Andrea followed behind her limping CO, ready to catch him if he started to fall over. They needed him now more than anything. She looked at the boy, shot and quivering, pale and dying. THe order to move now surely condemned him to death. At this point he was a dead weight. Sadly he would not get a proper funeral he probably deserved. A weight was placed on her heart at this thought, eventually it would shrink to nothing as time passed but at the moment she simply felt bad for the child. But what's done is done, the life of one child did not outweigh the lives of her squad.<br/><br/>She looked back at the demolitions guy as he started to put a number of grenades around the Raven. She let out a sigh at the sight of all the explosives. Combined with whatever fuel was left in the tank and had spilled around the wreckage it was definitely going to result in a rather fantastic explosion. Andrea smiled at the thought, it was such a basic form of entertainment, a loud burst of light and sound, but it was just so thrilling.<br/><br/>“<span style="color: DarkRed">Vyk, lead the way to somewhere we can rest up for a few hours. I am sure you guys have some hidden shelters to hide from us and the locust. Be quick about it, your friend may not be able to last very long.</span>”<br/><br/>This was a very ironic moment. The squad came to gather supplies that may or may not be there, now they were in a war zone following a Stranded. The walk over was very tense to say the least. Locust could be anywhere, in that dark alley, in that run-down building. Throughout the short trek, she felt as if she had a target on her head. All of this fear and paranoia though only served to exasperate the itch. She needed a pill now. If she was to die she was going to die happy, damn it. She slowed down her pace just slightly so she fell behind her CO and the Stranded but still ahead of the rest of the group. She took a deep breath before she adeptly opened the small hatch with her treasure. In a quick, fluid motion she opened the sack with the pills, removed one and closed the hatch before putting the pill in her mouth and swallowing. A moment of serene nothingness passed, like the pause before one swings a hammer down upon the anvil.<br/><br/>Like a swift punch, the effects hit her.<br/><br/>A large smile blossomed upon her lips, something she quickly hid by putting on her re-breather. Her pupils dilated greatly, making everything seem bright, every color intense and vivid. The aching of bruises was washed away and replaced with such an intense happiness and joy that she felt invincible. Her heartbeat sped up and her mind grew frenzied with all the new sensations. Her hand rubbed up and down her Lancer, feeling the coolness of the metal, every nick and scratch that it had acquired during her years of service. A faint sound, an "Mmmmm", emanated from her throat as her fingers ran up and down the Lancer, flooding her brain with the sensory input. Her normal paranoia was gone, replaced with bliss.<br/><br/>She remained mostly quiet for the rest of their journey to the shelter, her only unusual behavior was her constant rubbing of her Lancer and her slightly hard breathing. She excitedly went into the shelter behind her CO and their guide and settled by the window twitching in anticipation. She saw the small puffs of debris as the Locust forced their way inside. Then the brilliant light of the explosion before the shockwave rippled towards them. Coupled with her drug, the feeling of the explosion was pure ecstasy. A small, barely audible moan escaped her lips as her CO spoke.<br/><br/>“<span style="color: DarkRed">Wow, got to love demolitions. Always a nice show.</span>”<br/><br/>She continued to look out the window like an excited child watching a fireworks display. She looked at the smoke as it erupted from the wreckage looking for shapes within the black fog. She was so happy right now, she could barely contain it. She shivered a bit as she looked out the window, ignoring what was being said for the most part.<br/><br/>"<span style="color: DarkRed">...ready for a fight when we move out. Doc, get everyone into working order if possible...</span>"<br/><br/>Oh shit. The medic was going to check her. She still had at least another five minutes before the effects even started to wear off. She'd know she wasn't in her normal condition, she'd report it to the CO. Oh damn. This wasn't good. Damn pill, why are you so amazing? Hey eyes moved to her CO as he rested against the wall. What would he do if he found out? She didn't follow orders. Oh shit. Stupid pill. Would he leave her to die? Even worse, would he take away the rest of her treasure? No. He can't have it. It was hers. With her hands shaking she opened the hatch and removed the sack. She started to move several pills into pockets and poutches all over her armor, hiding them among the supplies she brought along with her. She looked at the others, making sure she wasn't noticed. God, everything felt so good. The sun was so bright, the smell of the smoke seeping into the room was amazing, the feel of the pills, so smooth. Everything was great, and even if her CO took her stash, she'd still have some pills left. Wonderful.<br/><br/>Andrea looked at the medic. Just a few minutes and the effects will wear off. "<span style="color: RoyalBlue"><i>Don't pick me first, don't pick me first...</i></span>", she chanted in her head as she watched the medic's movements.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>