Chapter Seven: Total War
/October 11th, 2029

Hundreds of major cities around the world were under siege as MUTOs arrived in countries like France, Britain, China and Australia. The Global Defence Initiative was in turmoil as both military and civilian casualties were almost in the millions and still climbing fast.

Two fighter jets streaked across the skies over the ruined streets of Shanghai, observing the destruction below. A large skyscraper began to give way up ahead as a MUTO tore away at the base of the building. Collapsing over the war torn city streets, the giant structure crumbled to bits as it fell into the bay, filling the water with debris as dust clouds expanded away from it. Several soldiers far below on the ground were climbing over the rubble to get to an APC up ahead, but before they could reach it, a giant, clawed foot descended upon the vehicle crushing it instantly. The force of the impact nocked several of the closer soldiers back over as the MUTO advanced above them.

….
Moscow was in ruin as an army of the insectoid monsters marched across the chaotic busy streets as civilians fled for cover whilst the army tried to slow the monster's approach. The creatures roared as they tore apart buildings filled with snipers and flattened entire convoys of armed vehicles.

….
Soldiers ran for cover as a MUTO clipped the tail rotor of a helicopter, causing it to spin out of control and smashed into the side of the Sydney Opera House, setting the huge building ablaze as the monster roared in morbid triumph.

….
Corporal Jimmy Ybarra kicked at the hatch on the upturned Abrams tank as he fought to get free. Everyone else inside was dead, leaving him alone as giant monsters lay waste to Anchorage beyond. Finally, the hatch gave way and swung open, letting icy winds blow into the upturned craft. Climbing out, he fell off into the snow. Looking up, he saw that the rest of the battalion had been wiped out, leaving crumpled, burnt out husks of tanks scattered across the harsh terrain.

Getting to his feet, the man drew his sidearm and walked out into the field of destroyed tanks. "Hello! Is anyone even left!?" he called out. It was oddly quiet, which grew worse as he received no response. Trudging through the snow with his pistol drawn, he started to head back to Anchorage GDI Military Base.

Hours passed as he walked blindly through the wilderness. The large forest was practically empty as any wildlife had cleared out at the arrival of the MUTOs. He was coming towards a clearing in the forest, with a sign post up ahead. Approaching it, Ybarra read the sign;
GLOBAL DEFENCE INITIATIVE ANCHORAGE ARMY BASE: AUTHORISED PERSONNEL ONLY

The man cheered with relief at the sign and continued to shamble on through the snow until he could see the shape of the base appearing on the horizon. Something was wrong. Large pillars of smoke were drifting up to the sky from the base. "No, no, no!" Ybarra shouted as he picked up to a run.

He reached the perimeter fence, clutching the metal wires with his fists as he looked on at the destruction. "Dammit!" He roared as he watched a pair of MUTOs lurk around the ruins of the base, searching for any signs of life.

….
"Oh my God…" Dianna exclaimed as she looked out of the window next to her, watching in horror as MUTOs quickly laid waste to New York far below. The Statue of Liberty had been decapitated, its' large green skull was now embedded in the side of a skyscraper far behind it, lacerated with claw marks. One of the monsters clung to the side of the Empire State Building, burrowing its' maw into the side of it, tearing apart entire floors as debris rained down from the hole in the structure.

"I know." Maz said, leaving Max to flying the plane as he took a break. "I never thought they'd come back." He looked grimly out of the window at the warzone. "I have family in New York…" Dianna said worriedly. "Don't worry." Maz replied, trying to cheer up the GDI Director. "They'll be fine. Hopefully most of the people will be out of there by now." He lied as he watched a bus blindly drive off into the water from the gap where part of the Brooklyn Bridge should have been.

"We'll be heading west soon, over Chicago and Salt Lake City, then to San Francisco." Max said from the cockpit. "It's gonna be one hell of a long flight."

….
"We should be at NORAD soon, Mr President." One of the Secret Service agents said as he sat down in one of the chairs. "And Rachel is still heading there too?" Locke asked. "Yes, sir. They're landing to refuel in Denver, first." The agent replied.

Locke sighed a he hunched over, rubbing his temples. "How many people have we lost?" He asked grimly. Taking out a tablet, the agent flicked through several pages before replying. "Close to one hundred and ten million people in the US, sir. MUTOs are attacking every major city and military base across the globe. With both military and civilian casualties included, we will lose one third of the worlds' population in the next thirty six hours.

One Third. Jesus. Locke thought. "Are we ever going to recover from this?" He asked. The agent shrugged. "I don't know, Mr President. This is the largest surprise attack ever recorded." Locke stood. "It's another mass extinction. First the dinosaurs; now us."

"Mr President!" Another agent called out, running to meet him while carrying a laptop tucked under his arm. "DC is under siege. Hostiles have hit Capitol Hill, the White House and the Pentagon, along with half the military bases in the surrounding area. Right now, any and all remaining members of the government are heading to NORAD, -There's not many, sir." The agent looked down at his feet as he finished, knowing that Locke would be upset with the news.

The President sat back down in his chair again and stared out of the window over the land below. "We can't fight on the defensive for much longer." He said. "If we don't act soon, mankind itself could cease to exist."

….

"Dr Harrington." Colonel Jefferson spoke up as he entered her office. "Director Storm is on her way here, along with other members of the Global Defence Initiative. We're making San Francisco a safe haven for military and government assets on the west coast. Along with air and ground forces, the 6th Fleet should be here in a matter of hours." Linda nodded, pushing up her glasses as she stared at the screen in front of her. "Thanks, Colonel." She replied. "I know this is incredibly stressful for you." The officer nodded. "DC is gone, along with most of the government. There are only three people left above me; Director Storm, Vice President Cage and President Locke."

As Jefferson left the room, Linda looked back to her computer, watching footage of Janjira under siege. Levi I hope you're okay. She thought as she looked on at the destruction.