The Fall of the City of Steel

Evacuation

The time was 5:10 AM, the day after the invasion. All had been quiet since the invaders were beaten, and Emilia and Tony slept around Rico's tank, which now served as a campfire. Acridoidea, standing over them, checked the wristwatch she had been given, struggling to interpret the unfamiliar contraption, before kneeling down by Emilia.

"It's time," she mumbled to her.

With a pathetic moan, Emilia pulled from her sleep, blinking until her eyes coordinated. Sensing her movement, Tony awoke as well.

"What's the time?" Emilia whispered, staggering to her feet.

"5:10," Acridoidea relayed. "You rendezvous with Soren in thirty-five minutes."

"Okay," Emilia understood, still not fully awake. "Come on, sugar. Let's go find Jerry."

"I wish to join you," Acridoidea mentioned.

"What?" Tony reacted.

"Soren said he would need help getting past his guards," she explained. "I saw Rico fire his gun last night. If that is the best accuracy your city's weapons can supply, you will need an archer."

"There actually are better-"

"Okay," Emilia interrupted, overriding Tony. "We'll need all the help we can get, and our linear can hold four people. Come on, sugar, let's get geared up."

Five minutes later, Emilia and Tony stood before a sleeping Jerry, clad in armor and armed with two pistols each- one in a holster, the other stowed inside the combat vest.

Jerry slept just beside the helicopter, alone, his face molded into a sad pout. Before the rescuing of the village's men, the tribeswomen had lavished him with attention. Now, they and the men had bigger problems, and their children avoided him. But what troubled Jerry the most was evident; he clutched Damon's badge in both hands, still refusing to let it go. Without hesitating, Acridoidea approached to wake the boy.

"Jerry?" she softly beckoned. "Jerry, it's time. Time to meet your parents."

Jerry blinked slowly. "Wha- what?" he mumbled.

"It's time to meet Soren," Acridoidea reiterated. "You'll see your mother and father again- your real mother and father."

At that last distinction, Jerry allowed himself to smile.

"I'll still see you, right?"

"I don't know," Acridoidea admitted. "But for now, we need you to hurry up. Time is short."

Mechanically, Jerry stood up and followed Emilia, Tony and Acridoidea to the handcart. Upon reaching this old mechanism, Jerry became visibly distraught. He clutched Damon's badge more tightly than ever.

"What's wrong?" asked Acridoidea concernedly.

"Last time you were here, we still had Gottlieb," Emilia lightly explained. "That's it, isn't it?"

"It just feels wrong," Jerry failed to articulate.

Acridoidea took his hand and grasped it tightly.

"You've got to get used to it," she urged. "We'll be going back to your city, and we need you to stay calm. Can you do that?"

"I think so," Jerry weakly replied.

"This will be new for me, too," Acridoidea related, seating herself on the handcart's deck. "Buthoidea told me what your city looks like, but I've never seen it before. Hopefully, I'll never see it again."

"If this works, none of us will," Tony added. "It's the end of the line."

There was an awkward pause.