Not much to say since it's all uphill from here. Well, on with the fic!

The Normandy Campaign: The Mace: Ch. 2

Location: Inside the Trenches: 1852 Hours

When I regained my conscienceness, I began to retrace what had happened before I fainted.

Here was the list I came up with...

1.) I went in tank.

2.) Got shot out of tank.

3.) Nearly getting killed by Darkrai.

And that was about it, I guess. The only other thing was that I saw two familiar figures in front of me before I fainted.

I quickly began to analyze my surroundings, and I realized one very important aspect.

"Darkrai's gonna have to carry my sorry ass around at this rate..."

Suddenly, a voice appeared from behind me.

"Better not die on me, kid." I turned around to find Darkrai sitting right behind me. He was just staring at the ground, occasionally kicking the dirt.

"What happened, Rai?" I asked, trying to sound as concerned as possible.

"Kid, remember who you saw before you fainted?" He responded.

I didn't really know who it was, so I just shrugged.

"It was Arceus and Giratina..." He then did a big sigh before continuing.

"After you fainted, there was an enemy rush. They forced us to split up, so now we have to rendezvous with them." I was stunned to hear what he just said, and by the way he ended that last sentence, it seemed as if there was more to it.

"Giratina's up there holding a machine gun position, while Arceus...she had to take the Anti-Tank position all the way up there. I don't know how long those two can hold their positions, but we have to help them." I didn't even have to hear the 'help them' part, because I was already gone by then.

Location: Giratina's 42 Position: 1925 Hours

I finally arrived at Giratina's post, and it seemed as if he had everything under control. He was spotting enemy targets for one of my soldiers, a Lucario. We were doing fine, until...

"Tank fire! Get...!"

We didn't have enough time to duck and cover, so all of us got hit. Darkrai, Giratina, and I sustained minimal damage; Lucario...

Let's just say the medic can't help him now...

"Damn, everyone alright?" I asked, trying to stop the blood flowing down my arm.

I looked at both of them, and they responded with a nod.

"Then let's go, Arceus needs us."

Location: Near Medic Position

Status: Ally from Team Renegade was sent.

By the time we reached the mid-point of the hill, we encountered an ally from Team Renegade. I usually wouldn't mind the back-up, but this was a different story...

"Hey guys, what's up!" It...was...Palkia.

"Oh, I don't know. Let's see..." I replied, holding a tone of hostility in my voice.

"Oh, no." Was all I got to hear from both Darkrai and Giratina before...

"He's not worth it!"

"See if I give a damn, Rai!"

"OW! Guys, that hurts!"

"Stand still, we're trying to save you here!"

"I thought you love to see people die, Giratina!"

"He'll die another day, for now, let him go!"

"You really didn't have to do that, kid." Darkrai replied, groaning in between words.

"As much as I would love to kill Pal-Pal, he's one of us. We need as much troops as we can get." Giratina commented, covering one of his eyes in the process.

"Yeah, couldn't help myself." I answered.

We just stayed silent for awhile, until...

"Hey Palkia, what're you doing here anyway?" Giratina asked curiously.

Palkia just looked down at the ground, then answered.

"They're holding Dialga hostage here. That's why Arceus is here as well, because she's trying to free her."

"Where is she?" I asked.

He looked at me with sad eyes.

"They're at the anti-tank position. Dialga was told to come here as a radio operator, unfortunatly they caught her. Now Arceus on the other hand, she's trying to find a way to get to her..."

"Because, all of us were ordered to go to Chambois after this. All our units are being folded into one, and unfortunatly, without their Commander, they'll die out there." Giratina continued.

"Who's there leader?" I asked.

"Actually, there are four of us. Arceus, Me, Darkrai, and you. We're all needed in Chambois." He answered gravely.

We all just stayed silent the rest of the way.

Location: Near Arceus' Position: 2020 Hours

We were nearing Arceus' position until...

"They're coming through the trenches!"

With that, everyone was in a frenzy to block the entrance to the medic camp.

I began to throw a grenade, but something caught my attention. From a distance, I could see Palkia, Giratina, and Darkrai arguing about something.

With Giratina, Darkrai, and Palkia

"Get away from there, Palkia!"

"I'm not leaving my post!"

"Your post is about to be shot to pieces!"

"I'm not running away!"

"You're running away from bullets, not job!"

"Still, I'm not running...!"

A bullet struck Palkia at that exact moment. Not a fatal one, just a minor scratch, but it was strong enough to knock him out for awhile.

"Idiot! I told you to get away!" Darkrai commented.

"We need a medic!" Giratina cried.

I saw the entire thing happen, even from a distance. I began to rush towards them, hoping that Palkia wasn't dead.

"Is he dead?" I asked, trying to hold back my tears.

"No, he's fine. Just a small scratch on his arm." The medic replied. I just stood there, immobilized by fear, until someone broke the silence.

"Listen, there...isn't...much...time."

I looked back down to find Palkia still conscious.

"Palkia!" I cried out happily. He just smiled and continued on with what he was saying.

"Arceus needs backup, now. She's alone up there trying to survive the enemy rush.

"How do you know?" I asked, trying to analyze the situation.

He just pointed a claw towards the bottom of the hill. I saw through all the blood, fire, and smoldering tanks, that their forces were headed up the hill.

He didn't have to say anything else, because before he knew it, I was gone.

With Arceus and Dialga: 2050 Hours

"Milady, I don't know how much longer we can hold this!"

"Stay strong, Dialga! This is just like in St. Lo, someone will come. I'm sure of it."

"Yes milady, understood."

"Good, now keep holding until reinforcements arrive!"

Alright, this was Chapter 2. Too bad for Palkia he's wounded, but at least he's still alive. Looks like one more chapter ought to finish this. Arceus is about to figure out who came for her.

AA493