An hour later the officers were once again sat beside a stove awaiting a brew. The military had long been using heating elements for rations, but Jones had always despised them when combined with tea. They sat inside the ground floor of a brick building that was some form of printing company. They could hear the clatter of equipment crashing together as the troops in the other rooms stacked anything they could find against the windows. Captain Becker walked into the room to see Chandra, Jones and Friday.
“Care to join us, Captain?” asked Jones.
The German nodded thankfully and slid a wheeled office chair up to them.
“Major, we’re all in position.”
None of them wanted to think about the fact they could only hold of a small wave of the enemy Mechs, but it was on all their minds. Chandra stared out of the window, and the light was already fading.
“How far are we from your home town, Captain?” she asked.
“Magdeburg, we’re a long way from it.”
The Major could hear the concern in his voice. There were still hundreds of kilometres between them and his family, but after the fall of all but the last towns of France, it didn’t seem so far.
“We’ve had help from other nations here, but not everything that could be given,” said Becker. “When will the rest of the world come to our aid?”
“This is an unknown enemy, Captain. Governments and militaries alike have watched in horror at the fall of France and Spain, and they don’t want to be next,” she replied.
“They may well be forced into the fight before long, anyway,” said Jones.
“Really, you think so?”
“It’s what I’d do. The Mechs seem to have the resources, so they’ll open new fronts.”
Chandra wished it to be the case. She knew that would condemn more to death, but anything to relieve the vicious mauling they were receiving at the hands of their invaders was welcome.
“Jones, it’s time we all got some kip. I want ten on guard at all times working two hour shifts, no longer. We need to make sure the sentries stay sharp. I’ll take the first shift. You can find volunteers to join me.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
The Captain gulped down the last of his tea and jumped to his feet. Even the concept of some real rest was the best thing he had heard in days. He rushed out of the room.
“Your Commander sent us here for time to rest up, did he not?”
“Yes, but we’re still too close to the enemy positions to think for a moment that we are safe.”
The Captain nodded in agreement.
“Had you ever seen action before these days, Captain?” she asked.
Becker sighed at the thought of it.
“Nothing more than a few peacekeeping duties. Had some rocks thrown at us, but not much else.”
They both turned and watched through the window as Jones delivered the Major’s orders and news that they could rest. He received a small cheer, but it was stilted and only mildly enthusiastic. Chandra didn’t blame them; rest isn’t so easy when you know you’re waking up to another day of hell.
“Captain, I want an officer on duty for every watch, Jones will liaise with you for a schedule.”
“Got it.”
She looked up to see an increasing fear in the tank commander’s eyes. She reached out her hand and placed it on his. The surge of warmth caused him to instantly relax a little.
“We’ll stop them before they reach your family, Captain.”
“We better or there is no hope for the world.”
He’s probably right, she thought to herself. When half of Europe is gone, you have to wonder if we could ever win the war. She forced a smile to reassure the man but deep down felt the same sorrow and fear.
“We’ve got a respite, Captain, use it well.”
Becker got to his feet, gave a casual and friendly salute to the Major and made to leave the room. She could already hear the sound of dozens of bed frames popping open throughout the building as the troops enthusiastically set up their home for the night. Every one of them carried a handheld retractable bed for field work, but few had gotten the opportunity to use them in recent days. They had lived day and night in rubble and trenches in fear that at any moment they would be attacked.
“Major, I have set the watches for the night, and the first will be on duty in five. Lieutenant Green will assemble them for you.”
“Thank you, Captain Jones. Now I suggest you do the only sensible thing one can right now, enjoy the sleep whilst you can get it.”
The Captain smiled as he strolled out of the room to do just that.
“Captain Becker, you must do the same, and that’s an order.”
He lifted up a pack which lay beside him carrying his bedding and rations. He was ready to drop where he stood. Chandra took to her feet and lifted her rifle onto her shoulder. She stepped out of the building to watch the flurry of movement outside as the troops hauled their equipment into the buildings, and the tankers did likewise. She sat down on the steps and simply watched.
As she knelt down to sit, she was once again struck by a bolt of pain through her leg that reached her spine. The injury needed many more weeks to heal, but she’d never admit it.
“Lieutenant Green reporting for duty, Ma’am!”
She turned in surprise at the formality of the soldier. “I think we are way past such things, Lieutenant.”
The man nodded and relaxed his shoulders.
“The Commander would have my arse if I didn’t keep to the protocols, Ma’am.”
“Don’t you worry about him. The only thing of concern out here is me, and the enemy.”
“So what are your orders, Major?”
“I want paired groupings. Two on permanent guard at the doors to this building and another at the other there,” she pointed. “The other three pairs will maintain a perimeter and rolling patrols.”
“Are you expecting any trouble, Ma’am?”
“I hope not, but that’s no reason not to be prepared.”
Captain Jones sat on the wall of the building they had made their home for the night. He stared out into the still of the night. To the north he could still hear music blaring from a few locations as some of the town’s people continued to party through the night. They were oblivious and ignorant of the danger posed against them. To the south it was totally silent, there being no humans left alive there and no obvious movement of the enemy.
The first of the morning rays were already appearing on the horizon. Daylight was always welcome when facing such a fearsome enemy. Jones quickly turned as he heard the sound of vehicles approaching from the north. He listened for a moment and noticed they didn’t sound like the distinctive engines of their enemy.
Private Walker, sitting beside him, leapt to his feet. They each took cover behind the wall of the steps and waited. The two men watched as three police vehicles rolled into view, so they lowered their weapons and stepped out from their position to greet the incoming officers. They must have finally decided to do some work, thought the Captain.
Several others on duty were watching casually. Jones held up his hand in both greeting and asking them to halt. The three cars slowly drew to a stop. Two men got out from each vehicle. The driver of the first shouted out.
“Good morning! I’m Sergeant Lambert!”
Jones was just a few metres away from the vehicle when he could see the police officer behind the Sergeant was raising a handgun. The Captain quickly reached for his rifle, but it was slung casually on his side. In a time when humanity was coming together against a common enemy, he had not expected to have to protect himself against their own.
Just as he got a hand on the grip of his weapon, he was struck by a stun round from one of the police non-lethal weapons. He felt the rifle clash against his leg as his body went limp and crumbled to the ground. The first thing he saw as his head hit the ground was Walker dropping a few metres from him.
Shouting erupted from the other guards, but it was t
oo late. The two soldiers were hauled into the back of one of the vehicles and speeding away towards the centre of the city before anything could be done. Several of the soldiers trained their weapons on the vehicles and were ready to fire, but held back, knowing they might hit their own.
No alert was needed as the constant shouting from the on duty guards had woken the rest of their companions. Chandra rushed out the door of the main building with half her gear on and weapon in hand. She arrived just in time to see the police vehicles disappear from view.
“What the hell just happened?” she roared.
Blinker rushed up to her.
“Ma’am, local police just took Captain Jones and Private Walker!”
“What? Why?”
The man shook his head. She turned to see Friday and Becker approaching her, and two officers were close behind. They all looked to her for answers. The news was already spreading like wildfire. Still a little stunned from being awoken so suddenly, the Major tried desperately to try and make sense of the situation.
“They didn’t want us here, Major, so they’ve just played their final hand,” said Becker.
“What are you saying, Captain?” asked Friday.
“That they are holding us to ransom.”
Then it clicked in the Major’s head. She could already see the pieces coming together.
“What are we gonna do?” asked Yorath.
“We can’t go in there with force. They’re civilians,” said Suarez.
“The hell we can’t. They don’t want us here and that’s fine, but they have no right to attack my troopers and hold them hostage.”
She turned to see all the troops at her command had assembled around her. They were furious at the news and all looked to her for answers.
“Grab your kit, we move out in five. We’re going to get our friends back!”
A cheer rang out as they rushed about their business. Not all week had she seen such enthusiasm within the ranks of the infantry. She could feel the bitterness and hatred in her grow for what the city authorities were doing to them. But perhaps, she thought, it’s just what we need. This could boost morale better than anything.
The sun was up, lighting their approach to the city as the six vehicles trundled towards the centre. Chandra could feel a new sense of enthusiasm and a strengthened comradery among the troops she commanded. A day before, many of them were strangers to each other, but now they were more united in their cause than ever.
As they approached the town square, they could see a wall of police uniforms in front of the station. They were armed but carried their weapons casually.
“Take us right up in front of them,” said Chandra.
They all knew the police would not dare risk a firefight with a well equipped company of soldiers, even if it was way under strength.
“That’s the bastard who took the Captain, the smug bastard in the middle,” said Blinker.
Chandra nodded, identifying the Sergeant quickly from the Private’s rather coarse but accurate description. The six tanks rumbled up into the street, filling much of the square. The police officers did not flinch, safe in the knowledge that they had authority in the town, and that military personnel would not dare touch them. Chandra chuckled just a little at the thought, knowing that in this case, they were very much mistaken.
The vehicles drew up to the police line in a column two wide. It was much as they could fit in the streets of the city. The crews powered down their engines in anticipation of the Major wanting to be heard. She stood up on Becker’s tank beside the turret, standing several metres high over the police line. She could feel her blood boiling as she tried to find the words to address them. Many of the officers stood with their rifles lowered but in both hands, others with their arms crossed in defiance. The Mayor was nowhere to be seen.
“Who is in charge here?”
She waited for a moment. The Major wanted to give them the time to fully take in the threat before them and bend to her will. After an uncomfortable silence, one of them finally spoke.
“I am, Sergeant Lambert.”
“Really? A city this large and you are the man in charge here?”
“In charge during hostile situations, yes. You have entered our city illegally and without welcome. You are putting the lives of all of us in danger!”
Chandra shook her head in disbelief.
“If you leave this city immediately and head east, your two men will be brought to you when you are ten kilometres from the outskirts.”
“I don’t want to hear your demands, Sergeant! You have kidnapped soldiers of the British army who were deployed here under the command of Brigadier Dupont. You have no authority or justification to detain my soldiers!”
“The facts remain the same, Major!”
“Sergeant Lambert. I will not discuss this any further with you. Return our soldiers, or you will be treated as an enemy combatant!”
The man shook his head, calling her bluff. She turned back to Captain Becker who sat in his turret with a look of bewilderment on his face.
“Keep your crews at the ready. I don’t want any violence here, but if they start it, I sure want to be the one to finish it.”
Becker nodded. He could not believe that they may have to fire on civilians, but neither could he believe that these people were effectively aiding the enemy by hindering friendly troops. Chandra looked town the column of vehicles.
“Company, dismount!”
She leapt from the vehicle as the other troops formed up with her. She strode right up to the police sergeant, who stood with dozens of his officers, and waited for him to move. She raised her rifle and quickly trained it on him. His comrades gasped at the sight and stood stunned. In the distance, they could hear several cars tearing towards their position. She glared at the Sergeant, but he looked as surprised as she did.
Chandra turned back as she heard a car screech to a halt, and several police officers frantically pushed their way to the front with no weapons in hand.
“Sergeant! There’s an army heading up that road, and fast!”
Chandra lowered her rifle and grabbed the man by his shirt.
“Tanks? Mechs? How many?”
“A lot, they’ll be on us in maybe ten minutes.”
Panic spread across the police officers as their line began to break.
“You must leave now or condemn us all!” Lambert roared.
“If we leave, you die, all of you!”
She turned back and looked up at Becker. “Captain, we’ve got incoming from the south, form up and be ready!”
She turned to pass on orders to her troops that were gathering around her, but the police Sergeant grabbed at her shoulders.
“Major! You can’t stay!”
“We have no choice! Now release our two men and let us do our job! The best thing you can do right now is organise an evacuation!”
The police sergeant lifted his rifle in anger and aimed right at the Major’s head.
“Leave now, Major!”
She grabbed the barrel of his weapon, twisting it quickly out of the way and delivered a swift punch to the man’s face. He lost grip on his weapon and stumbled back. He stood a head taller than Chandra but was as much stunned by the strike as much as that she was able to deliver it. She threw his rifle back at him in anger.
“Sergeant Lambert. Release my men and get your people the hell out of here!”
Explosions erupted in the distance in a continuous barrage as the suburbs were struck by the incoming forces.
“You can’t stay here, Sergeant. They will kill everyone in their path!”
She could see the look of fear and hesitation on the police officer’s face. He could hear that the civilian population were being attacked before the aliens even knew there were military forces in the town. His eyes glazed over at the realisation that he’d led his people to their deaths.
“Sergeant! Get moving, save those that you can!”
Lambert snapped out of it
and turned to his officers, shouting for them to get to work. They scattered from the scene as the Major turned back to the southern road where Becker’s tanks were manoeuvring into a defensive position. Captain Friday marched up to her position.
“How long do we stay here, Major?”
“For as long as we can! Captain, you’re in charge here!”
“Where are you going Major?”
“I am getting our men back! Monty, Lieutenant Green, form up the platoon!”
She lifted her rifle and rushed forward as her unit formed up. The police who had previously stood against them scattered for their vehicles to flee the city and help any that they could. Chandra could not help but think their idiocy may have killed them all. She charged through the doors of the police precinct to find it a flurry of activity. The Major grabbed the arm of a policewoman who was rushing by in a panic.
“Where are the holding cells?” she barked.
The woman’s eyes were wide with fear. Chandra shook her and she began to mumble.
“In the basement.”
She pointed to the stairs. Chandra released her grip and rushed for the doors. They charged down the steps so fast they could barely maintain their footing. The officers on duty had already fled, and the dozen prisoners were yelling for help. Chandra rushed along the line of cells trying to identify her two companions, but they were nowhere to be seen.
“God damn it!”
“Where the fuck are they?” shouted Monty.
“That bastard Legrant must have moved them!”
She stopped for a moment to think.
“What do we do Major?” Green asked.
“Release the prisoners, then we move out.”
“These are criminals,” stated Blinker.
Chandra spun around to confront the Private. “No, none of these people have been convicted. These are holding cells, not a prison! We are not leaving them to die!”
Blinker nodded, feeling more than a little sheepish for questioning the Major. The platoon rushed along the lines opening the cells. The occupants didn’t stop to thank them. Chandra rushed to the stairwell without a further word. She reached the foyer and caught a glimpse of Legrant rushing for the door. She intercepted him, hauling him back against the sidewall.
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