Chapter 25

                                    

                                          
The memory of that fateful day in Dallas haunted Houston as he recalled the chaotic events from three years ago. He had been on a relentless pursuit of one of his old squad members, driven by a sense of duty and a desire to protect those he cared about.
As he navigated the war-torn streets, Houston couldn't help but glance down at the patch on his uniform, a reminder of his little brother's achievements as a flying ace. It was a symbol of honor and accomplishment, something he had always been proud of.
But the tranquility of that moment was shattered by the screams of boys in distress. Houston immediately turned his attention to the source of the commotion, and his heart sank as he witnessed an M4 Crocodile tank rolling in, its flamethrower turret spewing deadly flames that engulfed some of the Davy Crockett infantry high school boys. The scene was horrifying, and Houston knew he had to intervene.
He ordered his crew to halt their tank, and as it came to a stop, he locked eyes with the commander of the Crocodile Sherman. The hatch opened, revealing a gas-masked boy, the same age as Houston but wearing the uniform of Vermont Academy Tankery. He bore the codename 'Fury' and smiled upon seeing Houston, his former teammate turned traitor.
"It's been a while since we saw each other, Vice Commander," Fury taunted, his voice distorted by the gas mask. "How long has it been since you betrayed us? Hm, a month? Well, that's fine with me. I see you killed Ava, our Lady of Silence. I'm here to show you the flame of our rage that will incinerate you! After you and your brother Red betrayed us..." 
The standoff between Houston's tank and the Crocodile tank commanded by Fury intensified, the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a knife. Fury's masked face bore a sinister glare, and his voice, distorted by the gas mask, carried a chilling threat.
"Now, Vice Commander, you're going to feel the scorching heat of that horrible blackness of your new dead comrades that I set ablaze," Fury declared, gesturing towards the charred remains of the boys who had tried to flee from his tank's deadly flames.
Houston's heart ached as he listened to Fury's words. He couldn't help but feel a profound sense of loss for his former comrades, those who had once fought alongside him. But he also knew that he couldn't let Fury's twisted sense of vengeance go unchecked.
"Paul, listen to me," Houston implored, desperately trying to reach the humanity buried beneath Fury's anger. "You were one of the few people I could always count on in battle. But look at what we were doing. What Red has said, explaining what we shouldn't be doing, he was right! This isn't who we are, Paul!"
Houston's words were sincere, a plea for his old comrade to remember the values and principles they had once shared. He hoped that somewhere within Fury, there was still a glimmer of the person he had once been, someone capable of understanding that they had all been led astray.
Houston's heart ached as he listened to Fury's words. He could sense the conflict and torment within his old comrade, and it pained him to see what this war had done to someone he once considered a friend.
"You're a good man," Houston reiterated, his voice filled with empathy. "Why follow Commander Anderson's orders?"
Fury's response was filled with a heavy sense of resignation and despair. "It's my salvation, Houston... Do you have any idea why the Vermont Academy tankery team is letting me face you? It's because they're afraid of you, ever since you and Red left. Houston, you're a legend in this god-forsaken war game we're in under the Association. They're probably watching us right now to see which one of the Vermont Dogs of War will live after this fight."
Houston couldn't deny the truth in Fury's words. The reputation he had earned as a formidable tank commander had cast a long shadow, one that now threatened to engulf both of them in this deadly confrontation.