The first wave of attackers came during rush hour, a few hours after midday, but the Water Nexus didn’t notice it. It was caught by the humans of Miami, who retaliated with such brutal force that it surprised Libera Terra, who’d expected to approach the Water Nexus territory without interruption.

The first fighting broke out in a standard Miami traffic jam. Two cab drivers, long-time residents of Miami, happened to glance out their side windows and see several cars filled with people clad head-to-toe in dark clothing, even some with what was clearly body armor. They knew immediately, instinctively, what these people were here for. Nobody dressed like that these days, save for the military, which wasn’t active in this part of Florida anymore. The two cab drivers couldn’t see each other, but they acted on the same instinct simultaneously.

“What the-” the lead driver of the Libera Terra strike group let out a quiet expletive as a taxi driver veered into his driving path, right as the traffic started to crawl forward. On any other day, he might have gotten out to have words with the idiot who drove so recklessly. But he had a mission to do, and he couldn’t get distracted. With a grunt, he quickly put the car into reverse, intent on letting the idiot taxi operator pull into the spot.

He let out another curse as yet another yellow vehicle suddenly jerked to the right. Strangely, he reversed to do it, preventing the driver from slipping backward. Still, he didn’t consider that this was a deliberate attempt to prevent him from moving. That realization came when a third stranger, this one on foot and wielding a heavy tire wrench, dashed forward and swung the makeshift weapon through his window, shattering it.

The passengers of the large van looked up in alarm at the noise, still too slow to react. Was that an ordinary human trying to attack them? They were brazen, to commit such a violent crime in broad daylight when they couldn’t get away. It didn’t occur to the members of Libera Terra that the humans of Miami had been preparing in secret. These three strangers who had stopped and attacked them were nowhere near alone. And, with the particular mentality of the average Floridian that existed even after the acceptance of the Water Nexus, they were well-armed, and just crazy enough to attack people much better armed and armored than themselves.

The traffic around them had come to a standstill as more than half the nearby humans became aware of the terrorists. They mobbed the van, yanking its door open and pulling the Libera Terra members out. In seconds, they were swallowed by the horde of angry Floridians, their quiet march toward the Water Nexus property interrupted by an explosion of noise before that too ended.

All around the city of Miami, in dozens of different locations, humans were leaping out of cars or charging into the streets to attack Libera Terra. They were well-organized and struck without warning. Ever since the tragedy of the Nexus Games, they had been on high alert, keeping in contact via radio, phone, and internet. They had secretly prepared for the chance of another attack. They would not allow more of their friends and family, for the Water Nexus was truly considered to be their family, to be harmed. When their family was too injured and weak to fight, they were all too happy to pick up the cause.

Ben leaped over the nearest car to him, his feet already slamming into the chest of a dark-clothed, mask-wearing man who was just getting out of the vehicle. The stranger crashed into the car next to him with a grunt of surprise and pain. Before he could react to the attack, Ben punched him in the face as hard as he could, shattering his nose and knocking him unconscious. Two nearby Miami residents whooped, cheering on his efforts and urging him on.

Gunfire rang out, and he dove behind a car for cover. Traffic was at a full stop now, and everyone was abandoning their cars, either to fight or to flee. This gave Ben plenty of protection and hiding spots. He yanked away the gun that the man he’d just knocked out was holding. A Smith & Wesson .45, he noticed. A standard pistol model, and one that he was more than familiar with. Ever since his childhood friend had become a Nexian and eventually the Alpha of an entirely new Nexus, Ben had changed his career path, joining the military.

It had been a fluke that had seen him transferred to Miami, and he’d finished his service two years ago, but he’d still continued learning to fight, hoping he could protect people who needed it. He hadn’t expected to find himself in such a city, but he wasn’t afraid to fight to save it from these Libera Terra attackers. And he fought now, rising from his hiding place with his arms braced on the hood of the car, and fired twice, taking down the terrorist that had first fired.

His friend Phillip had also attacked straight away, pulling a shotgun from the back seat of his truck and blasting two of the terrorists away. He made his way over to where Ben crouched, and the two continued firing at their enemies. They went down without understanding exactly what was happening, or who was striking them down. In less than a minute, the two cars of Libera Terra had been dealt with.

“Jesus Christ, Ben,” Phillip said, looking around at the now permanent traffic jam. “Since when were you this crazy?”

Ben had to admit that it wasn’t normal, even for him, to bash open the window of an occupied car and yank the driver out to beat him and take his weapon, let alone fire on complete strangers. But he couldn’t express his feelings on the matter, so he didn’t attempt to. Deep down, he knew he’d done what was right, and that the fight wasn’t over yet. He rose to a full standing position once he was sure the coast was clear. He was mildly surprised to see other nearby Miami folk looking at him with something like respect and awe.

“There’s more of them,” he told the crowd of some three dozen people. Just under half of them were armed with guns taken from the dead terrorists. “We don’t know where, but we know they’re acting.”

Just then, the radio in Phillip’s truck garbled. He rushed over to it and twisted the volume knob. The words came louder now. It was a simple and short message, being spoken on repeat.  “Libera Terra has been spotted! I repeat Libera Terra has been spotted! Reports are coming in from all over the city, and people are fighting back. If you’re a true citizen of this city, the time has come!

“Resistance groups are forming up at Bayside, the Freedom Tower, and Vizcaya Gardens. Get to one of these meeting points as fast as you can. More information will be given at these meetings.”

There was a moment of silent amazement between them all. In several different directions throughout the city, they could hear noise picking up. In some places, people were shouting and chanting. In others, there was more gunfire. Ben turned to his left, where he could easily make out Freedom Tower. He was on Biscayne Boulevard, which ran right by the massive skyscraper, and barely five blocks away. Even now, he could see figures running toward the building, forming a large crowd.

“Let’s get to the tower,” Ben suggested to the others. “Let’s put an end to this invasion!”

The others roared their approval and followed as he and Phillip led the way down the road toward Freedom Tower. As they went, they gathered more, until they numbered over a hundred. Nearly three times as many people were gathered at the base of the skyscraper when they arrived. Ben pushed his way through the small army to get to the center, determined to find out more. To his surprise, he saw another of his friends and fellow former soldier, Brad standing above the crowd.

“Ben!” He exclaimed, reaching down to yank his friends up. “Phillip too? I should have known you two battle junkies would be here.”

“What’s the plan?” Ben asked at once. “Looks like we got a lot of people.”

“And more are coming. The Boulevard is blocked off.”

“I know,” Ben said, jerking his head in the direction of his first fight. “We just came from there. Took out a few terrorists.”

“Good. Everyone’s picking a road to hold against Libera Terra. We’re on McArthur, it’s closest.”

“Think we’ll beat Libera Terra there?” Phillip asked. “The longer we sit here preparing, the more time they have to get in and attack the Water Nexus.”

Everyone knew that the long strip of land from Bal Port to Fisher Island was the Water Nexus’ territory. It was prime real estate and easily defendable, but small. Brad shook his head. “Don’t worry. I already sent more than two dozen people there. They’ve caught a few terrorists by surprise, and they’re holding the bridge.”

“Good,” Ben agreed with a growl. “Should we get going soon?”

“You two can. I still have to give instructions and make sure everyone’s prepared.” Brad turned to shout to the crowd. “Anyone who’s ready to fight and has a weapon, follow Ben and Phillip! They’ll lead you to the bridge. It’s time to fight!”

A wave of people broke away from the crowd at once with a cheer. Ben remained only a moment longer to slap Brad on the shoulder. “See you later, then. Don’t die out there.”

“Same to you.”

It was a relatively short distance to McArthur Causeway, but their progress was slowed by the sea of parked cars that now clogged the roads. Even with wide paths beside the roads, they couldn’t walk more than four abreast. Still, they made good time, and soon they were off the mainland completely. Ben directed multiple groups to break away every half mile, to set up checkpoints along the thin strip of road and bridge. There was already a large group camped out on the western edge of Jungle Island, one of the two small islands that the causeway ran through before hitting the Water Nexus territory.

“What’s going on here?” a voice shouted. Ben turned to see a figure in a light blue shirt and pants striding toward the gathering humans. His hair was silvery-white, a marked contrast to his darker skin. The wooden necklace and bracelets he wore would have marked him as a Water Nexian to anyone who had spent some time in Miami, but he was even more recognizable than any of his fellows.

Felix came to a halt in front of the head of the marching group of humans. They didn’t look like the Libera Terra humans that had attacked them at the Nexus Games, but he still kept his guard up, ready to act in an instant. If they were enemies, then he’d have no problem whatsoever wiping them out. He could hold this entire bridge alone if he wanted. They wouldn’t stand a chance against him.

“Sorry, sir,” the brown-haired human facing him said, tucking the pistol he carried into his belt. “Libera Terra is here, and we’re just making sure they can’t reach you. We’re not letting them kill any more of you.”

Felix was surprised in spite of himself and fell silent for a moment as he tried to think of an appropriate reply. The people of Miami had been told by his mother not to put themselves in danger, but they clearly didn’t listen. A slight smirk formed on his face, and he suppressed a laugh. Leave it to Floridians, he thought. They did what they wanted, no matter who told them not to. But still, he couldn’t let them disobey his mother and Alpha, even if he found it amusing.

“Turn around,” he said, trying to sound as stern as he could. “We can defend ourselves. Mother doesn’t want you getting in harm’s way, not if she can help it. We appreciate what you’re trying to-”

An explosion sounded in the near distance, and a massive fireball rippled into the sky coming from the point of the island. Ben, Phillip, and Felix whirled to face it, just in time to see and hear the second missile fire, smashing into a nearby building, killing many gathered beside it. With a loud groan, the three-story building began to list to one side. It was clear that the structure was going to fall.

“Get clear!” Felix, Ben, and Phillip all screamed, waving the defenders back. Quite forgetting about the command that Felix had just given, Ben charged forward, drawing the pistol again, ready to fight.