Chapter 71

Max and Ronnie had returned from South America. They had been posted to Brock Barracks with the rest of their unit. From the tropics to the south of England. The change in the climate was just one of the ways their new location differed from where they had been before. It was a lot safer that was for sure.

They had been commanded by one of the, more savvy officers, who had kept his men out of the melee. They had gone in after the first charge to search for anyone who was still resisting. Their role had changed as they saw the carnage. Max and Ronnie had become stretcher bearers as they tried to help their many injured colleagues.

Ronnie had watched in horror as the enemy were lined up and shot. The battle was over so it was a pointless waste of life. The fighting had been over within a few minutes of the attack. The overwhelming numbers bearing down on the settlement had caused panic and terror. People ran away or raised their hands in surrender. Very few took up arms and tried to resist.

The first few weeks at Brock had been good. Max and Ronnie had taken the opportunity to unwind in the relaxed atmosphere. They took trips into town and explored the countryside. The creatures around District 31 were a lot more benign than those they had encountered in the jungle.

Officers strolled around with no sense of purpose. Soldiers managed a sloppy salute in response to their appearance. Uniforms were shabby and non-regulation. Despite his free spirit Max felt rather uncomfortable with the lax regime at the barracks. The arrival of General Markov was welcomed by him and many others.

Max had got his uniform up to scratch and followed all orders. Ronnie looked to Max and did likewise. They were soon seen as reliable and willing members of the regiment and were drilled for special duties. They really didn't mind training with the Ellis Immobilisers and learning unarmed combat. They did moan about their hard work though because that was expected.

"Bloody hell Ronnie, look at these pictures." Max was agog as he read The Military Times.

"What the…that's Salter with a boy. Look at that fat bastard Barton. What does this mean Max?"

"This means that we are going to work. Soldiers will be needed to keep the peace once the public see this."

An officer appeared at the door seconds later and they were told to gather their arms and assemble on the square. General Markov addressed the 50 men stood in front of him.

"Other squads will be posted to the town to keep order. When the call comes you will accompany me to the parliament building. There I will assess the situation and decide what action to take."

Equipment was checked and the men headed for the transport trucks. They relaxed while waiting for the order to depart to be given.

"What does he mean, assess the situation?"

Max considered his reply. "I think we might be arresting the ministers not rescuing them."

"Quite right too, dirty buggers."

Ronnie had got to the crux of the matter in his usual succinct way.

The soldiers in the trucks were silent as they travelled to the seat of the OWG. If any of the men had an opinion about what was going to happen they did not express it. They were there at the behest of General Markov. He was a good man and they would do whatever he asked. He would steer them right.

Twenty men were chosen to accompany Markov into the cabinet room. Before they went in he told them that they were going to arrest Nicholas Salter and the other members of the inner cabinet. Max and Ronnie nodded at each other as their suspicions were confirmed.

Salter's eyes could not have opened any wider as he took in what the General was saying. Him and his cohorts were terrified, but other ministers were cheering. Alistair Barton had begun to flail around wildly and Ronnie had been ordered to shoot him with the stun gun. He had done so without any qualms. Later the friends had relived the moment.

"Did you see him. Like a big fat fish flapping around on the table. When he rolled off, that was brilliant." Ronnie grinned as he told the tale.

"Oh man, I so wanted to laugh, but it was not the thing to do. I did hear Jonesy behind me giggle."

"I swear I saw Markov's lips curl up. Definitely a hint of a smile when Barton went down."

"You know what Ronnie, we have been present at two of the biggest events in history since the meteors. The battle in South America and then the fall of Salter and his bag of shit mates. You and I are genuine heroes."

"Yeah, I reckon we are."

"That Salter looked just like that huge fucking snake I saw in the jungle."

"What snake?"

~~~

Serena couldn't sit still. She wasn't sure exactly what was keeping her on the move. Fear, anxiety and excitement were all playing a part. Her love for Dan and admiration for her fellow conspirators were also in the mix. She had to keep an eye on what Grace and Alex were up to which distracted her from time to time.

All the preparations which had been put in place played on repeat in her head. On one run through it looked like an excellent plan that could not possibly go wrong. The next time the plot was full of holes and would surely fail. Serena imagined that all those in the room were thinking similar thoughts.

Phyllis was the mother figure. She was making tea and snacks and doing her own circuits of the house where they were hiding. The large building was near to the hotel where the infamous party had taken place. It was set back from a minor road and the soldiers lurking in the garden would be difficult to spot.

As she moved around Phyllis would pat a shoulder or give an encouraging smile. Serena had grown extremely fond of her and Peter. Dan, Sebastien and Ryan were sat at the table which was at the end of the vast room. They had found a pack of cards and were trying to play but not really concentrating. Serena kept hearing the words "Whose go is it?"

She walked past Dan's chair and squeezed his shoulders. Serena could feel the tension in them. Ryan smiled at her and she moved on. Peter and Derek were sat in armchairs drinking port despite the early hour of the day. If that is what they wanted to do that was fine. Serena picked up the bottle and dispensed some more alcohol into their glasses. Neither of them objected.

Alex was looking longingly at the big garden. He had a new tricycle and all he wanted to do was ride around on it. It was torture for him being trapped inside. Grace was a bit more aware of the mood in the room. She had moved from lap to lap offering people comfort and gaining it too. Serena wondered what she would become if they were successful in removing Salter. Girls could be facing a very different future.

Eric was sat at a desk shuffling papers. Sometimes he stared at them or picked up a sheet and then put it down. Not much of his work was getting done. His permanent frown showed his worry and she pulled up a chair beside him. Serena thought that he was the most troubled person in the room and wanted to, at the least, distract him from his anxiety.

Theirs was a strange relationship. She was the girlfriend of his deceased daughter's husband. Serena had never sought to take Samantha's place and she had ensured that she was respectful towards the government minister. He was old fashioned and she had acted accordingly. It was only in the last week that she had progressed from calling him Mr McBride to Eric.

"Can I get you anything?"

"No thank you Serena. Are you okay?"

"I think that I'm feeling exactly like everyone in this room. Scared, worried, but still hopeful. I am positive because of all the clever, brave people, like you, who have worked so hard to make this all work."

"Thank you. The paper is out so all we can do is wait. The genie cannot be out back in the bottle. I'm wondering what plan Salter is currently coming up with as he tries to stay in power."

"Whatever it is will count for nothing when Markov and his men have guns pointed at them. Think of the look on that horrible man's face when that happens. We should have got Dan to plant some of his cameras there to capture the action."

"That would have been an excellent idea. Did you hear that Dan?"

"I did. Imagine seeing the moment of arrest played over and over again on the television."

The mood had lifted and the talk was now about when the inner cabinet were taken into custody not if. The muted conversation had been replaced by animation and laughter. Alex stopped staring longingly out of the window and took more interest in the people. There could be some fun to be had. Grace smiled in response to the lighter mood.

The phone rang and Ryan picked it up. He did not need to speak, the look on his face told them what they needed to know. Crying laughing and hugging followed and then Eric found the champagne. The cork popped and the celebration started. Serena took a few deep breaths to calm herself before taking a large swig from her glass.