Plan Klovov
1: Fear
Everything was quiet at the allied bass. Nothing stirred or moved out of place, it was a snowy afternoon and the Ore-trucks were just coming back from their duties. They drove slowly up to the tall Ore Refinery's, their chimney's reaching up to the sky.
Slowly each truck unloaded its contents into the factory and drove off to gather more ore off the fields. The Ore business was worth much money and was the main fund for the war with the soviets. Sides bickered but generally the allies believed that Stalin was the bad guy, Stalin must have thought differently.
The bass was well designed, each entrance had five turrets at the ready and two camo-pill boxes. It was not a good position to be in however as the bass had four entrances.
It had taken a long long time to build, it had to be saved up for months on end. The leader's name was Edward Monovel, a very posh name as it came from a posh family to, but he knew his tactics and his battle tactics. He was a field commander and was safely nestled in the construction yard in the very center of the bass.
It was a dangerous bass, for it was a strong one, said to be unpenatrable by allied positions, this was all the more reason for an attack however. It was placed on the frontier to soviet lands and great armies of tanks and men would stop off here for refueling and ammo before moving on to attack soviet positions. To it's advantage it was also placed in mountain areas and was surrounded by hills, it was hard going on any tank which ventured out to attack it.
However even with all these precautions the bass had fallen into an uneasy atmosphere. HQ had reported that small armies of Soviet units were moving to the north, east and south of the bass, likely preparing for an attack. Because of this, reinforcements were on their was to help back down the attack.
Snow fell lightly to the ground and you could see it's affects everywhere. On rooftops on the floor, icicles hung in some places and had often to be knocked down before they became a health hazard. One man had already been injured because of a falling icicle.
A great stone wall surrounded the bass and each corner had a tower looking out from it. A sniper stood ready as if frozen with the ice, his fingers clutched around the gun, placed at the ready on the trigger. He had warm cloths on but the cold was slowly penetrating them. He looked far but couldn't see much at all, the snow had dampened the air and a white missed was rising causing the sniper to only see about fifty metres away from the bass. On a clear day he could have seen all the way down the mountain slope but today...nothing.
The atmosphere was tense and a man gestured the Ore trucks to get a move on. A small group of tanks followed them as they left the bass, one of them was a guide and lead at the front so they didn't get lost in the snow. They exited slowly winding in-between the turrets, watched slowly by a figure in the Construction yard.
"I don't like it" said Edward looking out of the window to the snow lightly falling outside. His hands gripped tightly behind his back as a patrol walked by. Was one of them a spy?
"What don't you like commander?" said Bill. Bill was a tough super soldier, he was trained with almost any weapon, seven types of martial art, and could ride from motor bikes to jet planes. He was the personal bodyguard of Edward and had never let the commander down.
"I don't like the atmosphere Bill! I know they are going to attack and they are going to attack soon. There's still no sign of the reinforcements, perhaps they got bogged down in a snowdrift somewhere or lost their way! What if they don't get here in time!" replied the commander gripping his hands tightly
It was a warm room in the construction yard reserved for the commander only, it had a warm burning fireplace with a very red attire. Small allied banners lined the walls and a glass and bottle filled with brandy lay on top of paperwork on the commander's desk.
"It can't be helped" said Bill in his deep slow voice he usually spoke in. He always seemed very calm, but then again he didn't have paperwork to do, how could he know what it was like to have to look after the bass.
"They will probably attack like last time and be beaten back, or the blizzard will bog down their tanks in snow, surely?" but the word surely had a different meaning in it to Edward. Though he was a high ranking commander he was also a man who liked to study people's emotions, if he had had a secondary job it would have been a psychiatrist. He realized listening to Bill that the surely had a secondary meaning in it, it wanted something to back it up so it wasn't necessary. It meant that even Bill was nervous.
"Even Bill" muttered Edward. But Bill didn't here it.
The snow fell silently and slowly outside, so silently that the only sound once the patrol was out of reach was the gentle burning of the fire. Bill's "surely" had left a nervous silence which wanted to be broken but nobody could think how to brake it.
"Of all the worst things in this accursed place it is probably the silence," said Edward still standing soldiery by the cold window.
"Is there anything you'd like me to do?" said Bill after awhile of waiting. But Edward just stood there looking out of the window. His hand outstretched and touched the cold glass like a child stuck in on a rainy day. He could see one of the four power stations from where he was. Steam softly rose out of the four chimneys at each corner of the power station. For a moment Edward's heart jumped seeing the steam for he thought it was fire, but he realized his error with no reaction except the ever more nervous.
"Edward!" said Bill still waiting for a reply. Edward jumped with a gasp and turned round with a pale face. The window had cooled his blood, but Bill thought it was more than the window which was chilling him.
"Edward! Hold your self together man! You need to keep a straight mind in cases like these, now sit down, drink some brandy and do some paperwork. It's the best thing you can do to keep your mind on something rather than stand there all day and worry about this dam attack! We're all bloody worried it's not just you. I'm worried sick about the dam thing, so let's just think about something else!"
There was a long pause and Edward's face didn't really change. After awhile he sat down and took out a hand to his glass. Bill noticed it was a weak grip and almost felt the need as a friend to go over and do it for him.
"I'm sorry," said Bill turning away "I got a little carried away, that's all. I just wish this dam war would hurry up and finish so we can all go home"
"Don't worry about it" replied Edward drinking the whole glass down in one go. However it was rather a hypocritical statement at the time but neither bothered to point the fact out. Edward picked up his pen in a rather blank way as if nothing at all had happened a moment ago and it made Bill feel the nervous one. He felt like going over to look out of the window just like Edward had done before but instead he walked over to a cabinet in the side of the room and took out a wineglass.
Rather ignorantly he walked back over to Edward's desk, took the bottle by the neck and poured himself a glass. He pulled a chair up and sat opposite Edward.
"It's good brandy" commented Bill sipping at the liquid.
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2: Blizzard
After awhile later a spark of hope came to the allied bass. The long delayed reinforcements, which had been so needed, had finally arrived. They came from the western entrance and a few shots were fired from snipers who thought they were enemies but luckily only a few dents were caused in tank armor. The snipers soon got the message and no retaliation was given by the reinforcements (luckily).
Bill stood in the snow at the entrance waiting for the tanks to arrive. He had gotten fed up with waiting like a lemon inside the construction yard, it was nervous fealing inside and out, but at least out here he could keep his mind active. It was no consolidation to him either that in this snow troops were meant to change places at hour intervals, he had been out for two.
The tanks drove on and passed in between the turrets being waved on all the time by Bill and the gate keepers. Bill led them to different points of the bass that Edward had written down on a piece of paper before he went out. It would speed things up rather than sending a soldier all the way to the construction yard to inform Edward that the tanks had arrived.
Nether the less Bill sent one of the gatekeepers who had finished his hour to go and inform poor Edward at least that the tanks had arrived and were in position. As he stood in the snow a tank driver got out of the vehicle and came up to him.
"I should inform you that we lost a few of our number on the way. There are mines everywhere down to the west of here that we weren't informed about. You should tell HQ to get more bloody accurate readings next time they send us up to this hell hole. We got stuck in at least four snowdrifts and only just managed to dig ourselves out of the last one! We would have been cannon fodder for any soviet tanks around at the time"
"I understand" replied Bill through the cold "I'm sorry but radar and communications are down at the moment because of the blizzard"
"You're joking!" replied the tank driver
"I'm afraid not" continued Bill not showing the nervousness inside of him.
The tank driver walked back to his tank slowly and solemnly through the snow. It seemed to Bill that he must have awfully regretted coming to this place. Bill began to see that he regretted it to, and Edward. He had such a hellish job to look after.
Bill began to walk slowly back to the construction yard his feet cold with the freezing snow. He had been out here for too long and he was going to go back.
Just as he passed one of the inner power stations he saw something happening at the war factory. Mine layers were leaving the war factory, but noone had told Bill. They drove round towards Bill and Bill quickly wavered them to stop.
The driver got out a little annoyed and Bill walked up to him.
"What the heck are you doing sir?" shouted Bill to the leader of the mine squadron
"May I reply what are you doing in our way? I have clear orders here from the bass commander to mine up the entrances to this bass, especially the northern pass! Now are you going to force me to go against a direct order or shall I just drive on?"
Bill fell silent.
"What the heck is Edward doing?" thought Bill. Slowly he walked away passing the driver who just stood there with his piece of paper and documents.
"Well?" called the driver to Bill "Don't just leave me standing here!"
"Carry on!" called back Bill not turning back.
He walked slowly on trying to figure out why Edward wanted to block up the entrances. It was a stupid idea! What if more reinforcements came at night, they would be blown up trying to get here, perhaps that's why the first batch of reinforcements had lost a few tanks.
Bill in a foul mood stormed up the steps of the construction yard and went straight into Edward's office.
"Why on earth didn't you tell me you were going to block up the bass entrances!" said Bill in an almost shout.
"Bill, I know you are my friend and colleague" replied Edward "And I treat you as an equal, but it is none of your business what I order and not order within this bass, understand? Now I have decided"
"You've decided to block us in Edward! What the heck are we going to do when the supply truck's come? We need them Edward! Supplies are low and men are already on rations!"
"Bill" said Edward standing up and walking over to the window in his cold state "I have some good news and some bad news for you and I shall tell you the good"
This wasn't quite the way Bill remembered this stream of conversation but he let Edward continue.
"The good news is that radar broke through to communications a few minutes ago"
"And the bad news?" said Bill after a pause
"The supply trucks have been destroyed and more reinforcements can't get through. There has been a avalanche at the bottom of the western slope and the reinforcements are having to take a detour through Delta"
"Delta! That's miles north from here and in these conditions!" exclaimed Bill altogether unhappy with the news
"I know" Edward said this in a way which you couldn't be sure if he meant in a sarcastic way or not. Bill slowly left the room, his head slowly shaking from side to side. He closed the door behind him , it didn't quite shut so he had to give a final tug before it would close. Edward turned to the window and looked out to the snow. It still landed lightly and silently on the ground outside the bass.
He couldn't see the patrol's footprints any more, but he knew that they came often.
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3: Important message
The next morning Edward got up from his long uneasy sleep. It was cold outside but a little to warm inside and he had constantly had to opened the window many times, but slowly to find it to cold had gone back to close it again. He got up to see a sight exactly like the day before, silent snow. However there was something going down below, he could here the noise of shovels.
He opened his window and looked down to just below the building. Soldiers were digging out snow from the path and moving it away to various locations. He hadn't ordered it? But the again he didn't care.
Slowly he got dressed in his usual fashion, trouses first. He walked over to the mirror and saw himself in the reflection. He was a pale and at that moment ragged looking man. His dark hair was all over the place and needed a real come. He looked like a cat had dragged him through a hedge backwards and all those other quotes which appeared for an instant in his mind and then dissapered again.
When he was finally ready he opened the side door from his office (leaving his bed and attire completely unorganised) and walked over to sit at his desk. He was going to try and remain calm today he had decided, attack or no attack he wanted to be in top form.
Gradually after he had worked up the effort in him he managed to get on with some of the paperwork he had to do. Bass plans, bass tactics, Ore distribution, all kinds of things like these he had to go though. It seemed to never end.
There was a knock on the door and Edward watched the entrance.
"Come in!" he called
The door creaked open and a solitary soldier still dressed up thickly in warm clothing from outside entered.
"Message Sir! From HQ sir!" he bellowed in a very orderly like fashion with salute and all. Edward had never gotten used to people doing that to him and had pacifically asked Bill not to do it at all.
"Bring it here then" replied Edward not amused by the soldier's efforts
The soldier walked over in a tight short-legged march and placed the document on the desk in front of Edward. He then walked back over to the door.
"Permission to leave sir!" he called out again in the same voice with particular exclamation on the "sir".
"Granted" said Edward in the same tone which was what he knew was expected from "these" kind of people. He didn't really in his heart think all this military saluting was completely necessary.
He paused awhile looking at the door and slowly turned the document the right way round so he could open it. He took of the paper encasement and began to read...
To Edward Monevel
(Bass commander of site D)
We are very sorry on your encampment this moment in site D and wish you all the health. As you may or may not already know, enemy units are mobilising all around your bass in northern eastern and southern positions.
We would like to inform you that a convoy from bass delta is on its way. It is accompanied by several vehicles of strange description. It is heading for your bass, you are to except these unusual vehicles in and to let them encamp about the construction yard.
Note: Any information about these vehicles is highly classified. Any attempt to discover their real properties will result as a caught martial offence for any person involved.
These vehicles are not to be destroyed under any circumstances. It is your job to make sure that they stay intact. We have notified them of any mined areas about you, you must do the same on your part.
Also, there will be no more reinforcements. There will be no further convoys. Ore production is to stop, all Ore trucks are to move north of your position to bass delta immediately with full content of ore. No other units are allowed to leave your position on any account. We would appreciate it and also enforce that you carry out each of these enstructions to the fullest.
Head quarters
Edward sat a moment holding the letter, slowly he put it down on the desk and thought. After awhile he picked up a telephone from the side of his desk. He turned the dial round several times and waited for a moment.
"Hallo, this is Edward Monevel here bass commander, this is I trust the Ore registration office?"
"Yes, it is" replied a voice which sounded as if the person had taken his two fingers and clamped his nostrils together.
"I need you to stop Ore production"
"What?" replied the voice with a gasp
"Don't question it just do it!" exclaimed Edward down the phone "I also need you to send all Ore trucks with full content to Bass Delta north of here! I will send over the mine co-ordinates immediately"
Slowly he put the phone down a little gittery at his own strength of mind.
"Why the hell do they want me to do that?" said Edward with a puzzled face.
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4: The men in white
Bill looked at the entrance to the bass. Slowly several vehicles approached with many men from home ground leading them past the mine sites. They were extremely strange, one was a very big lorry and the four around it had strange metal structures behind them. There was some sought of missile gun on the front.
A soldier ran up to Bill quickly and whispered into his ear.
"No one is to inquire into their business" he whispered "a message from bass commander"
Bill nodded his head and the soldier walked back in the direction he had come from. But his mind was thinking, "What the heck is going on?" and to tell the truth Edward didn't really know either. Several men in white suits walked up to Bill one at the front seemed to be they're leader.
"Take us to bass commander" he said. They're was a pistol in his hand. You couldn't see his face except his mouth. The eyes were hidden by some kind of protective goggles and even the mouth had a plastic cohering below it to presumably sometimes be pulled up to cother the whole face.
"Now!" continued the man in a more firm tone.
Bill turned and waited for the men to get back inside they're vehicles. He slowly led them through the snow into the centre of the gigantic bass. A war factory passed them by, an Ore refinery, several power stations until finally they reached the construction yard.
Once they had parked on the concrete slabs outside the building they again got out and walked in their white costumes to the entrance of the bass.
"Is this the building?" called the man in white and several others with him turned to Bill. But Bill had caught sight of something else. He ran over to the Ore refinery. All the trucks in a long line were leaving the bass.
"Hey! Hey!" He shouted running along side one of the lorries. The driver stopped and the vehicles behind stopped aswell, however the other trucks in front continued. Quickly the driver rolled down his window in a rather pretend relaxed fashion and leaned his elbow on the glass.
"What the heck is going on here" shouted Bill up to him. This isn't the correct time to head back to the fields!"
"We're not heading to the fields!" called the pretend relaxed man in a rather American ascent "We're moving house. We've been ordered to leave here immediately and follow on the lead vehicle" and with that he quickly rolled up the window and began to drive on.
"Hey! Hey!" shouted out Bill trying to get another to stop but at that moment someone tapped him on the shoulder. He slowly turned about to shout himself red in the face to find the man in white in front of him.
"We are waiting for you to take us to bass commander" said the white clothed person in the same voice as before.
Bill a little stressed lead the group to the door of the construction yard. Quickly he lead them through the double doors and passed the reception desk.
"Excuse me? Who are you exactly" called the lady at the desk in her usual posh acsent which she reserved for people she didn't trust.
"None of your dam business!" called back Bill in a raging mood
He led the group up several flights of steps until he came along a corridor to Edward's office.
"Is this the room?" asked the man again
"Yes yes go on in" said Bill in a rather tiresome tone.
The group entered the room in single file and Bill followed however before he could enter the room the last white figure closed the door before he could walk through.
As he turned round to leave in a very annoyed mood in deed, he saw a piece of paper lying on the ground just to the right of Edward's office. Bill walked slowly over and picked the sheet up examining it carefully. One of the white people must have dropped it after coming up the stairs. In a naturally inquisitive manner he began to read the sheet.
To Chrono team A
Plan KLOVOV
Primary objective: Activate nuclear device in correct time zone
Secondary objective: Make sure the bass commander and bodyguard are safe
Tertiary objective: Do not reveal any information of the device or chrono technology
It must be absolutely clear that the Volkov sideboard must be destroyed at all costs. This is the first serious planned attack using Volkov the soviets have made. Their plan is to take this position and to take this bass into their hold. This shall not be allowed to happen, as this position is crucial for both sides.
It is expected that the bass will fall but if it withstands a little longer than the expected time zone, be ready. Make sure Volkov enters the bass before you activate the plan. Beware of additional forces being used.
Note: It is possible that a M.A.D strike will be used on the bass.
Head quarters
"What the heck is all this about?" muttered Bill looking at the paper rather baffled. He waited a moment and then stuffed it in his poket quickly. In his pokets to his surprise he felt passed a piece of string a rubber band, a couple of keys, and several other things of strange description. He knew himself to be someone who put things in his poket, but it was rare that he found such a unusual find as this one.
He walked slowly up to the door and spied through the key hole, he would be ready if the left quickly to jump into the chair opposite the door.
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5: Escape
Edward sat in his office completely baffled.
"Sorry could you repeat that again?" he asked scratching his head with the occasional pull at his collar.
"Your control over this bass is terminated, you shall come with us at the appropriate time and be blind folded, you are not aloud to see the interior of our vehicles. You shall be transferred to control of another site immediately"
"But what about the soldiers and people in this bass?" asked Edward worryingly.
"That information is classified. Edward Moneval, you died in the blast, you are now no longer living. Your family shall be compensated, any attempt on your part to recontact them until after 35 years will result in the literal death of yourself. We are very sorry for you"
"Sorry!" shouted out Edward standing up and sending his chair crashing back "Your sorry that your going to separate me from my family for 30 odd years just because I've seen your stupid weapon or whatever it is?"
"There is no time for this, come with us if you wish to live, otherwise you shall die now"
"I can't believe this!" said Edward, "what is the point of ever giving me any dam control what so ever, if you are going to just take it away from me again?"
"Are you coming with us or not, bass commander?"
Edward paused for a few seconds to think about his situation.
"Fine, I'll come" he said with as little enthusiasm as was possible at the time.
"We still have time" said a tech man next to the leader.
"Yes, you're right, you may get some things Edward if you feal it nessecery but we shall have to check their weight. Edward knodded and walked for the last time back into his bedroom through the side door. As he did this his mind seemed to rush over his situation and came to the outcome that he hadn't had any breakfast or lunch. He had had a glass of wine but that didn't really count. He was beggining to feal very hungary.
First Edward grabbed he suitcase which was loged between his wardrobe and his dressar and flung the wardrobe doors open. It was a ver nice dark brown wood, he somehow wished he could take the wardrobe with him as well. He began to take out the cloths he had liked most, but he ended up chucking any old thing in. He put some speicial things in like jewlery aswell. He hid some bass documents in the bottom of the suitcase and some other papers and cards aswell.
As Edward returned from his room with a full suitcase one of the men had produced some scales and placed them on the ground.
"Suitcase!" he said in a forceful strict manner
Edward as if back at school put the suitcase on the scales and waited for the man to continue.
"May I ask your name or is that..."
"No!" said the man kneeling and looking at the weight of the case "It's too heavy, you will need to move something out of it!"
Edward quickly opened the suitcase and threw a red woolly jumper he had never much liked out. It lay a sad rugged lump by the side of the room.
The man lay the suitcase on the scales again.
"Good enough" he said and led Edward towards the door (or more like almost left Edward going to the door). Edward quickly shut the Very light suitcase up with straps and took it up and ran through the doorway. Bill sat on a chair by the entrance.
"Are, Edward!" said Bill standing up "finally we can ta"
In a flash one of the white men took out some kind of gun and fired a cloud of gass at Bill. It surrounded him, he cougthed and fell to the floor.
"You just gassed my body guard!" shouted Edward raging at the man in white who promptly lifted Bill up and flung him on his shoulder.
"Let's go!" he said leading the group down the steps. At that moment there was a loud thump and the building shook.
"It's started!" shouted Edward skipping down the steps two at a time after them. His tie flung back with the force as he jumped the last five steps and heart his foot. He ran almost limping out of the door of the construction yard to see a burning power station in front of him.
"Hurry! We don't have much time before they will detonate the M A D's" shouted the leader back to the others. Edward caught the words and ran in agony after them his briefcase weighinh him down.
Migs (fighter jets) flew across the sky with a raugh and each time one passed there was a shriek and then an explosion somewhere in the bass. As Edward ran he saw a mig pass with a shriek over the war factory, a second later it exploded with a shriek and a giant iron bar flew skidding twenty or so meteres through the snow until it stopped with pure friction.
Arriving in front of one of the strange vehicles one of the white men quickly took out a prepared piece of black cloth and yanked it around Edward's eyes. He almost fell over but the white man lept him steady, quickily the white man lowered him down and Edward felt his feet being grabbed, he shouted out but a explosion drouned his sound. Before he could do a thing he was picked up by feet and arms and thrown into the back of the vehicle with a clang as his foot hit something hard and meatle.
"Don't touch those wires for you own good!" called the white-coated man's voice over the howl of missiles.
"Let's go!" shouted another inside the vehicle.
Slowly as the door slid shut an electrical noise began to rise above the explosions outside. A white light so strong it penetrated Edwards blindfold and eyes. A second later there was an indescribable sound, a bit like braking metal and all the noise stopped.
Almost imiediately, everything stopped, Edward had a strange fealing that a missile had hit them and he was now dead. There was complete silence (and darkness obviously) but just to check Edward called out.
"What's happening?" asked Edward to brake the silence.
"Classified!" mocked another until now unspoken voice in a rather jockey way. Edward heard the door slide open and he felt his feet touch grass. The door closed behind him and a white coated man removed his blindfold. Bill lay next to him curled up on the cold ground, they were far away from the bass, many many miles away.
"You see that dot over there" said the voice that had spoken in the jockey way. Edward turned to see another of the men in white coats. A mist rose from down below in the valley.
"That dot" he continued "that's the bass you controlled. I'm awfully sorry about this"
"Sorry about what?" asked Edward giving him a strange look.
After about a minute of pure silence there was a call from inside the truck
"He's entering now! Get ready"
"What's entering where?" stressed Edward
Suddenly a pulse hit Edwards ears and he kneeled seemingly heart to the ground.
"What was that?"
"They've activated the M A Ds!" called the voice from inside the strange vehicle. These comments like a football match continued and Edward watched helplessly as explosions wrenched upwards from the bass he had sought to protect for so long. The men in that bass must have had no defence, they were just being blown to the ground. The AA guns weren't fast enougth to strike down the migs.
"What are we supposed to do in a war which uses such weapons" muttered Edward with a distant look on his face as if he had foreseen the rest of the war. The explosions continued and now and again, Edward felt a rumble in the ground. All of a sudden the voice shouted
"Now!"
There was a gradual rumble and slowly a white piercing light filled the air. When Edward opened his eyes he could see a mushroom cloud rising from an area bigger than his bass filled.
After that the sound hit him of a tremendous explosion. Earth and gravel alike seemed to rise up from the destroyed bass as if at will the land was trying to kill itself. Edward had never seen a nucliar bomb before, neither had anyone he knew, no one knew it or what it was except the men in white and their masters.
Edward took a "thunk" on the shoulder from a heavy hand. The man in white led him away from the explosion to a party of jeeps which sat there stunned. The men inside the jeeps were trying to look round to see what was going on. They had driven up while Edward's back was turned nad had just seen the end of site D.
"You are the people we were sent to get?" said the leader of the jeeps, in a wisper after the noise had died down.
"Private, could you take Mr Edward Monevel here and his friend to wherever you have been given orders, may I remind you that you never saw... anything, you simply came and collected a few men who had escaped from the bass. Do I make myself clear?" asked the leader in the white cloak. While he said this his followers lead Edward and took Bill round, placing them in the jeeps as if they never had any control at all.
"Yes" he replied after a long pause "quite clear"
He looked at Edward for some kind of explanation but Edward just looked away to the sky. Steam and vapour rose off the strange vehcles as the jeeps left as if they had been on fire.
Soon the vehcles were left far over the hill as they began to approach Bass Delta. Edward began to think about what his futere was going to be like. Bill didn't wake up untill a long time later, he never found the paper in his poket, perhaps it fell out.
1: Fear
Everything was quiet at the allied bass. Nothing stirred or moved out of place, it was a snowy afternoon and the Ore-trucks were just coming back from their duties. They drove slowly up to the tall Ore Refinery's, their chimney's reaching up to the sky.
Slowly each truck unloaded its contents into the factory and drove off to gather more ore off the fields. The Ore business was worth much money and was the main fund for the war with the soviets. Sides bickered but generally the allies believed that Stalin was the bad guy, Stalin must have thought differently.
The bass was well designed, each entrance had five turrets at the ready and two camo-pill boxes. It was not a good position to be in however as the bass had four entrances.
It had taken a long long time to build, it had to be saved up for months on end. The leader's name was Edward Monovel, a very posh name as it came from a posh family to, but he knew his tactics and his battle tactics. He was a field commander and was safely nestled in the construction yard in the very center of the bass.
It was a dangerous bass, for it was a strong one, said to be unpenatrable by allied positions, this was all the more reason for an attack however. It was placed on the frontier to soviet lands and great armies of tanks and men would stop off here for refueling and ammo before moving on to attack soviet positions. To it's advantage it was also placed in mountain areas and was surrounded by hills, it was hard going on any tank which ventured out to attack it.
However even with all these precautions the bass had fallen into an uneasy atmosphere. HQ had reported that small armies of Soviet units were moving to the north, east and south of the bass, likely preparing for an attack. Because of this, reinforcements were on their was to help back down the attack.
Snow fell lightly to the ground and you could see it's affects everywhere. On rooftops on the floor, icicles hung in some places and had often to be knocked down before they became a health hazard. One man had already been injured because of a falling icicle.
A great stone wall surrounded the bass and each corner had a tower looking out from it. A sniper stood ready as if frozen with the ice, his fingers clutched around the gun, placed at the ready on the trigger. He had warm cloths on but the cold was slowly penetrating them. He looked far but couldn't see much at all, the snow had dampened the air and a white missed was rising causing the sniper to only see about fifty metres away from the bass. On a clear day he could have seen all the way down the mountain slope but today...nothing.
The atmosphere was tense and a man gestured the Ore trucks to get a move on. A small group of tanks followed them as they left the bass, one of them was a guide and lead at the front so they didn't get lost in the snow. They exited slowly winding in-between the turrets, watched slowly by a figure in the Construction yard.
"I don't like it" said Edward looking out of the window to the snow lightly falling outside. His hands gripped tightly behind his back as a patrol walked by. Was one of them a spy?
"What don't you like commander?" said Bill. Bill was a tough super soldier, he was trained with almost any weapon, seven types of martial art, and could ride from motor bikes to jet planes. He was the personal bodyguard of Edward and had never let the commander down.
"I don't like the atmosphere Bill! I know they are going to attack and they are going to attack soon. There's still no sign of the reinforcements, perhaps they got bogged down in a snowdrift somewhere or lost their way! What if they don't get here in time!" replied the commander gripping his hands tightly
It was a warm room in the construction yard reserved for the commander only, it had a warm burning fireplace with a very red attire. Small allied banners lined the walls and a glass and bottle filled with brandy lay on top of paperwork on the commander's desk.
"It can't be helped" said Bill in his deep slow voice he usually spoke in. He always seemed very calm, but then again he didn't have paperwork to do, how could he know what it was like to have to look after the bass.
"They will probably attack like last time and be beaten back, or the blizzard will bog down their tanks in snow, surely?" but the word surely had a different meaning in it to Edward. Though he was a high ranking commander he was also a man who liked to study people's emotions, if he had had a secondary job it would have been a psychiatrist. He realized listening to Bill that the surely had a secondary meaning in it, it wanted something to back it up so it wasn't necessary. It meant that even Bill was nervous.
"Even Bill" muttered Edward. But Bill didn't here it.
The snow fell silently and slowly outside, so silently that the only sound once the patrol was out of reach was the gentle burning of the fire. Bill's "surely" had left a nervous silence which wanted to be broken but nobody could think how to brake it.
"Of all the worst things in this accursed place it is probably the silence," said Edward still standing soldiery by the cold window.
"Is there anything you'd like me to do?" said Bill after awhile of waiting. But Edward just stood there looking out of the window. His hand outstretched and touched the cold glass like a child stuck in on a rainy day. He could see one of the four power stations from where he was. Steam softly rose out of the four chimneys at each corner of the power station. For a moment Edward's heart jumped seeing the steam for he thought it was fire, but he realized his error with no reaction except the ever more nervous.
"Edward!" said Bill still waiting for a reply. Edward jumped with a gasp and turned round with a pale face. The window had cooled his blood, but Bill thought it was more than the window which was chilling him.
"Edward! Hold your self together man! You need to keep a straight mind in cases like these, now sit down, drink some brandy and do some paperwork. It's the best thing you can do to keep your mind on something rather than stand there all day and worry about this dam attack! We're all bloody worried it's not just you. I'm worried sick about the dam thing, so let's just think about something else!"
There was a long pause and Edward's face didn't really change. After awhile he sat down and took out a hand to his glass. Bill noticed it was a weak grip and almost felt the need as a friend to go over and do it for him.
"I'm sorry," said Bill turning away "I got a little carried away, that's all. I just wish this dam war would hurry up and finish so we can all go home"
"Don't worry about it" replied Edward drinking the whole glass down in one go. However it was rather a hypocritical statement at the time but neither bothered to point the fact out. Edward picked up his pen in a rather blank way as if nothing at all had happened a moment ago and it made Bill feel the nervous one. He felt like going over to look out of the window just like Edward had done before but instead he walked over to a cabinet in the side of the room and took out a wineglass.
Rather ignorantly he walked back over to Edward's desk, took the bottle by the neck and poured himself a glass. He pulled a chair up and sat opposite Edward.
"It's good brandy" commented Bill sipping at the liquid.
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2: Blizzard
After awhile later a spark of hope came to the allied bass. The long delayed reinforcements, which had been so needed, had finally arrived. They came from the western entrance and a few shots were fired from snipers who thought they were enemies but luckily only a few dents were caused in tank armor. The snipers soon got the message and no retaliation was given by the reinforcements (luckily).
Bill stood in the snow at the entrance waiting for the tanks to arrive. He had gotten fed up with waiting like a lemon inside the construction yard, it was nervous fealing inside and out, but at least out here he could keep his mind active. It was no consolidation to him either that in this snow troops were meant to change places at hour intervals, he had been out for two.
The tanks drove on and passed in between the turrets being waved on all the time by Bill and the gate keepers. Bill led them to different points of the bass that Edward had written down on a piece of paper before he went out. It would speed things up rather than sending a soldier all the way to the construction yard to inform Edward that the tanks had arrived.
Nether the less Bill sent one of the gatekeepers who had finished his hour to go and inform poor Edward at least that the tanks had arrived and were in position. As he stood in the snow a tank driver got out of the vehicle and came up to him.
"I should inform you that we lost a few of our number on the way. There are mines everywhere down to the west of here that we weren't informed about. You should tell HQ to get more bloody accurate readings next time they send us up to this hell hole. We got stuck in at least four snowdrifts and only just managed to dig ourselves out of the last one! We would have been cannon fodder for any soviet tanks around at the time"
"I understand" replied Bill through the cold "I'm sorry but radar and communications are down at the moment because of the blizzard"
"You're joking!" replied the tank driver
"I'm afraid not" continued Bill not showing the nervousness inside of him.
The tank driver walked back to his tank slowly and solemnly through the snow. It seemed to Bill that he must have awfully regretted coming to this place. Bill began to see that he regretted it to, and Edward. He had such a hellish job to look after.
Bill began to walk slowly back to the construction yard his feet cold with the freezing snow. He had been out here for too long and he was going to go back.
Just as he passed one of the inner power stations he saw something happening at the war factory. Mine layers were leaving the war factory, but noone had told Bill. They drove round towards Bill and Bill quickly wavered them to stop.
The driver got out a little annoyed and Bill walked up to him.
"What the heck are you doing sir?" shouted Bill to the leader of the mine squadron
"May I reply what are you doing in our way? I have clear orders here from the bass commander to mine up the entrances to this bass, especially the northern pass! Now are you going to force me to go against a direct order or shall I just drive on?"
Bill fell silent.
"What the heck is Edward doing?" thought Bill. Slowly he walked away passing the driver who just stood there with his piece of paper and documents.
"Well?" called the driver to Bill "Don't just leave me standing here!"
"Carry on!" called back Bill not turning back.
He walked slowly on trying to figure out why Edward wanted to block up the entrances. It was a stupid idea! What if more reinforcements came at night, they would be blown up trying to get here, perhaps that's why the first batch of reinforcements had lost a few tanks.
Bill in a foul mood stormed up the steps of the construction yard and went straight into Edward's office.
"Why on earth didn't you tell me you were going to block up the bass entrances!" said Bill in an almost shout.
"Bill, I know you are my friend and colleague" replied Edward "And I treat you as an equal, but it is none of your business what I order and not order within this bass, understand? Now I have decided"
"You've decided to block us in Edward! What the heck are we going to do when the supply truck's come? We need them Edward! Supplies are low and men are already on rations!"
"Bill" said Edward standing up and walking over to the window in his cold state "I have some good news and some bad news for you and I shall tell you the good"
This wasn't quite the way Bill remembered this stream of conversation but he let Edward continue.
"The good news is that radar broke through to communications a few minutes ago"
"And the bad news?" said Bill after a pause
"The supply trucks have been destroyed and more reinforcements can't get through. There has been a avalanche at the bottom of the western slope and the reinforcements are having to take a detour through Delta"
"Delta! That's miles north from here and in these conditions!" exclaimed Bill altogether unhappy with the news
"I know" Edward said this in a way which you couldn't be sure if he meant in a sarcastic way or not. Bill slowly left the room, his head slowly shaking from side to side. He closed the door behind him , it didn't quite shut so he had to give a final tug before it would close. Edward turned to the window and looked out to the snow. It still landed lightly and silently on the ground outside the bass.
He couldn't see the patrol's footprints any more, but he knew that they came often.
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3: Important message
The next morning Edward got up from his long uneasy sleep. It was cold outside but a little to warm inside and he had constantly had to opened the window many times, but slowly to find it to cold had gone back to close it again. He got up to see a sight exactly like the day before, silent snow. However there was something going down below, he could here the noise of shovels.
He opened his window and looked down to just below the building. Soldiers were digging out snow from the path and moving it away to various locations. He hadn't ordered it? But the again he didn't care.
Slowly he got dressed in his usual fashion, trouses first. He walked over to the mirror and saw himself in the reflection. He was a pale and at that moment ragged looking man. His dark hair was all over the place and needed a real come. He looked like a cat had dragged him through a hedge backwards and all those other quotes which appeared for an instant in his mind and then dissapered again.
When he was finally ready he opened the side door from his office (leaving his bed and attire completely unorganised) and walked over to sit at his desk. He was going to try and remain calm today he had decided, attack or no attack he wanted to be in top form.
Gradually after he had worked up the effort in him he managed to get on with some of the paperwork he had to do. Bass plans, bass tactics, Ore distribution, all kinds of things like these he had to go though. It seemed to never end.
There was a knock on the door and Edward watched the entrance.
"Come in!" he called
The door creaked open and a solitary soldier still dressed up thickly in warm clothing from outside entered.
"Message Sir! From HQ sir!" he bellowed in a very orderly like fashion with salute and all. Edward had never gotten used to people doing that to him and had pacifically asked Bill not to do it at all.
"Bring it here then" replied Edward not amused by the soldier's efforts
The soldier walked over in a tight short-legged march and placed the document on the desk in front of Edward. He then walked back over to the door.
"Permission to leave sir!" he called out again in the same voice with particular exclamation on the "sir".
"Granted" said Edward in the same tone which was what he knew was expected from "these" kind of people. He didn't really in his heart think all this military saluting was completely necessary.
He paused awhile looking at the door and slowly turned the document the right way round so he could open it. He took of the paper encasement and began to read...
To Edward Monevel
(Bass commander of site D)
We are very sorry on your encampment this moment in site D and wish you all the health. As you may or may not already know, enemy units are mobilising all around your bass in northern eastern and southern positions.
We would like to inform you that a convoy from bass delta is on its way. It is accompanied by several vehicles of strange description. It is heading for your bass, you are to except these unusual vehicles in and to let them encamp about the construction yard.
Note: Any information about these vehicles is highly classified. Any attempt to discover their real properties will result as a caught martial offence for any person involved.
These vehicles are not to be destroyed under any circumstances. It is your job to make sure that they stay intact. We have notified them of any mined areas about you, you must do the same on your part.
Also, there will be no more reinforcements. There will be no further convoys. Ore production is to stop, all Ore trucks are to move north of your position to bass delta immediately with full content of ore. No other units are allowed to leave your position on any account. We would appreciate it and also enforce that you carry out each of these enstructions to the fullest.
Head quarters
Edward sat a moment holding the letter, slowly he put it down on the desk and thought. After awhile he picked up a telephone from the side of his desk. He turned the dial round several times and waited for a moment.
"Hallo, this is Edward Monevel here bass commander, this is I trust the Ore registration office?"
"Yes, it is" replied a voice which sounded as if the person had taken his two fingers and clamped his nostrils together.
"I need you to stop Ore production"
"What?" replied the voice with a gasp
"Don't question it just do it!" exclaimed Edward down the phone "I also need you to send all Ore trucks with full content to Bass Delta north of here! I will send over the mine co-ordinates immediately"
Slowly he put the phone down a little gittery at his own strength of mind.
"Why the hell do they want me to do that?" said Edward with a puzzled face.
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4: The men in white
Bill looked at the entrance to the bass. Slowly several vehicles approached with many men from home ground leading them past the mine sites. They were extremely strange, one was a very big lorry and the four around it had strange metal structures behind them. There was some sought of missile gun on the front.
A soldier ran up to Bill quickly and whispered into his ear.
"No one is to inquire into their business" he whispered "a message from bass commander"
Bill nodded his head and the soldier walked back in the direction he had come from. But his mind was thinking, "What the heck is going on?" and to tell the truth Edward didn't really know either. Several men in white suits walked up to Bill one at the front seemed to be they're leader.
"Take us to bass commander" he said. They're was a pistol in his hand. You couldn't see his face except his mouth. The eyes were hidden by some kind of protective goggles and even the mouth had a plastic cohering below it to presumably sometimes be pulled up to cother the whole face.
"Now!" continued the man in a more firm tone.
Bill turned and waited for the men to get back inside they're vehicles. He slowly led them through the snow into the centre of the gigantic bass. A war factory passed them by, an Ore refinery, several power stations until finally they reached the construction yard.
Once they had parked on the concrete slabs outside the building they again got out and walked in their white costumes to the entrance of the bass.
"Is this the building?" called the man in white and several others with him turned to Bill. But Bill had caught sight of something else. He ran over to the Ore refinery. All the trucks in a long line were leaving the bass.
"Hey! Hey!" He shouted running along side one of the lorries. The driver stopped and the vehicles behind stopped aswell, however the other trucks in front continued. Quickly the driver rolled down his window in a rather pretend relaxed fashion and leaned his elbow on the glass.
"What the heck is going on here" shouted Bill up to him. This isn't the correct time to head back to the fields!"
"We're not heading to the fields!" called the pretend relaxed man in a rather American ascent "We're moving house. We've been ordered to leave here immediately and follow on the lead vehicle" and with that he quickly rolled up the window and began to drive on.
"Hey! Hey!" shouted out Bill trying to get another to stop but at that moment someone tapped him on the shoulder. He slowly turned about to shout himself red in the face to find the man in white in front of him.
"We are waiting for you to take us to bass commander" said the white clothed person in the same voice as before.
Bill a little stressed lead the group to the door of the construction yard. Quickly he lead them through the double doors and passed the reception desk.
"Excuse me? Who are you exactly" called the lady at the desk in her usual posh acsent which she reserved for people she didn't trust.
"None of your dam business!" called back Bill in a raging mood
He led the group up several flights of steps until he came along a corridor to Edward's office.
"Is this the room?" asked the man again
"Yes yes go on in" said Bill in a rather tiresome tone.
The group entered the room in single file and Bill followed however before he could enter the room the last white figure closed the door before he could walk through.
As he turned round to leave in a very annoyed mood in deed, he saw a piece of paper lying on the ground just to the right of Edward's office. Bill walked slowly over and picked the sheet up examining it carefully. One of the white people must have dropped it after coming up the stairs. In a naturally inquisitive manner he began to read the sheet.
To Chrono team A
Plan KLOVOV
Primary objective: Activate nuclear device in correct time zone
Secondary objective: Make sure the bass commander and bodyguard are safe
Tertiary objective: Do not reveal any information of the device or chrono technology
It must be absolutely clear that the Volkov sideboard must be destroyed at all costs. This is the first serious planned attack using Volkov the soviets have made. Their plan is to take this position and to take this bass into their hold. This shall not be allowed to happen, as this position is crucial for both sides.
It is expected that the bass will fall but if it withstands a little longer than the expected time zone, be ready. Make sure Volkov enters the bass before you activate the plan. Beware of additional forces being used.
Note: It is possible that a M.A.D strike will be used on the bass.
Head quarters
"What the heck is all this about?" muttered Bill looking at the paper rather baffled. He waited a moment and then stuffed it in his poket quickly. In his pokets to his surprise he felt passed a piece of string a rubber band, a couple of keys, and several other things of strange description. He knew himself to be someone who put things in his poket, but it was rare that he found such a unusual find as this one.
He walked slowly up to the door and spied through the key hole, he would be ready if the left quickly to jump into the chair opposite the door.
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5: Escape
Edward sat in his office completely baffled.
"Sorry could you repeat that again?" he asked scratching his head with the occasional pull at his collar.
"Your control over this bass is terminated, you shall come with us at the appropriate time and be blind folded, you are not aloud to see the interior of our vehicles. You shall be transferred to control of another site immediately"
"But what about the soldiers and people in this bass?" asked Edward worryingly.
"That information is classified. Edward Moneval, you died in the blast, you are now no longer living. Your family shall be compensated, any attempt on your part to recontact them until after 35 years will result in the literal death of yourself. We are very sorry for you"
"Sorry!" shouted out Edward standing up and sending his chair crashing back "Your sorry that your going to separate me from my family for 30 odd years just because I've seen your stupid weapon or whatever it is?"
"There is no time for this, come with us if you wish to live, otherwise you shall die now"
"I can't believe this!" said Edward, "what is the point of ever giving me any dam control what so ever, if you are going to just take it away from me again?"
"Are you coming with us or not, bass commander?"
Edward paused for a few seconds to think about his situation.
"Fine, I'll come" he said with as little enthusiasm as was possible at the time.
"We still have time" said a tech man next to the leader.
"Yes, you're right, you may get some things Edward if you feal it nessecery but we shall have to check their weight. Edward knodded and walked for the last time back into his bedroom through the side door. As he did this his mind seemed to rush over his situation and came to the outcome that he hadn't had any breakfast or lunch. He had had a glass of wine but that didn't really count. He was beggining to feal very hungary.
First Edward grabbed he suitcase which was loged between his wardrobe and his dressar and flung the wardrobe doors open. It was a ver nice dark brown wood, he somehow wished he could take the wardrobe with him as well. He began to take out the cloths he had liked most, but he ended up chucking any old thing in. He put some speicial things in like jewlery aswell. He hid some bass documents in the bottom of the suitcase and some other papers and cards aswell.
As Edward returned from his room with a full suitcase one of the men had produced some scales and placed them on the ground.
"Suitcase!" he said in a forceful strict manner
Edward as if back at school put the suitcase on the scales and waited for the man to continue.
"May I ask your name or is that..."
"No!" said the man kneeling and looking at the weight of the case "It's too heavy, you will need to move something out of it!"
Edward quickly opened the suitcase and threw a red woolly jumper he had never much liked out. It lay a sad rugged lump by the side of the room.
The man lay the suitcase on the scales again.
"Good enough" he said and led Edward towards the door (or more like almost left Edward going to the door). Edward quickly shut the Very light suitcase up with straps and took it up and ran through the doorway. Bill sat on a chair by the entrance.
"Are, Edward!" said Bill standing up "finally we can ta"
In a flash one of the white men took out some kind of gun and fired a cloud of gass at Bill. It surrounded him, he cougthed and fell to the floor.
"You just gassed my body guard!" shouted Edward raging at the man in white who promptly lifted Bill up and flung him on his shoulder.
"Let's go!" he said leading the group down the steps. At that moment there was a loud thump and the building shook.
"It's started!" shouted Edward skipping down the steps two at a time after them. His tie flung back with the force as he jumped the last five steps and heart his foot. He ran almost limping out of the door of the construction yard to see a burning power station in front of him.
"Hurry! We don't have much time before they will detonate the M A D's" shouted the leader back to the others. Edward caught the words and ran in agony after them his briefcase weighinh him down.
Migs (fighter jets) flew across the sky with a raugh and each time one passed there was a shriek and then an explosion somewhere in the bass. As Edward ran he saw a mig pass with a shriek over the war factory, a second later it exploded with a shriek and a giant iron bar flew skidding twenty or so meteres through the snow until it stopped with pure friction.
Arriving in front of one of the strange vehicles one of the white men quickly took out a prepared piece of black cloth and yanked it around Edward's eyes. He almost fell over but the white man lept him steady, quickily the white man lowered him down and Edward felt his feet being grabbed, he shouted out but a explosion drouned his sound. Before he could do a thing he was picked up by feet and arms and thrown into the back of the vehicle with a clang as his foot hit something hard and meatle.
"Don't touch those wires for you own good!" called the white-coated man's voice over the howl of missiles.
"Let's go!" shouted another inside the vehicle.
Slowly as the door slid shut an electrical noise began to rise above the explosions outside. A white light so strong it penetrated Edwards blindfold and eyes. A second later there was an indescribable sound, a bit like braking metal and all the noise stopped.
Almost imiediately, everything stopped, Edward had a strange fealing that a missile had hit them and he was now dead. There was complete silence (and darkness obviously) but just to check Edward called out.
"What's happening?" asked Edward to brake the silence.
"Classified!" mocked another until now unspoken voice in a rather jockey way. Edward heard the door slide open and he felt his feet touch grass. The door closed behind him and a white coated man removed his blindfold. Bill lay next to him curled up on the cold ground, they were far away from the bass, many many miles away.
"You see that dot over there" said the voice that had spoken in the jockey way. Edward turned to see another of the men in white coats. A mist rose from down below in the valley.
"That dot" he continued "that's the bass you controlled. I'm awfully sorry about this"
"Sorry about what?" asked Edward giving him a strange look.
After about a minute of pure silence there was a call from inside the truck
"He's entering now! Get ready"
"What's entering where?" stressed Edward
Suddenly a pulse hit Edwards ears and he kneeled seemingly heart to the ground.
"What was that?"
"They've activated the M A Ds!" called the voice from inside the strange vehicle. These comments like a football match continued and Edward watched helplessly as explosions wrenched upwards from the bass he had sought to protect for so long. The men in that bass must have had no defence, they were just being blown to the ground. The AA guns weren't fast enougth to strike down the migs.
"What are we supposed to do in a war which uses such weapons" muttered Edward with a distant look on his face as if he had foreseen the rest of the war. The explosions continued and now and again, Edward felt a rumble in the ground. All of a sudden the voice shouted
"Now!"
There was a gradual rumble and slowly a white piercing light filled the air. When Edward opened his eyes he could see a mushroom cloud rising from an area bigger than his bass filled.
After that the sound hit him of a tremendous explosion. Earth and gravel alike seemed to rise up from the destroyed bass as if at will the land was trying to kill itself. Edward had never seen a nucliar bomb before, neither had anyone he knew, no one knew it or what it was except the men in white and their masters.
Edward took a "thunk" on the shoulder from a heavy hand. The man in white led him away from the explosion to a party of jeeps which sat there stunned. The men inside the jeeps were trying to look round to see what was going on. They had driven up while Edward's back was turned nad had just seen the end of site D.
"You are the people we were sent to get?" said the leader of the jeeps, in a wisper after the noise had died down.
"Private, could you take Mr Edward Monevel here and his friend to wherever you have been given orders, may I remind you that you never saw... anything, you simply came and collected a few men who had escaped from the bass. Do I make myself clear?" asked the leader in the white cloak. While he said this his followers lead Edward and took Bill round, placing them in the jeeps as if they never had any control at all.
"Yes" he replied after a long pause "quite clear"
He looked at Edward for some kind of explanation but Edward just looked away to the sky. Steam and vapour rose off the strange vehcles as the jeeps left as if they had been on fire.
Soon the vehcles were left far over the hill as they began to approach Bass Delta. Edward began to think about what his futere was going to be like. Bill didn't wake up untill a long time later, he never found the paper in his poket, perhaps it fell out.