Chapter 7: King Castle
"This could not get any more boooooooring," Calico's voice rang out, slightly muffled as her face was smothered in one of the camouflage cloaks the group was counting.
"Logistics are an important part of any war effort, for example, in the North African campaign…" Lee Enfield was about to begin another one of her war stories when WA2000 interrupted her.
"No, absolutely not! I cannot do this another hour, not even another minute, especially with Lee-Snorefield filling the air," she muttered as the girl slammed a box of cloaks in a fit of frustration.
Welrod, who had just finished checking off the last box of ammunition, rolled her eyes. If I had a pound for every complaint that poured from that girl's mouth, I'd buy Buckingham Palace by this afternoon.
Welrod turned her head to see what Grizzly was up to. She was sitting on a box of rations, attempting to flip an ammunition cartridge in a way so that it landed on the box in front of her face up. In the background, Welrod could hear Lee Enfield and WA2000 arguing over whose turn it was to open the box and who was to take down notes.
Welrod shook her head. Good lord, what am I going to do with these people?
Suddenly a siren pierced the air, drawing all five girls' attention. A loud boom was heard in the distance as the room shook. A voice blared over the intercom.
"ATTENTION: ALL HANDS REPORT TO THE ARMORY FOR IMMEDIATE ASSIGNMENT. WE ARE UNDER ATTACK, THIS IS NOT A DRILL! REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DR…." Another boom rang out, cutting out the voice.
The echelon looked at each other, the door, and in unison broke into a sprint. Welrod was the first to reach the armory. She grabbed her pistols from the rack, twirled them, and stowed them in their holsters. The other four arrived one after another, each arming themselves with the gear they were imprinted to use efficiently. A man in combat fatigue arrived at the entrance to the armory.
"Alright ladies, it's the real thing. We need you to report to Sector 45 and man the outer wall there. Now move, on the double!"
The echelon gathered their gear and set out for the southeastern corner of the compound. They passed through several corridors before reaching the dining hall, which had temporarily been changed to a field hospital. Welrod could make out Springfield still in her apron, though now covered in grease and blood. She was coordinating several other dolls who were attempting to get a wounded human soldier under control. Despite the chaos, the girl could see Springfield being as calm and motherly as ever. She grabbed the soldiers hand and grabbed his attention. Whatever she said next seemed to calm him down.
However there was no time to linger. The team continued through several more corridors, finally reaching the outside of the complex. On exiting the building, they were greeted by the sight of pockmarked dirt, the smell of burning oil, and the sound of raining shells. The team advanced to the outer wall after a lull in the artillery barrage. The five girls hurled themselves into cover, checking their equipment and looking for orders. A T-Doll carrying a machine gun approached them.
"Echelon 3? Good to have you. We have enemy armored units approaching our position from the south beyond the forest edge. We need you to suppress their advance long enough so we can call in a rocket strike on their position. You two!" She pointed to Lee-Enfield and WA2000. "We need you in the Guard Tower 5, fifty paces west." With a curt nod, the two rifles moved to their position.
"You three, we need you to…"
"INCOMING!" The artillery had started again.
Shells once again rained down throughout the compound. Dirt, concrete, and shrapnel were tossed into the air, creating a hurricane of destruction few could withstand. A shell landed nearby, knocking the group to the ground. Welrod hit the ground, and scraped a bit of tissue off of her right arm. While painful for a human, to a T-Doll this injury was child's play. The girl raised her head, darting her eyes back and forth, scanning the battlefield for her comrades. She saw Calico and Grizzly helping the machine gun T-Doll to her feet; she had lost her left arm.
Welrod then looked up at the ramparts. She froze as she saw her commander standing atop the fortification in plain view of the enemy, seemingly oblivious to the incoming fire around him. An officer on his staff approached the commander.
"Sir please get down, we cannot afford to lose you!"
The commander looked at his assistant. "There are times when a commander's life does not count."
The commander turned around to his troops yelling out words of encouragement.
"Those Sangvis Bastards think a little artillery will be all it takes to end us. Well I happen to know this base houses the finest soldiers this continent has ever seen. Now, how about we show these Chuck'E'Cheese dropouts what it means to be a warrior!"
The commander upholstered his revolvers and lifted them into the air.
"Now who's with me?!"
The yell was answered by a roar of approval from everyone in the compound, man and doll alike. Welrod was caught up in the speech, picking herself up off the ground, a wicked grin stretched across her face. She and the rest of the compound moved as one; a giant wave crashing towards the perimeter wall. The garrison manned the outer defenses just as the shelling began to dissipate.
An eerie silence followed as the smoke from burning buildings and bombed out vehicles mixed with the misty mountain air. Welrod peered over the wall, trying to set her sights on any targets. The mist began to part, and she saw what she was looking for. Targets. Too many targets.
