Hawk Springs, Contact
*BRRRrrrrrtttt!!!* *BRRRrrrrrtttt!!!*
As the military convoy arrived before the borders of the devastated village of Hawk Springs, the two Vanguards who guarded the rear and the front began firing their heavy caliber towards the nearby aberrants. The convoy went through the outskirts and soon arrived at the village's Firehall.
The dilapidated Hawk Springs's Firehall resided near the center of the desolated village. It was the only building that stood well against the corrosion of the Dark Cataclysmic Era. Though, it was a far cry from its former appearance.
Numerous soldiers stepped out from the armored vehicles and swiftly set up a perimeter around the Firehall. They reinforced the surroundings while preparing for the inevitable appearance of an aberrant flood. After all, as said before, once a single aberrant noticed a prey.
Others within a kilometer radius of that aberrant will be notified.
"Drone Specialists will start reconnaissance in Hawk Springs. I want to know the entire circumstances of this place. And notify me where most of the aberrant flood will be invading." A Cerberus Officer got off the H10 Armored Truck and began giving orders.
"Two squads will follow me. We will secure the Firehall in five minutes and return to reinforce the perimeter." Another Cerberus Officer ordered while taking his Greyhound out of its holster. The squads he needed were quickly assembled, and the Firehall mission immediately started.
The army leading the liberation of the village of Hawk Springs was the Third and Fourth Platoon of the First Company. The first Officer who stepped out of the armored truck was the Fourth Officer, while the one who went on the mission to secure the nearby building was the Third Officer.
The Third Officer, with two squads of soldiers, entered the Firehall. It was enveloped with an eerie silence and seemed empty. The Third Officer furrowed his eyebrows with caution in his gaze. He slowly walked forward while the two squads checked every nook and cranny of the Firehall.
After securing the first floor of the Firehall, they arrived at the main staircase. The two squads of soldiers carefully climbed the stairs while the Communication Operator reported the situation inside. Listening to the report, the Fourth Officer furrowed his eyebrows.
"The Firehall is empty... I was confident that this place would be riddled with aberrants here and there. It looks like I was wrong." The Fourth Officer murmured to himself as a Drone Specialist saluted to him and gave the reconnaissance report.
"Sir, the movement has been detected in the north. Massive numbers of aberrant are torrenting out of houses. They are currently heading towards our location."
With the report of the Drone Specialist, the Fourth Officer's eyebrow rose. The circumstances they found themselves in were strange. Aberrants rushing out of houses? Why would those houses have aberrants, to begin with? Aberrants typically gather in locations that all humans would consider as a shelter.
Military outposts, transportation depots, malls, hospitals, former government buildings, schools, prisons, etc. Having numerous aberrants charged out of several houses seemed to tell something.
"Understood, prepare for battle. Reinforce the north and have most of the heavy calibers defend it. Prepare the Grenadiers and have the Marksmen access the nearby Firehall for temporary occupation. And continue scouting the nearby area. Immediately report of suspicious movements."
The Fourth Officer replied with orders, which the Drone Specialist and the Communication Officer nodded in response. The soldiers of the Third and Fourth Platoon began mobilizing themselves. The Vanguards, Panther APCs, and Hammer IFVs headed northward, pointing their barrels at the rows of houses.
The Combat Engineers have concluded on reinforcing the perimeter. They arranged small chain fences and placed sandbags in defensive positions. They also threw tiny ordinances in the road between the Firehall and the north of the neighborhood. These ordinances were anti-personnel mines.
With the preparation almost reaching its conclusion, the only thing they needed to do was wait for the upcoming battle. The two squads who went to secure the Firehall arrived at the rooftop. Numerous Marksmen also entered the Firehall to occupy the rooftop for sniping.
Since the mission had been completed, the Third Officer returned to the bottom with some soldiers from the two squads. He exited the Firehall and arrived at the front, where the Fourth Officer commanded the defense line.
"You don't look good. Is there any bad news?" The Third Officer questioned, wondering what brought a frown to the Fourth Officer's face. The Fourth Officer sighed and calmly replied. "I have a bad feeling about the upcoming battle. The circumstances don't correlate with one another."
"Regardless of any variables, the only thing we need to do is to liberate this village and lower possible casualties." The Third Officer remarked, making the Fourth Officer nod in agreement. Their task was simple. The emerging problems would be dealt with according to protocols.
Meanwhile, between the Firehall and the northern neighborhood of Hawk Springs was an empty road shrouded in silence. On the side of the Firehall were dozens in various defensive positions preparing for the inevitable invasion. On the other side was the enveloping darkness of the night, covering the abominations that dwell within it.
In the thin space separating the two would be the battlefield of the great battle that would take place in Hawk Springs. It makes one wonder what would happen afterward. Well, that's about to be answered.
*Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!*
Grumbling footsteps reverberated from the northern neighborhood of Hawk Springs. The soldiers of the Third and Fourth Platoon held their EM rifles tightly under their fingers while pointing them towards the direction of the noise.
Following the echoing footsteps were the growls of hundreds, if not thousands, of aberrants.
The Grenadiers pointed their grenade launchers to the heavens and fired dozens of flares. Thunderclap-like sounds echoed throughout the darkness.
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
Lustrous stars propelled themselves to the night skies like piercing radiant arrows. Glowing brilliantly like uncaring idols of blazing flames, they soon descended from the heavens, giving light to those shrouded in darkness below.
And what was formerly covered by darkness unveiled themselves, thousands of abominations charging towards the platoons like wild beasts. The soldiers of the Third Platoon and Fourth Platoon pointed their barrels toward the monsters and swiftly pulled their triggers.
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
*BRRrrrrrtttt!!!* *BRRrrrrrtttt!!!* *BRRrrrrrtttt!!!*
*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*
The first round between the platoons and the large aberrant flood began. Bullets rained from the Firehall as they pierced through the walls and broken windows of the northern neighborhood's houses. It was like a firestorm of lean, unleashed through thunderous noise.
"Have you located any Variables?" The Fourth Officer questioned a nearby Drone Specialist. The Drone Specialist in question and his comrades shook their heads as a response. They couldn't discover anything unusual, even with the dozen drones flying through the skies.
"I see... Notify me of any changes." The Fourth Officer nodded in understanding and carefully observed the ongoing battle with scrutiny. On the other hand, the Third Officer was on the battlefield along with his subordinates as they defended the line with raging glory.
The battle lasted long, and after half an hour, only a third of the initial attacking aberrant flood had remained. But a problem arose as more abominations outside the northern neighborhood began joining the horde. So, in retrospect, their numbers hadn't changed that much.
"I only noticed this now. But I think we have a problem. The pressure of the bastards hasn't gone down in the slightest." The Third Officer remarked while firing his Greyhound towards the direction of the horde. The Fourth Officer looked at him with exasperation and responded.
"You think? Outside bastards are joining. However, they looked incredibly coordinated for some reason."
"And our barrels are overhearing from overuse. They have been firing nonstop since half an hour ago. They'll need some time to cool down." The Fourth Officer pointed at the heated barrels of the Vanguards, Panther APCs, and Hammer IFVs.
"It looks like we're in trouble." The Third Officer smirked, not caring about the implications of their circumstances. Meanwhile, the Fourth Officer just sighed and called for a Communication Operator. It didn't take ten seconds before an Operator stood in front of the two of them.
"Send a report to the FOB. Requesting for reinforcements. The situation in Target C is dire. Over five thousand aberrants are possibly in the location. The effectiveness of the platoons is also lowering because of the... corpse hill."
The Fourth Officer ordered before gazing at the road that separated the Firehall and the northern neighborhood.
The intersecting road dividing the battlefield in half was littered with puddles of darkened blood and hills of pale mutated corpses. It was a horrid sight. Though, to the soldiers of Cerberus. It was nothing more but a minor annoyance.
"Understood, reporting the request for reinforcement to the FOB." The Communication Operator nodded and started transmission with the operators in the FOB. With the call of reinforcement being sent, the only thing they needed to do was last until they arrived.
However, things weren't that simple.
"Sir, movements have been detected in the northern outskirts of Hawk Springs." A Drone Specialist reported while giving out the tablet he used for control and observation through the drones. The Fourth Officer glanced at it and immediately noticed something amiss.
"They are amassing in the northwest, near the highway." The Fourth Officer exclaimed since this might be a sign of their Variable. It might also be one of the reasons why the abominations seemed never-ending in their eyes. The Variable might be replenishing them.
"The aberrant flood appears to be surrounding something. We theorized that it might be a hiding Variable, though it's hard to gain a visual of it." The Drone Specialist mentioned, making the Fourth Officer nod in agreement.
"A special-grade aberrant, huh?" The Third Officer placed a finger on his chin and thought about the newly emerged aberrant. They were told about it during the briefing and meeting for the military operation.
"The special-grade aberrant is somewhat far from the battlefield. We'll have to send a strike team to handle the aberrant. But before that, we need to wait for reinforcements from the FOB." The Fourth Officer originally wanted to handle the Variable himself. But he instantly threw that idea away.
Since they were already planning to join forces with the reinforcements, there was no need to be foolish and tackle a problem alone.
"Sir, the FOB has received and responded to the requests for reinforcements."
The Communication Operator, who was ordered to send a request to the FOB, had returned. The FOB's reply was somewhat swift. The Third and Fourth Officer glances at the Operator with interest in their eyes.
"First and Second Platoons have concluded their mission in Target D. The two platoons will reinforce us through the north. In simpler terms, Command wants us to execute an anvil and hammer strategy." The Command Operator calmly reported.
"The pressure will be hard for us through this strategy. But it will efficiently annihilate the threat without consuming too much time." The Fourth Officer remarked while the Third Officer nodded. "We simply need to defend the Firehall with all our might."
"Brief the others about the FOB's plan. We need to be ready until the reinforcements come." The Fourth Officer gave another order to the Communication Operator, to which the Operator responded with a nod.
Meanwhile, the First and Second Platoon were heading southward through the highway after gathering all the information-related materials left throughout the fallen settlement. They were sent to handle Target D, the devastated New Torrington.
The signs of battle were still fresh in that place, and thousands of aberrants roamed mindlessly in its lands. But through sheer ruthless strikes, the two platoons completed the mission in half an hour.
At the moment, the massive military convoy was plowing through the highway at an accelerated speed. It didn't take a dozen minutes before they could see the vast aberrant flood, appearing like a mutated sea of tide.