By now Nellis airforce base was a war zone. Craters were left across the runways, and smoldering rubble came crashing onto the ground. Ground forces were now hiding by a fallen chopper in a last stand.
"What are those things!"
"Just clear the jam, and keep shooting!" The CO retorted.
The CO aimed for the sweeping air troops and knocked a Cerullian from the sky. One of the young men examined the shoulder cannon and approached. Slithering towards the edge of the crater was heavy gunners to bring an end to the resistance.
"Don't let their turrets power up!"
Every soldier stood up and began firing towards the top of the crater. The miniguns were lifted as the battery began to hum. That same weapon was responsible for their downed choppers, and cover. If another barrage began they were done for.
The blasters began to uncoil when a whirring sound appeared behind them. When the Cerullian fell from the sky a young soldier named Cody examined it. He couldn't get a response till it was placed on his shoulders.
The mechanics immediately came to life and targeted the nearest hostile. Cody had no idea how it determined the enemies. After a little testing, he realized it was similar to moving your hand. It was difficult to accept, but it had to be connected to his mind.
'We can debate it later.'
"Fire in the hole!" Cody shouted.
The surrounding soldiers were disoriented, but the heavy gunners exploded in a flash of plasma. Cody collapsed onto the ground, but his theory was true. Everyone else was still trying to wrap their head around his actions.
When the fighting began several soldiers had the same idea. The armory was far away, and not many weapons were in the vicinity. No matter what they did the weapons refused to fire. Cody stood back up focusing on the next target.
"Support private Cody!" The CO laid cover.
Soldiers nearby offered their backs to help support the shock of the next blast. Cody fired again and only suffered a slight stagger this time. With no time to spare Cody shared his theory with the others.
Enki watched closely as the other soldiers adjusted to the weapons. Telepathic tech wasn't easy to manipulate for close-minded species. With both sides distracted he was preparing a dropship for Delta squad.
Rushing towards S4 are Mika and Murphy. They heard about the lockdown right before their comms went down. Now that the base was within sight Murphy knew it was serious.
'They wouldn't induce a lockdown without an attack. If we're seeing a loop it means the Greys are involved.'
Murphy clicked something on the dash as the control station protruded. Appearing on the screen was the POTUS logo, and an encrypted line was promptly formed. He quickly debriefed the President before retrieving the phone before him.
"This is Director Murphy authorizing the use of Ares."
Murphy began reading off the authorization codes. Meanwhile, an aircraft carrier along the San Diego coast became active. This was a craft entirely of Syndicate agents disguised as the Navy. The reason for this charade was everything on board was classified.
Black stealth jets raised onto the runways as the agents on deck watched from a safe distance. They powered on in unison as a blue light appeared beneath them. Gradually the jets lifted from the ground as the light faded. No propulsion systems could be seen as they took off effortlessly.
Swiftly loading into choppers were agents in black body armor from head to toe. Most of them are reinforced choppers meant to transport troops, but the rest were modified for assaults. The assault choppers are only capable of supporting a pilot, and a single gunner.
Each gunner manned a shiny turret that had gold tubes fed into a large device in the chopper. It resembled a giant car battery made from gold, and platinum that emitted an electronic hum. Along the handle of the turret were biometrics that activated the weapons.
"All systems ready." The gunner relayed.
"You're clear to engage on sight," Murphy ordered.
Back at S4, the battle was escalating as Delta team hit the ground. Cloaked from the battle Enkara was scanning for the entrance to the bunker. Enki was monitoring them from above when an unusual marker appeared on their scanners.
'That's not possible.' Enki began a thorough analysis.
"Get back on the ship immediately!" Enki relayed.
"What are you doing?" Aria asked.
"Prepare the ship for evasive manuevers." Enki sent Aria the anaylsis.
'We're definitely in trouble now.' Aria began to sweat.
"Do as he says!"Aria ordered.
Enkara's squad barely turned back to the ship when their barrier shattered. Gliding through the sky at immense speeds was human crafts. From the front of their jets appeared a blue light as a Cerullian foothold was obliterated.
Ground forces scattered as their air force countered. The pteros attempted a volley, but the jets veered left on a dime. They tried to adjust for the course corrections as a shadow distracted them. Filling the sky with a barrage of plasma was a dark chopper.
Raining onto the battlefield was the Cerullian air force. The barrage came to a halt as the weapon cooled down, and the next chopper moved in. Their tactics allowed them to maintain a suppressive fire.
One of the raptors dashing around on the ground dropped his visor and fired a rocket into the sky. It rapidly broke apart as a series of sonic torpedos surrounded the chopper. The force of the explosion sent the others wobbling through the air.
"Get that gate stable now!" The lieutenant ordered.
Another rocket was fired as the others expedited the process. On the coast, Ares was in motion. Every agent on deck was evacuating as a giant structure gradually appeared. The entire runway was housing a railgun that began to rotate.
Those in the control room targeted the Cerullian ship in orbit. Two keys were turned, and a loud ringing echoed across the ocean as it powered on. Between the two rods, a blue light emerged as large waves pulsed out from the ship. Erupting from the railgun was a beam that imploded the mothership on impact.