Where: Front lines and No Man's Land
When: December 15, 2005
Summary: A wiring party goes horribly wrong.
Allied Front Line South
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[The Grid]-----> > > > > THE LOST GENERATION < < <
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Here you are at the end of the line, the very cusp of the Allied war effort. The efforts of the free world are focused here, on nudging this line, inch by tortuous inch, towards Berlin.
The front line trenches are the least habitable. Constructed under the fire of the enemy, with little opportunity to adjust or improve them, they are barely trenches at all but cavernous, flooded, collapse prone pits, mostly inhabited only by rats, or the dead.
Fritz is to the east, not all that far away. The wise man keeps his head down, for snipers ply their trade here, at the absolute front.
Chaloux is staring out over No Man's Land on a stand-to position, while eating some rations. He's all sober now, back on the front lines with no thoughts of his show.
Foster heads down the trench soon after nightfall towards the front. Work to do, orders to give…
Mike plays with his rifles bullets.
Antonia is with her team as usual, preparing for the worst. Though hopefully the worst won't be as bad as last time.
Walsh humms a little to himself, although not very loud. For those that knows Irish songs, it's 'Johnny, I hardly knew ye'.
Singh is in the trench, giving his rifle a careful check-over. His head is tilted a little toward Walsh, as it usually is when the Irishman sings.
Mike loads his rifle up to full capacity, seeing Foster entering the lines.
Foster looks around the trench. "Look sharp, men." he says, unimpressed with the humming, the playing with bullets. Thats not very professional. At least the corporal is on the ball. Privates, everybody knows they are scum. "Theres a hole in the wire north of here, if the General sees it we'll all be on a charge given his recent orders."
Mike looks up to foster and nods slightly to his words.
"Wire," Chaloux simply murmurs. Not hard to figure out, after last night's happenings. He looks to Singh, as if expecting him to take charge here once Foster's done with the order giving.
Samantha is standing next to Antonia, but keeping quiet. Just stiff and professional, kit over her shoulder and hands folded behind her back.
Singh looks up from his rifle, apparently satisfied with its state, and gives Foster a steady nod. "I shall fill it, Sir," he replies. He doesn't look precisely eager to go out, but he does seem ready.
"Yes, sir!" Walsh replies, as he hears the Captain's words, glancing down to his rifle to see that everything's okay with that one.
Mike looks to the enthusiastic soldier named Walsh and just shakes his head to himself slightly.
Chaloux moves over, holding the Chauchat in both hands, apparently volunteering to go along with an encouraging grunting sound to Singh. He gives his helmet a tap, pushing it down hard on his head.
Antonia's eyes watch the ground as the men discuss the orders. Eventually she looks up, glancing at their face in turn with an unreadable expression. Probably just remembering their last mission.
Foster nods. "Excellent. Take your squad out then, Corporal. Given what happened last time it seems to me advice would be pointless, I suggest rather you pray to whatever deity motivates you instead. At least there don't appear to be any machinegun nests in that part of the front, though maybe the Boche have moved one of their MG08s there last night already, they must know the hole is there and be ready."
Foster apparently remembers the last mission also.
Mike mutters, "God have mercy…"
Singh recalls the last mission quite well. He nods to Foster. "Yes, sir. I need only one rifleman to go out with me. If anyone else has skill with laying the fortifications, that would also be most useful. We shall be quiet. The Huns will not hear a whisper, God willing."
Mike nods to Singh, "I'm no good with fortifications, but I'll go."
Walsh doesn't seem to be praying to anything, instead his expression goes over into the business-mode, that relative blankness as he checks that all his equipment are where it's supposed to be. Waiting for the moment to hear all the instructions, for now.
Antonia's shoulders seem tense as she listens. But of course she says absolutely nothing. Whatever happened, they were there to pick up the pieces, not prevent the shattering.
Chaloux quirks eyebrows at Singh, also expecting more information. He shifts his feet in the muddy trench, feet sogging wet by now.
Foster nods at Singh. "It sounds like you have a plan. So I'll leave you to it. I believe the logistics corps has everything you need. I will return to my dugout to prepare the report to the battalion commander detailing your successful patrol."
Singh gives Mike a long look. "You are a brave man. This is not something where simple bravery will do much good. This work requires absolute quiet, stealth and prudence. Though I admit, another pair of hands to aid me with the wiring would not be amiss." He nods to Foster, showing little reaction when the Captain mentions returning to his dugout.
Mike nods to Singh, "I will go if you want me to, or I will cover you with these guys."
Antonia arches a brow slightly as the officer turns to go, her eyes watching his back for a moment. Then she puts her attention back on the group of men.
Samantha reaches one hand over.. gently to grasp Antonia's arm.. just a heartbeat, and give a little, slightly stronger squeeze..
Elise is a few moment's late, but she's here. It's not hard to spot the other females in the trenches, and she makes her way to join Sam and Toni, trying not to get in the way as she does.
Chaloux looks at Singh, then at Walsh, then back to the corporal. "We move out into shell hole, cover you?" he asks, making sure of what his orders are right now.
Watching the Captain leave, Walsh shakes his head a little to himself, "Some things seldom change…" He then looks over at Singh, "Just give me someone to shoot and I'll give you the dead Huns," he offers, quietly.
Singh thinks on this before saying simply, "Let us see what all our options are, Private Brazeau." To Chaloux, he nods. "Precisely. Now come. We'll assemble in at the central part of the line before we head over." With that, he turns to head north.
Singh moves up from the southern part of the trench, face impassive. He gathers some more razor wiring equipment as he goes along. There's apparently work to be done in No Man's Land.
Walsh looks out from the trench, as he follows after Singh, face as much like a statue as possible, at the moment.
Mike looks to Singh, "Same as last time without the Casualties, right?"
Cooper continues to clean his newly acquired weapon. The man peeks out over No Man's land for a moment, and then blinks as Singh appears carrying wiring equipment. He straightens up a little.
Antonia keeps up with the moving group of men, bringing a kit and a few personnel with her. She holds up a hand to indicate for those with her to wait and listen for the orders from the troops before they determine their own.
Luke straightens up from where he rests in the trenches, rifle nestled close against his chest as he cradles it, watching Singh show p with the wiring equipment.
Singh turns to Mike. "I pray to God this will be nothing like last time, Private. That was pure folly." He moves toward the eastern wall of the trench, though he makes no move to go over yet. "I need three men. Two to keep to the shell holes and watch our backs for Huns, one to help me on the wire. The rest of you will stay here and be ready to shoot if any of the Huns move out into No Man's Land."
Elise keeps pace with Antonia, appearing tense but surprisingly calm. She holds a kit of her own tightly in her hands, and draws to a stop when the other woman does.
Mike says "I'm coming, Sir."
Mike says "I'm experienced from our last time in No Mans Land."
Walsh nods a little as he hears Singh's words, "I'll come with you, sir," he offers, quietly.
Cooper calls towards Singh, "I'm in. I'll take one of the shell hole positions." he says to the corporal.
Antonia hears that from Singh, turning briefly to confer with the other doctor available. A quiet conversation ensues, involving some gesturing towards the east and some to the trench where they currently stand.
With a whole lot of volunteers, Chaloux looks at Singh to let him pick; he's already shown his interest.
Wallace spots the rest of his unit and trots over to them, still bent at the waist as he tries to keep his head down and out of the way of enemy sniper fire. Upon reaching the group he simply nods, trying to catch his breath.
Luke lifts a hand in a wave, glancing to Cooper then nodding over toward Singh. "I'll take the other shell hole position."
Singh nods to Walsh, Cooper and, after exchanging a look with Chaloux, gives a nod to Mike as well. "You three, then. Walsh, Cooper, have your rifles ready and keep to the shell holes once we are out there. Private Brazeau, with me. Everyone, be as quiet as you can. Do not fire until you are fired upon or see some other sign they are aware of our presence. That will only give us away." He gives Luke a grin, but shakes his head. "The more men on the field, the better chance we have of being seen. Besides, if the Huns do spot us and move out west to meet us, your guns will be needed here."
Mike says "Yes SIr."
Cooper nods to Singh, and readies his rifle. He checks the ammunition he carries, gives a glance to some of the men standing nearby, and then prepares to move eastwards.
Chaloux nods to Singh, gives him a slight encouraging grin, turns a glare at the nurses to show his genuine dislike of women in the front lines, then goes to set his Chauchat up on the edge of the trench.
Mike readies his rifle and nods to Singh, ready to move out.
"Yes, sir," Walsh replies, before he looks to Cooper for a few moments. "I recommend we take one hole each, to make sure we're less of an easy target if they spot us," he offers to the man.
Antonia can't even be said to ignore Chaloux, being as she didn't see the look in the first place. She watches Singh with squared shoulders, hands folded neatly behind her back.
Cooper grins to Walsh and then nods, "Agreed. You go left I go right? Figure that way we can try and protect our flanks and have a clear field of fire to the front."
Wallace hears that he's not to accompany the party and bites back a retort, simply nodding. Was a soldier's place to take orders after all. Pulling his rifle off his shoulder he takes a kneeling position in the trench and begins to work over his rifle, preparing it for battle if needed.
Walsh nods, "Sounds like a good plan," he replies.
Luke dips his head in a nod to Singh's words. No qualms with not being one of the first to get shot at, not at all. He shifts against the trench wall, glancing over his rifle and just idly checking to ensure it's loaded and the like.
Elise listens quietly, half-behind Antonia as she regards the small knot of men gathered around Singh.
Singh looks to the sky, as if praying for it to stay darkened. He detours from the eastern wall to approach Chaloux. "Keep order here," he says steadily to the Frenchman. "Make certain no one goes out there unless they are ordered to." He directs a look to the medical team after that. Antonia, in particular. "Doctor. I trust you will be ready, here, in case your skills and those of your medics are called for when we return." The 'here' is pointedly stressed.
Chaloux has to stifle a sudden urge to laugh. "yes, Sir," he notes to Singh after catching his voice again. He too glances over at Antonia and her team, then sighs a little. "You will owe me one later, Corporal," he murmurs goodnaturedly enough.
Cooper nervously looks over at Singh and then says, "Ready when you are sir." He keeps pressed up against the trench wall, peering over towards the German lines.
Mike says to Cooper, "This your first time out in No Mans Land? "
Elise arches an eyebrow at Singh's orders, and she leans over to speak quietly to Antonia, her words meant to carry no further than the other woman's ear.
Antonia turns her head as Singh addresses her. She's silent a moment, then raises an eyebrow. "And I trust you will remember that the only reason a certain new corporal still has a leg is because of first aid that had to be performed by a field medic, not one who had to wait thirty minutes to see him in the trenches?"
Walsh is unable to hold back a grin as he hears those last words from Singh, as he takes care of the last few preperations for this little field trip.
Cooper smirks just a little as Mike speaks to him and shakes his head, "Nope. Been out there before. Came back without a scratch."
Mike grins, "You're a lucky one, first time out and I got my leg shot up."
Antonia tilts her head slightly, replying to Elise in a low voice…
Singh smirks at Chaloux, before returning his dark eyes to Antonia. "The more who go out, the better chance the Huns will spot us and we will all be shot. Your place is here." He frowns. That was harsher than he intended. And why is he explaining his orders to her? He gives his head a small shake, as if to clear it. "Just be ready. God willing, we will not give you any work today." With that he tosses the medical team a salute and moves to the eastern wall. Just as the flare goes off. He frowns, putting up a hand. "Sit tight. We do not move until the very light goes out again."
Wallace stifles the snort at Corporal Singh's expense, but he did take a moment to look back at Doctor Young after her rather acerbic comment, his shoulders jumping in silent laughter. His head shakes slowly and he turns back toward the east, standing high enough to look over the wall and peer out into the night.
Mike plays with the bolt on his rifle, and keeps checking it over, nothing like your gun getting jammed in the middle of the battle.
Antonia's expression doesn't really change as she looks at Singh. She doesn't nod to say she understands, nor does she betray any reaction to his tone of voice. She just watches them go, her lips in a tight line.
Walsh nods as he hears those words about the light, and moves all the way to the side of the trench, ready to climb out of it the moment that the lights go off again.
Elise grins faintly at whatever she and Antonia are discussing. She offers the doctor a further reply, her gaze lighting on Chaloux, a mischevious look appearing in them for a moment before she wisely moves on with that look to the others waiting to dash over the wall.
Cooper nods mutely to Mike, then looks up at the sky, watching the flare as it burns in the sky.
Antonia talks to Elise quietly again, her eyes staying on the moving Stealth Squad.
Chaloux is deploying the Chauchat and making a bet with himself how many times the weapon will jam tonight. He looks up, thinking, then whispers to Walsh; "I say four times, if I need to shoot tonight. Four times jam." The mischievous look from Elise garners a very suspicious, wary one in return. He frowns, the looks back out over No Man's Land, shifting his feet.
Walsh turns back to offer a grin at Chaloux. "I'm thinking it's our night tonight, so it'll only be twice," he offers back to him.
Luke looks away from his rifle, having checked it for what may seem the dozenth time the night, to cast a glance over toward the nurses, gaze falling over Antonia then Elise for a moment before looking away, jaw setting as he turns against the wall to ready for any Hun counter led against their line.
Elise gives a slight nod, a hand lifting to settle lightly on Antonia's back, just between her shoulderblades. "Of course not, Doctor. Zat eez zee idea I ad meant." Her own attention follows the squad waiting to climb out into No Man's Land.
Cooper slips over the wall as soon as the flare burns out. He moves silently, eyes scanning for the tell-tale blink of muzzle flash.
Chaloux grins back. "It's a bet. I bet the last of the whiskey." Then he turns quiet as the flare goes out, the area cast in darkness again.
Walsh grins and nods, before he climbs over the wall, and starts moving very silently, staying close to the ground on the way.
Singh takes a deep breath when the light goes out, muttering something softly in Punjabi as he exits the trench. From the sound of it, it can only be a prayer. He motions for the men going with him to follow, putting a finger to his lips as he does so. Quiet. Chaloux is also offered a quick nod as he goes up. As if to reassure him. Then he's off.
Antonia doesn't say anything to Elise in return but she doesn't move away from the touch of the Frenchwoman's hand on her back. Her eyes just stay turned towards No Man's Land. As they begin to climb she finally looks back at Elise. "Let us prepare a crash area, then, for when they return." She nods to Elise and heads for the materials they brought, unloading enough to be ready if anyone came back wounded.
Singh shouts, "BACK! GET BACK!".
Elise gives a slight nod, and as she pulls her gaze back from the men about to go over the wall, and loses sight of those who already have, she turns. Spotting Luke, she hesitates a moment before hurrying to follow after Toni. "And ope ve do not ave to use zem."
As the light goes off, and he hears Singh, Walsh starts turning back, but slowly, looking out in the direction of where Cooper's went. Throwing himself down flat on the ground while he looks out in the direction of the one still out there, for now.
Singh is about to move to head out into No Man's Land when another flare lights the sky. He shouts for the advancing men to turn back, coming to a dead stop himself. He bites off something else in Punjabi. Not a prayer, this time.
Mike kneels down, aiming his rifle at the German Lines.
Antonia's head snaps up as she hears Singh shout. She sits back on her heels, holding bandages in her hands as she tries to see the team.
Chaloux blinks in surprise when hearing Singh shout, shoulders suddenly tensing and eyes straining to see out over the now once more illuminated area. He curses quietly in French.
Cooper apparently slipped off right as a Very Light was going off. The man took cover at the edge of the line, and then slowly crept back after being ordered to do so. "Sorry." he murmurs.
Wallace squinted against the sudden brightness, but his eyes stay trained on the far lines. A blink or two is all that's needed and soon his keen sight is scanning Fritz's lines, looking for movement.
<> German Light Arty artillery barrage batters Allied Front Line Central ineffectually.
Mike says "COVER!"
Walsh moves for the nearest possible cover, which happens to be one of the shell holes, as the artillery goes off.
Singh does some more Indian cursing when the artillery starts. Lovely timing, Germans. He piles into the shell hole along with the other men, getting his rifle ready and peering east.
Elise's head snaps up as the artillery starts, eyes widening for a moment as she tenses. This is always the worst part…
Antonia covers her head quickly as artillery fire rains on the area. She just shakes her head, rubbing her hand by the side of her face before she continues working on setting up their makeshift medical area. Why did something abruptly tell her that they were going to need it today?
<> German Light Arty artillery barrage batters Allied Front Line Central ineffectually.
Walsh ducks down deeper in the hole as the artillery is coming in, muttering a little.
Wallace yanks his head down into the trench, momentarily startled by the Artillery barrage. Silently in his mind he ticks off the time between explosions and just shakes his head when they begin to approach back to back
<> German Light Arty artillery barrage rips through Allied Front Line Central to deadly effect, filling the air with lethal shrapnel!
<> Artillery barrage at Allied Front Line Central has lifted!
Chaloux ducks down low in the trench as the barrages hit close, turning a rather foul curse over at the Germans. "Ta mere suce des queues devan le prisu!" Which roughly translates to 'Your mother sucks dick behind the marketplace.' Hey, it makes him feel better.
Cooper grumbles, "Bloody Huns." he keeps his head down though as the shells rain down on his position. As soon as the barrage lifts, he peeks up a little, then looks to Singh for confirmation.
Walsh grins a little as he ducks down, "Come on guys, stay calm," he offers, before he looks up again as the barrage lifts.
Antonia looks over at Elise as the barrage lifts, reaching over to grab a fold of the nurse's sleeve. "Nurse Dupres…are you alright?"
Singh peeks up as well when the barrage pauses, taking a breath, then nodding to Cooper. "They are quiet for now. Out and up, before they start again." Without further ado, he starts to move out of the shell hole and to the east.
Samantha looks over to Elise and Antonia…Sam actually seems to handle the barraging fairly well.. but Toni is taking care of the girl, so Sam jsut stays down.
Chaloux looks up as the barrage ends, then shoots a quick look over at the nurses, despite himself, before looking once more out over no man's land, not looking at his own allies, but instead trying to watch for the Huns.
Mike nods to Singh, "I'm ready. Should I go?"
Elise blinks for a moment, not quite able to answer Antonia as she instinctively pulls her hand back as if expecting it to be something other than a hand coming into contact with her. She manages a rather turse nod as she draws a deep breath, and a tense smile. "Oui, I…sorry." That being said, she grabs a stack of bandages to continue preparing. Just ignore the tremour in her hands.
Cooper pops up from the shell hole as Singh gives the go ahead, and he starts moving forward, weapon at the ready.
Singh nods to Mike, putting a finger to his lips again. Be vewy, vewy quiet. With that gesture he starts east at a slow, quite crawl, motioning for the others to follow.
Wallace slowly lifts his head up over the edge of the trench when the artillery lets up. In the back of his mind he hears the men getting ready to move forward; eyes squint to pick out the Huns that are always out there… somewhere.
Walsh gets out of the shell again, and starts moving forward, like earlier, slowly and staying low.
"It's fine, Nurse," Antonia says, with a nod. "Good job on the bandages; let's keep moving quickly." She tries to keep Elise's attention focused on the work rather than the shock.
Samantha gives Elise a small smile, resting one hand momentarily against the woman's lower back as Sam passes her just a heartbeat, and then goes back to making sure the medical kits are fully stocked and more so organized.
Singh edges out into No Man's Land, keeping low and moving carefully. This is tortoise work, not hare. He shoots a dark-eyed look at the men around him, trying to make them out in the dark as he heads toward the now rather defunct Allied wiring posts.
Chaloux continues to stare intently out, saying nothing, standing perfectly still. He's relatively calm about the whole thing, though tensed up and ready.
Walsh nods in return to Cooper as he moves the rest of the way towards the shell hole, ducking down to a crawl now, since it'll probably be harder to see.
Singh starts laying down some wire on the Allied posts, moving through the work with some trained skill. He motions for Mike to watch him, nodding to the wheel of wire the private himself carries.
Wallace lifts his rifle up and over the edge of the trench, continuing to scan the dark landscape before him. Slowly he rocks his head back and forth to stretch the muscles out, then rests his cheek against the stock of his rifle, scanning for targets.
Chaloux jerks a bit when the shooting begins and he looks wildly out now, almost leaning out over the edge, trying to see who to shoot at.
Walsh fires off a shot at Erich, frowning as it doesn't seem to hit.
Antonia turns on her knees as fire comes from No Man's Land, getting to a crouch and moving more towards the front area of the trench where she can better see towards the enemy area.
Singh looks up from his work as the bullets start whizzing toward Mike. "Go back!" he hisses to the private. "You have been spotted."
Having given a slight nod to both Sam and Antonia, Elise, too, looks over towards No Man's Land at the sound of gunfire. "Si le Dieu voulait," she murmurs quietly in French before she moves after the Doctor, a roll of bandage still in hand, taking her own turn to peek.
Wallace grips his Enfield a bit tighter when he hears the gunfire far to the east. Slowly he shakes his head, hoping that Fritz is overconfident enough to calm stalking up over the hill.
Walsh fires at the newly arrived German, before he frowns a bit as he hears that shout from Erich. Such a grave insult!
Singh nods shortly to Mike. That'll do well enough for now. For his part, he keeps working. It wouldn't do to say he's nearly finished, but he's getting close. And he hasn't been shot at yet.
Walsh fires off another shot, this time at the one who shoutet about the Englanders. Seemingly intent on punishing the German for the insult.
Wallace takes a moment to look over at Anchille, wondering if perhaps the Frenchman has any advice.
Singh lays down the last length of wire he has. It's still not much of a wall, but it's the best he can do for now. He turns to his coverers, gesturing tersely back to the west. Time to head home.
Chaloux looks back to Wallace, and shrugs a little. "They're not shooting at the Corporal. We stay here, we wait," he says simply, sounding confident enough. Even if his hands are squeezing the Chauchat rather tightly.
Antonia just watches the activity in No Man's Land. At least, what she can see.
Wallace sucks in a breath and nods, letting it out slowly. His eyes turn toward the enemy lines to the east and he itches for a good shot.
Singh starts moving back, but he waits until the other men can follow before he starts to bolt.
Grenades, eh? Two can play that game. And so Walsh lobs a grenade at the Germans, before getting ready to leave the hole.
Singh calls out a terse, "Come on!" to the men still in the holes. Cooper he just tries to urge along as best he can, wincing when the German bullet finds a mark on his leg.
Walsh jumps out of his hole, and starts moving a bit from side to side in his attempt to dodge the bullets. Turning to look behind him, "Get out of there, lads!" Ducking as another bullet comes in.
Elise winces as she sees the wire-laying crew come racing back, bullets accompanying their move. "Vite, vite!" she mutters under her breath for…well, for her own benefit, really. She's going to be old long before her time.
Singh is keeping as down as he can, but he's more concerned with speed now than stealth. It's time to get back to the trenches. "Move! Move!"
From No Mans Land Central, a male voice shouts, "Medical, we have minor wounds out here.".
Walsh starts running from side to side a bit more, before he gets a bullet to his hand. Growling, and starts hurrying towards the lines now. Until another bullet hits his helmet, and sending him stumbling forward. But he's soon up again, and running more.
Antonia says nothing, her fingers folded in front of her mouth. Her pale eyes watch the field and the men hurrying back, her body tense as she waits. Damn them. At the shout she stands up farther, shouting back to the voice. It's taking all her willpower not to simply run for them.
Antonia shouts, "GET BACK! WE ARE READY FOR YOU!".
Singh is running, trying to stay a little behind the other men, as he still thinks himself unseen by the Germans. A Hun bullet in the arm disabuses him of that notion. He lets out a sharp grunt, too lacking in coherency to be a curse, and tries to pick up his pace.
Chaloux just stands there, grim-faced and unmoving. He can't do much, except run up there and get shot at himself. So, he's just watching as they run back towards the trenches, then turns a hard look over at Antonia.
Samantha follows Antonia out of the trench rather quickly, looking back to Elise.."Stay here. Keep your head down.. we'll be right back.." And then it's out of the trench. Not that anyone listens to Sam.. but she tries.
Mike comes running back into Allied Lines, panting, sweating and dirty.
Elise simply rolls her eyes at Samantha as the other woman tries to instruct her to stay behind. She doesn't look as if she's about to listen to the other nurse; she's just as capable, thank you!
Mike looks to Antonia, Elise and Samantha, "Walsh is hit in the head, he went south in No Mans Land.
Cooper crawls back towards his trench, sweet sweet trench. The man smiles just a little, and then drops down into the front line of it with a quiet whew.
Antonia points at Cooper as the man comes stumbling in. "Nurse Cole! Get him to the crash area! Take care of his hand!" She turns back towards No Man's Land, waiting for the others with equipment in hand.
Singh comes running out of No Man's Land after Cooper and Walsh, clutching his left arm. His rather bloody left arm. Nothing but fun out there.
Chaloux has taken a bit of a liking to Walsh, and seeing the man move southwards makes him undeploy his weapon quickly, then starts heading south in the hopes of perhaps aiding Walsh.
Samantha dashes over to Cooper almost immediately, leaning down to attempt and scoop him up, helping to bring him down into the trench and over to the crash area…"I've got you, soldier.. Your safe now." She reassures immediately, trying to lay him down in the mud.
Wallace watches as the team comes running back into the relative safety of the Allied line. Silently he counts off. One, two, then three… One more? As the corporal dives into the trench he asks just loud enough to be heard, "Walsh?"
Antonia reaches her hands out for Singh as he comes back, directing him towards the trench. "Corporal, come on…we're ready for you."
Cooper grunts at Wallace, "Still out there the fucking Irish bastard." He smiles a little at Samantha, and then turns a little to examine the wound he took, "They got me." he says, pointing to a lightly bleeding scratch along his right side.
Allied Front Line South
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[The Grid]-----> > > > > THE LOST GENERATION < < <
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Here you are at the end of the line, the very cusp of the Allied war effort. The efforts of the free world are focused here, on nudging this line, inch by tortuous inch, towards Berlin.
The front line trenches are the least habitable. Constructed under the fire of the enemy, with little opportunity to adjust or improve them, they are barely trenches at all but cavernous, flooded, collapse prone pits, mostly inhabited only by rats, or the dead.
Fritz is to the east, not all that far away. The wise man keeps his head down, for snipers ply their trade here, at the absolute front.
Walsh is crawling along towards the allied lines, looking back for a few moments. "Jerry firing… Took a hit…" He then raises his voice a bit, "Get the hell out of here, lad."
From No Mans Land South, a male voice shouts, "WALSH IS DOWN!".
Chaloux arrives too late to the south, rushing up to the edge of the trench and up to look… seeing Walsh go down out there. He's a bit stunned.
From No Mans Land South, a male voice shouts, "I REPEAT, I NEED BACKUP!".
Walsh makes some kind of noise, so he's might have at least one very small spark of life left in him.
From No Mans Land South, a male voice shouts, "I need back.. I'm hit and severely bleeding".
Chaloux shouts, "STAY DOWN!".
Chaloux turns to look at the others. "I'm gonna shoot at them, rapidfire. You help them back," he says, grabbing the Chauchat firmly and moving out of the trench.
Elise arrives moments after Chaloux, and she sees poor Walsh doing a faceplant into the mud. A surprisingly bitter french curse leaps from the woman's lips and she looks as if she's debating something. And then she sees Chaloux go up and over…well, he's not going alone! Drawing a deep breath, the damn nurse follows him.
Mike is lying against the crease of a shell hole, bleeding.
No Mans Land South
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[The Grid]-----> > > > > THE LOST GENERATION < < <
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Once this field might have been an area that inspired great poets, a place where couples wandered, hand in hand as they expressed the love for each other. These are also the lands over which the greatest war history has ever known is fought.
The once fertile French countryside is now nothing more then a mud pit, scarred with craters and shell holes. Beside the impact craters from bombardment that has torn up the landscape, the occasional copse of trees in which birds and animals found shelter are now bereft of life and leaves. Most of the trees themselves dead and blasted apart by the constant shelling.
The place isn't completely devoid of life, however - the field is strewn with blood red poppy flowers.
Mike managed a few shots at the huns
Luke staggers back as he's hit, falling back only to raise up his rifle for a shot in reply, working the bolt as he grits his teeth against the pain, heading through the front over toward Mike.
Mike knows a bit of german and says a sentence real loud so the germans can hear it, "DU FICKE GERN AFER, PANSIES!
Wilhelm ducks back down, this is unhealthy.
Chaloux isn't wasting time, he's moving out and begins shooting, crouching down. He's letting lose with that machine gune, though he's also trying to hit the damn hun. "Get him out of there!" he tells Luke and points insistantly at Mike for a moment. Then he goes back to shooting.
Chaloux only then realizes his hand is a bit sluggish and blinks. A bullet right through it, how nice.
Mike starts to crawl to the west
Mike says "GET OUT OF HERE!"
Mike says "NOW!"
Mike says "MOVE NOW!"
Wilhelm puts another one into him. Bastard. He shot him after all.
Chaloux staggers, severely hit in the leg. He gives Mike a desperate look, too far away to help him; he begins to make his way back, agonizingly slow now, cursing all the while.
Bloody men. Bloody guns. Bloody war. As Luke receives the command to help Mike, she simply prepares to continue to help Walsh. And then Luke, and then Chaloux, are hit and…damn it, she can't do everything on her own! Without thinking, she grabs the nearest man, lucky Chaloux, and starts to help him back.
Mike takes a hit to his abdomen and falls.
Albert keeps aiming low, and Chaloux's legs are a right mess.
Chaloux can't even walk now, but even then, he gives Elise a painfilled, angry glare as she assists him, making a weak attempt of pushing her away. "Damn you… woman…" he curses through gritted teeth, in the end letting her assist. What choice does he have.
"You can curse me later, move!" Elise snaps quietly at Chaloux (well, as quietly as s he can to be heard over the bullets and artillery), before she looks to the trench and sees…Antonia? "THey've all been hit!" she calls, figuring the doctor will know what she means.
Antonia comes running at top speed into the area, safety be damned. "Jesus Christ!" she shouts towards Elise, getting past her and reaching for the next man she can get to that needs help, trying to drag.
Wallace continues to stumble across the field, left arm dangling from his side. His good arm, though, is enough to push Chaloux, just as theman dies right out from under him! Wallace has seen enough, and grabs the nearest body that's upright and begins to pull.
Mike yells, "Mo.." and is killed on the spot.
Antonia grabs ahold of both Elise and Wallace's arms, struggling to keep them moving even through the restraints of her non-battleworthy dress…
"There is shelling," Chaloux reminds Elise, being dragged rather slowly back. "You should stay in the trench. We all should, damn it!" he says, the Chauchat oddly enough kept in a firm grip in one hand, dragged after him. "It didn't jam," he explains to her, getting a bit dizzy from blood loss. And that is his last words before another barrage hits, making him convulse suddenly, eyes widening as he stares into the French nurse's face. Then his body goes slack and rigid and he's out.
Wallace growls through the pain and continues to sprint, his one useful arm pulling on a nurse as he does what he can to get himself back to the trench. Just then he feels a searing pain up his leg, but doesn't bother to slow, or even look to see if there's even a leg still down there… because he's still moving forward.
Elise isn't letting go of Chaloux, even as she feels pain rip through her own arm, a cry of pain pulling from her which she cuts off abruptly. She looks to Antonia, gritting her teeth as she hopes they keep moving.
Singh goes to Chaloux when he's out on the field, trying to help in dragging the Frenchman back. He lets out a sharp breath when the man's body goes slack, but there's little time to worry about that now. There's also little time to do more than watch Mike go down. He does his best to assist Antonia in getting the others, particularly Elise, back to the lines.
