Underfire

by TheOriginalTale

The monsters have emerged victorious from the war. However, many humans are not happy with the new world order. When Cole Nelson finds himself caught in the midst of the growing turmoil, his life as he knows it, will vanish. In it's place, is great uncertainty and a winding path, which could take him to a bright future, or to a bloody grave.

11. Blood and Dust

OPERATION: RED DAWN - TOP SECRET

Commander Lawrence Callahan

Objective/s: Assault Agolens Police Department, securing arms and ammunition inside the station by any means necessary.

Commander Cassidy King

Objective/s: Secure Landow Overpass Checkpoint. Overpass will be used to move Torin Republic supplies in and out of Landow. Assault Landow City Hall. Capture the mayor, will be valuable to us at a later date.

Captain Sebastian Russell

Objective/s: Assault the royal palace in a joint operation with Lieutenant Chara. Seek out the war room and retrieve any/all information found on the Republic, as well as any/all plans to counter against our attacks.

Lieutenant Chara

Objective: Capture Prince Asriel Dreemurr

MISSION HAS BEEN GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT! WE MUST SUCCEED AT ANY COSTS! GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL

COLE NELSON - HOME, 6:30 PM

The truck was strangely silent as Cole sat in the front seat next to Chara. In the box on the back, sat dozens of soldiers, anxiously waiting for their time to shine. He looked once more to the watch he wore, watching as it strike 6:30. In his mind, he began the final countdown.

60 seconds. Time seemed to slow as the second hand slowly travelled around the small face of the watch. 30 seconds. A single drop of sweat fell from his head. 15 seconds. He glanced up briefly at Chara before back down at the watch. 10 seconds. He closed his eyes, trying desperately to clear his mind. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. His eyes opened as the truck roared to life and Chara spoke into the radio.

"Begin the assault!"

COMMANDER LAWRENCE CALLAHAN - AGOLENS, 6:29 PM

Lawrence glanced up the street at the police station, eyeing the armed soldiers and law enforcement officers standing by the building. He could hardly believe this was happening. Beneath the large coat, he felt the pistol once more bump against his side. Across the street another militia soldier wearing dark sunglasses mirrored his footsteps, and three more were coming at him from up the street. He glanced up at the roof as the clock struck 6:30.

He took the smallest of glances up to a roof adjacent to the police station. He could just barely see the head of another soldier poking up, though he was in the sunlight so the monsters wouldn't be able to spot him until it was too late. The seconds ticked by, until finally they were all in their positions. The second the clock struck 6:31, a shot rang out from the roof, and one of the monsters turned to dust.

SERGEANT EDWARD BURKE - LANDOW OVERPASS, 6:29 PM

Edward once more shifted in the backseat of the truck as they crawled forward

another inch. He repeated the order given to him by Cassidy the day before.

"Remember, watch your fire. We're on a heavily crowded bridge with civilians. If you think your shot will harm an innocent life, don't take it." The other soldiers in the back nodded in unison. He heard voices speaking to the drivers of the truck outside.

The clock slowly rounded, and the second the clock hit 6:31, he heard one of the monsters give a sudden shout, then several gunshots from outside, then silence. He was dismayed when he heard a monster speak, but brushed it aside, focusing on the mission. He aimed the rifle at the door as he heard them beginning to unlock the door.

COMMANDER CASSIDY KING - LANDOW, 6:29 PM

Cassidy breathed deeply as she and the rest of her force moved into one of the back alleys, leading up to the back door of the city hall. She got on the radio once more.

"Talk to me, what's it looking like?"

A male voice responded. "All quiet on the Landow Overpass so far." Cassidy nodded. "Tell me the second you see anything."

She cocked her sub machine gun, aiming it up at the door. The weapons the force used had silencers on them. It felt as though half an hour had gone by before suddenly they heard the echo of faint gunshots echoing over the river the overpass ran over, and a moment later the scout called back on the radio.

"Gunshots from the bridge, the assault on the checkpoint has begun!" Cassidy nodded, and aimed her gun at the door, motioning for another soldier to bring someone to open it. The soldier banged hard on the door, and the group waited as they faintly heard footsteps coming to investigate.

HOME

Cole clung tight to the armrest of the truck as Chara pressed the gas pedal to the floor, and the truck shot forward. She cranked the wheel hard to the left as they left the protection of the small dirt road, speeding down the street towards the palace, which could be seen less than a mile ahead. A second truck skidded out of another road, leading the charge.

Overhead, a small plane being flown by remote control from a separate location made a steep dive towards the castle. Cole ducked in the cabin of the truck as he saw the plane duck low, then bank hard to the right and veer off at the last possible second. Gunfire erupted from the outer defenses as the plane turned back for a second pass. The distraction was working.

Cole watched as the monsters on the outer wall suddenly began to realize what was happening as the two trucks grew closer. They began to open fire on the trucks in vain, but the bulletproof shielding deflected the few shots that hit their mark. The other truck slammed into the gate and right side of the wall, knocking both the gate and a large section of the outer wall down. The truck flipped over onto its side.

The tires screamed as Chara pulled the handbrake, spinning the truck so the left wall of the boxcar swung out, allowing them to be parallel to the outer wall. A portion of the left wall of the shipping container dropped away, revealing a human with a mounted machine gun, who immediately opened fire on the monster defenders. Meanwhile, the right wall was detached and clattered to the ground, and the rest of the soldiers poured out

Cole grabbed the assault rifle in the cabin, leaping out with Chara. In the capsized truck, they could see the back door pop open and soldiers, looking slightly worse for wear, begin to climb out and join the fierce fight. One by one the monsters turned to dust. Chara managed to regroup with Sebastian in the thick of the fighting, and as Cole shot another soldier, he heard Chara yelling over the din of the fighting.

"We can't get stuck here, we need to squeeze them in! Continue to push forward!" Slowly the human attackers rose from their cover, beginning to tighten the noose around the palace. When the final defenses of the outer wall fell, they took advantage of the small break to close into the gardens surrounding the palace.

Cole grunted as two bullets slammed into the bushes beside him, but he too pressed on as they finally neared the palace entrance.

AGOLENS

The second the sniper's shot met its mark, Lawrence quickly whipped the pistol out from the trench coat, and ducked behind a parked car while he shot at the monsters defending the outside of the police station. The other disguised soldiers quickly did the same. Screams rang out as both human and monster civilians fled the scene. This was fine though for Lawrence and his team.

The monsters had just been beginning to think the attack had been called off, and clearly they had let their guard down. Despite slightly outnumbering the humans, their fatigue meant they were still hopelessly overwhelmed. Within two minutes of the firefight, all the monsters had been turned to dust. Still, Lawrence kept his pistol trained on the door as they quickly walked towards the steps leading up to the doors.

Once they reached the piles of dust, Lawrence and his team picked up the automatic weapons the monsters were using, then closed in to the door.

LANDOW OVERPASS

As the monsters forcibly opened the doors of the truck, Edward and two of the other humans quickly gunned them down before they could do anything further. The squad quickly jumped out of the truck, and began shooting at the monsters at the checkpoint. Edward managed to get a glance at the cockpit of the truck, and saw blood on the windshield, along with both drivers sitting dead in their seats. Gritting his teeth, he once more shot at the soldiers, though he, like others in his group were forced to take several breaks in firing.

The bystanders quickly fled their vehicles, making their way back behind Edward and his team in a desperate attempt to get out of the line of fire. This suited Edward as it allowed for him and his team to use the now empty cars as reliable cover. He pulled the pin out of a grenade, and tossed it towards the checkpoint. He heard several cries from the monsters as the explosion rang out, sending two cars into infernos and turning four of the monsters to dust.

He ducked behind another car as bullets shattered the windows and slammed into the metal plating. Grunting he popped over the hood, quickly gunning down the monster firing at him. Over on the right he saw one of the human soldiers suddenly crumple to the ground, followed by a second. Anger surged through him. They had worked so hard to get here, and he would not let it be for nothing. He stood up from his cover and continued to push forward in the assault.

LANDOW

As the back door of the city hall opened, Cassidy shot the monster once directly in the head. Immediately the humans quietly, yet quickly slipped in through the back door. She knew most of the defenses would be out front, as much to defend as a display of power to the public. Entering through the back was a tactical way to buy them a few precious minutes.. As one of the city hall guards came around the corner, speaking with a monster delegate, one of Cassidy's men quickly shot the guard, and the delegate stared at them in shock, immediately throwing his hands up.

Cassidy kept her weapon trained on the delegate as one of the other members of her team moved to secure their new hostage. He was kept close with the rest of the team, as they quickly made their way up a spiral staircase, shooting two more soldiers that approached. Soon, they found themselves outside the mayor's office. The door was locked. Cassidy kept a watch with the others while another young woman in her group cut the lock.

When the door was ready, they busted through, shooting the three other guards inside. The mayor looked equally as shocked as the delegate did and he slowly put his hands up.

"There's no need to do anything rash here...I will surrender peacefully."

Cassidy nodded. "Good. Now you and I are going to be going outside to make a little speech."

They quickly bound the mayor's hands with a zip-tie, and pushed him downstairs. Two of Cassidy's soldiers flanked her as they walked to the front door. As she went through, she shot one of the monster soldiers in the back and he yelled out in pain, though the one shot alone wasn't enough to kill him. The monster soldiers turned around, looking bewildered and Cassidy put a pistol against the mayor's head.

"If ANY of you makes ONE move, he's dead!" The monsters looked to each other with uncertainty, not sure if they should shoot or not. Cassidy yelled again.

"Weapons on the ground! Now!"

The mayor shouted as well. "Do as she says! Do it!" At the order, the soldiers reluctantly discarded their guns on the ground, backing away. She kept her position.

"You are all going to abandon your posts, and back away across the street. We have twenty hostages inside, and if we see anybody try ANYTHING, they all die!" The monsters slowly backed across the street, though one of them paused by the monster that had been shot, helping him across.

Cassidy nodded. Though she had inflated the number of hostages, it had clearly worked. The city hall was in the hands of the humans. She smirked triumphantly as she handed the mayor off to one of the other militia members.

"We'll wait for word from Lieutenant Chara before we make our next move. For now, fortify the premises and prepare for any possible counterattack." With this, she strode to the office, going over to the windows, starting to push furniture in front of the window frame.

HOME

Cole shouted furiously as a small chunk of marble from one of the pillars by the palace door flew off, glancing off his shoulder as a bullet struck the wall. Chara and Sebastian's combined forces had managed to push up past the gardens and courtyard, up to the palace entrance. Here, the monsters had managed to bottleneck them. Chara pressed her back up to the wall beside him.

"HEY! Stay focused! We've got a mission to complete, and I didn't come this far to turn around when we're on their welcome mat!" Cole grunted and nodded. She nodded at another soldier across on the other side of the doorway. The soldier produced another flash bomb, throwing it inside. Chara followed it up with a grenade, and they ducked back behind as debris flew out of the door.

With the monsters disoriented, the human attackers swarmed through the entrance, and soon the monsters had been turned to dust. Seeing a short break, Chara huffed.

"Alright, that was the hard part. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta Company will be with Captain Russell. Echo, you're with me. Foxtrot, unload the bigger guns and start to fortify this entrance; there might be more forces coming in now that the alarm has been raised. Captain, take your troops and see if you can find the war room. If the monsters had a plan for the war, it'll be in there. I'll take the others and try to find our own target."

Sebastian nodded, signalling to his own soldiers. "You heard her, let's move it!" They ran off a different area. The others, including Cole took a brief second to re-stock before proceeding further into the palace.

AGOLENS

Muffled shots could be heard from the second and third floors as Lawrence worked his way down to the basement. He knew the armory would be there, and if they planned on holding the police station, they would need all the firepower they could get. As he poked his head around a corner, he quickly pulled back as a bullet whizzed past his ear. He quickly returned fire, and the soldier was reduced to dust. Slowly, him and his team snaked through the basement.

Suddenly from behind a hidden monster soldier shot at Lawrence, but the bullets missed, striking one of the soldiers with him. She gave a sharp cry of pain before dropping down. In a flash Lawrence turned around, killing the soldier. He quickly knelt down to feel for a pulse, but got nothing. She must have been dead before she hit the ground. He stood up. There would be time to grieve for the fallen later.

Soon, they came to the large armoured door. One of the soldiers produced a breaching charge from a backpack he carried. He handed it off to another, and she got to work wiring the charge to the door. They leaned back as the charge blew the door wide open, and they quickly stormed the armoury. When they saw the stunned soldiers inside, Lawrence yelled.

"DROP YOUR WEAPONS, NOW!" The soldiers, fearing for their lives, obeyed instantly. Two of Lawrence's men got to work in restraining the soldiers, while Lawrence chuckled at what greeted him. There were plenty of guns and ammunition to supply his force for some time. They moved the soldiers upstairs, where they regrouped with the other men and women in Lawrence's party, who reported that everybody else in the station had been either captured or killed.

Quickly he took a zip tie and chain lock, barricading the doors shut with them. He looked to the prisoners.

"Lock them in one of the cells down below. We'll figure out what to do with them later."

LANDOW OVERPASS

Edward and his force continued to tighten the noose on the military checkpoint. The fighting had raged on the overpass for nearly half an hour, and with time not on their side, he was desperate to break through.

Finally, he had some luck when one of his soldiers found a way to flank the monster defences. The final assault took less than five minutes, and at long last the humans finally managed to overrun the checkpoint, swiftly killing the remaining soldiers. Edward breathed a sigh of relief, but he knew there was no time to waste.

"I want machine gun nests set up all along the road, and the anti-aircraft guns on the roofs! NOBODY comes in or out along this checkpoint. NOBODY!" The soldiers immediately got to work, and Edward awaited word from the others.

HOME

Asriel walked quickly with Asgore through the hallway, gunfire ringing out in the distance. Undyne was with them, listening in on a radio. She then reported to Asgore.

"The humans managed to punch through our outer defences, and they're in two groups as far as we know. Your highness, for your safety I'm going to be evacuating yourself, Prince Asriel and Lady Torie."

Asgore shook his head. "No, myself and Toriel will be remaining here. Only Asriel will go."

Undyne looked up in shock. "What? Why?!"

Asgore spoke back sharply. "These terrorists will NOT win! When they are quelled, we will need to be here to regain control. But, I still want you to get Asriel out for his own safety."

Asriel looked equally stunned, and Asgore spoke calmly. "Be safe my son. We will see you when the attack has been halted." Asriel nodded, and Asgore turned down a hallway to get Toriel. Asriel watched him leave, then turned back to Undyne, and nodded.

"Alright, let's go."