Taylor knelt down beside Captain Jones. Friday was ten metres off to his side behind the remains of the front wall of the building. Chandra had perched herself against a section of fallen roof and held her rifle at the ready. The vehicle rolled right up to the surviving ledge of the bridge and came to an abrupt halt.
“Do not let them pass!” Taylor ordered.
The top unfolded and expanded outwards across to their side of the river. As it did so the body of the vehicle lowered as it spread out and locked into position forming a solid path over the river. The next enemy vehicle roared to life and began to trundle towards the newly formed bridge.
Then from behind their positions Taylor could hear a mechanical grinding noise that was becoming louder. As the enemy vehicle got onto the bridge it was hit by a huge shell that punctured its hull. It pulled to one side and collapsed into the river. Taylor turned to see a huge tank roll forwards from behind the building at their side, shortly followed by more.
Having never actually seen one, other than in pictures, the armoured behemoths were instantly recognisable as the T15 super heavy tanks. They rolled on without hesitation, firing as they moved. The first of the enemy vehicles erupted into clouds of smoke as Mechs were tossed aside by the immensely powerful guns.
“The Russians!” shouted Kwori.
The troops let out a hail of excitement and shouts as twelve of the huge vehicles rolled into position. One of the T15s was struck by an energy burst and rolled to a halt. The crew clambered out, the immense frontal armour saving their lives. A roar of battle cries rang out from the street where the tanks had come from and moments later troops poured out into the open. Hundreds of the Russian troops swarmed in to assist the armour.
Taylor and his men stood in their positions watching as the enemy were entirely blotted out of view by the surge of men and tanks. Cannons and machine guns fired in a brutal push towards the river. The 2 ^ nd Inter-Allied could only stand and marvel at the fearless courage of these men.
As they stood there, as surprised to see their allies as they were to still be alive, a vehicle rolled up. Commander Phillips leapt off as the battle continued to rage.
“Major Taylor! Glad to see you made it!”
Mitch quickly saluted the man as he approached. Phillips stood and stared at the battered and bloodied troops. He could barely distinguish between the three different outfits before him for the dirt and blood blended them together. He watched as Chandra bravely pulled herself up onto her one good leg to greet the Commander.
“Colonel, great job! I wasn’t sure if any of you would have made it.”
“Sir, are we needed back in the fight?” asked Jones.
“Negative, Captain. The Russian forces are handling the centre. German and British armoured Corps are sweeping in from the north and Turkish and Yugoslavian units have entered at the south.”
“My, God, then we’ve done it,” Taylor whispered.
“You’ve done it, Major, you and all the fine men and women who held this river. Paris remains free. We have not won the war, but we have drawn a line in the sand.”
“Where do we go from here, Sir?”
“For you, Captain, to a resting area east of the city. We are driving the enemy forces out but we can only continue so far. Paris has become the Bastion of Earth forces, it will be our base from henceforth. Vehicles are en route to carry the wounded. My thanks to you all, you have the respect and appreciation of the world. Major Taylor, please join me.”
Mitch shrugged off the dust from his uniform, but it had little effect. He stepped through the rubble and to the vehicle as Phillips climbed aboard. He looked back to the troops one last time, giving them a nod and casual salute. They continued to watch the friendly forces surge west over the enemy’s bridge to push the creatures out of the city.
Kelly sat at his desk just ten metres from Lewis. He tapped his fingers on his desk as he stared into space. He sat uneasily in his chair, still in full armour. They had been awaiting news of the great battle for France since it began. They knew that their survival was entirely dependent on the Earth troops’ ability to halt the enemy’s progress.
The room was utterly silent. They had gained a few small victories in ambushing Mechs with their new weapons, but were aware that they had made little progress. The Commander had his launcher in his lap, never letting it out of his sight. He said he kept it on him to show to all the colonists that he was fighting for their survival and freedom. It was only a half-truth. Kelly feared that the Mechs would breach their compound at any time.
“Sir, we’re receiving a message!” shouted Lewis.
Kelly sprang into action, swivelling in his chair and leaping to his feet. He stopped and stared at the comms officer in anticipation. He dreaded the news just as much as he yearned for it.
“They’ve done it, Sir, Paris has held! They’ve driven the Mechs from the city!”
The room erupted in excitement, but Kelly just lowered he head as he fought back tears. He wondered if the onslaught would ever end. He knew that until the invaders had been stopped in a pitched battle that there was no hope. The comms officer looked at him.
“We’ve done it, Sir, we’ve beaten them!”
“I know, there is hope, and that is all we can ask.”
Taylor stood at the window overlooking the recovery room where Parker was still connected to a host of machines. The Commander had arranged her transfer to a hospital north of Paris as the battle still raged. Phillips was aware that her survival and presence could do wonders for the unit, the Major in particular.
Passersby stared at his filthy clothes, his rifle was still slung over his shoulder. It was obvious that the officer had just endured a brutal fight. No one had the heart to tell him to clean himself up. Commander Phillips stood with him. He’d driven him there in his own vehicle.
“It is a delicate thing, Major, morale.”
“Yes, Sir.”
He didn’t take his eyes of Eli.
“In the coming days, weeks, months or even years, we will need every soldier on God’s Earth. You have done not just your country proud today, Major, but the entire world. I have arranged the best medical treatment for Sergeant Parker. The doctors here assure me that she will recover fully in time.”
He turned and looked at the Commander confused. He’d hoped with all his heart for Eli to survive her wounds, but he had doubted her chances. He turned back to see her once again. Her eyes opened and she tilted her head just slightly to look at him through the glass. A smile lit up his face as he looked into her eyes.
At that moment he knew there was hope for them all.