A War Worth Fighting Part 27
March 17, 1945
Zechs could not help his wide smile as lowered the receiver in his hand onto its cradle. Cupping the side of his mouth as he rose from the living room couch, he called, "Anne. Dorothy."
The pair all but ran in soon after with expectant faces. Reading her lover's expression, Lady Une gasped, "The Iwo Jima battle was won?"
"As of yesterday," the tall man grinned. "And just as important, the Russians also defeated the Germans in Hungary yesterday as well. Those are two huge victories in one day."
Dorothy's hands clapped together as she cheered, "That's wonderful! That would have to be one of the last assaults that Germany could have successfully pulled off. Once word of that failure gets back to Hitler, he will not be terribly happy."
Chuckling, Zechs squeezed her shoulder and stated, "My dear, it is a great shame that a woman like you would not be taken seriously a military leader. You have followed along with every battle I have updated you on and understand the tactics better than any general or sergeant I know."
The young maid bowed her head and blushed. "I suppose that I have been studying quite a bit of the war," she admitted. "The whole thing, while tragic, is quite fascinating at the same time in how it all works. It's like a violent game of chess."
Nodding, the political sponsor replied, "It is just that. And for one to understand how to come out on top, it is always good to have an understanding of the enemy's strengths and weaknesses."
Gently lifting his friend's head with a finger under her chin, he smiled when their eyes met, "There is no crime in a woman, who has no direct involvement in the battle, to appreciate and study those details as well. It goes to show the intelligent person you are." Relieved at not being judged for her interest, Dorothy returned the kind smile.
Her hands folded at her waist, Lady Une asked, "Still no word of surrender from Japan even after all that has happened?"
Shaking his head, Zechs sighed, "No." Hesitant to share his next bit of news, he chewed on the inside of his cheek before informing quietly, "And I have received word that there will be yet another firebombing on Tokyo in a few days."
Their eyes widening and jaws slacking, the young women stared at him in disbelief. "A second bombing," Dorothy whispered, her face pale. "We received notice that over eighty thousand were killed in the first attack earlier this month. Now there will be another assault on those poor people?"
With another sigh, the tall man ran a hand through his bangs and frowned deeply, "I am as troubled by the idea as you both are. Unfortunately, nothing that I voice will change the minds of the men that are making these decisions. All that we can do is hope and pray that the emperor and the head of their military will come to decide that a surrender is in the best interest of their people.
Lady Une dry washed her face while thinking aloud, "If the first attack on Tokyo was not enough, I do not see how this one will change anything." Staring out the large window to the white fields surrounding the estate, she thought aloud, "How anyone could allow such a thing to happen to their innocents is beyond me."
"Pride and honor," Zechs responded. "Two of the strongest characteristics of the Japanese culture. Only time will tell to what extent they are willing to hold onto those ideals and what price will be too high for them to overlook."
Biting her bottom lip, Dorothy commented, "Pride and honor easily blind even the most intelligent of minds. They will not be ignored easily." Her gaze falling back on Merquise, she questioned in little more than a whisper, "We have only begun to see the worst of it, haven't we?"
The sponsor took a deep breath and slowly nodded his head, "I fear that is the case."
* * * * * *
Early the following morning, in the Maritime Alps, something was up. All of the soldiers could sense it by the way their higher ranked officers were huddled together while speaking quietly amongst themselves.
Trowa kept an eye on the ring of men while seated on tall rock not far from his team. Keeping up the appearance that he was preoccupied, he cleaned his rifle while keeping his ears strained in an attempt to overhear anything that was being said between the men about fifty yards ahead. All around, the remainder of the infantry was doing much the same while muttering to their own teammates.
Quietly sitting beside the sniper, Juan leaned close and whispered, "Have you managed to pick up anything?"
Nodding his head, Barton replied just as quietly, "I did hear that they are going to be doing a head count when they are finished. That can only mean that we're going to be on the move again, but I have not been able to hear where we will be headed yet."
Juan's brown eyes widened as he grinned widely. Keeping his voice down, he sighed, "Well thank God we'll finally be getting out of these damned woods. The Germans are long gone now and I am incredibly tired of just sitting around here."
Trowa smirked, "You and everyone else here." His emerald eyes picked up on a break in the huddle of officers and was quick to warn, "Shh!" Instantly, Juan jumped from the rock to rejoin the others in their team while the sniper focused on his rifle again.
Despite their appearing unconcerned with what was going on, the eyes of every soldier followed the officers as they stepped back into the clearing where they had taken their post. All feigned conversations droned out to little more than a few mumbled words as the five men stood in the middle of the whole infantry.
His uniform coat decorated with several medals, the Commander smiled as he scanned the near two hundred gathered around him. "Men," he began in his loud, booming voice that carried to all of his listeners. "First, I have to express my pride and appreciation to you all for your valiant work in clearing these alps. We have received official word that all of our work has paid off." Wide smiles and nudges were exchanged between the soldiers.
Folding his arms behind his back, the tall man continued, "Now, you are to gather up your belongings and fall into your teams so your captains can make a head count. As soon as we know that we have everyone ready, we will finally be putting these damned mountains behind for a more important assignment."
An instant, thunderous round of cheers and applause rose from the soldiers. Keeping their eyes on the commander, their anxious faces spoke of their anticipation to learn of where they would be headed. Every face asked the unspoken question.
Only smiling all the more widely, the Commander shouted, "We head to Germany!"
Stricken by the announcement, there was a slightly delayed cry of elation from the soldiers as they jumped to their feet while raising fists in the air. Trowa and Juan laughed and shared a brief one-armed hug and celebrated with their fellow teammates.
Just being able to move on from the Maritime Alps would have made them happy. But knowing that they were heading to Germany- the country that had been the catalyst behind the war- this opportunity was something that they had thought they could only hope for.
What their roles would be when they got there did not matter. The fact that they were going at all was more than enough. Every soldier fighting for the Allies was undoubtedly wishing for their own shot against the Germans. And they- the little Puerto Rico 65th Infantry- would be one of the few that would get that chance.
As soon as they were 'dismissed,' the troops quickly gathered up and packed their belongings. In moments, not a trace of the army remained in the mountain ranges when they were on the move once more. At long last, the area would be left in peace.
For Trowa, the first thing that he thought of was how he looked forward to writing about this news to Catherine.
Like many others that wanted to pass word on to their own loved ones, he learned how to write and march at the same time during their travels. All the while, a smile tugged his lips at having something to look forward to.
Whatever the danger ahead, they were going to make their mark known in the Allies' efforts to end the war.
* * * * * *
While there was still snow on the ground and a slight chill in the late March air, the overall conditions were much more favorable to Heero and Duo compared to the start of their travel. Still making sure to cover their tracks behind them, they were much more relaxed in their taking their time over the rugged terrain.
The progression down the mountains had been arduous, but the ground was slowly drawing closer in their cautious wake. Anxious to reach the bottom of the cliffs, they looked forward to picking up the pace.
Once they found a relatively safe slope to descend from the cliffs they were on, they made sure to watch their footing. "So," Duo began as he cautiously turned his foot onto a ledge that he slid down to, "what is the first plan of action that we take when we reach the city?"
Landing onto a rock jutting out of the side of the slope just below his partner, Heero replied, "The best idea would be for me to head in alone." As the braided soldier slid down beside him on the rise just over a hundred feet from the ground, he smirked, "No offense, but you do stand out around here."
His violet eyes rolling, Maxwell snorted, "That's an understatement. I wonder if-" Those words were cut off when the section of rock he was standing on suddenly gave way, causing him to drop with a loud cry.
Stricken at the sight of his lover rolling violently down the slope, the wide-eyed sergeant cried, "Duo!" Carefully jumping down from rock to rock, he watched the sickening sight of the other soldier being knocked around by the jutting pieces of stone on his way down.
Desperately, Duo tried to grip onto something to stop himself. But at the speed he was falling, his hands could not hold onto anything long enough.
Finally, he came to free fall the last dozen feet to the hard ground and landed on his back. With a loud wheeze at the impact, the air rushed out of his lungs and he curled onto his side moaning and trying desperately to breathe.
Rushing to his side after nearly falling down the slope in his effort to reach him, Heero fell to his knees and immediately inspected the spine with careful fingers. When the fallen soldier tried to move, he kept him in place with a gently urged, "Easy. Deep breaths and hold them before you release them."
A deep, rough breath was pulled into Duo's burning lungs as he did as he was ordered. Slowly releasing it after a few counts, he repeated the action three more times while his panic eased.
Satisfied and relived with his inspection, the sergeant gingerly helped his lover roll onto his back. At the sight of the bleeding cuts on the heart-shaped face, he winced and quickly removed his packs. "Damn," Maxwell coughed. "Well, that's one way to get down from a mountain. Although, I admit not the most ideal way."
Even more relieved over his partner's attempt to joke, Heero chuckled as he dampened a shirt with water from a canteen. Lightly brushing the wet fabric over the cuts to clean them, he asked quietly, "What hurts?"
Duo groaned, "Everything right now. I still have to get my bearings here." Coughing once again, he took another deep breath at the passing of the spell.
Heero smirked, "Well judging by how you're going on, your lungs are fine." That earned him a quiet laugh before he frowned and forced his friend to meet his stern gaze. "What hurts most?" he inquired in a way that said he had no patience for humor or avoidance in the answer.
Roughly swallowing, the private closed his violet eyes and replied quietly, "Left calf. There was a rock that caught it when I was on the way down. It's almost numb."
Not liking the sound of that at all, the officer removed the pocket knife from his coat and sliced down the left pant leg. That simple movement was enough for Duo to cry out when it shifted the appendage. Exposing the calf, the bottom of Heero's stomach dropped out.
A couple of inches beneath the bruised knee, there was the hint of a protrusion of bone behind the skin. Based on how the tip of the break was pressing forward, it was a lucky thing that it had not punched clean through.
"It's a clean break," Heero sighed as he straightened himself enough to meet the worried gaze on him.
It took all he had in him not to panic. This meant so many things... possible infection if the break was not seen to properly, a slowdown in their progress of reaching SDBS. It was the worst situation and timing for something like this to happen.
Pushing himself onto his elbows, Duo broke through his love's thoughts and inquired, "Do you know how to set a break? I know how to, but to be honest I'm not sure I can put enough pressure on it in from my angle."
Cobalt eyes widening, the sergeant's mouth hung open a moment in a protest that he stopped before it was even voiced. Really, there was no other way. If the bone was left in its state and simply splinted, there was a lot that could go wrong as they continued to travel as staying where they were was not even an option.
Reluctantly nodding, Heero answered, "Hai." Before he allowed a moment to reconsider what he was about to do, he moved beside the injured calf and carefully felt for the ends of the severed sections. Hissing at the touch, the private lowered himself back down and squeezed his eyes closed.
Once he found where and how to set the bone back together, the officer balled the damp shirt he had used to clean his lover's face and placed over his mouth. His eyes still closed, Duo parted his lips and dug his teeth into the fabric.
Hands bearing down on the bone at either end of the break, Heero took a deep breath before pushing and pulling with all of his weight until a loud snap echoed through the air. Screaming into the shirt, Maxwell turned onto his right side while slamming a fist into the ground.
Sweat beading his face, the sergeant inspected the calf to find that it was whole once again. Quickly scrambling to his partner's head, he removed the shirt when the cries died down and cradled him close. "It's all right," he soothed while gently rocking back and forth.
After a long silence, Duo wiped away the sweat and tears from his face. Pulling back, he sat up and groaned, "Christ, that sucked." He lightly ran a hand over his bruised and swollen calf, marveling over his lover's handiwork when he couldn't feel anything out of place.
Rising to his feet, Heero scanned the wooded area around them as he thought aloud, "It's going to be dark in another hour. I can make a brace for your leg, but I don't feel comfortable pushing you to find shelter before then. We'll just have to make do here for the night. I'm going to try and find something close that we can use that will at least cover our heads."
Unable to argue with that logic on account of how sore he was, the private nodded shallowly. Carefully moving his partner to sit up against the slope and placing a soft kiss on his partner's braided head, the officer ran off deep into the forest.
The moment he was alone, Duo sighed and rested his head back on the rock behind him. "Just fucking beautiful, Maxwell," he groaned to himself as his eyes drifted closed. "Way to go and slow us down."
Out in the trees, the metallic sound of a shotgun recoil being shifted filled the air. The hairs on his neck rising, the American's eyes snapped wide open as he lifted his head to peer in the same direction where Heero had disappeared. No other sound followed.
Licking his lips, Duo's heart hammered in his chest as he whispered, "'R' Ro?"
Very slowly, his lover backed into sight. Arms raised and back rigid, Heero carefully moved one foot behind the other without looking away from whatever was directly ahead of him.
Frantic, the private's hands reached around for a loose rock, his packs... anything that he might be able to use as a weapon before whoever was approaching them could see.
Then, when Heero was only a few feet away, the man aiming the shotgun came into view. The eye peering through the gun's scope fell on the injured soldier by the slope.
"Well, well, well," he smirked. "What do we have here? I come to stop one trespasser and I find another. Those cuts look awful nasty there. Next time you go sneaking around these ranges you better take more care."
Stunned to hear the man speaking English, Duo finally breathed once more in a sharp gasp. Heero moved to his side and finally lowered his arms with his own eyes wide.
Trying his luck, the injured soldier squinted to try and get a better look at the man behind the shotgun. "We're sorry for intruding on your land, sir. We didn't mean any harm."
Grateful that the man had yet to shoot, the sergeant went on, "We will be on our way as soon as I can help my friend to his feet, Mister..."
Lowering his weapon, the man stepped out into the dim sunlight peering through the edge of the small opening in the trees above. "So you speak English as well, then," he remarked to the Japanese youth. "That's quite interesting." White, wild hair that stuck out from the sides of an oval face contrasted the bald top of his head.
"Name's Howard," he smirked as he propped his weapon over his shoulder. "And I'm afraid that you boys have a bit more explaining to do before I'm willing to let you go."
TBC...
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