War and MG chap 7

Roused by the sensation of nearby motion, Casey’s eyes fluttered open. With a groan he sat up, stretching and rubbing his eyes. At the side of the bed was Emrald, putting on her clothing. She turned to look at him.

 

“Good morning, love.”

 

Emrald’s voice had a rather sing-song quality to it. Casey thought her smile could rival the sunrise, if the room had windows anyways.

 

“Ah, good morning.”

 

Now more awake, Casey recalled the events of the previous night, scratching at his cheek, looking at Emrald without saying anything further.

 

“Oh, like what you see?”

 

She looked down at herself, then back at Casey.

 

“I do suppose it’s a sight to behold, you should consider yourself so lucky.”

 

 

Before he was able to muster a response, Emrald leaned over, giving him a light kiss. As she attempted to pull back, Casey threw his arms around her, pulling her close. He rolled over, sending her over the top of him back onto the bed.

 

“You’re not getting away that easily…”

 

Smothering her in a series of kisses down her neck, Emrald giggled in delight, before tearing herself away.

 

“Now now,” she said, “I would like to continue from where we left off last night as well, but there is work to be done. “

 

Casey sighed, propping his head up on an arm. “I suppose so,” he said.

 

Emrald finished putting on some basic clothes, then grabbed a uniform set and stuffed it in a bag.

 

“I’m off to the showers. I’ll meet you in the infirmary whenever you get done. Do try to make it snappy. Oh, and remove those bed sheets. After last night they’re going to need a wash.” She winked and walked out the door.

 

“Even after all that she still has so much energy…”

 

Casey sighed, swinging his legs over the bed. He put on the clothes that were balled up on the floor and stripped the bed, tossing the soiled linens in a nearby hamper. Looking through the room, he wasn’t sure where clean ones were. Perhaps Emrald would be bringing back another set? Casey shrugged, then headed out.

 

Returning to his own quarters, Casey stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath. While most of the other guys should be out doing chores and such now, he knew there would be a few left, and they would be most curious about his whereabouts last night. Within a second of his opening the door and walking in, he heard someone yell  “Hey it’s Casey!,” causing a small crowd to congregate.

 

“So, how was it?” Asked one older man, smiling proudly as if Casey was his own son.

 

“Yeah, don’t spare any details!” another man chimed in.

 

“I… don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Casey, attempting to appear nonchalant.

 

The older man let out a guffaw, “Don’t be like that my boy!,” slapping Casey on the back

 

“The only reason you wouldn’t have been here last night is if that vixen finally got you or you attempted to escape. Since there wasn’t any uproar, it’s been assumed that you finally succumbed to her wiles.”

 

Casey looked around at the pairs of eyes staring intently on him. He wondered if his relationship with Emrald would spark many others.

 

“Ah, it was… good…” he muttered, looking up at the ceiling.

 

“She do anything special with those tails?” asked another man.

 

“W-well… they were warm and… kind of ticklish in some… places…”

 

Casey’s face was beginning to show a crimson hue as he thought about the previous night. Most of the men began laughing and walking off, talking about this or that woman. The older man slapped him on the back again, then spoke in a quiet tone.

 

“Well son, as you can see we’re all kind of proud of you. You’ve kind of given us a little hope as well.” He gave an earnest smile. “But you and I both know there are some here that aren’t going to approve of it. Don’t let them bother you.”

 

Casey nodded.

 

“I’ll try.”

 

With a final slap on the back the older man walked off, though another fellow  approached as the older man departed. He was a rather tall, powerfully built man. Casey remembered he was Polish, with a tricky last name he could never remember. He seemed kind of nervous; it was obvious he wanted to ask Casey something.

 

“Something I can help you with?” Casey decided to break the ice.

 

“Ahh… about… you… and… her…”

 

He was frightfully nervous. Kind of odd coming from a man his size.

 

“Go on, nothing to be nervous about,” said Casey, giving the man an easy smile to try and relax him.

 

He looked down as if to gather his courage, then back up.

 

“Do you think… maybe… that woman… Reia…”

 

Casey laughed, giving the man a playful punch on the arm.

 

“How do you know her?,” asked Casey

 

“Well… I often help her… and she’s nice to me… and strong… and pretty…”

 

Yes, Casey though, he was going to be an impetus for a coming storm of passions. Who would have thought something like this would be happening to a bunch of PoWs, or that it was actually encouraged by their captors.

 

“Next time I see her, I’ll ask about you. What’s your name?”

 

“Ah, it’s Tomas, sir. Tomas Wisniewski.”

 

He’d have to remember that name.

 

“Got it.” Casey smiled.

 

Tomas gave an awkward, nervous smile in return, saluted, then walked back to his bunk. Casey returned to his as well, gathering up a clean change of clothes and toiletries, then headed off to the showers. He had hoped to encounter Reia somewhere along the way, but she was nowhere to be seen.

 

Casey entered the infirmary, spotting Emrald talking to a lamia. He headed over to her, quietly listening to their conversation. Apparently during a recon mission she had gone through some thorny bushes, causing quite a few small scratches along her body that became infected. Casey looked along her body, noting several areas that were swollen and inflamed. He wondered how often something like that occured in species like the lamia, with their large, heavy bodies dragging across the ground. Emrald gave her a course of antibiotics and sent the lamia on her way. Once she had left, Emrald finally spoke to Casey.

 

“You’re a bit late, I was expecting you sooner.”

 

“I got held up a bit in our barracks…”

 

“No doubt you were being questioned on your disappearance last night.” A small grin had taken residence at a corner of Emrald’s mouth.

 

“Haha, yeah… seems most of the guys have their eyes on someone. I figure they’ll probably start acting soon…” Casey stroked his chin as he replied.

 

“That’s good, since that is one of our objectives here, you see,” said Emrald as she rifled through items in a cabinet.

 

Casey watched her tails sway side to side. He thought them strange for the longest time, but now he considered them to be rather charming. When did he begin to think that, he wondered.

 

The infirmary’s door flew open, startling both Casey and Emrald. Snapping to look, they saw Reia hurriedly duck her head, entering the room. She glanced at Casey, then at Emrald.

 

“A short time ago there was a large offensive  against several of our positions just east of here. While we don’t believe we’re in any danger of being pushed back, there are mounting causalities. You’ve been requested to a triage unit to assist, Emrald.”

 

Momentarily stunned by the news, Emrald took a moment to respond.

 

“Affirmative. Let’s get a move on then.” she began a quick walk to the door, then noticed Casey wasn’t moving.

 

“That means you too, Casey. You’re my assistant, after all.”

 

Casey hesitated, then nodded his head. This would be the first time in two months that he would be any distance away from this compound. Reia ducked out of the room, followed by the pair. As they entered the garage, Casey saw Reia’s unit was already embarked, the vehicles ready to move out. Emrald and Casey hopped into a truck, taking a seat just inside the vehicle. There were already a few other medical personnel in here, along with supplies. Casey nodded at them, and they returned his nod along with an odd smile, looking amongst each other then back at him and Emrald. Word travels fast, he thought.

 

As they began to depart, Casey heard a loud shriek. Not made by someone, but by something. He poked his out of the truck and looked around for it, spotting two things in the air moving at incredible speed. Within moments they went from being tiny objects in the distance, to thundering overhead, then disappeared over the horizon. He identified them as some kind of aircraft, but they moved so fast, and looked so odd. Sitting down back inside, he asked Emrald what they were.

 

“Close air support, probably. Since I didn’t see them I couldn’t tell you what kind of aircraft they were.”

 

“But they moved so fast, what are they?”

 

Emrald furrowed her eyebrows, then then suddenly shot up as she realized Casey had probably never seen anything like it before.

 

“You’re probably used to seeing slow aircraft with big wings, probably two or three stacks atop one another? powered by a propeller? We use ‘jet’ aircraft, you see. They’re much, much faster and can carry much more weaponry and travel farther distances. I don’t really know the specifics myself, though.”

 

Casey leaned back, his eyes wide in amazement. At those speeds they could cross the whole of Europe in no time at all. Fearsome weapons indeed; no wonder humanity was pushed back so fast. He remained silent for a while, thinking about what he had just seen.

 

Soon the sounds of battle could be heard in the distance. Emrald looked on edge, and Casey himself was becoming restless. Just as Casey was wondering when they would reach the medical camp, the battle came upon them. He heard several gunshots, then the truck jerked hard to a direction, nearly tossing those in the back from their seats. As they attempted to right themselves, the truck slammed into something, throwing everyone and everything forward. Gunfire continued to echo through the air as the ball of people attempted to untangle themselves. Casey watched as one of the medics attempted to exit the vehicle. Gunfire again broke the silence, and he saw the woman stiffen then tumble out. The canvas back rustled, and he saw several men with weapons drawn as the canvas was lifted aside. They were yelling something, but he couldn’t understand them – sounded like German. He suddenly remembered the sigil he had, and how useful it had been.

 

Casey remained still, along with Emrald and the remaining medic. A grey-clothed men ascended into the truck, still yelling and pointing his weapon at them.

 

‘English! English!’ Casey yelled in response.

 

The man stopped his yelling, his hands nervously gripping and re-gripping his rifle. He looked back and yelled what Casey assumed was the German word for English. He looked back, continuing to keep his firearm trained on the throng of people still lumped together on the floor. Some more gunfire erupted, making the man look even more nervous. Casey was deeply worried that the man would lose his nerve and pull the trigger. Another man appeared behind the twitchy gunman, looking over his shoulder at Casey.

 

“You speak English?” he asked in heavily accented German.

 

“Yes, yes I do,” said Casey.

 

He noticed a third man appear in, and he spoke to the second man  - the one who had spoken to him in English.

 

“Come, come with us,’ the second man said.

 

The first man with the rifle seemed to ease slightly, then backed up to allow Casey to stand up. As he did so, he paused briefly to look at Emrald, and gave her hand a squeeze. She nodded and returned the gesture. When Casey hopped off the vehicle, the other soldier again entered the vehicle and began yelling. Casey prayed inwardly that he wouldn’t hear any gunshots. He was led by the English-speaking man over to a group of men. One of them, Casey figured an officer, came forward and spoke to the translator. The translator, considering his words, then turned to Casey.

 

“Were you a prisoner?” he inquired.

 

“Yes, I… was,” said Casey, hesitating. When exactly did he stop being a prisoner?

 

“Why were they transporting you without bonds?”

 

Casey thought about his answer. How would they react if he said he was cooperating with them?

 

“One of them made me her personal assistant in return for good behavior.”

 

The translator seemed troubled by Casey’s answer, repeating it in German for the officer. The officer focused intently on Casey, considering his response.

 

“I do not approve of aiding the enemy, but it appears to have earned you some leniency. “ The officer looked towards Emrald and the medic, who were now on their knees in the dirt.

 

Casey looked around as well, breathing a small sigh of relief when he saw Reia standing against a truck, though her arms were in bonds. She appeared to be bloodied, but steady. Several of her women were standing with her as well.

 

“Can you tell us which of them are officers, if any?” The translator asked.

 

Casey clenched his teeth hard. This could go many ways, but he suspected if he named Reia and Emrald as officers they would likely be kept alive. He wondered what they would do to the others.

 

“That one and that one are,” he said, pointing to Emrald and Reia.

 

The German officer seemed pleased to have acquired two of them.

 

“You are safe now from them. We will take you back with us.”

 

“May I ask a few questions?” Casey asked.

 

The officer looked a bit unsure, but nodded and awaited the translator.

 

“What happened to the US – the United States?”

 

“They mostly pulled out, but supply us with arms and supplies.”

 

Well, Casey thought, that corroborated with what Emrald has said.

 

“What will happen to… the captives?”

 

Casey was a bit unsure of asking this, but he had to. The officer seemed to wonder why Casey cared, but decided to indulge him.

 

“We will interrogate them, of course. Gain any information we can.”

 

Of course Casey knew they’d do that, but he still felt compelled to ask. He knew the Germans would not be quite so kind to the women  as he had been treated. Prior to yesterday he likely would have been overjoyed at this turn of events. But now... now he was not so sure. It wasn’t just his physical relationship with Emrald that gave him pause, but her story as well. Was it true that humans had fired the first shot? Was it true her race, and all of them, were slowly dying out? If so, then mankind was their only salvation.  He turned to look at Emrald, her hard expression softening when their eyes met.

 

Did they really only want to co-exist with man in this world? While she sometimes kept things from him, it seemed like she had never lied to him.

 

Casey thought about his family and friends. He longed to see them again. To have a chat with his dad about this and that. A meal prepared by his mother. Rounds at the bar with his friends. It should have been an easy decision, and yet here he was, debating the merits of his actions. Anything he chose now would not be able to be undone. If he chose to leave, he would never see Emrald again. She would likely be tortured, maybe to death, for any information. Did she actually love him? He imagined her heartbreak if he turned and walked away now.

 

His chest tightened at that thought, the strength of the feeling surprising Casey. With a small, wry smile, he realized that gave him the answer he sought. He turned to Emrald, giving her a broad smile. She gave him a look of concern back, then one of silent pleading when she realized what he was planning. Looking around, Reia noticed him as well. He wiggled his eyebrows at her, causing her to tilt her head in wonder, but it served to keep her focus on him.

 

Still smiling, Casey walked over to the officer. He smiled back at Casey. Casey coldcocked him, then grabbed a rifle out of the hands of the translator before he could respond. Pointing the weapon at the man, he pulled the trigger, sealing his fate as a traitor to man. The translator fell limp to the ground, the rest of the German forces scrambling at the sudden sound of gunfire.

 

Reia seized on the confusion immediately, bringing down her massive hands on top of the head of the distracted man that was guarding her, knocking him to the ground in an awkward heap. She then turned and swept sideways, the mighty minotaur’s strength sending another man flying through the air. Her soldiers moved just as quickly, using their brute size to quickly disable the increasingly panicked guards. One managed a shot, clipping a large Oni in her shoulder, but it failed to slow her as she slammed the man to the ground. The women scattered; some crawled under the vehicle to seek cover, others diving into a ditch that ran alongside the road. The few that could use the human weapons would poke out to take a shot or two at the men that were clustered together several  hundred yards away.

 

Reia attempted to use one of the men’s weapons, but couldn’t fit her massive finger inside the trigger guard. Diving across the hood of the truck, she scrambled for the back of the vehicle to fetch one of her weapons as gunfire lanced into the ground where she had been moments before. Emrald and the medic had managed to disable their guard, the medic taking up his weapon. Both of them had dashed behind the vehicle, seeking cover. Casey leapt into nearby brush in an attempt to avoid the incoming fire from the now-alert troops. He attempted to squeeze behind a tree, finding himself in the position of staring at Emrald as she peered out from behind the truck.

 

A round whizzed past Casey, barely clipping the tree. The splinters of bark and wood scratched and stung at him, reminding him of the inadequacy of his cover. His best option was alongside the vehicle with Emrald, but there was almost a hundred feet of open ground to cover. With that out of the question for the moment, he was forced to remain where he was, but it likely wouldn’t be long until a round struck him in the shoulder or legs.

 

He then saw Reia firing upon the troops behind him. She fired a massive machine gun from the shoulder, laying down a barrage of suppressing fire. Whenever she stopped she would wave for Casey to fall back. During one long, murderous staccato Casey took the opportunity to flee, running as hard as he could. Closer and closer he got to truck, his hopes buoyed with every step.

 

His hope turned to despair as he felt something heavy tear into his left flank. It burned like a hot coal ripping through his body, spreading its intense heat throughout him. Instantly his legs grew feeble, unable to carry him further.  He collapsed to the ground, feeling warmth spreading out around him, though he felt himself growing cold. Looking up, he saw Emrald was so close. She was screaming something. Strange, he thought, he couldn’t hear her. How heavy his eyes were growing, he thought.

 

Without a further thought, Casey’s eyes closed.