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Dante walked through the wasteland in the direction of a major tank manufacturing facility that was no doubt well guarded. His rifle was resting on his shoulder and a scarf would occasionally blow in the dusty wind. He sent Jean and the rest of Zero Unit to focus on a direct highway, so he was all alone. A gleam in the distance caught his eye and he switched on his headset amplifier, "I will give you all a chance to leave here alive."

More tiny specks of light appeared, but no bullets came as Dante marched forward. It took a few minutes, but he was eventually in range of any sniper fire. Through the wind, a small murmur arose, "It's just one! Kill him!"

"I will give you one minute to leave the facility and surrender your weapons."

Laughter. Dante wasn't taken seriously, and it didn't bother him. He slowly checked the watch on his wrist and the laughter quickly stopped. Four men ran out of the front entrance and tossed their guns before once again fleeing into the nothing.

"Forty five seconds."

"Yeah? And what is one little punk gonna do?" Perhaps they didn't recognize him entirely. The scarf was covering most of his face after all, "Take him out now!"

A loud bang echoed and a projectile smashed into Dante's energy shield, bouncing off effortlessly and soon taking out the sniper, "Thirty seconds 'till you face your demon."

"Dante! Heavy fire over here, we need aerial support!" Jean was frantic.

"Time's up. Time to die. Angel, take this place out quick."

From a distance, "But-"

"My people are worth a lot more than you." Three bursts of energy flew from far behind Dante, who threw an Angel Grenade in front of himself. It was all over in a matter of seconds, "Armor Depot down. Angel and Sere are on their way, I'm proceeding forward."

Isa chimed in, "Not alone you aren't! They just condensed forces again thanks to your people. We gained ground but can't move an inch. Rejoin with your unit or join up with some nearby units."

Dante sighed, "Isa, you pick your fights and I'll pick mine. You know damn well where I am and what needs to be done." Dante had just destroyed a major tank and SRA manufacturing facility and it just happened to be the last line of defense for what Fallen Sky discoved to be the main anti-aircraft power source. If it was taken out, Fallen Sky could move in with assault ships and end the war in a day, "I'm a ways out, focus on the task at hand."

"You've got to be kidding. Fine, we'll do what we have to, you just try not to get killed too quickly."

Dante marched through the sand and dirt, occasionally passing a dead tree or some dried brush. It was an interesting tactic, to hide a true asset behind another and keep the real secret hidden in plain sight. Unfortuntately, underestimating Fallen Sky was a fatal move by everyone that had tried before. A little dust wasn't enough to slow any real mercenary down anyway, "Hey Dante, thanks for the support. We're working with some other units to clear out this highway, won't be long now before we're at the city." Ratchet sounded cheerful at least.

Dante grunted to himself, "Good, keep pushing forward and tell Jean not to give them a chance to regroup. Kill any who resist."

"Got it. Anything else? I mean, it was a hell of a firefight but they never once held the advantage. Only Titus' shield took a few hits." They were bored even though Jean was probably scared out of her mind, "It was fun to see the frightened new girl."

Dante knew it before she mentioned, "And that is why she's in charge. Fear is necessary." A few clouds of dust were kicked up in the distance, "I have movement to your location, can't make it out but you do have vehicles incoming. An hour at their speed."

"We'll get another demo unit to wait for them. Good luck out there."

"Yeah, luck." This area was almost impossible to map due to the constant atmospheric sandstorm and the occasional ground level sandstorm, which made it perfect for something as valuable as a power source. Amazing what the promise of being allowed to leave an interrogation alive can teach you. A bit ahead of Dante, a tiny, fleeting gleam of metal that was almost engulfed by another wave of dust could be seen.

He ran ahead while making sure he kept out of sight, which meant dodging to the occasional dead tree and boulder. It took a while but eventually he could identify the outline of the building. Rectangular, two levels at most, and no doubt tightly guarded. If the vehicles from earlier came from here it would be easier to infiltrate but tight quarters would leave little room for subtlty. Dante moved into sprinting distance and looked out from around his tree.

Two guards by the heavy doors, luckily the security locks weren't engaged. Four snipers visible on the small second floor deck just sitting on unseen chairs. From how the war was going, it was obvious that morale was low and the soldiers stationed here were just looking for an excuse to do something. Whether it was to engage in battle or flee was hard to tell. Dante checked to make sure the bayonet on his rifle was firmly attached and then waited for a massive cloud of dust to make its way over.

A few minutes later and Dante charged into the blinding sand. With the sounds being made, he could have shouted if he wanted and nobody would have heard. Still, he didn't want to risk alerting too many soldiers until he was inside. With a quick stab to the throat under a helmet, a kick and another stab, the two door guards were eliminated and their sniper support was none the wiser. Dante slipped inside and took a breath of clean air.

Steel walls and study pillars kept this small building stable and the constant hum of cheap lighting helped the inhabitants ignore the storms outside. Lights of all colors flickered on an off on simple computers without rhyme or reason. This was a stark reminders that Fallen Sky was not fighting an equal, they were fighting a society trapped in the past. It reminded Dante of Earth a few decades ago, except these people were less willing to give anything up to advance.

Two soldiers ran around a hidden corner and Dante effortlessly shot both in the head, "So much for stealth." Dante didn't have a direction as no maps existed, but following the halls was bound to lead somewhere. Like a sign directing employees to the power room, "This seems far from secure..."

Simple walkways in a simple building meant to withstand dust storms. This was all that kept the capitol safe from air assaults. Dante felt pity for the people he was about to kill as they left so little to protect so much. Even if this wasn't their home planet, it was no different than leaving colonists unarmed in hostile territory with no means of backup. Just plain poor planning for such a massive military force.

In any case, Dante had to move quickly, and occasionally had to shoot a soldier or engineer. They were usually unarmed, but in times of war you needed to act, not worry about ethics. Any alarms they may have raised will have made completing his mission impossible and would lead to many deaths. Once Fallen Sky had control, they were going to force a surrender rather than obliterate everything in sight. Afterwards, this planet would be left to its own devices.

"Finally." A massive room with seriously outdated computers. Backlit monitors, plastic keys, and simplistic visuals comprised the computer in the otherwise empty room. Dante rushed to the computer and looked for anything relating to energy or power. A few clicks of a mouse later and he found the program which was unlocked. It was almost as though they hadn't comtemplated anyone getting this far. Pride was a terrible threat to an empire, no matter the year.

After a little digging, Dante found out that these people had been doing some high end trading. Micro-fusion generators were no bigger than a pen cap an a single one could generate enough power for a city block. The main issue was that they didn't have a quick output, so any major use would leave them drained for a few hours. A bunch of them at once could easily power the anti-aircraft cannons against small assaults. It was clever, but no doubt expensive and unsafe. He concluded that keeping the generators out here was as much to keep them hidden as it was to keep the general population safe.

"Dante, your vitals are still showing up. How is it going?" Isa sounded happy.

"Found the program, I can't really read their written language, can I transfer what I'm seeing?"

"You got it, just open your own comp and we'll handle it." Dante opened his digital screen and aimed at the older computer, "Okay, give us a second or two. Alright, click that third option, then... what?" Isa was yelling at someone, "Raise the bar to max, probably arrow keys."

Dante followed the iffy instructions as best as he was able and a warning popped up, "Any way to bypass this?"

"My guys tell me that there is no built-in automatic override, so at most you just have to wait a few minutes until the reactors reach critical mass."

"Run that by me again?"

"Oooohhh... I see the problem. Uh... okay. Wait until that little blue bar on the screen turns red, then you should have enough time to get out. Any sooner and someone could reverse the process."

"For fucks sake... how long do I have to sit around this death trap?!"

Isa was silent for a moment, "Uh... run?" The blue bar was already red, "Run fast!" Predictions for overheat were off by a lot, and that meant that Dante had only a little time to get out. He ran the same path he used to get to the control room and tried to not think at all, "Get moving!"

Dust was still settling outside, but unfortunately Dante couldn't run fast enough. The explosion sent him flying through the air and caused a sharp pain in his abdomin. A part of his mind was grateful for the sand on the ground which cushioned his fall, but that relief was replaced with urgency. Metal was raining from the sky and a large amount of blood was pouring from Dante. He found a shard of steel that penetrated from the back and started to leave the front but lost momentum.

"Holy shit! Are you alright!?"

"Not doing so great. Lots of blood."

"Dammit, I knew I shouldn't have let you go in alone."

Dante's vision was blurry, "I'll yell at you later about why that's wrong." He took a slow breath and sat up against a dead tree, "Take out the anti-aircraft, worry about the SRAs on the ground. Well Anima, I came as far as I could."

Dante felt as though Isa was yelling through his earpiece, but he couldn't hear the words. The blood loss had slowed, but seeing as how dark the sand was, it certainly wasn't his body healing. He briefly considered pulling out the metal, but it was as large as a skateboard and would only hasten the blood loss. All he could do was wait for death or rescue.

.......................................................

"Rescue then..." Dante woke up in an unfamiliar room and found a pirate hat on his footboard, "The Siren II."

"You're damn right it is." Isa was sitting cross-legged in a chair, "Do you have any idea how many times you died in surgery?"

"I'm alive now, so it doesn't matter. How are things on the ground?"

Isa snarled, "Going smoothly. Most of their troops surrendered when their last line of defense collapsed. Leadership is holding out, but it's only a matter of time now." Her snarl transformed into an evil smile, "Everything according to plan."

"You're an idiot. Blaming me for your own lack of intel. Your 'few minutes' almost got me killed." Dante tried to move but found his limbs tied down, "What's this for?"

"You had severe internal damage, too much movement could open up some organs. Sooo... you stay there until my doctors say otherwise. Zero Unit has been informed already."

Dante was bored, he didn't like sitting around or being tied up, "Can I do something at least?"

Isa picked up her hat, "I suppose we can have you on the bridge so you can watch everything collapse. Perhaps you will help them surrender faster."

A doubt was rising in Dante's mind. Isa was never this formal, and for a new state-of-the-art ship like the Siren II, the medical technology seemed lacking. Even the walls looked a little old fashioned, stainless steel wasn't Isa's style, "So Isa, I can tell you really put your style into this ship."

"Well it's about time somebody noticed!" Dante's head was fuzzy, but he was sure that this wasn't the Siren II and that was not Isa. If the alarms had been triggered, it was extremely likely that he was picked up by enemy forces. Why they kept him alive was not clear however, and he needed to learn fast. Prisoners weren't much use if they didn't hold up their end of the bargain, whatever it may be.

The bridge was pretty standard in every way, shape, and form. If you were to buy a cheap sci-fi comic, this is what you would expect to see. Dante was sure he was drugged to a degree, and was beginning to think that he was being used as leverage for some negotiation. The crew on the bridge were all typing on computers and wore helmets to conceal their faces. This was a set-up if he had ever seen one before.

It also confirmed his suspicions when his mental fog faded and body pain increased, "I need a gun. Can't look like me without one, they'll think they can win if I'm too injured." Isa looked concerned, but eventually handed over her assault rifle. It was an unmodified gun, similar to the ones Fallen Sky's newest enemies used.

A screen opened up on the window and what appeared to be a stock animation of a world leader appeared, "What's going on? How are you there?!"

"Isa." Dante checked the rifle, "Burn this place to the ground." He shot the imitation Isa in the head and turned his attention to the rest of the staff, "Now!" Single round fire helped him aim, but with each recoil shock the pain he felt increased. Only a few of the guards tried to take aim, but they were dispatched too quickly, "You thought a stupid trick would fool me?! Are you all insane?!"

Dante collapsed on the blood-stained floor and hit a few buttons on the computer console, "Are you alright?! What happened?!"

"Not doing so great, they really phoned it in with the surgery. Attack fast Isa."

"We aren't leaving you in there, alright? I messed up and I won't be able to sleep if you get killed 'cause of it! I've got a few units swarming to your location, can you hold out for a few minutes?"

Dante checked the rifle's magazine, "If there are only six of them, maybe." He smashed on the console and soon the door slammed shut, "A few minutes will be pushing it though." He flinched as a wave of pain washed over him, "I'm bleeding pretty bad here."