Stupid cowards. Decadent, arrogant fools! More, similar insults blazed through Captain Redgick's thoughts as they drew close to Alpha base. His feelings of defeat and despair turned to anger; there hadn't been the slightest sign or hint of any manner of Citizen reinforcements, assistance of any kind, or even an acknowledgement of his plight. His strained mind naturally assumed they were too moronic or overconfident to bother sending assistance.
Several blocks earlier, it had looked as though their pursuers had fallen behind, so, reining his command of the exhausted troops, he called a brief halt. They, of course, kept careful watch behind them for any pursuit, but luckily it appeared as though the chase had ceased, at least for the time being. Redgick used the respite to calm the panic and get a rough count of his remaining soldiers.
He was once more dismayed to discover he had seventy-five men left. Out of the four hundred he had brought down, only seventy-five, not counting those in Alpha, were not missing, wounded, or dead. He held slim hope that a few stragglers would catch up, but his mind kept reaching back, freezing on the moment not long ago where the long knife slid into his technician's chest so easily. He didn't remember the man's name, but his face would be burned into Redgick's memory forever. He was just so surprised, Redgick thought, shuddering.
Considering that kind of treatment, Redgick had little optimism for other survivors making their way back. This battle was lost. Still, if they could get more troops and reinforce Alpha Base, they'd have a decent chance of hanging on to their presence in down below. From there, only time would be needed to exhaust the number of the armed terrorists, and all of the trouble would be finished.
Relief spread through Redgick's body as his group of survivors came to the corner of the Escape complex. They sidled along the large wall, still keeping any eye behind them. Redgick moved in front and led his group of men down the street.
The square was as it was when they arrived: empty and quiet. He was shocked to discover no sentries, no machine guns set up, and no defenses of any kind. Unthinking, he stormed into the building, shouting, "There had better be a damn good explanation for…" he trailed off, seeing the room was entirely empty. He noted a few tables and radio equipment set up, somewhat similar to Gamma base, but no one was there.
Several of his people poured in the building behind him, also shocked to see the base devoid of any support troops. The wide freight elevator in the back behind the marble reception counters lay open and empty. Seeing his exit from this Hell was deeply satisfying for Redgick, but the feeling was marred by unease.
All but a handful of his people were inside, and apprehension crept into Redgick once more. Something is wrong. Very wrong. Did they have to retreat? Did they already pull out? He didn't know. His men, with general confusion, searched around for some indication to the whereabouts of the few dozen people that had set up Alpha Base. Dread continued to mount, and silence permeated the dark, shadowy room.
He saw something.
Peering around, Redgick noticed a strange shape in the shadows attached to the wall, behind the counter to the left of the elevator and up about ten feet. It was short and rectangular with rounded corners. To the casual viewer, it almost looked like a light fixture. Something about it nagged at him, so he took a closer look. As he moved towards it, he frowned as he saw the same fixture on the other side. Squinting, he could see a couple more on the walls all around. Maybe it is a light fixture… he thought.
He crossed around behind the marble-topped reception desk and shone his weak flashlight up at the shape. It had a few words that Redgick strained to read. A tiny slit of light glinted next to the device: a thin wire. He felt suddenly lightheaded, an inkling regarding the object striking him. He passed his light on the device again, seeing the marred words on the drab green device he remembered now as, "Front Toward Enemy."
Panic shot instantly through every part of his body. He started racing to the exit, screaming, "Mines! Mines! Everybody get out!"