"Oh just a pastime hobby that I engage in from time to time, saving the world and all that, from dark minded individuals such as yourself." Shalako replied calmly.
The man swelled up in anger, "You traitorous retch to speak to me so! You are a dog! A stupid dog that will soon be no more!"
Shalako nodded, "You're right on that last point, but your description of me is a little lacking, because you see," Shalako's hands came up from his sides to reveal two grenades with their pins already flicked off into space, "I'm a warrior!"
Flint looked around grimly, "Is this all?"
"Yes Sir."
Flint swallowed reflexively at the sight of just eighteen bloodied commandos, which were all that was left of all the companies combined. Maria, himself, John, and Tyre were all that was left of the agency in attendance.
"Look there's one more!" A commando said pointing.
It was Utah, with another man over his shoulder. They were the first two to have been seen from G Company all night.
Utah let his burden be taken from him and straightened up before Flint. "Last two from G Company, Shalako's still back there gut shot."
Flint nodded grimly.
Utah glanced down at the commando he had carried from the forward battle line, only to be met by the apologetic gazes of the commandos, who had relieved him of him. One of them said, "I'm sorry, but he's dead. I had a pulse for a moment, but it's gone now."
Something snapped then within Utah at the knowledge that the man he'd carried to safety at the expense of Shalako's life was now dead. The sacrifice by Shalako had been pointless!
Utah roared out in rage and wheeled around to run back for Shalako, but Flint grabbed a hold of him. Even so Utah drug Flint and two other commandos, who'd come to help Flint along with him, as he tried to go back for Shalako. The night was punctured by two almost simultaneous blasts and Utah stopped, "No!"
The commandos pulled a now un-resistant Utah back to a chopper and pushed him inside. Tyre wrapped his good arm around him and Maria grabbed Utah's other arm as the chopper took off.
Utah stared bitterly out the open bay of the chopper at the fires disappearing in the distance. To no one in particular he said, "I've waited all my life to have a father's guiding influence, I find it in the middle of a battle and I lose it within an hour."
Tyre glanced over at him and then back out at the retreating fires, "At least you had that much. Now honor him by looking past what you've lost to what you've gained this night. That's the take away you should take from this. Let your experience, no matter how brief it was, change you and make you a better person, a testament to the person that inspired you to be better than you were before. Don't dwell on the loss, but seize the victory to be had and claim it for your life."