Twenty

First

The largest room the in Gray Fox's hideout was made to receive shipments from the crime lord's businesses and send out various products to their customers. It was simply a dull, drab room devoid of furniture and only kept seen by eight large ceiling lamps that pointed to the floor. Containers of wood and metal, small and large, broke the uniform limestone hues of the wall. The dust of a recent shipment formed a filmy layer on the floor. Some parts of this layer drew the shape of tire tracks – proof that the facility either received vehicles, or perhaps one of the facility's own transports was out on the road.

Figures in black poured out of three passageways that connected the Gray Fox's cargo hold; faceless individuals whose eyes were covered by goggles that gave off a dark red sheen occupied the place in rows, which grew into columns in minutes. Their uniforms sported many pockets and compartments – all of which contained something inside; this added bulk made their bodies look uneven. Each carried varying kinds of firearms; rifles were slung on their most of the men's shoulders, while some of the soldiers had submachineguns attached to large backpacks. Sounds of boot soles thumping against the stone floor sang a somber tune against the dull silence.

Opposite the large service door was a regular hallway left open; one man was seen walking out of it. the green glow coming from his left eye was made more pronounced by the dimmed light. There were no elevated platforms for him to see the rest of the throng behind the first few rows of those who arrived. He stood still, scanning the congregation before he said:

"This is our time to carry out the task at hand – a mission that will redeem us from our failure at the Schweiglands and apply everything we have learned at Altrecht, Wulfstadt and elsewhere. "

Winston Norton paused in his speech, looking at the gathering of armed men before him. Three men came from behind; two of the them started to set up a box-shaped apparatus. They disappeared into the darker corner of the room when the device was powered up. A view of an old city surrounded by eight towers came to life inside the room. It looked almost like the whole place was made to fit for everyone inside to view the objective; only the occasional distortions in the form of green light reminded everyone that it was nothing but an image.

"The task is to defend the eight towers surrounding the city."

Winston Norton's voice became coarse on some of his words. He continued:

"Expect that Luminberg's defenders will come from both inside and outside. We are not to attack, and the only time we fire back is if any element of the city's armed forces manage to breach our first line of defense and become a threat to our assets. Units assigned to control the constructs will guide the machines that will do most of the fighting for us. Remember that we are not to do anything rash, and do not draw the enemy's attention to the control vehicles. The moment our transport discs are able to secure the objectives, we will leave."

"Thank you for reminding us of this task, Mister Norton." The Gray Fox appeared from the same hallway where his military advisor walked past. Unlike the rest of the gathering, he donned a deep green suit with a coat draped over it. He said:

"Remember that we are all doing this to prove to the Empire and its people that we are its future. This is your step, each and all of you, to finally be rid of a life of hiding. Very soon, all of us will become citizens of a better, more powerful nation under my guidance. Live so that you will see the day of rebirth. I will be seeing you all with me."

No shouts were made; all of the uniformed men looked up to the crime lord and answered his words with a uniform stomp.