Valkyria Chronicles: Flashpoint

by DC20

After months of combat, Squad 7 is deployed to secure the area surrounding the Marberry beachhead. Suffering heavy losses, the veterans of the unit begin to feel the strain of battle and wonder if any of them will be left alive to see the war's end.

21. Snipers

Engagement 21: Snipers

It ended with a thud. From on her back, Catherine looked up out of the trench and into the sky above. She couldn't breathe – the landing had taken the air from her lungs – but she was safe. That had to count for something. As she fought for air, more Militiamen dropped back into the trench. Most landed quite a bit more gracefully than she had, but nobody really cared to notice grace - even from a fifteen year old girl. Safety was everything, and she had that. Pulling in a quick gasp, Catherine lifted herself off of her back and rested against the trench wall. The mud and dirt stuck to her uniform as she shifted and added a fresh layer of grime to her already covered equipment. If she were to lie down on her stomach it would almost be impossible to tell her apart from the ground.

After taking a few more shallow breaths, Catherine felt a hand grab her by the arm. "Come on," a voice said, "on your feet. It'll do you some good to walk around a bit."

Almost in a daze, she looked at the man who had helped her up. "Coby. Thanks."

The man nodded and patted her on the shoulder. "No problem, private. You were doing some nice shooting out there. How many did you get?"

"I got one."

Coby gave out a low whistle. "That brings you up to two now, doesn't it?"

"Yes. That's two."

Once more Coby looked the girl up and down. Squinting his eyes, he shook his head and smiled. "I'll be damned. Three weeks in and you've already got two under your belt. You're a natural marksman, if I say so myself."

"No," she said, brushing the sweat off of her forehead under her helmet. The dirt on her hand left a long streak of mud across her skin. "I missed that third one. And then the fourth. I could have gotten them if I were better."

"Better comes with experience, and you're well above the curve already. I'm telling you O'Hara – You're a natural."

"Thanks. I think."

"You think right," he said laughing. "I do have one question though. What were you just doing on your back?"

"I rolled into the trench." Rolling was a bit of a stretch. Fell was more like it. After the Gallians had repelled the Imperial assault, Catherine knew that they'd cover their tracks with another shelling. Having been caught in the open the first time, she had no intention of repeating the escapade. Being shelled in no man's land once was too many times already. In her mad dash back to safety, she tripped on the uneven terrain just outside the lip of the trench. Not exactly rolling, she flipped over into the trench and landed on her back. Thankfully, the mud and dirt at the bottom had been soft enough to break her fall. At least mostly.

"Rolled? Well, whatever keeps you alive."

"Yeah. Still alive. How about the others?"

"Don't know. We lost Brad and Jake though, I saw that. Hit by the same shell…"

"Oh." She hadn't known them very well, but a loss was still a loss. They had been nice enough guys, though a number of years older than her, and she had been looking forward to getting to know them better. Didn't matter now. Move on to something that did. "Do you know if Alice and Marco are alright?"

"Told you, I don't know kiddo'. How about you take a look around for yourself? Can't let us old folks tell you what's what all your life. Find something for yourself."

"Thank you, Mr. Caird. I'll go do that."

"Please, just Coby. I'm not that old."

"Not yet, at least," Catherine said with a wink. Brushing off the front of her pants, she set off down the trench to find her friends. The trench was now full of grunts who had just returned from the battle up top, and the men and women patted each other on the back or joked a bit or smoked to wind down. The second shelling Catherine had expected never came. It was strangely quiet despite what had just occurred. Passing the troops by she smiled and waved, grateful that her Squad mates were safe, but she was looking for two in particular. She hadn't come across them yet. Further down she passed a group of Militiamen surrounding a man propped up against the wall. Pausing for only a moment, she saw the jagged piece of metal sticking out of his side under his right arm. Looking away, she quickly moved on and let a corpsman pass her by to help him.

With her mind still on the injured man, Catherine didn't notice the man standing in front of her until she'd bumped into him. Staggering back, she regained her footing and steadied her balance. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where…" She noticed who it was. "Lieutenant Waite sir! I'm sorry sir. I didn't mean to bump into you sir."

"Relax, O'Hara. Everyone's still a bit shaken up. It's not a big deal." The Squad leader took off his helmet and ruffled his brown hair. While his uniform was originally blue, it had been stained the same muddy brown as Catherine's. "You doing alright? That was quite a fight up there."

"Yes sir. I'm fine. A little shaken, but fine."

"Good. You've been doing a great job since you joined Squad 3. I'm proud of you. Keep up the good work."

"Thank you sir."

The lieutenant shook the remaining dirt out of his hair as he put his helmet back on. "Just make sure you get refitted. I don't know about you, but that last fight nearly left me empty. Only got one magazine left."

"That's because you carry all that equipment instead of ammo, sir. I've still got four left."

"Maybe so," he laughed. "Still, it'll come in handy when I need it. Go grab some more ammo anyway. Can't be caught off guard."

"Yes sir, I'll do that." She almost continued on, but stopped herself before she left. "Sir?"

"Yes private?"

"Have you seen Alice and Marco around?"

"The Kennard twins?"

"Yes sir."

He thought for a moment. After a few seconds O'Hara thought it might be quicker if she just went and looked herself. "Hmm," he said finally. "Yeah, I saw them further down, I think. Keep moving on and you'll run into them eventually."

They were safe then. "Thank you sir."

"No problem, private."

Instantly relieved, Catherine moved further down the trench. They were alive and well, she just had to find them. Slipping past other men in the confines of the narrow trench, she found the two near the far end of Squad 3's position. At 16 they were a year older than her, but they'd become good friends since she'd been assigned to the Squad. The two had been in the trenches longer than Catherine, but they were relatively new as well. Though they were twins, they were far from identical. While they shared the same brown eyes, Alice's hair was a good couple of shades lighter than Marco's black hair, and she was taller by about two inches. All told, they were a good looking set of twins. Marco was certainly handsome for his age. Catherine didn't notice though. They were too good of friends for that.

"Hey," she said walking up to the two. "You guys make it alright?"
"Just fine," Alice said. "Marco here almost bought it for us though."

Marco blocked the swing Alice sent towards his arm. "Hey, if I hadn't slipped we wouldn't have taken cover in the crater we did. Last I checked it wasn't hit."

"I'm just giving you a hard time. I mean, you can't keep on your feet worth anything. Isn't that crazy Catherine?"

"Uh… Yeah," she said remembering her own fall into the trench. "That's just clumsy. Learn to keep to your feet."

"I slipped. We're fine. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that if you slip at the wrong time you're going to get hit, and I don't want to have to tell mom you got offed 'cuz you're clumsy."

"Well what about you? You were the one who tripped last time."

Alice took another light swing. This one connected. "I was diving for cover."

"Diving for… You're kidding me. You landed flat on your ass."

"What? I…" Catherine smiled through the twins' argument. She didn't have any siblings of her own, and watching the two go at each other almost made her feel like she was part of the family. While the twins argued, their voices drowned out as Catherine took a look around the trench. More and more Militiamen were beginning to settle down. With both sides having made an attempt at an advance it would likely be a little while before there was another battle. The dirt on the trench wall was slick but firm. Following it up Catherine could see the sky above. There was no horizon in the trench. There was only the wall and the sky. The only time she could see a horizon was when she was being shot at. "…as reliable as Catherine…" Alice's voice cut back in and Catherine heard her name. Time to pay attention again. "…you wouldn't always…"

---

"Are you sure this is the right way Staff Sergeant?"

Ted's question brought Catherine out of the trenches and back onto the streets in an instant. The dark, cloudy sky above the trenches gave way to the clear, cloudless one hanging over the city, and morning's first rays of light shown through the buildings and onto the cobble stone roads as the sun slowly rose above the horizon. Catherine sighed. "Yes, Ustinov. We're going the right way." They were fifteen minutes out of the park, and had traveled about a third of the way to the observation post.

"It's just… I don't remember anything like this on the map."

Catherine looked ahead of the platoon. To their left the buildings dropped off, and a low wall took their place. Of course, the wall was mostly rubble now, but the mounds of rubble lining the rode did the same job as they'd done before the wall had been destroyed. It was just a lot messier. "Linton," she said, wanting to use the opportunity to double-check the map herself. "Map."

"Yes sir." Bounding over to where Catherine and Ted were standing, Ramona swung her pack around and pulled out a map of the city. Opening it for the group to see, she set it down on the ground. "Here."

Kneeling, Catherine traced their position on the map. "We're right where we're supposed to be, Ustinov. We follow this road down for a while and then turn off to hit the OP."

"Yes sir. Sorry, I just wanted to make sure."

"Don't apologize. It's always good to double check." Folding up the map, she handed it back to Ramona. "We've got a ways to go, though, and we don't know how long 1st section can wait. No time for putzing around. Let's keep going." O'Hara led the platoon past the remaining stoops and halted at the corner of the last building. Dropping to where the low wall connected with the building, she supported her rifle at the edge and scanned the area beyond. There was a large clearing just beyond the wall, stretching about 200 meters before a new line of buildings came into sight. One by one, Catherine checked them for Imperials. Empty. "We're clear. Regard, Wulfstan – Keep an eye on those buildings as we advance. You see any movement shoot on sight."

Pushing the platoon forward, Catherine continued down the road. Loose rocks and chunks of concrete littered the sidewalk near the ruined wall, and the mess it created on the ground made movement hazardous. Kicking one of the stones aside, she kept her eyes on the road ahead. There wouldn't be much cover if an Imperial unit attacked them from down the street. Behind her, Cezary and Marina kept their eyes on the buildings past the clearing. With her eye brought up to her scope, Marina scanned the windows and rooftops. Still nothing. Concentrating completely on the view through her scope, she stumbled on one of the loose fragments on the ground.

Catching her by the arm, Ramona helped the sniper steady herself. "You good?"

"Fine… Apologies."

"Don't worry about it."

"Hm." Back on her feet, the marksman looked down her scope as she walked, but took her steps more carefully.

Continuing down the road, Catherine reached the end of the wall. The closest building on their road was still about 50 meters ahead, but the wall dropped off. She looked back before she continued. The rest of the platoon was following closely, with Ted immediately behind her. The two snipers were covering the buildings. They'd be clear to advance. Watching her step, she moved on. Though the wall ended, fragments had been sent in every direction, and if she wasn't careful one of them would send her to the ground. Of course, Catherine was always careful. Others weren't.

"Ouch!" Catherine turned to see Ted on his rear. A loose chunk of concrete rolled to a stop ahead of him, making a crashing sound as it struck the cobblestone.

Stepping back, Catherine reached her hand down to help him up. "Clumsy, Ustinov."

Ted took her hand and began to lift himself off of the ground. "Sorry sir. Didn't see that one."

"It's no big deal. Just keep your eyes open. I'd hate for you to buy it because you were clumsy."

"You know me. Anything for a laugh, even if it's at my own expense."

Looking up, Catherine could see that at least half the platoon was laughing at him. "I guess a laugh is a laugh," she said when he'd found his feet. His rifle was still on the ground though. "Pick up your weapon and let's keep going."

"Nah, don't wait for clumsy ol' me."

As he reached down for the weapon, Catherine couldn't help but notice how much Ted reminded her of her old friend. Dark hair, about the same age… mostly because he was clumsy. She hadn't seen Marco fall that day, but she imagined it looked something like Ted slipping on the rubble. A smile spread across her face. She'd been clumsy that day as well. Though she didn't know it at the time, lying breathless on her back at the bottom of that trench marked one of the happiest times of her life. Ted's slip brought those memories back. For at least a moment she was happy. Things were… good.

The next thing she knew she was back on the trench floor gasping for air – only this time the floor was stone and there weren't any walls. She didn't know how she got there. All she knew was that she was on her back and there was a heavy pressure on her chest.

"Down!"

"Shit!"

"Cover!"

Catherine couldn't tell the voices apart. They were coming in too fast and too garbled to make them out. Letting them drown out, she rolled onto her side. She could breathe a little more easily that way. With her head resting on the ground she could see the rest of the platoon dropping under the rubble of the ruined wall. She could also see the horizon behind them. The road continued down a long way before winding off to the right. There weren't any buildings at the end of the road. Instead, a small cluster of trees stood in a miniature garden, and the sun was starting to rise over them. It was really pretty. Horizons were nice.

Scrambling, the rest of the platoon dropped below the wall. Rising up only enough to shoot, they opened fire on the line of buildings across the clearing. Looking around, Ramona saw that besides herself, only the two snipers, Karl, and the lancers weren't taking part in the barrage. If the snipers weren't shooting, something was wrong. Someone needs to tell them to stop, she thought to herself. It took a second before it dawned on her that it was her job.

"Hold your fire!" she yelled. Her order went ignored. Hannes even began to reload, stopping only long enough to put a fresh magazine in the weapon before laying down a new stream of fire. "Everybody, cease fire!" Nothing. Even from this distance she could see the bullets tearing through the buildings; ripping holes through the brick and tearing chunks out of the walls. Windows shattered and broken fragments of glass glittered in the air as they fell to the ground. She couldn't tell what anybody was shooting at. By the looks of things they couldn't either. "I said cease fucking fire!"

That worked. Stopping the onslaught, the platoon members dropped back below the rubble. By the looks on their faces, they hadn't expected yelling like that from her. Any other time she would have been satisfied. Instead she was terrified. "Did anybody even see a shooter?"

Nobody answered. They'd been wasting their ammo shooting shadows. "Alright, everybody keep your heads below the wall." Taking a breath, Ramona leaned forward. Ahead of where the wall dropped off she could see Catherine still lying on the ground. She was bleeding from a hole in her upper torso, but she was still alive. "Mina, anything you can do?"

The woman moved forward in a crouch. Reaching the end of the wall, she looked over Catherine's injuries. "I can help her; I just need to get close."

"Can you?"

"I think so… If I…"

"N-No." Catherine's voice was weak, but Mina could hear it from the edge of the wall. There was a rasping sound as she took in a breath. "S-Stay b-back."

"She says to stay back," Mina relayed. "I can't help her until we clear the shooter."

Clear the shooter. Just kill one person. Not difficult – if they knew where he was. "Any ideas?" Ramona asked.

"He wasn't in any of those buildings." To her right, Cezary leaned his rifle against the rubble as he spoke. "I didn't hear the shot until she was down. He's far."

"Sniper then?"

"Sniper. A good one, too. Got her right through her center of mass. He knows what he's doing."

Ramona looked over the two snipers. Marina's weapon wouldn't work for counter sniping, but Cezary's would. "Can you guys take him out?"

"Of course I can," Cezary balked. "He's good, but I'm better. We just need to find him first."

"And how exactly do we do that?"

Cezary looked through his pack, but didn't take anything out. "I need…" searching down the line, he looked every Gallian in the face. He stopped at Cherry. Sobbing, the girl's makeup was running down her cheeks. "There. Call Cherry up here."

"Hey! Hey Cherry!" Ramona waved as she called out to her friend. Stopping to sniffle, Cherry looked up. "We need you up here, OK?"

Cherry looked over at O'Hara before moving next to her friend. She was still conscious, but the rasping sound of her breathing had stopped. Holding back more tears, she crouched next to the snipers. "Yeah?"

"How are you doing, Cherry? You doing OK?"

"I… Catherine…"

"Hey, I need you to focus, girl." Cezary cut in. "You need to stop bawling and…"

Ramona took her turn to cut in. "Cezary. She's half traumatized. Don't be an ass."

The sniper rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever."

"Just be nice for once."

Waiting for a couple of seconds, Cezary gave Cherry a chance to stop crying. After a moment of relative calm, he looked her in the eyes. "Your makeup looks really nice today, Cherry."

"My what?"

"Your makeup."

The girl balled her hands into fists. "The Staff Sergeant is dying and you call me over to say I look nice?" New tears began to well up in her eyes. These ones were from anger.

"Your makeup kit. Do you still have it?"

"What, you like, want to touch yourself up? I bet you would."

Cezary gave an exasperated gasp. "The mirror in your kit, dumbass! Where is it?"

"You could have just asked for that in the first place…" Cherry began to sort through her pack. After a minute of looking around she came out empty handed. "I think I left it on one of the tables in the field last night. I don't have it."

"Wonderful," he said sarcastically. "I assume by your quite plain looking face that you're not carrying anything, right Linton?"

"Plain looking?" Rage welled up in her gut, but she was interrupted before she could chew him out.

"Do you have one or not?"

"No," she answered curtly. "I ran out yesterday. Heitinga's empty as well. We dropped the kits last night."

For a second time Cezary looked over the platoon. Nobody else had any makeup on. Looking back to the group, he paused at Marina before shaking his head. "Well, there goes that idea."

"Shit," Marina replied.

"Yeah. Smartest reply I've gotten all day. I swear they need to issue us mirrors. There's no telling how handy those things can…"

"Here."

Cezary was stopped in his tracks. Next to him, Marina offered up a small square box. "What's this?"

"It's a… Makeup kit."

He had to look twice. Taking the kit, he flipped it over once or twice in his hands before he looked her in the face. "You?"

"You?" she barked. "What the Hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I just…"

"You just what?"

Every smartass comment in his inventory vanished under her glare. Holding back a gulp, he did what he did best when confronted like that. Brown nosed. "Just nothing. It looks… Really nice." She didn't respond, but she did lighten her glare. Safe for the moment, Cezary brought his attention to the kit. With a mirror he could scope out potential sniper nests without exposing himself. Satisfied with the catch, he opened the kit to find it filled with… eyeliner. If irony could kill. With any other person's kit he would have dumped the contents onto the ground. This time, he carefully gathered the contents and handed them to Cherry. "Take good care of these," he said.

Pressing his back up against the ruined wall, he slowly raised the mirror over the top. The sun was still low enough on the horizon that a glare giving him away wouldn't be too much of a worry. Finding the row of buildings in the reflection, he began to swivel the mirror, scanning each area carefully in order to find the best possible positions. The image was distorted, but it would give him a general idea of the area. "Anything?" Marina asked.

"Nothing yet." He continued to work the mirror from side to side. "It couldn't have been from those buildings. They're too close. I'd put him 6…700 meters out at least. I wasn't watching when it happened, but I saw her down before I heard it."

"And there's nothing behind those buildings?"

"Give me a minute…"

"We don't exactly have a minu…"

"There." He stopped the mirror. The image was blurry, but he was sure of what he saw. "High-rise. It's out there. Just barely tucked between a couple of the buildings ahead of us. Probably why we didn't see it."

"Any idea on range?"

"No," he shook his head. "No way to tell through the distortion. We'll have to look over to get a better idea." Cezary passed the mirror to Marina. Lying against the wall, she lifted the mirror and repeated his process. "It's between the two buildings with the tiled roofs. Got it?"

"Yeah," she replied after a moment. "I got it."

"Good. Grab the scope and we'll get to it."

Closing the kit, Marina handed it to Cherry. "Who's got the spotting scope?"

"Was it Claudia?"

Marina looked down the line. Claudia was sitting six people down. "Hey Mann! Bring up the spotting scope!"

Claudia looked up at the sound of her name. "The what?"

"The spotting scope!"

With a worried look, the engineer searched through her pack. "I don't have it!" she yelled back after she'd gone through everything.

"Who does?"

"I think O'Hara had it."

Dammit. Back to square one. The spotting scope wasn't an option. She would have to make do with what was on hand. "Linton, hand me your binoculars."

Ramona didn't question. Handing the sniper her binoculars, she shouted back to the woman. "How's she doing, doc?"

"Still alive," she responded. "She's not conscious though. You need to hurry."

Ramona kicked a loose piece of rubble, sending it rolling out into the street. This wasn't how things were supposed to be happening. Holding back another curse, she turned to the snipers. "Can you guys make quick work of this?"

"Depends," Cezary replied.

"On what?"

"On how good he really is. We'll do what we can. Past that, don't bother us while we work."

As always, he was an insensitive jackass. Still, anything they needed to do to get the job done quickly was alright by her. "Fine. Just get it done."

Finding a spot on the wall with a decent amount of rubble covering the lip, Cezary readied his rifle. With Ramona's binoculars, Marina waited. After making sure the rifle was set, Cezary patted her on the shoulder. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

Slowly, they propped themselves above the wall. Without making any sudden movements, Cezary rested his rifle in a crevice between two piles of loose stones. With only his head and parts of the rifle exposed he kept himself as concealed as possible. "Alright," he said finding the building in his scope. "I see it. You?"

Marina lifted the binoculars to her eyes. "I'm on it."

"Alright, good. You got a range for me?"

Looking through the binoculars, she had a clear view of the building. There were no markers on the lenses of the binoculars. "Don't have the scope. There aren't any dots on the binoculars."

Without any way to mark ranges, she wouldn't be able to tell. Cezary looked down his own scope. He had the mil-dots to determine range, but he wasn't as good with math as Wulfstan was. He'd need to write it down. "I need some paper and a pen or pencil," he shouted down without looking out of the scope. "Hurry it up."

Ramona thought for a moment. She'd seen Nadine writing something earlier, and she probably carried writing supplies with her. "One second," she said. Moving down, she found Nadine next to Nils and Karl. "Nadine, do you still have your writing stuff?"

"You mean my book? Yes."

"We need it up front. A pen too."

"Would a pencil be fine?"

"Sure, as long as it writes."

Within a moment, Nadine had pulled out a small notebook and a pencil. She looked a little worried handing it to Ramona. "Take care of it, and… Don't read it."

"Sure thing." Grabbing the notebook, she started her run back to the snipers. Considering where the book came from, she decided it wouldn't be a great idea to tell Cezary. Finding most of the pages already filled, she opened the notebook to the last page before handing it over to the sniper.

Using one of the building's windows as a guide, Cezary began to work the math. Moving the pencil as quickly as he could across the page, he made quick work of the equations. The last bit gave him pause. Looking up, he had a direct line of sight with the high-rise. If he could see them, they could see him. No time for this… "Wulfstan. 1196 divided by 1.3."

She closed her eyes for a moment. "920."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," she replied after a moment of thinking. "I'm sure. Is that the range?"

"As long as you didn't fuck up your part of the math, yeah."

Cezary didn't look over, but he imagined a burning sensation in the back of his neck. He knew she probably hadn't dropped the binoculars, but an imagined glare worked just as well. "I didn't," she said.

"You better not have." Now that he knew the range, he just had to find the target. Painstakingly slow, he searched every visible inch of the building. He couldn't tell how much of the high-rise was obstructed by the row of buildings in front of them, but there were seven stories visible above their roofs. It would be difficult search. Panning the scope's view over the building, he almost missed the movement on the third visible floor's balcony. Almost. "Got them," he said.

"Yeah, I just got them myself. On the roof."

"The roof?" Adjusting his aim, Cezary scanned the rooftop. Sure enough, a sniper and his spotter sat barely visible over the edge. "That makes two teams then. I saw a pair on the balcony. Third floor, fourth room."

Cezary gave her a moment to catch sight of them. "OK," she said. "I've got them too."

"Who do you want to take first?"

She thought for a couple of seconds. "What are the guys on the balcony packing?"

Again, Cezary shifted his aim to the men on the balcony. Focusing on the sniper's weapon, he looked for distinguishing features. "Looks like…" That couldn't be right. "He's carrying a ZM SG 4. Maybe 5."

Marina squinted in surprise behind the binoculars. "At that range?" ZM SGs were certainly powerful enough to do the damage they'd done to Catherine, but they traded for that power at the cost of accuracy. "He might be working as a designated marksman," she reasoned. "Covering for the other team at close ranges. What are they carrying?"

"They're carrying the same."

"Could be a really good shot?"

"Maybe. I'm not convinced."

"Either way, we don't have time to mess around." Marina took one last scan of the building. "Let's finish up."

"Yeah, alright. I'm going for the balcony first." The two teams seemed to have divided their sectors in half, and the sniper on the balcony looked like he was covering the area they'd used to set up their sniping position. He'd be the first threat. Using his thumb, Cezary flicked his rifle's safety. "Weapon's hot."

"Understood," Marina said adjusting her view through the binoculars. "I've got eyes on the target. What's your zero?"

"750 meters." There wasn't any time to adjust his scope. He'd have to accommodate for the range manually. "Am I clear to fire?"

"Go ahead."

Placing the tip of his finger on the trigger, Cezary put the sniper in his scope. Taking a breath, he let the air out of his lungs. Drawing on the trigger he fired his first shot. Rocking back, the weapon kicked his shoulder and the expanding gasses sent loose dust and small stones from the wall floating through the air. A second later, the bullet impacted the building just above and to the right of the target. Flinching, the Imperial swerved his weapon towards the area Cezary had fired from, and his spotter searched frantically through his scope. "You're off," Marina said. "Drop one and move left one half."

"Yeah, yeah…" he grumbled. Sliding his rifle's bolt, he blocked the cartridge's ejection with his gloved hand and slid it behind him down the wall. Any metal flying through the air or the sight of an expended shell casing lying on the wall could give away his position. With another round chambered, he readied his second shot.

"They're looking for us," Marina said next to him. "Roof too. Make this quick. Clear to fire."

"Just shut up and let me shoot." Emptying his lungs, Cezary corrected his aim. His second shot roared through the quiet of the morning, and another cloud of dust shot off the wall.

"Hit. Take the spotter."

Cezary was already working the bolt. In his rush to ready the next shot, the expended cartridge slipped through his fingers and flew through the air, striking the wall meters to his right before rolling forward onto the ground ahead. Not good. He couldn't worry about that now though. If the spotter got away they'd have bigger worries on their hands. Through the scope he watched as the spotter noticed the fresh hole in his partner's helmet. Scrambling, he reached for the rifle before getting up to run for cover. He never made it. Though he wouldn't have heard the shot for another two seconds, the bullet Cezary fired a second before took him through the torso, ripping through his chest plate and throwing him into the wall behind him.

"Hit. Move on to the roof."

One team down. With another left to go he shifted the rifle until he caught sight of the second team. The view through his scope gave him a slight pause. They were looking straight at him. Before he could react, the Imperial's muzzle exploded. "Down!" Marina shouted next to him. Instinctively, Cezary pressed himself as close to the wall as humanly possible. No sooner had he dropped and Marina finished yelling, the round struck the wall three meters to their left. They really are good, he thought. He also wondered what had given them away. The shell? The clouds of dust after a discharge? Something else? In any case, their position had been compromised.

Sliding off of the wall, Marina crouched back down next to Ramona. She halted when she noticed Cezary hadn't followed her. "Regard, what are you doing?"

"I'm better than he is," he replied, returning to his scope.

"He's got us marked, Regard. We'll relocate and take him then."

"He could move."

"We can't have two…" A second round struck the wall, this one much closer to the sniper than the first. A few moments later it was followed by a light pop. "Dammit Cezary, just get down here!"

"Stop pestering me…" He guessed he'd only have one shot before the Imperial got his aim adjusted. The SG was a notoriously difficult weapon to fire at longer ranges, but this sniper obviously had experience. Deliberatly, Cezary steadied his aim. He watched as the other sniper steadied his. Still, he took his time. The fastest shot wasn't always the best. As it turned out, he was slower by only about a quarter of a second. Ignoring the flash in his scope, Cezary fired a shot of his own. The Imperial's round struck the wall in front of him, sending secondary fragments flying into his face. His round exited through the back of the Imperial's head, dragging fragments of the man's helmet and a light mist behind it. Two down. Struggling to re-steady his weapon, he aimed for the now running spotter. For the fifth time, he pulled the rifle's trigger. His shot was low, but it hit. Striking the man at kidney level, the round tore through his side and dropped him below the roof's siding. "Got em'," he called down.

Marina propped herself back up next to him. "You know how stupid that was?"

"I got them, didn't I?"

She sighed. Both targets were down. But for how long? "They down for good?"

"The sniper's dead for sure. Spotter I hit low. I doubt he's getting back up."

"Alright then." Turning, Marina waved over to Mina. "You're clear!"

Before she could fully stand, another shout sent Mina back down. "Stay where you are, we're not finished!"

Marina looked over at the other sniper. His eyes hadn't left the scope. "What are you talking about?"

"There's got to be a third team up there somewhere."

Leaning back again, Marina looked over to where Catherine was lying on the ground. A stream of blood had pooled on the road in front of her and leaked into the crevices between the cobble stones. "How sure of this are you?"

"One hundred ten percent. I guarantee it."

"O'Hara can't wait for this."

"Well," he said reluctantly while wiping the drips of sweat running behind his bangs, "she's going to have to. Unless you want two down out there. Your call, of course."

"My call," Ramona said below him. "Exactly how do you know there's another sniper out there?"

"Two reasons. The sniper that hit O'Hara took her square in her center of mass. First shot. The guys we took were good, but not that good. It took the second one three shots to get close."

Marina shook her head. "What if the first one was better? We didn't see him shoot."

"Don't get your panties in a knot, I'm getting there." This time her glare brought him an immense sense of self satisfaction. She may have been the best sniper in the Squad when it came to quick shooting, but in situations like this he dominated. "They were both using the Imperial ZM SG models. 4's or 5's. You heard the report when that second sniper fired on us. Sounded like a light pop at this range. The report after O'Hara went down was heavier. It had to have been fired from a different weapon."

Ramona sagged her shoulders and looked at Cherry. Her face had dried a bit, but her eyes were still bloodshot, and there were long black streaks down her face from where the tears had run her makeup. "How sure exactly is 'one hundred ten percent'?"

"Well," Cezary mocked, "You take one hundred percent and then add ten more."

"You're absolutely positive there's another shooter?"

"Absolutely."

That was the last thing she wanted to hear. She hoped the other sniper would disagree. "Wulfstan?"

Marina's lips moved, but no words came out. Though she couldn't hear anything, Ramona knew the words couldn't have been nice. Lifting the binoculars again, Marina retook her position on the wall. "If Regard says there's another sniper out there, there is. He knows what he's doing."

Cherry let out another sniffle. Putting an arm around her, Ramona waved down to the rest of the platoon. "We've got another shooter, keep your heads down." Still comforting Cherry, she turned her head back to the snipers on the wall. "Any idea where he is?"

"Generally. At least an idea. This guy knows how to stay concealed. He's probably set up on a desk in one of those rooms as far back away from the window as possible. I'll bet he can see only 10… maybe 20 degrees worth of coverage."

"The 10 to 20 O'Hara walked into…"

"Yeah. And the 10 to 20 we need to pass to reach our objective."

"Alright…" Ramona tapped her finger on her nose in thought. The rough texture of the gloved finger scratched as it struck. "How long will it take you to take him out?"

"Can't say. Could be two minutes. Could be two hours. Depends on him."

Ramona looked back at Catherine. She was unconscious, but she was still moving slightly every so often. "She doesn't have two hours."

"She might not have two minutes."

"Don't say that," she said taken aback. "Just get this done soon, and the sooner the better."

"Yeah, yeah. Just let us concentrate. I'll kill him."

"Good." Crawling away with Cherry, she left the snipers to their work. It wasn't until the two stopped that she realized she'd replied with 'good' when Cezary said he'd kill him. The realization was slightly disturbing.

Back on the wall, Marina looked through the binoculars. The high-rise seemed empty. "What's the plan?"

"We wait," Cezary said.

"Just wait?"

"All we can do."

Though she hated the idea, Marina knew he was right. Shifting her weight lower, she refocused the binoculars and waited.

---

Ramona looked at her watch. Holding back tears of frustration, she turned her head towards the sniper team. They hadn't moved an inch. For 45 minutes straight, their eyes hadn't left their lenses. The rest of the platoon sat and waited for what seemed like hours. Cherry wasn't crying anymore. Instead, her tears gave way to a blank slate of a face. It hurt to look at. Hannes sat with his fists clenched and his eyes narrowed, and Mica and Kevin hunched back against the wall with their chins resting on their hands. It was a sorry sight. Scanning further down the line, her eyes fell on Mina. The look the normally smiling blonde shot at her sent a chill down her spine. "How's she doing?" Ramona asked, trying desperately to find anything that would make the stare less intense.

"She stopped moving twenty minutes ago." Ramona had never seen Mina angry. The glare she shot now could match Marina's any day.

Dropping her head – partly in shame – Ramona turned back towards the snipers. They could have made passable statues. "Got a sitrep for me?"

"Nothing's changed, Linton." The only movement Cezary gave came from his jaw. Even his breathing had hardly changed. "He hasn't moved yet. When he does, I'll take him."

"How long is that going to be?"

"Don't know."

Ramona rolled her eyes in exasperation. "We can't wait. We need to be able to move. Now."

"You can go if you'd like, I won't stop you." A smile spread across his face from behind the scope. "He will though."

"I… This is ridiculous."

"Look woman, I didn't…"

"She's right." Marina's voice cut through the conversation. It was still smooth and calm. Save Nils, nobody else in the platoon looked as at ease. "We've been here too long already. We have to find a way to end this now or we'll never move on."

"I told you, I can kill him." Cezary didn't just sound annoyed. He sounded offended.

"Yeah? In how long? Another hour? Two?"

"If that's what it takes."

Almost growling, Ramona gave another frustrated sigh. "1st section can't wait that long."

"It might not matter."

"Our mission says it does," Marina said dropping the binoculars. "We're ending this now."

Cezary kept to his scope. "How? You've got a better idea?"

"Yeah," she said dusting off her uniform. "Close with and destroy. I'll take the road we passed about a block back. The buildings would give me cover and it would put me just about right on the high-rise."

Finally moving his head away from the scope, Cezary stared at Marina. A second later he started laughing. "Wow. I guess the bitch finally lost her mind."

"And you've got a better idea?"

"Yeah, I do, but you've already shot that one down."

"Then I'm doing it."

Shaking his head, Cezary returned to his rifle. "900 meters. Good luck with that."

"You've lost me," Ramona said. She couldn't follow their conversation, but the thought of doing something other than waiting brought hope. "What exactly are you planning?"

"Hell, did you not pay any attention during boot or did they just give you a promotion because you look pretty?" For nearly the fifth time that morning, Ramona wanted to punch Cezary as hard as she could. "Close with and destroy. She wants to run down to the building and take him in close quarters."

"And she could do that?"

"I can." Marina's voice was confident.

Ramona took another look around. The platoon wouldn't last much longer with nothing to do. Morale was already crippled as it was. Catherine was still on the street where she'd been shot. If she was still alive, she couldn't wait for them to beat the sniper at his own game. 1st section certainly couldn't wait. "Alright. I'll clear it."

"Thank you." Making sure she had everything she needed, Marina patted herself down. Satisfied, she peeked around Ramona's shoulder. "Salinger!" she called waving. "On me!"

Happy to be moving again, Hannes crawled over as fast as he could. "Sir?"

"Give me your Mags."

"My… What?"

"Your weapon, Salinger. I'm not running over there to get into a close fight with this… thing. I need a better weapon. Yours. Give it to me."

Hannes sat with a confused look on his face. "You mean I'm not going?"

"No."

Ramona tilted her head. "Then who are you taking with you?"

"Nobody. I'm going alone." From behind them, a laugh sounded on the wall. Ignoring Cezary, Marina took the fully automatic Mags from Hannes's hand.

"Wait," Ramona said. "You're not going alone. That's totally insane. You're taking people with you."

"The Hell I am."

"The Hell you are." Surprisingly – or not – Marina didn't respond. "You're taking Abbot and Hawkins with you. That's an order." Waving the two shock troopers over, she briefed them on the plan. When they were all set, Ramona checked them over. "Make this quick."

Marina bit the inside of her cheek as she lowered her gaze. "Yeah," she said with a defeated sigh. Bringing her attention to Hannes's Mags, she ejected the Magazine. It was full. Checking the chamber, she could see there was already a bullet ready. Having cleared the weapon, she replaced the magazine and pointed at Kevin and Mica. "You two, stay on me. Do what I tell you, when I tell you. Don't fall behind. Got it?" After sharing a sideways glance the two nodded. "Good. Do you two have everything you need?"

"Yes sir," they said.

"Good." Giving them a once over, Marina stuffed her hand into her own pocket but came out empty. "I need gum."

Ramona raised her eyebrows. "Gum?"

"Yeah. Gum. Who has some."

"I… Uh… I do." Cherry didn't look much better, but saying something brought some color back into her face. "Is it… Necessary?"

"Yes."

Cherry reached into her pocket and pulled out a pack. Taking one of the sticks, she handed it to the sniper. "Here." She hated to see her gum go, but doing something to help brought some of her wits back.

"Thanks." Holding the stick in her hand, she waved the two shock troopers in behind her. "Alright, let's go." Still crouched under the wall, the trio doubled back towards the previous intersection.

"Wait!" Cherry yelled before they'd left earshot. "What was the gum for?"

Marina turned her head. "I need something to chew."

All the color that had returned to Cherry's face suddenly drained away again. "That… That bitch stole my gum…" Before more tears could fall, Ramona wrapped her arm around the girl. With a sigh, she watched the small unit round the corner out of sight.

---

Edging his head around the corner of the building, Mica checked the road ahead. Clear. Waving his arm, he called the other two grunts over. Stopping at a kneel next to him Marina pressed her back to the wall while Kevin covered the street behind them. It hadn't exactly been quick to trek the 900 meters to the high-rise, but it had been better than waiting. While she would have preferred to move alone, the team of three was able to move unnoticed and hadn't run into any resistance, and Kevin and Mica had thankfully kept their mouths shut. "How's it look?"

"Clear, but open."

"Let me take a look." Letting Mica slide into her position, Marina stepped around him and pressed herself up against the building's corner. Shifting her hair, she let half of her face fall out of cover. He was right – the street looked clear – but it was also exposed. Very exposed. The high-rise stood about 50 meters down the street, and there was a large open area in front of it. In order to get to the side of the street it was on they'd have to cross about 30 meters worth of open space. Cezary had cleared the top floors of the building, but there was no telling what was waiting in the windows of the lower floors. She couldn't see anything from where she was, but that didn't mean there wasn't something there – or covering from the windows on the opposite side of the road. The only way to find that out would be to run for it. "OK, I'm going for it."

"We're right behind you," Mica said. A thin layer of dust coated his glasses, but it didn't seem to affect his vision. Behind him, Kevin lifted his hand. They were both ready to run.

"No you're not." Pulling her head back, Marina pushed her back against the wall and rested her head on it. Slumping to a sit, she closed her eyes before double checking the Mags she was carrying.

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

"Wait."

"But… Linton told us we had to come with you."

"You will." Marina chewed her gum for a bit before continuing on. "I'm crossing the street. We don't know what's covering it. If all three of us go they can gun us down in one sweep. You cover the road from here. I'll cross and make sure it's clear."

"And if it's not?"

"They'll shoot me."

"No," Mica said uncomfortably. "I mean… Well, I guess I mean after that."

After that. It wouldn't make much difference to her at that point, but the war would go on with or without her. "Don't come for me. Go back to Linton. Tell her to listen to anything Cezary tells her until he kills the sniper. He's a prick, but he's also the best counter sniper in Gallia. He always killed me in training. If he can kill me he can kill this bastard."

She could see the whites of Mica's horrified eyes behind his glasses. "You want us to… leave you?"

"Leave me."

"What if you're… Not dead?"

"If I can't make it back on my own power, leave me. You try to help me they'll hit you too. I'll deal with it myself."

Mica looked at the ground. "I don't think I can watch that again."

Catherine. "Then don't. Turn and run."

"But…"

"Don't 'but' me. That's an order." She looked past Mica to Kevin. "You understand Abbot?" Kevin raised his hand. It was settled. Standing, Marina leaned back against the wall. The rough surface of the building's bricks cradled the back of her head. Closing her eyes, she imagined her back on the wall across the street. Every step played through her mind. Every stone on the street. Every crack in the cobble stone. Slowly, she realized that with every observation she put in her mind her legs became weaker and weaker. Fuckin' fuck. Just go. She took three deep breaths. In – Out – In – Out – In – Out. Go.

Springing off of the wall Marina took her first step into the street. Finger resting on the trigger guard of the Mags, she bounded forward. The street was littered with its fair share of debris, and the stones and chunks of rock and mortar gave way as her boots struck the ground. She didn't look back. Mica would cover the road, and her best chance of making it to the other side was to stay mobile. So she did. They'd run long distances in boot camp, but this short sprint left her out of breath. With a dry mouth, she clenched the piece of gum she was chewing between her back teeth and kept her legs moving. After what seemed like a mile run, she didn't slow down before slamming her back into the wall opposite Mica's corner. Raising the Mags, Marina scanned the windows on the other side of the street. Clear. With Mica and Kevin out of earshot, she gave a quick laugh of relief. Bringing fresh air into her lungs, she waved the two shock troopers over.

"Everything alright?" Kevin asked as he hit the wall next to her.

Marina's mouth opened, but nothing came out. Her throat was too dry. Instead, she grunted and began moving against the wall towards the high-rise. Marina kept her Mags aimed down the street ahead while Mica and Alex covered the windows of the buildings opposite and the road behind them respectively. With all sectors covered, they'd see any Imperials coming their way. As they reached the edge of the high-rise, Marina stopped the group. "Hawkins, switch with me. Abbot, move up." Her voice was still dry, but at least she could speak. Stepping around the men, she let the two slide against the wall into her position at the front. She may have been carrying the weapon, but that didn't make her a shock trooper. It had been a long time since she'd practiced room clearing in boot. With the experienced troopers on point, they continued to the door.

Mica lifted his hand and put it on the doorknob. "Ready?"

"Uh… Roger that," Kevin said behind him.

Without speaking, Marina tapped him on the back. Kevin gave Mica's shoulder a squeeze, and he opened the door. Nearly on top of each other, the two troopers stormed into the entryway. Hugging the walls on either side of the door, they each swept the room from their corner to the one on the opposite wall. "One clear."

"Two clear."

The entryway was a large, well furnished lobby. Red tiles covered the entire floor, and the walls were covered with light brown wallpaper. Stepping in behind the two shock troopers, Marina thought it was actually rather ugly. Then again, she didn't know much about interior design. There were another four seats set up at the center of the room, and a reception desk at the far end.

"Desk. Cover the gap," Mica called.

"Moving." Stepping over, Kevin fell in line one step behind Mica. Together they aimed their weapons as they moved towards the obstacle. Watching, Marina stepped away from the door and waited. Sidestepping, the two militia troopers moved past the desk. "Desk clear."

"All clear."

Stepping forward, Marina walked over to the desk. Opening the drawers, she pulled out a register. Skimming, she ignored the names and counted the floors. Eleven. It would take all day to search the place. Slamming the book shut, she left it on the desk. "So what do we do now?" Kevin asked.

Stepping away from the desk, Marina tilted her head until her neck cracked. Groaning slightly, she bit her bottom lip. Only the top seven floors were visible from where the rest of the platoon waited, but it would still take the three of them the rest of the day to clear that many rooms. Even if they had the time they'd get tired of the work after the first floor or two and start making mistakes. If someone could tell them where the shooter was they could make quick work of him and return, but nobody knew where he was. Marina slammed her gloved fist against the wall. Maybe Cezary had been right after all.

Hold on a second… Somebody to tell them where the shooter was. It might be too late, but it was their only chance. "We go to the roof."

Kevin's head jerked back in surprise. "The roof? I thought Cezary already killed the guys up there."

"Cezary killed one. He hit the second low. That one may still be alive. If he is, we'll make him talk."

Nodding, the two troopers moved into the stairwell. The stairs were enclosed in a tight corridor surrounded by cement walls. It would make clearing the way easy – There was only one path. Taking each corner carefully, the group made the climb to the top. Once again, they stopped at the door. "Make sure your uniform is clear over the side of the building," Marina said before she waved them through.

Mica adjusted his glasses before reaching out to the door. "What about enemy snipers?"

"What about ours?"

"You mean Cezary?"

"If he thinks you're Imperial, he'll take you down. Make sure he knows it's us. Also, we don't know if this second guy is dead. We want him alive, but don't take any chances."

The two nodded. After their round of pats and squeezes, they pushed through the door. Marina could hear their voices carrying from outside. "One clear!"

"Two clear and covering!"

The second of the yells implied the Imperial was still alive. Thankful, Marina stepped out of the doorway and onto the roof. The sniper was clearly dead. He lay on his back, head resting in a pool of blood that ran into a storm drain. His spotter wasn't quite as lucky. Shot low through the gut, the man had crawled as far as he could manage across the rooftop, leaving a long bloody trail behind him. As Marina stepped forward, Mica kicked the Imperial's handgun over to the other side of the rooftop. He wouldn't be a threat. "All clear, sir," he said as the handgun slid to a stop.

Marina knelt next to the wounded Imperial. Defeated, he flipped over onto his back. The bullet had entered through his flank near kidney level. It was probably excruciating. "Where is he?" she asked him.

"Where… Where is who?" His voice was weak and broken. He wouldn't last much longer.

"Don't fuck with me. The other sniper. Where is he?" She kept her face blank. No pity for a dying man.

"I… I don't know what you're talking about."

"Look. We know you guys didn't shoot our man, and we know it wasn't the people on the balcony. So where's the triggerman? Floor and room."

"No… Other shooter. Just us."

He wasn't just going to give them up. Time for a new strategy. "Alright. Fine. You see this guy here in the glasses?" With her free hand, she pointed up to Mica. "He's a medic. You tell us where he is and he'll fix you up."

Aghast, Mica stared down at her. His expression of disgust at her lie negated all need for words. The wounded Imperial didn't seem to take notice of his face. "He'll… He'll help… me?"

"Yes."

"That would be… nice." As the Imperial rolled his head away from Mica and set his gaze back on Marina he started laughing. The sound was harsh and coarse, almost like a gag. "Too bad it's bullshit. His… patch says infantry. All of yours do. I may be dying but… I can still do my job."

Strike two. Thinking quickly, she tried another route. "Yeah. I took you for a fool. For that I'm sorry. Let's deal with each other with respect. Spotter to spotter. Here's how this is going to work. You can either tell us where the other team is or you can stay quiet. Either way the result will be the same – we'll find them eventually. If you tell us where they are I'll give you my word that we won't kill them, but if I have to search floor by floor I'm going to get upset, and I may not be as welcoming when I finally kick their door in."

"More threats… is that all you Gallians have?"

"I also have Ragnaid."

"Ragnaid?"

Reaching into her personal kit, Marina pulled out a syrette. Holding it up, she let the Imperial catch a glimpse of it. "Ragnaid. It's a painkiller."

"Threats and bribery then. Figures."

"Like it or not, that's the way it's going to be. I'll swear that on my father's name. Tell me where they are and I'll let them live and ease your pain."

"You… Promise this?"

"Yes."

The Imperial's helmet shielded any emotion he displayed from view. Looking down, the three Gallians saw only the massed produced expression of the Imperial Infantry. The sigh that came from behind the mask was a stark contrast to the intimidating figure of the man's equipment. "Eighth floor… Third room."

"Thank you." Stuffing the syrette into her pocket, Marina began to draw her combat knife. "Abbot, Hawkins. Go back inside and wait down by the eighth floor door. Don't go in. Stay in the stairwell. I'll be down in a moment."

Kevin watched as her knife left its sheath. Still kneeling, she hadn't taken her eyes off of the Imperial. "Wait, you're not going to… You said you'd give him Ragnaid."

"I said I'd ease his pain. I will."

Mica turned his back on the scene and looked off of the roof over towards where the rest of the platoon waited. He couldn't see anyone, but he could make out the outline of the ruined wall in the distance. The sun had risen higher in the sky, and though it was still early in the morning the sunlight reflected off of the windows beyond. "You're… disgusting."

"Wait in the stairwell."

"I'm not…"

"Go." She didn't glare. She didn't even look. Spoken softly, the words were more commanding than any order she'd shouted since taking control of the section. Quaking a little, Mica patted Kevin on the shoulder and the two walked off of the rooftop. Making sure the door had shut behind them, Marina waited a moment before re-sheathing the knife. "I'm sorry about that. I… Have a reputation to live up to."

"Even if it's disgusting?"

"Yes."

The Imperial let out another harsh laugh. "One of those types then."

"I guess." Reaching into her pocket, Marina pulled out the syrette of Ragnaid. Pulling off the cap she exposed the needle and prepared to inject the painkiller.

"So you're… keeping your word?"

"Yes."

"And my friends?"

Thrusting the needle into the man's thigh, Marina squeezed the syrette and let the painkiller flow into the man's leg. "I wasn't planning on killing them anyway."

"Really?"

"No," she conceded.

The man's laugh was followed by a series of coughs. Shaking, he tilted his head back as he regained control. "But… You won't kill them now… right?"

"That's right."

"Good," he said. "I'm glad. You're… honorable."

Having injected the man, Marina sat back for a moment to let the Ragnaid set in. The sky was cloudless and the sun hadn't made looking up painful yet. The blue was still a darker shade, but it was growing lighter by the minute. "No such thing."

"Maybe not then. Still… From one dishonorable man to the next… Thank you."

"Hm." Whether she believed it or not, the words stuck in her mind. It was about the only compliment she'd received since joining the Militia. Even her promotions had come grudgingly. "Feeling better?" she asked changing the subject.

"Yes. A bit." Having made good on her part of the deal, Marina stood up. Without looking down at the wounded Imperial, she made sure she had everything she needed before tossing the used syrette aside. Turning her head from the dying man, she stepped forward to walk off. "Wait." His desperate cry stopped the woman mid step. Turning only her head, she looked back to where the wounded man lay. She could barely see him through her bangs. "I… I don't want to die alone."

"I can't help you with that."

Through the mess of hair covering her face she could see him shudder. "OK," he said weakly. The disappointment in his voice was clear. "If you… can't do that, could you… give me some water?"

"Yeah. Alright." Kneeling back next to him, Marina pulled out her canteen. Setting it down she helped the man remove his helmet. He was young – maybe only a year or two older than she was. Unlike the Imperials she'd seen helmetless before, his hair was dark and cut short. Unscrewing the cap from her canteen she handed it over to him.

"Thank you," he said before taking a long drink. Some of the water spilled out around his cheeks, but most of it made it into his mouth. "You know… Back home we have a legend. About the Valkyrie."

"You mean Valkyria."

"No. Valkyrie. The Empire is… A big place. There are a lot of legends there."

Sitting now, Marina crossed her ankles and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Long way from home?"

"Yeah."

"Me too."

"Hm." Stopping his swig, the Imperial offered the canteen. Taking it, Marina took a long drink before handing it back. "Anyway… The Valkyrie are… Beautiful warriors who guide fallen soldiers into the afterlife. Pretty silly, isn't it?"

"I guess."

He laughed again, but his voice was clearer now. No coughs followed. "Yeah… Well I… I'm glad I got to meet one."

It was past time to go. Lifting herself up, Marina took a last glimpse of the man before she walked off. He wouldn't last long. Without saying goodbye, she took her time before reaching the door.

"Hey." The Imperial's voice stopped her before she could turn the handle. "You forgot your canteen."

"Keep it. We've… Got an extra one now."

"Oh." The man's reply was barely audible. Working up his voice, he put all of his strength into his words to carry the distance. "I'm… Sorry about your friend."

"Don't be."

"One of those types then?"

"I guess." Glancing over, she could see that the Imperial was smiling.

"Good luck," he said.

"Yeah… You too." Turning the handle, she opened the door and stepped through. Closing it behind her, she left the man behind and walked down the stairs. Her footfalls echoed through the stairwell as she took the steps, ignoring the hand railing and letting her boots fall flat. Marina didn't believe in luck. It wouldn't help her, and it wouldn't save the man on the roof. Regardless, something about the exchange lifted a weight from her shoulders – a weight she hadn't realized was there until it was gone. She had to stop when she realized she was smiling as well.

Regaining control of her expression, she approached the eighth floor stairwell. "Militia, coming down."

Kevin's voice called back. "Come down."

Rounding the corner, Marina saw Kevin and Mica covering the two ends of the stairwell. As she approached, they readied themselves near the door. Falling in line, she noticed that Mica wouldn't make eye contact with her. "What took you so long?" he asked.

She ignored his question. "No talking beyond this door. We move quietly, but take our time. When we're sure the hallway is clear, stack up at the door. I'll take care of opening it. You guys just make sure you cover your area of responsibility."

"Are we killing these guys too?" Her theatrics had certainly made an impression on the man.

"No." She signaled the sweep. Opening the door, Mica stepped through into the hallway beyond. From the doorway, there were three paths to take. The door opened at the midpoint of a long corridor, with another hallway intersecting the first right in front of it. Covering the right path, he waited for the two behind him to signal that their halls were clear. Feeling a pat on the back, he turned around. With her index and middle fingers extended, Marina pointed down the intersecting hallway. Looking at the signs, he could see that the hall would take them towards the front of the high-rise and the room they were looking for. Simultaneously, Mica and Kevin started down the hall. Reaching the end, they checked the corners and waved Marina forward.

The door they wanted lay just around the left corner. Marina let the two shock troopers stack up in front of her, but this time she didn't wait in the back. Stepping around them, she stood sideways in front of the door. She already knew the door would be locked. Pausing, she checked the hinges. The door opened inward. Nodding to Kevin, she let him initiate the chain. After he squeezed Mica's shoulder, Mica hit Marina in the lower back. She took half a step back before she shuffled forward and side kicked the door under the handle. As the door buckled and broke through the frame, she stepped back to let the shock troopers in.

Mica took his first step into the room. It was wide, open, and square. Through his peripheral vision he could see two Imperials to his left. Ignoring them, he turned right and checked his corners. "One clear!"

Kevin was in the room before Mica had finished his sweep. Turning left, he pointed his Mags at the enemy sniper team. As Cezary had predicted, they were set up on a desk near the room's back wall. By the looks on their unmasked faces they hadn't seen the Gallians coming. "Militia! Drop your weapons!"

The Imperial behind the rifle slowly set it down on the desk. Raising his hands, he urged his spotter to follow suit. Stepping through the door, Marina lowered her Mags. "Hawkins, cover them. Abbot, secure their weapons."

With Mica's weapon trained on the Imperials, Kevin picked the rifle up from off of the desk. Unloading it and making sure it was secure, he slung it around his shoulder. Stepping towards the Imperial who'd been holding the rifle he began to pat him down. As he worked his way down the Imperial's back, the man stopped him. "There's a handgun at my right hip and a utility knife in the pouch near my left shoulder." Shifting his pats, Kevin felt the handgun through the man's uniform. Pulling it out of the holster, he ejected the magazine and pulled the slide back. The round that was in the chamber flipped out of the weapon and onto the floor. Having control over the pistol, he reached into his shoulder pouch and pulled out the knife.

Next to him, his spotter watched with wide eyes. His eyes seemed to bulge as he noticed the 7 patch on the Militiaman's arms. "I have…"

"Let me do the talking," the sniper said. His comrade shut up. He was the youngest in the room by a fair number of years. "My spotter here has a handgun, same location. That's all he's carrying."

"Grab it," Marina said. As Kevin began to pat the younger Imperial down, Marina addressed the older one. "I trust you understand this is your surrender, and we'll kill you if you don't comply."

"This isn't my first time being captured."

"Good. Then we don't have to go over the details. Who are you?"

"Leutnant Bernhard Priller, 060695-P-42833."

"Where were you deployed from?"

The Imperial stood straight and kept a formal air about him. "I've told you my name and serial number. That's all I'm required to give you." His eyes showed that he wasn't going to relent. Peering into them, Marina felt a strange sense of déjà vu. The eyes reminded her of someone.

"Fine. Make sure your friend understands what's going on." She turned towards Mica and Kevin. "Take them back down to the lobby. I'm headed up to the roof. I'll signal Cezary that we're all clear. If they try anything, kill them."

Leaving the group behind, she walked back through the hallway and into the stairwell. The way up was well lit, but the walls were barren. Listening as her footfalls echoed, she counted the steps to the roof. When she reached the top she paused before opening the door. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out. The sky was lighter now, and the sun had risen higher over the horizon. Over the edge of the high-rise she could see the country beyond the city. Fields and pastures dotted the landscape as far as she could see, disappearing into the outline of a mountain range on the horizon. Marina looked around the rooftop. She was alone.

---

Ramona watched as Kevin escorted the two prisoners back down the road the platoon had come from. After the three returned from the high-rise, she sent him off to take their captives back to the park. That meant the platoon was now two men down. Gritting her teeth, she tried to relax as Marina gave her debriefing. They'd been pinned down for a while, but the platoon could move on now. "Nice job, Wulfstan," she said. "If you and Cezary hadn't pulled us out of this…"

Marina shrugged. "How did things go here?"

"More of the same after you left. Waiting. It was rough."

"O'Hara?"

Ramona shook her head. From the color of her eyes it looked like she'd been trying to hold back a few tears of her own. "I radioed back to command. We're to make the proper adjustments to the chain of command and continue on. That makes you acting Platoon Sergeant."

The rest of the implication went unspoken. She probably didn't want to have to hear it herself. "Is Catherine's equipment secure?"

"Yeah. We grabbed her rifle and ammo. I'll let you hold on to that. Maybe get some use out of it."

"Hm."

"Also, we found a couple of letters on her. One of them didn't have a name on it, but the other was addressed to Sergeant Caird. They looked pretty old. Claudia's holding on to them. We'll see what Coby knows about them when we get back. Otherwise… There's not much we can do with the body right now so we put a blanket over her. We'll pick her up on the way back."

"Hm."

Looking down, Marina could see that Ramona's hands were shaking. "We can't stay here now though. Gather up the platoon. We're moving on."

Walking away, Marina set off to organize the unit. Ramona waited a few moments to regain her composure. She'd failed Coby. The one person he'd asked her personally to watch over was dead. For once she was glad she had run out of makeup. If she hadn't she'd probably end up looking like Cherry. Wiping her eyes, she turned around and walked towards the assembly of troops.

"OK," she said, rifle pointed towards the ground. "I know this isn't exactly how things were supposed to happen, but 1st section still needs us. We're still on mission. O'Ha…" She had to stop to clear her throat. "Catherine got us this far, but we have to do the rest on our own. We'll do that. Stopping now would be a slap in the face for her. I won't do that. Are we clear?"

The platoon nodded. Ramona looked over their faces. Cherry wasn't the only one with bloodshot eyes. Karl looked like the walking dead. "Alright," she continued. "We're moving in two columns. It's been a while since we've been through any urban combat, so make sure you check your corners and…" Her mind drifted back to the outline of O'Hara's body under the blanket. "Watch out for snipers."

With a flick of her wrist, she sent 3rd section down the road ahead. They were moving again. Stopping at the first intersection, Melville peeked his head around the corner and waved the group on. The intersection was clear. So much for easing your way in. With another flick of her wrist, 4th section was on the move. Ready or not…

---

Next Engagement: Comfortably Numb