Chapter 6: City in the Cliff

Having two wives was a little strange but nice. Anh and Cam seemed to get along well and knew what to do with some of the gold coins. The gold statues were another matter and they made small shelves to display them on. We were not going to get a lieutenant for awhile so staff sergeant Black continued to run the platoon.

We did get a sergeant to replace Zon and a corporal as well as enough new privates to completely fill the squad. I got a new private named Conner and we promoted Dunn to private first class. It was two weeks before awards were given and I received an Order of Merit. Sanders, Dunn and Billings were awarded the Military Cross.

Sergeant Albert seemed to know what he was doing and it did not take long for us to start working together. I managed to find a cut down seven point five by fifty five rifle and gave it to Conner. That was when we started getting reports of an enemy build up. Supposedly it was to the north along the coast but intel did not have a location yet.

Anh and Cam began a small trading post. They bought things in the port city and sold them on post. They even brought the housing sergeant major in on it. By the end of the third week they were working out of a small warehouse. Each day when I came home I let them tell me how their day went and they sounded excited.

Sergeant Albert gave us a warning order for the next day. We were headed north to recon the top of the cliffs where the suspected enemy location was. I carried my Tomahawk and the silenced pistol. I also wore my over and under on my left thigh. I had four, ten round pouches for the shotgun on my vest and another two on my belt.

I also had ten dragon's breath in a pocket sewn into my vest. Since it was a squad recon we were dropped ten kilometer from our start point. Alpha team led and the sergeant was between the teams. I kept my team spread out and tried to watch the other team ahead of us. At least the coastal forest was not that thick and I did not see as many serpents.

The first enemy patrol had us kneeling and watching as it walked past to our left. I waited and gestured to the sergeant and once they were gone he moved back. I leaned close to whisper, "we can try to follow their path back to their camp."

He shook his head and I shrugged, "one man on the trail and everyone else to one side."

He thought about it and finally nodded and moved up to corporal Peters. Two minutes and he was on the barely seen trail the enemy had been on. We stayed ten meters to the right as he began to follow the trail. It was an hour before we entered an area with lots of cracks in the earth and gaping holes.

The last was what he stopped at. He moved to us and pulled every one in and whispered, "there is a ladder."

I had memorized the map and whispered back, "according to the map and one of the aerial recon photos there is a large sea cave at the base of the cliff."

He frowned and looked back at me, "Greg you lead and take your team in first."

I was not sure about this but nodded and stood, "Sanders you Dunn and Billings bring up the rear. Conner stay behind me."

I moved through the bushes to the hole and knelt to look down the ladder. I turned and put my feet on the first rung and started down. The ladder went down almost ten meters before I stepped off and looked around a small cavern. I knelt and watched with my shotgun ready and when Conner appeared I sent him to a group of rocks.

I put Sanders and the others behind other rocks and the sergeant appeared. With the hole and all the cracks there was a kind of dim light. I gestured and my team moved to the entrance to the cavern with me. We set up and listened as the other team climbed down and the sergeant hissed, "start hunting."

I grinned as I stood with my shotgun to my shoulder and started moving. At the next spilt in the cave I saw a lot of tracks and we turned left. The cave we followed began to sloop down and turned to head towards the ocean. Ten minutes and I stopped in the mouth of another cavern. It was huge and seemed to drop away from the mouth of the cave.

When I slipped out onto the wide ledge I saw crude ladders that went down like stairs but it was what I saw on the cavern floor that stunned me. There were stone huts and houses and to the north I even saw a temple. This was not just a base camp for the enemy ... it was a whole city. On the other side of the cavern I could see the sea cave and hear the ocean.

Just from a first look there had to be thousands of enemy soldiers in here. I moved back and started to tell what I saw when we heard voices. Sergeant Albert hissed, "out and down quickly!"

I knew there was no way to reach the bottom before the enemy soldiers saw us. I gestured to Sanders and pulled my pistol. He nodded and led my team after alpha and the sergeant. I moved into the cave and stopped at the turn. Six men walked around it and I shot the first in the head and then the second and third.

The last three were surprised and confused as I stepped out and shot the next man in the chest and the one following him. The last turned to run and I put a round through the back of his head. I made sure they were dead and looked around and started pulling them to the side. There were cracks and I stuffed them in and finally returned to the ledge.

I climbed down the ladder and the sergeant met me at the bottom, "what were you doing?"

I pulled my pistol and removed the magazine and replaced it, "giving you time to get away."

He looked up, "the bodies..."

I shook my head, "hidden in cracks."

He relaxed and nodded before gesturing, "we are going to start at the temple."

I looked that way, "there might be people there. Call this in and let the strike force..."

He turned and gestured and alpha team rose and started moving. I put my pistol away and checked my shotgun. I started moving and my team fell in behind me in a stagger. We went around the very edge of the city using small alleys and backyards. We saw soldiers in the streets and heard them talking.

We even saw small towers with two hundred liter fuel cans beside many of the houses. When we reached the front of the temple yard there were crates stacked up with a single isle to the door. One look at the markings was enough to know it was ammo. My team slipped in on the west side of the entrance and ducked down behind the low wall.

Alpha went to the other side and the sergeant gestured that he was going in. A moment later there were shots from inside and I growled, "prepare for an attack. Sander and Dunn take the back of the right building. Billings and Conner take the street."

Alpha shifted further away to cover the second street and the back of the buildings on that side. I hesitated before I stood and ran for the door. I kept my shotgun against my shoulder as I hit the door and brought the barrel up. I shot an enemy soldier in the chest and then another and another.

I started walking and shifted right when two more rushed into the entry. I shot the first and the second tried to lift a rifle before I shot him in the head. I continued through the main doors into the center of the temple. Crates were stacked along the sides and back and several bodies were on the floor.

Two soldiers and a officer were holding the sergeant. He was struggling as the officer put a pistol to his head, "drop..."

I shot the enemy soldier to the left and shifted as the other let the sergeant go and lifted his rifle. He never made it as I fired into his chest. I continued to walk as the officer yanked the sergeant back against him, "stop or he is dead!"

I aimed at his head, "sorry sergeant."

The officer's eyes went wide and he twisted and tried to aim. The sergeant spun to the left and out of my line of fire and I squeezed the trigger. The officer's head exploded and I glanced around, "time to go sergeant."

He looked at me and shook his head, "are you crazy?"

I began reloading my shotgun on the way to the door, "did you want me to ask him nice?"

He bent to grab his rifle and followed but I stopped at the door. Outside the squad was firing and I could hear a lot more weapons than ours. I pulled my over and under and pointed to the back of the temple and fired. The ball of fire spread out as it streaked across and hit the cases. The sergeant hissed, "that is cases of explosives!"