Chapter 7
Cairo, Egypt
September 22nd, 2011
0800
The sun beamed down in harsh rays, unhindered by the stark blue sky. It baked the golden sands and radiated heat off the dunes. Hassan stood on one such dune and basked in the heat, savoring it like some long lost lover. He had missed his home dearly, being gone too long, fighting in one battle or another. It felt good to be back in Egypt, even if the circumstances were not pleasant.
Egypt had been conquered by GDI after the war. Then liberated by Brotherhood forces shortly after, before the country was divided and ended up in a strange limbo. Officially Egypt belonged to Nod, and Kassad had been placed as its defacto ruler. Unofficially, GDI allowed Nod to maintain a degree of control. Whether it was because the fascists were spread too thin, or for some other reason Hassan did not know. But he was not here to fight infidels, he was here to kill heretics.
He turned away from basking in the sun to regarding the army arrayed before him, hidden amongst the sea of dunes just outside Cairo. It was a smaller force than the one he had command of in the Cosmodrome, but that did not make it anything to scoff at. Hassan had gathered every soldier in Egypt loyal to Juhziz to topple Kassad from his throne. It did not feel right, having brother kill brother, but such were the times they lived in and these men would know their duty.
His force consisted of the usual array of weaponry; Scorpions, Attack and Rocket Buggies, and Marauders. However what was truly unique about his new army was the inclusion of self-propelled artillery that had been salvaged from the war. Having proper artillery would be a huge help in the coming battle, for it seemed that this would not be a simple raid.
Hassan turned again as he spotted someone approaching. The figure quickly revealed himself to be Kell, and he did not look pleased. Then again, he never did.
"Did you find Kassad?" Hassan asked in way of greeting.
"Yes, and you're not going to like it. Kassad has three bases defending his little palace. One in the city, guarding the only bridge over the river. On the other side he has two more bases, one on top and the other below the cliffs. Getting to his palace won't be easy." Kell reported.
"The last thing we need is a prolonged siege. Any weaknesses?"
"The city base is surrounded by buildings. We can garrison them to gain better cover. It also leaves them with little room to maneuver. The other two? None. Not to mention the only way up the cliffs is through tunnels that run throughout the entire cliffside." Kell almost sounded worried, and Hassan couldn't blame him.
"Then we best get started. Take your pathfinders ahead."
Kell walked off and Hassan waited until Kell had gotten into a Technical and raced away. Hassan then made his way to the M4 mobile command vehicle and into the cramped compartment. Officers worked at terminals and handled communications, and maps of the region had been pinned to walls. Despite the claustrophobic nature of the vehicle it was nice and cool thanks to an A.C. unit. Hassan felt a shiver run down his spine from the sudden temperature shift, then moved to his personal station where he could command the entire army.
He offered a prayer at the small altar built into one corner, then he began orchestrating the coming symphony of war. First he deployed his artillery to the edge of the dunes, and made ready to rain destruction down onto the heretics. Second he deployed his armour to the outer limits of the city, causing great clouds of dust to be kicked up as tank treads and armoured wheels moved across the sand. His infantry followed behind in their APCs, as they would be the crutch of the first portion of this battle. Urban fighting was always a messy affair, but these soldiers were particularly hardened warriors of Nod. Egypt was a sacred place to the Brotherhood, and their faith was unparalleled.
The M4 was the last to move, slowly coming up behind the APCs and passing the artillery as they finished deploying their stabilizer struts. It would move to a safe distance but still be close enough to the battlefield that Hassan could have a more direct control over his forces.
"Commander Hassan, incoming message from Agent Kell." One of the officers reported.
"Let's hear him." Hassan responded calmly.
Kell's report was mechanical and to the point: "I have visual on the enemy base. A large command center surrounded by four barracks and a single war factory. The compound is located in the center of the city overlooking the bridge. Defended by Stinger sites. It will not be an easy fight, but the buildings will give us good cover."
Hassan thought over what the assassin had said. Using the civilian structures to cover his infantry was the best tactic as his armour would simply get bogged down in the streets.
"Get Kell to provide coordinates for our artillery. Then pass on commands to all company commanders: the infantry are to push in and take the base. Kell's pathfinders will offer support." Hassan ordered.
"Yes sir." His officers responded in unison.
Hassan felt a pang of guilt at the ruin he was about to bring to his home. As well as the need to order the deaths of men who would ordinarily be brothers in faith. But he pushed those feelings and his doubt away: there was to be no mercy for heretics.
"Coordinates locked in. Targets marked and identified. Firing in three, two…wait…. Something is wrong sir."
Hassan turned away from his station and moved to look over the technician's shoulder. The radio line with the artillery was suddenly awash with static. Any attempts to raise the gunners was met with silence.
"Sir! I'm getting multiple reports from our pathfinders of enemy troops movements inside the city." Another officer shouted.
Hassan was about to turn to address the man when the back section of the command cabin was blown open. Hassan was knocked back by the force of the blast, and the vehicle grounded to a halt as the entire rear end of the vehicle was torn apart.
Hassan coughed as smoke quickly filled the cabin. He looked around to see that the other officers had not been fortunate and had died in the attack. It was nothing short of a miracle that he had survived, other then some ringing in his ears and some minor scraps. He offered a quick prayer to God, then grabbed his rifle and jumped from the ruined M4.
Outside things were in chaos. His APCs were being harassed by swarms of Attack Bikes. Several were already in flames while others had stopped to deploy their occupants to fight back. Hassan selected the closest group of soldiers and went to move towards them, but stopped when they disappeared in a cloud of dirt and flames. Hassan dove for cover behind a mound of sand, then peaked around to see a convoy of BTR-80s speeding towards Hassan's forces. They bore the scorpion's tail insignia of the Brotherhood, but were painted in a dark burgundy as opposed to the blood red common with Nod armies.
The enemy troop carriers tore into his forces with the force of a sandstorm, and then quickly deployed their own compliment of soldiers. Kassad's troops were almost entirely made up of mercenaries and hired PMCs, armed with a variety of weapons. Hassan's loyalist troops were quick to regroup and begin fighting back.
Hassan once more searched for friendlies to rally with and spotted a squad of troops in cover behind an APC. They were pinned down by an enemy BTR and its compliment of mercs. Hassan took a deep breath then bolted across the harsh sands. One of the mercenaries spotted him and raised his weapon, an AK-47. The merc fired wildly, paying no heed to accuracy or ammo conservation. Bullets kicked up gouts of sand all around Hassan, but they all missed. Hassan ignored the incoming fire and kept running for safety.
One of his loyalists finally noticed him and began waving him on. Just as he was mere feet away, Hassan jumped the final distance and landed behind the APC, panting hard from the run.
No one stopped to greet him as the six soldiers all fired their weapons at the enemy troops. However their efforts were in vain as the BTR's heavy guns kept them thoroughly pinned down. One soldier finally addressed Hassan, offering a quick bow of respect despite being in combat.
"Commander Hassan, nice of you to join us. I give you a seven." Korvich said jovially.
"Seven? What are you talking about?" Hassan asked as he finally caught his breath.
"For your long jump sir. Seven out of ten, landing was a bit off."
Hassan stared at the man for a moment, dumbfounded at his sarcasm in the middle of a fight. Choosing to ignore the remark, Hassan took stock of the beleaguered squad: they were covered in sand and soot and seemed full of adrenaline. A moment later Hassan noticed the bodies scattered around the torn rear hatch of the APC. The others had not been lucky enough to make it.
"Any ideas on how to take out that troop carrier, Sergeant?" Hassan asked as he risked peaking around the side of the APC.
"We don't have any heavy weapons sir. Corporal Toppo already tried shouting at it, didn't work well."
"Sergeant Korvich?"
"Yes sir?"
"Shut up before I execute you."
"Yes sir."
Korvich did as was told and fell silent, instead firing a quick burst around the APC before narrowly missing a hailstorm of counter fire. Hassan pulled the radio from his belt and went to call for aid, but was assaulted by the massive amounts of frantic shouting and calls for help.
"Hassan! Where the hell is that artillery? Enemy troops are pouring into the city, we've been cut off!" Kell shouted aggressively through the din of battle.
"Kassad set an ambush! We are under attack from the rear. Hold position, I'll make my way to you."
"Well hurry up!" Kell's command was punctuated by the bark of his sniper rifle.
Hassan placed the radio back to his belt and shouldered his rifle. He still had to deal with the enemy BTR, and he had no heavy weaponry. The APC they were taking cover behind rocked back slightly as a grenade exploded on the other side, causing Hassan to reflexively flinch. He glanced around the battlefield, hoping to find a solution. But without his command and control systems he had no idea what was happening with the rest of his army.
All that he could see were other APCs, many having been destroyed, but a few were able to turn their heavy machine guns on the Attack Bikes that continued to harass the Loyalist forces. A pitched battle between Hassan's soldiers and Kassad's mercenaries raged all around, staining the golden sands red.
The battle was going poorly for the Loyalists. He needed to get a hold of one of his tank commanders and get them to help deal with Kassad's forces. He went to reach for his radio again but another grenade explosion caused him to stumble a couple steps. The others were likewise thrown off balance by the near miss, and it became abundantly clear that they would need to move somewhere safer. Korvich apparently had the same idea as he said.
"Sir we need to move! There's another squad by that APC over there!"
Hassan followed his gaze and noted the aforementioned squad. A team of five men were similarly pinned down by an enemy BTR, but three of them were busy trying to set up a mortar. Hassan nodded to himself.
"Good eye Sergeant. You three stay here and provide cover. The rest are with me. Let's go!"
The three soldiers seemed hesitant, but only for a moment, before they stood up and opened fire on the enemy. Hassan, Korvich and the two others then bolted out from cover and ran across the torn up field. They were left mostly unmolested as they ran, as the enemies' focus was on the brave brothers that Hassan had left behind.
Hassan and the others had almost reached the safety of the APC when one of the two soldiers collapsed, riddled with holes. Hassan didn't stop to look, he kept running until he got behind cover, narrowly missing a burst of high calibre rounds.
Hassan took a moment to catch his breath before turning to a man who wore the markings of a confessor. The man bowed to him as he rested his M16 on his shoulder.
"Commander, good to see you are still alive. Kane must be watching over us."
"Greetings brother. What's the status of that mortar?"
"Ready to fire, sir."
"Korvich, provide them with targets, focus on the BTRs!"
Korvich nodded and went to work with the mortar team. The Confessor then took the others and continued to trade fire with the enemy. Hassan gripped his radio and began to shout into it, hoping to turn this disaster around.
"All armour companies this is Hierarch Actual! We have been engaged in the rear by a large column of enemy APCs and Attack Bikes! Any armour units respond!" Hassan was greeted by static for a moment before someone responded.
"Hierarch Actual, this is Anubis 3-5. Enemy Scorpion and T-80 tank companies have engaged us. We have suffered light casualties." The voice was gruff and strained from yelling but still distinctly female.
"Anubis 3-5, can you divert any units to assist us?" Hassan waited as the woman issued a few commands to her tank crews.
"Affirmative Hierarch Actual. Diverting four Scorpions and two Marauders. Call signs are Anubis 4-1, 4-2, 4-4, and 4-5, as well as Canaan 2-1 and 2-2." The woman finished rattling off, then quickly barked out another command to her crew.
"Affirmative. Thanks Anubis!" Hassan then made another call on his radio. "Kell do you copy? What's your status?"
"Fucking traitors are everywhere! I'm pinned down and can't move. Where the fuck are you?" Kell sounded more angry than normal as he attempted to shout over the staccato of gunfire.
"We have our own problems here! I'm getting to you as fast as I can."
"Well make it faster!" Kell's sniper rifle gave a loud bark before the assassin cut the link.
Hassan grumbled to himself and returned his focus to the battle at hand. The mortars had managed to destroy both BTRs that had been harassing them, including the original one that had first engaged Hassan. Infantry still tried to rush their position, but Korvich and the others kept them firmly at bay. Hassan could see that most of Kassad's Attack Bikes had been wiped out, but the BTRs still remained a clear threat. A quick glance around revealed his forces were still spread apart and disorganized. He quickly ordered his infantry companies to rally together in order to put up a better defence.
Hassan picked up his rifle and fired a few random bursts in the direction of the enemy. He had no intention of actually hitting anyone, but he managed to put a bullet through a mercenary's leg, causing him to fall to the ground screaming in pain. Hassan aimed down his weapons sights and was about to finish the merc off, when something else caught his eye. Two BTRs were now making their way towards Hassan and his men. They showed no signs of stopping and looked as though there going to simply run them over. The mortars were falling too far behind them and exploded harmlessly. Hassan began to grow panicked until one of the BTRs took a tank shell straight through the troop compartment, and black smoke and tortured screams began pouring out from the jagged hole.
Hassan's reinforcements had arrived and were quickly ripping into the enemy BTRs. The vehicles were not equipped to deal with heavy armor, and without the Attack Bikes the enemy had no effective anti-tank weapons. Hassan quickly ordered the mortar team to shift focus to the clusters of infantry that were still engaged with his own men. But the battle had very clearly turned against Kassad. Hassan breathed a sigh of relief as the enemy BTRs were pushed back, giving him the time to quickly reorganize his forces. He ordered his infantry and whatever APCs he had left to join with the armour and push into the city. He also sent scouts to determine the status of the artillery, which turned out to be pointless as all the guns had been utterly destroyed.
It took almost fifteen minutes before Kassad's forces had been completely driven off and the Loyalist army was back on track to assaulting the base. Hassan, along with Korvich and the others, climbed onto the back of one the Marauders. Driving past the twisted remains of Scorpion tanks from both sides, Hassan spotted the rest of his forces engaged with enemy troops hiding in the buildings lining the outer limits of the city.
Buildings were engulfed in flames as tanks destroyed fortified positions. Infantry tried to rush forward and overtake hastily erected barricades in an attempt to break into the city streets. Somewhere beyond the chaos was Kell and his men, and farther away was the first of Kassad's bases.
The Marauder tank slowly crawled to a halt to allow Hassan and the others to jump off, before moving to join the battle. Hassan then quickly gathered three more squads. With his task force assembled, Hassan went to work laying out his plan; while the army pushed into the city, they would navigate their way through and find Jarmen Kell.
The four squads of infantry made their way into the outskirts of Cairo, following behind the main push. They stepped over rubble and ruined streets as the fighting grew fierce and desperate for both sides. Hassan clenched his fists as he noted the heaps of dead soldiers, some in the red of Hassan's men, others in the burgundy of Kassad's, but all wore the scorpion's tail of the Brotherhood. Brother killing brother, it just wasn't right. He pushed those thoughts aside as the sounds of gunfire and explosions grew closer. He needed to find Kell and regain control over the situation.
They skirted behind the Loyalist forces steadily moving forward, careful to avoid direct confrontation. Hassan was trying to follow the streets to Kell's last reported location; he could only pray at this point the man was still alive. They turned down a smaller side street that had avoided being destroyed in the fighting. Hassan urged his men to move faster, and almost bumped into a squad of enemy combatants. The mercenaries had come from a side alley and were clearly trying to flank around the Nod forces.
It took Hassan another moment to realize that all five men were armed with flamethrowers. His eyes went wide as he tried to bring his weapon up, but the enemy reacted faster. For a moment, Hassan thought he was going to die an agonizing death until he heard the familiar bark of a sniper rifle. The lead soldier fell face forward to the ground with a massive gaping hole in the back of his head. A second shot caught another soldier's fuel tanks and caused them to ignite.
Hassan was blown back onto his ass from the force of the explosion. The remaining flame troopers were all killed in the blast, leaving burning corpses in their wake. Hassan quickly picked himself up and brushed the ashes off his arms. One of Kell's pathfinders then emerged from a building farther down the street and waved them forward.
Hassan and his men quickly made their way inside the small house. They came into a small living room where the pathfinders had barricaded themselves. Furniture had been overturned, and bullet casings littered the floor. Four men looked exhausted from the desperate fighting, and Hassan noted two men propped up against a far wall covered in bandages and hastily made leg stints. Hassan left Korvich and the others to help secure the building in case more enemy mercs came by. He then made his way upstairs to the master bedroom where Kell had established his snipers nest. It commanded a good view of Kassad's base.
The enemy compound was a flurry of activity, as even without the aid of a sniper's scope, Hassan could see entire companies of mercenary soldiers preparing to defend the base. More BTR-80s and Scorpion tanks were lining up, and a few left the base and made their way to the front, but most stayed back. He also spotted four Stinger sites that protected the base arrayed in all four corners. Kell had been staring down his scope, studying the enemy. He finally placed the rifle down and turned to Hassan and gave an annoyed snort.
"Took you long enough."
Hassan simply rolled his eyes and continued to survey the enemy forces.
"Any sign of reinforcements coming from the other side of the river?" Hassan asked.
"No, my scouts haven't reported any movement from the second base. Yet."
"Then we best move quickly. We need to secure the bridge before they overwhelm us. Can you take out those stinger sites from here?"
"No. But I know where I can." Kell pointed out the window towards a tall tower a few blocks away.
"Then let's get going."
Hassan and Kell joined the others in the living room. Along with Kell's pathfinders, the total number now equaled more than thirty men. That would make it harder to move around unseen, especially since they would be heading into a part of the city firmly held by Kassad. Regardless, Hassan gave the order to move out, and the large task force made its way down the winding side streets and alleys, listening as the sound of fighting now grew distant.
They moved through the streets unhindered for almost twenty minutes, before they finally came into contact with someone. A Technical swerved around an intersection and screeched to a halt when they spotted Hassan's men. The gunner had thankfully had his weapon facing the opposite direction, so in the time it took him to swivel around Hassan and his men were able to get into cover. The gunner opened fire on the empty street, ripping up the pavement. Several of Hassan's troops emerged from cover to fire on the Technical. Their bullets pinged harmlessly off the light armour, and they were forced back into cover as the gunner raked his weapon back and forth across the buildings they were hiding behind. Soon after another noise could be heard. It sounded like dozens of angry voices clamoring over each other to be heard.
Hassan risked peaking around cover to see what the source of the shouting was. He could feel himself grow pale as he spotted a literal mob of people coming up behind the Technical. Clad in simple camouflaged fatigues or even plain civilian clothing, it was clear they weren't trained soldiers or mercenaries but instead, were the Cairo militia. Kassad was in no way a holy man, so he must have bribed the militia leaders in order to utilize the fanatical masses. The militia quickly took up positions behind the Technical or in the alleys in a poor imitation of proper cover. Most fired randomly down the street, even though there weren't any viable targets. However it did fill the street with so much fire that it was almost impossible for Hassan's troops to fight back.
Hassan brought up his SCAR-H and aimed at a militiaman, and through his scope he could see the man was practically frothing at the mouth, murder gleaming in his eyes. Hassan took a deep breath then fired a short burst that eviscerated half of the man's face. Hassan then jumped back deeper into the alley as bullets tore apart the corner of the building. He breathed heavily but stopped when he heard a sound coming from across the street. It was…singing? He looked over to see the Confessor had begun singing a Brotherhood battle hymn, and somehow managed to project his voice over the deafening sound of gunfire. It seemed to inspire the men, and emboldened them enough to risk opening fire on the enemy. Many Nod soldiers fell from the sheer amount of bullets flying through the air, but almost three times as many militia died for it.
Hassan fired several bursts down the contested street, killing or wounding several militiamen. Across the street, Korvich and two others stepped out away from cover and took aim at the Technical. The gunner noted them and quickly swiveled his machine gun towards them, but then Hassan stepped out and held down on the trigger, sending a wild volley of bullets towards him. The sporadic bullets missed completely, but it did achieve the goal of forcing the gunner to duck down and wait until Hassan had run out of ammo before turning his weapon on him. Hassan then ducked back into the alley as the heavy machine gun tore chunks of concrete off the building. Hassan fumbled with a new magazine as the heavy calibre rounds kept coming, until they abruptly stopped. Hassan looked back out into the street to find the gunner hanging limply over the side of the Technical, and the front windshield was completely shattered. Militiamen were running back the way they had come, as Hassan's men fired at their backs but otherwise made no moves to pursue.
Hassan walked out into the street and ordered his forces to gather around him. Men emerged from alleys and the buildings lining the street. Of the thirty some odd troops he had, eighteen remained, still a sizable strike team. Jarmen Kell emerged from one of the buildings and walked over to the assembled troops, his large sniper rifle strapped to his back. Kell opened his mouth to speak but Hassan stopped him with a hand gesture. He ignored the indignant glare he received and instead began talking into his radio.
"All units this is Hierarch Actual. Be advised, we have moved into the city and met hostile militia. We are currently moving to flank the enemy base, On my signal commence the attack."
Hassan waited a moment as a string of affirmatives came in from his battalion commanders. Several reported stiff enemy resistance near the bridge, while others reported difficulty moving through streets clogged with militia. None however reported any movement from Kassad's main base across the river. Had he bet everything on the initial ambush? Possibly, Kassad was no strategist.
"We need to keep moving." Kell said in a low growl.
Hassan merely nodded and gave the order to push onward. They picked their way over the dead bodies and moved more cautiously, wary of another attack. In what should have taken them less than ten minutes, it actually took them close to thirty to reach the tower. By that time Hassan's army had nearly encircled the base, and the latest reports indicated that most of his armour was engaged with emplaced defences around the bridge. Without a proper view of what was going on, Hassan had decided to call back his forces from the bridge and focus instead on taking the base. The original plan had called to simply shell it with artillery, but now he decided it would be better used to safeguard their flank from anymore attacks from the Cairo militia.
Hassan's men took up positions around the tower, under the command of the Confessor whose name he discovered was Joseph. Hassan and Kell then bounded up the long flight of stairs to the top. The long climb left Hassan gasping for air, but Kell didn't seem even remotely fazed. Within seconds Kell had set up his sniper rifle, and had laid out extra magazines so he could quickly grab them. As Kell worked, Hassan looked out the window from over his shoulder and realized he finally had a decent view of the battlefield.
Pillars of smoke rose up all over the outskirts of the city and the field just beyond. He could see flashes from explosions ranging from the base perimeter all the way to the bridge that connected the city to the hills just beyond. If he squinted his eyes he could almost make out shapes moving on the other side, but none made any attempt to cross the bridge. As Kell prepared himself, Hassan began coordinating more closely with his forces, no longer completely in the dark. It still wasn't perfect, but it would have to do. As he began issuing orders to his army, Kell opened fire with his sniper rifle, the sound reverberated in the small space of the lookout.
Far away, in Kassad's base, men dropped as Kell picked them off with frightening efficiency. It was hard to tell from this distance, but Hassan could see the tiny shapes of people running to and from the four Stinger sites. Some fleeing from Kell, others trying to replace the men he had just killed. It was fascinating to watch the Nod assassin at work, reloading his weapon while never taking his eyes off the scope. After five minutes of raining death upon Kassad's men, Kell finally spoke.
"Three of the Stinger sites are neutralized. I can't get a clear shot on the far one."
"Well done Kell." Hassan called into his radio. "All units press the attack! Enemy defences are disabled. Show no mercy to these heretics!"
Hassan and Kell stood and watched the Loyalist army surge through the streets of Cairo like a tidal wave. They crashed upon the small base and swept away the remaining forces. Scorpion tanks and BTRs were destroyed in seconds as Hassan's own Scorpions and Marauders rolled through. And while he couldn't see the infantry fight, he could hear their reports and cries over the radio.
The battle quickly ended, signaled by thick flames rising from the war factory and two of the barracks, while his men reported that the command building had been left largely intact. The first stage of the battle had concluded, the outer city now belonged to him. But there was still a lot of work to be done.
… … …
In all it took two hours to fully secure the base, and repel an attack from the militia that ended in a total slaughter for the enemy. Hassan had ordered his forces to reinforce the defences to prevent his army from being flanked from the city proper. In that time Kassad still had not made any move, with his forces staying on the other side of the bridge. Hassan had moved his own forces to secure their side, and now a standoff had occurred with the two forces staring each other down. He knew that he would have to attack soon, least Kassad try to flee. But Hassan was still waiting on reinforcements to arrive.
He had also deployed forces deeper into the city to root out the militia and secure key locations. Things were going well despite the losses in the initial ambush. However it was still taking too long, and it caused Hassan a great deal of anxiety. He drummed his fingers on the desk of the former base commander, a weasel of a man who now hung from a streetlight. Kell meanwhile was lounging on a couch set off to one side, seemingly asleep. Hassan glared at the man while he struggled with his own thoughts. How was Juhziz doing back in Kazakhstan? Had Kassad managed to escape? And would the Brotherhood even survive the coming months with all this infighting? Hassan wrestled with these questions to the point that he had become lost in his own mind, thus causing him to jump when someone spoke to him over the radio.
"Commander Hassan? I thought you'd like to know that Colonel Edwin's men have just arrived." One of Hassan's aides reported.
Hassan got up from the desk and moved towards Kell, lightly kicking him in the leg. The man shot up and grumbled something under his breath. Hassan just motioned for him to follow and both men made their way through the command centre and back outside. The base was largely empty now, minus a token defence force, as his army was divided between the bridge and the city. Hassan turned his gaze south, from where his army had originally attacked from, and spotted several Mi-8 helicopters making their way towards them. The helicopters hovered over the base for a few minutes before finally descending and unloading their passengers. Nod soldiers in full combat gear jogged out of the transports and began to rally around one of the barracks that Hassan's men had secured. He couldn't help but looked shocked as he recognized these men as belonging to Vega's Cartel.
A short but muscular man was the last to leave the lead helicopter. He spotted Hassan and walked over to him, before stopping short and offering a salute.
"Colonel Edwin reporting for duty sir! My men and I are ready to serve." Edwin's voice boomed out, the man looked like he should be a drill sergeant rather than a field officer.
"Colonel, good to have you. I'll be honest, I'm shocked to see Vega's…men here." Hassan tried to hide his disdain for the Cartel soldiers; no doubt they were just a bunch of convicts and drug addicts.
"With General Oslo dead, the good Mr. Vega graciously offered his support to General Juhziz's cause. They're a rough bunch, but good soldiers. Don't worry sir, I'll keep them in line."
Hassan nodded his head, then gave the Colonel his orders and sent the new arrivals off. With the additional troops, he would have enough to brute force his way to Kassad's palace. He turned to Kell, who was still eyeing the Cartel troops, and said.
"It's time we finish this. I want you to lead the assault while I direct things from here."
"Going to sit all comfy while I do all the work?" Kell said this with amusement, rather than his typical anger.
"Of course. Oh and Kell? Keep Kassad alive. I want to deal with him personally."
Kell gave a mock salute and then made his way towards a captured BTR, where the rest of his pathfinders were waiting. Hassan then returned to the command centre and made his way to the control room. It was a standard command and control centre, like the countless ones used by Nod and GDI. Inside, officers worked away to help coordinate his forces as they were spread across Cairo. He took position at the head of the room where he would command the battle.
He looked over several screens, each displaying different views from his forces. Some were from cameras mounted to Scorpion tanks, while others were from soldiers' helmet cams. Half displayed his troops moving through the city streets, sometimes engaging with the militia, while the other half showed his men staring across the bridge at the turrets and waiting enemy tanks. As soon as he gave the order, all hell would break loose once again. He offered a quick prayer, then gave the order.
"All forces attack!"
His tank columns surged forward across the wide bridge, and immediately came under fire from the emplaced turrets. The lead row of Marauders returned fire, scoring direct hits and destroying the turrets outright. Kassad's defending force of T-80 tanks then began trading volleys with Loyalist Scorpions. Anytime the enemy missed, it would take large chunks out of the bridge and send them falling into the water below.
"Hierarch Actual this is Anubis 3-5! Enemy has set up dragon's teeth at the edge of the bridge. We can't move any further!"
Hassan gritted his teeth. It was clear now that Kassad was delaying them, no doubt in the hopes of escaping. He could not let that happen. He turned to one of his communications officers and barked out an order.
"Tell Confessor Joseph to double time it to the airport! We need to cut off any avenues of escape."
"Yes sir!"
Hassan returned to the battle at hand. The enemy defences were now belching black smoke into the cloudless sky. Sizable pieces of the bridge were missing, and coupled with the ruined tanks, it created an impasse for any forces behind them. He would have to move engineer crews to clear the bridge.
Seeing that Hassan's men were well and truly stuck, the surviving T-80s beat a hasty retreat into the foothills where the second base was located.
"Get our engineers over there ASAP so they can clear the way. And what's the ETA on Saul's forces?"
"Engineers are on their way sir!"
"He estimates another twenty minutes sir!"
Hassan watched everything unfold with barely contained impatience. Everything seemed to be going too slowly. He should be by Juhziz's side, helping him fight GDI, not here having to fight his own brothers. Damn Kassad and his arrogance!
It was nearly twenty minutes before a space barely large enough for a single tank was cleared.
"Hierarch Actual do you copy?" Anubis 3-5 is requesting permission to advance, over?" The tank commander sounded impatient, matching Hassan's own mood.
He watched the engineers begin working on clearing out the next Dragon tooth, contemplating his next move. If he let the tanks move now, they would get bottlenecked and be open to ambush. Plus it would take longer to get everyone through. But would it be longer than waiting for all the barricades to be removed?
"Anubis 3-5 you have permission to advance. All units roll forward."
He watched the lead Scorpion tank roll through the opening and push past burning debris. They left the outskirts of the city and once more moved into the desert. The hills loomed high above on one side, with the river running far below them on the other. Hassan watched as Kell's BTR sneaked its way into the line of waiting tanks and moved across the bridge. It quickly sped up to catch up with Anubis 3-5, and Hassan cursed Kell's brashness.
"Sir! I've spotted something, coming out of the Tiberium field!"
Hassan rushed over to the officer's station and peered at the screen. There was a small Tib' field in a small depression in the hills. The unique radiation from the holy crystals was playing havoc with their imaging systems. But after a moment Hassan could see what had the officer so concerned. Emerging from the Tiberium were four GDI Merkava tanks. Their treads crushed the crystals beneath them as they sprung forward like a lion on the hunt. One of the tanks spotted Kell's BTR and fired, scoring a direct hit.
Hassan could only watch in vain as the APC flipped over from the impact. Cold fear raced through him as he turned to his officers.
"Get reinforcements over to Kell's position! Now!"
… … …
Korvich laid on his back, staring up at the blue sky as a single tiny puff of a cloud meandered through. He fixated on that cloud as he slowly checked over his body. He knew he wasn't dead, it was too hot and everything hurt, but thankfully nothing appeared to be broken. He quickly got up and grabbed his rifle from the ground nearby and quickly glanced around. The front of the BTR was gone, and its occupants had been flung out by the concussive force. Miraculously no one had been killed, minus the driver. But that would quickly change if he didn't find cover.
He ducked behind a jagged piece of metal jutting out from the sand. Two other men were hiding behind it as well, trading fire with enemy soldiers farther off. Korvich instantly recognized one as the infamous assassin, Jarmen Kell. He fired his sniper rifle almost non-stop, littering the sand with spent casings. The other man was on of Kell's pathfinders, a soldier in light fatigues and armed with a designated marksman rifle.
"What's the situation sir?" Korvich asked Kell. He wasn't exactly sure of the man's place in the Nod hierarchy, so he decided to play it safe and assume him to be an officer.
"What does it look like? We're getting fucked. Now shut up and shoot back!"
Kell's angered and abrasive nature reminded Korvich a lot of his old sergeant, Sergeant Higgs. Only instead of the fatherly concern Higgs had hidden underneath, Kell just had more anger. He decided not to further anger the man rumored to have killed GDI and Nod targets without discretion. He shouldered his rifle and fired at an advancing squad of enemy mercs. He managed to wound two of them, but Kell killed the others with well-placed sniper shots. Korvich simply shifted aim and added his fire with the pathfinder, quickly taking down another merc squad.
All around them the Nod tanks struggled to make any progress as the four Merkava tanks tore through them. The GDI logo had been replaced with the sigil of the Brotherhood, and coated in a dark burgundy coloring. One of the tanks rolled past directly in front of them, Korvich pressed himself against the metal cover and hoped they hadn't been spotted. Unfortunately the pathfinder was too slow, and a merc manning the turret mounted machine gun spotted him. The pathfinder was literally sawed in two, his entrails spilling onto the sand. The tank just rolled past and fired at a Marauder tank, destroying it with a single shell.
Kell emerged from cover and aimed his sniper rifle. He lost loose a string of profanities as he fired a single shot. The turret gunner immediately went limp and hung loosely over his machine gun. The other occupants of the tank didn't seem to notice, as they hunted for more targets. A Scorpion tank found itself as the next target. It fired at the Merkava, but the shell bounced off the front armour. The enemy tank fired back, destroying the right side treads of the Scorpion, rendering it immobile. Fire quickly began to lick at the edges of the tank.
The Scorpion's turret rotated slightly, but it never fired. The Merkava seemed satisfied that the tank was effectively dead and began to move off. Korvich knew they needed to stop that tank and almost immediately formed a stupid and certainly suicidal plan. He turned to Kell, who was regarding the whole battle with a disgusted glare.
"Give me covering fire. I'm going to take out that tank." Korvich said.
Kell looked at him as if though he had just grown two extra heads.
"How do you plan on doing that?" He asked with a tone that suggested he thought Korvich was stupid, and maybe he was.
"I'll get on top and drop a couple grenades inside. I just need you to cover me."
"It's your funeral." Kell shouldered his sniper rifle and indicated that he was ready.
Korvich took a deep breath then scanned the battlefield. The tank was still close by, searching for new victims. A squad of mercs had wandered past them, seemingly unaware that they were there. Korvich quickly fired three burst, catching them unawares. Two went down, dead before they hit the ground, while a third fell clutching his ruined leg. Kell fired two quick shots and killed the two remaining soldiers, and Korvich fired one more burst to finish off the wounded man.
He then darted out from cover and ran straight for the tank. With the gunner dead, there shouldn't have been any resistance to him mounting the tank. That was until someone emerged from the very hatch Korvich had been planning to drop a grenade down. The man checked over his dead comrade before he spotted Korvich. The man quickly grabbed for a SMG and aimed it at Korvich, whose mad dash meant he wouldn't be able to bring his own weapon up in time. The man's head snapped back violently and a fountain of blood erupted from a bullet hole in his forehead. The man fell back inside the tank just as Korvich jumped onto the tank and climbed up. He reached the hatch and noticed another merc inside, Korvich smiled and waved as he dropped two grenades inside, then quickly scrambled back off the tank.
Moments later the grenades went off with a muffled bang, and the Merkava kept moving for several moments before it eventually came to a stop. With the tank eliminated, the Loyalist forces gained the advantage. Two Scorpions ganged up on one of the other Merkavas and quickly destroyed it. More Loyalist tanks and APCs entered the fray, and quickly began to overwhelm the enemy forces. Emboldened by the arrival of reinforcements, Korvich and Kell made their way across the battlefield towards friendly lines. As they did the enemy base came into view.
It was a small base consisting of another command centre and two barracks, as well as a war factory and a Tiberium refinery, all powered by a single power plant. However the main feature of the base was the large tunnel that led into the hillside, large enough to fit two tanks side by side. More smaller tunnels also dug into the hills, the entrances defended by Stinger sites and foxholes. There were even concrete pillboxes built into the hillside, creating the image of an imposing fortress. On top of the hills Korvich spotted SAM sites, meaning the only way to Kassad's palace was through those tunnels.
The battle had turned from a pitched and desperate fight, to a one sided slaughter. Enemy mercenaries were either mowed down or fell to their knees in surrender. The few remaining T-80 tanks were turned into burning scrap, and the Loyalist Scorpions began pounding away on the enemy structure. Massive fires erupted from the power plant, and thick black-green smoke belched out from the refinery as the tanks tore into them indiscriminately.
Korvich had allowed himself to grow lax, thinking that the battle was over. But he would be proven wrong as five Rocket Buggies emerged from the tunnel, followed closely by several Bradley light tanks. The Rocket Buggies unleashed a deadly salvo of rockets that filled the air with thick contrails. Nod tanks erupted into flames as the rockets struck home. Whatever had survived the initial volley was then swarmed by the light tanks. On their own the Bradleys would have been horribly outmatched, even by a single Scorpion, but in a large pack as they were, they proved to be more than effective.
Korvich and Kell took cover behind the Merkava that Korvich had neutralized. Kell immediately began firing his sniper rifle as swarms of infantry emerged from smaller tunnels. Korvich brought up his rifle and began firing long, sporadic bursts, the enemy providing him plenty of targets. The Nod armour quickly rallied from their initial shock and began fighting back, easily disposing of the light tanks. However the Rocket Buggies were moving around faster than any tank could hit, stopping only long enough to fire off another volley of rockets. Korvich had no brilliant plan to help this time, so he decided to stay put and try to kill as many mercs as he could before they overran him.
There seemed to be no end to the amount of heretic soldiers pouring out from the tunnels. Korvich reloaded his weapon only to find he had a single magazine left; he would run out of bullets before the enemy ran out of soldiers. He began to pick his targets more carefully, and fired in shorter bursts. Sometimes he would only manage to wound an enemy but forced himself to switch targets. All the while Kell had remained beside him, easily picking off targets. Ammo didn't appear to be an issue for him and Korvich watched as a merc's arm was blown clean off by a shot from Kell's rifle. The man went down screaming as his compatriots were covered with blood. Korvich fired two quick bursts, killing both men as they stopped to try and wipe the blood off.
The stream of enemy troops finally stopped as the last few squads trickled out, an entire company of mercenary soldiers having been thrown at the Nod force. Unfortunately, even though he could see a definite finite number to the enemy now, he still was at risk of running out of ammo. The mercs also finally took note of Kell's position, and three squads were carefully making their way towards them. Korvich loaded his final magazine. Maybe he could just focus on the ones Kell didn't kill. That plan died when Kell yelled out a string of curses as he dropped his sniper rifle and pulled up his sidearm. A cold sense of dread went down Korvich's spine, despite the hot desert heat. He had experienced this dread only once before, during the battle of Cape Town, back during the Tiberium War.
The enemy mercs continued to advance on them, dipping and weaving between cover. Kell and Korvich only managed to gather a few kills before the enemy was on top of them. Korvich switched his grip on his rifle and held it like a club, swinging it at a merc who decided to get too close. There was a sickening crunch as the butt of the rifle connected with the man's head. Korvich pulled back, ready to take a swing at the next target, but it was no use. They were both surrounded and the enemy had their weapons trained on them. One of the mercs had a cocksure grin on his face, he opened his mouth to gloat, but blood gurgled forth instead. During the chaos of the fight, no one seemed to have noticed the first shotgun blast, but everyone heard the second blast that tore open another merc's stomach.
The others mercs turned to face the new threat, only to be quickly cut down by the new arrivals. Nod Cartel soldiers swarmed into the area, shotguns and SMGs at the ready. They fought with a crazed zeal not born from religion, but more likely due to a concoction of drugs and combat stimulants. It resulted in frightening brutality and savagery. The Cartel soldiers would get in as close as they could before ripping into the enemy mercs. Some would even forgo their own safety and try to use their rifles as melee weapons. They cleaved through the mercs, but the enemy was quick to recover and began to butcher the borderline insane troops. However during the chaos Korvich managed to grab a discarded M16 rifle and a couple magazines. He lost sight of Kell, but: he focused on the need to find cover.
Korvich eventually found refuge behind an abandoned Tib' harvester. He turned to find a target, but couldn't due to the Cartel soldiers getting in the way. He cursed their stupidity and decided to fire anyways, friendly fire be damned. He fired two quick bursts and managed to kill two enemy mercs and wounded a friendly soldier. Korvich took aim at another mercenary and was about to pull the trigger, when the man's head violently jerked to one side, causing him to collapse. Korvich looked around and spotted Kell standing behind a large rock, sidearm pointed in his direction. Korvich returned his attention to the chaos in front of him, though noted it was starting to die down as the Cartel troops were beginning to win the fight. Korvich took aim at two mercs who were frantically trying to reload their LMGs. He fired a prolonged burst and riddled one merc's chest full of lead while the second he only clipped in the shoulder. The second merc jumped into cover behind a sand dune, only to emerge on the other side and send a torrent of bullets towards Korvich.
The bullets began pinging off the heavy armour of the harvester. Korvich ducked down reflexively as the merc continued to barrage his position. The bark of a powerful sniper rifle cut over the metallic rain, then everything abruptly went quiet. Korvich peaked around to find all of Kassad's mercenaries had been killed. The Cartel soldiers seemed to stumble around drunk, no doubt coming off of their combat high. Korvich made his way up to Kell so he could see how the rest of the battle had went.
The entire base was a smouldering mess. The command building had collapsed in on itself, while flames ate away at the other structures. Thick smoke mixed with toxic fumes billowed out from the ruined refinery, which the wind carried towards the city, and would no doubt kill dozens of people with Tib' sickness. The field was now littered with ruined vehicles from both sides. Korvich breathed heavily. The fighting had stopped for now, although he knew it flare up shortly enough.
The quiet that had settled over the battlefield was broken by the sound of helicopter blades. Korvich looked across the river to see two Mi-8s approaching. The helicopters flew above the Nod forces and positioned themselves above the cliffs. A split second later a missile raced up from somewhere on top of the cliff and struck one Mi-8 dead center, causing it to practically disintegrate. The second helicopter attempted to turn tail and run, but another rocket streaked up and clipped its tail, sending it spinning and crashing somewhere out of sight. The sight of the helicopters destruction only proved the grim truth; the Nod forces would have to fight their way through the tunnels. It was not a pleasant prospect, as it could mean hours of hellish fighting.
The Nod tanks began to organize themselves into neat rows, with Marauders at the front. Infantry began to gather into small platoons and waited behind the tanks. Curious as to what was happening, Korvich turned to Kell, who had a radio pressed to his ear. Upon seeing Korvich's questioning gaze, he placed the radio on his belt then spat on the ground.
"Commander Hassan is sending someone to help clear out the tunnels. Time is of the essence so we can't afford to be bogged down." Kell's usual angered tone was mixed with disgust.
"Who is he sending?" It must have been someone truly vile if it caused Kell to be upset.
"Colonel Saul." Kell spat again upon saying the name.
Korvich gave a low whistle. Colonel Saul, better known as the Mad Priest, was once a famous tank commander during the Battle of Cape Town. Following Kane's death, Saul had gone and made himself an independent warlord. His little fiefdom didn't last long however, as he quickly pledged loyalty to Juhziz upon seeing GDI aggressively retake South Africa. The man was infamous for being eccentric and fanatic, but it still didn't quite explain Kell's obvious disdain for the man. Korvich knew he wouldn't get the answer from the assassin, so he opted to rummage through the dead mercs gear and gather as much ammo as he could.
It was little over five minutes later when a convoy of vehicles made its way to the waiting Nod forces. Korvich looked on with awe as he watched the convoy roll in. Eight Scorpion tanks and two Flame tanks picked their way through the debris field. The sun reflected harshly off the polished metal fuel canisters on the Flame tanks, but that wasn't what had caught Korvich's eye. A Marauder tank led the convoy, although it had been painted like the inside of a church. Various murals depicting Kane and the arrival of Tiberium covered the entire tank, while prayer alters adorned with candles and purity seals had somehow been secured to the chassis. Even more impressive then the garish paint job, was the heavily customized double barreled turret. Saul had clearly taken some inspiration from GDI's Mammoth tanks.
Saul's Marauder tank pulled off to the side and stopped, while the other vehicles moved to the front of the gathered Nod armour, with the Flame tanks taking point. Kell began walking down towards Saul as the man climbed out from the primary hatch, and Korvich decided to follow.
Saul was standing by the front end of the right side tread, along with several other Nod officers. They were in the midst of discussing something when Saul turned to face Kell, a wide smile spreading across his face.
"Ah! If it isn't the famous Jarmen Kell! Nod's favourite assassin, and the very man who tried to kill me."
Korvich gave a scrupulous look towards Kell. That would explain the disdain. Kell's face contorted in anger and he spat at Saul's boots, but the man's smile never wavered.
"You survived by dumb luck." Kell hissed.
"What you call luck, I call divine intervention by God. Anyways it's all in the past. We work for the same cause now." Saul turned away from Kell, and addressed the gathered officers. "We now know that Kassad's palace is well defended from the air. Our only path forward is through the tunnel. Thankfully Commander Hassan has provided us a solution. We shall clear out the vermin with Kane's holy fire!"
While the officers nodded in agreement, Kell just remained brooding as the battle plan was laid out. Korvich technically wasn't privy to the discussion, however his unit had been scattered at the start of the battle, and no one seemed bothered by his presence.
"It is important we take the Prince alive. Our Commander demands it. Anything else?"
Saul looked to each man, before lingering on Kell for a few moments. When no one said anything, the Mad Priest clapped his hands and said. "Very well! Let us bring forth God's judgement!"
The officers scattered as they returned to their respective units. Korvich was about to follow the man he recognized as his unit commander, but was stopped by Kell. The assassin pushed him towards Saul's tank, just as the Colonel began climbing back up.
"You come with me. We're going with the good Colonel: I want to be sure that I am the first one to get Kassad."
"But why me?" Korvich asked a bit hesitantly.
"Because you're competent. Something of a rarity with this army."
Both men climbed up the tank, careful not to knock over the candles or purity seals. They took position on the back of the tank, which was covered with golden icons from both the Brotherhood and Christian scriptures. Korvich had to wonder why Saul would take such a vehicle into battle, when it clearly would serve better as some show piece outside a temple.
He stopped studying the intricate murals as the tank began to move. Up ahead the two Flame tanks drove up to the mouth of the tunnel, where they unleashed a stream of fire into wide passageway. They moved side by side as they slowly moved forward, the intense flames never stopping. The tanks moved just behind, giving the Flame tanks enough room in case they exploded. Infantry began donning gas masks or covering their faces with their shirts to help combat the heat and smoke that filtered back down the tunnel. Korvich followed suit and pulled out a head wrap and tied it around his face. As the Flame tanks moved deeper into the tunnel, the sound of the flamethrowers gave off a hellish sound as it reverberated off the walls. It was quickly overpowered by the sounds of people screaming in agony.
The Marauder tank passed through the entrance and into the long tunnel. The metal walls were scorched black by the heat. Korvich tried not to stare at the twisted and blackened corpses that were strewn throughout the tunnel. Instead he focused on the smaller foot tunnels and maintenance passages that snaked off from the main tunnel. Nod soldiers carefully checked them as they passed by, but Korvich doubted there was anyone left alive to try and ambush them.
The gradual slope of the tunnel began to grow sharper as light from outside filtered down. The Flame tanks disappeared from sight as they exited the tunnel, only for a torrent of fire to come rushing back down. Korvich and Kell pressed themselves down as far as they could, just as a wave of heat washed over them. Korvich thought he was going to be cooked alive, until the wave passed by. The tank had kept pushing through and eventually drove over the smoking remains of the Flame tanks. Korvich shielded his eyes as they were thrust back into the harsh desert light. As his vision slowly returned to normal, his mouth fell agape at what he saw.
The two bases before were nothing compared to the large complex arrayed before him. A command centre far larger than the last two sat in the heart of the base, surrounded by a communications building, and several barracks complete with training yards and officers' quarters. Warfactories lined in a neat row next to two power plants, and all of it defended by an array of Stinger sites and SAM launchers. Korvich shifted his gaze to a small man-made lake adjacent to the base. In the centre on a small island, was Kassad's palace, and much to Korvich's surprise and horror, it was defended by an Obelisk of Light. Kassad had gone all out on defences, sparing no expense it would seem.
Korvich's thoughts were broken as one of the tank's twin barrels fired, coring an enemy Scorpion tank. All hell broke loose around them as Nod tanks traded fire with Kassad's own armour. Anti-tank rockets flew out from a dozen Stinger sites, and more mercenaries began pouring out from the base. It quickly became almost impossible to tell which Scorpions were friendly and which weren't. The only real tell was which ones fired at the Loyalist Marauders, and which ones targeted the enemy T-80s. It was a bloody mess of a battle, and he did not look forward to being thrown into it.
The Marauder fired again, blowing the turret off of another Scorpion, before abruptly changing direction away from the base. Korvich looked around confused, before he realised they were heading straight for the palace, and the Obelisk. Saul's voice boomed out over Kell's radio.
"Push for the palace! We must find the heretic! For Kane! For God! For glory!"
The Marauder barreled towards the Obelisk, and showed no signs of slowing down. Korvich and Kell exchanged concerned looks as the horrifying sounds of the obelisk powering up filled the air.
"Uh maybe we should-"
Korvich never got to finish his statement as a bright lance of red light shot out from the tip of the Obelisk. It carved through the left side of the tank, turning the treads to melted slag. The tank came to an abrupt stop, throwing Korvich and Kell forward. Korvich landed hard against the turret with his right shoulder and pain coursed through his whole body. Before he could even pick himself up, Kell grabbed him by his good arm and shoved him off the tank. Korvich then landed hard again, this time on his back. He let out a loud yell of pain as he rolled onto his side. Kell jumped down beside him and tried to drag him to his feet, but Korvich was in too much pain to move. Kell began to yell but was cut off as the Obelisk fired again. The laser passed above the Marauder and destroyed a Scorpion tank a few feet away. For whatever reason, they were ignoring Saul's tank.
"We need to move!" Kell's shout sounded distant and muffled, as if he were standing far away even though he was practically yelling in Korvich's ear.
Korvich shakily got to his feet and began to limp away from the tank. Kell pushed him towards a rocky outcropping jutting out from the sand. They were barely halfway there when both men were blown of their feet. Korvich narrowly missed hitting his head off the rocks. He rolled onto his back, breathing heavily from taking such a beating. He managed to get his head up enough to see Saul's tank engulfed in flames, the immaculate murals and altars having been destroyed. The Obelisk hummed again before firing another lance of light, destroying another Nod tank. Korvich laid his head back down, unable to get up. He half expected to be turned to ash by the Obelisk's laser at any moment, but it never came.
He pulled himself into a sitting position, wincing through the pain as he did. The Obelisk had scored two more kills, leaving behind smoking slag piles. The Nod forces were still trying to push their way into the heretic base, but Kassad had clearly kept his best troops in reserve. Korvich began to wonder if they could win this battle, until Kell stood over him and offered a hand. Korvich took it, and with some effort, pulled himself to his feet. Before he could thank Kell, he shoved Korvich's M16 into his hands.
"Come on, we need you disable that weapon." Kell said mechanically.
"How? We don't have enough firepower to take it down."
"We get inside and cut the power."
Kell jogged off towards the Obelisk, not giving Korvich any time to argue. Gritting his teeth, he ran after the assassin, his rifle now feeling like it weight ten times heavier. Apparently the Obelisk did not consider two tiny humans to be any threat, because it never powered up its weapon. No one even stood to guard the door set into the Obelisk's base. Korvich shouldered his weapon as Kell opened the door, sidearm at the ready. Inside the small room was two ladders that led up the tower to the weapon in the tip. And an elevator that ran down to where the weapon drew power from the base's power plants. Both men crowded into the elevator and rode it down underground.
When they emerged they found themselves on a metal catwalk that spanned over a maze of conduits and tubes that ran further underground. A single technician manned a large terminal that controlled the weapon's various systems. Kell pressed the barrel of his pistol against the woman's head. She quickly held up her arms in surrender, and slowly turned to face them.
"Disable the weapon now, and I might consider not blowing your brains all over the wall." Kell said with a menacing growl.
"Okay, okay! I'm not about to die for some spoiled prince!"
The technician quickly typed away on the terminal, and within moments the Obelisk powered down. The faint humming fading into silence. The woman looked back and forth between Kell and Korvich, fear in her eyes. Before Kell could do anything drastic, Korvich pointed towards the elevator.
"Go, get out of here. Head towards the loyalist forces and surrender yourself. They will not harm a faithful sister."
"Oh thank you! Kane bless you!"
The woman hurried off to the elevator and rode it back up. Korvich ignored the holes Kell was trying to bore into his skull with his eyes and simply sat down on the catwalk, messaging his bruised arm. Kell shook his head and pulled out his radio, his voice echoed in the room now that there was no power thrumming around them.
"Hassan come in? We are ready to assault the palace…"
… … …
Hassan looked out the window of the Attack Buggy as they passed through the tunnel, thankful to be inside the vehicle. The walls were scorched, and the Buggy had to drive through several inches of soot and ash, and more than once had driven over a burnt body. A welcomed distraction came when his radio crackled to life, he quickly grabbed for it as someone began speaking.
"Hierarch Actual, this is Leviticus Actual, reporting that Objective Gamma is secured. Repeat, Gamma is secured." Confessor Joseph reported.
"Excellent work Leviticus. Hold position there, I will send reinforcements when they become available."
"Copy that Hierarch. There's something else. A GDI V-22 Osprey landed here sometime during the battle. It had deployed several squads of GDI special forces. We dealt with the infidels properly."
Hassan was shocked for a moment. Why would GDI send special forces into Cairo? Were they after Kassad too?
"Excellent work brother. Keep an eye out for anymore of the fascists."
"Wilco. Leviticus out."
By the time they emerged from the tunnel, the sun had started its decent into the evening. The last of Kassad's based was in ruins, with thick smoke still rising up to block out the clear blue sky. The Buggy passed by ruined tanks and resting soldiers, and made its way to the palace in the center of the lake. A thin bridge had been built to connect the palace to the land, and a poorly maintained dirt road led to the base. Hassan's men stood guard at intervals along the bridge, with signs of intense fighting evident everywhere.
The Buggy finally pulled up to the front doors of the palace, well, where the front doors would be if they hadn't been blasted apart. Hassan stepped out and proceeded inside, coming into an opulent marble foyer. Expensive paintings and knickknacks lined the walls, though most of them had been either damaged or destroyed during the siege. Hassan tried to quell his anger at the sight of such gross vanity and made his way towards the marble staircase at the far end. More guards stood by, his forces having taken the palace only a few short minutes ago. Sergeants were shouting out orders, and the bodies of Kassad's mercenaries still littered the ground.
He passed through another hallway, this one lined by massive bedrooms on either side, each one larger than most apartments. His goal was the room at the very end, marked by ebony doors lined with gold. The doors were closed and two men stood by them: one was Kell, while the other he recognized as Sergeant Korvich.
"He still in there?" Hassan asked as he approached.
"Yes and he's not alone. There are other people in there too; two, maybe three others." Kell reported.
"Time to drag the rat out."
Korvich nodded to Kell, who then kicked down one of the ebony doors. Korvich then stormed inside the room, where Hassan could hear screaming and shouting. He followed Kell into a massive bedroom. The décor of the room made the rest of the palace look like a beggar's hovel, complete with a bed of satin and silk that could easily fit four or more people. On the bed were two beautiful women in transparent ropes. They huddled together in fear as Korvich aimed his rifle at them. He looked to Hassan with confusion, unclear as what to do with Kassad's whores.
Hassan ignored them for a moment as he scanned the room. A glass sliding door led out to a balcony that overlooked a large pool, and there were several divans situated around the room, some near a massive television, while others were by a granite fireplace. Hassan finally noticed a wooden door tucked behind two large display vases, filled with ancient Egyptian artifacts.
"Escort them out of here and get them to safety." Hassan directed his order to Korvich.
The Sergeant lowered his weapon and motioned gently for the women to head out. They still looked terrified but obeyed. Hassan then motioned for Kell to open the door. They both stepped into a large office lined with oak paneling. Bookshelves and more expensive decorations occupied the room. In the middle of the room, placed in front of a large window with a vista view of the now ruined base, was a wooden desk inlaid with ivory. Sitting behind the desk in a posh chair was Prince Kassad, a nervous smile on his face.
"Commander Hassan! What a pleasure to see you my friend." Kassad spoke as if there wasn't a high powered sniper rifle aimed directly at his head.
"It's time to pay for your crimes Kassad." Hassan couldn't keep the utter contempt he had for the man from his voice.
"What crimes? I have done you no wrong. In fact it is you who assaulted my city."
"What about your betrayal of Juhziz! Leaving us to die when we needed your armies. You are a traitor! No… a heretic! You will answer dearly for this." Hassan couldn't believe the arrogance from the man.
"The real traitor is Juhziz! He will lead our Brotherhood to ruin! While he fights his hopeless war, our people suffer. Our cities wilt away from poverty. Juhziz will starve the Brotherhood!"
"Don't pretend like you care Kassad. All you care for is yourself, you selfish pig."
"Yes, but you care. You have seen the people grow tired of the fighting. Juhziz's crusade will not save us, it will damn us." Kassad's voice grew pleading, the smile gone and replaced with a wild look in his eyes.
"I know how to save our people. I've made a deal with a GDI commander. If we promise to reduce our military, and stay out of GDI held territory, then they will leave us alone. The Brotherhood can live on freely from oppression. Listen to me Hassan: it is the only way."
Hassan took a step backwards, shocked at Kassad's open admission of heresy. To make a deal with the enemy? It was unheard of. It also explained why those special forces had landed in the city: GDI wanted it's pet traitor out safely.
"We shall see what the people of Cairo have to say once they hear of this. Get him out of my sights."
"You are making a mistake! Don't be a blind fool!"
Kell smashed the butt of his rifle into Kassad's head, causing the man to go limp. Kell then began dragging Kassad's unconscious body away, leaving Hassan alone in the office.
He sat down in the now vacant chair and sighed. The battle was over, but he still had to clean up the mess and secure the city. And there was still no word from Juhziz. All Hassan knew was that GDI had claimed the capital of Kazakhstan and were swiftly pushing Nod forces out of the country. He looked down to the desk and noticed the cell phone. He picked it up and inspected it. A generic flip phone, which seemed out of place given the opulence of everything else. He opened the phone and noticed the single contact saved.
All of Hassan's doubts suddenly rushed to the forefront of his mind. He knew that Juhziz would only incur GDI's wrath with his plan. All it promised was a prolonged war that Nod had no hope of winning. Kassad was right; the people were starving, entire countries were struggling since the war had ended, and all the infighting had done was exasperated those problems. The Brotherhood needed time to heal, to rebuild. It needed peace.
Hassan took the phone and stared at it for a good while. Eventually he came to a decision, and called Kassad's GDI contact.
"Commander Solomon? This is Commander Hassan. You and I have a lot to discuss."