Play@YSDC

Z-Day + 1 - 5:55 AM Mountain Time - 4 miles east of Scobey, Montana
In the wilderness-
Tricia Barrett ran. Her lungs and her legs were aching, but she had to keep going. Any minute now, if they hadn't already, the neo-Nazis would wake up and discover her gone, and then they would come after her and track her down. They had acted nice before, but she couldn't count on that if they caught up with her. The infected were terrifying enough, but these creeps were even moreso in some ways.

Tricia knew the Bell Ranch had to be around here somewhere. She didn't know if anyone there was still alive, but it was the only place she could think of finding shelter. Pre-dawn light was just starting to crawl over the edge of the horizon ahead, to the east, but it was still very dark as she raced through the wilderness. Just when she thought she couldn't go on any longer, she caught sight of a fence up ahead.

On the ranch grounds-
In desperation, Tricia scaled the fence. She knew she was trespassing, but she hoped that Clyde would understand. Sticking to the shadows, she approached the ranch house, taking care to remain quiet.

On the ranch grounds-
Tricia crept around the side of the ranch house to the front, where she saw three people walking up to the house's front porch. Two were women, a blonde and a redhead. The other was a man with blond hair. All of them looked young. The redhead carried a shotgun, and the others carried pistols.

On the ranch grounds-
Tricia backed up as the blondes headed her way, hiding around the corner and watching the door as the redhead knocked on it. A moment later, Tricia heard it open.

"Caitlin!" cried a man's voice. "Come in, quickly! Did you come here by yourself? Where are your parents?"

On the ranch grounds-
"Two others," said Caitlin at the front of the house. "It's okay, guys. Mom was... and Dad..." She trailed off.

Tricia flattened herself against the wall while the young blond people walked by her without noticing and rounded the corner to the the back door.

"We back here," called the woman. "Don´t know if you were druzʹya!" She knocked at the back door. "Anyone out there, Sven?"

"I don't see anyone," said the man.

OOC,[b]Tricia[/b] is moving to the thread linked below.

Family Reunion

On the ranch grounds-
Tricia ran through the woods to the southwest as fast as she could. She was terrified, and she only knew that she had to get out of here before the skinheads got their hands on her. They'd never let her get away a second time.

On the ranch grounds-
Tricia ran harder, her chest heaving. The trees seemed to stretch on forever, but she knew she had to come to the perimeter fence eventually. As she ran, she heard a twig snap and saw the three skinheads creeping through the trees towards her! They were same ones who had come for her earlier this morning. She tried to duck behind a tree, but her own footsteps made noise. She flattened herself to the back of the tree, panting for breath, terror clutching her heart in its icy grip.

"Someone's here!" said Lt. Joshua Stuart to the two men with him. He drew his pistol, and they held their M16s ready. "Spread out and search."

On the ranch grounds-
Tricia heard a faint sound in the distance, back the way she had come. It sounded like Lara calling her name.

Joshua Stuart seemed to hear it too. He cocked his head. "She's here, I know it," he said. "Let's find her fast and get out."

Tricia huddled in her hiding place, clenching her eyes shut and praying. God, please don't let them find me! she thought.

But it was all for nought. She soon heard footsteps in front of her. "There you are!" said Lt. Stuart, grabbing her by the arm. Tricia's eyes flew open, and she saw the other two skinheads on either side of him with their rifles ready. "HELP!!!" she screamed, her heart about to explode.

"Come on, let's move," said Joshua. He hustled Tricia off to the southwest, the other two men following.

On the ranch grounds-
Tricia wept as Joshua dragged her along to the southwest. "Don't fret, my darling," he said. "We're not going to hurt you. Whatever possessed you to run away from us?"

"I got scared," she said.

"Of us? We're the good guys."

"How'd you know she was here, sir?" asked one of his men.

"I heard someone in the distance calling out her name, back to the northeast. It sounded like the blonde we saw earlier this morning."

"Oh yeah, she's hot," said the other man, the biggest of the three. "Maybe we should bring her with us too."

Tricia looked horrified. "No!" she gasped. "Look, I'll go back with you. I'll do whatever you want. Just...just leave Lara out of this."

"Of course," said Joshua. "Now let's get moving."

They came to the edge of the treeline. Ahead, the ranch's perimeter fence was visible, and just beyond that was a gray pickup truck. They crossed the open ground to the fence.

"Ralph, you go first," said Joshua. "Tricia, you follow once he's over."

"Right, sir," said the big man. He slung his rifle over his shoulder and started to climb, but his progress was slow. After a minute, he made it over and scaled down the other side. He unslung his M16 and stood warily, watching.

Tricia gulped and followed him over. Once she was safely on the ground, Ralph took hold of her arm.

Joshua tried to climb the fence, but it proved difficult for him. The other man, however, managed it with practically no effort. Joshua tried again, and this time he made it.

In the wilderness-
"MIke, get in the back," said Joshua. The other man nodded and climbed into the bed of the truck, then sat down and gripped his rifle. Joshua opened the driver's side door to the pickup truck's cab and got behind the wheel. Ralph opened the passenger side door for Tricia, and she got in and slid over to the middle seat. Then he got into the shotgun seat and slammed the door behind him. Tricia was trapped between them, squeezed uncomfortably. She leaned back and closed her eyes in despair as Joshua started up the engine and spoke into the CB radio. "We've got her," he said. "Head for home."

In the wilderness-
Johsua happened to glance in the rearview mirror as he pulled out and headed west. "We got out of there just in time," he said. "I saw that girl Lara back there, and she wasn't alone. That rancher and the redheaded girl were with her, and they had long guns. We could've taken them, but it's better not to take chances on one of us getting shot. We got what we came for."

Tricia craned her neck and looked back in despair. She couldn't see them, but she knew that her last hope of rescue was gone. Certain that she was doomed and that she would never see them again, she buried her face in her hands and began to cry.

In the wilderness-
Tricia sobbed as Joshua drove onwards. A few minues later, the compound appeared in the distance. The pickup truck drove up to the front gate, which was heavily guarded. A squad of six skinheads led by one with sergeant's stripes on his sleeves was just inside. Behind the pickup truck, another gray pickup and a gray van arrived and pulled up behind them.

"How did it go, sir?" asked the sergeant.

"The mission was a complete success," said Joshua. "No casualties on either side, no violence."

"Well done, sir." The sergeant and his squad moved aside, and the vehicles rolled in. Tricia looked up and out the back as the truck crossed the threshold. She knew in her heart that she would not leave. They would never let her escape a second time.

Outside the officers' quarters-
Joshua's truck split off from the other vehicles and pulled up outside the officers' quarters where he had taken Tricia last night. He parked, shut the engine down, and got out. Then he took Tricia by the arm and pulled her after him. The other two men got out of the truck as well. "Good job, guys. If you don't mind, Tricia and I would like to be alone now."

Mike and Ralph chuckled. "Have fun, sir," said Mike. He and Ralph took up posts outside the front door, while Joshua took Tricia inside.

In the officers' quarters-
Joshua led Tricia down the hall and over to the door to his bedroom. He opened it up and dragged her through it.

In Joshua's room-
Tricia had never been in Joshua's bedroom before, a fact for which she had been grateful. Now she was here, and there was no way out. The walls were decorated with Nazi flags and other paraphernalia. There was an oak writing desk and a comfortable leather chair. There was also a comfortable queen-sized bed in the corner. A small door to the right led to a private bathroom, a closet was on the opposite wall, and a window was at the back. Joshua locked the door behind him and gripped Tricia's arms. "What the hell got into you, running off like that?" he demanded. "You could have gotten people killed! You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"I...I'm sorry," she said.

Joshua's face softened, and he took Tricia's chin in one hand and tilted her head upwards. "Oh, I can't stay mad at you, Tricia. But I'm going to make damn sure you never do anything like that again. I could have lost you! But I'm so glad to have you back." He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulled her close, and kissed her hard on the lips. She squirmed in his grasp and started to weep again.

Joshua finally broke off. "That was worth everything you put me through," he said. "What's wrong? Don't be sad, darling. You're safe, and I'm going to make you very happy."

"Please, no..." she choked out.

"Now, now. You made me a promise. You said you'd do anything I want, remember? I'm going to hold you to that."

"I'll do what you want." Tricia lowered her head. "I was just asking you not to."

"I'm afraid I can't help myself. You're just so beautiful. I've waited so long for this." He started to unbutton her blouse.

"No, please, don't...I'm not ready..."

Joshua could not be dissuaded, however. He breathed heavily as he continued to undress Tricia, determined to have his way with her now. Tricia's pulse raced out of control, and she felt dizzy and lightheaded. Please, God, no! she thought.

In Joshua's room-
Tricia whimpered as her blouse, her shoes, and her skirt all fell to the floor in quick succession. Once Joshua had her down to her underwear, he pressed her backwards onto his bed, where she lay on her back. He removed his belt with the saber and pistol hanging from it and draped it across the chair. He removed his shirt, revealing some tattoos, including a large one of a swastika on his chest. He put the shirt on the chair too. Then he unlaced and kicked off his boots before removing his pants and laying them across the shirt. Tricia swallowed as he advanced, clad only in his boxers and socks.

In Joshua's room-
Tricia shuddered as Joshua climbed on top of her and straddled her. While she knew her plight was hopeless, she felt she had to at least try to stop him from taking advantage of her. She tried to knee him in the crotch, but her legs hit nothing but air as she flailed them wildly. Joshua struggled with her as she squirmed, though he couldn't pin her down. She screamed and wailed as he yanked her panties down over her hips and knees. Terror gripped her when he lowered his boxer shorts, and she turned her head away.

In Joshua's room-
Tricia acted quickly, before Joshua had a chance to overpower her. She thrust her leg right at him, but he deflected it with his arm. She screamed again as they wrestled, and this time he seized her wrists. She tried to break his hold, but she could not.

In Joshua's room-
Tricia knew she was losing this fight, but she tried one more kick. Her aim was true, and Joshua couldn't block it, but he easily twisted out of the way. Then he got between her legs, locking his own legs around hers to hold them still, and he pinned her wrists to the pillow on either side of her head, crushing her into the bed with his weight. Though she struggled with all of her flagging strength, it wasn't quite enough. Joshua held her fast, and there was no escape. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking out from beneath her eyelids.

In Joshua's room-
Tricia clutched the pillow with both hands, squeezing for all she was worth, screaming herself hoarse, but it didn't make her feel any better. Though she couldn't see with her eyes closed, she could still hear the bedsprings creaking as Joshua moved up and down on top of her, still smell his breath when he kissed her, still feel him inside of her. It was far too much to bear, and her spirit broke. The anguish overwhelmed her, and she was well aware that her life from this point forward would consist of nothing but repeated rape. If I please him, it will go better for me, she thought. It's the only way I can survive. And he did save my life back at the diner. Maybe...maybe it won't be so bad. If I want to do it, it isn't really rape. And he isn't bad-looking. I need him, to be safe. Nobody else can protect me. Surrendering, and losing a part of herself in the process, Tricia ceased her struggles and returned Joshua's embrace with mad abandon. She moaned, but with pleasure.

Joshua took it as no less than his due. She's a good girl, he thought. She just had to make a show of resisting to make herself feel like she hadn't done anything wrong. But now she's in love with me, just like I knew she'd be. He enjoyed nothing more than the thrill of conquest, and he took Tricia passionately.

In Joshua's room-
Some time later, Joshua and Tricia were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Sorry to disturb you, sir," said Mike on the other side. "A couple of the guys spotted a chopper setting down not a mile south from here! The captain wants us to check it out and get a closer look."

Joshua groaned and reluctantly separated himself from Tricia. "I'll be with you just as soon as I get dressed!" he called, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"Don't go," pleaded Tricia, sitting up and wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"I have to, darling. But don't worry, I'll be back."

"Take me with you!"

Joshua looked back and faced her. "It's too dangerous. I don't want anything to happen to you out there. Stay here where you'll be safe."

"Then how can i be sure you'll come back if it's dangerous? Please, I can't bear to be without you!" She clung to him tightly.

Joshua sighed. In the end, he knew he'd be unable to resist her charms. "All right, but you'll have to do exactly as I say. Let's get dressed."

Joshua and Tricia put their clothes on, and Joshua retrieved his equipment. Then they went out into the hall where Mike and Ralph waited. The four of them went outside.

Outside the officers' quarters-
Two men were standing outside when Tricia and the skinheads emerged. They saluted."Tell me what you saw," Joshua said to them, returning the salute.

"Sir, a helicopter set down on that plateau about a mile south of here," said one of them. "It looked military."

Joshua glanced over towards the plateau. "Yeah, that's a good vantage point," he said. "I see it all right. There are some military types milling around at the chopper, plus a sniper looking our way through a scoped rifle. Get our own sniper to draw a bead on him. We're going to go check it out." He took Tricia by the arm and led her over to the pickup truck, followed by Mike and Ralph. He opened the driver's side door and gestured for her to get in. She did so and slid over to the middle seat while he got behind the wheel and Ralph got into the shotgun seat from the other side. Mike climbed into the bed of the truck.

At the gate-
Joshua drove south, back to the gate through which they had originally entered.

At the gate-
The guards inside the gate opened it up, and the truck rolled through and continued heading south towards the plateau. The guards shut the gate after the vehicle left.

In the wilderness-
Joshua drove south for about a mile and reached the base of the plateau. He started rolling around the edge of the plateau at the base of the cliff, towards a slope on the left side that would allow it to eventually reach the top.

On the plateau-
Joshua drove up the slope and soon reached the top of the plateau. Tricia saw the military helicopter landed not far away in the middle of the plateau. A handful of men and women in Air Force uniforms, all of them armed, were set up to defend their position. One of them had a scoped sniper rifle with a bipod.

"This is the Major Nelson Harris of the United States Air Force," came an amplified voice from the helicopter's loudspeaker. "Do not approach any closer!"

Joshua stopped the truck and got out. "I'm Lieutenant Joshua Stuart of the Aryan Brotherhood Armed Forces," he said. "This area is under our protection. What are you doing here?"

On the plateau-
"That information is classified," replied Major Harris through the loudspeaker. "This is public land, and we have every right to be here."

"As do we," said Joshua. "We should work together to increase our chances for survival. Do you know anything about what's been happening in the last day?"

"No more than you. Have you received any new arrivals since the recent events started?"

"Only Tricia here." He motioned back to the woman in the pickup truck. Then he looked around at the armed people, including a sniper, who were watching them. "I'd advise you and your troops not to take any rash actions. If anything happens to me and mine, it will mean war, and you're not prepared for one. You aren't the only one with a sniper."

On the plateau-
"How do we know you're not bluffing?" replied Major Harris. "We haven't seen any sniper."

"No, and he wouldn't be much good if you had," said Joshua. "He's there. If you decide to call by firing the first shot, he'll fire the second - and it will be lethal. Having trouble with your bird, Major?"

"That's none of your business."

"Come on, I saw someone back there working on the engine - not to mention those other lovely ladies. Tell them not to be so shy. They should come out where we can see them."

"Sir," said Staff Sergeant Larry Dauterive, "let me talk to this guy. I think I can make some headway."

On the plateau-
"Go ahead," said Major Harris.

Dauterive approached Joshua with his arms raised, empty palms outward. "I just want to talk," he said loudly with a Louisiana drawl. When he was next to Joshua, he lowered his voice. "My name is Staff Sergeant Larry Dauterive, sir." He now spoke in a whisper. "I share your views about the inferior races."

"How do I know you're not just saying that?" asked Joshua.

"You don't, but it's the truth, sir. I'm not the only one, either. Airman Gary Simpson is one of us too, and there are more back at our base."

"Okay, I believe you."

"I have a proposal for you."

"I'm listening."

"You're right, the chopper is damaged, but it can be fixed in an hour or two. In the meantime, this unit is vulnerable. There's a window of opportunity here. If you can muster a large enough force, you can surround this position and seize it."

"Hmm." Joshua stroked his chin. "That could result in casualties."

"It might, but if they have any sense they'll know they're licked and surrender. If not, you've got me and Simpson on the inside to shift the odds. They're not all military. Two of those women hiding behind the chopper are civilians."

"Why should we take the risk?"

"This force is here on a mission that's going to cause trouble for you. They think a couple of guys from Nebraska with a captive woman are on their way to join you, or that they've already done it. If we take them out before they have a chance to do anything, they'll just be written off as lost. We've lost a number of choppers already, and we can't afford to send more. This is already the edge of our operational range. And the potential benefits are huge. I don't know if you noticed, but those civvies are beyond hot."

"Oh, I noticed, but Tricia is the only girl I need." He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"Yeah, but I bet the other guys you're with would like to get some."

"Oh, yeah," said Ralph, licking his lips. "I'd love to get my hands on them. Especially that redhead. I never seen anyone that gorgeous."

"She'd be the general's type," said Joshua, "and he'd get first pick. But I still don't know about this."

"You'd also get that chopper," said Larry. "All you gotta do is pretend to back down, withdraw to your compound, muster your forces, and return. But you'd have to do it quick."

Joshua smiled. "I like the way you think. With luck, we can do this without firing a shot."

On the plateau-
Joshua got back into the pickup truck while the sniper tracked him through his rifle's scope. The sniper kept it under observation as much as possible as it turned around and headed back down the trail to the base of the plateau.

"Please don't hurt anyone," said Tricia.

"Relax, it'll all go smooth - just like when we rescued you," said Joshua. "I'm on a roll today. I have a really good feeling about this operation."

"Can you even fly a helicopter?"

"I can't, but we have people who can. And we can scrounge up some aviation fuel. If we have our own chopper..."

"What's going to happen to those girls?"

"Oh, they'll be well cared for. They look racially pure to me, and there's no reason they couldn't join our community."

"You mean like I did?"

"Yeah, exactly."

Outside headquarters-
Joshua drove back to the compound, where the guards let the pickup truck through the gate again. He drove up to the biggest building in the compound, smack in the middle of it. It flew both the American flag and the Nazi swastika flag. Tricia was struck by the incongruity. "All right, here we are," said Joshua, shutting off the motor.

"What now?" asked Tricia.

"Now you're going to meet General Holt, our leader." He took her by the arm and walked up to the front door, where the guards gave him a Nazi salute. Mike and Ralph followed them. "I have important information for Gruppenführer Holt."

"Yes, sir," said one of the guards. They stood aside and opened the double doors, and the group entered.

In the antechamber-
The large room just inside the doors had two more guards flanking a door on the far side of the room, which was decorated throuhgout with Nazi regalia. "Is the Gruppenführer available?" asked Joshua. "I have important information for him."

"He's with the Oberst," said the guard on the right, who had sergeant's stripes on his sleeves. "I'll see if they'll see you." He knocked lightly on the door, opened it, entered, and shut it behind him.

In the antechamber-
A minute later, the door opened again and the sergeant came back out. "They will see you now," he said to Joshua.

"Wait here, honey," Joshua told Tricia. "I won't be long." He entered the office, and the guard closed the door after him. Tricia slumped down in a chair.

In the antechamber-
Tricia managed to overhear snatches of conversation on the other side of the door. Joshua was telling his commanding officers about the helicopter and its temporary vulnerability, trying to convince him to quickly muster a large force to seize it. He cited his bloodless success earlier at the ranch and promised to do the same thing at the plateau.

In the antechamber-
Tricia heard a gruff man's voice that seemed to agree with Joshua.

"Sir," said another man, "is this really worth the risk? How are we even going to fly it?"

"That's the beauty of it," explained Joshua. "It comes with two pilots. A couple of our guys have flown commercial choppers, and we can get the Air Force pilots to teach them what they need to know to fly a Huey - assuming they want to live."

In the antechamber-
"What about fuel?" protested the second man. "Once it runs out, it'll be grounded."

"There are airfields in the area with plenty of fuel, and they've been abandoned," said Joshua. "We can salvage it from them. Think of what this craft can do for us. We can project our power over a vast area, and there's nothing in the skies here that can match it. It will also allow for us to carry out recon much more effectively."

In the antechamber-
"I don't know about taking prisoners," said the second man. "Sounds like a waste of resources to me. We have to keep them fed, we have to put guys on duty guarding them."

"It will be worth it," said Joshua. "With the chopper under our control, we'll be able to use it to obtain far more resources than we spend acquiring it and figuring out how to use it. And if you'd seen some of the potential prisoners, you might think twice about killing them. There are two civilian women up there with them, and one of them is the most gorgeous redhead you've ever laid eyes on."

"I haven't laid eyes on her."

"Words don't do her justice, Colonel - though I think our leader will probably want her for himself. But the other civvie is a dark-haired beauty I think you'd like. Among the Air Force personnel, there's a hot little Hispanic number. Even the female co-pilot is kind of cute."

"I can see keeping the pilots, but the others? It'd cost us a lot of food and water just for some pleasure."

"Not just for pleasure. You've got to think long-term. Other than Tricia, we don't have any women here. We lost dozens of men in the last day. Where are we going to get replacements? We can recruit locally at first, but we can't sustain those numbers indefinitely. Tricia and I are already starting on making babies, but by herself she can only produce one every nine months. And aside from the chica, all of the women look racially pure to me."

"It'll take over fifteen years before any such children are old enough to fight."

"Then we'd better get started right away."

In the antechamber-
"Two of the Air Force people are also on our side," Joshua added. "They'll help us turn the tables and get the drop on the others when the time is right."

"All right," said the colonel, "it looks like you've thought of everything. Let's go for it."

"Yes, I agree," said the general. "There's no time to lose. We must assemble our forces and strike quickly, before they have a chance to repair the bird and get out."

In the antechamber-
A loudspeaker somewhere outside carried the general's voice: "Attention all personnel. This is your leader speaking. I need everyone who is not needed for the defense of this compound to assemble in the main square in five minutes."

The inner door opened and Joshua emerged, a huge grin on his face. A tall man in his early forties in a heavily decorated uniform followed him out, a dour look on his face. He didn't seem like he ever smiled. "Hey, Tricia," said Joshua, coming over to her and kissing her. "My plan's a go. Come with me to the briefing. Pretty soon, we'll have our own helicopter."

Outside headquarters-
Tricia got up and followed Joshua and the colonel outside. Already they could see men starting to converge on the main square in the middle of the compound.

In the main square-
The compound's main square had a podium with a microphone at one end. The square was filling up with men in uniforms who lined up in several ranks facing it. Joshua walked Tricia to the front row, where they joined them. The colonel stood next to the podium, waiting for General Holt to arrive.

In the main square-
A tall man with gray hair strode up to the podium from the direction of the HQ building. He wore a spotless gray uniform bedecked with medals with red stripes down its trouser legs. He looked like he had walked out of a World War Two movie, an image that was reinforced when he gave the Nazi salute, one that everyone watching him returned instantly. Tricia quickly followed suit.

In the main square-
"Good morning, gentlemen - and lady," said the gerneral at the podium, nodding to Tricia. "Some of you may have noticed a helicopter setting down about a mile south of here on the plateau a little while ago. That bird is from the United States Air Force. It is on a mission for the Zionist Occupied Government, here to do harm to us and ours! But we are going to turn the tables on our oppressors, and take that chopper for ourselves. Today, we will see the beginning of the new Luftwaffe!"

The crowd broke into spontaneous applause.

In the main square-
"Now, some of these folks in the Air Force are on our side," said the general. "I served in the military myself once, a long time ago. There are good folks there, folks who believe in our cause. We will approach them in force and give them the opportunity to join us. Any who do not are fair game, though we will try to spare the women if possible.

"Time is short, so we will need to move quickly. The helicopter is damaged, and if we hesitate they will have enough time to repair it and fly away. Once it is ours, we can fix it at our leisure. The enemy has the high ground, but we have certain advantages that can come into play. They have a sniper, but so do we. Our sniper has their sniper in his sights, and their sniper doesn't even appear to have seen ours. We have a mortar as well. We can't fire it at the plateau without risking destroying our prize, but we can use the threat. They won't know we're bluffing, and if there are any targets not on the plateau, we can use the mortar on them. There are also two guys up there that we know for certain are with us. Hopefully we can accomplish this without a shot being fired, but if it does come to a fight, they can attack from within. The enemy does not have a chance. I almost feel sorry for them."

In the main square-
"We have a golden opportunity!" declared the general, raising his fist into the air and pumping it up and down as he spoke. "The government is collapsing, and we must be the ones to fill the vacuum! With a military helicopter at our disposal, we can have unlimited power! We will be able to project it over a wide area, and we can salvage fuel from airfields nearby so we can keep it flying. Today shall go down in history as the dawn of the Fourth Reich!"

In the main square-
The assembled crowd began to applaud and cheer wildly, and Tricia joined in. The general raised his arm in the Nazi salute. "Sieg Heil!" he bellowed.

"SIEG HEIL!" roared the mob, saluting in kind.

In the main square-
A bullet struck the podium near the top, and General Holt ducked behind it. Some of the men moved to surround and protect him. Another shot rang out, this one to the south.

"Attack!" bellowed the general. "Move on the plateau now!"

Men spilled out of the square, heading for the vehicles. Joshua took Tricia's hand and pulled her in that direction.

In the main square-
Tricia ran with Joshua to the pickup truck, and they both got into the cab. Men were running all around them and getting into other vehicles. Mike and Ralph jumped into the back.

In the wilderness-
Joshua drove the truck through the compound's south gate, joined by a few others packed with more men. They headed towards the plateau, from which came the distant sound of gunfire.

In the wilderness-
The convoy of vehicles snaked south, soon reaching the base of the plateau.

On the plateau-
Joshua's pickup was the first to crest the edge of the plateau. They arrived just in time for Tricia to see a white airman rushing around the front of the helicopter with his M16 ready and a black airman scurrying over the back edge of the plateau.

OOC,[b]Tricia[/b] is moving to the thread linked below.

Victory