade's shattered chest and the Om, trying to stave the bleeding through compression. Closing her eyes, Shula held the fabric there tightly as she took a breath, ignoring the coughing and the shooting pain. "Om Khraam Khreem Khroum Sah Senaye Namaha... Om Khraam Khreem Khroum Sah Senaye Namaha... Older than anyone could guess, the mantra was a prayer for healing and protection against trauma. The words slipped through her mouth, half-whispered and half-sung, the tone soothing and low, interrupted only by her ragged and pain-filled breaths. If nothing else, she hoped it would at least bring some comfort to the both of them, and did not hear Apos approaching.

"Om Khraam Khree--"

"I hope I'm not missin' the party here." Shula's eyes snapped open, the voice being one she hadn't expected to hear again. She gasped, then winced with a faint yelp, her concentration broken from the mantra and the pain in her own body moving right back up to the top of her list of things she was aware of. Crap. "...A-Apos!" Her breath hitched as her body trembled, keeping as much pressure on Spade as she could and watched Apos kneel down beside them both. He came back. Even after Spade said he was gone, and possibly dead, Apos came back. Shula smiled faintly, despite the pain wracking her body. He came back.

"I'm sorry, Shula. If I'd stayed to make sure you were on my chopper..." Apos wasn't a team player, but the fact that he came back to find them and the unquestionable tone of repentance in his voice. Shula shook her head lightly. Just like Spade, Apos didn't need to know. It didn't matter anymore. "Apos... It's alright. Really. H=Help.. Help me with Spade, please..." Her arms shook, the shock finally starting to set in her body.

[Spade Aeries]

Green met red and clashed. Red soaked into blue and turned black. Green wavered and fell shut when a deep pressure bore down on top of his chest. But despite the onslaught of suffering, he did not attempt to move out of her grip. Fighting delirium, the general in Spade won out and allowed for him to stay still--completely unmoving save for the rasp of the air entering his lungs. His head lunged itself in every direction, trying fervently to make sense of Shula's words. Blurs of sounds crawled into the pits of his ears like water twelve feet under. He twitched slightly when he found himself drifting off and winced with a sharp intake of breath. It was easy to get lost in it... Shula's voice that is. "...A-Apos!" What...the fuck? He hadn't heard the garbage truck roaring down the street to them!

Jade creaked open as a jolt of surprise forced his labored heart to beat overtime. Shitshitshit... It hurt. And Apos was going to see him like this... Laying in ruins...dying. He placed a quivering hand over his busted radio and threw it at the burly blob of meshed colors that looked like Apos. Die bitch. Wait, that wasn't what he wanted to imply. "Apos you bastard," Spade murmured incoherently as his hand flopped back atop the steaming ruble. It was his fault anyway. Fuck jagged rocks. Something was digging into his leg. God damned pillar. Medical tents weren't supposed to fucking impale people for fuck's sake. His anger was released in a slight hiss that sounded more like a wheeze than anything else. God, how much he could use a cigarette right now...

"Apos... It's alright. Really. H-Help.. Help me with Spade, please..." Her voice again... The pressure let up slightly, allowing for thoughts to scrape by into his buzzing mind. She sounded desperate. But he couldn't fathom why. He wanted to ask, but the great Spade Aeries pray not ask, but tell! First, he had to accomplish the great task of focusing his eyes. In a moment of clarity, he almost felt the black growing to absorb the color as he found Shula's silhouette beside him. He turned his head slightly and smiled one of the most reassuring...and yet one of the most fake smiles he ever had. "No, I'm okay." Except that he was out of breath from a three-word sentence. "...Apos, take Shula...and get her...help."

[Guest]

"...A-Apos!" His eyes widened as he heard the voice. At least she recognized him... The blonde smiled from his kneeling from next to her, staring down at Spade through frustrated eyes. Any idiot could tell that Spade was in critical condition. No, critical wasn't the word for it.

"Apos... It's alright. Really. H-Help.. Help me with Spade, please..." His eyes and body didn't act as if they had registered what Shula had said. He was just staring into Spade's eyes, watching every movement. He had already planned on helping Spade. Shula hadn't even needed to ask. Apos' eyes narrowed, and he smiled softly, and yet confidently.

"No, I'm okay. ...Apos, take Shula...and get her...help." He chuckled.

"Like hell you're okay, Aeries." Apos stood up, forcing a small amount of blood out of the bullet wound on his left arm. But right now, that was but a scratch to him. Because as far as he was convinced, there was nothing, and he meant nothing that could stop him from saving his closest friend. He knelt down and grabbed Spade's leg, pulling it up and off of the pillar with a sickening sound. It hadn't hit anything vital. Good. He looked at Shula and sighed.

"Seeing as I fucked up with you, be prepared to hold on." He chuckled and stood up, picking Spade up and putting him over his shoulder, holding him with his right arm. He then (in some amazing feat of strength) managed to pick Shula up at the same time and sling her over his left shoulder. Seriously, don't ask how he managed to do this. He himself was in a state of exhaustion, but he knew it was nothing compared to the pain that these two were in. So he was happy to let himself be injured further to save them. There were still people running around, and it seemed that the hospital was still functioning. Good.

With that, Apos began to limp slowly towards the nearest hospital. If he could make it there, then he'd be able to save Spade...

"And I'll finally be able to pay my debt back to you."

[Shula Brighton]

Pain-filled eyes glazed up at Apos, Shula's small body shaking as she tried to maintain the pressure on her boss' chest. She wouldn't forgive herself if he diedSpade was his best friend, and one of her's, too. The people he commanded at Central were more loyal to him than to their own country most of the time, and it was common knowledge that if he'd asked anyone to sit in Hell they'd do so happily and stay there until he sent orders for them to come back. Apos knelt beside her and seemed quiet for a moment. He really did care about Spade, didn't he? Shula bit her lip, stretching against her body's screams to culr inward as she held the now-blackened uniform fabric to Spade's chest, her breaths coming in shorter from the strain.

And then there was that smile... Dammit that man could smile the Pope out of his soul, couldn't he? "No, I'm okay. ...Apos, take Shula...and get her...help." Shula bit back a whimper and pressed her hands harder, feeling a little dizzy. "Right, Boss... You're f-fine... And I'm Eva Padberg..." Shula's words hissed out, feeling her side and thigh soaking through and running down. It was Spade. The man whose charming smile could melt the ice at Briggs. In a state as bad as he was now, joking that Shula was anything like the leggy Amestrian supermodel might have at least won a grin under different circumstances. She coughed hard and whimpered faintly, despite inwardly laughing a little. Her doctor always said her sarcasm was her main defense and coping mechanism. She watched as Apos stood up, wincing from the sound of Spade's leg being freed.

"Seeing as I fucked up with you, be prepared to hold on." She frowned softly, growing more tired by the minute as her body fought shock. "I said... it was--" Her breath hitched and hissed again, finally letting go of Spade's chest with one hand to grasp her side. :--fine, Apos..." There really was something to be said for Ishvallan stubbornness and pride. If Apos had told her she couldn't, even in this state, Shula would try to stand and walk. "There's nothing to be--KYAAAA! Put... Put me down!"

Apos wanting to carry Spade to the nearest standing hospital was fine and well, even though the hospitals would be overflowing from wounded and dying civilians and militants alike. But Apos had picked her up as well, jostling all of the injuries and flooding her nerves with new waves of pain as she and her boss were carried off through the chaos to get help before either of them bled to death. Thin fingers dug into Apos' shirt tightly, gritting her teeth and trying not to yelp or wonder how much this dude benched daily to be able to tote them both and not break from the weight. Shula's growls and protests soon died out as they neared the hospital and clung to Apos. Ishvallan stubbornness and pride was bleeding down onto Apos. GOD tonight sucked.

[END TOPIC]

[Spade Aeries]

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