The morning of July 11th broke with an unusual wind coming in off the Atlantic. The tropical storm that had hugged the shoreline was quickly approaching but still looked like it would avoid landfall. The storm just seemed content to fill the sky with clouds of various shades of grays. It was a pleasant change from the usual July heat. As the sun first broke the curve of the earth it turned the underside of the clouds a crimson red and cast an eerie glow on the sleeping city, as if Mother Nature herself was foreshadowing the events of the day. Within moments the reds vanished into hues of violet and orange. As the sun rose above the cloud line the day turned a dreary gray. Lukas drank the last of his coffee and headed back down off the rooftop of his apartment building. Unbeknownst to his wife, the coffeepot and a military cot were all that remained of their apartment. Soon those two items would also be gone. For better or worse they will not be coming back to this place.
He entered the Southern United building and headed down to the planning area. Lord Nemesis was in his uniform of solid black with gold buttons and piping. Lukas went and changed into his own black with gold and grabbed his hat on the way out of changing room. His mirrored polished boots clicked on the concrete floor as he crossed over to the main table. Two officers sat at a small desk with a wireless sending out dots and dashes faster than Lukas could think. The reply came back, and the second officer wrote down what was received. The wireless itself was not a new technology, but Lord Nemesis created mobile units that ran on batteries that could be charged by turning a crank. The observers carried the units on their backs and the Morse key was attached to a bracer on the soldier’s forearm.
“Sir, Sniper post seven has a clear view of the campus. The Hussar are ready and waiting for your signal.” The Hussar squad was the most highly trained soldiers Lord Nemesis had. These men would charge into oncoming bullets if that is what it took to win the day. Now they were poised to attack a college campus. It seemed a bit over kill to Lukas.
“Good Sargent, send the word to proceed with do haste and extreme predigest against that laboratory.”