~*~Disclaimer=me no own!~*~I now how this is gonna end, but d'ya want a
really sad ending or a 'dude, I learnt something today' ending or a just
generally happy ending? Hmm. ~*~
Trip stared at the ceiling; his bed was as hard as nails. His roommate was due to come off duty any minute now, nice enough guy. Very quiet, never said a lot, but then again it wasn't like Trip could talk to him.
*At least, Ah can understand what they're sayin' it don't sound like German ta me, more like English with a dodgy accent.*
The door opened and Trip looked up.
His roommate threw himself down on the other bed and sighed.
"Something wrong?" Trip asked.
"I'm tired off this"
"Of what?"
"Of this! Guarding those Tommie bastards day in day out."
"It's better than the front."
"Yeah well, at least at the front I'd be doing something useful!"
"I'd rather be here than the front."
"Then you're just a coward aren't you?"
*Someone's feelin' talkative today!*
"I'm not a coward."
"I am."
"And you came to this conclusion when?"
There was a long pause. Trip had just resumed counting the holes in the ceiling when his roommate piped up:
"What did you do before you got enlisted Max?"
"Me?"
*No the invisible person in this room.......O' course it's you!*
"I was a mechanic; my brother got enlisted before me and was sent to the front. He died so I had to keep working round the clock to get everything done."
"In every war there are casualties Max."
*Ya unfeeling sonofabitch!*
"What do you reckon is worse, war or hell?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Just answer me. Which is worse, war or hell?"
"Hell of course-why what do you think?"
"Well, only people who've been really bad go to hell don't they?"
"Yeah, I suppose."
"No body whose innocent goes to hell do they?"
"Get to the point Max."
"Well, if you think about it there are innocent people dying left right and centre in war but in hell only really bad people suffer. So I think War is worse."
"I guess....I wouldn't let the Kommandante hear you talking like that though."
"I won't, I'm not stupid."
*Well.....that was an unusual conversation.*
"Max, what happened with you and the blonde prisoner? Why didn't you shoot him before he shot you?"
"I'll tell you some other time. Go to sleep."
"You bottled out didn't you? You couldn't do it could you? You were right. You shouldn't be at the front, you'd put to many lives in jeopardy."
"Shut up."
The room fell quiet.
*Wow, ya can almost feel the love in this room.* Trip thought sarcastically.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"ANDY YOU'RE A BLOODY GENIUS!" John yelled happily.
"It was nothing," Malcolm muttered blushing crimson.
*Quit being so modest Andy. Of course you could take this opportunity to make them feel guilty, y'know for taking the mickey 24/7. Then again, maybe not.*
"EVERYBODY CHIP IN TO HELP WITH THE CONSTRUCTION!" Colonel Attercombe yelled. "EVERYMAN DOES HIS FAIR SHARE!"
"THREE CHEERS FOR ANDY!" Alfie shouted.
"Hip, hip!"
"HORRAY!"
"Hip, hip!"
"HORRAY!"
"Hip, hip!"
"HORRAY!"
Malcolm went even redder.
"It was nothing, anyone could've thought of it." He muttered modestly.
As the others filed out, Colonel Attercombe held Malcolm back.
"Andy, the goons have agreed. They want one of ours to fight one of theirs. We've got two weeks to prepare for this." He said seriously. "We can only take a maximum of twelve, any more and it'll be too noticeable. You are definitely getting out, the other eleven we'll pick in a draw. It's not as many as the original tunnel would've gotten out but it's still more than any other camp has ever gotten out. It's all down to you. You've given the men fresh hope Andy-good work."
"Thank you sir." said Malcolm.
"I know you've had a pretty rough time of it round here." The Colonel continued "But when you go, take this to intelligence HQ"
He held out a small box. Malcolm took it.
"What is it sir?" he asked.
"Two months before you arrived, we got a spy in our midst. Before he was uncovered he gave me this to give to HQ if anybody ever got out. That was right before they put him before a firing squad." Attercombe replied. "The information within that box is crucial to the war effort. It is imperative they get it."
"Understood sir." said Malcolm staring at the box with interest. "I'll do my best."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hoshi stared at her friends motionless forms. Doctor Phlox had gone to lunch after Hoshi promised to notify him if anything happened.
Now she almost wished she hadn't, the silence was unbearable, unnatural.
"Hey guys, you should wake up now. Get out of history and into the present." She tried. "Malcolm, I know you must be in seventh heaven right now surrounded by all those guns making all those tactical decisions, but we need you to make those decisions here."
She turned to Trip.
"Trip would you wake up if I told you I'd set your precious engines on fire? Or spread pecan pie across engineering? Didn't think so." She sighed.
"In less than 15 hours you'll both be dead. There's nothing anyone can do for you. C'mon where's your survival instinct?!" She exclaimed.
The eerie quiet filled the room once more and she sobered slightly.
"I need you, we all need you. Please don't die."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Two weeks later (Malcolm and Trip time) or one hour remaining (Normal time)~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
"Has everybody got their stuff?" Malcolm asked.
The men behind him nodded and clutched their duffel bags. They looked like a cross between nervous and excited.
The boxing ring had been set up. It was their man against the Germans man, with one slight twist-twelve of them would be getting out. Ducking beneath a strategically placed table, moving the outer planks of wood and then crawling into the hollow space beneath the boxing ring. From then on they just had to drop into the hole they'd dug to join up to the original tunnel and get through as fast as possible. Timing was crucial.
The other men knew their place; they all had to clump together round the boxing ring so no one would notice that some of them were slowly disappearing.
Trip was outside the mesh fence watching with interest, he cheered as loudly as he could when the match started.
Something caught his eye. He started. Unsure of what to do he kept watching. His eyes resting on the scruffy blonde man. The man dropped down suddenly and disappeared. Trip's eyes roamed around the camp looking for the best place of exit.
The forest. It had to be the forest; it was the only way that provided cover.
Hands trembling as they clutched his rifle Trip moved so he could view the opening of the forest.
"I'm gonna shoot first this time." He muttered.
*Aww hell......*
Malcolm crawled through the tunnel as fast as he could. He'd already taken the skin of his knees and elbows in his haste.
*Hoshi wouldn't like this. Far too cramped.*
He reached up at the end of the tunnel and threw the exit hatch open. He raised his head and peered out. Good no guards in sight. Malcolm raised his head a bit more, satisfied no one was around to see him he climbed out and raced into the forest, dragging his duffel bag behind him.
"Gotcha" Trip whispered following him.
~*~Please review! I have a feeling the next chapter might be the last and then I might do a little epilogue. Till next time!~*~
Trip stared at the ceiling; his bed was as hard as nails. His roommate was due to come off duty any minute now, nice enough guy. Very quiet, never said a lot, but then again it wasn't like Trip could talk to him.
*At least, Ah can understand what they're sayin' it don't sound like German ta me, more like English with a dodgy accent.*
The door opened and Trip looked up.
His roommate threw himself down on the other bed and sighed.
"Something wrong?" Trip asked.
"I'm tired off this"
"Of what?"
"Of this! Guarding those Tommie bastards day in day out."
"It's better than the front."
"Yeah well, at least at the front I'd be doing something useful!"
"I'd rather be here than the front."
"Then you're just a coward aren't you?"
*Someone's feelin' talkative today!*
"I'm not a coward."
"I am."
"And you came to this conclusion when?"
There was a long pause. Trip had just resumed counting the holes in the ceiling when his roommate piped up:
"What did you do before you got enlisted Max?"
"Me?"
*No the invisible person in this room.......O' course it's you!*
"I was a mechanic; my brother got enlisted before me and was sent to the front. He died so I had to keep working round the clock to get everything done."
"In every war there are casualties Max."
*Ya unfeeling sonofabitch!*
"What do you reckon is worse, war or hell?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Just answer me. Which is worse, war or hell?"
"Hell of course-why what do you think?"
"Well, only people who've been really bad go to hell don't they?"
"Yeah, I suppose."
"No body whose innocent goes to hell do they?"
"Get to the point Max."
"Well, if you think about it there are innocent people dying left right and centre in war but in hell only really bad people suffer. So I think War is worse."
"I guess....I wouldn't let the Kommandante hear you talking like that though."
"I won't, I'm not stupid."
*Well.....that was an unusual conversation.*
"Max, what happened with you and the blonde prisoner? Why didn't you shoot him before he shot you?"
"I'll tell you some other time. Go to sleep."
"You bottled out didn't you? You couldn't do it could you? You were right. You shouldn't be at the front, you'd put to many lives in jeopardy."
"Shut up."
The room fell quiet.
*Wow, ya can almost feel the love in this room.* Trip thought sarcastically.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"ANDY YOU'RE A BLOODY GENIUS!" John yelled happily.
"It was nothing," Malcolm muttered blushing crimson.
*Quit being so modest Andy. Of course you could take this opportunity to make them feel guilty, y'know for taking the mickey 24/7. Then again, maybe not.*
"EVERYBODY CHIP IN TO HELP WITH THE CONSTRUCTION!" Colonel Attercombe yelled. "EVERYMAN DOES HIS FAIR SHARE!"
"THREE CHEERS FOR ANDY!" Alfie shouted.
"Hip, hip!"
"HORRAY!"
"Hip, hip!"
"HORRAY!"
"Hip, hip!"
"HORRAY!"
Malcolm went even redder.
"It was nothing, anyone could've thought of it." He muttered modestly.
As the others filed out, Colonel Attercombe held Malcolm back.
"Andy, the goons have agreed. They want one of ours to fight one of theirs. We've got two weeks to prepare for this." He said seriously. "We can only take a maximum of twelve, any more and it'll be too noticeable. You are definitely getting out, the other eleven we'll pick in a draw. It's not as many as the original tunnel would've gotten out but it's still more than any other camp has ever gotten out. It's all down to you. You've given the men fresh hope Andy-good work."
"Thank you sir." said Malcolm.
"I know you've had a pretty rough time of it round here." The Colonel continued "But when you go, take this to intelligence HQ"
He held out a small box. Malcolm took it.
"What is it sir?" he asked.
"Two months before you arrived, we got a spy in our midst. Before he was uncovered he gave me this to give to HQ if anybody ever got out. That was right before they put him before a firing squad." Attercombe replied. "The information within that box is crucial to the war effort. It is imperative they get it."
"Understood sir." said Malcolm staring at the box with interest. "I'll do my best."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hoshi stared at her friends motionless forms. Doctor Phlox had gone to lunch after Hoshi promised to notify him if anything happened.
Now she almost wished she hadn't, the silence was unbearable, unnatural.
"Hey guys, you should wake up now. Get out of history and into the present." She tried. "Malcolm, I know you must be in seventh heaven right now surrounded by all those guns making all those tactical decisions, but we need you to make those decisions here."
She turned to Trip.
"Trip would you wake up if I told you I'd set your precious engines on fire? Or spread pecan pie across engineering? Didn't think so." She sighed.
"In less than 15 hours you'll both be dead. There's nothing anyone can do for you. C'mon where's your survival instinct?!" She exclaimed.
The eerie quiet filled the room once more and she sobered slightly.
"I need you, we all need you. Please don't die."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Two weeks later (Malcolm and Trip time) or one hour remaining (Normal time)~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
"Has everybody got their stuff?" Malcolm asked.
The men behind him nodded and clutched their duffel bags. They looked like a cross between nervous and excited.
The boxing ring had been set up. It was their man against the Germans man, with one slight twist-twelve of them would be getting out. Ducking beneath a strategically placed table, moving the outer planks of wood and then crawling into the hollow space beneath the boxing ring. From then on they just had to drop into the hole they'd dug to join up to the original tunnel and get through as fast as possible. Timing was crucial.
The other men knew their place; they all had to clump together round the boxing ring so no one would notice that some of them were slowly disappearing.
Trip was outside the mesh fence watching with interest, he cheered as loudly as he could when the match started.
Something caught his eye. He started. Unsure of what to do he kept watching. His eyes resting on the scruffy blonde man. The man dropped down suddenly and disappeared. Trip's eyes roamed around the camp looking for the best place of exit.
The forest. It had to be the forest; it was the only way that provided cover.
Hands trembling as they clutched his rifle Trip moved so he could view the opening of the forest.
"I'm gonna shoot first this time." He muttered.
*Aww hell......*
Malcolm crawled through the tunnel as fast as he could. He'd already taken the skin of his knees and elbows in his haste.
*Hoshi wouldn't like this. Far too cramped.*
He reached up at the end of the tunnel and threw the exit hatch open. He raised his head and peered out. Good no guards in sight. Malcolm raised his head a bit more, satisfied no one was around to see him he climbed out and raced into the forest, dragging his duffel bag behind him.
"Gotcha" Trip whispered following him.
~*~Please review! I have a feeling the next chapter might be the last and then I might do a little epilogue. Till next time!~*~