Protect & Survive(1)

(In the Forest Somewhere in America - 12:35 PM)

(Rodeo's Pov)

My ears were ringing, but then a few moments I noticed I was lying on the floor of the helicopter face first. 

I slowly stood up from the floor, and looked around to see the helicopter walls and windows were broken. Electrical wires sticking out and sparks coming out of the cut wires. My ears kept ringing and I looked around and saw the MTF soldiers and Dr. Amelia Buck lying on the floor and then my ears finally stopped ringing. 

I looked at the pilot seats and saw they were unconscious with their seat belts, still on. I quickly checked their pulse and by sheer luck their still breathing. 

"Oh, thank God. Let's hope the others are alright as well."

I then heard a grunt from behind me, and saw an MTF soldier who was lying on the floor trying to get up but to no avail. I quickly walked to him and kneeled next to him.

"Hey, you alright, man?" I said with concern.

"Yeah, just... broke some ribs." He said holding his chest in pain.

"Alright, I'll try to get all of you out of here."

I walked to one of the walls of the helicopter and then turned it into a bomb, and then activated the bomb and blew up a hole. 

Then the soldier said to me, "Rodeo, take the civilian first."

"Civilian?" I thought for a moment and then I knew what he meant. "...Dr. Amelia."

I quickly ran to Dr. Amelia. I checked her pulse and she was ok but unconscious. But I noticed something, a metal rod had pierced the right side of her belly and it was bleeding. 

"Oh no." I looked at the MTF soldier and said, "She's hurt, sir."

"Like I said, get her out first and then come for us. Civilians come first, Rodeo."

I nodded and carried her bridal style and walked through the hole I made and I was now outside the helicopter. I quickly looked at my surroundings and saw that we crashed in a forest of some sort. I looked at the helicopter and it's propellers were destroyed completely and the second engine I think had black smoke coming out of it. I saw some of the parts or metal pieces lying on the ground. Perhaps, from the propellers. 

I quickly placed Amelia next to a tree with her back against it. I could hear the sounds of thunder, no doubt it was gonna start raining. I quickly walked back to the helicopter to get the others. When I got close, suddenly...

*Boom!*

The entire helicopter exploded, and I was thrown back by the explosion and fell on my back.

———

(Third Person Pov)

Turns out the helicopter exploded because three rockets were fired by the GOC attack helicopter.

"Boom, baby!"

"Do you think they got out?"

"I don't think so. Want to double check?"

"Yeah, that would be a better option."

The GOC pilot decided to take a closer look and started heading towards the crash site. 

Meanwhile, Rodeo was lying on the ground on his back and then quickly stood up from the ground and saw the helicopter was destroyed and was on fire.

"No... No... No."

Rodeo was in complete shock and anguish. The MTF soldiers he just met today and had a normal and wholesome conversation with had been extinguished right in front of him. 

He fell on his knees and continued looking at the burning wreck. Then it started raining, but since Rodeo was in deep shock and anguish he didn't notice it.

———

(Dr. Amelia Buck's POV)

I wasn't sure what had happened when everything suddenly went dark, but I then felt something landing on my face. It was enough to get me to open my eyes slowly and then I saw the sky and it was raining. I felt something hurting and then I looked at my belly and my eyes widened as I saw a metal rod had pierced the right side of my belly. 

Then I started feeling the pain. It was awful. Then I noticed that something was burning, I saw the helicopter that we were riding on was burning and Rodeo was on his knees looking at the burning helicopter. 

"Rodeo." I said to get his attention.

He didn't hear me. I decided to walk to him while holding the wound. It wasn't helpful but I needed to get his attention somehow. I kept walking and then I fell on my knees and the pain was getting more and more unbearable. 

I grunted, "Rodeo."

I stood up quickly and I noticed something in the sky. Some sort of helicopter but I wasn't sure if it was ours or from another group. If it's not ours, then no doubt we might have a problem. 

"Rodeo..." I grunted again, "Listen to me."

Finally he turned around and saw me, then I fell on my knees again, holding my wound tighter. He ran up to me and kneeled next to me. I looked at him and then my vision started to become blurry before passing out.

———

(Rodeo's Pov)

When Dr. Amelia passed out, I tried to wake her up but it was no use. I then heard some propeller sounds and they were getting closer and closer. I carried Amelia and hid ourselves behind a tree. I took a peek and noticed that an Apache attack helicopter was hovering above the wreckage, and it had a logo of a group I knew all too well. 

The Global Occult Coalition. 

"Those... motherfuckin' psychopaths are responsible for this." I said with anger and venom in my voice.

If I know one thing about the GOC they like killing SCPs and anybody who tries to protect them, but then a thought came into my mind.

"Am I responsible for what happened?"

I didn't want to be right, but I wasn't wrong either. If it weren't for me being an entity and target in the GOC's eyes, maybe those soldiers could have lived to see another day. I gripped both my hands tightly and was about to go after that helicopter, but then I felt a hand on my left fist, and it was Dr. Amelia. She was looking at me with a very weak look on her face before passing out again. 

I looked at the wreckage again, "I'm sorry , guys. I couldn't save you." I said with regret and shadows covering my eyes, then I looked at Dr. Amelia then carried her bridal style. "But I can still save her."

I took a deep breath and started running into the forest. While carrying Dr. Amelia and the rain falling down on us. 

———

(Far Away from the Crash Site)

(Third Person Pov)

The figure kept walking towards the direction, where he felt was being drawn to but he noticed that whatever it was... it was now moving further and further away. 

"Is he or she already moving? Looks like I will have to pick up the pace."

He then heard some footsteps and quickly floated towards a tree branch and stood on top of it. 

He then kept himself quiet and heard the footsteps coming a bit closer. He then saw at least five GOC soldiers with their assault rifles, and casually walking through the forest, not noticing his presence.

[IMAGES]

"I hate the rain."

"Then you should have joined the Navy Seals."

"Sorry, but I like killing monsters so I'm sticking with the GOC."

"Do you think we'll find that Golden humanoid? I mean it's been two days since we saw it."

"Well, the command did say that the drones spotted it in this area. So maybe there's a chance."

"Let's hope it doesn't attack us right now."

"Don't jinx us." The GOC soldier said before he heard some grunts and groans from behind him. He turned around and saw that his comrades were knocked out and their rifles broken into pieces.

"Hello there."

The GOC soldier froze, he slowly turned around and saw... no one.

"Am... I... going crazy?"

Then he was then sent flying by a kick by the figure and crashed into a tree. 

"Well, these guys are idiots. Moving on."

The golden figure then heads towards the source that he was being drawn to as the rain kept going on.

———

(Back to Rodeo - 12:45 PM )

Rodeo kept running through the forest carrying the unconscious and injured Amelia, desperately trying to look for shelter as the rain was falling even harder and was getting faster.

"Come on, come on. There's gotta be something." He said to himself.

Rodeo kept looking around and then he found something. A small cave. 

"Yeah, that'll do."

Rodeo quickly enters the cave and places Dr. Amelia on the ground and kneels next to her. He looked at the wound and noticed it was bleeding quite badly and the blood even covered her shirt as well.

"Ok, I got to remove the rod first, then patch the wound... somehow."

Rodeo didn't want to see her die like the soldiers. He needed to patch her wound up now. He then notices that Amelia's eyes are opening again. 

She then looks at him, "Ro... deo, where... a-are we?" She said with her voice cracking in between since she was feeling weak.

"Look, I'm gonna remove the rod now so I need you to stay strong. Ok?"

"Ok." She said with a nod.

Rodeo then grabs the metal rod with his right hand, and starts pulling out the rod slowly and she grunted in pain. 

Rodeo stops, "You can hold my hand if you want to."

Amelia holds his left hand and then he continues to pull out the rod. She holds his hand tightly letting out grunts of pain. She let out a few tears as well as pain was too much but not letting go of Rodeo's hand.

Finally he was able to remove the rod and puts it's aside. Amelia lets out a huge sigh of relief. But now Rodeo needed to patch up the wound somehow. 

"There's gotta be a way, to... I might have an idea."

"Please... tell me, is it going to be-"

Rodeo cuts her off, "Painful? Yeah, it will be. But it's the only way to patch the wound up. I'll be right back."

Rodeo then exits the cave, and starts looking for firewood. His plan is to heat up the metal rod, and then slowly patch the wound up. 

"Let's hope it works."

———

(Few Minutes Later )

Amelia was sitting next to the rocky wall of the cave with her back against it, holding the wound. She then heard footsteps and saw Rodeo with a buttload of firewood. He places the pile of firewood on the ground and starts placing the wood in a way, similar to a campfire. Now he needed fire. 

"Ok, my bombs might not work... Amelia do you have any matchbox or lighter?"

"No, I don't."

"Ok, then... oh I know."

Rodeo grabs two pieces of firewood and then starts rubbing the two woods together at STAND level speeds. With enough speed and friction both the firewood's start burning and then he throws the two burning woods into the pile. They now have a campfire.

"Ok, now for the painful part."

Rodeo then picks up the metal rod and wipes off the blood. He then brings the tip of the rod close to fire, trying to get the tip to be red hot. A minute later the tip of the metal rod was glowing light orange. 

"Well, here goes nothing." Rodeo then approached Amelia, "Now I'm gonna close the wound, so I need you to pull your shirt up a little."

Amelia nods and she pulls her shirt up a little to show her wound. Rodeo then brought the hot tip of the rod close to it and when it made contact, it started to burn the wound with sizzling sounds being made in the process. 

Dr. Amelia started crying and yelling in pain as tears started falling down her face due to the excruciating procedure.

"Stay strong!" Rodeo kept going on and then finally he stopped as the wound was finally closed, but since the rod pierced right through her belly, he needs to patched the other side as well. "Ok Amelia, I'm going to patch the other side as well."

"Rodeo... can you... stop ?" Amelia said not wanting go through the pain again.

"I can't Amelia. I need to make sure both sides are patched up, otherwise you will suffer infection or blood loss. Now I need you to turn around." He said sternly.

Amelia didn't want to, but what choice did she had. She reluctantly turns around and pulls her shirt up a little and he is able to see the wound. He then brings the rod close to the wound and starts burning it, with Amelia again crying and yelling from the pain. Finally, the wound was now closed. 

"Yeah, that will do. You ok, Amelia?"

"I... think... I'm..." Amelia passes out again. 

"She deserves the rest." Rodeo then looks at patched wound, "Good thing I watched those survival videos on YouTube back in my world."

Rodeo then carries Amelia and puts her next to the campfire to keep her warm since she didn't want her to catch a cold due to the rain. Rodeo then sits next to campfire and keeps looking at the fire. He kept staring at the fire, until he saw the burning helicopter again in his mind. He then quickly shook his head and looks around. 

"What the hell was that? Why am I seeing the wreckage in my mind?" He murmured to himself while holding his head.

Turns out Rodeo was about to develop trauma which Rodeo has yet to experience or feel in his normal life. Even though Rodeo hasn't recognised it yet.

"Maybe I should just check my phone. Try to contact someone."

Rodeo opens his hollow stomach compartment and brings out his phone. Luckily he had Lawrence, Johnson, Simmons and Collingwood phone number. He quickly dials Johnson since he might bring some backup with him. But the call was unreachable. 

"Damn it, can't reach him."

He trys the other numbers but they too were unreachable as well.

He sighs, "Just great. We are stuck here in the middle of a forest, with no signal and being hunted by the GOC... just because I am an SCP in their eyes."

Rodeo felt like he should blame himself for this, because if he wasn't a target for the GOC maybe those MTF soldiers could have lived and Amelia wouldn't get hurt. He felt deep regret and guilt in himself. 

"I'm sorry, guys. I'm so sorry." He said with tears forming in his eyes.