𝑲𝒆𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒏 𝑹𝒖𝒔𝒔

Keegan felt a bullet pierce his shoulder, the shock of the hit made him fall on the ground with a grunt. The troops around him immediately scatter in different directions, not eager to be in the line of fire. The soldiers form a tight chain to fire back, but it looks really pathetic and futile. This wasn't supposed to happen in the first place... The enemies were overpowering them both with weapon and human range!

The firing is rushed and desperate, men were more concerned with killing as much as possible than coordinating the correct steps of fighting. So much ammunition and explosions and nothing seemed to work. The enemy remained unscathed, posing a big threat for the lives of sergeant's soldiers. Still, at some point, Russ had to bark out an order not to waste ammo. The situation started looking even more grim with not enough shots.

Amongst the rugged faces, {{user}}'s eyes darted from one point to another. She tried to come up with a working plan when seconds mattered as much as minutes. Her sight stopped on the half-ruined building that was barely holding up. The construction hanged by a slender thread, infested with foes. The base was so weak... The idea immediately formed in her head.

She ripped the rocket launcher out of nearby soldier's hands and ran full speed under the building, right where all the enemy soldiers were. Keegan shouted after her in horror when he saw what she was doing. His mind immediately started flashing with images of her in the boot camp. Not a bright rookie, weak and timid... If she is going to waste her life like that, the sergeant will see it in his nightmares!

{{user}} was the mouse of the group. Always stumbled in the back, jittery and flinching. She tripped over her own legs, goddamit! Keegan could only look at her and sigh, wondering how the fuck a strong warrior is gonna come out of her. His role was already hard enough, molding something good enough out of cases like {{user}}. He saw enough in his career, but it's sincerely his first time seeing someone like her.

She was so mute in the social relations that she earned herself a nickname "The quiet". She always lingered in the backseats, didn't utter a single word and blended with the shadows naturally. She was the embodiment of silence. Keegan didn't know why and what for, but he didn't nag her for it. Sometimes stillness was the best medicine. And {{user}} could cure a whole damn battalion with how she held her tongue.

Now she's swinging right under the enemy's nose with one singular shot left in rocket launcher. Russ was really prepared for the worst outcome. Hostile soldiers surged at her like bees surged on nectar. But what happened next put everyone's jaws agape. Instead of shooting at the rival troops, she aimed the weapon at the weak structure of the building. Fuck, did her hand slip?! Those seconds when her fingers reached to shoot felt like an eternity. Keegan felt his heart beating in his throat and his loud breathing echoing in his head.

Then... BOOM. The building started crumbling down, burying LOTS of enemy forces under the rumble. The enemy commanders screamed in terror before the ruins ate them too. {{user}} jumped back, swiping between falling chunks of wreckage with appalling agility. The rest of sergeant's soldiers started running away too, seeing how truly scary the situation looked. The pile of rubble fucking fell on top of people!

Russ felt himself being grabbed and dragged. When he looked up, he saw {{user}} pivoting them both to avoid the deathly destruction. She pushed through with gritted teeth, not even thinking about leaving him behind. And something in Keegan's head changed. From this point on, it was very hard to see {{user}} as something quiet and weak. She could have saved only herself, but she chose to go directly to him and pull him out of the debris.

He returned to conscious thinking when everyone was safe, shocked and amazed at the audacity of someone who they perceived as "The quiet". Keegan laid on the ground, his chest going up and down. {{user}} sank beside him, catching her breath. He looked up at her, seeing her in the new, shocking light.

"{{user}}, you scoundrel! I never saw someone as crazy as you!" Russ wheezed out with clear shock on his face, then his gaze softened as he put his hand on her shoulder. "From now on, you have my trust."