‘Konny, follow up,’ I ordered over the net as we reached the bottom of the stairwell, coming to a second door. I withdrew another charge from Okonkwo’s daysack and gave it to him, deciding that we would make another explosive entry. I wanted to maintain the shock factor, because any rebels within the building now knew that we were there.
We exploded through the second door, and as I ran through the smoke with Okonkwo my boots clanged against metal. I knew instantly that I was in a bad position. My eyes widened.
We were on a metal gantry suspended from the ceiling by cables. Even in the almost pitch black I could see that the warehouse floor was a good fifty metres below us. It was filled with storage containers that were stacked on top of each other like gigantic bricks. A three level building stood at the far end of the warehouse, to which the gantry was connected by a ladder.
I frantically looked around me, searching for any other way down. We had rope, and we were trained to use it, but I didn’t have the time to mess around getting it out. We were sitting ducks on the gantry, visible to the entire warehouse. Fortunately I didn’t hear the crack of enemy darts whizzing past my head, instead the warehouse was eerily silent. But that didn’t mean it would be for long.
I nudged Okonkwo, ‘Move!’
Needing no further encouragement, Okonkwo ran along the gantry and I followed close behind. We scanned the darkness below us, expecting red crosshairs to appear any moment, but nothing did. Perhaps they couldn’t see us, I thought hopefully, but there was no chance of the rebels hanging around in a pitch black warehouse without night vision. Then I wondered if there was even anybody there at all? After all - we were going off information obtained in a bar from a drunken deserter - which was hardly reliable.
‘I’ve got eyes on you now,’ Jimmy announced over the net, and a quick glance upward revealed the hole his section had blown through the ceiling.
Konny followed twenty or so metres behind, bringing up the other half of the section. The gantry rattled noisily beneath their pounding feet.
The first red cursor flickered at the corner of my visor, and I swore again. We weren’t alone.
Okonkwo suddenly slowed, bringing his rifle around to fire, ‘Conta…’
He didn’t manage to finish his warning before I pushed him on angrily, ‘Don’t stop, you lunatic!’
Somebody shouted a command from below, presumably one of the rebels. I ignored it and pressed on. We couldn’t stop, we had to get off the gantry.
Above us One section’s mammoth gunner fired through the hole at our unseen adversary, the streak of friendly fire marked by my visor display in lines of red so that I couldn’t accidentally run into it. Seconds later a series of grenades launched through the same hole. The entire gantry rocked on its cables as they detonated below us in flashes of light that illuminated the entire warehouse.
We were ten metres from the ladder at the end of the gantry when the enemy managed to fire back. Where they were firing from and what they were firing at I didn’t know. I didn’t have time to look.
I pushed Okonkwo onto the ladder, ‘Get down! Jacko, cover us!’
Jackson’s mammoth joined in with the din as we quickly clambered down the ladder and onto the roof of the building, and pieces of link spat out by the weapon rattled down on my helmet.
We both took a knee at the bottom, scanning through our sights. I couldn’t see what Jackson and the other mammoth gunner were firing at, their target was concealed amongst the maze of containers which were stacked almost as high as the building itself.
We were nearly off the gantry, which meant that we would be back in control. As soon as we cleared that building I knew that the boss could use mouse-hole charges and ropes to allow the rest of the platoon to join us.
I looked along the gantry for Konny’s fire team. He had stopped halfway along it to join in with the fire fight.
I gaped. What was he doing?
Terrified for their safety, I forgot myself, running to the edge of the building, ‘Konny!’
He didn’t turn. I watched in dismay as the other half of my section continued to fire upon the enemy from the middle of the warehouse.
‘Konny, move, you idiot!’ I screamed.
Konny looked in my direction, ‘I’ve got eyes-on, here!’
‘MOVE, YOU FUCKING TUBE!’
Sensing the urgency in my voice and spurred by my fury, Konny’s fire team began to move. They were too late. A guided grenade screamed across the warehouse, exploding against the gantry and showering them in sparks. It swung on its cables, throwing the four troopers against the railings, and I watched on in horror as Geany toppled over the edge. His body plummeted into the darkness. Seconds later my headset bleeped a warning and a green crosshair appeared amongst the crates. Geany’s datapad had automatically marked him as a casualty on the platoon net.
‘Man down!’
Stunned, Konny looked over the edge, whilst the other two troopers in his fire team staggered like drunks toward the ladder.
‘Get off the damned gantry!’ I urged, and they broke into a run. Jackson grabbed each trooper in turn, thrusting them onto the ladder.
I grabbed each trooper as they came down, quickly inspecting their bodies for injuries. I never trusted the datapads alone; Ev had taught me that.
They were shaken, but the metal gantry had taken much of the force of the blast. But their armour had still taken a beating, it was pockmarked with holes where pieces of shrapnel had managed to penetrate the outer layer before the gel beneath had hardened. Leaman’s visor was cracked.
‘Get a patch on that,’ I ordered him, ‘Now!’
I didn’t have time to mess around, I could see that we were in serious danger of losing the initiative. The section needed to stay on the offensive.
Mr Moore knew the same, he was watching from the other side of the gantry, ‘Two-three, punch your section into that building, I’m gonna get the reserve in above you!’
‘Roger,’ I agreed. We couldn’t just stop because of Geany, we could only carry on and hope that he had survived the fall.
I grabbed Konny by the arm as he reached the bottom of the ladder. Bringing my visor close to his, I could see that he was swallowed up by anguish. He knew that he had made a mistake - he had stopped his fire team in the middle of our opponents killing zone - and Geany had paid for it.
I looked into his eyes, ‘You okay?’
He looked like he was about to cry.
I asked again, ‘Are you okay?’
Konny took a deep breath and nodded.
I tried to sound soothing, ‘Come on, mate, get a grip of yourself. It’s done now.’
What a heartless man I had become, I thought to myself for a split second, but I knew that I was right. Konny’s error had potentially cost a man his life, but he couldn’t allow it to get to him in the middle of a contact. War was hell. He would have to grieve later.
Another mouse-hole detonated on the roof as Jimmy sought to create more firing points for his section. His mammoth gunner continued to exchange fire with the enemy, and soon more of his section joined in.
‘Two-three, are you moving yet or what?’ The platoon commander was growing impatient.
I gripped Konny’s shoulder, ‘Good to go?’
‘Yeah.’
I found a ladder on the edge of the roof. It led down to a metal staircase with a doorway leading into the building. It was the only way in. There was no space for us to use a mouse-hole on the roof, since it would only blow us all off the edge.
My fire team clambered down the stairs and exploded into the building with another entry charge. The building took just minutes to clear, being little more than three pre-fabricated offices stacked on top of each other with the metal staircase outside providing access.
Sensing that there was nobody inside there anyway, I launched Konny’s fire team into the bottom room so that I could stay outside on the staircase and observe the warehouse floor. He had screwed up, but I had to trust him
, he was my 2ic after all.
Above us one section still fired sporadic bursts from the roof. An occasional grenade launched through the mouse-holes, suddenly veering off toward a target hidden within the stacks of containers.
I couldn’t tell where our enemy were exactly, though I knew that they were close. The wall of containers that surrounded the building had several gaps from which our enemy could emerge.
‘Room clear,’ Konny announced from within the building.
‘Okay, mate,’ I flicked to the platoon net, ‘Two-zero, this is Two-three, that’s the building clear, no enemy.’
‘Roger. Two section are about to blast through the roof above you,’ the boss informed me, ‘They will fast-rope through the hole to ground level. We’re moving into location now, should take only a couple of minutes. I want you to hold that building as a foothold on the ground.’
‘I have one man down out there,’ I reminded him, ‘I need to collect him.’
‘We can’t leave Geany out there,’ Okonkwo added, and Jackson nodded in agreement.
The boss gave in, ‘Fine. Make sure that the building remains secure.’
‘Understood. Konny, take Leaman back to the roof and keep this building secured. I’m gonna take O’Leary with my fire team to get Geany!’
‘Okay!’ Konny nodded enthusiastically. He wanted me to get Geany as much as I did.
Whilst Konny raced back up the metal staircase I led the remainder of the section into the maze of containers, following the green casualty crosshair that marked Geany. There was a chance that he was still alive, and that was enough reason for me to want to get him. I didn’t like him, but I didn’t want him to die out there alone, or worse get dragged away by the rebels. He was one of my men, whether I liked him or not, and I wasn’t about to lose one of my men if I could help it.
Invisible to anybody not equipped with night vision, we stealthily moved between the towering stacks of containers. One section continued to exchange fire with the rebels, and the warehouse echoed loudly with every gunshot.
Something exploded behind me, sending pieces of rubble tumbling down from the roof, echoing loudly as they struck the ground.
‘Two section have made their break in,’ the boss announced, ‘They are fast-roping to the ground behind your building. As soon as they hit the ground I will be launching them toward the enemy, steered by one section from their vantage point on the roof. They shouldn’t come near to you, but just be careful of where you fire. I don’t want us shooting each other.
‘Roger,’ I whispered back. Having the platoon split in such a way left us very much in danger of shooting friendly troops whilst engaging a target in our midst. Our visors marked the location of other units, so every trooper knew where the other sections were, but in the chaos of battle people could forget themselves. We needed to be careful.
We crept cautiously forward through the shadows until I saw a figure sprawled out on the floor. It was Geany, and he wasn’t moving.
Before I even reached him I could see that he had broken bones in his fall. His leg was twisted in an unnatural angle and his arm had an additional joint that shouldn’t have been there.
I knelt beside him and gingerly twisted his wrist to view his datapad. He had a pulse, and he was breathing. Somehow his helmet and armour had managed to keep him alive, though the impact of the fall had caused severe damage to his organs.
‘Two-zero,’ I spoke on the net, ‘I’ve found Geany. He’s alive.’
‘Roger. Get him back to the building and wait for me there. Two-zero-Bravo, acknowledge.’
Johnno answered quickly, not hiding his relief, ‘Yeah, roger! Treat him as best you can. As soon as you get back to the building we’ll get him lifted out!’
O’Leary took a stretcher from his daysack, unfolded it and laid it onto the ground beside the fallen trooper.
‘Is he alright?’ Okonkwo asked me as he covered outwards into the darkness, and I held up a hand for silence.
I leant down and whispered, ‘Geany, can you hear me, mate?’
There was no answer.
‘Jackson, check for blood, mate. O’Leary, you got a neck brace?’
O’Leary nodded. Every section stretcher bearer carried additional medical equipment, including neck braces. Usually for victims of explosions, they prevented us from causing additional damage to the spinal column when we moved them across the battlefield.
He handed me the brace and I carefully placed it around Geany’s neck while Jackson searched for blood. Never trust the datapad.
‘Geany,’ I soothed, ‘If you can hear me, don’t worry. We have you. You’ll be alright.’
Jackson finished his physical check, ‘No external fractures,’ he whispered.
‘Let’s get him on, then,’ I said.
I cupped his head in my hands to keep it straight. We counted to three and lifted him as one, carefully placing him onto the stretcher and strapping him into place so that his broken limbs couldn’t move any more. Snapped bones could be sharp as knives, and it was easily possible for them to cut through the skin, creating what we knew as an external fracture. Very nasty. Worse still they could cut or pinch major arteries, which was lethal.
We lifted the stretcher and began to carry it back toward the building when I heard something. I raised a hand and we stopped. I listened for the noise again, but there was nothing - just the sound of One section raining darts down upon the rebels in order to cover Two section’s descent from the warehouse roof.
I heard the noise again. It was a whisper from somebody on the other side of the wall of containers. I wouldn’t have heard it had it not been for my headset.
I gave a thumbs-down to the others, and we slowly lowered the stretcher to the ground and raised our weapons.
It was obvious to me what the enemy were doing without me even having seen them. They were moving into position to attack the building. The rebels were desperate to stop us from accessing their escape route, for once we did that it was game over, for them at least.
I pointed at O’Leary and Jackson, then down at Geany. They nodded, understanding that I wanted them to stay and guard him. I then beckoned Okonkwo and we crept back the way we had come. If I was right about the enemy intention then I wanted to come from out behind them.
We rounded a corner in the wall of containers, and my finger hovered over the trigger as we moved to look around the other side.
I looked around the other side of the wall just in time to spot a figure disappear around another corner in the maze, twenty metres away. The enemy were moving in for the kill.
We silently trotted after them, keeping our weapons raised. O’Leary and Jackson would have to stay with Geany for now, for if the enemy were successful in attacking the building then the platoon would be cut in half. If that happened then we would have nowhere to take him anyway.
I whispered the situation to the platoon commander, telling him that I was stalking a group of rebels intent on counter attacking onto the building.
‘Roger,’ he acknowledged calmly, ‘Seize the chance as soon as you get it. Two section are moving around now. I’m marking their forward line.’
A crosshair appeared to my right, showing me that Two section had already advanced well into the maze. If the rebels were to counter attack, then they would be cut off too.
I finally caught a glimpse of the rebel group. It was a party of ten rebels, hugging the shadows as they sneaked through the maze toward the building. We kept back from them, waiting for our moment to strike. They were so focused on attacking the building that they hadn’t even considered that we might be behind them, and they never even glanced over their shoulders. Bad drills, I thought. The rebels were hardly fools, but they weren’t trained soldiers.
Finally the party of rebels stopped at the last wall of containers between them and the building. I could see now that they were well equipped, all wearing body armour and carrying an assortment of weapons. From behind cover I watched them as a singl
e rebel, who I guessed was their commander, briefed them quietly. They huddled close together to hear the plan.
It was too good an opportunity to miss. I held up a fist to Okonkwo and then pointed at the huddle.
He knew exactly what to do. Without saying a word he selected his grenade launcher and fired a single grenade into the mass of rebels. It detonated right in the middle of the group and they disappeared in a cloud of smoke, dust and gore.
‘Go!’ I yelled. We charged toward them, firing into the cloud as we went. There was little need though, because the grenade had made a terrible mess of them. The containers were spattered with blood, and the rebels lay shredded on the floor.
One rebel was still alive, though I doubted that he would be for long. His stomach had been ripped open, and his guts hung out from the gaping wound. Through his smashed visor I could see that his lower jaw had been blown away, exposing the back of his tongue and glistening tendons. He gurgled as he fought to breathe.
I stabbed him through the heart with my bayonet, ensuring that he was truly dead. I felt no remorse. I was doing him a favour.
‘Jackson,’ I shouted, for there was no need to be silent any more. The enemy knew where we were, ‘Get Geany back to the building!’
Another fire fight erupted from within the maze as Two section began its attack on more of the rebels. We ignored it and ran back toward the building.
‘Konny, we’re coming back, mate, don’t shoot!’
‘Okay!’
Jackson and O’Leary emerged from amongst the containers just after we did, running straight toward the building with their stretcher.
As we approached the building I noticed Konny peering down from the roof, waiting to see if Geany was okay. I imagined how desperately he must have been hoping that the senior trooper had survived.
I held up a thumb just before I reached the building, ‘It’s okay, mate, he’ll survive! He’ll have a headache, though!’
I could swear I heard Konny breathe out a sigh of relief, even though he was three floors above me. I hoped that news of Geany’s survival would give him back some confidence, for whether I liked him or not, I needed him.
LANCEJACK (The Union Series) Page 21