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"I feel like it, Nail."
The men got to their feet, slinging their weapons. One gathered up the kerosene-soaked clothes.
"Why are you bringing those?" Valentine asked.
"A little ceremony," Nail said. "We'll save it for another day."
Groschen, now clean-shaven, returned to the basement, the long Grog gun over his shoulders. "The tower's off. Hope you aren't bleeding yet," Nail explained.
"No, suh."
"You may still get to do it tonight. They sounded the alarm over at the prison yard."
Valentine checked their line of retreat and led them out of the basement. When they were clear of the tower's sight-lines, Valentine gathered the Bears.
"Keep back about thirty feet. I like to be able to listen."
They cut through the Ruins, zigzagging around the graveyard of a civilization. They struck another field-phone line, strung on four-foot posts, and cut it. As they neared the road to the prison camp Valentine heard a mass of men moving away from the prison yard. Had they stormed it bloodlessly?
Lieutenant Zhao led his men up the road, away from the camp, in files at each side of the road. The men looked spooked. Valentine thought it best to call out from cover.
"Lieutenant Zhao. It's Valentine."
Zhao waved his right hand like he was wiping a table. The men crouched from the front of the lines and rolling backward, like rows of dominoes tumbling.
"Valentine who?" Zhao said. His hair was unkempt, his face was pitted from acne and he wore filthy glasses, but the only thing lacking in him as an officer was experience. Valentine had learned he was smart, hardworking and organized, which had led him to give him a company. But he'd evidently lost his head.
"Captain Valentine. Careful with the guns, men," Valentine said, stepping out from the rubble.
"Sir, did the Kurian go down?"
"I called it off. What happened at the camp?"
"The guard-tower had a machine gun for covering the yard," Zhao explained. "They slung it around and started shooting. Maybe they have night vision gear. We didn't go any farther. There's no cover for a hundred yards around the wire. I didn't want to risk those kind of casualties."
"Lieutenant, there's five hundred men in there, maybe more. Five hundred of our men, POWs. I want them back."
"I... I... I was using my judgment," Zhao said.
"I won't question it. Let's go have another look."
"We're going back?" a private said.
"If you were behind that wire, what would you want us to do?" Valentine said, looking at the objector. "Let's turn around, men. Who's in charge of your rear guard, Zhao?"
"Sergeant, umm ... Franks is in charge of the tail of the column."
"I didn't say tail of the column. I said 'rearguard.""
Zhao looked at his feet, miserable.
"Let's turn it around, Lieutenant. I'll scout ahead with the Bears."
"Thank you, sir."
Valentine and the Bears doubled the column.
"Christ, I hate all these little generators," Nail said. The lights of the prison yard glowed beyond the tumble of shattered buildings.
