She was thrown like a ragdoll. She rolled over the unforgiving sand, the metal of her suit sparking and tearing as it scraped the ground.
Her shoulder was shattered. The harsh impact cracked her high-tech helmet clean in two, exposing her bruised, tear-streaked face to the biting wind.
The world spun in a dizzying, nauseating loop. Gritty dirt filled her mouth.
She gasped, coughing up hot blood into the broken remnants of her mask.
Then came the heavy thud of combat boots.
Followed by rough, unforgiving hands.
Two massive men in tactical black ops gear grabbed her slender arms, yanking her up from the dirt like she weighed nothing at all. The ruined armor hung loosely from her petite, vulnerable frame.
"Target secured."
"She's bleeding bad," the second one noted, his grip bruising her bicep. "Arrange first aid. We need to bring her in breathing, or the commander will mount our heads."
She struggled weakly against their hold.
