"The transit hub is gone."Kira gripped the edge of the desk as a violent tremor shook the thick floorboards of the command center. She stared at the high resolution optical feed with wide hollow eyes.Three miles down the frozen interstate a colossal pillar of orange fire erupted from the city grid. The military bombers just unleashed their payload directly onto the subterranean commercial storage tanks. Plumes of thick black smoke breached the dense winter cloud layer and blotted out the pale sun."They vaporized the diesel reserve," Kira stated. Her voice carried the harsh rasp of absolute defeat.She pressed her hand against her bandaged thigh as a fresh wave of nausea flooded her stomach. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. She knew the grim mathematics of their current trajectory. The mobile fortress was bleeding energy, and the military just destroyed their only bridge to the quarantine zone.We are going to die inside this metal box, Kira calculated the bl

"We have sixty eight hours of combustible energy remaining on the primary gauge."Kira leaned her weight onto her uninjured leg and pointed at the flashing red numbers on the main console. She kept her posture rigid to mask the dull throbbing pain radiating from her bandaged thigh.Malcolm gripped the steering yoke of the Leviathan. The mobile warship ground its way through the frozen northern suburbs of the dead metropolis. They followed the coordinates extracted from the ruined bomber flight recorder."The drag from the deep snowdrifts is increasing our fuel consumption," Malcolm noted. He watched the reinforced plow blades push a mountain of icy debris off the ruined asphalt."General Varga consolidated his supply lines at a staging ground ten miles from this intersection," Kira stated. "We will intercept his fuel convoy before our tanks run dry, but we will not catch them by surprise.""I do not need the element of surprise when I drive a titanium fortress," Malcolm replied."You

"You have thirty seconds, civilian, before I empty a magazine into this crowd."Lieutenant Riggs broadcasted the lethal ultimatum across the frozen highway. The Vanguard officer stood atop his armored transport and kept his kinetic rifle pressed against the temple of a weeping hostage. The chained citizens shivered in the howling wind while they awaited their execution.Inside the warm command center Kira felt the blood drain from her face. Her heart hammered against her ribs in a frantic rhythm of pure panic.Malcolm stood near his mahogany desk and picked up his heavy tactical helmet. He did not look panicked or conflicted. He evaluated the situation with the cold precision of an engineer analyzing a structural defect."Prepare the primary fuel siphons," Malcolm instructed his navigator. "I will secure the perimeter.""You are walking into a firing squad," Kira warned him. She watched him secure the locking collar of his helmet. "He commands twenty elite soldiers equipped with armor

"We are driving into a graveyard."Kira leaned her weight against the desk while she pointed a trembling finger at the primary tactical monitor.The Leviathan sputtered and lurched toward the dark border of Sector Seven. Thick black smoke poured from the dorsal exhaust vents and painted the winter sky with toxic soot. The tainted diesel corroded the primary engine cylinders with every agonizing rotation of the colossal steel tracks. The mobile fortress was dying a loud grinding death on the icy asphalt.The optical sensors magnified the narrow transit corridor located two miles ahead. General Varga did not bother with a hasty ambush or a frantic scramble for position. The federal commander anticipated their exact route and constructed a permanent siege line across the only viable highway leading into the quarantine zone."He built an impenetrable choke point," Kira warned her host. She gripped the cold polymer stock of her kinetic assault rifle. "Those are not standard traffic barrier

"Brace for the impact."Malcolm issued the stark warning while he shoved the steering yoke to its maximum forward position. He routed the final corrosive drops of the tainted diesel straight into the dying engine block.The three billion dollar mobile fortress roared in agonizing protest. The Leviathan accelerated down the icy transit corridor toward the federal barricade.Kira locked her hands around the bolted metal frame of the leather command chair. The cabin plunged into darkness as Malcolm diverted the internal life support and the automated turret reserves directly into the frontal plow blades. The only illumination came from the dull crimson flashing of the emergency console."Open fire," General Varga commanded over the intercepted radio frequency. "Core that metal box."A dozen heavy battle tanks unleashed their primary cannons simultaneously. The deafening volley tore through the howling winter blizzard. Depleted uranium shells crossed the frozen highway in a fraction of a