User summary: On January 22, 1937, the characters, members of the Spanish Republic forces, are assigned to guard a military engineer and a group of civilians as they dismantle the Terrasso arms factory machinery, critical to the Republican war effort. They are supported by three squads of regulars. The dismantling proceeds without major incident until 2 PM when the supporting squads are ordered to depart to reinforce the crumbling front lines. A few minutes later, the military engineer deserts into the city.