FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The middle of a desperate battle is where darkness rules... but is also the place where bravery's light sparkles stronger.

Chapter 11: The darkest hour of Kesteven - The airport

If in the air the situation was chaotic, bloody and terrible, on the ground it was probably still worse. The march of approaching of the huge convoys of tanks and self propelled artillery of Riaku had been disturbed and changed almost in a disaster by the furious waves of rockets and artillery rounds of the cannons placed in the park of the castle. A rain of burning steel had hit with incredible violence the huge army of the Black Lightning as thousands of sub-munitions had destroyed vehicles, set fire to supplies and tankers of fuel and killed a lot of soldiers, striking in long lines along the roads crowded of enemies... but then the Riaku's artillery had begun to answer with always more power and violence, facing the precision of the enemy with the raw strength of number/power of fire, even if the Kesteven CIWSs worked well, taking down most of the grenades and missiles.

But then, the air battle was begun and the Wild Weasels of Mottram had almost completely destroyed the complex net of radars and aerial of communications of Kesteven, forcing all the remained to be turned off for not be spotted and hit... and even with the boldness of accept the risk, now the defenders of Kesteven could only turn on the systems only every now and then, for very few seconds each time. As one of the consequences, the artillery was by now mostly blinded, and had to fire often at random, trying to predict the moves of the enemy, or receiving coordinates on the radio from soldiers hidden and with tasks of observers as the huge wave of enemy tanks and IFVs ran towards the external circle of roads of the town, The Ring. There, the armored vehicles invaded the large road, marching resolutely towards the external wall of the airport, despite the courageous resistance of the two armored battalions formed by the vehicles of Kesteven and Kendrew that charged the huge enemy column from both sides, trying in this way to go over the numeric disadvantage and create chaos and the highest losses possible. The battle born from that contact was furious, but the enemy recovered the control of the situation quite rapidly, forming two lines of defense against the two groups of Kesteven and leaving a rather secure corridor in the middle for their other tanks to go forwards and reach the airport.

There, the defense had been heavily struck by the Mottram Air Force. Most of the bunkers along the wall had been targeted and destroyed with laser-guided bombs, forcing the Kesteven soldiers survived to leave the shattered shelters and retreat immediately in the airport. Most of the surfaced positions, especially the one with anti-air and anti-tank guns, scattered almost everywhere inside the perimeter had been bombed or fired and most were already out of the games... and now a division of para-troops and one of airborne infantry with even vehicles on the gliders and the huge cargo planes were landing directly on the flat airport, on the runways, in a perfect, fast surprise blow for capture the fuel reserves and establish a first zone for the conquest of the town. The task of the parachutists was ensuring the zone and capture the fuel... and the tanks were running for close the maneuver, joining the para. The latest would give close support to the armored vehicles, protecting them from threats like enemies hidden with rocket launchers; the tanks would give protection and impressive fire power for break the defenses. The old, simple tactic of Blitzkrieg. A proved one. An effective one.

Killer looked slowly around as he and Alexis gently lifted a severely wounded soldier, his white uniform stained of dark red blood. He had finished the anti-air missiles for the PAM Javelin and was now watching the sad show of the airport bombed as he and Alexis helped with the recovering of the wounded. Most of the positions were destroyed, flames roaring over the wreck of the guns, ammo exploding every now and then with small, obsessive pops. The field was covered of corpses and upset by craters of every size, medical teams with white uniforms and big red crosses where helping the wounded ... but the runways were still mostly intact and untouched, apart from the point near to their trench, were the wreck of the cargo destroyed was still burning in the middle of the crater of the bomb. The structure of the airport, apart from the tower of control, was mostly untouched... and as forecasted, no one had dared to shoot against the zone of the huge fuel reserve, where the tankers and the soldiers were still courageously working behind a thick cordon of Predators ready for fight. Evidently, Riaku was decided to cause the smaller damages possible to that was his old and maybe still loved town... and Killer appreciated it with relief.

Fighters were still running over their heads, someone descending every now and then for hit with their gun... but most were simply running in a wide circle, protecting the cargos and gliders from an aviation that was already out of the game and generally remaining far, at high height, far from the weakened but still determinate AA artillery of Kesteven. But gods, he was impressed. They all, from the ground, from under the rain of bombs and burning bullets had watched the battle in the sky, amazed... the young pilots of the new-born aviations of Kesteven and Kendrew had done a great work, destroying an impressive number of enemies, giving to them mood and new hopes, new will of fight. Thick columns of flames and black smoke were still rising from a lot of places in and out the town were the wrecks were burning, proof of the bravery of the two young air forces... Of course, they were also sad. Most of the Typhoons at the end had been destroyed... and some airmen were surely died in the fight, although most were landed with their parachutes and they were being gathered in the hall of the airport. But that same sadness as well become rapidly new will of fight, of search revenge.

"They are coming!" Exclaimed Killer in the microphone as finally the light of the flames begun to lighten up the dark figures of the enemies hanging down from hundreds of black parachutes as the cargo planes flied over them, more and more men loaded of weapons and munitions jumping in the sky between the bullets of the anti air artillery survived.

Alexis, Killer and Ken and the other soldiers returned in the trenches, softly laying down the wounded in the shelters as the medic teams continued their work with bravery and mercifulness and everyone still able to fight all around prepared his rifle... Wyvern focused his glance across the aiming sight on a parachutist that was descending... he saw his dark green uniform, the assault rifle hanging down from his neck and fixed on his belly together with a few grenades, the face blackened with lampblack and mimetic paint... he saw him land in a perfect crouch, unhook the parachute and bring in a hurry his hands to the rifle, his head rising... he saw his worried glance... imagined his thoughts. "Shit! Where are the tanks...?!" And as soon as he took in his hands the rifle and raised it, peering for an exposed target, Killer pulled the trigger, the Cobra barking a single time and a bullet neatly destroying the head of the unfortunate, sending the corpse sprayed down on his back on the lawn.

From everywhere around, the weapons of the Kesteven defenders still alive growled immediately as if that was a precise signal, sending a rain of steel over the parachutists, mowing down the men and lifting clouds of dirt and smoke with every impact as the air filled up with screams of utter terror and roars and shouts of rage. Killer surprised himself roaring his fury as he mowed down with a long burst two parachutists that were trying to crawl in a crater with a machine gun... Alexis at his side fired a single round and he saw the head of an officer on the other side of the runway vanish in a wave of blood and gore, the body falling heavily as she growled lowly hers rage, hers hand working easily the bolt and expelling the long, hot bullet case before she watched around again, searching her kind of target. He had no need to remember to her or to Ken, on his other side, that as snipers their primary targets were the officers. Cut away the head. The rest will lose efficiency. Officers are the head of an army.

The first moments were a great, frightening massacre of parachutists that had just enough time for reach the ground and took their rifles before die, and just because the defenders were loyal and respectful enough to don't shoot on them before. No one dared to shoot on the medical teams, although the risk for them was really high nonetheless, in the middle of the battle as they were... But more and more parachutists begun to land, finding a first cover, forming first bases of fire of support, gathering their forces and begun to shoot madly, trying to follow the old rule. Who shoots more, force the other to keep his head low. And they were gonna win, simply on the base of sheer number... and was only a matter of time before be reached by their tanks. They powerful, invincible tanks...

Killer fired a rapid, long burst towards a group that was trying to turn around a small trench for take down by surprise three soldiers of Kesteven that were shooting with an huge heavy machine gun placed on a solid tripod, mowing down them easily as Ken, on his side, took aim with extreme accuracy and then fired a single round against a soldier that was landed in the middle of another group, already placed, that was giving fire support. The soldier simply exploded, tearing apart most of the others around him... Ken had hit precisely a grenade assured on his chest and was now grinning with cold, cruel satisfaction as he worked the lever of the Enfield.

Alexis watched him with an expression of both surprise and almost irritation, as taking it like a personal challenge. She lowered her eye again on the optic of her huge X12 and moved slowly it in the two directions, searching the right target... and she found an enemy sniper, hidden in the crater leaved by a bomb, his rifle leaned on the huge rucksack that he used as both shelter and support. He was taking aim for someone... but Alexis placed a huge round in his head rightly across the telescopic aiming sight, before recharge rapidly and taking down another two men with frightening coldness and rapidity, a cruel grin on her features as she searched for more.

By now, the situation was much more dangerous. Group of soldiers had changed craters in bunkers and from there they were trying to spot every position of resistance and then pour a deadly fire of suppression over them all as more and more parachutists reached the ground, trying immediately to crawl towards the craters, shooting furiously. And the battle become more and more confused as other parachutists begun to land pretty much everywhere, all around the trenches. Sometimes, even inside, with imaginable results. In a very short time, each trench was become a small island or resistance, surrounded by a number always increasing of enemies.

Alexis renounced to hers task of search the officers when a position of walls of sacks of sand where five soldiers were using a 40 mm anti-air gun for try to take down some planes simply vanished in an explosion... Killer and Ken watched around, keeping the enemy away from their small trench with their rifles and searching the responsible of the disaster... but the blond sniper won the race, finding a team of two enemy parachutists well hidden in a crater and equipped with a missile-launcher with thermal aiming sight. She could see the upper section of the helmets on both sides of the tube... the aiming sight similar to a video camera placed above... and then, with three rapid movements of her hand on the lever of the rifle, she placed a bullet in each helmet and in the sight before drop the empty magazine and rapidly slam another one in position, working the first round in the barrel.

Killer shot a burst against a parachutist that was trying to launch a grenade in a nearby trench where four soldiers of Kesteven and a pair of Predators of Kendrew were about to reach the situation of a hand-to-hand combat with a dozen of bulky enemies. The man fell silently on the ground, the hand still raised... and then the grenade exploded in the hand of the corpse, spurting slivers, blood and frightening melted flesh all around... Then Killer's thumb worked rapidly on the small selector of the fire modality, the Cobra passing to single-shot mode as he took rapidly aim to the back of the first of the parachutists at the assault of the nearby trench and fired immediately with a small pressure of his index, that he hadn't never moved from the trigger, taking the enemy down with a small puff of smoke and a spurt of blood. Ken, at his side, took down another one with another accurate shot of his Enfield... and then Killer went again, rapidly and precisely mowing down another three as all the group jumped down on the ground, every soldier landing on his belly and trying to slip to a random shelter under the fire that arrived from front and from behind both.

The chaos was by now total. The racket, deafening. And as Killer inclined the Cobra in his hands, pointing the barrel towards the sky and firing a grenade with a perfect parabola rightly in the middle of six soldiers that had gathered themselves in a classic "sea urchin" formation, almost back against back, mowing all them down, he understood as from a great distance that the noise was increasing...

Huge cargos were approaching directly the runways and the flat lawn in ordinate formation, ignoring the by now weak fire of the AA artillery... he could already see the undercarriages lowered, the rear loading ramps open... and then the first planes were braking on the long tape of asphalt, losing speed and continuing to run even under the fire of the Kesteven defenders; holes appeared on the fuselages, but the huge metallic monsters continued their task as Killer tried to keep the enemy away with his fire and control the battle at the same time, his visor full of red profiles around the hundreds of parachutists around.

"Wyvern, here Talon! Be careful on the ground! They have stealth glider, repeat stealth glider! Seen the number, here we have two, repeat two divisions of paratroops!" The voice of one of his sons, his warrior of the sky, echoed in his mind as he rose his eyes to the sky, searching a glimpse of him... but it was useless, he knew well that... instead, he spotted some of the gliders that Talon had announced begin to release their towing ropes and sail down towards the airport.

"Attention, everyone! Estimated enemy presence of two divisions of paratroops... gliders coming. Assault every plane that lands if possible. Defend every position." Killer said immediately in the microphone, knowing that a REMF, on the other side, was surely resending the message to all the others. "What's the situation on the Ring?" He asked immediately after as he motioned for Ken and Alexis of prepare themselves for assault the first cargo plane, which was braking on the runway near their trench, by now reaching them.

"Our tanks are fighting, but the enemy is breaking our line of resistance. Within the next minutes, their first vehicles will reach the wall of the airport. We can't stop them, Majesty." Killer recognized the voice that answered... it was of the general of brigade Felix Russell, former commander of his own light cavalry in Wycherley and now commander of all the allied armored forces on the field.

The huge cargo threatened of deafen them all in its braking, but it smoothly reached a speed low enough for begun the unloading practically in front of their little trench... and Killer nodded to Alexis and Ken, with fast waves of his hands for them as he extracted the long knife-bayonet that he had on the bandolier on his chest and placed it under the barrel of the Cobra. He pointed two fingers at his beloved wife and then brought them to his chest, calling for her to follow him and then gestured in the same way to Ken, adding a turning gesture with his other hand, ordering of attack from the other side at the right moment. They rapidly nodded and shouldered their huge rifles, taking in their hands their smaller and more indicated submachine guns before they all jumped out from the trench and ran towards the ramp of the still moving cargo.

They reached it with a spurt, from the left side, and Killer rapidly jumped on the ramp as a huge armored humvee begun to descend it. The huge male charged the side of the jeep, catching glimpses of the shocked faces of the soldiers inside across the thick bullet-proof glass... watching in his eyes a scared stiff soldier that was standing in the car, his bust out from a door in the roof and his hands placed on the double handle of a massive machine gun that he was trying to rotate towards the terrible apparition of the legendary giant that all were used to call Wyvern.

Killer simply threw a terrible kick in the side of the armored humvee, the door shattering towards the inside and crushing the soldier seated inside with an explosion of blood that stained horribly the glasses, the driver, shattered by pieces of door falling still on the wheel as the huge car squeaked on the metallic ramp, pushed laterally from the terrible kick and falling down from the ramp.

The jeep landed heavily on its side, threatening of fall again, this time on the roof as it scraped on the asphalt as the momentum pull it forwards for some meters before come to a stop, engine still on and wheels still rotating ridiculously. The gunner fell heavily backwards on the runway, out from his door in the roof and immediately a single bullet from the submachine gun of Alexis shattered his head, the others men inside still alive don't daring to exit from the car, now in the middle of the furious gunfire, with bullets that screamed continuously against the plates of the armor, ricocheting away.

Killer straightened immediately, turning towards the inside of the fuselage and finding in front of him another humvee. The giant white tiger jumped easily on the hood, landing heavily on it in a low crouch, smashing his weight down and shattering the plate of steel and great part of the engine as he snarled, catching a glimpse of the utter terror in the soldiers inside before rapidly reach up with one hand and grasp the long barrel of the heavy machine gun that the gunner was moving towards him. Wyvern simply pushed upwards with his huge strength, the gun coming free of the mounting and the barrel striking terribly against the muzzle of the disbelieving gunner, shattering easily his muzzle with spurts of blood and making him fell backwards on the roof, fainted, as the white tiger's muscles bulged.

Killer gained easily the roof of the huge jeep, remaining in his low crouch for don't strike his head against the ceiling of the hold, his eyes running on the probably one hundred soldiers inside. All seemed to don't have understood what was happened, yet, all still tidily lined up one after the other on the two sides of the vehicles, ready for dismount. The humvee which he was above, in fact, had a small trailer full of artillery shells and after there was also towed the huge anti-tank gun itself, occupying all the remaining central space of the hold. The huge male seemed to burn them whit his icy, merciless gaze as he forced the Cobra in the door on the roof of the humvee, where still stood the body of the fainted soldier and firing down a single grenade that exploded killing everyone was inside, painting of dark red the armored glasses.

The soldiers looked up on the humvee with stupid surprise, then utter terror as Killer snarled, the Cobra already leveled on them, growling and sending a rain of long bullets into the men lined as he slowly and elegantly descended, straightening up with cold calm in all his impressive height and slamming the heavy machine gun that he was still holding in his left hand in the face of the nearer enemy, easily crushing him against the wall and shattering completely his face, blood and brain matter spurting on the huge warrior as he effortlessly prepared another blow with the weapon, using it like an oversized sledgehammer. The terror only increased when Alexis emerged from the left side of the humvee and Ken from the other, two both firing mercilessly with their submachine guns, two both proving their prowess with weapons don't missing a shot.

Wyvern slammed his foot viciously on the hook between the humvee and the trailer, shattering easily the steely link and immediately pushing the big trailer full of munitions against the soldiers on his side with an easy blow of his large shoulder, crushing three of them between nearly two tons of massive shells and the wall of the airplane as the three warriors advanced together, massacring the enemies and pushing the scared soldiers still alive backwards.

Killer fired rapidly the last three grenades towards the other extremity of the load bay, where a large group of soldiers was trying to prepare a defense, rising their rifles but hesitating to shoot as their comrades cross continuously their line of fire in the terrorized escape, then he saw the "cargomaster", the officer of the crew of the plane in charge for the control of the load, that was watching down from his position on top of the extremity of the hold with terror, his hands running to his side and trying to draw out his 9 mm. The white tiger idly rose the Cobra and fired a burst that shattered easily the bullet-proof glass of his position and reduced the unfortunate to a groovier before the assault rifle clicked empty and ejected the magazine, gaining an irritated grunt from the huge male as he finally let free the massive machine gun that he had used one more time as hammer.

Alexis mowed rapidly down the first six soldiers in front of her with a long burst of her submachine gun. The short but piercing rounds of that so liked gift of the same Riaku had shattered easily across the bullet-proof combat vest of the first soldier still before he could rise his assault rifle and the man was fallen backwards with frightening spurts of blood, leaving the second man under the bullet rain with a stupid expression of surprise and terror. The others at that point had tried to take a cover and answer, but other two were closed between her, the wall of the plane, their comrades behind their back and the humvee with Killer on top and Alexis had rapidly killed them with hers weapon before it clicked empty and she threw it in the face of the first man in front of her with a snort, taking him down, fallen still before jump elegantly upwards and grasp with her hands one of the crossbeams of the structure of the cargo, easily launching herself in a jump forwards and slamming her feet viciously in the chest and then in the muzzle of the next soldier. The plates of armor inside his combat vest gave a noisily crack as they shattered in several pieces, hers huge strength pushing them mercilessly against his sternum and easily cracking it too, sending the soldier down with blood leaking from his muzzle as hers second combat boots torn apart his throat with its sharp, long steely spikes. Alexis landed easily on both her feet, jumping immediately again, hands running to the hilt of hers sword and to her huge handguns as a burst of rounds shattered the floor where she was just a moment before.

The female evaded easily another series of bursts with her impressive agility, gathering hers body in a flip in the air as the three nearer soldiers tried to take aim at her with their rifles.

Killer meanwhile rapidly hammered the empty Cobra in the chest of the first enemy in front of him, bayonet sinking across the combat vest and towards his heart as he fell backwards and the huge male released the weapon, unsheathing in the same rapid move the 11 feet long, crimson Wyvern that was secured on his broad back, the thick blade cutting easily across the ceiling as he grasped it in his right hand with a fast, expert movement of his wrist.

He saw at his left side Alexis jump, then the soldiers taking aim... and he growled, slashing viciously outwards the massive sword and taking down the three brave enemies, the blade cutting easily across their bodies and even across the wall of aluminum of the plane behind them as Alexis landed from hers jump in front of the three still falling, cut-in-half corpses, hers own precious sword already in her right hand and one of hers twin automatic pistols in the left, a look of merciless amusement on hers features between the long bangs of her golden hair.

On the other side of the humvee, Ken advanced rapidly, opening his road with his own submachine gun in the scared platoon of enemies, completely surprised by the sudden and unexpected direct assault and terrorized by the scary apparition of the legendary Wyvern himself. He ran forwards, giving an heavy, generous fire of support with his weapon at the couple that was breaking easily across the enemy lines before slip agilely around the three soldiers crushed under the trailer full of artillery ammo that Killer had so easily moved and then gathered himself in a low crouch behind the armored shield of the cannon for eject the empty magazine and insert rapidly a new one, bullets screaming against the metal that was his only shelter as a big group of soldiers tried to stop him there.

The parachutists were slowly regaining the control on themselves and their trainings was coming out as some officers yelled hungrily orders from the bottom of the cargo bay, soldiers forming a solid wall of two lines of rifles, the first one on their knees and the second one on their feet, just behind the first... but Killer and Alexis were reaping across the scared group with their frightening strength and ability, soldiers scared trying to stop them with their swords or trying to come to a hand to hand with the two giants, going towards certain death and continuously invading the line of fire of their comrades.

Alexis fired a single shot with hers huge handgun, which barked loudly in the narrow space of the load bay, echoing over the yells and growls of the enemies. The bullet neatly destroyed the helmet of a nearby parachutist, opening a large hole in the front... and especially shattering all the back of his head, spraying blood and brain on the men behind as she took the moment of advantage for advance between two soldiers that where charging her, surprising them with hers huge strength as she used her elbows for send them down on the floor, slashing outwards in the same move hers sword and drawing a long, fine and deep cut on the shoulder of another across his combat vest.

The blond female immediately rotated hers right wrist with experience, her swords now pointed towards the grounds as she slammed it viciously backwards and perfectly in the nape of the neck of the first one that she had landed. As the first unfortunate released an horrible grunt, blood spurting from his mouth as he rapidly died, she slammed a kick at the other, catching it in the throat with the spikes of her boot and throwing easily up the corpse, which slammed loudly against the wall with a meaty, sinister thud, the head almost torn off.

At hers side, Killer had reached a group of threatening soldiers that, despite the panic and the surprise, had managed enough control to follow the training and form a tight semi-circular formation of defense for stand against the three aggressors, and that were actually keeping Ken stuck behind the cannon with their fire as several more were trying to stand up against the huge king of Kendrew and his bloody, frightening and sadly famous blade as he advanced between the first, confused and yet not organized ranks of parachutists like if they were seal puppies.

Killer advanced rapidly, rounds hissing around him as he walked easily around the massive cannon and gained a disbelieving glance from Ken, who was still gathered in a crouch behind the shield of it as bullets screamed on the other side, ricocheting all around. The giant charged with above suspicion rapidity for such a machine of bones and muscles, towering at least three feet over everyone around and carrying enough weapons for equip a section.

He jumped at the last moment, landing precisely over a first soldier that was in a low crouch, trying to take aim at him with his assault rifle. The huge male slammed easily him down on the floor with his huge weight, a foot crushing cruelly the arm with the weapon with the noisy crack of bones shattered as the other foot caught the unfortunate on the helmet and knocked him down immediately, don't leaving him neither the time of release a whimper as his neck bone all but disintegrated. Landing from the jump, Killer first slashed outwards the Wyvern on his right side, cleanly cutting in two parts three soldiers that, busy on keeping stuck Ken, looked up with utter terror too late, just a moment before fall backwards dead, and then he rotated the blade on his other side, doing pretty much the same before roll agilely on his left shoulder and gather his thick, muscular form against the wall as bullets torn apart the floor where he was just a moment before.

As he jumped forwards again for another assault, Alexis emerged seeming from nowhere, firing with hers handgun and taking down a soldier after the other as even Ken exploited the moment for rise his eyes over the shield of the cannon and open again fire with the submachine gun.

The tall, muscular femme grinned as she easily took down two soldiers with two fast, accurate bullets before see hers husband smash across their weakened line again with the huge Wyvern... and then hers cruel grin spread wider as a brave soldier near to her unsheathed his sword and charged her with a furious growl. She immediately sidestepped, deviating outwards the enemy blade with a hard slash of hers own, before drop the sword and grasp the extended arm of the soldier, pulling easily him towards her.

He grunted in shock and surprise before release a scream of agony as she cruelly rose hers knee and slammed it in his crotch with all hers huge strength, pulling and pushing in the same time. The unfortunate trembled with a spit of dark blood and a whimper before fall bended in two for the pain, landing as crumpled paper on hers still stretched out knee... and she immediately slammed hers elbow down on his nape of the neck, his spine shattering immediately with a terrible sound.

Killer caught a glimpse of the move of his wife as he used the thick crimson blade for shield himself against a burst of bullets from an assault rifle... and a grin spread over his muzzle as she immediately took down the attacker with a single, perfect shot meanwhile recovering hers sword. That move was hers favorite... he had seen her use it a lot of times. She had used it even against him in their trainings, even if often in vain. And he smiled darkly as he noticed the care that she always had of his crotch. She had an almost reverential respect and love for him and for his virility, after all... and she used to hit him at the abdomen, never under. But she loved to punish careless males that thought of can dominate her in a close fight because she was a girl or simply because they were disvaluing hers strength.

"Get the hell out of there! We can't shoot with you in front! Get away!" Yelled angrily an officer from behind the double line of rifles at the bottom of the hold, but the soldiers in front of them were panicking or currently trying to stand against the two giants and the accurate fire of Ken, deadly with the submachine gun as with the sniper rifle, and almost no one reacted at the orders.

"Fire!" Yelled furiously the same officer... and the first line opened fire, but ceased immediately as three parachutists fell on the ground in a lake of blood, several more wounded. A lot of faces turned towards the officer, scared and decidedly not ready for try again. Kill a comrade is never an easy thing to bear... The same officer remained uncertain, backing off... but then another one yelled a very simple order. "Down!"

Killer heard it from past the wall of green uniforms and grasped immediately two parachutists at their necks, pulling them in front of him and squeezing another one between them with a snarl, Alexis doing a similar move and grasping two men as shields as Ken jumped again behind the cannon. All the other parachutists launched themselves down on the floor as if a grenade of artillery was coming, the simple order too threatening and common for don't awake their instinct and training... and their comrades finally opened fire.

Killer felt the bodies tremble in his hands, eyes empty and lost in the hazy of dead watching up at him as three both being shattered by full bursts of assault rifles, before dropping them and jump backwards elegantly, landing at the side of Ken with a snort, gathered in a low crouch behind the metallic shield.

"Cease fire! Cease fire! We are shooting on ours!"

"Don't shoot! It's too crowded here!"

The parachutists ceased fire, screams of terror and fury echoing along the plane as they rapidly unsheathed swords and bayonets for the close combat, renouncing to the too dangerous gunfire in a hold so narrow and crowded.

"Nice idea, baby. I promise not to shoot myself." Growled with somewhat similar to amazement Alexis as she dropped the two shattered bodies... Killer and Ken fired with their weapons on the soldiers that, still armed with rifles were trying to take aim on her... and then Killer saw it with an amused snort of his own as the hands of Alexis flicked rapidly as lightning on hers chest, grabbing a grenade as her fangs torn away easily the arming ring and the scotch tape. Then it was flying as Alexis jumped backwards and went into a perfect, elegant roll, vanishing behind the humvee... and the huge male see the similar-to-a-can objects fly, hit the floor and bounce over before explode with a white, blinding light and a terrible wave of heat, flames landing on the men still on the floor, on the platoon organized and on the officers, fire wrapping everything as horrible screams of agony filled the air.

The huge male jumped easily over the cannon, ready for face the survivors... but then the plane picked up speed under their feet, beginning to turn on the left. Killer understood what was going on... and remembered also that the crew of the plane was still alive, loadmaster excluded. He ran towards the flames and the screaming bodies on fire, eyes focused on the flames and especially on the metallic staircase that leaded to the shattered position of the loadmaster and then at the cockpit.

"Handsome!" Called Alexis from behind him... and he turned back rapidly as she thrown at him the Cobra, picking up hers submachine gun herself. He grasped it easily in the air with the right hand, the left one preparing a new magazine and slamming it on as he shouted back: "Get out of here, two both, and search a cover! I will reach you!"

He saw Alexis nod rapidly and then head for the loading ramp as the plane continued to speed up and turn, Ken following her closely... and then he jumped between the flames, arms shielding his face as sweat streaked down his mane. He climbed rapidly the staircase of rapidly heating metal and walked over the corpse of the loadmaster, shattering in places the closed door of the cockpit.

As he emerged inside, two soldiers tried immediately to stop him, charging the huge warrior with their swords. Wyvern slipped agilely between them, avoiding easily their simultaneous sinks and slamming the cut of his big hand into the nose of the first one, shattering the entire muzzle and sending the bones directly in the brain as the corpse without life flied across the cockpit, landing heavily on the console between the two seats of the pilots. In the same time, the other hand slammed heavily in the throat of the other enemy, crushing him against the nearby wall and immediately chocking him with impressive violence as the wall buckled.

The first pilot watched up from the seat, gaping in utter terror as the giant walked slowly inside... but then he jumped up and drawn his 9 mm from the side. The huge blade known as Wyvern sunk in his chest before he could do anything and the other pilot tried his own move, jumping against the muscular warrior who simply offered his broad shoulder, knocking him down again without a move.

"Don't kill me! Please don't kill me... don't kill me or this plane will crush somewhere and kill you, too..." He screamed with utter terror, eyes bulging as the white tiger advanced slowly towards him with a merciless glare. Wyvern slammed his spiked elbow in his abdomen, crushing him easily deeply inside the console, current buzzing from the shattered instruments as the huge male only snorted with a disgusted gaze over the destroyed body and the blood that slowly streaked down on the ruins of the console.

"I can pilot it myself, thank you." He said softly with a tilt of his head.

Killer watched rapidly up, out from the cockpit as he grasped one of the two cloches... the plane was actually doing the large curve at the end of the runways, entering in the other one for take off again... the airport structures were in front of him, between the two long runways that formed a sort of A. He was at the vertex of it... on the runway at his left he could see other cargos and gliders land and throw up soldiers and vehicles in the middle of the battle... in front of him he could see another huge plane, the loading ramp lowered as the last soldiers and a big, height wheeled light-tank were running down from it before leave it free of begin the run of take off again.

"Are you ok?" Killer asked in his microphone as he took the control of the aircraft and guided the plane in the last part of the curve and followed closely the cargo before.

"Yes, we are both here in a trench. We are ok. Don't hurt yourself, awesome... see of get here rapidly." Answered the wonderful, warm voice of Alexis in his headphones. He closed his eyes in relief for an instant... and he couldn't deny that he had a growing sexual desire of her, too, of other things. As surely her had desire of him, too... but he cursed for that distraction that he couldn't allow to himself.

"Good. I'm coming." He said simply as he pointed precisely the plane towards the one in front of it and pushed forwards at their maximums all the four throttles of the four huge engines, the aircraft speeding up immediately with a shake and a sharp, increasing roar. He turned rapidly backwards, but the flames had find good terrain and by now everything was burning... and so he slammed a vicious kick in one of the thick panels of armored glass of the cockpit with a grunt, the glass exploding outwards like a fragile puzzle under his brutal strength. And then he jumped out, the air whipping his muzzle and stinging his eyes in the short time of the fall, roughly the height of a two floors building...

And then Killer landed in a perfect crouch in the shadow of the huge aircraft, slamming immediately his weight down and sinking his cruel claws in the asphalt for resist at the incredible force of the air moving as the plane overcome him with a deafening roar, the huge wheels of the undercarriage parading at his side and its engines pushing at full power and ruffling terribly his mane as he growled lowly in irritation... and then he rose his head and grinned with cruel amusement as the cargo, by now completely on fire, crashed into the wheeled tank with the huge anterior undercarriage, overturning the tank like a toy before the mechanic leg of the undercarriage shattered with an explosion of oil and the muzzle of the plane slammed heavily on the vehicle, crushing it...

Killer rolled on his shoulder and let himself slide in the ditch on side of the runway, preparing the Cobra in his hands as the huge aircraft crashed into the other with a terrible racket, the two huge cargos crushing each the other as the first fell on its left side, wing sinking in the ground and then snapping in two wrecks as a bread stick, running over some terrified parachutists as he only added at the disaster with his precise shots.

Someone was just trying to answer, six soldiers already died and laying on the asphalt, as the two huge aircrafts exploded together with a power impressive, tons of fuel adding at the effect as flames and bits of metal flew all around like bullets, mowing down every men around.

Killer snorted, his prowess useless there by now as he watched towards the other runway, searching Alexis and Ken with impatience... soldiers of both the fronts were fighting with their swords around the vulnerable zone of the fuels reserves, where a shot could be deadly and destructive. White, Black and Green uniforms crossed continuously his sight, the red berets of the Predators dominating the scene and pulling backwards the parachutists, maintaining amazingly a solid, precise circle of bodies and swords all around the bunker with the petrol and the tankers still working. From the tower of control of the refueling zone gunners were firing down on the enemies with their machine guns and snipers were mowing down the officers... and then he saw a glimpse of golden hairs between three green uniforms, managing to see in front of him hers beautiful sapphire eyes even from that distance as he jumped out from the ditch, Wyvern in the right hand and Cobra in the left, a smile cresting his muzzle as two of the parachutists around her fell on the ground and there remained as she faced new rivals with a fleeting smile in his direction.

"Magic, here Talon. We have no more fuel, Magic! Where is this fucked base?" Talon growled as his eyes traced over the indicators of the fuel, all flashing in red. The left engine was already coughing, thirsty for petrol... and then he looked out from the cockpit for see the reassuring presences of their escort of two Typhoons, one on each side, two both black-striped delta-fighters of Kesteven, that had granted them a peaceful return.

"Talon, here Magic. Hold on, you are there by now... I'm saying them of turn on the infrared signals on the runway. Can you see them?" Asked the calm, reassuring voice of the young femme on the other side. Talon active the infrared mode of his visor and then watched around... immediately spotting the two lines of normally invisible lights on the two sides of a long runway some kilometers in front of him.

"I see... but probably I haven't enough fuel." Talon answered idly as the two Typhoons on their sides made narrower the formation as sign of solidarity and encouragement, the voices of the pilots sustaining him...

"Rise, Talon! We will glide until there... gain as much height as you can!" Exclaimed Maverick from the rear seat, his voice the voice of rationality and experience... and Talon immediately brought the Typhoon up in the sky another time, the other two following. Then the engines gave their last breath.

"We are out of fuel. We are gliding... and I've no signals from the system of Instrumental Descending Path. I'm going visually. Prepare yourself for a possible bad landing." Talon said calmly as the tower contacted him on the radio.

"Ok guys... you are coming down smoothly. Don't try to make a mess now that's all ended!" A friendly voice encouraged them and gave them instructions for all the time as the three fighters slowly loss height, but gaining terrain on the limit of the runway... and Talon sweated despite the easiness with he guided the plane in its gliding. Cold sweat, at the thought of don't reach the base and be forced to an emergency landing on the snow in a field or, worse, be forced to the ejection. He was affectionate at his plane... and they hadn't aircrafts to waste, beside.

And then Talon finally understood that they were gonna make it as he lowered the undercarriage and at least that worked perfectly, the extremity of the runway just in front of them... the other two Typhoon speeded up and regained height, leaving space for their touch-down and doing a perfect looping in the sky as celebration... and then the wheels touched the asphalt, the plane bouncing just a bit on his rear undercarriage until the muzzle descended as well and touched solidly and perfectly the ground. Talon and Maverick released a low whistle of relief as they accomplished the braking and released the braking-parachute in the tail, the fighter coming to a stop in just two hundred meters instead of five thanks to their lower speed... and then they were motionless on the runway as men run towards them from the hangars and the tower, towing vehicles, jeeps full of technicians, an ambulance and a firemen camion gathered around the plane.

"Thank you Magic. Thank you escort. We are at home. Eagles are back at the nest." Talon said cheerfully in the radio before turn off every system as Maverick laughed and reached up over his own console for ruffle the long fur on his head. He hadn't a mane like his father, but he surely had much longer fur there than the usual, for a tiger. Besides, the fur on his body was orange and black striped as the one of his mother, Joy... and that strange hairs on his head where white as his father. Then the cockpit slowly opened and they climbed out, jumping on the ground and leaving the fighter in the hands of loving technicians for analysis and works of reparation, refueling and arming.

They walked a bit on the runway, two both covered of shinning sweat and exhaust... and Talon looked around, seeing the effects of a really bad bombing. Firemen were still fighting against the last flames here and there and most hangars were destroyed, the tower badly damaged by a bomb that had shattered completely across one of the walls. The runways, now he could see, where all full of huge craters... but most had already been filled up with gravel and earth for grant the operability of the base as a few huge green bulldozer of the army were filling the last ones. Then he saw with relief four other Typhoon parked under damaged but not destroyed shelters or behind walls of sacks of sand... two of them were the striped ones of Kesteven, two were the black ones of Kendrew. He felt an unbelievable relief seeing the planes, proof that someone was returned safe and sound and even that they were still in the great game, as he gently nudged Maverick and pointed at them with his index. Maverick too released a happy, weird sound of deep relief before rise his eyes in the Richard's ones and asking a natural question. "Who is returned? What about the others?"

The commander of the base, a lithe but toned white tiger in a dark blue uniform of the air force reached them with a wide smile, followed by the cheerful crews of the other returned Typhoon, all more than happy to see again their young commander alive.

"We are really happy of have you here, Talon... by now we were losing hopes." The commander of the base talked gently and with an underline of decision that explained a part of the reasons of his rank as he seemed immediately able to give mood and confidence in everyone around him... and then he nodded a bit, closing for a moment his light green eyes. "I know." He said simply, noticing their expressions. "Your comrades. We have had four dead... I will say you the names in my office. But the others are pretty good at least. They are landed in town and the army is gathering them at the airport. One of our team of Combat Search And Rescue has been already sent with an helicopter in the zone for pick them up and bring them here."

Both the tiger and the cheetah looked relieved, trading a smile and then being invested by the cheerful welcome of their comrades as the commander looked slightly amused despite himself. "Now, in any case, I guess that the best that you can do is going inside, get a tea or something and rest. We lack of airplanes and pilots, but we have a lot of weapons and spare parts... so be ready, because you will be again in the air as soon as we will repair the Typhoons." He simply said with a smile, his eyes following the small towering tractor that was pulling the damaged Typhoon under another crappy-looking shelter full of holes of guns. At least, the Eagles had still some bullet in their revolver.

Killer jumped easily over a trench from were some men were firing on the enemy... he didn't cared of watch if they were his men of Kendrew of if their uniforms were the white ones of his homeland. They were all friends... more, even if the idea wasn't still entered in his mind completely for his greatness, Kesteven, the Pearl of the North, was now a part of his always huger empire. But especially, he could see in front of him the fight that was going on around the huge, gloomy bunker of concrete where the fuel was stored.

There, a handful of bulky Predators and soldiers of both his two kingdoms were facing successfully an enemy much more numerous... and there, so near at the millions of liters of petrol, the shoots were very little and prevalently coming really from his side. The parachutists of Mottram, in fact, were avoiding as much as possible of fire against the brave defenders... behind their large shoulders, there was a bomb constituted by fuel ready to potentially explode or vanish in a huge arson at the first error. Beside, Killer could catch sometimes between the crowd of people fighting with swords a glimpse of the awkward figures of the Explosive Ordnance Disposers with their huge, armored uniforms of Kevlar and steel, busy in placing incendiary devices...

And there was Alexis, beautiful even in the combat vest that hide part of hers beauty, distorting a bit the perfection of the lines and curves of hers charming body as the light of the headlights and of the floodlight seemed to kiss her and hers long mane of golden hair under the red beret of Predators that she had so wanted. And she was fighting like the fury that she was, hers sword facing a variable number of enemies in the confused crowd as she fought hers way now against eight soldiers with hers impressive elegance, agility and natural grace. Even fighting, surrounded by corpses that she the same had killed, she seemed to dance a mortal theme... and Killer could only admire her, his heart thudding in his chest with fear for her and pulling him to run faster on the ground, jumping trenches across the battlefield for reach her.

Killer crossed a group of three parachutists, but barely distracted his eyes from her as he knocked them easily down with a hard swing outwards of his huge, muscular left arm before slash over them the blade of the Wyvern for end the work... and then he was roaring, approaching the fight, and all the parachutists looked up towards him, mouths falling open and eyes opened wide in terror as they saw the huge, largely bloodstained giant and his terrible crimson blade, his massive muscles bulging out like tires, even the black armor chiseled on his sculptured chest seeming fragile like a shirt, seeming always on the point of rip to tatters as his muscles swelled with power.

Even Alexis looked up at him, a grin spreading wide on hers muzzle as she immediately explained the terror and the distraction of the enemies for sink hers sword in his chest; this hundredth enemy falling forwards on his knees and then heavily on his face on the asphalt.

"Now you are really finished. I suggest to run and hide yourselves under the skirt of mommy. I will look away, promise..." Alexis growled with cruel amusement to the enemies in front of her as hers huge, muscular husband rushed at the enemy like an eagle on a hare with a terrible roar, a first enemy, ridiculous in the pitiful comparison of his nine feet to the almost sixteen of Wyvern, immediately slammed on the ground by a fast blow of knee, all his upper body shattered by the spikes of the white male as he screamed in complete agony, bones all but destroyed and gut drawn out on the asphalt. A second one rapidly turned his back at the furious giant and tried to run away, but the huge white warrior grasped his neck and pulled him backwards towards him and his crimson sword before Killer felt him arch his back and die whit a few sharp whimpers as his hands scrambled up to his torn neck, trying weakly and in vain to stop the red, vital flood.

Killer pushed the corpse roughly outwards, sending it heavily on the ground and he suddenly felt arms try to wrap him from behind, men pulling and pushing in the attempt to stop him as he merely pulled his muscular arms violently outwards and then forwards with a growl, sending an indeterminate number of enemies rolling down on the asphalt in the middle of the crowd as he rose again the Wyvern only for see his next enemy fall on his face as an explosion opened a hole in the middle of his chest. Alexis, on his side, watched up at him with the corner of hers eye, puffing over the barrel of hers huge handgun with an amused, somehow challenging grin.

"We were waiting for you, awesome." She said softly, tilting hers head on the side with an affective smile. The male nodded easily, a grin on his muzzle as he pointed at the huge arson on the runway behind him, turning slightly backwards for admire his opera and coughed amusedly. "Delays of the airline, darling."

The Predators shouted cheerfully from the middle of the fight, the few that were without an adversary slamming their swords on the plates of their combat vests as in the old times, making a terrible metallic racket and rising a chorus of roars to the sky that seemed to crack the determination even of the well trained, brave and disciplined parachutists of Mottram as all the defenders of Kesteven fought suddenly with renewed strength, the former general and now king gaining the first line in the middle of their ranks, towering easily over friends and enemies and adding his powerful roar over all the other voices and over the chaos of the battle. It could seem stupid, a use of a war old of centuries and by now death... but the military elite of Kesteven was a world on his part and Killer had brought that culture even in Kendrew. Now, for every soldier of the two united army, that was shown of confidence and strength. The basic form of psychological war.

They were slowly gaining again the control of the battle when three cargos approached directly them from south, flying at low height with the terrible roar-whistle of their engines... and then a fighter emerged from behind the huge aircrafts, easily overcoming them with his impressive speed and shooting a long, terrible burst with its gun against the windows of the control room on top of the tower of the refueling zone, surely causing heavy losses in their support platoon... And surely forcing them to break the fire on the enemy as it continued to loiter around, threatening. And without the snipers and gunners placed up there with their weapons, the defenders lost suddenly a good bit of their power.

And then the three cargos flied over them, apparently without doing nothing... but a moment after, they all saw that they had towed three gliders up there and now the black, stealth aircrafts were landing perfectly just in front of them on the flat lawn, drawing deep furrows in the ground with their fuselages. The defenders continued to applaud their king, that was probably stronger and more versatile than the support of four main battle tanks, making narrower their ranks and punching noisily their chests with the fists closed on the handles of their swords, eyes fixed on the gliders as their black muzzles fell open like a garage and from each exited slowly an eight wheeled tank, followed by another wave of soldiers that advanced slowly behind the thick shelters offered by the imposing, armored figures of the vehicles.

Killer watched up with worry, trying to understand... they couldn't shoot, right? All the fuel would explode or at the very least burn with the first careless shot... and Riaku wanted that precious fuel intact, wasn't so?

"Majesty, shall we intervene?" Asked a known voice from his headphones, a small window appearing in the high left corner of his visor with the images of his tank's commander, Steve Davids, on board of one of the Kendrew's IFV that were still hide inside the hangars. His voice was respectful and reverent, but Killer caught also the deep wish of begun the fight and do their part. But it wasn't the moment.

"No. Not now, not yet. We will soon need you... when their tanks will break our lines on the Ring and enter in the airport. Then I will order you to charge. But if you are already out on the field, we lose every surprise effect... and they will destroy you immediately. Be patient!" He answered back, keeping his eyes fixed on the slowly advancing wheeled armored vehicles; on the turrets that were slowly turning towards them as he prepared an AT missile inside the PAM Javelin.

"Yes, majesty. Order received." The tiger in the small window bowed his head in complete respect and then the image vanished... leaving only the red lines around the numerous enemies on the ground and the small red rhombus over the vehicles as he slowly went down to a crouch for fire the missile as other two men along the line did the same...

And then he grunted as the visor gave him an automatic zoom over the cannon of the first tank, which opened fire furiously against him, just a moment before the others two tracked the other men with the Javelins and fired themselves. "Take cover! Look where you shoot!" He shouted with rage, his men immediately breaking the lines and scrambling for every little shelter available, hands running to their fire arms and swords for the moment useless.

Killer went down on his muscular abdomen with an irritated snort... and the first 40 mm projectiles slammed over the ground around him, missing him for a puff as the projectiles took instead down some of his soldiers. He could hear the moans and whimpers, and then the sound of a sword falling on the ground, bodies following it with meaty thuds... and he heard and saw distinctly the rounds bounce on the ground and ricocheting against the tankers and walls of the bunker in background. And he suddenly understood that they were a special commando trained probably by the same Riaku specifically for conquer the fuel reserves intact. The bullets, in fact, were not piercing, not explosives but actually oversized darts of inert, hard rubber. And he grinned as a second burst caught him on the back... he growled lowly as he felt the long burst slam over his spine like a crazy blacksmith with an oversized sledgehammer, the plates of his armor buckle for the power of the hits and trying to nail him down on the ground, his arms bombarded.

But the expression on the muzzle of Killer changed in a grin as he rapidly realized that his behemoth built body was not giving him pain as he slowly pushed on his huge arms for stand up again, now another tank shooting over his massive form but not stopping him as he rapidly scrambled again on his knees, furious bursts of rubbery rounds smashing with huge strength against his bemuscled body and ricocheting away, doing no damages. It was like try to stop a running train throwing at it paper balls.

Killer rapidly framed the first vehicle in the optic of aim, opposing his own huge muscular strength against the power of the two guns for keep the launcher steady over his large shoulder as he pulled the trigger. The Javelin launched the missile with the well known metallic sound of the spring inside and after 30 meters of flying, the missile turned on his rocket engine with a flame more than three meters long, reaching full speed in a few hundredths of second before climb over the tank and then turning backwards, hitting with its full power right over the slightly armored top of the turret. Killer felt a cruel grin play on his muzzle as he saw a tongue of fire and blinding light pass the tank from side to side, digging a deep furrow in the ground under the vehicle before everything exploded, knocking down dead also a good number of soldiers as the others that were behind, suddenly in full view and open field, rapidly scrambled for a cover, firing with their own modified assault rifles with inert munitions as the defenders hidden here and there immediately opened fire with rifles and machine guns.

The huge male watched around rapidly for see a good number of corpses around him on the field... The other men with the Javelins, especially, had been knocked easily down on the asphalt, blood leaking from their muzzles as they remained down, motionless. Dead.

Fortunately, most of his men had followed his order and now where shooting on the enemy from their shelters. He saw with relief Ken shoot with his Enfield and then meet his glance with a smile and a thumb up... and finally he found Alexis, that was slightly behind him, crawling slowly forwards for reach his side in the middle of the gunfire... she looked up at him with a warm smile, but she was growling lowly in rage and pain, pressing her hand on hers hip, where she had been hit by the fire of a tank. The other men with the Javelins had been knocked easily down on the asphalt, blood leaking from their muzzles as remained down, dead.

"Christ! Alexis! Look at me!" Exclaimed Killer as he saw her almost fall on her knees at his side. But she looked again at him with a smile, biting a bit his lower lip before release a pained laugh. "It stings, but it's nothing serious. Your fists during the training are double the damage, big stud."

Killer grinned a bit despite himself and the fear that had filled his chest as he gave his muscular back to the enemy, protecting her easily from their fire with his own powerful body, stroking the back of his hand gently on hers beautiful muzzle. "Gain a cover anyhow and fire from there. I'll take care of these things."

She nodded at him with a grin, noticing how the enemy fire on his back seemed to be something of absolutely no importance for his powerful body and admiring one more time his complete confidence. He had talked of take down two tanks as if talking of a short trip in the park.

"I'll bet on it, lover." And then she rapidly went into a roll and vanished behind a big debris of reinforced concrete, emerging a moment later with hers rifle ready to fire, gaining a smile from Killer before he too went into a roll, reaching the broken corpses of the first brave team with the Javelin. The launcher, still charged and ready to fire, was landed on the asphalt some feet away, and he jumped agilely over it, followed by the enemy fire as he grasped it and continued to roll for a bit more before rise in a crouch a few meters away, the missile already on his shoulder and the eye on the aiming sight... and then he was vanished, the empty launcher abandoned on the ground and another tank destroyed as the enemies peered with utter terror all around, trying to see him...

The third tank found him at the last moment, knowing instinctively where he was probably going... and the cannon fired a burst in front of him as he jumped towards the third abandoned and already charged Javelin, still cradled in the arms of the corpse of its brave servant. Killer growled in irritation as the bursts of the personal weapons of the enemy parachutists slammed uselessly on his body... the big rubber-grenades of the cannon, instead, had caught fully the dead body and the missile launcher, reducing two both to a mass of shattered meat and metallic debris. Miraculously, the missile inside, designed for activate only after some meters of flying, didn't exploded.

The huge male growled in fury, leaving himself fall in a tackle that brought him slipping rightly behind a small wall of concrete, which immediately begun to crack as a tempest of rounds smashed into it from the other side, the last tank and all the parachutists advancing against them, a numerous group pointing directly towards his position, running bravely under the fire of the Predators as Alexis took down the first of them.

Killer was opening another small metallic cylinder and removing the protections from the seeker and the rocket of a new AT missile, leaned with his back against the wall that transmitted at him every hard blow, small debris flying away from it... when from the last tank remained escaped a loud sound of static before a loudspeaker diffused the warm, powerful voice of Riaku. A voice that had only a little shadow of the kindness and nobility that a time had had.

"I'm following your exploits from the images, Killer. Your son Talon, too, which almost killed my son Fenrir... and Alexis and all the brave Predators and soldiers. You are all valorous. The more valorous that I have ever seen... but your situation is desperate. Admit that, Killer! It's only a matter of time before every resistance falls. You simply don't have hopes. Surrender now. Go down on your knees, offer your sword and declare your surrender. Do it now and no one else will die. I'll give my word of honor that even you and Alexis could live. Together. And in dignified imprisonment in one of my estates. Kesteven will have the Honors of Weapons. It's the first and last offer. The next one will be only an unconditional surrender." The echo of the voice was still dying in his ears as he understood that the battle around the fuel reserve was currently ceased. He could see clearly the low sound of the powerful engine of the tank at low regimes on the other side of the wall, even if still a good few meters far... and he knew immediately that the vehicle was motionless. All around in the airport the battle was still furious, he could hear every shot and every scream... and there where he was, that sudden silence sounded more threatening and deafening than an explosion.

Killer forced the missile inside the launcher, arming it and placing it at his side, on the ground... then he peered cautiously over the wall for control what was going on, before stand fully as the enemies respected a pause for let the two kings talk. The Predators and all the soldiers looked up at him with complete confidence, grins of amusement on their muzzles... Alexis looking up at him with a merciless grin of cruel amusement and curiosity in her eyes for the answer that he was gonna give...

"I'm disappointed of you, Black Lightning... I was sure of find you in first line, fighting and giving example at yours men. Instead, you are asking me to surrender from the loudspeakers of a tank. Come here and ask me that watching me in my eyes, if you got enough balls." Killer said softly, eyes glinting with a softness and amusement so well pretended to almost seem true, tilting his head on the side as his fingers played a bit mindlessly on the handle of the Wyvern, sure that Riaku could see him across some cameras on the vehicle, apart from hear him.

"This is not a game, Wyvern. Exit from your world of honor, loyalty and chivalry and recognize that you are only bringing other men to death. Surrender now or later will be too late." The voice of the other tiger answered with the same calm, even if underlining with threat the last order.

"Really you don't remember...? You have learned a lot from your master, after all. The stealth gliders, the specialized assault teams, the use of the tanks. You even overcome your master on aviation... and you don't remember that, Riaku?" Killer asked with an expression of amused incredulity, this time genuine. "I'm a soldier. We don't do surrenders. We don't pull up white flags." He said finally.

On the other side, Riaku applauded ironically a few times, slowly, without enthusiasm, laughing of a laugh that was almost a weird snarl. "You still remember all. Word for word... and finally you have remembered also me, isn't so? Yes, I was the little, weak corporal that transmitted those your words over the radio at the general Andrew of Edwards when his army had surrounded me and you on that mountain. I was the man that was always behind you, crawling behind your feet for transmit your messages. For cover you. For help you. The first man that you have wanted to reward in Wycherley... the one who fucked the bitch of Dark with you, even."

"I remember." Said calmly Killer with a slow nod. "You are the only one who touched one of mine females in all my life. You should be honored." He added then with an ironic grin, his soldiers and Alexis laughing loudly.

"Continue with your irony. Insolent until return the last breath... I'm not going to repeat me. My tanks are about to broken your lines and invade the airport. My air force is now mostly rearmed and ready for another bombardment. Surrender now or die with your comrades."

"This is a question between me and you! They don't are responsible, Riaku! It's unfair and dishonorable put their life in the middle of the mess. Come here and challenge me. It's me that you want, right? Fight with me and leave them in peace. We have both lost already too many friends today." Killer exclaimed, rage rising in his veins as he raised the Wyvern towards the tank.

"This is not a personal question... this is a war of conquest that will decide the destiny of two or three kingdoms and impress all the world when the elite of the warrior race, the tigers of Kesteven, the pearls of the north will give in and march behind my tanks with hands tied, defeated for the first and last time in the history of our species. Time of chivalry's end. A duel can't decide the destiny of millions of people. Me and you... we can't decide for them. The people of Mottram is fighting for his victory, Kesteven's people is fighting for survive. They all will decide their fate." Riaku answered decidedly, his voice powerful with moral indignation and arrogance.

"Liar. You lie to yourself and to everyone who follows you. You haven't the courage and the honor for rise alone? Challenge me, kill me and Kesteven and Kendrew are both yours." Killer growled back, his icy blue eyes reduced to luminous slots in the night.

"Honor... Loyalty... Tradition. Your ideals are useless, dangerous utopias which will bring you and the ones like you to extinction." Riaku roared with fury, the loudspeakers hissing in the night as Killer neither blinked.

"They were also yours ideals, Riaku..." He said softly, an underline of pain in his warm voice as another memory hit him, a memory of a laughing Riaku in a Predators uniform a bit too big for him, surrounded by other friends of the past as he was approaching for listen, a wide smile on his muzzle...

"A time. A time..." Replied a now calm, but seeming disgusted voice. Killer sighed, closing his eyes, knowing that there was no chance to force him to put an end at the battle talking to him trough cameras and microphones of a tank. He had to see him, talk to him directly... even force him to fight, if necessary. The others weren't responsible, they hadn't to pay anymore. But when he closed a moment his eyes, thinking on what to do, his sharp sensed trained by years of battles alarmed him and he immediately scrambled down the wall of concrete, turning suddenly back as the voice of Alexis on his side shouted an alarm as well...

And immediately the gunfire restarted as he found himself surrounded by enemies that had silently and disloyally exploited the pause for sneak behind him... he couldn't estimate the number, but he rose immediately the Wyvern in his hands, snarling as other rubbery grenades begun again to shatter the wall behind his head, screams rising into the air.

An enemy was at his side, jumping over the Javelin and grasping it firmly, then trying to sneak away rapidly as the huge male kicked to the side, catching him in the gut with a terrible "crack" of plates of armor and ribs shattered to pieces as the body flied into the air knocking down another parachutist before slam against the wall of reinforced concrete at the base of the fuel reserve, a spider's web of cracks running on the concrete before the body slowly fell on the ground in a puddle of blood, the missile launcher still closed in his hands and now unusable after the deadly strike.

Two soldiers rose their weird rifles and pulled the triggers, sending from a few feet of distance two sharp metallic darts towards him, who still had speed enough for get mostly out of their aim, the similar-to-arrow's-tips striking into his huge right arm and barely penetrating the steel hard muscles and remaining precariously fit into him as he grunted more in surprise than pain... But before he could force out the darts from his flesh, the two grinned and discharged a current of terrible voltage into his body across a thin metallic string connected at the darts.

Killer snarled in pain, feeling his huge strength leak away from him as the current invaded his organism and he slid down along the wall and with his large back on the ground, the Wyvern now strangely heavy and boiling hot to keep in his hand as other soldiers added another darts into his arms... but then he growled, hearing as from a huge distance the voice of Alexis call him and he forced forwards his well muscled arms in hard swings. He missed the soldiers, who jumped easily backwards out of his range... but the flexing of his muscles forced out easily most of the darts, blood leaking weakly from the little wounds as he bit furiously over the last one, catching it between his cruel fangs and pulling it out before spit it hardly into the face of the nearer soldier as all the enemies looked at him with utter terror, disbelieving.

The dart caught the enemy in the middle of his muzzle, sinking deeply easily into his soft nose and transmitting the fatal current, knocking him down on the asphalt as the other, panicking, was late in removing the finger from the button on the handle of the strange assault rifle. Killer scrambled rapidly to his feet, making force on his back on the ground and pulling himself in the air, knocking down other two soldiers with powerful strikes of his feet on their chests before land straight on his clawed toe with elegance, standing over the remaining in all his imposing height and mass, a merciless grin on his muzzle as six soldiers tried to charge him and grasp his body for tackle him down against the shattered wall...

He let them do their stupid charge before rise the Wyvern and point it easily in front of him, leaving a soldier impale himself on the thick crimson blade with his own foolish running, blood immediately flooding out along the blade towards the golden hilt as the soldier struggled a moment against Death... and he quickly grasped the head of another with his free hand, exercising a tremendous force on the skull of the parachutist and shattering it like a tomato before thrown the body violently against the wall behind his shoulders as the other four grasped his arms and torso with a wild, stupid shout of victory.

The huge white tiger forced outwards his arms whit all his brutal strength, throwing the soldiers on the ground around him as his hands grasped two of them rapidly by their necks, stopping their fallings and forcing them one against the other, knocking their heads together with enough force to likely kill both the two with a noisily creak and a big spurt of dark blood. He adjusted the hold on the handle of the Wyvern that he had changed for can wrap his long fingers around the neck of one of the two, ready to kill the remaining, two soldiers that were rising from the ground with bleeding muzzles...

But he had no need of do nothing as a golden lightning crossed his eyesight gaining a grin from his as Alexis landed in front of him, both arms stretched out, the sword in the right hand sunk to the hilt into the chest of one of the two and the huge pistol in the other hand still smoking slightly as the other man fell backwards with a rain of gore, brain and blood, his head completely destroyed. She rapidly changed hers furious snarl in a beautiful grin to him as he watched down at her... but then the roar of the engine of tank awakened them.

Killer jumped forwards and landed perfectly on his feet, turning rapidly on his heel as his hand lightning fast sheathed the Wyvern on his back and he bended forwards his huge body, stretching outwards his muscled arms as Alexis rolled agilely away on hers shoulder. The huge vehicle shattered easily across the wall, sending chunks of concrete everywhere around and charging directly towards the huge, motionless male with the cannon, the coaxial machine gun and the other machine gun on the remote controlled mount on top of the turret shooting against him a rain of rubbery, useless rounds.

Then the tank, launched at full speed against the tiger, crushed against his stretched hands like against a solid wall of steel, Killer slipping hardly backwards as he forced his weight and power into his feet, his cruel claws sinking in the asphalt as he growled, every muscle bulging with the effort, veins visibly stretched out pumping blood in his working muscles as the sharp muzzle of the tank crunched backwards, buckling impressively against his hands...

And even Alexis gaped as the wheels squeaked uselessly on the ground, the engine roaring but the tank motionless... before Killer roared and forced forward all his brutal strength, stepping forwards and making the tank slide backwards ridiculously, the engine giving a loud metallic whimper of protest, the guns now useless because he was too near and they hadn't enough depression for aim at him. And then she caught his glance and nodded, throwing a FRAG-grenade precisely under the eight wheels...

And he jumped easily on the large hood of the tank, leaving it free of spurt forwards with incredible violence now that it was free before the grenade exploded and destroyed every wheel, making the vehicle bounce a bit before fall heavily on its armored belly and reach rapidly a stop as sparks flew away from the rough contact between steel and asphalt. Killer meanwhile had easily grasped the barrel of the gun with his hands, fighting against the electric motor that was trying to point the weapon at him and in a simple twisting motion he had torn it, along with the mobile shield that included also the coaxial gun, away from the turret before slam viciously the cut of his other hand into the remote controlled machine gun on top, destroying that too and transforming the threatening tank in a ridiculous, damaged box of steel where four men were too scared to exit.

Felix Russell had been the first tiger in all Kesteven to enter in a tank when Killer had studied the opportunity of create an Armored Cavalry Regiment and since then, he was always the commander of the now much bigger armored forces of Kesteven. He had fought under the command of Wyvern in a lot of battles and had gained a medal in Wycherley when he had guided the regiment over the bridge valiantly conquered by the Predators and then had fought for every minute of the long clash between enemy forces numerically advantaged, holding the line of the side of the battlefield. He had seen a lot of terrible situations and had faced powerful enemies... but he had to admit that he had never seen something comparable to what was going on.

He was seated in the comfortable seat of his armored compartment in the turret of the tank, surrounded of flat screens, a console of command in front of him and his head inserted in a small, circular turret with fine armored windows with nocturnal view for see all around the tank. He was the commander of the crew apart from be the supreme officer of the armored forces on the ground. At his right side he had an armored wall that separated and protected him from the fully automatic, huge cannon with its robotic system of charge. On the other side of the gun compartment there was the gunner, meanwhile the driver was in the body of the tank, in the middle of the sharp muzzle of the vehicle. He could talk with them only with the internal phone and the armored, separated compartments were one of the reasons of the excellent resistance of their tank... but gods, he had a great, great wish of see a friendly face instead of screens covered of red points and images of the external world, full of enemies.

Felix watched down on the flat screen opened over his lap, where he had a digital map of the battlefield. Roads, buildings and blue points that were his tanks... unfortunately, everywhere around, the screen was covered of red stains.

The enemy had hundreds of tanks and IFVs. Their regiments were trying to surround their smaller lines as the IFVs throw up squads of infantry with deadly anti-tank missile-launchers as additional threat. Every tank of Kesteven and Kendrew was armed with an automatic cannon, a coaxial machine gun and four more weapons on remote controlled mounts. Besides, it was equipped with the latest model of composite armor Chobbam, inclusive of a layer of depleted uranium. Externally, the crews had added spaced metallic gratings with the task of cause the explosion of the missiles before hit the body of the tank. There was even a complete cover of small blocks of explosive pressed between two plates of steel, destined to explode at the contact with a shell or a missile for deviate or at least weaken the effects. There was even an active system of defense based on a radar able of see bullets coming and shoot against them a little explosive grenade for destroy them when still far from the tank....

The armor had saved them already a lot of times, but the loses were rapidly increasing. The active defense was out on most tanks, because damaged or because the grenades were ended. A lot of block of Explosive Reactive Armor ERA had already given their service and the gratings were by now wrecks. And despite all, the defenders were still fighting with bravery, trying to repeal the enemy.

"Tank, 3 hour! Armor piercing, elevation 12°!" Shouted Felix in the microphone as he framed in his optics the next target, a grey, imposing tank that was currently crushing a guard rail for enter into the large road named "The Ring", its long cannon searching a target...

But the gunner on the Felix's tank worked easily his hand on the small joystick of his console, rotating rapidly the big, heavy turret of the tank until frame the target found by the commander and assigned... then the Laser Targeting System locked the target, activating the gyroscope system of stabilization that locked the cannon in position, aimed at the enemy even during the worst maneuvers that the driver was doing for try to run from cover to cover and save the vehicle from the enemy fire... the gunner grinned as the icons of the shell on his console flashed in green, signaling that the AP round was ready and he immediately pushed down with his left foot on a pedal. The coaxial machine gun fired a short three rounds burst with drawing projectiles which he saw clearly ricochet against the armor of the enemy tank. The cannon was correctly aimed... and the pressure on the right pedal fired the shell as the cannon roared in the night, all the tank rocking a bit backwards with the power of the shot.

And then Felix saw the target explode in a ball of fire and heard the shout of satisfaction of the gunner on the internal phone, letting himself grin a bit before say rigidly "hit confirmed". It was their personal fourth tank destroyed that day... But the situation remained desperate as a pair of rounds ricocheted violently against their tank, threatening of overturn them like a toy as several more systems of board flashed in red, out of service after the new damages.

Felix watched the tactical map, seeing clearly that the enemy was trying to exploit his numerical advantage for surround them, two columns of tanks running fast on both sides of their lines followed by IFVs that leaved regularly small teams of two men with anti-tank missile launchers for close every way of retreat. If they managed to turn behind them and close also the accesses to the Boulton Street, the entire division was ended. The moment was arrived...

Felix sighed as he hit the button for the communications who activated one of the cameras in front of his face as he assumed a perfect position. "Majesty, we have reached the limit. I think we will be surrounded definitively in the arc of two minutes... I ask the permission to retreat."

On the other side he could hear the noise of a rough close fighting as swords filled the air of metallic screams in addition at the yells of the wounded. "You were in Wycherley and you have always fought with bravery and intelligence... if you say that it's time, it's time. Permission granted. Break the contact and retreat over better defensible positions. You will launch new, rapid attacks of lightening in the next hours... we still need you and we all have the greatest confidence in you. Good luck." Said finally the powerful, gentle voice of the king on the other side, gaining a sigh of relief from Felix. He had had a little fear of been asked of stay and fight until die... even if he known that Killer wasn't the type for send his men to death in that cruel way like a past dictator. In any case, if ordered, he was sure that no one would have disobeyed... and another little fear was that he was trying to talk with a corpse on the ground. But Wyvern was still fighting, strong as always. He could easily understand that from his calm voice and the sounds of terror of the enemies around as swords slashed noisily one against the others.

"Good luck, majesty." The communication ended and he was already working his hands on the console, drawing with his fingers orders and new routs of retreat for every platoon of his weakened but glorious unit... and as the Kesteven and Kendrew tanks retreated rapidly in two different directions along the Ring, the enemy had now free space for charge the wall of the airport and make the decisive move.

"To the refueling zone personnel from Wyvern. Fill the tankers still attached at the tubes and then reach the entrance of the underground parking. Get out from there and then run towards the palace... and good luck." Killer said clearly in the microphone, every word standing out clearly even if he was currently fighting against some brave parachutists. "To the defenders of the refueling zone from Wyvern. Defend the retreat of the tankers. Hold a defensive perimeter around the convoy."

Killer dared a rapid glance towards the numerous tankers behind him as Alexis faced the nearer enemies. Four tankers were already running towards the entrance of the underground parking, where two team of Predators armed with assault rifles and machine guns were defending their departure... six others were disconnecting the tubes and he could see other eight still attached.

"Majesty, every incendiary device is placed. We are ready for the demolition." Wyvern closed his eyes for a moment in relief when finally the voice of the captain of the Ordinary Explosive Disposers team sounded in his headphones with the wanted news.

"Perfect, captain. Retreat towards the entrance of the underground parking and be ready for the great explosion."

As he reached again the fight, his back against the back of Alexis as the two faced the enemy parachutists still decided to break the weakened defensive line of Kesteven, the enemy tanks finally emerged with their scary metallic racket from the wall on the side of the Ring and from the side of Boulton street. The huge, impersonal and soulless monsters of steel charged through the wall of concrete like running into a paper sheet, sending debris, chunks of structure and a cloud of dust and dirt all around, engines roaring a threat of death as an entire armored division seemed suddenly to appear in the lawns around the runways, immediately followed as well by powerful IFVs and new infantry heavily armed.

Shouts of relief and triumph from all the weakened, tired formations of parachutists reached the sky as finally the promised, armored help reached them, supplying mobile covers for advance and a formidable fire power for defeat every stubborn resistance of Kesteven.

But as in Wycherley, no one gave in to the panic. Immediately, from every point of the airport, Killer could hear insults and curses from the Predators, the fire of every weapon increase... and a sound that would never leave his memories after that night... the weird, gloomy whistle of the anti-tank Javelin, the better defense that they still had.

But the Predators were demons. Even without Javelins, they destroyed a good number of vehicles with every possible technique. Killer saw them launch huge objects that he knew were several grenades tied together directly under the tracks of the tanks for destroy them and immobilize the vehicles. He saw them pretend of be dead with impressive self control or remain hidden in every hole in the ground and then place an explosive charge under the bellies of the huge tanks when they passed over them... He saw soldiers and Predators launch bottles Molotov filled with fuel on flame over the aeration gratings over the engines, fighting and fighting and fighting despite the loses ever higher as huge cannons and obsessive machine guns watered convulsively the ground of burning, deadly steel, the parachutists entering in every trench for finish the job. And the heart of Killer thudded with pain and regret... it was as Wycherley. Worst, even. They were paying the price for fight a battle lost in departure. And yet, he couldn't not be proud of them... and he knew that they were ready. Even with the better intentions of save their life, he knew that if he had accepted the surrender proposed by Riaku, he would have done them the worst insult. They were soldiers. They were ready to fight and die. But never to surrender.

"We are done, Majesty! We are retreating!" Finally the last tanker signaled that the work was end and Killer saw easily the huge truck roar on the asphalt towards the entrance of the underground parking, surrounded by small teams of Predators for the support of fire.

"Well then...! To everyone, evacuate the refueling zone. Point of meeting the underground parking. Retreat immediately." Killer, Alexis and Ken gained a cover in a small crater and fired with their weapons for keep the enemy far meanwhile all the defenders broken the contact and retreated towards the long, steep descent for the underground where the tail of the long convoy of tankers was finally vanishing, running towards the other exit for gain the palace with their so precious load.

Then, finally, even the general and his company ran towards the salvation as a pair of tanks, four IFVs and tens of soldiers surrounded the refueling zone, a pair of armored humvee reaching immediately the zone as men of the enemies EOD teams descended from them with their awkward Kevlar armors...

"Make it explode!" Shouted Killer in rage as he and Alexis rose in a low crouch after a long roll down the steep descent, bursts of rounds smashing behind them in the asphalt with a terrible sound, bullets ricocheting between the walls of reinforced concrete.

The captain of the EODs was already pushing the buttons over his remote detonator, a grimace of terror and rage on his face as sweat streaked down his fur, the helmet in his other hand. "We can't majesty. EMP Jammers. They have to be over their vehicles... their electromagnetic pulses are strong enough to stop the signal of ours detonation order. I can't destroy it...!"

He watched up at him with a mortified face, terror and tears of rage and impotence over his face as he tried and tried... and Killer thought rapidly, hearing the well known sound of tracks and wheels and feet on their footprints on top of the descent. "They can defuse ours device?"

"A normal soldier no... we have put up every charge an anti-manipulation explosive device. A tear-system that will explode at the first attempt of remove it. But a team of EOD surely can."

"They have already two teams up there. Where are the charges?" Killer asked rapidly as he bit his lower lip a bit.

"Over every terminal of refueling there's an incendiary charge. They are independent... but also all tied together inside. Make explode one and also the others will."

Killer watched towards Alexis and Ken, two both intent on arming once more their sniper rifles, two both watching up at him with a resolute glance that was better than words. We can do it.

"Ok then. Thank you. Get the hell out of here immediately with the tankers... we will be back soon. Retreat, everyone!" Killer shouted back over his shoulder as he opened the line, removing the safe from the Cobra and leveling it at his shoulder, eye on the aiming sight, Alexis and Ken following as the armored, eight-wheeled truck of the EODs rapidly scrambled away down in the underground with his load of men, explosives and devices.

Then the eyes of Killer overcome the level of the descent and he immediately fired for keep far the enemy, a big team of parachutists that was running towards them, shooting furiously... and Alexis and Ken emerged at his side, aiming towards the crowded refueling zone, surrounded by a thick security cordon of tanks, IFVs and soldiers, searching a small open space for a view of an explosive devices...

Killer grunted as he felt a few bullets brush painfully his arms, then he staggered a bit as a pair of big bullets slammed in his armor, over his broad chest and several more bursts smashed in the concrete and in the asphalt around him as he tried to be a shield for the two snipers apart from support fire for stop the enemy...

And finally Alexis snarled and he heard two noisily, powerful shots behind him, then a third from the Enfield of Ken as the three dropped their weights down on their knees, vanishing under the level of the ground, out of the view of the enemy as an incredible white light flooded the airport like a dawn for an instant, as a gloomy, far roar echoed inside the tanks of fuel with the born of the biggest arson of the history, several more devices exploding setting fire to every single reserve remained.

"Are you ok?" Asked affectively Alexis as she watched over the little wounds and bruises over the massive arms of hers husband and then over the two crushed bullets fit into his black armor, hers hand reaching up for his neck as they ran down again along the descent, shouts of rage, soldiers and vehicles following them.

"Nothing serious." He said nodding, before scramble for the first massive concrete pillar of the underground entrance under the disbelieving eyes of the other two. "Go forwards and enter in the first emergency exit on the side. We are not done yet... we have to regain the surface."

The two nodded, running forwards but looking backwards over their shoulders as Killer crushed a terrible rounding kick in the first pillar, cutting it in two before run towards the one on the other side as the first huge structure of reinforced concrete slammed on the asphalt with the racket of a massive explosion, sinking a bit in the asphalt. Ken gaped at the sight of the pillar destroyed, covered of cracks and at the great number of bars of steel torn and bended like worms as the legendary general shattered also the other before run away rapidly as a large part of the ceiling cracked noisily with a rain of chunks of concrete and clouds of dirt... before watch again upwards and snarl at the solidity of the structure, that still was resisting. He helped immediately with a grenade aimed at the damaged roof... and finally, with a deafening roar, great part of the first section of the underground parking collapsed, huge ruins covering completely the entrance, sealing that zone of the airport.

Finally, the three warriors climbed the narrow staircase of concrete of the first emergency exit and Killer smashed easily across the metallic trapdoor on top, emerging on the surface and immediately rolling into the nearer trench for exit from the enemy sight. The trench was occupied by three gunners of the First Infantry Division of Kesteven and several corpses... but the three still alive were still shooting with their machine guns, the floor of the hole covered of bullet cases and empty tubes for Javelin's missiles. Wyvern immediately touched gently the shoulder of the three, first sign of gratitude and affection that entered in his mind as Alexis and Ken reached him and he set better the microphone of his visor for a new message.

"I'm talking to the Predators and to everyone has still enough force and heart to do this for his comrades and friends... for allow the men in the more external trenches and position to retreat through the enemy lines and try to save their life, we of the internal trenches have to charge forwards, pointing directly on the enemy and causing chaos and fear into their army. I know that it seems a suicide... and probably it is. But if we don't retreat immediately towards the structures of the airport, we are all dead. And I don't want to leave the braves in the farer positions alone without hopes of come out alive. We are all brothers, here. Who lives and who die... and I want to do what's possible for everyone."

Despite the hours of desperate fighting, the answer was great. From the entire airport rose immediately the well known chorus of roars and sword as everyone prepared himself for the great charge.

"IFVs, now it's your moment. Charge!" Killer ordered as he prepared the Cobra in the left hand and the Wyvern in the right. Immediately, Steve Davids, on the other side, released a cheerful roar as he repeated the order for his twenty crews... and the powerful IFVs ran over the huge metallic doors of the hangars, emerging in the field with the wanted, dreamed effect surprise as they immediately scrambled in a long line, leaving large empty spaces one between the other, firing furiously with every weapon and aiming the Javelins against the wave of enemy tanks.

"Now, everyone!" Killer shouted inside the microphone as he, Alexis, Ken and the three soldiers jumped out from the trench, beginning immediately to run as the three gunners soon scrambled down on their bellies and fired furious bursts with their machine guns. All around, from every hole in the ground, from every hiding place, soldiers in white uniforms and Predators with red berets jumped out, shooting like demons and running. The ones of the external positions running towards the structure of the airport, the others charging running towards them for give help and closing the enemy in a valorous, chaotic double charge.

Killer watched with the deepest pride his men rise and run and fight like that... especially in front of the powerful, numerous armored army in front of them. The tanks have always the power of cause unpleasant shivers down the spines of the infantry men. They seem so impersonal. They leaves behind them only destruction. They are armored and they seem invulnerable. You are you against them, and you feel like an ant with a foolish fear. Control that fear is the hardest thing, together with face the shock of the artillery...

A nearby IFV fired in the general direction of Killer as he fired a grenade with the Cobra against a group of confused soldiers hidden behind the side of an advancing tank with the turret aimed on the left, following a rapidly charging Kendrew's IFV. They were both firing on their left, probably trusting in their own armored troop carrier for keep covered their front side... But the shots doesn't caught Killer but a few other men on his side before the small turret turned towards him as the grenade mowed down the soldiers...

And Killer drop immediately down on his abdomen as the IFV fired, missing him for a puff and then maneuvering the turret for aim at him... and then from somewhere a Javelin missile hit the enemy vehicle and Wyvern felt the shake of the high explosive and the wave of heat on his muzzle as the enemy remained suddenly motionless and inoffensive. He, Alexis and Ken fired with their weapons until the gunners reached them and lied down themselves, firing with their machine guns. At that point, Killer and the others jumped again on their feet and ran forwards again, shooting.

Usually you don't shoot when running. It slow you down and very rarely your shots are precise when all your body is moving, the sweat runs down your face and into your eyes as the enemy use you as a mobile target... but now it was vital. They can't simply run with the support of the machine guns for a few meters, drop down and give support to the gunners until they reached them for restart the procedure... They had now to be fast and run as much as possible, even if more time you spend on your feet, more you become an easy target. And especially, they had to shoot more than the enemy. Who shoots more, force the other to search a hiding place...

Killer run forwards again, feeling around him the bursts of the machine guns of the three gunners behind... you can also see the drawing projectiles of the enemy run against you. Hear that burning and hissing noise with every round that missed you or slammed in the ground around you, maybe ricocheting in the air. And now he could see the turret of the tank turn towards him, the machine guns of the vehicle rotate rapidly on their mounts and opening fire against him as he launched himself in a bold tackle, sliding under the muzzle of the armored, tracked vehicle as the bullets plowed the ground behind him. He rapidly slammed a big charge of plastic explosive PE4, a more stabile version of the famous C4, on the metallic belly of the tank and it adhere to it with its magnet that he had added for complete security. And when the tank overcome him, made a few meters, the charge exploded and pierced the tank from side to side, flames exploding out from every door over the turret as he scrambled again on his feet with a snort, firing with the Cobra.

Incredibly, a nearby IFV retreated rapidly on its tracks, firing with its machine guns until Alexis jumped easily over it and reached up for eradicate the weapons with hers huge strength as if in a challenge with hers husband, who covered her against the soldiers around, who were trying to hit her with their rifles.

Killer fired rapidly three more grenades, watching them for an instant as they hissed in the air. Then, as he was already running with Alexis towards another IFV, he heard the powerful explosions, the debris fall on the ground... and then screams. Good. They are bleeding and not shooting, at least.

The two reached the IFV, finding with surprise that it had discharged the infantry squad and that the team had carelessly leaved the armored door on the back open. Alexis grinned evilly and threw a grenade inside, enjoying the well known deaf thud which killed the crew inside on the moment.

Everyone ran and fought, ran and fought. Vehicles were burning and the air was filled with smoke and with the stink of fuel and corpses when finally Killer understood that they had almost overcomes the line of the enemy and their comrades from the farer positions were crossing them, running towards the airport, shooting and shouting their thanks. Everyone was covered of wounds, dirt, bruises... and the ground was covered of corpses. But they had saved their comrades and given a chance to everyone. There was nothing more possible to do.

"Wyvern to everyone. Thank you for your efforts and blood. Now, everyone, retreat. Meeting point, the hall of the airport."

When Killer overcome the shattered doors of the airport, walking over thousands of little, inoffensive slivers of crystal, watched with utter pain the miserable scene of the hall. Every glass was shattered, every wall cracked under the enemy fire and all the building shake under the rain of bullets. The computers and the billboards with the departures and the arrivals were destroyed, most of the elegant, massive circular pots of flowers were shattered, ground and trees landed on the damaged marble floor... But that could be repaired.

Instead, on the long, tidy queues of blue armchairs were seat a number incredible of wounded, men without an arm or a leg or with horrible looking wounds, bandaged up in a hurry and often with makeshift material. Doctors in white uniforms whit great red crosses were running everywhere, trying to help everyone. The bandages were finished from a lot of time and they were tearing down their sleeves of pieces of uniforms for remedy... also the morphine was almost finished...

Killer walked rapidly towards an empty chair and deposed gently there the wounded that had charged on his shoulders. The young Predator remained there, weak and bloody, his right hand attached at the destroyed wrist only by a fine hem of skin and fur... but still he watched up at the general with affection and gratitude. Killer smiled back, but he would have preferred an hard slap on his face for how much he was feeling the fault for all that as Alexis placed down hers own wounded and then embraced him gently before return to Killer and caress slightly his muzzle with one hand, Ken following closely across the door, helping a doctor that has been wounded during a brave attempt of exit for bring his help to someone else.

"We have given him his morphine, already..." Killer explained to the doctor whit a scary bloody uniform who reached them, watching the new wounded with a tired, upset face. "Take this, too. I know there's need of..." Killer and Alexis removed the phials of morphine from around their necks where they were in observance of the procedure and then poured them to the doctor, who thanked with impressive gentleness.

Then Killer looked over the room, seeing the doctors and the wounded recognize his massive figure and trying to stand up for greet him... "If someone of you tries to stand up for my useless title, I'll give him a slap!"

Then his heart thudded painfully in his chest as he saw a long, long queue of corpses gathered on the floor in the other long room of the passenger stop. A few civilians were putting them respectfully inside white bags or under white blankets recomposing every victim as an impressive pile of weapons and ammo remained nearby, available for who was still fighting...

And he fought with his own pain, fighting back tears for long time forget as he grasped a bloody Javelin and a few tubes still filled with missiles from the pile as even Alexis and Ken reached what they needed with pain on their features...

On the other side, of the room, outside on the Boulton road, there was a long queue of trucks, armored ambulances, cars, humvee and IFVs that the medical teams where filling at the limit with wounded to send at the castle, towards a secure, calm place where they could still hope to survive. Helicopters were landing noisily on the road and on the roof, white red-crossed ones and also normal transport helicopters which the enemy doesn't hesitate to attack at every chance as the gunners on the aircraft answered bravely... And when Killer, Ken and Alexis stood for a moment with a respectful military greeting for the dead lined on the ground, Wyvern smiled a weak smile seeing the pilots of the Typhoons, help where it was possible, all in good state, waiting for their own C-SAR helicopter for the evacuation.

No one of the soldiers entered in the hall dreamed neither for a moment of fight from there... instead, they painted huge red crosses over white blankets and set them over the destroyed windows with the hope that the enemy would have ceased the fire over there. And in fact, at least, the Mottram forces respected the signs. Instead, Killer and all the other warriors ran over the damaged staircases on over the malfunctioning mobile stairs and reached the roof of the airport, where the resistance was still strong.

"The order is to keep the enemy away until we evacuate every wounded and, if possible, ours dead. I'm pretty sure that the enemy would respect them... but I don't want to leave no one behind if we can. Good luck, everyone."

Killer reached the parapet for fire with the Cobra and the recovered Javelin over the wave of enemies that had surrounded completely the airport and was now facing the stubborn resistance from the roof as Ken and Alexis gained the damaged control tower for have the best range possible for their deadly sniper rifles...

The resistance continued for an hour or so as other problems born. Ammo, for example. But at least, every vehicle and helicopter available was bringing the men away from the airport under siege. Killer had also talked on the radio with Siegfried, learning that the green zone was still solid. The white zone was lost as forecasted, but teams of elite of the Predators were already exploiting the secret passages for emerge suddenly in the enemy's rear echelons and destroy vital, vulnerable supplies or convoys or precious devices and weapons like the artillery. Seth and Alexander were resisting in a four-floor building at the external limit of the green zone. And all were amazed of the result of the defense of the airport, that was going over every expectative. The runway out of town was by now ready for the cargo planes and most of the fuel was safe in another bunker, thanks to the bravery of the team with the tankers that had challenged the enemy air force driving in the roads of Kesteven in small groups.

But now, Killer had to admit that the situation was becoming rapidly unbearable at the airport... and then a small fighter sweep of four enemy planes emerged from the night and attacked in the middle of the fire of the last three 40 mm cannons on the roof and of the last CIWS still operative, at the base of the control tower.

Killer watched with worry the four fighters attack, watering the parapets of grenades with their guns and then dropping their laser guided bombs as one of the aircrafts exploded, hit by the crossed bursts of two cannons before another turned strictly towards the tower.

Wyvern fired with the Cobra against it, even knowing that it was useless, terror drowning him for the first time in his life as he though to Alexis, that was up there... and Ken too, his old friend of so much battles...

He saw the CIWS follow with his impressive fire the fast Su30... then he saw two bombs leave the pylons under the wings, pointing infallibly towards the tall tower lightened by the laser aiming sight... the rounds of the CIWS shatter finally across the fuselage, the fighter explode and then again the CIWS hit one of the two bombs...

But the first one hit precisely the base of the tower with a terrible explosion, all the structure collapsing on itself with a terrible racket as he ran forwards with a roar of rage and desperation, calling their names on the radio... without any answer as he reached the huge debris of concrete and begun to lift them and throw them around, trying desperately to dig... they had to be still alive... they can't be died. Not her. Not Alexis.

And as he digs, doubts drowned his mind, overcoming even the terror... I'm weak, now? I hadn't this hesitations, this fears when I was alone... she is my weak point? I'm vulnerable and not trustable as commander now...? I can't have this fear in me when hundreds, thousands of life are in my hands... no, I can't live without her now. I can't...

"Need help, awesome?"

Killer almost dropped the massive piece of wall that was removing from the pile of ruins on his feet, watching at his side, hoping with all his strength that it wasn't a dream... but Alexis was there, supporting herself now the huge debris, hers visor shattered and dirt and durst all over hers in any case wonderful body and hairs as she smiled a bit.

"Not... don't you dare to do it again...!" Killer exclaimed with an incredible heat in his body as the relief filled his heart. "Ken? Where is?"

"I'm jumped out from the window when I've seen the fighter start the attack path... but he's still inside. I think he's jumped under the staircase for find a shelter..." Alexis removed another chunk of concrete as also other soldiers reached them for help the two giants.

And finally Killer shattered across a cracked wall and entered in a small, staggering and on the verge of collapse cave filled by clouds of dust and dirt. The solid staircases, designed to resist to the earthquake had resisted at the rain of the superior floors and were now cracking under the colossal weight of the debris. He watched forwards, moving with prudence and avoiding touching anything as the structure gave some new sound of agony...

"I'm here! Killer, I'm here!" A pained, weak voice exclaimed.

"Thank you, sky." Killer walked forwards and found a badly wounded Ken, lying down on his back just under the first ramp of staircase, covered only of small debris... but then Wyvern gaped with pain at the sight of a massive chunk of concrete that had smashed on the right arm of the friend, destroying it in an horrible vision of shattered flesh and muscles. The right hand, completely detached by his body, was still holding convulsively the loved rifle, slightly damaged itself and with the scope shattered.

Killer watched down at the friend with complete pain, but he tried to smile as he removed the ruin from his body and lifted Ken easily over his shoulders.

"You will make it, Ken... we will set you again, you will see." Killer said softly as he saw the tears on the cheek of the friend, knowing that it wasn't the pain itself... but the worry of can never again be able of do a lot of things... and especially, over everything, he knew that the fear of Ken was of never recover his impressive ability as sniper.

"Please, Killer... if you want to save me, bring out of here also my rifle. Or me and it, or no one of the two... please."

Killer slowly removed the shattered hand, fighting against the sensations in his chest at the thought of what it was and finally grasped the Enfield, pouring it to Ken who grasped it with all his strength in the left hand as the huge male walked out of the ruins and then down the stairs, into the hall, Alexis following closely at his side. He was relieved as never before in seeing the huge rooms practically empty as he reached the door and exited in Boulton Street, where two doctors were still charging a wounded in an IFV, pushing the makeshift stretcher on the floor of the hold of the vehicle, between the two queues of wounded in the seats.

"There's space still? I've another wounded to... we have to save him." Killer ended resolutely as he approached the doctors.

"The vehicle is already overloaded, Majesty, but... think you can stay on your feet?" The doctor asked to Ken, reaching up gently for place a hand on his left shoulder.

"Sure." Answered Ken with a weak, contorted by the pain smile. "Put me down, Majesty, please."

Killer slowly and gently put down Ken inside the small, short hold of the IFV and the sniper stammered a lot but remained proudly on his feet, grasping a handle on the ceiling and thanking a pair of the other wounded who helped him immediately.

"Good luck, Ken. We will fight again together, you will see." Killer said gently as the doctors jumped over the IFV and begun to close the armored door. Killer and Alexis greeted back at all the others, who did it with touching dedication and reverence despite their own problems and smiled back to Ken, who said something with a wide smile, but too weakly for be heard over the noise of the engine and the metallic sound of the tracks as also the last vehicle leaved the airport.

"Here Wyvern, to everyone. Break the contact and retreat to new positions in the green zone. The evacuation of the airport is complete... thank you to everyone. You all have done more than what is usually included in the empty word 'possible'... good luck to everyone."