"Ready?" Nivka asks the three privates. They respond with variations of 'yes Sargent!', and she began to head to their squads side of the road. Squad 6's fireteam would be opposite them, and working through the streets just tge same.

  "Keep lights off and move on me. No chatter."

  When she entered the alley, she raised her m45 and started moving forward. When they came to the exit, she quickly peaked her head, and ducked back. Nothing. Checking the opposite side, there was still nothing.

  She emerged from the mouth of the alley, gun up and ready. One member of the fireteam kept watch with her, gun up, one watched behind them, the other watched where they came.

  "Moving." She whispered into her com. She started moving forward, the team moving with her. They walked methodically forward, checking each new alley and side street. So far, everything was going well.

  The sound of a loud screech made them crouch, guns scanning. She pinged them a moment later when she realized what the sound was. Rocket artillery, likely aiming for saturation bombardment.

  Their leisurely, if tense walk changed when she heard a scream, and the distinct screech of a jackle. She could hear gunfire ahead. "The fuck?" She muttered.

  She thought civvies were already evaced from this area. Hell, she knew they should have been. But there were always stragglers. And it seemed a stragglers was now fighting for their life.

  "Move on me, double time. Expect contact." She said, then started moving toward the screams location. Another scream and more gunfire helped with locating the problem, the sound of plasma fire as well.

  They were still checking the alleys for hostiles, even when moving at a good pace, which helped Nivka immensely when she turned the corner to see a jackle barreling into her. They fell, and all hell broke loose.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "FU-" She began yelling when the jackle tried to stab its claws into her eyes. Shouts of contact, and gunfire were starting up even as she blocked the claws with her arm.

  The metal held, as predicted, and she grabbed the things arm with her other hand, and squeezed. The artificial arm crushed the bone into powder, and she wrenched the arm, freeing her to quickly grab her pistol and pump 3 rounds into, and out the back of, her opponent.

  She didn't push it off, and instead used its corpse as a shield, holding it up by the neck while getting up. She saw more jackles and squeezed 2 more shots at them while pulling back. Her shield twitched as it was hit by green plasma, and when she was in cover, she tossed the body away.

  "SARGE, YOU OK?" A private yelled, squeezing a burst off.

  "AFFIRM! FUCKIN' FRAG EM!" She ordered. The private grabs a grenade with one hand, while the two others, herself included, began to give suppressing fire. A frag flew down at the cowering aliens, before detonating. She and the privates burst emerged from cover to check their handiwork.

  The jackles were dead, no doubt. Some had their heads and limbs gone, some had shredded meat for chests. All in all, a good scrap, if hairy at the start. She looked to where she fell during the start, and found her M45. She picked it up, and went back up front.

  "Move up." She ordered, advancing. They eventually came apon a corpse of a woman. Her arms were mauled, and she had chunks missing from what looked like bite marks. The pistol she had used sat a bit away, empty. There was a corpse of a jackle though, so the woman got one.

  She put a shot into it with her shotgun, just in case. It didn't twitch. She could hear the privates behind her vomiting. Understandable. Better to get it out now, where they were relatively safe. Shit first engagement for them though, she mused.

  She heard the shifting of something a bit away, and she barked out. "CONTACT!" Her gun raised to cover her scrambling fireteam, she dragged one private back as the others stumbled into what sparse cover there was. She heard more shifting, and started slowly moving. A garbage can a bit away was moving ever so slightly, and she kept her gun trained.

  Her fireteam behind her, ske kicked the can over with her augmetic leg, sending it crashing to the ground, spraying it's contents everywhere. A scream emerged, and a kid flew out, rolling a bit, before stopping.

  A private twitched, so she ordered her fireteam to stand down. The kid, by now, was scrambling up in a blind panic, and turned to run.

  Nivka sprinted ahead, and grabbed the child by shoulder, trying to stop her. The kid screamed and turned to slam her fist into one of her arms. Nivka winced as the kid tid it twice more, before getting a jab to the face.

  Nivka stumbled a bit, more surprised then hurt, and kept her grip. One of the privates moved up and grabbed the kids arms, which led to him getting kicked. Another private them moved for the legs. The kid kept screaming and struggling, even as they tried to reassure them.

  They eventually tired out, and lay crying on the ground. They were 6ish, a girl on closer inspection. She was likely hidden there by the woman. Then, she ran away to cover the little girls tracks. Brave, more brave then many. Killed one fucker and saved a kid, likely her daughter...

  Nivka sighed. She looked at the kid, then started speaking. "Were moving out, now. Get ready, I'll get the kid. Cover me, double time it." She ordered.

  She gently grabbed the kid under the arms and hooked her arms around her neck. She pressed the kids face into her shoulder so she couldn't see what was probably her dead mother, and began double-timing it to their FOB.