Opus Veda

The Veda's cry pierced every heart in the city, and every phone in the world. 10 billion people tuned in.

Revolution Britannia advanced towards London's outskirts. Marshal Ferdinand raced ahead, goading his division to keep up. Units rushed to protect their priceless Marshal.

The Republican line neared. Missiles twisted in the sky. Drones cancelled themselves out in lightning dogfights.

Ferdinand arrayed the vanguard and attacked.

Gemma had taken Eva to the station to register her for fostering. The city blacked out. She hurried Eva into the office and hid her under the desk. Eva rocked and shrieked, holding her ears as the Veda wailed.

It passed. Sounds of war replaced it. Gemma grounded her senses and armed herself as her colleagues made to leave.

She ordered them to defend the building. Sergeant Webb argued on behalf of the others: the superintendent had gone into hiding; the department had spent months dealing with riots and terrorists without a scrap of good news. Privatisation had brought them more danger and more work for the same salary. Enough was enough.

Before they could be sent to the front, the police deserted.

Revolution Britannia's spokespeople called for public support. The final act was now: Red supporters had to rise up and take to the streets, for Great Britain and for their future. In one national frenzy the mobs threw themselves on anything able to be damaged.

Vagrants rose up to avenge themselves on the streets above. In an old London tube station a gang leader known affectionately as Gimli appealed for his gang to stay. His unofficial second thanked him for his support and stabbed his throat.

The gang equipped chains, knives, and rusted pipes, and picked the nearest government target: Southwark Police Station.

In the Houses of Parliament civil servants and politicians clutched at phones and pulled strings. They aimed for the airport, desiring to charter their way abroad before war reached them. President Søreni begged and blackmailed and negotiated - he needed his party stay and lead from the bunker beneath them. The chamber roared with disbelief. They continued their exodus.

The republic in that moment appeared over. A single man decided otherwise. Jiǎ Shìyǐn, the Emperor's inspector, blocked Parliament's escape. They clamoured to get through, but above their heads a forest of tall vermilion plumes marched into view. The elite Shèshēng Ménwèi ranked up and waited for someone to try their luck.

The new Mayor of London tried to pass. Jiǎ Shìyǐn ordered him killed. A single guard fired a lazered line and scythed the mayor's neck open with sizzling heat.

The government followed President Søreni to the Common's bunker.

* * *

Rockets cascaded into Kensington Palace, forcing revolutionaries from their firing ports. They pushed through the heat to fire on the dark tide outside. Vedic fire teams took their shots, raking the windows to cover their allies crossing the grounds. Revolutionaries aimed at muzzle flashes and shot back.

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The quaking rounds of a machine gun flung the shooter beside Kristoff away. Kristoff kept still; breathed in. Bullets ripped the earth around him.

He fired. His shot whiplashed the gunner's head and dropped her.

Four bullets left.

He exhaled and yanked the bolt back.

Varma joined his soldiers in the upper gallery to lay on more firepower. With their captain with them the defenders poured rounds and chopped the Veda's line up. Dozens of insurgents fell, unable to withstand the volley even behind their shields.

Kasia sprinted. An insurgent crashed behind her with a splintered shield. A girl in front twisted screaming. Kasia dodged and stumbled into Sima Ren as a machine gun felled allies to their right.

It's flashing rounds threatened to sweep through them. Far behind, a shot from Luis silenced it.

The insurgents closed. Their tasers sparked and unleashed. Hundreds of singing blue darts sailed into the palace windows. Other insurgents loosed incendiary rounds, making soldiers inside dive down. Mike's bolt lodged in a guardsman's mouth. Their head burned orange as the detonator burned through it, splattering Reds with gore and cinders.

Varma stood fast, still firing as heat blistered his skin. Each of his rifle's bursts claimed a life.

And Kasia saw him. She steadied her second taser and pulled the trigger. Voltage shuddered her forearm. The dart lined towards him. Varma saw it and ducked, grimacing as it sliced his helmet.

He fired back. Maqbool launched in front of Kasia and covered her. Bullets scraped against his shield.

The insurgents reached the palace. Each section started its path, breaking entrances down and rappelling windows.

Andrez had the main door. He winced as his allies crushed him against it. The guardsmen on the other side pushed back. Armoury's mechanics melted its fastenings.

A sliver opened along its middle. Andrez's sword was trapped but his right arm was free. He activated his bone saw. The gap grew to reveal a guardsman trapped and straining with sweat.

Their eyes met. Andrez's mask chattered and his saw whirred. He pointed it at the guardsman and received a look of horror back. The guardsman pleaded with his squadmates to let him free.

Andrez ground his saw through Curtis's eye. Kasia, meters away, didn't recognise her former squadmate, seeing only an eyeless head wobble back.

The other guardsmen panicked. The doors pushed open. Opus Veda charged through them.

* * *

The station was empty; Gemma's phone offline like everything else. She had no way of reaching Luis and could only hope Scarlett was safe.

The sounds of war outside increased in tempo.

All beyond her control. Gemma stayed on the immediate issue. She barricaded doors and rerouted emergency power to the external CCTV.

CCTV showed her a vagrant mob heading straight for her.

She turned the cameras off and put on a brave face for Eva.

"I've locked us in. You can come out from there if you're ready."

Eva crawled from under the desk and made it a metre before huddling against the wall. Gemma sat down and rested her head against Eva's.

"It's made me happy to see you doing better recently. You've been very strong."

"I'm tryin' to be but…" Eva squeaked, "what's happenin' out there?"

"I think, Eva, we may be in the middle of a civil war. At least here we aren't important..." Gemma felt her eyes water, "I think we'll be safe, sweetheart."

She placed her taser in Eva's hand.

"Do not point it at yourself. If you need to shoot someone, hold the trigger down and don't release it until they stop wriggling."

Eva's face creased.

"I'm not strong Gemma… I'm fuckin' well scared…"

"I'm scared too. But staying here is safer than going outside right now."

The station entrance blew open. Eva went pale.

"We're gonna die aren't we?"

Gemma wiped her eyes but she couldn't stop the flow. Her voice broke.

"Eva I'm so sorry for everything that's happened to you…"

They held on to each other. The vagrants crashed through the building with cheers and singing.