Once again, Tongana was in the thick of it. Thanks to a blunder by the CSF, she and Maya's platoon had managed to steal a missile launcher and bring down the chopper. Now, as she and her group beat a blind retreat, Tongana felt a twinge of satisfaction. Whatever the CSF did next, they wouldn't get that chopper back. They wouldn't conquer this town for free.
At the door of a two-story barn, Tongana waved in her soldiers, yelling, "Everybody in!"
Men and women funneled past her, sweaty and scared but bright-eyed, knowing what they had just accomplished.
"We're safe," Tongana began. "Everyone settle down. The CSF doesn't know we're here." They don't seem to, anyway. "The next step is to gather the rest of the militia. Maya has called everyone she knows to Val & Daughters'. But before we fight back, we need to know where the enemy is. Which one of you is the best runner?"
Two hands rose.
"You two, go carefully and tell us what you see. Look for how many of them there are, what they're doing and how long it's going to take them. I want..." her voice trailed off. "I hear something." There was a frothing whine in the air.
The rest of the platoon cocked their heads to listen. One by one, their faces turned from curiosity to sudden fear. They crowded against the window and watched as a pair of sinister flying lights stopped over the street ahead. The whine changed pitch, and a fat metal lozenge, painted with jungle camouflage on top and jagged pink stripes on the sides, eased down into the dim glow of the street lamps, then landed gently on the asphalt, its rotors coasting to a stop. In the back of the machine, a hinged ramp came unhooked and slammed down to the hard road, and dozens of women came spilling out. It was a parade of pink hair, ragged dark clothes and clean, shining machete blades.
Tongana's hope left her in a heavy breath. "Mauves."
A tall woman waited for them on the asphalt, wearing a demented smile and pink hair that spilled down to her knees. She pointed all around her, and Mauve warriors spread out, their knives and guns ready. Two of them came for the barn where the platoon hid.
"Get out!" Tongana barked, ducking away from the window. "Get out of here! They're about to find us!"
Tongana's people began pouring out the back door, but they weren't fast enough. The front door creaked open, and an assault rifle peeked through, followed by the curious face of a Mauve.
A volley of shots answered her, and she fell back, firing a shot through the roof.
The dam burst. Screams darted through the air, then orders. Tongana shoved at the backs of her platoon, yelling, "Move, move, move!" The last soldier out of the barn had the presence of mind to slam the door behind her. Without having to be told, the platoon took cover behind trees, bins and boulders. That move saved their lives. In an instant, the Mauves came around the sides of the building, guns blazing at empty air. A few of Tongana's soldiers answered with wild suppression fire, but the Mauves were not stymied.
Then the back door flew open, and the tall, long-haired monster of a woman stepped through, a gigantic curved sword resting on her shoulder.
Next to Tongana, a militiawoman rose above her cover and stood still, spending three perilous seconds lining up her sights. Then her rifle snapped with a single shot. The big Mauve's head jerked back, a spray of blood marking a direct hit. Her sword fell from her shoulder, slapping into the mud, and she collapsed.
Realizing that she had exposed herself watching, Tongana ducked back into cover. From the Mauve side, screams of distress sliced through the air, and the guns went quiet.
