Page 22 of Rogue Mission

My throat closes around a prayer. Not a praying man, but desperation makes you do crazy things.

Seconds pass, then the building goes black-out again. Boots hammer the stairs. Then Truck's bulky frame fills the landing, the red headlamp on his head cutting across us.

His eyes are fierce. He's already ripping open a defibrillator pack he got from somewhere in the building. "Move, JT!"

I don't want to. My hands won't leave her.

"Dammit, move!" He shoves me.

I shift to her head while Truck rips her shirt up and slaps pads onto her chest.

"Assessing," the mechanical voice says as the machine hums to life.

Neither of us move or breathe as we wait.

"Clear to shock," it announces and I exhale, "Yes!"

"Clear!" Truck roars making sure I'm far enough away.

Her body bows under the shock, then slumps back to its lifeless shape. The monitor destroys me when it reportsNo Pulse Detected.

He runs the defibrillator through another cycle and it green-lights another jolt.

"Come on, baby. You can do it." Emotion is all over my vocal cords, as my hands clench helplessly.

"Clear!" Truck calls again, shoving both hands into his hair.

Another jolt. Her limbs twitch and nausea rolls through me when the reading is bad.

"Let me give her compressions." I knock him out of the way.

Truck grits his teeth and shakes his head, his face covered in sweat. "One more."

"Fucking hell!" I roar, rocking on my knees as he cycles the machine again. "We need adrenaline. I need to give her a kickstart."

"Don't have any on me. Beast's getting the chopper here as fast as he can."

Shit. Shit! "We should have had a trauma kit with us."

He holds up his hand, listening to the machine. We both exhale when it gives us the clear to shock again.

The power cracks through her.

One second passes. Two. Three.

Then a miracle happens. A violent gasp tears from her throat.

Next comes the best sound I've ever heard. Beep. Beep. Beep.

My chest caves with a sob as I fall onto her, burying my face against her neck. "That's it. Wake up, beautiful."

The pulse in her body is weak. Faint. But steady.

I choke on a sound halfway between a sob and a laugh. My hands wrap around her face. "There you are, angel."

Beast interrupts me through the comms, "JT! Truck! Those two tangos are on the floor below you, coming your way fast."

Truck moves silently as he draws his weapon and disappears down the darkened stairs. Fully prepared to engage.