(A Day Before the Invasion)
Pierre, Elena, and Dora sat together at the dining table in Elena's apartment. Pierre raised a topic he knew Dora would be eager to pursue.
"Dora, do you want to avenge those who abandoned you?" he asked simply, continuing without waiting for her response.
"When you contacted Richard, I also transmitted the location and some of Granitz's information to him." Pierre's words shocked the two women, leaving them wondering what he was planning.
"You… did what?" Elena, still frustrated, asked.
"This will lure Yorkland to discover Granitz and the NRE. Victor will follow my command," Pierre explained briefly. Dora, confused, struggled to respond. "...Pierre… I… I…"
Pierre interrupted her. "I do what I want. The rest is up to you—whether you kill or spare those lives."
(Granitz's Cliff – Moments Before the First Photon Blast)
Pierre, Elena, and Dora, wearing invisibility suits designed by Pierre, prepared for the upcoming fight. He had advanced the invisibility technology, eliminating the need for masks or full-body coverage to achieve complete invisibility. Responding to Dora's complaints, he adjusted the suits for her and Elena to ensure comfort. The trio concealed themselves along the southern coast, where Granitz's personnel wouldn't detect them.
"Looks like Richard is using the photon blast," Pierre observed, using his glasses' close-up vision to monitor the fleet carrier. He noticed purple light glowing from both wings. Elena understood his implication. "You shared our barrier data too?"
Pierre nodded. "Isn't it a good idea to test the limits of Granitz's barrier?"
Elena glared at him. "You're putting everyone in danger."
"They won't even have a chance to fully breach the barrier," Pierre explained. "The secondary defense line is far more formidable." Before he could elaborate, two beams shot out, piercing through the barriers.
"Nice shot," Pierre remarked, impressed by Yorkland's powerful blast that shattered Granitz's barrier.
"Pierre!" the two women scolded him. Despite the barriers' collapse, they remained calm, observing numerous troops converging on the island from sky and sea.
"So?" Elena turned to him, and Dora awaited his next move.
"After the shot, it'll take about 10 minutes before it can fire again. Dora, use that window to eliminate those inside the fleet," Pierre instructed. Dora, still confused, held only an anti-materiel rifle. "Pierre, I only have the rifle you gave me. I don't see how—"
Pierre gave her a gentle pat. "You're holding one of the most dangerous weapons I've ever created," he said proudly. His joyful tone surprised Dora and Elena, who had never heard him speak so cheerfully before.
"It's an organic destabilizer rifle. It fires high-speed neutrons at a target, destabilizing its nuclear structure and causing disintegration at the atomic level."
Elena and Dora exchanged glances, grasping only half of his explanation. "De… destabilize what?" Dora asked.
"Why don't you give it a try? Shoot at one of the targets on that cruise ship over there," Pierre suggested, pointing to an approaching cruise ship. "Just aim like any sniper rifle and fire. One trigger pull is enough."
Dora followed his instructions, aiming at a soldier on the cruise ship. Her marksmanship, honed by her sister, was exceptional. With a steady exhale, she pulled the trigger. No gunshot sounded, so she pulled it again, still hearing nothing. Pierre stopped her. "I said one is enough."
Before Dora could respond, she peered through her scope and saw the target liquefying, skin melting like heated chocolate. Muscle and bone followed suit. Within seconds, the target dissolved into fluid. Another soldier she had shot began to liquefy as well. Panic erupted on the cruise ship, the crew clueless about what was happening.
"What… the…" Dora muttered, her voice filled with disbelief. Elena, observing the situation through Pierre's holographic watch, also struggled to accept what she saw. "That's horrific, Pierre."
He smiled, taking it as a compliment. "Thank you." He continued explaining, "This high-energy neutron destabilizer can penetrate thick metal sheets, like those on the fleet carriers." He adjusted the scope to composite mode. "With this composite EM analyzer, you can see inside."
Dora aimed at the fleet carrier and zoomed in, spotting several figures through the scope. "Alright, don't forget to switch to multi-shot mode so you don't need to pull the trigger thousands of times," Pierre instructed. Dora followed his guidance.
He then turned to Elena. "Elena and I will protect Dora while she does her job." Elena gripped her photon saber tighter. Noticing her tension, Pierre stepped closer and gently placed his hand over hers. "Relax, Elena. Too tight will hurt you, and too loose will harm you," he said softly.
Their eyes met, and they leaned closer, nearly kissing, until Dora, standing nearby, interrupted. "Just do it quickly—they're coming," she teased. Her words broke the moment. Elena regained her composure, clearing her throat softly.
"Ahem, thanks," she said, adjusting her grip on the photon saber as Pierre had suggested. Meanwhile, Pierre continued monitoring the situation. He spotted the jet and navy troops led by the two Deers brothers.
(Granitz's Cliff – During the Yorkland Invasion)
Dora began melting the crew members aboard the fleet carrier. With multi-shot mode, she liquefied several members at once. Elena scanned the surroundings; no one seemed to notice their presence. These suits are perfect, she thought. Pierre glanced at the timer on his watch, counting down to the next photon blast. Five minutes had passed, and the photon blast's charge was halfway complete. "Five minutes left, Dora," he said.
Pierre's words didn't disrupt Dora's composure. "Got it," she replied, continuing her task. Her calmness and focus impressed both Pierre and Elena.
After clearing the surrounding crew, Pierre reported, "90% complete, about one minute to go." Only the command room's occupants remained. He turned to Dora. "Will you do it, or should I?"
The simple question gave Dora pause, but she didn't reply, instead continuing to shoot, melting the analysis team. Elena and Pierre dispatched a few nearby Yorkland soldiers with their blades.
Meanwhile, Granitz's secondary defensive line overwhelmed Yorkland's aerial units. The Granitz immobilizer nets restricted the movement of flying objects like fishing nets.
For the first five minutes, Yorkland's ground troops roamed the island. Now, they stood motionless. Pierre and Elena observed the activation of the secondary defense: paralyzing mist. This mist immobilized anyone without an antidote. It didn't affect those with clearance, like Pierre's group, who had been injected with a specialized vaccine containing the antidote. Granitz forces then slaughtered the paralyzed Yorkland troops one by one.
Pierre spotted a Granitz combat suit soaring through the sky, annihilating Yorkland's aerial fighters. He recognized it as Karl Feta wearing his mother's creation. Pierre watched Karl confront the supersonic jet piloted by Ronnie Deers. The fight occurred at supersonic speeds, but the jet was no match for Karl's suit at maximum velocity. Seconds later, Ronnie's jet crashed into the sea. Karl stood atop the cockpit, crushing Ronnie's head. He then targeted the submarine.
"The suit's processor will reach its limit soon," Pierre murmured, noting it wasn't yet powered by a quantum chip, given the time constraints. Still, he thought, it was more than sufficient.
Pierre's watch beeped, signaling the imminent second photon blast. "Dora?" he asked, checking her status.
"That's it. The analysis team is gone. They won't be able to shoot anymore," Dora replied, her voice trembling slightly. Elena noticed it too.
"You did really well, Dora. Let's take care of the rest," Elena said, stepping closer and wrapping her arms around Dora.
"I'm sorry…" Dora's voice quivered as she struggled with her inability to kill the man she once loved. Elena glanced at Pierre, urging him to finish the task.
He remained calm, shrugging. "No need anymore," Pierre said, as Karl in the combat suit had just eliminated the two targets for Dora. "It's over."
Elena hugged Dora tighter as she let out a cry—not out of love, but from emotional proximity. The only man she truly loved stood beside her.
Minutes later, Pierre received a call from Victor.
"Hey, Therma, I followed your lead. Now get me out of here." Pierre didn't respond.
Victor scolded through the line. "Hey! We have a deal?"
Pierre replied coldly, "We do, but she doesn't." He handed his watch to Dora.
Her crying stopped as she stood and spoke. "Hello, Victor."
Victor, on the other end, was shocked, believing Dora, or Susan, was dead. "Su… Susan… You…"
Dora interrupted. "Still alive, huh? Call me Dora, and I'd be pleased."
Victor's voice trembled with fear as he tried to negotiate. "Susan… Dora… I know you must be angry… But I had no choice. Therma was behind everything."
Dora exhaled. "Is that all you have to say?"
Victor began cursing her. "You… you filthy bitch, just like your si—"
Before he could finish, Dora fired one last neutron destabilizer shot at Victor. His voice turned into a scream of agony as his body melted, radiating intensely.
Yorkland's sudden attack was revealed to be Pierre's plan to help Dora exact revenge on those who betrayed her and her sisters. However, there was a price to pay, as Granitz's camp discovered the information leak from the NRE. Pierre took full responsibility, concealing Dora's role as a Yorkland agent. Though Dora objected, Pierre assured her it was nothing if he faced the consequences alone. Due to his negligence, he received a one-week disciplinary suspension and a six-month salary cut. Fortunately, the island sustained minimal damage—only the shattered barrier and a few soldier casualties. Pierre was required to install a new barrier for Granitz Island.
Most of Yorkland's ground troops were killed. The remaining Yorkland soldiers, from the submarine captured by Karl, faced grim fates. Several male soldiers were dissected and sent to Granitz's labs or stored at the NRE as test subjects. Some female personnel were selected by elite-rank soldiers in the camp to serve as maids in their households. The rest were imprisoned, awaiting an uncertain future.
The decisive victory over Yorkland's invasion boosted confidence in Granitz's camp, as their technology utterly dominated their enemies. No one could rival them except themselves.