The Girl With The Golden Arm

Part 2

A simple reconnaissance mission with the troopers. Walk through the city, take a look at the communication tower, then report back. How hard can it be?

"Settle down, people!" Harper barked. The Sergeant Major stood at the front of the Mess tent, hands on hips as he surveyed his adhoc command. He'd once confided to Glynda Goodwitch that if these were the leftovers of the Atlas troops that had tried to save Vale, then he'd happily forgo the full meal.

The men lining the tables sat, quietly alert as Sergeant Tams unfurled a large map on the wall behind the Sergeant Major. Harper lifted a makeshift pointer and tapped the map's face on the Western half of the Industrial District bordered by the river.

"As you know, this is all we have left of the city." The pointer moved along the heavily inked line that had been added recently, a jagged arc that started at the South wall, moving northwards to where it turned West a few hundred yards north of the river. Two bridges allowed travel over the river itself. "This is the barrier that the populace built after the Fall." The pointer moved again, stopping at a point almost a kilometer North. "This!" The pointer rapped against the material of the map once more. "...Is the city's communication tower. And here.." The pointer moved to indicate a spot outside the barrier on the southern shore of where the two rivers met. "...Is a major industrial site that the city needs to control." The pointer lowered towards the floor as Harper turned to face the troopers. "First and Third squads will be going to the industrial site along with a dozen Hunters and Huntresses to take it away from whatever they find there. Grim or White Fang, I don't care. Your orders are to take it, and hold it until I tell you otherwise. Once it's in our hands, a convoy will leave this camp to collect all the things stored there that our people need. This is the first of several steps to driving the Grim out of Vale."

The pointer rose again and tapped the map again. "Second Squad, this is your target. You will proceed out the North gate and scout the approaches to the tower. Once we're sure of what enemies are out there, we'll be going back in force to take the tower and restore communications in the region. You'll be taking Semmel and Calvin with you as support." The pointer swept across the line of faces. "This is a recon mission only! Do ~not~ engage unless you have too!" He turned slightly to face the two Sergeants standing near the entrance. "Sergeant Falken. Since your group is a little light, Professor Goodwitch has offered one of her teams to accompany you on this mission."

Falken nodded in reply, gratefully accepting the extra help.

Turning back to the tables, Harper indicated the civilian sitting in the front row. "Since we'll all be going this time, no one's going to be here to watch over the camp. Since she is still on the sick list, Miss Xiao Long has graciously offered to keep an eye on the crap you people seem to think is so valuable. Make sure to thank her when you get back."

Yang turned and gave a short wave to the room. "Don't worry Aldus! I'll take care of that chocolate stash you have hidden under your bunk!"

"Not... the chocolate!" The big man's aggrieved voice replied from the last row.

Laughter filled the tent as Yang rubbed her hands together with a greedy look on her face. Harper let it go on for a few moments, feeling the tension leaving the group at the antics of the Huntress, before calling them to order again.

'Morale is to the physical as ten to one' the history books said. Harper grinned at the catcalls directed at the Huntress. We're must be up in the hundreds, he thought.

Hart was holding her own planning session in the privacy of the team's tent.

"Professor Goodwitch assigned us to go along with Harper's Second Squad to check out the route to the communications tower. Sorry, Renee. No Gundar for you tomorrow." She arched an eyebrow at the girl across the table.

The other Faunas let out a huge sigh as she looked towards the ceiling. "The things I do for my team!"

Her partner coughed into his fist to hide the smile on his face. She'd been accused of spending more time with her boyfriend than her team lately, something he had twitted her about on more than one occasion.

Akiko ignored the three as she leaned forward to study the map on the table. The quickest route to their destination was obvious to her, and it would be just as obvious to anyone wanting to stop them as well. A slim finger touched the map at the first major intersection along the way. "There are many alleyways here..." the finger moved further along, "...and here! Perfect places for an ambush!" The finger tapped another spot halfway between the two points. "Many balconies overhang this area also. They will offer much concealment to our enemies."

Tan nodded his agreement with the assessment. "We can take to the rooftops here...", a finger touched the spot slightly South of the first area she'd indicated, "...and move along them to the last intersection. From up there we can watch for anything on the second floors of the buildings opposite."

Hart studied the map while considering the plan. "Okay. You and Akiko will take to the roof while Renee and I cover from the street with the troops." She tapped the circle marked on the map. "We'll be stopping at the edge of the plaza surrounding the tower. Since we're just there to check the route, we won't actually go to the tower yet." She straightened and began rolling up the map. "Akiko and I will get with Harper and go over the plan with him. Tan, you get with Second Squad and let them know what we're all going to be doing tomorrow." Handing the map to her partner, she stood for a moment in thought, one finger tapping the scar on her chin. "I wonder if we should let Third Squad know what the plan is?" she mused aloud.

Renee lurched up out of her chair, a hopeful look on her face. "Yes! Definitely!"

Hart looked unsure, turning instead to the girl's partner. "What do you think?" she asked.

Tan tried hard not to smile at the anxious look on Renee's face. "Probably for the best if we keep everyone informed." He waved a hand at her sudden relief. "Go... go! It's not like we're going to need you for anything else." The hand paused to point at the eager girl. "Remember! We start at dawn tomorrow, so be back early!"

"Right!" she called over her shoulder on the way out.

Sergeant Falken peered cautiously around the corner, taking his time to scan the boulevard that led northwards. Seeing nothing moving, he drew slowly back, then turned and gestured for the rest of the group to join him. Caution was the name of the game in 'Grim Country', and he considered everything outside the wall as just that.

As soon as the others neared, he pointed to the largest man in the squad. "Aldus, take Hector, Lee, and Calvin. Move up the other side of the street. Keep one eye on me. Go!" He stood back as the four men began jogging across the open area.

Hart tapped Tan, then indicated that the two partners should join Aldus and his team. As the two followed the soldiers, she turned and followed the Sergeant as he led the rest up the route, eyes watching windows and doorways.

A pattern quickly emerged, One soldier stopping at an open doorway or alley, rifle covering the space as the other three leapfrogged past him, the next man in line taking the lead to repeat the movement. The Huntresses and Hunter kept to the rear, watching their back trail until the first major intersection.

With a low whistle, Hart caught Tan's attention and pointed upwards. He nodded and holstered his weapons before leaping up to catch a windowsill on the second floor. A second leap took him to the roof of the building, Akiko copying his movements on the near side. Drawing his weapons again, he scanned the surrounding area before signaling that all was clear. Hart looked up in time to catch Akiko's matching signal.

On the other side of the street, the three soldiers waited for Falken's command to continue.

"Hey Aldus? Think your chocolates are still there?" Lee murmured quietly.

The big man turned slightly, scanning the street. "Oh, they are quite safe. I bribed McCoy with some of them to lock the rest in the Armory!"

Hector snickered. "Guess you didn't hear. Harper gave her a spare key, just in case she needed ammo."

Renee turned away from the big man's stricken look, ostensibly checking an alleyway. Chances were good that the treats would still be there when they got back, but you never knew with Yang in the equation!

Aldus put away the worries over his stash as Falken signaled the advance. Time to get back to work!

Falken decided that a short break was needed at the halfway point. Each team moved a short ways into the alleys on their respective sides of the street to rest.

Renee dropped down next to Calvin as the Tech took a swig of water. "I forgot to ask. How'd the testing on Yang's weapons go?"

"Excellent, of course!" he boasted. Semmel snorted in derision from the other side of the alley. "Despite your untested design, you mean!" the Medic offered. "He built three times the firepower into that arm. I'm surprised she stayed upright after the last test fire!"

Calvin threw an angry look across the alley before turning back to Renee. "The design used the same set up as her Ember Celica, I just added two more barrels spread around her wrist. She can shoot one, or rapid-fire them, or combine the shot into one massive blow!"

Renee's eyes widened. "With that much firepower, she could just about go through anything!" One hand went to the armor on her chest, recalling the dent in the tough metal and resulting bruise beneath it after her first sparring match with the blonde.

"Unfortunately..." Semmel pointed out, "...her ammo storage couldn't be increased. She'll burn through her rounds pretty quickly in rapid firing."

Calvin shook his head. "I know! But, I'm working an upgrade on it."

At the entrance to the alley Aldus waved in response to the Sergeant's signal. "Break's over, back on your heads!" he announced before stepping back into the street.

Renee looked confused as Semmel pulled her upright. "Old joke." he explained. "I'll tell it to you when we get back to camp."

PFC Hector had just taken point, dodging past Aldus as the Corporal kept watch on a doorway, when the sidewalk under his feet gave way with a loud cracking sound. Unable to catch himself, he dropped into darkness. Both groups froze as the man disappeared from sight.

Landing with a soggy thud, Hector put one hand out to keep himself from falling on his face, the fingers sinking into something soft and slimy. Bent over, the visor of his helmet was only inches away from the gas that erupted from under the supporting hand. Gagging from the smell, the scene in front of him suddenly snapped into focus. Adrenaline flooded his system in reaction, fueling the leap upwards towards the light above. Below him, the weapon he'd dropped began to slowly sink into the mass as more bubbles burst.

Aldus darted forward, signaling the others to wait while he checked on his teammate. " Hector! Are you okay?" he called down into the jagged hole. The answering scream made him jerk away just as the stench hit him.

Hector's arms slapped onto the concrete, hands desperately groping for anything to keep him from sliding back into that abyss as the hole widened, chunks of stone dropping away from around him. Aldus clamped his nose shut as he lunged forward to haul the man out of the pit, both of them reeling back to the side of the building. Seeing the shock on Hector's face, he called the Medic forward. Semmel's immediate arrival freed him to take stock of the situation.

Gesturing to the Sergeant across the street to wait, he took a deep breath before approaching the hole again.

The light from above illuminated a scene from Hell.

People desperate to hide from the Grim had packed themselves into the extended basement under the sidewalk. With only a single exit, trapped by their terror, the Humans and Faunas had unwittingly brought about their own end. Attuned to negative emotions, the Grim must have come in droves. Unreasoning fear turned the place into a charnel house. Aldus couldn't even begin to estimate the number of dead, only pieces remained to rot inside the makeshift tomb. Suddenly desperate for breath, he stepped away.

Semmel forced the shaking man to look directly at him as he wiped the rotting mess off the blanched face. "Hector! It's alright now. You're safe. You're safe dude!" he assured him. Whatever was in that hole had left the soldier shaking like a leaf. "Give us a minute Corporal!" he said to Aldus. Returning his attention to his patient, he kept his own voice steady, continually reassuring the young man until the shivering slowed down.

"Where's my rifle?" Hector asked, as his eyes looked everywhere but the hole in the pavement.

Semmel slid his own off his back and placed it in the groping hands. "Take mine. I've still got a pistol, so no worries, right?"

The private's breathing slowed as his hands stroked the stock of the weapon. "Yeah. Right!" He grasped the offered hand and let himself be lifted to his feet. "Thanks Semmel."

The Medic grinned reassuringly at him. "You say that now. Wait till you get my bill!"

The other man leaned forward till their foreheads butted. "You bastard!" he laughed jerkily before turning back up the street.

Semmel took a moment to collect himself before following the group. I could 'a been a barber, or a truck driver! But I just ~had~ to be a medic!'. He shook his head ruefully, then unsnapped the holster on his hip. Make that 'Combat Medic', he amended.

Falken stopped both groups a block short of the plaza. With Quinby following in support, he approached the end of the street. From behind a large planter at the edge of the plaza, he swept the area with his binoculars. What he saw was not pleasing in the least.

Groups of Grim were wandering around the base of the communication tower, their movements not as random as he'd hoped. Tilting the binoculars up, he scanned the tops of the buildings on the far side. A half dozen white and red masks were visible on the highest rooftops.

'Well, that tears it', he thought bitterly. Reports of the White Fang working with the Grim on the day of the Fall were confirmed. He passed the glasses to Quinby, silently pointing out the buildings where the Faunas were keeping watch. The Private grunted in surprise as he took in the numbers they would be facing at a later date.

Handing back the binoculars, Quinby glanced down at his rifle, then back at the open area and the black shapes moving in it. "Recon only! Damn straight." he whispered. He turned to follow the Sergeant back the way they'd come when all hell broke loose from where the rest of the group waited.

Hart crouched near the open doorway, watching the retreating back of the Sergeant as he moved forward to scout the plaza at the end of the street.

The others in her group had spread out on two sides of the building, watching the alley and back the direction they'd come from for any signs of movement. Akiko and Tan dropped down from the rooftops as Aldus' section moved back across the street to join the rest.

She glanced at the sign in the shuttered window and sighed in regret. 'Custom Craft' had been run by a young couple who lived above their shop. Skilled metalworkers, she'd chosen them to make a dagger, the one she'd promised Akiko for her partner's upcoming birthday. The gift now resided in her desk in the dormitory, still in its festive wrapping. Someday, when the Grim had been driven out, she planned to retrieve it.

From the open doorway next to her came a soft wail of distress, the kind a baby might make that guaranteed an instinctive need to protect in both Human and Faunas. Despite her initial response to the sound, Hart eyed the slice of darkness while trying to remember if the couple had ever mentioned being parents. The cry came again, softer this time. Unconsciously, she took a step towards the door.

"Hart! What are you doing?"

Akiko's angry whisper made her pause again, left hand touching the door as she drew her sword. "Just checking something out.", she whispered back.

Point probing the opening as she swung the door aside, she stepped into the entryway. "Hello?", she called softly, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the gloom.

Hairs at the base of her neck stood on end as the wail sounded again, this time from the shadowed ceiling. A burst of Aura ignited the blade in her hand, the ruddy glow reflecting off a score of multifaceted eyes looking down at her upturned face.

She almost got the blade up before a dark shaped dropped onto her.

A/N : Did you know that being a ( relatively ) nice person doesn't necessarily mean you won't leave others wondering 'what's going to happen next?' for maybe a week or two?

" Remember! This is a job, and you all signed up for it!" Oobleck never said it was safe.

Keep writing!

Vindictious