Chapter 25 Into the Breach
MMS garrison was a hive of activity. All the vehicle crews were going over their vehicles from turret to track. Tracks, especially. Tracks gave mobility over almost any terrain and across obstacles that would stop wheeled vehicles cold. A thrown or broken track, though, could stop the vehicle just as cold. The drill was that a recovery vehicle would pull the vehicle back to a repair point, where it would be fixed and put back in the fight. There was no guarantee that could be done in a narrow cave passage.
"Intelligence briefing in two hours." Stan the Man's voice rang through the echoing space of the vehicle bays. The pace accelerated a little, and ammunition loading began. Cannon ammunition, small arms ammunition, countermeasures loaded with Peruvian Instant Darkness powder. The snipers were doing their usual routine of checking every round. The more experienced of them hand loaded.
The briefing room was jam packed and buzzing with side conversations and speculation. Silence fell at once as Stan the Man, the DCO, and Sergeant Fletcher arrived on the small stage in the front. They were accompanied by a man in a bespoke set of Magical robes. There was a brief buzz of side conversation as the older hands recognized Beowulf.
The Met brief was first. It didn't take long, and it was good news for a change. The weather over the Mendip Hills was clear and sunny. There had been no rain for a week, so the going for the armoured vehicles was good and there was little if any risk of flooding inside the cave.
Beowulf went next, a flick of his wand unrolling a big Marauders Inc. map of an area in the hills. In the centre of it was a dotted trail with a scorpion marker at the end of it. It defined an area about half a mile across by the map scale. "MK-1 ran an operation to discover the physical whereabouts of the cave complex where the Death Eaters are hiding. We were able to do so."
He pointed at the map with his wand. "This individual is a low-level Death Eater, basically a hired wand. We spooked him just enough that he ran home to mother. We've been tracking his movements since, and he's been moving around freely within the cave complex, so we assess he hasn't been blown. The track you see here gives us some idea of the extent of the cave system."
He tapped the map again, and it zoomed back to show a larger area. "This whole area is riddled with caves. Some have been explored and mapped, some are hardly known, and some are only conjectured to exist. This cave system is in the third category, so we have no map information on the caves, and no way to know how deep they are. There was undoubtedly a physical entrance or entrances, but we have no way of knowing where they are or if they are still usable. The Death Eaters come and go by Portkey."
Beowulf stepped aside and gave place to Sergeant Fletcher. He tapped the map in turn, and an overlay of one area appeared, with photographs. "We were able to insert a recce probe into their Portkey stage, and get good imagery of this area."
He tapped another point at the map, and another photo sprang up. "Here be dragons. That's a high confidence assessment."
There were some chuckles at that. To Sergeant Fletcher, today being a Tuesday was a high confidence assessment, too.
"The area is not invisible or unmappable, so we were able to use non-Magical assets to get high-altitude imagery. As at four hours ago there was no indication of any above ground defensive measures such as broom patrols or dragons. Those assets would not detect magical defences such as wards."
"We've looked at technological methods of mapping this cave, but we've come up empty on that. Ground penetrating radar has depth limitations. There has been some work on doing it from orbit, but that's at the stage of boffins writing papers."
"The recommended method, therefore, is to drill in and insert a recce probe."
He flicked his wand, and an image appeared in front of the map. "This is an improved version of the PP-9 recce probe, which we have designated PP-9 and 3/4."
That got some more chuckles. They turned serious as Sergeant Fletcher continued. "The estimate is fifteen Death Eaters, possibly more. They will all have the Necklace Bomb curse on them. Taking them out at a distance is highly recommended. In addition, you should look sharp for suicide runs. At least some of them are likely to be ideologically committed, and if they have nothing to lose they might as well have company on the way out the door."
"The recommended entry point for the recce probe is here." Fletcher tapped a spot on the map.
"We know it's a good sized chamber." He traced on the map a string of scorpion markers. "We also know it's a less trafficked area. He was only there the once, unlike the other areas he was in. It might be used for storage, or simply disused."
He turned toward the audience, looking serious. "That does not rule out potential traps or defences."
The serious look was mirrored on the faces of the officers and men in the audience.
Major Lee turned to the map and tapped it with his wand. A whole new set of markings slid across the map. "Phase I. Reconnaissance. The Air Element will deploy first and conduct a threat search in the area. Covert, using Disillusionment. Check for wards, patrols, dragons and any signs of physical entrances."
Lieutenant Ashland took notes in his field notebook. He glanced around at the Air Element. "O Group on completion."
Major Lee turned his head to Sergeant Fletcher. "When we get the all clear from Air Element, the Intelligence Section will deploy for the recce probe insertion."
Lee turned his attention to Ashland. "If you run into something you can't handle, pull back and we go to Plan B."
He turned back to the audience. "Phase 2. Entry. Once we have a good site, we excavate an entrance for the vehicles. Z Troop will lead, deploy for fire support, X and Y Troops will follow."
"Phase 3. Assault. After that, fire and movement. We assault the complex and clear it. The new tactical doctrine is in effect. Use magic to minimize ammunition expenditure. Use Silencio and light discipline until contact is made, after which all bets are off."
"We move in two hours. Good luck and good hunting."
Harry, Evan and Hermione arrived on the improvised Portkey stage, identified themselves to the guards, then looked around to see the layout. A small tent stood under an oak tree, with a sign, "CP". Evan led the way to the door.
The guard at the entrance grinned briefly. "Beowulf. Just like old times."
"Pebbles. That it is. The Man in?" Evan replied.
"That he is. All the players on the pitch." Pebbles waved them on in through the tent flap. Harry ducked in through the flap, smelling dust and canvas heated by the sun, hearing the sounds of purposeful activity and clipped businesslike conversation.
The CP was much larger inside than out. A large table held an array of comms runes, labelled with the names of the vehicles. The operators were ready, under the gimlet eye of their Sergeant.
Sergeant Fletcher was set up, with Marauder's Maps and the controls for PP-9 3/4. A large blank parchment was stretched on a frame next to it.
"Sirius!" Hermione said happily. Sirius was standing by the blank parchment, wand out and frowning in thought. He turned on hearing her voice.
"Harry, Hermione, Evan. Good to see you." He said, then turned back to what he was doing. Harry decided to leave chit-chat until later. Whatever the reigning genius of Marauders Inc. was doing was complex enough to tax even his skills.
The Man was in the centre of the Command Post, his tall figure in the centre where he could see everything.
"Sir Harry, Beowulf, Miss Granger. A long road it has been to get here, but today pays for all." He greeted them, his eyes never ceasing their sweep of the CP's hive of activity.
"Sir." Evan replied, his manner as if he was ready to salute.
"Not anymore, Beowulf." The Man replied.
"You'll always be Sir to me." Evan replied.
"Kind of you to say so." Major Lee's smile was brief but warm, then his look of command returned as he took a report from one of the comms rune operators.
"All Troops, report." He ordered, as a lull in the activity brought a tense quiet to the CP.
The Comms operators sent the order, and a drum beat of replies was summed up by the report from the DCO to the Man. "Ready, Sir."
"Commence." The Commander's order was the quiet statement of an iron judgement.
The large magic mirror above Sergeant Fletcher's station came to life to show a group of soldiers. They were hard to see under the Disillusionment spells, but they showed up much better when Sergeant Fletcher tapped his wand and it switched to infrared. "Recce probe active, sir."
Some of the soldiers were faced out in all directions with their weapons and wands ready. Two soldiers in the middle of the group moved their wands in an intricate pattern. Diffinido Terebra Continuo. Wingardium Leviosa Continuo.
Between the two wizards a circular hole appeared, growing deeper. The rock and soil excavated by the whirling blade of the Diffindo spell streamed up in a smooth arc to form a pile in a nearby depression. It was only three and a half minutes later by the big clocks in the CP when the report came over the rune. "Holed through."
The display went almost blank as PP-9 3/4 floated over the centre of the hole and down into it. PP-9 3/4 grounded on an irregular rock floor and began to move under its own magic. The display showed a big high-ceilinged chamber, totally dark in visible light. It was cluttered with obstacles both natural and man-made. Sergeant Fletcher operated the controls to bring it out from behind the spike of rock it had arrived behind and turn it in a slow complete circle, watching the screen narrowly and listening intently to the sound.
"Sensors show no evidence of any life forms, sir." A nod from the Man acknowledged the report.
"Mapping the chamber, sir. Stand by." Sergeant Fletcher said. Sirius was standing by the large blank sheet of parchment, a long list of magical symbols hanging in the air beside him. He cast *Tabula Creare*.
The list of magical symbols began running up and vanishing at the top to be replaced by others from the bottom.
"Link established." Sergeant Fletcher was watching his controls intently.
"Getting data. Render commencing." Sirius replied, his eyes flicking back and forth between the symbol display and the map itself.
Lines appeared on the big sheet of parchment. First was a small marker with a flag floating by it, "PP-9 3/4". A scale of distance in yards was next.
The display split into two, showing the outline of the cave from above and from the side. Sergeant Fletcher moved his wand, and a duplicate of the view from above appeared on the map of the area with the markers of all the MMS vehicles and soldiers. He pursed his lips in concentration, then moved, turned and zoomed the cave map in and out until they matched, then stood watching as the lines crawled across the maps.
"HOLDFAST. Immediate notice to move." The Man's quiet order was loud in the hush of the CP. It was passed on instantly by the comms operator. The military engineers who would make the breach into the cave would now instantly ready to do that.
Harry fidgeted, wishing there was something he could do, but held his silence, not wishing to distract anyone from their total concentration on their evidently complex technical tasks.
There was another tense silence while lines crawled across maps. Sergeant Fletcher broke it, pointing with his wand at the vertical display. "Sirius. Depth at this point, please."
Sirius flicked his wand and zoomed in on the part of the vertical display, then brought up a scale of distance in feet. "170 feet surface to cave floor, cave height at that point 57 feet."
"Copy that." Sergeant Fletcher put a scale on his map and looked back and forth between the maps.
"Sir, possible breach point. Small re-entrant, south side of the hill, tunnel length approximately 180 feet. Chamber height 57 feet at that point. Render is not, say again, not complete."
The Man was there in a half dozen long unhurried strides. His face might have been carved from marble for all the expression on it.
He stood silent and motionless for about thirty seconds, staring intently at the map. If he noticed that every eye in the CP was on him he gave no sign of it.
He reached up and tapped a comms rune on his shoulder, one so far unused. "HOLDFAST, SUNRAY Actual. Breach coordinates V335772, direction 027 true, breach depth 180 feet, move now. Expedite."
"SUNRAY Actual, HOLDFAST. Moving. Understand coordinates V335772, direction 027 true, breach depth 180 feet."
"How long?" Harry whispered to Evan, unable to keep quiet any longer.
"They were able to make 20 feet per minute in exercises. The Man told them to expedite, so they might even trim a little off that," Evan whispered back.
Nine minutes. Harry looked up at the clock. Rationally he knew it was an incredibly short time for such a large job, but all he could think of was the possibility of some Death Eater having something to do in that chamber and raising the alarm. His eyes went over to the map with the scorpion marker on it. The marker was stationary in the main part of the cave complex where he spent most of his time.
An aching wait while the clock hands moved with glacial slowness was ended by Sergeant Fletcher's relieved voice. "Confirmed breach."
The grey image on the magic showed a semi-circular hole in the cave wall where seconds before there had been none.
The feed from PP-9 3/4 turned in a complete circle, with Sergeant Fletcher watching intently, giving particular attention to the ragged oval at the far side of the cavern. "No hostile activity."
"Assault force, transit breach. Order of march as briefed." The Man ordered.
The comms operators passed the order. A minute or two later Harry saw the armoured bow and cannon barrel of the first fighting vehicle through the tunnel. Others followed, and they spread out to either side of the tunnel exit.
"Good. Fire support is in position." Evan's voice held a qualified measure of relief, his attention fixed on the screen.
The fighting vehicles of the other two Troops entered and spread out, X Troop to the left and Y Troop to the right.
"The Force will advance." The Man ordered.
The vehicles of X and Y Troops advanced in eerie silence across the cavern floor, moving around obstacles. The dismounted troopers moved from cover to cover in tactical bounds, weapons ready for instant use.
As they moved further away, Harry could see less detail in the grainy infrared image, composed of shades of grey.
"What do we do now?" Harry said, fiddling nervously with his glasses.
"We wait." Hermione said.
"There has to be something we can do." Harry said irritably.
The reply came from Major Lee. "You have done all you can do, Sir Harry. The information and intelligence you gathered have brought us here, with the element of surprise on a battlefield of our choosing."
"I should be down there, not standing here with my thumb inserted." Evan's eyes never left the screen.
"You are, Beowulf." Major Lee's eyes were on the screens and maps, watching the progress of the MMS across the cavern.
At Evan's astonished look, he smiled briefly. "The tactical doctrine you designed and proved out is down there. The manual on fighting dragons that you wrote is in every vehicle."
The Man shook his head gently. "We plan, we prepare, we train, but there is always the unexpected."
A man's voice crackled from a voice rune across the CP, underlaid with the staccato of rifle fire and the boom of a Bombarda. "Contact. Wait. Out."