******
Sergei coughed, tasting his own blood on his lips. He sat in a dark alleyway, leaning up against the wall just under a fire escape. He looked down, wincing at the pain in his abdomen. Inquisitor squads had appeared out of nowhere and opened fire on Sergei and his men.
He bled freely from his shoulder where one round grazed the surface and tore away a chunk of his flesh. The other had buried into the lower left portion of his stomach. His extremities felt cold, and he wondered if he was going into shock.
Chaos reigned in the streets. Citizens scattered about, screaming and trying to keep away from the numerous fires and fighting going on all around. His people seemed to be holding their own, trading casualties with the Inquisitors, but he knew the numbers couldn't match up, and eventually he would run out of soldiers. Sergei had ordered them to try and disengage: to try and find someplace to hide.
"We did well, did we not, Piotr?" he said to the man standing next to him.
"Yes, you did, Sergei," the man murmured back. "You have done the family proud."
"The family…" Sergei muttered. "Ah… Piotr. I am sorry."
The phantom smiled. "It's okay, brother." He pointed. "Look out."
Sergei raised his sidearm and fired as a cautious Inquisitor ducked into the same alleyway to take cover. The bullet caught the woman in the shoulder. Sergei felt a slight twinge of regret when he saw the tied back long hair as the woman was spun around by the impact. She hit the ground facing Sergei. Not yet finished, she tried to raise her weapon at him. Without hesitation, he fired again, killing the Inquisitor.
Sergei sighed, wincing again at the pain in his midsection. The world began to blur around the edges. "I'm not done yet, Piotr. I can hold this position if nothing else."
His brother, long since gone, smiled again. "I know you can."
Uprising Page 90