Disclaimer: I do not own the characters to Calvin and Hobbes or Garfield, they are owned by Bill Watterson and Jim Davis respectfully. I do however, own everyone else.
Readying themselves, everyone grew tense, fingers on the trigger. Leaning beside Calvin, Hobbes with a Ak-47 in his hands was more infuriated than everyone else. He walked into an ambush. Ashamed, he wanted to extract revenge on those little bastards, and he wanted to do it now, ignorant of Calvin's ideal of letting them come closer, to be larger targets for his riflemans aim. Being children after all, they would be able to cut down more. As bullets continued to pick away at the ramparts, the cats complied by inching closer and closer. With each step they took, it was another step closer to their graves. Fifty yards, thirty, man they were closer.
"Just a little closer" Calvin told them. His followers were looking at him as if crazy.
Seeing those eyes through the blasts of hot fire, Hobbes already had his dander up long enough.
"Kill them! Kill them all!" he roared, raising his weapon and blazed away. One cat fell, giving a blood curling scream. Then another was hit and fell on it's back. They were falling like bowling pins suddenly. Other members rose up and fired as well, a ragged volley dealt into the column. Officers were going about, trying to keep them in line, their orders were virtually useless like this attack. Other members began to throw lead right back into the tree line where the ambush occured, but their rounds had untold effect. Trees, trunks, and vast under growth well concealed sharpshooters that fired back. Eventually, fire from them began to slacken as well. Bullets were right on and casualties were piling up fast. Those in the tree line were throwing out lead as fast as they could, but the garrison had played their cards right, well concealed behind stout defenses with good weapons, it was useless to take up another drive to try and take the fort.
"Fall back!" came the order. The cats were more than happy to comply. Green grass was turning red under their blood as more and more fell. No cover was available, cats just took it like men. Arming a grenade, Hobbes give it the full strength of his arm. Hitting, rolling, and eventually detonating, this small explosion did not cause any casualties, but it did shatter already fragile moral and sent the enemy column fleeing back to the depths in which they came.
As for the column in the field, the return fire was heavy and accurate. In just moments, twelve of their number had crumbled down, their blood soaking the green grass. Members picked up their weapons and ammunition to carry on with the fight, but through it all, cat fire was woefully inaccurate. Those shots that didn't go over head buried themselves into the ground below the fort.
Yielding ground that was hard fought for, cats thought that they would be safe once far away from the fort, say 300 yards, but it was a long journey to reach that distance. A journey that was riddled with more fire. Three more of their number fell as Hobbes readied a hand grenade.
Giving this baseball size weapon all he could, Hobbes threw it out, only to see it land far short of his target. Still, when it detonated, spewing fragments of razor sharp metal, it was this that broke the back of the attack. Unharmed but phased, the cats finally broke and high tailed it back to the depths in which they came, much to the delight of Calvin, Susie, and others. Hobbes still wasn't satisfied. Egg was on his face. How could he have walked into an ambush? Cats. He was a cat and he walked into it. Attempting to console his friend, Calvin assured him that it wasn't his fault, "This is war, and you are a tiger. You can't expect to know and see everything that happens"
"No, but I can try" Hobbes growled.
"We took out a number of them" Calvin exclaimed, "Our party counted twenty of them in the woods and out in the field. We did pretty good"
Still unmoved, Hobbes growled and returned to his bed.
Howls from wounded and the silence of the dead marked the furthest advance the cats made towards the fort. They didn't get close, but they did deal a blow to Calvin's force. They began to realize the vulnerability of their position. Outnumbered, outgunned, and out of everything else, Susie noted to herself, "So this is how the men at the Alamo fealt when the Mexicans came over the walls"
The last attack was beaten off, but it wasn't going to keep as this. Everyone knew that the cats would come back, and that this fort, this pile of puny dirt and sticks was a thorn in his side and would soon become the focal point of Garfield's rage. Disgraced by his failure to hold Indianapolis and the collapse of his two grand divisions, the fat tabby as on the verge of total collapse it terms of his revolution and in his mind.
Though similar uprisings were popping up all over the continent, bringing with it tithing and assurance, this was only a damper on their supposive leader, the one whom began it all. Public speeches which were common on the fence were now rare as the leader shut himself from the outside world, remaining instead cooped up inside his mansion, his bed, served only by a few trusted advisors and chefs. No one dare question his judgment for one flip of his finger would bring the wrath of his body guards. For now, his army, like a wounded animal, was being cornered inside the town of Muncie. Numerous forts and miles of trenches were being constructed for one last final stand. Generals pleaded to remove themselves from this death trap, make camp somewhere more valuable, but Garfield decline, he did not wish to move himself from his home.
"We stay and fight here" he told them, "If anyone tries to leave, shoot them."
What they referred to were reports of dogs coming in from all sides. Calvin had turned himself from a bratty child into a leader almost over night. All over, people passed around his exploits by tongue, praising his bravery and audacity towards felines. His friend Hobbes was also praised, but also denounced. There were some whom questioned his loyalty. One cannot jump from side to side without a purpose. What was his?
Before this daily briefing was over, his messenger had one last bit of information to give:
"Sir, the uranium from Arizona has finally arrived, and I have our scientists already at work constructing the missiles"
Garfield didn't seem amused, staring quietly from his seat, back facing his advisor, overlooking a vast landscape of Indiana, two forts were seen being constructed on the horizon.
"Very well," he replied in a low, mono tone voice, "Have work quickly. I want this done as soon as possible"
"Yes, sir" spoke this messenger, turning and beginning to leave, only to be stopped.
"And inform my air commander, I want my fighters in the air this day. Have them destroy that little fort"
"Yes, sir" snapping, a smile on his face.
Over at Calvin's fort, the garrison, number roughly forty individuals, sat rather carelessly inside their protective works. They have invested much time in throwing up earth and wood, now came a time to rest, get some food, and some sleep. Provisions, though strained a bit, were enough to provide comfort. There was a kettle of hearty stew and bread being passed about by the girls whom prepared it. Bowls were handed out, then she came along with a scoop, splashed it's contents, the Candance came and gave out slices of white bread. Drink came only in water. Though not to their liking, it was clean and cool, to quench their thirst from their hard work. Once each member was given their food, the two girls sat close to Calvin and Hobbes, partaking in their own preparation. Dabbing the bread inside their stew, they nibbled on the bread. By pure chance, Susie glanced up into the near clear sky to see several large, dark figures off in the distance.
"There are large birds over there" Susie pointed out towards the north east rather nonchalantly. No one really took notice until she peered closer and realized they were getting bigger by the second. "My, they really are big" she remarked to no one in particular as she rose up from her seat, crossed the compound of the fort to get a closer look. Seeing her do so, Calvin and Hobbes rose up to see for themselves. Using his keen hunter eyes, Hobbes zoomed in, almost squinting to see what they were. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide with terror, "Those aren't birds" he remarked, dropping his bowl and racing towards his weapon.
"Hey, I spent all morning working on that" Susie complained, but Hobbes ignored her, taking up an AK-47, throwing it over his shoulder and picking up a light machine gun.
Others were looking on, mystified. What was happening.
"Cats are coming!" Hobbes yelled.
Everyone jumped to attention, looking about. There were no cats to be had. Not a soul to be seen on earth.
"Not down here, you fools, up there!" pointing towards the birds.
"Since when do cats fly?" asked Calvin whom was baffled at this sort of riddle.
Without warning, cannon fire began to ripped apart earth by their heads. Dropping their meals and hitting the deck, the garrison soon realized that they were indeed flying cats. With high pitched whines, these unknown aircraft began to form up around the fort, in preparation for attack.
Each craft was in the shape of a box, with slightly swept back wings, a flimsy tail and a dome shaped cockpit. Crewed by two, a pilot and rear gunner/navigator, the Boxcar as it was called, was Garfield's latest weapon and it was armed to the teeth. Two bomb racks on it's wings carried two 250 pound bombs and four heavy cannons for armaments. As they came down in a steep dive, the garrison finally shook themselves out of shock, gathered up any weapons they could and began to fire back just as the first bomber unleashed its bombs and pulled up from it's dive.
"Take cover!" someone shouted and everyone scattered to the wind as the two bombs struck earth, emitting a tremendous earth tremor and a deafening roar as dirt, rock, and timber was thrown into the air. Stunned but unhurt, Calvin emerged from his shelter to see two car size craters at the very boundries of his fort. Close call. That bomber pulled away, it's rear gunner peppering with his machine gun. The next bomber came down, this time it's forward cannons blazing. This time, a bomb struck the ramparts and blew it to bits, creating a sizable gap in the walls. One after another, the bombers came, causing more and more damage. Braving their fire, Hobbes picked up a machine gun, mounted it on a large piece of timber, and began to fire back as a few others picked up weapons as well to reply back. Lieutenant Rice Wine, a Siamese cat and his tail gunner Sparkle, a gray tabby with faded white stripes, both were new, eager, inexperienced aviators, lured to this branch of the service with the promise of better pay and adventure with aircraft. As they came down, their aircraft lurched forward. Recovering quickly, Wine looked at his instruments to see that he was losing fuel and coolant, fast. Pulling out of his dive early, and still armed with his bombs, Wine set a course to return to base, informing his squadron commander about his situation. Still in the air thirty seconds later, Wine realized that he wasn't going to make it back, fuel was gone, and now a fire was reported in the engine compartment.
"Get out!" ordering his gunner to do so. Like a meteor, the jet came screaming down, engulfed in flames, smacking into a farming field a few miles away from the fort where the people rejoiced in it's down fall. One down, eleven to go, but their would be no more meteors falling from the sky. One by one, the Boxcars came down, unleashed their cargo, strafed them with two passes each, then went home, leaving the fort a smoldering ruin.
With one of their own down, the rest of the fighters still were relentless in their pounding of the fort. Bombs coupled with strafing turned the fort into a virtual shambles. Fires broke out near the magazine and there came a great rush to remove as much of it as possible before a earth shaking explosion destroyed them all. Throwing up an umbrella of fire up, Hobbes made their approaches difficult, but by then, the damage had been done. After thirty minutes of nonstop pummeling, the cats broke off the action and returned to their base, victorious.
Twelve fighter/bombers had turned G.R.O.S.S fort into a shell of it's former self. Several smaller fires had broken out inside the works. Wielding blankets and piling up dirt, the garrison, horribly shaken but unharmed, managed to put all of them.
"Well that was an interesting experience" Calvin joked as he surveyed the wreckage.
"I'll say." concurred Hobbes, "I place my money they'll have more here. They will keep us pinned down and destroy us as they move up their army"
Those words didn't seem to cause much of a stir in Calvin's mind as the two entered their fort. Susie and Candance were running about trying to salvage as much of the food as possible. Similar such parties, after quenching the flames, went out into the woods to fell trees to be used in replacing the lost walls. Cutting down saplings and using ropes to haul them along, the small garrison began patching up the damage and Hobbes set about to strengthen up the outer defenses. When saplings were cut down, their branches were removed. Using those, the tiger planted them into the ground, creating a tangled mess called an abates. Craters caused by aerial bombing were filled up as the holes were shored up as best as possible Susie and the girls made a count of all the weapons and supplies that were still left. News was not bright. Much water and meat that had arrived for them was now burned or spilled. Only three days worth of food was left and even less in water.
"We'll have to send out foragers" Hobbes insisted.
"Why would we send out criminals?" Calvin asked.
"What?"
"Yes, you said foragers"
"Yes?"
"Then why would we send out those that forge checks?"
"Not forgers, you idiot. Foragers!"
When this small matter was decided, a party of three took up as many pales and bottles as they could carry and sought to find a fresh stream. Two guards kept up a watch as they drowned their containers, sucking up it's contents. Not a shot was fired in their direction as they safely returned to their fort. It was a small victory for them. This sector was relatively quiet for the moment, but several miles away in the confines of Muncie, it was a war zone of it's own.
A messenger, stalk white with fear, held a letter in one hand, the other nervously reached for the knob that allowed him access into Garfield's chamber. It's hinges squeaked as he gained access, there the great leader sat, back towards him.
"What is it?" he asked lowly.
"N…n….nothing important, sir" he chocked out, his fingers fumbling with this piece of paper, "Just that our forts are still under construction. There are more supports coming our way."
"Very well, inform my chef that I'll have my lasagna here, tonight"
"Yes, sir" replying, taking a deep breath. Turning to leave, Garfield called out to him abruptly.
"I have grown tired of this band of rebels. I want every available soldier to muster up and take that blasted fort by any means necessary. Inform General Rats that he will be placed in command."
"Yes, sir"
General Rats was the newest of the general staff. He wasn't much for appearance. Generals are commonly referred to as being tall, mature, dashing, charismatic, but then there was Rats. Born a stray, this five year old calico had mattered gray hair, unkempt, one eye that was lame, one ear dead, just flopping along as he walked, signs of a veteran. Yet, he contained a valuable set of knowledge of how to lead cats, just like Garfield. When word was passed that he would led a force to destroy this enemy fort, Rats took it very seriously. Calling a officers call, or meeting, he laid out the ground work for his plan to them all to see.
Permitted to use as many soldiers as deemed necessary, Rats decided to place a tough security force of five hundred hand picked soldiers. They would sneak around to encompass the fort, preventing anyone from escaping. Their iron ring would also overtake their own forces, to prevent cowards from skulking away.
When the battle would commence, this force would be used a decoy, spreading out the garrison, giving them a shoulder to look over, and provide suppressing fire as the main body, the real attackers, would charge at one point, from due east. Artillery would be available as well, two batteries of howitzers would be wheeled up to hammer the defenses as everything is put together.
Those soldiers available, the Black Cat Brigade and two batteries, eight guns, were rolled in and began to unleash harassing fire onto the fort, well out of range to be hit in return. This went on for two days, dawn through dusk, with infiltrators constantly picking at them from the trees and with surprise raids. Though there was a lot of fire exchanged, there were few casualties inflicted, and yet, the garrison was beginning to feel the effect of strain. Worn down to a nub, Calvin and Hobbes were helpless to make a move when Rat's main body finally arrived from Muncie via train, where he immediately put them to work to encompass the entire fort before any more reinforcements or dispatchers could work their way through. When this happened, Rats silenced his guns to conserve their valuable ammunition, giving Calvin a chance to take a gander of the terrain without worrying about having his head be carried off. Tall green grass swayed in the fields as a gentle wind began to touch their very tips. It was a warm day, a day in numbers that wree utterly forgotten. After all of the torment being dealt to them, no one had kept track of the days, it didn't matter for they were numbers. As he looked out, there were several heads seem to be moving out of the north. Looking south, another body of cats were moving as well.
"Holy!" Calvin exclaimed.
Waking up Hobbes and Susie from their first sleep in a long time, he told them to their was a foul plot afoot. Not making sense of what he was saying, the two mounted a perch to see for themselves, by then, larger bodies of cats were moving.
"They're trying to surround us" Hobbes told them.
"then we must leave now before it's too late!" Susie exclaimed.
"it's already too late" Hobbes told them lowly so no one else could hear. A bullet richocted off the ground near them, causing the trio to dive for cover. Was he right? Could be, but Calvin felt that now it was time to make a ultimate descision. No longer harassed by artillery, Calvin ordered his entire company to gather with him in the center compound of the fort. Two sentries were left to keep watch, well within ear shot of this proceeding. Standing in front of them, Calvin began to feel like Colonel Travis at the Alamo, except they would not have to suffer a similar fate. With a weight sitting in the pit of his empty stomach, he finally came up with the right words to tell them. News was grim. No new people or supplies had arrived, and provisions were running out. Assembled inside the compound of the fort. In the predawn darkness of the third day of the siege, as the morning mist still clung heavily on the wet grassy earth, he asked all of them what they wanted to do.
"I can't sugar coat it" he told them, "Those flea bags are moving in more and more troops, it's only a matter of time before this place is surrounded and destroyed." he carefully observed all of the young faces looking at him. Tired, ragged, wanting of sleep and good food, much were older than him, some of other genders, and races, all bound by their common devotion of quelling this rebellion.
"Those of you who wish to leave, can do so now, while there is still time" Here, he offered a chance to escape. Their was no cowardice for those whom wished to jump the walls. Live to fight another day, was their motto. Not giving another word to them, the boy general departed to his flimsy shelter. Hobbes was already there, trying to catch up on some sleep.
When night time came, a light shower began to fall. No one said a word as some went about to pack up their belongings to head out. Some were taking Calvin's offering of escape. There was no show of cowardice from those that remained behind, it was their choice. Most that chose to leave were wounded to begin with and needed better medical attention that could be provided here. Susie came up to them:
"Why don't you leave, girls shouldn't be involved in a fight like this" Calvin told her softly.
"I can't" she told him strongly, "This is my fight as well. They took my parents, burned my home, and forced me to live on the land. This is every bit of my fight as it is yours"
Nodding in acceptance, Calvin next turned his gaze to Candance, halfway concealed behind Susie.
"What about you?" he asked.
"Me to. My own Cuddles is out there fighting against me" My parent's are gone as well, and they will pay."
Two would stay with them. As he conferred with Hobbes, he told of the girl's choices. "Did you know that Candance had a cat named Cuddles"
"Really?" Hobbes asked.
"Now it's out there, fighting for that fat cat. Wonder why it would decide to fight those that cared for him?"
"Probably because they named it Cuddles" Hobbes retorted.
By night fall, the very last had left, shrinking away into the darkness towards the west. There was only twenty people inside the fort of G.R.O.S.S less than half of it's original number, but they still held firm the belief that they could hold out until reinforcements arrived.
"Boy are we in a nut" remarked Calvin as he prepared to get some more sleep. There was no sign of activity this night, nothing new to remark. Just some campfire to the east.
As he began to nod off, the cats began to stir. There was much work to be done before Rats committed them to battle. Engineers, or sappers, were issued their short axes and officers, looking over a detailed diorama of the fort, informed them where they needed to make their gap. Artillery was wasn't going to be needed, it had done it's part for the siege, giving the defenders not a night's rest until now. Now, their muzzles were silent. Instead, Rats ordered his infantry to form into three columns of attack to conceal themselves inside the forest to the immediate east of the fort. As they waited, five hundred others began to sneak around the flanks encompassing the entire fort. This was Rat's security force, to prevent defenders from taking flight or their own numbers.
Everything was quiet up to this point. All sounds were muffled as best as possible. No shouts, calls, or any other noise. Suprise was key. The defenders were sound asleep, only one sentry was on duty, Miller, a young, blonde hair, freckle faced seven year old and he was drowsy, unable to detect their advance. As the forces began to grow closer and closer, Rats found himself in a tree over looking the fort. It was a great place to watch the battle unfold. His first column began to move forward.
Officers were fresh and green, as were the soldiers they were leading. Even though surprise was sought, it was quickly lost when officers began to shout, "Forward! Go forward! Long live Garfield!"
Jumping up from his shelter, Calvin looked out into the field to see the first sappers going to work.
"Hobbes!" he cried, "They're here!" shaking his tiger wildly, screaming into his ear.
200 soldiers comprised the assault company as they stormed towards the fort, their axes began chopping away at the hard abates as Calvin's followers threw every bit of strength they had left at them. With their short axes, these cats of all shapes and colors, began to hack their way through oak and hickory branches, their tips sharpened to a point and tied together to prevent being moved about. It took a great deal of time, climbing over sharp points, on their backs, dodging bullets before a sizable gap could be opened, by then, most of their number were laying helpless. Rats constant probes have worn down Calvin, ammunition was low, but spirits were up as the 1st Column made the first gallant charge right for it, and right into Hobbes's mine field. Explosions went up in rapid succession as one soldier set off one mine, then others would fall and set off others. Undaunted, survivors pressed towards the wall as Calvin rested his AK-47 on the wall and fired away, carefully. Hobbes was at his side. Occasionally, he would arm and heave a grenade into a densely packed group of attackers. There would be a blinding flash, then moans would mark just how far their advance had come.
Rats was watching. Knowing full well that those inside would sell their lives dearly, he saved his best troops to go in last. When the 1st Column was defeated and sent rearing back, the 2nd was ordered in. Blowing bugles, and firing wildly, these second rate troops rushed right through the shattered survivors of the first wave, into the gap, and into the field. This to was greeted by a shower of grenades and automatic fire as the garrison now fully committed itself. Calvin and Hobbes kept the gap a vortex of fire, firing and throwing grenades. Susie and two other girls went about handing ammunition, what was left of it. Three followers were picking away at Rat's security column, believing them to be the focal point of the attack. Indeed this force was slowly edging its way closer to the fort, the real attacking force was shattered inside the gap. In less than half an hour, the 2nd Column was almost destroyed. Quickly, Rats committed his last force, the Black Cat Brigade. With utter force, shoulder to shoulder, a balck wall marched forward, officers in the forefront, waving short swords to guide the way. Refugees came streaming back, some wounded, others cowards. They tried to force their way around the Black Cats, but their ranks could not be broken.
"Just drop and we'll run over you!" they shouted to them. The firing escalated as they reached the gap in the abates. Rounds began to rip into them and soldiers dropped at every step. Calvin was still popping off rounds, Hobbes heaving grenades, everything was moving smoothly, there was no fear or cowardice on their part. The bodies were so stacked up inside the gap that it created a plug that needed to be blown up or physically manhandled. Despite the growing body count, Rats remained confident.
"Tell my security force to begin their advance on the fort" he informed a messenger. This dispatch was carried out and now, within range, this force began to close in on the fort from all sides.
Finding themselves the nut in a cruncher, the garrison began to panic. Shots were going out every which way, loss in control became a mortal wound as everyone else except our trio began to hide themselves instead of fight. At the breach, the engineers cleared away all barriers and Black Cats made one more charge toards the walls. Calvin and Hobbes greeted them with heavy fire, but they had no choice but to yield to them.
They came spilling over the wall. Far too many to count. With his ammunition spent, Calvin ordered everyone at his side to fall back. Before he could issue such an order, something whacked him in the temple. Knocked against the parapet, semiconscious, blood streaming down to his cheek, he was out of the fight.
Seeing his friend go down, Hobbes stopped and charged to retrieve him. An officer of the Black Cats saw him, "Kill the traitor!" he cried, emptying a pistol. Throwing down his rifle, Hobbes attempted to lift his friend away, only to be fallen upon by a wall of bayonets. Pierced in the chest, stomach, and both arms, he lay on the ground, hands just inches away from his friend.
Susie fled for her life from one end of the fort to the other, screaming frantically that all was lost. There was perhaps only six defenders left, confined to a small corner of their fort. It was hopeless to try an attempt an escape, the security force had since advanced on the fort, tightening it's cordon. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she implored those still alive to save themselves as best they could, that Calvin and Hobbes had fallen. Through the smoke came the scattered bands of cats, rifles and bayonets gleaming in the moonlight. Like a wave, they descended on the pitiful band of survivors whom sold their lives dearly. In just moments, they were dispatched with much hatred. Blood blinding one eye, Calvin opened his other, painfully to see cats, victorious ones, running about in his fort. Cheering was rampant as they waved their colors from over the walls. A figure came into his vision. It wasn't Hobbes. Kneeling down, this figure knew he was still alive.
"For you, the war is over" it said to him.
Sighing, he slowly closed his eyes and fell to sleep….