Chapter 7 (England, Rumors of Invasion)

CHAPTER 71

England, Rumors of Invasion2

“Hello, this is Lt. Comm. Lewis reporting to W. Sussex Naval Transport Station.” 3

“We got you Commander. What’s the news?”4

“German submarine found in our waters at 4:20am. It shot upon us. We fought against this submarine and destroyed sub at 6:10am. We are coming home to repair submarine Louis.” 5

“What’s the damage?” asked the voice on the radio. 6

“Top of submarine was nicked by torpedo. There’s a small hole big enough to cause a leak. On right side of submarine, it was hit by torpedo. A large hole is there, and entire lower engine area is flooded. We are in need of major repairs and a new vessel.” 7

“Yes Commander.” 8

“Commander Lewis signing off.” 9

“Okay Commander Lewis. See you in a bit.”10

“We will be at Naval Station in 35 minutes,” said Lt. Reed. 11

“Okay, everyone prepare for departure,” said Comm. Lewis. She thought to herself for a moment. She then spoke to Lt. Reed to stood close by her right side. 12

“I hope we were the only ones attacked today.” 13

“Commander, that may be, but we were attacked by Germany. It’s France and Japan that wants war with us,” replied Lt. Reed. 14

“My God,” said Comm. Lewis. “Then it has begun.” 15

“What has begun,” said Lt. Reed, confused. 16

“The invasion. Germany is sour at Australia, and anyone that’s against Australia is against us. Australia doesn’t know that Germany is against them yet. Germany doesn’t want to make open war against us, for reasons unknown. Japan and France does.” 17

“So what are you saying Commander?” asked Lt. Reed. 18

“That Germany wants war but doesn’t know who to attack first.”19

“But we did attack them,” replied Lt. Reed.20

“Which means that we just declared war on Germany.”21

Col. Matthieu solemnly picked up his phone and dialed London’s Military Headquarters. “Hello, Col. Matthieu requesting to speak with General Brown.” 22

“I’m sorry Colonel, but the General is in a meeting,” said the voice on the phone. 23

“Well go, interrupt the meeting, and tell him that I need to speak with him.” 24

“But Colonel, I can’t….” 25

“Do it, now. That’s an order.” 26

“Yes sir.” Two minutes later, General Brown picked up the phone. 27

“Hello Colonel.” 28

“General, sorry to disturb you sir, but we have a dire situation.” 29

“What is it Colonel.” 30

“A Japanese plane attacked one of our blackbirds. Lt. Col. Wells, Comm. Jacks, Capt. Janns, Capt. Burgess, Major Jones, Major Mickles, Capt. Crestles, Lt. Edward, and Capt. Coleman were all killed in the attack.” The general took a deep breath. 31

“When did this take place Colonel?” 32

“Ten minutes ago sir, right outside my window.”33

“So it has begun.”34

“What has begun?” asked Col. Matthieu.35

“The invasion. Lieutenant Commander Lewis and her crew spotted a German submarine at 4:20am. They destroyed it at 6:10am, but not until after being hit by two torpedoes.”36

“A German sub sir?”37

“We will have a meeting with a few Australian officers. I will send for them today. We will come up with a plan to thwart this invasion. Are your troops ready?”38

“Yes sir.”39

“Good. Be on standby. Stay at your base until further orders.”40

“Yes sir.” They then hung up the phones. Col. Matthieu sat in his chair thinking about his friends and fellow soldiers he lost in the plane crash that took place at 7:30am. He was sad, but he knew the work must go on.41

“By my life or death, I will avenge you,” he said to himself talking about the officers lost in the helicopter. He then took in a deep breath and sat in silence for 5 minutes in his chair. He then leaned forward, placed both his hands on his cheeks and thought. Then, placing both hands side by side on his face, he proceeded to cry.42

Lindsey woke up from a long day’s sleep. She was hurting still, very sore from the event that transpired earlier in the day. She reached for the remote control that lied on the bed and turned on the T.V. The only thing that was on was the news. She crawled out of bed and gingerly walked to the bathroom. She turned on the shower, took off her clothes and stepped in. She felt dirty, and this was the only way she knew how to clean herself. Shortly after, her mobile phone ranged.43

“That bastard, he didn’t throw it in the toilet after all.” She hurriedly opened the shower door, leaned out of it, and looked for her phone. The ring was coming from a nearby towel that was lying on the bathroom floor. She moved forward in the shower to reach for the towel, but Richard’s soap was on the shower floor. She accidentally stepped on the soap, fell backwards and hit the shower floor head first, knocking her unconscious. Her body lied over the drainer, and the shower water continued to run.44

“Why isn’t she picking up the phone?” asked Lt. Rachel Carter to herself.45

“She was supposed to be here hours ago.” Major Cousins made his way into the office. He was Lt. Smith’s, Lt. Carter’s, and all the other Lieutenants in the building immediate supervisor.46

“Lieutenant, where’s Smith?” he asked to Lt. Carter.47

“I don’t know sir. She left early this morning before her shift ended because of a family crisis. I haven’t heard from her since. Now I’m worried.”48

“It’s not like her to be away during a time like this Lieutenant.”49

“I know sir. That’s why I’m worried.”50

“Well, go see if she’s at home.”51

“Yes sir.” Lt. Carter picked up her cell phone and rushed out of the building. Once outside, she ran to her car and hopped in, started it, and sped away. Lt. Smith’s house was approximately 45 minutes away from the military base.52

“I must call her again,” said Lt. Carter to herself. She dialed Lt. Smith’s number again, but no answer.53

“Fuck. Why in the bloody hell isn’t she picking up her phone? Oh I hope she’s all right.” She then tried the number one last time, but there was no response.54

“Fuck. Must try again.” But her phone lost frequency while she was dialing. She was now on a bridge. Children were running on the bridge and on the other side, the opposite traffic, there was a large car pileup.55

“What’s happening?” Lt. Carter looked over to her left at the opposite traffic and saw a car on top of a child, and then a large traffic jam behind this car. A big bus labeled American Red Cross was also involved in the wreck with a giant diesel truck carrying cargo. Lt. Carter’s eyes remained on the site, even after she passed it, straining her neck to see it from behind. Now that the wreck was a distance behind her, she turned around to focus her attention back on driving. Suddenly, a child ran in front of her car. “FUCK!” yelled Lt. Carter. She slammed on the brakes and swerved right, tearing through the guardrail and causing her car to fall off the bridge and into the water. There was no escape for Lt. Carter. She left two windows down, so water poured into he car at a fast rate. Then, all was black and silent.56

“Commander, we are at the Naval Base,” said Lt. Reed.57

“Okay Lieutenant, park it. Everyone prepare to transfer information and logs over to submarine Sussex,” said Comm. Lewis.58

“Are you sure Commander, because submarine Sussex is twice the size as this submarine,” said Lt. Reed.59

“Well Lieutenant, submarine Sussex has more weapons and better armor. It is also faster and is the most updated submarine with the latest installments.”60

“But Commander, why do we need a high-tech submarine,” asked Lt. Zimmerman.61

“Because Lieutenant, if we were attacked by the Germans and we were not at war with the Germans, then how much more will we be attacked by France and Japan? And Germany will be back!”62

“Commander, will we have any help?” asked Lt. Reed.63

“What’s that Lieutenant?”64

“Well, I know that there is a possibility that there may be more than one submarine that we may encounter. So I was asking if someone will accompany us in the waters?”65

“I don’t know Lieutenant. I don’t think so.”66

“Are the Australian officers here?” asked General Brown to his secretary.67

“Yes sir. They’re in your office waiting for you.”68

“Thank you Miranda.” General Brown then headed for his office.69

“Oh, and sir, Col. Matthieu called. He didn’t sound to well.” 70

“Okay, thank you Miranda.” He then reached his office and stepped in. Six men were in his office chatting. The first to see him was General Appier.71

“Well hello old chap!” said General Brown. 72

“Hiya’ doin’ mate?” replied General Appier. “Long time no see.”73

“And who are these other fine young men?” asked General Brown.74

“Well, to my left is General Solich, to my right is my superior officer, General of the Air force, General Smith, and behind me to my left is another one of my superior officers, Fleet Admiral Micks, and behind me to my right is Lieutenant Colonel Wesley of the Air force.”75

“Well, nice to meet you all,” said General Brown. “Any news from Australia?”76

“Yes, grave news.” Replied General Smith. “All of our military headquarters were bombed by the Germans. A sniper took out our top officers, and now, everyone is in Canberra. Parliament was taken out in the attack on Brisbane.”77

“Then who leads this gathering in Canberra?” asked General Brown.78

“The new Commander and Chief of the Army is General Clark, who was promoted from Lieutenant Colonel. He has the most valuable experience.”79

“And who will lead them in battle?” asked Gen. Brown.80

“Rumor has it that Col. Shaw has returned to lead our men in battle,” replied General Solich.81

“And rumor also has it that he marches with one million troops from Australia, New Zealand, and Papau New Guinea,” Said General Appier.82

“And he has come with the wrath of God upon him,” said Fl. Adm. Micks.83

“He will entrust leadership to Maj. Karia, as she is a willing and capable leader herself,” said Lt. Col. Wesley.84

“Col. Shaw, the prodigal son, returns home for war. And you say he has the wrath of God upon him?” asked Gen. Brown.85

“Yes sir,” replied Lt. Col. Wesley.86

“Then there is no way Australia could lose.”87

“No sir, there isn’t. Col. Shaw will deliver us to victory,” said Lt. Col. Wesley.88

“Then may God save those that gets in his path,” said Gen. Brown.89

“General, how goes it here in England?” asked General Smith.90

“Well, our fortune hasn’t been so good. You have suffered much more and far worse than we did. But what we did suffer has been major. A Japanese aircraft attacked one of our blackbirds, killing nine of our officers, one of them being Capt. Coleman, a great officer and excellent commander. She was to lead a group of 10,000 troops in preparation for the war. Also, a German submarine attacked one of our submarines at 420. After being hit by two torpedoes, our submarine under the leadership of the best sub commander in England and perhaps the best in the world today Lieutenant Commander Sara Lewis, defeated it at 610. Also, France and Japan both declared war on us. An invasion will take place any day now. That’s why I’m glad you are here. We need your expertise and abilities to lead our men.”91

“Sure, we will be of service,” said General Smith. “We do have soldiers coming over here.”92

“Great, led by who?” asked Gen. Brown.93

“Led by Maj. Kara. They will then fall under the command of Admiral Micks and myself. 40,000 of the men will return to Australia with Maj. Kara, while the other 260,000 will remain here with me. Col. Shaw will land in Germany with 350,000 troops. Gen. Clark will land in Northern Germany with 150,000 troops. They will proceed across Europe, then split up. Gen. Clark will head to England while Col. Shaw look to take over France. The Brazilian Army with 100,000 troops will be in Spain, and there after, Shaw will head there and take command of their troops. Maj. Kara and Maj. Karia will defend our homeland from invasion,” replied Gen. Smith.94

“And the United States?” asked Gen. Brown.95

“Not yet interested in war.”96

“Fuckin’ pansies!” replied Gen. Brown. “Here in England, Col. Matthieu is on standby with about 30,000 troops. Lt. Commander Lewis will be back out in the waters shortly. And Lt. Smith, our most brilliant military mind, hasn’t been heard from yet. So we’re in a bit of a mess. But we’ll be ready.”97

“I hope so, because if what you say about this invasion comes true, it will be devastating,” said Gen. Smith.98

“God help us,” said Gen. Brown.99

“It’s 2:30am commander,” said Lt. Reed.100

“Okay. Is all data and materials transferred?”101

“Yes Commander.”102

“Is Submarine Sussex ready?”103

“Yes Commander. The crew is ready as well. We didn’t recruit any new crew members.”104

“Good Lieutenant. The crew we have is fine. They all have valuable experience and our chemistry is good. So load up the crew. And we’ll be on our way.”105

“Yes Commander.” Lt. Reed proceeded to load up the crew into the much larger more equipped submarine. Once the last crew member was aboard, Lt. Red looked for Comm. Lewis. She was nowhere to be seen. He walked over to the stairway on the left and climbed up to the upper level, which looked over the ocean and looked like a pier. Once up to the upper level, he looked left, but saw no Comm. Lewis. He then looked right, and over at the edge leaning over the guardrail in thought was Comm. Lewis. Lt. Reed walked over cautiously until he stood about 10 steps behind her.106

“Commander, the crew is on board awaiting your orders.”107

“Okay, thank you Lieutenant.” Lt. Reed kept his eyes fixed on Comm. Lewis. She didn’t move a muscle. He then proceeded cautiously forward until he stood about four steps behind her. Comm. Lewis looked up to the sky. Lt. Reed also looked up, wondering what the commander was looking. She looked back out over the water. Lt. Reed looked at his commander, 5’2 inch blond haired beautiful lady that weighed no more than 110 pounds. He admired her. She was so brave, commanding men in battle. She was the absolute best submarine commander he had ever seen. He’s been in wars across the Pacific. He’s been in wars in the Mediterranean. He’s had seven different commanders, but none were as calm and poised under combat than she. He’s served with her now for three years, known her for 16 years, and he loved her. He was willing to follower her to death, it that’s the path she chose for them. He wondered how she remained so under control, so calm. What inner strength, if any, did she have? What drove her? While he thought about his commander, Comm. Lewis sighed.108

“Lieutenant, what will become of us?”109

“I don’t know Commander.”110

“We go to war in the waters, where no one knows what will happen. This crew we have, though brave, are really young. I’m not a submarine Captain. I’m a Lieutenant Commander who’s never been in charge of her own vessel. I don’t know if I have the experience, the strength, or the will to lead these soldiers to victory. I just don’t know if I have what it takes to lead these people to victory or death.” Comm. Lewis looked down at the water below her. Lt. Reed walked over next to her on her left.111

“I just want the troops to have the best leadership available. I don’t know if I can give that to them.”112

“Commander, may I speak freely?” asked Lt. Reed.113

“Yes Russ, speak your mind.”114

“Commander,” he started. But Comm. Lewis interrupted him.115

“Russell, you’ve known me for 16 years. You knew me before I was Lt. Commander Lewis. You knew me as a 10-year-old little girl. I am still that same little girl you met so many years ago. Right now I need a friend. Please, be my friend. Stop being Lt. Reed for one minute, and be Russell, the little boy I met so many years ago, and the man I came to respect.” Comm. Lewis looked directly in Lt. Reed’s eyes. Lt. Reed thought for a minute, and then spoke.116

“Sara, you just commanded us out of a fight against a superior vessel. You were poised and under control. You did not panic. I served under seven different commanders, and by far you are the best. You also command your own submarine, which shows how much the Navy respects you. And the crew, they adore you. They would follow you to hell if you led them there.” Comm. Lewis turned left, facing Lt. Reed, leaving her right elbow on the guardrail. She looked Lt. Reed in the eyes.117

“And you?” asked Comm. Lewis.118

“I love you,” answered Lt. Reed. He then leaned in to kiss her. She too, leaned in forward. They both closed their eyes as their lips proceeded ever closer to making contact. Just before they pressed their lips against each other’s, Comm. Lewis’ watch alarm went off. She backed away and looked at her watch. 119

“3:00am. Time to go. She turned off her alarm and walked towards the stairway. Lt. Reed just stood there. Comm. Lewis looked back, “Are you coming?”120

“Yes.”121

“Then come on Lieutenant. We must go now.” He then walked towards the stairway.122

“Damn watch,” he thought to himself. Once at the bottom, they both loaded in the submarine and took off.123

“Any news on Lt. Smith?” asked Col. Matthieu on the telephone.124

“No sir. Lt. Carter headed to her house 9 hours ago but as of yet we haven’t hear from her either,” said the voice on the phone.125

“Fuck. Where in the bloody hell are they?” said Col. Matthieu to himself loudly.126

“Excuse me sir?”127

“Oh, nothing. Thank you. Tell your superior that I will go to Lt. Smith’s house to check on her.”128

“Yes sir.” They both hung up the phone. Col. Matthieu then called Gen. Brown.129

“This is Brown,” answered Gen. Brown.130

“Sir, something’s wrong with Lt. Smith. No one’s heard from her in over 24 hours and Lt. Carter hasn’t been heard from since leaving for Lt. Smith’s house 9 hours ago.”131

“Okay Colonel. Find out all you can. Lt. Smith is our most valuable source of information and most able leader, right behind you. She’s our most brilliant officer. WE need her at this time.”132

“Yes sir. I’m headed to her house.”133

“Okay Colonel. And do be careful.”134

“Yes sir.” Col. Matthieu hung up the phone and walked out of his office into the hallway. In the hallway stood Lt. Anderson of Broome Army, Maj. Jons of Sussex, And Capt. Liles of Northumberland Army having a conversation with each other. Col. Matthieu turned right and saw them.135

“Lt. Anderson, Maj. Jons, and Capt. Liles, we have a crisis situation. Come with me.” They all proceeded outside and down the steps. “Which one of you have a car our here?” asked Col. Matthieu.136

“I do sir,” answered Capt. Liles.137

“Okay, Lt. Anderson, you ride with me. Maj. Jons, you’re with Capt. Liles. Follow me.”138

“Yes sir,” they all said in unison.139