Chapter 87: A Destined Counter Attack
Keiko tried to stay calm, but internally she was panicking. With everyone trying to evacuate the city, the roads had become overly crowded. They hadn't even left the suburb yet, still stuck between rows of houses. Traffic jams were reportedly happening all across the city, as cars clogged up the road bumper to bumper. It was bad enough, that even the trains were backed up. So as Minato quietly drove her car forward, barely moving an inch, she could only worry.
Looking out the window, Keiko could see hundreds abandoning their cars, and just running on foot. Quietly Keiko debated if her family should do the same, but ignored the idea. Abandoning all their supplies would only harm them in the long run.
"How hard is it to speed up?" Minato grumbled annoyed, watching as the cars ahead of him continued to move at a snail's pace. Impatiently he tapped the steering wheel, before looking in the rearview mirror. At the same time, Keiko's mother turned on the car's radio.
"Don't think now's the time for music Mom," Keiko commented, with her mother flipping through channels.
"Just bringing up the news," her mother replied calmly, finding only static the more she looked. She continued to flip through channels, yet still found nothing.
"Hmm… the radio busted?" Minato asked confused, looking over his shoulder for a quick second. Keiko shook her head no in response, confused as well.
"It shouldn't be," Keiko replied, remembering the last time she'd driven. Even then, the radio never had any issues before. Cautiously, Keiko moved to grab her phone, only to find she had no signal. That only left Keiko more confused. It was a glitch, it had to be. So she shut her phone off and turned it back on. Still no signal.
"My phone's down too," Keiko told Minato, earning a "hmmm," from the old man. Quietly Keiko's mother checked her phone, finding she also had no signal. Same with Minato, as the old man fished it out of his pocket. He had Keiko look at it though, not wanting to take his eyes off the road. It didn't make sense to Keiko though. But before she could try to figure out what was happening, a loud crash noise echoed behind them. Multiple other crashes followed before gunfire started up around them.
Yuto and Mai quickly began to scream, ducking down in their seats, while Keiko turned and looked out the rear window. There she saw an Izuzu Giga, with a massive battering ram fitted to the front. The truck drove at full speed, ramming past the cars on the street, while people fled in terror. Behind it, were two helicopters flying up, with ever more villain technicals. The massive truck rapidly got closer as time went on, ramming car after car.
Panicking Keiko quickly unbuckled her seat belt, her parents doing the same.
"Out of the car, now!" Keiko ordered, almost pushing her kids out of the car. The second they got outside Minato scooped up Yuto while Keiko picked up Mai. There they ran down the street, following the crowd of people running in terror. Some heroes that had stuck around, stood to fight back. But there were so few of them, that their attempts made no difference. The truck behind them was rapidly getting closer, shoving by ever more cars, ripping apart metal.
It knocked some cars into others fleeing, crushing them in seconds. Looking around for somewhere to run, Keiko soon spotted a small side street.
"Dad, take right!" Keiko called out, her father quickly spotting the area. Wordlessly the man turned and ran right, his wife and Keiko following behind him. Dozens of other people did the same, just as the truck behind them zoomed by, crushing ever more vehicles. Keiko had to no time to rest though, instead continuing to run forward. All the while her ears were plagued with the noise of gunfire, of metal crashing and scrapping against metal, of never-ending screaming, and of Yuto and Mai crying afraid.
Her family and the crowd following constantly turned down street after street, refusing to stop even for a second. Keiko felt like her legs would give out, yet she ran. That was until Minato came to a screeching halt. Everyone stood in a small side street, next to a few small houses. Quickly Minato motioned for everyone to be quiet before the old man slowly passed Yuto to Keiko's mother. Keiko was about to ask him what was happening before she heard the sound of tracks grinding against the pavement.
Carefully walking forward, Keiko looked around one of the houses and went pale. The street was littered with corpses, with villains walking about on a seeming patrol. With them, was a tank, driving forward over some cars blocking the way.
"There is no time to wait! Keep moving!" one of the villains ordered, the other following the tank in front. Looking around, Keiko couldn't begin to count how many of them there were.
"What of the nonbelievers?" another villain loudly asked.
"Give them the mercy of death if possible, but we cannot allow ourselves to be stalled!" the first villain ordered back, causing Keiko to quietly panic again.
"Back, back," Minato whispered, the family slowly moving backward. That was until Keiko heard new voices pipe up.
"Forward my brothers and sisters! Reaper's Will shall be ensured!" a third villain yelled out, riding one of the villain's pickups. Other vehicles drove by, right where Keiko had just come from. They… they were surrounded, Keiko realized. Her breathing sped up at the realization, her kids quietly whimpering while she tried to look for a solution.
"We're going to die," someone muttered nearby, muttering the words over and over again. It was by some miracle the villains hadn't noticed them yet. There had to be something, Keiko mentally yelled. Her eyes quickly looked over every corner of the side street. A window to a house, someone's front door, a car they could hide in, something she mentally begged. It was all in vain.
"M-mom?" Mai asked terrified, the girl's eyes looking up at hers desperately.
"It's ok, we're going to be fine," Keiko told him, trying to hide the fear in her tone. Eventually one of the villain's technicals noticed them, turning off the main road and driving into the side street. Screaming erupted again as Keiko rushed to find cover. Ducking as gunfire whizzed by, she soon hid behind a small car with Mai still in her arms. The rest of her family quickly followed her, but so did the villains.
Peeking over the car's hood, Keiko watched as five villains hopped out of their truck, gunning down people out of cover. Keiko felt her breathing speed up again, watching as the villains cleared out the side street. Seconds later a bullet punched through the car's windshield, the villains now targeting her. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, Keiko mentally pleaded, using her body to cover Mai.
Her daughter screamed out in terror, Yuto doing the same. Silently Keiko peeked up from the ground, looking around desperately. Please, someone, anyone! A hero, a police officer, somebody, Keiko begged. Slowly the gunfire came to a halt, leaving Keiko to hope someone had arrived.
"You dumbasses! They're all unarmed! Stop wasting you're ammo!" a villain loudly lambasted his cohorts, crushing Keiko's hope. Now she heard footsteps rapidly approaching them. Tears welled up in Keiko's eyes, as she looked down at her daughter, then toward Yuto. Someone, please, Keiko again pleaded. Slowly the villains got ever closer before the footsteps seemed to stop. Keiko worried that if she opened her eyes, she'd see them standing right next to her.
Instead, when she looked around, the villains stood away somewhat, looking up at the sky. Confused, Keiko slowly did the same, before hearing a new noise arrive. It sounded like aircraft, lots of them. Just as she realized this, the villains began scrambling. Explosions began rocking the city around them, causing Yuto and Mai to scream again. Jets flew by overhead loudly.
Keiko almost feared the jets were the villains. But they ran back to their truck, one of them manning the large gun mounted on the back. They seemed to tinker with it for a bit but ultimately gave up. Instead, they quickly aimed it up at the sky and fired.
"Heretics!" one of them called angrily, as Keiko spotted a massive jet aircraft flying by overhead. To Keiko's shock, dozens of people jumped out of it, with parachutes quickly littering the skies above.
"Shoot them down! Shoot them down!" another villain desperately called out, before the truck violently exploded. Bits of shrapnel shot out nearby, as Keiko again cowered to the ground. Again, the sound of jets flew by overhead with more explosions following.
"Mommy! Mommy! Look!" Yuto suddenly called out, dragging Keiko's attention back to the other side streets. More villains were arriving behind them, and quickly Keiko stood up. With her family following her Keiko ran around the now flaming truck, watching as the people parachuting got closer and closer to the ground.
"Keiko!" Minato called out, snapping her attention back to the ground. There she saw she'd been unknowingly running towards a crowd of villains. Of of them soon spotted her.
"Non-believers!" the villain called out, bringing in the attention of his allies. Keiko turned to start running again when one of the paratroopers landed in front of her. It was just as the villains opened fire. Bullets tore through the parachute with easy, narrowly hitting Keiko. A few grazed by, causing her to wince in pain, but none penetrated. As the parachute fully landed on the ground, the man wearing it quickly stood up.
Keiko couldn't help but step back, as a nine-foot-tall mutant with a bull quirk stood up. The man was coated head to toe in tactical gear, with an oddly shaped helmet for his head to accommodate his horns. On the mutant's arm, was the unmistakable skull logo of the MSF. And in the mutant's hands, was a handheld M2 Browning. It took mere seconds before Keiko heard the loud chunk of the gun firing.
The villains were torn to shreds as they tried to fight back, some quickly running back. The entire time, the mercenary stood in front of Keiko, using himself as a shield. Some bullets struck the soldier dead on, but they couldn't seem to penetrate the man's skin. The villains shot the man desperately, but nothing came close to stopping him. Around them, more paratroopers began to land one by one and quickly joined the bull-man. After a minute or two, the gunfire began to stop, the villains falling back.
There the bull soldier began to turn around, facing Keiko quietly. News reports flashed through Keiko's mind, the word villain being repeated over and over. She couldn't help but unconsciously step backward. Of course, the soldier saw this and held up his hands.
"Hey, hey, it's ok. I'm not gonna harm you," the soldier told her, as Keiko again took a step back, "Anyone hurt?"
Keiko thought over the soldier's question carefully, before looking at her family. After a few seconds, she shook her head no. It earned a sigh of relief from the soldier, surprising Keiko instantly.
"[Shit!]" one of the soldiers angrily exclaimed though, earning the bull soldier's attention.
"[Seagull, something wrong?]" the bull soldier asked in English.
"[We dropped too late]" the soldier replied angrily while looking over some kind of holographic map, "[Enemy line's already a mile behind us.]"
"[Damn it… no matter, rally up who you can, I'll radio command]" the bull soldier told him before the other one motioned to Keiko.
"[What about the civies?]" the soldier inquired, with the bull looking back at her. It was only for a second though, as he turned back to the other soldier quickly. He said a few more words in English, before the other soldier nodded, and began walking away.
"Ok, I know all of you are terrified, but everything is going to be ok," the bull soldier told them, "Trust me, we are going to get you out of here."
It brought some small comfort to Keiko, even if she didn't fully believe the man. But it felt oddly calm as a realization set it. Not one of the soldiers was trying anything evil. A few looked over some other civilians and carefully tended their wounds. Others started digging through the rubble or running off to gather up vehicles that had been dropped nearby. She even spotted one soldier giving a frightened child a candy bar. Looking at the display, Keiko couldn't help but feel… safe.
Every few seconds Osprey could feel the C-17 shake, as AA guns fired up at them. The Air Force had cleared out most of the enemy's air defenses, specifically their missile launchers, but not all had been picked off yet. They still had fleets of trucks across the city, most with autocannons welded onto the back. Made Osprey's task somewhat annoying, as he looked over his Idroid quietly, with Tucan, Roach, Squid, and Dolphin sitting next to him quietly. Everyone had already been debriefed, but it never hurt to go over intel again.
While the 3rd and 1st Airborne Divisions were securing the frontline, other companies were being dropped behind enemy lines. All to secure other smaller objectives as quickly as possible. Osprey was part of one such company, being tasked with securing the Musutafu Pediatric Hospital. Intel said that the enemy had the place surrounded, but was having difficulty breaching the place.
The Ninth Circle tried shelling the place, however the hospital was built like a bunker. Design to withstand particularly dangerous quirks in case of emergency. Of course, Command knew that while the hospital had been able to hold out, they also knew it wouldn't be for much longer.
"Think we'll make it in time?" Dolphin asked calmly, the soldier looking over his M4 quietly. Next to him, Roach shrugged, while looking over his rifle as well.
"Who knows? It'd be a miracle if anybody's even still alive down there," Roach replied, grabbing his seat for a second as the plane shook again. The plane settling again, Roach looked down at his rifle quietly, before grumbling to himself.
"Why's it we're stuck with the old shit?" Roach asked to no one in particular, "Armored boys couldn't spare us an exo?"
"Too much weight I'm afraid. Would need a bigger chute for every man here," Osprey replied, looking up from his Idroid toward Roach.
"Don't they got a jetpack with 'em though?" Roach pointed out, only for Dolphin to wave him off.
"Nah, only Enhanced Mobility variant," Dolphin told him, before attaching his M320 grenade launcher to his rifle, "All the others don't have em. Less expensive to make."
"Hmph… think we'll get 'em?" Roach asked, loading a magazine into his rifle.
"Maybe, jetpack would come in handy for drops," Tucan piped up, the soldier deciding to join the conversation. The moment Tucan said the words the plane shook again, as Osprey heard the plane start shooting out flares. Looking around, Osprey took a deep breath, noticing the plane's jump light. It hadn't switched green yet, but Osprey could feel it coming any second now. The C-17's ramp began to lower, confirming Osprey's suspicions.
Quickly he checked over everything one last time, just as the light turned green. With a deep breath, Osprey stood up from his seat, watching the other paratroopers do the same.
"Light is green troopers!" Osprey called out, watching as the paratroopers quickly stood up. In the back of the C-17, a pair of engineers released the locks holding onto an M10, letting the vehicle fly out of the aircraft. Osprey didn't have to order a thing, as the soldiers followed the vehicle out. One by one the soldiers jumped before it became Osprey's turn. With a deep breath, the man jumped out of the aircraft.
Falling for a few seconds, Osprey got a full view of the chaos beneath him. The city below was a mess of rubble and destroyed buildings, some still smoking from prior bombings. AA-guns fired tracer rounds into the sky, lighting up everything. Some of these guns were destroyed seconds after they started firing, a missile from an F-35 of B2 knocking them out of commission.
Some jets even shot a few helicopters out of the sky, forcing others to stay grounded. Soon though Osprey spotted his landing zone getting closer, that being a wide-open park. Pulling his chute, Osprey quickly braced himself, before landing on the ground. Once done he took off his parachute and checked out the surrounding area. Paratroopers who landed before him were busy unpacking gear, while others began running up to regroup.
"Alright, all of you form up! We move in five minutes!" Osprey ordered, watching the other paratroopers scramble, "Iguana! Get your squad, and that M10 to the park entrance! Keep the gate locked down!"
As ordered the M10 began driving off the moment they finished cutting it free. Next to it, paratroopers ran beside it, moving to the entrance. Moments later Osprey heard the vehicle's 105mm gun fire, with the soldiers accompanying it firing as well. The enemy was reacting fast, Osprey thought to himself. They needed to move.
"Tucan, where's the rest of our armor?" Osprey asked over his radio, looking around to see if he could spot the soldier. He didn't at first, but soon spotted a pair of LAVs driving past some trees on the other side of the park.
"Driving up now," Tucan replied, with Osprey watching as the LAVs' came to a stop nearby. The major let out a calm sigh at the sight. Wordlessly he pulled out his Idroid and looked over the map. They still had a long trek to the Hospital, one he knew he wouldn't enjoy.
"Covering fire!" someone yelled out, as bullets whizzed by Grizzly's head. Ducking behind a small brick apartment, he could hear the sounds of soldiers attempting to fire back at the enemy. Though it was somewhat in vain, as Grizzly hesitantly peeked around cover.
"Enemy mortar, Mcdonald's rooftop!" Marston called out over his radio, with the whirring of drones overhead. Instantly the AI linked the drone's camera to Grizzly's IVAS, displaying the captured scene. The mortar crew was around the corner, far down the street on a rather small building, with a slew of infantry protecting them. They were also scrambling to pack up the mortar, having been caught off guard by the MSF's arrival.
"Gecko, covering fire! Grizzly, ice 'em!" Ape ordered, the Lieutenant standing across the street by a different building. Next to him was Eagle, the sergeant busy firing down the street trying to provide Grizzly an opening. Gecko, who'd been standing next to Grizzly, nodded before shuffling past Grizzly and firing at the enemy with Eagle. Crouching somewhat to stay out of the line of fire, Grizzly leaned around Gecko, before holding up his arm.
Feeling the familiar cold feeling, Grizzly watched as a beam of light shot out, freezing over the exposed mortar crew. Ducking back the second it was done, Grizzly looked down at his soliton radar. Quietly he swore to himself, watching the dozen or so dots move around the area. The building he was using for cover had who knows how many guys hiding inside it, which he despised.
As he thought this though, he heard the clacking of tracks drive up nearby. Looking up he spotted a Bradley driving up nearby, with other infantry accompanying it. Moving to the open street, the IFV started firing into the street. The infantry accompanying it meanwhile kept eyes on the rooftops, trying their best to protect the armored vehicle. Seeing the street was being handled, Grizzly turned toward Ape.
Quickly the Lieutenant rushed toward Grizzly with Eagle and a few other soldiers in tow. Once he reached him, Ape wordlessly motioned for the others to follow him. Running up they soon reached the apartment building's entrance. Forming up along both sides of the door, Grizzly looked over the door carefully, before checking over his radar. Five enemies hid inside, all facing the door.
"Marston," Ape stated, the sound of footsteps coming in quickly. Seconds later a pair of robotic soldiers ran up next to them. Both stood around five foot six, with oddly human-like arms and limbs, resembling the prosthetic limbs Grizzly had seen the MSF develop. Instead of normal joints though, they had a gray artificial muscle. One robot had an M4 Remington, the other had an M7.
The heads meanwhile were different. One had the triangle wedge-shaped head of the defunct Walker Gear program. The other had a more human-looking head, with a holographic screen for a face. Nothing was on display on said screen though. And of course, both robots had cowboy hats placed on top, one a dark brown, the other black.
Grizzly could only sigh at the sight, while the two robots shuffled past them toward the door. Wordlessly Ape held up his fingers, counting down from three. The second he reached zero Marston had the robots kick down the doors. Gunfire shot through the doorway, with both robots tanking the rounds quite easily. The robots fired back quickly, with Grizzly and his squad soon joining them.
Moving forward the robots continued to tank round after round, both clearing out the room while Grizzly followed behind them. Other soldiers outside began to join them, everyone moving into the lobby quickly. Already knowing the drill, Grizzly watched the robots walk toward the nearby stairwell, before again kicking the door down. There was no gunfire this time, so Grizzly kept up behind the machines.
Moving up a floor, Grizzly found himself looking down a hallway of apartments. As this happened one of the apartment's doors opened, and a cultist leaned out of it. Rifle raised the enemy fired down the hall, while other apartment doors opened up as well. Ducking back behind a nearby wall, Grizzly grabbed a grenade and chucked it down the hall behind him. After a few seconds, the grenade exploded, eliciting screams of pain from the cultists.
It hadn't killed all of them, but they didn't dare stick their heads out now.
"First apartment," Ape ordered, with Grizzly quietly nodding. Quickly Marston's robots began moving down the hall, providing some small amount of cover. With that cover, Grizzly's squad moved up to the first apartment in the hallway. Forming up around the door, Grizzly saw Gecko pull out a flashbang, while a soldier with a shotgun moved up with them. Looking at his soliton, Grizzly could see three contacts in the room. They weren't behind the door though, instead farther back in a corner.
Good Grizzly thought, watching as Ape again started counting down. The moment he reached zero the shotgun soldier kicked in the door. Quickly they rushed inside, filing into what was a torn-up living room. It was the soliton said, no enemies present. Grizzly did, however, spot a closet tucked away in the living room's corner. Silently Ape motioned for Grizzly to investigate, while the others began clearing out the rest of the apartment.
Slowly Grizzly approached it, not seeing any of the dots move on soliton. Reaching the closet, he stood off to the side of the door and grabbed the handle. With a deep breath, Grizzly yanked the door open and aimed his rifle into the closet. He was instantly met with screaming, the soldier finding the three dots to be a small family. A father stood in front of his wife and child, trying his best to shield them.
"[D-don't shoot! Don't shoot!]" the wife begged, trying her best to shield her daughter. Kid looked no older than a toddler to Grizzly, and currently cried as she looked at him. Quickly Grizzly lowered his weapon, stepping back to give the family some space. Other soldiers hearing the commotion rushed over, only to stop as they saw the closet.
"Gecko! Some help over here!" Grizzly called out, spotting the mutant rush toward him. Stepping to the side he let Gecko come in to a quick halt. He held up his hands to show himself as unarmed, while his rifle was slung around his shoulder.
"[Its fine, we're not going to hurt you. We're just here to help]" Gecko told them, trying his best to appear as friendly as possible, "[Is there anyone else in this apartment? Any villains?]"
The father thought over his question hesitantly, gulping for a moment.
"[N-no, just us]" the father replied, earning a small sigh from Gecko.
"[What… what do you want?]" the father asked afraid, while Gecko took a second to scratch his chin.
"[Well right now I want to get you three out of here]" Gecko replied quickly, leaving the father stunned for a few seconds. Relief quickly took hold of the man, as Grizzly spotted a few tears form in the father's eyes. He turned away though, finding Ape walking into the living room from the bedroom.
"Lieutenant!" Grizzly called out, "Got a family of three here."
Ape looked the family over quietly, before turning to the other soldiers in the room. He looked over a few of them, before pointing at two.
"Narwhal, Shark, get them out of here," Ape ordered, before motioning toward the door, "Rest of you, next apartment!"
Quickly Narwhal and Shark rushed toward the family, while Gecko translated the order for the family.
"[Follow them, they're going to get you to safety]" Gecko told them, before walking toward the door. Grizzly did the same, taking a deep breath to steel himself for the next apartment.
"[T-thank you!]" the family called out, catching Gecko by surprise, with Grizzly wondering what was said. There wasn't time to ask though, so he stayed quiet. Reaching the apartment's door, Grizzly found gunfire starting up again as some cultists began trying to fight back in the hallway. Peeking out the door Grizzly began laying down cover fire, while the other soldiers.
"Go! Get them out of here!" Ape called, out, with Grizzly watching as Narwhal and Shark rushed by, shielding the family as they ran out of the apartment.
"[Keep your heads down! Don't stop, just keep running!]" Shark told them loudly, while Grizzly took another deep breath. One apartment down, a dozen more to go.
The room was cold. It was always cold. Even though it was a different room, in a different building far from Overhaul, it was cold. The only difference between the rooms was the decor. Eri's new caretakers had covered the place in toys and painted the walls to look like a mural. It was filled with a sprawling forest, with unknown animals prancing about. In the corner of the room, was a massive bed, covered in pillows.
To Eri, it was more comfortable than anything she'd had before. Though, that wasn't a very high bar to beat. Overhaul had always cheaped out on everything, except security when it came to Eri. It was either a concrete floor or a barely built bed. And yet, even with all the seeming luxury she was given, Eri never felt safe. The skull people were fine, they treated her nicely and always gave her gifts. Even the guy with weird chains around his wrists brought her food once in a while. But the real issue was the smiling man.
Something about him dug up an almost primal fear that Eri couldn't understand. Everything about him screamed that something was off. Even as the smiling man seemed to comfort her, saying she was safe, Eri never believed him. So, the room was cold. It was always cold… Why, Eri questioned. Was it because she was cursed? She wanted to be safe, but… Chisaki was right.
She was cursed, and this would always be her fate. Locked away in a cold room, fearful of whoever would enter the door. Eri could feel tears welling up in her eyes at the thought. She was cursed, and this was the fate she deserved. Chisaki had said so, and it seemed the smiling man agreed. However, he masked his thoughts with lies. Quietly Eri cried into one of the many pillows her bed had.
This was her fate, her punishment. She was a disgusting little thing, an abomination, a freak. The more it went on, the more Eri cried. All she wanted was for her pain to stop. Did she deserve this? She didn't know. Maybe she did, but then why? Slowly though, Eri began to notice something. The room was cold, and yet, Eri felt… warm. Sniffling, Eri looked up confused, wondering where the warmth had come from.
"Oh, you poor thing," a voice called out, Eri turning to face it. Standing nearby, was a caucasian woman with dirty blond hair. Her outfit was some weird white garb, that almost seemed skin-tight. The weirdest thing that stuck out to Eri, was the woman was almost see-through. Eri instinctively moved back, only for the woman to hold up her hands.
"It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you," the woman told Eri. Her voice was… soothing Eri thought surprised.
"What's your name?" the woman asked, taking a few slow steps forward.
"E-Eri," Eri replied cautiously, watching as the woman sat down on the foot of her bed.
"Eri… that's a nice name," the woman told her, a small smile gracing the woman's lips.
"What's… what's yours?" Eri asked, watching as the woman thought the question over.
"Mine? Well… you can call me Joy," Joy replied, scooching a bit closer to Eri. Eri almost scooted back a bit instinctively but stopped. It felt, warm being next to Joy in this cold room. Eri didn't know how to describe, the feeling in the air she got from Joy. But it was… it was nice, Eri decided. Joy stayed quiet for a moment, seeing that Eri hadn't moved away. The woman brought a finger to her lip in thought, before she seemed to gain an idea.
"Would you like a hug?" Joy asked, looking down at Eri calmly. Though Eri looked back at Joy confused, tilting her head to the side.
"A… hug?" Eri asked confused. It earned a shocked look from Joy, though that shock quickly turned to anger. Instantly Eri paled, thinking she'd done something wrong. Seeing Eri's fear though Joy calmed down, taking a deep breath.
"It's ok, I'm not angry at you," Joy told her, trying her best to remain calm, "How about I show you what a hug is?"
Eri thought the idea over cautiously, unsure of this mystery woman. Hesitantly Eri nodded, with Joy again scooching close to her. She held out her arms in an almost wide circle, before wrapping them around Eri. The warmth surrounding Joy enveloped Eri, the small girl finding herself wanting more. It just felt… comforting, and Eri subconsciously pulled herself closer to Joy. That was until she felt her horn begin to itch. Eri's eyes widened in fear, knowing her curse far too well.
Desperately Eri tried to pull away from Joy, not wanting to cause her harm. Not wanting to lose this warmth.
"N-no! L-let go!" Eri pleaded though she found her attempts to escape in vain. Joy simply ran a hand through Eri's hair, keeping her in a tight hug.
"Shh… it's going to be ok," Joy told her, continually running her hand through Eri's hair. There Eri felt the energy of her curse surge out, running rampant. Tears welled up in Eri's eyes, and the girl shut them closed quickly. For a few minutes she felt her curse go crazy, the energy surging around her. Yet Eri could still feel Joy's warmth, it confused Eri as the last of her energy was burnt out.
The chaos dying down, Eri hesitantly opened her eyes and found Joy still hugging her tightly. Her almost transparent form still sitting next to her calmly.
"There we go," Joy commented, keeping Eri in a hug, "See, everything's ok."
Her… her curse didn't hurt her, Eri realized. The girl quietly celebrated this fact, now no longer struggling against Joy's grasp. The tears in Eri's eyes now began to fall, as Joy continued running a hand through Eri's hair. That's how it was for a few minutes before Eri ran out of tears. At the same time, Eri heard Joy sing quietly. Looking up at Joy, Eri found the woman with a small smile. It seemed genuine, but Eri felt something almost… sad about it.
"Sing, sing a song. Let the world sing along," Joy quietly sang, pulling Eri in close for a moment. The tune sounded nice to Eri's ears, and the girl now found herself feeling oddly tired. She blissfully yawned a little, before Joy stood up with Eri in her arms, and began placing her in the large bed. Joy shuffled a few pillows about, before pulling the covers over Eri. Again Eri yawned, as Joy smiled quietly.
For a moment though, Joy looked over her hands, as parts of her seemed to slowly disappear.
"Hmm, I'm afraid my time's up," Joy told her calmly. Were Eri more awake, she would have leaped out of bed afraid. Instead, her eyes widened just a bit in surprise, the small girl reaching out to try and grab Joy. Slowly the warmth was beginning to fade from the room.
"You're leaving?" Eri asked worried, with Joy nodding. She grabbed Eri's small hand, holding onto it calmly.
"I am. But I'll be back soon, ok?" Joy replied. Quietly Eri nodded, watching as Joy let go of her hand. Or more, phased through her hand. Joy looked over Eri quietly, watching as the small girl yawned again.
"Eri, do you like this place?" Joy asked though it sounded like she already knew the answer. Eri didn't notice though, and instead thought over the question. It didn't take much thinking.
"...No," Eri tiredly replied.
"Do you feel safe?" Joy inquired.
"No," Eri answered.
"Do you want to leave?" Joy asked, with Eri thinking this question over. Did… did she want to leave? This room was always cold, every room she went to was cold. They had no warmth like that of Joy's. But… Eri was cursed. She was a freak. A monster. Maybe cold rooms were what she deserved.
"...What will happen if I leave?" Eri asked, dreading yet another cold room.
"Well, I know a very nice man you can stay with. He'll take good care of you, and you'll feel safe there," Joy replied, with Eri quietly dreaming of the prospect. Somewhere safe. Somewhere warm. Someone who would care. Eri wanted it, but…
"But… I'm cursed," Eri muttered tiredly, only to find Joy's hand resting on her arm.
"No one is cursed," Joy told her, "Especially not you."
Eri didn't believe the words, but she could still feel the warmth from Joy. She could see the sincere smile the woman had before more of Joy began to phase away.
"I'll see you again soon," Joy stated, the woman quickly becoming more and more transparent. Eri tiredly watched as the woman disappeared, yawning briefly.
"Goodbye… Joy," Eri tiredly said.
"Goodbye Eri," Joy replied, just as Eri felt the last of her warmth leave.
Chapter 88: A Continued Battle
Keeping his eyes on the rooftops around him, Osprey stayed close to the LAV next to him. The vehicle drove by slowly, not wanting to leave its escorting infantry. It had been a half-hour of trekking so far and had been thankfully uneventful. There was the occasional enemy technical they ran into, but they were easily disposed of by the M10s Bookers. With all of this though, Osprey could see his target.
The massive looming structure that was the Musutafu Pediatric Hospital. It was a rather intimidating building the more Osprey looked at it, having an almost brutalist cube appearance. Though it was also surprisingly colorful, the entire building was painted with a different color on each floor. With white on the first floor, before it went up like a rainbow. Of course, most of the paint had scorch marks or large scrapes ruining it now.
"Almost there troopers. Double time it," Osprey muttered into his radio, still keeping pace with the LAV next to him. Just a few more steps, Osprey thought, seeing the hospital get closer and closer. Of course, with this thought, someone just had to yell out.
"RPG!" a soldier yelled, right as the gunfire started up. Quickly Osprey spotted cultists peeking out of buildings, others hiding on rooftops. Several of them had RPG-7s on hand, while others had basic machine guns. Osprey fired at the first enemy he could, managing to kill a cultist peeking out an apartment window. Behind him the LAV-25 kept driving forward, trying its best to fight back.
The vehicle's autocannon loudly fired into some apartments, punching through brick and concrete with ease. At the same time, a soldier manned the pintle-mounted M240, covering the rooftops the autocannon couldn't reach. The entire time Osprey kept moving, refusing to stop.
"Keep moving! Target's dead ahead!" Osprey ordered over the radio. They couldn't stop, not now. Forward they marched, fighting through the street as fast as possible. Spotting another enemy RPG, Osprey quickly fired at the cultist wielding the weapon. His shots missed though, and the cultist ducked into cover before he could fire again. Quietly swearing, Osprey soon found the cultist had friends on the roof.
One of them now firing at the street with a MINIMI. Rounds peppered the street as Osprey ran to the other side of the LAV. Seconds later he heard a cry of pain as the cultist shot the LAV-25's machine gunner. Not wanting this to continue Osprey hesitantly peeked around the still-moving LAV, and spotted the cultist on the roof. At the same time, the original cultist was readying his RPG again.
With little time Osprey shot up at the distracted machine gunner, managing to strike the enemy in the head. Killing him, Osprey turned his attention to the enemy RPG, firing what was left of his magazine. This time he hit the enemy, his M4's 5.56 rounds tearing up the man easily. With a small sigh of relief, Osprey quietly reloaded his rifle and turned back to face the hospital.
They were there. The first M10s in front smashed through the few enemy vehicles surrounding the place. Their main guns tore up technicals in a single shot, while their secondary weapons chewed up exposed infantry. The LAVs soon joined them, driving past the M10s at a quicker pace. Running alongside the LAV-25, Osprey found himself approaching the hospital's main entrance.
It looked worse for wear, as the automatic glass door had been shattered, and had whatever furniture inside barricading the path. It didn't seem like any had broken through yet, but better to be safe than sorry Osprey reasoned. Facing away from the door Osprey spotted Roach and Squid heading his way, as the other paratroopers continued to fight around them.
"You two, help me with this," Osprey ordered while motioning toward the barricaded door. Wordlessly both soldiers slung their rifles over their shoulders and walked up to the door. With the glass already shattered, Osprey took a slight step forward, before trying to push a large couch out of the way. The couch didn't seem all too heavy and was stacked onto a large desk. Roach and Squid did the same, every man slowly inching the couch back.
The moment they did, Osprey realized he was wrong. The cough barely budged, as if it weighed a ton. Yet they kept pushing forward, trying to dislodge the thing.
"Why's this so heavy?" Roach complained watching as they pushed the couch back.
"Wouldn't be an issue, if you worked out more," Squid retorted, the group stepping back as the couch fell off the desk and hit the ground.
"Your definition of workout is lifting osmium fucking weights!" Roach countered annoyed, rubbing his ears at the couch's loud thud. They all dropped down quickly though, waiting for the sound of gunfire to rip by them. Nothing came though, as Osprey realized the coast was clear.
"And yours is sitting on your ass for a week watching soap operas," Osprey pointed out, unslinging his rifle and climbing over the desk. With the barricade somewhat removed, Osprey had a clearer sight of the hospital's main lobby. At first, he'd expected bodies covering the floor. Instead, he found the area empty of pretty much anything. Aside from the barricades, the lobby had no furniture around.
It was also dark, with no lights on anywhere in the room. The only shred of light was from the occasional window, though it was mostly barricaded up providing little illumination. Stepping into the room proper, Osprey found Roach and Squid following behind him closely. The darkness was to be expected somewhat, as Osprey switched on his M4's flashlight. The emergency generator wouldn't be able to power the entire hospital for weeks.
Walking forward Osprey spotted several connecting hallways also barricaded up and even found the elevators destroyed. It wasn't just the buttons that were broken, no. The entire elevator was crumpled and crushed as if someone cut its cable and dropped the thing.
"Whoever was here was holding out desperately," Squid commented, the soldier looking inside the destroyed elevator.
"Think's it's the civies?" Roach asked the soldier looking over one of the surrounding hallways.
"Haven't seen any bodies yet, so I'd hope so," Osprey replied, the major looking down the barricaded halls as well.
"If I had to guess, I'd say they left the first floor abandoned, and took defensive positions on the second," Squid noted, with Osprey quietly nodding.
"Makes sense. They cut out the elevators, and all they have to worry about is the stairs," Osprey added, before remembering the glass door they entered through. It also eliminated the chance of any cultist popping in through some ground window. Now they at least needed a ladder to climb up from outside.
"We going upstairs then?" Roach inquired, with Osprey quietly nodding. With that, the group quickly began searching for the closet stairwell. After breaking through a few barricades, which were also shockingly heavy, Osprey found an emergency stairwell. Climbing up for a few steps, Osprey soon neared the second floor. Only to find another barricade blocking the stairs.
Roach and Squid moved to push it away, but Osprey quickly motioned for them to stop. Listening quietly, Osprey could hear the faint sound of breathing behind the barricade. Not sure who would be on the other side, Osprey hesitantly walked to the nearby wall. Knocking out it, he called out "Anyone here?"
The second he did he ducked down, just in case something happened. Nothing did though, as the stairwell stayed quiet. The breathing ceased entirely though, leaving the room in complete silence. After a minute or so, Roach motioned toward the barricade, with Osprey shaking his head no. Eventually, someone spoke up.
"You friend, or foe?" the voice hesitantly asked, earning a sigh of relief from Osprey.
"Friend. I'm with the MSF, we're here to keep everyone safe," Osprey replied, the voice going quiet again after muttering "The mercenaries…"
On the other side of the barricade murmuring picked up though, as voices began to quietly argue. Someone seemed to win in the end, as the barricade began to move. On the other side, Osprey found a few heroes standing guard. One of them was an absolute mountain of a man, dressed as a common riot cop, except with a cape. The hero was also missing his right arm, a bandaged-up stub now in its place.
"You're here to help?" the armless mountain asked suspiciously, with Osprey nodding yes.
"That we are," Osprey replied, "Got men outside securing the entrance as we speak."
That seemed to calm some of the heroes present, but not all of them. A few Osprey eyed him suspiciously. The armless hero however sighed in relief, a small smile forming on his face.
"Couldn't have better timing," the hero commented, "Place was starting to run out of supplies, and I didn't think we could hold out much longer."
"Shouldn't be an issue for much longer," Osprey told him, the hero nodding with him. The hero stepped to the side, motioning for Osprey to come in.
"This way if you would. I'd like to know what's the plan," the hero told him, with Osprey complying quietly.
Even though the MSF had dropped in troops to reinforce the front line, it had been far too late. Snake had changed the drop zone to be further back, to try and land before the villains could advance far enough. But by the time their airborne forces landed, the enemy had already charged past them. Now a massive contingent of villains cut off from their allies was pressing forward.
Determined now more than ever to reach their goal. And with the shaking of the C-130 he sat in, All Might knew this wouldn't be easy. With the… Idroid, All Might remembered Snake calling it, in hand, he looked over the holographic display quietly.
"Remember, the world can't lose its symbol. The moment you feel time running out, you get the hell out of dodge," Miller told him over the codec, with All Might quietly grumbling. He didn't argue against the commander though, as he knew he was right. It was bad enough fighting Recovery Girl out of the infirmary, the last thing he needed was the MSF dogpiling him the moment he ran out of time.
"They reach the reserve yet?" All Might asked, not noticing any red dots on his map.
"Thankfully no," Miller replied, "They are getting close though, so you and the others have to act fast."
Quietly All Might put the Idroid into his usual red, blue, and yellow costume. The cloth drooped next to him as he sat in his still skeletal form. Looking around All Might saw other heroes getting ready, along with a few soldiers the MSF had assigned with them. Next to the MSF's skull logo was a patch All Might hadn't seen before. It was shaped like a shield with a green outline and depicted a fox with a knife in its mouth. At the top it read FOXHOUND, leaving All Might somewhat curious.
"It's illogical for you to be here," a voice called out, interrupting All Might's thought. The sound came from right next to him, as All Might turned to face Eraserhead. No longer in bandages, Eraserhead was busy trying to keep his capture scarf untangled.
"I've got time Aizawa," All Might retorted calmly, taking a brief minute to stretch in his seat.
"You've got forty-five minutes," Eraserhead pointed out dryly.
"You underestimate what he can do in forty-five minutes Sho," Present Mit countered, the hero sitting on the other side of Eraserhead.
"I may have little time, but that doesn't mean I'm going to sit by and do nothing. Not if I've still got strength in me," All Might told him, memories of the previous days coming to mind. Dread seeped into All Might the more he remembered everything. Whether he liked it or not, he couldn't deal with every problem. Not anymore. But he refused to sit on the sidelines, no matter how much everyone objected.
The moment he ran out of time, it became up to the MSF and every other hero still fighting.
"Lights green people!" a soldier called out, with All Might standing up from his chair. Eraserhead and Present Mic did the same, the latter taking a few deep breaths. Both took a few last-minute checks of their parachutes, as the C-130's ramp began to lower. All Might meanwhile stretched a bit, slowly approaching the plane's ramp. Before he could jump one of the soldiers grabbed his shoulder.
"Hey buddy, where's your chute?" the soldier asked in confusion, All Might looking over his shoulder for a moment.
"Don't need one," All Might replied with a shrug. The soldier looked at him dumbfounded slowly removing his hand from All Might's shoulder.
"...Your funeral," the soldier commented, only for a new soldier to elbow him in the gut.
"Dude," the new soldier muttered, before motioning toward All Might. The first soldier looked confused, before quietly looking over All Might. Seeing his costume, the soldier's eyes widened, surprise quickly setting in. All Might just chuckled to himself, before turning and falling forward. Feeling gravity take hold, All Might couldn't help but enjoy the wind ripping past his face.
Nearing the ground, All Might could hear the sounds of screaming and gunfire. Below the villains wasted no time with the civilians, either gunning them down or just driving by. This had to end, All Might thought angrily. There on the ground, All Might spotted his first target. Buffing up, All Might lightly punched the air in front of him, pushing himself back as he fell. He punched the air to his right, and the left soon after.
Steering himself through the air, All Might found himself right on target. Rearing his fist back again, All Might brought up his usual smile, before landing on a Type-74. The sheer force caved in the entire vehicle's turret, folding several feet of solid steel to fold upwards. It cracked and bent, breaking in seconds. The engine even began to smoke, the impact breaking something serious.
Everyone had gone quiet as the tank's loud crunch echoed through the street. Confused as to what had exactly happened, some cultists eyes the tank suspiciously, while civilians looked on, too afraid to move. Slowly All Might pulled himself out of the tank, stepping across the vehicle calmly.
"Have no fear everyone," All Might stated, "I am here!"
The words earned shocked gasps from everyone. The cultists littering the street, looked at the tank in panic, quickly raising their weapons.
"I-Impossible!" one shouted out in terror.
"Shoot him! Shoot him!" another ordered, only to find no one fighting back.
"The false idol's here!?" a third asked panicked, his rifle almost falling out of his hands,
"H-he's supposed to be a skeleton!" a fourth yelled afraid.
"Doesn't matter! We broke him once, we can do it again!" a fifth soon yelled out, quickly managing to reorganize the cultists. Of course, All Might couldn't have that, now could he? Spotting a technical with a machine gun, All Might wasted no time rushing toward it. In a flash his fist shot through the vehicle's engine, destroying it instantly. Seconds later he dashed away, uppercutting a villain into the air before grabbing his leg, and throwing him at one of his friends. On he went beating up every villain he could find. In seconds he ran up to a new tank and grabbed its barrel.
Before the villains inside could fight back All Might forced the weapon up and ripped off the tank's turret. Tossing the turret aside All Might grabbed the crew inside the tank and knocked them out with a single punch each. With the tank gone, he rushed off, grabbing civilians and carrying them to safety. At the same time, the cultists tried shooting him with everything they had.
Yet All Might was moving far too fast for them, moving around in the blink of an eye. The occasional round managed to hit him, but every time the bullet would simply crumple against him. After what felt like an eternity, the street had been cleared. With a deep breath, All Might looked down at the civilians he'd been carrying. They looked up at him surprised but happy. Setting them down and smiling, All Might rushed off again while pulling out his Idroid. He grimaced once he saw the time.
It had taken him five minutes to clear out the street, now he was down to forty. With that knowledge, All Might picked up the pace. There was work to be done, and he didn't have much time.
Madam President wanted to be angry. She wanted to be furious. Wanted to tear up everything in her office as she watched her computer. But instead, she felt… empty. Tired. Annoyed.
"Dude! There's gotta be hundreds of them!" a civilian called out, filming the MSF's airborne forces dropping from above. The sky blotted out in a sea of parachutes and aircraft. Flipping to a different video she found another civilian recording the middle of a firefight. Gunfire rang out in every direction, as the person recording ran by.
"Let's move it! Koala lay down covering fire!" a soldier yelled, a machine gun coming to life nearby.
"It's ok! You're all safe now!" a new soldier comforted, the camera catching them escorting a child to safety. Madam President flipped to a new video, finding yet another civilian recording.
"Look at that thing! Holy shit!" a civilian called out in shock, watching a four-legged tank stomp by and crush one of the villain's technicals. A second massive tank followed behind it, not walking, but hovering along. The sheer size of the things was astonishing before the main gun of one fire. Its shell tore through an enemy tank, before flying out the other side and destroying another of technical.
Again Madam President flipped the channel, only to find the news talking about the situation on mass.
"As we can see hundreds of jets are down flying over Musutafu, dropping bombs onto villain positions-"
"Rumors suggest MSF forces have already advanced five miles into Musutafu, with no sign of stopping-"
"Bipedal mechs, humanoid robotic soldiers, drone tanks, and other weapons found straight out of a sci-fi novel have all been spotted moving into Musutafu. With technology like this, one can only wonder what else the MSF has at their disposal-"
"The MSF has announced its plan to evacuate civilians trapped behind enemy lines, setting up refugee centers across UA's campus-"
Tiredly Madam President moved to turn off the computer, before stopping on a new channel. It was a reporter recording another firefight between the MSF and the Ninth Circle. Both sides fought each other ferociously, but the MSF had the upper hand. Dozens of armored vehicles moved about providing support to infantry or were loaded up with civilians and drove away.
Squads of men broke down the doors to apartments, before clearing them out quickly and leading the people inside to safety. But that wasn't why Madam President stopped on this channel. No, she stopped because she found Snake fighting alongside all of his men. The damn mercenary stood behind a large tank, laying down covering fire with a rifle. He dragged troops back into cover. He ran out by himself and took on entire squads of soldiers solo.
And the reporter recorded it all. All the work she'd done trying to smear the MSF, was now down the drain. Some would still believe her lies, a decent chunk of people across both the country and the world. But now the MSF would gain support. Only now did Madam President begin to feel angry. Big Boss couldn't just learn his place like the rest of the world. He had to rebel, he had to continually fight against her and hero society.
Angrily Madam President turned off her computer and covered her face with her hands. She sat back in her office chair, furiously stewing over everything. The HPSC would recover, they had to. Somehow someway she'd figure something out. Some grand plan to finally remove the MSF, and put the world back to how it was supposed to be. Yet… her mind came up empty.
She couldn't forcefully boot the MSF off anymore, as heroes, true heroes, would doubtlessly support the MSF. As would the public. Continuing the smear campaign would only work on a stubborn few, while others would immediately doubt every claim she could make. Madam President considered using villains to make the MSF look incompetent, but that already failed the first time.
And Madam President paused on that thought, slowly remembering something.
"Shit," she swore aloud, quickly grabbing her phone and dialing up Techno. It took a few tries but the man eventually picked up, sounding worse than the previous call. The technopath coughed loudly into the microphone, before waiting for Madam President to continue.
"What's it now?" Techno tiredly asked, grumbling to himself away from the mic.
"How's our cover story coming?" Madam President asked, earning a cough from Techno.
"Which one? You've got me working on seven," Techno told her, his voice raspy and weak.
"The heroes we assigned to the festival," Madam President answered, hoping it to be enough of a clue. It was, as Techno paused over the phone. The entire thing was going to be a disaster the moment it came to light. Which Madam President knew was inevitable. Her only saving grace, was that she had the foresight to assign non-corrupt heroes to the festival. Heroes who did not know of the true plans she had.
"Oh… coming up somewhat fine," Techno replied, the man searching over his documents for a second.
"What do you have?" Madam President asked, hearing the occasional beep from Techno's heart monitor.
"Well, considering not every hero was letting criminals in, it'd be a good idea to consider the ones we assigned as a corrupt few," Techno replied, "That they were assigned to the job off of bad intel, and are disgraced as heroes. With a final promise to the public that both the heroes responsible, and the villains will be held responsible."
It seemed like it would work. Distance themselves from the guilty parties, arrest them, and ship those caught on camera off to Tartarus before they can talk. Then let the prisoners inside solve the rest of the issue. After all, one knows how cops and heroes fare in prison. There was, however, one glaring issue.
"That still makes us look incompetent," Madam President pointed out tiredly. Acting on bad intel was a believable excuse, but it made the HPSC look incompetent. How could they, the Hero Public Safety Commission, not have known this hero was corrupt? Hell, with the Ninth Circle's attack, admitting they acted on bad intel would add to the pile of incompetence. They still had to hold a press conference discussing the largest villain organization the country has seen since the Meta Liberation Army.
"I'm working with what I've got here ma'am. Trust me, looking incompetent is the best option we've got," Techno told her, with Madam President sighing. It could just be an inevitability in this case. Quietly Madam President began thinking up ideas on who to throw under the bus. As she knew she'd have to gut most of the intel department for this failure, just to appease the public. But of course that meant having to try and find loyal replacements, willing to spy on everyone and everything.
Unless…
"What about a distraction then? Something to keep the public's eye off of us, and instead on something else?" Madam President asked calmly, the idea running through her head. It would have to be a massive distraction, something surpassing everything that had happened in the last few days. Something to take hold of the eyes of the world, while she swept everything under the rug. Of course, nothing came to mind. She couldn't think of a distraction, something Techno quickly pointed out.
"Ma'am, unless you've got a pair of nukes at your disposal, then I don't think we'll be distracting anyone," Techno replied, leaving Madam President to grumble. Back to square one.
"We need to rebuild our reputation then," Madam President muttered tiredly, coming to a decision she'd never thought would be needed, "Call off every operation."
"Everything?" Techno asked somewhat surprised.
"Everything. Cease every arms shipment, keep all villains planned for early release in prison, halt all smear campaigns on the MSF, and shred every bit of evidence showing our involvement with corrupt officials," Madam President told him, already knowing she was going to have to clean out some offshore bank accounts, "Things are going to get chaotic, and the Commission needs a clean slate."
A toddler cried in Grizzly's arms, as he ran toward a nearby MRAP. Quickly soldiers loaded civilians into the vehicle, while others provided covering fire around them. Running toward the MRAP's rear, Grizzly spotted the child's mother sitting in the back. The woman looked around the area panicked, before she spotted the toddler in Grizzly's arms.
"[Daiki!]" the mother cried out, attempting to jump out of her seat, only for a soldier to keep her in place.
"[Mommy!]" the toddler cried out tearfully. The soldier stepped aside as Grizzly got close, quickly handing the toddler to his mother. Both the child and woman cried for a moment, while Grizzly turned to run back to the front.
"[T-thank you!]" the woman told him, with Grizzly giving her a small wave. At the same time, the soldiers outside closed the MRAP's doors, the vehicle now full. With a glance, Grizzly watched the vehicle speed off toward UA, following a small convoy of other vehicles.
"Why are there so many of these guys!" Gecko yelled out annoyed, as Grizzly ran up to his buddy. Both men hide behind a massive chunk of rubble for cover.
"Might run out of ammo, before they run out of bodies!" Gecko complained, firing a few rounds over cover.
"With how much shit we brought, I don't think that's possible!" Grizzly countered, before firing over cover as well. One squad of cultists was busy moving forward from cover to cover. Quickly Grizzly started picking them off one by one, shooting one cultist as he ran between a pair of cars. Another tried sticking to an apartment wall, only for Gecko to shoot him in the chest.
Another two held up ballistic shields, which held up well until Grizzly turned them into a solid block of ice. Just then though, Grizzly heard the sound of tracks start driving up from down the street. Seconds later a Type-74 rounded a street's corner and fired its main gun. Ducking, the round whizzed by Grizzly, before punching into a Bradley behind them. The IFV was penetrated in seconds, leaving a gaping hole in the vehicle. Swiftly the crew began to abandon the vehicle, while Grizzly held up his arm.
Feeling the familiar chill, Grizzly was about to free the tank, only for an RPG to streak by and hit the top of the tank's turret. The poorly armored top was penetrated quickly, blowing up the top of the vehicle and killing the crew. Confused about who fired, Grizzly looked up at a nearby apartment building. On top, he saw a soldier looking down with an RPG-7, stolen from one of the cultists.
Grizzly couldn't see exactly who the soldier was, but the man quickly ran off toward a nearby fire escape. Dropping down the soldier continually fired at newly arriving cultists, not stopping for a second. The moment he reached the ground the soldier darted into an alleyway, disappearing from Grizzly's view. By this point Grizzly had opened fire again, hitting another few soldiers. Another enemy vehicle rounded the corner then, this one a basic pickup truck with a DHsK on the back.
Again Grizzly got ready to freeze the vehicle over, only for the mysterious soldier to appear out of nowhere. He jumped seemingly out of the shadows. The soldier shot the driver and the cultist manning the DHsK in seconds, before running up and manning the machine gun himself. There he began whittling down the exposed enemy, their weapon now his. Grizzly watched on astonished, as cultist after cultist fell.
Unknowingly Ape and Eagle had run up to him now, with some of the platoon following as well.
"How's things going… here…" Ape began to ask, only to trail off as he watched the carnage. Eagle did the same watching amazed as cultist after cultist fell. To his shock, they soon began to fall back in droves.
"...Holy shit," Eagle muttered, as Grizzly watch the unknown soldier hop off the enemy's technical. The soldier then turned to the platoon, noticing them. Quickly the soldier began running over, with Grizzly slowly getting a better look.
"It's the Boss," Grizzly stated shocked, watching as Snake ran over to them all quickly. Coming to a stop Snake wasted no time looking over the soldiers, his eye falling on Ape.
"Lieutenant, the enemy has an anti-ship missile battery west of here. I need your platoon to take it out," Snake ordered calmly, with Ape looking at Snake shocked for a moment.
"G-got it, Boss!" Ape replied forcing himself out of his stupor, "You heard the man, move it!"
The lieutenant quickly ran off with the other soldiers following, with Snake taking the lead for all of them. It surprised Grizzly that any of this was even happening, but he questioned nothing, following the rest of the platoon. After a few minutes, they came to a stop near an elevated train station. Resting on a train car Grizzly spotted the missile launcher sitting on the track. Keeping guard was around forty cultists with some having dug in positions.
"That's a lot of them," Gecko muttered to himself, counting the cultists moving about the station.
"We won't have to fight them all," Snake told him, his hand pointing toward the train car, "Just need to distract them so we can sneak around and disable the launcher before they can relocate."
"Wouldn't an airstrike be easier Boss?" Ape asked confused, not seeing much in terms of air defense nearby. And that was assuming they hadn't bombed it all to dust.
"It would be, but we need the railways intact," Snake replied, causing Grizzly to think it over.
"What if we freeze it over instead?" Grizzly asked, with Snake raising his brow.
"Oh?" Snake inquired, watching as Grizzly pulled up his sleeve. The air turned colder for a second as a mist formed around Grizzly's arm.
"My quirk could cover the train car in a glacier, should leave the tracks hopefully alone," Grizzly replied, watching as Snake squinted his eye. The man oddly looked over Grizzly for a moment, before nodding.
"Change of plans then," Snake decided, "Lieutenant, take a squad to the right, I'll take one left. The moment I open fire, I want you to disable those missiles."
Wordlessly Ape nodded, assembling a few soldiers and sneaking them around the street for a moment. Snake did the same with another squad, while Grizzly waited behind a few cars for cover. Taking a few deep breaths, Grizzly watched as Snake's squad neared the station. After a few seconds, the soldiers opened fire, with Ape's group joining in quickly. The cultists ducked behind cover, some providing counterfire.
Waiting for just the right moment, Grizzly soon found all the cultists distracted. Or at least far enough away that they wouldn't notice him. Holding out his arm, Grizzly watched as the beam of light shot out and struck the top half of the missile launcher. In seconds the top half of the train car began to freeze over, a large chunk of ice resting on top of it. The cultists looked up at the missiles now shocked, before slowly trying to fall back.
True to Snake's word, they didn't have to fight all of them, as Grizzly watched the cultists turn tail and run. It earned a few cheers from the soldiers, as the fighting wrapped up quickly.