CHAPTER FIVE
Later, the truck bounced up
the dirt road that leads to the base.
Puffie wore a leather jacket and jeans over his suit, his Rabbit Guard
fatigues in his backpack. He still wore
his helmet, but others had stashed it for other headgear. The rebels were good at scavenging equipment
from battlefields, and clothing was one of them.
“Now group” Started the Team
Leader. “We want to try and stick to the story of why we are returning. I don’t know how they will react, but if it
blows, we get out guns blazing.”
A set of nods and the leader
continued: “Once we get past, we drive over to the radar station unless they
order us to a parking spot. Then we have
to get over by person, perhaps a few at a time. The driver and gunman will play
along until the strike begins.”
The driver frowned a little,
but sighed and nodded.
5 minutes later, the truck
pulls in front of the base gates. A pair
of rebels walks up to the truck and look in.
“Coming back for more mines,
buddy?”
“Yeah” said the driver. “Plus
we’re bringing back some guys here that must have gotten a bad batch of
breakfast.”
Puffie was leaning against
the truck window, trying his best to look sick.
“Hmm, I guess you should let
them off at the barracks. Then go get
some more bombs at the dump. We have an
active fortifying process here!”
The driver nodded, and the
guards radioed the gate open. The truck
scooted forward and headed over to what the base map identified as the
barracks.
The team got off and walked
over to the barracks. The leader
motioned for a group of 2 solders to break off before they went inside. Peter patted Puffie goodbye and walked over
to the Communications station.
The barracks was arraigned
like the one at beta, and the group went into the basement. A game board was
set up there, but no one was there. They waited five minutes before the leader
whispered “Let’s go” and snuck out of the barracks. They came out and walked toward the radar
station.
At the station, the leader
motioned for the team to enter the building.
They piled into the entrance. There, a female rabbit stood up from the
controls “What is this?” She asked as standing up.
At this the team went into
action. The leader grabbed the standing
rabbit by the arm and slammed her against the wall. Puffie shoved another to the floor and
planted his foot on him. Two others
wrestled another against the counter and pinned his arm against his back. After overpowering the three, two went off
and searched the rest of the building.
“This is a take over” Said the leader in answer to the question.
Peter put down his
pump-action shotgun and donned a headset.
As he dialed in the guard frequency, he saw the truck pull away from the
ammo dump. “Here’s to our one-way trip” Thought peter as the frequency filled with
chatter from waiting tanks.
“All
units, Green-Green. The dragon
has the wool over its eyes.”
“Roger. Commencing…”
As Peter transferred
information, the group led the captives into a corner, where two posted
guard. Puffie decided to change back into
his Rabbit Guard fatigues. It felt better than the leather jacket that felt a
size too small anyway. The rest settled
down to wait.
In thirty seconds, group of
attack helicopters blew a hole in the wall, sending surprised shouts from
everywhere in the base. A rebel burst into the station, shouting “We are under
attack from the North! Why didn’t you-”
He stopped when he saw 4
guns trained on him and a grinning team leader. “You had better come in and
rest your heels, soldier. It only takes
an instant to blow you away.”
A forth prisoner joined the
ranks in the corner, and Peter said from the radio band. “The tanks are finally
arriving, with some jet support and troop crawlers.”
The leader assigned some
extra soldiers to guard the prisoners, and motioned the others to follow. “We
need to capture the other buildings. Com’on, guys” He
said.
As they stepped out the
building, they could hear the sound of gun blasts and laser fire. A “Archer” Tank raced past the building as
old military tanks from their equipment yards started and raced to defend. The radio frequency was filled with chatter
from various units that were engaged in battle.
A Pair of troop transports
raced to a building, and 15 other infantry got out. Another one pulled to the communications
building and opened up, a squad of rabbit soldiers emerging from the APC. “We
have orders to reinforce your team. The squad leader began, when movement
caught Puffie’s eye.
Puffie shouted a warning as
a modified cargo truck with 3 antiaircraft guns leveled its guns at the now
forming group.