“Dammit, we need to get out of here! Lanada, is there a faster way to the surface?” Sam looked panicked.
“Not sure, there might be a ladder nearby, look for the maintenance tunnels. Wait, there, where the Geldor were, there’s a ladder going up.”
A few steel loops were all they had to climb on, Lanada going first to lead the way. The rest of the group followed after them, looking quite distraught from what they’d gone through. Lanada expected it wouldn’t compare though to the battle outside.
The overlook was connected to a tunnel on either end, plumbing lining the walls again. Lanada led the group right, begging for it to be a quick escape. After another chamber and a maintenance tunnel, it seemed their guess was right. A metal door similar to the one they’d began at led them into a building’s basement, polished tile making a welcome change from the dirty sand below.
“Is this the bank?” Sam asked, perplexed by the tunnels.
“No, the theater. Bank is on the south side,” Lanada corrected.
“I’m surprised you know all this, it’s like a maze down there.”
“I’ve been all over this city. Not even because of my job, I’ve just been here so long. I grew up on the streets before we had public housing; a lot of homeless used to hang out down in those tunnels before that.”
“I always heard about that. Not STAR’s jurisdiction though, the police dealt with them.”
“I’m glad people aren't being harassed by them anymore at least. They made living down there harder than it already was. They told the public that the people in the tunnels were dangerous, and that we were fucking with the pipes and wiring. Made them overlook a lot of police action.”
They stopped talking as they reached the building’s exit. Workers were still at the front desk, waiting to help people purchase their tickets.
“City’s under attack, evacuate and get somewhere safe. If you go to State Street, transports will be waiting there,” Sam said, handing out a few pamphlets. They were the same given out a week beforehand, detailing the evacuation plan. The workers took them, looking extremely worried as they filed outside, heading to the place Sam had recommended.
When Lanada and the group got outside as well, gunshots could barely be heard through the city, echoing across the streets. A small crowd of people were traveling in the same direction, likely to the transports Sam had mentioned.
Rather than following them though, Sam took lead as the group ran the opposite way, towards the gunfire. Radio chatter could be heard from his Circle ahead, sounding more and more dire as the gunfire grew. It was only a few blocks until the sounds of battle were deafening, proving they were nearby.
Apart from the fleeing crowds, the streets were empty. All normal functions of the city had ceased. It felt strange: downtown where the buildings were tallest, it was always busy. Without purpose, the towering skyscrapers felt like monuments staring down at Lanada.
“Stick to your partners and commanders, the rest of us will probably get split up. Just focus on repelling the Geldor, help our people wherever you can,” another agent said. Their partner, Randy, gave Lanada a small wave before splitting from the group, running off to help in their own way.
“The west flank needs backup, we’re going there Lanada.”
Lanada nodded and followed Sam as he set into another run, his gun out and ready. A couple roadblocks were set up blocking the city from the Geldor. Mikoril military and STAR tended to them, shooting back the invading force. Lanada could barely get a view past the soldiers, but they seemed to be holding up well enough.
They stopped at the third roadblock, Sam and Lanada entrenching themselves with the others.
“Agent Sam and Lanada, STAR Division 7. What’s the situation?” Sam asked one of the commanders.
“Geldor have the entire west and south sides of the city surrounded, we’re trying to contain them. These roadblocks are all we have to stop them from entering the city. Casualties are low at the moment, but not if we don’t get more firepower.”
“Do they have vehicles? Tanks?”
“Haven’t seen any yet, just foot soldiers. They’re arriving in civilian vehicles, like minivans or trucks, so it’s been difficult to track them entering the city. Since the evacuation’s started though, that shouldn’t be a problem much longer. I need you two on that gun over there, needs two to operate. That was keeping them from getting too close but they killed the last person on there. You’ll have to get past the roadblock to access it. It’s set up to have a visual down Groar street as well, so you should have two paths to hold back.”
“We’ll get on it. Good luck.”
“Don’t need it.”
Lanada followed Sam again, climbing over the roadblock. It was set on a raised platform, sandbags stacked against the sides for cover. Two tiers of soldiers sat on the platform, one shooting over the others’ heads. In front was a field of bodies, dead Geldor lining the streets.
A plink against Lanada’s armor told them some were still alive though, and so they dove for cover with Sam, trying to get a few shots off first. Several Geldor were hidden behind parked vehicles and buildings, popping out to let off a few safe shots before hiding again. From the roadblock, they had had even more cover, meaning Sam and Lanada were far better positioned to take them out.
Across the street was the turret they needed to get to, a Monarchy soldier dead and slumped over the controls. Lanada poked out of cover to shoot at one of the exposed Geldor, killing them with only a couple shots before moving to the next. With Sam’s help, the few remaining were picked off, giving them a clear route to the turret.
With the path open, Sam and Lanada made a beeline for the gun, but were stopped by even more Geldor. A new group filtered down the street, occupying any hiding spots they could find. The intense shooting resumed from the roadblock, shredding through a few oncoming Geldor. Trying their best to dodge the gunfire, Sam and Lanada made a final push to the turret, throwing off the dead bodies upon arriving.
“You shoot, I’ll reload,” Sam demanded.
“Good, I thought you’d want to control it.”
“No, you’re a better shot. Now get shooting, I saw a couple go behind that truck.”
“That’s just somebody’s truck though, I don’t want to damage it!”
“That doesn’t matter, they’re trying to shoot us, Lanada!”
“Whatever. As long as I don’t have to pay for it.”
Lanada studied the controls before manning them, finding them rather simple. To the side in cover, Sam checked the munitions, loading a few cans into the gun. There were so many flashes of gunfire, Lanada had many options for targets. They chose the ones Sam had suggested, shooting through the truck. With blood splattered on the opposite wall, it was assumed the rounds had killed them.
With every victim Lanada chose, they were killed almost instantly, even armor not stopping the turret. As more Geldor flooded the street, the bullets flew faster, forcing them into cover as their comrades died.
Sam kept up with reloading, never leaving Lanada without shots to fire. A look over though and they were running out of ammunition cans. Lanada made their shots count, unleashing a storm upon each spot of cover. Unable to prevent it, the corners of buildings were shredded apart, followed with vehicles and other objects along the street. Nothing compared to the damaged bodies though, laid out across the road where they died, gored beyond recognition.
As Lanada scanned the intersection, another wave began. This time, they were led by a tank. It wasn’t of Monarchy design, rolling on tracks and colored a tan metal. A large turret on top cranked to turn towards Lanada’s turret.
“Fuck!”
They both dove simultaneously away from the gun, barely in time to watch it explode. Shrapnel from the gun and the round filled Lanada’s armor and the side of their face, tearing into their skin. Not too far away, Sam fell to the ground, blocking his face from the blast. He had gotten out with less injury, luckily.
“Back to the roadblock!”
Lanada didn’t need to listen to Sam to follow orders. They were already sprinting back, eager for some legitimate cover.
“Tank!” Lanada yelled as they jumped over the roadblock.
“What?”
“There’s a tank coming! Bunker down!” Sam yelled too, following Lanada.
“Fuck!”
The two ducked down behind the sandbags, letting off shots toward the street of Geldor. The tank was barely visible as it prepared to turn the corner. Soldiers on the tier behind and above readied rpgs and the likes, not waiting for the tank to fully expose itself. The machine took the shots well, glancing them off as it turned its main turret. From a couple holes on the side, Geldor shot through with their rifles, trying to pin down the soldiers at the roadblock. After a few more shots fired, it was clear they couldn’t stop the tank in time.
“We can’t hold this position any longer. Retreat to block 8!” the group’s commander yelled.
The soldiers around didn’t wait, immediately scrambling up and over the roadblock to escape. A couple of them took bullets and fell from the sandbags, dead. Behind, the force was retreating, a few watching back to cover the escape. As Lanada and Sam joined them to get distance from the roadblock, the Geldor began to overrun the cover, standing at the top to shoot down at the fleeing force.
A couple soldiers fought back while the rest ran, mostly making a clean escape apart from a few kills. Sam and Lanada tried to fire back, but without cover, the Geldor could barely be stopped.
Sam consulted his Circle to get more orders, but every line of contact was in chaos. As they ran though, he finally managed to get through to Margit.
“Glad to hear your voice. Roadblock 6 was overrun, they have a tank. The force there is retreating to roadblock 8, but they won’t make it with that tank following.”
“I’ll see what I can do. A couple other sectors have tanks as well, so our forces are stretched thin. More military is on the way; they’re about thirty minutes out, then the main force is out an hour. There is one squadron nearby with anti-tank weaponry, I’ll send them to roadblock 8.”
“Thanks Margit.”
“I can’t believe they have tanks! Where were they even hiding all of them?” Lanada stammered.
“Doesn’t matter. Unless we can get them on our own, our own tanks will take half an hour to get here and stop them. They’ll have us overrun by then otherwise.”
“And I don’t suppose STAR trains you how to take down a tank on your own?”
“No, we don’t get trained for that. Let’s just hope this anti-tank unit can help. That’s roadblock 8 there.”
Sam pointed to another platform, set up similarly to the last. The sandbags were loaded by soldiers shooting out into the street, the rest of the force behind and to the sides.
“We’ve got anti-tank coming, sit tight!”
The retreating force were setting up more cover on a neighboring street, blocking off the path the tank would have to take. Lanada and Sam rushed over to help, stacking sandbags in a similar fashion to the rest of the roadblocks. They were only stopped when one of the soldiers helping had their neck explode.
More Geldor had found them, the cover up barely in time. They used the usual practice of hiding behind cars and buildings, eliminating a fair few soldiers before they could get in cover. Just as Lanada bunkered down and picked their targets, the tank turned down the street again. Lanada looked around for the anti-tank unit, spotting them running towards their spot with enough weapons to destroy the machine.
A couple of them died before reaching the sandbags, heaving as the survivors hid behind cover. A tall brestyrian approached Sam and Lanada, her face stressed.
“5056th, Commander Balto. We’re the anti-tank unit.”
“Well there’s the tank, couldn’t have come at a better time.”
“Right.”
Balto motioned for her small group to start firing, unleashing their explosive weapons. The first round on the tank covered it in a fiery explosion, blasting out the windows in surrounding buildings. When the smoke cleared, all that had been damaged was the track. Although it couldn’t move, the tank readied for another shot, aimed at Lanada and their cover.
The second round engulfed the tank in the same explosion. This time when the smoke cleared, it was in the exact same position, unmoving. From the fire burning inside, Lanada guessed the occupants had been burned alive.
“Tank’s down!”
With the tank gone, Mikoril’s soldiers began shooting at their full force, ignoring cover to eliminate any remaining Geldor. The few remaining began to flee, stopped by bullets before they could leave the street.
Cheering could be heard from the two roadblocks, but it was short lived as commanders started giving new orders.
“Back to roadblock 6! Let’s go!”
They ran back the way they came, the anti-tank unit fortunately following them. The group was stopped halfway by more Geldor, already lining the streets.
“Geldor! Find cover! We need to push them back!”
Lanada found a building to hide behind, forcing a few shots into the barrage of gunfire. The street filled with smoke and flashes, people dying across both sides. Without the entrenched cover of those roadblocks, Mikoril’s soldiers were getting torn up. They were slowly moving forward though, eliminating enough Geldor to eventually force them to retreat. Only a few people made it out, otherwise being shot down.
With the street cleared, the path back to roadblock 6 was open again, allowing them a quick maneuver to the position. As they reached the block, more Geldor were streaming in from the other side. Monarchy soldiers filled in behind the sandbags again, forcing the Geldor back into cover while keeping close to their own.
“Sam, we need you and that tank unit down at roadblock 3!” some chatter from the radio demanded.
“Right, on our way! 5056, follow me!”
They left the soldiers to hold back the Geldor, leaving through the backstreets to head west. The fighting was intense at every outpost, only getting louder, somehow. Balto and her team followed close behind, all of them looking nervous. Balto’s face didn’t crack though, despite the thoughts that clearly cycled through her head.
They exited Ingalderin’s downtown into its western residential district. Many were apartment blocks converted from old factories, made up of old brick buildings and sandstone. The city’s affluent had renovated them decades ago to get close to downtown. The fighting had barely spread there, keeping the streets clean.
When they reached their destined roadblock, they discovered why the tank unit was needed. Two tanks had made it past the barrier, roaming the streets behind Mikoril’s forces. If left alone, they could destroy them from behind easily.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Get down, I don’t think they’ve seen us yet!” Lanada ordered, sliding the group behind a nearby building.
“We can flank them if we go around the block, hit them from both sides,” Balto suggested.
“Good idea, Sam and I can distract them while you get your shots off. Sam, sound good?”
“I’m on board. Let’s do it.”
Sam and Lanada split off, while half the unit went the other way. Upon running into the street, the tanks immediately noticed, aiming their turrets slowly. The gunners from below opened fire immediately, barely missing Lanada and Sam before they reached the other side. With the tank now shooting at them, the anti-tank unit could be seen across the street, taking aim.
Both of the tanks simultaneously exploded, the first one spraying shrapnel across the street. The other tank survived well enough though, firing a round at Lanada before turning to the anti-tank unit. Before the team could fire again, the tank’s round impacted their cover, sending them into the air as a bloodied mess. They fell to the ground, dead and covered in debris.
The other half of the unit released their second round, finally ending the tank. A couple Geldor climbed out to try and shoot them, but were quickly picked off.
“Balto, you okay?!” Sam shouted.
There was no response.
“Shit!”
Sam and Lanada ran back across the street, checking on the fallen unit. Balto was dead, only one left alive, badly bruised and bloodied. As they studied the bodies, the remainder of the squad met back up, a brestyrian and a couple saumryans.
“There’s only four of us left…” one of the team whimpered.
“Donid, you’re command now,” one of the saumryans said, patting the young brestyrian.
“But I’m only a lieutenant!”
“That makes you our highest ranking officer.”
Donid looked shocked and horrified, her eyes scanning back and forth across the remaining members. A couple of them nodded back to assure her, leaving Donid to sullenly grab her Circle.
“Lieutenant Donid here, 5056th, the anti-tank unit. Any more tanks out there?”
A muffled voice responded on her Circle, making her nod in return.
“Lanada, Sam, they need us somewhere else.”
“Good, thanks for your help. Good luck out there,” Sam offered to shake her hand.
“Yeah, same to you.”
She led the three remaining people away, destined for whatever task she was ordered with.
“What’s next for us?” Lanada asked.
“I’ll try to reach command, but until then we need to try and re-establish roadblock 3. It covers one of the main thoroughfares into the city.”
“That’s route 86, right?”
“Yeah, let’s get moving.”
They jogged past the smoldering tanks to reach the next outpost. Since the tanks had passed through it, Lanada guessed it would be overrun. When they arrived, they were mostly right; only a squad of about ten remained, bodies of their teams surrounding the ground beside them. They only focused on the onslaught of Geldor though, slowly getting picked off themselves.
“Roadblock 3 needs more backup,” Sam yelled into his Circle.
“We’re sending the 4045th and the 7026th to your location, sit tight.”
“Those are military squadrons, sounds like they’re finally here,” Sam told Lanada.
“Good, looks like we’re going to need them.”
They exchanged gunfire with the Geldor for another few minutes, holding down the line the best they could. With the few soldiers remaining, it was an uphill battle despite their position. Just as another neighbor was killed, they could hear the sound of approaching machinery. Seconds later, apcs and a tank filed down the street, this time from the Monarchy. They were rounded off and tan, typical of saumryan design. Instead of tracks, they used omnidirectional wheels below, hidden by the exterior fuselage. They finished the last of the Geldor, flushing them from their cover.
A grizzled saumryan exited one of the APC’s, followed by an equally grizzled squadron. She walked to Sam, her people watching her back.
“Commander Dav’ied, 4045th. Heard you need backup?”
“Well not anymore, thanks for your help. These roadblocks are keeping the Geldor from entering the city, but they keep getting overrun. Not sure what command has sa—”
“Sam, Lanada, got an update for you. Geldor are filling behind our flank, they’re coming from the northwest. We need you to investigate, we’re sending squadron 3086 to help you out,” Margit interrupted on the Circle.
“Got it.”
Sam looked even more disheveled after pocketing his Circle.
“You heard her, let’s go.”
Sam led Lanada off again, leaving the safety of the APCs and the tank.
“Wish we were sticking with those guys.”
“I don’t. I’ve been shot at by enough tanks for a lifetime.”
“Oh. Yeah, I guess they’d be targets.”
“We’re all targets here, Lanada. How’s your face doing with that shrapnel?”
“It hurts, but I’ll manage. I feel strong as ever.”
“We’ll get you some first aid when we get the chance. I’m just glad this armor’s been working so well.”
“Definitely.”
Lanada looked down to their armor, noting again all the damage to it. The very first shot it absorbed from Gerry was difficult to find among the new ripples and holes. The metal alloy was so deformed in some places, it was clear the damage was structural too. Not one surface was clear anymore, marked by bullets or blood.
Just like their armor, the streets showed the wear of war as well. The fighting that had passed the roadblock made a mess of things, bloodying up the streets with bodies and bullet holes. As they went further from the roadblock though, everything looked normal once more.
Lanada stared at one of the bars they passed by, still in perfect condition. They had been there years ago on a date, the usual place they visited back then. Now in that spot, they could hear gunfire and explosions echoing through the city.
As they kept pace to the north, a vehicle approached. It was a STAR van, packed with the 3086th. Kar’Neil was the driver, rolling down the window as he pulled over.
“You’re going to need a ride, hop in.”
Lanada and Sam squeezed into the back, dodging the legs of the soldiers. There were far fewer than the squadron had begun with.
“They’re coming from the northwest now? I thought we had that part of the city blocked off?” Sam asked after shambling in.
“We do, this group probably originated inside the city somewhere. I’m guessing the tunnels,” Kar’Neil turned to speak.
“I hate those damn tunnels. Let’s hope you’re wrong.”
The gunfire from the south grew softer in the air as they drove away, haunting the city with its sound. It only grew louder again as they reached their new location.
“We’re a couple blocks down, let’s move.”
Kar’Neil electronically opened the doors and the squadron filed out, followed closely by Lanada and Sam. Outside the gunfire was much louder, being heard just around the corner. Sam was trying to decipher the radio chatter on his Circle, but it was so hectic it seemed pointless. All Lanada could hear was screaming, yelling, and gunshots from the other end.
They were close to Lanada’s apartment, their best guess placing it less than five kilometers away. They only hoped the fighting didn’t spread there too. They were still worried about Gerry, especially with his silence. He had the best chances to be safe in the city though, being in a region currently unattacked with a clear path to the evacuation transports. At least Lanada had also taught him how to shoot a gun.
They were in a small business district nearby where Lanada did most of their shopping. Several of the familiar shops were ridden with bulletholes, dark and empty inside. A couple were Gerry’s Co-op shops, but the signage for free food was gone. The city had already been changing without Lanada before the fighting started.
As they ran the final block, the battle revealed itself. Geldor were entrenched on rooftops and in blockades on the street, holding off a couple dozen Monarchy soldiers from their position. A couple of them yelled orders when they saw Lanada and the rest of the group, causing many of them to switch targets.
Cover was difficult to find, most being occupied by the previous Monarchy force. Lanada tried a door stoop to protect them, but it was hardly ideal. With the extra firepower from the 3086th, the battle was beginning to even out though. Another couple of shouts from the Geldor, and they turned tail to run, disappearing in the rooftops and behind their cover.
“They’re retreating! Flush them out!”
The Monarchy soldiers stood to concentrate their firepower, stopping any Geldor they could. Only a few returning shots were fired, but even with a couple deaths the Mikoril force was overpowering. As the last of the Geldor left their sight, the shooting finally stopped, silent apart from the commanders giving orders. Even then, the echoes of war could be heard from across the city.
“They’re regrouping, let’s chase them down,” Sam ordered, falling back in line with Lanada and the others.
The rest of the troops were following the same orders, leading the way down the backstreet. The 3086th was close on their heels as Lanada jogged behind, keeping pace. A few shots from the front told them they were still close to the fleeing Geldor.
“In that building, move!” a voice from ahead shouted.
As they approached the building, the Geldor from inside began shooting again, blocking the Mikoril soldiers from entering. They were stopped when a couple people tossed in smoke grenades, snuffing out the view inside or out.
The nearest squadron was commanded to enter, their guns lighting up before they even crossed the threshold. A couple were dead before they could get inside, but with enough firepower and another push, they were in.
The rest of the contingent followed in, climbing into the windows when the doorway got clogged. The gunfire inside died before Lanada got their turn, the soldiers left inside searching the building. The smoke still hung in the air, barely hiding the several bodies killed from the fight.
“Anybody see where they went? They’re gone!” a soldier in another room said.
“Check the bottom level, they might have gone into the tunnels,” Lanada tried to help.
There was no response, instead there was only scuffling as the people marched downstairs. When Lanada joined them, they were standing in a small hallway, at the end another metal door. Several people were already working to get it opened, succeeding almost immediately. With Sam beside them, Lanada followed the others back into the tunnel.
“Fuck this,” Sam rolled his eyes, still down the barrel of his gun.
“At least we won’t be fighting in the heat.”
“No, we’ll be in the dark covered in sand and sewage.”
“Yeah, that’s worse.”
A maintenance shaft started the tunnels again, their posse filling the entire hall. The soldiers in front of Lanada looked nervous, looking only down their guns as they swayed side to side. When they entered a large chamber, most of their flashlights were turned on; the only light in the darkness.
Before they could look for the next path, shots were fired again, killing two people in the front. From their position, Lanada could barely see people fight back, exchanging another bout of gunfire with the Geldor. It only lasted seconds before falling silent again.
“They’re running down the tunnels, should we go after them?”
“While they have the tunnels they have access to the entire city. We have to get them.”
The two soldiers ahead could barely be heard, still guiding their movements as the group continued. As they explored the tunnels, the same intermittent fighting resumed, playing a game of gornad and grophiir as the Geldor tried to escape the onslaught.
“They’re placing charges,” another soldier from the front alerted.
The group stopped as the leading commander took a moment to think.
“3086th, you’re with us. Agents and the rest of you, go find those charges and disarm them. We’ll focus on the Geldor, just make sure we don’t get blown up!”
With that, the two groups separated. A couple other pairs of agents stayed behind, along with another squad of soldiers. The outliers didn’t wait though, Sam leading them down the tunnel to find the other charges. In the darkness they were easy to spot, red blinking lights lining the walls.
“There are a lot, they could level the city above with this. Or at least cut the power and plumbing,” Lanada observed.
“You know how to disarm these?”
“Do you?”
“Yes, it’s part of training.”
“Well I didn’t get that training, I don’t know how. That’s what you get for trying to take a shortcut.”
“Yell at Rendell about it. I’ll show you, not that hard.”
“Just don’t get me blown up.”
As the others focused on some of the charges, Sam led Lanada to the next, quickly displaying how to disarm them. Fortunately, they were rather simple. They were only interrupted by more radio chatter.
“This is the 4023rd, there are more charges in the tunnels. They go on for a while, you guys might want to hurry.”
“We need another squad down here,” Sam suggested.
“Can’t reach command. These tunnels have us cut off.”
“Good to know, thanks. Listen up, we’ve got a lot more charges than this, split up and move faster. Lanada, you got this?”
“It’s like two buttons, I’ve got it.”
“Good, I’m going to go ahead, see just how far these charges go. I’ll let the rest of you catch up.”
“Just be careful, these tunnels are dangerous.”
“The Geldor have more to worry about right now, but thanks for your… unexpected concern.”
Sam hopped off to check out the other charges, leaving Lanada with another one close by. Although they were quick to disarm, the sheer number worried them. If they went any further, they could easily level the city, as before stated. Perhaps it was a last resort, or a part of their plan, but the Geldor had gone too far.
Being cut off from the surface, the radio chatter was silent. Only a few messages came from the soldiers fighting in the tunnels, but they appeared to be holding their own. The others around Lanada looked just as worried as they worked, deftly handling the explosives. With four down, Sam returned, panting and in a panic.
“They go on for a while, we need more people down here. Someone needs to go to the surface to get command, they need to know.”
“I’m staying down here.”
“So am I, I was thinking someone from the other team,” he averted his attention as he contacted the combat team on his Circle. “These charges go on for a while, we need more people down here to deal with them. Do you have someone who can get to the surface to reach command?”
He waited a second for the other commander to respond. When he finally did, it was with a background of gunfire.
“Sending someone up now. Asked them to get us more soldiers too, there’s a lot more Geldor than we expected.”
“Thank you. Keep getting through the charges, we’ll have some help from the surface soon.”
There was little more talking as the team eliminated the charges, the echo of gunfire coming from the deeper tunnels. The others working had split down different paths by then, but the amount of explosives didn’t decrease, if anything they grew.
The help from the surface eventually came, but quickly disappeared in the tunnels as Sam ordered them off to find more charges. Another team was trying to search for the source, but the wireless connection between the explosives was difficult to track. Their best hope was still to disarm each one individually.
The combat team eventually flushed the Geldor out, forcing the few left to flee to the surface with the rest. With news from above, a couple of the roadblocks had fallen, but the Geldor were still barely being held back—even with the arrival of the main military force.
Nearly an hour later, the charges became more and more difficult to find, hopefully proving that they were reaching the end. As Lanada worked on the last one in sight, Sam approached them to confirm.
“We’ve checked all the tunnels nearby, can’t find any more. I think we’re done here.”
“You sure? Even one of these would cause a lot of damage.”
“As sure as we can be. There’s a possibility we missed a couple, but the surface needs our help again. And I’m ready to get out of these tunnels, I hate it here. Smells bad too.”
“So do you but you don’t see me complaining.”
“Funny. Yeah. Let’s get going. We’re meeting back at roadblock 6.”
They began walking, taking a quick exit out of a nearby maintenance shaft.
“I prefer the tunnels to that. Remember, we got shot by a tank there?”
“I know, hopefully there won’t be as many tanks this time.”
“I’m surprised they smuggled in whole tanks and STAR didn’t notice anything. They never should have gotten this far.”
“You were the one advocating for STAR not to shoot them.”
“There are other ways to prevent this aside from shooting people, Sam.”
“No way to prevent it now. Maybe if we’d killed them sooner…”
“You’re both to blame for this mess. Let’s not act like the Monarchy haven’t been antagonizing people for decades.”
“I won’t defend the King’s actions, but we both know the invasion of a city is an extreme measure.”
“You’re right, but they probably said the same about you when this all began.”
“We can argue about this later, Lanada.”
“Hey, I’m not arguing. Just talking.”
“I know, but I—”
Sam was interrupted by more radio chatter.
“They’ve got bombers heading to the city! We need air support, now!”
A couple Monarchy fighters flew overhead, shaking the street below. In the distance, a series of dots lined the sky, resembling a great cast of birds.
“Are they about to fucking level the city?!” Lanada panicked.
“Looks like it. That’s not our fight though, we need to get to that roadblock. We came up pretty close to it, should be a few blocks away.”
It seemed Sam was right as the local gunfight grew louder. A few streets later and they could see the battle, similar to how they’d left it.
“How many troops does the Geldor even have?”
“Not that many. They’ve got good weaponry and a plan though. We never expected an attack of this scale, we’re still trying to catch up.”
“We’re holding them back well enough though.”
“Barely. And they had those charges, and those bombers? It was so well organized. We still have no idea how they even acquired all their weapons and gear. And the tanks?”
“We get it Sam, Geldor smart.”
“Right.”
He said nothing else as they approached the roadblock. Resting on various tarps, an array of bodies laid across the street behind the barrier. A couple soldiers were moving the dead out of the way, looking tired as they grabbed another one. Their cause of death was clearly displayed by the blood and bullet holes on nearly every surface.
Lanada and Sam hopped onto the barrier behind the sandbags, taking the top tier to help with the fight. The Geldor had organized better cover since they’d been gone, creating their own barrier of various vehicles and the destroyed tank on the street, along with their own building materials. With their position, it was purely luck if either side got a kill.
“We need to flush them out,” Lanada observed.
“We can’t, they have all the surrounding streets covered, and outside of here we’re wide open,” a nearby person said as they continued shooting.
Sam quickly looked back before resuming, “Can’t get air support either, they’re dealing with the bombers. Lanada, did you see a way up to that building’s rooftop?”
“No, but it should have roof access. Might have to go inside.”
“Right. Got your rifle? We can try to snipe them from above.”
“Watch out, they have snipers on the roof as well. We had to stack the sandbags higher because of them,” another soldier pointed out.
“Thanks for the info, we’ll try to get them too.”
Sure enough, after Sam and Lanada stood to leave, a hard round impacted Lanada’s armor, piercing through to their skin. They cried in pain before launching themself over the barrier, covered by the rest of the roadblock.
“Lanada, you hit?”
“Yeah, it got through the armor. Not deep enough to do any real damage though, I’m fine. Let’s keep going.”
Sam nodded and they entered the adjacent building, its windows and doors boarded up. A couple tugs of the planks and they were free though, allowing Lanada and Sam inside the five story bank. A staircase in the corner brought them to the top floor, with another set leading to the roof. The sounds outside still hadn’t died when they emerged, becoming clear again after being muffled.
From the rooftop, Lanada could spot the snipers the soldier was talking about, perched on a nearby rooftop. Before any other action could be taken, Lanada shot and killed them, afterwards finding cover. Sam was setting up his rifle, aiming down to the Geldor’s hiding spot. He was quickly followed by Lanada, both of them taking advantage of their height to shoot past their protection.
Nearly five were dead before they could react, bringing a few looks and gunshots up to Lanada’s location. They were swiftly killed though, the others fleeing after their cover failed them. The Monarchy soldiers tried to shoot after them, but the Geldor disappeared down another street.
From the rooftop, Lanada had a clear view of the sky, searching it for the bombers. They were now visible shapes, but there were fewer than had started. The Monarchy planes were doing well eliminating the bombers, disintegrating two just as Lanada observed. At that rate, they wouldn’t come close to the city.
As they finally found a bit of peace though, a loud rumble shook the ground. In the distance was a trail of smoke beginning to rise to the sky. One of the buildings near the plume collapsed, sending a dust cloud out around it.
“Was that one of the charges?” Lanada asked after a second similar blast, only a few blocks away from the first.
“We must have missed a couple.”
Another explosion sounded in the distance, drawing Lanada’s eyes to the sky once again. The last of the bombers was on fire, slowly crashing towards the ground. With its speed, it impacted the city with a great force, destroying what looked like an entire block to the north. It was only fortunate enough to miss the taller buildings.
The gunfire around the city began to slowly quiet down, bringing the streets to an eerie silence. Sam’s Circle lit up again with chatter.
“The Geldor are retreating! Hold your positions.”
Lanad a could see some of the Geldor winding through the streets, trying to escape the barrage of Monarchy soldiers. On the barely visible roadway out, a few vans and trucks could be seen driving away.
“Is it over?”
“For today, yeah, I think. It’s over.”