us with the other prisoners! They mustn't know you've taken us alive. Please, you must help us! We don't WANT to fight. We were made to fight. We hate The Cath for what they've done to us. Please, we need to speak with your leader. We have important information. If the others know you've taken us alive thousands of innocent children may be murdered. Please, listen to me!"
"Sit down there," Samuel ordered, "stay out of sight. I'm the commander of these forces."
Samuel signaled some of his men. "Get an armored car over here!" he remarked. "Keep those prisoners away."
In a few minutes the armored car came over. Samuel quickly got his three prisoners into it. "Get these prisoners out of here!" Samuel ordered. "Get them back to the base. Keep them safe. Just as soon as I can get things under control here, I'll be back to speak with them."
"Understood, sir!" the armored car driver snapped. It quickly sped away.
Samuel's forces had taken a beating. They'd lost over one third their numbers, but the enemy had been virtually destroyed. They had taken nearly fifty prisoners, perhaps one hundred had escaped, the rest lay among the wrecks and other tanks, pcs and armored cars, many of which were salvageable.
They called in people from the surrounding area. When Samuel was sure the enemy was in full retreat he left the operations there to his subordinates, and taking what equipment and ammunition he could gather headed towards the capital. But there was no need.
When the enemy received the word of the disaster to the south, they believed their intelligence had been wrong and The Republic had a far greater force in the area than they believed. They quickly disengaged and began an orderly retreat.
Samuel sent his forces to help with the harassment, then headed back to his headquarters. The young prisoners' words kept echoing in his mind. "If you do not help us, thousands of innocent children will die." When he got to the brig the prisoners weren't there.
"Your wife took them," he was informed. "They are under guard at your quarters."
Samuel hurried there. He found the prisoners in his livingroom playing with his children. His wife came up to him. "Samuel," she pleaded "you've GOT to do something! You've got to help them! It's horrible! It's simply horrible!"
She motioned to one of the girls in the red coveralls to come over. "This is Kalina," she announced. "Kalina, I want you to tell my husband EXACTLY what you told me about what has been done to you, and the other young girls, and about the little ones."
"Yes, madame!" the young woman answered. Samuel sat down on the couch. "You sound American!" Samuel remarked.
"I am!" Kalina answered. "So is Mary. Sophia is Italian."
"What in the hell are you doing here?" Samuel asked.

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