Chapter 9

Scorpion flew through the battlefield, Hakade at the controls. He had his sights at an enemy group. Three tanks in the lead, with five IFVs behind them. They formed an arrow formation, pushing the front lines. Hakade pulled the trigger, sending an APFSDS straight into the lead tank’s flank, turning it into a ball of burning scrap metal. The IFV’s turrets turned their way, and a rain of cannon fire struck them from the front.

The two tanks turned their attention toward him, their turrets spinning at frightening speed. Equally frightening was the speed they fired. One enemy round smashed into Scorpion’s front.

“Ana!”

“On it!”

Ana reapplied the shield. Hakade pulled Scorpion to the side, dodging a second strike. The autoloader loaded in a fresh shell. A symbol flashed in front of him, and Hakade fired.

Mia sat beside him, directing the machine gun fire at the IFVs behind. The IFVs lacked the heavy armor regular tanks had, so even small arm fire could severely damage them if lucky. Scorpion’s machine gun fire tore through the IFV’s optics, damaging their sensors and severely limiting the AI controlling them.

Scorpion operated over ten kilometers from the nearest supply line. They needed to save as much ammunition as possible. They had been on the hunt for thirty minutes now, firing at all the enemies they could see. They may run out soon.

“All units, reports of enemy artillery units set up on the mountains to the north. Beware-” Before the transmission ended, Hakade saw streaks of white flying across the skies.

“Ana, reinforce!”

“I’ll try!”

Hakade fired one more shot toward an enemy tank before retreating west. Shells landed around him, blowing craters into the ground, sending rubble and dirt into the air, obscuring his vision.

Depending on the type, the shells weigh between fifty to a hundred kilograms, and a direct hit could obliterate an unshielded tank. It forced Hakade to prioritize dodging, as with the sheer amount falling around them, Ana couldn't keep up.

“Captain! On our left!”

One building that had been struck leaned forward. Hakade pulled Scorpion backward, escaping its collapse by just seconds. Way too close for comfort.

“Sunstruck! This is Echo Eight-Seven requiring assistance! We’re being pinned down by heavy fire! We need immediate assistance!”

Hakade checked where the transmission originated from. Downtown, around three kilometers from where they were, but the rain of artillery strikes made it hard to attack.

“Umm, Echo Eight-Seven, I can’t see you.”

Both professional and non-professional soldiers filled the battlefield. Anyone that wanted to help and had a weapon could join in. While Hakade appreciated the added support, this meant he needed to be aware of possible unmarked friendly units.

“We’re by the main station!”

Hakade had heard a bit about the mission to retake the city’s main station.

“Should we head there?” Mia asked.

“We’re in danger of being overrun! Anyone, please!”

Ana shuddered once she heard the desperate cries. Magic shields were powerful, especially against the magic-incapable MARA, but they could only hold up for so long.

Hakade nodded. “Echo Eight-Seven, hang in there, support incoming.”

•••

Laurel winced. She was connected to the broadcast, and she heard the panic from their voices. MARA knew the importance of the train station. It wasn’t just a useful structure for the humans, but for them as well. Having access to the railway lines would allow them to transport equipment at unrivaled efficiency.

Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do.

The train had a ramming device that could tear through their enemies, but it couldn't destroy so many heavily armored units. Sure, they could knock a couple of vehicles lying on the track and destroy them, but then what? Every single gun would be pointed toward her. The train had a shield applied to it, but just a few shots would destroy it. Without Ana, she couldn’t reapply it, and she doubted Ana could reapply it fast enough.

As Laurel pondered the situation, the door to the locomotive opened. She panicked, then remembered they were surrounded by soldiers. Neither monsters nor MARA could reach her without passing through them.

Wait… so who-

Laurel gasped. For the first time since she boarded, Ann had left the passenger car. She glanced her way, then proceeded to sit down on the driver’s seat.

“Ann? What are you- Stop!”

Ann’s hands moved across the dashboard, and the train roared to life. Laurel stood up, sending her laptop down to the floor. It had a reinforced casing, so she didn't worry about that now.

“They need help.”

“Yeah, but we can’t do anything!”

She reached out for her arms, holding Ann’s hands in place. It felt soft, weak even, yet something assaulted her mind. It felt as if someone had choked her. She let go and backed herself into the wall. Looking around, there was no one else inside the locomotive.

“... Wh- Who are you?”

Ann turned her head toward Laurel. Laurel could sense something staring straight at her. Something unnatural, something that shouldn’t have existed. Like the void itself had opened its eyes, gazing at her. She felt intimidated, she felt scared. It was something she didn’t understand, something beyond herself.

“Can you trust me? Just this time?”

Laurel couldn’t answer. Ann must have taken that as a yes. The train honked its horn and flashed its lights. One of the soldiers came rushing. From the platform, he peered into the cockpit.

“Are you going back?”

“Yes,” Ann answered.

The soldier reported it to a separate channel, and the trains behind her began moving backward. They gave her space to switch tracks, onto the one free track kept for arriving and departing trains.

Then she pushed the lever. The locomotive screamed as it pushed itself forward. Everyone’s expression turned to panic when they realized what she was doing. They waved their hands and shouted from the top of their lungs, but Ann ignored them.

“Sunstruck! Sunstruck! The train! The train-”

“Who is this? Calm down! What’s going on?”

“Sunstruck, station element reporting! One of the trains is proceeding!”

“It’s too dangerous! Stop them!”

Laurel heard the communications from inside the cockpit, but she couldn’t do anything. Ann continued sounding the horn, her intentions loud and clear. No one could stop them. They left the station, full-speed ahead.

•••

When Hakade arrived, he found the fighting at the station to be worse than he anticipated. He could see military vehicles scattered throughout the battlefield, soldiers retreating as intense fire pushed them back. MARA must have known no train would dare to cross the tracks, as they occupied the tracks itself.

“Mia! Mia!” Ana shouted, grabbing Mia’s attention.

Mia looked to the top right and opened fire. Machine gun fire tore through a helicopter carrying a MARA APC. It broke into two as it spiraled toward the ground, exploding behind a building.

Hakade tried firing at all the targets he could find, but the tanks positioned themselves behind the station walls. He could only see the tiny gap they used to fire their guns. The station itself was littered with holes. He struggled to differentiate between the station walls and the tanks.

When he saw a tank shot, he quickly return fire. Sometimes it hit, causing the tank hiding behind to be engulfed by flames. Sometimes it missed, tearing a hole through the station walls. Finding the tanks took more effort, and that effort took time.

Scorpion shook. Another shell landed on their flank. Hakade pulled Scorpion back into cover, allowing Ana to reapply the magic shield.

“This is bad!” Mia shouted.

Even now, bullets peppered the cover they stood behind, knocking parts of the wall off. A tank shell flew right through, causing a huge explosion. Hakade pulled back just in time.

“We need to retreat! We can’t keep this up!”

Hakade gritted his teeth. As if things couldn’t get worse, he heard a transmission.

“All units! Stay off the train tracks! I repeat, stay off the train tracks! A train is barrelling your way!”

When Hakade first heard that transmission, he immediately remembered Laurel, but thought Laurel wouldn’t do something so stupid. Then he remembered, Laurel wasn’t the only one on the train.

I mean, surely not, right?

Then they hear a train horn. It continued on, growing louder as it got closer. Hakade turned to the direction it came from. A familiar red and gold diesel locomotive approached at full speed

“It’s ours!” Mia shouted, confirming the thought he tried so hard to deny.

Dread filled Scorpion, the eyes of its occupants all locked on the speeding train. It sped past one hundred fifty kilometers, its rocket boosters designed for emergencies screamed, propelling the train beyond its maximum speed. For a moment, time felt as if it had stopped.

•••

Laurel watched as the train went faster than it ever did. She knew about the boosters, yet they never used it. She had never traveled this fast after the war.

“... Laurel, have you ever heard about nullification magic?” Ann asked all of a sudden. She had an eerie calmness around her, as if she didn’t care about her own life.

“I- I haven’t! Please stop!”

“It’s the most powerful magic in existence.”

“I don’t get what you’re trying to say!”

The station and all the enemy units in it grew larger as they approached. The G-forces pushed Laurel back. She fell to the ground, planted her head in between her legs, and closed her eyes.

“It’s a beautiful magic, one that can wipe existence itself.”

•••

The MARA units in the station didn’t have time to react. The train sped beyond their comprehension. Some had planted themselves on the track to prevent something like this happening. The lighter units attempted to escape, while the heavier units held their ground, observing as the large iron machine approached.

“Laurel!”

The train slammed into the enemies, but there Hakade could hear no sound. No explosion, no destruction, nothing. The train passed right through, as if nothing ever existed on the tracks. It passed right through the station, going out on the other end and speeding away eastward, continuing as if nothing even bothered trying to stop it.

Enemy fire died down. No tank shells. No autocannons. No small arms. Everything disappeared, replaced by a calm silence. Hakade carefully moved Scorpion forward, heading toward the tracks. He found nothing. No wreckage, no burning remains, no ash, nothing.

Not even a trace of the enemies that once stood in their way, as if they never existed.