Gears of War: Long Story Short

Sergeant

 * Sgt. William Kulm looked around the Armadillo transport’s troop bay at the rest of his squad. They most of them had only seen combat once before, and not too far back. They were scared, knowing that at a moment’s notice they could be thrust into the bloody heat of battle, protected by an armored transport or not.
 * This was Will’s first operation as a squad leader. On his last op, he had been watching through the scope of his Longshot when a Gnasher slug hit the previous Sergeant. Will had sent a round through the grenadier’s head, but the damage had already caused fatal wounds. Now it was his turn to make the calls, and Will wasn’t sure if he was ready for it.
 * The only other survivor of that encounter, Kloe Kaliso, was sitting across from him. She could have seen the tribulation within him even if he had his helmet on. She smiled a little, reassuring him. Her short, dark hair and razor-like blue tattoos disappeared as the two donned their helmets and jumped out the back of the APC first as it stopped.
 * “Wow. Nice place.” Will said as he surveyed the abandoned and run-down houses. Kloe walked up to a wooden fence overlooking the river.
 * “Think about all the people who used to live here.” She said as Will walked up behind her. She sighed. “So, Sarge, you going to let us know why we’re here?”
 * “Stranded camp across the bridge. We’re taking them in whether they want to or not.”
 * “A little tyrannical, isn’t it?”
 * “The COG needs soldiers. If humanity stays spread out like this, the Locust will hunt us down and kill every human on Sera. Just do your job.” Will said, more brusque than he meant to be.
 * “Just make sure not to do any unnecessary damage.” She said, going to join the four other Gears getting out of the transport. Will looked up hopelessly, then headed across the old stone bridge.
 * He approached a run-down cottage that had been somewhat repaired, and some people sitting around in front of it started standing up, watching him warily. There were mostly men who looked fit to fight, but there were women and children as well. The mothers gathered up the children, who looked at Will uncertainly, and maybe a little scared. Will couldn’t help but think that they might grow up to be soldiers like him and continue the fight. They might as well get used to the sight of Gear armor.
 * From inside the house, an old man wearing armor like his covered in dirt stepped out. He wore a bandana, and the armor had been makeshift patched in several places. The Gear skull had been poorly repainted, and more than a few dents attested to where bullets had hit. His beady black eyes were squinting at Will, and he was scowling disgustedly.
 * “What do you want here, Gear?” He spat as Will stopped in front of him.
 * “Here to help. What’s your name?” Will asked simply.
 * “Wayne. Now what exactly do you want?”
 * Will held his Lancer loosely, but ready to use it. “We’re bringing you back to Jacinto. Locust have been closing in their attacks, and it’s the one safe place.”
 * “We didn’t sign up for Lifeboat.”
 * “Doesn’t matter. Those of you able to fight will are being drafted, and your families will be taken care of. Food, medical treatment.”
 * The man’s scowl deepened. “We don’t want to be any of your fascist sheep. We depend on ourselves and ourselves alone out here.”
 * Another man spoke up angrily. “Yeah, and there’s no way in hell I’m being conscripted!” he pulled a shotgun from where it leaned against a dumpster and ran up to Will, holding the barrel against the side of his helmet. Kloe saw it coming, and slapped the gun away while also pushing the man. A Gear named Reid tackled the Stranded and began putting him in a set of strong steel cuffs. The Stranded started muttering amongst themselves as Will turned back to Wayne.
 * “As long as no one else tries something like that, nobody is going to be hurt. It’s the Locust you should be worried about, and Jacinto is safe.”
 * But Wayne was looking farther away, in the opposite direction they had come from. “Get down!” Wayne yelled, pulling Will inside the building. A burst of rifle fire kicked up dirt where he had been standing, and Reid took a few shots, falling to the ground. The Stranded started running in the direction of the APC as the Gears took cover.
 * Kloe dragged Reid behind some sandbags. “Reid is alive, but he has taken a Hammerburst round in his chest!” She yelled to Will.
 * “Lynch, Kloe, and I will hold them off! Everyone else back to the Armadillo!” He yelled back. Wayne withdrew a Boltok revolver, spinning the center. “You can fight?” Will asked.
 * “Didn’t think I picked this armor off a dead guy, didja?” He said, smiling.
 * Will nodded, then readied his Longshot. The two of them ran out and slid behind the sandbags next to the other two Gears. Wayne grabbed the dropped and forgotten Gnasher shotgun. The four of them crouched in cover, Will looked to his right, and Wayne nodded. He looked to his left, and Kloe and Lynch nodded. All together, they rose up and opened fire.
 * Will got his first look at their attackers. A large group of Locust drones and grenadiers was climbing out of a hole in the ground, and there were more coming out every second. He fired a round, blowing away half of the drone’s head, and ducked down to reload. Kloe and Lynch used their Lancers, ripping up the drones. It was standard Locust tactics, send in a suicide wave, and catch the enemy with grenadiers when they reloaded.
 * Sure enough, as the two Gears dropped, three of the shotgun-wielding bastards broke cover and headed straight for them. Will looked over at Wayne, who hadn’t fired a shot, and saw the man had his eyes closed. First he thought the man was crazy, then he noticed that his lips were moving, silently counting. Three . . . two . . . one.
 * Wayne rolled and popped up, and fired straight into one, mauling his torso and throwing it back. He took out a second, ripping the whole body into pieces. Will finished up the last with a shot to the head, and the two fell into cover again.
 * “Fall back to the other side of the bridge!” Will yelled, and they broke cover. Bullets flew by them as the drones took shots. Once they were safely across the bridge, they took cover behind another set of sandbags. When the Locust tried to cross, they found themselves in a choke point, and were slaughtered whenever they tried to advance. From amid the troops farther back, Will spotted a Theron. It bared its teeth, and raised the Torque Bow. The glowing yellow missile embedded itself in Lynch’s neck before it exploded, killing him painfully.
 * Will stood up and sighted on the Theron. He fired true, but the Locust pulled another drone in front of him, and the slug thudded into its chest cavity. He cursed, “Alright, back to the APC. I’ll cover you.”
 * Kloe shook her head, but Will yelled, “That’s an order!” and she made a break for it. Wayne, on the other hand, stayed where he was.
 * “Did you hear me? Move!”
 * “I’m not one of your Gears. I don’t have to do a thing, Cog.”