CHAPTER IV: RAGE
13:54 P.M ( Earth time )
The gang returned to their tent after finishing the meal, it was nearly the time for them to get ready as the estimated time to arrival of the advancing monsters was thirty minutes. Seriele opened the weapon storage, took out a belt-fed machine gun.
-Eston Type 2, great, I'm going to need this !
He then slung the weapon on his back, took a sidearm and five ammunition belts, he loaded his gun with one. Aelita came to the storage, she picked up a sub machine gun, signed "Hulwick", she slung it on her shoulder, then tokk out and holstered the same sidearm as Seriele. Jeremie only took a rifle and a few magazines for it, he remembered already had a pistol on his belt in the battle suit.
After getting geared, Seriele taught them with a brief of guns control and operating, as well as jamming solution. They then changed into their normal outfit on Lyoko ( except Seriele ), got out of the tent and went straight to the front lines. Their were troops standing in lines, their heads high, hands armed, and their eyes were determined. Jeremie and Aelita stepped out at a side, Seriele came to in front of the soldiers, he spoke loudly with a voice like he was an experienced officer:
-Alright, soldiers, we've got only thirty minutes to prepare, grab hold to you guns and move out. Tank divisions will set up a defense line, make sure it's perfectly solid, put all guns towards the monsters. The two battalion will perform ranks and when they are close, give them everything you have. Before you all engage, the fighters will clean up a bit with bombs and the artillery gentlemen here will cover you all. Remember, don't save your bullets for anything. Right then, troopers, are you ready ?
The lines of soldiers, earlier were stood straight, then they cheered with one of their arms on the sky, shouted "We are ready !". Seriele gave a smile, he announced once more before returned to Jeremie and Aelita, who were surprised of his act:
-Then let's go to war !
Seriele grinned, he then spoke with a slight cheerful voice:
-Hope I didn't surprise you much !
Jeremie smiled back, he commented:
-You are brilliant, Captain Seriele ! Pardon me for saying that but I just like to do so when we're in combat, you know, more military !
Seriele placed a hand on Jeremie's shoulder,he knew that Jeremie was in some way like jokes, he didn't mind such detail. The brown-hair boy smiled, said:
-Anything you want, Einstein !
Aelita grabbed hold of her gun, checked it once, then asked with a soft voice:
-What should we do now, Seriele ?
-Let's go give them a hand ! - Seriele replied.
The defensive line took twenty minutes to prepare, there was a thick barricade of tank armor, it's shiny metal reflected the dull sunlight of the coming dusk on Lyoko, all the barrels were at the side, loaded with high explosive projectiles, pointing at the horde of monsters appeared at the horizon. Behind the line were armed to the teeth Hulluques soldiers, with their assault rifles in their hands, they took cover behind the tanks. On the inner lines on the higher ground were machine gunners, with their ammo belts loaded, readied to support the riflemen on the front. At the inner of the defensive line were artillery guns, with it's cold barrels on the sky, prepared to shoot. The base was heavily fortified, with all it's guns and bullets on the ready to fight back the monsters, time counting down as the soldiers trigger fingers getting hotter and hotter.
Jeremie stood next to Private Manton, he was the least experienced in combat, so the blond boy needed someone to guide him, and the Private was assigned to do so. Sine they arrived, Manton was by far the first Hulluque Jeremie encountered, he took a moment to look at the Private, he was young, about nineteen to twenty years' old, his skin was pale and eyes were dark like all the others, but there were an emotion of fear in his, which didn't seem to appear in the other Hulluques eyes. Jeremie assumed that it was the Private's first time on the field, and to make sure of his thought, the blond boy asked:
-First time shooting in a battle, Private Manton ?
The Private turned to see the strange boy who asked him, and Jeremie was stunned to see a tear dropped from the Private's eye, his face was then sad and feared. Manton cleared his mouth and nose, he replied trying to be calm:
-Yes, it's my first time.
Jeremie could understand the Private, he also worried if he would survive his first battle, he tried to convince himself to believe, but his doubts were taking place as the monsters showed up so crowded. Jeremie wanted to talk to Manton more before they went into fight, at least for them to remember each other if one of them fell.
-Manton, it's my first time, too. Relax and try, maybe we'll both survive this one.
-I believe, but... - the Private hesitated before continue - I have doubts about the Captain.
Jeremie eyes narrowed, he knew Manton was talking about Seriele, since he was the only one who was prefered with the name "Captain", the blond boy was curious about Manton's word, so he decided to ask for the reason.
-Why ?
-The Captain has been a great commander since the last war, but - Manton inhaled, felt guilty for what he was going to say - I've heard that there was a battle, and every single soldier was slaughtered, and the Captain was the only person who survived.
-Don't mind rumors, Manton, I believe we'll win this, I believe in him. - surely said Jeremie.
-I hope you were right ! - said Manton, before returning to front.
Jeremie held his gun tighter, he put his glasses into aiming mode, his finger on the trigger, and aimed.
When the monsters came closer, Seriele could see the Bloks forming two ranks of hard rock barricade, covering for the Krabs behind them, the Tarantulas moved after the Krabs, with all four of their legs stomping on the ground, there were also Mantas flying above them. The monsters were in attacking lines, to Seriele prediction, they would have the Bloks fire lazer waves, then the Krabs would shoot their red beam all at a time like a rain of lazer, after that the Mantas would bomb them with mines, and the heavy machine guns Tarantulas would do the rest. Seriele could only hope that he was right. The boy put his eyes away from his binoculars, gazed down at the tanks, then turned to meet the General, the man was in his usual gray uniform which matched with his skin perfectly, gold stars on his chest, there was no fear in the old man's eyes. Seriele ordered him shortly:
-Begin the bombardment.
The General nodded, then he swallowed, ordered loudly to the tanks:
-All guns...FIRE !
There was a loud bang, as all of the guns of the tanks fired their heavy projectiles all at the time, arched through the wave of monsters, destroyed them in a large ground. But there were more than they found on the sensor, a sea of Tarantulas rather than fifty ones. The guns kept firing, until the monsters were close.
-All artillery guns, fire ! - ordered Seriele.
Dozens of artillery shells arched into the sky before dropping down on the heads of the monsters, they exploded in big fireworks, along with fragments of the monsters scattering on the field before disappeared. The swarmp kept on advancing, they stopped at a distance of about twenty meters, and began firing lazers. To repelled the attack, all the Hulluques got their rifles fired.
It went hotter and hotter, when the lazer beams cut through the line, started to kill the Hulluques. Men dropped on the ground every second, they panted for a second, then dissappeared.
Jeremie squezzed the trigger, the semi-automatic rifle sent it's bullets to the head of a Krab, leading it to destruction, then Jeremie got his gun aimed at a Tarantula, fired three more rounds to it's bone white head. The blond boy felt his right shoulder aching, it was the first time he ever fired a rifle, with it's recoil made him get most of his strength to suppress it. Next to him, Manton was also busy shooting his targets, he didn't have special glasses like Jeremie, so he had some difficulties looking over the light of the lazers. The Private shot at a Krab, killed it, then took down another Krab by emptying his clip, he reloaded, then began to shoot with his eyes almost shut. Jeremie kept up shooting, he fired, reloaded, then fired, he noticed that the horde was coming closer to them, trying to breech the defensive line. The boy's assumption was then become true, when he spotted Mantas on the sky, dropping mines to the tanks.
-Fall back to Defensive line two, they are about to breech the first line. - Jeremie could hear Seriele yelling over the gun shooting noises.
The soldiers followed, they stopped firing, half-stood running to the sandbags behind them, jumped inside, then steadied their rifles on the bags. Before they could see the monsters coming in, they heard a loud blast, and many of the tanks were shot into the sky, burning, then they all dissappeared. Machine guns firing opened another attack, the riflemen also got their rifles shoot, hails of bullets arched through the monsters, instantly got them destroyed, but it was then they saw more heavy tanks coming from the horizon, all Krabs and Tarantulas.
-X.A.N.A sure got his army on the heavy ! - desperately commented Jeremie.
The guns fired, their shooters pulled the trigger, then ducked for a reload, then popped out of their cover for another moment of ten-rounds-semi-auto-firing before reload again. The monsters went close to the defensive lines, the Krabs ' ferocious fang cut through the sandbags and the riflemen's body, devirtualized them at once. The remaining jumped back to the Command Center tent, formed two layers of circle around it to protect the officers.
Jeremie then could see Seriele firing his machine gun, counting hits, shells kept falling from his gun. The blond boy went to find Aelita, and he found her firing her pistol, sweat dropping from her head, the sub machine gun was out of ammo. Jeremie sat near her, fired twice before asking:
-Keep them at distance, try your best and we will survive !
-What keeps you so optimistic ? - asked Aelita through the noises.
-You ! - simply replied answered Jeremie before shooting again, there was a tini smile on his face.
The remaining force of the base tried to repelled the attack, but then they encountered another difficulty - ammunition. After two hours of hard firing, their ammo are going out, some out had to take the spare of one other. Seriele came to General Gusson who was shooting with sidearm, he then asked, his gun's trigger was still pulled.
-Where are the Coneillus ?
-I have no idea ! - replied the General.
-What did they tell you when you call them ? - asked Seriele.
-They say they will be here in an hour. - said the General.
-Now that's two hours passed by !
Seriele separated from the General, he then came to another side of the last line, fired his gun to suppress the riflemen, a Corporal called him:
-Captain, look.
The brown-hair boy looked to where the Corporal pointed, and he saw Krabs slaughtering the artillery crews, spiking the guns without mercy. A vision of a massacre appeared in his mind, there were tears, fires, and Seriele found he was walking with a wounded leg. It was on the desert when Seriele commanded a battalion in the previous war, and it was a victory of blood.
-Captain, watch out.
Seriele turned, he found himself about to be hit by a fang of a Krab, and the Corporal who called him earlier had been dissolved when covering him. Seriele's face was full of fear and anger, he then he brought up his gun, destroyed the Krab while murmuring:
-That's it, no one dies today, anymore.
Seriele jumped in front of the swarmp, fired his machine guns to stop the attack, but it was useless when the monsters kept going passed him, without a fang in his chest.
The boy found himself stood soulessly, they didn't try to kill him, they just went pass him. Why ? Didn't he destroyed so much of X.A.N.A's monsters and plans ? Why didn't it just execute him while he was in the middle of the swarmp ? Even mor painful than death, Seriele was shocked. He turned to meet the base, and there were men, slaughtered, everything was destroyed, they had been overrun.
A victory, victory of X.A.N.A .
When the Krabs formed a large circle around Seriele and the remnant of the base. Seriele turned to see the aftermath, and another shock burst through him when he found Aelita and Jeremie, was still alive, they were gazeing around them, also shocked, Aelita was in Jeremie's hand, looked terrible. the Krabs didn't kill them. Seriele ran to his friends, he took out his LARS, sat down, scanned along Aelita body, then watched a screen at the bottom of the device.
-You will be fine. - he spoke before putting the LARS back to his pocket.
-What's happening, Seriele ?
-I...don't...know. - Seriele spoke every words clearly.
A globe descended in front of them, it was black, a symbol of Lyoko on it, and their were fog around it.
It was X.A.N.A.
Seriele stood up, he knew it was X.A.N.A in physical, the boy then asked with an alarm voice:
-Why did you spare our lives ?
-Because I have no intension of killing you. - X.A.N.A answered.
-Don't insult me, X.A.N.A, you know I have killed millions of your monsters. - Seriele's face turned angry - I even almost deleted you, why spare me for that ?
-Because you, and I, are both creations of Franz Hopper, and our purpose is the same. - explained X.A.N.A.
-No, I don't thing it's time yet ! - said Seriele.
-Oh, but it is. - said X.A.N.A -You just have not realized it.
Been listening to the whole conversation, Jeremie and Aelita both looked at each other, their mouth spoke in a low tune:
-Franz...
-If I have a reason, why do you also spare them ? - asked Seriele, he gestured at Jeremie and Aelita.
-Because they are your friends, Captain.
The globe then ascended to the sky, disappeared with one last word:
-Go around, Captain, and you will understand what is happening.
The swarmp of monsters also disappeared.
Seriele was still standing, gazing at the horizon, despite the fact that every single monsters had gone, he was deep in thinking about what X.A.N.A meant. Jeremie and Aelita came closer to him, joined him in gazing at the horizon. The three stood silently, they didn't exchange a word, they were all thinking about what had happened earlier.
After two minutes, Seriele suddenly turned his back, walked straight without a single word spoken. The remaining two followed him, left the empty ground behind, like there had been no base at all. They walked without proper destination, like wandering, until the need of speaking was too much for them, Jeremie started with a question:
-So, it seems to me that you and X.A.N.A have known each other for a very long time, and... it said that you both are creations of Franz Hopper ! Is that true ? How ?
-Jeremie... - Seriele sighed before continuing - yes, we are. But how, you will know soon !
-Why must that happen later ? - asked Aelita.
-It's very complicated. - said Seriele.
-But I think we can understand, we have experiences, so please don't keep secrets from us ! - half-begging Aelita.
-I'd rather you not to ask about it now. - Seriele's voice became deeper, which told Aelita to stop asking.
The three kept walking for an hour, they both walked and think, feelings and thoughts just went crazy in their mind. When they all came near a forest, Seriele stopped, he gazed down before turned to meet his friends, ask with a soft voice:
-Jeremie, Aelita, I'm so sorry for what happened today ! It had been dangerous then, and it's going to be dangerous ahead, too. If you mind, I'll take you both home.
-Home ? - asked Aelita - Why ?
-I cannot bear to see my friends in danger. - explained Seriele - I want you to be safe !
-To us, the safest place is next to you, Seriele. - smile Jeremie - We'll go with you to the very end, like you, we don't want you to be in danger !
-Are you sure ? - Seriele's eyes widened.
-Of course ! - said Aelita.
-I...Thank you... - a tear dropped from the boy's eyes - No one, had told me such...
-Oh, don't cry ! - softly said Aelita - We are friends, aren't we ?
-So, Captain, what is your course ? - asked Jeremie, he hadn't saluted yet.
Seriele smiled, he tried not to cry, or even sob. The boy knew he had made good friends, true good friends for the first time.
-Ahead ! - shouted Seriele.
The three ran into the forest, disappeared in the leaves behind them.