"Bravo Four is down hard! I say again! Bravo Four is down!"
"Roger that Bravo One. Spinning up QRF now. ETA, five mikes."
"Where the fuck did these guys come from?!"
"J.D, I need you in the fight, now!"
"Can't boss! Gavin's losing too much blood]!"
"Damn it! Bravo One to TOC, where the hell's that QRF?!"
"QRF is inbound Bravo One. They are going as fast as they can."
"Fuck!"
"Bravo Three is hit!"
"TOC, I need whatever you can give me, now! We are completely surrounded-"
"RPG!"
Matt could hear nothing but the constant ringing in his ears. The stench of gunpowder and blood filled the air and a thick cloud of dust and debris hung in the air. Everything was a blur, and it was hard for him to focus as he tried to roll over on his back but something was pinning him down in place. He could see figures. Probably Tony and Gazellaz unsteadily making their way to the newly made hole in the wall, firing their rifles out into the blinding sun's daylight.
He could hear the faint calling of voices now. Someone yelled curses and profanities while a far off and distant sounding voice repeatedly called out asking for someone to reply.
"Fallen Eagle! We have multiple fatalities! We need that QRF-!"
The voice was cut short and a heavy thud echoed next to Matt, causing him to jerk his attention in its direction. A pool of blood was already forming under Petty Officer First Class Holly Remington's body. Her eyes looked wide with shock as they stared back into Matt's, but there was no longer any life in them. The hole in her chest was massive, and it was more than likely she had died the moment she had been hit.
"R-Rem!" Matt tried to call out to his second in command, his best friend, and hid his sister.
His voice was hoarse and sounded no louder than a mouse fart over the sounds of war that raged all around them.
"Rem!"
He tried to reach out to her, but her still body laid just out of his reach as he felt hot tears begin to sting at the corners of his eyes.
"REM!"
"So that's how I died?" asked Rem as she leaned back in her seat, clutching onto a white mug filled with hot coffee.
"Mhmm" Matt replied as he stared back across the table from the otherside while nursing his own cup of hot joe. "You took a twenty millimeter round straight to the plate carrier."
"Fuuuuck. A twenty millimeter? Jesus Christ those guys were packing some serious hardware" Rem said after blowing out her cheeks
"Found out about a week later that they were a part of a new, highly funded splinter group of the Black Ebrons. Command believed they were made specifically to hunt us down."
"Holy shit. Did they… you know, eventually get you too?" Rem asked in a low whisper
"Haven't the foggiest. I had just discharged myself from the hospital in Germany and was visiting one of the local pubs while I was waiting for my ride to come pick me up when… everything just got really bright and next thing I knew I was here." Matt replied
"Fuck. And you said you've been here for almost three weeks?" Rem asked as she looked down into her mug.
"About that long, yeah." Matt replied.
"That doesn't make sense. I died a week before you but we both somehow came to this world around the same time?"
"Beats the hell out of me"
Both Matt and Rem sat at the only table in the back of the Loaf Oaf. Orest was standing by the window, making it look like he was working on making some sort of pie while keeping an eye out for customers. Matt hadn't asked him to do so but Orest would pretend to have a small coughing fit every time a new customer approached the Loaf Oaf, giving the duo a heads up to pause their conversation in the meantime. He'd even provided the two with the cups of coffee on the house when they first sat down and had been keeping to the other side of the bakery to give them both their room. Matt appreciated the effort and whether or not Orest was overhearing any of their conversation or not, he'd still have to find a way to thank him later.
Rem had leaned back in her seat, her arms behind her head while she stared up at the empty ceiling lost in thought for a moment. Matt took another sip of his coffee and found he had already drunken most of it and felt slightly ashamed of himself when he wanted to ask for more. She had told him everything that had happened to her since she'd come to this world around the same time as he did. How she too woke up in the middle of a field but there was no insanely hot fox girl to greet her. Instead she made her way to the closest village where she met the current commander of what Rem described as this world's equivalent to their 342nd. The "Proctors" acted as this world's policing force and apparently at one point long ago had been quite the force to be reckoned with. Rem had met their leader who was an elven woman who went by the name of "H" and helped her out with some sort of 'situation' that Rem didn't seem to care to explain any further. From there Rem joined this Proctor group and had been by the commanders side ever since.
Rem had also mentioned that she felt like she had met with someone important that she couldn't remember for the life of her between the time she had apparently died and when she had arrived here in this world. All she could remember of the encounter was that she had apparently had some sort of important conversation with a beautiful entity that she said quote, "Had these beautiful massive knockers." When Matt asked her if she remembered what the conversation she had had with the entity was about, Rem simply shrugged and shook her head. That had led them to their last subject of conversation and now Rem seemed to be thinking about her next words rather carefully for some reason.
"So. Have you guys decided how many kids you guys are gonna have yet?" Rem asked, looking pointedly across the table at Matt.
Her question gave him pause for a moment and he felt like his brain had stopped working for a time. Of course that's where her mind went. When it came to topics outside their respective jobs, Rem often only thought of three things. Guns, Sex, and Alcohol. Matt eventually let out a sigh and shook his head in clear disappointment at Rem's question as her wide grin returned back to her face.
"Why are you this way?"
"Because. You're the perfect baby made in a lab with both brains and bronze. So somebody has to be your counterpart and complete opposite of brain rot and perfect beauty." Rem explained
"How does that even… you know what I should know better then to ask questions" Matt sighed
"Yes. Yes you should" Rem smiled as she leaned back in her seat again.
They both laughed together for a moment before Matt shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh.
"Leave it to the two of us to be the ones to die in one world just to end up getting reincarnated in another" Matt chuckled.
"Right?" Rem replied while taking another sip of her coffee "So. You're getting fucking married. Gonna be honest, never thought you'd actually settle down, even if it was for convenience sake."
"Yeah. Still kind of processing it all myself to be honest." Matt sighed
"Do you have like a… suit or something you'll be wearing?" asked Rem
"Not really. I mean… I've got my dress blues but I don't know if I wanna do that." Matthew sighed
"You have your old Navy uniform with you?" Rem asked
"Yeah. It was in my storage item with me when I arrived in this world." Matt replied.
"Damn. Now I'm afraid to check my storage item. My uniform was hella uncomfortable." Rem said with a slight shiver.
"You've got a storage item too? Is it a… bag, or rings, or…?" Matt asked in a low whisper as he leaned over the table a little.
"Bracers. I'm assuming the same as you?" Rem replied in a hushed whisper.
Matt nodded in confirmation to her suspicions before they both sat back in their seats again.
"Hmm. Well personally I'd soon never seen my dress blues again, but I think you can actually pull yours off. Especially for your big day." Rem shrugged.
"Really?" Matt asked a bit surprised
"I mean, we might need to make a few adjustments here and there but I actually don't think they'd look too terrible on you" Rem chuckled
"I'll take that into consideration" Matt sighed
"Have you seen her dress yet?"
"Nope. She's doing the whole 'waiting until the big reveal' thing apparently"
"Ah I see. That should be fun then. Bet you she looks fucking sexy as hell. I've never actually seen her before but like, I've heard some rumors" Rem grinned
"Well I can almost guarantee those rumors don't hold a candle to how beautiful she really is" Matt replied with a faint smile as he took the last sip of his coffee.
"Holy shit" Rem muttered as she looked over her own cup at Matt.
"W-What?" Matt asked
"You've actually fallen in love with this chick, haven't you?" Rem said with an honest smile
"...Shut up runt" Matt replied as he leaned back in his seat and looked away a little.
"I knew it! There's no way in hell it was just for convenience sake!" Rem said excitedly as she nearly stood from her seat and pointed across the table at Matt who just rolled his eyes at her antics.
"But I'm happy for you" Rem continued as she sat back down "Really. I can see how happy she makes you in your eyes whenever you talk about her. Personally, I can't wait to meet her."
It seemed to Matt that coming to this world had somehow softened both of them a little. Rem had never been one to let her true feelings and emotions out like that but it seemed she was now a bit more open, at least with him. Matt smiled at her and gently nodded.
"Well what do you say we go ahead and meet her then? I don't know how much time you've got but…" Matt said as he rose to his feet and trailed off for a moment as if distracted by another thought.
"Eh, I've got plenty of time. I'm technically here for the wedding anyways so it ain't like I'm dodging my duties. Plus, I bet H is already there so if anything, we both might be in trouble for not being there right now."
There was a moment of silence between the two before they both immediately began to hurry their way out the door. However, before they left Matt stopped at the counter and slammed twenty gold coins down in front of Orest.
"I hope this ensures you won't repeat anything you heard us say today?" Matt asked the direman.
Orest looked at Matt then down at the gold coins on the counter before he cupped them in his mighty hand and pulled the coins towards himself
"I honestly have no clue what you're talking about," Orest replied with a small wink and a nod of his head.
Matt grinned at the direman's response and he was about to finally leave when his eye caught a fresh batch of baked delights still cooling behind the counter.
"How much for the whole batch?"