Enhanced

XVII

Light was restored to the bunker as the entrance obscured itself to the outside world, not that their concealment would provide any protection from Vendetta's forces in the coming hours. Finding them was only a matter of time.. And their time was slowly running out. Trevor and Aspen rested Cody against the concrete surface of the entryway as the rest flocked around him; Gathering around the armored four. Both Medicants came straight to aid him, crouching down beside Cody and examining the wound on his hip. "Can you still get up and walk?" Miles asks firstly, identifying the possible injury he may have tainted with and the purpose of the mercenary's aim.

"I'm pretty sure I can, but I'll definitely be limping." Cody replied with the most unaffected tone ever. "I'm going to die from a hip bruise, aren't I." He exaggerated, looking down to the armor of his bottom half barely being afflicted. Though the tingle of the torrid metal blistering his skin was present to his awareness. He thought the pellet had sunk deep into his flesh when it hardly touched it. 

"If any vessels were torn on the initial impact, you'll start to lose blood and eventually.. Well.. Yeah." Miles responded realistically. He is then given a troubling visage from his friend. "Are you starting to feel lightheaded?" He asks with Cody returning a relieving 'No'.

"That's good for your state." Clea adds, "We'll have enough time to treat the bruise and any weakened blood vessels in your body after we take back the camp, as long as you don't abuse it till then." She concludes, leaving an immense concern within their group. How were they going to send the distress signal with only four sets of defense in reclaiming?

In the midst of the moment, all of them looked to one another and to Cassidy for clarity. They watched as mere bullets ricocheted off the armor of one mercenary with the other five possibly laughing at their attempt. The reverie that their survival in gaining weaponry and gear to combat Vendetta had been relinquished. They were now of no avail, they were as helpless as bare people running into fire head first. Even with such advanced technology and weaponry at their disposal, their chances dwindled to bleakness. But their sergeant held onto faith, all while that faith decayed. He had to rely on his cadet's intuition and strength to carry on. All of them looked to him on what to do next.

"You have ten minutes to appease yourselves." Cassidy insisted, letting a sigh of frustration flutter by. "Regroup round the console at 0425 hours for conference." He reminded before they parted their ways to wherever the pleased. 

"I accidentally left your knife back there, by the way. Sorry." Cody apologized to Aiden earnestly, aware that it meant something to him.

He exhaled a thwarted sigh, "It's alright, I accidentally tripped Cee's alarm so that makes us even." He confessed a second time to them. Rather than receiving a caustic reprimand from the Strider, Cody simply gave an impervious set of blinks.

He'd then been supported to his feet, gesturing for her to let him stand by his own means. Miles and Aiden lingered amidst them, both distraught by the events that could've unfolded if Katherine hadn't fell to her emotions. "I couldn't see any liabilities in him." She strangely addressed to the pair. "His armor was completely rigid, no thin layering of clothing, no vulnerable exposures that can be torn." She listed hopelessly, her voice failing with each word. To their detriment, her word were true. It may have been different for the other specialists, but there was no hurting the brute. Her eyes shot to Aiden, "Can you shut the blast doors in the library and entrance doors of the barracks?" She directed, referring to the entryways at the bottom floors of each building and the link.

"With full access to Cee and the camp's entire control system, I'll should be able to aside unlocking the lockers." Aiden implied, "But I'll need time to work the systems to something I can understand first." He soughed, demoralized. "If you want me to access anything else, I can try." He freely gives his service.