by T. C. Edge
It quickly becomes apparent to me that the number of tanks and military vehicles at our disposal is, while more than I imagined, still limited. A half dozen tanks, several APC's, a few mobile artillery guns and various jeeps and armoured cars with mounted heavy machine guns and turrets. They will, of course, spearhead the attack.
The infantry numbers, which previously I have only guessed at, are listed by General Richter as being over five thousand in total. Most, however, have limited military experience, many of them with only a few hours down in the training cave under my own tutelage.
The true soldiers number less than a thousand, men and women who are in the prime of their lives and well used to handling weaponry. Leading them will be Markus, who has been readying them for battle ever since returning with us from Eden. By the sounds of it, he's now been given the rank of Colonel, and I learn that his second name is Jensen.
Soon, the conversation turns to the roles of the rest of us in the room. First, General Richter turns to Jackson.
“You will be supporting Colonel Jensen in the forward assault,” he says.
Jackson nods confidently.
“Further details will be given to you by Colonel Jensen. Please report to him out on the plateau.”
“Right now?” asks Jackson.
The General nods.
“Oh, and Jackson...you will now be referred to as Captain Kane.”
Jackson appears bowled over.
“General...it's a great honour.”
“And well deserved. Report to the plateau, Captain.”
Jackson stands and departs, sparing a look at me as he goes. His eyes are like steel. This is what he was born for.
General Richter continues.
“Drake, you know your brief.”
Drake nods and turns to me.
“Cyra, as the only ones who can see into the Void, we will form a special force. Athena will join us.”
I look past him at Ellie. He follows my eyes.
“Ellie, you will offer support, but will hold back from forward engagement. You're well trained, but cannot see into the Void. It may be too dangerous for you...”
“I can handle it,” she says firmly.
“OK,” says Drake, seeing the determination in her eyes. “You will accompany us on the front line.”
“Only place I want to be.”
“Good,” says Drake, before looking to the Master.
Everyone else in the room, I can only assume, will be well clear of the action. The Master is too old and, frankly, not the type to go to battle. Professor Lane even more so. The Generals will likely be calling the shots from afar, locked up inside some impenetrable armoured vehicle at the rear. Then there's Stein, who holds a strange smile on his face.
“I can't pretend that I have much military experience,” he says, “but if I can help in any way, I will. I have no interest in sitting in this mountain while the rest of you go to battle.” He turns to the two Generals to his left. “What are your orders?” he asks them both.
The Master cuts in.
“Aeneas, you really don't have to. Another body isn't going to make any difference.”
“To the contrary, Julius, I believe that every body will count. Consider mine as expendable as the others. Julius, you are the Master of this city, I am not. I offer myself in any capacity that is needed,” he says, turning again to the two Generals.
They share a look. Then General Sharpe speaks.
“Aeneas, if you trust yourself with a rifle, you will of course have one. Bravery such as yours is just what we're looking for. However, I suggest you stay near the rear, perhaps with myself and General Richter. I will be directing matters as best I can, but when it comes to it, we will all enter the fray. How does that sound, Aeneas?”
“It sounds just fine, General,” says Stein, smiling.
A little cough sounds from the other end of the table. We all turn to Professor Lane.
“I hope you'll all forgive my cowardice, but I think I'd be more of a burden than anything else on this particular occasion...”
“Winifred, you are no coward at all,” says Stein. “I consider myself foolhardy. Please don't be influenced by my recklessness.”
I can't help but find myself smiling, despite everything, at the discussion between these old members of Eden, and at Stein in particular. His spirit continues to surprise me, driven by so much life lost in the pits of Tartarus. I doubt he'd turn away from any action, however dangerous it may be.
The meeting soon comes to a conclusion, however, with the final word coming from the Master.
“We will attack in two days, before dawn, when we have the element of surprise,” he says. “Let the word spread throughout the city. Let them all prepare themselves in their own way.”
At that, the meeting is adjourned, and everyone stands to leave. As I make my way towards the door, the Master calls me over to one side. I join him by the painting of Eden.
“I know it's been difficult for you these last few weeks, Cyra,” he says. “And these last few days in particular, with such resentment breeding among the people towards you. It's not fair on you. I assure you, I will make it known that the decision to turn down the deal was mine, and mine alone. You have had enough to deal with already.”
I'm quite taken aback by his words, and quite touched.
“Thank you. I really appreciate it,” I say. “And, I apologise for how I might have behaved before. I know your job isn't an easy one.”
“Speak nothing of it, dear girl. We are in this as one now.”
“And...about Link?” I ask tentatively.
He takes a breath and I see his eyes narrow. They lose some of their warmth, return to the cold depths. He considers things a while, but slowly shakes his head.
“I'm afraid my mind hasn't yet changed on that matter. I still don't trust the boy.”
I don't argue against him. If he won't relent now, on the eve of battle, he never will.
“I understand,” is all I say.
He inspects me closely, a ripple of distrust passing over his face before nodding towards the door.
“You have plenty to get on with, Cyra,” he says. “I won't hold you.”
I step back and nod respectfully, before turning and leaving the room. Outside, I find Ellie waiting for me alone.
“Your dad had things to do. What was that about with the Master.”
“Oh...nothing really,” I say. “He was quite nice, actually.”
“Well, that's new. I've gotta say I was amazed when he voted 'no'!”
“Yeah...me too,” I say, still half wishing that he'd voted the other way.
We make our way back to the central chamber, now fully alive and kicking, and down towards the training cave. Already, word seems to have been passed around about the imminent battle, causing an immediate stir. Now, the rumours have become reality, and some people appear to be finding that hard to deal with.
Some begin throwing accusations at me as I go, calling me a coward. Ellie rushes me faster as a crowd gathers and begins following us.
“It's all your fault!” someone shouts. “We're all going to die because of you.”
“Don't listen, Ellie whispers. “Ignore them.”
A man steps in ahead of us, face like thunder, shaking his head. He blocks our path with his sizeable frame.
“You're a coward,” he says. “You should never have come here.”
“A coward!” roars Ellie. “She's a coward?!”
She steps forward ferociously, so intense than the man, twice her size, steps back a pace.
“Do you have any idea of what this girl has been through. Do you have any clue as to what she sees every night when she closes her eyes. She's the bravest girl I've ever met. And she'll show you again how brave she is when the battle starts...”
“I...” stammers the man.
“You're ignorant, and stupid, and just scared. All of you,” she says, turning around to the crowd. “You're all just scared, an
d that's OK. But that doesn't make it right for you to blame Cyra. The Master himself chose to reject the deal. He knows that battle is inevitable. It's time you all realised that yourselves.”
The crowd fall silent. The large man ahead bows his head, shrinking back.
“The Master really rejected the deal?” he asks, turning to me.
I nod.
“He rejected it because he knows Knight better than anyone else,” continues Ellie. “He no longer wants to hide in this mountain, just existing. If anyone thinks that's a worthy life, then I call them cowards. It's those who want to fight who are courageous. Is that you?” she asks, staring directly at the man.
His jaw stiffens in the face of the crowd around him. He stands to his full height and puffs out his ample chest.
“I will fight,” he says, as proudly as he can.
Ellie turns to the rest of the people.
“And you,” she says, pointing at another. “Will you fight for your life? For those you love?”
The young man nods.
Ellie's finger meets another, and another. Then she speaks to everyone as the gathering begins to murmur and rise up with a collective voice.
“Will you all fight?” she roars.
The crowd begin to cheer.
“Then fight, and stop blaming Cyra for your fear! Soon we will all be shoulder to shoulder ahead of the enemy. We need to stand as one, united.”
The crowd cheer louder, more people gather. An energy begins to spread out from us, standing in the middle of the central chamber, until the entire cave rumbles with a roar and excitement that hasn't been present since we first arrived months ago.
I look at Ellie with amazement in my eyes. Amazement at her change, at the power of her voice, her ability to inspire. As the crowd rumble, she turns to me and smiles.
“Now come on, Cy, lets get back to work...”
And with that, we continue on through the roaring crowd, their arms aloft, down towards the training cave for the final time.
11 - Countdown to Death
That day, the city grows feverish with a mixture of excitement and dread. Wide eyes are everywhere, some displaying an eagerness to get into the fray, others a total, debilitating fear of what's to come.
The central chamber is given over to fitting out the soldiers in what body armour can be provided. The more elite troops, stationed outside on the plateau, have more official uniforms, the best armour, and weapons that are less likely to jam. The reserves, numbering a little over four thousand, have to make do with what they have.
Thankfully, the one thing the city doesn't lack is weaponry. Many years of accumulating guns and ammunition has led to a surplus of munitions. Even with the five thousand troops armed, there remain plenty of weapons left over.
Ellie, Athena and I help in shipping up the many stocks of arms to the central chamber. Athena, face lit with delight, appears happier than I've ever known her. Finally, she'll get to seek some revenge.
“You'll be with my father and me,” I tell her. “Ellie will be with us for support.”
Her eyes widen.
“The front line?”
“No one else can do what we can, Athena. You'll have plenty of opportunity to kill.”
She licks her lips like a hungry lion.
“But be aware...we might meet other Watchers down there. So don't get cocky.”
“I understand. And Ellie?” She glances at Ellie, helping to sort out the stocks of weapons to be distributed.
“I'll keep an eye on her. If she's in danger, watch her back.”
She nods firmly.
“Of course.”
As the afternoon draws on, time seems to slip by quicker than I've ever known it to. By the time night falls most have been issued their weapons, the luckier ones getting some basic body armour too. As dinner is served, everyone getting an extra portion to help them keep up their strength, I search the chamber for any sight of Jackson. It has become customary for the four of us to eat together each night. This time, however, he appears to be too busy.
I quickly wolf down my food and decide to take a wander out onto the plateau. There, I find General Sharpe barking orders as the various military vehicles are gathered outside the city walls. I wander through crowds of better equipped soldiers to catch a glimpse of the assembly. As I go, a couple of tanks grind past me from a side street, emerging from under large tarpaulins and rumbling out through the gate. The world is in such a rush that hardly anyone notices me.
General Sharpe, however, does. Mid gesticulation to one of his officers, he spies me from afar and comes marching over.
“Cyra, what are you doing out here?”
“Oh, just looking for Jackson, General.”
“Right, Captain Kane. I believe he's in an infantry briefing right now with General Richter and Colonel Jensen.”
“Oh, OK. Um, well, I'll leave you to it, sir.”
He nods and hurries off again, barking more orders as he goes.
I wander back inside, where the activity is only slightly less hectic. Most have already finished their dinner and are already being sectioned off into groups. The most promising recruits that we trained are given the rank of Sergeant and set up to lead small groups of thirty others. Above them, more seasoned Lieutenants are put in charge of several of these platoons.
As the night grows late, the central chamber becomes one large infantry field, with all of the different platoons and battalions gathered together in their own sections. I marvel at the organisation of it all, the change of this rag tag group of refugees into something resembling an army.
There are many thousands of others who will take no part in the fight, however. Those too old, too young, or too frail to do battle. The very young are sent off into deeper caves for their own safety, looked after in nurseries by the elderly. Those with some physical capability spend their time helping to kit out the soldiers and distribute ammunition. Leeta appears to be leading this charge, organisation being a very prominent strength of hers.
Amid all the tumult, I find myself of little use. The chamber is fast becoming a well oiled machine, one running perfectly well without my input. With the hours passing by, Ellie suggests we go to bed and get some sleep, being little else for us to do. I refuse for a while until Drake finds us.
“Go to bed, you two. You'll be no good unless you're well rested. We have a briefing early tomorrow morning. I want you both fresh for it.”
More an order than a request, as soldiers we're compelled to follow it. Athena, by our side, is also told the same. We part ways, retreat to our rooms, and try to get some sleep.
Ellie drops off quickly. I take a little longer, my body still filled with adrenaline. As it drains from me, it sucks me into the blackness along with it. And as I fall to slumber, more ragged images come to me.
A great battle. A great slaughter. Death, fire, destruction. Familiar scenes playing out, but blurred and hectic. I wake in pitch darkness in a cold sweat, a feeling of dread rising up inside me. My visions continue to allude me, lacking the clarity they once had. Many months ago, I was seeing things from far away, both in time and space. Now, a battle that is only hours away appears indistinct.
What worries me most, however, isn't that my visions are growing weaker. It's that, when it comes to it, my other powers will betray me. That when I step out into battle, a hail of bullets around me, I won't see them fast enough. I won't see their wispy trails coming.
Will I be just as vulnerable as everyone else?
I have no time to dwell on the matter. I know that, in the training cave, when I spar with Athena, I've been OK. But that's just sparring. This is different, completely different. But there's little I can do about it now. Only time will tell.
For the first time since arriving at the city, when I enter the main chamber not long past dawn, I notice that many people are already up. Whether awakened by nerves or fear or excitement, the people are stirring, rising, getting on with their days. I find Drake and At
hena near the entrance to our passage, and together with Ellie the four of us attend the infantry briefing outside in the barracks on the plateau. There, we're joined by General Richter, Markus, who I make a note to myself to refer to as Colonel Jensen, Jackson, who I know I'll have trouble calling Captain Kane, and several other officers I don't know.
We take seats, listen to a brief preamble from General Richter, and then are provided with the entire run down of the proposed troop movements and strategy. I also learn about the enemy encampment and how it's set up, something which I hadn't really thought much about until now.
Somehow, I imagined a bunch of soldiers sleeping in unguarded tents on the open plains, as we did when we crossed the Deadlands with the refugees. Unfortunately, a marching army, particularly one from Eden, is very different from a travelling band of refugees. The camp, it appears, is more like a fully functioning military base.
Using the natural barriers of rock as defence, walls have sprung up below around and between them, enclosing the forces from the front. Along them, armoured vehicles have transformed into gun placements and turrets. Battlements have been erected. It sounds altogether like a formidable base to enter, let alone overrun.
Our basic artillery weapons will, however, be useful. Using the higher ground they will be able to bombard the base and, with any luck, punch holes and take out some of their fixed gun placements. We will also have the element of surprise on our side, and the cover of night to creep into position. Our scouts, still doing a fine job in keeping constant tabs on the enemy army, have reported no major movement out of the camp since the negotiation party came up the mountain nearly a week ago.
The thought is that, tomorrow, they will return in order to hear our verdict. We will need to strike before then, hence the raid before dawn. As the sun begins to rise, we will be well positioned to give it our best shot. And with numbers meeting, if not exceeding the Eden army, we might just have a fighting chance, despite being undertrained, underfed, and poorly armed by comparison.
