Operation Black Dawn
September 29, 1995.
2 months before the First Tiberium War.
Pvt. Alvin Synne Payne - Day Zero - Dated September 29, 1995
Two days before mass Disappearances of GDI and Nod Forces in Italy
1995. The year it all came tumbling down, the year where the GDI-Nod Cold War* would find itself ground to a halt by the appearance of something new... something terrifying. Before the Meteor Strike down in Italy, things weren't looking too good in the Global Defense Initiative's member-states. Dissatisfaction over the authoritarian rule of the UN was beginning to swell in places such as France, the increasing presence of the Initiative Armed Forces didn't help as well, as it only angered people more. Nod was really beginning to step its presence everywhere. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization*, for example, was beginning to trade heavy amounts of munitions to places such as the Middle East, or as they call it, the Near East. The GDI tried embargoing them, but eh... didn't work all that well. The GDI blockade found itself getting outran, just like what the Confederates tried during the Civil War.
Personally, I thought it was only going to get much worse as France became increasingly more authoritarian... then it hit. The Meteor. During that fateful day, back on September 1, I was a mere infantryman stationed in Paris. No, I'm not a Frenchie. I'm an American, first and foremost. But yes, I was stationed in Paris, overseeing the UN's efforts of trying to keep the peace down in France. Riot Police and men in Yellow Jackets, who pledged their support for France's government, were keeping presumably Nod-sympathetic rioters away from the major areas, with the Yellowjackets forming a human wall to protect the Riot Police from those Cultist sympathizers. I personally applauded them, they did the right thing, honestly. I still frankly don't understand why Nod manages to rile up support even in nations that are better off than their spheres of influence.
My unit was getting ready to... how should I say this... assist the Riot Police with their task. We were to set up Tear Gas launchers in case these rioters tried anything funny. I was with an engineering team, comprised of three dudes. We were just busy there, setting up the launchers to keep them at bay. They pretty much voluntold me to go pick up their ammo for them, now, normally, I would just grumble, but for today? I pretty much had to do it or else we'd have full-blown street violence on our hands. I grabbed the box of ammo back from the engies' outpost and plopped it next to them.
They were already finished with setting up the launcher and its motion sensors, meaning that thankfully all I had to do was pick up a box of twenty-mil's from the engineer's ammo depot. So, they finish setting up the launchers, and as soon as I decide to turn around, I immediately hear this from the engineers.
"If a goddamn mouse triggers the gas launcher, I want his ass blown sky-high!"
Now, I'd just ignore it, but for some reason, I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the engies blowing a rat up just because it happened to trigger the launcher's motion sensors, therefore pissing off the automatic launcher. The engies really knew how to deal with idiotic things triggering their alarms. Now, I go back to my post after helping the engies set up that launcher and I just decide to wait. As I sit there, waiting for something to happen... I immediately turn on the TV to see if anything is interesting there. It was mostly filled with
So I grab the remote and turn the damn flat screen on, getting ready to watch whatever GDNN* had in store for me. Then those engies from earlier see my antics and decide to ask if they could join in.
One of them, probably from Portugal, asked if he could join me as he had nothing to do, and neither did his unit. Off-topic, but his English was... not necessarily broken, but it was a bit loopy to try and comprehend. Now, truth be told, I was supposed to do this by myself, but eh, these guys looked like they needed a break as well. So I say something along the lines of this.
"Yeah. Go ahead, my fatass could use some company."
So they pulled out foldable chairs and started setting them up, getting ready to watch this shitass TV with me. I called a vote on what the fuck do we watch.
"Oh, oh, go to the military channels! I want to see an Iowa Cruiser formation!" One of the engies, probably a Brit, tells me. Ever since the Second World War was lost by the Allies*, the resurgent Royal Navy sought a way to re-establish its naval superiority. Enter America's weapons development program, which sent them improved blueprints of the Fletcher Missile Destroyers*, Iowa Cruisers*, and I think some other blueprints to help the RN, and by extension, the reborn Allies as well. One of them included a Carrier variant of the Iowa, and a Missile variant* as well. We Americans are weird.
"No, no, I want to see Saturday Night Live!" Another engie, this time Japanese, said. Honestly, ever since SNL covered the Cold War... the jokes have gotten shittier. Before the 90s they were actually funny, though I was only born in the late 70s, I still managed to experience SNL, and they used to be funny. Though now with the Cold War continuing to escalate between GDI and Nod, I don't think that funniness is ever going to return to SNL. At all.
Then the last guy comes up with one of the best answers I've seen all day. No, really. It actually was a pretty good suggestion compared to the other two's suggestions. So, you see, the Brazilian man straight up calls for my attention, then suggests to me, verbatim;
"Go watch the news, learn something worth your time." The Brazilian guy told me, and truth be told, I couldn't help but agree. So, I smiled and replied.
"Yeah." I said, pressing the buttons on my remote, flipping through all the news channels. There was uninteresting shit, like makeup, the latest pop band originating from the Tokyo Pact* territories, or infomercials that tried to sell me a blender that somehow managed to also double as a cutting board. Though I want that for the novelty of it.
However, as I flipped through the news channels, the Brazilian man notices something.
"Go back."
"Huh?" I ask, confused.
"Go back. 113."
113? I asked myself, really confused at first... then it hit me like an M1A3 Abrams* going at high speeds. Oh, shit! Channel 113. Yeah, right, how the fuck could I forget about Channel 113. That channel often covered normally irrelevant shit, but for Brazilian man to notice... well, something's caught his attention. Be it infomercials or... something with more worth than it needs to have. So I listened to mister Brazilian man and flipped over to Channel 113. I was confused on why Brazil man would want to switch to this channel, sure, obviously, there's the two other guys in the back bickering about SNL versus military, but even without that, I still want to know why the guy wanted me to turn over to 113.
Then it hit me like a bag of bricks.
"Tiber River...?" I asked as I took a closer look at what the news actually said.
So, after immediately seeing that I looked at what the news was all about. The scene was... surreal to me. GDI and Nod officers in the same area without the urge to kill, all answering questions from an invasive news team. I was fixated on the scene because of simply how surreal it was. GDI AND Nod in the same room without threatening to kill each other or insulting each other was... odd. Outside of that though was an interesting scene, as Nod Bradley Light Tanks began parking and disembarking troops, while GDI M113s did the same thing, with troops from both sides spreading out to cover the Tiber River area.
Speaking of the Tiber River, the main attraction to most people aside from the UN and the Cultists not instantly opening fire on each other was the gigantic meteor that was wedged in between the GDI-Nod coverage area. What the hell was that thing even doing, over down there in Italy?
I didn't notice the two guys in the back ceasing their argument the moment they noticed something was up. They were pretty shocked too. I think I heard the British guy say something along the lines of "This can't be happening!" to the images of GDI and Nod collectively sealing up the Meteor area with red tape. Literal red tape, by the way, not bureaucratic stuff. Though that does come later on after the situation is contained and analyzed by people with maaaybeeee less of a 'KILL NOD KILL NOD KILL NOD' complex. I have it. And so does half of GDI.
"What the hell's happening down in Italy?" I asked, and everyone around me replied with their own level of equal amounts of confusion.
"I have no idea, lad." Came from the Brit, still metaphorically scratching his head around the prospect of the GDI and Nod refusing to kill each other for once.
"Me either." That one came from the Japanese man, who didn't speak all that much, at least what he heard anyway. SNL ain't my style in all honesty. Better a wall drying than SNL.
"I am not certain of what is being projected to me here, but I am fearful." Aaaaand that one came from the local Brazilian. His English was loopy, but very verbose. Very fitting for a nerd like him, I suppose.
The four of us simply kept looking at this, gaze fixated on the scene that was, in the words of the Brazilian engie, being projected to us.
The men on the TV, GDI and Nod, kept answering questions by the media regardless of where the reporters actually came from, some had very clear Nod affiliations, some had extreme GDI sympathies, but they were all asking questions at such a rapid pace that the GDI officers and the Nod officers actually had to tell them to shut the fuck up just so they could answer their questions. One by one, and word for word. For once, I felt sorry for the poor sods. Having to listen to people rapid-fire these questions like it's no tomorrow. Jesus Fuck.
"What is Nod's official opinion on the situation?" Asked a pretty-obvious Nod-aligned journalist. The Nod officer in charge of responding turned his head to the guy and responded in a surprisingly pensive voice, proving to me, Payne, that these Noddies do get tired of their own supporters' fanaticism every once in a while. Ha, eat that, suckers!
"The Brotherhood has expressed marginal interest with the Initiative in finding out what secrets lie behind this meteor." The officer said, giving a side glance towards the GDI officer, who scoffed and responded with something highly controversial but still worth noting.
"The Initiative does not express any intention of cooperating with religious extremists, primarily due to your organization's terroristic activities conducted during the old days of the CW." The GDI officer fired back a thinly-veiled 'middle finger' sentence towards the Noddie, expressing his hatred for the organization. Way to go, lad, show those Noddies how we in the UN do it!
"What is the Initiative's official opinion on the situation?" A GDI-supporting journalist asked as if it was a question that would save lives if answered correctly. You could tell he was a GDI supporter as noted by his constant placement of the UN's symbol and the GDI diving eagle in his clothing, microphone, and the GDI-themed notepad he pulled out in order to prepare for writing down the GDI's opinion on this whole mess.
"The Initiative believes it to be a major threat to Italy's crops, as these... crystals, carried by the meteor, seem to absorb nutrients and minerals from the soil in order to make more of itself. Like a self-producing meat grinder, you could say." Wait... what? I'll admit, I was confused when I heard those words. 'Absorbs nutrients and minerals from the soil' hold on a fucking minute? And they say it's two days old? This isn't just dangerous to Italy, it's dangerous to Earth's entire resource pool! Good god, what even is this thing?
So I stood there, simply in shock at all of this. Something big was about to happen. I could feel it, even if I wasn't aware of it at the time, not with NCID-95* appearing later as the month went on. I turned my head to the Britman, eyes widened in shock and simply said this to him.
"The Cold War just got serious." I said, taking off my helmet and giving myself a minute to breathe. The headache that would come later wasn't going to be helped if I kept the damn helmet on, so out it goes.
"Yeah... shit just got real." He replied back, taking a minute to breathe as well.
Well, this wasn't going to be something as simple containment. If this thing could eat up resources without us knowing it, then we might as well sacrifice 2 billion people just to contain this stupid crystal thing. "Well..." I said, uncertain if anything worse would happen at the time, "Can't be worse than what we saw over there in Ukraine, riiiight?" The question I asked was both half a joke and half-serious. Ukraine was a shitshow, even by GDI standards. Sheppard was such a cruel man, letting Ukraine die like that all because it wasn't part of the Initiative... thank god the Russians retrieved the remaining Ukrainian government and refugees instead of leaving them to the angry Nod-supporting rebellion. He'd have to buy a beer for the Russians someday, probably when he gets deployed with Russians rather than Frenchies.
Just as we finished watching the news, I heard loud noises, and so I turned my head. Aaaand, bad news. The Rioters were finally clashing with the Police and Yellowjackets.
"SHIT!" I said, getting up from my seat and running towards the tear gas launcher me and the three engineers.
The others also joined in, rushing to the tear gas launcher to disperse the rioters before they could do any major damage. I turned on my radio to inform command about everything.
"This is Checkpoint Alpha! The Rioters are finally doing it! They're attacking the police! I need all troops nearby to reinforce this sector!" I shouted into the radio as the fighting became louder and louder, with both sides spewing insults at each other. Especially the Yellowjackets, they cursed the most. Like, a lot, actually.
"Copy that, Checkpoint Alpha. Rerouting the 144th Armored Squadron to reinforce." was the response I got, hopefully, by 'armored' they meant M113s, I don't want SIDAM-25s* opening fire on the rioters like it was something out of a dystopian movie.
After that, I got to work helping the engies make sure the tear gas launcher held back the rioters. The motion sensor picked up the Rioters, and since the Rioters didn't have the RFID chips that the police normally have to prevent accidents, it quickly began opening fire and dispersing gas everywhere. The ammunition the launcher used was airburst of a sort, dispersing the gas when airborne but not bursting in a way that would leave shrapnel embedded everywhere. Trust me, even high-explosive grenades leave shrapnel from the casing being tossed everywhere.
The gas began affecting the rioters in just about a few seconds as the gas entered their systems. The chemicals were irritant, and highly irritant at that. Rioters began to disperse as some of them fell down, incapacitated and unable to do anything. Some of them even dropped as they tried to run due to the gas significantly impacting their movement. As much as I don't like saying this, I'm thankful that these chemicals were irritating, sure, they made me cry a lot, but they're very effective at what they do.
As they began to disperse, the 144th AS began arriving in M113 APCs, M1A3 Abrams tanks, and one of them even pulled up in a fucking Mammoth tank! Good lord, if they had this sooner, the Rioters wouldn't just disperse, they'd run the fuck away! Ha! Eat shit, suckers!
One of the 144th's APCs parked next to me and began unloading GDI soldiers, all of them equipped with grenade launchers, probably loaded with tear gas rounds. Some even had M16A2s with orange markings on their magazines. Riot rifles, right. The M113's commander popped out of the hatch and looked at me directly. "You the guy who radio'd for us?" he asked.
"Yep, I'm that guy."
"Well... we're here, though we're a bit late to the party..." The commander said, scratching his helmet as if he forgot a crucial detail that would've killed us all if it wasn't told.
"Oh, right." He then said, looking at me in the eyes.
"We're pulling out of France, by the way." Those words were a shock to me. Pulling out of France?! In the middle of the worst riots we've seen since the collapse of the Soviet Occupation during the 1950s?! How idiotic was Sheppard nowadays?!
"Why?
"Command wants us to reinforce the support staff in Italy. We're... collaborating with Nod." WHAT?! DIDN'T THE OFFICER SAY THAT WE DIDN'T WANT TO WORK WITH NOD?!
"I thought we weren't going to!"
"Plan's changed, Private. Turns out, Tiber River isn't exactly a safe place for GDI and Nod to examine this meteor thing." Wait... what?
"What happened?"
"I don't know, actually. All I know is that command fucked up and they need reinforcements to make sure the Italy garrison's still functional."
Well, fuck. At least I get to be deployed somewhere else though. Sure, the riots are dangerous to GDI's integrity, but at the same time, he'd rather kick back and relax at a base. MCVs have the best entertainment devices at their disposal, including radios and television.
"Right, when are we pulling out?"
"Command gives us an estimate of two days until we move to Italy."
Right. At least it wasn't one day, but it was still too soon for us to move out of France.
After that conversation was over with, I went back to my seat at the checkpoint, with the TV still on. As I sat back down and expected the news back at Tiber, what I instead got was static.
"What...?"
Okay, something went wrong down at Tiber. Forget the riots, I wanted to know what the shit's going down at Tiber!
I shook my head, this was the start of something new alright. And it wasn't going to be pretty.
Pvt. Alvin S. Payne - 'Interview' - Dated September 29, 1995
Two days before the mass Disappearances of GDI and Nod Forces from Italy
I took a breath as I finished my story to the guy who asked me what I was doing on Day Zero of the Meteor's strike.
The guy was a Noddie, and one surprisingly interested in seeing what we UN or GDI people did during that time period.
"So...you want to hear my story as well?" He asked, probably wanting to tell stories of his own too. To be honest, living in this camp was... boring, to say the least. Even with GDI, Nod, and some Humanitarian organizations like the Red Cross trying their best to help out the victims of this crystal disease, it got boring without something urgent.
"Yea-" I was about to say yes when I suddenly heard something come from the Emergency Room of the camp.
"We got an NCID patient! He needs urgent assistance!"
"Shit, get his heart rate up! It's irregular!"
I and the Noddie both looked at each other as if we were asking the same question. It was a wordless 'Should we go in?' thing. And we both answered yes. So, putting aside our storytelling, we both ran as fast as possible to the ER. Who the fuck got NCID?!
When I and the Noddie arrived at the door to the ER, we stacked up on the doors and counted down before we opened the door.
"One..."
"Two..."
"Three!"
I and the Noddie entered the ER in the most interruptive way possible.
As the both of us entered the ER, I was shocked to find it littered with NCID patients as well. How widespread is this disease?!
The infected weren't just civilians, they were GDI soldiers, Nod soldiers, Red Cross workers, and even some of the guys who helped construct the camp... God, what was causing all of this?
"Good god..." I said, in shock.
"Agreed..." The Noddie replied, surprised as well.
If this was the work of that green crystallization virus, who knows what could come next? Black crystallization viruses?
Notes from Payne:
M1A3 Abrams - The standard-issue main battle tank of the UNGDI. Replacing the earlier M1A2 Abrams in service with the Allied Nations and the United States Army, the M1A3 is more up-to-date and cheaper to produce, being the standard-issue GDI tank.
SIDAM-25 - The anti-air vehicle of the United Nations GDI. Armed with four Oerlikon 20mm cannons and eight anti-air missiles, the SIDAM-25 is a force to be reckoned with and dangerous against both vehicles and aircraft.
World War Two - Soviet Victory. The Allied Nations fought tooth and nail for Europe's freedom, but alas, it failed.
Collapse of the USSR - After Stalin's death by mysterious circumstances, the Soviet Union began to crumble as all hell broke loose, finally collapsing in 1953, and its puppet states later on.
Allied Nations - A coalition of European Nations led by the German Reich and the French Republic, it is a rebirth of the WW2-era Allied Nations that ceased to exist in 1953.
Tokyo Pact - A coalition of GDI-aligned states in the Asia-Pacific-Oceania regions, led by the Philippines and the Empire of Japan. It is locked in a proxy war against Nod.
Shanghai Cooperation Organization - A union of Asian nations united under the banner of China, which itself is controlled by Nod. It is the neighbor of the Tokyo Pact, and often gets into conflict with them.
GDNN - GDI News Network, a UN-sponsored global media operated and controlled by the GDI.
Fletcher-class DDGs - The standard escort ship of the United Nations and many of its client states, the Fletcher-class was in service with the USN since 1933 and has received multiple upgrades since.
Iowa-class CAs - A 'capital ship' in service with the GDI Navy and the UN. Notable Iowas include the Tokyo Pact's Yamato and the Allied Nations' Bismarck II. Other variants of the Iowa include the Alaska-class Aircraft Carrier and the New Jersey-class Missile Cruiser.
Cold War - The proxy conflict between the United Nations Global Defense Initiative and Nod. Ongoing since 1965, it has escalated as time went on, sparking wars and even ethnic conflicts.
NCID-95 - Novel Crystallization Infectious Disease 1995, the formal name for the 'Crystal Virus', originating in the Tiber River. It slowly crystallizes the body, turning it into nothing more but pure crystal. Mortality rates are 47% and rising as NCID further mutates. Medicines and Drugs are ineffective against NCID, leaving it almost unbeatable. It is unknown how NCID spreads.
Author's Notes:
So... here I am. I'm back, this time with an idea that's actually a bit more coherent than my first story. So, basically, this is a Tiberian Dawn crossover with Arknights. I know, I know, 'but some things are off' you might say, and you're absolutely right. Because this Tib Dawn is based off a headcanon of mine, with GDI being more open and public alongside Nod, which sparks a Cold War that is interrupted by the arrival of Tiberium and NCID. Also, NCID is not a different strain, it's just your normal Tib mutations, GDI just thinks it's because of a virus from the meteor... which isn't wrong.
I plan for this to be more focused on the humanitarian aspects of AK, dealing with the Infected, helping survivors out, improving the quality of life, and peacekeeping.
GDI and Nod forces have to set aside their mutual dislike to help people, even if it means risking their lives in the process.
Also, quick note about Nod. They're not religious as of this period, only the higher-ups. The low rank are just the national militaries of the nations aligned with Nod, like the Estonian Army, who know nothing about this and just want to protect their homeland from imperialism, so NO, Nod fans, you get actual humans this time, not walking soapboxes explaining how Kane is going to save the world.
I'm actually having fun with this idea, so I'll try my best to write for it.
Now, I'll catch you guys later on the next chapter.