The wheels of the C-130 kissed the ground, sending a small jolt through the plane. The inside of the plane, which had been illuminated in soft red light, suddenly became bathed in the harsh light of the desert sun. Soldier sitting in the belly of the cargo plane quickly grabbed their rucksacks and began to disembark.
One of these soldiers stood slower than the rest and waited for the last of the personal to exit the belly of the craft. He was a giant of a man, standing at six foot seven inches. His calm yet assertive demeanor was only enhanced by his straight black hair that fell to about mid way down his forehead and piercing crystal blue eyes.
The man strode down the ramp with long determined steps. His rucksack on his left shoulder, being held securely by his left hand. He stepped out into the blazing sun, his right hand over his eyes, blocking the glare from the sun and allowing him to spot his destination. Across the hot tarmac lied a small tan colored building. This building was the checkpoint for servicemen who wished to check out of the military base. The man shifted his bad onto his right should and began the long walk across the tarmac to the building.
Upon gaining entry, the man swiftly crossed the small waiting room towards the only open receptionist desk. The woman manning the desk looked up in mild surprise at the giant who had suddenly appeared in front of her. She quickly got her voice back and proceeded to ask him why he was her.
"I have been given two weeks of leave and would like to leave the base." he replied with a deep voice.
"What is your name and rate," she asked while her fingers typed on the keyboard, bringing up the proper paperwork for the request.
"First Lieutenant James Carter," came the swift reply from the man now identified as Carter.
The woman quickly typed the data into her computer before giving him the necessary paperwork that gave him clearance to leave the base. With a quick thank you Carter left the building and proceeded to the offsite transportation depot.
Upon arriving at the depot, Carter found a suitable seat in a secluded section of the station and waited for the nest bus to arrive. Little over twenty minutes after sitting down a bus rolled into the station, the message board on the front telling him it was headed to the town of Pocatello.
He headed towards the bus, wanting to be one of the first people on board so he could sit in an area where he would be the least disturbed. After entering the bus, he spotted a row towards the back of the vehicle. Carter quickly sat down in the seat and propped his head against the window and promptly fell asleep.
Line Break
A hand shocked Carter out of his sleep, causing him to jerk forward and reach for the pistol on his right thigh. His hand came up empty as he finally realized where he was.
"Are you okay son?" the bus driver asked as he returned his hand to his side.
Carter looked around the now empty bus before replying, "Yeah, sorry about that I am a restless sleeper."
The bus driver looked at him for a second before turning around and heading towards the front of the bus. With a sigh Carter grabbed his bag and headed towards the front of the bus and the exit. Carter stepped out into the summer night of Pocatello.
Pocatello was a small town with a population of 320. The town was surrounded on all sides by forested mountains. The stars shined bright in the sky, the small town not producing enough light o block them out.
Glancing around Carter quickly spotted a motel, the bright red six allowing him to spot its exact position. After a few minutes of walking Carter rounded a corner and could finally see the motel. He swiftly approached the check in building, the only lights being a single lamp above the glass panel and the red glow of the motel sign.
Carter noticed that no one was manning the window so he rang the service bell. A light turned on in the back, and after some rustling noises a man appeared. He looked Carter up and down before inquiring if he would like a room.
"Yes please," Carter replied.
The man glanced down at the computer before looking back up and asking for how long.
"Just tonight please," Carter said.
"Uh... right," the motel owner replied, "That will be seventy dollars than Mr..."
"Carter."
"Ah, well here is your room key,: said the man while holding out a key, "You are in room seven."
Carter grabbed the key and handed the man his money. Carter thanked the man before turning around and heading towards his motel room.
Carter opened the door to his room and flipped on the lights. He was greeted with the sight of beige colored walls and a bed with a red bedspread. An old TV that was controlled by knobs occupied the only table in the room. The table was flanked by two black chairs. Carter quickly took a seat on one of the chairs and removed his boots and socks. He then hung his jacket on the back of the chair.
The soldier then pulled off the covers of his bed and crawled underneath them. With a tired sigh he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Line Break
The shriek of metal tearing apart brought Carter out of his concussive induced stupor. Looking around Carter quickly took stock of the situation. His platoon had been tasked with escorting a high value target out of the war zone that was Thailand. China had invaded Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines fifteen months ago, sparking the Pacific conflict. Within weeks of their invasion, China had secured a foothold in all the countries around them.
Shorty after their invasion, the United States sent their military to provide aid to their allies. The conflict quickly escalated as combat rolled across the pacific. Following America's lead Australia sent troops to combat the Chinese invasions of the Philippines and Indonesia. for months the US and her allies fought China. After the first wave of landings, special operations task groups were sent to infiltrate and sabotage key enemy positions.
That's what Carter's platoon of Force Recon Marines had been doing for the past seven months. Except now they had to rescue a HVT, and they had been caught.
Carter shook of the haziness and ran towards the nearest cover. bullets pelted the concrete barrier he had taken refuge behind. He shouldered his M4 Carbine and ducked around the corner to get a better look at his surroundings.
The vehicles that they had used for the extraction were strewn across the road. Some of them on fire, the flames licking the bodies of his dead comrades. The enemy fire coming from the thick jungle on both sides of the road drove him back into cover before he could see anymore.
"Wilson," Carter yelled, "Who's still up?"
"Wilson's dead LT," came the reply from Private Ryan, "Bravo squad, the HVT and I are the only ones left sir."
Carter slumped down for a second. He only had nine people left out of a platoon of eighteen men. He quickly gained control of himself and started issuing orders.
"Ryan, I need you to get on the horn and call in close air support."
"Yes sir."
"The rest of you, form a defensive circle around the HVT."
The shattered platoon of marines quickly carried out their leaders orders. The sound of gunfire only intensified as the fight drew on. Soon the sound of jet engines could be heard off in the distance.
"Sir," yelled Ryan over the sound of gunfire, "CAS is on station and awaiting targets."
"Tell them to fire on the green smoke," Carter ordered.
With a few hand gestures two men from the platoon grabbed green smoke grenades and tossed them on either side of the road. The jets came closer and flew overhead as they dropped their payloads.
JDAMs fell from the sky and plummeted towards the earth. Massive explosions rocked the earth as the bombers reached their targets. Shrapnel and dirt rained won on the marines the gunfire slowly died down.
With a sigh of relief Carter began to take stock of the situation when a load bang echoed down the road. Carter whipped around to see the face of Private Ryan contorted in pain.
Line Break
Carter awoke with a gasp. The alarm clock blared in the background as Carter got to his feet and reached for it. The clock read 6:30 a.m. and after setting down the clock, Carter headed towards the bathroom.
After taking a shower Carter quickly donned a camo shirt and pants and grabbed his rucksack before he stepped out into the crisp morning air. Carter crossed the lot and dropped off the key to room he had rented.
Afterwards Carter turned his attention towards breakfast. He wandered around town until he found a family owned diner. He stepped inside and was greeted by the smell of freshly baked apple pie and cinnamon bread. The waitress immediately noticed him and directed him to a seat.
"so what can I get you?" the waitress asked, while her blonde hair seemed to bob back and forth with each word.
"I'll take a slice of apple pie and your strongest cup of coffee please."
"Would you like any cream or sugar with your coffee?" she questioned him while writing in her notepad.
"No thank you," was Carter's reply.
The waitress, having taken his order, turned around headed to the kitchen to give it to the chef. Carter grabbed the newspaper and began to busy himself until his food arrived. He was just finishing up the comics section when the waitress came back with his food and drink.
Carter quickly put the newspaper to the side and dug into his pie. The sweet flavor of the pie contrasting sharply with the bitterness of the black coffee. He polished off the pie in a few minutes and was on his third cup of coffee when the waitress returned to the table with the bill.
"Ma'am, do you know where the nearest camping outfitter is?" he asked before she could leave.
"About three blocks North," she said before going back to her duties.
He said his tanks before going to pay for this meal. He then stepped outside and headed in the direction the waitress had told him. he walked for about ten minutes before he spotted the store.
Upon entering the store, Carter was immediately greeted by the employee manning the checkout counter. "Hi and welcome to the Pocatello fishing and hunting supplier. I hope you find everything you need and if you have any questions just ask me or any other employee you see and we will help you as best as we can," the man said with a smile.
Carter nodded at the man before continuing on into the store. He walked around the store, grabbing different items along the way. He grabbed a lightweight tent, portable stove, titanium pot and enough rations to last four days. He brought the items to the front and quickly paid for them. He put the items into his bag and headed out of town.
Line Break
The soft crunch of boots hitting the forest floor was the only sound that greeted Carter's ears as he scaled the mountains around Pocatello. He breathed steadily as he continued to climb up the mountain. He had been hiking for hours and was now looking for a place to set up camp before night fell.
Just as the sun was starting to slip behind the mountains, Carter found a small lake nestled in a valley surrounded by high peaks on all sides. He quickly descended into the valley before the sun disappeared entirely. He reached the bottom of the valley, and after pushing his way through a thicket of bushes and trees, found himself standing in a small meadow that was adjacent to the lake. Carter quickly set up his tent, and after having dinner he got in his sleeping bag and went to sleep.
A loud whooshing noise woke Carter up in the middle of the night. He jerked up and looked around wild eyed before he noticed light coming through the side of the tent. He quickly donned his boots and digital camo clothes before venturing outside.
He unzipped the tent and stepped outside and noticed that the lake was now glowing an eerie blue. He walked closer to the lake, hoping to get a better look at what could be casing the phenomenon. He reached the edge of the water, and the blue glow started to pulsate at a regular interval.
Carter stumbled back in surprise as he watched the pulse slowly quicken. He started to walk backwards as he watched the lake, when the pulsing suddenly stopped. He stood their motionless before a massive explosion erupted from the center of the lake. Carter quickly turned around and ran as a wave of what looked like blue fire hurtled towards him. The fire collided with the trees around the lake, causing massive explosions and leaving behind dead and burnt husks.
Carter felt the heat from the wave o his back and tried to dive behind a boulder in an attempt to escape it. But the fire engulfed Carter before he could reach safety. The fire seared and boiled Carter's skin, he tried to open his mouth to scream but only succeeded in bringing the fire into his lungs. The shockwave that had been following the fire lifted Carter off of his feet and flung him hundreds of feet into the side of the mountain. Carter managed to get to his knees before the pain became too much and he collapsed. He breathed on last painful breath before the cold embrace of death took him.
Line Break
The sound of rocks crashing onto the ground pulled Carter out of his sleep. He slowly opened his eyes and winced because of the harsh white light in the room. After his yes had adjusted to the light, Carter noticed that he was in a glass tube filled with liquid and he was breathing through some type of device attached to his face.
The room itself was colored white and had all sorts of medical equipment scattered across it. The far left corner held an operation table directly across from it had what looked like x-ray pictures hanging on it.
The door on the far side of the room opened suddenly and two men came running into the room. They crossed the distance to where he was floating and turned to each other. The one wearing what looked like combat armor pointed to the panel on the side of the tube. The man wearing the lab coat shook his head and was about to say something when the room suddenly shook. The two men quickly dived out of the way as the ceiling in front of the pod collapsed.
The military man got back on his feet and before the man in the lab coat could protest, he clicked the button on the side of the tube. The liquid Carter was suspended in started to drain out of the tube and after it had all left, the class door slid up and Carter collapsed onto his hands and knees before ripping off the mask on his face.
"Quick," said the man in the military uniform, "you need to get the subject out of here before Viktor overruns our defenses.
The man in the lab coat lifted Carter to his feet and slung an arm over his shoulder before helping him out the door. Carter looked up to see a long gray hallway with lights stretching down it. The ground started to rumble and before anyone could react a large chunk of concrete broke off from the ceiling and crashed into the duo.