A Tangled Web Ch. 11

"'Very well then. First things first, how many troops have you still got fit for duty."

"I don't rightly know, ma'am."

"Aaargh!" Major Creighton called out as, once again, Vera twisted his genitals. "Just tell her, man. Aaargh! That's an order."

"But, sir...."

"Just do it!"

"We lost four men from the towers in the original assault and another six in the skirmish, and six more wounded, err... ma'am. That leaves four fit for duty, plus the three corporals."

"Does that include the two on the roof with the machine gun?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"So, two on the roof, two on the door and three more somewhere," Xui-Li mused. "OK, let's get moving. One thing, though, we can't leave this lot here."

She raised her revolver and pointed it at Major Strickland.

"No!" shouted Vera. "We'll find some cells or something."

"It's easier if they're just dead," Xui-Li said simply. "Anyway, he'd kill us both in a trice if it was the other way around. Look how he shot Yin."

"But we're the good ones, aren't we?"

"This is war, Jun-Nui, sometimes people die."

"Not in cold blood. Xui-Li, I know you're not a monster, please don't behave like one."

For a long moment the two women stared at each other and, although their prisoners hadn't understood a word of the Chinese they had spoken, their meaning had been clear. The room seemed to hold its breath, and then Xui-Li put down her revolver.

"OK, lets see if we can find some cells to lock them in.," Xui-Li said with a sigh, "You had best tie up the sergeant's wrists. Use that neck tie, the one you used on Yin but tie it tightly this time. And then that trick you do with their trousers, that works. I'll keep them covered."

"I want to shoot the lot of you," Xui-Li said in English, "but Jun-Nui has persuaded me to let you live. However, I can still change my mind. Now, sergeant, lie on your stomach and put your hands behind your back."

Once the sergeant's hands were restrained and, like the others, his trousers were pulled to around his ankles, Jun-Nui and Xui-Li herded them out and down the stairs. With their trousers around their ankles it was hard for their prisoners to negotiate the stairs but this simply highlighted their helplessness. They were about half way down when a British soldier appeared but he was so taken aback by seeing his commanding officers discommoded like this that it didn't take much to persuade him to to drop his rifle and follow on with his hands suitably raised. In the main lobby they picked up another solder and, herding all before them like sheep, they made their way towards the kitchens.

The staff here were locally employed Chinese and too scared to do anything but help point Xui-Li and Jun-Nui towards a suitable storeroom with a stout door. They herded their captives inside and were just about to close the door when Major Strickland stopped them.

"Miss Tallisker, Miss Tallisker," He called out. "You're British, Dammit, come to your senses. Stop betraying your country?"

"You would never understand," Jun-Nui replied.

"Try me, I might, I might just."

"I might have been born British but I grew up in China and I learnt to love the people. Now that I've seen what we're doing to this country, the suffering and hardships we impose, I felt I had to choose and, when I chose," Vera looked between Major Strickland and Xui-Li who was waiting impatiently, "I chose here. This is now my country. Vera Tallisker is dead, Major, and you helped kill her. I'm Jun-Nui now."

"If we catch you you'll be shot..." Major Strickland called out but Jun-Nui was no longer listening. She closed the door and turned the key.

After that they headed for the roof where, catching the two machine gunners by surprise, they quickly gained control and, at gunpoint, added them to their collection. A burst of gunfire from the roof attracted the attention of the last three British soldiers and they too surrendered without putting up any resistance.

And then it was all about organisation. Freeing the prisoners and spiriting them away was far from straightforward and Xui-Li badly missed Yin's help but the Ming-Xing was moored in a nearby creek and, long before anyone from the main British barracks arrived, the freed prisoners were either on board or melting into the countryside. By mid afternoon they had dropped off a significant proportion at harbours along the coast where local cadres were waiting to help them return to whatever lives they could find.

As the sun set Xui-Li and Jun-Nui leant over the railings at the rear of the Ming-Xing watching the reflections dancing in the wake.

"We need to talk," Xui-Li began.