He placed his other hand alongside his first and put some effort in, lifting the shield edge from the table before dropping it clumsily back down onto the table. The vast shield landed with a crash that made the scientists cringe.
“Jesus, this thing weighs a tonne!”
Taylor took a step back and shook his head in astonishment at the creation.
“You think our suits can handle this?”
Reiter turned to Chandra and gestured for her to try. She stepped forward uncomfortably under the scrutiny of the pessimistic Taylor. She circled the table as she intently studied the device. It was so simple, and yet to her it was utterly alien. The Major reached forward, placed her hand on the grip of the shield and lifted.
Taylor gasped as Chandra lifted the device as if it were a bottle of water. She twisted it in to a comfortable grip as she moved it around and studied its coverage. The viewing window was made from inch thick ballistic plastic, affording at least some visibility. She turned head on to Taylor and hunched down behind the shield to allow him a view of its defensive ability.
“With this device, you will achieve at least ninety percent frontal protective coverage. You will be able to cover open ground in safety and fight where no cover exists,” claimed Reiter.
Taylor nodded in astonishment at the facts he was being told. He was already starting to appreciate the potential for Reiter’s device. It was in so many ways simple, and yet a beautifully efficient solution to their problem.
“With these shields, you will become the medieval knights of the modern era. You will be able to advance like armoured vehicles and move like infantry.”
Taylor stepped up to Chandra, who stood with the shield in a guard position as if it weighed nothing at all.
“No strain at all? You can keep that up?” he asked.
Chandra squinted at him, trying to understand if he was picking on her for being a woman, or if he was just being serious.
“Barely notice it, nothing worse than carrying a rifle.”
Taylor looked down at the launcher resting at her side.
“Pick it up, your weapon.”
Chandra reached for the grip with her right hand, and then hesitated as she realised she didn’t have her other arm to use with it. The Major lifted the weapon clumsily against the shield, trying to find a way to aim it from the protection of the shield.
“Ah, yes, you have found the next dilemma.”
Taylor spun around on the spot with a furious expression.
“Dilemma? What good is the shield if we can’t use our weapons?”
“I will remind you, Major, that this is an experimental department. We develop solutions to problems. We have found a solution to the armour problem, and we will take it from there.”
Taylor shook his head. God damn it, we haven’t got time to waste on shit that won’t work, he thought.
“I know your frustrations, Major, but this is life in research and development. I already have a few ideas on how to solve this problem. I just need a little time.”
“Time? Shit, Doc, that’s the one thing we definitely haven’t got.”
“Mitch!” shouted Chandra.
The marine officer turned at the call of his superior. She glared at him, and he instantly knew it was his cue to back down. He took a deep breath and turned back to the scientist.
“I’m sorry, but these aren’t easy times for any of us. Your equipment has been saving lives, and that’s making a big difference. I can see technology here that could be a real game changer, but you have to work faster.”
“Then I beg that you convince your leaders to allocate more resources and manpower to my operations.”
Chandra placed the shield down on the table beside her and pulled the Doctor around gently from his shoulder.
“Listen, I can see what you are doing here, and we desperately need everything you have to offer. If resources and manpower are what you need, then we will see it done.”
The scientist nodded gratefully.
“Thank you, truly. You have all given me the greatest opportunities to develop my work here.”
“No, Doc, thank you.”
She turned back to Taylor.
“Let’s get this man what he needs!”
Chapter 2
The two officers headed towards the HQ building. They were intent on getting Reiter everything he needed to pursue his development of the equipment they had seen. As they passed two soldiers, Taylor caught an ear full of their conversation. The two men were from different nations and so were communicating in English.
“They aren’t going to take me for whatever shit they are doing with humans. Why would they want prisoners anyway?”
“To study us, I guess,” replied the other.
Taylor turned and rushed back to them. Chandra casually followed suit. She had not heard the conversation and was surprised at Mitch’s sudden distraction. As she moved closer, she could hear the urgent questions he was asking.
“How do you know they’re taking humans?”
“My brother saw it during his last mission. He’s a pilot, and he said they were transporting prisoners west from Saarbrucken.”
“You sure? You’re sure they were alive?”
“Positive, Sir. He said they were mostly soldiers. Some were wounded, but they all looked alive.”
“Alright, thanks.”
Taylor turned back to Chandra and let the two soldiers continue on their way.
“You know what this means?”
“Let’s not jump to any conclusions here,” replied Chandra.
“Jones is alive, and you know it. I’d bet good money he is wherever those prisoners were being taken.”
Taylor lifted a pocket on his combats and pulled out his Mappad. Seconds later, he had the map of the area and zoomed in to the city of Saarbrucken.
“We know Saarbrucken has become a major enemy staging point.”
He tracked west along the main highway.
“There, Metz. It’s the obvious place to hold prisoners. Far enough away from the front line but with easy access.”
“That’s a whole lot of maybes,” mused Chandra.
“Come on, this is Jones we are talking about. We can’t just leave him to die!”
Chandra shook her head. She knew that she should never entertain such an idea, but her feelings for Jones had clouded her judgement. She wanted him back just as much as Taylor, maybe more so. She lowered her head as she thought over the situation, until finally she looked back up to Mitch. It was clear he was not going to let it go, and she prayed that Jones was alive as they hoped.
“Even if he is alive and imprisoned, what are we going to do about it?”
“We’ve pulled off far greater tasks. If we can get some intel on his location, then we have the equipment and troops ready to get him out.”
“Schulz will never agree to it, risking equipment and troops for the rescue of one man.”
“I wasn’t suggesting we went just for the Captain. Walker is held there too, and God knows how many others. If we can pull off a rescue mission, it will not only bring back troops, but it could provide a massive morale boost to everyone here.”
