The Rescue Mission (Short Story)

This story is from a Prompt, written in the World Building Community.

Source

       "Come on Smig! Use your power!" Cranet screamed, almost frothing at the mouth.
       Countless people were laying dead on the ground; fear-stricken faces of agony looked up in horror, eyes open to the sky, and Smig could almost see their blood on her hands. The guilt was too much to bare.
       "I, I can't," Smig replied while staring at her hands. "I don't know how."
       Cranet let off another flurry of shots, then ducked back down behind the sandbags.
       Bullets from the enemy whizzed past, and every so often she would hear the thuds as they impacted their only barrier between life and death.
       The sandbag fortifications had been erected prior to the fight; the one they all knew was coming. Cranet called for evac hours before the mass of enemies arrived and they all prayed their ships would arrive before the horde did.
       "Fuck this! Do you think I'm going to die here? For someone who can't even help defend themselves!" One of the soldiers shouted, as they shrugged the strap of their rifle off their shoulder and let the thing fall at their feet. "I'm out!"

       Smig clocked eyes with the trooper, and was terrified by the expression on their face. It was a combination of Fear, anger, and hate. Suffering was the only way she could describe the combined emotions.
       "Pick that rifle up now!" Cranet ordered, shouting so his voice might be heard over the gunfire.
       "No, I'm not doing it! Every time I stick my head over those sandbags I feel like I'm inches from getting it blown off." The soldier replied, afraid to look up at Cranet.
       "Sigen, just blind fire, man, that's what I'm doing. There's plenty of them out there, you're bound to hit a couple." Another soldier replied in a jovial manner.
       "Pick that rifle up!" Cranet shouted once more.
       Sigen grabbed the rifle with both hands and loaded it up, then with his back against the defenses he raised it over his head and let off a flurry of shots.
       "Gonna have to do better than that, man, every shot went skyward." The soldier from before replied.
       "Pull yourself together and stop wasting ammo!" Cranet shouted at Sigen.
       "Fine!" Sigen still had a look of hatred in his eyes as he stood up properly, and after a quick reload he was in a better position to fight. With a deep breath of air, he propped himself up and started shooting.
       He let off a few shots, and then his whole body jerked before he fell backward onto the ground.

       "Poor guy," one of the soldiers replied as he stared at the place Sigen's face used to be.
       "Now would be a good time to use your power Smig!" Cranet roared.
       "I can't, I don't know how!" Smig was angry; for the first time throughout this entire encounter she felt an itch that crawled all over her skin, all she wanted to do was tear it off just to be free of it.
       Everything drifted away in a flash of blinding light, and the last thing Smig could see in detail was Cranets face aghast, as a smile grew on his face; or at least as much of a smile as he would be capable of mustering.

       "Where?" Smig asked, staring up at a metallic ceiling and hearing the hum of engines surrounding her. "What happened?"
       "You did it! I have no idea how, or what they did to you, but don't worry, the scientist back at the lab will find out, and they'll know how to control it." Cranet seemed pleased.
       Smig looked around the hanger of the transport ship. Everyone seemed relieved but also lost. Many had given so much to rescue her, and as she looked back up at Cranet, she felt like she wasn't being rescued at all. instead, she felt like she had just been captured.