The rabbits have just dropped off the st of the survivors, and Deadbeat has healed those that were injured. I have to say, it doesn’t seem like the survivors were very appreciative of your efforts.

  “Eh, I don’t really care what they think about me. I sent the rabbits in to pull out the ones in trouble, but I’m not going to babysit them. As long as they don’t try and attack me, like their former leaders were going to do, I wish them luck going forward.”

  I jumped down from the IFV I was sitting on, and queried my troops. The two Grizzly IFVs filled with Css I bears were ready to move, and so was most of my squad. Deadbeat and Bandit would be ba a moment, and when they arrived I could begin the operatioween the foxes in the surrounding areas, and the squirrels that had snuto the building, I kly where the leaders were located. The three of them were meeting in the basement, probably discussing how to breach my defehere were a couple of gang members rushing dowo warn them of my attaot that it mattered anymore.

  With a sihought I sent Bob and Heavy straight at the fortress’s front gate. It was actually amazing that the rickety structure was in one piece, it was an amalgamation of car parts, appliance doors, and scrap welded together. It robably effective against small arms fire, but not so much against Bob’s giant thermal cws.

  I could see a couple of people running around the sed floor, occasionally leaning out to take potshots at the approag bears, including a couple kids. As soon as Bob plunged his cws into the gate, turning the defeo molteal in seds, most of them panicked.

  “Nyx, how many kids are still inside? A rough estimate is fine.”

  Probably between ten and fifteen, which is thirty pert of the remaining forces.

  I gently rubbed my eyes. On the one hand I’d already given everyone a ce to run away, oher hand… “Nyx, I want to give one bear in each squad a bag with a dozen naneors, and a medical ser. I’m going to order the bears to avoid killing, or even injuring the kids if possible, the supplies are for when that’s not possible”

  I thought you were trying to send a message?

  “I am, part of that message is: I don’t kill kids unless it’s unavoidable”

  Some gangs may still see you as soft if you do that.

  “Well, fuck them. I’m still going to crush three different gangs today, if that doesn’t cause them to back off, nothing short of diretervention will.”

  As I talked to Nyx, and my two big bears worked oe, the IFVs moved up behind them. I sidered just leveling the building, then digging through the wreckage for the missiles, but there would be more colteral damage than I was fortable with. The problem with making a big impression was, I wasn’t as heartless as some of those gang leaders out there. Most of them were used to ign any authority, like the police, and doing whatever they wanted. As far as they were ed, Samurai were just as toothless. The only thing the gangs respected was strength, so I either made an impression, or this entire operation was worthless.

  Ohe gate was half melted, Heavy grabbed the molten edge and pulled. The metal bent, squealing uhe stress, and then a massive human-sized k sheared off under Heavy’s might. He casually threw the k of metal to the side, before stepping through the gap.

  The sound of gunfire erupted from inside. Small arms, nothing too powerful. A quick mental a Heavy, and the rest of my squad, towards the missiles. The other bear squads rushed into the gap after them, splitting up to clear the rest of the ground floor before making their wards. Unfortuhe rabbits took a little longer dealing with the survivors than I expected, and were still on approach. I quickly checked to make sure they were set to nd on the roof and clear their way downwards before moving towards the gates.

  I carefully stepped through the gap, once everything else had piled in. Thankfully, my armor was heat resistant, but I still didn’t want to touch the still glowial and risk burning myself. Beyond the gate was the remains of a makeshift barricade. Half a brick wall, which robably carefully structed for maximum cover, but not structed to stop a rampaging big bear. Both Bob and Heavy must have stepped right through the barricade before engaging, based upowe holes in the wall.

  Beyond the wall were half a dozen bodies, along with half a dozen immobilized kids. The ohat were awake gred at me like I was the devil. I holy couldn’t bme them, they probably never experienced any sense of safety until they joined a gang, and now I was taking that away from them. They could hate me for the rest of their lives for all I cared, at least they’d be alive.

  I left the foyer, heading towards the main staircase, when an explosion rocked the building. I quickly pulled up my alerts, looking for an expnation, but none of my squads listed an issue. The only expnation I could think of that would cause an explosion of that magnitude, was the missiles. So, I pulled up Spooky’s POV, ed that someone had mao access the missiles before my squad secured them.

  Turns out someone had made it to the on cache, it just wasn’t an issue. Null had somehow mao get upstairs, access the missiles, and prepare before my bears got there. Unfortunately for her, issiles do o nothing against Css II armor, and Heavy was the first through the door. The big bear took a missile directly to the chest, and all it did was damage his facade; It didn’t slow him for even a sed. Before Null, or any of her subordinates, could recover the bear put his fist through her face. Literally.

  The results were grotesque. Living in the uy had given me a strong stomach, but it was still hard for me to see someone’s skull fttened and bits of brain matter spttered about. Null’s minions all surrendered after that, and I’d lost all i in killing after seeing the results of Heavy’s attack, so I just had them restrained. I briefly sidered just sending out that image and fug off, but I also khat would e across as being soft. If I didn’t at least deal with the leadership, which was the problem, ang leaders wouldn’t be afraid of me.

  I redirected a few of the Css I bears to escort the apprehended gang members out of the building, and defend the remaining missiles, in order to free up my squad to ese below. Holy, a rge part of me just wao keep Heavy from pung someone else. I made sure no excessive physical force was a directive for all heavy type bots iure. The sight of Null’s head would haunt me for a long time, and it was something I never wao happen again if I could avoid it.

  My bears met me at the top of the stairs, while I was double cheg the location of the other two gang leaders. I wasn’t sure how Null mao get upstairs so fast, I could only guess a secret passage, and I really wasn’t up for any more surprises today. One of the squirrels had marked Salvador and Ripjack as they entered a secure room, and Bandit was able to track them from the remaining st and sounds. The pair were attempting to blockade the door with their remaining followers. I couldn’t have that. I wahis over with.

  It took mere seds for me to reach their ‘safe room’ in the basement. Rather than spending time trying to force my way into the room, I simply raised my rifle and fired a burst into the door. The micro explosives pletely destroyed both the door and barricade behind it, flinging debris through the entire room.

  Before anyone in the room could recover from the shock, my bears blitzed into the room to subdue everyone inside. Most of the gangsters gave up almost instantly, unfortunately one person was still making a fuss.

  Ripjack wasn’t known for being reasonable, or stable.

  “Bitch! You think you just storm in here and take me on? I’ll end you for what you did to me st time, just you wait…” Even though Heavy was firmly gripping his meical arm, the maniac still attempted to rush me, only to end up on his ass when the arm didn’t budge an inch.

  I just shook my head, out of everyone here Ripjack was the ohat deserved mercy the least. He was a certified psychopath, who mounted a hydraulic one arm the to torture people. Even though he deserved to die, I hesitated for a moment. If I didn’t finish up here, someone would attack the kids, I khat. With reluce I sent a and to Spooky, who swiftly put his gun to the back of Ripjack’s head and pulled the trigger.

  Every other person in the room, besides myself, flinched.

  “I really didn’t want to be here today… I’m actually a really busy person, but you assholes had to do the absolute stupidest thing in the world, and plot to attack me.” I locked eyes with Salvador, the big man was calm, sidering the situation. “Last time I sent off a warning it was ignored, so I have to go bigger. Hopefully it’ll get through everyohick skulls this time.”

  “I really should just kill you all in order to send a proper message to the rest of the gangs out there, but fuck it, I’ve already had my fill of killing today.” I jammed my finger directly into Salvador’s chest, which was a little difficult, because he was so much taller than I was, ”After today yang no longer exists, got it. Don’t think you get away with ref it under another her… if I hear your name again, you’ll end up like the st moron who ignored my warning.” I said, gesturing towards Ripjack’s body.

  I turned away from the c gang members, but paused before leaving. “I’m going to level this p five minutes. If you want to survive I suggest leaving before then." At that point I walked off, leaving the gang members c on the floor behind their former boss. This euation was fucked, and I holy didn’t want to deal with it anymore.