Wings of Death

Fort Barton

Fort Barton was a huge military facility which harbored 90 soldiers. Captain Elijah was in charge of all security arrangements over here. The Bloodwings hadn’t been able to penetrate the fort’s defenses thanks to the efforts of the Captain and his team. Most of the soldiers here were seasoned veterans who had once served in the Middle East. Major Morris was the supreme commander of all the military personnel stationed here and that included Captain Elijah and Lieutenant Amy.

The military facility had three buildings which served as barracks, a research facility, an engineering hub, a fuel depot, an ammunition depot, a garage, a canteen and a hospital. There was also a large training ground a few meters from the hospital. The Fort was surrounded on all sides by concrete walls around 20 meters high. On each wall there were 5 browning heavy machine guns and 6 wall cannons. These traditional weapons had to be manually operated and were the fort’s first line of defense. Inside the walls lay the fort’s main defense systems which included 10 anti-aircraft guns, 5 SAM launchers and two mobile missile trucks. The fort’s last line of defense was the elite team led by Captain Elijah known as the Vipers. Their main role was to eliminate threats in the immediate vicinity within a very short span of time. They never stayed outside for too long.  This fort had been able to survive for so long only due to the presence of an astounding amount of firepower. Most of the Bloodwings would be shredded to pieces by the AA guns even before they managed to reach the walls. Those that managed to come close to the walls were shot down by the SAM turrets. The fort also contained two communication towers and its own power station which was located just 500 meters away from the fort.

Nathan's eyes widened in surprise as the convoy entered the fort. He had never seen so many soldiers and heavy weapons from up close. Very soon he had forgotten all about the Bloodwings. He could not contain his curiosity anymore and requested Captain Elijah to allow him to explore the military facility. The Captain gave his assent and asked one of his soldiers to accompany Nathan at all times.

As soon as all the vehicles had stopped two soldiers came forward to inspect the vehicles. They saluted the captain and welcomed him.  After completing their preliminary inspection they asked the survivors to stand in a queue. Within a few minutes lieutenant Amy Williams arrived and greeted them all in her friendly and cheerful voice. She noted down their names and then started handing out special identity cards.

“You must wear these cards at all times. Well, except maybe when you are in the bathroom”, she said with a giggle.

Nathan and Alex had immediately developed a liking for the lieutenant. She seemed to be both polite and extremely helpful. When it was Alex’s turn to take his card he decided to talk to the Lieutenant about his mom. She listened to everything he had to say and told him not to worry.

“I will ask our cyber security chief to look into the matter. We will find her”, she said with a reassuring tap on his shoulder.

Nathan could not believe that someone in the military could be so friendly and cheerful. She was second in command to Captain Elijah but was nothing like him.

Nathan pulled Alex to one side and asked, “Is she a field officer or a techie of some sort?”

“Well, she certainly seems to be too kind and caring to be a field officer. I guess we will soon find out”, replied Alex.

Lieutenant Amy had a pretty face and large blue eyes and she was quite young too, just 27. Everyone at the military base adored her. However, Lieutenant Amy was much more than a pretty face. The Captain was like an elder brother to her. She had always stood by his side no matter how dangerous the mission was.

Margaret started chatting with the Lieutenant and soon became friends with her. There was something about her disposition which impressed even the most unfriendly officers in the camp. Lieutenant Amy had started to take a keen interest in Margaret’s research. She told her that her findings might help them turn the tide of battle. Margaret still could not understand how she managed to work under such a serious and grim looking man. They were walking towards the research facility when Margaret decided to find out a bit more about the Captain.

“You seem to be very cheerful and friendly but I can’t understand why Captain Elijah looks so serious. I wonder if he ever smiles”, she said.

“Well, Captain Elijah wasn’t always so serious. He used to be a fun loving guy who enjoyed cracking jokes at the dinner table but then he lost his wife in a car crash and that changed him forever”, sighed the Lieutenant.

Margaret thought it would be best not to probe into his past life and changed the topic to lighten the mood.

“Do you like any of the officers stationed here?” she asked.

At this Lieutenant Amy broke into peals of laughter and said, “They are all just silly boys. Most of them start stuttering when I start speaking to them”.

“And what about Captain Elijah?” winked Margaret.

“The Captain is the greatest officer I have ever known. He is a ruthless soldier and a very good human being. He is like an elder brother to me”, she replied with a thoughtful smile.

They stepped inside the research facility together and were escorted to Dr. Erica’s lab by a junior scientist. Upon entering the lab they saw that Dr. Erica was busy conducting experiments on some clear liquid. She had 4 bottles of a water-like liquid arranged on the table and one in her hand. Dr. Erica was so engrossed in her work that she didn’t even see them entering the lab.

Lieutenant Amy knocked on the door and said, “Look who’s here, Dr. Hart”.

It seemed Dr. Erica didn’t hear her; she was so absorbed in her work that she didn’t even turn around. Lieutenant Williams cast a sideways glance at Margaret and then sneaked up behind Dr. Erica. Without making a sound she tapped her left shoulder. Dr. Erica dropped the test tube with a start.

“It’s me, Amy. Relax doctor. You have been working too hard”.

“I am so sorry I didn’t notice you two had arrived. Please sit down”, said Dr. Erica with an embarrassed look on her face.

Margaret wanted to know what she was working on so instead of sitting down she walked up to Dr. Erica and started asking her one question after the other. Lieutenant Amy sat down near them and quietly listened to the discussion.