Chinese occupation forces receive sniper fire from American rebels within a burning Wall Street. A lone US flag flies in insult to the PLA. Unknown.
Shattered Citadel: Extraction
Weehawken, New Jersey, United States of America, Earth (Sol), 2310 11102064
"This is bullshit!" the General said as he tossed his binoculars to the dirt in disgust. "They know we won't take out the Empire State Building. Look at this shit. It's a goddamn nightmare."
The Generals aide picked up the binoculars, dusted it off and peered outside the only window in the room, towards the ruined skyline of New York City. "I agree. This is bad. We might have to take it out, Sir. No choice. The Statue of Liberty and the Freedom Towers had to go. What's one more landmark?"
"One more landmark?! Are you mad? The Statue of Liberty was irreplaceable, and I hold those assholes responsible. The Freedom Towers can be rebuilt. As they were once before, but if we lose the Empire State. We won't have anything left to leave for our children of this once great city. It was our first and may be our last capital." He paused and began pacing around the small bunker in the ground that was his command post. As he paced he would stare at the screens strewed all over the walls showing the U.S. war effort across the globe. All he could see was retreating forces and overrun positions.
"Sir, we need a decision on this, our artillery is on standby." The aide asked.
"I don't care if they build a goddamn MAG gun on the building. Tell them the Empire State is off limits. Although, proceed with the artillery barrage, fire for effect." The aide snapped into attention, gave the General a crisp salute and hurried outside of the command post. The General walked towards the small window and lit a cigarette. It shook in his trembling hands as he pressed it into his lips. The ground around him shook violently as hundreds of artillery guns went off in a deafening roar that left his head throbbing and his ears ringing. The General found himself staring at the skyline and winced as the first shells exploded, somewhere in the city, beyond the skyline. The explosions echoed across the river and he could clearly hear the distinctive sound of steel collapsing upon itself. He had heard that sound before, as a child.
One of the shells fell short and hit a building on the Manhattan riverfront. It exploded in cloud of debris and slid into the Hudson River. He could no longer will himself to see the rain of death landing on the city he loved. He took the cigarette from his lips and pressed the lit end into his hand. His brain reacted to the pain and told him to pull it away, but he kept pressing it into his skin until the cigarette went cold. He wasn't satisfied with his punishment, but it would have to do. The noise from the barrage was so loud he did not hear a knock on the command posts door. After what seemed like forever to the General. A lull in the shelling allowed him to hear the knock.
"Come in!" the General shouted as he found himself a seat, on the only desk in the room, in the far corner of the room.
A U.S. Airman walked into the bunker. Clicked his heels and saluted the General. "Staff Sergeant Jared Sanders, U.S. Air Force, 22nd Special Tactics Squadron reporting in to the honorable General Keith Slider, U.S. Army, New York Allied Command." The General returned the salute and motioned the Airman to sit down. The Airman sat on a milk crate by the door that had been converted into a seat for the radioman.
"Did you round up your team?" The General asked the Airman.
"Yes, Sir."
"Do they all speak Mandarin?"
"Fluently, Sir."
"Good man. I want you and your team inside the city for an extraction."
"Sir? Seven assaults into the city were repelled recently and just led to thousands of KIAs. How do you expect four men to get into that hell hole?"
"Use your head. New York is a big fucking city, and all cities; have massive underground infrastructures. New York has thousands of miles of pipes, tunnels, and subways. There is no way that the Chinese and their allies are watching all of them. Your small team should be able to slip into the city unnoticed. To help you with this daunting task I'll provide you with some captured PLA uniforms. Their legit and still have their recognization codes; in fact it might even make our boys shoot at you if you aren't careful. Here." The General tossed the Airman a small disc which he caught in midair. "All the mission specs are in there and it should answer all your questions. Listen to it only when you're in Manhattan. This mission is of the utmost importance. The target is America's most precious treasure. It must not fall into Chinese hands, whatever the cost. Dismissed"
"Sir? Your hand is bleeding. Do you want me to check it?"
"Get the hell out of here."
The Airman stood up and saluted the General. Almost on cue the artillery unleashed another volley into the city.
Abandoned PATH Tunnel, Unknown, United States of America, Earth (Sol), Unknown
"Sarge, we got something blocking the tunnel." The soldier stood alone in waist high water, inspecting the massive object blocking his advance. He took his Chinese made PKF-45 and slung it on his back; he slammed his armored hand on the object, testing its strength. "Sarge, whatever it is. It's hollow. Converge on my position."
"Good work Gonzalez, were coming."
A few hours later
.
"I brought down the object with some c-4," Gonzalez said as he stood on the other side of the hole. "Watch your step guys as you come in guys. You aren't going to like this." The other soldiers followed Gonzalez inside and shook their heads in disgust.
"Poor bastards didn't even make it out of Manhattan," Sanders whispered to himself.
They advanced through the ruined PATH train that had once connected New York with New Jersey, and did their best to avoid stepping on the dead. Gonzalez would stop every few yards and make the sign of the cross, silently praying for the dead. They were on a strict timetable, but the other soldiers didn't mind. It was something they felt that had to be done.
Once past the PATH train they trudged through the waist water high tunnel until they reached the abandoned Christopher Street stop. "Christopher Street, were officially under occupied Manhattan. Stay sharp and radio silence. If we speak at all make sure it's in Mandarin." The Sergeant told his men as they gave him the thumbs up telling him they understood.
The four men moved slowly and suddenly stopped. Their armors motion detectors blared as a massive form rose from the murky waters. It towered over them and quickly moved to their position. Its giant silhouette lit up suddenly and revealed a Hunter-Killer with its massive weapons poised to fire on them. Its one red eye glared down at them emotionless and barked a challenge in mandarin. Its metallic voice filling the entire tunnel as it stood repeating the challenge as it waited for a response.
The Airman said in a loud clear voice, "Tiān xià yī jiā." The machine stood firm with its eye fixed on the four men, but within seconds it lowered its weapons. The Airman and his squad calmly walked past the killing machine and continued down the flooded PATH tunnel. Sanders thought to himself, about what he told the machine. "One world under heaven," his enemy indeed was remaking the world one, but that new world did not include his people. That new world scared him and he knew that it was only a matter of time before they achieved it.
Gonzalez raised his PKF-45 and gestured to the squad with his hands at a mangled ladder just ahead of them. It took little effort to climb up the rusted ladder and reach the empty street above. The squad fanned out across the two lane street and took positions behind crushed cars and downed store awnings. Satisfied that no one had seen them come up from the ground, they slowly stood up and advanced up Broadway. The four men slung their rifles on their backs and paraded down the street in a three by one formation. Many Chinese soldiers passed the squad in their armored vehicles without so much as looking at them. To the Chinese they seemed like another one of the thousands of PLA occupation squads that patrolled the streets of New York on a daily basis.
The four Americans marched in a steady pace, ignoring everything around them as they headed north. Sanders removed the disc the General had given him from his belt and slid it into a slot on his armors gauntlet as they marched. A strange cracking sound filled his helmet and it slowly faded into a computerized voice. "Uploading coordinates. Intel places target in sealed blue and white container, in an abandoned store front for the next two hours and three minutes. Afterwards target will be moved to the next safe house. Location of which is unknown. Inbound personal message for SSG Sanders." The computerized voice faded away and the voice of General Slider filled his helmet, "Son, I choose you to take on this mission of utmost importance because you're a fine soldier and a free man. You're going to retrieve America's greatest treasure, ignore everything else. Secure the target and get the hell out of there. There will be a bird waiting for you at Washington Square Park which will be there until 1800. Be advised that another American Special Forces unit is inbound to retrieve the target. They are hostile. I repeat hostile, and you are authorized to terminate them. I can't elaborate on why. Also the seventh assault on New York should be well on its way as you hear this and US forces will certainly try to kill you and your men. Get the target and get to the bird." The disc automatically ejected from his armor and self destructed, releasing a small plume of sulfuric smoke into the air. Sanders checked the time in his helmets display and noted the time. 1722. He had a little more than a half an hour and he didn't like that one bit. As him and his men approached the coordinates he stopped in front of what used to be Union Square Park and he silently mouthed the worst curse he could think of. His situation had just gone from bad to worse as he looked across the once open area to see a large PLA base built smack in the middle of it. The area had numerous MAG and AA gun towers which effectively cut south central Manhattan off from the rest and made it impossible for anyone to move through the area without taking on the fort first. Around the fort were numerous pill boxes and hundreds if not thousands of Islamist soldiers in the middle of their daily prayers. In the surrounding buildings snipers took residence and on the wide streets of Union Square a few tanks and armored walkers were parked. Sanders had been a soldier for a long time and he could only assume that just below them in the abandoned New York City Subway there could be thousands of PLA soldiers laying in wait.
Sanders's mind raced as he tried to think of a way to get closer to the PLA storage facility which was housed in an abandoned store front, the Virgin Media store, which was across from them, on the other side of Union Square. He knew he could make it past the base but the store front was guarded by the dreaded "Autumn Orchid" Unit who consisted of China's finest soldiers. They always were tasked to defend VIP's and always shot anyone who came near them. True to form, an area of fifty feet in front of the Autumn Orchid soldiers was completely devoid of anyone and anything. The Autumn Orchid soldiers in their distinctive blood red armor silently waited behind their machine gun nests. Sanders and his men approached the closest gun tower and almost immediately a massive shockwave hit him and tossed him in the air. He smashed through the boarded up window of an abandoned bookstore and landed on a smoldering pile of books. He tried to get up but another shockwave knocked him off his feet. The sound of small arms fire broke out outside and he could hear the Chinese soldiers screaming "Mei guo," which meant Americans . Alone in the abandoned store he stood again and peeked out the window to see the front of Virgin Media completely gone. In its place was a Chinese tank exchanging rounds with the gun towers of the PLA base and a half dozen US soldiers pouring out of the tank into the burning store. Sanders spotted his men who were taking cover behind a burning walker and made his way toward them.
Battery Park City, New York City, United States of America (Earth), 0955 11092001
"I've tried, Mom. The cell phones aren't working. I just want to know where my husband is!" The woman began to cry uncontrollably as her mother hugged her, trying to comfort her. They stood in front of a large window from which they could see part of World Trade Center Two. Outside their window debris rained down from a burning wound high up on the building. The TV in the other room could barely be heard over the wail of hundreds of sirens. The woman noticed her son at the window, with a terrified look on his face. She stopped crying, she had to be strong for him. "Baby, why aren't you watching TV?"
The child answered without turning around, "The same thing is on every channel, the big buildings burning."
His Mother grabbed his sons shoulder and began to pull him away from the window. "Come with Mommy Baby; let's go back to your room." Before she could pull her son from the window an odd sound filled the air, the sound of metal bending. The floor beneath them shook violently, knocking them off their feet and the World Trade Center disappeared behind a massive curtain of smoke and ash. The morning sun outside their window was blocked by the inferno and a tsunami of black smoke smashed against their window, shattering it into a million pieces.
"MOMMY!" the child screamed as the entire world went dark. The high pitched wail of sirens was replaced by the roar of steel collapsing in on itself.
Union Square, New York City, Occupied America (Earth), 1740 12102064
Sanders and his men watched in awe from behind cover as an American Special Forces unit leaped from a captured PLA tank and brazenly attacked the PLA military base in the middle of what was once Union Square. The tank swerved violently as it exchanged fire with the PLA gun towers and provided cover to the six Americans who now retreated into the burning Virgin Media store. All around Sanders chaos erupted as artillery shells rained down from all directions, almost certainly American artillery round shot from the Jersey shore. The rounds exploded in midair and released deadly bits of shrapnel through the air, cutting the unarmored Islamist soldiers into pieces. The Film Academy Building around the corner took five rounds in quick succession and slid into E17th street crushing a dozen parked PLA armored troop carriers in the process. Sanders and his men used the confusion to advance up Union Square West, taking cover behind a decapitated statue of Gandhi. A large explosion shook the street and the captured Chinese tank was finally silenced by the remaining PLA gun towers. The Americans stormed out of the Virgin Media store with guns blazing, one of them carried a large, but thin blue and white container, no larger than a 40" flat screen TV. Two of them were hit by sniper fire as they left the store and their heads exploded, their bodies still running, until finally they collapsed on the floor twitching and headless. The American soldier with the container sped down University place as the last three Americans stood their ground and provided him with covering fire. They were no match against the hundreds of PLA troops and heavy armor arrayed against them. They fought valiantly for a full minute before they were torn apart by small arms fire. Sanders and his men joined a large mob of PLA soldiers in pursuit of the last American, who still had the container in his hand.
Sanders and his men ran after the American hiding in plain sight in the middle of a mob of angry PLA soldiers, but they made it less than four blocks down University Place before an explosion tore through the stores around them. American rebels appeared out of every shadow, some clamoring up from man holes and engaged the dazed PLA soldiers. Sanders recognized the dirty and starving rebels who carried new American made M-28 rifles and were trained by men such as him. They had refused to live under Chinese occupation and instead took to live in the vast network of sewers and tunnels under New York City. Most of them were criminals and deserters, few were good people, but the U.S. government had given them full clemency if they helped retake the city. This only meant to Sanders that the seventh U.S. assault on New York City was on its way. He turned to check on his men and could only see Gonzalez still alive. One man was unaccounted for and another was dead and being stripped of his boots by a barefooted rebel. Sanders tapped Gonzalez on the shoulder and both of them continued down University Place in hot pursuit of the American soldier with the blue and white container.
Sanders tried to catch up with the American, but couldn't so he kneeled on the broken street and carefully aimed his rifle. Years of repetitive marksmanship drills came in handy as it took just one shot to down the fast moving target. To Sanders it was like any other marksmanship drill he had done thousands of times before except this man was his brother, a fellow American, not a dummy target. He pushed that thought from his mind and ran up to the body, prying the heavy container from the dead man's arms. As he stood up with the container he heard the distinctive sound of an M-28 being primed to shot just behind him. He froze in place and could see Gonzalez raise his rifle just ahead of him.
"Lady, put your weapon down! I don't want to kill you!" Gonzalez pleaded to a young American rebel who stood behind Sanders with her rifle at the man. She hesitated to shoot as this man clearly in a PLA armored uniform told her to drop her weapon in English with a Puerto Rican accent. She quickly recovered and lifted her rifle up. Gonzalez's helmet retracted back into his armor and he screamed, "Lady, were American!"
The blonde woman slowly dropped her rifle down to the street and noticed the dead American soldier on the ground. "TRAITORS!" she swung her rifle back up, but she was too late.
Gonzalez released a volley of bullets from his PKF-45 that connected with her frail body, lifting her six feet into the air and landing like a ragdoll on a top of a fire hydrant. Gonzalez stared at the stunningly beautiful woman's face and then noticed her contorted bleeding body and puked, "Dios Mio, what a fucking waste."
They were already ten minutes late for their bird. So Sanders and Gonzalez tossed all their gear aside, only Gonzalez kept his rifle and ran with all the strength they had to Washington Square Park. They completely ignored all the fighting and explosions happening all around them. They reached the park and took cover behind a shattered stone pillar; it didn't take long for a small transport ship to appear. It was quietly hovering above the park and dropped its stealth when they arrived. Sanders knew that the U.S. did not have true stealth capability and sure enough the tiny ship bared the double headed eagle of the Colonial Alliance. He cautiously approached the ship which had now landed in the middle of the park. A door on the side of the ship opened and a Colonial soldier in his flashy white and gold uniform waved him to come closer.
"General Slider arranged for us to take you all and the package out of Earth, it isn't safe here anymore." Sanders looked at him with suspicion, but the good General wanted him to come here so he gave the Colonial soldier the container. The Colonist quickly helped them both onboard and they all buckled up. The ship rapidly ascended attitude and stealthed.
"What the hell's in that?" Gonzalez asked.
"Good question." The Colonists gathered around the container and tried in vain to open it. "No wonder the Chinese hadn't opened the it, they were probably as clueless as we are now."
"Hey Sanders, you recognize this?" Gonzalez asked the Staff Sergeant.
Sanders unbuckled himself and walked towards the large container on the deck, his eyes widen as he immediately recognized the symbols on the blue and white container. He put his bare hand on it and felt the fine craftsmanship of the box, he cursed himself for not noticing it sooner. "Gonzalez, the box is full of Masonic symbols. This here is the square and compass, the all Seeing Eye, blazing star, the Lamb, along with American symbols like the bald eagle and statue of liberty. It really is magnificent."
"So how does that help us open it?"
"There are roman numerals on the sides, all of them are the same; one hundred thirty three." Now Sanders known why the good General had chosen him and why he oddly referred to him as a "free man." He had no idea how the General had known he was a Freemason, but the answer to opening the container was clear as day to him. "It's a psalm."
"Anyone have a bible?" A Colonist said out loud.
Sanders removed his helmet and replied, "No need, I know this psalm well. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" The container split from the sides and opened slowly. The Colonial soldiers gasped at the object inside the container and dropped to their knees, bowing their heads in respect.
"Oh my God, I thought it was destroyed in the nuclear exchange. When D.C. was turned into a smoldering crater." Gonzalez said with eyes as wide as saucers.
"I can't believe it; this is the original, as old as America itself. Why isn't it safe here with us, in America?" Sanders said puzzled.
Weehawken, New Jersey, United States of America, Earth (Sol), 1945 12102064
General Slider sat alone by the plaque that marked the spot where Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr dueled less than three hundred years before. Something about this place put him at ease, it was a macabre place to reflect, but his life has always been full of death so he felt welcomed here. In his hand he held a small glass case with a neatly folded American flag inside. It had been with him for almost sixty-three years; it meant the world to him. Up here at the heights of Weehawken he could clearly see the troop carriers and transport ships ferrying American troops across the Hudson. The Hudson was littered with bloated bodies and chunks of floating debris; he sat there hoping this would be the last assault needed to liberate the city he had grown up in. The assault was no longer in his hands, it was in God's. Fortunately the attack had gone smoothly after the first wave, it was a massacre, but he had expected it to be. The first wave had to cross the Hudson under intense fire and scale a large booby trapped barrier into Manhattan Island itself, the Chinese had set up the perfect death trap. Manhattans defenses had worked for the PLA six times before, but this time the US hit them with everything they had. Artillery barrages, WMD's, pro-US rebels, a two front attack, orbital strikes, and hell they even poisoned the city's water supply. Now the US had a foothold, but New York was far from free, his men had to now liberate the city block by block. Building by building, it was certainly going to be a nightmare.
"General Slider, I knew you would be here." A voice from behind the General said angrily.
"De-Tierra, just you being here tells me my boys succeeded."
"You were the only one I couldn't fully trust. I needed you only because this was your area of command, but you just didn't get with the program."
"I refuse to be a part of your new fucked up world order."
"Well this country of ours was killed from the inside and I'm going to fix that, I'm going to make them all pay. They don't deserve freedom; they bitched and moaned when they had it. They weakened us to the point we couldn't defend ourselves and do so still. Democracy has made them weak and complacent. It was a long slide from power for America since the start of the century, we've both seen it. Why do you defend them still?"
"Were soldiers, were supposed to defend them. We took an oath to defend the constitution, why are you actively trying to destroy it?"
"I just told you, weren't you listening? I'm done dicking around. Where did you take the original Constitution?" De-Tierra raised his hand and four black clad marines arrived pointing their rifles at the General.
"Somewhere safe." General Slider said staring off into the distance.
"I worked too hard to have you fuck this up for me. I destroyed almost every damn trace of that piece of paper from the internet to the books in libraries. This war is a God send for me, by the time it's over, no one but the old farts will know our true history and the constitution. With time I'll get rid of them too. The young of this world are falling into line with me and the new world order I will lead will be perfection. Free from weakness and bleeding hearts."
"De-Tierra, you're crazy. America won't change for you."
"The war has changed it already. It's mine to mold as I see fit," De-Tierra looked at the plaque and smiled. "Shoot him." The four marines shot the General in his back and he twisted around violently, landing on his back.
The General was still alive on the dead grass, he laid there breathing heavily and started drowning in his own blood. "Father… father… father." Slider whispered as he lay dying. His eyes moved rapidly from side to side as his life flashed before his eyes.
De-Tierra stood over the General and laughed, "God won't help. Stop calling for him." He took out a surrogated knife and made the last moments of the General's life, long and very painful.
Green View Cemetery, Brooklyn, United States of America (Earth), 0955 14092001
The street leading up to the cemetery were lined on both sides by thousands of firefighters and mourning citizens. A fire truck slowly inched its way towards the cemetery bearing a flag draped coffin. Following the fire truck was a procession of bagpipers playing "Highland Cathedral," with the dead man's wife and son closely behind the procession crying. The fire truck came to a stop and six firefighters gently lowered the coffin unto their shoulders and slowly marched to the man's final resting place.
"The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Naked we came into this world and naked we leave. Blessed be the Name of the Lord." With that the priest sprinkled dirt on the casket as it was lowered. "Fireman Robert Slider will be missed and unto God his soul will go, where he will wait by his side to meet those he loved once again. Amen." The flag from the casket was folded into a tight triangle by two Firefighters and they gave it to the dead man's son. The child took the flag and hugged it tightly into his chest.
One of the Firefighters knelt down to eye level with the child and spoke to him near the verge of crying, "Your daddy was a good man, and he died saving many people from the towers. He was a hero."
"One day I'll be a hero too. Just like my daddy." The child replied as serious as a six year old could be.
"I don't doubt it kid." The Firefighter rose up and tossed a rose on the casket and silently went away.
The child edge closer to the hole in the ground that contained his father's remains and he said to himself, "One day I'll be a hero. One day I'll make you really proud. Don't worry I'll watch over Mommy for you." He held the flag even tighter and did his best not to cry. He found his mother and took her hand. He gently squeezed it and smiled at her. She smiled back.
Weehawken, New Jersey, United States of America, Earth (Sol), 2310 11102064
"This is bullshit!" the General said as he tossed his binoculars to the dirt in disgust. "They know we won't take out the Empire State Building. Look at this shit. It's a goddamn nightmare."
The Generals aide picked up the binoculars, dusted it off and peered outside the only window in the room, towards the ruined skyline of New York City. "I agree. This is bad. We might have to take it out, Sir. No choice. The Statue of Liberty and the Freedom Towers had to go. What's one more landmark?"
"One more landmark?! Are you mad? The Statue of Liberty was irreplaceable, and I hold those assholes responsible. The Freedom Towers can be rebuilt. As they were once before, but if we lose the Empire State. We won't have anything left to leave for our children of this once great city. It was our first and may be our last capital." He paused and began pacing around the small bunker in the ground that was his command post. As he paced he would stare at the screens strewed all over the walls showing the U.S. war effort across the globe. All he could see was retreating forces and overrun positions.
"Sir, we need a decision on this, our artillery is on standby." The aide asked.
"I don't care if they build a goddamn MAG gun on the building. Tell them the Empire State is off limits. Although, proceed with the artillery barrage, fire for effect." The aide snapped into attention, gave the General a crisp salute and hurried outside of the command post. The General walked towards the small window and lit a cigarette. It shook in his trembling hands as he pressed it into his lips. The ground around him shook violently as hundreds of artillery guns went off in a deafening roar that left his head throbbing and his ears ringing. The General found himself staring at the skyline and winced as the first shells exploded, somewhere in the city, beyond the skyline. The explosions echoed across the river and he could clearly hear the distinctive sound of steel collapsing upon itself. He had heard that sound before, as a child.
One of the shells fell short and hit a building on the Manhattan riverfront. It exploded in cloud of debris and slid into the Hudson River. He could no longer will himself to see the rain of death landing on the city he loved. He took the cigarette from his lips and pressed the lit end into his hand. His brain reacted to the pain and told him to pull it away, but he kept pressing it into his skin until the cigarette went cold. He wasn't satisfied with his punishment, but it would have to do. The noise from the barrage was so loud he did not hear a knock on the command posts door. After what seemed like forever to the General. A lull in the shelling allowed him to hear the knock.
"Come in!" the General shouted as he found himself a seat, on the only desk in the room, in the far corner of the room.
A U.S. Airman walked into the bunker. Clicked his heels and saluted the General. "Staff Sergeant Jared Sanders, U.S. Air Force, 22nd Special Tactics Squadron reporting in to the honorable General Keith Slider, U.S. Army, New York Allied Command." The General returned the salute and motioned the Airman to sit down. The Airman sat on a milk crate by the door that had been converted into a seat for the radioman.
"Did you round up your team?" The General asked the Airman.
"Yes, Sir."
"Do they all speak Mandarin?"
"Fluently, Sir."
"Good man. I want you and your team inside the city for an extraction."
"Sir? Seven assaults into the city were repelled recently and just led to thousands of KIAs. How do you expect four men to get into that hell hole?"
"Use your head. New York is a big fucking city, and all cities; have massive underground infrastructures. New York has thousands of miles of pipes, tunnels, and subways. There is no way that the Chinese and their allies are watching all of them. Your small team should be able to slip into the city unnoticed. To help you with this daunting task I'll provide you with some captured PLA uniforms. Their legit and still have their recognization codes; in fact it might even make our boys shoot at you if you aren't careful. Here." The General tossed the Airman a small disc which he caught in midair. "All the mission specs are in there and it should answer all your questions. Listen to it only when you're in Manhattan. This mission is of the utmost importance. The target is America's most precious treasure. It must not fall into Chinese hands, whatever the cost. Dismissed"
"Sir? Your hand is bleeding. Do you want me to check it?"
"Get the hell out of here."
The Airman stood up and saluted the General. Almost on cue the artillery unleashed another volley into the city.
Abandoned PATH Tunnel, Unknown, United States of America, Earth (Sol), Unknown
"Sarge, we got something blocking the tunnel." The soldier stood alone in waist high water, inspecting the massive object blocking his advance. He took his Chinese made PKF-45 and slung it on his back; he slammed his armored hand on the object, testing its strength. "Sarge, whatever it is. It's hollow. Converge on my position."
"Good work Gonzalez, were coming."
A few hours later
.
"I brought down the object with some c-4," Gonzalez said as he stood on the other side of the hole. "Watch your step guys as you come in guys. You aren't going to like this." The other soldiers followed Gonzalez inside and shook their heads in disgust.
"Poor bastards didn't even make it out of Manhattan," Sanders whispered to himself.
They advanced through the ruined PATH train that had once connected New York with New Jersey, and did their best to avoid stepping on the dead. Gonzalez would stop every few yards and make the sign of the cross, silently praying for the dead. They were on a strict timetable, but the other soldiers didn't mind. It was something they felt that had to be done.
Once past the PATH train they trudged through the waist water high tunnel until they reached the abandoned Christopher Street stop. "Christopher Street, were officially under occupied Manhattan. Stay sharp and radio silence. If we speak at all make sure it's in Mandarin." The Sergeant told his men as they gave him the thumbs up telling him they understood.
The four men moved slowly and suddenly stopped. Their armors motion detectors blared as a massive form rose from the murky waters. It towered over them and quickly moved to their position. Its giant silhouette lit up suddenly and revealed a Hunter-Killer with its massive weapons poised to fire on them. Its one red eye glared down at them emotionless and barked a challenge in mandarin. Its metallic voice filling the entire tunnel as it stood repeating the challenge as it waited for a response.
The Airman said in a loud clear voice, "Tiān xià yī jiā." The machine stood firm with its eye fixed on the four men, but within seconds it lowered its weapons. The Airman and his squad calmly walked past the killing machine and continued down the flooded PATH tunnel. Sanders thought to himself, about what he told the machine. "One world under heaven," his enemy indeed was remaking the world one, but that new world did not include his people. That new world scared him and he knew that it was only a matter of time before they achieved it.
Gonzalez raised his PKF-45 and gestured to the squad with his hands at a mangled ladder just ahead of them. It took little effort to climb up the rusted ladder and reach the empty street above. The squad fanned out across the two lane street and took positions behind crushed cars and downed store awnings. Satisfied that no one had seen them come up from the ground, they slowly stood up and advanced up Broadway. The four men slung their rifles on their backs and paraded down the street in a three by one formation. Many Chinese soldiers passed the squad in their armored vehicles without so much as looking at them. To the Chinese they seemed like another one of the thousands of PLA occupation squads that patrolled the streets of New York on a daily basis.
The four Americans marched in a steady pace, ignoring everything around them as they headed north. Sanders removed the disc the General had given him from his belt and slid it into a slot on his armors gauntlet as they marched. A strange cracking sound filled his helmet and it slowly faded into a computerized voice. "Uploading coordinates. Intel places target in sealed blue and white container, in an abandoned store front for the next two hours and three minutes. Afterwards target will be moved to the next safe house. Location of which is unknown. Inbound personal message for SSG Sanders." The computerized voice faded away and the voice of General Slider filled his helmet, "Son, I choose you to take on this mission of utmost importance because you're a fine soldier and a free man. You're going to retrieve America's greatest treasure, ignore everything else. Secure the target and get the hell out of there. There will be a bird waiting for you at Washington Square Park which will be there until 1800. Be advised that another American Special Forces unit is inbound to retrieve the target. They are hostile. I repeat hostile, and you are authorized to terminate them. I can't elaborate on why. Also the seventh assault on New York should be well on its way as you hear this and US forces will certainly try to kill you and your men. Get the target and get to the bird." The disc automatically ejected from his armor and self destructed, releasing a small plume of sulfuric smoke into the air. Sanders checked the time in his helmets display and noted the time. 1722. He had a little more than a half an hour and he didn't like that one bit. As him and his men approached the coordinates he stopped in front of what used to be Union Square Park and he silently mouthed the worst curse he could think of. His situation had just gone from bad to worse as he looked across the once open area to see a large PLA base built smack in the middle of it. The area had numerous MAG and AA gun towers which effectively cut south central Manhattan off from the rest and made it impossible for anyone to move through the area without taking on the fort first. Around the fort were numerous pill boxes and hundreds if not thousands of Islamist soldiers in the middle of their daily prayers. In the surrounding buildings snipers took residence and on the wide streets of Union Square a few tanks and armored walkers were parked. Sanders had been a soldier for a long time and he could only assume that just below them in the abandoned New York City Subway there could be thousands of PLA soldiers laying in wait.
Sanders's mind raced as he tried to think of a way to get closer to the PLA storage facility which was housed in an abandoned store front, the Virgin Media store, which was across from them, on the other side of Union Square. He knew he could make it past the base but the store front was guarded by the dreaded "Autumn Orchid" Unit who consisted of China's finest soldiers. They always were tasked to defend VIP's and always shot anyone who came near them. True to form, an area of fifty feet in front of the Autumn Orchid soldiers was completely devoid of anyone and anything. The Autumn Orchid soldiers in their distinctive blood red armor silently waited behind their machine gun nests. Sanders and his men approached the closest gun tower and almost immediately a massive shockwave hit him and tossed him in the air. He smashed through the boarded up window of an abandoned bookstore and landed on a smoldering pile of books. He tried to get up but another shockwave knocked him off his feet. The sound of small arms fire broke out outside and he could hear the Chinese soldiers screaming "Mei guo," which meant Americans . Alone in the abandoned store he stood again and peeked out the window to see the front of Virgin Media completely gone. In its place was a Chinese tank exchanging rounds with the gun towers of the PLA base and a half dozen US soldiers pouring out of the tank into the burning store. Sanders spotted his men who were taking cover behind a burning walker and made his way toward them.
Battery Park City, New York City, United States of America (Earth), 0955 11092001
"I've tried, Mom. The cell phones aren't working. I just want to know where my husband is!" The woman began to cry uncontrollably as her mother hugged her, trying to comfort her. They stood in front of a large window from which they could see part of World Trade Center Two. Outside their window debris rained down from a burning wound high up on the building. The TV in the other room could barely be heard over the wail of hundreds of sirens. The woman noticed her son at the window, with a terrified look on his face. She stopped crying, she had to be strong for him. "Baby, why aren't you watching TV?"
The child answered without turning around, "The same thing is on every channel, the big buildings burning."
His Mother grabbed his sons shoulder and began to pull him away from the window. "Come with Mommy Baby; let's go back to your room." Before she could pull her son from the window an odd sound filled the air, the sound of metal bending. The floor beneath them shook violently, knocking them off their feet and the World Trade Center disappeared behind a massive curtain of smoke and ash. The morning sun outside their window was blocked by the inferno and a tsunami of black smoke smashed against their window, shattering it into a million pieces.
"MOMMY!" the child screamed as the entire world went dark. The high pitched wail of sirens was replaced by the roar of steel collapsing in on itself.
Union Square, New York City, Occupied America (Earth), 1740 12102064
Sanders and his men watched in awe from behind cover as an American Special Forces unit leaped from a captured PLA tank and brazenly attacked the PLA military base in the middle of what was once Union Square. The tank swerved violently as it exchanged fire with the PLA gun towers and provided cover to the six Americans who now retreated into the burning Virgin Media store. All around Sanders chaos erupted as artillery shells rained down from all directions, almost certainly American artillery round shot from the Jersey shore. The rounds exploded in midair and released deadly bits of shrapnel through the air, cutting the unarmored Islamist soldiers into pieces. The Film Academy Building around the corner took five rounds in quick succession and slid into E17th street crushing a dozen parked PLA armored troop carriers in the process. Sanders and his men used the confusion to advance up Union Square West, taking cover behind a decapitated statue of Gandhi. A large explosion shook the street and the captured Chinese tank was finally silenced by the remaining PLA gun towers. The Americans stormed out of the Virgin Media store with guns blazing, one of them carried a large, but thin blue and white container, no larger than a 40" flat screen TV. Two of them were hit by sniper fire as they left the store and their heads exploded, their bodies still running, until finally they collapsed on the floor twitching and headless. The American soldier with the container sped down University place as the last three Americans stood their ground and provided him with covering fire. They were no match against the hundreds of PLA troops and heavy armor arrayed against them. They fought valiantly for a full minute before they were torn apart by small arms fire. Sanders and his men joined a large mob of PLA soldiers in pursuit of the last American, who still had the container in his hand.
Sanders and his men ran after the American hiding in plain sight in the middle of a mob of angry PLA soldiers, but they made it less than four blocks down University Place before an explosion tore through the stores around them. American rebels appeared out of every shadow, some clamoring up from man holes and engaged the dazed PLA soldiers. Sanders recognized the dirty and starving rebels who carried new American made M-28 rifles and were trained by men such as him. They had refused to live under Chinese occupation and instead took to live in the vast network of sewers and tunnels under New York City. Most of them were criminals and deserters, few were good people, but the U.S. government had given them full clemency if they helped retake the city. This only meant to Sanders that the seventh U.S. assault on New York City was on its way. He turned to check on his men and could only see Gonzalez still alive. One man was unaccounted for and another was dead and being stripped of his boots by a barefooted rebel. Sanders tapped Gonzalez on the shoulder and both of them continued down University Place in hot pursuit of the American soldier with the blue and white container.
Sanders tried to catch up with the American, but couldn't so he kneeled on the broken street and carefully aimed his rifle. Years of repetitive marksmanship drills came in handy as it took just one shot to down the fast moving target. To Sanders it was like any other marksmanship drill he had done thousands of times before except this man was his brother, a fellow American, not a dummy target. He pushed that thought from his mind and ran up to the body, prying the heavy container from the dead man's arms. As he stood up with the container he heard the distinctive sound of an M-28 being primed to shot just behind him. He froze in place and could see Gonzalez raise his rifle just ahead of him.
"Lady, put your weapon down! I don't want to kill you!" Gonzalez pleaded to a young American rebel who stood behind Sanders with her rifle at the man. She hesitated to shoot as this man clearly in a PLA armored uniform told her to drop her weapon in English with a Puerto Rican accent. She quickly recovered and lifted her rifle up. Gonzalez's helmet retracted back into his armor and he screamed, "Lady, were American!"
The blonde woman slowly dropped her rifle down to the street and noticed the dead American soldier on the ground. "TRAITORS!" she swung her rifle back up, but she was too late.
Gonzalez released a volley of bullets from his PKF-45 that connected with her frail body, lifting her six feet into the air and landing like a ragdoll on a top of a fire hydrant. Gonzalez stared at the stunningly beautiful woman's face and then noticed her contorted bleeding body and puked, "Dios Mio, what a fucking waste."
They were already ten minutes late for their bird. So Sanders and Gonzalez tossed all their gear aside, only Gonzalez kept his rifle and ran with all the strength they had to Washington Square Park. They completely ignored all the fighting and explosions happening all around them. They reached the park and took cover behind a shattered stone pillar; it didn't take long for a small transport ship to appear. It was quietly hovering above the park and dropped its stealth when they arrived. Sanders knew that the U.S. did not have true stealth capability and sure enough the tiny ship bared the double headed eagle of the Colonial Alliance. He cautiously approached the ship which had now landed in the middle of the park. A door on the side of the ship opened and a Colonial soldier in his flashy white and gold uniform waved him to come closer.
"General Slider arranged for us to take you all and the package out of Earth, it isn't safe here anymore." Sanders looked at him with suspicion, but the good General wanted him to come here so he gave the Colonial soldier the container. The Colonist quickly helped them both onboard and they all buckled up. The ship rapidly ascended attitude and stealthed.
"What the hell's in that?" Gonzalez asked.
"Good question." The Colonists gathered around the container and tried in vain to open it. "No wonder the Chinese hadn't opened the it, they were probably as clueless as we are now."
"Hey Sanders, you recognize this?" Gonzalez asked the Staff Sergeant.
Sanders unbuckled himself and walked towards the large container on the deck, his eyes widen as he immediately recognized the symbols on the blue and white container. He put his bare hand on it and felt the fine craftsmanship of the box, he cursed himself for not noticing it sooner. "Gonzalez, the box is full of Masonic symbols. This here is the square and compass, the all Seeing Eye, blazing star, the Lamb, along with American symbols like the bald eagle and statue of liberty. It really is magnificent."
"So how does that help us open it?"
"There are roman numerals on the sides, all of them are the same; one hundred thirty three." Now Sanders known why the good General had chosen him and why he oddly referred to him as a "free man." He had no idea how the General had known he was a Freemason, but the answer to opening the container was clear as day to him. "It's a psalm."
"Anyone have a bible?" A Colonist said out loud.
Sanders removed his helmet and replied, "No need, I know this psalm well. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" The container split from the sides and opened slowly. The Colonial soldiers gasped at the object inside the container and dropped to their knees, bowing their heads in respect.
"Oh my God, I thought it was destroyed in the nuclear exchange. When D.C. was turned into a smoldering crater." Gonzalez said with eyes as wide as saucers.
"I can't believe it; this is the original, as old as America itself. Why isn't it safe here with us, in America?" Sanders said puzzled.
Weehawken, New Jersey, United States of America, Earth (Sol), 1945 12102064
General Slider sat alone by the plaque that marked the spot where Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr dueled less than three hundred years before. Something about this place put him at ease, it was a macabre place to reflect, but his life has always been full of death so he felt welcomed here. In his hand he held a small glass case with a neatly folded American flag inside. It had been with him for almost sixty-three years; it meant the world to him. Up here at the heights of Weehawken he could clearly see the troop carriers and transport ships ferrying American troops across the Hudson. The Hudson was littered with bloated bodies and chunks of floating debris; he sat there hoping this would be the last assault needed to liberate the city he had grown up in. The assault was no longer in his hands, it was in God's. Fortunately the attack had gone smoothly after the first wave, it was a massacre, but he had expected it to be. The first wave had to cross the Hudson under intense fire and scale a large booby trapped barrier into Manhattan Island itself, the Chinese had set up the perfect death trap. Manhattans defenses had worked for the PLA six times before, but this time the US hit them with everything they had. Artillery barrages, WMD's, pro-US rebels, a two front attack, orbital strikes, and hell they even poisoned the city's water supply. Now the US had a foothold, but New York was far from free, his men had to now liberate the city block by block. Building by building, it was certainly going to be a nightmare.
"General Slider, I knew you would be here." A voice from behind the General said angrily.
"De-Tierra, just you being here tells me my boys succeeded."
"You were the only one I couldn't fully trust. I needed you only because this was your area of command, but you just didn't get with the program."
"I refuse to be a part of your new fucked up world order."
"Well this country of ours was killed from the inside and I'm going to fix that, I'm going to make them all pay. They don't deserve freedom; they bitched and moaned when they had it. They weakened us to the point we couldn't defend ourselves and do so still. Democracy has made them weak and complacent. It was a long slide from power for America since the start of the century, we've both seen it. Why do you defend them still?"
"Were soldiers, were supposed to defend them. We took an oath to defend the constitution, why are you actively trying to destroy it?"
"I just told you, weren't you listening? I'm done dicking around. Where did you take the original Constitution?" De-Tierra raised his hand and four black clad marines arrived pointing their rifles at the General.
"Somewhere safe." General Slider said staring off into the distance.
"I worked too hard to have you fuck this up for me. I destroyed almost every damn trace of that piece of paper from the internet to the books in libraries. This war is a God send for me, by the time it's over, no one but the old farts will know our true history and the constitution. With time I'll get rid of them too. The young of this world are falling into line with me and the new world order I will lead will be perfection. Free from weakness and bleeding hearts."
"De-Tierra, you're crazy. America won't change for you."
"The war has changed it already. It's mine to mold as I see fit," De-Tierra looked at the plaque and smiled. "Shoot him." The four marines shot the General in his back and he twisted around violently, landing on his back.
The General was still alive on the dead grass, he laid there breathing heavily and started drowning in his own blood. "Father… father… father." Slider whispered as he lay dying. His eyes moved rapidly from side to side as his life flashed before his eyes.
De-Tierra stood over the General and laughed, "God won't help. Stop calling for him." He took out a surrogated knife and made the last moments of the General's life, long and very painful.
Green View Cemetery, Brooklyn, United States of America (Earth), 0955 14092001
The street leading up to the cemetery were lined on both sides by thousands of firefighters and mourning citizens. A fire truck slowly inched its way towards the cemetery bearing a flag draped coffin. Following the fire truck was a procession of bagpipers playing "Highland Cathedral," with the dead man's wife and son closely behind the procession crying. The fire truck came to a stop and six firefighters gently lowered the coffin unto their shoulders and slowly marched to the man's final resting place.
"The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Naked we came into this world and naked we leave. Blessed be the Name of the Lord." With that the priest sprinkled dirt on the casket as it was lowered. "Fireman Robert Slider will be missed and unto God his soul will go, where he will wait by his side to meet those he loved once again. Amen." The flag from the casket was folded into a tight triangle by two Firefighters and they gave it to the dead man's son. The child took the flag and hugged it tightly into his chest.
One of the Firefighters knelt down to eye level with the child and spoke to him near the verge of crying, "Your daddy was a good man, and he died saving many people from the towers. He was a hero."
"One day I'll be a hero too. Just like my daddy." The child replied as serious as a six year old could be.
"I don't doubt it kid." The Firefighter rose up and tossed a rose on the casket and silently went away.
The child edge closer to the hole in the ground that contained his father's remains and he said to himself, "One day I'll be a hero. One day I'll make you really proud. Don't worry I'll watch over Mommy for you." He held the flag even tighter and did his best not to cry. He found his mother and took her hand. He gently squeezed it and smiled at her. She smiled back.
What is a hero without love of Mankind? - Doris Lessing
1
SC: Extraction
Thu, 11th November, 2010
A team of U.S. special forces sneak into occupied New York City on a mission to extract a very valuable relic.
Comments Greatly Appreciated. Leave them here.
Comments Greatly Appreciated. Leave them here.