Manifest Destiny

by TheGamerMarine76

A portal suddenly appears in the middle of a Montana plain. The Legion attacks and angers a nation that is tired of war. But when the call for Liberty is cried out loud, they could not stand by and let them suffer. Now, the Great Eagle is rising again, to combat a threat unlike any other which will change both worlds forever.

2. 02: Stand Up

AN: I'll be referring to most 86 and some other characters by their first names. You'll see. Also, I changed Kazumi Haga's name to Yukiko Nishizumi. Why? Because tank girls are hot. Anyway, enjoy!

---

Racial Supremacy is neat. But have you ever tried Air Supremacy?

---

March 15, Stellar Year 2147

Outskirts of an old Republic City

"Naginata just went dark!"

"Shit, did you see where she got hit from?!"

"No, I mean, her signal just disappeared! I didn't hear anything anything that sounded like a cannon or bomb too!"

That's weird, He thought.

Captain Eren 'Blitzkrieger' Rommel wondered what was happening from within the canopy of his M1A4 Juggernaut. It was now the third day of their 'Special Reconnaissance Mission' and by some miracle, none of them had died yet. Well, until now, maybe.

Intel had told them that Legion were gathering somewhere close to one of the abandoned cities, so Black Eagle Squadron was dispatched to take a peek. Five hours in, their Handler severed their connection and fucked off somewhere. That was good, they don't have to hear the fat bastard's voice when they die. Anyway, they spent the first and second days simply driving to the location with little activity and any Legion they did encounter were fairly easy to deal with. But in the earliest hours of the morning of Day 3 when it was still dark, one of his squadronmates woke him up after taking a piss in the woods. He said that he spotted large concentrations of Legion on the move, so Eren followed him. And sure enough, once they were posted above a hill and underneath some trees, they spotted a massive amount of Legion, likely at brigade level, moving through some plains under the moonlight. After making their observations, they decided to talk and deal with it when the day breaks.

Once the sun came up, they ate a quick breakfast and discussed their findings from last night. It wasn't unheard of for Legion to move in large masses like that, but it's typically during a pretty big offensive operation. However, their options were limited to dying in glorious battle. So, on that note, they decided to make their deaths as epic as they could be. Moreover, they get to choose how they die and not how those White Pigs want them to go. So, they tracked down their enemy and charged at them.

Only for most of them to completely overtake them as they ran in the other direction…

That was certainly weird to see, but they couldn't dwell on it long when some of them did engage his squadron. The fight didn't last long since all they faced were a bunch of Ameise, a couple of Grauwolfs, and a single Löwe, essentially a rag-tag force with little coordination. Anyway, Black Eagle managed to clean them up rather quickly, however, they became separated from each other in the process. And when he gave the order to regroup, one of their own, Naginata, just dropped off their sensors.

"I swear, she just disappeared from my sensors!" Ensign Manfred 'Adler' Wittman swore.

"Could she have fallen into a hole or something?" First Lieutenant Eckhard 'Geisterfahrer' Knispel suggested.

"If that's the case, why is her Para-RAID connection cut?" Second Lieutenant Naomi 'Fubuki' Aldrecht countered.

"Yeah, I'm not hearing anything from her," Ensign Aldrich 'Gepard' Schröder agreed.

"Did she get abducted by aliens or something?" Ensign Shinji 'Ronin' Musashi jokingly asked.

"Not a good time, dude," Aldrich scolded.

"Just trying to make the situation a little lighter. Sorry."

"Did anyone see where she went?" Eren asked.

"I think I saw her heading west trying to catch a couple of Ameise," Ensign Aoi 'Rossignol' Hoshino answered. "Right over that hill over there."

"What's the play, boss?" Eckhard asked.

"We go find her. If she's dead, we've got to at least cremate her," Eren answered. "Black Eagles, let's go!"

"Roger!"

Casually talking about your possibly deceased friend would have been horrific to some, but it's just a fact of life for the Eighty-Six. They were all going to die. But one of the worst things they could do was to lie down and die on the dirt. No, they will choose how they go. And for the living, they must keep going to keep the memory of the dead as long as possible and to make sure the goddamn Legion doesn't steal their heads. So, on that note, Black Eagle moved forward towards their destiny. They crested the hill, looked ahead, and—

"What the hell is that?" Manfred/Manny said.

Probably a thousand meters away, there was a massive pillar of a dimly shimmering blur that stretched way into the sky. It looked like it was made out of translucent glass as it wasn't emitting much light. But then again, it was daytime so it probably looked different at night.

"Anybody knew this was here?" Eren asked.

"A lot of maps are burned, but someone's gotta have remembered something like this here," Eckhard said.

"And look at the way it's glowing. It can't be connected to the power grid because everything here is dead," Azumi added. "And it looks clean compared to everything here too."

"We also should've seen something that freaking big on our way here," Shinji also added.

"That thing doesn't look normal at all. Like it's not supposed to be there," Manny also added.

Eren clenched his jaw in confusion. He agreed with the assessments of his comrades. There was something very wrong with that massive pillar stretching into the sky. It didn't look manmade and it sure as hell wasn't natural too.

"Look at those marks on the ground," Aoi pointed. "Those are Legion tracks. I think they walked into that thing and then walked out."

"So, what is that thing? A portal?" Naomi asked.

"I don't know, girl, I'm just pointing at what I see," Aoi said.

"Maybe Naginata did get abducted by aliens," Aldrich remarked.

"Hey, I'm getting a faint signal!" Manny announced. "IFF tag coming from the direction of that thing. It's Naginata's"

"Well, I'll be damned," Eckhard breathed.

"What's the play, Blitzkrieger?" Aoi asked.

He sighed and grasped the control sticks of his Jugg more firmly. "We're going in. We're not leaving anyone behind!"

"Roger!"

The engines of seven Feldreẞ revved a few times before Black Eagle Squadron was charging down the hill and across the grassy plains towards the pillar. Maybe this pillar was solid and they're all just gonna crash into it like a drunk driver crashing into a light pole. But, at least they chose how they went.

"I'm coming, you alien bitches!" Aldrich yelled.

The Squadron yelled a battle cry as they charged for the pillar. Eren counted down as the imaginary ranging tool in his head decreased in displayed value.

100 meters…

50…

40…

20…

10…

5…

1…

All seven Juggernauts made contact with the pillar at full speed. But instead of feeling an impact against a brick wall at 60 kilometers per hour, their vision was obscured by pure white for a fraction of a second before they were met with the sight of the blue sky above them.

"What the hell—"

"To our right! TO OUR RIGHT!" Manny yelled.

Michael turned to see a bunch of large boxes and humanoid figures gathered a dozen meters away from them. His eyes widened and immediately ordered his squadron to slam on the brakes and turn to face the possible threat. Once they were oriented and dug in, he was able to get a good look at what they were facing. It was a bunch of men, likely a platoon's worth, all in military kit with rifles pointed in their direction. There were also a bunch of vehicles present supporting the platoon with their mounted weapons aimed at them. One of them was a large tan box on tracks with an oscillating turret that housed a large caliber cannon. He recognized what it was after a moment of recalling some old military books he'd read. That thing was a tank, but tanks had been phased out long ago in favor of Feldreẞ which are much lighter and more maneuverable. Why did this force have one? But he couldn't dwell on it much as he had to deal with the more pressing issue which was the tank's main gun, which was definitely as big as a Löwe's, pointed right at him. At that range, he'll simply cease to exist if he gets shot.

"Eagles, no sudden movements! They're people, not Legion!" Eren quickly ordered. Legion were predictable, they'll shoot you on sight, but people were a much different story and they can't do anything rash or it'll end in their doom.

"Who the hell are they?!" Eckhard demanded.

"Whoa, that's a big gun!" Naomi exclaimed.

"Everybody, take it easy!" Aoi pleaded.

That's right, they needed to calm down. Looking around again, he noticed that the ground was scorched with craters and burnt remains of dead Legion lying around in various places. Whoever these people were, it's clear they just gave the Legion a very bad day and he didn't want to end up in the same way.

"That's a tank! People still use those?!" Shinji demanded in shock.

"The smaller vehicle on tracks has got a gun too. It's probably an autocannon and it'll shred us," Aldrich added.

"Blitzkrieger, I'm detecting more unknown contacts to the south right on top of a hill. AFVs too, I'm guessing," Manny reported.

"We're boxed in," Aoi said under her breath.

"Everybody calm down. If they wanted us dead, we'd already be," Eren reminded, trying to control the situation while he scrambled for a plan.

Then, he spotted one of the soldiers from the opposing group walking forward with a megaphone in his hand. He raised it to his mouth and spoke.

"Attention! Good day!" He spoke. "This is the United States Army! We mean no harm! Please power down and slowly exit your vehicles!"

United States Army? United States? What the hell was that? Another country besides the Republic? So, other countries were still thriving even after the Legion went rogue. No, that's not quite right. Something else was going on here.

"Mike, what do we do?" Eckhard asked. No one really called each other by their real names while in battle unless it was exceptionally serious.

"Hold on," Eren replied.

If they shoot them, they die. If they try to turn and run, this 'United States Army' might see it as a hostile action that will make them shoot at his squadron and they die. He can see it on their faces through the optics, they're on edge as they were. As Sora stated, they were boxed in with little options. Except…

The soldier at the front stepped to the side while ordering his comrades to do the same to make way for something. Or someone. Once the troops were out of the way, they saw a clear sight of something that made their eyes widen.

"We have your friend here and she's hurt quite a bit. We're doing what we can but she'll be airlifted out of here to a hospital soon," He said. "Again, we mean no harm and this is probably just a massive misunderstanding! Please power down and slowly exit your vehicles! We won't hurt you!"

"Captain, that's—" Aoi began but was cut off.

"That's Yuki! She's alive!" Shinji exclaimed. "She looks hurt though."

"It looks like they're treating her injuries, however," Naomi stated, seeing the red cross patch on one of the soldiers treating their comrade.

Then they saw Yukiko/Yuki herself turn her head towards them albeit slowly. Then, she flashed them a reassuring smile while raising a hand to wave, as if telling them that it was fine. And that was all Michael needed to see.

"What do we do, Boss?" Eckhard asked.

"Do you guys trust me?"

"If we didn't, I doubt we would've survived this long," Aldrich chuckled and the others agreed.

"Okay," He smiled, glad to have such friends. And then, he flipped on his external speakers. "Alright! We're coming out! Please don't shoot us!"

Eren then powered down his Jugg and opened the hatch then raised his arms to show that he wasn't a threat before stepping out. His squadron understood what he was doing and did the same thing. Soldiers immediately broke away from the group and approached them with weapons up, although only as a precaution. They firmly, but not harshly, pulled him away then patted him down and took his pistol away. And finally, their hands were bound together by zip ties and herded away.

"Delta Actual, positive ID on seven more humans. Five males and two females. We've checked them for weapons and took them into custody," The soldier from earlier spoke into a radio as he approached them. There was a reply he couldn't make out before the soldier turned to address them and spoke in a stern voice. "None of you are being arrested, only being detained. But you all have questions to answer later."

"Will our friend be okay?" Eren asked.

The soldier turned his head to the side, and Michael did the same and was met with the sight of Yuki on a stretcher being carefully loaded into a helicopter. He turned back to see the soldier with a grin on his face.

"You're friend will be just fine. You'll see her again soon," He said.

"Thank you," The Captain of Black Eagle squadron replied before they were taken away.

The seven Eighty-Six were loaded onto the back of a truck which eventually drove away. The back was open so they could still see outside.

Across miles, they saw scorched earth covered in craters and dead Legion. These people really did give the Legion a bad day, but how? Their answer came when two aircraft flew by at low altitude. When they asked the two escorting soldiers what they were they answered that they were A-10 Warthogs, strike aircraft, the Hands of God, and apparently, they beat up the Legion real hard just earlier. So, that was it, they had an air force, and in that case, they found a way to disable Eintagsfliege or at least go around them. They probably also have a pretty sizable military by the looks of their stuff. They can make a difference on their side of the fence; help end the war faster and help suffering people. They could probably even help the Eighty-Six. That thought alone made him smile hopefully.

"What are you grinning about?" Eckhard asked.

Eren shook his head. "Heh, I have a good feeling about this."

---

Eren has never felt a bed this comfortable in his entire life. He came from a small farming town in the Republic's countryside before the war. His father was a doctor but he only tended to the townsfolk and they never made much money. It wasn't really a problem, but then the war started, and the Pigs put him and many other Colorata in internment camps which had little in terms of comfort. He'd gotten used to it eventually, of course.

"But damn, I could definitely get used to this too," He murmured into his pillow.

These people (Americans, they were called) had initially placed them in isolated medical rooms for a week where they were constantly examined by guys in HAZMAT suits. They quickly understood what it was for when it was explained; they just wanted to be sure they weren't carrying some sort of disease or to prevent them from catching any diseases here. Apparently, there was some sort of viral outbreak recently in this place so that put the locals on edge. Anyway, after making sure they were healthy and safe, they were transferred to a pretty nice-looking hotel called the Great Northern Hotel where they'd be staying for the time being until they could be moved somewhere better. But how can it get better than this? They also visited Yuki in the hospital with the staff saying she'll recover fully, which was very good to hear.

All of this was arranged by some people called the 'FBI', which was some sort of law enforcement agency. And so far, they'd been good to them. Their rooms in the hotel were right next to each other so they could communicate easily. They'd been given new sets of clothes which felt much cleaner and more comfortable than their field uniform. They were told they could explore the area around the hotel which had a bunch of touristy spots, although it wasn't advisable due to the mess going on outside. They could eat whatever they wanted in the hotel's restaurant. And they can have anything brought to them at their request, just as long as they can provide it. It was like a dream come true.

"But it's not over yet," He said tiredly under his breath while staring at the ceiling.

It's clear they were only buttering them up for later. Aside from medical info, they've yet to start questioning them on anything. You'd think that people like these Americans would immediately grill them for answers after engaging in a standoff with their forces, but apparently not. That's more than fine for Eren, though, he still has to brief his team on the situation. They'd all been avoiding it thus far, opting to catch their breaths, but they had to discuss it eventually. And what perfect time than lunch?

Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was 11:50 a.m. and their agreed chowtime was noon, so he pushed himself up and headed to the restaurant where his friends were already at the table. They took their seats, ordered their food, then dug in. Conversations started casually, just talking about their day and whatnot. It wasn't just him quickly melting into the new atmosphere.

"How are your injuries?" Eren asked the person across from him.

"It still stings a tiny bit and I still feel kinda dizzy from the concussion, but otherwise, I'm feeling great!" Yuki replied happily before shoveling more food into her mouth. She'd just been discharged last night but did not talk much with them since she was drained and was immediately sent to the warm shower and comfy bed of her hotel room.

"That's good to hear," Eren smiled. "What about the rest of you?"

"I'm having the best showers, sleeping in the comfiest bed, and eating the best food I've had in years. I am fantastic," Naomi answered with a blissful expression and everyone agreed.

"It's like a dream come true," Manny said

It truly was.

"So, what now?" Shinji asked the question they'd all been wondering.

Silence enveloped them as they all stopped talking and eating. That's right, what's next?

"What do we know about this place?" Eren asked.

"I've been tuned in to the news channels on the TV in my room. From what I've gathered, they call this place 'Montana' in a larger country called 'America.' And they had no concept of the Legion until that thing, that 'portal' they're calling it, popped up and led them here where they killed their people and trashed their stuff," Eckhard reported, causing murmurs to break out from his comrades.

"They seem really pissed about it too. From what we've seen, they've seriously kicked the Legion's collective asses, or else this city won't be here," Manny said.

"That must mean these guys are pretty powerful if they can screw up the Legion like they did," Shinji surmised.

"Then… can they help us?" Aoi asked hopefully.

"... That's hard to say," Eren sighed.

"If there's no Legion, then maybe the Republic will finally let us go," Naomi said.

"You honestly think they'll step back even if there's no more Legion?" Aldrich snapped, but quickly realized his loose temper and apologized.

"Well, if they can get rid of the Legion, then that already solves a ton of problems," Yuki said. "If the Pigs would let us go, then perhaps these guys can help us?"

"Like I said, that's hard to say right now. We have no idea who these people are and what they can do. And that brings me to the point I wanted to make. They're gonna start questioning us soon and what do we tell them?" Eren asked.

"Well, it's not like we've got any secrets. I mean, we don't know any classified intel, what's going on there is basically a fact of life, and besides, we don't owe the White Pigs anything," Eckhard said. "So, I think we should just tell them whatever they want."

"My thoughts exactly. But, I still suggest we be a bit careful with them. For all we know, they're as bad as those Pigs if not worse," Naomi said.

"I see. Trust them, but just enough. Alright, that's the game plan. I guess you all know what to do next. Anything else you guys want to say?" Eren asked.

"Yeah, it's kinda hard not to trust them completely according to this steak," Shinji remarked before shoveling another forkful of grilled steak into his mouth, earning laughs from his friends.

"Oh yeah, they told me there's a restaurant selling Oriental food next to the hotel! I kinda wanna go there later!" Yuki said.

"You're already eating, and you're already thinking about dinner?" Aldrich remarked.

"Oriental food?! Count me in!" Shinji exclaimed.

"I also heard there's a cinema close to here too. If they'd allow us, let's watch something that seems nice," Aoi suggested.

"That's a good idea," Manny agreed.

"How big is this city anyway?" Naomi asked.

"Pretty big, it looks like. But, I've heard that this country has bigger cities," Aldrich said.

And just like that, the conversations returned to being on a casual note. Everyone smiled and laughed as they traded jokes, stories, and other random things. Eren smiled as he continued to eat his food. It wasn't over yet, not even close. But he feels like the worst of it all is finally behind them.

"I'm so happy you guys are alive," He told them.

"I'm happy we're alive too," Shinji agreed, causing them to laugh.

He sensed good things from this.

---

It turned out they didn't have to wait longer for that interrogation. The two FBI agents assigned to them, agents Lewis and Clark, had approached them after lunch and asked when they could begin questioning. And since they had nothing else to do, they opted to just get it over with in the afternoon. Agent Lewis and his partner, Clark, both also got the preliminary assessments from when the medical team checked them up. They both thought they were part of a dying civilization under siege by those things and acted accordingly. The last thing they wanted to do or say was something those kids considered out of line and break whatever trust they had formed. Fortunately, their effort bore fruit and questioning went on smoothly.

A single agent met each of them in their rooms and questioning began. It was all typical; what are your names, where are you from, what has attacked us, what are your experiences, how is your government, those kinds of things. Each member of Black Eagle answered all of these questions to the best of their ability, not omitting anything and clarifying some points as well. By the end, each Processor had a proud smile on their face, happy to be of service, while the government agents seemed horrified as they compiled their answers but tried to hide it. The questioning took three whole hours and the agents disappeared for around 20 minutes before they came back asking them to gather in Eren's room for one more round of questioning. This time it was just Agent Lewis against all eight of them and all he did was clarify the questions and compile them better. It only took another hour, although, he seemed distraught at the end.

"... I-I see," Agent Lewis spoke under his breath. "I am so sorry you had to go through all of that."

The real thing was somehow worse than the terrible situation he and his partner had envisioned earlier. He needed to turn these answers into a documented report and throw it upstairs right that fucking instant. The government needed to hear about this, and he shuddered to think about what would happen if the public and the world heard about it too.

"The UN is gonna be so pissed," He muttered.

"You seem to be bothered by this quite a lot, Mister Lewis," Aoi remarked like their stories were so trivial to them.

"Fuck yeah, I am! What you just told me will be among the worst humanitarian crises this world will hear about!" He exclaimed.

"Has this world ever experienced something like that?" Aldrich asked.

Lewis thought on that for a second. "We've seen mass killings more times than you can count. But you're experience is on another level entirely. The only thing that comes close is the systematic murder of a certain group of people during a war eighty years ago. The Allied forces, my country included, utterly destroyed the perpetrators in the end."

"So, in other words, you can help us! Even if you only wipe out the Legion, it'll give the Republic something else to think about—" Naomi began but was cut off.

"I'm gonna have to stop you there, Miss Aldrecht," Lewis interrupted. "You're talking to the wrong guy, I'm just a government servant. The real people you need to talk to are the President and Congress."

"I see… sorry," She apologized.

"Don't apologize for that, it's only natural to be desperate in your situation. However, the report I'm gonna make about this will reach the top, so they'll probably reach out to you soon," He assured.

"... What are the chances… that you people will help us," Eren asked.

"... That's hard to say," Lewis sighed. "America just recently got out of a war that lasted twenty years with nothing changing. And our other rivals have stirred up shit that may need our direct involvement. We're not exactly in the mood to fight again."

"Right," Eren sighed, his expression falling which was mimicked by his friends.

"However," Lewis continued. "What you're experiencing is racial genocide on top of facing extinction from killer robots. Essentially a two-front war. I'm sure we'll help in some way. America isn't the type to take oppression lightly. Our allies will jump in to help too, and we have a lot of friends. So don't lose hope. Don't ever lose hope. You're here, you're alive, and you can make a difference. This is only the beginning, but you are not alone."

That seemed to do that trick as the kids seemed to lighten up again. These kids had been through hell and back countless times. They've fought monstrous metal beasts while losing many friends along the way on top of enduring an oppressive regime that seeks to exploit and eradicate them. Now they seem to have found a glimmer of hope that'll keep them moving forward. He'll be damned if he crushes that.

"Well, I think I should be on my way. I've got a whole book of a report to write and submit," He said and packed up his things. "Are there any other issues?"

Yuki raised her hand. "Um, I heard that there was an Oriental restaurant near here. We'd like to eat there later."

"Oriental? Oh, the Japanese restaurant! Yeah, I'll have Clark bring you all there for dinner. Just wait," He replied.

"Thank you."

"My pleasure," He smiled, stood up, and extended his hand. "And since you're all here, I'll play as the welcome party. Black Eagle Squadron, welcome to the United States of America. The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. We won't just throw you away. You can count on that."

"That's all we could ask," Eren said with a smile, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake with the others doing the same.

Lewis left them alone shortly after and updated Clark on the situation. While his partner tended to the kids, he went straight to his office and got to work on that report. It was time to get the ball rolling.

---

March 25, 2022 A.D.

Washington D.C.

"What a mess," The President of the United States of America sighed as he put down one report from a mountain of others.

It had been ten days since the surprise attack by the enemy. The Portal was secured and relief teams were bringing aid to the people. Units from all across the country and beyond came to help Montana in its time of need. The rehabilitation process has begun and soon the wounds will heal.

But a scar will remain, POTUS thought sadly. This isn't over yet. Not even close.

In total 6,086 people were dead, 15,455 were in varying degrees of injured, 50,133 were displaced after being forced to flee their homes, and over 25 billion dollars worth in damages. Not to mention over 300 million Americans were furious, him included. He wanted someone's head and he wanted it yesterday! If there was anything to be grateful for it was that the portal appeared in a generally low population area. What if it appeared in one of the big cities? Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, New York, Las Vegas, Dallas, Washington. The scale of the deaths and property damage would make 9/11 look like some guy getting mugged in an alley. He sighed as he massaged his head. He was still trying to process just what the flying fuck just happened?!

It was an event so insane that the goddamn Russians and Chinese had to send their sympathies. Speaking of which, they seemed genuinely confused and shocked at the situation and eager to learn more about it to make preparations should the same thing happen on their soil. Meaning, they were not the culprits of this mess. No one else seemed to be jumping to take responsibility too, aside from some radical jihadists who claim that their prayers for American suffering have been answered, but no one takes them seriously and it's clear they don't have the means to do this. But if not them, who did?

He picked up another report, one that he'd just finished reading. Right when the National Guard arrived to secure the portal, eight people, humans, jumped right out of it with the first one to do so almost being killed when she was accidentally fired upon by finicky Guardsmen. A brief standoff occurred when her friends arrived, but it was resolved peacefully and they were taken into custody shortly after. The girl who was shot at only sustained relatively non-life-threatening injuries and went to make a full recovery.

When he got that initial report, he ordered the local FBI office to take over and keep them under custody. They spent a week in the hospital in isolation to test for possible diseases and then transferred to the best hotel in Helena where they were currently staying. They were given the best rooms, fed the best food, and tended to everything they needed and wanted. All so they could be questioned more smoothly later. He also focused on a part of the report that stood out the most to him. Most of the kids were minors with the youngest being 16 and the eldest being 19. Furthermore, the 'vehicles' they came in with were quite some things too. Initial analysis of them stated that while the technologies they had integrated were impressive, the overall design of the vehicle was just bad. It stated that they were lost-cost, easy-to-mass-produce models that, quite frankly, weren't very survivable. There was also a post-it card at the bottom from one of the engineers in Malmstrom AFB when the vehicles were brought there for inspection. It stated that no sane military would ever be caught dead fielding those things, no matter how desperate. Even ISIS or some budget-tight African warlord would be ashamed of using them.

From that information, he imagined that whatever civilization these kids came from, it was desperate enough to start sending minors into battle. A dying people on their last legs, under constant siege by those silver things. That had to be the case, right?

Nope! Not even close! The new report he got after the kids were questioned somehow made the situation on the other side look way worse.

"A racial supremacist regime belonging to the Republic of San Magnolia had rounded up the minority races stripped them of their human right, forced them into labor and combat, and has done so for the past nine years. This minority, called the Eighty-Six due to their designated area being located in the 'officially non-existent' 86th District, are also on their last legs that's why it's the kids doing the fighting now. These kids pilot those four-legged sorry excuses for combat vehicles called 'Juggernauts' into combat to fight the 'Legion,' the name of the enemy. And all of this while the majority population, the Alba, sit comfortably behind their defensive wall called the 'Gran Mur,' having fun while also hurling all sorts of bigotry at the Eighty-Six," He summarized and put the report down. "I bet they're lovely people. You guys think they're willing to sell us ice cream?"

The President was meeting with members of the Cabinet along with a bunch of other military, scientific, and political staff whose jobs were advising the man in making the decisions for the nation. Just some time ago, these meetings would've been about the list of other things happening in the world. The Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Climate Change, increasing national debt, the falling economy, citizen welfare, the President's ice cream supply, splitting the national budget, Iran, China being a bully, golf with friends, NATO issues, and other important things needed to be talked about. But today, and perhaps for the next month or so, the only they will talk about is the portal in Montana and the Legion.

"Ladies and gentlemen of this fine nation, what do you think we should do about this?" POTUS asked.

A hand raised from the table. It was the Vice President herself. "Sir, I can already see where this is going, we're going in there to secure the other side of that portal. And once we do, I strongly urge that aside from conducting anti-Legion operations we should also locate the 86th District and immediately liberate the people there."

"Whoa, Madam Vice President, what you're suggesting can easily be seen as an act of war," National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan cautioned.

"How the hell is extending aid to oppressed individuals an act of war?" VP demanded.

"It's a matter of perspective, ma'am. We need to think of it this way, it sucks but it's the truth. San Magnolia clearly sees these people as nothing more than tools. If someone just started touching our stuff, we won't like it won't we?" NSA answered.

"Christ, Jack, people are dying over there, and we're just going to dilly dally?! What the hell does this country stand for then?!" VP spat.

"I know all that very well, ma'am, but we cannot instigate a war! I'm only trying to do my job here!" NSA argued heatedly.

"They already started a war, goddamnit! When they decided to rip their own people's basic human rights! As far as I am concerned, we have to do something about it! Even if it means flattening their whole capital with our bombs!" VP yelled passionately.

"And become murderers ourselves?! You want to give this country a worse image than it already has?!" NSA yelled back.

"ENOUGH!" POTUS yelled followed by a slam of his hand on the table. "Get a hold of yourselves this instant!"

The two officials immediately backed down although they were still glaring at each other. Meanwhile, the President regarded his government with an incredulous look.

"I will not have this here! We're trying to solve a problem, not trying to test our voices! When has yelling gotten anything done, huh?!" He demanded.

"Sorry, Mister President," VP apologized.

"I'm sorry too, sir," NSA apologized as well.

The President sighed and rubbed his temples before looking back up. "Kamala, I understand where you're coming from, and I agree with you somewhat. I also want the people responsible tried and convicted for their atrocities. But bombing them is only going to make us look evil in their eyes and generally make things worse. We're trying to save people here, not kill more people, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good," He exhaled. "Check this out: the order that stripped their rights and sent them to die is called The Wartime Peace Preservation Act, Presidential Order Number 6609. Does that ring a bell to anyone?"

A hand raised. It was the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro McDonald. "Me, sir. 6609 is a mirror of 9066, which is Executive Order 9066."

"Quite a coincidence, eh? And what was that order for?"

"It was a Presidential executive order that sent the Japanese-American population into internment camps during World War 2. It was to prevent possible enemy espionage from within. But it turned into one of the worst mistakes this country has ever made," Mcdonald explained. "But sir, we did not do unto the Japanese-Americans anything remotely close to this."

"No, we did not. But the fact of the matter is that we still did something terrible. So I ask now, do we deserve to be bombed out of existence for such a mistake?" He asked and everyone remained silent. "I thought so. War brings the worst out of humanity, and San Magnolia is only a nation of people. Nothing more, nothing less. Honestly, we shouldn't be surprised that somewhere out there, other humans were trying shit like this.

"And since they're only human, I also imagine that there are some Alba over there who don't buy into the racial supremacy bullshit. They don't deserve to die. Alba children especially; they're only just beginning their lives! They're not part of any national decision-making process. What will the American people say if we murder some innocent kids?"

"We'll be making the same mistake as them out of plain self-righteous anger. Sorry, sir," VP replied.

"So let's not make the same mistake," POTUS stated firmly. "We want to save them, yes, that's definitely an objective. But as much as possible, we don't want to go to war with them and kill more people. And we sure as hell don't want to be the instigator of one. How do we accomplish this?"

"I think I have an idea, Mister President," Secretary of State Anthony Baker said.

"Go ahead."

"Alright, sir, please hear me out," SecState began. "I think we should establish relations with them."

Silence enveloped them for a moment. The VP blinked and spoke. "W-What?"

"We should establish relations with them. Trade agreements, alliances, the whole smack," He clarified.

"What's that gonna do?" NSA asked.

"By establishing relations, we can probably convince them to change for the better. And historically speaking ladies and gentlemen, the United States of America is very convincing," SecState answered.

"What makes you think that'll work? How'd you even think of that?" VP asked.

"I've done some analyzing and thinking when I read this report. It's not exactly the whole story, I think questioning missed a few things that I'd like clarified. Anyway, I think apart from racial superiority, 6609 was done as some sort of desperate move when the war began. But now, they're so deep in their mess that they can't back out. I believe that with our support, we can offer them a way out that'll free the Eighty-Six and let them save face," He explained.

"That's only part though, it's gonna take more than that to convince a government," VP remarked.

"I am aware, that's why the plan has multiple parts. We offer our support but make it clear that conditions have to be met for that. We should also make an impression on their people, show them that we are good and there to help. I'm also under the impression that most of the civilian population isn't even aware of the mistreatment so we can use that to our advantage. We should also try to connect with possible sympathizers.

"Early on, we should also start placing troops in the internment camps and squadron bases, and if they ask, we'll just say that we're using them as FOBs. Actually, it doesn't have to be troops, we can place American Red Cross volunteers in the camps and simply let them do their thing. If they complain about humanitarian aid, it gives us something to hit them with. And we'll also make it clear that if they shoot at us, we'll shoot back. Politics 101, sir," SecState explained.

POTUS thought about it for a moment and smiled. "I don't regret hiring you. I like that."

"Thank you, sir."

"Mister Baker's plan sounds nice, but I'd like to hear yours too if you have one," He offered.

"Well, my idea was to fly our jets over their capital, demand them to hand over the Eighty-Six to our custody, and simply let them be. Let them figure out how to survive or just let them all die to the Legion. But, I agree that these are also people, and it'd be a shame to leave them out to dry. That's not the America I had aspired for," SecHome answered, and the rest agreed.

"Alright then. Of course, we don't know the full picture yet. That plan will be modified if we do make contact with them as we see fit. What do the rest of you think?"

"I think it's risky, Mister President. The people will lose their shit when they hear that we want to establish relations with the likes of them. And personally, sir, I'd rather not our country be associated with those animals. But, the plan sounds solid. I'll trust it," VP answered.

"Yeah, I figured that's going to make it difficult. We'll just have to do our best to explain it. Speaking of which, Karen, how long till they find out about this?"

"They already know about the kids, sir, and they're hounding for some info on them. And we have about 24 hours to release the details of this report," White House Press Secretary Karen Jean-Pierre replied.

"Fantastic. We'll release a statement with it as well. Try to contain the chaos as much as possible."

"Yes, sir."

"How are those kids by the way? What are they doing now?"

"They're still in Helena, sir, checked in to a nice hotel. They're probably just checking out local tourist sights right now. The FBI's taking good care of them," White House Chief of Staff Jose Zient answered.

"Hmm, okay. Clear a couple of hours in my schedule this week. I'd like to speak to them, and tell me when they're available," He ordered.

"Yes, sir."

"What do we do with them? Actually, what do they want to do?"

"Well, we can grant them refugee status and possibly citizenship over time. A couple of them are already 18 and above, so we can designate one of them as a legal guardian of the other or maybe just assign them all to someone. I believe we shouldn't split them up. As for what they want to do, there are tons of programs both private and government that can help them. But, I heard that they still want to fight."

"They want to go back into hell? Jesus…" VP murmured.

"It's probably because that's the only thing they know how to do. But, I'm sure it's also because they also want to help their comrades," SecDef Austin stated. "And this will sound insane, but if they want to fight, I say we let them. We can't just pluck them out of their previous lives and place them in new ones. They'll be fish out of water and who knows what happens then. I'm a combat veteran, I know it's not that easy. I also think that their knowledge of the other side is invaluable from a tactical point of view. They can be our guides and ambassadors when we make contact. The Eighty-Six will trust their own."

"... I see," POTUS reluctantly agreed. "But keep showing them around, keep feeding them our history, culture, and world. Let them have more options."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, militarily speaking, how do we go about this?"

"We're still in the process of writing up a doctrine on how to fight those things. Small arms don't work for most of them, so we have to start training more units with various anti-tank weapons. But the good news is that the Legion does not have any sort of air support aside from their jammer swarms. We'll launch EMP attacks followed by air cover with ground forces mopping up anything that remains. It's the same story with possible San Magnolia contingencies; their wall and defenses are meant for ground units and our aircraft can just fly over them. They'll be at our mercy at that point, but I have a feeling they have anti-air units in storage. As long as we have the ammunition, we can fight. However, there are still a lot of gaps to be filled, and no plan we have is anywhere close to ready. That's why the military would like to talk to keep those kids close, they're our top source of intel," SecDef explained.

"Okay, I'll let you people work that out. Inquire about the kids for a chat and you may if they accept."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, on the international stage, where do we stand?"

"Well, it's about what you expect, Mister President. The world knows there's another world on the other side, and they're freaking out over it. They're worried we might try to 'subjugate them with our American Imperialism.' But that's standard, we can ignore them for now. Our allies have pledged their support though. We can expect support from NATO partners especially the UK, France, and Germany who were the most vocal. Hell, I think Japan and Korea want to pitch in as well. But, we all know it's just to get some form of access to the other side. Since the Portal is on our land, we have the rights to it," SecState explained.

"We're not sending anyone or anything in for a while, but let's keep this in mind. And I don't care about ulterior motives. Our allies want to help, that's the important thing."

"Yes, sir."

"Alright," Then he took a deep breath. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a long road ahead of us with many things unknown along the way. But we will endure as we have done countless times before. What we decide to do will be for the benefit of America, the world, the Eighty-Six, San Magnolia, the other world, and every human there is. We must give it nothing but our best. That's all for today. Dismissed."

The staff stood up from their seats and began filing out of the room while the President leaned back and closed his eyes for a bit. More meetings like that and more similar headaches were yet to come. But, the fate of a people hangs in the balance and they must do their part. And with renewed vigor, he stood up and headed to his next piece of work for the day.

The ball was now rolling.

---

March 27, 2022 A.D.

Montana, USA

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph…" Milizé murmured as he read the newspaper.

It took him and his unit four whole days to cross the country from El Paso to Helena by train. Then they drove to the portal site and simply marveled at the massive structure that baffled every scientist that has ever lived. However, there hasn't been any activity since the incident. It seemed like the enemy's asses were kicked so hard they're now shy of trying it again. Good. No one fucks with America without getting hit back. More forces arrived shortly after them and more were still coming that day and the coming days. The place was starting to look like a proper military base with hundreds of tents and prefab buildings all over the place. Not to mention the thousands of military personnel surrounding the portal, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice and kill anything hostile that comes to their side.

"This… This is fucked up," Privatelyte First Class Collin Frank Rivers murmured as he shared another newspaper with his comrade.

"Bro, it's fucking beyond that. It's like a mix of Joseph Kony and Adolf Hitler. A little mix of the worst of mankind," Sergeant Norman Lafayette Swanson added.

"All that shit while also trying to survive against those silver fuckers," Corporal Conrado 'Connie' Reyes Mendoza sighed.

After some morning conditioning training, Milizé allowed his Company to take a break since none of them had any breakfast yet. 4-70 AR's Alpha Company 'Undertakers' were on constant alert since they got there. All 14 tanks of the unit were placed in hull-down positions on a couple of hills with guns looking right at the portal that lay over 500 yards away. The defensive plan laid out was a modified version of Cold War-era plans meant to repel Soviet tank swarms charging across the Fulda Gap and into Western Europe. Static defenses on elevated spaces where they can just pick off the enemy. It also helped that the rolling hills of Montana around them were similar to the geography of the Fulda Gap, so they didn't have to change much and immediately got to work.

When they arrived, Milizé immediately ordered his tanks to their positions and for their crews to dig in for the long run. He would frequently run them through drills to make sure they were ready and he could already see the fatigue slowly creeping on his men, but he just couldn't risk it. This was a new type of foe that none of them were trained to fight, and he wanted to make sure his boys were at least able to respond quickly should another incursion happen. So, he was glad to see that his troops were as ready as they could be and was equally glad to let them take a break. It also meant he could take a break too.

Now, the four 19K tankers gathered around the side of WarPig, their proud M1A2 Abrams SEP V2, sitting on some foldable chairs with coffee on a foldable table at their center. Mendoza had brought coffee and morning newspapers then they got to reading. They spat out the coffee they were drinking when they began.

"Well, we shouldn't really be surprised humans out there tried some shit. War turns us into shitty beings after all," Swanson sighed. "But fuck me, man."

"It's essentially a two-front war for these kids. I wonder how they manage," Mendoza said.

"They don't, bro. Look down here 'Processors suffer a 90 percent casualty rate.' They're basically fucking exterminating them, man," Rivers pointed.

"What do you think about all of this, boss?" Swanson asked.

Milizé sighed. "Someone needs to get the fucking guillotine."

Public reactions to the atrocities happening on the other side were… predictable to say the least. Protests around government buildings around the country were already being organized which he knew would soon also turn into full-blown riots later. The purpose of the protests was to call on one thing and one thing alone: free the Eighty-Six, through any means necessary. The resulting chaos would be the case of self-righteous anger which will subside as time goes by. Later on, people would calm down and listen to reason. Milizé thought that many of the protests done these days were often misguided and just plain dumb. However, he was grateful that his people actually had the right to protest whatever they wanted. He was grateful that they still had the freedom to express themselves. Which is more than he could say for some nations…

"The UN is definitely freaking the fuck out right now too," Swanson remarked.

"Do they even have jurisdiction over there?" Mendoza asked.

"Man, human rights are fucking human rights. Period. The UN is gonna impose and they're gonna do it hard. As they fuckin should," Swanson scoffed.

"And, we're gonna be the tip of that spear," Rivers grinned. "That is if we don't bomb them to hell first."

"No one's getting bombed, unless they're dumb enough to shoot at us first," Swanson said. "We'll probably just grab the Eighty-Six and let San Magnolia fend for themselves. But I can see that that won't be the case. We'll be after their government, but we won't let some innocents die. Right, Captain?"

"Perhaps, Swanson, but that's not our place to decide. We just follow orders," Milizé sighed. "But in my honest opinion, killing all of them isn't gonna solve anything or bring anything back. In fact, it's just gonna make everything worse because we just do those silver fuckers' jobs for them. And then, we'll look really fucking bad at the end of it."

"... R-Right," Rivers sighed.

"Listen, boys, this frustrates the shit out of me too, trust me. But I think there better ways to go about this. In fact, I think killing all of them just lets them escape their sins. And we sure as hell ain't gonna let them off so easily. No, we're gonna make them accountable, punish those guilty, and force them to change themselves. And they will change because they will all die if they don't."

"Yeah, of course. You're the boss, anyway," Rivers chuckled.

"Nah, in the grand scheme of things, I'm just another grunt like you three. As I said, it's not our place to decide the big picture. Who knows, we might bomb the hell out of them because that's what the American people want," Milizé said jokingly.

"Yeah, that's probably a shame. They probably got some really cute girls," Mendoza grinned.

"Bitch, you're Filipino ass is probably equal to a dog to them," Rivers told him.

"Hey, you ain't any better. Everybody knows that black people are universally hated," Mendoza countered.

"Fuck you, man!"

The four tankers laughed at the stupid conversation. They might often call each other the most vile things known to man, but they are all brothers in arms fighting for the same goal, and thus an effective fighting force capable of taking on anything.

"It's nice to finally get a break, shit," Swanson groaned as he stretched.

"Me too, honestly. You boys are doing great," Milizé complimented.

"Thank you, sir!" They replied.

Though they were an odd bunch, Milizé wouldn't pick anyone else to be part of his crew. He was grateful to have them working under him. He then picked up his coffee cup for another sip when their radio crackled to life.

"All callsigns! Contacts incoming! Mount up!" A voice through the radio ordered.

"Shit! Mount up! Mount up!" Milizé ordered.

The four tankers immediately dropped what they were doing, put on their helmets, and immediately climbed aboard WarPig. Mendoza began the startup process and the Honeywell AGT1500 gas-turbine engine spooled up similar to how a plane's jet engine started up. Swanson turned on the electronics of the M256 120mm smoothbore gun's fire control system; grasping the controls and getting the gun to aim right at the portal. Rivers pressed a button on his spot and the thick metal door slid to the side to reveal live 120mm shells with his hands moving to a position where it's quicker to take out a round. And Milizé closed the hatch before powering up the commander's interface, looking through the CITV and keying in his communications.

"This is Undertaker Actual, all Undertaker elements sound off," Milizé requested and his officer cadre responded.

"This is Undertaker 5, ready," The Company's 2IC replied.

"This is Undertaker 1-1, ready," 1st Platoon CO replied.

"This is Undertaker 2-1, ready," 2nd Platoon CO replied.

"This is Undertaker 3-1, ready," 3rd Platoon CO replied.

"Roger, Undertakers, stand by for further instructions," He replied, getting a series of affirmatives.

Throughout the battle net, he heard multiple other callsigns including Bravo Company 'Thunderers' and the National Guard tank unit. Their actual designations were something less extravagant, but 4-70 AR had recently decided to be fancy and pickup callsigns, and A Company got 'Undertakers.'

"Wait for my order," He spoke through the radio.

Dozens of tank guns and many other anti-tank weapons were aimed at the portal, ready to repel anything that came through. So they tensely waited until a minute passed, and…

"All callsigns, stand down. Drill complete," The Colonel speaking through the radio ordered.

Collective groans were heard throughout the land as every soldier present deflated. Especially the tank crews who were ready to unleash a lot of hate at the reported invaders.

"Undertakers, stand down. Just a drill," He announced. "Connie, shut her down."

"Got it," Mendoza replied.

Milizé popped open the hatch and peeked out, looking around afterward. His eyes landed on the command tent to see the figure of Colonel Casablanca looking his way. And although they were far apart, the Captain could see the cheeky grin on his CO's face.

"Fuck you, sir," Milizé muttered as he exited the tank.

Later that day, Milizé and a few other officers headed down to Fort Harrison to run a few errands. Afterward, he decided to stop by at a local 7-Eleven to get some things for him and his crew. The TV was on and it was covering the incident with a reporter interviewing a farmer named James Peterson who was able to escape with his family before the killer robots could get them. He finished loading a bag full of energy drinks and turned to leave the fridges when he accidentally bumped into someone.

"Oh crap, I'm sorry! Ah…" A female voice began but immediately halted.

"No, no, I wasn't looking—" He quickly apologized but cut himself short.

Milizé was turned and looking at this person face-to-face. Silver irises locked with purple ones. The woman he accidentally bumped into was a teenage girl with mid-length purple hair and similarly colored eyes while wearing some casual clothes. Normally, he'd apologize and brush it off like he had done countless times before, but the look on this girl's face set him off. She had a scowl on while glaring daggers at him, her eyes full of contempt. Did he hit her that hard?

"White Pig," She said under her breath.

He just blinked. "Excuse me? What did you say?"

She blinked twice before her face switched to a look of realization, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment.

"U-Uh, I-I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to call you that! It k-kinda just came out! Oh God, I'm so embarassed!" She apologized flusteredly while waving her hands in front of her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, it's alright, honey, calm down. I'm not mad and can definitely forgive a slip of the tongue," He told her with his own hands up. This did the trick as she took a deep breath and calmed down.

"Regardless, that wasn't a nice thing. I've generalized you with people you're not related to. And for that, I'm sorry," She said and bowed.

Milizé raised an eyebrow at her apology as he noticed a couple of things. She said that she generalized him to some other people. Based on his looks, perhaps? She did call him a 'White Pig.' And her accent, while it seemed like the default American, he could hear a tinge of French in there. This was one curious kid.

"And, I forgive you. So you can that weight off your shoulders, alright?" He replied.

"Yes. Thank you," She smiled.

"No problem," He smiled and looked around. "Uh, you buying anything here?"

"Oh, just a bottle of water," She replied, showing him the bottle in her hand.

"Cool. I'm just about done here too. So, why don't I pay for your bottle, I did kinda bump into you?" He offered.

"Oh, no! That's not necessary!" She tried to refuse.

"Oh, but it is necessary. What kind of man would I be if I didn't let the lady have her water bottle?" He insisted. "I won't go broke just because I spent an extra dollar on a bottle of water. It's totally cool, I don't mind."

She seemed to weigh her options for a minute before sighing. "Alright. Thank you."

They both headed to the counter and Milizé paid for the stuff. He gave her the water bottle immediately after and she started drinking on their way out.

"So, what are you doing out here for?" He asked.

"I went out with friends… but somehow got separated along the way," She replied sheepishly.

"Can you call them and tell them where you are?"

"... I uh, don't have a phone… And I'm lost. I'm not from around here," She admitted.

"Mhmm, I could tell. Well, this is certainly an issue. How come you don't have a phone?"

"I was never given one. And I didn't think I'd get lost like this."

"What kind of teenager of today is not given a phone?" He wondered out loud. It was his turn to weigh in on his decisions. Looking at his watch, he noticed that he's got some time and made a decision. "Right, well, looks like it's up to me to help you."

She looked up to him. "Really?"

"Of course. That's what good people do," He said. "Any idea where your parents or friends are?"

"U-Uh, I don't know where my friends are. But, we are staying at the Helena Great Northern Hotel," She answered.

"Alright, just let me bring up Google Maps on my phone," He said, pulling out his phone and opening the app. "And… There it is. It's not far from here, we can walk it. Just follow me."

"Okay."

And so, off they went with Milizé leading the way and the purple-haired girl following closely behind.

"So, you're military, right?" She asked, noting his uniform.

"Yup, that's right. I'm up here for work, I'm not a local too. The whole country's mobilizing to fight the things coming out of that portal," He answered. "Like, I can barely believe it. There is a real portal here and it's spawning a bunch of silver killer robots. Honestly, kinda boring. I thought there'd be some variety considering the craziness of it. But, I guess I shouldn't complain since we've been given free target practice."

"They're called the Legion. And they shouldn't be underestimated," She clarified.

"Well, whatever they're called doesn't matter too much. They'll all die by our guns, tanks, and bombs. If there's one thing this country will always be good at, it's killing things."

"... You don't know them like I do," She said under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! I said, that it was good! We can't let those things roam freely, right?" She nervously blurted out.

"Yeah," He said and looked ahead. "How's your experience here so far?"

"... You know, don't you?"

He shrugged. "I had a hunch the moment you called me by that name. And as we talked, I could easily tell all of the things off about you. You're a fish completely out of water, and that's not hard to notice."

She audibly sighed. "I was told not to tell anyone."

"And it's good you have not. You'll get swarmed and overwhelmed. It's quite uncomfortable to be in the middle of a crowd," He said. "Anyway, back to the question, how have you been?"

"Well, we haven't been here long, but it's been nice so far. Everyone's so nice to me, treating me like I'm some sort of important person. But, we haven't really done anything special."

"I wouldn't say that. You've done one thing: you've lived," He corrected. "Despite all that bullshit thrown at you, you lived. And that is a feat worthy of praise. Now, you're free and you can do whatever you want."

"I guess," She said. "But we weren't expecting the reactions though. It's only been a day."

"This country hates oppression, kid. It goes against every principle this nation was built upon. To tolerate it would be like denying our national identity," He stated. "But I imagine it's kinda awkward with all the attention, y'know? Oh wait, I don't think your names were released so you should be fine."

"Well, I don't know about the others, but I don't mind the spotlight. I used to be a child actress before the war," She said.

"Oh really? Damn, that's really cool! You thinking about going big again?"

"I don't know. I've still got a job to do. I'm out but many others still aren't, but well… yeah," She trailed off.

"I see," He said as he spotted the hotel right in front of them. "Well, as a word of advice, just do whatever you think is right. But that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your dreams. You can totally do both."

"And how exactly do I do that?"

"That's something for you to find out, sweetheart," He grinned. "But know that we've got your back. You're not alone anymore."

She smiled. "Alright."

The rest of the walk to her hotel was quiet with little conversation exchanged between the two aside from a couple of trivial things. Walking up to the front entrance, they saw a group of eight standing in front of the entrance. They were spotted moments later and then approached by the whole group.

"Aoi, where the hell did you go?!"

"We told you to stay close to us!"

"Who's this? Excuse me, who are you?"

"Oh shit, he's an Alba!"

"White Pig?!"

Milizé just gave them a flat look as he gestured at the stars and stripes attached to the shoulder of his uniform. However, the purple-haired girl was quick to defend him by getting in between them and waving her hands.

"I'm fine! I'm fine! I got lost and this guy helped me out. He looks like an Alba, probably is an Alba, but he's not one of them if it wasn't obvious enough!" She exclaimed.

Her friends backed off after that, all feeling varying degrees of embarrassment for associating some random dude with something he's completely unrelated to.

"Oh uh, sorry about that, sir. We got carried away," A white-haired girl apologized.

"Eh, it's cool. I don't really care," He replied nonchalantly.

"Hey, Miss Hoshino! You're back! Oh, thank God you're safe!" An older man in a nice suit exclaimed as he ran up to them.

"Yo, are you the guy in charge of these kids?" Milizé asked.

The man hesitated for a moment but answered anyway when he saw the uniform. "I am, sir, sorry for the trouble. She got separated from us earlier."

"Hey, don't apologize to me, apologize to her! Also, why don't they have any cellphones or radios with them? She got freaking lost and couldn't reach out to any of you! And it's just you watching them? Is that how you treat HVTs?" He questioned.

"You know about us?" A tall young man with dark blue hair said.

"She sticks out like a sore thumb and so do the rest of you kids."

"... Makes sense."

"It's in the process of getting done. Mobile phones aren't due till tomorrow and there's not a lot of us around here. And I was worried they're getting too cooped up inside so I decided to show them around," The FBI agent explained.

"Figures," Milizé sighed. "Well, whatever. No one's hurt and you're all back together. You gonna be alright, miss?"

"Yeah, I'm fine here," She replied.

"Kay. Well, I gotta get back to work. My crew's probably going feral without me," He said.

"Wait, we never got your name!" The girl said.

"Oh yeah! Sorry, my bad. Where are my manners?" He chuckled before putting down his bag of drinks then standing up straight and snapping a salute. "Captain Louis Renault Milizé, 1st Armored Division, US Army. It's an honor to meet you people!"

The eight teens looked at each other for a moment before they also snapped their own salutes while introducing themselves to him.

"Thank you for helping my friend, Captain," Eren said gratefully.

"Seriously, she always gets into this kind of trouble," Manny added cheekily.

"Hey, I do not!" Aoi exclaimed.

Milizé smiled sadly as he watched them playfully argue amongst each other. They really were just kids. And what they've gone through… it made his blood boil.

"Eh, it's no big deal," He said nonchalantly. "Anyway, welcome to the United States! It's a thousand times safer than the badlands you came from, but we also don't have a shortage of wackos. Y'all be more careful now and always watch each other's back, alright?"

"Got it."

"Very good. Anyway, I best get going. Stay safe out there and good luck! May we meet again!" He waved goodbye.

"Bye, for now, Captain! See you around!" Aoi waved back.

They went their separate ways at that moment with Milizé finding his way back to the other officers before heading back to the portal site. He refilled their stash of energy drinks and decided to browse the internet on his phone for a bit more before taking a nap. He needed the energy for the work he was gonna do. There was more at stake now.

---

May 1, 2022 A.D.

The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia, USA

Silver eyes scanned the path ahead as their owner traversed the hallways of the headquarters of the world's most powerful armed forces. He marched with confidence and precision, as expected of a man with a long military career. After walking for a couple of minutes more, he arrived at the door of his destination. He made one final check of his service uniform, inspecting the plethora of decorations attached to it, checking his combed silver hair through his reflection on a window, and tapping the attache case he was holding before knocking on the door.

"Come in," A voice spoke.

The military officer turned the knob of the door to the Secretary of Defense's office and entered the room. Once inside, he immediately spotted Lucas Austin looking out of the windows and at the horizon beyond. The African American turned about face a moment later before walking up to the man and extending a hand with a smile.

"George, how're you doing?" Austin asked, taking the man's hand and shaking it.

"Like I haven't had a coffee yet, Mister Secretary," Major General George Napoleon de Magnolia, 1st Cavalry Division, US Army, replied with a grin.

"Ha, neither have I!" Austin chuckled and moved to his desk. "Please take it seat. You must be tired."

"Thank you, but I'm alright sir," De Magnolia said, taking a seat opposite of SecDef.

"I'm sorry for dragging you up here on such short notice, but things have been… tense per se," SecDef sighed. "Can you even believe this is even happening? A global pandemic hits that trashes the world economy, Afghanistan falls just as we started moving troops out, Russia fucking invades Ukraine, the Chinese and Iranians are onto some stupid bullshit, and now whatever the fuck is happening in Montana… Now I know why the youngsters are screaming at the world to slow the fuck down."

"I could barely believe it myself, sir. I was honestly expecting Hajis to literally dig their way here before I'd imagine something like this," The General admitted.

"Mhmm, you and me both. Swarms of killer robots coupled with a genocidal racial supremacist government, although, the latter is significantly less of a threat than the former."

"Yeah, well whatever the case, all my boys are ready to fight. They just need orders."

"I'm sure they are, George, but it's not just them you'll be responsible for now."

De Magnolia raised an eyebrow. "Sir?"

"I'm sure you already know, Major General, but we're likely going to the other side of that portal in the near future. Pretty much guaranteed even. However, every unit needs a commander."

SecDef retrieved a document from his desk and handed it to de Magnolia who examined it with wide eyes.

"We've already discussed this, and you will be the man in charge of that force. We want you to form a unit that can charge in there and secure the other side of that portal. However, that's just the initial objective. There's a whole new world out there with an infinite list of things to do. And, I do not doubt that it's you who could take it all on and come out on top."

De Magnolia had graduated at the very top of his class in the United States Military Academy at West Point. He'd been in service since 1983 with his first tour of duty as Lieutenant commanding a platoon in Grenada and had his trial by fire there as well. Then he went to Iraq during Desert Storm, in Kosov in 1999, then Iraq again in 2003, with Afghanistan shortly after. He'd also gone to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, commanding troops and advising for various allies. Simply put, he had done it all and seen it all.

And yet, he could not hide his shock after being given what's basically his new command. His eyes widened for a brief moment until he took a deep breath to steady himself.

"That's… quite a lot, Lucas. But if those are my orders, alright then," He said.

"They are. We've talked about it and your name fits the bill as the most capable of taking this shit on," He stated. "Your orders now are to assist in assembling the forces we need for this operation. You may pick whoever you want to be a part of your staff. Then draw up drafts of operational plans. You've got full access to this country's resources. There's a fuck ton to do, General."

"I'm aware, Mister Secretary. I'll get to it."

"I know you will. We're counting on you."

"Thank you, sir!" De Magnolia smiled.

Austin smiled too before pulling out an envelope and sliding it to the General. "You also have another objective apart from organizing an army. The difficulty of this one is… hard to say."

De Magnolia raised an eyebrow again before opening the envelope and reading the letter inside. Then his eyes widened again.

"Oh, you have got to be shitting me."

---

"Pizza time!" Agent Lewis announced as he entered the room carrying two Domino's pizza boxes.

He set it down on the coffee table and opened it up to reveal an 18-inch thick-crust pepperoni pizza which was immediately picked apart by eight individual hands.

"Thanks for the meal!" Yuki said before immediately scarfing down a slice.

Eren, who was new to pizza, immediately took a liking to it, especially as a reward for the hard work they'd been doing the past few days. Aside from receiving cell phones, they were also given cheap laptops. And after learning how to use them, they immediately got to work. They were making their own document on their world that covered almost everything they knew. Aldrich and Yuki were also making illustrations to support the document. It was a long process and they weren't finished yet, but they weren't being rushed for them in any way. In fact, they were encouraged to take it easy, that's why they've got frequent breaks.

"So, we've finally decided what to do with you," Agent Lewis. "The government has decided to bump you up from refugee status to fully fledged citizens. So in a few days, you'll officially be Americans!"

"Just like that?" Naomi asked.

"Yup. We want to keep you close for the time being since your raw knowledge is too valuable to just let go. Making you citizens will make it easier for all of us, including making it easier to protect you. No one harms an American and gets away with it. You're reading up on our history, right?"

They all nodded. They've also already begun reading up on this world's history with the local history of America being first on their list. So far, they've found it fascinating, especially how the nation does its best to take care of its own, at least on a surface level. However, they still held some doubt in their hearts, and Agent Lewis has even made it clear that his country had made plenty of mistakes in the past. Some of which they can never admit or risk many things falling apart and further harming the population. However, there were two things they quickly noted about America. The first is that although they're generally pretty nice, when they get angry, they get very angry. The second is that they never take anything lying down. They'd always respond with some form of retribution should they be harmed or insulted. What's the metric for that? They can't tell. But there is a popular saying among them that goes along the lines of: 'fuck around and find out.'

"Yeah, we're already a ways in," Eckhard said.

"Cool. You're gonna need that going forward," Lewis said. "There's also another thing about your arrangements. You're all going to be assigned to a legal guardian."

"Some of us are already adults, why can't we be assigned to each other?" Eren asked, not really liking the implication of

"Things are kinda wonky, per se. There are certain rules we can't hop over and assigning you to a guardian fulfilled those conditions. However, this is more of a formality than anything; just something we need on a piece of paper. He shouldn't bother you much if at all," He explained.

"... I guess that's okay," He relented, glancing at his friends who were thinking the same thing. It's gonna be awkward, but they'll make it work.

"Although, the guy we're assigning all of you to is quite special. Because of your arrangement with the military, he kinda gonna be your boss too," Lewis added, pulling out a document from his bag. "Take a look."

Eren took the document and his friends crowded around him to read it as well. As they did, their faces displayed a variety of emotions. Shock, surprise, uneasiness, and some anger which was replaced by neutrality after realizing how dumb it is to be angry about it.

"Mhmm, yup, this is gonna be awkward," Manny said.

"However, if you refuse, we can assign you to someone else. We just thought that this is the most efficient way—" Lewis began but was interrupted.

"No, no, it's fine. We can make this work. It'll be a bit awkward, but we can make it work," Eren assured.

"And besides, it's not good to reject the man just for his appearance. He's not one of them and we won't be like them too," Aoi said.

"... Alright then," Lews said. "But this is still just a formality. Maybe in a year or two, when the eight of you are stable, you can cut off connections and go your own ways."

"But first, this," Eren said. "It's okay, we got this."

He and his friends agreed, although they understandably felt uneasy when looking at the file of the silver-colored military officer who was going to be their guardian for the near future, even if it was morally unreasonable.

---

"This is so stupid. This is so stupid. Who fucking thought of this? I'm gonna strangle them."

Those were the thoughts running through de Magnolia's brain as he awkwardly paced around the airport's arrival terminal while carrying a basket full of goodies. He was dressed in something casual compared to his uniforms and he had cleaned up well too. All of this to look as non-threatening as possible. He glanced at his wristwatch before turning to the government-licensed executive jet that was taxiing toward the terminal.

"Calm down, George, they're just kids," Austin said nonchalantly as if he was unaffected by the whole situation. Oh wait, that's right!

"Screw you, Lucas. This is a horrible idea and you know it," De Magnolia retorted.

He had read the next bit of info those kids had submitted. Apparently, the racial majority who had condemned the Eighty-Six to die, the Alba, possessed silver hair and irises as their most defining physical qualities. Basically, people who look exactly like de Magnolia physically. And the United States Government, in its infinite wisdom, decided to designate him as their legal guardian. There's no way it could end badly, right?

"They can differentiate who their oppressor is to who is not with metrics other than physical qualities, George," Austin reminded.

"You underestimate the power of hate. If I were them, I'd spread all sorts of misinformation to convince us to drop a nuke on those fuckers," De Magnolia shook his head.

"Well, we're happy to say they're not like you. The FBI says that they're not emotionally compromised in any way like that. They even admitted that bombing the shit out of San Magnolia is not gonna do anything other than make the jobs of the Legion easier. They're smart people, you need to calm down," SecDef reminded.

De Magnolia did calm down but only a little bit. He still felt uneasy and awkward about the whole thing, although he imagined that it was probably three times worse for those kids, and somehow, they agreed to this arrangement. Oh yeah, they could disagree but he could not because it was his orders. Yeah, stellar government. Anyway, the fact that they accepted confused the hell out of him. However, he hasn't dismissed the possibility that he's just overreacting. They are good people, but what kind of good? Guess he'll find out in just a moment as they've already exited the plane and walked into the terminal.

Once they were only a few feet away he had a good look at them. Eight pairs of eyes with varying colors stared right at his silver pairs. He instantly felt like the smallest person in the room. However, he could detect no malice coming from them. Instead, he felt the hollow emptiness in those eyes. The same kind of look when he met locals trapped in active warzones. The great nothing one felt after losing everything, not even having the energy to be angry anymore. It made him sad, especially since these were all just kids. And with that, he changed his approach. So, he handed the basket to Austin and stepped forward then introduced himself.

"Good morning, my name is Major General George Napoleon de Magnolia, US Army. It's an honor to finally meet you all," He greeted casually while extending a hand.

His hand remained in the air for a few tense moments until the boy with dark brown hair and green eyes stepped toward him and took his hand for a handshake.

"My name's Captain Eren Rommel. Commander of Black Eagle Squadron, 2nd Ward, Eastern Front. It's an honor to meet you too," He greeted. And one by one his friends did the same.

"First Lieutenant Eckhard Knispel, honor to meet you, sir."

"Ensign Manfred Wittmann, General."

"I'm Ensign Aldrich Schröder. Nice to meet you!"

"My name is Second Lieutenant Naomi Aldrecht. It's an honor too, sir."

"I'm Ensign Yukiko Nishizumi! I'll be in your care."

"I'm Ensign Shinji Musashi, General."

"And I'm Ensign Aoi Hoshino! Squadron's Shooting Star!"

It started off tensely but he could see tiny little smiles developing on their lips. That's more than he could ask for. At least they weren't hostile. Then SecDef introduced himself and they were finally able to move on.

"Well, Black Eagle Squadron, welcome to Washington DC. I assume your flight here had no issues?" He asked and they nodded. "Very good. Oh, and this is for you, we thought you might like it."

De Magnolia retrieved the basket of goodies from Austin and handed it to Eren. It was just a wicker basket filled with various kinds of snacks with an American flag in it. They examined the basket and then gave them raised eyebrows.

"His idea, not mine, feel free to give him all the funny looks," He said, pointing at Austin who frowned. "Anyway, let's get out of this cold-ass airport terminal and go somewhere warmer."

And so they left the airport after that, saying goodbye to SecDef who had other plans while heading elsewhere. De Magnolia took them to a place in Arlington that one of his friends lent him for the time being. It was a large house with nine bedrooms that could accommodate all of them with accompanying staff to tend to their needs.

"Whoa, this place belongs to you, sir?" Manny asked.

"No, it's a friend's. I just called in a couple of favors to use this place, but the government's footing the bill," He answered. "Anyway, make yourselves at home. Dinner's at 7."

De Magnolia left them alone shortly after and they immediately got situated with the help of staff. The General went to the pantry and allowed himself one shot of whiskey to calm his nerves. He knew better than to get wasted and appear like another pigheaded sucker to those kids. Still, he couldn't believe he was so shaky with these kids. They're just kids! Or maybe that's exactly why. Regardless, he needed to get himself together. For them and for the whole country.

He won't see them again until dinner time. Eren was the first one at the table, even before him which was a surprise, and they only exchanged nods as he took his spot at the head of the table. Soon, all eight Black Eagles were at the table, allowing them to begin eating.

"Don't we have to do something first, before eating?" Yuki asked.

"Pardon?"

"Uh, you know, American families would join and say a couple of things before the meal. At least that's what it said in a magazine I read," She clarified.

"Oh, you mean saying grace! We just join hands, say a short prayer, and then start eating. It's a religious thing many families do here, but it's in no way a societal requirement. And it's not something I want to impose upon you though, so I thought we could do without," He explained.

"Well, I thought it'd be pretty nice," She said.

"Uh, I don't believe in religion or anything, but I think it's neat too," Naomi said.

"You guys really wanna do it?" He asked and they nodded. "What about the rest of you?"

"Well, we're gonna be here for a long time. Might as well get the full package in the local culture," Shinji said and they agreed.

"...Okay then. Please join hands and let's say grace," He requested.

Each soul on the table took each other's hands in their own and the short prayer began with de Magnolia taking the lead.

"Dear Lord, thank you for this food. Bless the hands that prepared it. Bless it to our use and us to your service. And make us ever mindful of the needs of others. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen."

"Amen."

And then they began to eat, savoring the warm food prepared by the house staff in silence. Although things quickly turned awkward at that point, it was only because they had no idea what to say to each other. Regardless, they soldiered on through the meal although they couldn't eat much.

"So, uh, you're aware of our arrangement, yes?" De Magnolia asked and they nodded. "Then you know that this is only a formality. However, if there's anything you think I could help you with, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll get them to you or at least try to. Don't be shy."

"Thank you, sir," Eren said.

"It's my pleasure. I want to help you kids," De Magnolia replied.

"You're too kind, really. I mean, you could've demanded the information you wanted from us and thrown us away," Eckhard said,

"The White Pigs sure would," Manny said.

"Well, we ain't them. If we were anything remotely close to them, we'd rip ourselves apart from within real quick," De Magnolia said.

"It's surreal though, we're here alive, eating this nice food, while the rest of us are still out there," Aldrich said.

"That's the reality of the situation right now. And as sad as it is, it doesn't make you any less deserving of this. Please don't take it too hard," De Magnolia reminded.

"Heh, you're about one of the nicest people I've ever met, General de Magnolia," Naomi remarked.

"Yeah, where are the hell were you back then?" Manny jokingly said.

"I bet if every Alba was like you, we'd never be here," Yuki said.

"Heh, y'all are too kind," De Magnolia said. "Now, what about you? What are your plans moving forward?"

"We plan to continue assisting your military in any way we can and then hopefully get back into the fight. There's still many of us out there after all," Eckhard answered and the others agreed.

"Okay. What about afterward? Do you have any plans outside of the military?"

The eight stopped to ponder that question. They… honestly had no idea what to do aside from helping the Americans and getting back into the fight. But, there has to be more, right? Hold on, did they deserve more?

"... We didn't plan that far ahead, sir. We were doomed to die," Eren admitted and the others nodded.

"Right," De Magnolia murmured and took a deep breath. "Tell me something, what did they try to do you out there?"

"They tried many things, but basically, they tried to kill all of us," Aldrich answered.

"Mhmm, I know that. What else did they try to do?"

"What are you getting at, sir?" Naomi asked.

He sighed. "Kids, killing someone is easy. Run up to them, shoot them until their heart stops beating, and there you go, they're dead. What they tried to do with you is much worse than trying to kill you. Would you like to know that it is?"

"What is it?"

"They tried to erase you," De Magnolia stated firmly. "They tried to erase you, tried to erase your memory, tried to make seem as if you never even existed. And that's significantly harder because of all the stuff that needs to burn and also much much worse."

Their eyes widened at that revelation. All this time they thought they just wanted them gone, but they didn't think that they were being erased from the universe.

"Whatever the reason is, whether they hate you that much or that they've made a mistake so severe that they can't back out of it, the fact is that they tried to erase you. And they failed, seeing that you're here right now. So the question is, what will you do about it?" He asked. "What do you want to do? And don't think about what your comrades would want you to do or what this country and military want you to do. Only think about yourself and what you want to do?"

They took a moment to ponder on that question only to come up empty.

"I don't know right now, sir," Eren said.

"That's fine. You haven't been here long and you've got a lot of time to figure it out. Don't rush, don't give up, and most of all, do not let them win. Be the best version of yourselves and rub it in their faces when the time comes. You'll get there eventually, wherever you need to be," He stated. "And there's one thing I will ask of you: stand up and get back on your feet. You're not dead yet and you can't let them win."

They smiled. "Alright, sir."

"And like I said, I'll be right here. Never hesitate to ask for help."

"Heh, you really are one of the nicest people I've ever met. You're a good person, General de Magnolia," Naomi giggled.

"Heh, nah. Honestly, I'm a terrible person. I know damn well I'd never interact with myself," He chuckled. "And on that note, the eight of you are strangely accepting of me. Don't I look like those pigfaced assholes?"

"Sir, if we start generalizing you based on your physical appearance, then we're pretty pathetic ourselves and you should seriously throw us out," Eckhard said.

"We know that not all Alba are bad, same as not all Eighty-Six are good people," Manny said.

"My dad's an Alba. He tried very hard to protect us but we still got separated. I don't know what's happened to him," Naomi said longingly.

"My former manager hid me and my mom for two years in his attic before the authorities caught us," Aoi said.

"One of our former squadron mates tried forcing himself on me," Yuki said with dark eyes. "I didn't help him when the Legion caught him."

"Whoa, that's uh… you want to talk about that?" De Magnolia asked.

"Maybe next time, sir," She smiled.

"Okay then."

"We have similar experiences, so we're not nearly angry enough to want you to indiscriminately bomb them. Of course, we can't speak for the rest of us," Eren said.

"I see," De Magnolia said. "Well, we've got a lot of planning and training ahead. Speaking of which, I'm being made commander of the forces that we'll be sending into the portal in the future. So, anything you can tell me, any insights you have, I'll be listening. Actually, it doesn't have to be anything work-related, feel free to talk to me about anything you want. I'm willing to lend an ear."

"You know, sir, you're not very convincing when you say you're not a good person," Aoi giggled.

"I really am not. But I can be nice when I want to," He grinned.

"Well, in any case, that's our observation," Eren said. "And sir, there is something we need to do."

"Shoot."

"We'll figure out what we want to do when this is all over, and we'll likely need your help then. But, we need to end this first. And to that end, we'd like to be a part of the military and fighting on the ground again," He said.

"I see. Your sense of duty is that strong, huh?" He asked and they nodded. "I understand that. Very well, I'll see what I can do. I can't keep you from your personal duty. However, the absolute minimum age for combat duty is 17 so you're gonna have to wait a year. And in that time, you'll be training. A lot."

"We're ready for whatever you throw at us, sir," Shinji smiled.

De Magnolia grinned. "In that case, Black Eagle Squadron, it's an honor to have you under my command. I look forward to working with the eight of you."

"So are we, General de Magnolia," Eren said confidently.

And so, after falling for a moment, the Black Eagle accompanied by newfound friends stood back up and cut off its shackles. Now, it's coming back to finish its mission.

---

AN: And that is Chapter 2 done! I went all out again, lol! The next chapter is gonna be some training scenes, equipment upgrades, more scenes of Black Eagle becoming the best, and then the entry into the Portal. Shin and Lena will finally make an appearance in Chapter 4, I promise.

I'm so sorry about how long this became but every little detail is essential to the plot moving forward. That's just the way I write. I'm getting impatient myself, trust me, but these are all important.

Anyway, that's all for now! Thank you very much for reading! Please leave a review, tell me what you think, or if you have any ideas! Your feedback is important to me! And I'll see you all in the next one! Peace out!