WW2(Old Version, Rewritten up!)

Chapter 31: Vera

Anker stumbled and went as fast as he could with his walking stick, the pressure on his wounds sending sharp fields of pain up his body, but he didn't care. Didn't care for the leg that he once again injured. Down the hallway past the paintings and beautiful designs. The overcast outside, sending waves upon waves of ice-cold rain down upon the Earth.

He puffed as he approached Vera's room, replaying the Russian he practised earlier. Not much, but he figured he'd ought to inform Vera in her mother's tongue. He knocked on her door.

After a few seconds, she opened it, her stale face lit up slightly as she saw that it was Anker. She invited him in.

"What brings you so soon? I thought you, uhh, in the briefing room."

Anker leaned on his stick, "Andrzej, he... Он умер."

Vera moved her lips slightly, speechless.

He moved in to hug her, she blindly returned the act with a bit more force than she anticipated.

"Он хотел, чтобы вы знали, что он никогда не забывал, что вы делали в лагере, in regards to you, that was his final words."

She leaned into him, pushing him back slightly as he griped his stick tighter. He patted her on the back, not knowing what else to do. He felt his clothing get slightly damp on his left shoulder just before she pulled back and wiped a small tear.

She moved back and sat down on her bed, Anker followed. She gave a half-laugh and shook her head slowly.

"He's gone huh, so... what now?"

"His body was captured by the Germans, so whenever the funeral is happening, it won't be an open casket.

"Open caket?"

"Casket, it's... umm, doesn't matter."

"You know, he saved my life more times than I could count. Always said he'd owe me, from that one time when I saved his."

Anker chuckled, "He was like that."

Vera looked at her watch, "Shit, I have tank practice in five minutes," She got up and looked at him, "Thank you."

Anker walked out of the room, heading towards the debriefing room where Juels and John were waiting, probably bored. Vera got changed in her uniform and rushed out. 

She arrived 5 minutes late, her crew was sitting outside their tank, and beside them was Thomas' lot, although they were already inside the tank. Thomas was sitting on top, "Finally, your here."

"I was held up," She said she signalled for her crew to hed inside. 

The instructor called out to her, "Can't believe I have to repeat myself, you and Thomas will be going against each other, your shells are loaded with bright paint. Get hit 3 times, and you lose. After my horn blows, you have a minute to spread out before my second horn blows, and then the game starts."

"Yes sir," She replied as she got into her tank. Not a second later before she heard the sound of the horn.

The field of view was limited, but she could see the open landscape. A relatively flat area with small hills and large boulders. A tree or two spread out across the fenced area. 

She instructed the driver, "Leo you see that downhill part?"

"Yes."

"Go down there then stop. George, have the turret turn 150 degrees right. But be prepared to turn it back to 30 maybe 40 degrees."

As soon as the tank escaped the view of Thomas, the horn was blown.

Thomas ordered, "They'll be coming up any time now, Charlie turn the turret 30 degrees left. Set the barrel 2 units up. Marv, increase the speed but be prepared to stop."

Thomas' tank charged right ahead, anticipating Vera to come out the other end of the hill, but she never came. The tank carried on forward. The turret was turned even further as they approached the base of the hill. But no one was there.

Thomas looked back and swore, "THERE BEHIND US!"

Suddenly, a loud clang was felt as the backside took a massive impact. He was hit.

Vera yelled out, "Full speed!"

The tank drove faster tailing her opponent as the tank was turning its turret clockwise.

"Vera, they're about to shoot!"

"Turn left, set the barrel 10 degrees left."

Kiev, the loader, yelled out, "Gun's loaded!"

Thomas' tank was having its sights upon Vera when she yelled to stop. The mud kicked ahead of them as they managed to stop just in time. A massive amount of paint impacted the mud right in front of them.

"Fire."

They hit Thomas' tank again. It was then Vera froze, completely forgetting where she was. Imaging herself back in Poland with her old crew. How she assisted her superior, Ivan, in conquering Poland. She could feel the sudden shock of her tank getting hit, how she unleashed Hell against the resistance. On the doorstep of Warsaw.

Another shock snapped her back to reality, George shouted at her, under the heat of the engine, "Vera, we're hit again."

She looked outside, they were in a completely different area, Thomas was on their far left, circling around a boulder ready to fire again.

"Stop!"

Once again, the tank narrowly avoided getting hit. 

"Turn the right head down the hill," she breathed heavily.

She was close to getting hit once again as the tank rolled down the hill, almost getting stuck in the mud. The tank looped around, George from his even more limited view aimed the turret at the other tank, who at this point was zig-zagging around trees and other obstacles, dogging Vera's shot. He sent another round into the side of the tank.

Kiev stated, "It's over."

Vera objecting pushed George out of his seat, "Just load another shell."

She aimed the barrel and the turret towards Thomas' tank which had just stopped.

"It's loaded!"

She sent another round at her opponent, right down its barrel and into the tank. She watched as 4 men got out of their tank, covered in paint as she grinned. Vera too eventually got out where she was reprimanded for firing another shot.

She just smiled as she took her cap off, "I needed my killer's shot."