Orca-bombers fly in over a unit of NOD troops, drop bombs and engulf them in a sea of fire. The Orca's move on and we see a carry-all, escorted by Orca-gunships who attack NOD, moving in towards the badly damaged Liberator. The carry-all attaches itself to the Liberator and begins to lift it from the ground while the battle rages all around. But as the carry-all is about to turn away with the Liberator, a missile strikes the carry-all and it, together with the attached Liberator, crash to the ground in massive heap of wreckage.
At the Hamburg base, they monitor the battle in the command-center.
"Sir!" an operator says. "The carry-all is down and the Liberator crashed with it!"
McNeil hits a table with his fist. "Are all units in position?!"
"Yes, sir!" Chandra confirms.
A radar-operator turns around. "Enemy forces eight clicks south-east of the ridge and they're heading straight for us!"
Everyone is interrupted by explosions on the outside. McNeil runs up to a window and sees the artillery-strikes hitting the base. Elsewhere, NOD artillery opens fire; a dozen guns firing time and time again. NOD tanks emerge out of a forest and head for the Hamburg-base in the distance, firing their guns. GDI MLRS's open fire, launching missiles into the sky and the missiles detonate in the midst of the NOD tanks. In front of the bases wall, an impressive line of X66's and Titans await the NOD forces.
A Titan-commander is standing in the open hatch of his Titan and watches NOD coming at him through his binoculars. Around him, enemy fire cause one explosion after the other. "All units" he says and lowers his binoculars, "fire."
The entire line of GDI Titans and X66's open fire. NOD tanks explode in the face of the massive barrage. GDI Disruptor-tanks open fire, their soundwaves rattle NOD tanks to pieces and even flip some on end. Titans and X66's are destroyed by counter-fire. NOD dune-buggies drives past the tanks and race towards the GDI forces at high speed, zigzagging to avoid incoming fire; the buggies launch four rockets each before they veer off and flee. The rockets destroy several GDI vehicles.
MLRS's and Disruptor-tanks, deployed on a hill, open fire on the NOD flank as NOD advances on the base. Suddenly, rockets take out most of the GDI vehicles on the hill. Below the hill, NOD stealth-tanks decloak and launch more rockets, destroying more GDI vehicles.
In the command-center of the base, GDI officers desperately try to keep control over the situation.
"Colonel!" Chandra calls out. "NOD stealth-tanks have outflanked us and taken the ridge!"
"The defense-line is breaking up!" an officer reports.
"Evac!" McNeil orders. "All units, fall back! Everyone, get the hell out of here!"
NOD Harpy's fly in over the base, guns and missiles firing. An Orca-gunship crashes into a building. A section of the wall collapses and through the opening several NOD vehicles drive through; dune-buggies, tanks and flame-tanks. Two sci-fi A-10 Warthogs fly in over the NOD troops outside of the base, firing their Vulcan-cannons and then drop napalm; as they veer off, one of them gets shot down by a missile.
Inside the base, McNeil, Chandra and a sergeant climb into a Humvee; McNeil takes the wheel and the sergeant mans the top-mounted machinegun. McNeil drives off at full speed, all around the battle rages, swarms of bullets strike the ground around them and McNeil dodges explosions every now and then. The sergeant fires the machinegun at NOD forces as they appear. Chandra fires his assault-rifle through the open door-window. Eventually, the Humvee escapes through an opening in the wall and drives out onto a large field together with GDI APC's and trucks.
Several NOD dune-buggies begin to chase the fleeing GDI troops and open fire with both miniguns and rockets. Three Harpy's fly in over the fleeing GDI units and strafe them with both miniguns and rockets. A truck gets shot to pieces up in front of McNeil and falls over.
"Hang On!" McNeil calls out and turns the wheel hard.
The Humvee touches the crashing truck and topples over at full speed.
C&C
Kane is standing in front of a large screen, depicting a strategical map of the world, when the intercom sounds.
"My lord" the voice of the secretary says, "message from general Slavik."
"Let him through" Kane replies. Part of the screen show Slavik, half of the screen now focus on Europe. "Well? Enlighten me, general" Kane says.
"Hamburg base is taken" Slavik says, seen on the screen, "and Hamburg itself is under siege. The remaining GDI forces are fleeing towards Denmark. We are establishing defensive positions in this area and are preparing to attack Hamburg city."
"Excellent!" Kane grins. "Today, you have shown the world the resolve of the Brotherhood!"
"One world, one future, one leader!" Slavik replies.
Kane smiles. "I will send you troops from eastern Europe to reinforce our German positions. Soon, Westwood will be complete and then this war will be over by the end of the year."
"Praise the technology of peace" Slavik says and places a hand over his chest in a salute. "There was one more thing, my lord" Slavik adds.
"And that would be?" Kane wonders.
We are now at Hamburg base, with Slavik seeing Kane on his monitor. "Colonel Vega" Slavik says, "our base-commander, has been rescued."
Slavik turns and looks at Colonel Vega, still in his underwear and handcuffed to a chair.
"Good" Kane nods. "Now we can execute the coward and the traitor. See to it personally, general."
"Yes, my lord" Slavik says, pulls out a gun and shoots Vega in the head.
C&C
Philadelphia station, in orbit over Europe. General Solomon is standing by the viewports and looks down on the continent of Europe. Bingham walks up to Solomon.
"Sir" Bingham says, "colonel McNeil is missing in action, sir."
Solomon sighs, without turning around. "NOD has halted their offensive?"
"In Germany, yes" Bingham says. "The North American and Italian conflicts are escalating, but we are holding."
"And Poland?" Solomon asks and finally turns.
"McKenna is holding on to the ground she's gained. She's reinforced from Finland and Sweden. She'll hold."
"Robert?" Solomon says.
"Yes, sir?"
"Should I have authorized the use of the ion-cannon?"
Bingham sighs. "I can't say, sir. But we have no time for regrets. If you excuse me for saying so, general."
"You're right" Solomon says and eyes the strategic map of Europe in the command-center. "Begin redeploying our Dutch and Scandinavian forces. And prepare for a possible invasion of western and northern Europe."
C&C
Evening. On the field outside of the Hamburg base, several dozen of wrecks are burning. A couple of helicopters with searchlights hover over the field. NOD soldiers with dogs search the area for survivors.
McNeil wakes up on the ground and is disorientated. He looks around and spots the crashed Humvee. Slowly, McNeil gets on his feet and move on over to the Humvee; he checks the sergeant but he is dead, he then checks Chandra and pulls him out of the wreck and leans him up against the Humvee.
"Chandra, wake up" McNeil says. "Come on, we got to go." Chandra moans and begins to stir. "Chandra!" McNeil spots hostiles with flashlights closing in on them. "Come on, wake up god damn it!"
"Oooh, my head" Chandra moans.
McNeil grabs Chandra and shakes him. "Listen to me! If we don't get out of here now, we're dead!"
They get on their feet and run off. They use the wrecks for cover until they manage to reach a forest. Running through the forest, they come across dead soldiers. They begin to strip the bodies of combat-vests, weapons, ammunition and rations. When they hear dogs barking, they flee.
A full-moon lights up the night-sky. Chandra and McNeil sit by a campfire and eat army-rations.
"I must have cracked my skull or something" Chandra says, "because my head hurts like hell."
McNeil retrieves a map from a pocket and study it. "Tomorrow we'll head for Denmark. We'll stay low, avoid large roads and settlements. We should make it."
"Know what?" Chandra says as he takes a closer look at the rations he's eating from. "NOD rations tastes better than ours."
McNeil is counting his magazines. "We better get some sleep. We got a long journey ahead of us."
The next day, McNeil and Chandra are walking through the forest when they hear a horrible sound of jet-engines. Looking up, they see four missiles flying by overhead at low altitude.
"NOD cruise-missiles" Chandra says.
"Yeah" McNeil nods. "One-way ticket to Copenhagen."
They continue walking.
"I can't stop thinking about the mutants at the NOD base" Chandra then says.
"What about 'em?" McNeil wonders.
"I don't know" Chandra says. "I just… I don't think anyone deserves such treatment. Mutants or NOD."
"That's good" McNeil says. "Because right now we're in both NOD and mutant country. So showing them a bit of sympathy is not a bad idea."
"Mutant country?" Chandra says a bit worried. "Really?"
"Yup" McNeil nods and points. "Wild Tiberium."
A couple of meters away from them, some crystals are growing next to a tree.
Chandra and McNeil sneak up to a tree and take peek around it. They are spying on a woman who is skinning and butchering a deer.
"Mutant?" Chandra whispers.
McNeil nods. "Yeah."
"Maybe she could help us reach GDI?" Chandra says. "What do you think?"
"Or she could kill us?" McNeil points out. "Mutants are not known for their kindness."
"That's cos they never met me before" Chandra says, slaps McNeil on the arm and steps out of hiding.
"Chandra, wait!" McNeil says but fails to stop Chandra.
"Excuse me!" Chandra says aloud and gains the attention of the woman.
She turns around and is terrified, her face riddled with small crystals. She wastes no time and runs.
"No, wait!" Chandra says and hurries after her.
"Son of a…" McNeil has no choice but to join the hunt.
They chase her through the forest, she is agile like a cat compared to McNeil and Chandra. But eventually, they lose track of her. They stop to catch their breath.
"Where is he?" Chandra says, panting. "Where'd she go?"
McNeil shakes his head. "I don't know. Maybe she… Shit!"
They turn around and get knocked unconscious by unknown mutant males. Chandra and McNeil drop to the ground and five mutants, one is the woman, surround them.
C&C
McNeil slowly comes to in a dark cave, barely lit up by the green light of Tiberium crystals growing in the walls and ceiling. McNeil and Chandra are hanging from chains, secured along a wall. Both of them are wearing gasmask.
"Oooh my head" Chandra says as he wakes up as well. "Not again…" Then he realizes where they are. "Whatta hell?"
They both look around and then try to free themselves from the chains, but they are securely locked in place. Silently, three men appear out of the shadows; two are obvious warriors, the third is a short, bald man with round glasses. All three are mutants, their skin covered with tiny crystals.
"I see you have awaken" the bald man says. "Good. I am Hech, leader of the Karach clan. And who might you be, GDI?"
"I am colonel Michael McNeil. Why are you holding us here?"
"Good question, Michael McNeil" Hech says. "Everyone in this village wants you dead. Yet, you are alive."
"So why are we alive?" McNeil wonders.
"There is confusion among the Forgotten" Hech says. "For several years, GDI has raided our villages and kidnapped our people. But last month, a boy returned, a boy who was taken from us in such a raid many years ago. He claimed that he had escaped from the raiders and that the raiders were… NOD. And that they where performing horrible experiments on our kind. On mutants."
"It's true!" Chandra says. "They have! We've seen it with out own eyes!"
"But we know nothing of any GDI raids" McNeil adds. "It must be NOD troops in GDI uniforms. I find it hard to believe that GDI would conduct such operations."
"Perhaps" Hech says.
"It's the truth" McNeil says. "The experiments you speak of were conducted in the base at Hamburg."
Hech smiles. "It is easy to give information that cannot be confirmed."
"We're not the enemy!" Chandra argues. "Go to that base and you'll know!"
McNeil turns to Chandra. "Shut up!"
"Do you know where in the base my kind is held captive?" Hech asks
McNeil nods. "Yeah, I do."
Hech nods. "Our scouts tells us that all NOD forces move on past the base. It's only occupied by engineers at work to rebuild it. A small group could infiltrate the base."
"Let us go" McNeil says, "and we'll show you what NOD has done to your people."
Hech steps up to McNeil. "Very well. You and two of my best warriors will enter that base and we will find out if you speak the truth. Your friend will stay here with us. If you betray us, he will die."
McNeil and Chandra look worriedly at each other.
McNeil, still wearing the gasmask, is escorted by the two warriors as they follow Hech through the underground village. The only light comes from Tiberium crystals along the walls and ceiling. Every mutant they walk past look at McNeil with hatred and scorn.
Hech looks over his shoulder at McNeil. "My men will meet you on the surface with NOD uniforms. They will take you to the base and you will show them these NOD experiments on my kind."
They stop by a staircase cut from bedrock.
"Don't worry" McNeil says. "I wont betray you, I'm not your enemy, NOD is."
"We will see" Hech says. "If you don't convince my warriors… you will die, colonel."
To be continued…