For Your
Eyes Only
Lieutenant Jack Savage
Since
you reported for duty at Pegasus HQ last week you’ve been eagerly anticipating
action, and you have bothered your superiors several times already requesting to
be assigned. Scuttle-butt has it that a big mission is currently underway in
Finding
out about Pegasus at all was a spot of good luck, good old Uncle Monty came
through, his contacts managing to get you through the front door of the most
active (if covertly so) Army division currently serving. You suspect that he’d
rather you found a desk job, but after weeks of persuasion, he finally relented.
You still have no idea what they actually do here though. There was all that
guff you’ve heard from some of the other Officers around about the special
operations being into ghosts and suchlike - but that was all larks played on the
new boy, obviously. The doctor who performed your medical seemed distracted as
well, although you couldn’t say too much as he outranked you. What was his name
again? Lewis-Stempnel? And you thought that the visit from the chaplain was a
laying it on a little thick. He asked a few too many questions about your
service and personal life, although it wasn’t so much what he asked it was the
way he listened to your responses. Orders are orders though and you obviously
passed muster with the Rev. Grimwood or you wouldn’t be here now.
Things
have been quiet the last few days though - the barracks and mess are practically
empty and the few people you do see march purposefully to their assigned tasks.
You’re just starting to feel that it may have been a mistake transferring here
after all, when your finally honed battle-sense kicks in one morning. Its
indefinable, but something’s up and Jack Savage is never caught napping. You
throw on your uniform as quickly as possibly, snatch a cup of tea from the
private on duty in the mess, and gulp it down on your way to the Command Centre.
The air
is electric and the old excitement comes back, your adrenaline starts pumping
and on instinct you duck into the Comms. Building. You barely manage to press
yourself against a wall as private runs past, clutching a sheet of paper,
yelling a quick “Sorry Sir” over his shoulder. You’re just about to call him to
task when you notice the hum of the room. All the operators are busy either
taking messages, sending messages or translating code. You take it all in with a
quick glance and dash back outside. The private who almost knocked you over is
just entering the Command Centre still running.
You
sprint after him, but before you’ve made it halfway across the ground a siren
starts - base-wide, full alert! Running over, you make it inside just as Major
Adams - Head of Operations strides out of his office. You screech to a halt and
snap a smart salute.
“Lieutenant Savage reporting for duty, Sir!”
Major
Adams turns to you, shifting focus with some effort.
“Savage
is it? You’re Monty’s lad aren’t you?”
“He’s my
uncle, Sir” you reply
“You’ll
do then lad, I’ve heard good things about you. Into my office now – there’s a
mission in the offing and you need to be up to speed”. He turns back to his
office, and you allow yourself a grin. “And take that damn smile off your face
soldier, this is no laughing matter” he calls back at you.
The next
half-hour just makes everything better. The details are sketchy, but it seems
you might be getting a crack at the Hun after all. Major Adams tells you they’ve
just had a communiqué
from a Pegasus agent in France who has learned of a splinter group of Germans
holed up in the
“I’m
classifying this as a ‘Damocles’ class mission, Lieutenant. We cannot allow this
group to succeed. We’re assembling you a team of specialists as we speak, you
will reconnoiter the area, and determine the status of their research. Your team
will work with Captain Mason-Wickes in the field and together you are to decide
on an appropriate course of action.”
“The
mission briefing is in four days, we will prepare you a full dossier by then. In
the meantime you are to prepare your kit and train for the mission. Dismissed”
You
leave the office and return to you barracks, about an hour later a man knocks on
your door and salutes when tell him to come in.
“Sergeant Johnson reporting for duty, Sir. I’ve been re-assigned to Pegasus
Division, and was told to report to you. Sorry about not being in uniform, Sir,
but I was just recalled from leave and I thought it best to report a.s.a.p.”
Over the
next few days you come to respect Sergeant Johnson, he’s obviously a career
soldier and knows exactly what he’s doing with the men, handling them with a
firm hand and a calm word.
On the
fourth day of training a Lance-Corporal brings you a message during training.
“It’s
time”, you say to yourself. “The big one”. The note reads ‘
You enter the
room designated as ‘BRIEFING’ with some trepidation and take a seat. Hushed
whispers are being exchanged by some of the assembled people here, but these are
quickly ended as an authoritative voice booms behind you, “For those of you that
don’t know me, my name is Major Frederick Adams” The Major strides towards the
front of the room and takes his place behind a lectern. “Most of you won’t know
why you are here. I will now explain why it has been necessary to take extreme
measures to bring you here.”
“Lights” The
Major orders to a man at the back of the room. A second later, the lights are
dimmed, and your attention is drawn towards a screen to the side of the Major.
Another officer hands you a dossier, and switches on a small reading light in
front of you.
“Recently, one
of our operatives in
Mein Fuhrer,
The first results of Project Uber-Mensch are very encouraging. We have conducted
a number of field tests, and save for a few difficulties that we must iron out,
I believe that we are nearing successful completion of the project. It will
bring to the end seven years of effort – seven years well spent when you
consider the superiority it will give us over anyone who stands in our way. I
will of course keep you informed of any progress.
Glory to the Fatherland.
“For a
while, we have suspected that the Germans have been up to something. And now we
know. Or rather we don’t know. For those of you who don’t speak German, ‘Uber-Mensch’
translates as ‘Super-soldier’. What is ‘Project Super-Soldier’? Why are the
Germans in
“Given the
time critical nature of this mission, you will be flying out at 11:00 hours. We
would have preferred to go at night, but there is a scheduled civilian flight
over the area which we will take the place of in order to not raise suspicion.
If you read the second document in your dossier, you will see that the area of
“A note to
the civilians amongst you - you are expected to follow the orders of the officer
in charge at all times and obey the chain of command. You have of course, all
signed the Official Secrets Act prior to this briefing, so I do not need to
remind you that everything you witness during the course of this mission is NOT
to be disclosed to anyone outside Pegasus Division on penalty of the harshest
consequences. One final thing – due to the nature of the situation, Central
Command has designated this as a ‘Damocles Imperative’ mission - that is a
mission which could have worldwide ramifications.”
“That is
all, ladies and gentlemen. Good luck and God Speed. God save the King.”
The lights
go back on, and you are led out of the room to a bunkhouse.
You’re not
sure about having civilians on-board for this one. Most of them look half scared
to death, and keep to themselves. Personally, you can’t wait to go. You can feel
the adrenaline working its way through your body, taking your body to optimum
alertness. You try to ignore the nervous energy that pulses through you, and
concentrate on the matter at hand. Over dinner you brief your men on their
responsibilities. You have the feeling that they’ll all do you proud. You make a
point of introducing yourself to all the civilians, and try to make them feel at
ease.
After the
meal, you look around. Your men are busy preparing their kit, whilst the
civilians are being trained to parachute.
The rest of
the evening is your own, and you decide that your time will be best spent
getting a bit of sleep. In truth though, the events of the past 24 hours make it
almost impossible. However, it seems as if your head has barely touched the
pillow before you are woken by a private with a nice hot cup of tea. You dress
quickly – the air is cold this morning and makes the hairs on the back of your
neck stand on end. The morning consists of a final briefing on the ‘theatre of
operations’, and then the call comes in that the mission is ‘GO’. Once everyone
is ready, you are lead out onto the airstrip where a twin-engined plane is
warming up on the runway. Major Adams stands by the door, and gives each of you
a sturdy handshake and a “Good Luck” as you board the plane. Sergeant Johnson
makes sure that everyone is strapped in tightly before heading to the cockpit.
As he returns and fastens his own seatbelt, the low hum of the engines increases
in pitch and you feel the aircraft begin to edge forward. The plane speeds up
and then suddenly you feel the ground drop away as you become airborne. You
glance around you – your comrades seem to be either deep in contemplation,
sleeping or praying. The hours pass, and you find the drone of the engines
strangely hypnotic and relaxing.
You are
woken from your reverie by a harsh buzz, and a red light illuminates above the
aircraft door. Your men unstrap themselves, and then Sergeant Johnson sets about
releasing everyone else. Before you rise out of your seat, he clips you onto a
guy-line that runs towards the door. Once everyone is safely attached to the
line, he pulls the door handle, and opens the cabin to the cold rushing air
outside. Your breath is taken away by the conditions outside, as the you perform
one last check. The buzz sounds again, and the light turns to green.
“This is it
chaps. Good luck!” You pat the first in line on the shoulder, and one by one
they all throw themselves out of the plane. Once everyone has jumped, you look
out of the door at the horizon. The sun is already beginning to set. You jump
out into the cold unknown…