Lost

Prequel to Found

This story is, in fact, about Alex. Don't worry, K-Unit shows up in the next installment. Do not skip this story because you think Alex is not a part of it. You just have to be smart enough to find him.

Gunfire tore through the air. Shouts of anger nearly drowned out a singular plaintive cry of pain, but the sound overrode everything else for Jaguar.

Bending low over his bleeding unit-mate, the two tucked behind a half-collapsed wall, something snapped.

Screw his cover. Bat was the only soldier in the SAS that actually bothered to acknowledge his existence. Scorpia wasn't going to take anyone away from him EVER AGAIN.

He stilled, expression smoothing to perfectly blank. He ignored the shout of his unit leader to 'get his arse in gear', breathing slowing to almost nothing.

They'd been utter bastards, all of S-Unit but Lemming. But that suddenly meant a lot less than before. He wouldn't let them die while he could still do something about it. And he COULD.

Lemming was endlessly cheerful, a total morning person, and always smiling. Now that smile was contorted into a grimace of pain as the young SAS member clutched his injured hand to his chest.

"Stay down," whispered Jaguar emotionlessly.

"Jackal."

The cold, steely tone made Jackal whip around. Jaguar rarely spoke, and never in such an unnaturally cold tone.

Warm brown eyes had hardened to a high, burnished gold.

"Lemming needs medical attention. The bullet hit an artery."

Jackal swore, then rapped out instructions into the radio.

Shark appeared soon after, eyes narrowing as he spotted Jaguar crouched protectively over his injured unitmate.

Jaguar moved aside gracefully, sliding along the wall like a shadow as Shark took his place beside Lemming.

His voice was flat as he spoke. "In 2 minutes and 15 seconds, R-Unit will slow down to reload. The enemy will attempt to take advantage of that." His eyes scoured the battle field. "J-Unit needs to withdraw, two of their members are injured. In 2 minutes, take Lemming and get the hell out of here. Jackal, Leopard, cover them." He knelt in the dirt, stripping down Lemming's gun. "Jackal, tell everyone else to be ready to get the injured out."

"We're under fire, dumbarse!" Jackal snapped.

"1 minute, 40 seconds," Jaguar counted emotionlessly. "Do what I said. There'll be a diversion."

Jackal wanted to protest, but a glance at Lemming changed his mind. He shouted the orders throught the radio.

Glancing over, his eye caught a splatter of red. Jaguar's fingers were bleeding, staining the mutilated weapon in his slick grasp. A few shards of shrapnel were wedged into the partially disassembled gun.

"Tell them to get down in the next 30 seconds," he ordered.

Jackal relayed the order quickly, spurred by the slight desperation beginning to filter into Jaguar's voice.

A slight lull in the gunfire left their ears ringing in the quiet.

Jaguar vaulted over the crumbling wall with an inadticulate war cry, streaking up across the no-man's-land and diving to the ground behind an overturned, burned out jeep.

Shark swore loudly, but pulled Lemming to his feet and took off.

A flash of silver caught the collective eye.

"Oh God," breathed Jackal.

Little Jaguar had built a bomb.

The makeshift device soared, glittering, over the edge of the enemies barricade.

The ensuing explosion was small but powerful, blowing out the front of their defenses.

Jaguar managed to push the jeep onto its side for better cover, waving up some more soldiers as they closed in on the enemy operatives.

The tables had turned, the Scorpia operatives losing thier organization. A few attempted to flee, but were incapacitated.

Jackal and Leopard were dug in behind the jeep on each side of Jaguar. Only a few operatives were left, but they fought with a desperate intensity. Morale was high, the injured having been removed from the field safely.

Leopard fired, clipping one operatives shoulder. He prepared to fire again, but slammed favedown into the dirt. He lay still for a moment, winded and disoriented, before realizing what had just happened.

Jaguar was still sprawled across his back, swearing inarticulately.

Leopard shook off his surprise. "What-"

He froze. Blood soaked through the leg of Jaguar's uniform.

"Shit."

Jaguar had just taken a bullet for him.