Death Along the Elbe - Part Two

Posted on Thu Mar 19th, 2020 @ 4:35am by Post Captain Vasily Borodin & Colonel Brianna Hobbs

Mission: Mission 100: I'm Going to Ruin Somebody's Day
Location: European Federation
Timeline: 0900Hrs - July 12th, 2393 (1900Hrs - October 1st, 2052)

Hobbs marched Borodin through the ruin-strewn field. The realization that she was behind enemy lines put her in a near panic. Worse, she was injured and running out of energy. Having to leave Tamara behind sapped her enthusiasm. She spotted a wood line and decided it may be safer there.

"Alright Colonel." Hobbs addressed Borodin. "Head into the trees."

Borodin raised an eyebrow. "Its almost twenty-one hundred, we should look for a place to spend the night," he responded evenly. "It's going to get cold tonight," he added as the two began moving into the treeline, he looked down as he began to tread a lot more carefully. "Watch for mines Color Sergent,"
he added in a quiet tone.

"We didn't plant any personnel mines," Hobbs replied. "Our wanker of a battalion commander traded them to another unit for camouflage netting."

Borodin raised an eyebrow as he proceeds 'that' little detail. "Unbelievable," he answered. "Are there any hazards in this area I ought to know about?" he asked of her.

"There might be the odd drone about," Hobbs told him. "If it is one of ours, I can call it off any attacks."

As the walking into the woods farther, Hobbs noticed a stream. "Alright, down to the water. My water bottles are empty."

Borodin nodded as he approached the small stream, it looked clean which was a good thing for the two of them, his own water bottle was almost empty. "Alright," he commented as he produced his bottles and began to fill them.

Borodin filled his three bottles in silence.

After he was finished she threw him her two bottles. "Fill mine, please. I need to hold my weapon."

After Borodin filled the bottles Hobbs motioned for him to throw them to her. She drank heavily from the bottle. She then sat on a flat rock. With her weapon in the crock of her arm she pulled out the food He had given her earlier. With shaking hands, she quickly devoured the sandwich. She then washed it down with another swig of water.

It was then that her fatigue set in. Her eyes shut. She quickly opened them again, tightly gripping her rifle. She knew she was in a losing battle against exhaustion.

Borodin noticed Hobbs was falling asleep, he gently caught her before she fell over. "Easy Colour Sergent," he commented as she gently supported her, it was also around this point he noticed her femaleness, as he had a rifle pointed at him by her, he had missed it. He gently placed her on the large rock. "I won't leave you by yourself. Sleep.. and I'll keep watch." that was as he liberated her rifle, he gave it the once over before he slipped his pack off of his back.

Borodin sighed softly as he sat down at the base of the rock. Her rifle in his lap.

"You bastard," Hobbs told Borodin. In truth, she was mad at herself for being careless. She sat watching him for a moment, waiting for him to drop his guard. When the Russian failed to do that she sat back. She then felt very cold. She wrapped herself in her poncho, still keeping an eye on Borodin. Hobbs' endurance finally failed her. She curled up on her side and went to sleep.

"I've been called worse color sergeant," Borodin answered in a quiet tone. He then slung her rifle over his shoulders. "A fine weapon, I'll return it to you later." as he began to collect some firewood, within a few minutes he had a fire going. "Sleep well color sergeant. I will watch over you while you sleep, not that you would do the same for me."

Hobbs slowly opened her eyes as the morning sun beat down on her. In front of her was a slowly dying fire. She sat up looking for Borodin. Was he asleep? Could she get her weapon back? She was quickly disappointed as she spotted him on a nearby log, drinking a steaming liquid out of a metal cup. Her rifle in his lap.

"Do you ever sleep?" She asked him.

Borodin seemed to come fully alert. "I nodded off about.. six or so hours ago," he commented evenly. "I woke up about thirty minutes ago." he commented. "How are you feeling?" he inquired.

"What is it to you?" Hobbs asked. "Do you need to know if I can survive a winter in a Russian prisoner of war camp?"

Borodin regarded her in silence for a moment before he answered. "I ask out of curiosity," he answered. "Had I intended to take you in right away, I would have woken you up and forced marched you back to my position, wherever in hell they are." he paused. "I figured I'd let you sleep. You needed it." he paused. "Now I want to finish the rest of my breakfast." he lifted his gaze. "Before that storm hits." he indicated the massive wall cloud that looked really intimidating, it also covered almost a third of the sky.

"I need to pee." She told him. "You're not going to shoot me if I go behind a tree, will you?"

"Nope. Just don't run away." Borodin answered. "I will not watch. You might hate me Colour Sergeant but I know why you hate me. I will not make it worse by causing you further issues." as he turned away from her, to focus on cleaning his own weapon.

Hobbs returned and put away the few items she had. "Thank you for the sandwich. Not to sound ungrateful but I do hope the food is better in prison." She told him.

"Well, the food is crap either way," Borodin answered evenly as he finished cleaning his weapon before he began putting it back together, moments later he put his cleaning kit back into his pack before he pulled it onto his back, he then lifted the two rifles and slung them both over his shoulders before he drew his sidearm. "Alright, back to the highway. Then we turn east. After you dear."

Hobbs did what she was told. She walked out to the highway. It soon became clear that the highway was a scene of death and destruction. There were craters everywhere. Burned out vehicles from both sides were strewn along the highway. There were bodies too. Hobbs subtly looked over the bodies for a weapon. All the bodies had been looted.

As they continued along the road a vehicle was coming down the road towards them. It was an open-topped commercial vehicle. In the back were several men with rifles and machine guns.

"Oh look. I think they are coming to thank you for invading their country." Hobbs told Borodin with a slight smirk.

Borodin nodded his head. "I don't think that uniform will save you from them. But if you wish to take your chances with them. By all means." he commented as he unslung both rifles before he handed her, the rifle that had belonged to her.

Hobbs stood still as Borodin took cover. "I think they are coming for you," Hobbs told him.

The vehicle came to a halt about a hundred yards ahead of them several armed men got off the truck. A man with a machine gun fired at Hobbs. As he wasn't a trained soldier, the shots went off wildly.

"Hey!" Hobbs shouted at them as she stood in the road. "I'm British! Stop shooting!"

The man on the truck ignored her and fired again. He still missed by the shots got closer. Several of the men moving along the road stopped and shot at Hobbs.

"Shit!" Hobbs screamed as she took cover behind a burned out APC.

Borodin sighed as he was lying on the deck, behind a burnt out car, he then took aim and squeezed off a couple of rounds, one of their attackers fell to the ground, now very dead with a hole through his head. Borodin ducked the incoming fire before he pulled one of the two grenades he had left, he sighed as he pulled the pin and threw the grenade in the general direction of the enemy and he heard the explosion as the grenade went off.

Borodin lifted his rifle as the sudden silence was deafening. He slowly moved out from where he was as he noticed that the truck was moving away with several more dead people added to the pile. "Come on Color Sergent. Let's get out of here before anyone else shows up," he said to Hobbs. "Which w-" he stopped as it began to rain, it was cold too, and getting colder, almost by the minute. "Lovely," he added, quietly.

Hobbs looked over the wreckage she was hiding behind. The truck had stopped and the man with the machine gun was trying to put another belt of ammo into the gun. Hobbs fired over several rounds in succession. A plume of bloodshot from the machine gunners head as he took a round to his skull.

Hobbs picked herself up and crouching ran into the nearby woodline. She took up a firing position when she reached the trees and waited for Borodin.

Borodin followed her in silence, as she covered him, he moved into the trees. "There will be more of them around here." he then looked skyward. "We should seek shelter." he sighed while leaving unsaid. 'is there was anything left.'

"We need to move to the other side of these woods. I want distance between us and them." Hobbs told Borodin.

The two moved through the cold and wet forest. After about an hours walk they came to a small patch of unkempt fields. A small farmhouse was nestled in a copse of trees.

"Should we see if someone is home?" She asked him.

Borodin nodded. "If there is, then I am your prisoner, if not then we can move in and see what is here," he commented as the two began moving towards the front of the farmhouse. "It looks undamaged."