HROT 2: Brink of Annihilation

Chapter 15: The Ravaging of Cömic

Tony snorted as he woke. He blinked rapidly as he tried to take in his surroundings and remember where he was. He looked down and saw Marie was asleep on his chest. They were both still undressed beneath the covers. Out of the window, it may as well have still been nighttime, as the smoke caused only an eerie orange glow to illuminate the city.

This was Cömic now. Tony was finally bringing himself to calmly accept it. The capital was a lost cause, even if the rest of HROT was still salvageable. They needed to find a way out.

He was startled as the radio beside the bed crackled. Marie was jolted awake as well. "Mayday, mayday!" a voice cried through the device. "This is Orange Squad! We're holed out with Purple Squad and Vermilion Squad. We could be the last defenders left in the city. Please, if anyone is out there, we need support on the west side of the Atticus Bridge! We've secured the area for now, but we can hear them coming! Send assistance immediately! We can't escape the noise!"

"How do we get to the Atticus Bridge?" Marie asked Tony.

"It's a mile east of here," Tony replied. "It crosses the Fuggind River."

"They could be our only chance to get out of the city in one piece," Marie said as she leapt from the bed and began to dress.

Tony got to his feet and dressed as well. He threw open the door and pounded on Leon's. "Wake up, we have a situation."

After a moment, Leon's door unlocked and opened. "What's going on?" Leon asked groggily.

"There's a group of soldiers nearby. They could help us fight to the airfield and get a transport," Tony replied.

Marie marched to Jack's room and knocked. "Jack, you okay?"

"Just dandy," Jack's voice replied from behind the door. He sounded woozy.

Marie opened the door and found Jack sitting against the wall. He had lost a lot of blood. Marie checked the bandage. "The bleeding finally stopped," Jack reassured her. He looked pale as a ghost.

"We need to get you out of here, now," Marie said as she gently pulled Jack to his feet and slung his arm around her shoulders. "We have a window, but we need to move."

"I'm just a burden to you. You guys go on ahead and I'll catch up."

"Not an option," Marie replied resolutely as she half-helped, half-dragged Jack to the lobby, where Tony and Leon were already waiting.

Tony leaned heavily on his staff and relied on his good leg to balance. "Are we ready?" he asked.

"Hell no, but what choice do we have?" Leon answered. He gazed grimly at the front doors. "We may not take two steps out that door before we're destroyed."

"That's a risk we'll have to take," Marie stated.

"Well fellas, if this is our only window, we'd best take it now," Jack remarked. "Shall I count it down?"

"Be my guest," Tony replied.

Jack nearly stumbled and said, "Three...two...one!" The four of them burst through the doors. Leon sprinted ahead as Tony hobbled with his staff and Jack did his best to not weigh down Marie too much.

For fifteen minutes, Leon took the lead and warily watched for any adversaries. He spotted several leaping along the rooftops, but they seemed to be heading toward Atticus Bridge. Gunfire had begun to echo from that direction. Finally the group spotted a tank through the smoke. As the tank turned toward them, preparing to engage, they frantically waved it down. "Don't shoot!" Leon cried. "We're of HROT!"