Pillars of Glass Read online

  Ortega gave a quick frown and followed the other two men into the building, down a stairwell and into a vast empty space not realizing that they were now in an underground parking structure.

  “Over here at this armored transport, get in.” the man pointed out the vehicle.

  The two grunts hopped in and the wheelman took off up the ramp and out into the street a hundred yards in front of the down ambulance, running over a few enemy troops and flying through the barricade. He then backed the carrier down the road and eventually cranked the wheel tossing the fender in a 180-degree spin so as they were no heading down the road towards their support.

  “Three and Four, get ready to repel down and assist.”

  The driver then swung the vehicle wide and backed it up to the ambulance.

  “You two load up the supplies, Three, I need you to fire from the turret. Four, help the NVC load their cargo. Two, load up the Staff Sergeant so we can get the hell out of here.”

  The Leader and his men went on to execute the extraction without flaw. Each round seemingly eliminated one target. Its precision rivaled that of a surgeons, as they cut into the enemy while a symphony of gunfire kept everyone's nerves settled. It was art.

  After the last bag was thrown onto the transport the man known as ‘Four’ radioed an all clear to the driver, and they took off down the roadway and found their way quickly and quietly into the suburbs of the city once known as Anderhill.

  17:33 Zulu

  “Phantom-One this is Shade Tree do you Copy?”

  The driver remained quiet, another one of his men answered for him and spoke “One is Driving, go for Two.”

  “Two, What is your current status?”

  “We have three members of a NVC Squad, one wounded but stable. Others of the squad escaped the city via aqueduct. We also have their cargo of medical supplies. Ten minutes out from the city edge.”

  “Rodger, Phantom Two. We intercepted communications stating that you boys did a hell of a job out there today rescuing that NVC-Unit. KIA’s are 34 with Seven vehicles decommissioned, wasn’t the entire division as we were hoping, however you cut a pretty good chunk in it today.” There was a quick pause before communications continued. “We have relocated 25km to the southeast near the base of the Mid-Continental mountain range and about 15km northeast of the NVC’s current FOB.”

  “Sounds Good Tree, We will be home for supper so keep the stove on. Phantom out.”

  “Hey Three,” Four spoke, “How are we going to get these guys home?”

  “We’ll figure that out when we get back to the Tree.” He replied as he was checking his rifle.

  “Still, once we get there, they will figure it out. I mean hell even we have heard the rumors and embraced um, look at our damned call signs.”

  “Yeah, I’m still uneasy about that. Look it’s a squad decision as to what we decide to do. But look at today, our intel had nothing to do with this NVC unit strolling in and almost getting their heads blown off in the cross fire, and now that we lost AH, to me its time to be absorbed into the main Army. But as a special ops unit, not like the black ops or whatever they call those yahoos who go in and out quietly and you knew they were there." He let his breathing catch up with him before continuing. "I mean look at us, we are living legends to these people, we are just rumor, never been seen or confirmed of until today. But it’s all up to the man in front.” Three pointed to the driver.

  Two chimed in “I think I can speak for one when I say the terms need to be right to be a part of the national army. However, we do need to be hooked into their mission database as well, we all got lucky today.”

  One nodded and kept his silence. Ortega nudged Three and nodded towards the driver.

  “He doesn’t talk much does he?”

  Three laughed, “One? Oh he talks plenty,” you could hear the smile form “Just not to strays we scrape off the pavement.”

  There was a light chuckle in the vehicle as it passed out of the city and into the wilderness, Aaron could see the mountains on the horizon.

  The transport had remained fairly quiet for the rest of the journey, much to Aaron's comfort. The terrain tested the resolve of the men's stomachs more than the vehicle itself, but everything seemingly leveled out a half mile away from where they finally stopped. Ortega was out the back of the transport quickly behind the other men and assisted in removing the Staff Sergeant. On the drive they had stabilized him and used one of the collapsible stretchers to keep him relaxed till their 'Doc' could look at him. The driver came to the back and ushered Aaron in the direction of a small outbuilding in which three other men were running out from. They were dressed in only their black fatigues and quickly made their way to the back of the transport. The driver caught up with them and the four men began conversing and evaluating the cargo with an emphasis on the medical supplies. Aaron hoped that they were only discussing on how they were going to get the Staff Sergeant, Ortega, the supplies and Himself back to the FOB.

  Looking at the surrounding environment, he could tell that this was not a permanent camp. The exoskeleton of the four outbuildings were cloth and ridged collapsible poles were all that were holding everything off the ground. The encampment must have been will hidden at the base of the mountains for them to state how independent, and still so close to the NVC FOB. The one numbered as 'Three' jogged over to him, making sure to keep eye contact and a smile with him, his breathing never seemed to alter, he must have been use to this type of thing before, maybe he had been a runner before the war. One of those crazy people who ran insanely long distances just because they got some sense of euphoria out of it, maybe one day when this was all over he would understand.

  "First thing is your Staff Sergeant looks like he'll be alright, just needs some time to heal up and a good meal which is nice and easy living out here, we pretty much have all the fresh stuff we need. Second is I'm Elijah Maur." He looked at the nameplate on Aaron’s fatigue, stuck his hand out and laughed. "And you're last name is Ehlinger huh?"

  "Yes Sir, I’m Aaron Ehlinger, I was in class at the prep academy the day the fighting started. My brother Alex helped me and thirty other kids escape the main battle that day. Sadly he also died, but he earned a medal for valor for his actions though, and maybe one day I can bury it with him."

  Elijah looked puzzled, "What do you mean?"

  "Well when they were able to retrieve the body, they kept it at command until we could take it back across into Mispellem and burry it." Aaron said with a heavy heart

  "That's enough for now, you can fill me in on more later." Elijah interrupted him. "Let's get you inside, cleaned up and fed." He motioned for the youth to follow him. "There's a shower, it's not much but it works, and we'll get you a cot set up next to where your Sarge and other squad member is. My squad will be meeting probably for most of the night after chow, so we can finalize plans to get you three back with the army."

  Elijah opened the flap of the tent and followed Aaron inside. "Just walk all the way to the back and you'll see the latrine area, It's really just a hole to shit in and a hose connected to a water pump leading to a stream close by. I'll get everything else set up for you and then take you to the mess area for dinner."

  "Thank you sir, I-"

  "Don't call me sir, you're the only one here part of any army" Elijah spoke with a smile. "But maybe in a day or two that'll change." He stood tall and jokingly saluted, "At ease solider."

  Elijah turned and walked out of the barracks. Aaron took a deep breath as he looked around the dimly lit room. Taking his helmet off, he scratched his head and laughed. Here he was in the middle of the mountains and he had somehow stumbled into a covert operation by a mythical unit. If only his brother could be here to see it he thought, making his way to the back of the tent. He would be a hero if they made it back. Hero's who fought alongside of legends. He started to remove his boots and began to wonder what things were like on the other side of the Straight. Who was this war really against? To him, his only e
nemies were the ones who killed his brother.

  "Hey Ehlinger, are you in here?" Ortega's voice was faint through the water passing by his ears.

  "I'm back here," Aaron shut the water off and found a dry towel on the nearby counter. "What is it, everything ok?"

  Ortega's voice became louder with each passing second. "Yeah, man. Everything's fine the Sarge is being moved over here in a few minutes and they are finishing up dinner." Ortega's face appeared around the corner. "I've spoken to a couple of these guys and they seem like they are alright and will look out for us the next day or two till we can meet back up with command. They are waiting for you though, to answer any of my questions about who they are or where they came from, apparently they don't like to repeat things either. Must be some kind of military thing."

  Aaron laughed at the notion that the military would enjoy giving orders more than once. "You're kind of from this area aren't you?"

  "Yeah actually just on the other side of the mountain range. Probably 150 miles or so, can't tell you how far for sure because I don't know where the hell this clearing is actually is in the range. My parents wouldn't let me go into the mountains much as a kid. Hurry up and get dressed man, I'm starving and I wanna hear who the hell these guys are."

  The young men walked into the mess tent to see eight men sitting around a long table eating and laughing with one another. It was quiet for a moment before the group of friends greeted the two strangers warmly. Elijah motioned for them to sit and join the table while another man stood up to make their guests a few plates of food.

  "It about time you all showed up! We were just telling the other guys who were back here sitting on their ass all day about how we saved yours. Guys I want you to meet Corporals Daniel Ortega, and Aaron Ehlinger." Elijah said proudly

  The two boys waved hello as the table started laughing and looking at one another. "What's so funny?" Ortega said with a smile.

  "Well, we took bets on your names, and no one was even close. In fact, we should have known better with yours." One of the men said pointing at Aaron.

  He shook his head. "With mine? I don't understand."

  Elijah controlled his laughter in the response. "Don't worry about it. Most of these guys haven't had much of a reason for people skills the last year or so. Please guys sit down and eat."

  The boys obliged the request of their host and were slid full plates as they say down. A few moments went by before Aaron found the courage to speak again. “So which one of you is the leader, I mean 'One' since you guys were communicating by numbers."

  A small bout of laugher overcame them again before Elijah was able to quiet them down.

  "Actually, One grabbed his food and went up to this little ledge that overlooks a nearby pond. He often goes there to think. He was pretty upset about how the operation went down today," Elijah took another spoonful of the feast before continuing, this time a little slower and more serious in his tone. "He was mad we didn't know anything about you guys coming through because that Op had been worked on for a few weeks and here you kids come strolling in." He took another bite. "But I think he was more upset about how young you guys are, I mean he's not as old as I am, but you guys aren't more than fourteen or fifteen, you shouldn't be sent in to establish a post in a hot zone like that."

  Aaron looked at his food and started eating to keep his mind occupied from the obvious thought in the room, Why was a NVC unit sent in being so young and inexperienced?

  "Enough talk about us, who are you guys?" Ortega was definitely acting like a fourteen year old, star stuck by the men he was breaking bread with. "Where did you all come from?"

  "Well, we kinda just found one another. I know a few of the guys knew one another before the war started but the others just kind of took up arms and tried defending the northern area of Vanahei. I think all of us except for 'One' is from Anderhill or the smaller cities around it. Personally I was on vacation the day it all started. I'm from the Capital and I was with my family visiting some relatives in Anderhill when across the bridge we could see and hear the small explosions and gunfire. I told my wife to take my family and head back home, to the capital, and that I would rejoin them when I could, but I knew that the people here would need me. Later that night after the storm had passed, I was along the shoreline, near the marina, and I found 'One' he was exhausted, lying in the sand. I put him in one of the cars that had been abandoned due to the evacuation after the army started moving people out of the city and fortifying the bridge. Later the next day he told me he swam across the straight in the storm and was in the streets when the Liberating forces took control of your school and the city over there. Since then, we've been learning what we can from the collective group. Just so happens we kick ass at it."

  Another man spoke up; he was seated towards the end of the table. He was a stocky, bearded man who had a just taken a hefty bite and didn’t care if he had food still in his mouth. "See guys we don't really know what this is all about, but until there is a solution, we feel it's better to try and keep them on the other side of the bridge. We were hoping for a diplomatic one, but now since they took the Hill, I just wanna blast um to the other side and if need be, blow the bridge. Let um fight each other if they want a war. Hell it's what they've wanted to do for hundreds of years anyways, why bring us into their pissing contest."

  "That's what my grandfather always said too!" Ortega decided to join the conversation. "He said nothing was solved in the first Great War, it only postponed things because the people were concord, and no change was made as far as their nature."

  Aaron looked down at his food. "I'm from Mispellem, just a little town, but what I can tell you guys, is that out there, we don't care about a battle that happened three hundred years ago, we just care if we get enough rain for our crops every year."

  The man spoke again. "I'm sorry kid. I didn't mean anything by it. I just feel that until things change for both our sides, that it was only a matter of time till the lies boiled over enough and this war happened."

  Some time passed before anyone spoke again and the natural light started to fade as the sun suck below the tops of the mountains. Small conversation broke out here and there about trivial topics such as how the food tasted, when the meeting would start, how long they would be here before they had to dig a new hole to shit in. Aaron caught a few names here and there but still knew most of the guys in the tent by a number. He finished his final bite of his third plate and looked to the opening at the far end of the tent, the man who secluded himself finally stood at the back in the shadow. One person at a time ended up turning to look at their leader and waited quietly for him to speak. He never moved in the shadows but put his plate down in the wash bucket while still hiding, he dried the excess water from his hands and spoke.

  "Earlier a few of you asked me what our next move was. I feel that the decision is not just up to me. We all fight and put our lives on the line here, so the decision is ours as a unit. Now there are two options. Tomorrow, we can take our guests back to their FOB introduce ourselves and be absorbed by the Vanahei National Army, maybe aid in the larger outcome of the war. Or we can drop them about a mile out from the FOB and disappear, like morning fog over a bay. We’d continuing to watch this war from the sidelines, causing a few cuts and bruises till we get over run and find a new place to hide." The room grew quiet. "All for option A?" Slowly all eight men rose a hand in approval.

  Everyone was smiling, especially the two boys. "Alright then, be ready to break down camp at 07:00 I want us to be there by noon. Make sure those two have all they need for the night."

  "You never cast your vote, where do you stand boss?" Four asked with almost a sarcastic tone to his voice.

  "My vote," there was a sense of a smile in his voice. "My vote is that I lead my men to only question what we cook for dinner and not my sanity."

  "That's not possible," Elijah said loudly. "We question one or the other every day!" The laughter eased the tension in the small tent. 'One' waited f
or the joyous moment to fill them and then passed through the back of the dimly lit tent, back into the wilderness.

  A half hour passed before then men started filing out of the tent and moving back to the barracks. There would be no meeting tonight, as the only relevant issue in front of them had been resolved. The Staff Sargent, Ortega, and Ehlinger had become valued guests for tonight; every man was warm and excepting of them crashing their ongoing party. Ortega enjoyed his evening of being a celebrity asking questions about other skirmishes the unit had been in. How many men they had fought, how many tanks they had destroyed, wither or not they had an idea how the division today had been able to come from the north without any warning. They answered questions the best they could however like any child asking an adult “Why?” Ortega found more things to ask, and so the conversations moved with the men into the barracks.

  Aaron however was not as interested as his fellow squad member. He would wonder how he would be acting if this wasn’t his first combat experience. The rush of violence and bloodlust had already been quenched for him months before. Watching his brother and friends die by the hands of their own people made him numb to most of the fracas today. His disconnect was starting to come to the conscience part of his mind. It was no longer a half assed prop hiding in the shadows of a high school play, but now an important part of the production. It had become as important to the ongoing struggle as Brutus’ dagger. He realized today, the men chasing him were strangers, strangers living in his own back yard. He began asking himself why today meant nothing to him while the other moments did. The depersonalization of the day had to be the answer, the faces he saw, he wouldn’t remember months down the road, for they meant nothing to him. He looked over at Ortega, who was still talking to the men around him. Would he feel the same way looking back? Or would he be someone who developed a thirst for the action and the warmth of blood on his hands. Aaron decided there were too many questions to answer alone and he walked up to the rest of the party before they entered the barracks and motioned for Elijah to come speak with him in private.