In Between The Ends

Chapter Six

     "AHH!" General Loren screamed, kicking his foot hard into the side of one of the dead soldiers that laid crumpled on the floor. He aimed another one for the now empty cart which flipped over onto its side and slid down the hallway.

Commander Angelo stared blank-faced at the now empty room; they were gone. He opened his mouth to say something but before he could the General had gripped him tight at his collar. "You said you had flushed them ALL out!" Spittle flew from his mouth as he screamed into the ashen face of his subordinate.

"I'm-I'm sorry sir, there must have been more than we thought!" Angelo stuttered, turning a deep shade of crimson.

"OBVIOUSLY, COMMANDER!" Loren shoved him hard into the wall, vein bulging on his forehead. He let Angelo drop to the ground in a heap at his feet, stalking away. "Why the HELL wasn't Captain Halbrand here? She could have easily contained this!"

Angelo looked up at him in confusion. "Captain Halbrand never came, General." Loren wheel back to him. "What?" He hissed.

"I think I know why, General." Lieutenant Tobias was striding down the hall as quickly as his girth would allow him. In his hands he carried a belt of ODM gear that he held out for Loren to inspect. "Three elites just returned from the pursuit, sir. They say that the Allies have taken one of ours: carried them off on horseback." He gestured to the piece of equipment which was both cracked and smeared with blood. "I double checked sir; this is Captain Halbrand's. They found it near the window that seems to be where the prisoners exited from." General Caleb Loren stared down long a hard at the piece of equipment, comprehension dawning on him.

"They... they took her? Why?" Commander Angelo gaped at the ODM gear and back to his superiors.

"My guess is that the captain caught them trying to escape so they apprehended her. Why they didn't just kill her is beyond me. Maybe to use as leverage against us somehow? I'm not sure why they would think that one elite soldier would be enough to sway us into their peace agreement." Angelo shot the Lieutenant a panicked look of warning. Loren was still gazing at the blood that even now dripped down the edges and onto the stones below. He reached out and took the gear from Tobias and tucked it under his arm. He then fixed him with a murderous glare.

"Tread carefully, Lieutenant. You know not of what you say. As it stands, I can clearly see you would much rather shovel food into your face than to pay attention. If you had, you may have been aware that it was I who took Captain Halbrand in after her parent's death." Tobias' eyes bugged and his face turned a petrified white. Before his stammering could give way to an actual sentence the General held up his hand to stop him.

"Ready any available soldiers and go after them, Lieutenant. I want them brought back to face justice. You may be correct that one elite would not be enough for us to join hands with those treasonous heretics but let me assure you that the abduction of this particular soldier will cost them dearly."

The company urged their horses forward without pause until the sun was beginning to rise in front of them. The morning came crisp and cold as they fell to the ground panting just passed the topped remains of wall Rose. Jean had stayed above as a lookout while the team watered their horses from a nearby stream and tried to catch their breath.

Annie dropped down from her horse and stomped towards Arya who laid collapsed on the soft grass near the riverbank. She hurled the Jaegerist suit in her hands directly at her face and whirled to face Armin who was stowing the mesh masks in a hollow underneath a nearby tree.

"You want to tell me why the hell I had to pretend to be her, Armin? Why couldn't we have just tied her up on the back of your horse?" She fumed.

He sighed warily as he stood back up. "You know why, Ann. We needed her topside to direct us to the stables." He turned to her, resigned. "Unless you think I made that choice for some other reason?" Annie gave him a hard look.