FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Cornered and wounded, but not tamed. The fierce prey will resist until the very end... and force the hunter to a new attempt.

Chapter 14: The darkest hour of Kesteven ? Supercharge

After four weeks of battle, Kesteven is only a glimpse of Hell on Earth. Days are a continuous fight, meter for meter. The short truce had allowed saving numerous lives, but it had only been a short break that Riaku had exploited for move his forces and prepare the new offensive. From the very hour of the end of the truce, waves of tanks and soldiers of Mottram advanced along the roads covered of ruins, but also full of mines and traps every day, even during the night, trying to definitively overwhelm the stubborn resistance. The tanks, the monsters of steel that Riaku had always considerate weapons of the victory, thought for the open spaces, were in reality extremely vulnerable into this hell of ruins, chunks of concrete and damaged buildings and they were suffering heavy losses. The defenders of Kesteven had rapidly learned to remain hidden at the passage of the vehicle, then destroy the infantry that followed and rapidly assault the tank with a rocket launcher or grenades and explosive charges as the vehicle, often, was so surrounded of obstacles that it couldn't neither turn its turret for answer. But as always in history, Riaku was ready to suffer loses much higher than the defenders for gain his victory. He had more planes, tanks, vehicles, soldiers and guns... and he could continue to lose the battle for double the time that the defenders could win it. Besides, the oil pipeline between Mottram and Kesteven had been completed and now there was fuel in abundance, while the logistic units could put all their efforts into the transport of ammo and supplies for face the high needs of that terrible battle and finally overwhelm the defense.

The carpet bombing of Riaku's artillery was helping, even if the price was the complete destruction of entire zones of the town and a consumption of munitions at the limit of the possibilities of Mottram's army. The hospital of Kesteven was finally conquered, but it had suffered terrible damages during the continuous assaults, on average about 12 attacks for day for three entire weeks, and now it was available only about a scarce third of its original capability. Another time, the Predators had been the lasts to let go that important place, resisting until all the survivors of the 16ò ‰®fantry Platoon, reduced from 200 men to just twelve during the terrible battle had leaved before follow them and leave to the enemy a semi destroyed building already full of hurt soldiers of both the fronts.

The vanguards of the Riaku's army were now fighting for Soldiers's Square, where the third company Predators was opposing a fierce, terrible resistance, and all the southern quarters of the capital had been conquered by the Mottram forces. The hotel International of Kesteven, that had resisted for so much time, had been finally razed to ground with aerial bombing and artillery fire... but the underground floors of the building had been reinforced and changed into an improvised bunker where Predators and soldiers of almost every unit of the Kesteven army were still resisting, exploiting even the ruins for create new positions of resistance. And so was in all the northern quarters and in all the zones around Soldiers's Square, where Kesteven had had the time for prepare itself and where every building was a fortress surrounded by mine fields, barbed wire and anti-tank barriers. The snipers were the kings of this environment of buildings and narrow alleys... and a fierce, private war was going on between them.

Kesteven is a hell. The lines of the front now are really, really near and confused, placed on the two sides of a street, from the entrance to the yard of a facility, even from a floor to the other and sometimes even between two rooms of the same flat, with the enemies separated by just a corridor. The physic and psychological stress is terrible... the enemy is everywhere. The artillery is a continuous voice of death and the Mottram air force, by now owner of the sky, is always in patrol over the ruins of the Pearl of the North, searching for targets.

But this proximity is also an advantage. The defenders of Kesteven had learned that their field of absolute superiority was the close combat, where the no-men's land never goes over the distance of a launch of hand grenade: because they are more expert and trained, generally stronger, but especially because the excessive proximity of the two parts was a tactical error of Mottram. How Riaku could exploit his thousands of guns placed around town or bomb a bunker of Kesteven if all around it was crushed his oversized, stressed and wounded army? The buildings changed in bulwarks, so, were now relatively immune to the merciless chase of the artillery, mortars and fighter-bombers and the well trained, supremely determinate defenders were exploiting them in a wonderful way, stopping again the enemy.

But Kesteven is no more a town. During the days, it is a huge cloud of black, oppressive smoke over an impressive cauldron of arsons and explosions, enlightened sinisterly by the reflexes of the flames. And when the night comes, the unevolved dogs flee towards the country or jump into sewers and even into the icy waters of the rivers, because the nights of Kesteven frighten them...

The winter is come, too. Rain has changed into snow, which now covers everything in the kingdom and continues to fall from the sky over the battle. The industrial district, with its famous forges where are produced the best swords, weapons and armors of the world are by now surrounded and under siege, but they are still resisting, also thanks to the fact that Riaku wants those facilities intact and so no one dares to bomb the zone. And all the time, brave workers continue to do their jobs, producing munitions, swords rifles and even tanks that are used as soon as completed, sometimes by the same men that had produced them.

Riaku is finally winning the battle... but time still plays a vital part for the result, for both the rivals. The army of Kesteven, from every secondary front, was trying with all its forces to reach the capital and break the siege. Entire divisions where literally running towards the town, launching improvised bridges over the rivers and opening new passages in the mountains with explosives where the tunnels had been destroyed. Slowly, but with the biggest determination possible, the army was covering the long, destroyed roads for home... for return and defend their capital. Other troops were marching from Kendrew... and Killer had smartly launched an attack on Mottram from his kingdom, as well, using his troops to overcome the border and advance into the now scarcely defended territory of Riaku, trying to provoke and scare him enough to send some of his troops back towards his own capital. But the Black Lightning was well aware that there was a thing and a thing only to do: force the times for the conquest of Kesteven. Close that door of Hell before the troops of Killer could reach and surround his position and destroy his already overstrained army.

Even in a tent sunk under several feet of snow, the air force was the air force. The big tent had small stalls with a lot of chairs... and most of them, sadly, would remain empty. The jointed Kesteven and Kendrew air force had started their battle with 16 fighters, an AWACS and an aerial tanker. All what remained after those weeks of unfair fight against an enemy much more numerous were four Typhoon fighters. The others planes had been destroyed... and most of their crews killed or imprisoned, even if someone else was fine, already serving with the helicopters or with the infantry down in town. They had flew even seven times for day into the sky crowded of enemies... and were all stressed, tired and had lost weight much over the healthy level. The supersonic flight, especially when fighting, is incredibly heavy for the organism... and they could even lose two kilos of body weight for each flight. They were suffering terribly, but as all the other defenders, were going on with the will of save their homeland and fight until the end.

Talon watched his men with sorrow and pride together. Maverick was sat at his side, already studying some maps of the routes of the next mission placed in his lap as he rubbed idly with a hand at his chin, seeming completely unfazed by what was happening around him. His concentration was always impressive...

All the others, six slender but athletic tigers ready for the mission that could be the last of their life, were talking at low voice between them, studying their own maps and aerial photos of the targets. The tent itself was plain green... but in front of the stalls of chairs there was a wooden desk covered of laptops, photos and maps, while on the fabric of the tent in background had been attached images took by the camera of the gun of their Typhoons... and in most images so there was a Su30 of Mottram on flames or without a wing or some other piece. Other images, definitely more important but also very sad, were the photos of who had lost his life into the long battle. There were also banners with classic writings that he had seen a million times... "The enemy is always in the sun", "Be careful! It will be the one that you haven't see to destroy you!" or "Not think to your blonde. If you don't see the enemy that will hit your friend, you are a criminal" And "If you fall into enemy territory, escape, but if you are captured, shut up".

He sighed, then read for the hundredth time the map and the flight-plan that they had given him and brushed his odd white hairs idly with a hand, wishing immensely for a bath that he know he couldn't have. The only possibility was the river near the tent... but the water was so icy that the thought was enough for make him shiver, even if the tent was warm thanks to four small electric fires placed in the corners.

Any other thought was broken as the colonel entered in the tent with his rapid, decided pace, answering with the hand as all the pilots stood up and saluted and then reaching the desk and activating a slide projector with a remote control. "Well guys. Six hours ago, one of our Hayabusa Unmanned Recon aircrafts has at last photographed the oil pipeline we long suspected that Riaku had."

The photo that appeared on the screen behind the colonel, was in infra-red spectrum and so black and white but it was of very high definition, at least... and the huge tube was perfectly visible, running along the perimeter of one of the woods around Kesteven, and then into the country, hidden as much as possible into ditch and channels already existing. A patrol with eight wheeled armored vehicles Bison, humvees and soldiers on feet was making his way along the pipeline on both sides of the tube, watching for threats.

"The Special Reconnaissance Service proposed the launch off a team of its men for mine the fucked tube and set a nice arson for heat up the environment... but a launch from the sky is impossible, a march across the enemy lines is too dangerous and too slow. And Killer needs all the men into town for fight. The problem is so ours." The colonel watched over all the pilots on the chairs, biting his lower lip nervously.

"I don't like it, I'll say you that. That damned tube is supervised like a bank for all its length... and patrols of men with portable Surface-to-Air missiles walks along it continuously. And we already detected regular signals from air defense radars and verified the presence of batteries of TELARs vehicles with SAM missiles. Besides, the enemy by now has full control of the sky and patrols of fighters are on air 25 hours on 24... but that's their blood. They can fight because they receive fuel through that tube. And we'll cut that artery and see them agonize." The dark-blue uniformed white tiger paused again as he opened his own fascicle with the plan and took in his hands map and orders.

"Talon and Maverick, you will have the task of destroy the pipeline. Your Typhoon has been armed with two stand-off cruise missiles Deadly Shadows, two anti-radar missiles ALARM, 4 Meteors and 2 Asraams. You will fly along a large route, height of 15 meters from the ground at the most, terrain-following style for avoid radar detection as long as possible, remaining out from the zone of the battle for the longest time possible. Supercruise, I want you to never make less than Mach 1, guys, speed is vital. Fast, low and precise, skirting around the battlefield for 300 kilometers, then pointing directly towards the pipeline. The Deadly Shadows have a range of 250 kilometers, so you will hopefully avoid any contact with the enemy air defense in the target zone. You launch and return to base immediately. No hero bullshits. The two missiles are already programmed and equipped with submunitions-warheads. They will reach the oil pipeline, follow it and water it with piercing-incendiary grenades for almost two kilometers each. More than enough for set up the biggest arson in history and cut all the supply." The colonel stared for a moment into the aquamarine eyes of Talon, who simply nodded silently as Maverick did the same.

"Viper and Cloud are your close escort. Full load of Meteors and Asraams missiles, they'll follow you and keep away the enemy from your route." The colonel pointed towards the next tigers seated in first line, who nodded silently and shown a thumb up to Talon and Maverick with a quiet smile.

"We have also a diversion going on. Talbot and Turban will attack the artillery and the tanks gathered outside town, as all days, with escort offered by Red and Star. Hopefully we'll give to the enemy the idea that we still know nothing about their hidden pipeline and that this is a day like all the others. And they'll attract on themselves the enemy fighters, hopefully cleaning as much as possible the way for the main objective. We can't fail... or Kesteven will be lost much time before anyone of our divisions can make its way back from the borders. Good luck guys. We are... sons for me. And it can go as it'll go, but your names are surely chiseled forever in our history. And you will always be the examples for the future pilots and pirates of the sky."

The pilots laughed quietly at the last definition, standing up slowly from the chairs and greeting themselves. Each soldier embraced the other, often silently. There was nothing to say... they had lived it already too much times. And as he worn the helmet with the special screen-visor, Talon remembered all the friends he had lost... knowing that the others had the same thoughts as they gathered around the old colonel for a last word, handshake and wave. They all were well aware that it could be the last time.

Soon they exited into the tall, fresh snow and the icy wind stung their muzzles as they run to their Typhoons, hidden between walls of sacks of sand covered of white snow, hidden by huge camouflage nets full of foliage and branches, virtually invisible into the wood. The missiles were shinning under the wings... even the two square-section, huge and frightening Deadly Shadows, with their long, rectangular wings folded backwards. Talon and Maverick jumped into the cockpit, consoles already started as technicians did their last operations. Richard inserted rapidly the DVD with the mission profile into the computer of his fighter, and the console showed "Loading" for a few seconds before confirm that it was ready. The towing tractor started its low pace, dragging slowly the fighter from its hidden place along a narrow passage between the huge trees as tens of technicians and soldiers of the Air Force Regiment, responsible for the security of the bases, watched to them waving. Talon and Maverick answered... hoping really to see them all again some hours later. Some of their common friends hadn't had that luck.

They emerged from the woods over a long path of flat, large highway that they were using from two days as runway and the other green-painted tractors exited from the forest, dragging on the asphalt the imposing fighters and composing slowly the line, with the two pairs placed one behind the other.

"Here we are again, Maverick. Good luck." Talon said gently as the cockpit slowly closed itself with a quiet sound of the electrical engine.

"Good luck and good sense to you. You are the stubborn young guy that pilots, after all... I'm only a passenger, myself." The cheetah answered playfully. There was not cheerfulness at all, but he was the more experienced in the entire unit, he had already lived those experiences and he was sorta like a big brother for all the pilots. Always friendly, and still always cold, lucid and merciless in the fight, he was an example and a mascot in the same time.

Talon snorted amusedly as he turned on the engines and begun to prepare the take off as his fingers flied expertly over the console and the forest of buttons. "Try to do well your work, then. This is not a civil plane... I don't carry passengers."

The snow begun again to fall as Killer and Alexis jogged down a deep trench in the road towards the hotel International, going across other buildings changed into fortresses and meeting on their path other tired, stressed but still supremely determinate defenders that had still the strength to smile to them and show with their fingers a V in sign of victory. Killer could only smile back, touched by the determination and the spirit of the young soldiers, ready to give even the life for defend their home, and ready to do it with a smile of challenge for the enemy. It was impressive... and he could only inform them all that the rest of the army was running towards them for break the siege, that the Kendrew's 8 Army had launched an attack directly into the Mottram's territory and that time was with them. It felt little to him as he saw the terrible gentleness between the men more badly wounded, as he saw a soldier without a leg read calmly a book, sat down into the snow waiting calmly for his turn as a doctor helped another one... it felt little thing as he walked between tens of young boys exhaust and covered of blood. But on them it had a huge effect. The news was able of drag from them true cheerfulness for a few moments as they begun to use their radios for talk with the vanguards of the other units on the route for Kesteven.

Finally, the huge white tiger descended a few steps covered of ruins, descending into what seemed at first sight a crater of still alive flames and burning debris... but Alexis followed him without any hesitation or doubt, until he reached a door of fortune that was essentially only a massive piece of dented steel constellated by slivers of grenades. A witty soldier had written over it a playful message. "Don't stop out there too long. Artillery likes to talk, but it's an irritating bitch, and that comes there sometimes." Another had added another writing just below the first. "International hotel. Clean your feet before enter!" adding also a harrow that pointed to a tattered rag on the cracked concrete floor.

Killer could only stare amusedly at this as he knocked at the door, and he pointed the writings out for Alexis with a wave of his head. She read, and then snorted amusedly despite herself. "At least, the mood is high." She said as the door squeaked open as a Predator from inside pulled with a grunt that died immediately when his eyes landed on the king. The soldier immediately scrambled to a more martial position, the thick "door" of steel suddenly light in his hands.

Wyvern and Alexis stepped silently into the dark "bunker", watching around them over a few scattered, damaged tables and on the camouflaged, thick tarpaulins that the Predators had placed on the ground and covered with their thermo-sleeping bags. Backpacks and crates full of projectiles were placed almost everywhere, some soldiers were sleeping or taking a moment of relax into the sleeping bags or in the corners as several more controlled the numerous windows of the bunker, that were holes into the cracked concrete wall and that had been cleaned by the ruins for open a sight on the outside. Most of the overtures were occupied by weapons ready for the fight. There was a pair of heavy machine guns XM20 on their solid tripods and even three Javelin missile launchers, as well with their tripods. And around each window there were several soldiers, seated on the floor or standing up nervously, cradling in their laps their weapons. Most of the men into the bunker were Predators, with their excellent equipment... and Killer soon spotted his two brothers as well, as all the people inside the crowded, dark place stood up and saluted cheerfully.

Alexander was sat on a crappy chair, surely laudable for be still capable of sustain the weight of the bulky warrior, busy in some work on a black laptop placed on his lap. His assault rifle, with a bloodstained bayonet inserted, was placed on its stock on the ground, leaning against the chair. He looked up at Killer and Alexis with a quiet smile and a nod, before return to whatever work he was doing as his older brother approached instead Siegfried, that was watching out from the bunker, the rifle resting on the rude "window sill" of concrete, smoking idly a cigarette.

Killer grasped gently the cigarette that the brother was holding between two fingers and thrown it idly on the floor, crushing it under his foot. "You never smoked, little bro. Don't begin now, huh? There are already more than enough things that try to kill us."

Siegfried watched the brother with a grimace of exasperation and amusement together, before shook his head slowly. "You never change... I understand that you want keep your body like a temple, but let me do what I want whit mine, huh...? Anyhow, I was just trying. And believe me, it's not my thing... "

"Better so. You only have to earn, not smoking." Killer added idly as he walked behind Alexander and watched down on the laptop. It shown a table of climatic and aerodynamic parameters, a map of the town and a large window separated in two with black and white images in the infra-red spectrum. Wyvern soon noticed also the open camouflaged special backpack with the solar panels that lay some meters behind them on the ground, near to a large breach into the concrete wall, that leaded to another of the tens of tunnels that the defenders had dug for connect their position with secure passages out of the sniper's hold and to a small staircase dug in the ground for reach the extern, where he could see a Predator sniper ready with his long, heavy bolt-action SSR rifle placed on its bipod and rear monopod for maximum stability.

"What news from Buzz, bro?" Killer asked, well knowing what was going on. Buzz, alias Unmanned Reconnaissance Aerial Vehicle U01, was a system really smart of the equipment of the Predators. A small VTOL, unmanned, remote controlled aircraft equipped with two swiveling turrets with day/night cameras and microphones. Thanks to its batteries and the electric engine that actions the rotor, it is silent and very hard to spot. A precious allied that in the few years from its introduction had saved many Predators lives, increasing exponentially the situation awareness of the teams on the ground.

"Bah. The usual... patrols of soldiers and humvee along the conquered roads... snipers on the roof of the building on the right... Oh, no. Not again..." Alexander listed idly, before tilt his head towards the sniper outside and to several others in waiting with their rifles at the overtures in the walls. "The usual building, on roof, in the third window of the fifth floor and in some of the third!" He shouted decidedly and immediately the snipers begun to search their targets as several other men, that were resting in the dark room, jumped on their feet and grasped their weapons, running for a window. And Killer, unsurprised, watched with interest as Alexis walked forwards, his eyes taking in all the beauty of the sexy movements of her firm buttocks into the tight black uniform's pants as she reached calmly with hers elegant, seductive pace a crowded window and pushed aside gently but firmly not one but two bulky Predators, who watched her amazed by her strength as she simply smiled patronizingly back to them before prepare hers shot with the huge X12 rifle, a gray monster of steel that put to shame immediately the SSR of the snipers around.

Everyone watched with interest as the wonderful female expertly worked the scope and then fired a bullet, the roar of the rifle, even if suppressed, still impressive as she barely twitched for the huge force of the recoil of the massive anti-material weapon. Every soldier watched her as the wall near a window in the gloomy mass of damaged concrete of the building on the other side or the ruined square that once was the hotel's parking seemed to explode in a cloud of dirt and a confused, shattered corpse fell for three floors down in the street, going pale at the sight of hers merciless, pleased grin as she worked the lever and forced another round into the chamber.

"Lovely show-off." Killer whispered as he reached her and gently squeezed her shoulders. "But sometimes I wonder who of us likes more to kill. We are not good persons, you know...?" he added immediately after, before kiss her lightly on hers neck. She snorted amusedly, a grin conquering hers muzzle as she brought backwards a hand for twirl her fingers in his mane as she easily supported the X12 with the lonely other, her eyes challenging the bulky, strong males around here.

"I won you with this shot...?" She asked seductively as she turned for kiss him back warmly and they stepped backwards for give room to the snipers for end the work, a small gunfire now going on as also some gunners at the other windows begun to fire with their MSFW8.

"I'm afraid I'm something more than a doll. You'll have to do much better for win me." He answered gently in her ear as he took in his hands his rifle and stepped towards the nearest overture in the wall. She restrained him for a moment, grasping his huge muscular arm and pulling him towards her, surprising him as she pressed with a hand on his nape of the neck, forcing his muzzle into her cleavage and moved expertly hers crotch against his own, gyrating it slowly on the massive bulge in his pants as he blinked, releasing instinctively a hot breath.

"This works...?" She asked with amused, hoarse with passion voice before leave him free as he looked at her enticed and surprised together, arming the Cobra as she grinned.

"Too well, darling. What a shame we don't have time... I had just seen an intimate corner that was perfect for us." He answered with a smile as she snort-laughed from over the scope of her rifle as they helped the Predators to face a new assault. Patrols of soldiers were running towards the once hotel's parking from the nearby streets and from their own hiding places in the ruined buildings all around, supported by humvees and wheeled, armored vehicles that begun to maneuver in the square rising walls of smoke for hide the assault of the infantry towards the large field of mines and barbed wire that the defenders had prepared as best as possible during every little break between the battles.

"...We need munitions, Red 6. Especially missiles for the Javelins... someone here with too enthusiasm consumed most of the supply shooting to everything in the last two days." A soldier said into a small, green field phone, giving a glare to a team of two Predators that was currently using one of the Javelin systems in position for try to lock a big, eight wheeled infantry fighting vehicle on the border of the barbed wire field. The specialist that was keeping the launcher on his shoulder blushed a bit, but answered with a loud "fuck you" before pull the trigger.

Killer watched with a grin as the missile leaved the launcher without noise, flames and almost without any recoil as the spring inside the tube released its huge energy and sent the anti-tank missile out of the window. A cracked wall of concrete was just half a meter behind the soldier and the launcher... and any other type of rocket-weapon generates a flame that usually is about two and half meters long. In that place, firing a normal RPG, the soldier would have burnt itself and maybe others men, but the Javelin was safe and virtually invisible. No recoil, no flames, no flash, no thermo signature, no noise, even... the tube itself was glass fiber painted with camouflage-green color without reflexes, so that infra-red sensors could neither trust in a reflex of light and heat for see it. It was the nightmare of any tank-crew... and the Predators just loved it. Killer was very proud of that weapon... after all, he had designed it himself when he was still only a soldier. Only Kesteven had believed in his idea and his old fashioned spring of steel that was hard as hell to pull backwards... and later on, Glacial had bought a stock, impressed of the results of the weapon in the battle of Wycherley. But after all, it was better so. Less commercial success, but at least, it was never fallen into enemy hands.

Wyvern hit with a burst three enemies that were trying to pull a Bangalore explosive tube under the barbed wire, but his eyes followed the missile out from the bunker and into the air... and with impressive precision, after the thirty meters, short wings sprung open and the rocket started, pushing the warhead towards the target and following it even as the vehicle suddenly tried to retreat and turn, hiding itself into the smoke. The missile hit implacably, opening a huge hole in the hull of steel of the vehicle already with the first charge. The other three exploded directly inside the vehicle, opening it from the inside like a box of sardines with a huge, blinding flame as the fuel and the ammo vanished in the explosions. Killer snorted with bitter amusement... a tank would not give them such a show. The first charge of a Javelin would have cleaned a zone of the tank from the blocks of Explosive Reactive Armor, giving a small flash and little more... the second would, hopefully, pierce the thick armor and the third end the work, opening finally a large hole and sending slivers of burning steel all inside the chamber, killing the crew. The spectacular explosions of the movies happens rarely... only when it's hit directly a fuel tank or a ammo reserve, since they are all separated and independently armored and protected.

"They are coming with flamethrowers!" Shouted someone as some Bangalore exploded outside, firing the mines all around and throwing pieces of barbed wire into the air, together with clouds of dirt and dust. "New priority for snipers. Kill those fucking flamethrowers!" Answered Siegfried, burning on the time even Wyvern as their improvised bunker trembled under the first of many waves of mortars.

Alexander was trying to do two things in the same time, firing from his own little overture in the wall and often turning towards the laptop for see in advance what was coming from the nearby streets in the images collected by the small "Buzz" drone, occasionally giving orders to it for change its position of observation. And there he was, hopping from window to desk every now and then, firing with his MASR8 and shouting orders. Killer snorted amusedly... he was less technologic at his times, but likely more martial and elegant, at least. But he known that without that visual from outside, the position would have been lost many days before... a bunker is a very nice, cheap and effective system of defense... but when the enemy surrounds you and reach the roof of it or one of his airing grids, he can burn you with a flamethrower... and even if the conduct is angled and shaped so that the fire can't reach you, the flames will consume all the oxygen and choke you in an horrible agony... The enemy could also use a thermo-baric missile, and that was more dangerous still.

"Alexander! Why the enemy doesn't use a thermo-baric missile for kill us all?" Killer asked as he changed the clip of the Cobra, gaining a horrified look even from Alexis before she returned to shoot with a low growl. The younger brother watched up from the computer, shaking his head slowly and struggling a bit.

"I'm not even sure that they have that type of weapon... they tried to bomb us with some missiles, but we took them down with the Javelins and we even have a CIWS system hidden into a building behind this position. I just hope they don't have it, anyhow." Siegfried answered for him as Alexander gave a grunt of approbation, moving with attention the small joystick of the special laptop of the Buzz system. Killer could only nod himself... a thermo-baric weapon generates a massive, burning arson that make the Hell look like a grill... and the sudden birth of such a volcano sucks all the air from a large zone around, dragging everyone into the flames... or simply making it explode from inside, seen the terrible change of pressure, absolutely unbearable for any living organism. It is a perfect tank or bunker buster... and it kills you still before you can imagine what's happening. A terrible weapon.

Tanks incoming from right and frontal sides. Javelins ready!" Alexander commanded suddenly and the men prepared the missile launchers for another launch as the other soldiers continued to fight. Someone was wounded... Killer could hear the whimpers... someone else was likely dead, because someone was shouting "man on ground!"... but he couldn't understand much of what was going on as mortars continued to shook the entire hiding places, rising smoke around it and throwing dirt into their windows and eyes as dust and small chunks of concrete continuously fall from the cracked but solid ceiling.

Other vehicles exploded around them... both victims of the Javelins and of the mines, as the enemy tried to charge directly into the field around the improvised bunker, challenging the predators and their excellent work. But the attack was heavy, this time... tanks surrounded the place and begun to shoot to the small windows directly with their anti tank guns apart from the heavy machine guns, forcing the teams of missiles to be fast as lightings for destroy them immediately...

"Attention! S24 Harpies coming! They are discharging assault teams over the roof!" Alexander shouted suddenly. Without neither answer, some men leaved the windows and charged on a staircase of ruins and cracked concrete for repeal that dangerous attack as several more men, equipped with X20CS Corner Shot systems reached some weird, heavy trapdoors of steel in the ceiling that they rose just enough to put the rifle under it, bending the swiveling frontal section at a recto angle, aiming then that outside and maneuvering a small, square LCD screen for take aim without expose themselves.

Killer watched Alexis, waving with his head towards the staircase and arching his eyebrows in a silent question and she answered with a nod, shouldering rapidly the massive X12 and drawing out hers twin Type 91 Magnums with the speed of a lightning as the two ran towards the rude steps and jumped outside in a cloud of dust and smoke. Three S24 were hovering over them, thick ropes coming down from the opened doors in the fuselages as the gunners with heavy machine guns and weird, trinocular systems of thermo sight were trying to shoot on the fierce defenders across the thick, black smoke.

The two were immediately separated, pushed in different directions by a confused crowd of black-dressed assault teams of Mottram and white/camouflaged, bulky Predators that were fighting with swords or even with their bare hands as other men keep descending rapidly down the ropes from several helicopters, in a terrible racket and confusion. The crowd was so chaotic and narrow that even the corpses couldn't fall immediately, pressed into moving bodies as curtains of artificial fog and thick, heavy black smoke from the vehicles destroyed and on flames around the bunker.

Alexis tried to draw out her sword, pushing with a growl against the crowd, without understand if she was forcing on a friend or an enemy... the smoke was hateful, but at the same time, it was vital. The vehicles and soldiers of Mottram all around the bunker couldn't help their comrades running the risk to hit them and even the gunners on the deadly Harpy helicopters hadn't great chance of help with all their guns, even with their thermo-vision systems on. She recognized a enemy in front of her and tried to grasp at his throat with her strong hand, punching him hard in the face instead when he backstepped, sending the soldier down from the bunker roof as blood erupted from his broken face over her black glove as she snarled irritably, finding impossible draw her sword or her magnums into that crowd.

She ducked as her instinct yelled at her and a battered corpse in black uniform flew over her, somehow suspecting that it was work of Killer, and then grasped an enemy from behind, sliding her arms around his neck and snapping easily his spine as she jerked him on the side with a snarl. But then she sidestepped towards the extremity of the roof and instinctively went into a roll, exiting from the crowd and the smoke, even if immediately followed by a burst of deadly bullets of 20 millimeters that plowed the mud and the shattered, ruined ground near to her, and gathered herself into a crouch behind the wreck of a destroyed Harpy with the fuselage wrecked by a rocket.

She took a breath as she draw out hers huge Type 91 and fired a single, precise round into the nearer rope, cutting it neatly, before take down the gunner with two more bullets as the assaulters that were descending the cable fell heavily on the crowd beneath or directly on the hard concrete with screams of agony. A minigun of another Harpy fired furiously in hers general direction, drawing a terrible line of fire along the entire street behind her, destroying walls, windows and pillars as she jumped rapidly far from the danger, landing on her hands and launching herself again into the air in an elegant flip backwards, pointing towards a corpse on the ground that had still a rocket launcher cradled into his arms hardened by Death and that she had spotted with interest.

She grasped the tube without problems before launch herself into the air again with her strong arms, landing in a crater of explosion as rounds of big caliber tried to follow her from the helicopters. But Alexis had already removed the caps from both extremities of the light tube of glass fibers, and exploited the little protection of the crater for the instant needed for open it, bringing it to full length as the simple, metallic aiming sight spurted in position. The rocket was already into the tube... and the muscular female jumped out from the crater, rolling away on her shoulder as a pair of rockets from a Harpy exploded into her previous position. The colossal explosion pushed her violently into the ground and she winced as she managed to turn and hit heavily a cracked wall with hers back... but she grinned all the same, framing the huge tank-buster monster of steel into the air in the aiming sight, pushing the simple button as she launched herself forwards on hers muscular, firm abdomen.

The rocket leaved the tube with a long flame... she could feel the heat over hers back as she landed on the ground with a grunt and a burst of miniguns and cannons pulverized the wall behind her... and then it hit the first of the three Harpy as it tried awkwardly to turn towards salvation. The female sprinted again, drawing out hers fine, long double-bladed sword and zigzagging towards the smoke again as helicopters and soldiers fired towards her, but the two Harpy had to maneuver rapidly to avoid a deadly impact with the wreck on flame of the one she had hit, which turned lazily several times on itself in autorotation, spreading flames and sparkles all around before smash into the ground in front of the bunker and explode whit a passable imitation of Hiroshima in 1945 when all its huge load of explosives detonated.

As Alexis made her own stunts, Killer was still closed in the middle of the fight, incapable of draw out his sword as bodies continued to thud against his own towering form, but grinning all the same because physical power was his own reign. He soon was in the middle of a small, calm and desert zone covered just of twelve corpses of soldiers that he had rapidly erased from the game as he growled and charged against a black shadow that was firing with a pistol in a corner near him... But he changed his target with an amused growl as a thick rope hit him lightly on the chest and muzzle as one of the Harpy maneuvered high over his head. He grasped rapidly the rope and twisted it a few times around his thick wrist, then begun to pull with his huge strength as he felt with dark amusement that it was still solidly attached to the aircraft, even if the soldiers had all descended, by now.

He snarled in the effort, watching around him as he pulled and his muscles bulged like tires with all their power... and then spotting the other helicopter, dangerously near to "his" one. He grinned cruelly, jumping towards the shadow of the second Harpy on the roof, adding his huge weight and body mass at his immense strength, the S24 turning with him, still solidly attached at the rope that the crew, foolishly, hadn't dropped in time. The huge flying monster released metallic whimpers as it was forced to turn in an unwanted direction, engines roaring at full power trying to push against Killer in a sort of duel as the thick rope of nylon and steel begun to give up in some points under the double strain.

Wyvern could feel his clawed feet sink into the ground and even dig into the concrete as he moved another step forwards, pulling with all his strength even if the rope was painfully cutting into his arm. But he grinned over his shoulder with savage satisfaction as the deadly war machine followed him like a pet, suddenly seeming weak and vulnerable as several soldiers of both fronts gaped at this for a moment without can react, shocked, the fight interrupted... but then, the battle started again around Killer as several black assaulters fell dead, killed by the rounds of the X20CS in the trapdoors and Alexis cut neatly in half two disbelieving enemies with hers blade from behind and three more assaulters jumped towards Wyvern for try to stop him.

Alexis quickly draw out one of her twin Type 91 and took down the first, but she was spared from kill the other two as the huge male snarled and threw outside his free arm, knocking back one of the enemies unconscious in a cloud of dark blood as some vertebrae snapped with incredibly loud noise and he simply raised a leg and kicked the last foe backwards in the same movement.

Alexis was ready and pierced across the unfortunate with hers blade as him stammered towards her, looking with a grin as Wyvern snarled and roared, opposing his huge strength at the engines of the helicopter as it pulled him backwards for a moment before the warrior forced down his foot again, stepping resolutely forwards and grasping the rope with both hands.

Alexis couldn't help but laugh as she fired two bullets with ease and the rapidity of a lightning into a man of the crew of the helicopter that was trying to drop the cable, laughing cruelly and amusedly as Killer alone sprinted a last time forwards, then forced his feet down into the concrete with enough strength to crack it and turned on the spot with a roar, snapping powerfully the rope forwards as the helicopter followed, tilted on its side... and then the two huge rotors of the aircrafts collided with a terrible scream of metal against metal. The rotors literally exploded into huge, sharp chunks of steel that flew in every direction, cutting across walls with the ease of knifes into butter with their huge speed as the two fuselage begun to turn awkwardly on themselves, out of control, losing rapidly altitude until smash into the ground on the two sides of the square and explode with flames that immediately roared high.

In the same moment, Killer ran towards Alexis, putting an arm around her neck and half-pushing, half-following her and the Predators down into the bunker again as at the last, in distance, the mortars of a team of Kesteven mumbled and a rain of grenades landed in the minefields around the bunker, killing and wounding the enemy in his charge, destroying the light vehicles and shaking the tanks as the assault started again after the failure of the demolition from the sky.

The defenders entered again the dark room as one of them rapidly closed the heavy door of steel and slivers of grenades thudded against it with the hell that was going on outside. Killer could only watch rapidly around himself, trying to think on what to do next, that a tank emerged from the smoke in front of the bunker and a spray of fire started from it, from where normally is the hull's machine gun, on the front of the vehicle... But that was different. The machine gun had been replaced with a heavy flamethrower, which was now spurting short but deadly waves of napalm on fire in a straight line across the minefield and precisely towards one of their windows/fire points.

The napalm landed on the ground, flames immediately shinning strong and tall as the temperature begun to rise, the barbed wire melted and the mines begun to explode or melted themselves, becoming useless. Fuel on fire entered also from the targeted window, splattering inside the bunker as the men jumped outwards, far from it. In the same moment, several more of the flamethrower emerged on other sides of their strongpoint, threatening to sign their defeat as they opened new, secure paths for the assaults and forced the defenders to leave the windows.

"I finished the missiles!" Someone shouted over even the terrible yells of a soldier on fire that Killer couldn't see but only hear. Uuuuf. That was the sound, the weird whistle of a single use rocket launcher LSUMRL "Sting". Each Predator had one in his own equipment and it was a simple tube of glass fibers with already inside a not guided rocket with a multipurpose High Explosive Anti-Tank warhead... open it, fire the rocket, throw away the tube.

Uuuuf! "Hit one! Rockets ended!"

"Christ! Where are the ammo we asked for?"

Screams and furious shouts followed themselves from each angle of the bunker, and Killer and Alexis were about to turn and exit from the door again for drag the attention of the enemy as finally, a MULE drone emerged from a deep, dark tunnel that leaded to other "fortresses" of the town. It was an automatic, unmanned vehicle with large rubbed-tracks and an electric engine feed by solar panels and it had a swiveling turret with cameras and sensors for the autonomous navigation along paths pre-programmed on GPS coordinates. Its task, anyhow, was the transport of heavy loads... and in fact, it was essentially a flat plan on tracks where could be placed even a standard pallet of ammo or whatever was needed. Now, it was loaded of crates of missiles for the Javelins, rocket launchers still sealed, clips for the rifles and long belt of projectiles for the machine guns.

Several soldiers ran immediately to the vehicle, scrambling for the missiles for the Javelin systems and cracking open the crates with bare hands as several more used the rockets for repeal the attack as fast as possible. Killer himself grasped a pair of long belts of golden, heavy 20 mm rounds for the Cobra and a box of grenades for the UGL before run with Alexis towards the staircase...

But Alexander stopped them. "I need you two for something more important. Now we can maintain the position, here. But I received a message. We are going to lose the industrial district and the forges if we don't send help up there immediately. Riaku is attacking up there with everything he gots... only you can stop that and organize a defense." He explained rapidly as around them the soldiers gained again the windows and begun to fire rockets and missiles, destroying the flame-tanks and repealing once more the assault as some more used everything they could for suffucate the flames into the bunker.

"Ok. How many men you need here?" Killer asked simply as he prepared the map for the new zone on his visor and Alexis imitated him.

"Twenty." Alexander answered, even if biting his lips.

"Idiocies. Fifteen at the most. You got the advantage of position, here." Replied Killer as he glanced around.

"Ok. Take the others whit you. Good luck, brother."

The Typhoons roared into the tight valley, scraping the tips of the trees as it flew at about 15 meters of height, following the profile of the terrain for remain hidden as much as possible from the radars of the enemy. Talon could only bless the engineers that had developed the flyingh system of the fighter. At that height, the load of work for a pilot was impossible without the help of the computer... fifteen meters is nothing. You often find trees much higher... electric cables, hills, slopes, houses and everything you can think about. But thanks to the radar and the automatic navigation, he could think entirely to his mission and just control route and parameters every now and then as the plane itself did every maneuver needed, just scraping the obstacles and keeping as much as possible the wanted height.

On their right side, leading the way about four-five hundred meters ahead, was their escort, the other Typhoon with the full load of air-to-air missiles. Viper was the pilot, Cloud the Weapons System Officer. The duo of fighters hadn't still been found by the enemy, flying in a large cyrcle around the zone of the battle... but each time Maverick had aimed the radar towards their left and given a fast "gaze" in direction of the cauldron, he had immediately picked on tens of signals from enemy radars in searching mode, both from ground and air. The enemy was owner of the skies... and he had lined up a formidable system of air defense, as well.

Surface-to-Air-Missiles SAM SA-2 were placed on launchers mounted over Bison wheeled vehicles, plus bigger SAM SA-3 of longer range where placed in batteries of four mounted on tracked vehicles. The enemy had placed radar and infra-red systems everywhere around town, and the defensive system was completed with man portable shoulder-SAM and systems AGS30, a tracked vehicle with a turret with a radar and a four-barreled 30 mm gun.

Good reason for a long cruise out from the zone of the battle with the radar in passive mode. They could so receive, "hear" the signals from every radar system in a range of 400 kilometers and determine its position and appartenaince without be localized, since they weren't transmitting any electromagnetic signal. Sure, they couldn't see anything but operative radars... but they were far more difficult to spot.

"Here we are. Turn left for route 01-04. Point of attack at two minutes." Maverick said simply from behind. "Missiles ready. Bring me to the point and I'll bust that tube."

"Affirmative. Radar in active mode. Search for targets... and blind them." Talon answered mechanically, switching the radar in the new mode. Immeditaely the array emitted a signal and on the screen appeared a map covered of red stains. The analyzer used a fraction of second to transform each of those into an icon understandable. Several patrols of fighters were in the air... and immediately the Radar Warning System of the Typhoon growled lowly into their headphones, alerting them that they had been seen on the passive alarm system of the enemy.

"Put some Meteor on the route. Now!" Talon exclaimed. But Maverick was already working, his skilled hands flying on the console and arming the four long range missiles before select the four nearest and apparently more threatening targets for the missiles. The automatic data link Cooperative Engagement System signalled on his touch screen in orange the target that the other plane was aiming... and the two crew, so, locked the attention of every missile on one and one alone target, without any waste.

Just six seconds after, ten BVRAAM Meteor were roaring into the sky against the formations of the Mottram's patrols. But Maverick wasn't done. His fingers were still dancing on the touch screen with the usual coldness, identifying two radar plants on the ground as advanced sensors of the air defence and he immediately aimed an Anti-Radiation Missile (ARM) for each of them.

When he launched the two missiles, on the screen were already vanished ten fighters. "All the Meteors have hit their targets." He observed simply, a slight grin cresting his muzzle under the oxygen mask.

"A new record. Maybe luck is with us, today." Talon observed from the frontal seat. But in that same moment, the Missile Warning System began to scream his alert, advising that the enemy was locking his missiles on them. They were now burnt, appeared on the radars... and the active system of electronic defence begun immediately to spit into the air Chaff and Flares for distract radar and infra-red guided missiles from the Typhoon as Maverick shot the two ARM.

In the same moment, a battalion of SA2 SAM launchers of Mottram, lined up into the brushes and under camouflage nets begun to receive the track of the two enemy planes from their mobile radar... and now were the machines to fight the war. Four missiles leaved the ramps, climbing vertically into the sky and then turning towards the incoming, tiny little black point into the blue in distance.

But already launched, the ARMs of Maverick won the race, reaching the two radars hidden into the thick vegetation and exploding into more than 12000 slivers of steel and tungsten and burning, solid rocked fuel on flames, watering radars, men and vehicles gathered all around. The deadly slivers destroyed the fragile aerials, pierced across the light armours and cut cables and skins as sticky fuel on flame only added to the damage and set fire to the vegetation around as some vehicle simply exploded when their fuel tank was touched and wounded, burnt soldiers screamed.

The missile launchers were deployed in a large zone and don't suffered directly from the blow... but immediately, the signal with the radars was lost, and so was the lock on the fast Typhoons. The missiles, remained without a guide, missed the two planes as they roared over the fields and forests covered of snow and the guns and the shoulder-SAM climbed into the air towards them and the patrols of Su30 descended like eagles from the clouds.

Talon observed them, worried... he could already see clearly four distinct teams, each with four Su30, and some other fighters scattered into the blue as ten balls of dirty fire still were falling towards the ground, last grave of the enemies they had erased from the sky as different white parachute slowly danced into the wind.

"Talon, here Viper. I engage. Good luck for your route... destroy that tube, guys." Talon twitched at that message on the radio, looking to the side immediately for see the other Typhoon suddenly increase its speed as long flames erupted from the powerful engines brought to full power in booster mode and the plane begun a steep, rapid climb towards the enemy. Two both, Talon and Maverick, couldn't find the strength for say nothing on the radio in answer as they looked the unfair battle begin... they wanted to help, to give a hand... but they couldn't. Viper and Cloud were risking their life for allow them to go on with the mission and they couldn't run the risk of make it fail.

In the same moment, at more than one hundred kilometres of distance, the other two Typhoons were running their diversionary attack over the artillery guns and the tanks of Mottram gathered and lined out of town, and that helped. Talon sighed with a bit of a relief as some of the Su30 suddenly turned, changing direction for run towards the distraction.

"We are near to the target, climb to 300 meters." Maverick said at the last, after what had seemed an infinity to Talon, who gladly pulled towards himself the stick, asking full power from the engines as they climbed, followed stubbornly by the fire of the guns on the ground.

And finally, Maverick released the two Deadly Shadow Stand-Off Cruise Missiles. "We are done here, turn away!" He exclaimed with nervousness that wasn't his own as soon as the plane twitched, suddenly free of the numerous tons of weight of the two huge weapons.

"Affirmative!" Talon answered, arming every Asraam missile as he turned for leave the zone, his eyes following the missiles into their short free fall... Then the massive, square-section, stealth black cruise opened their long, fine wings into the air and flames erupted from their engines as their GPS autonomous system of autoguide bring them towards the planned target.

"Viper, Cloud! Hold on... we are coming! Missile's are out. Try to break the contact at the first chance... we can still return all alive, if we play well our hand."

Killer walked rapidly down a destroyed alley, silent even over the slivers of glass on the ground as his steps gone light as wind. He was the heaviest and the largest of all the group of about forty warriors, but still was likely the more silent. Just after Alexis, obviously. She was a real shadow... and she was following them running and jumping from roof to roof, from building to building, taking care of them as an angel from the high, looking around for targets and communicating steadily with Killer into the tactical visor system.

All the other soldiers, most of them Predators, were following Killer in two tactical columns, separated by several meters one from the other, all with their rifles ready. The new assault of the Riaku's forces was in full development, and they had had to leave the trenches and the passages of the defenders because in the industrial zone there were large streets and huge, flat parking and storage zones that had allowed to the waves of tanks of Mottram to break in several places the line of defence of Kesteven. The trenches were already invaded in several points, and not sure anymore... and the perimeter of defence around the facilities and forges that still were producing ammo, missiles and tanks was smaller and smaller with the run of minutes on the clock and the advancing of always more tanks and soldiers of Mottram.

"Contact. Stop there and assume defensive position, I can't understand if they are friends or enemies!" Ordered the voice of Alexis into his ears, and Killer immediately got down to a crouch and risen a closed fist.

"They are coming from the alley on your right side." Alexis added and he simply raised two fingers from his fist, pointing at the street on the right as he assumed a covered position behind some ruins, aiming the Cobra. The soldiers behind him rapidly scattered to every position available, setting up a full cover of fire-ranges overlapped for the maximum security.

"They have a robot leading the way... I think they are Predators, but be careful." Alexis talked again... and Killer soon enough saw a small robot with triangle-shaped small rubber-band tracks and a small metallic body emerge from the alley.

He smiled a bit as the small turret of the small drone "Busy Body" turned towards them and watched them with its cameras and sensors... the Unmanned Reconnaissance Vehicle XU71 "Busy-Body"was a ultra modern toy of the Predators, somehow a terrestial version of the Buzz. It could be transportated and reloaded in the same way of the aerial one, but this was used for still more attentive reconnaissance, seen that it could even climb staircases with its rubber tracks and shadow silently a foe thanks to the electrical, silent engine. Autonomy was of 10 hours with equipment of two spy systems with microphones and day/night cameras. Besides, the swiveling mount on top was equipped with two silenced Type 91 pistols or a silenced SMG9. But, as forecasted, the SMG9 submachine gun on the swivelling mount remained silent. Just after, the barrels of several X20CC rifles appeared from behind the corner...

"Confirmed, Predators." Killer said simply into the microphone of the tactical visor. Alexis confirmed from hers side and then appeared over the top corner of the building on its side with a thumb up.

Wyvern stood up and walked forwards calmly, followed by the others as finally cheerful Predators begun to appear from the alley, smiling to them. They all saluted perfectly their king and master, looking at him with that faith and awe that had always made Killer feel so guilty. Numerous of his boys were died during the long wars, after all... and every time he had felt that he could maybe do something more for them. His favourite phrase, after all, when he was busy training his Predators and straining them to almost die, was "Run, boys! I'm likely saving your life with this!". He had heard that from his father during the exhausting training he had forced him into in his youth, and from the wise veteran that had trained the rest of the time... And suddenly Killer found himself in front of him. His old instructor... But could that be?

"William...?" Killer asked with a frown to a tall white tiger with smart, bright brown eyes that walked towards him with a smile holding a MFSW8 with a long belt of ammo that sneaked its way around his arm. The Predator knelled down in front of Wyvern, and then looked at him with a smile.

"Yes, majesty." He answered simply, bending his head in respect as a slight smile crested his muzzle, likely for the satisfaction in see how much the pupil had overcome the masters. Killer got down to embrace him and pulled him on his feet with a loud laughter as the soldiers around them watched the scene amusedly, but still keeping a solid perimeter of defence all around, their eyes carefully peering in every direction, rifles ready.

"Don't you dare to call majesty me again." Killer said amusedly as he grasped gently the shoulders of the older tiger and watched him with a smile. The other stared back with a shy smile, then shook slightly his head. "Well, master. I'll call you as you want."

"You were my master. And I have a frigging name, just use that, as all normal people should do." Killer said back as his eyes for a moment were distracted by the comparison from the alley of other Predators, these ones in the black uniform of Kendrew, followed by a MULE covered of all sorts of weapons and ammo crates.

"Screw that, Killer. I was also your body guard, but soon enough I wasn't anyhow big enough to cover you and far weaker than you." William said back cheerfully. The larger male laughed a bit, shaking his head.

"You are in good company on that, at least." The king said amusedly as he begun to watch around with more attention, his experienced eyes picking up any type of useful data. Number of soldiers, conditions of the men, mood, state of the equipment and all sort of other news. The old tiger snorted amusedly back to him. "You know... modesty has always been a quality of yours." He said playfully. "But I can't deny you are right there. We are lucky to have you here... the enemy has got... like... thousands of tanks. But I prefer face a wave of tanks than have to face you."

Killer snorted with a grin, then returned serious as an answer rose to his mind. "What's the situation? I had more than a few problems with communications in the last hours." Killer asked with newfound coldness. "And let's retake the march. The guys need help... and we are a perfect, fixed target for mortars, here."

The entire column begun rapidly to advance, once more separated accurately into tactical columns, the road opened by the Busy Body, who sent images and data to the laptop of his crew and to the handhelds of the soldiers, apart obviously from the visors of Killer and Alexis. "I heard Riaku tried to destroy our satellites of communication with stratospheric missiles... I think at least one has been hit, but the HQ is already moving another to an advantageous position for remedy. He also used several Electromagnetic Pulse devices for try to cut our communications, so air is quite heavy for our systems, even if they are protected. Essentially, for the little I know, your IFVs and the Kesteven tanks are fighting into the Container Depot against the Riaku's armoured forces, as other vehicles and soldiers are trying to kick our men out from the forges and the facilities in the industrial districts. The enemy evidently wants the machines intact, because they have signalled that no bombings have been made... and they are resisting well into the buildings. But they lack effectives and are surrounded." William explained idly as they walked along the shattered road.

Killer nodded quietly. They weren't great news... and they didn't add that much to what he knew or what he had thought, but William wasn't guilty for that situation. Instead, ASAT missiles for destroy satellites were another great piece of technology that Riaku shouldn't have had... the doubt, now, was that it wasn't a simple lack of the Kesteven-Kendrew Joined Intelligence, but that there was something bigger and more dangerous that was still to be discovered.

Killer watched affectively William walk at his side. He really had been a great mentor. Likely the best officer of the strong Parachute Regiment of Kesteven, the unit of the supreme hardasses before the birth of the Predators, he had taught him to draw out his guns better than anyone else, making him fast as a lightning. And, obviously, taught him how to shoot straight... and honestly, he had done a hell of good work, seeing what Killer could now do with a gun. Then he had passed to him the same love for machine guns and assault rifles, balancing the passion for swords and strategy that Seth had given to the young prince. William was almost a big brother for Killer, since for all his youth he had been the designed body guard of the prince... and many a time they had played together and still more times they had wrestled each other. Then, William had been again the shadow of Killer on the battlefields, following him as best as he could and never really ceasing to protect him as a faithful body guard. And he was one of the first Predators... and he had been the first instructor of the special force cadets, too. He had lived all his life for the army of Kesteven... and, honestly, for Killer, that loved him as one of the greatest friends of always.

"What are you doing still in this shit? You should be a happy veteran in deserved discharge, drinking Martinis on a beach. Aren't you old for this kind of games...? Killer asked with a playful, teasing grin to his old master.

"Insolent!" The other replied with fake anger. "I should, yes... but a Predator is a Predator life long, shit or not. And I don't want to leave my guys alone in this hell. I just..." He paused, looking down at his booted paws and seeming to think to very unpleasant things. "Where we failed, Killer? Riaku was the nicer person I ever got to know. After you, the best student I could ask for... why this happened?"

Killer looked guiltily away for a moment, then forced himself to turn towards his master with that same expression of fault as he thought again that his behaviour of father had been... complete shit, towards Riaku. He was right... he had just cared to fuck Diana without any thought and worry. He had fled his responsibility. "Don't mind that, William... is not your fault. I will explain everything to you sometimes after this mess is over."

William looked up at him with a frown, shaking his head with an expression of compassion ad likely secure that Killer wasn't guilty for that... but as he opened the mouth for talk, things begun to happen very fast.

First, a huge explosion shaken the world and almost deafened them all as fire erupted to an amazing height. They turned in surprise and shock to their back, and they could see a column of thick, black smoke rise to the sky as red, raging flames overcome even the height of the few skyscrapers still standing in Kesteven, rising to the sky. They couldn't know, but the Deadly Shadows of Talon and Maverick had just begun to release their submunitions over the pipeline of Riaku, destroying kilometres of tube and setting fire to thousands of gallons of petrol, refined fuels and gas that were into separated tubes inside the big, protective one in steel.

But before can understand it, Alexis barked an alert that Killer immediately repeated as everyone ran for a cover. Unfortunately, a soldier wasn't fast enough and he fell to the ground as a small puff of smoke signalled the point of impact of a sniper's shot. The explosion had likely attired unwanted attention from the enemy...

Two Predators bravely leaved their shelter, one giving suppression fire to the general direction of provenience of the shot as the other grasped the neck of the tactical vest of the hit soldier and dragged him behind a heap of ruins. The soldier was wounded, but slightly... and soon enough he recovered conscience from the strong impact, looking with awe at the big hole in his Osprey body armour, just over heart. The bulled was crushed into the plate of protection, still smoking, and even if his chest ached like hell, he was all in all fine and could retake his position.

"Sweet fucking sky! The fucking armours saved me!" He exclaimed cheerfully, still surprised. Armours are heavy and uncomfortable, despite all the attention put into their designing... and even the Osprey tactical combat vest, likely the best in the world, light with his composite, synthetic fabrics and materials and incredibly resistant, equipped even with an internal cooling system for hot environment, often was seen with suspect by the soldiers. And whit hate during the long marches.

"Remember that the next time you feel the need to curse it during a march, kid!" Yelled back William as he carefully peered with his machine gun from over his shelter or chunks of concrete. Killer, in the same time, seen a small red arrow on his visor point in the exact direction of the sniper, and when it fired a second time, even if the rifle was so well suppressed that he could barely hear a ?fuut', the small audio localizer in his pocket found the enemy, and a small red circle on his visor appeared around a window in a palace in the distance. The visor immediately gave also a selective zoom of the encircled area... and Killer could see the sniper load another round into his weapon, curled carefully under a grey, camouflaged net that made him nearly invisible in the dark, shattered town.

He was about to fire a grenade, but Alexis overwhelmed him and he saw simply the man fall backwards into the building as his head exploded with a spray of blood and gore. "One less." Said the cold, somehow amused voice of Alexis into his headphones. "No other signs of activity into that building."

The march begun again, as they watched continuously around them and very often backwards, towards the massive arson that was like a glimpse of Hell, a scary vision of destruction... but in the same time, likely a good news for them, since it was in a zone where only enemies could be.

They fought several others minor gunfire, and they had by now reached the industrial zone when Supercharge, the new attempt of Riaku to overwhelm their stubborn resistance, revealed itself in all its majesty.

Exasperated by the resistance of buildings changed into fortresses all along the streets, Riaku had gathered outside town all his helicopters and prepared a full division of assault infantry for the role of Air Cavalry. And now the sky was full of helicopters loaded to their maximum of soldiers, weapons and explosives, exploiting the dominance of the Mottram Air Force on the brave but by now very few Typhoons.

Everyone was astonished, watching up to the sky as helicopter after helicopter, like a furious swarm of dangerous insects, the Mottram 1? Air Cavalry Division assaulted the town, with tens of S24 Harpy leading the way with their terrible firepower. Behind, all manners of transport helicopters followed with their load of soldiers. There were the huge, awkward-looking HIP8 transport helicopters, with their superior, coupled engines and the fixed undercarriage so ugly at every angle, each aircraft with the sliding doors opened and with gunners in position with massive, heavy machine guns that shot against everything in movement into the roads or over the roofs, as the soldiers inside waited only the moment for descend on the strongpoints of the enemy for fight, equipped with explosives for destroy the buildings and the bunkers. And there were also the Skycranes, weird helicopters of civilian design, entirely disarmed and with a large, all-glass cockpit at high visibility and a long tail-beam, surmounted by two of the largest engines ever installed on a helicopter and the two legs of the undercarriage that stretched largely outwards from the sides. Under the strong beam, there was in fact a real loading system with a powerful crane, that could held in place large, standard containers full of anything was needed, or a container changed into a flying command post or in an armoured troops transport or even in gunship, with four miniguns on each side. Most of them, however, were flying in the middle of narrow defensive formations of S24s, with scary-looking artillery guns and howitzers hanging down from the crane, ready to be placed rapidly over the roofs and on every strategic point of the town for chase with precise fire the defenders.

Over this fantastic procession of roaring helicopters, hundreds of fighters Su30 were flying into the clouds, protecting them all from the high, radar aimed to the ground for pick up rapidly every possible threat. Behind, instead, new waves of soldiers and tanks and vehicles were already advancing as the fortresses of the defenders were destroyed or leaved, roads at the last free for the tanks of Riaku as the engineers begun to destroy the barriers with explosives, allowing to the enormous army to advance rapidly towards the forges and facilities, surrounding the entire zone.

And Killer, unfortunately, could do nothing for stop them. All his forces were already busy to the extreme, separated and often already surrounded by the enemy into their small bulwarks. All the town indeed was surrounded and isolated thanks to the solid ring of trenches and positions of artillery that Riaku had from the beginning developed all around Kesteven for begin the siege... and even his attempt of distract him attacking directly the Mottram's territory from Kesteven was apparently incapable of push Riaku towards the error of weaken the grip on Kesteven for defend his empire. Riaku had understood that it was the decisive point...

All the terrible reality become suddenly clear as the helicopters roared ragingly over their heads, searching targets. Behind their small, fragile shelters of ruins and shadows, the Predators could hear them fly low on the roofs, searching and shooting... the big helicopters were really powerful, equipped with guns that could easily pierce across a tank and stalker them behind the walls and with rockets that could sink a warship, and they continued to advance all the same, nervous and stressed, but determined, with the Javelins and the single-use rockets ready for a desperate defence if they would have been spotted. Fire first had to meaning, seen the huge number of the enemy, that could easily crush them in any moment.

The first to fly very near was a HIP8. The rear door was open, and a gunner was gathered behind a huge machine gun of 20 mm of calibre, with piercing rounds, that he was aiming towards the extern, with thermal goggles on his eyes. He saw some movements into the shadows in the street, between the ruins, and he fired a first, short burs in that direction, spreading deadly bullets over the ruins, signalling the danger to the pilot, who turned away on its route and called a more adequate S24 for do the work of chase...

The Predators on the ground saw that, as two of them were shattered on the ground in a puddle of blood by the burst that had leaved huge holes also in the wall behind. And as the helicopters turned, several of them prepared their rockets launchers or their rifles. One of them fired a missile with the Javelin, and it hit mercilessly the HIP8 as it turned away, destroying it into a huge ball of fire. But the S24 advanced towards them, and several others begun to turn towards the zone of the fight, ready to pulverize the Predators as they tried to flee along narrow alleys, scattering the group into the labyrinth of buildings and ruins.

Killer, Alexis and William reached a covered position inside a small alley as at least four S24 hovered over the zone, one of them firing rockets on the buildings as the others continued to turn back and forth, searching targets.

"Christ, sir! How the hell we'll exit from this mess?" Asked a soldier that was preparing his single-use rocket for the attack. "Using the brain, remaining cold and hidden until it's possible... and then hit very hard when we can." Killer answered immediately, even if sweat streaked his mane at the sight of one of those flying monsters chasing after his boys firing rockets everywhere. And he hadn't a Javelin and the rockets he hadn't enough range for hit it.

"Maintain your cold blood, soldier." Intervened with a voice that was proud and calm, almost haughty, a Predator with a machine gun MFSW8. "Were you prefer be? Here with our king and master Killer or on the helicopter that's facing him?"

"Here, sir, no doubts on that." The soldier replied with a fast look of awe towards Killer, which was about to shoot one of his rockets against a helicopter that had just flew over them. The king had several other tubes hanging from slings on his shoulders and a cold glance of fury on his target before open fire and blast it with a precise shot into the lower fuselage. The HEAT warheads pierced it from side to side, blasting the rotor away from the wreck on flames that crashed into the ruins of a building.

The group had grinded twenty-five meters when the helicopters returned, still more furious and threatening, literally carpet bombing the alleys with rockets as the Predators answered with their own missiles and projectiles, trying desperately to reach the industrial zone under that deluge of fire and bullets.

Killer and Alexis leaded the way, each with a rocket ready on their shoulders as they sprinted down past the narrow street full of ruins and wrecks when a Harpy descended on their side, chasing them with the minigun mounted into the lateral door and in the swivelling turret under the muzzle.

Projectiles devastated the walls of the ruined buildings all around them, shattering the road and screaming near them as they jumped on their belly on the asphalt with a wince, then turned. Alexis and William this time were faster, and as the old male watered the gunner into the sliding door with a long, merciless and amazingly precise burst of machine gun, Alexis fired hers rocket into the cockpit with a furious snarl, before throw bad temperedly the empty, useless tube in the direction of another helicopter that flew rapidly over them.

The others aircraft remained faced for some seconds the furious, stubborn fire of the Predators from the ground, then turned away, apparently scared by the resoluteness and by the fire power of the group.

Killer ran towards the end of the alley... facing with a grimace the large, two-lanes street that they had to cross in order to reach the industrial zone, where he could already see tanks and soldier fight furiously against the assault of the Mottram forces. He turned backwards, finding Alexis, William and several other soldiers that emerged from the ruins and the alleys, while many another were died under the rain of fire. The robots, too, had apparently been destroyed by rockets.

"Ok, boys! Cross the road now, we have no time!" He ordered as he gathered himself into a crouch, ready to fire with the Cobra and the rockets for cover them as several more helicopters returned to fly towards them. Alexis leaded the group across the road, yelling encouragements to the exhaust, bloodstained soldiers as a first HIP8 reached their zone and turned on itself for allow to the gunner in the door to fire with his minigun and water the street and the soldiers below as rope were launched down from both sides and soldiers with black and dark-green uniforms begun to rapidly descend.

But they hadn't counted Killer and William, who rapidly charged out from their positions, firing madly with their rifles. William shot a full burst of maybe seventy rounds into the big engines of the helicopter before shatter the soldiers that were sliding down the thick ropes. Killer added with a burst of the still heavier Cobra, killing the gunner, shattering across the light-armoured fuselage and across the bullet-proof glasses, killing and destroying as a roar of fury leaved his throat and his soldiers crossed the road secure behind his broad, powerful back, before something gave in into the aircraft and it fell turning on itself, smashing into the hard asphalt at 200 kilometres for hour.

"Fuck!" Exclaimed someone of the soldiers in front of that show. Then Killer and William tried to reach a more secure position as two S24 approached. Alexis keep them far with her rockets, and the help of the rifles of the other Predators, as miniguns watered of fire the street, opening large holes into the asphalt. But they were near to salvation...

And then William jumped into the muscular back of Killer as him felt a big bullet shatter the left shoulder of his armour and pierce into his powerful shoulder, making him stabber towards the right with the sheer power of the impact but neither lose speed as he winced but forced his powerful body to go on. William pushed with all his weight into his back, however, and knocked him down into the road, behind the solid cover of the corner of the ruined building that was already covering Alexis and the others.

But it hasn't been all easy and successful. They were targets impossible to miss in the middle of the road... and William had covered his back, taking into him a full burst of machine gun. Eleven huge rounds had shattered into his armour like paper, destroying his back and his spine, one of them hitting the nape of the neck.

"Fuck, William! You want to kill us both?" Killer exclaimed as he rapidly scrambled to his feet for fight again, but then he saw. He saw the peaceful expression of his old mentor, his face intact watching the sky as blood leaked on his features from the back of his head, completely destroyed where the bullet had pulverized the helmet and almost passed from side to side, as the crashed body of one of the best men he had ever known laid into a puddle of blood.

Killer gently dragged the corpse behind the shelter, placing the head of his friend into his lap as the warrior hided for a moment his face from the others behind his muscular shoulder, feeling himself near as never before to collapse as he bit savagely his lips, repealing the tears he felt so burning in his eyes.

"We are not leaving him here, sir, yes...?" Asked gently a soldier from somewhere behind him.

"No, Christ! He's coming with us." Killer was surprised of hear his voice firm and powerful as always... it was almost like it wasn't his own... but then, as the helicopters turned, this time three, and tried to manoeuvre to aim over them all, he felt fury take the upper hand as he grasped the Cobra so tight that he thought it was about to shatter it into two pieces.

Without a word, he jumped over to fragile fire-escaping ladders on the brick wall of the alley and climbed with fury and rapidity the wall, sinking his cruel claws into it until he emerged on the roof, facing the nearest helicopter from the same height.

He saw the shocked, horrified expression on the features of the gunner in the sliding door as he jumped towards him with unknown rage into his body, unknown power into his muscles and he smashed his weight and mass into the mount of the machine gun, shattering it without a wince as it beaten into his body, grasping the gunner with his hands and literally ripping him into two pieces with his hands, tearing him with his huge strength as he turned to see the other gunner, in front of him, leave the mount for draw his pistol. But before he could, Killer kicked him down from the helicopter with a snarl of fury before turn towards the six terrified soldiers sat into the fuselage and made literally mincemeat of them and wrecks of their rifles.

The he stood in front of the metallic wall that separated the fuselage from the double cockpit in tandem and smashed into it with his hands, opening holes into the plates of steel and tearing them apart easily, tattering cables and tubes before open a passage that lead him into the narrow cockpit, emerging from behind the seat of the pilot and grasping it, tearing it off and hurtling it outside across the bullet-proof glass with enough force to spread crumbs it.

The gunner turned back in horror from into his separated cockpit, seeing the huge male emerge like a demon from the ruins of the pilot's place and smash easily the dome of armoured glass with a fist, reaching for his head. And Killer laughed a cheerless laughter as he shattered the head of the soldier like a tomato and blood exploded into the cockpit and stained of red the glass and the console.

Alexis, meanwhile, had grasped two rockets, placed one on each shoulder and jumped in the middle of the street with her own roar of wild fury and bloody wish of revenge, firing both weapons into the two Harpy remained and reducing two both to pieces as the male reached the stick of the S24 and flied it towards the narrow formation of other helicopters, launching it towards another Harpy before jump down from it.

He landed in a crouch into the street, opening a crater into it with the force of his fall, but he stood tall easily on his feet without a wince, looking coldly as the shattered helicopter collided with the other and the two exploded into the air, wild wind from the explosion ruffling his mane red of blood.

Nothing could pay for William and the others... Nothing. But as they finally run towards the industrial zone, the helicopters didn't dared again to challenge him and that surely saved lives. He knew that it was always what mattered more for William. He just... cried inside himself. Like a child. And cursed himself. He had failed again. He could be strong as he wanted, kill and destroy as a wind of Hell. Be the dominator and the invincible warrior that the others saw in him... but he had failed again. Because once more, war proved that the strongest general is the one so strong that doesn't needs to fight for win.

Talon sighed deeply when he stopped the Typhoon on the runway. And he could only smile, seeing that they had done it. Hell was still raging on the horizon, and all four of the fighters and their crews had made it back alive. He only dreamed a bit of rest... but teams of mechanics ran out from the forest, towing wheeled trolleys loaded with Meteor and Asraam missiles as someone else advanced literally covered of long belts of ammo for the guns. The colonel leaded the way.

"Fuck...!" Talon and Maverick had just the time to curse as the cockpit opened with a low hiss before a mechanic assaulted them with a staircase for climb to the console of the pilot and, half inside and half out of the fighter, he attached a laptop to the computer for a rapid auto-diagnosis of the systems as another placed a new DVD into the console, programming the fighter for a new mission. All around, the planes were being rearmed with Air-to-Air missiles, refuelled and controlled as the crews eat rapidly something and drank a bit of water.

The colonel himself climbed to the cockpit of Talon, throwing a small bottle of water to him and Maverick and then pouring them some integrative pills and a huge filled roll, smiling widely to them before talk. "Great work, boys! Much better than the forecasted, even. I'm just sorry we have to send you out again, already. The sky is a hell over Kesteven... and a lot of people need our help."