A/n: Hello once again dear readers, followers and visitors. I apologize for another sudden 2-3 months of no activity within the story because of other personal concerns (family, education, and etc.). But, I maybe once again continue to progress this story as my schedule lighten for this month and possible for another month.

Anyway, I want to give you a heads up that I will be porting this story, as well as for other future stories, to other fanfiction websites (Archive of our Own and Wattpad). The content and layout of the story will not be affected but this is for the benefit of other readers, followers, and visitors who want to use their desired web interface/app as they read the story. Don't worry, I will be not removing this story off this Fanfiction Website as I want to my readers, followers and visitors to enjoy the story in their own space.

ㅤOnce again, I sincerely apologize for my delay and please enjoy the chapter. If you have any interesting suggestion to add for future use, then PM to me, but it all depends to the flow and integrity of the story.

Sincerly yours,

Rikusho


2 Hours Before The Battle

Northwest Air Defense Artillery Command, Sete Cidades—

Sete Cidades, a civil parish settlement, is in a massive volcanic crater, spanning about 3 miles wide. NATO forces and Division 612 evacuated the town residents as they occupied the island to prepare for Project R.A.I.N.E.D. With natural formations such as craters, steep mountains, and rocky ground, this provided them a suitable location for anti-air emplacements, as it virtually protected them against naval and ground offensives. Unfortunately, in the disaster's wake, Major General Frandszk frantically redeployed the 2nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade of the Japan Ground Self Defense Force, and 1st Battalion of 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment from the United States Army back at the airport as the situation continued to deteriorate over the East. They cannot withdraw most of their equipment because of the General's explicit order, abandoning their heavy anti-air weapons all over the town. And with that, William and his team set their eyes over those weapons to be moved for their diversionary operation.

"Scheiße (Sh*t)… They're stacking up against the storm as if it was none of their business."

"Well, I don't want to meddle in their business as now, Eckhart… But that doesn't mean that they won't settle our business with them.." William responded.

"Yeah… After all, what happened back there? I can't still believe that they just appear so suddenly that even I still doubt what I'm seeing..." Eckhart answered.

"Believe it or not… They're still hostile against us and that's the last thing we would want, but since they're intent on eradicating us. Our only choice is to retaliate." William replied.

'Unsinn (Nonsense)! Just how confident you really think that we could beat them..?' Eckhart thought.

"Fight back… You know, William… I really think that we shouldn't-."

"Hey, Cap'n… I'm seeing a lot of activities over the storm." Vlora interjects.

Vlora then entered the cockpit, unknowingly interrupting Eckhart's conversion with William.

"We can see it from here, Vlora… But will your vehicles have problems when they're traversing through the mountains?"

"No… I don't think so… They're currently on the move but they won't be arriving according to our time frame."

"Is it because of the routes they were taking?" William asked.

"That's one of the two problems… The second one is about the pathfinding system, in which they have been moving in favor of difficult terrain, and persist following their plotted route. I already tried to mitigate some issues even so, they will arrive late from our schedule ." Vlora clarifies.

"Tsk… What about the tanks that were left at Ponta Delgada… Have you organized them for defensive combat?"

"Already had, Cap'n..."

"Okay… Continue to guide those vehicles entering Sete Cidades, and we will talk about the rest of the plan once we arrive."

"Got it, Cap'n..."

She shortly left the cockpit as Eckhart continued to check on his altimeter and other avionics within his reach.

"As you were saying..?"

"Nothing... "

"No, you were saying something about a fight… That you were disagreeing about it?"

"I said that we shouldn't fight on their own terms… but we should fight wherever and whenever it could give us an advantage over them." Eckhart explained.

'Wanting to play underhand tactics against them… Heh, he's back with his usual self.' William thought.

"Wage guerilla warfare you say… A bit underhanded yet it's just as you said, effective over our circumstances… What can I expect from a guy who doesn't abide by rules and discipline." William chuckles over his proposal.

"Haha..."

'I can't tell him yet, but eventually, I had to do it... Just to clear up my thoughts.' Eckhart thought.

"By the way, Eckhart… What's our ETA? I could barely see the town from here…" William asked.

"About 5 minutes according to our speed and distance from my map… Looks like the entire mountain is in blackout, and the moon helped little to illuminate at least some of the area."

'Shouldn't the moon be at its New Moon Phase..? Why is it at its Waxing Gibbous Phase? ' Eckhart thought as he peered over the moon in the ocean of stars.

"We're close… I hope that what Youta said is true..." Eckhart said.

"Yeah… Without those radars and other munitions, it is unthinkable for us to even escape from this island, especially when those bombers came..." William said.

"It would be difficult for them to even approach the island..? Considering that our adversaries are well-reinforced..."

"I doubt it, Eckhart… They could consider an alternative approach besides using those bombers if they're truly intending to raze the entire island into a rubbish pile of rubble… After all, it's the NATO forces that we're dealing with here."

"I agree, der Hauptmann… I agree..."


Landing Pad M06, Military Base near Lake Lagoa Azul

Silence can only be described throughout military outposts within Sete Cidades, where now it was abandoned by the NATO forces. Shoulder-mounted radios, lying on the ground, still output a low-level volume of static noise, while icy wind breezed through the chain-link fence, making distinct metal clinks. Lights slowly flickered and continued to dim within the command post as emergency generators desperately siphoned it left, whatever amount of fuel within their engine. Helipad Lights continued to output a red signal, hoping to attract oncoming helicopters above the skies of Sete Cidades, and soon it would guide the last helicopter safely into its deck.

'Oh boy… Finding that helipad in the middle of the blackout is akin to finding a needle in a haystack… I could barely see anything from here.' Eckhart thought.

"We're on final approach, Hauptmann..."

"Take us down, Eckhart…"

"Jawohl!"

The Kamov Ka-27 'Helix' interjects the eerie silence of the base with roaring engines and whirling of its rotor, as it descends from its flight.

'C'mon… Where are you at, Baby… Daddy's waiting.' Eckhart thought as he scanned the helipad below for those signaling lights while placing the helicopter in a holding pattern… And at the last moment, before he veered away, he found it.

'There you are, Baby… Now, Daddy's coming.'

He then hovers over the assumed location of the helipad and slowly descends the entire craft until touchdown.

"Oof… Are we set, Eckhart." William uttered.

"Hold on, give me a minute..." Eckhart said as he checked over his avionics, the torque at his rotors, and his fuel gauge before he later told William.

"We're good to go!"

Eckhart and William then unfasten their seatbelts, as commotion behind the cockpit unveiled. William then opens the door hatch to the main compartment, leaving Eckhart to do his post-flight analysis of their trip. There he saw Vlora opening up the side door.

"Gimme a hand here, Cap'n! Those caches won't move by themselves."

Together, they slowly lift each of those weapons caches out of the helicopter with haste. Afterwards, Vlora heads to a nearby Oshkosh MTVR utility truck from the motor pool, while William inspects the caches for any damages.

'It's been a while since I drove this before…' Vlora thought as she entered the vehicle. She then physically yanked an array of wires hidden deep below the steering wheel and took out a pair of long-nose pliers.

'Supposedly this is against the military rules… But… I'm not technically breaking it since no one's there to enforce either.' She thought while she snipped some wires, exposing its copper wire.

'C'mon, let's pray that this will work..'

Sabina repeatedly slapped the yellow wire into the green wire, creating a short yet very dimmed spark.

'Don't fail me…'

*Va-Va-Va-Voom*

'Hue, hue… Nothing beats this classic trick...'

She grasps the gear shift and sets into the neutral position as she pushes down the handbrakes.

*Vroom! Vroom!*

'The engine is good… Let's see what we have in the glove compartment..'

She moves aside into the passenger seat and then opens the glove compartment. Scouring through the rags, shoe polish, and an unloaded M45A1 CQBP service pistol, she keenly notices a tactical map hidden among the items and then later takes it out of the compartment.

'Let's see what this map offers.'

As she slowly unveiled the map, a key slipped out of the map and then landed below her seat. She picked it up and took notice of the label chained to the key.

' "Munition Depot (Master Key)"... Maudit (Damn), I guess Youta's suggestion ain't a bad thing once... We got an access key, but why did it come from this map...'

She then kept the key into her pocket and spread the map evenly on her lap, discerning several marked areas and sections around the region of Sete Cidades.

'This is the supply map! No wonder why it came with a master key… This was a supply base for the entire Northwest Air Defense Artillery Command and every unit! Whoever drove this truck has emergency access to each of the listed depots under certain circumstances… What luck.'

Together with the key and map at her side, she's ready to meet up with Eckhart and William and discuss the rest of her findings. She shifted the gears as she pressed on the clutch pads at the reverse gear and later drove the truck to where Eckhart and William are located.

"I'm back, Cap'n."

"You found us some wheels already..? At least we ain't walking into the town with these heavy caches… Eckhart!?"

"What is it, Kommandant!?" Eckhart rushes to where Vlora and William are at.

"Do yourself a favor and load those caches over there..." William then pointed at the truck.

"Jawohl!"

Shortly after William gave out his orders to Eckhart, he promptly left William together with Vlora as he headed towards the rear of the vehicle.

"By the way, I found something beneficial for us." Vlora then handed out the map and master key to William.

"This is!?"

"Yes, Cap'n… Access to the finest firepower that this air defense artillery base offered, or at least what's left with it. I pinpointed where those parked vehicles were." Vlora then pointed over the marked locations from the map.

" "Caldeira do Alferes" and "Caldeira Seca"... These were the supposed locations where they were previously stationed before?" William asked.

"If it's based solely on this map, then I'm sure that they stationed those vehicles from their respective units over there… Although..."

"Although what, Vlora..?"

"Those marked locations just only highlight the locations of those said units, not including any kinds of military facilities… So, I'm not entirely sure if those radar facilities existed over the town. Just what Youta has said."

"We'll find them eventually… Just focus on retrieving all assets within those two locations and divert them to Sete Cidades… And then we'll talk about the rest of our battle plan." William said.

"Okay… So we'll regroup first at Sete Cidades… Then if we haven't found a single radar array-."

"Then, we'll improvise… But this is our only last resort since Rätsel forces weren't too patient with their prey..." William replies.

"*sighs* I guess we'll do what we have… So, where are we heading first..?" Vlora asked.

"Here, "Igreja de São Nicolau"... A communication outpost between the two stationed units as previously mentioned, and supposed a radar installation somewhere in this town..."

"I see… This is also where the munition depot is at..? One of the two marked depots..?" Vlora clarifies.

"Yes, we head there first. And then if we could find you some wheels, you should immediately head over those two locations according to this map..."

"Okay, okay… I heard all of it, Cap'n..."

"Alright, then… HEY, ECKHART!?" William yells.

"WHAT!?" Eckhart also yells.

"Have you already loaded those launchers at the back?"

"Ja, ja… I already finished it, William..."

"Good… Get in the vehicle..! We are rolling out immediately!" William yelled at him for one last time.

"I hear you, Cap'n! So, please stop yelling at me as if I'm an idiot for once… God..." Eckhart murmured.

And so, Team Delta continued to press their journey into the town, heading towards their first location, the church of Igreja de São Nicolau.


Igreja de São Nicolau, Sete Cidades

*Tire screech (3x)*

"We're here." William said as he pressed on the clutch and shifted the gear stick into its neutral position. Both Vlora and William disembark the vehicle, standing in front of the paved way to the entrance of the church.

"This is quite small for a single communication outpost. Not even a set of radar arrays would even fit here..." Vlora comment.

"MOVE IT, VLORA!" Eckhart yells at her as he drops the loaded cache just beside her, narrowly dodging out the dropped weapons cache that almost injured her foot upon the impact.

"What the f*ck, man… Are you f*cking crazy!?" Vlora shouted.

"No, I'm not, Vlora… Besides, I just told you to move it."

"Can you at least let me know that you're dropping a 40 kg cache into my foot!?"

"Hah?" Eckhart questioned, making Vlora more irritated by his sarcastic comment.

"Quite you two… We're not here for you two to sh*t around."

"Yes, Cap'n."

"And you, Eckhart… Just shut up and stop f*cking with those caches…"

"Ja, ja… F*cking A man..." Eckhart murmured.

They wandered along the paved way, hoping to find the things they would need for their journey.

'Is that..?' William thought as he noticed a large silhouette occupying over an empty field from his right.

"Vlora..."

"What?"

"You see that silhouette over there." William pointed over the field to his right.

"Yeah… Want me to scout out that area..?"

"Yes… Regroup at the entrance of the church when you're done."

"Roger that..."

"Also… Take this access key, just in case you stumbled upon the first munition depot that we've been looking for..."

"Yes, Cap'n." Vlora said as she rushed towards the field, leaving Eckhart and William to enter the church.

'Finally, inner peace...' Eckhart thought.

Arriving at the entrance of the church was a sight to see for Eckhart and William. Sandbag positions, M2 Browning emplacements, searchlights, camo netting, etc. Units that occupied this town accomplished every reinforcement they could muster to turn a single civilian building into a fortified military building.

'You yanks love fortifying every single sh*t into an absolute nightmare, militarily...' Eckhart thought while William approached the church doors.

"Give me a hand here, Eckhart… The door's stuck."

"On it!"

They pushed against the door with all their might, but…

'Sh*t..! It won't open… What to we do-'

*Thump*

*Thump*

'What are you doing-'

*Thump*

Eckhart repeatedly slammed against the door, surprising William with his sudden action… With each hit seems to bulge the door a little, William joined with him as they slammed together onto the door until…

*Continuous cracking*

*Loud thump*

The door heavily slammed into the ground, producing a loud thump that reverberated through the empty and dark hallway. William stood there in awe as Eckhart carefully entered the room with his flashlight in his hand.

"Let's go, Kommandant..." Eckhart said as he entered the church, followed by William from behind. They plodded through the center aisle towards the altar and he redirected his light to the altar, where several makeshift tables scattered around.

"There… We should at least find a tactical map within those tables and other essential documents that we may use..." William said.

They searched through every piece of equipment and filing case they could find over the table. Communication Logbooks, Radio Transcripts, etc. were the only thing they could find until…

"Hey..! I got something over here, William!"

"What is it, Eckhart..?"

"The map that we're looking for… A complete defensive layout of the town..."

"All of them..?"

"Yes, everything… Emplacement Position, Fallback lines, and even Radar Facility that we're looking for… There's literally everything we need, Cap'n."

"Alright… You go find Vlora and we'll discuss-."

"Looking for me..?" Vlora whispered to William.

"Oh, Jesus Christ..! That's f*cking creepy." Eckhart shrieked.

"Hah… What the hell is your mind at..."

"Teehee… It's a habit, Cap'n..." Vlora chuckles.

"*sighs* Anyways… What did you find over the field..?" William asked.

"Guess what..? One of the two munitions depots and another truck for more weapons to be loaded… I found some wheels for me to venture over the two marked locations." Vlora replied.

"One of the two? Did you enter the depot already?" Eckhart asked.

"Yes… Everything we need is there. We're talking about anti-armor and anti-air weapons such as Type 91 'Hand Arrow', FIM-92 'Stinger', M3E1, or the M4 variant of Carl Gustaf 8.4 Recoilless Rifle, FGM-148 'Javelin', Type 01 LMAT, and even BGM-71E TOW… Unfortunately, there's little to no more ammunition that we may use from those said weapons systems."

"Not enough for them to be used in our defensive holdout of this town?" William clarifies.

"Nope… Unless we're able to find the second munition depot… From what I could gather from the logs within the depot's delivery schedule, it seems they stored more of said ammunition at the second depot. But, I can't exactly pinpoint where it is." Vlora replied.

"Wow, coincidentally... We just found where it was from this map alone… I guess we're even..?" Eckhart put on a fake smile after what he said.

"Haha… We're even on our goal, but we still have a personal score to settle… Don't forget that." Vlora warned.

"Woah, Woah… Who said that I'll let that slide… I can't wait for you to beat you down once and for all-."

"Yeah, yeah, and so your little competition will go on..! The clock's ticking and we still have a job to do, guys… Settle that once we're done clearing out the storm… You two can agree with that?" William said.

"..."

"Good, we still have more pressing matters to overlook… Now listen up!"

He then unrolled the map onto the table, seeing all legends, areas, and points marked on the map.

"The Sete Cidades Radar Array is at the empty field near the garden called "Jardim Península", just south of this town… The second munition depot is near a tour agency called "Garoupa Canoe Tours", not too far from this radar site. So… Where do we even start at..?" William explains.

"Let's start on where we will expect their offensive over this town... From what I could gather, they aren't strategic when they're baited with our masked frequency… They will carelessly throw all available Rätsel forces from all over the place whenever they're near to the suspected origins of such unusual radar frequency." Eckhart said.

"But if we just simply activate the radar in its omnidirectional search pattern, then it wouldn't be that worse as they dispersed as they approach the facility… Thus, potentially encircling the entire town." Vlora added.

"Being flanked on both sides is not what we wanted, although we can just do it by adjusting our bait… Instead of doing that in such an omnidirectional pattern, we could just draw them as they approach in a single direction." Eckhart replied.

"Although putting the radar search pattern in a single direction, streaming at such high frequency, this will entirely stretch the power supply within the town…" William added.

"That's true, Kommandant... "

"But if we're going to follow what you suggest, then we need to reconfigure the power distribution station of the radar array before we could even mount some preparations before the battle."

"Then where's this distribution station that we're talking about..?" Vlora asked.

"Not too far… There's a makeshift station just west of the said radar array, but I need Eckhart to head to the radar site." William said.

"ME? You want me to man and configure those complicated radar arrays!?" Eckhart shouted.

"Yes, Eckhart… I need you to-."

"No sh*t Sherlock… You know I don't have any expertise in handling such a ground-based radar system… Heck, I only have basic knowledge of radar avionics… So why even bother to send me over such a difficult job..?" Eckhart complained.

"So are you qualified to work on such a complex high voltage electrical system..? Hmm?" Vlora said.

"Ugh… No. Isn't just flipping random switches when dealing with electrical distribution." Eckhart replied.

"Hah… Even if you say that so easily, in doing so, it will overload the entire system and possibly cause a short circuit to the electrical grid." William added.

"Alright, alright… I was wrong, okay..? So just tell me how I can configure those radar systems..." Eckhart said.

"Every radar facility has their own configuration manual for their operators. They're usually found within their workstation, so it won't be that difficult to find... If you found it, then look for a section called "Sweep Operating Presets" within the pages… ...and there you find what you're looking for..." Vlora explained.

"So, I'll just follow what's in it and then everything is set..?" Eckhart asked.

"Yes… Although, you have to be cautious about what you're doing as you configure the system… You may never know how much you would probably screw this up." William chuckles.

"Haha…"

"Well… Now everything is all considered… Let's get to our objective..." William said.

"First of all... Considering that we can displace the enemy's advancement and force them to our advantage, it's best to concrete all of our defenses along the bridge… That's between the Lakes of "Lagoa Verde'' and "Lagoa Azul'', creating a chokepoint for the Rätsel ground forces."

"That's all good, Cap'n… But it can't be said the same for their air units… It's still possible that they will attack from all sides... And ain't that a b*tch on our side." Vlora added.

"No… As long as the bait is still active, they will move along its path until they encounter opposition… That can be said for their ground forces… But we need to deny the airspace at all costs… Considering the same type of firepower they carried, it would be very difficult for us to hold our ground even with armored and air artillery support..." Eckhart explained.

"It will be difficult for us to hold at only one position, so we will designate three defensive positions. For the first one, we will hold out at the "Casa Grande", a small museum overlooking the exit point of the bridge… We'll be retreating to the Second Munitions Depot at the tour agency if they will overrun our first position eventually. If the situation becomes more desperate than before, we'll make our last stand at the supply base… Any questions..? "

"Where will my tanks and more additional armored units be placed, Cap'n..?" Vlora asked.

"We'll discuss that once you regroup and salvage whatever units arrived at the museum… And then we'll discuss the rest." William responded.

"Roger that..."

"I sincerely hoped that your control-gadget... Or whatever device Youta controlled those infected vehicles you're holding into... Should remain in its pristine condition and not be damaged during the fight."

"It won't… I have already armored it too much, Cap'n." Vlora laughs.

"Heh… As for you Eckhart… The plan stays the same before entrenching our defensive position."

"Jawohl, Cap..."

"Good... Let's load all of those weapons systems into the trucks, and get this ball moving… We've to prepare our enemy for a warm welcome to our party, and the quality of our reception must be at its caliber."

"If it's a party they want… Then it's a party they get!" Vlora shouted.

"Haha… This is Oktoberfest!" Eckhart laughs.

Sete Cidades Radar Array, Jardim Península

*Tire screech (3x)*

*Hand Breaks*

'This is it… At least according to what Hauptmann said… That's one huge ass radar array I've ever seen...' Eckhart thought as he disembarked his truck and stood upon the outer perimeter of the installation, surrounded by chain-linked fences.

*Door Slams*

'Now… Let's see what this facility offers...'

He trekked along the chain-linked fence, hoping to find his way into the deserted radar facility in the middle of the night.

'A huge phased array I've ever since used in tracking air targets… I wonder… How the f*ck am I going to recalibrate this kind of scale..?'

Eventually, he reached the outer perimeter gate of the facility, and much to his dismay… The gate was crumpled to the ground like a piece of paper; the guard post was destroyed into pieces, and signs of burn marks were seen all over the vicinity.

'What ze f*ck is this… Was this place under siege..?'

He plodded along the paved way with his mind still fretting before, but this was further solidified until what he saw at the front entrance.

'This... is... not happening...'

He saw several dismembered body parts littered in front of the main entrance, well-entrenched with MG emplacements and sandbag positions… Missing legs, arms, limbs, and even heads…

'*Vomits (2x)* Agh… W-what kind of monster would do this!'

As went off to cool his head, he inspected the bodies for further identification… He took a dog tag from one corpse and then read…

'"Sergent Jack, 2nd Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment-"... Damn, these were our guys, before..! What the hell were they doing here…' Eckhart thought before moving into the next corpse.

'F*ck me… The blood is still fresh, albeit decaying… I can't believe there were more survivors than we'd expected...'

Realizing that it was occupied recently, he took a L106A2 (SIG Sauer P226R) service pistol from the corpse and grabbed two of its magazines.

'Just in case...'

He took off and entered the facility as its emergency light dimly illuminated the hallway with its red color.

'I hope the Kommandant will soon finish his task at his side.'


Command and Control Room, Sete Cidades Radar Array

*THUMP*

*THUMP*

*THUMP*

*BURST*

'Ha… Ha… This should be it...'

*BEEP (2X)*

Two continuous beeps haunt the entire room with their high-pitched sound and therefore continue, showing its hint of functionality. Some of the computer screens were flickering, while some turned into blank blue screens except for one. But he didn't know that there's something more than just what he expected.

'C-4s… Strapped within all electronics and other systems… What the f*ck going on here..? they rigged this room with explosives!'

With his pistol drawn out, he slowly approaches the console, seeing two mutilated corpses along his path. There lies a corpse in a stride sitting position, where he sees a C-4 Detonator in one hand and a small notebook in the other.

'Poor bastard, they must've gotten him out before he blows himself out...'

He took the C-4 detonator away from his grasp, and like an idiot, he was to be…

*Click*

'...'

*Click*

'... Detonator busted... What else can I expect besides blowing my ass off this room..?'

He promptly stored the detonator in his pocket before yanking the notebook away from the fallen corpse.

'This is it… The "Sweep Operating Presets" manual… This ain't so bad after all..'

As he searches the contents of the manual, he then proceeds towards the console, setting their plan in motion.

*Typing… (3x)*

*Typing… (3x)*

*THUN*

' "WARNING: Changes in its presets will default the entire system… System Overhaul is required… Proceed to relay the configuration to the Radar Array I?: Yes/No..." Yeah, yeah… I know what I am doing...'

*Tick*

' "ALERT: Configuration has been relayed… Radar Operations will resume after its overhaul within 15 minutes..." Still have time… Gonna check on the cameras first and see what the hell happened here.'

*Click*

*Click*

*Click*

*Click (2x)*

*Click*

'It seems this is the latest video file captured from this room… It's a shame that the computer corrupted most of the file.'

*Click (2x)*

Watching over the video, he keenly notices several figures setting up C-4 charges all over the console and other electronic systems.

『...With this, they won't even find this place. They won't-... *Muffled Gunfire (3x)* *Door Burst*

『QUICK! Barricade this door…!』

『Barnes? What the hell is going on there!?』

『THERE'S NO TIME, Tony! They're coming...』

Chairs, tables, and file boxes… They barricade everything that they see within this room as Barnes panicky moves with haste, leaving the three of the men in question.

『Hurry! They already broke through the entrance.』Barnes screamed.

『WHO'S COMING, BARNES? Answer me..!』Tony shouted.

*THUMP*

『What the f*ck is that...』

*THUMP*

『Sh*te, it's them...』Barnes murmured.

『Them? Who's them..!』Tony asked.

*THUMP*

Rätsel… They are coming...』Barnes nervously said as Tony violently grabbed his shoulder.

『Don't give me that bullsh*t, Barnes… Rätsels are not human. They're our vehicle asset gone rogue, not a person... 』

*THUMP*

『We're screwed… Everyone's dead...』Barnes murmured and broke down.

『Canned it, Barnes...』Tony calmed Barnes as he sat down on the floor.

*THUMP*

『We survived… But just to be massacred… We survived… But just to be massacred…』

『It's no use. Everyone draw your weapons… Get ready... for something.』

He and two of the soldiers drew their M4A1 rifles, then aimed towards the doors as the unknown continued to strike the door with such intense force. Silence soon fell upon within the room as the nervous soldiers startled upon coming outside of the door.

*SCREECH*

『Oh bollocks… They're coming..! They're co-』Just as Barnes screamed on top of his lungs, the video suddenly freezes at late notice.

*Click*

*Click (2x)*

*Click (2x)*

'The hell they were against..?' Eckhart thought as he was resolving the issues with the previous playback file of the CCTV within the room.

*Click*

*Click (2x)*

'Here it's… I suppose so..?' Eckhart thought.

What he clicked was not the previous recording file, but he unknowingly accessed the current footage, recording him and an unknown figure slowly approaching Eckhart from behind.

'The… f*ck… is that thing..?' Eckhart watched as the unknown figure drew closer and closer towards the man, he supposed, from the previous footage. But his instinct kicks in a little too late as its arms clasp Eckhart's neck from behind, slowly lifting him off the ground while choking from its brute force.

"Ack… Hrrk..." Eckhart desperately grasps for air while he wiggles his entire body, trying to lose from its grasp. Something turned him around towards the figure, resembling Arachne's-like creatures with its upper body similar to an alien organism from all of those horror movies he had seen. It had the same color and pattern scheme as the one he encountered over the skies.

'Rätsel...'

It was without a doubt the worst encounter that Eckhart stumbled upon. He was then slammed twice towards the radar console, landing critical damage onto the electronic circuits, before it threw him outside of the room…

*Coughs (2x)*

*Wheezing*

'Sh*t…' Eckhart sees his hands covered in blood from his coughing as the Arachne Rätsel slowly approached with its eight legs towards the stunned Eckhart. With his mind fuzzy all around, he reached over his L106A2 (SIG Sauer P226R) service pistol from the holster and fired sporadically. All of his shots had ricocheted from its thick armor or missed, hitting other electronic systems, causing a momentary spark of electricity.

*Tzing (3x)*

'F*ck. I'm all-out...' Eckhart dropped the emptied pistol from his hands as the Rätsel reached the pinned Eckhart.

*SCREECH*

'This is it… Looks like I won't be able to make it out of here, Captain…' As the Rätsel raised two of its legs to land a killing blow onto Eckhart, he then took out the detonator from his pocket and grasped firmly for one last thing…

*SCREECH*

'Halt deinen Mund!' Eckhart then rapidly grips the detonators as firmly as he can.

*CLICK*

*CLICK*

*CLICK*

*CLICK*


Casa Grande Museum, Sete Cidades

ㅤ*SWISH*

'Brrr…. Damn, it's freezing out here...' William thought as he surveyed the mountain rim for any signs of approaching armored units into Sete Cidades. With AN/PVS-23 night vision binoculars at his hand, he scrutinized the entire face of the mountain and its terrain for any Rätsel units hiding over the rim. Oddly enough, he put down his binoculars and sighed when he checked the time over his watch.

'He's late… Well, he's always like that, but. He is really that late than ever before… I hope he isn't f*cking around this time.'

William moved over to the opposite window, overlooking the town, and there he saw a single light amid the darkness. It was moving at high speed along the road, approaching his position, until he heard the defining roar of a small engine sound.

'Well, about the time he showed up… He sure loves taking most of his-''

Unfortunately, as he peered over his binoculars towards the approaching light, it wasn't Eckhart's vehicle but a Kawasaki M1030 motorcycle zipping through the road. Its movement was so erratic, as if William knew who's the person capable of achieving such ridiculous action.

'Vlora…'

She came to a full stop as if she's forcing to halt at the exact place she might have been, leaving behind a puff of burning tires and tire marks.

"Phew… This is so refreshing to do..." Vlora nonchalantly murmured.

'AS IF! Hah… This is her after all… Very active, yet insensitive.' William thought as Vlora climbed down from her seat and noticed him veering over the ledge.

"Hey, Cap'n… How's my driving?"

"It's really time for you to ask that question?"

"Teehee… Sorry Cap'n. You gotta enjoy the little things you know..."

"Oh, I wish I could, but it's not the right time to do so… Come over the roof and we'll talk about the rest of our plan.'

"I hear you, Cap'n."

She then parked her motorcycle near the museum's entrance and hung her helmet over the hand grip. She then entered the building and climbed to the second floor.

"What's up, Cap'n… Is everything going according to our plan..?"

"Before that… Did you retrieve whatever vehicles within those locations..?"

"Well, the thing is… They destroyed most of their vehicles by either drowning them at a nearby lake or rigging them with explosives. However, I retrieved a platoon of SHORAD (Short Range Air Defense) Vehicles and one Medium Range Surface-to-Air Vehicles..." Vlora replied.

"Where are they..?" William asked.

"Look over the main road. They will arrive shortly."

William sighted through his binocular to which road she mentioned. He saw a convoy of lights plowing through the darkness, but he didn't distinguish their appearance because of their dark appearance. Vlora then explains.

"We got two AN/TWQ-1 Avenger Multi-Role System with four-tube FGM-148 missile system as its primary, and a FN M3P machine gun as its secondary. Two M6 Linebackers, an M2 Bradley anti-air variant, with a XM914 30 mm auto-cannon, equipped with airburst rounds as its primary, and a four-tube Stinger missile system as its secondary. And last, we have one Type 03 Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile vehicle… All of them were infected by the previous core but unable to transform into a proper Rätsel."

'Damn, the core's infection has spread too far on this island, even in this abandoned town… Maybe, it's already spreading through the rest of mainland Europe. Or possibly in America...' William thought as he saw all five vehicles in its half-transformation state.

"Cap'n… Are you alright." Vlora asks him as she sees his face in a disgruntled manner.

"Ah, no-. I mean yes! Yes..! anyway, this brings us up to a strength of two mechanized platoons at our disposal."

"Albeit a mix of anti-air and anti-armor elements, if that's what you're talking about." Vlora interject.

"But not enough to destroy them in one go… Considering our engagement at Sao Roque with the Rätsel. We need more firepower, Cap'n… Or else we won't last long, even for an hour." Vlora said.

"I wish I could… but there's a problem. It's-."

"Eckhart, right..? That bastard is later than ever, is it Cap'n." Vlora added.

"Heh, it's him alright… But he's really behind schedule, and we really need his truck as soon as possible."

"Is there something we really need from his truck?" Vlora inquired.

"I haven't deployed the TOW system and the Javelin launchers on the ground, since we stored them on Eckhart's truck."

"Sh*t… So we're stuck with an M3E1 variant of Carl Gustaf and Type 01 at our disposal. Not even the Stingers and Type 91 could do jacksh*t about their armor. Tsk."

"I know that, so I want you to head over the radar array and-"

*Faint Screech*

*Birds Claws (3x)*

William paused for a moment as he and Vlora noticed a disturbance of birds coming from opposite banks of the lake. Dimmed red lights appeared for the first time in the same directions where the flock of birds flew before, slowly descending in a line formation. As the lights flickered one by one, William then peaked through his night vision binoculars to investigate such events at the opposite banks. In which he yelled.

"RÄTSEL! You're gonna be kidding me..!"

"Either they're patrolling the area, or it seems the bait is already active."

"Sh*t, Eckhart… F*ck."

As William backed from the window, Vlora took the binocular from his hands and assessed their formation.

"2.. 5.. 8.. 14..! I marked 14 Rätsel 'Turtles' moving along the treelines, possibly heading towards the I-9 highway… We got company, literally."

"Turtles..? Really, Vlora… Is that what you designated their names?"

"What..? They resemble a turtle. Hard and fast. Of course, except for having a huge-ass laser at their back"

'Geez… Well, it's better to tag them rather than not to.' William thought as she continued to observe their movement.

"Alright… What's their ETA based on the terrain and their formation, Vlora."

"I would say… Roughly about 6 minutes, tops. If they're going to approach in that kind of formation."

"Okay, what about your tanks? What's their status?"

"Hold on.. Let me see on my panel… …Roughly about 8 to 10 minutes, and approaching from the East of our position."

'Then we won't be able to hold them off conventionally… This leaves us one risky option.'

"Vlora, will the Rätsel forces attack either anyone or anything on sight."

"No… unless we provoke them, then they will retaliate with everything they got… Why, Cap'n?"

"There's one option we have, and it is..."

William briefs Vlora about his contingency plan to which Vlora responds.

"Are f*cking crazy, Cap'n..?"

"We attack them head-on, but can't withstand their sheer firepower and overwhelming numbers…" William suggested.

"You don't have to tell me that, Cap'n… It's just that…" Vlora murmured.

"That?"

'Can we even pulled this off without a hitch..?' Vlora thought as she peered through the binoculars to where the advancing forces were at. She quietly observed their movements while William was waiting for her consent. Then William patted her shoulders and responded.

"Trust your Captain, Vlora… Putting the entire Division 612 in jeopardy is the last I would do. Besides, it's-."

"Ah f*ck it… Alright, alright, Cap'n. You don't have to be heroic or whatsabout. It's too cliche." Vlora interrupts.

"Heh, I'm your Captain after all… Besides all of that, are you in or out?"

"What's the word, Cap'n… I'm all ears."

"Alright… Let's do this."


6 Minutes Later

Silence and water creaking through the pipes under a narrow bridge. For a moment, William enjoyed such blissful ambience as if he found inner peace through his struggle. But the sound of cracking trees and concrete roads would soon drown such blissful ambience. 14 Rätsel turtles simultaneously bursted out of the dense forest onto the highway, followed by a powerful screech, roaring through the field in front of the Museum.

'That's one of a hell screech… This reminds me, when I encountered a wolf pack for the first time in my village.' Vlora thought as she configured Avenger's attack mode and target acquisition. She then inspected her makeshift control device to see if all vehicle parameters were input correctly before their attack.

"Make sure you use everything we have, Cap'n… Or else, everything we fought for would be in vain." Vlora murmured.

While Vlora is preparing her vehicles for the fight, William casually observes the Rätsel entering the narrow bridge.

'That's right… Funnel, your forces into a single column… It would be easier for us.' William thought, continuing his overwatch. He noticed Vlora signalling him as she waved her hands high up.

"Cap'n, everything is ready." Vlora shouted.

"A-firm… Have you established the uplink for the Avengers?"

"Yes, missiles are ready to launch at your signal… Here, catch." Vlora shouted as she threw something at the window.

"I got it… Laser designator..?"

"Paint with those, and you send eight of those missiles from the above. One flash equals one target marked, so you got eight targets, pronto."

"Roger that… Get into your position. We'll soon begin our attack."

"Understood, Cap'n."

William placed a series of anti-tank ammunition for the Carl Gustaf in different firing positions. Then, he placed a series of anti-air and anti-tank launchers on every window, before settling at the balcony, overlooking the road and wide field, with the Carl Gustaf at his hands.

'Their formation hasn't changed slightly… Hoo… Alright, let's do this...' William thought.

He raised the rear of the M4 Carl Gustaf and yanked the lever for loading-breech to the side, accessing the barrel. He slowly slid in a FFV545 illumination round down into the barrel before closing in the breech. Ready the weapon and aimed the barrel up in the sky.

'It's do or die.' William thought and he fired the illumination round at incredible velocity before exploding at predetermined height. A bright star-shaped appeared in the town of Sete Cidades, illuminating the ground and sky with high luminosity, where people from hundreds of miles could see with their naked eye. As the illumination round slowly drifted down the sky, two M6 Linebackers, guarding the road, slowly raised its Stinger pods and aimed towards the leading Rätsel turtle. And then...

*Shhh- Whoosh*

A series of bright yellow flashes came from the exhaust pods of the two M6 Linebacker, launching three unguided Stinger Missiles from their respective pods.

*Ka-blam*

Achieving such high velocity at a short notice, these missiles slammed directly into the leading Rätsel turtle before they could even react. While it cannot penetrate its main armor, its knockback force exceeds its center of mass ,and thus stumbles behind another Rätsel turtle as the rest of the formation fall like a stack of dominoes. William seized the initiative and went to the first window, equipped with the laser designator. He raised and pointed the laser designator at the rear of the formation.

'Let's show them what we got.' William marked the Rätsel turtle at the rear of the convoy, where it prepared its laser cannon directly at the M6 Linebackers.

*Whoosh*

A streak of light emerges behind the museum into the illuminated night and continues to climb at a predetermined height before descending sharply.

*Shhhhhhhh*

He continued to mark the target as he noticed the burning streak swiftly descend into the sky, plummeting down into the Rätsel turtle. It penetrated the top armor and still showed no signs of explosion in its initial impact until...

*BLAM*

A molten jet of hot material ejected from its impact, followed by a massive explosion which destroyed its armor integrity. The Rätsel turtle collapsed down, albeit functioning as evident from its convulsing of its four mechanical legs. They rendered their first target incaptiated, in which William sighed a momentary relief.

*POW (10x)*

Airburst rounds were soon fired upon the leading and succeeding Rätsel turtles as salvos of Javelin Missiles were fired from the Avengers into the rear formation. While 30 mm Airburst Round won't be able to cut into their thick armor, it's lethal against unarmored areas like where the Stingers made a hole into its outer armor. Round after round, they slammed against the exposed inner hull of these turtles, inflicting moderate damage. They neutralized the leading Rätsel turtle as the M6 Linebackers slowly drove forward into the fray. They launched their remaining Stingers into the second turtle as it slowly raised itself up, followed by a salvo of airburst rounds.

*SCREECH*

All of its attack struck directly into its hull, but instead of collapsing like before. This one suddenly turned bright, which responded to Vlora, commandeering one of the vehicles to duck underneath her seat.

'Oh f*ck, it's gonna blow!' Vlora thought.

Expecting a powerful explosion, she braced herself for what was to come, but it vanished as the light particles dissipated into the darkness.

'Huh..? Where is it…?'

Bewildered by this event, she then peered through the commander's hatch and looked for the vanished Rätsel. As the dusk from the explosion settled, a Rätsel turtle appeared from her sight with its laser cannon raised in the same direction of her vehicle where it aimed at.

'Oh sh*t! Oh sh*t! Oh sh*t! OH SH*T!'

*Ka-blam*

Again, the Rätsel turtle was stunned by another missile attack which redirected his cannon towards the museum. Vlora took the opportunity, sending every airburst round towards the exposed hull, inflicting massive damage before falling to the ground. All of its hull and mechanical parts slowly erode into bright particles before being engulfed by total darkness. William, holding the Type 91 launcher from his hand, stared towards the vehicle as Vlora peered through the hatch. She sighs as she sees William signalling her to be cautious of her environment.

'I owe you one, Cap'n.' Vlora thought as she commandeered both of the vehicles into the field, crushing a line of hedgerows.

'That was a close call...' William thought as he dropped the Type 91 launcher and moved into the window where the Carl Gustaf and Igla launchers were placed. Over the window, he spotted three Rätsel turtles entering the field towards Vlora's vehicle. They fired their laser sporadically towards Vlora, suppressing her vehicle to counter attack.

They continue to move closer and closer to the museum as Rätsel turtles lay down, suppressing fire down the field, destroying one of the M6 Linebackers. As Vlora moved the vehicle into a blown up ditch for cover, William then raised a Type 01 LMAT launcher and sighted through its fire system. Three Rätsel turtles concentrate their target on the sheltered M6 Linebacker, which gave ample time to lock on the leading turtle. He squeezed the trigger and jolted back as the missile fired from the tube. Because of their swift movement, it missed but slammed through one of the mechanical legs, therefore immobilizing it. With its main cannon active and charging its attack, He then quickly swapped out for an Igla launcher, hastily flipped its targeting sight, then affixed a small battery to power its targeting system. Aiming towards the cannon as heat signatures quickly gained by the system, he then fired the missile, promptly knocking out of action.

'Hah… Hah… F*cking hell.' William dropped the launcher as he repositioned to another window but suddenly…

*PEW (3x)*

Hail of red beams tear through the museum, as they set the portions of walls and ceilings alight. William dashed towards the last window as the remaining two Rätsel turtles shifted their attention towards the building. Suppressing fire continued to lie upon the museum while William prepared to load the M3E1 Carl Gustaf with FFV751 ammunition.

*Clank*

*Schlik*

*Chink*

*Click*

*Whoosh*

Jolted again as the shell fired from and out of the barrel, producing a ringing backblast. Unfazed through the hail of laser upon the museum, it slammed directly through its main cannon and into the hull. Sparks of light emerged from the penetrated armor, followed by a stream of molten jet spewing from the hole, resulting in an abrupt explosion.

*SCREECH*

Another Rätsel turtle was downed, and William gave a small victory gesture. The last Rätsel turtle continued to lie down Suppressing Fire into the museum as William swiftly took cover behind the ledge. Antique items, paintings and even old books vaporized as soon as the laser struck them. He crawled his way through the hail and onto the stair before it was a moment of time for the roof to collapse.

*CRACKLE*

'No. No. No. NOO!'

*SNAP*

'F*ck!'

William immediately dashed towards the stair as the roof and ceiling collapsed because of the weakened wall from the attack. With the fire blocking the only path towards the stair, he didn't hesitate to run towards the collapsing path and leaped through the window. Smashing through the glass as the entire roof collapsed, he braced himself to break for a 2.4 meter fall. He rolled into a ball position the moment both of his feet landed on the ground, scraping himself through the rough ground.

"Hah.. Hah.. Holy sh*t, that's some Tom Cruise sh*t." William laughs as he tries to lift himself off the ground.

Fire blazed through the remains of the second floor, releasing an enormous amount of charred smoke into the air. William dust off his clothes as he notices a small fire alight from his coat, and surveys the field for the last Rätsel turtle. With the illumination round dissipating into the darkness, he couldn't locate either Vlora's vehicle and the remaining turtle at the field.

"VLORA!" William shouted as he wandered himself into the field.

Filled with the carcass of their enemy and the burning flames from nearby vegetation, his wounds from the fall had sustained tremendous stress on his body, slowing him down.

"VLORA! Where the hell are you?" William yelled until he noticed a dark purple outline approaching his position. Knowing this appearance before, he instinctively ran in the opposite direction as defying loud sounds filled the battlefield.

*SCREECH*

The last Rätsel turtle was onto him, and his flight-or-fight response took over. As adrenaline from his body pumped throughout his bloodstream, he kept running for the nearest weapon he could find, but eventually the Rätsel caught him from behind.

'Oh sh*t! Hah. Hah. Oh sh*t!'

*Vreeeeeeeeeeeeeeew*

*CLANK*

"What the-?"

To his surprise, a M6 Linebacker slammed its hull towards the Rätsel, permanently immobilizing both of them. Before the Rätsel could raise its cannon, the sound of the 30 mm auto-cannon chewed through its main armor.

*POW (10x)*

As every airburst round clouded the Rätsel's primary cannon, William seized the initiative to gather a functioning Stinger launcher from nearby debris. Charging its laser cannon towards the M6 Linebacker, William hastily flips its sight, plucks a cylindrical battery into the powering slot, and enables its targeting system.

"Not yet… Not yet… Just a bit closer." William murmured as he waited for the laser cannon to charge, in which the Stinger system would lock its temperature level.

At what it seems the charge of its cannon was full, William gained the lock he needed, and then fired. He stumbled to the ground as his stressed body could not counter the force of its blast. The missile flew directly into its cannon, striking through its barrel with a small burst of explosion followed through. The Rätsel promptly collapses into the ground, completely ending their engagement.

*Thud*

*Creaking*

*Coughs (3x)*

"Ah, sh*t… That was intense..."

Vlora struggles to lift herself out of the wrecked M6 Linebacker as the collision sends a tremendous force upon her body. Feeling dizziness and the burning sensation in her lower abdomen, her muscles weighed her down and thus losing her strength. She grasped the edge of the turret hatch and dragged herself out of the compartment, causing her even more pain into the affected area.

'C'mon… Just a little more.' Vlora exerted force on her clinging arms, but numbness soon took over and losing her grip.

"AHHH-!" Vlora screamed.

Luckily, something grabbed her arms, preventing her from sliding back into the vehicle. Then she heard a male voice.

"Stop whining and let's get it over with..." William yelled.

"Cap'n!? I- I- I-." Vlora blushed.

"Are you going to take my hand or what?" William asked.

"Damn, I will." Vlora said in a delightful tone.

William carefully lifted Vlora off the vehicle and slowly settled her at the rear turret. Both of them sighed with relief as they saw destruction, flames, and fallen Rätsel turtles around themself.

"Hah… I can't believe it… We destroyed them all, Cap'n."

"Incapacitated… Not destroyed." William replied as he pointed over to some of the fallen turtles convulsing their mechanical arms .

"Well, at least… We gave them more time for the other team to launch their strike." Vlora answered.

"Yeah… But not for long… C'mon, let's get the hell out of here." William said.

"Hold on-. ARGH, F*CK!" Vlora screamed.

"Sh*t… You alright, Vlora?"

"Yeah, still rocking and good to go… Still can't get a hold of the pain after the crash." Vlora answered.

"But you can still stand up?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine… Let's fall back."

William leaped off from the vehicle and was followed by Vlora. They trudged towards the burning museum and continued to do so until they reached the parked Oshkosh MTVR utility truck. They loaded whatever ammunition and launchers into the truck while Vlora prepared the Type 03 Chū-SAM vehicle to be moved. Suddenly they heard this…

*SCREEEEEEECH*

'ARGH!' Both of them screamed in agony as the deafening roar of sound pierced through their eardrums. As silence shortly returned. William searched for Vlora around the road and noticed her staring towards the battlefield.

"Vlora… C'mon, we have to move or else-" William paused as he and Vlora stared over the rim of the crater.

"What... The.. F*ck..."

The figure continued to rise above the edge of the crater as if blocking the moonlight, illuminating upon the town of Sete Cidades. It took a similar appearance from a usual Rätsel unit, having a hexagon-like structure with dark purple outlines, but this was bigger than what they encountered.

'Holy sh*t… That Rätsel is damn huge!' Vlora thought.

'Shaped like a ship hull… Like USS Iowa back when I was visiting a museum in L.A. ...' William thought.

The large Rätsel continues to rise, in which they see it sliding through the landscapes. It suddenly stopped as soon as it climbed over the peak and into the rim of the crater. Still unsure of how to deal with this new threat, they suddenly felt a series of tremor shock coming from the rising Rätsel. As the tremors eased, they observed several purple lights coming out from the large Rätsel and came rushing down from the slope. Unbeknownst to them, many Rätsel turtles were now approaching Sete Cidades, tasking to eliminate anything that posed a threat to them.

"Hey, Cap'n… What should we do..." Vlora asked the mesmerized Captain, staring over the Rätsel.

"Blow it..."