Time To Earn The Toys

Several days passed with very little resistance. The tension was palpable as they neared the city. A fight was looming. The biggest one of their entire lives. Everyone knew it. Carla had returned covered in bandages, and had barely spoke to Hera. Everyone else checked and rechecked their equipment, going over plans and back up plans each day.

That particular night was long and dark. Nameless sat in the train car causeway, his feet kicking in the breeze as the mighty mobile city rushed forward. His canteen cup was nearly empty. Regret and misery filled his fuddled brain as he gazed out over the Martian dunes. How had it come to all this?

The small glints in the night sky caught his eye as he gazed outward. Nameless squinted, realizing it was the metal hulls of the armada bouncing back the stars’ and moons' light. Sure, were low tonight. He yawned.

Small bright flashes caught his eye, watching small lines fall from the ships, like columns of ants made of fire. The ground where the fire landed seemed to be erupting. No barrage, the Professor had said, what was this?

Nameless spat, then watched in wonder as a bright red beam of light impaled one of the ships. The beam disappeared, and the ship exploded, its massive burning hull falling toward the surface. Looks like Earth and the big city weren't going to wait for the Vagabonds to start the shooting.

Nameless finished his cup and leaned against the hull, his head resting on the rusted metal. What a time to be alive. He had never really had any big dreams or goals in life. Take the next job, don't die, make sure friends don't die. Rinse and repeat. All this higher purpose, gods, and politics was beyond him.

It wasn't that he was a shallow man, not in his mind anyway. He had never been content, but he wasn't unhappy doing contract after contract. Why not? It was a challenging but fair life. Out there among the dunes. Delving into ruins, killing scum, bringing in criminals and corrupt lawmen. Money was money, and it was good. Sure, some nights you went to bed hungry, but they was always that next bounty lying just around the corner. And it wasn't like anyone he had shot didn't deserve it; if anything, he was a garbage man taking out the trash half the time.

But he did come home to and was paid by far worse people than those he was sent out to kill. Mama Jockus, rogue sheriffs, warlords, kingpins, Mr. Peirceson. What was that guy's deal anyway? All the crazy stuff they'd been through, and to think he had been Mar’s vice president. Mr. Eye’s right-hand man. Nameless pondered how quickly they all would have died had the Guilds not taken the Vagabonds in. This wasn’t who he was at all.

Since the day of the camp battle, he'd been just reacting, buying time, clawing away against the giant vice, trying to squish them. But he also never really had a choice. He had no freedom virtually his entire life. Then when he had freedom, there was someone important in his face twenty-four-seven lecturing him, bossing him around, and sending him out on some insane task to get god serum off Mars. It was always on him to complete the job, dragging his friends into harm’s way.

Not that they cared. Captain Spider probably cared; Hera was a wild card, great for fighting but that was about it. Nameless didn’t even trust her inside a shuttle off-world at this point. Carla and Sammy were yes people, both good at their jobs, but they always had to be given direction. If it wasn't Nameless, it'd be someone else. Aj, man Aj, a brother from another mother, but why didn't he defend Nameless when the king stuff had been brought up? He knew Nameless better than that. He always sided with Nameless against Julia. Julia.

Nameless ground his teeth. King shit? Hera as an executioner? Nameless knew Julia was brilliant; it wouldn't take long for her to pick up Zion mentoring him. But to put them all against her? She wasn't their mother; why did she need to correct and protect everyone? She'd been like that since they were kids.

Then there was Professor Zion. Space Merlin, know-it-all, proud little man. Nameless wondered if the professor knew any cool tricks to get them out of this. Probably did, but Nameless suspected Zion liked all of this. Who else lives for hundreds of years just to do this over and over again willingly?

As Nameless pondered, motion caught his attention. He turned and looked up to see someone had walked up beside him with a blanket.

“Can I sit?” Julia asked hesitantly. She held two new cups of liquor.

Another beam of light in the distant background, another atrociously expensive ship going down with Gods knew how many souls aboard.

Nameless nodded.

Julia plopped down next to the young bounty hunter, handing him a new drink. The liquor bottle was wrapped in the blanket, and she carefully pulled it out as she unwrapped the wool blanket. She held the blanket up behind her back, and Nameless draped the other half around himself. The two sat quietly, watching Mars and Earth dance a deadly and terrible duel in orbit.

Julia bit her lip. “I'm sorry for what I said earlier,” she sighed.

“It's fine,” Nameless shrugged.

“No, it's not, I was insecure, and I lashed out. You've been doing a great job.”

Nameless looked at her, shocked.

“What?” Julia asked, scared.

“Nothing, I just need to go write this down somewhere. You've never apologized for anything before, ever.”

Julia grimaced. “You're an arrogant little shit, you know that!” she seethed, taking a swig for her cup.

“And now she's insulting me; that's the Julia I know,” Nameless chuckled.

“Yeah, gods forbid I try to be a bigger person and take accountability for my feelings,” Julia spat.

“Yeah, gods forbid,” Nameless chortled, sipping as Julia elbowed him.

“You could have at least come back a bit harder during the brief,” Julia said.

“Why? I thought lashing out due to emotional insecurity was your job,” Nameless cackled.

Julia groaned.

“Gods, he's drunk,” Julia sighed.

“Just a little,” Nameless smirked.

Julia laid her head on his shoulders. “I wouldn't mind,” Julia said slowly, “staying on Mars for a bit, so you can keep these idiots from imploding.”

“Nah, they got the council for that. It's green grass and a farm for us,” Nameless said.

“You mean that?”

“Yeah, dude, imagine how much grass I can cut with these new upgrades,” Nameless chuckled.

“Remind me to show you some pictures of grass,” Julia groaned.

“There's got to be more out there, more than just farms, though?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, we can do other stuff besides farming, right?”

Julia snapped her head up and looked at him. She was silent a moment, her eyes squinted. “You wanna go do shit like this off-world, don't you!” Julia angrily realized, jumping up.

“No, no, it's not like that,” Nameless groaned. “I'm just saying, are we all really cut out for a quiet life? There are more exciting roles that don't involve hurting people that we can become.”

“I think we are,” Julia said softly, her eyes worried. “I've had enough death and pain for a lifetime, haven’t you?”

Nameless was about to answer when alarms built into the walls started whirring. Red alert lights began spinning, illuminating the train car with rolling light wheels.

“Everyone, get the fuck up!” Nameless roared, tossing the contents of his cup out of the train.

Julia held out a hand, and Nameless took it, heaving himself up. The two were close to each other, nearly in an embrace. “I'm with you till the end. I don't care what we do off Mars,” Nameless said quietly.

He kissed Julia on the forehead, then leaped around her, charging the groggy Vagabonds.

“Get the fuck up! Let's go, let's go, boys!” Nameless shouted, sprinting to his bunk and his gear.

“Half of us are girls, dumbass!” Hera yelled as she laced her boots up.

“It's an expression, you dumb bitch!” Carla cackled as she painfully leaned herself out of bed, covered in bandages. Julia came over and injected a chem into Carla's shoulder. She groaned and rolled her shoulders, ripping the bandages off.

Nameless sighed, put his kit on, and brass checked the beowulf before slinging it over his back. He turned around and snatched Hera from her bunk. She complained angrily as Nameless dragged her over to Carla.

“Get up,” Nameless barked. Carla cautiously got up. The alarms still blasting. Gunfire began crackling in the distance, a faint orange sheen beginning to drown the stars out up ahead.

“On the count of three, the two of you both say the meanest thing you can. One,” Nameless ordered.

“Huh?” Hera asked.

“Wait hold on,” Carla said startled.

“Two.”

“Fuck you and fuck her, I ain't a kid,” Hera spat, taken off guard.

“Fuck you too, bitch!” Carla seethed, startled.

“Three.”

The two girls wordlessly mouthed at each other, their eyes bulging angrily.

“Whore!” Hera spat.

“Bitch!” Carla responded.

“Okay, great, now shake hands and gear up. That negative shit gets squashed and stays on the train, or you don't leave the train. Both of you got that?” Nameless commanded.

The two girls stared at him angrily, then gave each other a dark look.

“Yes, sir, mister king, sir!” Hera saluted mockingly.

“By your leave, your grace!” Carla curtsied.

“’Bout time someone listened to me around here. Spider, get the Magnolia ready,” Nameless barked as he walked away from the girls.

Spider stood in place; his face framed in a mischievous smile.

“G-give m-m-m-me f-five minutes to-to g-get her ready!” Captain Spider shouted as he sprinted toward the exit door.

“Everyone else, get to your rides!” Nameless barked.

The team acknowledged, commencing last-minute gear and weapon checks as Nameless inserted a radio's earbud in.

“Who's on this net?” Nameless radioed.

“Guild actual here,” Ardo crackled.

“Whisper checking in,” Auntie Mai's voice said.

“Zion at your service,” the Professor crackled in Nameless 's ear.

“And what's my name?” Nameless asked.

“Perhaps Nameless-Actual?” Zion offered.

“Wolf one?” Ardo said.

“Shadow,” Auntie Mai said.

“What was that?” Nameless asked, surprised.

“Ah yes, well, you are the leader of the Nameless; leadership call signs typically end with actual,” Professor Zion explained.

“No, what Whisper said,” Nameless said as he walked past the vagabonds.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“Your call sign should be Shadow. Sequent call signs will end with their order. Julia will be shadow one, Carla shadow five, etc,” Auntie Mai said.

“Vagabonds? Do we want shadow as our call sign?” Nameless asked loudly.

“Oh, I like that!” Sammy cheered.

“Who the fuck cares what our call sign is?” Hera cackled.

“I think it sounds tough!” Aj called.

“Bit dark, don't you think?” Julia asked.

“Sounds badass to me,” Carla said.

“Shadow it is. What we got up ahead?” Nameless radioed.

“The fueling station ahead has been occupied by mobile enemy forces; drones pick up multiple large mutant signatures,” Ardo said.

“Grog riders? The fuck are they doing all the way out here?” Hera asked, listening with her earpiece.

“Alliance with the city, perhaps? At any rate, they beat back our scouts. Predict large casualties if we send the regulars out to deal with them,” Ardo said.

The holographic map blurred to life, showing the many buildings of the fool station. The map entailed the surrounding landscape, and possible enemy formations.

“Aj, load your bike unto the hovercraft; you got overwatch,” Nameless ordered.

Aj nodded and sped past him.

“Wolf company will be led by Hera as the main assault element. Julia, take eagle company; when you have emplaced on the dunes to the left of the fuel station, I’ll take the vagabonds and wolve scouts in. Bear will stay on the train for the extra firepower. Guild Actual, this rail line goes straight through the fuel station?”

“That is correct.”

“Okay, once we disembark, slow the train down and halt a few clicks from the station. Bear company will hold off any counterattacks. Worst case scenario, you guys roll in if shit goes south. Shadow out,” Nameless said.

“Good hunting, Shadow,” Auntie Mai said.

Nameless led the Vagabonds to the next train car, where the doors had been lifted open, the dark orange dunes speeding past. A turntable built into the floor rotated the buggy sideways, ready to leap out of the train at a moment's notice. The comrades each went to their station. Hera remained behind, prepared to walk toward her people's train car. She looked nervous, her grey eyes darting, the corners of her mouth downturned.

Nameless checked the fluids and throttles of his bike. Content, he stowed his gear, readjusted his plate carrier, then walked over to Hera.

“I really wanted to drive that thing,” Hera sighed.

“You will. Julia is getting her own vehicle,” Nameless nodded. Ardo had mentioned a spare buggy a few days ago, perfect for leading Eagle company.

“I get to lead the Wolves in that thing?” Hera asked, her eyes lighting up.

“You bet,” Nameless smiled.

Hera laughed nervously. “Watch Carla; she's been different lately,” Hera said softly.

“Stays on the train,” Nameless said darkly.

“I know, I know, it's just,” Hera said; she dropped it, though. “Okay, let's do this.”

Hera stomped past them hurriedly. Nameless pushed what she said past him, clearing his mind.

“I'll disembark from further back on the train; Ardo has the buggy ready for me,” Julia said as she walked up to Nameless.

“Okay, disembark first and let us know; we'll catch up to you,” Nameless said.

Julia nodded. “Be careful,” she said softly, walking the opposite of Hera.

Nameless watched her leave when a new voice crackled statically over the radio.

“Mag-lia set-where-guys at?” Spider's voice said brokenly.

“Magnolia, stay embarked on the train; there is something wrong with your radio systems,” Ardo said.

“D-ng.”

Nameless looked at the other Vagabonds, shocked. “He's not doing what I think he's doing, right?” he asked nervously. Sammy, Hera, and Carla shook their heads, confused from inside the buggy.

A huge roar was heard, and Nameless looked out from the train to see the Magnolia had launched off into the wastes.

“Fuck my life. Go, go, go, go!” Nameless thundered as he sprinted to his bike. Hera roared the buggy engine and accelerated off the turntable, flying through the air unto the Martian wastes. Dust erupted as the buggy kicked up dirt and sped away.

Nameless revved his engine, slapped a helmet on, the tactical display wiring to life, and followed them. He rode the bike to the edge of the train and yanked the throttle, his stomach dropping as he flew in the air. He was in the open air for a suspended second, then crashed into the ground. It took all his skill not to wipe out as he regained control of the steering.

Nameless followed the command buggy, catching it and then overtaking it as he sped toward the Magnolia. The super tank was thundering along, making a mini sandstorm as the Vagabonds approached.

“Spider, can you read us?” Nameless roared.

“B-ly, speak- I can't- over.”

“Okay, buddy, flash your lights if you can hear everything we're saying,” Carla said over the net. The tank's floodlights flashed on and off.

“Okay, we got one-way coms with our Franken panzer. Put him in the center of the diamond, wait for the rest of the people to catch up,” Nameless ordered. He halted his bike and held the bike upright as he surveyed the task force leaving the train.

A large convoy formed of buggies, dirt bikes, speeders, hovercraft, everything the guilds could weld together. Bear company began fortifying the train while Eagle and Wolf separated into two different formations. A command buggy with camouflage netting draped over it approached Nameless.

The buggy pulled beside the rider. Julia was sitting in the passenger seat, rifle between her legs, her silver arm inserted into a holographic tactical map, enabling her to send commands and adjust to the battlefield at breakneck speed. Her command team manning the rest of the seats. She looked stunning, her hair tucked under her helmet, her face framed with the helmet straps. She looked comfortable, poised even as she held a map and radio.

“Great start!” Julia called happily over her engine.

“You stay safe out there, probably gonna stay this way until we get Zion off-world,” Nameless said as he lifted his visor.

“You, too,” she said solemnly. “Let's go.”

Nameless watched her drive off, following her company craft into formation. As the command train disembarked, so too did the other trains. The regular army began forming, unloading vehicles and people slowly. Nameless sighed. He looked into the distance and saw that the horizon was orange.

“On me, vagabonds. Hera, can the wolves send over some scouts to ride with me?” Nameless asked.

“You got it,” Hera said. She relayed the command, and a platoon-sized group of thirty of Hera's people sped over toward Nameless on similar bikes. Nameless revved his engine and zipped forward, bolting to the front of the army. It would be a long ride to the city; no point getting back on the trains now that they were in artillery range.

As he approached, the wolves fell in behind him, staggering out on his left and right.

“It's about two kilometers to the refueling station,” Auntie Mai said.

“Okay, Wolf and Shadow will screen ahead; Eagle, stay with Magnolia,” Nameless ordered.

The acknowledgments went through, and Nameless burst forward, leading the way. He could see the vagabond buggy in his mirrors and Aj's marking lights in the air.

“Path's clear; I think I see a spotter running back to the station, though,” Aj said.

“We lost the element of surprise the moment we stepped onto trains,” Nameless said.

He continued onward, burning a path forward. As the Maritain wastes rolled past, Nameless could see the battle unfold before him. The towering columns of smoke rising from the burning fuel, the ships fighting, the burning sky full of dancing anti-air fire as the Big City let loose. The tiny speck of the town gleamed like a glitter particle in the distance.

As the army came closer, the fueling station began to take form. Time seemed to slow down as Nameless leaned forward in his seat, willing his bike to go faster. Fear and excitement shot through his body, his vision narrowing, his mind slowing. Soon, all of this will be over, no fighting, no more pain.

“We got the middle, Shadow Actual,” Hera said, determined.

Nameless nodded and signaled with his right hand, beckoning the wolf scouts to follow him. The formation broke off and swung around the station, flanking it. As he turned, Nameless could see Hera’s buggy and Wolf company form a line with their vehicles. Over on the hill on the far side, Eagle’s buggies were emplacing, the Magnolia slowly chugging up the dune so its gun could have dominion over the station.

“I got targets in the open!” Aj warned.

Nameless 's helmet scanner zoomed in and saw them. It was the same breed of mutant from the chemical plant, but these were armored and had human riders. There had to be at least an entire company occupying the station.

“It just had to be fucking grog riders,” Aj moaned.

“Grog is the name of the species?” Professor Zion asked.

“Yep. Seen them before, just without armor,” Nameless said. “Spider, soon as you take that hill, weapons-free. Everyone else, get ready.”

There was a garbled response as the Magnolia climbed as hard as she could.

Nameless accelerated forward, careful to take the first half of the station only to avoid friendly fire from the Eagles on the hill. The Wolves kept at half speed, reserving the charge for the cover. Suddenly, Magnolia's turret crowned the hill. A train horn sounded, and Magnolia's main gun roared, a massive ring of fire illuminating the hillside. A giant column of fire erupted, slamming into a building, collapsing it instantly. Eagle company began taking precise shots, hitting the steads in the eye or knocking riders off their grogs.

As one, Wolf company slammed their pedals to the floor, high beams, and flood lights on as tracers savaged the station from their mounted machine guns. Nameless pulled the beowulf out, then looked behind to see the wolf riders had thermite tipped javelins.

As Nameless and the bikers rode in, a group of grog riders charged forward, answering the challenge. Their riders had similar javelins, rifles, and bows with interesting arrowheads, no doubt.

“On my command, scatter!” Nameless radioed.

“Acknowledged,” the wolf sergeant said.

The enemy riders got into formation. The rest of the grogs were charging Wolf company or taking cover from the hill fire. Magnolia fired a second shot, this molten beam of light smashing into a factory building and eviscerating it. Several grogs were vaporized as the fuel elements inside ignited.

The grog company materialized, the total of them storming out from behind the cluster of industrial buildings.

“Hold!” Nameless barked. The enemy were almost in shooting range. “Hold!”

The Grogs were massive, barreling forward on their many legs, their armored and scaly hides heaving as they charged. Several of the riders were already taking potshots at the bikers. Magnolia let off a third shot, this round impacting on the far side of town, sending several grogs flying.

“Now!” Nameless shouted.

The bikes scattered, squeezing in between the grog riders. The bikers let their javelins fly, and many grogs exploded or routed away from the battle on fire. A few monsters snatched wolf riders off their bikes and snapped them in half with their massive jaws.

Nameless rode through the gaps, steering the bike with his legs momentarily as he fired the beowulf. The rounds went through one grog and impacted the one behind, exploding. Over by the central element, the grogs and buggies collided, and a vicious battle rung out as the Vagabonds went to work.

Nameless held the beowulf with one hand and steered with the other as he whipped around the fight. Snapping a grog's neck with a round here, killing a rider there, Nameless became a demonic whirlwind of motorized death.

The Magnolia's train horn roared, and it barreled down the hill, charging forward. Aj spun around overhead, unleashing rockets and machine gunfire. The Eagle company remained behind, expertly laying down fire. The battle was going in their favor.

Suddenly, a dozen green flares rocketed into the air. Explosions ripped through the army's ranks as improvised explosives were triggered. Every building window and door erupted with fire as the concealed troops opened up. Dozens more grog riders came out of their concealment, charging into the fray.

Nameless pulled away from his fight, letting the wolves finish what was left. They now faced more than double what they had scanned. The perfect trap.

“Wolf company rally on Magnolia, Eagle cover their advance! Guild actual, get the regulars here quick as you can! Pull the trains in!” Nameless barked into his helmet's radio. “Don't fall back! Stand and fight!”

Nameless sped around, halted his bike, and aimed at the last grog rider. He pulled the trigger, and the rider went limp. A wolf rider threw a javelin, and the grog's head exploded.

“On me!” Nameless barked.

The wolf group charged forward into the maelstrom of the battle. At the far end of the station, waves of enemy infantry were charging the Magnolia. Spider had positioned her in the center of the main road of the downtown station. This forced the grogs and infantry to funnel into his primary weapons. The Magnolia roared, its main gun shattering an enemy platoon. The flame thrower demonically shrilled, spitting dozens of feet of molten fury into the unprotected enemy. Wolf company had surrounded the tank, using their buggies as cover as their machine guns roared.

“Shadow three, what do you need?” Nameless shouted as the bikers barreled towards the tank.

“Orbit us and light their asses up!” Hera cackled.

“Shadow three, our drones show you're surrounded,” Ardo said.

“Good!” Hera cackled. “Wolves don't retreat!”

Nameless almost laughed as he veered around the attackers. As the riders began decimating the flanks of the attack waves, small explosions peppering the dune heights around the station.

“Shadow actual, this is shadow one; we got motors zeroed in on us!” Julia spat.

He scanned around for where they could be hidden and noticed a significant depression in the land behind the station.

“Hold on, Shadow one, we got them,” Nameless said and yanked the handlebar, steering the bike around an enemy armored vehicle, one of his riders slamming a charge to its side and setting it ablaze. The bikers thundered toward the depression, now seeing the muzzle flashes of the massive mortars.

Nameless leaned forward in his seat, bracing as he neared the dirt mound. They flew over it, the mortar crews beneath them. He landed on a crew and sprawled in the mud, drawing his rifle and knife. In a flurry of hand-to-hand combat, Nameless cut down the crew, the wolf riders eagerly closing in with their machetes and knives. It wasn't a fight; it was butchery as each enemy was cut down to the man.

“Any of you know how to use these things?” Nameless asked breathlessly, cleaning his deactivated thermal knife.

Some of the wolves smiled and raised their hands.

“Make it rain, boys. Sergeant?”

“Yes, commander,” the wolf acknowledged.

Nameless and the Sergeant pulled out their binoculars and walked over to the trenches edge. They peered out and studied the battle. It was going better than they hoped, but there were a lot of burning buggies and dead men out there. Nameless looked down and studied the bodies of the dead enemy. They were just typical mercenaries.

“Why are waste scum fighting so hard for the city?” Nameless asked the Wolf Sergeant.

“I do not think they owe their allegiance to the city, sir,” the Sergeant responded.

“Then who—” Nameless started. He stopped when he noticed the red shoulder pauldrons. “Jockus,” Nameless seethed.

“Commander?” the wolf asked, confused.

“All call signs, Mama Jockus is here; these are her boys,” Nameless said over the net.

“You sure?” Julia asked.

“Who else could get so many non-mods to fight us?” Nameless spat.

“I see a bunker on the far side of town. That's where I'd hide,” Aj observed.

“Shadow two, come pick us up,” Nameless ordered.

“You got it, boss man,” Aj said.

“Wait for us!” Hera snapped.

“Focus on these assholes; I got Jockus!” Nameless spat.

“Nameless, please don't go by yourself,” Julia pleaded.

“The trains are on their way. Finish them off, then come get me; I got the wolves,” Nameless said.

He went back over to his bike.

“Give me five of your best guys, you and them follow me. The rest stay here and man these guns,” Nameless spoke.

The wolf sergeant nodded, and five of the meanest ones went and mounted their bikes.

“Let's ride,” Nameless beckoned.

As the seven riders left the trench depression, the motors began raining down on the enemy, disrupting their formations. Nameless took the lead, watching the companies rally. Magnolia was blasting swaths of the enemy away. Seeing all the new playmates, Spider had started bulldozing buildings, scattering the infantry, and sending grogs scampering as he let all the guns loose.

Wolf company had begun clearing buildings as Eagle held their ground, whittling the enemy away. They were barely winning, but it was good for now. Nameless pressed on, riding hard away from the station. As they rode, tracer fire and explosions filled the night sky. It was as if a ghostly forest had been set ablaze in the desert as each side fought to the bitter end.

Aj touched down, and the bikers gathered around him. They folded their bikes and stored them in the rear storage compartment of the craft. Then they piled on, filling every spare seat. Aj took off, Nameless sitting next to him, as they flew toward the bunker.

“I wanna come with you,” Aj said, breaking the silence.

“We need air, and you're all we got. I'm not sacrificing a gunship for you needing revenge,” Nameless grunted.

“Brother, you and I both know you can't say shit to no one about revenge,” Aj said plainly. “But I get your point; just be careful down there.”

“You too, brother,” Nameless nodded as he looked out the window.

The bunker came into view as the sunset. Surprisingly, there were no anti-air defenses. Aj landed, and the passengers piled out. Nameless waved, holding his beowulf at the ready, and approached the armored doors. Dust and wind picked up, buffeting them as Aj pulled up and away.

The wolves stood at the ready as Nameless approached the door. It was sealed shut.

“I need a breacher,” Nameless said.

One of the wolves stepped forward when the doors swung open on their own. Green light flooded out from the bunker, revealing a long stair hallway down. It was empty. The group jumped back.

“Scanner,” Nameless said.

The wolf sergeant pulled out a recon grenade, clicked the button, and flung the grenade into the mow of the bunker. Its beeping faded away as it clattered down the stairs.

“No signatures,” the wolf said.

Nameless nodded and led the way into the bunker.

The wolves followed and descended into the mouth of the greenlit bunker.