The Oracle Of New Delphi by Hypatia

This is my first attempt at a story that sort of got away from me and despite the fact that I have three other short stories on the go since I started this I have not been able to finish them as this was always rearing its head to distract from my thoughts. So after six months of playing around with it I present to you my monster that has emerged from my unconscious mind. I don’t know whose taste it will be for it is a very long and involved story that in a number of places I am not very happy with. But I feel the time has come to get rid of it from my mind and inflict it on others so you have been warned. The sex in this story is quite graphic but not that frequent the violence is frequent and graphic. Any errors in this story as regards to places and areas within this story can be put down to the fact that most of the places and areas I haven’t visited in years and the useful thing about setting a story in the future is that places change in fifty years. Any comments please Email me at pboauk@yahoo.com. This may me distributed on any totally free site if you think it is worth it but give me a note to say where you are putting it.

"Put me down! I don’t want to be Emperor. I refuse to be Emperor. Long live the republic" 'I, Claudius' by Robert Graves

"It was a splendid sight to see his rush; only one felt a longing to stop the merciless shots that were being aimed at him. It seemed a race between him and is fate." 'Adventures and Accidents' by Lord Baden Powel

During the latter half of the twentieth century technology started a rapid advancement, every one knows about the early experiments in cloning and the introduction of computers into the fabric of our society. The big breakthrough came in the year 2020 with the introduction of molecular memory and the fact that as soon as the latest computer came on line it could be immediately used to design and build its successor. This was a glorious time every one was happy, those that weren’t were classed as crackpots and freaks.

The first great scare of the computer age had been the so-called Millennium Bug, back in the year 1999 this had come to nothing. The great solar storm of 2005 had affected radio and television but besides some electrical problems in North America it had just been a brilliant firework show, three nights of aurora. The Final threat that had been averted was the threat of a virus or hacker being able to disable a large proportion of the world’s computers from a personal computer. This was achieved when the Internet policing act of 2045 came into effect.

The policing policy was easy all Internet communications went through regional control centers, these centers censored, scanned then relayed all internet traffic providing a safe reliable if not rather bland service. This was my place of work 3^rd floor, office 317 North West England National Internet Service based just outside Manchester. I am a Snooper, when you wonder if any one is listening to you or taking note of what you are doing on the nets it is possibly me. If you stay within the rules then you won’t come to my notice but if you are a Hacker, Porn Merchant, Subversive or Political Dissident the Cray Supercomputer buried 100ft underground will flag you and a Snooper will be on you from MI5 IT surveillance group.

The thing that the general population does not realise is how dependent on computers our society is not one aspect of life from healthcare to the traffic control systems and the automated farms is without total electronic dependency. Any thing that is totally dependant on another is vulnerable to attack, our world is vulnerable to the crackpots and freaks, my job is to find them electronically and physically then remove the threat.

The group that I had been tracking for a long time was a terrorist group called The Society For Genetic Advancement a group of so called intellectuals that felt that the Human Cloning and Genetic Manipulation laws do not apply to them, right or not I don’t care I have to find infiltrate and gather information this group for a later prosecution.

The Problem with these renegade biologists was that they could work from any small set up with very little risk of detection, no heavy machinery, no chemical hazards or radiological signs to let us know where they were, a warm growth medium and a sterile area is all that’s needed for the production of biological weapons when you have a starter culture.

My job might sound all James Bond 007 but at the end of the day it involves me sitting in front of a computer picking over fragments of information and sending out my own messages, in their place, to try to make these groups compromise themselves. My office room 317 is between a cleaning cupboard, room 316, and the toilets, room 318. Once every few months I might get allowed out to go and pick up confiscated computer equipment just in case there is something I can use. Otherwise I am a normal happily married 37 year old man, a little bit thinning on top and a little bit spreading in the middle my, name is David I have two children both boys, 15 and 16 years old, and a wife who I love dearly Wendy who is 42 years old and on the plump side but wonderful to cuddle.

The day before I had a note that I had to go up to Whitehaven in Cumbria to pick up a computer that I had located in the area a week before. Seeing that the weather looked good and with the kids being at Grandmas that evening I decided to invite Wendy along for the drive and to make a day of it. We hadn’t been out without the kids for weeks her job, as the matron of a nursing home, and mine meaning some weeks we just met in passing. She eagerly accepted on condition that we went early and came back via the Lake District grabbing a pub lunch whilst we were out. I don’t mind wasting a day of work especially when I can get paid for it and claim traveling expenses so I eagerly accepted.

The trip out there was non-eventful letting the computer take control of the tatty Ford as we hit the M6 Motorway, and I sat back and relaxed placing a hand on Wendy’s plump thigh.



"Oh stop it you, concentrate on the road" she said jokingly.

"So don’t you love me any more?" I replied.

"Yes but not now" she snapped back "I am going to have to stop wearing these

skirts when I am out with you, not enough protection when your feeling randy"

We settled back and watched the countryside of Cheshire merge into the urban sprawl that now joined Manchester to Liverpool and out into the metropolitan district of Lancashire until that finally dissipated into the welcome sight of green again as we started to enter Cumbria.

The Journey had taken 2 hours on the Motorway 40 miles an hour wasn’t bad on a major road now that the computers calculated traffic flow and regulated car speed and separation to try to avoid hold ups and most of the time it worked, till you got into the big cities, the few that hadn’t banned non public transport, like London. As I came off the Motorway I at last kicked in the manual drive and pressed the accelerator. The Ford electric engine pulled away with just the slightest hint of noise, ok I wasn’t going to be breaking any speed limits, but the change from the monotonous constant speed of the 5 lanes of the M6 was a relief.

Picking up the computer was a simple job it was an old system that had been just used to relay messages to and from other computers within the group with a bit of luck it might have some clues within it. I signed for it and put it in the car.

Getting in the car I turned to Wendy "Ok its now half ten Where to?"

"How about going down to Wastwater, then across to Conistion for a late lunch at The Sun Inn" she said.

"Fine by me" I agreed.

Wastwater is one of the most beautiful places in the Lake District, its bleakness and desolation and the fact that in the winter it is so deserted has always appealed to me. The other thing I like to do is visit the little church with the memorials to the mountain climbers lost worldwide.

As we drove along the edge of the road towards the lake we could see the black-mirrored surface of the water reflecting the scree-slopes on the far side giving no idea of the scale. Cloud merged into mist, which thinned to show the gray of the hills with just a little white of snow higher up. Winter was the time for the Lake District, few tourists virtually no traffic and scenery that is fantastic. I parked up and we got out to have a walk along the waters edge, I slipped my arm around Wendy, who nicely fits under my armpit, as she is only 5 foot tall, and grabbed a handful of her buttock.

"Not now" she whispered "Some one might see"

"Who?" I queried

"Well what about them?" She said as she pointed to a car approaching us.

The car was a newish Mercedes, that I had seen on the road behind us on the way but had lost sight of in the last mile or two, it parked next to our car and three youngish looking men got out none older than 25 all looking edgy.

"That’s a lot of car for kids to be driving around in, " said Wendy

"Yes either rich brats or its nicked" I said trying not to sound bothered "lets

head back to the car and move on. I don’t feel like company"

Wendy agreed and we started to walk towards the car and the approaching youths who were watching us intently. The group muttered as we got closer and I pressed the car alarm button on my key ring the car beeped and the doors unlocked. One of the three nearly jumped out of his skin at this. These kids were fit, fit as I had not been even in my youth, they had no reason to be jumpy, the shortest had a couple of inches on my 5ft 10.

Wendy and I walked past them trying not to catch their eyes and as we past by we lengthened our strides to get to the car that bit quicker when all hell let loose. The noise that alerted me was the jumpy one slipping on a stone as the three of them turned on us.

"Run" I screamed at Wendy and shoved her as one of them grabbed me from behind. I might not be James Bond but I do know a few tricks so as Wendy struggled to reach the car I reached back, grabbed the crotch of the one holding me and squeezed his balls as hard as I could whilst twisting and yanking downwards. There was a gurgling noise from my assailant and I threw my head back hard, the pain of my head impacting on his nose was gratifying and he released me.

Glancing up towards Wendy who was still struggling over the uneven ground, not being built or dressed for this sort of activity, I decided she needed more time so I turned round to face the three. My first attacker was on his knees holding his crotch with blood pouring down his face, so I kicked him hard in the side of the head. The third one was struggling to get up from were he had fallen over his own feet, so I screamed, "Move it" at Wendy and launched at the second thug. I got a couple of good swings in before he was ready that made firm contact with his face and body and was just starting to relax when the world went black as the third youth made contact with the back of my head.

I woke up slowly to pain in my head my body bent at an almost impossible way and a great pressure on top of me as I lay there trying to figure what was going on the world bounced up and down a few times causing my head to hurt more. Where was I? What was going on? Then I remembered the attack and things started to fall into place. I was in thee boot of a car, the weight on top of me was Wendy, and I could feel her skirt over my face with her leg across my face beneath the skirt. The feel of her leg encased in the nylon of tights inside that silky skirt and the smell of her perfume had been something I had been enjoying and trying to get more of all day now I was just worried about her and trying not to throw up.

I couldn’t move my arms they were tied so I tried shouting and banging my feet on the floor, this caused Wendy to move and start to struggle causing her second leg to land on my face and forcing my head towards that glorious panty covered area. I could feel her panties beneath her skirt and tights with my face and below the bulge of her belly resting on my chest and lower jaw I was sure I could feel her pubic mound with my nose. Why couldn’t this be four hours ago on the motorway I would have been happy about this then, but now no chance to enjoy it. The car slowed and stopped the door opened then the boot opened Wendy struggled and relaxed after a moment then I felt a sharp pain in my upper thigh and I became very sleepy and very relaxed, so much so that I don’t remember the rest of the journey.

The next thing I was consciously aware of was Wendy speaking "Don’t try and move

and don’t try to speak I think your jaw is broken your nose is and well love

they have done something to you"

I opened my eyes my face hurt I could not breath through my nose and my ribs hurt badly when I breathed. These guys must have really done a number on me whilst I was asleep. I carefully sat up hurting all over and looked at Wendy she looked like hell ashen face and eyes red from crying. Looking down I saw they had changed my clothes I was now wearing jeans and a t-shirt, then I noticed my hands they looked different larger younger. I reached up to my face and even with the swelling I new something was wrong.

Wendy approached me "Dave your not you, they hooked you up to a computer for

hours next to the one you hit first" her voice was quavering at this point "Then

you got up and told me that you were not Dave any more and Dave was now you"

This sounded like utter gobbledy gook to me my brain was having enough problems without this and I said angrily "What the hell are you talking about" I shouldn’t have, the pain in my jaw was terrific but some thing else was wrong my voice even with the facial damage shouldn’t sound so different.

Wendy grasped my hand "Look Dave they swapped your body. One of them is walking

around as you"

Looking down I saw yes I was different, I knew that in theory that since 2042 a

computer could contain the contents of a human mind but how the hell could you

get it in there. These Bastards have figured it out and done it to me. Then it

hit me "Oh Shit" I screamed, "Those sick bastards can access the nets they can

do virtually anything as me any where world wide"

This was a mistake as the pain from my jaw caused me to suddenly feel nauseous next thing I was vomiting over myself causing more and more pain from my jaw and ribs added to the fact that I could not breath with my nose this was not fun.

Wendy started banging on the door till it opened she then started pointing to me and yelling. The door opened and the third man of the group that attacked us came in looked at me and exited only to appear a few seconds later with a bowl of water towels, and a few sterile dressing packs. I continued trying to stop the choking and what had become dry heaves as he put them down and left. Wendy came over and started cleaning me up first of all clearing the vomit from my face and the front of me and then trying to gently clean my nose of encrusted blood to see what damage had been done.

"Dave your nose is broken, your jaw I think is broken, in the fight you landed

on the body you are now in possibly breaking a rib or two. Move slowly talk

slowly and don’t make any swift moves as the drugs, concussion and however they

transferred you have probably screwed up what little brains you had" she then

grabbed my arm gently and said

"Come on easy love. Lets see if I can get you some clothes"

She walked across to the door and banged repeatedly when the same face appeared at the door she started arguing and jabbing her finger at him then at me. My god with all we have been through so far she’s back in control in "Nurse Wendy will be obeyed no matter what" mode. Five foot nothing of my plump round Wendy arguing with this nervous looking young man at least 6 foot 3 inches built like the original "Brick Shithouse" would have been comical if I was not feeling so bloody awful.

The clothes duly arrived and Wendy came over to help me get dressed "You seem to have him well trained" I said.

"Something’s wrong with him, a kid looking like that and at that sort of age should not be tongue tied around me I don’t think he’s who he looks like" she replied as she started to clinically strip my clothes off me.

The t-shirt hurt going over my head and then Wendy said, "Stand up and get those trousers off so we can get these on" holding a pair of jeans and boxer shorts. I bent over to strip off my jeans and underwear to find the biggest shock of my life my cock is not small average I would say, but this thing was dam near flopping around my knee. It must have been eight or nine inches flaccid. I reached for it and felt around it felt like my old one but bigger, a lot bigger and oh my god were my balls sore.

"Leave it alone I’ve seen better" said Wendy "Lets get you dressed"

"When have you seen better?" I asked

"Oh you see a lot over the years in my job, but not many bigger" she replied as she passed me the boxers.

I put it away and slowly got dressed and as I got dressed I explained with my clearance that the person walking around as me could dump a computer virus worldwide. Whatever I placed in the system would not be flagged by any of the regional centres in this country and even possibly across the Atlantic in America due to the new treaties. If a decent virus was admitted into the American system then we could be looking at a global crash as the worlds system is overseen from the old space command centre at Cheyenne Mountain.

"What would this do?" asked Wendy

"Depending on the sophistication of the virus, and they don’t appear to be amateurs by what they have done so far, they could knock us back to the stone age. Most manufacturing, food, and health care are highly computer dependant. All power, ground traffic, Air traffic, Financial and utility distribution are totally dependent. Basically we could loose every thing that makes society today what it is, we would be well and truly fucked."

"Well aren’t there safe guards to stop this sort of thing happening" said Wendy looking concerned.

"Yes but all the programming protection works about the idea that a virus would come in a regional centre and even if it is not stopped by regional protection then the national and global will catch it. If it comes from the top down I think the regional systems will accept it that’s why security at the regional and national centre is so tight. No unauthorised person can gain access to them without a retinal scan and he whoever he is has my retinas" I explained.

Practical as always Wendy turned round to face me and said, "Ok let’s get out".

Easier said than done the room was pretty much bare. A simple mattress lay on the floor where I had been lying with a pile of vomit stained clothes. The walls had one window, which had been bricked over at sometime in the past. The light was from a single low wattage light bulb and the only other thing was the cheap plastic washing up bowl and soiled towels and dressings.

"Not much here to help us get out love" I replied.

"Are you ok to move quickly?" asked Wendy

"I’m pretty sore but I will live, why?" I said

"Because that body looks quite strong and it’s got at least 4 or 5 inches on

your old one, in height as well" She joked "If I distract him do you think you

can take the idiot at the door"

I thought about it for a second, yes this body was bigger and stronger with a few of my old tricks like kick them in the nuts and run like hell it might just work and I told Wendy this. I started making coughing and choking noises while Wendy banged on the door screaming and shouting that I was choking to death.

Mr Nervous opened the door Wendy stepped back and he started to come through the inward opening door. Then things happened rather fast, I hit the door as hard as I could with all the force of my new body and the man went flying getting trapped between the door and the frame. While I tried to remain conscious Wendy took over with some well-placed kicks the pointed high-heeled shoes that were no use for running devastatingly accurate around the groin of the fallen man. I grabbed the door and slammed it into the man once more to make sure and then with a last kick from Wendy we started running.

On the other side of the door was a large room full of computer equipment again only one door left this room no one was in it. On the other side of this door was a large room the nearest thing I can describe it to is a cross between a medical research lab set up for animal testing and a hospital animals, beds and amazingly complex equipment filled the room again only one door left this room.

Approaching the door cautiously I listened nothing outside could be heard. I opened the door and looked outside. We appeared to be on a large country estate the back of large Manor house lay across a large courtyard. We were in a converted stable block on one corner of the courtyard approaching from the far side was a group of people including my self. The six men and women including me were heading towards our building and the only way out was directly in front of them to the left of us about 40 or fifty yard was an old Land Rover it actually look old enough to be one of the old fossil fuel burning cars which puts it at least 35 years old.

"Ok Wendy" I whispered "Not far to a car on the left but we have to move fast as

we have company"

We mad a run for it and as we headed across the courtyard I heard a shout behind me as we were spotted. On reaching the car the problems started how the hell do you drive these things? Yes I had seen my father driving one in the days before petrol was priced out of the reach of the normal population but that was thirty years ago. How did you start it? Oh yes a key. The petrol engine turned over and fired with a cloud of smoke from the exhaust, I pressed the throttle the engine roared and we did not move. Gears! Yes gears, that was the problem I pressed the clutch moved the lever about till it appeared to engage then released the clutch.

This did not have the desired effect the vehicle surged forward all of six foot and the engine died. I looked at the people chasing us they were upon us and one of them appeared to be armed with a pistol.

I turned to Wendy and said "Sorry Love" and turned back to look at the group that was now upon the car. The one with the pistol raised it took aim and fired through the window, there was a sharp pain in my shoulder and I looked down to see a large dart blossoming from my upper arm.

Yet again that day the world ended for me for a while.

Waking yet again that day was another uncomfortable feeling I was flat on my back and appeared to be restrained to a bed. I open my eyes and immediately wished I hadn’t a foot from my face was my face looking at me intently.

"He’s awake," my own voice said

"Good" came a voice from across the room from a point that I couldn’t see.

"Well Dave" my body said, "You have caused us a hell of a lot more trouble than you were supposed to. You were chosen as an easy target, easy target my arse".

"Tough Shit" was my not very witty or original reply.

"Listen Dave the only reason that you are alive is that we are not out to hurt

any one. Our disagreement is with the society as a whole and its make up, not

with hurting individuals"

"Yes you’re a well balanced and friendly group of sociopathic pacifists if I only took the time to get to know you we would have hours of fun together, destroying civilisation and kidnapping people. It’s what every well balanced person wants to be doing this season" was my slightly better retort.

"Listen all the pain you are feeling you did. We were just going to dart you and that would have been it." His/My voice started to get nasty "But you had to be awkward you had to bring the not so little wife with you. You had to be the hero. You had to try and escape. But I am not vindictive its not in my nature to hold a grudge but you are a problem and I feel you will continue to be a problem."

He disappeared from my limited field of view and there was the sound of muttering then a laugh and a voice saying "yes oh yes" I was starting to get a bit more apprehensive.

I reappeared in front of me again and started talking.

"Look Dave we have to deal with you for the next three days. We could threaten

your wife and family but that might not stop you. We could just kill that body

you are in, it’s a spare but our aim is no loss of life. We could just remove

your brain patterns to the computer then pull the plug losing all of you and

saving the body you messed up but despite the slight difference this would be

the same as killing you. But I have a better idea. Good night for now sweet

dreams I don’t think"

There was a burning sensation in my hand and yet again I took a little nap.

Waking up yet again I felt strange. I opened my eyes. My vision from one eye was blocked from the other eye I could see a ceiling. I could hear talking in the background and could smell straw and an animal smell. I tried to sit up and found my body did not appear to want to respond properly. What the hell was going on my brain was fuzzy and I did not seem to be able to move my arms as I wanted. A brown thing flapping about caught my eye what the hell was that. I lifted my head up to look and my other eye started registering the fact that I was lying on a straw covered floor something was wrong with my face. I looked down at the moving object it was a fur-covered leg leading down to a hoof. I tried to scream but the sound that came out was not human. As I tried to stand up I heard laughing, finally sorting my legs out I got up on to all fours and took stock of what was happening. Looking down I could see two brown legs leading down to hooves, I could see a brown nose with a flash of white between my eyes, and I turned my head and looked back and saw the side and rear end of a horse. Those bastards hand turned me into an animal. The voices were behind me so I turned around carefully trying to figure out how to move my legs without falling over my feet and could see my body and Mr Nervous from the original group of attackers standing there smiling.

I tried to tell them exactly what I thought of them and all that came out was a cross between a whinny and a donkey braying.

"Calm down Dave!" my body said, "We wouldn’t want you to break a leg and have to

be shot"

I quietened down and stood shivering in shock.

"Now Dave you are going to listen to me" I continued "And do as you are told as

it could cost you your mind and your wife’s life. That body you are in can

retain your mental patterns for about a week without too much damage. Any longer

and what makes Dave, Dave will be forgotten so don’t try to escape because by

next week you will be thinking like a horse. Its something we found out early on

an animal brain cannot hold a human brain. In chimps it takes months before a

person is lost, in rodents it takes seconds, but in horses and larger mammals we

are talking about a week. So now you are going to do what you are told when you

are told or we leave you as you are and perhaps put that wife of yours in a

rabbit or some other suitable creature she might even keep her mind long enough

to realise what has happened"

This chilled me to the core, I did not mind what happened to me but Wendy that was different I would not let any thing happen to her.

I stood head bowed down looking at the floor and my own hooves whilst standing

in a stable stall. My own voice, which I was beginning to hate the sound of,

continued to talk

"If you are good then you can have this body back within a week if not you can

stay like that for a long, long time, twenty five to thirty years if you are

lucky. Now if you understand me and are willing to cooperate then tap you hoof"

I complied and he nodded and left me on my own to my own thoughts.

After a few minutes a tall blond woman arrived and cautiously entered the stall "Ok Dave pass your head here" she said gently.

I did and she placed a harness over my head and new muzzle I could feel my ears being moved and at the back of my head it being fastened. She then took the rope attached to the harness and led me out slowly.

"Now don’t try any thing funny or else, the wife wont be the wife any more" she

said menacingly and then in a more gentle tone "we just have to get you use to

moving as a horse so you don’t break your neck"

The process of walking was totally different so unnatural just trying to figure out which leg to move next was a problem my body could not be left to walk on automatically as I tended to just move my rear legs. We headed down a row of stalls all quiet except for the last one nearest to the door where I could hear the stamping of hooves and whinnying.

"Don’t worry" said the woman leading me out.

I wondered was this poor individual like me trapped.

Outside I was lead to a patch of grass and walked up and down for a few minutes as I walked I gradually became use to the rhythm of walking as a horse. I didn’t think I could run but walking no longer took all my concentration. This body felt big heavy and strong but I didn’t fancy staying like this forever, the last one possibly but not this one. I noticed I had a few people watching all armed with the dart guns and decided to be good for a while.

"Ok you seem to be ok walking" my handler commented "Go and have a play in the

field"

At this she led me to a large field enclosed by a barbed wire fence and unlocked a padlock on the large gate.

When she led me in the gate was closed, she removed the rope to my bridle I suppose it was called and climbed over the fence out. I started walking slowly around the field at one end was a tin shack and an old metal bath full of water besides that it was empty. There was just grass and hedge, not a lot to work with if I intended to get out. So I started to walk around the hedges looking for anywhere I might be able to push through glancing over at the gate I could see I was still being watched so I wandered around nibbling at the grass. It still tasted like grass but for some reason it was not a bad taste so I wandered around munching and enjoying the different tastes and getting use to the sensations of being a horse it was almost tranquil pleasant experience, but I did find that horses have no bowel control as I let loose with an enormous mountain of crap. At least I don’t have to consciously think about how to do everything in this body.

Looking back at the gate my audience seemed to have deserted me so I started examining the hedge in earnest. At one point it did seem to be thinner so I started pushing through. Yes was definitely thinner here and my new thicker skin seemed to protect me against the thorns that was one good thing about this body. Then it felt like someone kicked me in the chest and I jumped back. Looking down I could see three strands of wire I touched the top one with my nose again the kick and this time pain, electrified no chance of escape here. As I started to back out there was a pain across my new hindquarters and a voice.

"You never learn do you?"

I backed out with more slaps to my arse to find the one I had dubbed Mr Nervous with two other men standing back armed with dart guns.

"What is it with you? You just don’t realise the problems you have caused given

the choice I would have killed you. But it’s not my choice I have to keep you

alive that’s my orders but that’s all"

I started backing off because he was punctuating his speech with a riding crop and despite what jockeys say it hurt.

"Well how am I going to stop you trying to escape? I know what will keep you

busy and give you some payback for slamming that door on me" he chuckled to

himself and started walking off. Turning his head back to me he shouted back

"You’ve brought this on yourself"

Now I was worried I headed to the furthest point from the gate and watched him leave by climbing the gate. Moments later I saw him return with another horse large and chestnut and I thought that perhaps this was Wendy. I headed over and saw Wendy being led between two armed men behind the horse. What the hell was going on? The other horse was released in the field and was immediately bounding around and kicking its rear legs.

Then it stopped and started sniffing in my direction whilst whinnying. I watched as it started to approach me making strange noises its cock extended out of its sheath. Christ it was big I looked down to see if I was built the same I couldn’t see because of my chest in the way I turned to look back from the side. This was strange I could not see my cock where was it? I could see my tail but up between the rear legs nothing.

Oh shit no, No, NO! It hit me I wasn’t just a horse I was a mare, a female and that stallion was interested in me. This was some thing I was not willing to accept. He came up along side me making soft noises that I did not understand rubbing his body along side mine. His musky heavy smell sent butterflies through my stomach and I backed up to place my rear in the hedge for safety. He rubbed his neck against mine neighed loudly then bit me on the bum. At this I started running fast he nipped me again I turned and jammed my rear end into the hedge again. This was strange It felt like some one had pushed a large pillow between my rear legs up near my arsehole and damp and sticky.

This body wanted it, this mare, me, was in season but my brain was in control I clenched and relaxed back there something was opening and closing, my vagina, it felt good like some one tickling my balls and prick gently. The stallion came close again I was down wind from him his smell again got to me. I could feel my vaginal lips swelling even more, more warm feelings in the pit of my stomach, my tail started to lift I was turned on more than I ever have been before.

As the stallion came closer I backed up further into the hedge seeking some protection for my virtue and brushed the electrified fence. The shock made me bolt, I glanced back to see the stallion chasing. Heading towards the gate I thought I might be able to beg them to help me, any way Wendy was there she would help me. Another nip to my bum, the stallion was catching me up I just did not have the experience in this body to escape him I wasn’t fast enough. He started to climb up my back I couldn’t keep running with his weight, I tried to struggle I couldn’t his forelegs stopped me turning around he bit my neck. Whinnying with fear there was nothing I could do Wendy was watching me a shocked look on her face, my captors were laughing and joking amongst themselves. I could feel his immense organ between my rear legs I tried to force my tail down for some protection. The hot hard object moved backwards and forwards between my legs rubbing against my vaginal lips my tail raised on reflex with the rush of pleasure that went through my body. He changed angle my movement of my tail giving him better access and he banged against my anus. That hurt I tried to move and this helped him I could feel something jabbing against that hot puffy feeling between my rear legs.

Oh God please no, not this, not with Wendy watching I thought. His thrusts began to open me, his enormous organ unstoppable in its progress and worse as it forced its way in nudging further and further in, stretching me almost to the point of pain the heat and the friction from this invader felt good. He paused for second to adjust him self on my back and nip the other side of my neck the heat of his body on my flanks making me tremble his fore legs grasping me hard around my rib cage and he thrust fully into me. If I could have escaped at this moment I would have, the feeling of my internal organs being forced out of the way for this massive cock nearly brought me back to reality I could feel pressure all the way up inside me. Then as he started to move backwards and forwards the pressure changed to pleasure all through my body I couldn’t help it as he withdrew I clenched not wanting it to leave me, as it thrust I thrust back wanting more. The stallions pace increased harder and harder he fucked me biting my neck and snorting until a wave of pleasure swept across me and I squeezed as hard as I could with my new muscles trying to hold him to feel him more of him. As wave after wave of new sensations came across me deep within me I could feel him start to climax the massive hot rod pulsed and appeared to expand within me as jet after jet of hot horse semen flooded my insides.

The stallion lay panting upon my back the last flashes of pleasure gave way to

reality as his softening weapon slid out of me leaving a dripping wet void that

ached to be filled again. I tried to move and he moved off me allowing me to

walk the last twenty yards to Wendy. Wendy was at the gate crying I came up to

her and nuzzled her at this she threw her arms around my neck crying "I’m sorry

love"

I tried to respond but what came out made no sense at all just noise and drew the attention of my recent lover. I felt the stallion sniff at my sex and tried to move out of his way, he slid his body along mine forcing himself between Wendy and me.

"Hold on love," said Wendy as the stallion’s body forced us apart "We’ll get out

of this"

"Yes you will" said nervous guy "we move you tomorrow night. The day after you can be you again and on your merry way. That is if you haven’t fallen in love with Socrates here he is a great teacher isn’t he. Perhaps we should leave you together till you give him a foal," he laughed cruelly as he dragged Wendy off with the two goons.

Socrates started to push my body with his away from the gate down towards the far end of the field. Our combined juices were running down the back of my legs my bladder was bursting from the recent activity and it cut loose, washing away some of the semen but catching my tail. As I staggered on down the field in a daze I realized he was no longer with me. I turned to see him sniffing at the place I had just peed his penis again emerging from its sheath to touch the long grass he made his way towards me the rampant member waving. He was suddenly on me his weight the insistent hardness pressing at my wet sex and he was in. Oh god it felt like he was in further was he pushing on my diaphragm from the inside, I was having problems breathing my breath came in quick gasps as I again gave into the pleasure. The feel of my cunt grabbing his prick as I climaxed caused his climax and the pace of his thrusts increased till he again filled me with his seed. As he slipped out of me leaving me wanting him back fear gripped me what if they did leave us like this I could be carrying his foal.

If they left me like this would my mind melt away leaving just a pregnant mare or would it still be me inside. A cool wind blew across my sopping sex sending a shiver through me, Socrates moved alongside me just touching my body and making little whinnying noises. Feeling thirsty I wandered down to the tin bath to drink an awkward thing to do as a horse but Socrates seemed to have no problems as he joined me. As the light faded I wandered around nibbling on the grass with him in tow till it finally got too dark to see. The two of us fell asleep standing next to each other and despite everything his presence was comforting.

The next morning I woke up with a start not realising where or what I was. Looking around I saw Socrates’ solid presence next to me. He moved closer to me his scent again causing this body to respond. He moved around to my rear to sniff my sex and I moved my tail out of the way for him. His nose brushed against my vaginal lips and I squeezed and released the muscles as tingles of pleasure shot through me. Taking this as an invitation he again mounted me and despite the guilt and disgust I felt I welcomed it, forcing back onto his hardness as he found his target. When he again finished I was the one who moved closer to him for comfort in the warm afterglow.

Eating and drinking occupied the rest of the morning we just stayed close together, until late morning when he had me again. The afternoon was spent together munching on grass being close; my body by late afternoon was tingling all over. His presence was affecting me, as was his lack of attention. I was acutely aware of my sex and the desire to have him again built up more and more. I started trying to get his attention moving closer rubbing against him. As he started to notice me I walked in front of him with my tail high trembling with anticipation. As he again climbed on top of me I whinnied in pleasure as he entered me. As the feelings again built up I looked up to see Wendy accompanied buy two men and the guilt built up in me, only to be washed away as the pleasure of his hot fluid filling me hit.

"Dave, Dave come hear" a female voice brought me back to reality. The woman who led me out of the stall yesterday was calling me. I wandered across in a daze she attached the rope to the bridal and led me out of the field around to the back of the house. Wendy and escort followed.

"Ok Dave" the woman said gently "we are leaving soon you will be human again

tomorrow but for now into the horse box. We have to go now as this place is no

longer safe"

I was led into a straw filled horsebox and the door closed behind me. How long

we travelled I don’t know time has a different feel as a horse but after what

seemed like a long time we stopped. It was a while before any one attended to me

and the first thing I knew was the sound of arguing

"How could you do it to her Frank" was a female voice

"Look it kept him out of the way" came Franks reply

"But the damage to Hypatia could be permanent you know that a dominant personality overlaid on top of an existing mind can destroy it. She may never reappear as she was You had no right" came the female voice.

"Look Jane I have had enough of this between him and his bitch of a wife this

operation has just gone from bad to worse"

Jane replied angrily "But those are my horses you had no right at all to touch

them. I will just have to see what I can do"

"Can’t you leave it till tomorrow night" was Franks angry comment "He can have his old body back then?"

"No" was the final word from Jane.

The horsebox door was opened and I was led off into a building the floor and walls where padded. The light inside allowed me to see who was leading me and I saw it was a Woman in her late fifties rather, thin with greying hair. She was accompanied by one of my original assailant the one who had done this to me Nervous Guy, was this Frank.

Jane started to talk to me "Dave are you still there inside?"

I whinnied eagerly in agreement

"Look Dave I am going to try to help you" she said, "Not particularly for you but for the mare you are in ‘Tia’ you should only have been transferred to an empty brain.

Overlaying one on top of another is dangerous for both minds and is always fatal for one personality. Do you understand me?"

I whinnied and nodded again.

She continued "We don’t have many spare bodies around hear at the moment and from what my husband says you and your wife are both trouble." Gesturing towards Frank who was displaying a series of scratches across the bruising on his face.

"So for a day till your body gets back you are just going to have to put up with

whatever we can find"

With that she picked up a large syringe that she approached me with saying "This

cant be done while you are conscious too much brain activity makes it impossible

so this will make you sleep"

She plunged the needle into a vein in my neck and as I started to fall onto the

padded floor just as I fell asleep she said "and when you wake up it will be a

whole new world"

I woke up to the sound of people running and shouting I was in a bed covered by a blanket. I was not alone there was a warm body next to me I could feel the reassuring contact of flesh on flesh and wondered what the boys were up to I opened my eyes ready to shout at them to shut up. I looked at the ceiling this was not my room.

I rolled over to face the body next to me and was surprised to see a young girl fourteen or fifteen at most lying next to me.

"Wendy" I said "Wendy is that you" she stirred and opened her eyes.

"Dave is that you?" she asked

"Yes they have changed us again to keep us out of trouble till tonight. You

now look like a young girl"

Her reply, which nearly floored me, was "So do you love"

I sat up quickly looking down at myself thin arms reached out to move the blanket from my chest emerged two small breasts nothing big enough to need a bra. My nipples started to react to the chill of the bedroom air stiffening to form sharp dark peaks on the small conical mounds. I looked down my smooth ever so pale stomach to the blanket across my crotch and legs.

With a trembling dainty hand pulled it back to see what I dreaded nothing, just a v going down to the start of a slit. I slid my fingers through the slightly darker fuzz to grab at the slit that lay between my legs. Too hard I grabbed at it and it hurt, tears sprang to my eyes. I rolled away from Wendy not wanting her to see me cry it was too much every thing that had happened to me and I lay there facing a wall shaking with tears leaking down my face. Wendy rolled towards me reached over me for the blanket and cuddled in behind me.

She held me from behind as sobs wracked through my body, this was just too much for me to take, why did they keep doing this to me.

As the sobs eased she started talking to me in her new voice "Come on love its

only for one day. That’s not to bad is it? Its not for long"

She squeezed me tighter till the sobs eased and I gradually became aware that her nose was in my longer hair and she was snuggled up behind me spoon fashion firm breasts pressed into my shoulder blades, wiry pubic hair was noticeable on my buttocks and her feet carried on past mine. She was larger than me by a fair bit.

I rolled over to look at her she was looking concerned at me. She angled her head down to give me a kiss on my forehead as she squeezed me hard. I moved up the bed slightly to get my head level with hers and tried to kiss her on the lips she hesitated for a second then reciprocated, we lay kissing and holding each other tight for a while.

The feeling of soft flesh on soft flesh was strange, my skin was ever so more sensitive and I was acutely aware of her breasts pressing against my small protuberances. Wendy had her arm around me moving it up and down rubbing my back stopping just as my buttocks started. My nipples erected and my kisses took on slightly more passion and I started caressing her buttocks with my free hand the passion of our kisses increased I started kneading her buttocks as she did mine. That felt good, but the sensations in my rock hard nipples pressing against her firm young breasts was sending signals to my groin. I started opening and closing my thighs slightly squeezing hard then relaxing that felt good. She moved a leg so one of her feet was teasing mine I moved one leg and her foot started rubbing my calf. She rolled towards me slightly her knee across my thigh stopping me doing the squeeze and release that I was enjoining so much.

I moved my upper most leg try and get a decent amount of pressure on my crotch and her knee slid between my thighs soft skin against soft skin. Her leg brushed my new equipment between my legs and I trapped it between my legs forcing it against me hard. I broke off the kiss and tilted my head back with a moan from the back of my throat, Wendy obligingly moved her knee up and down an inch the glorious pressure came and released. Oh was this good my hips started twitching pushing towards her as the pressure came, away as it released. She started kissing my neck then working down with kisses to my little boob she took the nipple in her mouth.

The sensations shot down through my belly button to my hot and swollen pussy, my back arched and I placed my arm around pulling her harder to my breast her hand on my buttocks was encouraging me to move faster and faster backwards and forwards. The friction was changing now. My juices seeping out to soak Wendy’s leg made it feel oily and slick but still very good. My movements started to reach a crescendo as wave after wave of pleasure hit me. I forced my pussy onto her leg as hard as possible trying to hold her against me tight and my climax hit. The sensation was totally different from a male orgasm erupting through my whole body.

I started shouting in my new voice "Oh yes, yes oooh" only to be silenced by Wendy’s lips on mine.

As I slowly recovered Wendy started talking to me softly

"Feeling better now?"

"Yes" I managed to gasp, as the sensations did not seem to have ended like they would have in my body.

"Good" said Wendy "I need you to pull yourself together. I need you to be strong so I don’t loose it. We only have to last for one day like this then they say that we will be put back as normal."

"Oh" was my only reply.

"Dave I have a confession to make its my fault they stuck us in these bodies

this time"

"How" I said

"Well in the car Frank was going on about how much you seemed to be enjoying Socrates and how a fat pig like me showed you liked animals beforehand. So I hit him."

"Good I hope it hurt him" I replied

"Yes it did." She smiled "He was sitting next to me so I bit, scratched and hit

him. After he managed stop me he said that both of us would have to be made so

we couldn’t cause any more trouble until we a released"

"Don’t worry," I said, "He was a sadistic bastard anyway, and he probably would

have done something like this to me any way. I’m just sorry he got you too"

Wendy giggled "Sorry why? I haven’t looked like this for twenty-five years, its

fun for a day. You’re the one I am concerned with, it’s been a hell of a couple

of days"

"Wendy I have a confession to make" I rolled out of her arms away from her I could not look at her for this.

"When I was that horse I hated it at first just the fact of being an animal was bad enough.

But when he let Socrates into the field that was awful I thought I was loosing my mind.

Then it happened I enjoyed it I tried not to" again I was crying Wendy snuggled up behind me to hold me, as I did so often to her.

I continued, "Just before they put me in the horse box I initiated it, I wanted

him to take me"

I broke down into unintelligible sobs and Wendy started whispering to me gently "Look Dave, in my job not in the Nursing Home but in Casualty I have seen a lot. When people are scared instincts take over. People fight and get violent for no reason, big strong men cry, and little kids sit quietly with horrendous injuries. The body and the instincts take over when the mind can’t take it any more. You were in an impossible position, your instincts took over and these were the instincts of a mare in season so you wanted what a mare in season wants."

The voice behind me giggled, "Any way, as a teenager when I first met you were always horny but I thought you would grow out of it. Did you? No you became a horny man and I can see you being a problem still in fifty years. Is it surprising you became a horny mare, or a horny little girl" at this she pinched my nipple. This sent tingles to my crotch and my other nipple responded. I rolled back to face her looking at the face of this girl possibly fifteen who spoke of the experiences of my Wendy she had long brown hair in no particular style and brown eyes, filled with concern for me.

Looking down I could see her breasts firm cones of a young girl with oversized nipples. I glanced down at my chest to compare mine to hers. My breasts were a lot smaller not even a handful with my new smaller hands. I tweaked my nipple with my thumb and forefinger my breasts tightened both nipples crinkling and hardening and sensations being reawakened in my groin. I reached over and pinched one of her nipples the same reactions occurred in her nipples.

"mmm" she moaned rubbing her thighs together, "no don’t do that love please"

"Why not?" I asked "you did it to me"

"Yes" she said blushing furiously "but that was different. You wont have another

chance to feel what it is like from this side after today and it made you feel

better. I just can’t relax and enjoy it. I do love you but how you look makes me

feel somewhere between a lesbian and a child molester. I’m sorry Dave"

I hugged her tight showing no hard feelings and enjoying the sensations.

"Ok let’s get up" announced Wendy after a few minutes and sat up and got out of bed.

She was a beautiful kid old enough to be distinctly interesting with a curvy bum, the breasts not big enough to be affected by gravity yet and hair half way down her back. I felt guilty sat there enjoying the view. Looking around the drably decorated room I could see two doors one window with bars and a chair with some clothes on.

Wendy tried one of the doors, locked she walked across to the other it opened.

"We’ve got a bathroom," she said

"Ok" I answered getting carefully out of bed the floor seemed further away than it should. Looking down I could see thin almost gangly legs, leading up to the crotch.

It has just a darker touch of fur covering it but hiding nothing of the swollen slit. I bent over to see better and spread my legs slightly. Sliding my hand down my stomach I gently, touched the pubic hair and moved down between my legs my inner thighs was wet and sticky from my earlier activity, I could feel my nipples responded, I shuddered and quickly removed my hand. My skin was white no colour at all till reaching my small nipples on top of their small breasts, my hips were only just starting to spread with approaching womanhood I could feel hair on my back and reached to brig some into view, red hair. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up into Wendy’s face, she had a good six inches on me.

"Come on lets get sorted," she said as she placed an arm around my shoulders and led me to the bathroom.

In the bathroom were a sink, toilet and shower. On a shelf were a few bottles of shampoo and deodorant and the like towels where on a rack. A small mirror gave me my first view of my face. A freckled red headed girl looking sad looked back at me as I brushed my hair out of my face so did she, I was a beautiful little girl possibly a young thirteen or fourteen year old.

"Do you need to pee?" asked Wendy I nodded

"Well sit down" I sat down knees tight together and Wendy said " Relax and

spread your legs a bit other wise you will be covered in pee"

I sat there with the cold seat under me my feet barely touching the floor a sticky damp feeling between my slightly larger buttocks making me uncomfortably aware of my resent excitement.

"Just relax and let it happen" said Wendy

I did and it did splattering me a bit as the trickle started and finished. Very strange I thought, I couldn’t figure exactly were it came from except it was some where from my crotch. At the start and the finish it seemed to come from the back at peak flow from the front leaving me wet all along my crotch.

"Now wipe" Wendy ordered so I did "into the shower with you" "Nurse Wendy was in charge again so I did what I was told.

The water hitting my small breasts caused tingles as I washed this body "Shampoo" said Wendy passing it through the shower curtain I grabbed it and preceded to wash my long red hair, a lot more of a job than my old hair.

"Have you washed yourself properly?" Came Wendy’s voice.

"What do you mean I’ve been washing myself for thirty years" I snapped back

"No. Down there love you have to keep it clean"

So I took the soap and washed my new equipment moving the soap over the plump outer lips, with my fingers I spread the lips feeling the inner structure. I felt a small bump oh god my hips jerked I stopped for a second. Well thirty-seven years old and eighteen of marriage I now know for certain where a clitoris is. I returned to washing avoiding my clitoris, which was almost too sensitive to touch and felt the inner lips open to allow my small finger some entrance into my body. It felt good and I thought not at the moment.

Reaching further back I came to the intensely ticklish stretch that ran from my

vagina to my anus remembering that this area was sticky with my secretions I

reached around my buttocks with the soap and ran the soap between my buttocks

back down over my anus towards my vagina. This felt good as well I stopped and

rinsed the soap off too much on this body-felt good I could get very carried

away and as Wendy says, "Now is not the time"

Turning the shower off I stepped out of the shower to find Wendy waiting with a

large towel for me she wrapped me up in it as I have seen her do with our

children and gave me a quick rub saying "Go and get dry while I get sorted"

Even drying this body was different the towel irritated my nipples causing them to erect the skin was too sensitive to rub hard and I was only just finishing as Wendy walked in with a towel around her head and another around her body just above her breasts.

"You haven’t dried your hair" she exclaimed and grabbed another towel to start

working on my hair

"We could do with a hair drier" she said as she continued to work on my hair.

"Ok that will have to do for the moment lets get you dressed."

She walked over to the clothes and had a route through "Ok it could be worse we

have an outfit each. Put these on"

Put a pile of clothes next to me as she took her clothes to the other side of the bed and started to dress. I have always enjoyed watching a woman get dressed almost as much as watching a woman undress. This young girl had my attention as she slipped on the pale blue panties a bit low on the hip and buttocks for Wendy’s normal tastes, she always says she likes knickers that keep her belly button warm.

The bra was next slipping her arms through the straps and reaching behind to fasten it, fingers under the straps to arrange them correctly on the shoulders. She picked up a pair of jeans sliding her legs into them she pulled them up over her bum they were tight. Fastening them she turned to me.

"Come on you haven’t even started" She walked around to me and picked up a pretty pair of white panties turning them around the right way she said "come on step into them" A teenage girl in tight jeans and only a bra on top was holding out a pair of girls panties for me to step into, I was having real problems with this.

"Do I have to?" I whispered

"Its either this or bare skin, I don’t mind but you might"

I slipped my feet into the panties and stood up as Wendy drew them up my legs they pulled up tightly to my groin I slipped my hand down the front adjusting them slightly at the back they pulled in to the crack of my bum.

"Ok now this" Wendy said passing me a matching bra

"Do I need this?" I asked

"For support no, to stop your nipples driving you mad and showing through this T-shirt.

Yes" Wendy said.

I slipped my arms through the bra and reached back to try and fasten it I couldn’t work out the clips, it was as bad as trying to undo your first bra as a teenager.

"Turn around let me do it" said Wendy laughing at my struggles.

The bra felt uncomfortable like wearing too tight underwear as a man and I found out why women slip their fingers underneath to arrange everything, when it was sorted it didn’t feel quite as bad but I was acutely aware of wearing it.

"Ok these now" as she passed me a pair of black tights. I glared at her.

"Don’t blame me," she said.

I bundled the tights at my foot sliding one foot in then the other as I had seen Wendy do so many times before. The tights were thicker that what Wendy wears, still nylon, with thicker ribs running down the legs, it held my legs tightly as I tried to work it over my bum. Eventually I got the crotch sorted out somewhere near my crotch, rather than by my knees and a skirt was passed to me.

It had to be a skirt why not jeans? This had to be Franks doing. I slipped the denim skirt on. The skirt was tight on my bum flaring out to finish above my knees. The T-shirt was the final straw pink with embroidered flowers no arms and thin cotton straps over my shoulders my bra could be seen through the holes my arms went through. Looking down, my breasts made little lumps that showed the pattern of the lace of the bra underneath the embroidered top. I Sat down glumly as I did my skirt rode up at the back.

"Stand up again" said Wendy I did "now sit again but smooth your skirt underneath you first" I did feeling no happier.

"Right now let’s sort out that hair," she said reappearing wearing a white top and holding a hairbrush. She brushed my hair and tied it back in a pigtail with one of those elastic things that girls use, she had done the same with hers.

She sat next to me "Cheer up, you look very pretty" she said

"Just what I always wanted to hear" I snarled back with little control of my voice.

"Its only for one day don’t let them see they have beaten you" she slipped her arm around my shoulders as she sat next to me "Plus I can get my own back" her hand slipped down onto my knee and it started rubbing my nylon covered knee. It felt nice as she started to move her hand to my inner thigh I squeezed her hand with my legs and turned to kiss her she gave me a peck and removed her hand.

The key in the door ruined the moment and Franks grinning face appeared as he came in to my new viewpoint he was enormous.

"Well, well don’t we look nice" he smiled as he said this.

"Fuck You!" I answered

"No my dear Fuck You as everybody will want to with how you look at the moment, except perhaps Socrates. Now there are shoes under the bed get them on. Your wanted now" he ordered.

I looked under the bed and sure enough there were a pair of girls Nike trainers and a pair of black shoes. The shoes were rather like boys school shoes except for a chunky high heel. I put them on and tried to stand up, it felt strange but I could cope.

"Ok this way ladies, and don’t try anything or I might just have to spank you" He chuckled to himself over this last remark.

He led us down some stairs into a large kitchen where Jane was sat at a large table.

"Ah good morning Dave, Wendy, you must be hungry breakfast?"

We both nodded and sat down Frank passed two bowls of Cornflakes and a jug of milk two glasses of orange juice were also brought. We sat there eating while Jane talked.

"First let me apologise for your current bodies, You Dave I couldn’t leave in

Tia’s body without risking her so you had to be moved we only had two available

bodies on ice at the time so we had no option as to sex. You Wendy are thanks to

my husbands wishes he reckoned that, as you were you were dangerous. So I had to

move both of you the body choice and clothes were Franks idea, you have upset

him Dave"

"Me upset him," I spluttered

"Look you want to know what’s going on, keep quiet and Ill tell you" she

continued

"You have been part of our plans for a long time and you have been instrumental in this new world. Now I will have to go back a fair number of years to 2035 to start Frank and his research partner Harold developed a method of accelerated cloning through hormonal treatment a mature clone as in a clone with a mature formed brain could be grown in three years, four years for every one in treatment. Barry who is now in you body about ten years ago developed a method of recording all information in the brain then with some help from elsewhere developed erasing a brain and re writing a brain. The information in your brain is what makes you a person. My field is Genetic Engineering improving the species. That body that you’re in at the moment Dave will be mine in another year it’s a bit young yet and as a person of some authority I can’t appear too young. It’s a good body, beefed up immune system longer period of fertility up to about 60 years then a slow down rather than rapid menopause. That I can tell you will be an achievement for women world wide and it should be good for 100 years, plenty of time to grow another one."

"You see Dave our group wasn’t just scientists we were old scientists I am the youngest at 70 years old" she said I was surprised at this. "Us and other like us word wide are what has made life what it is like today and the ideas that we have that can make life better for all are opposed at all turns by politicians, businessmen and companies. We could have stopped the common cold years ago but do you know how much the cold is worth to pharmaceutical companies."

"No" I answered

"Billions in income for remedies that do nothing. With crime and civil disturbance appropriate drugs and programming in the water and food will make things a lot better" she said.

"Now wait a minute, this is exactly why I try to stop you people. One minute

its just for the good of all, then is drugging brainwashing and you are the only

people to lead us." I piped in "Your system is flawed as it always revolves

about you being in charge"

"But its done now" Jane said, "money, property and ownership is now no more.

The stock market has closed for the last time. As you know the world works

through information that information is no more and we as in our group will come

to make peace in the chaos we will be welcomed by all we are the people who can

make the world work again this time as it should"

I looked at her face how could such a nice little old lady who loved her horse be as nutty as a fruitcake?

" Any way Dave, Wendy the rest of the people coming here should reach us today about 100 in all. There are fifty of these bases countrywide thousands worldwide, our time has come and yours has gone, your body will arrive with the main group and then you can leave us to do what you like your part in this plan is now fulfilled and I think being a thirteen year old girl is not really your style. What about you Wendy you like being nearly fifteen?"

We both shook our heads

"Well Frank will see you back to your room" she dismissed us and Frank led us back up to the drab room.

As the door was locked we looked at each other Wendy spoke first "Is she for real?"

"Unfortunately yes" I replied, "This is why the MI5 set up us, the snoopers. Information is power but misinformation and fanaticism is worse. Think of Hitler in the 1930s one voice and a people followed. This sort of thing is not unusual, as people want something to believe in especially if it’s something to their advantage. The Jew is your problem the cause of all our troubles its not your fault and a country now has someone to blame, atrocities are committed.

The other form of fanaticism is follow me and you shall have everlasting life.

This woman has combined the best elements of both sides, follow her and you

could have everlasting life, politicians and companies cause all the problems of

your life and she will make it all better for all. This bitch might just pull it

off"

"With the computers down how bad will it be out there?" Wendy asked

"Hell" was my reply.

We sat there in silence thinking of the kids and our families neither one of us wanting to express what we feared.

Finally Wendy broke the silence "Do you think the boys are safe"

"With your Father, the ex Greek war veteran, the man who scared the shit out of me for the first year I knew you no most definably not. More than a day with him and they will be invading Turkey again."

She smiled at me "Daddy isn’t that bad you must know that by now"

I answered with a laugh "And you call a geriatric homicidal maniac with a

passion for firearms not that bad"

"Well I did see you using a few of his tricks didn’t I when they attacked you" she said.

"Yes you did and they worked," I conceded.

My father in law was a veteran of the Royal Marines and had been sent to Greece after the Turkish invasion in 2030 even now after eighteen years of marriage he scared the shit out of me. It was the one place I knew the kids would be safe. Any one who messed with him would have extra ventilation holes in the skull.

We sat there for a long time contemplating what had happened to the world we knew and us until a pressing need got my attention, my bladder. Women’s clothes are not designed for practicality just like their bodies, I stood in front of the toilet realising that the old methods did not apply so I turned around and lifted my skirt, then I couldn’t find the waist band of my tights, it was caught above the waist of my skirt I eventually got them down and the panties and sat on the seat which was cold. The sensation as before was a bit like as a man but a lot wetter and I had to use plenty of toilet paper to dry my self. I looked the hair on my groin and felt down along the lips of my sex and cold shudder went through me I was going to be glad to get my dick back. I wonder if Wendy would mind keeping that body for a day or two when I do it could be fun.

The rest of the day went slowly with little to do but talk and eat when meals were passed in by the end of the day I was just about comfortable with the tights and shoes but not with the bra or skirt I was adjusting the bra straps again when Frank walked in again.

"Having problems are we," he sneered, "the group heading here hasn’t arrived yet

so you’re stuck for the night. We’ll have to sort you out in the morning now so

good night ladies" he through some clothes on the bed "What no goodnight kiss

for Uncle Frank"

"Fuck off dickhead" Was Wendy’s answer much to my surprise.

Frank locked up and we examined the clothes two night dresses again Frank was being vindictive. For Wendy a t-shirt style nightdress with a large duck with a nightcap and pillow printed on the front. For me a pink satiny thing with lace on the chest, hem and straps. We got undressed and found out why women scratch after removing a bra, the relief. I was not going to wear one of those things a minute longer than necessary. I put on the night dresses it was slippery against my skin and an elastic strip pulled it in just below my boobs the lace was itchy on my chest and the straps felt strange. We got into our bed and held each other till we fell asleep. Sometime during the night I woke up with a start, in her sleep Wendy’s arm had fallen across my chest and the pressure on my little boob had woken me I moved her hand and rubbed the sore little breast to make it feel better, then I rubbed the other one so it didn’t feel left out. My hand sneaked down the front of me to stroke my lower belly and pubic mound. As I wondered if my body had arrived I lay there rubbing my pussy through the nightdress until I reached a gentle and quiet climax.

The next morning Frank woke us up banging open the door "up and follow me

ladies, no time to get dressed"

We followed the stairs cold on my feet down to the kitchen Jane was waiting there.

"Dave Wendy I have a problem and so do you" she said, "the main party of our

group was due to be here by now. They were travelling as a group after the virus

was launched to avoid suspicion beforehand. We know the rendezvous point we know

their route. Now it is possible that your body, Dave, hasn’t reached them yet as

you were the contact to tell them were to come to. For security reasons we felt

our location couldn’t be released until the plan was operational. So I am

heading down to meet them and see what the problem is. There are only four of us

here at the moment and for travelling I feel I need all four for strength of

numbers. So what do I do with you I could just lock you in the room till we get

back but I am not that cruel, so you can have the run of the house till we get

back as all sensitive areas are well and truly locked. If you want to leave be

my guest but if you want to get back to normal please stay. The choice is yours

we should only be two days at most" and she left saying "Food is in the kitchen,

clothes in the next room along from yours see you soon"

Like a mother leaving her children she departed leaving us in the kitchen. We sat there for a minute listening to the sound of a car starting and moving off, the sound finally being lost in the distance.

"Do you think she’s serious?" asked Wendy

"Probably" I answered, "What am I going to do run off looking like this?"

"True" she said, " If we upset them too much we could be stuck like this"

"No thanks I am going to be a good little boy," I said

"I think looking like that you mean good little girl," Wendy pointed out.

I changed the subject "How about we forget that and try to sort out some breakfast" and I stood up. As I walked across the kitchen towards the old fashioned range I was very aware of the satin nightdress swishing against my bum, my nipples were little pebbles pushing through the thin material. I started opening cupboards and found cooking equipment on an upper shelf I spotted some coffee. I reached up to get it and couldn’t reach.

"Wendy do you mind getting this for me? I can’t reach it"

Wendy grabbed the coffee "there you go" she said patting me on the bum "You make the brew while I sort out the food."

A few minutes later we were sat down eating cereal and sipping at the coffee when Wendy piped up "What do we do now?"

"The first thing we do is find some decent clothes, then we find out all we can about this place" I said then grimaced as I took a sip of my coffee "I wish they had some decent stuff" I commented.

"Why tastes fine to me, perhaps your tastes have changed," said Wendy.

We ate up and headed back up the steps towards our room and entered the next room along the passage. A similar room to ours lay inside the door except the bathroom was on the other side and the bars on the window were missing. There was also the addition of two wardrobes, a large chest of drawers and a dressing table with various women’s accessories like make up on. In the mirror I caught sight of my self a pretty little red head stood next to her older friend both in their night clothes hair disorganized from sleep my young curves showing through the pink satin, Wendy’s more mature curves visible through the t-shirt. It was a sight our two sons would have given their left bollocks to see, and even me who has no had interest in young girls since the age of sixteen was getting tingles in my groin and a puffy feeling between my legs.

I sat down on the bed it felt like someone had rolled up something and shoved it between my legs and I was sitting with my crotch exactly on it.

"Well you go and get washed and sorted I’ll see what we can put on" said Wendy I went in the bathroom and took care of the urgent call of my bladder first, the puffiness of my genitals seeming to reduce the amount of wetness from the urine, but perhaps it was just the fact that they were damp already. Then my bowels joined in and it was dam near the same as my male body at least not every thing is different. I removed my nightdress and stepped into the shower. I tried not to look at my self as I washed, to imagine I was just me but everything about this body conspired to remind me of what I was, a girl. The water hitting my small breasts, the soap over my nipples and groin even the lack of hair on this body meaning that the water clung that bit tighter to my skin. All this depressed me along with the thought of would I get my body back. I grabbed two towels and wrapped my hair up in one and tried to wrap the other one around my body as I had seen Wendy do the day before I didn’t work and I just put It around my shoulders to walk into the other room.

"Well love we don’t have a lot of choice in clothing" Wendy said " Mainly skirts

and tops you do have a pair of jeans but they are pink"

"Oh brilliant" I said

"There is a nice little blue dress if you prefer?" she smiled at me

"No I will put up with the jeans" I scowled back at her

"Well get dry and dressed then I will sort out your hair when I get out" she finished as she walked towards the bathroom.

I looked at the selection of clothes pink jeans again a white bra and panty set, pink socks, pink girls trainers and a white sweat shirt with a print of a kitten playing with a ball of wool. Someone had a really warped sense of cute fashion. I looked in the wardrobe that was open obviously this body was not expected to be used for long periods two or three skirts a few tops and a couple of pairs of shoes was all that was in there. I walked over to the chest of draws opening the top drawer I found bra and knickers, too big for me, I held up one of the bras to my small chest and I nowhere near filled the cups. Looking at the size on the label I saw 34A.

Wendy must be having nearly as many problems as me I thought as she used to be a

well-developed 44DD. Next drawer down was tights, socks and nightwear again

Wendy’s so I continued to the third drawer In this was my underwear white pink

and blue panties and bras all greeted me. the bottom drawer was socks a few

packets of tights and a couple of night dresses. Pulling out the night wear I

thought maybe Frank wasn’t being so vindictive the other two night dresses were

a yellow baby doll set in nylon and a short t shirt with a picture of a little

girl with her thumb in her mouth. Underneath this were the words "I’m Sleepy"

Wendy came out of the bathroom wrapped in towels and said, "Found any thing you would prefer to wear?"

"No" I muttered back

"You know I think all these clothes have been chosen by Jane," she said while

getting dry

"It’s just like my Grandmother used to buy for me when I was a kid. Overkill on the cutesy wootsy little innocent girl, when all I wanted was stuff to get a boys attention."

"Well I don’t want to get a boys attention" I remarked, "some thing plain and

normal would do me"

I put on the Knickers again trying to get them so they didn’t fall in the crack of my bum and covered my groin rather than digging in. Then I put on the jeans they were tight grasping what curves I had in my bum and legs tightly. Looking down as I fastened them I was sure looking at the smooth V down to my crotch that I could see my pussy being split by the seam. It certainly felt like it was. I decided to leave the bra and slipped the sweatshirt on the fluffy inner irritated my nipples and they sprang up. I pulled my hair through the neck of the sweatshirt and heard a whistle.

"And you don’t want the boys attention. If I had looked like that at your age the things I could have done, if daddy would have ever let me out of the house. But Dave speaking with nearly thirty years of experience with boobs put on the bra if Frank comes back you don’t want him enjoying the view" she said nodding at my chest.

I looked down and saw that although my nipples were not even half the size of hers they were clearly visible. I reluctantly removed the sweatshirt the material again brushing my nipples sending tingles to my groin and picked up the bra.

"Put it on backwards to fasten the clip then spin it around to put your arms through the straps" she suggested.

I did as she said and went through the rigmarole of adjusting the cups and straps. It was uncomfortable and my face showed it. She walked over and has a feel of the back and the front and said "looks a bit tight on you perhaps you need a real bra."

"What do you mean a real bra?" I answered

"Well if you look at the label it says age 12 to 13 it’s a training bra"

"It will have to do till I get back to normal" I replied

Wendy bushed my long hair I slipped my pink socks and trainers on my feet as she got dressed in the jeans from yesterday and we set about exploring our environment.

We started in the kitchen and found it opened onto a pleasant dining room with about ten tables none laid through another room we came to a foyer with a desk saying reception and a large number of keys. We were in a small hotel our room was one of the staff quarters. We picked a few of the keys and explored a few of the rooms nothing much exciting only one of the rooms looked occupied and judging by the clothes it was Jane’s.

Outside the front door we came to a long drive a small car park and fields in one of the fields were two young looking cows and further away in another was a rather large bull. Tia and Socrates occupied the field on the other side I shuddered as I remembered my experiences.

Wendy grabbed my hand and led me around the back of the hotel to a number of out buildings including a stable block and a tool shed the larger two buildings were locked up tight we decided not to force the door for fear of annoying our captors. Inside the hotel there were six further rooms along the staff corridor one of which had been occupied according to the unmade bed an old Roberts’s radio stood on the bed side cabinet, male underwear lay on the floor I grabbed the radio after a quick fruitless search and we continued. Two of the last five rooms were locked the other three contained supplies of canned foods in one dried foods in the next and cleaning and toiletries in the last. Back down in the kitchen we found a large walk in freezer very well stocked. We sat down at the kitchen table and I plugged in the radio it came on these people defiantly had power. Starting with the FM band I worked through all the bands nothing just static even the electronic noise on the short wave was absent. Wendy looked pale as she came over with a cup of coffee, less coffee and more milk and sugar this time.

"Anything at all" love she asked

"No were probably in a bad reception area" I said trying not to let my concern show in my voice "We need an aerial, we can sort it out after this" I indicated my coffee.

Looking up on the roof I had seen an old television aerial from the days before Digital Satellite Television took over it wasn’t the aerial I was after but the cable. Finding the key saying roof in the office we headed up four flights of stairs to the roof. The key was stiff as was the door so I had to ask Wendy to help. Stepping outside I could see a large flat roof with a large proportion covered by solar cells sandbags were piled up against the rail all around and looking out about half a mile away I could see a barn. These people were prepared for a siege. In one corner was the TV aerial with coax cable still attached I pulled at it but again I wasn’t strong enough.

"Come here love let me do it" said Wendy

This was irritating. Having got the cable I ran it, well Wendy ran it through the kitchen window to a tree near the house. I attached a spool of cable I had seen in the tool shed to the inner of it and Wendy climbed the tree with it. As her tight denim covered rear ascended I thought well she never would have been doing that last week.

With no connector for the radio I just stripped the coax and shoved it in the socket. Immediately I went back to the short wave bands if any one was out there they would be on here. Nothing at 14 megahertz, nothing at 9 then at the 7 megahertz the voices started to arrive voices speaking of horror.

"We need help please any one." One voice came through strong "I repeat the message at 00:15 hours the night before last that is 24^th February the North Deighton Fusion Power plant near Wetherby blew. I am in Bradford Casualties are high. Leeds is gone as is York probably we need help please help us if any rescue group can hear us. I repeat..."

I tuned the radio down slightly further another voice "I am in Croydon and as I look north I can see the flames of Central London the smoke must be visible for hundreds of miles there is no fire service left to do anything. One of the refugees told me that it was caused by a plane trying to land...."

Down a bit further the Hams, that rather strange breed that I had always classed as one level above a train spotter, were reporting the death of our country, as the day wore on the Americans started to come through telling similar stories, New York gone, armed gangs roaming the city streets. The voices continued into the night as we sat there listening in silence we eat beans on toast to the stories of the death of millions.

At one point Wendy with tears running down her face said "Isn’t there any thing we can do to help?"

"No" I answered trying to make my young voice sound as stern as possible "except make them pay when they get back" I was going to make that Jane put me back in my body, then I was going to take great pleasure in killing all of them.

Eventually we both fell asleep in the kitchen to the voices pleading for help that could not and would not come.

I woke up after an uncomfortable night of nightmares to the sound of static from the radio the coax had pulled out I switched it off without replacing it. I was aching from sleeping in the chair Wendy was still asleep I put some more wood on the range to fire it up a bit more and made two cups coffee. I woke Wendy up and passed her a cup, her eyes were red from crying, and her hair was a mess. I brushed my hair from my face and realised I must not look much better, I felt sticky and the bra was uncomfortable my panties has rode up into the crack of my ass. As we had our coffee I spoke.

"Wendy I know you are not one for violence or revenge but these bastards have to pay for what they have done. Do you agree?"

"Yes" she said her voice flat and devoid of emotion.

"Ok" I continued "We give breakfast a miss because they are due back some time today and after we get sorted we check out those last two rooms. This place is set up to be defended there must be weapons and they will be inside where the could be got at quickly."

"But the doors locked how will we get in?" she asked

"Don’t worry I know how" I answered.

We both took separate rooms to shower to save time and after drying I put on a longer skirt with a pale blue blouse my legs were cold underneath it I fished in the bottom draw for one of the packets of tights. I opened them these were more like what Wendy thin things which seemed to grip my legs incredibly snugly. I eventually got them all sorted out fitting where they should and not down by my knees and I felt warmer surprisingly warm for such thin flimsy things. I looked in the wardrobe at the shoes that where left black pointed things with a heel not very big but no thanks. My pink trainers would look ridiculous so I went through to our original room for the black shoes I had worn on the first day. As my legs moved I was sure I could hear the nylon brushing together at my thighs I glanced down to see my little toes visible through the reinforced toe of the tights as I walked. I was putting the black shoes on as Wendy came out of the shower.

"You know you look nice," she said. I made no comment. We walked to the other

room

"You sure you don’t want a little lipstick" she was trying to wind me up and it

was working

"Look love" I said as she sat on the bed "Its still me in here tatty jeans and a

T shirt Dave

I don’t want all this crap and I don’t want any bloody lipstick"

She pulled me towards her till I sat on her knee "I know I was just checking it was still you in there." She kissed me passionately and rolled me skilfully from her knee to the bed. "Just relax and enjoy it," she said as she slid her hand up my nylon-encased leg.

Starting with the calf she worked her hand up the inside of my leg lingering for a while at he inside of my knee. With her other hand she undid the buttons of my blouse rubbing my breasts through the bra then pulling the little cups down to get better access to them. Her hand by this time had worked its way up my inner thighs to rest flat on my crotch her thumb on the front of my pubic mound four fingers pressing at my sex. As she rubbed backwards and forwards she kissed my nipple and a gasp escaped my lips. I tried to reciprocate by sliding a hand under her towel up her leg.

"No love" she responded as she pushed my hand away with her free hand. She started sucking hard on my nipple.

"Yesssss" I said and my hips started making involuntary movements towards her hand. Then her hand came off my sex only to move up my belly.

"Oh Please love, please" was all I could say her hand slipped under the waist band of my tights then her finger insinuated their way into my panties they rubbed through my sparse pubic hair and worked their way over the edge and down the slit. With one finger she gently teased the lips open until she could start moving my juices up towards my clitoris when I was wet enough her thumb started teasing my front part of my sex while her longest finger slid into my vagina an inch or two with her other fingers she squeezed the lips around her invading finger.

"Oh yes, oh yes oh god yes" I crying as my first climax hit but she didn’t stop

there she carried on not quite touching my clitoris but making other parts of

the lips rub against it. I came again twice in quick succession the final one

causing every muscle in my body to tense up and I bit my bottom lip

"Nnnnghhh" was the only sound I was able to make.

Wendy released my nipple but kept her hand caressing my pussy gently. I could feel the panties digging into the crack of my bum, my tights were digging into my back and my skirt was bunched up around my waist.

She looked down at me "Dave love, I have something very important to ask you"

"Yes, what" remembering the last time I woke up to a blowjob I ended up agreeing to decorate the living room.

"Dave, do you like this body"

"Yes why?"

"Because I want to keep it if you don’t mind" she continued, "This is how I want to look for you and when you’re a man again I want you to be my first and only lover. If you want a different body I don’t mind but I don’t mind you back as you. As I was I was fat you called it plump and never kept your hands off me but I was and always had been even as a little girl fat. Could you love me looking like this?"

Who was she kidding no red blooded male could not love that body and with my

Wendy inside perfection, I told her so. "Whatever you want I want because I love

you"

She kissed me I joked "why would you like me with the big dick?"

Her face turned red "No it was just if you wanted to that was all"

"I might let me think on it and see if it is possible" I answered. She removed her hand from my tights and panties I was wet and sticky from between my buttocks to my pubic hair. I rearranged my bra and tried unsuccessfully to walk to the toilet without letting my knickers get wet and hampered by the fact my tights were down my thighs.

Wendy laughed "Its get your own back time, now you can see why I used to say no.

Can you imagine walking around like that all day?"

"I wouldn’t like to, I apologise I’m sorry now excuse me while I get cleaned up" I hobbled off to the toilet and sat down taking the flannel I wiped myself down. It was everywhere in my hair down my legs up my bum, when finished I found that there was no towels here so I carefully patted dry with some toilet paper. Then as my cold and damp panties reached my crotch my bladder decided to wake up I dropped them again and as the flow started I was thinking Jane had said this was an improved body it never stopped leaking.

When I was sorted I went back to the bedroom Jane was dressed rather similar to me long black skirt with pleats a white blouse and tights the only difference was the fact she was wearing sandals with a wedge heel. Looking at her I compared her bust to mine I defiantly had nothing on her.

"I thought today for your last day as a girl we could be sisters"

"What ever you say dear," I said as patronisingly as I could with this voice.

"Ok what are we going to do today?" she asked ignoring my sarcasm.

"Well dear sister we are going to find were the weapons are stored, break in

take what we need and set up an ambush for Aunty Jane, Uncle Frank and any

friends they bring make them turn me back into a man, any man will do and blow

their brains out. Afterwards I’ll take you back inside and shag the brains out

of that cute little body"

"Oh that will be nice," she said while cupping a boob "because I’m a horny

little girl who needs her Dave back." She grinned at me "well my little sister

you don’t look like a Dave. For today your Katherine with a K Kathy for short"

"What ever you say dear," I replied again.

"Ok come on show me how we are going to break into those rooms Kathy," she said while grabbing my hand.

From the tool shed I grabbed an electric drill and jigsaw. Wendy helped carrying the reel of the extension cable that was too heavy for me to carry. We came to the first door I drilled a hole and used the jigsaw to cut around the lock, not very subtle but it worked. In this room were boxes and boxes of medical supplies.

Pointing to one case Wendy said "There’s enough diamorphine there to keep every junky in Manchester happy for a week." Interesting but not what I was looking for. I started on the second door.

I opened the door after cutting around the lock it was black inside. I felt inside the door and found a light switch there were steps heading down to the glow of a fluorescent tube. At the bottom the stairs turned sharply right to come back underneath the hotel and we saw a large room.

"Bingo" I said the room was full of firearms and ammunition most of which I did not recognise. But some thanks to my father in law were instantly recognisable 7.62mm SLR’s, a row of them were racked against the wall I pulled one off the rack and found out that I was not going to be using one, too big and too heavy.

"Wendy do you think you can manage this?" I asked struggling to pass it to her.

She took it drew back the slide at the side to cock it canted it over to check there was no round in, released the slide and aimed at the ceiling. There was a loud click removing a magazine from a box she found it pre loaded she placed it underneath and slammed it home.

"Think so" she answered. I stood there with my mouth open this was a side of Wendy I had never seen before.

She saw my face and said "I was always daddy’s little girl and with a daddy like mine this is what I learnt."

"Ok what else is useful here?" I asked

She pointed to four larger weapons on bipods at one end of the room "7.62mm

General Purpose Machine Gun, 750 rounds per minute fire rate and its an antique

like these" pointing at the rifle that she was holding

"Will they work?" I asked

"Should do," she answered

"Ok can we get one on the roof to cover the drive do you think"

"Should be able to" she said and continued nosing around " Claymores" she shouted spotting one box.

"What Scottish swords" I answered

"No anti personnel mines" She shouted

"How do you know all this?" I asked.

"Dad used to sneak me down to the range from about the time I was five by the time I was sixteen I could handle most weapons. But these are antiques just like my dads friend Uncle John had ex British military. He was a teacher in the marines and amateur historian. Ancient weapons were his passion."

"Your not telling me you used antipersonnel mines on the range?"

"No" she admitted "but years of classic films from Apocalypse Now to Platoon and

Hamburger Hill filled in the gaps"

"Ok what can I use?" I asked

"Over there" she indicated a rack of large pistols "Browning 9mm pistol and I’m

not sure about the slightly smaller pistols at the very end"

We walked over to the rack at the far end were ten smaller pistols were racked

"Beretta’s" she said, "some one has taste" again there was a case of ammunition on the floor next to them. She took one off the rack and dropped the magazine out of the handle into her other hand placing this on the side she drew the slide back and checked it was empty she gently squeezed the trigger and it clicked. She smiled and replaced the magazine.

"Ok let’s go out side and get you checked out on this." She slung the SLR across her chest just below her boobs and passed me the pistol and a box of bullets the grabbed a Browning and another box of bullets. We walked up to the kitchen and we sat down at the table while she showed me how to load the magazine with 13 rounds my small fingers had problems with the spring. Then she showed me how to slide a round into the chamber.

"Now she said you can keep one round in the chamber it is virtually impossible to knock off the safety by accident but if you don’t expect action don’t keep one in the chamber its safer."

Outside I took out my aggression on two defenceless beans tins the shots echoing out over the landscape. The beans won, but by the end I was within four or five inches of the can. I was disgusted but Wendy assured me that at thirty feet that was adequate.

"Can you do better?" I asked she raised the Browning took aim and the tin exploded.

"Must be this gun" I said

"Pistol or weapon. Pass it here" I did and the same promptly happened to the other tin.

"Don’t worry I’ve had years of practice. If you aim for the body mass with how

you are doing at the moment you will hit. The only thing is aim for the body and

make your first shot count"

Between us we carted the GPMG up stairs onto the roof and arranged a tarpaulin over it. Then between us we managed to get two boxes of ammunition upstairs. With that even I was able to hit a target walking the tracer onto it though it took all my effort to wrestle the weapon.

These set up we decided to break into the last two large outbuildings. One was set up as a veterinary surgery with operating equipment and even a portable X Ray if we had some one to use it the last was obviously the mind swap equipment. Two large computers stood side-by-side against one wall along the other wall was a row of beds on which lay Wendy’s body hooked up to a ventilator.

"Dave after living like this I don’t want to go back to that are you sure you can love me like this?"

"Yes I am, love, its you I have loved for eighteen years of marriage if it was

just physical appearance that was the basis of this marriage then it wouldn’t

have lasted eighteen months" I squeezed her hand "Plus I can trade you in for a

newer model without losing my initial investment"

"Hey you" she punched me in the arm, it hurt " I either love you our I want to

kill you"

"What ever you say dear" was my reply

"Hey I am trying to be serious here," she said

"Yes but it’s a rebirth love not a death" I explained, "You will be you the

person I love for a lot longer"

"Thank you" she said and switched off the ventilator the body didn’t even try to make another breath it just stopped breathing minutes later the empty shell was dead.

"That’s it love I am officially a pervert I’m now married to a girl who’s not

even fifteen yet"

She smiled at me "And I’m the bigger pervert married to a thirteen year old girl, at least until they get back. Can you do any thing with the computer love to figure it out how to get back?"

I switched on the computer system but even before it would boot up it wanted a

password up to twelve characters long. I turned to Wendy "No chance love if I

can get the password out of them then yes if not then I could type in randomly

for the rest of my life and not hit lucky"

"Ok then we will have to get it out of them because I want my husband back to enjoy the new me, no offence I love my little sister but I cant relax to love you as a lover. Lets be honest I like men and I’m not going to change."

"That’s ok as I intend to be one soon." I agreed

"Good" said Wendy

We made our way onto the roof and camped out there for the day we ate up there, we drank up there, we opened up the nearest room to the roof access and one person was on watch while the other slept.

Three days later they still hadn’t arrived. Tempers were frayed I was concerned we wouldn’t see them again Wendy was concerned that they would when we weren’t expecting it.

On the fourth day of them being overdue I was in the tool shed I should have been on the roof but I was seeing if I could sort out the aerial on the radio, which had come out again I found a connector I thought I could make fit and came out of the tool shed to see a land rover parked up outside two men where getting out both unshaven and dirty.

"Well looks here a pretty little girl. He said there was food and medicine but

nothing about pussy," said one



"There may be more in side you catch her I’ll check inside," said the other

The first one approached me and I backed up towards the tool shed. The man was on me in a second pushing me back into the shed. He was in his late thirties and he spoke with a strong Yorkshire accent.

"Slow down there you might hurt your self I wouldn’t want you be hurt before we get to know each other".

He reached and grabbed my arm pulling me towards him I fought and kicked He changed his grip and grabbed my hair he could keep me at arms length with his longer reach and extra height I couldn’t do any thing my feet were off the ground tears coursed down my face I screamed in pain.

"Be nice and you wont get hurt" he said

I ceased my struggles he let my feet touch the ground and he pulled me towards him his hand slid up my sweatshirt, the one with the kitten on the front, and up under my bra he squeezed hard I shrieked in pain. Hi kissed me as I screamed. He stunk and his beard prickled my face. His hand reached under my short skirt and grabbed my tights and panties and pulled hard they ripped. His rough finger poked at my pussy there was no pleasure just pain as it invaded me hitting an obstruction within me.

"Well a virgin I haven’t had one of those before" he said "I’ll save that for

later till then I’ve got something for you"

He pushed me down onto my knees unzipping his pants, a large red headed cock appeared in front of my face.

"Open your mouth for me" it brushed my lips it stunk of stale pee.

"Open your mouth for me now you little cunt" he snarled

I reached behind me and removed the Beretta from the waistband at the back of my skirt and jammed it in his crotch.

"If you want to keep that tool, back up fuck head" I screamed at him he backed up three steps to my arms length his cock was till hanging out but fear had reduced it to a limp and pathetic thing.

"Turn around now with your hands up" he obliged

"Now were is a little girl like you going to get a gun" he said "I don’t think

its real and even if it was a sweet little thing like you couldn’t use it"

He turned to face me

"Put it down now and I wont have to hurt you" he said his voice patronisingly

sweet

"Don’t move fucker" I screamed "don’t take one fucking step"

He took a step and small black mark appeared slightly to the right of centre of his forehead the back of his head had been removed when the bullet passed through his brain he sank to his knees and fell at my feet the hole in the back of his head very evident.

No time to worry about that I ran for the hotel inside the other man was coming down the stairs to see what the noise was. I raised the Beretta and caught him in the shoulder spinning him around he fell to the floor. I stayed there covering him as I heard the sound of Wendy coming running. He started to move sitting up with his back to the wall.

"Don’t move," I screamed. He sat looking at me He started to move

"I wouldn’t" came Wendy’s voice she was covering him with the rifle from the top

of the stairs

"Where do you want him?" she asked

"Out side I don’t want his stink in here" I answered grimly

"Ok you can hear her get up and get out" she motioned with the rifle "Don’t let him get near you and don’t get between him and me" she shouted to me.

I backed out of the door first keeping my weapon trained on him, he shuffled out

with Wendy following

"On your knees now. Keep that fucking hand where I can see it" Wendy roared at him.

"But I’ll fall" he whimpered.

"You’ll fall a hell of a lot quicker with no fucking head" she chambered a round into the rifle to punctuate her comment. The man dropped to his knees with out question.

"Hands on the back of your head slowly." He placed one hand there with no problems the other with the shoulder I had hit would not allow him too.

"Keep that hand on your knee then if you as much as scratch your balls your dead. No warnings, no questions. Do you understand me?" there was silence to Wendy’s question.

"Now listen to me, you have pissed me off by just walking into our home uninvited your friend seems to have irritated my little sister as she has removed his brains from his skull, she is the nice one in the family, so what you say now effects what of little of your life you may have remaining. Do you understand me?"

"Yes" he muttered

I skirted well around him to come up to Wendy’s side avoiding getting in-between her and him she glanced at me and looked shocked.

"Are you ok," I nodded "was it him?" she continued.

"No his friend over there" I said indicating the corpse.

"How did you find this place and why did you come here?" Wendy asked him.

"Just found you by accident, didn’t mean any harm" he answered

"He’s lying his friend over there said something about being told about this

place and he came in to see if there were any more inside" I commented

"Right now the next words you say if I feel it is not the truth I will kill you without question before you finish speaking" she took proper aim at him "how did you find us?"

"People in that car four of them all sick, an old dear dead by the time we found them" he babbled " One of them was able to tell us about this place and said he could make himself better if we could get him here, we could have what we wanted he promised, he did" his voice was whining now.

"What was wrong with them?"

"Sick, hair falling out his nose kept bleeding"

"Where are they now?" Wendy asked

"They died on the way"

"And you found this place on your own I don’t think" I joined in "where are

they"

"Last one at the end of the drive" he said quickly

"Ok up into the car and lets go and have a look" I said he struggled up onto his feet and walked towards the Land Rover.

"Get in and sit down," Wendy shouted

"You get in the back and hold that pistol to the back of his head if you even think he might try anything don’t hesitate to kill him" she said to me loudly enough for him to hear.

I struggled to open the rear door then scrambled inside sitting directly behind him I placed the pistol against the back of his head and released the safety. He flinched at the click from the safety.

"That was the safety catch" I said to him all "I need to do is squeeze lightly and the last thing you will ever know is your brains leaving your skull so be a good boy. Wendy I’m sorted you can get in now."

Wendy climbed into the back and sat with the rifle pointing at the back of his

seat

"Ok drive slowly" she said. The man struggle to reach down for the key, due to the wound in his shoulder, but he managed to start it. With his good arm he managed to put it into gear and drove down the driveway. It was at least a mile and a half of fields with one large barn on the left before we came to a junction slumped in the road was a figure. The car stopped Wendy got out first then as she covered him I got out.

I looked at the body it was Frank looking at him I could see he had died due to his throat being cut, but along the way he had been tortured. His left ear was missing just a scabby mess the fingers of one of his hands were obviously broken. This did not bother me as much as how he looked his hair had fallen out in clumps and it looked like blisters on his skin. Radiation sickness and a hell of an amount is needed to cause death that quickly.

"Get him out now we can’t leave this body here it will attract attention" I said to Wendy.

"Move it, are you deaf or what" he half fell out of the Land Rover.

"I don’t want that inside with us" said Wendy indicating Franks body "I can see like you that radiation is involved but if that is what it was his immune system will be down god knows what he could be carrying.

I agreed and we got our captive to place the body on the bonnet he lashed it on with a bit of rope and we made our way back to the hotel.

"What now" he said

Wendy passed him a shovel "Start digging, your burying them"

He started digging next to the grave we had dug for Wendy’s body, his shoulder not giving him much trouble, as I could now see I had been lucky and only just clipped him. After a few hours he had a nice size hole with much moaning and complaining.

"Bring them both over here" Wendy indicated the two bodies. "Empty their pockets onto the floor" nothing came out of Franks pockets but out of the other mans pocket came a flick knife a ladies watch three rings and a few odds and sods.

"Empty your pockets" Wendy told him. Another flick knife appeared a Stanley Knife with a retractable blade and the bits of paper that accumulate in a mans pocket.

"Ok roll them into the hole" She ordered.

He rolled his friend into the hole with no problem. With Franks larger body the force needed to roll him in re opened the wound in his shoulder he went white and moaned in pain and staggered down to his knees. Wendy’s natural compassion came forth at this point something to do with her job I think and she stepped forwards to help him.

"Don’t even think about it love. His Knife had the blood on it" I said indicating the knife he had dropped.

"Well what do we do with him?"

"Get rid of him. I don’t want him here" I answered

At this our captive started begging "No, no please no. Two nice girls like you

wouldn’t hurt me would you? I’ll do anything please"

"Get up and start walking" Wendy said "If you walk out of here now you can live.

If I ever see you or hear you again I will shoot you without thinking"

He got up and started down the drive as fast as he could when he was about 150 yards away he stopped and turned.

"I’ll be back and when I am I’ll make you bitches suffer do you..."

There was a bang and a red cloud emerged from the back of his head. Wendy was standing with the rifle raised some wisps of smoke around her one yellow metal cartridge case lay on the ground.

"Well that sorts out that problem," I said "we’ve got a hole so lets get him in

before we fill it"

The two of us walked over and grabbed a foot each and dragged him up the drive leaving a long red smear on the tarmac. Dropping him into the hole we took a spade each and filled the hole in silence.

We headed up to the upstairs room that we had claimed to be near the roof. It was a large room with one double and two single beds also it had a bath in the bathroom rather than just the shower in a lot of the rooms.

"You had to do it love" I said "If they had come back" I started shaking my ruined tights and panties reminding me of what nearly happened. Tears started running down my face, my hands wiped my face where his dick had touched me.

"He didn’t hurt you did he love" Wendy said concern all over her face.

"No" my wavering voice answered "he was going to rape me later" I broke down into tears.

Wendy took me in her arms and hugged met tight as the tears broke into full flow. She guided me into the bathroom and started the bath running, she started to remove my clothes sweatshirt first then bra to expose dirty finger marks and a bruises in the shape of his fingers on my left boob. Then she undid my shorter skirt to show my ruined tights and ripped panties bruises were evident on my thighs as was a smear of dirt from his hands leading up to my groin. I was so humiliated that she could see all this as she removed my tights and shoes.

Wendy looked and hugged me tight saying "Don’t worry love we maid the bastards pay. Come on into the bath with you" I stepped into the bath and sat there crying and shaking in the warm water.

"Shift forward love" said Wendy I did. She slid in behind legs either side of me. She reached forward too get the soap and then slipped her arms around me and hugged me tight.

"Come on let it all out" and she proceeded to wash me all over gently the contact did nothing for me, she then washed my hair breasts rubbing against my bare back doing nothing for me.

"Ok love one last thing to do can you stand up and turn around" I did and she started washing the black marks from my inner thighs. I tensed as she reached my groin she washed it for me.

"Can you open your legs a bit love" she whispered her voice full of compassion "I just want to check he hasn’t hurt you."

I did and she spread my lips I looked at the ceiling biting my bottom lip as she fiddled about down there, she wiped one last time with a flannel and stood up. Getting out of the bath she wrapped me in a towel and got me to get out of the bath as she wrapped a towel about her. After drying me and placing the night shirt, with "I’m sleepy", on me she slipped into the double bed next to me. My sobs had died out by then though I was still shaking I felt sick to my stomach, rolling on her side she slipped one arm around me the other hand caressing my face and hair.

"Come on love is all over now" she quietly said to me, as a person talks to a frightened animal, "he hasn’t hurt you but you’ve had a hell of a shock just sleep and it wont seem quite as bad in the morning.

"But I’m stuck like this" I said, "I’m stuck as a girl"

"Not necessarily" said Wendy "Jane said there were a fifty of these places

country wide and thousands world wide. We should be able to find one still

working and sort you out and anyway being a girl is not the end of the world

after 42 years of it and eighteen years of marriage I can tell you its good fun

and very enjoyable"

"Oh goody" I said sarcastically and the sobs started again. I fell asleep crying with Wendy holding me tight.

The next morning I woke up alone in the bed light was streaming in the bedroom Wendy had let me sleep. I sat up feeling better than I had the night before I got out of the bed and turned to pull the covers back to straighten the bed when I noticed blood on the bed. I looked down my front nothing I glanced down the back of me and saw a patch of blood level with my bum on the back of me.

"Wendy, Wendy" I screamed footsteps could be heard on the roof and clattering as she came down the stairs.

"What is it?" she asked as she appeared at the door.

"I think he did some damage I’m bleeding" I explained

"Ok lets get you into the shower and get you cleaned up" she said taking charge of the situation.

In the shower I washed myself down I had some blood between thighs and it seemed to be oozing.

"Does it hurt anywhere?" Wendy asked

"No My stomach feels funny but I can’t figure out where I’m bleeding from"

"It’s ok don’t panic I know what it is" her voice lightened

"What" I asked urgently

"Well. You’ve been a bad tempered little cow these last few days, prone to tears and you’re a healthy young female. Have a guess" She was smiling as she said this.

It hit me "Oh shit you don’t mean my period do you"

"On the nose. Give the lady a prize" Wendy laughed

"Fucking brilliant" I said "over the last week I have been given a body that looks like a Greek God with a cock to make the girls come running for miles except I had already beaten it up. I was then shoved in the body of a horse and left with a randy stallion."

"But was he any good" joked Wendy

I glared at her and continued " I am then shoved into the body of a little girl that is a fourteen year old boys idea of a wet dream. My wife is then shoved in a body that is my idea of a wet dream except I’m not equipped for wet dreams. I then find my world has ended my wife knows more about guns or should I say weapons than fucking action man.

That would be a lot for a week but no, not for me we set up a defensible

situation, but thanks to me two men get in I blow the brains out of the one who

is trying to rape me and shoot the other one find they’ve killed the only people

I know who can help me get back as a man. Which I want to be because my wife has

decided to keep her new body and all I need is a cock any cock and it’s all

mine. My wife then shoots the bad guy we bury them all, go to bed to wake up and

find I’m having a period. Then you start making jokes"

"Well I suppose you’ve had better weeks" She said her tone of voice changed "look love how can I put this you were a very loving husband I couldn’t have asked for better but now after all those years of me being ratty before my period and miserable with the bad ones. You can now see what it was like it will give you a better understanding."

"Oh wonderful" I said.

"You carry on in the shower I want to go down to the storeroom I am sure I saw some supplies there" she disappeared out the door. She came back a few minutes later.

"Out of the shower then" she said "dry off a bit"

Ok now take this she passed me a long paper covered tube. I recognised it and started to object.

"Look love this is all they have got down there and you have few choices." Wendy was loving this I’m sure "you can ignore it but I guarantee you and your clothes will be a mess after a few hours, you can sit there on the loo for the next four days or you can use a tampon. Its not that bad I’ve used them for twenty years."

"Wonderful what a situation I am a 37 year old male with two kids and my wife’s recommendation is for tampons" I said unhappily.

"Yes its something you’re going to have to live with"

"Ok what do I do" I said unwrapping the paper to reveal two cardboard tubes.

"What you’ve never seen me do it" she said surprise in her voice

"Yes but I didn’t take notes I wasn’t expecting a quiz" The sarcasm was evident in my voice.

She ignored it and said "Ok I think showing you would probably be best." She kicked off her trainers and dropped her jeans and panties stepping out of them she grabbed one of the tubes and unwrapped it.

"Ok now first spread the lips" she did so "Now you gently slide it in towards the back if you wiggle it a bit you can get it in without hurting as your probably a virgin down there. Now press on the inner tube while holding the outer tube then remove the tubes." She was left there with a blue string dangling from her pussy.

"You’re enjoying this aren’t you" I said

"A little bit yes but mainly its because as a nurse and a woman you get used to

bodily functions" she smiled sympathetically. "Can I nick the loo there?" I

stood

up and she sat down "when you go to the toilet just pull on the string firmly

and out it comes when you are done put a new one in and flush. But don’t flush

the tubes they might block it up chuck them in the bin. Now you try"

She stood up and flushed and motioned to me to try. I couldn’t seem to find where it was meant to go. "Put one foot up on the toilet seat it’s easier" was her suggestion.

I did and it worked the tube started to slide in I could feel it inside me. It hit an obstruction and I wiggled it backwards and forwards till it slipped in further I pressed in further until the outer tube was almost completely in me then pushed the inner tube forcing the tampon into me. I withdrew the tubes looking down I could see the blue string hanging from me and the smear of blood on the tube in my hand. I dropped the tube in the bin and washed my hands, as Wendy got dressed again she said "there’s cereal and coffee in the bedroom for you but why don’t you bring it onto the roof to keep me company?"

I looked at the choice of clothing I has left in the wardrobe and the chest of drawers not a lot. I put on the last bra and panties, one long black skirt lay on a hanger and two blouses a plain blue one and a white one with some embroidery green leave and little pink flowers not a lot but enough ok I thought in for a penny in for a pound an chose this one. I opened a new packet of the ribbed tights and slipped them on my legs, adjusting them at the crotch was awkward but I managed again and put on the black skirt and white blouse. I slipped on the black shoes I had seen a few days ago and thought no way I gave my hair a quick brush tied it back and made my way to the roof with my cup of coffee and bowl of cereal.

It was a beautiful day the sun was shining and she sky was blue I sat on one of the sandbags eating while looking around Wendy was sat on the floor by the GPMG with one arm across it.

"You look nice" she said

"Thank you" I said and I meant it "and thank you for showing me just and thank

you for last night and thank you for teaching me how to shoot and I am sorry

I’ve been such a bastard these last few days"

She smiled at me she stood up and walked over to me "Anything for my little sister" She brushed her jeans off.

"Were going to have to figure out that washing machine" I said "we’re nearly out

of clothes. We could also do with a visit to a town to get a few bits and

pieces"

"Like what?" she asked

"Binoculars, maps compass, all weather gear, clothes that are more practical than this" I said indicating my outfit. I continued "transport, drugs, weapons, food, farm animals, tractor, grain, petrol, radio transmitter and most importantly books."

"Why books?" she asked.

"We might be here for a long time at the most we have a years food. If we cant

get our own food growing we could starve to death. We have to learn to do

everything ourselves we have no one to ask and we cant rely on anyone." I paused

for a second "If we can I would like to get our families up here if we can, the

boys definitely. But how I will explain this" I gestured at my self "I don’t

know"

"You think you’ve got problems you’re a little young for their tastes I’m going to have to carry a very large stick to beat them off" She laughed.

She stood up to walk back to the edge of the roof.

"Your father would be distinctly useful about now," I said

"Do you think they are ok" she asked

"After this length of time with your father no but I think they will be well don’t ..."

"Quiet down someone’s coming" she said I scrunched down and scuttled over to the edge.

"Well what do we do?" she asked

"We have three options" I answered " we can shoot him where he is now before he

even knows we are here, but that seems impolite. Would you agree?" she nodded

"We can say piss off or we shoot you, then shoot him. Finally we can listen to

what he wants then say piss off and shoot him if we don’t like him"

"Have you got your pistol" she asked

"No in the bedroom" I answered

"If I cover you from up here can you deal with him down there?"

"With you covering me no problem." She glanced at the solitary figure still a

long way off

"If he gets any closer than the entrance to the car park I am taking him out. Remember where I am and don’t get between him and me. Above all don’t take any risks and take care. Now move it and get that pistol, if your quick you can head out the kitchen and get into position behind the Land Rover."

I ran down to our room and grabbed the pistol off the bedside cabinet a full magazine lay next to it, I slammed it home and ran down the stairs trying not to break my neck. Wrong day to pick silly shoes I thought. I got out side and took aim at our visitor from behind the wing of the big green car. The man was still over a hundred yards away It was pointless aiming but I did anyway. At sixty or seventy yards away he was about fifteen or twenty yards from the car park entrance.

I took a deep breath "That’s far enough. What do you want."

He stopped and looked around.

"I said what the hell do you want" I screamed as loud as I could aware how shrill my voice sounded.

"Look little girl is your mum or your dad here" he shouted

He took a step towards my hiding place. A loud shot rang out and then a second two holes appeared in the tarmac six feet from his right foot there was only inches between the two holes.

Wendy’s voice came from the roof "The first shot was a warning, the second to prove the first was no accident. Start talking or walking and don’t piss off my little sister, turn to your right" he did "See that fresh grave?"

"Yes" he answered

"That’s the last person to piss her about there’s plenty of room for another one" I shouted "get your hands up where I can see them" he obliged I stepped out of my cover and came towards him.

"Hands behind your neck and slowly get down on your knees are you armed" I tried to sound as menacing as possible but I’m not sure it worked. He got down on his knees. He was facing away from me at this time and I came up behind him.

"If you try and move before I say so I will have no worries about blowing you brains out. It won’t bother me and I will happily finish my breakfast before I dispose of your body. Now I have two questions, are you armed? And who are you? If I like the answers you might even get to number three what do you want?"

A voice came from the side of me at the hotel entrance Wendy was down "You ok sis?" she asked.

"Yes he’s being a good boy, that’s why he’s still breathing. He hasn’t answered any questions yet though," I answered.

Wendy moved into his field of view the rifle levelled at him.

"Now" I said, "are you armed?"

"No" was his rapid answer.

"Ok slip that coat off very slowly," I ordered him. He did I checked the pockets two stale bread rolls half a bar of chocolate and a bottle of Calpol. I showed Wendy each one she nodded. The t-shirt and jeans he was wearing didn’t seem to conceal any weapons.

"Ok you can relax slightly I said but don’t try and move. What’s your name?"

"Bob, Robert Jennings" he answered

"Ok Bob what do you want?"

"I need help it’s our little girl she’s sick. If you wont help us please let me go I wont come back I promise but if I don’t Anne-Marie might come looking for me, oh please don’t hurt her no matter what you do to me." I could hear the anguish in his voice I carefully walked around to Wendy.

"What do you think?" I asked

"Why bother asking you always were a sucker for a hard luck case, anyway we can

always shoot him if he’s lying"

"Ok Bob where are they" I asked he was silent

"Listen here’s the deal if you are telling the truth, we will try and might just

be able to help. If you are lying or you don’t trust us turn around and leave

and never come back" I stepped closer to him and looked him in the eyes "your

only other option is rather messy and involves a lot of digging for us which I

don’t really fancy"

He looked at me for a moment I could see the indecision across his face "Their

at the bottom of the drive, we were shot at from a farm a few days ago so I

decided to leave them safe while I came to ask for help"

Wendy said "Can you drive that Land Rover"

"Yes" he said

"Well what are you doing grovelling in the dirt come on move it" she shouted at him. He looked shocked, though I must admit Wendy’s sense of humour is an acquired taste. He got up and walked over to the vehicle he got in then I got in and covered him then Wendy got in.

I said "I am sorry about the guns but we have had some problems around here. If

you are telling the truth we will relax slightly, if you try anything funny I

will kill you. Do you understand me Robert"

"Yes I do" he said

"Well lets go and collect your wife and kid" I told him. He started the engine and slid it into gear setting of smoothly and this left me thinking a kid late twenties knows how to drive one of these things, our two friends yesterday knew how to drive them and Jane and her mob knew how am I the only person in this country who doesn’t know how.

At the end of the drive sat a woman in her early twenties a small holdall at her feet and a baby in her arms. Seeing this both Wendy and I relaxed.

"Ok Bob you can relax now" I said

"Thank you, oh Thank you" he said

"Well stop thanking me and start getting her attention, she’s trying to run" I pointed out.

He lent out of the window and keeping one hand on the wheel he bellowed "Anne-

Marie, Anne-Marie, Its ok don’t run its ok"

The figure stopped and turned to look at us as we approached we parked up and she came running holding the baby to her. Bob jumped out of the car.

"Bob oh my god Bob I heard the gunfire and feared the worst" she said.

"Its ok Anne they are going to help us the shots were just warnings. If they

wanted to hurt me either one could have killed me"

"How’s the baby? " said Wendy.

"Very, very sick" said Anne-Marie.

She reluctantly showed the little pink thing to Wendy. Wendy felt the babies head.

"Christ this kid burning up" she said "In the car now everyone move it. Bob get

us back as fast as you can"

I jumped into the front seat, Bob grabbed the bag and Anne-Marie and Wendy got in the back with the baby.

"How old is she?" asked Wendy

"Four months" Anne-Marie answered

"How did the symptoms start?"

"She wasn’t able to keep any food down at first then she started crying all the

time now she’s hot and just wants to sleep all the time" Anne-Marie’s eyes were

filling with tears

"Is she going to be ok"

"What’s her name?" asked Wendy

"Sarah" was the reply

"Listen Sarah is very sick, she’s dehydrated and she’s running a hell of a

temperature lets see what we can do," said Wendy

"Park in front of the main doors" said Wendy

As I got out of the car Wendy grabbed me "Get one of the keys for the downstairs rooms and unlock it" I ran ahead and grabbed the key for the nearest room and unlocked the door. Wendy bundled mother and child into the room.

"Get her stripped now" she said to Anne-Marie

"But she might get cold" was the reply

Wendy turned to face her "Listen love If we don’t get that temperature down she

will die. Do you understand me" Anne-Marie nodded "well get her stripped and

I’ll go and see what we’ve got"

Anne-Marie was starting to strip the baby while looking rather uneasily at me and I realised I still had the pistol in my hand. Not wanting to put it down amongst strangers I tucked it in the waistband of my skirt. The multiple layers were now off baby Sarah leaving her with just a nappy made out of a blue towel I walked to the door where Bob was hovering just as Wendy arrived back.

"Bob have you got any bottles for her to drink from?"

"Yes in the bag in the car" he answered

"Well move it go and get them" she told him

She pulled me to one side out of sight of the door "the kid has a temperature

through the roof, I have one broad spectrum antibiotic I can give it in oral

form but what if she’s allergic to it"

"She’s a lot more allergic to dying" I said

"What about the dose I don’t know I’m not a doctor, I haven’t even got a BNF or MIM’s" she said referring to the two drug reference books used by doctors and nurses.

"I’m in over my head what do I do"

"You have two choices do nothing the kid will die or you can use your best

judgement and the kid might still die but she might live" I said

"Your right" she said, she changed her face to the professional look of concern that nurses cultivate over the years and marched into the room.

"Ok" said Wendy to Anne-Marie "we need to get a teaspoon full of this down her"

"What is it?" said Anne-Marie

"Antibiotics, then we get some of that Calpol down her and then some fluid" said

Wendy

"Are they safe will they hurt her?"

I jumped in at this point "Listen to her she knows what she is talking about and

Wendy"

She turned to me "Yes"



"Do you need both a Browning and a Semi Automatic Rifle in here?" I asked

"Oh no" she lifted the strap on the rifle over head and passed it over to me. I slipped my arm through the strap so it weight was on my shoulder.

I smiled at both Anne-Marie and Wendy "The heavy artillery tends to worry the

relatives, it doesn’t affect the bedside manner though" I turned to Anne-Marie

"I’m no expert but looking at that baby I would say you have nothing to lose in

trusting her. She is an expert and she reckons you have everything to lose if

you don’t. The choice is yours we will not force you and whatever your choice

you can stay as long as you wish and leave when you want"

A voice came from behind me " I don’t know exactly what’s going on here" it was

Bobs voice "but I feel we trust them ok love"

Anne-Marie nodded and Wendy stepped up to the baby "Ok Bob have you got that Calpol there?" he passed it over "Ok go with Kathy and sort out a bottle of water use the water from the kettle it should be cooled by now and boil the bottle in a pan of water first."

Bob and I left through the dining room for the kitchen when a voice came from behind us.

"Bring a teaspoon."

In the kitchen I found a teaspoon and passed it to Bob when he disappeared with it I placed the rifle in our original cell and locked the door of the passage that led to the rooms and the cellar. I placed the key in the pocket of my skirt, I wasn’t willing to trust them that much yet but against my better judgement I think I like these two.

Bob returned and he opened the bag inside was a set of baby clothes, two bottles, a tin of baby milk, a few towels torn into rough nappies and some sweets and more of the bread rolls. He put a pan of water to boil as I washed the bottles I then put on another pan of water for a drink.

"When did you last eat properly?" I asked

"Oh I’ve been eating bread rolls and chocolate" he replied

"So why were they shoved in your pocket where Anne-Marie couldn’t see them?

You’ve been saving them for emergencies" I said

He looked at me and suddenly deflated "I last ate four or five days ago, I was

concerned about where we would be able to get some more"

"Well there’s cheese in the fridge If you like it and bread on the side make your self some sandwiches to keep the two of you going till I can sort out some food."

He rose and started to make some sandwiches I dropped the two bottles in the big pan of water and grabbed four cups.

"Is coffee ok" I asked

"Yes fine"

"Good because my tea tastes like crap," I joked

I made the drinks and sent him through with one for Anne-Marie and one for Wendy and a plate of sandwiches. He came back a few minutes later to sit down opposite me at the table.

"Thank you for all your help" he said he glanced at the pistol on the table "Would you have really used it? Could you have shot me?"

"Listen Bob I am going to say this very slowly so you don’t misunderstand me.

That second grave out there contains three bodies Two killers and their victim.

One of those men I shot through the forehead at a closer range than this now"

indicating the distance between us. "The second was shot by Wendy at about 150

yards her shot at that range was closer to centre than mine at 6 or 7 foot. If

you had appeared to be a threat to Wendy or me we would have told you to go if

you hadn’t you would have been shot"

His face changed to an ashen white colour his mouth was hanging open I don’t think I could have shocked him more if I dropped my knickers and pissed on the floor. I gave him a nice smile.

"But you’re not a threat you’re a concerned father and husband. So you are

welcome to stay as long as you need to, Ok" I finished

"Yes ok" he replied "but I get the feeling I’m missing something pretty big

here"

"Oh you are Bob, you are If you stay around long enough I might just fill you

in" I answered "I think those bottles are about done"

I hooked the bottles out and filled them we took them to the room were Wendy, Anne-Marie and Sarah where.

"How is she" he asked

"Its to early to tell" Wendy replied.

I could see the pain written across his face. I nipped through to the reception and grabbed the key for the next room I passed it to him.

"Here go next door and get a shower I will see what I can find clothes wise for

you but I don’t know how well they will fit. Then you can come back here, sleep

or come up to talk to me I’ll be on the roof"

He lifted an arm up and said "I am a bit ripe" and smiled.

I headed into the kitchen and unlocked the door to the staff quarters and went into the room that we thought had been occupied by Frank the, one were we found the radio I started routing around and found a small suitcase under the bed. I threw in all the clean clothing and a couple of pairs of shoes. In the bathroom I found some deodorant and an electric razor I put these in as well I wasn’t going to need them. I struggled with the suitcase to the room and I could hear the shower running.

"Its by the bed I shouted through to him"

"Ok. Thanks Kathy" he answered. I thought well I’m stuck as Kathy till they go, It could be worse not much but its better than being a horse. On the way upstairs I stuck my head around the door to tell Wendy what I was doing then as I passed the bedroom my bladder reminded me how much smaller it was now. I sat down on the toilet and was about to pee when I wondered do I pull out the tampon before or after I pee I decided on before rather than pulling on the string after it was all wet. I pulled and I could feel it move within me I continued puling and suddenly it was out without looking I dropped it in the bowl and then peed. I went through the rigmarole of wiping noticing the blood on the toilet paper, not a lot but too much for me. Then taking the new tampon I tried to insert it what a rigmarole I tried to lift my foot up onto the seat but my tights got in the way. Trying to balance on one shoe was difficult and with my skirt flapping in the way as well it was stupid. I stripped off my skirt, tights, knickers and shoes then inserted the tampon. Then I got dressed again and went on the roof. I had only just sat down when Bob arrived in oversized clothes looking rather comical. Wonderful he showers shaves and gets dressed in the time it takes me just to pee.

"Like the outfit" I said

"Well better to look like a clown than to smell like a tramp" he replied " nice hardware what’s it for" indicating the GPMG.

"Well the sick bastards who caused all the shit that has happened in the world

over the last week may come waltzing along that drive at any time and I intend

to take down as many as I can." I looked serious at him

"You’re joking" he said

"No" I responded

We sat in silence for a few minutes I could tell he didn’t know how to take me and to be honest neither did I. I decide I would have to be the one to break the silence.

"So tell me how you got to be here?"

He started talking he and Anne-Marie lived on the outskirts of Newcastle. He was a civil engineer on the night that hell broke loose they were driving back from Anne-Marie’s parents who lived in York. Driving back on the A1 they had been about 35 miles from North Deighton when it blew.

"Suddenly the world tuned white." he said " luckily we were shielded from the main blast as we were in a valley at the time. People quarter of a mile behind us were not so lucky. The car would not work after the blast and we started walking. First towards York as Anne was worried about her parents but we only got as far as the top of the hill on the far side cars where burning and towards York a glowing cloud in the sky. We headed north towards home only to find we were meeting people escaping the towns. They were telling stories of fires, riots and gangs roaming the streets murdering and raping. I decided to head towards the Lake District, but Sarah got sick. We started looking for help and ended up here" he finished.

"Well there’s worse places to be" I said "Not that I know exactly where here is"

"What do you mean?" he asked

"Our arrival here was not our own choice and they weren’t willing to give me a

map" I said

"Your at the top end of the Yorkshire Dales. I’ve seen signs for a place called Keld around here but that means nothing to me. Probably 25 to 30 miles east is Darlington and about 40 to 50 miles east is Middlesbrough."

"Well Darlington is not to far I wish we had more petrol for the Land Rover

because I don’t know where to get more. I wouldn’t like to run out of juice at

that end." I talked as I thought "We have to get into a town for some bits and

pieces"

"What’s up with the stuff in the barn?" he asked

"What stuff in the barn?" I asked

"The other Land Rover, a couple of horse boxes and a garage set up tools, parts and around the back is a bloody big tank saying Petroleum, no naked flames, no smoking.

Who the hell would smoke in public where they might be seen" he continued "It

would be like sticking a sign around your neck saying I am a junky arrest me"

"Come on its only thirty years ago they banned tobacco completely before that

you could quite happily get it on prescription from your doctor" I remarked

"Yes but it wasn’t something that people did in public though was it?"

"You didn’t do much 20^th Century history did you?" I asked.

"Yes I did" he assured me "The dissolution of the Monarchy by Chery Blair her

rise from Prime Minister to president of the Unified Countries of Britain, her

husbands rise to power as Premier of the Federated European Union and the

Thatcherite plot which killed them and threw us into the Turkish-Greek war"

"No, No, No. Your talking about early 21^st Century history" I said angrily, I

don’t know what the teach these kids nowadays "Didn’t you do any of the classics

Spielberg, Lucas, Ron Howard or Costner"

"No I could never get into those old things." He said "They made us watch

Schindler’s List in school but I just used the revision notes"

"Bloody typical they put their blood sweat and tears into films which give

insight into the Psychology of a culture and you use crib notes" I said

"Have you tried to watch the Star Wars trilogy of trilogies I sat through the first three which I admit were understandable but then they started jumping around, the second three were before the first three and the third three after all of them but with different people acting. Then they make a cult about it." He explained.

"No you’ve got the wrong idea they are cult films not films that attract cults

or cause cults, except for the trekkies and they’ve been no threat since the

Romulan Confederacy wiped out the Klingon Empire in that sneak attack about

seven years ago. How they class themselves as one group I don’t know. Because of

the banning of all trekkie material after the mass suicides with the death of

Shatner I don’t know much about them. Just a few whispers they have one god

Roddenbery and lots of minor deities Kirk being the greatest, Piccard, Janeway

and Sisco. I think a lot of the problems within their religion is over which of

these minor deities is most important. Weirdo’s all of them anyway the trekkies

are the only cult group associated with cult films." I explained

"Oh I always wondered about that" he said "I watched one as a kid which put me

off the classics for life "The Naked Lunch" after seeing this I sort of

associated cult films with cults"

"Bad place to start" I agreed "It could put anyone off that film. Any way getting back to the subject millions of people used tobacco there was advertising and an important industry built up around it in the 20^th century. The thing is that tank is at least sixty years old we’ll have to see what its like."

"Kathy" he said in a quieter voice "do you mind if I ask a personal question?"

"No not at all You might get a personal answer, like piss off though." I joked

"You and Wendy are not exactly normal are you? Your different."

"Of course we are different I am the reincarnation of Kirk the traveller who’s Phasers of light shoot to kill at all times. Wendy is McCoy the healer and we have come in on the great ship "Enterprise" the immortal one, the reincarnated one. That is more believable than the truth and will have to do you for the moment. The one thing is trust in Wendy she knows what she is doing with Sarah." I stood up and brushed my skirt down, his question had brought me back to reality. For a short time I had forgotten my situation and we were two men talking.

"Shall we head down and see how they’re doing?" I asked.

He grabbed my hands before he stood up a total breach in male to male protocol, but I wasn’t a male was I to him. I stood there realising I was only a little taller than him sitting down while I was standing.

"Kathy I am sorry if I upset you and I do trust Wendy and you. I thank you for what you both have done" I looked down at my smaller hand in his large rough ones as he spoke " and if Anne or I can ever do anything to repay your kindness just ask."

"Well later on you can drive me down to the barn and if either one of you can

help us figure out the washing machine as were going to need it for nappies" I

pulled away gently

"Come on lets see how they are doing"

We had been talking for about three hours it was early afternoon and I wanted to talk to Wendy without him I wanted her opinion of them with her contact with Anne-Marie. The two of them were talking softly in the bedroom.

"How is she?" Bob asked

"A little better she’s got fluid down her which she’s kept down I wish we had a

thermometer. I think her temperatures gone down"

"It has a little" said Anne-Marie who was dressed similarly to Bob oversize men’s jeans and an oversize t-shirt a comical sight seeing she was only 5 foot 5 or so. clothes and the washing machine were rapidly becoming urgent I didn’t fancy hand washing nappies and between the four of us adults sharing clothes was not an option. My clothes were too small for any one else, Wendy’s clothes might just fit Anne-Marie but Anne-Marie was taller and a lot fuller figured. They only had what they were wearing so petrol or not we have to do a run into town even if we have to walk back. I wonder if Bob or Anne-Marie knows how to ride?

"Wendy can I pinch you for a few minutes if its ok to leave her" I asked. She nodded and we left the family together in the room as we wandered into the kitchen.

Sitting down with a drink I started talking "What do you think of them?"

"Well I was a bit unsure at first but talking to Anne-Marie I like her she was just scared especially when a teenage girl starts trying to shove drugs down her sick kid. Why?" she asked.

"Well I think Bobs ok too. He risked his life to try and get help for his wife and kid and I feel under normal circumstances we could have been friends." I explained "But these are not normal circumstances" I indicated my self "these are total mind fuck circumstances and if we trust them we risk our lives and possibly their lives if our local nutters actually get here, which is still a possibility. This place is easily defendable with a small force but two of us can not hold it alone. We need more people are these the people to start with?"

"I think yes" said Wendy "but the decision is yours and how do we explain every thing that’s happened?"

"I think yes as well but it had to be a joint decision" she started to protest that but I waved her protests away "and as to the explanations, I have warned Bob about the possibility of company it didn’t seem to upset him. I told him that they had caused all this and that we had been kidnapped by them, as for the fact that we are not "Normal" as he put it I told him we were Kirk and McCoy from the Enterprise the last thing I can face is explaining to him that I used to be older than him and a father, then a horse and now a little girl for the moment he can just wonder. I’m just Kathy for the moment."

"Dave or Kathy whichever you want your decisions stand and I will back you up all the way. You know more about what is going on more than me. My knowledge is medicine and weapons a strange combination but I always was strange." She said.

"Thank you love, keep it as Kathy for the moment and you must be strange to put up with me for all these years." I squeezed her hand "Now using your medical skills we are in a situation where millions of people are dead no sanitation poor water supplies and poor food and hygiene what diseases can we expect and when?"

"Cholera due to the sanitation, Diphtheria we should avoid until unvaccinated children start coming through, Amoebic Dysentery in summer, Bacillary Dysentery any time, Typhoid, Typhus and possibly Bubonic or Pneumonic Plague later on." Her face was grim as she read out this list of nightmares from the past that might remerge.

"How long before they start spreading" I asked

"How longs a piece of string? Some of them will be out there all ready others

may never emerge it depends how long this situation lasts"

"Wendy love do you realise that possibly this is it, we may be not so much

waiting for things to get back to normal as just trying to survive?" I asked

"Yes I do and I’ll deal with it in my own way" she snapped

"Ok sorry" I quickly apologised

"Secondly there is another Land Rover and petrol up at the barn on the drive I want to see how much and what exactly there is, so I want you to check out Bob on a pistol and rifle even if they don’t decide to stay they can use some protection. Would you agree?"

She nodded. "Finally with these bloody tampons, how can I lift my leg up to try and get it in with my bloody tights an knickers around my ankles?"

She smiled and laughed I winced at her laugh "Sorry love I just had a picture of how you must have looked. Try pulling your tights and knickers up to you knees first that’s what I used to do when I first used them. After two kids you don’t have any problems putting them in."

"Well I’ll take your word for that" I said "How is Sarah?"

"Slightly better, keep your fingers crossed" she replied

I stood up "Ok shall we see if Bob and Anne want to play happy families with us?"

In the other room Bob and Anne-Marie were talking quietly as we walked inside Anne-Marie gave me a strange look Bob had obviously been talking to her.

"Ok you two first of all I want you to know both of you are welcome to stay as long as you need or want what ever we have you are welcome to share" they both nodded I waved away there thanks.

"Don’t thank me yet. As I have told Bob the sick bastards that caused all this may be coming here, they should have been here days ago but they still might turn up. If they do there is going to be a hell of a lot of shooting and a lot of people will die hopefully all them it is not necessarily safe here."

"Listen Kathy" Anne-Marie spoke up "Bob has told me this already and we have each reached the same conclusion, just for the kindness and help you have given us without question you have our support totally. Anything we can do to help we will." Wendy was right she seemed a nice kid a bit gushy and emotional but she was a young mother.

I continued "This is the deal you can stay as long as you want we have plenty of room, if you decide to go that’s fine as long as it’s not before that baby is well." They nodded rapidly.

"Finally I think we could do with a scrounging expedition into town we are short

of a few essentials around here clothes especially so if it is ok with you Anne-

Marie"

"Just Anne or Annie" Anne-Marie said

"Ok Anne if its ok with you we are going to pinch your husband for an hour. I

want Wendy to get him comfortable with a rifle. You used one before Bob?" he

shook his head

"Don’t worry Wendy will teach you. Then I want to have Bob drive me down to the barn to se what we have in petrol and supplies there. Anne when Sarah is a little better I would like Wendy to get you happy with the weapons because even if you leave you’re not going unarmed."

I passed Wendy the key to be able to get to the cellar and buggered off to our room to use the toilet. The trick with the tights worked. Down in the kitchen I found Bob and Wendy had been and gone. I heard a shot outside and headed out to find the two of them taking shots at a distant tree.

Three quarter of an hour later Bob and I were examining a large cylinder on its side in the field behind the barn. Pipes led into the back of the barn.

"I thought they usually buried petrol storage tanks" I commented

"Yes but dig down a few feet here and you will find rock you couldn’t bury something that big here without major equipment" he answered.

Through the gap in the door of the barn I could see the second Land Rover. Bob took large rock I was struggling with and used it to break the padlock. Inside besides the car we found two Honda 90 motorbikes old but working and a wide selection of parts the second Land Rover would not start. In the corner were two single horse boxes one of which I had arrived here in. The light fading we headed back to the hotel which was rapidly becoming a home.

That night we listened to the faceless voices on the radio some still begging for help others just commentating on the events around them as we had dinner. Like when me and Wendy first realised the scale of the situation pleasant conversation was the last thing on our minds.

The next two days were uneventful Sarah made rapid improvement, both Anne and Bob proved to be better shots than me with the rifle and the bull got in the field with the cows reminding me of my time on four legs. We had a sort of watch system worked out and my period was still on going. Anne had figured out the washing machine and virtually all the clothes were wet as the moment she put it on it started raining.

I was in bed next to Wendy when Bob Knocked at the door I opened it without thinking.

"Kathy I think you better come up and see out here"

I slipped on some shoes in the dark and staggered up the stairs. In the sky in the distance the glow of fires could be seen in the north or northeast and to the south of us trying to figure out what was in those directions I suggested a coffee he agreed quietly we went into the kitchen. I reckon northeast and south how about you" he agreed "so what does that point to Manchester and Newcastle burning" again he agreed.

Why wasn’t he particularly talkative tonight I wondered, why isn’t he looking at

my face while I talked. I glanced down in case I had spilt something on me and

realised what it was. I was wearing that last bloody night dress the yellow baby

doll thing it was dam near transparent and with the cold affecting my nipples as

well the poor sod didn’t know where to look I decided on a quick retreat rather

than bluff it out and said "goodnight"

As I walked away I was ever so aware of the fact it only just covered my bum and the little yellow panties must have been on show, I cringed at the thought of his eyes watching me as I left. Back in our room I hit the toilet and changed my tampon now after three days of it I was just about able to force myself to glance at it when it was out. Not much blood stained the cotton plug I noted as I dropped it in the bowl with a bit of luck I will be done tomorrow.

I crawled into bed again next to Wendy who woke slightly and moaned about me being cold. I lay there and thought ok tomorrow we are going to have to do some shopping.

The next morning after I was washed and dressed I asked about how safe it was to take Sarah outside now.

"Why?" she asked. I explained about the problems with Bob the night before and

she laughed

"For eighteen years I had to fight to get you to come out with me clothes shopping, less than one night as the object of a mans attention and your running around in a tizzy about the fact you’ve got nothing to wear" I refused to respond to her comments.

Down stairs Anne was padding around in a men’s shirt, that was obviously one of Franks.

"Morning you two, sleep well?"

"Yes sort of" we both said Wendy had been on watch till 3 am and had woken me up as she came in (Only fair the night before I had woken her getting up for watch at the same time) and I had Bobs interruption.

"How Sarah?" I asked

"Back to normal thanks to you two" was the happy response. I hate people who are happy in the morning I thought. But she didn’t have a malicious bone in her body you couldn’t help but like her. Even our little discussion we had on the day after they arrived hadn’t upset her. She had been concerned over the fact of was it safe to leave a little child like me on the roof with a machine gun. I had taken her outside to the two graves and slowly explained that yes there were four people in the ground here but I had only killed one of them. If you are worried about me being able to shoot when I have to, don’t. I will do the job. If you are worried about me shooting the wrong person don’t a both you and Bob are still alive. She had gone a little bit quiet for an hour or two after.

"Have you got enough warm clothes for Sarah for today?" I asked

"Yes I could do with some more though" she answered.

"Think of all the things you could do with and we will see what we can get. We

are going to do a bit of shopping" I told her

"Oh yes please some proper clothes"

"Yes" I said while thinking that our ideas of proper clothes might be very different.

"Wendy in the medical supplies do you have any Sudocrem or any thing similar?"

Anne asked

"I don’t know. Why? Nappy rash?" enquired Wendy

"No, sore nipples I wasn’t planning to breast feed Sarah all the time a mixture of bottle and breast was what we ended up with, luckily or when this happened I wouldn’t have been able to feed her. But since she has been getting better she has been eating a lot more."

"Let me have a look" said Wendy

Anne unbuttoned her shirt to reveal two breasts, not as big as Wendy’s used to be but bigger than either Wendy’s or mine she lifted one up by placing a hand underneath and lifting it up gently with her other hand she pointed out the sore spots on her large dark nipple. The nipple hardened and she pulled a face.

"Oooh its sore" she exclaimed.

"Wait just a second" said Wendy as she popped through to the medical supplies.

Well what do you say? Where do you look? This pretty young woman is sat opposite me her shirt open two blue veined breasts exposed with her nipples hardening in the cool air.

"Don’t look so worried Kathy we’re all girls together here" she said kindly " I know I was much the same at your age interested but embarrassed" she reached forward and grabbed my hand "Kathy I am so sorry about the other day I didn’t mean to upset you, its just that years of conditioning said that a young girl should not be in charge of a gun. Since then I have seen that you seem to be the most level headed of all of us. Please forgive me, can we be friends?"

I gave her hand a squeeze "We are friends. What are you talking about?" "No your Bobs friend. You seem distant with me I thought it was something I was doing" her eyes were filling up while saying this, no not a weeping woman please no.

"Blame our father" said Wendy

"What do you mean?" asked Anne before I could say exactly the same thing.

"Our family is rather strange" started Wendy "Three girls Kathy here the youngest, myself and Jane who is twenty years older than me."

What the hell was she talking about? She’s an only child.

"Jane is married to a man Dave who works in MI5 IT Surveillance as a "Snooper".

Do you know what one of those is?" Wendy asked.

"Yes they watch The Net don’t they" Anne replied

"Yes and a lot more" said Wendy passing some cream to Anne which she started rubbing into her nipples.

Wendy continued "Dave was on the trail of the terrorists that caused all this. They found out about this and kidnapped us to try and force him to do what they wanted but from what they were saying he wouldn’t do what they wanted. They also found we were a lot more trouble than they where expecting. Our mother died just after Kathy was born Daddy was left with two little girls one of which," she indicated me "is a precocious genius.

Daddy was old when Kathy was born in his fifties and had been in the Royal Marines all his life he wasn’t around when Jane was growing up. He tried his best to bring us up but that was sort of a cross between Basic Training and the senior NCOs mess. I don’t think Kathy even has a female friend her own age most of the people she would class as friends are crusty old Sergeant Majors and the like. Most of these people loved talking to her first of all because she’s such a pretty thing and then because she’s a bright kid. She soaked up every thing they would tell her and in conversation any of dads colleagues tend to treat her as an adult after they get past the hang ups on the way she looks.

Kathy doesn’t know how to behave as a child and she has even less idea on how to be a girl she’s not being funny with you and me personally I listen to her she knows what she’s talking about."

Well I thought I now have a cover story.

Anne was buttoning up her shirt having finished with her nipples and came around

to me and hugged me tight "oh you poor thing" she said as she pecked me on the

cheek

"I am sorry I treated you like I have, like your dad’s friends at first I had been taking you at face value. I am not your own age physically and over the last few days I had realised that you were very smart, smarter than me about the situation we are in but can I be your first proper girl friend?" I nodded sort of confused at the pace and the direction things were going. She stepped back I saw tears running down her face she sniffed and wiped her nose on the back of her hand.

"Damn I’m leaking" she said glancing down at the front of her shirt where two damp patches were appearing from her swollen breasts "Wendy" she said "do you mind sorting out some breakfast for Bob if I take Kathy with me to help get me and Sarah ready to go" "No not at all" said Wendy happily. I thought ‘you evil bitch’.

Anne happily grabbed my hand and pulled me up and we went off to her room. Sarah was lying in one of the cots we had found trying to catch her feet with her hands and gurgling happily.

"Ok shower first then feed her, change her then get ready myself" she said as he started unbuttoning her shirt again. "I will be glad to get some proper clothes wont you" I agreed while thinking that our ideas about proper clothes are totally different.

"Well I’m a fat cow aren’t I?" she said as she stood there naked dropping the shirt on the bed.

She was only slightly overweight, nothing to what Wendy had been like before this rather like a renascence painters view of what a woman should look like all curves.

"Bull" I said "you look gorgeous" with some fire in my voice as this as a man

had always irritated me. If Wendy was happy I was happy, this idea of I must

loose three pounds this week I thought was stupid"

"You had a baby four months ago what do you expect? Miracles?" I finished.

"You sound just like Bob you know" she said.

"Proves he’s right" was my reply

"But I am defiantly a cow" she lifted one of her breast in one hand to get a better look at the nipple a spot of milk appeared at the tip.

"Yes you are and a good thing for her" I indicated Sarah who had now caught one of her errant feet and was proceeding to try and eat it.

"No the good thing for her was meeting you two. If we hadn’t then I think I would have lost her." Her face started to break into a mask of anguish and she sat on the bed. The tears started flowing and she started sobbing, I walked around in front of her to give her a hug. I stood there with a naked young woman sobbing into my breast, stroking her hair and murmuring reassurance to comfort her, but the thing that crossed my mind besides my concern for her was there was no arousal in me at all. As a man despite all my efforts not to I would have had a raging hard on but now nothing. Her sobs slowed down and stopped and I ran into the bathroom and grabbed some toilet paper, passing it to her I sat next to her with an arm around her shoulder.

"I’m so sorry Kathy its just that all my family and friends were in York we moved into a new house in Newcastle a couple of months before Sarah was born. I feel I’ve lost everyone."

"Well you haven’t you have Sarah, Bob, Wendy and me as your friends" I hugged her tight.

"Oh thank you. You don’t now how that makes me feel. I’m sorry about how I treated you at first but you see I was just finishing my training to become a teacher when I got caught with Sarah. My time in placements in schools sort of gave me a prejudiced view on what a girl your age should be like" she explained.

"What were you going to teach and what age group" I asked

"Eleven to eighteen year olds English Language and Literature. What’s your reading and writing like?" she asked as a smile broke through the sadness on her face.

"My hand writing is courtesy of a well educated spider, my spelling is atrocious so I use a computer" I said "But my reading well lets start of with the serious stuff Herodotus, Aeschylus, Plato" I thought, do I put her in her place regarding me yes lets give her the works.

"Thucydides, Euripides, Aristophanes. They are the early classics didn’t much like Chaucer or Shakespeare but Kipling was very good. The science fiction covers Azimov, Clarke, Heinlien, Blish, Vance, McCaffery, Silverburg, Bear, White, Tiptree junior, Campbell, Chalker, Bova, Forward I could go on all night Wyndham, Tolkien...."

"Ok I get the idea" she said "I said I’m sorry no need to rub my nose in it"

I gave her another hug "Sorry for being a bit bitchy but I couldn’t resist it"

She hugged me back "Nothing to be sorry about I am the one that treated you like a child now I know your not. I wont be making the same mistake again. I going to have a shower you can sit on the toilet and we can talk while I do."

So I sat there on the lid of the toilet talking, to a naked woman showering, about books and it was the conversation I enjoyed. Sick or what?.

Out of the shower she dried and fed Sarah the pain evident on her face.

"And I used to think my nipples got sore at your age" she said

"What do you mean?" I asked

"When I was a little bigger than you up top when I started growing fast I found my nipples were always sore haven’t you found that?" I shook my head, wonderful more joys to look forward to.

Sarah finished with Anne’s breast and Anne passed her to me "Do you mind burping her?"

"No" I said and took the baby. As I sat there patting and rubbing the baby’s back I was getting warm feelings in my stomach and my breasts appeared to be tightening. Was this body affecting my mind like they said would happen if I stayed in Tia’s body I hoped not but I couldn’t understand these new feeling.

"Your good with her" said Anne while putting on a dirty looking bra.

"Thank you" I replied and Sarah joined in with an enormous burp. We both laughed.

I put Sarah down in her cot and excused my self to go to are room to use the toilet and do the necessary with the tampon less blood again I must be nearly done. Pulling up my tights and panties I thought I would be glad when I got some more jeans.

Down stairs I found everyone assembled ready to go we dowsed fire in the range, and locked all the doors. On the steps down into the cellar Wendy set up a Claymore, easy to do with the instructions this side to enemy on it, just in case.

We were all kitted out myself with two Berettas in shoulder holsters modified by Anne to make them fit. To draw, which I had practiced in secret the night before, involved me reaching each arm around the front of me to grab the pistol on the other side, Wendy had given me strict instructions that it was a case of use one then the other not both at once. Anne had Sarah on one hip a Browning on the other and a SLR slung over her shoulder, Bob and Wendy both had a Browning on the hip and a SLR over the shoulder. I would be glad when I was physically large enough to handle one of these more powerful weapons as the Berettas to a certain extent looked like toys.

"Ok lets roll" said Bob and we climbed into the Land Rover and left.

The first part of the trip to Darlington was uneventful just a few abandoned cars on the A66 which posed few problems, and no people at all. As we got closer the last seven or eight miles or so the number of cars increased an in places Bob had to push cars out of the way with the powerful four wheel drive vehicle. The people started appearing at this time some just watching hoping we were some form of help, then disappearing again into the background.

Others were throwing urgent questions at us "Are you the help? What’s it like out there? Is it like this everywhere?". We shouted what answers we could back and the hope vanished from their faces. One of these shouted a warning "watch out for the soldiers" we shouted our thanks and he just waved. As we came into the urban area we came across the first gang controlled area only two teenage boys stood in front of the car on its side that blocked the street. Wendy fired two shots from the rifle and as two of the tyres burst next to the youths they ran. We skirted around this car keeping our eyes on the houses faces appeared all very young but none ventured out. Rubbish littered the streets and graffiti marked the territory of this young gang.

In the town centre we came to chaos the shops had been looted but whoever had been doing the looting had gone for the items of value, electronics, computers, jewellery and alcohol seemed to have been the main targets. One wall of a large supermarket was well and truly pockmarked with bullets blood stained the pavement to such an extent that it had run into the gutters. The splatters of blood up the wall also told of the massacre that had taken place. The area was deserted no people could be seen or bodies whoever did this cleared away the bodies. That means an organised group with weapons.

"The army’s shooting looters" I said "we’re going have to be careful"

"How do you know" asked Bob and I explained my reasoning he nodded "What do we do then?"

"We get what we need then run" I suggested "Ok whichever shops we go in three of us go in and check it out one stays where they can see the door and the car when the shop is clear then we can get what we want and hit the next one but some one watches the door and car at all times. OK?" Everyone agreed and we drove into a pedestrianised area a bank and a Mothercare were the first two shops on the left on the right was a W.H. Smiths.

"If no one needs the bank is it ok if we start with Mothercare?" asked Anne. We all agreed The shop as all of them had been broken into but not much appeared to have been taken after a quick search we declared the place empty and Bob, Anne and Wendy grabbed what was needed and bundled them in the car under the seats. Bob appeared with Sarah in a carrier so that she was strapped to his chest. He also had a car seat/baby carrier that she could be strapped into.

Smiths next, all clear up stairs Bob kept watch and I started off on the maps, a street map of Newcastle and surrounding area, as many Ordinance Survey maps as I could find, Historic vehicle maintenance and engineering. I dumped them in the car. Wendy arrived with armfuls of magazines and did the same, as did Anne with encyclopaedias. We re-entered medical text books anything and everything went in that might be useful I even saw Wendy throw in an armful of board games.

"Superdrug next" I said and Bob rolled the Land Rover that bit further a long. This shop had been hit rather harder than the previous two especially at the far end which had the area for dispensing prescribed drugs. In front of the counter lay a body three gunshot wounds clearly visible in his back he was starting to smell despite the cold weather.

I left Wendy and Anne in there as the smell rather than the sight had turned my stomach. At the door Bob was looking nervous and had his rifle raised.

"Trouble?" I asked

"Yes I keep thinking I have seen some thing. They are two shops up on this

side" he said "I think they are following us"

Two doors up was a computer shop we hadn’t bothered with I looked down the road the next shop was a bakers the one after a shoe shop.

"Right when we are done here you three all go down to the shoe shop and you all

go in leave me here and I’ll see what happens" I said

"Are you sure?" he asked

"Easier for me to hide than you and he probably has taken note of you but not me" I explained.

"If you say so, but I don’t have to like it" he said

Wendy and Anne came out with bags of stuff and we explained the situation. "Do

we have to move right now as we could do with more things?" asked Wendy

"No keep him thinking we haven’t seen him" I said "take all the time you need"

This was a mistake as ten minutes later they appeared with four more bags each and a smile on each of their faces.

Wendy had a quick argument with me over who should stay behind to trap our audience but after pointing out that the only person who could guarantee to provide proper cover for the person staying she agreed reluctantly. I hid behind the checkout at Superdrug and waited as quiet as I could. Two figures appeared silhouetted against the light outside. I was invisible in the shadows.

One of the figures was a young soldier eighteen, nineteen at most and he had a dirty little girl in tow of six or seven years and a large rifle over his shoulder.

"John who are they?" she asked while pulling on his tunic top.

"Sshh I don’t know I’m trying to listen."

Tug, tug again "Why don’t you ask them then?" came the little voice.



"Sshh Because I don’t Know who they are" he answered

"Are they strangers" was asked with accompanying tugging

"Yes now please be quiet" came the urgent whisper

"My Mummy told me not to talk to strangers did yours?" she tugged again.

"Yes now please be quiet, please" his voice was full of pain by now.

Tug, tug, tug "is that why your not talking to them, because their strangers"

"Yes that’s why I’m not talking to them because their strangers alright please keep quiet" He said.

This seemed to work for a minute then she tugged again "You said that we weren’t

strangers after you said hello to me so" she paused figuring it out in her mind

"if you say hello then they wont be strangers and we can ask them if they know

where my mummy is"

I nearly laughed at this logic remembering my own kids at that a question for everything age, I decided to put him out of his misery.

Keeping hidden I spoke "She’s right you know you can’t argue with logic like

that John"

"Who’s there?" he shouted thrusting the little girl behind him.

"Relax, if I meant you any harm you would be dead by now" I shouted "If you

will keep your hands away from that rifle, I will stand up, but if you do make

any move towards it I will kill you"

"And if she doesn’t I will" came Wendy’s voice right on time.

I stood up and as I did he placed his hands on his head.

"Relax, its not that sort of situation" I told him.

"This is Hello, how are you and what’s going on around town. Then you can go

quite happily"

He relaxed slightly and dropped his hands "John Bebington, Apprentice, Royal

Electrical and Mechanical Engineers" his face dropped "deserter I suppose"

"I’m Jennifer and I’m six" came the little voice "What’s you name? Have you seen

my Mummy"

"I’m Katherine, Jennifer and no sorry I haven’t seen your mummy"

"Oh" she said her face very serious she tugged on Johns sleeve "Does this mean we’re not strangers" she said in a very loud stage whisper. I laughed as did Wendy and even John cracked a smile.

"Come on lets introduce you to the other three" Said Wendy

We walked towards the shoe shop and introductions were made.

"I don’t know why I’m still carrying this" he indicated the rifle "I used the

ammunition two days ago when we came across a gang while trying to leave town"

"Where’s Jennifer’s mother?" I asked.

"I think she’s dead" he said "When the shit hit the fan we were sent out here to prevent civil disturbance under a Junior Captain who was actually an instructor on base. It started out all right with a few skirmishes against the gangs but then The Boss seemed to start to lose it was no longer fire warning shots it was shoot them. Then it wasn’t stop them looting it was arrest them finally when I decided enough was enough was when he came up to us and told us that because he couldn’t get orders or a pick up arranged for the looters he was going to have us shoot them. I told him no and he threatened to shoot me so I ran. The next day I met up with Jennifer whose house I stayed at for three days. Then I tried to get past the gangs we were lucky as by the time I was down to my last rounds they decided to quit. We came back this way to try and get out the other side of town."

"Why bring Jennifer" I asked

"What you expect to leave her there on her own" he said disgust in his voice

"Easy big guy," I said "You have just answered the question correctly therefore

you win the prize an all expenses trip out of Darlington"

He looked towards Bob for conformation "Don’t look at me she’s the boss"

"No I’m not" I said

"Yes you are" he said "we decided it while you were in the shop on your own.

Anyway even if you had joined in the vote you still would have won three votes

to one"

John was looking very confused at this time "Don’t worry" Bob told him "You will

figure it out. I doubt you will understand it but you will figure it out"

"What now Boss Lady?" said Wendy

"Stop that please" I said

"What ever you say dear" she said in a patronising tone and then stuck out her tongue at me.

"We will discuss this later" I said

"Over dinner" said Wendy

"Yes" said Anne "over dinner" those two are up to some thing I thought.

"John" I said.

He came over to me I took one of my Berettas from the holster on the right slid

a round into the chamber and passed it to him "There’s a round in the chamber

and there’s the safety don’t be afraid to use it"

"What its real?"

"Yes of course it real If it wasn’t what would be the point of carrying it. If that is empty do you want to slide it under the seats" indicating his rifle, he did.

We hit the shoe shop next I found some Caterpillar boots that seemed to fit me and put them on putting the black chunky shoes in the Land Rover I threw in another pair the same size and a couple more in larger sizes.

"What size shoes are you" asked Wendy

"3 why" I asked

"Oh I was just wondering" she said as I stood on guard waiting for them Bob and John threw in a few pairs of shoes and trainers and a pair of boots each and Anne and Wendy made three trips with armfuls with Jenny carrying some too.

"I’ve got new shoes" she informed me in a serious voice.

"Oh that’s nice love" I said

"Do you want to see my new shoes?" she asked me

"A little later" I told her.

"Have.." she started I interrupted

"Have you ever sat in the front seat of a big car like this?" I asked

"No" she answered

"Would you like to?"

She thought on this for a minute "Yes" she announced so I put her in the front seat and closed the door on her next question. John was laughing.

"Don’t you laugh you should have seen yourself hiding in that shop" I said

"I Know" he agreed and we both started laughing as Jenny caught Bobs eye by looking out through the back of the car.

"This is a big car" she told him.

Wendy and Anne finally finished with shoes and I was beginning to get a bit concerned about space when John spoke up "There is a trailer we used to bring in equipment on the supermarket car park. Is that any use to you?"

"Any one with it?" I asked

"No they pulled out two days ago its only a couple of hundred yards away" he assured me.

I looked down the street the next shop was C&A clothes at last proper clothes.

"If we go in and check it out first then you two" I indicated Bob and John "can go and get the trailer while we start getting stuff together. Then you two can get your own things."

Again the shop was clear and Wendy stood watch while Anne and I started getting things and Bob, John and Jenny went for the trailer taking Sarah now in her car seat.

Inside the shop first stop was decided by Anne who grabbed my hand. "Underwear first I have been wearing these for over a week solid, they are humming." She led me into the lingerie department that area that in the past I have stood around feeling uncomfortable, trying not to look at anything while waiting for Wendy. She undid the mans shirt she was wearing and took of her bra she grabbed a big handful of bags from behind the counter and passed me half of them. In one of her bags she dropped her clothes and started searching the racks of bra’s.

"What size are you Kathy?" she asked then she looked up to see me still standing

there

"What’s up haven’t you bought a bra before?"

"No, no Wendy" I mumbled.

"Oh don’t worry. Do you know your size?" she asked her face full of sympathy I didn’t want.

"No" I answered in a quiet voice. She came over to me and put her arm around me.

"Come on I will get you sorted out" she said and started unbuttoning my blouse "You can try a few on till we find one that fits. Take your blouse and old one off." I did and her eyes widened as she saw the bruise still evident as a hand mark on my breast.

"What happened" she asked quietly her fact studying mine for a reaction.

"The day before you came the man I killed" I said

"You poor thing" she said and hugged me tight her breasts pressing into mine, again no reaction. In fact the warmth of her body caused my nipples to soften after the cold had woken them up. She released me and looked at my breasts the nipples hardening again and then fished in a rack. She passed me a bra to try on.

I fastened it in the front and spun it around she fiddled with the straps and slid her fingers in the side and cup.

"No" she said and passed me another this one I could hardly fasten.

"No" she said again another fish in the racks and another bra came my way. This one fitted about the same as the old one I had been wearing, again she adjusted the straps and slipped her fingers in.

"Nearly" she said "Try this one" she passed me a pale blue thing with lacy cups,

when on she nodded

"Yes that’s it and that’s a pretty one on you, your 32a now, then she passed me a matching pair of panties try this and see if you can get away with a small women’s size. Reluctantly I undid my skirt and stepped out of it standing there in tan tights with my white knickers showing through I was terrified I bent down and undid the new boots slipped them off and dropped my tights and knickers. I dropped these in the bag with my blouse and old bra in and stood up as I stood up I noticed that dreaded blue string hanging between my legs she was looking down there at the bruises.

"Him again" she asked I nodded my head she passed me the blue satin and lace panties. I stepped into them any thing to hide the string from the tampon, they were small things that sat below my hip bones just covering my pubic hair which was visible in the lace at the front it didn’t cover all my bum either.

"Perfect" she said

"Too small" I insisted

"No they are beautiful on you and you are beautiful as well I wish I had looked

you when I was your age. Hell I wish I looked like you now you’re a Knockout

kid"

This was all getting a little too much for me I was trembling. She saw this and came over and gave me another big hug, was all this skin on skin contact necessary I wondered, everything was so physical. As a man you might shake hands or punch them in the arm or once in a while pat them on back with a close friend, this relationship was so much more touchy feely and she was being so nice to me that I didn’t know how to take it I just knew that no matter what I was not going to upset her or hurt her feelings.

"Thank you" I mumbled "how about you grabbing your things and I grab some bits then we can see what else we can find."

"Good idea" she said and released me.

I headed for the plainest bras and panties I could find and shoved half a dozen of the plainest ones I could into my bag then I slipped my shoes and skirt back on.

"What do you think of these?" asked Anne walking into view in just a skimpy black bra with matching panties both made mostly of lace hiding nothing.

"Very nice" I said "Bob will love them"

She grinned at me "That’s the idea"

"I am going over there" I said

"Ok I’ll catch you over there" she said happily

I wandered over to the other clothes, I threw in half a dozen large nightshirts, found some plain t-shirts I grabbed loads of them in the least feminine colours and styles I could. I put a blue one on. I headed over to the jeans and found a pair of blue ones that appeared to fit.

"That’s a good idea" came Anne’s voice "getting some that are to big for later

when you grow. Lets see what size these are" she looked at the label then

grabbed a pair

"Try these" she said

I put them on they hugged my bum and crotch tightly "too tight" I said

"No their just right" and she put a half a dozen pairs into bags she then put on a pair herself.

I carried on nosing around the racks I found socks and some chunky jumpers again I grabbed half a dozen of each and put one of each on. Finally I found a decent parka style jacket put one in the bag and slipped one on over the shoulder holster. I felt normal again, human.

"I’m done" I said to Anne.

"That was quick" she said still walking around in Jeans and bra.

"I’ll see if Bob and John are back and let Wendy come in" I said and headed down stairs to the exit on the way out I entered an office near the door and found a yellow pages. At the door Wendy was talking to Bob and John.

"Is that ok because that’s what Anne and I have decided" they both nodded and smiled at me as they passed on their way into the familiar ground of the men’s department.

"What was that about" I asked

"Oh just telling them what we are doing for dinner tonight" she answered "lets see what you’ve got" she had a quick nose and murmured her disapproval. I saw the Land Rover with a large trailer on the back dam near the size of a horse box with doors it was on four wheels I walked around to have a look in the back an found some mobile kitchen equipment and that was about it. The girls have probably seen this and god help us. Wendy walked up to me.

"Now we have the room can Anne and me get some more things?"

"As long as we can get the radio gear I don’t mind" I said what a big mistake that was.

She grabbed Jenny by the hand and happily headed inside.

I was waiting outside for about fifteen minutes when Bob and John came out, John out of uniform in jeans and a sweat shirt and Bob dressed much the same.

"I have a confession to make" I said after they dropped their bags in the

trailer "I told Wendy that we could fit more things in with having the trailer"

"My god" said Bob "what have you created Anne not having to pay for her clothes

and having the space to keep them, It’s a monster definitely"

"But you love me anyway" came Anne’s voice from a collection of carrier bags that appeared to be propelled by a small pair of legs. "Are you ok being on guard while I claim these two big strong men?"

"Yes" and stood there for an indeterminately long period of time keeping Sarah amused and myself in the process. Eventually the process was finished and we moved on to Dixon’s. Just a quick visit here binoculars, programmable dictation recorders and Anne threw in a radio CD player combined very dated these days but still popular. We turned around and started back through the pedestrianised area it turned into a free for all with Wendy and Anne it reminded me of sharks feeding. Back into the shoe shop, Mothercare Superdrug, Smiths even the remains of a jewellers. I just kept watch and thought if nothing else they will do for trade goods.

The last stop was a Ham Radio shop on the outskirts of Bishop Auckland about 12 miles away this time on the way out we drove around until we found a un-barricaded road Bob put his foot down and we drove as fast as the heavily laden vehicle could move. The gang attacked a large group older than the last lot. As they got to us there was a shower of rocks a side window broke and we fired in response the gang scattered only to reform behind us as we departed shouting and throwing rocks that now could not reach us.

"Anne, Wendy I have an apology for you" I said "as you were loading up I was moaning thinking we can get more next time, the way things are looking at the moment any thing else we need we are going to have to really need to risk that again. I also think we might have a lot of trouble with the gangs as the food runs out in the towns."

Bishop Auckland was dead no one at all was visible but may be they had heard about the Army massacre in Darlington, and we were in a Green Land Rover with an army trailer.

"John how are you on radio equipment" I asked him.

"I know the theory but now we tend to use digital electronic communications I’m

no expert though" he said

"Your the nearest thing to an expert that we have" I said "So if I tell you what we are after can you find the right equipment?"

"Yes I should be able to" he replied

We found the shop and it was relatively undamaged except for a broken window John and Bob forced the door and we went in while Anne and Wendy stood watch.

"Ok what do you want" John asked.

"Ham radio transmitters base stations top of the range HF, VHF, UHF two of each different models though" I left him to find these while I found rechargeable, batteries, coax cable and connectors and dumped them in a bag.

"I’ve got those" he said "I’ve gone for Icom and Kenwood is that ok I nodded trusting him.

"Broadband receiver gigahertz down to VLF" I said

I dropped a soldering iron and solder into my bag and grabbed a couple of books of frequencies and a simple how to book on amateur radio.

"Got one AOR" he said reappearing with a box.

"CB Radios if this place does them all the hand held ones plus a couple of base stations" I said and he wandered around again.

"No joy on the CBs" he said

"Damn" I said

"Can I make a suggestion" he said

"That’s what you’re here for" I said

"Its dead easy use VHF hand held radios as I can’t think of anywhere that is

even likely to keep CB radios they are antiques now" he explained

"What ever you suggest you get the idea we want full coverage on reception and transmission on as many frequencies as possible, plus I want a communication system in place for us to use." I said while putting a few more books in.

"Well with the hand holds and appropriate aerials for these that we have we’re away then" he had got my idea so I wandered outside.

Outside I couldn’t see Wendy or Anne "Where are they" I asked Bob

"They hit a supermarket just down there" he indicated down the road "then they

said they had seen one more shop further along"

"I said stay together we don’t know its safe around here" I exclaimed annoyed by the situation "I will have a wander down there and see what they are doing" I wandered down the road and turned left at the indicated corner. Half way down on the left was a Chemist approaching the Chemist was a teenager keeping very close to the wall. He had something in his hand. A pistol, I dove for a doorway and grabbed my Beretta from underneath my coat I aimed from about a hundred feet and fired two shots one hit the wall near him the other missed wildly. He turned and fired at me the range meaning that the chance of hitting was low but I still pulled in that little bit further. I glanced around he was closer but the only way I could take a shot without exposing myself was with my left hand I fired three shots Bang, Bang, Click. I hadn’t reloaded after we had encountered the gang on the way out of Darlington.

"Well pretty little girls like you should not be playing with guns, I thought you were one of The Sabres" he said as he knocked the empty pistol out of my hand.

"Your to pretty for Sabre cunt, there all ugly bitches your not." A smile

cracked his face

"You can be my bitch, until the rest of my homeys get here"

"And you can be a corpse when your little friends come to play" came Wendy’s

voice from the side of him "Now drop the hardware"

"Don’t even think of trying any thing" came Anne’s voice from behind him. He dropped the rusty looking revolver.

"Down now" said Wendy appearing briefly to kick the gun away. The lad got down on his knees sweat appearing on his greasy, acne covered forehead, his eyes showing fear his face defiant. As he lay down his face towards the ground I stood up again and retrieved my empty weapon.

"What the fuck do you two think your doing" I screamed at Wendy and Anne only to be interrupted by the arrival of the Land Rover with John and Bob. When we had finished reassuring the two men that we were all safe I started again with Anne and Wendy.

"What the hell do you think your playing at I told every one no matter what to stay together. I also said that one person was to keep watch at all times. What do I find you two shopping and this piece of shit" a voice interrupted me.

"Oi who you calling shit? Cunt" The Youth shouted up

I kicked him hard in the ribs, he made a noise as the air escaped him.

"And I find this piece of shit" I kicked once more "sneaking up behind you armed. You decided I am, how did you put it Wendy "Boss Lady" I will do it if I can’t get out of it but I do not intend to lose any of you especially through stupidity." I glared at both of them "Do you understand me?"

"Yes" came from both of them Anne’s eyes were full of tears.

"Now I have been stupid as well I didn’t reload after our excitement from before and it could of killed me, if it wasn’t for Anne and Wendy so these are the rules if I break them shout at me. Rule 1 stay together at all times. Rule 2 keep a full load. Wendy over the next few days can you brush up every ones weapon skills? Because I was shit. Any good with weapons John?" I finished my anger cooling .

"No barely adequate I’m an engineer rather than a fighter I’m afraid" he said

"Don’t worry I was just going to suggest that stay with us or go on you could probably bring us up to date on the weapons we have and Wendy can probably give you a few pointers as well" I said.

"What do we do with him" Bob asked indicating the prone figure

"Tie him up first then we can find out what is going on"

They tied his hands and feet and rolled him onto his back.

"Where are all the people what’s going on here?" I asked him

"Fuck you cunt, I don’t have to say nuttin when my homeys get here you are going to pay all of you cocksuckers will pay" came back at me then he tried to spit at me it landed on his own face.

I kicked him again "Your right you don’t have to say a thing but when "Your

Homeys" get here you are just going to be a smear on the road. Put him in front

of the wheels of the car feet first and Bob if you drive forward slowly we might

get some thing out of him before he passes out"

Bob and John grabbed him Anne went white he started screaming.

"You sick bitch you cant do this its against the law" he exclaimed

I looked up and down the road "I can’t see any policemen" I said "perhaps if you

scream loud enough one will come, then again perhaps not"

"You can’t do this" he started to talk to Bob and John "you guys don’t do what that little bitch says do you are men or what. She’s sick cant you see she’s not right in the head.

Are you pussys taking orders from a little girl."

They dropped him about three foot in front of the wheel he wriggled about.

"If you tie a bit of rope to the rope on his feet then roll the front wheel over it until the wheels against his feet he wont be able to roll out the way." John tied the rope onto the protesting lads feet and under Johns direction Bob drove the Land Rover till his feet were touching the large wheel Bob revved the engine loudly. The lad was screaming Bob revved even louder then cut the engine. I walked over to him and put on a little girl act.

"I can’t here you because of the noisy engine, never mind I have never seen

anyone sqwished before so if we stop half way up will you tell me what its like"

I said in a little girl voice

"No, no please I’ll tell you. Please I’ll tell you" he begged

"Mmm" I said "No I think we squish you it more fun, because you called me nasty names" again in the little girl voice. I motioned Bob to start the engine the lad was crying now I got Bob to stop the engine.

"How can I tell how much it hurts if you start crying now" I asked him. With my eyes I got Wendy to come over and with a few nods of my head I got her to lead me away from the lad, and as loud as I could I said "But I want to squash him up" in the same voice.

With Wendy looking like she was leading me away I led her around the back of the car so he couldn’t see me and as loud as I could I shouted "But I want to see him squashed and I am Boss Lady aren’t I Bob?" I waved Bob to answer with my hands.

"Yes Kathy your boss can I do it now I’m fed up with his screaming Doctor Jones screamed a lot as well didn’t he" he improvised.

I gave him the thumbs up "Yes but he was nasty to us he used to lock us up and

stick those needles in us" I dropped my voice as low as I could "Some thing to

calm you down that’s what he used to say we calmed him down didn’t we"

I whispered in Wendy’s ear she walked around to the front where he could see her.

"But Kathy I like him can’t I keep him?"

"No he talked nasty to me, I don’t like him"

"But after you broke Nurse John you said I could have a new toy"

"I didn’t break him I just cut his willy off because it looked silly, I want him

squished"

"If he tells you where all the people are can I keep him" pleaded Wendy

"Yes" I said

"And you promise not to break him not even his willy" she asked

"Ohh you spoil all my fun but yes only if he’s nice" I finished

The lad was nice and terrified of the escaped loonies. He told us what was going on a few of the lager gangs in Newcastle had joined together and what they were doing was raiding outlying areas for what they could get, people, jewellery, guns, drugs and food whatever they could take and leaving a gang presence such as we met in Darlington. Kevin was waiting for the rest of his people to arrive as the population needed guarding when they were shipped off in lorries, what for he didn’t know, he had been left behind to spot stragglers.

After he finished his explanations came the problem what to do with him In a quick conference behind the van I told them I was not willing to kill him in cold blood and we would leave him tied up for his friends, we decided to keep up the escaped lunatic routine as it might dissuade them from approaching us if there was a next time.

"Aren’t you taking your new toy" I asked Wendy

"No he’s all smelly" she said, the lads bladder had cut loose with fear

"Can I have him then?" I asked

"No he’s mine and I say we leave the smelly toy here" she said firmly.

With that we left him tied up there and drove off.

"Would you have really driven over him?" asked Anne

"I don’t know" I admitted "but I do know he would have killed you without a

second thought"

"I know" she said

For the drive back it was mostly silent.

Arriving back at the hotel that now could be classed as home we found no signs of any visitors. I took high watch while they unloaded the car and trailer. I wanted time to think things were happening too quickly and I detested what I had done to that child despite the fact that he was armed. There was a metallic clunking sound and John appeared with four mounting poles for the aerials we had got.

"Is it ok if I start setting these up?" He asked. I nodded a response.

After a few trips up and down he sat down and started to assemble something that looked like a hedgehog in metal.

"Are you ok there?" he asked, again I nodded.

I carried on looking out at the fields with the two horses, the cows and the bull still together and the hills in the distance except for the fact that I was sat here by a machine gun it might have been as if it hadn’t happened. I felt a hand on my shoulder I jumped.

"Your not happy about the situation this afternoon are you?" He asked

"No it shouldn’t have happened and I should have found a better way of handling

it. I was caught on the hop" I said

"No you responded to an unforeseen situation, caused by the fact that two of your people disobeyed instructions. You saved their lives probably and you got useful information all without loss of life and you have established us as something to be feared even if it is as a wandering band of Psychotics and Psychopaths, all in all a good day" he told me.

"And how do you know so much so young?" I bit back

"Because part of my training that I had done included the psychology of war. Fear is a weapon to be used, you used it and used it well in a tight situation with a bit of luck all the gangs will be looking over their shoulders worried about the mad girl who collects "willies" I know I would." He smiled at me.

"But I am no leader, I don’t like the job and I don’t want the job." I said

"Your opinion of your skills is of no consequence the facts speak for themselves

all your people got out alive. As to the fact of not wanting or liking the job

you are doing it and doing it well in a time of crisis so as things ease up it

will get easier and as things get worse it will get worse." He said

"Don’t you want the job" I asked him

"Not for anything. I am an engineer and like most engineers I tend to get preoccupied with details and miss the big picture" he laughed.

I wanted to make the comment that he seemed to be wise beyond his years but I decided not to seeing as how I looked to him. We talked while he worked and by late afternoon he had four aerials up and was sorting out the coax cable.

"Where do you want the sets set up?" He asked

"In the dining room at one end" I said

"Don’t you dare make too much mess in that dining room" came Anne’s voice.

"Why" I asked

"Because dinner tonight is formal. We are going to be civilised if it kills us."

"When? Who decided this?" I asked

"I did when we were out. You may be Big Boss Lady, but I am chief cook and bottle washer so what we eat, how we eat and when we eat is my responsibility. I say its formal so it’s formal." She stood with her hands on her hips daring me to argue.

"If you want to eat, you better agree." Came Johns voice. "One of the first

things I learnt in the army keep on the cooks good side"

"I want you cleaned up and dressed for eight a tie is essential if you want to eat." She said to John "I am pinching Kathy now. Bob will be up in a moment to take over high guard so you can finish for dinner we are battening down the hatches and locking every thing up. We are all eating together tonight, it is Sunday you know."

I started arguing but Anne brushed it away saying I had to do some things before I got dressed for dinner.

I was first taken to the kitchen where Wendy was tending dinner pots and pans where bubbling everywhere. When she saw me she grinned what was she grinning about.

"Sit down there" said Anne, what was this some retaliation for bawling them out? Wendy came up behind me and said sit there don’t move. They were looking at my ears her and Anne was muttering, something cold and sticky touched my earlobe then the other one.

"What are you..." I started

"Sit down and keep still we have to do this now" said Wendy

Something grasped my earlobe I turned to look, a hand turned my head back to the front and my other earlobe was grasped.

"What are you..." I again started

"Now" said Wendy there was a click on each side of me.

"What was that" I said they finished messing with my ears.

"Have a feel" said Anne. I reached up and felt my ears two little balls could be felt on one side with a post on the other. They had pierced my ears.

"Oh thank you" I said sarcastically

"Now listen Kathy" said Wendy "Anne and me have been talking we both agree that you are Boss Lady but you are going to have to understand what that means. Boss, you are brilliant at even if you did shout at us. We deserved it but you are going to have to be a Lady as well in the house. The way things are if we don’t try and keep a semblance of civilised society in the house we might as well be in the gangs".

Anne took over here "In this house our home we are all going to be civilised we have another child here, we are now turning into a family. So if any one wants to eat then they do what mummy Anne says or starves. As you said about the rules out side I now say here. Rule 1 No muddy boots inside, Rule 2 Washing is brought down to the washing machine as I will not go looking for it, Rule 3 Meals are when and what I say no argument will be tolerated.

Rule 4 Evening meal is formal and a time for adults no one can change this rule unless it has been by prior arrangement with me."

"But Anne, I don’t want to dump you in the kitchen" I said

"What do you mean dump, I enjoy it. It’s a hell of a lot more fun than crouching in doorways." She continued "Today I nearly cost you, Wendy and me our lives. I had been left on watch and I went inside for a moment it was only you risking your life that saved us, even when I came out I don’t think I could have shot the kid with intent to kill him.

It’s a different world out there I don’t understand the rules yet and out and about with people depending on me I am a liability. Here I know what I am doing and until we have enough kids to need a full time teacher I claim the kitchen due to the fact I am the best at it and by god I am going to civilise you lot if it kills you." She grabbed my hand and pulled me up looking at me she said "and you my dear, it might just kill."

She dragged me into the bedroom and said "Right we are going to sort you out"

"What do you mean?"

Pointing to a mirror she said "Look what do you see?" I saw myself as I was now redheaded girl in a parka with a blue jumper on and blue jeans. I told her this.

"No look properly" she told me.

I looked again. What was she talking about? Yes my face was dirty and my hands were as well so I said this.

"That’s it isn’t it. You just don’t see do you" she exclaimed. "Well let’s try

it this way anyone in a leadership role is loved if they put themselves on the

line with the troops do you understand this principle"

"Yes like Montgomery and Rommel during World War 2 the North African campaign.

Both made sure they where in the thick of the action all of the time." I said.

"Yes that’s it exactly" said Anne "But when the battle was not raging their

presence made a difference and inspired people and part of that was how they

looked the flair with which they presented themselves do you understand that"

"Yes" I replied not liking the direction this was going.

"For work and battle that outfit is fine but I think it needs something else."

She was looking at me strangely as she said this "That coat has got to go I am

afraid that can be sorted out later. But during the time that you aren’t up to

your eyes in blood and filth you have to inspire these people"

"What you Bob and John or perhaps Wendy" I said

"No the ones that will come. The ones who’s babies and lives you won’t have saved personally. But your actions and peoples response to your orders will save their lives. These people are going to see you as you appear a young girl who is unsure of herself and once you get a few bitchy women and a few thick headed men talking about you then this will undermine everything that you are trying to do here." She placed her hands on my shoulders.

"But I don’t want the job. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing I’m just playing it by ear" I moaned.

"Exactly what I am saying you are doing better playing it by ear than any of us could have with a full plan and we need you." She kissed my hair on the top of my head. "The thing that you are missing in the mirror is the fact that you are an extremely beautiful woman if a little young that is self correcting and with a little creative work can be disguised. Never forget that men have died for women for millennia use your beauty it can be a tool and a weapon to throw people off guard. For wars have been fought for women."

"So am I Joan of Arc, Helen of Troy perhaps Katherine the Great I don’t think so" I sneered.

"No you are none of those. You are you and I intend to help you find what you can be and the first test is tonight our first formal dinner, while its just friends."

"Well I’ve only got clothes like these" I said indicating my jeans and jumper "so I can’t I’m afraid" glad to have an escape out of all this.

"I noticed. If you thought I wouldn’t then you should have taken a little bit longer choosing and you might have got away with it. But when a teenage girl is sorted with a whole wardrobe in the time it took me to find a bra and knickers then it got my attention" she explained.

My heart was sinking at this point I started murmuring excuses which Anne just

brushed away. "At the moment it is just friends here and it will be easier for

you just five of us. Can you imagine doing this for the first time in front of

fifty people?" Anne asked

"No" I said meaning I was not going to do any of this, Anne took this as agreement with her and proceeded to start the bath running.

"Ok" she said "Get undressed and then and into the bath then with you"

"I need the toilet first" I said trying to delay things.

"Go on then, then get into the bath" she said.

In the bathroom I unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them down with the silly blue panties I glanced down past the pubic mat at the almost nude lips and that dreaded blue string hanging there I pulled, I could feel the movement deep in my body as it pulled on the attached tampon the lips spread as it emerged from my body just a few little specks of blood discoloured the white object, at least that’s over for four weeks I thought. I sat there waiting and thinking of any excuse to get out of this ordeal that Anne was planning, the worst thing was I agreed with every thing that had been said I would have questioned following me if I had been me. I could see the logic of what she was saying about the evening meal as well and two weeks ago I would have put on a suit moaned a bit and loved every minute of it. It was just this week I was not myself and I did not fancy being the centre of attention. I wiped and flushed and finished undressing.

"Are you in the bath yet" came Anne’s voice

"No I’m just getting in" I answered as I slipped my bra off and had a good scratch. I got into the bath that seemed more bubbles than water I slipped into the hot water what the hell had she put in this water it stunk" My question was answered when Anne returned with two glasses.

"I put some smellies in for you" she said "and I brought you this, it might relax you a bit" she passed me a glass. I tasted it a white wine I preferred a dry red normally but at the moment a large scotch was more in keeping with how I was feeling. I took a big drink and Anne smiled and sat on the toilet with her drink.

"I know your unsure of yourself but all your insecurities are about you and your age and how you look not about what to do and when to do it. We need you strong in all areas because these insecurities could play on your mind, we need you Kathy three of us would be dead without your decisions, Sarah, Wendy and me. John and Jenny would be still stuck at the mercy of the gangs." She took a sip of her wine.

I jumped in "John would have got them out he’s a bright lad" I said.

"Yes and you got them out to a place of some safety at least for the moment and

if I am not mistaken you do seem to have a long term plan" she said

"Yes sort of" I admitted "I wanted to talk about this at dinner"

"Well here is some advice say what you want to listen to what everyone has to say then you decide what you think is best not what makes everyone happy do you understand you must not try to make everyone happy because at the end of the day you will not succeed" she told me. "As much as I love him I have to say Bob couldn’t do your job he’s too soft and malleable, John is the first to admit he would be no good as leader and Wendy always defers to you. So until someone better comes along your it."

"I hope they hurry up and arrive" I said

"If they do arrive then I will happily let you fade into the background my concern is that someone who isn’t as good as you gets the job due to the fact that you are unsure of yourself. I was the one who put you down at first when we arrived I do not intend to allow anyone else to do the same thing to you." She was very serious about this that’s what was worrying me.

"What do you use on your hair its gorgeous" she said changing the subject

"Shampoo from a bottle" I answered honestly

"You are terrible you know you read the Greek Classics, you lead a supply raid into hostile territory yet you don’t know the basics." She said her voice scolding "Wendy said you didn’t want your ears pieced in case it hurt, which is why she used the local anaesthetic cream. I think she’s wrong I think it’s a case you might be a bit scared of growing up but it’s a case that you are grown up and you are going to show people that. Now wash your hair with that one" she said pointing to a bottle.

I did as I was told with a shampoo that proclaimed to have essence of coconut, what coconut does for the hair I don’t know.

"Ok that’s fine shave those pits next." She said

"What?" I said

"There is a razor there shave your armpits" I picked up the razor and got the small amount of hairs there why bother I thought.

"Let the water out and stand up" I did and she passed me a tube that as at hand "Rub this all over your legs" I did as I was told and had to stand there for five minutes before showering it off. What little hair was on my legs had gone.

"Good you don’t look like a Greek refugee anymore" was her unfair comment.

"But I wasn’t hairy" I objected

"Not very but it was noticeable and you my dear are going to be perfect" I was firmly informed.

I wrapped the towel around my shoulders as normal but Anne made me wrap it around my body just above my breasts like Wendy does another one was wrapped around my head.

"Ok sit on the bed and let me get at those talons" she indicated my hands and the next fifteen minutes were spent just filling my nails "Those will have to do but if Anne catches you biting your nails then she will spank" she grabbed a bottle of nail polish and I was the proud possessor of red finger and toe nails.

"Don’t touch any thing I’ll be back in a minute" she disappeared. I considered what was going on I enjoyed her company she was fun and over the last week fun was rare but I did not like this game.

She returned with an open bottle of wine and refilled my glass despite my protests.

"Listen you I keep watching you getting more and more tense as I work on you. You have no option about what I am doing to you so you need something to relax you. I prescribe alcohol in moderation. Ok let’s get at that hair."

I don’t know how long was spent on my hair only that the alcohol in my smaller body with Anne’s generous size glasses was starting to make this experience less stressful. As for what was being done to my hair I don’t know except it involved lots of pulling, twisting and poking.

"That looks great. Have you used much makeup before?" Anne asked while sorting through a draw.

"No never touch the stuff" I answered honestly

"Well thanks to your daring idea of the raid into town we have plenty" she said

happily

"That raid was for essentials of life" I said

"And if I didn’t have any make up everyone else’s life wouldn’t be worth living.

I’m a bitch when I don’t have my face on" she set on my eye brows with a pair of

tweezers

"Just a little bit of shaping" she said then attacked my face with happy vigour. Make up was the next indignity all the time Anne was explaining about widening the mouth working from the cheek bones and some stuff around the eyes. I wasn’t taking note because this was to be a one off, next time I could beg out of this because this time they caught me by surprise.

"Yes that’s it" exclaimed Anne "that will do very nicely. Lets get you dressed

I’ve got to get ready as well"

"Ok I said "I’ll just get my underwear on."

"No not that stuff tonight is dressy" I was told firmly "I have a confession to make I saw all the things you were getting and had a word with Wendy You now have an appropriate wardrobe we couldn’t let you live in jumpers, jeans and the little girl clothes you had here. Put these on" she passes me a pair of skimpy panties in dark blue the front was flowery lace the back would cover nothing.

"Come on I know you like blue most of your clothes you got were blue." She said

I sat there looking at them "Come on now don’t mess about You have the figure

for them and you will look stunning"

"Do I have to wear these ones no one will see them" I pleaded

"Exactly no one will see them so you can put them on" her female logic

unshakeable I put them on they felt like they were falling down and the lace

itched at the front

"Ok bra next" I did the usual fasten and twist but when I slipped my arms in my breasts where being pushes together and up.

"Its too tight" I told Anne

"No It’s fine it’s just maximising your assets" she looked at my breast "maximising them very nicely" I glanced down I had cleavage not a lot but some and my boobs looked like they had doubled in size.

She reached around my waist I felt something dangling against my legs she was fastening a garter belt around my waist.

"Slip them through your panty legs its easier if you want a pee" This was something I hadn’t thought of and I did.

Dark blue stockings were next and they were weird the little hair on my legs must have affected the way the tights felt because my legs were a hell of a lot more sensitive and when attached to the garter belt it felt like my legs were spring loaded.

"Nearly there" said Anne and went to her wardrobe "I chose this for you so I hope you like it" And pulled out a dark blue dress. I say dress but it was more like a large t shirt with no arms.

"Hope it fits I had to guess, but next time we go shopping you are going to try things on so I don’t have to guess." Anne slipped the dress over my head it was silky and tight a v at the front was showing my pretend cleavage and a v at the back stopped just above my bra strap it finished just above my knee.

"It’s too short and too tight" I protested

"No it’s not you look absolutely fantastic" she grabbed a pair of high heeled shoes again in blue all straps and about three inches of heel.

"I’ll kill my self in those" I exclaimed

"That you might but you will die looking hot girl" said Anne.

"She surely will" Came Wendy’s voice from behind me. I turned around Wendy was dressed identically to me but in green her hair was up and she was made up.

"I said you wouldn’t go to dinner looking like that when Anne found that dress." Wendy said "But then she came up with the idea that if we all looked the same then you could have no objections. Slip those shoes on and we can get you walking."

"But I will break my neck" I objected

"No you wont why do you think we got you dressed down here? No stairs" Wendy

explained

"Did the boys see you?" came the question from Anne busy undressing.

"No they are about to start to get ready but I avoided them" Wendy answered I put the shoes on and all my weight was suddenly on the balls of my feet. After a few minutes of walking backward and forwards I got the idea that you take small steps and have to put your toe down first rather than the heel.

"You think you have it bad" said Anne "to make me look good in one of those

dresses I have to wear one of these" she held up a red Basque. "When you can

look like that you have no problems"

"But Bob will like you in it" Joked Wendy

Wendy started helping Anne get ready while I practiced walking then after a while she came out dressed the same in red, she looked good.

"Ok time to move ladies. Wait, Wait how could I forget" she pulled out some perfume sprayed some on one wrist and rubbed her wrists together then a bit on her neck and breast. "Come here Kathy time for the heavy artillery" I got the same treatment Wendy said she had all ready.

We walked well lets be honest we tottered to the door of the dining room Bob and Johns voices could be heard inside, my knees were weak I was trembling this was worse than the shoot out earlier in the day I couldn’t get away. Anne was on one side holding my hand Wendy was on the other. Wendy pushed one door Anne the other and they marched me in as their prisoner.

"Wow" came from John

"Yes I totally agree with you there Wow" came from Bob and they both stood up Bob walked over to Anne put his hands on her hips and kissed her then he walked to me I could feel how hot his hand were as he placed them on my hips, I could smell his aftershave and I was thinking I know that one I’ve used it when he kissed me on he lips he then walked to Wendy and did the same. I stood there blinking in shock when John appeared in front of me he put his arms round me and hugged me tight.

"Don’t mess her up yet save it for later" came Anne’s voice he eased up on the hug and kissed me slightly longer than Bob had and let me go.

"Thank you for getting us out of there Kathy" he said and disappeared to Wendy.

We walked towards a table that was fully laid music was playing in the background and Bob was holding a chair out for me at the head of the table I sat down as he pushed the chair in for me. John did the same for Wendy then Bob did the same for Anne the men then went to get the first course.

"What’s all this" I asked

"Well the suits were my idea the manners are all there own idea" said Anne

We sat there making polite conversation all dressed up after the madness and horror we had seen that day and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the three course meal, I enjoyed the one more glass of wine I let myself have, and I enjoyed the company as for the kiss well I didn’t hate it. The one thing that kept going across my mind was a scene from an old film I had seen that was probably a hundred years old by now it involved a very strange meal and the film was Carry On Up the Khyber and the absurdities in that meal drew parallels in our own situation.

After dinner down to business I thought we might as well get started.

"Ok can I have every ones attention" conversation stopped "first of all I would

like to welcome John to our group for however long as he wishes. John if you

ever feel you want to leave we will kit you out with whatever you need and arm

you"

"No I’m staying if you will have me. Bob has explained the situation here that

you may be having company I think another pair of hand might be useful" he said

"Ok the decision is yours and you are welcome to stay" I gave him a big smile he would be useful "every one here seems to have decided I am how was it put Boss Lady but I want to tell all of you my plans first then you can decide if I stay Boss Lady as I could do without the hassle" I looked around the table I had there complete attention they were going to be so disappointed when the heard how little I had.

"First of all I would like to get more people in here more people means less work and safer defences. Secondly I would like to try to start farming out there as our food and the food supplies in towns are not going to last forever.

Thirdly I would like to repeat our little raiding party on as many towns held by

the gangs as possible reduce their supplies increase ours. Finally I want to get

that radio up and running I want to warn people about the threats out there from

the people who caused this and the gangs and the army. I also want to try and

pass messages for relatives it is possible that people who know our friends and

family may be listening. Any comments any one"

John spoke up "The radios are ready when you are but I have a suggestion. Do not tell people exactly were you are they do not need to know and the information you want to transmit will breed enemies. Possibly use an alias for the place and your name just in case we are ever caught."

I agreed but what to call it I favoured something along the lines of Radio Free Britain RFB for short and no name mentioned but Anne and Wendy vetoed this idea. Bob and John had no preference and every one was looking at me.

"Who says I am going to be talking anyway why can’t you talk?" I asked Anne

"You have a voice that people will remember because of your youth if you could get Jenny on I would suggest her." Said Anne " but we need something to call you. Come on you’re the bright one think of some thing."

"Why does every one ask me do I look like a bloody oracle or something" I shouted getting very pissed of with this.

"Again under pressure the lady does it" beamed Anne

"What" I spluttered "What have I done"

"You have a name you are The Oracle and this place will be New Delphi a place for people to come to ask for help and wisdom in these times of trouble" said Anne.

I objected that it was a silly name but was outvoted four to one. I objected that Anne or Wendy should speak and again was outvoted four to one. So much for being Boss Lady I thought.

John powered up the HF set and made some adjustments. He set it up on a quiet frequency some thing that was getting easier and he said "Press the red button and you will transmit our call sign in Morse and we are on 7.1 MHz give them a time that you will be back on after the broadcast as otherwise you will be stuck here talking aerials with George from Lancashire."

George was a regular on the short wave and was more interested about everyone’s equipment than what was going on in the world. The mike was thrust in my hand and I was being watched by everyone.

I pressed the red button and the Morse was broadcast dot, dash, dot ® dash, dot (N) dash, dot, dot (D). I keyed the mike.

"This is the first broadcast of Radio New Delphi somewhere in Yorkshire I am the Oracle and this is the truth as it is known." I looked down and saw Bob was holding the dictation machine recording me.

"On the 24^th of February a computer virus was introduced into the worlds computer systems from what we can understand this was an international sabotage attempt buy a group of genetic scientists to claim control of the major governments of the world and to subdue the populations of these countries. Here in the United Kingdom there are about five thousand of them all believed to be heavily armed, take care with these people they are armed and very dangerous. One of the largest losses of life is due to the explosion of the North Deighton Fusion Power Plant at about 00.15 on 24^th we can only assume that an enormous loss of life has occurred Leeds is assumed to be totally lost as must be assumed is York. Radiation is known to be a lethal problem in these areas at the moment if any one has more information on this please reply on 3.7mhz which we shall be monitoring till midnight when a new broadcast will be made on this frequency.

The gangs have taken control of the area around Newcastle upon Tyne. They are

clearing the surrounding towns and shipping people into the city if you are in

the area of Newcastle please warn friends family and neighbours to watch out for

this threat. Also in this area certain elements of the army have been shooting

looters under orders of a Captain"

I had passed John a piece of paper he scribbled down the name Wilson I continued smoothly "Wilson who was acting without orders from fear, as his normal duties are as an instructor in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. We would ask all members of the armed forces to please not shoot at the people they have sworn to defend for the sake of protecting property.

London is believed to be burning having started on the 24^th due to an aircraft crashing into the centre of the city if any one has any information of any form of civil authority still operational please contact us after this broadcast on 3.7Mhz. Finally for this broadcast, be aware of the risk of disease possible in the current situation please take care and spread the news where you can. This broadcast will repeat shortly on this frequency, this is The Oracle at New Delphi wishing you all a safe night" I hit the red key and the Morse finished the broadcast.

Bob and John started reconnecting the dictation machine into the transmitter.

"How did I sound I asked" Bob hit play on the recorder and I heard my new voice sounding ever so young with music in the back ground.

"We should have turned off the music" I said

"No" came the massed voices of all four of them

"It works kid so it stays" said Wendy

The broadcast was set up to repeat automatically and Bob started setting up the other short wave set on a separate antenna.

"Wendy Kathy sit down a minute," said Bob "get her a drink Anne"

"But I am supposed to be on the other radio" I protested.

"Keep them waiting it makes them keen" said Anne looking at Bob who blushed.

"Anyway you two its our turn to speak." Came John’s voice. "Tonight we are being civilised and in polite society a house guest should bring a gift for the hostess." Anne’s eyes were laughing as she continued, "but when we arrived it had gone right out of my head. Then I couldn’t get to the shops so ladies here are my gifts to you two and don’t object they were reduced an end of the world sale."

She grabbed my hand and placed a small gold watch around my left wrist and hugged me and gave me a kiss. She did the same to Wendy.

"These are my gifts to both of you" said Bob and he placed a gold charm bracelet around my right wrist. Again I got a hug and a kiss, I felt dwarfed in this mans arms but it was nice and I hugged him back, the alcohol must be affecting me I thought. Again this was repeated with Wendy.

John’s voice came from behind me "My presents I am afraid aren’t as glamorous as those two but they mean a lot to me. A small gold necklace was placed around my neck I couldn’t see what it was. He continued "For you Kathy Saint Jude the patron saint of lost causes. For you Wendy Saint Christopher the patron saint of travellers".

I then got kissed by John, again I could feel his hot body against me through the thin material of the dress my nipples reacted and my groin tensed was I getting damp? Then Wendy got the same treatment but for a bit longer a flash of jealousy struck me but I was jealous of both of them this was very confusing.

We made our way back to the radios and switched on I was wondering if anyone was out there listening to us.

I tuned the set down to 3.7Mhz and the voices started to come through I picked up the microphone to pull it towards me feeling the weight of the charm bracelet on my wrist.

"Radio New Delphi, Radio New Delphi this is g7...." Came one insistent voice.

"This is Radio New Delphi transmitting live on 3.7 megahertz in addition to our recorded message on 7.1 megahertz this is The Oracle speaking before we start ladies and gentlemen may I suggest that you do not use call signs I do not know much about the licensing of ham radio enthusiasts but this information if found may be used to find you so no surnames and just give the approximate area that you area located this is for your safety and ours." I released the mike button and waited.

A voice came back then all of a sudden he was drowned out by another and

another. "Gentlemen" I said "I can’t hear a thing if you all shout at once so if

it is possible will the

Scottish gentleman start us off as he was first"

The reply came back "Aye is G... no its Bernard here" pleasant Scottish accent

"and I would first like to welcome you onto the air we have had no information

about the situation at all. This story about global terrorists to me sounds like

a fairy story can you please elaborate on this for me as to how a sweet sounding

young lassie like you could come by this information"

"The information came from my brother in law Bernard he was employed by MI5 as a Snooper do you know what this is?" I asked him.

"Aye, Aye I know what a Snooper is but I must admit that I am surprised a young lady like your self would, so for the moment I will believe what you are saying and back off just to monitor what every one else has to say this is G5... No I mean this is Bernard thanking you very much take care and if I don’t speak to you again tonight goodnight." and that was that we were away.

There where only three people talking to us that night Bernard, George of Lancashire and Frank from Birmingham. All where extremely pleasant and polite Frank was the one that spoke to us for the longest his wife had been attacked two days ago by a gang kid and was not well at all.

"Frank can you just hold on for a moment I have someone here who has a lot more medical knowledge than me." I grabbed Wendy by the arm and said come on you are the expert at this sort of thing speak to him.

"But I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what to call myself and what if I am wrong?" she objected.

"Look trust your own judgement get on there tell him what you think, as for a name you lot dumped The Oracle on me so pick something Greek, to come out of New Delphi" I told her and thrust the microphone at her.

\

"Hello Frank can you hear me?" she said tentatively.

"Franks voice came back yes I can and my wife Mary will not be very happy to

hear I’ve been talking to lots of young ladies on the air tonight" he replied

"and what do I call you my dear"

"Athena" she said "now what seems to be the problem with Mary?"

She had received a nasty slash to the arm and it was now becoming infected I stood up and left our newest radio star to it.

"You did well" said Bob.

"Thank you but I am not sure that my voice is believable to those people out

there." I said

Anne came over with my glass full again "Well I think you did better than I could of".

"Well we will find out won’t we, better start thinking up names you three" I indicated Anne, Bob and John "as you three are going to take your turns on the radio as well. That way I don’t end up stuck on here every night all night."

Anne grinned at Bob "Zeus" she proclaimed.

"Ok Hera" said Bob "what do you want to be called John?"

"Oh I don’t know do I have to" he replied.

"You do and quickly" came Wendy’s voice from the radio. "Its George he’s got

suggestions about improving the set up here and it sounds like a foreign

language to me, so you’re on kid"

"What do I call myself" he protested

She looked at him and smiled "Apollo" with that John took the mike and he was on the air.

Wendy sat down next to me and I asked how was Mary.

"Oh she’s ok. Frank reckons that he can get what’s needed reasonably locally" she was looking at John sat at the radio while talking. Her attention was diverted by Bob and Anne.

"Would my Lady Hera give me the pleasure of this dance" he asked Anne

"Whatever my Lord Zeus commands" and she curtsied and they started dancing around the floor.

"I need the loo" I told Wendy "back in a mo"

"Wait I’ll come too" she said.

We walked into the toilets in the lobby in the ladies toilet there we found only one toilet rather than a row of stalls.

"You go first" I said.

"Don’t be silly come on in as well I want to talk" she grabbed my hand and pulled me in.

She went to the toilet first lifting her skirt and dropping her knickers to reveal she was wearing a black garter belt holding up her green stockings that matched the lacy knickers she was wearing.

As her flow started she started talking "Look love I know we have been together for a hell of a long time but I have never kept secrets from you, so I have a confession for you. It might be the body I am in or the hormones or something but that kid John is turning me on something bloody awful."

I turned my eyes to the floor "I Know"

"What how do you know?" she looked at my face and understanding dawned on her "you too?"

I nodded "I think so"

"Well my husband, my lover, and now my confused little sister what do we do?" She wiped and flushed, as she washed her hands I lifted my skirt and dropped my blue knickers.

"I don’t know, I just don’t know" I answered honestly.

"Well as far as I can see we have three options and whichever you want I will

abide with. The first is that we treat your present condition as a temporary

affair and you will be back to normal soon." She said

"No love that wont work there is no possible way we can say I will be back to

normal in the next ten years"

"Well secondly is the option that with your help we could try as a lesbian couple you will have to go slow with me but I could try." was next. I finished peeing and wiped then washed my hands.

"Come here love" I said as I finished drying my hands I reached towards her breast just touching it with the tip of my fingers feeling it beneath the lacy confinement of its bra the dress silky on top. With my other hand I slipped it under her skirt feeling the legs under their silky stockings and up higher to the soft area above the thicker band at the top of her stocking and the scratchy lace of her panties I slipped my fingers in between her legs an then under her panties to rub her hot sex the look on her face was fear. I felt very little I caressed her pussy once and slipped my hand out and down her leg. I reached around her and hugged her.

"Look love, you are a straight woman to force you into a full time lesbian relationship would cause you to resent me and make you unhappy, neither one am I willing to accept. The other thing is this body is affecting me as well it must be as the gay and lesbian groups have said for years you are born straight or gay as this body is straight, my love for you is as strong as ever but my lust for you even in that beautiful body dressed as you are is diminishing. Do you understand what I am saying?"

"Yes I do" she said "that brings us to our third option live as very close sisters and go with the flow, see what happens. But what about John?"

"Look it is you he is interested in that much is obvious I am probably too young for him although if we are going with the flow I intend to let myself enjoy things" I explained.

"He is fun to kiss reminds me of someone else at his age." She giggled "We are going to have to sort out some handbags for make up at these evenings much more kissing and we will have no lipstick on." I hugged her feeling her body against mine I reached down and placed my hands on her bum and pulled her to me hard. I could feel my breasts rubbing against Wendy’s body enclosed in a lacy prison, I could feel her hot body beneath the thin dress as I could mine and I could feel the garter as I could mine holding up he silky stockings. We were too alike it just wasn’t the same any more but it was something I was still sad to lose.

She kissed me grasped my hand and we walked slowly back into the dining room.

Anne was on the radio now and I asked what was going on.

"Bernard wanted to know what we where doing letting a child speak for us so Anne has just taken over to give him a piece of her mind" he explained.

"Now listen with out exception every one of us is here thanks to her" Anne was worked up in my defence "she saved my life today, my baby’s life earlier in the week. Apollo she rescued out of gang territory today with a child he had in tow she is The Boss Lady because she knows what has to be done and without exception she does it even putting herself under fire to save us." Ooh she was angry with him.

Bernard came back "Well what does she perform these little miracles wit the her bare hands or her Barby doll".

John whispered something in Anne’s ear "No Bernard with two Beretta model 92

compact, 13 rounds in a magazine and as the last person to really piss her off

found it will quite happily blow your head off with a 9 millimetre slug"

"And what do you use then Hera, a bazooka?" came Bernard’s voice.

"No a 7.62 millimetre self loading rifle a Browning 9 millimetre pistol and when I have to a 7.62 millimetre General Purpose Machine gun." She was getting rather worked up the last thing I wanted was the few people who were talking to us refusing to talk because they had been upset. I took the mike from her she was protesting but she let me.

"Bernard hi, its The Oracle back again" I said softly.

"Yes what do you want to tell me how big your guns are." He replied snottily

"No but Bernard have you ever seen anyone killed?" I asked.

"Yes I was in Greece" he answered.

"Well in that case you will know if what I say is true. I have only killed one man a man who was going to rape me I wish I hadn’t had to kill him but I am glad I did despite how sick it makes me feel. I shot him at about a range of six to seven feet in the forehead rather right of centre a black mark appeared the size of one of those little old fashioned five pence pieces with Queen Elizabeth the second on. The back of his head exploded with a hole about the size of my fist the brains that came out came out in a cloud of vapour rather than lumps. As I ran to help my sister because there was another man in the house who came with the first I noticed his body was still twitching. The second man I shot in the shoulder at a range of about 30 yards it spun him around but he got up to find my sister covering him with a rifle. He was shot and killed later after we found he had slit the throat of at least one sick person before robbing them, despite the fact he was repeatedly asked to leave he insisted on stopping to tell us exactly how we were going to pay. She shot him dead centre of forehead at 150 yards and the back of his head was gone he then twitched for a while before we buried him. Does this make you realise we have seen some action here, even though I admit under fire it scared the shit out of me to such an extent that I forgot how many rounds I had left a mistake that was nearly fatal for me due to my own stupidity."

Finishing my little speech I sat waiting for him to reply we needed these people to take us seriously that was one of the reasons I wanted one of the others to speak they sounded more grown up.

"Oracle I would, I would like to apologised for my earlier comments" he started "I do know what it is like to kill someone and as you say you do it and regret what you have had to do. As for being scared under fire, and Frank, George and anyone else out there listening I will kill you if this is repeated. My first time under fire I froze and pissed myself like a bairn, so if you kept firing till you ran out and in the right direction you did one better than me so have no shame lassie you did good".

"Well we all survived as to if was by luck or judgement I do not know, I think it was just by luck" I said.

"If you survive you don’t ask why" was his honest reply.

"Bernard what is your knowledge of weapons like?"

"Fair to middling. Why?" he asked

"Well" I explained "all of our knowledge is about antique weapons like the SLR which was retired over thirty years before Greece and the Browning which goes back even further by nearly another hundred years. We have some more weapons that we have not had time to experiment with yet that are more modern do you mind having a word with our weapons expert to see if we can use anything at least in service this century."

"No problem at all put him on put him on." I waved at Wendy who said something to Bob who came back minutes later with a smaller rifle that we had seen down stairs in the cellar.

"Athena here Bob I am what they class as a weapons expert here."

"Bloody hell woman you were the one who was telling Frank what to do with Mary" came his surprised voice.

"Yes I am a woman of many surprises and one of them is sat in front of me now. It is about three quarters of a metre long with a pistol grip, the magazine feeds behind the pistol grip almost into the stock...." I left them to it, the wine was starting to get to me by now and I sat down.

Looking around Bob and Anne had started dancing again and they were quite good better than I had ever been when I was a man, came the unbidden thought. I sat there looking at my painted toes in the high heels, feeling the lacy panties under my bum on the chair, the bra still to tight pushing my poor chest into strange shapes, the garter belt with the tension on my stockings and the thin dress caressing my legs. Suddenly I was feeling down again I again for a short time forgot about what had happened and was more concerned with what was happening.

"Come on you we can’t have The Boss Lady sad" came Johns voice "lets dance"

"I can’t dance I don’t know how" I said

"Good then because neither do I" he grabbed my hand and pulled me up. His left hand grabbed my right and then he put his right hand around my waist around my back he pulled me towards him he then released my right hand and paced my left hand on his upper right arm and grabbed my left hand again. I looked up at him still a lot taller than me even in the heels my breasts where against his firm chest and they knew it the nipples like rocks.

I started being guided around the floor backward in the heels I gradually managed to relax with the dancing and gradually became aware of the hot body that was brushing against mine the muscles which I no longer had could be felt beneath the suit his aftershave smelt nice and beneath that was a warm musky smell. I snuggled in a bit closer his hand descended a few inches over the garter belt he knew now I was wearing stockings, I tensed up and nearly stumbled.

"Relax" he said.

I tried too his hand moved lower now on the upper slopes of my buttocks tracing the crack of my bum and the line of my panties with a finger. Between my legs I could feel moisture emerging those new areas swelling softly. Then against my stomach I felt his hardness he was erect and I had caused it.

A voice interrupted us at this time "can I have this dance" I realised the music had stopped and it was Bob asking me to dance.

John answered for me "yes certainly"

I looked up and around Anne was now in radio duty John took Wendy’s hand and I was led off by Bob. Bob was a better dancer I was still as bad but less insistent ant with his body dancing with him made me feel safe and warm rather than the exciting feel of John.

"Does The Boss Lady mind some advice?" asked Bob

"No not at all" I said

"Well slow down a little with him he’s your usual young man in certain respects all dick and hormones and at the moment you are stressed and vulnerable. I know because I was like that at his age and at the moment your choices are limited. I’m not putting him down he’s a great lad but I guarantee seeing you dressed like that he is thinking with his dick not his brain." His voice and eyes were full of concern, I tilted my head up stretched a little and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Thank you for being concerned I will take your advice." What the hell am I doing I thought to my self I just kissed a man. The night went on with us three girls rotating one on the radio and two dancing, I enjoyed it. In the early hours of the morning I made a new recording of the previous message with the fact that a new broadcast would start at 9pm the next day on 7.1 MHz, said goodnight to everyone on the radio then kissed the men goodnight, I gave Anne a big hug and thanked her for what she had done for me. The stairs up to our room seemed to have got a lot steeper than I remembered I stepped on the first step but had to step back down as it was to high I tried again and again I found myself teetering on the six inch plunge and decided to step down again. Anne and Bob came out of the dining area and saw me.

"What’s up Kathy" Anne asked full of concern.

"Somebody’s been playing with the stairseses, no I mean shtairs, stairs" I explained everything totally clear to me if no one else.

"What do you mean" asked Bob a smile on his face.

"Watch first they are a lot steeper than when I came down" I stepped up a step

"and every time I get here someone starts moving them"

"If I carry her up do you mind sorting her out up there?" Asked Bob.

"No not at all" said Anne "Its partly my fault I gave her a couple of big

glasses of wine to calm her down as we were getting ready"

"Well you succeeded in calming her down she’s plastered" he replied

"Whooes plastered" I asked happily

"You are now one two three up we go" he put one arm behind my knees and one behind my body and I was up in the air.

"Wheee" I said as he started struggling up the flights of stairs, halfway up he paused "see I told you they were steeper didn’t I" I informed him.

"Yes you did and yes they are" he said laughing at the time.

We got up to the top of the last flight of stairs, and I started objecting

"Roofff roooff please"

"Why" asked Bob

"Why, why why oh yes I go guard" was my insistent reply.

"Kathy thanks to lots of kind people refilling your glass you are drunk if you think I am going to let you around automatic weapons in this state you have got another thing coming." Bob explained to me.

"Oh ok" I smiled happily "who can do it"

"John can tonight" said Anne "but tonight you sleep.

Anne led me into the bedroom and striped off my dress then sat me on the loo as she cleaned my makeup off. She undid my bra I looked down at my breasts as I scratched.

"Boobies" I exclaimed "I got boobies Did you do that?"

"No, no I didn’t" Anne laughed back to me.

"Well some one did they weren’t there last week" I informed her.

"Okay what ever" slipped the little yellow baby doll nighty over my head slipped my knickers off and rolled me into one of the single beds.

"Goodnight" she said

"Night night" I answered.

I lay there for a minute after she had gone fondling my new breast whoever did it felt nice then I slept.

The next morning I woke to the clamour of automatic gunfire I looked around and couldn’t see Wendy. I sat up and looked around I still couldn’t see Wendy I saw one of my Beretta’s on the bedside cabinet and grabbing it I checked the load and ran out the door to get up to the roof.

"Kathy, stop, stop" came Anne’s voice

"What’s going on" I demanded

"Its just John and Wendy testing the new rifles anyway you can’t go fighting a war looking like that" she told me. I looked at myself yellow baby doll top with no knickers and a pistol.

"Might work" I said "element of surprise might be in my favour" she laughed at me and we walked into my room.

"God I feel rough" I announced.

"I’m not surprised with the amount you drank" she said

"I only had a few glassfuls" was my protest.

"Yes but talking to that lot of idiots downstairs everyone kept topping your

glass up when they did theirs thinking they were the only one doing it you must

have.." she was interrupted by the sharp staccato beat of the gunfire "then they

do this"

"It’s got to be done" I said

"Yes but not right now" lets get you dressed. I protested that I could get dressed but it was brushed away. "Don’t you remember our conversation yesterday?"

"Which one?" My brain was not working well yet.

"Well not the one about the stairs moving and not the one about where did your

boobs come from" I blushed, "Hey stop that now you got drunk don’t worry about

it as you said you only had a couple of glasses. It was every one else who was

an idiot me included. Into the shower with you"

I did as I was told and when I came out of the shower found her looking through my clothes. "You didn’t get a lot did you?"

"No clothes besides something comfortable to wear were a low priority" I explained.

"Yes I can understand that I suppose, you get dry I will see what we have" and she dove into my meagre wardrobe again. I dried myself and picked up a new pair of panties. I looked at them in the gloom of the shop I had just gone for what was white and plain with a matching bra. These where that but they were silky and small and a bloody thong I glanced through my drawer and found I had got all the same.

Anne laughed "My god the look on your face that will teach you to shop in a

hurry, you should have seen some of the disasters I have ended up with in a

rush. Slip them on lets see how they look"

I did so an I was barely covered by a triangle at the front a thick piece of string passed between my cheeks and a thin band over my hips.

"Looks good Kathy. John would love it" I blushed again, she grasped my hand "look I am your friend yes" I nodded "and last night was the first time you have been that dressed up yes" I nodded again "and last night was the first time you have had that much male attention I know. So don’t worry enjoy yourself because he is cute but don’t rush things enjoy it. I saw his hand on your bum did you like it?"

"Yes it was nice" I admitted.

"Good because I knew he liked it when he danced with me after it was obvious just about here" she patted her stomach. I again blushed my nipples erected thinking of him.

"My god is there life in her or is it just the cold" came Anne’s response to this.

"I, I, its..." I stuttered

"Listen I am married not dead do you understand I can only have a year or two on him myself I am young enough to enjoy it even if I love Bob with all my heart." She stopped a minute "Are you aware of the difference between love and lust?"

"Yes I am" I told her "This was lust pure and simple with a splash of alcohol.

Which if you don’t mind spreading the word I would not like as much again"

"I’ve already had words with everyone so don’t worry. But my very best friend I want to hear all your stories as they happen" I nodded. "Do you want a bra or not?"

"I better had and what do you mean stories?"

"I want all the dirt your nearly fourteen years old I was that age not very long ago and all I could think about was which boy next" Anne blushed "I didn’t go all the way till I was fifteen and a half but I had a lot of fun on the way there" I slipped another uncomfortable bra on and stepped into the tight jeans, I then slipped a pair of socks on before the boots.

"Try this top" a pale pink crop top came my way. I put it on without objection what was the point of arguing.

After breakfast I went to check on the high watch where Bob was eating a

sandwich "you ok this morning"

"A little rough I admit but not to bad anything happening?" I asked he shook his head.

Downstairs Wendy introduced me to her new friend the SA80 rifle that could go fully automatic and empty a 30 round clip in under three seconds at last something small enough for me to use and at 10 pounds not stupidly heavy.

The day progressed quite slowly I trained on the weapons I had and eventually even Wendy said not bad. Late in the afternoon I was on high guard when I spotted two figures waling up the drive dejectedly.

"Incoming people" I shouted down to Wendy. She made Bob, Anne and John armed themselves. I grabbed the binoculars and looked at them two kids the boy possibly sixteen and the girl fourteen. Challenged they both stopped and I came down.

"Who are you, how did you find us and why are you here?" I asked straight to the point.

"Why should we answer your questions?" came the reply from the girl eying me up and down.

"Because I am the person with the semiautomatic pistol and the fully automatic rifle while you do not appear to be armed. If you don’t want to answer my questions do a 180 then go from whence you came."

"Shouldn’t it be your father asking these questions" came her arrogant reply.

I removed the Beretta fired four shots in the air and took aim at the ground between the two of them. "This holds 13 rounds I have nine left who are you where are you from and why are you here?"

"Well that’s wrong every one knows guns have six shots" again came her arrogant reply.

I fired three shots into the ground between them "Well there’s seven shots so

your right again talk or walk"

"Maybe your guns empt.." I fired twice more she started to open her mouth again. Her brother spoke up.

"For Christ sake shut your mouth for once Trisha before I ask them to shoot

you." He said

"You can’t talk to me like that you know. You know your not meant to swear and in a minute I am gong to..."

I made sure the SA 80s safety catch was on. I slammed a round in the chamber and walked up to about three foot from Trisha her eyes bulged as she saw me.

"You have till the count of five to answer or I shoot you"

"One"

"You can’t let her do this"

"Two"

"She’s the Boss" Bobs voice.

"Three"

"She’s mad your not allowed to shoot people"

"Four"

"I wouldn’t call her names she tried to drive over the last person who did" Wendy’s voice.

"Fiv..."

"Please don’t shoot please don’t shoot. We are from a farm about a day and a

half walk west I am Brian Williams this is my sister with the gob Trisha. My

father headed out on the day after every thing died electrically to find our

mother in Darlington for the day shopping then out that evening I haven’t seen

either of them since so we came out to find out what’s going on"

"Very well Brian, Trisha can I invite you in for a drink something to eat even a shower and bed for the night" I asked still fuming with the little stuck up bitch.

"Oh yes please" said Brian no answer from Trisha.

"Can I interest you in food a shower a drink or a room for the night Trisha" again no answer.

‘Right now you awkward little cow’, I thought, ‘I am not going to pander to you.’

"Ok Brian come on in. Trisha when you’re with us knock at the door. John do you mind taking high guard for the moment" I said blatantly ignoring the glares I was getting from Trisha.

I looped my arm through Brian’s and with the rifle slung over my shoulder walked him in with Anne and Wendy, Bob stayed outside and on the way in I could hear her arguing with Bob.

Inside Brian was eagerly eying up the food he was hungry and with a bit of luck so was his sister.

"I should really, Trisha she should come in what if something happens to her Dad would kill me" he said rather flustered.

"Look Bob is out there John is on the roof with a machine gun she is fine just sulking and I don’t pander to sulks" said Anne.

"But..."

"No buts coffee or tea" Anne asked

"Er tea please" Brian said glancing at the window.

"Sit down will a couple of bacon sandwiches keep you going till dinner?" She

asked him

"Yes but what about Trisha?" He asked.

I answered "when she cools down she is welcome, until the time she gets manners

she can wait out side" I walked to the door "Bob want a bacon buttie while its

on"

"Yes please but chuck some brown sauce on" was his reply.

I left the door open to make sure she could hear and smell the bacon cooking.

"She is a bit spoiled at home" said Brian

"A Bit?" both Anne and me said at the same time.

"Well a lot she’s the only daughter and Mum and Dad tend to spoil her because of that and the fact that she’s the bright one in the family" he explained.

Anne jumped in "doesn’t seem to bright to me standing there hungry"

Outside we could hear her petulant voice being used on Bob and he was not having it.

The bacon ready I took a sandwich out to Bob her eyes followed it from his hand to his mouth.

"Kathy" she said

"Yes"

"Can I please have something to eat" her voice was still defiant but I let it pass.

"Come on in and eat" I smiled at her.

Inside she sat down and I checked the rooms till I found two next to each other that were not full from yesterdays shopping trip I walked back to the kitchen to hear her again.

"Who does she think she is?"

Anne was getting irritated "She’s The Boss Lady. The girl who saved my life yesterday in a shootout despite the fact she only had five bullets."

Trisha was silent so I walked in "Rooms five and six are clear if you want a shower or a sleep your welcome to stay as long as you want or leave whenever you wish" I passed them the keys.

"We are going to Darlington" she said "to find Mummy and Daddy"

"Listen Trisha we were in Darlington yesterday it is not a place you want to visit the gangs are control and the Army is shooting people" I explained.

"The Army doesn’t shoot people" she informed me.

"Anne I am going to take high guard do you mind finding some clothes for these

two for now and is it formal again tonight?" I asked

"Yes it is formal if you pop down about six we will see what we can find"

"Cheers" I said

"So your not in charge. I knew you were lying because you asked her rather than told her" came Trisha’ nasal whine.

"I haven’t got time for this shit do you mind explaining the facts of life

concerning food and manners please Anne" I asked

"No problem on both counts" I she said as I left. My hangover was still rotten and I did not need to put up with that shit off a snotty little kid like her.

I got onto the roof and said hello to John.

"Quite a little madam isn’t she" he said

"Yes" I agreed.

"Whatcha doin ?" came Jenny’s voice.

I smiled at her "just sitting down"

"Why?"

"Because I am too tired to fly" I said

"Oh" and she wandered off to think about this.

"John you’re the engineer can you tell me how we are able to put the plug in and get power all the time."

"What do you mean?"

"Well solar cells work during the day and produce direct current yet most items we have use alternating current and we get it all night" I explained.

"Storage batteries and a ground inverter" he said leaving me slightly wiser.

"But are we ok for power are we likely to hit problems in the future" I asked.

"As the number of people here increase we will have to be more careful over

usage the batteries are good for however many people as you can fit in the house

but we could do with alternative methods of charging" he said

"Like what wind, water and petrol generators"

"Yes that’s it exactly but petrol is a pain to get, water if we found out where

ours came from possibly I think if we had a choice wind" he sat thinking "yes

wind I think"

"You have a think over the next few days on that and see if you can come up with a design and if you can think about ammunition supplies as this lot is not going to last forever" I told him he wandered off already lost in thought.

I sat there on the roof for an hour freezing my tits off in that stupid crop top I eventually got fed up with being cold. I looked over the edge of the roof and saw Bob.

"Bob any chance of finding me a coat" I asked

"No worries be up in a minute" he shouted back. It was actually about ten minutes before he turned up with a leather flying jacket with the fleece inner.

"Sorry I took so long but Anne and Wendy are deep in conversation with Trisha

that kid has some problems" he said

"I had noticed but I don’t intend pandering to her" I said as I slipped on the coat it was too big for me but it was warm and covered my bum.

"When did they get this?" I asked

"One of the shops near that radio place they grabbed a handful of everything" he

looked at me "and it does suit you"

"Thank you" I muttered "Bob you’re the civil engineer how do we get our water and where does our sewage go?"

"I had not thought about it I will have a look around and see what I can figure

out"

I smiled "I don’t fancy being stuck without water or up to our eyes in shit"



"True too true" he answered and wandered off.

I sat there again watching the road and the horses and stripped down my pistol while I was sat there. I was just finishing reassembling the pistol when Brian coughed behind me to get my attention. He was standing there in ill fitting clothes he had short black hair and was a rather thin lad the sort of lad you expect wear thick glasses and be on the nets all the time, he was holding two steaming cups.

"Anne asked me to bring this up to you and she said you could probably do with talking to me" he mumbled.

"Thank you" I said placing the pistol back in its holster and taking the offered coffee "how’s Trisha?"

"Well she’s having problems coping with what’s going on" he paused and looked at

his feet "and I must admit so am I"

I reached over and grabbed his hand the way he twitched you would have thought I had electrocuted him "Look Brian everyone is having problems coping, its nothing to be ashamed of" I squeezed his hand and pulled him over to the sandbags to sit down. "if Trisha’s the bright on what’s your thing?"

"I enjoy farming and the area I wanted the farm when dad retired" his eyes were filling up "Trisha wanted to go to university and study law" he finished the tears starting to flow. I put my arms around him and hugged him.

"Look we don’t know what is going on in Darlington with the people there your mum and dad could be fine" he sniffed. "What do you farm?"

He brightened up "we are a small dairy farm with a few sheep as well we don’t make a lot but we survive."

"What will happen if they are left where they are?" I asked him

"They will die" he answered. I thought on this for a few minutes after releasing him from my hug. "How far away is your farm?"

"About twenty to twenty five miles" he answered.

"What about facilities at the house can you survive there?" I asked

"We stayed until we used all of our water" he explained.

"What are your plans your intentions from here"

"I just don’t know. It was find Mum and Dad but now?" his voice petered out.

"Go down have a word with Wendy tell her I would like you checked out on an SLR for tomorrow please" I told him and off he toddled.

Bob came up a bit later to see how I was. "Trisha has calmed down a little now,

but I have decided to stay out of the way as well"

"I don’t blame you I don’t think the roof is her sort of place" I said. "What’s her problem now?"

"She does not like the selection of clothes on offer" he sighed. "I don’t know

why her brother has put up with her I wouldn’t have"

"Why do you think I have got her brother working with Wendy at least he can

shoot her if he gets fed up again." I joked. "How many of those dictation

recorders did we have I asked him"

"Three or four why?"

"Because I would like everyone to write a list of close friends and family they would like to contact and as of tonight we are going to transmit it on the alternate frequency when we are not using it" I told him lets let people know we are alive and spread the word.

Again I was left alone a dictation machine and a list of names areas and dates of birth where brought up by Anne.

"Are you escaping as well?" I asked her

"Yes she has a mouth from my worst nightmares and a smart answer for everything" she replied.

"But can we control her and use her? Can you because the sight of me seems to set her off" I explained.

"Given a week working on her I will have her just about human, or five minutes

behind closed doors." She looked at me "you thinking of taking in some more

waif’s and strays"

"He’s a farmer we could do with him but can we cope with her? Can you go around and find out what every one thinks?" I asked nicely.

"Everyone will think what I tell them that you think or starve. Do you understand me, you are boss you are just starting to learn to delegate now learn to trust your own judgement." She told me firmly.

"Her problem appears to be with me, if me and her big brother were out of the

way for two days one possibly two nights do you think you could get her sorted a

bit in that time?" I asked

"Yes but what are you planning no.." I interrupted her

"Don’t worry nothing dangerous I will tell every one at tea." I started reading the list of people into the dictation machine.

"These are the loved and missing from us at New Delphi if any one out there can

spread this list in your area a message can be relayed to us any evening between

22 hundred hours and close down on this frequency if you have any names to be

added to this list please contact us at the same time." I read in the list

finishing with the fact that we had a six year old girl called Jennifer Adams

from Darlington who’s mother is missing. I looked up Bob was there waiting

"It is time for Anne to have her wicked way with you my dear" he grinned.

"I promise to stand on your toes with my heels when we dance to get you back" I told him "and for the pleasure of dancing with you the pain will be worth it" he told me as he bowed and indicated I should leave. Down stairs I grabbed John to pass him the dictation machine and asked him to get it running. Then I went to find Anne she wasn’t in the kitchen it was Wendy and Trisha I said hi she just glared. Wendy told me that Anne was in her room.

"That irritating little bitch" said Anne

"What’s she done now?" I asked

"I asked her, being nice, if she wanted any help getting ready and that little bitch turned around and looked down her nose at me and said why would she need any help from me" she picked up Sarah who was becoming agitated at the tone of her mothers voice.

"Well Anne I didn’t exactly want you to help last night. I personally would have starved to death given the choice" I would now given the choice I thought to my self.

"It wasn’t exactly what she said" Anne opened her blouse at his point and opened her bra cup which opened leaving the breast bare "but how she said it." She winced as she attached Sarah to her nipple.

"Are they still sore?" I asked her.

"Better than they were but she can be rough. Tonight we are going to show the little bitch up good style, are you in with me and Wendy on this?" she asked me.

"Yes what ever you say Anne you know my fashion sense is crap so I will trust you" I resigned myself to the inevitable.

"You jump in the bath and try not to get your hair too wet I want a little more

time to get ready tonight." She said

"Oh I’m sorry I di.."

She grabbed my hand "Listen you don’t you start apologising last night was fun as every night we will get ready together will be fun its just I want to show her up tonight" she sighed "If you had a quarter of her arrogance and self assuredness then you would be perfect. If she had a quarter of your personality and modesty she might be classed as human. Now jump in the bath because I am next."

I did as I was told and I was just getting out when Wendy popped in. "Oh that’s good timing I’ve just got Sarah off to sleep. I’ve laid out some clothes on the spare bed if you get dressed I’ll do your make up and hair."

I went through and dried off the towel rough against my nipples and groin. I was just finishing as Anne came out. "I’ve dug out the talc and a roll on deodorant John had put it behind everything in one of the rooms" she said as she dried herself. I used the deodorant and was wondering what to do with the talc when Anne informed me that as I was in black better leave the talc tonight. So none the wiser as to what to do with it I examined the clothes all in black tonight I saw. I started with the panties a black lacy thong I put them on and then the matching garter belt the stockings were black and sheer and I watched my painted toenails disappear into the bunched up ball of material. I got the stockings on then came the bra strapless under-wired obviously designed for torture I decided.

"Look can we just forget about showing her up and make her wear this till she’s a good girl" I asked.

"Look you think your suffering I am back in this" I turned around and saw her taking the shoulder straps off last nights red Basque. "give us a hand fastening it up." She dropped her boobs in the cups of the lacy item and turned around.

"How tight do you want it?" seeing there were three sets of eyes and only one row of hooks.

"All the way all the way" she said as I was fastening it I realised that the

bare rounded bum underneath the bottom edge of the garment did nothing for me at

all, I sighed loudly

"I’m sorry to get you doing this" said Anne in response to my sigh.

"No, no its not that I’m just glad I’m not stuck in one of those" I explained lying through my teeth.

"After a kid you have to do a little more to keep the interest and believe me get Bobs interest and it’s worth it" she giggled.

"I will take your word for that" I told her, "you better he’s all mine and I don’t need competition from someone like you because I would lose" Her eyes filled up with tears. I put my arms around her and felt her rounded bum against my lower stomach and panties I hugged her tight as the feel of her against me was reminding me of the reaction I would have had but two weeks ago. I turned her around and hugged her tight her smooth legs brushing my fabric covered ones my eyes were filling up as well and we just hugged and cried. Her as I found out for what she looked like now having put on the weight with Sarah and not lost it yet and me for losing my life, my sex and my dignity. But I told her it was all that was going on. After much use of tissues we stopped sniffing and carried on getting dressed, Anne was standing there in the Basque red lacy knickers and black stockings I looked at her.

"You know Anne there is not one male out there tonight who you wouldn’t cause to have a hard on all night just by walking through there like that once" she blushed at this.

"Look who’s talking every time I got to dance with John after you this object kept thumping me in the stomach it was worse than being pregnant with Sarah. Even Bob was walking funny after dancing with you" I blushed and carried on getting dressed.

The dress was long and black with diamonds cut away at the sides and around towards my back the straps were like string and it had a big slit up on my left leg my nerves came back in full.

"I can’t wear this" I said "It’s just not me it shows too much" I indicated my chest shoulders and the split up my leg dam near all the way to my stocking top.

"Yes you can because I am asking you to trust me. You look absolutely gorgeous and I will have to tie a piece of string around Bobs dick, because one look at you and he is going to be led around by it all night rather than his brain." We both laughed and she started on my hair and make up.

On the way out to the dining room I managed to glimpse myself in the mirror a beautiful woman not a child but of any age up to twenty looked back at me dressed up to the nines.

"One second here you go" she passed me a small black handbag "there’s a few bits and pieces in it." That’s nice I thought but I still don’t know what to do with them.

We walked out together to find Wendy dressed in black also like me and Anne but

like Anne’s it wasn’t quite as revealing as mine. When I pointed this out they

both said "Trust us"

We entered the room together Bob and John stood up and walked towards us John grabbed Brian by the arm and pulled him too as his mouth seemed to be stuck open and his feet not working. I was kissed first by Bob I decided to enjoy it and put my arms around him and hugged him was that a lump sticking in me I thought, John was next holding me at the waist so his hands were against the cut outs I definitely felt a bulge with him.

Then came Brian looking nervous and uncomfortable in an suit that was to large for him, should try this I thought, he stood there nervous in front of me with his hand out.

"What’s up don’t I rate a kiss" I asked

"Oh yes ok" he pecked me on the cheek.

"Hey I said a kiss I am Boss Lady what I say goes" and I put my arms around him to stop him getting away. He gave me a slightly longer kiss on the lips but only by half a second or so.

"Welcome to our home" I said " but we are going to have to practice this kissing" he turned red and shuffled along to Anne who again grabbed hold of him to stop him escaping.

"Welcome" she said and after a quick kiss "I think he’s got hidden potential do you want me to work on it?" I shook my head the poor lad was blushing to the roots of his hair. Wendy next and again a hug and a kiss.

"He’s got something hidden there I wouldn’t call it potential" she said. Bob grasped my arm and walked me to the table now set out for seven again he pulled out my chair to seat me and John and Brian did the same for Wendy and Anne. Trisha was sat there in pink jeans and a t-shirt that I recognised from my wardrobe.

"Brian, Trisha welcome the rules of this house are simple you may stay as long as you like and leave whenever you wish to become a member of the household I need all adult members to agree. I propose if they want to stay that Brian and Trisha be accepted into our home. Does every one agree" nods came from everyone.

"Brian if we can get your families livestock here so they are safe do you

agree." I said while looking at him, he nodded. "How about you Trisha are you

in"

"Yes" she said with little enthusiasm.

I ignored this totally "That is agreed then as we are going to be going to your home tomorrow we can grab all your things and leave a message for your father and mother in case they turn up. For future reference dinner is formal unless by prior arrangement with Anne the house manager but you will have your things tomorrow so no problem." Her eye flashed at me showing the makeup that she used was not subtle like Anne had used on me.

"Brian can two people move your cows twenty five miles on foot and how many sheep do you have up there" I asked Brian.

"We have about thirty sheep and one Ram till spring when we will have lots and lots of lambs and we have fifty cows to move but no bull to cover them." He explained.

"Well the bull is sorted. We have one here the sheep we can move in three trips using the horse box the cows are going to have to walk here, how long do you reckon two days one night?" I said.

"Possibly three days two nights if they are awkward" he replied

"Ok then we could do with a tent sleeping bags rucksacks and a camping stove and

a decent torch. Why didn’t I think of these in town yesterday?" I said

"I have all of those at home from scouts and venture scouts" he said.

"Okay this is how we do it tomorrow morning early we go to the farm with the Land Rover. How many people to round up the sheep?"

"Just me and the dog" he said

"Well then me Bob and you and Trisha hit your farm you get the sheep down and contain them in a small area. Trisha and you then load the car with all you want to take and a full load of sheep and go backward and forwards till he has got them all. We will leave a hand held radio and a frequency as a message to your father and I will take another hand held and one in the car. Me and Brian can walk all day then give you a shout on the radio to bring the tent and food out to us in the morning again you can bring food and pack up the tents as we start.

How does that sound"

The objections started straight away.

"One at a time please Brian first" I indicated him

"Err I only have one two man tent" he stuttered

"and there are only two of us you have two sleeping bags don’t you?"

"Yes" he said

"no problem then" I insisted "Bob your next"

"Why do you have to go?" he said

"Easy you are not going anywhere away from Anne for more than a few hours and we need you to drive the supplies. Wendy and John are needed here to defend this place while we are all away at once that leaves me by a process of elimination because if Anne goes we all starve." I finished with just a few small complaints after.

Dinner was a slightly strained affair with everyone unhappy with me after the pudding I addressed them again.

"Look is there anyone here who feel that given a SA80 and one of my Berettas

that I couldn’t take care of my self?" I looked around the table Trisha was

dying to say something but kept her mouth shut. "Is there anyone here unhappy

with be being "Boss Lady" because I didn’t want the job"

Trisha spoke up "Why are You Boss? Who decided that?"

I pointed around the table "They did I didn’t want the job. I still don’t does any one want to nominate anyone else for the job?" I looked around no answer.

"Ok then I do not intend to take any risks but I am going well armed as is Brian and with a radio so I can always be contacted. Bob if you can bring freshly charged batteries with you each run I can leave it on all the time. I have been doing some thinking and this is open to discussion except for the word I don’t want to, they don’t work for me so they don’t work for you. Bob second in command for the moment and can you be in charge of finding out how long are services will last. Anne House Manager and teacher if you get time all of you most especially Bob keep on her good side if you want to eat."

A laugh erupted around the table I waited for quiet "seriously this is not an easy job and as we get more people arriving we will have to see what can be done. Wendy Secretary of Defence and chief armourer, as far as defence goes this lady is god. You do as she says. John Chief Engineer and can you work on that wind generator project if you get chance possibly have a talk with Bob. Brian Minister for Agriculture and cattle boy for the next two days when you get back we have two cows and two horses here and we could do with finding out what we can grow out there. Trisha at the moment you are a floating hand wherever you are needed, tomorrow morning before we go, Wendy will check you on a pistol and later on the GPMG and SA80 while we are gone when we find your abilities we will decide your role more thoroughly. I think it is time to hit the air".

I walked over to the radio noticing that over time it was easier to walk in the stupid heels that Anne kept choosing. John disconnected the dictator and reconnected the mike I looked at my watch it was just coming up to 10 pm I waited the last few seconds and pressed the red button waited for the Morse to finish and started speaking This is Radio New Delphi based in Yorkshire broadcasting on 7.1 megahertz from now on we shall transmit a new message each day at 22 hundred hours at 22.30 we shall be on our alternate frequency of 3.7 megahertz to answer any questions or give any advice we can. I am the Oracle and due to the possible risks implicated with using your call sign I would suggest it be a first name basis and a general location over the air at most."

I basically repeated the previous days message I included the glow in the sky above Manchester and Newcastle directions, also I mentioned about people disappearing in Darlington. "Finely please remember try and help those who need your help when you can I may be you next but never put your families at risk or yourselves. Kindness and Caution are the keywords for these times any one who can hear this broadcast spread the news. This was the Oracle at New Delphi Radio wishing you all a safe evening."

"Got it" said Bob passing the little recording machine to John

"What about the music in the back ground isn’t it distracting for people?" I asked still concerned about this.

"No" said Anne "It shows we have power and culture here so people might just

listen it stays"

I conceded the point. I took the first shift with the session as the dancing started for the night John asked Trisha to dance and was completely refused as was Bob a little later I noticed her knocking back the wine quite a bit but didn’t say anything Wendy and Anne tried to get Brian to dance but he wouldn’t.

Wendy took over from me after a while and John sat down next to her at the radio they were becoming a bit of an item I walked up to Brian.

"Ok why are you not dancing" I asked.

"I don’t know how I would mess it up and be all embarrassed" he mumbled back at me.

"Well" I said "I don’t know how only Bob and Anne are any good the rest of us

just look silly"

"But I couldn’t" he insisted.

I sat myself on his knee and gave him a big kiss, under my left buttock I could feel the heat and hardness of his erection "Listen Brian I like you but the fact that you won’t dance with me is upsetting me is it something wrong with the way I look" I could feel his erection getting harder as I wiggled "and in a moment if you do not get up and dance with me and enjoy it I will stand up and shout something along the lines of what did you just jab me in the bum with a bloody python?" I stood up and held out my hand he didn’t respond I took a deep breath and he stood up and took it.

"I play dirty, don’t I" I told him

"Yes you do" he agreed.

Wendy was on the radio for along time and Brian partnered Anne for a dance before returning him then Anne and Bob took the radio and the four of us shuffling about the room made a pretty poor show of it again we swapped for one dance. Trisha by this time was snoring softly in a chair. I finished the evening on the radio and Brian was going to sit down on his own I pulled him over with me then sat on his knee my nipples had been hard all night I knew he was hard all night so I sat on his knee and made sure my buttocks were hard against it. It felt good his hands wrapped around me and I talked to our three friends in the comfort and security of his arms I finished up the night on the radio and informed them that for at least one night possibly two I would not be available as I was going on a trip.

"Well you take care lassie and don’t be afraid to shoot when you have to" Bernard informed me, Frank and George wished me good luck.

"Goodnight all" I said "John do you and Wendy mind splitting the watch tonight

between you and when I get back I will do a few more"

"No problem except this fact of you doing a few more" he said as he kissed me goodnight.

I kissed Bob and Anne good night. Anne grabbed me and whispered in my ear that she wanted to see me first thing in the morning so she would bring breakfast up.

"Wake me up at dawn please whoever’s on" I said and walked out still holding Brian’s hand.

Outside the dining room I placed my arms around his neck and said thank you for a pleasant evening I kissed him and hugged him he hugged me back and I left him carefully negotiating the stairs in my heels. In the bedroom I removed my makeup undressed hanging up the black dress as I lay there wearing one of the t shirt nightdresses I had chosen I was filled with warm feelings for the young lad I had manipulated I also realised without thinking I had put myself in the single bed rather than the double while debating to move or not I fell asleep.

"Kathy, Kathy wake up" someone wanted this Kathy to wake up why doesn’t she, my sleep addled brain thought.

"Kathy wake up here’s a coffee for you" I opened my eyes and saw Anne leaning over me in a dressing gown. Last nights events came back to mind and I felt guilty for having fun with a lad less than half my age.

"Are you awake now Kathy?" Anne asked

"Yes" I mumbled and took the coffee cup off her after a few sips my brain pulled itself together.

"Ok I am with us" I said

"Good then get up and showered I want a natter with you before you go" she told me and grabbing the cup I wandered through to the bathroom for a pee. I peed wiped and washed my hands then flushed and jumped into the shower.

"Kathy this is my big sister act which I haven’t had chance to try before, do you like Brian?" she asked.

I thought about this for a minute and answered honestly "Yes he’s fun if a

little shy but nice"

"That is what I thought I have had a look through the medical supplies and we have no condoms in stock" she said.

"What do you ...oh no I am not intending on anything happening that way" I told

her

"Neither was I that is why I have Sarah, though I love her very much a year ago

she was a nasty surprise" she told me. "Now I am not telling you not to do

anything out there with him because he is a nice lad but when did your last

period finish"

"Two days ago" I said the thought making me cringe.

"Well then you should be safe from pregnancy, disease seeing his reactions with you is minimal but on our next shopping trip we need birth control pills and condoms otherwise we could see a population explosion here" she told me.

I turned off the shower and grabbed two towels I wrapped on around my boy and the other around my hair "I didn’t think of that the other day when we were out" I admitted "You had no reason to think of it I didn’t think of it even though I last got caught a year ago so don’t worry and this week you are safe in theory but it is not fool proof you understand".

I sat there digesting the fact that she was concerned about me getting pregnant.

"Don’t worry he is a nice lad and lets be honest I don’t think he will push anything with you armed. Get dressed everyone will be waiting for you." She said happily I dressed in plain knickers and bra from my original supply a pair of jeans and put on a t shirt and a jumper both pale blue I then put on the oversize flying jacket.

"I didn’t agree with that jacket at first but it suits you even though it’s big

and bulky. Now what things do you want me to send you out tomorrow morning"

"Much the same with layers I can strip off or put on what I want" I replied while brushing my hair and putting an elastic in it.

"Fine in here are a few essentials" she passed me a small fabric rucksack it was heavy.

Inside were a couple of magazines for the SA80 four for the Berettas, a whole toilet roll and a little makeup bag full.

"Thank you" I said "but why so much toilet roll and why the make up."

"The toilet roll because through experience when there are no toilets you need all the paper you can get the make up because its about time you started carrying some an when you get back I will show you how to use it for now though a little lipstick should be enough." She told me.

I was shown how to use it and after three our four attempts myself she pronounced me fit to be seen in public.

At breakfast we were all quiet Trisha with a hang over, Brian with fear about a couple of days with me, and the rest not happy I was going. We hooked up the horse box claimed our weapons and radio and got in the car. The journey took about three quarters of an hour taking it easy.

The farm was deserted and was not exactly what I expected a farm to be it was a modern house with cattle shed barn and milking shed near by. In a nearby field were thirty or more large cows and further off up a hill were the sheep.

"If we get the sheep first and then personal stuff and then move out how’s that"

I asked Brian

"Fine by me" he whistled loudly in the distance was loud yapping getting closer. "Is it all right if I feed Lucy first?" indicating the black barking figure rushing towards us.

"No problem" I said.

The dog demolished the dish of food and Bob, Brian and Lucy collected the sheep I was left with the dubious pleasure of Trisha’s hung over company.

"Any thing you want me to put in the back?" I asked

"You stay away from my things don’t touch anything" was her reply

"Fine but bring with you or hide anything that you or your parents might consider precious or irreplaceable" I told her.

"Why so you can steal it" she shouted

"No because if this place gets raided while you are away you will lose everything" I tried to keep my temper.

Outside the sheep where approaching guided by Lucy diving from one side to another eventually they where all corralled in a small enclosure then with an old gate inside the horse box Bob and Brian started grabbing them and lifting them into the horsebox the possibly fitted about a third of the sheep in it was a squash but they fitted.

As Brian went to pack up his life I told him the same as I had told Trisha about anything valuable and he thanked me two kids so different how I wondered had this happened.

Sleeping bags tent and other odds and sods where placed in the car as well as all the things the two of them wanted to keep so that Brian’s rucksack only contained water ammunition and food.

And off we went and let me tell you that staring at the arse end of a load of cows for hour after hour is a torture they are slow pig headed and they do there own thing the final thing is the amount of piss and shit you get out the back end when you are walking behind lots of them. It gave us time to talk on the way and by lunch time he had actually relaxed in my company as the sunny day heated up I put my large coat in his rucksack and later on my jumper by lunch time as we were talking I noticed him looking at my small breasts beneath the t shirt to be honest this should have upset and offended me but I was delighted. Bob ended up making four trips for the sheep each time looking more and more depressed with the company he was keeping, this power that young females have to delight or torment the male of the species, after dinner on his way back home with the last load he stopped to have a talk.

"Look Kathy I no you said you want some one keeping watch with me while I am

driving but I would rather take the risk of getting shot than have another trip

with her please"

"No problem as long as you promise to take care I can’t afford to lose my only driver" I joked.

"That’s it nobody loves me only what I can do" he looked glumly down at his toes.

"That’s what Anne told me anyway" I continued "what do you think of giving some

driving lessons to the others over the next few weeks"

"Yes sounds like a good idea I wouldn’t have to put up with her again" he

indicated Trisha who was sulking in he car

"Thanks Bob, I owe you one" I said

"Too bloody right you owe me after this I will see you later and take care" he kissed me and headed home.

That afternoon I found out what Anne meant about toilet paper my bladder had been irritating me for about an hour and I had kept putting it off eventfully I had to go or wet myself.

"Brian you carry on I just have to pee" I shouted across to were he was claming

one of his herd that had wandered off

"Do you want me to keep watch" he asked

"No it seems safe enough I’ll catch you up in a moment" I assured him What a rigmarole I climbed over a gate into a field and behind a hedge I dropped my trousers and knickers I couldn’t balance so they were out of the line of where I expected the flow to come from I pulled up my trousers and walked to the gate and eventually got into a position where they should stay dry and relaxed some one turned on a lawn sprinkler I was trying to keep my trousers and shoes out of the flow it was running down the inside of my legs it was every where but my trousers an knickers had remained dry. I reached in my rucksack and found the toilet paper and sort of mopped up, as I was replacing it I felt something else in there a plastic tub I pulled it out wet wipes oh god bless you Anne I thought. I cleaned myself up properly and started jogging to catch up with Brian total time as a man thirty seconds as a woman five minutes.

I caught up with him not very far down the road.

"You took your time didn’t you" he said

"Listen I cant just find a tree and whip it out, when I want to go it’s a major

logistical operation"

"Oh sorry" he said glumly.

I walked up to him and slid an arm around his waist "Don’t be sorry nothing to be sorry about" I told him and his arm started to creep around me stealthily just ready for when the rebuff came, then relaxing and giving me the odd squeeze as we walked and talked it was nice. I was enjoying it. About half four I radioed through that we would be stopping soon and Anne assured me that Bob would be on his way inside five minutes. We carried on walking till we found a field with a stream running through we decided this would be a good spot for the night we sheparded the cows into the field with the help of Lucy and when he arrived I put the kettle on while Bob and Brian sorted out the tent we stood there drinking coffee and talking till it started to go dark and Bob and Brian unloaded the radio and food and pans.

"Do you want the change of clothes now or in the morning?" he asked

Both of us agreed on the morning and we waved him off.

Tea was not exactly exciting hotdog sausage and beans and rice pudding after and we were sitting there drinking coffee after it was getting cold it was a clear night Orion was standing high and Jupiter was just visible rising on the horizon as the brightest star Saturn was high in the sky as a bright yellow star but even with my coat and jumper on I was getting cold.

"Brian it’s going to be a cold night tonight so I suggest we get in and warm before we get too cold." I suggested .

"Ok I will just rinse the pans in the stream while you get sorted" he said

happily

"Do you want the torch?" I asked indicating a large torch that was also a neon lantern.

"No I can cope you have it" He told me.

Inside the tent I hung the torch from the ridge pole and left my boots under the

fly sheet I took off my coat and rolled it up at the head of my sleeping bag as

a pillow. I stripped off my jumper t shirt and bra and slipped the night shirt

over my head then removed my socks and jeans I was just getting into the

sleeping bag when I heard a noise

Clang, clang "Ahghh" splash "Oh, oh shit, oh shit" I grabbed the torch and ran

out side just in my knickers and night shirt and saw Brian coming up the bank

with the pans and soaking from head to foot. His teeth wear chattering and he

was muttering "oh, oh god"

We had no towels dam I should have remembered that I thought. He struggled up to the tent.

"Strip" I ordered him

"What" he said his teeth chattering

"Get all those clothes off now before you freeze to death" I told him I ducked into the tent and grabbed my clothes he had taken his top half off.

"Get the rest off and dry yourself on these as best as you can then in the tent" I returned into the tent it had to be minus two or three degrees out there now hypothermia was a distinct risk for him. I unzipped the sleeping bags then zipped the two of them together to make one big one. I looked outside he was still in his trousers sort of tapping at his body with the t shirt.

"Boots off now come on move your bum" I shouted.

He bent down and undid his boots clumsily then stepped out of them.

"Bottom half off now" he undid his trousers and let them fall step out of them "and the underwear now" he did so "now in the tent and dry yourself" I grabbed his boots and felt them they were dry inside I shoved them under the fly sheet the rest of the clothes I bundled together and I dived back in the tent. He was kneeling in there his teeth chattering I grabbed my t shirt off him and tried to dry him as best as I could with the area I could get to.

"Into the sleeping bag now move it" god I was cold too I pushed him towards the top end of the sleeping bag he seemed confused.

"Just get in before you die of the cold" and I do I thought as now my teeth were chattering. He got in with a glimpse of pubic hair and a shrivelled organ visible in the shadows.

I jumped in as well next to him I was cold he was freezing and still damp I rolled on my side and hugged him tight trying to use my body warmth to warm him up.

"Roll this way" I said trying to get as much of his body in contact with mine as I could to try and warm him a bit more. After a bit my teeth stopped chattering as I warmed up slightly and I became aware of my situation his teeth were still chattering every now and then he would gain control and then they would start again. I was aware that the thin body that I held was solid he was all muscles on a tall frame of adolescence and when he finally finished growing he could probably give John a run for his money. I was also aware that I was a 37 year old man in the body of a girl believed to be not yet fourteen in bed with a lad possibly sixteen, sod it I thought I am going to enjoy this life if it is the life I am stuck with.

Finally I was aware that my knickers and nightshirt had absorbed the last of the moisture off the front of his body and were damp and uncomfortable well I thought in for a penny in for a pound I sat up and removed the top and reached down and worked the knickers down my legs I then pushed them to the bottom of the sleeping bag. I rolled back towards him his eyes were closed as I touched him another set of shivers hit his body I put my arm around him my breasts pressed into his chest and my nipples hardened even more with the cold of his body.

His eyes opened for a second, his face was filled with uncertainty "I’m sso sssorry" he said through the shivers.

I reached up and stroked his cheek with my hand "Shhh nothing to be sorry about".

We lay like that for a while him not moving and me just holding him his eyes closed and gradually his body started to warm up eventually he was pleasantly warm against my body I could feel his cock start to react to me it started as a soft lump pressing against my thigh as it hardened more it moved up over my pubic hair till it was between our bodies pressing into my belly. I had caused this it sent shocks from my rock hard nipples, brushing his chest, down to my hot rapidly dampening pussy just to think this was due to me.

"I’m sorry" came Brian’s voice.

"Keep apologising and I will make you sorry" I told him fiercely. I was holding him but he was making no attempt to hold me I grabbed his arm which was lying along his body and pulled it down over me I slipped my thin arm under his muscular arm and pulled my head into his chest so his face was in my hair if he looked down. I kissed his chest and relaxed to enjoy his hand moving gently over my back and down my buttocks they were so sensitive to any touch, my nipples bored holes into his chest oh god was I wet down below his hand came up and tilted my head back so he could kiss me. His lips met mine as did our tongues, with a skilful move he rolled me on my back without his mouth leaving mine. His hand started exploring my body cupping my breast, softly pinching my nipples it then moved down caressing my stomach it brushed over my pubic hair and started rubbing my legs working in between them and higher and higher with each circle that was made. I spread my legs to give him access to my hot sex his fingers found it a little rough though causing a little pain.

"Gently, gently please love" I whispered to him his he nodded and his mouth moved down my neck over my breast to find my nipple. He sucked and nibbled on it while his finger started to gain entrance to my body slowly and gently entering my body with his thumb rubbing the general area of my clitoris. I put my arms around his head and pushed my groin towards his hand to get more contact and more inside me, his cock was hard hot and insistently jabbing at my hip and Lucy outside growled.

I pulled him off my nipple and stuck my fingers on his lips and pointed at the door he listened to her growl again, his finger slipped out of me.

"Company" he mouthed he then whispered something to Lucy who was silent instantly I grabbed my nightshirt and a pistol and switched off the light. I slipped the nightshirt on in the dark and gave him the torch.

"Keep quiet I would rather they went passed without seeing us but if we have to we fight, when I say now switch the main torch on and be ready to move with your rifle" I whispered.

Men’s voices could now be heard getting closer I slipped out of the sleeping bag and lay along one side of the tent with my head near the door pistol ready.

"I say your just seeing things" came one voice.

"No I saw cows down here lots of them and not yours" came the second.

"Your always fucking seeing things remember the strange lights"



"Yes I did see them though"

"But it wasn’t a flying saucer it was a police helicopter" They were close now.

"Bugger me your right" came the first voice again.

"Told you quiet there’s a tent there" the second voice dropped to a whisper.

For a while we could not make out what was being said then the zip on the tent started to rise slowly someone trying not to make any noise.

I kept still the door opened a fraction an old weathered face appeared through the gap, I placed the pistol under his chin and whispered "don’t even twitch."

"Light now" I said.

"Harry, Harry what’s going on" came the voice from outside.

"Tell him" I said

"Well boss there is a young girl here with a gun under my chin" he told his partner his voice full of fear.

There was a click outside "I have a twelve bore out here trained on the tent" came the voice outside.

"I have a nine millimetre pistol under Harry’s chin, you fire you might kill him or I will if I am hit" I shouted.

"We don’t want any one to get hurt" came the voice again

"Uncle Tom is that you" came Brian’s voice.

"Who is that?" the unseen person shouted.

"Brian, Brian Williams" he answered

"You mean Joe Williams boy?" the voice was relaxing

"Yes its me" he answered

Relaxing I removed the pistol from Harry’s chin and smiled at him.

"Boss, boss she’s letting me go boss you can shoot now boss" he said as he left the tent.

"No" he shouted "Its Joe Williams boy you know Brian"

"Is it I thought it was a girl" Harry answered.

"It is" I said "I am coming out I am armed but I will not raise it do you understand" I crawled out head first the chill catching me by surprise I stood there my inner thighs cold and sticky as a torch played over me.

"Where’s Brian" came Toms voice from behind the light.

"In here" came Brian’s voice

"Well come on out so I can see you" Tom told him

"He has a bit of a problem that way" I told the men.

"Why?" came Toms suspicious voice.

"Because he took an unexpected swim earlier in the stream and he has nothing to

wear he is trying to climb out wearing a sleeping bag" I explained

"Not again Brian I thought you had grown out of falling in there" Tom shouted

"I slipped" came Brian’s pained voice.

"That’s what you always said" Tom was laughing now "Harry run back to the house and ask Muriel if she can get some of my clothes, tell her young Brian’s been swimming again" and Harry disappeared.

Brian eventually appeared wrapped in just the one sleeping bag he had disengaged the two of them and was standing in it holding it up to his chest.

"I thought you had grown out of falling in the stream when you got to ten years old" said Tom provoking a blush from Brian.

"If you will excuse me I am just going to get dressed" I told them.

Grabbing the torch of Brian I started to get dressed in my damp and in some places wet clothes the panties were the most uncomfortable seeing that my fluids had cooled on my pussy and were wet and cold. I grabbed some tissue from my bag and wiped up as best as I could there was a little blood on the tissue but that didn’t bother me I pulled up the knickers properly and slipped on my jeans which were about the wettest of all my clothes. After slipping the dual holsters on and returning the pistol to the left hand one. I reached out to grab my boots covered in cow shit as they where and put them on I grabbed my coat, bag and SA80 and headed out again.

"so seeing we had no water or power or anything up there and with dad being missing looking for mum we decided to move the herd" John was finishing up.

"And who is this" the torch flicked across to me "Christ girl your clothes are

soaking" he erupted"

"Yes I needed something to dry him he was getting hypothermic" I explained

"What were you going to walk in tomorrow your night clothes" he asked

"No" I was starting to shiver now the breeze outsides cutting through my wet jeans.

"some more clothes coming tomorrow morning"

"Brian you get your arse in that tent till Harry gets here." He told Brian "I am

going to get this girl up to the farm to get her warm when your dressed follow

us up"

I protested about leaving him alone but was firmly put straight.

"Look he’s big enough and soft enough to take care of himself for ten minutes till Harry gets here you on the other hand, know about hypothermia and if you stand around freezing here it will be you with it." He grabbed my arm and started to pull me along.

"Don’t worry go with him" came Brian’s voice.

I shuffled along with Tom towards the gate he opened it rather than have me climb over and with the shotgun open and balanced over his forearm and the torch in his hand he grabbed my arm with my other and half dragged half encouraging me to move up the road. Even my thick coat wasn’t keeping me warm I just kept moving one foot after the other after what seemed like an enormous distance we turned right into a narrow track.

A figure passed us saying "right boss" who was that I wondered as he disappeared past us I felt I should know I was stumbling on the uneven road surface and wondering who was this person pulling me along when all I wanted to do was sleep.

"Come on move it watch were you are walking" the stranger shouted.

Why is he shouting at me I’m too cold to be shouted at.

"Come on talk to me, What’s your name?" the strange man shouted.

"Kathy" escaped my lips. But it did not impress him what was that speak up don’t whisper.

"KATHY" I shouted.

"That’s better I know your with us, now we have nearly got there and then you can warm up in a bath" the figure at my side said.

Lights were now visible in front of us and the shape of buildings.

"MURIEL, MURIEL" a door opened in one of the buildings a figure appeared in the doorway.

"Hot bath now" My tormentor shouted as the house was suddenly upon us. "She’s a friend of Brian’s she’s freezing to death get her in a bath to warm her up quickly I’ll make a drink and Andrea can find something for her to wear."

A large woman grabbed my hand and started pulling me inside to a warm room with a large open fire but grabbing a lantern she dragged me out and up some dark stairs into a bathroom.

"Strip off" she said as she started filling the bath, I stood there not comprehending. She grabbed the SA80 off my shoulder and stood it up against the wall then she took off my coat and didn’t comment about the two pistols just placed them next to the SA80. She undressed me and made me get in a bath that was nearly too hot to bear. After a few minutes my brains started to pull themselves together and I started taking note of my surroundings.

"You look like your warming up again a bit Kathy." The large woman said with a smile on face.

"Yes I am thank you" I replied.

"Good you scared the life out of Tom with how cold you got so quickly. As I told him if you want to drag girls around the countryside when its minus 7 degrees outside in wet clothes what do you expect" she started picking up my clothes "Andrea will be in a moment with something to wear for tonight and I will see what I can do with these" she picked up all my clothes pointedly ignoring my weapons and started out the door.

"Muriel" I said she stopped and turned "thank you very much"

"Don’t worry about it we have to help were we can you know at times like these she says so" and disappeared.

A few minutes later a young, well I say young she was about my age now, girl arrived in the bathroom "Here is a nightdress, dressing gown and slippers for you Kathy there’s some towels there and here’s a cup of hot chocolate for you" I thanked her and she left.

I lay there luxuriating in the warmth and drinking the sweet hot drink till I had finished it, then after a quick wash I dried myself and slipped on a thick cotton nightdress that was pink and covered me down to my clothes then the thick dressing gown again in pink but again covering all, finally the slippers novelty ones in the shape of two dogs. I felt a bit silly but warm and covered so I said to myself who cares I retrieved my bag and weapons and headed down stairs.

Down stairs things seemed rather tense and Tom started speaking "Good you look

better perhaps we can get some answers now as Brian won’t tell me anything"

"I’m sorry Uncle Tom but until Kathy says ok I wont say anything" Brian protested.

"Muriel you heard what that radio said help people but watch out for the gangs

and keep yourself safe" Tom said "and with all the firearms she’s got and how he

wont say anything I think their part of a gang"

"Brian" I asked "how long have you known these people and do you trust them"

"All my life and totally Kathy but I couldn’t say anything before you said yes" the conflict was evident across his face.

"Relax Brian do you mind if I sit down?" I asked

"No not at all, please do" said Tom

"Where did you hear about the gangs and everything about helping people?" I asked them.

"On the radio we where tuning through a couple of days ago and we came across people talking they had all given themselves Greek names."

"Athena, Hera, Zeus, Apollo and The Oracle" I said

"Yes that’s them" he said "strange lot but they talk sense"

"They have a woman in charge and she shot a man who hurt her" came Andreas voice.

"Can you remember anything else about that person Andrea?" I asked her.

"Yes she has a gun" I reached into the holster and took one of the pistols, Tom tensed up and Muriel flinched I dropped the magazine out.

"Can you remember what gun it is?" as I passed the pistol to Tom and started to remove the rounds from the magazine placing them standing up in four rows of three with one left over, Andrea couldn’t see these actions because everyone was in the way.

"Yes it was a strange name a Bretta or something like that" she said

"Beretta?" Said Tom

"Yes that’s it, Daddy, with Thirteen Bullets" Andrea finished.

"A model 92 compact Beretta with a standard clip of thirteen 9 millimetre

rounds" I said

"Do you mind if I reach in my bag" Tom shook his head I grabbed my bag and walked out of the room I grabbed the hand held and called home Bob answered quickly.

"Look don’t worry I am amongst friendly natives but a bit of leverage might be useful" and I explained.

Back in the large kitchen all eyes were on me "Tom can you put on the radio a

minute on that frequency that you were on?" I did and Georges voice was coming

through strong about the bet type of aerials for us. When he took a break Anne’s

voice came through strong "Thank you for that George but if you will hold on a

second I have just had a message that The Oracle has found the natives are

friendly and I want to sat hello to Tom, Muriel, Andrea and Harry please take

good care of her she’s our Boss Lady we cant afford to lose her"

Bernard’s voice came through fainter than I expected "You take care lassie.

Bloody stupid game putting yourself at risk."

Frank came through again weak "Mary and I say take care she’s a lot better now"

George came back "hello to The Oracle take care now as I was saying what you really need is a mast" Tom turned off the radio.

"Oh Shit" he said "Oh shit you’re the one they were talking about you read out

that news thingy"

"They said our names Daddy, they said our names" came from Andrea.

Muriel was silent and obviously not very happy.

"Are you ok there Muriel" I asked.

"It’s just she doesn’t like weapons out in the house" said Tom

"She’s always been funny that way" said Harry

"Muriel I apologise for upsetting you" I grabbed the other pistol dropped the magazine out and checked there was nothing in the chamber I then did the same with the SA80, Brian was fumbling around trying to get the magazine out of the SLR and having problems. I took it off him checked that it was clear and put that on the table.

"Tom do you mind putting these somewhere safe till we leave" Indicating the pile of empty weapons the magazines I put back in my bag after refilling the one that I emptied.

As the weapons left Muriel brightened up "I am so sorry about breaking the house rules you should have said something. I apologise again for upsetting you."

"Don’t worry about it. Its not a house rule I just don’t like them out in the house." She changed the subject "Is every one ready for another drink because I think we’re in for a long night."

"Yes please my love" said Tom returning and the rest of us nodding in agreement.

"Well how did a slip of a girl like you end up in charge there at that Greek sounding place" he asked.

"Because she shot someone dad I heard it the first night" came Andreas response.

"No not quite right Andrea I did shoot and kill a man who was trying to rape me, then I shot and wounded another man with him who was looking for my sister to do the same thing to her. She shot and killed him when he repeatedly refused to leave and started threatening us about what would happen when he came back.

Neither of us is happy about killing but rather them than us" I explained

"That’s the way of it Kathy" said Tom "if you have got to do it, you have got to

do it. But this doesn’t explain why your in charge are you the oldest"

"Look I don’t know how I ended up in charge I don’t want the job but I am stuck with it have a talk with Bob" I turned on the hand held and called Bob.

"Kathy are you ok? Are you safe? Do you need help?" his worried voice came over the air.

"Relax Bob, I am in great danger of being pampered to death, hot baths, hot chocolate and now I can smell bacon cooking. I am in great danger of staying here and leaving you lot to fend for your selves" I said into the radio.

"Anne says don’t you dare" came his voice with the music in the background "or

she will send Trisha to you"

"Ok you win I will come home" I said

"Ok Boss Lady what can I do for you any more personal requests for the radio?" he asked.

"No but you can have a talk to Tom here" I passed Tom the radio and showed him how to use it he wandered off talking to Bob heading off out the door to get away from the noise of the frying bacon.

Harry was sat on a chair in the corner Brian sat down next to me his leg brushing mine reminding me of what nearly was such a short time ago. Andrea sat opposite me dressed almost identically to me except her nightdress was yellow.

"What was it like to shoot someone, was there blood what did he do" she was saying.

Right I thought lets sort this out once and for all.

"The man was trying to rape me, I was forced onto the floor he had hurt me and he unzipped his trousers. I pulled out the pistol and pointed it at him he stepped back, I told him to get on the floor he laughed and stepped closer to me telling me that I wasn’t going to shoot him and he was going to have some fun. When he was about this distance away from me and he still wouldn’t stop" I indicated the distance between us "I fired and hit him here" I stood up and touched her forehead at the point I had hit him "and the back of his head exploded as brains and bone came flying out it left a hole I could fit my fist in, in the back of his head with bone brains and skin visible in the hole. He then twitched for a while with a pool of blood spreading around his body. It was not fun, it sickens me that I had to kill a man and I pray that I do not have to do it again but if I do I will" I finished.

Andrea was looking a little sick at my descriptions expecting it to be bang your dead. Her mother walked over with bacon and home made bread on two plates.

"That will teach you to ask silly questions" she said looking at her face "Don’t worry Kathy she deserved that my only concern would be if you were not sorry you had to do it or if you felt you couldn’t do it again both of those would be wrong. Now drink eat and then sleep you have had a long rough day if you have moved cows from the Williams farm. Brian do you mind sleeping in the spare room if I put Kathy in with Andrea?"

"No not at all Aunt Muriel" Brian replied

"Kathy can sleep in my bed it will be fun" said Andrea

"Kathy what do you say?" Muriel asked

"Anything is fine with me" I said.

"Ok eat up drink up then I will tell Tom he can talk to you two tomorrow" she informed me.

I ate a couple of rounds of bread with thick bacon and drank my drink and the warmth got to me I was nodding off.

"Right now young lady its two in the morning you have been up since dawn you can get to bed you are staying her tomorrow and the day after you can carry on, understand" she was looking at me sternly, I nodded.

I stood up and turned to Muriel, height she was a little taller than me but she was a lot larger in every other respect. Put my arms around her and gave her a hug and a kiss.

"Thank you for every thing" I said

She put her large arms around me "Look we helped you thanks to what you had been saying on the radio. You have been the only news and hope we have had since this started plus you have been taking care of Brian which is a job and a half I can tell you, and you haven’t thrown his sister out yet. So don’t worry."

I kissed Brian goodnight and said goodnight to Harry who was sat on the chair with his eyes closed, he raised a hand but didn’t open his eyes and looked around for Tom.

"Don’t worry" said Muriel "he will be a lot longer yet he wants to bed down Lucy in the barn and check on a few things. Now you two get up stairs and sleep yourselves out" indicating me and Andrea.

Andrea grabbed my hand and led me upstairs to her bedroom where a single bed was waiting I crawled in and was a sleep in seconds, some time during the night I felt a rounded body pull in tight behind me and an arm around me and I slept again.

I woke up in the morning with light streaming into the room and someone stroking my hair.

"I’m sorry I didn’t mean to wake you up" came Andreas voice.

I rolled over to face her "Don’t worry" I said looking at her she was a plump blond girl possibly fourteen years old but taking after her mother size wise, she had a pretty face though.

"Sorry but your hairs so nice I was just straightening it a bit" she apologised again.

"Look don’t worry it was a nice way to wake up" I said

"Sorry" she said

I through an arm around her and pulled her close to me "look stop apologising you have nothing to be sorry about" I smiled at her. She put her arm around me and hugged me tight.

"I’m sorry its just I don’t have many girl friends and I didn’t want to upset you because I like you" she said.

"Look Andrea stop apologising what’s up" I squeezed her tighter feeling her padded body beneath the all covering nightdress.

"I am sorry it just you are so pretty and I am so fat and ugly I was thinking as you lay there" she broke down into tears. I hugged her tight feeling her large breasts against my small ones I was caressing her back and her blond hair while kissing her tears away.

"Come on Andrea" I said softly "Come on I’m your friend what’s up" the tears kept flowing I kept holding her my face wet from her tears. I kissed her on the lips she kissed me back so I kissed her again my hand rubbing her back all the way down to her large bottom then up onto her hip. She kissed me back with some more force I started rubbing her bottom she caught my bottom lip in her teeth her hand was on my bottom and my nightdress was riding up. I kissed her hard open mouthed her tongue tentatively touched mine I responded and her hand slid down under the hem of my nightdress halfway down my thighs It felt nice bare skin on my bare legs I tried to do the same but I couldn’t pull it up far enough to reach the skin.

"Lets get these silly things off" I said my voice husky with passion we both sat up. Andrea pulled my nightdress over my head kissing my nipples as they came into view. I tried to remove her nightdress she was reluctant I kissed her again and circled her nipples with my fingers.

"Come on I want to kiss those" I said and she let me draw it over her head her eyes were filling with tears again.

"But I’m ugly and fat and horrible" she said as the tears flowed.

I pulled her down to the bed again and hugged her kissing and caressing her till the tears stopped and she started kissing me back her upper leg was twitching. I slid my foot between her feet and reaching down I pulled her leg up the outside of my leg till her knee was on my hip I slid my leg up the inside of her plump legs. Pulled in tight against her I grasped her bottom and pushed up with my leg till my thigh just above my knee could feel her heat but not quite touching her. I pulled her towards me thrust upwards and towards her with my leg causing her wet pussy to slide about 3 inches along my leg I moved back and started a rocking motion she kissed me hard I broke the kiss and attacked her nipples with the tip of my tongue finally sucking hard on one then the other. She was getting closer to her climax holding me tight against her plump body our mouths met she was kissing me hard her thighs clamping on my leg her hips bucking and her fingers digging into my buttocks to pull me harder into her spasms shook her body three times an she relaxed I slowly reduced my movements till they stopped and holding her sweaty body against me I kissed her and held her till she recovered.

"Oh thank you. I never knew that could happen" she said and rolled me onto my back she kissed me on the lips as I lay there caressing first my breasts and nipples then my stomach hips and thighs carefully avoiding my pubic area. Her finger danced through my pubic hair and then down over the bare lips, I thrust my hips up at her and she traced the lips with a finger. Her middle finger started to advance into me while her palm rubbed my clitoral area. I was thrusting against her now the pleasures in my pussy building and radiating out the one finger sliding in and out my juices running down between my buttocks sweat was appearing on my body my muscles were tensing she kissed me to silence the noises I was making and I grasped the sheet beneath me with both hands and thrust up one last time as the pleasure shot through my body as I recovered she held me and kissed me till finally I could now speak.

"Thank you, oh thank you" I said and kissed her back. We lay there side by side holding hands just resting in the afterglow.

"Do you think we should of" said Andrea.

"Probably not but thank you any way" I answered

"What do you mean probably not" her voice anxious

"What I mean is that I enjoyed it very much, I know you did so why worry" I told

her

"You did enjoy it didn’t you?"

"Oh yes I did" she responded

"Well then friends?" I asked

"Yes friends" she agreed.

"I’m sorry about that" she said " its just I had been thinking all night about how according to Dad you saw Brian naked. Then as you were lying there I thought what would he see in me?"

"What do you mean what would he see in you?" I said rolling over to face her.

"Look at me I am fat and horrible" she said.

"Are we friends" I asked she nodded "Can I be completely honest with you?" she nodded again.

I ran my hand through her blond hair "your hair is beautiful, your face is beautiful your boobs make mine look like toys but you are a bit overweight that does not make you horrible that does not mean your ugly. You are beautiful and always will be your just not happy at the moment with your weight that can be sorted you can lose weight but if your ugly you are stuck as ugly." She hugged me tight.

"Thank you most other girls my age wont have any thing to do with me thanks to Brian’s sister" she said.

"Yes I have met Trisha not that she likes me either" I said

"Trisha’s bright, pretty and popular at school and for the last four years she

has been making my life hell. I was only a bit fat then but she started on about

it and got most of the school on at me about it its only a small school you cant

keep out of the way" she started sniffing again "I started eating and eating it

made me feel better and now I am like this"

"Well ease up a little just try and change your eating and get a bit more exercise" I said knowing from personal experience it wasn’t that easy.

"You cant tell Mum any thing about food and I don’t really go out the house what if people see me" this was annoying me Trisha and her little games had driven this poor girl dam near neurotic for the sake of a few pounds of weight.

"How many friends do you have?" I asked her

"Well I used to be friends with Brian and lots of people but then Trisha kept making trouble every time they came so he stopped coming with his mum and dad and then she started at school" she explained.

"You like Brian don’t you?" I asked

"Yes a lot" she said

"Well we are not going to let Brian get in between our friendship even if you do

seduce him with those boobs of yours" I told her she smiled. "Right now all

pleasure you caused me has affected my bladder as much as enjoy being here with

you like this I am going to have to get up"

We both slipped into our nightdresses again and padded along to the toilet as sat there she stripped and washed her body was large, no rolls of fat, and rounded every where from her cute thighs to her boobs and face except for this she was absolutely beautiful and could have had any man she wanted. I wiped and started to wash myself especially between my legs where I was sticky.

"This is all your fault you know" I said smiling at her.

"Sorry" she said

"Right now if we are going to be friends this is the first condition you stop saying sorry you say tough, piss off, well what are you going to do about it absolutely anything but sorry understood." I informed her.

"Yes Kathy" she said her face full of doubt

I turned around and crouched in front of her tilting her head to make her look at me "That condition is not to whether we are friends or not but as to if I sulk or not, don’t make me sulk you wouldn’t like me when I sulk" she smiled at me and the sound of her flow starting broke the silence that she would not fill. "That’s it piss of Kathy" this provoked a laugh from both of us that we were still giggling about five minutes later at the kitchen table.

"I thought you were going to sleep through the day" she said "it’s nearly

twelve"

"I’m sorry a rough night last night and me and Andrea have been lying there

talking for a

long time" I explained



"Don’t worry about it with how you looked when you got here I am just glad you feel fine now. No coffee I am afraid not even any tea plenty of milk though and I will do you a fried breakfast in a moment" she told us.

"Thanks Muriel" I said "Do you mind if I use the radio to arrange some clothes?"

"Not at all Kathy I don’t mind the radios but I don’t like guns out in my kitchen" she said.

"I am so sorry about that I didn’t mean to upset you"

"Nonsense girl" she interrupted me "you didn’t know and from what your friends

were saying last night you need them and know how to use them. More importantly

from what Harry was saying you know when not to use them"

"I want to apologise to Harry later" I said

"He probably wont remember it Harry is not all with us, fantastic with the stock, but not the full shilling. He has worked here since before Tom was born worked for his dad and when Tom took over he stayed" she told me.

"I still want to apologise its only fair" I said firmly and disappeared with the radio outside.

"New Delphi, New Delphi this is Kathy do you read me over" silence I repeated it.

"Kathy is that you" came Anne’s voice.

"Yes it’s me is every thing ok that end?" I asked

"A few problems with Trisha that’s all otherwise fine" Her voice sounded

strained

"Well do you fancy getting away from it for a few hours to come with Bob for some clothes for me?" I asked her.

"I can’t we I have too much to do, and no help" she said.

"Listen this is The Boss Lady speaking you will come out, you will bring Sarah

and you will do me a thank you box for this family. Coffee, Tea essentials and

anything else you can think of also raid your chocolate for a couple of big bars

if that’s possible" I told her

"I can do the box and the chocolate but I should stay here" she protested.

"Listen let the bastards starve I guarantee a day of their own cooking they will be begging you to please let them help you that is my final word your coming I want to talk to you please" I wheedled.

"Ok Kathy but I’m not happy about leaving Trisha here" she replied

"Well she’s one of the things I want to talk about so please come and bring an

extra radio and plenty of batteries"

"Ok Kathy see you soon New Delphi out" she finished.

Inside the range was sizzling with sausages, bacon, eggs, black pudding and fried bread and a plateful was put in front of each of us and I started to eat.

"Where’s Brian and Tom" I asked

"Down with those heifers your moving checking them out" Muriel told me "come on eat up we cant waste it" she told Andrea who had stopped eating for a moment.

When we finished eating she asked me when my clothes would be arriving I told her any time now and she sent Andrea up to get dressed.

"You’ve done her some good there Kathy I haven’t seen her this happy for a long time it’s a pity you have to go tomorrow" she said.

"Is there any reason she can’t come up to my place for a while?" I asked

"Well I don’t know" she said.

"Look we are less than a days walk away. We have food, power, light, defences other people, a teacher and 40 empty rooms. I can leave a radio here with loads of batteries so you can talk whenever you want. There are even two old Honda 90 motorbikes that with a few days practice we could be back here anytime within twenty minutes. But you think about it I will be popping backwards and forwards to see her whatever and I wont say a thing to her unless you have agreed if you don’t, don’t worry about it as long as you can put up with me descending on you" I told her.

"Let me have a think about it and a talk to Tom. Thank you for not saying

anything to her about this before you talked to me and you are welcome anytime

you feel like" she put her hand on my shoulder "Yes let me have a talk to Tom"

"What are you two talking about" came Andreas voice as she came down in a long denim dress down to her ankles, hiding every thing and adding a hell of a lot to her apparent weight.

"Oh I was just arranging with your mum that I can visit whenever I want" I told her. Her face saddened and then brightened. A car could be heard approaching in the distance getting closer.

I looked out side and could see the Land Rover approaching and Anne waving wildly I waved back.

After much kissing and hugging of all three of them I brought them into the kitchen and introduced them.

"Anne, Bob and Sarah this is Muriel who is a life saver despite the fact that a cold, wet, filthy and heavily armed female descended on her late at night and this is Andrea my friend" I grabbed Andrea’s hand. "Can you put the hardware outside the door" they did without question.

I grabbed the box off Bob "Muriel thank you for you and your families kindness to Brian and me this is just a small thank you I passed the box over".

She glanced in the box "there’s no need for this"

"Yes there is it’s a small thank you last night I could have frozen to death without your help" I insisted.

"What’s this" came Anne’s shocked voice

"Don’t worry love" Muriel said to Anne "it was my husbands fault that she got so

cold. Brian had decided to go swimming at night in the stream she stopped him

freezing to death then later stops my husband an his man while only wearing a

nightdress then she sticks on wet clothes, what does she expect she is too busy

worrying about other people too take care of herself"

"Tell me about it" said Anne "In Darlington a few days ago her sister and me had wandered off into a shop when Kathy had told us to stay together a gang kid was armed sneaking up on us does she shout for help no she runs in shooting till she emptied the magazine and was stuck there at his mercy till we arrived. Saved our lives no doubt but no sense of self preservation I have to watch her like a hawk otherwise she would be doing everything while the rest of them would be sat on there bums." I interrupted Anne’s tantrum here.

"If you ladies want to carry on cataloguing all my faults I am going to get dressed" I told them then stuck out my tongue at Anne.

Upstairs I started to look through the clothes Anne brought me not too bad except for that sweatshirt with the kitten. I started to get dressed I was standing there in bra and panties when Andrea came in.

"I wish I could wear things like that" said Andrea

"I wish I didn’t" indicating the white thong briefs "I grabbed loads of packets of the wrong ones in town the other day so I am stuck with them" I slipped my jeans on and zipped them up.

"I can see why Brian likes you....Have you and him...You know done it" she asked.

"No I haven’t made love with any boy yet" I grabbed her arm and whispered in her

ear but your dad and Harry’s timing could have not been worse"

"Oh tell me about it" she said

"Tonight in bed I promise" I hugged her "look I can see you like Brian do you want me to back off?"

"No not at all" she said hugging me back.

I put on the sweatshirt "That’s pretty" she said

"Andrea" I replied "can I be honest with you".

"Of course Kathy" she said

"You know how you have problems over your weight, well I have the same hang-ups

over being pretty, girlie and nice it just not me. I grew up with my dad and I

just never learnt how to be a girl I have problems every time I put on a skirt

or dress you are the only friend I have my own age. If I try to help you do you

mind trying to help me?" I explained

"Oh not at all, but you look so good" she said

"So everyone tells me but I feel I shouldn’t I can’t explain it" I said

"Don’t worry I am you friend" she said

I tied my hair back into my ponytail and both of us headed down stairs I was still being discussed but this time by a lot more people. Every one was there looking at me, there had obviously been heated discussion about me. I decided to ignore it.

"Bob when you get back can you get on to John see if he can get that second Land Rover going and we will need a second driver can you try and teach him?" I asked him.

"Yes no problem Boss" he replied glancing at Tom.

"How long do you think it will take to get him able to make a trip?" I asked

"Weeks probably" he said

"No, too long we will have to do two trips it increases the dangers but we need to hit a few more places" I said.

"Tom as soon as these cows are safely in, we are going raiding I need places that have a decent agricultural supply centre, grain and the such like, decent veterinary supplies and books and finally a decent DIY centre. I want all we can get and I want to beef up our power system. If you will let us I would also like to set up a solar power system here mainly for power for a radio but we should be able to sort out a twelve volt lighting system to make life slightly easier. If you give us a list of anything you want we will see what we can do if you can suggest anything we might need please do. A set of twelve volt rechargeable tools might be useful to you as well around here." I told him.

"And when did a young thing like you come up with this plan?" he asked.

"Just I was just thinking if we have problems with the cattle, you are the person to ask.

You are an expert your father was as well we are just trying to survive so we need all the help and advice we can get." I informed him.

I walked to the box Anne had brought I saw two big chocolate bars I grabbed them and walked over to Harry who was sat on his chair again.

"Harry I am sorry if I scared you last night with the gun these are for you" I gave him hug, kiss and the chocolate he smelt strongly of the cows "Sorry to deprive you Muriel but I will see if I can get some more on our next trip."

"There is another bar tucked in there any way" said Anne

"Muriel you know Brian’s sister Trisha can you give us any tips on handling her before Anne here decides to lynch her" I asked.

"Go ahead lynch her" came Toms voice "I doubt it will shut her up for more than a few seconds. Kathy what is your plan if you had two Land Rovers and two drivers?"

"Two Land Rovers with a horse box and a trailer on the back. Four people armed with SA80’s and pistols we go in quickly secure the area and two grab while two cover any trouble we run and shoot we are not there to fight if we can avoid the big towns that would be an advantage as well." I explained.

"Well you might get them cows back tomorrow but I think it will be the day after

as they are funny beasts at times. So that will give this John and me time to

fix this vehicle, for me to drive. Do you mind if Muriel comes as well that is

if you don’t mind dropping us back early this evening?" He said

"No not at all you are all welcome any time just shout on the radio as you come in if its not with us that’s all" I told him "but if you ever want to visit I can send out a chauffer driven Land Rover with armed escort when ever you want."

"That would be nice to visit neighbours every now and then. Can you use another body who knows cattle to move that lot in the field?" he asked me.

"Yes I don’t know what I am doing. Brian’s great but I am more the armed

escort." I told him

"Well you can’t have Harry because the stupid old fool would forget what he’s doing" he started.

"Yes Boss" came from the corner.

"But Andrea’s good with cows and she’s got a good head on her shoulders and I don’t know what you have done to her but I haven’t seen her this happy for a long time so if you don’t mind her along your welcome to her for a few days" he finished leaving me blushing and Andrea ecstatic.

"Well time is a wasting" said Tom "you slept till past midday its now half past one and I could do with getting started."

"On one condition" I said

"What" his voice suspicious.

"The night we get in with the cows you all come up to ours including Harry" I was interrupted by the voice from the corner.

"Yes Boss"

"and have dinner with us and stay the night as I would like a dawn start and to know that everyone is safe while we are gone" I told him.

"yes that’s fine with me" Tom said

"You’ll look good in a suit" said Anne

"What do you mean suit?" Tom spluttered

"Dinner is formal" She said Tom continued spluttering about suits and the like.

"I haven’t seen you in a suit since are Georgies funeral and that was nearly seven years ago it will be nice and we are going Tom that’s the end of it" Muriel had spoken and the matter was decided.

I kissed Anne and Bob goodbye and gave Muriel and Tom a squeeze and watched them go.

"Are we really going to a dress up dinner?" said Andrea

"Yes we have one every night before the broadcasts" I said.

Her face broke into a mask of tears I indicated Brian to leave and he took Harry with him.

"What’s up now?" I asked

"I’ve never been to one before I have got nothing to wear for anything like that" she said through her tears.

"Look Anne there emptied a number of shops of dresses she has plenty of things if nothing fits then we raid a town before dinner understood" she nodded. "Ok where did your dad stash my hardware because you me and Brian are going for a walk you need some air." I reloaded both pistols and the SA80 and slung it over my shoulder after putting on the holsters with the pistols.

We started walking towards where we had left the herd but across the fields rather than down the lane. Brian put his arm around me and pulled me close I put my arm around his waist and with the force of my body I eased him towards Anne, reaching past him I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him placing her arm around his waist she did not object. A little later his hand descended onto my bum and started to make circular motions on the denim it felt nice. His hand was still around Andrea’s waist I manoeuvred it down to her bum placing his hand firmly on the rounded object and he got the idea. We walked for about ten minutes before coming to a sloping grassy bank leading down to Brian’s stream and the field with the cows.

We sat on the bank and he turned to Andrea and kissed her long and passionately I cuddled into his back and caressed her arms which sneaked around his back and all of a sudden attacked my breasts with little squeezes and rubs. He released her and turned to me his mouth found mine his tongue forced its way between my lips I put my arms around him and hugged him I could feel Andrea pressing into his back I found the buttons on her dress front and undid a few I slid my hand in and found her bra I slipped my hand in the top of the cup and found her large nipple already engorged. I grasped it firmly between my thumb and forefinger and squeezed while manipulating her breast with my remaining fingers.

I pushed Brian back onto the ground so he was lying down on the grass never taking my mouth from his lips our tongues dancing around each others mouths. I broke off the kiss and looked up at Andrea and smiled she returned the smile and Brian reached up to grasp both her breasts that were in view within the prison of the bra Andrea kissed him again. I took a moment to remove the weapons on me that were getting in the way and placed them on the ground Brian released her breast long enough for me to remove the SLR from him only to have Andrea grasp it and place it firmly back on.

His hands slid around her back within the dress and suddenly the tension in her bra was released his hands then came back round to the front he grasped them one in each hand he teased a nipple with each thumb. She broke her kiss with him and pushed him back towards me his hands reluctantly left her boobs as he turned to me his hands slid up the back of the sweatshirt I was wearing on the inside and my bra was undone in seconds his hands slid around to the front and each breast was grasped between thumb and fore finger and he squeezed while pulling down till his finger grabbed my nipple and pulled on it he repeated it again and again.

It was if he was milking me and it was sending flashes down to my pussy I pushed

him away again. Getting my breath back I saw that Andrea had slid her arms out

of the top of her dress and was naked to the waist having removed her bra. Brian

pushed her back onto the grass attacking her body with his mouth I sat up and

slipped the sweatshirt over my head and took of the bra. I lay so my head and

shoulders were next to hers but my body at an angle so he could kneel between us

I grabbed her hand and he transferred his attention from her body to mine. I

heard her gasp and she crushed my hand with hers as his mouth tried to engulf my

whole breast and flicking my nipple with his tongue rapidly. He stopped for a

moment and unbuttoned my jeans pulling them down a few inches and raising my

knees so my legs fell apart with my jeans half way down my thighs

I glanced across at Andrea her skirt was up about her waist and pink panties were up around her knees in the same position as me. He sat back and slid a hand between my legs first rubbing the whole length of my pussy quite firmly then tracing the lips with a finger.

"You two are so beautiful" he told us as a finger started to dive in and out of me while his thumb rubbed my clitoris.

"Ohh yes" came from Andrea and my hand was crushed more.

"Ooooh" came from me as a second finger joined the first I crushed her hand back.

His fingers were moving in and out of me faster and faster while his thumb was rubbing my most sensitive area the pleasure building and then he started wiggling them inside me.

"Uh, uh, uh" was escaping from my lips.

"Oh yes, oh yes" came from Andrea.

"uhghh" came from me as my climax hit all my internal muscles clamped down on the finger inside me.

"Yesss" came from Andrea as she got there also.

We lay there recovering for a while with his fingers still inside me. I removed his hand and sat up.

"Lie down here Brian" I said. He lay on his back next to Andrea still recovering I kissed him and ran my hands over his body I undid his belt and undid his button on his jeans I could feel his organ with the head tenting his underpants push forward and up towards my hand. I turned around so my head was at his waist and I was on my hands and knees. I was joined by Andrea at the same time as I pulled his zip down he raised his hips to allow me to pull his jeans and underpants down.

The purple head all shiny appeared first and then the whole thing sprang up about seven inches the foreskin back to show the rim of the head Andrea grasped it and squeezed. Brian’s hand was on my buttocks then they slid down between my legs and fingers started searching out my pussy while his thumb slipped between my buttocks. I bent down towards his prick thinking of the man who tried to rape me so recently and his demands, but he wanted to cause me pain Brian just kept causing me pleasure as he was now as two fingers slipped back into me.

I groaned and then Andrea did she was getting the same treatment. I moved my head towards his prick it smelt musky but pleasant I kissed the tip. I then opened my mouth and took the head in a pleasant heavy taste with a slightly salty spot near the tip from his precome. I sucked for a moment then removed my mouth and offered it to Andrea who was on the other side of him with her face only inches from mine. She smiled at me and stuck her tongue out to touch it with the very lip, she then gave it a big lick like an ice cream and finally took the mushroom shaped head into her mouth. She sucked it for a little while then groaned and thrust back against Brian’s questing fingers his cock slipped from her mouth and I recovered it.

I took it back in my mouth drawing as much in as I comfortably could while sucking as I lifted till just the tip was in my mouth and ran my tongue around the head. I glanced up at Andrea for a second she was on her hand and knees, breasts hanging down with her eyes closed and her mouth open thrusting her body back at his hand with noises escaping her mouth. His hand was rearranged within me he now had two fingers in me two finger along the length of my pussy rubbing the outer lips over my clitoris and he was teasing my anus with his thumb. I rocked gently and resumed my up and down movements on his cock with my mouth. His hips were jerking up and down in a few moments but I kept some control over how far he was in my mouth Andrea let out a loud scream of ecstasy but I was too busy trying to keep control of his organ in my mouth to look. I kept up the movement of my head he was nearly there. I felt my small breasts being manipulated I glanced with my eyes Andrea had moved and had started on both my boobs Brian had a free hand which was now caressing my bum.

The movement of his hips suddenly became frantic his organ twitched and suddenly my mouth was being filled as spasm after spasm sent more and more sperm into my mouth. The taste was not too bad not as bad as oysters I had tried once and like oysters I just swallowed without thinking, his cock was now deflating rapidly and I gave it a last suck and gave my self to my pleasure. Andrea’s face appeared in front of mine I bent and kissed her forcing the last remnants of Brian’s sperm into her mouth with my tongue. She pulled a face and pulled away.

"You little cow" she said spitting and laughing, she grabbed one of my small boobs in each hand and squeezed and pulled down causing some pain but sending flashes of pleasure all through my body. My hips were forcing against Brian’s hand I was nearly there. My orgasm hit me and I dropped down onto my elbows resting my head on my forearms with my breasts in the cold grass. I stayed like that for five minutes just trying to get my breath back finally becoming aware of my undignified position boobs in the grass trousers and knickers down about my knees and my bum stuck in the air.

After getting dressed again we sat there for a while until the cloud started moving in and the threat of rain forced us to move, so we gently ambled back with Brian sandwiched between us and one of his hands on each of our bums rubbing as we walked back to the house. Later on Tom and Muriel came back Tom was enthusiastic about the Land Rover being ready, Muriel wasn’t exactly talkative. We had tea and I talked to Tom for a long time about many things eventually Andrea and I excused our selves to go to bed as we were up early.

In the bedroom as the door was shut Andrea grabbed me in a great big hug her lips attached to mine and her tongue forced its way into my mouth she was the aggressor here she broke the kiss long enough to pull the sweatshirt over my head and off my arms she then unhooked my bra and dropped it on the floor next to the discarded sweatshirt. I was walked backwards to the edge of the bed and forced back onto it she fumbled with my boots and got them off then she undid my jeans and pulled jeans and knickers off in one swift movement. In seconds her clothes were off and her chubby body was pinning mine to the bed I could not have escaped if I wanted to.

Her knee parted my legs and pressed itself firmly against my sex she reached down and pulled my leg up between her plump thighs I could feel her pubic hair brush my leg then the oily warm wetness as she pressed hard against it the force of it forced my sex against her leg sending a little jolt of pleasure through me as she repeatedly humped my leg the jolt repeated. Her large breasts were pressed against my smaller ones her weight making me her prisoner as she kissed my lips, neck, face and my still tender earlobes. My pleasure was purely incidental to her this was to quench her passion and I wrapped my arms around her and held her returning her kisses until she came locking her lips on mine and sinking down so her whole weight was on my body I lowered my leg feeling her wetness on my skin but unable to do anything about it. I managed to pull one of the disturbed blankets over us and we lay like that for a long time till she rolled off me and lay on her back I rolled onto my side and held her tight. she was weeping quietly.

"What’s up Andrea" I asked

"It’s just been so good today both you and Brian have treated me so well and

after tomorrow it all goes back as it was" she explained

"Look I have already said I will come and visit no matter what and you can visit me and stay whenever you want and if we keep them cows going slow tomorrow we can spend a night out."

"With Brian?"

"Of course if you want to"

"Yes, yes I want to I wanted to with Brian long before today" she said a dreamy look in her eyes.

"How far do you intend to go" I asked

"Why how far do you want to go" she returned the question.

"The way things are I want Brian to be the first to make love to me tomorrow" I

answered honestly

"That’s what I would like but do you think he would with me" her face fell again

"Look if you are sure you are ready and he is the one for your first time he will jump on you in a second dropping me on the way. But if you are intending to when was your last period as I don’t have any precautions with me. I should be safe as I only finished a couple of days ago."

She thought for a moment "I’m due to start this week will that be ok"

"You should be but let me be completely honest there is always the possibility

you might get caught, think it over if you do decide you want to fine, if you

don’t want to risk it don’t worry your hardly an old maid" I said

"Why are you being so nice to me"

"Because I like you you’re a nice person who has been shit on badly by a right

little bitch till you’re so screwed up about yourself that you can’t see

anything positive about yourself. The other side is that Trisha has a problem

with me as well so anything that She dislikes is fine by me"

"What about Trisha when we get there?"

"Leave her to me and Anne we will deal with her ourselves" I said

We lay there cuddling till sleep overcame us and stayed holding each other till morning when we were awakened by Muriel banging on the door telling us it was time to get up.

After breakfast Muriel pulled me to one side.

"Were you being serious when you put an open invite for are Andrea to visit or

stop at yours" she asked

"Yes totally" I replied

"and she can talk to me any time I want and visit when she wants?" she continued

"The talking I am leaving a radio and batteries here if Andrea stops or not I

will be visiting you as well if you don’t mind just to get away from everything

once in a while but you and Tom are welcome anytime no matter what." I explained

"What about Patricia?" Muriel asked.

"Patricia will not be pandered to and no matter what any bitchyness towards anyone will not be tolerated. But I have to warn you as things are now I cant guarantee that no mater what she will be one hundred percent safe, if you let her come she will be treated like a adult rather than a child. But she is my friend and I will do all that I can to keep an eye out for her." I finished.

"That’s all I can ask your friend Anne said it would do you good to have someone your own age but she said any decision was yours. I don’t even try to understand the situation up at that house but if Andrea wants to she can stop for a couple of weeks as a holiday to start with." Muriel decided and I gave this large woman a hug of thanks.

"Let Andrea see the place before we say anything to her, see if she likes it first" I said As we got dressed and ready to move out I heard an approaching car. I went down to find it was Bob and Wendy this time. I hugged both of them but there appeared to be some tension between the two of them for some reason.

"Hi Sis" said Wendy happily "I didn’t think you would mind seeing my face" I reassured her she was a welcome sight and she pulled me off to one side.

"Look we heard news on the radio in some areas the gangs are sending out raiding parties, so I brought a pistol for Andrea and I brought a selection of bits and pieces for Tom and Muriel for household defence I thought I would give them a few hours training as well if you agreed."

"That’s fine by me but when you get back get John to mark on the maps military bases we might be able to get more weapons and ammunition as at some time we will need it" she agreed and as I ran through the basics of a Beretta with Andrea Wendy had Tom and Muriel working both SLR and pistols. Brian, Andrea and I kitted up and prepared to move, after another round of kisses all round we made a move Harry had brought the herd to the end of the lane and we left. The day was grey and dull but we kept up a slow pace with the dog Lucy doing most of the work. The Land Rover came through once on the way to the house and much later bringing Tom back.

"You’re not going to make it tonight" Tom said "but you should be there by late tomorrow morning. So if Muriel and me come for tea tomorrow and we can go shopping the day after as me and that lad John have sorted that engine and it runs sweet now."

"There’s a decent spot for the night about a mile and a half up the road" said

Bob "we have set up the tent and there’s extra blankets courtesy of Anne also

there’s no streams nearby. Give us a shout on the radio when you get there"

We got the herd to the field and found the tent tinned spuds, pork chops and peas awaited us for tea with cake thanks to Muriel for pudding. As I sat there feeling bloated I couldn’t help reflecting that this whole simple operation had taken on a surreal Famous Five quality all we needed was "Lashings of Ginger Beer" and it would be "Super".

The cloud kept the temperature up so it was not going to be another sub zero night and we sat there talking till late after a final brew Brian started yawning loudly and saying it was about time for bed (subtle hey) my heart was pounding and I grabbed Andrea’s hand saying he could wait outside while we got sorted.

Well inside the small tent it was like a comedy routine getting the sleeping bags sorted and then the blankets, but when it came to getting undressed it was hilarious I hit Andrea in the face while getting my jumper off she fell flat on her bum trying to pull off the jeans she was wearing how the hell the tent stayed up I don’t know. We stripped off and crawled into the bed made of three sleeping bags and assorted blankets.

As we lay down Andrea turned to me "Are you going to do it?"

"Yes. But don’t let that make your decision for you." I answered

"Look I have been thinking about it all day I wanted to do it yesterday I’m just a little scared" she said.

"Tell me about it. It scares me too but its something I want to do tonight." I had been thinking about it all day and the thought of it was sending a mixture of constant sexual excitement and fear and revulsion through me and the sexual excitement was winning. Andrea told Brian we were ready for him and he came in and got undressed standing on our feet and stumbling he started getting into bed with his underpants still on hiding his erection and I told him to lose them. He did and his erection sprang into view and he blushed and quickly jumped into the bed between us, he gave a shocked gasp as he found us both naked.

I kissed him "Look Brian tonight if you are good you are going to make love to

me, if you want to?" he nodded repeatedly " fine Andrea is not sure if she wants

to or not so you are not going to get pushy or funny with her or else you deal

with me. Do you understand?" I asked him

"Yes" was his monosyllabic answer. I kissed him again this time with some passion Andrea was rubbing her hands over his body as well. I reached down caressing his nipples then down his stomach to the wiry pubic hair and found Andrea’s hand on his cock before me.

"Have you done it before?" I asked

"Yes lots of times" he spluttered

"Andrea lets call it quits there is too much bullshit here for my tastes" I said

"No, No I haven’t done it at all I just didn’t want you to think I was no good at it." Brian admitted.

"That’s more like it. Its my first time it may be Andrea’s first time if she decides to and its your first time nothing up with that at all." I explained. "But with it being your first time you are likely to be a bit quick off the mark and I want to time to enjoy it so me and Andrea are going to bring you off first and then take it slowly as there’s no rush."

I looked up at Andrea only to see her head disappear below the blankets and start working its way down his body. It stopped at his crotch then the covers started moving up and down suggestively. Brian closed his eyes and groaned, I bent over and kissed his nipples then sucked hard he groaned even more. I moved up his body and placed my boob at his mouth he sucked in the nipple sending pleasure through me and one hand grabbed my spare breast while his other wormed between my legs stroking first the outer lips then a finger diving in and stroking the sensitive inner surfaces. He started to come his mouth lost my breast and his hands were removed I kissed his mouth hard forcing my tongue into his mouth as he got there. Andrea re-emerged with a big grin on her face looking flushed and her hair dishevelled.

"That wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be" she said and kissed me on the lips I could taste the sperm as her tongue sought mine. Brian recovered a bit and started working on my body his hands caressing everywhere his lips working on my mouth neck and breasts my passion was building when his hand found my sex and he started manipulating my clitoris. He brought me to a fast orgasm and as I lay there recovering I could feel his hardness pressing into my hip his hand was on my knee spreading my legs. I took a deep breath I was trembling with fear and anticipation and raised my knees and spread my legs I could feel the lips of my pussy wet from my own excitement part slightly as I did this. Brian moved down our makeshift bed then came up between my legs stroking my inner thighs and pussy on the way up, he kissed my belly button and then as he started on my nipples I could feel his organ against my thigh.

"Go slowly and gently my love" I whispered to him my passion lost as pure fear and a sense of what the hell am I doing crept over me. Andrea must have seen this as she rolled close grabbing my hand with one hand and stroking my face with the other. He moved up my body the hot cock pressed against my labia and forced its way between the lips to bump my pubic bone and slide up between my lips over my swollen clitoris sending pleasure through me. I reached down between us and aimed him where he should be going. With small in and out movements and just a little pain and tearing he was fully in me I could feel his pubic hair against my lips, his testicles just tickling my buttocks but most of all was the sensation of being filled with this hot hard and yet so soft weapon, it caused pressure on places inside me and I squeezed my muscles on it, it felt so good to have something more than a finger resisting my pressure. I opened my eyes as Brian groaned and looked up to see him with his eyes closed resting on his hands above me I put my free hand around his neck and pulled him down to my lips. His weight crushed the breath from my small body and are lips met in passion. He started moving backward and forwards inside me while kissing me my pussy was tender but pleasure soon overcame any pain and my hips responded pushing back up towards his causing my clitoral area to bang against his pubic area.

"yes, oh yes" came from my mouth to be replaced as I got closer with "ugh, ugh ooh" I locked my feet behind his knees as I got closer and closer and screamed as my orgasm hit me my legs locking behind his and my back arched. He continued his pumping faster and faster now up on his hands again my whole body was being shaken and moved by the power of his thrusts I could feel my small breasts bouncing up and down to the rhythm of his beat. I was building up close to a second orgasm when I felt his organ appear to expand in side me I squeezed and felt him twitch he moved his hands to my shoulders trapping me as he gave a last few thrusts that hurt then I could feel him twitch repeatedly as his hot fluid filled my body. He fell on top of me again his weight restricting my breathing with him still inside me I kept squeezing my muscles hoping to get him hard again to finish off the second orgasm I had been cheated of. He slipped out of me his limp dick leaving a sticky cooling trail along the crease between my sex and my upper thigh. Our combined juices were running out of me along the crack of my buttocks and spreading out underneath me.

"I gotta pee" said Brian getting up without a kiss or anything and walking out the tent. I grabbed the tissues that I had in my bag and mopped up the worst of the damage, lots of fluid some blood and a rather tender pussy.

"I don’t want to do it tonight" said Andrea.

"That is your choice totally and utterly so don’t worry" I said

"I want to do it with Brian as soon as possible but for my first time I cant be second to anyone" she explained.

"Look how about tomorrow night after dinner the two of you can have a room with

a double bed on your own" I suggested

"No I would like you there Kathy I held your hand will you hold mine?"

"Of course" I said "but are you sure your ready, you can always leave it for a

bit"

"No I am ready" she told me firmly

Brian came back in and I made Andrea move over so I was in the middle and he got the wet spot which he lay in with just a few moans.

"Thank you for that it was great Kathy" he said

"Good I enjoyed it too but next time kiss me and say thank you before walking out stating gotta pee, you might get a better response then" I rolled over and hugged Andrea my back to him.

He rolled over and put his arm around me cupping a breast his nose in my hair

"I’m sorry it was just so good that my brain wasn’t working for a while after"

I turned my head and kissed him "Flattery will get you everywhere except tonight I am too sore for another round and Andrea wants to be first with you another day for her first time so try and get some sleep" He cuddled up behind me tight and tweaked the nipple on my breast that he cupped.

"No more tonight or you sleep outside" I warned him he moved his hand and we slept like that me holding Andrea, Andrea holding me and Brian holding me.

Morning came with the sound of birds and pain in my pussy Brian was hard again and jabbing at my pussy from behind despite the fact I was well lubricated I was tender and sore from the nights action.

"No Brian I’m too sore today" I said and he pulled out his penis was lying up between my buttocks. Andrea opened her eyes and smiled at me then kissed me our breasts meeting, Brian started moving up and down between my buttocks trying to get friction for his release my secretions prevented this friction and he slipped backwards and forwards till the bulbous head lodged against my anus. I tried to say no but Andrea’s mouth was locked on mine preventing me I tensed my rear muscles but as with last night he started jabbing a fraction further each time forcing the ring of muscle to admit him.

It hurt a lot as his head finally made its way in I broke off my kiss with Andrea.

"Oooooh" I murmured and a tear ran down my face

"What’s up" asked Andrea concern on her face.

"He’s, he’s in, ooooh nooo" as he steadily forced his way in to me "he’s in my bum" I gasped out quickly as he bottomed out with his hair against my buttocks. I felt like he had shoved a log up me and I had a tremendous urge to have a crap. He eased out then started back in firmly.

"oooh" I said again with the pain and a grunt from him.

"Do you want me to stop him?" Andrea asked

"No let him fini...oooo" he thrust in again. Andrea held me tight kissing my tears away, Brian’s hand reached around and first played with my breasts then his hand dropped to cup my pussy and start massaging it. The pain was still there and the humiliation but now some pleasure was arriving in my pussy thanks to his hand. Andrea kissed me on the lips I responded and she thrust her knee up between my legs moving Brian’s hand out of the way as Brian thrust she thrust and both her hand attached to my breasts. Pain was still there but pleasure was increasing his hands were on my shoulders rubbing my neck and shoulders as I thrust at Andreas leg I was assisting my own buggery but now I was beyond caring I approached my orgasm and shouted Brian’s tool expanded then fired into my bowels what felt like boiling fluid he stopped and deflated slipping out leaving me sobbing and sticky.

"I rolled over towards him and he kissed me thanking me repeatedly. I was going to tell him if he ever stuck his dick where it wasn’t invited again I would blow it off but I just hugged him. As Brian got dressed Andrea helped me clean up, in my bag she found a purple packet while getting some tissue for me.

"Ah I see you thought to pack some pads" she said and passed it to me.

I looked at it trying to figure out what she meant and opening it found a sanitary towel shaped in a v shape I stuck the sticky side in my knickers and found it was shaped the same way my panties were. I pulled them up and it felt like I was wearing a nappy. We had a brew and moved out it would only take a few hours to get home and I was determined to next use the toilet at home. Bob drove past after about an hour and was surprised to see us, up fifteen minutes later he came back with the tent and kit, all used tissues I knew were in my bag as I did not want him knowing what had gone on . The last half mile was taken at the rush, sod the guns I need the loo I shouted as I came into range brushing past Anne and Wendy I hit the loo downstairs. From both my front and rear some blood and Brian’s sperm escaped me but sat there I could honestly say I enjoyed it. I wiped and washed my ravaged areas flushed all my used tissues down the loo and changed my pad I then washed my hands and did the rounds of hello’s every delighted to see us except Trisha.

Over a late breakfast cooked by Anne I found out what had been going on while I had been enjoying myself. The radio contacts had increased with help from George we were now in contact with fifteen people including one transatlantic, our repeated broadcast was now AM as well which would allow more people to be able to understand it with simple radio equipment while our conversations were still single side band with increased power. Some of the hams out there were relaying the broadcast on other frequencies including George and Bernard. Trisha had been causing as much shit as she could and the biggest shit she had stirred was between John, Wendy and Bob.

Wendy and John had claimed the room opposite mine and Wendy’s and basically set up as a couple. This would have gone almost unnoticed except for Trisha’s keen nose and her full reports back to Bob about what they were up to, how wrong it was and shouldn’t he stop it as he was the responsible adult. Bob had gone barging up stairs to find John and Wendy in the act and dragged John off Wendy. Wendy drew a pistol and explained if he ever burst into her room again without knocking she would shoot him just to remind him.

She did promise that she would not try to kill him. An argument erupted and he was marched down stairs at gun point to Anne by Wendy still stark bollock naked. Anne convinced him to leave it for the moment though he was still huffing and puffing about it in a big brotherly way. I must admit the thought of John and Wendy caused flashes of jealousy for both parties to hit me but I couldn’t talk and I wasn’t about to let Bob start dictating to me.

I got rid of Brian, Andrea and Jenny then got John, Anne Wendy and Bob together in the kitchen the tension was evident all around.

"Right you lot now we have a situation here that I am not going to allow to continue. You lot decided I was The Boss Lady so if you don’t like what I have to say then you can have someone else. First Wendy you pull a gun on anyone else of our group when it is not a case of life and death I will personally ram it up your arse with a few people to hold you down."

She started protesting but I waved her quiet and fixed my eyes on Bob "What the hell gives you the right to start deciding how we live, less than a week ago you came traipsing up that drive starving and dehydrated with a sick kid." He started to protest I waved him quiet "you had no idea about the shit that was going on, you only had a vague idea about survival and no idea about weapons. While you were starving we were surviving and killing when necessary, but more importantly for your needs not killing when appropriate. We as in me and Wendy know we can trust each other when the shit hits the fan but we don’t know for sure about you lot" indicating the rest of them.

"We have invited each of you in and put our lives in your untested hands, are you Bob going to be able to shoot to kill when some sweet little thing looking like me with less clothes comes running up the drive with an Uzi? I don’t know, you don’t know till it happens, the rules have changed. Tomorrow we could all be dead and I feel that any person who bears arms for this community and is willing to lay down their life for this group has the right to make there own decisions as an adult. This also means that Wendy is entitled to as much privacy in her room as you and Anne are. Would you except me running into your room at the crucial moment of passion dragging you off saying what the hell do you think you are doing you can’t risk a kid at the moment" he stood there mouth flapping.

"You trust Wendy with heavy weapons to guard you and your family, you trust me against my wishes as Boss Lady and my decisions could cost all of us our lives but you have decided we are not old enough to decide on a lover, we can pump drugs into your child but deciding on a partner is beyond us does that make sense. This does not mean that you are not allowed to be concerned we don’t mind hearing advice but we wont always take it." I finished and silence descended.

After a few minutes digesting this, the tension was relived slightly, I made every one kiss or shake hands and make up and then I announced I was jumping in the bath.

As I made my way up stairs Wendy caught my arm "Look I didn’t want you to find

out like this about me and John"

"Wendy relax enjoy yourself I love you dearly with all my heart and I don’t deny there was a little flash of jealousy but it was as much for you with John as John with you. Besides my big sister your not the only one who’s been experimenting and its fun isn’t it?"

She stood there shocked for a moment then laughed "You little tart one night

with young Brian alone and you corrupt the poor little thing"

"Well look who’s talking did you trip him and beat him to the floor" we hugged

each other "to be honest I think my feelings towards you are probably more

sisterly than anything else"

"I know but we are friends always no matter what yes?" I agreed and walked up to find Andrea who was on the roof, I grabbed her hand and took her into my room all Wendy’s things had gone and Anne had filled my wardrobes with all sorts of things that she and Wendy had got for me.

"Do you fancy sharing a room with me?" I asked her

"Don’t you mind?"

"Well you don’t snore and your great at keeping a bed warm so I think I don’t

mind" I joked

"Well if you are sure"

"The question kid is if you can put up with me, I have another confession to make as long as you speak every night and visit as often as possible your mum says you can stay for a couple of weeks and if you can put up with us I think we could swing it longer, but its up to you" she was bouncing up and down and hugging me I kept reassuring her that I was serious.

I jumped in the shower to clean off my stink from the night before and was getting dry when Andrea emerged out of the shower.

"What can I put on I don’t know where mum left my clean clothes" I shouted John off the roof knowing he would be there with Wendy and sticking my head out of the door asked him to ask Anne about Andrea’s clothes. A few minutes later Anne appeared with a bundle of things.

"I’m sorry I should have thought" started Andrea

"Don’t be so silly its no problem" said Anne "Your not another one like Kathy who keeps apologising are you?"

"Yes" I said

"But she’s got better taste in clothes than you" Anne joked back.

"But she’s got gorgeous things" said Andrea in my defence.

"But the problem is Andrea that only those jeans and tops at the far left are

what Kathy wanted and is willing to wear the rest is done behind her back by me

and Wendy this is the first she’s seen of it" Anne explained

"But she would look fantastic in these its not as if she looks like me" her face fell Anne was on it in a second "what’s all this about?"

I explained the situation and that Anne had another problem child on her hands.

"Look Andrea I know exactly how you feel" she dropped her dress with one

movement

"Kathy here is fantastic but until you’ve got the weight on you don’t know how hard it is to lose it" patting her stomach and bum while standing there in bra panties and shoes.

"Here’s the deal you and Kathy help me keep to a diet, Kathy and me help you and you and me can get Kathy dressing as she should be. But you have to help me get rid of this gut and bum do you agree?" Andrea nodded.

"To be fair on Andrea she doesn’t stand much chance at home, Muriel’s great but

it’s all pork chops, sausages and bacon and don’t waste food. Trisha has been a

major factor in Andrea’s problems as well something I am going to have to deal

with later today when I am presentable"

At this the two of them started fishing through the clothes so kindly acquired for me looking at me and discussing between themselves. Some clothing appeared on the bed none of which I particularly approved of.

"Get some knickers and a bra on" said Anne I reached in my drawer and came out with a black bra and panties.

"No, no this is what I have to put up with Andrea" said Anne

"What?" I shouted

"Look at what you will be wearing" I looked and saw a black skirt a pink top with matching cardigan.

"So?"

"Look your wearing a light top so the black bras fine if you don’t mind the whole world seeing also I would choose some panties that cover up a bit more than those" Andrea explained.

I found a pale pink bra and panty set as usual with the things Anne chose it was mainly lace held together by a pattern, and slipped them on. I was getting comfortable with putting on a bra I still had problems wearing one as bits seemed to constantly twist stick in and roll up on me.

Next the skirt it was black and mid thigh with two small slits one up each side and my pale legs appeared below, then the pink knitted t shirt as all these things it was clingy. Finally the matching cardigan was placed in my hands and I slipped it on buttoning it up all the way immediately.

"No undo the buttons just wear it loose" Anne told me and passed me a pair of denim sandals with a high chunky heel.

I slipped these on and glanced at my self.

"I can’t go around dressed like this" I pleaded

"Why not" Andrea asked me

"The skirts to short the tops to tight my legs will show and I will freeze" I

told them

"The only thing that I agree with you slightly with are your legs" said Anne she fished in one of my drawers "you need to get some sun on those legs put these on and passed me a pair of tights, I glanced at the packet bamboo colour not that it meant anything to me. I slid them up my legs and ended up with the crotch around my knees.

Anne giggled "get that skirt off a minute and come here" she said and she showed me how to gradually work them up my legs till they were snug and tight against my crotch.

"Haven’t you worn tights before?" asked Andrea

"Before last week no" I said

I put on my skirt conscious of how much finer these tights were and as my legs rubbed together as I put on the sandals again I was sure I could hear a swish, swish noise as my legs rubbed together. I was just ready to go down when I was told to sit down and Anne and Andrea attacked my face with tweezers first then all manner of tubes, bottles and brushes. When they finished my skin felt caked I could feel the lipstick on my lips and smell it until I was hit with the perfume.

Andrea then got dressed and Anne attacked her with the make up which she appeared to enjoy then dosed her with perfume. Down in the kitchen was Brian looking bored till he saw us.

"You two look great" he said and we sat down either side of him moments after we sat down his hand was on my nylon covered knee stroking it. As I talked to Anne his hand moved up my leg stroking my inner thigh under my skirt I was enjoying it, I was wet and when Anne disappeared for a moment I pulled his hand out that was now touching my knickers.

"Not at the moment" I told him

"Why?" he asked

"Because now is not the time and if you push it I will stand up and shout loudly

but Brian that’s not a big surprise its just a little dick" I warned him

His hand left me I grabbed it back and placed it back on my knee as I was enjoying it I just didn’t want him to push it.

Anne returned and I asked Brian and Andrea to check on the animals. When they had left I turned to Anne "OK what do we do about Little Miss Sunshine?"

"Trisha I don’t know" she answered "While you were away she hasn’t got off her bum except to eat or stir shit I have asked her repeatedly to help in the kitchen but had no success."

"Ok lets go and visit our problem" I said.

At her room I knocked on the door and got no answer I knocked again and a mumbled reply could just be heard. I walked in exactly what I had warned Bob off doing.

"What are you doing in my room? I didn’t say you could come in" came a moan from the bed.

"Listen Trisha your room is twenty five miles that way you want it then go otherwise this is my room and you are tolerated. But you stir shit or you sit on your fucking arse all day doing fuck all then you can get out and starve. This is a community your little stories in peoples ears cause grief within my community and you bone idleness means that others will have to do more it don’t work that way get off your fat bum get to work or go."

"You shouldn’t talk like that" she came back with quickly "I’m going to tell,

I’m not going to work in a stupid kitchen because you have to be stupid to do

that and am not leaving"

"Bob" I shouted Bob arrived shortly "Sorry to drag you away from whatever but Little Miss here wants to tell you I have been using naughty words like fucking lazy arse doing fuck all and fat bum she wants to tell you how wrong it is for a little girl like me to use such language any comments about this?"

"As long as your not pointing a pistol at me shouting don’t fucking move none at

all Boss I didn’t like the gun thing when we first met" he said

"Stick around you might see some more and hear some more" I suggested "Anne you’re the next oldest here have you any comments about it?"

"Use it at a formal dinner and you don’t get fed but that’s it" she said

"Well what are you going to do to make me go, shoot me?" asked Trisha.

"It worked with the last unwanted guests" I told her

"Well I don’t believe there is any one in that grave I think it is empty" she

threw back at me. "You and your sister are just lying sluts and I am not going

to fall for it like everyone else has"

This is my opening shock therapy I thought "Anne take high guard Bob find John

and get two shovels from the tool shed"

I made Bob and John open the grave at the end where their heads would be Wendy stopped Trisha wandering off and made her look. The first uncovered face was the man that Wendy shot followed by Frank then my attacker I introduced Trisha to them all personally till she ran off and vomited repeatedly Bob was looking pale John was fine though. The bodies were covered and I led Trisha into the kitchen she wasn’t traumatised but she was a lot quieter than normal.

"Did you kill them all?" Trisha asked me.

"No just the bottom one he was trying to rape me. I pulled a gun on him and he didn’t believe I could use it." I explained while holding her trembling hand.

"The one in the middle was murdered by those two they cut his throat and the top

one we had let go but he wouldn’t leave and kept telling us what he was going to

do to us so Wendy killed him"

"I thought you were just talking big" Trisha said.

"No love the world has fallen to shit and we are stuck in the middle. There is

no help coming from London because most of London has gone, America is as bad if

not worse everywhere is in the same boat"

Her tears were flowing now. "What about Mummy and Daddy?" She asked her face a

mask of anguish

"I don’t know the gangs were moving people into the Newcastle area but for what reason I don’t know also there where a lot of casualties from the army against so called looters. If we can find out anything I will let you know and if we can do anything we will." I promised.

Wendy led the weeping girl away and Anne turned to me "That was rather rough on her wasn’t it?"

"What do you want me to do? As she was, she was destroying this small group. I

could have sent her home to die, possibly I should have just kicked her out and

let her end up wherever but I couldn’t that left me with two choices rough

emotionally or rough physically. I chose emotionally which may have worked" I

snapped at Anne

"But that game with the bodies, was that necessary?" Anne asked

"She didn’t believe the rules had changed she was still working to the fact that everyone has the protection of family, friends and community all held together by laws from the state. For the moment all we can count on is family and friends until communities start fighting back against the shit that’s happening as a group, as individually they will fade and die." I told her.

"From now on we live in a world where shit happens and us working as a group is the only thing that will minimise the amount of shit that happens to us."

For the rest of the day I was in the wrong with everyone to a certain extent and my own indignation I felt was righteous so I wasn’t going to run around apologising to everyone. The meal that night went smoothly Muriel, Tom and Andrea loved it even Trisha made an effort I just made sure I was pleasant to everyone though my heart and my mind where elsewhere. I had questions in my mind this community was almost a dictatorship, what right did I have to lead these people and what right did I have to order them about. That night as Andrea lost her virginity to Brian I slept alone in my room one of the few sleeping alone that night.

The shopping trip the next day went almost without incident, the only situation was encountering one gang of lads but with some swift driving by Tom we were out of range before they even had time to properly notice us, a few shots dissuaded pursuit.

Maybe they had spotted us on our second "Shopping Trip" or maybe we were just in the direction they were heading but two days after Tom and Muriel headed back home we had a shout from the roof from John, while I was in the front.

"Hey we have company" he shouted

"What’s it look like?" expecting more stragglers from the towns.

"I count seven, eight no twelve people heading this way there armed....all armed and young, they’re all wearing something red as well" He shouted down. Shit I thought our first gang.

"Brian, Brian get the horses in the stable block. Wendy take the roof John you

and Bob get the second GPMG on the roof with full ammo. Everyone else kit up and

get a stock of ammo at hand I don’t want to fight but if I have to I will. Anne

get Sarah and Jenny into one of the back rooms on the top floor as if they

attack from the back they have no cover and should be easy to take out"

"Trisha, Trisha" she came running without the look of scorn on her face for once.

"Ammunition runner and loader. Start with as many SA80 magazines as you can and do half a dozen 9 mm for me." I had two spare magazines for my Berettas but I wanted more.

Brian had just finished stabling the horses "Brian roof take one of the GPMGs, Andrea upstairs other one."

I ran in the kitchen and bolted the door I did the same with the front door. I

headed up to the roof Wendy was supervising the other machine gun being set up

when it was done I grabbed Bob and John

"Downstairs stick a claymore on the front and back door also one across the

dining room patio warn Anne and Trisha then take post at the second floor

windows one each side" I explained

"What’s happening out there now Wendy?" I asked

"They are coming closer each side of the drive working the cover but I can see

them" she said

"Can you drop a couple of rounds in the center of the road level with the

nearest but close enough together so they don’t think it’s an accident?" I

enquired

The SLR fired three times "Yes I think that got their attention" Wendy replied.

The group retreated back the way they came.

After a few minutes a single figure possibly 15 or sixteen years old walked towards us waving a white object.

"Nobody fires no matter what until I say so?" I shouted.

The figure got within the edge of the car park and I shouted out "That’s far enough what can I do for you?"

"Can I speak to someone in charge?" he asked

"You are, talk or walk" I shouted.

"You are living in an area that we have decided is part of our turf since the breakdown. You will lay down all your weapons and leave or we will take this place by force and kill you." He shouted.

"I need a little time to tell my dad is that ok?" I shouted down.

"Tell your Dad he has half an hour" he turned and walked off.

"Ok ladies and gentlemen you heard the boy we can fight or we can run" I shouted

so all could hear downstairs as well "Lets call the roll sing out your answer"

"Bob" I asked

"Fight" came the answer

"Anne" I asked

"Fight" came the answer

"John" I asked

"Fight" came the answer

"Wendy" I asked

"Fight" came the answer

"Brian" I asked

"Fight" came the answer

"Trisha" I asked

"Er Fight" came the answer

"Andrea" I asked

"Fight it could be Mum and Dad next" came the answer

"It is unanimous then good luck all of you I am going to record a last broadcast and set it playing, Trisha bring my ammunition up here." I told her.

I ran down to the dining room and grabbed the dictation machine,

"This is New Delphi Radio this is an emergency broadcast as of fourteen hundred

hours

New Delphi is under siege by a large gang we have been given thirty minutes to surrender and by a unanimous vote my friends and I have decided to stay and fight for those of you near us do not under any circumstances approach New Delphi you can do nothing to help us If we survive we will make a new broadcast as soon as we can until that time I say thank you to all the people we know as our friends and the many who listen without the ability to talk to us. Do not let these people who have descended into barbarism be the last dying gasp of our civilization. Power is in cooperation, friendship and order rather than in hate and chaos if we do not speak again good luck to you all and take care spread the news. This is Radio New Delphi and me The Oracle out."

I set the dictation machine onto repeat and plugged it in I headed up to the roof again.

"What’s the situation?" I asked Wendy

"Some movement but not a lot" she said

The figure appeared again with the white flag, and walked up to the edge of the car park again.

"Is your dad there little girl" he shouted

"No he’s busy" I shouted back

"Did you tell him what I said?" he asked

"Did I tell him what he’s busy?" I shouted down

"That we have three hundred and fifty men who will attack unless you surrender"

He shouted back very exasperated

"Oh yes" I said

"Well" he replied

"Well what?" I answered

"What did he say" He was getting irritated

"Your not a man you’re a boy" I laid on the little girl voice thick

"What did he say" he was really annoyed

"About your message" I asked him

"Yes" he screamed

"He said you can go and fuck yourself" I shouted down

He just stood there for a moment mouth open

"What?" he said

"Are you thick as well as ugly and no fashion sense?" I asked him

"What do you mean" he shouted back

"No one wears red head scarves nowadays they look stupid" I told him

"Is there someone else I can talk to?" he enquired

"No dads busy" I said

"Busy doing what?" he asked

"Something" I said

"And you told him" he asked again

"Yes" I said

"And what did he say" his voice full of confusion

"He said he did not have time for you and your little friends at the moment and

you can go and fuck yourselves" I explained

He wandered off with the flag and about ten minutes later two of them came back with the flag.

"Little girl" the new one shouted

"I’m not" I shouted back. There was a pause.

"Not what" came his voice

"I’m not little I’m nearly eleven" I shouted back trying not to laugh

"Well young lady" he shouted

"Kathy" I answered

"What?" Came the voice

"My names Kathy" I said

"Well Kathy can you go and get your dad?" the new one asked

"Ok" I said and moved out of view. Trisha came up with handfuls of magazines.

"There all filled Kathy I am just sharing them around" she whispered

"Good" I whispered back "I don’t know how long I can delay them now"

I stood up again and walked where they could see me.

"Hello" I shouted "are you still there?"

"Yes we are" came the second voice

"Sorry I thought you might have got fed up and gone" I told them

"Well we haven’t" he said "is your dad there?"

"No" I answered

"Why" came the pained voice

"Why what?" I asked again

"Why isn’t your dad there" he was getting angry now

"Because he is busy silly" I said in my best little girl voice

"Busy doing what?"

"Just busy is what he said"

"Did you tell him what we said?"

"Yes he said you and your little friends couldn’t play here today"

"Is there someone else we can talk to instead of your dad"

"There’s me"

"Oh no one else?"

"No"

"And you told your dad our message"

"Yes"

"And what did he say"

"I told the other one"

"I know will you tell me please"

"He said he had no time for you and your little friends at the moment he is busy

and you can go and fuck yourselves"

"Oh"

The two of them walked of back up the drive with much animated conversation.

"Well that should confuse them a bit hopefully they will be a bit careless.

Right when they come if they are in the open everyone hold your fire till Wendy

starts then the GPMGs start at the back and work forwards SA80s single shot pick

you targets if they get too close go fully automatic SLRs shoot at will

understood"

I got responses from every one.

"What’s happening now Wendy" I asked as she had the binoculars

"Five or six of them seem to be arguing about the best way of doing this. I

think they are

coming up the drive." She said



"Ok every one this is it don’t fire till Wendy does" I told them "Good luck all

keep your heads down"

A mass of bodies was approaching perhaps seventy in all armed with everything from sticks and axes to hand guns and a scattering of rifles. They started firing well out of range for the weapons they had.

"Hold your fire wait for Wendy" I said I took aim with the SA80.

At about two hundred and fifty yards Wendy opened up and a man in the front fell. Then the two machine guns roared zig zaging through the mass of bodies from front to back. A figure with a hand gun pointed towards us came into my sights I fired and he slumped another boy I fired again and again and again. The whole first encounter could have only lasted three minutes before they retreated, bodies were everywhere some moving others not, only a dozen could have escaped.

"How is every one any casualties sing out your names" I shouted

"Bob fine" came a voice from down stairs

"John Ok" again from down stairs

"Anne I’m here" from behind me

"Andrea I’m alive" from my left

"Trisha Ok" from behind me

"Brian ok Boss Lady" from my right

"I’m ok too sis" said Wendy from my right

"What do you think they will do next?" I asked Wendy

"If they have any brains wait until dark but I doubt it" she said.

We sat there waiting for about an hour in which time Anne checked the kids and Brian checked on Lucy.

Wendy was watching with the binoculars "Hey kids we have action in he bushes left and right of the drive they are trying to sneak a small group down."

"Ok on my word Brian you hit the left hand bushes, Andrea the right hand bushes the road should be a pretty inhospitable place with the two streams of bullets crossing it Wendy targets of opportunity as you see them shoot them rest of you don’t even try. Every one clear?"

A chorus of yes came from around me

"Ok on three one, two, three" The roar of the GPMGs started as they strafed the bushes sweeping backwards and forwards across the bushes bodies fell out some tried to run but the two streams of death and Wendy caught them all, again all movement ceased. How many died there I don’t know but the sound of someone screaming in pain drifted over to us.

Behind me I could hear Anne sobbing "Cant we ..."she started

"No it is a simple them or us they get killed or we do" I said "however much I hate it."



There was another sound now the sound of car engines from the top of the drive.

Two cars appeared at the top of the drive a large blue Volvo and a red Ford

Capri tucked in tight behind people were hanging out the window of each of them

aiming weapons and firing.



"Andrea front one Brian rear one I shouted rest of you fire at will" again the two large guns hammered out death the windscreen on the Volvo shattered and even in the fading light and with the distance black holes could be seen appearing in the Volvos bodywork each circled by a little silver halo of bright metal. The Volvo stopped the engine smoking and three bodies dived from it one was hit by the oncoming Ford diving around the first car the body going high in the air rolling over the roof and hitting the ground hard as for the other two Wendy’s rifle spoke twice and two men no more than children really died running. The second car was now receiving the attention of both machine guns but it kept coming closer and closer I took aim at one of the figures in the window I switched to fully automatic fired and the figure danced and slumped I emptied the rest of the magazine into the car I grabbed another magazine dropped the empty one and rammed the new one in with one smooth movement, well practiced thanks to Wendy’s drilling. I took aim again this time at the hole that was at one time a windscreen I aimed at the right hand side where the driver would be hidden in the dark and gave a quick burst. The car swerved then skidded violently into a one hundred and eighty degree spin its rear ended up pointed towards us I emptied the rest of the magazine into the back window.

"Cease fire, Hold your fire" I shouted eventually everyone did a little trickle of smoke was appearing from the car but no one emerged.

"What do you think next Wendy?" I shouted to her.

"Personally I think it will be wait till until dark before they come again." She

replied

"Well if they can make the way through the cover at the side of the road before we know it they could be on us" I said. "ok John when it gets dark enough do you fancy going for a walk down there?"

Objections flew from all sides at this I quieted them down "Look Bob is not

going neither is Anne, Trisha and Andrea don’t know the Claymore’s and if we

want to survive I want Wendy up here covering us so by a process of elimination

that leaves John and me I would leave John here but we need to cover both sides

of the road and I don’t fancy crossing the road down there sorry John" I said

"Don’t worry I don’t mind playing silly games as long as it doesn’t become a habit" he smiled the tension clear in his face.

"Ok four Claymore’s each first one as near to them as possible then spread them down back through the bushes then straight back here.

Soot was used to black us up my hair as well was covered and I put on one of the thick Black jumpers from my first shopping trip I kept one of my pistols and had one magazine in each of my pockets, carrying that number of the clumsy objects without them clanking was solved by Bob who using tie wraps attached them to two leather belts passed over my shoulder a bit of string at the front and back stopped them slipping off my shoulders clumsy but it worked I then placed a sheath knife on my belt from our shopping trip with Tom.

"Ok" I said "lets move before I need the toilet again."

I took the right hand side John went around the back of the house to take the left he had argued that he should take my side with less cover but I told him there was less of me to hide and to shut his gob.

To the left of me was the Ford Capri an orange glow in the back indicating something was burning slowly but the light created more shadows I skirted along the fence keeping low till I reached the near end of the bushes. I then started crawling there were bodies here and not all of them where dead some one up ahead had a bad chest wound the bubbling in each breath could be heard and the wheeze as he tried to grab a breath. I spotted the noisy casualty his eyes were closed so I carried on a hand grabbed my foot.

"You" came the bubbling voice "Girl, roof"

It was the first man, well boy who demanded our surrender. He was getting agitated. I turned around and leant on his mouth with my hand. He struggled with what strength he had left and I knelt across him with my legs astride his chest, feeling the blood soak into my jeans, and my knees on his arms. I removed the knife from its sheath and placed it just up from the top of his breastbone by about two inches keeping my hand on his mouth I leant forward on the knife feeling it cut through the skin then the resistance as it hit the gristle and cartilage of the windpipe and finally the tendons cutting as the wider part of the blade entered his neck. His body started to buck and kick a bit under me as I did this and I waited till all movement ceased before removing my hand and then the knife who’s resistance sickened me as I pulled it out. Deciding I could throw up all I wanted later I carried on forwards till I could see the edge of the cover further up the road I could hear massed voices trying to work themselves up with shouting and cans of beer and bottles. I set up the first claymore my only problem being the fact that my knife was slick with the boys blood. The second and third were easy the fourth slipped.

"Who’s there" came a voice. I froze.

"What’s up" came a second

"Heard something out there" he said

"Probably one of those poor bastards dying. Don’t worry it will be them inside

dying next come on grab a drink before we move" said the second

I waited a minute for them to move out and set up the fourth, time to get back as fast as possible they are going to attack any time. I took the direct route back the house was dark so I shouldn’t show up against it, a second dark figure approached me from the left it was John he smiled and gave me a thumbs up I could see the SA80 still slung over his shoulder had picked up some bits of bush and he had a few scratches on his face.

Then the shit hit the fan. The Capri in front of us exploded in a ball of flame leaving us totally exposed. Shouts came from behind us and shots started to land around us. The glowing lights of tracer swept over our heads seeming to miss us by inches and a car engine could be heard.

I looked around and John was gone looking back I could see he was aiming at the approaching car the SA80 flashed a few times and he looked at me.

"Move it to cover" He screamed.

I reached the Volvo in seconds and grabbed the pistol and started firing at the car.

"Move your fucking arse" I screamed "I can’t cover you all fucking day. Move it John" He turned and ran fumbling for another magazine as he ran he slowed as he approached me.

"Keep moving then cover me and I will run" I shouted.

The GPMGs had found the car and flashes of tracer were mixed in with sparks where they hit I took aim at the figures in the dark I couldn’t see them properly. A flash of light lit up the right hand side of the drive followed by the sound of the explosion about a second later but the flash had given me targets I fired five times and the pistol clicked on the sixth. Johns rifle started cracking I heard him shout and ran. I could see him about a quarter of the way to the house I dropped the empty clip from the pistol and pulled one out of my front right hand pocket and rammed it home I reached the half way mark just past the Capri which was well alight and turned and crouched.

"Right move it" I shouted at him he turned and ran another explosion lit up the right hand side of the drive one of Johns this time I started firing at the approaching mass of bodies and John passed me fitting a new magazine on the way again I chose my targets carefully taking the nearer ones until John joined in and I emptied the pistol into whatever was moving. Front right hand pocket another magazine I slammed it in the pistol as I approached John at about the quarter distance mark and he fell over I dived for him.

"My leg" he said "someone got my leg. You go"

"Bullshit" I replied and fired a couple of shots without looking properly two more explosions lit the night.

"I don’t give a fuck about your leg you have two lean on me" I screamed at him. He managed to get up using the SA80 and using the rifle and myself we approached the door I kept turning and firing the bodies where close now as was the door 50 yards, 45 yards, 40 yards drop the old clip slam the new one in and Johns body hit me from the side bowling me over and landing across my lower legs. We were only 30 yards from the front door Anne’s face appeared firing a SA80 she saw us down on the floor.

"Don’t you fucking move" I screamed at her. I scrabbled around for my pistol my hand touched my upper leg I could feel a hole with blood oozing from it strange I thought it didn’t hurt. I found the pistol the attackers were now as close as the door I fired at the nearest taking him down and repeated this till the pistol was empty I rolled slightly to get the last full clip and my leg suddenly started hurting I cried out in pain but got it out. I could see Anne at the door starting to come out to me.

"Don’t you fucking dare. Get back in now" I shouted she ignored it the hail of bullets around me intensified and as she got within 10 yards of me her body was thrown back by the force of a bullet hitting her. I turned back to the action the tracer fire was now raining down on the massed bodies one man was upon me with his pistol pointed at Anne’s body.

I placed the pistol in his crotch and fired, he fell backwards his hands at his crotch I picked out my targets carefully taking the closest bodies till the pistol was empty.

Grasping the pistol I looked there were less of them now a lot less I dropped the pistol and started scrabbling towards the SA80 that John had dropped his weight hampered me as did the pain in my leg I caught the strap with my fingers and grasped it and turned to find two people within ten foot I fired the rifle on fully automatic and caught both of them across the chest the rifle stopped and as I was trying to figure out how to get another magazine something hit me and threw me backwards into the ground.

I woke up to light I was in a bed and a voice "Shh, relax, sleep" I knew I had something to do but what, oh shit the attack.

I sat up and pain shot through my legs, my chest and my side. I cried out in pain.

"Lie down again" came Trisha’s voice I turned my head and saw her standing there her face pale and her eyes red.

"What’s going on? What happened with the attack? What are you doing here? What am I doing here?" I demanded as my head cleared slightly.

"I am here as a nurse, you are my patient and we won we saw them off. Now will

you lie down"

"No what’s the situation. How is Anne, how is John" I screamed at her.

"Bob and Wendy are leading harrying attacks on them using a Land Rover, driving within range for Wendy to take out a few then retreating. Just to make sure they are going the right way. Anne took one round in the arm she is in the kitchen organizing some food with Andrea and Muriel" she said.

"What the hell’s Muriel doing here I told them to stay away" I asked her.

"We have seven farmers there wives and farm hands who turned up Tom organized them they saved our lives they where on us when they led an attack from over the fields with a second force attacking they ran" she explained.

"And John?" I asked

"Wendy had him on the table operating for an hour and a half before he died" her

face broke into a mass of tears "he had been hit seven times in all the damage

was just too great"

I sat there uncomprehending for a moment it not sinking in "Wendy operated on him?"

"Yes then you and then Anne" she said

"I have to get up and find out what is going on what time is it?" I asked

"It’s about four in the afternoon you have been out cold all night and day but you cant get up" she told me.

I threw the covers back with my hand that worked properly and noticed bandaged on both my legs and slid my bum around to drop my legs over the edge of the bed.

Trisha ran out screaming for Anne to come quickly.

"What the hell do you think your doing?" came Anne’s voice from the door.

"Getting up I can’t lie here all day" I looked at her, her face was white she was wearing a sling which one arm lay in.

"You can and you will" she said.

"Like hell they could be regrouping I need to be up and about to see what’s

going on." I told her

"Look you arrested twice on the table last night you have four holes in you from bullets and a drain going into your chest." She shouted back.

"I am getting up no matter what you say, help me or leave." I gave her an ultimatum.

She changed tack "Look if you wait there I will get a couple of the big blokes to get you in a chair and they will carry you through to the dining room is that ok?"

"They can carry me outside and grab a pistol for me" I told her.

Trisha was fussing around me like a mother hen, when Anne returned with three large young men all in their early twenties.

"This is Mathew, Mark and Luke" she said "they are the sons of one of our

neighbors Simon Thompson they will carry you around for the moment but the

moment you are told to you go back to bed understood"

"No, where is my pistol?" I demanded.

One of the dining room chairs with arms was brought through and Anne put a blanket on it. Two of the men lifted me up carefully and sat me down in it, the pain causing me nearly to call it quits. The blanket was wrapped around me and Trisha returned with a pistol and I was carried head tilted back between the three men.

Outside a scene of utter carnage greeted me three burnt out cars where out there the nearest being on the car park, bodies lay everywhere as did bits of bodies a few people working in pairs were carrying these bodies to a pile being built in one of the fields two men were collecting wood.

I saw a face I recognized Tom and Harry with him carrying a body between them I waved and Tom came over, dropping the body, with a face like thunder.

"What the bloody hell do you thin you are doing" he screamed at me "when I

carried you in last night you where nearly dead. Your sister said you tried to

die a couple of times on her as well, so what in gods name are you doing out

here"

I cried big heart wrenching sobs he stared saying don’t worry come on now stop.

Harry turned up and Anne and Muriel appeared.

"Boss shouted and she cried" said Harry when Anne asked what was going on. The two women turned on Tom and I grasped his hand shaking my head and Anne insisted I was carried in.

Tom, Anne and Muriel accompanied me and my bearers into the dining room.

When my sobs ran dry Anne grasped my hand.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"No I failed" I said

"What do you mean failed" said Tom, Muriel shook her head to quieten him.

"I was the boss it was my job to keep you all safe and now you are hurt" I

indicated Anne "and my stupidity killed John"

"Bullshit" came from Tom "I have counted at least one hundred and ninety six bodies out there for the loss of one man and two casualties one minor Anne and one serious you.

That is not a failure it is a fucking miracle. You had seven people what can you

expect" he finished

"I shouldn’t have decided on the mines, or I should have gone out alone, or I should have sent someone more able to help him, to get back with him" I said.

"You are talking crap woman" he started shouting at me again "you crawled out

there with the mines. The things that saved you all from the number of bodies

up there and then on the way back dragged a wounded man dam near to the door

before you were hit and then kept on firing till you ran out of ammunition" his

voice softened "there was nothing else you could do at all. There was nothing

left for you to do and I had to pry the rifle out of your fingers which was

empty so I know you kept it up till the end"

"But it was you who saved us" I said

"Crap. From the range we started firing the shotguns no one would have been hit we just scared them a bit with flashes and noise" he insisted and walked off.

I was left there for an hour with Anne and Muriel fussing over me when the dining room door opened with a bang.

"What the fucking hell do you think your playing at" shouted Wendy "I cant

afford to lose you as well why are you out of bed"

"I’m sorry" I said "I tried to do everything I could to bring him back to you but I couldn’t. I’m so sorry" I broke into tears again.

"I know you did, I know you did" she hugged me "I was on the roof I could see you struggling with him I tried to cover you but they just kept coming to fast, I saw you both hit and you lying there shooting to protect the two of you, I couldn’t shoot them fast enough I was reloading as you grabbed his rifle and took out those two nearest you and I was taking aim when the third one hit you I was too slow. It was my fault I was too slow and then trying to save John you nearly died. I am sorry" we held each other crying for a while as Wendy got back her composure.

"Right why have they let you out of bed?" she asked

"Because I threatened to walk here myself if they didn’t" I told her

"Look you took two bullets in the legs one straight though your side and one in

the upper chest, you have a broken collar bone and the chest wound caused an

almost fatal Pneumothorax. You have also lost a shit load of blood and are being

held together by my sewing. Finally if you pull our that chest drain you are

going to be so sorry as I put it back in." she said firmly

"Look I will sit here like a good little thing I promise not to move round too

much is that ok with you" I wheedled

"Yes ok" she said

"Can you send Tom back in please" I asked she glared at me.

A few minutes later Tom returned "You feeling a bit better now then?"

"Not really I need to ask you a couple of things. What is the situation with their wounded?"

"I made sure personally there were no wounded if you get my drift" he said.

"Thank you, I do. That is one thing I don’t have to worry about. Second can you arrange for a couple of the men to dig a grave for John this side of the road away from the others?" my eyes where filling with tears again.

"Yes" he said his voice full of emotion.

"Finally in his room you should find his Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers uniform can you ask Muriel to clean it up and if you can dress him in it for tomorrow morning?" the tears where flowing down my face now.

"Yes" he said his voice trembling and left me to my tears.

I got the three brothers to carry me over to the radio and picked up the dictation machine it was still recording from the previous night.

"This is Radio New Delphi. This is The Oracle, we have survived. Will broadcast at 8 pm out". A simple message to stop them worrying.

At six o’clock Anne and Wendy came to get me ready for dinner not that I felt like eating, my dressings were changed and I was washed and make up put on. The dress was too large and black so it could go over the bulky dressings the color meaning if blood did soak through the dressings it would not show up. At half seven Muriel, Anne, Andrea Trisha, Wendy and me went into the dining room all those who came to help where there all dressed as Bob had driven around the farms to get them ready. Introductions were made kisses exchanged and names given. I interrupted this surreal situation.

"Ladies and Gentlemen I know you are all hungry but before we eat I would like

to make a broadcast to the people who are concerned out there"

I was again carried over to the Radio I disconnected the dictator and plugged in the mike I hit the red button and the Morse went out.

"This is Radio New Delphi transmitting on 7.1 megahertz. I am The Oracle. As of early yesterday afternoon New Delphi was attacked by a force in excess of three hundred gang members in fierce fighting one hundred and ninety six of these lost there lives. During the fighting Private John Jenkins of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers known as Apollo to our listeners was killed defending what he believed was right. That name again was John Jenkins age 19 if anyone out there has knowledge of this brave mans family tell them he died with honor and at 9 am tomorrow he will be buried with honor by the people who loved him." I broke down in tears at this point.

Tom took the mike. "You don’t know me out there you may have heard my name mentioned I am Tom, a farmer hear about and I came with fifteen men to try and help here but arrived too late to do much more than scare the survivors. We found a group of eight people led by a girl no more than fourteen had held off a force of about three hundred and fifty men. Yes John Jenkins was killed during a dangerous plan to lay mines within feet of the enemy, but in this plan, led by this young girl, The Oracle as she is known, they succeeded in planting the mines and almost made it back. He was hit in the leg and The Oracle helped him back nearly to the door when both of them where hit. She then defended him with a pistol and rifle until her ammunition ran out another young woman here mother of a young child Hera as you know her came out shooting to help them but was hit."

"With all her ammunition gone Your Oracle was hit a further twice once very seriously.

When we arrived the second line of men scared off what few of the gang remained. After the battle Athena the sister of The Oracle no more than fifteen years old operated for an hour and a half to try and save John before he died, she then worked for more than an hour to save her sisters life her heart stopped twice. She then repaired a bullet wound in Hera’s arm".

"Tonight these seven people who were eight till last night are concerned about

the hospitality for the guests who arrived late. Your Oracle, despite the fact

that sixteen hours ago she was being operated on was worried that people out

there might be concerned and in making the broadcast just has broken down into

tears. I Thomas Allrenshaw do state that if any one out there feels these tears

tonight of any of these people are a sign of weakness they will have me to deal

with after I have finished helping with the disposal of two hundred bodies, and

you better pray is me who deals with you because god help anyone out there who

is against her. Now she will talk later because she hasn’t eaten today and I am

not carrying her back here till she has, as she cannot walk at the moment. I am

saying these things because this group will not talk about their acts just the

acts of their lost friend I feel the world should know. What is it she always

says spread the news tell the people this is Radio New Delphi out. Can this be

repeated like the normal ones. Good"

I was carried back to the head of the table to applause Tom sat next to me as the meal was served.

"What the hell was all that crap?" about I asked him.

"Just telling the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth." He smiled

"Debatable on that but why?" I asked him

"Look when I first saw you I thought some one was pulling my pisser about you being in charge. I was a bit better the next day when you came up with the idea for are little drive in the country and after how you handled that day I was very impressed. But this shit yesterday makes that look like nothing this is the stuff of legends and anyone out there listening needs legends now. They bring hope." He said.

"Its no bloody legend we murdered two hundred kids armed with bits and bobs while we had automatic weapons, it was a massacre" I said.

"And the day you stop feeling like that about any battle is the day you should quit" he replied.

I picked at the meal and drank none of the wine, despite this our guests seemed to enjoy it all the pomp and ceremony that we put into our evening meal I even saw Jenny there next to Anne looking sad, this set me off crying again. Bob and Muriel were suddenly at my side.

"Are you ok? Are you hurting anywhere?" Bob asked

"No I was just thinking about Jennifer and how do I explain to her that I got John killed" I said through my tears.

"You didn’t get him killed. If we had had five more of you covering the two of you, you would have got back safe as it was you couldn’t be everywhere and do everything." He kissed me and Muriel wiped my tears away.

"Look you going to ruin this make up that took so long if you keep this up" she fussed around my face for a while.

I tapped a glass with my spoon the room descended into silence instantly.

"My friends I thank you all for your timely arrival you have saved all our lives by your unexpected arrival and if we can ever do anything for you and your families you only have to say the word." I told them.

"But" I said "I am going to ask more of you and your families in the future. I intend to make this area safe for us all I want to be able to make sure that everyone in this area can live safely this will mean that when they come we make them pay with blood. The seven of us will do this but I cannot do it alone so I ask all of you these two things. First tell people what happened here not what we did but what you did and what John did for us, let them know that you were willing to put your lives at risk for an idea and for friends. Secondly if we call to at least consider coming to fight, if you don’t nobody will think any the less of you, everyone here tonight has shown their worth and their bravery but this is just the start. Finally I would like to propose two toasts. To unexpected guests that are always the most welcome of visitors."

Everyone stood up except me and repeated the toast I just touched the glass to my lips.

"Secondly while you are standing to John Jenkins who will be buried tomorrow morning after laying down his life for his friends." I finished.

I sat there for a while in my own misery and no one dared interrupt my grief until the action at the radio caught my attention. Tom was having a heated argument with Bernard.

"I doont geeve I tooss whoo ye think ye aree ya horrible littllee man but if ye do not get the lassie on now I will come doon there and ram that radio right oop your jacksie do yoo underrstand mee?" it was Bernard his worry bringing out his accent. I was carried over on the chair.

Bernard was still ranting and raving his accent getting worse I waited for him to draw a breath.

"Bernard" I said keying the mike.

"Is that you lassie" Came back his voice.

"Yes its me" I confirmed

"How bad is it?" he asked

"Terrible I lost John, Apollo to you" I said.

"I Know I was listening but what happened to you" he said

"I didn’t duck fast enough" I joked back

He started shouting again and Wendy grabbed the mike off me.

"Bernard Athena here" she said

"Will you give me a straight answer lass?" he asked

"Yes I will even if my little sister wont" she told him

"How bad is she" came his voice full of concern my eyes were filling with tears again.

"Her right leg took a small round through the calf possibly a two two or similar. In the thigh on her right leg I pulled out a 7.62 round embedded to the bone I had to dig deep for that one. She took one round clean through her side how it hit nothing I don’t know. The major one was a hand gun round to the upper right hand side of her chest breaking her collarbone and causing breathing difficulties which meant I nearly lost her twice at about two this morning. She will not stay in bed she insisted on joining the meal and making speeches and now she insists on talking on the radio she can not walk or stand but standing up quickly could destroy my good work from last night and kill her. She keeps on breaking down in tears over the loss of one very dear friend in a battle against three hundred and fifty with the extra losses some of us have inflicted today they have lost two thirds of there forces. Can you try talking some sense into her as she wont listen to me."

"Listen lass the loss of one person is a hard thing to take I know I have lost a

lot more than one in my time I lost thirteen thousand in one operation but

quantity does not increase the guilt nor does minimal casualties reduce it the

guilt is always there you just have to live around it"

"Where did this happen" I asked stunned at the numbers

"Salamis" was the one word answer

"Would your nickname be Buster your rank have been Major General and you have

the letters DSO MM MC VC and bar after your name?" I asked

Silence for a moment "Yes your well informed lassie for such a wee thing"

During the battle for Greece a drop of Parachutists had been arranged to try and take Athens they were due to be dropped near Megara a mistake was made and they where dropped on the Island of Salamis 20000 men had landed on that island ten miles long by eight miles wide postponing the invasion and leaving them on this rock alone unsupported.

The Turks did not want prisoners they wanted blood and tried to bomb the island off the map. With twenty men Buster Brown swam the channel to the ferry which they captured then with fifteen men at first defending the landing point they ferried the men onto the mainland they took Athens by surprise against an immensely superior force and surprised the NATO commanders when he reported Athens captured despite going the scenic route. He came out with less than 7000 men here was a man who did understand what I was going through.

"Did you feel the same every one saying your doing miracles yet feeling like you’re a failure yourself" I asked.

"There is not a day goes past that I don’t think how I could have pulled one more man out of that alive and the thing is in hindsight I can see how I could have done it better. You on the other hand lost one man the grief and guilt will be with you always but you can not blame your self. I lost men who were protecting me from danger. You on the other hand lost a man who had done his job while you were trying to save him. The job was necessary, it was done and you tried to save him. His death saved more lives so it was an honorable death." He said.

We continued to talk for a long time he could understand my feelings and my loss and didn’t try to make me feel better by mumbling statements that though kindly meant nothing.

"I have lived with the pain" Bernard said "and the pain shows you are alive. It cleanses your conscience as it shows you care and if you care you will always think carefully before risking a man. But you have to remember that no matter how you do things in some situations you will lose people to save the majority that price must be accepted and their names remembered with honor."

"I understand but I don’t like it" I said

"I know but from what I have been told you were in the same risk as him,

something I do not agree with, so it was a risk you were willing to take. He was

a solider he knew the risk and he accepted it, honor him and his memory for

that. Grieve for your loss but never try to protect others from the risks they

accept or for fear of losing a small number you may lose everyone" he said

I relinquished the microphone and faded into the background I hurt physically and mentally and I was tired. My sleep that night and for many nights for a long time after were of me sending friends and family to die.

The next morning John was buried with a few words from Simon Thompson of the biblically named sons. I didn’t hear much of the service my wounds were hurting too much for me to concentrate and I kept weeping but I did here the words "No greater love has any man than he who lays down his life for another" and though my religious beliefs are minimal these words shall be always some of the truest I have heard.

The service over I thanked everyone and escaped to my room I stayed there for five days my wounds infected my temperature rising left to my own misery, with nursing care from all. The smell of the pyre for the dead filtering through to add to my grief.

On the sixth day I heard arguments outside my room Bob and Wendy were arguing over if they should tell me something, I shouted them both in.

"What don’t you want him to tell me?" I demanded of Wendy

"Your not well enough" she answered

"Bob what the hells going on?" I fixed my glare on him.

"We have a large group of people heading towards Keld" he said "There are still

people living there and I am concerned they are going to pay for what happened

here"

"Spread the word we are moving out" I said brushing away Wendy’s protests "Load

up the horse boxes with all the kit we can carry get on the radio and call Tom

we will meet him on the way"

Brian had had a few lessons off Tom on driving the Land Rovers and after we loaded up he was able to get the vehicle to Tom’s. I was shoved in the back of the one that Bob was driving and wrapped in blankets, for the first time since this happened I was dressed comfortably baggy jeans baggy t shirt no bra but I was feeling too shit to appreciate it.

At Toms farm was a group of about twenty five men and women outfitted with salvaged weapons from our battlefield, all that was left over having been placed in our armory. We loaded up the horseboxes and the cars with people and headed off to Keld.

As we entered the town the few people on the street fled and all of Bob’s shouting fell on deaf ears so I was helped out of the car.

Tom shouted "Kenneth Finney, Ken Finney are you anywhere about? What about William Day is he here?" a man in his sixties overweight with a distinct limp appeared.

"Tom, is that you Tom?" he asked from a long way up the main street.

"Of course it is you old fool. Where is everyone?" Tom said in reply

"Hiding. We believe there is a large gang heading this way, we have nothing baring a few shotguns to defend ourselves we know that some things going down from the shooting and the explosions about a week ago. Was that something to do with this lot you’re with" Said this rather strange looking man.

"Yes" Tom replied "Surgeon Commander William Day may I introduce Katherine also

known as The Oracle of New Delphi"

The man shook hands with me he had enormous hands but surprisingly gentle.

"I’ve heard bits and pieces about you. Are you alright?" he asked me looking concerned.

"I can wait till later" I told him "If you can speak to the people of this town can you get them here to listen to me?"

"Give me ten minutes" he said and limped off banging at doors.

A crowd started to gather nearby as the people came out to the commanders summons and after about ten minutes he returned.

"That’s your lot" Commander Day said.

"Ladies and Gentlemen may I have your attention?" I said as loud as I could without causing more pain. All eyes over one hundred and fifty turned my way.

"People of Keld, I wish to apologize to you we have brought down a retribution

on you which is rightfully ours. A week ago a force of three hundred attacked

our home we defended ourselves causing horrific casualties against one of these

gangs. Now a larger group is heading this way you have three options, run away

hiding here is not an option, surrender though we do not know what the do with

the prisoners or fight" I said

"What with?" came a voice from the crowd

"We have all you need to fight, but the decision is yours and yours alone. If

you do fight we will fight by the side of our neighbors, if you decide to run we

will help you all we can and if you surrender we will pray for you. You have a

few minutes to talk this though between yourselves then I shall come back to

hear your answer." I finished

"Who are you?" came a voice from the crowd

"Friends" I answered.

We left them to it for a few minutes and Surgeon Commander Day invited us into his house I took Bob, Anne and Wendy and we entered the small terrace.

"Don’t you need to decide Commander?" I asked

"I was a Naval Surgeon for thirty four years I stay with the casualties. I have no family left my wife passed away a number of years ago so I think I start with you young lady."

The man looked at me expectantly.

"I’m fine" I replied

"Bullshit" Bob countered "Talk some sense into her Wendy because I refuse to watch her commit suicide by refusing offers of help when they come" he stormed out.

"Anne go and talk to him can you?" I asked Anne

"No he has said all that I was going to. I left my child with Muriel to keep an

eye on you and you wont even keep an eye on you" Anne shouted at me

I looked towards Wendy "Don’t look at me sis I was shouting about this before

these were"

"It looks like you have a lot of people who care for you young lady so show them

you have the same respect for you as they do." Commander Day said

"Ok if you must. Anne give Bob my apologies ask him if we are staying. If we are

arm anyone who can use a weapon first then at his own discretion. Wendy will be

out soon to do a little instruction but all elderly, all frail and all children

get them in the horseboxes and cars back to New Delphi. You and Bob are to go

too." I told her

"But what about you?" Anne said

"I am doing as you asked, now you do as I ask. Stay on the radio and listen we will call when we need you." I said to Anne "Right now Commander what do you want to do to me?"

"Bill please I’m retired. I want to know why you’re limping around and why your

temperature is through the roof" Bill said

"I had a few problems dodging bullets I wasn’t quite quick enough." I joked.

"Well strip off and let me see the wound" he said

"Wounds" Wendy said "and two of them I am worried about" and she started stripping me shoes first and coat then my jeans.

"Ssss" Bill murmured looking at the livid red area around my calf, he then removed the dressing on my thigh.

"Who’s your doctor because he doesn’t know enough about gunshot wounds?" said the man without removing his eyes from me.

"Well gunshot wounds are not something you get everyday" Wendy said "and at the

time saving her life was the higher priority"

"I’m not criticizing him it’s a new technique for him to learn that’s all. Which was the life threatening wound these are nasty but not life threatening" Bill continued. Wendy lifted my top off exposing my breasts to this mans gaze, but with how bad I was feeling the embarrassment was fleeting. The last two dressings were removed leaving me sat there in just panties luckily the house was warm from a coal fire but his hands were bloody freezing.

"You were a very lucky young lady" he said

"Like hell I was" I replied angry at the enforced attention.

"What do you mean, you survived didn’t you someone did some excellent work on

that chest wound" he told me

"Its not that doctor the person she was trying to save when hit" said Wendy pausing for a moment with the pain of the memory. "I wasn’t able to save him on the table, there was just too much damage, he had three major wounds to the chest. There was nothing I could do I had to leave him to die, Kathy was crashing I had to make the choice or I would have lost both of them." Tears were rolling down her face, the composure that she had shown since the incident was cracking I had been so wrapped up in my own misery I hadn’t been thinking of anyone else.

"My dear if this is your work then you have no cause to punish yourself. This is good work for a qualified Surgeon, my only comments about knowledge were no criticism to your skills. This is good work very good I can see you fitted a chest tube I can see you have repaired the damage it is just with gunshot wounds you have to be ruthless on excising damaged tissue." He placed his hand on her arm trying to console her.

"We all lose people when we practice medicine the worst thing is to lose someone you know and care about knowing there is nothing you can do about it. My wife I lost fifteen years ago from cancer and I knew what her condition was I could do nothing. If the person you lost had three chest wounds even half as bad as this one you had no chance."

Bill had now returned to prodding and poking at me which was not impressing me at all.

"Now dear how did you get these injuries" his voice was patronizing he was talking to a child.

"Well Doctor" I started "It was like this we were sat at home like good little

girls when these three hundred naughty men decided to visit without an

appointment I asked them to go home but they wouldn’t. So after eight of us held

them off until night fall I was stupid enough to decide to take a good man with

me to mine the entrance. I couldn’t drag him back after they shot him and I ran

out of bullets to defend him, wasn’t I a silly thing"

"I’m sorry I just don’t know were I stand with you two. You are not all you appear to be so forgive an old man if he cant quite comprehend the situation. This is how it stand then that leg is very infected leave it much longer and you will lose the leg or die. The chest wound is just about ok but you shouldn’t be up yet the hole in your side is fine." Bill said without pulling any punches.

"If I am not going to die of it today then no problem, tell Wendy what to do when we get back and she can sort it out. Wendy get me dressed and then get out and help with the weapons instruction if we are on and get Tom in here" I said taking charge of the situation again. As I was getting dressed a syringe was produced and I ended up having an injection in my padded rear courtesy of Bill.

"Bill have you seen active service?" I asked him

"Yes I have" he replied

"Well in that case if we set you up in a house at the far end of town as the

first aid post and bring any casualties in to you rather than you getting shot

at is that ok with you?" I asked him

"I’ll grab Dr. Clarke the local GP and get set up, because these people will fight for their homes" he replied starting to grab some bits and pieces.

Tom arrived and I got him to get me into the Land Rover without the horsebox. We drove out to see the incoming forces. At the top of a hill about four miles away I got my first sight of them about a mile further away four or five hundred people three cars and one lorry following they were a rabble rather than a force, but an armed rabble. I left a hand held radio in the middle of the road were it could be seen and we headed back to the town.

We had one hundred armed villagers and a small group of ill and infirm, also we had a group that didn’t want to fight.

"The people who are going should now leave, those of you that do not wish to fight we could use some people to act as medics and stretcher bearers coordinating with the doctors." I said. And about twenty five of the thirty who did not want to fight agreed to this.

"Right Tom, Anne and Bill get your arses out of here take all who want to go

with you. Trisha, Trisha where are you?" I shouted

"I’m here and before you try to send us back me and Andrea are going to help the

two Doctors so before you say anything tough. Brian might do as you say over

everything and looking after the kids and the animals is important but with this

situation both of us are going to be some use." Trisha shouted back

"That’s fine by me keep you head down and don’t take any chances." I said back "all aboard who’s getting aboard and move out now."

Only the twenty decided as too old, young or ill got on board. The group of non-combatants shrunk and the last five stayed.

"To the leader of the group approaching Keld do you hear me? Over" I spoke into my hand held.

"Who is this?" came a voice back

"Who is this?" I replied

"This is squad leader Johnson" the voice said.

"Give me the Boss Man" I demanded and ignored the protests till a new voice came

on

"Who is this on this radio I demand to know?" the new voice said

"Are you the Boss of the attacking force?" I said

"No But..." I ignored the rest of his speech until it stopped.

"Now get me your boss now or I just switch off" I said

"This is Force leader Tug Cummings speaking" came through less than a minute later.

"Are you the boss?" I said

"Yes and who are you" he said

"This is The Oracle Of New Delphi the town of Keld is now under our protection

you shall not enter the town or you will be met by lethal force. Furthermore any

further actions against any people by your group against the population of this

country will be deemed an act of war placing you and your group outside any

protection of the law." I told him

"Crap" he replied "You’re talking a load of crap now tell those people to surrender and do as they are told and we might let them live."

I switched off the radio and turned to the group "You heard him now we fight I need five fast people on their feet who don’t mind a bit of danger."

An hour later the attack started with my five runners and Wendy opening fire at extreme range the others might just be making noise but Wendy would be hitting. As the returning fire started to get closer they fell back and back until the attacking force was on the outskirts of town. They then opened fire rapidly using all ammunition and running while making sure they could be seen, the attacking force surged into town in pursuit when all the force was in the town we opened fire from every building. The heavy machine guns opened fire into the massed bodies from either side and the hand guns and rifles fired as well in a matter of three or four minutes it was over our casualties five of which four were minor from flying glass, their casualties all but four who were still walking. The only slight problem was one car got away the last one to enter the town it had been shielded by the lorry.

I organized the troops to start helping the wounded and called Tom and Bob back, as I was helped through the mass carnage of what had so recently been people I heard the cheers of the villagers and my people and cried, why did they have to come here why did I have to kill them I thought. I may have not fired a shot during the battle but I had killed them the guilt was mine.

Bill was suddenly at my side "are you hurt?" he asked

"No but I killed them" I said through my tears

"Who" he asked

"All of them, everyone that lies dead hear is my responsibility" I screamed back at him he lead me into a house and I felt a needle enter my arm soon I was asleep. My dreams were long and tortured by images of the dead visiting me and demanding to know what right I had to do this to them. John came to me as well in his uniform watching from a distance he was examining everything I did, the carnage I caused and judging me. I shouted out to him asking him why he was standing there? Why he wouldn’t look at me and talk to me?

"Kathy, wake up please" came a voice, someone wouldn’t stop stroking my face. I moved my hand to brush them away and something pulled at it.

"You have a drip in don’t move your hand" the mans voice said. I opened my eyes I could see a ceiling one of the hotel ceilings I moved my head and saw a figure as my eyes focused I recognized Bill. I couldn’t figure out how I got here I was in Keld last thing I remembered’ I knew I hadn’t been hit so what happened. I asked Bill my voice weak.

"You were ill, very ill, when you came to Keld I couldn’t do anything before the

battle but after I took matters into my own hands. You have been out for a week

and a half I operated on that thigh it was very badly infected, scraps of cloth

were embedded in the damaged tissue it didn’t smell too good in there let me

tell you. Any longer and you would have lost that leg you know." Bill said

"How is everyone?" I asked

"Everyone is fine and everyone is coping without you. You now need to get well and not worry about anything, Defense is covered you now have a household of twenty five and they are sharing duties. I also had a long chat with an old victim of my treatments Bernard. I put his face back together many years ago though I couldn’t do anything for the eye that was damaged. He seems impressed with you and his approval of anyone is a rare thing. He is going to see what he can organize up in Scotland along the same lines as you have been doing. Though I don’t think his face however recognizable will draw as many as yours does."

Bill finished

"Get me Wendy and Bob" I demanded

"Not today and not tomorrow, I have had plenty of experience of problem patients and you at the moment tie with Bernard for the worst so until I say otherwise you stay here and do as I say or you go back to sleep with a little chemical help the choice is yours" he informed me. My protests and arguments fell on deaf ears and I ended up stuck there for the best part of a week with just pleasant conversation.

After a week of being stuck in the bed I was ready to kill the next person who came in the door with a happy face asking how I was today, to put it bluntly I couldn’t get shit out of anyone and aimless prattle about all the lads that had now joined up from Trisha and Andrea was not my idea of conversation.

Finally Bill walked in one morning demanding what was I doing lying around in bed didn’t I have a group to lead, I nearly kissed him but he dodged I thought I’ll get you tonight. Anne helped me dress trousers were out and with the dressings so were short skirts and tights, I wasn’t complaining. She got me sorted with a long denim skirt she wasn’t happy about it but as I said until all the holes heal up who will want me displaying flesh. I wasn’t willing to be carried around again and crutches were not an option so a branch was cut for me and with a little work I had a walking stick, well more like a quarterstaff but with my shoulder and my leg being wounded on the same side it sort of worked although stairs were a work of art.

Outside the room people were looking at me faces I didn’t recognize appeared from all over I made my way into the kitchen with an escort increasing in size behind me Anne was in the kitchen bossing around a group of youngsters, well I say youngsters they were older than I was now, and Sarah was happily gurgling away in a high chair. Outside I could hear activity lots of activity and Wendy drilling people with weapons.

"Get me Bob" I asked one of the men escorting me he just looked at me "Now please" I followed with and he disappeared.

"How can I do for you Boss Lady" came Bob’s happy voice from the doorway

"What’s the situation weapons, ammunition, people here, people we can count on

and food supplies" I asked him

"No how are you, no breakfast not even do you fancy a coffee and a chat. I’m not talking till I know you have eaten." Bob stood there trying to look firm but obviously beaming to see me up.

As I ate Bob sipped a coffee and explained the situation.

"Food good we have a lot of supplies from a few shopping trips, people fifty

seven here at the moment but that fluctuates as we are making use of people to

get the farm side up and running. Weapons and ammunition are another story

though we are short on ammunition we have used a hell of a lot and we could do

with more weapons we have coming out of out ears but it is a right mix of bits

of pieces." Bob explained

"If we can get ammunition how many people can we call on to start taking the

battle to them?" I asked

"Possibly five hundred within a couple of days" he said

"Right I want to talk to everyone here if you can organize it please, dinner

time should do us" I told him "and will someone please find me my coat and guns

I feel naked without them"

My weapons were brought to me and I slipped the comforting leather jacket over the improbable mix of white silky blouse and twin shoulder holsters with my two Berettas that someone had cleaned while I had been inactive.

Outside a group of twenty people of all ages were under Wendy’s expert tuition, the cows we had brought what seemed like years ago were grazing and Socrates seemed to be running around trying to impress Hypatia who was having none of it. Looking up to the roof three people were on high guard one looking through binoculars and one half of a field had been dug up and was being planted.

"Well what do you think" said Bob appearing at my side

"It looks like I can retire and leave all this to you" I told him

"That is sort of the idea not to make you redundant but to give you less things to do around here so you don’t run yourself into the ground" he explained to me.

"Right any major problems I should know about?" I asked

"No not at the moment but if it is something we can’t sort out you will be the

first to know." Bob told me

"Right I need to know anyone who know any military bases that might have

ammunition supplies we also could do with a secure method of talking to Bernard"

I told him

"Well Bernard says he is doing well he has a group of military that he has collected, I don’t know where from but you can talk to him anytime now he has a permanent radio watch just in case." Bob explained.

I headed into the dining room and found one corner had been curtained off and this was now the radio room from inside I could here voices one on the radio female and a male one at this end they sounded quite intimate. I hated to intrude but young love can wait I thought and entered through the curtain.

"What do you want" came the sullen question from a lad about fifteen years old.

"I need to talk to Bernard up in Scotland" I told him

"Well love, Bernard doesn’t talk on the radio to every one I will have to pass a message on to the person on radio watch at that end and then if he thinks its important enough he may pass a message back" he said in a most irritating and patronizing way.

"Oh is that so I didn’t know, you know I’m just no good with these technical things" I said and then in a pleading voice "do you think you could pass a message through for me?"

"Yes but I doubt you will get any response as he only talks to the big shots so

don’t be too disappointed, I haven’t seen you around here are you new?" he asked

"No but I have had other things to do" I replied playing him along "can you pass a message on for me?"

"I shouldn’t but if you promise me a dance then yes" he said. The cheeky little bastard I thought.

"Ok next time I’m dancing I promise you one" I said

"Ok what’s the message?" he asked me

"Well its got to be passed to Bernard straight away" I told him "and the message is Buster you let him work on your face your braver than I thought how did you survive his bedside manner?"

"Seems like a stupid message but I’ll do it" he said and proceeded to call up the girl he was speaking to Sheila and he gave the message using the call sign Hermes, the messenger of the gods.

"Are ye there?" came Bernard’s welcome voice after a few minutes.

"Who is this? You should be using correct radio procedure" Hermes replied

"I’ll show you correct radio procedure you jumped up little turd. It wasn’t

correct radio procedure you have been using on my granddaughter the last two

hours." Bernard said

"Oh I’m sorry sir I didn’t know it was you" Hermes replied all flustered

"Well is she there" Bernard replied

"Who Sir?" Hermes replied even more flustered as in his mind Bernard couldn’t

mean me

"The Oracle of course who do you think I meant you daft sod the love of your life" Bernard spluttered back.

"Are you" Hermes said and I just nodded holding out my hand for the mike.

"Go and get yourself a brew I shouldn’t be long I will give you a shout when I am done" I said and indicated he should vacate his chair, he departed still all a fluster.

"Hi Bernard how goes it up there?" I said

"Fine lassie but I gather you gave everyone a scare before you decided to

challenge my title as Bills worst patient" Bernard said his tones calming

"Yes I’m not the best personality when I’m ill. Anyway I need to talk to you, I

believe you have some military on your team. Would any of them know where we may

be able to re-supply around here with ammunition?" I asked him

"Give me ten minutes and I will get back to you and see if you can get a list of

what you want most" Bernard replied and disappeared

I got up wincing with the pain in my leg and wandered back to the kitchen.

"I’m sorry I didn’t know who you were. I hadn’t seen you before" Hermes said

very flustered Anne behind him was smirking

"What is your name" I demanded firmly

"Ian" he said meekly

"Well Ian just because you now know who I am don’t think you get out of that dance when I am allowed to, now if you can do you mind heading out to Wendy and asking her what her heart desires in the ammunition department in order then sit on the radio till Bernard returns?" I asked Ian and he disappeared.

"Oh you are a cruel woman Kathy, he’s a nice kid who has spent the last five

days just dying to meet you and when he does he nearly dies" Anne said

"Well like other people I could mention he shouldn’t take people at face value" I replied.

"Yes I know but he’s a bright kid found us on his own with a small radio and two aerials from Blackpool way, he just has a problem with people face to face on the radio he’s great, face to face god knows what will come out of his mouth" Anne said.

"He seemed to have no problems with me" I replied.

"That was before he knew who you were" Anne joked.

"Err Oracle, em Bernard is back on he wants to talk to you if you don’t mind"

Ian said again rather flustered

Bernard was waiting on the radio asking was I there by the time I limped back.

"Sorry Bernard I am not quite as mobile as I was a few weeks ago" I said

"Don’t worry lassie I am just an impatient old man, I have got a few plans on the go that I have now put in operation. Your in North Yorkshire aren’t you?"

Bernard said

"Yes" I agreed

"Well give me your list and I will see what I can do" he replied.

I read out Wendy’s requirements including the last one of anything that will take out a moving vehicle while its still a long way away, and Bernard again asked for a few minutes. I tried to make conversation with Ian but he was hard work.

"Look Ian its Kathy drop The Oracle crap I have enough problems dealing with being in charge without people fawning" I told him.

"Ok Kathy I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you" he mumbled

"Why what are you supposed to be psychic?" I asked him.

"No its just I didn’t know who you are and I didn’t mean to upset you" Ian told me.

"Look Ian there’s dam few things that will upset me, Wendy now she’s another matter." I joked.

"I know that well" he flushed.

"Ok spill it. What did you do?" I asked of him.

"Well she was trying to train me on using the guns. I know I’m no good with mechanical things, electronics are my thing. The rifle jammed and I turned around to ask her how to clear it with it pointing in her direction. She had a right fit on me and I ended up in here till she has more time to teach me properly." He said.

"Well at least she didn’t march you off at gun point" I said remembering Bob’s experience.

"She wouldn’t" he said.

"Until you understand she could and she would then stay here. Your safer" I told him.

Bernard came back on in a rush telling me to wait for contact tonight after nine as I had given him a lot of things to do and that was it. I sat there talking to Ian while I showed him the basics of the Berretta, Sheila had gone with her Grandfather and no one else was transmitting. After repeatedly running through the stripping the pistol he was still all thumbs, he knew the theory but couldn’t put it into practice.

"How come you get all flustered talking to me now but before you were bold enough" I asked him.

"This is me as I am, totally bloody useless at most things. On the radio I tend to put on an act as no one knows what I look like, then with the Hermes persona as well I feel safe.

When you came I had been so long talking to Sheila that I was still Hermes when you turned up. I know it doesn’t make much sense trying to be someone your not." He answered apologetically.

"It makes a lot more sense to me than you would know" I told him and moved out leaving him to his radio.

Dinner time came and I was faced with a room full of people all looking at me expectantly.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, if you don’t know me, I am Kathy also known as The Oracle Of New Delphi and to some of these idiots here as The Boss Lady. This is what I would like to talk to you first about. Our system here is a democracy as in I am voted in and if I am lucky I can be voted out. Anyone is welcome to visit or to join us but whoever is in charge, what they say goes if you don’t like it you can leave without any prejudice against you and you will still be welcomed back as a friend when you return. All subjects are open to discussion at the proper time as in now or at the evening meal your views will not be held against you, speak your minds."

Right I thought I have their attention and now to hit them hard.

"In a few minutes I am going to leave you alone to make an important choice. Bob here is doing a fantastic job around here, he can quite happily leads us if you don’t like my plan and I will happily do as I am told by him. If after this speech you still want me in charge this will be only a base for us. I intend to take the fight to them starting with the towns on the way to Darlington then Darlington, Middlesbrough and Sunderland. We will then given enough support work are way into Newcastle. That will at least give us a safe area in the North East we are protected from the south by the ruins of York to the north after Newcastle next stop is Edinburgh and Glasgow that would leave the only possible threats to be from the west across the hills and that would not be a random act. During the attack on Keld I informed them that any attack on Keld would be deemed an act of war so now I say if you want me in charge we go to war."

I finished and asked Bob to take over the meeting and walked, well limped into the kitchen. Shortly after Brian followed me in.

"How are you doing Kathy?" he asked

"Fine and you I haven’t seen much of you while I’ve been stuck in bed" I replied.

"Well its that what I want to talk about, I have been a bit uncomfortable about speaking to you about it while you were so ill. But its about Andrea and me" he spluttered out.

"What you’re an item and your worried how I will take it?" I said he nodded

"Listen I am happy for you both that is fine by me" I made my voice more stern "but if either of you start being funny with me, not giving me a hug when I need one, not letting me bitch to you when I feel bad, then your love life will be hell as I will have the room next to yours and bang on the wall for you to be quiet every five minutes for the rest of your lives. Do you understand me?"

"Yes he does totally" Andrea said from the doorway "we were slightly worried you might feel we were dumping you, excluding you that’s all and you and Brian was something I encroached on."

"Don’t worry Andrea" I told her "if I don’t get voted out of office then

relationships are not going to be a feature of my life for a while, but friends

are going to be more important than ever"

"I don’t think voting you out of office is an issue as we have the full battle

of New Delphi being played out by Trisha and Wendy" Andrea said

"Shit" was my only reply.

They were in there for a good half hour or two cups of coffee before we were called back in.

"Well" in asked Bob.

"Sorry Boss Lady but your still in charge" he said. "Right now anyone with information about weapons, ammunition, vehicles or fuel needs to talk to Ian. Sorry Ian, as well as radio operator you are in charge of supply scrounging raids where to hit nearest and largest first. The rest of you relax for the moment because as soon as we have all we need we go to war." I told them.

The rest of the day was spent taking to people who felt I should hear their opinion about my plans. Some of them were good ideas like the man who suggested finding a few more motorbikes of a larger size to form a small group of fast reconnaissance riders who I gave the go ahead to seeing all he needed was the use of the two Honda Nineties and a few gallons of juice to get started.

To the other end of the scale an older woman who was worried about the immorality within our group, underage sex, drinking, language, no schooling for us kids, the amount and visibility of weapons and the fact that Wendy had been prescribing drugs. I was cruel to her I told her to get Bob and Wendy together and explain her point of view.

By the time I had finished it was nearly time to get ready for Dinner and Anne was hinting that I should be moving.

"You are out of your fucking mind we are fighting for our lives here" came Wendy’s voice from the Dining room.

"This is exactly what I mean Bob, Kathy seems such a sweet and pleasant thing I just can’t associate her with the stories I heard today. She told me to speak to you two about these things. I didn’t put up with language like this in my twenty seven years as a head mistress and I feel that proper value systems and morals should be the foundation of our new chance at society. Furthermore..."

I left Miss Parker to Bob and Wendy and Anne and I escaped to her room, Anne carrying Sarah and me barely carrying myself.

Anne got me ready for the evening again short skirts, high heels and stockings were no go. I made like I was so very upset, to make Anne happy, but it was almost worth getting shot to avoid them. I had a wash as Anne got ready, baths and showers were out without major assistance and wandered back into the bedroom. Anne had lost weight she was looking good and the hole in her shoulder was healing nicely. I remarked about her weight and it made her day to such an extent that she made extra special effort with my hair and face, because she had noticed my interest in Ian. I made a note to myself not to compliment her before I was ready in future.

The dress was the big black thing I had worn the day after our first battle, with the weight I had lost whilst ill it was a tent on me but it will have to do I thought.

Then it hit me. I was concerned I didn’t look good in this dress. I wanted to look good as a girl and the fact of being female hadn’t worried me for a while now. I just carried on as I had as a man which was why so many people had problems with me. There was a knock at the door and Trish and Andrea came in.

"You two ready?" Trish asked

"Yes but I look like a joke in this dress" I replied

"Don’t worry you will be back to normal in no time" Trisha said smiling

I hobbled out of the bedroom as Sarah was put down to bed and met a large group of women dressed up to the nines including Miss Parker.

"Katherine may I have a word with you please" Miss Parker said

"Mrs Parker now is not the time for politics or dissention now is the time for

enjoyment and merrymaking, tomorrow anyone here may be dead" I said

"Oh don’t be so melodramatic girl this is the twenty first century not the middle ages" she snapped back at me.

"No Miss Parker this is no longer the twenty first century. This is the dividing line between the golden age and either a new beginning or a new dark age. We, as in all groups huddled together in fear, are all that stand between the light and the dark and if that is melodramatic, the fact of so few people being in such an important position then read your history. One mans actions started the First World War, during the Second World War the fate of the world depended on a few many times, at Dunkirk a few saved the many, at the Battle of Britain the same. Even further back at the birth of democracy a small fleet of 480 ships saved a fledgling nation from the Persian threat of over seven thousand ships in total. Small events make big changes in our world and the horrific thing is too often the one person who makes a difference is a complete psychotic. We remember those names, the tyrants and often inaction is the only thing that has allowed them to flourish and expand their power base. Not this time, not ever again am I willing to sit scared of what might happen. I know what might happen, I have done it. I have killed with these hands feeling the life leave a mans body underneath me until his heart and breath stopped. I have felt a friend get mortally wounded whilst trying to help him and I have stayed with him expecting to die protecting him as friends also tried to save us at risk of their own lives. You are concerned about the children. An honorable concern but your concerns are slightly misplaced. Have concern for Jennifer, her mother missing and her best friend, the man who cared for her in a grave our there, have a concern for Sarah and what she will grow up to, but ease your worries about the youngsters who carry weapons here. Trisha, Andrea, Wendy, Brian and me have all laid our lives on the line. We did not fail under fire though the odds were against us and every one of us understands the results of our actions. You are concerned about Wendy prescribing, a few weeks ago Wendy was operating to save lives and Sarah is probably alive thanks to her. We may look like children but looks can be deceiving. Those who we fight are mainly children but if you worry about that before the fight, you will die. Lets now eat and enjoy ourselves. I believe this is your first evening meal with us so come and enjoy. See if we are civilized or if we are just a debauched society and talk to me after."

I started to hobble through to the dining room but my standing around talking was not good on my leg I started to stumble and Anne and Wendy were at my side to catch me. With their help I got into the dining room and was sat down in a chair at the head of the table.

Bill pushed through the crowd around me, seeing I was struggling he was at my side in seconds.

"What’s up now?" he said

"Oh I just had a long talk with Miss Parker and my leg went to sleep while standing there don’t worry about it. I like your uniform." I said to change the subject, he was wearing a Naval uniform with the three gold bands of his rank on his arm divided by the red of his trade. He also had a peaked cap with gold on the brim.

"Well I felt I had to make an effort for these evening events as Anne was getting rather threatening with my scruffy clothes" He smiled at me.

"Tell me about it, I have got away lightly today because I’m sick you should see what she does top me when I’m well" I told him.

"Lets guess you have a position of respect within this group and you must project the right image to everyone else?" he said.

"Yes that’s it" I admitted.

"Same argument she used on me. As far as Joan Parker goes, leave her to me. I shall deal with her myself" he told me bracing himself for the experience.

"May the force be with you" I threw at him as he departed and he cracked up into laughter as he reached Miss Parker.

The meal went well again I avoided the alcohol at Bill’s advice, he was in very animated conversation with Miss Parker, Anne and Bob were together as was Andrea and Brian and to be honest amongst this group of people I felt so alone. Even Wendy was in deep conversation with a group of people further down the main table. Ian was at one of the other tables again deep in conversation and I was stuck here alone. Why the hell was I stuck with this shit. The meal wound down and I made my way over to the radio alcove. I knocked off the recorded message and I was just about to figure out how to start recording myself when Ian appeared at my side.

"You just speak I’ll sort out the rest of the stuff" he said I nodded.

"Right three two one" he pointed at me and I was away

"This is Radio New Delphi I am The Oracle and I apologize for my absence but I haven’t been too well for a while." I started.

"They know it’s been the main source of conversation for weeks" I heard Wendy’s stage whisper from the other side of the curtain.

"I have an announcement to make. Before the recent attack on the village of Keld the attacking forces leader one Tug Cummings was warned to cease and desist all hostilities against the population of this country or else he would be met with lethal force and a state of war would exist between New Delphi and the gangs of the North East. I am afraid that this attack went ahead anyway and resulted in great loss of life on the part of the attacking forces who were almost totally destroyed. But more seriously I now have to say that New Delphi is now at war with any group surviving by preying on the population of this country. If arms are taken up against us then it will be met with arms and no quarter will be given if you are preying on people do not expect to live. The time of the gangs are over and the time of the people has come. To those people still in the towns and villages we will be coming to soon, do not worry you, your families and friends are safe we mean you no harm we ask for nothing off you but any help will be welcome as will anyone who wishes to join us. This is The Oracle at New Delphi signing off and please remember retribution is coming." I finished.

On the alternate frequency many people were shouting for my attention and I had to ask them all to wait as I wanted to hear if Bernard was trying to contact me.

"Bernard are you there this is The Oracle you wanted to talk to me again tonight" I said.

"Yes lassie" came Bernard’s voice with a lot of background noise and static.

"Bernard your signal is bloody awful are you ok?" I asked.

"Yes We’re fine its just a case that we are moving towards you in a heap of junk

that was retired from active service before I joined up. I need a bearing to

reach you or at least a general direction to head to get to you I am at Penrith

at the moment." He said

"Head south till you get to the A66 then follow it east for thirty miles" I said

after a few words with the group

"I will contact you again in half an hour this is Bernard out" he said and we had silence from the radio.

"Bill, can you recognize Bernard from a distance?" I said

"Yes" he replied.

"Good your with me, everyone else if this is kosher we can continue the party a bit later if not we may be in for some shit so kit up all of you. I want the high guard manned now, and every window on this side manned by at least one person. I want half a dozen of those decent rechargeable torches and both land rovers on the field with the horses. Brian you get the horses stabled and Ian stay on the radio." As I tried to move quickly I realized I was going to have to rely on people following my orders.

"You four" I pointed to four men "When your kitted up can you get back here, Trisha can you grab my coat and weapons?"

We had a flurry of activity then as every one took there places calm.

"Are you there lassie we are at the point you said" came Bernard’s voice

"Right Bernard you are to the north of us and I gather you are in a helicopter

so if you wait one minute then climb we have two vehicles at one edge of the

field you can land on with headlights on, also four halogen torches pointing up

mark the safe edge of the field do you understand?" I asked him

"Yes I do lassie" Bernard replied

"Right now the last thing is that you will be covered from the moment you start

to land and if there is any hostile act then we shall fire. Upon landing you

will leave the aircraft alone until Bill recognizes his sewing then no problem"

I told him

"I understand but can you please ask you troops not to start shooting as I have

volatile and fragile cargo here" Bernard replied

"My people won’t shoot first" I said

"Good" he replied

My four men came back in after switching on the torches and car headlights and Bill and I walked outside.

"Nobody fire unless I order it do you understand?" I shouted and I got murmured replies from the darkened building.

"Do you want a weapon?" I asked Bill

"No I don’t use them myself I might blow my own foot off and have to suffer some other doctors ministrations." He replied.

We stood there in the dark and we could hear the regular thump, thump, thump of a large helicopters rotors getting louder. I could just make out the shape over the trees against the stars when he switched on a light underneath and aimed it at me and Bill seeing the two of us it then pointed at the ground and it began to descend.

I could feel the wind from the rotor blades as it landed mixed with warm air thick with the smell of burnt aviation fuel. The side door opened and a single figure clambered out carefully taking the drop from the cargo door. He walked towards us and Bill and me trained our torches on him.

He was an old man in his seventies but in military uniform he carried a beret in his hand leaving his dark hair visible, his right eye was covered by a patch and scar tissue formed an intricate pattern down to his jawbone on the right side marring a huge grin that was evident on his left hand side. We walked forward and Bill stopped and saluted a sharp salute of a different style was returned and then his hand came out to me and I shook hands with the Hero of Athens.

"Well lassie" he said looking down at me "you’re not quite what I was expecting

but I am glad to meet you"

"And me you" I said and gave the thumbs up to Wendy on the roof. Bernard indicated the Helicopter to shut down and the noise stopped.

"Ok everyone, get your kit away and back to the fun thank you all of you" lights went on in most rooms and there was noise of windows closing.

"Ye weren’t taking no chances were you" Bernard said

"No and neither would you in the same position" I replied "Get your crew and lets get inside its cold out here" I told him and he waved towards the helicopter two figures came out.

"May I introduce our pilot Lieutenant Mike Jones and my granddaughter Sheila Brown.

Sheila, Mike, may I introduce Commander Bill Day, the only reason I am alive to look as ugly as I am and the voice of reason in madness. The Oracle of New Delphi" Bernard said.

"Kathy please and welcome to New Delphi come and join the party get warm and eat" I indicated the door and again my leg betrayed me but the solid presence of Bernard caught me.

"Should she be up and about Bill" he asked.

"She shouldn’t be breathing really Bernard but she seems to have that same problem you had of being too busy to die. Keeping her in bed was worse than you." Bill told him.

"I’m fine honestly" I said

"Crap Kathy I have used the same arguments, grab her stick Bill." Suddenly I was in his arms being carried into the house.

"There’s nothing to you girl your all bones under that dress haven’t you been feeding her Bill?" Bernard said ignoring my protests.

"She was unconscious for a week and a half so she lost a bit then but there wasn’t much of her to start with" Bill replied.

"Hey I am here you know" I said as we entered the reception

"Stop teasing her Granddad" Sheila said

"Listen Granddaughter of mine I used exactly the same comment I’m fine honestly to the Prime Minister on the frigate that Bill was serving on at the time. Bill blew a fuse with both of us as the PM was going to send me back into action we both got told off by this young Lieutenant, the Right Honorable Geoffrey Stephens got the full tour of my face that left him sick with Bill here saying that next time he would have put it back together." Bernard told her.

"Yes but it finally got it through his thick skull that you wouldn’t be taking charge at the front next week as he put it. Bloody accountant how he got to be PM I will never know." Bill said.

"So you see I know exactly what Bill means and he knows what I mean." Bernard

said

"WHERE DO YOU WANT HER?" He shouted as we entered the dining room.

Anne guided him to my chair and he plonked down next to me on another chair.

"Do I gather by those beautiful lilting tones that I have the pleasure of addressing Hera?" Bernard asked Anne.

"Yes" she said blushing

"Well can you grab your husband and the other members of your core group together as I would like to meet all of you I have been talking to. I would walk around and find everyone but I am starving to death I am weak from hunger." He said with a sad look on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

"So food as well?" Anne asked laughing

"Only if it doesn’t deprive me of your company, I would rather starve than miss a minute with you" He was openly laughing now and from his left hand side he was a very handsome man and with his personality the ruins of his right hand side was soon forgotten.

"I’ll see what I can do" Anne said disappearing

"Ah what a pity she’s married and I’m not five or ten years younger." Bernard said sending Sheila into fits of laughter.

"Don’t worry Kathy, he’s always been a lecherous old goat only the fact that you’re armed is keeping you safe" Sheila said.

"Have some respect for me Granddaughter I have received the VC twice" he said.

"Yes the first one popping over the straights to Athens for a quickie with a girl you knew." Sheila said.

"That’s right and the second one for getting away from her six brothers" Bernard finished.

I was now laughing as were a number of people in earshot I liked this man. Ian

had arrived to sort out drinks for us and Bernard recognized his voice

immediately

"This is your young man Sheila, Hermes he looks a good strong one a little bit young possibly" Bernard said.

"Granddad" Sheila said.

"Now look young man what are your intentions to my Granddaughter? She’s nearly seventeen and we have been trying to get rid of her since she hit thirteen but no one will take her. She’s strong, a good worker though her skills in the kitchen are lacking but at your age the kitchen is the last of your worries. I can offer you a good price." Bernard said leaving Ian with his mouth flapping.

"I do apologize for my grandfather we haven’t decided yet whether its senility or he’s just a juvenile delinquent that hasn’t grown up." Sheila said.

"She’s right again I just haven’t grown up and I do apologize for embarrassing you Ian was it. My Granddaughter is the serious one in the family takes after my son, though I cant take anything less than fifteen camels" Bernard finished.

Ian escaped to get the drinks with Sheila in tow trying to reassure him she seemed happy to meet him but I am not sure about him.

"I apologize for my weird idea of humor but the slight lapse into insanity every now and then is the only thing to keep me sane over the years." Bernard said to me.

"Don’t worry its refreshing with the stress and tension we have had here" I answered "Problems?" he asked.

"Personality problems and the lack of understanding of what is going down out there, are the main problems. Then of course you get the little girls shouldn’t carry guns and shouldn’t swear attitude as shown by Miss Parker over there" I waved to her "Finally I get problems with being taken seriously by people joining our group, not so much now but early on."

"That last one is self correcting. I did some shopping for you today to a few bases that still had personnel in and you are known, you are famous when I said who the ammunition and supplies were for they couldn’t help enough. The understanding of what’s going on is a difficult one people have been waiting for things to sort themselves out and the haven’t now they are waiting for you, a King Arthur in the time of need to come and save them."

"I am pleased to meet you Major Brown" Miss Parker said "Aren’t you going to introduce me Kathy".

"Major General Bernard Brown may I introduce Miss Joan Parker" I said.

"Thank you Kathy, I just don’t know what manners they teach these children nowadays you should have heard how her sister talked to me. No manners at all. I am glad you’re here to take charge of this now as we cant have youngsters running around with weapons everywhere" Miss Parker said.

"I am afraid you have made a mistake Miss Parker I am here with more ammunition and supplies for this group and to receive my orders as I am under her command now" Bernard replied.

"What?" Miss Parker and I spat out at the same time.

"Kathy here is the nearest thing I have found to a democratically elected civil authority in existence in this country I am here to receive my orders as to what she would like me to do." Bernard said.

"But you cant she’s just a child her sisters rude..." Miss Parker said going an interesting shade of purple.

"I will talk to you later but Bill here can explain the chain of command better he had a long talk about it to Geoffrey Stephens, the PM. Ask him about it" and Bill led off the spluttering woman.

Ian and Sheila returned with the drinks an exciting can of coke for me and a large scotch for Bernard and he sent them off to have fun. Wendy, Anne, Brian, Bob, Andrea and Trisha joined us at the table and I introduced them all.

"I gather that you are the seven people who started this group?" Bernard said.

"No" said Bob "Kathy and Wendy started it the rest of us just sort of ended up here in various states of need to be welcomed and saved by these two." He pointed at me and Wendy.

"Bernard" I said "these are the core group here the people who defended against the initial attack against us for all those hours" I shivered with the memory.

"I am sorry about this Kathy but I need to ask these questions to sooth my own conscience" Bernard said serious for once.

"Are you elected as a group or what" he asked.

"No just me" I said "I ask the group all together if they still want me as Boss Lady then disappear to let them talk about it. So far they wont let me go" I joked.

"And everyone is allowed to vote?" Bernard said

"Everyone who can understand the question can vote" Anne answered irritated by the situation.

"And this will apply as you get more people" Bernard asked.

"Yes" I said.

"I know you are the boss but what of the rest of you?" Bernard said

"Bob here is second in charge and head of house here, Anne is in charge of kitchen domestic and schooling, Wendy chief armourer weapons instruction and household defense also chief sniper, Brian head of farming and Trisha and Andrea have been organizing nursing duties and general duties including manning the GPMG’s on the roof." I said getting irritated by his attitude.

"Fine so this is your cabinet, executive committee or whatever you want to call it?" Bernard said.

"Yes though there are other people involved as well" I said as Bernard put his Beret back on the red of the Para’s a vivid contrast to the green of his uniform and the dark purple of that most plain of ribbons on his chest indicating his VC. He stood up to attention and saluted as did the Pilot next to him.

"Major General Bernard Brown reporting for duty Ma’am. What are your orders?"

Bernard said.

"You might catch Miss Parker out with that but you cant catch me out Bernard" I

said

"Ma’am I joke about many things but my duty is one thing that I never joke about. May I speak plainly Ma’am" Bernard said.

"Bernard you are my friend and one of the few people who understands how I feel please relax sit down and speak plainly, but I am Kathy to you and always will be." I told him.

He sat down followed by Mike, their whole attitude had changed with me in a matter of seconds. "Kathy and the rest of you, as a part of the military the most important thing is the chain of command if the military acts independently it is a military dictatorship waiting to happen. We need a civilian authority to rally around to give a focus for all the military units out there and you are it." He said looking around the group of us.

"Why us? Why not wait till you find some one who knows what they are doing." I asked him.

"Look Kathy the rules are something to the most part I can take or leave. Supplying you with the ammunition out there could in theory be classed as treason or at least highly illegal but I was willing to do that anyway. As far as deferring to your authority I needed to satisfy my self that you were the nearest thing to a democratically elected government I could find in this country. My commission originally was to the Queen but now is to the government of the people and your it." Bernard would not discuss it any more after this leaving me feeling rather lost and out of my depth.

"Major General Brown I accept you as the head of the military forces of what’s left of this country and I wish you to assume the rank that you feel is necessary to take charge of it. I only have one order for you that is to always speak your mind with me, if I am being bloody stupid tell me straight and to always no matter what give advice." I said.

"Yes Ma’am" he replied

"And one last thing, I realize at times you may feel it necessary to address me as Ma’am but please never amongst friends." I asked him.

"You understand the situation don’t you Kathy, we all have our roles to play in this and you are the key to it. I couldn’t ask men to leave their posts today as I had no authority to order them to do anything but now if you want me to I can. I can get good men off their bums to take charge of this situation" Bernard said.

"I understand. I don’t like it but I do understand. What do you think you would be best doing now?" I asked him.

We talked for many hours and it was decided that the next evening Bernard would head back and start to gather forces in earnest to try to prepare for the reclamation of Glasgow and Edinburgh. He was not overly happy about the plan to move towards Newcastle but as he said that was an emotional response not a military response.

In the early hours of the morning I was yawning trying to stay awake as the conversation an discussions went on despite his age Bernard showed no sign of flagging.

"Granddad you might be able to go on all night but some people here need sleep" Sheila said from one side.

"Nonsense girl its only" he glanced down at a watch on his wrist "quarter to three. Sorry I didn’t realize how late it was."

"Anne we need rooms. What have we got?" I asked.

"Well Bernard do you mind sharing with Mike for the moment?" Anne asked

"Well if I must then I can put up with his feet for tonight but next time if he shares with Bob here then I can enjoy your company" Bernard told her Anne just blushed again.

"Sheila do you mind sharing with Kathy tonight?" Anne asked

"If Kathy thinks she is safe after meeting my family then no problem" Sheila said glaring at Bernard.

"That’s fine by me" I told Sheila "I always keep my pistols handy so I think I

will be safe"

Mike was sent out to the helicopter to grab some bags and on his return we shut up shop for the night Bob organizing the watches and Anne sorting the kitchen staff before showing Bernard and Mike to their room. I was back in the room near the roof access for the first time since I got shot and was starting to climb the stairs when Bob appeared behind me.

"Going up?" he asked.

"Yes" I said and was suddenly lifted up again.

"Don’t worry Sheila this is quite normal around here, Kathy here is carried around in a chair by a group of large young men and this is not the first time she has been unable to get up the stairs, though last time alcohol was involved" Bob said as he carried me up.

Arriving at my room he dropped me down and I kissed him goodnight as he carried on up to the roof and me and Sheila headed into the room.

"Bathrooms there and knowing Anne there will be plenty of towels and there is lots of hot water. The bed there is all yours do you need anything?" I asked Sheila rather uncertain as of how to act with a seventeen year old girl.

"This is great" Sheila said "I thought we might be kipping down in the back of

the cab"

"Cab?" I asked.

"Sorry, military slang I think naval. I picked it up from Mike. Cab is helicopter" Sheila explained.

"Oh no problem we try to welcome visitors here." I said.

"I noticed and I hope you can welcome one more on a semi permanent basis" Sheila

said

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well Granddad is supposed to be asking you, but I will first. Can you use me here?" she looked at me.

"Why what about your parents and what about Bernard?" I asked.

"Mum and Dad were in Australia when everything happened. I was staying home because of exams which I have missed anyway and the problem with Granddads mob is I am just stuck on the radio as a sixteen year old girl shouldn’t be put at risk." She explained and then she followed quickly with "and I am good at lots of things I can cook, clean or whatever you want me to do".

"Look Sheila" I said seriously and her face fell "I have no objections at all to you staying with us for as long or as short a time as you want. But one thing you must understand this is not a safe place we are going to war and cooking, cleaning and so called girly jobs are low on the list of priorities. The only thing I would like is Bernard’s consent it’s not essential as any decision is yours but it would make me feel a bit better about it."

"Granddads the first to agree I am old enough to play my part in this as you are. He use to say that during the Greek campaign he found out how little age and rank have to do with how good a soldier you are. He saw sixteen year old privates taking charge of defenses as their officers cracked under the bombardment and the NCO’s had been killed. That he says taught him to judge people by their actions rather than their position or looks."

"Good thing for me" I said

"No you seem to be able to project confidence and the fact that you know what needs to be done and you are willing to do it" Sheila said to me.

"Shows how wrong people can be." I announced.

I decided to do a last look round the defenses but I wasn’t willing to run around in this bloody dress. I found a pair of baggy jeans and a sweatshirt in the wardrobe, the jeans were Wendy’s and she was a lot more rounded than me and started to get undressed from the dress.

"Looks like you came a bit closer to finding out if there is an afterlife than Granddad" Sheila told me.

"This is what happens when you forget to duck" I joked.

"Yes and Granddad’s womanizing got him messed up. I have heard these stories before and I am afraid you’re very like Granddad in a lot of ways and that might just be the thing that saves us all. What are you doing now?" She asked as I struggled with the jeans.

"I just want to check the roof defenses that’s all" I told her.

"Do you mind company?" She asked

"No not at all" I told her.

I dressed and rolled up the jeans at the bottom and shoved a pink pair of trainers on without socks. Chucking my weapons and coat on we headed upstairs, into the cold. The stars were bright and the Milky Way was plainly in evidence. The woman in charge of the defense was stood with a SLR over her shoulder and nursing a hot drink, the other two at the GPMG’s were a man in his forties and a young man in his twenties.

"Oh hi Boss, you ok" the woman said.

"Yes just thought I would have a look and check everyone was ok" I said as I tried to remember her name "Jean is everything ok" I asked her name coming to me at the last minute.

"Fine no problems at all Boss and with it being past three we are only on till six so three hours is no problem" she said with a big smile at the fact I had remembered her name.

I stood there for a while listening to the silence out there split briefly by the sound of a long quavering hoot of an owl working the trees.

"Its nice and quiet up here" came Bernard’s voice behind me.

"What’s up, can’t sleep?" I asked.

"No its old habits that you seem to have picked up, checking the perimeter defenses before bed" he said.

"I know we have more people now but I feel happier having just had a look, I drove me mad being stuck in bed not being able to." I admitted.

"You’ve got a good set up here and your running it well, as well as I could and you’ve got a prettier face than me which helps with the troops." He said.

"Kathy has also has your false modesty as well Granddad. Looking at the holes in her I think she was closer to the almighty than you by a fair bit." Sheila piped in.

"Nonsense Sheila as I have told you many times the grim reaper took one look at my ugly face and ran away screaming." Bernard said.

"It wasn’t the grim reaper being scared of her that saved her" came Wendy’s voice "it was the fact that I scared him off twice".

"Ah Wendy another one that must do a last check before sleep?" Bernard said.

"Sort of I was out before I hit my room then heard the talking" Wendy told him.

"Sorry my dear lady I didn’t wish to keep you awake, well not that way at least" Bernard said to her.

"You would be dead before dawn" Wendy told him.

"But what a way to go" Bernard finished sighing.

We all stayed there talking for a long time sitting on sand bags till the sky started lightening as dawn approached and the birds started singing.

"I’m sorry I seem to have kept you up all night" I said to the three of them

"Don’t worry" Bernard said "these two are young enough not to be bothered by it and I never mind missing a nights sleep at this age, I’m always worried I will wake up dead." Bernard said and we all went into the kitchen for a drink and to get warm.

The activity had just started in the kitchen and a kettle was bubbling away Sheila and Wendy started making drinks and sandwiches while I was told to sit down by Bernard.

"Bernard can I ask you a personal question" I said as he sat down.

"Certainly twice a night three times at the weekends." He replied

"Serious for a moment please. When you were in command were you lonely?" I asked him.

"Yes, every day because at the end of the day the decisions are yours and yours alone. You can’t share that responsibility and your conscience wont let you forget it. This isolates you from the rest of the group and you sit there wondering if you were right or not." Bernard said his eyes and face full of pain.

"Food and drink for us" said Wendy arriving and breaking the moment as she deposited a plate of cheese sandwiched on the table and Sheila did the same with cups.

"After we have eaten do you two mind finding something to do as Kathy and me need to talk." Bernard said all serious for a moment. "I have to have a few minutes alone to try and seduce her." Wendy laughed and Sheila just nodded reading Bernard’s mood.

"Right now me and Kathy are heading out for a walk, when you get a few big men up and about see about unloading the ammunition." Bernard said as we finished our drinks and headed outside.

It was bright outside now a nice day with blue sky and a frost on the grass.

"Wait one moment you two" Wendy said from behind us. "Not without these" and she passed us a SA80 each with two spare magazines with each weapon. This changed the feel of the morning from a pleasant morning into a cold world of fear.

We walked up the drive towards the bushes at the far end with the scars of the explosives still clearly visible. As we stood there in the area where so many people had died my tears started to come, I turned around to supposedly look at the hotel but to hide my tears from him the Hero.

"That’s your sister up there on the roof covering us could she hit any thing from there?" Bernard asked.

"She can and she did" I said and my voice gave away my emotional state.

"Right now lassie come on talk to me about it" Bernard said but it was Bernard my friend from the radio not Bernard the hero and my tears started flowing.

"I keep killing people lots of them and they wont stop making me kill them" I wailed.

"Yes and those people would kill you and your family here. You have done what was necessary and done it well." Bernard said.

"Yes I’ve done it well in that bush there" I pointed to where I had crawled to plant the mines "I did it well there didn’t I? I carefully slid a knife into the throat of a wounded man while holding him down and covering his mouth with my hand to stop his pleading." I was shouting now.

"Yes I did it well this area was packed with bodies the ones that escaped the crossfire from the roof were blown to bits by the mines that I placed with John." I couldn’t say anymore his name paralyzed my vocal chords.

"Yes and that is what’s bothering you Kathy. Not the fact that you are an angel of death and destruction, not that you actions have brought death to hundreds of people. But the fact you lost a man, you want to know where you went wrong. You want to know? You tell me what happened and I will tell you where it was. I can do that, I do it every night as the thousands I lost visit me in the dark hours screaming in their pain." He looked at me.

"COME ON TELL ME" he shouted "Tell me so that when he comes in the night you can tell him it won’t happen again." Bernard was sweeping his hand around in a big arc.

"Where were your defensive positions, how did they come, what were their weapons, did you know anything about them before they came" his questions came quick and loud.

I started answering his questions through my tears gradually he twisted the conversation around so I was telling the story of the attack and the commando raid as I told of the last rush to the house we walked the distance back to the house. As I stood there looking at the turned earth of Johns grave I finished the story of that night while stood there.

"Yes you made a mistake that night but only one." Bernard said "You shouldn’t have been the other one out there planting the mines and only the fact that your small size saved your life."

"Exactly its my fault he’s dead" I shouted at Bernard.

"Will you fucking shut up and listen for a minute" Bernard said to me silencing me for a second.

"I am saying you should have lost two people that night and it was only the fact

there’s bugger all of you that stopped it being two you’re a hard target to

kill. Yes you had some bad luck that car blowing fucked the operation and the

team should have had it then, which is why you shouldn’t have been out there."

he said while standing behind me with his hands on my shoulders

"Look who’s talking what were those words you said it’s a nice night lads who fancies a swim" I threw at him like a weapon.

"Yes and looking back it was a mistake but in the same position I would do the same. Yes before you say it I know I am a hypocrite but I am a honest one." Bernard said.

"But" I interjected

"Listen I have had years of looking back at battles even before Salamis and I can say you made no errors that cost a life. Did you order John to go out?" he asked me.

"No I asked him" I replied

"And he went willingly to his death knowing you were sharing the risk with him every inch of the way. He was hit while the two of you were defending each other during a retreat and the fatal wounds were inflicted while you helped him back. He died on the table with you critically wounded next to him having been hit defending him, while your sister fought to save his life. He was a solider and he died with honor to save his friends do not taint that memory trying to put it down as your error as he knew that he probably wouldn’t be back." Bernard said and stood there as I cried.

"One thing that worried him was he felt like a deserter after refusing orders" I told him.

"Well that’s easily solved we have the Prime Minister and the Head of the armed

forces here what rank do you want to give him, pick a medal." Bernard said

sarcastically

"No that’s not what I mean" I protested.

"Well listen to me once and for all he died a honorable death after knowing the risks, that makes him a Soldier and a hero and he got the job done so he was a professional. As far as medals go if we ever get through this shit back to normality then we recommend him for the VC but it is done properly so it means something do you understand why" I nodded.

He turned me around and hugged me in his arms for a long time and as I pulled myself back together I kissed him on the cheek that bore his scars of battle.

"Listen keep that up and you will do wonders for my reputation a girl sixty years younger than me on my arm" Bernard said I laughed.

"One last thing here’s a hanky blow your nose and lets go back in. It doesn’t matter if they know you weep for those you have lost as long as you get the job done. I should know I have wept more than most." Bernard said guiding me in the house.

"I stink" Bernard announced as we walked in the kitchen getting everyone’s attention.

"I’m going to jump in the shower I will see you in a while" and disappeared.

"Sounds like a good idea" Sheila said "Do you want a hand at all Kathy?"

"Yes go on" I said resigned to the fact that another female would be displaying her body to me with no interest in me at all. We headed up to the bedroom again a slow trip but Sheila seemed not to mind.

"Lets guess from your face he was a bit rough at times out there?" Sheila said

"Sort of not exactly rough but, oh I don’t know" I answered.

"Don’t worry if you’re not dying and he’s nice to you all the time then you’re in trouble. Give him back as good as he gives and you’ll get on great" she announced.

I stripped off not worried about bare flesh as Sheila didn’t seem to be and started to peel off the dressings to risk a shower the tape had stuck and was being reluctant to release.

"Come here I’ll do that for you its as bad as waxing your legs. One, two, three" Sheila counted then pulled at the dressing on my shoulder and as it ripped off I was sure it hurt more than being shot. The procedure was repeated on the other three dressings and I inspected my wounds. My side and calf were not worth mentioning now and I didn’t know why dressings had been reapplied my thigh was healing nicely now though still very much an open wound and my shoulder I couldn’t see.

"You have more holes in you than Granddad did in future you might think of ducking." Sheila said standing there in bra and panties.

"Well I wasn’t exactly standing in the open saying shoot me, shoot me." I

protested

"Well however it happened they did a good job on you" Sheila replied.

Downstairs after getting sorted out I found Wendy organizing the ammunition being brought from the helicopter and as I tried to help I was grabbed by Bernard.

"Listen back off let your people do their job without the boss peering over their shoulder. I once had to reprimand a junior officer for paying too much attention to his platoon, it puts them on edge and is not acceptable. That does not mean you don’t get your hands dirty or take any risks which is the other side of the coin." He told me firmly.

"Listen to him we have plenty of people now" Wendy shouted at me in passing.

"This isn’t fair" I protested petulantly "If I am boss shouldn’t I be allowed to do what I want when I want?"

"No" Bernard replied "Some times you get better food or a better bed but what being boss means is that if it all falls to shit its your fault no matter what happens."

"Is that why you deferred your authority to me?" I asked him.

"No that’s to stop any junior officer with a grudge putting a bullet in my back and declaring himself God Emperor of the UK" Bernard sighed "but this doesn’t protect us against the hundreds of little power groups that will be setting up across the country. This is why you are so important you are a focus point for people and you ask for nothing, while giving everything. You are also a paradox the innocent child who is wise beyond her years and death to all who oppose her."

"What are you expecting of me?" I asked him.

"Coherent orders and a lot of leeway to push bully and cajole members of the armed forces into accepting your authority" he replied.

"What distinction is there between me and any other of these leaders of the little groups that gives me the right to play god?"

"The fact that you’re here and have a following is enough for me at the moment. If you want to start acting the dictator I might change my mind but until then your it." Bernard finished.

For the rest of the day the two of us held court with people from around visiting to see what had been happening overnight many people were in awe of Bernard a legend come to life and a lot were the same with me. In between visitors we talked all of the inner council as it had been named by Wendy with Bernard. That night he left leaving Sheila with us to return to try and build an army for me to command to retake our country.

Two weeks later Bill decreed I was fit enough to resume an active life and I had the shit scared out of me when I realized that I had skipped a period. Wendy reassured me that with what had happened to me it was to be expected and a pregnancy test she had acquired somewhere proved she was correct.

We made preparations to retake Darlington then to move North after into Newcastle we had now four hundred and fifty people armed on call and a group of twenty five medical personnel including Andrea and Trisha who Bill had been training in field medicine. Our forces were broken down into five units, four of ninety, each commanded by Tom and Bob with two other men from the village Graham and Dennis both of which had military experience. Wendy commanded a surgical strike and reconnaissance unit on motorcycles scrounged from all around and I had my own personal guard all trained by Wendy and Sheila. I felt sorry for my crew both Wendy and Sheila had threatened them that if any thing happened to me they would have to answer to them and I know my old bearers the Biblical brothers of Mathew, Mark and Luke took it very serious. Three weeks to the day that Bernard had left we started moving taking people to within three miles of the outskirts of the town by a group of buses and lorries that had been salvaged with a limited supply of diesel.

Our group rallied four groups of ninety, Wendy’s fifty, my ten and the remaining thirty on supply of ammunition and evacuation of non-combatants. Bill was ready with his medical crew and a makeshift operating theatre set up in the back of an articulated lorry and every one was ready.

"Right now ladies and gentlemen keep your heads down and don’t try any heroics we want you all back home safe. Remember to listen for orders and don’t start shooting at your own side good luck and may your gods keep you safe." I told them.

"UNIT LEADERS ARE YOUR UNITS READY?" I shouted

"YES BOSS" Bob answered

"ALL READY HERE KATHY" was Tom’s reply

"YES MA’AM" From Graham

"YES" From Dennis.

"LETS ROCK LITTLE SISTER" From Wendy sat astride a large motorbike with a large man in front of her.

"LETS DO IT. WENDY MOVE OUT." I ordered

Wendy’s group twenty five bikes with two on each roared to life. The riders were chosen for they’re off road skills and the pillions for their marksmanship. The idea was that they would start picking off the defenders from a distance hitting them from all directions causing confusion. Then as confusion rained we would come in with the main force.

They roared into the distance as we started marching and within three minutes gunfire could be heard in the distance. As we came up to the first barricade our initial force took shelter either side of the road and laid down a murderous fire into the upturned vehicles which offered no protection for the poor bastards hidden behind them.

"COME ON LETS MOVE IT OUT, WE HAVEN’T GOT ALL DAY" Bob shouted and a few of his unit moved out one was hit and went down.

"MEDIC" I screamed and headed out to help him. A number of men and women came out to help me ones that hadn’t moved when Bob had shouted.

"You get him back" I ordered one man and looked up to see Bob and five men pinned down about one hundred yards up the road.

I turned my back to the enemy so I was facing my troops with bullets going both ways past me.

"COME ON MOVE IT THIS WAY NOW" I started walking backwards towards the barricade gesturing to people hidden in doorways. My bodyguard had formed up either side of me and was making it difficult for me to be heard with their firing.

"COME ON MOVE IT NOW THIS WAY" I shouted louder and a few more people joined me.

"LETS TAKE THE BASTARDS" I screamed drawing my pistols and turning to the enemy I started running towards the barricade. I could see people either side of me and behind me a roar erupted and the firing increased. I started opening fire at about fifty yards and as we hit the barricades I was dragged to one side.

"What’s going on" I demanded of Mathew, Mark and Luke.

"You don’t need to be in the firing line. Now you have got them moving so we are now doing our job and keeping you safe" Mark said.

"Jesus Christ who said you were to do that?" I demanded.

"Please don’t blaspheme" The large man said wincing as if I had hit him as he happily emptied the remainder of his magazine into a youth who was running towards us with what looked like a sawn off shotgun.

"Who gave you these orders" I demanded as I took pot shots at a figure with a rifle in an upstairs window opposite.

"The Inner Council did. They said that our only duty was your safety and to that end we have sworn to keep you safe." Luke replied as Mark had reversed his rifle and was busy using the stock to club a mans face. I fired and hit the man three times, he dropped and Mark reloaded.

"Well can we at least keep pace with the battle?" I asked indicating in the direction that the last few of my troops were heading leaving the dead and wounded behind for the medical crew.

We moved and caught up with the back end of the battle it was a rout on the part of the gangs. From then on we had sporadic fire fights in some areas, a lot of prisoners and a few civilians. As we stood in the pedestrianised area we assessed the damage. Seventeen dead twenty three wounded three serious, one hundred and thirty six prisoners and seventy six civilians. The town was secure and we had to decide our next move. Of the civilians most of them had been hidden from the gangs since the first arrivals except for a group of twenty who we found locked in a house. These were all women and had been used and abused at will they were in a bad way. I arranged for these to be taken back to New Delphi to be cared for. The rest of the civilians were thin and hungry but otherwise in good shape and ready to fight. We decided on two days break then to continue the march to Middlesbrough, the problem was the prisoners.

I headed out to the area the prisoners were being held. I looked at the faces they were scared children in rags only a few looked well fed, dressed and healthy. I organized that the well dressed ones were separated and these nine cocky arrogant young men were led off. The ones that were left where scared, very scared. I grabbed one of them and pulled him to one side. "How did you get into this kid" I asked the youngster.

"Who you calling kid cunt?" the little runt replied.

A large hand grabbed the front of the kids dirty jumper.

"That is The Oracle you are talking to and our Boss Lady. You speak nice to her or me and my brothers here will shove your head up your arse and use you as a football." Luke told him.

"She’s...You’re The Oracle? Shit we thought you were just another gang that’s what they told us. Fuck we’ve been fighting against you half of us have been trying to get out to join you. I heard you on the radio before they took my parents away we were going to try and find you but then they came." The youngster blurted out.

"What’s your name?" I asked him

"Phil, Philip Arrowsmith" he replied

"Well Phil how many are in the same boat as you and how many of the leaders are still there?" I asked.

Ten minutes later we had three more people removed from the crowd and one returned from the well dressed group.

"Can I have your attention, NOW" I addressed the prisoners.

"And what the fuck are you going to do if we don’t" came a voice back.

"Well I could just execute the lot of you here and now, that would save me having to think of what to do with you" I replied and was greeted with silence.

"How many of you here have been forced into this situation?" I asked and didn’t wait for a reply.

"You now have three choices. You can leave now, trouble nobody ever again if you do an automatic sentence of death will be passed on you. You can be executed now with as little fuss and pain as I can arrange or you can join the forces of New Delphi here but I promise you if anyone takes this third option with the idea of deserting or turning on us I personally will blow their brains out." I told them.

"Who are you to be threatening us?" came the voice from a moment ago.

"I am Katherine also known as The Boss Lady or The Oracle Of New Delphi we are also the people with the guns. You have five minutes to decide" We left them to talk for a few minutes then returned.

"Right I want you to split into three groups, one group to leave one to join us and one for execution" I told them and watched as they split into two groups one large one small.

"Execution?" I asked the small group.

"No, no we just want to go if you really meant it." One lad answered.

"Fair enough start walking" I indicated a westward direction.

I turned to the larger group ignoring the departing people and Wendy’s threats about what would happen if they were caught again.

"We want to join you" Philip the lad I had spoken to before told me. "Right, you lot you can happily join us. But if you fuck us over I will kill you. If you are lucky, if your unlucky my sister will deal with you" I left them for Tom to organize and went to see our casualties.

"Little sister we have a big problem" came Wendy’s voice from behind me.

"What now?" I asked.

"Middlesbrough isn’t gang controlled it’s military under one Captain Wilson"

"Oh shit that was Johns officer wasn’t it?"

"Yes that’s it and he has around five hundred troops" Wendy explained.

"Can your mob get me back to Delphi quickly?" I asked her.

"Your wish is my command" was her reply.

I found Bob stuck him in charge and within minutes I was on the back of a large motorbike with my arms wrapped around a big bloke with a beard and despite the helmet and the escort of other people obviously enjoying the ride I was scared shitless. Thirty miles an hour seemed fast on this thing and by the time it hit seventy I had closed my eyes and was holding on for my life. How Wendy’s crew fought from these things I would never know.

"You can let go now Boss and let me breath" came a voice from in front of me. I opened my eyes and looked around we were outside New Delphi and despite what my senses were telling me we had stopped moving. I struggled off the bike and managed to stay upright as I dismounted.

"Thank you" I said as I tried to compose myself.

"What’s up, what’s happened" came Anne’s voice from the doors

"It’s alright I just need to talk to Bernard urgently." I shouted back "Ian get Bernard on the line NOW."

Ian disappeared as I walked towards the door and gave Anne and Jenny a hug in passing.

"...is not to be disturbed he is in a meeting at this moment can I take a message?" was coming from the radio as I arrived in the dining room.

I grabbed the mike off Ian raising my eyes heavenward as I did he laughed.

"Listen whoever you are get me Bernard now" I told the voice.

"Young lady that is not possible at the moment as I said a moment ago." The

voice replied

"Listen tosspot I don’t give a shit what he said tell him to leave whatever he is doing now and get on this radio as I have found five hundred of his lost troops and it will be a shame to kill them all." I told him the anger evident in my voice.

"Are you threatening us?" came the reply.

Jesus I didn’t need this as a man I would have been listened to seriously this guy was treating me as a joke.

"Get Bernard now while you still have a career you have two minutes" I told him

"He gave orders not to be disturbed" came the reply.

"Hello, hello are you there?"

"One minute thirty seconds left" I told him.



"Hello can I help you" came a new voice when I was approaching one minute.

"Get me Bernard now" I snarled at him.

"Yes Ma’am right away" he said

"That you Boss Lady" came Bernard’s voice within a few moments.

"Yes it is who was the lucky lady to keep you away from me" I asked him.

"Oh some young sweet thing I found"

"If she’s younger and sweeter than me I look for a new Chief of the armed forces" I told him.

"Younger possibly but never sweeter. What’s up anyway, not that I ever mind talking to you" Bernard replied.

"I nearly didn’t as I couldn’t get past your lad on the radio." I told him.

"Yes well that is my fault I told him I didn’t want to be disturbed but neglected to mention you."

"No problem if you can just warn him for next time though. We have a problem anyway Middlesbrough isn’t under gang control its under military control, with one Captain Wilson in charge." I told him.

"You can’t try to take them its one thing to attack the gangs but a military unit will slaughter you." He told me.

"Possibly, but possibly not. I don’t want to fight them I want to enlist them bring them into the fold as such." I told him.

"Aye that would be better. What have you in mind?" Bernard asked.

"Well if you can get a group of fifteen to twenty together in uniform over here with yourself I have an idea." I told him.

"Number one uniforms or battle dress?" Bernard replied.

"Both if you want Anne to let you stay for dinner." I joked.

"Fine I will give you a shout later to tell you are E.T.A will see you soon sexy. Out." Bernard finished.

"Anne we have a problem in logistics I have twenty women from Darlington arriving in a short time all have used by the gang there I need to put them up here for a while" I told her.

"No problem we can cope" was Anne’s reply

"But I have just had to invite Bernard and a fifteen men over to sort out a problem we face in Middlesbrough." I explained.

"Well if we double everyone up it shouldn’t be a problem. We can cope but I will have to start organizing food now" and with that she was gone.

I talked to Ian for a while till the vehicles drew up with the girls from Darlington and I went outside to greet them.

"Welcome to New Delphi I am Kathy also known as The Oracle and for my sins the leader of this group. You are all welcome to stay as long as you wish or to leave whenever you want, the only rules here are we are a group and try to work together but for the moment you are our guests and Anne will show you to your rooms. I am sorry but you are going to be two to a room for tonight and tomorrow as a group of soldiers will be staying for a couple of nights to try and help us liberate Middlesbrough after that you can have a room each for as long as you wish to stay. If there is anything at all you want or need don’t hesitate to ask me or Anne over there, who is head of household duties." I told the huddled group. They were in a bad way some were nearly catatonic others were crying, I didn’t want to dump Bernard’s mob on them but I couldn’t see any way around it.

Anne led them in where each group of four was met by an older woman one of them Muriel and led off to sort out clothes and a room. The oldest of these women was perhaps mid twenties the youngest my age now the sight of them made me even more determined that what I was doing was right.

I returned to the radio and called Bernard again.

"Hello can I speak to Bernard please" I said

"Yes Ma’am I will get him now and Ma’am I am sorry about before." The voice from before said.

"Don’t worry about it as long as it doesn’t happen again I have no complaints."

I told him.

"Kathy what can I do for you?" came Bernard’s voice.

"Look just a quick word of warning, we have twenty girls here who have been used and abused by the Darlington gang at will I want you to warn your men you pick to be very, very careful around them they are very screwed up." I said to him.

"I understand lassie even I will watch my big mouth but how did they get out?"

He asked

"We took Darlington today I lost seventeen men, twenty three injured against seven or eight hundred defenders." I replied.

"How many did you go in with?" he asked.

"Little over four hundred armed men and women"

"Christ lassie what are you trying to do put me out of a job?" Bernard said.

"No I seem to have this problem with people taking me seriously which tends to make me a bit aggressive. They just got in my way when I was pissed off." I joked back.

"Well I won’t piss you off, what’s next?"

"We take Middlesbrough with no loss of life, I am going to have to let you go now see you later New Delphi out" I finished.

Dinner that night was a rather muted affair compared to normal none of the new arrivals were much in a mood to enjoy themselves and most of them hit their beds early.

Bernard’s arrival by helicopter in the early hours set a few of the girls off in hysterical crying and Anne went to organize help for them as Bob, Sheila and myself welcomed them and ushered them into the dining room.

I looked at the group Bernard had brought fifteen men one officer, one older NCO and thirteen younger men and Mike as pilot again.

"Right now gentlemen this is a volunteer only operation if anyone wants out now is the time to say" I told them. I looked around nobody backed out yet I thought.

"I will introduce myself first I am Kathy also known as The Oracle and Boss Lady of us a here at New Delphi. I am also the leader of the only civilian authority known in this country so by default I am in charge of the armed forces according to Major General Brown here. Today we retook Darlington and found out that a rogue military unit has taken control of Middlesbrough. They are a group of around five hundred men under the command of one Captain Wilson. Captain Wilson is an officer instructor with the REME who felt that military law included the summary execution of civilians, who he had decided were looters, when he felt it was necessary. When a man tried to object about this he tried to shoot him too. That soldier was no deserter or coward he gave his life for this group and is now buried out there." I pointed outside.

"I want to take Middlesbrough tomorrow without a shot being fired if possible. We as in you lot and me go in as a wandering group of soldiers and basically find out what the situation is. If the men are there because of the captains authority then we give them your boss with his rank and reputation that pisses over a little captain." This brought a laugh from the men but Bernard was chewing on his bottom lip while glaring at me.

"If the forces there have gone bad we make the excuse that we have more men ten miles away and are going to get them to join the forces in Middlesbrough and run like hell no pissing about no heroics just get out of there. Any questions?" I looked at the men waiting.

"Right we move out tomorrow morning. No bathing or shaving. You have been walking for days with little chance of cleaning up if your uniforms are clean we will dirty them tomorrow, for tonight we have food, drink enjoy yourselves. Anne will show you your rooms later. Has it been explained to you the situation with the girls from Darlington?"

"Yes Ma’am" said the older NCO "they all know what has happened to those poor women and they will all be on their best behavior or explain why to me" this got nods from the rest of the men.

"Thank you. Have fun but for now and tomorrow it’s Katherine or Kathy as if one of you calls me Ma’am were fucked understand".

"Yes Kathy" replied the NCO.

The men helped themselves to the food and drink that Anne had provided and suddenly I was cornered by Bob, Sheila and Bernard.

"Why do you have to go in?" was Bobs question.

"It’s very easy, Bernard needs to go as a senior officer and I need to go as the recognized civilian authority." I said.

"But why you" said Sheila "you led the charge today wasn’t that enough?"

"No Bob led the charge today I just joined in. But we need a member of the inner

council on the team Bob and Anne are out as Bob wouldn’t be tagging along with

soldiers the same with Brian and I won’t risk Anne. That leaves Trisha, Andrea

and me. Trisha can be a little volatile and Andrea doesn’t strike me as a spy so

that leaves me." I told them

"She’s right. I don’t like it but she is right" said Bernard.

The arguments went on for some time then I turned to them.

"Look you voted me Boss Lady before I had a chance to object, then you shove me on the radio so that mine is the voice that is known as The Voice of New Delphi. You keep voting me Boss despite my strenuous objections and I keep winning so I am either right and you let me carry on or I am wrong and you let me stand down. Let Bob be boss he will do a good job." I told them and Anne who had now joined them.

I left them to it and went to talk to Mike who was sat in a corner looking amused at the goings on.

"Hi Mike, how goes it?" I asked him

"Oh fairly good we have found a decent supply of fuel now so I can keep on flying for the foreseeable future, I even have a maintenance crew so I’m happy. I would have thought by now they would have started to just agree with you. Bernard has had nothing but praise for you since he met you and on the way here we kept hearing about all your adventures from him, mainly to give the men some background." Mike explained.

"What can you tell me about the team?" I asked him.

"Not a lot. they all seem good lads the Sergeant Major there with the moustache is James Houston, he is sound. rely on him all you want. The young Lieutenant is William Anderson who I believe you got rather irate with on the radio. He’s not a bad kid but is still wet behind the ears, not willing to think about his orders just do it. The others I don’t particularly know except that the boss selected them personally." He said.

"Enjoy your stay Mike I’ll catch you later I’m going to talk to the team" I said and wandered over to the Sergeant Major.

"Sergeant Major Houston?" I said as I approached the large man in his late thirties, early forties with a large moustache.

"Yes Ma’am" he said with a strong Liverpudlian accent.

"Kathy please I’m not exactly comfortable with Ma’am at the best of times but for this operation I am just a waif you found on the way so Kathy please." I told him.

"OK then Kathy but for this operation I’m Jimmy" he said smiling broadly.

"Well Jimmy you’re the person that Bernard will have spoken to first about putting this team together as you’re the man who gets things done, so what are they like?" I asked him.

"Their all good lads better than most I have worked with they won’t let you down no matter what." Was his eager reply.

"And Lieutenant Anderson?" I asked

"Well..." he answered.

"Look Jimmy I’ve been under fire a few times now and I know how people can react in the heat of a battle, I lost count of my ammunition in one and it nearly cost me my life when I ran out at a most inopportune moment. I want to know how he will react under stress?" I told him.

"He will be fine under fire no problems that way, he just doesn’t inspire confidence in the men. I think it’s the lack of imagination or initiative that’s the problem, tell him to guard a point and he would till the last man but he wouldn’t think of moving two hundred and fifty yards to a better position." Jimmy explained. "He doesn’t think."

"Fine, if I want anything done, I will work through you and you can guide him, I will also have a word with Bernard to make sure that Bernard tells him to liase with you closely. I don’t think we will have much trouble but if shit happens I want it covered." I replied. "catch you later."

The group arguing my part in this operation had finished their deliberations and I rejoined them.

"Well, am I still Boss Lady or can I go to bed now?" I asked them.

"Your still Boss but we don’t like this idea" Bob answered

"Look, now you know how I feel all the time. I had to watch you lead that charge then get pinned down it’s a terrible sensation having to send someone you know possibly to their death but as it has been explained to me with John sometimes its necessary. I can’t hear anyone objecting about Sergeant Major Houston going in, so don’t worry about me. Bernard can I have a few words in quiet please?" I indicated the kitchen.

"Yes Kathy, what can I do for you" Bernard asked as we entered the kitchen.

"The team looks good but what about your young Lieutenant?" I asked.

"On his own I wouldn’t dream of sending him here, but with me and Jimmy watching him he’ll be fine" he answered.

"That’s no problem then, what do you think of the plan?"

"I wouldn’t have touched it with a barge pole if it came from anyone but you or me so lets play." He gave me a big grin "Its stupid enough to work."

We rejoined the group and I was officially introduced to Lieutenant Anderson, maybe I would have liked him more without the conversation on the radio earlier but I don’t think so.

"And how did such a sweet and pretty little thing like you end up in charge here?" was his first question.

"Well, it was easy. I just stopped blowing the brains out of the people who came to visit and I found they liked me." I replied pleasantly.

"And have you got a boyfriend yet?" came next.

"I did but we had to bury him after he was shot umpteen times while laying mines" I told him.

"Oh what a pity that must have upset you" came the inane reply.

"Yes it did for a bit till they shot me."

"Oh and that must of hurt where did they shoot you?" he asked.

"Leg twice, chest and side" I told him.

"Well the scars don’t show with that dress so it can’t have been that bad" every

time he opened his mouth shit came out. "That coats a bit big on you though" he

indicated the flying jacket which I had claimed as my own and now had lived in

for weeks"

"I know and it doesn’t really go with this outfit does it?" I said sarcastically.

"Well I didn’t want to say anything but it doesn’t" he answered the sarcasm beyond him.

"Well what about these" I drew one of the two Berettas the silver gleaming in the light.

"Do you think I should stick with the silver of the Beretta or should I move to the black of the Browning" Bernard’s movable eyebrow was raised at this point.

"Well the silver looks pretty but the black goes well with anything" he answered.

"Well aren’t you just full of useful advice" I told him.

"Well I always try to help." He told me.

"When we get back I will have to introduce you to Wendy my big sister."

"If she’s half as pretty as you I would be glad to." He smiled back.

"Do you think Wendy’s pretty Bernard?" I asked.

"Oh most assuredly so, she also is an excellent nurse, an accomplished field surgeon, a crack marksman and a brilliant strategist." Bernard replied.

"But she can’t cook very well Bernard" I answered.

"Well that’s no good is it" Anderson said.

"No its not" I agreed with him.

"She can kill a man at two hundred yards with one shot though" Bernard replied.

"That’s nice, can you cook Kathy?" This man was brain dead.

"No not very well. I kill people instead" I said ever so sweetly.

"Oh do you, what with your looks." He laughed a little laugh at his own joke.

I giggled and slipped the Beretta back into my holster then pressed myself against his side putting an arm around him.

"Your not so bad looking yourself" I said as with my spare hand I unclipped the top of the holster containing his Browning and held it out for Bernard to take which he did.

"Do you have a Browning?" I said looking up at him and fluttering my eyes a bit

"Yes" he answered.

"Can I have a look at it to see if it looks nice" I asked

"Certainly Kathy" he said "but this is not a toy so don’t touch"

He reached down and found the pistol wasn’t there and started patting his uniform.

I drew a Beretta and cocked it and raised it at him, he was still checking his uniform. Around me I could see activity from the rest of the team as their officer was being threatened by a strange female, Bernard behind Anderson was gesturing to them to ignore it but all eyes were on us.

"I had it a minute, I must have left it on the helicopter." He looked up at me

"Bang your dead" I said.

"You got me Agh" he said clutching his chest.

"NO Dickhead, Bang you are dead." I said.

"Yes I know but there is no reason to call me that" he answered.

"BANG I shouted" and cocked it again causing the unused round to be ejected his eyes bulged as the round hit the floor. I repeated this thirteen times emptying the magazine and replaced the pistol drawing the other one.

"Anderson, do you listen to anything that is said to you? Do you take any notice of anything going on around you? I think not." I said not waiting for his answer "When I first drew this pistol to show you the Sergeant Major over there and Bernard never took their eyes off it you didn’t give it a second glance. I was able to disarm you and give your weapon to someone else without you noticing I then drew a weapon trained it on you and cocked it which had fourteen men ready to jump me to save you and you were too busy to notice." I told him.

"Get real quickly Anderson. Yes you are reasonably safe in here thanks to the women on the roof with the heavy caliber guns and the people who have died to make this place safe. Tomorrow we are walking into a place where if we are unlucky five hundred armed men could want to kill us, outnumbering us by almost thirty to one. If you aren’t awake and on the ball you will get us all killed. Listen all of you. I don’t want to fight tomorrow but if we do have to fight our way out I want to get us all out. Stay sharp watch what is going on and be ready for the shit to hit the fan."

"You" I indicated Anderson "Keep you eyes open keep your brain alert and listen

to what Bernard or I order you to do. Yes me you obey my orders without question

and whatever advice the Sergeant Major gives you should be carefully considered

also, if you get my meaning"

Bernard waved his Browning in front of his face and led him away as I tried to get down to get the rounds on the floor, not easy with a dress heels and a leg that was still stiff.

"I’ll get them Kathy" Jimmy said and recovered the rounds.

"Come and sit down a minute with me. My legs playing hell tonight." I told him.

"What’s up with it?" he asked as he stood with the rounds in his hand

"Its what you get when you can’t do a hundred meters in ten seconds while under fire" I explained.

"Will you be ok tomorrow?" he asked as we sat down and I removed the empty pistol from its holster.

"I should be. It’s all healed now but with the high heels I get some problems. But if you want to eat here of an evening you have got to be dressed for dinner or make your excuses in advance to Anne" I told him as I started forcing the rounds into the magazine against the force of the spring.

"Very nice, may I have a look?" he indicated the pistol. I picked it up drew back to show there was no round in the chamber then passed it to him. He examined it with an expert eye cocked and fired a few times.

"Been used recently" he stated "In anger?"

"What you want to know is can I pull the trigger when it’s pointed at someone, yes?"

"Yes" he admitted.

"Well today, now yesterday I don’t know how many people I shot I lost count after five, probably over ten maybe fifteen but unlikely to be more than twenty. In total I don’t know how many people I have killed but I don’t enjoy it and given the option I never want to have to use a knife again." I told him.

"Steel is messy. I wouldn’t like to have to trust anyone who enjoyed it" Jimmy

said

"Well you know some of my background what’s yours?"

"Royal Marines for years and then I transferred to a place where we didn’t salute" Jimmy explained.

"How many years have you done SBS then." I asked him.

"Long enough to take care of the Boss and you on this operation, not that the two of you will take much looking after. Mr. Anderson is another matter though." Jimmy explained.

"Tomorrow morning do you mind doing a quick weapons training for us all. I know I could use some guidance Mr. Anderson could do with finding where his weapon is and I don’t think the other lads will mind will they?"

"No they won’t mind. They are not my old squad but their willing and eager" Jimmy explained.

"Well Jimmy what do you think of her then" Bernard said from behind me

"Honestly?" Jimmy asked.

"Yes" me and Bernard replied

"If it’s not all piss and wind and half what I keep hearing is true then she will do fine" Jimmy answered.

"If I was hearing these stories from her or her sister I wouldn’t believe a word of it, but Kathy and her sister are closed mouthed about their exploits everyone around them is telling the stories and all the same story" Bernard explained.

"Well I was sort of listening on the way here but not properly" Jimmy explained.

"How many people would you need to defend this place Jimmy" Bernard asked.

"Well I wouldn’t want to with less than ten, that is ten of my old unit" Jimmy said.

"She defended for hours against five hundred attackers, with seven people. Five of them not old enough to leave school." Bernard was bubbling now a few whiskies’ had loosened him up a bit.

"Seven that’s bloody good going what sort of casualties?" Jimmy asked.

"Between forty and sixty percent, but there was only around three hundred" I told him.

"Well that’s.....two point...eight or so how can you loose two point eight people?" Jimmy asked.

"No Jimmy, no she lost one man and two wounded" Bernard said banging the table with his fist then pointing at me "Kathy was the serious casualty, Anne over there" he pointed with his glass in Anne’s direction "caught one in the shoulder. She was talking about the attackers, forty percent casualties out there and another twenty percent through the sniping of her sister later. The town here Keld she didn’t lose a man against a bigger force and listen to this Lieutenant Anderson" he raised his voice so that Anderson could hear.

"Yesterday she took Doncaster. Eight hundred opposition defending a town she takes it with a little over four hundred men women and children. Listen up you men as well."

Bernard shouted in the direction of the team.

"She took Doncaster with two to one odds against her with the loss of less than

twenty men. She didn’t just lead the charge, she made the bloody charge"

"Granddad come on that’s enough for now" Sheila said appearing at his side.

"What’s enough?" Bernard asked.

"No more to drink tonight not with the operation tomorrow" Sheila told him gently.

"What I could have done with you Kathy?" Bernard said quieter. "What I could have done with you on that fucking godforsaken island? I’m going for a pee back in a moment" and he stood up and walked away.

"I’m sorry he doesn’t normally drink" Sheila said

"He hasn’t had more than four or five now" Jimmy said.

"But they were big ones and I have never seen him have more than two drinks in my life." Sheila explained "He says it wakes up those that shouldn’t."

"Don’t worry about it Sheila, I won’t let him have any more and lets be honest not many people here can sleep without nightmares. We’re a Psychologists lifetime work." I told her.

"It’s true Sheila I get a few visits from friends and enemies who should be long dead during the night and I haven’t been through a fraction of what he has. Lets get some coffee down him anyway it shouldn’t take much to sort him out." Said Jimmy.

I organized some coffees all round for those who wanted it grabbing two of the soldiers to help Anne and getting Sheila and Ian to take orders. As we sat drinking the coffee Bernard tried to apologize.

"Piss off, you have got nothing to apologize for we all have our personal demons here even Sheila now." I told him.

"Gentlemen can I have your attention for a moment" I shouted to little effect.

"SHUT IT NOW YOU APES" came from Jimmy and silence descended

"Thank you. You all know where you’re kipping down so I am going to leave you to it.

One thing if any of you decides to head outside shout up on the way out. We have a rooftop guard who will shoot first then not worry about it later, just let them know your outside. Goodnight all see you tomorrow." I said and started to get up to leave.

"Are you checking the defenses?" Bernard asked

"Yes I can’t sleep till I have" I admitted.

"Fancy some company?" he asked me.

"Yes but not all night tonight we need to be sharp tomorrow." I warned.

"No problem, come on Jimmy" Bernard said.

On the roof it was cold and clear the stars once again were on view with the Milky Way clearly visible.

"Any problems Alex?" I asked the girl in charge of the watch that night.

"No Boss all quiet except for you lot downstairs" She answered

"Don’t worry this wasn’t the party that’s after tomorrow so you can all have some fun then" I explained and got muffled acknowledgements from the two figures on the GPMGs.

"What’s up Boss" said Jimmy to Bernard.

"I fear I have made a grave error of judgment bringing Anderson along. I didn’t want to leave him behind as I feel with some experience he could be a good officer" Bernard explained "But I am worried that this idea of Kathy’s is beyond him."

"Look we have two options at this time" I said "take him or leave him. I don’t like the man he’s a patronizing arrogant git, but I feel we wait till tomorrow before we decide."

Bernard looked at me "You are right my dear no decision should be made with alcohol in our systems and a lack of sleep. But tell me do you find me a patronizing git?"

"No not at all" I assured him. "A bad tempered lecherous old goat, but you do it with a certain charm and style which he lacks."

"And what about me then" Jimmy chimed in.

"You are a professional first and foremost. Your concerns are firstly Bernard’s safety, then your team and finally yourself. You questioned my abilities but you did it by asking me rather than assuming, I must admit though I was surprised that you accepted what I said though" I told Jimmy.

"Oh I wasn’t questioning your abilities I trusted you because the boss trusts

you I just needed to know what you can do." Jimmy explained "Anyway goodnight

Boss, goodnight Kathy don’t stay up to late"

"Yes Mommy" Bernard said as the man disappeared down stairs.

"Well are we going to go to bed then" I asked Bernard

"Certainly my dear but I may be a bit more than you can handle" Bernard replied.

"You couldn’t stand the pace, you wouldn’t last me the night" I told him.

"Well in that case since I am needed tomorrow I think its separate beds. Unless you think I can tempt young Alex over there?" he said in a stage whisper that set the two people on the machine guns giggling.

"No I’m afraid she’s on duty tonight"

"Ah well goodnight to you all and may the heavenly Alex watch over my dreams till morning." He said as we walked to the stairs.

Outside my room I hugged him tight burying my face in his chest.

"Thank you for coming and being a friend, I don’t think I would keep my sanity through this without you to talk to." I told him.

"No thank you dear you have given me life I didn’t have six months ago. Your determination brought me out of the apathy of inaction and got me off my arse doing things. Then you pay me the compliment of wanting me along for this little game tomorrow, morbid as it is the end of our world has given me a new beginning." He told me.

I couldn’t answer I had no reply to this so I just kissed him on his cheek that bore the scars of battle and took my leave of him. As I slipped into my bed Sheila in the other bed was mumbling fighting her own demons in her sleep and I wondered how many of my people were doing the same as her at this moment. I closed my eyes and awaited my nightmares.

Morning came with Sheila shaking me gently, it had been another restless night the memories of the horrors which woke me fading with conciseness leaving a cold lump of fear in the pit of my stomach, only to be replaced by a new nightmare as I drifted off again.

"I’m awake sort of" I told her without opening my eyes.

"Well come on get up with all the men around you can’t slop around in your nighty and slippers" she said as she moved around the room.

"Why not Bernard’s the only one to worry about and even he won’t make a move on me." I told her as I opened my eyes.

"No that’s not it there’s some cute ones I haven’t met before we have got to look good girl." I was informed.

"Not me Sheila this morning they need to see me as someone they can rely on who can get the job done and this afternoon when we move it has to be the little girl look, I want to be ignored and classed as harmless." I told her.

"Well that could be fun" Sheila said giggling "you jumping in the shower?" "No not even that we have to look like we have been on the road for a while no baths no showers" I reminded her.

"Well at least for this morning you can put some make up on, age you a little bit for the lads" she suggested.

"That could be a good idea" I agreed

Half an hour later I was sitting down to breakfast with Bernard, Jimmy and Anderson in tight jeans and a tight blue t-shirt that Sheila insisted on. I had kept my boots and was wearing my pistols, with the make up my hair tied back in a pony tail and my flying jacket casually over my shoulder I had to agree with Sheila I looked shit hot and ready for business. Sitting down next to Bernard and Anderson opposite Jimmy I got a whiff of the musty smell of unwashed men, then I got the smell of soap from Anderson.

"Bernard we have a problem, a problem that could get us killed." I said as I nursed a cup of coffee.

"What is it Kathy?" he asked

"Well it’s like this we have been on the road since the shit happened at least a few weeks, yes?"

"That’s right" he agreed

"Well this room stinks of unwashed men, I’m not much better I admit, but sat next to dick head here I can’t smell sweat. No I smell soap and shampoo." I announced.

I turned to face Anderson "You are a fucking liability man, you were told specifically no washing no matter what and what do you do?"

"But....I’m an officer we have to maintain a certain standard no matter what conditions we are under." He protested.

"Listen mate, I don’t give a fuck what standards you think you should be maintaining my concerns are this team and my own skin your pride and nostrils being offended don’t even figure in my list of interests. If you don’t get the approval of Wendy this morning then you can forget about coming along and park your arse here. Do you understand?" I glared at him.

"Well that decision isn’t yours.." he started.

"I don’t think you understand who you are talking to and where." I shouted at him.

"What do you mean"

"This is my home and I am Boss of this group. If I shot you through the head nobody here would do anything to try and stop me. I might piss off Anne with blood in the dining room but her only request would be to shoot you outside." He looked around at the rest of the team.

"Forget it they would be dead before they got to their rooms to get their weapons. Jimmy here could possibly stop me but it would cost him his life, this is my place and my operation, you fuck me about and you’re fucked. Do you understand me. I will have no hesitation in wasting a bullet on you none at all." I stood up and walked to the kitchen as I hit the door I turned around to face the room.

"Ladies I am sorry if I have upset any of you" I said to the group from

Darlington

"You tell him girl" came the reply.

"Gentlemen anyone who doesn’t impress my big sister is scratched from the team they can sit it out here. Anyone who can out shoot her gets a bottle of Whisky or Brandy their choice but I don’t think I need worry" and l left for the kitchen.

"Oooh I think it’s the wrong time of the month" came from Anderson as I disappeared.

"Open that mouth ever again around me Sir and I will rip your fucking tongue out" came from Jimmy.

"LIEUTENANT GET TO YOUR ROOM AN REMAIN THERE TILL I SEND FOR YOU" came from Bernard.

"But sir."

"But sir one more time and I will court marshal you do you understand me. You are retiring to you room at the moment for your own safety till you gain control of your mouth." Bernard answered.

"But.."

"Listen Dickhead" came from Jimmy "and listen up you lot there. That young woman who you keep associating as a little girl has killed more men than me. Not just with rifles but pistols and steel. Yes, she’s seasoned she can use a knife close up. Yesterday she led the charge that took Darlington to free these ladies, not from the back directing and organizing things, but from twenty foot in front.

She hit the barricades first and lost less men than I would have thought

possible. You open your mouths you think about what you are saying as it might

be the last thing you ever say. The people here have seen more action than

anyone else here with the exception of the Boss they are on edge and they love

their Boss Lady most of them because they owe her or her sister their lives. If

you upset one of them please remember they are all armed and they all, that is

every one of them can and would kill you. If I hear anything being said even

away from members of this group I will not put you on a charge we will practice

unarmed combat skills for half an hour"

"Lieutenant you are dismissed and restricted to your room. go now." Bernard said and I heard Anderson leave. I sat down at the table in the kitchen Anne I could see was fuming but didn’t say anything the rest of them just carried on as if I wasn’t there.

"I am so sorry about that Kathy" came Bernard’s voice.

"It’s ok, it’s just that idiot got under my skin and it’s not as if we are going in with enough forces to be able to fight our way out of trouble. This is a one shot opportunity, if it falls to shit I have to fight them."

"Well we will just have to do it right first time won’t we" Bernard said

"Yes" I agreed

"Well now come back and join the men for breakfast as we don’t want them to think its them your angry with." Bernard said.

I walked into the dining room with Bernard carrying my cereal and my coffee all eyes where on me. I walked up to the table and a voice from the team came through the silence.

"If he irritates you again just tell us we will sort him out on the quiet."

"If the Sergeant doesn’t do it first" came another voice.

"Jones, Hankinson who said you could open your mouths" Jimmy said.

"Sorry Sergeant" came the two voices together

"We won’t get a chance to sort him out as the Boss and Kathy here will beat us to it." He finished with a big grin getting a cheer from the men and the girls at the other end and the tension was broken.

"I am sorry about that you two." I said to Jimmy and Bernard "but if I hadn’t of left he would have ended up being hurt."

"Don’t worry about it another moment or two and I would have been on charges for striking an officer" Jimmy agreed.

We ate in silence till we were interrupted by a runner from the roof.









"Vehicles coming in Boss, it could be Wendy’s team she’s due but I’m not certain" the lad said.

"Incoming" I shouted and the kitchen crew appeared armed with rifles Anne came with a SA 80 for me.

"Gentlemen if you will excuse me a moment" I said slamming a magazine into the rifle and throwing my coat on.

"It’s probably Wendy’s mob but better safe than sorry" I explained as I shoved the other two magazines for the rifle in my coat pocket.

I headed into the bright sunlight and took up a position behind the Land Rover I could just hear the sound of engines in the distance.

"Can we do anything" came Jimmy’s voice from behind me.

"Keep them out of sight and no firing. We are expecting friendly incoming our version of the cavalry on motorbikes but you can’t be too cautious" I explained he made some gestures and took up position next to me. The bikes came into view and Wendy waved at me from the lead bike.

"All clear, Stand down" I shouted.

"Not you lot" Jimmy shouted "breakfast is now over its time to earn your keep" and there was a groan from the men who were slipping back into the dining room.

I watched as Jimmy took charge of the men checking weapons and kit first. Going through the age old routine of shouting a lot at the men. I watched Wendy dismount and come wandering across to me.

"JONES, what the hell do you think you are looking at haven’t you seen a lady before" Jimmy shouted.

"Yes Sergeant Major but I have never seen a gun like the one she’s carrying" Jones replied and Jimmy looked across at the SLR.

"Stop smirking Hankinson that lady is more of a soldier and twice the man that you will ever be." Jimmy shouted.

"Ma’am may I show them your rifle please?" Jimmy asked.

"No, I will though as nobody touches this but me" Wendy replied.

"This gentlemen is a 7.62mm SLR and this if used correctly it will match any modern weapon for accuracy, range and effectiveness. It doesn’t have the fully automatic option but on a bike you can’t carry unlimited ammunition. If you want fully automatic you go for the seven hundred and fifty rounds a minute of the GPMGs on the roof." Wendy explained.

"But can you use it" came Jones voice.

"Well aren’t we a cocky one" Wendy said spotting Jones and his friend Hankinson in the rear rank.

"And who are you?"

"Jones Ma’am"

"And this is your little friend is it Jonsey smirking at your little joke" Wendy said.

"No Ma’am that’s Hankinson" Jones replied

"You look fit Hankinson" Wendy said.

"Yes Ma’am I work out" Hankinson answered

"Well Hankinson run over to that shed and get two empty paint tins."

Hankinson looked at Jimmy who nodded.

He ran over to the shed and came out with two paint tins.

"Right run down the drive with them and when I tell you to stop place them on a fence post either side of the drive and lie on the floor."

"What Ma’am" Hankinson said.

"When you have placed them on the posts come to the middle of the road and lie down or sit down or stand there if you trust Jonesy here."

He disappeared down the road at a jog.

"Hello Sergeant Major I am Kathy’s sister Wendy" Wendy introduced herself.

"Jimmy please" answered.

"I am sorry about being funny about anyone handling my rifle, but when you depend on it..."

"Don’t worry I’m the same with my sidearm" Jimmy answered "Do you think he is far enough now?"

"Two more fence posts I think" was Wendy’s comment.

"STOP THERE" Jimmy shouted. Hankinson was about three hundred and fifty yards away he placed them on the posts and lay on the middle of the road.

"What do you think minimum number of shots to hit it wins?" Wendy asked Jones who nodded.

"Go on then" she indicated he should pick a target and fire. Four shots and his can jerked into the air.

"Not bad, better than I thought you were going to be but" she said and the SLR flashed "not good enough" as the can hit the floor. "Can you ask him to put them up again Jimmy?"

Jimmy shouted and Hankinson did.

"Just in case any of you are saying what a" the rifle spat again and a can fell "fluke well this might just" again the other can flew into the air "convince you. He can come back now but can he bring the cans there is no point littering."

Hankinson returned with the now worse for wear cans.

"With some luck we shouldn’t need to rely on Jones shooting skills. The idea is this. If the men can still be classed as soldiers, and that is your job to find out. Then all we have to do is remove the Captain from command, if they have turned bad then we run to the pick up point where the motorbikes will be waiting for us led by Wendy and a few of her chosen. Your only two jobs are to get information to me on how the men there are and if the shit hits the fan to get your Boss out nobody else matters do you understand." I asked them.

"Yes Ma’am" came the reply from all of them

"Belay that last order" came Bernard’s voice "It is all fine except for one point this girl is the one who is to be protected at all costs.

"Begging the Lady and the Officers pardon" Jimmy jumped in at this point. "This is my team and the only orders they have are to get the two of you out. This order is non negotiable and will not be countermanded by either of you or I stay here with Anderson."

A few hours was spent on training the idea was to be at Middlesbrough by dark which gave the men a few hours break before we left.

After dinner Jimmy started giving a personal defence class bare handed to the men totally voluntarily but all of the team was there.

"Do you want to try with Harper here?" Jimmy asked me.

"Yes I will give it ago" I said.

"No you either do it or don’t do it. I will give it a go doesn’t count." Jimmy shouted at me. I slipped off my pistols and coat and laid them on the ground, and entered the clear area surrounded by the men.

"Harper grab her from behind" Jimmy said and Harper gently held me from behind.

"Come on both of you, you won’t break her." and Harper was now holding me firmly.

"Now try and get out of that" Jimmy said.

"What if I hurt him?" I asked.

"Harper are you worried about being hurt?"

"No Sergeant" Harper said laughing.

"Fair enough" I said clenching my fist and driving back into his balls.

A whoosh of air left him and I threw my head back into his nose and dropped through his arms. As I dropped my elbow found his stomach and I twisted away, a kick to the back of his legs and he was down holding a bleeding nose and his balls.

"Do I follow through with kicking him in the head and running away?" I asked Jimmy.

"No I think we can leave that for now" Jimmy replied. "Up you get Harper, you’ll survive."

I gave Harper a hand up and apologised.

"Don’t worry Kathy. This isn’t as bad as it looks" he mumbled as he hobbled back to the kitchen.

"Do you know what Harper did wrong there Kathy?" Jimmy asked.

"He assumed I was harmless" I answered

"Yes. Assumption will get you killed every time, never ever assume anything" he said to the men. "what were you saying about kicking and running away?"

"Well if I’m not in control of a situation as in I have a gun, knife or big stick then my only thought is survival. Hit them with something big and hard and runaway till I find a gun to shoot them. If in doubt run away a bit further." I said getting a laugh from the men.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" Jimmy shouted and got no response.

"You have just heard the basics of Guerrilla Warfare explained, if you are dead then you can’t fight so you hit them run, hit again and run again. This has been used successfully by the French Resistance in the Second World War right through to the Greek Partisans during the Turkish occupation. It works every time. Ask an American about Vietnam. I know I have taught people these things in various shit holes around this world. The unexpected move is difficult to counter isn’t that so Harper?"

"Yes Sergeant Major" said Harper returning to the ranks.

"And before any of you decide to take the piss out of Harper here, I would have been caught out by that as Kathy here is a dirty little bitch when it comes to fighting."

"Meaning no offence Kathy" he added on the end quickly.

"None taken" I told him as I slipped my pistols back on.

"Can I ask a question of Kathy?" came a voice from the men.

"Yes go on I’m sorry I don’t know your name" I said.

"Why the two pistols as it takes two hands to operate one of those and

its Milligan"

"Dead easy if one jams or I don’t have chance to reload then I have a spare. To be honest I got caught out while under fire and forgot how many rounds I had left. This solves that problem." I answered. "Any more questions?"

"How did you get to be Boss here?" came Jones voice.

"I was voted in and each time I tell them to vote again hoping to get out of it they vote me back in" I told him.

"Does your sister have a boyfriend?" came another voice

"She did" I answered my voice serious "but he was shot while this place was under attack, he died while she operated on him. So please be a bit gentle over that, he’s buried over there."

I indicated the grave with the flowers on, behind it preparations were underway for seventeen more graves to be dug for those I lost yesterday they were to be buried when we came back from Middlesbrough, hopefully in two days.

"Sorry" came the apology from the man who had asked the question.

"Don’t be. you asked nicely so no complaints" I told him.

"Any more questions?"

"What the Boss was saying last night and the Sergeant today those stories about you are they true?"

"Yes" I said and left them to it.

At three in the afternoon we were all inspected to see how grubby we looked I had been made to look the little girl in an adult dress one of Anne’s denim things that fell to the floor and hid many things underneath it. Pink coat and a girls rucksack style school bag with a cartoon pony on the front all makeup gone and my hair arranged by Anne I could have been nine or ten years old as what curves I had were hidden. After inspection I slipped into jeans and a sweatshirt for the trip to Middlesbrough on one of the bikes.

Five miles out of the town we stopped I found a hedge and changed with a few bits from Wendy in place we started the march into town. There was smoke over the town and as we approached in the fading light we could see the light of fires illuminating the sky the first check point we reached after an hour. No improvised barricade this concrete blocks and barbed wire blocked most of the road and the free part of the road had planks with six inch nails pointing upwards preventing vehicles speeding through. No one could be seen at the barrier though.

"You men wait here" I said "Bernard grab my hand as I am a scared

little girl and lets go"

"Is there anyone awake on duty here?" Bernard shouted and two men

appeared

"Identify yourself" one of them shouted.

"Identify yourself, what kind of a challenge is that soldier?" Bernard shouted "I have to wake you up after crossing this country to get here and what do I find two privates asleep looking worse than my men do who have been living rough for three weeks, Who is your senior officer here?"

"Oh I am sorry sir" one of the men answered.

"We didn’t realise you were an officer, we only have one officer here since those bastards at New Delphi killed all the officers at a peace conference they organised. Killed off almost all the senior NCOs as well, only the Captain and Sergeant Mitchell escaped" the second one said.

"Look I don’t care what has happened I still haven’t had a proper challenge and you are assuming I am an officer, I could have picked this up at a fancy dress shop" Bernard shouted back.

"Yes sir Halt. Who goes there?" The first said.

"Major General Brown and a child we picked up on the way. My squad only

a dozen are a little way back"

"Come forward and be recognised"

Bernard produced an identity card from his pocket and it was studied for a minute then the man stood at attention and saluted.

"Good to see you here sir things need sorting out a bit" the private said.

"Is that so son, what is it your Captain been left in the lurch?"

"Yes sir and some of his orders are a bit strange which is why I am out here. But we are under marshal Law" the man said.

"Well I will see if I can restore some sanity here shall I?"

"Yes please sir" he said.

We were escorted into the town centre armed troops could be seen all the way, but only Bernard’s men looked like soldiers these men wore the uniform but not with pride. The few civilians we saw were in a pitiful state children dirty, men and women looking at us with obvious hatred for what was going on and the arrival of more troops was the last thing they wanted. The streets were lit by torch light providing a flickering light with a strong smell of smoke which covered the other less pleasant smells. The town centre was wired in with high wire fenced and barbed wire only one entrance, it looked like a prison camp from a World War Two film in reverse.

As we entered a young man saluted Bernard smartly and Bernard returned it crisply.

"Good to see you here sir. May I see some identification?" He asked and he examined the card and handed it back.

"Thank you sir. Standing orders are that all weapons are to be checked in at the armoury on entrance to the citadel so if you don’t mind walking over to the house on your left."

He indicated a house with two armed guard outside.

"Certainly can the child come with me as she tends to scream the place down when I leave her for more than a few minutes" Bernard asked.

"Well sir no civilians are allowed in the citadel and the armoury is totally out of bounds if you check in your weapons she can wait here for you" the man suggested.

Bernard started walking off and I started making crying noises.

"Bernard, Uncle Bernard, UNCLE BERNARD WHERE ARE YOU?" I screamed between crying.

"Come on he will be back in a moment don’t worry" the young man said placing his hand on my shoulder reassuringly I let out an ear shattering shriek.

"NO, NO DON’T TOUCH ME PLEEAASEE" I screamed and then huddled down in a corner against the wall. Bernard came running back.

"Kathy it’s ok Kathy I’m here, no one will hurt you come on" he said gently holding his hand out to me I grabbed it and slid my arm around him looking suspiciously at the poor guard.

"I didn’t do anything" he said.

"Don’t worry we think she had a bad time and she’s not all with us" Bernard explained.

"Well I am supposed to search all bags on entry" he told Bernard and he approached me.

I took a deep breath and let out a scream even louder than the first.

"He touched me Uncle Bernard you said no one would touch me again and now he wants to touch my clothes. NO HE CAN’T TOUCH MY CLOTHES, because" I let my voice drop down "then I will have to burn them all again and get clean ones that he hasn’t touched" and broke down sobbing.

"I think we will give that a miss" the lad said.

"I think that might be best" Bernard agreed.

"If your men go to the mess hall I will send a message to Sergeant Mitchell and he can take you to the Captain" he said.

We waited for ten minutes with the young soldier, me whimpering every time he got too close, Bernard talking to him. Then a fat unshaven man in a half buttoned uniform came shambling across.

"This better be fucking important or you will be living out there with the shit" he shouted.

"Major General Brown Sergeant I have just arrived with a dozen men we have walked from Scotland" Bernard said.

"Ah yes are you now?" the sergeant replied "where are your men?"

"In the mess being fed" Bernard said.

"Well leave the brat here and I will take you to see the Captain, he

can decide if your for real" the man said "watch them till we know if

they are for real"

"But Sergeant" he started

"Look we are at a state of emergency Martial Law has been declared, question my orders again and I will shoot you" He shouted and turned to face Bernard his hand on his pistol. He reached down to me and I bit his hand hard I could taste the blood in my mouth.

"Why you little bitch" he said raising a had which Bernard caught easily the mans face turning a shade of purple as he found he couldn’t move it.

"Look behind you Sergeant, see that large Sergeant Major if he isn’t a real soldier you have nothing to worry about. If he is real and you hit a child he has become very attached to and his commanding officer what do you think would be his reaction and the reaction of the other men in there?" Bernard said and the man relaxed.

"She can come as long as she’s house trained, I don’t want her pissing on the Captain’s carpet" he said and led us off laughing at his own joke.

We were led to a large fancy building that had electricity, lights were on music and could be heard. Outside two guards could be seen inside it was obvious it had been a town hall that had been modified. It smelt of paint and work was being done over one side to covert part of the large hall into rooms using timber but keeping a large hall with a large chair and desk at one end. Giggling could be heard from behind a door on a room that had been finished.

"Captain sorry to disturb you but this is important you need to deal with this situation" the Sergeant said.

"It better had be" came a voice.

He came out a man in his thirties with a moustache, thin and pallid looking in a uniform that was obviously tailored not a standard issue. He walked to the desk and sat down at the chair and indicated the Sergeant to come and stand by him. I moved away from Bernard and he looked at me.

"Well what have we here a little girl and The Hero Of Salamis, seeking an audience with me. I thought he was dead, Colin and a few weeks ago I would have been thrilled to meet him." Captain Wilson said taking a cigar from a box on his desk.

"Is that who he is sir" The Sergeant obviously Colin said.

"Yes oh how things change, you don’t realise how unlucky you are

Bernard I would have welcomed you four weeks ago but now we have got

things sorted and you are a problem. What to do with you, that is the

question"

"Captain I am a superior officer and I order you to relinquish your command" Bernard told him.

"How many men did he have with him?" Wilson asked.



"Only a dozen all looking rough they have been on the road for a while" Colin answered.

"Good they can be spies from New Delphi they tried to kill me here and died in the attempt you were heroic saving my life but unfortunately the child got killed as the cowardly dog tried to shield himself with her whilst his assassination attempt failed." Wilson said.

"Yes sir that’s fine with me" Colin replied.

"What do you mean what is going on here" Bernard asked "Its dead easy Buster, I found I liked being in charge of my own private army so I arranged for the atrocity caused by the New Delphi fanatics to remove all pretenders to my throne, or desk leaving me and Colin with our own town for the moment but in the future who knows. You are a problem I intend to remove." He reached to his desk drawer and the bullet hitting him in the shoulder threw him backwards knocking him and the chair over.

"Touch that gun fat boy and I vent your fucking head" I shouted.

I reached under the long skirt to pull the other pistol off my other calf, taped there at Wendy’s insistence. It had been a right pain to walk with uncomfortable as hell but she was right about them.

"There you go Bernard, one for you. It has one in the chamber" I said passing him the other pistol "and don’t use them too fast I only have one spare magazine for each" as I reached in my bag and passed him one of the two magazines in there. Captain Wilson was struggling to get up at this point his moans and curses becoming clearer as his head appeared above the desk.

"If I hear that desk draw open I will empty this magazine into you so

how about you crawl around to this side just in case I start hearing

things" I told him

"Who the fuck are you" he snarled as he sat down on the floor in front of his desk.

"Guess what Captain you’re a Psychic, you were saying about the threat from New Delphi and it was standing right in front of you." I said.

"You are from there, they send children against me. They dare send children against me." He was incensed by this idea.

"No buddy boy I sent me as I am the Boss, I felt I should deal with you personally" I told him.

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

"I am the Boss Lady, The Oracle and I have been waiting to meet you since you started executing civilians in Doncaster." I informed him.

"I had that right I was a serving military officer in a time of national emergency" He protested.

"Yes and you have just tried to kill the chief of the armed forces" I indicated Bernard.

"Well here are my loyal men" he said as the door burst open.

"You can wait for two minutes before you decide what you are going to do but if I hear anyone move this place will be redecorated in blood, bone and brain."

I reached in my pocket and pulled out the little dictation machine that had been on since we entered the room and pressed play. The men behind me could hear what had transpired in the room, not a high quality recording but with the volume cranked up they could hear it well enough, I knew by the mumbles and sharp intakes of breath.

"Right now lads this is the situation at the moment when I turn around if I see your weapons raised I start firing or if your weapons are pointing in a safe direction I will take it that you recognise Major General Brown’s authority here and are still soldiers." I said with my back still towards them.

I turned around slowly keeping the gun on Wilson’s head to find three men standing at attention.

"A very good choice lads" said Bernard "you have just saved all your lives. You" he pointed to the man on the end who marched forward then came to attention in front of him with a lot of stamping.

"SIR" he shouted

"Go and get my Sergeant Major and the other men who came with him. You two go and tell what you heard here. I want every one on parade in one hour in the compound. Well dismissed move it man" Bernard told them and they rushed off.

"Jesus Christ Kathy I am getting too old for these games. Where on earth did you pull these out from?" he indicated the pistol.

"Well a girls got to have some secrets" I told him as the door burst open and Jimmy and the team came rushing in.

"We heard a shot are you both ok" Jimmy demanded

"Fine I wouldn’t have been except for Kathy here though" Bernard said "Can you take charge of the prisoners here as I need to sit down before I fall over. Shit my knees are trembling I haven’t felt like this for such a long time." He sat down and placed the pistol still with the tape dangling from it on the desk.

"Where did you get that" Jimmy asked

"I have no fucking idea. One moment I was preparing myself to be executed and wondering how I could get Kathy out, next thing there’s a shot he’s down and this is thrust into my hand. My head is still spinning." Bernard said.

Everyone was now looking at me including the prisoners.

"Well the odds of a plan falling to shit are almost a certainty so I brought a backup plan" I told them "Will you all please turn around a moment I need to do a quick rearrangement here?"

They all did including Bernard and Wilson did with a kick from Jimmy and I opened the front of the dress to allow me to peel off the tape holding two knives in sheathes one held one under each boob lying down my stomach.

I buttoned up and threw them on the desk.

"You can look again now" I said and they turned around again

"What else have you got hidden?" Bernard asked

"Nothing honestly and those bloody things were uncomfortable on the walk in" I said.

"Well they saved our lives. Jones see if you can find out where they put prisoners here then come back and get this shit safely away and under guard. Who here is good with communications equipment?" Bernard asked taking charge.

Twenty minutes later we had Wilson and flunkey locked up. Wilson’s private whore who had been in the other room, a large bedroom, evicted and my recording was being hooked up to the expensive music system. With everything looking like working out I gave Wendy a shout on a Radio in my bag and escaped to the bedroom to change out of these stupid clothes. I washed first using hot water from an electric tea urn glad to get the filth off me, then it was back into the jeans and another tight t-shirt chosen by Anne and Wendy. Then it was the part I had been practicing longer than any thing else. The look Sheila had given me this morning had changed peoples perceptions of me from little girl to young woman and as I had shown today both could be used to great effect.

Peering in the little mirror what I had decided was going to be peoples first impression of The Oracle emerged. Make up applied to age slightly without being too obvious was taking out the child in my face, that was rapidly being lost naturally and emphasising the woman who was in there. I looked at what I had done, it was nowhere near as good as Sheila had done but it didn’t look too like a clown so I tied my hair back and slipped the modified double shoulder holster on slipping one of the pistols back home.

"Bernard" I said as I entered the hall again "can I claim my other

pistol back? I feel lopsided and weird without it"

"My dear I would insist on it if you didn’t ask those two are needed as part of you image." Bernard said.

"What do you mean?" I asked

"Before I knew you or the Boss" Jimmy said "I was starting to hear the rumours on my travels. Now please remember I started in Bristol and worked up the west coast in my travels so it’s not as if its local gossip. The rumours were of a group called New Delphi led by a young woman The Oracle. People had many different ideas about the group and you but all the stories had a few elements in common. First you were young and very smart, second that you were trying to do the right thing, a fighter for justice, a Paladin.

The last thing was the one thing that is common in all the stories two silver pistols with thirteen rounds in each, the number of rounds even seems to be taking religious significance."

"The thing is Kathy" Bernard said "is that people need their hopes and these hopes take the form of the stories they tell, Robin Hood with his Bow, King Arthur with Excalibur and William Tell with his crossbow are just some. You have joined these legends I know I have done a lot of travelling recently."

I looked at him annoyed that he had been out and about putting himself at risk without telling me.

"Stop it Kathy. that’s the same look that my Granddaughter uses when she disapproves, I didn’t feel you needed to be bothered by every minor operational detail." Bernard protested.

"Anyway" Jimmy continued "in all the stories you have the two silver pistols. In my varied experience and studies over the years for a war of the people, a civil war or revolution, to work you need a strong figurehead. Castro or Che in Cuba, Chairman Mao in China or the Peron’s in Argentina. Every one of these people except for Juan Peron, who was working in the light of his wife, is instantly associated with an image as are you."

"Fine if it stops me having to kill people I will play it to the full, how do I look?" I asked slipping the silver metal back home.

"Beautiful in a child like innocence offset by the lethality and

sexuality you project. You are a paradox so we use it to the full"

"Sexuality me? Have you brought you glasses Bernard" I protested blushing bringing comments from all the team.

"Can I say something Sir" came Jones voice.

"You usually do without asking don’t you" Bernard said.

"Well it’s like this Ma’am. I don’t believe in agreeing with officers or NCOs out of principal" Jones explained "But what the boss said there was right. You look beautiful a little young for me but I don’t mind waiting a few years." This provoked a glare from Jimmy.

"The thing is you do look beautiful and more importantly your smart and get the job done. We could have been well and truly fucked here, pardon my language, but you not the Boss or the Sergeant here did it. Everyone I meet from now on is going to know about you and Ma’am if a certain Officer irritates you again please give me or any of the lads here a nod and he won’t do it again" Jones finished.

"I think I will deal with that problem Jones but thank you for that" Bernard said "We have a parade out there in fifteen minutes can you lot go and organise them and if possible keep out of trouble?"

"Yes Sir" Jones replied.

"You seem to have another convert Kathy it took me a week to win his approval, though Jimmy here only took a couple of days" Bernard said.

"He has no control over his gob his brain thinks it so his mouth speaks it, but he is a good soldier despite this." Jimmy said.

I didn’t care how he said things I was not known for my tact either what was more important than any figurehead role in my mind was I had his respect. Not just as a clever little girl but in the same light as Jimmy and Bernard. Now all I had to do was repeat this five hundred times and we might get a result here.

Outside Jimmy started screaming abuse at the men gathered in a rabble out there and there was a hurried shuffling of feet. Jimmy came back in with a face like thunder.

"Fucking army, leave them alone for a minute and they all fall to shit, begging your pardon Sir, Ma’am" He said.

"No I agree with you it was different in my day though" Bernard said.

"What do you mean your day?" I asked him "this is your time your finest hour."

"No my dear this is your time, my mark on history is made in this I shall just be an additional figure in the background" Bernard said.

"What a Friar Tuck to my Robin Hood?" I said.

"Well I prefer to think of myself as Little John, no a Merlin to your Arthur and you have Lancelot in Wendy and what do you think Jimmy is a Percival?" Bernard said.

"No I see him more as the Green Knight a mysterious figure arriving in

the night" I said

"What’s up with the Greek hero’s that you lot use?" Jimmy asked.

"Most of the Greek hero’s were tragic hero’s dying having reached their moment of triumph, I can’t see you as a tragic hero Jimmy" Bernard told him.

"Well maybe not. Lets see if they are ready for you" Jimmy said walking to the door.

"LOOK AT YOU LOT YOU’RE A LOAD OF FUCKING MUPPET’S. DO I HAVE TO SHOVE

MY HAND UP YOUR ARSE TO MAKE YOU WORK?" he roared at them which sent me into fits of laughter, even Bernard smiled. After about five minutes I was anxious to head outside but Bernard stopped me.

"Wait Kathy another five minutes at least, let Jimmy stamp his authority all over them first" He said as Jimmy’s roars could be heard outside.

"Right are you ready?" Bernard asked when Jimmy’s shouting had ceased.

"Yes, well to be honest no not at all but lets play" I told him and we walked out the door.

Outside I could see rows of men three deep twelve to a row making units of men. There were thirteen of these groups of thirty six men and two groups short one of my team and another to make up the spare men. I did a quick add up the last unit only had twenty one men four hundred and eighty nine men here.

"PARADE, PARADE ATTENTION" Jimmy screamed and marched towards us.

"Parade awaiting your inspection Sir" he said after saluting "Four

hundred and ninety seven men present at least thirty five on other

duties Sergeant Major Houston reporting Sir"

"Very well, carry on" Bernard said and we were marched around the men as we passed the first group some muttering could be heard from the men and Jimmy disappeared, I glanced back to see Jimmy with his nose about three inches from some poor bastards face.

"Who gave you permission to open that mouth" he screamed continuing without giving the man a chance to answer "and what was that you said about who is the kid. I see no children here except possibly you lot. I saw two soldiers of a superior rank inspecting you. One of those is my Divisional Officer, a man who got the VC twice." Jimmy continued Wendy could have heard him with how loud he was.

"The other one is his superior, the person who devised our entry here and saved my officers life and probably mine, while taking down your Captain and pissing over your idea of security in the process and will not be referred to as a kid. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME YOU HORRIBLE LITTLE TURD?"

"YES SERGEANT MAJOR" the man screamed back. Bernard continued his inspection without paying attention to anything that was going on, I tried to follow his lead.

The inspection was completed and the parade was stood at ease.

"Do you want to do this or shall I" Bernard asked me quietly.

"I don’t want to but I am going to have to" I admitted and started to address the men.

"Men this evening I relieved Captain Wilson of command of this Unit and placed it under the direct control of Major General Bernard Brown as Chief of the United Kingdoms armed forces. Captain Wilson and Sergeant Mitchell I have placed under arrest for the murder of civilians, military personnel and Treason." This brought comments from all around.

"Milligan hit it now" I said and the Captains voice could be heard from the speakers but the men were making too much noise to hear Jimmy’s shouts were being ignored.

I had to regain control here I reached with my right hand and drew the left pistol, aimed at a large metal dustbin behind the men and emptied the magazine into it. The silence after the last shot was deafening and as the Captains voice carried on they heard him admit to the murder of their officers provoking another roar. I reloaded and fired one shot from the fresh clip. Silence came again to be filled by Jimmy.

"What the fuck do you think you are a fucking football crowd. You are soldiers and the next soldier that makes a sound will be receiving a size eleven suppository, black leather. I don’t know were the hell you have been before this but I will not have this on my parade. Sorry Ma’am you may continue."

"Tomorrow they shall be tried by a combined Military and Civilian Court I am going to arrange here. I will be Judging this trial with the assistance of Major General Brown here. Twelve people will be brought from the town of Doncaster to act as Jury and this trial will be held in the hall there. For anyone who is wondering who the hell I am I am The Oracle Leader of New Delphi" I turned to Bernard "all yours."

I went back inside and made myself a coffee strong and sweet and sat there trembling. Bernard came in after a while and sat down next to me.

"I nearly fucked up there didn’t I. Telling them nearly caused a mutiny

didn’t it." I said looking at my half drunk drink

"It was a critical moment that had to be faced. Besides why do you think only seven of our team paraded, the others had them covered from buildings either side of the road, I was just about to pull you inside when you blew the shit out of the bin literally" Bernard explained "You did good Kid."

"You did, though it was a bit hairy for a moment" Jimmy said from behind me.

"Well I want some food in me to throw up later and some ammunition, so lets go and raid the kitchen and the armoury." I said drinking the last of my coffee which was now cold and standing up.

I was escorted to the armoury by Jimmy, Jones and Mitchell. Bernard was going to meet us in the mess.

"Yes what can I do for you?" said the older corporal behind the desk in the house being used as an armoury Jimmy glared and the man added "Ma’am."

"Nine millimetre rounds have you got any I want fourteen" I said.

"Well the problem is I am accountable for all weapons and ammunition here we cant have people walking in and out at will helping themselves, resources are not unlimited you know. I need paperwork signed by the Major General now allowing me to release the ammunition to you on condition it is signed back in if it is unused on your return to the compound." The man said "Ma’am" was added on the end almost as an after thought.

"I want fifteen rounds of nine millimetre ammunition just like this" I said removing one round from my spare clip returned by Bernard.

"Sergeant you know how it is all ammunition must be signed for and handed out only to authorised personnel I couldn’t even give you the ammun..." the man stopped mid word as I had just placed a round in the chamber of the pistol pointing at him.

"Sergeant?" the man looked imploringly at Jimmy. Jimmy put his fingers in his ears.

"You have five seconds to start looking" I said "four, three, two .."

"I’m finding them" the man screamed.

"Good call" Jimmy said as the man appeared with a small box.

"I know what" I said to him "to avoid the unpleasantness next time I will take the box, good evening."

"Jesus that’s how I see Anderson in fifteen years time" I said outside.

"He probably would have been just like that a supply officer saying no to everything without paperwork in triplicate it’s a job that needs to be done but at the appropriate time." Jimmy said to me.

We entered the Mess a large hall with a kitchen at one end and a serving hatch Scout symbols were on the end wall and tables had been set up. Thirty or forty men were eating one saw us and suddenly the room was at attention.

"Sit down and eat. I’m not here to ruin your meal" I said and they did.

We walked over to the kitchen not a huge one but a fair size sort of on a par with a nursing home one I saw where Wendy once worked and inside a tall gangly thin man was rushing around not noticing us.

He glanced up and caught sight of our figures and said "If you want feeding go to the hatch I’ll be with you in a moment."

Jimmy cleared his throat loudly.

"I said if you want feeding" He looked up "Oh shit. Sorry Sergeant

Major sorry Ma’am I didn’t realise it was you Ma’am"

"Don’t worry about it. We’re here for food if that possible" I said.

"Foods always possible to those who are pleasant, if their not pleasant

they have to wait" He said with a big grin "I can sort out some of the

Captain’s food but it will take at least half an hour Ma’am"

"Would that be steak and kidney pie I can see over there?" I asked him.

"Yes and my own recipe it’s a good job you lot came or I was for it tomorrow if he wanted the good steak." The man said with an infectious grin.

"And I know I saw chips" I said

"Lets get you sorted" the man said putting a piece of the pie on the plate that took up nearly half of the plate and then loading it up with chips.

"Oh thank you I am ravenous it’s a pity you haven’t got mushy peas" I said.

"Ask and it will appear" the man said pulling a ladle out of a pan with the green slop in.

"I am in your debt thank you. I don’t need signed paperwork to get all this do I?" I asked.

"No I’m not Corporal Howard, I’m Corporal Harris cook for nine years. I am a Chef when I get the chance, so any thing you want Ma’am you just ask me. Sergeant what would you like?" the man said as I walked into the mess area and sat down at an empty table. All eyes were on me so I smiled and got stuck in the food and I have to admit this man was a master of the Pie and Chips. Anne’s food was excellent but tended to be a bit adventurous; while I always liked food I knew the name of.

"Coffee or tea Ma’am" Corporal Harris asked as I was eating.

"I would have come and grabbed it" I protested.

"My kitchen, my mess your forces Ma’am so I bring you your meal, but your welcome in my kitchen any time" he said.

"Coffee please" I said

"High praise that Kathy I haven’t been invited into a kitchen since I’ve been in the forces. Most cooks would rather share underpants than invite someone into their kitchen." Jimmy said.

"True Jimmy" Bernard said sitting down next to me "but you haven’t got Kathy’s looks or my rank. Perhaps it’s my looks and I scared him and Kathy’s rank. Whatever I got the open invite too."

Corporal Harris returned with cups on a tray and started passing them around.

"Grab a cup and pull up a pew Harris" Bernard said.

"Sir?" Harris replied.

"Grab a brew and pull up a chair I want to talk to you for a minute"

"Yes sir" Harris said and reappeared moments later with a cup and a chair.

"Now Harris relax I just want to find out what we can do here to turn this mob back into an effective unit. I have no NCOs and only a few Corporals to talk to so I am starting with you as the man who meets more of the men than anyone else I want to hear how this crew got like this" Bernard explained.

"Sir?" the mans face was filled with indecision.

"Look for the next five minutes stop calling me sir and don’t give me I am only a lowly cook routine. The first person I seek out after my second in command is the head chef. I even took my chef over the water at Salamis" Bernard said.

"Only because of his Eggs Benedictine Sir" Harris replied with a smile.

"You know Kenny?" Bernard said.

"Yes sir but I knew him as Sergeant Major and my chief instructor Sir" Harris replied.

"Well he has probably poisoned you ears against me, his testimony was one of the things that got me this thing, lies all lies." Bernard said.

"Yes sir that’s what he said you would say and if I can speak honestly I feel that both of you deserve the medals you got and spend a lot of time playing it down" Harris replied.

"Well call me Boss then that’s what I am most comfortable with and tell me what is wrong here" Bernard replied.

They talked for about half an hour about the problems that had been faced and what had happened. One of the few things I did take notice of was the fact that they had been keeping the fifteen hundred civilians left on a one meal a day diet of bread and soup fed every afternoon. More food could be earned as with the Captains little Whore, for services rendered and some women had set up a brothel payable in food to keep their families fed. Harris had received a reduction in rank for not sticking to the Captains instructions on ration size.

"What is the problem a shortage of food?" I asked.

"No, we control a large number of supermarket supply depots part of our initial job when this started was protecting those we have lorries and fuel and food there for at least six months solid for all the people in this town. But these things must be rationed and protected due to their irreplaceable nature." Harris said.

"How many Lorries to bring in enough food to feed them properly tonight?" I demanded.

"Two, no make that three for morning as well" Harris said.

"Have you got enough men to cook tonight?" I asked.

"Nothing fancy, yes sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers you know things like

that yes. No problems"

"How long will it take to get to the nearest of these depots?" I asked.

"Twenty minutes at most." He replied.

"Jimmy I want four lorries twenty men and four drivers in five minutes please" I said.

"Yes Ma’am but drop the please, please" Jimmy said

"Harris get things moving so that when you get back you can start straight away" I said.

"Yes Ma’am" He replied

"Harris" Bernard said.

"Yes Sir"

"Sort out your bloody uniform. in that you look like you’re only a

bloody corporal"

"Yes Sir" Harris said.

"Move it Sergeant" Bernard said and Harris was gone.

I was about to get up and head out side when Bernard stopped me.

"Sit wait for Jimmy he will tell you when it’s ready" he said.

"But" I said

"Listen you are making a fantastic impression here so do it properly let them fetch and carry and run around otherwise you will find yourself doing the work while they skive. You are to tell those men what to carry and if I hear of you carrying one box off Jimmy I will set Wendy, Anne and Sheila on you and believe me Sheila makes you look like you fight fair." Bernard said firmly.

"Yes Bernard" I said meekly.

"and don’t try that on me" he said laughing.

"Bernard there is a radio in the bag I brought in get Wendy in here we

may need her medical skills and see if there is a doctor or at least

medical supplies while we are gone" I said

"That’s it. give orders like the leader you are, yes Ma’am" Bernard said.

"I’m sorry I was just thinking how we are going to do this" I told him

"Don’t apologise I was serious" he said and left me.

I sat there alone at the table with the eyes on me I couldn’t meet the looks so I dropped the magazine from the Beretta I had used and replaced the one round used I then refilled the empty magazine. As I finished I looked up to find Jimmy there.

"All ready Ma’am" he said

"Sorry to keep you waiting" I said

"No your weapon and you safety are first everything else can wait. Milligan, Jones and I will be keeping you safe, the rest of the lads are keeping an eye on The Boss though he doesn’t know it and I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell him."

"Fine by me" I said

Half an hour later we were loading up the wagons from a large warehouse with Tesco on the side. Jimmy and Harris organised things and I kept watch with Milligan. The two guards at the depot were rather upset to find themselves humping boxes but Jimmy soon sorted them out.

Fully loaded we were heading back within fifteen minutes and within an hour and twenty minutes Harris was cooking and lights were being organised for the area Bernard had placed tables.

"Hi sister I see you have been playing rough again" Wendy said.

"Well sort of" I admitted

"Here you left this lying around" she passed me a tissue.

I unwrapped it and found a bullet with red stains on.

"What a pity no anaesthetic here" she said as she walked off to set up her medical station.

The gates were opened at ten pm and the first few people stood outside suspiciously looking us over. I walked out to them ignoring Jimmy tensing up.

"Please come on in eat" I said and had very little reaction nobody and came inside.

"Look this place is no longer under Captain Wilson’s control I have placed Major General Brown here in charge of these forces now." I said beckoning Bernard to come forward. Still no reaction from the crowd.

"Fair enough I will get the men to move the food out here but I am looking for some people as well." The crowd started to mumble it was obvious they thought this was a trick.

"At New Delphi we have a young girl a Jennifer Adams who lost her mother in Darlington also a Brian and Trisha Williams. They are all looking for there parents." I said I heard a gasp from the crowd someone knew one of those names.

"How do we know your from there you might just be after hostages" a man at the front asked.

"Brian is a shy young man especially with females but he is wonderful with animals and all he wants to do is farm. Trisha on the other hand is extremely intelligent, precocious, and arrogant with a mouth from hell till you break through the surface to the real Trisha. Jenny is a six year old who is absolutely gorgeous with an insatiable appetite for knowledge every answer you give her is followed by another question." I said to the crowd a woman came pushing through.

"Jenny you found Jenny?" she cried

"Yes she’s safe you can be there tonight" I assured her.

"You say you have Brian and Trisha Williams how do I know this is true?" a man said.

"Look Brian’s looking after the herd at New Delphi at the moment and also helping out Harry at Toms place as Tom has been fighting in Darlington. Trisha and Andrea are working as nurses and field medic’s there as well. So you must be Joe Williams It is a pleasure to meet you" I said.

"Well who exactly am I giving this pleasure to?" He asked in the same gruff manner that Tom had met us with.

"I am Kathy, The Oracle of New Delphi, come please eat." I took Joes hand and Jenny’s mothers hand and walked them in.

People came and after the first few we had everyone we could lay our hands on serving and cooking, but there was no mad rush into the compound the first few people through took some food and headed out of the compound then people started to follow but not to sit at the tables. I started handing out food till Bernard caught my eye and I passed the job over to Jones who was just standing around after the first couple of people. I wasn’t willing to stop though and I started moving amongst the crowd outside passing out Mars Bars and Twix to the children out there. Jimmy joined me as the two of us walked through the crowd it parting silently as we walked. The people were thin not at the point of death but very thin the clothes hung on them, the children’s showed little reaction as I passed out the sweets. I couldn’t understand it they weren’t eating they were terrified of me what had this bastard been doing.

"Ma’am" Jones said behind me

"Yes" I said.

"I just found out they haven’t had their water ration today they haven’t drunk since yesterday" he said.

"Water ration, he was even rationing water" I gasped.

"Yes one pint per person per day he also shot people for stealing food or water or accepting food or water without services being provided." Jones said.

"Jimmy" I shouted "These people haven’t drank today he’s been rationing

water. No rain no extra water this week"

"Fuck, I’ll sort it now" He said disappearing into the compound

"Are you going to let us have a drink?" said one little girl no more than seven years old.

"Shh." Said her mother looking at me with suspicion.

"Yes love" I said as much as you want.

"That would be nice as I feel poorly" she said I felt her head she was hot.

"WENDY WHERE ARE YOU" I shouted.

"OVER HERE" came her reply I shoved the box of Mars bars in Jones hands and lifted the girl up.

"No please not my little girl" the woman said

"She’s sick come on" I said.

"No she’s not sick, she will get better no please, please don’t" she said.

"What’s up? its ok nothing will happen" I said.

"They, well he shot her husband when he was ill as they couldn’t risk a disease in the town" an older woman by her side said.

"How many" I asked.

"Seventy, eighty may be as many as a hundred" she said

"Can you help me get this girl and her mother to my sister she has medicine to help her and then come to talk to General Brown about this please." I said.

"Yes. I haven’t got anything to lose anymore" she said and the four of us with the mother still screaming walked into the compound.

"Wendy we have a sick kid here, move it." I shouted.

Wendy came running and felt the girls head and neck.

"What’s your name?" the girl asked.

"Wendy"

"I had a Wendy house was it yours?" the girl asked.

"No it was yours, is your throat sore?" the girl shook her head

"have you had anything to eat or drink today?" Wendy asked.

"No they don’t let us have it till very late mummy lets me stay up" the girl said.

"Look calm down" she said to the mother who was sobbing "It’s dehydration and malnutrition making her a bit more susceptible to things that’s all get some food and a lot of water into her and we will keep an eye on her." Wendy led her off to the table nearest the gate getting a man to bring food and water.

"Are you lot for real or is this another of that sick bastards games?" the older woman asked.

"This is for real we are now in charge and tomorrow Wilson goes on

trial" I said

"I hope so because he deserves it" She answered.

I led her over to Bernard and sat her down Joe Anderson was eating and drinking but looking around suspiciously Jenny’s mother was with one of the girls from Wendy’s bike unit.

"Bernard I think you need to listen to this lady" I said he stood up as we sat down.

"Bernard Brown My dear lady and you are?" he asked her eyes were on his face and the patch that covered his eye she had her mouth open.

"I’m sorry my dear it happened many years ago it did little for my looks though" Bernard said.

"No its not that I have seen you on television I know your face, your oh god your.." she said.

"Bernard Brown and yes I was on television but I wouldn’t have thought you would be old enough to remember it." Bernard said.

"Don’t talk crap man, I am sixty seven years old and I look it, that’s it that Greek island oh what was its name" she said.

"Salamis" I said.

"yes that’s the place you had your medals off that accountant bloke" she said.

"A bit earlier and it might have meant something more receiving them from the Queen would have been memorable The Right Honourable Accountant Bloke doesn’t quite sound the same" Bernard said smiling "and what is your name my dear lady."

"Tina, Tina Evans the girl here wanted me to tell you what’s been going on here. I am not totally convinced this isn’t Cuntface Wilson up to something" the profanity sounded strange coming from this old ladies mouth but the hatred in her voice was nearly tangible.

She told he story to Bernard the food rationing, the water rationing the executions of the sick and the random executions as I watched the crowd surge forward at the sight of water. People were scared looking around snatching a cup of water and running grabbing food and doing the same. At one side I could see a girl about my age she had bruises on her arms and also on her legs which were visible from an obscenely short skirt Milligan was trying to give food and water to her and a young child she had in tow no more than a toddler.

I left the table and walked to Milligan.

"Let me try here you carry on with the others" I said.

"Yes Ma’am" he said his voice thick with emotion as he passed me a plate of Burgers and a plastic jug of water.

"Its ok here you go" I said and walked towards her she backed off pulling the child with her. "I will just put it down here and move all the way back here then will you have it?"

I asked she nodded I could see bruises on her neck finger marks and also on her thighs. I backed off and she grabbed the water which the child took and started drinking greedily the food was untouched till both of them had drunk.

"If you want anything else you call me, Kathy, or tell any of the men you want Kathy and I will come you don’t have to get close to them you just say you want Kathy do you understand" she nodded and I left her to it. Another woman grabbed me Jimmy started to move in but I shook my head.

"They said you have a medicine here my babies sick she’s not moving please help her, please I will do anything" she tried to pass me a small bundled object.

"No both of you" I said guiding her through the crowd "You will like

Wendy she’s my sister"

"Wendy this lady has a sick baby" I said to Wendy.

"Can I take a look please?" Wendy asked as she uncovered the baby the slight movements of the chest were the only signs that the child was alive. It was skin and bone.

"Wrap her up again warm I will just be a moment" Wendy said and indicated to me to come with her.

"Dehydration and Malnutrition she probably stopped producing milk weeks ago the poor mites just starving to death and I can’t do a thing" she said.

"But you did with Sarah" I said

"Sarah was strong enough to suck, an IV line is my only option and I haven’t the skills or the equipment to do it." She said.

"Can Bill do it" I demanded

"Possibly but I don’t know." Wendy admitted.

"Has she any chance here?"

"None" Wendy said

"Then we get her to New Delphi" I said.

"I don’t think she would survive the journey what is it going to be two hours in the dark avoiding debris bouncing around in a Land Rover or lorry?" Wendy said.

"Then we get Mike off his bum and get Bill and him out here to pick up

by winch if necessary but those lorries we used have to be parked

somewhere." I said

"Can we, its not exactly our helicopter?" Wendy replied.

"Well we will find out how far this chain of command works" I said "I

want your best two riders kitted up in five minutes"

"Jimmy" I shouted and he appeared.

"Jimmy I want one of your men who won’t be afraid to pull a gun on an officer if my orders are ignored, and don’t worry its not for the boss. I want him here in four minutes" I told him.

"Yes Ma’am JONES" he shouted.

"Excuse me Bernard I am commandeering your helicopter I am afraid."

"What" he said

"We have a baby here who if we don’t get her to New Delphi will die, she might die there but she has a chance so I’m airlifting her out" I said.

"Its yours to do with as you wish go ahead" Bernard said.

"I have I was just telling you in passing" I smiled sweetly and carried on.

Jones was waiting at the compound entrance as were two bikes with two people on one and one on the other.

"Listen I need you to go to New Delphi as fast as you can. I want the helicopter airborne within ten minutes of you getting there and on its way here" I told Jones "I want you and Surgeon Commander Day on board, tell him we are airlifting a baby about three months old to New Delphi. She’s dehydrated and malnourished and we haven’t got the kit or the abilities to get an IV line in. Are you with me so far?"

"Yes Ma’am" he said

"If they have any objections except the fact that they are dead or someone will die if they leave you pull this on them" I passed him one of my pistols.

"Ma’am?" he said.

"You pull this on them and say that I ordered you to do it do you

understand me?" I said

"Yes Ma’am" He said.

"Go then move it." I shouted and the two bikes roared off.

"Jimmy" I shouted and again he was there. "How the hell do you do that?"

"Easy I just keep an eye on you at all times so by the time you have finished shouting I am there" he said with a smile.

"I need somewhere to land a Sea King and lights to guide it in you have

little over an hour can you sort it?" I asked

"Yes Ma’am. MILLIGAN, HANKINSON" he shouted and left me.

I returned to Wendy and the mother who was distraught.

"We will have a Helicopter to take you and your baby to New Delphi in

an hour they have a facilities to help her and a doctor on the

helicopter" I said

"Thank you, oh thank you what is your name?" she asked

"Kathy" I said and waved a soldier over

"Yes Ma’am" he answered.

"Food and water for this lady and you are now a medical runner. She wants it you get it" I said indicating Wendy.

"Yes Ma’am" he said

"Why is he calling her Ma’am" the woman whispered to Wendy.

"Because she’s my sister The Oracle Of New Delphi" Wendy said as I disappeared.

The Helicopter came and Bill rushed the child and mother onboard. I pushed Joe Williams and Jenny’s mother, whose name I hadn’t found out yet on board and watched them leave. I then went back to trying to help people Bernard and Tina were as was Jimmy. I had my pistol returned by Jones who was most upset he didn’t have to use it.

"Kathy" I heard my name called I looked around and saw the girl with he

toddler in tow

"Kathy I’m sorry can we have a little bit more water please?" she said

"One second" I grabbed a jug of water and a handful of chocolate bars.

"Here you go" I said passing them to her she took them from my hand then pulled away as my fingers touched hers for a second. She passed the water to the boy who drank greedily.

"What’s your name" I asked and got no reply.

"Come on what’s your name? You know mine if you want to speak to me so what’s yours if I want to talk to you?" I asked gently.

"Bitch, Cunt, Whore, Dog I don’t care" she said her voice biting with every word.

"No I want to know what you want me to call you, your name please?" I

said

"Sally" the girl said her voice quiet.

"And is this your brother?"

"Yes he’s James" she said.

"Sally do you and James need anything at all" I said.

"No just the water" she said sharply and then more gently "thank you" "Sally if you or James need anything else you call me or Jimmy over there. he won’t come near you because I will tell him not to and he will find me" I said. She looked unsure about this last idea.

"No" Sally answered

"That’s ok whatever you decide" I said

"Good"

"Sally, if I can’t come would you let my sister?" I asked her she didn’t respond she stood there biting her bottom lip.

"Jimmy get Wendy please" I said quietly and he disappeared.

"Hi Kathy, is this your new friend?" Wendy asked obviously briefed.

"This is Sally and her brother James" I said

"Hi James how are you?" Wendy asked the now chocolate covered boy.

"Wendy do you remember what happened when this first started and that man tried to do those nasty things to me?" I said loud enough for Sally to hear.

"Yes Kathy" Wendy said.

"Well I can tell something like that has happened to Sally because she is just like I was before you helped me" I said.

"Is this right Sally did a man hurt you and do things he shouldn’t of?"

Wendy asked

Sally’s face contorted with anguish she started wringing her hands.

"Will you let me help you and James?" Wendy asked

"No your with them" Sally shouted.

"No I came here to stop them with my soldiers I shot Captain Wilson and now my friend Bernard is going to make sure that nothing like that ever happens here again" I said.

"Did you kill him?" Sally asked

"No I only hurt him. But he is locked up now with my men watching him with guns, tomorrow we will have a trial to find out all of what he did" I said.

"He killed my Mummy and Daddy. he said they were sick. They had given their water to me and Jimmy that was all and he shot them" she broke down in tears. I took the opportunity to move the last six feet to her and slip an arm around her to rub her back. She looked up startled then let me hug her as she cried again she was freezing.

"Wendy help me here please" I said quietly and we got the two of them into the compound and sat down at one of the tables.

"The sergeant, No THE SERGEANT" She shouted but wedged between me and Wendy both of us hugging her and reassuring her we explained that he was safely locked up.

"My dear girl" came Bernard’s voice Sally looked up in panic but Bernard was ten feet away and the other side of the table.

"My dear girl if Wendy comes here and takes my coat will you please wrap it around you as it is a chilly evening and I don’t think you are very warm there."

"Yes thank you" Sally said trembling and Wendy took the long coat off him and wrapped it around Sally and James sat on her knee.

"That’s better sorry to have disturbed you Ma’am but I couldn’t let her get cold you understand" Bernard said.

A few minutes later Jones appeared in the same place that Bernard had been.

"Excuse me for disturbing you Ma’am, But would any of you like a hot

drink we have tea coffee and chocolate?" he said

"Coffee for me please Jones the same for Wendy. Would James like a drinking chocolate do you think?" She nodded "and you?" she nodded again.

"Jones ask Harris if he has any biscuits hidden" I said.

"Yes Ma’am right away Ma’am" he said

Within a minute the drinks were there and placed on the end of the table so Jones didn’t have to get too close.

Next on the parade of people was Milligan informing me that the prisoners guard had been changed and all was secure.

Jimmy came marching up and came to attention in front of me.

"Will you have any further need of the Helicopter tonight or can I replace the vehicles and have the men bed down for the night Ma’am?" Jimmy said.

"I need to check one thing with you on that, Houston, so I will come with you. Wendy can you stay here I will be back within five minutes.

Is that alright with you Sally?" I asked

"Please don’t be long" she said

"I’ll be quick" I said and led Jimmy around the corner.

"What the hell is going on Jimmy?" I said.

"I was listening as you were talking to her before I apologise for it. She trusts you but not the rest of us so with the Boss we did this game just to show her you are in command not Wilson. I am sorry if it was wrong" Jimmy said.

"No not at all I think its working she’s talking to Wendy now" I said after looking around the corner.

"Ma’am" came a voice from behind me I turned and found Milligan

"I’m sorry to interrupt you Ma’am but how’s the girl? I saw you with

her there but I didn’t want to scare her" He said his face full of

concern

"I think she will be ok given some time" I said

"Good if there is anything I can do please tell me. I felt so fucking

useless not able to do anything for her without scaring her" he said

"Don’t worry you coming here has changed her life for the better" I

said and Milligan disappeared

"And how about you how are you coping. I heard something about you in a

similar situation Kathy" Jimmy said

"Slightly different for me Jimmy. I blew his fucking brains out before

he could" I said "but thank you for your concern it is very much

appreciated. I though I was in over my head getting in here, Christ

that was the easy part. Anymore good ideas just do it I better get

back"

I returned to the table to find Wendy and Sally sat there I was just about to sit down when I heard engines.

"Inbound vehicles" I shouted "Jimmy get the team armed now. Get these

civilians to safety I shouted at one man"

"Where" he asked

"Get them in the mess hall if any shooting starts I want them safe"

I ran to the compound entrance where people were still milling around

"Ladies and Gentlemen can you take cover we have vehicles moving in the town and I would like you all safe just in case" one man was saying.

"Jimmy move your fucking team now, You lot take cover now" I shouted running for the road I could here them coming down.

I could see the headlights of a car approaching me fast less than a hundred meters away due to the bright lights and the dark street I couldn’t make out anything of the car or what it was so I decided to aim for where the engine should be just in case it was friendly.

"Take cover now move your fucking arses now" I screamed at the last people and opened fire at the car. I emptied the pistol in around five seconds dropped the pistol and drew the other one I was halfway through the rounds in that as the car was upon me and one light went either side of me as the two motorbikes split and went around me. I sank to my knees and Jones and Milligan were at my side.

"Are you hurt Ma’am" came Jones voice.

"No" I whispered picking up my dropped pistol.

"You stupid fucking bastards, I told you to return in the morning" I shouted at the two motorcyclists and one pillion sat astride there now silent bikes in front of the compound.

"Sorry Boss Anne wanted you to have this" one of them said passing me my flying jacket.

"I don’t give a flying fuck what Anne wanted. You came within a couple

of feet of twenty bullets. The only reason you’re not dead is I was

trying to take out a car engine rather than kill the driver. My orders

are final and I don’t give shit if Anne wants you to bring a spare

kidney for me I say stay put you stay put do you understand me?" I

shouted

"Yes Boss, sorry Boss."

"Jimmy where the hell are you?"

"Here Ma’am" he was struggling with the man from the armoury.

"What the fuck happened to your team? Where were they?" I said.

"This Corporal here refused us access to our weapons so I hit him. The

little shit then shot me in the fucking arm" Jimmy shouted back "I had

to get his gun off him before they could get out to help you"

"Major General Brown can you deal with that man as you see fit or do I" I said.

"I will deal with it Ma’am" Bernard said.

"Where are the men on watch here tonight?" I shouted.

"Come on I have seen you walking around with the rifles avoiding any work" I said.

"Get your fucking arses out here now" I roared at them as the six men slowly emerged.

"This isn’t a fucking geriatric outing move your fucking bums" I shouted and deciding the little jog wasn’t fast enough I wasted a shot in the air a couple of feet over their heads.

They stopped still thirty feet away from me.

"Move your arses over here now or the watch will be down to five men and one corpse" I said quietly as silence now filled the compound.

They fell in, in one row in front of me.

"Where the hell were all of you when this happened?"

"We were all around the back we thought one of the civilians might be trying to steal some thing Ma’am" one of them said.

"Breathe on me soldier" I said

"Ma’am?" He muttered

"Breathe on me hard soldier or I will blow your fucking dick off" I said shoving the pistol in his crotch hard and I got the reek of spirits. I repeated this down the line.

"Sergeant Major Houston I believe this is a disciplinary matter for you all these men stink of alcohol, which I believe is why they were unable to deal with the situation. Can you deal with this after you have medical attention or shall I?" I asked.

"I will deal with it personally now Ma’am" Jimmy said and having some of our team remove their weapons marched them off.

I looked around me I had a hell of an audience of civilians who had come out to see what the shouting was about.

"Ladies and Gentlemen there is still food available and I am on good

terms with the chef so I will see what I can do about organising some

hot drinks" I said

"Ready now Ma’am" came Harris’s voice

"Come eat and drink with me before bed, please" I said facing them

"Who are you and why did you try to save us" came a voice from the crowd.

"I am Kathy also known as The Oracle and you are all under the

protection of me and New Delphi. Come eat drink and relax you are now

amongst friends"

They came they sat and they ate and drank even Bernard was serving people food and drinks. There was still worry and suspicion but not like it had been earlier. People were crowding in the compound and sitting down so they could see me. Wendy and Sally returned with James. I went over to see how she was.

"I want a bath for her in a house with a lockable door preferably that one." She pointed to a house that had been used as a privileged barracks it even had limited electrics with electric lights.

"Done" I said "MILLIGAN"

"Yes Ma’am" he said from behind me.

"Will you lot stop doing that. That house there I want for the girl and her brother I want a hot bath there and the key for the door as soon as possible. Any problems or complaints refer them to me" I said.

"Yes Ma’am" he said and ran off.

Wendy was in deep conversation with Sally everyone was eating so I sat down.

I looked around at the people we had a good four or five hundred in the compound and many more outside. The misery and the suffering looked like something from the great Chinese famine of 2035 but this wasn’t a far off country or nature playing evil games. This was Britain and this was orchestrated by a man whose duty was to protect the people. I cried as I watched children fearfully reaching for a drink of water and mothers secreting a bread roll in their clothes till later. This wasn’t a female reaction I saw Milligan in tears as Wendy led Sally away and Jones and his sidekick Hankinson were not much better. Some of these people were a little better than the first lot but all it was, was the difference between those who were merely desperate and those who were willing to lose their life for the opportunity of a bite of food and a mouthful of water.

"Are you hurt at all Ma’am" came Jimmy’s voice gently from behind me I shook my head.

"I’m sorry my men weren’t there for you. It was my fault and it will not happen again, we got caught up in helping these people. I was sloppy" he said.

"No, no" I said "it’s not that. I know shit happens that’s why I came

prepared for it. But I wasn’t prepared for this, he was sworn to

protect these people how could he do this. How could anyone of them

stand back and let this happen and I was worried about casualties on

the part of the forces here, if I had known this before hand I would

have slaughtered them all"

"NO" Jimmy said stunning me from my tears.

"What are you defending them for letting this happen?" I said

"No you have got me wrong there. I would quite happily shoot every one of the bastards here now and let their gods sort them out and it is only my utmost restraint that has stopped me. What I mean is you can’t do that you are our Paladin, our White Knight your wrath is deadly but justified a holy mission. If you turn from that you are soiled forever you become what you oppose and the ideals you stand for will be lost." He said.

"He who fights monsters should look that he himself does not become a

monster" I said

"That’s it, spot on Nietzsche isn’t it?" He said.

"Yes and again you surprise me I don’t think you are my green man anymore I think you are my conscience and my Excalibur in one. Sit and share my misery or go and help but please don’t call me Ma’am again today. I am not a deity or a Paladin I am someone with a shit load of luck who should have been here to help these people weeks ago. But I had my little plan on how it should be done I probably cost that baby we got out her life, Sally there was raped and I think it was in the last twenty four hours by that fuck of a Sergeant. While we were fucking around getting ready that bastard was killing people for fun. I have no right to lead this group as I let this happen a proper leader wouldn’t have let it be like this."

"But Kathy..." he said

"Don’t fucking but Kathy me. I would have died to save that child we took out but I was to fucking busy thinking of the loss of life here of troops that are nearly as guilty as their officer. How many of them had the guts to say no? I know of only one and he is buried killed saving our lives I would give all five hundred of these for one of him."

"Even when we remove their officers their still as bad look at you still bleeding there from a pompous little twat who wanted paperwork before you could try to save lives. Where were the guards? Pissing up on the fucking quiet while people were dying of thirst and hunger. They didn’t even think to tell us, we had to find out off one of the few men here who had tried to do something the fucking chef." I stopped I could only hear silence no one was speaking, no one was moving my every word was being listened to. What could I do nothing so I returned to my tears.

He put his arm around me till I stopped crying.

"How long were they all listening?" I asked him quietly.

"Their silence was the thing that made me come to you, they heard

everything" he said

"Well there goes my image can I go home now quietly" I asked Jimmy smiled.

"No I am serious every wants me for my image I have fucked it now so can I go home?" I said.

I walked over to the armoury with Jimmy following inside I found a man who I didn’t know.

"Nine millimetre rounds, a couple of boxes and if I hear the word paperwork I will blow your fucking head off" I said my voice flat and emotionless. The rounds arrived without a word I stood there and refilled my pistols.

"Take that one back get me a full one" I pushed the part used box back to him he opened his mouth and decided against it.

I shoved a box in each pocket and turned around to find Wendy and Bernard blocking the door.

"Kathy what are you doing dear?" Bernard said.

"Home I am going home, I fucked up here look at these people and now I have fucked the image everyone wants so I am going home" I said.

"We can have you back at New Del.." Bernard was saying till I

interrupted

"No I am going home" and I tried to push past him.

"You haven’t done anything but enhance your image as you call it with these people they saw you cry for those you couldn’t save, you weep for those that they lost and you would die to save them" Bernard said.

"I am still the Boss" I said in a quiet voice.

"Always" Wendy replied

"No, this won’t do if I am Boss it’s my fault if they kill people before we get there" I looked at the confused man behind the desk who had got my rounds.

"I need a rifle" I said.

"Ma’am perhaps you should." My Beretta stopped him speaking.

"I need a rifle and I need bullets lots of them you will get them now as I have to go to Newcastle." The man nodded.

"Shouldn’t you take someone with you, some men at least?" Bernard said I thought about it.

"No if I take men to Newcastle then they will get killed, if I don’t go to Newcastle they will be doing this there. So I have to go to stop them then I can go home and be me again not this" I told them.

"Kathy it’s a long walk to Newcastle will you at least have a drink before you go" Jimmy asked holding out a cup of coffee "he will be a minute getting all your bullets won’t he?" I took the coffee and drank it picked up the unfamiliar rifle and was trying to pick up a large case of rounds when what ever they put in my drink took effect and my legs gave way.

Between Jimmy and Bernard I was walked through the crowds which parted silently they took me through to Wilson’s bedroom and lay me down on the large double bed and consciousness departed as the took my coat and guns off.

The terrors came that night in force I could hear voices asking why did I they wouldn’t say what I did though. Then a second group started saying why didn’t I again they wouldn’t say what I didn’t do.

Two figures approached me hand in hand and as they resolved into a baby of skin and bone and a man with a horrendous chest wound and a knife in his throat they spoke as one.

"Why did you kill me I don’t know you" more figures arrived I reached for my guns but I couldn’t find them. I screamed as loud as I could.

"Shh it ok Kathy I’m here" came Bernard’s voice

"Their coming I need my guns please where are they" I cried

"Shh close your eyes I will fight them for you" and his arms enclosed me as I drifted off to sleep. Only to be woken many times by the people who haunted my night.

Daylight chased the last of the nocturnal visitors away and I woke with an arm around me and a body behind me.

"I am sorry dear I am not taking advantage of you honestly" came

Bernard’s voice behind me "You needed to be held to try to keep the

demons away"

I rolled over to find him lying on top of the bed sheets that I was under. He was still fully dressed though he had opened his top two buttons on his tunic and removed his boots.

"You have been here all night haven’t you?" I asked and he nodded "Thank you" I slipped my arms out from under the sheets to find I was still fully clothed and hugged him tight.

"They don’t visit me so often now, but to be honest I don’t think I

coped as well as you." He said

"What do you mean" I asked.

"I had a wife who I loved dearly to talk to you have nobody" he said.

"I have you, you were here in the dark for me thank you" I kissed him.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked as he broke of the kiss.

"I remember everything I did but a lot of what I was doing is beyond me. Also I have the hangover from hell" I said.

"Yes you can thank Jimmy for that something he had brought with him just in case everything fell to shit a bit like your pistols." Bernard said. "I will go and grab your breakfast as you get a shower."

"No. If my image is intact I intend to carry on eating with the men" I said. "Where’s the shower and loo?" He indicated another door and I slipped out of bed and walked through.

"Shit you are losing it girl" I thought to myself as I sat on the loo having a pee then it hit me it was a case of "Fuck you have lost it man" I hadn’t thought of what had been done to me for such a long time that I couldn’t remember. The form follows function rule I thought I have been in this body long enough for it to affect my mind. Perhaps that’s what happened last night I thought that’s the problem my mind changing is causing me to lose my mind. But in my heart I knew that I was lying this situation was destroying me, it was beyond my mind to cope with this but not beyond my abilities to win. As I wiped the pussy I now thought of as mine and stood in the shower I had decided to win at all costs even my sanity.

I dried and tied my hair back while still damp and did my makeup after getting dressed. I walked out to find Bernard finishing getting dressed.

"Don’t you want to use the bathroom" I said

"No I used the facilities outside courtesy of Sergeant Harris" Bernard

said

The courtyard had been divided into two sections by canvas screening we now had a ladies and gents washrooms and a section unscreened which was providing drinking water to a steady flow of people.

The mess room also had a steady flow of people military and civilian coming in and out. We walked inside and a hush descended except for the banging of pans. Harris was banging around and ordering seven men about he saw us and smiled.

"I am sorry Sir, Ma’am I will have your breakfast in a moment if you

sit down I will bring you a drink over, but I am rather rushed this

morning" Harris said

"Yes and last night" I said "But you love every minute of it"

He looked at me for a moment his face beaming even more and said

quietly "Yes"

We sat down and Harris came over with two fried breakfasts and two drinks.

"Ma’am can I say something" Harris asked I nodded "Don’t eat too much

rich food too late at night it might help with the dreams" and he

walked off

"How did he know?" I asked

"Because your first scream woke up the whole compound scared the life

out of me" said Jimmy sitting down

"That bad?" I said

"Yes but the stuff I slipped you didn’t help. I must say you look

better this morning" he told me "You scared me and Wendy for a while,

it was only Bernard convincing her that she could do more for Sally and

he could do more for you that made her leave you. She beat me to your

door when you screamed as well"

"I’m sorry" I said

"No, you are not sorry as nothing happened except a bad dream.

Everything else didn’t happen. As Jones has explained to the one person

who saw anything" Jimmy said

"What about you carrying me back? Everyone saw that."

"Exhaustion. it was two in the morning, for gods sake I find out you haven’t had a decent nights sleep since Bernard visited you. Up and down all night checking the guard, bad dreams as well. For me please delegate things or I will get rather angry" Jimmy said.

"Fine, today’s plans for when you finish your breakfast, and take your time. I want a message to New Delphi please I need twelve civilians for jury duty and a court secretary as a dictation machines can’t record enough. Also I want Sally taken to New Delphi as with anyone who Wendy feels needs it." I said.

"Yes Ma’am" Jimmy said

"Bernard I want you to draw up charges against those two you’re

prosecuting. Jimmy get Anderson here he talks good. he’s defence"

The trial started at two in the afternoon the two prisoners were brought out to boo’s and cat calls till I acting as Judge fired a shot in the air and reminded everyone that this was a trial.

The charges were murder and treason against Williams and the same with rape of a minor against the Sergeant other charges were placed against the men but I told them we would deal with only the crimes that would be punishable by death today. Both men went white at this.

Anderson worked on the objecting to everything line.

His clients didn’t recognise the authority of this court. Well this court recognises his clients and the crimes that had been presented and will proceed if they recognise me or not.

His clients objected to the fact that this Judge was a minor. Well the senior military officer here recognised me as his superior and under the rules of New Delphi I was not a minor as I was willing to bear arms for the group.

His clients felt the judge and prosecution were biased against his clients. Well what have your clients done that might be misunderstood by myself or the prosecution.

This carried on for the first three quarters of an hour until I had enough of the stupid objections.

"There are no precedents in this court as this court has never sat before so if you object again over a matter of procedure I will find you in contempt of this court." I told him.

Plea’s of not guilty were received and a jury sworn in. Sample charges presented and witnesses were called from the crowd of military and civilians. The defence was that Wilson was legal due to the state of emergency so I questioned Bernard as an authority in military law and found that it was a load crap what he was saying. Sally was brought onto the stand to answer questions as of the rape. Anderson tried to beat her down verbally until I explained that his questions would be put in a polite manner and a pleasant tone or I would shoot him.

Wendy’s evidence was shocking. the girl had been burnt with cigarettes raped and sodamised, bruises were all over her body and she had a couple of broken ribs.

"What expertise is you evidence given on" asked Anderson after Sally

had been led off by Tina

"The expertise of blood and semen leaking from her bodily orifices the finger marks around her neck and genitals and the fact I was trying to carefully wash ash out of burns on her breasts and genitals last night." Wendy replied shutting him up.

The jury retired and returned a guilty verdict on all counts on Wilson on the Sergeant only the rape was a unanimous decision.

"Sergeant Mitchell you have been found guilty of the rape of a minor. Captain Wilson you have been found guilty of treason and murder do either of you have any reason why the death penalty should not be passed on you?"

"I do not recognise this court" screamed Wilson. Mitchell was silent.

"Does anyone here wish to plead clemency in this matter before I pass

sentence, this will not be in anyway used against you at any point." I

said and waited

"Having been found guilty of capitol crimes unanimously by a jury and hearing no plea’s for clemency I here by sentence you to death."

"Ma’am I wish to appeal" Anderson said

"One moment Mister Anderson" I said and stood up and walked in front of the two men.

"Having had the death penalty passed on you by this court sentence now shall be carried out may your gods have mercy on you" I drew and fired twice before they could open there mouths both slumped and the area behind them was covered with blood, brains and bone. The body’s slumped down one of them landing on Andersons lap and I returned to my desk and chair.

"You had some further business with this court Mister Anderson" I asked.

"You, You .." he started "You killed them" he shouted.

"Yes this was a capitol crime they were informed of the possible punishment. They were then found guilty sentence passed and executed." I said.

"What about appeals?" he shouted.

"It seems rather pointless but I will hear your appeal" I said.

"No you shot them" he said his mouth flapping.

"You defended them the jury found them guilty, so I passed sentence then carried out the sentence" I said.

"But what about an appeal?" he said

"I gave plenty of time before I passed sentence for any reasonable reason not to sentence them to death to be brought to my attention none came" I said.

"But you killed them" He said.

"Yes I sentenced them and executed them as one can not be separated from the other. If you can’t carry out the sentence you have no right to pass sentence this court is closed thank you very much." I stood up and walked to the bedroom and took some deep breaths and wiped my face.

I stepped out again no one had moved.

"Jimmy" I shouted "detail someone to dispose of those" I shouted and he did.

"Bernard can I have you a minute?" I shouted and he walked over.

"Rather dramatic dear but nobody will ever forget that" he said.

"Good, can you find twenty or twenty five men with mechanical, electrical and general engineering knowledge please, then you Wendy and Jimmy meet me in the mess in ten minutes." I told him.

I sat down at a table on my own Harris appeared with a drink

"Thanks can you stick up a note on the door closed for half an hour?"

"Yes Ma’am" he said.

Wendy appeared first then Jimmy finally Bernard arrived.

"The unpleasant job done now we have to move on. Twenty five men will stay here to help the people her get some essential services going they can liase with Bob who will be at New Delphi. Lieutenant Anderson is in command here and will have Sergeant Harris to help him. Bernard you are to threaten Anderson all you want." I said and Bernard agreed.

"Those guards yesterday and our corporal who shot Jimmy, I would like assigned to my protection squad. Jimmy can you review their basic skills." I looked at Jimmy.

"Yes Ma’am"

"Two days time we move on Newcastle I will need the helicopter though so we need more fuel and the men in Darlington moved up here ask for volunteers from the locals here and Wendy see about training them. I want every thing ready to move into Newcastle at dawn three days from now. Any comments or suggestions?"

"If I send Mike we can ferry Men and equipment here use this as a

forward coordination point. Bring everything down from Scotland I think

the time has come to move over were all the action is" Bernard said

"Leave a skeleton crew there its always nice to have a bolt hole" I

suggested

"Any more?" I asked

"Good any problems shout for me" I said

Dawn broke wet and miserable we were less than five hundred yards from the outer defences. Bernard and Tom should be in position by now I though Jimmy looked at his watch three more minutes he indicated. Three thirty is not an honest time for a person to be up and about I thought, and hoped the gang felt the same. We had done a leaflet drop over the past two days warning people that we were coming and if they wanted to avoid death have no weapons and head North. Mike on his trips in had seen groups escaping and had coordinated Wendy’s bikes into rounding them up.

Mikes flights and leaflet drops had also had another affect he had flown in from the North and back out to the North. They had strengthened their defences to the north leaving the south west almost clear. I had over twelve hundred men heading in and another fifty medics ran now by Andrea and Trisha. Bill was ready with three doctors in his wagon and I had two hundred and fifty people from Middlesbrough I was using as second line troops for prisoner escort duties I would have had nearly a thousand but I couldn’t move them and didn’t want to use them in full combat till they were in better health.

Jimmy waved his first two teams in one lead by Jones one by Hankinson , Jones had been very upset about his promotion in public but in private I had seen him looking at the stripes. Jimmy by my side had been the most objectionable about his change in rank as he worked for a living so despite the fact everyone called him Captain and Sir he hadn’t changed his uniform.

I started moving forward my imperial guard in close beside me. Looked to check on a certain officious corporal and the drunken guards to make sure they were close. I had warned them that If I saw them more than thirty yard further away from the enemy than me that I would shoot them. Wendy and Jimmy had words as well which I never found out the details. I looked up Jones was beaconing. I ran up to him my biblical shadows matching me step for step, while the rest of the imperial guard were fanned out covering all directions with me at the centre.

"We have them all Ma’am twenty seven prisoners one of theirs dead he struggled" Jones whispered.

"Any information on defence layout?" I asked

"Yes Ma’am Hankinson cut the throat on the corpse without telling them

he was dead already and they became little angels" he said

"Good how are they working?"

"One guard house of about twenty men in each district they do a seven day stint out here then rotate into the city centre for fun and games for a week. They are all worse for alcohol and pills" Jimmy said.

"Ma’am" came a voice from beside me "Message from Bernard and Tom objectives achieved" came the message from the latest member of my team a young, well under twenty years, Chinese girl from Middlesbrough. Her family including four brothers and Suki here had all survived. Her father Dr Chang was with Bill at the moment, Mrs Chang was coordinating communications about five miles back. Suki as she insisted on being called and her four brothers all spoke fluent Mandarin so we now had a fairly secure radio system.

"Jimmy split them into four groups take the guard houses one by one

any resistance pull back" I said "I’m going to find Bernard"

I cut through the side streets on my left heading up north towards Bernard’s force in the centre at one point a window opened and a face looked out at me as I had dived into a garden.

"Who are you?" an old lady asked in a whisper

"We’re from New Delphi I’m The Oracle" I said back

"Never heard of you what sort of music do you play" she answered.

"Get back inside its safe there if they start shooting" I told her and she did.

We carried on through the back streets when I heard some thing moving the men scattered into the gardens silently at a hand signal. Four figures were moving through the shadows, towards us I made a series of gestures indicating four groups of four were to capture them without killing or noise.

As they went past the low wall we were hiding behind they were grabbed and pulled over the wall to hit the ground with a thud and a whoosh of air. They were held on the ground and four guns were placed at their heads including one of mine.

"The hand on your mouth is going to be removed and when it is you will keep your mouth shut or your dead" I said in a whisper still keeping down on the floor.

"Why are you running around in the shadows you don’t look like the gangs?" I said.

"Whey man no" the young man whispered with a Jordie accent that was difficult to understand.

"Who are you? what are you?" I demanded.

"Were the Tyneside Resistance. now who the fuck are you screwing up

the operation. Your in the wrong sector man" The man said though I had

to translate it from

"Werethetyineesiddrestancenoowhoothwfookareyooscroowingooptheooperatioo

m. Yoorinnthewroongsectoor man"

"Wrong sector? what the fucks going on" I demanded

"We are hitting this one you must be one of the others" he said again without any gaps between the words.

"Hitting what?" I said

"Your not resistance?" he said

"No we’re New Delphi forces we are here to help you" I said

"Fuck you are coming in from the north aren’t you?" he said panic on

his face

"No this side and now" I said

"Shit there’s six other teams out there trying to draw attention to

this end to make things easier when you attack from the north." The man

said

"Suki warn Bernard, Tom and Jimmy we have armed friendlies in this area." I whispered.

"Where are they and what are they planning?" I demanded as we stood up

"Ifyoouthinkayamgooongtooteelyooanythingyoomoostbefookingcrasyman" was his answer.

"If you think I am going to tell you anything you must be fucking crazy man" I translated after a moment.

"Listen I have too many men out there for you to fuck about" I told him.

"And I don’t give a shit" he replied looking down at me his nose inches from mine.

"Fuckhead, I have over a thousand men out there moving in quietly and

you’re just about to turn all attention this way. We have to warn them

and stop them or all hell is going to let loose here." I informed him

"come on move with us I need to speak to Bernard"

We carried on moving north till we caught sight of some men shuffling along around twenty of them.

"I come in search of Merlin" I whispered and the guns turned on me.

"Shit Ma’am where did you come from" a man said.

"Look we have armed civilians in the area trying to cause a diversion

for are attack from the north, watch out for them" I said

"Yes Ma’am" they whispered back and we carried on moving.

"Milligan?" I said to a figure guarding a group of men.

"Yes Ma’am" he said.

"Where’s Bernard?"

"Inside Ma’am" he answered.

We entered the house and found Bernard and a soldier I didn’t know getting few answers from a young man who they were questioning.

"Hello my dear, having fun?" Bernard said

"No we have a problem, but finish here first" I said.

"He is reluctant to talk" Bernard said

"Jones solved that problem take him outside cut his throat in front of the others then ask the next one" I said.

"Is that an order Ma’am" Bernard asked.

"No a suggestion" I said.

"Take him outside cut his dick off and send him back with the prisoners then ask the next one and so on till they tell you where the next guardhouses are." Bernard said to the man.

"I don’t think killing is necessary a couple of dicks on the floor

should make someone talk"

"I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you" said the man as he was led off.

"Now my dear" he said when the man had gone "what can I do for you and

who’s this"

"Are you the boss man here?" the resistance man asked.

"No I don’t have that responsibility" Bernard answered.

"Well get me to him now my men are going to be starting some shit around here very soon" he said.

"You’ve told me already now we have to warn them and stop them" I said.

"Yes that’s why I need to speak to your boss man" he said.

"You were talking to our Boss Lady now speak" Bernard said.

"What...you mean, fuck, right we have six more groups of four out there at six they start making as much shit as possible to get all attention back down this way to try and help you lot as you come in from the North." He said.

"Well we’ll just have to find them with your help we should be able to grab them. Show me on this map where there hitting" I said pulling a battered street map out of my inside pocket.

Leaving one of the mans men with Bernard I took the other three with me, the man we had left knew the location of the one remaining team in Bernard’s sector and all of the Guard house on the way in.

"Milligan" I said on the way out.

"Yes Ma’am."

"Stick close to Bernard no matter what he says" I said.

"Yes Ma’am, we have already had this discussion and I told him Ma’am" Milligan said and I knew Bernard wouldn’t escape the six men Jimmy had charged with keeping him safe.

We moved south again through the streets trying to keep a decent pace without any noise we hit the next main road and I found I was well behind Jimmy’s forces and was in the second line troops escorting prisoners back.

"Where’s Jimmy?" I asked and followed the directions.

"Jimmy" I said as I caught sight of him.

"Ma’am, we have some unexpected people wandering the area" he answered

"I know I sent the message" I replied .

"We have two groups but they aren’t talking about what was there job here" Jimmy replied.

"They are a resistance group who thought we were coming in from the north so had decided to stir shit here." I got the map out again and we found that the rest of them were to the right of Jimmy’s forces baring one more group in Jimmy’s area. I left Jimmy with one of the men from the resistance group and was led by the man leading the group further south.

The first two groups were located easily and after a few words and a lot of suspicious looks they headed off to join with Jimmy’s crew. We carried on looking around for the last team but couldn’t find them anywhere.

"If they aren’t here then they have been caught so forget them they

won’t be a problem for you." The man said

"Where will they be held then?" I asked

"Forget it woman if their not dead yet then I feel sorry for them" he

said

"Listen I don’t give a shit what kind of big shot you think you are,

when I want your opinion I will ask till then just tell me what I want

to know" I snapped at him

"Listen little girl you don’t speak to me like that, my brothers with

that team, you might get hurt." He said

"Listen little boy" Mathew said "my brothers and I here" Mark and Luke moved in closer.

"have promised to protect Kathy here from getting hurt no matter what. We have made no such promises on the part of you" the man looked up at them the height difference between him and them almost as great as between him and me.

"Look we are going to get your brother out with his team now tell me

where they are going to be." I said

He led us off about half a mile to a large house with electricity.

"Area commanders house if they are still alive they are in there." He said and a scream from the house reinforced this belief.

"Right there’s one at the door, knives only keep the noise down." I said.

Mathew took the man out at the door sneaking around in the shadows a hand over the mans mouth and a knife into the kidneys soon finished him. I was going to make first entry when Mark pulled me to one side and Mathew and Luke went in followed by me Mark and the resistance man. We were in a large hall with a staircase and rooms coming off both sides from one at the end light could be seen the others dark.

"Split up pick a room three or more to a room on my signal in quietly don’t worry about taking prisoners alive. Go in quietly."

One by one the downstairs rooms were taken five people were captured, leaving just the room downstairs with the light on.

"You lot pick a door upstairs if you hear noise down here then go in otherwise wait." I said and then giving it a minute for them to get into position I opened the door.

In the room three figures were tied to chairs one body was lying on the tiled floor with blood all around and I could see two men one of them appeared to be trying to cut a mans hand off with a bread knife.

"Who?" said the man who was directing the surgery and I dived forward at the back of the man who was cutting. I was jostled slightly by the resistance man as I ran forward but I landed on the amateur surgeons back and grabbed his hair yanking his head back. This allowed me to draw the razor sharp serrated blade of the knife Jimmy had given me, a little bit better than those shit ones there as he had said, to slice his throat open from artery to artery. The blood fountained as I slid off his back and Mathew and Mark hit the second man. I turned around and found our resistance man with a man on top of him, he was fighting for his life. I ran forward and slid my knife between his ribs on the rear left hand side and leant my weight on it hard the man sank forward and relaxed.

I tried to pull the body off the man and with his help I managed to and gave him a hand up. Looking around Mathew and Mark were standing over the body of the man they had tackled, Luke had had to hold down the man who’s throat I had cut as he had struggled as he died. I ran to the prisoners three men one woman.

Two of them a man and the woman were badly beaten but otherwise fine, the man on the floor was alive but had lost a hell of a lot of blood as they had removed his hands. The last man the one who was tied in the chair had the bread knife lodged about three quarters of an inch into his left wrist.

"Simon, oh fuck Simon," the resistance man said as he ran to him.

"Don’t pull that out" I said as he reached for the knife I grabbed a field dressing off Mathew and threw it to him.

"Get that over it leave it to the doctor to pull it out you might do

more damage." I told him

I started to try to staunch the bleeding on the man with no hands using the field dressings and in the end managed to with enough pressure. The smell of blood and the sight of the bone flesh and gristle making me queasy, but I carried on.

"Ma’am" came a quiet voice behind me.

"Yes Suki" I said gently to the girl without turning around or stopping work.

"Ma’am all secure upstairs and a medical team is on the way in I have a resistance man showing them the way in" Suki said.

"That’s it Suki always sensible, thank you, now get your bum outside.

You don’t need this shit" I said.

I knelt in the blood by the man I had worked on watching his chest rise and fall, rise and fall and...it didn’t move. I felt at his neck for a pulse I couldn’t get one. I rolled him on his back in the pool of his own blood ran my hand up till I found his sternum, moved up and left and with both hands together I started cardiac massage.

"You" I shouted at the resistance man "I don’t know your name start

Mouth to Mouth"

"I don’t know how." He said.

"Easy tilt his head back, check nothings blocking his airway pinch his

nose and blow" I shouted and he did"

"Five to one, I do this five times you blow once" I told him then counted out the five compressions.

"Blow" I said and he did.

I kept checking for a pulse after each set of compressions a couple of times I thought I might of got some thing but then nothing Mathew took my place after five minutes and then Luke took over from the resistance man on the next breath and we sat there in the blood panting trying to get our breath back.

"Hello Kathy, I’m Paul" he said and held out his hand.

"Hello Paul" I looked around we where sat in the blood of five people a hand lay on the floor to one side and a body was touching my feet. I looked at Paul and beneath the blood I could see there was a pleasant looking young man possibly seventeen.

I was just about to take over from Mathew on the cardiac massage when Bill came in wearing his blue working uniform and a Beret on his head. He looked at the scene of carnage and didn’t blink though Trisha following him did hesitate a second before coming in, Jones accompanying them took one look and turned around.

"How long has he been down?" Bill asked.

"Moments after you were called" I said

"Any of this bloods yours?" Bill said looking at me.

"No" I answered.

"Get out and let me work then" he said dismissing us but keeping Mathew and Luke.

Outside I started gasping for breath as the cold air brought the bile up to the back of my throat making it burn.

"Are you hurt at all Ma’am?" Jones asked me looking at me very

carefully

"No Jones I’m fine" I said.

"Good, when I saw you on the floor in there with all that blood...." He trailed off.

"No I’m fine," I said.

Mathew and Luke came out after a few minutes.

"Is he?" they shook their heads "Shit" I said.

"Too much blood loss, the young lad will be fine though." Luke said.

"Right that’s one good thing then" I said "Lets move it out."

By eight in the morning we were in control of the city south of the Tyne and we were lucky a fog had descended on the river blocking us from view. Jimmy, Bernard, Paul, Tom and me stood looking at the dark grey water.

"We have to get over and then move fast, hit them before they know what has happened." I said, "So far we only have two casualties. From here on in I can’t see any way to avoid them."

"Some times casualties are inevitable and if you don’t risk them you can never win" Bernard said "and are you sure your team doesn’t want to clean up?"

"No I’m fine but can anyone see any better way of doing it than taking the far end of that bridge and then sending you lot out in all direction’s from the other side?" I asked and got no reply.

"Once we have the other side bring your men across split them into

groups of one hundred for the moment they head out in a fan if things

get easy split down again into twenty four groups of fifty. If you

encounter problems shout me and start building up your numbers at that

point, fifty up to one hundred, one hundred up to two hundred. Go warn

your men and warn them about civilians and the fact there will be

groups working either side of you while I figure how to take that

bridge" I said

My team walked to one end of the great railway bridge and looked down the line the fog was reducing visibility to twenty yards then within a moment it was up to two hundred and fifty and back down to nothing.

"All the defences are set up for us attacking from that end?" I asked Paul the dried blood on him and the fog making a very surreal horror film set-up.

"Yes all at that end to stop you getting across to here."

"And the other bridges and the tunnels?"

"Gone they blew them when they heard about you lot."

So it has to be here I thought and it has to be now.

"Suki stay here count to sixty then tell Bernard to move out over the bridge." I told her.

"What Ma’am" she said.

"Count to sixty then tell them I went that way," I pointed into the fog.

"Right now team we are going that way at the jog when you see them I want the most blood curdling screams you have got from you. I want them to think the devil and ten thousand demons are coming to get them and some of you have to stay close you know who you are. Paul you don’t have to play here" I said.

"eyjusthapeendtoobedganningthatwayactooaly" he said and lost me for a moment.

"I just happened to be going that way actually" he said again slowly annunciating each word.

"Fine At the jog men" we started jogging along the railway line the stones crunching as we crossed the water.

I took the pace up a little stretching the muscles that were stiff from crouching and sneaking around in the dark. My jeans chafing a little as the dried blood stiffened them up. We were half way across now I could hear the men close by my side and I reached in and grabbed my pistol and chambered a round without breaking stride the fog was thickening now down to almost nothing visibility wise. It closed in tight then cleared a bit I saw the end of the bridge about two hundred and fifty metres away sand bagged with four men one of them on a machine gun, all had their backs to us the fog closed in again and I moved to a full run and on the last twenty feet started screaming as if my monsters from the night had returned.

I shot the man who was trying to turn the machine gun around unsuccessfully due to the sandbags and took control of the weapon I cocked it and started spraying the area in front of the gun a wide clear killing zone and screams could be heard with the occasional shot. I carried on laying down fire and caught a glimpse of bodies in the clearing as the fog thinned.

"Just what the fuck do you think you are doing" came Jimmy’s voice from behind me I let loose another stream the belt of ammunition sliding through the mechanism smoothly.

"Shooting the bad guys. Now we have a big clear area here, if we lay down a shit load of fire we should be able to take it and then were clear of this bottle neck." I said.

"Fine you are one short on your team as well" he said.

"Who did I lose?" I asked fearfully.

"Corporal Howard got lost in the fog he was going the wrong way. I am afraid I presumed he was the enemy and shot him Ma’am" Jimmy said.

"Well it happens doesn’t it Captain. Accidents" I said the emphasis on the last word.

"Yes Ma’am" Jimmy said and started organising things.

With a momentous increase in fire for a moment or two Jimmy’s team was gone and we sat back for a moment. Catching our breath after the excitement and letting the men flow through. Bernard saw me sitting there.

"I know, I know" I said "I won’t do it again till next time. I promise" and waved him on.

"Suki, Suki were are you" I shouted.

"Here" came the reply and she emerged from the fog with a smile.

"Bernard was very angry you know and Captain Jimmy went purple," she said still smiling.

"What did Tom say?" I asked her.

"Tom said Oh shit not again," Tom said appearing behind her.

"Well it worked didn’t it?" I said.

"Move your bums this isn’t the church picnic you know" he shouted at his men then turned back to me "Of course it worked you’re the fucking Oracle" and he was gone.

"Suki tell Wendy to start now." I said. This would mean that Wendy’s forces started sniping at the northerly front lines making them think we were attacking from the north. I looked around to find the first of the second line troops arriving.

"Ma’am, Ma’am are you ok" a man in his twenties ran forward his red cross visible on his arm and white tunic he wore.

"I’m fine it’s not my blood," I said.

"Good we couldn’t afford to lose you" he said and carried on.

"If everyone is ready now, rested up properly then let go and see if we can take this city" I said looking around.

"You’re an oracle" Paul said his mouth open.

"No just fucking lucky. Move it people" and we moved.

The morning was a mixture of mass fire fights and mass surrenders we were also receiving lots of assistance from the people of Newcastle who had just been waiting for the time to rise. A lot of my time was spent stopping civilians lynching people, but even I managed to see my fair share of action.

In one of these I lost Luke. We were walking along a street that was supposedly cleared when a shot rang out hitting a paving stone inches from my foot. Before I knew it I was on the floor against the wall with the three brothers shielding me while my team tried to see where it was coming from. A second shot rang out and Luke in the middle slumped down half his head missing. As I lay there looking at him my men opened fire on the window that hid the sniper, when it was confirmed he was dead Mathew and Mark allowed me up and began to attend to their brother. Whispering prayers then they looked at me with their eyes full of sadness.

"I’m sorry" I said my eyes full of tears.

"Don’t be he is with The Lord now and will be watching over you still because he promised to look after you" said Mathew.

"Come on Kathy you can grieve with us after and I know Luke would like it if you would say a prayer for him" Mark said tears streaming down his face.

"Do you two want to head back?" I asked them

"No" came the determined reply and Mark wiped his nose on the back of his sleeve. I detailed four people to take his body back and we carried on.

Three in the afternoon we had come to a standstill the defending forces were entrenched in a thin crescent at the north of the city in the defences that had been strengthened to protect the city from our attack. Neither side was at any advantage nor did I have the men to overrun their defences by force. Carving them up from each end was a possibility but that would cost a lot of lives.

Bernard, Tom, Jimmy and I were discussing this situation trying to figure out a way to take them and the argument was heated.

"Why not ask them to surrender?" came a voice from behind me.

"What?" the four of us said and turned around.

"Sorry" said Suki sitting there.

"No, no my dear you might have just hit the nail on the head" said Bernard who was looking rather pale.

"That’s got to be worth a try," I said.

"Who goes out there?" Tom asked.

"Bernard and me it has to be but we need a volunteer first to send across to see if they will honour a flag of truce" I said.

"I will do it" said Mark behind me "but if anything happens to me you" he pointed to Bernard, Tom and Jimmy "have to promise me that you will not let Kathy get hurt out there. Even if she tries to go out on her own you must stop her."

The three men looked at each other and nodded.

Ten minutes later we watched as Mark waved a flag from around the corner of a building and when no shots were fired he walked out. My heart was in my mouth as he walked up towards the defences and stopped.

"Our commander wishes to talk to your senior officer to discuss your surrender he may walk out here with one other man side arms only are allowed. Any attempts to fight under this flag of truce and our commander will release the reserve troops and kill every man here." Mark turned around and walked back leaving the flag standing up in the rubble in the middle of the road.

Five minutes later two men arrived and walked out to the flag me and Bernard walked out to the flag.

"You are in charge here?" Bernard asked an Asian man in his early twenties as the white man with him was obviously there for muscle at over six foot six.

"Yo and whose the skirt with the shit all over her" the man said.

"This is.." Bernard started to say and I waved him quiet

"I am The Oracle of New Delphi. I apologise for how I look but I have been busy today, you don’t realise how blood gets everywhere till you slice a mans throat open." I said.

"She’s shitting me, yes?" the man said looking at Bernard.

"Which part?" Bernard asked.

"A little chick like this couldn’t cut a mans throat" he said.

"Oh I assure you she did, though she has been told repeatedly to go in between the ribs." Bernard told him..

"So you’re The Oracle then" he said "Shit."

"Yes I am" I said "these are the conditions if your men lay down their

weapons and walk out with their hands up I personally guarantee they

will be well treated and taken prisoner. If they do not then I am going

to call in the Helicopters again, bomb the shit out of you. Then I will

bring in my reserves and mop up whoever is left alive. You have ten

minutes to decide"

We walked back to the lines and Mark and Mathew relaxed.

"Helicopters? Reserves?" Bernard said when we got back.

"Well ok I exaggerated but let’s see what happens" I said.

Seven long minutes went by, the longest seven minutes of my life but no shots were fired.

"Were coming out don’t shoot" came a voice from the distance and one man stood up and came towards us then more then hundreds we had won.

Prisoners were marched north into the countryside and men were sent to

collect weapons and ammunition. I sat there on the curb not believing

we had done it. Jimmy came walking over

"Do you want the casualty numbers?" he asked.

"Go on what is it two or three hundred?" I asked.

"Sixty seven dead perhaps twice that number wounded" he said.

Well I thought that wasn’t as bad as it might have been.

"You lost less than five percent of your forces you are a fucking genius Ma’am" he said.

"No I’m not." I protested.

"Listen when you have as many years experience as the two of us then you can argue with us until then you can except the praise you fucking little miracle" Bernard said.

"Now come on lets head south into town and spread the word to the people" Tom said.

The four of us plus my personal guard, the Middlesbrough team and Paul started to walk back through the streets in front of us a few people scattered.

"Eytpmindeywonmon" Paul said.

"Wait up man, they won" I translated for Jimmy who was looking confused.

"Eydtswhaytisadmun" Paul replied.

"Yes that’s what I said man" I translated.

"I thought the Mandarin was tricky to understand" Jimmy said.

"Yootaknthepissmun" Paul answered with a grin.

As we walked through the city people started emerging from the buildings, not in a brilliant condition but immeasurably better than in those poor people in Middlesbrough. We reached an open square a large one with the statue of some long forgotten hero standing there decorated in graffiti and the crowd surged forward patting the men on the back shaking hands and some crying. We were surrounded and Mathew and Mark were getting edgy. We took shelter on the plinth of the statue the five of us standing there and the team and the Imperial Guard keeping them back gently.

"People of Newcastle" Bernard shouted "I give you back your city in the name of New Delphi" the cheering was deafening at this point and he had to stop.

"People of Newcastle" he shouted again when he could be heard "Many of you have tried to thank me for this liberation I thank you for that but it is misplaced. One person has brought us here, it was one vision that started all this and devised the plan to rescue you. That person led the charge over the Bridge and took the machinegun that guarded it allowing us to save you. People of Newcastle may I give you the commander of these force and the leader of New Delphi Katherine The Oracle Of New Delphi" he said.

The crowd erupted I had been to football matches and rock concerts in the past but they were nothing compared to this. Twenty thousand people cheering screaming and crying for one small girl covered in blood. Bernard waved them quiet and eventually got it after a long time.

"People of Newcastle I return your city to you, care for it and make it a great city again." I said "For this city has been paid for in blood, the blood of resistance men your blood and our blood and that is something that must never be taken lightly. Go and celebrate your liberation but forgive us if we do not."

I had utter and complete silence when one voice came out of the crowd.

"Well why not girl?" getting shushes all around.

"Today we must grieve for our fallen and tend our wounded but when those things are done and the tears dried. I Kathy The Oracle of New Delphi promise you the people we came to save, that we will show you how to party" The crowd erupted I had never know anything like it I indicated that it was time to quieten down again.

"For now we have things to do. any help any of you can give will be

received gladly but also think of what help you can give to the people

either side of you. For now I must leave you to bury a friend who has

laughed with me and cried with me and to say a prayer for him. But I

thank you for your gratitude and you will see me again soon"

I got down of the plinth with Jimmy’s help and we started moving out of the square through the silent crowd which parted without any problem as we started to leave the square the clapping and cheering started again and Bernard turned and looked at me with a surprised look on his face.

"Bernard?" I said and he slumped to the floor.

"Bernard" I screamed as he went down Jimmy had him before he hit the ground.

I felt his pulse it was irregular and weak his colour was absolutely awful.

"Shit why now?" he said in a weak voice.

"What is it Bernard" I demanded.

"Heart...been warned about it for the last fifteen years...but never had a problem till now" he mumbled his breathing weak.

He grabbed my hand tight.

"Kathy promise me.." he said.

"Promise you what? anything" I cried.

"Promise me to finish this and if I can I will keep those demons away of a night" He gasped out in a rush.

"I promise, I promise," I shouted at him "But don’t you fucking give up on me. That is an order Soldier. Get some help Suki get a fucking doctor in here," I shouted.

"I am sorry Ma’am I don’t think I can obey that order" Bernard whispered and his hand loosened on mine.

"Bernard, Bernard don’t you fucking dare die not now" I screamed Jimmy was starting cardiac massage Jones was on the mouth to mouth.

People were rushing around now a man came forward with a black bag and removed a stethoscope and for the next half hour they fought to keep him alive Bill arrived on the back of a motorbike and the two of them then tried together to save him I never took my eyes of his face or my hand off his and as it cooled in my hand.

"Its over Bill, he’s gone" I said the tears running down my face.

"Maybe I can..." Bill said his face full of tears too.

"He has gone" I put his hand down and kissed him on the lips and stood up.

"His body is to come with us home. Get Sheila and get the Helicopter here" I said to whoever was listening.

"I want all our fallen back tonight tomorrow at sunset we lay them to rest with honour for they died with honour. Go tell their loved ones they died as hero’s" I said.

"Was he a Catholic?" came a voice from my side and I looked at a man in a tattered black robe with a dirty dog collar.

"I don’t know," I answered honestly through my tears

"May I anyway?" he asked I nodded and he made the sign of the cross over the body and started muttering in Latin.

I stood there crying covered in blood as the Priest finished then he thanked me.

"For what" I asked dazed.

"May I ask the crowd to say a prayer?" he said I just nodded

"What was his name child?" he said.

"Major General Bernard Brown DSO MC VC and Bar. The hero of Salamis and my friend." I said.

"Brothers and Sisters" The priest said "I know that we are of many faiths here but may I ask you all to join in a prayer for this man." He received murmurs of agreement from the crowd.

"Lord we ask you to receive Major General Bernard Brown to you at this time. We ask that you care for him as he cared for us and many others like us over the years. He was a soldier a great man and a hero to many, many times over. His courage can’t be overstated this was a man who received the Victoria Cross twice, but was human enough to make these brave men and women our saviours cry at his passing."

"Please Lord ease their grief at this time as we think of them."

"We will now say the Lords prayer."

As the crowd repeated the prayer I fell to my knees.

"No" I screamed at the heavens Paul and Jimmy were there at my side helping me up.

"Who will keep the demons away now?" I asked.

The sound of the helicopter coming in did not stop the crowd from saying the prayer. The men cleared an area for the aircraft to land the people moved willingly and Mike shut down the rotors and the engines. Sheila and Mike descended from the helicopter both looking stunned. Someone in the crowd started singing hymns and The Lord is my Shepard was sung by the crowd as it parted for Sheila to reach us.

"I’m sorry" I said the tears running down my face

"Don’t be" said Sheila after she had kissed him tears running down her face. "He died a hero again after seeing his moment of victory can you think of a better way to go?"

I said nothing.

Jimmy, Tom, Jones and Paul carried Bernard’s Body through the crowd to the helicopter Sheila and I followed. I looked up through my tears to the faces around me now singing Abide with me and saw tears on their faces too, then they cleared as we climbed onto the helicopter and Mike started it burning and turning and we were up in the air.

At New Delphi we landed in the field and Bernard’s body was carefully removed and taken to a makeshift mortuary. Anne and Bob walked Sheila and me inside and despite the look of horror I first received at my appearance they hugged me after hugging Sheila. Inside people were recoiling from my appearance every time they saw me one girl screamed and ran.

"What’s up?" I asked.

"Have you looked at yourself today?" Bob said.

"No it’s been rather busy." I said.

"Look in the mirror before you have a bath" Anne said "I will bring you a coffee with something.

You too Sheila you are both going to be at dinner"

"No not tonight please" I said.

"We have all lost a friend here tonight and as many people as we can are coming back here to grieve for him so you will be ready and you will tell the world on the radio." Anne said.

I looked in the mirror and saw why people were recoiling from me. Dried blood matted my long hair into a rigid mess most of my face was covered in blood except for the streaks down my cheeks from the tears. The once white sheepskin of my coat was black where blood and dirt had coagulated and my jeans were crunching with the matted filth.

"You see why people were worried now?" Anne said.

"Yes I am a bit worse for wear but nobody in Newcastle will ever recognise me" I said forcing a smile.

"How bad was it I Know Middlesbrough was awful" Anne said.

"Middlesbrough cracked me up totally, I lost it only Bernard pulled me back and now he’s gone." I said calmly there were no tears left.

"We will look after you don’t worry" Anne said now lets get you sorted.

I was stripped off and shoved into the shower before being taken out of the shower to go in the bath, after it had been washed out. After a second bath I was declared clean by Anne.

I looked at myself in the mirror the young girl was disappearing the exercise had toned my body and I was developing rapidly my boobs and bum were bigger and the hair covering my pussy was now more of a thatch. I also had scratches and bruises everywhere most of which I couldn’t remember getting. The scars on my leg and upper chest were fading the one on my side had virtually gone. I was still looking when Anne returned.

"You look good you know?" she said.

"So do you. The weights falling off you" I told her.

"Half a stone so far but you should see Andrea. With Brian’s support and some decent food she looks fantastic." Anne said.

"Good she deserves it. Who’s looking after Sheila?" I asked her

"Ian, though she’s not in the same state you are" Anne said.

"He kept my monsters away in the night" I told her and didn’t get an answer.

"How is the baby that was brought in?" I asked.

"She’s alive though I don’t know how, perhaps a bit stronger" Anne said.

I got dressed in a long black dress that Anne appeared with split up the side matching black underwear and black stockings. Anne sorted out my hair and makeup and I slipped in some gold hoop earrings and put on my little gold watch. The heels felt strange on my feet and I had to walk around for a bit to get use to them again.

I sat there as Anne got ready looking at Sarah who was crawling around the floor happily gurgling and laughing.

"Sarah’s coming on in leaps and bounds now" I said.

"Yes thanks to you" Anne said.

"When is everyone getting down here?" I asked.

"I will be going in, in a moment you and some others are the special people tonight so you just wait here, I am going to put Sarah in her cot" She put Sarah in her cot and left closing the door.

Five minutes later I was feeling neglected when there was a knock at the door. I opened it Tom was there in a suit, as was Jimmy now wearing full dress uniform of a Captain with a sword.

"Ma’am" he saluted.

"You look smart," I said.

"Look who’s talking, if I had know how good you looked I would have thought twice about letting you go" Jimmy said.

"Well if you fancy trying to stop her your welcome to try," Tom said.

We walked towards the dining room Jimmy’s team was there as was Paul looking smart in a suit and tie, as was Wendy all dressed up.

"What’s going on?" I asked her.

"I don’t know I thought it was something you had arranged I am so sorry about Bernard." She said.

Jones arrived escorting Sheila also looking confused and we hugged.

"Any idea what’s up?" She asked.

"No idea" we both said.

The doors opened and Anne stuck her head out to look.

"Good your all here, Captain can you form your squad up?"

"You heard the Lady move it" Jimmy said and the men did.

"You four behind" she indicated Jimmy, Tom, Paul and Sheila "then you two." She pointed to Wendy and me.

"Right the men first in you go" she said and stopped Jimmy, Tom and Sheila following them in.

There was the noise of speaking and clapping from inside then it quietened down again. The door opened and Sheila, Tom, Paul and Jimmy were beckoned in again this time more noise for longer. Then the silence again as Anne’s head appeared.

"Wendy" Anne said and Wendy disappeared for and there was the sound of a voice for a long time, then clapping cheering and whistling.

"Kathy your turn" Anne said.

I walked through the door and someone grabbed my hand. There was the flash of a camera and I was blind for a second. I looked to see who was holding my hand and found Bob there.

"Ladies and Gentlemen may I present the inspiration behind this group. One of the original seven who fought here" came a mans voice I didn’t recognise.

"The lady who was critically injured saving those seven and then while still not recovered fought to save the town of Keld. This is the hero who charged the barricades of Doncaster and slipped into Middlesbrough at tremendous risk and personally captured Captain Wilson the orchestrator of the horrors that occurred there. Today I have been informed she personally saved four resistance men in Newcastle before taking the defences on the one remaining bridge over the Tyne in a gallant charge, which she led. Ladies and Gentlemen may I present our leader Katherine the Oracle of New Delphi." The man finished.

"What’s going on?" I said to Bob

"Smile I’ll tell you in a minute" he said and I did sort of smile there was another flash of a camera..

I was led to a seat and I looked around. Some people I recognised Mathew and Mark were there with their father others I didn’t know. And who the hell was that who was running around with the camera?

"You look a little confused my dear" I looked up to see the face of the priest who performed the last rights on Bernard still in a thread bare robe but with a clean dog collar.

"After you left a few of the supposedly important people of Newcastle

talked to a young girl who was with you Suki" he said "they convinced

her that the people of Newcastle had a responsibility to be at the

funeral to pay their respects to the fallen"

"Suki being a good follower of the Shinto religion knew the responsibilities of duties to the dead and called her mother. She arranged for the lorry to come and pick us up." "But your little girl there pulled a ringer" he waved at her and smiled. "They took twenty seven resistance men and women who fought with you, our lady Mayor and her husband and the man with the camera who is what is left of our local paper, though he has had three issues a week out since it started. I am sorry I am here but Suki insisted, in fact she wouldn’t leave without me much to the disgust of the so called dignitaries who didn’t get a place." He said.

"I must admit I am surprised by all this I admit but the philosophy of this place is that anyone is welcome" I assured him.

"Even a useless old Catholic priest?" he said.

"You were not useless today I told him you were there when you were needed" I said.

A woman and a man were obviously trying to get my attention but I ignored them.

"What is your name Father?" I asked.

"Harrison, William Harrison" he answered

"Well Father Harrison can you tell me who that is trying to get my attention?" I asked.

"That is our Lady Mayor and her husband. She’s Karen Gilles him I don’t know. I have met them they aren’t too bad as politicians go." He said.

"I have to say hello don’t I" I said.

"Well yes" he agreed.

"Well lets do it, but can you do me a favour?" I asked him.

"Jimmy over there ask him to come and get me in thirty seconds" and I stood up.

The Lady Mayor put out her hand and I shook it.

"Karen Gilles pleased to meet you at last. I have heard your broadcasts till radios were banned.

This is my husband Howard," she said and Howard shook my hand.

"I didn’t catch your last name Kathy" Karen said.

"Just Kathy any last names could leave people I care about open to attack" I said and was suddenly blinded again by the flash of the camera.

"Look mate can you lay off the camera?" I asked.

"Why this is news," he said.

"Look there is a lot of people here who are very jittery about unexpected flashes so don’t. Please" I said.

"But" he started to say.

"Listen buddy" said Jones with his hand on the mans shoulder "The Lady here saw one flash that blew away a friend of hers earlier today took off half his head as he was trying to protect her. She is just a little bit jumpy and if she jumps you are going to need a good Proctologist with a rubber glove up to his elbow before you can take any more pictures. Understand?"

"Yes" the man said.

"I promise I will let you have some before the end. Its just the

flashes" I told him

"Thank you and thank you for saving us" he said.

"Ma’am the Captain would like to see you" Jones said.

"Thank you Jones," I said

"Lady Mayor, Howard I will catch you later" I said and walked away.

"Kathy may I have a moment of your time?" the photographer said

"Yes ok" I said to the man.

"I was a reporter with The Express up here, ever since they took over I have been running ‘The Underground Rumble’ a single sheet paper mainly to stir people up" he said.

"Well it worked. You can ask our Tyne Resistance members and what’s your name" I asked him.

"Frazier, Tony Frazier but every one calls me Frazier" he said.

"Well go on Frazier," I said.

"I am doing one last issue of the rumble before we close down a proper one more than a couple of sides. I was out taking photographs all through the fighting today and I would like you to look through them to see if there are any you would like in or any you would rather stay out" he said.

"Are you serious if I said no you wouldn’t print it?" I asked.

"Totally and utterly serious. I would like to keep a copy of all these as they were momentous events but otherwise I will not print them" he said.

"Come on lets show Jimmy and grab something to eat." I said.

Jimmy, Tom, Sheila and I started looking through the photographs. They started after we had crossed he Tyne bridge, with the bodies on the floor around the cleared area that I had strafed. Then we had men running out of the fog Jimmy organising everything with a rifle in his hand and the other had pointing at something. One of them was Bernard running down the road towards the camera with the two sides of his face clearly visible. The photos kept on coming one of me running from the bridge pistol in my hand with Mathew, Mark and Luke laughing as we ran out.

"I want a couple of copies of this one" I said.

"I was going to publish this one if it is ok with you should I know something about it?" He asked probing.

"Luke there died a couple of hours later, he died protecting me" I said "can you sort out a copy for me and one for his family over there?" I asked.

"I will make sure of it." He said.

The crowd of onlookers increased as we worked through the pictures one of me came up again. My face was a mask of anger with the blood visible on my face and in my hair my pistol was raised and I was slamming a new clip in it so it looked like I was holding the silver pistol in both hands.

"Who is that?" came Karen Gilles contemptuous voice.

"That is Kathy in battle" said Father Harrison "and may god have mercy

on those who oppose her"

"You can say that again father," said Jones.

"I would like to print that one if I may" Frazier said "next to the one

of when you entered here just"

"I don’t know," I said.

"Yes you can" said Anne.

Except for the last few the photos were more of the same, then we came to the end of the battle the truce and the incident at the statue with the five of us stood there. Paul, Jimmy, Bernard, Tom and me looking out over a sea of faces.

"I want five of those please, one for Sheila and one for each of us." I said and Frazier noted it down. The last six were the most disturbing one of Bernard falling, one of me holding his hand, one of the crowd working around him and one of me kissing him. The last two again were disturbing in a different way one of the men carrying his body to the helicopter with a woman’s face a mask of grief in the foreground and the last photo was one of me bloodstained my jacket open the pistols on view. I was on my knees the tears had caused clean streaks on my face and my head was tilted back I was screaming no.

"Those last ones are rather powerful" Jimmy said wiping his eyes.

"Can I print any of those last ones" Frazier asked.

"Not the one of him falling or the people working on him. The last few ask Sheila about."

"Yes" she said through her tears.

"Thank you" he said "The paper is going to be in two halves salvation and the price that was paid. I promise it will do him justice."

"It better" said Jones the tears running down is face.

"Do you mind if I talk to people here and ask questions?" Frazier asked.

"No but be gentle and let them know what you are doing" I told him and he left.

I ate little and I drank little that evening I did a recording for Ian to play saying Newcastle was free and the death of Bernard. I was sitting down on my own when I saw Paul looking very lost, Frazier has just been talking to him and now our Lady Mayor had descended on him.

"Hey you promised me a dance" I said interrupting her ladyship in mid-sentence "come on get your bum up" I told him and led him to the dance floor.

Only Anne and Bob were dancing as we got out there and I did feel rather self conscious.

"I can’t dance Kathy" Paul protested.

"I can’t walk in these things let alone dance so I just hold onto you so I don’t fall over and we sway a bit" I told and he laughed a strange sound with how it had been the past week but infectious and I found myself grinning.

"You know you look completely different from what you did this morning" he said.

"Do I" I said.

"Yes and I like them both" and he hugged me "thank you for saving my brothers life."

"How is he?" I asked him.

"Well he won’t be juggling for a couple of months but after that he will be fine" he told me as I moved around.

"Excuse me" my turn said Jimmy and I was in his arms only to be replaced by Jones and one by one the whole team. Eventually I escaped them and went to do a job I didn’t want to do.

Simon Thompson was sat there with Mathew and Mark I walked up to him.

"Mr Thompson I would like to say how sorry and upset I am over the loss

of Luke" I told him

"He was a good boy a little stubborn at times but if he knew something was right he couldn’t be stopped from doing it. I saw the people from Doncaster and Middlesbrough I know it needed to be done. Besides my faith the one thing that gives me comfort is that it wasn’t a case that he was ordered to do some thing by someone miles away sipping coffee. If you believe something needs to be done you do it yourself rather than sending someone into risk." Simon said.

"Frazier this is Simon Thompson you have a picture there of his son who died today do you mind showing him?" I said and left Frazier going through the pictures with Simon.

"Are you ok" I asked Paul.

"A long day that’s all catching up" he said

"Has Anne told you were you kipping down yet?" I asked and he shook his head.

"I have a promise to keep then I will sort you out" I said.

"Frazier if you want to take some photo’s now is the time. It’s now half past one and most of us have had a long day." I told him and he took three or four photographs of the team and then of Jimmy, Paul, Tom and Me.

"Finally Ladies and Gentlemen if you grab a glass I would like to propose a toast" I said and gave everyone a minute to get a glass "Ladies and Gentlemen to those who have fallen, may they always be loved, remembered and honoured."

The toast completed I was about to start organising people for bed when Jones spoke up.

"Excuse me Ma’am Ladies and Gentlemen." He said "I’m not very good at this crap I am afraid. I’m just a grunt with a gun and speaking my mind isn’t easy."

"Bull" said Jimmy.

"Come on Captain give me a chance" Jones said "I have heard a few whispers about how Kathy looked today in those photo’s there, she look’s like a creature possessed, how could she run around like that what must she have done to look like that. Well she did what had to be done and didn’t flinch till it was over. She killed those who had to be killed and spared all that she could. Last week if you told me that I would be calling her Ma’am and following her into the hell that was Middlesbrough I would have told you where to go."

"I have followed her into Hell and survived it thanks to her alone as has all of my team. From the hell of Middlesbrough she took us into Newcastle and led from the front as have all of our officers The Boss included, may he rest in peace. But through that battle she never stopped till it was over not even to wash the blood from her face as she was too busy making sure that we were safe. What I am trying to say if any one has anything bad to say about The Boss Lady, Kathy, The Oracle of New Delphi then they speak to me man or woman and I will put them straight as will anyone who has chased after her into battle. Ladies and Gentlemen I ask for two toasts The Boss Major General Brown, a great hero and Kathy, The Boss Lady a light in our darkness." He finished.

The toast completed I caught Karen Gilles giving me the once over again, perhaps she was use to being the centre of attention but this was my home and our day.

"Sheila where are you planning on kipping tonight?" I asked Sheila as she went past.

"Well I was going to talk to you about that I want someone to hold me tonight so I was going to be in Ian’s room" she said all apologetic.

"No don’t worry I am going to stick Paul in your bed as he seems a bit lost and given the choice of roommates he is pleasant." I said "If the beds not claimed I could end up with Karen there sharing."

"She’s not having Ian’s double bed that’s claimed" Sheila said.

"Well get there quick or you might end up sharing with someone else" I

told her

"Anne how are you doing this rooms wise" I asked.

"God only knows some of our guests will be sleeping in here" she said

"I am going to desert you I’m dead on my feet I’ve been up for over twenty four hours and busy ones at that. If you can keep the lads as they are, I am going to stick Paul in Sheila’s bed as she has other arrangements. Goodnight and I don’t know how you did tonight you’re a miracle worker" I told her as I kissed her.

"Look who’s talking" Anne answered.

On the roof I made my usual check as Paul got sorted for bed, I had made it clear that that was his bed and he seemed to accept that it was a sleeping arrangement and nothing else. The night was wet and cold no stars to be seen the high guard were well wrapped up.

"Any problems?" I asked.

"Yes you" came Jimmy’s voice

"I have to check or I won’t sleep at all" I told him.

"You did enough today relax, sleep and recharge those batteries" he

said

"But there is still such a lot to do" I told him.

"Yes and you can’t save the whole world today."

"But I have to try or how will I face the night" I replied

"The nightmares bad?" he asked me.

"Yes they had eased for a bit with Bernard watching over me of a night.

Do you think that’s what..."

"Forget that idea now. The Boss has a heart condition that should have killed him years ago. He had told me about it but I was sworn to secrecy. He wanted to be able to leave this revolution, movement or whatever you want to call it in a good situation." Jimmy said.

"He wasn’t worried about you or your people here, he was worried how you would be accepted by the military as it was rebuilt and the pompous officious bureaucrats and political types. He felt you had a miraculous ability to read a battle, courage beyond anything he had seen even in his darkest hour and a compassion that was heart wrenching with how you suffer for your victories. The people love you and for that reason you are an easy target for anyone who wants to make themselves feel more important. How are you going to deal with the Karen Gilles of this world who get upset when the room doesn’t revolve around them?" Jimmy asked.

"They are beneath my notice, Frazier there tried to do something in his newspaper, the people of Middlesbrough suffered and survived. She is wearing a designer dress of her own while the Father down there is in rags and the others are borrowing clothes" I said.

"Exactly and because of that these people are going to be trying to grab a piece of you, what do you think that photo of you shaking her hand after the battle will do for her credibility?" I considered this for a moment.

"Can you ask Frazier to make sure that shot doesn’t come out?" I asked

Jimmy "as if I do it’s a bit of a tricky situation"

"Now your getting the idea, get to bed and get some sleep" he said.

"Jimmy is it possible for a Captain to give someone he calls Ma’am a hug as I am scared, lonely and cold" I asked.

"Certainly and whenever you want a hug ask me or any of the lads, last week it would be seen as a sign of weakness now it’s a sign of your humanity" he said as he wrapped his arms around me and held me tight.

"Goodnight" I said after I finished trembling.

In the room Paul was mumbling something in his sleep, I sneaked into the bathroom and got undressed wiped the makeup off and found the longest most concealing nightdress I had, the pyjamas were a bit to tight in some places. I then slipped into bed after checking my guns and prepared for the nightmares.

It was the night in Middlesbrough and worse they came in force with bullet wounds and knife wounds, those who starved and those who bled to death as their hands were removed. They wanted to know why I had done it and why I hadn’t.

I screamed as they got close a scream that made them hesitate.

"Bernard where are you, you promised to keep them away" I shouted as loud as I could.

"I’m here my dear turn around" came his voice and I did the man I had never knew was standing there his face whole and handsome, the age and worries wiped from his face.

"Turn your back on them and sleep I will guard your back" he said and walked past me to face my monsters. I then slept without the dreams.

"Time to get up Kathy" Anne’s voice said.

"What time is it?" I muttered.

"Ten in the morning but a lot has to be done today" she said and I sat up.

"Where’s Paul" I asked.

"He’s been up since half six, he said he couldn’t sleep again after your little outburst." Anne said.

"I think I know what you’re talking about but go on." I said.

"About four this morning you scared the life out of us all with a scream the like of I have never heard before. You then started shouting for Bernard, by the time I got upstairs Wendy said you were asleep and a lot more relaxed than you had been for a long time." Anne explained.

"Sorry" I said.

"Don’t be, you have seen more than anyone here with more responsibility, a few quirks are allowed" Anne said "Get dressed get some food in you, you didn’t eat last night. I worry."

"Thank you for worrying some times I feel everyone expects but very few care" I said and left her to get sorted.

"Ma’am can I claim a second of your time" Jones asked as I got downstairs.

"Yes go on" I said.

"Its about The Boss and Luke" he said obviously upset about having to bring it up with me "do you mind if we bury them either side of the grave at the front there. I know he was someone special to you but I would rather they were in a place of honour at the front."

"Jones you do what you think is right and you won’t be wrong. John would be proud to be in such company" I told him "but keep records we have no headstones we have to know were people are for their families sake."

The dining room was back together now a few people were eating including Karen Gilles and Frazier. I sat down with Frazier and a coffee.

"The Captain had a word and no problem its not as if I would publish her picture anyway" he said glancing at her.

"Thanks but I have one last favour, can you do a full set of the pictures you showed us last night to keep here at New Delphi to show people in the future how those men out there died." I asked him.

"Including those ones you didn’t want me to print?" he asked.

"Yes the whole story if people care enough to come here then they should be able to see everything. I’ll catch you later thanks." I said as headed into the kitchen.

"There goes a very disturbed little girl, did you here her last night?" said Karen Gilles as I left her line of sight.

"Don’t talk crap all your life, she wasn’t sat on her arse sucking up to punks, she was fighting for our lives" Frazier said.

Outside work was well underway for the burial the field that John was buried in was now going to be a cemetery, the cows were moved and the area cleaned up. The horses were watching from the other side of the road the mare starting to show with her pregnancy, perhaps I would have been happier there?

"Milligan" I said as he walked past "the lads don’t have to do this you

know, there are plenty of people to help"

"This isn’t a duty or a job Ma’am it’s an obligation" he said and I left them to it.

I tried to keep my self secluded during the day but the families of the lost were being brought in eventually I escaped to the roof I wasn’t ready to meet these people yet. Everyone was rushing around and I was a disruption wherever I showed my face.

"Ma’am" came Jimmy’s voice.

"Yes Jimmy" I answered.

"The lads feel that although you look great in a dress today’s occasion merits some sort of uniform if you are willing to try it?" he said.

"I hadn’t even thought of it" I admitted.

"Do you mind if a couple of them get some things together to try out" he asked.

"For them anything" I said.

"I won’t say that, you have graciously agreed to try it for the men" Jimmy said and he left.

I looked out at the preparations and though the sight saddened me, I knew it could be so much worse.

"Paul" I shouted down to the young man looking very lost, he looked up and I waved him up.

"You did good yesterday, what are your plans?" I asked him.

"I don’t know, I haven’t given it a thought yet I was just worried about Simon that’s why I tagged along." He said.

"Look your welcome to stick around for as long as you want, I can’t promise it will be safe but it will never be boring.." I told him.

"I might just do that I’ve nothing else to head home for" he replied.

"Family?" I asked.

"Not any more" was his answer "except Simon. Do you think Mathew and Mark might be a bit less than friendly? We did have that slight disagreement yesterday morning."

"Come with me let me introduce you properly" I said and dragged him down stairs.

"Simon" I said to Luke’s father who was with Mathew and Mark "can I introduce Paul he was there at the end with Luke, he was a member of the resistance that was trying to help us."

"He was a brave man who I knew only a short time" said Paul.

"He was a brave one, but if you were there with this young lady you have no cause for shame." Simon said.

"Mathew, Mark I am sorry for the loss of your brother and I hope that if I stay here we can be friends" Paul said.

"Look we had a minor disagreement at first" Mathew said seeing Paul was uneasy "but that is all it was, we are more than friends you are my comrade in the true meaning of the word come sit with us."

Father Harrison was doing a good job talking to the people arriving and getting other people to talk to relatives rather than me. But he was having some problems with some of the arrivals, from where they came I don’t know. They were coming with all these wonderful ideas which involved them being my best friend and seeing me right as one of them an obnoxious man said. Some ideas were welcome the engineers who wanted to try and get water and electric back on I thanked, the nurses and the doctors were welcomed, but thanks to me saying I wanted peoples help they were all heading this way to tell me about it. I grabbed Ian and Sheila and told them to start a group of people blocking them and weeding out the ones I didn’t need to talk to.

Late afternoon I was asked to try on some clothes it was a simple working dress that the soldiers had been wearing all through the battle, green trousers, shirt, highly polished boots and a beret. Milligan was waiting while I dressed someone had been tailoring the shirt and the trousers they didn’t disguise the fact I was female they enhanced what I had. A name tape was over the pocket with The Oracle printed on it. No symbols of rank were visible but someone had made a badge for the arm a Greek statues head with two pistols over his head. The beret was bearing the badge that was on Bernard’s beret and the belt of the trousers had two holsters for the pistols I wore. I wrapped the green bandages I knew were called putties around my ankles trapping the top of the trousers and the top of the boots and walked outside.

The whole team was waiting outside my room and insisted on dragging me upstairs onto the roof to have a look and with a few adjustments to the beret and the putties I was declared fit for presentation to Anne who had the final say.

"It works, it definitely works you did a good job Milligan" Anne said.

"Your work, a bit of a dark horse aren’t you?" I said.

"Ah, my dads an old fashioned tailor, I learned a few things" Milligan said blushing I kissed him and he blushed even more.

I looked through the list of the dead with a little about what had happened if it was known and the eighty five names including Bernard chilled me. How few of them I could put a face to Anthony White medic died at the barricades of Darlington who was he I should know him we have so few. Jane Harper died at the Tyne bridge and I hadn’t seen her fall, Luke was there died protecting The Oracle from a sniper, Raymond Stubbs killed by sniper Darlington, he was one of my guard and I hadn’t noticed. I walked outside were the crowds were almost a thousand people stood awaiting me.

"Ladies and gentlemen those of you who have come to honour the fallen or grieve for those you have lost, I welcome you. I would like to pass this service over to two people in a minute Father Harrison who was there in Newcastle for the fighting though he hasn’t told me I have been told he was crawling through the areas under the heaviest fire to offer comfort and prayers for the wounded and the lost. Also to Simon Thompson who lost his son Luke who died trying to protect me from a sniper."

"I can’t promise comfort from my words but they need to be said because the responsibility of every one of those people’s death is mine and mine alone. I can’t say I knew every one of them most of them were just faces and names, faces that smiled as they saw me people who trusted me and believed in what I want to do. Men and women who went to their fate with their eyes open, hero’s who died for my beliefs and names that will be forever honoured." I said.

I took a deep breath and looked at the people, the faces expressing their sorrow at this time and tried not to start crying myself these people deserved the acknowledgment that I felt their loss before I broke down in tears.

"These men and women" I continued "will be laid to rest here at the place we call New Delphi with my friend the first to die for my ideas as a hero in our darkest hour. But even in the darkest hour when we least expect it friends can arrive to light up the night to rescue us and give us hope of a future despite our loss. That is what these people were a light for many people a hope for the future and all those who have been brought from the dark share your loss for the people who gave all they had to try and save them. I will now read out the names of the fallen."

I started with John at the Battle of New Delphi and the last was Bernard who fell at the moment of triumph, the little bits of information I had I told them.

"for those who I haven’t mentioned what happened this doesn’t mean their deeds were not noteworthy it just means I haven’t had the time to find out what happened yet, it is I who have failed you, as they did not fail me. I will try and find out personally what happened to each person and it will be written in a book by the people who knew them, by the people who were there how each one of those people was taken from you, from us. For they deserve their stories to be known." I had tears running down my face again as I looked around at the corpses wrapped in sheets as coffins were unavailable.

Simon took over at this point as I could not speak further and between him and the Father they made a good job of a difficult service making everyone feel that the service was for them personally. The last post was played by a lad from Keld on a bugle as he had volunteered to Jimmy and as the last post was played the lost were lowered into the graves. I threw a handful of earth on Bernard after Sheila had then on Luke and then I had to repeat it over and over again at the end of this I was led inside by Anne as rational thought and free action had deserted me with my tears.

That evening we shipped the visitors back home and just had a few of the relative staying over due to the fact they had nowhere else to go, many of the relatives were from Keld an easy trip home. One lady came up to me in her late forties to talk about her husband who died north of the River Tyne.

"I was unsure how I would cope with today, it hasn’t sunk in yet the fact he’s gone. The thing that makes it easier is the fact you do care, I came here wanting to hate you for dragging him off to die but I can’t because his death has caused you more pain than I feel...Yet" She said renewing my tears. The radio broadcast was made, I again made a recording rather than sit there and as usual Ian put it all together with some bits recorded from the service.

"Kathy I’ll move my stuff out later if that’s ok with you" Paul said as I was sat at a table alone for a moment.

"Why got a better offer, or did my screams scare you that much?" I joked with little humour in my voice.

"No it’s just it’s your room and I thought now there is more room here you would want it back" he replied.

"Look the moment that bed is empty Anne will find someone to shove in it to keep an eye on me. If you have nowhere else planned yet please stay at least until this place returns to some form of normality, for me please." I said.

"Won’t Bob say something?" he asked.

"I hope not last time he tried to interfere in things that he felt he should Wendy was chasing him around the house with a gun and no clothes on, she’s more tolerant than me." I said.

"You’re joking"

"No ask him some time" I told him.

The evening was not a time to dance or have fun it was a long evening full of tears and sadness, bedtime was a relief as I now was hating the evenings at New Delphi the one time I now felt comfortable was in the heat of battle. During battle I didn’t have to think I just did, I wasn’t the hero I was made out to be just another person unable to face the day today realities of life now.

The next month put things into perspective for me what do we do from here. The issues raised included the old favourite money as all economies had crashed and the computerised records had gone how could we buy things and how could we pay people? I was at the centre of these discussions and everyone of these people wanted me to put them in charge of the rebuilding of the economic structure of the country.

"Look here gentlemen I don’t give a toss what your personal worth was or how important you were, money is the least of my problems. There are few things that count for anything now food, medicines, clothing and weapons are the most basic needs that people have to face. Before any of you get the idea of placing a stranglehold on any of these items I will personally execute any person who hoards any of these items for his or her betterment. The rules are easy now. You need your neighbour to watch your back so you better not be screwing him over."

"But an economic system is needed" one man protested.

"An economic system is needed is it for your happiness and comfort and well being. Well every one of you is here thanks to me. You have all come from occupied areas. You owe me" I said.

"Yes we realise that and with structure we can see that you are compensated" the man said.

"Yes I want to be compensated but not in the way you think. I want to be compensated for the men who lie out there they have paid for your ability to sit here and talk shit. We have liberated a small area of this country from the oppression it was under, you want me to listen to you seriously on our next battle where ever and whenever it is you join me on my team then you will have my respect, then we will see if your priorities are the same when you get back. Have any of you been to Middlesbrough?" I asked they shook their heads.

"Jimmy arrange a tour of Middlesbrough for these men a couple of days at least let Milligan show them around they can help with the clean up" I said and the protesting men were shown out.

"Jimmy we are sitting here on our bums and have been for a month now" I said as the men went away "we have reports from Birmingham and Glasgow about the shit going on there and if we sit here much longer we are going to drown in the bull shit and the people like them. Where do we go from here North or South I favour North head up to Edinburgh and then turn left towards Glasgow. Shit we are up to our eyes in business men, politicians and accountants and we haven’t even got a decent map." I complained.

"Look Jimmy I’m not getting at you. I have just been adding up the figures we have liberated less than fifty thousand people out of a population in this country of what seventy five million. Lets say only one in ten survive" I started to say.

"Rethink that estimation take off thirty percent off the population due to the burning of London and the fusion plants, twenty percent for the old, the young and the ill. That gives you half the people dead before you start working in disease, gangs accident and the inability to survive without the technological marvels that make our lives so pleasant. I think if we are lucky we are talking five percent at the very most just about four million or so I think are still alive." Jimmy said.

"That few seventy one million dead bodies roughly out there just in Britain. Shit we could lose the whole fucking population with a decent epidemic." I said.

"Or a bad winter" Jimmy said

"How many of the people who came with us into Newcastle do you think we would get if we marched again?" I asked him fearing his answer.

"Around a thousand" he answered

"Well then lets start spreading the word that The Oracle is heading North. Once we have the men together what do you think about stopping at Newcastle to claim that party off Karen Gilles. We need food, transport, weapons and ammunition and a shit load of luck, how long do you think before we can think of moving?" I asked.

"Six weeks possibly a bit longer, how many men do you want?" Jimmy asked me.

"Five thousand at least but no more than ten thousand. Five thousand will make most places just give up without a fight" I explained "over ten thousand is a nightmare I wouldn’t fancy trying to move."

"It’s going to mean raiding Newcastle for the things we need and Karen Gilles isn’t going to be pleased by that. I don’t think she will like that" said Jimmy.

"If I have to raid them I will, but if I have to depose her, I will. This is not about the well being of a few it is about the many" I told him.

The spring was warm and pleasant as was the start of summer. The people we had on hand were used to the full in Darlington, Middlesbrough and Newcastle we did a search of the towns around the North East and found only Sunderland had any population left the gangs having fled after the fall of Newcastle. I started relief operations in the town and had a warm welcome on my arrival as I was well known.

Paul accompanied me everywhere though nothing had happen between us he filled a void in my life that Wendy had filled for many years and Bernard for a short time, someone who accepted me for who I was alone and did not expect anything from me. He was a friend, my only friend. Bob and Anne had a lot on their plate, with a child and their jobs around the place.

Andrea and Trisha were working their bums off to learn all they could about battlefield medicine both had been upset over people they lost on the battlefield. Wendy was in charge of perimeter security a large area now and using cars, bikes and trucks was keeping the area we held secure with a hand from Jones, their interest in each other was obvious.

Sheila and Ian were inseparable and working together to take Radio New Delphi into a proper radio station music, news and anything else they could find, such as Father Harrison’s religious spot and Toms advice to new farmers. I was in limbo, a General without an army, a war to fight but preparations to be made. I found Bernard’s advice about keeping out of the way and letting them get on with it worked I caused chaos were ever I turned up all work would stop.

So Paul and Me made use of the small Honda’s from the shed with a radio and food from Anne we started heading out into the county side of North Yorkshire at first then further out. This was initially based on the idea of adding to the random security sweeps but after a few trips this pretence was dropped and Anne started telling us not to be careful but to have fun. This was concerning me greatly the fact that I was not pulling my weight when everyone else was working their bum off. I talked to Jimmy about this.

"Look you still make all the decisions and come up with the smart ideas. I wouldn’t of thought of moving people around the country by ferries, Christ the number of people we can get on one ferry if we pack them in we don’t even need to drive the cars and trucks up there. You go enjoy yourself you will be needed again soon and you have to be fresh for what is to come. Anyway Milligan said the other day wasn’t it nice the fact you haven’t woke us all up screaming for weeks, if you do the men’s morale good then its fine by me. How are things working between you and Paul?"

I thought about it for a while "I don’t know at the moment we are just friends nothing else, I haven’t pushed it neither has he. Unfortunately." I answered.

"Look you’re a lot to take in he is probably apprehensive about trying it on with The Oracle of New Delphi and The Boss Lady." He said.

"I was wondering whether it was the fact that shortly after I met him I was cutting a mans throat?" I said.

"No I don’t think so, I think he is apprehensive about it all everyone here wants to look after you and make sure your safe. It’s a hell of a thing for a young lad to face."

"What’s your opinion then, I’ve had he’s too old, I’m too young, there’s lots more to do yet and the religious arguments as well so lets here what you have to say." I told him.

"My view is the same as all the lads who went into Middlesbrough with you and yes we have been talking about it. If it makes you happy we are all for it. You are smart enough to get us out of Middlesbrough alive so you are smart enough to decide other things. The only thing I say is take care, don’t get hurt and he seems like a good lad he’s brave and he is hardly rushing you so go with how you feel" Jimmy smiled "and if you tell Anne or Bob I said any of this then I will deny all knowledge of it."

"I understand and Jimmy thank you" I told him.

"Anytime Boss Lady and if you want any of the lads to cover for you just ask them as since you managed to get those unit badges made up for all of them they have decided anything you say goes." Jimmy said referring to the Greek statues head with the two pistols I had organised to be made by a lady in Keld for all those who went into Middlesbrough with me. It was a copy of the painted one that Milligan had done for me that now decorated my wall in a frame.

I thought about it as we ate that night. It had crept up on me without any initial passion, I couldn’t think of carrying on without Paul at my side. I think he was feeling sort of the same about me he was never far from my side but he never asked me to dance of an evening after that first night. I thought do I think about Paul in a sexual way and soon realised I did most assuredly think of him in a sexual way it was the sex that I had not been thinking of with all the shit going on in my life. I was scared of making attachments in case I lost them, like Bernard and John.

I sought out Anne and found her very busy so went looking for Sheila as normal she and Ian were by the radio.

"Sheila can I pinch you for a few minutes" I asked.

"No problem I think it’s safe to leave him for a while" she said with a smile.

"He knows one look at another woman and he deals with me" I said.

"After I’m through with him" Sheila said.

I led her through to the front of the house but it was busy with people rushing around doing things, as had the kitchen been.

"Shit is nowhere quiet in this place to talk" I said.

"Look Alex is on high guard she will keep out of the way while we talk so come on" Sheila said.

Up on the roof we sat down on the sandbags in the sun and Alex came over to say hello.

"Alex, Kathy wants a quiet natter and this is the only place that hasn’t got none stop traffic. Do you min if we sit here?" Sheila asked.

"Certainly, I’ll be over there if you need me" Alex said.

"Sorry" I muttered.

"Sod off with your apologies" Alex said "Its not as if you have ever done anything around here we never see you coming out here in the early hours just to see if we are ok and then you demand a couple of minutes privacy to talk. Just who do you think you are The Boss?" she walked off with a big smile.

"Sheila I’ve got a problem and I’m after some advice" I said.

"Must be serious I don’t think I’ve known you stumped yet, come on lets

hear it." She said

"Well it’s Paul" I said.

"I thought you two were doing great, your almost inseparable" Sheila

said looking confused "he’s not pushing it is he"

"No, that’s the problem he is the perfect gentleman who hasn’t laid a

finger on me, at all." I said

"Oh, that is a puzzler. You two have been sharing a room now for weeks I thought things were proceeding nicely. He’s not gay is he?"

"I don’t think so. But its not as if I can turn around and ask him, is it?" I said.

"No I am pretty sure he’s not gay, from what I remember last time we danced. I don’t think I have seen you two dancing since the first night" Sheila said.

"He hasn’t and despite the fact he’s sharing a room with me he always manages to find something to do every time I’m changing or were alone. Though what ever I am doing he is never far from me always watching" I said.

"Has he got someone waiting?" Sheila asked.

"He said he hadn’t and I think he was telling the truth" I told her.

"You have a problem then girl a shy one" Sheila said "Alex over here a minute."

Sheila explained the situation to Alex leaving me blushing.

"Don’t worry my girls here will not say anything even if they have heard anything and nobody talks to me up here" Alex said.

"I seem to have seen Hankinson here quite often and surprisingly it’s

always when you’re on duty" I said her face dropped "Look anything that

makes being stuck out here more pleasant is to be welcomed, I know I

was out here enough in the cold and the wet. Anyway an extra pair of

eyes are always welcome"

"You cow" said Sheila "you never told me"

"I haven’t told anyone and I didn’t think anyone knew" Alex said blushing as much as I was a moment ago.

"Only us three know and you keep my secret, I keep yours and if Sheila can’t keep quiet then we both get her" I said causing both of them to laugh.

"What do we do with her then Alex" Sheila asked.

"The problem is when she’s dressed up of an evening she is surrounded by people who want to talk to her, look after her and dance. Rather intimidating if you’re a bit shy." Alex said.

"Yes I understand that but what am I supposed to do gout for a quiet candle lit dinner?" I asked.

"During the day" Alex said ignoring what I said "She has the right idea out into the country with nobody around. But add the uniform and the guns again it is a bit much for someone who is a bit unsure of themselves. Then when you add this whole Boss Lady and The Oracle a few tens of thousands of people declaring you’re a hero and the fact that you have killed more people than anyone here, he might be a bit nervous of initiating things" Alex said.

"I have seen him fight. He wasn’t scared" I protested.

"Look two totally different things a lad shy around girls will quite happily march to his death but freeze when trying to make a move" Sheila said "You don’t strike me as the sort of person who will make a move on him here like I had to with Ian."

"Not really everyone is watching whatever I do here, if I start chasing him here he will just withdraw" I agreed.

"Well Kathy we have to set this up right" Alex said "and get you out of that uniform and those guns."

"Swimming" said Sheila "on the next trip out if it’s a nice day get him

out swimming"

"But I don’t have a costume" I protested.

"Well if you wait ten minutes I knock off and we can all go and raid Anne’s Magic room" Alex said.

When Alex relief had arrived we all headed down to the kitchen to see Anne.

"Anne can we have your key?" Alex asked.

"Why?" Anne looked suspiciously at Alex and Sheila wondering what they had got me into.

"Well its Kathy here she fancies swimming on one of her trips out if its nice, to try and strengthen her leg" Sheila said.

"We were just wondering if you had any bikinis or costumes" Alex said.

"There you go there’s the key and I am only giving it to you because you might get her out of that uniform for once." Anne said pretending to be gruff "second room."

In what Wendy and I had decided were the staff quarters Anne had a collection of things that she had collected and got other people to collect on various shopping excursions. If any one wanted anything from a pair of socks and shoes to a full evening dress for dinner, they asked Anne. Sheila and Alex were acting like they had been given access to Aladdin’s cave.

They started routing through the boxes of clothing that filled the room showing things to each other and glancing at me.

"Come on get stuck in" Alex said.

"Look I will quite happily storm a fortified position but here I am lost, totally out of my depth" I said.

"What do you mean?" Sheila said.

"Let loose in a large shop I was done in five minutes, jeans, t-shirts jumpers and out" I said.

"It takes me longer to decide where to start" Sheila said laughing.

They each grabbed handful’s of things and started dragging me with them, telling Anne on the way past that anything they didn’t use would be returned. I was dragged through to Sheila and Ian’s room only to find Ian there, so we headed up to my room.

"So this is what you get for being Boss Lady is it" Alex said.

"Yes a shared room that’s a bit bigger than most of them and a hell of a lot of shit with it" Sheila replied defending me.

"No that’s not what I mean" Alex said quickly "It’s a case that despite all the things you do your just living like this" she glanced around the room as I tried to straighten my unmade bed and hide a pair of knickers on the floor.

"Don’t worry you can’t find the floor in my room" Alex said.

"Right lets try some of these on and see what looks best" Sheila said passing me the first item.

I went in the bathroom and stripped off and looked at what she had passed me a lime green bikini with string straps and tie sides on the bottoms.

"If you think I am going to wear this thing you have got another thing

coming" I shouted

"Shut up woman and try it on at least" came Alex voice and I put the garment on.

"No not until those scars fade a bit more" came Shelia’s comment as I stood before them nervously.

"And you will have to either shave or wax to get rid of the spiders

legs" Alex said

"What?" I said.

"Your going to have to trim your bush a bit, your bikini line" Sheila said.

I looked down at the tiny bottoms and saw a few hairs escaping at the top and the leg holes and blushed.

"Hey come here" Alex said "You’re not being forced into anything and yes my humours a bit rough at time it’s never meant to be nasty. These are things you would learn from your mum or Wendy so with Wendy busy and gather you lost your mum a long time ago, we are going to have to help you out. If you will let us" Alex said.

"Anne has you looking wonderful of an evening, every inch The Oracle our Boss Lady but no disrespect to Anne your after a different image, look at me Paul I am a girl honestly" Sheila said.

"I’m sorry I just don’t know these things" I said.

"Look do you here me apologising for not being able to lead an army to war?" Alex asked me.

"No I don’t I leave it to you. If I want to know something about radios I ask Ian so you could do with a hand over what to wear, I ask Sheila her opinion she asks me my opinion that’s how it works. I know you’re new to all this relationship crap and it wont get easier so ask."

"Now this is going to make you blush even more but do you know how everything works."

Sheila asked "You know SEX?"

"Oh yes" I said.

"Too comfortable with that answer Sheila wasn’t she" Alex said.

"Yes who was he and when" Sheila said.

"Well it was recently." I admitted "and with the world falling to shit and the odd being against me being alive a month later I decided to try it."

"We are a dark horse, I won’t want an answer to who it was but did you have fun?" Alex asked.

"Yes I enjoyed it, though I was sore after." I admitted.

"Tell me about it I could barley walk" Sheila said laughing.

"Yes I saw you last week" Alex through in.

"Have a quiet word with Bill he seems to have cornered the worlds market in contraceptive pills, see what he can do" Sheila said.

"Pity he hasn’t got the six month implants." Alex said.

"He has. What do you think I use, I can’t remember where I put my shoes, taking a pill every day is too risky" Sheila said.

"Come on you have more things to try on." Alex said.

I tried on things for an hour eventually coming down to two outfits that I didn’t find too objectionable. One was a bikini sort of, the top was a longer type that came down to my ribs and showed no cleavage the bottoms coming up almost to my belly button both in dark blue with red edging. The other was a one piece suit cut low at the back with a single string from the front around my neck, it was in various shades of blue a sort of underwater scene and was not cut too high on the leg. Both these choices disappointed Alex and Sheila both.

"Look you have the body why not flaunt it a bit more" Sheila said.

"I don’t want too much on show with these scars" I said "Maybe when they fade a bit more" I threw in diplomatically.

"Well not the two piece one, it looks too much like another uniform" Alex said.

"Right now that’s sorted have you got some decent undies and nightdresses?" Sheila asked.

"Yes there all new things" I said.

"No good stuff" Alex said.

"Which drawer is it" Sheila said looking at my uncomprehending face and the two of them started nosing.

"No good you only have a couple of decent things there lets get back down to Anne don’t get dressed we will go" Alex said grabbing the things I had turned down.

I sat there in the blue one piece swimming suit thinking to my self what the hell had I got my self into as the suit clung in lots of places that I didn’t want it to cling. Then I thought about Paul and how much he meant to me and decided as my nipples sprang up and my pussy got damp that it might be worth it.

"Try this on Sheila" said passing me a cream coloured satin thing as she came in. I went into the bathroom again and looked at it, it was a teddy with lots of lace everywhere. I figured out how to get into the thing but it seemed tight to me and the studs at the crotch were a pain, eventually I went to show them.

"I think she’s right." Alex said "The one piece ones suit her better than the two piece at least till you grow a little bit more."

"Yes it covers the scars well" Sheila agreed.

"Right next" Alex said.

I was paraded around for hours different things were added to my wardrobe until both of them were sort of satisfied a lot of the things I had agreed to just to keep them happy.

"Now Kathy get dressed again. No not the uniform those shorts" Alex said indicating a pair of denim shorts that I had never intended to wear as they were too tight.

"Now that yellow crop top." I was ordered. "No lose the bra."

I looked at her imploringly as I was handed the sleeveless top but neither of them were willing to help me.

"Now these sandals" and I was given some low heeled sandals.

"Come on with us we have a few more things to do" Sheila said.

I was lead outside the cool air even on a sunny day like today making my nipples react and causing me great embarrassment.

"Don’t worry you look great" Sheila said taking my hand "It’s fun to

tease a bit"

"Who do you want to go in with you?" Alex said.

"What are you talking about?" I said.

"Bill is expecting you to sort out birth control, who do you want to go in with you?" Alex said.

"No I said I would sort it out myself" I had been thinking of having a

word with Wendy

"No you are going in now, your thinking about sex you should be thinking about precautions."

Sheila said "You wait here Alex if I need you to help hold her down I

will shout"

Bill was waiting inside for me and Sheila shut the door.

"Ah Kathy your after some form of contraception I believe." Bill said and I blushed.

"I have been wondering if I should have a word with you, with you and Paul but with everything being arranged to move out I forgot. Its very remiss of me."

"No, No I...we haven’t yet." I spluttered.

"Good someone with sense at last, unlike some people." Bill said looking at Sheila.

"I er, I had a scare." Sheila said.

"Well your covered now so no harm done" Bill said.

"That’s why I brought Kathy here, the last thing she needs is a possible pregnancy hanging over her head while she’s in battle."

"If that scare has given you some sense, good for you Sheila" Bill said "which method were you thinking of Kathy?"

"If I am honest I was going to have a word with Wendy and see if she could get me the pill." I told Bill.

"Well I now control all drugs here, as good as Wendy is she will admit she’s not a doctor" Bill said "Are you sexually active?"

"Not at the moment" I said "Though I have been, once. Before you came here." My voice trailed off at the end.

"Any problems afterwards?" Bill asked

"What do you call problems, I was sore for a while" I admitted.

"Right I’m not after names but was it some one here now?" Bill asked

"Yes" I said and I could see Sheila trying to work out who it was.

"Good well you should be ok disease wise then and yes I am trying to scare you a bit. You don’t remember the African Aids epidemic do you" Bill asked.

"No but I have read about it, forty percent of their population had contracted it before the vaccine was found in 2005" I said.

"Yes and some of the bugs around can make you very sick or stop you having children in the future" Bill replied.

"I know and I am not planning to play the field" I told him.

"Good, strip off and lets do an internal" Bill said.

"What?" I said.

"I need to check you internally before I think about prescribing, also I will take your blood pressure." Bill said gently.

"Come on Kathy I’ll hold your hand, its no fun believe me I found out a few weeks ago" Sheila said and I was led over to an area that had been curtained off.

"Why did you get me into this" I asked her.

"Because she cares" Bill shouted from the other side of the curtains.

In my whole life as a man I don’t think I had been to the doctors with a sexual based problem. The nearest I had come to showing myself to a doctor was dropping my trousers for a tetanus shot and now I was going to have a doctor probing around. I slowly dropped my shorts and panties, the bloody thong that Alex had insisted on because the shorts were tight and I climbed up on the bed and lay on my back pulling a blanket over me.

"Are you ready?" Bill asked and came walking in with a small tray.

"Right we don’t have stirrups here yet so bend your knees and bring your feet up towards your bum" Bill said and I did. "Now let your knees fall apart."

I had never felt so exposed or vulnerable in my life, I couldn’t see what he was doing down there because of the blanket and a cold rubber encased finger with some cold goo on it made entry into me. I bit my bottom lip as the finger felt around a bit and he pressed on my stomach.

"Don’t worry soon be over." Sheila said squeezing my hand.

"Right fine so far." Bill said from beneath the blanket "this might be a bit cold."

"Where does the might come into it? You keep that thing in the fridge" Sheila said.

"Only for you dear." Bill answered as a cold object started to make its way into me.

"Oooo" I said as it filled me with a fair bit of pain and no pleasure.

Then Bill did something and it got bigger inside me.

"Ow that hurts" I gasped

"Only a second...there done" Bill said as it started to be pulled out of me.

"God it’s enough to put you off sex for life" I said.

"Sex or no sex that needs to be done every couple of years and while I’m your doctor it will be. You can put your legs down now" Bill said and I did, I was sore and messy down there.

"Do you check your breasts" Bill asked.

"Yes and they are there every morning. Still surprises me" I said.

"You are young to worry about it but breast examination is a habit to get into early." Bill told me with a serious face.

"I would give you a leaflet normally but if you can put up with it I can show you how to or you can ask Sheila I had to show her as well" Bill said.

"Yes you can but I bet you enjoy it." I said.

"There are worse jobs, but a friend of mine was sex mad at University couldn’t keep him away from the ladies and became a gynaecologist, two years later I met him again at a reunion with his boyfriend. The morale of this story is too many sweets make you feel sick." Bill said laughing.

"If you have looked at hundreds of pairs of breasts they lose some of their mystery and appeal I am afraid."

He started to examine my breasts when I removed my top working around each breast in quarters, he wasn’t gentle in fact occasionally it hurt but he was explaining everything he was doing and the fact I should be doing this regularly.

"Right you can get dressed now Kathy" he said walking out and Sheila passed me a big handful of tissues and I wiped myself grimacing.

"I know it was my first one a few weeks ago that’s why I knew you could do with someone holding your hand." Sheila said. "Thank god its worth it though."

"You enjoying yourself with Ian?." I asked.

"Oh yes" she said taking on a very pink tinge.

"He’s a good lad and more importantly he’s good for you. I was worried about you after Bernard." I said as I got dressed.

"I know and for the first couple of weeks after granddad died he just slept with me of a night holding me. I nearly had to rape him to get him to do any more." Sheila told me going even redder.

"Don’t worry I wont tell anyone." I assured her as we walked out from behind the curtains.

"Tell anyone what?" Bill said.

"My lips are sealed" I told him

"Fine don’t tell your doctor, the man who knows you more intimately than you know yourself." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"At this point Kathy I am legally bound to tell you that the age of consent is sixteen and that anyone who has sex with you is committing a crime. Which is a law to protect emotionally vulnerable youngsters from exploitation by others, I don’t think it applies to you. How are the dreams now?" Bill asked.

"They are still there but not as bad Bernard promised to keep them away if I promised to see this through and he does." I glanced at Sheila.

"Granddad had the same problem for years, he said it was because he had a conscience that he was plagued by them and if he can stop them where ever he is he will." Sheila said.

"Well I am not gong to discuss Philosophy or Psychology with you. My view is if it works why worry, though I did here you had a bad time in Middlesbrough."

"I did, I felt that my pissing about had cost time and lives. That with the sight of what happened there I think was too much for me and my mind just couldn’t cope for a while" I said.

"Yes I saw it only for a while and it still sends shivers down my spine." Bill admitted as he started taking my blood pressure.

"That’s fine and lets listen to your chest." Bill said and a cold stethoscope was placed on my back "Fine again."

"Well physical health wise you are perfect" Bill said and looked at me.

"But mentally" I said.

"Mentally you are totally messed up. You take suicidal risks to protect others, you feel like you are responsible for everything that is going on. You have nightmares that not only wake you up screaming but you wake the whole house up in terror. You believe a dead man is protecting your dreams and you are sexually precocious for your age." Bill said and I tried to protest but he stopped me.

"But you are leader of a large group of armed survivors in a post apocalyptic world. Most of these people owe you their lives and ask your opinions on everything. You are regularly involved in major battles where I have been told you fight like a demon. Last time you fought I found you sitting in a room full of blood where a man had had his hands cut off and died of blood loss despite the attempts of you to save him. One of the men you killed with a knife" he looked at me shaking my head and glanced at my fingers "sorry two of them and you have visited a place that has a horrible similarity to the Second World War concentration camps. Two of your close friends have died despite your best efforts to save them one of which ended up with you severely injured. I think a few bad dreams are to be expected and if you find religion or if Bernard is watching over you, if he can he will be, helps then that’s fine. You don’t use drugs and you lay off the drink so I can live with it." Bill said.

"But" he added in a very serious voice "your dreams get worse or your sleep gets more disturbed or any other problems like Middlesbrough I want your promise you will come and see me. Then I will prescribe contraception" Bill said waiting for my reply.

"I promise" I whispered.

"Good, now can I suggest an implant a new one every six months till you are ready to try for children as I don’t think your lifestyle will allow you to remember the pill." He said.

"Fine" I told him and twenty minutes later under the skin of my upper arm I had a small rod inserted about an inch long and about as thick as a pencil lead. With the local anaesthetic it didn’t hurt and Sheila said hers was fine the next day.

"Don’t be worried about coming to see me if you want to. Even if its only for a chat" Bill asked and I promised I would.

"She sorted out?" Alex asked as we came out and I showed her my plaster, she showed me a red mark on her arm as did Sheila.

"Better safe than Mommy" Alex said and I did have to agree with her reasoning.

Alex and Sheila wanted to get me dressed up that night by them but I said no I didn’t want any thing different to give Paul any warning, plus as I told them I wanted to have a word with Anne first.

That night as I got ready for dinner Anne noticed the plaster and asked what it was.

"Precautions" I answered and she nodded.

"Good, that was the first thing I saw Bill about when he moved in. Though I have noticed both beds are still being used in your room" Anne said.

"Yes nothings happened he doesn’t seem to want to take it further. But I’m just making sure I’m covered" I said.

"Good girl, that’s the way" Anne said.

"Thank Sheila she dragged me in there" I answered honestly.

"I will" Anne replied "He hasn’t tried anything with you, That surprises me he never takes his eyes off you."

"I didn’t know that but I’m taking him swimming tomorrow. That might ease his fears a bit" I said.

"What are you wearing?" Anne asked

"That blue one piece suit" I told her.

"That shouldn’t be to blatant as if you’re too obvious you might scare

him off as well" Anne said

"You don’t mind?" I asked her.

"Not at all, he’s a nice polite and handsome lad, you could do a hell of a lot worse. How do you feel about him?" Anne asked as we carried on getting ready.

"I didn’t realise, it sort of sneaked up on me the fact that he meant so much to me. I wake up in the morning and make more noise than necessary just to hear his voice and the thought of him not being there is unthinkable" I said.

"But des he turn you on?" Anne asked.

"Oh yes he does" I said and I could feel my breasts tighten and my nipples react at the thought of him.

"Good that’s the important thing for now" Anne said "Get a bit of lust and passion in your life."

"Your talking to me a lot differently to what you did when you first arrived" I said.

"Yes then I thought you were a child. Now I know you are an adult who just happens to still be young." Anne said and I hugged her tightly.

"Watch the makeup." She protested.

"Thank you for being here for me" I told her.

That night again I couldn’t get Paul to dance and looking carefully now Anne had mentioned it I could see that he was watching me and when he saw me looking back he blushed and looked away. He hit bed before me as normal and was reading as I crawled in.

"Paul, do you fancy heading out tomorrow if its nice?" I asked as I came out of the bathroom.

"Yes I’ll play." he said.

"Good. I saw Bill today and he said I have to exercise this leg more" I pulled up my knee length cotton nightshirt showing him a fair bit of thigh with the scar on it.

"He said swimming was about the best exercise so I thought we could head out to that lake we saw that other week" I said.

"Haven’t got any trunks" he said.

"Don’t worry Anne will have some. I’m sorted with a costume, though Sheila wanted me in a bikini" I told him as I slipped into bed.

"Fine with me then, it will be fun" he said

"Goodnight" I said and turned off my bedside light.

I lay there in the dark planning out my actions tomorrow when I became aware of a noise in the dark a rhythmic rustling at first I couldn’t figure out what it was and I was just about to ask him when I heard him gasp quietly and I nearly climbed into bed with him then. Instead not wanting to embarrass him at such a personal moment I lay there listening to him masturbating as I slid my hand inside my panties and gently stroked myself for the first time since before John died.

"Good morning" I said to Paul as I woke up to find him looking at me from his bed where he was sitting dressed.

"Sorry I didn’t mean to disturb you" he said.

"You didn’t, so relax" I said as I crawled out of the bed not pulling the nightshirt down as I sat there trying to wake up.

"Is it time for breakfast?" I asked

"Yes I’ll meet you down there." Paul said looking away from me.

"Don’t forget to ask Anne about a swimming costume" I reminded him as he left.

I jumped in the shower to wake up properly and then decided to lose the uniform for today. Tight Jeans and yesterdays crop top with no bra I thought and the flying jacket for protection on the bike, I wasn’t suicidal enough to risk even the little Honda without some thick clothing between me and the road. I tied my hair back in a pony tail and just put on a little lipstick. The jeans were tight and uncomfortable, my unfettered breasts bounced around as I walked down the stairs and I felt hellishly on display without the all covering protection of the uniform.

During the day I was The Boss Lady, Valkirie warrior in my uniform of my men. Of a night I was The Oracle of New Delphi, elegant, beautiful and diplomatic hostess to all those who visited us and those who stayed with us. There were two other Kathy’s at least, one mad with blood lust and one just mad who woke screaming in the night but all aspects of my male personality except my knowledge had been lost. As I walked into the kitchen I thought lets start finding a new me.

"Morning Anne" I said as I walked into the kitchen.

"Well isn’t that a change? I thought I would never see you willingly out of that uniform" Anne said as I sat opposite Paul.

"Well I decided to try and find Kathy again not what everyone expects and wants me to be. Till The Boss Lady or The Oracle are needed again." I told her.

"Good you need some fun in your life, and you young man are too serious by far." Anne said to him.

"But I am trying to be useful" Paul protested.

"He’s coming swimming with me today have you got any trunks in your magic room?" I said.

"Give me a minute I’m sure I can find some" Anne replied "It’ll do you good to have a bit of fun."

By nine in the morning we were heading out into the country the two nineties running quite happily. I had a rucksack with all the swimming gear Paul had one with all the food. We headed out to the lake we had seen weeks before and parked up. No one was to be seen anywhere and we walked down to the waters edge.

"Looks cold" said Paul.

"Chicken but lets have a walk around it first just to check out the area" I told him.

We walked around the small lake the sun beating down. I left my coat at the bikes Paul carried his as we tried to skip stones on the flat water. The birds around the bottom end of the lake shrieked their annoyance at our intrusion into their quiet world and squirrels scampered away. By the time we got back to the bikes it was around eleven and the sun was high and the weather hot.

"Come on here’s your stuff" I told him passing him a towel and his trunks and I walked behind a hedge to get changed. My heart was beating like I was under fire my stomach was turning summersaults and my breasts were hurting my nipples had been hard so long. I was terrified but so turned on by being with this young man, I slipped on the costume and decided that I would have to get in the water before my excitement became obvious as it soaked through the crotch of the suit. I walked back to Paul carrying my clothes and my weapons and left them near the bags Paul was walking down to the water. I went running down to catch up with him splashing my way into the water. I found that if you have boobs then you float differently and they add drag when you try to swim, even my modest ones. We swam for a while in the warmish water and eventually I started playing about splashing him with the water. He looked at me for a moment then through himself into the game drenching me as I stood there water up to my neck spluttering he came over to see if I was ok.

"No I’m not" I said as he came near and he came in close to help me.

"Because you seem to be ignoring me." I said diving on him and pulling him under the water. We both came up spluttering and Paul turned towards me and was about to grab me to push me under and stopped.

"Paul please" I said "What is it about me that you don’t like?"

"Nothing at all your beautiful and wonderful" he said.

"Then hold me, hug me tight please" I pleaded

"Kathy" he said.

"Why won’t you dance with me, hold me, hug me or kiss me. You won’t even look at me if you know I know" I told him.

"Kathy...I just don’t want to screw everything up" He blurted out.

"What?" I said.

"The first couple of weeks I would have quite happily made a move, except for the fact that you are a little young, you tend to be well armed and you tend to be surrounded by a lot of big men with guns" He said.

"Yes I can understand that but what’s up now?" I demanded.

"Well it’s the fact I share a room with you and have got to know you, I like it your fun pretty to look at and I like your company. If I pushed it you might not want me as a roommate, I would hate being with someone else after living with you." He told me.

"You dozy sod. I have been thinking I was doing something wrong. I’m not very good at this being a girl thing. In a battle I know what to do, with you I didn’t and for weeks all I have wanted to do was slip into that bed next to you and hold you tight all night." I said virtually in tears.

"Don’t please" he said.

"Why?" I asked crying for real now.

"Because once I start I might not stop and your young" he said.

"Look I have killed men in battle, led armies and lost men through my choices, I have been judge and executioner and as far as I can figure out I am the leader of this country and now you worry about me being young. The only reason you are here is the fact the army I led liberated your city and if you think you could do anything to me I didn’t want you to your opinion of yourself is too high" I shouted at him and started storming out of the water.

"Kathy, Kathy" he said grabbing me by the shoulders to stop me.

"Listen Paul, you either hold me properly or let go. If you value the use of your arms" I told him.

"Kathy please turn around" Paul asked gently and I did his arms slipped around me pulling me tightly to him, My breasts were crushed against his chest and I could feel the heat of his body through the thin costume and my body seemed to become limp in his arms.

"Kathy I love you and I have known it for a while now, the thing is I lust after you as well and I didn’t want to initiate anything in case I fucked up our friendship by pushing you, because you are young and you might not welcome it." He said as he crushed me against him.

"You silly bastard I want you as a friend and as a lover, I want to wake up from my nightmares to find you holding me and I want to feel your passion for me" I threw my arms around him and found his mouth with mine. His hands moved down my bare back to my bum and caressed it through the swimming costume and a large hot lump was in the region of my belly button.

"Paul" I said breaking off the kiss "I have one request"

"Anything" he answered kissing my neck which was making speech very difficult.

"Paul, the first time we make love together is going to be tonight, in bed and taking our time, not a fumble in the grass." I slid my hand down between us and gave him a squeeze through his trunks "Though anything else goes" I told him finding his mouth again.

He picked me up and carried me out of the water till he slipped on a stone and we both ended up under water.

"Kathy oh Kathy I’m sorry" He said as he helped me up I just slid down again and sat in the water unable to stop laughing. Eventually I managed to get up and I grabbed his hand and led him up to the towels which we laid out on the grass and then lay on looking at each other.

"You mean this, your not just going to have a good laugh about it later?" he said concern on his face.

"I might have a laugh about the fact that you swept me off my feet only to try and drown me, but every thing else I am very serious about now hold me please" I told him and he did just hold me for a while and it was so good.

After a few minutes his hands started exploring my back sliding a fingertip under the back of the suit, then getting a bit bolder till I had a hand down the back of my suit cupping my left buttock. We reached an impasse for a long while I was thoroughly enjoying the kissing and cuddling but once he had his hand on my bare bum he seemed very reluctant to relinquish it, and me well I wanted his hands everywhere. I let him hold it for about half an hour then decided to change the situation a bit.

"Paul all this excitement is making me hungry, how about we eat." I suggested.

"Mmm" he said nuzzling my neck and eventually sliding his hand out reluctantly. I got up and walked over to his rucksack and sitting next to him so our legs were just touching we sat and ate. I finished first and lay back on my towel and trailed a finger up and down his back.

"You don’t know how happy I feel at the moment" I said to him.

"I do" he said as he rolled on his side to face me "I feel the same."

His hand stroked my face then moved down my chest to start creeping up

the slope of my breasts where my nipples could be plainly seen. I

reached behind my neck and untied the swimming costume so the top could

be pulled down. He peeled it slowly down and as they became visible he

bent and kissed my nipple sending pleasure from my nipple straight to

my groin. I put an arm around his head holding him to my breast and

squeezed my thighs together. His hand started playing with the nipple

he wasn’t sucking then slid down my stomach grazing my groin to start

working on my legs. It started on my knee then moved to my inner thigh,

I parted my legs a bit to allow him more access. His hand was now only

inches from my pussy which was wet, swollen and urgently requiring

attention. He cupped my pussy but the pressure wasn’t enough I thrust

my hips up and that was better

"Oh, please." I moaned as his hand moved off my sex but he then slipped his fingers under the crotch of the suit, probing at the outer lips which were swollen and slick with my passion. A finger propped between them brushing my clitoris in his inexperienced search for an opening then he slipped it in and I moaned my appreciation.

"Yessss" a second finger worked its way in causing me a little pain and a lot of pleasure I clamped down on them and the feeling of having something inside me providing resistance to my squeezing was starting to take me over the edge with his mouth attacking my nipple.

As his fingers started to work in and out of me his thumb slid up between the lips of my pussy searching for my clitoris, he found it but was too rough breaking the moment slightly.

"Oooh gently with that thumb please" I said to him.

"I’m sorry Kathy did I hurt you" he asked removing his fingers.

"Just a little bit rough on sensitive areas." I said.

"Sorry I didn’t know, I didn’t mean to hurt you" he told me while sitting up.

"Look you didn’t know." I told him slipping an arm around him "but wouldn’t you rather I tell you how I like things done to me, you know train you up just for my pleasure. Rather than pretending your doing it right for years and not enjoying it, I have been wanting you and I intend to enjoy you, use you and abuse you"‘ It didn’t seem to make it any better.

"Look Paul, this is the beginning of us getting to know each other if I can’t tell you what I like and don’t like then I am not going to be very happy and I promise to make your life a living hell. How would you like me walking around half naked in front of you only to decide I don’t feel like any fun" I asked him giving him a squeeze at the same time.

"No its not the fact of you telling me Kathy, its just tat I have my hands on you for two minutes and I hurt you." He said.

I stood up and pulled down the costume and stood before him nude I reached down and grabbed his hand pulling it between my legs and placing my hand on top of it to stop him pulling away.

"You feel how hot and wet I am, that’s because I want you inside me, I want to feel your body on mine hot and hard" I started guiding his hand encouraging him to slip his fingers back inside me and to rub the front of my pussy with the heel of his hand.

"Oh god that’s it" I told him breathlessly and rested my hands on his shoulders as my legs were having problems keeping me upright.

"Yes that’s it, a but faster please. Oh Paul yes ooooh" my hips started moving of there own volition as my passion built up and my orgasm exploded from my groin through my body.

"Your turn now" I told him as I got my breath back

He started protesting "You don’t have to Kathy."

"Listen I want to lie back and relax" I told him and I did want to give him pleasure back for what he gave me. I moved down to the waistband of the trunks his passion was obvious and speaking from experience that situation can be very uncomfortable. I pealed down the front of the trunks and the head of his prick came into view.

"Lift your bum up we don’t need these anymore do we?" I asked him and he allowed me to pull the black trunks down freeing his penis.

I looked at it comparisons with my old one were difficult because of acclimatising to my new body but it was a fair bit bigger than Brian’s. I grasped it with my hand and pulled back the foreskin revealing the purple head and kissed it making it twitch. I opened my mouth and took the hot item into my mouth a warm musty smell, his smell filled my nostrils and I tasted the salty product of his excitement and started moving my head up and down making sure I didn’t catch him with my teeth. My movements became more rapid and he started moaning my name, I started sucking hard and he exploded in my mouth I swallowed rapidly and kept on sucking till he became limp. Cracking open the bottle of orangeade I took a big drink before snuggling up to him and finding his lips with mine.

"Thank you Kathy" he said as our lips parted.

"I enjoyed it as much as you did and tonight well?" and I curled up resting my head on his chest listening to his heartbeats slow down while holding him tight. Later on we rinsed off in the lake and gradually got dressed with occasional caresses and kisses.

"Did I do that?" I asked.

"You know you did" he replied.

"Good we have to save your strength for tonight" I said as I stood there in just my jeans.

"That will not be a problem you can make me hard anytime"

"Like last night?" I asked him and he blushed.

"I thought you were asleep" he told me blushing

"Well I would have been but I was rather horny thanks to a certain man who means so much to me. I was listening to you while I was doing the same, you were nearly raped" I hugged him tight and tilted my head back so he could kiss me again.

Back at the house we parked the bikes in the front and we walked in my arm around his waist and me tucked under his armpit I felt everyone was looking at me but I was proud this was my man.

"Can I pinch you for a minute Kathy?" Jimmy said then looked at the two of us "You two have got yourselves sorted out at last, good about bloody time."

That was the reaction from most people, they were glad I was happy and glad that it was someone like Paul, "with some balls" as Wendy put it later.

The only hostility came from some of the Middlesbrough team who were rather protective of me which I soon sorted out, without violence and Trisha’s father who was trying to do the parental bit with me. I let Tom loose on him as the situation between Andrea and Brian had been accepted, due to his realisation that we all might be dead tomorrow Joe thought differently due to the lack of action he had seen.

That night we made our excused early and headed up to bed. I was nervous like I hadn’t been earlier he undid the zip on my dress letting it fall to the floor. I was stood there in bra and panties, stockings and suspenders still wearing my shoes and he hugged me replacing my fear with excitement.

"God Kathy you are beautiful, why did you pick someone like me?" he asked.

"Because your handsome, charming, fun to be around, brave, you have a big dick." I smiled at this then continued unsure how he would take it "and I cant bear the thought of life without you. I think I love you, if that doesn’t sound too corny."

"Good because I have loved you for a while but I was scared that if I showed it you might reject me, I might scare you off." He told me as he undid my bra, it might be bull shit said in the heat of passion but it was nice to hear and I think he meant it.

He worked my panties down and was trying to figure out what to do with my shoes and stockings while kissing and stroking me when I interrupted proceedings.

"Look you randy beast you are going to have to wait for a moment because if you think I am going to get told off by Anne if these stockings are ruined you have another thing coming" I pushed him away and sat down on the edge of the bed and undid my shoes then slid my stockings off slowly making a show of it, done I slipped into the bed pulling the covers up to my chin. Paul dropped his clothes and slid in next to me, his hands moving to my body. I rolled towards him, held him and kissed him, his penis making wet trails on my belly. He rolled me on my back impatient for me and kissed my nipples while one hand parted my legs. He manoeuvred his body over me I could feel him nudging my legs further apart, I raised my knees to help him and felt his prick search for an entry.

"Go slowly my love, you’re rather big" I asked him scared, vulnerable and exposed he grunted his agreement and found his target.

My vagina stretched to allow the tip then the head to gain entry to me, slowly he slid up inside me forcing things like my bladder and other internal organs out of the way. His pubic hair met mine and I was stretched to the limit, it hurt a bit but the feeling of being filled by hot flesh was worth it. I kissed him feeling trapped under his weight and escape was prevented by his arms either side of me and the flesh rod pinning me to the bed. He started moving backwards till just the tip of him was inside me leaving me feeling empty and wanting, then with force enough to move me up the bed he thrust back into me, repeating it set my boobs bouncing. He kept it up faster and faster with no thought of me though I was getting pleasure from being used like this. I locked my heels behind his legs so I leverage to start to meet his thrusts which were becoming more and more forceful. His weight descended on my body forcing the breath from me as he thrust for the last few times then erupted inside me. He lay on top of me as he got his breath back and I put my arms around him holding my lover to me. Though I was unsatisfied I was happy and proud of his pleasure. I could still feel him inside me, I squeezed on the soft mass and it responded, I did it again and it was harder. I kissed the side of his neck and held him tight to me keeping up the pressure on him inside me.

"My turn now my love." I whispered in his ear and I started moving my hips.

With just a little movement I was able to rock my clitoris against his pubic bone and with the hot hard rod that felt like it was past my belly button, inside me my passion was building. He tried to move to help me.

"Follow my lead gently and slowly. Kiss me you wonderful man" he did.

Holding him tight to me his weight was uncomfortable and oppressive but so nice. My movements increased rapidly and my legs locked my crotch to his as I came then fell back on the bed relaxing in the afterglow, except Paul hadn’t finished he carried on and suddenly a second unexpected orgasm hit me from nowhere.

"Oh Paul," I gasped as my body arched up to meet his he carried on pumping away into me and a third smaller one hit me as he erupted inside me again.

I lay there with him on top of me as our mixed juices cooled on my thighs and pooled on the sheet below me. He lifted his head up and kissed me.

"Oh Kathy I’m sorry." He said

"Sorry for what?" I asked confused.

"Well I was just too excited, it should have lasted longer" he told me.

I hugged him tight "Much more that second time and I wouldn’t have survived, you were fantastic. Now let me get up and clean off."

He slid over and I walked to the bathroom with his sperm leaking from me in big white streams, I sat on the loo and dripped into the bowl for a while before cleaning up with tissues and then a flannel. I was a little bit sore but not as bad as my first time and glancing down at the swollen and wet lips of my vagina I could see no damage. I dried off after a quick pee, my bladder objecting to all the action, and slipped back into bed. I moved his barely conscious body over to the edge of the bed then curled up in his arms just out of the large wet spot, and slept.

I woke up to a breast being played with the nipple tweaked then the other one received attention.

"Mmm" I said wiggling my bum back to find his hardness.

He slipped it forwards between my legs and slipped into me.

"Ah yes that’s nice" I told him as he filled me

He started moving slowly, kissing my neck and shoulders as his hand played with my nipple. His hand slipped down from my breast when I pulled it off and moved it down to my pussy.

"That’s it gently there, yes my love" I encouraged him as he brought me more and more pleasure.

"Oh Kathy" he moaned behind me.

"That’s it, oh yes, don’t stop please, oh yes, yes ohh yesss" I moaned as I talked him through my orgasm and clamped down hard on him provoking his orgasm to flood inside me.

"Kathy I love you" he whispered as he regained the power of speech

"And I love you, even if you are going to cost us a fortune in toilet rolls" I told him as I started leaking again.

"What" he asked

"I’m dripping on the bed I don’t want to move yet but I am going to have to get up and wiped off" I explained "tonight we bring a towel to bed" I told him as I slipped out of the bed.

"What time is it?" I asked him as I sat there on the toilet.

"Half nine we slept in" Paul replied.

"But I enjoyed it" I told him and flushed the toilet.

"I’m going to have to hit the shower after all that action" I told him.

"You’re not the only one, want some company?" he asked.

"Yes I do but if I do then I will need another shower after so no" I explained.

We both got dressed with lots of touching and kissing. I decided for the first time for a long time to put on a skirt. I left tights off due to the heat and the fact my legs didn’t look too bad after yesterdays sun. As I tried to put on some makeup he started stroking my leg at first through the skirt then slipping his hand under.

"Look" I said pushing his hand away "I’m trying to make myself pretty for you and to put on a couple of years for all those I have to deal with who don’t know me, which isn’t easy so leave me alone. Before I rape you and I have to do all this again."

The next week was spent in a mad frenzy of sex and preparations and sex and sex and sex. Wendy grabbed me towards the end of that week for a talk.

"Are you happy?" she asked.

"Oh yes I am, very happy" I told her

"Happier than with us two?"

"That’s an unfair question. I was happy and in love with you Wendy as you was. In that body I still dearly love the wife I care more about than my life. But I have been in this body too long. I still love you dearly and would do anything for you, but I don’t desire you any more than you desire me now" I explained.

"Good because if you forget me I will kill you little sis. Is he any good? Are you enjoying yourself? How does it compare?" Wendy asked smiling.

"Yes. Yes. I can’t compare its so different to be dominated and

penetrated rather than the other way around. Though with a little bit

of training for him I am thoroughly enjoying it." I admitted

"It took me years to train you, you haven’t got him sorted in a week have you?"

"No, but that can take years as I am enjoying it. Though I don’t remember being so insatiable when I was his age." I moaned.

"Believe me you were a horny little boy when I first met you. I use to think you would never grow out of it and was glad you didn’t. There is nothing that quite makes you feel better, after a shit day, like being wanted, being desired and being loved" She said.

"I know" and kissed her cheek as we parted.

The next week the second after I seduced Paul was chaos we were almost at the point of being ready to move. We had a ship and crew, two in fact but I wasn’t hopeful about getting the men I needed. Friction had been building up between the Lady Mayor of Newcastle and our group. Resources were needed food and weapons, on the weapons side I had Jimmy go in with a team to claim all we wanted and received a letter of protest. This letter required permission before I entered the city and forbid us from taking any of the resources required at this time in the city.

"Fuck this Jimmy. That city owes us and owes us big" I said waving the letter under his nose.

"Yes but what do we do go in shooting?" he asked.

"No we go in all of us everyone who fought there. We go in with food

and drink and claim our party." I said "Then as we eat and drink with

our friends The Oracle will ask for the help and support of the brave

citizens to bring the gift of freedom to others." I said "Lets move out

everyone. Anne, Jenny and her mum the wounded we can move the lot"

It was a major exercise to move everyone and it was two days later that our convoy of anything that could move was stopped on the outskirts of the Metropolitan district of Newcastle a huge area that encompassed North and South Shields and Gateshead, barring our way was a van across the road with two armed men.

"Turn around and go back" came the first mans voice.

"No firing no matter what happens, do you all understand me?" I said and waited for agreement all around.

"Wendy I want you to promise me whatever happens here you will not

fire"

"Sis?" Wendy said.

"No I want your word" I said

"Fine I promise" She said reluctantly enough for me to know she meant it.

I got out of the leading Land Rover and walked forward.

"Stop there we have orders that you are not allowed to enter the city" the man shouted.

"Do you realise who I am? I am the person who liberated this city and I promised the people I would return for a party to celebrate their freedom" I said.

"I don’t give a fuck what you promised you are to stay out or I am to

shoot you." The man said

"And who would give you such orders. Orders that would get you killed here alone?" I continued walking forward.

"The Mayor, she said you’re a sneaky little bitch who might try something like this. If you try to enter the city your to be prevented or shot" he said drawing a pistol.

"That’s nice I have two of those and I could kill you from here if I wished to or I could have said the word and you would have been dead from afar without the chance to explain why you feel you must sacrifice yourselves for her" I carried on walking slowly.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" the second one asked.

"Well I defeated a force of three hundred with seven people, do you think a force of two will hold a thousand with two pistols?" I was within fifty feet now the first man raised his gun and fired missing wildly..

"NO" screamed Paul behind me.

"Jimmy" I shouted "Stop him and if he tries to shoot stop him. But don’t hurt him please."

"Yes Ma’am" Jimmy shouted back "The first person to try and fire deals with me. But if you go down Ma’am I will destroy them."

A second shot rang out. "We were told by the people of this city we would be welcomed what has happened to change this? My men and women died for you we have committed no hostile act so why?" another shot hit the tarmac near my foot the bits causing pain as they struck my leg.

"We have orders that you are to stay out. If necessary we kill you, that was the deal when she released us" he said.

"So you know my forces, you know you can’t win so why die." I asked I was about thirty feet away now another shot rang out and I was spun around.

"The first person who fires I will shoot in the leg" I screamed "and that includes you Jimmy."

"Ma’am if he fires again he’s dead and I don’t give a fuck if you shoot

me in the head" Jimmy shouted back

I looked at my left arm which was bleeding strange the fact that the body doesn’t notice the pain at first I thought, I picked up the beret and replaced it on my head with my working arm.

"You kill me and you are dead so drop your weapons now. She does not share the risk or the duties so how can you die for her? Do you love her, fear her or admire her? No then don’t die for her." The men dropped their weapons and held their hands up.

"No you were following orders you are not prisoners. Stay go or join us the choice is yours but you are under my protection" I shouted that last bit so Wendy could here. "and nothing shall happen to you. Now move that van out the way and come and join the party."

"Are you ok" Anne asked as I got back in the car.

"No but leave it for the moment we are going to milk this to the full. Did you get some good shots?" I asked Frazier who came from the far side with his camera and a young man with a video camera.

"Yes we did we’ve got the whole lot and if I ever have to stand there and watch you get shot at again you can shoot me." Frazier answered.

"What about projection equipment?" I asked

"Sorted Computer controlled commercial projection equipment is set up in the square and it will only take a couple of minutes to run it."

"Good" I said and was silent as my arm was hurting now.

Frazier guided us through to the large square where Bernard died. Our arrival caused lots and lots of attention and when a large crowd many thousands of people arrived I was helped out of the car. I walked around to the statue we took refuge on and Bob and Anne helped me up.

"People of Newcastle I came here because I promised to. I promised you a party to celebrate your freedom and I came. I came with women and children, with food and drink to the warm welcome I was expecting from the people who grieved with me for the loss of my friend." I shouted.

"But what do I find the roads blocked our entrance forbidden and the guards the same men I liberated you from ordered to shoot me. Though I drew no weapon they shot me, though non of my men committed a hostile act they drew blood. Why?" I left them murmuring the anger building as they looked at my blood stained shirt.

Karen Gilles came through the crowd with an armed guard of ten men pushing through the people and was help up next to me she scowled.

"Pull all the faces you want" I whispered "your going down bitch."

"We’ll see, little girl" Karen replied.

"People of Newcastle. This has been a misunderstanding. My friends do you think I would give such an order? Obviously they scared the men on guard and this is what happened if they had warned me of their visit it wouldn’t have happened." Karen shouted. Behind her on the side of the building a picture appeared of our convoy appearing and me getting out she didn’t realise.

"Friends let us celebrate with The Oracle...."

From loudspeakers came the voice of the first man across the crowd "The Mayor, she said you’re a sneaky little bitch who might try something like this. If you try to enter the city your to be prevented or shot."

The crowd erupted in anger at this and it took my men to hold them back as the film continued. At the end I turned to face the crowd.

"New Delphi saved you for no selfish reason. Our people died for no reward but I am going to be selfish I am going to ask something of you." I shouted and got answering calls of what do you want and anything.

"I know you have not had long to recover from what happened but I have three requests. The first is to celebrate with you your freedom, you grieved with me so I have to show you how to party" I was drowned by the cheering crowd.

Eventually order returned and I was able to speak again "Second is something for you to think over. You are safe here now, you will never allow what happened to happen again, but I head north into Scotland to help others. I ask of you no more than I asked of those who saved you. If you feel you can follow me into battle, I promise whatever risks you take I take with you and if I can give my life to prevent any one of you being killed I will without hesitation. But don’t decide on that yet think about it, talk about it with your loved ones for it is their concern as well. Last I want Newcastle never to deny the access of friends who ever they are, so I ask the question which made me leader of this group and the question that is asked on every possible occasion. I am Katherine The Oracle of New Delphi, The Boss Lady of all who follow New Delphi. We decide who will lead us by asking the question who here wishes me to continue leading this group then I leave and I am told if I may fade back into obscurity like I desire or if I must continue with this crusade. So I ask of you here who will accept me as leader as you are all part of our family. Decide and I shall return."

"Jimmy take a vote and can you get Bill as I think I am going to pass out." I slumped down on the plinth and was carried off. As Bill attended me I could hear Jimmy asking them the question and receiving a roar of accent.

"Will you stop getting holes in you please" said Bill.

"Sorry I didn’t think he would actually hit me, and I don’t think he did either." I said wincing as he injected a local in my arm.

"It could be a lot worse he just grazed you nothing else, I’ll clean it up and it will be fine" Bill informed me as Anne hovered over him.

"Anne we have to get these people now by the heart get some clothes for me and get dressed up full evening dress. Tell Brian and Trisha sod it get all the original ones dressed up and the unit leaders from the battle for here." I said.

"Wait a second" Bill said "I didn’t say you are fine. I said you will be fine, if you look at your shirt you lost a fair amount of the red stuff."

"Look I’m not fighting any battles today and winning these people over might just mean we have a force large enough to make people surrender rather than make us attack" I told him as he bandaged my left arm.

"Get a goodnights sleep, no all night meetings and don’t hit the booze, not that you do normally" I was instructed.

"Thank you Bill," I said and grabbed some clothes that Anne had brought back with her. I dressed the fastest I ever have as a female and redid my makeup total time ten minutes a shoddy job but passable. I slipped on my shoes and the pistols over the black dress and walked out of Bills mobile hospital.

"Are you ok?" Jimmy and Paul demanded

"Fine now lets go and try to get an army" I said as Anne appeared dressed up with Bob in a suit.

We walked out to the statue again, Karen Gilles could not be seen though some of her guard were enjoying the fun. I looked up at the plinth of the Statue trying to figure out how to get up there dressed like this. Bob and Jimmy climbed up first they with the help of Tom and Paul got me up there through pulling on my arms and pushing on my bum.

"Well" I shouted "am I still Boss Lady or can I go back to bed" I asked them and they roared their approval.

"Well I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Anyway I am a bit disappointed with you lot?" again roars of why, what have we done.

I waited for them to calm down "Well we are all dressed up, we have food and drink for lots of people but not enough for everyone. If you want to come to my party you have got to bring a bottle." The crowd roared again.

"We have enough food for a couple of thousand hot dogs and sandwiches, but not enough for all of you. So we will see you back here at half past seven and we will have some fun. If you think your up to it" I said and again they roared approval.

"Last thing if any of you are good with cooking please come and tell us so we can get a rota going so every one can have some fun. Now go home make yourselves pretty and handsome and I will see you in two hours" I shouted.

The people gradually filtered away leaving lots of stragglers offering assistance who I filtered through various people so I only had to talk to a few.

"Where’s Karen Gilles?" I asked Frazier

"Don’t know, don’t care either" he replied.

"Well you should as city manager she might cause trouble" I told him.

"What?"

"You’re the city manager get this place back on its feet with minimal fuss and inconvenience" I told him.

"You wouldn’t"

"Only if the people agree to it" I told him.

Harris got the food going and people started arriving to help out. The loudspeakers that had helped turn people against Karen Gilles had been moved so that the whole square had sound, with power from mobile generators we had lights as well. As the square filled I shook more and more peoples hands with Paul casting a wary eye over them as they came. I picked up a microphone that Ian had connected into the sound system.

"Welcome all before we kick off this party I have one bit of business I

need to discuss with you because that is the way I do things." Cheers

and a few boo’s greeted this announcement

"Look I’ll keep it quick. You need someone in charge here to get this place running again. I propose Frazier here who kept the people of Newcastle informed at risk to his own life to get The Underground Rumble out, he loves this city and the people and" I dropped my voice slightly to make it sound more intimate "he doesn’t want the job. That sounds like the sort of person you need in charge someone who is brave, honest, dedicated to his home and dislikes the job enough that he wont be playing politics. If you want him shout now" again a roar.

"Anyone not want him, rather want Karen Gilles back?" virtual silence.

"That’s it then you want to party now?" I asked

"Yes" came the deafening roar.

This was the thing that had kept me busy for over an hour after we got rid of them to get ready.

What do you play to a crowd that size to start it off?

Wendy solved it with one of her grandmothers favourites "Let Me Entertain You" by Robbie Williams, before he got religion.

"Good choice" the DJ shouted to Wendy as the crowd roared appreciatively.

We kept it up till the early hours and I must admit I had fun, though unfortunately I think Paul felt slightly snubbed. I had made use of his brother to get into the city and warn Frazier of our approach. Not telling anyone insured the proper reactions from everyone on the tape, though getting shot was not part of the plan.

That night in bed in a room of a deserted house he turned to me.

"Would you have shot me Kathy?"

"Yes we couldn’t risk starting a fire fight because it would have destroyed my position and reinforced that Gilles woman’s hold here. I wouldn’t have hit anything vital honestly" I told him hugging him.

"Why does it have to always be you?" he demanded.

"Because nobody else is loony enough to do it without me. They’re in the front leading, plus it works. Look at how many people I’ve lost in total less than I could have ever hoped for yet more than I ever wanted." I told him.

"And what will it take to make you stop?" he asked me.

"The freedom of everyone, it was thanks to me getting caught that all this shit happened so I have got to try and sort it." I explained and with him pondering on this answer I fell asleep holding him tight.

The next morning dressed in uniform again I helped with the clean up, the people who were already there soon got the idea and after an hour we had the place looking spotless. By noon I had got my head around my next move, Jimmy was arranging the supplies to be loaded onto the two ferries and I made a trip to Wallsend where the prisoners were being held. After a visit I ended up with eight hundred and fifty volunteers to add to whatever men we could get from Newcastle.

Four days later we were disembarking at a deserted town called Kirkcaldy, North of Edinburgh. The problem I was having at the moment was the fact that I had heard nothing about Edinburgh. Glasgow we knew was under gang control, Bernard had found that out but Edinburgh was a mystery to us. Mikes flights over the city showed the barricades but none of the destruction I had come to associate with the gangs. Some area’s of the city even had electricity which was very unusual. I didn’t feel confident launching an attack against forces that might not be hostile. That night I was talking about it with Paul as we lay in sleeping bags in a room we had claimed.

"Look Kathy, there’s only one way you are going to be happy and that is if you have a look. But when you go I go too" he said.

"Paul I don’t want to put..." I started to say.

"Me at risk, well if you go I go understand?" Paul informed me

determinedly

"Well we’re talking twenty miles to the city." I told him. "do you want to play?"

"Well the little Honda’s are out there with the vehicles so yes, dump the bikes outside the city" he answered.

"You’re getting the idea, my big brother who has been looking after me for a while." I said.

"Yes Mum and Dad never returned after the first night, they were down in York" he replied having got the idea.

I packed a rucksack with some bits and pieces slipped a skirt and top on but kept my flying jacket and we slipped out leaving a note "Back in two days. Do nothing till then if all else fails Jimmy is in charge. Kathy." outside we had minimal guards and at the early hour it was easy to wheel the bikes out of the town. When we where a fair distance away, fifteen or twenty minutes walking we started the bikes and were gone.

We followed the road signs towards the city all the roads were reasonably clear so we made good time and by three in the morning we had crossed a bridge over a river the Forth I believe and dumped the bikes in a place called South Queensferry. We were now less than four miles from Edinburgh an hours walk.

"You are the reasonable big brother I am the totally unreasonable little sister ok?" I asked him as we approached the city.

"That’s fine with me but does that mean I have to keep my hands off you?" he asked as his hand slid up the back of my skirt.

"Yes it does and I don’t intend to ride that bike in a skirt again. It was a bit breezy around the nether regions."

"I can warm them up." he answered

"Yes I would like that but we have a job to do" I told him reluctantly pushing his hand away.

We came to the edge of the city ahead of us we could see the glow of some street lighting and three men where manning a wood and barbed wire barricade.

"Halt" one of them shouted.

"Why" I shouted back.

"Because we are armed, walk forward slowly" he told us and we did.

"Is this Edinburgh?" I asked.

"Yes now what is it to you?" The man demanded

"Our parents were supposed to be here. We waited as long as we could then the men came so we ran" I said.

"What men where?" a man who seemed to be in charge asked.

"Kathy no, we don’t know if this is gang territory or what?" Paul told me.

"We’re not gangs" said the man who hadn’t spoken yet "We sorted that out sharpish. We are a people’s militia."

"No, I’m not talking to you and if your smart you wont either. Paul we don’t know what’s going on here" I said.

"Come on what men" The leader of the group said.

"I’m sorry I will tell someone in authority but that is it I’m not sure what the situation is here and having heard things that are going on it’s our only bargaining point" Paul told him.

They discussed things for a while and then decided that we could go in to the city under escort to speak to someone. Paul was searched for weapons and none were found then they searched me, attention was then turned to my bag which I refused to give them.

"If you think I’m letting anyone look through my dirty underwear and pads and things you have got another thing coming" I told Paul.

"But Kathy they have to search you." He replied imploringly.

"No way brother of mine, let them find out about the men and those little tank things themselves. I’m out of here, I don’t think three men can protect us for more than four or five seconds" I told them walking back towards the barricade.

"Wait, WAIT" the man in charge ordered then ran after me putting his hand on my shoulder, my fist caught his balls and he crumpled.

"See what I mean Paul we’re better running we at least have a chance of survival. I could quite happily of taken his gun thingy here" I indicated a rifle that the man wore "they aren’t going to save us from thousands are they."

"I’m sorry when she’s like this you just can’t reason with her" Paul said "helping the fallen man to his feet "and I have had this since this shit started. If it wasn’t for the fact she’s my sister...." He let it tail off there.

"Yes I can see what you mean" the man replied walking uncomfortably. "Look Kathy will you please come and see our commander just to tell him what you have seen?"

"Why should I?" I demanded from the far side of the barricade.

"Because it might save a lot of lives and if your parents are here we’ll help you to find them" he said in a conciliatory tone.

"Who is your Boss? Does he know what he is doing?" I said.

"Major Bruce is a seasoned veteran he was in Greece, but I don’t think that will mean anything to you." He said.

"Fine take us to him" I said surprising him.

"No I am taking you to our commander" He answered.

"See they’re pissing us about" I shouted to Paul "What was it dad used to say talk to the bottom and you only get shit" and continued walking into the night.

"Kathy" Paul came running after me, after I had got a few hundred yards

"were into see this Bruce bloke what have you got planned"

"I heard things that you didn’t. Play my lead." I told him and we walked back.

The drive into the city centre was informative they had a decent layout of defensive emplacements, a lot of the houses were still lived in and there were signs of recent fighting in the streets. The Majors HQ was the castle which dominated the skyline that was rapidly lightening in the east.

"Major Bruce should see you" the watch commander said as he drove up to the structure on the rock "but you better not mess him about, because patience and tolerance for being messed around are something he doesn’t have."

"Well I’m sure I can impress him a little" I told him.

"We shall see" was his reply.

This was different from Middlesbrough. The castle was bustling with activity civilian and military all working together, the people on guard were relaxed as were the few people we saw in the city. I was right this wasn’t a city with an enslaved population, this was a city working to protect it’s self. We were led into a modest office, not a grand hall to await Major Bruce.

"You wait here he will be here in a moment or two" We were told.

"Is that a toilet?" I pointed to the other door the man had a moment or two of indecision then nodded.

"Go on but don’t make a mess" he told me.

Inside I shut the door and stripped a quick wash at a small sink and a touch of lipstick, as I put it on I thought now I can’t face an important meeting without my lippy. I got my brush and sorted out my hair and was finishing putting on the uniform that I had in the bag when I heard a mans voice in the office the other side of the door. I put the beret on and then slipped the two pistols home.

"Now what is this about young man? It better be important I am a busy man" came from the other side of the door. It was an educated Scottish accent, not like Bernard who hid nothing of his roots, but despite being irritated he was polite. I took one last look in the mirror and opened the door.

"I assure you Major Bruce it is important" I said walking out from behind him. The watch commanders mouth dropped open as I walked around to the side of the desk where Paul was standing and sat down.

"Take a seat" I said.

"Atkinson who is this girl and what’s she doing armed? I told you to

search everyone entering the city" Major Bruce said

"Don’t blame him Major. It’s a trick I used in Middlesbrough and that was a hell of a lot easier to secure than this place." I said smiling.

"Who are you young lady" He demanded.

"Well that is the question, to Paul here I am Kathy, too the eight and a half thousand armed people who are to your north I am The Boss Lady. To the monsters who turned Middlesbrough into hell on earth I was Judge and Executioner and to the people of Newcastle I am their salvation. I am Kathy The Oracle of New Delphi" I told him.

"I am sure we have a few psychiatrists left around here my girl so if you wish to keep up your delusions I can get you some help." Major Bruce said turning to address Atkinson.

"Listen Major, you where in Greece I believe, a fair few years ago now that. Where were you.?" I asked him.

"I have no time to talk to you girl I have thing.." he stopped as my pistol appeared.

"Listen to me, where were you based in Greece?" I asked him chambering a round.

"I was part of the relief force that went in after Salamis" He said not showing any nervousness but his eyes were glancing behind me.

"Atkinson if you move another inch he is dead. So you’re the lot that wouldn’t come in to help Bernard then?" I said.

"What?" he said

"Tall gentleman, strong Scottish accent, dirty mind and even worse sense of humour. He used to wear this on a dark red beret which he wore with pride and he was rather messed up on one side of his face to such an extent he lost an eye." I said.

"Carry on you have my interest" Major Bruce said and I slipped the pistol away.

"Had a most inconspicuous of ribbons on his uniform with a bar to it. Though he didn’t like the fact it was given by an accountant rather than a member of the Royal Family" I told him and heard noise behind me again.

"Send him out before he gets you hurt" I said.

"Atkinson wait outside" Major Bruce ordered him "Is Major General Brown

out there?" he asked as the man left

"No, Bernard died of a coronary after the battle of Newcastle, he died in his moment of triumph and has been buried with honour. He shall be missed by all." I said.

"Buster Brown gone, that is a sad thing for all especially the people

of Scotland we were proud of our double VC winner." Major Bruce said as

he sat down "We could have done with his leadership at this time"

Paul jumped in at this point "Hey wait a second here it wasn’t him leading" I stopped him.

"Who was in command then if not him?" Bruce demanded.

"I was" I said

"I think were into the.."

"Shut up and listen." I told him "I led the force into Middlesbrough., with less than twenty men we got in. I shot the Captain who had set up his own little dictatorship and the next day after a trial I personally executed him and his Sergeant."

"But" he said

"I led the charge on Darlington, I led the attack over the Tyne Bridge and I have almost one hundred graves back home including Bernard’s to remind me of what being The Boss means. Anyway this is easily solved lets get in your car out there bring as many men as you want, who can be trusted not to start a firefight and we can go for a half hour drive" I told him, he sat there for a moment thinking about it when the door behind me burst open.

"Ah Atkinson good get another car and get these men in it we are going on a little trip" he said picking up his cap.

Atkinson caused some problems on the way out when I insisted that the bikes were brought with us as he felt anyone who was leader of a military force wouldn’t conduct themselves like I was, I responded with "It’s a nice night lads. Do you fancy a swim." which Major Bruce recognised and smiled but Atkinson didn’t recognise the reference to Bernard.

As we approached Kirkcaldy I suddenly thought and pulled out a white t shirt from my bag and passed it to Atkinson sat on the front seat.

"Open your window and start waving" I told him.

"Why we don’t surrender?" He answered.

"It’s a flag of truce. It will stop you getting your brains blown out." I told him and he waved in earnest.

We approached the town and no one could be seen at the outskirts as we came up to the first buildings I told them we walk from here.

"See sir I told you she’s making it up there’s nobody here" Atkinson said.

"I wouldn’t say that ace" came Jimmy’s voice "are you hurt Ma’am?"

"Fine Jimmy these are friends stand down" I said and people came out from the surrounding buildings including Wendy and Tom.

"What the hell do you think you are playing at I didn’t know you were gone till I went to wake you to tell you we had incoming" Wendy demanded.

"Don’t blame the girl" Bruce said she was just trying to help out.

"I’m not blaming the girl but with the number of holes she has in her I think she’s taken enough risks" Wendy said to him.

"Well children will take risks and have accidents" Bruce said kindly.

"She means bullet holes Major" Jimmy said "She always insists on the

rough jobs herself despite the fact that that’s what we’re here for"

"Come on you can discus my faults later has Harris got the kettle on" I said leading them all to the town hall that Sergeant Harris had claimed for a kitchen.

"We sat at a table and Harris came over "Are you ready for breakfast Ma’am."

"Coffee please for the moment, I’m rather behind on sleep" I said

"I’ve told you about that rich food late at night" Harris told me "Coffee or tea Major and do you fancy some breakfast."

"Er, tea and yes." Major Bruce said and Harris toddled off to sort it out.

"Major Bruce may I introduce James Houston, my Chief of the armed forces at this time." I said.

"Wait a moment he’s not in charge?"

"No Major hasn’t it been explained to you?" Jimmy asked.

"Well I heard something but why don’t you tell me Captain isn’t it."

Bruce said.

I sat there drinking my coffee as Tom, Wendy and Jimmy explained the situation with a few embellishments from other people who came in for breakfast, such as Jones. My actions were played up to the full much to my embarrassment but I must admit it was nice to be appreciated.

"I’m sorry for what I said earlier." Atkinson said when the tales finished.

"Don’t worry about it, if I looked a believable military leader then it wouldn’t have worked trying to get in like I did." I answered.

"Why did you go in" Tom demanded.

"I didn’t think Edinburgh was under gang control, but if we went visiting with lots of armed people someone might start shooting" I told them.

"What about letting one of us do it" Jimmy asked

"Well if I was wrong I needed to be able to change my plan" I explained to no ones satisfaction.

"This situation is not exactly conventional is it?" Major Bruce said.

"Not at all, but it works" Jimmy replied

"What are you doing up here?" the Major asked "You have a hell of a lot of men for a social call."

"Don’t worry our target is the gang held towns, if we can crack the big centres such as Newcastle we have found the small places just fold." I explained "We hadn’t heard anything about Edinburgh so I decided to visit before we caused any unexpected problems."

"We sorted out Edinburgh three weeks ago, the people had heard of the fall of Newcastle and basically had enough. Though we are having problems with raids from Glasgow. Just probing raids at the moment but I think some major shit is coming our way." The Major explained.

"We will be glad to play, what information have you got about it?" I asked.

"Well we have prisoners but they aren’t talking at the moment" he admitted.

"Well let’s go and visit and ask more forcefully." I said.

"How many people do you have here."

"In excess of eight thousand but I don’t want that known so all your men need to be sworn to secrecy" I said.

"That could be a large surprise for any attacking force" Bruce said.

"Exactly" I said.

We drove back into the city and were taken to a large police station where five people captured in the last raid were being held. I was taken along to the cells by Major Bruce and shown each of the prisoners. Three men two women the oldest not yet twenty five.

"What information have you got out of them so far?" I asked.

"Absolutely nothing they know their rights" a policeman still in uniform said.

"Lets get them outside, into the yard. I want five chairs all in a big circle then I want them out there handcuffed and sat in the chairs." I told the policeman, he looked at Major Bruce who nodded.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe that you have decided not to give any information about what is being planned at Glasgow and furthermore you murdered citizens of this city." I said standing in the middle turning around slowly.

"Fuck off bitch" one of the younger men said "it isn’t murder in a war.

All you will get is our name and rank"

"So it is a war is it, right as you are accused of murdering non combatants and being behind our lines out of uniform you shall then be treated as spies. You shall, unless I am convinced you have value to me, be taken from this place and on the outskirts of the city shot and your bodies shall be left on the road as a warning to others." Thank you very much.

"Who the fuck do you think you are cunt, we have rights you know." the older man said.

I kept my back to him and started speaking "I am death the destroyer of lives I am one of the seven who faced the three hundred, I am the liberator of Newcastle, I am Kathy, The Oracle of New Delphi. You are nothing you are less than an animal with no rights do you understand?"

"Fuck off" he said and I turned and shot him through the leg. Nothing major just a graze to wake him up but the shot and how he started screaming brought people out of the police station.

"She’s a crazy fucking bitch she shot me stop her" The injured man said.

"These animals who wish to cause death and suffering to you and your

families are no longer your concern." I said "As spies, saboteurs and

murderers they now come under the jurisdiction of New Delphi as I

believe at the moment we are the only elected civilian authority in

existence in this country"

"This is not right" an older policeman protested then glanced down at the pistol I was still holding.

"Don’t worry Officer, this has only been used in anger against those

who commit atrocities against the people of this country" I told him as

I slipped the pistol away. "speak you mind without fear"

"Well this isn’t right, you cant go torturing people, its just not right and I wont stand for it" the officer said.

"No I don’t intend to torture him. If I did I would have shot him in the stomach or balls and left him. But he doesn’t seem to believe the penalty for murder is now death." I told him.

"Who gave you that right, to change the law?" he asked.

"I was given that right by the fact I was elected into office and declared by the senior Army Officer available at the time, a Major General, to be the recognised civilian government at the time. With that I declared the law to be that for rape, murder, genocide or slavery the penalty is death. They shall be tried before a jury of twelve people they will have council and if they are found guilty they will be executed by the judge at the end of the trial" I told him.

"If its sort of legal and you don’t intend to cut these people up then that’s fine" the officer said and started walking back inside.

"You cant leave us with this crazy bitch" one of the women said

"Don’t talk like that about the person who will be judging your trial" Jimmy said.

"I’m under sixteen I’m a minor" the youngest man said

"Anyone who bares arms and is willing to put their life on the line for what they believe is an adult. How do you think I am The Boss Lady. Keep an eye on them if I can rustle up twelve people we can try them and be done before dinner. Get someone to bury them after dinner" I said and started walking off.

"That bitch isn’t for real" I heard as I walked off.

"She’s as real as it comes" Jimmy said.

Inside the police station Major Bruce pulled me over to one side I shook his hand of me and glared at him.

"You can’t be serious about this trial shit" he said.

"Major Bruce, what’s your name" I asked.

"Colin, Colin Bruce" He answered.

"Colin, I am ever so serious about this trial shit as you put it and if they are found guilty I will execute them immediately after. I have seen shit that makes this seem civilised, Young women kept locked up for the gangs personal use in Darlington, Middlesbrough made seasoned soldiers who were willing to risk their lives in a suicide mission cry. I have left the area outside my home covered with the dead who attack us and I have buried friends and cried for their sacrifice. If you think I wont conduct a proper trial you can defend them the choice is yours. But there is one last point I would like to raise with you."

"Yes what"

"If you ever touch me again without my permission I will shoot you." I said and walked back to Jimmy.

"The Major here doesn’t seem to have the balls for a trial so we shoot them as spies I’m taking responsibility for this" I said.

"You can not do that" Major Bruce said.

"Major you lay one finger on me or Captain Houston here and you will feel the full weight of eight and a half thousand men hit your city as I will not be able to stop them." I said.

"Major you met Major General Brown" Jimmy said

"Yes I had the pleasure of meeting him" he answered.

"Good you know that his men would follow him into hell and die for him." Jimmy said.

"Yes they did as well" the Major said

"This girl has led most of these people out of hell alive they will not only die for her if they think that your city is responsible for harm that comes to her then Edinburgh will no longer exist. Giving the orders back there at the moment are this young woman’s sister who is lethal in action without the restraint of Kathy here and a young man who owes his life and the life of his wife and child to her actions" Jimmy said.

"Listen Major, shut up or fuck off" I said and drew my pistol.

"Do any of you have any last words before I execute you."

"You can’t do that" one of the girls said.

"Almost as good as I don’t recognise the authority of this court isn’t it Jimmy" I said.

"Yes but that defences face as the body fell on his lap." Jimmy said "I

thought he was going to shit himself"

"Anyway this is getting us nowhere have any of you any thing you wish to say?" I asked and got no answer. I walked up to the older one that I shot in the leg, "can I have your name for my records?" I asked.

"Go fuck yourself" he answered.

"Strange name Jimmy. This one first and turn those around so they cant see him executed we don’t want the Major accusing me of cruel and unusual punishment" He dragged the man in his chair against a wall. As he did I whispered to him.

I fired the shot into the air and Jimmy hit him hard with the butt of the rifle then I dipped my fingers in the blood drenched trouser leg and wiped some of his blood on my face and the front of my uniform.

"Ew Jimmy he splattered" I said.

"It will happen if you shoot from three inches give it a couple of feet" Jimmy said as we walked back in to the line of sight of the other prisoners.

"I’ve got brains, I’ve got brains all over me" I said.

"Yes but it will wash off who next" Jimmy asked.

"The little boy there before he wets himself, oh too late" I said as

the lads bladder cut loose in fear "Him anyway I don’t want him sat

around wet for too long"

"Fine" Jimmy said starting to tilt his chair back to drag it.

"And what is your name for my records" I asked.

"I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you anything" the lad screamed. "Ask him what you want Jimmy I’m going to wash up, give me a shout if I can kill him" I said and walked back in.

"You wouldn’t have executed them. It was all a show." Major Bruce said as we got inside.

"If you believe that then you are a fool. I have killed men in battle and as executioner, the only reason I have kept them alive is I want the information out of them" I told him.

"We have shit coming this way" Jimmy said coming running in "Their

massing at Falkirk. They didn’t have the transport to get every one

moved at once"

"Any time scale Jimmy?" I asked.

"Twelve to thirty six hours and we’re talking over fifteen thousand troops" he answered.

"Shit I need a map someone get me a decent map" I shouted "Major how many armed men can you put up."

"Two possibly two and a half thousand" the Major replied.

"Shit that’s not enough to do anything with right we are going to have to move the men up to Stirling and then work up behind them they are going to start running this way fast. Jimmy, with four or five hundred men can you hold a bridge till we get there?" I asked.

"Yes no problem what about the second bridge?" he asked.

"Well if we can get them running down here and Major Bruce can bounce them here they have a choice cross the bridge where we have five hundred men waiting plus Jimmy’s team from the first bridge, or south which gives them plenty of room to run and us the opportunity to hunt them down" I explained.

"Seven and a half thousand to make more than fifteen thousand run?"

Major Bruce said.

"That is not the problem, can your men hold the line because there is going to be a shit load of men coming your way" I asked him.

"How long do you want them held for?" Major Bruce asked.

"One charge because then we will be up their arse and they will have to

split left or right" I said

"We can but try" he answered.

"What the hell do you mean try if they break you this city will look

like a slaughter house they will come through killing everything they

can see." I shouted at him "They do it or they don’t"

"Well it’s a case that I just don’t know" The Major said.

"Fuck this. Jimmy how many men would you need to bounce them once?" I asked Jimmy.

"If you can keep me informed on where they are going to hit I could do

it with two thousand"

"Who would you put on this bridge" I indicated the bridge over the Forth near Falkirk?"

"Jones, he can do it" Jimmy said.

"Fine we want everyone on the far side of the bridge ASAP, Major get your men ready to move out" I said.

"Wait a moment" He protested "What gives you the right to start ordering me and my men around?"

"The fact that I am The Boss Lady, recognised as the civilian authority by Bernard and the fact that you may be able to pull together two and a half thousand men and I control nearly nine thousand if you count medical and support services. You want to save your city you listen to me" I told him.

"No, no, no I am not putting my men in the hands of a child" Major Bruce shouted.

"Fuck this lets go and ask the people come on Jimmy" I shouted as we walked into the main part of the station.

"Who’s the boss here?" I asked one young police officer as he went past.

"We have got a DCI running things sort of" the constable said.

"Get me to him" I demanded and with a puzzled look was led off to an office.

"What can I do for you two" a pleasant man in his forties asked us as we entered the room.

"You need to clear the west of the city of anyone who can’t fight" I said without introduction.

"Wait a second little lady, now Captain" he said after studying Jimmy’s uniform "what can I help you with?"

"What the fuck is it with this place Bernard used to tell me how much he loved this city and that I would love it here. It seems to me unless you’ve got a dick the men of this place cant hear you speak." I shouted. "Listen to me read my lips, you talk to the organ grinder not the fucking monkey. Sorry Jimmy not meaning you’re a monkey."

"No problem Ma’am" he said trying not to laugh.

"DCI Royle" I said looking at the little name plate on his desk "Some time in the next thirty six hours fifteen thousand armed men are going to hit the west of this city. If you are lucky and we have time, there will be less than fifteen thousand left and my men are going to be cutting them to bits from behind. Jimmy here will have a couple of thousand of my men on the outskirts of the town to stop them. But if they break through then you are fucked. You want every person who cant fight over the eastern half of the city."

"Ssss I don’t know" he let his breath escape through his clenched teeth.

"Jimmy fuck this for a game of soldiers we’re moving out we haven’t got time to fuck around like this." I said and walked out of the office.

I walked out of the police station with Jimmy in tow and found the car that we had arrived in.

"Get out now" I said to Atkinson.

"Why what’s up" he demanded

"Because I have an army to fight and nobody in this city seems to want to help" I shouted at him.

"Jimmy without the help at this end do we meet them head on or dig in here?" I asked.

"I don’t know Kathy, I wouldn’t even suggest taking eight and a half thousand against fifteen the numbers don’t work but you have never worried about that before." He said.

"Fuck that’s no bloody help, I have to stop them somehow and the only way I can see involves us getting cut to bits" I threw back at him.

"What’s going on here" Atkinson asked

"Your city is about to be hit hard from the west and your chief of police and your Major aren’t willing to do anything about it." I told him.

"Talk to the people, he isn’t that popular as he only turned up after the fighting taking charge of everything" Atkinson said.

"He wasn’t voted in?" I asked.

"No he assumed the position was his as the senior military officer" he said.

"This is a big change of attitude for you" I said

"A mans allowed to admit he was wrong isn’t he?"

"Yes how do I get the people together?" I asked.

"We have work details, every morning people gather to find out where they are needed at nine each morning" Atkinson explained.

"Take us there" I said.

We were taken to a large car park of a shopping centre where people were already gathering, all voluntary no coercion involved. I stepped out of the car with Jimmy and we walked to a group of people organising things at the front.

"Forget the work details today" Atkinson said to one of them.

"How many people will we get here?" I asked.

"Twenty to thirty thousand" he answered.

"and he can only rustle up two and a half thousand troops" I said disgusted.

"The Major will only allow people with previous military experience to have weapons" Atkinson said.

"Fuck that if they can hold a weapon they can fight" I said and grabbed a megaphone off a man who had been organising things.

"People of Edinburgh, can I have your attention for a moment" I said my voice echoing around the buildings, I waited for quiet.

"Some of you may have heard me before, I am told you fought for your city after hearing of the liberation of Newcastle. I am Katherine also known as The Oracle Of New Delphi." This was received with cheers and applause.

"I came here keeping a promise to a hero of this city, a man who followed me into Newcastle and was victorious though he died of a heart attack as the crowds rejoiced around him. The people of Newcastle saw the sacrifice of Major General Bernard Brown and came with me to help you." I told them.

"Bit late weren’t you" came a voice from the crowd.

"I don’t think so, you have over fifteen thousand men massing at Falkirk for an attack to retake this city." I said bringing gasps all around.

"My men will be attacking them tonight but I need your help. I need people to evacuate the west of the city of anyone who might be hurt as they come running this way, I need people brave people to join two thousand of my men in the west of the city to stop that attack cold when it hits and finally I want as many of you who are fit to join my men attacking and pursuing these animals at Falkirk. It will not be easy. It will not be safe but now is the time for this city to make its stand as we have done at New Delphi and make this land ours again" I told them.

At this point people started talking amongst their selves and I decided to give them some time.

"If any one here is a ham radio operator with a VHF set can they please come up here as I need to pass some messages" I said "the rest of you think about it you have a couple of hours to decide on whether you fight or not but if you can start the evacuation even if its only spreading the word then please do."

I got a middle age man turn up saying he had a VHF rig still working.

"Right flick through the channels till you find oriental chatter, ask for Suki. Tell her I want the Imperial Guard here now, Wendy’s team is to scout between here and Falkirk but do not engage just stay hidden and monitor the situation the others are to get to the far side of the Forth bridge as fast as possible" I told him and he disappeared.

"What else do we need Jimmy" I asked the lack of sleep getting to me.

"Medical staff and weapons" Jimmy said "and you need a couple of hours

sleep before we go into battle"

"Are there any Doctors or Nurses here?" I asked.

"They have got a hospital up and running" Atkinson answered.

"Fine we’ll go there in a moment, weapons?" I asked

"All held in the castle" he said.

"Ladies and Gentlemen decide what you are going to do and anyone who wants to help meet here at one o’clock I will see you then and good luck to all of you" I said.

"Lets get to that hospital and warn them of incoming" I said.

I dozed in the car over to the hospital and Jimmy gave me a shake as we arrived.

"Yes I’m awake" I said and we stepped out and walked into the casualty unit.

I would have thought it was a normal situation nurses were running around in uniform, there were the usual selection of mothers and children next to work based accidents and even a receptionist was on duty with a triage nurse.

"Who is in charge here" I asked.

"Well Mr Thompson is running the hospital at the moment" the receptionist said.

"Well I need Mr Thompson, the senior casualty nurse and probably the senior anaesthesiologist as well please" I said.

"Who do you think you are expecting to see these people? They are important people and busy" The receptionist said in the snotty manner of medical receptionists throughout the years.

"Look within two days there are going to be a minimum of twenty three thousand men fighting on the outskirts of this city I want your hospital to coordinate with my medics and surgical units because I think they will need to. Also any one who needs moving to safer locations has at the most twelve hours before it becomes too dangerous so move your bum and start things happening" I told her and sat down.

"Are you ok?" a staff nurse asked me as I sat in the chair trying to stay awake.

"Yes just too many hours without sleep, though I could probably do with a new dressing on my arm" I told her.

"Lets take you into a cubical and have a look then" she said guiding me away though I was protesting.

"Get yourself sorted Kathy, I will get things moving here" Jimmy said laughing at my objections.

"Lets have a look then" the Staff nurse said and I slipped the guns off then the shirt, showing her the blood stained dressing on my arm. She peeled it off and had a look at the wound on my arm from Newcastle, due to all the use it wasn’t healing very well and I hadn’t let Bill at it since the first dressing went on. She disappeared for a moment and returned with a doctor.

"Hello I’m Doctor Young" he said "What have you been up to then?"

"Look stop the patronising crap" I said "I caught a round in my arm clean it up and tape it up. What are you a senior registrar?" I asked.

"Well at the start of the year I was a newly qualified doctor, now I do whatever needs doing" he said.

"Well who do I talk to around here, you have a major battle going to start in the next two days and the receptionist isn’t much help. Ouch that hurts" I protested as he started poking at the wound.

"I’ll tell you what let Monica here" he indicated the staff nurse

"clean that up and I will get the people you need to talk to together"

"What no arguments?" I said.

"Look you have seen plenty of action, you have scars of bullets that you only just survived and you come in warning of a battle wearing those pistols. I have listened to you on the radio so lets get you sorted and get prepared Oracle" he said.

"Thank you but its Kathy, please" I said.

"I’m Hamish then Kathy" he said and on the way out had a word with the nurse and was gone.

"So you’re the Oracle of New Delphi then" Monica said as she started cleaning up my arm.

"For my sins yes" I replied.

"I heard you on the radio, people started talking about you around the city so I tuned in." She said.

"How long have you been listening?"

"Well I know how you got these" she indicated my side and the scar on my chest. "Hamish there didn’t really recognise you I did, but it keeps him happy if he claims the credit."

"To be honest if it gets things moving I don’t give a toss who claims the credit but thank you" I told her "I have had enough of dealing with idiots today."

"That bad?" she asked

"Yes and lack of sleep doesn’t help" I admitted.

"Look you talk to the people you need to and I will find somewhere for you to sleep for a few hours" Monica said.

"I will be eternally in your debt" I said smiling then wincing as she

set on my arm again, "If I survive the treatment"

"Stop whingeing and keep still" she said.

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 were 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 needled 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 they’re 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 to" 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 were 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 every ones 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 cant 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 no 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 sing song 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.

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 asked 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 their 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, it’s 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.

"Some one 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 week 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 can’t 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 there 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 can’t 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.

The Sea King was sat on the car park when we all got there, Mike sat inside smiling.

"Long time no see Boss" he said as we loaded everyone in.

"Well your not known for your offensive capabilities or your stealthy

approach are you" I joked back

"No and every time I fly over Glasgow they shoot at me when they hear

me" he pulled a face "at me"

"What’s it like there?" I asked.

"No shop talk or Jimmy will skewer me and roast me over an open fire."

"But" I objected.

"No buts that is exactly what Jimmy said he would do to me and he is bigger than me, I’m a coward by nature anyway" he joked as he sat me in the co-pilots seat.

"You have good eyes watch for cables and wires as we fly as I have no co-pilot" he said.

"Why we have all these people some must fly?"

"Have you asked them" he suggested.

"No"

"Ask and ye shall receive" Mike said as he started the first engine with a whine and a clicking noise until it roared into life, he then started number two and gave a last look around before releasing the rotor brake and the large blades began turning setting the helicopter shaking. When he was happy he pulled up on a stick next to him and it lurched into the air with some squeals from Wynne and Claire.

An hour and a half later we were descending onto the field at New Delphi where people were working in teams on the new graves reminding me of the cost of this. I also saw a fair number of the original graves including the three at the front had white gravestones and someone had stopped erecting another to watch us land. Mike put us down with a bump and we remained in side until he had shut down the rotors and both engines when Mike said we could leave. Bob and Anne were out in front to see what the helicopter brought and both came running forward when they saw me disembark.

"What’s up" Anne demanded.

"Nothing" I quickly answered.

"Anne, a message from Jimmy" Mark said "except for the funerals Kathy is not to work here, no business at all."

"Kathy?" Anne asked looking at me.

"Forget it he worries too much" I said shrugging it off.

"Jimmy can be accused of lots of things, worrying too much is not one of them" Bob said looking at me "what happened with Edinburgh the reports we have had were sketchy."

"Let’s have a coffee I will tell you the basics then I claim some sleep for a few hours" I told them.

"Fine you look like hell you could do with some sleep" Anne replied tact not her concern at the moment.

I introduced them to everyone and as we sat there drinking I explained the full story of The battle from Falkirk to its grizzly conclusions on the bridge.

"Ten thousand dead" Bob repeated at the end.

"Probably a fair bit more" Paul said "We couldn’t do a proper count after."

"Jesus and I thought it was bad in Keld after the shooting stopped. No wonder Jimmy sent you back" Bob said.

"No that isn’t why he sent her back" Mark quickly said "Jimmy said and I agree that Kathy is to have a couple of days here just relaxing as there she is busy trying to sort out everyone’s smallest problem herself. He is concerned that she might end up having another Middlesbrough episode."

"Right no discussion about work." Anne said "drink up then hit bed for a bit."

People started to go to unload the helicopter, "Sam wait up a second please" I asked.

"Anne can I have a quiet word please" I asked Anne and we walked through to the deserted dining room.

"Anne meet Sam, Sam this is Anne I was talking about" I told him and he held out his hand for Anne who shook it smiling.

"Hello Sam" Anne said smiling.

"Sam here could do with a bit of help with his reading writing and maths on the quiet though I don’t want it known generally" I said.

"I don’t mind at all but it’s not as if I have any teaching materials" She said "I will happily do what I can and don’t worry Sam I wont say a word to anyone. You’re just helping me out that’s all."

"Thank you and I’m sorry" Sam said looking at the floor.

"Stop that now, I don’t apologise because I can’t do what Kathy does or apologise because I’m not as big as you so don’t start being sorry." Anne said firmly making Sam giggle.

"As far as teaching equipment goes where could you put a full schoolroom set up, teachers monitoring point and half a dozen student computers" I asked.

"Are you serious?" she asked her eyes suddenly open.

"Be here on the ship" I assured her.

"Oh thank you. I have been trying to do a little with the kids like Jenny from memory but that will make all the difference" She said hugging me tight.

"Ow you are getting distinctly bony Anne" I threw in just to get even more on her good side as she crushed me to her.

"Flatterer your as bad as Bob, but thank you for noticing I am trying hard."

"No flattery I can tell." I told her honestly "but Sam is looking rather worried here at where this conversation is heading."

"Sam I’m sorry do you mind helping with the unloading?" Anne asked him and he went.

"He’s a good man, tackled a man with a gun for me without being asked, but thanks to shit at school he didn’t go. I don’t want anyone giving him hassle over the fact he’s learning" I explained.

"Don’t worry only you and I need know everyone else can piss off." Anne said fiercely.

"Ooh aren’t we the militant one."

"No I have had just about enough of some people here and I am not going to dump it on you, at the moment how much sleep have you had?"

"This is self inflicted due to me being up all night singing with Jimmy" I admitted to her.

"Well whatever it is get to bed" she pushed me towards the door and I grabbed the bags on the floor that Sam had been nursing and walked up the stairs.

I was glad to be back in my room as much as I had been made welcome in the hospital It wasn’t my place, I walked through to the bathroom dropped the bags and started the bath running I was looking forward to Paul but I wanted to be perfect for him and I must admit the helicopter flight and the shouting earlier had left me sweaty. As the bath ran I started looking through my acquisitions Muriel and Brian’s books I put safe I glanced through the bag of tights and stockings I hadn’t looked I just grabbed and I picked a few packs of tights and a couple of packs of stockings for me.

I put that bag to one side I now had three bags left and I should only have two. One bag was the two knives the other one was the skirt, t-shirts and underwear, I opened the unknown bag and found that someone probably at the start of all this before it was obvious that this was permanent had been grabbing school uniforms. Not a lot of use now really, but I held up the skirt to me it came down to just under mid thigh, I slipped on the blazer it fitted well. I ran to my drawers and found some of my plainest white underwear and found a pair of thicker black tights a pair of black shoes.

I jumped in the bath quickly and washed trying to keep my hair dry then I took the razor that I shaved my armpits with and proceeded to attack the little bush of pubic hair I had. Soaping it up was fun shaving it was slightly awkward but with a lot of care I managed it without injury, seeing the smooth hairless mound with the cleft visible with the lips slightly swollen from anticipation I thought yes. I slipped on the white panties the feel of the cotton on my now hairless crotch emphasising my change, but I didn’t care I wanted Paul to enjoy me as I was going to enjoy him. I slipped on the bra and the opaque black tights enjoying the way they clung to my legs. The blouse was pale blue and a bit tight for comfort on my chest but it should get his attention, I picked up the dark grey skirt and pulled it up it was a little bit of a struggle to fasten and a little tight on the bum. I pulled it up just a little higher to make it finish at mid thigh. I slipped on the shoes put on some perfume on my wrists and neck and walked through to the bedroom to wait nervously for him.

"Kathy are you here?" Paul said as he opened the door "Oh."

"What’s up don’t you like it?" I asked suddenly worried I had misjudged him.

"No, yes I mean I like it very much" he said.

"You like little me?" I asked sat there on the edge of the bed head bent down looking at my feet he closed the door and came over to me sitting down on the bed next to me.

"Oh god yes, I love you Kathy" he said putting an arm around me. He pulled me back onto the bed his lips found mine tentatively at first then more insistently pulling at my lips with his a hand slid up my leg.

"What do you think you are doing?" I demanded pulling my lips away from his "I’m not that sort of girl."

"What sort of girl are you then?"

"I’m a good little girl and I know that boys like you shouldn’t stick a hand up my skirt" I told him standing up and turning my back on him.

He came behind me holding me tight his lips found my ear then my neck. One hand was rubbing my breasts as the other reached under my skirt then up to the junction of my legs which longed for his attention. He started rubbing at the front of my pussy causing me to moan loudly.

"What are you doing to me, you naughty man?" I gasped when I could. He didn’t answer but I could feel his erection against my bum I pressed back against it and he forced me forward to the dressing table I rested my hands on the surface to stop myself falling over as his attention to my pussy was making it difficult to stand. He removed his hands from my breast and my pussy and pulled up the back of my skirt then pulled my tights and knickers down in one swift movement to just above my knees. I heard his zip and a large hot blunt object started pushing between my thighs. At first it slid along my sopping pussy a few times causing me immense pleasure then he adjusted his angle and the head started spreading the lips trying to find an entrance, I spread my legs slightly more and just moved slightly and he was home. Suddenly he slid forward filling me totally his hands found my shoulders and he stared pumping into me viciously not thinking of my pleasure just of his. He pulled back on my shoulders as he rammed into me again and again I was getting nothing out of this and it was slightly scary being used and fucked rather than loved. I closed my eyes and concentrated on squeezing him on every entry to try and help. His pace increased becoming more forceful and his last few strokes hurt, but suddenly he did one last thrust into me. I clamped down with all my force as he spurted jet after jet of sperm deep inside me.

"Oh god Kathy, I’m sorry I just couldn’t help myself" he said as he slipped out of me.

"So you like? I asked turning around to face him the skirt falling back down.

"Oh yes" he said hugging me tight.

"Good. You made me messy you can wash me clean. Go and get a flannel" I pushed him towards the bathroom and stood still, the sperm running down my thighs waiting for him he returned and knelt down I lifted the skirt up to give him access.

"Do you like the changes down there?" I asked.

"Yes" he said as he wiped me down gently as he took the flannel back I slipped off my shoes tights and knickers. He came up to me I put my arms around his neck and his hands reached for my bum he guided me towards the bed and undressed me before lying me down on the bed. Then he made up for the disappointment of the first time twice.

The friends and relatives of the fallen arrived that evening not as many as might have turned up but still more than we could handle really, but Anne again worked wonders. The next morning as Priests and Rabbi’s made their preparations for the afternoons services. I watched from the roof with Alex as these preparations continued.

"You did well to only have these losses" Alex said.

"Yes, but would any of those people believe that?" I indicated a small group of people standing watching solemnly.

"Probably not but anyone else living in Edinburgh would agree with me" Alex pursued but I was silent.

The funerals were the proper solemn affair and standing there with Wendy, Anne, Bob, Trisha Brian and Andrea we represented what people expected of New Delphi. I looked at John’s headstone "John Bebington Royal Electrical And Mechanical Engineers. John gave his life to save us in our darkest hour and became the first hero of New Delphi".

I looked at Bernard’s "At the moment of his victory he was taken from us and we weep for our loss", then at Luke’s "Lost in Newcastle protecting The Oracle from a sniper, now with the god he loved".

"You haven’t seen these properly yet have you?" came Simon’s voice from behind me. I looked around and saw Luke’s Father with the Catholic Priest Father Harrison.

"No I haven’t come down here since I got here, Bernard always said leave people to it as if you keep nosing around you cause disruption" I admitted.

"Well look around read the stones everyone has a little bit about what happened to the person and we have put aside our theological differences to do this. Actually" Father Harrison said putting an arm around me and speaking in a stage whisper "I think that seeing I am a tool of Papist repression of the people, he quite likes me."

"No don’t go too far William or people will think you don’t mind my Methodist heresy" Simon said smiling. "We both decided that we might not exactly believe the same things but the general direction was right and William here is a fantastic councillor with those who are distressed. I am the first to admit I don’t have the patience for it."

"No but the words you have written have brought comfort, everyone feels that their loved ones part is recognised" Father Harrison said "Kathy I haven’t asked your permission if I could stay here, I haven’t even asked my higher ups if I can stay but I feel this is the place I can do the most at the moment. So if I may do you mind me hanging around here."

"I have no objections at all. Anything that helps these people is welcome, in whatever flavour of religion or counselling." I told him looking at the people clustered around the vicars, priests and the Rabbi on the field. "I wish I had some of their faith then maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much what I must do."

"Faith is one thing that anyone can find, though once we leave childhood and our belief in everything scepticism takes over. The thing I heard once though was a statement made over a hundred years ago in the time of Second World War. In the trenches everyone finds faith and it is true the fact of being under fire always makes people feel nearer to god" Father Harrison said.

"I don’t find any faith in battle, I find that if anything I am more likely to think why if there was a god that this would be happening and before I hear I am an instrument of god, with these poor souls resting here and ten thousand dead in Edinburgh I feel that maybe I am working for the other side."

"I don’t say what you are or why you are here now I only know that in these times you came forth and I will thank god for that as I pray and I will pray that he eases your suffering with your burden" Simon replied.

"I don’t know if I believe but thank you I need all the help I can get" I said.

We carried on through the gravestones one I saw caught my eye Paul Michael Swanson "Lost to us on the banks of the Tyne saving his friend."

"Father, Simon I have a task I would appreciate if you would undertake."

"What Kathy?" the Father asked.

"In Edinburgh I have a man working out a system of medals and decorations, they probably won’t be more than novelties in the future but if they are to mean anything then they have to go to these people as well. If you can, can you investigate the circumstances of the deaths here and pass me a list of recommendations for decorations posthumously." I looked at them both. "I want to but I can’t make the time at the moment and I don’t want to leave it longer than necessary."

"We have the records already, I took over the job from Anne as it is one thing the Vatican and the Catholic Church is known for records so it is no extra work. I will be glad to do it."

The three of us walked round talking to people, hugging and shaking hands as was needed but the one thing that was obvious was these people appreciated that something was being done to commemorate their loss and someone there to share their grief. The Rabbi was a strange old soul and I must admit I have never had much contact with Orthodox Judaism, yes I have had Jewish friends in a different life but besides dietary concerns I knew nothing of their faith.

"Sir" I said to the Rabbi, "I am afraid I have to admit ignorance to your faiths needs if I can do anything for you please don’t hesitate to ask."

"Child your people here have offered nothing but kindness and friendship to all here with that in abundance who can ask for more?"

"I can, those who were taken returned and the end of the bloodshed" I said to him.

"The return of those taken from us is something that everyone here wishes for but will not happen. As for the end to the bloodshed well my people know that the end of oppression, tyranny or inhumanities by one man towards another sometime requires bloodshed and sacrifice to stop. These things are inevitable with human beings and someone like you restores my faith doing what you feel is right and giving all while not asking anything" The Rabbi said holding my hands.

"But I do ask and they give all they have, just look around you." I indicated the field of green the empty dark pits waiting for their occupants to arrive and the brown turned earth of the others showing they had already swallowed the evidence of my acts.

"But child you do not ask what they do for you, yes they do it because you ask it of them but you ask of them for them." I stood there looking at him trying to digest this statement "It has been freely given so pray with us for them and us who remain, but though your faith in god may be tested do not fear his faith in you is not."

"My fear though," I told him "Is that I am not a Moses leading my people out of slavery, but that I am a Captain Ahab on a mad quest doomed to fail and destroy those around me who trust me, believe in me, though I don’t and I will lose all I love."

"Katherine, I call you now as you are, not a child, if yours is the path of folly then I will happily be Ishmael to your Ahab. Because even if our belief in you is misplaced, which I do not think it is, then your aims, concerns and the love you give to all are worth seeking out the White Whale for."

"And if I get us all killed?" I asked.

"Then we go down fighting knowing that we believe in what we fight for and knowing that you will be there with us, fighting beside us and weeping for every person you lose. Yes I have seen you on the roof with the pretty young woman who watches over us, even before I got here and met you, before we freed our city I heard the whispers in the dark places where people gathered to plan the plans that shaped men’s futures."

"Do you know what those whispers were?" he asked loudly so those around

could hear

"Those whispers in the dark places that drove men to fight for freedom were of the words of a child, a young woman of immense courage. She was willing to risk her life to save people she didn’t know, and her words and the words of those people here with her were words of hope and strength. Look around you and see those people who were awoken by the words on the radio, those people if they lose all else have their pride and that shall never be taken from them even in death. Much better to die a proud man or woman fighting for a cause that is right, than to hide in the shadows and the dark slowly dying. These people know that you weep for their loss they watched you up there and whispered of it. Why does she cry? asked one and an answer came back because she cares. Why does she cry alone asked another for we also cry? Perhaps she feels we are not good enough for her, came an answer" The Rabbi looked at me sternly.

"No, no I protested, never that" I protested looking around at the faces I knew were now asking that question of me.

"I cry alone because I caused their deaths and I am not worthy of that sacrifice they made or of interrupting your sorrow" I answered.

"You are many things Katherine and no matter what your faiths or beliefs in yourself and what you are doing, never forget that above all you are a good person now come say a prayer with me for two men I have known since they were children thirty years ago. Who were proud to fight for their city in the name of New Delphi for they knew it was right." He started saying a prayer in what I presume was Yiddish and I didn’t know what the correct responses were so at the end I just said Amen.

"I’m sorry I don’t know the correct responses" I said.

"You have shed tears for are loss. There is no greater response." he said. "It looks like we are about ready to start shall us men of the cloth move to the front." he looked around at the other vicars and priests and we all started moving to the front.

"Ladies and Gentlemen it is a sad duty that brings us here today to honour these people who gave their lives for their city and the people they love. This is the place where we started it all where four of us decided to set up a radio where five of us started talking to the people out there and where eight of us fought a force of hundreds to save our lives. Here the people from around came to our aid without thought of their own safety and here the first member of New Delphi fell risking his life for all of us. We buried him here and others have joined him over the weeks and months and I know he would be proud of the company he keeps. Everyone who dies for my dream will be honoured here always and while I live I will never forget the sacrifice these people made because I asked."

I handed the service over to Father Harrison who had worked on it with the other religious figures and the service went ahead smoothly as the bodies were lowered in groups of twenty due to the numbers I read out what was know about each persons death and a bugle played the last post. A piper in uniform played a few tunes I didn’t recognise for those who had fallen and it was done.

We ate and talked and cried after the service and eventually people started drifting off into small groups and I escaped to the roof where Alex was coming to the end of her shift seeing my mood she didn’t speak and I looked out over the field lit by the setting sun.

"The one problem with being in my profession is I am always asked why?" the voice of the Rabbi came behind me.

"My problems are how and why? I have to take Glasgow to secure Edinburgh and all of Scotland but it will be bad news. What do I call you?" I added as an afterthought.

"David will do as I don’t want to here you mispronounce my name repeatedly and my faith is not yours" he replied.

"David, is what I am doing right, do I have the right to put more good people in this place of sorrow?" I indicated the field with the stones casting long shadows on the grass.

"I have heard the story of the first battle here told by Tom down stairs when you left and the one thing you left out of your description was your part in it. You risked your life to try and save a friend and you have done that again and again for people you don’t know. I have no right to stop you doing what you feel is right so you have no right to refuse those who march with you though you may wish you could."

"What answer do you give when asked why?"

"I answer honestly. I don’t know why."

"Shall we go back down before Jimmy and Tom re-enact the Tyne bridge?"

I asked.

"Certainly but I haven’t heard that yet and my wife will want to hear it." he told me.

"She is here?" I asked.

"Yes, comforting people. She is very good at that."

"I wish I was."

"She wishes that she had your strength and you wish that you had hers yet they are two sides of the same coin as I have seen both sides in each of you.. But one thing I have seen here is that you are the one who has lost the most and received the least help. Who shares your burden?"

"Bernard did now down there, he understood now he just eases my nightmares as he promised me." I answered looking at the grave.

"Nightmares tell us many things. What do yours tell you?"

"What is this a bit of Psychology in your training?" I asked.

"Just a little, a couple of years." he admitted.

"Well I have cracked at least once with the sight of what one man will do to another and then I have caused more blood to be spilt than men I have executed. An interesting paradox. I am trying to stop all this yet stopping it is more destructive than what has been done. Sometimes I think the way out is to blow my brains out but that would leave all this shit for some other poor bastard to sort out. There is a girl here who’s parents were murdered for being ill. After giving their food and water to the children then with the promise of food and water for her and her brother, she was horrendously raped and tortured sexually by a Sergeant I later executed. If I had gone a day earlier it wouldn’t have happened. How am I supposed to feel I don’t know yet I still wake up screaming and reaching for my guns. There was a child I airlifted out and I haven’t had time to se if she is still alive. Jenny and her mother down there I have barely spoken to since she came out of the town but I just don’t know how I can do all I want to."

"Do what you can that is all and let me see what I can do, us church types have one thing in our favour. We can get the people who will help with relief efforts moving. This I can do as they all know me, whatever their faith and know that while I may not be the wisest man in the city I am often right." he said.

"Now come down and spread your beauty around a little brighten up all our lives."

"Your almost as bad as Bernard."

"That is a complement I accept." he said taking my arm and walking me back down stairs.

"There you are Kathy. I was worrying a bit" Jimmy said as I reappeared.

"She has been talking to me for a while and I feel she takes on too much as her responsibility." David said.

"I know and I blame myself for not noticing it and placing more on her rather than easing it." Jimmy answered.

"No its not" I protested.

"Yes it is. I found out I am giving people instructions to do things only to have them come around to you and dump the problem."

"You need administrative staff." David said.

"Sorted now but nearly too late" Jimmy replied "there is a hell of a lot of crap involved with moving an army and this one was getting it all."

"Not a good thing for a person of action to get bogged down with administration, more dangerous than the battlefield as it is insidious and it takes over your life. You have had a lucky escape Kathy." David laughed a strange sound in the current atmosphere. "you could have been stuck in Edinburgh fighting for you’re live under a mass of paperwork."

"No we don’t use paperwork it’s all up here" I tapped my head.

"What do you mean?"

"Well priorities today are ammunition and weapon servicing for all captured weapons, we only have a few people who can do that. Food we are fine for another week, toilet rolls were a problem. I don’t know if it’s been sorted. Fuel for the ships is an issue if we want to use them again and I could do with a supply of decent boots for anyone who joins us to Glasgow. Mike needs to go and try more military bases for weapons and ammo and we have three vehicles out of action one through lack of a tyre two through mechanical problems unspecified" I told David. "Do I go on?"

"You are running all this from your head, how about the battles?"

"Well we move in with a general plan then modify it as needs require after assessment of the situation" I explained.

"Go and have fun with your young man as he seems lost and I will keep the company of this man for a while." David told me and I took the hint and walked off to Paul who was sitting there miserably.

"Hi Hon you look like you’ve missed me" I said as I sat next to him.

"I always miss you but that’s not the problem I just don’t feel comfortable at funerals." he admitted "though I know it’s got to be done."

"Thank you" I told him as I grasped his hand.

"For what?"

"For being here for me when I need you." I said squeezing it "because I hate this too."

I looked at the radio not being used in the corner all communications had moved with us to Edinburgh and I must admit I had neglected it with all that was going on leaving it to Ian and whoever else he needed. I walked over and powered up the set tuned to the 3.7 MHz frequency we use to use so often of a night. I pressed the button sending out the RND in Morse code and pressed the button.

"This is Radio New Delphi and this is The Oracle speaking is there any one on this frequency?" I asked waiting not expecting any response.

"This is Radio New Delphi and this is The Oracle is there anyone on this frequency?" I repeated.

"Kathy?" came a voice from the speaker.

"Yes can you identify yourself?" I asked.

"It’s Frank" came the voice.

"Frank we lost contact with you weeks ago we feared the worst" I told him.

"The worst is here now." the voice came back "I don’t know how much longer we can hide from them there is no food left in the city and there is talk of cannibalism. People are being snatched and never seen again." There was silence from the room behind me as this bombshell was dropped.

"Frank how are you and Mary?" I asked.

"I’m not too bad. Mary though, after being ill was weaker to start with she is not good and I don’t think she will last much longer." he said sadly "but I know I will be with her soon after. You have given us a bit longer together and for that I thank you and I want you to make sure you finish it all."

"Fuck that for a game of soldiers we are getting you out of there tonight." I told him. "Frank I need a reference point a location I can meet you to get you."

"No Kathy it’s not worth the risk" he answered.

"Well you might have the right to decide what is too much risk for you but you don’t have the right to decide that for me, give up on yourself if you must but at least fight for Mary. I need a point we can find from the air to meet you and you need to be able to hide nearby." I shouted at him.

"There is a motorway junction not too far away. It is the one after the M5 turn off as you come south I should be able to get her there and hide for a while but I don’t know how long we can be hidden there and the gangs are bad." he answered.

"Look let us worry about the gangs how many are we bringing out?" I asked.

"Can you at least get out Mary my daughter and her two kids, me and Harry can take our chances here." he said.

"Stop jerking me around Frank how many do you want out is it six?" I asked.

"Can you take six" I looked at Mike he nodded.

"Yes let me get an estimated time of arrival Mike how long to do one hundred and forty miles."

"Two hours for best fuel economy and a half hour to get up and running you can only have three with you though." he said.

"Mike warm her up, Jimmy kit up, Wendy are you willing to play?" I asked.

"Yes I’m game." she said. "ready in five minutes."

"I have experience with weapons and I am a qualified field medic from what was the Israeli army before our nation was lost to us again" David said.

"You sure?" I asked.

"Yes very sure I can do some good here." he said his face the same as the old Corporal who I had met in Edinburgh.

"Say you goodbyes and Wendy will kit you up see you out there in ten minutes." I told him.

"Frank we will be there in two and a half hours. Have your family there and I will see you then and good luck."

"Good luck to you too but please don’t risk anything on our account." he said.

"Shut up and get your family ready to go." I told him and left the radio to get my kit.

"Here you go boss" Alex said arriving with a SA80 and a bag of magazines.

"Let one of the guys carry that." I said looking at the bag that she was having trouble carrying.

"Well can’t have you running short, can I." she said smiling "Lets get you out there. But Boss."

"Yes."

"No more holes in you tonight, please." She said.

"For you and you alone I will see what I can do." I told her and walked out to the field where Mike was preparing the helicopter.

"Kathy you take the Co-pilot seat again, you two I have a harness each for you. If you are hanging out playing silly games, there are two rules. Hook on first and secondly don’t shoot the cab. I am getting to like this old girl." Mike said with a grin.

"Are you tooled up?" I asked him.

"Look it takes two hands and two feet to fly this thing I am not going to be shooting people.

Besides I don’t like the noise." he said as he started the first engine. "Lets go and play."

The flight down was sobering to the left as we climbed to what Mike considered a safe height was high enough to see some of the devastation that took York. Manchester to our right as we skirted between the city and the Peak District was dark as was Stoke on Trent then Mike dropped to follow the motorway to the south. The last ten miles from the edge of Wolverhampton to the pick up point we started to get unwanted attention the occasional flash of a weapon and groups of people pointing in our direction. The M5 junction came underneath us and I realised we had a couple of cars following us. A few well placed shots from Wendy and Jimmy dissuaded them from too close a pursuit. The junction came up beneath us and we carried on for a couple of hundred yards and Mike set her down.

"I can’t see them" Wendy shouted.

I undid my belt and dropped the side door grabbing the SA80 and a couple of magazines which I shoved in my pockets, I knew I should have put on my flying jacket as I was limited to the two extra magazines. I stepped outside and looked around.

"There they are under the bridge." I shouted. "they need help. Three adults were trying to half drag, half carry a woman and a child a toddler was being pulled along by the hand. None of them looked in good condition.

Jimmy and Wendy jumped from the cargo door to catch me up as I ran towards them.

"Come on move it." I told them. "We have attracted some attention here."

"Let me carry her" Jimmy said grasping the older woman who was barely able to stand let alone walk, she was skin and bone. Wendy grabbed the toddler and we started helping them towards the helicopter I glanced back people were gathering on the embankment with weapons pointed a shot rang out.

"Move it now" I shouted and aimed my weapon towards them, safety off on fully automatic I sprayed the group and all dropped to the ground, David opened up from the helicopter cargo door single shots ringing out at the people as they came into his line of sight.

Then with one great rush about sixty or seventy people decided to cross the two hundred and fifty yards to us I glanced back at the helicopter they were nearly there and I reloaded again letting lose with a spray of death people dropping in the roar of the weapon l grabbed the last magazine walking backwards slowly and slammed it in and selected single shot picking my targets now only a hundred and fifty yards away taking out the nearest while continuing to back up. The rifle came down on an empty chamber as the deeper noise of Wendy SLR took over and I turned and ran. Jimmy was firing as well now and they had started firing back.

I hit the cargo door and the strong arms of David and Jimmy pulled me

up and in and as Wendy screamed at Mike to go I reached down for a

pistol and emptied the magazine into the approaching people and I felt

the cab rise and we were airborne and moving. Mike went high and fast

and we were soon out of range sat in the back

"Anyone hurt?" I shouted above the noise of the helicopter and the crying of the two children.

"Fine here Sis" Wendy said.

"No problems here" Jimmy answered.

"Mike how are you and how’s our transport?" I shouted forward.

"I’m fine and she flies so I’ll get her back" he shouted back.

"Frank how about your people?" I asked the older man.

"Mary’s not good at all but we’re a lot better here than down there, thank you" he said.

"David see what you can do to make her more comfortable I’m going forward."

Mike was heading north at around one hundred miles an hour I saw that his side window had a hole in it.

"You hurt?" I asked.

"No but if I stuck my tongue out I could of licked t on the way past" he said with a big smile on his face "this action shit makes you feel alive."

"Yes it does right up to the point it kills you." I told him.

"By which time you don’t care." he answered. "How are they back there?" he asked.

"Not good in fact except for the kids they look worse than Middlesbrough."

"Shit that bad? I’ll get us back as fast as possible" he assured me.

"Good because my first stops the loo" I said my bladder giving me twinges.

"I should have brought a bucket." Mike suggested.

"Look if you think I’m going to squat over a bucket in the back of this thing with everyone back there you must be out of bloody tree. Home James and avoid the bumps" I told him.

"Yes Ma’am" he said "and Kathy."

"Yes"

"It was nice to see you in action, I always like watching a pro at work." he said.

"Thank you but I’m a gifted amateur you want a pro then watch Wendy." I said and settled back for the trip home.

The lights on the field and the lights of the house guided us in the last few miles and I was nearly wetting myself. We touched down and I was out with the rotors still running.

"Get some help here for these people now." I shouted running towards the house.

"What’s up" Paul shouted as I ran past him.

"Toilet" I said quietly.

"What?" he shouted back

"I’ve got to hit the loo." I shouted and the people parted for me. Five minutes later I was back out much happier and I returned to the dining room.

Mary was very rough and Anne had taken her away with Wendy Frank and his family were not much better. Mike and David were telling everyone about the pick up.

"I have never seen the like of it." He said. "She saw them up above and sprayed them with a magazine while shouting at us to move, then she started walking backwards slowly and firing picking her targets till she knew all her people were on board before turning and getting into the aircraft."

"But you did nothing did you?" I said. "You weren’t there firing to coverer us making sure they kept their heads down. Wendy and Jimmy didn’t pick up Mary and one of the kids to run with them to the helicopter."

"Yes we did." Jimmy said. "But it was you that gave us the time we needed to get them on board."

"Come on, let’s stop this now." I said. "Frank how are you and your family?"

"We are alive." the gaunt man in his mid forties said. "thanks to you and The Oracle where is she?"

"You’re talking to her." Mike said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Sit down get something to eat and I’ll introduce you to everyone." Mike led him to a chair. "I am Mike your Pilot today, the ugly one there is Jimmy he’s the one who ran off with your wife, David there is a Rabbi despite or perhaps because of his skill with weapons. Wendy and Anne are with Mary at the moment, you probably know them as Athena and Hera. Finally the young lady pretending that she did nothing today is Katherine The Oracle of New Delphi and I have a tip for you trust her totally and utterly unless she’s talking about how little she has done because then she talks a load of crap."

"Thank you for that Mike." I glared at him raising a giggle from the assembled people. "Frank get some food in you and I will get hot drinks because I don’t think you’re in any condition to touch alcohol. Then I will arrange beds. Do some of you people mind doubling up and possibly a few sleeping in here?" I asked the crowd.

"Look boss if we bed the team down in the surgery then you have plenty of room." Suki said.

"Do you mind I asked?" looking around at my people. "What about you and the girls Suki?"

"Boss The chance of sleeping alone in a room or with these hunks no contest, these win every time." she said slipping an arm around two of the men.

"Look we don’t want to put anyone out" the younger woman said from Franks family "you have done enough already."

"Look I’m sorry, I don’t know your name." I said.

"Helen and that’s Tony my husband" she supplied.

"Helen, after the shit you and your family have been through there is no way on earth that you are sleeping anywhere but a bed as soon as you and the kids have eaten your fill I just have to do a little juggling as we have had a major funeral here today." I explained. I saw Anne having a word with Frank and guiding him away with a drink and a plate of sandwiches she returned a few moments later.

"How is she?" I asked.

"Fifty-fifty according to Wendy." Anne said quietly to me "She has an IV line in and she is resting, Wendy says that if she makes it through the night she will probably make it."

"My team are kipping in the surgery tonight if you tell them what you want where they will do it."

"Fine I will sort out a room for Tony and Helen I think we have two cots that will do for the kids stashed away, Mark, Jones do you mind giving me a hand?" and she was gone again.

"Thank you." Tony said coming up to me to shake my hand.

"Look we can do all that tomorrow." I said guiding him back to the table where Wynne and Claire were helping with the children "tonight you eat then sleep, understood?"

"Yes, but thanks" He said.

"Eat man before I set our gun toting Rabbi on you." I said "Helen if he moves again hit him" and they ate their fill and then Anne led them to their room.

I sat down feeling dejected at a table and removed my empty pistol and asked Paul to grab my cleaning kit and box of rounds from our room, he did and I stripped it and started cleaning it. The routine action taking my mind away from how those people looked.

"How is Mary?" Bob asked.

"If she makes it through tonight she has a chance" I answered bluntly.

"How bad was it?" he asked.

"Pick up was no problem a bit of shooting and we were away, you have seen much worse so don’t worry" I answered.

"James" David said to Jimmy. "This is nonsense what she is saying.

She was a hero out there,"

"No, that was very easy compared to what she normally puts herself in the middle of" Jimmy answered.

"You consider her actions normal, nothing exceptional."

"She did what anyone of her force would have done if asked, for her that was tame." Jimmy answered. "You should have seen her in Newcastle now that was a sight worth seeing."

I reassembled the pistol and fired it on an empty chamber testing the action and I was satisfied, I then refilled the magazine.

"Jimmy, I don’t know after Glasgow if we will be able to do anything for anywhere else" I said to him.

"I know we have too much planning to do to be able to get to Birmingham in the next couple of months" he answered.

"You cant just leave them to die" a woman said.

"I don’t want to leave them to die" I snapped back "but I have to take Glasgow before we can even think about moving south. Then it’s Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham and Stoke first before we hit Birmingham."

"But why?" she asked.

"Because I would get my men slaughtered getting them down there and possibly lose Scotland as well if I went straight there and no other city will be in much better state" I said putting my head in my hands.

"After this is all over we will be lucky if we have a couple of million people alive in this country and personally I think it would be a lot less without what is happening here." Jimmy chimed in.

"She’s right Jimmy." I shouted at him. "what gives me the right to pull out six people from there and leave the rest of the poor bastards there to die. But I don’t know how I can save them without risking everything we have won."

"There was once a man who saved a large number of my people" David said.

"Yes, Otto Schindler, a member of the Nazi Party and a profiteer whose friendship with a Jewish family as a child prompted some action from his conscience. But he was still a womaniser who hurt his wife deeply and died in poverty living off the charity of those he saved." I told him.

"Katherine you know our history. Any act of kindness at the time of darkness will always be repaid no matter what flaws the person has his memory will always be honoured." David said.

"No I do not criticise or denounce the man. I long for his humanity to be able to make mistakes and have faults and still be successful. But if I fail, I’m likely to take us all down with me. Is there anyone here who can do this job, because if there is they can have it." I answered.

"Kathy, nobody I know can do your job and the pressures you are under are immense, but this is a curse for you but a blessing for us. Do as you feel is right and carry no guilt for the fate of those you face or the fate of those who fight with you as neither are your responsibility."

"And by what right do you give me absolution? The right of a Rabbi to forgive a Gentile I do not remember reading that anywhere and what would you create if you could. Can you imagine me without my self doubts, conscience, guilt and fears leading those people. If I was let loose in the world as it is without these restraints no one would stop me and hell would surely come to reign on earth."

"No we have better people that them" some one said.

"No our people are the same as their people, only ours are doing it for the right reasons. Here they kept attacking till the field was covered with their dead and I don’t think I could have made people do the same. They are strong and skilled, just their beliefs are fundamentally wrong in my eyes and that is a rather flimsy reason to leave ten thousand dead around your city." I shouted. Someone brought me a coffee.

"Jimmy is this doped?" I asked him.

"No Boss" he answered and I took a sip

"I apologise for my harsh words but I have a lot to think about as I must ask more people to come with me to Glasgow and kill more men and women that we cant afford to lose." I told them.

"David I am sorry if I have hurt you with my words as you risked your life tonight for others without a thought for yourself."

"I will tell you truthfully, Kathy, your words do hurt me only because of their truth, not because of the fact you said them to me. What has the world come to when a Gentile child teaches an old Rabbi morality. But you have made one mistake in what you have said." He paused and looked around "You say that I did it with no thought of myself that is not true. As the bullets flew around us I only had thoughts for myself and the desire to flee. But it was the sight of a child, alone, standing in the path of the people who would destroy us fighting valiantly to defend the people she said she would help that gave me the strength to get up and fight."

"Flatterer, how does your wife put up with you?"

"Ah very easily. All it takes is a beautiful wife and a big stick and I am good." he answered causing a woman by his side to blush.

"Well if she left her stick I’m sure we can find one for her." I answered with a smile "Promises, Promises always of these young girls promises." he said laughing.

The night went pretty well after that and the next morning I said goodbye to them all, offering that any time they wanted to they could visit and stay.

"Kathy you have a good heart so do not fear what you do, if your heart was not good the doubts you have would not assail you." David said hugging me tight.

"He may be an incorrigible old fool." his wife said, who I now knew was called Ester. "but he is wise in some things."

"He is a teacher to his people and his courage is an inspiration to them so go and tell them that I said this and that I am proud he fought at my side" I said hugging her tight.

"Boss I will see that all runs well and we will see you there tomorrow or the day after" Jimmy said.

"No you will see me there this evening and I want every important person you can get in a meeting in the castle at eight. I want religious, military and civil leaders. I will send Mike to Newcastle and Middlesbrough first to pick up people there as a decision needs to be made that I cant make alone." I said.

"You need the rest." Jimmy protested.

"Yes and I will get it when we finish this job." I told him and I pushed him towards the Lorry where Tom was hugging Muriel who was crying about his departure again. I watched them go waving to them and then went back inside to talk to Frank.

"How is she?" I asked Frank in the kitchen where Anne was standing over him making him eat.

"She’s alive at least, but very weak." He said.

"Well I am getting Bill back here in a couple of hours so we can see what he can do. I’m sorry I couldn’t send Mike for him last night but he needed to check the damage to the cab in the daylight."

"Bullshit Kathy, you and Wendy have saved her life once before then you risk yourself last night. I don’t think you have anything to be sorry about."

"What is the situation in Birmingham how much longer can people hold out?" I asked.

"Birmingham is lost, we have spent weeks hiding in lofts and cellars from the marauding gangs and it was only by pure luck I was in the house when you came on channel, getting some things for Mary" he said.

"Then the people have nothing to lose?"

"No and it was only the thought of Kim and Nigel my grandchildren that made me let you risk it."

"Look" I told him firmly. "when all seemed dark you were a friendly voice so how could I leave you?" and he was silent.

"Mathew, Mark and Paul are shifting those computers into the cellar." I told Anne "and I will get them up and running before I leave as you seem to be getting quite the little school gathered here."

"I know and I’m looking forward to it" She said smiling.

By ten in the morning Mike had declared all the damage superficial and was on his way to Middlesbrough and Newcastle then up to Edinburgh. Late afternoon we could be expecting him back to pick Paul, Mathew, Mark, Suki and me up. I got stuck into the computers getting the individual units working then tying it in as a network and setting up the teachers security system and by dinner time I had it all up and running.

I went up the stairs and down the passage to the kitchen.

"Your up and running Anne your password for everything at the moment is Salamis."

"Thank you Kathy. I don’t know if you know how much this means to me" she answered.

"Look when this shit is over we wont want people like me good at killing and destruction. We will want people like you and Bob builders and teachers as if we don’t have people like you we might as well quit now." I told her firmly. "how are Helen, Tony and the kids?"

"Fine, thanks to you." came Tony’s voice from the entrance to the dining room.

"I’m glad." I said turning to see him looking a lot better than last night.

"Well thank you for my families life if I can do anything for you just ask" he said.

"Well, yes you can." I told him. "I need you to say here and relax for a couple of weeks eating all you can till Anne gets fed up with you. Then we can talk about where you feel you will be of most use." I walked back in and ate with the family older child Nigel was wanting to run around and play.

"Go on, let him Jenny’s outside with her mother. Let him go out and play." Anne said.

"Are you sure? We don’t want to be a bother." Helen said feeding Kim with some mush which she was happily spreading over her face.

"Look this place above all to us has been a home, no matter what people think. Yes we have the cemetery out there now but all of those people died for the possibility of kids laughing and playing. He won’t do anything to bother anyone and neither will you two, enjoy this place as it is as much your home as mine." I said and secretly thought perhaps more.

We took off at four in the afternoon after Mike had refuelled again from our tanker, that was another thing we would have to hunt out I thought more aviation fuel if we wanted to keep using the cab.

The meeting was held in a large room at the castle filled with chairs and I looked at the assembled people business men, politicians and civic leaders.

"Ladies and Gentlemen you have a decision you must help me with as I don’t feel I can make it alone. Last night we took a little trip to Birmingham and the sight of the people there was pitiful. Of the six people we brought out all of them are severely malnourished one may yet die and these people considered themselves lucky. They talk about cannibalism and murder, this situation is probably going on in many cities and it is too late for me to try and save them all. I have two options, tell them to run or tell them to fight. What do I tell them?"

The discussions went on for a hell of a long time swinging one way then the other after two hours I turned to them.

"The time has come to make this decision. What do you think I should advise them?" I asked. and all but three people voted to evacuate the cities. "This was the decision that I had reached as well and I will broadcast that message tonight to be played every hour on all the frequencies we use. I thank you for your help in this and those of you who don’t agree, do not worry. I couldn’t come to a decision either way for a long time so it was a close call please enjoy this city for the remainder of your stay and Jimmy will arrange transport when you are ready to leave."

I left them and bummed a lift to the radio station that Ian was based in Sheila was on the air.

"Look Ian, I need to talk now on all frequencies and it needs to be repeated every hour for the next couple of days" I told him.

"No problem Kathy it sounds serious"

"It is." I admitted.

"Right go on in and speak I will be recording and then I can play it back whenever" he indicated the door with a red light on above it.

"We interrupt this program for the moment as The Oracle has just turned up at the station and I wasn’t expecting her back tonight so she must have something to say that’s important" I nodded and she pointed to the other microphone.

"People of Britain who are living under the oppression of the self imposed dictatorships I have an important message for you. Last night I was in Birmingham and I found it disturbing, people are starving to death in that city and cannibalism has started to rear its ugly head. The time has come for all people who still can to leave the cities and get into the countryside and head north we will be heading south and will help and welcome all people escaping oppression. To the people of the countryside, the people who to a certain extent have escaped the worst of the ravages of this disaster I ask your help and understanding for these refugees within our own country because we will be coming to help as soon as we can and the next refugee if the gangs change their patterns might be you. Do not under any circumstances go towards York as that area is dead, Scotland should be safe within two weeks but safe areas will be broadcast as soon as they are known. To the gangs and the dictatorships that have turned this disaster in to an apocalypse I have the blood of ten thousand men and women like you on my hands just from Edinburgh another four thousand are captive. I am coming and when I come, your gods will not protect you from my wrath for all who stand before my forces will fall, because they are fighting for their freedom and the freedom of others and they shall slaughter any force that opposes them. Thank you for your time" I left the room.

"Ian I want full details of all the battles we have fought, broadcast from the first at New Delphi to the bloodbath here. The more gruesome the better I want the bad guys scared shitless of us and the good guys looking to join us" I told him.

"Can do but it will be tomorrow before it happens" he said.

"That’s fine" I assured him and headed back to the hospital to sleep.

As we slipped into bed I asked Paul a question.

"Have I done the right thing?"

"I don’t know love." he said holding me tight in his arms "I don’t pretend to know and all I ask is that you go with your feelings because I am sure they are right."

I lay there awake listening to him breathing his body tight against my back and his hand cupping my breast wondering. Was I doing what I would do or was a Megalomaniac streak programmed into this body and that was what was taking control. I knew that I was a different person from who I was, the most obvious thing that I was lying here in Paul s arms enjoying the security I felt and the sensations within me his hand caused. I was still musing on this when I woke up with Paul kissing my neck and I abandoned my worries to the one thing in this whole shitty mess that I was sure of Paul’s passion and the pleasure it brought me.

That week with the help of the staff Jimmy arranged I had a quiet week, occasionally relishing the anonymity that civilian clothes brought and having the spotlight of another night at the Queens the fact of not being questioned every minute eased my burden but I must admit Suki was given quite the run around as my liaison and sole contact between the staff working for me and me.

"How the hell did you cope Boss?" she asked one day "you were always polite with the stupidest enquiries."

"I didn’t. It was cracking me up how are you coping?"

"I just tell them to piss off and think for themselves when it gets too much, they only argued once than I took Matt and Mark down they sorted it out." she said laughing loudly at the memory.

The night of the celebration, I asked them the question of would they accept me as Boss Lady and the people of the city answered with one voice Yes. Then I asked them to follow me to Glasgow and again they said yes. Preparations were made and one week later a force of seventeen thousand people left Edinburgh and I was jubilant with the news from Bill that Mary was going to make it.

We had run into large groups of people escaping the city thanks to my broadcast and none of them were in any condition to join us so we fed them and sent them east knowing from the look of some of them that they wouldn’t make it. Less than ten miles from the city we set up camp in full sight of any one who wanted to see us and waited one day for all those who wanted to run to run and the ninth day after the party as the sky lightened with dawn we made our approach into the city.

I split the force up into three groups of almost six thousand men Jimmy and me taking the centre route along the M8 into the city, Tom taking the southerly route through East Kilbride and Major Bruce leading the Northerly force through Bishopbriggs. Initial resistance for Jimmy’s team was light most of the defenders fled at first contact, Major Bruce was reporting much the same but Tom was running into some pretty firm resistance.

"Jimmy, can you carry on like you are? I need to head down to Tom to find what’s going on down there. If everything they have is centred to the south of the city centre then we may need to all drift south to hit them" I told him.

"Watch your arse Boss I don’t like the smell or the feel of this place it’s too easy at the moment." Jimmy said as I left him.

"Ok kiddies time to go and do what we do best, Sam stay close, watch and learn. Your doing great at the moment though. The rest of you keep your heads down and we took off at a jog south west towards Toms troops.

They seemed to have fortified the area that Tom was attacking in a large semi circle and vicious probing hit and run attacks of the sort Wendy excelled, were being launched against Toms flanks. These modified cars backed up occasionally by large numbers of troops on foot, were taking a toll on his men that I wasn’t willing to accept. Skirting the outer edge of this fortified area I found out Toms problem.

It looked like houses on the streets had been demolished and twenty to thirty feet of bricks and rubble produced a most effective barrier to us and stopped us getting any idea of what was behind it. All streets that were barricaded so also were defended as we found out on a couple of occasions when the defenders thought we were in range.

"Suki, get Wendy’s crew in here tell them to set up as far from the defences as possible and start sniping. Lets relive the pressure on Tom a bit an squeeze these bastards. Tell Jimmy to drift south and Major Bruce to move with all possible speed without risking anything once we have them pinned in here then we can take our time but while they have the option to get in and out of their hole we are buggered."

We carried on towards the sound of the gunfire and Suki warned Tom we were coming in. We came in on his right flank and I was escorted to his command point.

"What’s the situation here Tom" I asked the man .

"We can’t see what we are fighting. There could be ten thousand men the far side of that barrier but I don’t know. All I do know is every time we probe the fire back is nasty, very nasty."

"Look hold this position and just contain them here Jimmy will be moving in on your right and Bruce is coming as fast as he can south once they are in place we can keep them in their hole and just whittle them down rather than the tricks that are being tried on you at the moment" I said.

"Block all the exits and then make the area to hot to live in." Tom said.

"That’s it. Don’t risk your men. For the moment we take our time." I said as we left to find Jimmy’s men coming south.

We were half way back to Jimmy’s force when from one of the streets on our left we heard the noise of a car engine. Peering around the corner we saw a group of about fifty of the opposition with some unidentifiable vehicle with Metal welded on it and small slits for firing.

"Shit that is the next attack intended for Tom." I told the team. "If we pick our spots and hit them first we can take them. Men first then all aim for the front of that car. If enough shit hits it in one place then we can take it out."

My team quietly took there positions one at a time keeping to the sides of the road so not to be seen jumping in and out of gardens for the cover it gave I took position in a doorway slightly closer to the enemy than really necessary sort of three hundred yards away from them and my shot was to be the order to open fire.

"Fuck" Paul said from behind me.

"What?" I asked and he indicated down the road a child was leaving a house about half way between us and them. I couldn’t tell if it was male or female but I would say it was under five and obviously bewildered.

"Wait lets see if she moves away" I said quietly to him.

One of the men in the group turned and saw the child and raised a pistol and took a shot another one laughed and a rifle fired kicking up tarmac about five foot from the child who fell over.

"Stay here I’m smaller and quicker than you when I’ve got her start shooting." I said to him and took off my coat. I started running towards the child keeping in close to the hedges for the hundred and fifty yards while another two shots missed the child. I cut across the road and reached the child and picked him/her up it was heavier than I thought and with the child in on my left side I ran for cover over the road.

Suddenly there was a shout and firing started from my right the direction of the enemy something hit me and I went tumbling the child hitting the ground hard. I reached down and grabbed a pistol crawling to place me between the fire and the child. My team opened up with all weapons and above my head a murderous stream of bullets flew and I added my ammunition to that ploughing into the enemy. One pistol exhausted I grabbed my other one and emptied that into a group of half a dozen men heading towards me as large arms grabbed me like a toy and then grabbed the child and we were carried towards a house with no door. I was tossed on the floor inside and looked up to see Sam guarding the door, firing into the men who had been running towards me, as I struggled to reload, he then reversed his rifle and used it as a club until he was lifted backwards by the force of the shot that brought him down I moved to get a shot at the doorway and it hurt, I saw a man holding a large revolver and my shot took the top of his head off a second was hit in the chest as was a third I waited for a second and I saw the uniforms of my men.

]

"Get Jimmy’s team here now Suki" I said every breath hurting "that barricade isn’t manned get the team to take it and we are in."

"Thank god your alive Boss" she said after passing on the message.

"How’s Sam?" I asked.

"Bad but he’s alive and a strong as an ox I’ll get a medic here for him." She said looking at me curiously "Boss why haven’t you got up?" I was still lying on my back head towards the door in the position I had been firing from.

"I think I was hit, Suki. If I try to move it hurts." I answered honestly.

"Let me have a look where does it hurt?" she said kneeling by me.

"Everywhere I don’t know where I was hit but I think I was" I coughed and some salty substance filled my mouth.

"Boss I am just going to roll you gently" Suki said moving my body onto its side.

"Oh fuck Boss." She said as the pain was released in my body by the movement "The Boss is hit bad we need medics now. I repeat the Boss is down it is bad we need help get some fucker here now please."

I looked at Suki wondering what all the fuss was about as it didn’t hurt now that she had let me lie down.

"Suki relax." I said "I’m just a bit bruised that’s all."

"Boss don’t move" she said "Where are those fucking medics the Boss is hit bad" I closed my eyes for a moment and was rudely awoken by Suki shouting at me this time.

"Don’t you drift off on me Boss stay with me please" she was weeping it must be for Sam I thought.

"Sam?" I said though it was hard to talk

"He will be fine don’t worry just stay with me."

"The barricade do we hold the barricade?" I asked.

"Yes we do the team is up there stopping anyone retaking it they can hold it for hours." she said still crying.

"and the child?" I asked.

"The kid is fine a few bumps and bruises that’s all."

"Good" I replied closing my eyes for a moment again.

"Kathy can you here me?" another voice came through to interrupt my rest.

"Mmm" I answered unwilling to speak

"Kathy I am going to roll you over to have a look" it was Bill’s voice what the hell was he doing here I wondered.

"No" I said remembering the pain when Suki moved me

"What was that Kathy?" Bill asked.

"Hurts when I move." what the hell was going on here why didn’t they listen and what was happening with all the shooting out there. "No."

"I’m sorry but hurt or not I have to look, Andrea support her as she rolls, you too Suki Trisha you pass me what I need and help me roll her gently on three. One, two three" Bill said and I screamed aloud as the pain shot through my chest and upper body.

"Fuck clamps, I need to clamp these bleeders clean there that’s it can you see where that is coming from ah yes that’s it any more we have a shit load of blood still coming from somewhere" Bill was saying as he did something behind me I screamed again as more pain shot through me.

"Fuck this get Mike here we have to get her out now to Edinburgh this is beyond me" Bill shouted "Jimmy get Mike in now" I couldn’t make out the next part of the conversation as my head was in someone’s lap restricting what I could hear.

"Don’t give a fuck you get him here now no matter how hot this location is you don’t have five minutes to fucking secure it I want him in the air now or its game fucking over" Bill was shouting and I went back to sleep.

The rest of my battle of Glasgow is fragmented the sound of a helicopter swinging from a line in a stretcher, people crying in the helicopters interior and a corridor with doors being opened for me.

I woke from a dark dreamless sleep in panic something was down my throat I tried to reach up to remove it but couldn’t seem to make my arms work. I tried to shout for help but couldn’t I started panicking and struggling.

"Kathy don’t struggle came a male voice that tube down your throat has been helping your breathing, don’t try to speak" a male voice said.

I relaxed a moment and tried to figure out what was happening.

"Kathy I am going to remove this tube I want you to blow as hard as you can as I pull" he said. and I did nauseated by the feel of the tube being removed from my airway.

"Sam, how’s Sam?" I croaked and heard talking but couldn’t make out the words.

"Sam is fine he is up and about, not half as bad as you were" the man said.

"Glasgow?" I managed to say.

"Scotland is free once more thanks to you, now I have just given you something to help you sleep you need to relax." and I slept again.

I opened my eyes and looked at a dimly lit ceiling my back hurt badly. I moved my head and saw a drip leading to my hand and the rest of a small room outside the windows it was dark. I sat up slowly the pain making me catch my breath and slid my feet to the edge of the bed. I slowly stood on the floor on legs that didn’t want to hold my weight and used the drip stand to hold my weight. I shuffled towards the door and managed to get it open and drag the drip stand through with my body I came onto a ward that was mostly empty. I looked at the three beds that were occupied and decided I didn’t know who they were and continued to walk towards the exit. In the corridor I slowly walked along looking for anyone to answer my questions and I saw a sign for casualty. I came into the area with mine and Paul’s room and opened the door nobody was there and the bed hadn’t been used. I had to know if he had made it. I made my way to the staff room where I first met Wynne and Claire there was some one in there I opened the door and shuffled in.

"Yes can I help you?" Said a nurse I didn’t know.

"Casualties, how many people did I lose?" I asked.

"What?" she said

"How many fucking people did I lose in Glasgow for Christ’s sake tell me." I cried at her.

."You’re The Oracle?" She said her mouth open.

"No I’m Mary fucking Poppins. Now how many people did I lose?" She ran past me and hit an alarm button on the wall which started all sorts of annoying noises and buzzers and things which went directly to my brain.

"For gods sake please tell me how many of my people I killed and was one Paul" I asked as she guided me to a chair the act of sitting making me cry out in pain. People started arriving there was a lot of fuss I couldn’t make sense of.

"Come on Kathy lets get you back to bed" someone said.

"NO" I shouted the pain again wracking my body with spasms "Tell me now please how many of my people did I lose and does anyone know anything about Paul?"

"I’m here Kathy" his voice came through the crowd and he pushed through his face looking thin and drawn.

"Thank god for that at least." I said as he grasped me in his arms. I don’t remember them putting me back to bed.

I woke up back in the room this time it was daylight and a nurse was sat in a chair reading.

"How many did I lose?" I asked.

"Oh your awake again don’t worry about that at the moment." she said in a professional voice.

"I do worry about that an I want to know now or I will start tearing this place apart" I informed her.

"You are not to worry yourself, what are you doing?" I took out the drip in my hand and sat up and slid my legs out of the bed. I stood up easier this time but still some pain.

"I am going to find some answers" I said.

"Please get back into bed you don’t want to get me in trouble do you" she said using a new tact.

"Bullshit you wont get in trouble for a difficult patient" I told her as I opened the door she put a hand on my arm to stop me.

"If you don’t want that arm broken, do not touch me again." I said and walked out she headed for a telephone as I entered the corridor. I slowly walked towards the casualty department amongst the crowds of people I was unnoticed I entered my room and let the long hospital gown fall to the floor, I found a pair of knickers and a bra but couldn’t seem to find any boots to go with my spare uniform so I pulled a pair of trainers out from under the bed and proceeded to slowly get dressed.

How long had I been out I wondered as I put the uniform on I felt like shit and the dressing on my back was in the way of my bra but I wasn’t going without. I slipped the trainers onto my feet and slipped the two pistols home that were on the bedside cabinet and walked slowly into the bathroom. I looked in the mirror I looked like shit. I was thin and pallid my eyes sunken, well my make up skills won’t cover that I thought and just gave my hair a few brushes before putting my beret on and going outside.

It was a sunny day outside and there seemed to be a lot of activity in the city as I stepped outside I saw a Land Rover with someone in I didn’t recognise.

"Where’s Jimmy?" I asked.

"Who?" The young man asked

"Captain Houston where is he?"

"Oh at the castle" he said pointing in the general direction.

"Fine take me there" I told him.

"Pardon?" he asked.

"Do you have a problem hearing take me there I am in no condition to walk" and he started the vehicle after I carefully climbed in. We drove up to the castle and I thanked him as I climbed out of the car.

"Wait here" I told him he seemed undecided but then nodded and I walked inside past the guards standing there with there mouths open.

"Where’s Jimmy" I asked a woman passing by she stopped and looked at me.

"Sit down Ma’am I will go and get him." She said guiding me to a chair I took gladly "What the fuck are you doing?" came Jimmy’s voice and I looked up to see his face again pale and drawn.

"They wouldn’t tell me how many did we lose? Please Jimmy I must know."

I looked at him.

"Three weeks ago we laid to rest six hundred and seven people at New Delphi. Since then we lost another Nineteen and we buried them last week" he said looking at me.

"My team?" I asked dreading the answer.

"Sam was bad very bad but he is up and about now and you had a few minor casualties" he said.

"Anyone I should know about?"

"Tom was a mess but he is now recuperating at New Delphi but that is about it" he answered.

"Jimmy I don’t think I can do this again, six hundred and twenty six people lost, oh god why did I do it" I said.

"We won" Jimmy replied.

"Yes till next time" I said

"No, we have won. Manchester surrendered at the news of the fall of Glasgow as did Birmingham and Liverpool soon after since then we have started relief operations across the country. We did it. We have people in London and people pulling survivors out of the wasteland that was York." He said.

"What?" I was unable to comprehend this.

"You fucking did it. You won we have the country back." He shouted hugging me I moaned in pain at this. "Lets get you back down to the hospital."

He helped me outside and someone was there with a camera.

"Captain Houston can I ask why The Oracle is here? I thought she was critical" a voice said.

"Yes, she came out of the hospital without telling anyone to ask about her men" he said.

"But wasn’t the report yesterday that she was still in intensive care?"

"Yes but a little thing like that won’t stop her when its her men she’s worried about’" Jimmy said laughing as he helped me back into the car.

The doctors and nurses at the hospital were in a state of panic, for twenty nine days I had been critical and the city and a lot of the country held their breath for me. Then I disappeared going for a walk the day after I got out of ICU. I apologised for the scare I had given them and demanded a selection of the newspapers that were much in evidence in the city.

Back in bed I settled down to read now in one of my own nightdresses with Paul sitting watching me. I arranged them in chronological order and picked up the first one GLASGOW LIBERATED, THE ORACLE CRITICAL and a picture of me lying on the floor trying to pull myself in between the child and firing with my pistol raised.

During the battle to take Glasgow yesterday The Oracle of New Delphi, Katherine was leading a small team to try and penetrate the fortress that had been created in the south of the city. Leading her team The Oracles Own Specialist Force a group of twenty five men and women who wear the Blue Beret against a group of nearly one hundred men and one armoured vehicle a child wandered out into the road. Troops from the gangs holding Glasgow started using Louise Bradshaw who says she is nearly five, for target practice.

Katherine made a mad dash of one hundred and fifty yards in full sight of the enemy to try to rescue the child being hit in the back while protecting her with her own body. Then while on the ground she pulled herself between the child and the enemy and started firing from one of her pistols before discarding it and carrying on firing with her other one. At this point when it looked like all was lost a man came running into the line of fire scooping the child and The Oracle up in his arms and getting them to the safety of a house where he stood defending them with bullets then using his rifle as a club before this man believed to be one Sam Murphy was shot and fell.

The Oracle then took up the fight again though grievously wounded kept the enemy at bay till her men finished them off and held the position they had taken for half an hour under heavy fire till relived by the men of Captain Houston known for his defence of Edinburgh. At this time the word is that Katherine The Oracle of New Delphi is in an extremely critical condition and according to an unnamed source she is not expected to survive. Sam Murphy the man who ran to her aid is in a critical but stable condition. At his time it is believed that over five hundred members of The Oracles forces gave their lives for what they considered a just cause. Though some question the wisdom behind such an attack on a city as large as Glasgow. This reporter feels that though the losses are something that can never be taken lightly that the fact that this city is safe shows the wisdom of her actions. We all pray for the lost and the wounded at this time but I feel that every one in this city should take a moment to say a prayer for the young woman whose life is in the balance at the moment.

"Makes fascinating reading doesn’t it" came Bill’s voice from the doorway.

"Just catching up on the news I seem to have missed a lot by being asleep."

"Well you threw a whole hospital into disarray and scared Paul here half to death" He said.

"Sorry, no one would tell me anything so I had to ask Jimmy what the situation was." I answered unrepentant.

"Well some doctors believe the young must be shielded from the truth and others have met you." he said smiling. "You are to let us know where you are going and please listen to some of the things we tell you. For two weeks we didn’t think you would make it only Wendy had any real hope for you and by god she was right. Now for that truth that we were talking about Kathy when was your last period?" he asked.

"I don’t know a while ago but I skipped after I got shot up last time.

I even tried a couple of pregnancy tests just in case." I said. "Why?"

I added realisation starting to hit me.

"When you got shot in the arm at Newcastle your contraceptive implant was destroyed, your two months pregnant" he said and my world went black.

"Kathy come on wake up" Bill’s voice roused me.

"Shit" I said as I came around.

"Why?" Paul said beaming.

"Because there is so much to do" I answered.

"And you did it, you saved us all and we have won." Bill threw at me.

"the field is yours."

"Oh what do I do now?" I asked confused.

"Well you can have the child or we can." I interrupted him.

"No more killing. It’s time I brought life into this world rather than death" I said. "but" I looked at Paul.

"I have known for weeks and if you can put up with me I want to be a part of your life" Paul said coming over to my side.

"Put up with you I was running around the hospital last night dragging a drip with me trying to find out if you were hurt. The sight of that empty room scared me silly." I told him tears running down my face as Bill slipped out to leave us alone.

I was officially in hospital for the next two weeks which drove me mad and the fact I kept slipping out with Paul kept driving a couple of surgeons who had put a total of over forty hours of surgery into me mad.

"Bill can you talk some sense into her?" Mr. McMillan asked him on the third day of my imprisonment.

"No and if any one had talked sense into her none of us would be here now." Bill said.

"Look I promise I won’t do anything too strenuous, I get driven everywhere anyway and I don’t think action is likely to come this way." I said loudly "If you will lay off the moaning I am always here for morning rounds."

"Look I don’t think you realise how seriously you were hurt." he said.

"Yes I do I have seen it from both sides. Have you?"

"She’s irrational, uncontrollable and unreasonable." Mr McMillan said. "Doctor" I said carefully. The one thing he hated being called as a consultant surgeon. "I can be all those things and more but you haven’t seen that yet. I have fought a battle in a worse state than this till that bugger there stuck me with something, never again though. Besides I have a little party in four days I need to see a tailor about a uniform."

"Do you realise you could make yourself ill again?" He said.

"Yes but I wont" I said as I got out of the bed.

"Now gentlemen you have had your poke and prod at me can I get dressed in private?" I asked them ushering them towards the door.

I had a few things I wished to do today the first was Mr McKinney and uniforms as my last one had been cut off me which meant I was down to only one decent one and the one that I got shot in the arm with.

"Hello anyone here?" I asked as I entered the shop.

"My dear Kathy is that you?" came Mrs McKinney’s voice.

"Yes it is me and Paul I escaped for a while" I told her.

"Should you be out of hospital?" she asked setting both me and Paul off giggling.

"Yes you should" she said looking at me "and you have gained weight."

"Well" I started to say.

"No, when are you due dear?" she asked indicating a chair.

"Seven months or so" I said beaming at Paul.

"Congratulations and what a time for it to happen a new life for a new age." she said smiling.

"I know though if had know before I got shot up I might have taken more care" I admitted.

"Bullshit young lady." she said shocking me. "I know that you would have done exactly the same thing to save that child. I have seen the papers. I know what you did and you did it for the same reason you have done everything because you are a nice person who cares. Though Mr McKinney has been moaning since he started on your uniforms about tailoring to a woman’s curves. The fact that your going to be having another curve will make him have kittens."

"I’m sorry." I said. "I don’t want to be a bother."

"No you can be all the bother you want as everyone owes you more than we can repay. This is joyous thing so be proud have you two any plans" She asked.

"Not at the moment lets wait until they let me go from hospital." I said. "I was hoping to grab one of the uniforms if any are ready as I only have this one now my others have holes in them, and are rather bloodstained."

"Your uniforms like that one are ready, the dress uniform will be a couple of more days."

"Can I wear one of them now please as this I’m sure wants to walk off

on its own?" I asked her

"Come on I will help you." she said, guiding me to a changing room.

She helped me undress seeing the difficulty I was having undressing, since that first trip out I had made use of Paul. She gasped as she saw my back the dressing having ridden up though I had yet to see it. As I stood there in bra and panties she looked at me.

"Yes just showing a little." she said and I looked down at my previously flat stomach and saw just a little rounding along my panty line. "how are you feeling?"

"Scared silly and sore where I got shot that’s about it though for the moment" I admitted.

"Do not be scared it is a joyous time and should be savoured." she said as she helped me with the shirt. "Better quality material than your uniform softer but harder wearing."

She then helped me with the trousers and the boots which I had no chance to bend down to fasten.

"Thank you its perfect" I told her.

"Don’t thank me thank Mr McKinney" she said.

"I will, but can you come to an event at the Queens on this Friday My team again" I asked.

"Just try and stop me" she answered firmly I hugged her and said goodbye.

Friday night came around and again my team met at the Queens. This time the crowds and the tables were out before hand and due to the numbers of people in the street we were not able to drive down it we had to stop at the end. As we got out the crowd the people surged forward and Sam walked forward.

"The Boss is not well yet so please stand back because the guys are a bit nervous about her health." and the crowd did. We walked into the pub to be welcomed by Harris, Mr McKinney and his wife and the two James with their wives.

"Kevin" I shouted the landlord "What’s the circus out there?"

"Not my doing this time. Word spread this place was closed tonight and they arrived" he said.

"Fair enough" I said and sat down.

Tom was not well enough to travel so a space was left for him at Suki’s instance as I sign that he was welcome and we ate another of Harris’s wonderful meals. At the end I struggled to my feet feeling bloated as this was largest meal I had eaten for months.

"Men and women who proudly wear The Blue Beret of the OOSF, this shows you go places where others fear and have done deeds that men would say are impossible I ask you know is there anyone who has fought with you that you feel deserves to wear The Blue Beret?"

"Yes Boss" Suki said standing up "We would be proud to have Sam Murphy as a member of this team as he has proved himself in battle."

"Sam will you come up here please" I asked and the large man stood and walked forward as I went around to the front of the table.

"Sam a very short time ago it seems to me, due to the fact I was asleep, you asked could you join my team. I said yes but warned you it would be dangerous and I could not promise you a Beret. You told me given a fair go you would earn it and tonight this team has said you have. I also wish to thank you for risking your life for a second time to save mine." I told him and hugged him tight. "Bend your bloody head down so I can give you a kiss." I said loudly getting a laugh from the unit I kissed him and then stood back.

"Sam Murphy I am proud to present you with this beret for I know that you have earned it and I welcome you into the OOSF" I gave him his beret with the badge on it to put on and waited for him to return to the table.

"The toasts to those we have lost may they never be forgotten." I drank the small shot of Whiskey I had requested for myself and slammed the glass down as did the room.

"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!" and I repeated the act with the second glass of Whiskey and walked around and sat down.

"My turn you lot" Jimmy said standing

"Last time I was here I made a fancy speech about how you were some of the meanest bastards I had ever fought with, excuse my language ladies. But I am afraid I was mistaken." This got some boos and hisses and Jimmy raised his hands for quiet "Yes I was mistaken when I came into that street where The Boss was hit I found eighty nine bodies, not bad but you did have The Bosses help and afterwards I am sure I saw at least eleven with the mark of Kathy’s nine millimetre. Yes Kathy, your slipping I picked up your guns twenty shots fired only eleven dead."

"I didn’t start shooting till they hit me" I protested.

"Excuses, excuses" Jimmy said laughing "But as I climbed that rubble that blocked the way what did I see?" he looked around waiting and no one answered "At the end my lads did a clean up from the road behind that barrier eight hundred and fifty six bodies were removed and double that wounded. This group of twenty five men and women twenty six if you include The Boss, though I think she should be counted three or four times, accounted for nine hundred and forty five dead and over sixteen hundred wounded and held that position despite repeated attack by overwhelming numbers for fifteen minutes. You Ladies and Gentlemen are not some of the meanest bastards I have fought with, you are the meanest bastards with one exception. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you a toast to the meanest bastard on the battlefield and someone I have had the honour to fight with, the pleasure to class as a friend and the duty to call Ma’am Ladies and Gentlemen Katherine, The Oracle of New Delphi" they drank and I was left almost speechless.

"Right everyone we have two choices here and the decision is yours, do we continue this party inside or outside?" Outside was the overwhelming consensus and we moved out into the street.

"Look you lot" Jimmy shouted as we got outside to no avail. I drew a pistol and grinned at him firing five shots in the air.

"Look most of you know the rules." I said loudly as shouting was out of the question. "I have brought my men’s party out to you, treat them with the respect they deserve as everyone who wears The Blue Beret has earned it on the field of battle. Please do not push and shove as some of them are wounded still."

"Isn’t that that fucking dummy Beef?" came from a young man in the crowd possibly just twenty.

"You have five seconds to apologise to my man Sam then I blow your brains out" I said levelling the pistol at the man. " Five, four, three, two" I counted.

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry stop counting." the man shouted.

"This man saved my life in Glasgow carrying me and a child to safety while under fire then defended the doorway from the forces attacking till he ran out of ammunition and used his rifle as a club against people with guns." I told him.

"He was still fighting them as he was shot. What gives you the right to say anything about him? He wears the Blue Beret which means he is more of a man than you will ever be. Now go before your ability to draw breath is severely compromised by one of our young ladies here who seem to hold Sam in high regard."

"What" the man said obviously rather drunk.

"Get your bum out of here." Suki shouted. "Before I take you around the

corner and break your legs for you. You are not invited to our party"

"Fine I never wanted to be here with..." a shot rang out.

"Quietly and quickly." I said and he left to cheers from the crowd I made my way to one of the tables kept clear for my people and sat down listening to the music.

Jimmy got up and sang a Lennon and McCartney song Let it Be to wild applause then the crowd started asking for me.

"I don’t know." Jimmy said. "She’s not even supposed to be out of the hospital yet."

"I’ll give it a go, but nothing energetic." I told them as I carefully walked to the front where a chair was provided. Unlike last time someone had set up a sound system this time and a microphone was passed to me I looked around at the guitarist to be surprised at a different face.

"What happened to the guitarist from last time?" I asked.

"I’m afraid he didn’t make it." the new guitarist said. "he died in Glasgow with the group attacking from the south."

"I didn’t even know his name." I said tears forming in my eyes for a friend of just one night.

"Andrew Harper and he was buried at New Delphi with honour" the man told me.

"I will seek him out when I return because he was kind." I assured him.

"What would you like to sing for him." My new accompanist asked.

"Lets try this one its another old one by a group called Dire Straits" I suggested and he struck the first few bars of Money For Nothing "right record wrong song Brothers in Arms." I told him and he nodded.

"These mist covered mountains are a home now for me." I started with the disturbing melody and the equally disturbing lyrics considering the situation.

"But my home is the lowlands and always will be." I continued to the silent crowd.

By the time I was on the last verse the tears were rolling freely down my face and the faces of many of my team and the crowd and I finished the last verse to stunned silence.

"Can you do one more?" the guitarist asked strumming aimlessly.

"I know the words of hundreds of songs but I don’t know what I should sing next" I told him.

"Why not something that they can all sing to or join in with, I have found I can be utter crap and still make a living if they can join in." he admitted.

I took a deep breath preparing myself after whispering a title to the guitarist.

"I’d sit alone and watch your light my only friend through teenage nights and every thing I had to know I heard it on my radio." half way through the first line I realised I didn’t have the voice to do the old song justice and I beckoned Jimmy out to rescue me.

"You made them all those old time stars" Jimmy took over and I left him to it playing it to the full he loved the fact he was the centre of attention so I slipped back to Paul and with this gesture I moved out of the spotlight. I slipped away early that night back at the hospital before eleven and as I slipped into the bed I talked to Paul about the plans for our future.

For the next week I was a reasonably good girl but I arranged for a meeting on the day we were due to celebrate our victory. In the Chapel of St Margaret up at the Castle I had all the people important to me I could get. Jimmy, Wendy, Major Bruce, Frazier, Bill, Brian, Andrea, Trisha, Bob and Anne were the ones I had to have and Tom was using two sticks to help him walk Muriel was in attendance all the time. Simon, Father Harrison and David were there for my conscience and my team and the team from Middlesbrough were there because they had earned it.

"You are wondering why I have asked you to this place, what am I planning now you’re wondering. Well I am The Boss Lady, The Oracle of New Delphi and now I wish to be Katherine again before I become a mother." I said to them causing gasps from a number of people.

"I am standing down as The Boss Lady and you have to decide who you want to run this show. If I am needed if the shit starts again I will take the reigns again but only for any hostilities. It is time to build not destroy now and I don’t know if I will be any good at that but I intend to find out with our child. So talk amongst yourselves because tonight I tell the people and I would like to have a name to suggest." I walked out of the chapel taking Paul with me as he had decided that he wasn’t going to risk being voted in and I stood there looking down on the city thinking what would become of my life now.

"What are you thinking about my love" Paul asked.

"I’m thinking how scared I would be to face this new future without you." I told him turning around to face him.

"You scared? The hero of the people The Oracle of New Delphi?" He said.

"Never with you to hold." I hugged him tight and he carefully put his arms around me and with a piper playing some sad lament I didn’t recognise somewhere down below we stood there together for a long time, until Suki came to find us.

"You have met here under the rules of New Delphi, however informal those rules are." I said as I looked at the people I loved "who do you want to lead you?"

Bob stood up and walked to me "We want you to lead us and you will always be The Boss Lady, what you say will go. But we will accept your decision and we have voted a leader to take charge till you return" he said.

"I am not planning to return and I don’t want anyone to feel I am looking over their shoulders" I answered.

"Well you accept the decision here or keep the job." Bob answered and sat down next to Anne. I looked around for support from the people there but got none.

"Katherine" David said "occasionally you need to bend as these people will not."

"Fine who have you voted on? But I am done now." I said to them.

"Our choice of leader to be voted on every four years, is Jimmy though he objects greatly, which I consider a good sign." Bob answered. "He can ask for a vote any time he wishes to extend his term a further four years and with a majority of the people here, the executive committee as such, voting they can force the leader to put his or her position to the vote. But as is being made clear to you this is a temporary post and on your return you take charge again and we stop all this crap, The last part is at Jimmy’s insistence and I agree wholeheartedly."

"Fine Jimmy you will do a fine job, you have been running this army since the start. Bob I gather you refused, looking at the glances that Jimmy is giving you" I said.

"Yes I refused it worked as me second in command with nothing to do but I am no leader, I’m a husband a father and a civil engineer" he said with his arm around Anne.

"All a hell of a lot more important than being boss" I said "well we have a celebration tonight lets go and tell the people who to vote for."

That night amongst the people of Scotland in the uniform made by Mr McKinney I announced my resignation and James Houston hero of the people of Scotland became leader of our nation. After the celebrations the next morning I travelled to New Delphi as Jimmy stood no chance if I was around. I disembarked from the helicopter and looked at the graves now over a thousand of them on the field to the right of the drive way and wandered amongst them.

"You are looking for some one?" Father Harrison asked.

"Yes a musician I sang with before Glasgow he died and I didn’t know till he wasn’t there." I said.

"What was his name?" he asked signalling to some one who came back with a small note book.

"Andrew Harper, he was with Tom." I answered and he flipped through the book and guided me to an earthen mound without a headstone yet.

"The minstrel boy has gone to war." I said to the priest and left him there wondering.

As the summer progressed so did the relief operations in the cities and my pregnancy soon I was having to open a button on my skirt and my bra size increased as well. One momentous event in my life was Paul proposing to me at dinner shortly after our return to New Delphi. As he got down on one knee with everyone there looking I said yes and cried as he slipped a diamond ring with a surround of small rubies and sapphires on my finger.

Two weeks later with me three months pregnant we were married in a service in the church in Keld with just friends and no one else there, though the church was packed by people I knew were friends and important to me. I had one minor problem my lack of a surname but I was to be married as Katherine of New Delphi. I stood there with Anne, Sheila and Wendy fussing over the cream wedding dress on the morning of the wedding.

"What the hell am I doing?" I asked them.

"Getting married in about an hour" Sheila said.

"I need five minutes alone with Wendy please, sorry" they left me assuring me t was no problem and as they left I turned to my wife who I loved.

"Wendy what the hell am I doing?" I asked.

"Your getting married I hope" she answered.

"No what the hell is your husband David, the man who loves you with all his heart doing" I asked.

"David is dead though he has been reborn as my sister Katherine. I shall always treasure the love we had as man and wife it was more important than you can ever know to me. But in Katherine The Oracle of New Delphi I have gained a new kind of love from you the love of sisters and of comrades. Now you have found love go and enjoy it do not worry about us we will always love each other." She said hugging me "and don’t you dare cry."

I was taken to the small church in Keld it was a small affair just friends and with a service worked out by David, Simon and Father Harrison I was married in a protestant church by a Jew, a Methodist and a Catholic. Jimmy gave me away and Suki, Sheila and Trisha were bridesmaids as Wendy asked me not to ask her.

We ate we drank late into the night and eventually we escaped to our room where Mr and Mrs Paul Maitland made passionate love all night.

Late in the summer I must have been about six months gone, I was walking through the gravestones as the last few were being erected and I wanted to see it through to the end. I stopped at a new white grave baring the name Andrew Harper "The minstrel boy has gone to war." he fell protecting his wounded comrades at the battle of Glasgow. I stood there looking for a long time the memories of the people I had lost filling me with sadness till I got kicked in the bladder hard. No time for self pity when you have an alien growing inside you and I walked back to the house slowly as the sound of an approaching helicopter could be heard. I looked for it and found it Mikes new toy the old Sea King having been retired due to number of holes acquired during my pick up and evacuation. I watched the modern small helicopter land and when the rotors had stopped spinning Mike and Suki got out and walked over to me.

"How’s it going Big Boss Lady?" Mike asked looking at my stomach.

"Hit him for me Suki he’s too quick for me at the moment" and Suki happily obliged.

"You want a lift back, you be gentle with the pilot" Mike said to her.

"Come off it fly boy." Suki said grinning "you don’t take me back and the largest piece of your new toy there will fit down your throat when Sam has finished with it. You insult the Boss Lady I thump you, you have to put up with it."

"No fair who do I get to protect me?" he asked us.

"Well if you eased your load a bit and let some other people fly some of the jobs you might have time to find a girl" I suggested.

"No fly first, women later" he said as he escorted us both in.

"What’s the news then?" I asked.

"Well Portsmouth is grim. Bill has medical teams down there. All the old horrific diseases are rampant south of Birmingham." Suki said seriously.

"Shit, its what Wendy feared when his started." I told them.

"Bill thinks we can control it but Jimmy is making sure it doesn’t get any further north." She said. "that’s where Wendy is."

"Good the last thin I need is her fussing over me. Keep her busy an I

can do what I want" I said remembering the argument when I last headed

out on the little Honda

"Well I have a new batch of papers from our illustrious group of politicians for your signature." Suki said.

"Have they done anything about the medals yet?" I asked.

"No they keep talking about it then getting stuck in another problem.

Last time it was a discussion on foreign policy" Suki admitted.

"Foreign Policy what the hell could they discuss about that" I asked.

"Well someone didn’t like the attitude that Austrian had on the radio about you and they were discussing if they should break off diplomatic relations" she answered.

"Bloody hell we have a couple of dozen people outside this country that we can contact and they want to declare war."

"Basically yes. But it was voted down, the new monetary system is taking a lot of time as well."

"I’m glad I’m not part of it anymore." I said as I signed Katherine The Oracle of New Delphi on all the sheets without reading them "and I don’t know why I have to sign all this crap?"

"Jimmy insisted on it as he says he is doing the job for you" Suki said

"Bull he just doesn’t want the job" I complained as I finished the last ones.

"Are you two staying for dinner?" I asked.

"No Sam and I are eating out tonight but if you want us to." Suki’s face showed her conflict of interests.

"Go have fun but next time bring him with you if you can fit him in that toy and we will all eat here its too quiet without the chaos" I told her hugging her tight and then letting them go I watched sadly as they lifted off.

"What’s up you look sad" Paul said.

"Its just with everything moving to Edinburgh I miss everyone. Yes I know we have the high guard and Simon and Father Harrison. It’s just strange." I admitted.

"It might be strange but it is fun to be able to shut the door and molest my wife, without worrying who will come in" he said his hand finding my bum.

"What’s up with you?" I said turning to face him and putting my arms around his neck my bump and my bigger boobs pressing against him.

"I just love my wife." he said his hands lifting my dress pulling up the back to expose my bum in blue panties and tights to the world and his hands explored the padded curves under the nylon covering, sending tingles to my groin and causing a welcome moisture between my legs.

"Oh do you and you think that will make me drop my knickers for you?"

"Yes, come on we have a while before dinner" he said grasping my hand and pulling me inside, he knows me so well I thought.

Winter I gave birth to our first child a son John Andrew and Paul cried with joy as he held him for the first time and over the next few months I found out about sore nipples from the other side. As I told Anne as she watched me feed John I now knew why while all the shit was going on she kept moaning about her boobs.

Spring a year after the disaster that nearly destroyed us all and we were requested to come to Edinburgh. I had not been to the city since the day after the victory celebration and I was slightly apprehensive as we climbed into the helicopter with Mike. Yes I had had people down from the city including the Mc Kinney’s but I had not ventured far from New Delphi. We landed near the rock and a long black car took us from the helicopter to the seat of government in the castle. I was shown to a large room full of people some I knew others I didn’t.

"Katherine Maitland, The Oracle of New Delphi, I as the senior speaker in this government have a request made by the members of this house. We the Government of Great Britain ask one more task of you, The Oracle, the reason any of us are able to sit down here today. Tomorrow in a civil ceremony will you present the honours to the relatives of those who have fallen and to those who as yet survive? And you have to say yes or you will prove an old Rabbi a liar."

"Yes David I would be honoured to. But it’s about bloody time" I said smiling at him.

That night was declared an OOSF function and the team gathered from all parts of the country and I feeling strange to be back in uniform left John for the first time in Anne’s capable hands. "Just go he will be fine and when it moves into the street we will join you" Anne said pushing me towards the door.

"Maybe I should just check if he’s hungry before I go" I suggested.

"Paul get her out now before I strangle her" Anne said laughing.

I enjoyed the meal it was the first time that me and Paul had been out for a meal as man and wife and I asked the question was there any one here they felt should wear the Blue Beret not expecting a reply.

"Yes Ma’am" Suki said standing "This force feels that Simon Corner has earned the right to wear the Blue due to his actions in a skirmish outside Southampton and we also feel that there should be two honorary members as well. Captain James Houston we feel has distinguished him self enough times with us that we are sorry it hasn’t been done before and Tom Allrenshaw who has always been the understated one when it came to his actions in battle."

I presented the three berets, proud of the recognition that Tom and Jimmy received Muriel was beaming with pride as was Jean. I then made the toasts and enjoyed the taste of the strong spirit and Jimmy took over. His speech was less verbally offensive than usual and I don’t think one of the ladies gasped at his language but he finished with the toast to The Oracle of New Delphi and I blushed. We moved outside and found that the crowds had been held back by a police presence.

"Hey" I shouted and a uniformed officer in charge looked my way.

"They are invited they know the rules" I said and he looked at Jimmy.

"Go on have your fun but don’t hurt him" Jimmy said smiling and I drew a pistol and fired repeatedly into the air.

"I said that those people are invited to my little party here as they know the rules now let them in like a good boy or I will shout" I said the pistol still in my hand.

"Yes Ma’am right away." he said and the party began I looked for a guitarist and found the man I didn’t know the name of and walked over to him after claiming John off Anne.

"John Andrew" I said showing him.

"There is no greater tribute" he said smiling.

We had a late night that night though I only sang a few times as I was unwilling to leave John the people accepted it and the team fussed over him almost as much as I did. Around three in the morning I was walking through the old part of the town with Paul, Mathew, Mark, Wynne and Claire.

"Don’t worry" Wynne said as we walked "John is fine with Anne and Bob."

"I know I just miss him being around." I said.

"Try missing something as big as this lump. He wouldn’t take me down south with him, too dangerous and I had to be without him for a month." she said holding on to Mark possessively.

"I know what he’s like that way, I ran at the barricades in Doncaster

and suddenly I’m shoved in a corner with those two on top of me" I

laughed "scared the shit out of me for a moment"

"I don’t know about that." Claire said elbowing Mathew. "I think you probably quite enjoyed it."

"No love." Mathew chirped in. "I thought she was going to shoot me at one point she was so pissed off, then she found some bad guys instead to shoot."

"Shoot you never." I protested. "well just a little, nothing fatal."

"It seems strange walking the streets of a night without it being the prelude to an attack" Paul said hugging me tighter.

"Do you miss it?" I asked.

"Well in some ways yes, but before I met you I would have said no." he answered ambiguously.

"What do you mean." I pressed him.

"Well when I met you I was scared shitless about what we were going to do, a few hours later we are screaming like banshees while charging a machine gun position in the fog." he paused "at that point after we had done it I don’t think I have ever felt so alive in my life."

"I can relate to that." Mark said. "Kathy’s plans were always so preposterous that when they worked you just thought did really I do that?"

"Plans who has plans I just wanted to see what was on the other side of the bad guys all the time, just because you got caught up with my curiosity don’t start saying I had a plan or they will try to stick me back in charge."

"Come on you miss it" Mark objected.

"Yes I miss the people, knowing what was going on and the hustle and bustle." I admitted. "But the responsibility for peoples lives and deaths no way. I couldn’t back off and look at the situation objectively I had to be in close and that meant the deaths related to me personally."

"Do you still have the dreams?" Claire asked.

"Oh yes" I shuddered at the memories "This is stupid none of us have seen half their lives yet but we are talking like we have had our best years."

"But it’s done, you won" Mark said.

"Well let me think about it I might not be willing to run a war but there has to be some stupid game somewhere that people as determined as us can win." I told them. "If I find something that doesn’t necessarily involve getting shot at and has a fifty fifty chance of survival will you four play?"

"Count us in we missed most of the fun" Claire said indicating Wynne "Matt?"

"She’s The Boss Lady I’ll play whatever game she asks" and all eyes

turned on Mark

"I don’t like the idea of putting Wynne at risk but I don’t think I could stop her and I agree with you we are too young to live in the past" We all shook hands if I called they would come.

The next day I woke late normally John’s movement would make me stir but he had stayed with Anne overnight and ten in the morning seemed like a luxury. I looked at Paul asleep next to me the small patch of hairs visible on his chest. I trailed my fingers through them moving out to his nipple with just the odd hair sticking out from the small circular pink area surrounding it. I nibbled on the nipple for a moment causing him to open his eyes.

"Are you trying to seduce me wife of mine?" he asked.

"I wish we had time but everything starts at midday and we have to get

ready and claim our son back as well" I told him after a long kiss

"Fine neglect me, forget about my needs in favour of your son." he teased.

"Look you its your needs that caused OUR son so get your bum up and out of that bed" I said pulling the covers off him to find a huge erection.

"Mmm well maybe we have time for a quickie" I said tracing a finger up its length.

We got up to the Castle for half eleven no breakfast, a two minute shower and I threw the makeup on my face. Outside it had looked bloody cold so I put on a pair of tights under the trousers of my uniform. As I was finishing sorting things out Paul the swine had decided to start molesting my bum, which had delayed things a while. But we were here and on time though slightly sticky and dishevelled. In the castle after reclaiming our son I followed my nose to the kitchen that had been set up.

"Any chance of a coffee and a sandwich?" I asked the unknown man

working in the kitchen

"I will have to see what I can do but it wont be for twenty minutes at least" he replied without even a smile.

"Never mind too late then" I said turning to leave.

"Ma’am too late for what" came Harris’s eager reply.

"Oh I was just after a sandwich and a coffee. We woke up late and have had nothing to eat or drink yet, but it will be twenty minutes" I told him.

"Bull, I told you that you were always welcome in my kitchen and I meant it sit down and I will do you a bacon buttie and a brew. Does Paul want one?" Harris said as he glared at the unhelpful man.

"Probably have you ever known him refuse food?"

"Well no, but you have to have something there are over a hundred presentations and they are not expecting to eat till after five" Harris said as he plonked a brew down in front of me.

"Kirby make use of your self go and find Paul and bring him here"

Harris said

"What does he look like Sarge?" Kirby asked.

"Blue Beret, just ask anyone wearing one for Paul and they will point you in the right direction, now move it we are short of time" and the man walked off fast.

"Christ I don’t know how he had enough motivation to survive in Liverpool." Harris said.

"That where you found him?" I asked.

"Yes military with out a unit left he had been heading back home on leave when everything happened and ended up stuck there."

"But you will sort him out, or break a few bones, one or the other" I said.

"I think he is a waste of space, not like the old days" Harris said sadly.

"That’s where you two are" a man in uniform, one that I didn’t recognise said as he looked in the kitchen "we have been looking everywhere for you."

"Obviously not everywhere, if you didn’t find us." I answered finishing the last of my coffee.

"Well everything is starting as soon as you arrive, we have a lot to do" he said fussing around me and Paul neither of who were in a rush.

"Fine shall we go then love?" Paul asked after draining his cup.

"Lead on where is this celebration occurring anyway?" I asked.

"Here it’s a private affair with just VIP’s and the press" he said.

"What?" I asked.

"Yes we can’t have everyone involved the idea of this is a small dignified presentation to each person and you cant spend more than thirty seconds with each person. We also want some photo’s of you with some of the members of the provisional government so lots of time has to be left for that" he answered.

"Is that so? Well I feel like another coffee while you go and find Jimmy for me" I said and I sat down.

"But" he said .

"Run along and get Jimmy I need a word with him. Harris can I have another Coffee?" I asked as the man stood there.

"Captain Houston is not involved with this ceremony it is the province of the Ministry of Defence." He said.

"Who is the Minister for Defence?" I demanded.

"Dan Mattocks" he answered.

"Don’t know him where did he join us?" I asked.

"I don’t believe he was part of your forces as he is fifty seven" The man answered.

"Go get Jimmy if you want your little occasion to run at all. Paul get the team together please and make sure Suki has a radio" I said turning away from the man..

"But Ma’am" the man said from the door.

"Oh yes your dismissed" I said and waved him off.

"Fifty seven too old?" Harris said coming with another brew and shaking his head.

Jimmy arrived before the team did and he did not look too happy.

"What’s the problem Kathy?" he asked

"Well the celebration and presentation is a private ceremony with a few VIPs and I must only spend at the most a minute with each person as the Minister of Defence who was too old to fight at fifty seven has decreed that the press shall take photo’s with me and the right people" I said "Is this right?" Jimmy asked the man in uniform.

"Essentially yes, but I feel an unfair bias has been placed on the Minister for making use of a rare opportunity of The Oracle emerging from her self imposed exile for favourable publicity." he answered.

"I didn’t know about this Boss but I can get rid of all the photo’s at the end which should give you more time" he said.

"Don’t worry Jimmy I am sorting it out." I said. "Mark, Mathew we are moving the party to the old city. Can you start getting people together? Suki I want every decent car you can rustle up for relatives first then people receiving decorations and a couple of trucks for the rest." I said.

"But this has been planned and permission has to be obtained off the civil authorities before any form of gathering in the city, such as this. You can imagine the sort of problems that this would cause to the civil reconstruction efforts if every Tom, Dick or Harry decided to turn up for this" he said looking at Jimmy.

"Suki get Ian and Sheila to start broadcasting the fact that all are invited and get someone down to Kevin he should be able to get some of the pubs together to put on the booze. Harris what were you cooking tonight?"

"Well I was doing a choice of chicken Kiev, steak or roast for the guests then for the top table...." I interrupted him.

"Forget it, I am sorry if it mucks you up. Bring what you can use with us." I said.

"Hotdogs, Burgers and bacon butties for ten thousand" he said smiling "You love making my life difficult don’t you Ma’am."

"You wouldn’t want it any other way but I will ask for volunteers" I promised.

"But Ma’am this has been planned for months" the uniformed jerk said loudly.

"Listen bud this isn’t a request this is the way it is happening so go and tell your Minister that I changed the publicity stunt and that is the end of the matter. But if you wake up John here I will be finding out if that uniform means you can fight" I said.

"Ma’am I am not a soldier and never have been I am a civil servant and the fact that we are now uniformed is a indication of how essential we are in getting things back to normal" he said as he left.

"Jimmy what the fuck is going on here?" I asked "it’s a surreal nightmare. we blow the shit out of the gangs to be invaded by ministers of defence that don’t know about defence and civil servants." I looked at him.

"I haven’t spent more than a week here in the last six months, I only got back from Norwich yesterday" he said looking angry.

"Don’t worry about it they have kept sending me stuff to sign and I have, some rule you made about me having the final veto. I don’t think I managed to read more than a quarter of it."

"Ah so that’s how they slipped in all this crap, snow you under. Well I will sort that out for you." Jimmy was fuming.

"Leave it I want to play and I’m an unknown to most of them" I said.

"Katherine" came a mans voice. "hello I’m Dan Mattocks, Defence Minister, glad to meet you at last. I have heard a lot of good things about you young lady, now I believe we have a problem."

"Oh I am so pleased to meet you minister no problem here" I said sweetly "I have been wanting to have a chat with you. What is our fuel and ammunition stocks like and how many people can we call on when we need to?"

"I’m afraid I don’t know those sort of numbers off the top of my head" he said.

"Well what about perimeter security for turbulent areas are you still using Wendy’s mobile force or have you instituted a more permanent form of rapid reaction troops" I asked him.

"Well again they are not things I have at hand at the moment" he said looking to Jimmy and our civil servant for backup.

"Well what about weapons there were massive stashes of old NATO 7.62mm ammunition around this country if we had a decent supply of ammunition then old SLRs are easy to come by, as we found out so has anything be done about it at all?" I looked at him.

"Well?" he said looking at his civil servant.

"I am your personal secretary Minister and I would have to ask for more information before I could clarify this point one way or the other, as if I was wrong and misinformed the minister this could have grievous consequences as we are the Ministry of Defence" the man answered.

"Fine tell me about it after the presentations as I can see some of my team trying to get my attention . see you there Dan" I shook his hand and left pushing John in the buggy before me like a battering ram. "Oh sorry did I catch your leg?"

In a large open park the preparations for the presentations were rapidly underway a bandstand was being used as a podium and a few hundred chairs had been got from a school by the look of it. In one corner of the park Harris had set up a large field kitchen and was busy bossing around a large number of men and women. Behind the chairs people were arriving rapidly I bundled John off to Anne and Bob again feeling as guilty as hell for leaving him and for imposing on them and started to welcome the arriving guests.

"Sorry about this I apologised but I felt that this occasion should be shared with the people not just a few so called politicians." I said as they arrived and they seemed to agree with me.

As everyone had arrived and as the supposed VIP’s turned up in the back of a military lorry, thanks to Suki, Jimmy started explaining the medal system to me.

"Everyone who fought with us will receive an Oracles Force Service Medal it may take a while but I insisted on that as everyone came voluntarily to fight. They deserve some recognition of that fact." he said and I nodded eagerly. "Then we just did three levels of medals as more than that got silly. The Oracles Force gallantry medal being the lowest, Then the British Cross in the middle and finally The Peoples Medal of Honour, the last one should be equated with a Victoria Cross."

"I’m not sure about the names but that is the idea I had reasonably simple system just to recognise the actions of these people" I told him.

"Well this is not exactly what we had planned" Dan Mattocks said arriving at the band stand.

"Ah well I am an unpredictable sort of person you know one minute I am sweet and nice, the next I’m cutting peoples throats in the dark." I smiled at him. "We have saved seats for you all down there" I indicated the empty seats in the area that the recipients were sitting.

"But I thought I would be up here." he said bewildered.

"No there isn’t really enough room you know once we get Tom and Major

Bruce up here as well and some of the families have got three or four

members with them." I told him "and you will have plenty of time to

meet everyone after the ceremony"

"Oh" he looked at Jimmy for support, who gave him none.

"Mathew, Mark do you want to sit with Dan here and keep him company as I don’t want him to feel he’s being ignored" I asked and the brothers led Dan to a seat.

"I almost feel sorry for the man" Jimmy said to me.

"What do you mean I was nice to him wasn’t I?"

"Yes and that is very worrying around you and he knows enough about you to be very concerned about how nice you are."

I was only presenting some of the top two medals that day and unfortunately a hell of a lot of them were posthumous. The name of the recipient would be called and who they had fought with and the action that resulted in the medal one in particular one of about ten Medal of honour winners was an Andrew Harper.

"Andrew Harper died in Toms group defending a position that was under attack from infantry and a car that had been armoured. Andrew died as he defended the medical position that had been set up to treat the wounded. Though wounded several times he kept up a defence until relieved by other members of the group. He later died of his injuries. Andrews actions saved the life of at least thirty wounded men and women and probably five medical staff." Suki said into the microphone to tell me and the people gathered what the medal was and why it was being presented. I watched a woman stand leaving a child about nine or ten with another woman and walk up to me to receive the medal.

"Was Andrew a musician?" I asked and she nodded tears in her eyes. "He was a kind man and a friend of mine for too short a time. Have you been to New Delphi since the funeral?"

"No" she said shaking her head slightly.

"He has a grave stone now it reads Andrew Harper "The minstrel boy has gone to war." he fell protecting his wounded comrades at the battle of Glasgow. If you would like to change anything please tell me and I will sort it out for you for when you come to stay for a bit."

"What?" she said. "I can’t. I have to look after Mike our lad but thank you."

"The invitation is open to all your family it is my home and children are always welcomed I will talk to you about it later." I said as I handed her the little box containing the medal.

"Thank you" she said shaking my hand.

"No I thank Andrew for his sacrifice and I apologise to you for not bringing him home." I said hugging her tight.

"You couldn’t have stopped him, he did what he felt was right" she answered tears rolling down her face "and the one thing it cant be called is a pointless loss."

"Never will it be thought of as pointless." I assured her releasing her from my grip and getting Jimmy to help her back to her seat.

They carried on until we were near the end and I was starting to get concerned about the lack of medals for my team and the Middlesbrough crew when David stood up and walked forward.

"I would like to thank Kathy, The Oracle for her kind words to every one that has suffered a loss here today but because of the people the last medals are for I feel that something has to be explained first. Some of you know me I am David Peled an old Rabbi and The Speaker up at the parliament at the rock. That doesn’t mean I am a politician I have no vote and shout at all politicians when they act like children. The idea of the medals came from Kathy she wanted to recognise the valour that members of her forces had performed and then she left it to us to decide who received what." David told the people massed in the park.

"The thing is these last medals are to people close to the Oracle and I was concerned that people may feel that the fact that of this influenced the decorations. I say now as a man of god that if anything we were harder on these people than anyone else. But the unanimous decision by a committee of twelve people politicians, military and civilians was that these people have earned these awards. So I will now announce the last ones if you don’t mind dear?" he looked at Suki who nodded and started to walk off.

"The British Cross is awarded to suszss...suisiz...Suki I cant pronounce your name but it is awarded to you for your service as radio operator within the OSSF a position that took you into the most dangerous places and the worst fire zones in the campaign. Of particular note is during the battle of Glasgow the fact that you risked fire from friend and foe to help both The Oracle and a fallen team member despite the fact you had no means of defending yourself." David said to the shocked girl. He walked forward and took her arm and led her back to me.

"Look Boss I don’t deserve this" she said as she stood in front of me.

"Yes you do" I said as I pinned it on her to wild cheers from my team sat down below.

Most of my team received a British Cross with a few exceptions Sam, Mark, Mathew and Luke received the Medal of Honour the cheers came from all the crowd as Sam’s rescue and defence of me was explained. For the Middlesbrough team it was a British Cross each with each of them marching up smartly to receive their medal proudly including Jimmy, Sheila received the medal for her grandfather.

"Finally we come to the last few medals Tom Allrenshaw you have been with The Oracles forces from the start you were the relief in the first battle at New Delphi and you have led in the battles of Darlington, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow always from the front at the final battle you ran out into the line of fire nine times to pull wounded people from danger before being hit yourself. But even after being hit you refused evacuation so you could continue leading your forces for this you receive the Medal of Honour." David said and Tom was shocked, I am sure I heard squeals from Andrea and Muriel in the crowd.

"Now we have a sad one I am afraid the first member of the New Delphi forces to die John Bebington, Apprentice, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. During the battle of New Delphi as the eight members of New Delphi Radio were facing a force of many hundreds, John and Katherine slipped out of the house in the dark to place mines within twenty feet of the enemy. On the way back a car exploded and they came under heavy fire, but both of them made an orderly staged retreat fighting all the way until John was hit. The Oracle then helped him back to within fifty yards of the house before she too was hit. Then The Oracle despite her wounds continued firing to defend her fallen comrade using up all her ammunition as the enemy approached. Anne Jennings also known as Hera was shot and wounded trying to rescue the two of them and then The Oracle was critically wounded. The remainder of the attacking force was driven off by neighbouring farmers who came to there assistance. This was the first battle that New Delphi faced and its first loss. I will not say that John was the first hero of New Delphi as there were eight that night but Anne Jennings also known as Hera is awarded the Peoples Medal of Honour as is John Bebington also known as Apollo."

David said to applause and cheers from the crowd "and for their actions that night I award The British Cross to Brian Williams, Patricia Williams, Robert Jennings, Andrea Allrenshaw and Wendy of New Delphi the sister of The Oracle."

"On that field of battle the first that they had faced they left one hundred and ninety six dead from a force attacking them of three hundred and fifty. They are the first of the hero’s of New Delphi and the people who with The Oracle made this possible."

I pinned on and handed out the medals to my friends hugging and kissing each of them Anne took Johns Medal of Honour until any surviving relatives could be found.

"This country and this city have seen many hero’s over the years some are here today and some will always have a place in our heart. For his actions in Newcastle and valour shown with total disregard of his own safety I hereby award the Medal of honour to Bernard Brown VC and Bar. He now becomes the only person to receive the VC and Medal of honour. His granddaughter Sheila will receive it to go with his British Cross earned for the liberation of Middlesbrough." David said and Sheila came up again looking sad.

"He would have loved today wouldn’t he" I said.

"Yes and he would have been so proud to receive these off you a warrior like him" She said as she took the award.

"There was and will never be anyone like him again he was unique and I miss him dreadfully" I admitted.

That done David took control again "Now this has been a long day for all of us and I come to the last two recipients then you can all eat." He said to a cheer "A year ago as our world fell to chaos, two young ladies made a stand against a couple of men who took advantage of the chaos. They defended themselves and killed them both in self defence, but even with that scare they opened their house to people lost, scared hungry and displaced. They started talking to people on the radio voices from around the country telling them the same thing that all was lost. The younger of these two girls felt that something must be done to help people and she didn’t talk about it she did it. Wendy of New Delphi, for actions with the motorised sniper unit known as the Light Brigade I hereby award you with the Medal of Honour I could go into specific occasions but at the end of the day these people would like to eat before midnight. Will Captain Houston please present the medal." Jimmy did and Wendy got a big hug and a kiss off him before he stood back and saluted her.

"Katherine Maitland also know as The Boss Lady and The Oracle of New Delphi, for your actions in the first battle of this war at New Delphi I award you with the Medal of Honour." Jimmy presented me with the medal and I got a big kiss and a squeeze then saluted.

"Katherine Maitland also known as The Boss Lady and The Oracle of New Delphi during the battle of Darlington when your men who were new to battle faltered you walked into the line of fire and there with the bullets flying around you, you rallied your troops. Then you led the charge that swept away defences for this you are awarded the British Cross." Jimmy said and David presented it I got hugged and kissed again.

"Katherine Maitland also known as The Boss Lady and The Oracle of New Delphi when the people of Middlesbrough needed rescuing from their hell." a young woman said. "You came to us leading a group of men to save us for that action we of Middlesbrough are eternally indebted to you as are I and my brother."

"Sally?" I asked.

"Yes James and I live in Keld now as does a woman with a baby who is alive thanks to you. For your actions in Middlesbrough I present you with a bar for your British Cross." I hugged her tight it was wonderful to see her looking so well.

"Katherine Maitland also known as The Boss Lady and The Oracle of New Delphi" Simon my brother in law said "at the beginning of the battle of Newcastle we in the Tyneside Resistance were under the misapprehension that you were attacking from the north. We were trying to create a diversion in the south to ease your way in when you came across my brother, now your husband. Rather than shooting first you captured him then proceeded to warn all the resistance teams except mine. My team had been captured and one of my men had been horrendously tortured. As they started on me you came into the room jumping on the back of a man who I would have thought twice of tackling and cutting his throat before dispatching the man attacking my brother. That morning you saved three of my team and tried unsuccessfully tried everything to save the other member. But that is not why I am here today though I am eternally in your debt. On that day when your forces faced a bottle neck at the bridge over the Tyne you led your force through the fog attacking an unknown number of men with only your team and your husband now Paul. You took the machine gun emplacement and I quote here from one of your men, "We were stood at the end of the bridge wondering how many would die taking the bridge when the boss told Suki to count to sixty then tell Jimmy and Bernard we went that way. We started of at the jog and I was scared shitless about what we would find at the far end but she just told us to keep up and scream as we attacked. Over half way across she took up the pace so we had to work harder to keep up then she was gone and there was a shot. I was only a fraction of a second behind her and she was already firing the machine gun despite the fact the other defenders hadn’t been dispatched. I killed one of the others as did other people then we held the position till Captain Houston arrived very angry at her little jaunt we then laid down covering fire for him to get out of the bottleneck and after that it was easy. For your actions that day you are awarded the Peoples Medal of honour." I was presented with the medal for the second time giving me the right to wear a bar indicating that I had it twice.

"Why haven’t we seen more of you at New Delphi" I asked him.

"Well I don’t like intruding" he answered shyly.

"Look your family therefore always welcome and I expect to see more of you. Understood?"

"Yes Kathy." he said shyly as I hugged him.

"You better we need a good baby sitter" and I let him go.

I looked around and saw David approaching with a child "During the battle of Glasgow you were preparing to attack a much larger force than yourself when a child walked into the street. You held off attacking and waited to see if the child would move when the enemy used her for target practice. You ran one hundred yards with no cover then picked up the child and tried to get her to safety. You were hit badly which almost took you from us but as you lay on the floor you protected the child with your body while firing at the enemy. One of your men Sam Murphy who has already been recognised here today risked his life to rescue both of you and stood against the attackers till he fell where you took over again firing at the enemy. You personally killed eleven people after you were shot and after your men caught up with you your worry was for Sam and the battle. I have fought with you I know how brave you can be I wish I had had your courage for the twenty days we didn’t believe you could survive. As you lay close to death the people of the cities and towns where you brought salvation prayed for you. For your actions that day and the fact that we have no higher award to give you for valour we can only offer two things. First of all is the assurance that no matter how you decide to spend your life in the spotlight or in private to the people of this country you will always be Katherine The Oracle of New Delphi and The Boss Lady and secondly our thanks and the thanks of a child." he walked forwards with the little girl who was looking shy and uncomfortable.

"Is your name Louise Bradshaw?" I asked and she nodded biting her bottom lip.

"I think your nearly six years old" I said.

"No I’m five and a half" she said.

"Do you remember me?" I asked and again she nodded.

"Do I at least get a hug?" I asked and she ran forward and gave me a big hug.

"Thank you" she whispered in my ear as I held her.

That day though the medals I am proud of the defining moment was Louise hugging me and saying thank you that nearly made the loss and the suffering I had caused worth it. The rest of that day was spent talking laughing and eating with the people. I must admit though John got more attention than me but with his cute little face grinning up from his pushchair, I can understand why but I’m biased.

As the afternoon moved into the evening I said to Jimmy I had to visit a shop and would he mind taking me there as he had use of a car. I took him through the back streets to the little shop owned by Davy Binnie. Inside a light was on and we entered the shop to find nothing had changed since last time.

"Hello dear nice to see you up and walking for a while there I thought you wouldn’t be able to pay me for those knives." came his voice from the far end of the shop.

"I had a little bit of extra luck that you lent me I am here to thank you and return it." I said pulling the knife from my pocket as we came into sight of him.

"No, I gave that to you." he said pushing it back over the counter at me as he put down a hand gun he was working on "and you shall continue to wear it in good heath. It has brought you luck so I consider it in a good home."

"Did you receive that blade or acquire it" Jimmy asked coldly.

"I acquired it and it cost me five good mates and a leg. Quite an expensive bit of metal don’t you think?" Davy said tapping a leg I hadn’t realised was artificial.

"The price is always too high for one of those but the person who has paid the price for one deserves it" Jimmy replied.

"So you were in the trade before you took up politics then?" Davy asked.

"No I was SBS before I got forced into this position by this lady, I am still a Sergeant Major at heart as I was a year ago." Jimmy said smiling at him.

"Good I have seen from the papers that you work for a living but that confirms it, how come you became a captain?" Davy asked as he gestured for my pistols which I made safe and passed to him.

"Bernard Brown promoted me but I refused to change uniform, then he died and I felt obligated to." Jimmy answered sadly.

"Obligations to the dead are a bastard, but they must be paid in full." Davy said. "SAS myself lost the leg doing a little job in Greece and that’s how come I got that." he indicated the knife I was looking lost.

"Little souvenir from the days of the second gulf war. If you’re the only member of a team to survive then you get to wear one of these." He said.

"I can’t keep that" I said.

"Look this isn’t a thing of pride or of shame it is a statement of fact that my team didn’t survive but we still did the job. I gave this to you as despite the cost to yourself you get the job done professionally and I think it has brought me luck its yours and I will hear no argument about it. What can I do for you?" he asked allowing no further conversation on the matter.

"Well I gather you have a loathing for politicians, businessmen and other pumped up self important officious twats." I said. "How would you like to piss on their parade?"

The next day after breakfast I dressed in my dress uniform provided by Mr McKinney for the first time. Dark green skirt down to just past my knees light brown shirt and dark green tie. I wore a jacket which with some fast work again fitted over my bigger boobs and black flat shoes and black tights. On my arm on one side I wore the badge of the OOSF and the Middlesbrough team badge on the other arm was a decoration in gold thread of a laurel wreath with two pistols in silver in the middle. The hat was a green peaked cap with two badges the badge of the OOSF and a copy of Bernard’s Beret badge.

"How do I look Paul?" I asked as I buckled on the black leather belt with two holsters for my pistols.

"Beautiful but wear the medals, it will show them what you have done."

He suggested and I put them on.

Outside the house we were staying in was Jimmy and Davy both in dress uniform both looking handsome.

"Only for you my dear would I get a hair cut and trim my beard down."

Davy said rubbing his slightly less hairy chin.

"Shall we go cause some trouble then?" I asked.

"Lead on my dear" Davy said indicating with his stick and I carefully climbed into the back of the waiting Land Rover with out showing too much.

"Paul you will be there with the team?" I asked.

"Yes love they are on their way now, Suki just radioed in" he assured me.

We drove up to The Rock in silence the old castle there a reminder of many ages of this city and it’s proud history. I wasn’t willing to watch that history be turned into a joke by a bunch of idiots. We were saluted on entrance to the castle but outside the large room used by the parliament we were stopped by a civil servant in uniform.

"I am afraid you can’t go in at the moment there is a session of parliament sitting" he said as he barred our path.

"Who is this?" I asked.

"Its Captain Houston Ma’am" he answered.

"And who am I"

"You are Katherine Maitland Ma’am" the man looked confused.

"Wrong, I am Katherine The Oracle of New Delphi, The Boss Lady and this is Captain James Houston my senior minister within this government are you going to tell me that the two highest people within your governmental system are not allowed entry to a session of parliament?" I said to him.

"Well neither of you have been here" he said confusion written across his face.

"No we haven’t. I have been busy having a baby and Captain Houston has been leading the relief efforts in person. So unless you want a very ugly scene which will require medical attention for you and these two men to prevent me from castrating you, open the door." I said.

"Err yes Ma’am" he said and we went into the back of the large room with rows of seats set out in a semi circular arrangement only the David and the man speaking were facing our direction and he was too busy talking about the present economic situation in the country to look at me.

"Ladies and Gentlemen may I have your attention please" I shouted.

"Ah Kathy this is out of order I am afraid we have an agenda that must be followed" the man speaking said.

"No it is not out of order this parliament was set up at New Delphi and in a meeting of this kind anyone may take the floor but I as Boss Lady have precedence and if any one disputes that I will take them out side now" I said no one answered.

"How many of you are officially adults?" I asked all put their hands up and some shouted.

"No by the rules of New Delphi and you can check Anne’s notes on this someone is no longer a minor when they can understand the questions put to them and have borne arms in the cause that New Delphi stands" I said.

"How many of you have earned the right to vote?" I asked perhaps a third of them put their hands up to much disgruntled noise which started to build up to shouting and arguments. I signalled to Jimmy and the door at the back opened and the OOSF marched in kited up to stand behind me this brought silence.

"You forget your place. Two people in this room have been elected Captain Houston as my Prime Minister in my absence and Me Katherine Maitland, The Oracle of New Delphi, The Boss Lady. If you don’t like how I do things then leave New Delphi territory as I have said before you do things my way or walk, because the third option involves a lot of mess and digging of holes" I told the almost two hundred stunned people.

"Is that a threat?" came a voice from the back

"Can you identify yourself please and don’t worry anyone is allowed to speak their mind as long as they speak politely and one at a time" I assured the woman who spoke.

"Amanda Campbell acting second in charge of the Ministry of relief and emergency aid" she said.

"No it’s not a threat but why is an important person like you at the back rather than the front?" I asked.

"Well Home Office, Foreign Office and Defence take up the front row with the Deputy Prime Minister" she said.

"Well who here is Foreign Office" I asked and three people on the front row indicated they were "and who here is in this ladies Ministry?" one other man raised his hand.

"This is the bollocks I am talking about. The Foreign Ministry at the moment is responsible for a couple of dozen people one of which, an Austrian I believe, they wanted to break off diplomatic relations with. While those two people are responsible for getting aid and relief to a few million at the moment. Change round now you two up there move down here and you three bugger off up there." I demanded and waited for the change round to happen.

"Defence, well what can we say about defence. Come here Dan" I said and walked over to Mark and took his rifle and also took Mathews.

"Suki you come here too" I asked and she shyly came forward.

"Suki here has never fired a shot in her life her faith prevents it I don’t think she has handled one of these more than a few times. Suki, Dan I want you both to strip one of these down and rebuild it?" I told them passing them each a rifle.

"The problem I see here is too many people are talking bollocks about things they have no idea about the Minister of Defence knows nothing about our forces, our resources or our strategies this I found out yesterday, neither does his personal secretary. You have three people for a Foreign Office and yet two for relief. Jimmy and I ran an army of eight and a half thousand men from information in our heads and won the bloody battles. Thank you Suki" I said taking the weapon off her and passing it back to Mark.

"The bullshit is going to stop now because this is not an elected parliamentary democracy as most of you seem to think, it is an elected dictatorship and I am Boss Lady." I shouted grabbing the SA 80 off Dan and sending him back with a push as I stripped down the weapon and re built it. I slammed a magazine in and chambered a round.

"What would happen if I pulled the trigger here?" I demanded.

"A lot of people would die and you would be in serious trouble young lady" a man at the front said.

"Identify yourself and I am Katherine, The Boss Lady or The Oracle to you where did you fight?" I demanded.

"Well I am Nigel Sheldrick and I didn’t. I am over fifty you know." the man said.

"I saw a man fight who saw action in Iraq, Bernard was over seventy and I am young so don’t give me that age shit." I shouted at him making him flinch as the weapon pointed his way.

"If I fired this less than a quarter of you would die and after that there are two possibilities. The first if I said it was murder then they would have to follow the president of law that I set down in Middlesbrough where I was judge. If found guilty that judge would immediately execute me, himself." This brought a few gasps from the rows "But more likely is I would go outside say it was necessary and nothing would ever be said about it."

"But you can’t be outside the law, Kenneth Baxter Kathy" he added on the end.

"I am outside the law because the law is what I say I am Boss and I am accountable for my actions and I have killed a hell of a lot of people." I said.

"But they were the enemy" he protested.

"Only because I decided they were, that was my decision to take my forces against them and if I had chosen the other side I would still have won but wouldn’t have this shit now. Laws are not absolute they are arbitrary one mans mass murderer is another mans freedom fighter as the victors write the history and decide what the law is." I told them.

"Now, I do not intend to stop you doing your jobs." I said as I passed the SA 80 to Mathew.

"But I feel you are like children testing your limits I can’t spend my life watching you so I intend to bring in a new policy into this parliament. There will be one member of this house who holds the power of the Oracle’s Veto and that will be a person who I appoint who can bring any bill or debate to a close because you are talking bollocks. He will also trim down and restructure your administration system as he thinks fit. I know I don’t know enough about parliament, business or economics to be able to and I am appointing a member of the city of Edinburgh’s business community to stand in for me in this post." I heard a few sighs of relief at this point.

"So parliamentary sessions can only occur when he is available and his veto power is absolute. If there is a disagreement between a parliamentary member and him it will be referred to me and that member will find new employment if I feel the complaint holds no substance. I present to you The Oracle’s Representative Mr. David Binnie." this produced more than a few gasps of pain and one of the front row dropped face in his hands.

"I know most of you and you all seem to know me so lets not have any fucking around." he started as I slipped out with the men leaving him to have some fun.

Through the doors I thanked the team and asked them to wait for me outside.

"Jimmy a few months ago you said, when I needed transport for the McKinney’s, that the armed forces and all its equipment was mine to call on as needed" I said.

"Yes and that’s true" he assured me.

"Good because I am going to be making use of everything possible." I said.

"Doing what?" he asked

"Come outside and listen"

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the OOSF most of you have fought with me and the person who hasn’t I know is worthy because he wears the Blue Beret." I said to the team. Looking around at the faces that were so much a part of my life.

"I have a request to make it is a volunteer only job but I feel action needs to be done. I am commandeering the two ships in the harbour here and I want to lead a relief effort into Europe. This will not be an offensive operation but as we all know shit happens in any plan. So I am taking five hundred men who are good with weapons and I would like to ask you first as you are the best. You can bring friends and family along but this isn’t a pleasure cruise it may get dangerous and it’s a hell of a lot of hard work, but and I emphasise this it is only a request no one need fear upsetting me for saying no. You have a few days to decide and thank you for today." I said and walked towards the Land Rover waiting.

"Ma’am" came Suki’s voice before I got to it I turned round "the decisions been made Ma’am" she said.

"And?" I left the question dangling if I could get half of them I would have a decent core of leaders and I would be happy.

"What do you want me to get started on first Boss we have a lot of work to do?" Suki said grinning as were the rest of the team.

"Ships need crews fuel and refitting, Newcastle’s the place for that. We need teachers, doctors, nurses and engineers. You lot work out a list of everyone you would want to rebuild a world and we will see who we can get. But one last thing, thank you for following this mad bitch on another loony crusade" I said tears in my eyes.

"But your the Boss Lady who else would we follow who would love us as you do" Sam said and I climbed into the car speechless.

"Don’t you mind Paul?" I asked as he slipped in next to me.

"Mind, I have been waiting for something like this since a week after John was born. Besides I always liked you in uniform" he said slipping a hand on my leg.

"Later, you randy bastard." I whispered as I kissed him. "besides we have work to do."

Ten years after the disaster I stood looking at the falls at Niagara with Paul and John, also with us was an as yet unknown person repeatedly kicking on my bladder.

"Paul it’s nice but I need a loo?" I said as I looked at the millions of gallons of water flowing over the falls.

"Its not the baby is it?" he asked concern across his face. "Because I thought we should wrap it up in Mexico before now and then you wanted a holiday."

"Look I’m fine except I have a foot bouncing up and down on my bladder" I said.

"Mummy can we go on the boat there" John asked eagerly.

"Yes we can I’m sure they will have a toilet." I told him as we walked down to the boat that ran tours out into the spray again.

He helped me negotiate the steps down to the boat as it was a case of my belly is coming the rest of me will follow and John held his other hand.

"When’s the next trip?" I asked the man on the quayside.

"For you whenever you want the man said smiling" and helping me on board.

"Where’s your loo" I asked and escaped to the toilet as the boat started to John’s delighted squeals.

That night after we had got him to bed we sat there watching the stars on the balcony.

"Do you think Suki’s alright down there? Mexico has been a right bastard to crack so far" I asked Paul.

"Look relax you have set up as self sustaining relief effort worldwide on every continent of this planet except Antarctica we have relief efforts underway and new teams being trained another ten years and the job will be done what will you do then?" he asked.

"Well I will have to trade my old man of thirty seven in for a new model" I said as he pulled me to my feet "that is if you don’t dump me for being a fat and ugly cow."

He led me through to the bedroom and kissed me long and hard his hands slipping under the back of my maternity dress to cup my panty covered bottom which had expanded greatly with this pregnancy.

"Paul I thought we were going out for dinner oh" I gasped as he slid a hand around to my front and slipped it between my legs to caresses my pussy.

"We have half an hour before the baby sitter gets here" he said one hand unbuttoning the front of my dress so it would fall off my shoulders. He removed his hand so the dress could fall to the floor then unhooked my bra, the now D cup breasts with dark blue veins visible resting on my belly the large now dark brown nipples erect and after attention. He traced the dark line indicating how advanced I was in this pregnancy from my belly button down to my panties and pulled them down. Leaving me naked except for my shoes which I slipped off. I let him touch and caress me for a while then I manoeuvred onto the bed on my hands and knees and waited.

"Come on you randy sod I want you now." I said to him my pussy eager for him inside me as my boobs and belly dangled below me.

"What ever you say Boss Lady." he answered and slid into me I pushed back eagerly knowing that he was my man. As he built up a rhythm it started my boobs swing in which hurt so I dropped down onto my elbows and enjoyed him pounding in and out of me and my orgasm was triggered by the sensation of him spurting jet after jet of sperm inside me.

"Oh god have I got you well trained." I said when I could speak again. "Now come on get dressed this is our last night here I intend to eat out. You know what its like food wise on those relief flights and I have enough problems with my digestion at the moment" I stood up and looked at him lying there dick shrivelled and damp.

"But if you can stand it we can play again later" I suggested tweaking his nipple.

"With you love always more" he said smiling and his dick twitching.

"But if we don’t eat now I will tell Anne you haven’t been looking after me" I teased.

"Anything but that" he said sitting up laughing and we got ready to eat.

Twenty one years after the disaster we did have a bit of unpleasantness at New Delphi as it had been decided to rebury Bernard’s body in Edinburgh at the Castle. This was an unacceptable decision I decided and called for anyone who was willing to help stop the exhumation. Three and a half thousand people descended on New Delphi and we held out for six days before international pressure caused the government to back down. At the conference that took place at New Delphi my home was declared an international site of historic importance, which proves it is not what you know but who you know as my family had been guests in five of the six countries that decided it. The Japanese Emperor had been wonderful with the children when we visited years before. John then thirteen and Alice then two loved him not needing an excuse to join in the games. I looked at my life after this incident and tried to figure out what to do next as I was still only classed as thirty five years old.

Twenty eight years after the crash I sat at the end of a table between two teams of delegates in the town of Gracanica on the Serbian, Bosnian border. The problems there the usual politics and religion with an unhealthy mixture of hatred built on through the generations.

"No you are not leaving this place until a decision has been reached. You have spent the last ten years gradually building up to the point of blowing the shit out of each other again." I shouted at the men and women translators worked rapidly to interpret for them.

"How dare you talk to us like this" one of them shouted.

"What will you do if we leave shoot us?" the other side responded.

"If necessary I will shoot you, or anyone of the fifty men and women

outside who have a Blue Beret will brake your legs. This is my show not

yours so temper tantrums, screaming, shouting and grandstanding will

not impress me. Both of you have been moving your remaining population

towards the border, by force when necessary, for years." I told the

stunned men

"That is a lie" one shouted.

"We were responding to Serbian aggression." another shouted.

"Bullshit. Since the end of the plagues that ravaged the survivors of Europe you have been building up to this shit. My personal solution is to give you two weeks to move your populations out of the border area then make your border area so radioactive that there will be no excuse for hundreds of years. But I have been told that this could be a bit too aggressive for the moment, so you have to come to a compromise." I told them.

"Or what?" came from the Serbian camp.

"Well I am sure you and your people will figure out your differences before I have to put your resolve to the test." I answered.

"What is that supposed to be a veiled threat?" The Bosnian interpreter asked.

"No it isn’t veiled at all, I took the Zulu’s into Cape Town to sort out the problems with the new generation of Afrikaner’s. Now we have no problems there at all and no Afrikaner population, though I believe the survivors are doing well in New Guinea. I also seem to remember both of you have had problems with the Croatians in the past I think they might be sympathetic to my needs" I explained to them both.

"You wouldn’t?" came from the Serbian delegate.

"They might be a bit easier for you to relate to than lets say the Russians."

"Look these are threats against our countries" one of them shouted out.

"If I come in you will not have countries. The border between your countries is to be de militarised any build up of forces that I feel is a potential act of aggression will be met with extreme force. I have no compunctions about using a tactical nuclear device. Finally if hostilities do break out between your forces or your general population I will hold everyone here personally responsible an I will execute all of you" I shouted.

"You can’t do that." a shout came from the left of me."

"You all know my history and my record if you think that I can’t or won’t then please stand up now and I will use you to demonstrate to the others that I am completely serious" I said calmly.

"No, no, NO" a man on the Serbian delegation stood up and shouted "I will not put up with this attitude or treatment."

I drew and fired a single shot at his head the spray of blood and brain covering the people on his left as his body jerked then fell to the ground twitching.

"You think I am fucking about? If you lot start a war then we are looking at tens of thousands dead and I am not willing to let you fuckers piss around while your people die. These are the new rules of warfare the leaders are the first to die and the gentleman there has just demonstrated the principle." I said "Sam can you get that corpse on the table?" I asked.

"Now look closely ladies and gentlemen this is death close up and this is what you are doing to your people and what if it is allowed to happen I will do personally to you. So the choice is yours and yours" I explained looking around the room at the rather sick and pale looking people "or we can do it as an old fashioned duel ten places and fire."

"Why did you kill that man?" a Serbian asked.

"Because it was necessary. If it becomes necessary to kill all of you I will do it personally and not lose a nights sleep. You will now resolve your differences and after that we will go outside and bury this man. Any objections?" I looked around at the stunned men and women but nobody replied.

Fifty years after the fall of civilisation and its rebirth I stood with Jimmy as we watched the parade of veterans at New Delphi. Mark and Mathew though both in their early seventies lead the parade with the remaining members of the original OOSF and the Middlesbrough team. Paul had insisted on marching as he said he was only sixty seven the oldest out there was late nineties. Next to us were the remaining members of the original eight. Bob lay at the front of the cemetery next to Tom and Bill having lost his battle against prostate cancer three years ago. Jimmy now approaching ninety had wanted to march but I had convinced him to keep me company on the podium as he wasn’t too good on his feet now. Behind the veterans marching proudly despite their age marched the new generation. Five hundred and fifty members of the OOSF everyone nominated by their peers and everyone having received the Blue Beret off me personally including my granddaughter. Yes she had done well following her father John’s footsteps into the OOSF to be called on world wide. Alice my first daughter was now a teacher and my second Faith, was an International negotiation specialist, doing as I did in Bosnia without the use of weapons. Though she assures me that even these days the threat of force to make a negotiation clear an impasse is still used and more than once she has threatened delegates with her mother.

"Not many of them left out there are there Jimmy?" I said as they finished.

"A hell of a lot more than there might have been without you" He said looking at me with his tired eyes and weather-beaten face showing his age to the full.

"Did I do the right thing?" I asked him.

"You ask that of me?" he shouted back. "I have two children and four grandchildren who don’t have to go through the shit we went through thanks to you. You have three kids seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren, think of what it was like and imagine what their lives would been like if we had fifty years of the darkness."

"I know but I still worry." I admitted. "Did I need to take so many lives?"

"Look you have atoned for that you did ten years relief work dragging a kid around with you and living on those two tubs. Since then you have done everything that has been asked of you in the arena on international politics, some of it might not have been conventional but it worked." He said as he took my arm to climb down the steps.

"Well at least life wasn’t boring" I told him.

"Boring with you around? I still think about the fear I felt when Suki came along saying you had gone that way on that fucking bridge" He said laughing.

"Well it worked didn’t it?" I said laughing too.

"Yes as everything you did worked and Bernard would be proud to know how well you did it."

"Good lets go and claim my husband and go and eat before my ravenous hoard of a family clear the place" I told him as I waved to Jean and her first daughter Katherine now in her forties.

Eighty years after the Global Apocalypse and the new world I stood looking at the rows of stone the front row now nearly full.

"You understand why I have told you this?" I asked Anne one of my many great great grandchildren.

"Not exactly Nana" she admitted.

"Look around you see the names these are not just names they are people hero’s who gave their lives for what they believed in. The problem is history is perverting that, the last film I saw barely mentioned Bernard and Jimmy. What it did to Tom was criminal how Andrea felt I don’t know at her age she doesn’t need that shit." I said to the young woman who looked so like me at her age.

"What do you want me to do Nana?" she asked as she held my arm to steady my progress over the immaculately kept grass.

"Well I haven’t been here for eleven years now, not since I lost Paul and I know that I will join him though how long it will be I don’t know. I promised that people wouldn’t forget and the men and women who wear the Blue Beret will not forget. But I want the true story to be recorded. I have spoken with Wendy and she agrees that the time has come to start putting the record straight" I told her.

"Can I help you ladies at all are you looking for someone as the grounds do close at dusk" a young man asked.

"No you cant I know my way around" I answered sharply.

"Well as I say we do close at dusk then the high guard go on watch, their weapons are real" the man said trying to encourage us to leave.

"Well then if you give us a quick tour then we will be out of your hair." I suggested and he looked at his watch. "and if your worried about the time I could take all of an hour to walk to the end of the drive at my age. But after a quick tour I think I could do it a lot quicker."

"Come on Nana’s a veteran and we are only in this country till tomorrow" Anne said looking at the young man imploringly.

"Ok come on then." the young man said with a smile to Anne. "This is New Delphi the place where the salvation of the human race started in those dark days after the computer virus that wiped out so much of civilisation. Here The Oracle and her sister made their plans to save civilisation and the first battle was fought against the forces of darkness."

"Bullshit here people fought to stay alive and that was it, plans were not an issue at the time." I answered as we were led inside.

"Er yes, well this is the dining room where the first broadcasts were made and you can hear a recording of the message played by The Oracle when New Delphi was under attack." He said slightly flustered at my interruption an we could hear my voice saying New Delphi was under attack.

I wandered into the kitchen and looked at the door leading to the passage to the armoury and the room where I first woke in this body.

"I am afraid that area is out of bounds" the man said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Well its stores and supply area and also weapons are stored there" he answered guiding me to the reception area decorated with photo’s.

"Here we se a picture of The Oracle in battle in Edinburgh firing her weapon at the enemy" the man said indicating a large picture of me in Newcastle reloading the pistol while covered with blood.

"Bullshit, that is Newcastle and that weapons being reloaded" I said as I walked up stairs stopping to run my fingers over the photo of me with Tom, Jimmy and Bernard in Newcastle.

"Can you please not touch" the man said "a lot of this is irreplaceable that is one of Anne’s original photograph. Do you think you can manage the stairs?"

"Other than bullet holes or alcohol nothing could stop me." I told him as I headed up to my room. I ignored the rope across the entrance and walked inside surprised to see how little had changed since I had last been here.

"Excuse me" the man said. "what do you think you are doing?" I didn’t answer I reached out and fingered a uniform a working dress bearing the two badges of the Middlesbrough team and the OOSF.

"Will you leave that alone please that is irreplaceable it was made by

Mr McKinney whose establishment still makes the uniforms for the OOSF"

the man said pushing past Anne

"No it wasn’t" I answered.

"What?" he demanded.

"It wasn’t it was made by Milligan one of three that he made. One had a hole in the back another in the arm and this one I thought it had been left in Edinburgh. Though someone has added the medal ribbons afterwards" I answered.

"They were put on there by The Oracle herself" he replied.

"Bullshit get your facts straight" I shouted at him.

"Will you please leave or do I have to get some of the security down here?"

"Try it son" I said as I sat on my bed he left heading upstairs and shortly after two men appeared both in their late thirties wearing the Blue Berets.

"Excuse me Ma’am you shouldn’t be in here and it is time to close up for the night. You should really be heading home" one said.

"I am home" I answered as I slipped my coat off revealing the two silver pistols I still wore priceless to any collector and the men sprang to attention leaving the young man very confused.

"Anne I am staying here to make sure they get it right" I said to Anne.

"Are you sure Nana?" she asked.

"Yes I don’t have much time left to put things straight and people like him don’t help either." I indicated the young man at the door.

"Fine Nana I will arrange for your things to be brought here." Anne said standing up and walking to the door.

"What the hell is going on here?" the young man said grabbing Anne as

she walked past "She can’t stay here"

"Yes she can." one of the OOSF said pulling him away from Anne "She’s The Boss Lady."

After much fussing and many phone calls it was decided that I could stay, well lets be honest it was decided that it would not be wise to remove me by force. But at the request of the preservation committee I was asked to stay in Wendy’s room. I agreed grudgingly and as I wandered onto the roof for a last inspection of the High Guard Anne accompanied me up helping me with the stairs.

"Good evening I hope you don’t mind me up here, it’s an old habit of checking the perimeter before I sleep" I said to the two men and one woman on the roof.

"Don’t worry Ma’am you are always welcome and I am sorry we didn’t recognise you earlier" the woman said.

"Jane isn’t it" I said studying her face "I gave you your beret six and a half years ago for work during a flare up in the middle east."

"Yes that’s it Ma’am" Jane said beaming broadly.

"I never forget anyone who receives the Blue Beret though now it might take some time to recall a name" I told her "But this is your home as much as mine so please drop the Ma’am Kathy or even Boss is better. How long do you live here for nowadays?"

"Six month detachment, you said that New Delphi was a home above all else and while we are here we live here" Jane said.

"Good then an old fart like me has some company and you only have to put up with me for six months at most" I said laughing.

"Boss with you it would never be a case of have to put up with. We are first and foremost the Oracle’s Own and you received your Blue in exactly the same way as I did though mine I feel was not deserved" Jane said looking at the floor.

"Look at me Jane." I said sharply to the woman and she looked shocked and worried.

"Everyone who gets to wear that Beret at some point questions it, Suki

did as did my husband Paul who is down there waiting for me and I was

the most surprised when on that first night at the Queens I was

nominated. Never doubt you deserve it because in nearly eighty years I

have never doubted if the person I place one of those on deserved it

and would wear it with pride"

"Yes Ma’am" she said standing at attention .

"Relax we’re sharing the same house and as Bernard said twenty years younger than me at the time when you get to my age you worry about if you go to bed you might wake up dead. So you will probably see me a lot up here" I said to them all.

"Company is always welcome." one of the lads said.

"I know eighty years ago it was just me and my sister on the defences here and from three till six in the morning is a right bastard that’s why you have three on duty. Two to watch one to get the coffee" I said getting a chuckle.

"Do you want a brew?" Jane asked.

"Not tonight" I answered "Its been a busy day tonight I will sleep. But if you hear me shout during the night don’t come in it’s just the old nightmares returning they are never far away" and I started down the stairs.

"What does she mean the old nightmares?" one of the lads asked.

"With the shit that she went through it’s enough to give anyone nightmares" Jane answered.

"How old is she now?" the other lad asked.

"A hell of a lot older than you Grant" I shouted up "and not even a little bit deaf yet."

In Wendy’s room Anne helped me get ready for bed.

"Nana what happened to your two sons who you had as Dave?" Anne asked.

"One I gave a Blue Beret nearly seventy years ago the other spent his life on the relief operations. Me and Wendy kept our eyes on them through out their lives and from them I have four grandchildren thirteen great grandchildren and at last count over fifty great great grandchildren. So I know they did well though neither is still alive now. Quite a family you have got isn’t it? Anne and if you want the really weird then check out the horses over in the other field tomorrow I am sort of related to most of them as well."



Ninety eight years and sixty two days after the new beginning.

"Is all well up here Alex?" I asked as I came out onto the roof. "It’s all fine" the young woman answered "but its Julie Ma’am and you shouldn’t risk those stairs on your own."

"The stairs are no problem but names I have problems with I remember your face your Alex’s great granddaughter aren’t you? I gave you your Beret for action in Korea" I said.

"That’s right Ma’am" she said and smiled I might get confused but I still never forgot anything.

"Goodnight Julie, but you so reminded me of Alex standing there" I told her as I shuffled towards the door. I walked into what had been Wendy’s room I had been asked if I wouldn’t mind using this room as mine was of historic importance, then I thought sod it eighteen years kept out of my own room was not on and walked into my room moving the rope and closing the door after me. I made use of the bathroom and found a nightdress in the drawer and slipped it on then slipped into my bed. I slipped into a deep sleep and the dreams started almost immediately the dead I was expecting arrived swiftly this time. But it was different this time the accusations where not forthcoming and Bernard came out of the shadows.

"Come on Kathy it’s time" he said holding out a hand.

"But what about Paul" I asked "he should be here?"

"I’m here my love." came Paul’s voice from behind me as his hands slipped around me "Jimmy and Wendy are waiting for you with the rest of the gang." He slid around to my side and took my other hand and I looked into the face of the man I loved.

"Bernard did I do it right?" I asked him.

"I don’t know but most of the world thinks so" Bernard said his unmarked face smiling "but its time to move out now Kathy come on I guarantee it wont be boring."

"With Kathy around it never is." came Jimmy’s voice from somewhere ahead and we waked off into the unknown.





"New beginning plus 1038 years is where we are now and undoubtedly the great disaster happened" the tutor said to his class looking around at the bored faces.

"Without doubt the place called New Delphi existed and its present form is roughly what it looked like then. According to the records the woman known as Katherine, The Oracle of New Delphi died aged one hundred and eleven years old in her sleep after checking the high guard a task that is even now performed by the OOSF members of at least ten years service. As to the accuracy of the histories recorded by one Anne Maitland these I feel must be taken in the same context as the histories of Herodotus.

The reliability of some of the facts must be severely questioned. They were written by a young woman singing the praises of her ancestor and due to this fact the actions and importance of her have been played up to the full. Without these histories it is doubtful that she would be remembered beyond Scottish folk tales and faded films and photographs that make little mention of the men and women who fought with her. The backbone of the forces which fought at New Delphi have to be James Houston and Bernard Brown both distinguished military men and undoubtedly the tacticians and the originators of using a Joan of Arc type figure to head the movement.

This is in complete contrast to the great hero Kirk of mankind’s first adventures into space in the years prior to The Oracle. Jones will you please wake up there I am sorry if I am boring you but...."

...Finis

~The Oracle Of New Delphi~ © 2001 by Hypatia
~Illustration~ © 2001 Digital Blasphemy
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