The Final War

I froze, gazing across the battlefield in awe as glowing green projectiles flew through the air like hail, some colliding with our own troops’ returning fire, bursting in midair, while others hit the ground, exploding in bursts of sickly green energy; gene bombs. Those unfortunate enough to be caught in their blasts found their DNA literally unraveled, their bodies forgetting how to hold their shape and melting back into primordial sludge. They were outlawed years ago, being deemed too cruel even for war, but this was no ordinary war. No, this… was the final war.

My attention was pulled away from what was certainly the deaths of several of my comrades as our field leader, Captain Hoshiin Arugo, stepped forward and turned to face us. “Alright, men!” he announced. “Remember, our mission is to strike at the heart of the enemy! They’ve already ravaged the Canadian Alliance, the United Republic of Africa, and most of Europe! Once they’re done with the Asian continent, Japan is next! But fate has given us one last chance to save our homeland and the world! The architect of these atrocities has decided to oversee the destruction of Asia in person!”

Yes, mere kilometers away, standing atop his mobile fortress, The Man Who Fought the World surveyed the battlefield: Makuma Non. Despite our grim situation, some of us couldn’t help but grin. That man—no, that villain would pay!

The plan was brilliant in its simplicity: While the rest of us aided the remaining resistance forces in defending against the enemy’s assault, our unit would approach from the less defended right flank of Non’s personal war machine; it was a well-known fact that Non focused on defending his left side, ever since one of his own commanders ambushed him, taking his left eye.

Once on the ground, we would carefully approach the walking engine of destruction, using a recently obliterated city nearby as cover, until we were within one kilometer of the target. From there, it was up to me and the rest of the unit to protect our sniper, Ichiitsu Kurotsu, while he lined up a shot at Non. He was carrying a rifle created from Non’s own Extermination technology, the same technology that allowed him to raze entire nations to the ground with such ruthless efficiency. The energy it generated would instantly incinerate anything within a small radius of where it struck, just big enough to destroy Non where he stood. It had enough energy for three shots, though we were warned that we should only expect to get one, as once it was fired, the residual energy would leave a trail right to our location. After that, it was only a matter of time before we would find Non’s much larger Extermination Cannon aimed right at us, and then it was only another matter of time before we were little more than ash.

As Captain Hoshiin finished his speech, his normally stoic expression turned grim. “We have our orders, men,” he spoke. “Let’s go end this war.” Then, with a brief nod, our leader turned and marched on into the burnt-out husk of what was once a populated city, and the rest of us fell in step behind him.

Despite the sounds of war and destruction echoing only a few kilometers away, it felt oddly silent as we stalked through the deserted city, taking cover behind crumbling walls and chunks of debris to avoid being spotted; Non was incredibly thorough in his quest to exterminate humanity, often sending patrols through previously destroyed areas just to make sure everyone and everything was well and truly destroyed. It was the definition of scorched earth tactics, as all that was left when he was done was blackened, lifeless soil.

Aerial scans of the city confirmed this, with most of the area being completely destroyed, apart from the northern end of the city, the side closest to Non himself. Analysts speculated this was due to the fact that the population had already been evacuated from that zone upon the enemy’s approach, and thus there was nothing there to exterminate. It was part of why this location was chosen for this operation, because it was less likely that Non would revisit this area while there was still the remaining Asian settlement to be exterminated, but there was another reason…

Captain Hoshiin stopped in front of a mostly-intact building, holding up a hand to signal the rest of us to halt. “There it is, men,” he said, gazing up at the very top of the concrete tower. “Our sniper’s nest.”

Less than half of us ascended the stairs with Kurotsu, myself included. The rest, including Captain Hoshiin, remained behind to watch for enemy approaches from the ground. We took the stairs two at a time, the heavy soles of our combat boots thudding against the hard concrete. I couldn’t help but look out each window as we passed, climbing higher and higher, seeing more and more of the enemy lines that had been obscured on the ground.

When we reached the door to the roof, we paused, waiting as our group’s designated leader slowly approached it. He pressed his ear flat against the cold metal, listening for the sound of footsteps, the faint click of a trigger being fingered, anything to signify a potential ambush. Hearing nothing, he nodded at us and quickly kicked open the door, bursting out and sweeping the area. Seeing no hidden enemies, he motioned for the rest of us to follow.

The rooftop was empty, the only thing surrounding us a short concrete ledge. Kurotsu knelt at the corner of the roof, taking the Extermination Rifle slung over his shoulder and mounting it on a bipod, setting it up on the ledge. He lay down in front of the rifle, not bothering to put anything beneath him for support; this was humanity’s last chance, he wouldn’t miss. Putting his eye to the scope, he swept the enemy ranks, zeroing in until his crosshairs hovered just above and to the right of Non’s head. The warlord just stood there atop his fortress, exposed, his long hair and coat lightly flowing in the breeze. He looked serene, almost peaceful, as if everything was right in the world…

It pissed Kurotsu off.

Reaching up to his ear, he held down the button on his commlink. “This is Ichiitsu. I have the target in my sight,” he reported. “Conditions are good. Low wind, trajectory calculated for slight curve due to energy density. Permission to fire, sir?”

There was a brief pause, and we found ourselves collectively holding our breath; had something happened down below? After another moment of suffocating silence, we heard his commlink crackle to life, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. “…Permission granted,” Captain Hoshiin responded, then added: “May your aim be true, and your bolts swift.”

One corner of Kurotsu’s lips curled into a smirk. “They always are, sir,” he replied, and finally let go of the button, lowering his hand back onto the weapon of our salvation. He let his expression relax, his entire body going completely still. Time seemed to stop for him, everything fading away except him and his target. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to steady himself… then his eyes snapped open, and he fired.

However, just as he pulled the trigger, Non turned and looked right at him, a single piercing green eye staring through the scope and into his very soul. And in that split-second before the blast could leave the barrel, Kurotsu flinched. The bolt of energy whizzed past the villain and struck part of the command tower behind him, disintegrating a small portion of its support instead.

We saw the tiny blip of an explosion in the distance, a cheer already rising in our throats until we saw Kurotsu scramble to his feet, clutching his rifle and turning to us with a look of abject horror.

“I missed…” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Then he was reaching up to his ear and shouting into his commlink, “he saw us! He saw us and I missed, we need to get out of here, now!” In the distance, the massive cannon mounted atop Non’s fortress slowly turned toward us, a low electric hum vibrating through the air as it charged. Some of us started to head for the door, but Kurotsu held out a hand and yelled, “Stop! There’s not enough time!” He pointed at the edge of the roof. “We have to jump!” Some of us hesitated, wondering if it would almost be better to die a quick death by disintegration than a slow and painful one by falling, until he shouted again: “Do you want to give Non the satisfaction of killing you himself? Or would you rather take the chance of survival?”

That settled it; none of us wanted to give that man what he wanted. One by one we leapt from the building, remembering our training and trying to land on the balls of our feet to minimize damage. Kurotsu and I were the last to leave. I stepped up onto the ledge, readying myself to jump, when suddenly the humming stopped. I heard Kurotsu yell, and felt his hand on my back, pushing me off just as the cannon fired, engulfing the building in burning green light and sending us both flying.

I woke up to ash and dust filling my lungs, coughing as they burned my throat. Slowly, I rose from the crumbling rubble, searching for any sign of my comrades through the burning haze, but there was none to be found. On unsteady legs, I started stumbling my way through the wreckage, calling out to anyone who was left.

“Captain Hoshiin? Kurotsu?” I shouted hoarsely. “Are you there?”

“Over here…” a voice croaked. Without thinking I made my way toward the sound of the voice, swiping away the suffocating smoke until I slid down a pile of rubble and came face to face with Kurotsu. He lay on his back, clutching the Extermination Rifle to his chest, his lower half crushed beneath a concrete slab. Despite his situation, he still managed a smile when he saw me.

“Hey, ‘Shuu,” he said weakly. “You made it. Thought I was going to have to keep yelling like a maniac all day at this rate. Did you find anyone else?”

I shook my head. “I just came to, you’re the only one I’ve found so far.”

“So you’re the only one left…” he muttered. Suddenly he clenched his fist and pounded it against the ground beneath him, cursing. “Damnit, I shouldn’t have hesitated! When that bastard looked me in the eyes I should’ve looked right back! If I hadn’t been such a coward then they would still- Captain Hoshiin would still be…” He trailed off, hanging his head.

Seeing his despair, I moved to take the rifle from his hands, hoping to at least make some use of it, but he held on tightly. He looked up at me, his eyes dead serious. “Can you shoot?”

I hesitated, unsure of how to answer… But when I remembered what was at stake, all hesitation vanished. “When it counts,” I replied.

Kurotsu paused, then laughed, wheezing. “That’s all I needed to hear. Go,” he said, pushing the rifle into my hands. “Give him hell.”

Stepping from the smoke, I looked across the battlefield ahead and saw Non, still standing at the head of his walking fortress. Somehow, he saw me too, his head immediately turning to stare at me with that one piercing green eye. Every atom in my body screamed at me to turn and run, but I held my ground. I raised the rifle in front of me, the butt of it pressing against my shoulder as I peered through the scope and stared right back at Non with one eye, two cyclops staring each other down. I would not miss. I slowly pulled the trigger…

NEXT: The Peaceful Future?!