3 months later…

Time passes and the war is in full swing in Eurasia with the Vanguard of the Atlantic still maintaining its increasing advantage in the conflict, both sides getting more reckless and destructive. They deploy more autonomous drones and even go so far as to authorize scorched earth tactics at the cost of increasing civilian casualties, their rash decisions in an effort to win the war devastating many. So far, Phrixus has spent most of his free time talking with his family, reassuring them and promising that things will get better once he arrives, and that the current president Jose Romero is working on improving the situation when he returns to his homeland. Today he is going to receive another mission which could greatly impact the balance of power of both military alliances.

“Phrixus,” Colonel Ethan says, “we have found an important piece of intelligence about an internal political turmoil between Russia and the Red Confederacy. Currently, an important political party backed by many people are protesting about the position of the country in the war, but the most relevant factor is their most influential supporter has gone missing. The people hypothesize the Red Confederacy is involved in the disappearance, and they are. This person called ‘Kustov’ is currently being held as a prisoner in a battleship called Sinop. Furthermore, there is another prisoner detained who has strong ties with the Russian military. Both of them are highly regarded in their country, releasing Kustov and sending him back safely could put the affairs with Russia and the Red Confederacy in jeopardy.”

Phrixus says, “What about the other prisoner?”

“Here comes the interesting part, we have a double agent among the enemy’s ranks. With the support of some of the prisoner’s loyalists she will perform a sneak attack to the battleship while we do the same to the other side. We rescue Kustov while she frees the other person, and once they are released you have to rendezvous with her. The face-to-face contact will make them join forces due to their backgrounds, you have to make sure to minimize any stress when the meeting happens. This is the only chance we have at our disposal, we will send a large task force to assault and board the ship.”

“I can do it, sir.”

“Outstanding, go to the quartermaster to get your gear, you will be deployed in three hours. Dismissed.”

Location unknown, 11:23 pm…

In a coastal area, nine Hover-Capable Armored Personnel Carriers go at full speed to the battleship, they are still far away from the target…

“These things go like a roadrunner high on stimulants,” says one soldier, “why don’t we have tanks like these?”

“Too heavy,” another says. “The thrusting modules are not strong enough yet to hold up the excessive weight, I’ve seen hover versions of light strike vehicles, IFVs, and even bikes.”

“A hoverbike, eh… better have good insurance and a military-grade harness so you don’t fly away.” The soldier replies.

“It will be a long way before it reaches the civilian line, after all…” He is suddenly interrupted by a loud explosion outside.

The battleship must have spotted the raid party, and has started shooting its cannons against the battalion.

“Squadron X-Ray,” the commander of the unit says, “perform evasive maneuvers, you will reach the target in fifty seconds.”

Breaking formation and beginning to zigzag, the transports avoid any incoming shells as they push forward. With the new hover technology, the vehicles traverse the water and move with ease. As they spot the ship, one projectile manages to hit one APC, destroying it completely in the process. The squadron keeps going ahead until they get out of the ship’s firing range. Finally the squadron reaches the battleship, they jump into the water and swim near the hull, using special climbing equipment to scale up until they reach the lower section of the Sinop. With no soldiers nearby, the squadron begins to take off their swimming suits and unload their gear.

“According to the Intel,” the squadron leader says, “the VIP should be in this sector of the ship, weapons free.”

Moving with stealth they comb through the place, using silenced guns they bring down unaware guards and keep going forward. Opening a metallic door they check corners and clear the area of any hostile soldiers. Maintaining a fast pace, they go upstairs and reach an internment place. There, a shootout between the squad and the guards breaks out; the confrontation only lasts for a few seconds, ending with one soldier injured but able to keep going forward. Scanning the room they find a cell with someone inside.

“We found the VIP… Nick, open the cage,” says the squad leader.

Using a breaching charge the soldier destroys the lock and opens the cell.

The prisoner warily approaches the squad leader. “Who… who are you?”

“Your rescuers, you will rendezvous with a similar prisoner on this ship who has ties with the Russian military. Once done we will leave this place, stick with us and keep your head down.”

The words “Russian military” give him a sliver of hope, Kustov accepts but he remains skeptical and as they advance to the meeting point, there are more guards in the path which are quickly dispatched. As they go upstairs they hear gunshot sounds on the other side of the battleship, possibly the double agent’s party doing their work. After some minutes they get to the meeting zone which is the ship’s operations room and command center. There are no guards visible in the place but when they hear footsteps behind the door in front of them, they take positions, since it could be more guards or the mole.

“Take aim but hold your fire, this may be our contact bringing the other prisoner, do not discharge your weapons.”

The unknown troops force open the metallic hatch and storm in, both squadrons exchange harsh words, keeping their weapons high but holding their fire. Both prisoners calm their respective groups and take a step forward to meet each other as they start to speak in their native language.

“Kustov? Is that you old friend?” says the other prisoner.

“I am… it’s good to see you again, tovarish Artyom,” He starts to address the troops behind Artyom. “My comrades! The Red Confederacy has betrayed us, they kidnapped me and Artyom to use us as chessboard pieces to keep Russia in a war that is no longer advantageous. No more will we send the lives of our brave men to die for that deceiver Hyeon Su and his harebrained ambition, we return home and reunite with our families!” said Kustov.

The troops relax and rejoice after hearing his speech, and Kustov talks to the squadron leader about the plan to be extracted with his allies to Russia. In the meantime, Phrixus notices that the double agent is coming closer to him.

When she speaks, he recognizes her voice immediately.

“You did a good job Alejandro.” She takes off her balaclava, revealing her face. “Well done.”

“Ksenija?” Phrixus says, unsure what she was doing here.

“Curious isn’t it? Hyeon Su wanted both prisoners dead by my hand so he could ensure Russia would remain on his side, this is why I’m defecting to the VOA.”

He’s not sure he understands her explanation. “This is… unexpected, but why? What made you change your mind?” says Phrixus, still having a hard time trusting her.

“This war has reached a critical threshold where there is now a systematic annihilation; both sides are taking extreme measures to win the conflict, at the cost of unparalleled loss of human life. My country, North Macedonia, might be under the mantle of the confederacy but I would rather desert and make this sacrifice if that means Russia severing ties with this alliance and an end to this bloodshed.”

“Then why did you fight for them in the past?”

“Back when I was conscripted, a long time ago, the confederacy was more lenient. As this conflict has continued, they have become more impulsive and relentless. My combat performance was brought to their attention, for that they gave me an ultimatum: Once the rendezvous is done I am to execute everyone here, so Hyeon Su keeps Russia in his pocket, or my homeland will suffer the consequences. I’d guess he would strip the land from its resources and wealth for his mad crusade.”

Phrixus may have met her by clashing their weapons but he feels she is being authentic in her story and becomes sympathetic. “What should we do next?”

“I’ll take care of Kustov and Artyom and make sure both of them arrive to Russia safe and sound, we have…”

She is suddenly cut short by Phrixus’s radio.

“X-Ray Squad, you have hostile MiGs coming to your position, I repeat, hostile…!” The distress call ends abruptly with the sound of explosions inside the ship.

Everybody falls to the floor to avoid the abrupt blast. Whatever attacked the battleship has severely damaged it to the point that it begins to take on water at a steady rate. They stand up and realize they’ll have to escape and fast.

“We are leaving, to the APCs, double-time go go go!” says the squadron leader.

Both parties part ways to flee the sinking ship; hastily running, they navigate through different passages of the ship quickly filling with water. As they go upstairs and keep moving the ship begins to lean to the side, making it difficult to maneuver and overcome obstacles. Despite all the dangers, they manage to get outside and find their transports, another series of explosions occur. Without thinking twice, the squadron jumps into the water, swims to the APCs, and climbs up to the vehicles with a bit of difficulty but they get inside nonetheless. As the vehicles get away, from a safe distance they see a large explosion which devastates the battleship.

The shipwreck is slowly sinking to the dark depths. They have accomplished their mission…

4 days later…

News about Russia officially withdrawing completely from the Red Confederacy spreads like wildfire. With the pressure of both civic and military sectors, the country decides to recall all its troops and stop participating in a failed conflict. Without the two major powers of the Red Confederacy, the VOA focuses its attention to the heart of the alliance to end the war once and for all.

2 months later, Warren Air Force Base…

Phrixus joins an important briefing session, along with a number of soldiers of different nationalities and backgrounds.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” says Colonel Ethan Carver, “you have been picked for your outstanding performance and competence during the war. You are going to participate in perhaps the most decisive mission which will determine the final outcome of this conflict.”

A big screen shows a tactical layout of what appears to be a large fortress. “This is the seat of power of Hyeon Su, the last standing bastion of the Red Confederacy. As you know, nuclear weapons are completely ineffective thanks to the project Flyswatter, an automated defensive system that force-transmits disarm codes to any thermonuclear at range and leaves them completely deactivated, but we have developed an alternative. This brings us to the orbital weapon platform, ARES.”

He changes the picture to show some kind of space station. “This is our solution, this weapon has been in development for two decades with the aid of the best minds of every nation allied with the VOA. The platform holds special warheads which can be launched to Earth to hit any location, once close to the designated spot it releases a massive burst of a new type of ionizing radiation called Pyrus. As its name suggests, it unstably energizes all kinds of matter at a molecular level, practically incinerating them completely. Depending on the type of material hit, it has different effects, it doesn’t seem to affect mineral-based structures such as stone or concrete on its own, but it can trigger chemical compounds, especially explosives and ammunition inside the detonation range. Since the separation of Russia, Hyeon Su has refused to surrender despite his disadvantages. Without any diplomatic options available and his methodical exploitation of countries who cannot leave his grasp, they have forced our hand. One ARES payload has the intensity of a three-hundred kiloton nuclear warhead without the risk of nuclear fallout. Once a shell from the platform is launched you will be deployed after the detonation, your objective is arrest Hyeon Su or eliminate him as a last resort, expect no resistance from the area of operation but stay alert, good luck. Dismissed.”

1 day later…

Phrixus and his allies arrive at the insertion point, and getting out of the transport truck he finds himself in a gruesome and morbid place…

3 hours earlier…

The ARES station launches a warhead to the planet, it enters to the atmosphere at extreme speed, the target location: The Red Confederacy Headquarters in Pyongyang. It only takes some seconds to reach its destination and detonates in mid-air, releasing a colossal wave of energy spanning over extensive kilometers of distance.

At first sight it looks like ground zero is covered in a distorting heat haze, everything caught inside the blast radius suffers a somber fate: every living organic being, from animal to humans are completely set ablaze, trees are set on fire and look like giant torches, every car explodes due to the fuel tank flaring up. The buildings are not affected, but the existence of flammable material such as furniture, textiles, wood and plastics cause the structures to catch fire from the inside with the addition of any volatile chemical products. The surge only lasts for ten seconds, enough time to destroy all life and turn the place into a barren and cataclysmic wasteland. The residual energy of the radiation starts to accumulate and stays in the skies, changing the color of the sky from a clear, cloudy blue to a smoldering, red-blackish background. The air is saturated with dangerous levels of carbon monoxide and other toxic heavy substances accompanied by black particles carried by the winds. This was proof of VOA’s newfound power and advancement in destructive technology…

Back to the present…

Leaving their transport vehicle, a platoon of twenty soldiers finds themselves in a calamitous city, blackened buildings still standing but with some windows expelling fire. Carbonized human skeletons are littered everywhere, the sky is still dark and burning, giving the impression of an infernal and endless night. The squadron begins to march toward the fortress, they are wearing gas masks due to the poisoned air and their vision is a bit hampered.

“If Hell exists, it has been brought right here…” says one of the soldiers.

“Makes me wonder if Hyeon Su would have survived the blast? I heard the radiation goes through any kind of solid walls easily, even underground,” says another soldier.

“I reckon it is hard for Pyrus radiation to penetrate the soil and far below, so bunkers could be a defense against it.”

“So our guy could be holed up deep in the ground to avoid being scorched? I presume, due to our intel from the VOA, that he knew this was coming.”

“He’s always on his high horse, he never wants to show a semblance of weakness but he’s not that stupid, that’s why he might be holed up many meters below.”

14 minutes later…

The squadron arrives at the outskirts of the fortress, still erect but excessively damaged; its weapons emplacements are destroyed. Columns of black smoke can be seen behind the tall walls and some military vehicles such as tanks and infantry fighting vehicles guarding the outer limits look devastated, like they had exploded from the inside.

The platoon gets closer to the main gate.

“This blast door seems inoperative but we can open it. Pietje, prep our equipment,” says the squad leader.

The soldier approaches the gate and gets to work with his hydraulic and mechanical machinery. As soon as they open the entrance they are sprayed with a smog-like stream of black dots. Soon they understand the source of the smoky charcoal goo: a plethora of human bodies, they still have their seared guns with them.

“What was this, some kind of rallying spot?”

“It was, now it’s a graveyard, of course he didn’t want to be here in person or ARES would fry his sorry ass like the rest of these poor suckers.”

“What a cowardly way to muster his troops…”

The platoon gets inside the fort. Avoiding any hazards inside they begin to search for any clues of Hyeon Su’s whereabouts. Moving downstairs they find a large shelter which also serves as a command center, there is a small elevator there leading to somewhere below.

“This elevator is just big enough for one person besides the VIP, any volunteer to go down?” says the squad leader.

Without thinking twice, Phrixus takes a step forward. “I’ll do it, sir.”

“Good, get inside and bring the VIP.”

Entering the elevator, Phrixus presses the button to go down and begins to descend. It is obviously a long way down, since his ride has lasted for more than a minute now, non-stop. Finally the elevator reaches its destination and opens its metal gate.

Hyeon Su himself is sitting at a desk writing a letter, he looks very calm despite his current situation. “So… you have come this far, destroyed my capital, and decimated my people with a new weapon which made the impossible happen. I presume you come to me to state the terms of my surrender?” Hyeon Su says.

Phrixus understands Korean thanks to his previous raids to confederate outposts back in Venezuela where he assimilated thoughts and memories from his enemies.

“Correct, this war ends here,” says Phrixus.

“End? Boy, you got it all wrong.” He shows him a piece of Bellusaxum. This is the fuel that drives legions of defiant militants to arms, this is what every army craves for its machinery of war, this is the reason to achieve power… And with the existence of Substance WU-9…” He touches a large scar on his face, “the damn thing that rejected me… these are the foundations of a new age for mankind, one I wanted to bring....”

“At the cost of many innocent lives?”

“Everything has a price—and you clearly know that—one I was completely willing to pay.” He stands up. “Don’t you understand? You are working with the same people who would obliterate anyone to achieve their superiority at any cost. You are witness to their malice with that monstrous weapon they created. How long will it take you to realize you are but a pawn on the board? You are just a mere instrument, a tool for them to secure their place as the de facto rulers of this world.”

“The Red Confederacy would destroy the whole world if they could while the VOA might only leave the other half untouched. Tyrants come and go, it is an endless cycle which has been happening since mankind discovered politics.”

“And the Vanguard of the Atlantic will be the one which will assume control of societies, and then when people lower their guard it will turn from a military organization to a totalitarian institution, imposing its control globally over all its citizens, a new aberrant world order, that’s the future you want?”

“That’s nothing but fear-mongering gibberish, I’m not buying it.”

“Hmph… there is no one more blind than he who refuses to see… regarding the end of the war, you have only finished one just to start another, the revolutionaries of this planet will fight against their oppressors thanks to my support in terms of logistics and equipment. They only needed the spark which ignites the fire of raw courage in their hearts, you can expect conflicts anywhere very soon… In any case,” Hyeon Su pulls out a cigar from his pocket and lights it, “if your taskmaster Bradford Maxwell is desperate to hang my body in Washington as a trophy and gloat over his pyrrhic victory, then,” he pulls out a device that looks like a detonator, “you better start digging.”

As he ends his speech he activates the device.

Phrixus hears loud explosions from above and suddenly the ceiling begins to shatter. A large amount of rubble falls and crushes Hyeon Su. Phrixus runs back to the elevator, narrowly avoiding the falling debris. Luckily, the elevator does not collapse, although he is blocked in, and the controls are unresponsive.

“Phrixus do you copy? What the hell happened down there?” says his leader via radio.

“The VIP triggered some explosives and buried himself in the rubble, there’s nothing I could have done.”

“VIP confirmed to be dead, South Korean reinforcements will come here shortly to take over this place, it will take a while to fix the elevator so sit tight.”