Chapter 35: The Final Command
Amid the chaos, a group of people sneaked through a small door of the Rockhill Valley, led by Leonardo. He and the rest of the Terra Bunker’s resistance climbed the stairs leading to the surface. They planned to retreat back to the Terra Bunker before the "Nest" breached the shelter.
They were able to do this because of their advanced cloaking gear, which allowed them to avoid detection. Since everyone had some injuries, they didn't want to engage in a battle they couldn't win. If they didn't leave now, they wouldn't be able to. So, they decided to retreat to the Terra Bunker.
Unconscious Anna was carried among them. Leonardo’s mission was clear: get her to safety at the Terra Bunker.
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The number 3 "Nest" was now directly above Rockhill Valley, drilling through the ground with a massive drill. It had already begun its downward progression, and things were looking grim.
As the tremors shook the entire valley, rocks and debris started falling from the ceiling, causing panic among the citizens.
On the streets, chaos erupted. Children cried, and all the residents quickly packed their belongings, gathering their families to head to the large square in front of the main gates. The space was overcrowded and frantic.
A portion of the crowd rushed to the resistance camp, shouting in fear:
"What are we going to do now? The machines are about to break through! Where do we go? What about Anna? What happened to the Terra Bunker resistance?"
Leo emerged from the camp, taking a megaphone and trying to calm the crowd:
"Everyone, stay calm. We will protect you. Please, just remain calm."
He tried his best to ease their anxiety, but in such a life-and-death moment, how could anyone stay calm? Not only was the crowd growing louder, but they were beginning to lose their sense of reason.
One of the crowd shouted angrily at Leo:
"Your resistance only has a little over two hundred people! And your equipment is outdated—how are you going to stop the machines from coming in? Stop lying to us!"
Other voices in the crowd joined in, questioning:
"What about Alex? The guy with the superpowers! Isn't he supposed to be the hero? Why isn't he here protecting us?"
Leo was thinking the same thing. Alex was nowhere to be found, and this was precisely the moment when they needed him most.
To make matters worse, a panicked resistance member ran up to Leo with urgent news:
"Leonardo, the entire Terra Bunker resistance just left... and it looks like they took Anna with them!"
The news sent shockwaves through the crowd. The Terra Bunker’s resistance, with their advanced gear, was the last hope for holding back the machines. With them gone, their chances were slim.
The crowd exploded in outrage.
"We're already so few, and that Hawk kid... He brings in elite forces from the Terra Bunker, and then abandons us? This is unforgivable!"
With that, others began to shout in agreement, all turning their anger on Alex.
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At the same time, outside the Hawk household, a crowd had gathered, furious with Brian and Camila.
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"That Hawk kid is supposed to be so powerful, right? He single-handedly defeated the resistance forces! Why isn’t he out here fighting the machines?!"
Faced with the irrational mob, Brian could only helplessly explain that Alex was missing. The moment the crowd heard that Alex was nowhere to be found, their fury boiled over, and they began to tear apart the Hawk household in anger.
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At this moment, Maggie returned to her room, heartbroken. When she heard the alarm, she realized the disaster that was about to hit Rock Hill Valley. Although she was shocked, unable to believe that such a day had come for Rock Hill Valley, she knew there was no time to waste on her tears. She wiped her eyes and rushed outside to help those in need.
On the streets, people were frantically running for their lives. Maggie saw an elderly blind woman sitting in a wheelchair, ignored by everyone. She walked up to the woman and asked:
"Grandma, where are your family members? Why isn't anyone helping you escape?"
The old woman cried, "I don't have any family... I can only wait for the machines to come and take me... sigh..."
Seeing the woman’s distress, Maggie couldn't just leave her there. Without hesitation, she began pushing the woman’s wheelchair, reassuring her, "Don’t worry, Grandma, I’ll take you to safety."
The elderly woman was incredibly grateful, constantly thanking Maggie. But at that moment, Maggie wasn’t sure where to take her. She had no clear plan.
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At the resistance camp in Rock Hill Valley, Leo was struggling to calm the panicking crowd.
"What kind of hero is Leo? He has no idea where to take us. Is he going to let us fend for ourselves? The resistance is useless!"
As more people joined in with angry shouting, Leo felt overwhelmed. He had always thought that being the commander of the resistance meant having enough strength to fight and kill enemies, but now, with the machines about to break in, he didn’t know how to save these 20,000 people.
He began to feel guilty, realizing that he couldn’t think of any way to save them.
Suddenly, a familiar voice came through a loudspeaker.
"Residents of Rock Hill Valley, don’t be afraid, please remain calm. The resistance will get you all out safely."
Leo and everyone else turned toward the command center, where Commander Raine stood, his gaze determined as he spoke into the microphone.
Seeing Raine, the crowd began to calm down, but they quickly noticed something was wrong. Raine looked extremely gaunt, his complexion was poor, but he forced himself to keep going, hiding how close to death he truly was.
"Raine..."
Leo realized then that Raine had been absent because he was gravely ill. He hadn’t realized how serious it was.
Raine, his hands trembling, walked toward the crowd. Leo noticed Raine was pushing himself to the limit, clearly on the brink of collapse.
"I..."
Before Leo could speak, Raine patted his shoulder and addressed the crowd.
"I know you’re all worried right now. It’s my fault for not teaching Leo how to lead you all. Please, give him another chance."
Raine stepped in to defend Leo, and for the first time, Leo understood why Raine had arranged for Anna to marry Leonardo. It wasn’t because he was favoring him, but because Leo wasn’t ready to be commander yet. Leo felt humiliated, knowing he wasn’t qualified.
After Raine reassured the crowd, they began moving toward the square. Only Leo and Raine remained. Leo, feeling regretful, said to Raine:
"I’m sorry... I always thought you were ignoring me and giving the command to someone else... I didn’t realize you were so sick... I’m not fit to be a leader. It’s embarrassing that everyone saw me as some kind of hero."
Raine placed a trembling hand on Leo’s shoulder and said:
"Kid... now isn’t the time for that. As resistance fighters, we have to fight till the end... we’ll do everything we can to get these civilians out of here. That’s all I can do now..."
Leo held back his tears and nodded.
"Then let’s go out with a bang."
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As the massive drill of the "Hive" had already reached half of its depth, time was running out for Rock Hill Valley.
Raine gathered all the members of the resistance in front of the camp for one last meeting. This included both the old and new resistance fighters, and Chad, along with Joey and the other misfits, had also arrived, completing the full roster of the Rock Hill Valley resistance.
Despite feeling his strength waning, Raine stood tall in front of everyone, his eyes still sharp. He addressed the assembled resistance fighters:
"Everyone who joined the resistance did so to protect your families and ensure that we could survive in this broken world. Maybe we will fail... but if we can give our families a chance at survival, then our sacrifice will be worth it! This is the last battle for Rock Hill Valley, and it depends on all of you!"
Raine’s words moved everyone to tears, and they applauded him.
And so, the final meeting of the Rock Hill Valley resistance began...