text: [Themes: edutainment]
  
  You leap down onto the floor, quickly scrambling for your revolver, you grab it, quickly pointing and firing at the men reaching for their guns. You hit one of them in the back as he crumples to the ground. You fire again, blowing out the side of the skull of the second. The third man lets out a terrified shout, turning to stare at you as you aim right between his eyes to blow his face apart. You stand slowly, grinning.
  
  You pull the trigger, as a hollow click runs through the gun.
  
  "Oh, for fuck's sake," you say, as you realize you're screwed as the exact same moment that he realizes what's going on.
  
  > charge him
  You charge forward, bashing into him as you knock him against the wall, before you toss him onto the table. You raise your gun, before you begin to pistol-whip the man as you smash the heavy iron gun into his face as you smash his head against the table, bashing teeth and blood across the table. You repeatedly smash the gun against him until his face is nearly caved in, before you pause, looking over to Joseph. The last Black and Tan still standing pins Joseph to the ground, keeping his arms pressed against the ground with his knees as he begins to punch him.
  
  You quickly fumble for the bullets left in your coat pocket, grabbing one as you flick out the chamber, shaking out the shells inside. You quickly pop the bullet into the chamber, clicking it into place. You raise your revolver, firing and striking the man in the side of the head, blowing out his brains and knocking him to the ground. You pause, sighing as you walk over to Joseph, reaching down. Joseph grasps your hand as you yank him to his feet, looking at you with a heavily bruised face.
  
  "God above, my face stings like a bitch," Joseph says.
  
  "Let's get out of here," you say, as Joseph stumbles to the bar, leaning heavily against it as he grabs a half-finished pint of Guinness, bought by a long-gone patron who disappeared when things got rough.
  
  Joseph drinks it down with a few chugs, before clambering over the bar as he grabs a bottle of whiskey. He climbs over the bar again, heading to the door with you.
  
  "Pass the drink," you say, as he uncaps the whiskey before passing it over to you. "If nothing else, this'll be a story for the unit."
  
  "Here here," Joseph says, as you take a long drink of the burning liquid. "At least we avenged Mary."
  
  "Mary doesn't give a fuck about justice or being avenged," you say. "Let's be honest, this was for us."
  
  "I suppose," Joseph we says. "What'll we tell Arthur?"
  
  "We'll see what she wants to do," you say. "We'll tell him for her, if she needs."
  
  In the late, dark back roads, you find it easy to escape off into the night. It's a long, cold work home, as you drink to warm yourself and deal with the stress of the night. By the time you get there, the bottle's empty, and it's early in the morning. You walk into the house, exhausted, drunk and tired. Ma sits in the kitchen, praying over her bible again. You walk in, sitting down next to her.
  
  "Where is she?" you ask.
  
  "She's in bed."
  
  "Is she alright?" Joseph asks.
  
  "No," Ma says.
  
  "Of course not," you say. "The poor girl. I can't imagine what she's going through."
  
  "Where were you?" Ma says.
  
  "We killed the men who did that to her," Joseph says.
  
  "Good," Ma says. "Did anyone survive?"
  
  You shake your head slowly.
  
  "We killed every last one of them," Joseph says.
  
  "Good," Ma says again.
  
  "We'll need to leave for a while," Joseph says. "We didn't wear masks. Everyone in that bar would've seen us. Best case scenario, they'll be enough of them to draw a picture of us and the Black and Tans will be on the look-out for two brothers of our descriptors. If we're unlucky, one of them would've recognized us, and then they'll know our names."
  
  "Are Mary and I at a risk?" Ma asks.
  
  "No. They won't have heard what we were asking about. I'll make sure to have a few of the unit looking after you, though."
  
  "Where will we go?" you ask.
  
  "We'll head down South. They need good men down there as much as anyone else. I know they're fighting hard in Cork. We'll go meet Fionn now, and organize something. We meet up with the head down there."
  
  "We have to leave soon," you say. "We can't stick around, they'll be searching the area in the morning for us."
  
  "We'll pack our things," Joseph says.
  
  Ma stands, pulling you both in as tears stream down her face.
  
  "I love you both. You're two strong, good sons."
  
  "We love you too, Ma," you say.
  
  With that, you pack your things, gathering up everything you'll need. You kiss Ma goodbye, say a silent goodbye to a sleeping Mary, and quickly head off into the night to get out of there.
  
  > Months Later...
  You travel with Joseph to Fionn's, where he secures you with a letter to head down to Cork. The two of you quickly head to Cork, where you meet with the leaders of the IRA forces down there: Liam Lynch, Tom Barry and Sean O'Donoghue. They organize a room down with another IRA volunteer by the name of Brenda. In exchange for helping out with the farm, you get free room and board from him. You quickly get involved with the IRA down there, organizing drilling, training and ambushes alongside the vast rebel forces down there.
  
  For the battle of independence, the war gets worst, especially for Cork. In March, the Mayor of Cork is murdered by a group of Black and Tans. In response to increased internment, Munster and Cork get especially violent. 24 prisoners of war are hung by the British, and Sean Tracey, the man who started this all, is killed in Dublin. In August, Terence MacSwiney, the new Mayor of Cork, dies on a hunger strike, attracting vast international attention.
  
  When November rolls around, the violence only continues. On the 21st, Bloody Sunday happens. Michael Collins and the Squad, his anti-spy squad, assassinate 14 undercover British Intelligence officers in a single day. In a reprisal attack, the British forces attack a Dublin v Tipperary football match, killing indiscriminately, killing twelve people including one of the goalies. Two prisoners of war and an innocent man are executed at Dublin Castle in addition to this, purely as acts of spite against the entire Irish people. This event is known as Bloody Sunday.
  
  It's late November now, only a few days after Bloody Sunday and you're down in Cork. You sit in a small room Brendan's farmhouse in Cork, discussing matters with a group of other IRA soldiers. Liam Lynch, a small, bespectacled man you'd normally look over, stands at the center of attention, commanding the entire group.
  
  "We're low on arms, low on manpower and all-around we're doing worse than we can. Fighting this war is going to be tough," Liam Lynch admits.
  
  "If we quiet down on the ambushes and go underground while doubling our recruitment efforts, we can make up our numbers in no times," Tom Barry, a young commander with a mess of black hair suggests.
  
  "Not a chance in hell, Tom. If we reduce attacks, the British will think they can quash out the rebellion here. If they subdue Munster, if they take Cork, this rebellion will falter here as badly as in Ulster. Connaught will be a mop up, and with that, their focus on Dublin will wipe us out completely."
  
  "Then what do you suggest?"
  
  "We attack. We double-down, and hit hard and fast. Make sure those Brits understand that this isn't going to be easy for them. I've already lined up two targets. Tom, I want you to head to Kilmichael shortly, to set up an ambush. It'll happen a week after the Sunday Massacre. You're to hit a group of Auxiliaries, around eighteen men. I'll give you twice that. I want this group blown out of the fucking water. Make sure the Brits know who is fighting this war."
  
  "Aye. There'll be no survivors," Tom Barry nods.
  
  The plan for Kilmichael actually represents a serious change in the IRA method of waging war. Rather than small, occasional ambushes from locals, the IRA has began organizing flying columns of soldiers, permanently mobile units of soldiers that stay at various safehouses to rest and resupply to avoid capture, while hitting hard, aggressive attacks. It's a show of total war, thanks to the escalation in violence the Black and Tans caused.
  
  "The second ambush I'm planning is a bit more distant. In early December, I plan to capture or kill Army Intelligence Corps Captain James Kelly, to put a face to this slaughter. A simple six man unit hits their lorry, killing their men with grenades and sweeping through the survivors with rifle. Understood?"
  
  "Whose to lead it?" a voice asks.
  
  "I'll give that to Seán O'Donoghue."
  
  "Perfect," Seán O'Donoghue says. "We'll get the target."
  
  "Good, good," Liam Lynch says, handing out two lists of names to either chosen commander. "These are your men."
  
  "I've a problem," Seán O'Donghue says. "Two of my men, Paddy Trahey and Patrick Donohue, were killed Tuesday by a Black and Tan. He snuck into a meeting wearing civilian clothes and killed them with a grenade, alongside Seamus Mehigan."
  
  "Bollocks. Take the Dubliners. Dubliners, are you free?"
  
  "Aye, commander. We'll be free," Joseph says.
  
  Liam Lynch nods, looking down at his notes.
  
  "Good, good. Or... I suppose I could switch you with Dennis and Liordan, if you'd rather head out earlier to Kilmichael. Seeing as I'll have to shift names around either way, it's your choice."
  
  > take part in the ambush at Dillon's Cross
  You walk with Joseph and an IRA volunteer, who shares the lovely name Michael with you, down the busy streets of Cork by Dillon's Coss. Across from you, walking in the same direction, is commander Seán O'Donoghue, Seán O'Donoghue wears the uniform of an off-duty British officer. You try to avoid looking at him to avoid drawing attention to him and thus the many imperfections in his disguise that could get him caught and killed.
  
  The plan is simple. Two lorries of Auxilaries should be coming down the road, transporting Captain James Kelly, your target. You're outnumbered and in a busy city center, so you're going to have to work hard to win, especially since you'll be trying to minimize civilian casualties, while the Auxilaries won't necessarily be trying to do the same. Plus, thanks to the fact you're in a city, you're not well armed, instead armed with revolvers hidden on your persons, as well as a grenade each, also hidden on your person.
  
  Seán O'Donoghue stops, leaning against the wall of a pub and lighting a cigarette. You quickly move behind a waist-high stone wall with Joseph, finding another two soldiers low down against the wall there. You move next to them, crouching low so you're hidden from the street view. The last soldier in your six man crew stands next to you, leaning against the wall casually. As you can't see the road of Seán O'Donoghue, you're to wait for his signal. Sean O'Donoghue is to slow the head lorry down, and then you strike.
  
  "They're coming," the man against the wall says, staring at the road.
  
  "Hello there, officers!" you hear Sean O'Donoghue say.
  
  "Let's do this," the man leaning against the wall, rising his pistol.
  
  You rise up to see a pair of lorries slowing down in the street. Your comrades release a volley of grenades. Surprisingly, most miss, bouncing off harmlessly against the sides of the truck. One lucky throw lands in the second grenade, going off and immediately disabling the drunk in a burst of smoke as men frantically get out of the vehicle.
  
  > toss your grenade
  You pull out your grenade, popping out the pin. You chuck the grenade through the air, as it lands with a clank inside the trunk. It goes off, showering the inside of the truck with shrapnel that tears through the canvas as the second truck is immobilized. The Auxiliaries are quickly left confused and disorientated, as you draw your revolver from your coat, raising it through the air and firing.
  
  An incredibly wounded Auxiliary collapses out of the truck, heavily bleeding on the ground, as Sean O'Donoghue rushes for cover. The dying auxiliary lies still, but it seems all the others besides him seem only somewhat wounded. They draw their rifles, immediately returning fire as pot shots slam around you.
  
  "Fuck, we're still outnumbered!" Joseph yells.
  
  "We don't have a fucking chance!" another man yells.
  
  You continue firing, as rifle fire continues and bullets fly past you. Your commander is separated from you and is on the other side of the road, meaning that it's as much up to you as anyone else here to command the group and keep things working.
  
  > retreat and disperse
  "Let's get the fuck out of it," you say. "Come on!"
  
  Providing cover fire with your revolver, you quickly begin falling back, rushing off into the streets. You hurry through the alleys, moving down through the side-streets as you quickly disperse. You already have a preplanned path out of here, and it doesn't take long before you manage to escape off, disappearing into the crowds.
  
  You quickly head off, moving through the streets once you've escaped the early fighting. It's not long before you manage to regroup at your destination, a small apartment that's servicing as a nearby safe house, where Brendan's cousin has his family. Seán O'Donoghue. After you account for all your losses, you crowd around the downstairs lounge, as Seán O'Donoghue addresses you.
  
  "Today was a failure, but we didn't lose a single man," Seán says. "We have opportunities to try again. If nothing else, we've made our presence known. Now, all of you, head home. The meeting for tomorrow is the same time as planned. Tiocfaidh ár lá."
  
  You all nod, quickly making it off into the streets as the IRA plan disperses. You walk with Joseph back to Brendan's house, your hands in your pocket as the cold night settles in.
  
  "What a disappointment. We didn't kill more than a single man, and we didn't even get our target."
  
  "We didn't lose any lives either. Let's just thank God above for that and head home."
  
  You walk along the road, before you hear distant, terrified singing. You pause, trying to focus on it as it's interrupted by aggressive shouting.
  
  "What the hell is that?" you ask.
  
  "It's coming from Dillon's Cross."
  
  The two of you quickly move towards Dillon's cross. You walk down the streets, as the screaming gets louder.
  
  "You will do as I command, or I will blow your fucking brains out onto the street!" a voice screams.
  
  "God save our gracious Queen! Long live our noble Queen!" a half-sobbing voice screams.
  
  "Louder!"
  
  "God save the Queen! Send her victorious, happy and glorious...!"
  
  You move along the streets, where you come across a brutal scene. Standing outside a bar in the busy street, dozens of men lie on the grounds, Auxiliaries strolling above them, aiming their rifles at the soldiers. Two Auxiliaries stand over a kneeling man, who is completely naked, his clothes sitting besides him. They press the rifle against his head, as a red-faced man barks and screams at him, as he forces the naked man to sing "God save the Queen", the English national anthem.
  
  "Long to reign over us! God save the Queen!" the man is forced to sing.
  
  It's clear he's been singing for quite some time at the top of his lungs. He's exhausted, with sweat dripping down his brown as he freezes in the cold.
  
  "They're not even IRA. Those bastards just rounded up civilians to do this. It's humiliating."
  
  "Let's get the hell out of here, we don't want to risk getting caught."
  
  "Michael, we have to help them! We can't leave them," Joseph says.
  
  > help the poor bastard
  You nod, feeling rage boil up through you.
  
  "We can't let this man die because of our actions!" you're right.
  
  Joseph draws his pistol, nodding at you.
  
  "We rush them, then get the wounded man out of there before he's executed. Then, we draw them off, letting the other men escape."
  
  "On three," you whisper. "One, two..."
  
  You quickly rush forward, opening fire with your revolver. One of the Auxiliaries' heads explodes as he collapses backwards with a burst of blood. The second one goes to raise, his rifle, before Joseph fires, shooting him in the chest and killing him instantly.
  
  "Hey! You fucking traitors to the Crown! IRA!" one of the soldiers screams.
  
  Quickly, half a dozen riflemen rush out of the bar, as you reach down, grabbing the man's arm.
  
  "Joseph, help me! We need to get him out of here!" you yell.
  
  Joseph leans down, grabbing the brutalized man as you yank him to your feet. You manage to get him to your feet, before the rifles went off. You feel like you're punched in the chest, as you're knocked to the ground, bringing down the injured man and Joseph with you. You collapse to the ground, as pain begins to shoot through your body as you let out a desperate gasp for help. Another volley of shots goes off, and your pain ends.