Hey guys how's it being? I'm sorry about the wait but the first chapter was just to kinda tide ya'll over until I got further in my other series about the son of Artemis, which if you haven't read, I would urge you to do so immediately, but it's your call. Pfft, no it ain't, go read it. Anyways thanks to all you guys who came and read it, thanks to all two of you who reviewed on it, I understand that this is a really small community so everybody knows everybody and everybody reviews on everything. Sorry about the long wait between chapters I've been dealing with some shit. Anyways, love ya'll, God bless and without any further ado, let's be sliding into this shit.

Chapter 2: Assault

Liam

Liam let a burst loose at the creature as it hopped off the building after them. It took them directly on and then kept running, as though they hadn't even hit him. Liam backed up as he jumped onto one of the Guardians in front of him. The Guardian fell without the creature ever doing anything to him, he just turned pale and dropped. Liam let another burst at him, but again the bullets caught in him as though he wasn't affected. The Guardian next to Liam blasted it with a shotgun, knocking off a chunk of it's face but it still kept advancing. Suddenly, an idea began to form in Liam's head.

"EVERYBODY DOWN!" Liam yelled, cocking his gun

He clicked the grenade launcher on the bottom of his weapon and pulled the trigger, letting a frag fly into the creature, exploding on impact. Bits of whatever it was made of flew everywhere, and the creature was no longer a problem, at least not that particular one.

"HIT THE OTHER ONE!" O'Riley ordered, yelling over the gunfire "GRENADES OR SHOTGUNS!"

The sound of shotgun fire ripped through the air while everybody else prepared their explosives. Jax launched a frag at the creature, blowing it to bits just like the first one. Liam's ears were ringing from the sounds of the explosions but at least the creatures were dead, which was a small price to pay. Several members of the squad were checking out the four dead Guardians, being absolutely sure they were really dead.

"Collect that goo," Conners ordered them "Maybe we can figure something out about it."

"Captain Oswald is down!" Somebody yelled

"Shit," Miller grumbled "Fourth squad has no officer."

"Battlefield promotion." Liam said, sitting down

"Liam!" O'Riley called "Contact base camp, let them know we've got something."

"Yes sir." Liam said, pulling out his radio

"What the fuck were those things?" Miller asked, sitting down next to him

"Who knows," Liam said, clicking buttons "Could be a new Scarlet Hand weapon."

"Doubtful," Miller sighed "Those things seem way too chaotic to be controlled by either side."

"Base camp," Liam said "Base camp, we've found something."

"What'd you get?" A voice responded

"Some sort of goo," Liam said "A bit hard to explain."

"I copy," The same voice responded "Pull back to the base, let's check it out."

"Copy that." Liam said "Lieutenant! They want us to pick this shit up and take it back!"

"Alright, somebody get this stuff in a bag or something!" O'Riley ordered

A couple guys grabbed some weapons and scrambled around, scooping the goo up and putting it in bags. Liam stood up and scanned around for more enemies, just to be sure. Nobody shot at them or came flying out of the building, so Liam decided he could calm down a little bit. Jax was sweeping the area behind him, and O'Riley was coordinating the men collecting samples.

"Alright ladies!" O'Riley called out "Let's move, we've got to make sure the rest of this block is secure!"

"You think if we just nuke this God forsaken town," Somebody grumbled "It might end the war?"

"Not a bad idea," Conners said "Except it'd probably kill all of us too."

"Better than spending another minute in this hellhole." Jax said

Liam agreed with him, one hundred percent. Every single day, death was starting to seem like a better alternative to fighting a seemingly never ending war, for a cause most of them didn't even think was worth fighting for anymore.

Bible

"Okay," Cole ordered "Eyes open boys, we're officially on front lines now."

"Hey," Jake called from the gunner seat below them "Transmission in, they ran into whatever attacked the patrol."

"And?" Elias asked

"Killed two of them," Jake said "Bringing them back to look at them, but they're made of some weird gel like substance. Only high grade explosives or shotguns will do anything to them."

"Good thing to know we're packing both." Nico laughed

The rest of the tank crew laughed, and Cole drove on up the street. The crew had warmed up to Jake and Bible quickly, and treated them like brothers. All the Guardians were brothers, but some were often bitter when replacements came in. Perhaps it was because Jake and Bible had lost their entire crew as well, and it was a sort of sympathy thing. Regardless, Bible was grateful for there not being awkward feelings because new not really new recruits had just replaced two guys they had fought with for hundreds of years.

"Heads up." Elias said from the window at the top "Suspicious activity at two o'clock, Bible, you're up."

Bible rotated the cannon and looked down the scope to see where Elias was referring to. An old, bombed out barber shop at the end of the street, with movement coming from inside the structure. Bible couldn't exactly tell what it was, but they weren't Guardians, that much was for sure.

"Not Guardians." He said

"What are they then?" Cole asked

"Can't tell." Bible said, squinting

"Fuck it," Nico said "Hit it, we'll apologize later if it isn't Scarlet Hand."

"Sir?" Bible asked Cole

Cole nodded and Bible zeroed the gun, making sure it would be a direct hit. Cole hit the breaks and the tank stopped in it's track, making it easier for Bible to get a zero on the shop. When it was locked, Bible put his hand on the trigger, and began to pull.

"On the way." He said

He pulled the trigger, and the familiar boom of the tank cannon sounded, and then what was left of the barber shop was suddenly leveled. Whatever was inside was dead, enemy or not. Bible usually didn't fire unless he was sure it wasn't friendly, but with Jabberwockies and whatever the hell those creatures were running around, you couldn't take chances.

"Hit." Bible confirmed

"Alright," Cole ordered "Elias, on top, keep an eye out, Nico and Jake, stay on those guns, Bible, grab a rifle and let's go."

Bible grabbed and assault rifle and handed one to Cole, then grabbed one for himself. Elias already had one in hand, and pushed the top of the tank open, crawling out. He scanned outside quickly, then motioned that it was clear for Cole and Bible. They pulled themselves out and dropped onto the ground, the mud splashing under their boots. They advanced slowly towards the rubble, keeping their weapons raised just in case. Nobody shot at them, and Bible was seriously beginning to question what exactly it was he had hit. They dropped into the crater of the barber shop and scanned around, looking for the targets.

"M60," Cole said, kicking a machine gun away "Belts of ammo, I don't see anything else."

"I got blood," Bible said, moving to the corner "Body parts, wearing black, they were Scarlet hand."

"They must be-" Cole began, but he was cut short as gunfire tore through the air

"Scarlet Hand units!" Elias yelled, dropping into cover behind the tank cannon "Dead ahead!"

Cole and B ducked into the crater and fired off in the direction Elias had pointed, and immediately bullets began bouncing back at them. The two machine guns on the front of the tank blazed to life as Nico and Jake opened fire, forcing their enemies out into the open. They stood in the streets, moving up in leapfrog formation, two more taking the place of every one of them cut down. Bible shot one in the head, and Cole motioned for him to fall back.

"GET THE TANK STARTED!" He yelled over the gunfire

Elias hopped back into the tank while Jake and Nico covered their retreat. A few of the units were already dead, but more were coming, it was an attack. They were moving to take this part of the town, they had to get word back before they overtook them. Cole and Bible reached the tank and climbed on, Cole ducked down and began firing while Bible dropped into the tank. Cole came in just after him, slamming the latch as he did so.

"Take those bastards out!" He ordered

Bible immediately slid into the gunner seat and adjusted the tank cannon to look at the advancing soldiers, who were coming closer and closer. He aimed the cannon right into the center of the street, where four or five of them were gathered, making their way to them.

"On the way!" He yelled, pulling the trigger

Another massive boom sounded and the Scarlet Hand soldiers disappeared in a massive cloud of fire and dust. Cole backed the tank up and Bible leveled the cannon, firing another shot. Nico and Jake kept the guns on the front going and taking out anything that moved

"We're under attack!" Cole was yelling into the radio "Scarlet Hand is pushing! Tell the men to get ready!"

Lt. Jack Miller

"Steady boys!" O'Riley called

They were seated down in the trenches on the very front lines, waiting for the Scarlet Hand attack. Miller hated waiting, it was worse than the actual fighting itself. The silence gave you time to think about possibilities, never a good thing during a war. It had been forty five minutes since that tank had come back, and still the Scarlet Hand hadn't made a push.

"See anything?" He heard Liam ask over his headset

"Negative," Miller said back "We're all clear over here."

"Heads up boys," Another voice came over the headset "One of our birds just got shot down, they're close."

"They're massing," O'Riley said over his headset "Keep your heads low and your sights locked."

Miller saw forms moving in closer, going between buildings and streets, wearing black uniforms. He knew what it was, Scarlet Hand, they were making another push. They had been trying to take this section of town for weeks, but hadn't quite been able to secure it, and now they were trying again.

"Tangos!" Miller yelled "Dead ahead, it's an all out assault!"

"Jigsaw!" A solider next to him yelled "Hit em!"

The machine gun on his left blazed to life, spitting rounds at the Scarlet Hand soldiers, who had now come into full view, firing into the trench. The Guardians returned fire, cutting into them. The Guardian next to Miller took a bullet to the head and dropped, dead.

"Man down!" Somebody yelled

"There's too many of them!" Somebody else yelled "We have to retreat!"

"Hold the line as long as we can!" O'Riley yelled "Tanks are on the way, hold your positions!"

Miller fired again, taking a Scarlet Hand unit in the head. They were now ducking behind buildings and rubble, setting up guns and mortars. Miller ducked as a bullet bounced off the dirt in front of him, missing his head by mere inches.

"They're getting closer!" Miller yelled

"They're right on top of us!" Liam yelled

Sgt. Graham (Graham Cracker) Dudley

Guardians first tank battalion

Tank name: Lucy

"There they are!" Duff said, looking out the scope

"Alright boys," Graham said "Give em hell!"

"On the way!" Duff said, pulling the trigger

A massive boom sounded, and a cloud of dust appeared in the Scarlet Hand lines. Bear and Crock opened fire from their machine guns, while Bones loaded another rocket into the cannon. Duff fired again, taking out a mortar team.

"Boy are we glad to see you guys!" A voice said from the radio

"Copy that," Graham said "It's just us and two others for the moment, but there's more on the way."

"Hallelujah." The voice responded

They fired another rocket, leveling a building on top of another Scarlet Hand mortar team. Bear and Crock continued to fire into the Scarlet Hand as they advanced, quickly getting closer to the Guardian line. Scarlet Hand soldiers weren't made to adapt to situations, they were meant to simply move forward and shoot, eventually overwhelming their enemy.

"Sarge," Duff said "They're too close, we can't use our cannon anymore, we might hit our own guys."

"Get outside and use the gun on top," Graham said "Bones and I will cover you."

Bones threw the hatch open and Duff climbed out, while Graham and Bones used their rifles inside the tank. They poked their heads outside the hatch and fired at the Scarlet Hand, while Duff used the gun on the top. They picked them off as quick as they could, but there was too many of them.

"Fall back!" One of the soldiers below them yelled "Retreat! We're overrun!"

Conners

"Let's go!" O'Riley yelled "Move!"

The Guardians fell back, jumping from the trenches and moving away. Conners found himself running beside O'Riley, his oldest friend. They had been in together since almost the very beginning, and had saved eachother's lives more than once. The tanks began going in reverse, and the Guardians used them for cover, running and firing from behind them.

"Conners!" Liam yelled from behind him "Move you fat son of a bitch!"

"I'm not fat!" Conners laughed "I'm just big boned!"

"Please," Liam laughed, rolling his eyes "You look like John Goodman with a beard!"

Conners laughed as they slid into the trench and returned fire at the Scarlet Hand, O'Riley sliding in behind them. He tossed a frag over his shoulder and moved next to them, shaking his head at the two of them.

"Coming from somebody who looks like Mathew Perry and Zac Efron's love child," O'Riley laughed "I don't think you'd have much room to talk."

"Hey," Liam laughed "The ladies love it."

O'Riley shook his head and fired again, hitting a Scarlet Hand soldier. Conners let a burst at them, taking one in the leg and another in the neck. He set the stand on his gun up and squeezed the trigger, giving him better aim.

"Frag!" O'Riley yelled, reaching down

He tossed something back at the Scarlet Hand, and then it exploded. Conners hated moments like that, when he realized just how close to death he had come, and if it wasn't for O'Riley's reflexes, he would've been dead.

"Nice throw," Jax said "Good save."

"That's what I'm here for," O'Riley said, firing his weapon again "What would you boys do without me?"

"I'd be dead by now." Conners said, letting another burst go

Conners sprayed a line of Scarlet Hand units that had tried to rush them, but had been gunned down. The Scarlet Hand had taken cover inside the first trench the Guardians had retreated from, and a full scale gunfight had erupted, bodies lining the ground between the two. Conners never got used to the horrors of war, despite how many times he'd been in battle.

"Mama!" A kid was yelling

Conners risked a glance to where the voice had come from, and wished he hadn't. There was a kid, looking about eighteen or nineteen, lying propped up in the trench, covered in his own blood. Conners saw, and never forgot, the kid using his hands to hold his own guts inside his stomach while the medic worked frantically. He screamed in pain, yelling unintelligible words, sometimes for his mother. Conners tried to drown out his screams by focusing on the gunfire, but he still heard him.

"Somebody get that kid some morphine!" O'Riley yelled

Conners let another burst go, shooting in sync with O'Riley. The tanks were shooting into the trenches now and Scarlet Hand reinforcements had arrived, tanks and some more infantry. Four more Guardian tanks rolled out of the forest behind them and opened fire, taking a chunk of them out. A Scarlet Hand tank fired into the Guardian line, knocking a giant crater in the trench.

"Medic!" Somebody yelled

Conners looked over and saw one man lying a few feet away from the explosion, his legs completely blown off. Conners turned away and fired again, shooting directly into the Scarlet Hand trench. The smoke from gunfire and explosions was thick, and there wasn't much to be seen except muzzle flashes and bullets flying around them, so it wasn't so much aiming at the Scarlet Hand as shooting in their general direction and maybe you hit one.

"We're gonna have to fall back again!" O'Riley yelled "They just got another drop of extra troops, they might be about to-"

He stopped suddenly, and a spray of blood came from the front of his head. He tumbled backwards, dropping to the dirt, a bullet hold in his helmet. Everything seemed to slow down, and the world around him disappeared.

"Lieutenant!" He yelled, dropping down beside O'Riley

"Oh shit!" He heard Liam yelled "O'Riley!"

"No!" Jax yelled, dropping down next to him

"No, no, no, no, no!" Conners yelled desperately "Lieutenant, come on man, don't die on us!"

But it was too late, O'Riley was dead, gone. Conners shook him, but he didn't move, he simply stared, wide eyed, at the sky he could not see.

I know so many of my regular reviewers that probably HATE me right now *cough cough* PUCKABRINALOVER. Sorry about this, I thought a lot about it before I did, but in the end, I had to. Just helps, anyways, God bless, read and review, I love you guys.