RECCE II (The Union Series Book 5) by Phillip Richards Page A

Now get out of my face. Go
chat with this woman and see what else she knows.’
    I seethed as I spun on my heel and made my way back
to Yulia. Whether I liked it or not, the sergeant major was in charge and his
response to the situation was entirely logical - even though I believed it to
be wrong. I had no doubt that our captured comrades were already on their way
out of the warren, and our delaying would almost certainly seal their fate. My
inability to help them infuriated me, like a man with his arms tied behind his
back, but I knew that I had no choice but to obey the sergeant major’s
instructions. Now wasn’t the time for another lone attempt at taking on Bhasin
and his men. My own men still needed me.
    ‘So that’s a no, then?’ Myers asked as I neared him.
    Before I opened my mouth to speak, Puppy signalled
to me with a wave of his arm from the far side of the command chamber. I
changed direction toward my second in command, and as I approached I saw that an
injured man lay at his feet, being tended to by Wildgoose and Leaman. They must
have found him whilst searching the chambers for the boss.
    ‘We found this guy amongst a load of bodies,’ Puppy
said. ‘It looks as though the rogue Guardsmen were going through their prisoners
one by one, trying to get information.’
    I crouched next to the man, studying him whilst Wildgoose
swept a torch over his body. He was dressed in a civilian jumpsuit similar to
that which Yulia wore. He was covered in blood, and by the twisted expression
on his face I could see he was clearly in a lot of pain. His chest rose and
fell in small, rapid gasps, as if he couldn’t take a full lung of air. Wildgoose
had opened his jumpsuit to expose his chest and stomach, and was busy
inspecting the dark bruises that covered him.
    ‘How is he?’ I asked.
    Wildgoose sat back on his haunches. ‘He's seen
better days,’ he replied with dark sarcasm. ‘They must have beaten seven bells
out of him. He's probably broken a couple of ribs, and by the colour of his
abdomen I would say he’s suffering from some major internal bleeding.’
    ‘Can you help him?’
    The sniper puffed his cheeks as he tried to
contemplate a way of saving the man, then shook his head. ‘Even if I had the
time - which I presume I don’t - no. Gunshot wounds and stab wounds are one
thing, but this is something else. A trooper’s combats have sensors that give me
casualty info through their datapads, but with this guy I wouldn’t even know
where to start. There are no fancy scanners out here. He probably needs opening
up in an operating theatre.’
    I stared down at the man for a moment. He was in a
sorry state, eyelids flickering and chest almost in spasm as he tried to breathe.
‘All for information . . .’ I said thoughtfully. ‘What was it that Bhasin
wanted to know so badly?’
    As if on cue, Yulia appeared, causing me to look up
in surprise as she knelt next to the man’s head. My eyes flicked to Myers, who
had apparently allowed her to follow me without bothering to check if it was OK
first. The young trooper simply shrugged.
    ‘His name was Ramos,’ Yulia told us. ‘He was one of
my men.’
    ‘He’s not dead yet . . .’ Wildgoose pointed out
testily. Like the sergeant major, he clearly didn’t trust her either. I doubted
he was the only one.
    ‘He will be dead soon. You know this.’ Yulia’s eyes
remained fixed onto Ramos as she spoke. ‘He knew the route we took into the warren,
as well as where our men are located. This is what Bhasin wanted to know, and this
is why Ramos was tortured. Bhasin was never worried about finding the missiles,
he knew where they were. He was worried about getting them out.’
    Puppy cocked his head inquisitively. ‘Well . . . how did you get into the warren, then?’
    She looked up from her battered comrade. ‘The
sewers.’
    We all exchanged glances, and I frowned at her. ‘Sewers?’
    ‘Drainage that leads out of the warren,’ she
explained. ‘It