Recap: Donald shared his experience with the others at the vault as he returned from his reconnaissance mission. He explained how a town near the military base he was looking for had been taken captive by a group of armymen. He further told them about him being taken a prisoner and his escape. Rick and his team decided to leave the next day in pursuit of the hidden base.
Continued from before…
The town was under attack when Rick’s team arrived next day. Everyone armed themselves and joined the defenders. They knew it would be foolish to repel the attackers head on. The team members looked up to Donald for instructions who in turn decided to flank the attackers from two sides. The idea worked and the assault was put down in no time. They had taken care that most of the attackers didn’t survive and the few remaining were captured. Donald went to one of those and whispered something in his ear. The prisoner whispered something back which put a crease on Donald’s forehead. Donald returned to the others and told them to be prepared for some heavy fighting. They decided to spend the night in the town and continue with the mission next morning.
Next morning was the bloodiest day in that small town’s history. Five strong people joined Rick and his team and moved on towards the base. The base was hidden inside a forest nearby. No one had noticed since there was almost zero activity and the whole base was underground with only its entrance exposed. Donald had started ahead of them and maintained contact over radio. He was supposed to collect intel about enemy locations and pacify the small threats as his capacity allowed him. Donald had brought down four till his teammates reached the rendezvous point. They got to know that the enemy had not been able to breach inside the base since their gang leader didn’t have the necessary clearance. They were trying to blast the entrance using high end explosives. It was difficult procuring them as those were produced in small quantities and had become rarer because of the war.
This was comforting to the rest. Donald had obtained the layout of the area and everyone’s position. They split into three groups and moved silently towards the base. The entrance was lightly guarded since there was no way in. However, the leader was positioned there itself along with a machine gunner. Taking down the others turned out to be easy as their strength had been reduced because of the continuous casualties from before. Rick’s team reassembled at a distance and proceeded towards the entrance.
Unfortunately, they were spotted by a sniper who shot Keith, Rick’s colleague, grievously injuring him. They retreated back to a safer location immediately. Keith had lost huge amount of blood which could not be stopped even after applying pressure. He succumbed to his injuries after a few minutes. Everyone else was heartbroken. They knew beforehand the risk they had taken but never actually expected someone would actually die in action. They did not even have the time to mourn his death. The remaining team members crept back to their position near the base entrance. A bullet from a rifle wheezed past them. Someone from the entrance called out,”Donald, I know it’s you. It would be better if you come out.” Then there was a round of machine gun fire as a display of what might happen if they didn’t come out. Everyone scattered themselves out of the field of fire.
Rick, who was with Donald noticed deep folds over his eyebrows. Donald signalled everyone to keep mum. He tied some leaves on his body and climbed up a tree nearby. Next everyone heard were two shots and something fell down. It was followed by another shot and another fall. Donald dropped from his position just before there was another round of machine gun fire on his hiding position. It was obvious that the machine gun would provide hindrance if not taken care of and it was impossible to take it head on. They decided to make a diversion so that the machine gun could be bombed from behind. They divided into two groups with one group of two people and the rest went in the opposite direction led by Donald. Donald silently approached the gunner and radioed the other group to make movement. As soon as they made sounds, the gun fired in their direction and Donald bombed the position. Donald, after being assured the machine gun was pacified, moved in to check on the leader. As soon as he came out of hiding, someone in a uniform jumped on him and stabbed him in his back. Donald collapsed almost instantly. Rick didn’t wait for another attack and shot at the assailant. The bullet hit the jugular resulting in a bloody collapse followed by death.
Rick rushed towards Donald’s aid. He was bleeding profusely. Rick put some pressure on the wound, applied first aid and made a sling for Donald to rest his arm. Rick laid Donald to rest and moved towards Keith’s dead body to give him a proper burial. They started working on the military base after the burial was over. No one talked unless it was necessary. Donald had the required clearance to enter the base because of his position in the secret service.
As soon as the doors opened, everyone stumbled inside except Rick and Donald. Rick pulled him aside and demanded his link with the leader. Donald confessed that the leader was his junior in the army. He had never been a good soldier, always trying to create chaos. Donald as a superior had tried to change his ways but was unsuccessful. He was incorrigible. However, Donald had never expected him to turn into a thug. When Rick and Donald entered, they found the others stocking up various resources. After a few hours everyone was packed and ready to go. Rick made sure that no one needed to come back in a few months. Rick’s team made a stop at the town helping unload some of the supplies at the town and left for their underground home.
They were halfway towards their town when the ground shuddered beneath them and they stopped. A chill ran down everyone’s spine as they turned back to see what happened. In the horizon was a silhouette of a large mushroom cloud slowly rising from the place where the town stood. Everybody understood what had happened. Donald motioned Rick to drive as fast as he can to escape the after effects of the explosion. Their distance from the epicenter helped them to get away. They reached their underground refuge late that night.
To be continued…
Chronicles of Tomorrow: Echoes from the Future 