Jason and Charlie moved closer to the wagon filled with the stolen explosives.

"I don't get it Charlie. That wagon is full of dynamite, grenades and land mines. Why haven't they used them? What are they waiting for?"

"Well I count four guards on it, why don't we go down there and ask one of them?"

"It could be a trap."

"Or it could be the only way to save Miles, Nora and the rest of the troops."

"Okay, say we get the big wagon filled with high explosives. Then what?"

"I haven't gotten that far yet, but we'll figure it out. Are you in or are you out?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "God your infuriating, you know that?"

"So I've been told."

"I'm in. I'll take the two on the left and you take the two on the right."

Charlie and Jason quickly and quietly took care of the guards and finally got a good look at the wagon's cargo. In the middle, surrounded by boxes of grenades and mines was a missive bomb made out of hundreds of sticks of dynamite.

"Wow!" both Charlie and Jason exclaimed at the same time.

"What the hell?" Charlie asked no one in particular.

"Come on let's get out of here." Jason said as he ushered her onto the wagon.

"What the hell were they going to use this thing for?"

As the crested the next rise they got a birds eye view of the battle. Suddenly Jason understood. "I know what they were going to use it for. Look." He pointed down to the building he and Charlie left not to long ago. "They are driving everyone into that building. My bet is that they were going to send this in, or seal them all in the building and detonate the wagon next to it. There's enough explosives in here to create a small crater."

"Why not just shoot them? Why this?"

"It's big and it send a major message to the Georgia Federation."

"Well maybe we should send a message to Monroe instead."

"You starting to get a plan?"

"Yep, head for the largest group of soldiers. They want a big bang then we'll give them a big bang."

Hang on Miles, Charlie whispered to herself. I'm coming and you better be alive when I get there.

Nora looked over at Miles, then down to her riffle. "I'm almost out of ammo. What the hell are they up to. They're just playing with us."

"No they're herding us. Like lambs to the slaughter."

Miles looked around. What men he had left had all been driven into this building. Whatever was coming next couldn't be good. He was just glad Charlie had made it out. Miles never expected to die of old age. Hell he wasn't afraid to die, he just wished he had a little more time with Charlie and Nora. There was so much left unspoken. Maybe it was better this way.

Suddenly the firing stopped and a familiar voice shouted out to him - Baker.

"Miles, it's over. I'm sorry to have to do this to you my old friend. But what was it you always told me. Never leaver your enemy alive. Destroy them in a way that sends a message to anyone who would oppose you. You taught me well old friend. Now it's time to send a message. Your Georgia soldiers will be destroyed by the very explosives sent to help you. Poetic really. It will be like Baltimore all over again. You remember Baltimore don't you Miles?"

Miles pressed his back against the wall, slid down and bowed his head. This was not going to be good, but it was no less than he deserved. He turned his head looked over at Nora and simply mouthed the words "I'm sorry". He knew what was coming. He took a deep breath and waited, and waited. When nothing happened he peered out the window to see Baker gesturing wildly at someone. The thought of impending death didn't rattle him as much as what he saw and heard next.

"Looking for this?" Charlie called out from her perch on the wagon. Charlie snapped the reins and pointed the wagon directly at Baker and his men. "Light it Jason."

"Charlie No!" Miles yelled and in his next breath he ordered his men to give her cover fire. "I swear to god I'm going to kill her, and Jason, stupid kids never listen."

"I can't get the damn thing to light!" Jason yelled from behind Charlie.

"Here take the reins." but before she could hand them off to Jason she noticed a Militia soldier taking aim. Charlie did the only thing she could think of. "Protect your head," she yelled as she shoved Jason off the wagon a split second before a bullet impacted the wood where his head used to be. Charlie bent down, lit the fuse and jumped as the wagon barreled through the Militia lines and exploded.

Miles had made his way out of the building and saw Charlie launch herself off the wagon seconds before it exploded. The blast slammed him to the ground, then the world went black. He came to, to the sounds of intermittent gun fire. He looked around and saw what was left of his men alive and well and pushing back what was left of Baker's men. The next thing he saw was Nora's face.

"Miles, Miles are you okay? Answer me dammit."

"Yeah, I'm fine." But when he tried to move he realized that something was really wrong with his arm. "Arm's messed up." he grunted out.

"It's just dislocated. We'll get you fixed up."

"Where's Charlie?"

Nora didn't answer him.

"Where the hell is Charlie?" he repeated.

"I don't know. I saw her jump clear. Don't worry we'll find her."

Charlie leaned against the large boulder she took shelter behind before the blast. It worked! She couldn't believe it actually worked and she was alive! A shadow crossed in front of her, she looked up to see Jason. He held out his hand to help her up, then pulled her into a huge hug. Then he pulled away, grabbed her face and kissed her. He pulled away again, grabbed her shoulders and said "You threw me off a moving wagon with no warning."

Charlie smiled back at him, "You threw me from a moving train."

"You are never going to let me forget that are you?"

"Nope."

"Are we even now?"

"It was a moving TRAIN"

"So not even?"

"Not even close." She was about to lean to lean in and kiss him when she hear Miles shouting her name.

"CHARLIE!"

"Miles, sit down," Nora said as she tried to retrain Miles. "I'm sure she's fine. She's as hard to kill as you are. We'll find her. But you need to sit down so we can fix your shoulder."

"I swear if someone doesn't find Charlie and bring her to me right now I'm going to start shooting."

"Calm down you idiot, I'm right here, I'm fine."

Miles pulled her into a hug with his one good arm.

"I told you to run."

"And I did, just not in the direction you wanted me to."

"Don't you ever do anything like that again."

"Do what?"

"Charlie…" Miles growled.

"Miles, shut up and sit down and them fix you up."

"Got damn pain in the ass."

"I get that from you."

A little later on Charlie was sitting off by herself staring into the camp fire. She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear or feel Miles sit down next to her.

"So are we good?" Miles asked.

Charlie didn't answer right away. Finally she spoke. "It still hurts, knowing what you did to my mom. But when I thought you were dead, that hurt worse. I forgive you, I do. I keep trying to understand. I just can't comprehend how you could do something like that to her. Then I realized you aren't that guy anymore. I don't know what happened to turn you into that guy and maybe I don't ever want to know. But I don't know that guy. I don't want to know him. I know my Uncle Miles. I like the Miles you are now. I don't know what made you change from the general to the guy you are now but I'm glad you did. I don't care what's in your past. It's over. That Miles is gone. It's who you are now that matters."

"You are something special Charlie. I don't know what I did in this life to deserve you."

"I love you Miles, but you have to promise me something."

"What kid."

"Not to ever knock me out like that again, I don't care if it was to protect me."

"Fine, but you have to promise never to drive a an exploding wagon into enemy lines. Keep that up and you're going to give me more grey hair then I already have."

"Deal."