The Oracle Of New Delphi             by: Hypatia

 

Part 5

While I was explaining to the group of doctors, nurses and a couple of administrators what was going to happen my Imperial Guard arrived with Suki so I put Dr. Thompson in contact with Bill got other people organising things and claimed a bed off Monica. I was led to a room used by on duty doctors to claim a couple of hours and sank down on the bed.

 

"What the hell do you think you are doing to my city" cut through my dreams.

"What?" I said still asleep

"I said what right do you have to make decisions here?" It was Major Bruce in the room, I reached across for my pistols on the bedside and he grabbed my arm on the wound so recently treated. The pain of his rough grasp caused me to scream. The door burst open and Jimmy was on him and there was a sickening crack.

"Jimmy that’s enough" I shouted

"Sorry Kathy its my fault I didn’t see him come in and he asked one of the doctors where you were. I should have had someone at the door." Jimmy said

"Don’t worry I didn’t think of it is he hurt?" I asked

"I just dislocated his arm at the shoulder, otherwise he’s fine" Jimmy said "How about you?"

"I think he’s opened this arm again," I admitted "get him sorted first then I will get seen"

The Major made a hell of a lot of noise as his arm was manipulated back then it was my turn again I slipped off my top for Monica and the fresh dressing was saturated with blood.

"Well he’s made a lot more mess of you than that soldier did of him" she said

"He’s lucky I would have shot him if my pistols had been where I normally leave them" I said

"Yes while you were asleep we had a man with a leg wound I believe was down to you." She said

"Well it got the information we needed so I feel justified." I said

"No, I’m not criticising its just a case that, that idiot has been farting about since we took control. Lots of good idea’s but little action" She said

"Is that the feeling of the city as a whole?"

"Yes just about there is a hell of a lot of anger as they have lost a hell of a lot of people here."

"Monica, from what I’ve seen this place is one of the least affected so far, Middlesbrough was hell this place is heaven" I said

"How many survived there?" she asked

"A couple of thousand at the most Suki out there is one of them as are a lot of my men. I still have nightmares about there" I admitted.

"Have you talked to anyone about it?" she asked

"I don’t think there is anyone left alive who I could talk to now" I said closing the conversation.

"Can you rest this arm for a few days?" She asked

"What the hell do you think I’m going to be fighting a battle…Sorry it hurts and I have just been woken up rather rudely. You don’t deserve that." I said to her.

"Good apology accepted, I was just going to find out what needles I could stick in you." She said

"Well I’m up to date with my tetanus so you can’t inflict that on me" I said smiling "I need use of this arm for the next forty eight hours then I can rest it."

"Let me see what I can do, I’ll have a word with Hamish and we will get you sorted. But you have to promise me that after all this is done you get back here and sort it out properly." Monica said looking sternly at me

"All you nurses are the bloody same" I told her laughing "emotional and psychological blackmail all the way just so you can poke and prod at bits that ooze"

"You know us so well" she said disappearing

 

Dr Young turned my rear into a pin cushion, antibiotics, coagulants and a couple of other ones that he didn’t particularly explain and Monica applied a new dressing.

"Thanks very much" I told her as I got dressed again "next time I think its safer to get shot though less pain"

"Ah if you enjoyed it here you would always be coming back" she said laughing.

"You look a bit pale Boss are you going to be alright?" Jimmy asked as I came out of the cubical

"Yes it just hurts that’s all, how’s our Major?" I asked

"He’s still in there" he pointed to a cubical and I walked in.

"Wakey, wakey Colin" I shouted as I entered

"What why I’m injured" he said

"If you think that’s being injured then you have been living a sheltered life" I said

"What would you know child" he said turning his head away from me.

"Look you can either lie in that bed like a fucking wimp or you can get your arse up and start fighting for your city. You took an oath to obey orders given to you by the appropriate civilian authority I am it so get your bum up." I ordered him.

"No"

"Give me ten minutes with him" Jimmy said arriving behind me

"No violence" I told him.

"I wont need it Ma’am" he said guiding me out and waving a rucksack at me.

 

"What do you want me to do?" Major Bruce said surprising me from deep thought that was almost sleeping.

"Oh sorry what was that Major?" I asked

"What are your orders Ma’am" he asked to my surprise

"We need weapons for all those who are going to fight can you break them out?" I asked

"Yes Ma’am" he said and disappeared what the hell was going on. I found Jimmy with a crowd of doctors and nurses around him.

"Jimmy what did you do to him, Drugs?" I asked from behind him unable to see what was going on.

"No, I made use of Frazier" he said

"What do you mean he’s in Newcastle" I said confused

"You haven’t seen it yet have you?" he said

"What are you talking about" I asked and he lifted up a newspaper.

"I picked it up in Newcastle Anne has got a load of copies and Frazier says that he has a couple of thousand stashed safe, he thinks its his best work" Jimmy said

I looked at the paper he was holding on the top quarter was one word SALVATION and for most of the rest of the page was the picture of me bloodstained and slamming a round into the pistol. Underneath the picture was one line. Our hopes and prayers were answered yesterday in the unexpected form of Katherine The Oracle of New Delphi who saved us all. In the top corner was the papers title The Underground Rumble.

"Bloody awful picture though isn’t it" I joked

"No it isn’t" Jimmy said and let me look through the paper.

The first half was the battle and how it unfolded up to Bernard’s death one of the other full page pictures was me on my knees screaming and though the picture being of me made me uncomfortable it was one of the most powerful images I have ever seen in print.

"Yes well" I said a lump in my throat at the pictures of the mass funeral "he did a good job didn’t he"

"More than that" Jimmy said "this is one of those papers that are going to be legendary, like the Titanic sunk or JFK shot" he said

"He did say he wanted the last issue of the rumble to be special and it is" I admitted "Except for all these photo’s of me"

"This young woman, of exceptional courage and an instinct to how a battle is going, put her life on the line to take the bridge so that others didn’t have to. Yet when questioned about her part in the battle she turns it around to what her people did in the battle. If it was not for the photographs and the testimony of the people who fought with her, her part in this would go unrecognised." Jimmy quoted out of the paper.

"Come on Jimmy stop it" I said

"You made me a Captain, I make you a hero. Revenge is sweet" he said

"I’ll get my own back on you Houston" I said laughing "How would you like to be Commander in Chief armed forces?"

"You wouldn’t do that to me, would you, please, pretty please" he said causing the crowd to laugh

"Don’t piss me off then or you will be a General before you know it" I warned him and left them to it.

 

Approaching quarter to one I was getting rather nervous I would look rather foolish if this turned out to be half a dozen people waiting for me and I stared pacing around.

"What’s up?" Monica asked as she saw me.

"Oh I’m just wondering what’s going to happen if nobody’s willing to fight" I told her

"The Scottish people not willing to fight, we will fight and fight well." She said determinedly.

"How are you so sure?" I asked

"Because my husband came in earlier to say he was going with you he also made a few copies of that picture on the front of that paper, after having a word with Jimmy, I’m so scared for him" Her face showed her anguish.

"Look I can’t promise he will be fine and the choice of going is his. But I do promise that I will not put men’s lives at risk pointlessly" I told her

"I know but" she said

"Look Monica at least fighting we have a chance, if everyone doesn’t fight then we stand no chance. I promise to try and keep him safe and my lot will make sure people don’t take stupid risks" I told her.

 

Monica was right the car park was crowded with people even more than had been there in the morning, men and women, young and old. I looked out at them and noticed a fair few people with a sheet of paper. I walked up and looked at on an old man had at the front, a photocopy of the picture on the front of the paper printed on yellow paper. The man smiled at me with teeth that were stained and rotted.

"That’s you isn’t it lassie?" he said

"Yes it is" I admitted

"Good I won’t let you down" he said pulling a beret out of his pocket.

"Corporal Sykes reporting for duty Ma’am, but please don’t send me back because of my age" he said is eyes unsure.

"Send you back Corporal, you don’t get out of it that easy we need men like you who know what they are doing" I told him "where have you seen action?"

"Iraq and Greece Ma’am" he said

"Good you’ll show these how it should be done then" I said

"Yes Ma’am" he said the pride erupting in his face.

"Look Corporal" I said to him "Your not as fast on your feet as you once were so I am afraid you get the nasty job."

"What?" he said suddenly suspicious that I was going to send him away.

"Well I am leading the group that is attacking them at Falkirk, they are going to come along this way like a bat out of hell and hit the west of the city. The captain up there is in charge of making sure they don’t get through and its going to be rough are you up to it?" I asked him

"Yes Ma’am" he said

"Good I’ll see you at the end" I told him and walked up to Jimmy.

"He’s a bit old isn’t he?" Jimmy said

"Could you tell him he can’t come to this party?" I asked

"No and you handled him well" Jimmy said

"I see some of you looking at a picture wondering if that is me" I said through the microphone that had been provided for me.

"Yes it is me and that’s what I am like before my first cup of coffee" I said and they laughed.

"If anyone isn’t here to fight please leave now with no disgrace you have families and people who love you and need you as I was reminded by a nurse called Monica earlier today." A cheer rose from one part of the crowd "So think very carefully." Nobody moved.

"Right we are attacking a force of more than fifteen thousand men in Falkirk. We hit them from the back by surprise and drive them this way, a large force is going to be on the west side of the city to welcome them properly. I think they will then turn north and try to cross the bridge rather than south as south is towards New Delphi. At the far side of the bridge is going to be another force of men to stop them crossing we move up behind them and we win." I told them

"Except that shit happens and it might or might not work, but if we sit around worrying about it we’re dead. I want you to split into two groups those with weapons experience and those without please. Don’t worry you will all have lots of experience by the end of this." I explained and waited

"How many people are out there Jimmy?" I asked

"Twenty five thousand at least maybe as high as forty I cant tell" he said

"We can win this" I said confident at last

"I never had any doubt" Jimmy replied.

 

We split them down again into those who could move fast and those who couldn’t and then realised the problem with weapons. "Jimmy how are we on board ship for weapons" I asked knowing that they had raided many places and had all the weapons that we had collected from Newcastle.

"Lets see what we can do but with these numbers we could do with the ship coming to us rather than moving the weapons" he said

"See that it’s done" I told him

 

By six in the evening we had everyone who knew weapons armed and most of those who didn’t there were a few objections as people at the end received pot luck as to what they got, pistol or shotgun. Jimmy had the last ones working on petrol bombs with washing up liquid in to make it stick better. Wendy had reported in that it was clear on the bridge near Falkirk which meant that we wouldn’t have to move as far down as Stirling to cross the Forth and using any vehicle that would move I had seventeen thousand people at a place called Kincardine Fife. Jimmy had a similar number at Edinburgh Jones had five thousand at the northern end of the Forth bridge. The men at my end were broken down into two main groups headed by Tom and Major Bruce, then using men from the Middlesbrough raid to command groups of roughly one thousand men. It was clumsy but this wasn’t a precision operation, it was scare the shit out of them and make them run.

 

We crossed the bridge at one in the morning and took a couple of hours to cover the five miles to the outskirts of Falkirk and come three in the morning we were all in place we could hear people shouting and singing in Falkirk, they were having a right piss up occasionally a shot rang out. I motioned to my team to move up with me and we moved closer.

"Ready" I whispered and the message was whispered around the men

"Let go" I shouted and we ran into the town screaming like demons from hell.

 

We started engaging them properly on the outskirts of the town, they launched small probing attacks back at us which were quickly repulsed with few if any casualties. The idea was to show them that we were solid and the only direction they could go was east. Mathew, Mark and Paul were my constant shadows as we flitted from street to street assessing the situation and giving the troops a morale boost as I was there with them. They hit us for about half an hour without any damage on our part but their casualties were mounting.

"Suki pass the message prepare to move in" I said as we watched another group this time of fifty or sixty attackers get cut to pieces.

"House by house take no risks" I told Suki "Come on lets move it" I shouted to the men around me.

 

We worked our way into the town a house at a time taking no risks we had the men to hold off any attack they launched and with a little encouragement on each little advance they were forced out of the town towards Edinburgh the orderly retreat they started with becoming a rout. We kept in touch with them all the way Wendy’s force nibbling at the southern edge keeping them from spreading south and my forces keeping then moving with a murderous hail of fire into the rear of them. We did take prisoners hundreds of them and as daylight came I was sending people back in groups of four to guard up to one hundred prisoners. We had covered about twelve or thirteen miles of the twenty to the edge of the city when they made their first stand. They had been following a motorway towards the city and it crossed over a railway line making it more difficult to flank them as we had to cross the bridge. This might have worked but for the fact of our weight of numbers on our side the straight length of motorway offered little protection for anyone defending and they never got into a situation where they could return fire safely.

 

They ran into Jimmy’s defences at around ten in the morning and they got massacred Jimmy had plenty of time to set up the defences and they were well hidden, he didn’t open fire until the last moment and they didn’t know what hit them. Wendy was still picking away at the south and they broke heading for the bridge, possibly seven or eight thousand of them left they hit the Forth bridge at a run. I headed up behind Jimmy and Wendy’s troops joining me when Jones opened up on the bridge. I accepted the surrender of those who were still alive, less than one thousand of them on the bridge a place of death now the blood staining the road surface.

 

As we entered the city it was to cheers all around and we made our way to the shopping centre car park we had first mustered at and my troops waited for me to say something. I spotted a face in the crowd I recognised the old Corporal an SLR over his shoulder and a grin on his face.

"You showed them how to do it properly then?" I said

"No the Captain there did that, I just kept shooting the bastards every time I saw them" he said

"Think you can do the same in Glasgow?" I asked

"You just try and leave me behind" he said

"My friends this is not my victory this is your victory go tell your loved ones you are safe. Then if any of you can help with the wounded or with burial details I would appreciate it as we have a lot to do. But in one week after we grieve for those we have lost and tended to those who are injured, then we celebrate as I think I have heard a rumour that this might be the place to learn how to party properly" I said to them to wild applause and cheers.

"But lastly I must thank you I asked and you gave without thought for yourselves this is a time that will be remembered as one of Scotland’s finest hours" I told them

"Jimmy I want to go to the hospital to see how many wounded can you organise things here?"

"Yes what about our dead?" he asked

"How many?" I asked

"fifty or sixty here I don’t know how many you lost" he said

"Neither do I it was too busy to keep score" I admitted "See if you can get numbers and I would like, if the families agree to bury them at New Delphi what do you think?"

"Well its totally impractical, a logistic nightmare but I think it could be an important gesture to those who lost people here and more importantly it is important to you. If we arrange one of the ships to take relatives and the bodies back, then shuttle you in the helicopter we can do it." He said "leave it with me I’ll organise it"

"Come on Major lets sort a car and go to visit the wounded" I said to Major Bruce.

"Yes whatever you say Kathy but aren’t you tired?" he asked

"Yes I’m knackered but adrenaline is keeping me going we sleep later." I told him

"Paul see if you can scrounge me up a clean uniform" I said kissing him in passing "and I’ll try and organise a decent bed for us a bit later"

"No problem, but I think you will have to give me twelve hours sleep before I can molest you." He said hugging me tight

"As long as your close I’ll wait a while" I told him "I’m heading to the hospital I’ll see you there" and I kissed him again.

 

The hospital was a hive of activity Bill had his operation up and running in the car park Trisha and Andrea were triaging casualties as they arrived Sheila was there as well which surprised me she had been part of Jones group who were still at the bridge.

"Hi Sheila what brings you here?" I asked

"I was finding out how Wendy was for Jones he wasn’t willing to leave his post when he heard she had been hurt" She said

"What she’s hurt, how bad" I said all flustered at the thought.

"Calm down, don’t wet yourself" came Wendy’s voice from behind me and I turned around to find her on crutches with a leg in a splint.

"What the hell did you do?" I asked

"They hit our rear tyre as we were doing about forty five over rough ground and I fell off" she said dejectedly.

"You survive without a scratch through all the shit we’ve been through then you fall off a bike." I hugged her tight "how bad is it?"

"I don’t know yet I think I’ve just torn things but Bill has me like this till I’m X-rayed though in a minute I am going to make myself useful here" she said looking around at the casualties being brought in.

"Look as you tell me don’t push yourself find out what’s wrong first for me please" I said

"For you little sister maybe" she said sticking her tongue out at me

"Sheila if she tries to do anything you don’t feel she’s up to thump her then tell Jones understand?" I said

"Fine by me Boss Lady" Sheila said and I walked into the hospital area.

"I was expecting it to be bad but not this bad they were enemy casualties everywhere screaming, crying, bleeding and dying a corpse of a boy no more than seventeen was being carried outside to the car park where the dead were being laid out for the moment.

Doctors and nurses were everywhere rushing around as were a couple of priests. Moments ago I had been happy about causing this now I was sickened at what I had done.

"Are you hurt?" someone spoke to me

"Kathy are you hurt?" the voice came again.

"I did this to these people" I said looking at a man whose lower jaw was useless as a bullet had hit it.

"Kathy what’s up?" came the voice again

I wandered through the unit in one corner a priest was saying last rights over a body two nurses were trying to stop the bleeding from the chest wound of a man on the next bed. From behind a curtain am man screamed in pain and to my left a girl sat in silence looking at her legs which had obviously been cut across by an automatic weapon. I saw a nurse shaking her head over a boy on a trolley where a doctor was frantically trying to save him. Images impacted on my brain, a man with one arm, a boy with a head injury, a boy whose chest was bubbling as he tried to breath and then stopped as his life ended.

"Kathy" came the annoying voice again.

I was led to the room that I had slept in earlier by unknown hands

"Kathy what’s up" came a mans voice

"I killed all those people so that my people didn’t get killed. I could have not killed them but my people would have got killed so I killed them" I said

"Kathy concentrate on me" the mans voice said

"I could have killed less people but I might have lost and that would have meant more people would have got killed because of me" I told him

"Kathy listen to me" he said

"I am death destroyer of worlds said Oppenhimer at the nuclear tests, he never met his victims did he?" I asked the man

"Kathy its alright" the man said

"I have turned twenty miles of road into a slaughter house and the blood of the dead drips off the bridge over there. I have the blood of what ten, twelve thousand people on my hands and you tell me it’s alright’" I screamed at him

"Kathy look at me" he said firmly I did and saw Hamish looking at me.

"Kathy this was what it was like in here when they were in control, it would have been like this again here but with the blood of the people of this city. You can’t blame yourself for what you have had to do. They who sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind." He said to me.

"Is that what I’m supposed to tell them when they visit" I asked

"What do you mean" he said confused

"When the dead come in the darkness to ask me why. Do you think Bernard can stop all these?" I asked confusing him even more.

"Kathy you lie down here a moment I’m just going to get your sister" he said guiding me to the bed which I lay down on. I closed my eyes and heard the door open and close and I tried to compose my thoughts. The door opened again and I heard Wendy’s crutches, the doctor and two other people enter.

"She is in a hell of a state" Hamish said quietly "something about she has killed all these people and they visit her in the dark. She also asked me would Bernard keep them away"

I heard a gasp and opened my eyes.

"Yes he will because he promised he would if I got the job done. He doesn’t know how to fail in a promise" I said "What help do you need here Hamish?"

"Kathy don’t you think you should lie down" he said

"No I need to see my wounded and the families of those I lost. I need to organise funerals for the dead and make ready to take Glasgow, god only knows what’s happened to the poor sods there." I told him

"Kathy please lie down" Hamish asked me trying to push me back to the bed

"Hamish I like you, you’re a nice man and a good doctor but if you ever touch me again without my permission I will shoot you. Just to remind you" I told him.

"Is Paul here yet?" I asked and got no answer

"Is Paul here yet?" I demanded

"No not yet" Wendy said

"I’ll have to meet people covered in shit then" I told her "when he gets here give me a shout he’s got a clean uniform" I asked her.

"Hamish if you can get Wendy sorted out you have another shit hot nurse and a pretty competent surgeon, you’ve seen her handy work on me. Where are our casualties?"

I was led out of the room and saw Monica.

"How is your husband" I asked

"Not a scratch he’s fine. What about you, you weren’t with us for a while?" she said

"The battle I can cope with but the realisation of the carnage I have caused afterwards gets to me badly" I said

"Yes this place is rough today, but thank you for keeping Dean safe. He was right there with you all the way. He said when he was scared shitless you were walking about directing the fire as if nothing could scare you" She said and I thought the only time I had been at risk was the railway bridge so he must have been there.

"If it is the bridge over the railway he’s talking about tell him he was in as much danger as me as they couldn’t shoot straight" I said "and you can tell your children and your grandchildren he’s a hero who fought for his city"

"No I will tell them he was there when the Oracle called and he fought with her for us all" she said "but I was the one who stuck needles in her bum" and I laughed a sick sound in that place of horror.

"Don’t class me as a hero yet, history may look at these events and condemn me" I told her and walked away.

 

I found our troops being treated in another part of the hospital to the enemy wounded. Bill explained that tensions had been too high at first when everyone had been treated together, so they had split them up.

"What’s the bad news then?" I asked

"One hundred and fifty three wounded twenty seven serious" He said then his face showed his worry about telling me the next part "one hundred and four dead" he said

I didn’t make any comment about it and he didn’t offer any words of comfort as there were none he could offer for the guilt I felt.

I did the rounds of the wounded, unlike the opposition who were mostly youngsters our wounded were young and old, male and female. All seemed surprised and pleased to see me I offered what meagre words I could.

"Did you win" one woman shouted who had taken a couple of rounds in her arm.

"No you won, they surrendered at the bridge what few they had left" I said

"How about casualties how many did we lose?" a man asked

"One hundred and four people died to save this city" I said my voice choked with emotion.

"Don’t fret Lass" the woman who asked had we won said "You asked us and we came, not for glory or profit but for our homes and family. They died with there eyes open knowing it might happen and you lost less than one percent. How many did they lose?"

"Over ten thousand, it wasn’t a battle it was a slaughter" I told her

"Yes they were slaughtered not us" she said as the others in the ward rejoiced

"You lot have a week to get up and about" I told them

"Why, what are you doing next?" the woman asked

"Well in a week we celebrate this victory and I don’t think that’s going to stop you having fun is it?" I indicated her arm

"Being in labour didn’t stop me at one party" she said with a grin

 

I stayed around the hospital for the rest of the day Paul brought a clean uniform but I didn’t bother putting it on I help out talking to the injured, being with the dying and moving bodies. Mathew and Mark insisted on staying with me and we helped where we could without being asked. More people turned up Jones arrived and him and Wendy helped as did Jimmy, no comments were made they arrived and helped. A camera flashed and I hit the deck every flash had been a weapon for too many hours. Mathew, Mark and Jimmy erupted and hit the cameraman from three sides working on instinct rather than thought, the poor man was on the floor under three men none of who was less than sixteen stone.

"Come on get off him, the flash just surprised me" I said walking over to the man.

He got up rather bruised and battered his nose bleeding. "I’m a press photographer, haven’t you heard of freedom of the press?" he said trying to staunch the blood from his nose as he checked his equipment.

"No I haven’t and this isn’t the place for photographs." I told him

"But…" he started

"Listen very carefully dickhead count yourself lucky that these three hit you first because I was working on instinct and the next thing to happen would have been a bullet in the direction of the flash. So fuck off before you become a casualty" I told him and left him arguing with Jimmy.

"When was the last time you got a full eight hours sleep?" Hamish asked me in passing some time in the early evening.

"Oh a few days…no some time last week" I told him

"Well get your bum in that bed until morning or I will sedate you." He said

"No there’s too much to do" I protested

"Look around you your Captain there is unconscious in a chair, the two men there" he indicated Mathew and Mark "are like zombies and the young man who is never more than six feet from you is wobbling on his feet" I looked around to see Paul looking very ashen.

"Go and get some sleep Paul" I told him.

"Not until you do and no bloody arguments" he said

"Mathew, Mark can you get Paul into a bed and make sure he doesn’t try to get up" I asked them

"No" Mathew said "you have done enough now, so you will now go to bed and sleep"

"Mutiny, Mr Christian" I said to Hamish "This is Mutiny"

"Yes now get into the bed in that room" he ordered and I was led into the room from before.

"Paul don’t go please" I said as he started to leave.

"Are you sure, you know with all these people here?" he asked

"I don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks or says I want you near me always" I told him and I stripped down to just my knickers slipped into the bed and I was asleep before he got in with me.

 

It was another session of bad dreams for me that sleep in the hospital, I don’t know how many times I woke up screaming but each time I did Paul was holding me tight to sooth me back to sleep. I woke up in the early hours wide awake I slipped out of Paul’s arms, showered and dressed in clean uniform. The activity had eased down in the casualty unit though a number of people were still working.

"Anywhere I can scrounge a coffee" I asked a nurse passing by arms full of supplies.

"Yes love down the hall on the left" I was told by the pleasant woman I looked at Mathew and Mark asleep in chairs by my door and thought I would leave them there. They needed their sleep they had worked their arses off. I walked down the hall to the staff room where a few nurses were grabbing a brake. I walked up and grabbed a coffee strong and sweet it brought my brain out of the fog of sleep.

"Where you out there love?" the nurse who first directed me asked walking in.

"Yes all the way" I admitted

"What we got in suggested it was rough" she said

"It wasn’t the risk it was the aftermath that was the rough part. The bodies on that bridge were horrendous. The road was awash with blood." I told her

"That’s Wynne over there and the poor thing trying to stay awake is Jean, she’s not used to nights are you Jean?" Jean raised a hand and let it flop down without opening her eyes "I’m Claire

"Kathy" I said "I just needed a coffee to bring me to life"

"Tell me about it, seven years of nights, this is the only thing that keeps me going" Claire told me grabbing a cup and plopping down next to me banging my arm, I winced.

"What’s up?" Wynne asked

"Oh nothing much, it probably just needs a new dressing" I said

"Well wait till I’ve had my caffeine fix and I’ll do you here, if you don’t mind" Claire said

"I was going to do it myself later" I said

"Never let an amateur dabble in medicine while us professionals are sitting on our bums" Claire said

"She’s not that much of an amateur" Wynne said "I’ve seen her running around here like a blue arsed fly, trying to put us out of a job" Wynne said

"I’m sorry" I started to say but was interrupted

"No, don’t apologise with what we had going down here today any help was welcome. Was that girl on the crutches with you?" Wynne asked

"Yes my sister Wendy" I admitted

"Tell her to think of a job in medicine if anything is ever sorted out, she’s good." Wynne said

"But not as a nurse" Jean said without opening her eyes

"Let me get some things together and I’ll do your arm" Claire said

"Don’t wake our sleeping beauties" Wynne said

"Who are they? Their hunks." Claire said

"They are The Oracles personal guard" Jean said opening her eyes

"What’s she got to have them running around after her? Claire asked

"Well I hear she’s young" Jean said

"Oh" said Wynne "Some nineteen year old with big tits and blond hair then, come on boys follow me" Wynne said shaking her boobs setting the three of them off laughing as Claire disappeared.

 

"Come on then get that shirt off" Claire said on her return starting to undo the buttons on my shirt "were all girls here" at that point Mark came rushing in obviously just having woken up.

"What can I do for you?" Wynne asked

"Sorry Paul woke up and found The Boss wasn’t there we were worried" Mark said

"Well if you have no luck in finding her perhaps one of us will do?" Wynne said setting the other two giggling.

"What do you mean?" Mark asked obviously confused.

"Mark go back find a bed and crash out for a few hours" I said "and tell Mathew and Paul to do the same. I promise not to go anywhere without them"

"Are you sure?" Mark asked hesitating

"Go or I’ll start shouting at you" I said and he wandered off.

"Oh Jesus" Wynne said "Oh I’m sorry Oracle"

"Listen you have nothing to be sorry about unless you start that Oracle shit I’m Kathy" I said to her "anyway it might be nice to have something to put in a bra" this set them of giggling again and tension was relived.

"Mm I bet that’s painful" Claire said looking at my arm.

"Not as painful as this one" Jean said pointing to the scar through my side

"I can beat that one look at this and my bra strap was pulled to one side by Wynne

"Shit girl hasn’t any one taught you how to duck yet" Jean said

"Well I always was a slow learner" I told her

"Nearly too slow" said Wynne touching the scar and feeling the collar bone underneath.

"I know Wendy keeps on moaning about it as she put me back together" I told them

"Any more?" Wynne asked

"One in my upper leg and one in my calf" I told her

"Lets have a gander then" Wynne said I looked around for some support if I said no.

"She’s a true nurse our Wynne" Claire said "sod modesty for every one if you have something to poke, prod, squeeze or stitch"

"Oh I’m sorry" Wynne said

"No, I was just checking that we didn’t have anyone bursting in" I lied and as Wynne turned the key in the door I dropped my guns on the chair and dropped my trousers for them to have a look.

"I had only seen four or five bullet wounds in fifteen years before today" Wynne said

"They aren’t your normal broken arms or RTAs are they" Claire said

"Pull them back up now, I’m sorry about that professional curiosity." Wynne said

"Bull, you’re just a nosy bitch" Jean said

Claire continued cleaning my arm up and Wynne was looking at me curiously.

"Come on Kathy spill it" she said

"Spill what?" I asked

"How come you have those two hunks following you around like that?" Wynne asked

"Well I got the four holes that have healed all at once, the brothers were part of a group of farmers and their families that came to save us. After I was hit I refused to stay in bed so the three brothers carried me around in a chair, because they wouldn’t let me walk" I told them

"Too bloody right they didn’t let you walk with those holes" Jean shouted

"Three Brothers?" Wynne asked

"After that the brothers decided they would keep me safe and basically swore they would no matter what. In Newcastle a sniper started taking shots at me" my voice was thick with emotion "the brothers got between me and the sniper, while they tried to figure out where he was and Luke was hit through the head. Mathew and Mark refused even to go back with the body they wouldn’t leave my side. Anyway" I tried to make my voice happier "since I got shot in the arm last week they don’t trust me out of their sight"

"I don’t think I fancy getting shot up to get them running around after me" Wynne said.

"Believe me get shot up like I did and you wouldn’t notice if they looked like that or looked like me and you would care even less" I told her

"I think I would have to be dam near dead before I didn’t notice those two" Wynne said

"Take a close look at that chest Hon and you can see how dam near dead she was" Claire said and Wynne did.

"Sorry tactless of me" Wynne said

"No a friend of mine Bernard was very badly injured a long time ago. He used to say that the Grim Reaper took one look at him and ran away because he was too ugly. I personally think he survived the same way as I did because he was a lucky, lucky bastard. With bloody good medical help at the time." I told them provoking laughter all around.

"Bring this Bernard out I’ll tell him he’s not ugly" Wynne said and looked at the pain on my face "Shit what have I said now?"

"Bernard was Major General Bernard Brown, Scotland’s double VC." I said " In Newcastle after the battle we were walking back through the cheering crowds and he had a heart attack, we couldn’t revive him and he died with the people he had helped save around him and a priest leading them in prayer" I was crying a little with the memory.

"Oh god I’m sorry Kathy" Wynne said

"No, don’t be he died in victory I just miss him. He was a horny old goat with a wicked sense of humour. But at all times he was the perfect gentleman and he would have loved you and the fact you speak your mind" I said grasping her hand "he had no time for people who put on false fronts and Christ how I miss him"

"Was that Buster Brown?" Claire asked and I nodded "I didn’t think he was still alive how old was he?"

"In his seventies but he came into Middlesbrough with me and a small group of men and he led his men from the front at Newcastle" I told them "He was a true hero"

"Bringing this around to a professional matter you seem very shaken up by his loss" Jean said

"Yes he was one of the few people who understood what I am going through" I admitted

"What do you mean?" Jean asked

"Well I got shot up trying to save a friend I had asked to come on a dangerous job with me, if we hadn’t we all would have died, but that success also caused hundreds of the bad guys to die. In Middlesbrough the fact that I didn’t get in there sooner meant that thousands were starving and dehydrated and we don’t know how many died and I executed the two men who perpetrated it."

"How by firing squad?" Jean asked

"No by a shot through the head at the end of their trial" I said

"Oh, go on" Jean said

"Well after Newcastle besides two friends and a few thousand bad guys I lost nearly one hundred men and yesterday I lost over a hundred and killed over ten thousand" I said

"And what did Bernard do?" Jean asked

"He suffered the same nightmares and understood what it was like to kill so many and lose so many men" I said

"Was that you screaming earlier tonight?" Claire asked

"Yes it was a bad night, hasn’t been that bad for a long time." I admitted "Well weeks anyway"

"Jean she’s all yours" Claire said

"What do you mean?" I asked

"Jean is our staff Psychologist she stops us going crazy" Claire said

"Well I don’t think I fall into any category that you can think of" I told her "The mass killer who saves the world, the over achiever who feels that nobody else can do what they do but in this case they are the only one or the post traumatic stress syndrome who’s not stressed by the stress, the fact of being shot up or battles but by the fact I’m very good at what I do"

"You seem very defensive" Jean said "is it the fact I’m a psychologist?"

"No I have no problems with psychologists I could use a large team of them at the moment at New Delphi and Middlesbrough. I think my concern is if I was sane I would say sod this for a game of soldiers, as who in their right mind would go through this shit. Look I don’t want to put a downer on your night all I was after was a coffee" I said snuffling.

"Look don’t worry Kathy it was me prying that got this started this and if you need me anywhere ask as a medical nurse I am no use at all" Jean said

"Are you serious?" I asked

"Yes, I have got no one here to keep me" she said

"Look serious now I have a group of women who were used for a gangs pleasure and a town that was starved, denied water and then shot if they touched little bits of food around the town or looked ill" I told her

"Where was this?" Claire asked

"Doncaster was the girls and Middlesbrough the rest though there was one particularly nasty case of rape of a young girl there included torture" I said the memories not very pleasant

"I hope you caught the bastard" Wynne said

"Yes I executed him" I replied

Claire looked at me and shuddered "I don’t know what I would do if someone tried to rape me"

"It’s scary and if I hadn’t had a pistol I don’t know what I would have done" I said

"What did you do?" Jean asked

"Well I drew the pistol pointed it at him I kept screaming at him to back off and get his hands up, he wouldn’t so I blew his brains out" I said leaving them all silent.

 

We talked till the day shift turned up as Wynne said it was the quietest night on casualty they had ever had the couple of patients were minor cases from the day that hadn’t come in earlier. As the morning shift arrived Sergeant Harris turned up looking for me.

"There you are Ma’am" he said walking into the staff room "How am I supposed to feed you, the Captain and the others if you never turn up?"

"Oh I’m sorry Harris, you hadn’t done something special for us had you?" I said apologetic.

"No don’t be silly if I did you something different from the men you wouldn’t be pleased. But it is my responsibility to make sure you eat, when did you last eat?" he asked

"Well I don’t rightly know, I did have a sandwich before we started the battle and I must have had some thing yesterday, yes I had a couple of Mars bars yesterday" I told him.

"And you wonder why I come around looking for her?" Harris said looking around at the nurses who were giggling. "I have set up in the car park for anyone at the hospital you can eat in the room that was the Hospital League of Friends room as that has tables" and he walked out

"Well if you want food come and get it I don’t want to upset him any more" I said looking around.

"Will he mind?" Wynne asked

"He’s a Chef of course he’ll mind" I said "his life would be bleak without things to moan about come on I’ll show you"

 

The four of us went through to the car park where Harris was working from the trailer we had got with John.

"Harris" I said "I brought a few friends with me to sample your breakfasts and I have extended the offer to the others in the casualty department if you can manage it"

"Oh don’t worry about me managing Ma’am I always do, though you are one of the first to care. Most of the time it was just do it." He said sighing "Go and sit down I’ll be through with coffee anyone want tea ladies?"

"Is he for real?" Wynne asked as we sat down

"Yes he will do absolutely anything for anyone as long as you know how much it puts him out. Except for me of course, he likes me." I told them

"Oooh" came from the three of them.

"Here you go Ma’am here’s your coffee just like you like it" Harris said coming in with a tray and four cups and giving me mine and then putting the others down on the table with milk and sugar "help yourself ladies" and he was gone again.

"Well we are privileged aren’t we" Wynne said

"She is his boss" Claire said "I’ve seen you doting on a few doctors in the past"

"How does this boss thing work with him being army" Jean asked

"Well Bernard as the senior military office descended on me at New Delphi with this strange idea that I was the only elected civilian authority in existence in the country, so he declared I was his Boss and by default the armed forces are mine" I told them

"So we have insulted the Prime Minister before we have breakfast with her" Claire said

"Yes that’s about it though I keep trying to get people to vote me out it never works" I half joked and a pair of arms slipped around me.

"Morning love" Paul said kissing me on the cheek and setting off the three of them giggling.

"Grab a chair Paul, that’s Wynne, Claire and Jean, this is Paul" I said

"He’s cute" Claire said

"Yes you could call him cute but he looks better after he wakes up properly, don’t you Paul?"

"Whatever you say dear" Paul said dragging a chair over next to me. Everyone started arriving Mathew and Mark came over to see me.

"Boss we realise that you run off playing silly games without telling anyone in case they get hurt." Mark said

Mathew continued "But if your not and your going somewhere can you tell us as last night I thought you were on your way to Glasgow. Please" he looked at me with serious eyes.

"I’m sorry if I upset you it was just you were so tired I thought you could do with being left to sleep and I promise if its not me running off to do something I shouldn’t, I will always tell you where I am going" I told them they stood there digesting this for a moment to see if this actually worked out to them getting anything out of me.

"What about when you’re running off playing silly games?" Mathew asked.

"If I can use you without you getting hurt both of you will always be invited, its not that I don’t want you around, it’s just that sometimes the job would put you at unacceptable risk and I don’t want to lose you" I said

"The risk is our choice but thank you Boss" Mark said and they sat down at a nearby table.

"You have just been told off I think" Wynne said "they seem very serious"

"Very religious family, they take their obligations seriously" Paul answered "scared the hell out of me at first. But now I know where they are coming from"

"I bet I could corrupt them" Wynne said setting the table giggling.

"No one ever wants to corrupt me" said Jimmy arriving at the table with a cup "and I didn’t think I looked that ugly" and he sat down at a chair on the other end of the table.

"What’s up Jimmy feeling neglected" I asked

"Yes, its Jimmy do this Captain Houston do that, no one loves me" he said

"I do but don’t tell Paul" I told him and introduced him to Jean, Wynne and Claire.

"What are the plans next Boss?" He asked

"Well we get the dead to New Delphi by ship with the relatives as soon as we can. I will go with them on the ship but take the cab back. We clean up for a few days have a decent party for these people then west I want to be in Glasgow within two weeks then we can relax" I told him

"Glasgow might be a tough nut to crack" he said

"It’s a big place to defend though we take it section by section. If we can attack on multiple sides and stir up some trouble before hand inside with the radio then it could make it a lot easier." I said "How are we for juice for the helicopter?"

"Fine we have tankers of the stuff from an airport" Jimmy answered

"Good get Ian up here to get the radio running, Sheila and him can start things off saying about what we have done so far then we can work out the rest as the time gets near" I said "Weapons and ammunition need to be arranged as well collect all the kit left on the bridge I know its not a pleasant job but we will need it"

"You actually run this thing don’t you" Jean said to me

"No I rant and rave about what I want and Jimmy runs it" I told her "this is the man who does the work" Jimmy actually blushed at the compliment a first for him I decided to be cruel and follow through.

"Who do you think led the defence here that turned those bastards up to the bridge? He was there on the front line as they hit and he kept his men there." I said Jean was showing interest in him.

"I just did as you asked Boss" he said looking relived when Harris turned up with food.

 

It was a Harris fried breakfast and I must admit my stomach thought my throat had been cut, I was ravenous. I sat there looking at my empty plate wondering if I should go and ask for more and thought better of it.

"Hey sis your in the paper again" a voice came from behind me and turned around to see Wendy being helped by Jones.

"How’s the leg?" I asked seeing no plaster or splint

"Bruising and twisted though it hurts like hell" she admitted and passed the newspaper to Jones who brought it over.

"Is she telling the truth?" I asked him

"Sort of, she was bloody lucky and it is black and blue down all one side of her" he said

"Make sure she doesn’t do too much can you?" I asked him

"I am afraid I would have more chance stopping you Ma’am as she fights dirty. But I’ll try" he said

"Cheers and a fantastic job yesterday, I’m sorry it was such a horrendous one" I told him.

"It had to be done Ma’am, though I admit it wasn’t one I’m proud of" he said

"I know but I couldn’t see anyway around it without losing a lot more of our men." I said apologetically.

"No, I don’t mean it like that Ma’am it had to be done they were the aggressors. Its just it wasn’t a job that I will be telling my grandchildren about, unlike Middlesbrough and Newcastle" he told me and wandered back to Wendy.

"He’s rather fucked up over it Jimmy" I said

"Yes he’s not cocky and that isn’t Jones" Jimmy said

"Jean do you mind working on him a bit, I don’t want him ending up like me he’s too good a person" I told her

"I’ll give it a go but will he let me?" Jean asked

"Tell Wendy what you are and the fact I suggested it. If you work with Wendy and Jimmy on him and don’t let it be known that he has spoken to you as I don’t want him taking any hassle at the moment" I told her and she nodded.

 

I looked at the paper the front page had a picture of Jimmy with his rifle raised, Defending our city was the headline. I looked through it and it was mainly about the fact that I had driven the forces towards the city rather than away from it. Casualty numbers on our side were not presented though the fact that the enemy had lost over ten thousand men was graphically presented. The bridge of death was a four page section questioning if I left it too long before demanding a surrender. The final nail in my coffin I felt was the picture of me in the hospital surrounded by the enemy wounded. This child was not tending our wounded but the enemy wounded and when the camera flash went off she hid on the floor with fright, I wonder if, without her bodyguards and the brave Captain that defended our city she would be able to even load a weapon much less direct a battle. I finished reading and felt sick very, very sick. I dropped the paper and ran for the toilet and kneeling in front of the bowl I repeatedly vomited all that I had eaten.

"Kathy what’s up are you ill" Claire asked standing behind me while I finished.

"Sorry it was just that paper and too much food" I said as the heaves finished leaving me with sore sinuses and a foul taste in my mouth.

"What was it with the paper?" she asked as I washed my face

"You would have to read it to understand everything has been skewed" I said and rinsed my mouth out. I stayed there for about five minutes regaining my composure and went back out. The place was empty except at my table.

"Where is everyone?" I asked Jean, Wynne and Monica who was now there.

"Paul read out the shit they had put in that paper and the place erupted then they were gone" Monica explained "Dean went with them as have a lot of the people who fought with you and even some of the staff here"

"Shit if Mathew and Mark have gone without me that means shit is about to happen, I need to get there."

"Did you see those lies they wrote about you" Harris asked clearing away plates "and you who saved them all in Middlesbrough. A dozen men she led into an armed camp of five hundred and it was her alone who saved them and me. She thought we were being attacked at one point and stood alone in the road firing at what she thought was a car trying to run her down, she didn’t move she just carried on firing as the two bikes came past her" he was shouting now at the nurses "How could he write such lies. She saved the Newcastle resistance men by going in with a knife and cutting the throat of a man bigger than Jimmy, the man had a gun. What more do they want of her?"

"Harris does your trailer have a Land Rover at the front?" I asked

"Yes Ma’am why?" he asked

"Unhook it now I need to stop them" I said and he ran out.

"Did Jimmy start this?" I asked Jean.

"No he was trying to calm things down, it was your sister who got pissed off and the brothers. Jimmy and Jones were trying to calm things down as they left" Jean answered.

"Good at least they have sense" I said "I need to get there to stop them where is this printed" I asked

"Come on" Jean said "I can drive a Land Rover"

 

We jumped in the vehicle leaving Harris there and drove into the old part of the city as we turned a corner we came into a very angry mob. In front of a building with the sign The Edinburgh Echo Jimmy and Major Bruce were trying to calm things down.

"Drive through them slowly" I told Jean and she used the weight of the vehicle to push her way through. We arrived in front of the steps and there was a roar as I got out.

"Jimmy get me on the roof" I said and him and Major Bruce helped me.

"Quiet" I shouted at the top of my voice and couldn’t be heard above the crowd. I emptied a magazine into a clock on a building over the other side of the road and the crowd was quiet.

"So I can shoot" I said causing a roar of laughter.

"Yes I know you are angry I am too but some of the things were true it was a victory and it was a massacre, but this is not what you want to do. If you want the truth spoken then get one of the other papers running tell the truth, but don’t forget that a hell of a lot of people died on that bridge and I was unable to find another way of doing it without losing more men. So perhaps in one way I did fail" I told them and their roars of objection showed they felt I hadn’t

"So print your own paper there must be newspaper men here and show what you think by ignoring this crap forever" I shouted

"We haven’t got photographs" a voice came from the crowd "we were to busy fighting with you to piss around with cameras"

"If I get you photographs and also a load that he doesn’t have will those satisfy you?" I asked them and they roared approval.

"Get me down Jimmy" I said and he helped me down

I walked up to the glass door of the newspaper office it was locked so I stepped back and fired four shots into it and with Jimmy tapping it with his foot I was in. Paul, Mathew and Mark appeared from somewhere and we entered.

"Anyone home?" I shouted and got no answer

"I saw movement up stairs" Paul said and we headed upstairs.

 

On the second floor I found a group of cowering people and the man who had taken my photo in the hospital.

"This is private property leave now" he shouted and I ignored him and walked to the window opened it and waved getting a roar.

"Listen shit head" I said "I would quite happily let you print what you want but you seem to have pissed off a large number of people. They wanted and I quote "to lynch the bastards and burn the fuckers" I feel this might be a bit harsh for being a shit head so I suggested that they get one of the other papers running and tell the truth. But they objected to this as they had been fighting for their lives and you had been fucking about with a camera" I faced him turning away from the window.

"Now the way I see it they fought for you, you share your photo’s with them I said

"No I took them they are my property." He said

"Fine what ever you say" I sat down at a computer and started hunting through the files and found the images.

"Jimmy pass that camera here" I asked and the mans camera was removed from his grasp. I downloaded all the images in the camera and then copied it to CD, how far behind the times this place was I thought probably the reason the kept on going after everything fell to shit.

"Right I could close you down with two minutes programming that you would never unravel. But I wont" I told him and we left.

 

Outside I held up the disk to cheers and I raised my hands for quiet.

"All of you with newspaper experience stay here the rest of you if you head to the car park where you gathered yesterday we have six days to sort out this place before we have some fun. So bugger off because there is work to be done" I said provoking laughter and they melted away leaving a group of about forty men and women and my lot.

"Wendy, Jones can you get things organised on the clean up then come and find us at the hospital" I told them and they went.

"Jimmy, Jean when they get back to the hospital can you start working on Jones?" I asked and they disappeared.

I looked at the newspaper people "Who is going to run this paper?" I asked

"I will" a man stepped forward "unless any one else wants to with more experience"

"What is your name and experience" I asked seeing the blank faces around him.

"Oh sorry I’m used to being recognised Horace Johnston, editor of The Daily Telegraph for fifteen years" he said

"Everyone happy with that?" I looked around and got nods and passed him the disk.

"Is anyone here able to get the system back up at The Post" He asked and nobody answered.

"Look give me half an hour sorting things out and I will get it going" I promised "I’ll meet you there"

 

Back in the Land Rover I turned to Wynne and Claire "Can we drop you two anywhere?"

"Well we have both been living at the hospital for the last few weeks" Claire said

"What she wants to say is this is fun do you mind some company for a while?" Wynne said

"I don’t mind isn’t anyone waiting for you" I asked

"No do you think we would be living there if we had someone" Claire asked

"Its fine with me. When you get too bored or too tired just shout though as I am notorious for not noticing" I told them "We’re heading back to the hospital first so you can get changed if you want to"

"Good, have we got time for a shower and to put a face on?" Wynne asked glancing back at Mark

"Go for it" I whispered "he’s a good man"

 

Back at the hospital I was dragged along with Claire and Wynne after I sent everyone off doing jobs and in a sideward that was now used by those two as a home they started searching for clothes.

"Are they attached?" Claire asked

"No I have never seen or heard about anyone" I told her "but they are very religious in there beliefs so I would say just be yourselves with them and don’t start dressing to impress it’s not going to work"

"It’s the hard way Wynne" Claire said "your going to have to talk to them and get to know them"

"Wonderful any tips Kathy anything we should know?" Wynne asked

"Be yourselves and they will like you, but watch your language. I have been told off for that in the past" I admitted

"Cheers" said Claire "though I don’t think I stand much chance I’m a fat cow" she was standing there in tights and bra and panties bringing back memories of Wendy. She was rounded like Anne had been belly and bum there but rounded rather than fat. Her boobs were wonderful though and I envied whoever got to play with them in the future.

"Bullshit you’re not fat and those boobs will drive any man to distraction. You have a beautiful face and the last thing is they are farmers sons and they seem to like their women a hell of a lot bigger than you" I said

"But" she started to say

"These are men who have seen lots of action, they are not going to be impressed by some dumb blond are they. Anyway I saw Mathew sneaking a look at your legs as you got out of the car" I told her

"Was he" she said and smiled "What should I wear then"

"Well me and dress sense aren’t usually mentioned in the same breath" I admitted "but my suggestion for today if you are interested in Mathew, is jeans and a t shirt and to be yourself." She looked at me doubtfully. "Look I know nurses they have a sick sense of humour and three faces, the face for the patients, the face for the other staff and the real face when they get home. At the moment you are using the staff face on me, at first you were using the professional face when we first met. You use the third face on Mathew and see what happens, though please be gentle with him as he’s a good friend" I told her and she nodded.

 

Wynne came out of the shower and we had the same discussion and I looked at these two girls at the most they were twenty two but with the uniforms and the professional faces on the could have been mid thirties, before this I would have classed them as kids. Bernard was right appearance had little to do with professional ability or courage. Paul knocked at the door with a handbag that Anne had provided for me and a box of bullets. I sent him down to the car to wait for us. As the two of them got ready I opened the handbag spare magazines, a cleaning kit for the pistol, make up, wet wipes and tampons. I used to moan about the crap Wendy used to carry it was nothing compared to this I thought as I took out the cleaning kit and stripped down the Berettas. Jimmy had warned me from the start that the problem with automatics was if they weren’t clean they jammed and I wasn’t willing to risk a jam at an awkward time. Satisfied with the weapons I refilled the magazines, replaced them in the weapons and took out the makeup.

"You’re a strange girl Kathy" Wynne said looking at me "I didn’t think you would need or use makeup"

"Well given the choice I wouldn’t but I have found, after being forced into it, that it can add a few years to my appearance"

"How old are you?" Claire asked

"Oh thirty seven" I answered honestly

"Don’t worry I’m the same about my age" Wynne said

I finished my face and satisfied I stood up. "How do I look?" I asked slipping my beret on.

"A bit too military for me, but good" Claire answered "am I presentable" Claire asked

"Yes you are shall we go and play with the boys" I asked and they both laughed

 

We made our way to the newspaper offices that Horace had said and we made our way in Horace was there straight away.

"Mark there has some more pictures for you use them as you want I don’t think Frazier will mind" I said as I sat at a computer and watched it refuse to boot up the system.

"That bastard made it I’m glad I always like him even if he wouldn’t work for me" Horace said "Do you know what your doing with that computer, Oh you have got it working"

"Dead easy if you know how but dam near impossible if you don’t" I told him and stood up.

"Thank you very much" he said

"Can we go to your office a moment?" I asked and we were led through and I sat down while the rest of them waited outside.

"I have two favours to ask of you" I said and he nodded. "First with this issue can you emphasise the fact that this was a victory by the people of Edinburgh, we just helped you."

"Well that isn’t exactly true but if you are ordering me to." He said

"No, no I am not ordering anything I probably phrased it wrong I would like the part played by the people of this city recognised in full" I said "they deserve it"

"That is a different matter of course I can" he said smiling

"Secondly I would like to know who I should suggest to the people of this city to be in charge of getting things going again. I got Frazier voted at Newcastle much to his disgust" I told Horace

"And I bet he made his disgust known, though he will do a good job. Let me think about that for a while. Can we go through these photo’s together?"

"I could do with making a move but Jimmy, Captain Houston is at the hospital if you ask him and say I sent you he wont mind" I assured him. "One very last thing if there is any services that just need a computer up and running to get going ask them to give me a shout and I will see what I can do" I stood up and shook his hand.

"You are not what I expected when I first heard you on the radio but I am glad you’re here" Horace said and I left.

 

We spent the day running around helping where we could, shifting bodies, collecting weapons and organising things, surprisingly Claire had paired up with Mathew and Mark with Wynne through the day and they all seemed to be getting on like a house on fire. I enjoyed the day spent with Paul doing something useful for people and his hand on my bum as I walked next to him was nice. At five in the evening we headed back to the hospital for some food.

 

Jones and Wendy were there already and Jones was looking rough I went looking for Jimmy and found him with Jean.

"How is Jones?" I asked

"Well its confidential" Jean said

"I’m not after details, its just he looks rough and I was concerned" I said

"He will be ok, but he was very emotional about yesterday" Jean explained

"How about if I put him back in the thick of it can he take it? I don’t want to fuck him up totally" I said

"Give me a few days and I will tell you as long as you don’t make it obvious why he’s out of the action if that is my suggestion" She said

"I wouldn’t take him out just move him back a bit without him realising it" I assured her and went back to find out what was for tea.

 

As we sat there eating pork chops for tea Mark came out with a comment and that event was unusual.

"It’s a pity that you have to work tonight and we have the Boss to look after Claire because I have enjoyed today" He said

"I don’t think there is much to do in the city of a night anyway" I said

"Don’t you believe it" Claire said "this is Scotland we can have fun on a wet bank holiday"

"Ok do you have to work tonight?" I asked

"Well we haven’t had a night off for weeks and it’s not as if we are on a rota or anything" Wynne said.

"Mathew, Mark if you are wiling to have some fun with me and Paul there as well, you know relax a bit do you fancy a night out?" I asked

"Well we are supposed to look after you" Mathew said

"Look I am talking about being in the same place as you but you cant spend your night shadowing or watching me or I will shout and Wynne will spank. Understand?" I said

"Yes Boss" He said

"Tonight it’s Kathy please" I said "I don’t want too much attention"

"Yes Kathy" he said

"Its like pulling teeth getting you to relax" Wynne said elbowing him in the side but her face was beaming.

"What about Jimmy and Jean?" I asked

"Leave them to it" Claire said nodding behind me and I glanced to see the two of them deep in conversation.

 

After dinner we decided to get ready together, I arranged some of my clothes to be brought to Wynne and Claire’s room and we all headed up.

"Well where are we going and what are we doing" I asked looking at the bundle of clothes that Anne had sent me off with.

"Well how do you fancy a visit to the cinema first with some dancing afterwards" Wynne said

"You have got a cinema working?" I said

"Yes though its choice of films is limited now" she admitted

"I don’t care normality for once in this madness is welcome" I said "Who’s first for the shower"

"Go on you go first as there is a lot more of me to wash" Claire said and I jumped in the shower.

 

What the hell do I wear looking at the selection that I had, I had never been out socially as a girl and whatever I had worn to dress as a girl had always been chosen for me. I decided on a pink top with no arms and just straps over the shoulder a denim skirt that didn’t come down to my knees and black tights that were opaque as the scars on my leg would be visible with sheer tights. Shoes what bloody shoes do I wear I thought after I was dressed and decided on the black shoes with a chunky heel, sort of a high heel sandal. Then came the makeup again I was able to do one makeup job on my face and modifying this for a night out was beyond my abilities.

"Do you want a hand" Wynne asked as she saw me wipe off my face again.

"Do you mind? I cant do this girl shit, I look like a clown in these clothes and I seem to be putting a clowns face on" I said irritated by my inability.

"Look relax you look fine and at least you realise when your make up doesn’t suit you. Too many women walk around looking like clowns as you put it." Wynne said.

With her help and explanations my basic look was modified rather than a whole new look. This meant I could and did do it and I tried to remember this for the future because looking in the mirror I liked it. Some colour added to the gentle aging that I had perfected, a bit darker red on the lips and some more colour on the eyelids. Mascara though is a nightmare and I curse the person who invented it and brought it back into fashion, I nearly lost an eye with that brush.

"Do you need the hardware?" Claire asked as I slipped the shoulder holsters on.

"Claire I have been caught running around in just a baby doll nightdress with no knickers on but I had a pistol" I told her "Sorry but it stays" and I slipped my flying jacket on grabbing my handbag I was ready.

The choice at the cinema wasn’t wonderful in fact it was one film. The cinema was from the early half of the last century and had been saved by a group of enthusiasts who had only shown classic films in it for the last twenty years and it was a bit of an institution in the city to head in to the cinema and find out what they had decided to play that night, it could be Singing in the Rain, Star Wars or The Exorcist it was what ever they felt like that night. Like all people with these obsessions there passion was beyond belief and they had got the place up and running despite all the shit going on around them but the people of the city loved it. We were lucky to get a seat after we queued for twenty minutes. Inside was a big old cinema steep stairs and a large screen we managed to get seats at the back.

As we sat down the lights dimmed and through the dark an old fashioned projector started up sending a beam of light over our heads to the screen. It was a good film I admit though an old one Terminator with that Austrian guy who became the head of the United Nations and I slipped my coat off and settled down to watch it. Paul’s arm sneaked around me and as I cuddled up to him it sneaked inside the arm hole of my top and cupped my boob through the bra I didn’t object no one could see and I enjoyed it the pleasant sensations radiating out from my boob causing me to grow warm between my legs and as his manipulation continued I grew wet. I heard a little gasp from my right and turned to glance at Claire sat next to me, Mathew’s hand was under her skirt and as she saw me look she blushed and started move her hand down to stop him. I reached and grabbed her hand and smiled at her and just cuddled back up with Paul while still holding her hand tight. A minute or two later she grasped my hand almost painfully tight for a while then relaxed. I squeezed back as it lay limp in mine to show understanding as Paul’s attention had turned to my legs and in the dark his hand worked its way up my skirt rubbing me through the tights. I spread my legs a fraction and he started rubbing at the right place, oh god I had got him well trained. As my passion built up I found myself squeezing Claire’s hand and crushing it as my orgasm hit as it lay limply in he hand she squeezed it back and after a minute or two to recover she whispered in my ear.

"Coming to the loo?"

We made our way to the aisle and through the doors and I looked at her.

"Oh god I’m sorry about that" I said "I was holding your hand and suddenly Paul got me"

"Did you enjoy it?" she asked

"Yes" I admitted

"Good because I did as well and holding your hand while I did was weird but nice and it was very nice it was returned. Seems strange but the fact that you were willing to share it with me even just through a hand has made you so much more vulnerable and human"

"I am both of those now were are these loo’s I need to pee. Is that what I have to do with every one to treat me as human?" I asked

"Maybe" Claire answered

"No I wouldn’t survive it" I told her

"But you would die happy" Claire through back and we both started laughing.

"What have you two been up to" Wynne asked coming through the doors and we were uncontrollable with laughter and the man coming through telling us to keep the noise down only made things worse.

We got to the toilets and I got in and got my tights and knickers down before I wet myself, as I cleaned myself up with lots of rather rough toilet paper Wynne shouted to us.

"Ok what was the joke"

"Claire and I were receiving a lot of male attention and then you come through asking what have we been up to" I said back

"You had to be part of it to understand it" Claire said sending us both into fits of laughter again.

We returned to the film after we had composed ourselves the man outside the entrance was the one who complained about the noise, he didn’t want to let us in.

"Please let us in our boyfriends are in there" Wynne said

"No you can wait till the film finishes it only has fifteen minutes" he said

"You don’t want us out here making a fuss do you when we could be in there being quiet and good" I said taking my coat off and letting him look at the pistols.

"Er no, if you ladies promise to keep the noise down you can go back in" he said quickly

"Thank you, you wont hear a peep out of us" I promised him as he opened the door to let us back in.

We watched the end of the film and were leaving when he tapped me on the shoulder.

"Are those real" he asked and Mark tapped him on his shoulder

"Yes they are, Why?" he asked

"Oh I was just wondering" he said and walked back into his cinema

"See I told you there was a good reason to bring the weapons" I said getting Wynne and Claire laughing.

"Its good to see you having a good time Kathy" Mark said making me laugh and leaving the three men very confused.

"Don’t worry its lack of alcohol that does it to us" Wynne said

"Oh please no. They are like this without alcohol what will they be like with it?" Mathew shouted slipping an arm around Wynne.

"Wait and see" Wynne said making him blush.

 

The lack of money had destroyed the business of the pubs in the old sector and most of the transactions were by barter. We had nothing to barter but Wynne and Claire assured us that it wasn’t necessary, as we walked up to the large man refusing entry to people on the door of the large pub advertising good food.

"We have a deal at the hospital, when this was initiated we threatened to go on strike unless our work counted as credit" Wynne said

"So now we can afford to eat out and get drunk all the time for the first time since I have been a nurse" Claire said.

"Fine" the bouncer said looking at the girls UKCC cards identifying them as nurses but he stopped me and Paul.

"Are you a Nurse?" he demanded

I took my coat off the sight of the guns and the dressing on my arm causing some gasps from people behind us in the queue.

"No I’m New Delphi" I said

"That will do nicely and thank you" he said letting us in before Mathew and Mark noticed I was missing.

"Can I take your coat Ma’am" a man in a suit asked and I passed it to him "and your firearms?"

"No" I said and walked up to the table where Wynne and Claire were being seated by there partners.

"What kept you?" Claire asked

"Blockage on the door" I said and Paul pulled out my seat for me and pushed it in as I sat down.

"Excuse me Ma’am" came a voice from behind me "may I put your weapons somewhere safe" the man said still holding my coat.

"No they are safe where they are thank you" I replied

"Ma’am maybe I am not making myself clear" he said

"Look you did not ask any of the men to check their firearms and there are not enough people in this place to remove them from me. So unless you want a scene that I guarantee you wont be able to handle go and get someone to take our order" I said to him and he disappeared.

"Excuse me" came another voice from the side of me

"Yes we would like to order please" I said and he ignored me.

"Sir we are not happy about the young lady carrying firearms in here" he said totally ignoring my presence.

"Try to take them of her then because she has seen a shit load more action than me and my brother here put together and if I were you I would count my balls before and after" Mark said and the man disappeared.

"Mark I don’t think I have ever heard you speak like that before, you surprise me" I said

"No blasphemy" Mark said "and the man was pissing me off" and I laughed loudly

"Please be more like this, I love you two like brothers but some time you’re so serious all the time" I said

"We’ll try but I think it’s the company" Mathew said smiling

A hand was placed on my shoulder and the men drew on whoever it was.

"Remove your hand or you are dead in five seconds" Mark said "Four, three, two" the hand moved.

"Now we don’t want any trouble" came a voice of the bouncer from the door.

"There will be no trouble but if anyone touches her again without her permission I will kill them if Kathy doesn’t first" Mark said

"Mark quiet a moment" I said "What seems to be the problem"

"Well young ladies shouldn’t carry weapons" the man said

"Well unfortunately how am I supposed to shoot the enemy? Point my finger and say bang?" I said

"Well there are no bad guys here" he said in a too calm tone "How about letting us mind them for you?"

"Look dick splash" I shouted at him "I have worn these since days after the world turned to shit. I wore them during the defence of Keld, the operation in Middlesbrough and in the attack on Newcastle. Yesterday I wore them as I fought to save this city. If you think a jumped up ape in a suit like you can take them try it big boy. You three don’t touch him he’s mine" I said angry as hell at this point.

It was comical to view he must have been six foot seven or eight and about twenty stone I might be five foot and seven stone but it had the attention of the whole place.

"Now look I don’t want to hurt ugh" he said as I punched him with all the force I could muster in his crotch which was at just the right height for me as he sank down I drew the pistol and pointed it at his head.

"If I didn’t know what I was doing with these weapons or I was not able to control myself you would be dead" I said to the man whose eyes were bulging.

"Now" I said replacing the pistol and sitting down "We would like to order please"

 

There was a bit of fuss around us as the fallen man was helped away but still no one was coming to serve us from behind the two brothers I saw four men now approaching two of them in police uniforms I drew my pistol and placed it on the table the men followed suit.

"Now what seems to be the problem here?" one of the policemen said

"We seem to be having some problem being served" I said

"No I mean what is this about you assaulting a man" he said

"He stepped towards me in a threatening manner after placing his hand on me with out permission so I dropped him" I said

"And the pistols" he said

"Are mine and nobody but me touches them" I said

"Oh and you wouldn’t consider putting them somewhere safe?" He asked

"No"

"Well I am afraid I am going to have to arrest you for a breach of the peace" he said

"Oh are they’re enough of you?" I asked

"I think so" he answered

"I think not" I said

"We don’t want any trouble"

"Well I am fucking trouble" I told him

"A sweet little thin like…" he stopped as I raised the pistol

"I am trouble, I am hell and I am death. Ten thousand people lie dead thanks to me I am Katherine and I am New Delphi for it would not exist without me and you would not be here. I am The Boss Lady and I am The Oracle and anyone who touches or tries to disarm any of my people against their will has me to answer to. Do you want to find out what trouble is?" I said this in a voice quiet enough only to carry to our table and the officers the one who had been talking to me went white.

"No that is fine Ma’am we will sort it out" And they went back to the other two men who they had a rapid argument with and left quietly.

"Oh I am so sorry Ma’am" the flunkey who had taken my coat said.

"Listen to me the courtesy that you extend to me here now is to be extended to all my people young or old male or female and if it isn’t I will hold you personally responsible" I told him "because if you had used these tricks to remove my sisters rifle from her I guarantee that you would have a new career singing soprano in the choir. If she let you live."

"Yes Ma’am we will take you orders now" he said

"Spread the word to the other establishments as well. Now move it get someone doing it as I don’t want my people arrested" I told him and he ran off after a lad who was waiting on tables.

"I apologise for that everyone and if they had asked for all weapons I would have been happy to but I will not be singled out because I am a young female" I said to the group at the table.

"Don’t worry about it, did you see his face when you punched him?" Claire said

"Did you see the policeman’s face?" Wynne replied

"Its never dull out with The Boss" Mark said setting us all off laughing.

"Drinks and food arrived both very good and as the evening wore on the tables were moved back and a dance floor was cleared. Various groups were doing the rounds of the pubs playing for fun and a few drinks seeing how their music went down in each place. So we had a bit of a sing song then a bit of a dance and then a bit of pipes and I can agree with them being declared a weapon. Around eleven in the evening a lad possibly a couple of years younger than me came around passing one of something to every table some people grabbed one each when they saw it. He came to our table and his face lit up.

"Here you are do you want one each?" he said never taking his eyes off me and passing a newspaper to everyone "Can I have an autograph?" he asked pulling out a chewed pen from his pocket an shoving it in front of me with a newspaper. I signed it Katherine The Oracle of New Delphi and looked at the paper he had left me.

 

The people of Edinburgh and the staff of this newspaper wish to apologise for the insult in print by another newspaper towards the heroic young lady who has woken up in this city a spirit lost since the Bonnie Prince Charlie left these shores. What does she ask, she asks that I as editor of this paper recognise the valour and the sacrifice that the people of this city made yesterday. In this special issue I will try to do that but it is inevitable that this paper will concentrate on her actions which are the actions of legend.

"Shit" I said as I looked at Frazier’s picture of me with the pistol this time in colour on the front page. I opened it and looked through he had concentrated on the people for a large part of the paper but about a third of it was me with lots of pictures and a couple of pages on Bernard the last page was the riot outside the Echo’s offices and a repeat of the apology.

"Shit" I said again

"Is this lot true?" Wynne asked as she read her copy.

"Like what?" I said

"You hit the barricades at Darlington first when you saw your men faltering walking backwards towards the guns shouting at individuals before turning to run at them." Wynne quoted

"Who did he get that one off?" I asked Mark

"Don’t know possibly Tom" he answered

"Is it true?" Wynne asked again

"Ask Mathew he was about half a second behind me" I said and she turned to him he looked through the paper.

"Yes that’s all roughly true, the only thing I disagree with is that she wasn’t ill at Keld she was nearly dying Bill the doctor though he might lose her" he said

"Look here’s one of all of you laughing." Claire said "was that your brother?" she asked Mark

"Yes that was after Kathy led us across the bridge in Newcastle to take them by surprise" he said looking sadly at the picture "Luke died shortly after" Claire squeezed his hand.

People in the pub were now starting to take notice of us not because of the front page as my disguise of blood and filth was hard to see through but the pictures taken at New Delphi had no such anonymity.

"Are you her" a man shouted

"Of course she is" another said and people started shouting all around.

I stood up and indicated for quiet "Look as it says on the front I feel the hero’s are all around you from an old Corporal who fought in Iraq to the teenagers and the housewives and fathers who were there. This city freed itself I did not free it I just helped a bit afterwards that’s all. If you can will you let us carry on with a pleasant evening which we are enjoying thoroughly with wonderful company and entertainment?" I asked them

"Get the woman a drink and get he music going" came a woman’s voice "otherwise we will be stuck with speeches all night"

"Thank you exactly my point of view" I said "Where’s the drink?"

A drink was produced and I smelt it Whisky a decent one though I was no expert a pint of bitter or a bottle of German wine was more my line.

"To the memories of those who gave all for this city may they always be remembered" I said and drained the glass, not a single measure and the earthy taste of the spirit filled my moth and a heat spread from my throat into my belly. I smiled at them as I refused to cough or splutter.

"Aye that’s the way it should be done lass and a fitting toast too" a voice shouted out and the place stood and drank to my toast.

"Now how about some fun these two nurses here told me this city was the only place for music and fun" I shouted and the music started again.

"You have a knack for reading a situation" Claire said "you got them just right"

"But if it had come from a middle aged man they would have told him to piss off" I replied

"Out of the mouths of babes" Mathew said "not meaning that you’re a baby Boss" he threw in quickly.

 

The singing continued and so did the drinking and dancing with all of us very drunk and very silly including Mathew and Mark we decided to make a move back and hit a problem how could we get the Land Rover back with us.

"I can drive" Wynne insisted as she sat on a doorstep because the ground kept moving.

"Shod off I’m pissed as a fart yet I know your too drunk to drive" I told her "Ofisher, ofisher can I speak to you a moment"

A police officer came up to me luckily not one of the ones from earlier "Can I help you miss?" he said

"Can you call up your polish station and ask who is on radio for New Delphi please" I asked him and he did.

"Some one called Suki" he said

"Can I plase borrow your radio a moment ofisher" I asked and after a moments thought he passed me the mike

"Shuki are you there?" I asked

"Is that you boss?" came Suki’s voice

"Yesh and we have a little bit of a ploblem, we went out for a bit of fun and now we are all int..incoticat…pissed can you give a shout to see if some one can drive us and the Land Rover back to the hospuddle" I asked

"No problem Boss I’ll sort it, did you enjoy your self?" she asked

"Oh yes and I found a very nice polish ofisher as well here" I told her

"Good you needed some fun you’ve been wound too tight. Harris has volunteered to drive you in he will be with you soon if you tell me where you are" Suki said

"Scotland I think, yes I’m sure its Scotland because they were all very nice and a lot of them talk like Bernard" I told her

"No your right Boss now put the police officer back on and Harris will be there soon" Suki said so I did.

 

The police officer sat us in the vehicle till Harris arrived and he started apologising

"I’m sorry I took so long Ma’am but I had to sort out a lift" He said

"Sergeant Harris" I said

"Yes Ma’am"

"You are hereby ordered to relax you are a good man who worries about people he cares for and you are loved for that. Now you have been dragged out in the middle of the night to pick up a load of drunks don’t apologise. Thank you for coming Harris I promish not to make a habit of it. Thank you ofisher and I am sorry for any incov...inconoc…trouble we have caused you have a good night" I said "Lets go to bed"

 

Paul helped me into bed and I grabbed him as he slipped in next to me.

"Oh god I love you so much" I told him hugging him tight

He hugged me back and kissed me "I love you too you drunken wench" he told me and I could feel him pressing into my stomach proving if not his love, then his lust.

I rolled on my back and spread my legs "Come on you randy bastard make me feel loved" and he did repeatedly before he came pumping inside me, I was asleep before he climbed off me.

 

I woke up the next morning with a lot less of a hangover than I could of expected I could feel Paul’s body behind me and I rolled over to look at him. He was on his back head tilted over towards me mouth slightly open. I slid my hand little hand onto his chest teasing his nipples and the small group of hairs on his chest. I then slid it down his stomach into the mass of pubic hair that surrounded his penis, I grasped the soft warm object in my hand and squeezed it feeling it start to respond with a twitch then it rose under the sheets. I moved my hand up and down a few times then pulling the sheets back straddled him without letting my weight touch him. I reached down and manipulated the head of his hard cock to where I wanted it and then sank down on it feeling it stretch me and pushing my internal organs to allow his entry. I sank forwards onto his chest and reach back to pull the covers over us.

"You know how to wake a guy up" Paul whispered in my ear as he made sure I was under the covers an then slid his arms around me.

"Just making sure you know your mine and I’m yours" I said enjoying his body against mine. I moved my head and found his lips and as I kissed him with just a little movement of my hips was able to rub my clitoris against his pubic bone which I did taking my pleasure from him as my orgasm built up I was kissing him hard and he held me tight as I shuddered and gasped through it. I lay there recovering on top of him with him still hard inside me.

"Your turn now" I told him and kissed him then raised myself on my hands, finding the right muscles I gave him a long hard squeeze first which was good for me as well. I started moving slowly up his body his cock coming out of me till just the head was left inside me, then I slammed back down on it. I repeated this for a while until Paul’s hands found my hips and he started dictating the pace, physically lifting me up and down on his cock faster and faster until he pulled me down hard and held me there I gave him a couple of very hard squeezes and he exploded in a hot flood inside me.

"Oh Jesus Kathy, I love you so much. But I am so scared of losing you." He said.

"Why, I have a man who I love, who is brave, handsome, young and well trained" I gave him one last squeeze as he softened inside me "what makes you think I may want anyone else?"

"No it’s just with this thing that you are becoming a legend as it said in the paper and it’s right you are a legend. I am just a man how can I be part of your life when you are so much more?" he said holding me

"Look before you start putting yourself down, you were part of the resistance risking your life to make it easier for my people" I told him "Then you fought with my crew all through Newcastle never once flinching at the stupid games we play. There are three elite units in this army, Wendy’s who are mobile snipers never in close but dangerous and lethal. There was the team that I took into Middlesbrough professional soldiers the best Bernard could put together and gradually they are taking leadership roles within this mob pulling civilians into a fighting force. But the true elite within this army that I am so proud of is my team, they go where no one would dream of going. They follow me whatever I decide needs to be done and they never hesitate. At the core of this unit are you Mark and Mathew. Even in Newcastle you were there at my side fighting all the way. You are not some man you are a hero in the team that kicks the most arse in this army and you are my man. Arthur had his Queen and Robin had Marion, I don’t have one of those sit at home worrying partners. I have a man who will be there at my side fighting for me, with me making me proud"

"Do I make you proud?" he asked

"You made me glad of my decision in that house where we found your brother. You made me proud to fight with you the same day as we crossed that bridge in the fog. To have you as my man, my lover and know that you are that sort of person, I just can’t explain how that makes me feel. But before you decide to start playing stupid games to impress me more I will not hesitate in dropping a round through your leg to stop you." I warned him

"Just as long as you leave my dick I don’t mind" he told me and hugged me tight.

 

I sat on the loo as he showered letting the products of our lovemaking drip from me then jumped in the shower myself and finding one of my uniforms had been cleaned by someone with my boots also I got dressed. Paul was dressed similarly as it had been adopted by my team, the standard British army working dress. Looking I thought I need some thing to identify my crew to make them proud of what they do.

 

Sitting down at breakfast with the brothers and there respective partners I saw the brothers were looking sheepish at me.

"Right what’s up with you two?" I demanded sitting there with my coffee

"Well its just we were drunk and we weren’t thinking about your safety last night" Mark said

"I should bloody well hope not with the company you had" I told him "Did you two enjoy yourselves?" I asked Wynne and Claire

"Oh yes" Claire said

"Many times" Wynne said making Mathew blush

"Good that is all that is important, I gather you two enjoyed yourselves or you wouldn’t look so guilty. So relax it was fun and we will do it again" I told them.

"Can you tell me where you are going before hand Ma’am" Harris said arriving with breakfast "I wandered for ages trying to find you, I was so worried you would be angry"

"Harris don’t worry, thank you for coming to pick up us drunken bums. If it had been Wendy she would have told me to piss off and find a doorway to sleep in" I told him.

"She wouldn’t do that Ma’am" Harris said

"Wendy" I shouted "If in the early hours of the morning I asked you to come and get us because we were too drunk what would you say?"

"Go away little sister, if you want the polite answer" Wendy shouted back.

"What about you Jimmy" I asked seeing Jimmy was arriving with Jean at that time.

"I would remind Ma’am that she has legs and should use them" Jimmy said pulling a chair out for Jean at our table which was now four tables pushed together.

"See Harris your worth your weight in gold and we" I indicated the room "appreciate it"

Harris blushed "Thank you Ma’am I only try to do my best" he said and left to get Jimmy and Jean a drink.

"Jimmy how does it go with relatives of the dead?" I asked

"When I explained what you would like to do I had no objections but some of them would like to bring certain Priests or Rabbi’s with them." He said

"If we can fit them on the ship no problem, is Ian here yet?"

"Yes and he will have a medium wave and a long wave station up and running today. He says that the FM station isn’t worth the effort for the coverage yet" Jimmy explained

"Fine however he thinks it should be done. Can you get him to get the details of the funeral to New Delphi as we will have to depend on the people of Keld to put people up." I told him.

"Well what have you got planned today?" I asked everyone

"Well Wynne and I have a request" Claire said

"Go on" I said

"Well we feel that two decent casualty nurses could be useful to you in the future" Wynne said

"Come on tell the truth" I told them "You don’t want to let these two get away"

"Yes" Claire said slipping an arm around Mark "I don’t know how it will go but I want to give it a go."

"I’ll introduce you to Bill later and I can’t see him objecting to more help" I told them

 

We headed into the town Claire had suggested a tailors shop that did a side line on fabric badges.

"Oh hello Ma’am and what can our establishment do for you today?" the man asked

"Well I am after badges for twenty five men who deserve to be recognised as what they are" I said

"I’m sorry Ma’am but with our computer down we cant, as all the badges were done by machine. I can probably sort something out but without the automation it will be a few weeks for that number at least" he said very apologetically.

"Is that the computer?" I asked pointing to the monitor and keyboard looking very out of place in the shop he nodded and I sat down and got to work. It was a little more complex the damage than the Newspaper one but after fifteen minutes I switched off and watched it boot up.

"Oh Ma’am how did you manage that I have had a young lad on it who knows these things for days" he told me

"You have just got to have the knack I told him. You lot except Paul go have fun for a while if you decide on dinner somewhere tell me please" I said

"But Boss" Mark said

"No buts go and have fun come back in an hour and I will possibly be ready" I said pushing him towards the door.

"Well Ma’am you have helped us we have all our patterns and catalogues back" the man said "What can I do for you?"

 

We sat there discussing what I was after and he seemed to understand how important I considered it though the first problem was what the team was called. We had nearly decided on New Delphi Special Unit when Paul decided the initials NDSU sounded like something you might catch if you were promiscuous. The Oracle’s Own Specialist Force was the final decision OOSF being pretty innocuous as initials go. We decided on a shield shaped badge and with a bit of help from Mr. McKinney and his son who was the computer man of the shop we came up with the design of a Greek soldier side on in bronze colour on a black background a silver pistol in each corner and O.O.S.F. underneath.

"Have you got a motto Ma’am?" the man asked

"No I hadn’t thought of it" I said "any ideas Paul"

"No" he admitted "Bringing death swiftly?" he suggested and I shook my head

"A light in the darkness?" Mr. McKinney suggested

"More like what I’m after" I admitted "but not quite"

"When the valiant fall they are forever one of us" I said "not quite and its too long"

"When we fall we are forever honoured" McKinney suggested

"That sounds good, it’s not too pretentious?" I asked him

"It’s meant to be pretentious" he said

"Change the when to if and you’ve got it" I said "If we fall we are forever honoured. Doesn’t sound bad at all what do you think Paul?"

"Yes sounds good" he said nodding.

"When can you get this lot done for" I asked

"All of them three for each of them for different uniforms tomorrow evening." He said

"If I invite you to dinner tonight can I get one for each of them tonight" I asked

"On one condition," he said "I want the freedom to try a few other things and if I need to invite a couple of other people to this meal as well as payment"

"Fine if you have wives or anyone else you want to bring please do the more the merrier" I told him and shook his hand as we left.

 

Outside I found the brothers not a hundred yards away instead of enjoying themselves they were waiting for me.

"Come on you lot I’m done now. It was just some bits and pieces I had to do. I want to go to that place we got drunk in last night" I told them

 

Outside the pub that we had got drunk in last night I looked up to see it was called The Queens Head I hadn’t noticed last night. Now on a blackboard stood outside were the words The Oracle ate here. I walked into the pub which just had a few people in now and no bouncer.

"What can I do for you" the man behind the bar said

"Can we have a word with the Landlord please?" I asked him

"One moment I’ll just get him" he said and disappeared through a door.

 

One of the men from last night came through the door looking half asleep and suddenly woke up as he saw us.

"Oh shit" he said "if it’s about the sign I’ll take it down"

"No calm down come and sit down for a moment and can your man bring us some coffee’s?" I asked and he organised that while we sat down.

"I have a request, what’s your name?" I asked him

"Kevin Ma’am" he said

"Kathy," and I held out my hand and he shook it.

"Kevin I see your using the fact that I ate here once outside" I said to him.

"Yes I saw you enjoyed yourself so I was going to try to use that fact" he said

"How would you like to use the fact that The Oracle who you know as Kathy eats here and The Oracle officially created The Oracles Own Specialist Force here the most celebrated and elite fighting force since the SAS here?"

"Well it would be good for business now and for a hell of a long time" he said

"Bullshit man" Paul said "It will mean you are set up for life"

"Well yes what do I have to do" Kevin asked

"Well I want use of this place from nine till probably midnight tonight after that you can let more people in but I don’t want it too full. I will be bringing at the most sixty people but probably less for a meal a proper sit down meal and I can arrange for food, booze and an excellent chef for you to work with. Though I would like two shots of something special on the Scotch line for everyone if you can find something. If you can do that I will make a point of making it known and obvious that I frequent this place whenever I am in this city" I told him

"Do you want entertainment?" he asked

"Yes like last nights lot but nothing too heavy" I answered "do we have a deal?"

"Yes but I think I’m robbing you blind" he said smiling "and sorry about last night"

"You would have been" I said as I left.

 

The rest of the day was spent around the hospital, I left Wynne and Claire with Bill and got Suki to organise my team to be clean and tidy at the Queens Head at eight forty five. I had a word with Jimmy to tell him what I was doing and he approved and accepted his invitation as did Tom. I checked up on everything I could and sent a message to Major Bruce inviting him. I sent Harris down to the pub telling him that I wanted this to be special and to see what he could do. As I got ready that evening alone I looked in the mirror at myself I had aged ten years since this had started with the makeup on I could be mistaken for a woman in her twenties. I still had my insecurities and lots of problems but as a person I was a confident woman and I had to admit it I was happy as a woman. Most of the support I had got was because of my age and my sex but now with Paul to rely on and hold tight I was enjoying my new sex. I straightened my beret, checked the uniform one last time and then checked my weapons before heading out to meet everyone. Bill, Tom and Jimmy were ready as were the brothers and Paul, Wynne and Claire were just arriving dressed up the whole hog.

"If we have a driver shall we move?" I asked and headed out to the Land Rover.

 

Some of my people were gathered already around one Land Rover and a minibus was pulling up as we drove up.

"How long before everyone is here?" I asked Suki

"Five minutes Boss, and Boss should I be here really?" she asked looking uncomfortable

"Why because your only a lowly radio operator or because you’re a young woman?" I asked

"Well its just I don’t do the fighting" she said

"Yet you stand there with me with just your radio to defend you while bullets fly around you. Your faith means that you are not willing to kill people be proud of that and proud of the fact that you are an important member of my team. How would I cope without you?" I said to the girl who was so unsure of herself here yet was always there when I needed her.

"Ok Boss" she said

"Keep them out here and in order while I check everything is ready. Thump them if they need it" I told her and she laughed.

 

Inside I found everything in order and Mr McKinney and his wife and son he introduced me to two other men and there wives a jeweller James Cockburn and a milliner another James, James Morrow.

"Now you said I could have a free hand, a bit?" Mr McKinney said

"Yes and I meant it" I told him

"Well here are your unit badges" he said and showed me the badge done in metallic thread on a black background with a red border. Underneath was the motto, legend or whatever you want to call it in fine white thread.

"Those are fantastic" I told him

"Good I know there are a few minor changes but it seemed for the better. Now to James here" he turned to the milliner "I noticed that your men are without headgear so I had a word with him and he came up with these."

He pulled out a royal blue beret and showed it to me.

"The colour hasn’t been used by other units of the British forces, but although it’s not the red of the Para’s or the green of the Marines I think it will become the same sort of image in peoples minds" he said

"Yes my people will make it so" I told him "thank you"

"Finally James Cockburn here, I got him to work and I must admit he has done a miraculous job with the time he had and you have twenty five of these" he handed me a small jewellery box. I opened it and inside was a beret badge in silver about two inches across. It was a Greek style woman’s head with two pistols underneath and a laurel wreath around all of it.

"They are rough" the jeweller said "and give me a week and you can have some decent ones"

"They are fantastic" I insisted

"No they should be more like this" he passed me another box slightly larger I opened it and inside was the same thing but a bit bigger and in gold. The work and the detail was exquisite it was the work of a master.

"I think that you put in a hell of a lot of work into that yourself" I told him

"Well the others have just been cast and quickly cleaned up. That one is a special job if you will have it." He said

"What do you mean if I will have it? Of course I will and I will be proud to wear it" I told him "Though I don’t know how I will repay any of you as I have nothing but my guns and Paul here"

"Its easy" Mr McKinney said "For this unit from now on only us three supply you with these items, free of charge of course and we can use that fact in advertising, tastefully not like some people" he said nodding towards Kevin.

"On one condition, the fact that if I end up with a large team that at my discretion I may make payments to you. If I ever have anything to pay with." I told them and stuck my hand out to them. They looked at each other and nodded the deal was struck.

 

As I was introduced to the wives I whispered to the Jeweller.

"James what’s Mr McKinney’s name?"

"I haven’t got a clue and I have known him seventeen years he just is" he answered.

"Well you lot" I said to Jimmy, Bill and Tom "time to let them in"

Jimmy signalled the flunky from the night before and he went to let them in. "Might as well make use of him" Jimmy said

"Do what you want with him they are crawling to me after last nights fun and games" I said

"What fun and games?" he asked

"I’ll tell you later" I said as they were coming in.

 

We ate and drank first though alcohol was not on my menu tonight and unfortunately I was stuck on the top table with my guests, Jimmy and Jean, Bill and Tom.

"Sorry about dragging you to this Tom but I felt it had to be done properly" I said as he escaped Mrs McKinney for a second

"I’ll forgive you this time but next time I set Muriel on you." He joked as the food was finished the flunky in the suit stood up.

"Ladies and Gentlemen may we have silence please for Katherine The Oracle Of New Delphi" he said while banging a glass.

I stood up and looked at my team twenty two men and three women a few had brought guests but not the majority.

I took a deep breath "My friends I look around at the men and women who came some of you initially to our rescue and others through other means. Most of you initially came to this unit as a protection for me, I don’t know why Jimmy and other people feel I needed protection I think they worry too much" I got a giggle with that. "But the function of this unit changed on the first day in Darlington as we hit the barricades this unit showed the rest what courage was. In Newcastle some of you were co-opted into this group but again this unit matured no longer just an aggressive force but a specialist elite unit willing to work with firearms, knives or bare hands. On that bridge you followed me through the fog not knowing what was there and succeeded. Here in his city in the blood bath that occurred you were there guiding people, inspiring people and never hesitating in the face of danger. I feel that the time has come for you to be recognised as something different. Everyone who has fought under the banner of New Delphi is a hero risking their lives for my beliefs, but you are something exceptional so I am hereby giving you an identity. I have always called you my team or the Imperial Guard both of which I will still use but the twenty five and one who has fallen shall be known from now on as The Oracles Own Specialist Force or OOSF and that from your actions is a name that will mean something. Basically everyone is going to know you’re the crazy bastards who run around after the loony cow doing the impossible for her." This got a lot of laughs but a few gasps from the wives either side of me.

I walked around to the front of the table "So if I can have you in a line shortest to tallest and yes Mathew, Mark your going to have to fight it out at the back." This got even more laughs and they started sorting themselves out in a line in front of me Suki first.

"Suki here feels that the fact that she doesn’t carry weapons should exclude her from this as it’s not fair on the rest of you. What is everyones opinion on this?" this got all of them shouting in support of Suki telling her not to be silly and many other less polite comments.

"See your one of the team and if you think I’m risking arguing with them you have got another thing coming" I told the blushing girl, "So here you are you’ve earned them" passed her the beret, the badge and the small box and gave the small woman a big hug.

"Thank you Boss" she whispered and she was nearly crying as she went back to her table. I carried on through the team with a hug and kiss for each of them and a word or two till it was just Mathew and Mark there in front of me.

"Ah my perpetual shadows, my friends you two have got me out of the line of fire more times than I care to think of and for that I thank you and the unit badge has bit on for Luke. If we fall we are forever honoured." I said "because we shall not forget those who we lose, ever." I told them.

"So you two have three sets of these one to go back with you to our father because despite the fact of it not existing then as such, Luke was one of you" I said to them and hugged them and kissed each of them.

"I notice a minor problem here but I am going to throw it over to you. If you want this can be one of you traditions. Is there any one here who has fought with this team you felt should be part of your number who has not been recognised yet?" I asked

"Well Ma’am" Suki said as spokesman after a little discussion amongst themselves "We have two people we can’t understand not being included. First of all Paul he has been there all the way"

"You cant hide there now Paul it has been decided, get out here and get what’s coming to you" I told him firmly getting more laughs as he walked forward.

"Aymaneyedidntwamamakafoos" he said his accent coming through even stronger with his embarrassment

"For anyone here who doesn’t speak Geordie that was yes man but I didn’t want to make a fuss" I told them provoking even more laughter "Paul you should have been up with the others but your modesty kept you back. I feel and this is me speaking as impartially as I can about you that time and time again you have distinguished yourself in action with this group as has every one here. I feel that this is earned as much as anyone else’s here" I hugged him and then kissed him long and hard getting whistles from the floor.

"Ok I’m biased" I said "but the choice was yours and yours alone. You said two Suki who else?" I asked looking around.

"You Ma’am" she said

"Oh, oh" I said slightly surprised.

"We may follow how did you put it "The Loony Cow" doing the impossible but that is not how this unit works. You decide what needs to be done and we do it and at the centre of that we, is you Boss. You have talked about our courage yet you are the person who gives us that courage. When things are the worst when bullets are flying and that knot of fear grips me tight, for I am not a brave woman, you walk past with bullets flying and stop in the midst of them. What do you stop for a rest or cover no you stop to say "are you ok there Suki come on then lets carry on" as if we were going for a walk. I know you do this with all of us watching over us making sure we are fine first. Now you see why I’m the radio operator I never stop talking" Suki said getting a big laugh.

"Basically" Suki continued "you should be classed as part of this unit as well as it’s commander though to me you will always be the person who saved me from Middlesbrough and Boss" she finished getting applause.

"Well this was for you to show how proud I am to have fought with you and I must admit I was not planning on taking the blue. But that honour offered by you freely I will accept proudly, if you Suki will do the honours" I said "I have to get my own back after that little speech" I told them as Suki came forward.

"What do I do Boss?" Suki asked but before I could answer Jimmy came up by her side and whispered in her ear.

"You are here because we have had the honour to fight with you and no matter what the risks you fought you faced them with courage and compassion. Do you Katherine The Oracle of New Delphi swear that you will lead us with honour, fight with us bravely and love us as you have?" Suki asked me

"I will" I said a huge lump in my throat.

"I hereby give you the Blue Beret of this unit and we will not fail you Ma’am" Suki said placing a beret on my head the tears were running down my face freely now as I hugged her tight.

"Fail me, how could any of you think you might fail me after what you have done already" I said releasing her "No person here even if you quit now could be accused of failing me because you have done your part many times over. Thank you for this" I indicated the beret "I shall wear it proudly"

The flunky took over again at this point and said "There will now be two toasts at the request of The Oracle"

I stood behind the table with my first glass "Ladies and gentlemen my friends the first toast is simple to those we have lost may they never be forgotten" I downed the glass of Scotch slamming it down on the table causing a little whisper to my right but every one followed suit.

"Secondly to the men and women I proudly fight alongside the members of the double Oh S F. I couldn’t find better men and women anywhere may you keep your weapons clean and your heads down the OOSF" It was a crap toast but Suki’s bit and the first toast had got me rather flustered and as the second Scotch was headed down to join the first I thought sod it and slammed the glass down.

"Er Excuse me before you all finish" came Jimmy’s voice amongst the talking.

"HEY YOU LOT LISTEN UP FOR TWO MINUTES" He roared getting silence.

"I’m standing so I’m talking and I apologise for my language in advance to the ladies. Some of you know a bit of my history for those of you who don’t I was Marines then SBS and I have worked with some mean bastards. I am proud to be asked here tonight to witness this the birth of a regiment that will be respected forever, but I am even more proud to have fought with you because I have seen you in action and above all you do the deed when it has to be done. I don’t always agree with what this loony bitch decides to do herself but I know that she does it for the right reasons and I will sleep easier knowing you bastards are there with her and god help anyone in your way. This regiment has distinguished itself already and will do so again as you are some of the best I have seen in action and I have seen a lot. I give one last toast if the gentlemen will refill your glasses" Jimmy said and waited for the waiters to finish.

"Ladies and Gentlemen I propose this toast to the person I know saved my life in Middlesbrough and the person who again and again has acted in complete disregard of her safety to make sure others are safe. This young woman has brought victory upon victory with few losses through her planning and in action she is a mean bitch I wouldn’t want to tangle with, yet her worries at the end of a battle are the lost and wounded on both sides. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you The Boss Lady, Katherine, The Oracle of New Delphi" and he drained his glass and the rest stood and then did the same.

I had everyone looking at me to say more so I stood up for a moment "I have said my part and nobody wants speeches all night so go have fun and enjoy yourselves you deserve it" and I sat back down.

 

The music started and people started relaxing as the tables were moved out of the way. I saw Harris about to make a move out.

"Harris" I shouted and waved him over.

"Yes Ma’am" he said

"You had a lot to do with that meal didn’t you?" I said to him

"You could tell Ma’am" He said smiling

"Well that wasn’t the work of some pub chef was it?"

"No Ma’am I kicked him out of the kitchen then got a couple of my own lads in" he admitted

"It was gorgeous now have some fun" I told him

"Ma’am?" he said

"Look I am not ordering you to so drop the Ma’am I am saying stay enjoy yourself have fun for a bit you deserve it" I said gently

"Yes Ma’am though I keep the Ma’am thank you" and he went to get a drink.

I thanked the two James and Mr McKinney who all assured me the investment would be worth it.

"Besides this is fun" said the Jewellers wife.

"Can’t get a better reason than that" James said smiling

"My dear can I have a word with you a moment" Mr McKinney said

"Certainly" I said taking him off to one side "What can I do for you?"

"Well it’s more what I can do for you" he said "It’s that uniform"

I looked down at the uniform I couldn’t see anything wrong.

"What about it?" I asked

"Well its nothing up with the uniform someone has done a good job but that uniform on you is obviously a mans cut down to fit you" he said he looked at the seam closely "Good work here is it yours?" he asked

"No, I cant do much more than thread a needle this is the work of one of Jimmy’s men, Milligan" I said

"Its unusual to find a young man this skilled I gather he has some training in the trade. If you and him come tomorrow morning we will see what we can rustle up for you." He told me.

"I have to head back to New Delphi tomorrow by ship for the funerals" I said sadly

"Well if you get time before then as this will take me a few days, if not then please come when you get back from that sad task as Mrs McKinney is quite adamant that I have to get you outfitted properly and she can be quite a tyrant" he said and I looked at the little lady in her early sixties who even I had a couple of inches on height wise and I smiled at her.

"Mrs McKinney" I said walking up to her "If you feel I need to have my uniforms sorted out then I would be proud to have your husbands help and advice" I said

"Good I didn’t want to offend you but with such a pretty young girl in such an important job the correct dress and look is essential. Even people like Major General Brown use to come to his shop for uniforms" She said

"Well he was buried in full dress uniform and when I said goodbye I know he looked good in it." I told her.

"Good he was a fine man only fitting he should go looking his best" Mr McKinney said "though during his fittings he made Mrs McKinney blush something awful"

"Yes but as both Mrs McKinney and I know he might have said the most awful things but they were always said nicely and by a real gentleman weren’t they" I said turning to her

"Oh yes he was ever such the gentleman, just so naughty" she said giggling I noticed her husband frowning.

"Now I promise I will be there tomorrow morning at nine, but tonight is a celebration for these people please go have fun and enjoy yourself with them." I said guiding them to a table and escaped.

I sat down next to Paul for a while then Jimmy came up holding Jean by the hand "Can we sit here for a moment?" he asked

"Help yourself your company’s always welcome

"Good I think I have just been insulted by a tailor and his wife" he said

"Why?" I asked not imagining the two of them insulting anyone.

"He suggested that tomorrow afternoon I should visit his shop and he will see what he can do to get me looking proper as in these times a Captain needs to look his best." Jimmy said

"Yes and it’s tomorrow afternoon because he’s grabbed me in the morning "I told him laughing as I did. "He didn’t threaten his wife getting irate on you did he?"

"No thank god" he said "I have enough women bossing me about without any more he said looking at me then Jean.

"Ooh are you sorting him out Jean?" I asked

"Too right" she said smiling at him

"See what I mean Paul all against me, bring back living in a hedge for six weeks at a time." He told Paul lifting his eyes to heaven only to be punched in the ribs by Jean.

I looked at my old beret with Bernard’s badge on then looked at my new one it was a pity to retire Bernard’s as I felt it brought me luck.

"What’s up Kathy?" Jimmy said sensing my mood.

"Oh I will just be sad not to wear this of Bernard’s" I said showing him the gold badge.

"Stick the two on the same beret" he said and I just looked at him

"Put the two on the one beret Monty did, you know who Monty was?" he asked

"Montgomery of the Desert Rats during the Second World War faced Rommel in North Africa and then was part of the Operation Overlord to retake Europe took charge at the Battle of the Bulge and upset Eisenhower with his memoirs" I said without thinking.

"Jesus you know a lot about the man have you studied him?" Jimmy said and I thought no I hadn’t and I could remember the program that I had seen on him thirteen years ago. My memory of the program was clearer than as if it had been yesterday.

"Oh I watched a program about him shortly before this happened" I told Jimmy still pondering what had happened to my mind.

"Well do the same as him put the two side by side as no one will argue with you" he said taking the two berets and doing it "there" he said "do you think that works love"

"Yes" said Jean "though they both need to come around a bit, yes that’s it" she said as Jimmy adjusted things on my head.

 

James had been swapping berets and had finally got everyone with headgear that fitted and the blue was striking.

"Pity we haven’t got a camera here" Jean said

"Wait a moment" Jimmy said and walked outside a few minutes later he came back in.

"I gave Horace Johnston a shout, sent one of the lads to his office he will be here in a moment" he told us "but after a few photographs we will have to let some of the public in its nearly a riot out there"

 

The big bouncer came across to our table "Excuse me Ma’am" he said keeping his distance "but there is a gentleman outside who says he’s been invited. I wouldn’t bother you but he doesn’t seem to be the same as the idiots out there. Piss off before you get brain damage works with them he insists you will be very angry if I don’t tell you. So I thought I better." The man had obviously put a lot of thought into the speech as language seemed to be a new skill he had learnt.

"If he has a camera and his name is Horace you can let him in, what’s your name?" I asked him.

"Quentin Ma’am" he whispered "but every one calls me Beef" he said louder

"Good name Beef suits you a bit more than the other one. If it’s not Horace get a name and come and tell us and Beef sorry about last night." I told him

"Look Ma’am I didn’t agree with taking your guns in the first place and then I was doing as the boss said but you got me good. Surprised me I must admit I didn’t expect a little thing like you to go straight for the knackers. But at least you didn’t shoot me" he said.

"No hard feelings?" I said offering a hand

"No Ma’am" he said with a smile his huge hand engulfing mine and he walked back to the door.

"What was that about?" Jimmy demanded

"They made the mistake of trying to remove Kathy’s pistols last night" Paul told him laughing and Jimmy joined in.

"So what happened" Jean was demanding looking confused.

"She made us lot sit down and as Beef there made a move on her she punched him" Paul said

"Yes and?" Jean said

"She punched him straight up with all her force in err.." Paul hesitated trying to think of a polite term

"In the goolies, the balls or the bollocks depending on your preference" Jimmy said the tears streaming down his face.

"Err yes" Paul continued "and then she stuck her gun in his face he had to be helped away"

"Who did what to who?" Horace said arriving escorted by Quentin

"Nothing to print I’m afraid. But I have a favour will you take some Photo’s here of this lot and us as a team?" I asked him

"What’s the occasion" he asked

"These are the brave fools that protect Kathy and follow where she leads no mater where it takes them" Jimmy said to him "These guys have been through shit that would make the rest of your hair fall out. Kathy decided and I agree that they need some recognition for that so they are now a regiment The Oracles Own Specialist Force and they have a badge and have taken the Blue Beret." Jimmy said

"You didn’t tell me this was going on. Shit can I use one of your guys to send a message to the office before they roll?" Horace said flustered

"I’m sorry I didn’t think it was news" I said to him.

"You are all news, everything about you is news and this The Oracle honours her men is news, I need to know everything that happened" he said

"Talk to the guys if they don’t mind after the photos" I said "because I gather there is a crowd outside"

"Yes there’s a crowd the leaflets said you would be here tonight and entrance was limited" he replied

"Shit that fucking Kevin" I said "Paul lets go and have a few words"

"Kevin, KEVIN" I shouted as the man heard me and made a move to the door behind the bar.

"Yes Kathy what can I do for you?" his face was white.

"Well its more what I can do to you" I told him "What do you think would happen to this place if I suggested my disapproval of your actions regarding advertising the fact I was here tonight?"

His Adams Apple was bobbing up and down like a demented creature "Well I apologise but I thought"

"No you thought you would make a decent profit" Paul said

"Yes" I followed in with "but you aren’t going to do that while I am here. BEEF" I shouted and the man came over.

"Beef my friend Kevin here has come up with a solution to the people out there. While we get our photo’s taken can you go to the other three pubs on this street and suggest they move lots of tables outside. Because we are going to move this celebration outside and it’s only fair to share the business." I told him

"That’s a better idea Boss you should have thought of that first" the large man said as he moved off.

"Kevin if you organise some of your people to start moving tables and chairs outside it will be most appreciated" I told him "more people, more business means more profit for you. Though if I hear any complaints I agree with I will be sad and when I’m sad all my big friends are sad too. But that’s not going to happen is it?" and I left the man standing there.

"Kathy can I have a photo of you alone first?" Horace asked

"Yes but if you are making this your front page I want a photo of me and this lot as your main front page photo, with their names and where they are standing"

He looked at me for a moment weighing it up "Fine do you always play this way"

"How do you mean?" I asked as he arranged me as he wanted

"You twist everything as you want it" he replied

"Well if I didn’t I wouldn’t be wining all the time would I" and I smiled just as the camera flashed "you got off light look at Kevin there" I said and started to organise the group photo. The photo’s taken we started to move outside into the screaming and shouting a vee of men with Beef at the front parted the crowd but my men were getting knocked about this wasn’t on. I fired half a dozen shots into the air and the people split.

"Get me onto that table" I told Mathew and Mark and I stood there with my pistol in my hand

"What the hell do you think you are doing to my men" I shouted at the crowd "This was their night my chance to thank twenty five of the bravest men and women I have ever known and you do this to them. I suggested we move outside because of the number of people out here who wanted to see me, but now I wonder if I wasn’t mistaken. I will give you the benefit of the doubt and let you come to their party but if things get silly or they start worrying about protecting me because of the number of people pushing and shoving I will take it back inside as tonight is their night, for the men and women who wear the Blue Beret are special as shown by there deeds alone. You are wondering how people get in this unit I will tell you. People who wear that fight with me in the most dangerous of locations on the battlefield after they have fought with my unit for a while they will decide, not I, if you rate one. Mine was decided by them and I wear mine with pride. So show respect for them and try to enjoy your evening in their company" I told the crowd and they backed off and started looking for places to sit.

"You spanked them Boss they are in shock" Jimmy said

"Bloody hell Ma’am I thought we were dead or at least going to have to do a runner" Beef said

"Its like when I got you last night the unexpected often works" I told him

"Well you kicked the whole bloody crowd in the knackers, sure beats punching them in the head" he said as he walked away.

Jimmy was nearly pissing himself laughing.

"What’s up with you" I asked as I sat down

"I’ve got visions of him standing at the door as all hell breaks loose shouting "And what do you think your doing young man" just like a school teacher" he said having problems controlling himself

"Well here’s another thought Beef’s real name and it’s not to go any further is Quentin" I told him and he nearly choked on his drink as he erupted in laughter.

 

After the little tension that had marred heading outside the people relaxed and we enjoyed the entertainment which had been provided. As the evening progressed they had people up and singing songs Jimmy did one called ‘In my Liverpool home’ and I could see things heading around to me having to sing. I would have rather have been naked in front of all of the people there, but after Beef did a passable ‘Let it Be’ I found myself running out of people to send in before me. One of the problems was what to sing my personal singsong favourites which I have been known to sing in public were things like Bestiality’s Best boys, Good Ship Venus and Three German Officers none of which fitted this situation and how would this voice cope with me in control. My memory that I was now sure was strange gave me a song that might do the job if I could manage it. One I had heard my grandmother play god knows how many years ago, well if I was right it was twenty nine years ago October and we were in the kitchen. I was going to have to have a quiet word with Wendy about this memory.

 

I stood up and headed to the front to applause, I stood there in front of them and had a word with a couple of the musicians.

"I probably wont be very good at this I’m afraid as singing in public is something I have never done before, lets be honest I would rather be shot at than this" I told them to some laughter.

"Mull of Kintyre oh mist rolling in from the sea,"

"My desire is always to be her on Mull of Kintyre" I started scared shitless.

 

Halfway through the first verse just as I thought I was going to dry up I found I had accompaniment from an unexpected source, Beef. I could have kissed him. By the chorus the two of us had most of the street singing and at the end I gave him a big hug.

"Good choice" said the man who had accompanied me on guitar "I haven’t heard that one for years" as the applause continued and continued and continued.

"Looks like your going to have to do another one Boss" Jimmy shouted getting them all shouting it.

"You" I mouthed pointing at him and he stuck his tongue out at me.

"I wasn’t that good was I" I asked the man on guitar as I tried to decide what to sing next.

"You have a fine voice lass it could do with a bit of use and training but that’s about it" he said smiling

"But I’m no singer" I protested

"And I’m no warrior but I fought with your Captain there" he said

"No I am not doing The Minstrel Boy" I said laughing

"How about something else" he said striking a chord

"A long long time ago, I can still remember how that music use to make me smile" I started with the old Don McLean song American Pie and managed the whole lot including the strange verses in the middle about the Jester and Lenin read a book on Marx while a quartet practiced in the park we all sand dirges in the dark the day the music died. Again at the end I received rapturous applause and as it died down the guitarist turned to me.

"If you ever decide you want a new job see me first, how the hell did you remember all the verses I cant and I have sang it in the past" he asked beaming

"Good memory and I like that song I told him" and made my way back to the table to much disapproval.

"Look" I shouted "Let me at least have a drink for a minute" and I seemed to get some agreement if I promised to sing again.

"You are good" Jimmy said

"Yes Ma’am" Beef said hovering around

"You were a lifesaver" I told Beef "and you Captain Houston that had to be tantamount to treason"

"Well shoot me then Ma’am" he said

"No I will do worse than that you can match me song for song its your turn next" I told him.

"I don’t know any others" He objected

"Well let me have a think, yes I know one another Liverpool star did in the eighties you Jimmy are going to be Elvis Costello you remember the one Oliver’s Army. You have got the voice for it." I said

"Yes I know it but I don’t know the words" he said smiling "otherwise I would love to, to see who cracks first"

"Beef could you get me some paper and a pen?" I asked sweetly

 

Ten minutes later Jimmy was back exhausted after a rather energetic version of Oliver’s army but his applause matched mine earlier.

"Your turn Boss" he said grinning

"You have a good voice" I told him

"Catholic boy, Cathedral choir at Paddy’s Wigwam" he said

"Ah that explains a lot but I think you need to explain Paddy’s Wigwam to Jean" I said looking at the confused woman.

The night carried on I would do a song Jimmy would do a song and his voice was excellent, though as he said his memory for words was crap. Very late on we were sat there both utterly exhausted and he turned and said "Why the hell are we doing all the work?"

"Because they like us" I suggested

"No with your memory for words we can get this lot involved" he indicated the team who were loving the fact of Jimmy and me making a tit of ourselves in public.

"What do we do then?" I asked

"It’s got to be something that everyone has heard before to give us a chance" he said "one though I was thinking of if you know it is Grease"

"Which one?" I asked

"Tell me more, its got to be because with that it doesn’t make any difference if they cant sing and if you feel up to it and think you can cope do you fancy doing ‘You’re the one that I want’" he asked daring me.

"I can give you the words for Summer Nights as I think it is called and if you are not too old for it I can do ‘The one that I want’, but I warn you I like my men young and strong" I sat down astride Paul’s legs gave him a big kiss and promptly started laughing uncontrollably.

"That’s the idea Kathy I’ll get every one in the pub at the next break and get someone to copy words as you write them no excuses" he said walking around.

 

At the next break in the music we headed inside to a lot of disapproval until Jimmy made it clear that it wasn’t us leaving just organising. Three songs later our unwilling stars emerged, Beef had been grabbed by us girls as we were vastly out numbered and Suki did a quick makeup job on him. He took it in good spirit though when someone suggested a dress for him he put his foot down.

 

Through the performance people had tears running down there face they couldn’t sing they couldn’t dance but my lot were loving it as were the audience and again the cheers hit new highs especially from Wynne and Claire who had refused to help me out on female vocals. Then came me and Jimmy and again we hammed it up to the utmost with Jimmy doing the full dance routine while I strutted around or tried to.

 

"One last one you must know this" my friendly guitarist said before we had chance to run.

"They say were young and we don’t know wont find out until their gone" I started to I’ve got you babe and we were done.

"Look we promise to come back again but were dead on our feet so please can we sit down" I asked the crowd

"NO" they roared back

"I wont come and play with you again then" I threatened to lots of people laughed and the guitarist stood up.

"That’s all I’m going to play for her to sing tonight so let the lady rest we will have her back I’m sure of it. Because she said so that’s why" he through back at the crowd and we sat down all of us. I claimed Paul’s knee and hugged him tight.

"You didn’t mind how tonight’s gone?" I asked worried I had neglected him

"No my love I have enjoyed it" he told me hugging me back and then just holding me as we listened to the rest of the people play. I sat there happy in his arms for the rest of the night baring one trip to the toilet where I refused escort much to Mathew and Mark’s concern.

After insisting on waiting in the queue for the loo and finally getting there just in time Kevin collared me on the way out.

"I want to apologise properly for the way I used you" he said

"Apology accepted how’s business going?" I asked him

"Very good, in fact a lot better than with my plan" he admitted

"Good now I will come and do this again on condition that your profits for tonight are ploughed back in to supplies for the big party at the end of this week" I told him.

"Fine but you come back twice. Deal?" he asked

"Deal on condition you get the other pubs tonight to do the same" I told him and we shook hands.

 

As the sky lightened in the east we made our goodbyes Mr and Mrs McKinney were still there as were the two James and their partners.

"Kathy we have been talking between us and we are not happy with this deal we made with you" Mr McKinney said

Here it comes what more they are after I thought as I stood there "Why?" I asked

"Because you said you want the option to pay for things in the future" James Cockburn said

"We feel that we should have the right now to refuse payment" the other James said

"Tell her what we would like" Mrs McKinney urged her husband

"I will, we would like an open invite to these occasions whenever and where ever they turn up, if you would let us" he said unsure of my reaction

"Mr McKinney after sorting out my people today at such short notice you had an open invite and would always be welcome anyway" I said "and I will see you in a few hours time to sort out my uniform. Mrs McKinney and I am telling you so if Mr McKinney thinks he can get away without you, with me having young ladies in the team. Mrs McKinney you and your family are always welcome at anything New Delphi does. In fact after we take Glasgow how would you like to visit New Delphi and spend the night as my guests" I asked her

"Oh could we, but how would we get there" she said her face dropping "We couldn’t leave the shop for too long"

"I will make you a deal two decent working uniforms and one dress uniform for as long as you want at New Delphi and helicopter travel both ways" I said to her and held out my hand, she looked at her husband waiting for his response. He nodded and I shook both there hands.

"James" I said to the Jeweller "do you understand Military Medals?" I asked

"Well sort of" he admitted

"Well sometime this week if we work out a system of medals for New Delphi forces and we get whatever supplies of metals you need, if you will design them and make them as needed you and your wife have the same deal" I said to him

"Your on" he said beaming

"James" I turned to the milliner "You have given us our first symbol of a new pride in our army. If you will design a hat for me to go with my dress uniform, though one that doesn’t leave me looking like an idiot. You have the same deal."

"Certainly" he said shaking my hand.

"Horace" I said grabbing the man as I went past

"Yes Katherine what can I do for you" he asked

"We’re taking a ship to Newcastle then ferrying the relatives and dead to New Delphi probably tomorrow afternoon. Have you someone who can cover it discreetly?" I asked

"I will do it myself that way I know that the relatives grief will be respected" he said

"Are you sure?" I asked

"Look I have to go and get today’s issue to bed now before I go to bed so please just say yes I can and everything will be covered" he pleaded

"Go on we are hitting bed now so nothing else is likely to happen" I promised him "and I’ll see you on the ship"

 

Paul and I hit bed just before four in the morning after I arranged to be woken at eight. We were both too tired to make love and I just held him tight as sleep overtook me.

"You didn’t mind me acting the fool out there tonight?" I asked him

"Not at all I was proud of you and even more proud that when you came back it was to me" he said and I think I fell asleep smiling.

 

Morning came too soon and the banging on the door woke me up.

"I’m awake" I shouted "though my body doesn’t believe it"

"Oh god tell me about it" Paul mumbled "give me a hangover any day"

"You didn’t do all the work last night" I told him rolling myself in the bedclothes and pulling them off him.

"I don’t care I need a few more hours please" he said

"You have got till I am ready" I told him getting up and throwing the covers back over him.

"But you don’t know what you are missing" I said wiggling my bum in his direction.

"You are evil woman tempting a man in my condition" he replied

"Oh you poor thing will I have to trade you in for a younger model?" I asked him

"No I am up, now stop tormenting me before I make us late" he told me.

 

I jumped in the shower and decided to shave my legs and armpits I didn’t know what was planned, but I wasn’t willing to risk hairy legs or armpits on show no matter how little hair there was. I got out and dried as Paul jumped in moaning about how long it took me to wash such a small body.

"Aren’t we a miserable sod without sleep" I snapped at him as he walked past.

I was in just my bra and panties when he came out and put his wet arms around me.

"Sorry love" he said snuggling behind me kissing my neck.

"Don’t worry we’re both tired" I told him "and don’t get any ideas we haven’t got enough time now" I added quickly as his hands found my breasts and I felt his hardness pressing through his towel and panties.

I pushed him away after a kiss and then continued getting ready.

 

Not many people were at breakfast when we arrived in fact Wendy and Jones were the only people I knew.

"Where is every one Sis" she said

"We had a late night, very late singing I was" I told her

"You singing?" she said

"Yes me and I need to hit the loo come with me a moment and have a chat" I said

 

Inside the ladies she turned to me "that wasn’t very subtle what’s up?"

"Lets try it this way when you were twelve years old in history who sat two desks in front one row to the left?" I asked

"How the hell am I supposed to…Karen Allenby and she was always showing off because she got expensive clothes. Shit how did I remember that." She asked

"I don’t know but I’m pulling song lyrics out of my mind that I last heard over twenty years ago and then only a few times" I told her

"Oh god they did something to our minds as well" she shuddered

"I don’t know whether it’s these bodies or our minds but something has happened and I think that’s how come I’m winning this war" I admitted to her

"What do you mean" she asked

"That backing up and then attacking I used in Keld I know where it came from, Herodotus the original Battle of Salamis, Greeks against the Persians" I said to her

"That could be a useful trick, I know my aim is better since I changed and getting better all the time" he said grinning

"Aren’t you worried?"

"No those idiots who caused this were smart at some things and I think designing bodies was one of them. I just think we got the new improved models that’s all" she said putting a hand on mine.

"That might explain why you’re still breathing and why those scars are healing so fast. It would also explain why I can still walk after being under that bike when it went over" she said thoughtfully "but don’t go getting shot up again last time was close"

 

Harris was looking worse for wear as we returned and the men were looking at us strangely wondering what had been going on.

"Little girl talk between sisters that’s all" Wendy said sitting down

"Morning Harris how are you today" I asked brightly

"Not quite so loud Ma’am" he said quietly "that was the first time I have been out in about six months and my body is objecting"

"Did you enjoy it?" I asked him quietly

"I wouldn’t have missed it for the world Ma’am it was wonderful" he said smiling "I didn’t know you could sing"

"Neither did she till last night" Wendy said "and next time I come as well"

"You come, you sing all my team did. Jimmy matched me song for song up there he has a good voice as well" I said

 

We finished breakfast with little conversation and then Paul and me headed out I found Suki looking non too bright.

"Morning Suki" I shouted

"Morning Ma’am" she said back after wincing

"The Blue Beret suits you I am not sure about the pale colour of your face though" I told her

"I’m not feeling too well this morning Boss" she answered

"Well if you can get onto the radio and get Milligan down to Mr McKinney’s shop as soon as possible I will leave you to your misery ask him to bring a radio down with him as well" I told her

"It’s a deal Boss" she smiled "thank you"

"For what?" I asked

"For this" she touched the Blue Beret

"Not my doing it was decided by the team that you had earned it. Get that done then get a few more hours kip and tell any of the team you see around the same thing" I told her and me and Paul found a body to drive us into town.

 

"What’s up Ma’am?" said Milligan when I arrived

"Relax nothing nasty, I just promised to introduce you to a man and afterwards you can pass radio messages for me as I get molested" I informed him

"Paul do you want to piss off and have some fun?" I asked

"You got me out of bed for that" he said glumly

"If I’m up your up as well" I told him and kissed him goodbye

"You two getting on alright?" he asked

"Yes and I seem to have seen you on the roof back home quite often talking to one of Alex’s girls" I told him

"Well yes, but.." he started

"In these times we all want someone to hold tight so relax, I wont mention it" I promised him and we went in.

 

I wouldn’t have believed Mr and Mrs McKinney had been up as late as me they were both there and bright.

"Mr McKinney, Mrs McKinney this is Milligan one of my team from Middlesbrough he also adapted this uniform for me" I told them

"You have training and a fine hand" he told Milligan "but what were you trying to do make her more like a man or emphasise what she has got?"

"Well I am afraid" he said then stopped "No I am not afraid it’s a case that The Boss Lady has a few more curves than she had when I made that for her and very nice they are too" I blushed to my roots.

"Ah yes that would explain it now what I am after off you is an idea of what you think she should look like in uniform as I have been a gentleman’s tailor all my life and young ladies are rather a mystery to me and you have given it a very good go." Mr McKinney said to him and I was taken away by his wife, stripped to bra and panties and then measure me more thoroughly than I would have thought possible.

"My dear I notice you haven’t got your new badge on can I get someone to do it for you?" she asked

"Are you sure?" I asked

"Give it here it will only take a moment" she told me and walked off leaving me there to return moments later with a drink each and we sat there drinking coffee while we talked about how much she had enjoyed the evening and all the songs her mother and grandmother used to play that we had sung.

"I promise later this week or early next week we will do it again and get my sister involved as well. But we will have to leave it a few days as my men wouldn’t survive another one tonight" I told her

"Yes nice lads and girls but they haven’t had the upbringing of decent parties they are a dying entertainment form" she said sadly

"Look that’s one thing I am trying to change, but when we go to New Delphi it’s full sit down dinner and proper dancing after, Anne won’t even let you eat if your not dressed for dinner" I told her

"Who is this Anne?" she asked

"Anne runs the house at New Delphi though she is a very brave woman who was injured trying to save my life. She has a young daughter over six months old now called Sarah and no one argues with her if they want to eat" I explained to her

"And you will introduce me to her?" she asked

"I promise I will after we take Glasgow and we are talking two or three weeks at the most" I told her and she hugged me

"It probably seems silly but when the gang was in control here we would listen to your broadcasts on the short wave and your voice with the music and the chatter would bring us some hope we could sort it out" she said

"That was the idea, that we would tell people what was going on and try to win friends and allies and it most assuredly worked" told her and hugged her back as my shirt returned the two badges now side by side on the arm.

"Look I have got to sort out some things for the funerals tomorrow but would you be willing to grab some lunch with me?" I asked

"Well I don’t know Mr McKinney" she said as I walked back out of the fitting room.

"Mr McKinney am I needed for now?" I asked him

"Err no" he said him and Milligan were deep in discussion over some point or other

"Well I have to sort out a few things but so I’m not eating alone I will pick up your wife around one to take her out for lunch" I said

"Yes fine we will be here for a while as we have a difference of opinion" Mr McKinney said

"See you at one bye" I told her and slipped out.

I sat down on a bench over the road from the shop and looked at the radio and switched it on.

"Any one on station here?" I asked

"Yes and who is this using this frequency?" a voice came back

"This is The Boss Lady is anyone awake at the hospital yet?" I asked

"Oh sorry Ma’am didn’t recognise your voice, I don’t know if they are awake there" the voice answered.

"Suki here Boss how can I do you for" she said the garbled message betraying the fact she had been asleep.

"Suki can you spread the word that I want the ship moving by six with everyone on board I suggest Wendy and Jones to organise things" I asked her "then get back to sleep"

I walked around the old town just browsing at what was going on and what was happening. A barter economy had sprung up and people were working for goods to swap for other goods to get people to work for them. I could see the point of the reinstitution money it was needed but it needed to be centred away from gold silver and stock markets. The other side was inflation and all the other economic nightmares I couldn’t work that out today so for now people will just have to survive. After dinner I decided I needed to bum some presents for people who didn’t get here. For Muriel I acquired a cook book and for Bob and the house I claimed an old fashioned DVD Player and Television combined and a wide selection of DVD’s including all the Star Wars films. The man at the Junk shop I found it at even promised to keep his eyes open for any more DVDs he could find. This shopping with unlimited credit was strange every one was so wiling to help yet I wasn’t going mad. Anne, what to get her I wondered and carried on walking around a doll for Jenny, a teddy bear for Sarah that was easy. Just Brian and Anne now, I found a decent size book store and went nosing. Yes there was one for Brian and Andrea as well The Lovers Guide. I had a flick through it and I must admit I could have learnt a few things though I don’t think I’m quite that supple.

 

After dinner I headed out down the street and found a shop that hadn’t reopened Computers, educational systems like are used in schools.

"Who owns the shop next door" I asked a man selling shoes

"Oh he’s long gone and his place wasn’t even worth breaking into" he said rather contemptuously

"Can you get me in there?" I asked him

"Why should I" he replied

"Because if you get me in I won’t have to shoot out the main window and I’m sure an empty shop intact would be of some use to you" I told him and he produced a key.

 

I opened the shop up and turned on one of the systems again it refused to boot up I did my magic and suddenly it was up and running. I had Anne’s present sorted.

"Suki can you get me a truck down here and a couple of healthy strong lads" I asked

"Why broadening your horizons Kathy?" asked Wendy from the other end

"Where’s Suki?" I asked her

"Sleeping she needed to, not everyone can keep up with you" Wendy said "I’ll be with you in ten minutes I need a word anyway. Where are you?"

I gave her the address and got two more computers running by the time she arrived with Jones and Beef.

"Ah there you are? What are we moving?" She asked

"Everything in this shop and carefully please we have a vast database of information here" I told her

"But they don’t work" Wendy said and I indicated the three working ones.

"Knowledge is power with this lot we have everything from Astronomy to Zoology, we want a high detail street map of Glasgow" I punched in a few buttons and up came a map.

"These look like what kids use in school" Wendy said looking at the map

"They are and they are also used in universities and other places" I told her "such as military training establishments"

"Oh what are these loaded with at he moment?" she asked

"Basic school set up, up to about eighteen years old. But any other systems we can get I can add to the system though it will only be a local network at New Delphi" Wendy looked at me blank "You won’t be able to connect up with computers here or else were in the country"

"Well why connect them at all then?" Wendy asked me

"Because a school system is linked so that the teacher can watch what a student does without having the student aware of it." I explained to her

"Anne" She said

"Yes Anne my present to her" I agreed

"Quentin, Jones do you two want to start loading the lorry carefully" Wendy asked them

"Yes Wendy" Beef or Quentin answered and Wendy led me outside.

"The guy there turned up this morning, he says he you know him and he wants to join your team. He said his name is Quentin" Wendy said

"Yes I met him and he had told me his name was Quentin as well" I admitted "give me a minute to find out what’s going on."

 

Wendy went inside and sent the man out to talk to me as she carried on disconnecting everything.

"Come on over here a minute Beef" I asked him as he came out

"Yes Ma’am" he said

"Sit down a moment and its Kathy" I told him and he sat on the bench nearly as tall as me sitting as I was standing. "Beef Kathy says that your fancy a place on the team"

"Yes and please don’t call me Beef that is what they called me at the Queens and it isn’t a name I ever liked" he said looking at the floor.

"You don’t seem comfortable with Quentin either so what do I call you" I asked him

"Well I don’t know" he replied shrugging his huge shoulders.

"What’s your surname?" I asked him

"Murphy and that’s not a name to use in Scotland" he answered

"Middle name?" I asked

"Samuel" he answered obviously not liking it

"You cant live with Sam?" I asked and he thought about it for a moment

"Yes, I always thought of it as Samuel never Sam" he said a smile crossing his face.

"Fine Sam why do you want to join my team" I asked him the question of a name being figured out.

"Well it’s just that I don’t want to be stuck in that pub for the rest of my life as Beef the idiot. I know I’m not bright I didn’t go to school much but when you’re my size and have a name like Quentin it aint healthy to be in school." I nodded wondering what person would name a kid Quentin as he continued "I thought about the army as a kid but I would get the same shit there as at school. I was on the defence of the city with The Captain and for the first time in my life I was feeling good about what I was doing, not the killing but the thing that we were doing it for."

 

He paused for a moment and collected himself "Then I met you, not the fact that you took me down which surprised me but then after you were concerned enough to ask me how I was with no hard feelings, you had fun with me not at my expense. Then there is that team, they are good people even the ladies like didn’t take the piss out of me they were nice." His voice was full of emotion.

"You realise that we go in where others won’t and there is a fair chance that you might get hurt or killed?" I asked him and he nodded "You could walk into any unit of my forces and get a safer place without all the danger and without any hassle over your name"

"NO, no that’s not what I want, I don’t mean that there is anything up with the other units. I felt good about what I did with the Captain and he is a good person, but I want to be like those people of yours proud of what they are." He said and I am sure his eyes were filling with tears.

"Can I ask a personal question?" I said and he nodded "What’s your reading, writing and maths like?"

His face sank at this "I can read and write but not very well at all and numbers I can figure out if my pay is right." He said and yes he was almost crying "Sometimes" he admitted on the end.

"This is the deal Sam" I told him grabbing his big hand in two of mine "You train with Wendy on weapons and Captain Houston on hand to hand work. When they think you are ready for a place on my team it is yours though it will be bloody hard work especially with Wendy. But there is one condition" I told him.

"What" he said the joy in his face evaporating.

"Well whenever we are at New Delphi which isn’t that often I want you to be coached in maths and English by a friend of mine, Anne. I want you able to read maps, study tactics and estimate troop strengths." I said but his face was still sad "Look Anne is a decent person you will like her, she got shot trying to save me"

"Do the others have to know?" he asked

"Look it’s nobody’s business but you me and Anne, Anne and I won’t talk so no nobody will have to know" I assured him.

"When can I start" he demanded suddenly bright.

"I’ll tell Wendy now and Jimmy when I see him but there is one thing" I paused wondering how he would take it "I can’t give you one of those Blue Berets that is up to the team"

"Are they fair?" he asked

"Yes utterly fair but no pushovers" I explained

"If they are fair I can do it." He said

"Fine for the moment stick with Wendy until I have a word with Jimmy" and I let him get back to moving things

"Wendy check him out on weapons as soon as you get chance and his name is Sam" I said firmly

"Fine by me better than Quentin" she replied

"Forget that name it has caused him a lot of grief" I said and she agreed to.

 

Giving them the bits and pieces I had found already and directions to the junk shop I carried on walking around the old town. I wanted to find something for Paul and I know the thrill of opening a well wrapped present full of anticipation to find a pair of socks or a tie. I decided on a decent knife all the ones that Jimmy had brought had been claimed the rest of my team carried them and although not exactly romantic it was practical. I continued my travels on the lookout for one nosing in windows and as someone who had always avoided clothes shopping I found myself gravitating to windows that had dresses and women’s clothes in. The big chain stores seemed to be open for whoever wanted to help themselves as nobody cared what was taken though most of them had very little left in. I wandered through an old Marks and Spencer’s most of the shelves and racks cleared I dug through the bits and pieces that were left and found a couple of t shirts both would be baggy on my small body but it could be worse I came across some skirts and found a maroon one in a corduroy fabric sort of mid thigh length, yes Paul would like me in that I decided and deciding against risking the changing rooms that were in a darkened area of the shop I just held it up to my waist and decided it would fit. I walked through to the underwear and grabbed every pair of tights and stockings left this was one thing that Anne had been panicking about as she said she couldn’t go without as her legs looked awful. I didn’t agree on that side but I had to admit with Paul stockings and even tights could be fun and they did keep my legs warm. I was wondering if there was anything on the bra line that might do me when I was grabbed from behind and dragged towards the darkened changing rooms, one hand covered my mouth and the other one squeezed my boob roughly hurting me, I dropped the bags and struggled but I couldn’t reach back to get his vulnerable parts as my arms were pinned by his.

"Don’t stop fighting lass oh you’re a young one and in a pretty uniform too." A voice said in my ear. I reached my waist with my hand and found my pistol raised it but couldn’t get my other hand to it to chamber a round. A hand grasped my wrist and squeezed hard causing me to release the weapon with the pain caused I was physically thrown against the wall driving the breath from my body.

"What have we here, oh yes this will make our fun easier but you can still fight little one" he said pointing the pistol at me.

I drew my other weapon and pointed it at him he still hadn’t chambered a round and he hadn’t touched the safety catch.

"Well you have one too" he squeezed the trigger and nothing happened turned and ran I was up after him he still had my pistol and I wasn’t letting him get away. I followed him down the stairs his longer legs giving him the advantage meaning he could pull ahead.

"This is Kathy" I shouted into the radio as I ran after him "I am coming out of Marks and Spencer’s in pursuit of a fucker who just tried to rape me he has one of my pistols get him but take care" I followed him out of the shop to the right and shouted "Turned right" into the radio "cant get a shot too many people. Left at the fish and chip shop I am on a long straight road still can’t get a clear shot."

The man was fiddling with the pistol he turned and fired the shot going wild I aimed and fired the shot hitting him in the leg as almost seven foot of fury hit him coming out of a side street with all the speed that Sam could manage behind it. He went cart wheeling into the street and ended up a crumpled heap in the gutter on the far side of the road. I came to a stop next to Sam.

"Thanks Sam" I said trying to get my breath back by bending over.

Sam looked at me "Are you hurt Kathy?" he asked slowly his face contorted with anger.

I lifted my hand up "No just need to get my breath back" I said panting.

Sam suddenly walked over to the man and picked him up by the hair "You fucking hurt her" he screamed dragging the protesting and bleeding man over towards me.

"You hurt her arm now I hurt you" He shouted.

"SAM" I screamed "STOP NOW" he stopped

"He hurt your arm Kathy" the bug man said pointing and I looked and saw the mans finger marks visible on my arm.

"Don’t worry it doesn’t hurt and you stopped him and I shot him" I indicated the mans leg

"Are you sure?" he asked

"Yes thank you though he was shooting at me" I said he walked over the road without releasing his grip on the mans hair and picked up my pistol then walked back over to me with it still dragging the man as if he had forgotten he had hold of him.

"Here you are Kathy" he said passing it back to me holding the barrel so it didn’t point towards me.

"Thank you Sam" I told him and turned my attention to the radio where people were shouting about shots fired.

"Quiet" I said at a break and everyone started talking again "Shut up every one now" I waited a second and got silence.

"I need a civilian police pick up for one attempted rapist he needs a doctor as well but I am fine" I told them where I was.

 

A young copper appeared first one of those that I use to joke as a man was a piglet. He came slowly walking up the street as if he had all the time in the world the man was struggling in Sam’s grasp he still had hold of his hair and the man was unable to stand up or sit down.

"You dumb fuck" the officer said to Sam before I even had time to say anything "I told you that if you were involved in anything else at all I would arrest you again" he was poking Sam in the chest.

"Excuse me" I said

"Shut up I am busy" he snapped at me without looking at me. "Is there anything at all in that fucking head of your does a thought ever pass through it" he was poking Sam in the head hard now trying to provoke a reaction, Sam pushed his hand away.

"That’s it assaulting a Police Officer as well now your going away for a long time you big dumb fuck. No magistrates now just my word will do it" he said poking him again this time with a baton while reaching behind him for handcuffs.

"No I didn’t he hurt her" Sam was protesting still holding my attempted rapists hair and the movement of his hands was lifting him up and down and shaking him about.

"Beef I am arr…" he shut up as the pistol poked him in the back "What the fuck do you think your doing bitch" he said

"Sit down there or the last thought that will go through your brain will be what a loud bang" I indicated the pavement "Sit on your hands if they move I will shoot you"

"Suki are you there" I spoke into the radio.

"Yes Boss are you hurt?" her voice was full of worry.

"No but I want the big boss policeman down here now DCI Royle it is." I told her

"Consider it done" Suki said

I stood there for at least ten minutes before a car arrived carrying DCI Royle.

"Thank god you’re here Sir" the young Officer said "This bastard assaulted me then this crazy bitch pulled a gun on me" Royle ignored him.

"Good to see you again fantastic job you did and I don’t think anyone since Napoleon could have won a battle like that" he said offering his hand and I changed the pistol over to my left hand and shook it "What seems to be the problem"

"Well I was in Marks and Spencer’s looking around and the man there bleeding tried to rape me, got one of my pistols. I chased him out and as we got on this street he fired and missed, I got him in the leg as my man here came out of the side street and tackled him despite the fact he was armed." I explained

"Well we have had a series of rapes in deserted stores most women stay away now. Seven or eight in total he likes hurting them as well." Royle said

"He wanted me to fight and he said the gun would make things easier next time so I think Sam has your man" I indicated the man still dangling from Sam’s grasp.

"Sam would you take him over and give him to the officers there by the car please" I asked the man he looked at me worried about approaching them "don’t worry they will just put him in the car so he cant hurt anyone" and he walked over to them dragging the man by his hair and just let go in front of the officers and walked back to my side.

"Good man" Royle said holding out his hand Sam looked at it then when I nodded shook his hand

"Very good indeed" he said shaking it.

"What’s the story with laddo here" he asked cocking a thumb at the officer who was still sat on the floor.

"Well your young idiot here turns up takes one look at the situation and starts poking him calling him and I quote ‘A dumb fuck’ and ‘is there anything in that fucking head’ all the time poking him in the body and head. When I tried to explain the situation I got told and again I quote ‘Shut Up’ and when my man raised his hands to protect his head from the forceful pokes he promptly tried to arrest him for assault as there are no magistrates now and he would be in for a long time." I told Royle.

"So what happened then?" he asked

"He reached for his cuffs and I suggested he take a seat on the floor or I would ventilate his head" I replied

"She’s a lying bitch they are trying to stitch me up. I have seen the two of them together before all this shit happened, months ago. She was one of the Toms from the gang" the copper shouted.

"Any more to say constable?" Royle asked

"Yes plenty" he said

"Well shall we go to the scene of this attempted rape" Royle asked winking at me as the man couldn’t see him.

"I don’t think it was a rape I think they were cruising for trade and then she would get him to mug her customers" the Officer said

 

We walked back towards Marks and Spencer’s and entered the shop I walked towards where my bags were.

"He grabbed me here" I said "and dragged me into the dark over there"

"Give me your torch Constable" Royle said and the officer passed him a torch out of a pouch on his belt the light lit up the floor where I had been dragged. Marks were obvious on the floor where my boots had dragged and on the floor lay my beret. I reached up and found it had gone I hadn’t realised.

"Is that a clue constable" Royle said

"Yes Sir it’s a hat, she has tried to rob one of those soldiers" he said eagerly

"Try it on constable" Royle said and the man took of his own hat and tried on my beret, he didn’t have a hope in hell of getting that on his head.

"What’s up" Royle asked him

"Too small sir" he answered

"From the decorations on the front what can you deduce about the person who wears it" Royle asked him

"A very important person they attacked" he quickly answered

"Good now pass it here" and he did "this looks very small I wouldn’t stand a chance of getting it on, would you mind trying it on?" he passed it to be and I arranged it on my head. The officers mouth dropped.

"Now I find it strange that you consider this young lady to be a known prostitute in this city" Royle was looking at him and stroking his lower lip "because earlier this week when she first entered out city with her Captain my office was one of the first places she visited. Where she introduced herself as The Oracle now constable anything you say may be used against you" the man ran and Sam’s arm went out and caught him across the head before he got five foot.

"Good man" Royle said nodding again and reaching down and placing the officers own hand cuffs on him.

"Have you got enough on both of them?" I asked

"Oh yes more than enough are you hurt at all?" he asked

"Just a bit bruised that’s all" I insisted

"Fine I will take this with me if you don’t mind and I will leave you in Sam’s capable hands" He shook Sam’s hand again and thanked him then helped the officer up and left leaving me the torch.

"Sam thank you" I said hugging him I might have been trying to hug an oak tree.

"I’m sorry I got angry when I saw him shoot" Sam apologised

"Don’t worry you caught a man who has hurt a lot of women" I said

"No he wasn’t going anywhere as you shot him" Sam argued being totally honest

"And you hit him before he could shoot again and possibly hit me so thank you" I said then turned my attention to the radio where my name was being called.

"Kathy, Kathy" it was Wendy’s voice

"Here Wendy" I answered

"Are you hurt? Is Sam with you and what happened?" she shouted

"I’m fine, Someone grabbed me in Marks and Spencer’s they got my gun and I chased them. They took a shot that missed and I shot him in the leg as Sam hit him from the side. Then it was just a little police trouble all sorted now." I told her

"Good I wondered where Sam was going but he was too quick for us to follow by the time we got around the corner he had gone. Do you want picking up?"

"No I’ll finish shopping with Sam tell Paul I’ll meet him at the hospital for lunch if you see him" I told her

"Do you mind shopping?" I asked Sam

"No" he answered

"Good because I am having problems carrying all these bags" I said passing him some of the ones on the floor.

 

I continued shopping in there found some underwear for me to wear and some underwear to wear for Paul plus a few other things that might be fun with him then we headed out.

"Sam is there a fishing shop or hunting shop in town?" I asked him.

"Yes follow me" he said and headed off along the road.

"Wait up I’ve only got little legs" I shouted and he slowed down

"Sorry Kathy" he said

"Don’t worry just a little slower" I said laughing

He took me down some side streets till I was totally lost and we came upon a small shop D.J. Binnie Hunting and fishing supplies since 1897.

"Is this the place?" I asked rather dubious

"Yes best shop in town" he assured me "want me to come in with you"

"No it doesn’t look like there’s much room" I said peering through the dirty window into the cluttered shop.

 

I opened the door and a strange smell greeted my nose leather, oil and was that tobacco I wondered, yes looking at the smoke it was either tobacco or the shop was on fire. I looked around the shop on one wall well secured in a rack with a chain were a selection of rifles single shot bolt action. I guided myself through the maze of fishing rods and baskets to have a closer look.

"You won’t find anything fully automatic there they are all single shot hunting rifles no sport in hunting by mowing the deer down" a mans voice with a strong Scottish accent said.

"No just admiring them that’s all. I have problems using anything that size" I answered trying to see where the voice was coming from.

"Yes a decent weapon has to be chosen with as much if not more care than a lover. Make the wrong choice on impulse and you will never be happy, these days you could even be dead" he said and I still couldn’t see him I looked up and saw a mirror in the corner and working out where it could be seen from I headed in that direction.

"I know my sister prefers the old 7.62 mm SLR" I said

"Nice weapon not exactly a hunting weapon though" he answered a bit closer

"Depends what you hunt" I answered

"And what do you and your sister hunt then dear" a lot closer now

"Vermin two legged kind, Wendy from afar and I hunt it close up" I said coming around a row of shelves running across the shop as all the shelves did in this place to find a counter. The man sat there could have done a passable Santa he was somewhere the wrong side of sixty big white beard and white hair all over the place and he was smoking a hand rolled cigarette while working on tying a fly.

"What do you use for close up then my dear?" he asked without taking his eyes off the fly.

"Nine millimetre Berretta" I answered

"Very nice can you use it though" He said looking up at me a second.

"I have room for improvement" I admitted

"Ah someone who knows what they are talking about what a refreshing change" he said cutting a thread on the fly and putting his tools down. "May I see" he indicated my pistols. I cleared the round in the chamber on one of the pistols after dropping the magazine out and passed it to him.

"Berretta Model 92 compact Inox finish, bad habit keeping one up the spout" he said "no I apologise used very recently"

"Yes in the last hour" I admitted

"Did you kill your vermin?" he asked

"No he was a rapist I just caught him in the leg and brought him down" I answered

"Very bad habit aim for the central body mass and let god sort it out it’s safer" he started stripping the weapon examining it minutely "Seen a fair amount of action this but I have to say you keep it clean"

"Of course the last thing I need is it jamming at an awkward time" I answered as he rebuilt the weapon and fired it on an empty chamber. He passed it back to me and I reloaded it and as he indicated I passed him the other one when I made it safe.

"I don’t think you were shooting with both hands yet this one has been fired too" he said without looking up.

"I got jumped he got one of my weapons and as I chased him he figured out how to use it" I admitted

"Oh so not only do you shoot rapists you chase them you wear a military uniform with strange badges and a Blue Beret, I gather you are Katherine then." He said still not looking at me.

"Yes" I answered feeling neglected by the fact he still wasn’t looking at me he finished his inspection and reassembled the weapon again tested it and smiled passing it to me, I reloaded and replaced it.

"Well you read a lot of shit in the newspapers and people talk a load of shit as well, but you can tell the quality of a workman by the condition of his or her tools and those aren’t just pretty looking toys. I must say they are in good condition what can I do for you my dear?" he smiled at me again and I wondered if he was going to ask me what I wanted for Christmas.

"I am after two decent knives please" I asked "and I am afraid I am working on open credit, you have to claim it back later, if you will let me have the items"

"Yes I heard about this credit crap why the tight fisted bastards can’t just give you what you need I don’t know" he said angrily "Infuriates me this political and financial bullshit in a time like this"

"I know what you mean" I admitted thinking of Karen Gilles

"Well knives I have some nice Swiss Army Knives" he indicated a rack covered in dust

"No" I drew the blade I had off Jimmy from the sheath on my belt "Some thing more like this please"

"My dear you are getting sloppy" he said to me looking at the eight inches of dark steel.

"What do you mean" I asked

"This wasn’t cleaned properly, or sharpened or oiled last time it was used was it?" he looked at me.

"No I got rather diverted" I admitted as he brought up an oilstone from beneath the counter.

"Blood we have been a busy girl" he said picking at a stain near the handle of the blade "but at least it’s not blunt"

"Well it worked well last time" I told him

"But how do you use it though" he asked

"The kidneys is fine if you have a lot of muscles to hold the person, between the ribs takes a lot of skill which I don’t possess" I admitted "Jumping on someone’s back slicing there throat open and running does work though it is very messy"

"Yes and they don’t die very quickly either" he said beginning to sharpen the blade

"I know I don’t like knife work at the best of times and when you have to do it face to face very close" I shuddered

"No knife work is a useful skill like anything else in these times, but I never trust a person who likes it" he answered

"Mr Binnie can I ask you a reasonably personal question?" I said looking at him

"Go ahead dear if I don’t like the question I won’t answer it, but I am Davy or Old Davy" he said holding out his hand

"Kathy" I answered shaking it "Were you special forces?"

"Why do you ask a question like that" he said

"Just a comment you made about never trust a man who likes knife work" I answered

"Is this person my age?" he asked

"No late thirties" I admitted

"Jesus you make one comment almost forty years ago and the buggers are still passing it down" he said as he inspected the edge on the blade and nodded his satisfaction. "How many rounds are you short?" he asked as he finished the blade

"Just two" I had to think what he was talking about before I answered

"Fine and are these knives for you?" he asked

"No presents for two men in my team, neither of them has a knife and both of them are going to be in positions were they need one, a decent one though. I tried it with a bad one and it was hell" I told him

"Did it work though" he shouted from the back room he had disappeared into.

"Yes" I shouted back "but trying to kill someone silently pushing a shit knife into his neck was horrible"

"Well" he said as he appeared back "you shouldn’t have gone for the neck"

"I know that now, but it was dark my first time and the bad guys were in spitting distance from the bush where I was hidden" I protested

"Well I apologise if you did it first time cold and in a tight position you are better than most" he answered "although I must admit I’m talking through my arse. I have never had to use a knife close, I know the theory but I prefer the garrotte. Used correctly its as good as a knife but less chance of them crying out, but looking at you I don’t think you have the body mass to hold someone. Might be worth having a word with your Special Forces guy as your team might be able to use it." He said as he put two knives on the table.

"I know being small can be a problem sometimes" I said

"No nothing up with small, you ever see a Ghurkha? Little guys but never fuck with one" he said smiling again

"Less to be hit as well which has saved me more than once" I admitted

"Better small and walking than a large corpse, these two are a bit bigger than what you have and to be honest I think they are a bit big and heavy for you or you can have one yourself" He said and I picked up one of the blades and drew it from the sheath. Blacked steel again with a serrated blade on the rear about a foot long in total.

"There is no compass or survival kit in the handle no gimmicks just good steel that will keep an edge and if you bring them in to me I will sharpen them myself" he said as I inspected it.

"That’s what I am after and I would stand no chance" I said "On Sam it will look like a toothpick"

"Good that’s what I like someone who wants the simple things in life, you say your sister uses a SLR is it scoped?" he asked as he wrapped the two blades

"No why?" I asked

"Because you said she kills at a distance and I have a scope that will fit in the back. Not an old one a modern electronic all singing all dancing one, I got it for myself and I decided it wasn’t sporting too easy" he replied

"Give me a second and I will shout her she can be very funny over her rifle" I replied and pulled out the radio "Wendy are you there?"

"Here Kathy what can I do for you?" Wendy came back

"You interested in a decent scope for that rifle of yours" I asked

"Might be what type?" she asked

"What type" I asked Davy and I passed him the radio

"Nikon electronic, will calculate wind and range, it also has light amplification" Davy said

"Where are you can I come and have a look" Wendy said sounding very eager and Davy told her.

"One last thing before your sister gets here a little something for you" he pulled out another knife, unlike the other two this was delicate with silver on the handle and a metal scabbard I drew it and it was a silver coloured stiletto dainty and well used scratches and evidence of it being sharpened marred the surface but testing the blade carefully with my thumb proved it was sharp.

"This isn’t some bit of stock you’ve got lying around" I objected

"No its my good luck charm I’m not going to use it here and I am well past marching with armies, though I did my bit here and then again as they hit us the other morning. But anyway I want you to have it, as a second knife can be worth its weight in gold" he said looking at me for a reaction

"Are you sure?" I asked uncertain

"Wear it in good health dear" he said closing the matter from discussion.

The door went before I could find any other objection for taking what was obliviously a prize piece.

"Do you think this is the place?" I heard Jones say

"Well Sam’s outside" Came Wendy’s voice

"We’re at this end" I shouted and the two of them eventually came into view

"You don’t make it easy for the customer do you?" Jones said looking at the man

"No" Davy replied "and a lot of days I manage to have absolutely none. But people who know what they want and want the best service see me and are always welcome" He smiled at me reassuringly.

"You said you have a Nikon scope" Wendy said and he indicated he wanted her rifle. She looked at me for a moment and I nodded.

"Someone doesn’t like people touching her tools" Davy said taking the unloaded rifle from her hands.

"No I hate it" Wendy said bluntly

"Well I promise not to play" Davy replied as he split the rifle and removed the breech block and started inspecting the track it ran in.

"What are you looking for?" Jones asked

"You can learn a lot from someone’s tools" Davy replied "why do you use this dear it is a bit big and clumsy, wouldn’t you like something fully automatic?" he asked

"Fully automatic has it’s place and a couple of well placed heavy machine guns will and has stopped everything coming our way" Wendy said indicating Jones should stay quiet "but I work mobile preferably from as far away as possible. I want power and accuracy and I guarantee at the ranges I work I will do more damage than most people with a fully automatic weapon, with a lot less ammo"

"That’s fine" he said as he reassembled the rifle and passed it back to her "I wasn’t willing to waste this on someone who was going to swap weapons first chance they get."

"No but I don’t know whether I want it yet" Wendy said as she received the rifle back.

"Touché my dear, Katherine is there anything else I can do for you?" he asked

"No thank you, you have been more than helpful" I told him

"Well take your bits and pieces, don’t forget the two rounds there and go and enjoy yourself as I am going to be a long time here setting this up if your sister decides she wants it. But promise to visit me again when you are in this fair city and I will consider that payment in full" he said grinning and opening a tin at the same time.

"I promise and I would of anyway" I told him as he pulled another cigarette from his tin and lit it, he then turned his attention to Wendy and I grabbed my bits and left.

"Come on Sam, sorry I was so long" I told the man stood there like a sentry

"Don’t worry Kathy I’m used to standing around" he said with a smile and we carried on. We nosed around for a while longer but I saw little else of interest and arranged for a lift back to the hospital for dinner.

 

"What happened?" Paul demanded as I arrived Mathew and Mark were behind him.

"I had a little trouble while shopping that’s all" I told him

"Bullshit I heard gunshots, Mathew and Mark here are having kittens because they don’t know where you were and Suki said something about rape" he said angrily

"Look I am fine" I answered

"I don’t want you going…" he started

"Listen Paul, in fact listen everyone I was shoving knives into peoples necks in the dark while you lot were wondering why the lights had gone out. I was blowing away rapist and murderers before even Bob and Anne joined us. I know how to handle myself and the bastard was shot before Sam him hit him like an express train. If any one of you thinks you can take me you are welcome to try but I will not be told what I can and cant do by anyone." I shouted at them and shoved my way through the three of them.

"But Kathy I’m just thinking of your safety" Paul shouted after me

"Safety, we had a fusion plant blow to the south of us and I have seen more bullets fly past me than John fucking Wayne safety does not come into it, where is your security or Jimmy’s or Toms" I demanded "I guarantee that with the exception of possibly Jimmy that I can take down any person in this outfit"

"Kathy we were worried" Paul started to say

"You want fucking worried in less than two weeks I have to march out of here with as many people as will follow me and try to keep them alive as we try to take seventy fucking square miles of city. How many of those people aren’t going to come back as much as I can figure if we have a big force and no real troubles four to five hundred people aren’t going to return. But that is only if my luck holds out so some sick bastard who now has a bullet hole in him is a minor matter." I told him and marched through to the dining area where I ate in silence without even Harris’s comments.

 

People kept out of my way for the next hour or so and I was just on the point of apologising when Paul, Mathew and Mark sort of edged up in my direction.

"Kathy" Paul said gently apprehensive of my reaction.

"Yes"

"Well we want to apologise to you, we are sorry so please don’t be mad at us, please" he said in a wheedling tone.

"Don’t be stupid of course your all forgiven, I’m sorry I blew up at you. Its just that for a while today I wasn’t The Oracle or The Boss Lady, I was just me for the first time since this shit started." I sat down with my head in my hands "Everyone wants me to sort everything out, from should we fuel the ships now to where should we put the captured weapons. If any one has any questions they don’t fucking think they come to me first, Suki fields a lot of them on the radio but when that doesn’t work they just turn up. Do you believe this someone grabbed me yesterday asking what they should do about toilet rolls"

"Boss" Mark said "You shouldn’t be dealing with all that crap you should have a staff"

"I cant ask anyone all my people have fought their best for me, they deserve the time off" I insisted.

"Matt go and get Jimmy up here" Mark told his brother.

"I give Jimmy too much to do already"

"Sit there and wait for him to get here" Paul told me sitting down next to me and putting his arm around me.

After a while I heard Jimmy and Mark talking behind me but I didn’t really care.

"What’s up Kathy" he plonked himself down opposite me.

"I feel I am drowning the person I am is being lost under The Oracle, The Boss Lady and fifteen thousand details that everyone thinks only I can solve" I told him

"Kathy you are in command of at least eight and a half thousand men, two ships Christ only knows how many vehicles and a helicopter, when we see him"

"He’s scouting Glasgow and also checking out military bases he can find for weapons and ammunition" I jumped in to Mike’s defence

"That is not the point" Jimmy grasped my hand "You can’t be responsible for everything all the time"

"But I am responsible because I brought them here and I have to take them to Glasgow" I told him

"Look Kathy I do the jobs you ask of me and have plenty of time to have fun, because I have ten people that do the running around and tell people to sort their own problems out. What I think might have been happening is my people are telling people to sort things and they are coming running to you. Mark said something about toilet rolls as one example if you sit here I will do some checking" he got up and walked away.

"Look I’m sorry you lot" I told anyone who was listening.

"Stop being silly" I heard Suki’s voice "If the Boss cant throw a wobbly occasionally where is the fun in being Boss"

"Right you" Jimmy said to me "In one hour Mike is picking you up from that car park where we mustered to take you to New Delphi. I have a few skulls to crack here and me and Tom will sort out the ship. You are to get your crap together and get on that helicopter and when you come back tomorrow you will have a staff." He said firmly

"But I said I would be on the ship" I protested

"Look and I am not going to be polite here. You are fantastic in battle a wonder with tactics and brilliant with people, but you are shit at dealing with the aftermath. You don’t need that shit and given a choice I wouldn’t have you at the funeral. But you will insist on going, so go now relax and have fun. Take the brothers grim here and their ladies show them the delights of your home." He ordered me

"Jimmy I have a man I want you to train" he waived me quiet

"Forget it take him with you if you want but no more business today for you and I have to set up a chain of command, Paul get her to get her stuff together" and he stood up and left.

"Come on lets get your stuff together" Paul said guiding me towards our room.

"Sam has some things I got" I said

"Don’t worry I will get them" Mark said gently

"No I want him to come with us he’s after a place in the team. I want him to feel welcome"

"Fine I will tell him to get some stuff together" Mark said and left us.

"I need one of the bags he has the one with Binnie on it" I shouted after him

"I’m sorry Paul" I said as we reached the sanctuary of our room I reached up and put my arms around his neck and buried my face in his chest.

"Look" he said his hand moving my face away from him "you get upset because you care, if you didn’t give a shit you wouldn’t be you or the woman I love" I kissed him long and passionately our tongues dancing together.

"Oh how I love you" I told him as our lips separated.

"Good" his hands slid down to grasp my bum tightly "then you can go and do as your told and get your things together"

Mark interrupted us at that point knocking on our door "Kathy I have your bag" he shouted and I opened the door and took it off him.

"Ask Wynne and Claire if they want to come with us they will enjoy it I think" and I watched him eagerly go to tell her.

"Ah young love" Paul said from behind me his hands slipping around my waist "what was so important about that bag?"

"A present for you" I reached in the bag and pulled out the large knife "not exactly romantic but I am sure I can make up for that with some fun tonight"

"Oh will you, but this is nice thank you" he removed the knife from it’s sheath and promptly cut his finger testing the edge "sharp too I see"

"Well yes what did you expect a blunt one?"

"you could shave with this" he answered

"Well try the edge on this one" I pulled out the stiletto

"That is pretty and lethal where did you get it?"

"A nice old man I seduced when you weren’t around sort of a cross between Santa and the angel of death" I answered

"Oh were you that good?" and I thumped him in the ribs "ouch that hurt"

"Good" I answered

"Don’t thump a man with a sharp knife or you might get shaved" he said laughing

"Why my dear is this a little something about you I didn’t know? I know you like little girls like me but even littler?"

"Oh I plan to trade you in for a newer model, something that plans to rule the world" he grabbed me and pulled me onto the bed keeping me there with his weight on top of me and attacking my neck with kisses. I was enjoying it too much my knickers were getting wet and my nipples wanted his lips on them.

"Paul we cant now" I told him placing my arms around him "but when we get to New Delphi we claim we need a few hours sleep and have a bit of time for us"

"Promise?" he said nipping my breast through the shirt and bra.

"Mmm yes" I said enjoying the sensations it produced "and if you’re up to it again tonight as I have picked up some more underwear you might like"

"Fine lets get your stuff together and get out of here" he said rolling off me.

 

(concluded in part 6)

 

 

 

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