Moment of Truth

While waiting for the rescue team's arrival at the target location, Richard sat with his phone in hand, skimming through the messages he'd shared with his mother. Her messages were often long and caring, asking about his well-being or if he had eaten. In contrast, his responses were usually short and casual, sometimes even left unread.

Before all the chaos unfolded, Richard's relationship with his parents had been rather ordinary. Drama wasn't their thing; they didn't indulge in heightened emotions. He preferred a straightforward and pragmatic approach to things.

There were moments when he'd get a bit annoyed by his mother's messages, especially when she'd ask stuff like "How's your day" or "Did you eat yet." He'd wonder why she was so keen on the little details every single day.

But things had taken a turn now. His parents, usually reliable in answering calls and texts, had gone silent. The usual messages about everyday stuff had morphed into constant worry from his end. He couldn't shake off the growing concern. He talked to his mother just the other day, but now, no response, no callback. Something was definitely up.

'Maybe they don't have reception?' He thought to himself, hoping that it would be the case.

He would know sooner or later their situation once his special forces arrived in Montalban.

"Eagle Actual, this is Specter-1, we're one minute out from the location, how copy?" Graves's voice crackled over the radio.

Richard's attention snapped to the microphone and he replied. "Copy, Specter-1. I am getting a visual of the city and you are definitely in the right place, over."

After saying that, Richard watched the display on the television screen. The once-familiar city, his birthplace, was now in ruins. There was fire everywhere, and the city was dark as the power had been knocked out.

His grip on Lisa's hand tightened, and she glanced at him with creased brows. She saw the genuine concern on his face for the safety of their parents. Lisa herself felt the same after witnessing the apocalyptic scenes from the special forces' cameras. The devastation was real, and their parents were somewhere amidst it all.

A minute later, Richard noticed something wrong.

"Actual…are you seeing this?" Graves asked, looking down at the subdivision of Richard's parents to give him a clear view.

"I-I do…" Richard stammered, taken aback by the sight before him. "What happened…to this place?"

Lisa's gaze fixed on the screen, her heart sinking as she saw the scene unfold. The footage displayed a landscape of devastation, and the coordinates that were supposed to lead to their parents' location showed nothing but flattened terrain. It was as if the area had been bulldozed, and wiped clean.

The Pave Hawk helicopters directed their searchlights toward where Richard's parents' house used to stand

"Actual…there's nothing here…" Graves's voice carried a somber tone.

"No…that's not possible," Richard's voice trembled, his eyes locked onto the barren land where his parents' home should have been. The shock of the realization was hard to process.

"All aircraft, can you orbit the place and see if there's anything we missed?" Richard ordered, and the helicopters complied. They hovered around the subdivision and the scene was all the same, a flattened terrain, all the houses were crushed by something heavy.

The more he looked at the screen, the more the fear of losing his parents gnawed at him.

And then—there was a sudden loud roar from a distance, and the Special Forces aboard the helicopters turned their heads immediately to the source of the sound.

Everyone in the command room widened their eyes in shock. There, they saw an immense humanoid monstrosity, a creature of unfathomable proportions stretching nearly 80 meters into the air. Its sheer size alone was enough to send shivers down their spines.

But it was the details that truly struck terror into their hearts. One of its colossal arms was adorned with a shield of staggering proportions, a massive barrier that spanned a daunting 20 meters in width, on the other arm, a colossal blade extended, its immense form pulsating with an eerie red glow.

"What the fuck…" Graves cursed.

With another roar, the colossal monster charged forward, its massive shield leading the way. The shield's bottom scraped the ground as it moved. And there, Richard realized why the terrains were flat, it was because of that monster.

"Actual! The monster is closing in on us! What do we do?"

"Sir!" Mark stepped forward and spoke. "You should order a retreat now. We can't lose those aircraft."

"But our parents!" Lisa interjected. "They must be around there somewhere."

"But miss, there's nothing left. Sir…give the orders," Mark urged carefully.

Richard, who was still processing the possible loss of his parents, felt a surge of conflicting emotions. The sight of the monstrous creature and the devastated landscape left him torn between his duty as a leader and his personal anguish.

But he has to make a decision.

"All aircraft, this is Eagle Actual. Initiate immediate retreat. Get out of there.

The helicopters, which had been orbiting the area, swiftly changed course. But the colossal monster was nearing their position. The Bell AH-1Z Viper, Callsign Viper 1, made a decision and fired two of its Hellfire missiles toward the creature. The missiles streaked through the air, homing in on their target with deadly accuracy.

Seconds later, the hellfire missiles crashed on the colossal monster's head, stopping the monster and disorienting it.

But the Viper didn't stop there. The gunner's hand gripped the M197 three-barreled rotary cannon's trigger, setting loose a torrential downpour of 20mm rounds that streaked through the night air. Among these rounds, tracer ammunition illuminated the darkness, stitching a fiery path toward the colossal monster.

The monster raised his right arm to block the onslaught of projectiles. Its colossal shield, spanning an expanse of 20 meters, became a frenzied dance of deflection, as the 20mm rounds and tracer ammunition ricocheted off its formidable surface.

The gunner aboard the Viper switched to Hydra 70 unguided missile and launched a volley of them at the shield. The missiles streaked through the air, their distinctive fins guiding them toward their target. As the Hydra missiles closed in, they detonated in a series of explosions.

However, the shield seemed to withstand even this new assault. The explosions created sparks and plumes of smoke, and while some sections of the shield exhibited scorch marks, unscathed. The Hydra missiles, though powerful, appeared to be just scratching the surface of the colossal barrier.

"Viper 1, this is Specter-1. You've provided us with the window we needed. It's time for you to extract and get clear of the area!"

"Copy that, Specter-1. We're pulling out of the area," Viper 1 responded. The pilot swiftly maneuvered the aircraft away from the scene, ascending rapidly to a higher altitude, out of reach of the colossal monster's looming presence.

The colossal monsters stared at fleeing helicopters in the sky and let out a roar, frustrated that it was able to get away.

Meanwhile, in the command center, Richard stood before the television screen. The reality of his parents' potential fate was settling in, casting a heavy shadow over his thoughts.

Around him, the command team exchanged grim looks. Lisa's expression mirrored Richard's emotions, her eyes reflecting the deep concern they both shared.

"Mama…papa…brother…Richard," Lisa's voice quivered, and she buried her face on her brother's shoulder, clutching him tightly. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she couldn't hold back the flood of emotions any longer.

Richard wrapped his arms around Lisa, holding her close as she wept. He felt his own emotions surge but was able to contain them inside him.

At that moment, the command center was filled with a heavy silence, all of them were saddened at the loss of their commander's parents.

"Mark…" Richard called.

"What can I do for you, sir?"

Richard pulled the notes out of his pocket and handed them to Mark. "New mission, it's Lisa's classmate's address. Rescue them."

"Understood, sir. I will relay new coordinates to the Special Forces now."