"Sir, we're done here," he whispered.
Heath nodded in partial agreement, but Taylor could see General White approaching to join the conversation.
"If you have something to say, Colonel, then let it out," he stated for all to hear.
Taylor looked up and nodded, thinking carefully about how to word it.
"Well come on," added White.
"This fight, this city, it's over. All we can do by staying here is prolong our deaths."
"You are famed for many things, Colonel, cowardice is not one of them, so don't start now."
"Cowardice!" Jones shouted, "You've got some nerve..."
Taylor lifted his hand and stopped the Captain as he tried to lunge forward in his verbal attack. As he did so, he noticed the enemy advances displayed on the map projection. It was clear their were being encircled.
"Sir, we’re being surrounded. We cannot survive this. I'm sure everyone in the room is familiar with a tactical withdrawal. You are all qualified officers, after all?" Taylor asked dryly.
The question was rhetorical, and he knew it would piss White off, but they all remained silent as they waited for more explanation.
"This simple fact is we are in deep shit. I don't have the answers, but I do know dying here, and it won't take long, will not help anyone. I say we get out, and put some distance between us and them."
"We were ordered to hold here, and that's precisely what we'll do. I know following orders is a concept entirely alien to you, Colonel, but let's not forget who is in charge here."
"No, let's not," he replied sternly, looking back at Heath who had still not spoken a word or even acknowledged either of them. As Taylor waited for a response, his senses had begun to recover, and he could smell and taste everything around them. A waft of coffee spread through the air, but more than anything, rank sweat dominated the room. He looked over to Heath. There was a burn mark on the side of his helmet and deep scratches in his armour. He had clearly joined the fight at some stage and smelt as bad as he did.
It all only served to make the entire place even more depressing. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, only a grizzly few hours or days left to survive through. He wouldn’t hold his tongue any longer.
“General Heath. Baltimore is a pit for us to crawl into and die. I won’t be a part of it. I won’t let my people die here because of a fool’s errand. We’re out of here, and so should you. You’d better decide whether you want to have our help getting out of here, or if you want to stay here to rot.”
White jumped into the conversation furiously.
“We cannot leave. We have a duty to…”
But Heath finally moved and slammed his hand down on the table before him. It was enough of a shock to bring White to a halt. As the officer in command, they all looked to him.
“Baltimore couldn’t be defended the first time, and it cannot be defended now. I will not stand to lose everyone under my command for no good reason. We’re leaving here, and we’re doing it as quickly as we goddamn can!”
General White looked astonished by his statement but did not argue it. Heath took in a deep breath. He looked like a broken man who had finally been given a way out of his misery. He looked across his briefing table and the map displayed on it.
“So where will we go?”
“Washington,” a voice replied from a hopeful officer nearby.
Heath shook his head.
“DC? Are you kidding me? New York is a wasteland. We’re getting run out of Baltimore, and you think Washington will be safe? No, no, anyone with any sense bugged out of the capitol as soon as this happened.”
He slid his hand across the projection until he reached Pittsburgh.
“Yes, this is it. Clearest route out, enough distance from our current location to make a difference, and we should be able to rendezvous with Army forces there. Pittsburgh was a key point in our lines last time we fought on this soil. I know for a fact that emergency measures will already have several regiments in situ. Let’s fight this battle on our terms.”
Most around the room nodded in agreement, except for White. The General looked to Taylor. It was not hate in his eyes. He didn’t like what Taylor was doing, but he smiled in response, for he certainly appreciated it.
“We’ve got maybe nine thousand troops in this city. Getting them out is going to be no easy task,” said Heath, “We’re gonna need an hour to get a plan together, Colonel. You’ve shown us the way. Now I would ask you to go back to your people, and keep doing what you do best. You’re a fighter, Colonel. It is where you belong. We’ll find a way out of this.”
Taylor wanted to turn and leave, but he could not help but think he wanted a hand in the decisions that could mean life or death for so many thousands of his countrymen.
“Sir, I think I can be vital to the planning of this operation…”
“Colonel Taylor!” White interrupted, “You have your orders. Get to them.”
Heath turned and glared at him as well, and he knew he had said all he could say without creating new enemies; and he had enough as it was. Taylor nodded in acceptance.
“Thank you, Sir, and good luck,” he said to Heath.
He turned and left with Jones by his side.
“You went easy on them,” said Jones as they were leaving the building, “Going soft in your old age?”
Taylor stopped and looked at Jones.
“Honestly? My head hurts. My whole body hurts. Standing in there, all I wanted was to get out here and take a breath of fresh air, or as fresh as we can get. Just because I had one idea, doesn’t mean I’m full of them. We have always been fighters in this war. We’re field officers, nothing more. Let’s stick to what we’re good at.”
They carried on back to their unit. They were getting what rest they could while scattered around the centre of the city. Parker was the first one to approach and had tears in her eyes.
“We’re not getting out of this one, are we?” she asked, standing in front of them.
Taylor righted himself and stood proud with a stern expression on his face.
“When have we ever not got out? We are getting out, and we are winning this war, and don’t you forget it!”
Chapter 6
Taylor looked out to the south at the Mech forces encircling the city. He was on top of the tallest tower still remaining and could see kilometres into the distance, but it was also a rather disconcerting feeling, like being in a fishbowl. He couldn't help but feel the enemy could take a pop at him at any moment. He climbed onto the ladder, slid down to the next level, and walked out onto the wall where Jones was waiting.
"Not nice up there, is it?"
Taylor shook his head. Engines fired up behind them, and he looked down at the vehicles being prepared to leave. Every road and airworthy vehicle still in the city had been gathered ready for the retreat, but he wondered if it would be enough. He could still hear gunfire in the distance. The troops there were continuing to hold back the enemy.
"Think this plan can work?"
"It has to, Charlie. It's that or die."
“You know what gets me, why haven’t they just nuked us yet? Or whatever super weapon they have like it. They could finish us easily while we’re all held up here. One day, and we’d be done for.”
“Not like they’re doing a bad job as it is,” replied Taylor.
Although he shook his head even as he said the words, it didn’t make sense to him either. Jones took a deep breath and then finally came out with some history, as he so often did.
“You know what Hitler once said, that he would do what Napoleon could not?”