[Val Verde]

[December 2019]

—

[Thud]

[Thud]

[Thud]

The sounds of my steps echoed in the hallways. The audio system picked it up and transferred it to my own ears. The inboard system could filter sounds, and enhance strategic hearing.

So I would be able to ignore the sounds of animals, while focusing on conversations.

I passed by my children. They saluted as they noted me, my unique helmet gave me away as I moved down the dark corridors.

The night vision, along with the infrared emitters, made it seem like daylight as we moved. My command squad stayed behind me like a phantom. Their years of service as my bodyguards was second nature to them now.

I passed other fireteams as they formed up behind me. Each lead signaling in their status, which went up the chain until it made their to Candice.

Which meant that everything was going well. Candice had yet to interrupt my personal thoughts. Though she was going to lead several squads to rush the command center.

At least we assumed that it was the command center. The scouting force was good, but no one was perfect.

Aleksandra was currently heading another six fireteams. The two squads would look into the separate group of people. I hope that they were the hostages.

Yet I did not worry for the woman. She was a big girl, and she could take care of herself. The bodybuilding champion was not a shy girl.

With the main assault started, I waited in the mobile command post. A truck with a more powerful communication equipment.

Each fireteam was doing well, and our equipment outstripped theirs. I predicted no problems until we hit Bane. I hoped that the big man was away as even with military power, Bane was far from helpless.

—

[We have them pinned into the command center. Requesting engineers,] Candice crackled across the communication band.

I nodded to myself as that was my signal to move.

My command squad formed up as I went with the reinforcements.

Together we navigated the broken down facility.

Rubble had been cleared, but signs of old firefights dotted the hallways. There was little reconstruction done as the cement building held up well.

We walked past many broken doors. Though who had broken it would remain a mystery. Either Americans, or us, it mattered little I suppose.

Only the bodies of the dead counted. Though we did pass a few fireteams escorting prisoners out. Though that was rare.

The pathway to the command center ended. A platoon, or three full squads, of my children stood in a large reception room.

Sandbags and rubble had created a rough defensive barrier.

It was overrun and now we stared at the far door. The larger, metal barricade was currently getting lined with heavy breaching charges.

The bodies of various terrorists got piled onto the side wall. In time they would get processed and cremated.

Candice stood talking with several of my veteran soldiers. She strode over when she noticed me.

“Boss, we are ready to assault when you are!” Candice chirped as she gave me a thumbs up. “We also have visuals of what is behind the door.”

I nodded.

With a few taps on the side of my helmet, I was able to patch into what the ETC squad had set up. Using the specialist Lex mini-see-you-radar, I could see what they saw. The thick outlines of a three dozen people moving like shadows.

I noted that one was a head taller, and a half body wider then the rest.

If my guess was correct, then that it was Bane. Or a body double. Or a clone.

You never really knew.

The issue was the others in the room. They could have been citizens held hostage, or Bane's men.

The gear we had for this was not optimal. We would have to chance the fact that he had hostages, or I would take the responsibilities for their lives.

“We will breach the door, send in a stream of flash bangs. Two fireteams will enter first. Then another two,” I ordered and Candice nodded. She then turned around to selected the two squads.

The eight soldiers lined up and gave me the Val Verde salute. A fist to heart.

“If there is hostages, we will rescue them. If they are Bane’s men, shoot to kill. Don’t bother trying to subdue Bane. Immediately kill that man,” I said as I returned their gesture.

"Boss, we hear and obey!" they cried out in unison.

“Soldiers in position!” Candice ordered. The two squads reformed.

“Breach!” I ordered, and it was immediately followed by a sound. It began with a loud hiss, as the thermite ignited. The chemicals was quick to reach temperatures high enough to eat into the door.

The loud sizzling of metal was both bright, and not stealthy in any way.

The engineer team watched. The moment that the door was about to fall, they triggered the secondary explosives.

[BOOM!]

The waiting room shook, as did the entire structure.

The metal door blasted inward, and the support squads threw in flashbangs. The T-4 exoskeleton enhanced their power. The stun grenades sailed into the room.

[Bang!]

[Bang!]

[Bang!]

The two vanguard fireteams rushed in. The support started to randomly toss in flashbangs to keep the people in the room busy.

[Ratatata!]

Return fire immediately came from inside the room. Their smaller gunfire got shrugged off. The Type 34 powered armor was a true weapon of the battlefield.

There was immediate return fire, and I guessed it was trained on the big guy.

[RATATATATA!]

I frowned as that was not a good sound. The two fireteams didn't have any weapons that powerful.

Two of my children fell.

I was unsure if they were down due to wounds, or because they fell over. The force of the heavy machine gun hitting them was dangerious.

“No hostages identified, opening fire!” I heard someone scream.

“Candice, send in fireteams. Two at a time. Fire at will!” I barked out, and Candice tapped the shoulders of two corporals. They immediately ran in, heedless of the incoming fire.

“Oh gods! He is still rushing us!” came another cry and I could see something big running up.

I had flashbacks to a big green beast. How the Hulk simply threw people aside, like one would brush away leaves.

The first support team continued to lob in flashbangs. The second team, once they heard the order, began to throw in baseball grenades.

The M67 were practical, affordable, and deadly. They began to throw them in as quick as they could.

Bane was a man proud of his body and rarely wore protection. A man of flesh and blood. Time and time again, it got proven that he had the skills to back up his pride.

The Type 34 powered armor was different. Its purpose was to protect. Thus it could not get harmed by the grenades. Though they could cause a soldier to fall over.

Even if bane could use my children as human shields, he would still get injured. Then bullets could finish the man.

The visual data from the lead soldiers also filled up the room. The various moving people got highlighted. This gave everyone clear images on our targets.

The battle lasted less then three minutes.

I made my way forward.

Candice obstinately moved before me. Her human shield tactic was popular among my command squad. I got forced into last place, and everyone else walked in before me.

There wasn’t anyone else moving beside my children.

The four who had been injured got pulled to the side, and medics were already treating them. No casualties, which made me very happy.

The videos would later show that two of them got punched hard enough to rock them off their feet. Impressive considering that the average soldier weighed about 160 kilograms, or 350 pounds.

I paced my way over to the largest body in the room. The man was little more then a lump of tenderized meat.

His physic was impressive, and I noted that half of his head was missing. Huge holes peppered his body.

“Well I am impressed,” I whispered as the man was still moving. An arm tried to grab my boot as I was closest. The injector on his forearm, and that tattered mask.

There was international warrants open for the man. He was terrorizing half a dozen countries on three continents.

I had seen enough.

“Everyone, watch out for the splash zone,” I warned as I pulled out my heat gun. I set it to its highest setting and fired.

The hiss of the man’s flesh quickly grew to a crackle.

Bane was able to choke out a short, low growl before the heatwave set in throughout the room. The Type 34 armor was heat resistant, but this gun, at full power, would cook even us.

Then the charred, and well done human body collapsed. The flesh got incinerated and only remained bones as the gun hit maximum output.

The gun hummed for a few more seconds before it jolted in my hands as its thermal sensors turned off the weapon. Any longer and I would be melting its internal circuitry.

The outline of Bane was there, as was his over sized skeleton. The slag of metal of what was once his venom injector pooled on and around his skeletal forearm bones. The radius and ulna if I was right.

“We have hostages,” Candice informed me as she highlighted six men. Six lucky men who had somehow made it through the firefight, and had the sense to duck and take cover.

“Have them brought up, and tally them all,” I ordered as I turned around. Someone would gather the bones for proper disposal.

I slid the hot gun into its metal holster and Candice moved with me.

“Aleksandra,” I said as I switched communication line. “What is your status?”

“Hey boss… things are not good… the survivors…” she finished with a sigh. If she was hesitating, then things were not good.

I frowned. Aleksandra Zarya was a veteran Russian solder. Recruited by soviet special forces when Ultron rose up.

The robot tried to create a robot utopia from an island in the Sea of Japan. Ultron's attempt to invade the mainland of Korea and Russia. The invasion failed due to the UN Peacekeeping force, Overwatch.

Though Ultron was fighting the Avengers, leaving his invaders without critical leadership.

As a member of Overwatch, Alek was no stranger to warzones, which lead to her meeting me.

On more then one occasion we fought together. We worked well as a team, and I valued her insight. Candice got along very well.

“I understand, I will have a medical team head over,” I said and switched back to Candice.

“We have survivors. Please send available medical teams to specialist Zarya,” I ordered as we both made our way up and out.

The world outside was beginning to brighten. The first hint of sunlight revealed the full might of the Jade Falcons.

My entire military outfit moved around us. Soldiers. Vehicles. Equipment.

Two hundred veterans. Two hundred novices. Two hundred support personnel. This gave me a total force of six hundred.

Though roughly half stayed in Val Verde as we rotated duties to ensure rest time.

These were my children. The only family I had left after the tragic defense of 2009.

I made my way over to a piece of rubble.

The cliff base was a little higher then the beach. I spied rocks before the area here. There was a secret dock entrance off to the side. Cobra had done a fantastic job renovating that cold stone place into a modern facility.

At least it was good until the Americans came and smashed it.

Then international powers took control again. Again and again.

I sighed as I sat down. My weary body began to complain about everything.

I pulled off my helmet. The cool air was wonderful as the stuffy air got brushed away.

The growing light was beautiful as the horizon became clearer. Today was looking like a cloudless morning.

Candice sat down beside me. She had bottles of water and she offered one to me.

“I will take up the title of the Supreme Leader,” I said as I accepted the drink.

“Hmmm,” Candice replied as she chugged at her own bottle.

We had discussed this before. Several times.

With the previous Supreme Leader dead and his cabinet dead, I was an obvious candidate. The highest ranked military official was always a candidate.

“I will make Val Verde great. Strong enough to defend ourselves from foreign powers.” I promised as I closed my eyes.

The medics were moving the bodies into a truck. The green lines indicated that inside was a citizen of the country. A victim of the heartless Bane.

“We are here Johnny. Everyone is here,” Candice said as she leaned in and drew her oldest friend into a hug.

Together we watched as the sun rise.

————

Chapter 07: New Dawn