((READ THIS OOC POST FIRST.))
War was coming. One way or another, it was coming.
Soon after The Old Guard and The Coalition’s forces left the bunker on another mission, The Coalition troops guarding the streets and enforcing curfew are pulled back. A few minutes pass, quiet, the streets dead, before the sounds of gunfire erupt. Bullets ripped the silence apart as they struck what few Coalition soldiers remained outside on the streets as general guards for the food lines, sending panicked civilians scattering in every direction. They move in, and set up charges inside the food line structure. As they finish setting charges, a large number of Coalition soldiers run out to engage them.
Kaboom.
Two explosions rock the entire bunker colony. The first at the food line structure, blowing out its windows and shattering the briefing room into dozens of splinters, leaving an entire wall of the structure blown to pieces. A second explosion occurs underground, shaking the entire bunker complex and blowing a small hole into it from underground.
As people attempt to recover, a third explosion, somewhat delayed, is felt across the ground of the bunker. It came from the direction of one of the more impoverished districts, where listeners congregated. Speakers, set up all around the church district the day before, erupt with the sounds of the elderly priest’s voice. The one who ran the church, the unassuming old man that many ignored.
“ALL OF YOU LISTEN NOW! Your masters who rule above you have fed you, and protected you, but at what cost?! They watch you in your sleep! They kidnap random people in the night and leave their families without answers! They used you as cannon fodder, left The Old Guard to die to the mutant threat outside these walls without even so much as warning them! They live in a castle of opulence, feeding you the scraps they happen not to want! Why live on your knees?! Even now, The Old Guard themselves are trying to turn on them, stealing a prisoner from them in broad daylight! Even The Old Guard knows that The Coalition cannot be trusted!
You’ve seen it, haven’t you all? Your brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters, vanishing in the night? Your listener family members, those who you raised, those who you loved... We don’t want to hurt them, contrary to the propaganda spouted by the very men that steal your bread, and give half of it back to you. We want to protect them, from themselves! You’ve seen it, you’ve all seen it, you know it even as The Coalition hides behind its castle of steel. Its impregnable fortress. The fortress that we have penetrated, and are fighting to destroy even as we speak! For we will not rule over you from a fortress, we will live alongside you, as equals! We will not ignore the mutants who steal your children from you and brainwash them, we will purge them from this bunker! We will not give you empty promises, from empty men—we do this now! We do this with you! As your brothers, your sisters, your fathers and mothers! WE FIGHT FOR A NEW WORLD! A NEW WORLD WHERE ALL MEN LIVE IN FREEDOM AND HAPPINESS, WITHOUT THE YOKE OF TYRANNY! WITHOUT AUTHORITARIANS TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO THINK, AND HOW TO FEEL!
RISE UP, CIVILIANS OF BUNKER CHICAGO! Those who believe in freedom, in the goodness of all mankind, rise up! Fight with us! We need you now, more than ever! If you’re too frightened, that’s okay too—stay indoors, stay safe. We will keep as many of you safe as we can. We will not shoot at civilians going to their homes, or protecting their families, but enemies of The United American Revival Movement—The Coalition, listen to this message: Run for your lives. We’re coming for you. Every single one of you. We will wipe this colony clean of you, and prove your impregnable fortress a mere lie—like all of your promises! Tonight, THE STREETS OF BUNKER CHICAGO RUN RED WITH THE BLOOD OF TYRANTS! PRAISE GOD, PRAISE FREEDOM, PRAISE THE FOUNDING FATHERS, AND PRAISE U-ARM!”
His speech ends with patriotic music, the sound of which is mangled with the sounds of screams and gunfire all over the bunker.
As the battle for the streets of Bunker Chicago commenced, underneath the ground, the dust settled from the massive explosive that went off. The surface was now visible in the tunnel, through a hole in the ceiling that it had created after it sent dirty flying in all directions, but the hole in the bunker wall had been made. Several U-ARM soldiers run into the hole with wild abandon, armed with rifles and prayer as they attempt to secure multiple ways through the structure. Some bring blow torches and C4 explosives, getting ready to dig their way through their enemy’s defences if needbe.
Kaevus and Eira would be pulled aside by Keith, who looks between then and nods. He looked stoic and ready for anything, like someone ripped straight out of one of U-ARM’s pamphlets. “We may not have time to hit every objective, so prioritize them. The two of you need to stick together. I heard your wishes to go after the prisoners first, and frankly, I agree. After that, however, we are hitting the laboratory. My orders, and I have my reasons for them. If we have time after that, we will hit their power. Their databases are of my least concern, being honest with you both, but the priest suggested it. Take these,” he offers them both ear-pieces. “They’re already set to the right channel. Take them, and head inside, I will be right behind you. You can use them to communicate with me, and other key members of U-ARM squads that are managing the attack.”
He glances into the hole, and holds his rifle tightly. “The sooner we end this, the more of Bunker Chicago will survive this night. For God, and Freedom, and U-ARM!”
As the battles erupted throughout Bunker Chicago, the sound of incoming helicopters and tanks rings loud and clear. The forces originally dispatched to rescuing Mouse return, the first thing they see in the heavy snow falling around them was the bright flashes of gunfire. In the distance, smoke rises from a listener district—implying heavy fighting in that area. Jenive takes off her helmet slowly and stares at it, in horror, and anger, as her home was slowly being turned red with the blood of her friends and compatriots. She takes a moment to breath, then puts her helmet back on. “This is Jenive, what’s the current status of things outside the bunker?” Silence follows. “Ryan? Adrik?... Anyone?” Further silence, for a few moments, followed by a stranger on the radio. “Hey? Hey! Jenive?! It’s Sergeant Carson—I’m pinned down near the bunker entrance. Last I heard, the listener district was under attack, the church district liberated itself, the food lines were bombed, and U-ARM has taken control over the bunker entrance. They’re holding us back and out of it, preventing us from entering. They’re flooding the bunker, Jenive! We need your help to liberate each of these places from their control! Look, Jenive I’ve got to go, but--”
The transmission is cut off with an explosion. Anastasia and Gabriel can both see it from their positions in the sky, a smoke cloud out near the bunker entrance. There were bodies on the streets below them, but a surprising few were civilian so far. Nonetheless, Jenive goes onto the radio to contact them all. “Start moving out toward the Bunker Entrance! Infantry, rappel down from the transport helicopter—we’re a sitting duck up here! Helicopters, cover Tristan’s tank—he will set our pace there. We have to stick together and act as a coordinated unit, or we won’t make it. Good luck, everyone.” She then turns and offers a hand to Russell. “My jetpack can carry us both down. It’ll be a little faster, and keep the rappels open for everyone else, you know?”
“Down, down with the traitor
That dares to defile
The flag of the stars
And the page of her story”
-Verses from the United States Anthem
That dares to defile
The flag of the stars
And the page of her story”
-Verses from the United States Anthem
It Begins
War was coming. One way or another, it was coming.
Soon after The Old Guard and The Coalition’s forces left the bunker on another mission, The Coalition troops guarding the streets and enforcing curfew are pulled back. A few minutes pass, quiet, the streets dead, before the sounds of gunfire erupt. Bullets ripped the silence apart as they struck what few Coalition soldiers remained outside on the streets as general guards for the food lines, sending panicked civilians scattering in every direction. They move in, and set up charges inside the food line structure. As they finish setting charges, a large number of Coalition soldiers run out to engage them.
Kaboom.
Two explosions rock the entire bunker colony. The first at the food line structure, blowing out its windows and shattering the briefing room into dozens of splinters, leaving an entire wall of the structure blown to pieces. A second explosion occurs underground, shaking the entire bunker complex and blowing a small hole into it from underground.
As people attempt to recover, a third explosion, somewhat delayed, is felt across the ground of the bunker. It came from the direction of one of the more impoverished districts, where listeners congregated. Speakers, set up all around the church district the day before, erupt with the sounds of the elderly priest’s voice. The one who ran the church, the unassuming old man that many ignored.
“ALL OF YOU LISTEN NOW! Your masters who rule above you have fed you, and protected you, but at what cost?! They watch you in your sleep! They kidnap random people in the night and leave their families without answers! They used you as cannon fodder, left The Old Guard to die to the mutant threat outside these walls without even so much as warning them! They live in a castle of opulence, feeding you the scraps they happen not to want! Why live on your knees?! Even now, The Old Guard themselves are trying to turn on them, stealing a prisoner from them in broad daylight! Even The Old Guard knows that The Coalition cannot be trusted!
You’ve seen it, haven’t you all? Your brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters, vanishing in the night? Your listener family members, those who you raised, those who you loved... We don’t want to hurt them, contrary to the propaganda spouted by the very men that steal your bread, and give half of it back to you. We want to protect them, from themselves! You’ve seen it, you’ve all seen it, you know it even as The Coalition hides behind its castle of steel. Its impregnable fortress. The fortress that we have penetrated, and are fighting to destroy even as we speak! For we will not rule over you from a fortress, we will live alongside you, as equals! We will not ignore the mutants who steal your children from you and brainwash them, we will purge them from this bunker! We will not give you empty promises, from empty men—we do this now! We do this with you! As your brothers, your sisters, your fathers and mothers! WE FIGHT FOR A NEW WORLD! A NEW WORLD WHERE ALL MEN LIVE IN FREEDOM AND HAPPINESS, WITHOUT THE YOKE OF TYRANNY! WITHOUT AUTHORITARIANS TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO THINK, AND HOW TO FEEL!
RISE UP, CIVILIANS OF BUNKER CHICAGO! Those who believe in freedom, in the goodness of all mankind, rise up! Fight with us! We need you now, more than ever! If you’re too frightened, that’s okay too—stay indoors, stay safe. We will keep as many of you safe as we can. We will not shoot at civilians going to their homes, or protecting their families, but enemies of The United American Revival Movement—The Coalition, listen to this message: Run for your lives. We’re coming for you. Every single one of you. We will wipe this colony clean of you, and prove your impregnable fortress a mere lie—like all of your promises! Tonight, THE STREETS OF BUNKER CHICAGO RUN RED WITH THE BLOOD OF TYRANTS! PRAISE GOD, PRAISE FREEDOM, PRAISE THE FOUNDING FATHERS, AND PRAISE U-ARM!”
His speech ends with patriotic music, the sound of which is mangled with the sounds of screams and gunfire all over the bunker.
Freedom’s Last Chance
As the battle for the streets of Bunker Chicago commenced, underneath the ground, the dust settled from the massive explosive that went off. The surface was now visible in the tunnel, through a hole in the ceiling that it had created after it sent dirty flying in all directions, but the hole in the bunker wall had been made. Several U-ARM soldiers run into the hole with wild abandon, armed with rifles and prayer as they attempt to secure multiple ways through the structure. Some bring blow torches and C4 explosives, getting ready to dig their way through their enemy’s defences if needbe.
Kaevus and Eira would be pulled aside by Keith, who looks between then and nods. He looked stoic and ready for anything, like someone ripped straight out of one of U-ARM’s pamphlets. “We may not have time to hit every objective, so prioritize them. The two of you need to stick together. I heard your wishes to go after the prisoners first, and frankly, I agree. After that, however, we are hitting the laboratory. My orders, and I have my reasons for them. If we have time after that, we will hit their power. Their databases are of my least concern, being honest with you both, but the priest suggested it. Take these,” he offers them both ear-pieces. “They’re already set to the right channel. Take them, and head inside, I will be right behind you. You can use them to communicate with me, and other key members of U-ARM squads that are managing the attack.”
He glances into the hole, and holds his rifle tightly. “The sooner we end this, the more of Bunker Chicago will survive this night. For God, and Freedom, and U-ARM!”
Total War
As the battles erupted throughout Bunker Chicago, the sound of incoming helicopters and tanks rings loud and clear. The forces originally dispatched to rescuing Mouse return, the first thing they see in the heavy snow falling around them was the bright flashes of gunfire. In the distance, smoke rises from a listener district—implying heavy fighting in that area. Jenive takes off her helmet slowly and stares at it, in horror, and anger, as her home was slowly being turned red with the blood of her friends and compatriots. She takes a moment to breath, then puts her helmet back on. “This is Jenive, what’s the current status of things outside the bunker?” Silence follows. “Ryan? Adrik?... Anyone?” Further silence, for a few moments, followed by a stranger on the radio. “Hey? Hey! Jenive?! It’s Sergeant Carson—I’m pinned down near the bunker entrance. Last I heard, the listener district was under attack, the church district liberated itself, the food lines were bombed, and U-ARM has taken control over the bunker entrance. They’re holding us back and out of it, preventing us from entering. They’re flooding the bunker, Jenive! We need your help to liberate each of these places from their control! Look, Jenive I’ve got to go, but--”
The transmission is cut off with an explosion. Anastasia and Gabriel can both see it from their positions in the sky, a smoke cloud out near the bunker entrance. There were bodies on the streets below them, but a surprising few were civilian so far. Nonetheless, Jenive goes onto the radio to contact them all. “Start moving out toward the Bunker Entrance! Infantry, rappel down from the transport helicopter—we’re a sitting duck up here! Helicopters, cover Tristan’s tank—he will set our pace there. We have to stick together and act as a coordinated unit, or we won’t make it. Good luck, everyone.” She then turns and offers a hand to Russell. “My jetpack can carry us both down. It’ll be a little faster, and keep the rappels open for everyone else, you know?”