The Fall of the City of Steel

Preparing for the Invasion

In the incubating warmth of early morning, two tanks rumbled out of the wilderness and onto the village grounds, rolling over a corner of the village farm as it did. Ahead of them, Struthionidae motioned for the two exhausted drivers to circumnavigate the plot, before backing them up to a convenient parking space and motioning them to stop.

Correctly interpreting the axwoman's instructions, Tony and Rico shut off their engines, climbed wearily up out of their vehicles, then limply tumbled to the ground.

"We made it," Rico breathed. "We made it! We're awesome!"

Tony merely nodded, watching while the axwoman pointed in the direction of the helicopter and soft-spokenly issued some directive. Correctly interpreting her once again, he began for the helicopter, followed by Rico. Halfway there, they found Emilia, bleary-eyed and staggering.

"You made it," she gasped. "Thank goodness."

"Oh, baby..." Tony swooned, before falling into her arms.

Having nowhere near enough energy to support their combined weight, Emilia toppled to the grass, carrying Tony with her.

"Come on," Rico urged the pair. "Get up. It's not safe out here."

Before Rico finished that sentence, both were fast asleep.

* * *

"Tony? Emilia?" whispered Rico, gently rocking them awake. "It's time to get up. Come on, we're burning daylight."

Emilia and Tony woke up in one another's embrace, next to what looked like a giant metal bowl filled with smoldering wood. Wordlessly, the two got their feet and examined it.

"Good morning," bade Rico, who stood next to them. "James slapped together this torch pedestal last night to help me keep the predators away. Looks like it worked."

The pair blinked obliviously, taking this in. Emilia looked skyward. "What time is it?" she asked.

"It's just a few minutes past noon," Rico conveyed. "I've been helping Joan at the village since I got up, and Soren's been trying to get a hold of you for half an hour."

"Oh my gosh!" Emilia exclaimed. "Come on, sugar!"

Grabbing Tony by the wrist, Emilia dashed to the helicopter, meeting a tired-looking James in its interior. Waldo, Buthoidea, Jerry and Dr. Piasecki remained there as always.

Hurriedly, Emilia stumbled into the roomy helicopter and said into the radio, "Soren? Soren, are you there?"

"Finally," sighed a weary voice on the other end. "It's been a nightmare up here. The attack was reported as soon as the guards heard two tanks drive away, but it didn't hit home for a few more hours. Just when it did, the team at the iron mine found a patrol plane with a photographic camera welded to its fuselage. It's the same plane that got stolen from a police officer about a week ago."

"Oh, no..." Tony groaned.

"These people couldn't solve a crossword puzzle without a thesaurus," Soren continued, "and even they figured it out. They know that the resistance has armored fighting vehicles now. They don't know who you are or where you are, but they will be bringing anti-armor weaponry on the assault. I hope you have an anti-armor tank."

"We do," Tony confirmed.

"Excellent," Soren appraised.

"When is that attack coming?" Rico slipped in. "Do you have any idea yet? And what about the self-destruct protocol?"

"It's not a protocol," corrected Soren. "The evacuation is a protocol. This will be sabotage, and I can have it ready as soon as six O'clock next morning. The assault is coming today, at exactly twenty hundred-hours: eight in the evening."