The response to Ghaelvord’s occupation of Genoa came quickly and overwhelmingly. Within a couple of days, the waters outside the city filled with aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates, and every other type of military ship that existed under the sun. The Italian Army sprang into action. Conscription letters went out across the country. Over a hundred thousand soldiers swarmed around the city. Makeshift camps sprung up everywhere. Jets and helicopters flew over the city continuously.

Periodically, Ghaelvord sent out broadcasts from inside the city. He threatened to kill hostages. He threatened to destroy the city. He taunted the vast military complex that had rapidly grown up around the town. The threats would only hold them off for so long. Ghaelvord’s broadcasts came intentionally from different points all throughout the city. He wanted to make it clear that any part of the city that was bombed would experience significant civilian casualties. He wanted to further make it clear that his ghoul army was dispersed throughout the city and was not centered anywhere.

On the day after Ghaelvord occupied the city, Italian planes strafed a contingent of ghouls as they patrolled the street. The street patrols immediately ended. The ghouls moved through the city with burglar-like stealth. They occupied as many buildings as they could. They spread out and communicated via wireless headsets.

Meanwhile, Tiyana fought the urge to watch the news. She had work to do. Every channel played the same thing. Each streamed a feed of coverage of the Genoa occupation. Even non-news channels got into it. They began streaming hokey programs where announcers literally read blogs and social media feeds from rumormongers on the internet. Everyone got into it. Even the anchors of tongue-in-cheek entertainment news shows began reporting on the situation in Genoa. The jokes were few and far between. The tone was alarmed and fearful.

Four days after the siege of Genoa began; the Italian Army received the green light on a ground-based mission. They stormed the city on foot and with mobilized infantry. The results were catastrophic. The mission planners underestimated the charged particle rays.

When Tiyana heard about the offensive, she pushed her work aside and focused on the news. Everyone in their group focused on the news. Everyone in the city of Imperia focused on the news. Everyone in Italy focused on the news. The vast majority of everyone in the world focused on the news. The military prevented news helicopters or vehicles from joining the mission. Consequently, the coverage was sparse while the offensive occurred. Afterwards, however, the stations exploded with footage. Ghaelvord’s ghouls had videotaped the key scenes and uploaded them to the internet. The footage went viral.

Hunter, Tiyana, Virgil, Hongo, and Vito watched along with the rest of the world in horror as scores of soldiers in full combat gear stormed the city only to be cut down by blue blasts of electric light. Wherever the soldiers advanced, the blasts vaporized everything in sight. The mobilized units got the worst of it. The first vehicle would be reduced to particles before the others could react. The ground beneath the first vehicles would be turned into a treacherous hole. If the next vehicle in line escaped the particle ray, then it would only become stuck in the enormous pothole where the first vehicle had been. No amount of armor stopped the blasts. No bulletproof vest or layer of protective vehicle coating would stop the onslaught of the rays. They reduced every target to a misty cloud of dust and ash.