Chapter 1: Alaskan Frontline
Matanuska-Susitna Valley, Alaska. February 19, 2072
It was a cold day on the soon-to-be-battlefield. A snowstorm had started to brew with visibility diminishing by the second. The silence clouded the environment to the point where the only sounds could be artillery fire off in the distance. However, this would soon cease and the life of one young man would change forever.
Upon a nearby hill, a squad of American soldiers arose. They were cloaked in winterized combat armor and headgear that were composed of a helmet with a black visor and a snow mask covering the mouth. In their hands, they carried assault rifles that were loaded and ready to fire at a moment's notice. Up front was their commanding officer 2nd Lieutenant Roger Maxson. Maxson stood at 6 foot 3 with black hair and fair complexion. Although he was a low-ranking officer, he possessed charisma and looks that would make him an ideal candidate in the political world. Walking behind him was Sergeant Jonah Adams, a shorter man at 5 foot 7 with brown hair in a military-style cut and piercing green eyes. He walks next to Maxson and turns to him.
"Sir, what are our orders for this mission," Jonah asked Maxson, expecting thorough details as to the mission objectives. Maxson looks behind at the other men and pulls Jonah aside.
Pointing northward in the direction they were facing, he looks at one of the men and states, "Continue northward until you reach the edge of this mountain. Wait there for my orders." The men walk forward and finally, Maxson turns to Jonah. "I won't lie to you Jonah," he started with hesitation, "I don't think that many of us are going to make it out alive after this mission."
Jonah walks closer to Maxson, who by now looking down at the ground with sorrow. "What kinds of danger does command want me to put my men into?"
"Our men, Sergeant," Maxson snaps back at Jonah. He looks back at the men proceeding forward and then to Jonah. "Command wants us to take out a Chimera depot that is located two miles from our present location." Maxson gets down on one knee with Jonah following. He starts drawing a map in the snow. "Companies A,B, and C are distracting a large amount of Chinese commandos in the Alaska Range while Companies D and E are taking care of artillery in the Chugachs."
"So what are the difficulties if all these units are being pulled away from the depot? There shouldn't be that many commandos within the depot," Jonah explained.
"The Chinese have invested heavily into the development of these massive tanks. They won't let them go unguarded," Maxson responded. "Intel didn't give a rough estimation of troop numbers so your guess is as good as mine."
Suddenly, a gunshot is heard in the distance. Both men look over at the other men off in the distance. One has fallen to the ground, dead with a bullet wound to the head with blood splattered across the snow. "Commies, twelve o'clock," shouts one of the soldiers. Maxson, dashing to his men, ordered them to engage the enemy. Several yards away, twenty Chinese commandos in winterized gear with camo clothing, and hats with red stars in the middle were shooting at the American GIs. The men quickly tucked behind whatever could be used for cover, whether it be a tree, rock, or even their soon-to-be dead comrades. Gunfire had filled the air; it was another battle to add to the war's history.
Jonah searched around for the radio operator within the squad. "Private Jenkins, radio to HQ. We need support." No response came forward. He repeated his statement once again, but still no response. "Goddamnit Jenkins, do you understand what I am saying," he shouted as he tried to find him. Finally, he saw what remained of Jenkins, a bloodied corpse with a field phone in his right hand. Jonah, shooting at the commandos from the distance, runs while crouching over to Jenkins' freshly-dead corpse and retrieves the phone. He hastily puts it to his ear. "HQ, HQ, come in this is Sgt. Adams! I request backup at our location! Over!" He picks up his rifle and continues to shoot at several commandos as he awaits a response. Two minutes pass by with no response. He issues this request but again a response does not come. Cursing the lack of communication, he slams the phone on the ground and proceeds to continue shooting.
Suddenly, from behind the Chinese forces appears the nightmare which Maxson had feared of. It was a Chimera tank armed and loaded. It shot lasers which struck and disintegrated an unfortunate soldier who was caught in the crossfire. Maxson examines his surroundings; only he, Jonah, and another soldier remain of their original squad.
"Adams, we have to fall back. This is a lost cause," Maxson explained as he was proceeding to back up rapidly.
The world around Jonah began to slow down. In the distance, he saw the Chimera approaching his position. Looking back, he saw Maxson shouting at him to retreat. In his mind, retreating was not an option. His goal was to stop the Communist threat, even if it meant sacrificing his own life. He grabs his carbine and dashes forward.
"Adams, what the hell are you doing," Maxson shouted as he witnessed Jonah running towards the Chimera.
But he ignored Maxson's words. Everything was in slow motion at this point. Jonah fires his carbine at two incoming commandos, effectively killing them but running out of ammunition in the process. He drops this carbine on the ground and pulls out a frag grenade. The Chimera aims at him. Jonah successfully jumps out of the line of fire and starts to climb the large tank. At the top, he opens the lid, pulls the clip from the frag, and throws it into the tank.
He proceeds to start running immediately. Behind him, the Chimera explodes and bursts into flames. Jonah looks behind to see the debris as he is running. What he does not realize that is this has either saved his life or damned him. Two pieces of sharpel from the tank fly towards his face. One scratches his right eye while the other, unfortunately, strikes him in the left eye. Jonah falls to the ground, screaming in agony. Maxson, realizing what has happened, quickly rushes to Jonah's aid.
"Medic," Jonah shouts, "I need a medic! Ah, God this f***ing hurts. Ahh!"
"The medic's dead Jonah," Maxson sadly explains, "we have to get you back to base."
He calls over the other soldier who aids him in carrying Jonah back to the military headquarters. It ended Jonah's service in Alaska, but it would not end his service to the United States Government.