The capital had been well and truly ravaged by the assault. Military vehicles rolled down the battered streets carrying men and supplies, tossing up dust in the faces of the civilians trying to rebuild and the lonely conscripts patrolling the streets. The battle was over, but command was not taking any chances; anyone not counted among the casualties was to recon the area, account for any missing in action, and most importantly sweep the area for any leftover PRC invaders. By midday, three prisoners had already been taken. One had died before medical treatment could be given. Two were caught in the act of setting land mines and were killed in action. One poor soul ran afoul of the locals before he could be captured. Best not to dwell on what happened to him.

Moreso then rubble or blood, anger seemed to run through the ruined streets. Not furious and shouting, but quiet, brooding. Threatening to explode out at any moment. It was the sort of feeling Marlena was far too familiar with, and perhaps why she had eyes for the buildings instead.

Pausing to give her men a break and let the recon look around from atop a nearby roof, Marlena cast her eyes up at the building across the street, her head tilting to one side. The old stone capitol was still intact enough for her to recognize it; the Casa Real, once the seat of power in this region when the Spanish ruled from across two oceans. Even if it was far more modern then what she usually found interest in, it made her heart ache all the same to see such a place reduced to this. Two generations of history, nearly wiped out in a senseless burst of destruction. Where was the glory in this?

The recon grunted as he jumped down from his perch, giving a thumbs up to indicate there was nothing to report. Marlena nodded in approval and gestured onwards with a snap of her fingers, leading the conscripts deeper into the city, where the destruction and the civilian population was denser. Her boots crunching on broken glass, she felt a tap on her shoulder as one of the conscripts gestured ahead of the group. A small mob seemed to have gathered around a storefront, suffering way more damage then would have been expected from the attack, the broken signage translated into spanish and mandarin. Marlena frowned, seeing raised fists even from this distance and more debris flying out at the storefront. The bitter feeling in the pit of her stomach told her this was exactly what it seemed to be.

Stretching out a hand in preparation for a quick summoning of her arm, Marlena shot ahead of her team, getting a better look at the gathering mob, faces contorted in fury. Running ahead of it was a balding Chinese man, ducking as a glass bottle shattered just over his head as he placed himself in front of the door. Marlena didn't even stop to give an order or direction, roughly pushing her way through the mob as a young man rushed forward. She spotted something silver glint in his hand, the sudden look of fear in the shopkeeper's eyes, matched by the small faces visible through the door behind him.

Marlena felt the sting of the cheap shiv as it jabbed her in the side, barely inches from its intended target. The young man turned ghostly pale as he glanced up at her, buckling under Marlena's piercing gaze. She didn't need her weapon. She didn't even need to raise a fist. The message was made perfectly clear as he frantically scrambled away, the bloody knife clattering to the ground haplessly. The other soldiers would shout a few orders to disperse the rest of the mob, if they hadn't already slunk away in shame.

Turning around, she saw the children still standing by the window, looking amazed and excited by what happened, not knowing the cruel truth of what had nearly happened. Marlena gave them a bright smile in response.

A little less hate. And maybe, God willing, just a little more hope.