The Colonel gave an order and one man crawled out of a jeep and strode
toward them. The soldier saluted.
"He is your replacement, Lieutenant," the Colonel said. Then he shook
hands with Blake. "Goodbye, and good luck!"
The jeeps growled into life. It was strange hearing them, Jerry
thought. Usually there was the hum of the city in the background, a
sort of whispering that made you realize a throbbing community was
nearby. Now it was only the silence broken by the raucous sound of jeep
motors. Eventually even this sound disappeared.
"All right, men, start clearing up this mess," Blake snapped. "The
gun has to have free traverse. After that, stay at your posts. It's
going to be tough to handle this assignment short-handed, and when the
secondary attack comes it's going to roll in like a tidal wave."
The replacement was hardly more than a kid. Jerry thought he looked
as though he could be pushed over with a heavy breath. Not much of a
replacement, but he pitched into work earnestly.
Jerry edged close to Peterman as he worked. The wounded man sat propped
against a pile with his legs stretched out uselessly in front.
"They didn't even offer to give you medical aid, Peterman," Jerry said.
"I didn't expect it at a time like this," Peterman said. "The men that
are left have their hands full."
"For what? You heard what the Colonel said, the Government is
gone--possibly the whole country! What we're doing isn't even a
delaying action. We're hardly going to harass the Enemy! What's the
good of hanging on? Why doesn't the Army turn us loose? I've got to
find out how my wife and kid are doing! Staying here only means one
thing--one foolish, stupid thing!"
"You've got a point, Conlon," Peterman said through his pain. "I've got
a family too. I'd be tempted to take off myself, if I had legs."
"Duty! Allegiance! What does it all mean now?" Jerry said bitterly.
"Not much I suppose, when they pull the curtain in front of you."
* * * * *
Jerry was breathing hard inside his radiation suit. "Peterman, I've got
a notion to make a break!"
"That decision you've got to make yourself, Conlon. Only remember, that
leaving your post gives the Lieutenant the right to shoot you in the
back!"
"I'll take that chance. I've got to see Mildred and Billy. You think
you'd do the same thing, Peterman, if you had legs? Would you?"
"I might. I don't know. I'm in no position to give it much thought."
"But don't you think this is stupid to wait for certain death when
there's no hope--when I've got the chance to see the ones I love, maybe
for the last time?"
"It's stupid all right I guess."
"You've got loved ones, haven't you, Peterman? You know how much it
means?" Peterman clammed and refused to talk.
Jerry went to the storage which was built into the side of the
concrete wall, opened the door, and brought out his rifle. He examined
the automatic weapon and found it undamaged. He looked around.
Lieutenant Blake was out of sight inside the dugout where he was still
trying to pick up messages. The replacement was mechanically heaving
debris away from the traverse frame of the big gun.
"Conlon." It was Peterman calling.
"What do you want?"
"There's only one thing I'd like you to do before you leave. You and
the replacement lift me to the gunner's seat, will you? I have a bad
dose of radiation on top of everything else. I don't know how long I
can hold out, but I might as well be doing some good for the time I
have left."
Jerry put the rifle down, called to the replacement. Together they
hoisted Peterman into the seat. Lieutenant Blake came out just as they
finished the job.
"That's what he wanted, sir," Jerry said. "You're so short-handed we
didn't think you'd object."