[headquarters]

"Garrghgll!!!"

The furious outburst resounded dully from the concrete walls.Willis stood ,red faced and furious over his massive desk and clenched his fists white with frustration.Always problems -never any good news.He felt like ringing the brig and have them shoot a couple of deserters just to let off steam.
He smashed the telephone set into the far wall instead .It didnt help much .

From inside his spartan office,Willis could hear almost none of the commotion in the halls and neighbouring rooms .Outside his specially installed sound and bulletprof doors men were hurridely carrying documents and orders fto their various recipients.Groups of officers were hurrying to and fro with serious looks on their faces.Outside ,and even less audible to Willis , vehicles fired their engines up and exited the heavily guarded gate post.A company of WillisCo Security Detachment Alpha troops were busy positioning themselves on the perimeter and on the various checkpoints aroun the headquarters.

Willis payed no heed to the soundless ruckus outside his office .

On his desk were reports and documentation that showed that his worries had been well founded.The other members of the council had ignored the threath and willed it to go away .Their wishful thinking had led them to shy away from the problem for weeks - and now it was on their doorstep - or close to it anyways .

He peered at the map again mumbling the stats for the various units and posts he had marked with numbered flag pins.Their dispositions were sound -no force in the state had anywhere near the manpower or capacity to take out his positions AND deliver a defeating blow to Eureka.There were some that might force the militia to retreat to a fall back line closer to the town , but certainly the well dug positions available there could not be taken by anything but an army that paid casualties no heed and had the logisticalcapacity of organizations long blown to shards and ashes by the nuclear finale of the second American civil war .

But the reports were irrefutable -videos of large scale formations advancing from their NDP dungeons all over the state and reports from spies and intelligence analysts, stating without doubt that supplies were being massed.

Haussman was making his move.

But still,even the most pessimistic predictions on the offensive capacity of the NDP ruled out an all out assault as pure folly for the attacker.The supply lines would be way over-stretched .The resistance from all sorts of independent communities as well as their own Volunteer Californian Militia would repel the attack long before it even got exiting for the staff in his war room.Haussman just didnt have the manpower,the fuel or the production to maintain a campaign on the scale and of the length it would take to capture Eureka.

"He must know this...He is not a fool -or even mad in THAT way .." Willis mumbled.

No.They were safe here .Any attempt he could think of would we repulsed bar a pure miracle on the side of the NDP.And religion was not those guys strong suite.

A series of urgent raps on the door interupted his thoughts .

"Yes!" he barked annoyed.He had asked not to be disturbed explicitly .

A nervous 2nd Lt. presented himself in the doorway ,holding a yellow manila folder with the red lettering stamp and seal that made it clear that this was for the top brass only.

Willis briskly grabbed the folder and nodded curtly to the 2nd LT who left soundlessly and closed the door behind him .

He sat down in his leather chair and opened the folder .After reading the first few paragraphs on the summary page he let out a slight gasp.His face started to turn white .he felt like he couldnt breathe.

With a trembling hand he reached for the telephone but then he remeberd the throw and the smashing sound it had made on impact .

The furious yell could be heard clearly on the outside of the bulletproof door .

The 2nd Lt. who had waited outside .Scrambled down the hall.He wouldnt want to be the first man Willis saw when he emerged from his office to get on a phone .