Begining of the end

[Kane]

While the AW had managed to force the Phantoms into a building, they had no luck getting into the building. Every squad that had actually managed to get inside, and these were few) had been ambushed and slaughtered to the last man. However, DarkStar knew this little stale-mate could not last forever. And if he didn't break it, then Luciaden would and then HE would have the upper hand.

"While I appreciate the thought, Psycho, I don't think so. We're here to distract the AW, not kill them. And if we went into a bunker, they would get to us eventually. No, we have to remain mobile."

"Sargent!" DarkStar motioned to one of the figures in powered armor.
"Aye sir?" The large hulk of armor walked up, letting his cahingun spin down.
"We still have the hostages, right?"
"Yes sir. They've been kept alive and unhurt, per your orders." DarkStar had ordered any civilians rounded up and kept safe. Insurance so that neither the AW or the Kusari forces would level the building. Not with all those innocent people still inside. And if the AW decided to anyway, the Kusari forces would never let them leave the planet alive.
"I think it's time to release a few..."

***

Out on the streets below, there were many different types of combat going on. Supression fire from machine and gattling guns on ground level, sniper duels higher up, and at the top fighter's tried to dodge incomming AA fire from rockets, Gauss Cannons, and two of the three Heavy Assault Armor units.

On the ground, thanks to tank hits and rocket strikes, there was plenty of cover for soldiers to hide behind. Such was what one squad was doing.
"Sir! One comming out!"
"Hold fire! It's a civvy!"
"Looks like he's hurt."
"Cover me, i'll get him out of there."
The marines opened fire and sprayed the place with energy and bullets, while the one soldier ran out to the crumpled man.
"Come on! Let's get you out of here!"
"Please... it hurts... so much..."
"Don't talk, just come with me! We'll have our medics take a look once your safe."
"No... shoot me..."
The civvy was dragged back under the cover fire. "We gotta get him out of here sarg. Looks like he got hit bad."
The sargent nodded. "All right. Take him back to the medics."
"Yes sir! Come on, your going to be fine."
"No... kill me... i'm..." The man's eye's rolled up in pain and he passed out.

The AW had set up a temporary shelter for wounded, so they could be treated a little before evac come to take them to a real hospital. They brought the civilian into one of the tents here. Luciaden's ACV was not far away, tucked back safely away from the front lines.
"Hey! This guy looks like he's been hit!"
One of the medics ran over. "Give him here, i'll take care of him." The soldier nodded and ran back to his buddies.
The medics brought the man onto a table to take a look at the wound. The front of his shirt was stained red. "That's odd... There's just this recent cut on his belly."
The medics put him to sleep and examined the wound. "It's been sewn up, but not very well. Poor guy must be in so much pain..."
"Wait, why would they cut him up?"
The medics just looked at eachother for a moment, then realized with dawning horror at what had been done.

One of Luciaden's guards was outside the ACV when one of the medics ran out of the tent.
"HE'S A BOMB!" The guard, a veteren of quite a few battles had just enough time to curse those sick Phantom b*stards before the explosion tore out the entire field hospital, two of the closer buildings, and fliped the ACV on it's side. The soldier, and quite a few of his buddies, civvies, and other personnel died in the blast, and even more were injured. Luciaden himself managed to avoid serious injury and was left with a pulled shoulder and a bruise on his head. The driver was not quite as lucky, not being strapped into his seat. Luciaden looked in the driver's compartment and found him laying sprawled over the passanger's door.
"Think i'm gonna get fined for not wearing my seat-belt sah?" The driver tried to chuckle, but it turned into a cough and a grimace of pain at the end.

***

DarkStar chuckled as the cloud of dust and debreis flew up into the air, with the shockwave not long behind.
"I doubt that little trick will work again, but it was fun." DarkStar examined the window a little longer, then turned away.
"Time to leave, my brothers!" The Phantoms started pulling away from windows and doors, towards where DarkStar was.
"Sargent, you first." The Phantom fired his jump-jets and flew out one window and through another. The marines followed, DarkStar using his own special armor to jump the gap. The Heavy Assault Armor units just diverted power to their rockets and anti-grav, and sailed aross to the roof of the other building. From there, the Phantoms moved out again, securing that one as a strong-hold. The AW soldiers hurried to catch the Phantoms setting up once they figured out what was going on, but it was too late. The Phantoms were fast, inhumanly so. Once again, the fights raged on. Supression fire on the ground, sniper duels in the middle, and air versus AA on the roofs. Now they were just on another building.

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This is the real true story of rock and roll; it was not about anything more then, how to live your life, as a gangster, in sartorial splendor, and turning the world into a place where normality would never return again...- Malcolm McLaren