War Guilt [#Wattys2015]

Chapter Six

US Army Camp, 107th Battalion, Germany, 1942

Maria

I'd been at the camp for a little over a week before I was given my first mission. I was to retrieve information about the Hydra Base (site maps, room directories, weapon storage etc.) so we could have the best chance at successfully invading the base; that is if I made it out alive...

The other soldiers in my troop started calling me Mr Spy Guy because of my abilities. Barnes would especially take an effort to run over to me if he saw me so he could try to outwit me at something. He never won but he was determined to beat me.

He doesn't learn...

For the few days before I was sent out on my mission, I'd been non-stop practising every little skill that I had; from my martial arts to my survival techniques, anything that could possibly help me survive. I knew I was able to do the job because I would never have been accepted into the army in the first place if I wasn't capable, but I had a habit of doubting myself.

"Hey Spy Guy, what's up?" Someone said.

I was sitting at a bench in the mess area, attempting to eat some food. I looked up to see Barnes plonk himself down beside me with a plate of food for himself. I didn't reply to him, I didn't feel like talking.

"You ok?" He asked genuinely concerned.

I glanced at him, straight into his striking blue eyes as he flashed me a smile. By now I'd gotten used to the idea of pretending to be a man that it came naturally. Although, I found it slightly harder when I was around Barnes.

I sighed before replying to him.

"I guess I'm just nervous about not finishing my mission," I said.

"You know, they wouldn't have gotten you to do this if they didn't think that you would succeed," he reassured me.

"I know," I replied.

Four Days Later

It was the day I was being sent out on mission. I had just under a week to retrieve the information and get back to the camp without getting caught. It was nerve racking, I had chills to the bone but it had to be done.

Sergeant Roberts (one of the camps training leaders) was transporting me to an area that was about 20 miles away from the Hydra Base. We had to take an ambulance truck just incase we were seen.

"You ready Jackson?" He yelled as we came to a stop.

"As I'll ever be," I replied.

"Good luck boy," he bided before I stepped out of the truck.

I grabbed my pack, helmet and a few small guns as well as a small hand knife. I'd been given these fantastic spy weapons from a man called Howard Stark, a well known inventor from the 40's.

"When you need your ride home, press this button and I'll come get ya," he explained, handing me a small electronic device.

"Sure thing," I replied with a nod.

He nodded back before turning around and driving out of sight. That was it, I was alone for a week. No one would know if I was dead until the week was gone and I didn't press the button.

Here we go.

I began my walk, staying in the trees and scrub so I would have less a chance of being seen. Every now and then an unmarked truck would drive by, heading in the direction of the base. I knew that I was still going the right way when they passed. I timed them to about every twenty minutes and another one should drive by, to keep me on track.

Two hours down the road I decided that the next truck to drive by would give me a lift. I hid behind a tree that was fairly close to the road, bobbed down and waited 'till I could hear a truck coming. I wasn't waiting for long until I heard the unmistakable hum of a heavy engine heading my way. I braced myself and jump out in front of it, let it drive over me and I grabbed the back to haul myself in. To my surprise there were no soldiers inside the truck.

While the truck was still driving, I took the time to investigate what was inside the huge crates that I assumed were being transported to the base. The first few boxes were filled with simple supplies; water, food and clothes that had an evil octopus emblem on them. Another box was filled with weapons of a technology that I never knew existed, and the other boxes were filled with blueprints, maps, coded messages and so on. I took a few bottles of water, food, a few weapons and as many of the important papers as I could.

I stuffed the papers and weapons in a separate weather proof bag and threw it out of the truck, next to a tree that I could remember the look of. I would retrieve them when I was ready to come back. A few more minutes down the bumpy road I could feel the truck starting to slow down.

Shit.

I had no where to hide myself. Then I realised that I would fit in one of the crates. I reopened the box full of clothes and hopped in it, closing it as best as I could and placing some of the clothes over my head to hide myself. I waited there, hoping to god that I wouldn't be discovered.

It had only been a few seconds before I heard talking outside the truck. Someone would occasionally tap the side, making me flinch, then I heard the canvas that covered the back entrance open. Someone stepped inside with huge, pounding footsteps made by heavy duty combat boots. They spoke in English but others spoke in German.

"Take these ones, and that one," he commanded with a thick German accent.

I covered my mouth to hush my heavy, quavering breathing. I was shaking like a leaf, my eyes so wide anyone would think they'd pop out of their sockets.

Calm down! You've been trained for this! Just calm the hell down!

A few more men stepped inside the truck and I heard them walk directly over to my location. They placed their hands on the sides of the box and hoisted it up.

"What's in this?" One of them said with a strained voice.

"Could be anything," another one replied.

I couldn't help but chuckle a little. Not that it was funny but by now the adrenaline was controlling my mind. They took me inside the base and set me down somewhere. I peeped through a crack in the wood to examine my surroundings; I was in some sort of storage room.

"Wonderful," I said to myself.

I waited for them to bring in the other boxes and shut the door. When I knew they weren't coming back I opened the box and hopped out, crouching down near the side of it. I couldn't hear any movement so I grabbed a gun and slowly made my way over to the door, putting my ear on it and listening. I could hear muffled voices then it went silent. I took my chance and opened the door to find an empty, dark room.

"Ok," I huffed as I walked forward.

I checked for cameras and found one small one in a corner, just as well I wasn't in its view. I got out my laser from Howard and blinded it. Now, I had to move quick and find a safe place because once they realised one of their cameras was down, they'd come looking.

I climbed through the vent in the wall and crawled through it, stopping every now and then to peep through vents on the way. I eventually came to a vent where I could see a controls room. Seeing that there was no one inside, I lifted the vent out and dropped through it, landing quietly. I examined my surrounding and made my way over to a filing cabinet. Inside it were hundreds upon hundreds of files and papers. I skimmed through them and got out the ones I needed (maps, coded messages etc.) then used a rope to climb back into the vent.

I kept doing the same thing for the next hour or so until I decided that I needed to get out of the vents. I got out a map and found a route that would lead me outside. I followed it exactly and found myself climbing out of a vent that faced the forest. Perfect. I would make a camp there for the next few days before I went back.