Momentum

Daybreak shines over the Russian reserve line. Dew could be seen all over the grass along the vast networks of trenches and fortifications they have built. Most of them were just waking up or preparing their first meal of the day. Others were changing shifts, some writing letters to the loved ones they left back home. Some were watching as the clouds blew away and made way for the warm light of dawn. The rustling of the trees as they swayed with the wind, suddenly disturbed by loud whistling.

"Входящие!" A Russian soldier shouted.

One of the pill boxes bursted in flames, followed by mortar shells falling along the length of the trenches. On the horizon, a row of tanks appeared and began firing at the pill boxes and bunkers. The soldiers braced against the sandbags or any cover they could find as mortars continued to fall on their position. Their artillery and anti-tank guns were able to fire back but it was no match to the rate of fire of the advancing Lanstonians. They were quickly disabled leaving only the light infantry within the trenches to defend their position.

"Keep suppressing them!" Roger ordered over the radio."

"Rounds complete!" Edward exclaimed as the mortars fired their last volley.

"We just gotta punch a hole through their defense. The Colonel's unit is just a click behind us. They'll secure our spearhead." Jacques mumbled as he watched through his binoculars.

The Russian infantry began fighting back with whatever they could but they were constantly suppressed by the tanks. They took out their anti-tank grenades and lit their molotov cocktails as the Lanstonian tanks inched closer to the trenches. They can't win from a distance but the Russians are known for throwing themselves under tanks while hugging explosives. The Sparrows know this and have come up with a plan to counter it. They split off from the main group early on and laid in wait. Once the tanks were just a few hundred meters away, they sprung up and sprinted as fast as they could towards the trenches. Teresa stayed behind to take out anyone who can potentially warn the others about the approaching trio. Johann was the first to jump into the trench and he immediately pulled off his prosthetic arm and drove his knife into the chest of the nearest enemy. Hugo and Hilbert followed and split up at a junction. Hilbert taking to the main trench while Hugo went further to delay the enemy reinforcements. This divided the enemy's attention and were forced to deal with the intruders within the trenches. The others took this chance and Jeremy lead the main force, charging in the open. The defending Russians were able to kill a handful of the attackers but it suddenly turned into a brutal hand to hand combat. Jeremy displayed his skills in combat with his new found strength given by his augmentations. He used his bare hands and anything that he could get a hold of and turned it into weapons. Bashing people's heads in with rock and stabbing them with pieces of wood. Something similar to how Hilbert fought when he lost control. A dire need to survive enclosed in pure rage. Another monster created by the program.

"Jeremy! Silence that bunker! We'll take care of things here!" Richard ordered.

Jeremy nodded as he snapped the neck of an enemy soldier. He then picked up the anti-tank grenade and ran towards the enemy bunker. He pulled the pin off and tossed the grenade through the slot before firing a few bullets into the bunker.

"Fire in the hole!" Jeremy shouted as he jumped into the trench and braced against the wall.

The bunker wall suddenly collapsed and fragments flew in almost every direction. Phillip ducked down and a small steel cable hit the enemy soldier behind him directly on the neck. The blood splattered all over the place as the soldier drowned in a pool of his own blood. As the tanks drew closer the enemies began raising their hands and dropping their weapons. Some still tried to run further inside the trenches only to bump into Hugo or Johann.

"We can't stop here, don't take any prisoners!" Richard ordered.

"Yes sir!" The men shouted in reply.

They began shooting at the unarmed prisoners and made sure all of them were dead before advancing with the tanks. Teresa caught up with the other three and they began resupplying before joining the main group.

"Wipe the filth off your hands after this is over. We still have a long way to go." Jacques stated as he walked past them.

"Major! The Colonel's troops are here.!" Tristan shouted.

"They're a little early. Let's keep moving forward!" Jacques ordered.

Hugo took lead with Roger's tank acting as their mobile cover. If there was a small trench system then there must be a fortified position nearby. Now that the element of surprise is gone, they have to be careful and mindful of their surroundings. As they reached an open field, a nearby city could be seen just a few kilometers away.

"It would be wise to avoid the narrow streets but we have to pave the way for the others." Roger stated as he looked through his binoculars.

"We'll take a squad with us and scout ahead." Hugo replied.

"Bring a radio with you. I think you already know what to do." Roger added.

"Yes, no worries Major. We won't take long." Hugo replied before smiling.

Hugo called out to Hilbert and the others before taking off. They continued the rest of the way on foot, keeping off the road to avoid detection. Once they got closer, Hugo ordered the others to crawl through the tall grass. They kept an eye on the windows, preparing to shoot at anything that moves.