AnnouSo, iing story... This was ah hour ge.

  Yesterday I was freaking out because I didn't know where to take the test arc of TBoB, so I got one of my frens take a look at the story. They were very clear, the story was good up to 21, the 15 chapters... not so much.

  That was an aha! Moment for me. Some of you know that I was a little... meh about the storylio the point where I created polls to figure out if people liked it or not. A lot of that was due to the old chapter 22+. I had hit a mental blod threw a lot of shit at the wall, and put together a storylihat felt forced and borderline cartoony.

  After panig, stressing out, and finally writing this chapter yesterday, I feel much better about this one chappy than the rest of the storyline... so out those old chappies go!

  I'll have to push to get a backlog going again, but this is better overall!

  Have fun!

  [The board has decred a state of emergency. Enemy forces are approag the city and are expected to breach the eastern gate within the hour. Civilians in that area should attempt to evacuate immediately.]

  “I fug know, that’s why I’m helping evacuate,” I snapped as the city wide alert crossed my augs for the tweime. “Nyx, block this shit until they have something new, or important to tell me.”

  I had every avaible Kodiak swarming the eastern residential district, trying to help evacuate as many people as we could before the gates fell. There were thousands of people in each mega tower, maybe even tens of thousands, and even with the civilian support it didn’t look like we were going to be able to clear them out before the gates fell.

  Down below, at street level, lines of armored vehicles rolled into position, blog the streets so the enemy couldn’t get through. At the rear a dozen or so huon monstrosities pulled into position, the city’s full super heavy ti ready to repel whatever came through the gates.

  No matter who won this opening fight, the colteral damage would be enormous.

  “The two towers closest to the gate have been fully evacuated, the foxes are just doing their final sweeps now,” Spooky reported as he stepped up o me. “Bandit says he needs five minutes, no more.”

  “Good. As soon as the Kodiaks are unloaded, get them back here and so we get the st of these people out of here. Nyx, how many buildings are within the initial bat zone?” I asked.

  Dusty twitched for a moment, then wandered over to stao me. “I estimate there are five buildings that could be critically damaged by and colpse due to colteral damage in the initial bat area. Three have been evacuated, we just have this building and the ohe Family are evacuati.”

  “Well, we should move fast… I don’t think the gate is going to st much longer,” I hissed.

  The eastern gate of the city was a titanic thing, multiple stories high, a dozen nes wide. It was desigo repel whatever the antithesis could throw at it.

  And right now, the ter of the massive bulwark fug glowed.

  The Denver armored n had several superheavy tanks armed with energy ons, and their bined fire was slowly melting through the gate. I really hoped they’d stop firing before the ons puhrough, and started slig into the buildings oher side.

  Stepping away from the edge I pulled up my augs and called Hel.

  [How are things going on your side? I don’t think we have much time left.] I said the instant she picked up.

  [We’re evacuating as quickly as we , but the Family only has so many trucks. We need more time.]

  [No shit, unfortunately I don’t think we’re going to get it.]

  As if to punctuate my words part of the gate sloughed away, allowing one of the superheavies oher side to fire through. Some sort of high powered ser tore through the building, ripping apart several floors aing fires everywhere.

  Dozens of guided missiles lept from the defensive line, plunging through the hole ie before exploding somewhere out of sight.

  [Tell yuys to work faster!] I said tersely.

  [Already on it! How are things on your side?]

  [My teams are still sweeping the building that was hit, but it’s mostly clear. I need…] I g Dusty and Nyx fshed me six fingers. [Six more minutes.]

  [Call me when you’re done.]

  I had been coordinating the evacuation of this building from the tweh floor of this building, which was a bination ercial aaurant area. The entire area was a plete mess, people panicked as soon as the evacuation arm went off, so I had to hop over several chairs to make my way towards the nding pad for this level.

  There were still several dozen people milling around the area, waiting for the ransport, and not all of them were taking the situation well.

  “You will let me on the ransport, or I’ll kill her!” I heard someone yelling even before I stepped out onto the ptform. An older woman with salt and pepper hair, wearing a security uniform, was waving her service on at a small crowd of people nearby. “They’re exging fire down oreet, I hear them, I o get out of here now.”

  “They’ve breached the gate, but they’re not through the gate yet, so calm dout the on down,” I said calmly. “I’ll make sure everyos out of here.”

  “How you be sure? Oray shot and we’ll all end up dead! Just let me leave, please,” the woman begged, tears in her eyes.

  “Put the gun down already!” I snarled. “I swear if you do something stupid my friend Bob is going to make yret it.”

  The big bear, which had been following me around the floor casually reached rabbed a nearby metal chair and casually bent the thing in half.

  The woman finally dropped her on, and I sent a nearby bear scampering in to snag it.

  “Alright everyone, LINE UP,” I shouted. “I don’t want to be here when the fighting starts any more than you, so you better be ready by the time the transports arrive.”

  As the civilians scrambled about I stepped towards the edge of the nding pad and gnced across the prospective battlezo another nearby building. A number of small bck vans were still swarming around the area, which meant the family hadn’t finished evacuatiher.

  A quick ping told me that the st wave of Kodiaks were on final approach, seds away. I started to turn away from the edge, but before I could something fshed betweewo buildings. Another ser bst, this one much closer to the ground.

  At the same time the tanks below all opened fire. Even though the ons from the main battle tanks were loud, even here, twenty floors up, they were nothing pared to the ons on the superheavies.

  One particurly tall model had two massive rotary ons, and the whine as they wound up was frightening. It was nothing pared to the sound of it firing.

  I didn’t know what caliber the thing fired, but it fired several rounds a sed, filling the air with an absolutely cacophony that swallowed up all other noise.

  The people on the nding ptform screamed, falling to their knees and c their ears, but I couldn’t hear any of it.

  Thankfully that’s when the Kodiaks arrived, ramps l even before they hit the ground. Some people ran towards them, but many more tinued c from the noise eg from the street. “Everyo!” I shouted, but of course, they couldn’t hear me.

  “Nyx, send an emergency alert, get them moving! Bob, if anyone fails to get on I want you to pick them up and carry them if you have to!” I didn’t know if Bob could hear me, but he still my and.

  A sed ter many of the c people looked up, and made a run for the Kodiaks. Most in a fairly orderly fashion, but not everyone. I growled to myself before sprinting back to the drabbing the woman and half carrying her back to the Kodiak. Behind me Bob grabbed the remaining four, draping one over each shoulder while carrying two more.

  Just when I was about to step on the Kodiak a massive explosion shook the entire mega building. At first I thought something had struck the floor we were on, but I couldn’t see any damage. Slipping the woman into the overly-crowded transport I spoke quietly. “Nyx? Status?”

  These are the st transports. Landing areas are clear, and you definitely don’t have time to do a sweep, go!

  “Right, let’s go!” I yelled. The bears probably couldn’t hear me, but that was fine, I sent them the and to move.

  The Kodiaks lifted off smoothly, then accelerated as they headed north towards the drop off point. As the ramp slowly slid closed I looked back towards the gate. Tanks, APd numerous other armored vehicles were swarming through the melted gate, exging fire with the local defenders. Behind the first wave were a couple behemoth maes, including ohat appeared to have the equivalent to a naval on. When it fired, entire ns of defending tanks were ripped apart, and throith the force of the round.

  The fight was going to get messy. Fast.

  Flig up my s I sent a quick message to Hel. [I’m away, building is clear. What’s your status?]

  [We’re also clear, it was close though. We’ll see you at the drop off point.]

  [See you.] I replied before cutting off the e.

  The sounds of battle didn’t die down until the ramp finally shut, and the sound proofing kicked in. Even though I was gd to get away from that hell, I had a feeling things were going to get worse before they got better.