Mental Omega: Butterfly Effect

by Avenger013

What if the Allied Nations made one more stop off before Cape Town? And what if the Allied Commander was a tad more cautious?

3. Power In Knowledge

Chapter 3: Power In Knowledge

Euro Alliance/Pacific Front - Operation: Relentless - Cape Town

With the most immediate threats to the Paradox Engine dealt with and new technologies in hand, the Allies now turn their attention to weakening their enemy in preparation for liberating former Allied member states from Epsilon and Soviet occupation. Allied Intelligence has identified the Epsilon-held city of Cape Town as a vital target, acting as both their major naval port for the Atlantic ocean and a key communications junction for Epsilon forces worldwide. With their vanguard divisions already deployed to set up beachheads in the surrounding areas, the main assault force moves in for the attack.

1.) Destroy the Psychic Beacon in the Pacific Front outpost

2.) Protect Robot Operations Center until data is uploaded

3.) Protect the Weather Controller until fully charged

4.) Eliminate remaining Epsilon forces in Cape Town

5.) Capture all 3 Master Spires

"Commander Jonathan in COC!" Private Allen called out as soon as the doors opened.

"The others are waiting for you, sir!" Private West saluted him as he passed by.

Nodding back, Jonathan strode past all of the bustling personnel, making his way to his personal command centre. On the way, he passed by Ellis and Jacobson on their way to their own command centre, the two gave him a nod and stepped inside.

The doors locked and the console in the centre began to boot up as soon as he was in, leaving him alone with a slowly resolving image.

"Establishing battlefield control, stand by."

Eventually, it formed into a view of dozens of Allied naval vessels and multiple Dolphin pods, escorted by watchful Thors, Rocketeers and Cryocopters, moving south.

"Commander, we're moving on to the second phase of our invasion. Commanders Ellis and Jacobson are moving to seize Cape Town directly, while you will lead a smaller task force to capture extra data and provide support."

"Understood, how are the others doing? Can we expect support from them?" He asked.

"Dolphin Division have succeeded in taking Bloubergstrand and are currently building up their naval base there. Epsilon still has a significant naval presence in those waters that needs to be dealt with, so they'll need all the naval power they can get.

"Red Branch have almost driven the Epsilon garrison out of Hout Bay. They'll focus on building up their ground forces and clearing out any patrols and outposts they find as they advance to the north.

"Eagle Division is still engaged with the Camps Bay garrison. Once they've taken the area, they'll build up their strongholds and supply air support if they can."

"Great, great, but tell them they shouldn't rush their parts for our sake. So, what am I doing?"

The tactical view began to shift right, the majority of the ships stopping in the middle of the sea just outside the Cape Town port. Only a few Horizon Destroyers, two Aegis Cruisers, Siren Frigate, Trident Battleship and two Enterprise Carriers continued on. The tac screen made to follow them.

"We need you to-"

A loud alarm blared out, cutting Eva off, and the tactical view shifted right back to the main fleet.

WARNING - Enemy naval armada detected!

Jonathan noticed the ripples and waves tearing through the water before the first calls began to flood in.

"I'm getting subs on the sonar, captain!"

"Get those Ospreys in the air, send 'em all to the bottom!"

"Siren Frigates to the front, wipe them away!"

"I'm seeing Resheph signatures on scan! All Thors forward, give us some cover against those blasts!"

"Nautiluses portside, don't let them get too close! Get the Dolphins to deal with them!"

"Direct hits to the bow! Did that breach the hull!?"

"Captain, we're taking on water in the lower decks! We need to seal off-"

"Evasive action starboard! Don't fail me now, crew!"

"Hold her steady now, focus on those subs!"

More Nautiluses and Reshephs began to surface and ready payloads, only for Trident cannons and Hornet fighters to zero in on them, the Cryocopters' beams allowing them to tear their targets' brittle hulls apart.

WARNING - Enemy air armada detected!

On the overall map, Jonathan noted more small dots swarming up from the portside area, soon revealed to be Invaders and Basilisks providing cover, while more Allied vessels and Rocketeers came into view from the north to back up their fellows.

"Give us air cover! Take out those Basilisks!"

"Fleet, take evasive action, don't let those bolts hit!"

The Aegis Cruisers, Rocketeers and Thors advanced and focused their fire. Try as they might to evade, the Basilisks crumbled swiftly under the mass of munitions and lightning bolts that filled the skies.

Left without their heavy support, the Invaders tried their best to pick out as many Rocketeers as they could before going down, only for several brave Thor pilots to push further forward and shield their fragile fellows from the saucers' lasers. The gunships returned the attack with interest, tearing the saucers' hulls apart with massed lightning strikes.

A few tried to flee, sensing the tide had turned for them, but the Aegises had their range already. Medusa missiles tore through their hulls and blew apart their anti-grav engines all too soon, sending them falling headlong into the sea.

Bereft of air support, the Epsilon fleet began to buckle under the Allied ships' massed fire, but they refused to simply go quietly. A few damaged Horizons and a couple of Sirens were blown apart in a last spiteful volley of magnetic torpedoes and decimator blasts before the remaining Nautiluses and Reshephs sank beneath the waves.

"Is that all of them?"

"I think we're clear, sir! Subs are fleeing!"

"Crew, get me a damage report!"

"Command, requesting repairs at-"

As the fleet continued the chatter, the command comms crackled to life.

"I would've thought we'd have more time to assemble. Lot more resistance than I was expecting…" Jacobson sighed.

"Well, with how important this base is, makes sense they'd bunker down tight in it. We've already destroyed a lot of their bases as is." Jonathan shrugged. "I'm surprised there haven't been more fleets sent our way."

"Maybe if we'd struck a little sooner, we might've caught them with their pants down. As it is, they're ready and waiting." Ellis replied.

"Probably, but the new tech will make this worth it. Trust me."

"I hope so. The boys on the ground have been requesting more of those new APCs at least."

"Commander, the vanguard fleet has almost reached your landing zone."

Eva's voice snapped him back to attention, his tactical view rapidly moving to the left and following the smaller collection of ships.

"Sorry, I'd-"

"Don't worry about it. We can finish this later." Ellis assured him. "Our vanguard and MCVs have almost reached Ysterplaat anyway."

"Got it. All right Eva, what do you have for me?"

His tactical view switched to an overview of an Allied outpost on the right coast of what looked to be an island, ringed with Epsilon troops and hosting a Psychic Beacon.

"This outpost was intended to collaborate with the Virgin Islands' base to finish the Weather Controller, and still holds data we can use to fine-tune the design. We'd like to acquire it before we deploy them for your and the Southern Cross' use here. Take out the Psychic Beacon and drive away the Epsilon troops nearby so we can begin the data transfer."

The Psychic Beacon flashed for a few seconds, before a red targeting reticule appeared over the building.

"New mission objective received."

"Easy enough. What am I working with?"

His view shifted south, to the small fortified beach, just in time for the Allied ships to launch their strike.

The few Nautilus Subs defending the waters did not last long. The Siren Frigate erased the first before it had even turned to face its enemy, while the Horizon Destroyers' Ospreys bombed the second one into oblivion. The third sub managed to get off a single barrage before Hornet fighters zeroed in on it, tearing holes in the top of the hull shortly before it could dive to safety, dooming the vessel to flooding as it sank beneath the waves.

The land bound defenders scrambled for cover, the vehicles pulling back while the infantrymen dove for nearby foliage and rocks, as the Hornets refocused and dove for the coastal Gatling Cannons.

For a moment, they managed to stem the tide, a hail of metal from screaming barrels sending a half dozen Hornets to the ground as they tried to get into bombing range. Unfortunately for them, the Trident's own guns roared to life and blew two of the cannons apart in a barrage of ordinance.

Wasting no time, the UAVs flew through the gap in air coverage their ally had created and unleashed their payloads on the third cannon. It wasn't quite enough to destroy it, but it hardly mattered, as the Enterprises' hangars were already scrambling extra fighters for a second wave.

As the Hornets dealt with the remaining Gatling Cannons, the Trident repositioned and opened fire on the Inferno Towers. Mighty though their pyrokinetic beams were they could only reach so far, while the battleships' cannons reached further still. It was simply a matter of time before the beach was clear.

"Teleporting troops in three, two, one."

The last defence towers fell just as the Chronoshift bubbles appeared, bringing in an armoured force spearheaded by Paladin Tanks, Battle Tortoises and Charon Tanks, with Archons, Cavaliers, Tsurugi powersuits, Blizzard Tanks and Prism Tanks bringing up the rear.

A couple dozen Quickshifters soon blinked temporarily into being beside them, offloading Medics, SEALs, Guardian GIs and Snipers before departing.

Okay then, should be enough. Let's go to work.

"Battle Control Online."

The Epsilon defenders retaliated immediately, the infantry emerging from hiding spots while the vehicles regrouped and charged the Allied assault force. Gaze flying over all the attacking troops, Jonathan began directing the strike team.

"Phantom Actual to ground forces. Paladins, take out those Colossi. Tortoises, load up the GIs and SEALs, then focus on those Mantis Tanks and Tyrants. I want 3 Medics in Tsurugis keeping everyone repaired and Snipers in Archons taking out those Stalkers. Prisms and Blizzards, clear out the rest of those infantry!"

The remaining on-foot Allied infantry scattered to the shrubs, finding what cover they could in the face of pyrokinetic bolts and AROs flying downrange at them.

Initiates, Archers, Brutes and Scourge all came rushing at the Allied armour, charging at their enemies through a swarm of submachine gun fire, sniper rifle rounds, thermal blasts and prism beams. A few of them managed to dent the frontal tanks before going down, especially with the hulking Brutes screening for the Scourge as best they could. Unfortunately for them, the Medic-piloted Tsurugis' repair modules were quick to begin undoing their efforts.

The Mantis Tanks and Tyrants, even with relentless fire, were little match for the Paladins, their cannons too weak to properly pierce the tanks' armour before their dual missile pods cycled and blew apart their foes' hole-filled chassis.

In a final act of desperation, the Epsilon armour strafed to the sides, around the Paladin and Tortoise blockade, re-focused and poured their last volleys into the Blizzard Tanks and Archon AMCs in the rear, taking out a few of the Allied units before being ripped apart themselves.

"Shit! Jenkins! Those bastards…"

"Is that all of them? Captain, you see any more?"

"Nothing over on this end. Command, this is Turner, any incoming tangos on that eye in the sky?"

Panning his view north and south to inspect the grass-laden paths to the beachhead, Jonathan saw that Epsilon's troops had or were in the process of retreating to the Pacific outpost.

"This is Phantom Actual, they're in full retreat. Patch up any damage and prepare to advance on the outpost.

"All Prism Tanks be advised, there's an incline just to the right of your landing zone that'll get you to a raised vantage point over the Psychic Beacon, so make sure some of you get up there and we can free our boys over there with minimal collateral. The rest of you, Tortoises and Paladins in front, I'm seeing some Inferno Towers and bunkers guarding the approach, and advance when you're ready."

"Yes sir! All right lads, you heard command! Caleb, split some of those Blizzards to the left and right of us for anti-infantry fire! Johnson, ready some of your crews to get up that hill and get ready to blow the Beacon!"

A few more moments of the Tsurugis and Medics marching between their fellows, ensuring they were all in top condition, and the strike force began moving north.

As they approached the cliff-flanked static defenses, Jonathan noted infantry swarming within the outpost, no doubt mobilising to assist in the defence.

And not just Epsilon infantry. GIs, Guardians and Rocketeers were pouring from the outpost's Barracks to stand alongside more Initiates, Adepts, Brutes and Archers.

Of course. Why wouldn't they?

Growling and tightening his grip on the console, Jonathan flicked the comms on again.

"Phantom One be advised, Epsilon have mind-controlled infantry heading your way along with their own."

He heard Turner take a heavy breath before replying.

"...understood sir, we'll take care of them. Higgins, tell the Tortoise crews to kick the Guardians out and load up with SEALs and Snipers instead! Any left over can get in an Archon or Tsurugi!"

"Yes, Captain!"

As the last SEALs were bundling into their designated APCs, the first wave of infantry washed over them.

Even with volleys of fire, continuous thermal beams and massed prism fire eviscerating, snap-freezing and flat-out disintegrating them by the half dozen, the sheer volume of bodies pushed them closer and closer to the Allied forces, especially when the Brutes made it to the front and began to charge the nearest vehicles.

"Oh FUCK! Dobson, kill that one!"

"FOCUS FIRE! Don't let those fucking things close the distance!"

"Sir some of those Guardians are getting set up! We gotta take 'em out!"

"Brutes first, THEN the GIs!"

"Rocketeers on the horizon! Archons and Blizzards, knock 'em down!"

"I'm seeing an opening! Moving up!"

"Gunner those Archers are getting too close for my liking, I want them killed yesterday!"

"Get the Charons to the front! Tsurugis, fill in those gaps and get your repair beams working!"

Panning his view upward, with the vast majority of the present infantry committed to the assault, Jonathan noted the cliffs to the base's south were bereft of their Rocketeer guards.

There's our opening.

"Prism Tank battalion, head up the incline and destroy the Psychic Beacon, right now! Then we can-"

He trailed off as fresh Epsilon vehicles made their way to the outpost's front from the western approach, some Magnetrons, Tyrants, Mantis and Gatling Tanks…themselves spearheaded by four very familiar looking, far more hulking sets of armour.

Oh shit. How the HELL did they get those!?

All this Soviet manpower under their thrall and now these at the frontlines?

…they must be in more dire straits than we thought.

Despite himself, Jonathan couldn't help but smirk.

'Bout time they got a taste of what it's like to be on the back foot for once.

"Captain Turner, this is Phantom Actual, Epsilon has deployed Apocalypse Tanks."

"S-Say again command?"

Jonathan just nodded at the tremor in the typically unflappable Captain's voice.

Yeah, can't say I'd want to face an Apocalypse in combat much either.

"Epsilon has four commandeered Apocalypse Tanks defending the outpost."

"Understood. All right lads, you heard all that?"

"Confirmed!"

"Y-Y-Yes sir!"

"Oh god, Apocalypses!?"

"Shit, get all the heavy armour to the front!"

"Good. Roberts, I want all your Charon crews on standby by the Paladins and Tortoises, the minute those Apocalypses get into range, pick your targets and send them to hell!"

"Yes Captain! Sanders, tell the other crews to switch to the alt fire mode till the Apocalypses start rolling out, we don't want to waste a charge cycle on anything else!"

"On it!"

Slowly but surely, the Allied force inched closer and closer to the defence lines, sweeping aside the onrushing swarm of soldiers in a blaze of ordinance.

Detecting threats, the Inferno Towers began to power up, while AROs and pyrokinetic blasts came flying out of the bunkers' viewports.

Though the Tsurugi pilots did their best to keep up with repairs, shifting their powersuits between the frontline vehicles as needed, the sheer volume of fire, literal and figurative alike, eventually claimed the lead Paladin and Tortoise, the vehicles going up in a fireball as the Inferno Towers fired on them together.

Retribution was swift, prism refractors swivelling about and unleashing a bombardment of light to melt the towers to slag. The loss of their mightier defence components, along with the Allies directing their fire towards the bunkers, prompted the Epsilon defenders to run for the exits and pile out in a mad scramble, trying to retreat to the safety of the outpost while the Gatling Cannons could still cover them.

They didn't get far, their terrified screams cut brutally short beneath the treads of a quartet of onrushing Paladins. With the infantry dispatched, their Jagdpanther cannons and missile pods were brought to bear against the defences.

The Prism Tanks peeled off, making for the incline, while the rest of the tanks slowly moved through the small valley pass to the outpost. Their accompanying infantry kept eyes glued to the cliffs flanking them, watching for any signs of an ambush.

"Phantom One, Apocalypses ahead." Roberts said.

"Confirmed, Phantom Three. No rushing ahead, let them come to us." Turner replied.

"Eva, can we give them a hand from here?" Jonathan asked, tightening his grip on the console as he watched his Charons lumber forward.

"One moment Commander, I'll try to get you access to support systems."

"Much appreciated." He nodded and flicked comms channels again.

"Phantom Three, hold tight for a bit, I'm getting you some support."

"Roger that, Commander, holding posi- oh shit! Sir, the Apocalypses are heading right for us!"

Sure enough, the quartet of tanks lumbered out of position, screened by a swarm of Epsilon and mind-controlled Allied infantry, dual cannons swinging around to target fresh prey.

"Damn it! Weapons free, defend yourselves!" Jonathan yelled into the comms.

"YES SIR! Sanders, get that cannon firing!" Roberts ordered.

"We're not in range ye-"

"Then MOVE THIS DAMN TANK FORWARD! WE NEED-"

Before Roberts could finish, the Apocalypses opened fire, the discharge from their barrels tinged a grimly familiar blue-white colour.

Four of the advancing Charons shuddered and rocked violently once the Soviet shells slammed into their frontal armour… before grinding to a dead stop, turrets twitching as sparks flitted across their outsides.

Followed shortly thereafter by panicked comms messages from their crews.

"What the hell-"

"Why are we stopping!?"

"The turret won't move! We've lost all charge!"

"Oh fuck! SHIT! What was that!?"

"The hell'd you think it was!? There's Tesla charges in that ordinance!"

"Nothing's responding! Sir, what do we-"

"Power fluctuations across all systems, damn it nothing's working!"

"Reboot RIGHT NOW! NOW!"

Not giving their helpless prey any time to breathe, the tanks unleashed another, more focused volley. Two of the Charons were reduced to scrap, terrified screams filling the comms, as two Apocalypses' worth of ordinance each tore through their weakened chassis.

Gunning their engines, the trio of unaffected Charons lumbered forward to avenge their fallen fellows. Braving a hail of AROs, pyrokinesis and small-arms fire, their cannons' hum grew louder as the Chrono charge began to build.

The Apocalypses' own turrets shifted again, their crews sensing the greater danger. The Charons moved to single file just moments before the second barrage and, while the lead tank buckled and broke under the combined barrage, managed to get close enough.

A duo of Apocalypses vanished into a swirl of Chrono energy once the Allied tanks found their targets, prompting a hasty reverse from the remaining two lest they meet the same fate.

"All right, that's got it! Flip the switch!"

"There we go! Power's back up!"

"Then put this thing in gear, on the double!"

The battered Charons resumed their assault, followed along by most of the rest of the Allied armour.

"Come on Phantom Team, give them cover! Take out those infantry and static defenses!" Turner yelled into the comms. "Phantom Four, blow the Beacon!"

"Yes sir!" Johnson replied. "All tanks, FIRE!"

Before the Epsilon defenders could react, a hail of light shone from the cliffs and blew the panel array off the top of the Psychic Beacon. Another volley slagged the rest of it.

Jonathan opened the comms immediately, flipping to the channel the Pacific Front had said they'd been using in this region.

"Pacific Outpost, this is Commander Jonathan of Phantom Division to the officer in charge, are you receiving this?"

"...ugghh, y-yes. Yes, th-this is Colonel Yang. I-I'm reading you loud and clear." A drowsy, pained voice replied.

"I'm requesting access to your sensor net and command over your outpost."

"O-Of course, thank you for making those voices stop. One moment, we'll link you in now."

Jonathan's tactical view expanded soon enough, showing him a full view of the outpost and surrounding areas.

"Men, let's not waste this second chance! Target the rest of those saekki and drive them out!"

The Pacific troops wasted no time, turning their weapons on their former masters before their Colonel was finished. Rocketeers swooped in to rain down a hail of heavy machine gun fire on helpless Initiates and Brutes, while GIs and Guardians hastily dug in to defend their home. A few Epsilon Adepts tried to reassert control over nearby soldiers…only to be cut to bloody ribbons as vengeful SEALs turned their submachine guns on them.

Trundling to the edge of their cliff vantage point, Johnson's Prism Tanks powered up their panels again.

The liberated Pillbox and Gun Turret operators did not want for targets, mercilessly picking off a group of Scourge and Speeder Trikes that tried to join the fight before turning their weapons on the remaining Epsilon garrison.

The defenders were soon in full retreat, their Allied thralls' sudden freedom wholly unanticipated and adding too much more firepower to the invaders' arsenal for them to stand against. They needed help. The remaining troops hurried to cluster around the two Apocalypses, attempting a fighting retreat along the western path as the Allied force closed in on them.

Nodding at their sudden progress, Jonathan's attention was drawn right as the support tab on his tac screen began flashing.

"Commander, Colonel Yang has linked you into the Pacific outpost network and Commander Ellis has agreed to patch you into the European systems. Support protocols are available now."

"All right, let's see what we've got."

Cryospear, Hunter-Seeker, Zephyrobot, Force Shield, Black Widow and Backwarp.

Not bad. Not bad at all! Let's put them to use.

Selecting the Cryospear, he homed in and ordered it deployed directly on top of the fleeing Apocalypse Tanks.

The Cryo blast hit them dead on, snap-freezing the nearby infantrymen before they could even scream, while stopping the tanks helpless, their tracks shuddering to a halt and barrels seizing up in the sub-zero temperatures.

The remaining Charons lead the charge, eager to avenge their fallen squadmates, backed by Tsurugis and Paladins. As soon as they were in range, their cannons began to rev up again. A barrage of Paladin missiles blew apart the frozen bodies of the infantry, while their Apocalypse escorts vanished into nothing soon after.

The rest of the Epsilon troops remaining were already far enough down the path to not be a worry…for now.

"Objective complete."

A ragged cheer went up from the Pacific troops at their newfound freedom, with Phantom Division troops joining in soon after.

From back in his command room, Jonathan nodded and sighed.

Hope they weren't under control too long.

"Good job, Commander. We'll begin transferring the data now."

The Robot Ops Center flashed on his tactical screen, a blue shield icon appearing over the building.

"New mission objective received."

Data Transfer In: 40:00

All right, let's see what I'm working with.

The Pacific outpost was serviceable enough, an available Barracks and War Factory either side the Robot Ops for on-site support, Arsenal Depot and Tech Center behind them to provide more exotic weaponry, an Ore Refinery and a couple of cliffside Oil Derricks bottom right for resource acquisition.

Kept safe enough by a line of Pillboxes, Prism Towers and Patriot Missiles guarding the main approach, with Tech Defenses standing inert among them and awaiting an Engineer to get them up and running, plus additional Patriots dotted around the cliff area to ward off an air attack from the rear.

All fuelled by a handful of Power Plants tucked away snugly in the top right, near one of the local Ore Drills.

Yeah, this'll do. I've worked with less.

"Stand by, Chronolift in 3. 2. 1."

Huh? ChronoLIFT?

Just as he was finished assessing his base, Chrono bubbles formed behind the Robot Ops Center. The centre sphere faded into an already-deployed Construction Yard, while the others brought along a Shield Command and Airforce Command, instead of vehicles.

"Well this is a nice surprise. Need I ask?"

"The data from Black Forest allowed Siegfried and his team to refine the Chronosphere further, it's now capable of teleporting buildings. They're figuring out a way to synergize it with our Warpshop and Warpnodes."

"Wonderful, mobile bases eh? We'll definitely have uses for that."

Yang patched him into the base's control systems a moment later.

"New construction options."

Looking over his new outpost, Jonathan scratched his chin and panned around the area.

More Oil Derricks on the cliff area to the west, along with some bunkers.

A Tech Expansion Post to the northern cliffs, right by a fresh Ore field.

Another batch of Epsilon troops already coming in.

"All right. Here we go."

---

"Johnson, infantry platoon coming up from the beach, turn them to ash! Take out the Scourge first!"

"Yes sir!"

"Rogers, I'm seeing Tyrants at the head of that assault team! Get your Charons to the front defence lines!"

"On it, sir!"

" Yang, I'm seeing Invaders trying to sneak around the cliffs, get some Rocketeers and Thors ready to take them out!"

"As you wish, Commander!"

"Construction complete."

"Get that Prism Tower set down to the front of that right bunker there! Push the defence line forward!"

"Yes, sir!"

"HERE THEY COME! EVERYONE DIG IN!"

"JESUS CHRIST HOW MANY OF THEM ARE THERE!? WE'VE KILLED HUNDREDS OF THEM BY NOW!"

"I'M SEEING BRUTES! LOTS AND LOTS OF BRUTES!"

"Sniper teams, take aim!"

"Watch those Adepts!"

They came as a tide of flesh and fury, throwing themselves heedlessly against the infidels daring to fight for their freedom.

"Machine guns at the ready! Wait…WAIT…"

As the horde of Epsilon infantry barreled towards the defenders, the fresh Prism Tower's mirror array stopped rotating, joined immediately by the rest of its fellows in the rear. A ring of light began travelling up the mast of the Prism Tower in the rear.

As it reached the mirror array, a beam of light bounced from tower to tower, refracting thrice off the aligned mirrors before blasting the lead Tyrant head on, with nothing left but molten metal in the vague shape of a tank.

"They're in range!"

"Fire! FIRE!"

The rows of GIs, SEALs, Snipers, Pillboxes and Tortoises filled the air with lead a second later, joined soon after by Robot Tank lasers, 'Corona' beam rifles of Siege Cadre soldiers and Blizzard Tank thermal cannons freezing, atomising and frying the attacking infantry with merciless precision.

The Tyrants tried to cover for them, only to vanish one by one once the Charons took to the front line. Their weapon charge spent, the tanks quickly retreated behind the static defences lest the Brutes target them for 'playtime'.

And yet despite their cover evaporating into nothing, they advanced still, driven forward by fanaticism. Though the Allied munitions blew bloody holes in their bodies, they kept on charging. A few of the Brutes, genetic abominations of annihilation that they were, managed to brave the volleys long enough to reach the defence line.

"THEY'RE RIGHT ON TOP OF US!"

"OH SH- RUUUNN!"

The GIs and Snipers at the front scrambled away from their sandbags in panic, desperate to escape. Not all were fast enough. Terrified, guttural screams were cut brutally short as swollen fists reduced the nearest men to twitching, quivering piles of torn sinew, severed limbs and broken bones.

The more resolute SEALs, Snipers and GIs kept firing to their last breaths, standing their ground to stop the horrors from slaughtering more of their comrades.

"FRANK! FUCKING MONSTER!"

"KILL 'EM! KILL 'EM ALL!"

The rest of the defenders re-focused immediately, pouring all of their fire into the remaining Brutes, unable to suffer seeing their friends and brothers-in-arms torn to shreds any longer. Under that much ordinance and continuous blasts of light from the Prism Towers, they succumbed soon enough.

Unfortunately, the complete shift in focus cost the Allies. The rest of the Epsilon infantry, free from most of the defenders' attention and aggression, had advanced into range as well.

A few GIs exploded into green clouds, the Duneriders' dose of toxins doing their deadly work. A few SEALs and Snipers' expressions went blank, the Adepts' psychic waves quickly overriding their minds, as they raised their weapons against their friends.

Yet more GIs and Guardians ducked in panic or hurriedly pat their burning clothes, retaliating against the Initiates' psychic flames and Archers' AROs with their own bullets and rockets. The Prism Towers soon join in, sending blast after blast of light to disintegrate one Epsilon fanatic after another.

"Keep shooting! We're pushing them back!"

The southern Epsilon infantry battalion moved to assist their fellows in overwhelming the Allies, but they'd barely started attacking the bunkers guarding the pass, now staffed by Allied soldiers and flanked by new Pillboxes and Gun Turrets, before light began to shine from the cliffs to their right.

The lead Adepts and Brutes vanished in a barrage of prism beams, while their fellows fell in seconds as Allied marksmen drilled ordinance through their heads. The leftover Initiates, Duneriders and Archers were hosed down as more infantry popped up from bushes to add their fire to their comrades'.

"Is that all of them?!"

"Yep, that's the last one!"

"Then get those Prism Tanks over to the west approach! They need you there!"

As the Prisms repositioned, assisting in mopping up what remained of Epsilon's infantry, a wing of Thor gunships hoovered over to the northern cliffs, sheltering Rocketeers beneath their wings, waiting for the oncoming Invaders to get into range. The saucers attempted to find a different path to their targets but, against Yang's diligence, saw only Blizzard Tanks, more gunships, Rocketeers or Patriot Missiles waiting for them.

They attacked anyway. Better to die taking chunks out of the infidels than retreat and shame their cause, they supposed.

They managed a volley or two of their dissolver beams before MJOLNIR drones were teleported above them, bringing down lightning bolts to tear at their hulls, creating openings the Rocketeers were all too eager to exploit, pouring HMG fire into the vulnerabilities as fast as they could.

A few poor souls fell from the sky in the assault, the Invaders knowing just how much more vulnerable the jet-armed men were compared to the mighty Norwegian aircraft that aided them, but their sacrifice was not for nothing, for their attackers were falling faster than they were.

The few remaining Invaders did at last flee to fight another day. Or tried to. Chronoshift bubbles brought in fresh Blizzard Tanks and Thors to the upper cliffs, who swiftly focused their weaponry on the battered saucers, sending them to the ground.

As the last of the attackers were dispatched, Jonathan let out a breath and looked over his outpost.

Casualties among the western and northern defenders, best to reinforce those soon.

Repair protocols are already working on the defences.

…hold on, those Blizzards and Thors weren't up there before, were they?

"Anyone know where those Thors and Blizzards on the north cliff came from?"

"Chronoshifted in, sir." Turner's voice replied.

"Well, I won't say no to reinforcements. Have them join your force and prepare to head out on patrol."

"Yes, sir! About time we hit back!"

"Yeah, it really is."

Panning his view over to the left, Jonathan noticed a target of opportunity. A quartet of inactive Oil Derricks just past western cliff ring, nestled in a large grassy plane, ringed by sandbags and patrolled by a light Epsilon garrison. The Chrono Miners were doing fine work, but more income for their operations never hurt.

Yeah, let's take them first. That'll be our staging area.

He opened a channel to Colonel Yang again.

"Yang, head to the Construction Yard and I'll transfer control of the defences here to you. Keep that Robot Ops safe, I'll be supervising offensive operations against Epsilon troops in the meantime."

""Of course, Commander." The Colonel replied.

Okay, let's see now…

A quick check over to the bottom right of his tactical screen and-

Data transfer in: 16:15

Well, at least all those Epsilon onslaughts have been good for something.

Now what have we got available.

As he checked over his support abilities, a fresh set of options materialised among the others.

Blizzards? Tortoises? Hailstorms?

"Commander, we're making reinforcements available to you and the Southern Cross from the Pocket Dimension. Deploy them whenever you need them."

…well how about that, eh?

As a test, he selected the 'Cavalier Battlegroup' option and poked at the tac screen just shy of Turner's troops. A Chrono bubble brought six of the tanks in a second later.

Okay, not bad! Not bad at all.

Prep time's not too shabby too. Let's make good use of it.

Requesting two Tortoises, two Charons and four Archons next, he directed them all to join Turner's strike team while he moved on to diverting command authority over the outpost to Yang. A few flipped switches and a passcode later, just to ensure it really was him, and the Pacific base plus the defenders all flashed on his tactical screen as soon as his clearance passed to the other officer.

A second later, the tactical systems re-coloured them to a lighter shade of sky blue to differentiate from his own troops.

Handy, that.

"All right Phantom Team, depart now. Head down the western pathway and take the incline directly ahead. There's some Epsilon patrols up there, mostly infantry and some light armour, so be ready, I'll see what support is available should we need it."

Just a glance over and-

Tsurugis, Robot Tanks, Kappas, Hailstorms, Blizzards and Thors still on hand. Should be plenty, and if not we can wait till the others are ready again.

"Yes sir! All Phantom elements, advance!"

Vehicles in the centre, Tortoises and Charons again in front, ringed by infantrymen, the assault team set out. Jonathan scanned the elevated cliff areas flanking the pathway.

"Way's clear so far, Phantom Team, no hostiles waiting for you."

"Roger that. You heard command, let's get up there!"

The Allied troops filed slowly and steadily up the incline, the infantry digging in at the top and scanning the area as the vehicles ascended and made their way forward.

It did not take long for the Epsilon patrols to notice the Allied presence. Most rallied together and charged forward, while a few began fleeing in the other direction. Whether to warn their fellows or out of cowardice at the size of the Allied force, it didn't matter, British marksmen cut them down all the same.

They came from all over the cliff ring, mostly light infantry….with a few far more dangerous troops leading the charge.

"Captain, I'm seeing Scourge!"

"Shit, Blizzard Tanks focus fire! Take out those-!"

A barrage of EM bolts slammed into the nearest line of tanks from the vehicle hunters, destroying the frontal three Archons and a couple of Blizzard Tanks even as they returned fire. The Allied soldiers dived to the ground, scattering to avoid the oncoming fire and turning their own weapons on the attackers.

Mantis Tanks, Speeder Trikes, Gatling Tanks and more Tyrants came barrelling towards the embattled forces, screened by Initiates, Archers and Brutes.

"Charons, re-focus fire and take out those Tyrants! Prism Tanks and Sniper teams, I want those Brutes wiped out!" Turner yelled through the comms. "Everyone else, the Scourge are the priority!"

That's a lot of Brutes at the front. Let's give them some breathing room.

Selecting the Cryospear again, Jonathan tapped on the Brute pack…and watched with satisfaction as the icy beam flash-froze them in their tracks. Their bodies, once so ungodly tough, brittle enough that they now swiftly shattered under fire from humble GIs, freeing up the Snipers and SEALs to cut down the Archers instead.

Much like their fellows, the rest of the Epsilon soldiers charged heedlessly towards their enemies, attacking with reckless abandon even as they were scythed down under a withering return barrage. By contrast, the Allied troops were quick to hug the ground, set up sandbags or huddle behind the nearest vehicle, picking targets slowly and making every shot count.

"Charles, take that Brute, 10 o'clock!"

"Got him in my sights!"

"Sniped that one!"

"Jesus, they don't stop running do they!? Are they insane!?"

"Damn right they are! But hey, they want to charge right into my line of fire, fine by me!"

"Now that's more like it! Knock the rest of the Brutes down, men!" Turner grinned from within his Paladin. "Johnson, focus on the other infantry instead!"

Between the GIs, SEALs and Snipers already ripping the zealots apart with bursts of rifle and submachine gun fire, the tanks' prism refractors only needed to add one or two volleys to erase the remaining Epsilon troops.

Unfortunately, though the Charons did their best to stem the tide, the remaining Scourge stomped towards the Allied lines while they were distracted with the infantry, bowing apart a handful of Cavaliers and some of the Prism Tanks in their advance, sending the burnt, writhing bodies of several GIs, SEALs and Medics sheltering behind them to the floor, where they writhed with pained screams.

"Back up! Back up now!"

The other vehicle drivers reacted as fast as possible, manhandling their gearsticks and reversing to outrange the Scourge's EM rods, firing all the way. The Paladins kept the armoured men back with a volley of missiles and cannon fire as they brought up the rear.

Damn it, they need more help!

Selecting more reinforcement options, Jonathan deployed fresh Blizzard Tanks with the other armoured units…while dropping the Thors right on top of the advancing tank hunters.

Shielding their eyes and scrambling away from the Chrono bubble, the Scourge hurried to ready their weapons again, aiming at the bright blue light and waiting for it to abate.

Until they saw a trio of the European gunships rising into the sky, MJOLNIR beacons primed.

They just started running, tripping over each other to get away faster…but didn't make it too far before the conduction drones appeared over their heads, followed soon after by the thunder god's wrath.

The Prism Tanks wheeling about and adding their light rays to the lightning strikes was just overkill.

"That all of them?!" Turner called.

"You're in the clear, Phantom Team." Jonathan said, panning his view around and finding no Epsilon troops in the vicinity.

"Continue on to the Oil Derricks. Just keep heading straight on to the west and they're right there. There's some Epsilon guards in the area, but nothing you can't handle."

"Roger that!"

As his team continued on, Jonathan decided to check back in on his allies.

Huh, not bad Colonel.

Extra defenses were in place at the west and south entrances, including a couple of the Pacific's advanced Hyperion anti-air batteries guarding the tightest clusters of Prism Towers, Grand Cannons and Pillboxes. The remaining gaps to the north and east were filled in by roving patrols of Blizzard Tanks, Cryocopters, Thor Gunships and Archon AMCs.

He'd even taken the Tech Expansion Post on the northern cliff, with a new Ore Refinery, Barracks and War Factories already built to support the defence further, ringed with some Pillboxes, Gun Turrets and Patriot Missiles for protection.

Unfortunately, the Allied fleet was doing less well. Though their nautical foothold was still secure, they'd not advanced any further into the bay area with continual waves of Epsilon subs hammering them from all sides. Jonathan grit his teeth at watching another crippled Horizon Destroyer and battered Siren Frigate sinking into the sea.

Can't do anything for them yet. Focus on what you CAN do.

But maybe…

"Colonel Yang, can you send some air support to cover the fleet?"

"Of course, Commander. I'll get an air wing ready now."

"Derricks sighted, command! Advancing to engage the guards!"

"Understood, Phantom Team. Try and avoid damaging the Oil Derricks." Jonathan ordered, pulling his tac screen back to view the quartet of buildings.

His forces had just entered the large plain

The Epsilon infantry were hurriedly diving behind their sandbag lines, nocking AROs and summoning psychic flame, while the vehicles took position and fired their cannons towards the advancing Allied forces.

The more nimble Cavaliers and AMCs managed to dodge the volley, while the Charons and Tortoises simply lumbered through the incoming shells and returned fire, wiping away the Mantis and Gatling Tanks in the forward defenses.

The remaining vehicles and infantry fired nonstop at the Allied assault force, even as they drew closer and scores of ordinance bombarded their positions in turn, with Cavalier shells tearing apart sandbags while thermal and prism beams erased any Initiates and Archers that were left exposed. The Tortoises' occupants added their own rockets and gunfire to the onslaught, moving down or blowing apart any infantryman caught in the open.

"We got 'em on the run, sir!"

"Chase 'em down! Don't let them report our position if they have a main base here!"

"Understood!"

A team of Cavaliers, Blizzards and Archons, hurriedly loaded with GIs and SEALs to convert their weaponry, peeled off from the main force to pursue the fleeing troops, while the rest of the assault force moved in to set up a perimeter around the derricks.

"Command, this is Turner. Derricks secure!"

"Good job, Phantom Team. Hold position and I'll see if we can't get our own outpost set up here."

Jonathan reached over to flip the comms again.

"Eva, can you spare any MCVs?"

"Yes Commander. One moment, keep the centre area between the Oil Derricks clear."

"Turner, clear the middle! MCV's coming down!"

"Yes sir! Everyone get clear of the centre!"

The final Charons, Tsurugis and Blizzards still between the derricks cleared out in a hurry while a Chrono bubble delivered an MCV between the buildings. As soon as there was enough space, the truck began expanding into a Construction Yard.

"New construction options."

"All right, MCV's down. All Phantom elements, hold the perimeter while the base gets up and running. Let's get a Barracks up first to take these Oil Derricks first."

"Yes sir!"

And how are we doing for-

Data transfer in: 11:48

Well we've killed some time, at least.

"Incoming!" Johnson called.

From the north this time, entirely light infantry…but in very significant force. Jonathan counted at least two dozen Brutes with this one.

"I see 'em! Everyone dig in!" Turner ordered. "Tortoises to the front, Tsurugis get ready to repair!"

…and let's see if we can't kill the source of these Epsilon attacks as well. Jonathan mused, watching his troops aligning themselves to meet the next wave of infantry rushing the Allied force.

Just to be on the safe side, he ordered Robot Tanks, Blizzard Tanks and Hailstorms Chronoshifted to reinforce his defenders. While the smaller machines moved to the front lines, the larger trucks stayed where they were, the nimble Hailjets on their backs taking off to strafe the advancing men and monstrosities with small missiles, bogging them down among the freezing cryo-clouds the ordinance unleashed.

"Eva, Colonel Yang, can you scan the island? There's got to be an Epsilon base behind all these attacks. At the very least, there's got to be some Cloning Vats here with how many bodies they're throwing at us."

"The other Commanders have reported as much in their operation areas as well. Stand by, Commander, we'll initiate scans now."

"Great, thanks."

"Construction complete."

"Right on time. Okay, let's have the Barracks right here."

He tapped the screen just shy of the lower right Oil Derrick, nodding as the new facility unfurled from the ground a moment later.

First, some extra GIs to reinforce the defenders, then some Engineers to take the derricks. And let's see if there's a-

Yep, there was. Just a small Ore field nestled in the north corner of the elevated plane, but at least his Refinery wouldn't go to waste.

Next, let's get some Power Plants up.

---

"On the left, take out that Adept!"

"More Archers! Kill 'em before they reach our APCs!"

"Forget the Archers, GET THOSE BRUTES!"

"All Pillboxes focus fire! Get the Cryo weaponry on them!"

"Suppressors, get in there and invert those anti-armour weapons!"

"AAAAAGGGHHH!"

"TAKE COVER! MEDIC!"

"GET DOWN! Casualties on the right flank!"

"Yeah and the left! We just lost our two Battle Tortoises!"

"We need air support! What the hell are the Thors doing!? They should've dealt with those Basilisks by now!"

Jonathan growled as he looked over the fresh waves of Epsilon infantry charging his defences.

This is the sixth wave in four minutes!

They've got to let up some time!

WARNING - Enemy infantry battalion detected!

"Turner, take the Charons to the western approach, we've got more Brutes incoming!"

"Construction complete."

Finally!

Deploying the Tech Center right next to his ConYard, Jonathan immediately ordered some Prism Tanks, Tortoises and Thors from his War Factories, while instructing the ConYard to prepare Prism Towers to supplement their existing defences.

The new outpost had clearly not sat well with the Epsilon garrison on the island. While the Pacific base had been getting besieged by waves of armour and two separate swarms of Dybbuks, Invaders and Basilisks, Phantom Division had been lucky enough to 'only' get attacked by masses of infantry thus far.

But it would only be a matter of time before the heavier toys were brought out against them, especially with their new access to their own more advanced gear.

All right, now for more support.

This time, he just Chronoshifted all of the available reinforcement groups around his base. No sense not using any of them when all they needed to do now was hold the line.

Data transfer in: 05:26

Few more minutes. The Weather Controller can turn this tide if anything can.

Another alarm sounded. More Epsilon troops were filing through the upper valley and swarming the northern defence line. An utter deluge of Brutes and Adepts this time.

Yeah, definitely Cloning Vats active somewhere on this island.

"All infantry, pull back from those mind controllers! Let the artillery units soften them all up!"

"Yes sir! Come on, let's go let's go!"

"All Zephyrs, fire at will!" The Commander ordered, deploying a Zephyrobot just in front of the thunderous infantry charge.

Their howitzers wheeling about and aimed high in the sky, the Pacific vehicles sent wave after wave of ordinance arcing through the sky to rain down on the fanatics' heads. The ground churned and shook, some of the Adepts stumbled, fell or vanished into a bloody mist…but most of them kept coming. The Brutes ignored it entirely.

Even as the Pillboxes' HMGs tore into them, Prism arrays fried them where they stood and the 200mm Grand Cannons tore the land around them apart, they drew closer and closer.

Yet more Epsilon troops came to join the fight, crowding through the tight pass to the north to rush the Allied outpost. And as they did so, Jonathan could've sworn he saw purplish - what was that, mist? - starting to gather around them.

Wait, that's not-

WARNING - Rage Inductor activated!

It coalesced all at once into a bright purple ring of gas, saturating the front lines of Brutes and some of the rear Adepts as they continued their advance against the Allied defences.

SHIT.

"Get all our anti-infantry assets over to the northern line RIGHT NOW." He yelled into the comms, watching as the hulking monsters started utterly ignoring the incoming HMG, cannon and Prism fire, rapidly closing on the first Pillboxes. "They've got a Rage Inductor active!"

"On it, sir! Hoskins, get the cryo and anti-infantry platoons ready! Johnson, get your Prism Tanks over there!"

"Forget them, get the Charons to the front!"

"With those Adepts right there, are you insane?! Keep them back!"

"All infantry elements, fall back! FALL BACK!"

A cacophony of roars and screams began sounding from the north of the base, the Brutes finally reaching and beginning to smash apart the Pillboxes, caving in metal and concrete with a mere few blows of their mutated fists.

Some of them moved on directly to the Prism Towers, relentlessly hammering away at them to push them over or snap them in half entirely. A bevy of Allied munitions was swiftly focused on them, but the recent enhancement had hardened their skin such that most of the bullets and cannon fire left mere scratches.

Even when the base's Harriers and Black Eagles moved in to unload their munitions against the attackers, a few of the Adepts fell, especially to the Cryo clouds left behind, while the Brutes pushed through.

What few Allied soldiers were still retreating from the embattled defence line went limp and blank, before raising their weapons against their own base, the empowered Adepts reaching further to steal their minds faster. A few tried to fight it, clenching their fists as their faces twisted in agony and terror…only to falter moments later and join their new masters in attacking their former comrades.

Treads thundering through the inner base, barrelling past rows of Power Plants, the ConYard, Barracks and Air Force Command, Blizzards, Robot Tanks, Cavaliers and Archons were the first to aid in the defence efforts, focusing lasers and thermal beams onto the closest of the Brutes.

With pained snarls, one of them picked up the wreck of a Prism Tower and threw it hard, sending a Robot Tank and Blizzard Tank careening with the sheer force. Another two Brutes rushed forward to tear the turrets off of a couple of Cavaliers, swinging them like clubs to crush and swat more of the nearby tanks.

"IIIIT'S PLAAAAYTIIIIME!"

"BACK UP! BACK UP!"

"RETREEEAAAT!"

"OH GOD OH GOD NOOO-"

The monsters swarmed through the gap they'd torn in the Allied defences, now focusing their attacks on the mobile defenders. Drivers wrenched gearsticks into reverse and backed up as hurriedly as they could, but not all of them were quick enough to outrun the Brutes.

Nor was their firepower sufficient to bring them all down before some of them caught up, even when Jonathan called down another Cryospear to try and freeze them.

One of the fleeing Archons was crushed and flipped over as a Brute smashed into its side, while another was picked up and thrown into a group of GIs and Guardians, splattering and crushing them against its hull as it tumbled over them.

More hapless Allied armour was simply picked up and carried a short distance away from the main combat, being brought into range of the rearguard Adepts to suborn to Epsilon's cause. Set down, they joined the battle, attacking the remaining Allied northern defences.

More Kappas, Cavaliers and Blizzards moved to join the defence, while Jonathan ordered the Robot Tanks to ignore the Brutes and controlled infantry and beeline right for the Adepts.

Explosions rocked the base as the Brutes tore down a couple of Power Plants, then the Air Force Command beside them, sending its attached aircraft fleeing to the Pacific base's spare runway.

WARNING - Low power.

Great, OH GREAT!

Even with the Prism Towers and Grand Cannons grinding to a halt, massed Sniper, HMG, cannon and Cryo beam fire was finally managing to bring down the Brutes, tearing into them at such a rate that even their twice-augmented healing couldn't quite keep up.

But it wouldn't be fast enough, not with how quickly they were heading for the ConYard and War Factories.

He deployed his Force Shield over the ConYard. Easier to rebuild the factories than an MCV, even with the new blueprints.

The remaining Adepts were following close behind, seizing some Kappa and Cavalier Tanks as their old servants were cut down by the desperate defenders.

DAMN IT! Come on, where are the-!?

As if his prayers were answered, the lightning bolts started up.

"FEEL THE MIGHT OF THE GODS!"

Parting the clouds and descending into range, a wing of Thors unleashed their fury against the charging Brutes, while accompanying Cryocopters and Rocketeers focused fire against the Adepts, who started scrambling to seize some anti-air units.

A few did manage to snare nearby Blizzards and Archons, but were cut down in a hail of HMG fire before they could direct them against the new threat. With the psychic threat dealt with, they turned their attention to assisting the Thors in frying the remaining Brutes.

With so many Allied assets focusing fire on them, they did eventually succumb. Thrashing, screaming and whining about how "unfair" the "game" had become all the while.

A raucous cheer went up from all nearby soldiers and tank crews as the last Brute fell, while Jonathan wiped away the sweat from his brow and breathed a heavy sigh of relief, relaxing his grip on his command console.

Jesus CHRIST.

"Apologies, Commander. The Epsilon air force was larger than expected." A Thor pilot radioed in.

"Don't worry about it, it's just good to have you back in time." He replied. "Just patrol the base perimeter and keep an eye out for any more of them coming for us."

"Of course, sir."

"The rest of you, reinforce the northern defence line until we can replace the lost defences. ConYard staff, prioritise getting the power grid back up."

"Yes sir!"

"10-4, Commander!"

All right, now let's-

"Objective complete."

Uh? What-

Looking to the lower right side of his tactical screen, Jonathan's eyes widened as he saw the timer.

Data Transfer In: 00:00

"Good job. We've gotten all the data we need."

"Well great, but can we have a little time before we move onto the next phase? We're going to need some time on our end to get everything up and running at the forward base."

"Don't worry, Commander. It'll take a little while to implement the changes to our Weather Controllers, so we won't be deploying them yet, and there's something else we need you to do first."

"Understood. What's the mission?"

His view was moved north, past the edge of the territory his forces had actually explored. After a few moments, radar scans started to drive away the fog of war, revealing-

"This outpost is the source of Epsilon ground attacks against your and Colonel Yang's bases."

Situated on a raised area near a cliff edge, it was quite the sizable stronghold. All walled in and with rows of Gatling Cannons, Inferno Towers and Antares Batteries providing protection.

Couple of Barracks and three War Factories up front, an Aerodrome and Radar Spire to the top right, Pandora Hub with Chemplug, Synthesis Vault-

And yep, there was the Rage Inductor, over by the top left. And what was that over to the lower left?

Eight very familiar structures, nestled between the Ore Refinery and a row of Bio Reactors, began flashing on his screen, just as some Initiates and Brutes filed out of them.

I knew it.

"You were right about there being Cloning Vats operational, Commander. Take them and the base out and it should be safe enough that we'll deploy the Weather Controller."

"Consider it done."

"New mission objective received."

3.) Destroy the Scorpion Cell outpost.

Moving his view back to his own base, Jonathan scanned over his available support.

Most of them are still readying again, but what we've got should be enough to break through. At least we can pressure them.

Chronoshifting in fresh Thors, Kappas, Cavaliers and Blizzards, he instructed them all to patrol the base, before ordering the Barracks and War Factories to focus on deploying more anti-infantry troops and tanks. It wouldn't be long before the Epsilon stronghold attacked again.

"Turner, are you receiving?"

"Yes sir, what do you need?"

"Your strike force is relieved from guard duty, I want you to assemble at the northern pass. We've just found the Epsilon base that's attacking us and high command wants it taken out before the Weather Controller's deployed."

"Understood sir, I'll rally the men!"

"Good. Base staff, keep up deploying extra defenses and troops. They're sure to come back while our main forces are occupied."

"Yes, Commander!"

---

The final Tyrant and Mantis Tanks exploded into fragments when the missile barrage impacted their chassis. Their fellow Gatling Tanks and Plaguesplatters, realising the fight was lost and trying to fall back, didn't make it too far before Charons wiped most of them away and prism refractor fire finished off the remainder.

"That's the armour eliminated, Captain!" Johnson called out.

"All right, now move on to the remaining infantry. Tsurugis, get to repairs on those Charons and Prism Tanks! Thors, any incoming enemy air cover we should worry about?"

"Negative, they're all gone, Captain."

"Roger. Command, anything else coming at us?" Turner asked.

Jonathan panned his view around, narrowing his eyes.

Lots of infantry coming from the sides, not much else.

"Lots more infantry incoming on either side, most of 'em Initiates and Brutes, and nothing from the front. Clear them out and it should be a straight shot to the base."

"Got it, sir! All Snipers, Prism Tanks and SEALs move into position at the front, you see any Adepts you take them out first. Thors, give them air cover and focus on the Brutes! The rest of you, bunker down and keep up those repairs!"

They soon came into range, a crushing mass of bodies charging full tilt at the Allied troops. There was no need for much precision when it came to aiming, there were simply too many to not hit one of them as long as you were firing in their general direction.

Which is precisely what every GI, Guardian, SEAL and Sniper did as soon as they saw the horde of hostiles rushing them, filling the air with munitions relentlessly. With the Brutes screening for their more fragile fellows, plus the fact that they began firing back soon enough, the Allied infantry didn't make too much of a dent in the mass before they were forced to go prone or dive behind their sandbags.

Despite the danger, Medics crouched and scurried forward, quickly attending to the squirming, immobile infantrymen who'd not been able to duck and cover in time, pulling out creams and gauzes to treat their burns from pyrokinetic blasts.

Charons and Tortoises moved in front of the sandbag barricades to provide extra protection, allowing the still-mobile troops to advance to the cover of their armour and take continued pot-shots at the Epsilon fanatics from around the chassis. Even so, they weren't making too much progress.

Once the Prism Tanks, Hailstorms and Thors moved in to attack, however, it was a far different story.

A chorus of yells, roars and pained screams floated from the enemy formations, volleys of Cryo missiles and MJOLNIR-guided bolts scattering them to the sides or even the ground, frying a few unlucky ones where they stood, while prism beams picked off those that remained and stood their ground with merciless efficiency.

"Clear on the left side!" Johnson's call reverberated through the comms.

"All targets neutralised over here, Captain!" Sgt James reported.

"Great!" Turner sighed in relief. "All right, status reports. Any damage that needs fixing up before we move on?"

"Need Medics on the left side! Carl and Derek got burnt pretty badly by those psychos!"

"Got some APCs and Cavaliers on the right that need fixing up, they've taken a hell of a beating!"

"Understood! I'll send some Tsurugis over there."

Nodding as his forces moved this way and that, getting each other battle ready, he moved his view northwards just for a check up.

Ah.

"Heads up Phantom Team, the base is rolling out the welcome mat for you."

"What are we looking at, command?"

"Six dozen hostiles. Mostly armour, lots of Mantis Tanks and Tyrants, with Invader and Basilisk support. There's some Adepts and Scourge mixed in there as well, so don't neglect the anti-infantry weapons."

"Understood sir. All platoons reform the battle lines! Incoming tangos to the north!"

"Yes sir!" A Charon pilot called out, his squadron hurrying to realign themselves.

"I can see them already." A Thor pilot muttered. "Come on then, let's see how you do against European engineering!"

"Thor pilots, can you take out their air support first?!"

"We'll do our utmost to, but we're seeing a lot of Gatling Tanks in those formations."

"Understood, then do your best to keep out of range while thinning them out."

Looking again at the Epsilon formations, seeing extra tanks and infantry joining them from the base garrison, Jonathan grit his teeth and reached for the reinforcement options.

"I'm sending you more support, try and bottleneck them at that slope they need to move down!"

The extra Hailstorms, Tortoises and Charons just barely moved into formation before the first Epsilon troops crested the horizon, barreling down the hill.

Followed by dozens more. And more again.

"Holy shit how many is that at once!?"

"Sir, I'm seeing Masterminds!"

"We're all loaded and ready, Captain! Should we-"

"FIRST PLATOON, FIRE!" Turner yelled into the comms. "BURY THEM IN ORDINANCE!"

Every Allied soldier, Cavalier and Kappa Tank opened up at once, the crescendo of sound from their barrels forcing even Jonathan in his command room to clap his hands over his ears, such was the cacophony belting out of the linked speakers.

"Second platoon, at the ready!"

The frontal two rows of Epsilon forces were reduced to slag and gore in seconds. Their fellows swiftly started pushing past the remaining bits of wreckage to engage the Allies, but the Paladins, Zephyrs and Hailstorms opened up next, unleashing a barrage of missile, cannon, howitzer and Cryo missile fire into the oncoming formations.

Despite the miasma of smoke and torn up debris, there was already return fire pouring out from the Epsilon ranks, as Gatlings, Mantises and Tyrants opened up, taking advantage of the reduced visibility to retaliate in relative safety. Soon enough, Brutes came charging from the front of the cloud, ready to smash any Allied materiel they could find.

"SHIT, FIRE ON THOSE BRUTES!"

The rest of the Epsilon attack force followed along quickly, seizing the opportunity as the Allies' guns shifted focus.

"Forget them! Kill the Masterminds!"

"Take out the Tyrants!"

"I'm seeing Adepts! Back up! Back up!"

"Everyone fall back a-"

"ON THE RIIIIGHT!"

"SHIT I'M SEEING THEIR AIR COVER!"

"Hicks, get your rocket launcher on those Brutes!"

"Fuck those, kill those Adepts first!"

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!? KILL THE-"

"INCOMING FIRE! GET DOWN!"

"FALL BACK! FALL BA- AAAAAGGGHHH!"

"WE'RE PINNED DOWN!"

"ON THE LEFT, ON THE-"

"Watch out!"

Jonathan's fists clenched as he watched the assault degenerate into a brutal melee, lines and cohesion steadily breaking down as all the Epsilon attackers charged head on into and past the Allied lines, driving infantry and vehicles alike to scatter while yet more began firing far more cautiously, for fear of striking their own. The Zephyrs and Hailstorms' gunners were especially wary, trying their best to take potshots at what (relatively) isolated Epsilon troops they could pick out among the chaos.

The fanatics had no such limits, each and every one willing to pave the road to victory with their blood, blindly unloading ordinance into or beelining for the nearest enemy. The Allied troops only scattered further, desperately trying to avoid the mutated monsters and unhinged psychics throwing themselves at them.

Their pilots proved just as bold, Invaders and Basilisks alike ploughing headfirst into the fray, taking full advantage of the Allies' occupation with their ground bound comrades to rain beams and psychic bolts down from the skies. Fresh screams filled the comms as soldiers melted into sludge or broke apart into gore.

The Archons, Blizzards and Kappas were the first of the armour to start taking significant casualties, though they took plenty of Epsilon's own with them, their lighter armour failing rapidly under such heavy bombardment.

"Engines hit! Can't maintain altitude!"

A couple of Thors spiralled down into flaming wrecks, one of them right onto a hapless Mantis Tank.

"There's too much AA! We need to fall back!"

"Somebody take out those Gatling Tanks!"

"Take out these damn Brutes first and you've got a deal!"

The Allied infantry were, by now, scrambling for any cover they could find, some resorting to huddling behind the nearest tank wreck and hugging the ground, even as psi bolts and dissolver beams cut down more and more of them.

"SOMEONE BRING THOSE FUCKING SAUCERS DOWN! THEY'RE KILLING US!"

Shit. What can I do from here!? Any support's going to have to be danger close!

Wait, hold on-

Noticing the familiar, bulbous tracked shapes lumbering dangerously close to his men, Jonathan hurriedly thumbed the comms open.

"I need any and all Charons still active to take out those Masterminds, RIGHT NOW."

No no no, too uncoordinated!

Think think think! Where are they? Where are they!?

His eyes flew from vehicle to vehicle, even as he cycled the display on his tactical screen to connect him to the specific tanks in his forces.

Masterminds are all in a line, Charons are spread out! Okay, okay!

"Charon 2, take out the Mastermind on the leftmost side of the formation! Charon 4, take out the rightmost one! Charon 3, second from left! 5, second from right!1, take the centre Mastermind! Go!"

Those Gatlings are bunched up too. Maybe we can-

Yeah, it's ready!

"All active Zephyrs, prepare to bombard the beacon as soon as it registers on your targeting systems!"

Orders given and support system deployed, Jonathan clenched his hands together and waited.

Braving a chaotic storm of munitions, the five Charons pushed through the embattled armour divisions, turrets rotating with a menacing hum to face the oncoming psychic tanks.

The Masterminds, realising what was happening, sped themselves up, pushing as hard as possible to get within mind control range, while their own fellows scrambled to focus fire on the Euro tanks.

Two of the Charons went up in flames…but not before their cannons discharged, sending the two flanking Masterminds into oblivion. Their three fellows followed along a mere couple of seconds later.

"Command, Masterminds are down! Taking heavy fire!"

"Retreat to a safe distance and a Tsurugi if you can. Thors, close in and destroy that air support."

"Yes sir!"

"There's a lot of AA to fly through there, Commander."

"The Zephyrs have it in hand. Go."

"Yes, sir."

The Gatling Tanks' barrels began to rev up once more as the gunships moved in to engage Epsilon's air force, ready to send a fresh storm of bullets to the skies.

Until the beeping red light of a strange mechanical pod attracted their attention…and the howitzer rounds began to fall.

Fragile as their armour was, and as speedily as the rounds rocketed towards them, most of the Gatling Tanks couldn't get out of the way in time. Small parts of their wreckage flew all over the cliffside they'd taken, the rest was vaporised outright.

Seizing the opening, the European gunships pushed forward into MJOLNIR range, bombarding the Invaders and Basilisks with lightning. Sensing their own chance, the remaining Blizzard Tanks turned their thermal cannons skyward, doing their part to cut the enemy's air support down.

Hit relentlessly from above and below, both sets of aircraft broke off the direct attack and began falling back to their base. The Thors knocked out most of them before they got out of range of the MJOLNIR system, while the Blizzards braved the storm of munitions still flying this way and that to chase down the rest.

With all AA threats neutralised, the gunships re-tuned their conduction drones for more precise strikes and sallied to the defence of their comrades, frying Brutes, Initiates and Adepts alike to protect the scrambling and desperate troops.

With the pressure alleviated, grateful Guardians and Siege Cadre turned right around, reformed their lines and poured weapons fire into the nearest Epsilon tanks they could find, while their accompanying GIs and SEALs wove from tank to tank, rifles at ready, shooting down the remaining Archers and Scourge.

With infantry, aircraft and vehicles alike all focusing fire on what Epsilon armour was left, even the mightiest of the Tyrants had their chassis torn apart. If not by the storm of cannon fire, then when the Paladins unleashed a flurry from their rocket pods once more.

The rest of them tried to retreat back to their base, realising the battle was lost, only for the Thors and Zephyrs to saturate the area they were fleeing to in lightning and howitzer fire.

"This is Phantom Actual, you're all clear!"

"Understood, Command! Medics and Tsurugis, get to treating the injured! The rest of you, stay on guard!" Turner ordered.

The Allied formations breathed a sigh of relief, though some still held their weapons ready in rigid grips, while Jonathan looked through his forces to assess the casualties.

Three Charons; four Kappas; six Robot Tanks; five Blizzards; three Tsurugis; two dozen infantry; three Prism Tanks; four Cavaliers, six Archons…

Yeah, they're gonna need more support for that base.

Moving his tactical view back to his own outpost, Jonathan's gaze flew around the patrol teams his subordinates had mobilised in his 'absence'.

Mostly armour, but that'll do just fine. Some air support too.

Which ones will be okay to-

Nothing from the south while we were getting established, and Yang's still to the east…

"Southern and eastern patrol teams, abort current orders and join up with Captain Turner's strike force near the enemy base. They've taken casualties and need reinforcements."

"Yes sir!"

"Roger that! We're on our way!"

He moved on to scanning his available Chrono reinforcements, pausing to watch the patrols pushing upward to assemble with Phantom Team. Glancing back at his base one last time, Jonathan nodded at the fresh soldiers and vehicles already emerging from their Barracks and War Factories.

Great, keep that up.

Okay, so what's available now?

….should be enough.

He ordered Prism Tanks, Robot Tanks, Charons and Cavaliers deployed alongside the strike team. A few moments after the Chrono bubbles vanished, the patrol teams began to file in and fall in line with the others, bringing fresh Archons; Tsurugis; Blizzards; Kappas; Cryocopters and Thors for the assault.

"Phantom Team, all elements report readiness."

"Phantom One, standing by!"

"Phantom Two, all repaired and ready, sir!"

"Phantom Three, all units ready!"

"Phantom Four, fuelled up ready to go!"

"Phantom Five, reporting ready!"

"Then advance at your discretion, watch those defensive towers as you approach and be wary of cloak ambushes. All Zephyr units, stay behind and wait for coordinates from a Zephyrobot."

"As you wish, sir!"

He kept his eyes on the ground ahead as his troops began filing up the incline. This time, the Paladins and Tortoises moved first, setting up a perimeter at the top for the infantry and lighter vehicles to advance upward safely.

"Phantom One, I'm seeing the base ahead! That's a lot of those Antares towers…"

"That's for the Hailstorms and Prism Tanks to worry about. Any movement nearby?"

"Nothing I can…wait, hold on- I'm seeing visual distortion! Can anyone else confirm!?"

"I see it too! 11 and 3 o'clock!"

"Paladins 3 and 4, target 11 o'clock! Tortoises 2 and 5, target 3 o'clock! Fire!"

The rest of the Allied gunners gripped their controls and narrowed their eyes, watching the volley of shells and missiles flying towards the empty air.

Followed by impact a few seconds later, and pieces of familiar tank wreckage flying every which way.

Deciding the jig was up, the remaining two dozen Shadow Tanks dropped their cloaks and charged the Allied troops, Dissolver Beams flaring to life.

Infantrymen were quick to retreat to the safety of the nearest vehicle chassis they could huddle behind, though a few SEALs, Guardians and GIs fell screaming from the onslaught before they could make it, bodies swiftly melting into green sludge right in front of their revolted comrades.

The rest of the Allied tanks, led by the Paladins, rapidly closed ranks to wall off the infantry and take the dissolvers on their stronger chassis armour, cannons, missile launchers and beam weapons returning fire immediately. The Tortoises, meanwhile, barrelled headlong into the hostile formations with all turrets and gun ports blazing, crushing several of the tanks beneath their treads before they could change course and scattering the rest.

Jonathan deployed a Cryospear to lock down the grouping of Shadow Tanks immediately in front of his troops, which Turner was quick to take advantage of, yelling for all of his Paladins to fire their missile pods on the bunched vehicles, reducing them to small pieces of scrap quickly.

Even though the battle was not to their favour, the remainder fought on ferociously, taking a few Cavalier and Kappa Tanks before going down. Even as the Allied forces regrouped and pressed on further, now with Robot Tanks leading the charge to scan for more ambushers, they'd delayed them long enough.

Warning sirens blared from the Epsilon base, all buildings springing to life and active troops assembling within.

"Looks like they're ready for us." Turner muttered grimly. "Command, what's happening in there? What are we up against?"

"Horde of infantry and a lot of armour assets ready already, more coming from the Cloning Vats." Jonathan replied, frowning at the War Factories and Barracks working full tilt to bolster the defence forces. "Get your anti-infantry weapons ready and engage the defenses at your discretion, I'll try dealing with the armour."

"Understood command. Right, all Hailstorms and Prism Tanks move into attack range! Charons, Tortoises and Paladins, form a screen for them! Thors, you're on overwatch for infantry and air bogeys!"

Turner barked orders into the comms, while Jonathan scrutinised the enemy base again.

That armour's clustered up pretty tight…yeah. That could work.

"Commander, the Paradox armada is moving in closer, and we're making the Chronosphere available to you."

"Understood, thanks Eva." Jonathan let himself smile a moment.

"Zephyrs, incoming coordinate link. I want continuous fire on and around the target area."

"Yes sir!"

A few moments later, ordinance began falling from the sky, crushing the assembling Epsilon armour and blowing apart their infantry. Even a few of their buildings were caught in the crossfire, the steady stream of shells slowly but surely wearing down the four Bio Reactors, War Factory and Barracks caught in the area.

The defenders hurriedly scrambled away from the barrage, desperate enough to escape that they largely ignored the approaching Allied forces to tend to the damage and regroup as best they could.

Trundling forward carefully, the front line of Tortoises and Paladins eventually came to a stop at a call from one of the Prism Tank operators. They'd reached maximum effective range.

Refractors flared bright and small engines roared to life. The Hailjets took off and made for the right side Inferno Towers and Gatling Cannons, while the Prism Tanks began firing on the left hand defenses.

Though the Gatling Cannons did well enough shooting down the attacking jets, filling the skies with so much lead that even the nimble Pacific siege drones couldn't evade it all, the Epsilon defences slowly started crumbling anyway under a withering barrage of light beams.

Creeping forwards under armoured cover as their nearest Inferno Towers and Gatling Cannons fell, the Prism Tanks next focused fire on the Antares Batteries behind the base walls, the greatest obstacle to the rest of their troops beginning the attack.

A couple of the tanks drew a mite too close trying to find their range, before exploding into molten metal and shrapnel as the pyrokinetic blasts slagged them in seconds.

"Keep it up! Focus fire!" Turner yelled.

"Foot Soldiers incoming, Phantom Team. All Thors and Robot Tanks to the front."

As soon as the gates slid down, a crushing mass of men and monsters piled out, yelling and firing at the Allied attackers, with more emerging from the Cloning Vats all the while.

GIs, Snipers and SEALs found whatever gaps they could in their armoured lines, those that couldn't find an Archon to shoot from, to join in the onslaught, pouring more and more ammunition into the tide of fanatics. Tsurugis darted this way and that, repair beams sealing any patches the Epsilon troops could make in the frontal Allied vehicles.

Though a maelstrom of lightning, thermal blasts, small arms, missiles and lasers tore them apart, more of them kept coming, pushing closer and closer over the blood of their dead. Even the Hailjets and Prism Tanks were slowly forced to re-direct fire from the remaining defence towers just to keep them back.

This isn't working! We need to take out those Vats!

Scratching his chin, Jonathan deployed Hunter-Seeker drones to lock down the Epsilon forces further and searched over his other support systems.

Radar Scan, Glacial Screen, Force Shield, Backwarp, Chrono-

…the Charons DO need to get real close for buildings, don't they? We've got enough for one each.

All right, this can work.

"All Charons, break off the attack and regroup behind everyone else, bunch up and prepare for Chronoshift."

As the hulking tanks hurried to comply with the order, Jonathan moved his tac screen to give the Epsilon base one last look.

All right, there's just a bit of space free to the right of the Vats. A few Inferno Towers in range of them…but almost no Gatling Cannons, guess the Prisms and Hailstorms got 'em all.

They'll be going in hot, but one shot's all they need.

Cover. They'll need some cover. Can we-

His train of thought was interrupted and gaze drawn by sky blue Allied troops moving up the ramp to join his forces, before they flashed to his slightly darker pure blue.

"Colonel Yang sent us, Sir! We're at your disposal!"

"Great."

Are those Thors I spy bringing up the rear?

"Really great. Thors, head to the right of the battle lines and get as close to the base as you can. Once the Charons are Chronoshifted, follow them in and keep them safe while they take out the Cloning Vats. The rest of you, join the others in holding off those infantry."

"Consider it done sir."

The gunships group up above the bunched Charons, before slowly floating closer and closer to the base, inching themselves forwards while keeping away from the remaining Gatling Cannons.

"Charons, take out the Cloning Vats as soon as you land so the rest of our assault force can advance through the infantry and support you, nothing else matters."

"Right in the middle of that base? We'll be under heavy fire, sir." One of the pilots replied.

"Thors will be moving in to cover you and I have support systems ready to keep you in the fight. Just focus on the Vats and defend yourselves once they're gone."

"Understood, Commander. They'll be gone."

"All right. Chronoshift in three."

"Select target."

"Two."

The Charons were enveloped in a light blue sphere of energy.

"One."

WARNING - Chronosphere activated!

Epsilon's assembly of fresh troops halted abruptly as the Chrono bubble manifested in their base, dozens of weapons swinging around and preparing to fire on whatever it was the Allies were teleporting into their perimeter.

Only to jump in surprise as, before the Chrono bubble had even dissipated fully, their Cloning Vats vanished in a swirl of energy and low hum. Seconds later, the Charons were revealed.

Seeing the troops starting to ready weapons, the assembled Thors and some assisting Cryocopters threw caution to the wind to beeline right for their fellows, MJOLNIR beacons warming up.

When weapons fire began to impact the Charons' armour from all sides, the eight tanks formed into a circle with forward armour facing out, intent on minimising the damage as much as possible while their Neutron Cannons recharged….but with how many defenders were rushing to engage them, that strategy could only buy them so much time.

"Command, Vats are neutralised but we're taking heavy fire! Where's that support!?" A pilot yelled.

"Deploying it now, just hold position." Jonathan replied, targeting the Glacial Screen and Backwarp systems right at the centre of the tank huddle.

Inside, the crews allowed themselves to relax a little, the forming Cryo barriers hardening around their chassis and insulating them from Epsilon's munitions, while any dents, gashes and gaps in the metal sealed themselves up in time with the Chrono pulses.

Though the defending troops tried concentrating fire on the leftmost Charon, hoping to breach their protection, it was too late. The lightning was already coming down.

"THUNDERSTORM!"

As the gunships moved further in to sweep away the defenders, the Charons took their opening. As the ice screen wore off, allowing them to move once more, the tanks lumbered forward in all directions, re-focused and wiped away all six Bio Reactors within range, plus the Refinery and Radar Spire nearby.

All at once, the base defenses fell silent, prompting the main assault force to ignore the leftover towers and advance. Wasting no time, they hammered down what was left of the front walls and piled into the base itself, followed by Thors and Cryocopters.

"All right people, Bio Reactors first! Everything else second! We don't want those towers coming back online!" Turner ordered. "Johnson, take out what's left of those infantry over there! Hutchinson, take the Cavaliers and Kappas and destroy that Rage Inductor! The rest of you, don't leave anything standing!"

"Belay that order, Phantom One." Jonathan cut in. "I want the Construction Yard, Radar Spire and Pandora Hub left standing, I'll be sending in an Engineer team to see what data we can get from them."

"Yes sir!"

Already reeling from the Chrono strike force, taking heavy losses from their gunship overwatch, and now bereft of static defences, what was left of the infantry were soon fried by the oncoming Robot and Blizzard Tanks, while the Paladins and Cavaliers ran roughshod over any leftover armour.

With all resistance clear, their guns were turned on the buildings. First to collapse were the Barracks, while the War Factories were slagged soon enough after. As they moved on to the remainder of the base, with their Commander's exceptions remaining untouched, Jonathan sat back and smiled.

That should give us some room to breathe.

Quickshifters were soon to arrive, bringing in a trio of Engineers with escorting SEALs, GIs and Medics. Dividing themselves into groups, they all made for the last buildings standing.

"Objective complete."

More Chronoshifts brought an MCV and Allied tanks to the remnants of the base, which quickly spread out into a perimeter while the MCV unpacked.

"Commander Erikson will take over security of this captured base until we've extracted all remaining data from their computers. Now that the Epsilon presence on the island has been cleared, we can move on to the next phase.

"The data packet from Yang's outpost allowed us to install a 'Deep Charge Mode' system into the Weather Controller design, we're just finishing up the last refits and then we'll deploy the Controller in Yang's outpost. You both need to protect it until it's charged, then we'll use it to clear a landing zone in Cape Town for you."

"Understood." Jonathan nodded, before flipping the comms over.

"Phantom Team, let's pull back to the base, get everything repaired and keep building up in the meantime! Be ready to move out and reinforce Yang if Epsilon starts hitting his base to strike the Controller."

"Don't worry sir, we'll keep up our usual patrols and keep comms open for whenever we're needed." Turner assured.

As his subordinate led his troops south, Jonathan scrolled through his command systems and opened the directory for the War Factories, ordering them to focus on building more Thors, Blizzards, Archons and Tsurugis. Once that was done, he moved his view to the Pacific base.

Noting the presence of a fresh Naval Yard by the eastern cliff edge and a slowly growing fleet of ships patrolling the coast, he send a request to his ConYard to start work on their own Naval Yard and opened a channel to Yang.

"Colonel, has Eva filled you in yet?"

"She has, Commander. My men and I are more than ready to defend the Weather Controller when it arrives."

"Great. Don't suppose you could rope my base into your command systems? It's rather landlocked and I'd like to get a Naval Yard up and running, Epsilon's bound to send fleets against the Controller."

"Of course, sir. Just a moment."

Okay, now to get the Naval Yard set up, put some ships in the water and wait for the Controller.

Hopefully things should be smooth sailing from here.

---

Psicorps - Operation: Backbitten - Ascension Island

The last Allied soldier fell screaming, clawing and thrashing to try and put out the psychic flames ravaging his body. One of his former fellows walked over and levelled his own rifle, a blank stare on his face.

"N-No! This isn't-" He tried to plead.

A bullet rammed through his skull before he could finish.

With the latest reinforcements dispatched, the Epsilon strike team and their controlled bodyguards regrouped at the centre of the camp.

"Is that the last of them?" An Initiate asked.

"Yes, I can't sense any more of them nearby." An Elite replied.

"Dear Proselyte, you may come out now." A Virus called sweetly.

Emerging from a nearby bush, brushing himself off, the man readjusted his mask and nodded at the carnage.

"Good, good. Let's see how the others are doing."

He reached out to his fellow Proselyte.

Marinya, how is everything on your end?

"Vlad, we've managed to hold the Allied strike teams at bay. Are you ready to proceed with exfiltration?"

Yes. Have the Infiltrators-

"They have just returned, hopefully the Intelligence Division will be able to do something with all of their data."

Vlad allowed himself a smile under his mask.

Excellent, then there is only one thing left to do….destroy the Paradox Battery.

"At once. Glory to Epsilon."

Glory to Epsilon.