The battlefield unfolded as the map loaded—mountains rose to the left, casting long shadows over a landscape that felt more like a graveyard. To the right, the skeletal remains of an abandoned city stood in ruin, its buildings crumbling under the weight of past battles. A shimmering lake sat at the center of it all, untouched by the violence that was about to begin.
Diana's AMX 50 B purred beneath her, a sleek predator ready to strike. The engine hummed with potential, the autoloader spinning up like a coiled snake ready to lash out. Beside her, Daniel's Maus, a massive steel juggernaut, roared as it came to life, its sheer size and armor making it a fortress on treads.
The deep rumble of engines filled their ears as they prepared to move out.
"Stick close, Diana," Daniel said over the comms, his voice calm but focused. "I'll draw their fire. You hit them where it hurts."
"Roger that, Commander Daniel," Diana replied, feeling the familiar adrenaline rush that came with the promise of battle. Her AMX 50 B wasn't built to take heavy hits, but it could dish out devastation faster than most tanks on the battlefield.
Their tanks rolled forward, engines roaring as they entered the ruined city. The broken streets and jagged rubble created a maze of cover and death traps, but Diana and Daniel moved with purpose, their tracks grinding over the cracked pavement.
They reached the outskirts of the city and immediately came under fire. Enemy tanks were dug into the broken ruins, ready for them. The first shot hit Daniel's Maus, the impact reverberating through the steel monster with a deafening clang.
"Take cover!" Daniel shouted, his voice sharp as his tank took the brunt of the fire.
"Stay behind me, Diana. I'll hold them off," Daniel barked, maneuvering the Maus into a defensive position, using its immense armor to shield her lighter tank.
Diana's hands flew over the controls as her gunner, West, kept the turret tracking the enemy positions. The AMX 50 B's autoloader clunked into place as the main gun lined up its shots.
"FIRE!" both Diana and Daniel shouted in unison.
The AMX's turret roared, sending shell after shell screaming across the city's ruined streets. Each time her cannon fired, Diana instinctively covered her ears, the explosion inside the turret was deafening, leaving a high-pitched ringing in her ears. The enemy tanks stood no chance—one by one, they exploded in fiery blasts, crumpling under the barrage of Diana's autoloader.
"Another one down!" her loader, Jennings, called out.
Daniel moved aside, giving Diana more room to unload her remaining rounds. She fired rapidly, taking out three enemy tanks in quick succession.
"Nice work, Commander!" Daniel shouted through the comms.
Together, they cleared the city. The wreckage of enemy tanks littered the streets, smoke and flames painting the sky with destruction. Diana's heart raced, but the city was theirs.
Just as they began to exit the city, Daniel's voice came through the comms.
"Artillery incoming!" he warned, his voice tense.
The high-pitched whistle of shells tore through the air. BOOM! The first explosion hit just ahead of them, sending debris and smoke billowing into the sky. Diana's AMX 50 B shook violently from the shockwave, the ringing in her ears almost unbearable.
"Retreat! Get behind cover!" Diana shouted, her voice rising above the sound of the bombardment. Her driver, Anders, swerved sharply to avoid the next impact, the tank jerking behind a crumbling wall for protection.
The artillery barrage was relentless. Shells rained down, each one exploding with deafening force. Diana's screen flickered, and she glanced at it, her breath catching in her throat.
On the display inside her tank, the names of their teammates' vehicles slowly greyed out, one by one. The battlefield had turned against them. The rest of their team was gone.
It was now 7v2.
"We're the last ones," Daniel's voice came through the comms, grim and resolute.
Diana stared at the screen, the greyed-out names like a punch to the gut. The odds were impossible.
"Just us against all of them..." she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Daniel's voice cut through the silence. "I hope you survive, Commander Diana."
Diana hesitated, her hands trembling on the controls. "Daniel, no..."
But Daniel didn't wait. His Maus lumbered forward, rolling out from behind cover and immediately drawing the attention of the seven enemy tanks. The ground shook as they opened fire on him, the shells crashing against his armor with loud, metallic clangs. Some bounced off, but others hit deep, leaving scars in the Maus's thick plating.
It was now or never. Diana's mind sharpened, her focus locking in as she lined up her first target.
A T-110E5 was positioning itself to flank Daniel. She fired. The shell slammed into its side armor, and the tank erupted in a fiery explosion, debris scattering across the battlefield.
"One down!" West shouted.
She didn't stop. Her turret swiveled to lock onto the next target—a Leopard 1 trying to maneuver behind Daniel's exposed rear. BOOM! Her shot struck true, igniting the Leopard's engine in a burst of flames.
"That's two!"
Daniel's Maus took another hit, the armor groaning under the impact. But he pressed on, keeping the enemy distracted as Diana lined up her third target.
A Type 5 Heavy rumbled into view, its massive frame lumbering forward. Diana aimed for the weak point, the lower glacis near the tracks. FIRE! The shell tore through the heavy tank, causing it to buckle before it exploded into a shower of fire and steel.
"Three down!"
She swung her turret one last time, her eyes locking onto a Kranvagn trying to reposition. Diana fired without hesitation, the shell piercing its side and detonating the ammo rack inside. Another explosion.
"Four down!" Jennings called, his voice filled with disbelief
But just as Diana lined up for the next shot, Daniel's Maus took a direct hit. A massive shell slammed into the side of his tank, piercing the thick armor. The Maus shuddered under the impact, and a second later, flames and smoke poured from its hull.
"Commander Daniel!" Diana screamed, her heart sinking as she watched the Maus crumple under the relentless fire. Daniel's tank buckled, and with a final, catastrophic explosion, it erupted into a ball of fire and debris.
Her chest tightened as anger surged through her. There was no time to think, no time to mourn. She maneuvered her tank behind the wreckage of the Maus, using what was left of its hulking frame as cover. The remains of Daniel's once-mighty tank—the shattered hulk still smoldering—became her shield.
But Diana's thoughts were frantic, her eyes flicking to the reload indicator on her HUD. The autoloader was cycling through, the seconds crawling by as impatience gnawed at her. She needed those rounds now, every second feeling like an eternity as the enemy tanks continued their assault.
Finally, the reload clicked into place.
Diana poked out from behind Daniel's destroyed turret, her tank still shielded by the massive, smoldering hull of his Maus. She lined up her shot and fired at the WZ-111. Her shell struck its turret, the enemy tank exploding in a plume of smoke and fire.
"Five!"
She locked onto the Object 268, the tank destroyer trying to hide behind rubble. Her shot found its mark, ripping through its armor and causing a massive explosion.
"Six down!"
The battlefield fell silent for a moment, but Diana knew there was still one more threat—a hidden artillery, waiting in the bushes. She scanned the area, trying to locate it, but it was perfectly camouflaged.
As she moved out from behind the wreckage of Daniel's Maus, a high-pitched whistle filled the air.
"SWERVE LEFT!" she screamed at Anders.
The tank veered hard, just as the artillery shell hit the ground beside them with an earth-shattering boom. Her AMX 50 B rocked violently, the crew dazed from the explosion. The ringing in her ears intensified, her vision blurred as she tried to steady herself.
But Diana wasn't done. She pushed through the disorientation, shoving West aside to take control of the gun herself.
"Move!" she barked.
Her hands trembled, but she forced them to steady. She lined up the shot, aiming at the bushes where she knew the artillery was hiding. Time seemed to slow as she squeezed the trigger.
BOOM!
The shell flew straight into the bushes, and a split second later, a fiery explosion erupted. The hidden artillery was obliterated in a flash of fire and smoke.
"Target destroyed," Jennings whispered, his voice trembling.
Diana let out a shaky breath, her whole body trembling. They had won. But as the smoke cleared and the battlefield went silent, her eyes drifted to the burning wreck of Daniel's Maus. The cost of victory weighed heavily on her chest.