He had failed.

 

And he had died.

 

And most damning of all?

 

He had allowed Veronica Knox to die alongside him.

 

You didn’t do that to a comrade. You saved them, even if you died yourself. That

was just the Army way. That was the point of being a soldier.

 

Sacrifice.

 

They were past saving at this point, he knew. Even if someone had seen them go

into the water, which he didn’t think they had.

 

But Puller was not going to give up.

 

He turned back to the door and pushed with all his might. This took a lot of

air, but it wasn’t like he was going to need it much longer anyway.

 

He looked at Knox, clenched his teeth to keep out the water, and mouthed the

words, “I’m sorry.” She nodded in understanding.

 

They were going to die. But at least they would die together.