Jack Ramse awoke to pain. Better yet pure agony.
The plane had split into sections that dangled together by metal framing. He noticed that much as he realized his predicament. Looking to his right he saw fellow Colonel Ruby Goddard bloody and battered sloped over by her seat belt. In her lap was something he never imagined. His own arm. His own severed arm.
The windows glass must have shattered and his instinct was to protect Ruby. In doing so the velocity cleaved his right arm off at the upper bicep. He was bleeding profusely, yet not as rapidly as predicted. Time was out of synch. He ignored his pain and ripped his way from his seat belt. Left arm fluent enough to aid him in tearing open his military issue shirt enough to use it as a bandage. His belt left his slacks to use as a tourniquet.
Ruby groaned and regained consciousness slowly. In her stupor she moved her arms and held her forehead. Her other arm found Jack's arm in her lap. This made her jump.
"Holy shit!" She realized it was Jack's and looked over at him. He was weak but awake.
"I'd salute you if you sew it back on." He growled.
"Christ, Jack. You keep it together even losing a limb. I think I'm in love."
"Check for survivors. It's pretty quiet."
"James Ian." She unbuckles herself laying Jack's arm on his lap.
As soon as she stood her unstable balance dropped her to the debris in the hall. Her ankle had been pinned and was now twisted. Crawling forth she heard the whimpers of James Ian's dog Xander.
"Xander? You okay boy?" She ushered hoarsely.
"He's fine. So am I." James finds his seat fallen back with his legs in the air.
"Give me a second. I'll get you unbuckled." Ruby pulls herself up by fallen seats with dead bodies attached. The sight wrenched her gut yet she pressed onward.
Reaching James she unhooks him and does her best to get him to his feet. Once balanced James holds Ruby up.
"See if you can help Jack. He lost an arm. Keep him from bleeding to death. We need him."
"I'm on it. Medical kit's probably by the bathroom behind your seats." He limps away.
Ruby surveys the planes interior in two pieces and creaking. Fresh air swept through energizing her awareness.
"IS ANYONE ELSE ALIVE?" She yells.
Groans were heard from several sections giving her hope to pursue. Four seats further up she found Sargent Malcolm Brand holding a reviving companion next to him.
"Life threatening wounds?" Ruby worries.
"Cuts and abrasions but we're okay. Not sure how though." Malcolm hissed.
"Okay. Sargent, I need help finding survivors. Once you and Lieutenant Franklin get your bearings. She's a medic. I need her to help James with Colonel Ramse. He lost an arm."
"Damn!" Malcolm shivers then pats Elle Franklin on the cheek, "Get it together Elle. You're on duty."
"I'm on it Malcolm. Just help me up." The lovely black beauty shook it off.
Ruby felt woozy, "We probably all have concussions."
Behind her Malcolm broke away from his seat and joined Ruby in her search. He froze at the sound of crying.
"Mom? Mom wake up." They heard as they reach a pile of overturned seats that rattled loose.
"Miss Ridge? Sophia." Ruby slides down to the girls side and unlatches her seat belt.
Malcolm checks the pulse of the girl's mother then grimaces toward Ruby.
"Sophia? I need you to get a grip. Your Mother is dead."
With a haunted expression Sophia passes out on Ruby.
Gritting her teeth Ruby looks to Malcolm, "Keep looking. Head for the cockpit."
"Right." Malcolm nods sealing the eyes of Madigan Ridge.
In the process of moving forward to the door of the cockpit Malcolm hears a gut wrenching scream. Rushing it he pries the door open to discover Pilot Cameron Scott battling for his life. Escaping his restraints made it hard to fight.
Malcolm see's a terrifying sight. A pterodactyl was trying to snatch through the cockpit windows what he decided was dinner.
"Little help here, Buddy." Cameron Scott snaps while avoiding snipping jaws that struggled to widen due to the structure of the planes window frame.
Thinking quickly Malcolm snatches a fire extinguisher and primes it to blast a cold spray of nitrogen directly into the eyes of the bird. At least as best as he could. It was enough to irritate the beast into backing away and leaping to the roof of the plane. They could hear it walking on the hull.
"Fuck! The planes in two sections, barely held together. If it enters the rupture it's a feeding frenzy."
"Go. I think Wayne and Phil are dead. I'll make sure and join you out there. Don't use anything that creates fire. I smell fuel."
"Right! Bare knuckle bird watching. I'm on it."
Cameron pulls himself free and checks on his friends. Deciding hope was lost he shakes his head and moves out into the cabin.
Ruby had carried Sophia back toward the tail section seating, joining Elle and James as they injected Jack with morphine to calm his pain.
Elle glares hopelessly, "We clamped his arteries to keep him from bleeding out. I have no way to save his arm. We don't have any way to keep it cold."
Ruby peers around, then outside. She see's mountain tops with snow on them in the distance. Too far away though.
"Check to see if the fridge units have any ice. Temporary at best until they melt."
She hears the flapping of wings and turns to spot Malcolm leaving the cockpit.
Malcolm yells out, "Get covered up. Big Bird. Very BIG."
Ruby positions Sophia into the arms of James in an awkward moment. Her youthful chest was directly in his face.
Behind Ruby, Xander began barking at the ceiling.
"Quiet Boy. Let's not get his attention." She clamps the dogs jaws shut while leering at the ceiling.
Malcolm found a long section of shard metal and managed to break it into a thin spear. He was improvising.
As the pterodactyl found it's opening it lunged inside to look about. The sight froze even the steely Ruby Goddard. In her second of shock her adrenalin pumped and she released Xander in favor of a weapon. By doing so Xander lunged toward the opening and ran outside. The bird followed the dog who darted about in the sand below.
"XANDER!" cried James who dumped the awakening Sophia on to Elle so he could race to his pet's safety.
Ruby chanced that Malcolm and the approaching Cameron could hold it off long enough to head beyond the tail section down into the cargo hold. There she found crates of guns and grenades. Arming herself with enough for herself and two others she darts back up topside.
Cameron was holding James back while Malcolm took the risk of jumping from the plane into the rocks below. He snatched up large rocks and belted them at the birds head. It's wingspan whipped the air around him. Luckily Xander's rapid movements distracted the bird enough to become disoriented.
Reaching Cameron and James, Ruby passed along a VK1-340 Colt semi automatic with clips to the pilot.
As Cameron loaded his gun Ruby dropped painfully on her ankle in the rocks to join Malcolm.
