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Operation New Order

Details: USMC/Five Nations counter-attack on the Iscariot Empire

1st Battalion will begin its assault on the City with a Platoon of Marine Corps securing a Garrison on Hill 181. There, a forward base will be established to begin the assault on Minerva.

"Alright fellas, listen up!" Hezekiah said to his squad while they rode in the JLTV. Destination: The Outskirts of Minerva, "We'll be moving in ahead of the rest of Foxtrot Company to neutralize and capture and Iscariot lookout post on Hill 181. From there, we'll lay down smoke to signal our chopper transits that the hill is secure to move our equipment in preparation for the battle. Got it?"

"So we're just clearing the fleabags out and setting up a staging ground?" Quinn asked.

"Basically. Operation New order, that's the codename they've given the invasion," Hezekiah explained.

"Score One for subtlety!" Lafayette joked.

"That's easy stuff if we have assistance," Said Flint, "I remember back in Afghanistan, we did the same thing. Almost fucked it up."

"Yeah, well this time things are gonna be different," Hezekiah said, looking for something badass to say, "I'm calling the shots this time."

"They put you as head of the Platoon?" Brian asked.

Hezekiah smiled, "Ain't it amazing?"

"Listen, dude, as long as you don't get us killed, I'll be right," Brian chuckled.

"Don't worry about it, I've got everything under control," Hezekiah laid out his plan, "We'll stop half-mile south of the garrison and continue uphill on foot. Zulu Nine is currently tracking our location with a UAV, they'll give us a visualization of everything we need and keep an eye out to assess our situation."

The squad seemed to like that, "Now that's the kind of support we need!" Lafayette said as he handled the steering wheel, "Eyes in the sky."

"We'll have the advantage going in. Speed and aggression will be critical, we'll storm Hill 141, take out any patrols, close the distance to the fort, and bomb it with mortars. Then, we just close in and mop up anybody too stupid to run," Hezekiah said with confidence he hadn't felt in a long time, "We hold the initiative, the element of surprise, and a major advantage in our tech. We'll mop the floor with these assholes, I'm looking to get this done as quick as possible."

Quinn relented, "Aight, you’re the boss. Just make sure you get me back home in one piece!"

"Don't sweat it, Q. We'll be in and out…"

The trucks stopped. Hezekiah stepped out into the dark forest. Morning dawn tainted the skies behind them a faint blue as the night retreated into its hideout. It was freezing cold, brisk winter air irritated his nose and nipped the skin on his face. The smell of the forest and nearby river was faint but noticeable.

The trucks turned their headlights off a while ago. Now they were officially in Iscariot territory. Technically. The Elves told them that Minerva wasn't necessarily an Iscariot holding, but a semi-independent kingdom that gave tribute to the Empire. But it was all hostile either way. Now they had to be cautious.

"Remember gentlemen, speed and aggression," Hezekiah whispered over his earpiece before lowering his night vision goggles over his eyes. The rest of the platoon did the same. Misfit, Unity, Victor, and Tombstone were together in the Platoon, Twenty Marines in total. Hezekiah ordered Victor to stay behind the other three squads and provide support with mortars and look over the trucks. If anything went wrong, they could drive all of the trucks in to support the main assault. Misfit, Unity, and Tombstone moved fast, but carefully. Making sure not to make a sound as they traveled uphill. Light footsteps hushed their sound as an oncoming breeze of cold air concealed the rest. Silent as night, they moved in.

[Zulu 9] "This is Zulu-Niner, we've got your position tracked. Enemy garrison is 500 yards ahead. I have eyes on one active patrol 200 yards dead ahead. Four hostiles. They're clueless..."

Hezekiah thanked his stars for the fact that Jefferson thought to assist him with a UAV escort. It never occurred to him how much a single robot could change an entire situation. Who knows how much easier their earlier scouting mission would've gone if they had access to a drone?

[SSGT Brooks] "Copy, we're advancing on the target. Anything else of note?"

[Zulu 9] "Fuel reserves are at 180 Minutes until we are Bingo Fuel, more than enough time. Over."

[Brooks] "Understood."

"Up ahead! I think I see a road!" Misfit's Squad Leader, Sergeant Cortez, pointed out. A clearing in the forest indeed highlighted a gravel road that leads uphill. No doubt to the hillside.

[Zulu 9] "Iscariot foot patrol is moving south towards you. Stay alert."

"Alright, we'll move in the forest along the road. I want Tombstone to move on the left and Misfit will stay with us. Stay off the road, use the forest as cover!" Hezekiah ordered.

"Yes sir!" Said the two squad leaders, Sergeant Hampton of Tombstone led his soldiers quickly across the road, sprinting from the cover of the forest and out into the open, only to disappear into the forest once again.

[Tombstone] "We're in position, over!"

[Brooks] "Alright, let's get a move on! Push uphill!"

The three squads pushed on forward under the cover of darkness. Moving uphill for about fifteen minutes. Moving until another call-in from Zulu alerted them to the presence of the patrol. Hezekiah struggled to see anyone, especially since he was looking uphill through a wooded area. But soon the faint sounds of talking permeated through the air. Chuckling even. The Iscariot Patrol was coming down the dirt road, headed right in between Tombstone on the left, and Unity with Tombstone on the right.

"When they appear on the road, drop them!" Hezekiah ordered as he readied his rifle.

Through the green environment of the night vision, he could see the faintest of silhouettes approach from down the road. Three more Iscariots appeared along the road uphill. They were big standing at around six feet tall each. Covered in winter clothing. Two pointy ears donned their heads, and their knees bent in a stance resembling that of any mammal back on Earth. Long tails stretching behind their rear. Wolfmen. All of them. Hezekiah couldn't make out much more than that, all the colors faded into green thanks to the goggles. But he was sure that he was looking at werewolves. Wolf-people? Dogmen?

He didn't know what to call them exactly. Their species name hadn't been revealed just yet. During the Battle of Ithaca, he hadn't been able to work out the exact look of the Iscariot soldiers. Though, he heard talk from the other Marines on base. He was hardly surprised when they said that half-human, half-animal creatures had formed the base of the army sieging down Ithaca. Though, he did see it as hard to imagine.

[Zulu 9] "Iscariot foot patrol, Four of them. You're clear to engage. Over." The UAV operator helpfully informed.

Hezekiah reached up to his earpiece in confirmation, about to give the signal to fire, when the patrol stopped.

"What happened? Do they see us?" He heard Brian worriedly whisper.

"Impossible, there's no way they could see us in the woods…" Quinn told him.

Hezekiah watched them look up to the sky. He was confused. Were they looking at the UAV? Now that was impossible. There was absolutely no way they could see Zulu Nine from there without some sort of optical sight. And even then, the dark color that they painted drones, and their small size would make it next to certain that they couldn't see it from the ground in the dark forest. Something else was up…

He saw them moving their heads around a little. Trying to figure out what they were doing… until it dawned on him.

"There is no way they can see us…" Quinn repeated. Growing a little bit of Brian's own fear in his voice.

"They aren't seeing us," Hezekiah said, "Engage!"

Sparing no time, Unity and Misfit opened fire on the Iscariot wolfmen. Just after the patrol had tracked their position. The bullets managed to take down two, as the other two dashed uphill. They were fast, faster than any human. Was it possible that these guys maintained some of their animalistic abilities? That could be the only explanation as to how they were both able to smell the Marines approaching from Downhill, and, run at a speed that could make the Usain Bolt seem sloth-like in comparison.

"Shit!" Hezekiah swore as he urged the two squads to move forwards. Gunfire from the other side of the road signaled that Tombstone tried to take the retreating Iscariots down, but the length of the sounds meant that they were missing their shots.

[Zulu 9] "Zulu Niner to Unity Actual, your combatants are escaping, they're moving through the forest to try and lose you!"

[Tombstone 6] "Dammit, Platoon Leader! They're getting away, I'm leading my squad in pursuit uphill!"

Hezekiah wanted them to try and get the patrol before they reached the garrison and alerted the rest of the base, but with the sound of gunfire, and the speed at which they were running, he doubted they would get there before the entire base had been alerted.

[Brooks] "Negative Tombstone, stay together. Move as a unified unit, we're going into battle!"

[Tombstone] "Roger, on your lead!"

At Hezekiah's order, Unity and Misfit broke out into a sprint across the road to rendevous with Tombstone. Quickly, Hezekiah had to rework his plan. They lost the element of surprise, but with Zulu still in the air they had the initiative and they had superior firepower. He thought back to the mortars, knowing that Victor was still waiting with their mortar crews and the machine guns on the trucks. With his hand revealed, Hezekiah had no choice but to use superior firepower to his advantage. The original plan was to close the distance, bombard the garrison with the mortars, and close in for the attack. The plan could still work, though the Iscariots would be ready.

[Brooks] "Unity Actual to Victor, we need mortar fire on target One-Eight-One! We're going in hot!"

[Victor] "Understood, launching salvo, standby!"

He wanted to ask someone what to do and instinctively looked around for his commander, expecting to see the face of Newman or Jefferson. Or some higher-ranking officer who knew what to do. But all he saw was Unity and Misfit following his lead. And he remembered that he was the commander here. He was the one who was put in control, and now he had the lives of at least fifteen people on the line here.

He looked forward, being careful not to run into a pine tree as he sprinted to Tombstone's position. It dawned on him for the first time that leading meant responsibility. And he had to ensure that he didn't screw this up. But he needed to think, unfortunately, Hezekiah was not a quick thinker. He certainly wasn't stupid, but intelligence wasn't necessarily his strength either. Again, what he needed was a plan. Things couldn't just happen and fall into his lap, he needed to take control of the situation.

He rationalized that it would take a few minutes for the Iscariots to push back to the base and warn of the impending attack. If the garrison had shields, they might be able to repel the incoming Mortar attack. If not, that would only pin the Iscariots down. With the base undoubtedly on High Alert, if they had mages, they would be ready. Hezekiah would just have to gamble that there were none and wait until the mortar bombardments hit their targets to see.

The best plan would be to hold at a distance, far enough away where Iscariot mages would be hard-pressed to get them, and at a range impossible for swordsmen to close the distance to without getting shredded. There was the issue of archers, a well-placed arrow had the potential to pierce through body armor, but the forest rendered incoming arrows pretty useless. Besides, they were inaccurate, and there was no way that they would be able to hit a shot precise enough to take down a human in the dark forest. Even if Hezekiah was counting for their almost super-human abilities.

The Marines held the massive advantage of being able to attack the enemy at impossible distances with extreme accuracy. As long as Hezekiah knew that, he was sure that they would win with minimal casualties.

"Hey, Sergeant Brooks?" Brian asked. Hezekiah silently turned to look at him, "How come those Iscariots saw us coming? Can they see in the dark?"

"They didn't see us," Hezekiah answered, "They could smell us. I think," Brian shot him a look like he was crazy, and Hezekiah couldn't really blame the kid. So Hezekiah explained further, this time talking over the radio so that everybody could hear, "They are half-animal. I believe they've retained a lot of their wild abilities, like their sense of smell. We ran into a pack of wolfmen, after all, that's why they were so fast."

"I guess that makes sense," said Lafayette, "Are they stronger than us physically?"

"Most likely," Hezekiah said, "But I don't plan on getting close enough to find out. Our advantage lies in our guns. If we can shoot them from a mile away, it won't matter how strong they are."

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"Good… so the plan is to just keep our distance now?" Quinn asked.

"That's the idea," Hezekiah answered.

They rendezvoused with Tombstone, and the Three squads pressed forward. They abruptly halted when they heard explosions coming from overhead, and bright light piercing through the darkness of the trees. The mortars were hitting their targets.

As the shells came down, they shook the forest around them. The sound was quick and loud, hanging in the air like the ghastly after effect of some terrible shock. It sounded much like thunder, though it seemed to pack even more of a punch at this distance.

The Marines watched as plumes of dust erupted into the sky, the few sun rays shone down on the clouds, casting a red color onto the brown dust clouds as the morning took over. The forests still dark blanketed the dirt under a purple sky. The stars were retreating, and the battle was coming on…

The base itself was nothing more than a stone wall flanked by four watchtowers, one on each corner of the wall. There seemed to be a few buildings inside, though they were being destroyed by the mortars. The wall itself was eight feet tall. Everything was made of a mixture of stone and wood. Very rustic construction work, but it was expected from their technological level.

[Zulu 9] "Mortars hit for full effect, we've got five hostiles down. The rest are running inside. Stirred the hornet's nest though, they are scattering around," The helpful reminder from the drone once again informed.

"How do you wish to proceed?" Asked Sergeant Hampton, "I could take my guys out, and run around back to close in once the mortar fire stops, and we'll pinch 'em out."

Hezekiah was about to answer Hampton when a distinct whistling sound blasted through the air. And like a gust of wind, Hezekiah saw an arrow just narrowly miss him, hitting the bark of a tree and plunging itself at least an inch deep into the wood. The Platoon sprung into action, ducking for cover behind the trees. "Shit! Iscariot bowman, they're probably looking at us from the watchtower!" Hezekiah muttered, "Can we get a shot on them?"

"Looks like a crossbow shot, I'm laying down fire on the watchtower!" Quinn aimed down his rifle sights. He was lying on his belly, shielded by trees and stones surrounding him. Upon pulling his gun trigger it let out a beam of fire. Tracer rounds made a green dash towards the opening of the watchtower closest towards the Marine positions. The other marines joined in the shooting, pinning down or presumably killing whoever was unfortunate enough to be inside.

The crossbow fire stopped, it must've been a rogue guard who was lucky enough to escape the blasts coming from the mortar fire. Hezekiah wanted to be sure, ordered Flint to take a smoke grenade from his vest to conceal their movements. Now the Iscariots had to know where they were coming from, again he reminded himself of his own words. Speed and Aggression.

"Alright! On the smoke, we'll close the distance to the Stonewall facing us! We'll breach in and neutralize all targets inside! Got that?" Hezekiah asked. The men gave him a strong 'Yes sir!'.

Another explosion shook the fort, and another cloud of smoke billowed. Victor radioed in…

[Victor] "Alright, Victor here. Bombardment is finished. We're standing by."

Hezekiah thanked Victor for their support, "Alright Flint, toss it!"

Flint chucked the small canister an impressive distance, and it flew straight to the center of the cleared-out field. Brown dirt was overcome with white green smoke as the Marines charged forward. Hezekiah led the group at the front of the charge as they sprinted across the open field. Zulu-Nine didn't warn them of anything, so the area must've been clear. He could hear yelling coming from inside the walls as the Marines stacked up on either side of a wooden gate. The stone buildings were still up, though the voices seemed to be few.

[Zulu 9] "This is Zulu Niner, you've got five… no, six hostiles inside of the garrison. They're looking rough in there, they might just surrender. Wait a minute… what are they doing-"

Hezekiah felt the hairs on his neck stand on end as the air around them filled with a static-electric feel. In fact, he could even feel a buzz in the air. Why? And what was Zulu-Nine looking at?

[Brooks] "Unity to Zulu-Niner, what's going on? Over."

[Zulu 9] "Uh… It looks like they are charging something up. I got a thermal heat signature. Some kinda ball of energy. Standby, I'm talking to command about it…"

The radio clicked off leaving the Marines to wonder what was going on, out there on the other side of this wall, "Shouldn't we charge in? They're still scrambling," Asked Lafayette.

"Not right now, not while there is an energy field or something inside… I'm waiting on Zulu-Nine to confirm what it is, when he does, we'll act," Hezekiah said. It could be a weapon or some kind of magical shield. Nobody knew the full abilities of the Ekron stones that the Iscariots used. There was no other way that they could manipulate energy with their current technological level. Again, it must be either a shield or some passive weapon that they are in the process of activating.

The tap on his shoulder from Quinn led Hezekiah to look up and over the wall, and he saw a red glow of light coming from further inside. The light contrasted against the growing blue of the morning sky, illuminating the base. It only confirmed that it was Ekron. His worst fear was that there were indeed mages, perhaps the only thing that could stand up to the Marines' technological advantage.

Hezekiah reached for his radio.

[Brooks] "Unity to Zulu Niner, we've confirmed that Ekron magic is being used in the fort. No clue what they're doing with it, but judging from the field generated, it's most likely some sort of passive defense. We cannot move in until the field is disabled, over!"

[Zulu 9] "Copy that, you should be safe outside of the fort. We've got word from the elves that it might not be a weapon at all. Though we're pressing for more info. Just standby."

Hezekiah was about to tell the Platoon that they would be there for a while, waiting for the Iscariots out, until the red glow exploded into a ball of yellow and orange light. The soldiers looked up, trying to gain a peek over the wall, and they saw a ruby red ball of energy shoot up into the Morning sky and the clouds above with the speed of a comet, a red and orange tail of light followed it, as it curved in the air and headed north towards Minerva.

[Zulu 9] "Shit, I'm tracking that energy pulse. Word from High Command is that the energy pulse seems to be a message of some sort. It shouldn't be directly harmful, but if it is what we think it is, we can expect Iscariot reinforcements soon…"

A message? So the energy beam was some sort of signal that the fort had launched to Minerva? Most likely a distress signal of some sorts while the last defenders occupied the fort, using Ekron magic to conjure the message. That would mean the garrison was on its last legs and knew that victory was impossible, all the Marines would have to do was move in and go for the kill.

"Alright gentlemen, we're moving in! Get the gate open!"

"Can't sir, it's locked!" A Private from Misfit said, trying to open it using the large metal handles but finding no purchase from the gate.

The marines had lined up on either side of a large wooden gate. Able to be opened, though it was locked. Figuring a wooden barricade was installed as a lock on the other side, the best way forward was to blow the door in, "Alright, get a charge on it! On my signal, we'll breach in!"

A few Marines worked on placing the explosive charges on the gate, while the rest stood trying to listen to the sounds coming from the other side of the wall. They heard nothing, and Zulu Nine didn't warn them of anyone on the other side. In fact, it was as if the entire base went quiet after they sent their message.

Hezekiah feared that they were in hiding, crouching in the rubble of the damaged buildings, waiting for a perfect spot to ambush the Marines. The realization of how dangerous all of this was came upon him. The uncertainty of what was going to happen...

He pushed those thoughts out of his mind, focusing instead on making sure that this first step went smoothly.

The marines finished preparing the charges, signaling to Hezekiah that they were ready. They did one final check to ensure that they couldn't hear any present danger close by, and Hezekiah gave the signal.

"BOOM!"

The gate was enveloped in a ball of smoke and dust, pushing the wooden structure forward in a violent blast. Hezekiah could hear the snapping of wooden splinters and the crackling of larger beams as the gate was turned to dust.

They moved in, fast. Entering into a tunnel formed by a building that ran along the interior of the walls. Seeing the inside, most of the area looked dilapidated, many of the structures were bombed out, some even collapsed. In the center of the courtyard was a flagpole, an Iscariot flag pole stood in the center of the courtyard, seemingly untouched by the mortar shelling. The last symbol of Iscariot control here that hadn't been destroyed. There seemed to be the remains of statues and icons, turned into little more than rubble. But this flag was the last vestige of Iscariot power.

It was a crimson red banner. A gold shield lay on its heart, contained within a larger ice-blue roundel. Above all, a gold star. This was the symbol of the Iscariot Empire. The enemy.

The Marines continued forward, carefully observing the buildings surrounding them to ensure a rogue crossbowman wasn't tracking their movements. All was clear. Until the building farthest opposite from them unleashed their attack.

The three squads split up, with each squad choosing a building section to clear. Since the building stretched around the four walls, dividing itself nicely into four sections, it would be relatively easy work to clear through them all. Unity took the left-hand building, lining up on a small wooden door that led into the stone structure. The building seemed mostly intact, if any survivors were left, they would most likely hide in here.

Quinn volunteered to kick the door in, and with the brunt force of his boot, the door was blasted off its hinges. The squad filled in, Hezekiah up front, Lafayette behind him, Quinn, Flint, and finally Brian watching the rear.

The room inside was dark, lit only by candlelight and the now bright morning sunlight. This was some form of cafeteria, tables were lined here all about. Iscariot flags hung around the inside of the rather large rectangular room, with another door to the left hinting at a stairwell. It was a bright red color, with Iscariot writing on it. Hezekiah squinted to see if it was legible, but the writing was of course unintelligible to his Earth eyes.

"Looks like we caught them during Breakfast," Flint whispered, taking note of the mess that the Iscariot soldiers left. A few of the wooden tables still had dining ware on them, with a lot of it scattered on the ground, fallen from their perch on the tabletops.

The stone room was cold, devoid of life so far. The only way forward was through that door.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Unity heard the echo of gunshots coming from the building that Tombstone breached into. Like clockwork, the radio call came from Sergeant Hampton. His voice sounded shaken.

[Tombstone] "Be advised, they're taking the fight inside! Look out for traps or ambushes...we've been ambushed inside of our building, I have one soldier injured but he'll pull through. We'll finish the sweep of this building!"

"Alright, you heard the guy. Eyes up," Hezekiah said to his team under the hush of a whisper. He led the squad slowly across the room to the wooden door painted red. There was no window or opening to see what lie on the other side of it, and it stood there almost menacingly to him. Anything could lie behind it.

"What's the plan?" Quinn asked.

"We move in, follow me," He ordered as he tentatively placed a hand on the doorknob. It moved open with no resistance, leading to a dark stairwell, illuminated only by the embers of burned-out candles. Again, the night vision goggles were proving their use here, as the near pitch-black of the winding stone stairway gave them little chance to see anything that could potentially pose a threat.

Hezekiah placed a foot on the first step, moving upwards. Constantly looking ahead with the business end of his death machine ready to kill anything that looked back. He could feel the breath of Lafayette right behind him, which gave him some reassurance. He trusted Unity, the members who became less of his squadmates for the past few days, and more of his companions. Not coworkers unfortunate enough to be trapped together to fight for a living, but partners who stuck together to help each one another during times like these.

Another step took Hezekiah further upstairs, the spiraling hall of steps ascending towards an uncertain situation. They progressed further. Coming to another red door.

With a hand signal, Unity stacked up on either side with Hezekiah preparing to open the door once again and lead the squad inside. Quinn and Lafayette stood on the other end, securing the stairwell in case something came up from behind. With another gesture, Hezekiah went in...

The room was long, beds lined the sides of the room with large windows leading to the courtyard outside. The ceiling had caved in from the mortar shelling further inside, with the now bright sunlight pouring inside. Hezekiah took his goggles off, letting his eyes adjust to the natural light that the sun provided.

"This is some kind of dormitory," Flint said as he stepped inside, taking a look at the beds, "This entire building is, I think."

"Yeah, something like that. Looks like they got a rude awakening," Brian commented, picking up what appeared to be a journal of some sort. He frowned when he realized that the words were unintelligible, "I wonder about what they went through..."

"Who?" Flint asked as he continued to meticulously inspect the room.

"You know, those Iscariot guys. Everyone's got a story," Said Brian.

"Sure..."

Hezekiah peeked under the beds, finding nothing of importance, "I think this building might be deserted," Hezekiah said.

"Probably killed them with the mortar strike, wouldn't be too surprised," Flint said.

"Oh yeah? Then where are all the bodies? We've yet to see anything that'd tell us they died!" Brian argued. Hezekiah finished a search around the final corner of the room, directly under the cave in the ceiling. Nothing.

"Well if they aren't here, they've gotta be somewhere. Might've been the guys Tombstone ran into," Hezekiah figured, unsure if he was anywhere close to correct.

"Contact, up the stairs!" Quinn's hushed yell echoed through the room. The three men swiftly moved toward Quinn and Lafayette's position, with the duo pointing their weapons further up the stairs.

Hezekiah listened and hear noise, the sound of hushed talking and footsteps echoed through the building like the hauntings of a ghost. And they slowly came nearer, perhaps hoping to catch the Marines by surprise. But Unity was aware. Each of the soldiers had their guns pointed down range ready to fire at whatever was coming for them.

A faint shadow appeared on the wall, and all went silent. Hezekiah could hear the blood rush through the veins in his neck, as an ever-present silence suffocated them. The shadows stopped growing, and they heard a hushed whisper. Right behind a corner, the Iscariots were plotting something.

Hezekiah didn't even see anything, but Quinn sure did. A loud bang killed the silence in the hallway, followed by a blood curling scream. A body fell in front of them, an avian. Covered in colorful blue and white feathers, and leather armor. The Avian held a sword in its 'hands', arms covered in feathers now stained red with blood. The yelling continued, further up the stairs, and Hezekiah gave the order to move up. Figuring that they were now disoriented, the Marines closed in for the kill. Moving up the stairs, they found that the Iscariots had already slipped away in panic. Leaving a door open on the final floor.

"Alright, we're moving in! Eyes peeled!" Hezekiah said as they moved inside. Once they moved into the room, they were met with an Iscariot soldier. On his knees, yelling. It was another Avian, this time a crow. Black- almost purple- feathers donned his arms and head, talons sat like large claws on the end of his legs.

"Hai! Hai! Jo moyah sohai!"

Hezekiah had no clue what the soldier was trying to say, the frantic waving of his wings, the fearful expression painted on his face...

"The fuck is he saying?" Flint asked.

"I think he's trying to surrender," Brian said. That made sense. Hezekiah cautiously approached the bird.

"We're just gonna take this guy, and lock him a room somewhere for the rest of the company to pick him up for transit," Hezekiah said. He was tying the Avian's wings together behind his back with makeshift handcuffs made out of duct tape. The crow was trembling, looking around nervously. Babbling on for a bit, though the marines still couldn't understand, "Hey, Flint. Radio the rest of the Platoon that we've got a POW."

"Yes sir!" Flint turned to the radio but was interrupted by a broadcast coming through.

[Zulu 9] "This is Zulu-Niner. Command is requesting a Sit-Rep immediately. Over."

[Flint] "This is Unity Five, we're running smooth. We have one POW in need of transit, we might have more in the future. We are still busy clearing this building, Over."

[Tombstone] "Tombstone Actual here, One injured soldier hurt badly in the leg. He'll need a Medevac. Our building is secured."

[Misfit] "Misfit Six, our building is secured. We've got no hostiles."

"I'm telling you, there is no way that all the Iscariots died in the bombing! They have to be in this building!" Brian said.

"We'll see about that," Hezekiah said, lifting the Crow. It was surprising seeing the anthropomorphic bird, standing right up to Hezekiah's chest. The crow repeatedly shook its head. It didn't speak. Only small whimpers escaped its beak, "Do you know where your friends are?" Hezekiah asked the crow. It looked as if it tried to understand, but ultimately couldn't. Hezekiah knew it was silly trying to speak to it, maybe they could find magic around here to translate. There had to be creatures around here gifted with magic, the light show they had been given a while back proved that.

Hezekiah thought it over as he walked with the Crow, who was surprisingly cooperative. He led the avian into a room, seemingly a storage closet with all the racks laid empty. A perfect place to put a prisoner temporarily. He seated the Crow onto the cold wooden floors and barred the doors from the outside with a table from the room. He turned to see if the Crow would say anything in regards to his current situation, but the only sound that came was that of heavy breathing. Figuring the Crow would be alright, Hezekiah jogged back to Unity who was crouched on either side of the halls. Something had spooked them.

"We heard something. Up ahead!" Brian informed Hezekiah, "No doubt the leftovers of the army."

Hezekiah nodded, and Unity stood back up. Slowly following the sound that they heard. It took them down a winding path, the building decaying around them. The roof caved in from mortar shelling in one spot, in a few other spots the floor had gone. The soldiers had to maneuver themselves carefully. But eventually, they came upon an open door.

A mysterious red light was emerging from it, and from there they heard more voices. The Marines had their guns loaded, and approached the room with caution. Shadows in the room hinted at a group of soldiers inside. Armed with this knowledge, they slowly approached them all from behind. Taking note of their figures, and taking targets.

"Bring them down," The Iscariots turned to face the Marines after they heard Hezekiah's voice, but it was too late.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Blood splattered on the walls of the room, as the dead bodies of the Iscariot army hit the floor. There were eight soldiers inside, and none of them reacted quickly enough. The gunfire ended as quickly as it began. The hall extended no longer, and the furthest reach of the building was now explored.

Unity moved inside to secure the room, in the center of it was a large contraption from which the red light radiated out like a holographic display. This must've been the contraption the Iscariots used to send the message, but the only question left was if they ever got a response.

Hezekiah walked over to the contraption, noting that one of those 'ekron' stones that the Raritan's warned about was lodged inside of a feeding chamber in the machine, tubes extended from the top of the machine up into the ceiling. Possibly to another contraption used to send and receive those messages, "What do you think it is?" He heard Flint ask.

"Most likely what they used to send that beacon or message to Minerva. Powered by these stones," Hezekiah took the stone out of the machine. Not completely sure of what would happen if he did. But the urge to find out overwhelmed him, and he found his gloved hand gripping the stone.

The machine simply faded in color. The light surrounding them died, and the room was left in darkness, "Yeah. Definitely," Hezekiah confirmed.

"This entire garrison should be secure now," Quinn said, "I've got the signal flares. I'll take the liberty to fire them."

"Yeah, good idea," Hezekiah said. Quinn trotted off to move back downstairs. 1st Batallion would arrive soon to relieve the Platoon. The first mission assigned to the Platoon, a success. Hezekiah looked back to the room full of the dead, feeling quite uncomfortable. He closed the door behind him as he left, "Alright. Mission complete guys. Good work," it wasn't the celebratory congratulations one would expect at the end of such a feat, but Hezekiah-- and the rest of Unity for that matter-- was tired. His words were more like a passing wind rather than an acknowledgment of victory. Though it didn't feel like a victory more than it felt like another day in the office.

Maybe it was because the day was still young and plenty more work was bound to come? After all, this was the easiest operation Newman assigned the Platoon, more specifically, Hezekiah. This small victory wouldn't be enough grounds for promotion to Platoon Leader, only a test to see if he was worthy of even competing in that race. And to think that more was on the way...

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CH-53 Sea Stallions flew overhead, the massive blades of the helicopters chopping the air into pieces as they descended onto the now flattened garrison that lay on the peak of Hill 181. In tow, LAV-25s, and LAV-ADs. A fleet of Chinooks flanked them carrying Howitzers and personnel. A few more choppers followed in suit, mostly UH-1Y Venom transports for a few more rifleman squads, and a pair of Viper Gunships to follow.

Hezekiah watched the flying creatures of steel make their touch on the ground, unloading their cargo as flight crews surrounded the inner courtyard of the area. It filled him with an almost boyish wonder looking at those machines. Like a kid watching a jet scream past for the first time, this was no different.

"I guess they weren't joking about those reinforcements from Earth, huh?" Flint said, walking up next to him. Hezekiah was leaned up against the stone wall of the interior building, snapping out of his daydream as he turned to his old pal.

"Yeah. Most of these people are Bannon's, mostly support stuff y'know?"

"Bannon? Oh, you mean that loudmouth?"

Hezekiah chuckled, "Yeah... That's the guy," he said, "The Captain's team should arrive here any minute now. Maybe on one of those Yankee Choppers," Hezekiah pointed to a landing Venom that unloaded a few squads worth of soldiers.

"When is the assault beginning?" Flint asked, getting to the point.

Hezekiah shrugged, "When they say it does."

"When they say it does," Flint parroted in a hushed tone, "Heard you have a big day today, Sergeant. I'll leave you and your thoughts alone."

"Peace," Was all Hezekiah responded with as Flint walked off...

This was only the beginning. Soon, the battle would properly begin, and Hezekiah would be given a real challenge. But he had to ask himself the most important question of all... could he handle it? Did he want to handle it? He asked himself these questions as his attention turned on the flagpole that stood in the center of the fort. The Iscariot flag had been torn down, burned by the American soldiers. In its place, the Star-Spangled Banner. The American flag talked to him, communicating a message like the Iscariot flag prior had. But the message that the stars and stripes told him was not a good one. It did not symbolize victory, or triumph, as the commanders had intended it to symbolize. It did not fill him with a patriotic pride of triumph and glory in battle. it's raising meant that now, nothing would ever be the same. That a New Order had descended upon this world that would make it a prime mission to reduce Hezekiah into dush as he was caught in a war that neither he nor his squad wanted anything to do with.

In a twisted fate of irony, the flag of his own country meant the opposite of safety. It meant to him, that he was bound to be in graver danger than he was before. If Mirrorface and the Elven Mother were right, this was only the beginning. And that is what scared him more than anything.