Stories of the Street - Forty seven

She is on recon patrol as she slips along the street in light body armour, helmet in place and her trusty machine gun at the ready.

The light from the sun makes it difficult to cover the ground safely and the extremes of light and shade obscure some potential problem areas.

As she passes an old bombed out shop a flash of light catches her eye. It’s a window moving to let a sniper gain clear access to the road.

A fast crouch as she brings the gun to firing position, a short burst and the enemy is eliminated.

She is good! She knows she is but her vigilance must not be lowered as she silently gives herself a pat on the back.

Meanwhile, just behind her in the transport module, the person she is protecting as she does her patrol is oblivious to the danger and her heroic efforts. He is deep in thought and a tuneless song ebbs and flows from him like strange mutters and mumbles that gradually bubble up into a recognisable tune and words before becoming immersed in his contemplations.

It is difficult to understand just what he is thinking and she knows that the person she has sworn to protect can sometimes be very awkward. She checks him out and nods at his driver before snaking between a waste bin and a lamppost. With a couple of rapid steps she conceals herself in a doorway and scans behind her for problems.

Slipping out a grenade from her belt, she lobs the bomb over the transport module at an approaching enemy attack ship before darting to the end of the next building. She knows this is a major hazard area and waits quietly as she scans for danger. She hears a voice coming in on her radio from the driver of the module.

“Jan. Don’t cross the road without us. Good girl. Now hold onto the buggy ‘till we get to the other side, then you can go ahead of us again. But keep in sight, OK?”

The soldier says, “Yes mum!” as she engages with the support module for extra cover as they transverse the difficult patch of terrain.