Chapter Nine
"Those were explosions," Eila muttered. She, Perrine – who had returned from the hospital yesterday – and Commander Yeager were sitting in the pub and nursing three beers. Wolf had left two days ago and none of them had heard a thing about her, and it had them all worried.
"I didn't hear anything," Commander Yeager grumbled, taking a sip of his beer.
"We can hear much better than you can," Perrine informed him, referring to the fact that she and Eila were witches, "and she's right. There was an explosion… think it has anything to do with Wolf?"
"I didn't train her to be careless," Commander Yeager explained, "if she is involved, that means those Neuroi are involved too. I can't think of any other reason she would be near an explosion."
Stuart came over with four full pints of beer and gestured at the seat that would have otherwise been occupied by Wolf, "This seat taken?"
Commander Yeager glanced at Stuart, then at the beers, and then at Stuart again, "It is now."
Stuart sat down and handed a fresh beer to each of them, "I actually have something I need to talk to you three about." He leaned in so that he could speak quieter, "There are a number of assassin types assaulting the palace. You two," he pointed forked fingers at Eila and Perrine, "Stay here. Richard, you're with me, we're going to provide assistance."
"Considering what little I've heard," Commander Yeager deadpanned, "wouldn't it be better to take the witches along?"
"No. These things were hunting witches to begin with, we don't want to help them. You and I will be enough support. Besides, I brought some heavier ordinance than the Brits have."
"You heard him," Commander Yeager said as he got up, "Stay put."
"But-" Eila began to protest, knocking the table as she stood up.
"Stay," Commander Yeager said firmly, pointing a finger at the ground as if the two witches were dogs and he was the master.
"Wolf's our comrade too," Eila grumbled under her breath as she slumped on the table.
"I know," Perrine added quietly, "I know."
"So what's the real plan?" Richard asked Stuart once they were in his car. He knew the OSS agent well enough to know that he wouldn't have told anyone not involved what the actually plan is.
"In the back of this car are a Thompson M1921, Winchester Trench gun, M3 submachinegun, BAR and pair of 1911s. We're going to offer our assistance to the Royal Guards. That's it. From the radio chatter I've heard they're getting torn up by the Neuroi so I doubt they'll turn us down."
"Why are you doing this? It's not like you." Richard asked next.
"What do you think will happen to the war effort if the Royals are killed? You think Uncle Sam and the Karl can hold out against the Neuroi without the Britannian Empire's support? Without the Royals the Empire's morale will drop like a rock."
"Alright. I'll take the Automatic Rifle and the M3."
"Fair call. Wouldn't want your girly getting hurt after all."
Stuart's laughter was cut off when Richard slugged him in the side of the head.
"Oh, come on, that was good timing. Anyway, get on the radio – it's in the back – it's already on the Royal Guards' frequency. Inform them that two OSS agents are offering their assistance."
After what seemed like an eternity of arguing, Mary had given up in trying convince the King and Queen to evacuate the Palace. What surprised Wolf most was that Mary had argued with the king! Not even the Prime Minister, WinstonChurchill, argued with the King.
"Your Majesties, ma'am," one of the Guardsmen said as he poked his head through the door, "two OSS agents are on the radio offering their assistance."
"That bastard!" Mary cursed under her breath. "Wolf, stay here and protect his and her Majesty. Jasmine, we're going to secure the area. You take the east, I'll take the south."
"Got it," Wolf answered as the other two rushed out the door. She immediately started sniffing that air, making all the present scents familiar so that she would know if something else was near. She was surprised that Queen Elizabeth wasn't wearing any sort of perfume.
"Holy shit…" Richard cursed when he saw the state the RoyalPalace was in. Part of the roof was collapsed and there was smoke billowing from several windows. There was a trio of Guardsmen firing at a shadowed figure that had blades instead of arms much like the Neuroi that had attacked Perrine. It was well in cover against the Britannians but not from the angle that Richard and Stuart were at. The Wing Commander rested his BAR on a pile of rubble and sighted the Neuroi. He fired two, three round bursts and hit another Neuroi that had appeared from a pile of rubble a few feet away and noticed the Liberians.
"Nice shot," Stuart noted.
Richard didn't have the heart tell him he had missed. There was a reason he wasn't in the field.
Richard aimed more to the left and fired again, missing. And again, missing. And again, missing!
It finally noticed the Liberians and turned to charge at them. And then the Royal Guards hit it as it exposed itself.
Richard and Stuart ran over to the Guards and Richard shoved the BAR into one of their hands and the two spare magazines he had. Better someone who can aim properly use it than Richard.
"Where do you need us?" Stuart asked.
"Right 'ere," the Guardsman who was obviously in charge said, "We got three people protectin' the King 'n Queen so we need as many eyes as we can get out 'ere."
"Got it," Stuart replied, shouldering his Thompson with a hundred round drum.
Unit 635, Unit 494, Unit 091, Unit 089, Unit 152, and Unit 023 were the only units that remained. Their forces had been halved and Unit 023 had seen it necessary to assign all others to assaulting the exterior of the palace and while it and Unit152 searched the interior for the target. It would be the most efficient route, even if it cost Unit 635, Unit 494, Unit 091, and Unit 089. That was the risk that was necessary for the mission to succeed.
Wolf smelt the Neuroi scent and then heard automatic weapons fire out in the hall. She grabbed one of her revolvers and threw it to the King, "Do you know how to use this?"
He nodded, "Yes."
"Protect the Qu…"
Wolf trailed off when she realised the automatic fire had stopped. She put her ear to the wall: nothing. She sniffed the air: the King and Queen, Neuroi, the Guards, and blood and cooked flesh. "That's not-"
A Neuroi blade came out of the wall barley a quarter of an inch from Wolf's nose, "HOLY SHIT!"
Another blade stuck through the wall as Wolf jumped away from it and a Neuroi burst through the door. Wolf raised her rifle and King GeorgeVI raised his revolver and they fired on the Neuroi. The other one appeared through the wall and knocked Wolf to the ground, dropping her rifle. Despite the Neuroi atop her about to skewer her, Wolf knew that she needed to stop the other one from reaching the royals first. She pulled her one remaining revolver and fired at the Neuroi as it charged the King and Queen, firing at the thing twice before turning it on the Neuroi atop her. She was fast but not that fast. The royals would be on their own for a moment.
For a second, Wolf thought she recognised the Neuroi atop of her, it looked like a homeless man that she had seen by the pub a number of times. It had the nerve to grin at her while she was distracted before trying to run one of its blades through her. She wriggled to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade and fired her remaining four rounds into the Neuroi's chest and then kicked it off her.
A quick glance revealed that the other Neuroi had also been defeated and that the King and Queen were safe. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, we're f-f-fine," the King replied calmly.
ERROR. PRIMARY ROUTER INOPERABLE. SECONDARY ROUTER INOPERABLE. ALL COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS INOPERABLE. ERROR. COMBAT AND MOVEMENT SYSTEMS NON-RESPONSIVE. ERROR. RECONSTRUCTION SYSTEM DATA NOT BEING RECEIVED. CURCUITS 106C TO 647F SEVERED. REROUTING COMBAT AND MOVEMENT FUNCTIONS THROUGH CURCUITS 674K THROUGH 999Z. COMBAT AND MOVEMENT FUNCTIONS RETURNED. COMBAT FUNCTIONS OPPERATING AT 70.10% EFFICIENCY. MOVEMENT SYSTEMS OPPERATING AT 89.55% EFFICIENCY. REROUTING RECONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS THROUGH CURCUITS 647H THROUGH 674J. REONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS WORKING AT 3.54% EFFICENCY. ERROR. CHEMICAL, ULTRA VIOLET, AND INFRARED SENSORS INOPERABLE. VISUAL AND AUDIO SNESORS OPERATING AT 81.11% EFFICIENCY.
Unit 023 reactivated its visual and audio sensors and took only 0.017 seconds to analyse the data.
TARGET AQUIRED.
Wolf heard the Neuroi she had killed begin to move and she was about to grab her bayonet when a Neuroi blade stuck through her right shin and seared the flesh. She then went bone stiff and bolted upright as a surge of electricity coursed through her. The Neuroi pulled its blade out and she collapsed to the ground as it got up. For some reason, she was still alive. She would make the Neuroi pay for that mistake. Wolf reached out and grabbed the Neuroi's ankle and stuck her bayonet through the back of its knee. "Run! Now!"
The Neuroi turned to face Wolf and the King pulled the Queen past while it was distracted, putting himself between it and her. It raised a blade to drive through her head but she twisted and pulled its leg out from under it. It fell to one knee…
George made sure he was between the Neuroi and Elizabeth until they were out of the room and down the hall a little. "Stay here," he told his wife before picking up one of the dead Guard's Stens and returning to the room to help that girl.
On only one knee, it was still off balance,. Wolf pushed off with her pushed off the ground with her both legs, pain shooting through her right leg, and tackled the Neuroi to the ground. It looked angry.
Wolf was filled with rage too. She growled and ripped the Neuroi's face off with her wolf's teeth, than brought both her clenched hands down on its head. It was still moving and trying to slice through her. She twisted an arm and broke it off from the elbow, then pushed the blade through its chest and the floor and twisted it.
ERROR. CRITICAL FALIURE ACROSS ALL SYSTEMS. PRIMAR- DATA CORRUPT. INVALID ENTRY. BEGINNING DATA PURGE. DATA PURGE COMPLETE. ERROR… SUBJECT NOT FOUND… ERR…
Wolf pulled the bladed arm out and went to stick it in again when a hand grabbed her shoulder. She looked back with a snarl and wiped the snarl off her face when she realised it was the King, "That'll do, Sergeant, I think you killed it."
She dropped the arm and tried to stand up, but pain shot through her right leg and she fell to the ground.
The King offered his hand to help Wolf up and she gladly accepted it, "Thank you, your Majesty."
He carried her out to the hall where the Queen was waiting. "Just put me down here, you Majesty," Wolf said when they were near one of the dead Guards.
He put her down, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine… your Majesty, this… is nothing," she replied through gritted teeth, "I've lost… an arm and a leg… before." She tore the sleeve off her uniform and ripped it so that she could tie a tourniquet just below her right knee. Although the wound had been cauterised by the Neuroi blade, she didn't want to take any chances. "Can you get… my rifle and… handgun from the room please, your Majesty?"
He nodded and went into the room to fetch the weapons. She reloaded her revolver, the one she had given the King, and then her Lee-Enfield.
"Is there another secure room, your Majesty?" Wolf asked as she used her rifle to push herself up, "One where you and the Queen can remain until this is over?"
"Y-y-yes, the kitchen storeroom," his Majesty replied, "It only has one entrance and no windows."
"Okay. I'll lead you there."
Wolf used the rifle to support herself as she hobbled in front of the King and Queen, using her revolver to check any corners, rooms and hallways they came across. It took nearly half an hour to get to the storeroom. "Don't let anyone that you don't know the face and full name of in, and make sure they give you their full name before open the door."
"I'll need your full name then, Sergeant," the King pointed out as he stepped into the storeroom.
"WolfKaufmann."
"Are… there… any left?" Richard asked, out of breath and glancing at the nearly descended sun. "Jesus, I'm out of shape."
Mary brushed a lock of hair from her face and looked him up and down, "If Wolf didn't already have eyes for you I sure would, and I don't like unfit men."
Shit. Richard didn't mean to say that last pert out loud.
"Just answer the question," Richard ordered.
Mary kicked a Neuroi assassin corpse, "This was the last one, but Jasmine and I are going to patrol to make sure there are no more."
Wolf checked her pocket watch. It was night now, half nine, but you couldn't tell from in the kitchen since there weren't any windows.
Mary came down the stairs and a look of relief appeared on her face, "Christ! Look at your…" she shook her head, "Where's the King and Queen?"
Wolf thumbed the storeroom door, "In here, their bedroom wasn't secure anymore."
"The coast is clear, bring them out."
Wolf pushed herself up with the Lee-Enfield and knocked on the door, "It's Sergeant WolfKaufmann, your Majesties. The coast is clear."
"Let's get you to a med witch," Mary said once the Royals had been secured.