"Mike, cover us!" Morgan yelled. "Ad, let's go!"
Morgan and Garrett sprang to their feet, racing up the street towards the trapped officer. In a well-practised drill, the two men leapfrogged to each position, one stopping and firing in furious bursts at the enemy, while the other sprinted on to the next available strip of cover, alternating until they reached the man. Fredericks and Billy maintained an inexorable ceiling of overhead fire, covering not only their own men but the retreating soldiers too.
"Hello, mate," said Morgan cheerfully, if somewhat breathlessly, as he slid to a sudden halt beside the young officer, a Lieutenant, still cowering behind the burning truck. 'I'm Alex and this is Adam, and we're going to get you out of here. Just do exactly what we do, and move exactly when we move. Do you understand?"
"Yes," the young man said, wide-eyed and terrified. "Thank you, thank you."
"Great, you speak English," Morgan replied casually.
"I went to Sandhurst," the young man smiled proudly.
"Well, you can't help bad luck," taunted Morgan, with a smile to Garrett.
"Piss off, Morgan! Anyway, Aussie officer training doesn't count."
Morgan, Garrett and the Lieutenant began firing heavily at the attacking rebels, with Fredericks and Billy still engaging from behind. The ferocity of their defence stopped the rebel assault in its tracks, forcing most of the rebel soldiers to go to ground. A lull in the fighting ensued.
Morgan scanned the battle zone. The dead were everywhere. The fighting had been at such close quarters, and the uniforms and equipment used by both sides so similar, it was difficult to discern who was who amongst the twisted and torn bodies.
Garrett spotted more Government soldiers 100 metres away to the east. They had also been forced to withdraw, but were now organised into a strong defensive position. They were holding the intersection adjacent to the one held by Morgan, Garrett and the Lieutenant, returning such an intense volley of fire that they'd finally halted the rebel advance on the eastern flank. As Garrett looked on, a few of the soldiers from that group, buoyed by their success, waved across at him confidently. He waved back and turned to Morgan.
"Alex," he said, "what do you make of that?" Garrett pointed in the direction of the other Army troops.
"They're in pretty good shape," Morgan replied, taking in the scene. "If we can get this group to reorganise up here with their boss, then together the two groups might actually be able to turn this thing around. At least, hold some ground until reinforcements arrive."
"I agree," Garrett said. "We could get stuck out here all bloody night unless we do something real soon. I don't fancy that."
"We can't let that happen, Ad."
Morgan turned to the Lieutenant and outlined his plan. The young officer nodded earnestly, understanding what had to be done. He didn't want to withdraw any further, and the success of the troops to the east had spurred on his enthusiasm. Seconds later, with a series of hand signals and yelled commands from Morgan, Garrett and the Lieutenant, along with fierce covering fire from Fredericks, the Government troops, who only minutes earlier had been retreating, raced forward to reoccupy their previous positions, ready for a fight.
"Ad, we can't become embroiled in any more of this," Morgan yelled. "Once the Army troops are in place, then we leave it to them. This young fella can coordinate with his CO on the radio to get the rest of their Battalion up here. Agreed?"
"You don't have to tell me twice," replied Garrett emphatically. "I'd had enough about a month ago."
The Army was getting ready to take back control. Their officers were in a tight huddle together between the intersections, and Morgan knew that they could call forward reinforcements. It was time for the Chiltonford team to finally extract and rejoin Martinez and the evacuees at the RV.
"OK, stand by. When I give the word, Ad, you move and I'll cover you.
We'll get to Mike at the Rover and split ..."
Morgan was suddenly cut off by Garrett, waving his hand to signal silence.
As Morgan outlined their withdrawal, Garrett had pulled out his old Zeiss binoculars to make a final scan of their surrounds and his eyes fell upon a sight he never expected to see and could not reasonably comprehend.
"What is it?" Morgan asked, concerned.
"I don't believe it." Garrett handed the binos to Morgan. "Out there, down the western approach to the intersection, hidden away in that shitty yellow building down the far end of the street. You can just make out the Jeep, looks like an old World War Two Willy's, and if I'm not mistaken ..."
"Is that Victor Lundt?" Morgan's question was an incredulous snarl. "The very same," said Garrett. "You know him?"