Valentine collapsed against the trunk of a mammoth tree and guzzled the last few mouthfuls of his canteen. Bark exploded in his face as bullets peppered the tree. He couldn’t breathe.
Briggs emptied his clip, then dashed to Valentine’s side.
“They’ve got us outnumbered at least two to one, sir,” Briggs stated.
“Our hovercraft?” Valentine panted.
“Completely incapacitated, sir.”
Valentine peeked around the tree. “Looks like they’re a little weak on the right side. Wanna help me flank them?”
“Absolutely, sir.”
“Good. And quit calling me ‘sir’.”
Valentine signaled his plan to the rest of the team. They nodded and kept firing. Keeping low to the ground, Valentine and Briggs began making their way to the right, bullets whistling over their head. A grenade crashed through the foliage, landing directly in front of them. Briggs dove for cover, but Valentine calmly picked up the explosive and tossed it back to the Chinese. He winked at Briggs as it detonated, the explosion bathing his chiseled face with golden light.