The Future Was Then

*Authors note. This my first story here, and all feedback is welcome. Also, I know none of the real characters have showed up yet. Give it a little time to get going.*

July 4th, 2767. Somewhere over Tokyo.

The 101st airborne division had changed a little over the last fifteen hundred years or so. Tommy guns were replaced by laser rifles, planes were replaced with high orbit assault frigates, and parachutes were replaced with AAS, or Airborne Assault Craft. But two things were the same. Americans were jumping, and falling. Each AAS could hold three men and their equipment, or in this case, two men and one woman.

Jordan O'Brien and his younger brother Jack were goofing around with Jack's fiancée, Sally Brown. This was Sally's first jump. She had been drafted, and had finished basic two days ago. Jack had followed along to make sure she didn't get hurt. Jordan was the Colonel, so he could do that. He keyed the comm. in his helmet.

"All right troopers, let's hit 'um hard! When we hit assemble on the main beacon, and await orders." They were jumping, or falling rather, into the middle of downtown Tokyo. A massive invasion had taken place, and Tokyo was one of the first to fall to some strange space invaders. Now, it was time to storm the beach. "All pods, fire!" There was a massive bump as explosive charges sent the AAS's downward.

An AAS is basically a metal ball that falls, burns, and if all goes well, keeps everyone inside alive. Jordan and his fellow passengers were strapped in with titanium cored belts, but they still strained under the G-force. Then the welcome party arrived. Fighters started shooting at the pods. One got hit, and dropped its load in atmosphere. They burned up before they hit the ground. Jordan started too sweat. The outer layer was burning off. Then, all hell broke lose. One of the fighters crashed into them, and torn a gash through the hull. It also sent them in a flat spin at 500mph. The last thing Jordan remembered was seeing a building coming toward them.

When he awoke, the first thing he noticed was he was lying on a bed with a beautiful girl next to him. Heaven?, he though. Then he saw it was Sally, and Jack was standing over them with a shotgun. Hell, defiantly hell. Then he noticed he wasn't dead, and that the bed was actually a rug from the building they hit. "What happened?"

"About time you woke up. We hit a tower, and went way off course. We'll never make the rendezvous tonight. I suggest we make camp the old temple over there."

"All right. I'll get all gear I can, and you can carry her." He picked up several rifles, grenades, C4, and many other things, and met them at the gate, or what was the gate. It had been blasted off by a bomb, and most of the main building had been burned down, but the well house was still intact, and it looked like the closest thing they could find to sleep in.

"Look at this! Probably the only well house in this whole damn city and it's dry!"

"Calm down Jack, we've got canteens."

"But this is our luck! I'll bet a months pay that this well was full two days ago."

"Better pay up then, plaque says it's been dry since the 1800's."

"What?" He looked over, and saw the plaque. "I hate it when you do that."

"Just buy a round at the pub when we get back and I'll call it good."

"I think it'll be cheaper to give you the months pay. How 'bout…"

They were interrupted by Sally screaming. There was something on her chest. "What the…" Whatever it was jumped down into the well, and scampered off. "Was that a fox?"

"There are no foxes in Japan. Is there?"

"I don't care, but where'd it come from?" asked Sally.

Jordan leaned over the well, and looked down. "Must be a tunnel. He disappeared pretty quickly. I don't blame him. She doesn't like mornings very much. She smacked him, and he lost his balance. "Wow, wow, wow, …"

There was a flash of light, and Jordan disappeared.