Dimensional Travels: World at War-Chapter 81: Storm over the Horizon

Eric sat at his desk, scanning over documents as Mia walked into the room, shutting the door. Both Jessica and Liara were asleep, and it was late. She sat across from him, and the two stared at each other in silence.

"You left without telling me." Eric began, looking up from his notes. "You had me worried, and I damn near mobilized the entire battalion to look for you."

Mia sighed and leaned across the desk. "Yes. I know. But there was no time. I had actionable intelligence, and we would have missed our time to intercept."

She then stood up, sitting on his lap as she leaned her head on his chest. "Now you know what it feels like every time I had to watch you leave. Every time you were gone for weeks at a time."

The revelation hit him like a wall of bricks. It was true that he had gone on many missions without radio contact. Especially throughout her pregnancy. He sighed again, stroking her hair.

"I see."

She smiled and kissed him.

"I am going to be more active again, like I was before. If we are to build a safe place in this hell for our children, everyone needs to do their part. I know it is dangerous, but we both knew that when we got married."

"I know. But I don’t like it."

She chuckled, stroking her hand along his face.

"Is the great ’master sergeant Eric Dryer’ actually pouting?" She teased, kissing his chin. "The mighty man who took out a brios and stared down a dragon is pouting?"

They shared a small laugh as they embraced. "From here on out, the Empire will likely try sabotage somehow." Mia said gently. "The only other time they were tested was against Villanea, the Dragon city.... In order to finally overtake the city, they blockaded the area around the City."

Eric’s eyes widened as he realized something.

"A siege."

She nodded. "Yes."

Eric looked at her. "Then they’re going to do the same to us, aren’t they?"

Mia sighed as she thought of the events from earlier in the day. "Mickey’s death has probably already been confirmed. And they will likely know that Ryan isn’t checking in. Heroes to the Empire are like your B-2. Each one is a strategic level asset. Jessica, Ryan, and Mickey all being gone means they’ve lost essentially an entire division."

Eric choked on the water he was drinking.

"You mean to tell me heroes are that powerful?"

Mia looked off into the distance, her eyes cold. "Eric, the Empire is absurdly powerful. So far they have treated us as a minor nuisance. When they start bringing out heroes? That is their message to us that they are no longer messing around. Hero infiltration is the precursor to something much larger. And it usually means the end of whatever they are attacking."

Eric paused for a second, thinking of what she was saying.

"Do they attack at night? Most of our engagements have been during the day. In my world, medieval armies would often attack at night."

Both of their eyes went wide as they came to the realization Eric was reaching for.

"You call Hammond. I will go to HQ."

She nodded.

They kissed.

It was time to get back to work.

Eric called Milano on the way up to Battalion HQ. "Sir? Yes. I know it is the middle of the night, but we need to pull all units off of Esponia. Mia and I believe that there may be a large scale attack on the mountain range."

He waited for the General’s response.

"Yes sir. I am on my way in. I will let S2 know they need to get every asset we have scanning the Northern side of Esponia."

At Battalion HQ, Eric headed directly to the S2 section. He didn’t bother knocking, "Send every drone you have to Esponia. I don’t care what missions they are currently on, this is top priority. Target areas are Phase Lines X-ray and Zulu."

The S2 NCOIC stood up and started making the radio calls. Junior enlisted began to mark on the map where each phase line was, and they called out coordinates. The OIC pulled Eric aside. "What’s going on Dryer?"

Eric shook his head. "We pray that I am wrong."

He didn’t say anything else, heading out of the room to go straight to the command room.

Milano arrived with Miher in tow shortly thereafter. The room was abuzz with movement. Officers coordinated evacuation efforts, and radio operators were relaying real time commands from the staff sections.

"S-2, have we recieved any visuals from outside Esponia?"

"No sir. They are still getting the birds in the air."

Milano sighed and nodded. "Has Hammond confirmed any enemy sightings?"

The radio operator spoke up. "No sir."

Hammond stood at the peak of Sual pass. Down below him, a massive withdrawal was taking place. Families, soldiers and equipment were being loaded up and taken down route one and two. "All units on esponia, leave equipment. Only personnel and civilians are to be loaded up."

As he was ordering the evacuation, he felt it.

Wind began to retreat down the mountains to the North. The very air seemed to defy gravity and natural law as small traces of light began appearing on the other side of the mountains.

"All units, be advised, multiple Brios cannon signatures on the North face of Esponia."

"Hurry up!" Hammond yelled down the mountains to his troops. "Leave everything but the people. This entire mountain is about to dissappear!"

Back at HQ, the command room stilled. Milano paused as Hammonds last report came over the net. "Tell every available unit to stay off the radio unless absolutely necessary. Only Hammond should be sending reports. How many signatures does he detect?"

Hammonds answer came quietly. "Sir..."

A pause. "There are fifteen signatures."

A pen dropped in the command room. A general from III Corps looked at the map. "Good god...."

Milano looked up from his notes. "Get every available air asset with targeting capabilities in the air now. Send word to the carrier. Authorize strike packages on Phase Lines Victor throught Yankee."

The room became a buzz of controlled chaos. Officers moved with tight precision as they rushed to follow orders. Orders were sent via radio and cell phones.

Hammond sat down on the snow, he pulled out his pack of cigarettes as he looked towards the coalescing mana. A man came up, sitting down next to him. "We never had that beer together." He said with a chuckle as he watched the Brios mana signatures grow larger.

Hammond chuckled. "That little rascal was the only one to get that luxury. I remember when. The kid was a private. He was defiant and a cocky sonuvabitch. He became a leader after about a year. Turned into my best soldier. We kept in touch, and when he joined the teams I couldn’t help but laugh. The scrawny boy barely able to carry his ruck was now one of the most bad ass men in the world."

Strizen laughed. "When you get to be our age, those few soldiers we get end up being out second sons."

Hammond agreed. "You should get down there."

Strizen shook his head. "I leave when all of my men are down the pass."

Hammond laughed. "You know, I wasn’t sure about having you and your soldiers on our side at first. But, these last six months have shown you are just as capable as any Earth soldier I met."

"Except for that monster."

They both laughed, and Hammond offered the other man a cigarette.

They smoked in silence, observing the doom coalescing in the valley below.

The roars of multiple engines flew overhead as Hammond breathed a sigh of relief. "There we go." He said, the tension in his body releasing as he watched the valley closely.

"Wait... what is that?"

The valley became alive as green barriers lit up. Magic shimmered over the surface of the shrubbery and trees, showing large tube like structures pointing towards the jets as they made first contact.

Hammond grabbed his radio. Both him and Strizen stood up. "Sir, you have to abort the strikes. I repeat, you have to abort the strikes. The enemy has unknown ADA assets."

It was too late.

Massive explosions rocked the valley as Brios cannons were destroyed. Fireballs erupted in the night sky. The barriers held for two bombing runs, but the third caused the very air to implode in on itself as the barrier shattered. A sound like breaking glass echoed throughout the valley as most of the cannons were destroyed.

But...

The Empire ADA assets began launching their batteries. One after the other. Pilots began evasive maneuveres.

Hammond watched in shock as a Jet was hit.

"We have to get out of here."

He looked down the mountain. "Are all personnel and civilians accounted for and off the mountains?"

"Roger."

He turned to Strizen. "Try to keep up."