Page 42 of Honor Code

He tried to open his eyes but saw only blurry, disjointed images—Viper laying down covering fire, another guy chucking grenades like he was in a school food fight. Nothing made sense.

"Duck!" yelled Viper as another explosion rocked the ground nearby. Fragments of dust flew into the air then coated them in a fine, yellow mist.

Phoenix coughed weakly, every breath sending sharp pains through his ribs. He forced his eyes open again to find Viper had been replaced by Ellie, her long brown hair shot through with gold in the sunlight. She was so beautiful. He reached out a trembling hand to touch her, to make sure she was real, but she seemed to slip away into the haze.

"Ellie?" he croaked, his voice ragged.

"Oh, thank God you're awake." Her words sounded muffled, as if underwater. "Don't worry, help is on the way."

He tried to sit up, but his head exploded in blinding agony and he collapsed back, darkness threatening to pull him under again. Where was he? The rocking motion beneath him suggested a boat. But what was Ellie doing driving it? And where was the rig?

Fragmented memories slowly surfaced through the fog in his brain. The IED. The deafening explosion. The shock of cool water closing over his head.

"Boomer?" Phoenix choked out, forcing himself into a half-sitting position despite the waves of dizziness and nausea.

Ellie shook her head, her face blurring in and out of focus. "I'm sorry. He didn't make it." Her voice cracked with a strangled sob, then she took a shuddering breath as if barely keeping it together. "The others got away on the second inflatable, but I couldn't find Boomer anywhere…" More broken sobs escaped her. The boat jerked unsteadily as she fought to control her emotions.

"What?" The news hit Phoenix like a physical blow. She was fading in and out of his vision now, surrounded by sparkling spots and stars. He recognized the signs of a severe concussion, his brain struggling to process what he'd just heard. Boomer was dead?

The world tilted and spun sickeningly. Phoenix gripped the side of the boat, fighting a powerful wave of nausea. He leaned over and retched, but nothing came up except bitter saliva.

Ellie's hand gripped his shoulder, anchoring him. "Are you okay? You were nearly blown up. There's a deep gash on your head. I think you have a serious concussion."

"I've had worse," Phoenix mumbled, but a small, distant part of him knew that wasn't true. He'd never felt so disoriented, so untethered from reality.

"Here comes a rescue boat." Ellie's voice broke through the mental fog, laced with tentative hope as she nodded towards the horizon.

He stared in that direction, willing his eyes to focus, but all he could see was a blurry, undulating line of blue. "You sure?"

"Yes, can't you see it?" She pointed into the distance. "Over there."

Shielding his sensitive eyes against the intense sunlight with an unsteady hand, Phoenix squinted at the horizon. He knew from experience that the disorientation and light sensitivity would fade in a few hours, assuming there was no internal bleeding. He just had to hold on until then.

Gradually, a dark shape materialized in the distance. He stared at it, unblinking, as it slowly sharpened into the silhouette of an approaching boat. But something about it felt off, warning bells sounding dimly in the back of his muddled mind. His instincts, honed by years in the elite naval unit, whispered that this was no rescue vessel.

"It's going too fast," he said faintly, the words slurring together.

"What? It's coming to see if anyone needs rescuing."

He shook his head and instantly regretted it as the world lurched sickeningly. Swallowing hard against the rising bile, he fought to string the words together. "No, she's riding too high, moving too fast."

He sensed Ellie's hand tighten on the tiller, the boat's speed decreasing fractionally. "What are you saying, Phoenix?" Fear crept into her tone.

The mystery boat was about seven hundred yards away now and closing fast. Phoenix strained to make out the figures on board, but they remained frustratingly blurry, wavering in and out of focus.

"Anyone else onboard?" he asked, relying on Ellie to be his eyes.

She peered at the approaching craft. "Yes, I can see two men. They're both standing at the helm."

"Two men, for a rescue? I don't think so."

"They could've been nearby and saw the explosion," Ellie suggested, but doubt colored her words. "There might be more in the back that I can't see."

It was possible, but the way the boat raced towards them, a predator scenting blood, made Phoenix's gut tighten with certainty. This was no rescue party.

"Turn around," he instructed, forcing the words out past gritted teeth.

"What?" Confusion and fear battled in Ellie's eyes.

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