(First Story) World In Chaos-The Rising

[FireforEffect91]

Prologue


2019 Edinburgh, Scotland

Sirens screamed around the city as fires raged and crowds march through the streets looking for some form of authority to attack. Increased prices in fuel, food and other commodities had caused what the Prime Minister called a “civil unrest”. Looting, murder, rape, arson…it was like a plague that reaped through the claming anyone that was unlucky enough to be somewhere the crowds had decided to release their anger on. No one knew how far it had spread, how many cities were burning, all they could do was focus on was surviving. The Oil Wars had been lost, Western countries were running out of oil and many sons and fathers hadn’t come back.

The News had shown Paris, Berlin, New York…everywhere just in a spiral of decline, like someone had snapped their fingers humanity had devolved into something else. The Police and Army had begun to clash with the rioters, sometimes with lethal force. Instead of deterring the crowds, it only gave them a reason to press the attack. Banks, hotels and other hard points had become checkpoints that the authorities used to stem the tide of crowds and refugees. The Starbucks on top of an herbal remedy shop had become an observation point for 1PL of the Irish Guards who were over to take part in a ceremony in Edinburgh Castle, now they were tracking rioter movements through Princes Street.

Sergeant Adam Shane rested his Minimi Light Machine Gun on the window-sill as he lit a cigarette and let out a couple of puffs. His Osprey armour hung loosely off his torso and his helmet was at his feet. Various members of the platoon were operating sights or radios, preparing for patrol or having a quick tea or coffee from behind the counter. Adam looked outside the window and gazed across the city. Fires glowed red from behind the tall shops and flats that made up the majority of the city. He slipped the remainder of his cigarette through the small gap in the window, placed his helmet on his head and buckled up his Osprey. “Jerry, Finnegan; get your ****e together we’re going out on patrol.” The two privates raised their heads from the table where they were in deep conversation about some woman they met before deployment. ”Talking to us Sergeant?” they asked.

Adam crossed his arms impatiently; his facial expression showed that he was not impressed. “Yes, you pair of twats, we’re going to take a wee look at the rioters near the Castle apparently the Royal Family and the majority of the Scottish Government has holed up with their bodyguards. No helicopter is able to get to them, so we’re going to find a way to let the rest of the boys slip through to evac the VIPs” The two young soldiers looked at each other, looked at Adam, nodded and then kitted up. While they ran around looking for their lost equipment, Adam picked up his Minimi and made his way downstairs to wait for his two squad mates. When they finally located their lost equipment, the trio made their way onto Princes Street.

The road and pavements were littered with broken bottles, refuse from kicked over bins. Adam could have sworn he saw a couple of bodies on the darkened street but it could have just been bin bags left to waver in the street. He certainly hoped it was just bin bags. The three soldiers moved slowly across the eerie scene, sweeping their weapons for possible ambushes. “Ok, so what now?” whispered Jerry, as he swept his rifle along an intimidating block of flats staring at him. At the age of eighteen, Jeremy “Jerry” Thompson was the youngest in the platoon, a fiancé and a father of one. He lived and worked for his family, most soldiers his age blow their money on drink, drugs or betting, but not Jerry.

Adam didn’t touch the family side of life, not since the War decided to go badly for the NATO allies. In his home town of Ulster, gangs looked to pray on the Catholic minority for someone as the outlet for booze and anger. The formal excuse was they were looking for Republican terrorists preparing to overthrow the government. A different story took place when they burst into number nineteen with the words “Shane” in black on the door. Oh no rebels in here, just a frightened mother, a fifteen year old son and a five year old daughter huddled in the kitchen.

Adam pushed the memories to the back of his helmet, where they belonged. “We’re going to cut across the gardens, walk the path and hopefully sneak through the front door. If we’re lucky they won’t be there by the time we come knocking.” He hissed back. As they moved through the damp grass and along the climbing path towards the Castle, someone hissed behind Adam.“What if we’re not lucky sarge?” it was Finnegan. Adam wasn’t in the mood for his antics, not now. “What’s wrong Finny? Afraid of getting in the scrap?” he replied, half glancing behind him.
Finnegan stayed silent for the rest of the march. For twenty-one years old Paul Finnegan the Army seemed like an easy life; good pay, good mates and a blonde for the tumble before deployment. He was, in Adam’s opinion, a selfish bastard with no care for anyone else but himself. Finnegan always had a problem with authority, only god knew why he joined the army.

They reached the front gates without incident, until chanting and yelling generated from behind. A crowd of one hundred for so gathered around the soldiers, only fifty metres away. “CONTACT!” yelled Adam. The trio broke formation and took cover behind large plant pots dotted in a V shape around the gates. Finnegan was prone beside a crouching Adam. Jerry was to the far right standing with his SA80 rifle aimed at the crowd; Adam could see the panic in his eyes.
Glass bottles were thrown at the soldiers, and smashed against a solid wooden door half covered with a gate. They wouldn’t have weapons, the odd air pistol or so but all of his men were wearing armour. Adam squinted at the first rank of the mob, and could see helmets hanging off their heads, armour with blood smeared over it hanging off their sweaty and greasy torsos. It was just a glance, though it was enough to cause panic for he saw a group of men with rifles in their hands aiming at Jerry.

Two muzzle flashes erupted from the crowd, and jets of blood sprung from Jerry’s neck and thigh. He fell, trying to clutch his punctured throat. It wasn’t a windpipe wound, for he still screamed. Finnegan froze; Adam tried to rush to Jerry’s aid. Bullets whizzed around his head, hitting the plant pot, the paving around his feet. He couldn’t move without getting some form of injury. “Finny” shouted Adam “FINNY” he called again. The pale soldier looked at him with fear radiating from his eyes. “Take the mini, cover me while I get Jerry” ordered Adam. He could see Finnegan’s mind calculate the pros and cons of the orders. He slowly got to one knee, with the Minimi in hand, firing into the crowd.
Three or so went down; the others dispersed behind cover or fled lower down the path. Adam ran beside Jerry and dragged him by the webbing. The blood trailed as he was dragged along, inducing vomit in the back of Adam’s throat. He had seen worse before, but it was the emotion that spurred the sickness not the violence. He propped Jerry against the wall, fumbled through his webbing, and brought a field dressing out. He ripped the packaging with his teeth and began to hold it against Jerry’s neck. “Jerry, hold it there” He was barely awake, but managed to hold it in place for Adam to tie it. He gave Jerry Finnegan’s rifle and gave his helmet a light tap.

Adam pushed the “transmit” button on his Clansmen radio. “This is Romeo 4 this is Romeo 4 any call signs in Papa Sierra over?” Were there any units still in Princes Street? Of course there was the platoon in the Starbucks, but why didn’t they reply? “This is Romeo 4 this is Romeo 4 any call signs in the Castle area over?” Finally a crackle sounded in the earpiece. “Romeo 4 this is Sierra Bravo, what’s the problem Shane?” Well, were did he start? “We’re pinned down by the Castle main entrance, Jerry is critical. Any chance of big bro showing up?” He swore he could hear them saying “Well chaps, anyone want to take a bite of this **** sandwich?”

Eventually they got back to him, with the good news. “This is Tyler, I’m coming up with two sections, be there ASAP.” Adam had to say something, something to spur them on. How could he tell them how desperate the situation was? Finally he found a phrase deep inside a soldier’s soul. “We’re ****ed up; Jerry is hit we need a MEDIVAC, just get here now!”
He looked up to see Jerry pale faced, staring at nothing in particular. He wasn’t holding his rifle; he was holding a picture of his fiancée and two month old son. Sometimes the movies got it spot on, sometimes. “Finny, Jerry’s dead” he mumbled has he gently lifted Jerry’s dog tags from his neck and around his own. Over the years of conflict he had 42 dog tags of men he had fought with. Finny stopped firing and his face sank into his arm, Adam could hear him sobbing.
A crunching noise rang out, and Finnegan fell flat on his back, a large hole in his helmet, from which the contents began to leak out onto Adam’s lap. He almost threw up there and then, but he had his own life to protect now. He picked up the Minimi and fired at the shapes in the dark. They began to edge closer, randomly firing at his position. One round struck his armour, winding him. It didn’t penetrate but it hurt like hell, it didn’t stop him firing. Another round slapped into his arm narrowly passing the bone. Adam yelled out in pain but didn’t release the trigger until he ran out of ammunition. “****e” he mumbled to himself. The crowd was now five metres away from him, throwing stones, bottles and trying to shoot him down. One man got close enough to swing his rifle against Adam’s cheek causing him to stumble over.


They jeered at him, kicking him wherever was available. He was going to get lynched he knew it, his time was up. A shot rang out from the crowd, and they fell still and silent. “Leave him be, if he dies then so be it, if he lives...then let him witness the greatest change this City will ever experience. Bring me the heads of the obsolete and pathetic government and royalty. They cheered as people from the inside opened the gates to allow them access. The man who spoke to the crowd knelt beside Adam as he lay semi-conscious. “That flag on your arm, the politicians you fight for are useless. I will be what they could not be; infallible. Always right, always true. Farewell, soldier of the fallen crown.”

He walked away to leave Adam to his fate, he ruled out rescue from his fellow soldiers, they had probably suffered the same fate. His world turned black as he closed his eyes.

[FireforEffect91]

Chapter 1

2031, Edinburgh, Scotland


To the Director of Project TwoMinds; I have been asked by his Majesty to inspect your facilities to ensure that the project is running at peak efficiency. I wonder if you could tell me about the dealings of the project as well as the loss of a subject. I expect a report by the end of the week.

Perhaps a full explanation of the production process would be in order; I look forward to working with you in protecting our government against the insurgency that has threatened our way of life.


Magistrate Browning, head of Guardsmen Special Forces

It was a cold, damp and dust ridden attic on top of an equally dust ridden building, but for two days straight it was home away from home for 3rd Platoon of the Special Operations Battalion of the Edinburgh Retaliation Force. The attic belonged to a long abandoned video rental shop on a street corner, with a single window overlooking a pub turned into the Guardsmen Headquarters for the District. The window would have offered light in the dark, cramped attic, but a tall woman holding a sniper rifle with her long blonde hair tied back so it didn’t come between her right eye and the scope trained on the door of the Guardsmen HQ, blocking any divine illumination. Ladders led to the 1st Floor where more people partially showed themselves in the windows with rifles trained on the newly painted building.
All twenty-two members of the platoon wouldn’t have been able fit inside the building and still remain hidden from the Guardsmen, so a team of eight were assigned to the task; kill the Captain in charge of the Guardsmen in the District, and then get out with minimum fuss. Seemed simple enough but all the waiting seemed to be getting to everyone. I sat with my back to a wall, beret on my lap, not caring if the dust would catch on my black trench coat. My rifle lay beside me; it was an SA80 which was an accurate weapon but often had to be maintained in dirty environments such as the City of Edinburgh. My coat had just a handful of patches; my golden corporal stripes and “3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, Special Operations Battalion” were both stitched to my arm. One of the platoon’s medics; Lance Corporal Victoria Sommers sat cross legged humming away as she rummaged through her pack filled with rations and medical supplies. That was Vicky all over, happy and content.

Her blonde hair stopped at her neck, allowing her hazel eyes to remain focused at the task at hand. I began tapping my foot impatiently and the sound echoed throughout the room. “Jamie, as much as I hate nagging at you, please stop that” I could tell Vicky’s soft voice from a mile off. I had my eyes closed but I still let a smile cut across my face. “Sorry Vicky, but the waiting is really getting on my friggin’ nerves” I looked across to see Adam Shane, the oldest of the platoon but just a Corporal. He constantly refused anymore promotions, no one knew why and no one had the stomach to ask. Like me he had dark brown hair, although his was cut down to the bone. Adam rested the bipod on his Minimi against the window, but was leaning against the adjacent wall rolling a cigarette between his thumb and index finger. Next to him stood a tall, dark skinned Staff Sergeant with an equally tall L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle; a semi-automatic beast that uses 7.62mm rounds. Antonio “Toni” Macarí was born to Italian migrant parents. He was a genius when it came to repairing electronic equipment and could cannibalise and operated any piece of communication equipment, ironically unless he was on the radio he spoke very little but since he grew up around English speaking children, he spoke the language fluently.
I climbed the ladder to find Sergeant Rachael manning her L96 sniper as usual with her MP5 sub machine gun on the floor at her feet. I sat on the floor with my legs dangling down the hatch. “See anything Sarge?” I asked. She didn’t move from her scope to look at me “Well, **** all has happened as per usual” she replied. I began to climb down towards the rest of the group. “Wait…movement around the front door, get ready Hunter” she hissed after me. I dashed to my back-pack and rifle. Slapping my black beret to my head, the badge was the Lion Rampant holding a sword with the blade pointing towards the Maker, I picked up my rifle and moved into an adjacent room containing Lieutenant Callum Black, commander of the platoon and privates Barry “Baz” Douglas and Lucas McMullen. I took position beside Callum whilst muttering “Sir”. He nodded to me as we aimed at the door were two Guardsmen had exited then another two following them. “Tenner on Rach missing” whispered Barry. I rolled my eyes “Piss off Baz, she never misses” I scoffed. The three of us chuckled while Callum stayed silent. All four of us had SA80 rifles, but Barry had a 40mm Under-Slung Grenade Launcher for heavy clearing.

A plump man, red faced with a peaked cap left the building, cane in hand. We had two reasons to eliminate him. First of, he was the reason the entire District was in decline with random arrests and false accusations. The other reason was that his second in command was sympathetic to our cause, when he would be promoted to Captain on his superior’s death, he would funnel information to the ERF. He had only taken two steps out the door before a shot rung out from above us. The round smashed into his skull, sending red spray onto the pavement and the door itself. The Guardsmen had no time to reply with their SA80 rifles, as every weapon pointed at the door opened up on the four doomed soldiers. As they lay on the ground either dead or dying, more Guardsmen streamed out of the door, into cover and began to return fire. Some even appeared at the windows, firing at our building.
I fired my 5.56 mm rounds at the DPM clad figures on semi-automatic mode. I let the needle on the SUSAT scope guide itself onto their torsos and lightly pulled the trigger causing them to violently fall over. In the heat of the moment I repeatedly pulled the trigger when I was empty, and just remembered to reload. We slowed our rate of fire, just firing enough rounds to keep them at bay. “Get Rachael, we’re pulling out.” Callum yelled to me. I nodded and bolted for the ladder, climbing towards the ladder with rifle still in hand. She must have heard me come up, for she raised her index finger and said “Just a minute” then fired her last round in her magazine. She slung the rifle across her back and picked up her MP5. “We’re ****ing off, get ready” I told her. She gave me an unenthusiastic “thumbs up” as I climbed down with her above me. By the time I got my day sack on my back Adam was still suppressing the enemy with Toni, everyone else was getting ready to move.

“Douglas, Hunter; you’re out first, keep them pinned while Adam and Toni exfil the building” bellowed Callum. We didn’t even respond we were already making our way downstairs towards the front door. If one of us left the door, the HQ would be on the immediate right which would have put us in the direct firing line. I slowly opened the door and found a nice corner to lean against. I darted for it, lining my body along the bricks and readied myself to fire. “Jamie, I can’t go out there I’ll get cut down” he said pointing to a corner at the other side of the street. The Minimi ceased fire as Adam began to reload. “Adam! Adam!” I called up to him. “Yeah?” he shouted back. I remembered I still had an empty magazine and replaced the empty piece of metal. “Tell me when you’ve reloaded I’ve got a favour to ask” I yelled. I could still hear Toni’s single shots slamming into the HQ as the rest of the squad came down the stairs. “Ready” I heard Adam voice echoing throughout the building. I gathered as much air as my lungs would allow. “RAPID...FIRE!” as soon as those words left my mouth, continuous gunfire peppered the target building. Barry rushed across the street, slammed himself against the wall and began to fire. I also laid down suppressive fire, it wasn’t a matter of aiming; just putting as many rounds down as possible.
First Rachael, then Callum, then Vicky and finally Lucas left the building and ran away from the trouble. “Adam we’re leaving” I shouted. The firing from upstairs halted and both Barry and I kept firing as Adam and Toni ran for cover at the other end of Raeburn Street. The both of us kept firing till we reached the rest of the group. We took a corner each, still covering the road in case the Guardsmen decided to follow. “Toni, radio” said Callum. Toni gave the microphone of his Clansman radio to Callum. “This is Sierra Oscar Bravo 3 to Lima Tango 4, requesting pick-up at the south end of Dean Road, over” he waited for the reply. No-one had decided to follow us, yet. Toni had his city map folded out onto his lap with a small pointer in hand. “Sir, this isn’t Dean Street, we’re still on Raeburn Street, that” he waved a hand to the road behind us pointing east and west. “Is Dean Street, to the east is Deanhaugh Street” Callum took a couple of seconds to let that information cycle through his brain. “Lima Tango, cancel my last we’re on the south side of Raeburn Street, over”

“Contact!” I heard Barry shout. He fired a couple of rounds into a figure at the road causing it to fall over. “Time to get into the defensive then?” I heard Lucas suggest. “No point” I replied pointing to the plain white van screaming down Dean Street. These white vans were common place in the City, and were the perfect vehicles to allow small teams of Black Coats enter and exit the City undetected. The door opened to reveal a Black Coat with a rifle in hand. She helped us climb on board and then shut the door. I felt the van jolt into action “Where we going?” I asked the girl. “Penicuik” she bluntly replied. That made sense, it was an ERF base right near the Pentlands. The main base however was in an old bunker complex within the Pentlands Hills themselves. Outposts and bases where food and equipment production took place dotted the area. We would be safe, before we were needed again.
The inside of the van was humid due to the lack of airflow but it was better than walking through a hostile city. “We did well today” I heard Callum say “No one got hurt and we completed the mission, you’ve earned a few days of rest”. That sounded like Heaven, a good few days of eating and sleeping. Vicky rested her head on my shoulder, and I rested my head on hers then closed my eyes. “They look so cute” ribbed Barry in a fake motherly voice. I heard Lucas scoff as loud as he could. “Sounds like you’re a little bit green there Luke” I said with a wide grin. I knew it, he knew it, we all knew it; he was jealous. He had always had his eye on Vicky but claimed it to be in a “just a friend sorta way” but we all knew it was more than that; poor Vicky was oblivious to it all.

After a good few hours the van began to climb and dip wildly with the road, which meant we were out of the city. “I’m glad that’s all over” said Rachael with a wide smile. Half an hour later, and an explosion sounded to the front of the van, sending it into a newly made foxhole. Everyone had stumbled into a collection of bodies, shouting out in panic and confusion. “Is everyone ok? Anyone hurt?” I heard Callum call out as he slowly began to rise to his feet. “I’m good” grunted Adam. “Same here sir” muttered Toni. General mummer of personal status reports began to hum inside the van. “I’ll go check it out” said the girl. She opened the door, stuck her head out and took a look around. “Could have been a mine, or a mortar shell” I heard her say. The next thing I heard was something hitting flesh, then blood spraying from the door into the van, she fell over onto the dirt. I heard Vicky gasp, and then rounds began to cut through the thin metal layer of chassis right over our heads. “Everybody out NOW! Into the ditches by the road, go go go.” I heard Callum yell.

We jumped out into the morning sun and dived into the nearest ditch we could find. We all huddled together, weapons pointed in a 360o degree angle. “Where’s Vicky?” I asked. “She must be in the van still” suggested Adam. “Vicky, come on darlin’ it’s not safe in there” Rachael cooed. Barry slowly rose to his feet and walked towards the van. “Vicky?” He called out. He stepped inside, and a couple of seconds later he walked outside with her, holding her hand. She was pale with fear; every step she took was slow as if she was walking on thin ice. She reached the ditch and cuddled into me. I left my rifle on the ground and put both arms around her, “See? Nice and warm out here” I said cheerfully. I looked into the driver’s cabin and saw blood smeared on the windows from the heavy calibre rounds tearing up the bodies. I could tell Vicky’s eyes where following mine. “Don’t look” I whispered to her, shielding her eyes from the carnage. Barry has still standing by the van, as if he forgot what had just happened. Moments later a bullet collided with his shoulder, and he fell over into our ditch.

“Baz! Baz!” I could hear Lucas shouting at him. I could hear him groaning in pain, which meant he was alive, for now. “Anyone want to take a bite of this **** sandwich?” Adam muttered.

[FireforEffect91]

Chapter 2




Dear Magistrate, these so-called “dealings” of our project are simple; we are creating a more reliable foot soldier for the unpredictable challenges we as a species may face. The process is simple; human sperm and ovum are harvested from willing donors and combined in sterile laboratory conditions. With the aid of growth stimulants to takes a mere three months to grow the embryo into a fully grown child. Once the baby is “born”, it is moved to an incubation unit for nutrient injection and for primary conditioning.

The nutrients speed growth so much that child will be the equivalent of a twelve year old in a matter of three years, the only down side is that feeding must be constant to achieve healthy growth. Now for the main reason for this project; phase three. Phase three is the implantation of a so-called “split personality” but we prefer to call them Programs. I’d be happy to tell you more on request.

As for the loss of Subject 4, it escaped during its mission preparation, I’ll forward the necessary documents.



Director of Project TwoMinds

Everyone was trying their best to stay calm as Barry bled from his shoulder. Vicky was still shaking; no amount of sunshine would have stopped her. “Vicky, he needs your help, come on now you can do it” I said encouragingly. She slowly crept out of my protective shadow, opened her medic pouch and began to remove all sorts of kit. She removed the syringe from around Barry’s neck; it was morphine and everyone carried two syringes full of the painkiller for emergencies like this. You never use your own on others, in case you need it yourself. I helped her take off Barry’s trench coat and urban camouflage combat shirt feeling pretty helpless. I wanted to do something; but this was Vicky’s domain now. “Luke, take up position” I muttered. He stayed rooted to the spot. “That’s an order Private”
It wasn’t loud, but the commanding effect was still the same. He just stared at me I could tell he wanted to hit me right there and then but that would have compromised Vicky’s opinion of him. “Yes Corporal” he poured as much venom into those words as he could and lay on his belly pointing his rifle into the fields of grass. “How are ya, silly ****” I said to Barry. He looked at me as if I was some kind of idiot. “Take a guess, dick head” he managed a weak smile. Vicky began to massage his arm where the brachial artery resided. She cooed gently as she slid the syringe under his skin, and then gently administered the pain killer. Barry’s face went from being contorted with pain to unnaturally calm.

“Toni, Radio” said Callum. Toni handed the young officer the microphone while Vicky and I helped Barry. “Any call signs this is Sierra Oscar Alpha 3, we’ve come under fire; three dead, one wounded, requesting extraction, over” While Callum tried to raise the nearest unit, we put Barry’s clothes back on over his newly bandaged shoulder to keep him warm. “Well, he’ll be ok; but I suspect the shoulder and collar bones are now mangled. Bullet could have deflected and ended up anywhere” explained Vicky. “Sierra Oscar Alpha 3 this is Bravo 2 Delta we’re in the trenches at Roslin, we’ve engaged a target that just left Bonnyrigg, over” Callum scanned around him, keeping his head as low as possible but still enabling him to look around. “Bravo 2 Delta, I see no targets around my position, can you confirm target over.”
We sat for a whole five minutes, and a midday fog turned the dry grasslands into a damp bog-like swamp. “How the hell can it go from sun to fog so fast?” asked Adam “Scottish weather mate, Scottish weather” this came from Rachael as she scanned the fog with her scope. “Sorry about the wait, we engaged a white van heading for us; no radio message came from it, over” Everyone looked at Callum and the radio; we could all see his anger slowly reach boiling point. “Bravo 2 Delta, blue on blue, I repeat blue on blue, you’ve shot us. Hold fire we’ll come to you.” He let the microphone hover near his mouth, and then in a streak of rage threw it into the damp grass. “****in’ regular infantry!” he yelled “****!” We all remained silent as we let his rant continue, then eventually pass.

Five minutes passed, five silent and uncomfortable minutes. Callum stood up on the edge of the ditch with his arms wide open. We all waited for the shots, but they never came; they must have realised the **** up they had caused. After his act of defiance, Callum jumped back into the trench and walked towards the blood soaked van. He gently removed the pot metal from around the crew’s necks and placed them in an inside pocket. “Toni, check the Battery, see if this thing is useable” Toni slung his rifle across his back and opened the bonnet of the van.
Our Pentlands base was a series of bunkers built during the Oil Wars in case there was an invasion, and as such had vast amounts of small arms, ammunition, food, communication equipment and various other tid-bits. The cherry on top was an old MOD node, a mainframe computer with all types of NATO information; weapon blueprints, maps, locations of hidden supply depots. The best find, was information on how to build “H-Batteries”. The project to find renewable energy with a high output gave the world prototype Hydro-Electric Batteries; too expensive to produce at the time of conception but with the absence of any formal currency they had been made in abundance.

Toni looked at the silver box; it was beautifully made; compared to most ERF equipment. No harsh corners or rough bolts and rivets, instead smooth curves made with a silver coloured metal. No bullets had torn the valuable energy source. “It’s all good boss, she’ll run” he informed Callum. Callum nodded to Toni in response. “Mount up, we’re moving out”. We all climbed aboard the van and settle in once again, I was a little more nervous this time but I knew no harm would come to us now. We finally reached our own defensive lines; Callum parked the van in the Roslin’s motor pool and then we all dismounted. As soon as we dismounted we where immediately confronted by an officer and two medical Black Coats, their white armbands with the Red Cross proudly showing.
They were carrying a stretcher. “In there” instructed Callum, then he turned to the officer. “Lieutenant Black, Spec Ops Battalion, Bravo Company, 3rd platoon.” The officer straightened up at the mention of our battalion. “Lieutenant Mayne, 2nd Battalion, Delta Company, 4th platoon at your service, we heard you came under friendly fire” We stood around Callum as Barry was taken away on the stretcher. Callum looked at Barry for a while then back to Mayne. ”Yeah, we ran into a little trouble” Callum muttered bitterly “Speaking of which, I want to talk to the idiot that ordered the engagement.” Mayne took a step back and opened his mouth, but an older voice sounded from our left. “That, would have been me” We turned to see a Captain with several riflemen “It is customary to salute a superior officer Lieutenant” he said walking towards Callum.

Callum decided to stand his ground defiantly “Well sir, unless you want to be a target for a sniper I’ll keep my hand away from my head.” The Captain was a young man with a well trimmed moustache and no visible signs of a growing beard. He spoke rather tartly at Callum, with an air of arrogance surrounding him. “I will note to Major Black, your battalion commander, of your cheek to a superior officer, how dare you talk to me in such a way!” he paused to look at Toni and his Clansmen. “You, Staff Sergeant, yes you the dark one, radio now!” Toni looked crestfallen; he had to choose between orders and loyalty. Callum gave him a nod, and the Captain began complaining.
“Yes Major, yes Lieutenant Black is defying orders he’s blatantly.... No ma’am I don’t think....yes ma’am, of course ma’am” he almost threw the microphone at Toni in annoyance. “Well, looks like she is coming all the way from Penicuik to the front....looks like your days of command may be numbered Lieutenant.” He added a little smirk towards us. We nervously waited by the motor pool, until a dark green jeep sped into a near-by space. Only the driver’s seat opened, to reveal a figure in the ERF uniform and beret with a leather holster strapped around their chest. I could tell it was Major Black, Callum’s cousin and our Battalion’s commanding officer.

Her icy blue eyes were a contrast to her red hair that was pony-tailed, her beret slanted on top of her head. “So, let me get this straight Captain, you can’t deal with a minor little detail so you drag me from my desk, to bollock a Lieutenant.” The Captain fidgeted with his hands nervously. “But I thought….” Then he faltered. She calmed tapped her foot as she stared him down. “No, you didn’t think that’s the problem now run along and make sure your soldiers are doing their jobs.” The Captain saluted, to the Major’s annoyance, and retreated to the land of dug-up soil and eternal tea brewing.
She turned to us with a wide smile “So, I assume you were successful? Of course you were, you’re the best.” She walked towards Roslin’s command centre. Like most buildings we had as headquarters it was covered in radio antenna, camouflage nets and machine gun positions. The trenches were only a hundred metres to the north, west and east to protect all approaches. Anyone coming south-wards would be shot in the back by Penicuik’s defenders. “Don’t worry about your wounded man, he’s being taken care of right now we need to take the offensive otherwise we’re getting caught out here for another winter. We all followed her into a room with a map of the area and a variety of plush chairs. “Sit down” she said. We obeyed.

A line was drawn along the middle of the map, green for our side and red for the Guardsmen with a grey patch to the east. “As you can see, we have three objectives; Loanhead, Newtongrange and Bonnyrigg. We take these three towns and we have a clear shot to Dalkeith their base of operations for out here and then the outer areas of the city.” She paused to take a swig from her canteen. Righty enough, these three towns had exclamation marks blu-tacted onto them. Years had passed and the front lines had never moved an inch, Special Forces teams such as ours were the only way to get things done, most of the regular soldiers traded fire from trenches and sipped tea, about time things got a move on. “The area in grey is a small town called Gorebridge to our Eastern flank. Lieutenant Colonel Hartman is nervous about the Bluebloods using it to assault us, so we are going to beat them to it.
Lieutenant Black, your entire platoon has been ordered to mobilize, the 3rd’s orders are to secure Gorebridge, when you have it all under control, Delta Company of 2nd Battalion will move to support you for the jump into Newton Grange. Alpha Company of SpecOps will commit its forces to weakening the defences of Bonnyrigg while Platoon 1 of SpecOps Bravo Company secure Loanhead with Charlie Company of the 2nd Battalion will move to support them. When both towns are under Black Coat control, radio in for orders to take Bonnyrigg.” She waved us away. No need to ask for questions, we had none.

Most of our food, water and ammunition had been used in our last mission, so we stocked up from one of the warehouses. My day sack felt full, like it should always be and my webbing was filled with heavy magazines and grenades. I felt a twitch in my stomach, something I hadn’t felt in a couple of weeks. I grabbed Vicky by the front of her jacket and led her behind an armoured jeep, a Snatch. I caught Luke’s expression but at this moment in time, it just instincts that I’ve build for months now. I didn’t care what they thought; their thoughts would be far from the truth.

A few moments later I heard Toni say. “I hate officers....apart from you Cal, hope that Captain bites a **** sandwich.”

[FireforEffect91]

Chapter 3


I have looked over the documents you have attached with your letter as well as the attached file on the escape of Subject 4. I have several questions regarding these “Programs”; how do they help in combat? Do they have personalities? You have created insanity, how do you control it? I’m sure you will have time to answer my questions. I have also heard rumours of genetic modification, care to put these rumours to rest and tell me the truth?

Regarding the escape of a Subject, what is “mission preparation” and how can you allow valuable resources to be lost so easily? His Majesty is already doubtful of you’re pet project and will not hesitate to shut it down and destroy all materials if I tell him it is a waste of time


Magistrate Browning, head of Guardsmen Special Forces

It was better than walking in the torrential rain, being crammed into the back of one of the ERF’s few Mastiffs. A Mastiff is an armoured wheeled vehicle used for patrol and troop transport, and twenty-two heavily armed Special Operations soldiers packed into three of them was murder, but it bet slugging through mud. You could hear the rain clatter off the metal, no one had the top hatch open for the weapon mount; otherwise the Mastiff would have ended up being flooded. At least it was warm and I could see one of my other friends. “Susan!” I called over to her. She didn’t respond, she was locked in a deep sleep; time to sort that out. I lifted my leg to kick her, kicking two other people at the same time. “Waaah?” she groaned as she shook herself awake. “Oi, sleepy, think we’ll run into any Guardsmen at this Gorebridge place?” I asked. She shrugged sleepily then tapped her knife that was nestled into a sheath on her shoulder. “Here’s hoping” she replied with a wide grin. Was it always like this? Adam often told me of a war before all of this had happened….a huge war, a World War. I can only remember the Children’s shelter, run by a kindly elderly couple, teaching me and five other youngsters writing, reading and numbers. Then surviving on the streets, dodging Guardsmen; my life wasn’t exactly a testimony to happiness.

The Mastiffs slowly halted and Callum’s voice filled the armored truck. “All troops dismount and secure the area.” We all groaned at the prospect of standing out in the rain, but we left the vehicles all the same. “Urrgh this weather is taking the piss” I heard a Black Coat complain; the rain constantly hit onto our Coats, soaking them through and then our urban camouflage shirts were the next victim before our skin. Callum, Rachael and Toni walked up to our Mastiff and its newly drenched occupants. “Alright; Jamie, Vicky and Luke, you’ll come with us to check out the town, no need to get ambushed for being lazy. Staff Sergeant Wittock, you’re in charge till we regroup, stay here on constant alert.” The Staff Sergeant nodded, and we crept towards Gorebridge. Our boots found the damp grass no challenge, and it wasn’t long till we reached the first building; a depressing looking house. Its grey bricks moulded into the grey sky if you looked at it from a certain angle.

So far we had no contact so we slowly moved through the town, sweeping our rifles down the various alleyways and streets. “Looks empty” grunted Adam. Callum slung his rifle over his shoulder and let out a sigh “Rach, tell everyone else to move in and start setting up shop.” She nodded and sprinted back down the road we had cautiously crept up. “Does anyone think it’s strange? No Guards or civilians in the entire town?” I asked. Everyone seemed to chew this over; I sucked my teeth through the awkward silence. This time Vicky had something to say “Well maybe they just packed up and left to get away from the fighting?” I shook my head at her theory “No, I don’t think so….cars still in the street? All the doors closed? No if people were in a hurry the place would be in a **** state, not like this….” I let my sentence trail off as they looked around the streets; this new thought caused Callum to place his rifle back in his hands.

Rachael re-appeared slowly leading the column of Mastiffs, each Mastiff was flanked on both sides by Black Coats. Several Black Coats left the column and followed Rachael to Callum. “Done it boss, all here and ready” she said with a smile. Callum nodded and pointed to a nearby house. As we walked to it he shouted “Get into shelter, but stay alert and don’t spread too thin!” towards the column. Like us, they kicked in doors to houses and took refuge from the rain. The house we had decided to commandeer was relatively small, with sickly yellow wall paper in its hallways.
“You’d think someone would have decided to choose a more appealing colour” said a familiar voice.

I looked around to see Susan standing behind me; she gave me a wink which I replied with a wide grin. Adam and Rachael moved to clear upstairs while Susan, Luke and I moved into the living room and dining area. A fire crackled in the fireplace, the dining table, which was made of wood with carved decoration had cutlery and bowls in front of each chair. We then moved to the kitchen, a strong smell overpowered us. A pan sat on a gas cooker which was crudely attached to a large red gas canister. Inside the lidless pan sat a bubbling liquid with large white lumps in it. “Home Sweet Home with a free meal” Susan announced with glee. Luke walked to the foot of the stairs, navigating the stools and chairs littering his path. “All Clear” he called to everyone else.

In a couple of minutes everyone had gathered in the living room, some around the dining table with a large road map while others sat on the chairs and couches. The entire platoon was spread out between three houses as well as some guards on the Mastiffs. Callum, Toni and I looked at the map while others sat and shared the soup. I watched as Toni traced a finger from Roswell to Gorebridge. “Jesus” he quietly muttered. Jesus indeed, we had barely made any progress what so ever. Not only that, but the town was a mixture of twisting streets, avenues and crescents going off in all directions; it would take more than twenty-two of us to properly secure Gorebridge. “Maybe we should call in Delta Company?” I suggest to Callum. He seemed to think about it for a while, rubbing his stubble for a minute or so. “No, not yet we need eyes out there” he looked at me “Jamie, take three people and scout ahead till your reach here” he tapped a street on the map with his finger “at Hunterfield Court, just a peek so if there’s a major drama you get your arse back”.
I decided to take Susan, Luke and a new recruit; Private Ryan Caulder who was a nervous soldier who had just passed Special Operations training. I decided to choose him so he could get some field time and to prove himself in the eyes of the platoon. I lead my section to the Matiffs, the rain still continued its merciless barrage to anyone unfortunate to be caught out in the open. We crammed into the back of the Mastiff, were we found two privates chattering away.

“We got orders?” one of them asked me. Water darted off my beret as I shook my head

“We have orders” I said pointed to my Section

“You gotta stay here until we finish some recon job” The other private let out a giggle “Trust you Jamie, getting all the good jobs. Well I guess you’re here for supplies and not to sweep us off our feet” I was puzzled at that last sentence, then my vision caught up with my ears. “Oh god” I mumbled. The blankets and “boonie” hats had thrown me off, but as the two soldiers removed their hats I recognised them instantly. Everyone in the platoon….. no ……everyone in the battalion recognised the Twins; Ashleigh and Amanda Taylor had a near-legendary ability to steal, polish and flog anything that wasn’t bolted down or belonged to the ERF. They knew the stores better than the Quartermasters did themselves, they had spend the majority of their lives scratching a living off old vehicle parts, guns, food and various other items while living in the City.

“Well how about it Jamie, what do you need?” asked Ashleigh. I knew it was her; she had blue eyes while her sister had green, though you had to be in good light and at a fair distance to even see their eyes. “Four Ponchos, a water-proof map, and four boonie hats” I thought of everything else on my list. “Don’t need a radio, Susan has her own” I pointed to Susan, who in turn pointed to her Clansman as a demonstration. Ashleigh and Amanda instantly lifted a floor hatch and brung out the requested items and organised them on the floor, then closed the hatch. Both looked at me with a wide grin across their faces. “Well, this would usually cost a substantial amount” Ashleigh went on in a mock business-like tone

“But for you Jamie….” her sister continued with a grin

“A kiss?” they said in unison with a look of glee on their face.

Silence descended upon us in the Mastiff, I chewed this over then thought of a plan. I drew closer to Amanda, since she was closest. She closed her eyes in anticipation and drew closer to me, I then stopped short.

“You know, with these stripes I can order you to hand over the supplies” I said with a wide smile. Her eyes flashed open and a scowl appeared on her face. We donned our newly acquired gear, and I folded my waterproof map into my webbing that was covered by my poncho. The poncho and boonie hats were a plain dark green; we used them to protect ourselves from rain, snow and various other conditions. I stuck my waterlogged beret under one of my webbing straps. Even though we were already soaked, it helped the drying process. When we left the Mastiff the rain became no more than a light shower, so much for the need for waterproof material.
In a line, we walked a gentle pace through the streets. It was a casual patrol but we still were in a state of awareness. Ryan however, was feeling nervous. “Should we be walking in a straight line…exposed?” he asked. Susan and Luke were too busy to answer such a question, but I was still feeling pleased about my joke. “Put it is way, if there were any Guardsmen here, we’d be fighting to hold that street, not sit in houses eating soup around a fire” I retorted. My answer must have taken him aback since he remained silent, we all did; there wasn’t much to talk about. Luckily Susan was guarding my flank. “Where are you from? How come you joined up?” Susan asked politely.

“My parent’s work a dairy farm outside Penicuik and my dad signed me up. He said to me “Ryan, we owe the ERF each day for our freedom now it’s time you returned in kind” and well, I was sent to Penicuik for training” he explained glumly. Again a chilly silence descended upon us so to use time I consulted the map. I mentally check off two right turns we had passed and made a mental note that we had three right turns to pass before reaching the objective. Rain tapped my skull through my boonie hat sending shivers up my back. I glanced at the grey sky, praying for some sunshine. “How far to go Corporal?” chimed Ryan. It was weather, the drab buildings, the cold or the fact I was stuck with a fresh produce of “training” who continually asked questions but my mood turned sour. “Well, not far and a note to you Ryan. Rank is used for Training NCOs, officers and idiots who desire of being called by their rank and I’m none of the above, Jamie will suffice” I said in dark tone. It was like a lull in a fire fight, you could cut the tension with a knife, pour sauce on it and tuck in, and I swear I was going to snap from the uncertainty of our current situation.
My uncovered hands felt stung under the combination of the chilly wind and rain, I was miserable. Why me? Why? Why send me out on a mission of no purpose but to explore an empty town? Why is the town even empty? “Oh God” I thought to myself “I’ve contracted the syndrome of asking too many bloody questions”. After what seemed like an eternity, we had plodded our way to our objective; a dreary street in the form of a circle. The houses were untouched, but the bins had been pushed over and refuse had scattered itself around the street. We strolled through, inspecting the area. “Well, time to go back.” Luke announced. I glanced around the houses, something didn’t sit with me.

Too many questions unanswered, then I heard a door rhythmically bang against its doorframe. Like a rabbit in headlights we all stood still at the sound, tensed as if we were going to pounce into cover. I looked around to find the source of the noise; a half-closed door on our left side opening and closing by itself. We crept up to it with all our rifles pointed at the doorway and windows expecting some form of attack. “Ryan, watch our backs” I hissed. He stopped and turned around, sweeping his field of vision across the abandoned street. I took one side of the doorway while Susan and Luke took the other. Three clicks sounded as all three of us turned our rifles to full-automatic; I held up three fingers then folded them one by one. When my last finger folded, Susan burst into action. She kicked the door so it flew open and rushed in and I followed close behind. All three of us shuffled into a small kitchen with a table, chairs and a fire that had died out. One of the chairs had been knocked over and various plates, bowels and cups where strewn across the floor.
“There was a struggle here” I muttered to no one in particular. I looked around for any clues to the town’s inhabitants but found nothing. “Susan, get Ryan inside and take upstairs, Luke and I will secure down here” She nodded with a wink and fetch Ryan. After five minutes, the house was deemed secure so we sat in the kitchen with Susan’s radio on the table. I put my rifle on the table and told Callum about our patrol. “Roger that, I’ll call in Delta Company so we can fully secure this town. Get back here, everyone who was on that Stockbridge Op is ordered to stand down for rest and food, Callum out” About damn time we got some rest. I moved to pick up my rifle when my hand touched...something. I looked to see a large amount of white powder on the floor and table; at first I didn’t notice it since I was so busy but now it captivated my attention. “Did anyone spill salt?” I asked.

Everyone shook their heads. “Maybe someone spilt it when they abandoned the town?” suggested Luke. I stared at the powder for a while, and then grabbed the radio. “Jamie to Callum, I’m looking at some white powder, could be a clue to why the town is deserted, over” Callum was obviously thinking my theory through, checking for holes. He found some almost instantly. “Jamie, it could be salt, people spill stuff when they are in a hurry all the time.” I wasn’t about to let this go I knew it in my gut; something was wrong. This whole place was wrong. “Callum just please check it out. I dunno, get Delta to bring some science guy along to run tests on the powder.” While he made his decision I found a plastic bag and a metal spoon. I tipped some of the powder into the bag, tied a knot at the top then secured it in my webbing under my poncho. I waited another five minutes before getting my reply. “A science guy? Where are we going to find a science guy in the middle of a war? Look just get back here ok? Delta Company is here and I think their Captain is on the verge of a meltdown.” The radio cut off; that ended that little issue. I hid the bag in my webbing then turned to face Susan, Ryan and Luke. “Alright, we’re done here; let’s head back.” I said darkly.
The walk back to our original position was silent. I was in a bad mood about the lack of input from Callum, I knew something was wrong but no one wanted to know about it. Susan decided to try to cheer me up “Come on Jamie everyone is wrong sometime in their life. We’ll get back; get some rest and something to eat.” I shot her a look “Don’t patronise me” I sighed at her. Yeah it was going to be a great day for me. Several Mastiffs and Snatches raced passed us from Delta Company, probably to patrol and secure parts of the town that the officers had decided were strategically important. When we got back to the houses we had occupied, we found even more Mastiffs and a couple Snatch jeeps. Some of the top-side GPMGs (General Purpose Machine Guns” were manned but most of the vehicle occupants had split onto the street and chatted away with various SpecOp members.

I walked into the house where Callum was only to hear the opening bombardments. “Such a plan is a waste of time, which is unacceptable Lieutenant, I was told prior to my arrival that Loanhead was on the verge of being taken but you want to sit here for days scouting out the objective?” After that weak barrage counter-battery fire started up. “Well sir, did you ever stop to think that this isn’t a race? Ok so fine, we’ve almost taken Loanhead, great! But one issue still remains. Look at the map, Newtongrange is attached to another town; Mayfield. They are joined like Siamese-****ing-twins, so to prevent us from being outflanked during an assault attempt I’m sending small teams to recon the towns to find out enemy strengths and defensive positions, and then I’ll send small raiding teams to knock out these positions. A week tops.” The whole house was deathly quiet; you could here a pin drop, silence had washed over everything.

I decided to open the door now that things had apparently calmed down. The scene was different to what I had left. A radio sat on the dining table beside maps, pencils and rulers. On each side of the table stood two officers leaning on their respective side with teeth bared at one another. Callum was one of the officers; he caught sight of me and walked towards me and my section. “We have a lot of work to do, like me you’ve gone three days without sleep or a proper meal so get some rest you’ll need it.” After he said that he walked outside to do whatever he planned on doing, right now rest sounded like a good idea. The Captain walked towards me now “I suppose you SpecOps idiots think you’re clever, just because you’re flavour of the month with the top brass. I’ll tell you one thing Corporal; you’re battalion’s future is looking grim as is you’re Lieutenant’s career prospects.” He stared at me for a while, and then something took over as if the words flew out of my mouth. “Well sir if it wasn’t for our battalion and our Lieutenant you’d have your head on a pike outside the gate of Edinburgh Castle, but instead you have your head up your ***.”

I turned on the spot and walked away; after all, I’d need my rest.

[FireforEffect91]

while I'm writing the next chapter I'd like some critisim so I can cater changes in later chapters :D

FfE