(POV Nora)

"Sir, we can't leave our area to support the highway... despite my position within this ragtag unit being tied with second in command with Tanya and below Jackson herself... but even I am finding it hard to get my own fellow officers to listen, they differed many discussions to her and the child." I spoke into my handheld radio.

The voice of Oscar was harsh and rapid, "I don't care, either you come with your fellow officers! Or alone! We need experienced people!" Hearing the door open I looked up and saw the maid in her immaculate black and white uniform while mine was slightly tattered and needs a wash, but she raised one finger to her lips and gestured for me to continue. "...Do you understand!?"

"Sir... Oscar, you no longer asking me as an Officer of the law, you are asking Nora some poor sod that some fucking how dodged death way too much for one man in a life time! You are asking me to abandon not only my fellow officers if they refuse but also the civilians that are here as well..." I shot a look at Jessica before continuing, "So that is too much, their are still those within her controlled area... and unlike what I have heard Gaelic Marines are hesitant to enter since they don't want to be miss identified as Paratroopers and get slaughtered."

The line went silent, licking my drying lips... please tell me I didn't just get onto his shit list. No fuck him, I took an oath to protect the people and abandoning these people would violate that. Giving Jessica another look and she gave me a smile that is genuine. Placing my hand on my shaking knee to stop it, why I am so nervous?

"Are you refusing to obey an order from your superior?" Was the reply after a minute.

"No sir, but I am questioning weather you are aware of the situation on the ground here! Unlike your highway, Jackson and my fellow officers are still fighting Paratroopers who have shown no regard to the sensibilities of warfare while we have shown all in kind, if I am to leave I do not believe that this group will maintain it's own sensibilities... Sir I have seen what Tanya can do and we all know what Jessica the maid can do and I'd rather not see what Jackson could do!

Sir. None here outside of the obvious two haven't seen her do anything crazy or impossible yet... But sir it is my duty to remain and keep tabs, just like my last orders are." 

The line went silent again... lowing my vision to my feet from after a brief moment a new set of entered my vision and it wasn't Jessica's.

"Out of everyone I have seen, Nora. Constable Nora." The voice was instantly recognizable as Jackson's. I didn't raise my eyes to look at her almost expecting to die, "I am surprised, one you told what I consider enemy forces intel... and yet do so knowing it, that takes many things. Do you wish me to list them?"

"No." I responded, still not looking at her properly.

"Well, if you are expecting to die then no, I will not lie your death will make it harder to have your boys and gals in blue to listen, and to be honest? I was expecting this... but after hearing what you said, I don't see you as a traitor or anything. Turn off your radio and let me tell you a story." Looking up she pulled a chair over and sat down throwing one leg over the other. With nothing better to do and not believing that I won't be killed I turned off my radio.

"This story is well... judging that humanity is long since dead, this is about a few thousand years old." She started, "I was not what I am now. I was just a normal human with a life span of a hundred years at best... and my parents died when I was young... but that isn't what this is about. When I turned seventeen I joined the army and after a year of training and going to NCO school I got deployed. But I met someone that was dear to my heart..."

Her eyes were slightly glossed over clearly seeing it more them what is around her, "He was an enemy soldier wounded when I found him, and due to circumstances we had to fight together and over time we bonded on a level that would see us both imprisoned for fraternizing with the enemy, we fell in love... but one day he got shot by a sniper from my own army... and it wasn't slow, a gut wound is fatal but slow I nearly was shot too if it wasn't for my uniform. I spent nearly a week and a half with him, now you may ask that isn't long enough to fall in love... but in war when you fight with someone day in day out it's hard to remember that he was the enemy.

I stayed with him as he bleed out, which left me bitter towards my own hehe 'comrades' and it led me down a path of leadership that would see most dead under my command, until I ended up here..." Blinking a few times she looked me dead in the eyes, "Now I ask, Nora as a Policemen will you abandon those civilians that trust your word to protect them? Abandon your fellow officers still here and the civilians still within my controlled area!?"

Choosing to remain silent I thought, the story was a classic wartime tragedy of two enemies falling in love, just for said war to end it. But what does that have to do with what I did? I don't understand...

"I won't abandon those I swore to protect, but I don't understand what was the point of the story?"

"I won't expect you to understand it, but just think... my lover was killed by my own 'comrades' and so I turned on them, sending men to die on missions that I knew they wouldn't complete... now compare that to what your own boss is telling you. Jessica informed me of what was told before, and I saw a parallels. You love those here maybe not me and the other two, but I can see it you love the people, your fellow policemen and women. And what were you just asked? To give up and run!? No I have a feeling they are doing it to get you away before you start sympathizing with me, and see everyone else here are lost causes."

Lowing my vision again I wondered and pondered aloud, "So what then? If I refuse then will I and everyone here be treated as apart of your group and have kill on sight orders on us!? I refuse to give up the people here... but what about the people within the city! I doubt you don't see that few are outweighed by the many, what is Athtrim compared to a handful of city blocks!"

Getting up from her chair and taking a step towards me, taking a knee and lifting my chin. "That I can't say, but sometimes that few outweigh the many... war isn't a numbers game, and Athtrim is just one city... right now you have three choices; one ignore your orders and remain, two follow them... and three take your sidearm and end it now." Her voice turned slightly hollow, "I faced a similar choice as well after my lover died."

With those words she stood back up and walked to the door and just before leaving she gave some last words. "Nora, out of everyone I have fought and lived with you remind me the most of him."

"What was his name?" I asked.

"I never learned his name but we called each other by derogatory names... I called him 'Qing' and he called me an 'Aussie'." With that she left. I fingered my sidearm. But my choice was clear.

Dear Readers.

I am sorry for the delay I have been thrown around from workplace to workplace in hopes of employment, and I had the other two books whos chapters were closer to competition.

But this chapter was harder for me to write as I wanted to get the message I wanted across without messing up. But be assured that with the next week or two uploads with return to normal-ish.

Thank you for your understanding.

Your author Royal Jeager.