Fourth Vector Ch. 36

"There's another reason why I wanted to bring you here tonight," she whispered coyly.

"Why's that?"

"Because do you know how long it's been since John has been born?" she asked.

Jack did the math in his head. "Not quite two months, I suppose."

She kissed him again. "Right you are. And we are now cleared to resume a certain activity." With those words, Kat's hand quickly settled on Jack's thigh before moving further north.

Jack nearly gasped as she gripped him outside his trousers. "You're sure you want to do that? In here of all places?"

Her coy smirk stayed planted on her face. "Why not? I've always wondered what it would be like to have a boy in here. What better chance to have the man I love and the father of my child in my bed finally?"

Her logic wasn't lost on Jack and her next kiss put some serious blood flow south of the waist. Kat locked her legs around his and rolled onto her back, bringing him on top of her. Even in the faint light with her blonde hair splayed out on the pillow, she'd never looked more beautiful.

"It might hurt," he whispered to her as they made short work of their clothing, creating a pile on the floor. Jack found that his cock was harder than steel and already poking against her bare thigh.

"I remember you telling me that sometime before, more than a year ago," said Kat with a giggle. "We did just fine then and we'll do just fine now. Make love to me, Jack."

That was all the permission he needed. Jack reached between them and notched the tip of his cock between her wet folds. Kat held her breath as he pushed forward gently, lodging the head inside her body.

She exhaled once the initial penetration was made. "Just like old times," she said with a grin.

Jack pushed in deeper until he felt her legs wrap around his waist. Once he was fully buried inside her once more, he settled into place and looked into her eyes.

"I missed this so much," he whispered. "I missed you."

Her eyes glistened with emotion. "I missed you so much more, Jack." She gave a little push back with her hips and soon they were moving together in unison like they had so many times in the past.

For Jack, it was about reconnecting with Kat after so much time apart. In every other avenue, they'd made up for the lost time of his captivity except one, and he was determined to take his time with their lovemaking to rekindle that connection.

There was no frenzy to their movements, no rapidity or urgency to get to the finish. They both enjoyed themselves with each other's body as long as they could with deliberate but slow movements. When she came a short while later, he wasn't far from her, filling her womb with his seed once more.

In the dim light of Kat's bedroom, the two lovers held onto each other like nothing else mattered.

At that moment, nothing else truly did.

*****

On the other side of the world, a different type of movement was taking place. This was a mass movement, a steady creeping of armed Javan soldiers as they moved through the mountains as quickly and as quietly as they could.

For Colonel Roland Smart, it was the final culmination of a campaign of extermination that had begun so many weeks ago. The final moves were now in motion, and according to the Tyrolean prisoners leading the way, the great fortification of the rebel movement was now within their reach.

It was late in the evening, and the last vestiges of sunlight filtered through the trees as the Javan force moved closer to its target.

Roland was full of excitement. This campaign to end the rebellion had seen its share of ups and downs, and there had been plenty of death and destruction along the way. However, tonight he had a real chance of ending hostilities once and for all. If he could use his superior force to destroy Trevor Downing and his ragtag army, the flame of resistance would be extinguished.

Roland wanted the pleasure of such an accomplishment. He wanted to be the one name etched into the history books as having closed out the war in Tyrol. Behind him, a wide path of devastation had been left on his way here, leaving nothing standing and no one alive.

All of those movements brought him to this point, and now that his deputy indicated the fortification was now directly in front of them, he joined the man alongside a small cadre of officers to scope out the position.

"This fortification is lit up like the city in winter," said his deputy as he thumbed his way over to the Tyrolean camp. "It's late in the day and the sun has just about set. What could possess them to be putting off so much light?"

The deputy's words were entirely correct. Even from this distance, Roland could see a mass of light, mostly given off by fires and seeming to surround the entire mountain.

"There's only one explanation for it," said Roland. "They knew we were coming."

The deputy's eyes widened. "Should we not attack them now? If they know we're coming, haven't we lost our surprise against them?"

Roland started to laugh and then shook his head. "What surprise? There's been no surprise! Iwanted them to know we were coming. I wanted them to quiver in fear at the approach of this army. I wanted them to be counting down the days until we arrived to slaughter them in the only place they thought they would have safety. No, I care not about surprise. Our numbers are great enough that we outnumber them handily. We will press forward with the attack!"

That answer was good enough for the deputy. The assembled officers quickly went over the terrain and came up with a plan to attack the fortification from two sides. The hope was to prevent any possibility of escape, crushing the rebel force between them.

There would be no dawn for Tyrol.

*****

A short distance away, Trevor was checking the positions of his men inside the boundaries of the old fortification. With daylight quickly disappearing, it was important to make sure any final adjustments were done while they still could.

By his own judgment, the Javans would be there shortly. His own scouts had been keeping him informed of their movements from the moment they'd entered the mountains. Based on their superior numbers, Trevor was bound not to be caught by surprise when they finally arrived, knowing it was only foreknowledge and superior tactics that would let his army survive the night.

For that reason, they all got to work on the superior tactics portion. Lines of trenches were dug out that surrounded the entire area, being two to three lines deep in most places. Trevor's men focused on using bottlenecks where they could, wanting to funnel the approaching Javans into preplanned avenues of death. He'd even had artillery and mortars sighted for distance, wanting to strike the Javans before they could even get close to his trenches.

As the sun finally disappeared on the horizon, all appeared to be ready.

Well, almost everything.

"Trevor, I have a good portion of my men covering the southern slope," said Nina as she found him having a chat with some of his men. "The only problem is that there's so few of them to cover the area on the other side of the mountain where we've moved the refugees."

Few was putting it lightly. There was just a spattering of soldiers on the other side of the mountain as most of the able-bodied were stationed here for the main attack. Trevor thought it wise to get the noncombatants out of harm's way, sending them through a path to the other side of the mountain, beyond the reach of the Javans.

"There's not many we can spare right now," said Trevor as he replied to the beautiful brunette commander. "But aren't you missing something, Nina?" he asked with a lowered voice.

She gave him a knowing look and shook her head. "I'm not missing anything, Trevor. I've organized my side of the defense just like I'd planned."

"I thought the plan was for you to go with the refugees," said Trevor with a subtle glare. "I don't want to risk you during this fight. It's too dangerous."

Nina actually laughed. "Trevor, how many fights have we been through together? Too many to count? Do you really think I would sit this one out? Every gun counts in this battle."

"Exactly, everyone counts," said Trevor. "The reason everyone counts is because they outnumber us. This isn't a fight for advantage. This is one for survival. I don't want to gamble with your life."

Nina smiled fondly and pressed herself into his arms. "That's all we've been doing since this war started. We've only been gambling with our lives, hoping for another day. If tonight happens to be the night, then so be it. At least I'll know I died fighting beside the man I love."

Trevor attempted to give her a stern look. "You're really not going to listen to me, are you?"

Nina grinned. "Not unless it's a military order."

"Fine, then I order you to the rear with the refugees."

Nina snorted. "Nice try, Trevor."

Finding the situation hopeless, Trevor let out a small sigh. "Fine, but stay behind your men. Don't risk yourself needlessly. And keep me informed of what happens on your side. If we need to reposition men during the attack, I want to hear it from you."

She kissed him one more time. "You got it, General," she said with a mock salute.

Trevor watched her walk away, hoping that it wasn't the last time he would see her alive.

Not much more than ten minutes after Nina left, he heard the first sounds of small arms fire, followed shortly after by artillery.

The battle was on.

*****

"Push them back! Keep fighting, men! Don't give one inch of ground!"

Thirty minutes into the first wave, Trevor was having a hard time keeping his men in the outer trench from folding to the attack. The pressure from the attacking Javans was incredibly fierce, and despite the absence of natural light, there seemed to be a unique coordination between the attacking waves that defied logic.

Trevor managed to get several shots off from his rifle but he had to rely on his pistol on several occasions when the Javans had gotten too close. A mere forty-five minutes into the attack, he had to have the men move back to the second trench, a demoralizing scene as the enemy then occupied the outer trench against them.

It made the fight more difficult. With the added protection of the trench, the battle stalled for longer as the Javans became harder to pin down.

The only saving grace that Trevor had was that his men were keeping their wits about them and their accuracy was true. For men that had been mere farmers and townspeople not long before, it was an incredible benefit that he wasn't expecting.

Despite their training, the Javans kept coming. At one point, an entire platoon charged across a narrow section of the battlefield between the two trenches. Several of them got close enough to slam their rifle butts against the Tyrolean defenders, making hand-to-hand fighting inevitable. It was a situation that was rapidly deteriorating. Trevor could only keep morale up by keeping the enemy at bay, and every time they narrowed that distance, hopes of winning the battle dwindled.

An hour and fifteen minutes into the attack, Trevor organized a pullback to the third and final trench. Out in the field, the bodies of dead Javans and Tyroleans littered the position. The majority were Javan but they had the men to spare while every Tyrolean death only made their position more untenable.

"Keep up your firing, boys!" yelled Trevor as he reloaded his pistol for another round. The Tyroleans kept firing with their captured NT-12 rifles, taking down several Javans who had strayed too close to their lines. During a temporary lull, the Javans pulled back only to take cover in the second trench. The gunfire slowly abated while they regrouped and Trevor's men reloaded. At any moment, a renewed push would see the Javans throwing everything they had at their line.

"Keep calm and keep up the pace," he urged them during the temporary quiet. "They'll be throwing themselves at our position shortly. Be ready when they come."

They didn't have to wait very long. What looked like an entire company soon poured out of the second trench and made the next attack on Trevor's position. As he stared down the barrel of his pistol, Trevor could only pray.

God help us or we're going to lose this fight.

*****

On the other side of the mountain, Nina was facing tough odds of her own.

"Keep your heads down!" she yelled as several of the new recruits tried to get a better look at the enemy. The last one to do that had a bullet blast right through his forehead, quickly ending his life. She had to constantly remind the newer recruits to remember their training but this trial by fire was proving to be the ultimate teacher.

The Javans here weren't as fanatical as the ones that Trevor was facing on the other side of the mountain but that didn't mean they weren't putting serious pressure on Nina's lines.

At least the fires on her side helped. Her men could see where they were firing and there was less confusion despite the lack of sunlight. It also meant the Javans could see them too but it seemed to be helping them more than it was hurting.

Another aid to her cause was the presence of Trevor's second-in-command, Gavin Gower, who was leading from the flank and reporting back on the situation directly to Nina. Gavin was calm and cool under fire, and his experience was greatly needed when it came to keeping the men in good order.

"Right flank is under pressure but accounting well for itself," came the report from Gavin's deputy midway through the battle. "Continuing to hold the line at the first trench."

Unlike the other side, Nina's men had faced a fierce enough attack to make them leave the safety of their first defensive trench. Not that the Javans weren't attacking them seriously, but generally they'd done a good enough job in repelling the enemy.

Unfortunately, Gavin's position came under an incredible amount of pressure in the next hour, and Nina started to fear for the worst when his deputy stopped making progress reports. She sent her own man over to find out the situation on the flank but even he failed to come back in a reasonable amount of time.

Unable to wait any longer, she withdrew from her portion of the line to see for herself and found a most horrific sight. The right flank was nearly overrun. Javan soldiers were moving inside the first trench, and a large gap had now formed in Tyrolean lines on their flank.

If something wasn't done quickly, their entire right flank would cave in and be rolled up all along the southern side of the mountain. There would be nothing holding back the Javans from marching to the other side of the mountain and crushing Trevor's men from two sides.

Nina's panic quickly turned to action as she scurried to grab reinforcements for the battered flank. In the heat of the battle, she grabbed two units of new recruits and personally led them where the fighting was thickest.

The Javans were waiting for them. And as a single Javan soldier raised his rifle at Nina, she swallowed heavily.

Was this the end?

*****

The situation on Trevor's side was just as deadly. Hand-to-hand fighting had resumed outside the third trench, with both attacker and defender using any form of coverage they could find. Trevor took shelter behind an old supply crate, crouching below it while he reloaded his pistol.

The Javans just kept coming. Bodies were beginning to mount up both inside and outside the trenches but they hadn't yet reached a point where the Javans had been stopped from pressing forward.

They were close enough now that he could see their faces. He could read the pain etched into their features when he shot them and could hear the cries of the wounded. With them being that close, it added a personal element to the fighting. Trevor was astonished to find that he didn't hesitate on pulling the trigger when he could see the pain it caused at such a close level.

The need to survive was of greater priority.

And so he kept firing into the faces of young Javan men as they kept up the assault. He kept firing until he saw a face that he'd seen before, one where he did pause before firing.

It was a face he remembered well. It took him all the way back to before the Movement really took off. He remembered that face when it entered his store back in Amboy, when it threatened him and his livelihood.

He also remembered how this same face declared total war against anyone that fought with him.

The face of Roland Smart locked eyes with Trevor as the two men stared at each other with a moment's curiosity. Judging by the look on Smart's face, he recognized Trevor's from that time long ago back in Amboy.

Unfortunately, Trevor's momentary hesitation only enabled Smart to hit the dirt. He ducked into the trench as Trevor's pistol fired, spattering dirt around him.

Trevor had to reload. His pistol was empty, and he crouched behind the crate to feed more bullets into it. All the while Roland Smart was somewhere out there, too close for comfort.

There was a close call as soon as Trevor raised his head to fire again. He felt the incredible closeness of a bullet that zipped by his ear and quickly found who fired it. Roland ducked beneath another crate not more than twenty feet away as his men continued to swarm the position.

"Son of a bitch," muttered Trevor as he fired off two more shots. They were no good, missing Roland completely but now the two men were locked into a death match where only one would emerge alive.

"You shoot like a grocery clerk, Downing!"

The taunt came from behind the crate and Trevor knew who was the one to utter it.

"That's right, I remember you. I remember being in your shitty small-town store! I remember everything about you, Trevor!"

Trevor fired another shot that only splintered the wood of the crate. He crouched down lower just as Roland got off another shot from above.

"I've been looking for you, Trevor! I've brought this army here to find you and end your rebellion once and for all. Although, I'll have to say that I've enjoyed killing all of your countrymen along the way!"

Trevor gritted his teeth and got off another shot. When his eyes landed on Roland for a split second, he noticed the Javan officer was wearing a leering grin.

"That's right, you keep missing me," taunted Roland. "But I won't miss on my next shot."

True to form, Trevor felt a sting the next time he checked around the crate. Roland's pistol had barked, sending a grazing wound just over the top of Trevor's shoulder blade. The flesh stung in response and Trevor once more crouched behind the crate.

"So he's human after all," taunted Roland again. "Trevor Downing is a mere man. Before tonight is over, I'm going to show the country that you can bleed too."

Trevor found himself getting more enraged. Roland's taunts were striking too close to home but he also knew the man to be the one responsible behind all the carnage in Tyrol, especially in Amboy. Wasn't it Roland's fault that his hometown was no more? A forgotten ruin amongst many in this war?

He needed a way around him. He needed to get out from being pinned down behind this crate.

But how?

That's when an idea hit him.

Trevor gestured to another soldier and had the man crawl over to his spot.

"Keep up covering fire for me," said Trevor low enough so that Roland couldn't possibly hear. "When I start moving, you start firing. Got it?"

The soldier nodded his acknowledgment, and Trevor didn't stay put for very long. He soon dashed out from his crate and scampered a short distance away where part of the trench opened up. He scurried into the open hole as he heard Roland continue his jeers and open fire with his pistol once more.

"I'm going to get you, Downing! Where are you?"

Trevor moved quickly as if his life depended on it. He'd chosen this direction to move because the trench would slowly open up around Roland's position, giving him a shot of the man from behind. The only problem was that it put him dangerously close to the rest of the Javan Army. He moved quickly until he reckoned he'd have a direct line of sight to the combative Javan colonel.