The first rays of dawn had just begun to peek over the horizon as the bunker's inhabitants emerged. Together, they stood atop the now-cleared foundations of Gram Gram's house, waiting.

A tense silence pervaded the scene as each checked over their belongings. Annie compulsively checked and rechecked her firearms, making sure that each was in working order. Jerry played practice scales on his violin with increasing speed. Nick took the opportunity to grow a few more flowers in the surrounding area. Meanwhile, Major Geoffries just paced.

Chad felt Squawkers land on his shoulder. He gave the bird a scratch on the head. "You ready?"

Squawkers gave him a serious nod. "I hope so. If I'm not, I'm gonna be mincemeat."

Chad gave a dry chuckle. "It won't be that bad, Squawk. We won't let anything happen to you!"

"Not that bad?" The parrot looked at him incredulously. "Are we talking about the same plan, here? Because I'm pretty sure this is going to be really really bad. Like, 'might not make it out alive' bad."

"We'll pull it off." Chad shot him a thumbs up. "I mean, what can go wrong?"

"Of course you'd say that… Literally everything," Squawkers emphasized. "There is so much that we've gotta watch out for! What if these guys are stronger than we think? What if you get targeted? What if you can't even break the damn portal?"

"I'll break it." Chad nodded. "Don't worry."

If there was one thing he was confident in, it was that. Between the new stat points, the training they'd done, and his skills, Chad was certain he was stronger than anyone could even comprehend.

Forget the portal – I can probably punch a hole in the moon at this point! If I wanted to, of course. Which I don't. Not really. If I did get a chance, though…

Major Geoffries stepped up beside the pair. "They should be here any moment."

With a nod, Chad turned to watch the sky. Sure enough, it wasn't ten minutes later that a group of tiny specks became visible in the distance. The specks quickly resolved into a fleet of helicopters, their whirling blades filling the air with a dull thrum.

The helicopters alighted nearby as the wind flattening the grass around them. Chad raised a hand to his face to watch.

"Alright!" Geoffries called over the sound. "Load up! It's showtime!"

With that, Annie shot Chad a short nod and walked toward the center helicopter. Nick and Jerry headed for one on the right while a tidal wave of cats seemed liable to overwhelm the leftmost one.

It wasn't all of the cats. Chad had insisted that some stay behind to protect Gram Gram, along with a number of soldiers. But it was enough that he really hoped no one on that aircraft had any allergies.

"Chadwick?"

He turned around. There behind him stood Gram Gram, wisps of grey hair pulling themselves free of her bun and whipping about her face wildly. She stood straight now, her eyes clear and bright.

The old woman gave him a gentle smile. "Be careful out there, dearie."

Chad nodded. "I will. Don't worry, Gram Gram. I'll be back before you know it."

"Well, I can hope," she chuckled. "But I'll settle for having you home for dinner. I'll even make your favorite."

"Then I'll definitely be back." Chad gave her the biggest grin he could manage. "Trust me."

He turned away and headed toward the helicopter as the smile slid from his face. As much as tried to stifle it, Chad couldn't help but be a little nervous himself. This was it. What they'd been planning for, what he'd been training for. If it didn't work…

Things are only gonna get harder from here. The longer that thing stays open, the stronger things will get and the more chances there are that people will get hurt.

He glanced toward the other helicopters. He'd been against the others joining him on this mission, but his objections had fallen of deaf ears. Not only was it a better move strategically, but no one wanted to let him take on this burden alone.

"Plus," Annie had said, "who's gonna keep your dumb ass from doing anything colossally stupid?"

He'd argued that Squawkers could take care of that. The parrot said a job like that called for a team.

Sill… he glanced over at Jerry. I can't believe they let him come along, too.

The Musician's skills were useful, of course. The ones that buffed strength in particular was one of the better effects they had access to. They couldn't afford to leave him behind. But despite his experiences in the tank the guy still wasn't exactly cut out for combat. Hopefully the copious number of soldiers and would be enough to take care of him.

"You comin'?"

Chad glanced over to see Annie watching him. The woman's dark hair was bound in a tight bun that seemed unruffled by the helicopters. Her dark eyes took in Chad with concern.

"I'm coming!"

Striding forward, Chad stepped onto the helicopter. As they rose into the air, he spared one final look at the ground to see Gram Gram waving goodbye, her honor guard of cats lounging around her.

***

It was a relatively short, but tense flight to Dallas. As they traveled, they all continued to scan the skies for threats and possible enemies. Fortunately, the skies out here were relatively clear. The few creatures that tried to follow them were taken care of in short order by bursts of gunfire.

Chad fiddled with the ball bearings in his pocket. He was loaded down with the things as a kind of backup weapon, one that stood in as "bullets" of his own. Still, he had orders to conserve his strength as much as possible. He'd leave the fighting to others unless things got really bad.

"It's nice that I don't have to fly the whole way over." Squawkers remarked. "But, uh… I feel a little sick."

Chad blinked. "Wait, what?"

"I know, alright?" The bird said defensively. "I know it sounds dumb! But I just… fell sick!"

Annie chuckled. "Really? Squawk, you're a damn bird. How is this makin' you sick?"

"I dunno! It's just… it's not the same!" Squawkers struggled to put the feeling into words. "I don't have control over it, so it's weird!"

"Well, don't puke on me!" Chad recoiled. "Do it out the door or something!"

"I'm not going near there! I'll get sucked out! I…" The bird snapped his beak shut suddenly.

"Here," Major Geoffries extended a paper bag towards them. "They come standard."

As Squawkers sat in abject misery at his situation, Chad scratched his back comfortingly. "It's ok, buddy. We'll be there soon. Then we'll be on solid ground again."

"Bleh… I don't…" Squawkers coughed out. "I don't think I'll have much time to enjoy it…"

He had a point. As soon as they got to their destination, there would be no time to waste. Not unless they wanted to get themselves killed.

"It'll be fine. I won't let anything touch you. You can even hide in my shirt if things get too dangerous."

"Ugh… thanks…"

In the distance, they watched as the portal grew larger. It swirled ominously, its blood-red color seeming to illuminate the sky around it. From its center descended the spiral of pure white stairs that Chad recognized.

What had once been a torrent of stuff coming out from the portal had now slowed to a trickle. According to Nick, most of the sentient beings would have already come through, so these monsters were likely just fodder and weaker-than-average beasts getting shoved through. They'd stay that way for a few more hours, until the portal switched over and allowed the next wave of enemies through.

That didn't mean the way was clear, though. The constant explosions, swirls of magical energy, and specks darting around like a swarm of gnats indicated that the fighting remained intense. But this was the best chance they'd get.

As they crossed into the city proper, Chad looked down at the ground. The city was a shell of its former self. Even out this far, the buildings and roads had no lack of damage from the constant fighting. Near the center? What skyscrapers still stood had been practically hollowed out with explosions and repeated impacts. He could only imagine what the ground looked like itself.

Chad watched as a portion of the flying specks began to head in their direction. A flock of birdlike creatures and flying squids peeled off and began swarming toward their helicopters.

A moment later, Chads ears filled with the roar of engines. A formation of fighter jets shot up from below, cleaving through the enemies with ease. They screeched and howled, the remaining survivors veering off to attack the newcomers.

"More incoming hostiles!" Major Geoffries called. "Keep an eye out! We can't rely on support for all of them!"

Annie nodded her assent, taking up a position at the machine gun mounted on the vehicle. Her grip tightened as she began firing at anything that got close. Ahead of them, Chad watched as the explosions in the air intensified, cutting through enemies with redoubled fervor. 

He cracked his knuckles and got ready. Alright. It's time for the real battle.