In this moment he realised how quiet the scene had become. Some gunfire remained in the background, but most of those in the Circle had stopped to watch the final duel between the two great machines. It was as if they’d accepted it would be the deciding factor of the battle. Thor tried to rise back up, but Eiserner Gott lifted its crippled leg, smashing it down with one almighty blow onto Thor’s structure. The armour gave way slightly, and the machine became limp and lifeless, vanquished at last.
Ray couldn’t believe it. Cheers rang out from the rebels as Eiserner Gott swivelled around and trained its weapons on the remaining SS. They didn’t hesitate to throw up their arms and lay down their weapons.
They could hear the roar of an engine. The mighty E-200’s turret rotated as the tank turned on the spot to face Eiserner Gott. Its mighty cannons took aim at the body of the towering machine as they faced off against one another. Groups of the rebels were running rampant throughout the Circle, disarming and taking many of the surviving SS as prisoners. The E-200 seemed like the final hurdle, and everyone knew it was not to be underestimated. The hulking behemoth could still run rampant amongst them, and Eiserner Gott looked like it had little fight left in it.
The standoff was tense, neither initiating the combat. Finally, a hatch opened on the turret of the tank, and the commander climbed out. He stood on top in plain view to everyone.
“What are you doing? Get back in there and fight!” screamed the Deputy Fuhrer in a furious rage.
Ray smiled. He hadn’t realised the DP was still in the area. Any sensible politician would have fled.
“You arrogant bastard,” Ray whispered as he watched the scene unfold.
“Get back into that tank or your life is forfeit. You will be hung as a traitor!”
His voice had the foul stench of desperation about it. All eyes were on the tank commander, the one man who could decide when the conflict ended.
“Get back in there. Get back, fight, you coward!” screamed the Deputy Fuhrer.
“No, I will not fight for you and this bullshit anymore.”
He yanked the Nazi armband from his uniform and tossed it off. It fell to the street below.
“You coward! You traitor!”
The Deputy Fuhrer grabbed a rifle from an SS man guarding him and took aim at the tank commander. He stood defiantly and seemed to not care at all. Obersturmführer Hans Schneider, the leader of his bodyguard yanked a submachine gun from one of his dumbfounded men and moved to side of leader. The Deputy Fuhrer took aim, but before he could pull the trigger, the machine guns on Eiserner Gott lit up in a bright explosion of light. The Deputy Fuhrer and his entourage were hit by a wave of bullets and cut down in an instant. A dozen lay dead, and the rest with them ran for cover or put their arms up in surrender.
The tank commander casually took a seat on the edge of the tank as Ray approached the Deputy Fuhrer. He was face down on the road. Ray kicked him to see if he was alive, but there was no response. He slipped his foot under and flipped the body over. There were four gunshot wounds on his body and one on his face. He was dead. Ray looked back to the tank commander and gave a casual but friendly salute in gratitude.
“Is he dead, is it really over?” Lisa stepped up beside him.
“Yeah, it’s over. The battle for Columbus Circle is over,” he said wearily.
Sporadic gunfire rang out in the distance as some of the SS troops fled for their lives. The rebels were kicking a few of those remaining, and Ray made no attempt to stop those who were abusing them. He had no sympathy for them. A ladder extended down from Eiserner Gott, and Marcus climbed down to greet them.
“What now?” Lisa asked as they looked at the carnage surrounding them. Smoke poured from the wreckage of Thor and several of the tanks nearby. The streets were awash with the fallen from both sides. As he turned and surveyed the scene, he spotted Weathers, who tossed him the loudhailer he’d used earlier.
“Go on, you earned it.”
He slung it over his back and climbed the ladder of Eiserner Gott. The rebels crowded around their adopted landship, their iron God. Silence overcame Columbus Circle as everyone waited and watched. A few moments later a hatch opened atop the machine, and Ray stepped up and to the edge. He could see everyone had gathered, and more New Yorkers were pouring into the Circle to marvel at what had gone down.
Ray lifted a pole out from the hatch of the landship and unravelled the two flags attached to it. He raised the pole and waved it for all to see, the Stars and Stripes and the ensign of the Kriegsmarine beneath it. Cheers rang out amongst the crowd. An ecstasy had overcome all those there. Even in spite of the horrifying losses they had suffered, they celebrated like they had won the war. He waved the flags back and forth triumphantly as their cheers grew louder.
He stopped and dropped the flagpole base down to his foot. He took up the loudhailer in his other hand. A huge smile stretched across his face. It felt as if all of his efforts and sacrifices had paid off on this one day.
“The battle for Columbus Circle is over. We won!”
They cheered and clapped with excitement.
“Today we took back a little piece of what is rightfully ours, and with the help of our new friends, we are taking this city back. The American Mutiny has begun!”
They erupted into a frenzy of celebration. Many were leaping up and down with excitement, and others fired into the air. He waved the flags to encourage them further.
“We did it!”
This wasn’t the end. It wasn’t even the start of the end. But it was the beginning of the fight back. Ray felt like a new man. They had done what the rebellion in London never managed. They’d won.
Soldiers of Tomorrow: Iron Legions Page 24
