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From how the heat blazes them up back at the desert, the Tankmen wasn't all that ready at Nevada's freezing temperatures. The red sky contrasting the orange sky they always had back at base, leaving them confused at this new environment they had entered.
Nonetheless, they were soldiers, soldiers who don't have the right to complain, because they're here for a rescue mission. "Come on men, move your asses! We've got work to do and hostages to save." Captain ordered.
They all sat at one of the trucks they brought for the mission. With the chilling wind, they were advised to bring at least a jacket to save them from grinding their teeth all the way to the target location, the cigarettes being just fun little add-ons for them to chew out on.
"Oh man, look at this, these papers are flying like slow mo."
One of the soldiers curiously pointed at the flying trash sluggishly flowing in the air, which got the attention of everyone as they were mesmerized by that fact. He was right though, it was strange, the entirety of Nevada was a strange thing for them.
---
The engines of the truck were almost busted, again, thanks to Deimos. With a lecture from Sanford about safe driving (as safe as you can here at Nevada), the trio were sent to a building where supplies and necessities were stored inside, waiting perfectly for them to take.
Doc would be with them, albeit arriving a little late as he needed to list down the important information he would seize while they barge into the AAHW building that they are raiding.
Parking behind the building, they began to unpack the weapons they had brought, and went inside through the backdoor. Most of the AAHW agents were said to be loitering around the upper floors, while supplies and food are on the lowest floor, where basements, electricals and storage rooms reside.
As planned, Sanford and Deimos would aid 2b in securing AAHW info and Hank would gun it for the supplies, given that security is far more tight when guarding supplies.
They began slaughtering the agents as soon as they encountered them, with the trio taking off to different directions so as to complete their task quickly and efficiently.
---
The Tankmen unloaded their weapons from their truck and stormed through the front entrance, some would usually go through the backdoors but the building doesn't look like there's a way to go to its back, seeing as it is squished between two other buildings that are abandoned with no way to get to the other side.
Captain stormed in first, killing the strange yet hostile agents that had a cross for a face and gray skin, the rest of his men killing the others.
Said hostages should be at the 3rd floor according to the comms of their higher-ups, Steve led the majority of the squad upstairs while Captain led some of them downstairs to clear up their exit, leaving Ted along with the other snipers to find a location to snipe whatever threat that goes in and out of the building.
Gunshots and screams echoed throughout both sides, the AAHW agents confused by the new enemies they were at combat with while some were pissing themselves fighting against Hank J. Wimbleton himself.
---
While Sanford and Deimos moved up one floor, they noticed that some agents were already killed, multiple bloody footprints of a mysterious group's shoes were strewn across the marble floor, along with shells that aren't emitted from their guns.
Whoever the group that were present on this floor must've been here before them, but who? It's impossible that it's Hank because he went to the lower floors.
"Hey Dei, I don't think we're the only ones in this mission." Sanford said as he went on to the next room, finding more bodies.
"And whoever they were must've escaped from Doc's radar." As Deimos opened a locker, an agent fell out of it, barely alive and scarred, he looked like he survived the massacre that had happened earlier before them.
The smoking grunt pointed a gun at him, "Yo, you look like you were involved in this, so what the hell happened?".
The quivering agent shakenly replied, "S—Soldiers! I don't know where b—but... they're way too quick! Ar—are you one of t—them?!". He rolled his eyes and shot the grunt in the head.
He looked at Sanford who was busy trying to bust a door down which was a supposed shortcut to the administration room. The buff grunt looked at him with a questioning glance, "So what'd ya got?".
Deimos explained how the massacre was caused by soldiers. "And did he tell you about what they look like or...?" Sanford asked which made the smoker sweat, he looked at the body then back at Sanford, he shook his head in disagreement, a sorry smile plastered on his face.
The buff grunt sighed, "I'm aboutta explode this door, back up." They backed up as the explosive planted on the metal door exploded, they went inside with their guard up, knowing they're fighting something big on the other side. Perhaps it would be the soldiers that had also infiltrated the building alongside them, the both of them brimming with anticipation and dread.
If somehow Nevada had a military force besides those from Nexus or the AAHW, then it would surely mean big trouble.
---
Steve scanned his surroundings, finding it hard to believe that they are able to mow down at least half of the agents in the target building. It felt as though there were only a few of them, even though it reported that it was supposed to be more than what they fought for the last hour or so.
Coupled by the fact that some agents were already killed in some rooms before they even had the chance to rain hellfire on them was worrying, "There's no way that those agents were killed by us, unless its someone else..." Steve muttered under his breath, the danger of who they would be fighting against seeping in.
One of the Tankmen shot a weird looking agent that was guarding a metal door, their blood colored yellow like mustard. "Hey, if anyone's runnin' low on mustard, you can get some over here." The group joked about the agent's death, not aware of the monster behind the metal door.
Steve was about to open the door when suddenly—
RAGGGGHHHHHHH!!!
A loud roar was followed by a monstrous groan, the floor shook, then broke out a large Nevadean agent with spikes impaled on their cheeks, wearing a suit and glasses like some tacky bodyguard.
"What the fuck is THAT?!" One of the Tankmen screamed.
"Stop whining and kill it!" Steve commanded as everyone began ganging up on the creature. The others tried to shoot it off at a distance while the others went up close, trying to climb on the creature and stab it in the back.
The creature's large shotgun made damage on the team, killing a few of them due to getting shot at and getting stomped and crushed by it, dwindling their numbers a bit.
"DON'T LET THAT FREAK OF NATURE GET AWAY!"
---
Admidst the fight, the duo finished off the agent's that were guarding a hallway, they heard sounds coming from the next room, which led to the administration room that was said to be full of information about the AAHW'S plans along with their other branches that were said to be filled necessities and supplies that would make any sad grunt richer in Nevada's terms. Finally, they won't have to starve to death for awhile.
Hunger and hygiene were one of the most prominent problems in Nevada, bloodshed coming in at a close second. With the AAHW hogging up the necessities needed to fulfill both of those problems, it had been the Status Quo's objective to get any and all information regarding the solutions to solve said problems for their own sake.
After all, it is survival of the fittest in Nevada.
The duo entered the room and saw a MAG Agent fighting what seems to be soldiers? The soldiers seem to have noticed their presence, responding by throwing a grenade at them. The MAG Agent saw the grenade and also noticed Sanford and Deimos, diverting the MAG's attention away from the Tankmen and to the two grunts.
The Tankmen took the opportunity and left the room, letting them deal with the MAG Agent. Once they realized what happened, Deimos cussed them off while they tried to kill the MAG, "You cunts! Fucking pussying off and leaving us to deal with this asshole!".
The MAG Agent roared even louder at the insult, trying to stomp the smoker to death as Sanford accompanied his partner to kill the large creature.
With the new strangers out of the way, Steve and his surviving group of Tankmen finally headed over to the target room, quickly mowing down the robot-looking soldiers in the room and freed the hostages which turned out to be their own civilians, they even freed those that look like they belong in Nevada, seeing as they don't look that much of a threat like those other agents they had fought with.
---
Captain, along with his group of Tankmen went down the stairs, the blood from their enemies had muddied their boots making visible footprints. The whole floor had blood smeared in the walls and more bodies to accompany it, bodies of which were agents that they hadn't killed, meaning someone must've been down here before them.
The bodies were mutilated and weren't even recognizable anymore, their own flesh strewn against the floor, becoming a disgusting sight to see. "Whoever did this is a monster." A Tankmen muttered, Tankgirl hummed in agreement.
The silence made the whole experience eerie, the fact that it was cold too gave the sergeant, as well as his group some chills. After a few moments, they had finally found the storage room, which had a chockful of necessities, more than the higher-ups could ever give them.
Using the opportunity presented to them, they began to steal the supplies inside the room. Ammos, food and bandages, none were left behind.
The desert that they had been living in was comparable to the blazing inferno that was hell itself. It didn't help that their higher-ups refused to give them even an ounce of support, be it food, ammunition or even an extra tank just to help them turn the tides over at the frontlines.
Because of that, Captain would often send in squads to salvage any necessities on abandoned cities or neighborhoods, just for the chance of having to live for another day without the panging hunger in their stomach or headaches caused by the heat of the sun bothering them.
With the mission that those authoritarian fuckers had sent them, they ensured to ransack the place dry, so as to not worry about their state for a while, a comfort should they say.
They were about to leave when the sergeant heard one of his men gurgle, he turned around and looked at the entrance of a hallway that they had just entered a while ago. A Tankman fell to the ground, a knife lodged in his neck.
Squish...
A shadow of a figure showed, stomping their boot on his fellow men's head, a horrible crunching sound following soon after.
The figure finally showed himself, a man clad in black, looking like a ninja, his red tinted goggles shining in the dark hallway. He was far more taller and bulkier than any of them here, maybe even taller than Steve or Ted themselves.
The mysterious figure didn't offer any warning as he began to hail fire on the squad, bullets being shot as it hit some of his men who weren't able to reach to a hiding spot to cover themselves on time, killing them.
Some of the supplies were on the ground, scattered and left out due to the sudden assault, leaving the Tankmen with only a few to save.
"Shit..."
Captain decided to fight the monster himself and get the others to steal as many supplies from the floor as they can get, "Men! Run, get out of here!" He commanded, as the others bolted out of the other exit located in the room, some had fallen but most of them got out with the few supplies they have.
Tankgirl tried to help but Captain pushed her out the door, giving her the command of his squad and leaving him be.
"Tch— You better stay alive sir!"
Captain began shooting with his machine pistol, letting Hank hide behind a crate. Captain got out of his hiding spot as Hank threw an army knife at him in which he dodged. Hank grabbed a standard pistol from the ground and shot the sergeant, giving him some wounds.
He also fired back with his machine pistol, when it ran out of bullets, he threw it at the Nevadean who dodged it. Captain grabbed the army knife on the wall and dual wielded it with his own knife, he may not be as pro at it as Steve but he's sure as hell that he can bring up a good fight.
Hank looks at the midget before him, the fact that the soldier in front can actually stand him in a fight is exciting, he likes a good challenge.
Hank threw the standard pistol at Captain before taking a bloody baton from the ground, Captain blocked the throw by crossing his arms on his face but was surprised as the Nevadean suddenly slammed a baton on his arms. He withstood the damage with his one arm while the other stabbed Hank on the shoulders.
The Nevadean pushed the man out of the way as Captain was slammed into the wall of a dark hallway. Hank ran straight towards the soldier and hit him with his baton hard, Captain luckily missing the hit as it was rammed against the wall, hard.
"Oh piss! What the hell is wrong with this guy..."
The sergeant thought, hissing as he tried to stab the Nevadean only for him to get caught. His left wrist was grabbed by the monster before him and held him with an iron grip. A loud popping sound and an all too familiar crunch soon followed, the Captain painfully screaming at the possible dislocated wrist.
He let go of the army knife he was holding on his left hand and proceeded to stab him on the neck with the other knife he had on his right hand. Hank groaned, letting go of Captain who winced at the burning pain on his left wrist.
With the baton stuck on the wall, Hank used his fists as his weapon, punching Captain on the face and earning the soldier a crack on his helmet's shield and a nosebleed. The sergeant lets go of his remaining knife out shock and knee-kicked him on the gut, quickly turning into a brawl as they exchanged blows with each other.
As Hank began to gain the upper hand, Captain took it upon himself to run away from the Nevadean beast, just a bit to recover from the blows inflicted upon him.
Hank saw this as cowardice and chased the man down. From down the hall, Captain saw a grenade rolling on the floor, probably belonging from one of his dead soldiers. He grabbed it and hid behind a wall, waiting for Hank's footsteps.
...
Hank found the silence of the hallway before him annoying, where could that soldier be?
He was about to turn around when he saw a grenade rolling on his side, he tried to run out of the grenade's range as it exploded, leaving him a bit blinded from the sudden flash of light emitted from the grenade. The sprinklers turned on, the water washing down the blood and sweat on both their faces.
Using this as a chance to knock Hank down while distracted, Captain smashed the glass case near him and grabbed the fire axe. He used the axe to swing it at his neck to decapitate the aggressive grunt but Hank stopped it, the sergeant did a roundhouse kick to his face, causing him to let go of the axe.
Captain swung it to the Nevadean's side, causing a fatal hit, though the grunt didn't emit any sounds of pain. He was about to finish him off when suddenly the wall was busted down, some debris knocking Hank out of the way with dust covering up the vicinity, and there was Steve along with the others who came as backup.
Tankgirl had warned Steve about the fight ensuing on the basement floors of the building.
He joined Steve, leaving Hank alone, he was about to chase them down when his comms lit up, "Hank, Deimos, Sanford, get out now, finish your objectives quickly, I'll hold the Tankmen off." 2bdamned commanded.
"Tankmen huh... Where had he heard that before?"
Hank groaned as he walked away from the broken wall. Soaking wet, he went back to the Storage Room that had been recently ransacked by said Tankmen.
He remembered hearing them on the news back at his time in college, he scoffed at the memory. It had been very long since his dissent from his normal life, finding himself pondering about the state of his life right now.
He remembered the faint staticking of his roommate's old radio, the news being presented to the both of them while getting ready in the morning or while lazing around at night.
It would spur out news of a radioactive war breaking out in Arizona. Reports saying about how much of a wasteland the state was and recounting the many traumatic experiences told by the surviving citizens who had escaped the toxic hellhole.
The Nevadean hummed at the slight nostalgia before his mission had seeped into his mind, ruining the moment. He groaned, annoyed at the objective set out for him.
He'll get them next time, but the supplies come first.
---
Ted looked around the area on the rooftop of one of the abandoned facilities across the target building, finding nothing dangerous coming to the said building. With no news of needed assistance, he was about to get down from his position when suddenly—
"Sniper! Enemy sniper!" One of his men screamed.
He looked behind him and saw one of their snipers down, blood drizzling down their forehead, then followed by another one. "Shit! Find 'em." Ted commanded his squad of snipers as he lay down with his chest hitting the concrete floor.
---
Moments during the fight, 2b snuck to one of the abandoned buildings connected to the one they were raiding at, slaughtering any homeless fuckers trying to live in it.
When he reached the rooftop, he opened his laptop to check the other group that Deimos had informed that had also raided the AAHW building alongside them. 2b was concerned as they too seem to be after the supplies stored under the facility, so he decided to hijack the security cameras still active inside the facility.
He found their movements interesting, as though they aren't only after the supplies, but also something else. He looked at the other trucks parked in the front entrance, and the soldiers he was watching through the camera.
The trucks can hold way more people, yet there are only an adequate amount of soldiers deployed into the area.
"For who would that extra spaces be? And how many?" He sighed, clearly there's more than what meets the eye, he must find out more.
Deimos had already informed Doc about the new MAG situation they were dealing with caused by these soldiers, who were said to be quite the hassle when they were trying to complete their objective of reaching the administration room.
As he commanded the smoker to hijack the computers of the AAHW employees, he gave out instructions of what specific information the smoker should give to him via private chat, the info being sent out in other ways that are unhackable. He started prepping up his sniper rifle and position, trying to scope out his field for potential snipers.
2bdamned glanced again at the unfamiliar trucks parked on the front entrance, "What is the purpose of their visit?" He questioned himself. The outside military force had no real reason to even visit Nevada, after all what else would they find interesting in this bloody junkyard of a state?
The answer was unknown to Doc, yet it made it all the more reason to shoot them down.
Fuckers shouldn't be interfering with their affairs, taking more from them that what is needed to be. They could've done it years ago dammit!
They've been surviving off of scraps of whatever they could find for fuck's sake, who are they to take away the only thing keeping them still alive.
Observing his surroundings, he had realized that their appearances looked like the Tankmen he had often seen and heard off in the radios during his time working as a scientist back then.
He positioned his sniper to shoot at the tires of the Tankmen, if they were going to steal their supplies, busting their tires is the only thing to keep them from getting away.
As he shot down the visible tires of the vehicles, he also noticed the enemy snipers stationed on another building, their glasses glinting dimly yet obnoxiously for him to see. He positioned his sniper to them and began shooting the Tankmen snipers, downing some of them.
The snipers were panicking about where this mysterious sniper is, 2b on the other hand crawled to the door that served as entrance and exit to the rooftop so as to not be spotted and went down the stairs, his laptop and weapon in hand.
Now down to one floor, he positioned his sniper on the main entrance, waiting for the Tankmen inside the facility to come out for him to pluck them dead.
---
Captain, along with the remaining team and the hostages, ran towards the main entrance, but as soon as one of his men stepped outside, they were shot, their body fell down to the ground.
"Enemy sniper! Ted find 'em! Why didn't you inform us this?!" Captain shouted through their comms.
We're trying for fuck's sake! I've already informed Steve about it, it should've gone through yours too!" Ted screamed as a reply.
On the other side, 2bdamned gained access to the Tankmen's communication system, quietly listening in. He now possessed the knowledge of the soldiers' true objective, the trapped hostages.
It raised more questions than answers, such as how did the AAHW managed to get outsiders from the Nowhere and into Nevada?
With the fog that seemed endless and separates Nevada from the outside world, it would also seem suspicious about how the Tankmen were able to get inside Nevada even when the fog present.
Doc clicks his tongue, he may be able to tune in to their conversation, but he can't communicate with them through it, not through long range, where he is out of sight and out of mind from the soldiers. Even chats have limited range, that is to say if they have anything other than walkie-talkies to communicate from large distances.
So much for considering getting answers out of them on how they would be able to escape Nevada.
---
The Tankmen stuck inside the building had no choice but to go outside, save their hostages from the raining bullets dispersed from a hidden enemy sniper and get the fuck out of there. Captain sighed, he should've known this wouldn't be easy.
He can't let anyone go outside just yet, seeing as just taking one step and a bullet would be out there blowing the tip of their head out, heh, cock joke—
"Sir!" Steve snapped him from his moment of stupor, gone was humor from the only joke that can just distract him a bit from the hopeless situation they are in. The reality is there to face, that he can't save everyone once they get out there, it had to claim a few lives for them to succeed this mission.
Sanford and Deimos had caught up with the Tankmen sitting ducks on the front entrance. With no hesitation, they fired their guns, starting a cross-fire. Bullets were exchanged on both sides, which made the soldiers exit out of the facility through the entrance, where Doc waited patiently for the kill.
"Here's for letting us deal with that MAG, assholes!" Deimos exclaimed, raining hellfire with his assault rifle and revenge in his eyes as they went outside. Sanford, although a bit distracted from the bloodshed they were creating, had noticed that the Tankmen were trying their best to not let the unarmed people get hit.
It's almost as if they are protecting them.
For Sanford, the unarmed were most likely civilians, but that raises the question, what are they fighting for? If the Tankmen were only here for the hostages then they shouldn't sho—
A grenade was thrown at their way, the duo were at the blast radius of the explosive, shrapnels from the road had them trying to huddle up behind an abandoned car for cover, "Ah, I see why..."
They're in the battlefield, and in the battlefield, no matter how much of a good cause you are doing, no one would know due to the crossfire of both sides.
Hank joined in on the fight late as he just finished hauling the supplies in their truck. "Hey big man, you're late! What the hell were you doing back there?!" The smoker's snarky question was soon answered by the Nevadean beast looming over his crouching body.
"Sorry cunt, I didn't know you wanted to starve to death because those Tankmen tried to take our supplies from us." His red tinted glasses glowed dimly, his voice low and monotone yet also showed how pissed off Hank is, not to mention how injured and dirty he is.
"Oh, so that's how it is..." Sanford sighed before putting on a smirk on his face, messing with their chances of survival? Here in Nevada? All bets are off then.
Sanford stopped the two's bickering, gaining all the attention on him, "Hey, you see those unarmed civilians they're trying to shield, tell Doc to target them.".
---
Steve had commanded some of the Tankmen to hold off the grunts that were targeting them, with the help of Captain, they were able to safely secure all the supplies they were able to raid from the facility.
Ted and his snipers on the other hand, had been trying to spot the enemy sniper, who is most likely teamed up with the grunts they were also trying to shoot down as they were hunting them down.
Suddenly, ceasefire had commenced when said grunts had stopped firing out their guns, three of which had been huddling down on an abandoned car parked in a sideway.
It was silence for awhile until—
Bang
The civilian beside Tankgirl was dead, said civilian was no more than just a teenager. Then, another civilian was shot down, which snapped the Tankmen out of it as they realized that the enemy sniper is targeting the civilians, who also panicked at the realization.
"Bastards! Men, hurry them up to the trucks!" Captain shouted, his men rallying up their people as they were being rushed inside the trucks, all the while Nevada's most wanted grunts began to slaughter any Tankmen and civilian that they see.
Steve groaned as he was stabbed on the shoulder with a hook, protecting a civilian behind him who ran off to not disturb the fight. He was then dragged by the hook on his shoulder towards a grunt with black tinted glasses.
The right hand man clicked his tongue and shot at the grunt on his shoulder, finding the irony of the situation commendable. Sanford hissed at the pain as Steve removed the hook from his shoulder, strings of blood sticking to it as he threw it to the sidewalk.
With Steve distracted for a bit, Sanford managed to get close to the Tankman and proceed to steal his gun, breaking it with his grip alone as he tossed the broken remains away from him.
Steve, seeing as he doesn't have a gun, resorted to using his two army knives strapped on his legs, arming himself. While the two clashed with each other, they hadn't noticed a familiar figure walking to the chaotic scene laid upon them.
"What in the hell is goin' on 'ere in ma turf?!" The Sheriff asked, confused at what he is watching. "Sir! Hank's in this area! And soldiers too!" One of his men said.
Sheriff had led a bunch of his MERCs to patrol their territory that day to scavenge for food, when they heard the reports of some ruckus happening in one of the borders of their territory, he quickly checked to see what caused it.
Lo and behold, it was Hank and his fellow group of misfits, but what surprised him the most was the presence of the Tankmen, of which he had heard were deployed in the wastelands of the arid Arizona to confront enemy lines back in the days of pre-madness.
Under the impression that the Tankmen had supplies stored in their trucks, the MERCs seized the opportunity to raid them amidst the chaos.
Ted and his squad of snipers noticed a bunch of new grunts coming their way to their trucks, all wearing a clad of outfits that differ from the three grunts they are fighting right now. He diverted some of the snipers from the usual battlefield and had their scopes pointed at the other incoming group ahead of them, mowing them down.
Deimos was fighting tooth and nail trying to avoid the overwhelming numbers of the Tankmen, finding it hard to outnumber them as his ammo is beginning to drain horrendously.
Sanford had been busy toying with Steve, their dance of combat proving to be more and more brutal as they are both littered with deep stab wounds and aching bruises caused by their weapons.
Hank was enjoying the pressure of the swarm of soldiers coming at him, finding the challenge exciting and exhilarating. He grabbed a gun from one of the fallen Tankmen and used them as a shield from the raining bullets, rushing towards Captain for the continuation of their fight.
The Tankmen had also realized about the flattened tires of their trucks. The civilians, who had waited impatiently for their exit out of the raging battlefield, had settled to help replace the tires, deploying the bravest people out of the truck to aid in their escape, who were granted protection from both the SQ and the MERCs.
The battle between both sides had ended when one of the snipers had finally managed to land a shot on 2bdamned, who was aiding the three throughout the entirety of the fight. Two shots had grazed upon him, one landing on his shoulder while the other barely managing to hit his chest and had landed on his arm.
A stray shot had almost hit his laptop, barely missing it. Doc had comprehended about the fact that continuing to fight against the soldiers are only gonna cause loss of supplies that had worked hard for to get.
With survival on the line, he commanded the three to get out of there and get back into their truck. With more aggressive pleading for Hank to follow his instructions, the Nevadean beast managed to actually listen and left the battlefield.
The sight of the MERCs battling it out with the Tankmen brought an opportunity for the trio to leave the bloody road unnoticed, with Deimos throwing a Molotov cocktail he lit up with his fingertip to the Tankmen, the fire blocking out the entrance of the massacred AAHW facility, bolting out through the backdoor to reach their vehicle.
As the wheels of the Tankmen's truck were finally replaced, they were able to hop on into their moving trucks as Ted and his snipers soon followed them in, protecting their vehicles from the MERCs who had raided the corpses of their fallen soldiers left on the cold pavement.
2b went to driver's seat as the three blood riddled grunts went to the back trunk, driving out of there at full speed with whatever stuff they were able to find in the facility as they headed home to their headquarters.
The two sides had relief washed over them, the surviving Tankmen had slumped over in their seats, tired from the fight that had happened. The civilians, although having dwindled in numbers, were still grateful to have managed to survive.
2b checked the trio while driving through the cracked car mirror, he saw them resting tiredly on the trunk, ragged breaths pouring out of their mouths, Hank having a knife stuck on the nape of his neck. He sighed, he was gonna have to patch them up later.
As the cold winds breezed through, the red skies clashing with the orange skies, symbolizing the sunset in Nevada. With that, the day ended, beginning the start of tomorrow.