Chapter 7: Chapter Five

     Five Heavy-infantry type Anites entered the highway. Their azure optical receptors swiveled to the right, focusing on enemy units. A moment later, Vincent's order went out, "FIRE!" Cannons roared as the tanks fired off their AP (Armor-Piercing) rounds. The rounds discharged with an initial velocity of one thousand meters per second. 

     A moment later, the infantry, who hid behind cars or broken concrete, fired their grenade launchers at the rears of the Anites. The machine gunners opened fire, aiming for the Anites' eye. 

     The combined might of the AP shells and grenades tore through the heavy-infantry type Anites' armor like it was tinfoil. The internal alerts within the Anites alerted them that they had taken too much damage and activated their self-destruct sequences. 

     Vincent waited until the last tank fired before giving out another order, "Fallback! We outrun the tank-type until the others attack it from behind!" The tank-type Inites could take multiple AP rounds and walk away without a scratch. The only way to down them was to attack their rears, where the armor was weaker. 

     The infantry opened fire with their grenade launchers, but the explosions did little. The Inite ignored the infantry and targeted the reversing 18-Lions. 

     Its laser targeting system locked onto the tank furthest in the back. The Inite's tactical algorithm, though inferior to the algorithms used by commander units, intended to destroy that tank to cut off the escape of the other tanks. It began to load an AP round. 

     'Any moment now...' Vincent steepled his hand and waited for the other 18-Lions to attack the Inite from behind. The soldiers of the 128th were the best. They never failed. Vincent was confident platoons one and two would destroy the Inite before it could inflict any damage. 

     The Inite prepared to fire. It aligned a perfect shot. Suddenly, an explosion could be heard, followed by several more. The Inite crumbled to the ground and erupted into a ball of fire, sending metal shards flying in all directions.

     "GET DOWN!" An infantry captain yelled to his fellow soldiers. The soldiers dove behind cover or hit the deck to avoid the shrapnel. The shards of charred steel hit the hulls of the 18-Lions, causing a resounding clang to echo throughout the interior.

     The hail of metal did not scare Vincent. When the shrapnel stopped flying, he opened the tank's hatch and got on the turret. He cupped his hands around his mouth, "ALL TROOPS! GET BACK ON THE TANKS! WE HAVE TO MOVE OUT BEFORE MORE TIN PARADES SHOW UP!"

     "ROGER!" The soldier rejoined their squads and clamored onto the tanks. Vincent deployed ten tanks accompanied by the Coyote to form an advance force. Before long, the convoy rolled onward. Passing the smoldering remains of the GACUs, they rolled on as the sun began to near its peak. 

     Michael absentmindedly hummed as Elias twiddled his thumbs. With his arms crossed, Vincent silently thought about how to destroy the production plants. GACUs had already discovered the 128th company. The plant commander most likely knew they were coming. There was also a possibility Silver Phoenix also knew. 

     As Vincent led his soldiers forward, the plant commander reinforced the production plant's defenses. His original plan was to catch the plant commander off-guard in a full-frontal assault, but that was now out of the question. 

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     'Perhaps a diversionary attack while some soldiers sneak in the back,' Vincent furrowed his brow, 'No, we don't know the plant's layout. There is a risk they could get lost. Drawing the plant commander out will be difficult, but it is the only way to get him. After we crush him, I'll work on a plan to destroy the plant.'

*****

     Silver Phoenix glanced over a report sent to him by a light-infantry type Enite. 'An enemy force? Behind our lines?! IMPOSSIBLE!' A jolt ran through Phoenix's system, preventing him from moving for a moment. 

     A subroutine called Inhibitor had activated due to his sudden rage. The Inhibitor subroutine would shut down the systems of commander units to remind them that they shouldn't enter any states of anger, for that could lead to a mistake. Phoenix recovered from his earlier fury, 'Heh. Humans are fools. They'll die sooner or later. I shouldn't get too enraged over this.' 

     A new report appeared on Phoenix's HUD. Plant commander four had deployed forces to crush the enemies. 'Good... Hm, but why would the humans send soldiers behind our lines? If they cause any damage, it would only delay us by a few days. How could they cause any lasting damage...' Phoenix paused and thought about the most valuable assets in his combat area. What could they destroy that'd inflict critical damage on the GACUs? Suddenly, Phoenix believed he had realized what they planned, 'Me. They plan to attack me, don't they? Fools. Desperation can bring about the worst of decisions. They won't survive a day.' 

     Putting any thoughts about the enemy out of his head, Phoenix shut down his system to begin replenishing his spent energy reserves. He had exhausted his energy packs during his tour of the front. He set it so he would awaken in four hours. 

*****

     Michael Wren steered the tank down the highway so smoothly that one could believe he had been doing this all his life. Moving unconsciously, he drove onward in the direction ordered by Vincent, but his mind was elsewhere. 

     'What if the Gyros predict our route and ambush us? What if they launch an artillery strike? What if we don't move fast enough?' Worries and doubt preyed on Michael's mind like starving wolves. When fighting machines that knew not fear nor pain, one could not help but worry.

     Glancing over his right shoulder, Michael saw Vincent, whose eyes were closed. Vincent radiated a magnificent aura of confidence and courage unmatched by even Alexander the Great. That aura calmed Michael's mind, and he went back to driving. 

     The drive lasted into the evening. The infrastructure had been in disrepair for years. In several places, it was too damaged for the convoy to traverse, delaying progress. Fortunately, the GACUs made no attacks, aside from a few light-infantry type Enites that strayed close enough for Victor to blow their brain circuits out. 

     Before long, a large, disproportionate steel building loomed into view. Smoke billowed from several parts of the building. To say the sight was intimidating would undersell it. Several groups of GACUs marched around its perimeter, wary of an attack. It gave the impression of an indomitable obstacle. A deep sigh escaped Vincent, who massaged his temples, 'Bigger than I expected. Destroying it will be a challenge...' 

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