Chapter 16
"... all escort, combat, transport, construction, and harvesting units functioning normally after arrival on planet surface - no ill effects reported from 9,210 cycles in stasis and 1,959 cycles spent in sublight journey from Ichor Hub
... primary bases established near mature Ichor deposits using nano-assemblers…
The Harvest commences."
New Eden, Germany, B-1
September 4th, 2047
2000
A cold gust of wind blew through the balcony, causing fancy dresses to ruffle and party guests to clutch their champagne glasses. A few people moved to return inside, causing the soft din of conversation and piano music to invade the relative quiet of the balcony. Athena sighed as she remained behind a moment longer, taking a final gulp of her own champagne. She had never been one for large parties, especially ones thrown by politicians, but ever since the Battle of Sarajevo and Kane's apparent death, Commander Lancaster had been paraded around as a hero. She had been forced to follow him from interviews to press conferences. And social events, such as parties with Boyle and his friends.
Out of a desire to acquire more alcohol, Athena headed back into the party. People from the various media stations, politicians from every Blue Zone, and CEOs from the most prolific corporations were in attendance. The extravagant, and downright expensive, parties were, in Boyle's words, a message that the war was over and peace had begun. That GDI had prevailed once again. But to Athena, this party was just a thinly veiled flex of Boyle's power. With the new Board of Directors now filled with his own cronies, Boyle was bound to stay in power for a long time. And to make it worse, Lancaster, a man she had known for so long, seemed to be drunk with the attention he was being showered with.
GDI had always propped up its Commanders and Generals as great heroes and celebrities to be worshipped. All propaganda to keep people's attention away from the ever looming threat of Tiberium. But Athena had begun to worry that Lancaster was being corrupted by Boyle. Before, he had always tried to live up to his father's legacy, but it seemed like John was focused on making his own legacy.
Not to mention how guilty she felt from being away from the 7th Infantry Division. While she and Lancaster were here, in New Eden, drinking expensive booze, the men and women of the 7th were at Fort McCoy near Paris, trying to rebuild the Division from near oblivion. Her place should be there with them, but as Lancaster's aide-de-camp, she was dragged with him wherever he went.
She did have to concede that it was a stunning view from the balcony. New Eden was the first city built in a reclaimed Yellow Zone. It was proof that GDI could reverse the effects of Tiberium, and as such, New Eden had become the home for GDI's ZOCOM and various civilian Tiberium research institutes, like the Mobius Foundation. However, the view did little to assuage her guilt for not being with her men.
Athena sighed as she pushed her worries away. While she may worry for her commanding officer, she trusted he would stay true to the military. And, while she may detest parties, she figured she could at least try and enjoy it. But to do that, she would need to hunt down a server for more champagne.
"Colonel Miles, over here!"
Acquiring a fresh glass, Athena turned upon hearing Lancaster call her name. He was wearing the same elegant military dress uniform as her, though his had more medals and ribbons. He was standing with Boyle and another dark skinned man, and was waving her over. She smiled, but inwardly screamed at being dragged into a conversation with the Director-General.
"Commander, Mr. Director." Athena greeted as she walked over. "Forgive me, sir. I don't believe we've met."
"Director Agembe. Former Director of Education, now I serve as Undersecretary of the Board of Directors. I must say, it is a pleasure to meet you, Colonel. I've heard a great deal about you." Agembe greeted.
Athena shook his hand, and returned the warm smile he gave her. Despite him being a politician, he came off more like a wise school teacher. So why a man like him would serve as Boyle's second in command was beyond her.
"I wouldn't have been able to win this war, had it not been for her." Lancaster said.
Athena was sure he meant that as an endearing compliment, but it made him sound like an arrogant jerk. He didn't really buy into his own celebrity status, did he?
"We need more people like you, Colonel. If we did, then Kane would have never crawled out of his hole in the first place." Boyle stated.
"Yes, sir." Athena replied neutrally.
"But this war isn't exactly over, Commander. We still have the hold outs in Australia." Agembe argued.
"The dying breath, I'm sure. I have full confidence that Generals Adamek and Quam can more than handle what is left of Nod." Lancaster said reassuringly.
"I agree. With Kane gone, the Brotherhood will wilt away. Now its time we look to rebuilding, to give our people a new and bright future." Boyle added.
"With all due respect, sir, I disagree. Kane has been killed twice, and twice the Brotherhood has returned. It would be foolish to assume they no longer pose a threat." Athena countered.
"Kane's Temple Prime is gone. His own forces turned against him. I feel safe in saying we have won the war, Colonel. The world is now safe." Boyle said dismissively.
"Like how it was after the First War? Kane was dead, the Brotherhood scattered, but we had the Beijing Bombing. Or what about the Baikonur Cosmodrome Incident?" Athena shot back.
"Watch your tone, Colonel." Lancaster warned.
"Its alright, John. The Colonel is correct, we have suffered terrible attacks from the delusional and fanatics. And it is true there will be some that cling to Nod's illogical ideology. But that is why we have men like John, men who will keep our citizens safe. Men who understand the necessary price we pay for the greater good." Boyle retorted.
John beamed at the praise, which caused Athena to glare in anger at Boyle. How could John get wrapped up in politics? Surely he didn't leave his men behind so he could rub shoulders with the elite, right? Athena started to say something further to Boyle, however, the chance to argue the semantics was ended as a woman in a security guard uniform approached the group, moving to whisper in Boyle's ear. His face contorted in concern, before quickly forming back into a cheerful smile.
"You will have to excuse me Commander Lancaster, Colonel Miles. There is pressing business Mr. Agembe and I must attend to."
Without further word, Boyle and Agembe followed the woman through the throng of party attendants, hastily making their way to the elevator. Athena watched them leave before turning to face Lancaster.
"What the hell was that? You realize that man could end your career, don't you?" Lancaster asked incredulously.
"Over what? The truth? The Brotherhood is still a major threat but he's throwing parties. We shouldn't be here, we should be back at Fort McCoy, with everyone else."
"The Division is fine without us. They deserve the rest. Or would you have us fly to Australia and throw them to the meat grinder again? Kane is dead, and I won. Unlike my father."
"Mark Lancaster said the same thing when he blew up Sarajevo."
"Watch your tone with me, Colonel."
"What happened to you, John? Was this what you wanted? To throw your men's lives away so you could take the glory? So you could be famous like McNeil and your father? What happened to the man who promised he would do everything to be a better man than Mark Lancaster?"
"That's enough, Athena! Kane is dead. The war is over. I'm not like McNeil, who allowed Slavik to escape and thus allowed the Brotherhood to continue. And I'm nothing like my father."
Athena just shook her head, feeling anger rise up in her chest. It was heartbreaking to see her commanding officer, her friend, become some vainglorious fool.
"I just think you should watch your friend. Boyle is no good; he's a politician. The military is your home, sir."
"I haven't abandoned the military, Colonel. But this divide Granger has created isn't healthy for rebuilding. Boyle may not have been voted in, but he is doing great work under a lot of pressure."
Athena felt slightly relieved at hearing John's affirmation for being loyal to the military, but she was still deeply concerned about his growing loyalty to Boyle.
"With your permission, sir. I think I would like to retire for the evening."
"Permission granted, Colonel."
Athena quickly turned away, not wanting to loose her temper further and say something she would regret. She began to make her way through the throng of people, heading for the same elevator Boyle took. She had nearly reached it, when someone else called out her name. Athena didn't recognize the voice, so it took her a moment to locate who was calling her. She eventually spotted a woman in a stunning silver dress walking towards her.
"Excuse me, Colonel Miles? 7th Infantry Division?" The woman asked.
"Uh, yes ma'am. That's me." Athena replied, still unsure who this stranger was.
"I'm Cassandra Blair. I'm a reporter with W3N and I was hoping if I could have a quick word with you?"
"Sorry. I'm not in the mood to be interviewed right now."
"Perhaps not an interview, but maybe just a few quick questions? I would love to get an account of the war from someone who isn't a military PR liaison or from Commander Lancaster. I figure his right hand officer is bound to have some interesting stories."
"I said no, Ms. Blair."
Athena moved to walk away, but the reporter was insistent on getting her story, as Blair stepped in front of Athena.
"Surely you have something to say in regards to the fallout from the Temple Prime incident? Millions of lives were lost, and the Directorate has refused to say anything."
"Ms. Blair, please, I don't have anything to-"
A loud boom went off in the distance, causing the building to shudder. The din of conversation was immediately cut off as people gasped and screamed. A second boom went off moments later, this time much closer and causing the building to shake further.
"What's going on?" Blair asked.
A third boom went off practically on top of them! The building shook violently, sending people into a screaming fit as windows shattered and cold air rushed in. Athena left Blair and moved back through the throng, trying to find Commander Lancaster. As she pushed through frightened party guests, she was shoved back as the balcony exploded. People were sent sprawling to the floor and full on panic erupted.
"The stairs! Take the stairs!"
Security guards were shouting to be heard over the frightened screams of party guests, as a literal mob fought to climb over each other to reach safety. Athena continued to push through the mob, looking for Lancaster. Eventually she found him, helping people get to their feet and pointing them to the emergency stairwells. Athena was about to say something to him, to ask him what was going on and what they should do. But the words died in her mouth as she slowly walked to the now gaping hole in the side of the building.
The city of New Eden was in flames. Purple, crustacean like ships belched disks of energy that tore through buildings like they were made of paper. Larger ships that reminded Athena of ants launched dozens of what she could only assume were fighter craft. The sky was filled with alien aircraft, and all of them were raining death onto the city. Athena had seen the devastation to B-2. She had witnessed the bombing runs, the fires, the death and carnage. But her mind could not comprehend what was before her. Rationally, her mind was able to identify plasma and energy weapons, and classify ships by assumed function. But emotionally? Her mind had gone blank.
They were pouring over the Zone Walls, destroying everything in sight. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the destruction, like a wild fire consuming everything in its path. Where did these things come from? Why were they attacking?
The building rocked as it was hit again. Alien flyers ran past, randomly firing bolts of plasma into buildings. Larger ships continued to spew those strange energy discs. There was no explosion like from a traditional shell, the discs simply cut through buildings, causing them to collapse into burning heaps. The evening sky was lit up from countless energy weapons, firing in mesmerizing shades of blue and purple and green.
John suddenly grabbed her and dragged her away. He was saying something about getting to shelter, about taking command of the city defences. But she didn't hear him, as her mind was reeling, unable or unwilling to comprehend what was happening.
But only one thing was certain: they were being invaded.
… … …
Australian Outback, Y-4
At the same time
Malich sat alone in the command variant Reckoner. The troop bay turned command center was dark, save for dull red light that cast everything in a somber glow. Three weeks; that was how long it had been since the Battle of Sarajevo. Three weeks ago, the Brotherhood had been on the cusp of victory. True, the city was besieged by GDI, but the Prophet had nearly completed the super weapon that would have ended the war. But then she decided to betray Kane, betray them all. In a chaotic and heated battle between GDI, Nod, and the Heretics, GDI came out the ultimate victors, after the cowardly use of their Ion Canon.
And Malich hadn't been there. He was spared from death by the misfortune of being ordered to hunt down Killian and her heretics. If Kane had not ordered him to, if Malich had just stayed… he would be dead too. No, it was good he lived. So he could avenge Kane and all the loyal Brothers and Sisters who died at Sarajevo. First he would make Killian pay, then he would make all of GDI pay. But there was one slight problem with that plan. No one else besides Malich and his staff knew about Killian's betrayal; everyone else who did was now dead. True, he had some evidence, but it was his word against Kane's right hand, a member of the Inner Circle, and by right of succession, the current Supreme Leader of the Brotherhood.
And in a time of such uncertainty, it was unlikely anyone would join his resistance. So, for the time being, Malich had no choice but to bow to Killian's authority. At least until he found a time to strike. But those plans would need to be hashed out later, as Malich had been given another task to complete. Though, what it was hadn't been revealed yet, and he was growing impatient waiting for Killian to deliver the orders.
Malich took a drink from his water canteen, just as a hatch opened. Ajay stepped inside, his usual cheerful demeanor replaced by a hard edge. He didn't say anything as he sat down across from Malich and activated a video screen. Before Malich could utter a word, a recorded message began to play, apparently being broadcasted across the globe. Killian Qatar walked onto the screen, posed like a regal figure. However her face was contorted with grief, and she leaned heavily on a nearby support column. Malich just scoffed; he hadn't known the General was so good at theatrics.
"Children of Nod, I bring grave news. As many of you know, we were building a liquid Tiberium weapon at Temple Prime, in hopes of ending this awful war. Those hopes were killed, along with our leader Kane when GDI destroyed our most holy site." Killian paused, as if to contain her sorrow. "We do not have all the details yet, but it appears the Ion Canon blast set off a liquid Tiberium explosion beneath the Temple. The damage to our Yellow Zone is unspeakable; our casualties are in the millions. No one can replace Kane. But it is now my duty, my blood oath, to lead our Brotherhood through this trying time. And I say there is no time for mourning, we must turn our grief into anger and leave the past behind us. We must put all talk of Ascension aside, our goal should be to reclaim this planet, one continent at a time. Tiberium is our divine birthright, those of you who embrace it will inherit the Earth. Those of you who defile it will feel our fury. Follow me my children, and I will lead us to victory against GDI."
"And there it is." Malich scoffed. "She's already proclaimed herself Caliph."
"I don't care what Killian says, Kane is not dead. He's too smart, he wouldn't let that happen. No way he'd bail on us like that, there's no way." Ajay stated, more to himself.
Malich sympathized with Ajay's grief, but he wasn't as hopeful about Kane's survival. True, the man had miraculously survived death twice before, but to do so a third time? As the men sat in silence, Ajay finally handed Malich a folder, to which he quickly began to read through.
"This is Killian's new master plan. She wants to steal GDI's nukes, level the playing field. And she calls Kane too aggressive. What a joke. And look at this, Killian just put out her first high directive. She wants all military personnel in Australia, its our last stand. I guess we don't have a choice, an order is an order. But this sure takes the fun out of being Nod."
"GDI is abandoning a nuclear silo due to the expanding Red Zone. Meaning the warheads are being delivered via convoy to B-9. It will be heavily guarded, but a well coordinated strike could work. Bold, to say the least."
"More like desperate. What better way to keep the other generals in line than with a couple nukes at her disposal." Ajay remarked bitterly.
"Or the thing we need to make our own strike." Malich said.
This could be what they needed to remove Killian. The Book of Nod always said the best way to remove heresy was through fire, be it cleansing spiritual flame, or nuclear.
"What forces do we have at our disposal?" Malich asked.
"Just what we brought with us from Sarajevo. And a few Stealth Tanks the good General has graced us with."
"Good, then let's get moving. We have some nukes to steal."
… … …
The command Reckoner was deployed in a barren field next to the highway that cut through the Australian Yellow Zone. Almost the entire population of Australia now lived in the Eastern Blue Zone, or on the uncontaminated island of New Zealand. Thus the highway was only lightly maintained by the GDI military, who still operated bases in the Outback. But evidenced by the closure of the nuclear silo and several outposts, even that was about to end.
This gave Nod an unprecedented advantage of operating in an almost completely abandoned country. Nod was able to maintain several large bases without raising suspicion, and Malich was able to place his ambush directly along the highway. He had to give Killian credit for choosing Australia for their last stand: the Brotherhood could easily rally and rebuild here over regions that GDI routinely monitored like Africa or Southeast Asia.
"Convoy is on the move. Three trucks, escorted by four Pitbulls, four Slingshots, and two APCs." Ajay reported.
"Enemy QRF?" Malich asked.
"Best estimate is fifteen minutes. Full air squadron of Firehawks, with Hammerheads able to deploy Army Rangers and provide close air support." Radec replied.
"So we have roughly fifteen minutes to hijack the trucks, and load them onto the Carryalls? This is going to be tight, gentlemen. Spool up the Carryalls, I want the crews to load up the trucks right away. We can't afford to waste even a second." Malich stated.
Radec left to oversee the Carryall crews, while Ajay and Malich began to coordinate the strike force. Malich had at his disposal five Mark III Stealth Tanks as well as two platoons of infantry. If all went according to plan, they would wipe out the convoy's escorts in a single salvo, and take the trucks.
"Command, this is Viper Actual, do you copy?"
"Affirmative Viper Actual. Send traffic."
"Convoy is approaching one hundred meters. Order to engage?"
Malich took a deep breath, the weight of not just a risky operation, but of the future of the entire Brotherhood rested on his success. Vengeance for Kane was within his reach.
"Viper Actual. Engage!"
Through the holographic display, Malich watched as the Stealth Tanks unleashed their opening salvo. The lead two Pitbulls were eviscerated by missiles slamming directly into them, leaving almost to no remains. Next was the lead APC, which took a missile to front right wheel, causing the vehicle to veer violently before tipping over and crashing. Two more missiles destroyed two of the four Slingshots, causing the Tiberium powered turbo fans to fail and sent the hover vehicles crashing to the ground. The remaining two Slingshots swerved around their burning sisters, and brought their quad barreled AA guns to bear on the Stealth Tanks. Nod soldiers armed with AT-4s and RPGs rushed up and fired on the SPAAGs. The rockets failed to destroy the Slingshots, but they succeeded in disabling the weapons and rendering the Slingshots useless.
The rear Putbulls went wide, driving off the highway in an attempt to get out of the kill box. However, they merely ran into more infantry who showered the vehicles with bullets and laser fire. The Pitbulls crashed into the badlands, now riddled with holes and scorch marks. All that remained now was the last APC. The GDI infantry had deployed and were now attempting to cover the trucks carrying the warheads. But Malich's troops outnumbered them, cutting them down in seconds. With the escorts destroyed, there was nothing left to stop Nod from taking the trucks. Soldiers ran up to the truck cabs and forced open the doors. Two of the truck drivers surrendered, but one apparently tried to resist which resulted with the driver's brains being splattered across the cabin.
In the end the entire engagement took five minutes. And the strike force was now leading the warhead laden trucks back to the LZ. That gave Malich and his forces roughly ten minutes to get the hell out of here before the GDI QRF arrived. Despite their current success, Malich was still anticipating something to go awry. He wanted to be prepared for anything, but nothing could have prepared him for the absolute terror in Ajay's voice.
"Jesus Christ! They're activating every Ion Canon in the entire Southern Hemisphere!"
Malich pulled up the same data Ajay was looking at. He had been plugged into the GDI satellite network to track the QRF, but he must have been tipped off to the Ion Canons being activated. And he wasn't exaggerating when he said the entire Southern Hemisphere.
"They're gonna glass the entire country!" Ajay cried out.
"No. They're…turning around?"
Both men watched in equal parts confusion and terror. The Ion Canon platforms swiveled to face away from Earth, into space. Ajay continued to track everything from the hacked weather satellite. Then, the Ion Canons fired! Dozens of lances of blue energy shot out into space, detonating against massive shapes. It at first seemed like the alien objects had been destroyed, but Malich quickly realized the objects merely split off into dozens of smaller objects that now raced towards the Earth.
Malich was so distracted by what he was witnessing, that he didn't even realize several of those objects were heading for Australia until he felt the ground tremble from the impact.
"Fuck! One of those things landed damn near on top of us!" Ajay said as he bolted up.
"We need to get the hell out of here! Get back to base and figure out what the fuck is going on." Malich said with some shred of dignity. Internally his mind was screaming in fear, his fight or flight response had been triggered and he wanted to run as fast and as far away as he could. Despite everything Malich had been through, the mind numbing horrors, there was simply no preparing one's mind for aliens.
"I ain't gonna argue with you. But what about the trucks?"
Malich was about to say to forget them, to screw Killian and her plans. But his logical mind took over and reminded him nukes would be good for fighting off aliens…he hoped.
"We need to load them up. Break down this camp and get everyone loaded. Now!"
Ajay ran out to relay his orders. Officers immediately went to work breaking down camp, and preparing the command Reckoner to move. Malich continued to watch his forces via the hologram, silently urging them to move faster. Then a sea of purple dots – representing unidentified targets - flooded the display. There was little else Malich could do tactically, so he ran out of the Reckoner to witness what was happening himself. The sky had darkened from the sheer number of alien vessels filling the sky. Aircraft that resembled fighter jets in size, but some kind of aquatic animal in appearance flew overhead, simply ignoring the Nod camp below. Following behind were crustacean and insectoid like ships of various sizes. It was an invasion fleet, and it was flying directly over their heads.
"Commander! We got two trucks loaded up, and the third is almost ready. If we're going to bug out, we need to do it now!" Ajay warned.
A series of explosions went off in the sky above them. Malich frantically looked around for the source, only the see GDI aircraft being blasted from the sky. The QRF had arrived, but had moved to engage the alien force, and they were being promptly slaughtered by the aliens. The alien fleet didn't even seemed bothered by the attack, having barely reacted save for sending off a single squadron of the fighters.
How could this be happening? First they lose Kane, now aliens were invading!? Did…did Kane know? He was supposed to be God's divine messenger, right? That's what he claimed, that's what he wrote in the Book of Nod, that's what hundreds of millions of people believed. And if it was true, then why didn't he warn them about this?
"Commander!"
Malich jumped back, not even noticing Ajay was now standing directly in front of him.
"We need to go! NOW!" Ajay screamed.
"Then let's go! Get us back to Ayers Rock, ASAP!"
The three Carryalls lifted off, but remained low to hopefully avoid the alien's attention. As they carried the warheads away, the command Reckoner and the rest of the strike force raced after them through the badlands. Malich continued observing the endless swarm of alien air and now ground forces moving towards the Australian Blue Zone.
Whatever plans Malich had were now moot. There could be no avenging Kane, if there was no Brotherhood to avenge him. There may not even be a humanity by the end of the day.
… … …
The garage of the underground Ion Shelter was quiet, eerily so. The only noise John Lancaster could hear was muffled sobs and cries. He couldn't hear what was happening outside, which meant he didn't know if the aliens were right outside the shelter door. John and all of the party guests were huddled in the garage, waiting for the New Eden Zone Security to rescue them. Director-General Boyle and Undersecretary Agembe were huddled by their limousine, surrounded by nearly a dozen guards. From what John had learned, Boyle had rushed off from the party upon being notified that something was fast approaching Earth. But after ordering the Ion Canon strike against the aliens, all global communications were cut off. Which also meant John had no idea if there was even a GDI left.
"I tried contacting Fort McCoy via landlines, but still nothing." Athena reported as she sat down beside John.
"If anyone was going to be prepared for an attack, it would be our men and women. The 7th is still alive." John said reassuringly.
"Sir, drop the bravado bullshit. There is no amount of training that could prepare us for an extraterrestrial attack."
"And you can drop the defeatist crap, Colonel. These aliens, regardless of their technology or their appearance, are hostiles. We are trained to kill hostiles. The 7th is alive, and we will return to take command."
Athena scoffed indignantly, but John could see the determined look in her eye. Despite the shock of what they had all witnessed, he knew she would pull through.
"Commander! Come here!"
Both John and Athena stood up and moved towards Boyle at his call. The man had remained stoic during the crisis, but he now seemed to have a genuine smile.
"Good news, sir?" John asked.
"Indeed. We have comms within the city. Nothing outside though, I'm afraid. But a full armored convoy is five minutes away. We are getting out of here."
"That is good news."
"Yes. Now, I want you to take command of the convoy's escorts. You are the only man I can truly rely upon to lead us out of this city. From what the ZS Major told me, we have three civilian transports to get myself and everyone to safety. He also has some APCs and other vehicles."
"That's not much to fight our way out from enemy lines, sir."
"We won't have to go far. There is a subway terminal a few blocks away; it connects to Old Munich. We should be able to escape and reach total safety from there."
"Assuming there is anywhere safe." Agembe chimed in.
"Alright. When those Zone Security troops show up, we'll get everyone loaded. The Colonel and I will take command from one of the APCs and escort everyone out. But what about the rest of New Eden?" John asked.
"The reports…they aren't good, son. The city may be a total loss. These aliens…they don't seem intent on conquest." Boyle said, barely above a whisper.
"I hope you aren't considering another desperate last stand, sir." Athena jabbed.
John suppressed a flash of anger at her insubordination. Ever since Sarajevo, she had grown cold and distant. Given their current situation he decided to let it slide, but once they returned to the Huron, he planned to correct her attitude.
"No. We have to get the Director-General out of here. Once he is safe, we will contact HIGHCOM and figure out what's going on."
The doors to the shelter garage began to open, letting in the red glow of the burning city. People huddled closer together, until they all let out a collective sigh of relief upon seeing GDI soldiers.
"Director-General, the transports are waiting." A man with a major's rank insignia stated.
"Major, I'm Commander Lancaster, I'm assuming command of all Zone Security forces. I need a sitrep." John said in his most commanding voice.
"Sir! The situation is FUBAR. City is a total loss. Zone Security and ZOCOM forces are scattered and I have no way of contacting them. The aliens have overrun everything. And last time I checked, a large alien force was heading directly this way. Meaning if we want to go, we need to go now, sir." The Major hastily reported.
John cursed silently at the news. He knew his priority was to get Boyle and the other VIPs out of here, but he didn't like having to abandon good men and women in a city under siege. But with no central command, no communications out of the city, and against an unknown enemy, what else could he do?
"Alright! Everyone get loaded up, double time! We are getting out of New Eden!" John called out to the gathered group.
People quickly but calmly got onto the waiting transports. As they loaded on, John watched the sky as tracers and rockets tried to shoot down the alien craft. In response, energy and plasma weapons rained down on the city defenders. The larger ships seemed almost totally unfazed by the AA fire, but he did see a few smaller craft be destroyed. That gave him some solace, as he knew the three Slingshots he had command of could help keep the sky clear. But there were still the reports of the alien ground forces. That was going to be their biggest problem, given John had only the APCs and some Pitbulls.
"We're ready to go, sir!"
John merely nodded and climbed into one of the APCs. He pulled up a map of the city, which had the old subway system marked out. They would have to drive through ruined streets to reach it, and the battle lines were shifting rapidly, meaning the aliens could attack anywhere and at any moment.
The convoy began to roll out, with the civilian transports kept in the middle. Almost immediately the Slingshots began firing, filling the sky with streams of metal. Enemy fighter craft were shot down in droves, but it seemed to do little to the amount of alien flyers. The larger ships didn't even seem to be concerned with the small convoy, as they continued to reduce New Eden to rubble.
Radio chatter began to flood in from across the city, reports of various security and police forces trapped by the aliens. John felt guilty for leaving them, but there was simply nothing he could do for them. He knew he was leaving an entire city to burn, but with no troops or assets, and the life of Boyle in his hands, he had no other choice. Just like he had no choice in Sarajevo. And both times a lot of people died, but that was war, or so his father had told him. But Mark Lancaster had never had to make a decision that would cost millions of lives.
"Commander."
The voice of the Zone Security Major cut through John's thoughts. He quickly activated his radio, giving a single click to indicate he was receiving.
"We are coming up to the bridge now. As soon as we cross, we should be clear of hostile contact."
"Understood, Major."
John turned to Athena and opened his mouth to speak when he was cut off by an ear piercing shriek. It sounded like the scream of some kind of animal, but the sound was immediately followed by the all too familiar noise of an explosion. The APC swerved violently to the left, which would have sent John crashing into Athena had he not been strapped in.
"What the hell was that!?" John demanded.
"The bridge! Its-"
The bone chilling scream went off again, followed by another explosion. John switched his Tacpad to view the external camera of the APC, and his blood went cold. A massive, three legged alien walker had just destroyed the bridge, as well as the Major's APC. Three tentacle like appendages protruded from the walker's "head" and beams of energy began emitting out from the tips. One beam cut right through a Pitbull, causing it to explode and send burning debris down the street.
"Left! Turn left! Turn left!" John suddenly screamed out.
The convoy veered down another street, avoiding the now collapsed bridge and putting the alien tripod behind them. The APCs and Pitbulls fired on the tripod as it moved to chase after them, but Vulcan rounds and missiles merely exploded harmlessly off an energy shield that extended a few feet off the tripod.
"Energy shields!? What kind of sci-fi bullshit is this!?" Athena complained.
"Driver! Turn left, now!" John directed.
The APC again veered violently left, with the rest of the convoy following close behind. They were now driving back into New Eden, but the tripod seemed unable to keep up with them. John sighed in relief as he studied the city map to find another way across the river. He had barely activated the map before a lance of energy passed mere inches from his face, causing the skin on his cheek to burn. John reflexively reached a hand up to touch the wounded spot, but when he did, he felt something wet. He assumed it had been nicked by the energy lance, but a look at Athena's horrified face suggested something else. John turned to face the soldier who had been sitting beside him. A hole had been burned through the layers of armour, across the troop bay, and out the opposite side. The soldier beside John was now missing a head, with only a burning stump in its place.
The APC Vulcan cannons and Pitbull missile launchers once again opened fire. John flicked on the external camera, and came face to face with a new alien threat. A group of four legged creatures, with a massive canon for heads, now blocked the street ahead of them. Given their size and composition, John assumed they were perhaps some form of infantry. Thankfully though, these infantry creatures didn't seem to have any shielding, thus the Vulcan rounds were able to chew apart the aliens this time. The aliens made no move to run for cover, instead standing their ground and allowed themselves to be slaughtered. Not, though, before a few were able to fire off more energy beams, with some even piercing through the middle civilian transport.
"Driver, turn right! Just roll through these things." John ordered, returning his attention to the map.
The convoy drove through the now decimated alien roadblock, bounding over the corpses. John received a report that several civilians had been killed, but Boyle was safe, so he decided to worry about that later. For now, the convoy continued through the rubble strewn roads. Alien warships continued to fly above them, only now alien fighters were beginning to fire down on the convoy. The Slingshots were able to shoot them down or drive them off, but John began to worry for how long.
"Sir, where are we going?" Athena asked.
"There should be another bridge coming up soon. Assuming the aliens haven't blown it up too, we should be able to cross to the Wall District."
"And if it has been destroyed?"
"I hope you know how to swim." John said light heartedly.
His attempt clearly failed, so John just studied the map and fed the APC driver more directions. They turned onto a main thoroughfare, which now put them on a straight shot to the bridge. The convoy had to slow down though, as the road was choked with abandoned and destroyed cars. There were also a few military vehicles strewn about, including a Predator tank and some kind of alien vehicle that looked like a giant six-legged insect.
"Commander. Good news, the bridge is secure. And no alien tripods in sight." The lead Pitbull reported.
"Good, let's get across that bridge ASAP."
The Pitbull rolled onto the bridge, with John's APC and the rest of the convoy directly behind. John's heart was pounding in his chest as the vehicles crossed over, anticipating some kind of alien attack. But none ever came, and the first vehicles began to cross over to the other side, with the Zone Wall now looming ahead of them.
"Subway station is a few hundred meters dead ahead. We're almost out of here people." John said with a sigh of relief.
Alien warships continued flying above, moving away from New Eden and further into Germany. A few had stopped to begin tearing down the Zone Wall, spewing discs of plasma that tore through it like a hot knife through butter. But other than the warships, there was no other sign of alien presence on this side of the city. That was, until the world disappeared in a flash of blinding light. The APC came to a screeching halt, and a few vehicles in the convoy nearly collided with each other. John tried to blink away the blindness, but the light dissipated on its own, returning the world to normal. Except, now three alien vehicles had somehow materialized in front of them, along with a dozen of the canon-head things.
The three vehicles appeared almost like traditional human tanks, complete with a menacing looking turret. Instead of tracks, the tanks hovered, though not as clumsily as GDI hover vehicles. John was stunned into silence. How did they just suddenly appear like that? It couldn't be stealth, as the Pitbulls were equipped with stealth scanners. Could it be possible they…teleported in?
"Dismount! Protect the transports!" John barked, breaking through his own shock.
The APCs and Pitbulls again opened fire as GDI infantry quickly dismounted. The aliens opened fired a split second after, beams of energy and plasma tearing through vehicle armour and human flesh with ease. Thankfully these alien hover tanks also seemed to lack the energy shields of the tripod, but that did little good as the tanks deftly avoided incoming missiles with a speed and agility not possible for any human tank.
John glared in disbelief as his troops were being slaughtered. The small convoy was quickly being reduced to burning slag, and the aliens had barely suffered any casualties. There was no way to run past them, no way to fight through them. This was simply where John Lancaster was going to die.
"Sir! We need to go!"
Athena grabbed John by his arm and yanked him from the seat. They both ran out of the APC just as it was hit by a an energy beam from one of the alien tanks. Athena led them to a corner coffee shop, where nearly a dozen infantrymen were holed up. The two officers quickly threw themselves into cover, as the soldiers fired on the approaching cannon-heads.
"We need to get the civvies out of here! They're just sitting ducks!" John roared.
"This position isn't secured, sir. There's no where to hole them up." A Zone Security sergeant stated.
A loud explosion interrupted any further conversation and was quickly followed by a loud rumbling. John looked out from the shattered store window and noticed one the alien tanks had been destroyed. The other two quickly turned around, before a second was pierced by a railgun, and detonated a split second later. The third tank was able to fire off a lance of energy, before it was hit by a trio of missiles. Machine gun fire erupted from further down the street, quickly chewing through the alien infantry.
The battered remnants of the convoy emerged from cover, only to see the beautiful sight of a ZOCOM Mammoth tank approaching them, its twin barrels replaced by dual railguns. And following just behind was two full platoons of infantry, augmented with a squad of Zone Troopers. John almost felt like crying upon seeing the friendly faces, but he snapped back into his role as a commander, and began barking orders.
"Get the transports moving! We can't sit here and wait for more aliens to show up!" To the newcomers, John said, "I don't know who you are but you just saved our asses, and the ass of the Director-General."
A man with full colonel insignia quickly approached John, and snapped off a quick salute.
"Commander Lancaster, glad we got to you in time. Colonel Weber, ZOCOM 102nd Battalion. What's left of it anyways. What are your orders, sir?"
"Colonel, we need to extract the Director-General and all these civvies to Old Munich. I want to you to withdraw all forces you have there as well so we can regroup and contact HIGHCOM."
"Sir, are we abandoning New Eden?"
"Yes, Colonel. We simply lack the resources or intel to hold this city."
"Understood, Commander."
Colonel Weber walked back to get his unit moving, leaving John to follow the civilians down into the subway. Zone Security troopers were already directing the scared civilians down the darkened tunnel to the old city, but John remained behind to ensure everyone else went first. Athena walked over to stand beside him, and the two remained silent, trying to process what had happened to them today.
"What's the plan?" Athena asked.
"Get Boyle and the others to safety. Then contact Granger, find out what's happening."
"And after that?"
"Win this war."
… … …
Author's note: The invasion has begun! Now we will see the battle against the Scrin, and I am very excited to try and bring them to the story. We are also moving towards the endgame of Project Genesis. So I hope everyone has been enjoying!
And speaking of aliens, fellow C&C writer CopperStandard has started a C&C / XCOM crossover, so go check that out! Or go read my friend and editor IanOtter's Halo stories.
Until next time.