Romanov lives, the Grey Ash nuclear attack fails, The Red Army goes on the offensive, All hell will break loose....

Red Fire

Romanov and Niko listened through the door of the board room where their father was giving a presentation to the rest of the top level COs of Red Fire. Their father was presenting a new weapon design that could make Red Fire the most powerful nation on the planet and they were excited to hear what the verdict would be.

"Sure you may say things are good now, we're at peace with all the other nations, the economy is good, but there is always insecurity." Vladistock said, "Building Nuclear warheads and missiles will give us a chance to eliminate the threats from all other countries and give our people full security. There will be no one who could attack us! We would have vast amounts of space to expand our way of life!"
"What you are suggesting is we betray our allies, our friends and in some cases familes, and commit genocide!" One of the generals said, "You could be imprisoned for planning this!"
"But consider the rewards! Limitless resources, one way of life! We wouldn't have to make comprimises to anyone!" Vladistock exclaimed, "Is absolute freedom and security not worth it?"
"Enough!" The second general yelled, slamming his fist on the table, "There is no threat from any nation that warrants to building and use of these weapons!"
"We will not destroy the peace we have had for centuries! The days of war with our neighbors are long past!" The fourth general said.
"Ever since your father died you have become nothing but a warmonger!" The first said, "Everything you do now is an attempt to start a war with all the other nations!"
"How can you be so blind! One nation, One planet!" Vladistock yelled, "The perfect society!"
"Silence!" The third general yelled, "Vladistock, we have been discussing your behaviour and attitude for a long time now, all of your ideas go completely against what is best for Red Fire."
"What are you getting at." Vladistock said.
"We are going to allow you to keep your dignity and walk out of here now, you have tonight to settle your affairs with your family then you are to leave Red Fire and never return." The second general said, "There is no longer a place for you here."
Vladistock stood there in a stunned silence. His face contorted into a look of near rage as he gathered his diagrams and blueprints.
"You'll regret this." Vladistock said, "You have my word, and when a member of my family gives their word they keep it!"
With that Vladistock stormed out, scaring his sons out of their wits.
"Romanov, Niko, we're going home." Vladistock said.

5 years later....

A large crowd of Grey Ash protesters gathered outside the cental Missile control complex to protest the attack on Red Fire. People with signs shouted chants and threw rocks at the Grey Ash guards, who were remarkably restrained.

"What should we do about them?" A soldier asked his commander.
"Make an example of them." The commander said, "Ten thousand people will not matter, almost half a billion more where they came from."
"Yes sir." The soldier said, unsure of the order.

"What gives you the right to wipe out our friends and allies!" A man yelled.
"My wife was from Red Fire you monsters!" Another man said.
"Everything was fine until that monster appeared!" A woman screamed as a large group of soldiers emerged from the base armed with machine guns. The soldiers walked out and formed a single line, guns drawn.
"Protesters, by order of the commander we are to make an example of you for anyone else who wants to protest our ways!" The soldier said, turning to his men, "Ready Weapons."
The protesters looked on in fear as the soldiers loaded their weapons.
"Aim!" The soldier said.
The protestors turned to run but stopped when they saw something they considered amazing.
"Holy shit..." The Grey commander said, dropping his gun and running, followed soon by his men.
"For Red Fire! For Revenge!" Romanov yelled, swiping his sword forward and then running, followed by the remains of Red Fire. A huge force of soldiers began charging the complex, causing the crowd of protesters to cheer and part for them. Some protesters grabbed the weapons dropped by the Grey Ash soldiers and joined the Red Army in the attack. The Grey soldiers retreated inside the gates and closed them, effectivly locking the Red Army out. That didn't stop Romanov, he jumped on a crate beside the guard house, then on the house itself the he nimbly leapt over the top of the fence and barbed wire, drawing his sword and bringing it down on the head of a Grey Ash soldier. Romanov began cutting through the other soldiers like a hot knife through butter. Seventeen soldiers fell before they could get far enough away to escape the sword. Romanov hit the button and opened the gate before charging off to the main building. The Red Army soldiers flooded through the gate and began to swarm the defenders who were just beginning to emerge. The Grey Ash soldiers couldn't get a single shot off before being killed by the Red Army. Romanov ran into the door of the main building alone.

A group of Red Army soldiers entered shortly after Romanov did. They were met with dozens of dead bodies laying in the hallways. They made their way through the building, finding and killing a few living Grey Ash soldiers. They arrived at the command center to find Romanov standing over the headless body of the base commander. Several red spots were growing where Romanov had been shot numerous times.
"Call me savage and brutal if you want but they deserve no better." Romanov said.
"Sir, are you okay? You look like you need a medic." One of the soldiers said.
"I'm fine" Romanov said, "Tell the men to salvage what they can then let Patton blow this place up."

The present...
"Sir.." Patton said, "We're ready."
"Targets locked?" Romanov asked.
"Yes sir." A female comms officer said.
"The army boarding the transports?" Romanov asked.
"Yes sir." Boris said, pointing to a group of monitors showing Red Army soldiers putting on belts with swords, loading up on clips and putting on body armor. Heavy infantry members loading belts of bullets into their large chain guns and Tank Killers checking their missiles. Tanks loading shells into their massive guns.
"Good, Time to execution?" Romanov asked.
"Red Dawn phase one will commence in twenty minutes." The comms officer said.
"Good, Patton, your men need you, go and command them." Romanov said, "As soon as it is possible lift off the Alpha and follow the fleet."
"Yes Romanov." Patton said, running out.
"Hawke, how large is your force?" Romanov asked, turning to the Black Hole CO.
"The majority of Black Holes manpower came from Sturms alien army, once he was defeated I lead the human members in wiping out the last of the aliens." Hawke said, "I only have a ground force of fifty thousand. My navy is limited to mainly transports and a few cruisers and my airforce was what you saw earlier."
"Hmm, It's far better than nothing." Romanov said, "Where are they now?"
"They should meet up with your fleet within the hour." Hawke said, "I have one other thing to ask."
"And that would be?" Romanov inquired.
"If we survive this what will your forces do?" Hawke asked.
"Most likely the remains of the army will return to see if Red Fire can be rebuilt." Romanov said, "I'm not sure yet what I will do."
"If we win would you allow my forces to return with yours, we have nothing left here and I doubt any of the other nations would be willing to take us in." Hawke said.
"If that is what you want to do you would be welcomed as brothers in arms." Romanov said, "You should probably get back to your men."
"See you later" Hawke said, walking out.

"We can't allow you inside." A red soldier said, blocking the way for Sonja, "There is too much going on to allow anything to get in the way."
"I give you one more chance to allow me in before I force my way in, and I really don't want to be forced to do that." Sonja said.
"Let her in" Patton said, coming out of the Alpha, "She won't cause any trouble."
"Yes sir." The soldier said.
"Well there's a face I never thought I'd see again." Lagos said, having landed the copter.
"Lagos!?" Patton exclaimed, "You're supposed to be dead!"
"So are you." Lago smirked, "The only thing dead about me is my eye."
"I can't believe this!" Patton laughed.
"You wouldn't happen to have a spot in your forces for an old friend would ya?" Lagos asked, "I want to tear some of those Grey bastards a new one."
"Of course!" Patton said.
"I'll just be going in here now." Sonja said, slipping past the two men and into the Alpha. She walked through the halls to the command center to find it busting with activity, a complete opposite to the scene a few days ago.
"Where's Romanov?" Sonja asked out loud.
"He and Boris went to his quarters." The comms officer said.
"Thanks" Sonja said, leaving the command center and making her way to Romanovs room. The door opened for her and she went in, standing out of sight as Romanov and Boris were conversing.
"Are you alright, you seem different since you returned." Boris said.
"I'm fine." Romanov said, removing his dirty uniform top and changing into a black tank top, "What would make you think that?"
"You seemed to space out for a minute in the command center." Boris said.
"I was just remembering the day my father and Niko disappeared." Romanov said, "And the battle at the missile complex in Grey Ash, remember that?"
"How could anyone forget that? Over fifteen hundred Grey soldiers killed and you personally killed over a hundred with just your sword." Boris said.
"After we liberated the people of Grey Ash they gave me these pistols as a thank you gift, they belonged to the leader of the military before my Father took over." Romanov said, quickly twirling a pair of golden pistols and placing them in shoulder holdsters.
"Going out of uniform?" Boris asked.
"Those shirts are too restrictive for close combat" Romanov said, grabbing both his sword and Nikos sword from racks on the wall and strapping them to his back.
"Are you sure you're strong enough to do this?" Boris asked, eying the bandages on Romanovs various injuries.
"I don't feel pain, remember" Romanov said.
"My mistake." Boris replied.
"Go to the command center, you'll be needed to help direct the attack" Romanov said, "And Sonja, you can come out now."
"How do you always know when I'm listening?" Sonja asked, stepping into view.
"You're a noisy breather." Romanov said, suddenly getting punched in the side by Sonja.
"How could you just run off like that and then make everyone think you were dead!" Sonja snapped.
"I didn't mean to." Romanov said, "I just wanted to try to make sure that wasn't your last day to live."
"That's sweet... I think" Sonja said, "Or was it very stupid?"
"Compromise, it was both." Romanov said.
"What was Hawke doing here?" Sonja asked, sounding angry at the mention of Hawkes name.
"He wants to help, then when if we win he wants his forces to return to Red Fire with mine." Romanov said, "All that's left of his nation is fifty thousand men."
"As long as he doesn't show his face around Yellow Comet." Sonja said.
"So what's on your mind?" Romanov asked, suddenly feeling Sonja's arms wrap around him, "hm?"
"I was so upset when they said you were dead." Sonja said.
"I said I was sorry." Romanov said, "But for some reason I feel like I'm not coming back."
"Don't that, don't even think it." Sonja said, "You have to come back."
"I've always wondered what would happen to me when I die, will I go to heaven for fighting to stop the Grey Ash terror, or will I go to Hell for all the soldiers I've killed?" Romanov said.
"We're all fighting for a righteous cause, if that is a ticket to Hell then so be it." Sonja said, not letting go of Romanov.
"Thirty Seconds to Red Dawn." Boris's voice came over the loudspeakers.
"Come out here" Romanov said, walking to his balcony.
"Why?" Sonja asked.
"Plug your ears, this is going to be loud." Romanov said, smiling.
"What?" Sonja asked.
"Five years ago Red Fire was destroyed by Nuclear missiles. Not long after my army destroyed the central missile complex in Grey Ash, but not before salvaging some things." Romanov said, "The first phase of Red Dawn uses my fathers own weapons against him!"
"Huh?" Sonja said, plugging her ears as the supports for the Alpha opened to reveal a dozen Nuclear missiles. With a fierce roar the missile's launched into the sky to bring death to the Grey Ash army. Romanov began laughing as the missiles disappeared from sight leaving their vapor trails behind them.
"You should get back to your people" Romanov said, "We have work to do."
"We can help to." Sonja said.
"You need to stay put and get ready incase we fail. If we do fail then Grey Ash will be signifigantly weakened and you may be able to take them out." Romanov said, "I have to leave now for phase two."
"Good luck" Sonja said, giving Romanov a quick kiss for luck then leaving as Romanov threw his brown trench coat on over his weapons and put his hat on.
"While your men taste the fury of your own weapons, you father shall taste the rage that has been building inside me for the past five years..." Romanov said, turning and walking out.

"Sir, your copter is ready to take you to your destination." Boris said, having been waiting outside Romanovs quarters.
"Arm it for combat and send it to the front." Romanov said, "I'm taking the Wild Wing."
"What! You can't!" Boris said, "We salvaged three of those from White Cloud and two pilots died testing two of them, unless you go at a snails pace you can't manoeuver those things!"
"I don't need to, I only need to go in a straight line." Romanov said, walking toward the hanger.
"It doesn't even have any weapons on it!" Boris exclaimed.
"I don't need any weapons." Romanov said, handing a small radio to Boris, "I forgot to give this to Sonja, catch up to her and tell her it will allow her to moniter all the transmissions during the battle."
"You're too crazy for your own good, you know that?" Boris said, taking the radio, "But good luck"
"You too" Romanov said, parting ways with Boris. Romanov opened a hangar marked restricted and turned the lights on. He grabbed the edge of a cloth and pulled it off to reveal a smaller sized plane. The plane was painted black and designed to look like a single triagular wing. The cockpit was built right into the wing and it's windows tinted dark, making it hard to distingish between it and the rest of the plane.
(A/N - you want a visual, think F-117 stealth fighter)
"No need to go anywhere but in a straight line.." Romanov said, "Straight into my father..."

"Miss Sonja!" Boris called, dashing out of the Alpha.
"What?" Sonja asked, turning to face the taller man.
"Romanov wanted me to give you this." Boris said, handing the radio to her, "It will allow you to listen into the battle."
"Thank you." Sonja said, bowing slightly.
"May the news you hear only be good." Boris said, saluting then running back into the Alpha before the doors sealed. Sonja looked up as suddenly the Wildwing shot out of the hangar in the opposite direction of Green Earth. It disappeared from sight for a second then reappeared, travelling very slowly.
"Romanov to Alpha, take off and follow the fleet but avoid the combat zone." Romanov said, "I'll meet you all up ahead."
"Romanov, don't get killed." Sonja said, not realizing the radio was only one way.
"Wildwing powering up." Romanov said. The trailing edge of the Wildwing began to open up and glowing blue engines pulsated, "Go!"
With a flash of blue the Wildwing began to accelerate at an astouding rate, disappearing from sight only seconds after accelerating. The ground began to rumble as the massive flight engines on the Alpha came to life, slowly lifting the massive fortress into the air. Sonja returned to the Alliance field headquarters where Grit, Sami, Andy and Drake were waiting to know just what was going on.
"Well, where are they going?" Sami asked.
"And what were those missiles they fired?" Drake added.
"They were called Nuclear missiles, the same missiles that destroyed their homeland." Sonja said, tossing the radio to one of the operators, "Connect that into the main radio."
"Yes Ma'am." The operator said.
"And where are they going?" Andy repeated Sami's question.
"To the Grey Ash headquarters." Sonja said, "Rally your forces and prepare to follow them."

"Sir..." A Grey Ash soldier said, walking into Vladistocks office.
"What is it?" Vladistock asked and the soldier handed him a report without a word. Vladistock read it and was shocked. He placed the report on his desk and rubbed his forehead.
"Survivors?" Vladistock said.
"The two million men around the fortress, that's it." The soldier said.
"Damnit..." Vladistock said, "Prepare for an attack by the Red Fire Army..."
"But they were wiped out five years ago!" The soldier exclaimed.
"Not all of them, a small force survived, I allowed them to follow us in hopes my son would join us, but it appears he won't." Vladistock said, "Now, prepare to defend!"
"Yes sir!" The soldier exclaimed, saluting and running out.
"You won't succeed Romanov, you're throwing your life away." Vladistock said, standing up. He suddenly screamed and slammed a fist down on his desk, breaking the massive piece of furniture in the middle, "Now you're coming for me, even after I've proven your superior. Fool."
Vladistock put on his hat and walked out of his office.

"Sir, there's news from our inside men." A Grey Ash soldier wearing a uniform with red stripes said.
"And that is?" An officer in a similar uniform asked.
"The majority of the army was just wiped out by a nuclear strike.." The soldier said, "launched by an army fro m Red Fire, now the remaining army is digging in and preparing for an attack."
"So the rumors were true, there was a Red Fire unit following us." The commander said, "Inform the men, tell them when Red Fire attacks, we attack."
"Yes Commander Battleford." The soldier said, saluting and leaving.
"It's about time this madness ends, we only have thirty thousand men but it we can still help." Battleford said, "the Red Corp shall make themselves known!"

"Nelson, I want you to take command of the Victory." Nimitz said, "Then move to the left flank of the fleet and command them."
"Are you sure sir?" Nelson asked.
"Yes, I'm taking command of the Enterprise and commanding the center." Nimitz said, "Yamamoto is commanding the right flank from the Grey Fleet ship Soryu Maru."
"As you command sir." Nelson said as Nimitz walked out to a waiting helicopter, "Set course to the left flank of the fleet."
"Yes Admiral" The wheelman said.

"There's the mountain." Romanov said as the Wildwing screamed through the skies. Seconds later he was past the mountain and was barrelling towards the Grey Omega.
"With you gone your force will lose it's resolve and turn against each other." Romanov said, as the Grey Omega quickly approached, "But I have no interest in dying yet."
Seconds before the Wildwing smashed into the Grey Omega Romanov ejected. The Wildwing smashed into the fortress going almost five times the speed of sound. Vladistocks office erupted in a ball of flame which went out the back of the fortress due to the force of the impact. Soldiers on the ground looked on in amazement, wondering if their leader was dead.
"Stop staring you fools! Hurry up!" Vladistock snapped, emerging from the entrance of the Grey Omega. The soldiers snapped back into action and resumed their effort to defend against the oncoming attack. Meanwhile Romanov floated gently onto the top of the Omega in to commence phase two of the Red Dawn attack.

"So my old friends, I've seen the first phase of your ultimate attack, what is phase two?" Lagos asked while looking over to Montgomery and Patton.
"Members of Romanovs family have always had a unique ability when it came to their special powers." Monty said.
"While most stop accumulating energy once they gain a certain amount members of his family keep gaining." Patton said.
"Thus the longer they go without using their power, the stronger it gets." Monty said.
"And the last and only time I saw Romanov use it was when he was still in training to be a CO." Patton said, "Seven years ago."

Romanov stood looking out over the Grey Ash base. The wind seemed to kick up and swirl around him as he focussed on bringing forth his power. A group of Grey Ash soldiers ran up to the roof and aimed their weapons at him. They were stunned when the wind kicked up even more and formed a sort of funnel cloud around him. They ran for cover when the funnel changed suddenly from air to flames. The flame funnel shot into the sky and began to spread out, covering the entire sky with flames.

"What the hell is going on!" A soldier exclaimed.
"Your power is very strong my son" Vladistock said, his eyes suddenly glowing blue, "I am very impressed."

The funnel engulfing Romanov suddenly shot up into the sky with the rest of the flames leaving Romanov standing there unharmed.
"Now taste my fury!" Romanov yelled, his eyes glowing red as he raised his hand, "Plasma Firestorm! Destroy them!"
Romanov brought his hand down and from the fires in the sky came dozens of flame tornados. The tornados slammed down into the Grey Ash forces below and began tossing soldiers and vehicles around like toys. Everything that was drawn into the flame tornados was reduced to ash or molten metal. The Grey soldiers were running for their lives in an attempt to escape the onslaught brought on by the towers of fire.
"Flame meets Water!" Vladistock yelled, raising his hands and making waterspouts appear on the nearby river. The waterspout drew water into the sky and allowed them to advance over the land. Romanov's Plasma Firestorm and Vladistocks Hydro Storm collided, each power trying to dominate the other. Eventually both powers reached a stalemate and dissipated, but not before taking a massive toll on the strength of the Grey Ash army.
"Come and get me father, if you think you can." Romanov said.

"Sir, we've got a large fleet of ships incoming." A deck hand said to Nelson.
"Are they Black Hole?" Nelson asked.
"No sir, it's far too large." The deck hand said.
"Incoming radio message." The comms officer said.
"Put it on" Nelson ordered.
"This is Admiral Perry to all Red Army vessels, please reply." The radio said.
"Admiral Perry, I've never heard of him." Nelson said, picking up the microphone, "This is Admiral Nelson of the Red Fire and Grey Fleets, um.. who are you?"
"You guys are hard to track down." Perry replied, "I'm Admiral Perry, commander of the first Armada of the Grey Republic, we're here from New Grey Ash to help."

Next chapter: Father versus Son, The final battle.