The Night Gods III- V: Forza Italia

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The UN troops had taken up residence at the former NATO Naval Air Station at Sigonella south of Catania. The runways would accommodate large planes carrying troops and supplies to reinforce the region... It was also home to a helicopter squadron that could reach much of the island easily.

Alessandra and her brother Gero had hatched a daring plot to destroy the bridge leading to Catania. After much surveillance they were able to time the departure of troop trucks going to relieve the troops in the city. To get there, they must cross the Dittaino Bridge. With carefully placed explosives and Claymore mines stolen from a nearby armory, they could disable the bridge indefinitely, as well as eliminate several truckloads of soldiers.

As was the case in America, there were members of the Italian military sympathetic to the resistance. A young Lt. and former classmate of Gero at the Military Academy, had supplied them with Semtex and the mines. Gero had been in ordinance and explosives while in the military, mostly defusing landmines, but was familiar with the intricacies of detonators and demolition. They had tirelessly studied the plans of the bridge and were familiar with the structure's strategic points. Alessandra would provide cover if necessary accompanied by several riflemen carrying rifles outfitted with night-vision scopes. Gero and five of his men would place the charges, working in teams of three. They would be accompanied by Father Tony, Father Antonio Pavaglio, a former parish priest who had hung up his frock and joined the resistance.

Before becoming a priest Father Tony had lived in America. His family had emigrated there when he was a boy and after a stint in the Army Rangers, where he served with distinction in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tired of war, he joined the Seminary and after being ordained, he returned to his native Sicily and became a parish priest. While in the Rangers, he became an expert with explosives, a skill very useful to the rebels. His devotion to God was still his most powerful driving force, he was the spiritual leader of the band of rebels and even though the Church was outlawed, he said Mass daily.

Father Tony also knew the Night Gods well, they invaded his dreams as a boy with promises of greatness- greatness, honors and riches beyond his wildest imagination... If he would only serve them. He fought them then as a boy and he fought them now as a man. The Night Gods were the reason young Antonio turned to God, but the dreams continued. They didn't stop until after the Seminary.

The night they chose was perfect for an enterprise of this sort- it was almost moonless... If they were cautious their movements would prove almost undetectable. The six men set out, dressed in black bodysuits, each carrying a satchel of explosives. There were only a few guards near the bridge and they were probably asleep... nobody would dare attack so close to the base. A guard shack was at either end and a check through night-vision binoculars showed no activity. The time was right.

They travelled by boat rowing silently, oars wrapped to avoid any noise, until they were within walking distance. Alessandra and her shooters kept a vigilant watch as they went. Gero and his team approached the bridge from one end and Father Tony and his from the other. Setting the explosive charges was the easy part, if there was such a thing- they were placed strategically in the bridge's superstructure. It would be the placement of the Claymores that would prove more hazardous- they must be put on either side of the bridge to be effective. It was nearly dawn when Father Tony, Gero and the others met up with Alessandra and the shooters s upstream. Now they had only to wait.

They didn't have long to wait. Just as dawn broke, the troops began to stir. From their vantage point they could see the blue helmets as the troops began to fill the trucks to relieve their compatriots in Catania. When they passed the halfway mark, the freedom fighters bagan triggering the Claymores, clicking the remote detonators three times in rapid succession. 16 mines, each containing 900 ball-bearings propelled by four pounds of C-4 explosive caught the 2 1/2 ton trucks in a merciless crossfire, shredding the canvas covering the troops and their contents. The survivors staggered outside, wounded and confused. The rebels then detonated the Semtex charges on the superstructure of the bridge itself. The center collapsed in a pile of rubble carrying what was left of the three trucks and their contents to certain death below. It had been a good night's work.

They were already gone by the time the helicopters scrambled to pursue, in their cars joining the morning commuter traffic heading toward Catania on A-18... they were heading in the opposite direction, however, toward their mountain retreat. Father Tony and Gero had joined Alessandra in her car driving northward toward Messina amidst the morning traffic. They were all bone-tired from the night's activity, but satisfied.

"A fine night's work," Gero remarked proudly. "I only wish I could have stayed to watch the bridge come down."

"It was perfect, Gero," Alessandra said. "I saw the whole thing- it was very professional."

In the back seat Father Tony's head was bowed in silent prayer.

"What are you praying for, Father?" Gero asked smiling widely. "We all made it out ok."

"I'm praying for all those souls on the bridge, Gero," Father Tony said sadly.

"Those are the enemy," Alessandra spat. "They'd kill you in a heartbeat."

"And I them. But they're still human beings... just confused," Father Tony returned. "Our Savior commands that we pray for our enemies."

"Are you a soldier, or a priest?" Gero asked with a laugh.

"Both," Father Tony smiled. "Don't get me wrong- just because I pray for their souls afterward doesn't mean I won't kill them... Gotta have souls to pray for." They all laughed.

When they arrived at the mountain retreat they found Gero's wife Noemi waiting anxiously. Father Tony had converted one of the out buildings into comfortable living quarters. Alessandra had moved in with Gero and Noemi after the murder of her husband by the troops. The other rebels had returned home after they had split up.

Father Tony, exhausted like the rest, excused himself and went to his house to rest. Stripping down to his shorts, he lie on his bed. When he looked up from his prayers, he saw Alessandra in the doorway... She walked silently to the bed and lay next to him, resting her head on his shoulder, placing her arm across his chest and they both fell asleep.

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GIF by @papa-pepper