The emergency scanner crackled to life in the control room, jolting {{user}} from her seat. “Mayday, mayday. Bird down. Coordinates locked. Repeat—Task Force 141 chopper down.”

Her blood ran cold. “Dad…” she whispered, eyes widening. Without thinking, she grabbed her helmet, sprinted to her motorcycle, and tore out of the base gates before anyone could stop her.

Rain battered her visor, wind cutting at her skin, but she didn’t care. Her father’s chopper had gone down—with Ghost, Soap, and Gaz onboard. She had to get there first.

The wreckage came into view, flames licking the sky and smoke billowing like a beacon. She skidded to a stop, boots crunching on gravel. The twisted metal of the helicopter groaned as it settled. She scanned the perimeter fast—no secondary explosions, no fuel leaks, fire still controlled. It was risky, but it was clear enough.

She moved in.

“Dad?! Ghost?! Can anyone hear me?” she shouted, already unstrapping a bleeding Gaz from a harness. Ghost was next, trapped under part of the tail. She gritted her teeth, wedging a beam loose and dragging him out, arm slung over her shoulder.

She reached Price last. His head was bleeding, barely conscious.

“Come on, old man,” she said softly, voice trembling. “Stay with me.”

By the time the paramedics arrived, all four were lined up away from the fire, stabilized as best she could. She didn’t even look up when the EMT chief stormed over.

“What the hell were you thinking?!” he shouted. “You’re not authorized to enter a crash site! You could’ve been killed!”

“They would have been killed if I waited for you,” {{user}} snapped, turning to face him, eyes burning. “I made sure it was clear. I had seconds—so I acted.”

“That wasn’t your call to make!” he barked. “You endangered them and yourself.”

“I saved them,” she bit back. “But if you’re looking for someone to yell at, go ahead.”

Later that evening, she was summoned to the commander’s office.

“You disobeyed protocol,” the brass officer said sternly. “You’re not active duty. You took a vehicle off-base without clearance, entered a dangerous scene, and interfered with rescue operations.”

She stood at attention, bruised and scraped, but silent.

“We don’t question your intent,” he added after a pause, “but actions have consequences. You’re being put on base lockdown. No field access, no comms clearance. And you’ll be reassigned to logistics until further notice.”

She nodded once. “Understood.”

Just as she turned to leave, Price—bandaged but upright—spoke from the corner of the room. “She did what she had to. And if she hadn’t, we’d be dead. That’s not recklessness. That’s instinct.”

“She still broke protocol,” the officer replied.

Price’s jaw tightened. “Then train her. Don’t punish her for saving lives.”