Chapter Forty-Five

The Minefield

When angels or demons fight the wars of men, it only leads to destruction

Elisium

6L 1/1/1/3

"Freeze. All vehicles freeze."

Alfred grabbed the radio and shouted as his driver pressed hard on the brakes and their truck came to a screeching halt. Alfred was in the front seat of the third vehicle at the head of the convoy. He had been awake the whole last day because he knew that during any crisis, his troops' safety might depend on his prompt actions. Once his vehicle entered the secured perimeter, he dropped his guard and dozed off.

A loud blast shook him up. He opened his eyes to see one of the two vehicles in front of him go up in flames. Before he could react, the second vehicle blew up as well.

"What the hell? Did those morons drove over our mines?" Alfred asked his driver.

The driver pointed to the map in front of him. "No sir. We are strictly following the map. There shouldn't have been any mines in this area at all."

Alfred had a long hard look at the map. "I told Commander Christopher that laying down mines inside our fortress is idiotic. I knew we will end up shooting ourselves in the foot. It seems our mapping department forgot to mark these mines. Tell everyone to stay put till I sort this out." Alfred then shouted on his radio. "Units Alpha four and Alpha five, get down and check on the damaged vehicles."

Soldiers from two trucks jumped out of their vehicles and moved towards the corner of the road. The moment they stepped sideways, there were simultaneous explosions on both sides of the convoy. Tens of soldiers were blown away.

These blasts made it loud and clear to Alfred that this was no blunder from their side, rather the enemies had somehow breached their fortress and tampered with their maze. Before Alfred could think of some plan of action, the vehicle adjacent to his truck blew up. There was another explosion behind him. And another. Alfred helplessly looked around to see vehicles around him go up in flames. His feet grew cold when he realized that their convoy was stuck on a road in the center of a large field and their enemies, hiding in these fields, were targeting Aden's vehicles with their very own anti-vehicle guns.

And then Alfred's eyes fell on someone and a chill went down his spine. He had heard about the mysterious girl from the soldiers who had survived the storehouse ambush. That girl was now standing on a small hillock on the left side of the road, merrily shooting lightning bolts at his convoy. Alfred rubbed his eyes and his mouth fell wide open. The thing that shocked him wasn't the thunderbolts, but rather the utter ease from which she was able to shoot them. It all looked like a child's play for her. She was calm, composed, and didn't even break a sweat while annihilating his troops.

The armored trucks, and most of their interiors, were made of solid metal to make them sturdy. She used this fact to her advantage and electrocuted his soldiers right inside their vehicles. The ominous thunderstorms were making her job easy. A tremendous amount of energy was present in the atmosphere and all she had to do was to direct it at specific targets. And there were abundant targets in front of her.

Alfred had to think on his feet and try something out of the box. If his men remain hidden behind the trucks this girl was going to fry them all inside their vehicles. Alfred grabbed his radio. "Attention, all the units inside the security perimeter. Our enemies are hiding in the fields on either side of the road. Charge at them and finish them off."

At that precise moment, the girl's gaze fell on Alfred's truck that was still standing amidst the burning debris. Their eyes probably met for a split second before Alfred opened the door and jumped out of his truck. On cue, a lightning bolt hit the vehicle and his driver was electrocuted in front of his eyes.

Aden's soldiers rushed out of the trucks and started to move towards the fields. One after another, there was a series of explosions. An intricate maze had been laid down for Aden's army, like the one they had laid down for Elisians at the Demon's Entrance. Unlike their enemies, Alfred's men knew a thing or two about the mines, but the incessant firing from the opposite troops, who were hiding in the tall grass behind the minefield and the mystery girl's thunderbolts, clouded their thinking. They kept tripping on mines, and every explosion added more fuel to the chaos and panic.

It was pretty evident that every single mine that Christopher had scattered around the secured perimeter, had been relocated on either side of this road. To counter their enemies, Alfred's men had to cross an ocean of explosives and they were making an absolute mess of this task. Elisians had timed their attack to perfection and quite literally caught them napping. After entering the secured perimeter most of Aden's soldiers had dropped their guards and were dozing off when this assault began. Their sleepy minds and exhausted bodies got rattled by this sudden attack and they weren't able to make sensible choices.

Alfred had a huge army and much better weapons. The situation was grave but he could still win this. However, he had to first rein in the pandemonium. He sent out a message to his fellow commanders to stop the charge and hold on to their positions. Once the commotion had settled, Alfred studied the fields around him. Enemy soldiers were about thirty meters away, so obviously there were no mines beyond that point. Some of his earlier units that had charged at the enemies, despite suffering heavy casualties, had reached very close to that safe zone. There was a bloody trail left behind by these units.

An idea then popped up in Alfred's mind. Rather than charging from every direction, if his men followed these trails they will be able to navigate through the minefield and reach the safe area. Most of the mines on these trails had already blown up, so now they can use them as tracks to breach the enemy lines. Once beyond the danger zone, they can spread out and surround their enemies. With their greater numbers and better weapons, they will always have an upper hand over their enemies on a neutral battlefield.

He asked his commanders to charge through such trails. Although there was incessant firing from the other side, Alfred's men had now regrouped, their military instincts had kicked in, and they were fully focused.

Many such patches of exploded mines were identified on both sides of the road and Aden's army started to forge ahead into the fields through these gaps. There were a few more explosions, but Alfred's men made a swift advance and now their enemies were under pressure.

At last, Aden's army broke into the safe zones on either side of the road. They charged at David's army who began to retreat towards the dense forests behind these fields.

Alfred ordered his men to shoot the fleeing enemies. David's army neither had the numbers nor weapons to match Alfred's troops and they started to fall in heaps. The element of surprise had weathered off. The tide had once again turned towards Aden.

***

Jennifer was looking at these scenes from her position. She saw her brother's plan work magnificently for a while but then spectacularly fall apart.

Firebolts won't be enough now. You need some miraculous divine intervention. However, give your men a few minutes to reach the forest and take cover before you do anything.

The thunderstorms had already made life difficult for Aden's army, but now the winds, blowing at unfathomable speeds, made their advance even more difficult. Jennifer saw that the enemy commander was close to the forest when one of the officers moving alongside him pointed at something to his left.

Even from a distance, Jennifer could see the look on his face. His eyes became wide and all color left his face when he saw a massive tornado rushing towards them. And that was not all. Another tornado was dashing towards his troops on the other side of the road as well.

Most of Aden's soldiers had by now seen these natural weapons of mass destruction. They tried to run, take cover, but the twin tornadoes swiftly swooped down upon them like angels of death. They caused massive destruction in the fields, on either side of the road. They darted left and right as if controlled by a remote and swept anything that came in their path. Vehicles, soldiers, trees, and bushes, the twins blew everything away.

They dropped some of the soldiers and vehicles, over the remaining mines triggering more explosions. For what seemed like ages, the twin tornadoes performed the dance of doom, moving back and forth, taking violent turns, wreaking havoc with every step. As if they had a mind of their own, they looked hellbent on destroying everything present in those fields.

When Jennifer summoned the tornadoes, she didn't know that she could control them with such precision. She was able to maneuver them like a puppeteer controls his puppets through the strings.

Left and Right. Front and Back. Wow, this is fun, making these criminals fly like blades of grass and then bringing them crashing down to the earth. Let them feel some of the pain they have inflicted on your people. Their broken bodies will remind them of the hopes they crushed in this world.

By the time Jennifer was done, that whole area was an absolute wreck. Aden's vehicles were scattered all around the field. All their men were sprawled on the ground after being twisted and turned most violently. Their bodies were fractured, but alongside that, their spirits had been shattered beyond repair.

Alfred himself was thrown from a height and broke his back. He couldn't feel his lower body and was unable to move. He had done everything he could. He had regrouped his men, was on the charge and might have even won if Jennifer hadn't intervened.

There was no way anyone can prepare for such mayhem. And if this continued, there was no way anyone was going to stop this.

When angels or demons start fighting the wars of men, it only leads to destruction.

And that destruction had just begun.

***

A couple of hours ago, Simon had come down from his post to greet Christopher and Brian at the gateway.

"Everything going well?" Christopher asked Simon.

"As smooth as Elisian silk," Simon replied. "I think you should come upstairs and have a look at our unending convoy, from our new watchtower and the command room."

Christopher had constructed high watchtowers on every outpost after the attack on gateway number five. These towers were heavily fortified, contained a small command room with all the latest communication equipment, and offered sweeping views of the terrain around them.

"I am tired and just want to reach the headquarters as soon as possible." Christopher wasn't in a mood for any delays.

"Five minutes won't harm that much. And I am sure our new Commander might love to have some glorious views of our world."

"Okay let us go up there and have a quick look."

They had a 360-degree view of the area around them through large glass panels fitted on all sides of the command room. About two-thirds of the convoy had already entered the secured perimeter.

Once Christopher was inside the room, Simon said into the radio. "HighCommander secured. Let us begin the show."

Before Christopher could ask Simon what was that all about, the person on the other side of the radio activated the mines. Christopher jumped up from his seat when he saw a couple of his vehicles go up in flames. "What the hell is happening here?"

Four soldiers quietly leveled their guns at Christopher and Brian. "Easy HighCommander," Simon hissed, "I just want you as collateral. But I won't mind blowing up your head if you force me to."

"What in God's name are you up to Simon?"

"Not Simon. I am Smith. I thought you must have guessed that by now. All these men are soldiers of David's army. Your headquarters in the Ruins and all your outposts have been taken over by us. And I would like to add that your soldiers in this convoy are in some serious trouble."

"You are making a huge mistake. You will never win against Aden's army. This is plain suicide," Christopher shouted and rushed towards the glass panel only to see two more trucks exploding.

Smith smirked and signaled to his men sitting at the controls. "Raise the volume of their radio channel. Let him hear the triumphant roar of his soldiers. Or are they desperate cries?"

For the next half an hour, Christopher saw and heard his troops getting wiped out. There was complete pandemonium and they were losing men by the seconds. At last, he heard Alfred taking control of the situation. His men regrouped and gradually gained the upper hand.

Christopher gave Smith a death stare. "Your surprise is over. Now my men will run all over your people. Believe me, you can't win this. Your men neither have the skills, nor the numbers, nor the weapons. The more you fight, the more blood will be spilled. Trust me, I don't want that. I want to avoid a bloodbath."

Smith curled his lips. "Spoken truly like the son of Olivier. Do you remember who first spilled innocent blood in this world? This talk of avoiding bloodshed doesn't suit you. Your great-grandfather won't be too proud of you."

"You might not know this, but it is because of Olivier that the true heir of Solomon is today present amongst you. It was he who protected Samuel's children from getting slaughtered. When Olivier died, he made his sons take an oath to keep looking after Solomon's descendants and also take care of this world. He tried to make amends for his crimes by making this arrangement. Because of this vow generations after generations of our family have served as HighCommanders of this base to try and safeguard the interests of your people as much as they could."

"Safeguard our interests? By tyrannizing our people?" Smith scowled.

"For years my predecessors and I have tried our best to stop the regime from carrying an all-out attack on your people and turning them into slaves. We have also encouraged our soldiers to spread the stories of exploitation in this world amongst the Adeners so that they sympathize with you and push the regime to stop this oppression. And believe me, there is a massive wave of sympathy in Elisium's favor. In a few years, the regime will be forced to pull back its troops. But this armed rebellion will crush the chances of a peaceful retreat."

"You and your predecessors have brutally killed hundreds of our men and you expect me to believe that you are our well-wisher?"

"We have only killed the rebels to stop the rebellion from spreading into the civilians. I have seen the might of Aden and I know you can't win. This resistance will only lead to rivers of blood and thousands of innocents getting butchered."

"You already started the butchering at the Demon's entrance."

"I laid down that minefield to avoid a direct battle. Thousands of soldiers would have died on both sides if that had happened. Yes, a few of your men were killed, but that did help us evade a full-fledged war. Try and understand, I am trying to save both our worlds."

"Just tell me how are you trying to save us by killing us? You even tried to kill Jennifer during the ambush of the storehouse."

"Yes, I tried to kill her because I thought that was the best way to stop this war. For generations, we have protected the heir of Solomon, but in the current scenario, killing her seemed the best thing to do. We are very close to a peaceful resolution. Believe me, very soon Aden's rulers will have to give in to public pressure, call back their army and help your people rebuild their world. But your Savior is leading you to destruction by inspiring you to fight and when a Savior turns into a destroyer, he must be sacrificed."

"I think your ancestors promised something on similar lines. Helping us develop our world. Do you think we will buy into this crap once again?"

"I know it is hard for you people to trust us, but look outside. See the fate of your soldiers. You don't stand a chance if you keep on fighting."

Smith suddenly broke into a wide grin. "I think it is time for you to see the fate of your soldiers"

Christopher looked out of the glass panels and saw the twin tornadoes. He helplessly watched the twins twirl in the fields, grinding his army into the dust. His troops inside the secured perimeter were pulverized.

There was a spooky calm after the tornadoes disappeared. Soldiers of David's army, who had made it to the forest before the tornadoes struck, came out to take stock of the situation. The remaining troops of Aden held their breaths and waited inside their vehicles.

The status quo was disturbed by a sequence of bangs. A series of lightning bolts struck Aden's vehicles that were waiting outside the gateway. Christopher saw her from the watchtower. The mystery girl, standing on the balcony above the gateway, was frying his men. This series of lightning was so quick that it gave his rattled soldiers no time to react.

Christopher sank to his knees. "Stop her. Please stop her. I'll ask my men to surrender. Just don't kill them like this."

"That is precisely why we have brought you up here. Order your men to drop their weapons inside their vehicles and come out with their hands raised above their heads. You do this and I will go and stop her," Smith said offering him the microphone

Christopher grabbed the mic. "This is HighCommander Christopher. All troops stand down. Everyone drop your weapons inside the truck and come out with your hands raised above your heads."

"Keep an eye on him," Smith ordered his men and dashed out of the room.

***

David reached Jennifer before Smith. "Jennifer stop. Christopher has ordered his troops to surrender."

But it did not affect her. She was too engrossed in electrocuting her enemies.

David rushed towards his sister and shook her. "Jennifer please stop! It's over. We have won."

Jennifer was in a trance of unbridled rage. She looked at her brother. "We can't win this till all our enemies are dead."

"They are not the enemies. They are just soldiers following orders. Our true enemies are their masters, who are sitting pretty in that other world. We have to finish them off and for doing that we have to end this war."

"We can't let all these soldiers just walk away like that. We must finish them off when we have a chance."

"Remember what our father said, we need to break the cycle. They kill, we kill, it goes on forever. We need to spare lives when we can. That is the only way to break this vicious circle."

David turned his sister's attention towards Aden's soldiers, who had started milling out of their vehicles with their hands raised above their heads. "Just look at them. They look helpless. This is our chance to show them that we are not like them. This is our chance to show mercy."

Jennifer watched the clueless soldiers.

Their faces tell you the story, Jennifer. All fight has been knocked out of them. They have resigned to their fate. The battle is well and truly over. Now it's time to honor your father's last wish.

Jennifer closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

This battle is won and now it's time to prepare for the last war.

But then some foolish soldiers of Aden went for glory.

And their pursuit of glory brought doom.