| FAN FICTION Darkwatch Fiction: "Tactics" - Written By Kansas Jones Darkwatch Fiction (Takes place prior to "The Wrong Train") Arizona Territory, 1876 "Tactics" The undead were very restless. Perhaps, on some psychic level, they knew that the Dark Lord Lazarus had been captured. Pockets of resistance had popped up all over the territory. This resistance wasn''t anything to worry about, and of course the Darkwatch would take care of it. The bottom line was that Lazarus was finally captured, and en route to the Citadel in the war train. "KA BOOM" General Clay Cartwright sighed as the Coyote Steam Wagon exploded a few hundred yards away from his location. That was the second one in six months. Only one wagon remained, and that was still in the testing stages. Clay envisioned a heap of paperwork detailing the demise of the prized vehicle. He had never been fond of paperwork. Now battlefield tactics? This was Clay''s true element. Cartwright and his escort patrol had been returning from an inspection tour at the Outpost when a band of undead Braves had jumped them. All of the Darkwatch Regulators had scrambled for cover among the rocky outcroppings, the horses scattering. In the ruckus, Agent McCray had gone for the Steam Wagon, which had been a fatal mistake. He was pierced with about four arrows to the chest and was stone cold dead before hitting the ground. A further complication was that McCray''s Rail Rocket had been liberated by one of the Braves. Undead Braves and a rocket launcher. A very, very bad combination. The Regulators were outnumbered by the Braves - six versus eight. They could wait until they used up the limited rocket ammunition, but that was a gamble. Cartwright and the others had no choice but to act quickly and take these renegades head on. The only bright side was if they were blown to kingdom come they wouldn''t know it, but Clay considered these odds unacceptable. A rocket soared overhead and to the left, impacting with the ground a hundred yards past their hiding place. Clay made his decision and they turned to the remaining five members of his patrol. All were experienced agents with one exception - Jones. She had recently graduated from training to the junior regulator ranks. She currently had that "What the hell am I doing here" expression that Clay had seen on many faces during many battles over the years. Clay spoke to them. "Rudabaugh, Forrest, you take the left flank. Glenn, King, you two take the right flank. I''m goin'' straight up the middle, and I don''t want no objections" he flashed a warning look to King, who had been about to object. "...and Jones," Clays gaze settled on the junior agent, "you''re on support. We need cover fire, and lots of it. You take that Carson range rifle of yours and take out anything that don''t have a heartbeat. Think you''re up to it?" He gazed at her steadily, waiting to gauge her reaction. Jones was one of a handful in the North American Darkwatch agents that specialized in long range cover. With the expansive vistas of these western territories, there was a very real need for this type of supporting cover. The Citadel trainers had recognized her talent and cultivated it early on along with the standard training. However, this skirmish would mark her first official trial by fire, and Clay hoped she would tow the line. Jones returned his gaze and responded, "Yes sir." The other agents smiled and Rudabaugh gave her an encouraging nudge on the arm. Clay smiled. "Good girl. Work your way up on that ledge behind us. We''ll give you some time to get into position. When I give the signal, namely screaming like a dang banshee (everyone chucked at that), that''s your signal to cover us. Off with you now and stay as much under cover as you can." Jones nodded and then left them, cautiously working her way among the rock piles and outcroppings. The men watched her until she disappeared into the landscape. Back to Fan Fiction |