Some plot elements here are inspired by Snake Squad's Third Recon Team, so thanks for that lad. Adding this story as well are elements from the Army of Two franchises, mods for the C&C General: Zero Hour (Contra, Shockwave, Untitled, etc.), and the cancelled sequel to the RTS game. Copyright infringement not intended.
Earlier….
On the vast grassy plain under the morning sunlight are very long lines of refugees that had left their Coda village yesterday for safer locations away from the Flame Dragon. Guarding them are the vehicles of the Third Recon Team: three Japanese automobiles in the front and the other half in the rear. In one US Army Humvee is Private Bobby Sanford as its driver, Private Preston Marlowe in the front passenger seat, and Specialist Mirenda Rios in the back seats as she reads the 'nonessential' books and scrolls written in the native language.
"Everything fine back there, Rios?" Marlowe asked.
"I'm quite okay with the reading materials right here. At least these would keep me preoccupied while escorting the fleeing villagers for god-knows how long."
Now it's Sanford turn to question. "Out of curiosity Miss, so what were the books saying actually?"
"Well… let's start with the fact that I'm halfway on reading the first of five books with different topics. So far, its contents are rather uh… strange."
"Oh… 'kay… then what could be more stranger than magical dragons, elves, Roman armies, and unpolluted landscape?"
"Hmm… probably the written notes on many oral stories of this uh - 'Special Region' that were recorded in this hand-held work."
"So… what do these stories tell us about?"
"I don't have the whole picture yet, but I did see words in here like dark wizards, vampires, and uh… well, anything abominable."
"Uh… Mirenda, do you think we're going to face some really, nasty dark magic stuff in the near future?"
"I'm not so certain of that ever to happen… if ever."
"Wait… what do you mean by 'if ever?'"
"Well here's the weird part: the commentaries had said that the ghoulish monsters and other creatures with unholy magic were never seen again for ages. Additionally, those stories of abominations concluded with the appearances of uh, 'mages of black iron' that exterminated them, quite frankly."
"Oh… then I guess I can thank the duh… 'wizards in black' for taking care of that possibility."
Marlowe added, "Yeah, almost like those fictional agents from the 'Men In Black' alien movies. Don't you think?"
Rios answered, "Perhaps, but I'm more interested in the grammar structures presented on these books at the present time and making comparisons to our languages back on Earth."
"Well... good luck with that, Miss Lupin."
Inside the other American Humvee meanwhile…
"I sure wish I had some beef jerky," Haggard stated.
Sweetwater pondered, "You think it's gonna fall out of the sky if you say that enough?"
Redford and Gat laugh a little at the preposterous possibility.
Haggard replied, "I don't know. Strange things had happened back home in Texas. I mean… it rained frogs once."
"Huh… raining frogs sure sounds weird," Johnny agreed.
Sweetwater said otherwise. "Actually, it rained frogs frequently. What happen is that they get scooped up in the clouds when they're still spawn. Then they grow into frogs actually up there in the clouds." The rest of the crew pause at the explanation for some time.
Haggard break the silence shortly. "Did I say I think it rain frogs back there?"
"Yeah."
As the Coda convoy continue to move at a walking pace by the hours, unlucky breakdowns gradually sprang up among the wagons of the fleeing humans. The recon unit can surely deal with carriages stuck in the mud due to yesterday's rain, but it's another matter when horse-drawn carts were broken beyond repair.
Especially when a Starshina Dimitri Kamarov noticed a smoke column in the air ahead of him inside the BTR-82A, which occurs a few minutes after hearing again another mishap on a wagon. "RCT3 Actual, this is Starshina Kamarov speaking. Can you care to uh… explain that pillar of smoke I'm seeing right now?" requested the Russian officer thru the radio comms.
Youji answered, "Well… it used to be a family's wagon full of their possessions until its axle sadly shattered."
"So then… what was the reason for burning it all down?"
"Eh… was there any options available while being behind enemy lines and no back up?"
"Well, there is the suggestion of bringing in more trucks from our main base to help carry more of their… countless luggages."
"Ah… except for one drawback that you may have missed."
"Would that problem be the risk of attracting hostiles like bandits and Imperial soldiers to our positions; which could lead to a skirmish that then transform into a bigger battle that produce casualties from civilians being trapped in the middle, and thus signify our failure to win the hearts and minds of the local population as planned, right?"
"Oh… wow, I never expected you to accurately say something as similar to my thoughts on that solution."
"It's an educated guess based on the overall situation here and my military background, sir. Even so, it didn't change the fact that you just created a possible smoking trail for the Flame Dragon to follow!"
"Gah… now wait a minute! The family with the splintered cart refuse to leave their heavy valuables! And since their lives matters more, I had no choice but to convince them to burn what they can't carry on foot!"
"Was that supposed to be a joke, leytenant? I mean seriously, saving lives?! From my perspective concerning the bigger picture, your recent effort in 'saving' lives may actually compromised your very own gallant undertaking to escort the entire convoy towards a safer destination from the fire-breathing giant!"
"Uh… I don't think the dragon would like to smell the floating ashes from the burning possessions."
"RCT3 Actual… are you really that goddamn brain-dead?! The enormous animal is perhaps much smarter than you and anyone here take for granted! It may not like the smoke but the dragon could recognize the blaze as a possible clue to our whereabouts. Dear God, I can't believe you didn't remember the beast's behavior as it try to attack the American misfits!"
"Well… my team were more focused on evacuating the surviving elves to safety."
"Itami… enough of the excuses. The point is that we don't have any 'good' options for helping all the villagers at present, while in radio silence from our own coalition forces."
"Ugh… hear me out Kamarov. If I do ask for help right away, then what I will get instead is an order to abandon the fleeing civilians and return back to base immediately. In that situation, I would certainly obey that command despite my inner misgivings to forsake them to their fate alone. Which is why I'm not going to do that as the leader of this deep surveillance team being in charge with the villagers' well-beings. Thus, I would appreciate that you continue to maintain your tolerance on my actions at this moment. Is that clear?"
As the Russian officer contemplate, Sergeant Redford cut into the wireless conversation after hearing it from the sidelines. "Lieutenant Itami, is there still going to be a trail behind us without setting fire on something?"
"Um… well… if that meant the scattered luggages that the people can't take in or the individuals that are adamant to stay with their vast belongings; then maybe…"
"So in that case, we're always going to be followed by something or someone during this 'heroic' task! All that matters afterwards is how to react to such intrusion on the native convoy… or even us."
"Oh… uh, thanks for the advice Redford."
"Yeah… whatever, sir. Just let you know that our weapons need to be ready for an attack; dragon or otherwise."
"Got it, sergeant. Oh… and Starshina Kamarov, did I made myself clear to you?"
Dimitri responded, "Well… you're the commander in charge, leytenant. But don't count on luck alone to make things work as planned. Kamarov, out."
Two hours later, the number of functional carriages in the fleeing caravan was relatively smaller than before… under the blazing sun that is. Reciprocally, more of the refugees were walking on their shoes since several of their wagons became irreparable and eventually burnt down. As the prolonged march to safety put immense pressure on several villagers, the foreign escorts allow the too exhausted exiles to rest inside their vehicles whenever they could. Of course… the Russians were quite reluctant to enable the weary natives to relax within the BTR's interiors, at the risk of them playing and examining the high-tech weapons. Hence Itami's 'necessary' order to open the hatches for the refugees' sake.
Half an hour forward, the recon transport machines were pretty compacted with fatigued escapees inside.
Sweetwater then complained quickly about the very slow driving and poignant situation. "Man, this is no way of making a living!"
"You just gotta look at it from the bright side," Haggard suggested.
Redford wondered, "Oh, there's a bright side?"
"Well, that might be doing charitable work for the poor countryside folks… at the cost of several loots being thrown out for more space, you know." Gat expressed some of his disappointments while driving.
By some luck, the voice of a female dispatch officer was heard within Redford's personnel vicinity and at a lower tone. "Mike-One-Juliet to Bravo-One-Charlie, report."
"Bravo-One-Charlie here, no sign of the Flame Dragon so far. However, a number of the convoy wagons were already broken down beyond repair by weight stress and we have weary locals hitching a ride in our vehicles for a break from the very long walking." The African American whispered.
"Acknowledged, sergeant. I currently have visual on the refugee group through surveillance drone. From the looks of it, the caravan is heading northwards. Probably not directly to Italica or the northern towns but they are moving towards a paved highway that connects the two locations."
"Roger that, Mike-One-Juliet. Anything else, ma'am?"
"I'm done for now, Bravo-One-Charlie. I need to direct the UAV very soon to the undercover unit further north for updates. Mike-One-Juliet, out."
After that dialogue, the US army officer shortly noticed the curious natives and his eavesdropping subordinates looking at him.
"Special forces up north. Well that sounded somewhat convenient, don't you think Sarge?" Johnny commented.
Samuel said, "I don't think they will come here, Corporal. Whoever those operatives are would definitely stick to their primary objectives given by Command."
"It would be a nice change if they did help us though."
"Enough chit-chat for a while, Gat."
Another hour passed by and a few more horse-drawn carts shattered on the way; along with more local humans in need for rest… and a new section of the tired caravan growing behind the non-Japanese vehicles.
"Are we there yet, Sarge? Are we there yet?" George asked.
"Haggard… we got a few days of escorting the villagers to a safer place… at a slow pace… with no additional support. Remember?" Redford stated.
"Uh… yeah?"
"Then I'll say it again: No, we're not there."
"Agh… damn," the Texan expressed with dissatisfaction; although the children and some adults sitting inside the Humvee slightly laugh as a result of seeing him asking the same question several time like a bored child - albeit in English. "Are we there yet?"
The American sergeant mumbles in annoyance at the same silly question by the explosive expert again while virtually everyone very close by giggles.
The Asian-American slightly complained, "Kinda think about it, this long boredom of protection duty may actually makes me wanting to fight the fire-fucking dragon instead." The other soldiers turn their sight on the driver with some surprise.
Sweetwater reminded, "Unfortunately for us today, our bullets can't penetrate its red scales except for the eyes and the grenade launchers are more like harder BB pellets annoying a bear. The rocket launchers and recoilless rifles available with us may do the trick but they currently lacked guiding techs attached to them, which makes it harder to hit a moving target, and the few warheads we only had at the moment."
"Well… I'm sure it would be nice to have some more rockets, don't you think?!"
The redneck agreed, "Yeah, we would've if not for Sarge to say no on your suggestion back in camp."
"Or given an earlier chance to disregard Mirenda's deception plan."
"Quiet, you two!" Samuel shouted.
Inside the 8-wheeled APC, the Russian crew were being as patient as ever with the exhausted people resting inside the troop cabin and sometimes on top of the rear roof. They hardly converse with the Falmarian passengers other than Kirrlov holding the translation book and an alphabet set in Latin for investigating the natives' working knowledge. The female sniper remain alert on the refugees just in case one of them somehow manage to free Russian weapons, locked in securely or not. Personally though, Corporal Volkova appreciated the nice change of scenery from the more 'barbaric' events and recordings that her team witnessed back in Siberian missions while being camouflaged.
Around the same period, Starshina Kamarov continue to assess the migration situation on the move. Concerning the Russian master sergeant was the position of the foreign sun and the resting villagers when a battle with the Flame Dragon again commence. He notified the recon leader through radio. "Kamarov to RCT3 Actual, do you have a plan for the civilians ready for the next attack by the Flame Dragon?"
"Eh… why did you ask?" Youji puzzled.
"Well sir, the bright sun over the convoy is close to an ideal spot that the red-colored animal can use for a sneak attack. Additionally, having the noncombatants stay inside our vehicles while in active combat may not be -"
"This is Mike-One-Juliet to all nearby coalition units! Alert! Large unknown bogey spotted west of the convoy! It's red and closing in on the civilians! I repeat! Incoming Type-A threat inbound towards the convoy!"
"Boyevoy stantsii! Prover'te zapadnuyu storonu! Serzhant Kirrlov, evakuiruyte grazhdan iz BTR!" Dimitri yelled.
"Ponyal, ser!"
The US Army soldiers also acknowledged the widespread radio warning from the female officer and turn their weapons westward. However, the glare from the sun interferes the Americans' eyes for clearer line of sight.
Even when wearing hazmat helmets whose sensors on the armored visors didn't filter out the blinding light; and the slow photochromic transformation of the armored glasses as Specialist Rios finds out. "Damn, someone should remind the glass-makers about these transparent substances!"
"Or ask the depot for more photochromic goggles on situations like this!" Preston commented as he use the current goggles that are not exactly glare-proof. Yet a question appears in his mind as he look at the bewildered refugees still on the Humvee. "Hey Sarge, what should we do with the civilian passengers at this moment?!" asked the private now using the comms device.
Meanwhile, the JSDF personnel were baffled by the open channeled caution that the dispatch woman made.
"Uh… Mike-One-Juliet, what is the meaning of this?" Itami wanted an explanation.
"Well Recon Team Three Actual, I hate to interrupt your heroics but the airborne drone overhead has detected what seems to be your Flame Dragon west of the refugees! And it's movi- aw shit, the target just speed up towards the long trains! Look out!"
As he look around his left side as the front passenger, the recon commander soon saw a dark silhouette behind the dazzling sun… and rapidly approaching at a 60 degree angle. It quickly stop just above the middle part of the convoy; but its large wings consequently give out a powerful gust of wind that greatly lifted and incapacitated over a dozen carriages and the people surrounding them many yards eastwards. With many of the affected villagers injured or killed by the subsequent falls, the dragon landed on the ground and immediately began to devour the crippled and fresh corpses in its surroundings.
"Chūi! Doragon ga tōjō shi, rain no man'naka ga kōgeki o ukete iru!" One of the JSDF combatants (Private Sasagawa) noticed in the rooftop turret of the Komatsu LAV.
"To RCT3 Actual from Bravo-One-Charlie, our only option now is to drive that thing off! Over?!" The African-American alerted.
"Ah-roger that, Redford!" Youji quickly switch to all frequencies. "To all vehicles, we're gonna draw the dragon's attention away from the villagers! Kurikaesu! Watashitachiha murabito kara chūi o hiku tsumoridesu!" In quick session, the Japanese group prepared their weapons and drive the vehicles forward ahead to allow enough space for the refugees to not be accidently collided; and then turn right onto the open grassy plains for an area to redirect the beast's focus.
As for the supposed evac out of the US and Russian vehicles, well… about half of the local settlers were just too scared and/or disabled to mount off despite being convinced to get out in the native language. It also doesn't help that panicking refugees were in the way of bring the military transports immediately to a less-crowded spot to fight; without risking the chance of impacts on the hysterical masses. Nevertheless, they slowly move through the frighten civilians with the M2-mounted Humvee leading the way.
"I'm surprised that the red motherfucker didn't use its fire blast immediately this time!" Gat observed as the scaly behemoth gobbles up its 'meals.'
"Well, it might had to do with us messing up its dinner on the elves! And we're gonna do the same thing on its afternoon lunch!" Haggard exclaimed.
"Ladies, just concentrate on making that red lizard go away!" Redford shouted.
Sweetwater reminded, "But Sarge, there still civilians upfront that preventing us from going full throttle towards the-!"
"I damn know that, Sweets!"
Then the radios came alive. "Kōgeki o kaishi suru!"
"Huh?"
In seconds, volleys of bullets travel through the air and hit the fire-breathing giant. The dangerous animal looks at the source of the annoyance and see three JSDF machines firing their armaments from a long distance. Since it can't continue devour its preys while being harassed by gunfire, the dragon fly towards the fighting vehicles and prepares a fire attack at them.
"Kuso ̄ ! Koko de hinoiki ga kakatte kuru! Sakete kudasai!" Youji shouted. In the nick of time, they escape a direct flame blast from the big dragon. Yet it still flying in the sky and made a tight turnaround to face them. As the Japanese vehicle makes another gun-run, the reptilian creature then attempts a ground pound onto the moving automobiles with its arms and feet. The lieutenant yelled once more, "Kaihi kōdō! Furusupīdo!" Yet again, the giant beast missed its mark.
After landing however, the red animal shortly gaze its sight on half the faraway villagers that are fleeing to the north. It then redirect the only functional eye back to the foreign attackers. The fire dragon makes a roar and flies again in their direction subsequently. As usual, the self-defense personnel open fire at the airborne creature regardless of the rounds' ineffectiveness on the durable hide. Unexpectedly, the beast simply passed by them without attacking.
"Nani? Naze ima wa kōgeki shite inai nodesu ka?" The recon leader noticed. The soldiers turn around the vehicles again towards its flight.
After some distance, the behemoth turns to its left in a big circular path until it spot the motorized charge once more. When that happens, the scaly giant flies east and then circles back west perpendicular to the fast-moving war machines. It again initiate a flame assault at the JSDF unit.
"Chakko!"
The stream of fire blunders once more… but hitting the vehicles was not the dragon's intention. The flow of flame is soon manipulated to encircle the group in a wide, fiery-walled confinement as it is flying in a circle.
"Yabai! Watashitachiha wana ni tsutsuma rete imasu, shirei-kan!" Kurata exclaimed in shock. Like the rest of the Japanese soldiers including the lieutenant.
"This is Starshina Kamarov to Leytenant Itami, please respond!"
The Japanese leader quickly replied the wireless comms, "My team are still alive, Kamarov! But we're now imprisoned by the Flame Dragon's blazing walls!"
"Definitely a smart move by that high-level threat, admittedly! The Americans and my team has just made it through the panic civilians without incidents thankfu-..." Above the trapped soldiers was the red creature flying past them towards a certain direction. "O, sukin syn! That thing is now heading for the northern half of the convoy!"
Now that's a rude awakening for the Japanese combatants. "Ā... Kamiyo!"
In a relaxed state, the winged beast approaches closer to the front half of the refugees with renewed horror.
Unbeknownst to the enormous carnivore though, four newly arrived Land Rover Wolf vehicles and four FIM-92 Stinger launchers close by were positioned to rearguard the evacuees. When those missiles finally locked onto the animal's infrared signature, the human users unleashed them almost simultaneously. Before the airborne Flame Dragon could fully comprehend what these fast unknown projectiles are, all four warheads explosively hit it on the damaged left eye, right cheek, neck, and left upper arm. The received pain from those blasts has forced the animal to land prematurely, which coincide with the motorized attack from the machine guns and auto-grenade launchers installed onto the British transports.
"All Bravo Six squad, target the remaining eye to pin it down immediately!" commanded a captain with a peculiar ruffy mustache and beard (some grey hairs included).
With that attack order, bullets and grenades were ignited to strike the only working optical organ that the dragon is trying to protect; and to buy enough time for other incoming groups with heavy armaments to arrive and dish out the more powerful assaults.
The two Humvees of Bravo-One-Charlie and the BTR-82A are not part of that expected reinforcement however.
"Who the hell are those guys, Sarge?!" Marlowe asked.
Samuel answered, "How the hell should I know?! All that matters right now is to give the dragon another big pain in the ass! And remember, aim for the head without getting yourselves killed!"
Within range, the Russian APC fires high-explosive rounds from its 30mm autocannon while the US Army automobiles need to be nearer to use their M2 heavy machine gun and Mark 19 grenade launcher. The gunfire caught the attention of the British leader in one of the automotive Wolves.
"Bravo-Six-Actual to unknown friendlies, please identify yourselves!"
Responding the call was a male Russian voice, "We are currently part of the Third Reconnaissance Team… Price."
"Well dear Lord… I haven't heard your voice for some years since that Syrian quagmire, Kamarov. Are you in command anyway?!"
"The recon leader is actually JSDF Leytenant Itami, Bravo-Six-Actual. But the talking has to wait, though!"
"Acknowledged, just keep the wanker down!"
Despite some attempts by the dragon to burn these maneuverable intruders alive, it remain grounded by the persistent shooting of the allied units without any harm to the foreigners.
In one moving Humvee, Sweetwater has just finished loading a tandem-warhead into the M3 MAAWS weapon system. "Alright Sarge, the launcher is ready to-" a big bump on the tires causes him to accidentally drop the recoilless rifle onto the grassy plains. "Oh… shit!"
Haggard spotted the mishap while manning the Mk. 19. "You're shitting me, Sweets?! You lost the rocket launcher!?"
The American sergeant groan at the setback. "This is Bravo-One-Charlie here, we just dropped the Carl Gustav rifle out of the trunk!"
After hearing that, Preston inside the other Humvee look around and found the M3 MAAWS that was over a hundred meters away from the large beast on its left side. "I see it, Sarge! Sanford, drive by the launcher over there!"
"I'll give it a try, Marlowe!" Bobby complied. Once the armored car was near enough to the anti-armor armament, the US Army private opens the passenger door and then jumps out. "Uh… Sergeant Redford, Marlowe has just exit the vehicle!"
After rolling the ground with minor scratches, the 'new guy' ran towards the recoilless rifle. "Got the anti-armor launcher! Everyone, keep the dragon distracted while I'll fire it without warning!"
"Oh bugger… typical Yankee bravado!" said a cap-wearing special operative firing the roof-mounted L111A1 machine gun.
"Don't mind the American maverick yet, Gaz! We need to prohibit this danger much longer from flying before the heavy pounders come here!" Captain Price in the same car reminded his lieutenant.
Now in a kneeling stance with one knee, Preston aim the weapon's optical device at the irritated dragon. It kept failing to strike even one of the interfering vehicles, by claws or jets of flame. Ultimately, the reptilian 'monster' rotate its head to the right; which triggers the lone US soldier to shoot the tandem-warhead without a tip off to the sidetracked beast. When it move its head again to identify that unknown whoosh of air the animal heard, it's already too late as the anti-tank round hit the middle spot of the left upper arm. Due to the warhead's design to channel enormous energy through a single point, the resulting explosion blast apart everything related to that anatomical section - even the humerus arm bone. The Flame Dragon roar very loudly in pain at the loss of its left arm.
So loud that the coalition combatants have to stop moving and cover their ears.
"Bloody Hell! Does it had to be such an alarm clock?!" Gaz stated as he covers his hearing organs.
Suddenly, the ground below them shook. The following bewilderment among the allied soldiers gave the injured creature the chance to immediately flee the battleground by air. Sure enough, the damaged animal flies as fast as it can without attacking anyone else towards the Dumas mountain range. In one perspective, it's a victory in driving the dangerous organism away from the civilians.
On the other hand, a failure to eliminate the threat for good.
"God… damn," sighed the rather disappointed captain who soon turn on the communication equipment. "Mike-One-Juliet, this is Bravo Six Actual. The Type-A Tango has left the area. I'll say it clearly: the hostile dragon has fled the fight towards the Dumas Range, over."
"Roger that, Bravo Six Actual. I had seen the target fleeing the field through the surveillance drone. What's the status on the Type-A Threat though?"
"Madam, the flying bastard has its left arm severed by a Yankee recoilless launcher and several scales cracked by Russian 30 millimeter cannon and British Stinger missiles. Do you copy?"
"Copy that, sir. I'll inform the Kolesnitsa and Hawk squadrons on the latest update. And perhaps a heavy transport to carry the disconnected arm. Anything else to say, Captain Price?"
The British commanding officer look around and see some of the Americans giving compliments on their fellow squad-mate for his 'bad-ass' effort. "Yes I do, Mike-One-Juliet. How much do you know about the Third Deep Reconnaissance Team?"
Back to the trapped Japanese at the same time, they can't believed that someone else has seriously hurt the fire-breathing dragon (when they look at the sky to witness the fleeing beast with a missing arm). Regardless, the JSDF team need to figure out how to pass through the inflamed barriers without being burnt alive. Unexpectedly, a dark giant halberd crash landed on one part of the fire with such force that its shockwave break open the affected area on a wider scale. As a result, that fiery section was effectively extinguished for the vehicles to crossover safely. Before they do however, something else come from the sky and collided on the ground next to the recon team. For a closer analysis afterwards, the soldiers realized that it's a 'teenaged' woman wearing a dark medieval-style dress and some armor in tatters. Adhering to their humanitarian duties, the self-defense force personnel bring her inside the Toyota automobile and then exit the burning encirclement thru the stamped out terrain.
Several minutes ago within the forested elevations next to the city of Italica….
Two… unusual characters… were observing the urban activities of the fortified trading center. One was a feminine figure covered in dark green 'elvish' hooded robe and holding a high-tech binoculars onto her gray eyes (with flexible grey gloves and light-colored fabric concealing her nose and mouth). The other person was um… a black armored giant over six feet tall without showing exposures to… her identity (helmet, battle suit, Zerg-like traits, and all else). The monstrous looking entity had arrived yesterday ago by the use of her stealth and flight abilities to travel from the military base surrounding the Gate to the Folmari urban municipality… within hours under the cover of night. In comparison, the more elegant individual just casually walked to the fortress town last week.
They haven't made a vocal sound for this period of time by the looks of it. However, the two 'strangers' were actually having conversations with each other; through telepathic abilities at the moment.
"# So… why are we - as in you, me, and our Eldar pals hiding within the forest - here… again? #" The lady in the zergified nano-suit asked.
"# Well miss Matoi, the recruited armies of the vassal kingdoms are expected to meet around this city. #" The dark-skinned woman answered.
"# Duh… I think you missed to say: convinced them to gather their armies close to Countess Miyu's city for discussions on a command structure against the um… 'invaders' from the other side of the Gate. Right, Tamari? #"
"# On the mark as expected, Ryona. The undercover agents in the field, as I reminded you, did a good job of persuading the servant kings to converge their armies to this large town for sorting out 'battle' plans. #"
"# Eh… whatever! It will be a one-sided massacre if negotiators like you fail to deter an alliance of three hundred thousand from being walking target practices. #"
"# 276,900 at the most recent calculations. Thank goodness for the elephants being rescued already. #"
"# Or stolen by Eldar units; under the royal 'definition' for nobles anyhow. That being said on slaughter prevention, how does a super-powered mutant like me fit into this scheme? #"
"# That would be handling contingencies outside the secret plans for this military force of allied kingdoms. #"
"# Yeah… one of many backups for unexpected possibilities, isn't it? #"
"# Essentially, yes. #"
Abruptly, an earth tremor occurs at the Italica area for several seconds before the ground stop. Fortunately, the shaking is just at mild strength to not torn down the fortified town. Yet it made several locals and travelers to wonder about the ground movement. As well as the hidden foreigners in the elevated forest and the inner urban area.
Tamari pondered, "# Was that an earthquake or another ork impact being just made? #"
"# Honestly, I'm just as curious as the US Delta Force team still incognito. #" The human chimera commented.
Instantly, an Eldar ranger came in provide some news about the tremor in telepathy. "# Ms. Thorayja, your 'Terran' friends in orbit had informed us about a massive explosion that appears to destroy the orkoid landing site further southeast of our position. It might clearly be the source of that recent shaking. #"
"# I appreciate the update, ranger. Any sign of survivors, though? #" The grey-eyed lady requested.
"# I highly doubt that any mortal be- #" The sniper and everyone else within the woodlands soon hear a faint… scream. "# Uh… what's that sound? #"
The vague screaming steadily became audible enough for the covert forces on the elevations to recognize that custodian… robotic… voice.
Matoi exclaimed inside her helmet with much… foreboding, "Oh… fucking HELL NO!"
Surely enough, they can now see a yellow object (with that unforgettable yell for dear life) falling from the sky… and then crashed hard into a two-storied tavern. Clouds of dust and smoke came upwards from the hole on the roof, the main door, and open windows. When the smoggy particles subsided, the customers and servants can clearly see an upside-down yellow boxy… 'thing' that had made a crater on the first floor.
"Oww!" The one-eyed droid eventually orient itself upright to look at the confused people around him. "Hellooo, medieval simpletons! I am a former CL4P-TP custodian bot but now a FR4G-TP combat prototype. But I am often named as Claptrap the Fragtrap for short."
The problem was that no one in this building didn't quite understand the current language that the robot just said.
But Claptrap resume talking without the realization though. "Well… maybe not Fragtrap today if it weren't for the device on my head that locked away all my super-awesome powers. But it did reactivate my computerized interactions and open door protocols! Something that you guys have no idea how they work! Anyway though, where exactly am I right now?"
Hours into the evening back at the former Flame Dragon attack location….
The makeshift burial of the dead by hand and shovel is finally done. All that's left now are prayers to the deceased (or what's left of them) amidst the small violet orbs that has just glow all over the place. Together, the foreign soldiers and attending refugees begin their diverse mourning customs for those in the graves.
As time goes by during the ceremony, a boy started to cry uncontrollably due to the loss of his entire family: father, mother, sister. Hearing that commotion behind is Lieutenant Itami, who turn around and being surprised to see the same weeping child that got hurt in the Coda cart wreck incident yesterday. Sadness first appears in Youji's expression, then he close his eyes to reflect the terrible luck that the boy had experienced… and the context that it represent (almost like the predicaments he had with his parents in his youthful past - except it's more inner demon than a physical threat). Shortly later, he slightly made a smile with a bit of will to ease the child's great sorrow and opens his own eyes. The JSDF officer walks to the grieving child and give a gentle hand touch on the boy's head. Soon, the crying orphan hugs Itami's right leg.
While the lieutenant put the other knee on the ground to comfort the little guy, Kurokawa and Kuribayashi nearby looked at the scene behind them. Mari has both feelings of cheerfulness at her commander's humanity… and unhappiness on the boy's displacement despite her previous check-up with him back in Coda Village. "I can't believe how sad it was to see one survivor of a family that I once treated not long ago," said the medic in Japanese.
For Shino however, that sad part has brought up some memories of a family member whose life was ended abruptly… despite having pathetic hobbies in her point of view. "It's probably just as hard in missing a chance to say goodbye, when you didn't expect your love ones to die so soon… regardless of how much trouble they present themselves."
Kurokawa instantly notice the dishearten expression related to a particular casualty way back to the Ginza Incident. "Oh… my apologies, I didn't think that this-"
"I'm okay, Sergeant Kurokawa. It can't be helped that the sadness tonight reminds me of a sibling that had a life… before the Gate opened in Tokyo."
"Sorry."
After finishing the burial rites, the human refugees walk back to the caravan with the fact that the Flame Dragon is not coming back to kill them. What's also not returning to the convoy though, are the children and elderly that had their family destroyed by the flying beast; along with other villagers that had lost all of their possessions and those being too injured to move with the group. When asked by the allied officers about those being left behind, the village chief sadly tell them that the migrating civilians can't spare the limited resources they currently have for those that don't. Otherwise, the villagers as a whole would end up too exhausted to even move and/or starving to death without even setting upon the safer settlements. Still, the older man gives his thanks to the 'men in green' for their protection from the Fire Dragon and wishes the outworlders luck on their final decisions to help the vulnerable group or not.
As the native caravan depart for their destinations, the coalition soldiers wave their farewells at the villagers. Later, the JSDF commander and other nearby military personnel change their attention to the displaced locals who were feeling nervous on their fate.
"So lieutenant, what's your order on them?" Redford asked.
"Well um..." Before Youji conclude a task, someone with a British accent did say something.
"Leaving the poor folks behind in such conditions doesn't sound so chivalrous or civilized from a humanitarian point of view. Now would it, LT?"
"Oh... you really think so, Captain Price?" Itami asked.
"What's with that bloody look on your face? Do you have your own answer for this dilemma?"
The Japanese officer scratch his head a bit until he come to a resolution. "Hmm... eh, whatever! More refugees, right? They can come with us back to Alnus Base and under our greatest care!"
Some of the soldiers are a bit more reserved in taking in the refugees while others are slightly more proud to do that. The available translators give the good news to the remaining exiles who then feel quite optimistic. Also hearing that was the black-dressed 'young' adult with her giant melee-weapon and the two mages with their wagon still in working order.
As Youji gave a peace sign hand signal for the displaced humans, he heard a chuckle next to him and turn to see the female medic smiling at him with her eyes closed. "U ̄ n, yā! Anata wa nani o waratte iru nodesu ka?!" The lieutenant puzzled in a surprised expression.
Sergeant Kurokawa state, "Nani mo, anata wa sore o iu ki ga shita."
He smirked back, "Mite, anata wa watashi ga ningen-tekida to omou!" Abruptly, he and the rest of the coalition group heard the sounds of helicopters coming towards them. Eventually, they catch the sight of an Mi-26 and a CH-53E heavy transport helicopter.
John Price look at the airborne machines and said, "Well, that took those chaps a while to get here."
XXXXXXX
Kato El Altestan and Lelei La Relani are looking at one of the glass windows while inside the Super Stallion chopper (now in the air) and accompanied by U.S. marines, a masked British operative codenamed 'Ghost' from the SAS unit, the Russian sergeant Oleg, Chicana specialist Mirenda,... and their cart and donkey that managed to get in. It would had never happen if the magicians didn't express their curiosity enough on the foreigners' vehicles, weapons, and the soldiers themselves. Not to mentioned the mages' realization that these people 'in green' actually came from another world thru the mystical Portal/Gate and the reciprocal feedbacks that both side received (particular for Kirrlov and Rios listening to the knowledge of the mysterious gateway that the older sage had available based on an old colleague's research that he heard from time to time). Hearing these revelations consequently, the British captain decided to accept the scholars' request to come to the militarized Alnus Hill and called in the extra transport helicopter to carry their loaded wagon.
Which is where they are a few hours later.
":Well, I would had never imagined myself being inside a big flying contraption from another world like this!:" The old wizard commented.
The female apprentice added, ":It's also amazing to think that this 'helicopter' is not even powered by magic.:"
":The same as those metal cylinders from those strange staves that you picked up?:"
":Most likely at this point. From my analyses on those discarded objects, there were burnt soot lining the interior spaces of these small tubes and the faint smells associated with alchemical reactions by fire. Therefore, I believed that something combustible must be poured into these cylinders and sealed it with a solid projectile. All that's left now is to figure out how to ignite such energy source to launch one of those small bolts at high-speed.:"
":Ha, ha... that's quite a good answer on those mysterious wands, Lelei.:"
":Too good, if you ask me.:" Oleg said; considering that he and the Mexican-descended soldier heard the native conversation very clearly.
The magic-users turn their sight on the six-feet-tall Russian. ":Am I actually correct about your uh... weapons?:" The platinum blonde questioned as she recognized the significance.
Sergeant Kirrlov just stare at them without a word. Meanwhile, Mirenda has something in her mind to ask. ":I have a question for you, Ms. Relani. Had you ever handle uh... 'volatile' compounds before?:"
":Is this related to substances inside your weapons?:"
":Well... that, and any alchemical stuff that can kill you if mismanaged.:"
":Hmm... in truth, the dropped metal tubes are my only experiences on dangerous alchemy; although the blacken soot are inert enough to do no harm.:"
Kato then stated, ":I like to add that we remained scholars for the study of the natural world, including magic of course, for the time being. Even so, I did heard words from the various magical academies and research laboratories about some powders or ingredients that could uh...:"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa... wait a minute. Ahem... :You're saying that there are already compounds in this magical world that could go kaboom, bang, pow, fireball blast, or blow up under the right conditions? Like our 'explosions' we made?:" The British soldier interrupted.
"Uh... ex-plo-sions?"
":It's a good possibility, but these unstable substances were said to be found very far from our current location.:" The female mage answered.
":How far, miss:?" Ghost asked.
":I would say thousands of leagues away. Or to be more precisely, at the western and eastern far corners of this large continent.:"
":Well young lady, let's hope that knowledge is still relevant at this present time.:"
Also flying at night near the CH-53E is the Mi-26 carrying the Flame Dragon's amputated left arm by ropes and cables. Both are heading back to the fortified holy hill.
Hours into the daylight morning of the next day...
The vehicles of the Third Recon Team and Bravo Six have just park on the asphalt pavement of the main fortifications surrounding the enchanted portal; and next to a selected headquarter building that the officers had to report. Aside from the displaced Coda refugees in the allied transports, the elvish convoy are also with the reconnaissance troops after meeting them again near the edge of the coalition occupied zone's outer perimeters. Obviously, the display attracted the nearby curious personnel of the allied fort. The commanding officers soon come out of the motorized machines and instruct the rest of the combined unit to stay with the natives; while they walk towards the designated structure. That didn't actually worked on Private Haggard and Corporal Gat however, so they decide to go along with the African-American Sergeant as the other international squad leaders enter the HQ edifice.
Inside the picked room of the building are four major officers and waiting for their leading subordinates to come: Japanese, American, Russian, and British.
The first to enter the prepared space is JSDF first lieutenant Youji Itami. "Nē, mejā Higaki! Mōichido o ai shite ureshīdesu!"
"Sono bakageta kao o watashi ni ataete wa ikenai, chūi! Anata wa anata no saigo no shimei ni tsuite motto oshietekudasai!"
"Sate, osoraku watashi wa-"
"Matte, Itami! Hoka no subete no shōkō ga saisho ni kuru yō ni suru hitsuyō ga arimasu."
Next is the US Army sergeant Samuel Redford. "Sergeant Redford here to report, sir!"
Major Crawford stated, "At ease, soldier." He then notice two of the Sarge's subordinates coming in. "I didn't remember you GIs being called here."
"Eh, don't care. Beside, I cannot speak the lingua franca for the young kids back in the trucks."
"Behave yourself, Gat." Redford commanded.
Finally, the Russian master sergeant and British captain enter the room and salute their respective superiors. Afterwards, the lower-rank servicemen answer the majors' debriefings on the more open reconnaissance and British undercover operation later on. That includes the visits to the human villages, unofficial car racing, the first battle with the Flame Dragon at the elf village, escort duties on the surviving elves, evacuation of Coda Village to safety, second battle with the same behemoth, rescuing the discarded inhabitants, and the intelligence gathered by the Special Air Service unit during their ground-level surveillance on the opponent's roads, troop and supply movements, and civilians.
When the interviews were done, the questioned soldiers wonder about penalties due to their actions.
Crawford gives an answer. "Personally, I would have sent you guys to disciplinary regimes right on this military zone or back in one of our bases on Earth. However, the allied generals had elected to accept the refugees on humanitarian efforts. Therefore, the Japanese members of the Third Recon Team and Bravo-One-Charlie of the 222nd Armored Battalion B-Company are ordered to take responsibilities for the welfare and observation of the local exiles for now."
"So... am I supposed to be in charge of the refugees?" The otaku lieutenant puzzled.
An irritated Higaki responded, "Sōda, baka. Anata wa koko ni tsurete kimashita. Dakara... KARERA NO SEWA O SURU!"
"KASHIKOMARIMASHITA!" Youji then immediately leave the room, which leaves the rest rather dumbfounded.
"Ugh... watashi wa sono taidana hito to nani o suru tsumoridesu ka?" The exhausted JSDF major sighed with all two hands on his forehead.
The US Army major resumed, "Alright gentlemen, you're dismissed!"
"Sir!" The remaining subordinates saluted before they turn around to leave (Captain Price, Starshina Kamarov, Sergeant Redford, and the two rejects in that order).
Haggard asked as the duo walk to the door, "So, who are they?"
Gat replied, "Well, there's a Higaki that the otaku leader kinda fucked up, a Russky Zahkaev and a Flaskeg Brit that I don't fucking know, and then comes this Crawford guy that I might throw shit at."
"Uh, are they important somehow?"
"Why should I fucking care? I may forget their names and whatever shit they said to us the next day."
"Kinda think about, I don't remember our major's name back there."
The American misfits made their way out... without seeing the now incensed Crawford that the other officers in the room took notice.
Within a commandeered temple complex in Shanghai, China one day later...
An old man with graying hair, wearing a green jacket with military badges, and holding a cane looks at the multiple video displays of the many buildings that are part of this 'Pearl of the Orient.' Beside him are armed men in ballistic armor guarding their leader. On a table in front of this man is a laptop that he use to send commands to many of his employees and associates spread all over the city.
Such as detonating all the implanted explosives inside the many skyscrapers and locations on the fortieth day of his mercenary army's stay in Shanghai.
Or relaying warnings on the incoming typhoon that is heading for this metropolis just a few days prior.
And on this day, the Category-Five tropical cyclone has made landfall onto the city. The swirling strong winds and clouds hammer the man-made structures... and the surveillance cameras across the urban landscape that his private contractors had stealthily hijacked during their hired deals with the Shanghai city government and corporations for protection.
The reasons for contracting the PMCs: the horrifying deaths of many people in the thousands. Unofficially, hidden evidences indicated that these citizens were brutally killed for having strong desires on body parts from endangered wildlife for illegal profit and so-called 'traditions' at the great cost of the species themselves and long-term benefits for the rest of humanity. The enormous death toll also includes those involved in supplying the outlawed and super-rare commodities and the criminals that had protected the destructive trade... in the shadows or public positions. And despite the best effort by their local police and military force for many months, the perpetrators of such terrible acts still remained at large (aside from rumors, pictures, audio recordings, and videos of these supposed 'violators').
Of course, there were nearby coal-driven power-plants that got attacked several months ago. Nevertheless, those facilities were becoming less relevant to the city's electric needs due to the increased installations of renewable-powered generators outside and inside Shanghai; along with a strong demand for getting rid of the thick air pollution emitted by the fossil-fueled stations.
Speaking of which though, there are dozens of cities and towns in mainland China that had received similar assaults related to the detrimental black market and unsustainable resources in the past months. Several of them had went under martial law by the military to try to apprehend the unknown attackers, but the results came up empty after the government suspensions were lifted.
Another option would be the use of private military contractors to safeguard their cities. Sometimes in cooperation with the army and sometimes on their own.
Jonah Wade's Fortieth Day Initiative was one of the more recent mercenary groups to be hired for security.
It's also the name for the more sinister scheme that the merc leader had planned for many years since his discharge from the US military force... decades ago. And that plan is about two days away from being initiated.
At present moment however, he had to wait for the storm to move on as several of the displays get very fuzzy by the clouds or the intense winds destroying many of the cameras.
After a few hours, the typhoon finally move further inland and away from the weather-battered metropolis. Jonah look once more at the visual screens that shows the damage on the urban landscape: water-filled streets, broken windows, and piles of debris all over Shanghai. He then uses the communicate equipment to check on his deployed 'troops' throughout the city. Everything being heard seem to be all fine.
Except for one uninvited matter.
"HQ, we got an hold of two unknown intruders on the bottom of the main stairway; leading towards your vicinity. What are your orders?" One PMC notified through the radio.
The commander demanded for info. "What do they look like?"
"Both have some sort of enclosed combat helmets and heavy armor suits. Like some attempted knockoff of that TALOS concept cooked up in the American special forces."
"Hmm... you are clear to terminate them."
[BOOM!] An loud explosion occurs at a cordon-off interior door that is next to the granite stairs leading to the confiscated comms room. Soon after the loud boom, a flash-bang grenade is thrown into the center of the space and then explode. With the mercenaries further disoriented, two figures in fully armored suits open fire their weapons at the heavily-armed guards. Bullets may not have penetrated the heavies' body armor, but they can sure pierce through the PMCs' skulls once their loose helmets are knocked away. Once those shotgun heavy combatants are dead, one of the advanced-armored intruders immediately detain the male senior on the ground and face-down.
"HVT apprehended, Section 3-2!"
"Keep an hold on him, Crosby!"
With Wade now tied up and lying on the stone floor, the other captor soon move to the laptop and insert an unknown flash-drive stick into the computer's USB port. After that, the armored individual uses a wrist-mounted device to hack the laptop thru the attached piece for criminal evidences and secrets inside. As well as shutting down the scattered explosives and target beacons in all of Shanghai; and sending in the message that the '40th Day' experiment is abandoned and orders to dismantle those other demolition charges that were installed old-school-style.
"What do you think you have just accomplished, soldier?" asked the old man.
The bullet-proof hacker answered back, "Saving the 25 million people of Shanghai from your insane plan, Mister Wade."
"All you did was delaying the inevitable judgments on their unrestrained self-indulgence under these so-called 'laws' and 'governments' worldwide."
"And your solutions to make them realize their own disgracefulness were by endangering so many innocents in the process?!"
"Innocents, you say? They're nothing more than 'beasts,' waiting to become completely selfish and infinitely ignorant whenever the governing fabrics of every 'advanced' society are torn apart."
"Is that your real goal... becoming an American dictator on foreign soil?!"
"No... I'm just a broken man willing to burn an entire city to expose the moral decay that is happening to every society that have forgotten about 'honor' and 'sacrifice' for the greater good!"
Having enough with this twisted monologue from Jonah and finally completing the computer hack, the cyberspace-warrior begins radio contact with the other two-men team. "Section 3-2 here. Crosby and I have captured the Package and finished hacking his data, over."
"Roger that, Section 3-2. Me and Section 3-3 are now at the main gate near your position. We'll proceed to the extraction point at the open inner plaza together, copy?"
"Copy that, Section 3 Actual. Opening the main door now." The soldier go to the big door, unlock it, and open the entrance while his teammate carries the old captive. Waiting for them are two armor-suited operatives with their firearms. As one unit, the fire-team move down to the major stairway and pass through other temple structures and smaller open spaces in order to reach the next rendezvous site.
While also having armed mercenaries trying to delay their movement. "Looks like these guys didn't get the memo to stand down. Right, Gutierrez?" Section 3-3 commented as he fight back the private military contractors.
The leader replied, "Harper, just push forward until we reach the plaza! Got it?!"
"Got it, sir!"
After the navigating the religious complex and shooting back at the hired guns for some time, the fire-team in their grayish TALOS prototypes at last reach the bigger plaza of the wide-scale shrine.
Which is now filled with more mercs and several professional killers in heavy armor and firing powerful weapons like gatling guns, grenade launchers, and flamethrowers at the uninvited guests.
"Shit, these fuckers mean business!" Harper shouted while behind cover.
Pedro commanded, "Section 3, clear the landing area for our ride!" Once again, the black-ops agents have to terminate the incoming mercenaries with tactical maneuvers, firepower, knives, or even hard fists in close-range. Due to the heavies' tougher protection however, the special force unit often uses their experimental Storm Piercing-Shot-Rifles that utilizes 'Metal Storm' technology to penetrate through the thick armor... or dropped rocket and grenade launchers from the 'neutralized' enemies.
By sheer luck or the well-made designs of the armored exoskeletons in trial phase, the fire-team have cleared the area of all threats in the vicinity in less than twenty minutes. Arriving at the scene, just in time, is a stealth-modified Blackhawk helicopter that is making its landing with haste. "Spirit 8-3 here to Section 3 Actual, get inside!"
Once the transport heli touches the ground, the armor-suited soldiers with their captured prisoner quickly head to the Blackhawk's interior cabin. Soon, they're all on board and the stealthy chopper lift up from the plaza immediately. Lieutenant Commander Gutierrez relays the news to his commanding officer in charge by radio. "This is Section 3 Actual to Kraken, mission accomplished. Package secured and returning to base, over."
"Loud and clear, Section 3 Actual. Good work in getting that crazy old cocksucker. I'll see your team again ASAP, out."
While inside the airborne vehicle, Mike takes a look at the flooded city-scape affected by the natural disaster. "Damn, that typhoon has sure beaten up this place. At least the people here won't be part of a derange-minded veteran's social experiment. Isn't that right, Mr. Wade?" The soldier then noticed a smirk by Jonah. "Hey... what's with that face, you old geezer?"
The pilot soon spoke, "Uh, we got a big problem. Multiple unknown bogeys has been picked up by our radar."
"Bogeys? What's their position and tally?" Sub-lieutenant Mason asked.
"From 12 to 3-o'-clock of our position and east of Shanghai. Their signatures are counted to about... uh, hold on."
"Pilot, what's the matter?"
"Well, the number of unknown craft has um... increased to abo-"
The other copilot alerted, "Heads up, unidentified objects in visual range!" Far away in front of the secretive helicopter in flight are Bái Lóng/White Dragon twin-jet planes with swing-wing air-frames... in the hundreds flying towards the city. Following that flock in seconds are hundreds more of bomber aircraft resembling the MiG-37 'Ferret' concept and fast Fènghuáng/Phoenix delta-wing airplanes that look like the one in a movie called "Firefox." Behind the fast-movers are the numerous rotor-crafts such as the Láng/Mantis co-axial attack helicopters, Helix counter-rotating heavy transport with 'troops' inside, and the big Bixi twin propeller-powered heavy-duty VTOL vehicle carrying infantry or a few armored ground vehicles (along with their larger cousins having four tilt-rotors each and more tanks and/or bipedal combatants in the enlarged cargo hull).
"What the hell? Who are those guys?! And why do they look something like Chinese or Russian aircraft for fuck sake?" Harper stated as the weird incoming units pass by the hurried stealth chopper.
"Uh... sir, we got unknown vessels in our sight that are definitely neither Chinese or Russian," notified by one of the pilot to the passengers. Within the humans' view are dozens of armed airborne warships and unknown 'seafaring' vessels heading for the metropolis. Noticeable among them are two enormous 'carrier' ships in the sky that dwarfs the rest of this fleet (the other two are at the southeast sea location of Shanghai).
Then something dawn on Mike's mind. "Holy... shit, are they like the same ones appearing in our backyards?!"
The captured war-veteran slightly laughed, "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha... so they just move into the wrecked city anyway in the end, even if my 'test' on society had been commenced."
Harper looks at him with irritation. "Alright you discharged nutjob, you better tell us what you know about these 'alien' bastards once we're back to HQ."
As the undercover helicopter exits the boundaries of Shanghai and flies past the hovering ships toward the sea, fixed-wing aircraft soar above the city's skyline while the transport rotorcraft unload their ground forces onto the rooftops of the various buildings and/or wide-open spaces for vehicles to move out. This land 'invasion' is composed of robotic soldiers in red and green armor pattern using ballistic firearms and mobile military machines like the single-barreled Warlord/Jūnfá MBTs, ZS10 Telker air-defense tracked vehicles, long-ranged Wéichéng/Siege SPGs containing non-nuclear shells, and Bùduì Lǚdài/Troop Crawler APCs that sometimes carry micro-bot swarms inside their cabins for dismantling in-placed demolition charges... or confiscating illegal items in the underworld market.
The urban inhabitants still reeling from the typhoon are in a confused state as they look at the alien ships moving closer to their city and the widespread movement of these anonymous war machines and armed 'robots' that distribute themselves on many areas of Shanghai. After establishing their extensive presence on the 'Pearl of the Orient,' the unidentified intruders start their patrols all across the Chinese metropolis. Strangely to the locals however, the occupying forces hardly trigger a shot at the general population as they move from one place to another. The exceptions from such restraints are raids on the remaining 'traditional' shops and criminal hideouts that still sell controversial products from irreplaceable animals; and deadly gunshots in reactions to the police, military personnel, mercenaries, gangsters, and anyone else who just let their aggressive instincts take over and fight non-stop (from small-arms to rocket-propelled grenade launchers) on the supposed trespassers that seems to have no regards to which property they step on.
Signals from the city police stations, military facilities, and news media centers are being broadcasted about this unexpected incident. For the self-controlled PMCs on the other hand, they pack up their equipment and then made their withdrawal of the disaster-struck urban area without stirring up trouble. Still, there are other mercenaries who attempt to form contracts with these occupiers. Particularly for the hired soldiers in the Fortieth Day Initiative being aware of these foreign interlopers for many days and whose mastermind has been very recently out of the picture.
Around the same time at a nuclear missile launch facility in the United States...
Several military staff are watching and commenting the latest news on the only television set inside a building that is within the fenced perimeter that is slightly far away of the three missile silos. They include the large presence of the mysterious robot army along the U.S. - Mexico borders, a substantial fleet of 'spaceships' hovering the two 'New World' continents, seizures on the great deal of prison facilities across America by the same alien forces, the North Korean incursion, violent vigilante assaults in the South Asian subcontinent by unknown assailants, and the recent occupations of Shanghai and other Chinese urban centers that were battered by the natural catastrophe.
"Hey Jerry, do you think a civil war was brewing in China?"
"I'd let the Chinese deal with their own problems for now, Nathan. I'm more concern with the real intentions of these guys on our home turf."
"Yeah... this kind of invasion on the USA is atypically weird. I mean, their vehicles looked like something that resembles our military; aside from having more futuristic stuff. Another strange aspect is them not going all gun brazing as inva-"
Siren alarms instantly reverberates the habitable structure, causing the faculties to quickly get to their battle-stations. Also in an instant however, great tremors shake the floor of the building and made the staff lose balance in the rush (along with a boom sound). Followed immediately are the dust clouds and gust coming into the wooden edifice. After the dust settled and the personnel stand up though, the Americans immediately heard buzzing noises nearby. It turns out that those sounds belongs to swarms of darken micro-bots rapidly moving towards the electronic equipment that controls the launch process of the intercontinental ballistic missiles; above and below ground. The insect-like masses swiftly bypass the staff members and open the hatch that leads to more electronics with powerful collective strength. Once in contact, the tiny drones tear the computer machines methodically and/or insert digital codes inside to disrupt the initiation sequences necessary for the ICBMs to take off... or disarm the warheads.
"Oh shit! We need to do something now! And somebody must send word on Command about this, ASAP!"
Simultaneously, separate nano-enhanced swarms from the recently crashed stealth-cruise missiles had unlocked the protective hatches; which ushers in pathways towards the atomic weapons themselves and the electronic systems that controls their potential launch. After going inside, the micro-bots proceed to wreck havoc on the military assets to render them unusable; by cyber-hacking, physical sabotage, or both in tandem. When that objective is finished, the collective groups then encase the missiles within some-sort of tough techno-organic matrices that the 'extraterrestrials' could take control.
And there hundreds of active ICBM sites in the United States being attacked at that moment...
Along with more stealth assaults being underway to 'decommission' almost two thousand more nuclear missile launch facilities actively located in Russia, China, India, and Pakistan.
Although not possibly hitting all of them at once on this period of time.
I can't really tell if that last campaign map from Army of Two: The 40th Day was fictional or more based on an actual temple.
If any of you want to make reviews and potential corrections/changes here (serious or otherwise), go ahead.
[If no replies for months again]: Ugh... so... lonely.