Chapter 17

"Prediction after Ichor LQ detonation: Ichor deposits at expected levels on entire planetary surface and no indigenous population. (Probability of self-destruction or extinction due to Ichor growth at 97%.)

Reality after Ichor LQ detonation: Ichor deposits immature, active Level IV/V civilizations inhabiting most of planetary surface, weapons technology factor at 17.4

Hypothesis: Premature Ichor LQ detonation"

Fort McCoy, Germany, Y-7

September 4th, 2047

2010

Autumn Burke lay on the cot, her cell phone held above her face. The face of her wife filled the screen, her radiant smile filling Burke with happiness. Ashley seemed almost oblivious to the wide grin on Burke's face as she recounted the events of the day. She had been talking about how life had seemingly returned to normal back in B-2, as people were again busy with the mundane tasks of life. She had also complained about how she was required to return to work almost immediately, but that she ended up enjoying it. Burke just listened as if it was the greatest story ever told. She just loved hearing her wife.

"Do you know when you'll be sent home?" Ashley abruptly asked.

"I don't know. We'll probably be here for awhile, but I'm pushing to get rotated home." Burke replied honestly.

"I can't wait, I need to feel your arms around me." Tears began to form in Ashely's eyes.

"I know, baby. I know."

The video call began lagging, cutting off Ashley's reply. Burke sighed angrily at the phone, until the ground shook, causing the video call to abruptly drop. Her wife's face was immediately replaced with a "no signal" message and Burke rapidly sat up just as the ground shook a second time.

"Sarge! Come quick!" Haley shouted as he burst into the dorm.

Burke hopped out of her cot and threw on her boots. She scurried after Haley as he rushed out of the barracks and into the cool night air. Instantly her attention was drawn to the sky as she spotted dozens of objects blazing through the atmosphere. The horrible image of the Philadelphia falling apart and raining to the Earth filled her mind.

"What the fuck is going on?" Burke demanded.

"I don't know! I just saw lights in the sky, then shit started falling. Think an Ion Canon got hit?"

"No. There's way too much debris…"

Burke trailed off as she noticed some of the descending objects began to change direction. Some angled themselves north, passed the Border Walls towards the Blue Zone, while others moved towards the cities, while another still headed straight for Stuttgart.

"Whatever the hell it is, its gonna land right inside the city. People are going to be hurt." Burke said as she turned back to the barracks.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting my gear. No question we're gonna get called to help. Go get the rest of the squad."

"How the hell do I find them!?" Haley shouted.

"Just start loo-"

Burke was cut off as the base's air-raid siren began blaring. The entire Fort leapt into action as everyone rushed to get themselves ready. Burke just swore angrily, pissed that Nod was clearly up to something again. Couldn't they just fuck off and die with Kane? Couldn't they just let her go home?

Burke continued a tirade of curses as she grabbed her armour and helmet, then rushed towards the armory to grab some weapons. However, the moment she stepped outside, she felt her jaw hanging opening in shock at the sight that greeted her. She had expected to see Nod Vertigos or Venoms assaulting the Fort, however there were none. Instead, purple manta ray looking things were flying overhead, spitting out bolts of plasma that destroyed AA guns or Slingshots with a single blast. More of the things began targeting the command center and the power plants, ripping through metal and concrete like it was paper.

Burke found herself frozen in place as the unknown hostiles continued tearing the base to shreds, and probably would have stood there until the end of time if not for a jarring wail, like that of a dying animal, sounding just before the front gates to base exploded. Burke snapped her head in that direction and saw a towering walker stomp into the base on three legs. Tentacle like appendages were firing beams of blinding energy that cut through the defensive turrets at the base's entrance. Following just behind the walker was a swarm of four legged creatures, all of which were firing energy beams from large cannons that composed what would be their 'head'. Burke noticed men and women dying as they were cut apart by the energy weapons, and their dying screams finally snapped Burke out of her stupor.

Burke ran at full sprint towards the armory, and she noticed a flood of GDI soldiers doing the same. By the time she got there, she noticed the chief armorer wasn't even bothering to hand out weapons in an orderly manner, she merely had opened the store room and let soldiers grab guns and ammo freely. Burke muscled her way in and reached for a GD2, but someone grabbed it before she did. She swore then grabbed an older M16 MK. II, then grabbed as many magazines as she could before following the other GDI soldiers back outside.

By now, the invading forces had pushed into the base. The night sky was lit up by dozens of fires that were consuming entire buildings, and from the bright energy weapons the invaders were using. Burke followed several other soldiers to a concrete barricade where they were setting up a firing position. Another squad was already firing at the invaders, trying to cover a MG unit as they set up their gun. Burke rested her rifle on the barricade and began firing short bursts. Her bullets tore into the cannon-heads, causing green, sludge like blood to squirt out. Burke's mind was screaming at her, demanding she turn around and run, unable to fully comprehend what she was seeing. But upon seeing these things bleed and die, she felt slightly better.

"Hold this position! Keep firing!" Someone shouted.

Burke did as she was told and kept shooting at the invaders. They died in droves, creating a pile of corpses, but the enemy merely skittered over them. The machine gun crew finally opened up, and the cannon-heads were torn apart. It seemed like the GDI troops might actually stop the flow of enemies, until blinding white lights flashed in front of them. At first, Burke assumed the enemy had used some kind of flash bang grenade or strobe light, but as her eyes cleared, she saw how wrong she was.

A new type of alien creature now stood before them. While it also stood on four legs, these new aliens had a much more bulbous head, and a single, thin blue 'eye'. These new creatures began belching discs of plasma that soared over the barricades and landed among the GDI soldiers. There was no impact, no explosion: the plasma merely landed and immediately began melting through armor, cloth, skin, and flesh. Men screamed in agony as entire limbs simply melted away.

Burke again found herself too shocked or scared to move. She had seen similar injuries before from Nod laser weapons, but for some reason, seeing her comrades be killed by alien invaders caused her to panic. If it wasn't for someone tackling her to the ground, she likely would have been killed too.

"Come on, let's go!"

Burke got to her feet and followed after Yusseif, who was already running ahead after pushing her out of harms way. The position GDI had just tried to hold was already falling, and she could see a second position near the armory being set up. The two quickly slid behind another barricade, as other soldiers began firing at the aliens advancing behind them. Burke brought up her rifle and focused on the larger of the two alien infantry types. She emptied two full bursts into the creature, causing it to writhe in pain as green blood splattered the ground. The thing fell in a heap, only to be stepped over by a second creature a second later. This one leapt into the air, easily clearing the barricade, and landed amongst the GDI soldiers. Thin slits opened along its bulbous sides, allowing for razor blades of metal to fly out. The blades began flying on their own, seemingly held aloft by an invisible force. The blades darted towards the GDI soldiers, then through them. They screamed in horrible agony as the blades slowly worked their way through their bodies. Burke felt herself tremble at the sounds of the screams, but instead of giving into her fear, she held down the trigger of her rifle and emptied the magazine. Her hailstorm of bullets tore apart the alien and sent it crashing to the ground. This also seemed to cause the gore covered blades to drop to the ground as well, but their gruesome work was already complete. Burke's Tiberium warning indicator suddenly went off, informing her that the alien blood was made of Tiberium.

The brief melee had left her exhausted, as it did the others. They were slow to turn back to face the still oncoming alien forces. A wall of corpses now stood before them, but the enemy came on regardless. This was soon accompanied by the terrifying stomping of the alien walker which was now coming their way. However, another sound slowly became louder over the walker's stomping, and it was the familiar sound of a tank's engine. The Predator tank announced its presence by opening up with the turret mounted commander's gun, which cut through the aliens as they advanced. A few turned to face the new threat, sending a stream of energy and plasma at the tank. But the deluge of enemy weapons fire was cut off as the tearing sound of Vulcan canons went off. Following behind the Predator was a Wolverine IFV, and it continued to spray bullets at the alien foot troops while the Predator took aim at the walker. Burke watched on as the Predator fired, a HE shell exploding in a blinding flash. But it quickly became apparent that the shell didn't hit the walker, but an energy shield!

"Focus on the walker! Fire everything you've got!" Someone ordered.

Rifle fire, grenades, rockets, and tanks shells hammered the walker, causing the energy shield to flare. The towering alien machine responded with streams of searing energy, cutting apart infantry and slashing a huge gash into the side of the tank. Burke worried the tank crew had been crippled or killed, but it fired again, their shell once more exploding against the shield. But this time the shield disappeared, and soon spouts of green blood began erupting across the walker as bullets and grenades finally began hitting the walker itself. After a few more rockets and another tank shell, the alien walker finally fell, creating a shockwave that seemed to shake the entire base.

Silence fell as the Predator's engine died and the Wolverine's guns spooled down. Burke could now hear the sound of her comrades' heavy breaths and muttered prayers. The flash of alien weapons had also stopped, but the flames from various buildings and vehicles continued to illuminate the night sky. Everyone simply stood there in shock, not sure of what to do. These men and women were all veterans, they had all been there during the battle in the Badlands, and the subsequent battles in B-2. They had been there in Egypt, Croatia, and Sarajevo, so they had all seen the horrors of war. But aliens? How the fuck was anyone supposed to handle that?

"What…what should we do?" Someone asked.

Burke wanted to take command, to rally these soldiers and do something. But she couldn't, because the only thought screaming in her mind was: is my wife okay? Is she safe? All Burke wanted to do was run, to run home. Even though home was on the other side of an ocean.

"Everyone quiet! Did anyone hear that?" Yusseif asked.

Everyone went deathly silent, trying to listen for what the Corporal had heard. Then Burke heard it, a faint voice yelling in the distance.

"Everyone to the warfactory! Rally on the warfactory! Major Xiao Ri is ordering all personnel to the warfactory!"

The voice became louder as a soldier ran by them, clearly trying to get the message to the entire base. The gathered soldiers began to walk to the aforementioned warfactory, rifles in the low-ready position in case of further alien attack. Burke and Yusseif exchanged a quick glance, then followed suit. They didn't bother asking the obvious: if the others were alive, they would be with the newly promoted Major Xiao Ri.

Finally, they came up to a large gathering of soldiers and base personnel, all in various states of dress, but all armed. Major Ri and several other officers stood atop an AAPC, and with the Major easily identified by the megaphone he had in his hand.

"Listen up!" Major Ri shouted, quieting the crowd. "I know everyone is wondering what the hell is going on, and the answer is: I don't know. What I do know, is that we have been attacked by an extraterrestrial force. Whether they were Martians or from the planet Asshole Six, it doesn't mater, because we just kicked their asses!"

The Major paused, likely expecting people to give a hearty cheer. But no one did; only silence hung over the crowd.

"However," The Major continued, ignoring the cold response. "We have lost all contact with the outside world. We have no orders from the Commander, EUROCOM or HIGHCOM, or even the civilian government. And I must inform you Fort McCoy's commander, Colonel Koch has been killed. As such, I am now senior ranking officer and am assuming command of all GDI forces here at Fort McCoy."

This caused some murmuring, but from what Burke could hear, it only put more people on edge.

"Our first order of business will be to re-establish communications. To accomplish this, we will move to Stuttgart and help secure the city, and see if we can contact the local governor."

"Fuck that! Look behind you, Stuttgart is gone!" Someone shouted.

Burke was a little shocked someone would so brazenly defy a superior officer. But she had to concede they had a point, as a thick pillar of smoke and light from a massive fire lit up the horizon, where the city was. More soldiers added their support of the anonymous soldier, and it started to sound like the beginnings of a mutiny.

"Everyone settle down! We are soldiers of the Global Defense Initiative! It is our job, our duty, to protect the innocent. If I say we march to Stuttgart, then we-"

"Fuck GDI! There may not even be a government left! You don't know, you even said you didn't! We need to get back to our families, I need to get back to my kids!"

More soldiers shouted their agreement, many adding how they needed to find family. Burke found herself nodding in agreement, even if she didn't say anything.

"That would be desertion! A crime punishable by death!" Major Ri roared.

"You going to execute all of us? Face it, Major, we signed up to fight Nod, not aliens!"

"I didn't even sign up! I was drafted!"

"Its fucking aliens! We aren't alone in the universe!"

"They have energy weapons and shields, like what the fuck!?"

"SHUT UP!"

Everyone once again fell silent, though more in shock at the pure rage in the Major's voice.

"Yes, we are facing an enemy we never even conceived of before. Yes, we don't know the fate of our families, our loved ones, or even our own command. I don't have the answers for you, but that is why we need to get to Stuttgart and find the answers."

"Or get slaughtered!" The first mutinous soldier stated.

"Fine! Then I'll make a compromise with you all. I want this base secured! Shore up our defences, get our tanks and Titans operational. Fuel up transports and Orcas and have every man and woman armed and ready for combat. We will defend this Fort, and while we do, I shall lead a platoon to the city and recon. Does that sound reasonable?"

No one answered, but neither did anyone disagree. The Major briefly turned to talk to some of the other officers behind him, and as he did, Burke heard a few nearby soldiers agree to the plan. Though she did hear some whispers about preparing to leave while the Major was away.

"Alright. Rubicon Company, 1st Platoon! You are with me. We will take two Hammerheads and scout the city. While we are gone, Captain Garnier will be in charge."

A man in a tankers uniform stepped up to stand beside the Major.

"Yes, sir. You heard the man! Get this base tightened up! And no more talk of desertion! We are GDI! Start acting like it!"

The gathered crowd began to disperse, going about their new duties with half the energy they normally would have mustered. Burke, however, and a few others moved against the crowd to the AAPC the Major had been using as a podium. They were the ragtag few of Rubicon's 1st Platoon, and since they had yet to find a replacement platoon leader, Burke was still in charge as Platoon Sergeant. As Burke and Yusseif moved towards the Major and the other officers, Burke spotted Haley, Ramirez, and West in the group moving towards them. She called out their names and waved, affirming her squad that everyone was alright.

"Sergeant Burke, good to see you." Major Ri said as Burke walked up to him.

"Good to see you too, sir." Burke replied honestly.

"Listen, your platoon is still under strength, so I'm combing everyone into three squads. I'll take command, and fly with the command squad in the lead Hammer. You will take the other two squads in the second."

Major Ri laid out a faux paper map across the side of the AAPC, which Captain Garnier helped hold steady.

"Our mission will be recon. We'll land as close to the city as we can, find out what the hell is going on, and try to make contact with someone, anyone." Major Ri said as he pointed to various locations on the map. Then he turned a hard eye on Burke. "A lot of people are scared, I get it. But we can't fold and run now. Can I trust you, Sergeant?"

Burke looked her CO in his eyes, and wanted to give him a reassuring answer. But as she did, she could see the fear and doubt hidden in his eyes. She sighed, and gave an honest reply.

"Yes, sir. But… depending on what we find. Sir, if there really isn't anyone out there left…"

"I get it. You have a wife, people have families. I get it, but our only chance of saving them, of saving your wife, is keeping the Army together. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Then let's mount up!"

… … …

Stuttgart, Germany, Y-7

September 5th, 2047

0000

The city was gone. What had once been one of the few still prosperous Yellow Zone cities, and the de facto capital of Germany since the Second Tiberium War, was now charred ruined. While fires still illuminated the night, a thick cloud of smoke and ash blotted out the night sky. Alien ships glided over the city, heading north towards the Blue Zone. It seemed that the aliens were satisfied with their genocide, as they seemed to be leaving the city.

After the two Hammerheads had deposited 1st Platoon near the city's outer Sonic Emitter field, they carefully walked into the desecrated city. Whatever hope they may have had of making contact or finding survivors was gone at the sight of the corpses. The bodies of GDI soldiers and city police officers were strewn about the derelict streets, indicating they had died making a futile resistance. The mutilated bodies of civilians were everywhere, some being burnt by plasma weapons, others ripped apart as if by savage beasts. Seeing a mother and four children laying in a pool of blood and gore was enough to shatter Burke's resolve. There was no hope left.

"It's time we head back, sir. We won't find anything here." Burke said with a shudder.

"No. We press forward. We need to get to the administration building, maybe someone survived in the underground shelter." Major Ri countered.

Burke steeled herself and followed the Major deeper into the city. The Platoon continued to pass by desecrated corpses and ruined buildings, many of which were still burning. After nearly ten minutes of walking through the ash and rubble, the Platoon eventually came upon what looked like a police barricade. Numerous police cars and SWAT vans had been arranged in a semi circle, and the area was littered with police and Army infantry bodies. This time, however, there were far more alien corpses, indicating these men and women had held the line to their dying breaths. The Platoon's medics moved to check over the dead, to see if anyone may have survived, when the Major quickly and quietly ordered everyone to hide. Burke led her squad to hide behind two large SWAT vans, while the others moved inside a burnt-out house.

At first, Burke couldn't see or hear anything, but after a few seconds, she spotted what the Major had seen. A full squad of aliens were marching down the opposite street towards the barricade. Burke could see nearly ten of the cannon-heads, along with two swarming clouds of flying razor blades. Leading the squad was one of the larger bulb-heads, and it looked as though they were on patrol. Everyone tensed as the aliens drew closer, not wanting to get into a firefight, especially with those razor swarm things.

The aliens reached the heart of the barricade whereupon the aliens began fanning out, checking on the various bodies. Burke held her breath as she watched the aliens, hoping no one would be spotted. Gunfire abruptly rang out, and Burke nearly yelped in shock. But the bullets didn't come from anyone in the Platoon, but across the street from the top floor of one of the houses. Aliens were torn apart by precise bursts, but the alien leader fired a return burst of plasma. But just before the bolts tore through the building, a lone figure leapt into the air, contrails from it's jetpack trailing behind. The figure landed in the center of the alien squad, rifle blazing as they tore apart the alien leader from point blank range. They then slung their rifle over the back while simultaneously pulling out a grenade in one fluid motion. The figure then tossed the grenade into the midst of the razor swarm, which exploded in a flash of blue light. The EMP grenade caused the razors to fall to the ground. The figure whipped out a sidearm and quickly disposed of the last of the aliens. Burke watched in amazement as a single person had just wiped out an entire alien squad. The figure, which Burke could now tell was a GDI commando based on their power armour, turned to the house the Major and the others were inside of.

"You can come out now." The commando said.

Burke and the others got out from their positions, moving to now defend the barricade. Burke and the others two squad leaders followed the Major as he moved to stand in front of the commando.

"Impressive work. Major Ri, Rubicon Company, 7th Infantry Division." Major Ri greeted.

"Lieutenant Fullerton, SpecWar Division. Glad to see some friendly faces."

"Glad to see a commando! What are you doing in Stuttgart?"

"Classified, sir. But I can tell you what I'm trying to do. I received a garbled transmission from a group of combat engineers. They're pinned down in a power station near the center of town. Couldn't make out much, but they said they found valuable intel. Sounds like a good reason to go get 'em."

"Agreed. Welcome to Rubicon Company, Lieutenant Fullerton. Lead the way."

"Aye, sir."

Burke felt immensely relieved at having a commando now accompanying them. Even though they would be moving even deeper into the city, Fullerton proved he could handle himself. As the Platoon continued their trek, Burke fell in line with her squad, who seemed to share her relief.

"Did you see that guy waste those bugs!? I think I'm in love." Haley said.

"Sure, bet I could too if I had an advanced power suit, experimental rifle, and a jet pack." Ramirez muttered.

"Don't be a hater. You're not even SAS or Rangers, you're just a common grunt. You got nothing on him." Haley bit back.

"Ramirez, for once I agree with Haley. If I wasn't lesbian, I'd probably be in love too." Burke said lightheartedly.

"You're all just a bunch of fan girls." Ramirez retorted.

Burke smiled and lightly punched Ramirez on the shoulder. She could see the others smiling too. It felt good after everything they had seen, helped her feel normal again. Despite the comradery, Burke was sure to keep everyone vigilant, but she no longer felt so overwhelming hopelessness.

The quiet that had settled over the dead city was abruptly shattered by deep rumbling. Anyone who lived in a Blue Zone or GDI owned Yellow Zone would instantly recognize the sound as a blast from a Sonic Emitter. Given Tiberium could be outright destroyed by high power sonic emissions, entire cities would be full of these Emitters. But hearing one suddenly go off when all of Stuttgart seemed dead, caused the Platoon to pause. After a second Emitter blast, both Major Ri and Lieutenant Fullerton simultaneously ordered the platoon to advance. They moved at a rapid pace through a car choked street before coming upon a large Tiberium field. The sonic fences and Emitters that lined the field had been destroyed, and the green crystal was already spreading out. However, across the field, they could see two of the Emitters were still functional, along with the power station.

The platoon began to move around the field, and as they got closer to the power station, they could see dozens of dead alien bodies. When they reached the power station, the Major had the platoon fan out and secure the area, while he and the squad leaders, along with Fullerton, walked up to the door.

"Are you guys human!?" A voice suddenly called out.

"Do we look human?" Fullerton asked sarcastically.

"A commando! Oh, thank Christ."

The door swung open, revealing an engineer sergeant. He stepped out to greet the group, but kept glancing around as if expecting the aliens to attack at any moment.

"Sitrep, son." Major Ri said.

"Right, uh, so this morning me and my unit were sent to repair the outer Emitter wall. Then-"

"I meant right now. We heard the Emitters go off and see a lot of dead aliens."

"Oh, yes, sir! Me and my unit were running from the aliens and decided to hole up here. Most of the Emitters were already destroyed but these two were still okay. We turned them on sort of out of desperation, just to help hold them off. But the sonic blasts just ripped them apart! It even tore through their energy shields like nothing! It was incredible. Then we figured it out: Tiberium can be broken up and destroyed by sonic energy. These aliens seem to be powered or even made of Tiberium. Therefore: the aliens are weak to sonics!" The Sergeant exclaimed excitedly.

"That is damn good news! We need to get back to Fort McCoy. Sergeant, get your engineers ready to depart, I'll call in for transport." The Major ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

The engineer sergeant disappeared back inside, while the Major radioed in for exfil. With news that they would be leaving Stuttgart within twenty minutes, Burke felt herself relax for the first time since everything began. However, if Burke had learnt anything about the invaders in these few short hours, it was that they were relentless. A flash of light was the only indication they had that the aliens were attacking. Nearly two dozen cannon-heads and razor swarms emerged, along with a large six-legged ant like creature.

Burke was already running back to her squad just as the Major roared out the order. Bullets began flying as plasma bolts seared past. Burke slid into cover beside Yusseif and West, and immediately began sending bursts at the aliens.

"Focus on the Buzzers! Don't let them in close!" Fullerton called out.

The GDI soldiers shifted their fire as directed. The metal clouds of razors began to burst and rain to the ground, but the other alien foot troops moved even closer to the GDI position. Burke ducked to reload, just as West chucked a frag grenade. It seemed like they were going to win the engagement, until the large Gun Walker opened fire. A massive bolt of plasma struck the overturned bus three other soldiers were using for cover. The metal bus provided no protection as the plasma cut through it and the men behind it. Another soldier darted out into the middle of the street with a rocket launcher. He took aim at the Gun Walker, but never had a chance to fire as he was vaporized by a plasma bolt. Burke was tempted to order West or Haley to grab it, but she could see the launcher itself had partially melted from the heat.

"Everyone cover your ears! This is going to be loud!" The engineer sergeant warned.

Burke ducked down behind cover, but kept her hands firmly on her rifle. She was just going to have to trust her helmet to keep out the worst of the Emitter blast. A second later, the ground vibrated from the sheer force of the sonic energy blast, which tore down the street and impacted against the Gun Walker. Chitinous plates were ripped off and green blood poured out. The Walker collapsed to the ground, dead.

A few shots rang out, likely to confirm a target was fully dead, but the firefight had ended. Burke's ears were ringing, but otherwise she seemed to be fine, as she could still hear various soldiers call out. Another thing she could hear was rotor blades and jet engines. Two Hammerheads and an Ox transport came in low over the rooftops and immediately set to land. The Major wasted no time ordering everyone to load up, and no one felt any need to linger in Stuttgart. 1st Platoon, along with Lieutenant Fullerton and the engineers left the dead city.

… … …

Burke's Hammerhead landed last, behind the Ox and the Major's Hammer. As she got out, she let her squad go back to the barracks to catch some sleep, before jogging over to the other squad leaders who were standing by Major Ri. Captain Garnier was also there, and given the dour expression on his face, Burke braced herself for more bad news.

"Nearly two hundred people deserted while you were gone. Stole two Orca transports and left. I had to post guards to prevent people from taking more planes, but I didn't stop another fifteen or so from walking out the front door. Said they weren't gonna fight aliens, least not here. They'd rather be with their families." Garnier reported.

Burke was shocked, not that people had deserted, but that she felt slightly envious. She would never abandon her squad, and with the information the engineers provided, she felt their chances were slightly above hopeless, but she still felt the urge to run home and see if her wife was alright. Major Ri also didn't seem shocked, more just sad.

"Continue posting guards, only men you can trust. I can't afford to have valuable material stolen."

"Of course, Major. Although I do have one piece of good news. We made contact with Commander Lancaster. Not a direct link, but we picked up a recorded message. He's calling every GDI soldier to Berne."

"Then that is where we are going. Get everyone to begin breaking down the Fort. We are taking everything we can, then we are leaving Fort McCoy."