Alpha Loren

November 3rd

"Alpha, everything is ready to go," somebody said hurrying up to Leo who was striding so fast that both me and this man had to run to keep up.

"Thank you, Christiano. You have my order to deploy," Leo said as we past the queues of convoy trucks, the sort with a green canvas covered backs with benches for the men which were climbing aboard them.

He nodded, waved his arm and seconds later, the sounds of engines firing up and exhaust fumes filled the air. The last soldiers got into their allocated trucks and they began rolling out.

Without warning, Leo suddenly put his hands under my arms pits and lifted me up onto the back of a truck before he brought himself up too.

The truck was packed but one soldier threw his hand up into the air and waved. Luca. He wore his usual wide smile and scooted along the bench, clearing a space. Beside him was Mateo and then Blair.

Due to the limited room, I had to sit on Leo's lap, crushed between Luca and Mateo's broad shoulders.

"This is cosy," Luca commented.

Leo then pulled out his wrist and glanced at his watch. He then reached up his arm and thudded the metal wall of where the driver's cabin was twice.

"Via the vault," he ordered and the truck began to move with the rest of the convoy.

"Ella your hair keeps getting in my mouth,” Luca complained, contorting his face to remove half my ponytail without the use of his hands which were trapped else were (who knows where that where is).

"Not many men have that kind of privilege Luca. Appreciate it while you can,” I said making no effort to help him.

"Choking on a fluff ball made of your hair. Boy, you're right. Very privileged," Luca said finally freeing himself.

"No need to be sarcastic," I said.

"These trucks are only designed for 15 men,” Mateo said. "It's no wonder we are a bit tight.”

"I guess we don't normally transport 1732 men all at one time," Leo replied.

"Well, people aren't usually stupid enough to declare war on Stella,” Blair commented.

During the journey, I looked at the weapons the men in the truck were holding. I hadn't really noticed before now, but they didn't have guns, nor huge swords nor anything extravagant. Instead they all just had a small pocket knife in a holster. A noticed a few men from other trucks had bows and arrows but not many. Maybe two from each.

They also didn't have much protection. A uniform yes: a relatively tight fitted, black, round neck t- shirt tucked into a pair of black combat trousers tucked into a pair of black combat boots. They certainly weren't going for camouflage.

"Surely your uniform should be dark green, any fighting is going to be most likely in forests surely?" I asked.

"We don't hide,” Leo replied in a deep tone.

Half an hour later, Leo's phone began to ring. He struggled to reach it but eventually succeeded to see Rosa calling.

"Are you at the vault?" Leo asked.

"Yes. But Maria and Elena have been missing since this morning and I can't find them anywhere,” she said. "I thought they'd show up later but they haven't."

"Fucking hell,” Leo cursed. "Are they answering their phones?"

"No," Rosa replied.

Leo exchanged nervous glances with Mateo and Leo ordered the truck to holt.

"Okay, I'll keep you updated," Leo said before hanging up.

"Blair make sure all the trucks have stopped. I'm not kicking this shit off with my sisters out there,” Leo ordered as he began dialling a different number and Blair got off the truck to deliver Leo's order.

He let the phone ring to answer the phone before let out a frustrated growl.

"Mateo find the tech team. I need a location for Maria and Elena's phones immediately.”

Mateo quickly got off the truck and jogged across to a different truck parked a few yards away. He returned five minutes later with a piece of paper with coordinates scribbled writing on it.

"This doesn't make sense,” Leo said staring from the paper to the map in his answers and matching up the coordinates. "Why would they be there? There's a deployment there sent out earlier today.” "It's not far from here, Alpha. I suggest we let the rest of the convoy continue and take this truck and these men to investigate and then we can go to the vault by taking this route and cut across here to catch them up,” Blair replied pointing at the map.

"Okay," he said. "Inform the drivers.”

Blair, Luca and Mateo then dispersed and began running up and down the line of trucks, updating each driver.

We were soon on our way and diverging away from the rest of the group.

Another fifteen minutes later and we had reached a small base with a couple of trucks and only thirty or so men.

Our truck rolled in and Leo immediately jumped out.

"Elena, Maria...Allison?" I heard his voice say.

I followed his gaze to see three people amongst the soldiers in the same uniform but with female builds.

"What the fuck is going on?" Leo questioned.

"We decided we weren't going to sit in a vault biting our nails whilst our brothers, friends and mates are out here fighting," Elena said. "We're helping."

Elena then wielded the bow she was holding, pulling back the string and casually aiming at a tree. She shot and hit it perfectly.

"We've been practising and we're ready,” Maria added.

Maria and Elena were much feistier than their other sister's. They were the eldest two but were also stronger built and taller, Allison was the same.

"And who the fuck let you into one of those trucks?" he asked storming up to them. "You know that I wouldn't have allowed this."

"Precisely why we didn't ask,” Maria said with a shrug.

"There is no way this is happening. I'm on my way to the vault with Ella. Get in the truck," he ordered.

"No," Allison, who until now had been quiet with her head slightly bowed to Leo. He wasn't her brother and didn't have the same family pass as Maria and Elena so I didn't blame her for being afraid of him. But now she dug the end of her bow into the soil and stood firmly. It must have taken some balls to say the least.

"No?" Leo asked deeply. "Does Matt know about this Allison? And Maria and Elena, what about Dad?"

"We don't need permission from men to do this,” Elena snapped as Mateo stood by Leo's side.

"I have far more important things to deal with right now," Leo growled. "Get in the fucking truck. This is ridiculous.”

"But it's not ridiculous to let our little brothers fight?" Maria questioned. "Mateo is younger than me," she argued gesturing to her little brother.

"Mateo's a boy."

"But can Mateo do this?" she asked picking up her bow, pulling back the sting with one eye closed, holding her aim and shooting.

It embedded straight into a tree about 50m away having pierced through a pretty small leaf that was drifting towards the ground in the faded light.

"To be fair, Leo," Mateo began after a moment of dumbstruck silence from everyone. "She's got a point. That is some skill and we are short of archers.”

Leo let out a sigh, "Hey, Frederico,” Leo said to a passing soldier. "Take these girls to defence post 28 and tell the squadron there to look out for them if Ayas ever get that far back.”

The man nodded and headed for one of the trucks.

"Go. But I can't guarantee you'll need those bows," Leo said.

Maria, Elena and Allison all thanked him.

"Be safe," Leo said.

"You too," Maria replied.

"Oh and one more thing," Leo said. "if any of you get hurt, you're telling Mom."

Elena rolled her eyes before they all got into the truck and were driven away.