Dimensional Travels: World at War-Chapter 68: Exfil

The operators moved carefully as they used the terrain to mask their retreat. Trucks on the hill had already been notified the soldiers had been retrieved, so they pulled south, behind the hill for easier access.

As they were within four hundred feet of the link up point, Eric felt it. He looked around, realizing the terrain they were traversing made for a perfect kill box. It was too late. On top of the barricades, empire soldiers appeared as if playing wack a mole. A large "thunk" hit right next to Eric as a round ball of flames embedded itself into the ground. Sharp cracks of small arms fire broke the silence the men had been operating under.

"Break! Ricky! Delphy! Suppressive fire!"

"Deploying smoke!"

Gas surrounded the element as the captive soldiers and operators began bounding up the hill. Sweat glistened as hands fumbled for triggers, breath came in short gasped as each man knew seconds separated them from death.

"Get those trucks over here now!" Eric shouted as he lay in a small Ridgeline. He saw the enemy advancing. Ricky and Delphy had made it roughly one hundred feet, .249 fire covering for the element as they withdrew.

Eric moved back himself, using the tall grass and we’ll placed shots to ease himself up the hill. He didn’t aim as he ran, slid, and ducked.

Then, he heard the roaring engines of humvees. Air waves of pressure screamed past Eric as the .50 cal rounds slammed their way down the valley. He ran to his truck with the confusion caused by the wall of vehicles. "Alright, Bounding retreat. Keep those .50’s firing into the smoke."

Jerel watched as the otherworld battalion soldiers made their attempt at fleeing. He sneered while turning to his advisor. "Do it." He growled.

A few seconds later, a wave of mana echoed out from behind him. He felt a slight weakening as his mana was drained. "These mana circles use so much mana to sustain." He looked to the retreating vehicles...

And nothing happened. The vehicles still retreated as if there was no hindrance. "So it seems Lord Heith was right." Jerel thought. "They really do use vehicles that do not need mana." He turned, looking at the steel machines in the facility behind him. "We must build these by month’s end. Our lord will be most pleased." He was starting to get drowsy. "Shut it off. We have what we needed."

The element drove through the night at top speed, each vehicle screaming as their very limits were tested. Eric sat back as he rested, taking his ACH off. "ISR feed is clean." A voice called over the radio. "No hostiles detected within a twenty five mile radius."

Eric sighed as he heard the report, allowing himself to relax slightly. "Roger. Maintain overwatch. Confirm status every hour."

A slight pause. "Roger."

Once they got within view of Esponia, Eric finally relaxed. They had made it through hell once again. "Hammond, open the gates. Prepare for seven vics, fifty five personnel."

As the vehicles cleared the gates, medics swarmed the convoy. "No" was not taken for an answer as each soldier was checked. Some had been grazed by ammunition. Eric scanned for casualties, knowing that no one had died, he slumped against his truck.

"Master Sergeant, please lift your shirt." Eric did so, and the medic’s eyes went wide. "You packed this yourself?" The young soldier asked.

Eric shrugged. "You do what you have to do." The medic instantly began to apply gauze. She said a few words, and a green light shone over his stomach. The crater where shrapnel embedded into his skin cleared and healed. Eric sharply inhaled.

"That was almost more painful than the rock being in there."

As Eric was being treated, his phone rang. It was Milano. "Sir?" Eric said, his eyebrows arched.

"Are you clear for duty?"

Eric looked at the medic, who shook her head. "No."

Eric ignored her. "Yes sir. I am."

Milano sighed. "You know I heard the medic, right? When you are cleared for duty, head to the command room. We will decide course of action from there."

Eric sat there while being treated. There were various lacerations on his upper body, causing the medic to cut through the fabric of his uniform top. He winced as blood was wiped away with antiseptic wipes. More shrapnel revealed itself. "I treat your wife down at the hospital, sarn’t." The medic said when Eric tried to get up and leave.

He froze, slumping back against the truck. A picture of mia standing in front of the door with a frying pan in her hand flashed between his eyes."Roger." He no longer refused treatment.

After the medic inserted an IV and told him to wait for half an hour, he was handed an MRE as Hammond walked up. The old man had a smirk on his face as he patted Eric on the back.

"You know, I remember this kid scared of needles back in 2015. Hm. What was his name? Oh. Yeah. It was Eric Dryer. He was a skinny little fella. Kid could barely handle a ruck."

Eric groaned as he glared at Hammond. Chuckles echoed from the back, but Eric ignored them. "You aren’t going to tell Mia, right?" He said, looking around.

"Already did, bud." The older man responded. "She was quite curious about your young soldier days."

Another groan as Eric slumped further against the truck.

"Just retire already, you old fucker."

Hammond chuckled while Eric ate. After the thirty minutes were up, the female medic checked on him. "Are you nauseous or dizzy?" Eric shook his head. She checked his pulse and blood pressure, noting his vitals were relatively stable for what he encountered.

"You get used to it." He said. He hauled himself back into the truck. "Take care of her."

His shredded uniform top lay in the dirt while he started his vehicle. He drove to Hood Hill shirtless.

Arriving at Battalion HQ, he parked his truck and walked into the Command room. The Dragon elders and General’s were waiting. Each leader paused, seeing the attire he had walked in with. No one addressed it.

Milano was the first to speak. "Dryer. Your call. Integrate or destroy."

Eric sat down as he read through the documents left at his placard. "Sir, we destroy it."

Miher spoke up. "Why?"

"We can’t hold it. And we can’t let the enemy control it any longer. Holding it gives us nothing, but it allows them to study our technology." A pen dropped, and a throat cleared. A Lieutenant in the back coughed as he looked around, eyes wide. He had never heard someone say directly to a General’s face: "We can’t hold it."

Milano crossed his arms as he looked around the room. "Does anyone have anything further to add?"

Vale spoke up. "What of the mana suppression circle?"

His question poured ice cold water down the necks of everyone present. They remembered the feeling of being weakened, of the air being sucked out of their lungs from the overpressure as the circle activated near Esponia.

"It will be targeted along with the facility. That entire area will have to be leveled." Eric said as he looked at the map.

Milano sat forward, he and Miher compared notes before he turned to Eric. "Casualty projection if we hold it?"

"More than we can afford to lose, sir." Eric responded. "We would likely lose most, if not all of our equipment we send to hold it."

The lieutenant stopped writing after Eric said that. He imagined the logistics of such an operation, and shuddered. He froze and dropped his pen. It rolled across the desk, and he didn’t pick it up.

"Do it." Milano said, turning to the radio operator. "Make it happen."

After the briefing, Eric went back to his truck. He sat in the drivers seat, hands trembling as he lit a cigarette. He fumbled with the lighter before Dreha appeared. "Here." The ancient said, waving a small flame so Eric could get the cigarette lit. "Thanks."

The phoenix nodded as he looked at Eric. "You mortals of the other world have interesting machines." He said as he gazed off in the distance. He watched as the black silhouette made it’s approach to the empire site. Two dark shapes fell of of the silhouette, and the entire area imploded in on itself. He chuckled in amusement. There was a bright flash, and the area was....

Gone.

"I made the right choice in coming here. They will respond in earnest now."

Eric paused, turning towards Dreha as if he wss a dysfunctional door that squeaked every time it opened and was shut. "You can see that far?" His eyes blinking rapidly, the math not computing for him.

Dreha laughed again, his arms folding. "I can see the very ends of the world, and what lies beyond, child. Even now, I see the barriers between realms cracking. Pay it no heed. Your family is waiting. Go see them. Tomorrow is never guaranteed."