Peterman failed to answer for a long moment. Finally he said, "Damn the
Enemy! Why don't they hurry up and get it over with?"
Jerry walked over to where he had stacked his automatic rifle. He swung
it under his arm and turned to face the Lieutenant.
"I'm leaving, sir. Don't try to stop me! What we're doing here is plain
stupid. I've got a wife and kid that I've got to see before I die! I'm
leaving, and I'll shoot to kill if anybody tries to stop me! Got that,
Lieutenant?"
"I'm not going to stop you, Conlon," Blake said quietly.
"I hope the rest of you can manage the gun while I'm gone!" Jerry cried.
"We'll manage all right until you get back."
A faint far-away roar sounded in Jerry's earphones. The sound became
rapidly louder. "No sense in me coming back, Lieutenant, because from
the sound of things, you won't be around much longer."
Jerry backed toward the concrete steps that would take him to ground
level. He climbed up, kicking away litter so that he would have places
for his feet. He kept the rifle pointed at the motionless, watching
men. The roar became louder.
Lieutenant Blake called up to him. "You're from the inland area, aren't
you, Conlon? I think the chances for your family were pretty good.
Emergency stations are starting to come through from the interior. The
guided missiles had a lot of near-misses."
Out of the corners of Jerry's eyes he detected a strange looking dark
cloud appearing along the horizon. From the west, not the east! That
was odd. The dark cloud spread across the horizon, coming closer.
Rocket planes! Hundreds of them!
Jerry was at ground level now. Up here there would be no protection. A
blast and shock wave could sweep across the flat ground unhindered. The
roar became deafening. Now he could recognize the ships. They were Army
Comets!
He wanted to leap with joy. His spine tingled with excitement. The
cloud was roaring overhead now. The Comets flashed onward, bent on a
purpose, a death-dealing, earth-shaking purpose! That's the way the
Enemy had wanted it. The Enemy had chosen its weapon, and the Army was
on its way to blow the Enemy so sky-high that its own attack on Jerry's
homeland would seem insignificant by comparison.
Jerry tossed his rifle over the edge of the bulwark. The thunder
overhead snuffed out the clatter of the rifle when it struck the
concrete below. Jerry went down the steps holding his hands over
his head. It was a full minute before he stumbled back to where he
had started. "I changed my mind about leaving, Lieutenant!" Jerry
shouted. He might as well have been trying to shout above the roar of a
hurricane.
The Lieutenant waved Jerry's arms down, and Jerry was close enough to
detect a smile inside the Lieutenant's helmet. Blake turned and walked
away in the direction of the dugout as though nothing had happened.
Jerry pointed skyward, and the men wagged their heads understandingly.
"Hell," Jerry cried, "this war isn't over yet!"