There Are No Coincidences
It all started with takeover of ODIN. The Federation took control of the precision targeting space platform and began targeting cities in the United States. The result was a breaking of the truce that had existed after the destruction of the Middle East and war was upon us. For ten years the war raged on until there was a stalemate. Both sides were looking at each other waiting for the other to blink but with that came quiet. It was the calm before the storm that paved the way for something else…
Chapter 1
The Fed were all over the place as they tried to breach the beachfront at Fort Santa Monica. The fire was heavy and unrelenting. Sequoia squinted through her sights as she looked for the more immediate threats to their lines and they were everywhere as she looked from her vantage point in the trenches. Maybe this was the result of that funny feeling that she had all day from the time that she woke up to the time she was directed out to her patrol by Command.
Ever since that morning there was something off about everything. Sequoia could never explain it, not even to her patrol mates how she knew something was going to happen. No one took her gut feelings lightly either. They had kept her alive the past ten years after the Federation took control of ODIN and targeted her home leaving her alone; at least she thought so, in the world. She had no word of her parents that remained on the reservation in New Mexico while her father fostered relations between the nations and resigned herself to avenging their deaths and making sure that no one else would have to go through that.
It was pretty much everyone's story or everyone had a story like that who joined up to fight against the Fed. She joined and never looked back and plowed ahead. She had nowhere else to go so she dedicated herself to the fight. Her 'gut instinct' made her legendary in some respects and earned ire from others. One of the major things was that it was considered she didn't play too well with authority. She didn't care. She was there to fight the Fed and she would be damned if they took this home from her as well.
"Fuck they're everywhere." It was accompanied by gunfire from next to her that it was almost deafening.
Sequoia spared a glance at her partner and friend Carol as she fired her weapon at the advancing enemy. She felt a sense of gladness at the presence of her partner that she was still alive in this fight. "And they're going to get nothing but lead from me."
Carol ducked and put a hand to her helmet as an RPG hit their embankment. She felt the dirt and debris that flew from the explosion hit her on the shoulders as she looked up to see her friend pop back up from her crouched position and continued to fire. "I'm so not cut out for this."
"You may be right. You are a medic," Sequoia countered without any malice behind it.
"And the only reason I'm out here is because it's all hands on deck," Carol countered as she scampered over to where a soldier had gone down and was grabbing his shoulder. She pulled out bandages to plug the wound.
Sequoia gave a slight smirk at that. Carol had been the medic for her team the past five years. The woman had been a doctor when she enlisted and the first thing that was obvious to Sequoia was that the woman didn't like shooting guns. Sure she had trained for it but the woman hated it and didn't like combat but she was damn good in the field in terms of patching up things. Sequoia made it her personal job to keep an eye on Carol and safe. It ended up cementing a bond of friendship to the point that the men thought the end of the world had come. Their sergeant was not known for making friends. She went in and did the job and expected others to do the same.
It was hard for those outside the team to comprehend but there was a modicum of respect. The men valued their leader's expertise and they worked together to make sure everyone was more or less intact when they came back from patrol sweeps of the Wall. They were considered the best next to Viking Six and Viking Five. Rumor had it that they took out a whole patrol with their dog.
Sequoia knew all this and didn't think much of it. She did make much of her men in terms of making sure that they were good to go and if someone was hurt she made sure they made it back. She could be a hard ass but she did care. She watched Carol take care of one of her guys but he ended up dying from bleeding out and she had to admire Carol's strength to return to the line. She said, "We may have to fall back."
"There's still Harris and Potts," Carol pointed out. She knew they had to hold the line even though it looked dire. She was willing to do it because someone had to look after her friend who would go on a suicide mission if it called for it.
Sequoia looked at the situation. It was getting dire. She could see that they were losing ground. "Tell them to pull back and regroup with Tango squad. You go too."
"And you?"
"Staying at my post. Rigging up a few explosions and giving them hell," Sequoia replied giving Carol a grin. She patted her friend's helmet to indicate that she was to get moving and that was an order.
"And my professional opinion is that you are insane as always," Carol replied as she turned to relay the order to the remaining men of the squad. She looked at her friend and saw that she was indeed preparing to give a very loud explosion and shook her head.
Sequoia looked over her embankment and noted the advancing enemy. She didn't have much time. She called in, "Command, this is Echo Three, hostiles advancing and we're losing ground."
Roger that Echo, can you hold position?
"Negative, Command. Fall backing to next position but leaving a nice surprise for Fed." Sequoia ran through her empty line and laid down what she had finished.
Roger Echo. Fall back to nearest position and continue fire.
"Roger that."
We are losing ground. We need you to help reinforce the beachfront.
On our way. Any word from Captain Walker's command post?
Sequoia paused only for a moment to hear what was going on. She was familiar with Captain Walker since she was assigned to his command. He assigned her patrols accordingly and always treated her… she wasn't sure how to describe it. She was always business when it came to orders but his mannerism to her was different. In return she lightened up a bit and they had interesting conversations. If Carol was there, she would have said that she was fond of the Captain and in that respectful way.
Negative. Defensive teams were holding that position…
Sequoia looked around and it felt like her breath was taken away. If Captain Walker was KIA or seriously injured… She couldn't think the worst but it was a very real possibility. And her friend Carol was right. She was fond of the man and it was because he gave her a chance in terms of command. Up until five years ago she had been put down even as she advanced to the rank she deserved. She was not taken seriously until she had been called in by the Captain.
She was nervous then but she maintained that look of calm as she had been taught and what had been assumed to be the stereotype of her people. It was a bit of a put off for people who didn't understand but for those that got to know her, it was a mask to hide what she was truly feeling and it was something she excelled at ever since she was a child. It was this look of calm she had when she walked into the Captain's command.
The man was well known in military circles. He knew his stuff and was respected for it. Sequoia admired his courage during the early part of the war and now he was speaking to her. It had been a total surprise when he asked her where she was from and what her background was. She had been taken aback and wondered why he was asking and looked at him with a look of suspicion. It was bold but she only responded with name, rank and serial.
That seemed to please him since he nodded and beckoned to her stand at ease. The first part was the rundown of her career thus far and he pointed out a few noteworthy comments from her superiors that were total bullshit but nevertheless she wasn't able to argue. She owned up to it and even gave certain 'corrections' that had not been noted. Captain Walker merely nodded at her and looked at what he had on her. In the end he said that he needed someone to lead one of his squads and that he was appointing her to the job.
He had told her what he was doing with his back turned towards her. When he announced his decision he had turned to gauge her reaction. She responded with a calm air and stood at attention to accept. Since that day she was Echo Three and leader of Echo Squad. Also since then the captain had become more open and tried to encourage her to open up as well. Her gut said to but this time she was wary about it but the captain didn't seem to mind. It was like he knew what she was thinking and responded accordingly.
Now it looked like there might be a possibility… Sequoia shook her head and went about the business of setting the last of the charges. She couldn't think about that now even though she was struck with the slightest feelings of dread and possible sadness of that possibility. She was going to make life a living hell for the Fed. Once it was set she called, "Command, this is Echo Three. Pulling back and waiting to light up the ground."
Roger. All units be advised danger close near sector zero seven eight niner. Echo Three has the green light.
Sequoia ran to a nearby hole. She was still in the trenches but it was the best cover and she had a good position. She watched and waited. She fired her weapon to draw them in closer and as many as possible. When she was sure, she let it rip. The explosion that followed really lit up the ground. Sequoia peeked over at the sight of her handiwork and gave an approving nod. That was a good kill.
Echo Three good kill. You bought time for the A10 drones.
"Roger that, Echo Three out."
It was business as usual but Sequoia was separated from her squad. Still she ran through the lines taking out the enemy and grabbing ammo along the way. She paused only a moment to note that the enemy was retreating. She frowned at that though. That didn't seem right. She watched as the enemy popped smoke to… "Command, hostiles marking our guys with smoke. Artillery inbound."
Copy that. All units enemy artillery inbound.
Sequoia watched as the artillery bombarded the defensive positions. It made her a bit careless and a round grazed her arm. She ducked and looked up to see enemy helicopters inbound. This was going to be a shit hole for sure.
"You couldn't stay out of trouble long enough could you?"
Sequoia looked up to see Carol already at work looking at her arm. She didn't bother to question how the medic found her. "It's a scratch. Where's the squad?"
Carol become quiet for a moment, "They fell back to the defensive position. Artillery got them."
Command we have enemy birds suppressing our position! What's the ETA on those drones?
A10 drones en route. ETA thirty seconds.
"Like we have thirty seconds," Sequoia muttered while getting back to her feet. She would mourn her squad later. Right now she had Carol to worry about and they were stuck in the middle of heavy fire and it looked like relief was on the way but they were losing the beach. "We need to stay out of Fed sight and make our way to the defensive position. A10 drone are out."
"Don't have to tell me twice. Lead the way," Carol replied as she loaded a fresh mag.
Sequoia began to move out. She was right in that the Fed was storming the beach. They were losing ground and fast. She could only hope that the A10s would get there on time to save what was left. They would hold their ground though.
A10s are on station and ready for tasking.
Sequoia pulled Carol into a trench to hide from the drone fire. Whoever was taking control was making it fast and accurate and that was a relief. "At least someone can shoot."
"Better them than me. You know me. I don't like guns," Carol joked. She adjusted her position and looked around the trench.
At that moment an explosion sounded. Both women looked to see one of the balconies of the defensive positions fall. They could see men failing as they fell to the ground. Some did manage to survive and were taking cover since they were in the trenches.
Drone Control's defensive teams are reporting massive casualties and need assistance.
Sequoia looked at Carol. If Drone Control fell then they were screwed. She looked at Carol and the woman nodded. She called, "Command this is Echo Three acknowledging sit rep. Heading to Drone Control now using the trenches."
Roger Echo Three.
We're moving through the trenches! Hang tight, we'll get there!
All defensive units be advised! Friendlies are moving through the trenches towards Drone Control. Watch your fire!
"Just another day at the park, Carol."
"Fuck you, Sequoia."
They gave each other a fistbump and started moving through the trenches. The Fed was crawling all over the place but if they didn't get there and secure Control they were going to lose the beach. The drones were the only thing that were keeping the beaches from being completely overrun. Sequoia took point and began to clear the path. It was like doing drills when she was trying to better Carol's shoot ratio. It sucked horribly but it did develop a sense of teamwork and cemented a firm friendship.
Carol's rifle was going off and picking off hostiles that were trying to flank them or came out of the woodwork. It was a well-developed strategy that served them both a couple of times on patrol. The squad had picked up on it and they had adapted it to squad size and it worked. Now it was back down to two and they were against huge odds.
They ran past sandbag mounds that really didn't do shit for cover but it was better than nothing even when you had Kevlar. Sequoia felt the sand from the beach sticking to her skin from the sweat pouring down her face and neck. She could hear shouts of people calling that men were down and where targets were. It was loud and unrelenting but they had to push forward. Somewhere along the way a couple of their guys from other teams joined to help clear a path.
We're surrounded on all sides! What's your ETA?
We're almost there. Hold on!
"Copy that. Echo Three almost there."
They pushed forward and Sequoia thought she heard Spanish so she pressed against the wall and put a hand back to press Carol to the wall. It was gone and she heard voices. It sounded like their guys so she risked it after indicating that Carol should stay back and be ready. She wasn't going to take chances. If she got hit, then Carol would be fine and she would take down as many as she could.
With Carol pressed against the wall with her gun ready, Sequoia took a deep breath before coming around the corner. She was prepared to fire with her rifle up and she aimed. The result ended up with her coming face to face with another soldier who was pointing his rifle at her. First thoughts were that he was fearless and a good soldier. Another thought that struck her, and was very unusual, was that he had a nice pair of green eyes.
"Name and rank," he said.
"Echo Three," she replied, well aware that it wasn't what he was asking. He wasn't lowering his weapon so she wasn't either. "You?"
"Lt. Hesh Walker… Sergeant."
It was a standoff as Sequoia studied him and went with her gut. She kept her weapon up and diverted her gaze and her gun and fired. The dead Fed fell into the trench and she lowered her weapon and stared silently at the lieutenant. As far as she knew, she was in trouble for her attitude towards a superior officer but now wasn't the time. She said, "Trenches are crawling with them."
Lt. David "Hesh" Walker looked at the sergeant that in most cases would have been considered undermining the chain of command. His first impression was that she was a bitch because of her attitude but also impressive. He had heard of Sergeant Sequoia "White Hawk" Williams and he was certain she was the one that set off the fireworks below to buy some time to hold the beach. Her team was well known during the sweeps of the Wall and couple of missions they had been sent on. Their motto was 'Into the Breach' or something like that. Some of the stuff was stories that were embellished by the men as was wont to happen.
At this point it looked like they were going to need some help and since he had heard that Echo Three was responding to aid for Drone Control, he wasn't going to turn down help. He replied, "Only too true sergeant."
Sequoia lowered her weapon and looked around while Carol came out to reveal that she wasn't alone. "We're making for Drone Control."
"Same here. You're welcome to join. We could use the extra hands."
"Funny. I was about to say the same thing to you," Sequoia replied. She knew that she was being disrespectful but something compelled her to be; like that was the only way to gain acceptance. It was strange and probably stupid but it was that gut thing again and she went with it. "My medic, Echo Five," she introduced Carol who nodded.
"Hesh. My brother Logan," Hesh replied. While it was probably not the best of times to be making introductions, it had reduced the tensions long enough to agree to work together and then later go back to deciding who had the bigger bite. "Let's move out."
Sequoia followed behind Hesh and was in turn followed by Logan and Carol. They continued on towards control and ended up running into a large hovercraft that was flying over the trenches. It wasn't one of theirs so that meant that it was one of the Fed. She paused to study the thing as it flew overhead and her eyes scanned it out of habit. If she had the weaponry she would try to take it out. She returned to business and signaled Carol to fall into formation.
"Drone control! Enemy forces are swarming at your door! We need air support on your position. It's the only way we'll be able to get through," Hesh called through the comms. He fired at the hostiles that were in the trenches and trying to slow them down. He was surprised though to see that Sequoia had passed him up and was pushing forward and behind her was her medic covering her flank like a two man tank.
Roger that! Repositioning drones now! The tower will be in your kill zone! Watch your fire!
Hesh looked at the two man team as they took cover. They were anticipating the air strike. He called to his brother, "Call em in! Make sure to direct your fire away from the tower!"
Sequoia took cover and fired at the hostiles from her position while occasionally checking to see if Carol was still there. She teased, "Still with me Doc?"
"Bite me," Carol replied with a slight grin as she fired her weapon. She noticed the drones firing as they took out enemy armor. "Looks like our partners are good shots… not that you'd ever notice." She smirked when she saw the look her friend was giving her.
Sequoia gave a look and covered the one called Logan while he directed the drones to draw fire from the tower. He was good she could admit but that didn't mean that she was impressed. Being beaten down by her successes sort of put the whole thing about showboating out of her and she did the same to her guys. She continued to so her job until the second drone was hit by enemy fire and it struck the tower. She heard Hesh calling the tower and getting nothing. "Tower's down," she said with harsh realization.
"Shit! Come on let's move!" Hesh hadn't wanted to admit it but it looked like the beach was going to be overrun. Still they had to make sure. He signaled for them to move out.
Sequoia followed behind Hesh as they headed towards the damaged tower. There were still hostiles all around so she narrowed her eyes and covered the leader while trusting in Carol and Logan to do the same. They cleared out the entrance and Hesh called, "That's the last of 'em. Let's move."
Sequoia moved lightly on her feet to take point. She passed Hesh and Logan and ended up at the door to look around. Dirt clung to her face, darkening her skin, forcing it into shadow. From the view of her companions she looked like a being that wasn't quite human. She radioed, "Command, drone control is down. Moving in to evac the injured, over."
All units this is Command. A10 Drone Support is now offline. Fall back to secondary defensive positions. I repeat all units retreat from the beach.
"Let's go!"
Sequoia pulled on Carol's vest and started following Hesh through the buildings along with Logan. Air artillery was being dropped at the same time and it was not helping as troopers were falling back to the secondary positions. "Keep up Doc!"
At that moment Logan slipped and Sequoia forced herself to stop and help him up. Artillery exploded around them, sending debris up. She yanked on his arm since he had slipped while trying to get up. When she turned though… One second Carol was there, the next second and explosion hit in front and Carol was no longer there. It was not her voice when she screamed out, "Carol!"
There was nothing there and the artillery was getting fiercer and she had someone who needed her help now. She used her other hand to pull Logan to his feet. He had been hit in the head with a chunk of debris and was sporting a cut that looked worse than what it was. She pushed him to follow Hesh and gave a backwards glance to whisper good bye.
"Dad's place is down the next street! Hurry!"
Sequoia snapped her attention towards Hesh and Logan. She covered the flank as she followed them and thought she heard a dog barking. She was right and it turned out that it was their dog, Riley who joined them in taking down enemies from the street. She had no idea where she was going or why she was even sticking with Hesh and Logan but she stayed and covered.
"Enemies behind us! We gotta get inside!"
Sequoia was prepared to remain behind but she was grabbed by the shoulder of her vest and urged inside by Hesh. She really didn't have the heart to scowl at that since she realized that they were at the captain's command. She started following Riley and tailed by Logan with Hesh being the last one looking for Elias Walker. Their way was blocked and only Logan was able to get through. Hesh told him to go upstairs and they would find another way through. They did find another way through and Hesh shouted, "Logan!"
A/N: Okay folks here is a fic based on CoD: Ghosts. Looks like Hesh and Logan get the company of a sergeant who proves to be a good pair of hands to help out while the beach is under attack. Stay tuned for more There Are No Coincidences...
