The battle was brutal and short. In less than an hour the Legion had been defeated, but the NCR had suffered far too high losses as well. General Oliver and Colonel Moore had gathered the troops, and while Oliver had commandeered a last unit of elite soldiers and rangers Moore had led the others towards McCarran, urging and lashing the tired, beaten soldiers onward and onward long past the point of exhaustion. It took two days to bring the troops into marching order for the trek back home, and another three for the NCR to get a fleet of vertibirds going to transport the wounded.
Major Knight had held himself in the background, watching the vertibirds come and go, but finally, he had realised his time had come, too. The last of the choppers was waiting, and there was nothing left for him but leave the Mojave behind. The pain in his heart was far worse than the one in his skull where a bandage covered a deep gash in his forehead from a bullet that had grazed him; and he climbed into the vertibird with a heavy heart, falling back into his seat with sweat of exhaustion beading on his temples. As the last soldiers climbed on board, Knight let his eyes wander across his last view of Vegas, the fortifications, the ruined houses, watching the dust being kicked up by the starting rotors above them.
From between the houses, someone came running for the vertibird. The two uninjured soldiers who were guarding their fallback primed their weapon on the running man, but upon realising that he was unarmed, relaxed again. The rotors picked up speed and through the hellish noise they made, they could hear the man running for the vertibird shout something but were unable to discern what he was shouting. The chopper began to rock as it was about to lift off when Knight, still staring out of the door, recognised the man running towards them.
“Will!!” The last of the injured men had boarded the chopper and the two guards jumped onboard as well, the second one pulling the door shut behind him. Knight wished he never had looked out again so he would have been spared Leo’s desperate, anguished face upon realizing he had come too late. He fell back in his seat, his head hurting worse than it had when he got the damn bullet, and he tried to push the memories of Leo’s voice screaming his name in desperation out of his mind.
The vertibid had left the ground and picked up speed, heading westwards and away from the Mojave Desert and the city of New Vegas. Knight closed his eyes and tried to make himself believe that he was looking forward to seeing his family again.
Below them, Leo had dropped onto his knees in the dust and stared at the vanishing vertibird with a tear-stained face.
My Knight in shiny Armour 7a/7
General Oliver and Colonel Moore had gathered the troops, and while Oliver had commandeered a last unit of elite soldiers and rangers Moore had led the others towards McCarran, urging and lashing the tired, beaten soldiers onward and onward long past the point of exhaustion.
It took two days to bring the troops into marching order for the trek back home, and another three for the NCR to get a fleet of vertibirds going to transport the wounded.
Major Knight had held himself in the background, watching the vertibirds come and go, but finally, he had realised his time had come, too. The last of the choppers was waiting, and there was nothing left for him but leave the Mojave behind. The pain in his heart was far worse than the one in his skull where a bandage covered a deep gash in his forehead from a bullet that had grazed him; and he climbed into the vertibird with a heavy heart, falling back into his seat with sweat of exhaustion beading on his temples. As the last soldiers climbed on board, Knight let his eyes wander across his last view of Vegas, the fortifications, the ruined houses, watching the dust being kicked up by the starting rotors above them.
From between the houses, someone came running for the vertibird. The two uninjured soldiers who were guarding their fallback primed their weapon on the running man, but upon realising that he was unarmed, relaxed again.
The rotors picked up speed and through the hellish noise they made, they could hear the man running for the vertibird shout something but were unable to discern what he was shouting.
The chopper began to rock as it was about to lift off when Knight, still staring out of the door, recognised the man running towards them.
“Will!!”
The last of the injured men had boarded the chopper and the two guards jumped onboard as well, the second one pulling the door shut behind him.
Knight wished he never had looked out again so he would have been spared Leo’s desperate, anguished face upon realizing he had come too late. He fell back in his seat, his head hurting worse than it had when he got the damn bullet, and he tried to push the memories of Leo’s voice screaming his name in desperation out of his mind.
The vertibid had left the ground and picked up speed, heading westwards and away from the Mojave Desert and the city of New Vegas. Knight closed his eyes and tried to make himself believe that he was looking forward to seeing his family again.
Below them, Leo had dropped onto his knees in the dust and stared at the vanishing vertibird with a tear-stained face.