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.