The alarm went off and I sat up almost as quickly as Tia had. We both stared at the screen as people moved towards the house. "Oh dear. That's a lot of cultists." I said.

I took her hand and she gripped it. "It looks like we have splintered them. Look how they stand separate from each other and are wearing their own colours."

I nodded. "So they have left half the group as a rear guard?"

"No, there look there's a gap to the west."

She stood and pulled the barricade in place as I grabbed the phone and called the station. "Hello?"

"Roland? Get the chief we are under attack." There was a clatter as he dropped the phone on the desk.

I watched Tia check the guns as I waited. The chief picked up the phone. "What is going on?"

"They have radios they are probably listening to our channels. There are a lot of them and a gap in their defence to the west of the house. They will probably cut off this phone soon."

"I'll send word to the team I've put together. Mac stay alive in there! It will take a little while to set ourselves up."

As the chief hung up, I saw something that made my skin crawl. "Tia... we might be on our own here."

She looked where I pointed and James was standing with the cultists east of the house. Tia sat down and took the phone. She stroked my arm for comfort and I couldn't tell if it was for her or me.

She dialled a number and put the phone to her ear. "Camelot has fallen, the knights of the round are traitors. Arthur's future is now in the hands of the enemy. Will Arthur's alias help?" Unusually she stayed on the line. "Understood."

She hung up and sighed. "Well?"

"If the chief is in on it that hole will be plugged and they will use Tobin against us."

We both watched the screen. Tia sighed as men ran in from the west. "So we are truly alone." Her voice was sad.

At least she's not flat. I took her hand. "Tia don't lose hope yet. We don't know the chief's plan."

She looked at the screen. "I will die if it means Tobin is safe. I know they will kill him even if I give myself up but..." She shook her head and I could see the despair creeping in.

"He wouldn't want you to do that would he?"

She let my hand go and picked a shotgun. She likes that gun. "No... besides they will get a shock if they try to make him do anything." She rubbed the gun she had in her lap fondly. "I won't let them have you or me. Unless they have Tobin."

I sat down next to her. "They won't get any of us Tia. I refuse to believe the chief would betray us." I took her hands. "We will fight them."

"I don't have enough guns and ammunition to take them all out."

I smiled at her. "We don't need to. We will just take enough of them out to make them retreat. Then we can get the hell out of here."

She gave me a small smile. "What then Maverick?"

Picking up one of the guns I gestured to the screen. "Then we hunt them! Every last one of them."

She leaned into me and kissed me. "That sounds like a plan."

"We can do this Tia." I hope.

I kissed her once more then stood. "Are you ready?"

She nodded. I got her helmet and put it on her head. "Do you think we can win?"

I buckled her helmet under her chin. "We will together."

She stood and put my helmet on me. She had to stand on tiptoes to reach my head so I bent. "Come on then sir Lancelot. My last remaining knight. Let us ride into battle together..."

"Let us save our Guinevere." She laughed and the light that had winked out at the sight of the hole in their line being filled, returned to her eyes.

That light brought with it butterflies in my gut.

I stood at the metal door looking at it, trying to work out the best way to use the small door that wouldn't leave me open. Tia watched the screen. "Come and sit with me." She said softly.

I walked to her side and saw the cultists surrounding the house draw closer as a wheelchair was rolled up. The person sitting in it was covered with a cloak with the hood up I could just about see the wolf mask poking out from under it. Tia held my hand as a child of about seven was brought out. She was crying.

"Come and trade your life for this child's."

I looked at Tia and she turned away from the screen. "It's not her Maverick, but..." I felt the same revulsion she had in her voice.

The man Tia had spoken to before took out a knife and held it behind the child's head. "I told you I'd kill your child. Come out and save her, or do you only care for that boy now?"

She told me he wouldn't do this... was she wrong or are they so broken that he can't get someone else to do this? I suppose there are some lines even the brainwashed won't cross.

I pulled her into me and pressed her face into my chest so she couldn't see. "It's alright Tia you don't need to see this." I whispered softly to her. "This isn't your fault."

They stood there quiet for a few moments then the man stabbed the child. The screen was muted seconds before he moved. I looked in my hand and saw the controller. Bile rose from my stomach promising me I would vomit if I let myself look at the screen again.

I stroked Tia's back making myself feel better.

I had to look at the screen so looked only at the monster in the mask. I unmuted the screen and it was silent out there other than the shuffle of a few feet. "Come out my pray. Come out, sit at my feet and we will let you have what you want." The man in the chair said, his voice barely able to be heard even in the silence out there.

He couldn't know what she wants. "You want safety, your family, your children around you. I would even give you that man you seem to like. So come to me. and spare your life."

She gripped me tighter. "That is not what you want!" I growled.

"It is but.... not on his terms. Any time I did something wrong he would threaten, or archery kill one of the people I love. These people are ruthless." I looked into her face and saw her face was as flat as her voice, her eyes dead again.

She shook in my arms as she looked up at me deliberately angling her head so she couldn't see the screen.

"Tia tell me what you need to make this flatness go."

She stroked my cheek. "Make them stop." I stood taking one of the rifles out of the loaded guns and going up the stairs. "Maverick what are you doing?"

"You watch that screen I'll give you what you want. I at least will give you what you want without expecting you to sit at my feet!" My anger made my words hard.

I could see she was still shaking but she showed no fear of my anger now. I went through the secret door and up to the bedroom. I put the gun in the rafters and jumped to pull myself up. The tiniest window in the house was the only one not covered by the shutters. I opened it and slowly slid the barrel of the rifle out.

I took a deep breath and took the safety off. You can do this Mac! For Tia, you can do this. As I let my breath out I took aim through the scope at the man in the wheelchair. I pulled the trigger as I got to the end of my breath. The man in the wheelchair jerked but it was the man Tia had spoken to that crumpled to the ground. He had moved at the last moment.

I pulled the bolt back and aimed again but it was too late the man in the wheelchair was being dragged back to the tree line with a shield of bodies around him. The others started firing at the house and I closed the window. I dropped down to the bedroom and ducked down in case the bullets came through the shutters. I opened the false door darting inside. I closed and locked the metal door letting out a long breath. Finally, I went down the stairs and pulled the barricade back in place.

Arms came around me. I turned and looked down into Tia's face. "You really did give me what I wanted. You're the first person to know and give me what I want without asking for anything in return." Her voice had regained its emotions and she was smiling.

"I had to get you back. I hate it when you go flat. Besides, I got what I wanted last night." She blushed slightly.

She took my hand and led me to the screen. We both sat on the foot of the bed. It was chaos out there the body of the man lay on top of the child he'd killed. His cloke obscured all of her except one of her tiny feet.

Burt ran over to Tia and started barking. "Not now."

I grabbed the blankets from the bed and threw them on the floor. I faced where Tia stood. I took her hand and laid her down. Almost as soon as she was on the blankets she started fitting. Burt tried to get me away from her but I stood my ground. I did as I had before I stood there protecting her from anything she could hurt herself with. This one lasted longer than the others I'd seen. Crap! Did she take her pills.... or is this stress?

Afterwards, she lay there. I waited for her to open her eyes, and it felt like forever. I knelt next to her and stroked her cheek. "It's alright Tia. Take your time coming back to us."

After a few more minutes she did open her eyes. She tried to sit up but I gently pushed her down. "No, you lay still."

She sighed and looked at the screen. "What's going on?" Her voice was dry like it had been before.

I went to the kitchen and brought her a glass of water. "They appear to be regrouping. One of the others has taken control. They are forming a plan just out of reach of us."

I put the glass down next to her side of the bed and picked her up. I sat her on the bed and offered her the glass. She sipped from it and sat stiffly back. "This gear will have bruised me. I'm twice as stiff as I've been before." I put the water to one side and Brut jumped on the bed and whined at Tia as he lay next to her. "Hush Burt. This wasn't a good time for this."

"Tia it happened we move on. You can't help this and we will work around it. You rest, it will take a while before they get in."

She shook her head. I sat next to her watching the men outside trying to make some semblance of plan. Just like before they came up with angle grinders. "This is ridiculous. They will take twice as long to grind through it this time." Tia sounded flat again.

Suddenly everyone was running out of the way. A van drove full speed into the house. Dust fell from the ceiling as the van hit the front of the house with a loud bang through the speakers and the building. As the dust started to settle I saw the porch was destroyed and the roof was bent out of the way of the van. "What the hell are they thinking?" I yelled.

Well, that is going to be a lot to clean up. The cultists were starting to creep back in towards the van. My radio crackled to life. "Mac?"

I grabbed it from the floor. "Chief?"

"Need cover, Mac! Let me in!"

Tia looked at me. "I'll draw their fire you let him in the back."

Tia nodded standing stiffly. We both hurried up the stairs and I ran on to the bedroom.

Again I climbed up on the rafters and opened the small window. I started firing and that scattered them to an extent, some started shooting back. I could hear more shooting and banging as the van opened. I picked my targets to conserve ammo. I picked only the people I could hit. I heard the shutter on the back of the house roll up and the door slam a moment later. The shutter was going back down as I heard glass shattering.

I closed the window and jumped down into the bedroom. I rushed downstairs and looked into the kitchen. Roland was lying on the floor and the chief was grappling with someone. I hit the guy hard with the butt of my gun and looked for Tia. Roland sat up and I saw her lying on the floor. I flung the gun strap over my head and shoulder to free my hands and scooped her up. "You follow me!" I could feel my anger and frustration making my voice hard.

Why didn't they make sure she was alright? They both followed me down to the basement with the unconscious cultist being dragged by the chief. I laid Tia on the bed and turned to the other two, then was shocked when Tobin hit me with speed hugging my leg hard. "You need to tell me what's going on!"

Tobin let me go and climbed on the bed.

"Tobin, what are you doing here?" Tia sounded flat and tied.

"You're in danger! I'll defend you."

He laid next to her and she looked at me and I could see she was painted having him here. "We don't have time Mac. I need you to come out there with me. The only safe place for these two is in here."

I looked at the screen. The cultists were gathering again. "I've got men in the van. I give them the word and they spill out. We need to start fighting our way out. They have this place surrounded and the town cut off. Everyone is in danger."

"Maverick... go." I looked at Tia.

She was lying there pale and holding Tobin for dear life. "But your..."

"No, buts! You need to do your job. There's more at stake than you know. We will slip out with you and leave Roland in here to close the shutter. We will go to that place. We will be safe."

I shook my head. She can't go out there! She will... I looked her over and was struck. She has been doing this for a long time. "No stay in here Tia." My voice had no force in it.

"I'm more dangerous out there and you know it." She smiled at me.

She stood stiffly. "Tia you can't.."

"I've done more in worse shape. I've lived with my condition for a long time. I know how to keep myself safe." She took the rifle from me and shouldered it. "This way I can help."

"We don't have time to argue Mac." The chief said.

I looked into Tia's eyes. They were full of life and I could see she meant it when she had told me she could do this.

I nodded and handed a gun to the chief and one to Roland. "Right Roland I need you in the rafters of the bedroom shooting out the window until the shutter stops going up. Then run to the kitchen. Shut the shutter then come down here and lock yourself in. When the shutters start going up you signal your men in the van, chief. Then when the shutters are up, Tobin you take Tia and Burt, hide them, and keep them safe. Chief you and me will guard the shutter as it comes down then we will follow your plan."

Everyone looked at me. The chief looked shocked, Roland looked amused, Tia was smiling and Tobin looked serious and nodded. "I guess you did learn something on that course you did."

I sighted handing out the ammunition for each weapon. "It was an airsoft weekend, not a course Roland. These people are not shooting plastic balls at us."

"He's right Roland. There won't be a second chance." He paled at Tia's words.

I slid open the barricade. "You will be safe in here Rolly. Now let's go."

Tia stopped me with a gentle hand on my arm. She put her arms around me and I hugged her back. "You be safe out there." She whispered in my ear.

"You too. No heroics."

She let me go and smiled. "That goes doubly for you." She walked up the stairs slowly but not as stiffly as she had been moving.

We all followed her upstairs and Roland went up to the bedroom while the rest of us piled into the kitchen. Tia entered the number as a grate noise started up at the front of the house. It was so loud even I couldn't hear the shutters. I set myself up so I was pointing my gun out the now broken window. I can't believe we are doing this.

Tia came to my side and whispered in my ear. "You sure about this?"

"I have your back sir Arthur."

She smiled watching the tree line. "Thanks, sir Lancelot."

The chief opened the door and Tia kissed my cheek and darted out into the treeline. Tobin and Burt followed afterwards, they disappeared into the shadows quickly. I moved outside as Roland came to the door. He punched the code in and the shutter started to close. "You sure about her being out there?" The chief whispered to me.

I nodded scanning the trees for anyone. The chief gestured to me to follow him as the shutter stopped.

We crept into the woods towards Edith's house. Why weren't there people around the back of the house? I'm sure there were. Where did they all go? I kept following him until the forest opened up into that area that Edith had started building. The building was now gone and fresh new trees were planted, in the place of it.

A group of men wearing cultist clothing turned, and the chief stood in front of me as I raised the gun. This is where they went! I'm screwed. "You betrayed me!" I growled at him.