A/N- Here's another chapter of this story. This chapter will be an action based first half with more dialogue in the second half. Sorry for keeping you waiting.

Chapter 9d- Mountain Base Diversion (A Near Disaster)

Johnathan and his group of soldiers had, on paper, the easiest objective to complete. In reality though, it was anything but easy. Not only did they return to the place that Harry had been forced to retreat from, it was a labyrinth of paths where they didn't know the patrol routes of the guards. The guards were more vigilant here than they were anywhere else. Johnathan's attack began with Johnathan and some of his men attempting to draw out stray guards, hoping to get a clear enough path to their objective. Whilst some of the guards were drawn out of position, most guards simply remained unaware of the distractions and continued about their business as normal.

The failure of Johnathan's stealth approach came about because Gene's forces were expecting another attack on the Mountain Base. Johnathan reached his intended target; electronic equipment used to monitor the boy that was known as Null and placed explosives on the equipment. Of course, Null had long since been taken away from the Mountain Base and the attached research lab although killing a kid would have been a non-starter. Just as Johnathan was going to press the detonator, all hell broke loose as Johnathan and his team's retreat route was cut off by a suddenly arrived column of trucks and half-tracks with a pair of StuG 3's accompanying them. From the heights above the research lab, a number of snipers and machine gunners suddenly arrived and fired and pinned Johnathan and the soldiers who'd accompanied him down. Johnathan detonated the explosives and it certainly attracted more attention. An armoured column with several S-35 and Panzer 4 tanks and SU-76 assault guns appeared with several trucks and a few half-tracks and sealed the area off. Cornered, Johnathan and his soldiers moved out of the firing view of the tanks and the half-tracks and occupied the concrete huts and the heights above the narrow concrete paths in an effort to hold off Gene's forces. Reinforcements from the bridge then arrived and began to overwhelm Johnathan's positions, deploying Panzerschrecks, Panzerfausts and RPGs to methodically destroy the concrete huts and force the more exposed soldiers under Johnathan's command to disperse.

Johnathan and his group became whittled down to less than a third of their original strength as Gene's forces picked them off gradually. Furthermore, they were beginning to run short of ammunition and medical kits as the ferocious fighting took its toll. Unlike the other diversions, the non-lethal ammunition had run out and the lethal ammunition had to be used although this was limited in supply as well and was on the verge of running out as well.

Just as Johnathan was about to get overrun, the pressure on him and his soldiers lessened considerably as most of Gene's men moved to face a new threat. It appeared that they considered the new threat the greater one as they were now calling for additional reinforcements in a panic. The guards facing Johnathan and his soldiers stopped firing on them and were wondering on how their comrades were faring. A few returned to them and ran past in panic, which caused then caused them to run away as well. Johnathan and his group's saviour then emerged from the concrete pathway near them.

"I'm assuming that I'm here in time?" A familiar voice asked with a hint of cheekiness.

"You sure are, Boss... I mean, Harry." Johnathan replied whilst his men cheered at Harry's arrival.

"We can go now. We probably should before they regroup and send more reinforcements." Harry suggested to Johnathan and his small band of survivors.

"What about our dead comrades?" Johnathan asked Harry as he began to leave the ruined Concrete hut he was in.

"We take them with us and we bury them. We won't leave them here to rot." Harry replied sincerely and in no uncertain terms.

Clearing up the mess took no more than a few minutes thanks to Harry's magic proving handy. They departed from the Mountain Base and the research lab about half an hour before the arrival of the enemy reinforcements. They left having more than accomplished their objectives but with heavy hearts at the cost of success.

They returned to their base with their fallen. Harry had sent the captured guards and vehicles to the base by portkey ahead of them and they could see that they were already being processed, with Kurt's intelligence team attempting to glean any and all information from them as humanly possible. Harry, Johnathan and the survivors of Johnathan's team got out of the trucks and, after walking a few metres, some of them began to shake as they began to grieve for their comrades.

"We may not have known them long or even at all, but it's up to us to honour their memories and make sure that they didn't die in vain." Harry said to the grieving soldiers with some wisdom.

"They didn't die in vain," Roy said as he hobbled up to them, "We can get across the bridge and find out what is happening here."

Johnathan nodded as he began contemplating the fact he, and many of his comrades, had been through an terrifying ordeal. He followed Harry and Roy to the briefing room where Ivan, Natalia, Kurt and John were waiting for them.

"Just one last obstacle left boys and girls..." Kurt began as he began debriefing the group on the aftermath of the diversionary raids.

A/N- I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and please review. Next time, the bridge crossing will taking place as well as debriefings following this chapter and the events of the next one.