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AIM: Chapter 18
Epilogue:
"RUN!!!!!!! RUN!!!!!! PUSH FORWARD!!!! PUSH THROUGH!" (Mutale screamed at the top of his lungs as he pushed himself to run as fast as he could, despite bearing the pain of his nearly broken foot.)
"PUSHHHHH THROUGH!" (Makhaza screamed aggressively.)
"GOOOOO!!!!!!!" (Screamed the rest of the soldiers behind him.)
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" (Screamed Mutale.)
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Chapter 18: Injuries of Now, Then, and Our Past: Part 2
"STORM!!!!!!" was the scream of the Zambian Commander General, with a piercing voice sending a massive shockwave throughout the entirety of the battlefield.
"This fight... is insane," said two soldiers as they shot at the opposing forces of the Twazwe army side by side, but with intense struggle, seeing that the Twazwe forces were coming with absolute brute force and tech to back them up.
"Ahhhhhh, thank goodness for these bionic shield tattoos!" yelled a female soldier with long braids and sharp eyes, as she pierced through defenses with her long braided blades, which gave her an edge, seeing her insane speed and unrealistic flexibility.
"That girl is a literal psycho," said Soldier Commander Bwalya of the Zambian Defences. "Watch out!"
(BOOM!!!!!!) A massive explosion, caused by a missile strike in a split second, shot from an unknown source in the sky by the Twazwe army.
(BOOM!!!!! BOOOMM!!! BOOMMM!!!!) were the continuous sounds of high-impact explosions shot from the air in split seconds from Twazwe defenses, causing the entire field to turn black due to the smoke and dust.
"We need to counter those missile strikes in some way," said a member of intelligence back at the tent of the Zambian Defence (Dr. Zimba).
"Yeah, but the only problem is, we aren't aware of the source. Those attacks are happening in the blink of an eye," said another man not so far from him at the table.
"Our Commander General chose to leave his post and engage in battle... meanwhile, he was supposed to be here to give the word to confirm further strategy," said a grey-haired man with a scratchy voice standing at the far end of the table.
"He didn't go there unintended. This was part of the strategy... in order that we give our younger soldiers a way to break through their defensive barriers," responded Dr. Zimba in a firm defense.
"But look at where that has taken us. The battlefield is a mess," said the grey-haired man.
"That we are quite aware..." Mr. Zimba said.
(Inner monologue: "Makhaza unfortunately can't use his teleportation simply because of the unexpected... The Twazwe tent is our main objective... and we don't bloody know what exactly is in there...")
"Damn it!!!!" Mr. Zimba aggressively punched the table.
"Our strategy now would be to draw most of them out and ensure defenses around their tent are completely weakened," Mr. Zimba said, his eyes completely fixated on the holographic map of the battlefield on the table.
"You say that, ignoring the many factors at play. Those men possess missiles that can follow your every direction and move. We're literally seeing them launch missiles in the blink of an eye, and you assume somehow we can break through and weaken them?" said the grey-haired man.
"We'll leave it all to luck," Mr. Zimba said with a firm stance.
"MR. ZIMBA, ARE YOU AWARE OF—" but the grey-haired man was immediately interrupted mid-speech.
"I AM QUITE AWARE THAT YOUR DIRTY MOUTH IS GONNA CAUSE ME TO LOSE PATIENCE!!!!!" Mr. Zimba screamed, causing the grey-haired man to stare silently.
An awkward silence hit the room as Mr. Zimba turned his head toward the table and silently observed.
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(BAM!!!! BAM!!! BAMM!!!) The Zambian Commander General threw a continuous amount of insane blows that felt like a metal rod whipping the surface of naked flesh at the Twazwe Commander General.
Who, despite receiving an absurd amount of damage, continued to stand his ground, refusing to accept any form of defeat.
"Despite your absurd stature... your eyes tell me everything," the Commander General said.
"You're still a child... one with no actual experience in real battle and combat."
He said to the Twazwe Commander General, who stared back at him with an intense gaze, despite his bruised face, arms, and legs.
"However... a child needs discipline..." he said as he stepped forward, closer to the Twazwe Commander General.
"I bear no hatred for you, but for the man who sent you."
The Commander General raised his fist high.
"Damn ittttttttttt!" yelled the Twazwe Commander General.
"I had no idea you were that strong... I heard rumors, even seeing you in action in some international human efforts."
"I wanted to be just like you... not saying that I admired or looked up to you in any way. My nation taught nothing more than to hate those whom we do not consider our own."
(Flash: A military camp in Twazwe, a classroom... students paying attention to what the military personnel in front of them is teaching.
"To hate the people of other nations because they have let us down.")
"....." was the silence of the Zambian Commander General, as he stared directly into the Twazwe Commander General's eyes, seeing absolute defiance with a lingering ache of fear.
"Your name," he asked.
"I won't give you that," he said, though struggling to put his words together.
"I'll remember you still," the Commander General said.
(BAMMM!!!!!!!)
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Meanwhile: In the skies
Matimba and Khumalo took to the air, despite the sky being completely covered in dark smoke coming from the ground.
"HOLD ON!" Khumalo said as he began to adjust his speed, cruising through the air fast.
"I AM—AHHHH!" Matimba screamed as she held on to him tight.
(Transmission from Mr. Zimba: "Khumalo, Matimba... you guys will not be allowed to attack until I give you the signal, got it!")
"Alright," Khumalo said.
(Transmission: "In the meantime... err... well, just try to avoid getting hit by a missile, okay?")
"WHY IN THE WORLD IS HE ACTING SO CASUAL ABOUT IT!!" Matimba panicked.
"I have no idea," Khumalo said casually, despite his face completely turning pale.
"Don't you dare leave me, Khumalo!!!!!" she said, banging his head with her fists.
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Meanwhile: (Back in Lusaka City)
"Banda???" Mumba said as she quickly stood up and threw the lighter away, accidentally setting some of her paperwork on fire.
"Ohhh crap," she said, but immediately turned her attention back to Banda.
"I... I... err..." she said as she began to step back, while Banda walked toward her — slow, silent, his teeth clenched.
"Mumba, mind explaining all of this?" Mailo said with an angry tone.
"I..." she said as she stumbled backward and fell, landing on her back.
Banda silently walked toward her, stopped midway, knelt down, and placed his fingers upon Megan's face, his eyes gently scanning every feature.
"Mumba... did you hurt her in any way?" Banda asked, his voice calm.
"You do know our policy on child safety... what exactly got into you, Mumba?" Mailo said as he stepped forward, but was made to halt after Banda gestured by raising his hand.
He carried Megan in his arms, stood up, and faced Mumba, looking at her directly in the eyes.
(Flashback: Banda carrying a burned corpse the same way he's carrying Megan.)
This sent a sting straight to Mumba's chest.
"Banda, I'm—" Mumba said.
"What?" Banda said in a calm tone as Mumba bowed her head, then slowly raised it to face him.
"I'm..." she said, but was completely startled at seeing the intense gaze in his eyes.
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Meanwhile: (Zambian Defence Agency)
Tap, tap, tap — the footsteps of Dr. Robert echoed throughout the entirety of the room as he walked toward a large round table, which had seats occupied by many representatives from foreign states.
"Let the meeting begin," said the head of the agency (Mr. Chifitah), with a sharp look and intense eyes reflecting the blue color of the table.
"Banda... needs to be eliminated."
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To be continued...
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