Chapter Eleven: No Man's Land.
The next day the group packed up their supplies and made their way to no mans land, treading across the uneven ground. They crossed a few miles before arrived at the wooden trenches, finding more weary, and weak looking men. The soldiers were mud covered, and appeared in poor health, showing they'd been out here for quite some time. Just like London, Tom imagined the battle field to be different, with men stranding tall, and proud to fight for their country. Though these men seemed hopeless, their spirits low. Tom was a bit behind the group, walking slowly through the tight space. He couldn't imagine living like this, being unable to do anything but sit in the dirt, and hide. Sure, they had food, could play card, or smoke, but this was not a life worth living. Glancing up, Tom spotted Diana, talking with a woman. The woman's clothes where torn, and had mud stains around her skirt. She sat and clutched at her child, sobbing as she she spoke. Off to the side, Tom heard the woman tell Diana how their town was invaded by the Germans, the villagers were forced to work against their will.
Tom let Jerry down and looked at Diana, who stood tall. She went over to Steve and the guys, wanting them to hear what was going on. However, Steve seemed busy, speaking to the army commander. Still, Diana spoke up. "Steve, we have to help these people, they are being held against their will. If we can get across this ground, I think we can free them."
"It's not that simple, Diana."
"Not the way I see it. All we have to do is climb up a ladder, go across the land to the other side. Plan and simple."
With a sigh, Steve didn't sugar coat it. "Diana, This is No Man's Land, which means no man can cross it." Steve said, trying to explain the situation to her. "The battalion have been here for nearly a year, and haven't gained an inch, an inch! Because on the other side are Germans, pointing machine guns at every square inch of this place. This is not something you can cross, it's-it's not possible."
"So, what we do, nothing?" Diana asked with frustration.
"No, we are doing something, we are..." He trailed off. "It's just we can't save everyone in this war. This is not what we came here to do." Having enough he turned to leave, walking on ahead, and assuming she'd follow.
Tom frowned and glanced at Jerry, who cast his eyes down to join his human friend. "Come one, Tom, we should go."
"But, Jer? They need our help. Women, children, the innocent."
"It doesn't concern a spy."
"Jerry?" Tom sighed and looked at Diana, wondering what their next move was. "Now what?"
Diana placed the tiara across her forehead, giving Tom a nod. "Steve maybe right, but this is what we came here to do." Letting her cloak fall, it revealed her red, and blue armor. She got her shield, and placed her hands on the wooden ladder, slowly climbing it. "Com on, Tom, we have a town to save."
"We sure do, sis." With a nod Tom went to the ladder beside her, and started to climb, gaining the attention of the men in the trench. On the ground they sat, there tired eyes showed the slightest glimmer of hope, getting the sense Diana wasn't just some random woman.
Jerry saw Tom climb a ladder and panicked, grabbing his tail and yanking for all he was worth. "Tom, have you lost your mind! Its a suicide mission. Don't go, stay! Please, you'll be killed the moment you set foot on that ground. Hence the name No Man's Land."
"Lucky for me I'm not a man but a cat." He saw Jerry's eyes were glassy, feeling bad for leaving the mouse behind. "Sorry, Jer, I have to do this!"
"You don't have to prove you're a hero! Get back here, and get her to join you. This is not worth it."
"No, but it's what I, we believe in." Tom tugged his tail, and saw Diana was ahead of him, making her way onto the battle field.
"Tom!" Jerry turned from Tom, and went to Steve, scurrying up his paint leg, making his way to Steve's shoulder.
Steve was talking when he notice Jerry, tapping to get his attention. "Jerry, what's wrong?"
"Diana, Tom, they're leaving to crass the war zone!" signed Jerry, pointing to Diana and Tom.
Steve turned with wide eyes, wanting to stop the woman from leaving the safety of the trenches. "Diana!"
Tom reached the ladder's top and looked at Diana, sharing a small smile with her. "You go that way, I'll go this way." With a nod, Tom know it was time to leave the ladder, and step onto the land. He rose over the trenches horizon, and placed his feet onto No Man's Land, feeling the gravel move under his weight. Many man gasped as the two walked on with no fear, holding no guns, but only a shield, and sword. Tom crossed the war zone, seeing it was barren, and ghostly. A small breeze blew through, making his whiskers, and fur move as the wind passed over him. The scent it brought was a mixture of gun powder, smoke, along with the smell of blood, and death. All around Tom were posts with barb wired fence, sticking out all over the place. From all the rain, there were hollows with large mud puddles. Tom pushed through and went on, with one goal in mind. To save the town and free its people.
Across the way and in the German trench, a watchman looked up, and thought he saw something coming from the enemies line. He grabbed his binoculars and saw the pair walking over to them. With wide eyes, he leaned back and peered through them again, making sure what he saw was real and not just some hallucination. After all, he and the men had been there for about a year, watching, and waiting to shot the enemy down. He dropped the binoculars, and glanced down to the other men who lay in the wooden trench.
"Sir, Sir, they're sending a surprise attack! Though how a pretty lady will stop us, is beyond me?" The watchman pointed out in the direction the two were coming from.
"What are you yammering on about, you fool?" The leader glanced out through a telescope and saw them, seeing the gladiator dressed pair holding a shield and sword. With a raised brow he turned to the watchman, thinking over his earlier statement. "When you said pretty, I hope you were referring to the woman."
"Umm, yes, sure sir. That would be quite odd if I found the cat pretty."
"Pretty seems to be the wrong word, I'd say he's be more like.. handsome?"
"I-I suppose, sir."
"My God, look at his figure, he's got nice biceps, and a set of wide shoulders." Commented the commander, making the watchman frown in great confusion. "Right, no matter haw good they look, they are still are enemy, and must be struck down with force and grace of God. See it is done."
"Right, Sir, we'll take them out quickly."
Without another word from his commander, the watchmen went to get his men ready, turning the handle to a siren that fill the air with a loud high pitched noise. The men scrambled to their feet, and got to their assigned positions, preparing the machine guns while the shells were placed in order. While a group did that, two men shot off a pair of rifles, aiming to the woman and cat.
Across the battle field Tom's ears flickered as a loud wooing sound made him cringed, knowing the enemy was onto them. "Diana, they know we're coming."
"Good." Diana stopped and waited for him, making sure he was okay to go forward. "You good, Tom?"
"Yup, ready to go." With a nod by the feline they went on. The bullets from the rifles flew through the air, and Tom blocked them with a flick of his arms. Sparks flew as the little shells bounced off each cuff, sent to the side. A few more bullets came at them, but they kept sending the shells away. With a moment, Tom signed. "Diana, and I are from the Themyscira, and your wrath upon this world is, oh crap-" Tom ducked as more bullets flew at them, making him stop his heroic speech.
Diana started to run, blocking the fire with her arms, filling the air with loud pinging sounds. Tom knew hiding was not the Amazon way and forced himself to go on. Continually shot at, Tom found it harder, and harder to block the gunfire, resulting in him pulling their shields upfront to protect himself. A bomb flew through the air and while Tom shielded her from the bullets, Diana set the football sized bomb to her left, where it exploded. They kept going and tried to keep from being hit, and when the machine guns opened fire, it became much more difficult.
"What the cuss are we to do?"
"Try not to get hit."
The shells ricocheted of the shied and flew to the ground. Tom slowly came to a stop where he were force to his knee, seeing Diana was in no better shape. Tom grunted and was pushed back a few inches by the force of the powerful hits. All the while Tom hoped the Germans would run out of bullets, and they could get to the village. Unbeknownst to Tom, the Germans had plenty of fire power, and could go shoot at them for hours.
Back in the Allied trenches, Steve saw Diana, and Tom struggle to stand from the many guns that were shot at them. He knew they were sitting ducks, yet he couldn't let Diana fight alone. With a determined expression, he climbed the ladder, and held his rifle up to get everyone's attention. Chief, Sameer, and Charlie, would follow him into battle, but he also needed the help of the entire army. "Come on men, stop hiding in the trenches like a bunch of wimps, let's go out and fight like Wonder Woman!"
Railing the men, they rose ,and decided to join in on the fight, raising their guns high above their heads. Chief, Sameer, and Charlie, climbed up first, following Steve onto No Man's Land. From the wooden trenches, men clambered up the wooden ladders, and out onto the field, yelling battle cries. Hundreds of men flew forward, shooting at the Germans in the opposite trench, racing across the dirt land. Some were shot, and fell, but the ones who remained went on. Over the small hills, they splashed through the puddles, past the barb wired fence, and over the bodies of lost men, aiming their weapons. They shot, and smoke filled the air, and bursting though the thick clouds came the men.
When Tom heard the sound of the Allied Forces coming to aid them, he smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. The army kept the fire focused on them, while Chief threw a hand grenade into a group of Germans. The bomb went off, and killed the gunmen, and when the firing stopped, Diana jumped through the air and landed in the enemies trench, knocking out the men, and destroying an automatic machine gun.
Tom spun through the air, crushing the machine with a blow from his fist. Tossing the shield to his side, he knocked out a few guys before the shield came back like boomerang. With it in his grasp, Tom smiled down at the surprised Germans. Caught unawares by the feline, they did their bets to fight him, only Tom was faster, and easily took the pair down. He didn't kill them, simply knowing them out, and leaving them for the soldiers.
By the time the Allied forces reached them, the two were already to moved on to the next job, Diana raising her sword to the town. "Come on Steve we're almost there." Encouraged Diana, jumping on ahead in great bounds, passing over the enemy. The astounded Germans ducked and stayed low as the woman passed over them.
"Coming!" Steve quickened his pace, and gestured for his group to follow. The team pressed on and climbed in and out of the trenches that lay between them and the town. Over the grassy land they spotted the village not too far away.
Tom seeing Diana leave, jumped high through the air, moving gracefully from hill to hill. Over the trench, he saw the Germans staring up at him, and in a playful manner, Tom winked at them as he passed. Him slammed into the earth and propelled himself off again, seeing the village get closer and closer. All they had to do was reach, and all those within would be freed.
In one of the building, guards were posted to keep an eye out, in case (And by some miracle) the enemy got past the trenches. The men sat around, smoked, or read the paper, why they even cards. All seemed still, until one man looked out the window with a board expression. He didn't expect to see anything and was shocked when he saw a woman, and a small group of men coming across the battle field. "Holey Christ!" He got to his feet, but the others paid him no attention. Going to the window, he leaned over and squinted to get a better look at the group. Seeing the men weren't from the German side, he gasped. "We're being invaded, get your guns!" shouted the man, turning to the others, who did nothing. "What are you waiting for, get up off your butts!"
"Oh, come on, you can't pull that old gag over us," said a man, smoking his cigarette, breathing out a cloud of smoke.
"Yeah, you can't pull the wool over our eyes," added another, not even dropping his paper.
"You idiots, I'm serious. Look for yourselves!" bellowed the man, pointing out the window to the approaching group.
"Holy crap!" yelled one, dropping his mug and getting to his feet. "He's right, get your guns!" There was a mad scramble as the men went to their posts, getting the guns set up. "Move, move!"
Approaching the village at great speed, Tom, and Diana were followed closely by the men. They were on the edge of the town when a gunmen in the building ahead fired down at them, forcing them to take cover. Diana, Sameer, and Charlie, sheltered by the first brick building, while Tom shielded Chief, Steve, and Jerry, before joining them behind the second building. The men passed glances from each other, trying to think of what to do next. Shells hit the brick, and shattered into shards.
"I'll go first." Diana glanced around at the astounded men before standing, and leaving. "Come on, Tom."
"Right behind ya." Tom without hesitation gave Jerry a wink and a smile before he got up and trailed behind Diana. Sameer, and Charlie gave Steve a cross ways glance, still impressed by the woman and her skills. With a shrug, Steve just gave them a small smile.
