Behind the Lines

The morning broke bright and clear as Alan along with his patrol came back in with their prisoners. The six black garbed guards had at least four guns pointing at them at any one time. Their hands were gripping the back of their necks. They were silent hulking brutes but each of them bore evidence of Alan’s attention.

The Captain trotted down the steps to have word’s with his Lieutenant. When he learnt that he had lost four good men he flew into a rage and pulled out his pistol.

“You killed four of my men, my boys, and you stand there sneering at me as if I was a lump of shit on your shoe. Give me one good reason I shouldn’t kill you now, here, this minute!”

“You won’t because you’re a coward. You are men but we are Supermen, children of the Gods.” He looked at his men and gave a short nod.

But if they expected to catch them unprepared they were in for a shock.

Alan had expected trouble and had whispered something to that effect to Hans who had informed the others as the Captain was ranting.

As the guards turned on the patrol they found steadfast resistance.

A rifle butt drove one to his knees as Terry jumped between two more of them with a gymnastic flip that drove his feet into each of their stomachs. They staggered back only to find themselves staring down the barrels of the patrols guns.

Alan grabbed the leader pulling him off balance and performed a perfect shoulder throw that sent his adversary toward Charles who jabbed him with a hypodermic.

The leader got to his feet and stood there swaying for a moment. Charles prodded him with one finger and he collapsed to the ground.

“Pethedine, a sedative, useful in a crisis.” He said.

The remaining pair decided to take Salina as some sort of hostage. A mistake. a really bad mistake.

As they tried to grab her she spun round landing stunning blows with her foot to the backs of their heads followed by two more to their chins.

Dazed and astonished at being subdued the guards stood huddled together over their leader.

The Captain place the barrel of his pistol against the leaders head and cocked it.

“You never told me why I shouldn’t kill you.” He said hoarsely.

“Then I will. It’s because you are not a murderer, unlike these men here. You are a man of honour.” Charles said from behind him. “They will be executed tomorrow at dawn after a properly convened court tonight.”

The Captain lowered the gun.

“Hauptsturmführer?”

“Yes sir.” Terry replied.

“I understand that the slave workers for the centre are being transported this morning?”

Terry confirmed that that was so.

“We could put them in the empty cage sir.”

“Excellent. Go with some troopers and see that it is done. Get that priest to give them the last writes. While you are there run your eye over the slave labour force.”

“Captain may I borrow your Lieutenant and six of your troopers please?” Terry asked politely.

“Yes of course.”

As Terry left Charles noticed some more troopers coming in pulling and pushing a two wheeled cart.

“What is going on?”

It was the youngest lieutenant that answered.

“We were determined to bring in our fallen sir. It was the Scharfuher idea sir.”

“Let us see what we can do shall we. I know it is a foregone conclusion but I’ll be happier if I have checked.” So saying Charles pulled out his stethoscope from his white coat pocket and placed it against the first mans chest.

His eyebrows crept up his forehead in surprise.

“This man is still alive. Only just, but alive.” He rushed around to the others and listened intently with great concentration. “They are all alive but not for long if we don’t do something.

Captain I need a ground floor room turned into a operating theatre. Strip it of furniture save for a table. Have the room next door turned into a ward with four cots. We will need some alcohol to wipe the table and walls with to make it sterile.”

“Doctor Sir.” Hans stepped forward and saluted.

“Yes corporal?”

“All of us NCOs have liberated alcohol, mine is Slivovitz, will that be alright to sterilise the table sir?”

“Perfect Corporal. Go to it with a will and I will do my best to save your friends lives. Captain I need to be ready for the first of the injured in fifteen minutes.”

Orders were given and the remaining troopers and NCOs performed heroically at a run.

Ten minutes later all was prepared.

“Close the curtains if you please nurse?” He asked Salina. Salina’s cat like eyes opened wide to allow the scant light in but Charles was unbothered by the darkness. Almost blind in daylight without his special glasses he could see perfectly in total darkness.

The first on the table was a young lance corporal with two bullets in his chest.

“Scalpel please?” Working swiftly Charles cut into the teenagers chest and carefully removed the two bullets. Thankfully the bullets missed vital organs but he had lost a lot of blood. As long as there wasn’t any secondary infection he should eventually recover his strength but it would be a long journey.

When he was finally stitched the wounds up Salina turned on the lights before calling through the door.

“First one for the ward!”

Alan and Hans came in with a makeshift stretcher and slid the patients body on to it. Once the table was clear two other corporals carefully put the next on the table before following the others out.

Once the door was shut Salina turned out the light.

The second wasn’t so easy.

One bullet had shattered his left arm another had passed the bridge of his nose an took out the right eye. Charles couldn’t save either. With infinite care he removed the remains of the eye and packed the socket out before sawing the arm off just below the elbow.

“Second one for the ward!”

Alan and the troopers bustled in and with discipline took the patient away.

The third was strangely easier. The poor man was peppered with bullets but none had hit a vital organ so it was relatively easy to take them out.

“Third for the ward!”

The fourth mans injuries were horrendous. He had lost the head of his penis and one of his testis. He had suffered a head trauma that left Charles no option, he pealed back the skin before drilling a hole in the cranium to let the blood out.

Suddenly the patient began to fit, throwing himself from side to side before dropping back on the table with a whack and laid very still.

“We’re losing him Doctor.”

“Oh no you don’t, you don’t die on my watch, in my ward.” He pummelled the lads chest and began CPR but to know avail.

Outside they heard Charles’s scream of exasperation and a crash of his fist hitting the wall.

The door opened and the blood splattered shape of Salina stood there.

She looked across at the Captain.

“I am so sorry but we lost him. His injuries were too severe and too many.” She said sadly as there was another tormented cry from inside the room. “The good Doctor takes it hard when he fails to save a life. It is best that he is left alone for awhile.”

“I understand but thank him.”

“For what?” Charles said angrily from the doorway.

“For giving three of my men the chance to live. If it wasn’t for you I would be writing letters of condolence to the families of all four instead it will be just one. One I know you did everything to save.”

Charles took a deep breath and came out of the room fully.

“Those young men are not out of the woods yet but the have a sporting chance now.” Charles noticed Hans standing just behind the Captain.

“Corporal have you any of the Slivovitz left for an old Doctor who has had a very trying morning?” He asked.

“My pleasure sir.” He brought the small flask out of his pocket and poured a measure into the cap and passed it over.

Charles knocked it back in one.

“Thank you Corporal I needed that.” Charles gasped as the burning alcohol took liquid fire to his stomach.

He passed the cap back and with a shiver turned back to the Captain.

“Right Captain we have your men ready for their medical’s in fifteen minutes please starting with your good self.” With Salina trailing behind they mounted the stairs to the allocated rooms.

Soon they were checking over the Captain and his Lieutenants before doing the NCOs and other ranks.

Terry arrived just in time to see one of the cages being empted of its cargo. A short distance away Wesley stood watching with disgust.

“Good morning Captain.” Theo said brightly.

“Good morning to you sir. Am I to believe that this holding pen is free for my use.”

“Yes.” Rex stuttered. “We are taking the first group up to the centre’s holding area this morning for delousing, the others will go up this afternoon. Then tomorrow morning they will be taken into the centre properly.”

“Have you no mercy in your soul.” Wesley interrupted angrily. “This is nothing but a slave market. It is immoral and obscene.”

“Wesley?” Terry whispered.

Wesley’s head came up as he heard his real name mentioned.

“Yes.” He whispered back.

“These guards . Learn all you can from them.”

Wesley nodded slightly his understanding.

“Terry check over the group in the other cage there is something just not right about them?” Theo whispered.

It was Terry’s turn to nod slightly.

Terry turned to the troopers.

“Get that scum in that cage.” He said angrily.

The six black garbed guards were pushed and clubbed into the cage.

“If you want to be useful Father give these men the last rites as they will be shot at dawn tomorrow for murder.” Terry told Wesley.

“When will you learn that not everything can be fixed with violence and the rule of the gun.” He replied.

“Sir.” Terry said to Theo. “I am instructed to examine your workers health before you take them up to the centre.”

“Oh very well Captain.”

“Thank you and it is Hauptsturmführer.”

“My apologise sir. Right line up for the examination.”

The group that were being loaded for transport were defeated and had no spark left in them. Terry couldn’t help wonder what the centre wanted with such a despairing group.

The group in the cage were a different matter, some of them that is. Terry entered the cage and examined them. He stopped at a sixty year old man and whispered.

“Watch your body language Unknown Soldier. You’re not blank enough and that goes for your five colleagues.” His incredible skill set had spotted the subtle difference between the true slave workers and that of the agents.

“Thank you.” The old man whispered back.

“Don’t get in our way of getting the Professor out please.”

“We can’t act till you have removed him and whatever you do don’t come back. Good luck.”

“You too.” He turned and said loudly. “They are all sound and can be loaded up whenever you are ready.”

“Thank you Hauptsturmführer.” Terry replied before signalling the first labour group on board.

Theo came across to shake Terry’s hand.

“You were right Theo they are resistance workers. I have warned them.”

“Right. See you tonight.”

Soon the lorry drove away with its cargo of disillusioned workers.

A feeling of disquiet fell on Terry as they marched back to the town hall something he would have difficulty shaking off.

The guards in the cage looked relaxed and sure of themselves.

“You needn’t bother Father as we will be soon out of here. Did they honestly think that a flimsy cage like this can hold us.” The leader sneered.

Wesley said nothing.

A second later a silver egg landed between their legs with an audible plop.

They looked down at it for a moment. One of them actually picked it up. It opened with a crack and sickly green vapour filled the air. They coughed and spluttered before one by one they succumbed to the sweet smelling vapour. They lay in a huddle fast asleep.

The vapours had been dispersed as Wesley entered. He knelt down by the leader and placed his fingers gently on the mans temple and with a sucking sound vanished into his head and entered his dreams.

Soon the guards were twitching and crying out with fear as the Sandman walked through their dreams turning them into nightmares. Softly as if playing from a long distance away a familiar US song was playing.

“♪Oh Mister Sandman sing me a song.♫”