Under the cover of darkness, the group managed to start crawling up the rocks unnoticed.

Rian clutched a baby to her chest, kissing the top of her head occasionally cooing and singing softly to her when she started to flail and cry.

Behind her, Jonah was carrying a boy on his back and a girl in his arms. There as a special operations officer behind him, carrying the rear, and much of whatever arms they managed to gather. Ahead of her, another special operations officer, who’d managed to pull each of them out of the vehicle, was leading the group.

Rian was tired, hungry, and thirsty. But she knew that their little group couldn’t stop to rest. Fifteen minutes earlier, she tried anyway. The officer up ahead had looked at her sharply, but was understanding while hearing out her request. “Captain … captain … can we just stop for a minute? Give the kids something?”

He looked down at her from where he was, about ten feet ahead of her, climbing a rock like she was, paused from what he was doing, pursed his mouth, gave her a small regretful smile, and then shook his head slightly.

Rian nodded back tiredly, and they all resumed climbing. Rian shot a quick encouraging smile at the ten year old boy, climbing alongside her. He’d been the son of one of the women she’d talked into staying – and now his mother was dead, along with most of the people that their team had rescued when the raid that had been launched on its target had been repulsed.

“Less than a tenth of a mile to go,” the officer behind Jonah called out.

“Hear that, baby girl?” Jonah said softly. He was panting slightly, and Rian paused from climbing to look down at him. The children he was carrying remained secure, but it looked like he was getting tired, red-faced from the exertion. “Think you should get in shape, Jonah,” Rian teased.

That earned a sliver of a smile and a chuckle from her friend.

To the sound of his light laughter, the group continued climbing, inspired to finish their journey, excited to be so close to their destination.

And then a hail of bullets erupted around them.

The officer in the lead had reached the flat surface of the highway, by the mouth of the tunnel. He leaned over the edge and started screaming, exhorting them, “Climb! Climb! Climb!”

He started shooting in the general direction of where the bullets were coming from.

Rian found the strength to push the ten year old boy up over the edge with one hand, shouting at him to keep his head down, while lifting the baby up over her head with the other arm, to hand her to the officer.

She heard a cry of pain from one of the men following her, and said a silent prayer that it hadn’t been Jonah who’d been hit, while she pulled herself up with a free hand to vault herself over the edge.

“Rian! The children!” she heard Jonah bellow. Thank goodness he’s alright!

As soon as she was over the top, she swiveled around on her belly, to reach out for the children.

Jonah thrust the girl up blindly, and Rian grabbed her under her arms, pulling the little girl up with strength she didn’t know she still had.

After Rian set the girl down beside her, she stole a glance at the captain, to find out what he’d done with the baby. Apparently he’d set the baby down on the ground as he continued firing. She crawled over quickly and swiped the baby up from the ground, and instinctively pulled her to her side.

“Rian! The boy!” Jonah screamed. He was holding aloft the boy who’d been on his back. As she grabbed him, the captain screamed, “Rocket fire! I see rocket fire!”

In a feat of superhuman strength, Jonah vaulted himself over the edge, and in the same motion flung himself over Rian, who’d pulled the baby, the girl, and the boy she’d just grabbed under her.

A violent blast exploded around them half a second later that shook the ground they were on. Rian felt sharp, piercing, pain all over her legs, at first, and then something knock her head hard. She felt rather than heard a chaotic cacophony of explosions rock them and shouting and more bullets being fired all around her.

Jade, I love you.

And then blackness overtook her.