Lucilla--NaNoWriMo2014

Chapter Two

Lucilla stumbled through the portal kicking her assassins and sreaming help.  Their momentum carried them with such force that they tripped over Mark Costello, who was crouched low to the ground with his Grease Gun.  As he struggled with one centurion he slung his weapon over his shoulder and brought his fist hard on his jaw.  Another fist slammed against his armor and recoiled.  Mark ignored the pain and while still lying on the ground,  turned to face the remaining centurion.

Surprised, he nevertheless reached for his short sword in order to murder Lucilla when a spot light illuminated them.  A machine gun riddled the centurion as he began to bring his sword down against her back.  The same burst of gunfire also wounded Lucilla.  Then the spotlight went dim.

In the distance he could hear German voices calling in their direction.  "Halt, wer is das?"

Mark looked over at his other companions, also dressed in black camouflage and armed with automatic weapons.  He whispered to his companions as he looked as Lucilla, who lay unconscious, "We have to take her with us.  It's our fault she got hurt.  Let's evacuate according to Plan B."

In the distance, Mark could hear voices of a German Quick Reaction Force approaching their location.

Mark picked up Lucilla, who was bleeding out her side, and his weapon.  He threw her over his shoulder as he and his OSS mission operatives made their way to the boat ramp there on Capri.  Instead make noise shooting holes in the boats or using their weapons to bash their hulls apart, they untied all the boats but one.

Instead of inflating their rubber dingies, they would need a larger boat for their extra passenger.

These they sent on their own journeys on the warm Mediterranean waters while they piled into one boat.  Using their rifles as paddles all four of them made little noise paddling toward their rendevous sight.

Once on their way, they took out their field dressings and tied them around Lucilla in order to stop her bleeding.  In the distance they could hear the bewildered Germans as they gazed down on two Roman soldiers.

"Was tun Sie hier!"   Mark and his companions could see the lights of the German patrol.  "Antwort!" one of them shouted.

"We got away," Mark whispered to his companions.  "I am confused with this girl, who looks like she just came from a toga party.  That is going to work in our favor. If the Germans don't kill their captive, they will still be half a day figuring things out.  They will never know we were even there."

"Germans!"  Lucilla shouted.  And she tried to raise up in fear.  "They're barbarians."

"What did she say, Mac?"  one of Mark's team asked.

"Funniest thing, she's speaking Latin."  Mark looked down to reassure.  "Pax," which meant Peace, he said to her as he held her hand.  He continued in Latin to reassure her.  "I am sorry that you are hurt.  We have help coming.  You are going to be all right."

He said in English to his companions, "She's going to need surgery, but at least we have stopped her bleeding."

Once at the rendevous point, Mark got on their team radio. Because their message could not be encripted, he had to send his message aloud in what sounded like meaningless code.  In short he said, "Team Able at rendevous point waiting with one wounded civilian.  Need medical assets as soon as possible."

As Mark and his compaions paddled farther from Capri, they waited.  Soon a navy PBY came down thought the cloudy night and approached the waters.  Their boat-like hull made gentlie waves, rocking their boat a bit.  But once it stopped, Mark's team paddled over and joined them.