Chapter 25
Tom Swift called the embittered tank crew to order. "I have fixed the engine we'll be out of here in no time."
"Will they work upside down?" Asked Biggles.
"They sure will." Answered Tom. "I made them so that the gasoline feeds by air pressure, and that works in any position."
Hank and Tom wiped the grease of their hands before the latter discussed with Anthony the best means to drive out of the pit.
"It doesn't matter that we've turned turtle." Explained Ned. "The caterpillar tracks span the tank's height. We can move and with skill we can flip over back."
Biggles had spent the uncomfortable repair time listening to Benjamin Button recount his part in the glorious mass charge up the San Juan hill during the Spanish American War. The pilot was baffled as to how an individual who looks no more than fifteen could have been part of a military action that took place twenty years ago. It makes less sense than how he, an aviator, wound up in an overturned metal monstrosity buried underground with a pack of kids.
Gunfire and grenade blasts could be heard on the American lines which meant that the horde of grunting figures that passed above them were now engaging the entrenched soldiers.
Jason Gridley concentrated on his communication equipment; it seemed to function but he was endlessly flipping switches and turning dials. He dismissed any questions as to his intentions then put his earphones on, asking not to be disturbed.
"Here we go." Yelled Tom as the engine started. "Everyone grab your safety rings."
The tank lurched backwards. This was Jason's signal to take of his earphones and seize his designated gripping ring. He grabbed it just before the tracks hit the pit wall; they didn't stop. Biggles felt a strange sensation as the tank's rear began to rise; but this came to a shuddering halt as it dropped with a mighty thud. Everyone's gripping ring held its holder in place.
"Tom, we can try that again." Blared Anthony. "Make sure the tracks' teeth are firmly in the wall."
Another reverse motion sent the tank back to the pit wall. This time Tom kept the gear in full. The tracks bit into the near vertical slope and the vehicle's upturned front again raised. Dirt began to cascade past the gun ports. Jason let go of his ring and secured his equipment thus bracing it for the tipping. Gunners began to hang from their gripping rings as the vehicle virtually had its nose pointing to the sky All loose objects and dirt rolled to the back. Biggles could see the daylight through the port. There was a teasing moment when the tank teetered on its rear end as if it could fall either way. Its design favoured falling on its stomach and a sudden jolt nudged it in that direction. The fall was not as severe as all feared as the stomach landed on a diagonal incline of dirt. They were right way up again. Everyone let go of their gripping rings, set foot on the true floor and nursed their strained forearms.
"Everyone OK?" Yelled Tom, who was easing back into his right way up seat.
All crew members mumbled out a positive consensus.
"Hank. How are the engines?" Asked the young driver.
The mechanic spent a minute looking over the machinery. "They're fine Tom."
"Here we go, brace yourselves. We're going to see if we can drive out of this pit."
All gripping rings were seized again as the tank lurched forward. The dirt slope ended at the pit wall where the tracks bit into for traction. Upward went the front of the tank to stop two feet short of the pit rim. Tom maintained forward gear not wanting to lose this foothold in the wall.
Both rectangular grippers slid from their sockets; the cables, being pulled by cams and levers Tom was operating. They cleared the pit and stood vertically upon the above ground.
"Hank." Said Tom. " Those grippers are going to have to be hammered into the ground if these cables are going to pull us out of this pit."
"I'm on it Tom." Assured the mechanic as he picked up a sledge hammer and ladder.
"Ned, give Anthony and Biggles a rifle each. They can go out and cover him."
"You got it Old Man." Said Ned.
Ned opened the weapons locker and handed the two crewmen a Springfield Rifle each.
Hank opened the side hatch and left with the two riflemen following. Climbing out of the pit was easy. A cloud of dust enveloping the sky gave the landscape an alien twilight look; the many impact craters added to this eerie look. The wind had pushed a wall of dust back towards the German lines.
"That's good." Said Anthony. "Now they won't see us."
Mass gunfire could be heard on the American lines. A battle was raging. Footprints on the soft dirt of No Man's land revealed many enemies had passed without footwear, and feet that wasn't quite human.
Dark smoke marked the wreckage of the two German tanks that fired on them. Artillery had destroyed them utterly their was no chance of any crew surviving from either of them.
Hank erected the ladder beside on of the standing grippers then ascended the rungs and began to hammer the steel girder into the ground.
"That tank is heavy Hank." Said the sapir. "Those grippers will have to go deep if this is to work."
Discussion between the three indicated positivity rising after literally going down a hole.
Hank began to work on the second gripper. "If Ned is calling Tom "Old Man" again, then confidence in his friend's genius is returning."
Once the hammering was finished all crewmen except Tom left the tank and climbed to the surface. All waited to see if the tank could be driven out of the pit. Jason Gridley went aside to take an intense look at the enemy footprints.
"Well, here goes." Blared Tom through his megaphone."
The engines roared into action as the tracks bit into the pit wall and lifted the metal monstrosity's nose up towards the rim. Hydraulics reeled the cables in and tightened them. Both embedded grippers jerked but held firm as the attached cables dragged the tank to the rim. Tom increased the track's speed as the tanks body was carried over the edge. The cables continued to reel in as the vehicle went from diagonal to horizontal and rested its belly on the ground between the vertical grippers.
All crew members applauded the boy genius as he finished achieving the apparently impossible. This just left the job of extracting the steel girders from the ground before they could drive back to their lines.
A cloud of disturbed dust passed by the jubilant group.
Tom's voice blared through his megaphone again he was in the observation tower. "Everyone, get back in the tank, quick. The enemy are returning."
All rushed in for the safety of the tank. Only Biggles and Jason looked back to see the enemy horde bearing down on them. There was no attempt to shoot, nor did they seem to be uniformed. Biggles realised that this mass were not soldiers but homunculi, the savage figures created by Unit 11. Soon their grunts and growls were heard.
Both Biggles and Jason made for the tank, they were the last in. The hatch closed behind them.
"Man your battle stations." Tom Yelled.
Benjamin, Biggles, Hank and Ned got to the gun ports and seized their designated machine guns. Anthony held his rifle and made sure all hatches were locked. Jason stayed at his communication equipment and noted its settings.
"This is a freak show." Said Benjamin as he saw the twisted horrors approach them.
Biggles fired into the mass; Benjamin followed suit. Any of the approaching figures that were brought down by the guns were just replaced by many others behind them. Soon the mass climbed over and enveloped the tank. Ned and Hank fired their machine guns as homonculi showed their misshapen faces at the gun port.
Savage grunting and growling was heard at every corner of the tank along with thumping and scratching. Machine gun fire was maintained as the attackers seemed to lack the sense to to stay clear of the gunports. A pale white and talon imbued hand groped through the port to try and seize Biggles' head before gunfire tore through the reacher's body. The hand withdrew as its owner collapsed.
Benjamin remained stalwart throughout this ordeal. Biggles feared the apparent lad would breakdown under the ferocity of this assault, but he displayed the hard courage of the most seasoned soldier. Perhaps by some quirk of fate he was at the San Juan Hill twenty years ago. It was Ned who began to break down under the savage intensity all around him. A few confident words from Hank and Tom kept him at his post.
Some homunculi managed a little group effort; several pushed up the front of the tank while others jumped up and down on the rear roof. These activities rocked the tank. Tom started driving the vehicle forward. It was still attached to the the embedded grippers, but after slackening the cables, the tank could move ten meters forward crushing anyone who was in front of it. Hideous screams reverberated as many of these monsters were crushed by the huge metal bulk. Tom reached the forward limit then reversed the tank to its previous position. Sure enough more of those screams occurred as these beings seemed to lack the sense to get clear.
Taking care not to reverse back into the pit. Tom repeated this forward and backward motion: he was killing as many of these enemy as were the gunners. Biggles kept up a constant fire rate but noticed that many homunculi that had already received many bullets get up and harass the tank again. These were definetely Unit 11's synthetic horrors.
Ned cried out. "They don't die. They just keep coming." When his gun jammed, that did it. He broke down and collapsed on the floor.
Anthony Rogers moved in to clear the mechanism. A monstrous hand groped through the port to menace him. The sapper took out his pistol and fired it through the aperture; the pale arm withdrew; so Anthony continued clearing the jam. Once finished he manned the machine gun himself and built up his own body count.
Jason Gridley remained at his equipment; he had radioed a distress call to Headquarters, but he seemed to be preoccupied in keeping his sound equipment at its current setting.
A battalion of German soldiers approached from their lines. They seemed intent on securing the wreckage of their own tanks, but they clearly took an interest in this previously unseen tank. Hank and Anthony saw many of the Bosch prime their stick grenades. They wanted to cripple the metal wonder and kill its crew, so they can take it for their research, even though that would wipe out their freaky allies.
The machine gunners wasted no time they turned their bullets at the grenade throwers; several were cut down before hurling their explosive presents. A few grenades were in flight before the battalion backed off.
"Gripping Rings." Yelled Hank.
Everyone seized their designated fixtures before multiple explosions rocked the heavily armoured vehicle left and right. Biggles felt the soreness come back to his stressed out forearms.
"Hey, we survived a volley of grenades." Yelled Tom. "This armour is tough."
"The tracks may be damaged though Tom," Said Hank.
"Anyone want to go out and see?" Said Anthony.
"There are still monsters out there." Warned Biggles. "The stick grenades did not drive them away."
"No, they wouldn't." Announced Jason. "These things are single mindedly devoted to getting in this tank."
"How can you be so sure?" Inquired Biggles.
"Because I summoned them here. I have just managed to reproduce the subliminal sound which attracts them. Success came just as we were crawling out of he pit."
"But you were maintaining that setting when they were attacking us" Accused Biggles. "Why didn't you turn it off, so they would go somewhere else."
"They couldn't get to us in this tank. We were equipped to wipe them out. Better they were here, futilely engaging us, than in the trenches massacring our soldiers."
"It worked out well." interjected Tom. "They're only a few left outside."
"Plus the German grenadiers." Said Benjamin.
"Not quite." Announced Anthony. "The Bosch are fleeing back to their lines."
"What's driving them off?" Asked Hank.
Multiple rifle fire began to shower down on the tank. The few homunculi who remained near the vehicle were all getting hit. Their thuds on the ground after dying under a storm of bullets, were heard by all in the mobile fortress.
"It's our own forces." Yelled Tom. "There is not a single monster left alive around us."
Hank lifted Ned to his feet. "It looks like your Great War Tank is a success Tom."
Tom Swift howled in jubilation.
Biggles opened up the side hatch to be greeted by the Americans.
"Everyone OK?" Asked the officer.
"This tank kept us safe. Everyone is fine." Answered Biggles.
"Splendid Old Sport."