Out of the Fire

Part 13 - The Search for Joe

As daylight faded, the radars were deployed and sentries were posted. With the recent battle at Sierra One and the betrayal at Fort Jones still fresh on their minds, the alert level was high and extra sentries were deployed. With the recent battle still pertinent to their situation, the soldiers had been issued with what would, in normal circumstances, be called excessive ammunition. As their teams settled into their night routine, Charlie and Jill radioed the day's reports to HQ and hit the sack.

The night passed without incident and after the morning stand-to and breakfast, the Engineer team under Sergeant Angela Wills departed towards the sites identified for the communications towers. The investigation team's LAV and Hummer moved back onto the road to Fort Jones.

"Shit about to get real then?," Charlie called through to Jill.

Jill turned to Charlie and explained, "We will have no communications with HQ until Angela activates the first relay tower. She thinks that we should be okay by dark though."

The team soon found themselves passing through an inhabited farming landscape. The first isolated farmsteads with their protective log-walled stockades and agricultural plots soon gave way to small settlements protected by more substantial fortifications and larger cultivated fields, as well as a scattering of rough un-fenced farm houses. As they passed, the citizens stopped what they were doing and stared after the vehicles. The soldiers waved cheerfully at the silently watching people and occasionally even received a tentative wave in return, most often from the children who ran after them.

Road traffic became more common as they drew closer to Fort Jones and Sergeant Baume led the vehicles off-road to drive slowly along the verge to avoid startling the horses or the locals. It was mid-morning when the walls of Fort Jones came into view, and Jill halted the vehicles a hundred yards from the gate. They waited on high alert for a sign from the gatehouse, but for all intents and purposes, they might not have even been there, for no recognition of their arrival eventuated.

After waiting for a half hour, Jill declared "That is long enough", and directed Privates McTavish and Zoloff to tool up. She gave Sergeant Baume orders for the vehicles to follow behind them but to keep back thirty yards. In what Jill hoped was an impressive display of confidence and loosely veiled threat, she and the two combat equipped giants strode toward the gate. The town guard must have missed the veiled bit, because, as the soldiers approached the gate, the six sentries bolted from the guardhouse and ran at full sprint down the road toward the town centre, leaving the gate unmanned.

"What the fuck?" Jill exclaimed, "Now what?"

"We mount up and drive to the town hall," growled Alex.

"I think we should give it another thirty minutes, to see what is what. Keep your eyes out for trouble though," Jill replied.

Jill waved the vehicles up and positioned them on either side of the road just inside the gate. There was now a build up of people outside the town, obviously not certain if it was safe to enter past the American vehicles.

Jill asked Charlie and her team to facilitate the civilian traffic, "Seeing as directing traffic is what policemen do."

"Bitch! Agents not police," Charlie laughed, "Come on team, let's show this grunt what directing traffic is all about."

The investigators spread out and called the waiting citizens in, one at a time. After quickly asking each their business and before allowing them to continue on to the town, they cheerfully told them to not worry as the soldiers of the Returned had come in peace. The waiting crowd had all but been cleared through the gate when a call from Jill brought the investigators back to the vehicles. A squad of Clan military approached along the main road with Geo at the head. Charlie suggested, that since she had a good relationship with Geo, she should go ahead to meet him. On getting the nod, Charlie strode out to meet the Clansman, greeting him with a smile and extended hand.