Wings of Death

A team effort

Alpha team extracted both the titanium doors from the rubble and regrouped near the car. It was now up to Alex to get the cable car up and running once more. He and Nathan went together to look for the control station. They searched inside the abandoned bunker and all around it but could not find it. Joshua walked to the cable car platform and inspected the cable car. It seemed to be intact and there was no structural damage. The cables were damp with moisture but didn’t display any signs of wear and tear. The Captain ordered all his men to look for the control station. They searched high and low but failed to locate it.

Meanwhile Delta team had managed to reach the village of Dewberry. It seemed desolate and lifeless. Most of the villagers had died on the streets and even the ones inside the cottages hadn’t been spared. The cattle had also met a similar fate. Corporal Matt and Private Gurney secured a perimeter around the pickup truck and reported back to Sergeant Abel. They were ready to transport the doors back to the base.

“Sir, we have reached the village. Sadly, there are no survivors here”, Sergeant Abel informed Captain Elijah about the current situation.

“You have to wait. We still haven’t managed to find the control station for the cable car service”, replied Captain Elijah.

Alex called him from behind while he was still on the radio and said, “Captain, I think the control station is not here. It must be in that village”.

“Abel, I want you to look for a control station located in the village. Contact Alex when you’ve found it”.

Sergeant Able acknowledged his order and asked his men to spread out and look for the control station. After searching for almost 15 minutes they finally managed to find it. The control station was located just behind the Mayor’s office. They had initially overlooked it because it looked just like a small barn from the outside.

“Captain, we have found the control station”, he said over the radio.

“Excellent work, guys! I am going to hand the radio to Alex now. Listen to his instructions carefully”.

He handed the radio to Alex and asked the men to load the doors onto the cable car.

“Nathan, get on that cable car when it is back in order and make sure the doors reach the pickup trucks in one piece”.

Nathan nodded in acknowledgement and headed towards the cable car platform.

Sergeant Abel had entered the control room and was waiting for Alex’s instructions.

“Sergeant, first of all you have to turn on the main generator. Let me know when it’s done”, said Alex.

“I see it. It’s not working. I am pressing the darn button but it won’t start”.

“Okay, no need to worry. Open the fuel cap and see if there’s enough diesel inside.”

“It’s almost empty. I will try to find a fuel container. Hold on”.

Sergeant Abel and his men opened every cupboard and ransacked every shelf in the room but couldn’t find a fuel container. A single empty can of diesel lay near the generator. Unable to find any fuel inside the control station he ventured outside and started searching the houses in the village for fuel supplies. Alex was getting impatient on the other end of the line. He couldn’t understand why it was taking him so long. Even after searching every single house in that small village, Delta team could not get their hands on any fuel canisters containing diesel.

“There are no fuel canisters here”, the Sergeant informed Alex.

Alex knew it was impossible to get the cable car running without any power supply. The main power stations supplying power to the city had shut down long ago. Only Fort Barton had a steady supply of power due to its personal power station located nearby. He needed to come up with an idea and time was running out. In a couple of hours it would be dawn.

“Is there a problem, Alex?” asked Captain Elijah.

“The generator is out of fuel and there are no fuel canisters in the whole village. We can’t get the cable car running without switching the power back on”.

Nathan heard the conversation and decided to give his input, “Alex, the armored pickup trucks have open diesel tanks at their rear end. They can transfer the diesel from their trucks to an empty canister and then fill the generator with it”.

“That’s a great idea. Yes, it’s perfect!” exclaimed Alex.

“Sergeant Abel, use the diesel in your pickup trucks to fuel the generator.”

“Damn, I hadn’t thought about that. I will get to it right away”.

There was a small period of radio silence and then the Sergeant spoke again, “the generator is running fine. Now tell me what’s next”.

“It is a simple cable car station. There must be a U – shaped metallic lever on the control panel. Pull it. That should power the cable car. You can see the car’s status on the screen. Wait for us to give you the green light and then press the ‘descent button’.”

“Okay, I am pulling the lever now”, the Sergeant slowly pulled the lever and the cable car at the top of the hill jerked with a rumbling noise.

“Awesome! The cable car has power now”.

Nathan slung the SAGL 32-T around his neck and climbed into the cable car. “I will see you back at the base. Goodbye”.

“Good luck man. Don’t look down. I will ask him to start the car now”, said Alex.

As soon as he had received confirmation from Alex, the Sergeant pressed the ‘descend’ button. Nathan enjoyed the cable car ride more than the drive up the hill. Though he couldn’t see anything in the darkness he wasn’t afraid. It felt like a whole new adventure for him. After 5 minutes the cable car came to a safe halt at the village. Sergeant Abel’s team was waiting for him. They helped him unload the heavy titanium doors from the cable car and load them on to the pickup trucks. His job was now complete. It was time for the Delta team to head back to the base.

“Captain, we have the doors. We are ready to leave”, said Sergeant Abel.

“Acknowledged, get back to Fort Barton”, replied Captain Elijah.

The soldiers of Alpha team got back inside their vehicles and started the long descent downhill. Sergeant Abel shut down the generators before boarding his vehicle. He didn’t want the noise to attract any unwanted guests.