The men were exhausted after the lockdown of the inner city, and had promptly returned to their bunks in the barracks. Most were just relaxing while others had totally fallen asleep. I almost felt sorry disturbing them. Almost.
"Rise and shine, Krimzons!" I said. The rooms filled with groans and whining. "We've been ordered to send a full elimination team to the gates. Foxtrot Team and Alpha Team will take HellCats. Charlie and Delta Teams will take the Zoomers. I'll lead the Blue officers on foot. Any questions? Good. Load up and roll out!" The soldiers suited up. The commander caught me in the hall.
"Torres, I want no casualties, understood? The force is limited as it is. We cannot afford losses. Kill the bastards and get home safe." He ordered.
"Aye, sir. Quick, clean, and safe." The HellCat team left first. We waited for them to confirm contact. I decided to talk to my men. "Krimzons, these Metalheads are no small game. I've seen men torn apart by them. This is serious! Millions of lives are at risk. I want no less than your best. Are we clear?" The crowd roared with 'Yes Sir'.
Minutes went by without any word from the team. Suddenly, the team launched an alert.
"Red Alert! Red Alert! The Metalheads are breaching the barrier!" The video feed flicked on, coming from a HellCat camera. "We need support! These walls aren't going to hold for long!" The generators for the electro-barriers were badly damaged and the walls themselves would fail any second.
"Pull the lead out! We leave now!" I screamed into my microphone. A good 150 men filed into the armory or garage. The Zoomer team was off in an instant, the engines whirring as they flew by. Pursuing on foot took time we didn't have. But I led the Blue Elites, a special Krimzon Division of only the best, fastest, strongest Krimzons in Haven. They carried not only stun rifles, but scatter guns and a few Peace Makers as well.
When we arrived, the worst had happened: The Metalheads had broken in. No flying Metalheads had shown up (yet), so the HellCats were mostly okay. As were the Zoomers. The men seemed to fight okay, but they needed all the help they could get. Sergeants McAllen and Dorian fired two Peace Maker shells into a large crowd. The large purple explosion sent many Metalhead carcasses flying.
With a hole in the swarm, the surrounded Krimzons regrouped with us. The Stun-Riflemen kept the Metalheads at bay and anyone with scatter guns took out any who got through. We pushed them back for a half hour. The men were beginning to slow down, but they seemed fine. But the Metalheads just kept coming. It seemed hours had gone by, with no end in sight. Fatigue was setting in. Munitions were as low as the morale.
"Sir… I don't think the men have much left in them. We NEED to retreat!" Said Dorian.
"Has the city been evacuated?" I asked.
"Mostly. The eastern district is still full." He replied.
"Ah. Just uptown." I said. Then I switched to my radio. "All ground units return to base. Aerial units… can you hold them back until we resupply?"
"Roger." Said the pilots. So we fell back, and the Blues retired for the day in the barracks. I couldn't sleep. I did what I usually do after a hard day of work: drink. So I was off to the Naughty Ottsel. I took a Zoomer to the bar. It was a quiet ride, since the whole city was deserted.
The staff late at night was different than the day shifts. But they all hate Krimzons. The crowd got silent as soon as I walked in. Their faces all looked angry. I walked up to the bar. The barkeep slammed down a glass.
"We don't like your kind." He growled.
"Whatever. I'm off duty. Give me your strongest drink." I said.
"Well, any money is good money here. Strongest, coming up." He replied. And I drank the night away. After 3 hours I returned to base, dizzy and tired. I needed my rest, because tomorrow would only be worse.