CHANGE OF PLANS
Corporal Damien Summers is running through a street at full pace, running toward the park, he runs into the park and jumps in the muddy ditch where Bull is helping dig a fox hole.
"Bull!" Damien tries to get his attention but can hardly breathe from the sprint he had just done.
"What is it Damo?" bull inquires.
"Our reinforcements are here, including a convoy of tanks!" he says still huffing and puffing.
"Tanks?" bull asks in shock.
"Yeah tanks!"
"Brilliant! But General Lennox said we'd only begetting infantry and battle walkers" he ponders for a second, "Ahh well fuck it! Send them with the sentinels to the front line! Kill 'em all!"
"I'll go tell them, what about the infantry?" he questions.
"I have orders from General Lennox that they are to be position at north eastern end of the park for a special mission tomorrow morning." He answers.
"Sure thing bull!" he says before pulling himself out of the foxhole in the making and turning back toward the casino end of the park to run.
He runs hard down the street his submachine gun in hand until he reaches the convoy of tanks and sentinels.
The tank captain opens his hatch and stops the convoy.
"Hey Captain" Damo says to him breathing heavily.
"Hey! Where do you want us?" he asks.
"You and the sentinels are going to the far side of the park and break their lines! Kill all retreating enemies!" he tells him.
The infantry captain moves up to Damo.
"Alright sentinels! You're coming with us!" he says before getting back into his tank and closing the hatch.
"Where do you want us corporal?" the infantry captain asks.
"Captain Tyson. You and your men are holding the north east side until tomorrow morning you have a special mission." He yells to be heard over the sound of the tanks and the sentinels moving past them.
"Alright men! Move out!" he commands as they begin to walk off.
Damo just stand there and takes a breather, catching his breath.
The console of a battle walker shows the time 16:32 and through the bullet proof front window the enemy gets gunned down by the tanks and Sentinels of the Dreadnaught war machine. Some of the enemy attempt to flee the area but are mowed down in the process while other braver, courageous, battle hardened men fight back against the machines of war presently massacring them.
When defeat on the enemy's side seems imminent the sentinel driver notices the jet streams that fill the sky and the rockets that are flying toward him and his comrades.
"Ohh shit!" he says defeated.
The rockets destroy many tanks and walkers the jet soldiers fly over head unleashing a storm of explosions upon the ground.
Billy the kid and his 15 men hide in the bushes watching this counter attack that is killing his fellow soldiers until he can't watch any longer.
"Fire at will!" he roars getting to his feet and firing his assault rifle at the heavily armoured jet winged soldier that have landed on the ground but the bullets just ricochet and fly off the soldiers. Only very few of them fall.
The enemy turns around and fires back and Billy and his men, devastating their numbers.
"Fall back!" Billy screams before he starts running back to the other end of the park. He unsheathes his sword and slashes the enemy who kill the fleeing me and execute the men trying to flee the burning infernos that have become the tanks.
"Retreat!" he roars to his men as he sees the defensive line giving him and his men covering fire.
"Pull back top the Casino!" he screams after taking a deep breath. The men who held the defensive line quickly flee the line.
Billy runs hard he's still a fair way behind his comrades and he sees Damo giving covering fire from the exit of the park.
Bull turns back to see Billy jumping over the defensive line. He decides to also give him covering fire.
"Come on kid!" Bull Bellows to him.
Billy Continues running, bullets whistling past him and blast knocking him about, but he pushes through and the quickly leave the park and head back down the entrance of the Casino Car Park. They duck behind the first car they can.
"Get some men in that casino they'll attack us from behind!" bull commands.
"York Company! You're coming with me!" Damo orders running back inside the casino as Bob makes his way over to Bull.
"They're flying over the top of us!" Bob informs them, his voice filled with panic.
"Yeah I got a company in the casino!" he replies, "Bob, get me General Lennox on the phone!"
"Right away!" he replies us a squad of enemy soldiers rush down the entrance ramp.
"Open fire gents!" he roars firing his SMG at the soldiers.
Machine guns mow the enemies down where they stand and their limp bodies roll down the embankment of the ramp.
Bull gets a tap on the shoulder and turns around ducking down out of the line of sight.
"Here's the General!" Bob tells him handing over the receiver.
"General! They surrounded us with jet wing men!" he informs him in a yell to be heard over the sound of sporadic gunfire.
"Shit! Where are you?" Jason asks the captain.
"We're back in this fucking casino and there are shit-loads of 'em," he answers, "we need some reinforcements!"
"Fuck! I'm gonna send what I have to get you guys out were falling back, we haven't got the men, hold tight we'll be there soon!" Jason tells him hanging up the phone.
"Fuck!" he roars hitting the table with his clenched fist, "fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" he pauses, "James!"
"Yes?" James replies concerned.
"Who have we got spare!?" he says furiously.
"Sir, the only free company is Eagle and they're going to attack the theatre tonight!" he informs him gingerly.
"Not any more!" he bellows, "the mission is canceled! They're going to get those men out!"
"Yes sir! Phillips! Get Captain Tyler on the phone now!" he orders.
"Yes sir!" Phillips says while picking up the phone receiver.
"Get everyone to fall back to this line" Jason commands drawing a line across the northern peninsula coast to coast.
"Yes sir!" he replies, "McArthur, do it!"
"Yes sir!" he says running out of the room.
"James," he pauses, "you and I are going with eagle to free those men!"
"Sir!?" he says in total shock, "but…"
"No buts!" he cuts off James, "We are the best soldiers here we're going!"
"Yes sir!" he says after swallowing.
"I can't get a hold of anyone from Eagle sir!" Phillips informs them.
"Thank you Major! Don't worry we'll go over!!! Just get everyone behind that line!" he tells him before walking out of the door with James by his side.
Bull guns down a soldier running down the ramp firing wildly and when the soldier drops to the ground bull gets a tap on the shoulder.
"Captain Tyson is on the phone for you sir!" bob tells him handing over the phone receiver.
"Cheers!" he says grabbing the phone, "Captain? What is it?"
"Bull! We got ambushed by men with jets wings!" he tells him.
"Yeah same here! We're surrounded at the casino and General Lennox is sending men to help us pull out!" he informs him, "Get over here as fast as you can!"
"Ok we'll be there ASAP!" Captain Tyson replies before bull hangs up the phone. Bull turns to Billy who is standing next to him.
"Billy!" he says trying to get his attention.
"Yeah bull?" Billy says after ducking down out of the line of sight.
"Go tell Damo that Captain Tyson and what's left of his company is coming here and not to shoot them!" he commands.
"Done!" he says as bull stands to give covering fire for him.
Bull kills the last enemy and no more enemies are coming down the ramp so everyone ceases fire, they save their ammunition. Bull hears shots coming from outside the casino car park.
"Bob," he pauses, "did you here that?"
"Yeah, Captain Tyson?" he yells out.
"Hold your Fire men!" Bull screams watching the ramp very carefully.
Captain Tyson burst down the embankment along with his 15 or so men all firing backwards. They run quickly across the car park to the defence line.
"Boy! Are we glad to see you guys!" Captain Tyson tells Bull and Bob.
"Yeah same here!" he says as they hit each others hand as an act of friendship.
"Where do you want us?" Captain Tyson asks.
"In the Casino with Damo and York Company!" he answers pointing toward the door to the casino floor.
"Alright men you heard him! In the casino!" Captain Tyson Orders.
Bull looks over the car bonnet and sits back down against the car. He thinks to himself. I never thought I'd be back in this casino! Boy was I wrong! I want this night to go quick, but I already know that this night will seem to never end…
Jason and James drive to the hotel like bats out of hell, while Dean's men get their gear on. Meanwhile in the next room deans puts his gear on silently trying not to wake Steph. He finishes and heads out into the other room.
"Hey Captain" Rob acknowledges Dean.
"Hey lads!" Dean replies to the group.
"We're cooking steak, how do you like it?" Austin asks.
"Medium rare." Dean says with a smile on his face.
"See Hayden! The Captains a man! He's having it the way steak's supposed to be cooked, not this medium well shit!" Michael says nudging Hayden. The boys laugh and Dean smiles.
"Oi! Shut up!" Hayden tells Michael while he hits him but Michael just laughs.
They continue arguing and hitting each other but dean fades out eating the steak that Austin handed to him, thinking about the battle about to come. He prepares himself to lead his men into a dangerous mission.
He looks up to see Hayden and Michael pushing each other while Austin, Ben, Rob, Steve and David just laugh at them. He then looks down to his watch and notices that it is 8:37 pm.
He finishes his last few mouthfuls of his meal then goes over to the sink and taps Austin on the shoulder.
"Great tasting steak there mate!" he complements him.
"Thanks, it's an old family recipe!" he tells Dean.
"Is that right?" he questions further.
"Yeah! It's been in the family since before the nuclear war!" he replies.
"I might have to grab that recipe off you once we're done on this island if that's alright with you."
"It sure is!" Austin tells him with a smirk.
"Cool!" Dean says smiling, "ok men!" they all turn around to hear what the good captain has to say, "we're leaving in ten, so get you gear and I'll meet you downstairs."
"Yes sir!" the group replies as dean walks back into the room which Steph is sleeping in.
He looks at her laying the opposite way from him, tears form in his eye, questions fill his head, question like will he ever see this beautiful girl again. He shakes the thought out of his head.
Steph lies with her eyes open looking in the mirror seeing Dean standing there looking down at her with a tear rolling down his cheek. She closes her eyes hard and a tear rolls down her cheek onto the pillow.
She wants to get up and hold him so much, but she knows that he mustn't know she is awake, she knows that he must be thinking about the battle, not her!
"I love you!" dean whispers and she mouths back I love you too, so that he doesn't hear her. He moves over to the door before having one last look. He opens the door and closes it behind him.
"Captain!" Jason says as he and James enter into the main room.
"General?" dean says not quite understanding what's going on.
"You have a new mission!" Jason tells him bluntly.
"Why? What is it?" he says asking the two questions impatiently.
"Bull and his men got ambushed and are surrounded in the casino, I'm sending you to get them," he pauses, "and James and I are coming with you!" Jason informs him.
"What? Sir!" he exclaims.
"Yeah I already tried! Save yourself the energy!" James states.
"What about the theatre?" Dean asks still not understanding the bigger picture.
"We have pulled back all men to the peninsula! We don't have the men and if the reinforcements are late we will probably be over run!" Jason tells Dean and Dean is shocked.
"Shit!" he says realising the situation.
"Let's go brief you men!" Jason says heading toward the door.
"Yes sir!" Dean replies following closely behind.
Eagle Company prepares for battle to come in the lobby of the Grand Hotel Sharplex and they look up as they hear the ring of the elevator door open. Dean comes out followed by Jason and James. When the men see the General and his right hand man they immediately stand to attention.
"As you were gent!" Jason tells them.
Dean looks over to Jason as to see if he has the approval to tell the men, Jason nods and Dean looks over to the men who are looking up at him.
"Men!" he pauses, "We are no longer going to attack the theatre!" his men look around confused and disappointed. "We have a much more urgent and important mission!" he tells them and the look on with their full attention, "we have four companies of men sounded by an unknown number of enemies, and the rest of our forces are pulling back to a defensive line." He pauses, "now like always, failure is not an option!"
The men listen on in complete and utter silence now.
"We know what it's like to be surrounded; that courtyard was hell for us and we ain't gonna let them suffer like we did!" he tells them.
"This mission is so important that even the Lieutenant Cornel and I are coming along!" Jason informs them and James nods.
"So let's go get our boys!" Jason exclaims.