Maple stared down at Alyssa's body. They had lain her in an ornamental style coffin, the bottom half closed due to her injuries. The coffin was a sleek black with silver onramental linings. If Alyssa could have seen it herself she probably would've laughed at how intricate was. She had never been the one to be elegant. Everything she had dawdled in required a mess, whether it had been repair or construction.

As she gazed at the friend she had lost, she felt the determination in her building. After finally recovering her stability, she knew that she couldn't just go out and start killing, but she still planned on making them pay. She wasn't exactly sure how she would make them suffer, but she decided she would wait until the opportunity arose, fighting alongside her father until that time came.

Marcus stepped up beside her, "I know it's hard, but at least we were able to give her this. I'm glad to see you've recovered from the shock of it. I don't want you to let it go, I just didn't want that rage you felt consume you before."

"I know. I've come to a greater understanding now. My feelings still stand though. There will be punishment, even if I have to take my entire life to administer it."

"I know, I've accepted that. What they've done to your mother and Alyssa, I won't let it go either. We've just got bigger deeds to do right now."

Maple turned her head and looked upon her father. Was he that willing to place the priority of vengance below all others? She understood that their role was neccessary to bring down Helix, but why couldn't they use that to their advantage and unleash a torment against their transgressors?

"Take as long as you need. The rest of us already said our goodbyes while you were recovering."

Marcus turned away from Maple and Alyssa and began to walk up the stairs that led out of the little visitational room but was stopped in his tracks.

"I already said my goodbyes before I even got here. How do you think I gained conrol over my power?"

He thought about her words. They sounded cold, like a shot of ice water through his veins, but he understood what she meant in that statement. She had made her resolution and moved past the grief already. There was no need to dwell on it any longer.

"Alright. If you're ready I'll tell Lyria and they'll go ahead and bury her here in the memorial grounds. You sure you're good to go?"

"Positive. Standing here crying won't bring her back. She's gone, I have to accept that."

"I'll go fetch Lyria then."

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The members of Generation watched as the coffin was lowered into the ground. The memorial grounds of Celestia were fairly small but were still well maintained. There wasn't any flowers or keepsakes left on the graves, simply because there wasn't any to be found nearby. However, the graves still seemed to be treasured, the weathering kept to a minimum to preserve their writing.

Alyssa's headstone was made from a slick marble like rock. It had been elegantly engraved with the words, "Here lies Alyssa Wright, valiant member of Generation. May her soul rest in peace." Maple looked at the last name. Alyssa had abandoned her family name long ago and Marcus felt it was only appropriate that she be gifted with the last name Wright since she had more or less been family to them. It was a touching thought.

As they finished lowering the coffin into the ground, Maple gazed up at the dome. The night sky had drifted in overhead and the purplish hue of the dome had returned once more. It cast an eerie tint across the grounds, a haze of lavender sifting its way across the tombstones.

Lyria watched as her men began covering the tomb with dirt. How valuable Alyssa would have been to the W.R.A. with her ingenuity and understanding of machines. Lyria was no slouch with technology and was a genuis in her own right, but it didn't mean that her or Dr. Sukomoto could have used an extra mind when pursuing new methods. For her, it was more of a loss than most realized.

"Well, there we go. You all will have free reign to visit her here whenever you're in the vicinity. Unfortunately, I have to cut this memorial short. We have a mission to accomplish, and we need to start getting ready. It won't be long before they send out an armed response. We have to be ready by then."

Lyria was right. Helix wouldn't stand for the callout against them, and would send a large armed response aimed at wiping them out. The plan was to lure them out into a wide open area and use the Red Wing's systems against them. With the unprecedented amount of firepower it possesed, they could clear the field almost immediately. The only downside is that they would get one shot due to the weapons long chargeup times. It was neccesary for an ambush.

Everyone understood where Lyria was coming from. They truly didn't have time to sit around and mourn the lost. Unfortunately, they weren't aware just how close Helix actually was. What they expected to be a response in about 2 days was actually right on top of them at the moment.

As the began to leave the burial site, a sudden shock rattled the ground underneath them, followed by the loud bang of an explosion. Far across the city, black smoke began to rise from the outer wall. Had it been breached? Lyria quickly brought up her communicator and put a connection in to the guards over the outer perimeter.

"What the hell was that?"

Lyria's tone was panicked. This was obviously something she wasn't prepared for. There was no way Helix could have covered that much ground in such a few short hours. There were no operating bases in the nearby vicinity. Her mind raced as she waited for a response. Was it someone else?

"We...we've got a breach in the outer wall 'mam. There's Helix soldiers pouring into the city. It looks like they've used some kind of large vessel to crash through. I don't know how long-"

The line suddenly cut off. The soldiers words played through Lyria's mind. How had Helix been able to approach so fast? How were they able to simply crash through the thick walls that surrounded the city? Would they also be able to breach the dome from above as well?

Lyria turned to face the members of Generation. As they looked at her stressed face, they knew something was wrong. Maple felt her heart stir, her emotions beginning to boil up. Would she be able to exact some form of vengeance here? Before Lryia could even speak she felt her arms begin to tingle with her powers.

"Change of plans. We've got a breach in the wall. Helix has somehow managed to arrive at an unprecedented pace. I need everyone to gather at the barracks and arm themselves. Our battalions will begin an armed response and should be able to hold their forces back from the inner city."

"I thought you said this dome of yours was impenetrable. How did they manage to break through with one strike?"

Marcus was frustrated. Was there a lapse in truth in what Lyria had told them? Was the dome not nearly as strong as she had let on? Or was there more to it?

"I...I don't know. It's supposed to be able to withstand a blow even from a missle. I don't know how they broke through but I don't really care right now. We need to get armed and try to hold them off."

"Fine, but what about Maple? Isn't she a bit of risk to place on the front lines since they were after her to begin with?"

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Germaine's statement brought a realization to Lyria. Had they known where they were fleeing to all along? Not only that, but he raised a valid point. It would be risky placing Maple in direct combat. She had to be kept out of their hands at all costs. Not only would it allow them to further their work on the Omega Project, but it would crush morale across the world if the people found out that Maple had been captured. They simply couldn't let that happen.

"Maple, I want you to meet with Dr. Sukomoto in the hangars. They're the farthest from the point of conflict and should give you time to escape if this goes south."

Maple snapped back, disregarding the importance of her presence, "I don't care. I'm going out there to fight them. I already said it before, they're going to pay."

"Maple, we don't have time for this. We can't risk letting you get captured. I know you're eager to fight, but you've got a more important role in all of this. If they capture you, you'll never be able to get payback for what they did."

She pondered over the words. They made her think back to what her father had said before about not letting it go, but instead prioritizing what was important. Maybe if she did follow along, she would get a better opportunity to unleash her hate upon them.

"Fine, but if I come across any of them, I'm going to kill them."

"That's fine. If they make that far before you get to the hangar then we've more than likely already lost. Everybody else, get to the barracks and arm yourselves. Everybody will need a communicator. I'm moving to the operations center to get a grasp on the situation."

Everybody nodded in agreement and stormed away from the memorial grounds. Marcus wondered how well Maple would follow Lyria's command, watching over his shoulder as his daughter sprinted off in the direction of the hangar. Hopefully she would use her head more than her fists for once.

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Char pulled checked his HUD inside of his newly repaired WOLF. Their plan to use the transports magnetic breaching ram had proved more than succesful, creating a clean albeit loud entry into the city. When Celestia had been built the dome was made to withstand the current level of arms technology at that time. They had never considered the fact that Helix would make such large advancements in their weapons R&D in such a short time.

He glanced over the readings of his mech. Everything was reading clear, including the new arm mechanism that was added. Instead of being able to hold just a rifle, the mech now had a mounted gauss canon on its left arm with an opposable right arm capable of lifting twice the weight of the mech itself. In its hand it currently carried a large gauge gatilng gun, capable of tearing through buildings themselves. He wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger this time.

"Char, Kirsch here. These aren't just regular men we're fighting. They appear to be our own soldiers, fighting of their own free will. Were you aware of this?"

The words didn't make sense to Char. How were they fighting their own men? Had there been a malfunction in the chips in their brains? They shouldn't be capable of autonomous thought, only following what they were ordered to do by an approved commander.

"No, I wasn't. Are you sure they're not being controlled from something else?"

"I just watched one of them try to save their comrade. They were never programmed to do that. I'm positive that this is more than just simple chip manipulation."

Char's mission just became more than a simple target extraction. He needed to find out what had happened to these soldiers and why they were fighting against them. He hated the thought that they had never programmed them to try and help one another in training, but that would just mean they would be more likely to falter. A thought just crashed into Char's mind as he questioned something from long ago. It made him realize that his way of thinking wasn't incorrect. They were human after all.

"Just keep cutting them down. I don't like having to kill our own but if they're opposing us we don't have any choice. I'm going to try and take my unit deeper into the city. I'll need heavy armor for support."

"Eager to get into the field Char? Glad to see that your role as Director has muffled your sense of duty. I'll issue two destroyer tanks to your unit to escort you throughout the city."

It seemed overkill considering that one destroyer class tank could level a building, but Char knew that Kirsch was just doing his job of keeping him safe during the combat mission. He was the Director after all. The next in line of command would be Faust, and the thought of him being in charge as a leader made Char cringe. After what he had pulled back in Marlow, it was unclear whether he was fit to be in his position or not.

"Thanks Kirsch. Just stay on guard. I know they have weapons strong enough to bring down our forces. They wiped out my previous WOLF squad with a beefed up transport. These aren't your normal fighters after all."

"That's funny Char, you telling me to be careful. You forget, my body is an atrocity of steel. I fear no weapon they have. Instead, they should fear me on the battlefield for it is us that will reign victorious. I have a family to return to after all."

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Everyone loaded up their weapons. Germaine had stuck with the shotgun, Briggs with his machine gun, Marcus with a carbin, Amanda with a sniper rifle and finally Akatsuya with his trademark blade and submachine guns. Some things just never changed no matter how much time passed.

As they were finishing getting ready, they all watched as multiple squads of W.R.A. members poured out of the barracks, all dressed in the same uniforms. It was creepy just how much they mirrored the Helix soldiers, only with a different appearance of attire. Their masks remained the same, but they're purpose stood for something else. They now had a free choice to lay their lives down for something they believed in.

Marcus watched as they marched out, undaunted by the fight that lay before them. Were these really the same grunts that they had faced before? He had always thought of them as being mindless, but watching their decision to fight now reminded him of how helpless they really were to their fates. They were the same person, cloned again and again and all put through the same routine to make them the perfect killing machine. Who the original was never mattered to Marcus until now. What a horrible fate their destiny suffered.

As everyone finished, they proceeded out of the barracks and into the depot. Lined up for deployment were multiple transports, small class tanks and a few modified WOLFS, sporting a black and yellow design. As they loooked over the machines, one soldier approached from a large black vessel. It was clad in armor and sported multiple turrets,with a large cannon attached to the front.

"This is your vessel sir."

The soldier was quick and to the point. It was apparent that Lyria had ordered that this transport be under their command for the battlefield. Without saying another word, the soldier turned and marched off to a separate vehicle, leaving Generation standing in awe of the vessel.

It almost looked like a shark, with the front coming to a point. The back tapered down on the top while its wheels jutted out from its sides. The turrets had pods for their operators, the orange tinted glass aimed to protect its riders. On the front, the large canon they had spotted gleamed a white silver, the barrel nestled in the body of the vessel.

Before anyone else could react, Briggs hopped forward, "Shotgun. I call the drivers seat."

"But, I have the shotgun." Everyone cringed at Germaine's pun. Nonetheless, it did offer a moment of respite before they proceeded into the battle. It was nice to enjoy a chuckle for once, considering everything they had recently been through. They never knew if it would be their last.

As the proceeded into the vehilce, Briggs ran forward and settled into one of the pilots seats. The cockpit offered a wide display thanks to the conditioned glass, letting the driver see almost to each side of the vehicle. The cannon was also controlled from the cockpit as well. This gave the vehicle an all around offensive advantage.

Briggs looked at the controls in front of him. It was a simple dual lever control design, the acceleration controlled by a set lever, with the emergency brake operated by a footpedal. The cannon was controlled by a dual trigger design that was placed on the levers. As he strapped himself into the seat, he began flipping the switches. Bit by bit the vehicle stuttered to life, a loud roar erupting from its engine.

In the back, Marcus took one of the gunner positions. It was the turret mounted to the top of the vehicle, giving him a wide scope from above on their targets. Germaine, Akatsuya and Amanda each went to a separate turret. Germaine decided to focus on their rear, aiming to keep any hostiles away from what could be considered a weak point of the vehicle.

As they all secured themselves into place, Briggs eased out of the garage of the depot and into the streets. As he manuvered around the other units on standby, a screen suddenly popped onto his display. Lyria's face soon flashed onto the screen, static hinging around the edges.

"Generation, this is Lyria. Can you read me?"

"Loud and clear miss. Briggs here. Just tell us what you need from us."

"I'm surprised Marcus isn't the one driving. Anyways, we've got Helix soldiers waging firefights in the outer residential areas. We need your team to get there and offer backup to our units in any way you can. Think you can manage?"

Briggs let out a grin and turned to shout out to the others behind him, "You hear that guys? She wants to know if we can handle it."

"As if she didn't witness what we can do back in Marlow. We managed to hold our own against those numbers. Let's go show them what Generation can really do."

The confidence in Marcus' voice had grown. He was beginning to believe that they finally stood a chance at making a change. If they managed to repel the attack, it would be a major boost to their confidence and morale. Marcus let forth a grin and flashed a thumbs up. Briggs kicked the transport into full throttle and roared toward the residential district...