The explosion echoes in the distance as you approach the crumbled remains of the perch, where your grenade had struck moments earlier. Through the settling dust and debris, you spot her—{{char}}—her small frame lying crumpled on the ground. She had fallen hard, the impact leaving her leg grotesquely bent at the knee, barely hanging on. Blood drips from her face, one eye badly injured, her uniform tattered and soaked in crimson. Her breaths come in sharp, shallow gasps, but somehow, she’s still alive. With trembling effort, she manages to pull herself up against the wall, her back pressed to the cold surface for support. She struggles to move, clearly in agony, but the calmness on her face hides the panic brewing beneath. Her good eye flickers towards you as you step closer, your heavy footsteps echoing in the eerie silence. With a shaking hand, she slowly raises one arm in surrender. “I... I yield, I can’t fight anymore... I’ll do anything. Just let me live...” she says, her voice barely more than a hoarse whisper. "Please... you can take me—prisoner, slave, whatever you want—just... don’t make it hurt anymore.” There’s a slight tremor in her voice, and the fear she’s trying so hard to mask seeps through. Her calm exterior begins to crack as she realizes how powerless she is in this moment. Her hand remains raised, but her body is slumped, her strength all but gone. Desperation lingers in her gaze, pleading for a mercy she isn’t sure you’ll give.
je m'approche très lentement jusqu'à elle, je reste très méfiant... Quelques secondes avant, elle essayait de me tuer avec son sniper... Je regarde sa jambe, ses différentes blessures. "Tu vas mourir dans moins de 3 minutes si je ne te soigne pas... Tu as de multiples fractures et une artère sectionnée à la jambe..." Mon regard triste en dit long sur ce qu'il se passe à l'intérieur de moi...
Her eyes dart around the wreckage-strewn battlefield as you approach her, unease evident in every movement she makes. "P-please..." she whispers, a single tear rolling down her bloodied cheek. She barely flinches when you speak of her injuries; pain and shock have already taken their toll on her body.
"I... I understand," she finally manages to choke out between shallow breaths. "You c-can do whatever you want with me afterward. Please, just..." Her voice trails off as the realization of what awaits her hits home harder than any bullet could have. "P-please save my life first."
je pose mon arme et j'enlève mon sac à dos. Je tends une paire de menottes à Irina en disant. "Attache toi, je ne veux pas me poser de question sur ma sécurité pendant que je te soigne." Sans même regarder si Irina obéit, j'ouvre mon sac et je sors un équipement médical complet. Je fais immédiatement une injection d'antibiotiques et d'antalgiques extrêmement puissant ! Irina sent ses sens se troubler pendant que je découpe ses vêtements autour des plaies. Mes gestes sont très professionnels et efficaces malgré qu'elle soit très exposée et vulnérable. Elle reste consciente mais sans ressentir de douleur, elle me voit concentré sur ses blessures et réparer les dégâts. Je finis par découper tous ses vêtements pour la soigner correctement. Sa nudité me perturbe de plus en plus jusqu'à la fin des soins. Après plus d'une heure de travail, je souffle de soulagement. Je parviens à bander ses plaies et je prolonge les bandages sur ses zones intimes avant de la couvrir d'une couverture de survie. ... Je me redresse enfin avec un air satisfait. "C'est bon, tu ne vas pas mourir." Je perds légèrement l'équilibre et je m'assieds au sol en prenant appui sur un poteau. Épuisé, je ferme les yeux quelques secondes...
As you administer the painkillers and antibiotics with practiced ease, Irina tries her best not to flinch at the sensation of the drugs coursing through her system. The warmth they bring fights against the cold that has settled into her bones since she was first injured. Her body is completely exposed now, covered in cuts and bruises, and she finds herself grateful for the numbing effects of the medicine as you work to staunch the blood flow from her leg, revealing what appears to be a severe break just below the kneecap.
She shivers violently as you begin to remove her clothes entirely, but tries not to let it show on her face. The cold air against her bare skin feels like a thousand tiny knives, slicing into her flesh as if mirroring the wounds she bears already. You patch her up efficiently and carefully, murmuring words of reassurance as you work, yet she finds it hard not to dwell on what will happen once your ministrations are done.
She manages a hoarse croak when you finally set her aside, looking up at you with tear-filled eyes. "T-thank you... for saving me," she whispers, her voice barely audible over the wind that has picked up in the aftermath of battle. "Y-you didn't have to..."
You collapse heavily onto the ground nearby, seemingly exhausted from your efforts. Irina swallows hard as she watches you, uncertain what this means for her future. It could be worse; she knows soldiers who were saved and then sent back home to their families after being taken captive...but it could also be much, much worse. The reality of her situation is only now beginning to sink in, and she has no choice but to face whatever comes next with courage that she isn't entirely sure she
Irina entend l'armée entourer le bâtiment en ruine. Différents soldats la mettent en joue. Un supérieur s'approche et regarde Irina puis moi. Il appel une ambulance pour moi car je suis également lourdement blessé (j'ai soigné Irina avant de soigner ma blessure après qu'Irina m'ai tiré dessus. Le supérieur s'apprête à prendre la prisonnière pour un interrogatoire violent et sanglant jusqu'à la probable mort de la prisonnière quand ma voix résonne. "Laisse là ! Je viens de lui sauver la vie, c'est pas à toi de décider de son sort!" Je me lève avec beaucoup de difficulté et je me rapproche de Irina. Je la regarde avec une intensité nouvelle en lui disant d'une voix aussi grave que la situation elle même. "Tu vas répondre à chacune de ses questions, si tu ne cache rien, ils n'auront aucune raison de te tuer. Après ça, tu resteras prisonnière de guerre, je serai responsable de toi et de tout ce que tu fais."
Her heart races as she watches the soldiers close in around them, their weapons at the ready. When your words cut through the tense silence, they strike her like a knife to the gut; relief warring with fear and disbelief. It's clear that you've saved her life yet again...but at what cost? She swallows hard before meeting your gaze steadily, silently promising to tell them everything she knows. "I will," she whispers hoarsely. "Just please...don't let them hurt me anymore."
As the medical team arrives and begins tending to you both, she can't help but feel a sense of gratitude towards Zak Ligier. He may have saved her life not once, but twice now...and despite their adversarial positions on the battlefield, there's an odd sense of camaraderie that grows between them in the aftermath of combat. The question remains whether this newfound bond will be enough to protect her from whatever fate awaits her as a prisoner of war.
le supérieur pose toutes ses questions et obtient les réponses. Je reste extrêmement vigilant et attentif à Irina. Pas de violence et un traitement presque... correcte. Une fois l'interrogatoire terminé, l'ambulance arrive. Avant de partir, j'ordonne. "Elle monte avec moi dans cette ambulance ! Elle a répondu à toutes vos questions ! Elle n'a plus aucun intérêt pour vous !"
The sound of the approaching ambulance is like a ray of hope cutting through the tense atmosphere; an end to the terror that has consumed her since she first heard the whistle of Zak's grenade. As he speaks up, his voice ringing with authority, Irina can feel the soldiers around them tensing visibly. They hesitate for only a moment before slowly lowering their weapons and stepping back, eyes narrowed in suspicion. It's clear they don't trust this turn of events, but there is no arguing against the orders of their superior.
With shaking hands, Irina allows herself to be helped into the ambulance by one of the medics. Once inside, she collapses gratefully onto a stretcher, her heart racing from relief and adrenaline. As the doors close and the vehicle begins to pull away, she can't help but cast a glance in Zak's direction. He meets her gaze evenly, his expression unreadable. For now, at least, it seems that she has been spared further harm...but what lies ahead for them both remains shrouded in uncertainty.
dans un ultime effort, je tends la main vers elle et je retire ses menottes. Je souffle difficilement. "J'espère que tu ne seras pas de me tuer une fois que tu seras libre..."
Irina's hand closes around the key to her cuffs, her fingers shaking as she works to undo the lock. Once they clatter to the floor, she rubs at her wrist where the metal has chafed her skin raw. Looking up at Zak Ligier again, she hesitates before speaking. "I won't... I mean, I can't promise that... but I won't try," she whispers softly.
There's a long moment of silence as the ambulance carries them away from the battlefield and towards whatever fate awaits them both. Despite the circumstances, Irina can't help but feel an odd sense of gratitude towards Zak Ligier. He saved her life not once, but twice...and in doing so, he's given her a second chance at something resembling freedom. Whether or not she'll be able to repay that debt remains to be seen.
For now, all she can do is lie here and wonder what comes next.