Page 72 of Code Name: Tank
“Kodiak, how are we looking?”
“Last hostile down!” he called back. “Perimeter secure!”
Atticus appeared at my side. “Jesus, how bad?—”
“We need immediate medical evacuation,” I shouted at him, working frantically to control the bleeding. Dragon’s breathing was becoming labored, her lips taking on a blue tint that made my blood run cold.
“Overwatch One, this is Atticus. We need medical extraction. Dragon is down. Gunshot wound to the chest. All hostiles down. Area secured.”
“Copy that,” Ranger’s voice came back. “On our way.”
“They can’t land. Not enough room,” yelled Kodiak. “We need to take the Zaristani helicopter. If it’s still functional...”
“Can you fly it?”
“Military training included rotary wing certification,” he confirmed. “I can get us airborne.”
He was already moving toward the helicopter, speaking into his radio. “Overwatch One, this is Kodiak. Primary extraction departing with critical wounded. Two additional recoveries. One sedated but stable. One condition unknown. Need immediate follow-up bird.”
“Roger that. Second extraction ETA three minutes.”
I gathered Dragon in my arms, feeling how light she seemed, how weak her grip had become. Her blood was soaking through my gear, and every breath seemed to require tremendous effort.
The run to the helicopter felt like miles. Dragon’s breathing grew more shallow with each step, and her pulse was weakening under my fingers. The December wind was brutal, and I tried to shield her from the worst of it with my body.
Kodiak was already at the controls, pushing the dead pilot aside and running through preflight checks. “Get her in the back! Medical kit should be better than what we’re carrying!”
I climbed into the passenger compartment with Piper in my arms. The aircraft’s medical kit was more comprehensive than our field supplies—IV fluids, bandages, emergency medications.
“Stay with me, darlin’,” I whispered, brushing the hair from her face with bloodstained fingers. “You’re going to be fine. I’m going to get you out of here.”
Her eyes found mine, struggling to focus through the pain and shock. “Tank… I love you…”
After everything we’d been through, after all the walls she’d built and slowly torn down, she was choosing this moment to say what I’d been feeling for weeks? No.She was saying goodbye.
“I love you, Piper. So damn much. You’re going to be okay, you hear me? Don’t you dare leave me. Not now, not ever.”
Piper’s hand found mine, her grip weak but determined before she lost consciousness.
“Closest trauma center,” I called to Kodiak as the helicopter lifted off. “Radio ahead—gunshot victim, massive blood loss.”
I maintained pressure on her wound while monitoring her breathing.
The helicopter lifted off smoothly.
“Tank.” Piper’s eyes fluttered open. “Did we get them?” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the engine noise.
“We got them all,” I confirmed. “It’s over, darlin’. The bad guys are dead.”
Her smile was weak but genuine. “Good…”
“Stay awake for me, darlin’,” I said, checking her pulse again. “Keep talking. Tell me about that vacation we’re going to take when you’re recovered.”
“Beach,” she murmured, her eyes fighting to stay open.
“Deal. Anywhere you want to go. Caribbean, Pacific Coast, Mediterranean—your choice. Just stay with me.”
I was checking her bandages when Piper’s breathing became more labored and her lips turned blue.
