Flung Forward

A blue glow enveloped the building and steadily, the mortar and bricks began to dissolve. Slowly, the building began to crumble, chunks of brick falling from the extremities of the walls and drifting lazily to the ground, clicking aimlessly against the concrete floor and gently rebounding, as if submerged in thick syrup. The process was accompanied by a low-level droning, not unlike the blaring of a fog horn were it much, much deeper. Minutes passed until what had been a banking hall had been reduced to a pile of reddish ash. Two men dressed in striking white jumpsuits emerged from an adjacent alley and removed their goggles. One turned to the other and his lips moved. The other nodded and the pair walked calmly towards the site of the wreckage. The first scooped up a handful of dust, bringing it close to his face and eyeing it scrupulously. He ran his white-gloved finger through it, rubbing some together between his fingers. The second man walked onto the pile of dust, his boots sinking slightly as he ascended. He removed a pad of paper and pen from his back pocket and checked off an item on the list.

In a nearby alley, bathed in darkness, Roy's jaw slackened, his mouth hanging open. He covered his mouth and slowly backed into the alleyway. He turned, and ran. It was about a half kilometre back to the base, but he was a fast enough runner. Those men had somehow assumed a different selection of Invader technology. Mankind was much in the midst of figuring out the alien weaponry, and discoveries were popping up at a remarkable frequency; but given the lawlessness of the country at this point, no two factions ever exchanged discoveries, and so technologies were as diverse and varied between groups as they were difficult to achieve. Keeping these discoveries secret was the biggest trouble, because as soon as a single unit was killed and their weapons assimilated, the assailing faction became that much more technologically adept. This new group– the men dressed in white– had evidently made some very important discoveries, improvements even, of Invader tech. Roy considered what he'd seen. A brief beam of white had struck the building, the droning began, and then a deep blue projectile had sliced through a portion of wall and detonated inside. It was a two-stage device that seemed capable of levelling even the toughest strongholds in a matter of seconds. This was an important discovery indeed.

Roy reached the door of his outpost and knocked. "Deus Ex Vir" he sputtered quickly. The door slid open, "Back so soon, Sir? That was an awfully short break." smiled Reggie. But open seeing Roy's expression, his smile faded. "Reggie, get the commander on the line." Reggie nodded and closed the door behind Roy, quickly taking a seat at the tele-vid. He turned some dials until the commander appeared onscreen. The commander frowned, "What's going on, Roy? Is this urgent?" to which Roy replied, "Yes, Sir. Very, Sir. It appears a rival faction, the white suits, have discovered a means to completely disintegrate buildings in seconds, Sir. This has some evident and pressing implications. I don't believe my squad will be capable of taking on this task, as I'm unaware of any other of their technologies. I am requesting backup and recommending that we have the L-RAB brought into position and on standby as soon as possible." The commander was taken aback. "Disintegrate?" he repeated, stunned. He nodded. "Acknowledged, Lieutenant. Both requests will be met ASAP. I'm sending you a company of my finest and some new technologies we've acquired. Private Reginald will have the documents for you. Over and out." Roy grabbed a chair and sat down at the end of an elongated steel table. "Reggie, Call to Order. You heard the situation." muttered Roy. Reggie stood and saluted, "Sir." and was off.

Several minutes passed, and then Reggie returned, marching to the centre of the room and standing at attention. Two platoons filed in in order, marked by slightly different uniforms. One platoon in grey overalls, the other in camouflaged uniforms. Roy stood and paced in front of his men, who were by now all silently standing to attention. "We have a most grave situation, chaps." he announced, "It appears we've stumbled upon a very capable enemy. I witnessed a brick building reduced to a fine dust in a matter of minutes. This group has garnered technologies, at least some of which greatly surpass our own. I am not sure how they have come across such a powerful medium, but be aware that they pose a very great threat; not only to us, but to any civilians in the nearby area. You understand your duties and are good men, and this is a situation that will test you. Crow platoon, you will be using Marksmen and full camo for this mission. Hawk platoon, you will be issuing support and suppressive fire to cover for Crow. Squad leaders Randall McIntyre, Jonathan Park, Ely Brown and Marcus Newman, please remain here for your briefings."

The company disbanded and quickly sped off to equip themselves. Randall, Jonathan, Ely and Marcus remained at attention. Roy paced. "McIntyre I want you to lead your squad due south for reconnaissance. Report back when you have located or encountered any white-suited men. Do not fire unless fired upon; remaining covert is of the utmost priority, do not give away your position. Follow any stray units until they lead back to an encampment, and set up operating quarters at least two blocks from enemy encampment. Prove two spotters in buildings adjacent to the encampment and keep a lookout. Park, I want you to set charges on the first five bridges on the east side going south from our latitude. Brown, head east set up sniper positions at every major intersection along Queen's Avenue. Make sure you have an eye on every section of Queen from the coast all the way up to the railway. Newman, divide your squad into fireteams and wait for communications from McIntyre. Send your fireteams to support positions accordingly. Men," he stood and saluted, "You are dismissed."

Randall, Jonathan, Ely and Markus promptly left. Roy walked to his quarters and began suiting up for the coming battle, putting on a diffractor vest and camo and retrieving a high-energy beam weapon from the locked chest.