Hundreds of thousands—perhaps millions—were flooding through the colossal cities, each one vast as a country. The roar of jet engines thundered overhead. At first, the people cheered faintly, on there minds thinking their military had once regrouped and returned to the fight or at least they were trying to do something. But they were wrong. So terribly wrong.
The first city-center shield domes flickered under a hail of missile strikes. One stronghold, which had resisted earlier bombardments, finally collapsed. A barrage of warheads slammed into its southern quarter, detonating in a firestorm that swallowed four kilometers in every direction. The shield collapsed, buildings vaporized, and tens of thousands were killed in an instant.
