A child lay dead on the street, missing his respirator. His face was blue, and his swollen tongue lolled out of his mouth. I turned away from the awful sight.
‘We’ll have you out soon,’ Puppy assured me as he took over one of the stretcher handles, allowing a trooper to rest his aching arm.
I said nothing.
We would leave the city, but what about these people? How could we do this to each other? My eyes stung.
We stopped as we neared the city entrance, a great yawning tunnel designed to take vehicles and people through its many airlocks. I couldn’t see much of the tunnel, but I had a good idea why we had stopped; I could hear it.
‘The FEA are blocking the tunnel,’ Corporal Stanton said over the net.
The shouts and screams of desperate civilians echoed about the city, as hundreds upon hundreds of them attempted to break through the airlocks. FEA soldiers had been placed across the tunnel, preventing them from escaping.
‘They won’t hold the tunnel long,’ the section commander continued, ‘there is already some arguing amongst the FEA. I think they’re questioning their orders.’
‘That won’t matter,’ Mr Barkley replied gravely. ‘As soon as they break through that blockade it’ll be a riot on the other side. Have you found an alternate route?’
‘We might be able to use the maglev rail. It’s a few hundred metres to our east along the crater wall.’
‘Let’s do that, then.’
The platoon quickly altered course, and as we did so we heard the first shots rang out from the entrance, as the last shreds of humanity left the city and chaos consumed its people.
Sure enough the maglev airlock was abandoned, and we followed the rails into the tunnel.
‘The airlock is probably sealed,’ Mr Barkley said to Corporal Stanton, who still led our extraction along the tunnel, ‘use your remaining entry charges to blast a way through.’
We waited, and my stretcher was lowered while the section ahead of us laid a mouse hole charge against the first airlock door.
‘You alright, Lance Corporal Moralee?’ the sergeant major asked, as he stooped over to check on me. My thermal imaging couldn’t make out much of his face in the dark, but I could sense a hint of anger in his voice. He knew that I had kept my injury hidden so that I could continue with the fight, and now I had become a burden.
‘I’m OK,’ I responded. Then added, ‘I can walk.’
‘I know you can,’ he said quickly, ‘but the stuff we injected into your body will only work if you stay still.’
I knew that he was right. The clotting solution injected into me by one of the platoon medics was pretty impressive stuff, cutting off internal bleeding temporarily until a casualty could be brought back to a hospital, but too much movement could cause it to dislodge, either resuming the bleed or making it worse.
The sergeant major’s voice softened. ‘Let’s just get you out of here in one piece, mate. You’ve done what you can here.’
My jaw clenched. Had I, though? What had I done, except lay the grounds for a massacre?
The first charge detonated ahead of us with a thump, and my stretcher was carried forward, before being manoeuvred through the hole blasted out of the metal airlock door.
‘Careful!’ someone shouted. ‘Watch his head!’
Troopers grunted on the opposite side as they slid me through, several hands grasping at the stretcher from either side. I hated that I had suddenly become a hindrance to my platoon, yearning to be free of the straps that held me down so that I could walk on my own two feet. No trooper likes to be a burden, it went against our nature.
Another thump vibrated the walls of the tunnel as the second airlock door was blown, several hundred metres ahead.
‘Let’s keep moving!’ Mr Barkley shouted. ‘It won’t be long until somebody works out the tunnel is open!’
The platoon hastened its extraction, running up to the second hole and sliding my stretcher through as rapidly as possible. We weren’t so concerned about the FEA or the Loyalists at that moment; we were more worried about the civilians trying to escape from the city. If they rushed into the tunnel en masse, then we would be crushed.
The platoon commander took his place at the front of the platoon, wanting to be first out to get a look at the ground outside. Breathing became ragged as my section hurried along the tunnel with the weight of my stretcher, spurred onward by the sergeant major, who took his place at the rear.
‘Boss, we need a confirmed extraction point!’ he called out as we went.
‘I’m trying to get one from brigade now, wait out!’
The tunnel took as for another few hundred metres, slowly turning upward as it made its way toward the surface. Its walls became lighter as we neared the entrance, and just as darkness turned to daylight the section stopped and laid me down again, struggling to regain their breath. A stretcher run was never easy at the best of times, but they been carrying me for at least a kilometre now. Puppy left the section, running up to the tunnel entrance as though he had been called for.
There was a long, nervous wait while all of the commanders closed-up to the entrance to observe the situation outside the city. After almost a minute Puppy returned, his jaw tensed in worry.
‘What’s happening, mate?’ I asked him. I wasn’t used to knowing so little, it was a shock to the system to go from commanding my section to being utterly dependent upon them.
‘We need to get south of the river to extract,’ he explained gloomily, ‘but there’s only one bridge that looks workable - the maglev bridge.’
‘Is that bad?’
‘It’s not good. Wait till you see it. Come on, let’s get moving.’
The maglev bridge wasn’t designed to take people - it was only built to support the rails themselves, connecting the train depot with the city itself. A network of metal girders and struts suspended the bridge over the fast-flowing river below. We had made the crossing the night before, but further down river where the current slowed and the banks weren’t so steep. That wasn’t the only problem though, the platoon had used most of their ropes during the descent into the city, and I couldn’t see anywhere that we could use them effectively anyway.
I turned my head to look down river at the other bridges. There were five of them in total, though three of them had already been destroyed during the battle. The closest two appeared to be completely intact, but they were still a kilometre away, and I could just make out the distinctive shapes of vehicles either side of them. The bridges had been closed off to prevent the civilians from escaping out of the main access tunnel, probably by the few Guard companies that had remained behind the FEA in their advance across the Bosque. The door to the trap had closed.
The depot was vast, lined with tens of trains that had rested idle for decades, slowly gathering filth and rust. The maze of carriages offered a safe, concealed escape for the platoon, leading to the thick, green forest beyond. Behind us the sound of gun fire rang out across the smoking crater of Dakar.
‘Can’t we just use the bridges down there?’ Myers asked, as the section crouched around my stretcher, looking out over river in dismay.
‘No,’ I answered. ‘We’d probably get shot trying.’
Our platoon was no longer useful to the Guard, that was clear, and there was no telling what its commanders would order if we attempted to cross the bridge. Killing us after our assistance against the Loyalists would piss off the Union - but pissed off wasn’t a good enough reason to retaliate. Our lives weren’t that important.
‘I’ve managed to get through to brigade,’ Mr Barkley announced over the net, as he crept up with his team to inspect the maglev bridge. ‘Our extraction point is approximately three kilometres south of here. Our sister platoon are already across the river providing protection for our withdrawal. There have been no sightings of any forces - Loyalists or Guard - around the maglev bridge, so they suggest we use it to cross. I think given the situation, it’s probably the best option
.’
I grew more and more anxious as my stretcher was carried toward the edge of the maglev bridge, lifting my head to watch as the first section crossed the bridge, edging precariously along the girders. It wasn’t that far to fall, but anybody who fell into the water would surely be swept away to drown, weighted down by his own equipment.
‘Fuck that,’ I cursed. ‘Put me down! Take off the damn straps and I’ll walk across!’
‘No, Andy,’ Puppy shot back, ‘you have to stay on the stretcher!’
My blood boiled. Puppy was a good commander, and perhaps he was glad to finally be in charge, but there was no way he was carrying me across the bridge attached to a stretcher.
‘Think about it, mate,’ I argued angrily. ‘You carry me over that on this stretcher and you risk not just my life, but every man in the section! Undo the fucking straps, and let me walk across! I’ll get back on it when we get to the other side.’
He hesitated for a moment, and then gave in. ‘OK. But you’re straight back in the stretcher afterwards!’
Where I couldn’t do any more harm … I finished for him inside my head.
The straps were unclipped, and I slowly sat up, flexing my arms and legs. My body ached all over, especially my chest, but I was able to move well enough to get to the other side of the river.
The sergeant major spotted me as my section helped me onto my feet, storming over to us with his finger pointing at them like a gun.
‘Who told you to let him up? Puppy?’ he raged.
Puppy looked back sheepishly. ‘Andy did …’
‘So if Andy told you to smack yourself around the face with a hammer, would you do that too?’
‘No, Sir!’
‘I’m walking across,’ I said. ‘My men aren’t risking their lives carrying me.’
The sergeant major’s eyes burned with fury as he switched fire onto me. ‘Is that a logical thought process, or your ego doing the talking? I don’t give a fuck about you and your death wish …’
I don’t know if he knew what he was saying, but the sergeant major hit a nerve. I threw up my arms as my temper flared. ‘This isn’t a discussion! It’s happening! End of story!’
He stepped back, stunned by my vehemence, but he recovered his composure quickly. ‘If you were anywhere else I’d …’
‘Well I’m not!’ I snapped. ‘I’m on a battlefield, and I’m making a command decision, that’s it! Charge me when we get back!’
Blood pumped through my skull, and my body shook with rage as I glared into the sergeant major’s eyes.
‘Next section, let’s go!’ Mr Barkley shouted, and the stalemate was broken.
The sergeant major shook his head in exasperation. ‘Fine, but remember that Puppy is still in command! Go!’
I walked toward the bridge, careful to be light on my feet. Even a slight jar to my innards could reopen the wound inside of me.
We moved painfully slow across the bridge, stepping across the girders, whilst making a conscious effort not to look down at the brown water surging below. I lost my balance a couple of times, but a helping hand from the troopers around me prevented me from stumbling, or worse, falling into the river.
As we edged closer to the far bank, there was a sudden roar of gunfire from one of the other bridges. We looked on in horror as civilians poured out of the main city entrance in a human wave, only to be met by the Guard companies blocking their escape. Before the main force had even arrived, the massacre of Dakar had begun.
‘My God,’ Myers whispered.
I said nothing - there was nothing that could be said about the terrible scene before us. I wondered if Yulia was now there amongst the blockade on the bridges, organising the indiscriminate killing of her own people. Perhaps she had assembled a small team, just as Makito had, to terrorise the city before the rest of her comrades arrived. It turned my stomach to think that I had worked with, and even tried to respect somebody so evil.
‘Keep going,’ the sergeant major urged from behind, crossing the bridge with the final section behind him.
I made it onto the far bank and the platoon formed-up into the maglev depot, spreading out amongst the trains while we waited for the remainder of the platoon to cross.
We were across the river, and now all we needed to do was move another three kilometres into the Bosque. Then we would marry-up with our sister platoon, before being extracted by dropship back to the safety of Paraiso and leaving the people of Dakar to their fate. It left a bitter taste in the back of my mouth, knowing that we had left all those people to die at the hands of the Guard.
Corporal Abdi lifted his head, just as I made to lie back on my stretcher once more, his eyes open wide with surprise. ‘Someone’s coming from the tunnel!’ he exclaimed.
In a sudden flurry of activity, the entire platoon whirled around to meet the new threat, just as the last few troopers hurled themselves away from the bridge.
FEA soldiers burst from the tunnel entrance, running purposefully along the maglev rails toward the river.
‘Hold your fire!’ Mr Barkley ordered, and tens of fingers hovered over their triggers as we watched the approaching soldiers.
I stepped away from the stretcher, glancing nervously at the boss. Surely that was it, I thought as I powered up my rifle, our welcome had expired. Finally showing their true colours, the FEA had been ordered to chase down and kill the Union troopers that occupied their lands. All past allegiances had been forgotten, and now it was kill or be killed.
The charge continued, headed directly for the bridge. There was an entire platoon of them, all led by a single Guard officer.
The platoon commander licked his lips and made as if to speak, and my hands gripped my rifle tight. I took up aim at the Guardsman, knowing that if he went down then the attack would probably stall.
I zoomed in to get a perfect aim onto the target, and my mouth gaped when I recognised the Guardsman. It was Yulia.
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The Last Stand
‘Do not shoot!’ she shouted across the river, as she stepped onto the girders. ‘Do not shoot us! We are not your enemy!’
Our rifles lowered as we exchanged puzzled glances. What the hell was going on?
Then, just as the first soldiers reached the edge of the river, another group of people emerged from the entrance to Dakar. They were civilians.
The boss quickly waved for us to lower our weapons. ‘Do not engage! Let them cross!’
The FEA platoon crossed the bridge, carefully negotiating the metal girders. Behind them several soldiers jabbered instructions at the civilians, slowing them down and urging for them to be calm. If they tried to run across the bridge in a panic, then many of them would fall to their deaths.
What was Yulia doing? She was actually helping the civilians to escape. Surely that went against the President’s order to punish the city?
I looked to Mr Barker, and he shrugged.
Yulia pointed at the rows of carriages to our west, in between us and the other bridges, and the FEA soldiers flocked across to them, forming some kind of defensive line. Satisfied that her order was being carried out correctly, she trotted over to the platoon commander. The two of them shared a respectful nod as she approached, taking a knee beside him. She caught me staring at her in disbelief, and she smiled.
‘Thank you for letting us across,’ she said, catching her breath. ‘For a moment, I thought that you would shoot us.’
And I thought you would shoot us … I shook my head in bewilderment.
Mr Barkley looked at her. ‘We almost did for a second. May I ask what you’re doing, Captain Kristov?’
‘My commanders have sealed off the city,’ she said, flicking her head toward the other bridges. ‘I have organised a small party to open another escape route, but you have beaten me to it.’
Civilians continued to pour out of the tunnel entrance, filing toward the bridge and crossing it before making their break for freedom, disappearing into the fo
rest. In direct contrast to the massacre outside the main city entrance, several FEA soldiers stood either side of the bridge, maintaining order as the people of Dakar fled for their lives. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
Mr Barkley turned to watch the civilians as they dispersed into the trees. ‘I presume your commanders won’t be too happy about this?’
Yulia tapped her headset. ‘No. I can hear them now. They are not happy, and so we must remain here to defend the bridge.’
The platoon commander nodded slowly. ‘That’s very admirable, Captain. I assume you know that it’s now time for us to leave?’
She returned the nod. ‘I understand.’
‘Good luck, Captain Kristov.’ He slowly extended a hand.
Yulia took it, shaking it gently. ‘And you.’
She looked to me as she stood to return to her comrades amongst the carriages. ‘Goodbye, Andy.’
I raised a hand, and watched as she made her exit, disappearing into the depot.
We sat in silence for a moment, as though stunned by the sudden change in our perception toward Yulia, as well as shamed at the thought of abandoning her. She hadn’t sent Makito at all, I realised, she’d had nothing to do with it. She had been on our side all along.
Was I wrong to have been so distrusting, I wondered? No - I had far too many reasons to doubt her. After all, the Guard had already killed hundreds, if not thousands of innocent people across the Bosque. But she was one person amongst them who’d had the courage to stand up and fight for what she believed in, even when everyone around her soaked themselves in blood. So why did I still feel so terrible?
Suddenly there was a massive explosion from the far side of the depot, and tens of magnets shrieked at once from amongst the carriages.
EDEN (The Union Series) Page 29