[Day 3, out in the woods]
"So, can you fix it?" asked Mitchell. He was talking to one of the company's mechanics. A bus had broken down and they needed to get back on the road. Checkmate Base was still a good 20 miles away, and the sooner they got there, the sooner they'd have protection from the random NOD patrols that were reportedly in the area.
The mechanic kicked the bus, frustrated. "Damn! Transmission's out, batteries are dead, and gas is on minimum. Even if I can get it running, it won't get more than half a mile. But that don't really matter, since I can't even get it running."
Suddenly, multiple cracks reverberated through the air, and sparks pinged off of the sides of the idle buses.
"Incoming!" Freeman screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Omnidirectional fire, now!" Mitchell commanded, his sense of survival overcoming his anxiousness and fear.
The troops formed a tight circle, with the buses in the middle, and began pouring gunfire into the forest in all directions. Meanwhile, they tightened their circle continuously, retreating back into the buses one-by-one. Mitchell, Freeman, and 1st Platoon's remaining two squads were the last ones to remain outside.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Mitchell saw a grenade arcing through the air at them. For a moment, he was just frozen, stiff with fear. His muscles wouldn't budge, and he was too scared to command them to move. Fortunately, Freeman also saw the grenade. He caught it and tossed it right back into the direction that it came from. A moment later, an explosion and some gurgling screams were heard.
"You okay, sir?" Freeman asked, noticing his commander's horrified expression.
"That, that, that grenade--"
"Let's go, sir!" Freeman yelled, much more commanding and urgent this time. It was enough to jerk Mitchell out of his trance. They backed up into one of the three remaining buses and told the driver to get the bus the hell out of dodge. The driver didn't need to be told twice. The bus took off like a bat out of hell, leaving the carnage behind them.
Since the passengers of the broken bus had to board the other three buses, each bus was much more crowded. People had to sit three-to-a-seat or stand up. Mitchell and Freeman were two of the standing ones. After Freeman had conversed with all of the platoon leaders, Mitchell asked him for a head count.
"We got 3 wounded, 2 missing, and 2 killed, sir," Freeman reported
Mitchell shook his head. "Shit, 3 WIA, 2 MIA, and 2 KIA? If this keeps up, we'll all be dead before we can get to Checkmate Base."
Freeman said nothing, preferring to signal his grim agreement with a short nod. After a while, Michell said, "Seargent, I'm a little...concerned about my performance back there."
"You did fine, sir. You took charge of the situation and you got most of us out in one piece," Freeman told him.
"I...When that grenade came at us, I froze up. I was so scared, I didn't know what to do. I don't know, maybe I'm too cowardly to be a commander. I'm just not brave enough," Mitchell confessed.
Freeman placed a large hand on Mitchell's right shoulder. "Sir, as far as I'm concerned, you're one of the better ones. Most new L-T's come out of the Academy so full of piss and vinegar, ready to take on the entire NOD army. They think that they're 10 foot tall and bulletproof. Well, they're wrong. Most of them don't make it through their first engagement. You're more cautious and intelligent, which makes you a good officer. It's good to have fear. Fear motivates you, protects you. You just have to learn to not let it overwhelm you. And you're a bright kid, I think you can do that. Remember, bravery isn't about being fearless, it's about being scared shitless and still doing what needs to be done."
Mitchell nodded slowly. "Thank you, Seargent."
Freeman grinned. "No problem, L-T."
Just then, four vehicles popped out of the woods and began driving alongside the buses. Mitchell was about to call out a warning when he recognized the vehicles: GDI Amphibious APC's.
Freeman grinned again. "Looks like we've got escorts. We're gonna be okay, L-T. You got us out of this, safe and sound."
*****
"Driver, stop!" Master Seargent Daniel Cadwell, commander of one of GDI's few Mammoth Mk. IIs, yelled to his driver. A moment later, the giant vehicle's legs stopped moving. Cadwell and his crew had arrived at Checkmate Base.
With the fall of Griffin Base, more units were being sent as reinforcements to the other bases in the region. The research centers had to be protected, and the only way to ensure that was to get enough defenses together to repel any further NOD attack. Cadwell's mech was one of the 10 Mammoth Mk. IIs and 64 vehicles overall being sent to reinforce Checkmate Base.
"Hey Danny, you think this place will hold if the Noddies decide to make a house call?" his gunner yelled.
"I think that we'll kick their asses!" Cadwell replied.
"Well said, old chap!" yelled the driver, who was of British descent.
Their conversation had been broadcasted over one of the base frequencies, and now everybody on the frequency gave a hearty cheer.
*****
Meanwhile, NOD was doing its best to try to hinder the GDI reinforcement efforts. Deep-cover guerillas and special operatives were being sent to sabotage command centers, bridges, supply centers, anything that would aid GDI in its effort to reinforce its bases.
One such operative, an individual known only as Agent X, was standing inside a civilian city allied with GDI. The city had numerous armories and hospitals that were being used to upgrade GDI vehicles and treat GDI soldiers. His job was to find them, destroy them, and then "engage any targets of opportunity". Armed with silenced M9A3 silenced gun, cloaking device, C4 plastique explosives, and a genetically-enhanced mind, he was determined to do just that.
However, as he stood in front of a hospital, his cloaking device making him invisible to everyone, he had to wonder, "What the hell am I doing here?" This was a civilian building, run by civilians. These were not the aggressive GDI monsters who were threatening to destroy his sacred Brotherhood.
With a barely audible sigh, he went over the the hospital and planted the explosive charges, then ran for cover. A moment later, the hospital was destroyed. Out of the 200 people inside, none survived.
The city militia and police officers looked around wildly, searching for the saboteur. Ducking through crowds of screaming and running people, Agent X ran toward his next target--the city's main armory.
To get there, he had to cut through an alley. He ran fast, his heart pounding, his mind blocking the screams around him. Suddenly, just before he reached the opening of the alley, he saw a swarm of children, no older than 6 or 7, running right at him. Of course, they couldn't see him; they were just scared, and running any way they could go.
Unfortunately, they clogged X's way, and he couldn't get to the armory. His mind clearly rememberd what the NOD handbook said about situations like this: SHOOT ANY AND ALL INDIVIDUALS THAT STAND IN YOUR WAY. With his rapid-fire sniper gun, that would've been an easy thing to do. But for God's sake, these were kids! He couldn't shoot young, innocent, defenseless kids!
Without second thought, he ran back out of the alley and tried a different route. Although he didn't know it, he had taken his first step toward humanity.
Without any further stops, he reached the armory quickly. Laying his gun down, he began planting the C4. Since the armory was a much bigger and heavily-armored building than the hospital, he had to plant more explosives.
Suddenly, right when he was working, a Mobile Sensor Array was activated about 50 yards away from him. The cloaking device faltered, and X's form snapped into the visible spectrum.
He heard a gasp and then a loud "Stop!" behind him, and he knew that he had been detected. He turned around. A young militia officer and his little girl were staring right at him. By the looks of things, the father-daughter couple had been taking a pleasant afternoon stroll through the city when the MSA had revealed Agent X's prescence. Now, the officer had his gun pointed at X, and he was reaching for his walkie talkie to call for backup.
X knew that if more officers came, he was toast. So, he made the only tactically sound decision available to him. He quickly reached over, picked up his gun, and skillfully shot the young officer twice in the head.
A piercing scream seemed to crack the air, and for a moment, time stopped. The scream had come from the little girl, who had watched her father get his brains blown out.
X knew that the girl's screams would attract attention, and that attention was the last thing that he needed right now. He knew that the tactically sound decision was to shoot the girl, too. His instincts screamed at him to pull the trigger. However, all he could see, all he could focus on, was the little girl's pale-white face. Hot little tears were running her cheek, and her eyes were wide with fright and confusion as she stared at her father's killer. She couldn't believe, couldn't imagine why anyone would kill her dear father. And so she stared, lost.
The image of the little girl's face as she looked at her father's murderer was permanently burned into Agent X's memory.
Kill her! Kill her! She's the enemy!!!
No! NO!! That's an innocent little girl! She's not the enmey!!
They're all GDI puppets!! PULL THE TRIGGER!!!!
DON'T DO IT!! DON'T SHOOT HER!!!!
With a great ammount of effort, X tore his eyes away from the girl and focused on the matter at hand. Quickly, he fired at the MSA 50 yards away from him. After a few shots, the MSA exploded, and X's cloaking device came back online. Agent X faded from sight, and continued to his next objective.
Throughout the next hour, X destroyed half a dozen buildings. Twice, ammunition in the destroyed armories cooked off, sending hazardous plums of fire streaking into the sky. The explosions caused 950 deaths and 137 injuries, including 91 second- and third-degree burns.
His mission accomplished, Agent X commandeered a pickup truck and silently drove toward the NOD guerilla camp that served as the headquarters for all NOD commandos in the sector.
*****
"Welcome to Checkmate Base" was written on a sign above the entrance that Mitchell's bus drove through. Mitchell chuckled silently -- he doubted that the defenders of this base would feel that way when a bunch of Noddies began shooting at them. Combat had given Mitchell a sobering experience, and he now knew that know matter how powerful a base may seem, there were always weaknesses.
"Sir, look!" said one of the privates. Mitchell turned his head toward the direction that the private was looking at.
"Whoa!" he said silently to himself. Before him, lined up in a straight row, were no less than 10 Mammoth Mk. IIs. Even Seargent Freeman had to give a low whistle of amazement at the giant mechs before them. Even Griffin Base had only 4 MMIIs!
The MMIIs' crews began climbing out. Mitchell knew that the mechs just come as part of GDI's reinforcements, and their crews needed some rest. Since NOD had worn out most of its ground assault forces while chewing up Griffin Base, the odds of an attack were very low, so the soldiers were taking a load off. Even if an attack did come, the numerous RPG, Vulcan, and SAM towers that plus the fully-alert Firestorm emitters would stop any assault. There were 2 layers of reinforced concrete walls in the perimeter, with automatic gates at certain spots. Plus, there were no less than 3 layers of RPG and Vulcan towers immediately behind the walls. Watch towers supported the defenses, making night targeting easier. SAM towers were right beside them, protecting the defenses from any air assault. Plus, throughout the entire base, Vulcan towers and light posts were everywhere. Not a single square inch of the base was left uncovered. Add that to the fact that the numerous MSAs and pavement made a stealth entrance impossible, and Checkmate Base was pretty much invincible from attack. But then again, that's what they had said about Griffin Base.
As he got off of his bus, Mitchell was shaken from his thoughts by a yell. He turned around and saw an officer running toward him. By his uniform decorations, Mitchell could tell that it was a captain.
Mitchell saluted. "Second Lt. Steven Mitchell, GDI, serial number one-five-three-seven-Mike-Charlie-nine-Hotel-oh-oh."
The captain returned the salute and smiled. "Easy, soldier. This isn't an interrogation. Are you the surviving senior officer of Griffin Base's defenses?"
"What's left of them," Mitchell replied dejectedly.
"Don't blame yourself. There was nothing else that could've been done. The attack took us all by surprise. No one blames you for what happened, so you shouldn't blame yourself. You're no use to your superiors or your subordinates when you're busy pitying yourself. Now, come on, we need you Since you have veteran experience with NOD's offensives, you can show us what their tactics are likely to be during an attack. You'll report to the HQ for this. Afterwards, you and the remnants of your battalion will be assigned to reinforce the guards of the east wall."
Mitchell nodded.
As the captain turned to leave, he suddenly stopped and said. "Oh yeah, you have a guest. She's waiting for you in your temporary quarters, 127F."
Mitchell was puzzled. A guest? A she? His aunts, mother, and grandmothers had all been killed by either NOD attacks or Tiberian poisoning. The only living relative that he had was his little brother, Eric, who was in a daycare station in space.
So who could it be? Maybe...oh God. Oh no. Oh dear God PLEASE don't let it be HER!
Mitchell ran all the way to his quarters. When he got there, his suspicions were confirmed. Sitting on the couch, reading a magazine, was his girlfriend, Rachel.
Rachel looked up. "Hey baby."
Mitchell took off his coat and sat down next to her. "What are you doing here?! This is a war zone! You know that civilians aren't safe here!!"
Rachel placed a hand on his cheek. "Aw, you're so sweet when you're worried."
Mitchell continued, "Everybody here is in constant danger! Didn't you hear about what happened to my base? Didn't you hear about all the death and destruction?"
Rachel nodded.
"Well then WHY ARE YOU HERE?!?1"
Rachel hugged him. "Stevey, it's exactly because I heard that Griffin Base had been destroyed that I came here. I wanted to be where I could keep an eye on you. Honey, the fighting that you do, it's really dangerous. I'm always scared for your life. I just thought that if I was here, with you, I could do something to help keep you alive."
Mitchell returned her hug. "Honey, you're right. The fighting here is very dangerous. Now, you're the closest family that I have, and you're putting yourself at risk by being out here. I couldn't lose you. Do you understand? I simply couldn't live if I lost you. The best way that you could help me is to go home."
Rachel stepped back. "I can't do that."
"Why?"
"I was sick of not being able to do anything to affect this war while the people closest to me got killed, one by one. So, I enlisted. I'm the gunner of one of the east wall's RPG towers," replied Rachel as she went over to the desk. She reached down, picked up a piece of paper, and showed it to him. It was an enlistment certificate.
"The east wall is where any NOD forces are likely to attack," said Mitchell, stating the obvious.
"Yes."
"And since RPG towers are the biggest threat, they're going to go for those first."
"Yes."
"My God, why?"
Rachel walked over to him and kissed him. When she pulled away, she held his face in her hands. "Because I want to be able to protect you from those Stealth Tanks and Devil's Tongues and Cyborgs that killed your comrades. Because maybe I love you just a little bit too much."
And after saying that, she left his quarters.
Mitchell sat there, stunned. Another thing to worry about. Another loved one waiting to be claimed by this war. He buried his head in his hands and silently whispered, "Shit."
*****
Meanwhile, Lt. Wolfgang Seydlitz had his own problems. While these ones were considerably less important than Mitchell's they were no less real. The phase regulators for his tank's cloaking device were malfunctioning again, thanks to another one of those blasted ion storms.
"At this rate, we'll never get to our target," his driver muttered.
Seydlitz wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. While he was scared of fighting and possibly dying, he had a duty to protect the Brotherhood from all of its evil enemies. A true believer in the NOD cause, Seydlitz had grown up in communist East Germany. There, he had been bred into a pure Nazi and communist. Anything that stood in the way of his vision for an utopian communist world (as contradictory as that was) was perceived as a threat.
"Comrade Lieutenant, I think it is fixed," his platoon seargent suddenly yelled.
Seydlitz and his crew climbed into their tank, and punched the cloak-initiate button. A moment later, a crackling sound followed by a SHIIIIIIIIIIING sound announced that the tank was cloaked.
Without any celebration, Seydlitz ordered his driver to go forward. As Seydlitz's tank started rolling forward, the others followed. The small 4-tank platoon began heading driving toward the rendezvous point where hundreds, perhaps thousands of other NOD vehicles would meet up. From there, they would launch a huge base assault which would hopefully annihilate the largest and most powerful GDI base in the region: Checkmate Base.
The largest battle so far in history was hours away from commencing.