"Sorry about the ride, Sir, but we're a little hard pressed right now."
The driver raced off, causing troops nearby to jump out of the way. Taylor and Jones hung on rather unceremoniously to the rim of the storage basket they were sitting on. They passed through the huge reinforced gates of one of the walls and could see troops piling down into bunkers below that were integrated into the giant structures.
"Defences above and below?" Jones commented.
"We started digging in a few years back until their armour started rolling over us, so we started building up!" replied the driver.
"You were there for the defence of the city?"
"What's left of it, Sir, yes."
"So someone got out alive," whispered Jones.
They passed through another wall, and as they did, they could see four ships coming into land and a welcome party waiting for whoever it was.
"That's General Heath, Sir," the man said, pointing to a soldier who would have looked more at home by Taylor's side than in a war room. Their vehicle came to a halt twenty metres back from the welcome party. As they climbed off, they saw General White step off one of the ships and approach Heath. Taylor continued right on up to them, and White quickly turned to address him.
"Colonel Taylor, this is General Heath, US Army."
Heath looked to be in his early fifties and stood eye to eye with Mitch. His face was pot-holed and rough, as if it had been riddled with shrapnel. He was in fighting shape and wore full Reitech gear, being an almost mirror of Mitch himself, though his helmet was off and revealing his almost bald head that had just a little grey hair either side.
"Of all the places we could have met before, Colonel, I can't think of anywhere I would rather have had you on side if a shit storm comes our way, than right here now!"
Taylor smiled.
I like this General already, he thought.
"We have no more time for pleasantries. Gentlemen, please follow me."
He stopped for a moment and looked to Jones.
"Captain Charlie Jones?"
"Yes, Sir," he quickly replied, with a puzzled expression.
"Follow me also."
With that, the General turned and quickly strode towards the entrance to a bunker that was set into the ground. Jones looked to Taylor for answers, but he had none as they stepped down below the surface. It wasn't long before they were standing around a map of the area in Heath's war room, just as Taylor had been so many times before. He never liked it. He was a field officer and never wanted to be anything more.
"Any moment we should be hearing from General Dupont, who I know you are familiar with."
"Yes, Sir," replied Taylor, "but how, may I ask?"
"We have a number of emergency lines set up directly to key installations around the World. We learnt a lot from the last war, and being in the dark again is not something I want to experience. I was here in Baltimore last time we took a stand here, and I can tell you it wasn't pretty."
Taylor could tell Heath had been a fighting man back then. There was no way he’d sat at a desk during that war, with the way he held himself and talked.
"You gave 'em quite a fight."
"I was a Major back then. When I got out, I had less than fifty men still walking and under my command."
A light flashed on the display beside Heath, and he quickly answered before Taylor could even think of a response to his comment. An image of Dupont was projected, and Taylor could already see the pained expression and pale face of a man who was hanging by a thread. He began to open his mouth but stopped and stared at Taylor.
"You made it?"
"I don't die that easy," replied Mitch.
It brought a smile to Dupont's face and the faintest of hope back to his eyes.
"What can I do for you, General?" asked Heath.
"I am sorry to say, and I must be blunt about this. This is a plea for help. Our lines are crumbling. Our armies in the south have broken and have been scattered to the wind. We are on the ragged edge. Will you come to us in this time of need?"
Heath took a deep breath and sighed.
"General Dupont, I assure you I would give you all that you require, would it be even possible. I cannot make that decision, nor could I rightly weaken the defences here in Baltimore. I am sorry to say it, but we aren't fairing much better. We're digging in to weather this storm."
"Then we are alone?"
"You must be able to get support your side of the water? Where are the Spanish, the British?"
"In the same boat, I am afraid. And many of the UEN nations are in open civil war since the arrival of Erdogan's forces."
Dupont went silent and for a few moments and was close to weeping. He finally looked back at them. "This is like nothing we have faced before. I'm getting reports of technology we have never experienced, and lines are breaking easily. I don't know how much longer this can go on for."
"You just keep up the fight, and we'll do the same. Give them all we’ve got. Look to your allies. Even now, troops are en route to support us here. When we can, we'll come and help you."
"Thank you, General. One last thing, I asked if you knew the whereabouts of Captain Charlie Jones?"
"Yes, he is here with us now."
Jones stepped up beside Taylor into the view. He looked suspiciously at Dupont and said nothing.
"Captain, I am sure you would like to have news of your wife. She is safe within the facility here. If you can be directed into private quarters, I can have you put through."
Jones looked at Heath, who simply pointed to a door off to one side.
"Thank you," Jones said and walked cautiously to the room, not knowing what to expect.
The door was shut behind him, and a screen projection displayed before him. It was not Coco, but a doctor he did not recognise.
"Captain Jones?" asked the woman.
He nodded in return.
"I want to let you know that both your wife and unborn child are safe and secure and in good health."
Jones was still silent. The doctor peered into his frozen expression.
"Captain?"
"Child?" he whispered.
"Your wife is nine weeks pregnant," she said.
"I didn't know."
"I'm sorry. I had no idea."
"No...it’s okay."
Jones didn't know what else to say.
"The important thing here is that Coco is recovering well and will be able to leave shortly, though, I am not sure where... well... where she can go."
It suddenly dawned on him the danger she was in, and just how far he was from being able to help her. The doctor was as speechless as he was now and looked a little flustered at having been caught in such an uncomfortable position.
"I can put you through to her for a few moments," she quickly added.
He nodded. "Please."
He was still stunned as the screen transitioned to Coco, who was sitting up in bed. She had evidently been waiting for him because she was looking right into his eyes with a smile.
"How are you?" she asked.
It struck him as bizarre. Like they had just woken up in their remote farm without a care in the world. He tried to respond, but his throat was dry. He coughed to clear this throat and finally managed to speak.
"Good...sort of."
Both were quiet, as they tried to think of something to say or someway of asking what they were both thinking. Jones looked away for a moment and then to her as she hung onto his every expression, waiting for him to speak.
"So...you're..."
She nodded and then smiled.
"I know it's not exactly the best timing, and I didn't know until yesterday...but..."
"But nothing, it's the best news I've heard all year."
She was silent once more and began to weep.